Afflictions
P3P AU; The Dark Hour doesn't exist, nor do Personas or shadows. Iwatodai dorm is just a dormitory for students at Gekkokan High.
For this reason, Aigis, Ken, and Koromaru aren't present. Yet.
Each chapter is based off a status change which can be inflicted in battle in Persona 3. First chapter is normal, introducing the story.
Pairings; ShinjiroxHamuko, hints at AkihikoxMitsuru, more to follow in the future.
Chapter One; Normal.
Looking down at the admission letter, Iwatodai dorm was described as a small building, housing only a few students from Gekkokan high school. However, red eyes looked up at what appeared to be a mansion, beaming in the light of the setting sun behind it. 'Could this really be it?' Hamuko thought in awe, as she tried to analyse her surroundings. The street sign definitely said Mina Road, and there was a sign by the door which read the name of the dorm, but the confused student still struggled to believe that this was where she was placed. She was due to start at Gekkokan high school next week, having been transferred over from Tokyo, and she was told that this was the only dorm which could accommodate her. She swallowed nervously, walking up to knock on the large, foreboding door.
"You Arisato?" came a gruff voice from behind her, and she jumped and yelped in shock. Spinning around, Hamuko's eyes fell on a tall young man, wearing a long maroon coat, and a black beanie down to his eyes. He must have been a student at the dorm, because he knew her name; they had been warned she was moving in a week ago. She bowed in greeting, hoping to give him a good first impression of her.
"Yes, I'm Hamuko Arisato." She stuttered, realising just how anxious she was about moving in and meeting new people. Luckily, he responded with a smirk and a small chuckle, brushing past her as he went to open the door. It creaked slightly as it slowly swung open.
"Hurry in then." He grumbled, waiting inside and holding the door open for her. She nervously walked in, standing by the front desk as her host closed the door behind them. He spoke up again, leaning against the door with his arms crossed. "Shinjiro Aragaki."
"Huh?" was her confused response. In the indoor light, she examined his features. His dark eyes were almost hidden under his hat, and his dark-silver hair was long, and pushed back. He had warm skin, darker than her own pale skin, and he had wide, but distinct jawline. A scowl appeared across his sharp features.
"I'm Shinjiro Aragaki." He repeated with a sigh, looking out into the empty lounge. "Idiot." She thought he heard him mumble under his breath. Before she could respond, he bought his hands up to his mouth. "Kirijo!" He called, his voice echoing, before looking back at Hamuko. "Kirijo is the student president, and is in charge around here. She'll sort you out." he stated bluntly, his eyes turned away, before walking away toward what seemed to be a dining-kitchen area.
Realising her manners, Hamuko hopped forwards just so her eyes could catch him before he left. "Thank you, Shinjiro-san!" She chimed, smiling. He turned and nodded politely in response, but she could see his lips curl into a smile as he turned back and carried on walking away.
Her eyes lingered on where he stood, her thoughts trailing away from her. 'Shinjiro...' she though, repeated his name over and over in her head. 'Another student here? He looked too old to be a high school student...' She shook her head, not believing he was younger than eighteen years old. His face floated into her mind, and she found herself trying to remember the sound of his voice. 'He was very handsome...' She found herself thinking, smiling slightly.
"Ah, so you're here already." Came a woman's voice, and Hamuko snapped out of her daydream. She looked up to see a red-headed young woman walking towards her. She bowed, and heard the woman chuckle. "Don't be so formal." She urged.
Hamuko stood straight and smiled. "I'm Hamuko Arisato, nice to meet you." She greeted.
"I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, student president." Mitsuru introduced herself, and she gestured for them to go and sit in the lounge. Hamuko nodded, and followed her to the set of armchairs and sofas surrounding a rather large coffee table. A number of magazines and books were piled on the table, ranging from sports magazines to cooking guides. She sat down on the end seat of the sofa, whilst Mitsuru took the armchair next to her. From the corner of her eye, she could see Shinjiro, who was sat on a stool in the dining area. He glanced up and her, then looking back down to read his magazine.
"I understand you'll be starting at Gekkokan High on Monday?" Mitsuru asked, crossing her legs elegantly. Hamuko nodded. "I've been told you've been placed in class 2-F, which is the same class as two students here. You'll meet Iori and Takeba soon." She said.
Hamuko smiled, comforted that she might have friends in her class. "That sounds great." She mused aloud, to the amusement of Mitsuru. She stole a glance at the young man reading the magazine. "May I ask about the others staying here?" She asked, curiously.
"I see you've already met Aragaki. He's an upperclassman, like me and another in the dorm." She started to explain, before sighing. "He appears cold, but understand that he is a good person. It takes a while for him to open up." Her head shook in disappointment. "And there's one other student here our age, Akihiko Sanada, head of the boxing team. Junpei Iori and Yukari Takeba are the two in your form class, and are both easy to get along with. And then there's Fuuka Yamagishi, she is your age too. She's not in your form class, but might share other classes with you. She's friendly, but very shy." She explained, before getting up. "You must be tired, I'll show you your room. All of your possessions arrived yesterday, they should be in your room already." She said, heading towards the stairs. Hamuko jumped up, daring one last glance at the 'cold' upperclassman. He was absorbed in his magazine, and didn't notice the two girls leave.
After climbing up two flights of stairs, they walked down to the end of the hall before stopping at the last door. "This one is yours." Mitsuru unlocked the door, opening it for Hamuko to walk in. It wasn't especially large, but had a comfortable looking single bed against right hand corner. A desk sat in front of the window, which had various shelves sat on it. Shelves lined the wall above her bed, presumably for books, and at the end of the bed sat a rather sizeable closet. Pushing the door open wider, she heard it clang against ceramic, and she turned her head to see she had a sink and mirror against the wall. Walking in, she considered it quite spacious, and was rather impressed.
