A/N: I apologize for not uploading! I've been busy with college and writing for my other stories and other stuff.

However, I finally managed to finish writing this chapter!

Enjoy!

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______Time Skip, 6th August_____

It was finally the night that the group had been training hard and preparing for. The night of the full moon. They were all gathered together in the Command Room, including Ken and Koromaru. Those two have been practicing hard in Tartarus to be prepared for their first battle.

"Well, it's a full moon once again." Ikutsuki said.

"Any luck, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yes, I've located it...and this time, it's not just an ordinary one." Fuuka replied.

Akihiko smirked as he looked satisfied, "now, that's more like it." 

"It's by the deserted houses in the northern part of Iwatodai. But there is one thing that's strange...it seems like it's underground... almost 10 meters." Fuuka explained.

"It must be in some kind of basement.." Said Yukari next.

"According to my records, there is no structure in the area that matches those criteria. However, in the past there was an underground facility that was used by the military." Aigis explained.

"The military? Is that true?" Yukari seemed surprised.

"Well, the architectural and geographic data for the area were uploaded into her memory bank. Then again, the information hasn't been updated in a decade." Ikutsuki said.

Aigis nodded, "that is correct."

Junpei blinked, "uh, wouldn't that be a good idea?" 

"So, how should we interpret this?" Akihiko asked.

"There's no way of knowing without actually going there.." Fuuka responded.

Mitsuru looked down and closed her eyes, "it seems war's scars may be deeper than we think.." She said then got up from her seat. "The situation is still unclear at this time. Therefore, we will still wait until we arrive to determine who should be deployed." 

Akihiko nodded, "agreed."

"Understood," Aigis said next.

"Then, let's go." Mitsuru frowned seriously.

_____Iwatodai Northern Harbor, Underground Facility Enternce____

"I don't see any Shadow." Miki said while looking around after they entered the underground facility. It was empty and kinda dark.

"It's kinda dark, I can't see anything." Yukari said.

"The target should be around here.." Fuuka said worriedly.

"....." 

After a moment of silence, they heard an unfamiliar voice speaking.

"Well well, looks like the mice have been caught in our trap."

"...??"

They all turned around after hearing someone. They saw a shirtless young man that looked in his early twenties. He had long gray wavy hair and yellow eyes. He was wearing a wire like headband, faded and torn light blue jeans with a red, ragged scarf tucked in the back pocket, a studded white belt and brown boots. He had full tattoo sleeves on both arms and a small tattoo on his lower back.

Beside him, was a guy that looked younger than him. He had short dark blue hair with the right side being slicked back and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a green jacket with black straps with two detached sleeves, and navy blue pants with a black pocket and black shoes. He also was wearing orange-tinted glasses with black frames. And carrying a silver briefcase

They walked towards the gate together.

"This is the first time we've met in person." The pale young man smirked.

Fuuka widened her eyes surprisingly, "who are these guys!? Lucia didn't sense a thing till now!" 

"My name is Takaya. This is Jin." Takaya introduced himself and his teammate. "We are known to some as Strega. We've been keeping an eye on you."

"Strega?" Akihiko frowned sharply.

"....!" Miki widened her eyes in fear as she stepped back a bit. Then, she glared at them. She heard of that name before from Ikutsuki.

"From what we hear, you've undertaken a "righteous" battle to save the world. But, we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream." Takaya continued to speak. "You've gained new allies, yet this land still crawls with sin. Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always..." 

"But, why the hell would you want to stop us!?" Junpei yelled angrily.

"Yeah! Why would you want the Dark Hour to stay? It's dangerous!" Ken asked while frowning too.

"Simple, if the Shadows and the Dark Hour disappear, then so will our power. And we can't let that happen, now can we?" Jin spoke next.

"Power..? Don't tell me you are Persona-users as well!" Mitsuru raised her voice at them.

"Why don't you use that pretty little head of yours for a change?" Takaya said with a sigh as he was mocking Mitsuru. "Only a select few wield the power of a Persona...And the Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours alone to explore...just like the Tower of Demise." 

"THAT's your reason!? Are you crazy!? There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!" Yukari yelled at them.

"What difference does it make..? There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or arise from human folly. No one can predict the future, anyway. But that is all beside the point...Surely you will acknowledge the sense of significance the Dark Hour has given you."

Yukari huffed, "you think we like this!?"

"Is it not so? Do you wish to return to your pathetic ordinary lives?" Takaya asked S.E.E.S.

"...Huh?" Junpei stood there looking a bit hesitant to answer.

Akihiko bit his bottom lip then looked down while clenching his fist.

Miki looked at her teammates, seeing them all being quiet.

