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Persona - Chaos Butterfly 11.1

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Chapter 11: Festival Fun. (Part one)

    After the splashing incident during the fishing trip, the boys went back to change into dry clothes. Souji invited Ken and Minato with him to Junes that evening to look for the new Phoenix Ranger Featherman R model. Of course, Nanako will be coming too. They had run out of groceries and Dojima was working late. Shinjiro decided to tag along because he felt guilty and wanted to make it up to the kids and the dog. Koromaru wagged his tail happily before trotting beside them. The other girls wanted some time for themselves, the guys wanted to get a rest and Junpei wanted to keep Chidori company, so they passed. Minako wanted some pastries though, and asked her brother to get some for her.

    Minato, Shinjiro, Ken and Koromaru left for the Dojima residence after they informed the rest where they were going. Souji and Nanako were already waiting when the four of them arrived. Koromaru would be guarding the house while they were away.

    They headed to the toy department first, under the models section. Souji browsed through the new stock that Yosuke mentioned earlier along with Ken. The pre-teen was babbling on excitedly about the awesome adventures of the Featherman Team in the latest episodes. “And then Red Hawk infiltrated the secret base on his own, even though Black Owl had warned him about the booby traps the enemy had set up before hand. He was half-way of rescuing the hostages when White Swan suddenly…” Souji listened with a smile. He was hit with a wave of nostalgia as he remembered watching the series with the twins when they were toddlers, and later mimicking the moves they have seen when they played at the park in the evenings.

    Minato accompanied Nanako to look at the other toys on display, and trailing behind them was Shinjiro. The blue-haired teen chuckled at how his senior was trying hard to keep his expression neutral as not to scare the other kids away. He knew Shinjiro was impatiently waiting for them to finish and head to the grocery section.

    Back to Ken and Souji, their eyes settled on one particular mecha that had already been completed, standing proud and tall, surrounded by smaller gashapon characters from the Featherman series in a display case. The two of them pressed their noses against the Perspex, as if they expected to ghost through and touch the object of their desire.

    “C-can we get that one, Souji-san?” Ken asked in a shaky voice. It had to be one of the coolest things he had ever seen.

    “Of course we can, Ken. Hell, I can’t wait to get started!”

    Both boys frantically looked for the model on the shelves. They high-fived each other when Souji grabbed the last one. When they called the others to inform that were about to buy it, Ken made a hand gesture to Minato and Shinjiro, demanding them to pay up.

    “Wow, Ken must want this so bad,” Minato thought, sweatdropping as he pulled some money from his wallet. “I’ve never seen him look so serious, yet happy at the same time.”

    Shinjiro groaned a little before taking out his own wallet. He silently vowed to never go fishing with the guys again.

    Ken’s eyes were shining after they made the purchase. “Souji-san, you’re going to teach me how to put this together right?” He gazed at the box lovingly. The rather expensive item was made affordable thanks to three guys pooling their money in. Nanako could only giggle at his antics.

    “Of course, Ken. We’ll get started once we get back to my house,” Souji answered. “I still have the tools you need for that.”

    With that part finally done, they headed to the grocery section. Shinjiro sauntered off on his own when they got there.

    “Don’t mind him,” Minato said. “He’s just used to doing his own thing. We’ll see him later.”

    “Let’s see…” Souji took out a shopping list from his pocket and scanned the contents. “We need eggs, rice, milk, bread, some chicken, vegetables…and Uncle just ran out of his favorite pickled radish. Anything to add, Nanako?” he asked his little cousin.

    “Can we get some chocolate too?”

    “Sure, why not?” Souji playfully ruffled Nanako’s hair. “If we hurry, I can make everyone a quick snack for everyone before Aniki and the others have to head back to the inn.”

    Minato helped Souji choose the vegetables while Ken accompanied Nanako to get the bread, milk and eggs.

    “Hey, don’t you think those two look cute together?” Minato nudged his pseudo brother and jutted his chin at the young pair. “I’m starting to think that Nanako-chan is developing a crush on our little Ken.”

