Well. That certainly happened. Minato knew that his sister tended to overreact in certain scenarios, but even this seemed to be a bit much. What made her all so freaked out? Mitsuru did have a powerful aura surrounding her, but even he didnât think it was much of a big deal.
   ⌠It probably had something to do with her lack of pants in front of a pretty girl. That might do it.
    The way Kirijo-senpai talks about his sister with such familiarity⌠It bugs him, if heâs being honest with himself. This was the woman who recruited him into S.E.E.S, who fought by his side climbing the floors of Tartarus. For the proud head of the Kirijo Group to just⌠Forget about him like that? It stung a little. Was this Wonderlandâs idea of a cruel joke?
    Not funny. Didnât laugh. Still, heâll play along for now; a Wild Card adapts, and he is no exception.
    âNo,â he states, the bluntness of one simple word all too obvious. Talking was such a pain, and he didnât know much about sign language yet, so that was out. Best to just suck it up. Minato lets out a soft, inaudible groan as Mitsuru grills him with question after question. Itâs not like he knows many of the answers, either.
    âWeâre twins. Got separated at age six. Somehow reunited in Wonderland,â he says, leaving out several key points. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Minako wouldnât appreciate having her past exposed without her permission. He wouldnât either. Keeping things vague was the best way to go; if Mina-nee wanted to say anything, sheâd do it on her own terms.
    ââŚYou free? You can come in. Sisâll be done flipping out soon.â Stepping to the side to let Mitsuru in, the younger Arisato cards a hand though his messy blue locks. âI hope.â
Okay. Okay okay okay okay.Â
There was no reason to panic. None at all. Minako stared at herself in the mirror for a solid minute, trying to control her breathing and the awful shaking of her hands.Â
She shut her eyes hard when she saw them covered in bloodâ
Not hers. Aragaki-senpaiâs. He was so still and accepting and, and, she was just so fucking angry and scared andâ
She knocked her head back against the door. Hard. The pain of it knocked her out the sensate memory with the unkind harshness of a scolded pet. Minako sucked air between her teeth in a hiss, then let it out nice and slow. Then it was a quick change; luckily she kept at least a spare lounge set hung up on her side of the bathroom in case of emergencies like this, so changing into some leggings and a comfy sweater was a breeze.Â
Kirijo-senpai and Minato were the only ones in the room, and Minakoâshe didnât feel comfortable having them see the scars on her neck, but it was unavoidable. Her scarf was on her nightstand and putting it on would just draw more attention. She rubbed the raised, ruined flesh on her neck and grimaced, before running a brush through her hair and tying it back. The grin she gave herself was plastic and empty, maybe a little manic, but itâd suffice.
She deserves answers for how you ran away. For how you failed her. And Mi-nii doesnât like talking to people and you just left him you coward, coward, cowardâ
Minako exited the bathroom in a flourish, waving a hand lightly.Â
âOh my goshhh, Iâm so sorry guys! Kirijo-senpai, Iâm so glad to see you again! Itâs been a while, huh? Howâve you been holding up?â
   Well, Arisato-san seemed to be to the point, so that was a plus. Mitsuru could read people easily but she was having a harder time reading him but something was telling her that he wasnât telling the full story. That didnât surprise her too much as she was a new RA and had a history with his roomate. She had questions prepared in rebuttal but the invitation to come into the apartment interrupted her.
  Nodding her head, âYes Iâm currently free and I would love to come in.â Mitsuru entered the apartment and sat down on one of the chairs while they both waited for Arisato-chan to come back.
  Mitsuru couldnât help but steal glances at Arisato-san; this ever nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she knew him and that they were close was starting to annoy her. She hated being so close to information and not being able to connect the dots- Arisato-chan left the bathroom.
  Seeing Arisato-chanâs signing, it didnât take long for Mitsuru to translate the Sign Language, âThere is no need to apologize Arisato,â a smile appeared on her face, âIâm...so happy to see that youâre...that youâre still alive.â To those who were close to Mitsuru could tell that her voice hicked at the end of the sentence.
   Taking a moment to study Arisato-chan, Mitsuru could immediately tell that her smile was fake. Mitsuruâs heart ached slightly at the site; she didnât like seeing the people that she held close to her trying to make their pain. Seeing Arisato-chan trying to mask her pain and being casual about this entire ordeal made Mitsuru slowly stand up and walk towards Arisato-chan.
   âTo be honest: Iâve been worried, Arisato. With everything that happened in October,â Mitsuru trailed her sentence off, the image of the still body still fresh in her mind, âand with your sudden disappearance...I was worried that I had failed twice that night as your leader...â She wanted to add something else to that list, but she felt as though it was not the right time.
   She was now standing in front of Arisato-chan. Looking at the girl in front of her, Mitsuru could see the scaring on her neck, but thatâs not what caught her eyes: it was that fake smile. A smile that held back something...something that Mitsuru didnât like.
    Mitsuru leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Arisato-chanâs waist and pulled her close for a hug. It was rare for Mitsuru to show affection or softness to others in a physical manner, but this was a special case.
    âIâm...so happy that youâre safe Arisato...â Mitsuru felt her eyes start to sting slightly and her voice wavered slightly, â...Arisato-san...be honest with me...how has she been holding up? Our team had just experienced a loss when we both fell down here. And while I do not know Arisato as closely as you do, I do know how she reacted and how I wanted to react when it happened.â Mitsuru was still hugging Arisato-chan when she subconsciously clenched her fists when remembering that night.