PERSONA 3 DEVIL'S HERALD

...10/08/2009 Monday; Dusk...

As night fell and classes ended, Hiro entered the dormitory, scratching his head with a visibly tired and irritated expression.

"God... how I hate grammar class. One kanji worse than the nex—" he muttered, closing his eyes in frustration.

Before he could finish his complaint, a bark echoed through the room.

Suddenly, a small furry figure darted toward Hiro, leaping onto his chest and knocking him to the ground.

Caught off guard, Hiro tried to get up as he was showered with licks.

Finally managing to hold the agitated figure up, Hiro looked at it in surprise and recognized the dog. "Koromaru? What are you doing here?"

Koromaru, the Shiba Inu with gray and white fur, wagged his tail enthusiastically, his red eyes gleaming with joy.

The answer came in the form of more barks, as if the dog was just as happy to see Hiro as Hiro was to see him.

Fuuka appeared from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of dog food.

Noticing the scene, she initially jumped at the sound of the fall but couldn't help laughing at the sight of Koromaru on top of Hiro.

"Koro-chan, be careful not to hurt Hiro!" she said, still laughing. "Are you okay, Hiro?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied as he got up, still holding Koromaru in his arms. "This little guy almost drowned me in slobber."

Hiro placed Koromaru on the floor and gestured for him to sit. Surprisingly, the dog immediately obeyed.

Hiro was impressed by Koromaru's obedience.

"You're really well-trained, huh..." Hiro smiled, still wiping his face. "Next time, try not to scare me to death, okay?"

Koromaru barked cheerfully, as if agreeing, while Hiro began to pet his head.

As Hiro stroked Koromaru, a wave of thoughts passed through his mind.

"Why are you so cute?!" he mentally screamed as the dog wagged his tail enthusiastically.

Fuuka, letting out a small giggle, commented, "Koro-chan's been wandering around the dorm looking for you and Minato-san."

"Really? I guess it's because we saved him at the shrine..." Hiro replied, standing up and brushing off his hands.

Koromaru let out a curious whine, tilting his head to the side, and Hiro noticed the outfit the dog was wearing.

A sleeveless white shirt with small wings and a collar that looked more like a high-tech device.

"What the hell is this outfit?" Hiro asked, visibly confused and slightly annoyed. "Fuuka, why is Koromaru wearing that?"

Fuuka, still laughing, looked at Koromaru fondly. "Well, he came in wearing it. I thought it was cute, but I don't know who dressed him."

Hiro scratched his head, clearly bothered by the choice of attire, but he decided to kneel near Koromaru to inspect the collar.

He noticed the small S.E.E.S. emblem engraved on one of the clasps.

"This collar... is it his Evoker?" Hiro asked.

"Yes," Fuuka replied with a smile. "The Evoker was adapted so Koromaru can use it with a howl. Koro-chan, do you want to show Hiro?"

Koromaru barked excitedly and moved to the center of the room.

Closing his eyes for a moment of concentration, he let out three fierce barks, followed by a long howl.

The collar glowed, emitting a blue light, and with an ethereal sound, Cerberus was summoned.

The imposing three-headed creature emerged from nowhere, following Koromaru's howl, and slowly approached Hiro and Fuuka.

The central head licked Hiro's face while the other two nuzzled against Fuuka, making her laugh.

"Come on... what a breath!" Hiro exclaimed, wiping his face. "Why am I always the target for licking?"

As Cerberus disappeared, Koromaru ran over to Fuuka, clearly expecting a reward.

Fuuka knelt down and grabbed some food from the bowl. "Good boy, here you go."

Koromaru happily ate from her hand while Hiro watched with a smile.

He glanced at the clock on the wall — it was 6:58 p.m.

Hiro muttered to himself, "Shinjiro should arrive in about half an hour... I think I'll take the chance to change clothes."

Heading upstairs, he made his way to his room.

Opening the door, he noticed everything was as he had left it — except for the messy bed he was always too lazy to make.

However, something caught his attention: a piece of paper on the desk.

Curious, Hiro picked it up and frowned at the messy handwriting. "Oh my God... what kind of chicken scratch is this? He might be middle-aged, but seriously... this handwriting is awful."

Struggling to decipher the message, he finally managed to make sense of it.

It was a letter from Chairman Shuji, informing him that a new weapon had been crafted to replace his broken scimitar and that it was waiting for him in the command room.

Raising an eyebrow, Hiro muttered with interest, "A new weapon? Now you've got my attention."

Intrigued, Hiro quickly changed clothes; he put on black jeans with ripped knees, a black T-shirt, and a red long-sleeved shirt over it, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

He climbed to the fourth floor, and upon opening the doors to the command room, he saw a white case resting on the coffee table.

Picking it up, he broke the seals and opened the case, revealing an impressive custom-made kukri machete.

