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[img]https://i.imgur.com/SLW8zWT.png[/img]

[b][color=darkred]Level 2[/color][/b] - (29/20) EXP
Level Up! New Power: "Identify, Eurydice"
[b][color=darkred]Level 3[/color][/b] - (9/30) EXP
[b][color=darkred]Location:[/color][/b] Castle, Out Front
[b][color=darkred]Word Count:[/color][/b] 746

[sub][b][color=darkred]!!! The Enemy![/color][/b][/sub][/center]
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It was hard not to be jealous of the ease by which Linkle procured a Friend Heart, picking up on it as naturally as she did. It was the first time in her life that Minako found herself not knowing what to do to improve herself. Before this world, before this new life, it was easy enough to figure out what she needed for a given situation, be it a bit of charm here or a powered-up Persona there, but these Friend Hearts were just something else. However it was they came about, Minako knew that she was clearly lacking in it, which felt weird considering how strong her bonds had been up until this new world.

Those bonds... they were so special to her. They were the reason she continued to work with SEES, even after suffering so much pain. It was disheartening to think she had forgotten some of the most important details of the encounters she shared with friends, the people she would gladly give up her life for. Yet, even through the void of amnesia, one [i]incredibly annoying and persistent[/i] memory of Fuuka began to come back to her, the quote ingrained in her mind like a bad itch that would never go away. At first Yamagishi said it out of genuine surprise, but after being mocked for it, The Priestess took her revenge slowly and agonisingly, using the cursed quote [i]every chance she got[/i], and it pissed Minako off to [i]no end.[/i]
[color=cyan]"[i]*Gasp*[/i]! The enemy!"[/color]
Those two words and that gasp was the ultimate kryptonite of any SEES Leader, ingraining itself into people's minds like a dirty parasite leeching off of her brain cells. Every time she heard that quote, her will to live shrunk three sizes. 

But it wasn't all bad. A god-awful habit of an old friend helped Minako acquire a new skill - the very same said old friend would use to identify weaknesses of particular enemies. Of course, Minako knew she couldn't dream of achieving Fuuka's potential for scanning opponents and uncovering secrets, but it was a healthy power to have, and it would have plenty of uses with the coming battles.

[color=lightsalmon]"W-wait, Blondie, hold o-"[/color]
Junpei didn't even get a chance to scream as Linkle pitched the Friend Heart into him, however as a testament to his sheer density, it didn't go in easy. [i]Slamming into his face with the force of a fat pillow[/i], Iori was knocked on his rear from the power behind the throw, the heart soaring up above him. Thankfully he was hit hard enough by the squishy heart that he was forced to recover, else he might have got back up and jumped out of the way. The pink mass bounces off his head with a cute [i]'blob'[/i] sound before fizzling and fusing into his being, the darkness being washed away with the radiance of loving pink. No longer were his night-sky eyes filled with bloody crimson, nor his olive skin covered in ash. The leader had to do a double-take when she saw him proper.

[i]This was Junpei.[/i]
This was Junpei!
... Right?

The young man scratched the back of his neck, still on his ass but otherwise looking completely fine. The strength-enhancing power he had been infused with, along with the regeneration gifted to him from his former girlfriend's sacrifice, meant he was able to take a hit better than most Persona summoners. Muttering a serious of [i]'ow'[/i]s while adjusting his cap, he found himself looking up at the teary-eyed figure of Minako Arisato, a dumbfounded gasp escaping his lips. 
Then, he smiled.
[color=lightsalmon]"Mina, it's good to see ya. I'm back."[/color]

Minako can barely comprehend what's going on. She's frozen in place, the unbelievable sight of having a former friend back after being left to assume the worst... it was a strange feeling. It was happiness or joy or sadness or anger. It was something more than all of those things, as though they had combined into one. Her legs lose what little strength they had and she collapses into his arms, the two embracing in a tight hug. It was the only way to explain how that feeling felt, using a hug like that. [color=darkred]"I don't... I can't... It's unbelievable...!"[/color] So many things she had to say. So much they had to catch up on. So many important questions to ask. But for now, the two of them left it at that, locked in an embrace inseparable by even time.