At Tatsumi port island , Shinjiro glared at the two men approaching him yet again . They handed him a packet of pills , but he just took it without responding to them , as he knew what they wanted .
" Those friends of yours " Takaya said " it's confirmed that they're trying to end the Dark Hour "
Shinjiro didn't respond
" Why would they do this ?! Do they not realize the blessing they received ?! To deny the Dark Hour and their powers is illogical "
" The hell are you talking about ? " Shinjiro stood up impatiently " I don't know anyone who does that "
" Don't act like a dumbass ! " Jim snapped at him " those clowns who call themselves SEES ... ! "
" I told you I have nothing to do with them , do whatever you want with them "
" Everyone is free to use his powers however they wish " Takaya said " but to try to end the Dark Hour is to deny the very power they possess ! It's unfortunate , but we have no choice but to eliminate them "
" Do you understand , Shinjiro ?! They're going down ! Be smart and don't join the losing team here "
" Are you scared of me ? " Shinjiro said , surprising both of them
" Why you ?! "
" Jin " Takaya stopped him
" But ... ! "
" We have given your our warning , Shinjiro " Takay said " you'd best keep it to heart "
The situation wasn't looking good for Minato . When he found Rio , she was surrounded by shadows from every which way . While she wasn't injured , she looked dazed and lifeless . Her eyes seemed to be staring at nothing , and she seemed to mutter incoherently .
" Iwasaki-san ! Get away from there ! " Minato yelled at her as he ran toward her with his team
However , she didn't respond . Instead the shadows , who were just standing around her , suddenly grew hostile and began surrounding Minato and his team . Wasting little time , Minato commanded his team to counterattack with their Personas . While they managed to thwart the first wave of shadows , they were eventually overwhelmed by the increasing numbers and strength of their opponents . It was like the shadows were growing stronger and more aggressive with every second .
" they're feeding off of Iwasaki's mind ! " Akihiko exclaimed
" are you saying they're mad at us for interrupting their midnight snack ?! " Junpei said just as he dodged a charging giant
" damn ! " Minato turned to Rio for a second before turning to his team " cover me , I'll grab her and run for it "
" what ?! " Junpei yelled
" he's right ... with Rio here they'll only get stronger , but I think I'll fare better since I'm more agile "
" good point " Minato turned to the shadows and pointed the evoker at his head " Eligor ! "
" w—wait up ! " Junpei hurriedly pulled his evoker and called his persona " Hermes ! "
Despite their efforts , Akihiko was still stopped by a charging turret that nearly run him over , but he wasn't fast enough to dodge two crows that slashed at him from two directions .
" it's no use ! "
" okay ... " Minato called Fuuka " Fuuka , has Minako returned to the entrance ? "
" ah ! Minato " Fuuka gasped as she received the call " y—yes ! They're all here "
" good ! Send Aigis here quickly ! And make sure to send her alone ! "
" um ... okay ... "
" another thing ! " Minato said as he killed another shadow " there's an airhead near you that's probably planning to come here and fight , don't let her in here ! You know what I'm talking about , right ? "
" yes ... Mitsuru senpai and Yukari-san just stopped her ... anyway , Aigis will arrive soon so please hold up until then "
Minato didn't have to wait for long , as soon enough Paladion came charging at the shadows , followed by Aigis . With her joining the team , Minato found a better opportunity to rescue Rio from the shadows . The shadows grew even more aggressive as they saw Minato carrying Rio on his back .
" now this is interesting ! " Akihiko grinned as he saw the shadows ganging up on them " should be a good workout
" I propose to activate Orgia mode " Aigis said as she was knocked back by a giant humanoid shadow .
" activate ESCAPE mode , we're getting out of here ! " Minato exclaimed as he ran toward the teleporter
" what ?! " Junpei cried , but as he saw the shadows attacking them he changed his mind and said " sure , you're the boss ! "
" Fuuka ! Guide us to the nearest teleporter ! "
" o—okay ! "
When they finally made it back to the entrance , Rio was beginning to regain her consciousness and she managed to recognize Minako's voice , even though she was still too dazed to focus on where she was . Minako stepped forward and lifted her on her back .
" what're you doing ? " Minato stared at her
" I'll take her to a nearby clinic , since the Dark Hour is almost up " Minako looked at her team " you guys go back to the dorm "
" not happening , I'll carry her to ... "
" nope , you've had your fun for tonight . Besides , I don't want her to be overwhelmed by all of us . I've cooked a good excuse in my mind for what happened but it won't work if she sees all of you "
" fine ... suit yourself " Minato reluctantly agreed .
" is she gonna be alright ? " Fuuka looked anxious
" the Dark Hour is almost up . As long as she stays from shady places , she should be fine "
" don't worry , I want stray too far "
" anyway , if you needed any help , don't hesitate to call us " Yukari said
" don't worry , I've already been through worse situations "
——————————————
Even though she said that , Minako realized she wasn't up to the task . Carrying Rio was tiring for her especially after fighting during the Dark Hour . Rio had fallen asleep so Minako could only keep carrying her on her back . Suddenly , even the closest of clinics seemed far away , and so Minako thought of calling her friends . However , when she took her phone out , she realized , yet again , that she forgot to charge it .
