By the time the SEES members returned to the dorm , the dark hour has already ended . They felt so exhausted at the door , it was like they were dragging their own bodies . Thankfully , since Mitsuru and Akihiko did no fighting at all , they weren't as exhausted and promised their underclassmen to wake them up early tomorrow .
The twins entered their room and were getting ready for a good sleep . Minako noticed that , despite the danger they faced that night , Minato looked calm . " hey " she said " I'm sorry ... you know, about throwing the leadership on you like that "
" you didn't ' throw ' the leadership " Minato said " I wanted to be the leader . I wouldn't have forgiven myself if you had to live through such horror every night . And besides , I feel satisfied . With this power , I can protect you and everyone else as well , and with their powers and yours I feel safe . The feeling of unknown threat that I felt in our first week here is no more . I guess that's what Igor meant when he spoke about the social links "
" I'm glad to hear that . Anyway , let's go to sleep now so we may wake up early tomorrow "
The next morning during breakfast , the young SEES members were barely awake . Minato was rubbing and clutching his forehead sleepily , Yukari was rubbing her eyes in an attempt to keep the sandman away , and Junpei was yawning without covering his mouth making everyone in the room feel even sleepier . As for Minako , who suffered the most during last night's exploration of Tartarus , she was already sleeping on the table , and had to be constantly nudged and shaken by her brother in order to stay awake and not miss breakfast .
" ugh ! Will you cover your mouth when you yawn , Junpei ! " Yukari cried " you making me feel worse ! "
" I'm tired , okay? "
" we're all tired ! "
" oh yeah ?! Well I had to fight that big shadow head on to protect Minatan ! " he said , even though mostly he had been shaking in place , panicking while Minako did most of the fighting
" well Minato had to distract him while we ran ! Whatever he put up with must've been way more than what you did , and yet we don't see him yawning in our faces every three seconds ! "
" honestly " Mitsuru sighed
" do you think we overestimated their stamina ? " Akihiko whispered
" it's mostly the Repear that caused all of this "
" I'm sure they'll eventually adapt to the exhausting nature of Tartarus .... eventually "
" alright everyone , finish your breakfast and let's get moving , you'll be late if you idle around any longer ! "
" ugh ! I still need to go to school after this ?! " Junpei groaned .
Minato , who had been keeping to himself throughout this morning argument , was more concerned about his sister who looked to him a little more than just tired . " hey , you're almost getting Cherry jam in your hair , careful ! "
" wait what ?! " Minako was jolted awake by that and started examining her hair .
" Don't worry , you sat up before it happened ... " Minato looked worriedly at his sister who looked extremely sleep deprived that she was actually sleeping while sitting up " sister , maybe you should take the day off "
" no way ! I've never been healthier ! " Minako clapped her cheeks , but she saw that her brother was unconvinced, so she gave him a reassuring smile " I'm just sleepy . Don't worry , if I slept in the monorail and maybe before the teacher arrives , I'll be fine "
In the monorail , Yukari and Minako slept by each other , resting their heads on each other's shoulders . While it didn't take that long for them to arrive at school , Minako seemed to be doing much better after that .
" for the last time , I'm doing fine now ! " Minako yelled at her brother " why must you be such a worrywart ?! "
" I don't know , maybe because you looked like you were on hangover "
" I ... I was not ! Right , Yukari ?! "
" well , I wouldn't call it a hangover " Yukari tried her best not get in the sibling fight , but what Minato was saying was to a certain extent true " you did look like you were going to faint , though "
" fine ... I give up . I'm going to the nurse office if it's gonna make you feel better "
" cool , Junpei can go with you , too "
" wait , why me ? "
" you looked pretty beat up yourself , Junpei . You and Minako had to fight that strong shadow directly "
" then Minato should also come with us "
" yeah ... no " Minato interrupted " unlike you pair of clowns , I didn't fight it directly "
" what ? But you ... "
" it's all about tactics " Minato proudly said
" okay , you win . Let's go , Minatan "
Minato sighed as watched the two disappear into the crowd of students . He was wondering how well he can look after ... the entire SEES now that he was their leader . Looking after his sister was his life for a long time , now he has to look after four other students besides his sister . And on the first night he encountered that powerful shadow . Was that the strongest shadow , or are there more powerful ones ? can he protect his team from them ?
