And now, for a long, rambly author's note that probably makes you want to amputate each of my limbs as slowly and painfully as possible with a chainsaw. So basically, this is going to be Persona 4 with a female protagonist. Yes, I know it's been done before. I've only seen one version that got past the awakening of the initial Persona, and it's not even on this site (check out "Born to Fly" by signalbeam on Livejournal because it is AMAZING). But mine's different.
Now I know what you're thinking: here's the rookie writer who thinks her version is going to be so amazingly original that no one could ever hope to imagine something on this scale until, well, AFTER this is completed. AND YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I ONLY HAVE THE VAGUEST IDEA OF WHAT I'M DOING. I guess what I mean to say is that there are some differences from canon, despite the obvious.
So the female protagonist here is Aika Nakamura, the Aiya delivery girl from the anime who had all of tenish lines in the entire season. Does this mean Yu Narukami is going to be working at Aiya's and, by extension, a SOCIAL LINK? You betcha. But other differences from canon will be the Social Links themselves (as in, different characters will represent different arcana, like in P3P), and a big shocker: that Aika's Arcanum is NOT the Fool. Hey, Aigis is the Chariot, and she got the Wild Card, so Aika can too without being the Fool. In this particular case, she's the Hermit. There will be some differences in the plot itself with varying degrees of significance (there's going to be a pretty big one close to the end).
Also expect ginormous chapters. Because let's be real here: there WILL be instances where I'll take monster hiatuses, so the least you can do while I take said monster hiatuses is expect a giant, door-stopping chapter (like the one you're about to read right now!)
TL; DR. There will be deviations from canon besides the gender of the protagonist, and chapters will be long.
And with that, I hope you enjoy!
It all started with a dream, as most stories are wont to do.
In hindsight, the beginning – the real beginning, not Aoandon's awakening, not even the first murder – was pretty anticlimactic. Aika Nakamura boarded the train from the sprawling city of Tokyo to the comparatively tiny town of Inaba early in the morning, hours before the sun even rose. It was to be a five hour train ride, and she found herself dozing off – whether it was because she was simply tired from getting up so early, or because she was bored, or if it was a subconscious defense mechanism against motion sickness, she didn't know.
But what Aika did know was that she woke up later in a limousine lined with blue velvet, sitting in a surprisingly comfortable wooden chair across from a strange old man with a long nose, separated from him by a short wooden table. A foreign-looking woman with curly blonde hair and deep blue eyes sat next to him, absentmindedly filing her nails. The man had his hands clasped together, and though he didn't acknowledge her presence in any way, Aika could somehow tell that he knew she was there.
And then he looked up slowly, and he grinned widely, yet cryptically. "Welcome to the Velvet Room," he said, and the blonde woman smiled and nodded in her direction. "My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. Now, my dear… Would you like to hear your fortune?"
Aika could tell she was in a dream; it was as if there was a thick fog in her mind, though she felt calmer and more relaxed than she was on the train. "Yes please," Aika said, nodding.
Igor's grin widened, and as he waved his arm over the table, several cards were scattered face down. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different…" He chuckled. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" He flicked his wrist, and a card on the table flipped over. "The Tower, in the upright position. This card represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. And the card indicating the future beyond that is…" He flicked his wrist again, and the adjacent card flipped over. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents hesitation and mystery. Very interesting indeed…"
"What does that mean?" Aika asked.
Igor simply chuckled. "It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."
Aika couldn't say she was looking forward to any great mystery. "Can't you flip over those other cards and give me a few more details?"
"All in due time, my dear," Igor said, and there was something about the way he smiled at her that seemed almost warmer than any of his previous, though equally wide grins were. "In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of sorts, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests and ensure that that does not happen." He waved his arm over the table, and the cards disappeared."
"So you're saying I actually have to solve this mystery?" Aika asked. "Or I could die? What if the mystery doesn't have anything to do with me? Does that mean I still have to solve it?"
"We shall attend to the details at another time," Igor said. "Until then, farewell, Master Aika."
Her vision darkened, and Aika squinted, then widened her eyes in a vain attempt to see the room of blue velvet. "Wait!" Aika yelled, struggling against the darkness. "I don't understand!" Then, everything faded to black.
Aika jerked awake with a gasp, nearly kicking the seat in front of her. She pulled a water bottle out of her bag and sipped it slowly, thankful that she didn't feel too sick despite the long train ride. She felt tired, despite the fact that she'd slept for nearly the entire ride, and it was as if she hadn't woken up at all. "Yasoinaba," a voice echoed through the train car. "Yasoinaba." Aika stood up, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder and pulling her suitcase behind her as she stepped off the train, breathing in deeply to relish the clean, crisp country air.
A scruffy-looking man waited just outside the train station, waving his arm above his head. "Over here!" he called. Aika smiled and rushed over immediately, and her uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, held his hand out for her to shake. "Well, you've certainly grown a lot since I last saw you. Welcome to Inaba, Aika."
"Hi Uncle," Aika greeted. She'd met her mother's brother sporadically throughout the years (her parents' line of work didn't exactly leave room for family reunions), and until recently, she could barely place a face to his name.
