" good morning " a monotonous voice whispered to Minako in her sleep " please wake up "
Minako opened her eyes and stretched her limbs , mumbling a dreamy " good morning , world " as she opened her eyes . As she looked around sleepily she saw Aigis standing next to her bed . With Minato still sleeping behind her .
" you have awakened , missions successful " Aigis said while nodding firmly
" oh ... morning Ai-sa—yawn ! " Minako yawned as she averted her eyes from Aigis to her alarm clock " my alarm ... ? "
" it is going to ring in five minutes " Aigis said " it is advisable to do your tasks five minutes early "
" thanks , Ai-san " Minako lazily smiled " but Minato already sets our alarm five minutes early "
" I understand . I am going to wake Minato up now "
" oh ... he's waking up "
" morning , stupid world " Minato groaned as he sat up and clutched his forehead " what kind of shitty surprises do you have in store for me tod—"
Minato's eyes met Aigis whose eyes were fixated on him as she repeated her phrase about the success of her mission to him .
" oh ... Aigis is—WHAT ?! " Minato was jolted from his bed , and he turned to Minako and yelled at her " What is this robot doing in our room ?! "
" loud ... " Minako groaned " I just woke up , do you mind ? "
" you're missing the—! "
" excuse me " the door of the room was knocked and Yukari's anxious voice came from behind " Aigis is nowhere to be found ! She might have wandered off again ! "
" Aigis has ' wondered off ' into OUR ROOM !!! " Minato raged as he walked to the door and opened it " how did this happen ?!"
" Aigis ?! What're you doing here ?! " Yukari yelled at Aigis as she entered the room " Minato , did you lock the ... "
" of course we did ! "
" I unlocked the door " Aigis showed her index finger from which a customizable key emerged
" that's illegal ! " Yukari yelled " besides , I told you to stay in the computer room ! "
" I propose to stay in their room from now on " Aigis said " I want to be by their—! "
" why don't you follow us in the bathroom and the toilet while you're at it ?!! " Minato yelled at her
" according to my data , these places are considered private "
" well our room is also private ! "
" See ?! You can't stay in their room ! " Yukari was glad to see Minato going against the idea
" if there is a problem I will address it promptly "
" I don't see any ... " Minako started , but was met with Minato's furious glare " n—never mind "
" You want to address a problem ... how about the fact that you are a girl ?! Or built like a girl at least . If you think it's okay to stay with us in the room then Yukari could stay , too ! " Minato was so into his raging that he only caught up to what he was saying when it was too late , and he found himself blushing and mumbling " or Fuuka ... or Mitsuru senpai "
" but Minako-san is also a girl "
" MInAko-SaN ... is my sister ! I've been sleeping in the same room with her since we were babies ! Don't stuff yourself between us ! "
" you can stay in the room next to ours " Minako said after she felt sorry for her brother " so you can be by our side "
" I understand ... I will comply "
" I guess I'll prepare it for you later " Yukari sighed , and averted her attention to the twins as she walked out of the room " remember that they're posting the results of the exams today " she said as she left the room with Aigis
" things are gonna get lively with Aigis in the team " Minako laughed
" speak for yourself " Minato sighed " I definitely did not need this so early in the morning ! "
Minato's irritation did not subside even as he sat in the monorail and stared and the sea on their way . Minako was digging her index finger in his cheek , and in a cutesy voice she went on about how adorable he is when he's feeling ' gwempy ' . Minato impatiently shoved his sister off before saying " cut that out and tell me ... why did she follow us into the monorail ?! "
Minako looked at where her brother was pointing and saw Aigis standing there, with her blue robe on , staring at them in the distance . Minako was about to wave for her , but Minato stopped her with an irritated look on his face. Nevertheless , Aigis continued to follow them even as they ascended the monorail . Stopping only when they do , it was like something out of a cartoon . Minato's patience had finally run out , and he turned and confronted her
" listen here you miserable pile of junk ! " Minato thrusted his index finger just below her neck " you can't come to the school with us , get it ?! You CAN'T ! You CANNOT !!! "
" do you understand , Ai-san ? " Minako interfered " Minato is worried about you , if you go in there you'll definitely get into trouble since you're not a student ... "
" then I propose to be a student to—"
" no ! You ... ! YOU !!! " Minato really wanted to smash Aigis to pieces right then and there , but Minako pinched him so he stopped and averted his glare to his sister " what ... ? " he exhaled exhaustedly
" look around you, Ai-san " Minako stepped in front of Minato " everyone here is wearing their summer uniforms , and with how the girl uniform is , your robotic parts will be revealed "
" and how is that gonna dissuade ... ?! "
" don't interrupt me , please " Minako said to her brother before going back to Aigis " do you understand ? They're gonna be all over you then , newspapers will kill to get a word from you , mangakas will crawl just to draw you into their protagonists and you might get dissected or something by a scientist . You won't have even a second to be by our side "
It was only at the last sentence that Aigis's eyebrows widened up , as if she was actually surprised . She seemed to think ( or rather process ) what Minako had said before nodding to her .
" I understand ... I will comply " she said
" well , go on . Get outta my face ! " Minato yelled at her
" I can stay by your side as long as we are outside the school . Therefore I ... "
" lemme just end it all " Minato sighed and looked around " where's the nearest traffic ?! "
" why do you hate her so much , anyway ? " Minako whispered to him
" look , I don't know ... okay ?! It all started on some Junpei shitfest babe hunt and then I find myself with this mess as if the whole universe was bent over just so I would meet her ! "
" that didn't answer my question ? Anything , even a vague reason , so I could be on the same wavelength as you "
" I'll tell you later , we'll be late if we continue to ... "
In the distance , they heard the bell of the school ring . They ended up being late for school .
