A/N This chapter is brought to you by a lack of a functioning laptop, lack of Microsoft word, the annoyance that is autocorrect, my two tablets that I bought for the sake of playing KHUX, Google docs, and my PS4's YouTube app!
I went through hell writing this chapter on a freaking tablet, with autocorrect hounding my ass and a touch screen keyboard that can't be trusted 100%.
Please appreciate the effort that I put in for this chapter… Other that, read on!
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There comes a point where Ryuuji can no longer hide his exhaustion from Jun. He's gasping and panting for air as he follows her up a flight of stairs, trying his best to ignore the agonizing pain in his right leg. He almost collapses when they get to the top of the stairwell, his leg struggling to sustain his weight.
"I-Is this…the exit?" he gasps out, looking hopefully at the door before them.
"Only one way to find out," Jun replies, though she doesn't intend on opening the door just yet. "But before that, I wanna ask…are you okay?"
Ryuuji quickly forces a smile and gives her a thumbs-up. "Never better!"
Jun stares blankly at him, looking less than impressed with his response. She knows he's lying—he has to do a lot better than that to fool her. "Is that so?"
"Y-Yeah…" Beads of sweat begin to roll down the sides of his face. He can tell that she's not buying it…but that still doesn't stop him from trying. "Of course!"
Without any warning, Jun's hand shoots out and firmly jabs Ryuuji in his right thigh. She isn't at all surprised when a pained yelp leaves his mouth. "So I was right…"
"Th-The hell?!" Ryuuji grits his teeth through the pain. He didn't actually expect her to do something like that. "You don't just do that to people!"
"I-I…right…" Jun feels her face heating up from embarrassment. She is still too used to being around her uncles… "Sorry, I just keep forgetting I'm not home anymore."
That…definitely raises a lot more questions that Ryuuji has regarding Jun. He stares at her for a moment, expecting it to be some kind of joke she's trying to pull. When he realizes she's being serious, Ryuuji takes a moment to compose himself (he doesn't want to scare her again)…and says, "First off—what the hell?"
Jun opens her mouth to say something, but Ryuuji quickly cuts her off. "Second of all—don't answer. This ain't the time for that."
Ryuuji pushes Jun gently to the side and walks toward the door to open it. He doesn't feel like testing their luck by sticking around any longer in one place. Not too long ago, they were hiding from some knights that were looking for them… They're still looking for them, too, now that he thinks about it.
"C'mon, we need to leave." Ryuuji reaches out and grabs Jun by the hand. He hopes it'll get her to snap out of it. He can't have her lagging behind… "Please be an exit…please be an exit!"
He kicks the door open and holds his breath. He nearly chokes on his spit when finds that it's not an exit.
"Dude…you gotta be jokin'…" His eyes widen in disbelief at the sight. They're still trapped in this hellhole with Kamoshida and his guards… "Son of a bitch—this ain't an exit! What the hell is this place?!"
His body trembles with both anger and fear. It's been a while since he's been this freaked out…it's almost embarrassing.
"Right in front of a girl, huh?" Ryuuji almost laughs. A wry smile crosses his face as he uses his free hand to run his fingers through his short hair. He wonders why Jun hasn't said anything to him yet—he's still holding her hand after all. "Maybe I should let go?"
And he does—rather awkwardly, too, as he mutters a quick apology and avoids looking in her direction. Jun just stares at him for a moment and shrugs it off. She's not sure what he's apologizing for, but if it makes him feel any better, then she's not going to stop him.
"Another prison cell…?" Ryuuji quickly changes the subject by putting attention on the cell they're walking by—it's just as empty as the ones they've passed before. He looks ahead in the distance and sees some cages hanging above the water. It takes him a moment, but he soon realizes that there's something off…and that's when he realizes he's found the source of all those screams. "We really did hear people screamin'…So we ain't the only ones who got captured!"
The cages weren't empty like the ones they saw downstairs—there are two boys trapped inside. They're both reaching out through the bars, calling desperately for help. They pay no attention to Jun and Ryuuji as they walk by so hesitantly. It's almost as though they're being ignored…
"Is, uh…is he okay?" Ryuuji notices that the cell nearby them isn't empty either. Far inside the cell, there's a boy slumped against the wall. He's not moving much, but Ryuuji can see his body twitching—so he's not dead. "But he sure as hell doesn't look okay…"
"We should leave…" Jun says. "Or else we might end up like them."
