Hello everyone, I'm ZweihanderKnight. Welcome to "Persona Academy"! Thanks for checking my story out and I hope you enjoy! I'd appreciate any reviews, but at the same time, if it's just nonsensical insults then keep it to yourself, please. Anyways! Without further a due, enjoy the first chapter of "Persona Academy"! :D
Persona Academy
Chapter 1: New Student
Surrounded by the crashing waves of the ocean, life carries on for the residents of a massive Japanese city that towers over the surf around it. Whether this place is peaceful or not is a matter of opinion. For some, the hectic city life by the sea can be overwhelming. But for many people, it is all they have ever known. For many, it is simply how it is. For many, it is simply home. Their home…Tsukimura
Amongst the hustle and bustle of this enormous city, a sleek black car drove amongst the mob of everyday men and women driving to work or running errands. On the right side of this car, there was an emblem proudly displayed for all to see.
It was a white shield-like emblem with gold and red edges and two symbols adorning it. A large white masquerade-like mask with half of it blackened was the main stay. The second was a banner at the bottom, with a name inside of it; the name of his destination.
Inside of this car, a driver manned the wheel of the sleek vehicle, paying no mind to anything, not even the passenger in the back seat of the car. All he thought of was the road and his destination.
"Arrive a day early for tour of campus" The passenger, a young man, read these words back to himself in his head from a folded piece of paper he had received. His messy bright red hair went down to his neck and bore a contrast to his clothes, a fancy looking black and white uniform with a navy blue t-shirt replacing the usual dress shirt. On the left side of the blazer, a metal badge with the same emblem on the car glinted regally.
The student looked out the window, his dark blue eyes examining the world outside. It was an industrial maze, a paragon of urban Japan. The people walked in tight, but unorganized mobs. Businessmen and women, married couples with young children and teenagers made up the bulk of the crowd the student saw. Lights glowed to beckon the crowd to come to the stores they inhabited. Much larger lights remained dormant, waiting for the sun to set before coming to life.
"Hey driver, ummm…how much longer" He asked, getting antsy from all of the driving that he had been through today.
"Shouldn't take too much longer"
"Oh yeah…?" The student's eyes lit up.
The driver nodded.
"Finally…" The student wanted to get out of this car as fast as he could. It had been a long journey to where he was now. About 3 hours to the airport from his home, 2 planes with so many delays it wasn't even funny and to top it all off, a 4 hour car drive with a driver who couldn't hold up a conversation to save his life. Speaking of which…
"There it is coming up".
The student boy looked out of the windshield. The sight before him left him speechless.
A massive metropolis of a campus, surrounded by pearly white walls stood up above its surroundings like a fortress. There were roads surrounding it, with bus stops and bike routes all around, for students who wanted to go into the city. In front of the school was a large gothic styled gate with the very same emblem on the car and the student's uniform displayed at the peak of its arch.
"Here's your stop" The driver told the student as the car came to a stop.
"Thanks" The student thanked the driver for his service as he exited the car, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and rolling his suitcase behind him. The car drove out of sight.
"Finally I made it!" He cheered in his head.
"Hey there!" A voice called out.
"Huh?" The student boy looked to see a woman walking out of a door to the side of the main entrance. She looked a few years older than he was, with long, silky brown hair and attentive eyes of the same color. Her attire was similar to his, being a black and white uniform with an emblem badge on the right side.
"You must be the new student I was told about" She greeted him kindly, extending her hand out to him.
He took it enthusiastically and shook her hand. "Y-yes I am!" He wasn't able to hold back his eagerness.
"My name's Marina Tsujimoto" She introduced herself in an enthusiastic manor.
"I'm Keita Saeki" He answered.
"Well Saeki-kun, welcome to St. Lucia's Academy for the Gifted" Marina proclaimed proudly, speaking the name that was on the emblem all along; the name of the school that Keita was now going to attend. "We should get moving. I'll be giving your tour of the campus today" She began to walk inside.
"Okay, but don't walk too fast. I've got a lot of junk to carry with me" Keita begged, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his head.
"Sure thing" Marina agreed.
The pair walked through campus as Marina spoke about some of the buildings on campus at St. Lucia's. There was an on-campus pharmacy and doctor's office, a couple of small food and beverage facilities, a gym and plenty of other things that Keita lost count of as he scanned his surroundings eagerly.
"So, how far up does this school go with the grades?" Keita asked.
"High school through college" Marina explained.
"Are you serious? So there are college students here?" Keita inquired further.
