Persona 3: Let Me Be With You

Chapter 13: Painful Downs

"Why, why, WHY am I stuck here?" I whined mentally as I sifted through yet another stack of paperwork, though I was able to prevent my discomfort from spreading to my face.

I was currently holed up in the Student Council room, buried neck-deep in a massive pile of budget estimates, material costs and all sorts of club-related nonsense, angrily asking myself how I had gotten myself into this bothersome situation.

To answer that question, we merely need to look but a mere two and a half weeks into the past, on the middle of the second week of school.

~Flashback 2 Weeks Ago~

The first semester had begun once again in Gekkoukan High, and as a proud second-year student I was happily enjoying being reunited with many familiar faces, both student and faculty. I was on my way to my homeroom to hang out with Aigis when the familiar clacking of high heels behind me piqued my curiosity enough to make me stop.

"Ah, Minato-san. May I have a moment of your time?"

I turned around to be met with worried look of the slightly distressed Mitsuru Kirijo, who was currently biting her nails, an act of which I had never seen her perform.

Something must be wrong.

"Mitsuru-senpai, good morning." I greeted, bowing slightly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You don't have to be so formal, Minato-san. You may address me Mitsuru-san if it suits you better." she smiled. "But back to the matter at hand..."

"I have a... request, if you don't mind." she began. "You see, seeing as how the new school year has just begun, there's a large amount of paperwork to be done for all of the sports and arts clubs... and a good deal of that paperwork has to be handled by the student council."

"Yes..."

"And, unfortunately... there aren't enough student council members for us to be able to handle such a massive workload... mainly because the majority of the students who we recruited last year pulled out..."

I can see where this is going... and I don't like the looks of it.

"And I was hoping that you might consider helping us process the paperwork until we are able to get some new recruits." she finished, holding her arm as a guilty expression spread through her features.

"I... uh..."

"I will understand if you don't wish to join, even if only for a short while." my red-haired senpai continued. "I know that you have a strong relationship with Miss Yamada, so I..."

Mitsuru paused, her hands clasped together in frustration as she fumbled with her words.

Kirijo Mitsuru... fumbling with her words... a prospect that I previously thought impossible yet was occurring before my very eyes...

Oh dear god, she must be freaking out inside.

A tense silence formed between us as I debated my next course of action. I wasn't especially close to Mitsuru-senpai the way I was with Aigis, Yukari and Junpei, but...

A friend in need is a friend indeed... oh God, I'm going to regret this...

"You don't have to make a decision now, but-"

"I'll do it." I declared, ignoring the sense of impending suffering that slithered down my spine as I said those words. "I'll help out after school until all of the club paperwork is done."

"Thank you very much. You don't know how big of a help this will be." Mitsuru breathed, relief and gratitude quickly replacing the worry in her expression. "And I promise, it will only be for a short while." she smiled, before departing from the classroom with a brief farewell.