Chapter 96; Discovery Measures Pt:1

...12/09/2009 Saturday; Afternoon...

The afternoon sun gently streamed through the windows of the Iwatodai dormitory, casting an amber hue on the floor — but the light couldn't soften the tension in the air.

In the command room, silence was filled only with hushed voices and the constant sound of typing.

Fuuka was talking with Akihiko and Shinjiro, the three of them analyzing notes from the night before — the night the Horde attacked.

There was worry in everyone's eyes, though they tried to stay focused on the reports.

Ken was sunk into the couch, arms crossed, listening as Junpei and Minato discussed the giant Shadow that had appeared.

There was an atmosphere of waiting — like everyone was holding their breath for something that hadn't yet been said.

Aigis stood at the computer, her digital irises fixed on the screen.

She typed nonstop, compiling data from the last Shadow they'd faced: behavior, energy, attack patterns, possible weaknesses.

A full dossier was forming — and every new piece of information seemed to weigh heavier on her shoulders.

Injuries still marked some of the group. Minato and Fuuka had small bandages on their faces.

Akihiko wore gauze around his forehead, and Shinjiro — without his trench coat — had white wraps climbing up his arm, disappearing under his T-shirt, hiding the wound on his chest.

Then the door opened with a soft click.

Everyone turned at the same time.

Hiro walked in alongside Yukari. Koromaru trotted next to them, tail wagging.

As soon as he spotted Ken on the couch, the dog barked happily and leapt onto his lap with joy.

Ken smiled and petted him without saying a word.

Akihiko raised an eyebrow, eyes going straight to the bandage on Hiro's shoulder. "You took your time," he said.

"Sorry," Hiro replied calmly, nodding toward Yukari with his chin. "She wanted to finish patching me up properly before I came."

Fuuka walked over, eyeing the white bandage wrapped around Hiro's left arm.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." Hiro smiled, ruffling Fuuka's hair gently. "The Kirijo Group's doctor said I'll be ready to head back into Tartarus next week."

Fuuka sighed in relief. Still, it was hard to erase the image of Hiro, battered and bloodied, from the night of the Horde.

Hiro then looked toward the computer. Aigis stared back, unmoving. She didn't blink — just waited.

"Aigis," he said, crossing his arms, "did Giyu send you the report?"

She nodded.

"Yes. Shinkai-sama delivered the hard drive with the data. But he asked us to open it only in the presence of Kirijo-senpai and President Shuji."

"Got it." Hiro nodded. "Mitsuru messaged me a bit ago. She's out of the hospital. She's on her way here with President Shuji."

Shinjiro leaned forward in his chair, eyes narrowing.

"By the way, Hiro... do you remember what the Strega took from the industrial zone?"

All eyes turned to him. Even the sound of typing stopped.

Hiro scratched his head, hesitating for a moment. His mind drifted back to the previous day, to Takeharu's grave voice echoing in the hospital room. The words weighed like lead in his memory.

He took a deep breath and raised his gaze.

"Well..." he said, voice firmer now. "When I visited Mitsuru at the hospital yesterday, I managed to talk with her father about it. And I think we figured out what it was."

Minato leaned back on the couch, arms crossed.

"And?"

Hiro stared at a narrow door leading to the storage closet. He walked toward it and stopped just in front.

His hand rested firmly on the handle before slowly turning it. The door creaked softly as it opened, revealing the storage room — stuffy, lit only by the glow of the main room.

Inside were some metal shelves, boxes marked with the Kirijo Group emblem, repair kits for battle suits, and to the left, a stack of spare armbands.

In the corner, a smaller box marked with the blue-silver crest of Gekkoukan High caught his eye. He knelt down, pulled the box closer, and carefully opened the lid — and there they were.

Several Evokers lined up, waiting to be used.

Hiro's voice echoed faintly from the storage room:

"Well... I don't think you'll like what it is. If what Mr. Kirijo said is true, we need to be very careful."

Ken, still on the couch with Koromaru sprawled on his legs, leaned forward, curious:

"But, Mikoshi-senpai, what exactly did the Strega steal?"

Without answering right away, Hiro picked up one of the Evokers from the box, watching the metallic shine catch the dim light.

His fingers slid along the edges of the device with a care that was more than physical — it was emotional, as if the object carried more than just its function.

He pushed the box back under the shelf and stood up, stepping out of the storage room.

