“Couldn't you have handled that with a little more of tact?”
Akihiko Sanada, reeling from the stranger's abrupt comment, spun around, his gaze sharpening as he sought the source.
It’s… It’s her! His heart skipped a beat. The silhouette emerging from the horizon was unmistakable — it was the same girl he had seen the day before, sitting in the stands during his boxing match. Her red and long hair seemed to capture the fading sunlight, casting a warm glow around her that mesmerized the young man. Why here? Why now?
Mitsuru Kirijo stepped forward. "I've been waiting for the right moment to speak with you. The crowd after your club practice was... suboptimal for meaningful dialogue." she began in a tone that was both polite and oddly neutral, as if she were reciting information from a dossier. Her eyes studied the boxer during a brief pause. "Third year, class C…. Sanada Akihiko."
Akihiko's unease deepened.
How does she know that about me? I’m pretty sure she isn’t a student of this junior high. He could tell by her refined and upper class school uniform. Her eccentric presence, coupled with her unnerving knowledge of his personal details, felt like another bold intrusion into his already tumultuous world. He rested his back against a wall, trying to mask his discomfort with a veneer of nonchalance. And that voice… I’ve heard it before…
Interpreting this reaction, Mitsuru slightly averted her gaze in a subtle moment of doubt.
Did that sound too formal? Perhaps I should have opened with a more casual greet…
“Whaddaya want?”
The demand of the fighter interrupted her thought process. She looked back at him, dismay reflected in her eyes. This is strange. He doesn't seem to recognize me at all.More than that rudeness she was not used to deal with, what upset her was the apparent amnesia of the student.Doesn’t he remembermy voice?… Could he be one of those who are unable to recall their memories of the Dark Hour?!
Hiding her distress as best as she could, she asked him her next question:
“Aren’t you going to ask who I am?
“No need,” Akihiko replied, mantaining his poker face. He wrinkled his brow. “Whatever you’ve come for, I don’t want to get involved. All I want is to train and get stronger.”
The silver haired boxer facepalmed internally at that last remark.
What a bizarre thing to say in a conversation like this; I must be freaking her out as much as she is making me.. But she's just so... stiff. I feel like if I were talking to an android, and maybe she is actually one.
Mitsuru’s expression regained her usual composure.
Curious response.Those comments dispelled her fears. She could sense that the young man had at least a vague idea of her motives after all. “It’s nothing troublesome,” she started to explain herself. “I have a very simple request.”
Akihiko raised his eyebrows a bit.
“A request…?”
The red haired girl took some seconds to choose her words.
Why did Ikutsuki insist on me to approach him? I'm clearly not the right fit for this task. She hesitated for a moment, feeling the pressure of Akihiko’s expectant but still distrustful gaze. “I have… enemies that need defeating.”
And I thought I was the one saying bizarre stuff… Vicarious embarrassment took over the young boxer’s features.
“They’re not people, I assure you.” Mitsuru continued, not letting herself be disheartened by the body language of her listener. “You wouldn’t be bound by the rules of boxing. No, the enemies I speak of… they’re related to what you’ve been experiencing each midnight.”
That clarification shifted Akihiko’s bewilderment into genuine interest. She had just confirmed one of his suspicions.
She… She was the one controlling that bike!
Noticing the change in his eyes, Mitsuru felt a surge of confidence that encouraged her to proceed. “You see, I’m in the same situation. I experience the same thing you do. The difference is, I know what it means. If you come with me… I’ll share what I know with you.”85Please respect copyright.PENANArEBE3sdAbI
The boxer felt compelled to ask what he had been desiring to know since the first time he saw her:
“Who are you?”
A shy, but sincere smile, was sketched on Mitsuru’s lips. The moment she was waiting for arrived at last.
“Kirijo Mitsuru. I’m a third year, like yourself.”
“Kirijo…?” Akihiko murmured. Somehow it sounded familiar; it was on the tip of his tongue, a distant echo of his childhood in Iwatodai. “I think I’ve heard that family name before…”
“You said you wanted to build your strenght,” Mitsuru said, returning to her naturally serious demeanor. “What you really need is a challenge far greater than any boxing match.”
She looked on both sides of the hallway, making sure that no one was snooping around in the vicinity.
It looks like I have managed to get his full attention now, but…, with a discreet movement, she revealed an object hidden in her uniform and held it with her right hand,I will use my 'ace up my sleeve’, just in case.