"I don't enjoy this one single bit.." Fuuka mumbled while looking down too.

Jin walked close to them, "you've each got your own reason for fighting. "Justice" is only an excuse. And that makes you all hypocrites! So I say, to hell with you!" He yelled while looking at them darkly.

"Haha..." Takaya chuckled evilly then suddenly grabbed his head and screamed. An energy came out of him and created a figure behind him, his Persona, Hypnos.

It used a powerful wind attack as S.E.E.S hid their heads and tried to hold on to not get thrown away from the strong wind.

"What the hell is this guy's power..?" Junpei groaned as the group were struggling to balance themselves.

The wind caused the gate to get closed.

"...!" Akihiko ran to the door then banged on it. "Dammit...we are locked in." He cursed under his breath.

"We will be alright. Rather than wasting our energy, I suggest we deal with the Shadow first." Aigis said calmly.

"You are right... If we lose our cool, then they win." Yukari tried to calm down.

"...! The Shadow is moving! I think it noticed us!" Fuuka warned.

"Alright, let's concentrate on our original goal. We can look for a way out after we've won." Mitsuru said. "Everyone, prepare for battle."

They all nodded then prepared their evokers. However, they suddenly heard a sound from above.

"What's that sound?" Ken asked, then looked up. "From up above?" 

Aigis looked around as she could see purple gas was released in the air, "don't breathe it in! It's a toxic gas that will paralyze your nerves." She warned, but it was too late.

Mitsuru widened her eyes then covered her mouth and nose, "this is bad.."

Miki noticed it too, "everyone, close your mouths and noses as much as you can! Don't inhale it!" 

Yukari coughed, "we can't... it's too late..!"

Suddenly, they could hear a loud noise coming towards them. It was the sound of a tank.

They were unlucky it was the full moon Shadow coming to attack them. It appeared as a single entity, having possessed a tank for use as armor and extra firepower. 

They turned around and faced the Shadow.

"Shit.. it's the Shadow." Junpei glared at it while holding his evoker to get ready to fight, even though his body was getting weak from the gas. But, he tried to ignore it.

Makoto tried his best to look at the Shadow to attack it.

"Persona!" He lifted his evoker to his head and pulled the trigger.

He succeeded to hit it, but it wasn't enough. The Shadow was powerful.

Miki was coughing too, but she didn't want to give up. She was able to pull the trigger too, "Ceres, protect us!" 

She called out her Persona as it created a bubble that could prevent the gas from entering it. However, it was making Miki run out of HP quickly.

"Guys, attack! I will handle this!" She told her teammates.

Since no gas was entering the bubble, the group tried to stand straight back up and take the opportunity to fight the monster.

"Thank you, Miki.." Makoto said weakly while getting up.

"In the meantime, I will scan the target." Fuuka said as she summoned Lucia to scan the Shadow. After doing so, she spoke, "its Arcana is Justice... wait, it's Chariot? What the- Why am I sensing two entities..? It doesn't make sense! I will see what I can find. For now, please be careful!"

Makoto lifted his evoker to his head again to summon his Persona. Everyone did so.

Koromaru howled as he summoned his own Persona by using the collar he was wearing around his neck.

His Persona, Cerberus, used a fire attack and it worked on the Shadow.

"Good job, Koromaru.." Ken said as he joined the battle too.

After the Shadow got hit multiple times, it suddenly got separated into two Shadows.

"No way! It separated into two!?" Fuuka said surprisingly. She called Lucia's help to scan those two Shadows.

After scanning them, she spoke again to explain to her teammates, "I see now, the vehicle and turret are different types; one's Chariot and the other's Justice. They seem to be coordinating their attacks, too. Please be cautious!" 

Chariot was revealed to be the main hull of the tank, with the yellow mask of the Chariot Shadows displayed on its underside. When separated from Justice, it adopted a humanoid posture, "standing" on its rear treads.

The group did their best to fight back and not die. However, because they already breathed in the gas from before, they were weak. They all fell to their knees instead.

"Tch..." Akihiko cursed as he didn't want to give up yet. He called out his Persona one more time to fight off the Shadow. But, it attacked back and caused his Personas to disappear.

Makoto groaned and tried to stand up, but his body felt sore and his eyes were heavy. Black circles appeared under his eyes from the gas.

Meanwhile, Fuuka was in her Persona bubble, but even that wasn't enough to stop the gas from coming in.

The Justice one noticed Miki from far away. It pointed at her and fired towards her.

"Miki!" Akihiko yelled.

Makoto frowned painfully, "watch out!" 

Miki gasped as she got hit, hardly making her get thrown against the wall. Once her Persona disappeared, the bubble disappeared as well.

