DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Persona series or other characters from their respective franchises. They are owned by their respective owners. Also, the OCs that appeared in this story are belonged by their respective owners.
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Hello again, readers.
Well, it's finally here. The story has finally begun. Be warn, there are going to be TONS of characters from different series here.
Without further ado, let's start!
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Chapter 1: Welcome to Marahara Academy
March 25, 2012
Sunday
-3 days until Full Moon-
Now it was really late at night though the evening sky was quite lovely.
Kurumi Momose took the new student, Kyros Tazanuki, a brief tour around the academy's grounds. Well, mostly the road toward the building in the west. Said building was actually a dorm and it was quite huge to boot.
The academy had a lot of students so it would make sense to build dorms for the students to stay. In this case, there were four dorms. For the differences between the dorms and the ones from outside the academy, we'll get to that later.
There was also a huge building in the center with the dorms surrounding it by a long distance. It was the school building.
Just near the school building was another building albeit smaller. That one was the gym.
Beyond the school building and even the northern dorm was a large locality, filled with some other buildings and even small houses.
Kyros would be staying at the West Dorm.
While on the road, the new student could see many plants grown at the sides of the road. Other than that, he also saw some trees around the areas, which made it slightly resemble a forest.
It was quite peaceful, especially in the evening.
-/-
"Aaanndd here we are," Kurumi suddenly spoke.
The pair was now in front of the dorm. Just as he expected, the building was quite big. Kyros could tell that there were a lot of rooms just by looking at the number of windows. Surprisingly, some of the lights were still on, indicating students still awake at this hour. The exterior design was fairly good with the placement of flowers and the curtains.
Kyros smiled noting that the dorm seemed nice. Hopefully, the inside would be the same.
"Huh?" The silver-haired boy noticed that Kurumi was approaching the dorm slowly.
"Excuse me, Kurumi," Kyros immediately called out to gain her attention. She turned around, looking him. "Is this the girls' or the boys' dorm?"
"No, it's not. It's... Uuhh..." Kurumi stumbled into a silent. She lowered her head slightly while trying to figure out a good way to explain it.
"That's because the dorms in this academy are co-ed! That's right, boys and girls living under the same roof!" A feminine voice suddenly called out loudly.
Alarmed, Kyros and Kurumi turned toward the voice.
The new student found an attractive girl with brown eyes and shoulder-length hair in a sailor fuku. She was more attractive than Kurumi, to say the least. The girl also wore a yellow ribbon/hair band on her hair. Just by looking at her school uniform, Kyros could tell that she's from the academy.
"Ah, Iinchou!" Kurumi immediately saluted.
"So you're the new student, Kyros Tazanuki?" the girl leaned closer to the new kid. She soon reached out her hand. "I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, class president! Pleasure to meet ya!"
After a brief glance, Kyros shook Haruhi's hand.
"Now tell me, why did you sign up for Marahara Academy?" Haruhi said flat out, much to Kyros' slight surprise. That would be something only a fan girl would do.
"Here she goes again," Kurumi sighed.
"Well..." Kyros paused for a moment, "I used to live at Shibuya until my parents found their jobs here in this city. They heard about this academy so they thought I should enroll here."
From that moment, Haruhi's optimistic behavior slowly faded. Replacing her face was a gloomy expression. In fact, she was disappointed with Kyros' reason he entered Marahara Academy in the first place. Painfully ordinary, she thought.
"Momose-san," Haruhi turned at the other ordinary girl, "You remember where his room is, so escort him now. I still got more important stuff to take care of."
Haruhi then stormed off back to the dorm, leaving Kyros and Kurumi alone. The former was befuddled by Haruhi's sudden mood change.
"What's up with her?" Kyros asked Kurumi.
"Well, it's... It's kinda complicating. It's just that at times, she can be friendly, but then she can be quite rude. I really don't get her," Kurumi answered while scratching the back of her head.
"Anyway, your things should already be at your room. Follow me, I'll show you the way," the girl then approached the door and opened it. She turned her attention to the new student with a smile.
"Shall we?"
Kyros and Kurumi entered the dorm's lounge. The room was quite big; completed with a set of tables, sofas, and a carpet to made it more of a home than a dorm. Not to mention, they also had a television.
To the south was the dorm's entrance, where Kyros and Kurumi now stood. To the right side was the kitchen. They even had a table for the kitchen along with other kitchen appliances and knives. To the north was a set of staircases.
According to Kurumi, there were about 5 floors in each dorm.
Since it was really late, most of the lights were off except for the lamps on the tables. Kurumi then led Kyros up the stairs until they reached the third floor.
The lights were still on in the floor, so it should be easier for the pair to make their way across the hallway. There were quite many doors in both sides of the hallways.
Eventually, they reached the end of the eastern hallway. They stumbled across the door with the label number '216.'
"This is it, your room," Kurumi said as she took the said room's key from her pocket. She gave it to Kyros.
"Pretty easy to remember, right? And don't lose your key or you'll be in big trouble, okay?" Kurumi told Kyros. The silver-haired boy nods as a response.
"And that concludes our tour! There are other places that you haven't seen, but I'll take you there tomorrow. So any questions?"
Upon hearing Kurumi's last line, the thing that popped in Kyros' mind was the mysterious child he encountered at the academy's gate. He was about to ask about the child and the so-called contract until he suddenly had second thoughts about it. Could it be just a mere hallucination? After all, he was very exhausted from his long trip to the academy. Then again, it felt a bit real to begin with.
After giving some thoughts about it, Kyros decided against it. Not to mention, he had a feeling that Kurumi wouldn't know the answer.
The teenager kindly shook his head sideways.
"Okay then," Kurumi said with a smile, "Try to get some rest. There's not gonna be much lessons tomorrow, just some introductions to our teachers, classes, and rules. Y'know, that kind of stuff. The opening ceremony starts at 8 o'clock, but you should wake at seven. We'll go together at that time."
"Eh? Why that early?" Kyros asked with a befuddled look.
"Well, I could tell you why, but that's something you should see it with your own eyes. Otherwise, you wouldn't believe me," Kurumi said bluntly.
It's something that he must see with his own eyes? Well, that is something. Something suspicious, of course. Lucky for Kyros, he had just arrived at the academy and a girl already asked him to go together as if they were on a date.
For now, he decided to listen to her.
All the sudden, Kurumi paused with a rather worried look.
"Umm..." Kurumi finally spoke in a weak tone. "Can I ask you something?"
"Huh? Sure."
"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?" Kurumi asked.
Kyros raised his eyebrow with a befuddled look. Was she talking about the strange occurrence earlier? Was it about the sudden blackout in the street and the moon's color turned into shades of green?
He looked at Kurumi directly at the eyes. Just by a mere glance, the teenager could tell that the girl wanted a straightforward answer.
Before Kyros could respond, Kurumi suddenly backed out with an apologetic look. "S-Sorry, forget what I just said. I guess everything's alright."
"Well, I gotta go now. I'll see you tomorrow at seven, okay? Good night." Kurumi then left the hallway with a faint smile.
Afterwards, Kyros turned at his room's door and unlocked it. He entered.
