"Uhhhhh, so are you a student from Gekkoukan High?"
"I mean I suspected that I had a few secret fans at school, but to think I'd meet one here in this weird place."
"But none of us know her - myself included."
Minako had meant it when she'd told the Phantom Thieves she was happy so long as the rest of SEES was there, and that she wanted to help them. Their leader, whomever he may have been, deserved to be safe from harm and she had a feeling he'd do the exact same thing if this were her SEES and he was the one who had been dumped away from them. He was their leader after all, and she couldn't imagine SEES taking a leader who wouldn't do anything for them.
But even with the knowledge that he would help her too, it didn't take away from the fact that this wasn't her SEES.
They wore the faces of her friends, they acted like her friends, they even talked amongst each other like her friends, but they didn't know who she was. They didn't recognize her and she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge that fact in front of them. She hardly even wanted to acknowledge it at all. Her emotions were her own to bear; they couldn't become their burden.
She thought she could handle it at first. When she first saw them, she'd put on her signature brand Minako smile, told them it was fine, and continued traveling through the labyrinth as though nothing had happened. But then in the lobby she'd watched Junpei and Yukari bickering, and Shinjiro and Koromaru had been playing happy in the corner, and Akihiko had offered her a beef bowl and the similarities started piling up until all she could see were her SEES and all she could do was think about the fact that they just didn't know who she was at all, and she'd bolted. She'd run from their laughter and love and the concerned look Akihiko wore on his face when she couldn't handle it any longer.
She ran as far and as fast as she could, only stopping when she was hidden by the darkness of the Kamoshidaman theater. It was supposed to only be a moment. It didn't take her long to gather herself back together and bring herself back to normal after a rough day or a difficult moment. It was, after all, what she did best. But then the sobs started and they couldn't stop, and all she could do was curl up in one of the seats and try to muffle herself enough that nobody who came in would hear.
Her breathing had only just started to even out when she heard her voice in his name. "Minako, are you here?" She bit at the collar of her shirt, trying to muffle her sobs so Akihiko wouldn't hear. "If you didn't want anything, you could've just said so. I wouldn't have been offended." She didn't respond, hoping to hide from his attention. "Akira is looking to send us out again soon. He said he wants you on the team."
Akira could jump into the movie all by himself for all she cared. She couldn't bring herself to face the other SEES. Not until she was sure that she could face them.
"Senpai, did you find her yet?" Yukari's voice came in next. "Mitsuru-senpai and Junpei said she wasn't in either of the other two theaters. And Fuuka and I couldn't find her in the bathroom either."
"Not yet." She could imagine Akihiko shaking his head as he sighed. His disappointment at being unable to find her was clear in her voice. "Go report to Mitsuru and have Akira check the Velvet Room. If she's like our leader, then she could just be trying to strengthen our arsenal before we go out."
"What about you?" Minako could only hope Yukari would leave soon. It was bad enough that Akihiko could possibly see her like this, she didn't want to hear Yukari's reaction too.
"I'm gonna check the whole theater. We can't leave without her." Minako's hopes of remaining hidden were dashed. There was only one exit out of the theater, and even if she tried to sneak away, it was unlikely that she could escape undetected. She could either stay hidden and hope that Akihiko didn't notice her, or she could try to control the situation and leave on her own. She wiped the tears from her eyes, thankful for the black fabric hiding the tear stains. She took a deep breath, steadying herself so that she was no longer gasping for air, and put back on her smile. She wasn't ready for everything, but if she could fool her SEES into thinking she was okay, then she could fool this SEES too.
"Hi Akihiko-senpai, Yukari." She waved to both of them. The look of relief on their faces was immediate. "Sorry for running off like that earlier, I just needed to cool off a bit. I figured Kamoshidaman was a good place to do some training."
"Of course." Yukari nodded. Minako could hear the relief that she wasn't in the Velvet Room. It was something she understood, Theo was overwhelming enough sometimes; having him and all of his sisters was even worse. "Akira wanted you on the team for the next trip. Do you want me to tell him you're on your way?"
"Please do! I'll meet with you guys in a few minutes." Minako pulled out her phone, making a show of pulling up the alarm app. "I'll set an alarm so I don't forget if you want to go now." It was all for show, but the sooner that Akihiko and Yukari left, the sooner she could actually pull herself back together again.
Yukari left. She expected Akihiko to follow after her, but he stayed. His intense gaze felt like it could, felt like it was looking for any inclination that she had lied. "Minako, I'm...glad you're alright." He wasn't her Akihiko, but he had been worried for her anyways despite barely knowing who she was.
She needed to smile, as big and bright as possible if it meant getting through this conversation as quickly as possible. "Of course, senpai! I'm sorry I worried you."
