A/N: Hey hey it's me and I am back with a new chapter after a very long hiatus!

I wanted to upload a new chapter and continue this story. But this chapter took time for me to finish it. I got very busy with a lot of stuff IRL but I managed to finish writing this chapter!

This chapter will focus on S.E.E.S school life and their activities. I hope you enjoy!

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_The Next Day, 13th August, 4th Day of Summer School_

It was the fourth day of summer school. And as usual, everyone woke up early to get ready for school. 

Obviously, Miki was already awake and fully dressed up for school. She went downstairs to the lounge, and saw Akihiko was awake too. 

"Good morning, Aki-senpai!" She smiled widely after seeing him.

Akihiko was sitting on the couch, drinking his protein shake while reading a newspaper. He looked back at Miki, "Hey, good morning. Heard from Junpei you are gonna have an exciting evening." He teased as Miki giggled and approached him to sit next to him on the couch. 

"Oh, yeah. Since Mitsuru-senpai and I won against Junpei-senpai and Makoto-senpai in the first round, I ordered them to take us to the amusement park today after school. it's gonna be my first time going there, so I am super excited!" She said, then looked around and got close to whisper, "Don't tell anyone, but I actually made the rules so I can have the chance to order them to take me to the amusement park since I've always wanted to go there." 

"Ooh, so that's what Junpei was muttering about how he screwed up his evening with Mitsuru. You all are going to the amusement park." Akihiko responded. 

Miki chuckled, "Next time, let's all go there together!" 

They saw Mitsuru walking downstairs next as she was wearing her summer school uniform. 

"Good morning, Mitsuru-senpai! How was your night?~" Miki teased while trying not to giggle. 

Mitsuru let out a sigh after hearing her question, "I couldn't stop thinking about what happened yesterday. I couldn't sleep right away, so I studied for a bit." 

"Don't overwork yourself, Mitsuru." Akihiko said. 

"Yeah...I didn't know it bothered you that much...I am sorry…" Miki said next while looking down sadly as she felt kind of guilty.

Mitsuru shook her head, assuring her none of that was her fault, "It's fine, don't worry about it. Iori admitted what he did was ridiculous and apologized already, so it's all good now." 

"So, seeing Mitsuru in a maid outfit wasn't really a hallucination after all, huh." Akihiko said, pulling the newspaper close to continue reading. 

Mitsuru narrowed her eyebrows and blushed lightly in embarrassment after hearing him, "what's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing, nothing." 

"Ughh.. good morning.." Junpei groaned while walking downstairs. "It's not a good morning…" He then mumbled to himself. He knew it wouldn't be a good day. First, he wasn't ready for another day of summer school. Second, he wasn't ready to go to the amusement park with Mitsuru after what happened yesterday between them. 

He saw Mitsuru and smiled nervously as he thought to himself, "Oh God, it's gonna be so awkward." 

"Senpai! Are you ready for today?" Miki asked Junpei while smiling. 

"Yeeees…" He answered in a more nervous tone while forcing a smile. 

"Don't worry, she won't bite." Miki chuckled while looking at Mitsuru in the corner of her eyes. 

"By the way, Yamagishi and I are going to look around the city to see if we can find any information on Strega after school. The mysterious deaths in the newspaper have some suspicion." Akihiko spoke as he showed Mitsuru the newspaper. 

Mitsuru took the newspaper to read it. She frowned, reading another incident that happened in the town and the police couldn't find any clues about it, "Hm, these mysterious deaths keep increasing everyday." She said, looking at the dates. "It's suspicious indeed. It's possible that those Strega people are the ones behind all this. If you can get information on them, that will be good." 

"Even if we don't get any information today, we can keep investigating. I am sure we can get something useful for our investigation if we keep going." Junpei said, determined to find out more about the Strega group. 

"We can ask the chairman for help too, but it looks like he's too busy these days." Akihiko sighed.

"Yes, I've brought it up with him over the phone, but he said he's overwhelmed with work and will just leave it up to us for now…" Mitsuru said next, facing the ground. 

Miki stayed quiet as she looked down too. She remembered what Ikutsuki told her to do.

For now, do not allow them to dig up any information on them. Delete any evidence.

She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her fists after hearing those words in her head. 

Akihiko noticed Miki looking nervous, "Are you okay?" 

Hearing his voice, Miki snapped back to reality, "Huh? Um, yeah...I am just.. worried…" She looked down again while her eyebrows were furrowed. She hated to lie. She hated it so much. 

"Just leave it to us. We will find some information on this group." Akihiko responded while patting her back.

Miki didn't say anything as a reply. She just looked away while biting her bottom lip nervously. 

How am I supposed to stop them from finding information..?!

Meanwhile, Shinjiro was listening silently at the corner about their talk about Strega. He bit his cheek and without letting them notice him, he walked off and left the dorms. 

They all turned to look at the door after hearing someone had closed it. 