"Yeah, but don't worry, they're tame…for the most part"
"For the most part…?" Keita began to worry.
"It's like any other school, you've got your trouble makers and your good kids" Marina chuckled. "It's nothing to worry about, I promise"
"But I thought this was a school for really smart kids" Keita said, confused.
"Not exactly, this school admits its students based on certain talents, not intellect or money" Marina clarified.
"Certain talents…?" Keita was loosing track of what was going on the more he asked questions. "I'm sorry I'm asking so many questions about this. It's just that…when my parents applied me for this school, they interviewed me and all they asked were average questions about my social life and family with maybe a couple of actual school questions on a test. I mean I'm no Einstein, but they said my interview went well"
"Everything will make more sense soon enough" Marina eased him.
"Okay, I'll take your word for it Marina-senpai" Keita said, smiling to hide his disappointment at not getting an answer.
Their walk around campus stopped at a grassy square, with 4 high standing buildings at each side.
"These are our dorms. They're co-ed and fully stocked with anything our students would need"
"Co-ed, huh? Hmmm" Keita rubbed his chin. His curiosity was piqued by that statement.
"Boys and girls are separated by floors, Mr. Saeki" Marina teased.
"H-huh? I knew that!" Keita yelped nervously.
Marina laughed, amused by his reaction. "So, which dorm are you gonna be staying in?" She asked him.
Keita's face went blank and another bead of swear ran down his face. "I…have no clue" Keita scratched the back of his head, still shaken.
"Oh boy…" Marina groaned. "Well, I know for sure the two in the right corner aren't yours. Those are for college level students only."
"There's a start" Keita said, trying to be optimistic.
"You mind staying here for a second, I'll go check with the office" Marina asked him, a look of guilt on her face.
"No problem" Keita sat on a nearby bench, placing his backpack next to him. As Marina ran off, Keita looked around. Looking past how beautiful the campus was, something seemed…off. Throughout the entire tour, there weren't any students or maintenance staff walking around anywhere. "Perhaps they're in class or something" He thought to himself. "But still, I'd expect to see someone on campus at this time aside from us".
Keita remembered the notice he received from the school telling him to arrive early. "I can't be the only person here early can I?"
In the middle of his thoughts, the door to the dorm he was next to opened up. He looked to the person that walked out with eyes as wide as saucers.
The guy who walked out was a behemoth of a man, standing at a staggering seven feet tall, with a uniform that looked like it was custom made for him to match his size. His black hair was medium length, with a fringe that partially covered his face. "Hmmm…?" He noticed Keita sitting on the bench.
"GAH! I mean um, hey, how's it going? I'm Keita! So, uh…How's the weather up there? Heh heh…" Keita laughed nervously as the intimidating man walked to him. "Heh heh, I am sooooo screwed" Keita's head began pouring sweat.
"Hey Saeki-kun, I'm back!" He could hear Marina's voice coming in from behind him.
"Marina-senpai!" Keita yelped, wanting to jump behind her to get away from the giant that was approaching him.
"Ah, I see you've met Kaz" She seemed calm despite how huge this guy was.
"Kaz…?" Keita was confused.
"That's my name" The tall man spoke. His voice was very deep and calming.
"Ohhhh, okay. So what's that short for?"
"His full name is Kazuhiro Ishimura"
"Even his name is huge!" Keita's nervousness even leaked over into his thoughts.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, you know" Kaz said, seeing that Keita was nervous.
"Yeah, Kaz may be a big stoic-looking guy, but trust me, he's a big teddy bear" Marina giggled. Kaz averted his gaze in embarrassment, huffing slightly.
Keita was relieved beyond words knowing he wasn't going to have his face caved in. "Wait, so you two know each other?" He asked as he looked back and forth at the two.
"I know him from home-economics class" Marina explained quickly.
"Oh, so you two are classmates?"
"Nope, I teach him"
"Say wha-?" Keita's eyes widened, startled.
"Yeah, I'm a part time teacher's assistant" Marina explained. "Hence, this badge on my uniform" She pointed to a small badge above her school emblem, with the words 'TA: Marina Tsujimoto' on it.
"Cool…" Was all Keita could say. His brain was officially going on the fritz.
"Anyways, it turns out this is the dorm you'll be staying in, same as Kaz" Marina handed Keita a card and key with a room number on it. "Hey Kaz, do you mind showing him around for a while? I need to prepare for the upcoming classes" Marina asked him.
"Okay" Kaz agreed, nodding.