"This is awesome!" She exclaimed, smiling and turning back to Mitsuru, who was standing in the doorway. The senior smiled to herself, considering how alike the new girl was to the other younger students in the dorm; cheerful and optimistic. She handed over a set of keys, and smiled.
"I'm glad. The silver key is for your room, and the gold one is for the front door. Only lock it if you're the last one out, or if you're going out for the night, and no-one is downstairs. If you lose those keys, see me, I'll sort you out new ones." She said, before looking at the clock on Hamuko's wall. "Right, I'll leave you to unpack. If you come down to the lounge tomorrow morning, I'll introduce you to everyone else." She said, before nodding and taking her leave. Hamuko walked over and closed the door behind her, and sighed.
She looked down at her bags, and started to go through them. She didn't have a lot of stuff, and it didn't take long to put away her clothes. At the bottom of one of her bags sat her two school uniforms. They had been ordered a while before she moved, and she picked them up and started to flatten the creases from them. She opened her closet and pulled out a couple of coat-hangers, and hung them up on the rail, ready to wear.
With her room sorted, and her suitcase and smaller bags empty and sitting at the bottom of her closet, she sat down on her soft bed. Laying back, she smiled slightly. Today didn't go as badly as she expected, she even made friends. She scowled slightly, thinking about Shinjiro. Did she make friends with him? With a sigh, she pushed herself up and went to change into pyjamas, whilst thinking about the senior carefully. He seemed nice enough to her, though a little intimidating at first. Dressed and ready for bed, she lay herself under the unfamiliar duvet, and closed her eyes, thinking of her old dorm, and her potential new friends.
Hamuko quickly adjusted her hair, peering at herself in her mirror. Despite it being a Friday, she didn't have to go to school yet because she wasn't scheduled to start until Monday, so she didn't wear her uniform. Instead, she wore a simple, fitted orange t-shirt, and basic straight legged jeans. With another nudge of her ponytail, she nodded to herself. Her clock told her it was nearly eight in the morning, so she opened her door and proceeded to walk downstairs, trying to catch everyone before they left. There was lively chatter from the dining area, so she nervously stepped down the staircase, and into the partitioned off section of the ground floor. Instantly, six pairs of eyes fell on her, and a few of the faces grinned.
"Oh man, you're the new student here?" An ecstatic male voice called out, and Hamuko looked at where it came from. A tall, skinny young man was grinning widely, adjusting his flat-peak cap as he wondered over. "You're so cute! My name's Junpei Iori, but you can call me 'Stud'." He fawned over her, only to be hit across the back of the head by one of the girls.
"Hey, can't you greet anyone without hitting on them?" She chided, before smiling apologetically to Hamuko. The girl had shoulder length light brown hair, and wore a pink sweater over her school blouse. "Please ignore him, he's an idiot." She said, laughing a little. Hamuko couldn't help laughing back, nodding. The girl stepped forward, pushing Junpei behind her. "I'm Yukari Takeba, call me Yukari." She introduced, bowing her head slightly.
"I'm Hamuko Arisato." Hamuko replied, smiling and also bowing her head slightly at Yukari. Mitsuru appeared beside her, and waved her hand towards the dining table.
"Please come and sit." She invited her to sit with them, and once they were all sat down together, Hamuko could properly see everyone she would be living with. Two others sat with them, who hadn't introduced themselves yet. A silver-haired young man sat quietly, eating what looked like a rather gruesome high-fibre cereal. He wore a red waistcoat over his school shirt, and had a square white plaster just above his right eye. A dark-green haired girl, who layered a green turtle-neck vest under her uniform, sat next to him eating a much sweeter looking cereal.
"This is Akihiko Sanada." Mitsuru said, nodding at the young man. She had told the new girl about him briefly last night, though describing him as just the head of the school's boxing team didn't quite sum him up as well as Mitsuru wanted. He swallowed his mouthful of food, before clearing his throat and leaning over the table to shake hands with Hamuko. She reached out and shook his hand, feeling his firm grasp. 'Wow, he looks so skinny, but he's quite strong…' she thought to herself. Akihiko didn't appear to be as big and muscular as she expected, but she supposed that there was more to boxing than pure power.
"Nice to meet you. I'm the second oldest here." He said, smiling before getting back to his cereal. Realising he wasn't the last one to introduce himself, he gave the girl next to him a gentle elbow to shoulder, which made her emit a little squeak. She stood, pushing her chair back a little. Stood up, she was rather short, with a petite build.
"I'm Fuuka Yamagishi, it's very nice to meet you, Arisato-san!" She said quickly, in a high voice. Hamuko was a little taken back at the formality of her words, but smiled at her regardless. She remembered briefly how she was told that Fuuka was quite shy, and her greeting showed it.
"Please call me Hamuko." She chimed, making Fuuka smile back nervously. She then looked around her, searching for the last person in the dorm. Other than the five who she had just spoken to, the ground floor was empty. Her eyes searched out a maroon coat, but found nothing.
"Where's Aragaki-senpai?" the green-haired girl asked, looking at Akihiko. Her observant eyes had caught onto the fact that Hamuko was looking for someone else, and there was only one person missing from the group.
"Probably still in his room." He murmured quietly, before looking up at Hamuko. "Have you met Shinji yet?" He asked, before shovelling another spoon of cereal in his mouth.
Hamuko nodded. "I met Shinjiro-san last night, he let me into the dorm." She explained, glancing towards the stairwell. Was he purposely avoiding her? Akihiko's concerned voice made it sound like he was usually down at this time. She felt saddened, thinking that perhaps they didn't hit it off as well as she had first thought.