All eyes followed him.

Junpei frowned at the item in Hiro's hand, speaking up almost disappointedly:

"Ehhhhh... Hiro, that's just an Evoker."

Hiro closed the closet door with a soft click before responding:

"I know. That's exactly what I want to show."

With steady steps, he walked to the coffee table. The room went silent as he placed the Evoker at the center — like he was presenting a crucial piece in a dangerous game.

"The Strega took a different kind of Evoker. It looked more like... a prototype."

Minato, still reclined on the sofa, observed the Evoker intently.

"But that's not all, is it?"

Hiro slowly shook his head. His eyes stayed locked on the device on the table.

"No. This prototype can release a Persona more aggressively. It's like Theurgy... only more dangerous."

Akihiko sat up straighter, his expression hardening:

"Wait, are you saying Theurgy was made from this?"

"Yes," Hiro confirmed, crossing his arms. "And if what Mitsuru's father said is true, this prototype can boost a Persona's power by three hundred percent."

Silence fell over the room, thick as concrete. Everyone stared at Hiro as if his words had materialized in the air. The number sounded absurd — even impossible.

"Shit..." Shinjiro brought a hand to his chin, his jaw tight with tension. "Three hundred percent is insane."

Yukari stepped forward, her eyes still locked on the Evoker.

"Hiro... this isn't safe, is it?"

"Not even close," he murmured. "It seems like using this Evoker makes your Persona go wild immediately. And… fuck... it drains the user's life force."

Fuuka raised her hands to her mouth, whispering in a voice barely audible:

"Oh my God..."

Minato's eyes remained locked on the standard Evoker sitting on the table. Even though it was a regular model, something about it felt… off. It wasn't just the object itself. It was the idea of what it represented.

If a prototype like that existed… how many more were out there?

How many had already been used?

But one question echoed louder than the rest in his mind:

How did the Strega know about it?

Minato kept his eyes on everyone around him, but he didn't hear a single word of what Hiro was saying.

It was as if his companion's voice had vanished beneath the buzzing of a deeper thought.

His fingers moved on instinct, reaching out and picking up the Evoker from the center of the table. The cold metal touched his skin, and for a moment, he just stared at it, as if trying to see through it.

He slowly ran his fingers along the metallic side of the device. The familiar weight… but something was wrong.

Aigis, who had been listening to Hiro, turned her gaze to Minato. The way he stared at the Evoker was different — like he was somewhere else, in another time.

"Minato-san, is something wrong?" Aigis asked, tilting her head slightly, curiosity in her voice.

The others turned to him at once, noticing the distant look on his face.

Minato narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowed as he forced his thoughts into order. Something wasn't adding up. The Strega... how did they know about the existence of that Evoker?

He turned to the others, his expression now firm.

"I think there's something we're missing."

Yukari looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?"

Minato turned his eyes to Aigis, his voice filled with serious curiosity.

"Aigis, did you happen to see any files about this Evoker on the computer?"

She furrowed a brow and closed her eyes for a brief second. Her internal processor began a silent scan. But all that appeared was the blueprint of the standard model.

"I'm sorry," she said, opening her eyes, a slight tone of frustration in her voice. "I don't recall seeing anything like it."

"It's alright, Aigis," Akihiko said, glancing at Minato. "But where are you going with this?"

Minato spun the Evoker lightly between his fingers, his eyes now scanning the faces around him.

"If we think about it… the Strega knew about this Evoker. But the question is: how?"

The silence that followed was thick like smoke. Eyes met, filled with unease.

"You're right," Hiro muttered, crossing his arms, eyes narrowed. "How would they know about these Evokers?"

"Not just that, Hiro." Yukari turned to him. "How did they know the Evoker would be inside that Shadow? If you only saw them after it died, then they already knew what that Evoker could do."

Ken, thoughtful, narrowed his eyes and rested one arm on the other.

"Hmm… but who would've told them?"

A short bark broke the silence. Koromaru, attentive to the conversation, let out two more barks in a row, as if trying to join in.

All eyes turned to Aigis — their unofficial dog translator.

She nodded, as if understanding him.

"Koro-chan said: 'Could the man in black have told them?' Hmm… good thinking, Koro-chan."

Shinjiro crossed his arms, his deep voice cutting through the air.

"Koromaru's got a point. It might've been the Noir."

