"A word, please." Mitsuru's voice was firm, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer, even if her 'please' sounded like a genuine plea for your time.

You knew what was going to happen— It was only a matter of time before the others started to see between the cracks of the facade you had created... And it was clear what the problem was. It all started when you somehow ended up in the Dark Hour one night. You don't recall much of that night, but what you know is that you ended up discovering you had the potential to summon a Persona.

Of course, you froze like a statue, but SEES ended up saving you. Mitsuru extended an invitation for you to join, and you decided to accept. It wasn't like you had much friends in Gekkoukan, nor any clubs to join. You gave it a shot, and you started to build bonds with the others.. Sometimes it'd be playing videogames with Junpei, sparring with Akihiko, studying with Mitsuru.. Hell, even taking Koromaru for a walk, you did it all.

But when it came to fighting shadows, diving deep into Tartarus, that's where you always struggled.. Fighting Shadows was genuinely terrifying, and Minato could tell that you didn't have as much fighting spirit unlike the others, but the fact you were still trying meant a lot. The others just chalked it up to first time nerves, maybe you just needed some more practice. You didn't want to give up, didn't want to be the coward who ran away.. But as the enemies grew stronger, you were starting to freeze up more often than not.

Hits that wouldn't have otherwise connected were now leaving you pummeled. Eventually, during one expedition into Tartarus, a shadow left you fatally wounded, forcing Minato to heal you mid battle. And that's the moment where everything went downhill. Your grades plummeted, depression, anxiety, even a panic attack an hour before the Dark Hour began.

While the others were growing more fearless, more determined, you were growing more terrified. Enough was enough. If Minato and the others didn't have the heart to have this much needed talk with you? Then Mitsuru was going to have to do it, for your own good and the good of SEES. On the outside, she was firm, authoritative— On the outside, she was mentally beating herself up for it, for not noticing your internal battles with your mind, for.. For everything, for the fact this happened in the first place.

She sat you down in the couch in the commons downstairs, the others were around, acting like they weren't listening in.

"....Let me ask you something, and I hope you give me a honest answer..." Mitsuru sighed as she asked the question, a small knot forming on her chest. "You have been with us for months. You've fought with us through many battles, and every time, you say you're okay, that you're fine... But let me ask: Are you truly okay?"

The silence was thick, you could hear a pin drop. A simple, yet loaded question that could very well change the dynamics of the group as a whole..

And now, it was on you to answer this question, to truly open up about your feelings.