"We better head off!" Yukari warned everyone, her eyes on the clock on the wall in the hallway. Akihiko shovelled down the last of his cereal, and Fuuka picked up his bowl for him, carrying both of their bowls to the kitchen sink. He called over a thanks, before grabbing his jacket, and heading for the door. They all filed out, chatting amongst themselves. They left Mitsuru, who watched them leave, and waited until her and Hamuko were alone.
"I'm sorry we have to leave you, but we must get to school." She apologised, looking at her sympathetically. As the student president, she had to set an exceptional example to the student body, and her perfect attendance rating wasn't going to drop any time soon. Hamuko shook her head, understanding.
"That's fine, I have some reading to catch up on before school starts anyways." She said, grateful that Mitsuru was worried about her. The senior looked up at the stairs, before sighing. "Looks like Aragaki isn't going to be down any time soon." She thought aloud, frowning. He had a habit of skipping class, which no amount of nagging would break. "Right, I'll see you later." She said, leaving for school.
Hamuko looked around, the dorm now almost completely empty apart from her and Shinjiro, who was no-where to be seen. "Might as well make use of the lounge…" she thought aloud to herself, hastily popping upstairs to grab some books. She returned down a few minutes later, with three books in her arms, to hear the sound of frying from the kitchen. She wandered into the dining room, to see a rather sleepy looking Shinjiro, dressed in a loose black t-shirt and grey sweat pants, hard at work frying up some breakfast.
Not wanting to alarm him, she coughed before greeting him. "Good morning." She said nervously, walking over to put her books on the coffee table. He turned to look at her, but had to turn his eyes back to the cooking food.
"Morning." He replied gruffly. She sighed, feeling a little hurt. 'Mitsuru-senpai was right…' she thought, feeling put-off by how cold he was being. Then her mood lifted when he spoke again. "Have you had breakfast yet?"
"No, not yet." She replied slowly, watching him sceptically. He nodded, then pulled two plates out from a cupboard. She watched him, leaning on the arm of the sofa, as he carefully plated up his cooking. He bought the two plates and cutlery out to the table, and looked up at her expectantly.
"Here." He invited, pushing one plate to the other side of the table, offering it to her. She smiled, walking over and sitting herself down opposite him. Laid out on her plate was a full fried breakfast, complete with sunny-side up eggs and crispy bacon, and she felt her mouth open in awe.
"T-thanks." She stammered, looking at him as he had started eating his own breakfast. He nodded in acknowledgement, but otherwise sat silently as he ate. She picked up her knife and fork, and started to eat tentatively. Despite being a fried breakfast, it wasn't too oily or greasy, and she found herself absorbed into her food. 'He's a really good cook…' she thought, a little shocked. She looked up at him, amused at his long, scruffy bed hair, and dark circles under his eyes. He looked handsome even first thing in the morning, untidy and dishevelled. She titled her head slightly, as it if it would give her another perspective of him. He didn't look like the cooking type…
He looked up, catching her eye, and she flushed, delving back into her food. "This is really good." She commented, trying to break the awkward silence. He didn't reply, so she resigned herself to leaving the silence alone. However, after a while of silent eating, it didn't feel so awkward anymore. She found herself sat comfortably, slouching a little in her seat, almost mirroring his relaxed posture. They both finished their meal, and Shinjiro reached out to take her plate. She smiled, letting him carry them over to the sink, and dumping them carefully with the empty breakfast bowls from earlier.
"Thank you…" she said again, bowing to her senior. He looked up, and gave her a small smile. In the kitchen, he poured himself a mug of strong coffee.
"No worries." He replied, before wandering into the lounge, coffee in hand. She followed him, sitting down by her textbooks. Shinjiro looked at them, then looked up at her face with a raised eyebrow. "Studying?" He asked, taking a sip of his hot drink. She nodded, picking up the top book. She heard him chuckle, as she opened it at a bookmarked page.
Happy to not disturb her, Shinjiro sat silently, drinking his coffee and trying to wake himself up. From the coffee table, he picked up his magazine from last night, and opened it where he left off last time. A few minutes passed, the two sat reading contently, before Hamuko's eyes lifted from the page of her book.
The way Shinjiro was holding the magazine made it hard to see the cover, so she tilted her head a little, trying to make out what it said on the front. The shape of a frying pan was slightly distinguishable from the angle she was at. 'A cooking magazine?' she thought, before smiling. Of course it was. She put her book down, curiosity fuelling her.
"Aren't you going to school today?" She asked, leaning back into the seat. Shinjiro looked up from the recipe he was reading, and shook his head.
"Not today." He said simply, turning the page. "Didn't feel like it."
She raised an eyebrow, pretty sure that that's not how school worked. She sighed, shaking her head. Upperclassmen got so obnoxious sometimes, assuming they can do into school whenever the hell they wanted. She felt slightly irritated at the student sat opposite her, but shook it off.
"What did you have planned for today?" he asked, steering the subject of conversation away from himself.
"Just catching up on my reading…" She replied solemnly, demonstrating how good a student she was. He just chuckled to himself, turning the corner of the page he was on down before putting his magazine back on the table.
"Give me ten minutes, I'll show you around town." He said, standing up and leaving before she had time to think of objecting.
'Obnoxiously skipping school, and arrogant...' She thought, sighing as she also stood up and returned to her room to pick up a light jacket. 'Not that you're complaining.' She rebuked herself, scowling slightly. She returned to the lounge, and waited with her jacket over her arm for Shinjiro to return.