"Hm? Someone left?" Mitsuru asked. 

Akihiko huffed, "That must be Shinji, leaving to walk around town and just do absolutely nothing as usual." 

Mitsuru sighed then spoke again, "We can think about our investigation later. For now, let's focus on summer school." She said after seeing that  finding information about Strega was kinda troubling S.E.E.S. 

"Good luck on your fourth day of school." She added.

"You too, Senpai…" Miki responded with a small smile. 

___Time Skip, After School___

It was time to go to the amusement park with his friends as Makoto got ready to go. He wore his casual summer outfit then left his room and headed downstairs. He saw Miki, Mitsuru and Junpei gathering at the lounge as they were fully dressed and ready to go too.

Mitsuru smiled lightly, "Alright, are you all ready?"

"Yup." Miki grinned excitedly.

"Yeah, I guess..." Junpei scratched the back of his head.

Makoto just nodded as they got moving and went out of the dorms.

The four of them got into Mitsuru's fancy car that had a personal driver.

"It's kind of cool not to have to take the train, a ride like this is so comfortable. It makes me want to stay here and not get out." Miki giggled, feeling comfortable in the car's seat.

"You know what, this is worth it. This is so much better than riding on a train." Junpei said while looking around the fancy car as he looked amazed.

"You guys." Mitsuru chuckled, seeing Miki and Junpei's sparkling eyes.

Meanwhile, Makoto didn't react. He just quietly looked out the window during the whole ride.

......

Meanwhile, Akihiko and Fuuka were out in the town, asking the citizens about the mysterious website to gain more information about it.

"A dark website?" Fuuka asked a student.

"Yeah, it's only a rumor though. Like, if you wanted to get revenge on someone. I have no idea how to access it or what happens. All I know is the rumor.."

"That is worrying...but we don't know if it even involves Strega...We should try to see if we can find some more rumors." Akihiko said and Fuuka nodded.

......

After the four arrived, they got out of the car and they were in front of the amusement park entrance.

"Woah!! So this is what the amusement park looks like!" Miki said, amazed after seeing how big it was, "I want to ride everything!" She said excitedly. She was like a little child coming to the amusement park for the very first time.

"Come on, let's go!" Miki smiled, getting impatient.

"Wait, we need to get the tickets first." Junpei said as they walked towards the queue.

Miki looked at the many people in front of them, "Ehh, we need to wait? But it's so crowded."

"That's how it is, we need to wait in line." Mitsuru said.

After waiting, it was their turn as Junpei walked in front to pay for the tickets. He didn't have much money, but it was an order for him to bring the girls to the amusement park. However, Mitsuru paid for the tickets instead.

"Eh, Senpai? I am supposed to do that, remember?" Junpei blinked.

"It's fine, we can go inside now."

"What's the point of the order then.."

"That doesn't matter. We came here to have fun. Now, let's go."

"I...still owe you, Senpai. Thanks." Junpei looked down and blushed a bit, feeling embarrassed somehow.

"Yeah. Even if it is an order, we can all have fun here. Let's go and see what rides we can enjoy together." Miki said smilingly. She held Makoto's hand and dragged him along.

".....!" Makoto raised his eyebrows surprisingly as he followed her tracks.

Mitsuru smiled and walked inside too, following Makoto and Miki, "Wait up you two." She chuckled, seeing Miki excited.

Miki looked up at the roller coaster with an amazed look as she wanted to ride it. "I want to ride that first! It looks fun!" She pointed to it as she watched the people screaming while it was moving fast.

"The roller coaster?" Mitsuru looked at it, seeing how high it was. "Are you sure?" She looked worried, thinking Miki might get scared and nauseous from it since she had never ridden it before.

Miki blinked in confusion, "What's the matter?"

Makoto looked at the roller coaster with no expression on his face, "We can ride that first, why not."

Miki smiled widely, "Senpai agrees! Come on, let's go."

They followed and got in line first.

Seeing there were no height restrictions, Miki sighed in relief. She was aware that she was not tall. "I didn't know there were height restrictions here. I don't even know why there is."

"The amusement park is not for everybody. It can be dangerous, especially for children." Mitsuru said then looked worried again. "That's why I wasn't sure about riding the roller coaster, it looks dangerous. Be careful, okay?"

Miki giggled, "You worry too much Senpai, it's kind of cute. We are going to be fine!" She said as their turn came and they could ride it now.

They got buckled up into the ride. Miki and Mitsuru were sitting together and Junpei and Makoto were behind them.

"Don't be scared, Miki." Mitsuru told her to comfort her in case Miki was feeling nervous.

Miki chuckled, looking back at Mitsuya beside her, "Don't worry, I am not scared. Thanks, though." She said with a soft smile. "This is going to be fun!" She couldn't wait for it to move.

"Good..but don't forget to hang on, everyone." Mitsuru added as she was being protective as usual.

"We are." Miki assured her that.