Ryuuji frowns, but he doesn't say anything else. "This is so fucked up…"
Moving forward, they eventually come across a bridge. Unlike the one that they came across earlier in the floor below them, this bridge is intact and larger in size.
"Dammit, the bridge's up!" However, it is also out of commission, preventing anyone from crossing to the other side. "Ain't there some way to lower it?!"
"Hmm…" Jun stares at the raised up bridge. There has to be some way to lower it…
"Ugh…what a creepy-ass statue." Ryuuji's face contorts in disgust upon looking at the statue next to the bridge. "Is this s'posed to be Kamoshida? Oh yeah—how's yer head?"
"Uhh…it's fine, actually." Surprisingly, Jun thinks. "Don't know why, though…"
"Maybe it has something to do with that thing." Ryuuji wouldn't be surprised. "Speaking of who, where is he?"
"Arsène!" Jun calls out to her new acquaintance. She sounds somewhat frantic, now that she actually notices he's missing. "Where did you go?"
Silence…
"Great…he ditched us." Ryuuji groans in annoyance, resisting the urge to face palm. "Whatever. Let's see if there's another way around—god dammit!"
All it takes is one look ahead for Ryuuji to notice the dead-end that's in front of them. He should've seen it coming…Jun sure did, because that's how bad her luck is.
"How the hell're we supposed to get outta here?!" Ryuuji swears loudly under his breath. He looks at Jun, who just shrugs. "Fuck…"
"…Hey, you there," an unknown voices calls out to them. It catches the two teenagers by surprise with how close it sounds. They look around for the source, but see nothing…so the voices calls out to them again. "Blondie! Frizzy Hair! Look over here!"
"Frizzy Hair?" Jun repeats, feeling somewhat offended. Her hair is more of an unruly mess than frizzy…
"Forget that—what is this thing?!" Ryuuji points at the diminutive, bipedal creature trapped behind bars. "A cat?!"
The cat-like creature is predominantly black in color, with a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip. It wears a yellow scarf around its neck and a utility belt on its hips. It beckons at them with a white paw, blue eyes looking cautiously at the two.
"You're not soldiers of this castle, right?!" The creature's voice is rather androgynous. "Get me out of here! Look, the key's right there!"
A white paw directs Ryuuji and Jun to a key hanging on a hook by the lock. It's just out of the creature's reach, but within theirs.
"We're trying to get the hell out of here…!" Ryuuji looks suspiciously at the creature. "I mean, you obviously look like an enemy too!"
"I'm locked up here, so how can I be your enemy?!" The creature's fur bristles. "Help me out!"
"A cat…" A light blush dusts Jun's cheeks red as she looks at the creature.
"I am NOT a cat!" the creature assertively denies. "Say that again and I'll make you regret it!"
Jun knows the creature is making a threat, but that doesn't stop her from finding it so cute. "Ahh…I wanna touch its paws…!"
The sound of heavy footsteps and clattering of metal quickly catches their attention.
"They're catchin' up already…?!" Ryuuji quickly pulls out his phone from his pocket. "Shit, there's still no service. Ain't there any way to contact someone outside?!"
Jun pulls out her own phone as well to check if hers works. It doesn't.
"How the hell do we get out…?!" Ryuuji is at a loss at what to do.
The cat-like creature perks up. "Hey, you two—wanna know where the exit is? Let me out and I'll take you there. You don't want to get caught and executed, right?"
Jun sure as hell doesn't want to die…but she is also somewhat hesitant to put her trust in in the cat-like creature. "Can you really help us?"
"I never go back on my word!" the creature proudly proclaims. "Especially not towards ladies like you!"
"Didn't you just insult her hair?" Ryuuji points out. He snorts when the creature freezes still. "This thing sounds like it's all talk…"
The cat-like creature glares at Ryuuji. "If you guys think you can get out on your own, then be my guest!"
Ryuuji turns to Jun, frowning. "Whadda we do…?"
The sound of the footsteps growing closer urges Ryuuji to look at the cat-like creature. the cat-like creature looks absentmindedly at a paw, pretending not to seem so smug.