She tried to get up, but she didn't have much energy left. She sat up instead while trembling and glaring at the Shadow.

Seeing the Shadow preparing to attack again, she groaned and stood on her sore feet. "Stop! Don't..hurt them!" She said in her shaking voice. She summoned Ceres to create the bubble again.

"Miki, don't overuse your power..!" Mitsuru warned her as she was on the ground.

"Don't... worry about me.." Miki said while getting down on one knee. "Just.. attack! Aigis..!" She yelled seriously.

"Yes," Aigis nodded. She was less injured among them all.

While Miki was doing her job, Aigis didn't want to waste time as she thought that would be the chance to beat the Shadow.

Seeing the Justice was going to attack Makoto next, Aigis quickly got in front of him and shot the Shadow instead, preventing it from attacking.

"Are you all alright?" She looked behind her seeing her teammates then looked back at the two Shadows seeing them getting fused together.

As it prepared its next attack, Aigis placed her hands both on the tank to stop it from hurting her teammates.

"Aigis!" Makoto watched her stop the Shadow from moving towards him to attack.

"Danger detected!" She said then her Persona appeared and hit the Shadow twice with a powerful attack.

"Aigis! You can't do it alone!" Makoto groaned as he really wanted to get up and help, but he couldn't move a muscle anymore. He saw smoke coming out of her body, so he got worried she might get badly injured.

"It is my job to protect you!" She yelled.

"...?" 

As for Miki, she was getting dizzy as she completely ran out of energy, "I am... sorry..I.. can't.. anymore.." She mumbled in pain before closing her heavy eyes, and falling onto the ground.

"M-Miki!" Fuuka called her name worriedly after seeing her getting unconscious. "No good.. she passed out.."

Makoto turned his head for a bit slowly as he saw Miki passed out on the ground. He saw the others were all on the ground too looking weak. He clenched his fist so hardly, and he bit his bottom lip as it started to bleed. It pained him to see all his friends' lives in danger. As leader, he had to protect them. But, his life was at risk too.

"Disabling all limiters! Orgia, activate!" Aigis suddenly yelled while frowning sharply.

After activating Orgia Mode, she had the strength to throw the Shadow away against the wall.

"....!" 

S.E.E.S were shocked after seeing her incredible strength.

"Is this for real?" Junpei couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The Shadow got separated into two again, and was going to attack. The Justice kept shooting towards Aigis, but her speed increased too as she was fast enough to dodge every attack.

She flew towards the Justice Shadow, and kicked it hard with her foot making it get thrown down onto the ground. Then, she went to the Chariot next and shot it repeatedly with her missiles that it got weak and fell down too.

"Amazing..." Yukari mumbled while watching how fast her movements were while fighting.

However, the two Shadows got up and were going to fuse again.

"It is about to fuse.." Akihiko said.

"I won't allow it!" Aigis said loudly. But suddenly, she froze in her place and got down on her knees. More smokes were coming out of her arms and legs.

Mitsuru narrowed her eyebrows, "is she overheating..?" 

"This is an unexpected development.." Aigis lowered her head as she couldn't move anymore. The Shadow was in front of her and was going to hit her.

"Aigis..!" Makoto grabbed his sword and was going to stand on his feet, but he tripped and fell back down.

"Makoto..!" His teammates looked at him worriedly.

He groaned in pain then looked at Aigis and the Shadow even though his vision was getting blurry. "Stop it..Ugh.." He laid on the cold ground while struggling to breathe.

"....Is this it.. for us?" Ken mumbled weakly while shivering after seeing that there was no hope for them.

"Castor!"

Suddenly, the door got kicked down by something huge. Then, it attacked the Shadow, hardly making it get thrown away. It was a Persona.

"....!" Ken widened his eyes after seeing the Persona in front of him.

"This Persona is.." Akihiko looked at the Persona. He knew who that was, "Shinji.." He mumbled his name.

"Shinjiro..!" Mitsuru was surprised to see him.

"How did you.. know we are here?" Yukari asked weakly.

Makoto noticed him as he smiled lightly, "perfect timing.." He said trying to get back up, but his body was shaking.

"Less questions, more action. The Shadow isn't dead yet." The guy wearing the coat said.

Akihiko stood up still shaking, but he summoned his Persona and helped his friend fight the Shadow.

"Thoth...!" Makoto lifted his evoker to his head, and summoned one of his Personas as he joined the two. He used it on the Shadow to finish it off. Finally, the Shadow got defeated.

Since the door got opened, fresh air that was coming from outside was cleaning the place's dirty atmosphere.

Makoto took a deep breath. Finally, they were able to breathe the clean air.

"They got it..!" Junpei said, trying to sit up. They all sighed in relief as they couldn't believe they survived such a hard battle since they almost died.

