[div style="width:500px;text-align:justify;font-size:12px;margin-top:10px;color:#000;line-height:120%"][align=center]❝ Chapter One of Behind the Queenly Mask ❞
Mitsuru Kirijo was sitting on the edge of her enormous four poster bed, teacup and saucer in hand, listening to Kikuno rifle through her wardrobe for the day's outfit, when another member of the estate's waitstaff burst into her bedroom, holding a small envelope.
"Lady Mitsuru, this came for you just now. By courier, not through the mail."
In general, Mitsuru hated to be disturbed before she'd dressed and finished her morning tea, but she waved off Kikuno's scolding of the girl and took the envelope herself. It was made of thick, heavy cardstock, and her name was written on the front in elegant script. No return address, nor postage, and sealed with wax, but with no identifying design. Strange. She uncurled her legs from underneath her and stood, pacing over to her dressing screen.
"Did you get a look at the person who delivered it?"
From beyond the screen, she heard the rustle of a crisp bow.
"I'm sorry, my lady. It was a young man on a motorbike, but he did not remove his helmet, nor did he have any identifying marks. We scanned it for any harmful substances, of course, but it came up clean."
Shucking her robe and nightgown, Mitsuru broke the seal on the envelope. Within was a simple card, cordially inviting her and a guest to the Nanjo estate for Kei Nanjo's thirty-third birthday celebration the following Saturday. The method of delivery and lack of notice would have been odd enough for a simple social call, but considering the meager scraps of information that the Shadow Operatives had unearthed concerning Nanjo and his friends in a town called Mikage — not terribly significant on their own, but indicative of a large scale cover-up — there was no way this could be a normal party invitation.
"Thank you, Aiko. You are dismissed." Another rustle and the sharp click of the door shutting announced the girl's departure.
With a speculative hum, she handed the card to Kikuno, pulling on the red blouse and black skirt that had been laid out for her.
"What do you think, Kikuno?"
"In my opinion, Lady Mitsuru, it looks like a trap."
"I thought the same. We've been trying to get eyes in the Nanjo mansion for almost a year now, and now this opportunity all but falls in our lap? It's suspicious, but what choice do we have? This could be our only chance." Stepping out from behind the screen, Mitsuru slid into the seat at her vanity, and closed her eyes as Kikuno worked a brush through her curls, taming and smoothing them until they lay in soft waves against her back.
When she had finished, the maid lingered behind her for a moment, and Mitsuru met her gaze in the mirror.
"My lady, I do not think you should go alone. But to bring one of us would be considered a terrible insult to Mister Nanjo's own household staff."
"Did you have an alternative in mind?" Truth be told, Mitsuru didn't relish the thought of walking alone into what may well be enemy territory, her family's good relationship with the Nanjo Group notwithstanding.
"The invitation allows for a guest. Perhaps you could take one of the male Shadow Operatives with you, under the guise of your date? As protection, as well as assistance?"
A small smile twitched the corners of Mitsuru's mouth.
"Two in harmony exceeds one in perfection, hm?" She mentally flipped through the men under her command. Ideally, she would need someone she trusted, who possessed both strength and intelligence, as well as sufficient good looks as to be believed to have caught the eye of a much sought-after heiress. The ability to summon a persona and fight without needing a weapon was also a plus.
Based on her criteria, there was only one choice.
"Kikuno, please clear my engagements for the morning, and have a suit prepared for Akihiko as soon as possible. I trust you still have his measurements?" When he'd shown up in Japan after two years of wandering, shirtless and wearing a cape of all things, part of their deal to get him back into university and onto the Shadow Operative payroll had included withholding a portion of his salary for a wardrobe that her stylist would select. That he would then be required to wear. At all times.
Kikuno smiled faintly and bowed.
"Of course. I'll also acquire something new for you to wear and schedule you a manicure, my lady."
Mitsuru nodded her thanks, and strode out of her bedroom. According to Aegis's regular updates, Akihiko did not leave for his Monday morning class for an hour, so he should still be at home. If she was quick, she could catch him there. That was as good an excuse as any to take her motorcycle.
This was shaping up to be a very interesting morning.
⚜
Akihiko Sanada slowly became aware of a knocking at his door as it filtered through the noise of his post-run shower. Cursing under his breath, he turned off the water and dried in a hurry, pulling on a pair of pants on his way to the door. There was no telling how long Aegis had been out there, and the last time he'd taken his time answering the door, she'd just kicked it open and walked in on him in the shower.
