Like the summary said, this is a beta script of chapter 1 of my now inactive story Persona 6: Backside of the Computer. I was originally going to post this as a bonus chapter after I finished writing it, but I'm not going to finish that version. I'm going to re-write it after Collision is finished (which will probably be a while). However, if enough people like this, I'll keep updating it even though Collision is my number one priority right now. This will mean that updates will be insanely infrequent. I hope you enjoy and find it somewhat interesting. Cheers :)
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"Hiyori!" Sayaka screamed, turning to face her friend's body falling to the ground.
"Don't bother." Hiyori laughed, not getting up from the ground. She smirked at her team menacingly.
"No!" Sayaka screamed, tearing up.
Sayaka ran over to her friend's side, breathing heavily with anxiety. But Hiyori kept on smiling gleefully, bearing her teeth. Hiyori's pupils turned to slits and her eyes became a solid yellow. Hiyori stared into Sayaka's eyes, unblinking.
"She's gone, Sayaka!" Isamu yelled to Sayaka in response, trying to fight off the constant wave of shadows.
"We need to- !" Moeka was interrupted by a shadow attack, leaving a large gash in her arm. Blood slowly began to envelop the light gray sleeve of her uniform.
Sayaka fainted after looking into Hiyori's eyes for quite some time. Hiyori's wound bled openly from her stomach, dying her midnight blue blazer a crimson red. Her psychotic smile never faded and her eyes remained wide open. She consistently laughed over and over again, staring at her group of friends. Blood began dripping from her mouth and her eyes eventually closed, the psychotic smile still stitched onto her face.
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Sunday, 4/11, 20XX, Evening
Katashi jerked forward, nearly falling out of his seat. Other passengers stared at him with disapproving or concerned faces, only to instantly go back to looking down at their phones or talking to each other. Katashi leaned back into his seat and sighed with relief. His phone suddenly began vibrating in his pocket. He looked at the screen to see glitchy text which looked similar to text you'd see on an old VHS tape. It read, Is it time? On the bottom were two options, Yes or No. Katashi shrugged it off and selected no. His phone returned to the normal lock screen. 6:30 PM.
"You are now arriving in Fukuoka. Have a good day and make sure to watch your step." The muffled voice said, through the intercom.
Before Katashi had the chance to get up, passengers began crowding around the exit. He had no choice but to join them since he was being crowded by other passengers as well. As he was pushed out the exit he nearly tripped and would've carried multiple people along with him. Katashi finally managed to stumble to his feet.
The station was incredibly dark so it was impossible to see where he was going. The station was packed with people waiting for the next train to come. Katashi had to push his way through them one by one just to find a seat only to then receive rude remarks from people.
As Katashi started to give up hope someone grabbed him by the arm, making him stumble.
"I was worried I wouldn't be able to find you." A voice teased.
Katashi's eyes focused on a semi-chubby middle-aged man in a business suit. He smiled awkwardly at Katashi.
"You look like you've seen a ghost. Am I really that scary." The man interrupted.
"Ok…?" Katashi mumbled.
"Would you really give that kind of response to your own uncle?" The man laughed, patting Katashi on the back.
"I wouldn't be able to tell," Katashi mumbled, his eyelids getting heavy.
"I guess it has been a while." His uncle sighed. "You can just call me Ryota." Ryota grabbed for Katashi's and shook it against his will.
It was obvious that Ryota was pretty socially awkward. Looked like Katashi would fit in pretty easily.
Sunday, 4/11 20XX, Late Night
Katashi's phone vibrated in his pocket once more. As he took it out it read the same text from before, Is it time? With the same options below it. The screen began to glitch out so harshly that it was nearly impossible to read what it said. Is it time? What is this? A scam? Katashi selected no once again and his screen turned to normal. A few seconds later and the car radio started to blast a loud scratching noise. Ryota, startled, turned down the volume but to no avail.
"Dammit. I knew this car was broken!" Ryota said, frustrated. "Sorry about this, it's an old car."
"It's… fine…" Katashi mumbled, looking down at his phone screen to then see nothing was wrong with it.
The static of the radio became even louder. A few muffled voices could be barely made out. "Kill… kill… kill-" It was cut short by a feminine sounding voice yelling, "We beat 'em!" The static of the radio died down until it was only silence.
"That was odd…" Ryota mumbled, glancing at the radio. "I could've sworn the radio was off…"
Sunday, 4/11 20XX, Late Night, Home
Katashi stepped into an apartment which had to have been the most trashy looking apartment he had ever seen. Boxes and trash bags were stacked on top of each other. Katashi had to wade through the mass just to make it to the bottom of the stairwell.