"Oh, that's right…" Uncle mused. "We haven't seen each other since Nanako was just a baby, haven't we? Oh!" There was a little girl hiding behind his leg, whom he gently pushed to the front. "Here she is. Introduce yourself to your cousin, Nanako." Nanako looked like she'd rather be anywhere else but there. She bowed her head once and mumbled a quick greeting without quite meeting Aika's eyes.
Still Aika mustered a smile for her little cousin. If they were going to spend a year living together (and possibly spending more time than Aika did with her own mother), they might as well get to know each other. "It's nice to meet you too, Nanako," she said as gently as she possibly could, talking as slowly as necessary to avoid stuttering.
"Here, I'll get that for you," Uncle said, taking Aika's suitcase from her and dragging it toward a parked white car. "Let's get going, shall we?" Aika smiled and nodded, placing her duffel bag in the trunk along with her suitcase before climbing into the backseat while Nanako took the front.
There was a time Aika believed that nothing could be worse than a five-hour train ride, but the ridiculously bumpy and uneven roads of Inaba proved her wrong. Her stomach rolled and her head throbbed, and she closed her eyes and desperately tried to fall asleep to stave off the rapidly growing nausea. "Dad?" Nanako piped up, coming to Aika's rescue. "I have to go to the bathroom."
"Couldn't you go before we left?" Uncle asked, sounding only slightly irritated.
"I didn't have to go then," Nanako replied sheepishly, and Uncle pulled into a gas station, much to Aika's relief. Aika practically tumbled out of the car, taking deep breaths and mentally preparing to run to the bathroom if her nausea proved to be too much for her to handle. When she was sure she wasn't going to vomit, she leaned against the car, sighing in relief.
The gas station attendant, who previously paid Aika no mind, grinned at her. "Carsick?" she asked.
"A little," Aika admitted, using the back of her hand to wipe sweat off her forehead."
The attendant merely laughed. "You're new here, aren't you? I can tell. You've got 'city girl' written all over you."
"Well I've lived in the country just as much as I've lived in the city," Aika pointed out.
"But I bet you've never seen a town as tiny as Inaba, right?" the attendant retorted. "There's so little to do here, you'll get bored pretty fast. Mostly, all you'll be doing is hanging out with friends and doing some part-time jobs."
The latter was perfectly fine with Aika. The 'hanging out with friends' part… that was a different story entirely. "You don't say…" She took a deep breath, still feeling a little queasy, but no longer sick to her stomach.
"Speaking of which," the attendant continued, "we're actually looking for some part-time help right now." She extended her hand to Aika and gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You're kind of young, but I think you'll be a good fit. Give it some thought, why don't you?" Aika forced a smile and shook the attendant's hand out of politeness more than anything. "I should get back to work." The attendant gave a small wave. "Nice talking to you!"
Then, all of a sudden, the world spun, and the floor seemed to drop out from before Aika's feet. Her vision blurred, and she had to lean against the car to keep from keeling over. Are you okay?" she hard Nanako ask, as if from far away. When did she get back from the bathroom?
"I'm fine," Aika gasped as the world slowly started coming back into focus.
"You don't look too good…" Nanako mumbled, frowning slightly.
Aika pressed her palm against her forehead, almost slumping to the floor in dizziness. "I just got a little carsick," she told both Nanako and herself.
Uncle returned at that moment, flicking a cigarette into a garbage bin. "What's wrong?" he asked automatically upon seeing Aika. "You okay?" Aika pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut and bending her head forward in a desperate attempt to make the world stop spinning. "Oh, that's right. Masami mentioned that you get carsick easily. Besides, you've had a long trip, so you're probably exhausted."
The strange gas station attendant came to mind; did she do something to Aika? "Yeah, that's probably it."
"Are you ready to go?" Uncle asked her, still frowning in concern. "Home's not too far from here, but let me know if you need to pull over anyway."
Aika resisted the urge to groan. Wouldn't that be embarrassing, throwing up in Uncle's car… And on the first day, no less… As she climbed into the car, her head began to throb mercilessly. The entire ride back, she shut her eyes and leaned her head against the car window, thankful for the cool glass against her skin. Her stomach was rolling, but at this point, anything was better from the near crippling dizzy spell at the gas station. The car pulled into the driveway of a fairly modest house – still much larger than any of the apartments Aika had stayed at. Large enough for three people, at the very least – that was enough.
"Well, this is it," Uncle said as the three of them exited the car. Aika inhaled deeply, already feeling a little better. "Our tiny little corner of paradise." He slid open the door. "Kitchen's over here," he said, gesturing to his left. "Living room over there." He pointed forward. "Bathroom down the hall." He led her up to a room upstairs, flicking on the light switch as they entered. "This is your room," he said. The room itself was fairly large – it had a couch, a futon, a small TV set, and a desk – much larger than what Aika was used to. "Do you like it?"
Aika gave her uncle a reassuring smile, practically collapsing onto the couch. "It's great," she told him. "Thank you for letting me stay here, Uncle."
Uncle chuckled and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "There's no need to be so formal, Aika," he told her. "We're family." Aika simply nodded. "I'll get dinner ready," Uncle said. "You hungry? Or do you still feel sick?"
