PERSONA EVER AFTER HIGH
Episode 3:
The Rebel and the World: Part 2 – Yu
Thursday, 2 of August, 2012 – Sunny, Slightly Cloudy
Yu's POV
Yu's Room, Morning
I heard the sound of my cell phone's alarm ringing, waking me up from my sleep. I reach my hand toward it and turn the alarm off. I get up from my futon and stretch my arms while yawning.
As I recall from last night, the Midnight Channel came back on and it showed this place that looked like a school. But it wasn't any school I knew of, let alone Yasogami High. I got this weird sensation when I placed my hand in the TV while it was showing, unlike the one I got when I'm in the TV. Then, I was back in the Velvet Room and learned that what I saw was something taking place in another world and the fog of lies that enshrouded Inaba last year was enshrouding that place I saw.
"But…didn't Izanami become one with Marie, along with the Sagiri and Kusumi, since they were all once a single being?" I wondered out loud.
As I wondered about the meaning behind it all, I keep trying of thinking of logic explanations to this. Either the fog is actually being controlled by another entity similar to Izanami, or perhaps it's an alternate universe of Izanami, one from whish Marie didn't exist, or maybe…
I sigh, "Thinking about it now won't do any good…" I said to myself, "But I should let the others know."
I looked at my cell phone and texted to them to meet up at Junes. After sending my text message, I did my morning routine: I went to the bathroom, took my shower, dried myself off, got dressed and went down for breakfast.
Dojima Residence, Morning
"Good morning Big Bro!" Nanako greeted me cheerfully, as she was preparing breakfast.
"Morning Nanako." I greeted her, "Dojima-san's left already?" I asked as I noticed he wasn't around.
"He said he went to see Adachi and bring him a cheap cabbage while he was at it." Nanako explained.
Cabbage, huh? So he was serious when he mentioned it yesterday.
"I see…" That was all I said.
"Anyway, let's have some breakfast together!" Nanako said cheerfully.
"Sure." I smiled as I joined Nanako for breakfast.
Eating breakfast with Nanako as we gathered together around the table really brought back more sweet memories from last year. I feel like I've never left Inaba to begin with. I know I probably said that before, but still…it feels so nostalgic. Unfortunately…the peaceful moments are not always meant to last long. I still can't believe that the Midnight Channel has started to air again and this time, the incident won't be taking place here in Inaba, but in another world instead. Could it really be that I'm needed there, along with my friends? At least, that's what Igor-san and Margaret told me. I put those thoughts aside for now and just enjoy my breakfast with Nanako.
After we were done, I got up and headed for the door, "Are you going to hang out with your friends Big Bro?" Nanako asked.
"Yeah, I'll see you later Nanako." I said as I headed out.
"Big Bro…?" I heard Nanako call before I closed the door.
I'm sorry Nanako, but for your sake, I can't risk putting you in danger again. That was what I thought at the moment. I really do feel bad about leaving Nanako like this, but after what happened last year…ugh, I'd rather not remember it. Anyway, I head down the streets, on my way to Junes. Yosuke and the others should already be there by now.
Junes, Morning
Well, here I am. I go into the building and head toward the elevator, running into Yosuke and Teddie along the way and we do our usual greetings before we took the elevator up to the Food Court. We meet up with the rest of the Investigation Team there, all sitting around the larger table.
"Sorry we're late, just ran into this guy by the elevator." Yosuke said, referring to me in a joking manner.
'Typical Yosuke…' I though before I turned to the rest, "Morning everyone."
"Morning Yu-kun!" Chie greeted me cheerfully.
"Good morning." Yukiko greeted in a more formal manner.
"Mornin' Senpai." Kanji greeted.
"Gooooood moooooorning Senpai!" Rise greeted in the most cherish manner possible.
"Good morning Senpai." Naoto greeted in a more formal way like Yukiko did.
I smiled, but on the inside, I wasn't. Not only did the Midnight Channel's sudden return put a damper on my Summer Vacation plans, but even worse…I needed to break the bad news to them. I take a sit at the table while Yosuke went off to buy drinks for all of us. We all enjoy ourselves until Yosuke spoke up.
"So partner, what's this "important announcement" all about?" he asked.
"Yeah, you called us all here for a reason didn't you?" Chie asked, "So, let's hear it!"
I looked up and saw everyone waiting for me to respond. I take a deep breath and take things on one step at a time…
"Before I get to the point, did any of you notice that it rained last night?" I asked.
Everyone stared at me with confusion and concern.
"Um, I do remember hearing the rain hitting at the window…" Chie said.
"Huh, same here…" Yosuke said.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"But why do you ask?" Yosuke asked, "I mean…it's not like the Midnight Channel is back or anything, right? I mean, we solved the case and the other one back in May too!"
I didn't say anything as I looked at Yosuke, while making the most serious expression I could muster. Yosuke's goofy grin soon turned into a frown upon seeing my expression.
"Don't tell me…" Yosuke said as he grim-faced, "…are you serious?"
"Dead serious…" I said, "The Midnight Channel is back."
Everyone's expressions soon turned into horror and concern. The mood has suddenly darkened as everyone stared at me hoping I was joking, but sadly…I wasn't. Everyone grim-faced, as they come to realize my seriousness about all of this.
"B-But, how is that possible?" Teddie asked, "I thought we finally put an end to it for good after that last case! How can the Midnight Channel be back?"
"I don't know…" I said, "But it was raining at around midnight and the Midnight Channel came on, no doubt about it."
"No way…" Rise said.
"It can't be…" Yukiko said.
"Uh, I hate to ask but…" Naoto said as she looked at me, "Who was on the Midnight Channel?"
"I don't know how to put this but…" I took a deep breath and sighed, "What I saw was some kind of castle built on top of a hill, with a bunch of people coming in and out of it. I couldn't tell what they looked like but, they all seemed to be young teens around our age, some of them looked human, while others looked…non-human."
"I see…" Naoto said.
"What do you mean by "non-human"?" Yosuke asked.
"Are they shadows?" Chie asked.
"I don't know…the image was too blurry to tell." I said.
"Um, Sensei?" I looked to see Teddie, "Whatever you saw on the Midnight Channel, I don't think it's happening in the TV World."
"What do you mean Teddie?" Chie asked.
"I checked the TV World yesterday." Teddie said, "It went back to normal after that whole P1 fiasco ended for good and there was no sight of any castles or people or otherwise in there."
"So what? The thing Yu-kun saw on the Midnight Channel last night isn't taking place in the TV World?" Chie asked.
I looked around and everyone looked even more confused than ever and I can't blame them. This makes sense to me as much as it does to them. But then I remembered what I talked with Igor and Margaret last night. What I saw last night isn't in the TV World, but in an entirely different one instead. But…how am I going to explain this to them?
"Last night…I tried putting my hand into the TV while the Midnight Channel was on and…I felt something strange…" Yu said, "Like…it wasn't the same sensation I got from the TV World."
"Whaddya mean?" Kanji asked.
"So you agree that whatever is going on, it is something unrelated to the TV World or this one altogether?" Naoto asked.
"Well…" I hesitated for a moment.
"Anything is possible." An all too familiar voice rang up as we heard footsteps of someone wearing high-heel shoes approached. I turn around and gasp in surprise to see...
"Hey Yu, isn't that…!?" Yosuke gawked in shock.
"Margaret!?" I gawked in shock as well.
"That lady we met during our ski trip?" Chie asked in confusion.
"What she doing here!?" Rise asked, with a hint of jealousy in her tone.
"Greetings everyone." Margaret greeted us as she bowed gently before us, "I believe this is the second time we all meet face-to-face."
"If by second, you mean all of us together, then I agree." I said, "But, what are you doing here, in the real world?"
"You seemed to be having trouble explaining the situation, so I decided to give you a little help." Margaret said.
"You know what's going on?" Yosuke asked.
"Well, all I can say is, your assumption is correct." Margaret said, "The incident that my guest has witnessed in the Midnight Channel…is unrelated to the TV World, and this one as well."
"So what is it related to?" Rise asked.
"The incident that took place in your town and in the TV World last year…" Margaret looked at us with a serious expression, "…it is repeating itself in another world."
"Huh!?" We all looked dumbfounded.
Margaret giggled, "What? You though this world and the one inside the TV were the only worlds that existed? The universe is vast, containing multiple worlds with rules of their own, some of which are similar to yours and others not so much. Some worlds may even be considered alternate universes to the ones you already know of."
"So, what Senpai saw was another world that isn't ours nor is the TV World." Naoto said, "But if that is the case…"
"If it's taking place in another world, why should we bother?" Kanji said, "It's not like we're the only Persona-users."
"Kanji! How can you say that!?" Rise scolded, "If another world is suffering the same crisis we went through, then there's no way we can just let it go!"
"Sorry…" Kanji apologized.
"But if it's really another world, then how are we supposed to get there?" Yosuke wondered.
I looked at all my friends and they were all in complete confusion. I then looked at Margaret, "I understand you can't disclose everything you know, but can you at least give us a hint on how do we reach this other world?"
"I can, but in return, I might have to demand some form of compensation." Margaret said with a coy smile.
"That's fine, anything that can help us will do." I said trying to keep my cool.
Margaret giggled, "Very well, then I shall leave you with this riddle: 'What turns around, but does not move?'"
"Huh?" The rest looked in confusion.
Margaret just smiled coyly while giggling, "Well then, I must return. Best of luck to all of you." She said before she walked away and disappeared into a blue mist.
'She's as mysterious as always.' I said within my own thoughts.
"What turns around, but does not move." Naoto wondered.
"What is that? Some kind of riddle?" Chie asked. "That was what she said it was, right?
"Mmm-hmm, and perhaps an intentional clue." Yukiko said.
"Hmm, what could it be?" Teddie wondered.
Everyone seemed to be in thought about this. I gave some thoughts on what it could be, but then, it hit me like a brick. 'What turns around, but doesn't move?' There is only one thing that fits that description…
"A mirror." I said out loud.
"Ah, of course." Naoto said, "What turns around, but doesn't move, that would be your own reflection on a mirror."
"So, instead of going inside a TV, we go into a mirror?" Chie wondered.
"This other world isn't related to the TV World or our own, so it makes sense that a different means of reaching it are required." Naoto said.
"But I don't think it can be ANY kind of mirror." I said, "And we can't do it without attracting too much attention to us."
"But there are hundreds of mirrors in town!" Teddie said, "It could be any of them!"
"Then, should we break into other people's houses and try out their mirrors?" Yukiko wondered.
"L-Let's not act so hasty like that Yukiko-san." Naoto said.
"Yeah, we have mirrors at our own houses as well right?" I asked, "Then we should try them out first before we resort to Yukiko's idea."