"There's a spare room for you upstairs." Ryota sighed, rubbing his temple and yawning as he kicked off his shoes and started off upstairs.
"Good evening." A voice said.
Katashi looked to his right to see a girl sitting at the kitchen counter, reading a magazine. She wore a blank face which stared at her magazine. Her skin was nearly porcelain and her highly layered short black hair appeared silky and completely untattered. Her brown eyes were fairly large and still managed to look dead. She wore a black hoodie which seemed a little too big for her and a pair of dark gray leggings.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" The girl asked, slightly turning her head to face Katashi, with a blank face.
"Who are you?" Katashi asked, rubbing his face with tiredness.
"Your cousin. You must be mine." Yuika explained, turning her attention back to her magazine. "I'm pleased to meet you. I'm very sorry about the mess."
The gentle and almost perfect way she spoke was a little creepy, especially since she hadn't made a single facial expression during their entire conversation.
"Thanks," Katashi replied, flatly.
"You look tired. You should probably get some rest." Yuika suggested.
However Katashi agreed with her statement, he stared at her with confusion. She sounded so deadpan.
Katashi wandered upstairs and peered into his new room. The room was a mess. The desk wad piles of books, magazines, and newspapers piled up on it, rendering it completely useless. The ceiling light had bugs trapped inside and the light seemed almost as if it were to burn out any second. The futon in the corner was covered in dust and only carried one almost completely flat pillow and a small blanket. The paint on the walls was cracking and drops of water dripped from the ceiling which was being caught in a bucket.
Katashi walked over towards the futon and dusted it off. His eyelids were starting to get heavy once again. Katashi became too tired to continue cleaning so he collapsed onto the futon, face down.
Monday, 4/12 20XX, Morning, Home
Katashi suddenly jerked up from his futon caused by the blaring alarm he'd set to 7:00 to see a neatly folded school uniform set next to him. He groggily rubbed his eyes and silence the alarm. Katashi then laid out all the pieces of his uniform out on the floor so that he could get a better look at it. It consisted of a light grey blazer in which one side overlapped the other quite a bit, a white dress shirt to be worn underneath, a pair of black pants, and a pair of black dress shoes.
As Katashi walked downstairs, now wearing his uniform, he saw Yuika sitting on one of the kitchen stools, reading a magazine while eating a piece of burnt toast. Unlike the night before, she was clad in her school uniform with a few alterations. One of which was that in place of the light gray cropped blazer, she wore a black sailor blazer that fell down to her upper hips. Instead of the black knee-high socks, she wore what looked to be the same light gray leggings from the night before. She kept the black skirt and dress shoes the same. Yuika looked up from her magazine and set it aside.
"Oh, I made this for you," Yuika said, handing a burnt piece of toast out to Katashi. He reluctantly took a bite. It tasted terrible but he didn't want to be rude so he wafted it down. "I always knew I was a good cook."
"Thanks for the effort." Katashi sighed.
"No problem," Yuika replied, leaving her seat and picking up her school bag. She then made it to the door, picking up the umbrella leaning on the door frame. She looked back at Katashi, gesturing him to come closer. As he obliged, she reached for a second school bag from the countertop and handed it to him. He took it as Yuika held the door open for him.
Monday, 4/12 20XX, Morning, Class 2-3
The walk to school was mostly silent besides the birds chirping and the occasional whisper from Katashi's schoolmates. The clouds started to drift towards each other and turned a dark gray. Small drops of water fell from the sky and landed on the rough concrete. In response, Yuika opened her umbrella and scootched closer to Katashi, allowing him to be sheltered as well.
"How did you know?" Katashi asked, looking down at his cousin. Yuika looked at him, confused. Katashi then pointed up above him to the pouring rain.
"Oh, this?" Yuika said. "I check the weather forecast on my cell every day. Don't you?"
Monday, 4/12 20XX, Morning
"Good morning class." Mr. Fujioka sighed, glaring at his students and in addition Katashi. He then put his hand on Katashi's shoulder. "Try introducing yourself, kid. You can talk, can't ya?"
"Katashi Kurosawa." Katashi said, flatly.
"Good. Now sit down." Mr. Fujioka scolded, slightly pushing Katashi towards his empty seat.
Katashi was then facing a far less than impressed looking boy sitting to the right of Katashi's new desk, scowling at Mr. Fujioka. He had severely disheveled black hair with remnants of red dye still intact. He was tall had a generally muscular build. He wore the school's male sports uniform which consisted of a black athletic jacket with two white stripes starting from the collar and down to the ends of the sleeves with the sleeves rolled up slightly passed his elbows, a pair of joggers of the same nature as the jacket, and a pair of the black basketball-style high tops. A bandaid rested over the bridge of his nose while bandages were wrapped around his upper forehead, though mostly hidden by his hair.