"Sorry," Aika mumbled sheepishly. "I think I'll be fine in a little bit. Don't worry." She still felt rather light-headed, despite what felt like an axe slamming repeatedly into her forehead. Her stomach felt like it was made of water; she wanted nothing more than to unroll the futon right then and there and sleep.
"It makes me wonder how you survived a five hour train ride," Uncle muttered, partially to himself, as he sat down next to her.
Aika smiled. "Mom booked me on the earliest train possible so that I'd be tired enough to sleep right through it."
Uncle smirked. "Well Masami's always been the resourceful one," he said. "Just come down when you're ready." He clapped her on the back twice before standing up and leaving her alone.
Aika sighed. This was only a temporary thing, she reminded herself. One year. That was it. She'd be reunited with her parents soon enough. All she had to do was follow the standard operating procedure with Inaba, as she did with all of the other cities she'd lived in, and she'd be fine. And then one more year after that, and she'd be in college, and she could finally settle down in one place without having to move anywhere…
Her cell phone's ringtone cut through the silence of her new room, and Aika fumbled for it before answering it several seconds later. "Hello?" she said into the phone.
"Aika!" her mother practically screeched on the other line. "Did you arrive safely in Inaba? Did you get sick on the train? Is Ryo-chan being nice to you? Is Nanako-chan cute? Did you unpack everything yet?"
"Yes, no, yes, yes, no," Aika answered quickly, already used to her mother's behavior.
"So how is everything?" Masami Nakamura asked her, and Aika could just picture her mother lounging in a chair, putting her feet up on whatever table or surface was available, probably inspecting her fingernails or smoking a cigarette as she did so. "Do you like it there?"
"Mom, I just got here," Aika deadpanned. "I won't know until tomorrow."
"Okay, so call me and let me know how things go, okay?" Mom told her. "Keep me updated."
"Will do," Aika replied, examining her own uneven fingernails.
"Oh, I'm going to miss you so much… Hang on, your father wants to talk to you."
Aika could hear movement on the other line for a few brief seconds. "Hello?" a male voice said finally. "Aika-chan?"
Aika couldn't help but smile, and she found it more and more difficult to ignore the lump in her throat. "Hi, Dad."
"It's only for a year, Aika-chan," her father, Fuuji Nakamura told her. "So don't worry, okay? And don't give your uncle a hard time… not that I think you would, but I think I'm obligated to tell you that anyway." Aika giggled. "I'll take as many pictures as I can. You've always wanted to visit France, right? Maybe we can go later, on an actual vacation."
"Yeah, that would be great," Aika said. "I should get going. Uncle has dinner ready downstairs."
"Well, have fun," Dad told her. "Be safe. Take care."
"Bye, Dad," Aika said, hanging up the phone. She could feel tears forming in her eyes; this would be the first time she'd be spending so much time away from her parents, after all. She remembered begging them to take her to France with them; with all the French phrases they threw around at home, she'd be able to survive there, right? She could become fluent with a little practice, right? But her parents didn't see it that way, which was why she was in Inaba with her uncle. When Aika finally composed herself, she made her way downstairs, where Uncle and Nanako sat at a small table in front of the TV.
"Over here!" Uncle called, gesturing toward the seat next to him, across from Nanako. Aika sat down and smiled. "You feeling better?" Aika forced a smile and nodded. A plate of sushi lay in front of her, with a can of soda lying a little ways away. "All right, let's have a toast," Uncle said, raising his can into the air. Aika and Nanako raised theirs as well before drinking. "So your parents are as busy as always… They're working overseas, was it?"
"Yeah," Aika answered, not really wanting to have this conversation with him. "They're going to France. I mean, they haven't left yet, but they'll be there in about a week."
Uncle sighed. "I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents… It's rough being a kid."
"I like it here, actually," Aika said, taking another sip from her soda can, "from what I've seen so far. Not that I want to go riding across town in a car or anything, but…"
Uncle laughed. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine," he said. "It's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around. As long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."
Aika smiled more naturally and nodded. "Okay!"
"Okay, so let's eat," Uncle said, and the three lifted their chopsticks. Just then, a cell phone started ringing, and Uncle reached into his back pocket. "Ugh… who's calling at this hour?" He flipped open his phone and held it to his ear. "Dojima speaking." He stood up and made his way to the kitchen, and Nanako's face fell. "Yeah? I see… So where is it?"
"What's that about?" Aika whispered to Nanako.
"Work," Nanako mumbled, looking utterly despondent.
"All right, I'm on my way," Uncle said finally, hanging up his phone and turning around to face Aika and Nanako. "Sorry, but I have some business to take care of. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be, so you help her out, okay Nanako?"
"Okay…" Nanako mumbled.
Aika watched as Uncle opened the door and slid on his shoes. "Nanako, it's raining out!" he called. "What did you do with the laundry?"
"I already brought it in!" Nanako yelled to him.
"All right," Uncle said. "Well, I'm off!"
Nanako sighed heavily and sat back down, pressing a button on the remote lying next to her to turn on the TV. An awkward silence reigned, and Aika didn't know whether to break it or to carry on like nothing was wrong. "Next, let's look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather," said the weather announcer on TV. "With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."