    Souji rolled his eyes. “What are you, a girl?” he scoffed. But then he stopped to think about it. He looked over to his little cousin and for the first time, noticed the blush that stained her cheeks. The expression on her face was the same one she made whenever she shows affection to either him or her father. Souji already knew what Ken felt about his cousin after his confession to the guys at Samegawa, he just didn’t expect Nanako to develop certain feelings for the pre-teen. “Oh hell no…”

    “A little jealous are we?” Minato smirked. “I understand though. When Minako started paying more attention to Shinjiro-senpai, I was livid. Face it, he’s not the kind of guy I would want hanging around my sister, and I was afraid she’d choose him over me. The feeling passed as I got to know Senpai a little better.”

    “But…what about their age difference?” Souji asked, slightly panicking. “I mean, is that even normal?”

    “Relax Banchou-kun. Little girls develop crushes on older guys all the time. It’s a part of growing up. And if I remember correctly, you told me that she wanted to marry you when she got older.”

    The younger of the two blushed. “Sh-shut up! I’m not jealous!” he retorted defensively.

    “It’s only a phase,” Minato said. “I’m pretty sure it’ll pass soon enough.” He gave Souji a reassuring pat on the back before continuing with their shopping. They stopped by a cake store to get Minako’s pastries.

    Shinjiro was already waiting for them in front of the cashier counter with a scowl on his face. In his arms was a grocery bag filled with his own stuff, and another bag filled with canned dog food.

    Dojima still wasn’t home when they got back. After Souji and Nanako put away the groceries, Shinjiro approached the silverette. “Hey, can I borrow your kitchen for a while?”

    “May I ask why?” Souji inquired.

    “Remember what I said about making it up to Ken, Koro and Nanako-chan?” Shinjiro said. “I was thinking of cooking them dinner. That is, if you’ll let me.”

    “Of course, Shinjiro-san,” Souji answered. “I was wondering what you were up to back at Junes. Earlier I was thinking about making some sandwiches for you guys, but since you’re offering dinner who am I to refuse.”

    Shinjiro plopped his grocery bag on the kitchen counter. He took out a few meat cutlets, herbs and spices, and some root vegetables.

    Souji looked at the ingredients and concluded that the senior was either going to make some sort of hotpot or a stew dish. “There’s some broth in the fridge if you’re interested,” he offered. “And red cooking wine in the cabinets. I’ll be upstairs if you need any help.” He gestured for Ken to follow him to his room along with their newly acquired robot model.

    Minato sat with Nanako and Koromaru in front of the television, watching the quiz show with them.

    In Souji’s room, he sat with Ken at his working table. They gave the instructions and model plan a once over before taking out the parts.

    “Wow, there are so many pieces in here,” Ken said. “At this point it’s difficult to see how all of this will become like the picture on the box.”

    “Like I said before, it takes patience and a lot of diligence. It took me about five days to get the Brahmin Armor together, and more than that with the Agni. But most importantly, you have to look at the instructions carefully, since you are kind of new at this.” Souji began tutoring Ken on how to use the tools to cut the pieces out of their frames, and the correct techniques on gluing the pieces together.

    Ken was a very patient and attentive student. They started small, with the mecha’s left leg. Event for that part alone, there were more than five pieces to be put together.

    Souji watched Ken work, trying to pry the pieces out, reprimanding him once in a while. He snickered a bit when Ken stuck out his tongue as he focused on his task. After about an hour, a soft knock on the door could be heard.

    “Ken-kun, Big Bro…” Nanako stuck her head in, her cheeks pink. “Shinjiro-san said dinner is ready.”

    “Thanks Nanako-chan!” Ken said, looking away from the plastic pieces. “We’ll be down in a bit.”

    After Nanako left, Souji frowned. “Wait, why did she greet Ken first instead of me?” was his first thought, and it bothered him. He mentally face-slapped himself. “Idiot, don’t get jealous over such a small matter. Aniki said that this little crush of hers is natural. It’s not like Ken is going to be my future brother-in-law…right?” Somehow, he wasn’t convinced.