" uh ... Minato " his thoughts were interrupted by Yukari , who was now standing with another student " I have to go , I have some stuff to take care of in the archery club . I'll see you in class "
" actually , Yukari-san " the student behind her said " we have an assembly this day . The student council president was finally elected and she's going to give a speech this morning "
" it's probably Mitsuru " Yukari sighed " anyway , I'll see you in the auditorium then "
" sure , have a good day "
Minato entered the school alone , but his personal bubble was about to be breached as a student approached him
" how's life treating ya , Minato "
" you ... your name is ... " Minato strained his mind as he strolled and scanned his memory for names " ... Kandori ... right ? "
" what ? C'mon , dude ! It's Kenji ! "
" oh ! Yes ! Kenji ! I remember ! " Minato exclaimed before thinking " the boy was scolded by the teacher first thing in the morning for sleeping in class "
" anyway , I heard you were after Yukari-san "
" sure ... wait ... what ?! "
" well , that doesn't bother me anyway . I'm more into older , more mature and experienced women"
" you're what ?! "
" anyway , the morning assembly is about to begin , see you later "
Kenji walked away , leaving behind the confused Minato who was still trying to catch up on who was spreading rumors about him being after Yukari , or the fact that Kenji is more into older women . Minato sighed . His social life used to only include his earphones, his MMORPG and basic interactions with everyone as well as looking after his sister . However , now he needs to mingle with other people in order to develop his powers .
" I'm so not cut out for this social link business ! " he sighed , hoping his sister was doing better with her day .
Unfortunately , his sister was not on better terms . Walking into the nurse office . She smelled an intolerable stench from the room . The smell was so unworldly awful that both her and Junpei were getting nauseous
" what's this disgusting smell ! " Minako cried from behind her muffled nose
" ugh ! Even my soaks smell better ! " Junpei groaned
" oh ... guests ? " a man who seemed to be working on something turned to them " that's just the pig's pickled kidney with tapeworm juice and a ten decomposed mosquitoes "
" nope ... I'm done ! " Junpei stormed out of the nurse's office " this is not a nurse's office , this is witchcraft! "
" I ... I should really be going ... " Minako backed away " the assembly is ... "
" oh , you look pretty yellow " the man held her arm , placed his hand on her forehead " yup , you have fever , too "
" I'm not ! " that was something Minako was sure of , as her brother had felt her temperature and was never going to allow her to come to school if she was feverish
" don't worry , that's nothing I cannot fix " the man turned to his cupboard and grabbed a glass container " my secret cure-all potion will definitely make you feel better "
" but I'm fine ! Honest ! " Minako found herself trapped in the corner . The teacher was approaching her intently
" oh , you don't get to decide that , sweetie ! You don't know anything about the flow of mana in your body and it is affected by the decrease of magical potency in it "
" um ... what... ? "
" just trust me and drink the potion , you won't regret it "
That was much easier said than done . The teacher was unfit , unorganized ... man , with short yet messy hair and long stretchy hands that made Minako fear she was going to be ... attacked if she denied the concoction . The ... medicine he gave her , on the other hand , had all the traits that a horrible concoction should have . It was dark green , so dark it was almost black and the green was barely distinguishable , and was also bubbling and ... she also faintly distinguished a tail and a furry butt in the whole thing .
The next thing Minako did , was throw the glass on the teacher's face and run for the door , she could hear him behind her threatening to curse her with Pazuzu's wraith or something . And she didn't stop running even when she was in the main building until one of the student council yelled at her for it . As she stopped she felt her heart racing . She was so horrified by the experience that when Yukari greeted her , she unconsciously screamed . " oh ... uh ... hi ... Yukari " her teeth clattered the words
" are you okay ? You look pale "
" I'm ... fine ! Never ... never been better !!! "
" are you sure ? Maybe we should go to the nurse's... "
"NO ! NOT THE NURSE'S OFFICE ! "
" shh ! Quiet ! "
" listen to me , Yukari ! I wouldn't even joke about going there . I'd seriously rather go into Tartarus alone than to enter that ... that ... that cult !!! "
" oh ... okay " Yukari felt weirded out by that , it had been a long time since she went to the nurse's office and hearing Minako calling it a ' cult ' as well as seeing how scared she was made her uncomfortable , and she tried to change the subject quickly " Let's ... let's just go to the auditorium "
The student council had just finished their morning assembly , and their new president was going to give a speech before concluding the assembly . That new president was Mitsuru , and as she ascended the stand , silence filled the school . In a way , she was more intimidating than the principal himself , so much so that the students remained silent even with no one asking them to , and that was all before she even started talking . The moment she opened her mouth, the students were rendered speechless by how mature her speech was . It was like something out of a political discussion :
" as I begin my term as a student council president , I would like to share with you my image of this coming year . It is my firm belief that every student must accept the responsibility of bettering our school . However , change cannot occur without sustained effort and unprecedented level of commitment . That is why we must dedicate our daily lives to accomplish this lofty goal . For that , I would like each of you to dig deeply into your well of motivation and re-evaluate your convictions , so that we may imagine a bold new future without losing sight of our reality . I am certain that many of you have your own visions of the future . For us to reap the full benefits of our education , your participation , ideas , and enthusiasm are essential and are the key to the success of our lives . Thank you "
Smart and dumb , hard workers and slackers , they all found themselves clapping to that speech . Even though most of them didn't even understand what she said .