"Are you seriously not messin' with us?!" Ryuuji looks sternly at the cat-like creature.
"If you don't hurry, they'll catch you." Blue eyes shift to the side. "And I don't know about you, but Miss Cat Tights over here is a very cute lady…"
Ryuuji clenches his teeth and extends an arm in front of Jun. "Shit!"
Memories from earlier still linger strongly in the most unpleasant of ways… It makes Jun tug down at her skirt a bit. She exhales shakily and reaches out to grab the keys. "W-We got n-nothing to lose…"
"F-Fine…" Ryuuji reluctantly says.
The cat-like creature smiles widely, their blue eyes focusing on Jun as she unlocks the door. The instant the door opens, the cat-like creature scampers out. With each step they take, splashes of pink color the floor like paint. Once out in the open, they stretch out their body in a cat like manner.
"Cute…" Jun thinks, her cheeks heating up with a blush.
"Ahhhh…" they sigh in content. "Freedom tastes so great…"
"Now, where's the exit, you bakeneko?!" Ryuuji looks expectantly at the cat-like creature.
The cat-like creature's fur bristles, their tail sticking up straight and eyes glaring angrily at Ryuuji. "Don't call me a cat! I am Morgana!"
The name sounds rather feminine, but it doesn't do much to confirm Morgana's possible gender—if they happen to have one at all.
"Shaddup and hurry it up!" Ryuuji growls, feeling far too impatient to tolerate any of Morgana's antics. "You wanna be locked up again?!"
"A-All right, sheesh!" Morgana frowns. They look ahead and beckon at the two teenagers with a white paw. "Follow me, and stay quiet!"
…
…
Elsewhere, at Shujin High's faculty office, Kawakami Sadayo sits at her desk. She glances at the clock hanging on the wall and sighs in frustration. "…It's fourth period already."
And a certain transfer student of hers still hasn't shown up yet… Kawakami nervously bites at her nails as she wonders about her student's whereabouts. Such a tiny girl would certainly draw attention to herself…
"Sakura-san said that Kimura-kun left the house this morning." Kawakami spits out a nail from her mouth, scowling when she realizes her mistake. She overshot it with her nasty habit of hers… "Ugh, I'm going to have to break out the fake nails."
It's bothersome, but she can't afford to slack off anymore on her appearance. She pulls open a drawer and takes out a small kit.
"Should I contact the police…?" That's something she could certainly do. "It wouldn't be that hard to find her, either…ugh. No, that'll just be more of a hassle…"
She sighs again and runs her hand through her hair. It really is disappointing to find that Jun is just a troublesome than she appears…
"Looks can be deceiving…" Kawakami had attempted to give Jun the benefit of the doubt, but now… "What did I do to deserve this…?"
She can only imagine the attention that Principal Kobayakawa will direct at her…
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…
Morgana brings the two teenagers over to the bridge. They walk up to the statue of Kamoshida, blue eyes scanning the statue for any abnormalities.
"What're you doin'?" Ryuuji furrows his brow.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Morgana turns to Ryuuji. "I'm lowering the bridge. You—Frizzy Hair!"
Jun frowns. "It's not frizzy…"
"That's not important!" Morgana says. "You seem to pick up on things faster than Blondie over here. Try checking around the mouth of this statue, okay?"
"Uhhh…right here?" Jun looks nervously at the statue, her hand hesitantly hovering over its mouth. Even though it's just a statue, she still can't forget what the person who shares its likeness did to both her and Ryuuji.
"That's it!" Morgana nods. "Just pull down on the jaw! I know you're not too short to reach."
Jun makes a face. Why does Morgana have to be right? She clicks her tongue and pulls down on the statue's jaw. To her surprise, it moves in the direction she pulls…which causes the statue's eyes glow an eerie yellow.
"Ah!" Jun immediately removes her hand and backs away. She wipes her hand on her blazer and shudders.
"C'mon—it's just a statue…" Morgana frowns. "Don't let it get to you like that."
Jun huffs in annoyance. "Easier said than done…"
"Hey—the bridge is goin' down!" Ryuuji exclaims.
"Of course it is!" Morgana grins. "The statue holds the secret to lowering the bridge, you know!"
