"I'm done, baaaaby!" Junpei sung, when everyone left the classroom after the last exam. "The darks days of testing are finally over! The sun is shinin' bright!"
"So, how'd you guys do?" Yukari asked.
"Hey, check it out, I aced P.E!" Junpei cheered.
"Well, that pretty much answers the question." Yukari blew a raspberry.
"I guess I did fairly well." Minako shrugged.
"Please, Minako, you come in first every time." Yukari rolled her eyes, earning a peace sign from Minako.
"Psh, a real man doesn't dwell on the past...I'm thinking ahead to Yakushima!" Junpei told.
"Oh, yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it?" Yukari remembered. "Are ya ready, Minako?"
"Of course not." Minako smiled at her. "I want to go swimsuit shopping with you and Fuuka!"
"That's what I thought." Yukari chucked. "Let me get my stuff and we can head out shopping. Oh, I'll invite Fuuka, too!"
"Sounds good to me." Minako gave a thumbs up.
______________________________________
Everyone was going to leave for Yakushima tomorrow.
Minako, Fuuka and Yukari were roaming around Port Island Station, malls and various outlets to fund the perfect swimsuit.
"I'm serious, Minako, this white bikini would look great on you!" Yukari suggested, shoving multiple swimsuits on Minako's chest.
"Maybe, but I don't think I want to wear white..." Minako scratched her head with a small smile.
"Ooh, what about this black two piece bikini!" Yukari showed the article, touching the fabric. "You have to try this on, Minako!"
"I like that one, I'll give it a try." Minako nodded. "Think Fuuka's done putting hers on?"
Fuuka was currently in a changing room, trying on a bikini that all the girls liked.
"Yukari, this one would look so good on you!" Minako showed the latter a pink bikini with blue lining.
"Pink is my favourite colour and thus doesn't look half bad..." Yukari mumbled, holding the bikini and examining it. "I could pair this up with some jean shorts?"
"Perfect! Let's put our swimsuits on and give it a try!"
Shopping with the girls was really fun.
______________________________________
On Yukari's request, Minako wore a light pink, sleeveless sundress that reached a little above her knees.
SEES was on a yacht, making their way to Yakushima.
"There it is! YAKUSHIMA!" Junpei roared when the said place was coming in vision.
"Look at all the tropical plants..." Fuuka pointed.
"I-It's totally amazing!" Junpei continued.
...
The atmosphere was still really stiff.
Junpei let out a sigh and a shake of the head.
"Hey." Minako gave a toothy smile, standing next to Makoto, who sat red at the ocean.
"Hey."
"It's nice, isn't it?" Minako sighed with content, joining Makoto to stare St the ocean. "A vacation like this with everyone."
Makoto said nothing, listening to his headphones.
Minako's were placed around her neck.
"Make the most out of this trip, okay, Makoto?"
Makoto stared at Minako, watching as the sun's rays made her look way more beautiful than she already is.
It took him some time, but he finally realised something.
He had fallen in love with Minako and he was looking for the right moment to confess to her.
The fear of rejection was evident in his chest, though.
He didn't want things to become all awkward and possibly break the friendship the two of you shared.
He didn't really know what to do. Makoto never even confessed to anyone in his life.
There wasn't anyone who he could be asking relationship advice from.
Kenji? A girl and friend of Minako's, Rio, is in love with him but he's too dense too notice anything.
Kazushi? Too nervous to confess to Yuko.
Bebe? He just wanted to make art.
Junpei? He'd never hear the end of it.
Akihiko? He was...something.
A sigh escaped Makoto's lips as he took a glance at Minako, wondering if she felt the same way as him or not.
______________________________________
SEES had arrived to Yakushima and the boys had already run to the beach, saying that they didn't what to waste a single second as they dragged a very lazy Makoto with them.
"Now that I think about it, isn't my body too exposed?" Minako self-consciously rubbed a hand on her arm, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Don't be stupid, you're just imaging things!" Yukari shrugged off, placing sunglasses on her head. "You look hot."
"It's weird to have my bellybutton exposed..." Fuuka coughed into her hand.