Makoto looked beside him, seeing Junpei being quiet, "Are you nervous?"

"H-Huh? N-No, I am not!" He shook his head, lying. He was in fact scared.

"Sure." Makoto didn't believe him because it was shown on his face that he was about to pass out.

He held onto the bars tightly as the roller coaster ride was starting and they were beginning to move, "Here we go."

The roller coaster started off slow up to the dip and then once it fell, they zoomed off.

"Wooo~" Miki lifted her arms up in the air and screamed excitedly once it started to go fast.

For Junpei, he was feeling uncomfortable, especially Miki's long hair getting in his face because of how long it was once the roller coaster fell so fast.

"Ughh!" Junpei tried moving his head to get her hair off of his face.

Sitting right behind Miki was a mistake...

Mitsuru shut her eyes tightly and tried to not scream as the speed was crazy.

It was easy for Makoto to stay composed during the ride. He just kept holding onto the bars without letting any sound out.

Then finally, the ride slowed down and pulled back up to the entrance. The bar loosened as the ride was over.

Makoto and Miki's hair was all disheveled.

"That...was wild." Makoto said with a blank face.

"Wow, that was so fun! It makes me want to ride it again." Miki smiled after they got out of it as they decided to take a small break.

She looked at Mitsuru and Makoto then laughed after seeing their hair being so messy, "You guys look so funny."

"Give me a break, I think I am gonna vomit." Junpei said, feeling dizzy. "You look funny too with your messy hair." He told Miki as he wore his hat after the ride was over.

"Eh?" Miki blinked and touched her hair, trying to see. It indeed looked so disheveled.

"My heart is still beating so fast..and I feel dizzy too." Mitsuru said while fixing her hair.

Miki was the only one who didn't feel sick from the ride, so she looked at them confused.

"That was such an uncomfortable ride for me, your hair was getting in my face the whole ride, Miki." Junpei sighed.

Miki blushed and laughed shyly, "S-Sorry~ I didn't know that."

"Guess you should sit in front next time." Makoto said while fixing his hair as well.

"Yeah, that won't happen again." Junpei sighed again.

Makoto then asked, "Where do you want to go next, Miki? We are following you and Mitsuru-senpai's orders."

Hearing his question, Miki looked at Mitsuru to see if she had anything in mind. But Mitsuru shook her head, "Pick whatever you want, Miki. I don't mind. Just don't pick something that can make us dizzy-"

"This one then!" Miki interrupted, pointing to the pirate ship.

"Why are you picking the wild ones..?" Junpei asked with a tired face.

"But it looks fun! So, it doesn't matter." Miki blinked in confusion.

Mitsuru looked at the pirate ship a bit nervous of how fast it was swinging. But she didn't want to upset Miki, so she nodded anyway.

"Alright then..pirate ship it is."

"Yay!" Miki cheered. "Let's go!"

........

"Thanks for the information, officer Kurosawa.."

Akihiko and Fuuka walked out of the police station after asking Kurosawa for any information regarding the website. Unfortunately, they couldn't find any new information.

Akihiko sighed, "No luck.."

Fuuka still didn't want to give up as she suggested, "Let's go back to the dorms and see if I can locate that weird website. It can't hurt to try."

Akihiko nodded, agreeing. They both left for the dorms. And after arriving, Fuuka grabbed her laptop to work on locating the shady website.

"Doesn't look like you can just easily search the website, there is probably some code or special link you need to access it. It will take me a while to hack it, maybe even a couple days.." Fuuka narrowed her eyebrows.

Akihiko sighed, "Well at the moment, we don't have a choice. We will leave it up to you, Yamagishi. In the meantime, I will try to see if I can get some more information on the victims..."

Fuuka nodded, "Just leave it to me."

........

The four of them went on the ship and had another wild ride.

As usual, they were feeling dizzy while Miki was acting so cheerful after the ride was over.

"Are you guys okay?" Miki giggled, seeing their faces.

"I really thought I was going to fly off.." Makoto said while still feeling dizzy, "Can we go on to something a bit less wild..?"

"Y-Yeah, Senpai. You pick this time." Junpei told Mitsuru.

"Uhm.." Mitsuru looked around. "How about the ferris wheel? Is that a good choice?" She suggested.

"Which is the ferris wheel?" Miki looked around too, not knowing what Mitsuru was picking.

"It's that huge wheel right there." Makoto pointed at it for Miki to see.

"Woah!" Miki looked at the ferris wheel, amazed after seeing how huge it was. "This place is so amazing, it makes me want to stay here forever." She giggled then took Makoto's hand to pull him along again.

"Hey, is it just me or Miki is being a little too clingy?" Junpei said, seeing her not leaving Makoto even for a minute.

"Leave them be, they are having fun." Mitsuru chuckled, seeing the two having fun together. She was happy to see Makoto having someone by his side.

The two got in while Miki and Makoto got in together alone.