" Dang ! " Junpei shook his head in disbelief " that was freaking amazing ! "
" y—yeah " Minako nodded
" so ... uh ... do you have any idea what she said ? "
" I ... I'm not sure ... something about looking for change in our hearts or something? " she hesitantly said , before deciding to fire the question back at Junpei " did you understand anything of what she said ? "
" who ? Me ? No way , dude ! That girl speaks the language of the—! "
" she wants us to dedicate our lives and activities to improve our school lives and our education ! " Yukari impatiently interrupted them " honestly ! Were you two even listening ?! "
" I was listening ! And I figured that part out at least ! " Minako defended herself
" let's just get back to the classroom " Minato impatiently stood up
" what about you , dude ? " Junpei asked " did you understand what she said ? "
" I wasn't listening ! "
" damn ! You're da man ! "
" Minato ! " Yukari protested " are you telling me you didn't pay attention to anything she said ?! "
" I've heard many speeches like these and I'm sick of them ! " Minato groaned " student council are just a giant balloon of words and bull crap ! Its representatives are a bunch of hypocrites who are all talk ! You know what I think ? I think actions speak louder than words "
" sheesh ! " Junpei shook his head " don't you think you're overreacting ? "
" he was not on good terms with the student council of the school that we studied in last year ... and with our middle school " Minako sighed as they left the auditorium
" they were bullying you ! " Minato yelled at his sister
" we already talked about this ... ! "
" you're the one who brought it up ! "
" ooh ! " Junpei took out a camera " sibling fight ! "
" Junpei ! " Yukari snatched the camera from his hand .
" excuse me " Mitsuru approached the angry siblings
" WHAT ?! "
They both yelled at her angrily , and she was taken aback by it . Then they apologized , saying they were so focused on the argument that they didn't realize she was talking to them . Mitsuru cleared her throat before saying " I would like you two to join the student council "
Everyone besides Mitsuru cringed at the bad timing of her question , as the twins were arguing about the student council being a club for hypocrites when she asked them . Minako felt it worse , as she feared her brother may give a cold insensitive response to Mitsuru , especially after his rant . However , Minato was a little less hostile than what she had anticipated even though he did look irritated
" uh ... why ? " Minato asked
" I just applied for student council president by a request from my father , and eventually got elected . However , I still have so much to do besides that . I'm monitoring the dark hour every night , and I also began practicing to inherit the Kirijo group "
" you sure have it rough , senpai " Minako interfered before Minato could ask another question " of course I will do my best to help you in the student council "She gave Minato a quick look of encouragement
" thank you " Mitsuru nodded appreciatively
" but why us ? " Minato asked , ignoring his sister " not even a month has passed since we came here , nor have we been through any exam so far . What makes you think we're the right people to ask for help ? "
" being a member of the student council means that you're the leader of the students to a certain extent " this sentence clicked well with Minato , as he was still feeling the weight of leadership responsibilities " You two proved that you have skills when it comes to being a leader of a team . Minako's cooperation and connection with her team members , and your observation of your surroundings and circumstances , they all contribute to being a great leader and member of student council . I also believe this experience will improve your leadership greatly . Of course , I'm not pressuring you"
" I will join " Minato agreed after some consideration " if it'll make me a better leader for our team , I'll do anything "
Minako smiled admiringly at her brother . That was just like him ever since they had to rely on themselves . He would never hesitate to participate in anything , no matter how much he hated it , as long as it would help him grow as a person .