"Alright, then let's all head back to each of our houses and try out the mirrors we own." Yosuke said, "Give us a call if anyone finds out anything."
"Roger!" the whole team said in unison.
With that decision made, each of us left the Food Court and head back to each of our houses to search our mirrors and hopefully one of them will act as a portal to the other world. Let's hope this works.
Dojima Residence, Morning
After I left Junes, I returned back home and search for mirrors. "Welcome home." Nanako said as I got in. "You're earlier than usual."
"Thanks Nanako." I said, "And yeah, I kinda forgot something."
"What is it?" Nanako asked, but I didn't say a word as I rushed upstairs, "Big Bro!?"
I really feel bad about having to keep secrets from my own family, but I don't want to risk putting them in danger. I head to the bathroom first and I stare at the mirror for a moment. The other world must be on the other side, so I try to stick my hand in and see if it will go through, just like the TV…
…it didn't work.
I sighed as I end up trying the smaller mirrors in the drawers, but none of them work either. Then, I try and sneak into Dojima-san's room and try any mirrors he had. Nothing so far…
I didn't have any mirrors in my room, so that only leaves…Nanako's room.
"Big Bro?" I jumped a bit when I turned and saw Nanako staring at me in curiosity.
"Uh…" I hesitate for a moment. Can I ask her for her mirror, without raising any suspicion? I decide to give it a try, "Nanako, can I borrow any of your mirrors?"
"Mirrors?" Nanako looked confused, "What for?"
"Well, um…" I tried to come up with an excuse, but then my cell phone message alert rang up, "Oh, hold that thought." I said as I pulled out my cell phone. I got my messages from Yosuke and the rest of the team. I read each one.
Yosuke: Well, none of the mirrors at my place are special.
Chie: No magic mirrors anywhere at my place.
Yukiko: There is nothing here, what about you?
Kanji: None of the mirrors at my place are anything out of the ordinary.
Rise: I couldn't find anything.
Naoto: I regret informing that none of the mirrors I have are the portal to the other world.
Teddie: No magic mirrors at all here. This may very well be a bear-y big problem.
I sighed as it seems none of my friends found any mirror that would serve as a portal for the other world. I haven't found any either, except the one in Nanako's bedroom.
"Big Bro? What's wrong?" Nanako asked as she looked at my in curiosity.
I sighed as I couldn't come up with any excuse at all. After what happened last year, I didn't want her to get involved any further. She was kidnapped, taken into the TV World, and she nearly died. But seeing how I have no other options, I decide to do what I intended to avoid doing…tell her the truth and potentially get her involved in this mess.
"Nanako, come to my room." I said.
"Huh?" Nanako looked puzzled as I grabbed her hand and lead her into my room.
Yu's Room, Morning
I close the door and made sure we were the only ones there. I turn to Nanako and said, "Nanako, I don't know how to say this, but…" I took a deep breath, "Do you remember about the incident from last year?"
"Of course I do Big Bro." Nanako said, "Why do you ask?"
"There's something you should know…" I said and explained everything to Nanako from the beginning…
An hour later…
The silence was deep as I finished explaining the whole story to Nanako, about the Midnight Channel, about Personas, the Shadows, Adachi, Marie, Izanami and even the details of when she was kidnapped. I didn't want to go that far, but I knew that I had to do so. When I was done, Nanako looked down in silence for a moment, before looking up to me with an honest smile.
"I believe in you Big Bro." she said without a hint of hesitation.
I was surprised, but relieved at the same.
"I remember the time when I was kidnapped and you and your friends were the ones who came to rescue me." Nanako continued on, "So I believe in you."
"I'm sorry I didn't say a word to you before…" I said, "But I couldn't risk losing you or Dojima-san if I ever told you about it."
"It's okay Big Bro, I understand you were just trying to protect me and Dad." Nanako said, "I just wish I could help you in some way."
I wasn't sure if I was comfortable to ask Nanako for help in a situation like this. But I'm running out of options here, so I decided to just go for it, "My friends and I are looking for a portal that leads to another world. The portal is supposed to be in the appearance of a mirror. I already tried every mirror in this house, except the one in your room."
"Follow me!" Nanako said as she took my hand and lead me to her bedroom.
Nanako's Room, Morning
Inside her bedroom, it's pretty much normal, except for a few Loveline merchandise here and there. By the wall to my right I see Nanako showing me the desk with a large mirror on it, "Here it is Big Bro."
"Thanks Nanako." I said as I stared at my own reflection on the mirror, "Um…" I noticed Nanako's reflection and turned to her, "I'm going to try and stick my hand in it now, are you sure you want to see this?"
"Yes please! I wanna see!" Nanako exclaimed with excitement.
"Okay…" I took a deep breath as I turned my attention back to the mirror. I could tell by the size of it, it was big enough for a person to squeeze through. But first…let's see if this works. I reach my hand toward the mirror, slowly and carefully, until the tip of my finger touched the surface and…
Small ripples formed around the spot of the surface my finger touched, I heard Nanako gasp in surprise. I was just as surprised as well, so I tried pushing my hand and…it successfully went through.
"Big Bro! Your hand went through the mirror!" Nanako exclaimed in surprise and excitement, "Does this mean you found what you were looking for?"
"I think so." I said as I pulled my hand out of the mirror, "Thanks Nanako, you really helped a lot."
"You're welcome Big Bro!" Nanako said with a bright smile.
"Now, I just have to tell Yosuke and the others the good news." I said as I started typing the message to my friends.
"Hey Big Bro?" Nanako called.
"Yeah?" I said while typing the message.
"Um, can…can I come along too?" Nanako asked.
I froze for a moment and looked at Nanako, "Nanako, you know I can't do that. It could be dangerous on the other side and I don't want to have to protect you all the time."
"Please Big Bro, I promise I won't be a burden to you." Nanako begged me with a sad expression.
"Really Nanako, I don't think that's a good…" I trailed off when I noticed Nanako's expression really changing into something that can be described as heart-wrenching. She looked like a dam that was about to break.
"We hardly got any time to spend together during Golden Week. You didn't even take me to Junes with your friends on Children's Day!" Nanako said in tears, "I wouldn't have cared if you were only there to talk about the case, I just wanted to be with you, and Teddie, and Rise-chan and everyone else."
"…" I was at a loss for words. I really don't want Nanako involved, but what she said was true. It was Golden Week back then and I ended up spending the entire week trying to solve a case instead of hanging out with Nanako. And now it was Summer Break and here I was about, to do the same thing I did back then…my heart sank as Nanako said the following…
"Of course…I'll understand if your answer will still be a "no"." Nanako said looking away from me, "I'm sorry if I was such a nuisance…"
Alright, now I REALLY feel bad about leaving Nanako behind. I really hate seeing her all depressed like this and I still don't feel comfortable about having her around for what could possibly be a dangerous mission.
'I know I'm probably going to regret this…' I said to myself in my thoughts before I said out loud, "Hold up Nanako, maybe you could provide some help for the Investigation Team!"
"Big Bro!" Nanako turned to me with an expression of hope, "Does that mean, I can join you?"
"Y-Yeah, but with a few rules: first, always listen to your Big Bro and his friends; second, don't talk to strangers; and third…" I took a deep breath, "Stay away from any monsters you encounter."
"Ok!" Nanako replied cheerfully.
I sight in relief, knowing that I managed to calm her down. The bad news is…I have to let Yosuke and the others know about it too. After sending the messages, Nanako and I wait for them downstairs as we prepare a quick lunch.
Dojima Residence, Morning
After about 10 minutes, Yosuke and the rest of the team showed up. I explained the new situation concerning Nanako, who not only helped me find the portal to the other world, but that she also knows about our adventure from last year and from Golden Week and now, she wants to join us. As I predicted, they all had mixed opinions about Nanako.
"I understand that you all feel uncomfortable about bringing Nanako along, and so do I, but let's all at least give her a chance." I said, "Besides, I need to make up for the lost time from my last visit during Golden Week."
"I suppose you make a good point but…" Yosuke said.
"Taking a Nanako along to some place unknown is rather…risky." Yukiko said.
"I understand, but I just want to be with you all, especially Big Bro." Nanako said.
"Nana-chan, I understand your feelings perfectly well." Teddie said, "If you really want to join us then have no fear, for your old pal Teddie shall remain at your side along with Sensei and the others."
"I do feel bad about leaving her behind, so why not?" Rise asked.
"Yeah, I mean, we just have to make sure no one tries to bully her, right?" Kanji said.
"Yeah and maybe teach Nanako how to fend for herself!" Chie added, "I mean she's not going to be a little girl forever, right?"
"No, I suppose not." Yukiko said.
"What about Dojima-san?" Naoto asked.
"Yeah, we can't take her with us without at least letting him know." Yosuke said.
"It's alright, I already know." I reacted along with my friends when we saw Dojima-san walk in.
"Dad! Welcome home!" Nanako said.
"Dojima-san!" I exclaimed.
"Y-You heard!?" Yosuke asked in an almost panicked tone.
Dojima-san ignored his question as he turned to me and said, "So, you came back to visit us, only to get caught up in another incident, huh?"
We all pause at that.
"How do you know?" Yosuke asked.
"I'm not stupid you know?" Dojima-san replied, "I've been aware that you kids have been involved in last year's case for a while now and I know that you've been involved in something out of the ordinary during Golden Week."
As expected of Dojima-san. His detective skills are top notch. "I thought you didn't believe in any of the stories I told you."
"About Personas and TVs and whatnot?" Dojima-san asked, "Honestly, I'm still skeptical about it, but I suppose I should know better than to think that my own nephew would make up a lame excuse to save his hide. Plus, Adachi kept bringing it up in his confessions."
"So you believe us now?" Yosuke asked.
"Like I said, I'm still skeptical about it, but if you say it's true, then it must be." Dojima-san said.
"Dad, they are telling the truth, I know they are!" Nanako insisted as she defended me and my friends. She always took our side no matter what, which is something I appreciate.
"Don't worry Nanako, I believe them." Dojima-san replied with a smile.
I sighed as I had not anticipated these turns of events, but I suppose it can't be helped. I decided to tell Dojima-san our current situation, including the Midnight Channel coming back and the magic portal mirror in Nanako's bedroom. Dojima-san nodded as he digested the whole thing.
"I see, so now you intend on entering this mirror and go into this other world you saw on the Midnight Channel, correct?" Dojima-san asked.
"Yes, but we need supplies before heading inside." Naoto said, "We don't know what to expect so preparations are in order."
"Alright, in that case, mind if I tag along with you?" Dojima-san asked.
"…!?" This, took us completely off guard. I wasn't exactly counting on Dojima-san actually wanting to join us.
"I know you must all be feeling uncomfortable about it, but…" Dojima-san took a deep breath, "…just recently, they discovered a dead body in the middle of a rice field. No one knows who she is nor where she came from and the cause of her death is unknown."