"Thanks. Oh and Saeki-kun, good luck at St. Lucia's. I'll stop by to visit!" Marina yelled, running off.
"Thanks! Sounds like a plan!" Keita yelled as Marina ran off out of sight. He turned to Kaz. "So, what's on the agenda now?"
"Let's drop your stuff off first" Kaz suggested as he walked up the stairs.
"Alright" Keita followed him as fast as he could, desperately pulling his suitcase up the stairs.
The pair walked into the dorm. The room he entered seemed to be a foyer of sorts, with a front desk at the door, a small table and 2 couches in the center and 3 hallways. From left to right, words 'Rooms', 'Lounge' and 'Cafeteria were over each one of the hallways respectively. The design of the dorm was modern with western influence evident in its architecture and a primarily green, white and black color scheme.
"Whoa, nice" Keita mumbled as he walked though. He followed Kaz further until finally he reached the stairs that led to the dorm rooms. Luckily for Keita, the boy's dorms were right up the stairs, while the girls were another flight up. "Whew, no more stairs for me"
"Which way is room 2-A?" Keita asked. "2-A…it's this way" Kaz pointed to the right side of the hall and walked until they reached a door with a gold panel reading '2-A' on it.
Keita pulled out the key he received and opened the door with his shoulder. He walked inside and found the room mostly stocked up. Surprisingly, the room had a stair case and upper floor, which had a bed of its own, aside from the one on ground level. There was a small kitchen, bathroom, TV and even a couch.
"How the hell did they get a couch in here?" Keiichi said in his head, surprised. In the corner, he noticed a couple of bags sitting on the couch. "So whose crap is this?" Keita asked as he put his stuff down.
"That crap would be mine" Kaz said, sounding a bit offended.
"O-Oh! I'm sorry, man. I-I must be in the wrong room. I'll just get out of your way and-"
"This is your room, but it's mine as well. 2 or 3 students share a dorm room as roommates" Kaz explained.
"Okay, that makes sense. Kinda like a college dorm, right?"
"Exactly"
"Alright! Well in that case, I call top bunk!" Keita scurried up the small staircase and threw his stuff in. He lied down on the bed and looked around his small alcove. "Oh yeah, this will do nicely!" He sighed lazily, about to fall asleep.
"We still have some ground to cover" Kaz said, a bit disappointed that Keiichi was already planning to go to bed.
"Damn it! Ah, alright" Keita climbed back down the stairs reluctantly. "So where to, Big Guy" He asked.
"I might as well show you the rest of the dorm" Kaz shrugged as he walked out of the room, Keita following behind him.
As the two walked, Keita looked around and noticed the lack of sound. It was somewhat pleasant to him. "It's pretty quiet around here, huh?"
"Enjoy it while it lasts" Kaz groaned, looking around as though he expected something or someone to burst through the doors.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll let you see for yourself when the other students show up."
"Oh yeah about that, are we the only students here right now?" Keita asked. "I mean, when Marina-senpai was giving me the tour around, I don't think I saw any students walking around."
"Well, classes don't start until tomorrow and the other students don't show up until later this afternoon."
"So, I just got here early?" Keita tried to clarify.
"Yep, same as me" Kaz confirmed him.
"Okay…at least I know there's a point to me being here" Keita sighed. "Anyway, Kaz I have a question!"
"Ask away" He replied, continuing his stride.
"How does this school admit its students?"
"Huh?" He stopped walking.
"You see, I asked Marina-senpai and she told me that this school accepts students because they have certain talents not money or grades. What does that mean? I mean it's not like I went to a talent agency or anything"
Kaz became silent for a moment, until finally he opened his mouth. "You'll see soon enough."
"Ugh, this shtick again" Keita groaned in his head. "Guess I'll just have to keep my mouth shut for a little while longer."
Kaz briefly showed Keita around the rest of the dorm. The lounge was an enormous room, with a large TV, plenty of couches, chairs and a few vending machines. The cafeteria was a typical dorm cafeteria, with a long row for food pick-up and a bunch of long tables.
"Well, that's everything" Kaz mumbled, leaning against a nearby wall. "Is something wrong?"
Keita leaned against the wall as well. "When did you say the other students were coming in?"
"Let's see…students arrive...in a few minutes actually!" Kaz answered, startled slightly.
"Crap! We gotta go then!"
"Right, follow me" Kaz walked quickly out the door.
"Lead the way! Vamonos!" Keita yelled.
The pair ran out of the dorm, as the school began to come to life.