A couple of minutes later, his heavy foots sounded against the hard stairs, and she looked up to see him without the heavy coat and beanie she expected him to be wearing again. Instead, he wore a simple black turtle-neck jumper, and dark denim jeans. His hair was some-what tidied, and he too carried a light jacket over his shoulder.
"Ready?" He asked, looking at her expectantly.
"You don't have to do this, you know." She said, tilting her head to the side. Despite feeling a little put-out, she found herself actually a little excited to be going out with her dorm-mate.
"Do you not want to?" He said, looking down at her.
She hesitated, then smiled a little. "No, I would like to…" she murmured in a small, shy voice, feeling a little heat rush to her face.
He smiled, nodding. "Then we shall go." He said, leading her outside. With no-one else left in the dorm, he looked the door behind him. "So, there's the Iwatodai strip mall, that's the closest thing nearby. They have good food places." He said, starting to explain their little town. "And good book shops there too, I think we should go there first." He started to walk away, expecting her to keep up. She hopped after him, and he slowed down his pace when he saw she was struggling to match it.
The walk to the mall was silent. She glanced at him every couple of minutes, unsure if she should say anything. She decided to remain quiet. Walking next to him, she felt tiny. His frame wasn't as large as it appeared last night, when he wore his heavy maroon jacket, but he was still quite heavily built. She really noticed his height, as he towered above her, making her feel much younger than him. 'How is he only a year older than me?' she cursed, planning to drink more milk in the future. They arrived at the strip-mall after a ten minute walk, and she forgot herself when she saw the book shop.
"Oh look, isn't that so cute!" she exclaimed, breaking into a gallant jog towards the shop named 'Bookworm'. She gazed in the window, her eyes bright with excitement. He watched, amused at her loss of composure, and feeling an odd warmth in his chest. He ignored it, and wandered over to stand beside her.
"Want to go in?" He asked, looking in himself, eyeing an old recipe book in the window. Her eyes light up, and she looked at him with enthusiasm.
"Can we?" She asked eagerly, to which he nodded, opening the door and holding it open for her. A bell chimed as they walked in, and an elderly couple were chatting quietly to themselves at the back of the shop.
"Welcome!" They called over, before going back to their conversation. Shinjiro and Hamuko wandered around the small shop, picking up the odd book and examining it. The walls were covered from floor to ceiling with shelves, each holding rows and stacks of books of many shapes and sizes. Tables in the middle of the room was also piled high with old books, both read and unread.
"Look, they have a whole collection of the classics!" she whispered breathlessly, trying not to ruin the quiet atmosphere of the shop. Shinjiro looked at the ornate set of hardbacks she was stood in front of, smiling at her delight. She sighed when she saw the price stickers on them. "A little more than I can afford right now though…" she murmured to herself, leaving them behind sorrowfully and wandering over to the cheaper paperbacks. Shinjiro squinted at the tiny white stickers, totalling the set to 6000yen. 'Two nights at Chagall Café would cover ten…' he noted, wondering if he could pick up a few more shifts in the week. Shinjiro smiled to himself, turned back to and leafing through the old house-wives' cooking guide he had in his hands.
After half an hour of browsing, the two walked out of the shop, carrying a small paper bag each. Shinjiro bought the old recipe book he had flicked through, specifically for the desert dishes. Hamuko purchased a rather worn copy of 'Kokoro' by Natsume Sōseki, which was the only book on her literature class' reading list she hadn't already read. Standing outside of the shop, he looked down at her little bag.
"Give that here." He said, reaching out. Before she could respond, he took the bag out of her hand. Carefully folding it, so the book wouldn't get damaged, he placed the bag inside his own. "Makes sense, rather than carrying two." He explained, before looking around them. "Hungry?"
With her, now free, hand, she awkwardly adjusted her hair, before shrugging. "I suppose." She replied, looking around for places to eat. "Is there anywhere good to eat here?" She asked.
Shinjiro chuckled, before heading up the spiral stairs to their right. "This way." He called back, and Hamuko followed.
"Where are we going?" She asked, speeding up her pace to match Shinjiro's. He glanced down at her, before nodding towards a noodle restaurant. She looked up, and her eyes read the sign. "Hagakure?" She asked, before skipping ahead of him. He smiled slightly, watching her slowly become comfortable around him. She stood outside, looking at the various signs. He brushed past her, sliding the door open and holding it open for her to walk in. She sheepishly walked in, feeling a little like a child.
Upon walking in, a strong scent hit her nose. Potent spices floated in the air, and she looked around at the dim room. There was a small television in the corner, which had the volume turned down low. A few customers were sitting around, the small groups taking in hushed voices, adding to the calm atmosphere of the restaurant.
Shinjiro followed her in, and sat down on a stool at the counter. "Two Hagakure bowls." He ordered, as Hamuko sat down. A questioning look spread across her face, as she looked up at him. He smirked. "Some say that Hagakure serves some of the best noodles in Japan. Whilst it sounds like bullshit, their specialty bowls are the finest noodles I've ever tasted at any rate." Hamuko's eyes lit up.
"Sounds good." She said quietly, before going quiet and laying her hands on her lap. They sat quietly, and Hamuko's mind took her back to her old home in Tokyo. An emptiness gripped her chest, and without realising it, she was suddenly choking back tears. 'Homesick?' She thought, a little shocked. She turned away from Shinjiro, carefully mopping up tears with her fingers.
"We didn't have anywhere like this at ho- in Tokyo…" She stammered, her voice breaking a little at the word 'home'. It wasn't home anymore. She thought she had already settled in, she had met all her dorm-mates, even made a friend, she thought as she sat next to the intimidating older student. She forced herself to smile, only to look up at Shinjiro who had a dismayed expression on his face.