"Hey, are you alive?" The guy with the beanie approached Ken and helped him sit up.

Ken groaned then breathed heavily as he needed fresh air. He then looked up at the guy and smiled weakly, "you are...You saved me again, didn't you? Thank you so much.." 

The guy raised his eyebrows then looked away from the kid. "No need to thank me.."

"Are you alright, Aigis?" Makoto tried to walk up to Aigis, seeing her still on the ground.

Aigis looked up at him and smiled lightly assuring him that she was fine. "Yes, I always rise after a fall." 

Makoto huffed smilingly, "that's not how you use that phrase." 

"Are you all alright?" Shinjiro looked at S.E.E.S and asked. "I was following that Strega group and found you guys here.." 

Mitsuru got up slowly and smiled weakly at him, "we are really glad you are here. Seeing you fighting alongside us again makes me happy."

"Thank you for saving us, we are fine now. Except maybe.." Fuuka paused, seeing Miki being unconscious. "Is she going to be okay..?"

"We should go after those Strega guys, but Miki-senpai is hurt.." Ken stood beside Shinjiro.

Makoto bit his cheek seeing Miki on the ground, "...I will carry her. Let's stop for today, we need to make sure we don't have any poison left in us too." He said as he carried Miki on his back.

Yukari stood up as well, "y-yeah, we all overused our Personas. Let's just rest for tonight."

Mitsuru nodded, "that's right. It's better when we are fully prepared to catch them. Let's all go back to the dorms and rest. I will inform the Chairman." 

..........

Ikutsuki was sitting in the Command Room alone as he was waiting for an update from S.E.E.S. Hearing the beep sound coming from the computer device, he pressed a button and spoke into the microphone.

"Yes?"

"This is Mitsuru. We've naturalized the target." Mitsuru's voice could be heard from the speaker.

"Good work, you may return." Ikutsuki replied as he was going to turn off the speaker, but Mitsuru spoke again.

"Wait, there's more..Our mission was interrupted by an uninvited guest. He's a Persona-user." 

Ikutsuki seemed surprised, "a Persona-user!?" 

"...And he wasn't alone. They appeared quietly during the Dark Hour and seemed to be aware of our activities." 

He held his chin thoughtfully, "hmm..did they say anything that might give us a clue?"

"Come to think of it..they said they are called Strega." 

"Strega...?" He said then got quiet for a moment. "....I will see what I can find out."

"Thank you. We are on our way now." Mitsuru said before ending the call.

"Other Persona-users, huh.." Ikutsuki mumbled to himself.

.........

"Dammit, they got away! That Shinjiro guy was following us. I knew we couldn't trust him." Takaya said angrily after knowing that S.E.E.S escaped safely.

"If only we were able to at least kill their navigator..." Chidori said, sounding calm and looking emotionless.

"Tch...we almost had them." Takaya clenched his fist and punched the wall, letting his anger out.

Jin frowned as he was mad too, "how are we going to tell the boss about this? That guy...we need to get rid of him for tricking us." 

"He is going to ask so we might as well tell him. But yes, we will definitely plan to kill Aragaki first." Takaya glared darkly.

..........

After an hour passed, Miki woke up seeing herself laying down on her bed in the bedroom. She sat up looking confused.

"What happened, where am I??" She seemed puzzled.

Makoto was sitting beside her bed as he wanted to check up on her. He looked at her, seeing her waking up, "you are awake." He sighed in relief as he was glad she looked fine. "You got hurt pretty badly by the Shadow and passed out. Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai's friend came just in time to save us." He explained to her.

Miki looked at Makoto, and blushed lightly after seeing him with her in her own bedroom.

Knowing that someone saved them, she looked surprised, "really? I would like to thank that person!" She said as she tried to get up, but her body was still sore from the battle. She groaned while doing so.

Makoto stopped her by grabbing her shoulders and letting her lay back down, "calm down, he is going to be here overnight. But, you need to rest."

Miki looked away from him. She didn't want him to see her weak like that. "I am sorry...I couldn't help.." She felt useless.

He shook his head, "you are human. We were all stopped by the poison, but you did a lot of damage to it and kept us alive long enough for someone to save us in time. You did good." He assured her that she was a useful teammate to the team.

Miki smiled softly after hearing those words from her leader, "you really think so? Thank you, Makoto-senpai. I wanted to do anything to help you, even if I had to risk my life for you. I got so scared...I thought I am going to lose you all.." She said painfully. "I've never felt that scared before..." Her hand shook a bit while grabbing the sheets under the covers.

Makoto looked down, "I can't believe that Strega group. We never met them yet they tried to kill us. They are Persona-users like us." He frowned.