"Let's eat," Nanako said finally.
"Oh!" Aika gasped, noticing that she was still holding her chopsticks. "R-Right…" Another awkward silence enveloped the room, and Aika was dismayed to find that she still felt a little queasy from before. "So…" she said awkwardly, trying to place down her chopsticks as subtly as possible so as to not offend Nanako. "What does your dad do?"
"He… investigates stuff," Nanako answered. "Like crime scenes."
"So he's a detective?" Aika asked.
Nanako nodded once. "Yeah."
A jingle played on TV, and the scene switched to one reporter. "And now, for the local news," the announcer said. An image of an important-looking man flashed on the screen. "City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka ballad sensation Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages." An image of a heavily made up woman appeared on the screen. "In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances." A wholesome-looking woman with short dark hair flashed on the screen, replacing Hiiragi. "Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye."
"That's not entirely fair," Aika muttered to herself. "Yeah, what that Yamano lady did was wrong, but that doesn't mean she deserves to be fired…"
"This is boring…" Nanako mumbled before promptly changing the channel. Aika was a little annoyed, but decided not to say anything back to her cousin.
"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day," said a woman's voice on the commercial playing. "Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!"
And then a singing voice: "Every day's great at your Junes!"
Nanako's face lit up, and she smiled brightly. "Every day's great at your Junes!" she repeated.
At that, Aika bristled. Her parents worked for Satomi Tadashi, the best pharmacy company in Japan. Who was Junes to come in and sell the same medicines that Satomi Tadashi did?
"Aren't you going to eat?" Nanako asked her.
"Oh!" Aika gasped. "Um…"
"You're still carsick, aren't you?" Nanako asked, looking glum. "It's okay. Mana-chan from school gets really carsick too."
"I'll be fine tomorrow, Nanako," Aika assured her cousin. "Don't worry. I think I'll go to bed, though. Don't stay up too late, okay?"
It was probably the wrong thing to say, because Nanako frowned quizzically at her. "Good night," the little girl said finally, as Aika approached the stairs. When Aika finally collapsed on her futon, she was asleep within seconds.
All Aika could see was fog. There was so much of it, she could barely see a few feet in front of her, and the air was chilly. A shiver ran down her spine, only partially from the cold, and she trudged forward, not entirely sure what was happening.
After a few steps, there was a shrill ringing noise, making Aika feel dizzy. "Do you seek the truth?" a woman's voice asked. Aika continued walking, but at a slower pace, and she mentally prepared herself for the voice to speak again. Sure enough, it came after a few more steps. "If it's truth you desire, come and find me…"
At long last, Aika saw what appeared to be an ornate door, with red and black squares overlapping each other, increasing in length, looking somewhat like a vortex. She could tell that there was someone behind the door, but a large part of her dreaded it. Still, unsure of what else to do, what else she could do, Aika watched as the squares rotated and the door opened. Inside, the fog was much thicker than it was outside, and Aika could see a faint silhouette in front of her. "So…" the figure said, and Aika soon realized that it was the woman's voice from before. "You are the one pursuing me…" The voice chuckled. "How quaint. Try all you like, but you will not catch me so easily…"
"Wh-Who are you?" Aika asked, cursing herself for stuttering.
"If what you seek is 'truth,' then your search will be even harder…"
"Wait!" Aika yelled. "I don't understand!" But then the fog thickened, and it suddenly became hard to breathe.
"Everyone sees only what they want to," the voice continued, "and the fog only deepens…"
"Wh-What…" Aika's head felt heavy, and she slowly sank to her knees.
"Will we meet again?" the voice asked cryptically. "At a place other than here… I look forward to it." And with that, the world around her faded into black as Aika lost consciousness…
Aika jerked awake, back in her new room, tangled in her futon and drenched in sweat, and her stomach rolled as she sprinted to the bathroom. Before she could process what was happening, she was emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Her head pounded mercilessly as she soon found herself dry heaving, as there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up.
"Are you okay?" Aika heard Nanako ask, as if from far away. She realized with a sinking feeling that she'd forgotten to lock the door, and she probably looked absolutely pathetic at the moment, getting sick not even a day after arriving.
"I'm sorry," Aika said.
"Maybe you shouldn't go to school today…" Nanako mumbled.
But Aika stood up and washed her hands, preparing to dig through her bags to find a toothbrush. "It's okay," she said. "I'm fine now."
"You said that yesterday…" Nanako mumbled.
Aika pinched the bridge of her nose. Ugh, this is so embarrassing... She probably thinks I'm this really weak, sickly person… "Really, Nanako," she tried assuring her cousin. "I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Nanako asked, her face perfectly expressionless.
"Yes," Aika said firmly. "Really, Nanako. This kind of thing happens all the time, and it's stupid to let it hold me back." Well that wasn't a complete lie… Getting ready for school was awkward, to say the least, because Nanako refused to stop asking her if she was okay or if she needed anything. All the while, Aika's head throbbed, and she sorely contemplated skipping the first day of school, just as Nanako had suggested.