    Souji had guessed right earlier; Shinjiro did make beef stew. In addition to that, he grilled some steaks for Koromaru; the only way to make it up to a dog was to feed them prime cuts of meat. Nanako and Minato helped set up the table. Shinjiro sliced the steak into smaller pieces, mixing them with the dog food and placed them in a bowl on the floor beside the table. Koromaru sniffed the air before barking excitedly.

    Ken and Nanako stared at the food on the table, mouths slightly watering. There was the beef stew, along with some rice and salad.

    “I already saved some for your dad, Nanako,” Souji said. “What are we waiting for? Let’s eat!”

    As Nanako was reaching for a fork, her fingers brushed against Ken’s, who was also reaching for it. The little girl’s entire face became red, and Ken’s cheeks were a pink tinge but only for a moment.

    The three guys saw this. Two of them smirked knowingly. Souji sighed; he wasn’t about to reprimand Ken and upset his little cousin so he remained quiet.

    As they ate, Souji mulled through his thoughts. “It’s not like I don’t like Ken. In fact, I like him very much. He’s mature and responsible, and very much a gentleman. Ugh, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with myself if Nanako was a little older…”

    “Souji-san,” Ken said, breaking Souji’s train of thought. “Do you mind if I come here again tomorrow? I want to learn more about putting that model together if that’s okay with you.”

    Souji smiled at the kid. “Maybe Aniki is right. I should get to know Ken better before I give in to these negative feelings,” he thought.

    “Sure. Why don’t you come over after the fitting session for our yukatas at Kanji’s place? We’ll have plenty of time after that,” he said. “Oh, that reminds me. I did promise I’d lend you some of my books. I’ll give them to you before you head back.”

    “Thanks a lot, Souji-san!”

    After dinner, Souji and Ken helped clean up while the other watched TV while sipping tea. Nanako played with Koromaru.

    Dojima should be back any minute, so they had to leave. Nanako surprised Shinjiro by giving him a hug before he went. “Thanks for the delicious meal, Shinjiro-san,” she said, blushing a bit. “You may look scary, but you’re really nice!”

    The beanie-wearing teen was taken aback by her honesty. “Uhh…thanks.”

    “Why do you think Aneki likes him so much?” Souji teased, ruffling Nanako’s hair. “Come on, you gotta help me fold the laundry before your dad gets back.”

    “Thanks for the books, Souji-san!” Ken said, clutching a few of the Timid Teacher volumes to his chest. “I can’t wait to start reading them.”

    Minato and Shinjiro waved them goodbye after Koromaru finished licking Nanako’s face, and they left.

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    The next morning, Minako, Aigis, Metis and the guys gathered at Tatsumi Textiles. Kanji greeted them with the normal “What’s up?” as his mother served them tea. It was a rarity to see a huge group coming to her shop and she was happy to see that her son had made such great friends.

    “My, my, it’s good to see you again. Kanji told me that you boys will be wearing yukatas for the festival,” she said, smiling at them. “Oh my, this brings back good memories I had with my late husband. I heard that there will be fireworks this year. It will make the event much livelier.”

    Minako’s eyes were shining. “Really? I love fireworks. I haven’t seen one in quite a while!”

    The boys continued their small talk with Mrs. Tatsumi as Kanji took the twins to the back room, where they will be working until lunch time to adjust the yukatas. The guys were fitted one by one, with Kanji taking the measurements and Minako writing them down. There wasn’t a lot of adjusting needed to be done since Aigis and Rise had a good eye for detail when choosing out their sizes

    “This is my first time wearing such a beautiful garment,” Metis said as she modeled her yukata. “And I’m excited to see this ‘fireworks’ display that you were talking about earlier.”

    “It’s really beautiful,” Minako said, placing a few pins for adjustments. “There’s something about fireworks that lets out your inner child. It’s a wonderful feeling!”

    After the fitting session was done, those who weren’t involved with the yukatas left the shop. As soon as they were out of earshot, Yosuke swiveled around suddenly. “Guys, I need to ask you for a really huge favor!”

    “Uh-oh, I know that tone…” Souji grimaced. “You need our help at Junes, don’t you?” The others looked at Yosuke curiously.