Akihiko nodded, looking her over. He seemed unsure how to act, but then again, her Akihiko had been the same: first hesitant on how to handle the new juniors on the team, and the uncertain how to handle himself when Minako had been a part of his life he couldn't imagine being without. So he had claimed at least.
The reminder of the similarities made it harder for her to hold back the tears, and she felt them sting at the corner of her eyes as they threatened to fall. She closed her eyes, hoping that when paired with her smile, it would be enough. "I'm serious Akihiko-senpai! I'm doing fine."
"I thought you were at first, but..." He trailed off, trying to think of how to word it. "When we first saw you in the movie, your smile was different. It was brighter." She didn't know what to say. Perhaps she should have expected him to notice, he may not have known her, but it wasn't like Akihiko to ignore the hurt of somebody he considered a friend. It hadn't taken long for her Akihiko to warm up to her in the dorm, and it hadn't taken long for this one to do so as well.
(She didn't need to warm up to him. The similarities were so obvious that despite the loss of six months, it still felt like him.)
"I'll be fine." She couldn't let him worry for her, not now. "It's just...a lot to take in. That's all."
Akihiko didn't respond, waiting for an elaboration, and when she opened her eyes to his understanding face in front of her, the realization that he wanted to try so hard for her despite not knowing who she was caused her to break, and the tears that had been pooling in her eyes began to spill over. "I miss my SEES. Being with the Phantom Thieves and Investigation Team was hard, but it wasn't so bad because I could look forward to seeing them. Then you guys were here and I just...it was proof that my SEES wasn't."
"Minako..." He tried to reach out for her, but she shrugged out from under his arm before he could try, unable to meet his gaze.
Guilt burned through her at how helpless he looked. This had been the exact reason why she hadn't wanted them to see her, why she hadn't wanted them to know. It wasn't their fault that they were the ones grabbed and not her friends. "I want to help you all find your leader. I promise. I just...need time...needed time." She pulled at the bow of her uniform, tugging at the sides. "Hearing Junpei bickering with Yukari just reminded me of how much I miss my best friend, even if he doesn't shut up about how much he loves the girl from Strega. And seeing Shinjiro so content with Koromaru reminded me of how happy he was making food with Fuuka, even when she can't cook and then you..." She laughed, though it carried little mirth or joy. "You remind me so much of my Aki. You took me for food because you knew I was upset even if you don't know me and you've sat here listening when you could just walk away because you care and..." Her rambling stopped as she heard him sit down on one of the chairs. When she could finally meet his gaze, she registered the dumbfounded expression he wore. She tried to go over everything she had said, trying to figure out just what would leave him so surprised before she realized exactly what it was.
She called him Aki.
"I'm sorry, Senpai." She bowed her head, unable to shake the guilt of everything that she had offloaded onto him. "That's a nickname only for you and Shinjiro, I shouldn't-"
"We're close in your world, aren't we?" He didn't acknowledge her apology, instead watching her reaction. He was trying to figure out if that was the truth. It wasn't hard to guess. She'd said it herself, it was a name that only his childhood best friend referred to him as. With this Akihiko, it wasn't her place.
She nodded slowly, and his face fell. Guilt was written plain as day on his face, from the way his brows furrowed and his eyes looked down to the uneasy turn of his mouth. He felt guilty for something completely out of his control. For hurting her when it wasn't even his fault. And that was so completely him. It was exactly what she had wanted to avoid.
"It's not your fault." She wanted to reassure him. It really wasn't his fault that she was alone. It wasn't anybody's and she wouldn't blame him for it if it was.
Akihiko shook his head at the notion. "Doesn't matter who's fault it is. You don't deserve to feel alone while you're here." In an attempt to comfort her, Akihiko hugged her, and Minako couldn't bring herself to pull him away. He wasn't her Akihiko, he didn't love her in the same way that hers did, but she couldn't stop herself from taking comfort in him anyways. She buried her face in his chest, refusing to let go and he let her cry until her sobs calmed and her breathing finally evened out.
"Feeling better?" he asked when she pulled away.
Minako nodded, her cheeks burning a light pink. "Thank you, senpai." She gave him a smile, smaller than the one she had given him earlier, but much more sincere.
Akihiko smiled back. "I'm glad, that's the smile I want to see." She felt her blush deepen. "It's nicer than the one you gave me earlier."
"Because this one's real." It was only when she said it, did she realize it was true. At least for now, she felt happy. She may still miss her friends, and that fact caused her hurt, but could still make the most of it, could still help herself feel better, could still look forward to everything that might come. "You said Akira was looking for me, right? We shouldn't keep him waiting any longer, we have to find your leader after all!"
Akihiko nodded and started leading the way before stopping to face her. "Minako...if you're ever feeling down like this again. Let us know."
"We may not truly be your SEES, but just like them, we're here for you."