"Yeah...I wonder who they really are. I believe together we can investigate and find a way to stop them!" After all that, Miki was still cheerful and determined.

Makoto nodded, "we have to. We can't let them get the jump on us again."

Miki smiled brightly and blushed lightly again, "I am so glad I've met you all.." 

"...."

Seeing her smile, Makoto couldn't help but smile a bit. "Okay, get some sleep now." He got up to walk over to the door and leave.

Miki pulled the blanket closer as she covered herself with it, "goodnight, Senpai." 

"Goodnight. Um, if you need anything, call us." He turned off the lights for her and then closed the door after he left.

"...." 

Strega..They almost killed us..They are dangerous..

Miki narrowed her eyebrows then sighed. She tried to stop the thoughts in her head and sleep.

"So, you were trying to catch that Strega group. How did you know about them? Are they popular or something? That was the first time we saw them." Mitsuru told Shinjiro while they were sitting in the lounge together.

"Yeah, we haven't heard about them before." Yukari said next.

Shinjiro sighed while sitting on the sofa, "I wasn't really trying to catch them. I just saw them walking around during the Dark Hour. I don't know much about them.." 

"They wanted to kill us, and protect the Dark Hour. They are crazy!" Ken frowned.

"And they look weird. They look like they are in a cult or something. Creepy.." Yukari shivered.

"Hm, we should find out more about them. We have another mission and it's to stop them!" Akihiko said while clenching his fist.

"But, where do we start? We never even heard of these guys before today.." Yukari said. "And they seem to know more about us.." 

"Well, we know one thing that they are Persona-users. I am aware we only saw two, but I definitely sensed a third person. Maybe they also have a navigator..." Fuuka said.

"Wait, really!?" Junpei wondered who that was. "If that's true, I wonder who that is."

"Everyone, let's stop thinking for now and get some rest. We can investigate later. I informed the Chairman. We will see what we can do." Mitsuru said.

"Alright...I am going to my room." Yukari said, still feeling shaken up about everything that happened.

"Um, Aragaki-san..I beg you, please join us." Ken bowed at Shinjiro.

Shinjiro raised his eyebrows, "what?" 

"We really could use your strength. You helped us back then, please." Ken begged him to join the team.

"I..." He looked down feeling regretful for some reason. He sighed, "alright..I will help you." He couldn't refuse the kid.

Ken's eyes shined, "really? Thank you so much!" He smiled big.

Shinjiro blushed lightly and scratched the back of his head as he felt embarrassed, "yeah, whatever..." He mumbled.

Mitsuru and Akihiko smiled watching the two.

"Shinjiro is getting more comfortable around Amada...I am glad." Mitsuru told Akihiko.

Akihiko felt glad Shinjiro rejoined the team.

"Welcome back to the team, Shinji." He smirked.

"Yeah yeah..I am going to my room. It's still there, right?" Shinjiro said and directly went upstairs as he was still distancing himself.

"Wait for me, I will help you prepare your room." Akihiko then followed him upstairs.

The group then all went to sleep and rested up. They all were exhausted from the battle. They were at least lucky they didn't have school tomorrow.

Makoto was in his room laying on the bed to fall asleep. However, he felt someone's presence in the room. He opened his eyes and looked to the side seeing Pharos sitting on the end of the bed.

"Hi, how are you?" Pharos asked with a smile.

Makoto looked at him quietly and sleepily. "I am tired and I want to sleep..."

"I remembered something else..." Pharos continued to speak as he ignored what he said. "The End won't be brought about by anyone in particular...It's coming because there are many people who wish for it..as if it was destined from the start. But, doesn't that seem like a strange thing to wish for?" 

Makoto raised an eyebrow as he was confused by what he was saying, "The End..? No one wants that, I suppose.."

"Are you certain? What about those who hope for an end to their suffering, who wish to find peace?" Pharos then got up. "Well, enough about that for now. There's something else I wanted to tell you today..Soon, the poisonous flowers will bloom. One in your own garden, and three in the garden opposite yours. I don't know whether or not this has anything to do with The End, but you should be careful."

"....That again?" Makoto mumbled as he heard him keep mentioning The End. Everything Pharos had said wasn't understandable, so he had nothing to say in reply.

"I will come again if I find anything useful. That's what friends are for, right?" Pharos smiled at him before disappearing.

"...." 

Makoto was left being completely confused. But, he decided to keep Pharos's words in mind.

_____Time Skip, 10th August_____

It was the group's first day of summer school. It was still early morning, and Shinjiro decided to make breakfast while the others were still sleeping, especially because he didn't want anyone to see him cooking. He didn't even want anyone to find out he was interested in cooking. He also was making Koromaru some food.