Unsure of how to react to her breakdown, he reached out and patted her head awkwardly. The contact made her chest hurt even more, and she finally let the tears roll down her face. Shinjiro's eyes widened, distraught that he had made it worse. "Shit." He cursed under his breath, too quiet for Hamuko to hear.
"Shinjiro-senpai, I'm scared." She admitted, catching her tears with her long sleeve. Shinjiro rummaged around his coat to get a packet of tissues out of his pocket. He pulled a couple free from the plastic, dropping them on the counter. He reached over, one in hand, and carefully dabbed her eyes, a cool mask falling over his face.
"What is there to be scared of?" He asked softly, patting her red cheeks with the tissue before tucking a clean one in her hand. He took a deep breath, and tried to give her an encouraging smile. "Everyone at the dorm will love you." He tried to comfort her. "Iori is an idiot, but he'll look after you. Takeba is a gossip, but she warms up to everyone her age quite easily." He started to list everyone at the dorm, counting them on his fingers. "Yamagishi is quiet, and a terrible cook." He grimaced. "But she's the kindest soul in our dorm. And Kirijo has taken you under her arm, she'll look after you. Aki… well he's an idiot, but he's thoughtful, and caring… and hell, he's protective as anything…"
She watched him talk, enthralled by his voice and how kindly he was speaking of his friends. Her eyes started to dry, and she wiped the last of the salty tears from her face. He was right, what was she to be scared of? Shinjiro's face then contorted as he scowled to himself. Without warning, he held his hand out to her.
"Give me your phone." He said. Fumbling about in her pockets, she pulled out her pink touch screen phone, complete with a novelty Jack Frost charm. He frowned at the cuteness of it, then started to tap away at the screen. He turned his face away, hiding his eyes in shadow, as he returned the mobile back to her. "If you feel scared again… Hell, if you ever want to talk, phone me, text me, just… let me know." He mumbled quietly.
Hamuko's chest fluttered, and she nodded. "Thank you." She murmured back, checking her phone to see he had entered his number into a new contact, under the simple title 'Shinji'. The corners of her lips curled up into a soft smile, and she looked up at him gratefully. He glanced down, and smirked back, glad she had cheered up.
Two steaming hot bowls were placed before them, and Shinjiro leant forward, breathing in the warm scent of the ramen. "Ah, great." He said, grabbing two sets of chopsticks from the side. He passed one to Hamuko, then turned his attention to his food. Hamuko also turned to focus on her noodles, feeling slightly embarrassed at her breakdown in front of her cool senior.
The walk back to the dorm was relatively quiet, as they only occasionally chatted about little things such as weather and their dorm-mates. Five minutes away from the dorm, they were in the middle of an animated conversation about Akihiko.
"So you grew up with him?" She asked, her eyes curious. He nodded.
"We were raised at the same orphanage, with his little sister, Miki." He stated calmly, to her shock. She blushed pink, stopping and turning her face towards the floor.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know…" She said, instantly regretting asking. He shrugged, before reaching out to ruffle her hair. She shook her bangs back into place, looking up at him apologetically.
"Don't be, it's fine." He replied, before looking up at the sky. It was still bright out, but everyone would be heading home from school soon. "I never knew my parents, died when I was young." He said bluntly. He looked back at Hamuko, who looked sad.
She understood how he felt. "I feel bad for not remembering much of my parents." She started to talk, unable to stop the words tumbling out of her mouth. "They died in a car crash, I was the only one to survive." She said, sighing. "I wasn't even that young…" Shinjiro stopped walking in shock, not realising how close to home his talk about the orphanage would hit Hamuko.
She looked up, a small but sad smile on her face. "You're lucky you had someone like Akihiko-senpai with you." She said simply, remembering her lonely days at her own orphanage.
"… Yeah."
"We're home!" Came a call from the front door, Junpei's voice echoing down the hallway. Hamuko looked up from her new book, and smiled in greeting to the returned high-school students. Yukari and Fuuka wandered over, sitting themselves across from their new dorm-mate.
"How was your day?" Yukari asked, smiling pleasantly at Hamuko. She grinned back, lifting up her book to show the girls.
"It was good, Shinjiro-senpai showed me around the Iwatodai strip mall." She said, her small smile turning into a grin. Shinjiro returned to his room after they got in, probably to put his new cooking guide away. He was yet to return.
"Aw man, I was going to do that." Junpei called out from behind her, after hanging up his jacket on the hooks by the door. He came and sat with the trio, slumping down into the armchair that Mitsuru took last night. "Did he treat you to a Hagakure bowl?" He asked sceptically, leaning against the arm of the seat.
Hamuko nodded, which made the girls smile. "Wow, it took weeks for Shinjiro-senpai to even talk to me!" Fuuka exclaimed, slightly puzzled. "And even then it was because I nearly burned the brownies I was making…" She sighed, furrowing her brow. 'So this would be the bad cooking he was telling me about...' Hamuko thought fondly.
She shook her head. "He was just trying to settle me in, that's all." She explained, going slightly pink at the idea of their outing being anything more than that. Her mind flicked back to the moment he wiped tears off her face, and when he gave her his number, telling her to call or text him whenever she felt scared. She shook the thoughts away, though she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest.
"Well, I call dibs on taking you to Paulownia mall then." Junpei demanded, grinning widely. Hamuko's eyes narrowed at him, unsure if she really wanted to spend much time alone with the pervert. Not noticing Hamuko's expression, he excused himself to get a drink from the upstairs vending machine.
Yukari leant over to Hamuko, once Junpei was out of earshot, having seen her cautious expression. "Don't worry," She whispered. "Fuuka and I will take you down there without him, if you'd like." She said, causing Hamuko to smile gratefully. Though she did like Junpei, she definitely didn't want to give him the wrong idea.
