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Kotone's hands clutch at the straps of her messenger handbag, shaking slightly as she and her fiance, Sanada Akihiko, wander through the halls of a high school– despite the fact they were both a little over half a decade out of their schooling days. Calling them a little nervous for the events that were about to occur was definitely a bit of an understatement.

A lot of that anxiety might've come from how.. imposing the school looked. Compared to Gekkoukan High School, which was vibrant and open during the daytime, with trees scattering the large courtyard that supposedly hid a planetarium, Shujin Academy was.. cold, and dark. She had felt less like she was entering a school and more like she was going to prison. She thought it was a miracle that Akihiko had been so steel-faced, though she supposed it had come from his job.

Following behind them, with anxiety etched over her own pretty face, was the eldest of the two mechanical maidens, Labrys. Her long, silvery-blue hair flutters in the ponytail it was pulled up high in, the new uniform clinging to her mechanical joints strange to her. She was extremely grateful for the ability she had; even if it was technically a safety mechanism put in place by her creators. The ability to manipulate what people around her saw her as.

The people they passed in the halls would see her as a normal, albeit rather pretty, teenage girl. They wouldn't see the headpiece or the visor that was a part of her mechanical body, and they wouldn't see the way her lower arms were red joints hiding chains, and they certainly wouldn't see her legs of pure metal.

Her lips part slightly as words leave her lips. "I know you're excited to finally be allowed to go to a real high school, Labrys.. but remember, we're not here just for fun."

It's really weird for her, to be playing the part of a genuinely mature adult. She's still in her early twenties, but here she was acting as one of two legal guardians for a robotic girl pretending to be a teenager. Her naturally cheerful, and extraordinarily friendly, personality really didn't fit in with that idea. In fact, it felt extremely unnatural for her to be acting like this.. Even with the kids she worked with, she always tried to act in a way that made them know she wasn't trying to look down on them; she had plenty of experience with adults like that already.

"I know, I know!" The mechanical maiden squawks back, her Kansai dialect already drawing even more eyes as she speaks a little louder than she probably should have. Labrys knows she shouldn't have been looking around so much, but she was overly curious at all the new sights. The only school she'd ever been in was the one she happened to recreate in that alternate world, a copy of the high school in Inaba. "I'm just.. excited, is all."

She knows, and she can't help but be worried because of it.

"More importantly.." Cuts in the only male of their small group, his eyebrow raised slightly as he looked around, head only moving slightly as though not to draw too much attention. "..Detect any Shadows? It is why you're getting sent to this school, after all."

There had been an increase in activity all over the Tokyo area, but recently, it's all become centred around this school. Fuuka's Persona was never wrong in that regard, unless there was interference from an outsider. The power of her ability was why she was so crucial to their entire organisation, even though she wasn't a permanent member. She was only ever called in to the headquarters for scanning areas, or for emergencies– like the rest of SEES's former members.

And if Juno and Fuuka felt a disturbance in this area, it warranted a search. The main problem with that was, their youngest member was in his final year of high school, and picking him up from that one to transfer for work was ridiculous. He probably wouldn't oppose, which was why they haven't told him anything yet, but it was a lot easier if one of the robotic members did the infiltration duty.

It just so happened that a certain silvery haired one had the perfect ability to keep her true identity hidden during that time.

Scowling a little at the man, Labrys begrudgingly furrows her brows for a moment as she tries to pick up any information, ruby-irises flashing a little with a subtle glow, evidence of her not-so-human nature. "..It's.. really vague."

"Vague?"

"I mean, there's something.. but it's weird." A sigh leaves the metal girl's lips. "I can't really describe it. Point is, there ain't any here right now."

The two humans turn their eyes to each other, trying to make sense of the information they had just received. The Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons were made to battle against, and destroy, Shadows. Their ability to sense their main enemy was useful enough, but it hadn't taken them all very long to realise that compared to the support capabilities of Personas dedicated to it.

That wasn't anything technology could fix in only a few years, though compared to the systems that Labrys had been armed with when she first reawakened, she was definitely faring better. The mechanical maiden had rejected any forms of firearms, leaving those to her younger model– Aigis, the last surviving member of the Seventh Generation of Suppression Weapons–, which had left them with simply patching up her physical exterior with stronger steel and upgrading her inner workings.

Still.. at the thought of not knowing what's going on, the auburn haired woman's idle fingers instinctively reach to her waist, a habit she simply couldn't shake in the past six years. She was searching for her Evoker, in the spot where it would be strapped inside it's holster until she needed to pull the trigger. It definitely wasn't as bad as it had been when she first began to use her ability as a Persona-user, but the uncertainty of their current situation sent anxiety through her spine.

For now, until they knew more about the 'mission' they were on, they could only rely on Labrys and her infiltration.

