Chapter 2 – Day One
Minato glanced at his watch, music blaring into his ears. It was 6: 30 a.m. and he was almost done with breakfast. He wasn't sure of how many students lived in the dorm, but he blew his three thousand yen (and another six from his personal stash he found last night) to throw together a grand breakfast, with six plates set at the table. He had finished the scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, and now just had to wait on the sausages to boil. The table was set, and the scent of breakfast floated through the air.
The first to come greet him at 6:45 were Mitsuru and another student he hadn't met before. He was silver-haired, with bright brown eyes. Both of them were already wearing their uniforms, just as Minato was, albeit he had a plain white apron over it. The boy only wore the inside white shirt with a red vest on top, which caught Minato by surprise. He was certain that wasn't the school uniform.
"Good morning, Kirijio-senpai!" he said with a smile and a wave. He then immediately remembered that his smile was creepy as hell, and turned away quickly.
"This much food… how early were you awake, Arisato?" Mitsuru asked, shocked to see the usually empty dining room table filled to the brim with food.
"And here I thought I was gonna have to throw together something quick today." the silver-haired boy said as he walked towards the table.
"I never went to sleep." Minato said, finishing the sausages and placing them on the table, completing the scene.
"Hey, that's not good for you." the boy said before Mitsuru could speak. He was about to grab some food until Mitsuru spoke up.
"Akihiko. Mind your manners. Arisato, you intended for us to have breakfast together, didn't you?" Mitsuru asked.
"Yeah. I figured I might as well do something nice for everyone if I wasn't going to sleep anyways." Minato answered, folding the apron and placing it back into the kitchen cupboard. He turned to the boy named Akihiko. "So, who are you?" he asked.
He rose and walked over to him. "Akihiko Sanada. I'm a third-year, like Mitsuru. Nice to meet you." Akihiko extended his hand for a handshake.
"Minato Arisato." he answered. The two shook hands, and Minato took note that Akihiko's grip was very strong. He wasn't one to give hard handshakes, but he could tell it wouldn't be a good idea to fight Akihiko. "A pleasure."
"Arisato, Takeba usually skips breakfast, but I could go get her if you wish," Mitsuru said as the two parted hands.
"If the smell of food doesn't get you to eat, nothing will," Minato mused as he moved over to the head of the table. "Shall we begin?"
As Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Minato sat and took their food, Minato couldn't help but notice that Akihiko was eating almost twice as much as he was. Before he could ask, Mitsuru spoke up.
"Arisato, what did you mean when you said you weren't going to sleep anyways?" she asked.
"Exactly that. I don't sleep." Minato answered.
"You're an insomniac?" Akihiko asked.
"Yeah, you could say that." he answered again.
"Have you spoken to anyone about this?" Mitsuru asked again, this time with real concern.
"I don't need to. Not sleeping just means I have more time to do whatever I want to than other people." Minato said.
"Maybe. But everyone needs some real rest every now and then," Akihiko said. The eating continued. Unsurprisingly, Minato finished first. He hadn't eaten proper food in the last nine hours or so, and was ravenous.
"I don't think so." Minato said. "I read up on what insomnia is supposed to do to you, but I don't feel sluggish or even tired for that matter."
"The symptoms worsen with time, Arisato. That may be the case now, but what about a few weeks from now? It is best to deal with the problem before it becomes serious." Mitsuru said, finishing her food.
"Nothing will change in a few weeks, senpai." Minato said, leaning back into a more comfortable position. "Nothing's changed for the last ten years."
That statement stopped both of them dead in their tracks. Mitsuru's mask had cracked, and Akihiko's eyes widened immensely.
"Ten years?" Akihiko asked, gulping down the food in his mouth. Minato nodded. He and Mitsuru exchanged troubled glances.
"Shit, that was stupid," Minato thought. "Gotta clear the air quick."
"I mean, hey, it let me workout and study in the nights. I don't even need coffee, but I admit that tea is good for focus. Then again, tea is good for everything." Minato explained. He took a drink from his cup just for good measure. The expressions on their faces lightened. "Yet another close call."
"Training at night, huh? I can see how that's useful." Akihiko said, cracking a smile. "If you've really kept that up for ten years, you must be pretty fit."
"I can do parkour, if that counts for anything." Minato replied. Mitsuru glanced at her watch and sighed.
"Unfortunately, Arisato, I have a few duties at school that require me to arrive early. I have already asked Takeba to take you today, and I don't think you want to be there too early," she said.
"Actually, I'm going to go for a morning run. I'm late today, but I can still get a few laps in. Care to join me?" Akihiko offered.
"Sorry Sanada-senpai, but I'd hate to leave Yukari-san here alone. She seems like the type to be freaked out by an empty dorm in the morning," Minato said. A brief chuckle erupted from the group.
"Suit yourself," Akihiko said. He and Mitsuru bid their farewells and left the dorm together. He looked at his watch again. 7:15. He had read the route to his school involved a train ride, and he was certain that to catch a good train, he'd need to leave in the next 15 minutes.