"Wait what?" I gawked along with the rest of the team.
"Just like last year," Dojima replied, "We didn't make this case known to the public since we don't want to cause panic after last year's case was closed. Nobody was able to identify the victim, but the evidence is clearly related to the Midnight Channel..."
"Don't tell me!" Yu replied.
"There's no joke about it," Dojima said in a serious tone, and then he turns to Nanako, "Nanako, I'd like to ask you to leave the room, please."
"Oh, okay." Nanako said reluctantly.
"I'll accompany you Nana-chan!" Teddie said enthusiastically as he escorted Nanako out of the backyard.
Dojima took out a picture and showed it to us. We looked at it and saw the dead body lying in a rice field. None of us were able to identify her, but this girl's fashion style was very suspicious. She had faded hazel eyes, signifying she was dead, and a curly pastel pink, blue, and lavender high side ponytail with sprinkles and a hot pink bow. She wore a knee-length, soft pink frock with candy floss pink ruffles. Her bottom layer of the dress had lollipops stuck on around stripy-pinks. She accessorized with a magenta bow with a grey candy wrapper in her hair, a pair of large swirly peppermint earrings, a cookie necklace, a chocolate belt and bracelet, along with a green wrapper as a ring. Needless to say, she looked like a cosplayer from an anime convention or something of the sorts.
"I've never seen anyone like that before..." Yosuke said.
"There aren't that many cosplayers here in Inaba, as far as I know." Chie commented.
"Cosplayers like her could easily stand out in a town like this." Kanji commented.
"Yet none of us ever seen this girl before." Rise said.
"You know? She reminds me of those students I saw on the Midnight Channel last night..." I said, as I remembered something when I saw the Midnight Channel last night.
"Really?" Yosuke asked me.
I nodded, "It was hard to tell at first because of the static, but I'm positive that the students who appeared to be human were NOT wearing uniforms like the ones we used at school."
"So, their school is like those from outside of Japan? Where everyone is free to wear what they want?" Yosuke asked.
"I think so..." Yu said.
"Then she must be from the other side of the mirror, correct?" Dojima-san asked.
We all looked at each other then they all looked at me. I knew what they were trying to ask me, so I nodded and turned to Dojima-san, "Alright Dojima-san, you can join us. We're all in the same boat now after all."
"Thank you. This should be interesting." Dojima-san said.
Yeah, interesting. That's one word on how to describe having two Non-Persona-users in the team. I still don't feel comfortable about this. But since they now know the whole truth, there's no turning back. I could tell that my friends were all thinking the same thing.
Shopping District, Morning
Before heading to the Mirror World, we all decided to head down to the shopping district and get our supplies for the trip at Shiroku Store, and I got to say hi to Old Lady Shiroku while I was at it. Yosuke also had the liberty of giving us back our weapons, which he kept hidden away in the Junes' storage room, just in case we might need them again in the future. That's my partner for you.
So I have my katana; Yosuke has his kunai knives; Chie has her fighter boots, combined with her kung fu; Yukiko has her paper fan; Kanji got his steal folding chair; Naoto and Dojima-san got their detective's pistols; Teddie has his bear claws and last Rise got her microphone and stand.
Nanako didn't have a weapon yet, so we decided to ask her what kind of weapon she prefers. She then mentioned watching archery game shows on TV a lot and wished to try it out herself. We all headed inside Daidara Metalworks. There, I said hi to Old Man Daidara himself before asking him a bow and arrows suited for Nanako's size and age. Daidara looked at Nanako for a bit before looking back at us and nodded saying "I'll see what I can find." and then he left. After waiting for about 2 minutes, Daidara came back with a small bow suitable for Nanako to carry, along with an arrow holder. Dojima ended up paying 500 yen to Daidara for the bow.
"Thank you!" Nanako said happily as she looked down at her small bow and arrows with glee.
"You're welcome little lady." Daidara said, "Is there anything else you need?"
"That's all for now." I said.
"Okay, come again!" Daidara said.
After we left, we checked our supplies and equipment again, just to make sure we didn't forget anything. After making sure everything was in order, we decided to finally head back to the Dojima residence and enter Nanako's room.
Nanako's Room, Morning
We all gather together around the mirror, starring at our own reflections on it, feeling uneasy about all of this.
"You know? It's been a while since we've done this." Chie said. "And this time we're going to use a mirror instead of a TV."
"I'm a little nervous." Yukiko said.
I looked at Nanako and Dojima, "You know? If you're starting to have second thoughts, we understand. You don't have to do this."
"It's alright, we understand, right Nanako?" Dojima-san asked.
"Yup, don't worry Big Bro, we promise we won't get in your way." Nanako said.
I sighed, "Alright, but you two better hold onto me, or you might get left behind." I told them.
Nanako and Dojima-san nodded as Nanako held my hand while Dojima-san placed his hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath as I turned to the mirror and slowly I placed my hand on the mirror's surface as it went through, like putting my hand in water. I look at Dojima-san and surely, he looked surprised but managed to remain calm. Nanako already saw me doing it so she doesn't react. I looked at the rest of the team to check if they were ready and they all nodded. I look back at the mirror as my arm was now half way through.
"Let's go!" I shout.
"Yeah!" Everyone shouted together.
The next thing I knew, I was now falling through a wide open space as I went through the mirror. The other members of the team were all around me while falling. Nanako held my hand firmly, refusing to let go, while Dojima-san held onto my shoulder. I look down as we were falling through the fabric of space-time from the mirror in Nanako's room, to someplace unknown. Last year and in May, we went through a TV, to enter the TV World, but now…we entered a mirror and we're about to enter a world that is completely new. I still think I shouldn't bring Nanako and Dojima-san along for the ride, but they already made up their minds and want to come with us. I just hope we'll be okay through all of this. No…I have to BELIEVE we'll all be fine by the end of this new adventure we're about to get ourselves into.
Tuesday, 2 of September, 2013 - Cloudy
Village of Book End, Morning
As soon as we finally reach the end of the time-space tunnel, we have a rather ruff landing as we finally hit the ground. I managed to land on my feet while holding Nanako close and Dojima-san held onto my shoulder. Yosuke, Chie and Teddie landed right on their butts, Yukiko and Rise somehow managed to land on their feet and last Kanji tried to land on his feet, though Naoto landed right on top of him, resulting in a rather awkward, yet cute moment between those two. Once the dust settled, I stood up and asked, "Is everyone alright?"
"I'm okay." Nanako said.
"So am I." Dojima-san replied.
"Ow…I just landed on my butt…" Chie complained.
"I think I just landed on my wallet…again!" Yosuke complained.
"Ow…that landing hurt so bear-y much." Teddie said.
"Chie, you alright?" Yukiko asked her best friend in concern.
"I'm fine, Senpai, thanks." Rise said.
"Um, Kanji-kun? Are you alright?" Naoto asked as she got off of Kanji.
"Uh…yeah, don't worry. See?" Kanji said as he got back up on his feet, trying to look all manly, "I'm as thin as a fiddle."
I shook my head as I looked around the place. This seemed to be some sort of village, unlike any I've seen. If I recall correctly, this is the village from the Midnight Channel, I just know it. Well, I only saw a bit of it since it focused more on the school, but that's beside the point. I also noticed a sign and it stated, "Village of Book End". So that's what this village is called. I notice Yosuke and the others staring back at…nothing? "Guys? What's the matter?" I asked them.
"The exit…it's GONE!" Chie cried. "HOW THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO RETURN HOME NOW!?"
"DON'T YELL AT ME! I DON'T KNOW!" Yosuke yelled back.
"Calm down!" I said.
"Sorry…" Yosuke and Chie said.
"Look, now is not the time to worry about how to go back." I said, "For now, let's just focus on what we came here to do."
"That's right." Dojima-san agreed, "We can worry about finding a way out of here later. Right now, let's just stick together and focus."
"Right." The others said.
I'll be honest. The fact that our only exit is now gone worries me, but now isn't the time to worry about that. We need to focus on the investigation. Hopefully we do find another way out of here along the way. But anyway, back to the matter at hand, I noticed that there wasn't any fog around the place. It wasn't foggy back in our world, so does that mean…we reached a new dimension with no shadows around.
"No fog…" I said, "I think we are safe from any shadows here."
"What do you mean?" Yosuke asked.
I turn to Rise, "Rise, try and summon your Persona."
"Huh? In front of Nanako and Dojima-san?" Rise hesitated, "I'd hate to see them freak out when it comes out."
"It's okay, just, do it." I said.
"Alright…" Rise took a deep breath as she held her hands over her chest, in a prayer position, closed her eyes and shouted, "PERSONA!"
…
…
…
Nothing happened…just as I thought.
"Huh?" Rise asked, opening her eyes, "My Persona didn't come out?"
"If she can't summon it, than none of us can." Naoto said, "But it makes sense, since there is no fog here, so there probably aren't any shadows around."
"So, what does that mean?" Kanji asked.
"It means this is the world that I saw in the Midnight Channel." I said as everyone turned to look at me, "We're in another dimension, one that is no doubt going through a similar situation as Inaba did last year."
Yosuke and the others looked at each other and nodded, as they accepted my conclusion as the only possible explanation, "Alright, so, we know we're another world that isn't the Shadows' world, so what now?"
"We investigate the town and look for clues, right?" Dojima-san asked.
"Right." I said, "Let's split into teams: Chie, Yukiko and Rise go that way, Kanji and Naoto go the other way, last Yosuke, Teddie, Dojima-san and Nanako, you are with me."
"Right." Naoto said.
"Alright." Chie said.
"Okay partner, just one question." Yosuke said, "Where we meet up?"
I looked around and noticed the huge castle in the distance. If I recall what I saw on the Midnight Channel, that's probably the school that it was shown on it. Looking at it, gave me an idea, "When you're done, we meet up at the entrance to that huge castle there in the distance." I told them.
"Alright, see you there." Chie said.
The two other teams went their ways, while me, Yosuke, Teddie, Nanako and Dojima-san went the other way. I noticed Teddie with a pouty look on his face.
"What's the matter Teddie?" I asked.
"Sensei, why didn't you allow me to go with Yuki-chan and the girls?" Teddie asked.
"Because you're a giant pervert, that's why! Right partner?" Yosuke asked me.
"Hey! That's not nice!" Teddie yelled angrily, "Besides, you're an even bigger pervert than I am Yosuke, you nurse-loving meanie!"
"Why you little…!" Yosuke was about to strangle Teddie, until Dojima-san and I decided to hold him back.
"Calm yourself right now, I don't want any fighting among you." Dojima-san said.
"Besides, you're both perverted." I said apathetically.