After they were up high, Miki looked out, enjoying the view from up there. "Wow, the view here is so beautiful, you can see the whole island." She placed her palms against the glass while smiling widely.

"Look, we have a perfect view of the sunset!" She added as the ferris wheel stopped at the top, giving them a beautiful view.

Miki saw the sunset while smiling. That was the first time she saw such a beautiful view, it made her feel relaxed and warm.

Makoto looked at Miki quietly as he couldn't help but examine her features while she was looking at the view. Her eyes were shining as the color of the sunset was reflecting on her. Her eyes and smile were as bright and warm as the sun.

Since they were alone, Makoto thought he had the opportunity to do it.

"....There is something I would like to give you."

Miki looked at Makoto as she was surprised to hear his offer, "What is it?" She asked.

Makoto took out an object that was wrapped in a colorful plastic wrap from his bag then gave it to her, "Open it."

"....?" Miki took the wrapped present then opened it. She looked at the object quizzically as she wasn't sure what it was.

Makoto averted his gaze as there was a faint blush on his cheek, "You said you didn't know anything about music, so I thought about getting you some of the collection of albums that I like. You can listen to them and see which one you like."

Miki raised her eyebrows, "I said...that?"

She tried to recall the conversation she had with Makoto not long ago.

______

"What do you listen to?" Makoto asked.

"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.

_____

"Right, I did say that.." Miki said while blushing.

She then chuckled and hugged the gift which made Makoto sweatdrop.

"Thank you so much, Senpai! I will definitely listen to them." She smiled happily then looked at him with a soft expression. "And I would like it if we could listen to them together sometime."

Her suggestion made him a little embarrassed, but he nodded anyway. He didn't want to upset her, "Sure, we can."

Miki looked down at the gift with a slight sad look on her face. Something inside her that made her chest tighten as she was close to tear up. It was a feeling that was mixed of both happiness and sadness, something Miki couldn't quite comprehend. It was...bittersweet? Maybe that was because receiving that kind of gesture from someone was something she wasn't used to? Maybe there's more to it.

"You are such a sweet and kind person, Makoto-senpai. I am so glad I've met someone like you." She added with a smile.

Makoto didn't really expect to hear that. He didn't have an answer that he thought of, so he stayed silent.

The sky was getting darker and the stars were starting to appear.

Miki saw the first star in the sky, "Hey Senpai, look at the first star, make a wish." She giggled.

"A wish?" He looked up at the sky and saw a star shining lonely in the dark sky. He closed his eyes and put his hands together as he thought of a wish, "I wish that all of S.E.E.S stay protected and healthy.."

He then opened his eyes and looked at Miki, "Your turn. What will you wish for?" He asked.

Miki chuckled, "I wish the same thing." She said as she closed her eyes and put her hands together too. "I wish my friends will live in peace forever." She wished then looked down, not wanting the end of the world to happen.

The ferris wheel began moving again. And eventually, the ride stopped, letting the two of them exit.

"Woah, that was fun! Did you have fun too, Makoto-senpai?" Miki asked with a smile while walking beside him.

Makoto averted his gaze again as he answered, "....Yes."

He really did have fun..which was something rare.

"It's getting late, we should head home." He added.

"Aw, already? Okay..." Miki said with a sad smile. She liked that cheerful and lively place so much that she didn't want to leave it, but she knew she couldn't stay in that happy and fun place forever.

She turned her head to the side, seeing Mitsuru and Junpei approaching them.

Mitsuru and Junpei could tell Miki was in a happy mood. But as for Makoto, that's right he was enjoying himself as well, however it was hard to tell since he barely showed any emotion.

"You look happy. Did you enjoy the ride?" Mitsuru asked.

"Mitsuru-senpai! Junpei-senpai! Look what Makoto-senpai gave me!" Miki showed them the gift with a wide grin on her face.

"Ehh?!" Junpei was surprised Makoto did something so kind like that.

"A gift?" Mitsuru looked kinda surprised too.

Makoto sighed and looked away while his hands inside his pants' pockets, "It's nothing.."

"I see...Being smooth huh, Makoto." Junpei raised his eyebrow in suspicion, thinking he was probably trying to be romantic with Miki.

Makoto obviously ignored Junpei.

Mitsuru smiled, feeling happy for the both of them, "That's very sweet. It makes me happy to see you both being close friends."

Miki blushed lightly and looked at Makoto after hearing Mitsuru's statement.

"Friends? Are you sure? It doesn't look like that to me." Junpei hummed, still having that suspicious look on his face.

Makoto didn't want the conversation to carry on since it was awkward for him, so he turned his heel to walk away, "Let's head back now."

Miki chuckled while Mitsuru huffed smilingly as they followed him. Junpei just rolled his eyes and followed too.

__Iwatodai Dormitory__

The four of them arrived as they walked inside the dorms with a smile on their faces.