A, A GUN?!
Akihiko's “tough guy” facade crumbled like an old building in an earthquake. He moved away from the wall with a clumsy start.
“With this, you can face the ‘Shadows’,” the red haired girl said as she brought the ‘gun’ closer to him.
"Is that a gun?" he blurted out, glancing around nervously to ensure that nobody else was watching. The idea of a junior high girl carrying a firearm was beyond his comprehension. “Are you insane?!”
Mitsuru, slightly amused by his outburst, quickly concealed the device. "Trust me; it's not what it appears to be," she assured him. "I'll show you its true purpose in the right place and time. For now, let's arrange our first meeting. What about this Saturday midnight?”
Akihiko’s mind was a whirlwind of skepticism, fear and intrigue.
What the hell is this? What am I getting into?The idea of meeting this enigmatic junior high student again, especially under such surreal circumstances, was daunting. This is crazy, but… I want, I need to know more. And she, as strange as she may be, seems to have the answers I'm looking for.
“Coming to Kashihara is not a problem for me. We can, and in fact, should start your training here,“ Mitsuru said to him, trying to ease his indecision. Kashihara was the name of that small city where Akihiko lived at the time. “Therefore, feel free to choose a meeting point you're comfortable with."
The boxer remained silent, contemplating the floor for a while. Finally, he stared back at her; he had made his choice.
“There's a park near my house. It's usually quiet," he revealed, and fumbled for his cellphone. "I can text you the address later. What's your number?"
Mitsuru handed him a business card. Her full name and contact details printed in a crisp, elegant font, along the logo of the Kirijo Group.
"Here it is. And please, don't hesitate to reach out if you need assistance in controlling your Persona.” she advised, her tone suggesting an understanding far deeper than Akihiko could fathom.
“My Per-what?”
“Your Persona. It’s the term our researchers have chosen for the kind of power you have within,” she elucidated. “I will provide you all the details on Saturday. As long as you don't get yourself into another 'fight or flight' situation, you'll be fine.”
With a final and gracious nod, Mitsuru turned to leave.
"I look forward to working with you soon, Sanada-san," she said, looking at him above her shoulder. Her high-heeled boots echoed softly down the hallway. “Until then, take care.”
"You too…" Akihiko murmured, dumbfounded as he watched her go.
Then, he fixed his gaze on the card, still in his fingers. ‘Two in Harmony Surpasses One in Perfection’, read the motto written next to the logo; the motto of the Kirijo Group. When he looked up, Mitsuru was not in sight anymore.
This is real.
Akihiko took his wallet and stored the card inside it with meticulous care. That simple piece of stiff paper became a tangible connection to the “greater challenge” he had just accepted, and the social link he had unknowingly created.
Saturday midnight she said… What is she going to show me then? And what’s the meaning of that fancy gun and ‘Persona’ stuff? Whatever these Kirijos havein store for me, I’ll be there to find it out.
Outside the junior high, Mitsuru Kirijo approached a sleek black car parked discreetly by the curb. Leaned against the vehicle with a calm posture, Shuji Ikutsuki was waiting, his eyes lighting up as he spotted her. The car, a symbol of the Kirijo Group's resources, stood ready, its driver holding the door open for the Heiress.
As Mitsuru slid into the plush interior of the car, Ikutsuki followed. The driver closed the door with a soft thud and started the engine, pulling away smoothly into the growing dusk.
"So, how did it go?" Ikutsuki inquired, turning to face Mitsuru with a look of curiosity.
Mitsuru, settling into her seat, responded:
"It was a resounding success. Sanada-san agreed to meet on Saturday midnight." She closed her lips in a smile of pride.
Ikutsuki's glasses brightened with satisfaction. "See? I knew you'd nail it. If there is someone who can 'box' the regional champion into a corner, it’s you." he chuckled at his own pun. “Great job beating him senseless!”
The girl, already accustomed to that quirk of his, let out a polite laugh; not because she found his puns particularly funny, but as a way to celebrate the outcome of her tricky first contact with the boxer.
The car glided through the streets, the city lights beginning to twinkle as night fell.
“Thank you, Ikutsuki-san, it wouldn’t have been possible without your insight. Now, we need to prepare for Saturday. It will be Sanada’s first true test.”
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