"What the hell, Aegis, I'm not even running late—"
He yanked open his door, bare-chested, hair dripping, and jeans still unbuttoned, only to come face-to-face with, not an annoying android, but Mitsuru Kirijo herself, looking as pressed and polished as always.
Her eyes skimmed down and back up once before focusing on his face, and if it were anyone else, Akihiko might have thought she was blushing. He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat.
"Uh, hey, Mitsuru. What's up?"
"Good morning, Akihiko. I'm sorry, I probably should have called ahead, but there's been a development that I wished to discuss in person." Just like that, she was all business again, the momentary awkwardness banished from her expression, and Akihiko stepped to the side to let her in.
"Sure, just let me go finish getting dressed." He paused long enough to see her nod, then dashed into his bedroom.
When he came out, fully clothed (because one lecture on the societal importance of shirts was more than enough), she was was seated on his couch, looking around in curiosity. He was briefly, deeply glad that he'd cleaned his apartment yesterday. Akihiko settled onto the cushion at the other end of the sofa, eyebrows raised in anticipation.
"So what's so important that you had to come all the way here to talk to me about it?"
Mitsuru tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled.
"I need you to go to a party with me."
There was no way that an invitation to a fancy society event was the real reason she was here, so he just shrugged.
"Sure. What's the catch?"
"It's at Kei Nanjo's mansion, and will also double as a reconnaissance mission."
Now that was more like it. A spike of adrenaline flooded Akihiko's bloodstream at the thought of getting some action — things had been too damn quiet in the months following the events in Inaba, and he was eager to get back into the thick of things, even if the mission was sneaking, and not beating the pulp out of shadows.
"You know I'm in. What do you need me to do?"
"You'll be posing as my escort for the evening. We will attend the party, then slip away and locate Kei Nanjo's computer, at which point we will attempt to hack his intranet via a device that Shadow Operative R&D will provide." On the surface, Mitsuru was calm, but Akihiko had known her long enough to catch the gleam in her eyes, the slight change in her intonation. She was as excited as he was, and for a minute, it felt like the old days.
"It's next Saturday. I will send a car to bring you to my home for a debriefing, and then we will go together to the Nanjo estate. Kikuno will provide you with suitable clothing sometime this week — if any alterations need to be made, she should leave a way for you to get into contact with her."
Akihiko's anticipation dimmed a little at that. No doubt he'd have to wear a suit, and those things were damn hard to move in.
Mitsuru smiled, no doubt following his train of thought even without it being vocalized.
"Don't look so disgruntled. Look on the bright side — at least you won't have to wear a ball gown."
Her nose wrinkled in distaste, and Akihiko almost laughed at the expression, so at odds with her put-together look. He didn't get many chances nowadays to see the woman beneath the queenly mask she wore — half the time, when he looked at her at work, he could swear that he saw Artemisia instead of Mitsuru. And she was so busy that seeing her outside of work was a rarity in and of itself, now that they didn't live in the same building.
It would be nice to spend some time together, working towards a common goal with only each other to rely on, like it had been in the years between Shinji leaving and Takeba joining.
A chime sounded from his cell phone (probably the 'get-to-school-before-Aegis-drags-you-there' alarm he'd set the previous week) and it seemed to startle Mitsuru out of her ease and back into professional mode.
"I should let you get to class." She rose from the couch and smoothed her skirt, preparing to leave, and Akihiko jumped up, grabbing his phone and keys.
"I'll walk you out. The parking garage is on the way to my train stop, anyways."
Mitsuru paused while he locked his door, then fell easily in step as he descended the stairs. They'd reached the first floor when she interrupted their comfortable silence with an almost mischievous smile.
"Would you like a ride to school, by any chance?"
He really should have known that meant her motorcycle, and that a couple of years wouldn't have changed her tendency to drive it like a demon-possessed madwoman, but as he sat in his first class, fifteen minutes early and still shaking slightly from the adrenaline, he felt better than he had in weeks.
Once again, prepare for the vague Catherine references, Persona 1 & 2 event and character references, and more! Also neglected to mention that this is set post P3P timeline (so Shinji is here and
alive, bless our saviour Minako) and also takes place after the events of P4AU. I've decided to split it up into chapters because despite me having been told there's no word limit per post, I have my doubts as to whether a single post can hold more than 10k words, lol.