When Aika finally made her way downstairs, Nanako was holding out a plate of slightly burned bread and a glass of water to her. "I heard that you're supposed to eat dry stuff if you have an upset stomach," she said. "And you should eat something if you're going to school."
"Thanks, Nanako," Aika said, biting into one of the pieces of toast. "Did your dad leave for work already?"
"There was some kind of trouble," she said in a flat voice. "He won't be back." Aika took a sip of water, relieved that the nausea was subsiding. "Let's walk to school together. Mine's on the way."
"That's a great idea," Aika agreed.
The rest of breakfast passed by in awkward silence, and, when it was time to leave, Nanako opened a closet door and handed Aika a red umbrella. "Here, you can use this one," she said. "It rains a lot in Inaba, so you'll be using it a lot. You can use it for the rest of the year, if you want."
"Thanks, Nanako," Aika said, forcing a smile for her cousin as she took the umbrella. They walked together in relative silence, and Aika was thankful for the clean, albeit slightly muggy air that Inaba had to offer. Though she preferred sunshine, rain wasn't so bad either.
"This is the Samegawa Flood Plain," Nanako said once they reached a certain area. "All the schools are around this area." She pointed to the continuing road. "You keep going straight from here." She walked a few steps in another direction and smiled at Aika. "My school's this way. Bye!"
"Bye, Nanako!" Aika said. "Have a good day!"
Yasogami High School was much smaller than what Aika was used to, but she didn't mind; she was only going to be here for a year, after all. If it were sunny, the school could even be called beautiful, but the rainclouds hovering above made the atmosphere feel gloomy. A panicked shout snapped her out of her thoughts, and Aika saw a boy on an unsteady bike speeding toward her. "Mayday!" the boy shouted. "Mayday!" She barely ducked out of the way in time for the boy to crash into the school gate. The boy groaned in pain, and Aika bent down to help him pick up his things.
"Are you okay?" she asked him, shoving a few books and a DVD back into his bag.
"Ow…" the boy groaned, rubbing his shin.
"D-Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" Aika asked him, tilting her head to the side.
"Nah, I'm okay," the boy replied. "Thanks." He turned around to take his bag, only to frown in confusion when he saw Aika. "I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you new here?"
"Y-Yeah…" Aika mumbled, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear self-consciously.
The boy miraculously recovered as quickly as he fell, and he flashed her a smile while extending his hand out to her. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura," he introduced himself.
Aika shook his hand uneasily. His hand was large, and it nearly swallowed her small one whole, but she still felt at ease with him. "Aika Nakamura," she said quietly.
"So you're going to want to head to the faculty office," Yosuke said. He led her into the school, putting one arm around her shoulder and using the other to shove past the crowds. "Watch out! New meat coming through!" Aika felt her face heat up as he practically dragged her through the school's halls, and couldn't be more thankful when he stopped in front of one door. "Okay, here we are," he said. "The teachers here are nice, for the most part. Except King Moron. He's an ass." He released her finally, and she opened the door. "Good luck!" He waved and smiled before running off into the crowds, and Aika sighed. This was how things usually were in new schools anyway – people would be nice for the first few days, and then leave her alone. It was inevitable. She braced herself as she entered the faculty office. Only one year, she reminded herself. Only one year.
Aika nearly had to run to keep up with Mr. Morooka's long strides. The teacher was foul-mouthed and bad-tempered, and she realized with a sinking feeling that this was the King Moron Yosuke had warned her against. "All right, shut your traps!" Mr. Morooka yelled as he entered the classroom. Aika clasped her hands together and stared at her feet, knowing that pretty much the entire class's eyes were on her. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!" Aika felt her face heat up. How long was she going to have to stand at the front of her class? "Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And she's just as much of a nobody here as she was there, so you boys better not get any funny ideas! Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick!"
"Yes—Yes sir!" Aika squeaked, quickly turning to the chalkboard behind her and writing her name as neatly as she could, despite her shaking hands. The first-day-of-school jitters were something she could never quite shake off, despite how often she'd transferred schools. "I-I'm Aika Nakamura. U-Um… It's-It's nice to meet you all!" She bowed her head quickly, leaving her head lowered so she could stare at the ever fascinating floor.
"Now listen up!" Mr. Morooka barked. "This town is miles away from your big city of bitches and whores, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the guys here, let alone screwing around with them!"
"Y-Yes sir!" Aika squeaked.
"But what do I know?" Mr. Morooka continued. "It's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places!"
Aika wanted to melt like that witch in that American movie her parents had showed her when she was little. When would Mr. Morooka stop lecturing? When could she finally sit down and fade into the background like she always did? Her classmates' whispers did nothing to ease her fears.
"Wow, she's tiny."
"Is she really our age? She looks like she's still in grade school!"
"I think she's pretty cute."
"Please. She's nothing compared to Amagi and Ebihara."
A short-haired girl in a green jacket came to Aika's rescue, raising her arm in the air. "Excuse me!" the girl called. "Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?"
"Huh?" Mr. Morooka stopped mid-sentence. "Yeah, sure. Hear that? Your seat's over there." He pointed to an empty seat next to the girl in the green jacket, and Aika sighed in relief as she shuffled over.