" very well " Mitsuru said " you two are probably still tired from your exploration last night . So I'll ask the teacher to let you join tomorrow . You don't have to come to the student council every day , but please try to come whenever you have free time "
The day felt very long , especially for the twins and Yukari . Being tired from Tartarus is one thing , but they also had to watch Junpei sleep peacefully without a care in the world . They were almost jealous of how careless he was .
Eventually the school day ended ... well , except for Yukari who was on cleaning duty . As for the twins and Junpei , they decided to go back to the dorm .
The three were at the school gate when they noticed a whole flock of Highschool girls surrounding whom they recognized to be Akihiko . The twins could see clearly how annoying those girls were . They were whining and clinging on Akihiko from all directions . The guy couldn't even walk because of how they were getting in his way . The only person who didn't see the problem was Junpei , who had a silly envious look on his face ." Damn ! " he exclaimed " talk about a chick magnet ! "
" well , he is the boxing champ and everything " Minato sighed
" yeah , but you don't see girls like that on TV "
" actually , Junpei " Minako laughed nervously " there are girls like that out there . In our previous school there were girls that would literally die for Lotus Juice ! I love his music too , but I still get weirded out by that stuff "
" uh ... who is Lotus Juice ? "
" oh , you don't know him ? " Minako smiled " he is a singer . You mainly hear his songs in video games and he's amazing "
" the thing I like about him is that he doesn't sound like he is trying to sing . He's only speaking quickly in a low voice , yet his songs blend in with the music . I find them very motivating " Minato said
" Really ? "
" I was listening to his hit ' nothing is promised ' when I was running from that strong shadow last night while the three of you returned to the entrance . You should try it sometime . My favorite is ' mass destruction ' "
" wait ! Hold on ! You were listening to music while escaping death ?! "
" yup ... I listen to it when I fight , too . Choosing a track according to the battle makes me feel the tension and hypes me up for the fight "
" dude , you're hardcore ! Do you do the same , Minatan ? "
" well... yes ! ' mass destruction ' is cool and all , but I prefer ' I'm not a princess ' . It's ... "
" it's called ' wiping all out ' ... you don't even know the name of your favorite song ? " Minato stared at his sister with questioning eyes .
" details "
The conversation was quickly diverted from talking about the fangirls to music . While Minako and Minato didn't sound overwhelming in their admiration for music , Junpei was still overwhelmed . Even so , Minako promised him she would give him one of Lotus Juice's albums when they return to the dorm . Akihiko saw the trio talking and , as much as he could between the crowd of orbiting girls , went to talk to them .
" hey " he said between the clinging girls " are you free this afternoon ? "
" uh ... sure ... I guess ... " Minato said , looking at the crowd and then at Akihiko " and you , senpai ? You don't look so free ... "
" I am ... I'll meet you in Paulownia mall in front of the police station "
" police station ? "
" are ... are your friends coming along ? " Junpei interrupted
" who ? These ? I don't even know their names " Akihiko shrugged before walking away " don't keep me waiting "
" are ... are you kidding me ?! " Junpei's jaw dropped to the floor in shock ... and disapproval " it's a total harem dedicated for you ! How can you not know their names ?! "
" I'm sure you would feel the same if the harem was pestering you 24/7 " Minato walked toward the exit of the school , urging them to go " let's not keep him waiting "
" well ... yeah , but ... " Junpei stuttered as he catches up with Minato , followed by Minako
" I'm sure Akihiko will be more happy to spend his time with a girl that likes him as a person , not a ' harem ' that only sees Akihiko as a boxer " Minako smiled sheepishly
" true , but ... ooooohhhh !!! " Junpei exclaimed as an idea popped in his mind
" shit ! " Minato sighed
" Minatan ! How about you go after Akihiko senpai ? "
" eh ? Me ? "
" yeah ! Imagine it ! A transfer student comes and steals the heart of the popular boy who everyone loves ! It sounds like something out of a romcom ! "
" this is not a shojo manga ! " Minato yelledat Junpei
" ah ... ha ha ... " Minako laughed nervously and tried to keep a cheerful exterior " that sounds cool , but I think I'll pass "
" yeah ... you should " Minato nodded
" uh ... why ? " Junpei turned to Minato
" remember what I said about the student council of our previous school ? Well , they ... "
" Don't ! Don't tell him ! "
" fine ... suit yourself "
" let's ... let's just get to Paulownia mall , okay ?! " Minako nervously changed the subject before Junpei could pressure her anymore .