"That was fun. Too bad we have to go to school tomorrow.." Miki let out a sigh.

Seeing the gang back, Koromaru rushed to the door to greet them. He jumped happily while barking and wagging his tail.

A smile planted on Miki's face after seeing the cute dog. She kneeled down and petted him, "Hello, Maru-maru! You missed us?" She giggled while stroking his fur.

Koromaru barked again and kept wagging his tail in excitement.

"Welcome back, how was it?" Fuuka asked while she was sitting on the sofa and her laptop was on. "Did you all have a good time?"

Miki nodded while smiling and holding Koromaru in her arms, "We had so much fun! We definitely need to go there next time! Together!" She said. "I feel like I became closer to you, thank you for bringing me there." She thanked her friends.

"No problem. I am glad you enjoyed your time there." Mitsuru smiled back then looked at Fuuka, "Did you find any information on Strega?" She asked.

Fuuka shook her head sadly, "Unfortunately, no..We have heard about this rumor about a website that if you want revenge on someone, that person will go missing...We think these mysterious murders have been the result of the website. But I am in the process of trying to find the website and it's going to take a while. We don't know if it's connected to Strega, but it's our only information."

"I see. Then, all we have to do now is to wait for the news from you. We are counting on you." Mitsuru replied.

Makoto looked down and started thinking to himself. He did recall he heard the rumors about that mysterious website at school from his classmates.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Strega owns this website. But yeah, we have to make sure first." Miki nodded, understanding.

Yukari sighed while she was on her phone as she was there, hearing their whole conversation, "I can't believe some people would really hate someone so much to want revenge...I don't understand it. If these murders did happen because of someone's revenge, we have to make sure we stop the next one. No one deserves to die.."

Miki looked down sadly, "That's true, it's so cruel." She said then frowned, determined to stop this mess. "I believe together we can stop this! We are the S.E.E.S after all! We are smart and strong!"

"I like your positivity, Miki." Mitsuru chuckled, feeling proud to have a teammate like her. "Yes, I believe that too. If we work together, we can find a solution to this issue somehow."

"Sanada-senpai is still going to be looking out for any rumors about Strega. So hopefully, we will get some news too. Anyways, I'm sure you all are tired, so have some good sleep." Fuuka said.

Junpei raised his eyebrows, "What about you, Fuuka?"

"I am working on trying to hack the website to access it..so I will be staying a little late tonight." Fuuka answered.

"Okay, but don't stay up too late." Mitsuru spoke up.

"Good night.." Makoto said then went upstairs.

"Sweet dreams!" Miki waved, then looked at the gift and smiled more.

Junpei yawned and stretched, "I am going to sleep too, I am exhausted. Good night." He said then headed to his room too.

"I suggest we go to sleep, we have school tomorrow." Mitsuru told Miki and Yukari.

"Yup. See you tomorrow, Senpais." Miki smiled and headed upstairs next.

"I see you had a good time, Kirijo-senpai. What did you guys do?" Yukari asked the redhead.

Mitsuru nodded, "Yeah, it was fun. We got on a few rides. Roller coaster and the ferris wheel." She said. "Also, I noticed Yuki and Miki have gotten pretty close lately. They were beside each other the whole outing, which is good Yuki has someone to be by his side."

"Oh, is that so...?" Yukari said in a not very happy tone. "What about you and Junpei? Junpei seemed burnt out by the time you guys got home." She huffed.

Mitsuru sighed, "Yeah, it was a bit awkward to ride them with him. He was quiet almost the whole time, even though I tried to start a conversation with him more than once. It's like he was thinking about something, I don't know if it's about yesterday or something else."

"Oh well, he's always like this..A weirdo." Yukari shrugged then yawned. "I am going to sleep. Good night." She said then walked off.

Mitsuru said good night to her, even though she noticed Yukari was acting a little strange. She shrugged it off and went to sleep as well for tomorrow.

__Time Skip, 14th August, 5th Day of Summer School__

The next morning, Miki woke up early as usual as she was already wearing her summer school uniform.

She decided to make lunch for Makoto as a thank you for the gift he gave her yesterday during the outing.

She was in the kitchen, staring inside the fridge. She was in deep thought, thinking about what to make for him. But then, she sighed and closed the fridge.

"He will probably not like my cooking.." She mumbled sadly.

"Yeah, he won't. What are you doing in the kitchen?"

Miki suddenly heard a deep voice behind her that made her yelp and almost jump in her place. She quickly turned around and was met with sharp steel-colored eyes.

"S-Senpai! You scared me!"

"Did the note not make sense to you?" Shinjiro asked with a frown on his face. He was standing right behind her.

Hearing that question, she looked down sadly. He was not helping her at all as she clenched her fists and narrowed her eyebrows.

"Stop..it hurts.." She said, feeling close to tears. That was because the topic was sensitive to her.

"Instead of complaining, why don't you help me?" She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. Seeing her tears made him feel a little bad, "What are you crying for?" He sighed then opened the fridge and got some ingredients out.