The girl leaned over as soon as Aika sat down. "He's the worst, huh?" the girl asked. "Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… Well, we just have to hang in there for a year."
Aika smiled uneasily at the girl and nodded. "Y-Yeah…"
"Shut your traps!" Mr. Morooka yelled. "I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"
"Just make sure you don't get on his bad side," the short-haired girl whispered to Aika.
It's only one year, Aika reminded herself. Only one year…
"That's all for today," Mr. Morooka barked after several hours. "Normal lectures start tomorrow.
Aika sighed, packing her bag quickly so she could slip out of the classroom before anyone tried to talk to her, but then there was a beeping noise. "Attention, all teachers," said a voice over the intercom. "Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."
The students began murmuring to each other, and Aika once again wished she could just become one with the floor. Then, there was a ringing noise, and everyone looked up to the speaker near the door simultaneously, quieting down immediately. "Attention all teachers," said a voice over the intercom. "Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave until further notice."
"You heard the announcement!" Mr. Morooka barked. "Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise!" He slid the classroom door open and stalked off, and the students murmured anxiously to each other.
Faintly, Aika could hear sirens from outside. "Did something happen?" one student asked. "Don't those sirens sound really close?"
One student by the window groaned. "I can't see a damn thing. Frickin' fog…"
"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy," another student agreed.
"Hey, did you hear?" a rumor-loving student asked. "I hear that paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer."
"Oh yeah, you mean Mayumi Yamano, right?" one of the first two students replied. "I hear some guys spotted her at the shopping district.
"Actually, I heard that…" one of the other students retorted, and Aika slowly tuned out their conversation. She clutched her bag tightly to her chest, staring downward and all too ready to bolt once the school let everyone leave.
One of the boys walked up to a desk a little ways in front of Aika, where a girl in a red sweater with long black hair sat demurely. "H-Hey, Yukiko-san," the boy said. "Mind if I ask you something? Is it true that that announcer's staying at your family's inn?"
"I can't discuss such things," the girl Yukiko said bluntly.
"Y-Yeah, I guess not," the boy said before running back to the window.
The friendly girl next to Aika stood up and walked over to Yukiko. "Sheesh, how much longer is this gonna take?" she grumbled.
"There's no telling," Yukiko replied.
"I should've left before the announcement came on…" the girl muttered despondently. "By the way, did you try what I told you the other day? You know, the thing about rainy nights."
"Oh, not yet," Yukiko replied reluctantly. "Sorry."
"Ah, that's okay," the short-haired girl said. "I just heard a guy in the class next door yell something like, 'My soulmate is Yamano, the announcer!'"
The ringing noise came once again. "Attention all students," said a voice over the intercom. "There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home."
Aika felt her heart racing as she rummaged through her bag for her cell phone. She flipped it open – no new messages, as usual – and called her uncle. The phone rang three times, before sending her straight to his voicemail, and she sighed before flipping her phone shut. "Couldn't get through to your parents, huh?" the short-haired girl who sat next to Aika said, and Aika suddenly realized that she was standing right there in front of her. "You can come with us. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Chie Satonaka. I sit next to you, remember?"
"I-I remember…" Aika mumbled self-consciously, looking downward. This happened at every new school – someone would come talk to her, more out of some self-professed "responsibility" towards "the transfer student," then gradually leave her alone when she made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with them since she probably wasn't going to be there for long anyway.
"This is Yukiko Amagi," Chie said, and Aika's eyes drifted over to the tall black-haired girl from before.
"It's nice to meet you," Yukiko said. "Sorry, what was your name again?"
"Aika Nakamura," Aika answered; it seemed to be the only thing she could say without stuttering.
"So let's go already!" Chie enthused, and Aika gave a small smile as she stood up and shuffled behind her two new classmates.
"Um…" The boy from this morning stood in front of them, looking rather bleak, holding a black DVD case. "Miss Satonaka? This was really awesome. Like the way they moved was just amazing to see… And… I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!" He bent forward, holding the DVD out to Chie.
Aika almost giggled at the way he walked away as quickly as possible without making it look like he was trying to run away. "Stop right there!" Chie commanded. "What did you do to my DVD?" She kicked Yosuke a little too far below the stomach for comfort, sending him crashing into a desk. Chie stared at the open DVD case in horror. "What the…? I can't believe this! It's completely cracked! My 'Trial of the 'Dragon…!"
"I think mine's cracked too…" Yosuke whimpered. "C-Critical hit to the nads…"
"A-Are you all right?" Yukiko asked.
"Oh, Yukiko-san…" Yosuke, who was still grimacing in pain, mumbled. "Are you worried about me…?"
"He's fine, Yukiko!" Chie snapped. "Let's just ditch him and go home!"
"W-Wait!" someone squeaked. It took an embarrassingly long time for Aika to realize that it was her. "U-Um… please—please don't be mad, Chie-san. He-He sort of fell on-on his bike this morning, a-and that's—that's probably how the DVD… got cracked…"
"Oh hey, it's you…!" Yosuke said, smiling weakly at Aika. "That's twice you've saved me, you know…"
"And now you're trying to the appeal to the innocent new transfer student?" Chie screeched. "How low can you get? Come on, Aika-san, let's just go."