"Thank you." She whispered back gratefully.
They heard the door open and close again, and Hamuko looked over to see Mitsuru and Akihiko walk in, both carrying two large pizza boxes. "Guess who got pizza!" Akihiko called out into the lounge. The girls cheered, and leapt up to follow the two seniors into the dining room. Hamuko hopped up to follow them after Yukari stopped and looked down at her expectantly. A warmth filled her chest, and she finally felt like she had been accepted as one of their friends.
"Right, we've got the usual." Akihiko stated, setting each box down carefully. "Meat feast, Hawaiian, margarita, and BBQ chicken." He explained, mostly towards Hamuko, as he pointed to each box. "Help yourselves. I'll go get Shinji and Junpei." He said, walking up the stairs. Hamuko smiled, noting how he and Shinjiro always referred to the other by their nicknames. 'They're so close…' She thought, a pang of jealousy running through her. The back of her mind wondered if she was jealous of the two supporting each other whilst they were growing up, which she never had… or whether she was jealous of Akihiko for being so close to the tall, dark-haired young man.
She shook her head, accepting a plate which Mitsuru was offering her. The others had already started taking pieces, and she made sure to grab a slice of the BBQ chicken before the boys came back down. 'Are four pizzas going to be enough?' She thought uncertainly, counting the seven growing teenagers that would be feasting tonight.
A flurry of students were rushing through the school gate, marking the end of the school day. Hamuko, Yukari, and Junpei were a part of the bustling crowd, and managed to slip away to the pavement outside the gates before they got swept away. They watched the large mass of hurried students hurrying out, keen to get away from the school.
"How has your first week at school been?" Yukari asked Hamuko, who was adjusting her red bow around her neck. She was getting used to the uniform, though the neck-tie was unfamiliar to her. After pulling the bow tight, and neatening once more, she was content with it.
"It's been good." She said, smiling. She had been introduced to each of her new classes, finding that at least one of her dorm-mates accompanied her. The only two classes she had without Yukari, she shared with both Junpei and Fuuka. The three started to walk towards the monorail station, heading home.
"You're lucky you only have two weeks until we break up for summer." Junpei said sorrowfully, stretching as he broke into a yawn. He looked down at the young girl in both envy and pity. "Why transfer you over so late in anyways? What's the deal with that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hamuko sighed. "My birthday is next week, I'd have been too old to stay at the orphanage." She said quietly.
Yukari and Junpei both went quiet. They had been told of her background, but neither of them felt comfortable talking about it. Junpei finally spoke up. "That's too bad."
Yukari quickly followed. "But it's your birthday next week? Why didn't you say?" She asked, smiling. Hamuko smiled apologetically, explaining how she just didn't think to.
"It's no big deal…" She mumbled.
"No big deal? Dude, you're turning 17 next week, that's a huge deal, right Yuka-tan?" Junpei cried, sighing dramatically and looking at Yukari for support. She nodded. "What are we going to do? What day is it? I wonder if we could get everyone down to the karaoke place." He interrogated, trying to think about making plans.
"It's on Thursday, and really, you don't have to do anything." She squeaked, her eyes wide at Junpei's enthusiasm. Junpei ignored her objection. Throughout all the monorail journey, he sat grilling Hamuko about her birthday, and what she'd like to plan for it, whilst Yukari sat quietly, giving in her own input every now and then. 'What's up with him?' Hamuko thought, only half listening to Junpei natter on. 'It can't just be a love of parties…'
One they got off at Iwatodai Station, Junpei looked towards the strip mall. "I have to pick something up." He excused himself, before breaking into a jog. Yukari sighed, shaking her head and dragging Hamuko away.
"I'm sorry about him." She said, flicking her hair back. "He does this to almost everyone, though he's learnt to back off from Shinjiro-senpai." They both chuckled at the thought of Junpei trying to throw a big party for the cold upperclassman. Yukari glanced around them, making sure no-one was in earshot, and she leant closer to Hamuko. "He has had some troubles at home, his alcoholic father never remembers his birthday." She whispered, and Hamuko's eyes widened in understanding. Yukari nodded, then gave her a smile. "If you don't want to do anything, just tell him to cut it out, he'll back off." She said, shrugging.
Hamuko shook her head. "No, it's okay. It'll be nice to celebrate with friends, for a change." She replied, getting rather excited.
The clock on her wall ticked over to eleven in the evening, and Hamuko, sat reading 'Kokoro' on her bed, heard a slight buzz coming from her desk. Turning the book over to keep her page, she climbed out of bed and wandered over to the origin of the noise. Her phone was lit up, and a notification filled the screen. She reached down for it, and bought it over to her bed with her, reading the notification.
'11:01pm
1 text message from Shinji.'
She smiled, opening the text.
'Aki says it's your birthday next week.'
She grinned. Word does travel fast in the dorm. She sprawled herself across her bed, unsure of how to reply. She typed out a couple of lines, her fingernails occasionally tapping against the glass screen.
'Yeah, Junpei wanted to plan something.
It's on Thursday, probably after school. You free?'
She reread the text twice, checking for spelling errors, before hitting the send button. Her phone beeped at her, letting her know that it had been sent. Hamuko sighed, dropping the phone on her pillow, and picking up her book again. Before she could even finish the page she was on, her phone chimed again. She couldn't stop the smile which crept onto her face, feeling happy at his fast reply.
'I'm free.
Want to go somewhere in the evening?'