His room was a little small, but comfortable to live in. It was fairly empty with nothing but a cozy bed, a desk, and a closet. There was also a window near the desk completed with a set of curtains. Surprisingly, the room had its own bathroom.
Just how much money did they spend to make this huge academy? Usually, dorms had separate bathrooms that most students have to share, but this one was a completely different story.
His stuffs were also there in the form of suitcases.
As much as he liked to unpack his things, it was already late and he had to get to the school building first thing in the morning. That would have to wait until tomorrow.
March 26, 2012
Monday
-2 days until Full Moon-
West Dorm
It was exactly seven in the morning.
Kyros had already taken a shower and now in his school uniform.
The school uniform for the boys was dark blue color. The top had a standing collar buttoning down from top-to-bottom while the pants were straight leg and a dark-colored belt was worn with them. The uniform had a collar pin, which had the symbol of two shields in the form of an X. Lastly, the kanji words of Marahara were written in between the shields.
Since there wasn't much study to work on for the first day of school, the new student didn't have to bring any books.
Kyros also opened up the curtains, allowing the fresh morning sunlight to reflect inside the room.
The new student then looked at his empty room and his luggage. He planed that after school, he would unpack everything.
After much preparation, Kyros was more than ready to leave for the school building. Suddenly, someone was knocking on the door a little louder.
"That must be Kurumi," Kyros uttered to himself.
The silver-haired boy made his way to the door and unlocked it. However, it wasn't Kurumi Momose knocking the door as he had expected.
"Good morning! Maho!"
It was another girl slightly smaller than Kurumi. She had blue hair, but what distinguished her from other girls was her 'ahoge,' the lock of hair on her head (The word also means foolish hair). Like Haruhi, she wore the girls' school uniform, the sailor fuku.
Kyros leaned backward in surprised as the stranger approached him very closely.
"You're the new student from last night, right?" the girl asked in an excited tone. It wasn't so bad if someone greeted you in close distance, but for this girl, it was far too close. As a result, Kyros felt rather uneasy.
"Uuhh... Yeah, I guess that's me," he said reluctantly.
The stranger suddenly grabbed Kyros' right hand and shook it rapidly. "It's great to meet you, maho! Kurumi told me about you this morning!" she said in such a fast pace. Not to mention, she was very excited from her bright look on her face. She shook his hand continuously for more than three seconds.
Kyros dropped a large sweat from the back of his head, comically.
Kurumi eventually arrived at the room.
"Himeko! What're you doing?!" Kurumi yelled, which gains the girl's full attention. The latter immediately turned at the former as she let go of Kyros' hand.
"Ah, Kurumi-san! Glad you can make it!" the girl waved her hand at Kurumi cheerfully. "I'm just making friends with the new guy, maho!"
"Ma... Maho?" Kyros uttered the word.
"S-Sorry if she caused trouble, Kyros-san," Kurumi said apologetically as she bowed her head.
"Oh, don't worry about it. I was just finished getting ready to go," Kyros said back with a faint smile. He then turned his attention to the hyperactive girl. "So your name is Himeko?"
"Yup!" the girl shouted energetically as she threw her right arm above. "Himeko Katagiri! Pleasure to meetcha!"
"Oh, oh, now that you're here, you really gotta know this!" Himeko immediately turned her attention to Kurumi. "Last night at the East Dorm, Fuyuki-san was telling this super scary ghost story and it totally scared Miyako and Rei! They didn't get enough sleep because of that, maho!"
"Really? Even Rei-san?" Kurumi chuckled.
"Yeah! But I thought the ghost story's kinda cute! Omega kawaii!" Himeko said with her hands on her cheeks. In her thoughts, she imagined the scary ghost story in, not a horror style, but in a rather adorable scenario coming from a kid's flick. Even the background was a soft, green hill with butterflies flying around. Oh, it also had little bunnies.
Kyros simply stared at the wastefully hyperactive girl. Is she for real? Never in his life he had ever met someone who was truly full of energy, but at the same time, a moron.
Kurumi then called Kyros.
"So did you sleep well?" she kindly asked, to which the boy nodded as an answer.
"Great! So we're ready to go now?"
Hearing the word 'we,' Kyros turned his attention to Himeko once again. Of course, she was currently in her own little world. "Yes, she's coming too," Kurumi immediately said, knowing exactly what Kyros was going to ask.
After that, Kyros locked his room before he and the girls left the dorm.
School Building
"Here we are."
Kurumi led Kyros to the large building in the center of the academy. Himeko also tagged along. They made their way through the long pathway leading directly to the building.
In both left and right side paths, there were beautiful gardens; arranged with flowers in pots and decorated in patterns. At the end of the pathway was the large gate, leading to the school building.
The school ground had a small, empty space. It also had a decorated garden with a slightly large tree in the middle of it. The tree itself wasn't just an ordinary tree, it grew beautiful sakura. Beneath the tree was a bench. In the opposite direction of the tree was a small clock tower.
Kyros and Kurumi were now standing in the entrance while Himeko playfully ran around the tree chasing a butterfly.
The new kid stared at the building in awe. That was until he noticed that there weren't many people in the school ground. Students, to be more specific. There were approximately two or three teachers inside the building. He checked the clock nearby and discovered that it was almost half past eight.
"Hey," Kyros looked at Kurumi, "Aren't we a bit too early?"
"Oh, you'll see it," Kurumi looked at her wristwatch, "In 3... 2... 1..."
From that moment, they heard loud footsteps coming. Just by the sound of it, there seemingly a lot of people coming. It even sounded like a stampede.
"Hey, who's that?" Himeko suddenly spoke whilst pointing at the gate. Kyros turned at the direction and saw a teenager beyond it. The person wore the boys' school uniform. His facial appearance was rather simple; he had short brown hair and green eyes. The only unique feature was the noticeable spike hair sticking out on the top of his head, similar to Himeko.
Kyros noticed the stressed look on the teen's face. The stranger was running faster, which made the new student wondering why. He soon found his answer when he saw TONS of people behind the stranger.
Hundreds of students ran across the pathway and the way they move was truly like a stampede, in a comical sort of manner. The funny thing about them was that their choice of getting to the school building. While most prefers by foot, many of them used skateboards, bicycles, and even roller blades.
They eventually arrived at the building and crashing into the shoe lockers.
The students were varied and interesting to note.
The first ones who easily entered the building moved so fast and agile. It was almost as if they were actual ninjas.
One of them was a tall girl. She was almost always seen with her eyes closed and strangely could see despite so. She appeared to have short green hair, but it was actually long as she tied her hair thin in a ponytail hair style. Alongside her was another girl with a slim, athletic build while her hair was held back tightly in a topknot that dropped well below her waist. Like the rest of the students, they wore the school uniforms.
The next ones were the boys with athletic builds.
The notable one was a large, muscular teenager whose notable feature was his red-colored hair. He was holding a gym bag. The bag was slightly opened, exposing a basketball shoe inside it.
Another one was rather normal in terms of appearance much like the boy from earlier, with the only difference was his short black hair. Like the muscular teenager, he also carried around a gym bag. In addition, he was holding a basketball.