" I deserve this ... " she sighed as she continued walking " and even better ... I'm so gonna get chewed out for forgetting to charge my phone ... honestly, phones should have some kind of warning tone or something that tells the user they're forgetting to charge it , I can't believe this is a design flaw ! "
Minako ranted for a brief moment , then she remembered that phones do have that , and she just doesn't take them seriously until her phone shuts down when she really needs it . For the time she was just glad nobody heard her talking about it . Then she remembered that Minato had Rio's phone number so she could use it to call him . As she was about to try and get it , however , a familiar figure wearing a red coat walked in front of her .
" Aragaki-san ? " Minako called him
" what ?! " Shinjiro was shocked to see her carrying an unconscious girl in the middle of the night " what're you doing here at this hour ?! "
" oh ... yeah ... " Minako laughed awkwardly " my friend wandered into Tartarus and I just saved her . You know , just like what happened with Fuuka ... "
" Fuuka ? Who's that ? "
" Fuuka Yamagishi , back when you saved us from trouble in the alleyway of Tatsumi port island "
" right ... and where're you going right now ? "
" I'm taking her to the clinic ... "
Shinjiro stared at her state for a second , before taking Rio from her and carrying her himself . Minako wanted to object , but Shinjiro seemed to be doing well with Rio's body that was wearing her down .
" th—thanks ... " Minako blushed
" don't mention it " he responded " you can go back to the dorm , I'll take it from here "
" no , I need to be with her when she wakes up " Minako followed him persistently
" suit yourself "
During their short walk to the clinic , Minako tried to talk with Shinjiro , but he didn't seem to want to talk . He would mostly just ignore her questions , and if he answered he always kept it to a minimum word count . Eventually , Minako chose to remain silent as well . She had only met him a few times , and apart from his name she knew nothing about him , and she wasn't even sure how to approach him without coming out as assertive or impulsive .
Thankfully , Rio didn't seem to sustain any critical injuries . When the doctor asked what happened , Minako blatantly told him that Rio fainted on the spot out of the blue , which he obviously didn't buy . Then Shinjiro sighed and told the doctor she suffered from Apathy Syndrome , which he believed . Rio's condition seemed stable , but the doctor still suggested that she stay there for the time being , and Minako insisted on staying with her . Shinjiro stood up and left , but Minako immediately followed him .
" Aragaki-san ! Wait ! "
" Hm ? What is it ? "
" I ... I didn't get the chance to thank you for saving me and my brother last month . I know it has been too long , but thank you "
" I did nothing ... I just happened to be in the right place at the right time . It wasn't me , it was fate ... "
" Fate ... " That word seemed to resonate differently in Minako's mind
" What is it ? "
" N--othing ... Oh ! Thanks for helping me carry Rio all the way here , too ... Actually , help is not the right word since you did it all yourself , but I'm thankful either way"
" You should stop thanking me for every little thing that happens between me and you , it's just a coincidence that I'm around . You could be any other person and nothing will change in what I would do "
" Well that still means you're kind and considerate to those who need you ... You really are like an angel "
" What ? What does that mean ? "
" N--nothing " Minako bit her tongue as she tried to correct herself " Just a silly line I read out of a silly , horribly written book ! "
" Well ... I'll be going back now "
" One ... One more thing ... " Minako was really embarrassed to stop him from leaving again
" .... What ... ? " Shinjiro sighed
" When you saved me and my brother ... You were so strong ... I mean your Persona . We were using powerful Personas that completely wrecked our time when we were hypnotized , but we were still no match for you . You were so cool back then "
" I don't think I was ... "
" Yes you were ! You were a real hero ! "
" I'm not a hero " Shinjiro said and his patience seemed to be wearing thin
" Anyway ... " Minako noticed the irritation in Shinjiro's face and tried to get to the point faster " I mean ... If we have someone like you in our team , the Dark Hour will be a picnic ! What I'm trying to say is ... Would you like to join SEES ? "
" Join you ... ? "
" I mean I'm not forcing you , it's your choice ! No pressure ! You're free to accept or decline... "
" Then I decline "
" Oh ... I see ... " There was no denying the disappoinment in Minako's face , but she quickly brushed it off with a smile " that's fine , I don't want you to feel pressured . My brother said that we don't want to drag people in our trouble unless it's absolutely necessary , that's why I don't want you to feel forced to join ... Anyway , I suppose I wasted enough of your time , I'll go back to the clinic to look after my friend ... "
" Wait ... " Shinjiro said as Minako turned around , and continued immediately before she could say anything " be careful of the Dark Hour "
" I know, the shadows are ... "
" The shadows wouldn't have come to be if it weren't for humans . They are the ones who started it all , and some of them even relish in what they caused . I heard that you're trying to end the Dark Hour , well then those who rejoice in the Dark Hour are going to try and stop you "
" There are those who want the Dark Hour to stay ?! " Minako looked at Shinjiro with a shocked look on her face , but then she remembered that someone came after Mitsuru's grandfather to continue the research on the Dark Hour " thanks , we'll be careful "
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Damn , Minako ... Way to rub it in ... I mean I know I still have a lot to learn but you didn't have to sink my writing into the netherworld ...
Anyway , while I settle this with Minako , feel free to vote on this book if you enjoyed it ( don't listen to what that airhead says , she thinks she can judge my writing when she can't even remember to charge her phone ! ) , and remember to comment who you want Minato to be in love with , and I'll see you in the next part , stay safe .
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The debate is closed , read the part about the results to find out who won