Chie and Yukiko walked out the door, and Aika bowed shakily to Yosuke before following them. "E-Excuse me…" She had to run to catch up to Chie and Yukiko, and she managed to catch the tail end of Chie's rant on Yosuke.
"Ugh, he drives me crazy!" Chie ranted. "First he asks for an extension, and then he tries to return a broken DVD."
"It really did sound like it was just an accident," Yukiko tried reasoning with her.
"I…" Aika piped up. "I saw him fall… so it-it definitely was an accident…"
"You stutter a lot," Chie pointed out. "Did you know that? You don't have to be so shy and nervous around us."
"Th-Thank you…" Aika mumbled quietly, mentally starting the counter on the number of days Chie would hold true to that statement.
"So you're from the city?" Yukiko asked her.
"Um…" Aika mumbled. "N-Not really. I-I only lived there for about six months."
"So if not from the city, then where are you from?" Chie asked.
"I-I was born here… actually…" Aika answered. "I… I only lived here for a couple of years before moving, though… Then we moved to this city called Mikage-cho, where we lived for about three years, a-and then we moved again, and we kept moving since."
"Wow," Yukiko gasped. "I've lived here my entire life. You really haven't stayed in one place for more than three years before?" Aika shook her head, smiling sheepishly.
They neared the front of the school gate, and Aika couldn't help but notice a boy wearing a different uniform. His face was pale, his dark hair oily and his equally dark eyes almost expressionless, and something about him sent a shiver down her spine. He approached them, looking straight at Yukiko. "You're Yuki, right?" he asked. "Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?"
"What?" Yukiko replied. "Wh-Who are you?"
"Um…" the boy mumbled, and Aika felt a pang of sympathy for him. "S-So are you coming or not?"
"I-I'm not going," Yukiko answered uncertainly.
The boy suddenly glared at her, shifting his glare to Chie and Aika as well. "Fine!" he yelled almost petulantly before practically sprinting away.
"What did he want from me?" Yukiko mused.
"What did he want?" Chie repeated. "Obviously, he was asking you out on a date."
"Really?" Yukiko gasped.
"You really had no clue?" Chie asked disbelievingly. "Sheesh…"
"D-Does this happen a lot?" Aika asked.
"The guys around here call it the Amagi Challenge," Chie explained. "The only way you can beat it is if you get Yukiko to agree to go on a date with you, but she's so busy and oblivious that no one ever succeeds." All of a sudden, Aika wanted to get as far away from these girls as possible. They were popular – there was no way she could break away from them without looking bad. "Then again, that was way over the top. It was so creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."
Seemingly out of nowhere, Yosuke wheeled his bike over to them. "Yo, Yukiko-san," he greeted casually. "Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel… You got me the same way last year."
"I don't recall doing that," Yukiko said bluntly.
"Whoa, you serious?" Yosuke asked, perking up almost immediately. "So then, you wanna hang out sometime?"
"I'd rather not," Yukiko replied flatly.
Yosuke sighed heavily. "That'll teach me to get my hopes up… Anyway, you two better not pick on the new transfer student too much."
As he biked away, Chie stomped her foot indignantly. "We're just curious, is all!"
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Yukiko apologized to Aika, smiling down at her. "I promise, it's not always like this."
"Come on, let's just go already!" Chie hissed. "Everyone's staring!"
Aika released the breath she didn't even know she was holding as soon as she, Chie, and Yukiko were almost a block away from the school. First days at new schools were a special kind of evil that Aika wouldn't wish on anyone. "So what made you decide to come back to your hometown?" Yukiko asked conversationally. "If you can really call it that, considering you said you only lived here for a couple years."
"U-Um, my parents are working overseas," Aika explained. "I'm staying with my uncle for the whole year."
"Oh, so you came here because of your parents' job," Chie said, chuckling. "I thought it was something way more serious." They paused by what appeared to be a rice field. "There really is nothing here, huh? That's what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside. Though there is something from Mount Yasogami. I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous." She gasped. "Oh, wait! The Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"
"It's just an old inn," Yukiko protested.
"No way," Chie refuted. "It's been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure. It's a great inn. It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take it over someday. Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going."
"Th-That's really amazing," Aika said, smiling up at Yukiko. Both Chie and Yukiko were quite a bit taller than she was; maybe she really did look like she was still in grade school.
"I don't think that's entirely true," Yukiko said modestly.
Off in the distance, Aika could see a crowd gathered. "What's going on over there?" she asked, pointing to the crowd.
"No idea," Chie answered, and the three of them broke into a run to see what exactly was going on.
"So that high schooler left early, and she came down this street…" Aika heard one woman say.
"Wow, who could imagine that hanging from an antenna?" another woman asked.
"I wanted to see it too," a third woman practically whined.
"Uh, you got here too late," the first woman said. "The police and fire department just took it down a moment ago."
"Well I think it's terrifying!" the second woman exclaimed. "I can't believe a dead body showed up around here…"
"A dead body?" Aika squeaked, her hands starting to go numb. Well, Yasogami High officially just won the award for Most Eventful First Day Ever.
"I swear, this doesn't happen all the time," Yukiko assured Aika.