"Gee, thanks…" Yosuke looked at me with an annoyed look.
"Hey, no fighting please." Nanako said, "We're supposed to be working together and do some investigating!"
Yosuke and Teddie soon realized the bad image they made in front of Nanako and looked at her, "We're sorry Nanako…" they said while bowing apologetically.
"All is forgiven!" Nanako said while smiling brightly, "Now come on, let's go!"
Nanako went ahead, while Dojima-san following her. Me, Yosuke and Teddie follow behind them as I look at Teddie, "Ted, I know you're upset, but you need to get over this womanizer phase of yours." I told him.
"It's not my fault that Yosuke keeps hiding magazines about nurses under his pillow." Teddie said innocently.
"Dude, stop bringing that up already!" Yosuke yelled in anger, "So what if I keep them around! You're the one who keeps sneaking into my room and touch my stuff while my back is turned!"
"Nurse-lover." Teddie insulted.
"Fail-Womanizer!" Yosuke insulted back.
"Enough you two!" I yelled as I had enough of them bickering.
"EEP!" Yosuke and Teddie cowered before me.
"As I said, both of you are just as perverted and I believe you still need to get over that phase you two are going through." I told them sternly, "Maybe not now, but later…Dojima-san will help you how to do that, alright?"
"Alright…" Yosuke and Teddie said.
I couldn't help but sigh. Yosuke and Teddie are known to bicker over the stupidest of reasons, but deep down I know they trust each other as friends and they look out for each other. But that whole thing about who is the more perverted of the two is just…ugh. I wish they could get out of that phase, or else no girl will ever want to be near any of them, especially not Yukiko.
Putting those two's perverted habits aside, I look around town as me, Yosuke, Teddie, Nanako and Dojima-san look around this village. There were many houses and shops and many other facilities around, but the one thing that I took notice was…there was no one on the streets. Occasionally I see someone peeking out from the windows, before they shut it as soon as we look at them, but that's it. If it wasn't for the latter, this place could be described as a "Ghost Town". Nanako sticks close to me and Dojima-san, while Yosuke tried knocking on the door of a house, but no one answered. Teddie tried the same, using his "Teddie charms", but got the same result.
"Man, what's up with this town?" Yosuke asked, "No one on the streets, people shut inside, it's almost like they are afraid of something."
"Do you think it's because of the Midnight Channel having moved to this place?" Teddie asked.
"I think so." Yosuke replied, "But we can't be sure of that since no one seems to cooperate."
"They aren't scared of us, are they?" Nanako asked.
"Don't worry Nanako, I'm sure there is a reason and we'll figure it out." Dojima-san said, comforting his daughter.
"Yeah, we'll sort this out." I said.
"Ok." Nanako said.
This is rather unnerving, walking around in a village with no people in it. I almost get the feeling as if a shadow will just pop out from the corner and attack us. And since we can't summon our Personas, we'd be done for. But since there are no shadows, that gives me a brief moment of relief. We soon reach the other side of the village and find a bridge that connects the town to the huge castle, which I believe it is a school.
Ever After High Entrance, Morning
When we reach the other side, we quickly hide behind some nearby bushes, when we notice what appear to be knights that look like something out of medieval times or a fairy tale guarding the place and what appears to look like police tape was all over area.
"Whoa, check it out: knights!" Yosuke exclaimed in a whisper.
"Yeah, and they appear to be guarding the place." Teddie whispered. "Look at all that police tape! Or…is it knight tape?"
I hush them, as we remain hidden behind the bushes and overhear what the knights are talking about.
"You don't think this is her doing, is it?" one knight said.
"We can't jump to conclusions." The second knight replied.
"Yeah, we can't pin this on her just yet." The third knight agreed, "We need the facts."
"Agreed." The fourth one said, "Until we know for sure what is going on with this case, we can't just accuse anyone, including her."
"Man, if only our witness didn't botch the spell and sent the victim's corpse to Grimm knows where." The fifth knight said. "We could have found a clue or something."
"Speaking of which, how did the interrogation with the witness go?" the second knight asked.
"Difficult. She's been struggling to give us any direct answers. And who can blame her? She may be the future Evil Fairy Godmother, but seeing a corpse right in front of her really spooked her." The fifth knight said.
We overhear the conversation between the knights while still hiding in the bushes. I got a sense of déjà vu as I heard similar lines before during last year's case. I look at Yosuke and Teddie and I can tell they felt the same way.
"It sounds just like what happened in our world." Yosuke whispered.
"That knight guy said the witness teleported the body away." Teddie whispered, "Do you think he meant...?"
I nodded, "That girl from the picture Dojima-san showed us."
"Nanako, stay with Yu and the others…" Dojima-san said as he walked out of the bushes, toward the knights, while holding the picture of the victim.
I was taken by surprise at seeing Dojima-san walking up to the knights. I felt like trying to stop him, but at the same time, I think I should just let this play out and see how it goes. Nanako looked worried, but I kept her close to comfort her. We looked back at Dojima-san who began to talk with the knights.
"Excuse me." Dojima-san spoke first.
The knight all looked at Dojima-san, "Who're you?" the first knight asked.
"My name is Ryotaro Dojima and I heard about the incident back where I live." Dojima-san told them.
I look at the knights and they don't seem to trust him at first. We gasp when the knights suddenly pointed their weapons at him that I had to cover Nanako's eyes in case things get ugly.
"I warn you stranger, you better not waste your breath with your folly with us or else." the third knight warned in a serious tone while pointing his sword at him.
But Dojima-san simply chuckled it off, "I'm not in the mood for threats, but if you are willing to kill the witness who found the missing body of the victim from this kingdom, then be my guest…"
The knights simply stared at him for about 10 seconds or so, before they lower their weapons, "Very well. State your business." The third knight said.
"My team and I came across a corpse in our kingdom," Dojima-san showed them the picture of the girl, "We weren't very pleased to see someone dumped at our rice field."
The knights looked in surprise when they saw the picture. Judging from their reactions, the girl on the picture was indeed a resident from this world.
Dojima-san continued, "We couldn't identify who she is or where she came from. I came here to get answers since my kingdom isn't pleased about this..."
Before the knights could answer him however, one of them took out what looked like a Tablet and pointed it at Dojima-san, as if he was trying to scan him with it. At least I think that is what he is doing, since I can't see what exactly he is doing. When the knight was done, whatever it was he was doing, he looked at his colleagues and said, "He could be a Wonderlandian, but his accent is different."
"Wonderlandian?" I murmured in confusion, along with Yosuke, Teddie and Nanako as we looked at each other.
"Wonderlandian?" Dojima-san asked them.
"A Citizen from Wonderland." The knight with the tablet like object said.
"Don't tell us you don't know about Wonderland." another knight said.
"The only Wonderland I know about is the one from Alice in Wonderland." Dojima-san shrugged.
"So you DO know about it." the knight said.
"No, I didn't know it even existed," Dojima replied to the knight.
"Similar to how you came from another kingdom, we didn't know it existed," the knight replied.
Dojima-san and the knights continued to talk, while I look at the others. Yosuke and Teddie looked just as confused as I was, while Nanako looked really confused.
I looked at Nanako, "What's up Nanako?"
"Is Wonderland a real place?" Nanako asked.
"From what we just heard, that seems to be the case." I said.
"Dude, seriously?" Yosuke said, "It sounds like we ended up in the world of fairy tales or something."
"You know? You might not be far off Yosuke." I said.
"Seriously!?" Yosuke gawked.
"Wow, so we really are in a world where fairy tales are real!?" Teddie asked in excitement.
"We're not in Inaba anymore, so anything's possible." I said.
"Now that you mention it, one of the knights mentioned a witness being the future Evil Fairy Godmother…" Yosuke said.
"Indeed." I said.
"Huh?" I heard Nanako cry out. I looked at her and she was looking at what was behind her, but there was nothing there.
"What's the matter Nanako?" I asked.
"Someone tapped my shoulder." Nanako said nervously.
"Who?" Teddie asked as he looked around, "But I don't see anyone."
"Me neither." Yosuke said.
I looked around and, I noticed a silhouette of someone standing on top of a nearby tree, but it suddenly disappeared in a flash, leaving behind what looked like a devilish smile, before it vanished as well. I looked at it with suspicion.
An hour later…
Chie, Yukiko, Rise, Kanji and Naoto all arrived. I signaled them to join us and they obey, "So what did you find out?" I asked.
"That the whole town is scared sh…uh, stiff of whatever the, heck, it could be." Kanji said, choosing his words carefully, because Nanako was around.
"We did encounter some ballerina girl inside a café." Chie said, "We asked her about the murder, she didn't know anything, except she mentioned something similar to the Midnight Channel."
"Yeah, she called it the Midnight Reflection." Rise said, "If you stare at your mirrorpad, alone, during a rainy night and wait for midnight, you see your soulmate."
"Really?" I said, feeling a sense of déjà vu all over again.
"Hm-hmm, she also showed us her "mirrorpad" thing…it kind of resembled one of those, Tablet things from our world." Yukiko said, "I placed my hand in it and indeed, it went in."
"We tried to explain the truth, but the girl accused us of being witches and ran off before we could get any more information." Chie said in annoyance, "Geez, like, she didn't give us a chance!"
"Well, at least that's something." I said.
"By the way, where's Dojima-san?" Naoto asked.
"He's over there, talking to those knights." Nanako said, pointing out her dad, who was talking with the knights.
We all looked at the knights, and from the looks of it, it seems Dojima-san managed to get the knights to agree to cooperate with him, judging from the nods and the hand shake that Dojima-san and the captain of the knights had. Dojima-san then turned toward us and said, "Alright kids, you can come out now."
Though reluctant at first, we did so and came out of the bushes and joined them.
"So these are the new transfer students?" one of the knights asked.
"Huh!?" we all gawked in confusion.
"That's right." Dojima-san confirmed.
"Alright, follow me." The knight said as he led us into the castle.
I lean over to Dojima-san, "Dojima-san, are you enrolling us into a school of this world?" I asked in a whisper.
"Yes." Dojima-san said, "Turns out this castle is actually a school and I figured that as long as we are in this world, we try to blend in and learn more about it, so I figured that I'd enroll you into this school."
"Seriously!?" Yosuke whispered, "Even though it's Summer?"
"Not in this world." Dojima-san said, "Besides, haven't you heard of Summer School before?"
Yosuke and the others groaned, "School and Summer…two words that should never be put together."
I looked back and I saw that everyone was in agreement with Yosuke, "I understand how you all feel, but I believe Dojima-san makes a good point." I told them, "As long as we are here, we need to understand how this world works and joining this school should give us some insight."