At the desk to the right of him sat a slightly depressed-looking girl with long silver hair falling down to her lower back. Any kind of hair that would be let loose in front of her ear was cut on both sides. Her bangs were swept to the left side of her face. She wore the uniform almost completely normally with the cropped light gray blazer, the large yellow bow tie, the white dress shirt, and the black pleated skirt. The only alterations made were that she cuffed the sleeves and unbuttoned her blazer, wore a pair of black leggings, and a pair of unusual-looking brown leather boots that came up just below her knees that seemed to be strapped on with multiple black buckles and straps.
Katashi took a seat and dropped his bag on the floor. Mr. Fujioka pointed to a girl sitting to the right of Katashi and commanded, "You, share your textbook with him for today." The girl hesitantly moved her chair and her desk to meet Katashi's and laid the textbook in the middle of both desks. "Good." Mr. Fujioka mumbled, turning to face the board.
Monday, 4/12 20XX, After School, Class 2-3
"Kurosawa, huh?" A masculine voice said. Katashi turned to the left to see the boy sitting next to him scowling at him.
"Can I help you?" Katashi asked, narrowing his eyes at the boy. The boy looked him up and down and then shrugged, taking off from his seat and out of the room.
"I-Isamu!" The silver-haired girl exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. She then looked at Katashi with a slightly awkward smile. "I-I'm sorry about that." She bowed slightly as Katashi was leaving his seat. "H-here, I'll-"
Katashi eventually became annoyed at her over apologetic attitude and merely responded with, "Not necessary."
Monday, 4/12 20XX, After School
"How was class today?" Yuika asked, breaking the silence that had been between them walking home until now.
"A drag," Katashi replied.
"That's what I expected. Mr. Fujioka is quite the tragic man, is he not?" Yuika explained.
"Tragic?" Katashi asked, gaining interest in what his cousin had to say.
"I heard he's an alcoholic," Yuika explained.
"That wouldn't be surprising," Katashi mumbled.
"I wanted to ask you something." Yuika interrupted, changing the subject.
"What?" Katashi replied.
"Has something weird been happening lately?" Yuika asked, suddenly.
"No. Not exactly.?" Katashi asked, getting suspicious of her. "Why?"
"Good to know," Yuika mumbled. "No real reason I guess…"
Yuika seemed as if she was avoiding Katashi's reaction. She took one large step ahead and started to walk in front of him so that she could avoid further conversation.
Monday, 4/12 20XX, After School
Katashi followed Yuika into the apartment. It looked like his uncle wasn't home yet. The apartment living room was still covered in trash and unemptied boxes that were stacked up against the walls. Yuika kicked boxes and trash bags out of the way to make a path into the tiny kitchen. She set her school bag down onto the granite kitchen counter with a loud thud. Katashi's phone vibrated from in his pocket once again. As he took it out to see what it was, his phone presented the words, Is it time? The options, Yes and No still appeared on the glitchy screen.
"What's the matter?" Yuika asked, turning her attention away from the cupped ramen she was about to put in the microwave.
Katashi shook his head and pocketed his phone.
"Nothing, huh?" Yuika asked. "I'm just gonna assume it's some kind of porn add or something."
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"Good evening," Igor said, staring into Katashi's swollen eyes. It was at this moment Katashi realized how beat up he was in this world. "I see you have finally awakened the Hermit."
"What...are you talking...about?" Katashi asked, trying to take deep breaths to battle the pain of the injuries he somehow had sustained.
Igor snapped his fingers and suddenly twenty-one cards similar looking to each other were neatly placed in rows on Katashi's desk. They were all numbered and carried the color scheme of multiple shades of purple with black outlining the intricate designs.
"I apologize for not explaining this to you sooner," Igor admitted. "I will explain it to you now, however."
Igor steadily lifted his bony finger and pointed to the first card which was marked with a zero.
"This my friend, is you," Igor said. "This is the wild card. That means cards one to twenty-one are the other cards in which you see before you."
"In other words, you're the silent protagonist. You're only special in the way that you're the only one who isn't special." Shannon interrupted, making her presence known. She seemed calmer than the last time Katashi visited the Velvet Room.
"Precisely," Igor replied. "However the wild card does have the power to bring ruin to all life on Earth but can also save it as well. It's quite the contradiction however the wild card will learn its purpose later on. The wildcard is also known as the Fool."