"Might as well clean up," Minato reasoned. After a quick ten minute dish-washing, he walked up stairs to see Yukari walking down, in almost the same outfit from last night. "The only noticeable difference is the lack of her gun."
"Oh, good morning! You're up early." she said as she approached Minato.
"I just had breakfast with Kirijio-senpai and Sanada-senpai." he said. "We need to be going soon, right? Just lemme get my stuff."
"Breakfast with senpai? How early were you awake?" she asked.
"I never went to sleep."
Minato and Yukari had gotten on the train they had to take to school, along with quite a few other students. They spent the majority of the walk with Minato explaining to Yukari that he never sleeps, eliciting a reaction just like Akihiko's. As they arrive on the train, Minato listens to his music for the majority of the ride.
"Hey, bet you never had to ride the monorail to your old school, huh?" Yukari asks as they go over the ocean. "Look, you can see our school from the window."
Minato looks over to see a large island, with various buildings covering it. "Which one is it?" he asks nonchalantly. Yukari laughs.
"Didn't you know? The entire island is the school!" she said.
"Well damn," Minato thought as she laughed at his ignorance. "This can either be really good or complete shit."
"That island's not natural, is it?" Minato asked, now turning his full attention to the school.
"Yeah, it's a man-made island. How'd you know?"
"It's too level."
"What?"
"The shore. It's too level." Yukari looked down to see that the shores of the island did appear flat all around.
"Well, it used to be a lab run by the Kirijio group, but they turned into a school after an accident a few years back," Yukari said, now attempting to sound knowledgeable.
"Senpai's father owns the school, huh?" Minato asked. Yukari nodded.
"Lab turned school after an accident? That's sketchy as fuck," Minato thought. He never voiced those concerns as they neared the school.
After being brought to the front gates, Yukari stopped.
"Well, this is it. We're here. Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. Hope you like it." she said a bit dryly.
"The bigger question is, do YOU like it?" Minato thought. A smile began to creep onto his face, and Yukari immediately flinched a bit. She hurried over to greet some friends, and then back to Minato. The smile subsided, and the two went inside.
"You're okay from here, right? You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The faculty office is right there to the left… And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"
"Which class are you in?" Minato asked.
"Me? I dunno… I haven't looked at the classroom assignments yet." she said. Yukari moved a little closer to Minato.
"Hey," she began, "about last night… Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?... See ya later." she whispered.
"That's gonna bite us both in the ass, isn't it?" was all Minato thought as he parted ways with Yukari. He walked to the bulletin board and looked for his name. He was in Class 2-F, with, for better or worse, his new dorm mate, Yukari. Afterwards, he headed towards the faculty office. As he entered, he immediately noticed a teacher that could easily pass for an older version of Yukari. Oddly enough, said teacher noticed him.
"Oh, are you the new student?" she asked. Minato nodded.
"Minato Arisato… 11th grade, correct? Wow, you've lived in a lot of different places… Let's see… in 1999… That was what, about ten years ago?... Your parents –" she began, but quickly stopped with a slight gasp. She quickly looked at Minato. He appeared as emotionless as ever, but to somebody unaccustomed to him, he may have looked sad. "I'm sorry… I've been so busy, I didn't have time to read this beforehand. I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach composition. Welcome to our school."
"Nice to meet you, Toriumi-sensei," Minato replied, doing his best to create a non-creepy smile. It ended up being a slight smirk, but it was better than nothing.
"Wow, such enthusiasm! Have you seen the classroom assignments? You're in 2-F; that's my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcome Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me." she said. At that, Minato went with Ms. Toriumi to the auditorium, and took the closest empty seat he could find.
The principal walked on stage, and began to speak. Minato was amazed at the fact that he began to feel something akin to drowsiness as time went on, but it still wasn't enough to make him sleep. As he went on, somebody behind him tapped on his shoulder.
"Hmm?" he turned in the direction of the tap.
"You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together. Hey, do you know if she has a boyfriend?" the boy behind you asked.
"My, oh my, how much do I want to ruin her reputation?" Minato thought. "I could say I'm her boyfriend, but she'd probably pull a real gun on me at that point. I guess honesty is the best card here.
After a bit of deliberation, Minato responded "I'm not sure."
"I see. I thought you might know, but I guess not… how well do you know her?" the boy continued. At this point, a teacher came over and gave him a sharp look, causing him to wince back. Ms. Toriumi quickly came forth.
"Quiet! You're going to make me look bad!" she snapped in Minato's direction.
After a boring speech and a boring day with absolutely nothing of importance occurring, Minato was about to leave when he saw a boy walking towards him.
"S'up dude! How's it goin?" he asked. He wore a cap and an open jacket with a t-shirt inside.
"Obviously, I was mistaken thinking uniform was important in this school," Minato thought. "Who are you?"
"Me? I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is being the new kid… So I wanted to say "Hey!"… See what a nice guy I am?" he answered. He turned to see Yukari approaching Minato and him. "Hey, it's Yuka-tan! I didn't think we'd be in the same class again!"
Yukari sighed. "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"
"What?" Junpei asked. "But I was just bein' friendly."
"If you say so…" Yukari trailed off. She turned to Minato. "Anyways, looks like we're in the same homeroom."