Then another came rushing into the building's entrance. He had an orange-colored hair that's spiked upward. Like the previous two guys, he carried a gym bag. His bag was also slightly open, exposing a jersey shirt inside it.
Four particular girls easily entered through the entrance without any difficulty.
One of them was a cute girl with pink hair tied in short pigtails. She held a pair of long ribbons. One girl was rather small with a weak body and had a light blue hair. She was seen carrying some medical supplies.
The third girl had a confident look on her face. She had short red hair with her hair knotted to the right. Like the guys, she carried a gym bag. It was slightly opened revealing a red jersey shirt. The fourth and last girl was quite tall with a very calm look. She had a long, dark brown hair that was knotted in a ponytail. In addition, she had long bangs on both sides.
In a blink of an eye, a young boy suddenly landed in front of the four girls while carrying a short girl with long blonde hair tied in two long pigtails. Oddly enough, that boy wasn't wearing the school uniform but a butler's outfit. The teenager had medium-length light blue hair in a bob cut.
"Hurry up, Hayate!" the girl in the teen's arm yelled. They both immediately entered the school building with the four girls followed from behind.
"RELEASE THE CRITIC!" A rather hyperactive, yet crazy teenager stormed into the entrance. He entered in such a hilarious fashion, running down two 'background' students. "YUKI, COME BACK HERE!" A grumpy girl with glasses also stormed into the building, chasing the crazy teen. Her brown hair was tied in a ponytail with a ribbon.
Another student also managed to reach inside safely. He had black, spiky hair and wore a jacket with a video game controller on the back of it. Underneath the jacket was the school uniform. In addition, he wore glasses and a headband with the Japanese words for 'Number One' written on it.
Next, a girl about average height rushed in after the previous one. She had a rather athletic build with toned muscles and a lean figure. She was fair-skinned but had a rosy complexion. As for her hair, it was quite messy; a wild mess of copper that curled and reached her shoulders with the bangs held back with a thin headband.
After that, the rest of the students were rather normal. Among them was Haruhi Suzumiya. Kyros and Kurumi saw that she was dragging a tall teenager into the building by pulling his tie.
Another one was a boy who bore resemblance to Kurumi Momose, possibly a relative.
Another included a teenage boy of Chinese heritage with short, slightly spiked brown hair and a lithesome body shape. His eyes were amber. Next to him was a cute girl with short light brown hair and a slim body. Her eyes were green.
Surprisingly, not even one was injured during the stampede. Kyros and Kurumi casually stepped aside allowing hordes of students to enter the building. As for Himeko, she just stayed near the sakura tree while watching the wild crowd.
"Wow, omega awesome!" that was the only thing she said in an excited tone.
Kyros stared at stampeding students in awe. Now he realized the reason Kurumi wanted him to come to school earlier. He slowly turned his attention to her. "You see?" Kurumi smiled with her eyes closed.
As soon as the students were inside the building, the trio soon noticed that the boy from earlier wasn't so lucky at all. The stampede had trampled him badly.
"Ouch... That's gotta hurt," Kyros cringed.
Suddenly, three girls arrived at the school in time, running in such speed. "W-We're there!" a lively yet bubbly girl shouted while raising her fist in the air.
"Eh?" they simultaneously stopped when they felt they step on something soft. They stared at each other, wondering what it was. They soon looked down and found that they stepped on the poor, trampled boy.
"Who's he?" one the three girls, a slightly tall girl with short brown hair and green eyes, asked.
"That's just the new guy who just arrived yesterday morning," a short girl with long blue hair said. She wore a white hairband.
The tall girl began to smile mischievously while looking down at the trampled kid, mostly at his ahoge hair. Her right hand began to reach for her pocket, trying to get something. Before she could do something to the already unfortunate kid, the lively girl noticed Kurumi. She waved her hand at her. "Kurumi-san, good morning!" she shouted in a lively manner. It interrupted the tall girl as she also turned her attention to Kurumi.
"Morning to you too, Izumi-san! Miki-san! Risa-san!" Kurumi shouted back.
"You know them?" Kyros then asked. Kurumi nodded in response.
"Sure do. We were in the same class last year," Kurumi said as the three girls approached her and the new kid.
"So you're a new student too?" the lively girl asked, to which Kyros nodded.
"Nice to meet you," she immediately bowed her head with a smile, "My name's Izumi Segawa. It's nice to meet you!"
"Miki Hanabishi," the blue-haired girl said with a monotone, yet cool voice.
"Risa Asakaze," the tall girl gave a cocky smile.
"Nice to meet you too," Kyros also bowed his head toward the three, "I'm Kyros Tazanuki."
Right exactly after the introduction, a loud voice suddenly called out the trio; it was coming from the school's entrance. They all turned around and found Haruhi Suzumiya at the entrance. "You guys! Stop hogging with the new kid and hurry up! We got important things to take care of!"
"Yes, Iincho!" the trio shouted simultaneously while saluting.
Izumi immediately entered the building, but not before waving at the new kid. "We'll see you again, Kyra-kun!"
"So long, Kyra-kun," Miki also said as she casually walked into the school building.
"Girls..." Kyros uttered with a large sweat dropping from the back of his head, "It's Kyros-kun, not Kyra-kun..."
"Whatever, Kyra-kun," The last of the trio suddenly said much to Kyros' dismay. She casually walked by him, setting her way for the entrance.
Risa suddenly turned around and looked directly at Kurumi.
"Kurumi-san, enjoy the new kid! Flirt him all you want," she shouted with a grin before she entered the building.
Kurumi's cheeks turned red a bit upon hearing it.
"H-Hey! It's not like that!" Kurumi shouted. However, she lost sight of Risa beyond the huge door. She groaned.
"She really doesn't change a bit..."
Kurumi quickly turned her attention to Kyros. "S-Sorry about it, just forget what she said, okay?"
Kyros nodded.
"By the way... Is he okay?"
Kyros looked at the poor boy. He was still pinned on the ground. He wasn't alone, however, as Himeko was right there with him. Instead of helping him, Himeko playfully poked at the boy's ahoge while humming "Maho" repeatedly.
In a few seconds, both Kyros and Kurumi helped the boy up and fixing his clothes.
"T-Thanks," the boy said humbly.
"Umm... You're..." Kurumi uttered while pointing at the stranger, slightly.
The stranger soon noticed Kyros.
"Oh, you're the new student from last night, right?" the boy reached out his hand, "My name is Makoto Naegi. Nice to meet you."
"Kyros Tazanuki," the new student shook Naegi's hand, "Nice to meet you too."
"I'm Kurumi. Kurumi Momose," the plain girl said as she also shook Naegi's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Naegi-san."
"So... You three got here early?" Naegi asked. He gazed at Kurumi, then at Kyros, and lastly at Himeko.
"Yeah. To avoid THAT," Kurumi said as she pointed her thumb at the doorway entrance. "Almost every morning."
"S-Seriously?" Naegi shuddered.
"But fun, maho!" Himeko suddenly appeared next to Naegi, shouting. It surprised the latter causing him to jump.
