Walking back from school , the twins found themselves reluctant to spend their time in any crowd , be it the dorm , the school clubs , their friends or people they were acquainted with . The thought of the approaching end , the idea of having to decide how humanity will meet their end , they couldn't just shrug it all off and pretend nothing was happening . The two of them walked alongside Iwatodai mall , around them the ground and the walls were filled with messy scribbles and posters about ' the salvation ' . It was a sickening sight , it was like the world was embracing the thought of succumbing to the end . What is the point of saving a world that wants to be destroyed ?
A soft laughter interrupted those dark thoughts . It was Maiko , the little girl they had met at the shrine . She was happily jumping in front of the Takoyaki shop , and beside her stood a pale and tired looking man who seemed so neglected that he didn't even bother to button up his shirt . The little girl's face shone with joy and excitement when she noticed the twins , and as their eyes met she quickly ran to them .
" Cosmos ! Null ! You're here !!! " she joyfully said
" she's still calling us that ... " Minako giggled as she knelt down to hug Maiko who came rushing toward them , then she noticed the pale guy approaching them " is that your friend ? "
" yes ! It's Mr. Stripped Shirt ! " Maiko turned to the pale man and introduced him to the twins , saying " Mr. Stripped Shirt , those are Cosmos and Null ! They saved me from a nightmare I had , they're my heroes ! "
" imagination " Minato whispered , and the man nodded with a smile " I'm Minato Arisato , and this is my sister , Minako "
" I'm Akinari Kamiki " the man said with a tired voice " it's nice to meet you ... "
" are you okay ? " Minako asked with concern " you sound tired ... "
" well ... " the man looked at Maiko , before smiling to the twins " I stayed up last night , playing Eternal Crusaders Nexus Cross "
" oh ! Oh ! Mr. Stripped Shirt , you play Eternal Crusaders ?! " the girl happily exclaimed
" yeah ... and you most definitely played it last night ? " Minato said seriously
" yes ... " the man said quietly with a strangely emotionless smile on his face , then he turned to Maiko who was excitedly staring at him " I'll tell you all about it later . For now , I should return ... "
" what ? But ... but I want to ... "
" you can wait a little , right , Kamiki-san ? " Minako started
" actually , you can leave ... " Minato instead replied , as he realized what the man meant . He also turned to Maiko " you don't want Mr. Stupid Shirt to get in trouble ? "
" Stripped Shirt , Null ! It's Stripped Shirt ! " Maiko exclaimed , then she thought for a second before saying " fine , but next time we'll talk about Eternal Crusaders, okay ?! "
The man left , leaving Maiko with the twins . The three of them bought Takoyaki after Maiko and Minako insisted on it , despite Minato wondering if that was a good idea , since whatever was in that Takoyaki was definitely not octopus . Nevertheless , the three of them sat down to eat the Takoyaki .
" so , Maiko , you like Eternal Crusaders ? " Minako started " I suspected that you do , since you keep calling us Cosmos and Null , but do you actually play the game ? "
" yes I do ! "
" but it's a really difficult game , are you managing well ? " Minato asked
" you're forgetting that the game has multiple difficulty levels , bro bro "
" that's true ! It's very difficult ! " Maiko seemingly didn't hear what Minako said , and she eagerly said " do you play this game as well ? I mean , of course you do , you're Cosmos and Null , after all ! You're in the games , too ! "
" hmph , we don't just play them , we're masters " Minato said proudly
" Casper_017 is still better than us , you know ... " Minako grinned as she nitpicked at her brother's proclamation
" can you help me , then ? " she said with a serious and intent look on her face " I love the game , but it's very difficult ! I still can't get past the Spirit Of The Dictator , he keeps defeating me ! "
" Spirit ... of ... the dictator ? " the Minato raised an eyebrow in confusion " the figure you fight in the labyrinth of time ? "
" yes ! That bald meanie and his powerful attack ! "
" that ... that's the first boss ... " Minato mumbled " ... and it's ... it's the easiest ... "
" Maiko-chan , did you play the previous Eternal Crusaders ? " Minako asked gently , being careful not to embarrass the little girl
" yes ! I played and completed all of them , and even got the secret ending that my classmates talked about ! I love those games ! "
" what difficulty did you play these games on ... again ? " Minato asked curiously
" Neo Extreme ! The hardest difficulty ! " Maiko declared proudly , much to the confusion of the twins
" well ... did you ever have any problems with the previous games ? Was there a ' meanie ' you couldn't defeat ? "
" well ... yes ... there was ... " Maiko thought " but papa and mama used to help me defeat them ... "
" That's great ! " Minako clapped her hands in excitement , but then she noticed a look of sadness and anger on Maiko's face
" What do you mean ' used to ' ... " Minato asked hesitantly
" They don't play and talk to me anymore , all they do is yell at each other all the time ! " Maiko exploded in angry and tearful tantrum " I keep telling them that I want them to get along and be happy together , but then they yell at me and tell me to go to my room ! They don't love me anymore !!! "
" h—hey , let's calm down , okay ? " Minako hurriedly tried to calm Maiko down , as they were beginning to attract attention " tell you what , me and Mina—ahem ... I mean me and Null here will help you defeat that bald guy , what do you say ? "
" you ... you will ? " Maiko's tearful outburst slowed down until it stopped completely
After that , Maiko seemed to calm down . The three of them walked to the shrine and sat on one of the seats in the shrine . Maiko took out her game from her backpack , and passed it along to them . After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors , it was decided that Minato would play the game , much to his sister's frustration .