"We're not sure, Shinjiro," Hiro replied, his voice tense but steady. "But it's a possibility."

The footsteps echoed through the command room.

The rhythmic sound—sometimes slow, sometimes firm—traveled down the corridor like an omen.

Everyone turned at once, eyes fixed on the closed door.

The sound intensified with each passing second, as if it carried the weight of something important.

Then the door opened.

Mitsuru appeared first—imposing, even with the exhaustion hidden beneath her eyes.

Behind her, Ikutsuki smiled, as casual as ever, and Giyu maintained a rigid expression, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for something.

Yukari was the first to move.

"Kirijo-senpai, are you feeling better?" — her voice overflowed with relief, but there was also a spark of tension.

Fuuka came up right behind, her eyes slightly wide as she examined Mitsuru. "You're not feeling Penthesilea freezing you, are you?"

But before they could get too close, Giyu took a firm step forward. The movement was sharp, almost military. He raised his arm, blocking the girls' approach.

His eyes locked with Yukari's — a cold stare, sharp as a katana's blade.

Yukari froze. Her body reacted before her mind, a chill running up her spine. An instinctive step back.

Mitsuru let out a subtle sigh and gently placed her fingers on Giyu's arm, lowering it with a contained, yet firm, gesture.

"Giyu," she said, her tone between authority and familiarity, "there's no need for that. You know I live with everyone here."

Giyu stepped back without hesitation, head bowed in respect. "Forgive me, Mitsuru-sama. It's the custom."

"It's all right," she replied, offering a small smile. "You're just doing your job. But there's no need to be on alert here."

She then turned to Yukari and Fuuka.

"Yes, I'm better now. I'm sorry for worrying you."

Yukari let out the breath she'd been holding, trying to mask the tension with a smile. "It's okay... But you really scared us."

Fuuka nodded with a crooked smile. "Next time, please don't use Diamond Dust..."

Mitsuru tilted her head in a calm gesture. "I'll try."

While the reunion unfolded, Ikutsuki watched in silence. His eyes scanned the room, analyzing faces, rigid bodies. Something was out of place. Then he saw it.

Minato was holding an Evoker in his hands.

An unsettling spark stirred in the back of Ikutsuki's mind.

A shiver ran down his spine, and he inhaled deeply, forcing his soul to stay steady.

Then he raised his hands and clapped.

The sound echoed, slicing through the heavy air. Everyone turned toward him.

"I see everyone's doing well," he said, with that ever-present wide smile. "Except for Hiro and Mitsuru, of course. I apologize for only showing up now, after that Shadow horde."

Ken frowned. "President... why didn't you show up this week? We went through hell during that horde and you're only coming now."

Ikutsuki replied naturally, looking directly at him. "I've been busy with Gekkoukan's finances. I was leaving the office around eleven every night."

Akihiko crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. "If you say so..."

Ikutsuki then clasped his hands, his voice softening. "Well, let's get to the point. I assume Giyu-kun delivered a hard drive to you?"

Aigis stepped forward. "Yes, it's right here, President."

She pulled down the zipper on the top of her Gekkoukan uniform and reached into the inner pocket. From there, she pulled out a small metallic hard drive with the Kirijo Group emblem embossed on it.

Ikutsuki extended his hand, smiling, ready to take it.

But like a shadow materializing from nothing, Giyu appeared beside him.

Before Ikutsuki could react, the hard drive was already in Giyu's hands.

Giyu walked over to the computer, unhurried, his eyes watching the group. He said nothing—just stared at them, as if silently asking whether they were ready to learn the truth.

Ikutsuki crossed his arms and huffed. "Jeez... trying to scare me by stepping in like that?"

But Giyu didn't even glance at him.

"I assume you all have questions about what really caused the Shadow horde."

Hiro nodded slowly. "Yeah. So that's what's on the hard drive?"

"Exactly." Giyu lifted the object lightly, his eyes serious. "Kirijo Group's scientists went to the locations where you operated. They detected similarities between certain Shadows—the same ones described in Sanada's report."

Kneeling by the machine, he carefully removed the drive's cover. He slid it into a hidden compartment in the terminal and inserted it into the slot.

The computer emitted a small beep.

Something began to load on the screen.

Giyu stood slowly and pointed to the sofa and floor cushions in the corner of the room.

"Please, take a seat. President Shuji and I will explain what we know."

TO BE CONTINUED...