    Yosuke’s eyes shined with tears and happiness. “Souji, buddy, I knew you’d understand! That place is seriously understaffed because most of the part-timers are away on vacation. I’d really appreciate it if you guys can lend a hand.” He gave them one of the cutest puppy-dog faces Souji had ever seen him make. “I’ll even pay you guys more than what the part-timers earn. What do you say?”

    “Sorry, buddy. I can’t help you today. I kind of promised Ken that I’d help him with the Featherman robot model. Maybe some other time,” Souji said, hoping that his best friend won’t be too disappointed. There was no way he could refuse Yosuke when he’s this desperate. “Knowing you, you already roped in Chie for this. What do you need help for anyway?”

    “Just restocking the shelves, and then I’ll be free for the entire day tomorrow.” Yosuke sighed and rubbed the back if his head. “Dad can be such a slave-driver sometimes,” he grumbled.

    “Why not?” Shinjiro shrugged. “I don’t have anything to do anyway, and I could really use the money.”

    “That doesn’t sound so hard,” Junpei said. “Count me in, dude!”

    Metis didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to experience ‘the joys of earning a living’, causing everyone to sweatdrop.

    “The more the merrier, right?” Akihiko added. “I wonder if the other girls are willing to help.”

    After a few phone calls, only Aigis was available that day. Yukiko and Rise had to help at their families' business while Fuuka and Yukari wanted to focus on their college assignments, and Mitsuru had a teleconference to attend to.

    Yosuke was thanking the heavens, and his friends. “Thank you so much, guys! I really appreciate this!”

    “Teddie can’t wait for tomorrow!” the blonde Shadow cheered. “We’re gonna have so much fun!”

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    The sounds of sewing machines and the snipping of cloth could be heard in the textile shop. Kanji and the Arisato twins were kept busy. There was still a long way to go before they could take a break.

    They were interrupted when a middle-aged man in a black suit entered their working room. He was holding an expensive-looking paper bag.

    “Hey, I know you,” Kanji said. “You’re Yakushiji-san, the secretary for the Shirogane Estate. What are you doing here?”

    The man bowed. “I have come to deliver something which Naoto-sama might need. Her grandfather received this from one of his business associates as a gift to her, but sadly it doesn’t fit,” Yakushiji explained. “I heard that you are adjusting yukatas for your friends to wear tomorrow, so I was hoping you can add this one into the pile as well.”

    “We still have time for one more,” Minato said. “But we can’t do it without knowing her measurements.”

    “Do not fear. I took liberty of having those as well.” Yakushiji took out a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and handed it to Kanji. “I am sure you are able to adjust her new yukata with this information.” He bowed to them again and left.

    Kanji’s hands were shaking as he held the piece of paper. ‘Holy crap, I’m holding the measurements of Naoto Shirogane in my hands…’ He began to sweat as his imagination started to run wild. Soon, he felt something begin to leak from his nose and snapped out of it. “Minako-senpai, can you do the adjusting on Naoto’s yukata? I don’t think I can…” Kanji trailed off, handing the paper to Minako. He looked away when the twins were eyeing him curiously.

    “I don’t mind,” Minako said. She took out the yukata from the bag and gasped. “Oh my, this is so lovely. The cloth itself must have cost a fortune. Naoto-chan is so lucky to be wearing this!” The fabric was a light blue color, decorated with intricate patterns of yellow and dark blue flowers.

    “Kanji, do you have a problem with women’s clothing?” Minato asked. It was strange to see him behaving this way.

    The bleach blond didn’t say anything and went back to work. The sooner he focused on something else, the better. Minato shrugged and continued his work.

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Dojima Residence, Souji’s room…

    It was anything but quiet in the silverette’s room. “Ken, wait! That part was meant to go on the head, not the torso!”

    “Ah, Souji-san, what should I do?”

    “Take them apart before the glue dries!”

    Ken pried the wrongly connected parts away, his fingers a sticky mess from the adhesive. The small room reeked of chemicals and it was making his head spin, hence the mistakes he was unintentionally making.

    “Let’s take a break,” Souji said finally. He went to open the windows wider so that the smell doesn’t suffocate them both.

    “How do you find the time to do all this?” Ken finally spoke up when Souji sat back down beside him. “The models, part-time jobs, studying, fighting Shadows, making friends…just like Minato-san and Minako-san back at the dorm.”