"Fuuka, you look so adorable! Don't think about it so much!" Minako placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Yukari-chan, you look amazing." Fuuka complimented.
"W-We all do!" Yukari blushed. "Now let's get going before the boys complain."
The girls came to the beach one by one.
The first girl that came was Yukari.
"Ugh, could you be any louder?" Yukari rolled her eyes at the boys. "But yikes. What's up with Akihiko-senpai's swimsuit? I can feel my face getting red just looking at it."
"Yo, about time you guys got here." Akihiko waved. "Something wrong, Yukari?"
"That's a pretty...small...swimsuit." Yukari coughed.
"What, don't you know? Swimsuits like this reduce water resistance and-"
"That's okay, I didn't ask for an explanation." Yukari looked away. "...Hey, Junpei, what's the matter? You look even dumber than usual."
"Maaan...Talk about a feast for the eyes, haha." Junpei grinned. "Yuka-tan's wearing a more aggressive model than I had imagined. Could her boldness come from the confidence that her club training has toned her bod?!"
"What?!" Yukari stomped her foot.
"And check out, Mina-tan, she's one cute mermaid herself!" Junpei eyed Minako as she walked to the beach and to her friends.
Upon hearing the girl's name, Makoto looked up, a small breeze blowing and widened his eyes when he saw Minako.
Unlike her previous cycle, Minako had chosen to wear a full black two piece bikini that highlighted her curves in all the right ways.
"Those curves she usually keeps covered up are looking good! I can't tear my eyes away!" Junpei said with excitement.
"Thanks?" Minako replied, looking at Junpei.
"Maaan, the beach is so great. I love this place!" Junpei melted.
"Um, is that umbrella taken?" Fuuka politely asked.
"And over here we have the lovely Miss Yamagishi!" Junpei announced before a small blush came on his face. "Wow, Fuuka, I had no idea you were so...I mean, you should wear a swimsuit more often!"
"H-Huh, oh?!" Fuuka squealed and hid behind Minako.
"Oh, come on, there's nothing to be embarrassed about! Heheheh" Junpei chuckled.
"Stop that creepy laugh, you perv!" Yukari warned.
"And here's our final contestant." Junpei announced as Mitsuru came in view.
"...Hmm, is something wrong?" Mitsuru asked.
"Wow...Mitsuru-senpai, you're beautiful." Fuuka said I'm awe.
"Yeah, and your skin is flawless! Did you already put sunscreen on?" Yukari asked.
"N-No, not yet..." Mitsuru became flustered.
Akihiko, Junpei and Makoto began whispering to each other.
"Man, this is great! I'm in heaven!" Junpei cheered.
Everyone was now enjoying their time at the beach.
Akihiko and Junpei were swimming, Fuuka, Yukari and Mitsuru were chatting with each other and having a great time.
Minako sat under an umbrella with Makoto as they talked, well, Minako did most of the talking, obviously.
"This is great, don't you think?" Minako grinned, staring at the ocean. "We all can forget our troubles more the time being and relax."
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Makoto asked out of nowhere, startling Minako.
"B-Boyfriend?" Minako repeated. "No, I don't, actually. But there was someone I was really, really in love with."
"You were?" Makoto asked, feeling interested.
"Yeah, he was a transfer student who came during the winters." Minako smiled, remembering Ryoji. "I was introduced to him by a friend and we immediately clicked. Many girls were crazy about him, and that was no surprise since he was so beautiful. I didn't fall for him at first, but he showed me what love was, Makoto. I never experienced love before and he was the one to show it to me."
"Then?"
"We hung out a lot, he would say nice things that helped me when I was feeling sad. Everything was going perfectly. He confessed his feelings for me on the school roof, on a Sunday. It made me really happy when he told me how important I was to him. He was...made for me, that was the feeling I got from him. We even kissed a few times and I felt happy after what felt like forever. They say your first love never comes true..." Minako had a beautiful smile on her face before it went away all of a sudden. "But it couldn't work out."
"Why couldn't it work out?" Makoto asked, noting Minako's sudden change of mood.
"It couldn't..." Minako bit her lip, clenching her fists.