"They oughta make a competition! Whoever reaches the finish line first gets the prize! Like a steam crab!" Himeko blurted out. She was in her own little world again. She imagined some tasty steam crabs serve in a silver plate with a huge label saying "Prize #1." Her ahoge somewhat wagged around as if an animal was wagging its tail.
Kyros and Naegi were befuddled to see her. The boys turned their attention to Kurumi. Just by looking at their faces, she could tell that they demanded an explanation over Himeko's odd behavior.
"She's always like this," Kurumi chuckled.
"We should go inside now. We don't want to be late in our first day, do we?" she asked while looking at her wristwatch. It was now 7:40 in the morning.
With that in mind, the four of them entered the school building.
-/-
It was only a few minutes away until the ceremony.
Everyone - including the students, teachers, and staff members – had gathered around in the auditorium.
The school building had four floors and a basement. Most classes were in the second, third, and fourth floors while the faculty office was at the second floor. The basement was for the cafeteria. As for the auditorium, it was located in the first floor.
The students, both seniors and underclassmen, were at the seats in the large room while the said teachers and staff employees were at the stage in the front.
It was very surprising because the amount number of the students was really many that they completely covered the entire seats. Since there were quite many, some of the employees had to be seated among them in order to keep them in line.
There were a lot of interesting teens at their respective seats, similar to the ones earlier.
Among them was another tall girl; she was probably one of the tallest. Her skin was tanned to say the least with long black hair. Seated next to her was a quiet girl who also had tanned skin. She was much smaller with marks below her eyes and her hair of white. Currently, this girl was juggling some objects.
They were both seated in the back rows.
One particular student in the back rows was a certain male student with brown hair and had a relaxed smile on his face. In fact, he always kept that smile. He was chatting casually with the tall student (who was with Haruhi earlier in the morning) and the other student who resembled Kurumi.
Behind the three boys was a boy with a very frail body and black hair followed by a pointed hair horn from the back. His eyes were dark blue. The boy was reading a book entitled, "Guide to the Supernatural."
The frail boy was explaining the book and the supernatural to a dowdy boy wearing thick glasses. The pair of glasses somewhat had swirling spirals on each one. Strangely enough, he could still see through them.
While the dowdy student listened to the frail boy about the supernatural, he didn't seem to be interested at all. Despite his disinterest, he still listened to the kid anyways.
The only one who was interested with his explanation of the paranormal was a certain girl. She was very short and had long dark blue hair that's styled in a hime cut. Strangely enough, she wore a kimono unlike the rest of the students.
In the middle rows, there was a student with a very strong, muscular built among them. His skin was slightly tanned, had red eyes, and had black spiky hair that reaches his shoulder. In addition, he had a small scar on his right cheek. Last but not least, he was quite tall.
Seated next to the large student was a girl who had long, red-brown hair that reacheed her shoulders with two strips of her bangs dyed pink and red. Her height was average to say the least. Her skin was a little pale and petite. As for her eyes, they were dark green.
Among the students in the middle rows was a male student with short, disheveled, dark brown hair. He had blue eyes and a stubble beard. He always had a tired look in his eyes, but somewhat stay awake. In addition, he wore a pair of headphones.
Also among the middle rows, a girl with two long pigtails - knotted with a pair of bells – was talking with two girls, her best friends. One was a cute girl with long, dark brown hair and brown eyes. The other had black, ponytailed hair and brown eyes.
Somewhere in the front rows, there was an attractive girl with light red hair. She always carried around a digital camera in her hand.
The red-haired girl was chatting with two other girls. One girl had light green hair and purple eyes accompanied by a cocky, cheerful smile. The other one had shoulder-length pink hair (knotted with a small bun) and brown eyes. From the way she talked with her friends, she was quite cheerful and outgoing.
Also seated in the front rows was a male student with strawberry-blonde hair and blue eyes. He was observing the rest of the students very closely, noting the increased amount when compared to last year.
Among the front rows were five particular girls. If one hear closely, they could hear the girls talking about starting a band club for the new school year.
Now we move on with the teachers. Like the students, they were quite an interesting bunch. All the male teachers wore green uniforms while the women wore blue dress with long skirt.
They all sat on a vertical line of chairs at the stage in the front.
The most famous among them was a young teacher with short blond hair. He looked over the kids below the stage with a satisfied look. Seated next to him was a tall man of serious and extremely perceptive. He had red eyes and black hair that spiked up complicatedly.
Another interesting thing about the teachers was that two of them were actually younger than the teenagers. One was a little boy wearing glasses. Although he appeared to have short hair, it was actually tied in a ponytail style albeit quite short.
The other child teacher was a little girl with long blond hair; probably a year older than the boy. She wore a white coat (probably lab coat). She was tapping her foot impatiently, wondering when the ceremony would begin.
Seated next to the child teachers was a young woman with short green hair and yellow eyes. On her forehead was a sort of dot. Both children had trouble when dealing the woman, mostly because they could smell alcohol from her.
Next to the woman was a tall, lean-built man with light skin and gray eyes. His hair was rather messy for a teacher and it was light blond with strands framing the sides of the face and hanging between his eyes. He also had chin stubble. In addition, he wore a white bucket hat (which usually shadowed his eyes).
Next, there were two young women. One appeared to be very gentle and elegant wearing a pair of glasses. She had long brown hair. As for the other, she was rather emotionless. She only stared at the students and the teachers blankly. She had short white hair.
Seated next to the emotionless teacher was a young man with short, wavy blond hair and blue eyes. He had a very calm look.
Next to the young man was a slender, dark-skinned woman with golden eyes. She had a long purple hair tied in a ponytail.
Kyros was seated in the middle row alongside Kurumi, Naegi, and Himeko.
It was finally the time for the ceremony to start. The academy dean entered the stage and made his way straight to the podium. The podium itself was ready with a microphone and a glass of water. The dean was actually a very old man. His white beard and even his eyebrows were long. While he was bald, he had his long hair knotted in a ponytail.
"Greetings, fellow students. I am the academy dean, Konoemon Konoe. Welcome to Marahara Academy," the old dean spoke in the microphone.
"I'm sure that all of you new students would really like it here in Marahara. As you begin the new school year, I'd like each of you to remember..."
Dean Konoemon continued with his speech.
…
The speech went on for quite a while; it was very long as one could imagine.
Some of the students began to get bored of the long speech although there was some paying intently with the dean.
"Kurumi-san," Naegi whispered at the plain girl, "Does his speech always this long?"
"Sadly... Yeah," Kurumi sighed.
"Tell me about it, it feels like an hour," Kyros uttered.
"I hear talking," a feminine voice suddenly called out in a quiet tone. The trio was slightly jumped as they discovered that the voice was actually one of the assistants.
"You three, please stop talking. Do you want to get yourselves in trouble?" she asked the three students in a gentle tone.
Kyros, Naegi, and Kurumi shook their heads sideways in silence.
After approximately five minutes, the dean was finally done with his long speech. He turned his attention to his fellow teachers. "Everyone, meet your teachers."