Yosuke and the others groaned, and honestly, I couldn't blame them. For most people, Summer is about enjoying about three months of rest and relaxation from all the stress from school or work. I mean, sure, there are people who still work in Summer or go to "Summer School", but mostly just to take a long break from all of that. I personally planned to just relax with my friends, my uncle and my cousin during this Summer, but thanks to the Midnight Channel's return, I'm forced to put it all on hold for this new world's sake.
"Well as long as we are here, we might as well…" Yosuke said, "Not like we have a choice or anything."
"Yup, no point crying over it, I guess." Kanji said.
"Yeah, it might not be so bad, after all." Teddie said cheerfully, "It might even be fun to learn more about this world! And maybe even meet cute girls along the way."
"That aside, if we're going to solve this case, we'll do as Dojima-san suggested and join this school as transfer students." Naoto said.
"Hmm-hm, right." Yukiko said in agreement.
"Yeah, okay…" Chie said.
"Yeah, as Teddie said, it might even be fun!" Rise said.
I nodded in agreement, happy to see that everyone is now in agreement, even though the whole "Summer School" thing isn't what we really had in mind. But we all put our faith in Dojima-san and go along with his plan. Then I notice Nanako.
"Big bro, I want to help so I'll go along too!" she said.
I smiled, "Thanks Nanako."
"Yay!" Nanako cheered.
Well, guess Nanako is now up for it as well. I'm still unsure if it's a good idea or not, but it's our only option right now.
Headmaster's Office, Morning
We soon arrive what I believe is the school's headmaster's office. The knight who was escorting us knocked on the door. "Who is it?" the voice of a middle-aged man called from the other side.
"Excuse me, Headmaster Grimm." The knight said, "I brought a group of people from another kingdom who wish to speak with you."
"Who are they?" the voice of the Headmaster asked.
"I do not know, but they claim to have come from a kingdom known as Inaba." The knight said.
"Very well, let them in." the Headmaster said.
The knight opened the door, allowing us in. We entered the office and we were surprised by the amount of expensive looking furniture decorating the place. Sitting at the desk, was a middle-aged gentleman with grey and white hair and a small mustache, wearing a fancy outfit that resembles that of a royal nobleman. I believe this is the "Headmaster Grimm" the knight mentioned. He looked at us with curiosity.
"Please, do come in." the Headmaster said, "You wish to have an audience with me, correct?"
"Yes, we do apologize for interrupting you, but there was something we'd like to discuss with you." Dojima-san said. "It's about the murder."
The man jumped from his seat, "What did you say?"
Dojima-san remained calmed as we watched and he continued, "Back in my kingdom, my fellow knights and I happened to have found a dead body in the middle of a rice field. We weren't pleased by this since we already had a murder mystery last year that took nearly forever to solve. We were unable to identify her but we suspect that she's from this kingdom."
"Do you have evidence of this?" the Headmaster asked.
"As a matter of fact I do." Dojima-san said showing him the picture, "Here's a picture of the victim. We didn't make the case known to the public since we didn't want to cause panic after the case was solved last year. Do you happen to have seen this girl before?"
"W-Why yes, she was one of the students here." The Headmaster said, "So her body ended up in your kingdom, yes?"
"Exactly." Dojima-san said, "And since my kingdom isn't pleased about it, they sent me here to investigate the matter."
"I understand." The Headmaster said as he handed him what appears to be some sort of seal, "Give this to the knights, it will let them know that you have my permission to participate in the investigation."
"Thank you." Dojima-san said taking the seal.
"Oh, and what about these children?" the Headmaster asked referring to us.
"Oh, these kids were involved in last year's case." Dojima-san said, "The little girl is my daughter while the silver haired young man is my nephew. The rest are all friends of ours. They are all here to enroll in this school."
I stepped forward and introduced myself, "I'm Yu Narukami, pleased to meet you Headmaster."
The rest of the team and Nanako introduced themselves too. Dojima-san was the last to introduce himself.
"And your name is Grimm, correct?" Dojima-san asked.
"Yes, Milton Grimm, Headmaster of Ever After High, at your service." The Headmaster known as Milton Grimm introduced himself. "So you wish to be students here?"
"Yes, Grimm-san." I said.
"Y-Yeah, we're ready to learn and…stuff, yeah." Kanji said.
"But just to make sure we aren't missing anything, could you explain to us about this school's curriculum?" Yosuke asked.
"Sure, there is no harm in asking." Headmaster Grimm-san said, "Here at Ever after High, we help students train themselves into becoming heroes or villians of legends, just like their fathers and mothers before them and their fathers and mothers and so on, in order to keep their legends alive. In order to help them achieve this, we have prepared the following classes: Heroism 101, Home of Evilnomics, Princesstology, Damsel in Distressing, Grimmnastics, History of Evil Spells, Beast Taming and Training, Kingdom Management and more. And finally, we have a special event known as Legacy Day, where students participate to sign their names onto the Storybook of Legends, containing details about the story they will follow and declare their destiny to the world. Have I made myself clear?"
I looked back and saw Teddie raising his hand, "Excuse me, I have a question." He said.
"What is it Mister…Teddie was it?" Headmaster Grimm asked.
"Yes, I just wanted to know, what if the students aren't sure of what destiny they want to follow, because they don't know anything about their past?" Teddie asked, leaving us a bit surprised, "I was never raised with any parents or great legend and such and was only able to learn about the world thanks to Sensei and the others here. Does that mean I don't have a destiny to follow?"
"I see…" Headmaster Grimm said while scratching his chin in thought, "Well, I must confess that there are some students attending this school, whose fates have not been decided yet. Another purpose of this school is to help those said students figure out what destiny they wish to follow. I am certain we can arrange a place for you among them as well Mr. Teddie."
"Alrighty…" Teddie said.
"Now then, if you could please sign up these application papers…" Headmaster Grimm said as he showed us the paperwork, "…and after that we assign you all to your dorms."
I nodded along with the others as we sign the application papers. Then Yosuke asked a question, "By the way, about the dorms, its guys in one side and the girls in the other right? Because I don't feel like sharing a room with, um, you-know-who."
"You-know-who? Ya referring to that one book series villain or…are actually asking me to beat the living…uh, stuffing out of you?!" Kanji asked while glaring at Yosuke.
"It is two girls sharing one room and two boys sharing." Headmaster Grimm said, "Why do you ask?"
"Because Yosuke is afraid of having a yaoi relationship with Kanji." Teddie said, "I don't blame him though."
"Hey!" Kanji complained.
"What is this…"yaoi", you speak of?" Headmaster Grimm asked curiously.
"It's guy on guy." Teddie explained.
"Well, we don't have any "guy on guy" on campus, but you have peeked my interest." Headmaster Grimm said, "Now then, as for whom you shall be rooming…"
There was some debate on how we were going to split our team into two. It had to be two guys and two girls sharing each a room, so we split it up like this: me and Yosuke (he sighed in relief), Kanji and Teddie (who looked worried for some odd reason), Chie and Yukiko and last Naoto and Rise. This only leave Dojima-san and Nanako.
"Mr. Dojima, if you wish to join the investigation on the murder case, I shall contact Mayor Goldilocks and ask her to prepare a guest room for both you and your daughter, during your stay at our kingdom." Headmaster Grimm said, "If you are alright with that."
"As long as Nanako and I have a bed to sleep on, and if it's not too much trouble, sure." Dojima-san said.
"Big bro?" Nanako looked at me.
"Don't worry Nanako, everything is going to be okay." I assured to her, "You and Dojima-san go on ahead and we'll meet up later on, alright?"
"Okay!" Nanako said cheerfully.
"Excellent." Headmaster Grimm said, "Welcome aboard Ever After High."
"Arigato, Headmaster Grimm." We all said in unison.
"Arigato?" Headmaster Grimm looked puzzled.
"Um, that's "thank you" in Japanese." Dojima-san replied.
"Oh, my apologies, but I am unfamiliar with that sort of language." Headmaster Grimm said.
Dormitory Building, Lunchtime
The knight had escorted each of us to the dormitory building and lead each of our pairs to each of our rooms that we'll be sleeping during our stay in this new world where fairy tales appear to be real. Dojima-san and Nanako were escorted by another knight to this Mayor Goldilocks' house, since they can't share a dorm room together. The knight who escorted us told us that we'll receive our schedules at the end of the day and that our classes would start tomorrow. Until then, we were free to explore the school and get used to this new world's costumes. We thanked the knight as he left us to get comfortable. Afterwards, we all met up in the hallway and headed down to explore the place.
Hallways, Lunchtime
"Man, this place is huge!" Chie exclaimed.
"Mm-hmm, indeed, it feels more like a castle than a school." Yukiko said.
"Well it did look like castle on the outside, but on the inside it's basically like one gigantic boarding school." Yosuke said, "And now that I look at the other students, none of them seem to be wearing a school uniform."
"No kidding, this looks more like an anime convention than a school, doesn't it?" Rise asked.
"Well, this is basically like those schools from overseas, where a uniform isn't required as long as you wear something more casual and bring all your books and material for classes." Naoto said, "It's best not to bring it up in front of them."
"Agreed, we don't wanna look like goofballs on the first day." Chie said.
"Yeah, otherwise I might end up punching some punk, only to get myself in trouble again…" Kanji said, "I don't wanna go back to being that guy again."
We've been exploring the school for about an hour now and Chie is right, it's really huge and there's all kinds of colorful students, teachers and other staff members that look like cosplayers from an anime convention. While everyone is commenting on what they are seeing, I notice Teddie going around greeting everyone in his happy and cheerful manner. I don't mind that, as long as he remembers not to try and "score" with any of them, especially after just meeting them for the first time. But then, I notice one group of students who appear to be gossiping about something.
"Did you guys see what Gus did to Raven?"
"I did! He strangled her pretty hard didn't he?"
"Yeah, but Maddie and the others managed to stop him before he could choke the life out of her."
"I know Raven probably deserved it, but…the look on Gus's eyes, there was something very…frightening about it."
"Can you blame him? His cousin was killed and of course, Gus immediately assaulted her killer, which was Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen herself!"
"But is Raven really the killer?"
"Of course she is! I mean, who else beside her would just murder one of our own? She has to be the killer and nobody else!"
"STOP ASSUMING THAT SOMEONE IS THE KILLER!"
The students jumped in surprise and ran away in fear when Dojima-san suddenly showed up and yelled at the gossiping students for accusing this "Raven Queen" for murdering the victim. Nanako showed up alongside him.
"Damn, Dojima-san's pissed off!" Chie exclaimed.
"And can you blame him? Those kids were accusing someone without any facts to back it up." Yosuke said.
"But they called this "Raven" the daughter of the Evil Queen." Yukiko said, "That makes you think that she's just as evil as her mother, right?"
"Yeah, but what if that isn't the case?" Rise asked.
"Good point." Yukiko agreed.