Gesturing the three to a pair of seats in his office, a portly middle aged man, Shujin Academy's principal, offers them a place to sit, though by how his eyebrows knit together (made only more noticeable by the distinct sheen of his bald head), it felt a little more like a command. The two women sit down, leaving Akihiko standing quietly with grey eyes never leaving the unreadable expression of the older gentleman.

There hadn't been any vacancies in the second-year classes, where Labrys would've been placed if they were going by her true activation date, so they had no choice but to place her in the first-year. It wouldn't have affected her job at all, but Kirijo Mitsuru; the leader of their organisation and a long time friend of the three, had specifically mentioned she had felt bad about not being able to send the girl off to school sooner.

After the incident that had lead to her reactivation, they had plans to let her go to school in the Inaba region, where she had a multitude of friends built during what happened, but a series of work related problems kept holding them back from ever actually going through with it.

In a way, this was Mitsuru's apology.
It was why they didn't pick Aigis for this mission.

"So, you two are.." The man picks a thin folder off his desk, presumably filled with the documents they'd created to get the robot in. "Arisato Labrys-san's legal guardians?"

Kotone quickly nods her head in response. "She's a distant relative of mine– we offered to take care of her after a series of.. incidences."

While it wasn't completely the truth, it wasn't exactly a lie, either. They hadn't ever actually 'offered' to take her in; rather, their position as the only members of the Shadow Operatives with stable residence in the Tokyo area made them the perfect candidates. Not only that, but if anything bad actually occurred, their combined battle prowess was enough to hold anything off until reinforcements.

The principal's gaze goes from the auburn haired woman to Labrys, the pair staring at him with all too similar eyes. A slight frown purses onto his thick lips, an expression that's only responded back to with a sweet smile. She's used to these types– apathetic adults uncaring for the children under their care. She'd encountered them in her own past and through her job as a youth counsellor, and she definitely wasn't a huge fan of them.

But as she was no longer a child, someone allowed to yell and scream at adults for their disgusting behaviour, she had to simply smile and nod.

The large man leans back on his swivel chair, his shirt threatening to burst with each movement. "I see.. Well, Arisato-san's record as a model student with fantastic grades will certainly be a great influence on our school. I'm happy to welcome her."

"Thank you very much, sir." The two women bow their heads politely, the elder lifting her own up to smile once more, increasingly faker with every twitch of her rose-coloured lips. "I'm incredibly grateful that Shujin Academy was willing to accept her despite how sudden her transfer in was."

The principal only matched her display of gracious lies. "Of course. Shujin Academy is a place for learning, after all. I wouldn't dare rob a young woman of her education. So long as she behaves, she'll have a wonderful school life here."

Closing the papers on his desk, he turns his gaze to a clock on the wall.

"Speaking of which, it would be best that Arisato-san find her way to her classroom. Class 1-D, third floor."

The three leave the office with murmurs of dislike for the man running through their discussion as they split up, letting Labrys do her job as both a member of the Shadow Operatives and a new student at Shujin Academy, and Kotone and Akihiko returning to outside the school grounds to give a brief report to the headquarters.

The roads were filled to the brim with cars, people who were all afraid of taking public transport after the recent incidences that have been occurring recently; all in some way, somehow, connected to Shadows. None of them had figured out how it was happening, but it was the only logical explanation in their current situation.

Her fiance's gloved fingers tap over the steering wheel as they're trapped in traffic, the cars moving barely inches as the time ticked down, seconds turning to minutes. Leaning to the car's stereo, she quickly dialled the knob down until the repetitive sound of music is little more than a whisper, the perfect volume for making phone calls.

Scrolling through lists of numbers and names in her smartphone, she comes across the one she's looking for and quickly presses call, putting the speaker on so the both could input in the conversation that was about to occur.

It buzzes for a moment, dialling up, but soon the familiar commanding tone of a voice she knows all too well rings through.

"Kotone?" She can hear the sound of clicking heels in the background, allowing her to presume that who she had called, the leader of the Shadow Operatives and heiress to the Kirijo Group, Mitsuru. "How did it go with Labrys?"

Placing her phone on the dashboard, she begins to give a quick summary of the events that had occurred. She goes through the shadiness of the principal, and the fact that there was definitely something going on at the school, but they didn't know exactly what it was.

A sigh comes through the speakers. "I see.. To be quite frank, I can't say I'm a fan of Principal Kobayakawa."

"I wasn't either." Akihiko cuts in, and Kotone hums her agreements. "He came across as big-headed."

"When Labrys returns to the office, I'll inform her to keep an eye on the faculty. I suppose the easiest way for her to do that would be.." The woman pauses for a moment, and a small chuckle exits her vocal chords. "Joining the student council."

A giggle leaves Kotone's own lips, a genuine smile on her face for the first time today. "Lucky Labrys! I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear it."

"Yes, she will.." They hear the woman take a deep breath, and they realise that things are about to switch into a serious conversation. "I'm also concerned about the fact she could sense something, but she was unsure of if it was Shadows, and where they were."