———————————————————
Minako rejoiced as she saw that she had scored the highest in class this time , and Minato was right behind her . While Minato came second , it was clear that his grades had dropped since the last exam significantly . He actually knew what the reason was and he would rather not talk about it , so he was just thankful his sister didn't notice the details in his grades . Later , during lunch break , Minato found himself sitting with Minako on the rooftop and eating their lunches together . Minako then noticed her brother glaring at the distance . And she tilted her head to him and gave him a questioning stare .
" she's standing outside the school , watching us " Minato sighed " my whole privacy is down the drain !"
" you didn't answer me , by the way , why do you hate Ai-san so much ? "
" I don't know ... I don't think I can explain it , but when I first looked at her I felt a sense of dread "
" pfft ! You're scared of her ?! " Minako nearly choked on her food from the suddenly laughter
" I humanoid robot is kinda unsettling in of itself , you gotta admit that "
" wait ... are you actually scared of Ai-san? " Minako finally leveled her seriousness with her brother
" well , not exactly her , but something about her just ... feels ... I don't know ! The whole thing is complicated ! " Minato exclaimed impatiently
" I'm sure you'll warm up to her eventually " Minako tapped her brother on the shoulder " tell you what , how about we go to Tartarus and fight together ? Once you entrust your life with her you'll find it in your heart to trust her "
" she is a robot , you know . As long as we give her commands to fight she will fight . Frankly I won't be surprised if someone hacks into her system for all the wrong reasons , then she will have no alliance with us "
" I don't know ... I don't think Ai-san is the kind of robot who mindlessly follows orders . Let's just go to Tartarus so you could trust her a little more ... "
" Tartaroos? " a boy behind them asked confusedly " what is that ? "
" oh ! Uh ... um ... you see it's ... uh ... " Minako stuttered while fervently storming down her brain for excuses " it's a new video game ! R—right , Minato "
" yup ... it's called Secret Compendium , and that place is the final dungeon . We were talking about a party member that I just can't work with " Minato said with an expressionless face , meanwhile Minako stared at him with awe , wondering how he managed to make up such a detailed lie .
" wow ! Sounds awesome ! When and where did you buy it , I want to try it , too ! "
" tough luck , buddy " Minato shrugged " our uncle shipped it to us from outside Japan . it's from overseas "
" region exclusive again ?! The bane of my existence ! I could play it with you guys ... but I don't know other languages very well ! Guess I should settle for the other 37 RPGs I have instead "
" 37 ... the dedication ! " Minako shook her head in disbelief
The boy walked away in defeat , and Minako turned to her brother with appreciation . He saved the day again .
————————————————
Later that night , the SEES members entered Tartarus . While Minako and Junpei were marveling at Aigis's gadgets , with her finger tips that could open into guns , and her arm that could open up into a rocket launcher , Minato was waiting for Fuuka to scan the new block of Tartarus .
" the enemies are getting stronger " Fuuka said anxiously " many of them rely on their brute strength as opposed to what we've been encountering so far , so engaging them head on can be dangerous "
" what about the block itself ... are there any distinguishing quirks about it ? "
" well , I'm having trouble scanning the floor itself " Fuuka said with a troubled look on her face " the corridors are much darker , and they have a lot of irregularities to them ... oh no ! " she suddenly screamed , attracting everyone's attention
" what's wrong , Yamagishi ?! " Mitsuru exclaimed
" this block ... it's filled with ... I think it's a poisonous fog but I'm not sure "
" Poisonous ?! " Minako was alerted by that word , just as Lucia began to fade in and out of existence
" I'm not sure what's the true nature of this fog , but I think it mostly affects our Personas . I can tell it's weakening Lucia "
" will you be able to provide support for us in there , Fuuka ? " Minato said
" well , I'm only straining myself because you're not there . It usually is much easier for me to scan a floor and provide support when there are many life forms on the scene . Don't worry , I know my limits "
" okay then " Minato turned to the team " let's go ! "
" before we advance , Minato-san " Aigis approached Minato " I have a special function that I can use in critical situations . It is called Orgia Mode "
" Orgia ... mode ? "
" it temporarily disables my limiters , allowing maximum power output for destructive attacks beyond my standard potential . However , during Orgia Mode , my logic is also disabled , so I will not be able to follow any further commands and will continue fighting until all threats are annihilated. Also , as I forcefully preform beyond my capabilities during Orgia Mode , The pressure on my components causes my body to overhear "
" overheat ?! " Fuuka gasped " that sounds dangerous ! "
" do not worry , Fuuka-san . Side effects of Orgia Mode only involve overheating , when that happens, I am forced to initiate cooling sequence, in which I self repair any damage that may have been caused by Orgia Mode "
" but you're totally defenseless during that time " Minako exclaimed
" yes ... that is why timing of using Orgia Mode is crucial "
" I see " Minato nodded " Aigis , don't use Orgia Mode unless I or Minako tell you to " he then turned to the team " is that okay with everyone "
" you're the leader " Mitsuru nodded " it only makes sense that you take the responsibility of using this function "
" to be safe , I won't call the shots when you're around " Minako added , she realized how Orgia Mode could turn the tide of the battle to their favor or hinder their chances to win .
" good ... now , if everyone is ready , let's go in "
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