It is just as Morgana said—the statue serves as a means of lowering the bridge through a specific technique of sorts.
"How were we supposed to know that?!" Ryuuji complains, feeling slight offense towards Morgana's comment.
"Hmph, amateur." Morgana crosses their arms over their chest. "You need to try everything before giving up. But that's enough of that—come on! Let's keep going!"
They waste no more time in crossing the bridge. Initially, the coast is clear of any knights. However, upon reaching the other side of the bridge, a knight suddenly appears in their way, having just gone through a door.
"A-Aah!" Ryuuji tries to skid to a stop, but only succeeds in falling flat on his ass when he loses his balance. "Shit…Shit, it's them!"
He is far too frazzled to get up, so he scuttles back to avoid the sword the knight brings down on him. He glances over his shoulder, wondering how Jun is doing. She's still standing, so… she's definitely doing better than he is.
"That outfit again!" Ryuuji notices that Jun is back to wearing that other outfit again, with that same bird-like mask covering her face. "Whoa!"
"Tch…you amateur!" Just then, Morgana jumps over Ryuuji in a manner that reminds him of a cat. Their landing is exactly like one—deft and full of grace. "Stay still!"
Ryuuji doesn't protest—it's not like he can do much on such a short notice…
"Hey, you!" Morgana turns to Jun, taking note of her mask and outfit. "You could fight, right?"
"Uhhh…yeah…" It takes a moment for her dagger to appear in her hand. She looks over the sharp blade and quickly tightens her grip on the handle. She still remembers how to use it… "But Arsène…"
"Let's go!" Morgana snaps Jun out of her thoughts. They close their eyes and call out a name. "Come—Zorro!"
At their command, a tall humanoid being appears from the beam of light that expels from Morgana's body. The being's eyes snap open wide, revealing dark irises and yellow sclera. The being possesses a rather masculine appearance, with a top-heavy build and an impressive mustache. The being is dressed in a black suit that's decorated with silver embroidery on the jacket and the sides of the pants. He wears black, pointed boots with spurs, a black cape, and a black cloth mask that covers the top of his head from eye level upwards.
A closer look at Morgana shows that they, too, are wearing a similar mask that matches the being that stands behind them. It's easy to miss due to how the mask blends in with Morgana's black fur. Morgana places their paws on their hips and grins widely.
"You ready, Zorro?!" they ask the being named Zorro.
Zorro says nothing and instead uses rapier he holds in his hand to slice through the air in front of him in a Z-shaped formation. It takes three quick strokes and leaves a glow in the shape of a Z that resembles the massive belt buckle he has on his belt. It's almost as though he's trying to show off, but Morgana knows better than that.
"Excellent!" Morgana's body rumbles with a pleased purr.
"Y-You got one of those things too?!" Ryuuji stares agape at Zorro, not knowing what to make of the sight before him. It's too much for him to process in such a short amount of time.
The knight by them melts into a puddle of red slime. Within seconds, the slime quickly transforms into a floating jack-o'-lantern and a pink, demonic creature with wings protruding from its back.
Morgana crosses their arms over their chest and tilts their head to the side. "Hmph, we will promptly shut them up!"
"Uhh, Morgana—is that what I think it is?" Jun's eyes widen at the sight of the red phallic-shaped thing sticking out from between the winged demon's legs.
"Don't stare too long at it!" Morgana quickly says. "A lady shouldn't have to see such things!"
Jun shudders when the demon leers at her. It reminds her too much of Kamoshida…
"Take off your mask!" a voice booms in the back of her head.
"Arsène!" Jun smiles widely. "Where are you?!"
"Within the depths of your soul—now summon me!" he commands.
Jun smirks and does as she's told, no longer feeling as anxious as before. It still hurts to remove the mask on her face, but the pain is more like ripping off a bandaid. It stings a lot, but it quickly wanes with the passage of time.
A clawed finger reaches down to tap on the mask in Jun's hands. "Wear it if you wish—you need only to remove it once to summon me."
Arsène is as calm as ever as he instructs Jun under such dangerous conditions. It keeps her grounded as she turns her attention back onto their opponents. She notices that Morgana has started attacking without them, using a curved sword that's almost as long as they are tall.
