Persona, Scarlet Souls: Dark Hour

Chapter 5 Warning

The soft orange glow gently tinted the patches of grass surrounding the shrine, Angel Akeboshi seated himself on the edge of the well while his friend leaned against it. . .

"How much longer till the Dark Hour ends. . .?" Rio asked quietly, just barely loud enough for the Magic-User to hear.

"Not long. Plenty of time for us to talk about what's got you so worked up." The redhead answered blankly, noticing the ever so slight flinch in Rio's expression. . .

After a brief moment of silenced, a sigh left her mouth, deciding to just give in.

"It's just. . . volleyball team stuff." The Captain of the team mumbled in a mixture of irritation and depression, the latter winning the tug of war in her heart.

"Go on. . ."

"Do you. . . I mean, I want our team to be the best, but. . ." The teen gazed down to the tanto knife in her hands, the blade refracting the light of Angel's flame. "Do you think it's wrong of me to expect the same from the girls? To expect them to at least try. . .?"

". . . Do you?"

"Of course not!" Rio cried, tightly gripping her weapon. "If you're going to join the team, then you should do your absolute best! You should put in the effort! If you don't, then it's just a waste of time!"

The girl let out a harsh breath following the outburst, shutting her eyes and leaning her head against the base of the well. . .

"I love volleyball. . . It was just a hobby growing up, but it's so much more than that now." The blade fell from her hands and clinked against the ground, drenched in her shadow.

But it's no fun playing it alone. . .

Rio Iwasaki groaned quietly, a pulse of soreness coursing through her body. She took a moment to breathe, her chest heaving up and down as she awaited for the pain to fade. . .

"So, you're lonely." Angel deduced, the flame crackling as it doubled in size, the deep orange light seemingly swatting away the dark shadows.

"Yeah. . . I guess. . . I don't even why I'm telling you this. . . We barely know each other." The raven-haired athlete whispered, leaning her chest against her knees and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"Isn't it obvious?" The young man hopped onto his feet and faced his partner, holding the flame at his side, illuminating his gentle smile. "Why else have you been running around every night with your kohai?"

The girl was lucky the fire managed to hide just how red her cheeks had become. . . Originally, it was just a desire to save the Fallen from Apathy Syndrome, but it quickly became more than that.

She may not have known Angel Akeboshi that long, or all that well, but he'd been by her side since she'd entered this new world.

Rio wasn't alone during the Dark Hour. . .

"We are friends, right?" He asked with a slight tilt to his head.

The Bossy & Deadly Outside Hitter of the Volleyball Team just gave him a small smile of her own. . . .

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