The teachers stood. They begin their very own introduction to the teens one by one.
"Eikichi Onizuka, 22 years old, nice to meet you all!" the teacher raised his fist.
"Kurogane," the tall teacher bluntly said with his arms crossed.
"My name is Negi Springfield, I hope we can get along," the 10-year-old boy said as he bowed his head.
"Rebecca Miyamoto, graduated from MIT," the little girl said bluntly as well. Her hands were in her pockets.
"Yukiji Katsura! Pleasure to meet ya!" the woman yelled cheerfully while raising her fist.
"Name's Kisuke Urahara," the slick man said in a cool tone. He raised his hand, waving at the kids.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Mutsuki Ichimonji," the beautiful, elegant woman bowed in a lady-like manner.
"Kisaragi Ninomai," the next teacher said in an emotionless tone.
"Char Aznable. Nice to meet you all," the next teacher said as he bowed his head as well.
"Yoruichi Shiōin. Pleasure to meet you," the dark-skinned teacher said with a smile.
Other teachers soon followed as they properly introduced themselves.
Kyros looked at the teachers, noting each one of them. He did find them all interesting, mostly the child teachers. Like most students in the auditorium, Kyros wondered how Negi and Becky managed to become teachers despite their ages.
With that done, Konoemon finished the last of his speech and wished everyone a good time of the year.
Now everyone had the chance to go and see their classes, but more importantly, they could go and see which classes they were assigned to.
-/-
Now the students were free to look around the school building as long as they want, but they absolutely must find out their assigned classes.
The students could also see various clubs around the academy. While the recruitment wasn't today, the clubs thought that by demonstrating their respective activities, they might be able to convince the newer students to join in.
Kyros, Naegi, Kurumi, and Himeko were at Class 2-C located in the second floor. The homeroom teacher was none other than Onizuka.
The four checked at the bulletin board in front of the class' door. This particular board showed the list of students that were assigned in Class 2-C.
The assigned students were in the following.
- Kyros Tazanuki
- Rex Akamura
- Kurumi Momose
- Makoto Naegi
- Kazumi Asakura
- Akira Okouchi
- Kazuhiko Aikawa
- Sakuya Aizawa
- Kyon
How unfortunate, Himeko wasn't in this class.
"Well... Looks like we're not gonna be in the same class this time," Kurumi said in a disappointed tone. She turned at her friend. Himeko, on the other hand, stayed cheerful as ever.
"It's not a big loss! We can still see again after class, maho!" Himeko said.
All the sudden, someone called Himeko's name. The four students turned at the class door. They found a girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes waving at them.
"Aha, Tomo-san!" Himeko waved back at the girl.
"Who's she?" Naegi asked Kurumi.
"That's Tomo Takino. She's friends with Himeko even though they're from different classes," Kurumi explained.
"I've been looking aaallll over for you!" Tomo shouted as she suddenly approached Himeko in a split of seconds. She soon noticed the other three teens, mainly Kurumi.
"Ah, hello Kurumi-san! Looking plain as ever!" Tomo shouted cheerfully at Kurumi.
Plain...
That was something that Kurumi detested.
It immediately placed Kurumi under heavy depression with her eyes changed into completely white. She turned toward the corner of the class. She began to sulk while humming repeatedly, "Rararu..."
Kyros and Naegi stared at Kurumi, befuddled with her sudden change of behavior.
"Guess what? We're at the same class!" Tomo announced the surprise to Himeko.
"You serious?!" Himeko shouted in excitement.
"Seriously! This is just great, y'know!"
"That's omega awesome!"
"C'mon, you gotta see who's in class!" Tomo then turned her attention at Kurumi who's still sulking at the corner. "Good to see ya too, Kurumi-san! I'll see you later!"
Both girls immediately ran out of the classroom, but not before Himeko waved goodbye at Kurumi and the boys.
Once Himeko left, Kyros decides to look around the classroom. As for Naegi, he tried to snap Kurumi back to reality. Unfortunately, she kept sulking and humming at the corner.
The class was quite clean and orderly with the student desks aligned in straight lines. To the front were the teacher's desk and the white board behind it. The windows were in the right side of the room.
Kyros continued to inspect the classroom, noting its well-designed interior. That was when a student emerged from a large group within the class and approached Kyros.
"What's up?" the student suddenly spoke to Kyros. He appeared to be quite tall with short, black spiky hair and black eyes.
"Uuh, hi," the new kid greeted back.
"You're the new guy from last night, right? You're... Kyros Tazanuki," the student paused, waiting for Kyros' answer. The silver-haired boy nodded as a response. "Great. I'm Rex Akamura."
"I know how tough it is being a new kid. I moved into this academy a year ago. Let me tell you, it's really not bad here. In fact, you probably might enjoy it," Rex said to Kyros in a friendly manner.
"Word of advice: Expect everything, 'cause a lot of people here are crraaaaazzyyy!"
Rex soon noticed Kurumi sulking at the corner of the wall.
"Oh, she's at it again?"
"You know Kurumi-san?" Kyros asked.
"Yeah, we've been in the same class before. She's not really keen with someone calling her plain. If there is even a little hint of someone calling her that, she goes like that," Rex explained to Kyros.
Kyros silently nodded. Now that he learned that, he did feel sorry for Kurumi.
Suddenly, Izumi Segawa entered the classroom. "Kurumi-san!" she then walked directly toward the sulking girl at the corner. Naegi backed away as soon as Izumi reached Kurumi.
"Mana-san's looking for you! She needs to talk to you and everyone from the archery club about the recruitment!"
"R-Recruit?" Kurumi suddenly returned from her depression.
"Yup! She said 'Meet at the auditorium immediately!'" Izumi said while imitating her friend's tone.
"Ah! G-Got it! Thanks, Izumi-san!" Kurumi said anxiously as she quickly stood.
Kurumi immediately approached Kyros and said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, Kyros-kun, but I can't show you the academy. There's an urgent meeting and I really have to attend."
The silver-haired boy merely smiled and nodded, assuring her that it was okay despite the setback.
"You can go back by yourself, right?" Kurumi asked.
"Well, I guess so. I can find my way back to the dorm," Kyros answered.
"You sure about that? You sure you're not gonna get lost? You have your keys, right?" Kurumi asked in a more concerned expression.
"Y-Yeah, of course I am! I can take care of it," Kyros reassured again.
Kurumi smiled, sighing out of relief. "Glad to hear it. See you at the dorm!" She then waved her hand at Kyros as she went out the class, followed by Izumi.
Kyros waved back at Kurumi.
"Huh, looks like you're getting along well," Rex smirked.
"Huh? W-Wait, it's not what you think it is!" Kyros said nervously as his cheeks started to turn slightly red.
"I didn't say anything," Rex shrugged.
"Say, you got free time?" Rex asked. Kyros shook his head sideways.
"Why not stick around and check out the clubs? I'll give you a little tour in Marahara," Rex said with a smile.
Kyros paused for a moment.
"Sure, I guess that's okay," he finally spoke.
"Naegi-san, what about you?" Kyros turned his attention to Naegi.