"I was about to give those punks a piece of my mind, until Dojima-san beat me to it." Kanji said.
"Big Bro!" Nanako rushed up to us.
"Hey Nanako." I said as I smiled.
"Big Bro, were those students telling the truth?" Nanako asked me.
"I don't have an answer to that, but I think they were being unreasonable and just accusing someone of being a murderer without proof." I said.
"I wanna meet this Raven Queen!" Nanako said.
"Same here, I'm curious about her too." I said.
We all walked down the hallway with Nanako on our side and Teddie joining us after he was finished "befriending" some girls. Dojima-san left to go join the knights investigating the murder. We soon arrive at the big doors with the words "Castleteria" on it. I am guessing this must be the school's cafeteria. Well, it was now lunchtime, so we decide to head inside and get some lunch.
Castleteria, Lunchtime
As soon as we stepped inside into what appears to be the school's cafeteria, we all froze when everyone who was present there turned their eyes on us, whether they were students or the cook. I see some of the girls are eyeing on me and the guys, while some of the boys are eyeing on the girls. I did seem to notice that some guys, especially the blonde guy wearing a crown were glaring daggers at me and maybe Yosuke, Kanji and Teddie too. The same goes for the girls on the girls on our team. I wonder why, though. We looked at each other, wondering what to say, until I notice that Nanako decided to step forward.
"Hi everyone! I am Nanako Dojima! My Big Bro and my friends have just joined this school!" she said with her angelic tone and smile. "Pleased to meet you all!"
Next thing we know, everyone gasped in delightness after Nanako's introduction and I could hear some of the commenting on how cute she was and even wondered if she was a princess or a prodigy. Nanako went on ahead and she sat at a table where four girls were sitting. I have to say, I didn't see this coming, and looking at the rest of the team, none of them did either.
"Wow! Suddenly she's become so popular!" Chie commented.
"Big Bro!" Nanako gestured to me, "Come sit here!"
I couldn't help but smile, seeing Nanako already eager to meet some new friends. I decided to do as she said and join her and the four girls, while the rest of the team followed behind me.
"I might as well introduce myself." I said, "I'm Yu Narukami. Nanako and I are actually cousins, but we're more like siblings than cousins, hence why she calls me 'Big Bro'."
As soon as I said that, I felt that someone was glaring daggers at both me and Nanako, but I shrug it off as Yosuke and the others join in and introduce themselves.
"Yo, what's up? I'm Yosuke Hanamura!"
"I'm Chie Satonaka, nice to meet you all!"
"I'm Yukiko Amagi, I'm very pleased to meet you all!"
" 'Sup? The name's Kanji Tatsumi."
"I'm Rise Kujikawa. It's nice to meet you all."
"I'm Naoto Shirogane. A pleasure to meet you all."
"And I'm Teddie!"
"I'm Madeline Hatter and I give you a welcome full of MADNESSS to Ever After High, Nanako, Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Naoto and Teddie!" The girl with the dark turquoise, mint green, and dark magenta colored hair and wearing a tea pot shaped hat, introduced herself as she offered us some tea as a welcome gift.
"I'm Cerise Hood, nice to meet you all, transfer students." The girl with long, dark brown hair with several white streaks, predominantly on the left side, and wearing a red hood over her head, greeted us with a smile.
"Hi, I'm Cedar Wood and, uh…nice to see some new faces around here." The girl with dark brown, wavy hair with purple strands and skin that appears to be made of wood, greeted us while smiling.
The rest of the students gathered around us as they were exited to meet us, the new transfer students. Some of the male students were more focusing on Naoto and her rather masculine attitude, despite being a girl, "Are you the descendent to Mulan?" asked a boy with burgundy hair, green eyes, pale skin and freckles, and wearing a small crown on his head. Hopper, I think that was his name.
"Uh?" Naoto gave Hopper a weird look.
"What are you talking about Hopper? If anyone looks more like Mulan it's that Yukiko girl!" said a boy of average height with light skin, blond hair, and brown eyes. His name was Humphrey Dumpty from what I heard.
"Huh?" Yukiko looked confused.
While the students are busy fawning over us, Nanako and I manage to crawl out of it and join Madeline, who offered each of them a cup of tea, "Tea?" she asked.
"Sure!" Nanako happily accepted the tea, and so did I.
I noticed the other girl next to Madeline. She has pale skin, violet eyes, and slightly wavy hair in the colors black, purple, and maroon. I asked, "What's your name?"
"Oh, um…" she stumbled a bit nervously. I guess she's the shy sort? She took a deep breath and answered, "I'm Raven Queen. Um, welcome to…Ever After High…yeah."
She looked nervous. Perhaps she thinks she made a fool of herself? Either, it doesn't matter. I was happy to meet a new friend and so was Nanako. Oh, wait! Is she the same Raven Queen that those students were gossiping about? They said that she was strangled, as I took notice of her neck. She took notice of me, "Uh, what is it?" I asked him.
"Your neck…" I said.
"My neck?" Raven asked as she touched her neck with her hand and felt the scar on it. A look of shock and surprise former on her face.
"I don't mean to intrude on your personal affairs, but we heard some kids gossiping about a "Raven Queen" getting assaulted, and then I noticed that scar on your neck." I explained.
"Oh…" She said as she looked away from me. Maybe I was being too nosy.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." I apologized.
"No, it's okay…I don't blame you." she said, looking back at us, "But I'd rather not talk about it."
I nodded, "That's fine, if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't force you to."
"Thanks." Raven said.
"Okay, I've been meaning to ask you guys, but which kingdom are you from?" Cerise finally asked us. I kind of expected this, as I'm sure the rest did as well.
"Yeah, where did you guys come from?" A girl thick and wavy brown hair with pink streaks running through it asked in agreement. I think her name was Briar Beauty or something.
"We're from Inaba!" Nanako replied.
"Huh!?" Everyone reacted in surprise and confusion.
"Inaba? Never heard of it!" Humphry said.
"Maybe it's from Wonderland, right Maddie?" asked a young man with brown hair, with the right side of his head shaven, while the hair on the left side hangs just over his ear. He called himself Hunter Huntsman as I recall.
"Nope! There is no kingdom called "Inaba" in Wonderland." Madeline, who apparently was also known as "Maddie", replied, "It's probably from another world that neither of us heard of."
"We came in here through a magic mirror." Nanako said.
Everyone looked uneasy after hearing that. Nanako, I don't think you should say things like that outloud. That was what I thought. Yosuke and the others probably thought the same too. Nanako looked confused, until Raven asked, "A magic mirror that can teleport you into different places?"
Me and the others looked surprised by that, "How do you...?"
"Don't worry about it." she said as she smiled, "I have to go through a magic mirror to get to Ever After High except I have to use a spell."
"Oh." I said.
Nanako replied, "We didn't know that..."
After getting to know us, and we getting to know them, everyone decided to mind their own business, but it seems that the blond guy in the crown and a few others didn't seem to like it when we were sitting next to Raven and her friends. I think they are jumping to conclusions when they said we were they were terrible influence, but we ignored it like it's nothing.
"Looks like Daring just found some rivals..." I heard a girl with long curly blonde hair, whispering to them. Blondie Locks was her name, I think.
"What?" asked a girl with long black hair, streaked with white and mauve, and I think her name was…Duchess Swan, "Nobody looks as charming as Daring!"
"Well, look again!" said Briar, as she pointed out to me and the other guys.
I saw the guys looking at me and then they compared me to themselves and the blond guy with the crown, known as "Daring". Daring overheard the girls murmuring about us as he compared himself to us, but tried to shine. It's odd that some girls giggled in delight to see me and the new guys.
"Look it's Apple White!" shouted one male student as every guy dropped everything they were doing to greet someone, who just came into the castleteria.
Me and the Investigation Team and Nanako watched as almost every student in the castleteria rushed to meet this "Apple White" girl. She got bright blue eyes, white skin and red lips, and sported blonde curls. We all watched as the students around her worshipped her as if she was some kind of Goddess. I noticed Raven rolling her eyes in disbelief as she focused on her lunch instead of Apple.
"Who is that?" Rise asked looking at Apple.
That question made everyone, or rather ALMOST everyone, to gasp in shock when Rise and the rest of us didn't know who Apple White is. I saw Blondie rushing into the crowd and pulled Apple toward our table.
"Apple, we've got some transfer students who joined our school today!" she told her.
Apple looked at us and gasped in surprise and delight, "Oh my, I do so love meeting new faces!" Apple said happily, "I am Apple White, pleased to meet you all."
"Pleased to meet you too, Apple White." I greeted back, followed by his friends.
She may be the kind of girl most guys would fawn over, but sadly for her, I don't count as "most guys", and neither did Yosuke, Kanji or even Teddie, surprisingly. Nanako looked like she was trying to smile but struggled. I guess she doesn't feel comfortable around Apple, for some reason, even though we just met her.
"I'm Nanako Dojima…" Nanako introduced herself to Apple.
"Aw, aren't you just adorable? I'm pleased to meet you Nanako, I hope we can get along and that you enjoy your stay here at Ever After High." Apple said, and then turned to us, "Oh and that goes for the rest of you too."
"Thank you for your consideration Apple White, we truly appreciate it." Yu said, trying to be polite, except I couldn't help but add a hint of sarcasm in my tone, but Apple seemed to have failed to notice it. Despite the tension, I remained calm as we introduced themselves to Apple. After all was said and done, Apple finally decided to leave us alone as everyone returned to their own business.
"So, as I was going to say earlier and speaking of magic mirrors, have any of you heard of the Midnight Reflection?" Maddie asked.
We looked at Maddie after she said "Midnight Reflection". According to the girls, it's the Midnight Channel's form in this world, except with mirrors instead of TVs.
"Maddie, that's just a stupid rumor." Cerise said.
"But I heard that people have actually tried it out and it worked!" Maddie insisted.
"Excuse me, could you please explain what this "Midnight Reflection" is about?" Naoto asked in curiosity, but I could tell she was actually pretending she didn't know about it.
"Well, it goes like this, on a rainy night, if you stare at a turned off mirrorpad at midnight, it will turn on by itself and reveal who your soulmate is!" Maddie explained.
"And like I said, it's just a silly rumor." Cerise said.
"Oh, I don't know Cerise, I heard someone say that he actually tried it out and that he saw something on it." Cedar said, "He said he saw a silhouette that resembled Helga Crumb, but there was more…she looked like she was in pain and was running away from something, but got cornered and the attacker jumped on her, only for the screen to turn off."
It's déjà vu all over again. That definitely sounded just like the Midnight Channel, but in a different form to suit this world's way of information gather and entertainment.
"It sounds more like that guy had a nightmare." Cerise said.
"Can you please not bring that up? You're scaring everyone!" Apple called out from across the castleteria.