"But why, Mina--"
"It just couldn't, okay?!" Minako shouted, standing up.
Makoto looked at Minako with wide eyes at her sudden outburst.
Their friends had turned their heads to look at them.
"Sorry." Minako placed a hand on her mouth. "I-I'm going to go to my room."
With that, Minako started to walk towards the mansion, leaving Makoto with a troubled look.
______________________________________
"Damn it. I completely lashed out at Makoto." Minako let out a frustrated yell as she plopped on her soft bed. "I didn't mean to, but he just...ugh..."
Minako placed an arm around her eyes, recalling their conversation.
She still wasn't fully over Ryoji, that was the truth.
She didn't want to feel love. After her heart broke when Ryoji told her that they couldn't be together, it hurt her a lot. But there wasn't anything they could do. It was a forbidden love, just like he used to say to her many times.
It was weird, because Minako was set on saving Makoto, but she did develop a soft side for him from the start and now she was feeling those emotions. Those emotions which she felt when she was with Ryoji. They were growing stronger every time Minako would look at Makoto.
Was she...falling in love?
Minako shook her head, walking outside of her given room.
She needed to apologise properly to Makoto. It would be troublesome if things got awkward or distant between them.
Minako began walking and stopped when she thought about Ikutsuki.
What was the bastard even doing right now?
Minako walked and passed the room of Mitsuru's father's room, where the door was slightly ajar.
A peek wouldn't hurt, would it?
Minako peeked into the door and her eyes widened when she saw Ikutsuki glaring down at Takeharu, who was asleep on an arm chair.
Ikutsuki raised his hands towards the man's neck.
"Um, Takeharu-san, Oh! Ikutsuki-san." Minako said, coming in and acting like she saw nothing.
Ikutsuki pulled his hands back, looking at Minako with a nervous look.
"Minako, what are you doing here?" Ikutsuki asked.
"Me? I was wondering if he would like to join us outside." Minako shrugged.
Ikutsuki narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to find any signs of lies from the girl, she was still in her swimsuit, so perhaps she was telling the truth.
"Why don't we let him rest and I can join you all instead?" Ikutsuki suggested.
"That's great, let's go!" Minako nodded, pulling Ikutsuki with her, much to her disgust.
As the two walked together, Makoto came in view. It seemed like he just entered the mansion.
"Makoto..." Minako whispered.
Ikutsuki must have sensed the tension between the two and said that he was going to go on ahead.
"Can we talk?" Makoto asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
Minako gave a half nod and motioned him to follow her to her room.
After letting him inside, Minako closed the door and turned around to face Makoto, who was still in his swimsuit, just like her.
"Minako, listen, I-"
"You don't have to say anything, Makoto." Minako stopped him by raising her hand up before turning her back to him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, you were only worried about me and wanted to ask what was bothering me..."
"I was out of the line, Minako." Makoto sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you. It isn't my place to ask you questions like that anyway. You're probably not comfortable around me yet. I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories."
Minako's expression softened, her back still to Makoto, who had his head looking at the floor.
Minako quickly turned around, hugging Makoto, taking him by surprise.
"That...That isn't true." Minako said in a soft tone. "Yeah, the memories kind of sadden me but it's not like I'm uncomfortable talking to you. You thought I felt uneasy after that talk and tried to ask me why, you were only looking out for me. Don't say it isn't your place, don't say I'm not comfortable around you..."
Makoto nodded, placing his arms around her.
He pulled back after a while and gave her a smile.
Minako's eyes widened at his smile.
It was so beautiful.
______________________________________
After watching a video tape that left everyone shocked, Yukari got up from her seat, her shoulders shaking.
"So, that means...my dad caused it all..? Tartarus, The Dark Hour, the people who died in that incident, it was all his fault?"
"Y-You okay?" Akihiko asked in concern.
"So, that's why you were hiding this? Because you felt sorry for me? Is that it?!" Yukari gritted her teeth.
"No, Takeba, I..." Mitsuru reaches a hand out to Yukari.
"I don't want your pity!" Yukari ran away.
"Um...shouldn't someone go after her?" Fuuka fiddled with her fingers.