    Souji contemplated Ken’s question. “Hmm…good time management, I guess. Sometimes it isn’t good to just focus on one aspect of your life. You have to mix it up, create variety, even if it means a rather hectic life,” he answered. “It keeps things interesting amidst the responsibilities that come with being a team leader, and having friends always makes it easier to bear with.”

    “That sounds rather complicated,” Ken said. “Even back at Iwatodai, I don’t have many friends my age. After what happened with Shinjiro-san, it got me thinking…that I don’t ever want to be alone again.”

    “Hey, don’t sweat it,” Souji said, ruffling the boy’s head. “Making friends isn’t hard, just be you. You’re unique, Ken. No one can replace you.”

    “Th-thanks a lot, Souji-san.” Ken smiled bashfully. “No wonder Nanako-chan looks up to you.”

    A faint voice echoed at the back of Souji’s mind as a familiar looking card emerged.

Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
It brings thee closer to the truth…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Justice Arcana…

    ‘Another Justice social link,’ Souji thought. ‘I guess that makes sense. Nanako and Ken do have a lot in common.’

    A knock on the door was heard before Nanako poked her head in. “Big Bro, Ken-kun, its lunch time!” She entered the room when Souji nodded his head. “I made sandwiches for you!” She wanted to place the platter of sandwiches on the working table, but it was too messy, so she put it on his study desk instead.

    “Thanks a lot, Nanako-chan!” Ken beamed at her, making the little girl blush.

    “I…I should b-be g-g-going now,” Nanako stuttered, facing away from Ken so he can’t see her red face. “Koro-chan might get lonely again.” She darted out of the room before both boys could blink.

    Ken took the platter and passed it to Souji, not before taking a sandwich for himself. “That was nice of her,” he said, sinking his teeth into it. “Oh, tuna. My favorite!”

    Souji bit into his sandwich, when a sudden though occurred to him. ‘Hold it…Nanako and Ken are both of the Justice Arcana. Does that mean they’re compatible in some way?’ He refrained from slamming his head on the table when he remembered that Ken will be accompanying his cousin to the festival, which was his idea in the first place. ‘Shit…’

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    Back at Tatsumi Textiles…

    It was almost time for lunch. Kanji and the twins were nearly done. All that was left were the finishing touches to Naoto’s yukata and they could finally go eat.

    As Minato was helping his sister with the yukata, a loud voice interrupted them. “Kanji…Kanji…where are you?” It was Rise. She nonchalantly barged into their working room.

    Kanji came out of the storage room, holding a pile of scrap cloth. “Rise, what the hell? How many times do I have to tell ya to wait for me at the front if you want something?!” He gave her a look of utmost annoyance.

    “But it’s more fun this way,” Rise pouted cutely. “Grandma sent me off early to do some errands for her. I came by to check up on you.”

    “Why would I need checking up on?” Kanji sighed. It was tiring to keep up with her sometimes.

    “Oh Kanji, you’re so silly. Why don’t you just admit that you’re lonely without me?” Rise teased, sticking her tongue out playfully.

    “Like hell I am!”

    The twins have stopped working to watch the two high school juniors interact with each other. It was rather funny seeing them bicker over the most trivial things, much like Junpei and Yukari’s arguments back at the dorm.

    “Besides, I have something to show you!” Rise chirped, taking out her cellphone.

    Kanji exhaled loudly. “Fine, but ya gotta leave after this alright? We’re kinda busy here if ya can’t tell…” As soon as he laid eyes on the phone screen, his nose started bleeding profusely. He made a mad dash to the bathroom, causing the twins to look at Rise questionably.

    “Umm…Rise-chan? What exactly did you show him?” Minako asked.

    “Kanji is so much fun to tease," the teen idol giggled. "It’s a picture of Naoto when we were out clothes shopping yesterday. See?” Indeed, it was Naoto on the screen, wearing the feminine version of her detective outfit. She looked absolutely adorable without her hat.

    The twins sweatdropped. ‘So this is what Kanji-kun has to endure every day?’ Minako thought sympathetically.