"You guys don't believe me, do you?" Maddie asked with a pouty face.
"We believe you." I said, along with the others.
"You do?" Maddie asked us, while Cerise and Cedar looked surprised. Raven looked surprised as well.
"Yeah, something similar happened back in our world." Chie said.
"Except it…" Yosuke suddenly paused for a moment, "No, never mind."
"Aw come on, tell us!" Maddie insisted.
Yosuke sighed as he said, "I'll tell you after you see it for yourself."
"Ok!" Maddie replied, before she pulled out her tablet-like mirror thing, just like the one the knights had and looked at what appeared to be the weather forecast, "And would you look at that! It says here that it's going to rain tonight!"
"Wait! You're actually doing this?" Cerise asked.
"Of course, silly billy!" Maddie said, "How about we make a bet? Let's all watch it with our mirrorpads tonight and once you see that it's real, you'll have to help out at my dad's tea shop for a week for doubting me!"
Cerise grumbled under her breath, "Fine! But if it turns out to be fake, you'll have to do a hundred laps around the school once every day for a week!"
"Deal!" Maddie agreed and turned to Cedar, Yu and his friends, and me, "What about you guys? Are you in?"
"I, uh, guess I could try it out myself." Cedar said.
"Count us in." I said, while Yosuke and the rest nodded in agreement.
Maddie then turned to me, "What about you Raven, are you in too?"
"I, uh…" she seemed hesitate for a moment there. We all waited for her to answer. She took a deep breath as she seemed to have made up her mind and answered, "I'm in."
"Great, then it's settled!" Maddie said happily, "Oh, one more thing: you have to watch this while you are alone in the room in order for it to work!"
"Got it." Raven said along with the rest of us.
With our deal set in stone, everyone resumed their lunch. While we went to get our lunch and back to the table, we all whispered with each other about what we just learned.
"Did anyone else get a sense of déjà vu out of all that?" Yosuke asked.
"No joke." Chie said, "It seems the Midnight Channel's taken on a new form here."
"But with mirrors this time." Yukiko said.
"Just a question…" Rise said, "I know we all agreed to Maddie's deal, but how do we plan to watch if none of us have any "mirrorpads"?"
"Well, our classes don't start until tomorrow, so we have the whole day free to explore around the place and hopefully get a mirrorpad for each of us." Kanji said.
"Only one problem: we don't have any of this world's currency." Naoto said.
"What if asked someone to borrow one?" Teddie asked.
"I don't think they'll be willing to unless you give them a good reason to." Naoto said.
"Yeah and I doubt this "Midnight Reflection" thing will count as a "good excuse"." Yosuke said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Teddie said in disappointment.
"What do you think partner?" Yosuke said.
I answer, "Let's just explore the school and the village after school. Maybe we'll find a way to get mirrorpads without making fools of ourselves."
"Well, I suppose that is all we can do right now." Yosuke said. "Alright, let's go with that."
"I'll help you out too!" Nanako said.
"Thanks Nanako." I said.
Afternoon
After lunchtime, we spent the rest of the day exploring the school and getting to know where the classrooms are, as well as the gym, the auditorium and the stadium. We didn't explore the courtyard, because there was a crime scene there and the knights were still investigating it. Dojima-san was there as well, as he noticed and waved at us and we waved back before leaving. We later were then greeted by the Fairy Godmother herself who came to deliver us our schedules for tomorrow. We thanked her as he took the schedules before she left. We decided to wait until later to review our schedules, right now, we needed to go explore the village.
Village of Book End, Afternoon
With the school grounds fully explored, we decided to explore the village and little more. It seems that things have finally settled down as more people were finally starting to come out and carry on with business. We looked around and saw each facility available, that wasn't present at the school.
That was when we came across a mirrorpad shop. If we were to watch the Midnight Reflection, we're going to need one of these. But one look at the price tags and…
"Holy crap! That's a lot of zeroes for just one of these things!" Chie exclaimed.
"And the worst part is, we don't have any of this world's currency." Yosuke said.
We all sighted in defeat. Nanako looked up at me, "Big bro? Does this mean we won't be able to watch the Midnight Reflection?"
I was about to reply until, "Excuse me…"
We all turned around and we saw Humphrey with another guy next to him. He was a handsome young man with light skin, brown hair with a cowlick and baby blue eyes. He wore a small gold crown and glasses. Oh I remember him, his name is Dexter.
"Oh, hey there Dexter and Humphrey." I greeted them.
"Doing window shopping I assume?" Dexter asked us.
"Um…" the others seemed to hesitate. I decide to answer myself, "Actually yes, we were. You see, we are completely new to this kingdom and we were just looking around the place, since we'll be enrolling in your school now." I looked back at the team and gave them a wink. They seem to have gotten the message as they played along.
Yosuke said, "Y-Yeah, and we've been wanting to buy one of these mirrorpads, but…"
"They're all so freakin' expensive!" Chie cried out, "Seriously, and I though Junes was known for overpriced stuff!"
"Hey! Don't blame it all on Junes!" Yosuke yelled angrily at Chie, "If you wanna blame anyone, blame it on the people who manufactured the stuff!"
We all looked in disbelief at Yosuke and Chie having another one of their arguments, while Humphrey and Dexter looked confused as Dexter asked, "Are these two always like this?"
"Yeah, just ignore them." Kanji said, "But Chie's right, those things are pretty expensive and we ain't got any of this kingdom's currency."
"You guys don't have mirrorpads, where you are from?" Humphrey asked.
"No, we use cell phones, like these." Naoto said, showing them her cell phone, "Although they don't seem to work here."
"Wow!" Dexter and Humphery gawked in awe at Naoto's cell phone. I'm guessing that cell phones are a rarity in this world. Not that I didn't expect that though.
"May we take a look at it?" Dexter asked.
"Uh, sure…" Naoto said as she handed her cell phone over to them.
We watched as Dexter and Humphery examined Naoto's cellphone. They must be fascinated by the technology from our world, as they inspected every bit of it, before giving it back to Naoto.
"Thanks for letting us see your cell phone Naoto, it truly is fascinating." Humphry said.
"It's nothing to be impressed about honestly…at least, not where we are from." Naoto said, sheepishly, before turning serious again, "Sadly, it won't mean anything here, since they only work back in our world."
"Don't worry, if it's mirrorpads you want, we'll get one for each of you." Dexter said.
"Huh!?" We all looked at Dexter like he was crazy.
"You guys want to see the Midnight Reflection don't you?" Dexter asked, "Humphry and I are going to do that too tonight."
"How do you…?" I was going to ask.
"We…kind of heard you guys saying you were going to try it out, back at the castleteria." Humphry said, "Sorry for eavesdropping by the way."
"That's okay, but…you're seriously going to buy us mirrorpads!?" Chie asked, while gawking, "I mean, those things are like, super expensive and we don't want people we just met buying stuff for us, just like that and…"
"It's no trouble at all." Dexter said, "I don't want to sound like my brother, but I happen to be a member of a family of Prince Charmings, so money isn't an issue for us."
"Prince Charmings?" Yukiko asked looking a bit uneasy. Could she be having some grim flashbacks about her Shadow? Better not question it, though and leave her be.
"Yeah, like my father and his father, and so on, the oldest sibling is destined to be the next Prince Charming in their story." Dexter said, "My brother, Daring Charming, is destined to become the Prince Charming in Apple White's story."
"Daring Charming, huh?" Yosuke asked, "That wouldn't happen to be the blonde guy giving us the death stare back at the castleteria, would he?"
"Yeah, that would be him." Dexter said, "You have to forgive him, he…takes real pride in his looks."
"Um, sure…" Yosuke said, "Anyway, you don't have to buy us mirrorpads, if you don't want to. I mean, we do appreciate you trying to help us and all, but…"
"Like I said, it is no trouble at all." Dexter said, "After all, since you're already friends with Raven, I already consider you guys my friends too."
"So do I." Humphry said.
"Senpai? What do you think?" Naoto asked.
I suppose it's up to me as leader to decide whether I should accept their offer or not. While do appreciate the offer, I don't like having other people buy stuff for us, especially if it happens to be something so expensive. Dexter claims that money isn't an issue in his family, though, but still…then again, we can't afford to miss any opportunities if we want to watch the Midnight Reflection. I sigh as I make up my mind and say...
"Alright Dexter, we accept your offer." I said
"HUH!?" Chie asked, "We're seriously going to let him spend his money for us!?"
"Alright, you guys wait here and we'll be right back." Dexter said and he and Humphry went inside the shop.
I turn to the others and say, "Look, I know it may sound like a crazy decision and all and trust me, I don't like it either, but we can't risk missing any opportunities if we want to watch the Midnight Reflection. There's no telling if the next victim is going to day tomorrow or after tomorrow. Plus, we can pay him back later once we get a few part-time jobs during our stay."
"He makes a good point." Rise said in a sad tone, "One person from this world was already killed and we can't risk allowing anymore victims to go through the same thing."
"Indeed, I don't like going through this decision, but we can't be picky with our decisions." Naoto said.
Nanako looked up to me, "Big Bro? Will we be able to save the next victim?" she asked.
"Don't worry Nanako. That is why we are here after all." I said.
I looked at the rest of the Investigation Team, and they all seem to agree with my decision, despite the seemingly selfish decision I chose, "Taking on part-time jobs might actually be fun too. I hope I get to be a cook at a restaurant."
"You'd probably get fired on the first day." Yosuke said.
"Hey! I'll have you know, I've actually been improving my cooking skills since last time!" Yukiko protested angrily, "You have no right to criticize me!"
"I'll believe it when I see it." Yosuke said, "And no more mixing sea food with pastries again! That shit left me in bed for three whole weeks!"
"Oh, I've been trying to forget those weeks…" Teddie said with a grim expression.
"Seriously…" Kanji said.
Yukiko gave each of them the glare as she ended up slapping the across the face before turning away in anger. Chie and Rise decide to go comfort her, while Naoto, Nanako and I look at Yosuke, Teddie and Kanji rubbing their faces in pain.
"You guys should really mind what you say next time." I told them, before turning to Yosuke, "Especially you Yosuke."
"Don't remind me…" Yosuke growled.
Soon, Dexter and Humphry came out of the shop with a box full of mirrorpads, one for each of us, I assume, "Here you go." Dexter said, "Oh and don't worry about paying me back, it was all to help out my friends."
"Thanks Dexter and Humphry, we really appreciate the help." I said as I took the bag.
"What happened to you guys?" Humphry asked Yosuke and the others, as he seemed to have noticed the red slap marks on their faces.
"Don't ask." Yosuke and Kanji said, while Teddie groaned.
"It is really touchy subject, it is best not to ask." Naoto said.