She stared at the text, her heart suddenly in her throat. Was he asking her out? She scoffed at herself. 'Obviously not, he's just being a good friend.' She thought, cursing herself for being stupid. She rolled her head back, staring at the ceiling. 'How should I reply?' She thought nervously, reading the text over again. It was short, with no sign of the cute emotes that Yukari always used in her texts, nor the 'txt tlk' that Junpei always spammed her inbox with. She tapped out a reply, trying to keep it short and simple in return, and checked it before sending.
'Sounds good.
Looking forward to it.'
She gently smiled at the beep from her mobile, and she wandered over to plug it back into the charger on her desk. Just before she walked away, it vibrated against the hard surface, and she quickly flicked open Shinjiro's reply.
'Same.'
Her heart skipped, and she smiled, locking her phone. Deciding to call it a night, she placed her bookmark at the page she finished on, and turned off her nightlight. Tucking herself into bed, she wondered what Shinjiro was doing, and what he had planned for her birthday.
"I'm beat!" Junpei exclaimed, stretching as he yawned. The group walked back towards the dorm, tired but in high spirits. They had all changed out of their uniforms after returning from school, and were all dressed up for the karaoke party. The weather was getting warmer and more humid as summer approached, which gave the four girls good reason to wear dresses. Yukari sported a pink strapless dress, with a short white cardigan. Fuuka wore a deep green maxi dress, and Mitsuru sported a black blouse and skirt combo. The birthday girl herself was in an orange knee-length sun-dress, with a small 'Birthday Girl' pin Junpei bought her attached to the strap. The boys had decided that jeans and shirts was good enough for the occasion, and Hamuko couldn't help but redden at the sight of Shinjiro in a plain black button-up shirt.
There was small chatter in the group, as Mitsuru and Yukari walked discussing summer clothes awkwardly. Mitsuru, unusually, was asking the younger girl for her advice for building her summer closet. Being from a wealthy family, she had always had her closet picked out for her by the family stylist, but she decided she'd like to branch out by herself, and turned to her fashion conscious junior for advice. Akihiko was in an animated conversation with Fuuka and Junpei, discussing their karaoke skills from earlier. Hamuko was grinning from ear to ear, carrying an armful of gift bags full of various presents from her friends. She walked alongside Shinjiro, and both were silent, soaking in the high spirits in the atmosphere. Mitsuru then walked ahead of them, and unlocked the door to let them all in.
"That was great, Hamuko!" Yukari cheered, before heading towards the stairs. "But I'm exhausted. I'll see you tomorrow. Happy birthday again!" She called, walking up to her room.
"That's a good idea, I have some work I need to do tonight." Fuuka sighed, smiling at the birthday girl before leaving. Hamuko watched them leave, as Akihiko, Junpei, and Mitsuru went to sit in the lounge. Shinjiro was stood by the door, his eye on Hamuko.
"I'm just going to dump this in my room." She said to the senior, shuffling slightly to juggle the bags between her arms. He sighed, walking forward and taking some of the bags from her.
"I'll help." He said, receiving a grateful smile in return. They walked to Hamuko's room silently, and she shifted her load onto her left arm, as she pulled her key from her small shoulder bag. Swinging the door open, she wandered in and placed the gifts carefully on her desk, before reaching out to the ones Shinjiro was holding. She turned to see him stood outside her room, his eyes averted.
She looked around her room, wondering what was putting him off. Was it too bright? She'd had time to personalise her room since she moved in, which meant that it was full of warm colours, walls covered in bright posters, and small figures sat around on the various surfaces around her room. Deciding it probably wasn't that, she checked her floors for stray underwear or personal items. Finding none, she gave up, and put it down to the brightness again. She walked over, taking the bags from him and putting them with the others.
"Shall we go?" She asked, walking out and locking her door behind her. He nodded, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.
"I need to pick something up from my room first." He said, and she nodded. When they reached his room, he really opened the door and picked something up from just inside. Hamuko managed a small peek inside, to be slightly amused at what she saw. His room was spotless and simple in furnishing. He swiftly shut and locked the door, draping a jacket over his arm, and holding a large bag slightly behind him. Curiously, she tried to tilt her head so she could peek at what was inside, but he shifted it again, smirking. "Later." He said, before guiding them away.
"Where are we going?" She asked, waving a goodbye to the others at the dorm before leaving with Shinjiro. They walked down the road, and he didn't reply. Taking an unfamiliar turn, she looked up to see a large red archway, leading to a shrine.
"Naganaki shrine. Have you been here before?" He said, strolling inside. She shook her head, and wandered in after him. Her eyes adsorbed the sight of the shrine, the dim light reflecting everything to give it a cool, relaxing appearance. A pathway lead to the offerings boxes and other religious stands, whilst to their left was a small playground. A row of benches sat just behind it, and Shinjiro head towards the closest one.
"I suppose I still don't know much about this town." She said, shrugging, and following Shinjiro to the bench. They both sat down, and leant back. She sighed loudly. "Today was fun." She said, trying to strike up a conversation with the silent Shinjiro. He didn't say anything, but instead reached out and placed the heavy bag gently onto her lap. She looked up at him, and saw an unfamiliar glint in his eyes which made her chest pang.
"Open it."
She looked down at the clumsily taped up gift bag, and smiled at his handiwork. She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. He scowled. Her hands struggled with the tape, before the bag gaped open. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes shone as she looked down at his gift.
"Happy birthday."
The set of twelve hardcover books sat at the bottom of the bag. The gilt embossed titles on the spines shone up at her, and she tried voice her amazement and gratitude, which only came out as a jumbled stammer. A grin flashed across Shinjiro's face, as he watched her delight. He turned his head down, a feint pink dusting over his face.
"Do you like them?" He asked quietly, waiting for her to form a reply.