"It must be fate," Minato said.
"Fate? Yeah, right, heh. Still, I'm a little surprised." Yukari answered.
"Um, hello? Are you forgetting that I'm in this class too? By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that? C'mon, gimme the dirt!" Junpei said.
"Wh-What are you talking about!? We live in the same dorm. There's nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it!? Now you have me worried…" Yukari protested. She quickly turned towards Minato. "Hey… You didn't say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?"
"Oh, the fun I could have here! But no, I must restrain myself." Minato thought. "Why would I?" he asked.
"Okay, good." Yukari said. "Seriously… don't say anything about last night, alright?" Junpei's eyes widened.
"And there goes my self-control." Minato thought. He moved a bit closer to Yukari, and leaned in to whisper, just audible enough for Junpei to hear. "I won't… but if you ever want more, you know where to find me."
Junpei's jaw practically hit the floor, and Yukari reddened like mad. Minato backed up and flashed his smile, in all of its creepy glory, and proceeded to add a slow laugh just as terrifying. It was childish yet disturbing, the type that gives people goosebumps.
"Yuka-tan… you're into… that kind of…" Junpei began, shocked by what he had just heard.
"Wha- Where did that come from?! Minato, what are you talking about?! We just met yesterday, and nothing happened, and augh! I've gotta go. The archery team needs me, and I'd rather be there than here! Don't start any rumors!" Yukari exploded. She stormed away angrily, Junpei still in shock.
"Dude, seriously?" he asked Minato.
"Nah, I was just messing with her. She's pretty easy to tease, you know." Minato shrugged.
"Really? I'll keep that in mind" Junpei said with a tip of his hat. "Ah, well, it's not like anyone takes rumors seriously. She's so paranoid… but hey! It's your first day here and people are already talking about ya! Believe it or not, she's actually pretty popular. You da man! Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year, I can feel it!"
Minato and Junpei parted ways in front of school, but not before exchanging numbers. On the way back to the dorm, Minato decided to spend the day getting used to the layout of Iwatodai. He explored the talk of the town first, Paulownia Mall, and was immediately drawn to the Power Records store. He didn't bother going inside, but he noticed a blue-haired boy with large white headphones inside that reminded him a lot of himself.
He also passed by an alley in the mall that seemed to lead to a dead end. It was dark, but he was certain he could see a boy and a woman, both dressed rather formally in black, speaking with another, rather large individual, dressed just as formally.
"Either I'm witnessing a drug deal or a gang meeting," Minato thought as he passed them. "Neither of which I want to be involved with." He was almost certain the boy had turned to watch him as he passed by, but ignored it and hurried on. Café Chagall, the Police Station, Club Escapade, Game Panic, Be Blue V… shops he felt he would probably have to get acquainted with.
Afterwards, he decided to visit Port Island Station, and immediately regretted his decision to waste time there. The most interesting thing there was the bathroom, and just possibly the cinema. He went around to the back alley, and was saw the local delinquents as he expected. Unexpected, however, was a man in a gray hoodie with black shorts that simply meditated there. Nobody disturbed him, and for good reason. Minato left soon after he realized that the man meditating practically radiated an aura of fear. Everyone knew better than to interact with him, as did Minato.
As the sun set, Minato scoped out the various stores at Iwatodai station, noting some good places to eat. Finally, he visited Naganaki Shrine, and tried his luck at a fortune. He got a great fortune that day, and, much to his surprise, found a 10000 yen bill on the ground of the shrine. He snatched it up quickly and returned to the dorm as night fell.
"Welcome back." Mitsuru said as Minato entered the dorm. He nodded and proceeded to use the sign-in sheet at the door. Apparently, he was the only signer. "Might I ask what kept you out so late?"
"I was exploring the town, senpai." Minato said as he finished signing. "Have you had dinner? I was thinking of making some."
"Unfortunately, I have. Another time, perhaps," Mitsuru said as she returned to her book. Minato went about making curry and rice, when Akihiko came in. Apparently, he had been making up for his missed morning jog.
"Minato! Cooking again?" Akihiko asked.
"You hungry, Sanada-senpai?" Minato asked. "It's almost done." Once the two began to eat, Minato was shocked to see Akihiko begin to apply protein powder to his food. Despite his various protests about such an addition ruining the meal, Akihiko insisted and added a full scoop.
"To each his own," Minato sighed as he gave up on saving Akihiko's food. He could hear Mitsuru laugh from the lounge. They ate together and held small talk, mainly about cooking. Despite having the basics down, Akihiko failed to grasp the concept of seasoning food differently depending on the dish, much to Minato's chagrin.
He excused himself to shower and study. Around 11: 30, he saw Akihiko leaving the dorm. He didn't bother looking into it; he was planning on leaving the dorm soon as well. However, at 11:50, he stopped, and began to make tea.
"The moon is getting to its most beautiful," Minato thought as he poured tea. He set his little table, and waited. Then, at midnight, the world shifted to its sickly shade of green. He drank his tea calmly, enjoying a few minutes peace.
Then, he jumped out the window.