"Perhaps we're dealing with something.. similar to what happened in Inaba?" The incident that occurred there, almost five years ago now, had been something of an opening to the world of humanity's consciousness. They didn't know all the details; at the time, they weren't an official unit (and to be technical, they still weren't) and weren't legally allowed to get involved in the case. Combined with setting the organisation up and college, and they weren't able to insert themselves into the situation.

Eventually, a group of teenagers that lived in the area awakened to their own Persona abilities, and managed to right the wrongs that had occurred. It was that place where Labrys was taken and reactivated to cause havoc, and it was those teenagers who helped her accept herself.

Mitsuru sighs. "You could be right, Kotone.. I'm hoping we'll be able to stop anything big from occurring once more.."

"For now, we have no choice but to keep watch." Agreements wash through the two women at the man's words, without a single complaint. They couldn't do anything else until they had more information on what was going on. Though, if she were being honest with herself, she had a feeling like things we're going to get messy again, like they had every single time Shadow activity rose in a particular area.

"I'm counting on you two. Keep in touch."

The communication line cuts out, and the two turn to each other with uncertainty in their eyes, unsure of where to go from here. For now, they had to just continue their jobs as regular citizens, while leaving the assessment of the Shadow hot-spot to Labrys.

The excitement of a new transfer student was relatively dulled out by the fact Shujin had gotten two of them around the same time, and compared to the buzz of gossip that came from having a criminal transfer in, a cute girl in the first year classes simply wasn't as interesting in their eyes. They definitely were happy to have her, girls crowding around her desk and going on about how pretty her hair was and what products she used– always responded back with a 'whatever we have at home!' and a friendly smile– and boys asking her what her type was and if she had a boyfriend.

But once that initial stage of getting to know the new kid wore off, she was left to her own resources as she wandered around the school's ground, finding it a little awkward to sit in the classroom while everyone else ate their lunch. After all, robots can't eat food, nor can they consume drinks. She slept and had dreams, for what that was worth, though it was more accurate to say it was her systems turning off for regular maintenance while her mind created images based around memories.

Her metal fingers reach for the phone in her skirt's pocket, an older-styled flip phone to compensate for her lack of true skin. Today was April 14th, a Thursday. The day before, she'd heard that they'd had a sports day of some kind, one she wished that she had been able to participate in. She would've had to hold herself back quite a bit, pretending as though she wasn't a weapon built to battle, but it was the fun of getting together and having fun that she wanted to join in on.

..Maybe they'll have another.

As she slides her phone back into her pocket, barely reading the message from her 'guardian' that informed her to go back to the Shadow Operatives headquarters after school, the corner of her peripheral vision catches a flash of white and black, and a distinctive voice falls into her ears.

"Damn it, where are those two!? I won't let them get away with not paying me back for my hospitality!"

Her gaze falls onto where the voice came from, but the only thing she sees is the form of a cat with vibrantly coloured eyes. She blinks for a few moments, trying to process what had just happened, utterly stunned with the only possible conclusion she can think of. She could communicate with dogs, but they didn't speak in a way that was so.. human. Dogs did not have a language, they spoke with their emotions and thoughts. She was only capable of doing that thanks to the time she spent with Unit #024, and the memories she inherited. It had become a trait passed down to even the final Anti-Shadow Weapon, despite it's lack of combat capabilities.

But that..

That wasn't her interpreting emotions.

Labrys was sure she just heard that cat talk.

HEY KIDDOS welcome to way of life!
if you havent read my other fic 'memories of you',
then some of the things in this fic might be a little confusing!
in particular the beginning, as my last fic has an epilogue that kicks off this one, so..
but to give you a quick summary..
this takes place in a timeline where both p3 protagonists existed as twins,
though male mc (minato) was the one death was sealed in.
femc (kotone) survives the events of the story,
and will remain one of our main characters in this one!

i wrote that story to both see if it revitalised my passion for writing,
which it did in masses! as that fic drew to a close,
i began to think of possible futures for the characters in that timeline,
lo-and-behold, the basis for this fic was born!

to sum up some things that are canon in this fic..
the events of p4U do happen,
but the p3 cast are portrayed closer to their original counterparts,
instead of being flanderized to hell
that means no catsuit fur coat mitsuru, and no half nakey dumb muscle akihiko, ect ect
make sense?

compared to that fic, this one will be a little more laid back,
thanks to the differences in story giving me the chance to be a little more slice of life
not to say there wont be much action, bc there will be..
just, maybe not to the same level as in that fic!

since this isnt a novelisation of p5, rather,
its the p3 cast doing what they can during the events of p5.
i wont reveal too much of what i have planned, but please look forward to it!

ok with my dumb ass rambling over,
i dont know how often this one will be updated!
im guessing a chapter posted somewhere between every two-five days,
maybe a week at most? depends on how much i write and how long it takes me to get everything all together!

lets stumble thru this togetherr!
sorry for the long notes!
i'll see y'all in the next one, i hope you all enjoyed!