"Alright then." Humphry said, "Dexter and I were just about to go grab a snack, would you like to join us? My treat."
"That sounds nice, what do you guys say?" I asked the others.
"Yay, I wanna go!" Nanako said.
"Free snacks? I'm in!" Teddie said.
The rest also voiced their agreement. I turned to the two, "Sure, we'll go with you." I said.
"Great, let's go!" Humphry said.
From then on, we hanged out with both Dexter and Humphry as we joined them at a local snack bar and enjoyed some snacks together, while also getting to know each other. So, as Dexter said earlier, he is the son of King Charming, the current head of his family of Prince Charmings. His older brother, Daring Charming is destined to be the next Prince Charming in Apple White's story, but when we asked what Dexter's destiny was, he said nothing was planned for him and not even Headmaster Grimm had a clue, but Dexter assumed it probably had something to do with any regular Prince Charming. Teddie already considered Dexter a close friend as he too didn't know what destiny awaited him in the future. Dexter also mentioned that he and Daring also had a sister named Darling Charming, saying that she was the first Princess Charming in the history of Ever After. While her destiny is unknown, she says she would like to go on adventures, instead of becoming a damsel in distress in her story. Humphry, described himself as the son of Humpty Dumpty, which I find kind of odd, since, if I recall, Humpty Dumpty is a giant egg that likes hanging out on top of a wall, but Humphry himself is an actual human being. Probably because his mother is human? I wanted to ask him, but I decided to remain silent.
When they finished talking about themselves, me and the rest of the Investigation Team, along with Nanako, took our turn and started talking about ourselves. Dexter and Humphry had their own reactions to some of the Investigation Team members'…unique quirks, but otherwise, they pretty much accepted them. We had a good time having this friendly conversation over some refreshments until evening.
Evening - Cloudy
After we finished our snacks, we left the café and resumed our tour around the Village, with Dexter and Humphry showing us around. As the sun began to set, we decided that it was time to go back to the school building and turn in for the night. We said our good byes to Dexter and Humphry before heading back. We then ran into Dojima-san by the entrance.
"There you guys are." Dojima-san said, "Getting used to this place?"
"Yeah, we are." I said.
"Yup, this place is actually pretty nice." Yosuke said.
"I've never been outside of Inaba before, but meeting new people in a new town is a nice change of pace, even if it's from another world." Yukiko said.
Everyone else voiced their agreements that they were enjoying this new world.
"Well, that's good to know." Dojima-san said, "I've been talking with the Knights in Shining Armor and they have accepted in letting me join their investigation. I would have allowed you to, but just like in our world, well…"
"We know." I said, "We'll just do our own "private" investigation."
Dojima-san nodded, "Anyway, it is getting late and we all need to go to sleep. Come on Nanako, we're off to this Mayor Goldilocks' house and spend the night there."
"Ok…" Nanako said, with a bit of disappointment in her tone.
I smiled as I said, "Don't worry Nanako, we can still hang out like we did today, tomorrow. As soon as we have the time."
"Yay!" Nanako suddenly got cheered up by that.
Dojima-san smiled as he said, "Come on, we have a big day tomorrow, and we need to rest."
"Ok!" Nanako said, "Good night Big Bro, and everyone!"
"Good night!" We all said as Nanako left with Dojima-san. We all turned back and headed inside the school building.
Ever After High Hallways, Evening
We were all on our way back to the dormitory building, until we all ran into Raven Queen along the way.
"Hey. Getting used to your new school?" she asked.
"Hey Raven." Yosuke greeted, "Yeah, we were just looking around the school, getting used to our new surroundings."
"And we got our schedules for our classes." Yukiko said, "Our own classes will start tomorrow."
"Cool." Raven said, "Um, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, what is it?" Chie asked.
"You mentioned a similar rumor to the Midnight Reflection happened in your world too." Raven said, "Just out of curiosity, what did you mean by that?"
We looked at each other, wondering about telling her or not, "Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have asked." she said.
"It's fine." I said, "As for the rumor in our world, we called it the Midnight Channel."
"Midnight Channel?" Raven asked.
"On rainy nights, if you stare into a blank TV screen, alone, until midnight, it will turn on by itself and reveal your soulmate." Chie explained.
"Except the person you saw wasn't your soulmate." Yosuke said seriously.
"Huh?" Raven looked at us in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"The person you see on the Midnight Channel is in reality…the next victim who is going to die." Naoto said.
"What?!" Raven nearly screamed, "How?"
"I know it sounds strange, but maybe it's best if you went ahead and tried it out yourself." I said, "If this Midnight Reflection is anything like the Midnight Channel, we fear that the next person who shows up on it will eventually be killed."
"O…kay?" Raven looked at us skeptically.
"We understand if you don't believe us, nobody would believe in us if we just simply told them without proof, but it's true." Rise said, "Personally, I just hope no one shows up."
"Well, I'm hoping that it's really all just a silly rumor and nothing more." Raven said, "But if you guys are going to try it out yourselves, how will you do it if you don't have mirrorpads?"
"Oh no worries, we've already got it covered." Rise said.
Then each one of us pulled out a mirrorpad of our own, much to her surprise.
"Our classes won't start until tomorrow, so we had the time to explore the school and the village as well." Yosuke said, "Two guys named Dexter and Humphery showed us around, and they happened to buy us some mirrorpads for each of us. They even got one for Nanako."
"Really?" Raven asked us with a smile. From the looks of it, she must be happy to know that her friends helped us out.
"But enough about the Midnight Reflection and stuff, let's talk about something else, like getting to know each other!" Rise said.
"Yeah Raven-chan! Tell us about yourself!" Teddie said.
"Raven-chan?" Raven asked puzzled, probably because of the "chan" part, but seems to have decided to shrug it off, "Never mind, sure, I guess I can tell you a bit about myself and I'd like to learn more about you guys and where you are from."
"Great, let's go!" Chie said.
As we made our way to the dorm; we and Raven talked about ourselves. She told us that she was the daughter of the Evil Queen from the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and that she was destined to be the next "Evil Queen" in hers and Apple's story, whom she told us she was Snow White's daughter. She also told us how much she hated being the next Evil Queen, because not only it would make her the most hated person on Ever After, but she was already being bullied, rejected and feared by many, just because she was the Evil Queen's daughter. Teddie asked her how could anyone think that such a cute and beautiful girl like her be hated by many like that. Typical Teddie. I know he was trying to comfort her, but could you tone down the womanizer phase a bit? Fortunately Yosuke pulled him back and apologized for him. When we asked her about the whole, "destined to be the next Evil Queen" part, she told us about the tradition of Ever After and how the offspring of every Fairy Tale figure was destined to follow the same destiny as them from the day they are born. For example, Raven, being the daughter of the Evil Queen, was destined to the next; Maddie, who was the daughter of the Mad Hatter of Wonderland, was destined to be the next one herself; Cedar Wood, the daughter of Pinocchio, was destined to be the next Pinocchio; and of course, there was Apple White, who was destined to be the next Snow White, because she was her daughter. And so on…
We all listened in and we came to the conclusion that almost sounded unfair and we couldn't help but sympathize with her for being forced to follow a destiny she didn't want to follow.
After we were done talking about Raven, Yosuke and the others and I told her a bit about ourselves.
We continued on talking to each other for a while, until it was time for us to split up and head for each of our dorm rooms. We said good night to each other, as she left and we headed back into each of our dorm rooms.
Yu and Yosuke's Dorm Room, Evening – Raining
Yosuke and I were back in our dorm room. We read the instructions on how to make our mirrorpads work and do as they say as we activate our mirrorpads. It took a bit of time, but we managed to get the hang of it. As Yosuke mentioned, it's like using an iPad from back in our own world. I looked outside our window and noticed that it started raining.
"Well, it's raining and it's almost midnight." I said, "You ready Yosuke?"
"Yeah, I'll just got chill in the bathroom and wait there." Yosuke said, "I need to take a dump, plus, it only works when we watch it alone."
"Right." I said.
Yosuke left into the bathroom, not just to do his "service", but to watch the Midnight Reflection on his own. Meanwhile, I just lay down on my bed as I turn off my mirrorpad and wait until it's midnight.
Time passes as I stare at my own reflection on the mirrorpad. Out of curiosity, I try and stick my hand into the surface and just like dipping my hand in a pond, it went through. I could feel that same sensation that I got when I last saw the Midnight Channel, as I removed my hand out of the mirror.
I look at the clock and only a few second before midnight. This was it. The moment of truth was upon us.
…5…4…3…2…1…
…
…
…
…nothing happened.
I felt a sense of déjà vu, when all of a sudden, the mirrorpad turned itself on as ripple like static appeared on the surface. I could faintly notice the dark silhouette among the static. I couldn't tell who it was, but it definitely looked like a girl, due to its only noticeable features.
The image remained there as I saw the figure moving around curiously, but with a mixture of fear in it, before it disappeared and the mirrorpad turned itself off. All that remained was my own reflection.
I remain silent as I processed what I just saw. The Midnight Reflection is real and even though I couldn't tell who she was, someone definitely appeared on the mirrorpad's surface. My thougth process is inturropted when I hear the toilet flushing as Yosuke came out of the bathroom, while carrying the mirrorpad on his hand.
"Dude! I was taking a dump when suddenly my mirrorpad turned itself on and showed me this shadowy chick, in the middle of the static!" Yosuke said, "You saw it too right?"
"Yeah." I said, "The Midnight Reflection is real."
"But who in the world was that?" Yosuke asked, "We both know it's a girl, but her hairstyle and curve lines didn't match any of the girls I've seen so far."
"Curve lines?" I give Yosuke a dirty look.
"Oh shut up, like YOU didn't notice it yourself." Yosuke snapped in annoyance.
I ignore that statement as I said, "Well, you're right about her not looking like any of the girls from this school. Or maybe we just haven't met her yet."
"Raven and her friends said they were going to watch it too, right?" Yosuke said, "Maybe they'll know?"
"Maybe." I said, "Let's ask them about it tomorrow. For now, we should get some sleep."
"Right…" Yosuke yawned, "I'm tiered from everything that has happened today."
"So am I." I said, "Goodnight Yosuke."
"Yeah, good night partner." Yosuke said.
The Midnight Reflection is real and has revealed us the next victim. Because of the static and being unable to recognize the person it showed, I'm going to assume that the victim is still in this world, safe and sound, for the moment. Tomorrow, we'll ask Raven and the others and see if they have any clue about who the victim might be.
But first…we have our first day of classes to deal with. It's going to be…interesting.
A/N: Phew…this one took forever. Either because of Writer's block or just being lazy. Anyway, here it is, the second part, told from the Investigation Team's perspective. Next chapter is back to alternating between Raven and Yu's POVs. Hopefully it won't take as long as this chapter did. R&R, please.