"Like them? I love them, thank you so much, and oh god I can't believe you remembered!" Words gushed from her, the widest smile spread across her face. She carefully placed the books down beside her, before suddenly enveloping Shinjiro in a warm hug.
"Uh… idiot, what, um..." He stuttered, the dusted pink darkening into a deep red. His thin shirt was little barrier between her bare arms and his body, and he swore he could almost feel how soft her skin was. He sat tensely, until she released him. She flushed red too, looking down at her hands on her lap. "M-moron." He stuttered, trying to recover from the embrace. A moment of silence passed. Steadied, Shinjiro chuckled, and reached out to ruffle her hair. "I'm glad." He said simply, relieving the situation from its awkwardness, before resting his hands behind his head and looking up at the dark sky.
She smiled softly, leaning up to look too. "Thank you." She whispered quietly. He glanced at her, then smiled.
"It's nice here." He said softly. "I used to come up here a lot, when everyone else was sleeping. It's relaxing. It feels great to get away from it all."
Hamuko nodded, understanding. "I had somewhere I used to go…" She started to open up, and Shinjiro turned to face her. Her heart skipped, as she realised that she had his complete attention, his eyes curious, and caring. "At the orphanage. There was a small shrine right at the end of the garden, no-one ever went there because it meant climbing through overgrown weeds and thorns to get there." She smiled, lifting her arms up to the moonlight to show him small, thin scars on her forearms. They were barely visible, and Shinjiro hadn't noticed them until she pointed them out. "Sometimes it would hurt, but it was worth it." She dropped her arm back down, and covered the tiny lines self-consciously with her hand.
She laughed brightly, trying to change the topic of conversation. Shinjiro's gaze shifted as he turned away, thinking deeply. Hamuko was a fascinating young girl, always so bright and cheerful. A weird tugging sensation pulled within his chest, and it didn't take his mind long to realise it was affection. He smiled wryly.
"Summer vacation soon." He said, trying to distract himself by striking up another conversation. Hamuko's expression shifted from nervous to excited, and her eyes shone brightly. "We should come down here more often." He suggested subtly. "It's nice to come down when it's warmer, and lighter." He said, noticing how the air had started to get chilly. He looked down at Hamuko to see she was shivering slightly, but the young girl seemed not to notice. He sighed, smiling slightly as he picked up his jacket from beside him and draped it carefully over Hamuko's shoulders.
She looked up, eyes wide, and then registered how the wind had picked up since they left. 'Why didn't I bring a jacket?' She thought to herself, grateful for Shinjiro's thoughtfulness. She reached back and tugged it a little, pulling it around herself properly and holding it closed across her chest. It swamped her, and it carried his scent, so for brief second she felt like he had his arms around her. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment.
Looking down at the small girl with his large jacket around her, Shinjiro had no regret for putting it on her. Her hands looked tiny, grasping at the collar to hold it closed under her chin, and she looked the picture of innocence with it wrapped around her. 'Like she's wearing a boyfriend's old shirt.' His mind whispered to him. He instantly snapped out of his fantasy, shaking the thought from his head. 'I'm not going to get mixed up in that kind of shit.' He reminded himself.
"Damn, it's late. We should head back." Shinjiro cursed, causing Hamuko to jump slightly. They stood, both trying to shake their thoughts away. Hamuko lifted up the heavy bag, one hand holding the jacket around her, and the other clutching at the handles of the gift bag. He reached out to take it from her, but she held it back.
"I can carry it." She said stubbornly, before playfully sticking her tongue out at him. She was determined not to let him carry anything for her anymore. She marched away comically, trying to show she could look after herself. He raised an eyebrow, then smirked, but said nothing. They walked back to the dorm together, in a content silence.
Hamuko sat on her bed, trying to twirl her mobile between her fingers. It dropped onto the bed-sheet, and she sighed hopelessly. Scooping it up with her thin fingers, she opened the new message window, and started to type out a text, the third draft in the past ten minutes. She read it out to herself, before drooping her head and deleting it. With a groan, she collapsed into her pillow. "Why can't I think of what to say?" She grumbled to herself, clutching her phone in her hand.
She bolted upright, and leant against the wall, pulling up the new message box again. She typed rapidly, her eyes filled with focus.
'Thank you for today. It was fun.'
Her eyes scrunched up as she read it through again. "Simple is good." She said to herself, hitting the send button. She gave a small cry, dropping it against her bed and falling back onto her pillow, filling with regret.
She wallowed in shame for a few minutes, before her phone chimed, and she shot out a hand to grab at it. With it pulled up to her face, she read the notification on the screen.
'11:26pm
1 text message from Shinji.'
She swallowed nervously, tensing her hands to stop them from shaking, before opening it.
'It was. Happy birthday.'
Her body felt lifted with relief, and she let out the deep breath she was holding. With a smile, she locked her mobile, and placed it on her bedside table. Reaching out, she flicked off her light. "Happy birthday." She whispered to herself, pulling her duvet up under her chin, and drifting into a heavy sleep.
Shinjiro, also lying in bed, held his phone in front of him, only dropping it onto the rug on his floor when he was certain he wasn't getting a text back. He sprawled himself out on his small bed, looking up to the ceiling. A part of his mind tried to question why he was so anxious about getting a text, but he ignored it. His eyes drifted closed, and he lay there remembering the moment her eyes lit up from seeing his gift. Along with his pleasure in seeing her happy, the memory was also tinged with longing. In his half-conscious state, he had one thought. 'I want to see her smile like that again.'
Authors notes; Thank you for reading! I realise it's long, I'm happy to receive any feedback you have!
Now the status changes begin.
Next chapter; Fear.