At the police station , Akihiko introduced his underclassmen to officer Korusawa . While he didn't have the potential to be conscious during the dark hour , he still realized and acknowledged its existence . Minato was taken aback by how a police officer could entrust weapons to teenagers , and if so , why did they have to be medieval ? Most of the weapons he was offering were swords and bows , while the police were using guns . However , Minako shushed her brother from asking too many questions , preferring that they don't provoke the suspicions of the police .
" anyway " Akihiko handed money to the twins " this money is from the chairman . You need to be well equipped to fight in the Dark Hour "
" that's ... uh ... five thousand Yen ? " Junpei looked at the feeble amount of money
" we won't be able to buy much with this " Minako looked at the prices
" seriously ? " Minato glared at Akihiko " isn't it bad enough that we're fighting every night to save the world ? Do we really have to pay for the privilege to risk our lives ?! "
" nothing in life is free " the officer said as-a-matter-of-factly
" this is not a video game ... ugh ! Never mind ! Can you at least give us more money ! We're buying weapons and armor , not candy and chocolate ! "
" well ... I gave you all the money that the chairman gave me , and most of my wallet is dedicated to paying medical treatment for my injuries " Akihiko gave them a thumbs up , as if that made a different " I believe in your leading abilities , you can manage this money just fine to buy as much as you can "
Akihiko left the office , followed by Junpei who just groaned " this sucks ! I'm outta here ! " leaving the twins to deal with the mess themselves .
" I'm sure we can manage somehow " Minako had to show an encouraging smile before her brother rage-quit
" being optimistic won't help us here , sister ! I mean we can barely afford protective gear for you and me with what Mr. E-Gochie gave us ! "
" you did not just call him that ! " Minako laughed
" You know what ? That's what we're gonna do ! We're only buying gear for you and me , the others will have to get their own equipment ! "
" no way ! That's not what a cautious and wise leader would do ! Here ... " Minako stuffed her hand in her bag and took out a handful of money
" that's your money for the month ! You're not just gonna waste it ! "
Minako gave her brother a determined look , to which he responded by stuffing his hands in his pocket and taking out his wallet . Minako's face lit up with joy as she saw her brother's will to cooperate and the two set out to buy weapons for their team . Officer Kurosawa , who was watching their argument , had a satisfied look on his face . Truth be told , sometimes he did doubt the idea of giving weapons to those teenagers . However , whenever he sees them in action and in the street , he could tell that they were special , and that they could make a difference .
*******************************
I'm back !
And what a time to be back ! We've reached the end of the prologue of Persona 3 and are now in the main story . At this point , in the game , you are given total freedom to do whatever you want . The game still expects you to follow a schedule but you are free to pace yourself however you want . This also gives me a lot of options for narration, I could narrate the events of a certain social link or another . I will limit myself to certain rules , though .
First , I will narrate these social links in the order they make themselves appear to the player , unless they would be more appropriate to be narrated later for the main plot to line better with them. Also , I will try to narrate the whole story of the social link in one or two parts . Furthermore , I will try as best as I can to not copy directly from the main game , it won't be as easy as I find the social links to be more rigid than the main story , but what might be helpful is that some social links are available for both genders , so in that case they would be included together in the same social link making for a unique story for that link that doesn't blindly repeats what the game had already done ... hopefully
One more thing . I bet you noticed that title cover for this chapter is different than the previous ones . This is me telling you that this part will include little to no reference to the dark hour or the shadows and will focus on the daily life of the SEES members and/or social links . The original cover would be used for parts with more focus on the main plot . The narration will be more focused on social links , and full moon events ( about which I'm saving a surprise for my readers ) . As for exploring Tartarus ... well , the focus will not be as great , except when a new member join or when an event is taking place in there .
I'm so glad this book has garnered so much success and there are those who anticipate new releases from it . It really makes me so happy that you're enjoying my narration of Persona 3 . I have lots and lots of plans for this book and will continue writing more parts for it .
By the way , what do you think of that little reference I made to Lotus Juice ? For those who don't know , he is the rapper you hear in many music tracks from Persona 3 and some tracks from Persona Q and Persona Q2 . I thought it was cool to reference him , and it was a good opportunity to flesh out Minato and Minako a little more .
One more time I hope you enjoyed reading my book . Stay healthy and safe , and we'll meet again in the next part .