Koromaru was sitting close to his legs while wagging his tail. He was waiting patiently for the food.

"Please teach me how you do that!" 

"....!" 

Shinjiro flinched after hearing a girl's voice behind him. He immediately turned around as he saw Miki standing while a wide smile was on her face. She was already wearing her school uniform.

"That smells sooo good!" 

"You scared the shit out of me!" Shinjiro yelled at her as his heart was beating fast. He turned around again as his back was facing her. He was blushing. Normally, he would cook early so the others won't be around, but that pink-haired girl was way too cheery and nosy for him to hide anything.

Miki then stood beside him watching closely how he was flipping the pancakes in the pan, "oh, they look fluffy. Can I touch it?" She looked at him and pointed her finger at the pancakes.

"Hey, no! Don't touch that, it's hot! Ugh, go set the table or something." He then went to feed Koromaru.

"Y-yes, sir." Miki quickly nodded her head, and hurried to set the table. She gets scared of him when he gets mad.

Shinjiro kneeled down and put some food on Koromaru's bowl, "here you go, boy. Be careful, it's hot." He smiled lightly and patted his head.

Koromaru barked as he was happy to eat something very delicious.

"Alright, done. What else do you want me to do?" 

"...?" Shinjiro looked up seeing Miki returning. She was quick, so she already finished preparing the table.

Miki held her chin as she was thinking, "oh! I heard mayonnaise is good with pancakes. Why don't you try that?" She smiled.

"Huh, mayonnaise!? Idiot, it's pancakes not a damn sandwich!" He yelled again then sighed while facepalming. "God, it must be that idiot Aki making you try everything with protein in it." 

She tilted her head to the side, "mayonnaise is a protein? Thanks for this information. I will keep that in mind." She nodded. 

"Good morning. It smells so good this morning." Akihiko said while walking into the kitchen. The whole kitchen was filled with the smell of the delicious pancakes.

Miki saw him entering the kitchen, "goood morning, Aki-senpai! Please take a seat cuz breakfast is almost ready. I will wake the others so they won't be late for school." She cheerfully walked upstairs.

"Miki is as cheerful as always." Akihiko huffed smilingly after seeing her leaving. He took a seat and looked at Shinjiro, "Shinji, you are back."

"Yeah..I was in the neighborhood, so.." 

"I get your reason for rejoining the team. You made the right decision." 

"It's not like I have an interest in fighting Shadows...I am just here to make sure the kid is alright, nothing more." 

"Well, Amada seems happy to have your company, so that's all what matters." 

Shinjiro furrowed his eyebrows while facing the ground, "it is still painful.."

Akihiko looked at him sadly, "Shinji..do you really plan to burden it alone. You know we are a team, and we got your back.."

Shinjiro frowned sharply, "... I don't need anyone's help. I am only here to do my job, that's all." He then took some plates to clean up.

Akihiko let out a deep sigh.

Ken was the one to wake up next. He didn't have summer school, but he was used to waking up early. He entered the kitchen and saw Shinjiro and Akihiko, "good morning. Aragaki-san, you are here!" He said excitedly after seeing him.

"I...uh..made breakfast. I don't plan to stay.." Shinjiro looked away from him. 

"Aw..But please, it would mean a lot to me." He smiled.

When Akihiko saw Ken begging, he looked at Shinjiro and smiled lightly with a nod as if telling him to do it for him and make the kid happy.

Shinjiro clicked his tongue and turned around, "fine, as long as you stop giving me those dumb puppy dog eyes."

Koromaru whined and tilted his head.

Meanwhile, Miki was looking around the hallway while walking. She saw a random door at the end of the hall, "whose room is this?" Is it empty?" She got curious as she decided to open the door and see.

"....!" 

She widened her eyes seeing Makoto sleeping, "oh... it's... Makoto's..!" Her cheeks turned light red while carefully walking close to his bed. She looked down at his sleeping face.

"He...he is so cute while sleeping.." 

She mumbled while blushing. She didn't want to wake him up yet. She wanted to see his face instead for a bit more, so she stayed still watching him sleeping. He looked so adorable and peaceful while sleeping that she couldn't stop blushing.

Then suddenly, she shook her head to stop the thoughts in her mind.

No...no..! I shouldn't think like that! Miki, you don't want him to be late for school..

"Makoto..." She gently tugged on his shirt's sleeve to wake him up.

"...."

Makoto moved a bit and groaned after feeling someone's presence. He thought it was Aigis waking him up. 

"Stop.. Aigis." He slightly pushed Miki's hand away and turned to the side.

"....!" Miki widened her eyes and gasped after hearing him. She stepped back for a bit slowly. She felt heartbroken for some reason.