"If you really want to, then follow my directions. And no complaining." He sternly said.

Miki's eyes lit up after seeing him agreeing to help her, "You will help me? Really?" She wiped her tears then smiled, "Thank you, I promise I won't be a bother." She said while standing beside him as she followed every step.

"First, you crack the eggs, holding both sides. You push it open gently, making sure no shells get into it." He showed her the process, "Now, do the second egg."

Miki nodded, watching closely how he was cracking the eggs.

She took the second egg and cracked it gently, without spilling anything on the ground as she did what he did.

"Is that good?" She smiled. "That was easy. I usually crack the egg and put it all in the bowl with the shell, I didn't know you had to throw away the shell."

Shinjiro sweatdropped after hearing her, "Yes, you have to make sure no shells are in there..."

Why do people even taste her food?

"Anyways, next, you take the whisk and you mix the eggs together till it's soft. You also add cheese and seasoning like a tiny bit of pepper." He said.

Miki watched him mixing the eggs with the whisk perfectly without making a mess. "I should've brought my notebook and wrote down all these steps. I will try to memorize them all!"

She brought the cheese and the pepper to add them with the eggs.

The two continued as Shinjiro guided her through the process to make a proper bento. And once everything was done, it turned out great.

The omelett was perfectly cooked and gave a nice golden color with ketchup on top of it. It was served with miscellaneous fresh vegetables.

Miki clapped her hands happily after they were done making the bento. She felt proud of herself this time.

"There. Now taste it." Shinjiro gave her a fork.

"It looks delicious!" She said as she took the fork to taste it.

After taking a bite, her eyes shone, falling in love with the omelett.

"It's so good!" She said, wanting another bite, but she controlled herself. That bento was for Makoto after all.

"Thank you for helping me, Senpai! I want to repay you for this." She smiled happily and hugged him this time for being too kind to help.

Shinjiro blushed, tensing up from the hug, "Yeah yeah, just head to school now everyone is waiting for you." He said with a frown and then began to make his own breakfast.

Miki chuckled then nodded after letting him go. She closed the bento box and placed it in a bag to not mess up the dishes' look.

She was ready to go. But she paused for a moment to look at Shinjiro as she saw him preparing his breakfast alone.

She opened her mouth to speak to him, "I wish you would go to school with us. But.. if that's your own final choice, then I won't force you." She said sadly then left.

Hearing her, Shinjiro stopped what he was doing as he looked and mumbled to himself.

"School is definitely not for me.."

Koromaru barked, excited for his breakfast from Shinjiro since he makes the best food.

"It's coming now, Koromaru." He smiled slightly at him, then continued to cook.

Miki got her school bag and was ready to go. She saw the others were ready too.

"What's that for?" Yukari noticed the bag Miki was holding.

"Oh, it's a bento for Makoto-senpai as thanks for giving me a present." Miki smiled.

"Present...?" Yukari narrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah! He got me a collection of albums that I can listen to in my free time. It's so sweet of him, I can't help but want to show my thanks." Miki chuckled. "Keep it a secret for now, though. I wanna make it a surprise~" She whispered.

"I see.."

Fuuka raised her eyebrows, "You cooked for him? That's sweet."

"Hehe actually, Shinji-senpai helped me make it!" Miki grinned.

"Oh, that's kind of him." Fuuka said with a smile. She then looked at Yukari, seeing her expression, "You look worried, Takeba-san, what's wrong?" She asked Yukari as they walked together.

"Huh? Ah.. it's nothing." Yukari shrugged and kept looking forward.

Miki tilted her head while looking at Yukari in confusion as she then smiled, "Hehe, don't be sad. I will be happy to make you something next time, Yukari-senpai."

Yukari raised her eyebrows and blinked, then looked away from the pink-haired girl while having a faint blush on her cheek, "No thanks, I don't want to.." She answered a bit coldly.

___Time Skip, After School__

Classes were over and the students were packing their stuff either to leave or do their club activities after school.

Makoto held his school bag over his shoulder after he packed his stuff, then went out of his classroom.

Coincidentally, he came across Katsu as they were walking in the same hallway.

"Ah, it's you, Yuki-san." Katsu gave Makoto a smile, even though he looked tired and Makoto noticed that already at first glance.

"Hey. Akihiko-senpai told me you haven't been feeling well lately. Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh yeah, it's just.. I've been busy with my part time job after school, including my club activities, so.. it's been pretty stressful." Katsu laughed a little while scratching his head.

"I will be fine though, so don't worry." He gave him another smile to reassure him that he was okay.

Makoto hummed as he thought Katsu probably was trying not to make him worried, "Okay then."

"I have to go now. Oh, but before I go..tell Sanada-san that I can't come to the club today because I am busy with work..Have a nice evening, Yuki-san." Katsu waved with a smile, then walked off before Makoto could even answer as he was in a hurry.