    ‘It certainly doesn’t help that Rise-chan’s shop is only a few blocks from here,’ Minato thought. “Poor Kanji…no wonder he didn’t want to adjust Naoto’s yukata. I bet he would pass out just from knowing her measurements alone,” he said, looking thoughtful.

    What Minato didn’t expect next was his sister wearing the same devious smirk as Rise. “That was priceless!” she squealed. “I can’t wait to see how he’ll react when he sees Naoto-chan in an actual yukata. Rise-chan, bring a video camera tomorrow. We can’t miss this!” Both of them laughed evilly.

    ‘Girls…’ Minato rolled his eyes. “If you’re done hatching plans about tormenting Kanji, I’m off to have lunch,” he said, walking towards the front door. “Man, I’m starving.”

    “Ah, Aniki, wait for me! I want fried rice with chicken, and steak skewers!” Minako cried, running after her brother.

    Rise skipped off to do her errands, satisfied that she got the wanted reaction from Kanji moments ago. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was shouting curses at her right now.

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    Junes’ Food Court…
    
    After helping Yosuke and Teddie, the guys, Chie, Aigis and Metis gathered at the Food Court to rest and have lunch.

    “Gah… I’m beat…” Junpei groaned, his head resting on the table. “I didn’t know restocking could be so tiring…”

    “C’mon, Junpei, it wasn’t that bad.” Akihiko said. “Though I’m surprised at how much weightlifting you guys ended up doing while working here.”

    “It’s even worse on sales day…” Yosuke sighed before taking a gulp of his TaP Soda. “Again guys, I can’t thank you all enough for all the help. You have no idea how much you saved my butt today!”

    “How about you start thanking us by buying us lunch?” Chie smirked. “I’m hungry!”

    Usually Yosuke would nag Chie for only caring about food, but he simply kissed her forehead. “Fine.” He smiled at her. “Do you want a grilled steak? Or something else?”

    Chie just blinked, blushing madly. The others chuckled at their antics.

    “Love is in the air!” Teddie sang. “And it’s not even Festival Day yet!”

    “Which reminds me…” Yosuke turned his glare to Teddie. “You better behave tomorrow or I’m knocking the stuffing out of you, Ted!”

    “How mean of you, Yosuke!” Teddie whined sticking his tongue out at him. “I’m always good! That’s why the ladies love me!”

    The guys looked at the bickering pair, curious. “What happened last year anyway?” Shinjiro asked Chie.

    “Teddie tricked Yosuke and the guys into letting him go out with me, Yukiko and Rise-chan at the Festival, which sucked by the way.” Chie rolled her eyes. “How they fell for that is beyond me.”

    "Hey, it was Kanji who fell for it," Yosuke growled indignantly. "This stupid bear ran off with you three before Souji and I could do anything about it!" He was ignored by his girlfriend.

    The three SEES guys exchanged glances before glaring at Teddie. They definitely didn’t want him trying to have his way with their girls.

    “W-What?!” Teddie gulped. “I promised Sensei I’d be a good bear, didn’t I? It’s not my fault everybody has a date, but not poor Teddie…” Tears started flowing from his eyes. “I don’t wanna spend the Festival all alone…”

    Feeling bad for Teddie, Metis and Aigis started patting him. “Don’t be sad, Teddie-san.” Metis said softly. “We’ll go to the Festival with you. Right, Sister?”

    At Aigis’ nod, Teddie’s face brightened up like a Christmas Tree. “Oh, Ai-chan, Metis-chan… Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” He squealed. “We’ll have the best Festival ever!!”

    “Of course, Teddie-san.” Aigis said smiling. “You can help me teach Metis how to enjoy the festival.”

    “Why sure! Teddie is an expert about Festivals!” He stated proudly. “There are lots of yummy treats and so many fun games! We’ll have a blast.”

    As Teddie talked with the two sisters, the others smiled, relieved. “Well, with Ai-chan and Metis keeping him busy, I think we’ll enjoy ourselves tomorrow.” Junpei chuckled.