"A sword, huh?" Jun wonders if Zorro gave Morgana their weapon as Arsène had done with her.
"Damn Shadows…" Morgana swears when the jack-o'-lantern dodges their attack. They look over at Jun, taking quick note of Arsène. "Be careful! These Shadows have taken up intercept positions!"
"Intercept positions?" Jun repeats questioningly .
"It means they're holding nothing back and will kill us!" Morgana hastily explains. They jump back to avoid a swing from the jack-o'-lantern and land right by Jun's side. "I'll back you up, so fight like your life depends on it!"
Jun nods her head. "Got it—Arsène, protect Sakamoto!"
Ryuuji chokes back a scream when Jun's acquaintance suddenly pops up in front of him. It's just in time, because Arsène manages to intercept the winged demon during its attempt to attack Ryuuji.
"Shit!" Ryuuji gulps audibly.
The winged demon laughs menacingly before evading a rapier's needle-like blade. Arsène turns his head to Zorro, who does not seem flustered at all despite missing his attack. The two stare at each other for a moment and the nod their heads simultaneously in agreement.
Ryuuji can only stare as Arsène and Zorro take up a protective stance in front of him. "Just what the hell is goin' on?!"
Back with Jun and Morgana, the two have taken to working together to take down the jack-o'-lantern. Jun's dagger slices through the jack-o'-lantern's face, causing some serious damage. It's not enough to fully incapacitate it, but it's enough to slow down its movements. Despite this, Morgana still laughs at how inexperienced Jun is.
"Hmph, I knew you were an amateur!" Morgana hops side to side with an amused cat-like smile on their face. "This is how you fight!"
All too suddenly, Zorro stiffens in place, his gaze now focused on Morgana. He still maintains his position alongside Arsène, though he waits patiently for an order from them.
"Zorro, show your might!" Morgana calls out to him.
Zorro silently nods his head and slices through the air in a Z-shaped formation. Within seconds, a burst of green-colored wind strikes the jack-o'-lantern down. The damage is far too much for it, causing it to dissolve out of existence seconds after a futile attempt to get up.
"Strike at an enemy's weakness to take them out!" Morgana carefully explains. "It'll knock them down if they manage to survive the attack. So use that as an opening to strike again and finish the job!"
"So it's weak to wind?" Jun asks Morgana.
"It's called Garu, but I have a feeling that element is out of your grasp…" Morgana can sense an almost cursed power residing within Jun. Their ears twitch at that moment and Morgana spins around to swing their sword at the winged demon as it lunges towards Jun. "You're next too, you bedside brute!"
Jun is not even sure she wants to know the reasoning behind Morgana's impromptu nicknaming of the creature. She discards all thought when she flips back to evade the winged demon as it reaches out for her. It had successfully moved around Morgana's attack, avoiding their sword's blade. It laughs deviously at Jun's attempts to avoid it, its laughter only continuing when it dodges another of Morgana's attacks.
"Leave her alone!" Morgana hisses, teeth bared at the winged demon. "Damn, so this is the effect this place can have on Shadows…"
Jun has no clue what Morgana means by that, but she sure doesn't like the attention that thing is giving her. She scowls and lowers the dagger, waiting patiently for the demon's next action. It lunges for her again with open arms. This time, she doesn't move out of the way and allows the demon to wrap its gaunt arms around her.
"Don't touch me!" she yells as she plunges her dagger into the demon's stomach. It releases her instantaneously, coughing and sputtering as it backed away from her. "Eiha!"
Arsène's mask gleams eerily as a red energy blasts the demon into a wall. It gasps and coughs a few more times before going still and dissolving into nothing. Jun walks over to where the demon once was and spits in disgust.
"That'll teach you to touch me…" She feels uncomfortable from the unwanted touch and takes a moment to adjust her gloves. She's still tense as ever when Arsène's clawed fingers carefully play with her hair. Eventually, she calms under his gentle touch—which is anything but unwanted.
Morgana laughs at the sight. "And you called me a cat!"
Jun shrugs off Morgana's comment. It doesn't bother her like it does with them. She lets out a puff of air from her mouth and makes her way over to Ryuuji.