A whistle of admiration escaped his lips.

"Wow... now that's what I'm talking about," Hiro said, picking up the kukri.

He spun the blade skillfully in his hand, testing its balance.

Then, stepping into a guard position, he unleashed three swift strikes in the air — wide, precise cuts.

Spinning the kukri again, he sheathed it in the new scabbard.

"This will do for now..." he murmured, satisfied with the new weapon.

...10/08/2009 Monday; Night...

After spending a few minutes testing the kukri, Hiro went down to the dormitory's ground floor and spotted Yukari, Minato, and Junpei at the dining table, immersed in their books and notebooks.

Junpei, however, seemed to be fighting a losing battle with the math questions, his eyes wide with despair.

"God... how the hell do I solve this? It makes no sense..." Junpei murmured, clearly frustrated.

Hiro smiled at the scene and then glanced at the sofas, where Mitsuru was reading a book with her usual elegance, while Akihiko drank a protein shake.

Nearby, Fuuka and Aigis were playing with Koromaru, who barked excitedly when he saw Hiro, begging for attention.

"Sorry, buddy. Not now," Hiro said, patting Koromaru's head so he wouldn't feel sad.

At that moment, Mitsuru, noticing the kukri Hiro was holding, closed her book gently and stood, walking towards him.

"I commissioned that kukri because of your fighting style," Mitsuru said, placing a hand on Hiro's shoulder. "A scimitar has a more fragile blade, especially considering how you fight."

Hiro smiled faintly, remembering the moment his old scimitar broke. "Yeah, I know. Thanks for taking care of it."

Before they could continue their conversation, the dormitory door opened, and everyone turned their attention to the entrance.

A tall man with a serious expression, dressed in a wine-colored coat and a gray beanie, entered calmly. Shinjiro Aragaki had arrived.

Mitsuru and Akihiko looked visibly surprised, their eyes wide.

Meanwhile, Hiro smiled subtly, already anticipating what was about to happen.

Fuuka, still bent down to pick up a toy for Koromaru, stood and asked curiously, "Kirijo-senpai, who is he?"

Mitsuru, still stunned, barely managed to respond. "Arag... Aragaki?" she stammered, incredulous.

"Yo," Shinjiro replied, as nonchalant as ever.

Akihiko, even more confused, approached Shinjiro, trying to understand why he was there. "Shinjiro, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you two," Shinjiro said, alternating his gaze between Mitsuru and Akihiko, but fixing it on Akihiko. "I want to rejoin the team."

The declaration shocked them both. Akihiko himself had spent months trying to convince Shinjiro to return to S.E.E.S, and now he was volunteering to come back.

Junpei, who had been confused until now, stood and pointed at Shinjiro. "Wait... he was part of S.E.E.S?"

Hiro stepped forward, placing a hand on Shinjiro's shoulder and smiling. "Well, for those who don't know, this is Shinjiro Aragaki, a former member of S.E.E.S. And I managed to convince him to return."

Mitsuru, still surprised, looked at Hiro. "You?"

Shinjiro, visibly irritated, forced a smile and glanced sideways at Hiro. "You didn't need to give so much detail..."

Akihiko and Mitsuru exchanged glances, unable to believe what they were hearing.

Hiro, on the other hand, approached Akihiko and gave him a friendly punch on the arm. "You and Mitsuru need him. Thank me later."

He then walked away, heading towards Koromaru, who was watching the interaction from a distance.

Hiro began petting Koromaru while Mitsuru, trying to regain her composure, shook her head to refocus.

"If you want to rejoin S.E.E.S, come with Akihiko and me to the command room. We need to talk," Mitsuru said, with her firm leader's tone.

Shinjiro nodded and followed Mitsuru and Akihiko upstairs as the atmosphere in the dormitory became silent and tense.

Everyone watched the scene closely.

Yukari, still confused, put her pen down on the table and asked, "Hiro, what's going on?"

Hiro stood and answered, trying to summarize: "Well, in short, Shinjiro is Akihiko's childhood friend. About two years ago, when S.E.E.S was formed, the first members were him, Akihiko, and Mitsuru."

He paused for a moment, scratching his head, trying to find the right words to explain Shinjiro's story without revealing its darker details.

Aigis, curious, approached Hiro and asked directly, "Hiro-san, do you know why Aragaki-senpai left S.E.E.S?"

Hiro sighed. "Yes, I do. But Shinjiro asked me not to tell anyone. What I can say is this: he blames himself for something that happened accidentally... because of his Persona, which went out of control."

The tension in the room grew. Yukari felt a chill run down her spine, worried about the possibility of something similar happening to her in the future.

Hiro took a few steps toward the kitchen, stopping at the door for a moment. "And one more thing... it involves an innocent person."

With that, he entered the kitchen, starting to look for something to eat while the others remained silent, reflecting on what they had just heard.