"Me?"
"Yeah, wanna come and join us?"
"Well..." Naegi stopped and pondered whether to join or not. Like Kyros, he soon realized that he had nothing much to do right now. Hence, he decided to join them.
Now that they'd decided, the boys departed the class with Rex Akamura as their guide.
-/-
The tour had begun for Kyros, Naegi, and Rex.
The boys' first stop was the music room located in the third floor. The light music club – consisting of the five girls – performed together a musical number with the song 'Utauyo! Miracle.' The trio was fascinated to see the girls' performance. They were not the only ones in the club room as there were several; the majority of them are girls.
Marahara Academy had supplied the light music club with various musical instruments such as electric guitars, pianos, basses, and drums.
The club members encouraged their visitors to try out their instruments just for fun. Kyros actually did well with the bass while Rex played the drum. Naegi, on the other hand, didn't do very well with any of the instruments that everyone told him to stop playing, much to his embarrassment.
Next, the trio visited the Judo club. It was located at the gym near the school building.
There, they found the same cocky girl with the light green hair and purple eyes. Everyone, including the girl, wore the traditional judo uniform. She openly welcomed the boys and they were just in time to see an annual match.
The two opponents met at the ring. One was a Chinese girl with blonde hair and tanned skin. Her opponent was the same boy in the butler uniform, only now he was wearing the judo uniform.
As soon as the gong rang, they both fight. Their match was rather intense as they were seemingly matched in terms of strength and speed. For every attack they threw, they either dodged or blocked it.
The visitors were really enjoying the match and tensed to see the winner. Other than Kyros and company, there were also the short girl with the two long blond pigtails and the ninja girl with her hair held back tightly in a topknot.
However, there was no winner as the match suddenly ended in three minutes. It was only a demonstration for the new students to see.
After the match, both fighters bow in a form of respect.
In the same gym, there was also the basketball club.
Two of the best basketball players were having a friendly match, though one of them treated it as a match instead. That player was the tall, muscular student with the red hair. His opponent was the normal, average-sized boy with short black hair.
The tall basketball player – whose position is Power Forward-Center – was really skilled with rebounding accompanied with his formidable athleticism and combined with his somewhat unorthodox playing style.
However, despite being smaller, his opponent was no joke either. The basketball player, playing the position of Small Forward, was quite the genius and could jump higher than anyone in the basketball team.
The two players did their best with their game as they dribbling the ball from each other. As one player tried to reach for the hoop, one would always steal the ball and run for the other hoop. There were times they shoot the ball toward the hoop. Not even once they miss, the ball kept on going through the hoops.
Scores for both players were tied.
Both Kyros and Naegi were impressed with the basketball players' stamina and polished skills. The latter could see that the second basketball player showed that he has fun with the match just by looking at his face. The tall player, on the other hand, was far more determined to win rather than having fun.
The match continued for nearly fifteen minutes.
Afterwards, the trio went to the basement where the cafeteria was located.
It was exactly like your everyday cafeteria. There were big tables around with the counter to the front. Behind the counter was the door leading into the kitchen.
Not only the chefs were adults, some of them are actually teenagers like the trio. The best among the younger chefs was a teenage girl; she was slightly chubby with brown hair in pony hair style. She was very gentle from her interactions with her fellow chefs. More importantly, she enjoyed cooking very much.
The food was varied, ranging from the traditional Japanese delicacies to the Indonesian's food and to Chinese's.
Kyros and Naegi tasted some of the food. They openly admitted that the food was really good. To their surprise, Rex told them that the foods they just tasted were cooked by the said teenage chef. That alone surprised and impressed them both.
Next, the trio arrived at a classroom in the third floor. It was actually the paranormal club where the frail boy was the club president. Much to Kyros' dismay, the classroom was decorated in a somewhat spooky sense fitting for the paranormal activity.
Unlike most clubs, the paranormal club was short on members. They consisted of the club president, the dowdy boy with the glasses, the short girl in the kimono, and another girl with light blue hair clinging on the frail boy.
Having already seen few clubs, Rex decided to take Kyros and Naegi to the district in the other side of the school building; mostly beyond the North Dorm. The district was actually the place for shopping. It's also the place for hanging out and having fun. Kyros figured Rex meant the big complex he'd saw last night.
The trio settled off to the district.
The entire place was indeed almost like a shopping district, completed with its own malls, shops, and even a local theater.
According to Rex, the academy loaned each student his or her own allowances. Everyone received the same amount of money. They could spend their money whenever they want in the Shopping District. Each student received the allowance at every beginning of the month.
A student could get extra money by doing part time jobs.
During their visit at the Shopping District, the trio explored the malls, mainly the shops. The district almost had everything; the clothes, accessories, CDs, you name it.
The district also had its own arcade. There, the trio had a little fun with some of the games. They even had the famous light gun games in the house; one of Kyros' favorites.
Rex introduced Kyros and Naegi to an arcade game that utilized animal cards, which was one of his favorites. It may look childish, but the game was actually very addicting due to its fun gameplay. Kyros and Naegi were immediately hooked with it.
Since the game had two-player mode, the boys could have fun together.
Naegi had a lot of fun playing the game as he used a large brown bear, but Rex beaten him in the game using a Bengal tiger. Fortunately, Naegi did beat Rex in a few matches though the latter still beaten the former more.
Kyros, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The silver-haired boy used a giant Caucasus beetle, but he barely scored a win. Rex and Naegi beaten him up pretty much in the game, much to his dismay.
Next, the boys went to the local theater. To Kyros' and Naegi's surprise, they had most of the current and new movies on the big screen. There were also a few old ones too, dating from 2009 to 2010.
The entire academy was indeed huge. Just how much money did they spend to build such place?
Cash aside, Kyros spent most of his time with his new friends around the academy.
It didn't take long for the silver-haired boy to remember about his stuffs still unpacked. With that in mind, he bided goodbye to his new friends and departed back home.
West Dorm
Luckily, Kyros remembered the way back to the West Dorm. It took nearly an hour to get back from the Shopping District; quite a long road.
Once he arrived at the dorm, he immediately started unpacking his stuff. He placed most of his clothes at the closet.
He then placed several action figures on his desk and near the closed window. Most of his action figures were from two famous game series: a blue hedgehog that moved faster than the speed of sound and an Italian plumber in red.
Next, he unpacked the school materials that his parents had bought for him. He placed the books on the desk and its drawers. He also placed his favorite digital clock on the desk. More importantly, he placed the picture of his family on it.
By tomorrow, the real school day started.
Unfortunately, it was an exhausting day. Having to attend the opening ceremony early in the morning and a long tour on the academy, it did a number on him.
Kyros, in his white T-Shirt and short pants, jumped onto his comfy bed.
"What a day..." he murmured. Although he hadn't finished unpack his stuffs, he promised that he would finish his work after a little rest.
…
He fell asleep pretty fast...
-/-/-/-
…
"W-What?"
As soon as Kyros opened his eyes, he discovered that he wasn't in his room.