Ryuuji struggles to get up, finding it difficult to stand with his tired legs. He pauses when he sees Jun offering her hand out to him. He stares at it before sighing in defeat and reaching out to grab her hand. It is at that exact moment that Jun's clothes revert back to her school uniform.
Not long after, Arsène takes his leave and disappears in a burst of blue flames. Zorro soon does the same, deciding he's done enough for now. Though, before he disappears, he turns to Jun and Ryuuji. He holds up his rapier and light begins to emanate from Ryuuji's body.
"What the—?!" Ryuuji's eyes widen.
"Relax—it's just Dia," Morgana explains. "I thought you might need some healing, so I had Zorro do his thing."
As soon as the light fades from his body, Jun helps Ryuuji stand up. It surprises him with how steady his legs are, exhaustion no longer hindering his movements. Slowly, it comes to his attention that it longer pains him when he breathes. He applies a small amount of pressure to his sides with his hands and is left speechless at the absence of pain.
"H-How?!" Ryuuji sputters.
"I told you—it's Dia," Morgana simply says. "Good work, Zorro."
Zorro nods his head only once before disappearing in a manner similar as Arsène. Morgana grins widely in satisfaction upon noticing how much stronger they feel from the fight. It's subtle, but there—and they're quite certain they're not the only one who feels the same.
Morgana looks at Jun and quickly takes note of her attire. "Hm, it looks like you don't have full control over your power yet. The transformation shouldn't normally wear off like that."
"Excuse me?" Jun tilts her head to the side.
"That aside, your Persona is quite powerful!" Morgana continues speaking as though they haven't noticed the look of confusion on Jun's face.
"Persona…?" Ryuuji is just as confused as Jun now that he manages to catch only a blurb of what Morgana just said. His attention span has never been the best and the less said about his impulsivity, the better. "Is that what you call that thing that comes outta you all dramatic-like?"
"More or less—though I'd say Frizzy Hair's is more of a show-off than Zorro." Morgana laughs.
Jun snorts upon hearing Morgana's comment. They're not wrong—Arsène does like to show off…from what she's seen of him so far. Now that she thinks about it, that's not exactly the type of behavior a gentleman should display… "How funny…"
"Well you're not much of a lady, despite the moniker you've been affectionately given by your close associates." Apparently, Arsène can be quite sassy when he wants to be. "Two can play at that game if that's how you wish to do it."
"Duly noted." A small bead of sweat rolls down the side of Jun's face. This…might take some time for her to adjust.
"Anyways, you saw how she ripped off her mask when she summoned it, right?" Morgana figures they can take the time to explain it to these two. "Here's the thing—everybody wears a mask deep within their heart. By removing that—"
"You can summon a thing like Kimura did, right?" Ryuuji interrupts.
Morgana glares at Ryuuji. "Are you always this impatient, Blondie?!"
"My name's Ryuuji, not Blondie!" Ryuuji's face contorts into a scowl.
"I think…we should leave." Jun doesn't like how loud Ryuuji and Morgana are while they're out in the open like this. "Let's talk about this later after we get out of here."
Morgana blinks and nods their head. "That's right! It's not much farther to the exit. If you get hurt, tell me so I can have Zorro heal you. There's a chance we'll have to fight again before we get to the exit. You got that?"
Ryuuji scratches the back of his hair. "Got it…"
"So…" Jun adjusts her glasses. "Lead the way, Morgana."
…
…
They manage to avoid any unnecessary confrontations, much to Jun's relief. She's not sure if she can handle another fight if it means going up against another winged demon…
"Hold on a sec!" Ryuuji suddenly exclaims. He stops in front of a cell, having noticed something about the prisoner inside the jail cell. The prisoner is slumped against the floor, struggling to find the strength to get up. "I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearing before…"
"Really?" Jun looks questioningly at Ryuuji. She stands in front of another statue of Kamoshida. It's a lot like the one they've come across earlier and it's even by a bridge as well. It's still just as unnerving, too…
"Dammit!" Ryuuji swears loudly, resisting the urge he has to kick something. "I'm too flustered! I can't remember a damn thing!"
Morgana growls. "Come on, let's go! We can't stick around any longer!"
"Hold on, dammit!" Ryuuji feels reluctant to move away from the cell.
"What is it?" Morgana narrows their eyes. "We need to go, fast!"
