SEES finds a golden chest with armor inside

The labyrinthine structure known as Tartarus posed a constant threat to SEES-- the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad-- who'd tasked themselves with exploring its depths, in order to better understand the Midnight Hour and strike at the heart of the mystery surrounding the appearance of dangerous shadows. The further up the team went, the worse threats they faced. Yesterday's challenges seemed like simple speedbumps when faced with ever-stronger shadows of all types, bearing unknown abilities, strengths, and immunities.

That danger is lessened somewhat by the presence of a navigator. Mitsuru Kurijo had handled that role until the addition of Fuuka Yamagishi to the team. Now, she was able to join the others on foot, bringing with her a commanding presence, useful magic, and natural leadership instincts. As they entered the latest floor, Mitsuru put those abilities to good use, wiping out another group of shadows with her persona's supernaturally powerful ice magic. The monsters, an assembly of crow-like creatures, froze mid-air and then fell to the floor, shattering around the feet of the SEES members.

"Great job, Mitsuru-senpai! I'd say the team's lucky to have you in the tower with them now," Fuuka praised the senior member of the team. She wasn't with them, but she could provide strategy guidance and moral support from off-site, back at the dorm.

"Naturally," the older girl answered, flipping her luxurious red hair over one shoulder before coming to a resting stance with one long leg extended and her hand upon her hip. It wasn't a move to be standoffish or elegant... when you were as classy as Ms. Kurijo, such glamorous behaviors simply came naturally to you. "It was always my intention to join you all in the field. If anything, I'm making up for lost time."

Still, for all of her boons and for all that her team relied upon her, she couldn't help but harbor her own anxieties about the strange tower. For every enemy group they overcame easily like that, there was another batch of unfamiliar ones waiting, ready to attack them with previously unforeseen means. The tower seemed to have no remorse; it only became more and more difficult, the further they climbed. Rarely ever did it throw the team a bone...

... But this was one of those times! After proceeding just a bit further on foot towards what the map implied would be a dead end, the team spotted the glittering gold of a rare treasure chest all at once. The appearance was so striking that Mitsuru just barely stopped herself from walking into Akihiko in front of her... then was pushed into him anyway, as Junpei knocked into Makoto, who in turn fell onto her back. Thankfully, no one actually fell over, but the whole team was a scrambled mess for a few moments.

Junpei quickly attempted to laugh it off, then stood up ramrod straight and gulped as Mitsuru began to reprimand the entire team.

"That was sloppy! Yuki, keep your head up and keep your hands out of your pockets. Iori, watch where you're going! Sanada, don't lose track of your teammate's positions!" she scolded each of them in turn, swiping her rapier in a threatening arc. She had no intention of using it on her allies, of course, but the whip-like motion cracked them all into shape.

The silver-haired Akihiko grumbled into one fist, glaring back at her. He wasn't the type who took orders or insults lightly. "You bumped into me, Mitsuru..."

"Because you stopped suddenly," she sighed, shaking her head with disappointment. "Perhaps the fault is mine as well. But let's all try to do better."

"Hey, hey, am I the only one that's seeing that huge, sparkling, golden treasure chest over there?!" Junpei questioned, already beginning to run for it. "Finders keepers, dudes! Unless it's high-cut armor. Then, well, I'd say it goes to the one person on our current team that can wear high-cut armor!" As much as Mitsuru was a hard-ass, she had a great body, every bit the model-like figure that girls at his school dreamed of... a perfect body to match a superlative student. Seeing her cut a pose in that sexy armor-- which they'd encountered once before but unfortunately outgrown in terms of their current combat needs-- would make this whole nightmare of Tartarus seem like a pleasant dream! The high legs... the thong back... the bare belly... the metal cups covering the breasts!

"He expects every chest to give him high-cut armor now. What a dreamer," Akihiko laughed, placing one hand on Makoto's shoulder with a smirk. "I'd rather have a new weapon."

Makoto nodded silently... while secretly hoping Junpei would hold up a new set of that very feminine armor from inside the chest.

At the end of the hallway, Junpei stopped over the chest... then slumped his lanky shoulders. "Uh... This ain't exactly the armor I was picturing." He grumbled, pulling out what looked to be a visor-free version of a knight's sallet helmet. "The rest is all like this. Who's gonna wear this antique shit... Akihiko? You've got strong shoulders, I bet."

"Nah, I just upgraded my gear before we headed out. It should be the most **** one, right?" the other boy asked, idly rebandaging one fist as he spoke. "Junpei and I have personae that give us strong physical defense. Makoto can switch to one at any time. I'd say it's gotta be you, right, Mitsuru?"

The girl closed her eyes contemplatively. "Ordinarily, I would point out that it's actually best to buff the defenses of the expedition member who is the most well-protected already, so that they can act as a defense against enemies who'd attempt to take us all out in one swoop." She paused, then smiled. "But I'll admit to that one weakness: I haven't collected much in the way of protective gear yet. It would make the most sense for me to wear it."

"Like... the whole thing?" Junpei asked skeptically, wearing a skeptical frown and lowering his eyebrows. "This stuff looks heavy as shit."

"... Then I will wear just the parts that suit a lady of my build," Mitsuru answered, matching his challenging expression with one of her own. "Remember: as members of SEES, we waste no opportunity. Leaving rare equipment inside a treasure chest like this would be the height of foolishness."

The others nodded without enthusiasm, then slowly retreated behind the corner of the hallway to wait for the dominative young lady to redress herself into that armor. "Just what I wanted... A full set of dusty, antique tin-can armor. Really gets the old imagination churning," Junpei joked with the others.

Akihiko laughed, then gave Junpei a punch in the side that was too painful to be called playful, although that was its intention. While Junpei reeled from the attack, the upperclassman offered another take: "Mitsuru's tough, but I think you're overestimating our leader's muscles. End of the day: she's a girl with a fencing foil, not some berserker with a broadsword. There's only so much of that armor she can wear. She'll realize that and put it back. She's practical."

Hearing those words, Junpei forgot his pain; his nostrils flared with his new excitement. "O-Or... Or what if she wears it anyway?! What if all she can wear is the helmet and the skirt part?!"

"Faulds," Fuuka pitched in with a sigh; she was still listening in. "Please don't have your boy-talk where I can hear it over the support comms."