"Alright then.." Makoto mumbled.

He wondered why Katsu didn't tell that to Akihiko himself, especially since they were in the same class.

"Makoto-senpai!"

Hearing a familiar voice calling him, he turned around. Just from that high pitched voice he knew who that was.

"Miki?"

He saw her running up to him. She stopped to catch her breath. He noticed she was holding a bag.

"I know you are hungry after school, so let's go outside and eat together." Miki said smilingly.

Hearing her suggestion made Makoto start sweating from nervousness, but he tried to hide it. Just from seeing the bag she was holding, he knew what was up.

"Uh..sorry, but I am busy with some stuff."

He was about to escape and save himself, but he felt a grip on his arm. He froze in his place then dared to look at the pink-haired girl again. What surprised him was seeing the serious expression on her face as he didn't expect that look from her.

"Please Senpai.. let's eat together." She said in a more serious tone instead of her usual cheerful tone.

Makoto gulped after seeing her so desperate. He had no other choice but to accept.

"Okay.."

Her usual bright smile was back on her face as Miki took his hand and pulled him along outside with her. The two sat together on a bench near the school.

Miki took the bento out of the bag then gave it to Makoto, "Here you go, I made you something."

Makoto looked at the bento nervously as he held it with trembling hands.

Miki chuckled a little, "Come on, open it." She couldn't wait for him to taste it.

Makoto didn't really want to open the bento as he was kinda afraid to see what was inside. He wasn't ready to see anything purple and deadly inside of it.

But then again, he didn't have a choice, did he?

He took a deep breath and opened the bento slowly while his hands were shaking a little. He widened his eyes after seeing normal-looking food instead of something very disgusting. The food didn't even smell bad which made Makoto surprised.

"Go ahead. I tasted it and it is veeery good~" Miki spoke up.

That didn't really make it better for Makoto. The food might look good, but maybe the taste wasn't. Makoto held the chopsticks and inhaled deeply again.

I guess I will die.

He said to himself before taking a bite of the omelett.

"....."

Nothing happened.

Makoto kept his eyes open as he chewed the food. His face didn't turn purple nor did he pass out. He was okay!

He kept chewing, then swallowed the food. It was edible and he managed to swallow it. Things were good.

"It's.. actually good." Makoto said, a bit surprised.

"Haha, I told you! Shinji-senpai helped me make this." Miki smiled.

"Ah.."

That makes sense.

Miki then looked down while smiling, "I actually made this as thanks for the present you gave me. I am happy you like the food."

"Oh, you didn't have to..Thanks anyway." Makoto nodded and kept eating. It was delicious and it made him want more.

Miki smiled while watching him eat, then she looked up at the sky, "Next time, I will be making you food without anyone's help. I think I can do it!" She had a positive feeling that she would become better at cooking now that Shinjiro was around.

"Good luck..." Makoto said while looking down at the food.

He wasn't sure if that would be possible, but he would support her to become better regardless.

The two chatted together until Makoto finished eating. They made their way back to the dorms by train together.

___Time Skip___

S.E.E.S decided to go to Tartarus tonight to continue their training and improve their combat skills for the next full moon, especially since the next shadow was going to be stronger than the previous one, so they had to make sure they were fully prepared for the next battle.

"Who do you want to choose for your team for tonight, leader?" Mitsuru asked Makoto.

"Yukari, Miki and Akihiko-senpai. We will take care of the highest floor we are in now and you take care of the lower floors." Makoto said.

"Roger." Mitsuru replied then looked at the others to get moving.

"Okay then, let's head up." Akihiko said.

The group made their way up to the highest level.

"Careful guys, the Shadows here are strong." Fuuka warned them.

"You are going down, Shadows." Yukari frowned while holding her evoker. She saw Shadows lurking around.

"Yeah, no Shadow can beat these fists." Akihiko said next with a smirk.

Makoto grabbed his sword as he was ready to fight the Shadows too.

The Shadows noticed them as they started moving towards them to attack.

"Take this!" Yukari yelled as she aimed at the Shadow and threw an arrow at it. "These guys are tough...must be because we are close to the top of Tartarus. Once we take out the last big shadows, what do you think will be at the top?" She asked.

"I don't know, but we have to take it out no matter what." Akihiko answered as he punched the Shadows out of his way.

Miki thought to herself after hearing Yukari's question, "I think..we will be facing the strongest one among them all when we reach the top..Thinking about it makes me tremble a bit.." She said nervously.

"Guys! I've picked up a strong reading, it's death! It is on its way to you!" Fuuka informed the group.

"D-Death?" Miki widened her eyes after hearing Fuuka. Her hands started to shake a bit. That was going to be her first time facing it.

"Dammit, we won't make it to the stairs in time." Akihiko cursed under his breath, "Then, we are just going to have to fight it."

"What?! On our own??" Yukari widened her eyes.