And so Minato sat between Maiko and Minako , with Maiko staring at screen of the game in his hand intently . Minato quickly realized that Maiko's father had set the difficulty on Safe , the lowest difficulty in the game , apparently without telling Maiko about it . Nevertheless , he chose not to mention it and continued to play . Maiko's eyes were widened with awe , as she saw Minato swiftly choosing his commands and fighting the man , finishing the battle in barely above a minute .
" wh—what ... ? " Maiko was shocked " h—how ? That's .... That's even better than papa ! "
" hmph ... I've been practicing speedrunning , I can finish this game in a matter of hours "
" I can't believe you're bragging in front of a kid ... " Minako glared at him
" h—how ... ? How did you do it ?! "
" Maiko-chan , don't bother with him , he's so full of himself to explain it to you "
" you're just jealous " Minato shrugged
" I'll show how to beat him " Minako ignored her brother , and focused on helping Maiko understand what the game is trying to teach her in the fight . She began the boss fight again , while making sure to slowly choose her commands and explain to Maiko some important things in the game " ... see this timeline at the top right of the screen ? This tells you who will act when , and if you attack someone while their preparing their actions , you can interrupt them "
" oh , yes I know that " Maiko nodded
" but look , there's a clock next to the timeline , do you know what that does ? "
" I ... well ... it's for decoration , isn't it ? "
" no , it tells you how much time has passed since the battle began . This baldie , for example , can defeat your entire party with a certain attack that he uses every now and then , and you're supposed to use the clock to figure out when he's going to use it , then try to interrupt him before he uses it , or bind his head so he won't be able to use it "
With this pace , the three of them continued to play the game . They let Maiko play after they defeated the boss , and the two of them watched her play and taught her how the game worked . Maiko was having so much fun , that she seemed to forget about her parents' arguments. She was especially happy that she was playing alongside ' Cosmos and Null ' as she had been calling them , it was like playing your favorite video game with your favorite character watching you playing it .
This went on until sunset , then the twins suggested that it was getting late , and that Maiko should go back home . Maiko looked upset , and for a second it seemed that they might need to convince her to go back home , but she nodded and decided to go without the need to be persuaded , and so the twins decided to walk her back home . On the way back home , she suddenly stopped . Minako sat by her side to try and talk to her about what was upsetting her , but Maiko seemed to want to say something before they could discuss anything .
" I ... I want to ... I want to run away from home ... " Maiko mumbled " can I go with you ? "
" eh ? But ... but Maiko-chan ... " Minako's eyes darted between Maiko and Minato , as her mind raced to find a proper response
" hey , Maiko ... " Minato knelt in front of her " why do you want to run away ? Is it because your parents are yelling at each other ? "
" they don't love me , they don't play or even talk to me anymore , they constantly yell at each other , and when I try to stop them ... they yell at me ... they hate me ... " Maiko seemed to want to cry " I want to go with Cosmos and Null , you two love me more ... "
" Maiko , we love you and care about you ... " Minato said intently " but your parents love you much much more than any of us ... than anyone in the world does , trust me "
" that's true ! " Minako eagerly agreed " parents do yell at their children , but that's never been a sign of hatred ! "
" your parents helped you defeat enemies that you couldn't defeat on your own , remember ? " Minato added
" but ... but they don't ... I mean ... "
" they're not doing it anymore , right ? There's just having a hard time in their own life , you need to be patient with them " Minako said tenderly " listen , Maiko-chan , life is like an open buffet . There's all kinds of food in it , some of which you love to bits , and some you can't stand the sight of , but you shouldn't look for the food you don't like in an open buffet, should you ? You should look for the food that you like , right ? "
" like ... like Takoyaki ? " Maiko asked eagerly
" yes ! Yes ! Like Takoyaki ! " Minako eagerly nodded " it might be a little more difficult to find the good in life than in the open buffet , but there's something for everyone , so look for the good and never give up , okay ? "
" yes ! I'll always look for the Takoyaki in my life ! "
" life is an open buffet ? You're weird " Minato stared at his sister for a second , before turning to Maiko and saying softly " so what do you say we go back for now ? "
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I wanted the twins ( protagonists ) to have a more ... constructive ... role in the social link , by advising Maiko against running away from home , as opposed to assisting her in it which is kinda what happens in the game .
Anyway , if this seems dull and boring , don't worry , I have something to spice up this social link in the next parts . Look forward to it , and if you enjoyed this part , please consider voting and commenting on it , and follow me for more updates . Also , remember to let me know of your opinion regarding the changes I plan to make in my upcoming Persona 4 fanfiction, and I'll see you in the next part . Stay safe .