"I...I am not Aigis.."

"Hm..?" Makoto opened his eyes and turned his head for a bit seeing Miki. "Miki? What are you doing in my room..?" He asked sleepily while blinking.

"I...uhm.. Nevermind.." She looked down and fiddled with her fingers.

"Takahashi-san, what are you doing?" 

"....??"

Miki quickly turned around seeing Aigis standing at the door, "n-nothing! I came here to wake him up so he won't be late for school. Wh-why are you looking at me like that!?" Her face turned red seeing her staring at her.

"Wh-what about you, what are you doing here..?" Miki asked her as she saw her walking inside.

"I am here to wake Makoto-san, of course." She said then looked down at Makoto. "But, you did the job for me." She said seeing Makoto already awake.

"...?" Makoto looked so confused. "What's going on.."

"J-job..? I see.." She looked down and thought.

So, Aigis is the one who wakes him up every morning..

"Makoto-san, it's time to wake up~" Said Aigis with a seductive smile as she was laying beside Makoto on his bed.

Makoto yawned, then opened his eyes and smiled. He wrapped his arms around Aigis and pulled her closer to him, "I feel happy when I see your face in the morning.." 

".....!!!" Miki's face turned completely red after having an imagination.

"Takahashi-san, are you alright?" Aigis asked after seeing her expression and red face. "Your temperature is getting high."

"I-I am sorry for interrupting!" She shut her eyes tightly then ran out of the room.

"...?" Makoto and Aigis saw her hurriedly leaving the room. 

"Did I say something wrong?" Aigis blinked in confusion. She saw Makoto only sighing and not saying anything else. She let him get up so he could get dressed up and be ready for school.

"Breakfast is ready. Be sure to eat before you go." She said then left next.

Makoto sighed again then took out his summer school uniform out of his closet to get dressed.

____Time Skip, After School, The Boxing Club____

Katsu was hitting the punching bag hard with his fists. He was breathing heavily and sweating while doing so. Everyone left the club, so he was alone with Akihiko, his captain. He decided to train a bit more before he leaves, but he was getting really tired. He stopped then faced the ground while catching his breath.

Akihiko saw him facing the ground while sweating and struggling to breathe. He noticed him looking tired, that made him worried.

"Saito-san, don't push yourself. You can stop now and rest at home." 

Katsu laughed a bit while breathing heavily then looked at Akihiko giving him a smile, "...I am fine," he said as he clearly didn't look okay.

Akihiko only sighed then looked at the door seeing Miki walking inside the club while wearing the school gym uniform and her hair being tied up in a high ponytail.

"Hello!" She waved at the two young men with a smile.

"....."

Katsu blinked in confusion after she saw her entering. He asked himself what she was doing there as he laughed nervously, "uh, you've entered the wrong club, young lady-" 

Miki pouted and placed her hands on her hips, "humph, I know I am bad at memorising the directions, but you don't have to tease me like that!" She whined.

"E-eh, but I am not teasing-" 

"Before you ask, yeah.. Miki is going to join the club today," Akihiko said with a sigh.

"Takahashi-san? J-joining..?" Katsu looked at his captain while pointing at Miki who was standing there smiling brightly and innocently while her cheeks were pink.

"Yup!" Miki nodded.

He looked at her small figure, "are you sure you can handle being here..?" 

"What are you talking about? If you think I can't do it, I will prove to you that I am strong enough to be part of the boxing club," Miki smiled confidently then walked up to the punching bag.

She swung her fist to the punching bag, hitting it hard as she sent it away to the wall.

".....!" Katsu trembled after seeing her strength. Akihiko already knew she was strong, but he still looked shocked. More like, confused too.

This girl's strength-

"A-ah, I can see now!" Katsu shook his trembling hands while smiling nervously. "It's nice to have you here ha..ha..." He forced a laugh.

"Hehe, I am very excited to be here!" Miki swung around like a child.

He then looked at Akihiko still looking nervous, "I-I will take my leave then. See you tomorrow, captain, Takahashi-san," he grabbed his bag then left.

After Katsu left, Akihiko looked at Miki seriously, "so, our little test strength will begin. Are you ready?" He asked as he gave her boxing gloves and helmet. At that point, he already knew she was going to pass the test and join, but he still wanted to make sure she was fully prepared.

"I've been ready since yesterday," Miki said, getting in position after wearing the gloves and helmet.

"Good," Akihiko got ready too. But before they could begin, Miki spoke again.

"Aki-senpai, you don't have to go easy on me. You know already that I am not weak from our battles," she spoke in a more serious tone instead of her usual cheerful tone.

"Same thing for you. You can begin first. Punch me with all you have." 