The silver-haired boy was in a huge room covered in blue. The back wall was chain-link, displaying that the room seemed to be moving upward like an elevator. It also had a large clock with the hands continuously spinning. Kyros also discovered that he was seated on a comfy chair.
He soon also discovered that he was not alone...
An old man with a long nose and a beautiful young lady in blue were across a short, round table...
"Welcome to the Velvet Room..."
-/-
Kyros stared at the old man, who was sitting on a comfy chair. The young lady was standing next to the old man.
"Ah, it appears we have a guest with an intriguing destiny," the bizarre old man chuckled. "It has been many years since we've had a guest."
"My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance," the man said in a delightful manner.
"This is Elizabeth," the bizarre-looking man, Igor, gestured his hand toward the young lady. "She's a resident here, like myself."
"Pleased to meet you," she smiled.
Kyros was spooked by the bizarre event. The presence of the two mysterious individuals only made him feel even more unnerving. There was something about them that sent shivers onto his spines. Was he dreaming? Was this for real?
"Do not be alarmed, you're not in danger. Just relax," Igor said to Kyros with his smile intact.
Taking the advice in, Kyros calmed down. He breathed slowly. Once he was calmed, he gazed upon the bizarre room. Very ominous, he thought.
"So... What is this place?" he then asked.
"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," Igor explained cryptically.
"Dream?"
"Precisely. You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later."
The bizarre old man suddenly waved his hand around. A notebook suddenly appeared in the table. "H-Hey, is that..." Kyros immediately recognized the notebook as the same one from last night. It was really the book when he met the mysterious little boy. The notebook suddenly flipped itself, revealing the page with the 'contract' Kyros had signed.
"Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place... Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. For the coming year, a great calamity will soon befall upon your world. If nothing is done, your future and your world will be forever lost," Igor explained cryptically again.
Calamity? What was he talking about?
"Our duty is to make sure that does not happen. However, I only ask one thing in return for our help... You must assume responsibility for the choices that you make, as you are abide by the contract," Igor added.
"I... I don't understand," Kyros said, very confused with almost everything Igor had said. "What 'power?' What kind of disaster are you talking about?"
"I see," Igor said while maintaining his delightful manner and his grin, "That is fine, for now. Until the time comes."
"Hold on to this," Igor waved his hand again. A key engulfed in soft, blue light suddenly appeared in front of Kyros' eyes. It then descended onto his hands.
"'Til we meet again..."
-/-/-/-
"W-What?!"
Kyros rose in his bed quickly. He found that he was now in his bedroom.
The silver-haired boy turned around and gazed at his digital clock on his desk. It was 7 o'clock in the evening.
"What... What was that just now..." Kyros sat on his bed, becoming even more confused.
He pondered over the encounter with the mysterious boy last night. He thought that it was just a hallucination since he was very tired during that time. After that 'dream' in the 'Velvet Room,' he was convinced that his encounter was no hallucination at all.
"What is going on," he thought.
Questions blurred his mind...
School Building
Meanwhile, at the faculty office...
The child teacher, Negi Springfield, was at his desk.
The office looked neat; it resembled a lot as those from other schools. It was quite big too since there were many teachers in the academy.
Each desk had some items that people may find it interesting.
On Negi's desk, there was a pack of cards that was placed side down; each has a portrait of a magic rune circle with a pentagram on it. On the desk next to Negi's, there was a neat figure of Sazabi.
Placed next to the desk with the Sazabi figurine on it, there were two more desks. A black kimono – with white undergarment underneath and white colored coats on it – was dangled on the chair. There was a small figurine of a black cat on the next desk.
To the opposite side of Negi's desk, there were a few more desks.
One desk had a figurine of a motor bike and the desk next to it had a figurine of a feather quill with a symbol that appears to be a heart.
The next desk had a picture of Mutsuki with her family, including a gruff teenager standing next to her.
While Negi appeared to be making preparation for tomorrow, he was actually looking at some news articles. All of them showed abnormal activities of various people. It wasn't a pretty sight.
Suddenly, Haruhi entered the faculty office.
"You call, chibiko?" Haruhi approached Negi.
"Umm... Haruhi-san, I think you need to see this," Negi then handed one of the articles to Haruhi. After reading bits of the article, Haruhi's usual cheerful look became rather serious.
"Again?"
"Yeah. People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome. They've been in the news quite often lately. They all say it's due to stress, but..." Negi told her.
"I know, it has to be 'them,'" Haruhi said to her teacher. "I'll check it out right away. I'll bring Kurumi-san too."
"Okay, please be careful," Negi said in a concerned expression.
Haruhi merely smiled before giving the child teacher a thumbs-up. She then left the faculty room.
March 27, 2012
Tuesday
-1 day until Full Moon-
School Building
First day of school...
Likewise, being a new kid was really tough. One had to get used with the new environment and the school rules.
Marahara was no less different.
Class started exactly at 8 o'clock in the morning and finished at 3.
For Class 2-C, today's subjects were Japanese classics (taught by Mutsuki-sensei), history (taught by Yukiji-sensei), and math (taught by Becky-sensei).
Few hours had passed.
School was over subsequently.
Even as a first day of school, it was still harsh as ever. Math had to be the worst.
Kyros soon exited the school building. The empty field outside had little students roaming around. The teenager who bore resemblance to Kurumi was resting at the bench. The frail boy was posting his paranormal club's ad on the wall nearby. Lastly, the girls from the light music club were talking while walking their way outside the gates.
Accompanied by the sakura petals falling from the trees and a breeze wind blows by, it created a stunning atmosphere for the school ground.
As soon Kyros was close to the gate, he noticed a pair of girls talking. He managed to overhear their conversation.
"Did you hear the rumor?"
"You mean with that damped kitchen?"
"No! Not that one! I mean the one about the first-year student's big brother! Not only her brother stop coming to Hakumo High, he does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day! If her mother tries to talk to him, he only mutters to himself, 'It's coming... It's coming!'"
"Seriously? That's kinda creepy," the listening student shuddered.
The girls then left the gate, heading for the northern district.
That rumor certainly gained Kyros' interest.
Before he had time to ponder over this rumor, Naegi arrived at the gate from the school building.
"Kyros-san, you're going home already?" Naegi asked.
"Well, yeah. I still need to tune my place. It's gonna take that long until night," Kyros answered.
"But really... I'm actually surprised that we're at the same dorm," the silver-haired boy said with a smile.
The teenager with the ahoge hair nodded enthusiastically. "I don't know if it's a coincidence or just pure luck," he chuckled.
"Probably my luck again," Naegi suddenly uttered whilst turning away from Kyros.
"'scuse me?" Kyros asked with his right eyebrow raised.
"N-Nothing!" Naegi said quickly.
The pair soon began to walk slowly out of the gate. They were heading their way back to the West Dorm.
"Say, wanna walk home together? I can probably help out with your room," Naegi suddenly asked.
"Sure," Kyros said bluntly.
West Dorm
Upon arrival, Kyros and Naegi stumbled upon Kurumi in the quarters, sitting at some comfy sofas.
The girl wasn't alone either. The old dean was also there beside her.
"There they are," Kurumi said.