    “Rise-chan will probably keep an eye on him too, but ya can never be too careful with Teddie.” Chie said when her stomach growled loudly, drawing all eyes towards her. She blushed at that, really embarassed. “Hehehe…”

    “Wow, you really are hungry, huh Chie?” Yosuke blinked before laughing. “C’mon guys, let’s have some lunch. We can talk about the festival later.”

    “Right. I wonder if they got any beef bowls here…” Akihiko said. Shinjiro could only roll his eyes at that.

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    After having lunch, the Arisato twins went back to the Tatsumi’s shop to check on Kanji. They found the bleach blond working on another yukata, but it was small. Too small to fit even in a kid.

    “Hey, Kanji-kun, watcha doing?” Minako asked curiously.

    “Huh? Oh, this? Well… Remember I promised to make it up to Koro-chan, Ken and Nanako-chan for the fishing trip fiasco?” At the twins’ nod, Kanji grinned. “I made this for Koro-chan!”

    “A yukata for a dog? That’s brilliant!” Minato said impressed as he looked at the yukata. The colors were similar to Cerberus’, Koromaru’s persona. “Now Koro will be able to fully join us in the festivities.”

    “Great thinking, Kanji-kun!” Minako praised him.

    “Aw, hell… it was nothing…” Kanji said rubbing the back of his head rather embarrassed. “I also finished Ken and Nanako-chan’s gifts.” He pointed to two dolls a nearby table. One ressembled Red Hawk from Phoenix Ranger Featherman R and the other was a doll of Nanako’s heroine Magical Detective Loveline. They both were… very elaborate.

    “Wow, how did you do that so fast?” Minato asked.

    “Well, I worked on them after I got home from the fishing trip.” Kanji said. “Koro-chan’s yukata wasn’t hard to put together as there’s a lot of leftover material in the shop.”

    “They look so awesome! The kids are gonna love it!” Minako giggled picking the Loveline doll. “This is so cute!!!”

    Minato chuckled. “Yeah, you even got Loveline’s outfit details right including magnifying glass and puppy. Wonder if there’s any manga or DVD of it…” At his twin and Kanji’s amused looks, he shrugged. “Don’t mind me. Just some random rambling.”

    “Whatever you say, Aniki.” Minako giggled before looking at her watch. “Wow, time flies when you’re having fun. It’s already time to go pick Ken-kun and Koro-chan at Souji-kun’s place.”

    “Already? Well, okay then, let’s go.” Minato turned to Kanji. “Wanna come with us?”

    “Sure! I can’t wait to give these to Ken, Koro-chan and Nanako-chan!” Kanji said. “I sure hope they like it.”

    “I’m positive they will, Kanji-kun.” Minako reassured him. “C’mon, let’s go.”

    In no time the three made their way to the Dojima Residence. Nanako and Ken were at the doorstep playing with Koromaru while Souji was feeding a stray cat. The twins smiled. Souji always had a way with animals, even though his parents wouldn’t allow him to own a pet, it didn’t stop him from playing with and feeding them.
  
 Nanako spotted them first. “Aneki! Aniki!” She squealed running up to them and wrapping them in a big hug.

    “Hey, Nanako-chan.” Minato smiled ruffling her hair. “Having fun with Ken and Koro-chan?”

    “Uh-huh!” Nanako smiled. She seemed happier to see them than ever.

    The twins smiled when a card flashed in their minds and a voice echoed.

Thou art I… And I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Justice Arcana…


    “A new Justice Social Link? Well, makes sense seeing how Ken and Nanako-chan have a lot in common.” Minato smiled before chuckling. “Maybe they are meant to each other… Banchou-kun won’t be pleased.”

    Minato turned to his twin who was thinking the same thing while giggling as she tickled Nanako.

    Souji calmly walked up to them followed by Ken and Koromaru. “Hi, guys.” He greeted them with a smile. “You already done with the Yukatas?”

    “Yep. It was pretty easy when working together.” Minako smiled. “Kanji-kun even got to work on a little something for Ken-kun, Nanako-chan and Koro-chan.”

    “Something?” Ken asked curious. “What is it?”