"Got it," Miki frowned then raised her fist preparing her fist punch.

Akihiko dodged the first attack then the next one he blocked it, but he could see how powerful her strength was.

After Miki stepped back, he huffed smilingly, "not bad. I can see you have the potential."

"See? I've been saying the truth this whole ti-" 

Seeing his gloved fist coming towards her, she widened her eyes, and quickly dodged in time.

"You startled me, Senpai!" She whined.

"The most important thing is to keep your composure and be focused. Never look away from competitors, remember that," Akihiko said seriously.

"Y-yes, Captain! Got it!" 

..........

Akihiko wiped his sweat off his forehead with a towel then gave Miki a bottle of cold water to drink, "you did good. Congratulations," he smiled as he was proud.

"Hehe, I am glad I've finally convinced you," she grinned as she was sitting on the ground against the wall while wiping her forehead too. She took the bottle and opened it to drink.

"....." 

There was a moment of silence between them as Akihiko was facing the ground.

Miki stopped drinking as she looked at Akihiko in confusion, "Senpai, are you okay?" 

He narrowed his eyebrows, "....I hope you aren't doing this as an attempt to get close to me." 

"Huh..?" 

"I mean.." He paused as he looked away and frowned. "Sometimes I just...Ugh, I know it's wrong of me to think that way, but.. whenever I spend time with you, I remember my sister..I-I know you two are different people, but-" He paused again as he was stuttering.

"It's fine. I've told you before that-" 

"No, it's wrong. It's wrong to compare someone to someone else, especially if that person no longer exists.." Akihiko said while frowning painfully as he couldn't face Miki at that moment. He took his bag then walked away to leave the clubroom.

Miki got up and spoke, "wait! I am sorry if I am causing trouble to you..." She apologized with a sad expression on her face.

Akihiko stopped walking to turn around and face her. He gave her a small smile to assure her that she wasn't doing anything wrong. "It's not your fault. Come on, it's getting late. We should head back," he said, then got out of the clubroom first. 

"....."

Miki faced the ground for a moment then followed her Senpai. 

_____Iwatodai Dormitory____

Akihiko and Miki got back from school. It was already getting dark outside. Miki saw Akihiko directly going upstairs after saying hi to Fuuka who was sitting on the couch while her laptop was on her lap.

"Oh hey Miki-chan, how was your training with Sanada-senpai? Um, is he okay?" Fuuka asked worriedly after seeing Akihiko directly heading to his room.

"Haha, it was a long training, so we are all sweaty and tired now that's why. Nothing serious," Miki smiled a bit nervously. "I got accepted to be part of the club!"

"Woah, congratulations, Miki-chan. I knew you could do it," Fuuka smiled back as she was happy for her. 

"Hehe, thanks, Senpai. I am gonna go and take a shower now," she said then went to the staircase to head to her room, but she saw her leader sitting alone at the table. 

She smiled then approached him to tell him the news. "Senpai! I am officially part of the boxing club now!" She said cheerfully. But then hearing no response from Makoto, she looked at him in confusion. 

"Senpai! Seeeenpaiiii~~" She kept calling him, but he wasn't listening. He kept looking down at his phone. She pouted but then noticed the earphones on his ears knowing that he was listening to music that's why he wasn't hearing her. 

She took the earphone on his right ear, and put it on her ear instead, which made Makoto flinch by her sudden presence. 

"Ooh, that sounds cool. I didn't know you listen to those kinds of music. What is it called?" Miki looked up thoughtfully as she tried to think of a name. 

"Rap," Makoto answered for her while looking up at her emotionlessly.

"Aah, yeah that. It sounds cool, it suits you," she giggled. 

"It suits me?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" She nodded as she kept listening while holding the earphone close to her ear.

"What do you listen to?" He asked.

His question made Miki look in trouble. She didn't know what to answer. She didn't know anything about music. She tried to think of an answer but failed. 

"Uh, I don't have a preference. I can listen to anything," Miki laughed in embarrassment which made Makoto stare at her.

"O-okay, I don't know anything about music," she looked down while scratching the back of her head. 

"I see. Can I have my earphone back now?" He pulled his hand close as a sign to have his precious earphone back. 

"O-oh, sure. Sorry," she took off the earphone and gave it to the blue-haired boy in front of her. 

She was about to walk away, but his speaking interrupted her.

"Congrats." 

"Huh?" Miki faced him again as he kept looking at his phone. "On joining the boxing club." He continued the sentence.

Miki smiled after hearing that from him, "thank you, Senpai!" She said with a bright smile then continued her way to the staircase. 

While watching the pink-haired girl leaving, Makoto smiled lightly without letting Miki see.