"Ah, you must be the new students," Konoemon said toward Kyros and Naegi. The dean and Kurumi then stood.
Kyros and Naegi were prompted to join and seat with them.
"Good afternoon," the boys said in unison.
"Good afternoon to you too. I'm sure you both know our names by now," the old dean said.
The boys nodded simultaneously. "Dean Konoemon, is it?"
"So what brings you here, sir?" Kyros asked.
"To welcome you, of course," Konoemon immediately answered.
"That includes you as well, young man," Konoemon suddenly pointed at Naegi, much to the latter's surprise.
"Your background intrigues me. Even though you're not from a rich family, you manage to enter when you win that lottery."
"I-It's nothing, really," Naegi said humbly, feeling rather flattered. "You could say it's just luck. My family was surprised and happy that we now have tons of money. My parents recommended me to study here. I couldn't possibly pass such an opportunity."
"Do you like it here?" Konoemon asked.
"First impression? Yes, I do like it here. It's a little harder from my old school, but I believe I can do it," Naegi answered optimistically.
Kurumi stared at Naegi in awe, impressed with the seemingly plain boy. That was truly pure luck.
The old dean then turned his attention to Kyros.
"I'm quite intrigued with your scores from the qualification exams. It's not just you scored one of the highest, it's your background as well," Konoemon explained.
Kyros retained his calm expression.
"So tell me, what do you think with Marahara Academy?" the old dean then asked.
"It's just my first day, but from what I've seen so far, I think it's great," Kyros answered bluntly.
Kurumi gazed at the new kid. From what she had seen so far about him, she thought Kyros was rather normal. She began to think that he was probably the same as her, in terms of plainness.
The old dean chuckled out of delight.
"Glad to hear from the both of you. I hope you two have a successful school year," Dean Konoemon rose from his seat, "You both must be tired from all the excitement. You should get some rest early. Now if you excuse me."
Afterwards, the old dean left the dorm.
"He seems to be a nice person," Naegi complimented their dean. Kyros nodded.
-/-
Kyros and Naegi made their way to the former's room, number 216.
Once there, the boys began to tune up the room. With an extra help, the silver-haired boy was able to add the finishing touch for his new room. It was livelier than before with the addition a few more action figures and posters.
He had gotten a few interesting ones. One included a young man in crimson armor doing a pose. Alongside the man were two interesting characters, an elf girl and a cloaked thief. The background was a Medieval kingdom shrouded in thick fog as an enormous floating airship emerging in the sky. The title, 'Radiant Legends: The Lost Kingdom,' was imprinted below.
Once their job was done, they noticed that it was already at night. The time was 8 o'clock sharp.
Naegi pardoned himself. Kyros learned that his new friend's room was also in this very floor. Naegi's room, number 208, was located just nearby. If that wasn't a coincidence, then it must be fate.
With that done, Naegi returned to his room.
A few hours had passed...
Nearly everyone in the West Dorm was fast asleep, including the new students. There were students still awake at this hour because they had other works to finish.
Kyros was already at bed, sleeping soundly.
However...
-/-
Unbeknown to everyone in the dorm, there was a mysterious room hidden somewhere within the dorm.
It appeared to be a control room of some sort as there was a pair of computers stationed in and countless of monitors on the front. Each monitor recorded footage of different locations of the academy, including the gate and the school building.
There were three people in the control room.
One of them was monitoring the screens, mainly at Kyros' bedroom. For the others, they examined the computers. One of the pair was doing the work, tapping on several keyboards for database.
Suddenly, two more people entered the room.
"Working hard?" one of them asked. Surprisingly, they were none other than the dean Konoemon and Char Aznable.
"So how is he doing?" Char asked.
"He went to bed not too long ago," the one watching the monitors spoke. He was actually Negi Springfield.
"Is this really okay?" one of the two figures at the computers then asked the dean. The two figures were actually Kurumi and Haruhi.
"Somehow... I just don't feel right," Kurumi voiced her doubt.
"But really, do you really think he's..." Haruhi turned her attention to the monitor that showed Kyros' bedroom. Her eyes were set on the seemingly plain boy.
"Well, why don't we wait and see?" Konoemon suggested.
Char then looked at his watch, noticing it's almost midnight. "The Dark Hour is approaching."
At the same time, outside the academy...
Several people were roaming across the city street. This time, it was more crowded than usual.
At one of the crowded apartments, a group of friends were having a party like crazy. They drank a lot while occasionally having snacks. They also tuned in some J-Pop music they dance to it.
A young man in a blue shirt and green vest looked at the clock nearby, noticing it was nearing midnight. The man had red hair that was spiked upward and with a short goatee.
As soon as it stroke 12, the night sky suddenly turned green; even the half-full moon. That was not all, however. Everyone, including those in the apartment party, had turned into coffins. However, only one didn't turn... It was the man in the blue shirt and green vest.
"W-What the hell?!" the man shrieked upon seeing his friends turned into coffins. Disturbingly, there were spills on the floor that appeared to be blood. That alone troubled the man even more.
Before the man could even react to the unusual situation, black fluid seemed to flow out of his head.
Within a second, the man screamed in horror...
\-\-I-/-/
End of Chapter
A/N: The mystery deepens as piece by piece of the puzzle goes unfold. We're also introduced to Igor and Elizabeth, the characters from the Persona series. The next chapter will focus on the mysterious 'Dark Hour' and a certain element that is the key to the entire story.
Can you guess the characters that make their cameo appearances?
So far, the characters that make their debut in this chapter are:
- Rex Akamura, the OC of my best friend, Vastler75
- Haruhi Suzumiya, the main character from her series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
- Makoto Naegi, the main character from Dangan Ronpa.
- Himeko Katagiri, one of the main characters from Pani Poni, and Kurumi's friend
- Izumi Segawa, one of the Hakuou Three Amiga from Hayate no Gotoku
- Miki Hanabishi, one of the Hakuou Three Amiga from Hayate no Gotoku
- Risa Asakaze, one of the Hakuou Three Amiga from Hayate no Gotoku
- Konoemon Konoe, the dean from Mahou Sensei Negima!
- Negi Springfield, the main character from Mahou Sensei Negima!
- Eikichi Onizuka, the main character from GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka)
- Kurogane, one of the main characters from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles
- Rebecca Miyamoto, nicknamed Becky and the main character from Pani Poni
- Yukiji Katsura, the teacher from Hayate no Gotoku
- Kisuke Urahara, the Shinigami from Bleach
- Mutsuki Ichimonji, one of the main characters and teacher from Happy Lesson
- Kisaragi Ninomai, a mysterious, odd character from Happy Lesson
- Char Aznable, the famous character from Mobile Suit Gundam
- Yoruichi Shiōin, the beautiful Shinigami from Bleach
- Tomo Takino, the hyperactive character from Azumanga Daioh
P.S.
This chapter is also dedicated to EmissaryX, a good friend and fellow fanfic writer.
-X-
Preview
That child... That room... Could they all be connected?
Tonight is even more disturbing... As we come face-to-face with 'them' and the truth behind the recent abnormality.
Next chapter: The Dark Hour.