"First getting stuck in King Moron's class, then having a dead body pop up…" Chie said. "Wow, I'm sorry! This has to be the worst first day of school ever!"
"Hey, what're you doing here?" an all too familiar voice snapped over the buzz of the crowd. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Aika watched her uncle walk over to her.
"I-I'm sorry!" Aika apologized immediately. "W-We were just walking home from school, a-and—"
"Should've known something like that'd happen," Uncle grumbled. "That damn principal… We told him not to let them through here."
"You know this guy?" Chie whispered to Aika, loudly enough for Uncle to hear.
"I'm Detective Dojima, her guardian," Uncle said. "Uh… how should I say this… I hope you get along with her. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home." Just then, a man in a black suit ran past them, and Aika winced as she heard him retch loudly. "Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? Do you want to get sent back to the central office?"
"S-Sorry…" the man Adachi groaned.
Uncle sighed. "Just go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information!" Uncle turned back to Aika, and she wished for the umpteenth time that she could just dissolve into the floor. "Call your parents when you get back. I'll see you at home." And with that, he walked off, and Aika clasped her hands together nervously.
"Was this what that announcement was about?" Chie asked.
"What do they mean…" Yukiko mused. "It was hanging from the antenna…?"
"Uh… Yukiko…" Chie said awkwardly. "Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"
"Good idea," Yukiko replied, nodding.
"All right then, we're taking off," Chie said to Aika. "Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best!"
"Okay," Aika replied, giving a small smile. "Um… I-It was really nice meeting you!"
Back at home, Nanako was doing homework at the dining table. "Hi Nanako," Aika greeted tiredly.
"Hello," Nanako replied distractedly. The TV was on, and a majority of the little girl's attention was directed toward it.
Aika made her way upstairs, shutting the door before collapsing onto the couch. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother's number right away.
Her father picked up on the first ring. "Aika, are you okay?" he asked automatically. "I just saw the news! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Dad," Aika assured him.
He sighed in relief. "Oh, good… Masami, maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" She could hear her mother saying something on the other line, but Aika couldn't make out what exactly it was. "I'm not saying Ryotaro isn't capable of looking after her…" Her mother said something else that Aika couldn't make out. "I'm not saying Aika can't take care of herself either!" Her dad sighed again. "This would be so much simpler if Chisato were there…" His voice was heavy with grief, and Aika winced sympathetically.
Her late aunt Chisato was her father's sister, just as Uncle was her mother's brother. Chisato had died in a car accident only a few years ago, so Aika's memories of her were still pretty vivid. Mostly, Aika remembered Chisato as a beautiful, kind woman who always remembered to call on Aika's birthday and send a gift; there was a sweater she'd knitted for Aika the year before she died stuffed somewhere in the cardboard boxes still propped up against the wall.
"Dad, I'll be okay," Aika said finally, leaning backward to put her feet up on the couch.
"Be careful," he told her. "Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't isolate yourself. If an axe murderer with a grudge against your uncle really wanted to press his buttons, you'd be his second target."
"Only second?" Aika asked teasingly.
"Because Nanako-chan would be the first," her father said solemnly. "Hang on. Your mother wants to talk to you."
"So besides the whole dead body thing, how was your first day?" her mother asked automatically.
"Pretty much the same as all the other first days," Aika replied. "Besides the whole dead body thing."
"You know, you really should try making some friends," her mom suggested.
"I don't see the need," Aika replied stubbornly. "I'm only going to be here for a year anyway."
"Aika, you're sixteen years old. You are in desperate need of a life. And for that, you need friends."
"You and Dad are my friends."
"We don't count on principle."
"No need to sell yourself short, Mom."
"Go be a social butterfly."
"Would it make you feel any better if I said I walked home with two girls in my class today?"
"Which two girls? I probably know their parents."
"Chie Satonaka and Yukiko Amagi."
"Amagi, huh? Not bad, not bad. And did you say Satonaka? Is she Kentaro Satonaka's daughter?"
"I guess?"
"Ugh, he was the worst! You know, this one time in middle school, he asked me out on a date, and then his little friends tagged along and started talking shit about me. And Satonaka doesn't do or say anything to stick up for me, right? Ryo-chan was pissed when he found out about that." She sighed contentedly. "You should've seen the way he beat the shit out of them."
There was a faint rubbery smell coming from downstairs. "As enticing as that sounds, I should get going. I think Nanako's trying to cook something."
"Okay, okay." Her mother sighed. "In all seriousness, though, do be careful. Your dad's already freaking out as it is. You know how he gets. And, a little incentive for you to actually make an effort to settle down there: if you really like it there, you can finish high school there."
Aika almost fell off the couch in surprise. "Seriously?"
"Settling down involves coming out of your cocoon, little caterpillar."
Aika sighed. "I… I'll try…"
"Okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay. Bye, Mom."
She hung up the phone and dropped it on the couch, sighing and wrapping her arms around herself. Do I… really want to stay here?
Potential side effects of completing this chapter include the irresistible urge to smash Aika's face in with a hammer while screaming at her to grow a freaking spine. DON'T WORRY, THIS IS COMPLETELY NORMAL.
I would love you all forever if you review, so please do.