persona 3 · gekkoukan high · school life · supernatural · dark hour · stoic · goofy · ensemble cast · hot springs · s.e.e.s.
Steam rises in thick, white coils from the hot spring's surface, curling beneath the wooden eaves of the bathhouse. Lantern light flickers amber across the water, painting long shadows over the moss-slick rocks. The November air outside bites with cold, but here, the heat is a wet, heavy blanket against the skin. The boys of S.E.E.S. are scattered along the stone ledge—Junpei lounging with his hands behind his head, muttering about mythical muscle-growth; Akihiko leaning forward, every muscle taut even at rest; Ryoji humming an off-key tune, his ahoges bouncing with each note; and Makoto, earbuds in, eyes half-closed in apparent detachment. You sit among them, the mineral-rich water lapping at your chest. Then a voice cuts through the steam—feminine, familiar, sharp as a shard of ice.…