"Arisato, Yuuki? Could one of you go after her?" Mitsuru asked.
"I got this." Minako nodded, walking outside.
"Thank you..." Mitsuru sighed.
Minako found Yukari standing by the shore. "Hey, Yukari..."
"I believed in him for so long...This is too much..." Yukari groaned. "Minako, remember what I told you at the hospital? How my dad died when I was little? You understand now, right? He died in that incident. Nobody knew the truth and there were all sorts of rumours...Because he was in charge of their research team, people were really mean to me and my mom. We even had to move a few times."
"What did they do?" Minako asked.
"Sorry, I'd rather not talk about it." Yukari rejected. "But all this time, I kept telling myself it wasn't his fault. I loved him a lot and believed he'd never do anything wrong. I received a letter back in the spring. It was written by him, ten years ago. It cracked me up because, even though it said to my family, it was pretty much all about me. That only made me believe in him more. When I found out I had a special power, I thought it was fate. I was scared, but I thought if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, I might find out what really happened. That's why I agreed to fight using my persona. But it turns out it was all for nothing..."
"Yukari, that's not true." Minako not her lip, knowing that the documentary was changed my Ikutsuki.
"Ha, you're just trying to make me feel better." Yukari shook her head. "Why does reality have to be so harsh? I tried so hard to fight my fear, and thus is what I get. Maybe I'm just jealous of Mitsuru-senpai. I mean, why my father and not hers?"
Minako gasped slightly when Yukari said that last part.
Memories came flooding in Minako's head.
"But I...I wanted him to live...I became a persona user to protect him..." Mitsuru sobbed, holding her now dead father's body in her arms.
Mitsuru fell to the ground, crying her heart out.
Everyone walked to the dorm in silence, having no words to say.
Minako balled her fists.
She treated everyone equal in friendship.
Everyone was important to her.
"T-Take it back." Minako's shoulders started to shake from anger.
"What?"
"I know you're angry, Yukari, but take it back!" Minako glared, pushing Yukari by the shoulder.
"What the hell is the matter with you?!" Yukari gritted her teeth.
"Say that you take it back, Yukari!" Minako yelled, clenching her fists.
"I take it back, alright?!" Yukari spat before letting out a deep breath. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"
"Don't blame yourself."
"Stop acting like you have all the answers!" Yukari lashed out. "I'm sorry...my head's a mess. I'm so afraid. I don't know what to do anymore...I'm totally lost. Tell me...what should I do?"
"Keep believing in him, Yukari." Minako sighed, placing her arms around the girl. "I know it's hard and things are crazy right now, but believe in him. For his sake and your sake. And that documentary, don't believe it either. It could have been altered or made fake, you know? Don't just trust anything. Ikutsuki-san gave that tape, didn't he? I wuodnt trust him. And remember, we will always need you, Yukari."
"Minako..." Yukari whispered sadly, hugging her back. "I'm gonna go back now...thank you."
Yukari started to walk back.
Minako let out a shaky breath when her friend left. She just lashed out at Yukari and took her anger out from the memories she had.
"Are you alright?" a familiar voice asked.
Minako jumped slightly, turning to face Makoto. "Stop coming up behind me like that!"
"Mitsuru-senpai asked me to go check and the two of you, but it seems like Yukari will be okay."
"Yeah, she will, Makoto." Minako nodded, staring at the ocean as a small breeze blew.
Minako shivered slightly from the cold and was confused when Makoto pulled her closer.
"There was a crab by your foot." Makoto told, staring into her eyes as he turned her to look at him completely.
Minako didn't say a word as she looked into his eyes, finding comfort.
"Minako." He breathed, placing his hands on her shoulders.
Minako stepped even closer to Makoto, watching as he slowly drifted closer to her.
Minako didn't know what was happening but closed her eyes.
Taking this as an okay, Makoto inched closer to her lips.
He was about to place a kiss on her lips but pulled back when he heard Junpei call for them.
"We should get going." Makoto cleared his throat, walking ahead first.
Minako just stood there for a few seconds.
What was going to happen if Junpei hadn't disturbed them?