    “Y-Yeah…” Kanji said pulling the dolls from his bag before giving them to Ken and Nanako. “I-I hope it makes up for… y’know, yesterday…”

    Silence fell over the two kids as they stared in awe at their gifts. Never had they seen such beautiful and detailed dolls.

    “Wow, she looks perfect! Loveline is so cute!” Nanako squealed hugging her doll tightly before hugging Kanji. “Thank you, Kanji! I love it!”

    “Yes! This is awesome! This Red Hawk is way better than the figures from Junes!” Ken’s eyes were sparkling as he checked out his doll. Without warning, he hugged Kanji was well. “Kanji-san, I…! Thank you!”

    Kanji was surprised at their reaction, but felt really relieved and glad that they had liked the gifts. “You’re welcome, guys…” He smiled patting both kids on their heads while the three Wild Cards nodded in approval.

    Koromaru barked, happy to see both kids so excited. Kanji then looked at the Shiba Inu as Ken and Nanako let go of him and walked up to him dropping to one knee to make eye contact with him. “I’ve got something for you too, Koro-chan.” Kanji said pulling the yukata out from the bag. “You can use it to go to the Festival with us.”

    The pooch sniffed the yukata a few times before he ran around Kanji, looking excited. “I think Koro-chan really liked it, Kanji-kun.” Minako giggled.

    “Really?” Kanji asked. He was answered with a good lick on his face from Koromaru. “Heh… You’re welcome, Koro-chan...” He grinned, patting Koromaru’s head.

    “Wow, gotta hand it to you, Kanji. Those dolls and the yukata must be your best works yet.” Souji said patting his underclassman on the back. “You must’ve worked really hard on them.”

    “Aw, shucks, thanks, Senpai.” Kanji said with a goofy grin plastered on his face. “I just felt awful about yesterday so I really wanted to make up to them.”

    “And you accomplished that with flying colors, Kanji.” Minato smiled, looking at Koromaru, Ken and Nanako: the kids were showing each other their gifts while Koromaru ran around them. “Just look at them. They’re ectasic.”

    “At this pace, the Festival will be even better!” Minako grinned.
   
Souji smiled. Seeing Nanako so happy made his worries about her and Ken melt away for the time being. His surrogate sister was right. The festival was going to be great.
Howdy guys! Hope you are all doing well. Time for a new chapter! :happybounce: The Festival is finally here and Kanji must gather all his courage to confess his feelings to Naoto who is also trying to sort out what she feels for the former deliquent. Things will be interesting for sure. :giggle:

My great friend :iconohtasuzuke: has been helping me write this fanfic. It's turning out better than i could ever dream of! So give her your thanks guys owo :bow:

Next chapter will be up on next tuesday.

Well, same drill as usual. Split in two parts for easier reading.

Hopefully you guys will like the surprises in this chapter, but please comment on it. Faves are really nice and I do appreciatte them, but we really want to know what you guys think about it so we can improve more. It doesn't have to be a long or detailed comment. All feedback is appreciatted.

A few other warnings:
-There will be spoilers for all games! You've been warned.
-The Main characters from each game in this fanfic are called Minato Arisato (P3:FES), Minako Arisato (P3P) and Souji Seta (P4)
-There'll be some cursing. (Anyone that played any persona games knows that some characters on it curse quite a bit.) as well as some heavy subjects.
-Main Pairings in this fanfic: MinatoxYukari, ShinjiroxMinako, SoujixYukiko, KanjixNaoto, AkihikoxMitsuru, YosukexChie.
-Hinted Pairings: JunpeixChidori. (Hinted because Chidori doesn't appear much on this story) KenxNanako (Ya know those little girl's crushes on older boys? It'll be along those lines) FuukaxKeisuke (Other than Minato and Junpei, Fuuka only displayed some sort of close relationship with Keisuke the club president. I found it kinda cute.) TeddiexRise (Just for giggles. They are afterall the two hyperactive cuties of the team X3)

Have fun ya guys.

Persona series and all its characters (c) Atlus
Pegasus Persona design (c) :iconladystarwing:
© 2012 - 2024 Star-Ninja
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RenaKazama's avatar
OMAIGOSH.

This. Tastes like diabetes. :iconyukimuralaplz:


#rushes to the next chap