"C-Can we really do it? Can we beat death just the four of us?" Miki asked while sweating.

"We have to," Makoto said, ready to face it. "Let's not panic, it will make us more nervous. Let's do our best instead."

"I-I don't think I can do it." Miki said as suddenly they heard the sound of the chains. It was the Reaper coming to them.

They saw it floating closer and closer to where they were standing as it was hovering over them. The Reaper wielded two long-barrel revolvers. Its face was shrouded in a blood-stained cloth sack, with only one white eye exposed to see its surroundings. It wore two long chains across its left and right shoulders, forming a cross.

It looked even scarier in the shadows.

"I-It is huge..." Yukari looked up, seeing how huge it was now seeing it in person, "Just his death aura is enough to make me sick.."

Miki's face turned pale once she saw the Reaper's face. Her body started to tremble, she couldn't hold her evoker properly from that. She almost dropped it, but made sure to keep her grip on it.

Even Akihiko was taken aback, but he tried to keep his composure, "Don't be afraid. Let's take him out guys."

The Reaper roared loudly that it made the group's ears hurt. It flew closer to attack, but not once did it strike Miki.

Miki knew it was going to attack, so she was prepared for it. However, once the Reaper struck, it didn't harm her, it harmed her teammates instead.

"Guys! Are you okay?!" She widened her eyes after seeing them on the ground. She looked back at the Reaper, completely terrified of it, "P-Please..don't.." Her voice shook.

She wanted to just pull the trigger and summon her Persona, but her muscles felt sore from nervousness. She was just frozen in her place.

Makoto groaned as he got up and pulled the evoker up to his head, "Persona!" He summoned one of his powerful Personas to attack him.

Yukari got up and summoned her Persona as well, "Persona!"

Akihiko did the same and attacked with his teammates.

The Reaper was getting more angry after seeing them fighting back. It used its chains to grab the three tightly, making them drop their evokers.

Yukari yelped after it caught them. The chains around her figure were too tight, it was getting hard to breathe, "Ugh, it hurts.."

"M-Miki, run!" Akihiko yelled after seeing Miki was still unharmed.

"I have Kirijo-senpai and the others rushing to help you, please hold on!" Fuuka spoke up.

Miki wasn't brave enough to face death. But seeing her teammates in pain because of it, she couldn't stay still and do nothing.

"Stop it! I won't let you hurt my friends!" She said loudly while frowning as she finally managed to summon her Persona.

After she attacked to defend her friends, the Reaper dropped Makoto and the others on the ground, then grabbed her instead, but not too tightly to not hurt her.

"Ah!" Miki yelped after it took her.

Makoto and the others coughed as they could breathe again after being freed.

"Oh no..!" Yukari widened her eyes after seeing Miki was caught instead.

Makoto groaned and sat up. He glared at the Reaper then lifted his evoker up to his head so he could summon his persona and help Miki.

But then, he heard footsteps approaching as he saw his teammates rushing to rescue them.

"We are here!" Mitsuru said loudly as she ran towards them with the others.

"Let her go!" Ken yelled and attacked the Reaper, making it drop Miki.

Akihiko summoned his Persona after standing back up. He used a strong attack to defeat the grim reaper. Makoto and the others joined as they combined their powers and managed to make the Reaper leave them be by luck.

"Ugh."

Everyone fell to the knees from exhaustion.

"Are you guys okay?" Ken asked and rushed over to them.

Miki saw Makoto and the others were on the ground, exhausted. She got up and rushed to them too.

"Guys, are you okay?" She looked at them nervously. She got down beside Akihiko and held him.

"Are you okay, Aki-senpai?" She asked worriedly.

"I should be asking you that, Miki. I'm alright. Heh, it will take more than its power to take me down." Akihiko said while standing up.

Miki shook her head, "I am not hurt, I am totally fine as you can see..." She said then looked down.

And that is what is making me confused..

She thought to herself after seeing that the Reaper didn't really harm her.

Mitsuru approached Yukari and helped her get up too, "Are you hurt?" She looked at her seriously.

"Just exhausted.." Yukari answered as she picked up her weapon and evoker from the ground, "The grim reaper is definitely no joke..."

"Are you alright, Yuki-senpai?" Ken asked worriedly.

Makoto nodded at Ken as Aigis helped him stand back up, "I am fine."

"You all did a great job defeating a strong enemy tonight." Mitsuru said, feeling grateful that no one got hurt badly.

Miki kept looking down, "I didn't do that much. Yukari-senpai, Aki-senpai and the leader deserve the praise."

"And Ken-chan too. Thank you for saving me, I was very scared back then." She looked at the brown-haired boy and gave him a soft smile.

Ken blushed lightly after hearing Miki's praise, "Of course, I won't let you get hurt."

The group was exhausted after battling the Reaper, so they decided it was enough training for tonight and got back to the dorms to rest, especially since they had school tomorrow.