Katashi remained silent. He was only a 'wild card', huh? The silent protagonist in a video game being controlled by pre-written fate. This is what he signed the contract for? To be controlled by some card and for twenty-one others to be controlled by a similar card.
"So you're controlling me with a card?" Katashi asked, grimacing at Igor and Shannon.
"I'm not in reach to be the one controlling you," Igor answered.
"Then why is my entire destiny in the form of some card then?" Katashi raised his voice for one of the few times in his life.
"This is what you signed the contract for!" Shannon scolded, whacking Katashi in the wrist with her ruler. There's where the Shannon Katashi knew was hiding.
"I believe I made it clear that signing the contract meant that you are always permitted to use the services of the Velvet Room," Igor explained. "Back to the topic at hand…"
"Don't completely dismiss me," Katashi mumbled, giving Igor a cold stare.
"You're in the presence of our master! Speak up!" Shannon shouted, whacking Katashi over the head.
"It would've been helpful to have told me what those services are!" Katashi shouted in response.
"The contract is very much just as I explained, that everything is your decision and that we are not responsible for anything that happens to you," Igor explained.
"So you cheated me?" Katashi argued.
"Silence!" Shannon exclaimed, holding up her ruler threateningly.
"Don't jump to conclusions so quickly. Nothing that happens to you outside of the Velvet Room is of my control." Igor explained, calmly.
Katashi groaned and silenced himself again.
Igor shifted his finger over towards the second card marked with the number one in Roman numerals. The card's design displayed an old man sitting on an old looking bench. The man wore an old newsboy cap and large glasses that looked around thirty years old. He held the top of his cane with both hands and stared at his feet with no facial expression.
"This is the Hermit arcana. Number I. The one like the Fool himself, someone who chooses to keep away, wandering the world of the living like the dead or a lost soul or burying themselves away in a homemade grave and away from their potential. The silent comrade."
"You're telling me that Yuika's fate rests within some made up children's fairy tale?" Katashi interrupted, rising from his seat. He stared into Igor's bloodshot eyes with complete anger.
"Don't interrupt your master!" Shannon scolded, looking mortified. She gave Katashi another smack to his wrist.
"You can't beat me into submission! This is all just a dream anyway!" Katashi shouted, the calm aesthetic disappearing.
Shannon sighed and crossed her arms. "You signed the contract and you get what you get," Shannon explained, gritting her teeth in frustration.
"This is all your fault." Igor interrupted, unrealistically calm.
"How is this my fault?" Katashi gasped, slamming his one free fist on the desk.
"This place is a cognition made from your memories being projected to you from inside your dreams. It's a shame it looks like this." Igor said, tapping his finger on his desk.
Katashi was defeated and silenced by Igor's remark. He sat down slowly and sighed. Katashi began to breathe heavily. Tears began to gather upon his eyelids and the tears that did fall made the cuts on his face sting.
"How do I feel this...then?" Katashi asked, anxiously. Katashi rubbed the side of his face from which the tears stung his face.
"Just because this is a dream doesn't make it any less real." Igor chuckled.
"Wha-what...are you…?" Katashi stuttered through heavy breathing.
"The ruler of this place. That's all you need to know." Igor explained, waving his hand dismissively.
"If you're not going to tell me anything I want to know, then can you just let me sleep?" Katashi groaned.
"Your wish is my command," Igor whispered.
Tuesday, 4/13 20XX, Morning
Light quickly flashed before Katashi's eyes as the classroom, along with Igor and Shannon disappeared. Katashi jerked up in an instant in a cold sweat. He pressed his hand against his forehead as sweat slowly dripped from his hair.
"Bad dream?" Yuika interrupted, handing Katashi another piece of burnt toast.
"Y-yeah." Katashi stuttered, sighing.
Katashi took the toast from her hand and stuffed it in his mouth for the time being. Once again it tasted like a dumpster fire but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Tears started to bunch up on his eyelids again only to be constantly wiped away.
"Are you feeling ok?" Yuika asked, taking her attention away from her cupped noodles which she somehow pulled out without Katashi noticing.
"Don't worry about it." Katashi sighed.
"Ok," Yuika replied turning attention to her breakfast once again.
"Igor...that bastard…" Katashi mumbled, wafting down his toast for the second time.
"What was that?" Yuika asked, still heavily focused on her food.
"Nothing," Katashi replied, sighing.
Tuesday, 4/13 20XX, Morning
"I want you to meet some people after school, ok?" Yuika said, handing Katashi a post-it note. The note read, Room 3-D on the second floor. In extremely messy handwriting.
Katashi nodded his head, folding the note and stuffing it in his pocket.