"But…who are these guys?" Ryuuji frowns as he looks at the prisoner. He can't help but think about the others they've left behind.
"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?!" Morgana's fur bristles. "Besides, they're—"
"There!" a voice calls out.
"Shit—we're busted!" Jun looks nervously at the bridge as it goes down. On the other side, is a knight who starts running towards them the instant the bridge is set in place. "Ahh!"
Morgana makes a face. "You should've listened to me…!"
"Will you cower or fight?" Arsène's voice manages to help Jun stay calm, allowing her think clearly about the situation before her.
"Let's fight," she says, her mask and other outfit appearing on her person in a burst of blue flames.
Morgana laughs as they take out their sword. "I'm glad you stick to your guns."
The knight changes forms, like all the others before it. It's new form is that of a brown-haired girl not much older than Jun. She is rather diminutive in size, clad in only a blue leotard that she wears with thigh high stockings and arm-length gloves of the same color. She hovers in place like a hummingbird, with delicate wings flapping furiously from her back. She giggles when an identical girl joins her side from the leftover red slime.
Morgana's fur bristles, a loud hiss managing to escape from their mouth. "Careful—I've gone up against these types before! These beguiling girls might be pretty, but they can zap you if you're not careful!"
Jun feels as though Morgana is talking from experience. She says nothing and decides to rip off her mask to summon Arsène. He appears right behind her and laughs at the sight of their diminutive opponents.
"Something you find funny?" Jun asks Arsène as she adjusts a glove.
Arsène's laughter only grows louder. "They think they're a threat."
"Excuse you!" one of the girls scoffs. She places a hand on her hip and snaps her fingers. A bolt of lightning strikes Morgana down within seconds. A pained meow leaves their mouth—it's a sound that makes the girl laugh disturbingly in glee.
"Morgana!" Jun shrieks, nearly dropping her dagger in shock.
"You were saying?" The other girl smirks deviously.
Jun's face contorts into a scowl as she snaps her fingers. Arsène reacts immediately to her wordless order and tips his hat. Red energy engulfs the laughing girl, her laughter quickly turning into loud shrieks of pain. There is nothing left of her after the red energy fades out of sight.
The girl that remains is no longer smirking, her expression now one of horror. Her mouth opens and closes, but no words come out—she is far too alarmed over her companion's demise to speak.
"Or defend herself." A menacing smile forms on Jun's lips as she stares at her horror-stricken opponent. Arsène laughs at the implications from Jun's thoughts. He understands it well and finds it amusing that Jun can be quite vindictive given the chance.
Arsène is all too eager to cast Eiha again when Jun orders him to use it. And just like that, the fight is over as quickly as it began. Jun remains alert for a few more seconds before going over to Morgana's side to help them.
Ryuuji is there with Morgana, struggling to even touch them without getting a nasty shock from the electricity crackling visibly on their fur. Morgana clenches their teeth as they struggle to stand up.
"Are you okay?" Jun asks Morgana, her clothes reverting back now that the immediate danger has passed.
Morgana nods their head. "Y-Yeah…it'll pass. I don't do well against Zio…us Persona users are just as susceptible to our weaknesses as Shadows are."
"I see…" Jun doesn't like the sound of that. "I guess I should be more careful now…"
She runs her fingers through her hair, taking a moment to ease some of her nerves by playing with a lock of her hair. She watches Ryuuji as he removes his blazer, which he uses to wrap around Morgana like some sort of blanket. He then lifts Morgana off the floor and grins widely as he says, "Problem solved!"
Somehow, Ryuuji's blazer proves to be an effective shield against the crackling electricity clinging to Morgana's fur. Jun's not sure if that's even possible, but Ryuuji seems fine as is making it work anyways. Morgana, on the other hand…
"Hey—what are you doing?!" Morgana hisses loudly at Ryuuji and bares their teeth at him. They do not appreciate Ryuuji's actions whatsoever, as helpful as they are meant to be. "Put me down!"
"Not while you're like this!" Ryuuji scowls. "Now stop complainin' and tell us where to go!"
Even though Ryuuji doesn't want to leave those prisoners behind, he knows better than to press his luck when they're one fighter short. He throws one last look at the teenaged boy behind bars and makes a mental note to come back for him and the others later. He looks ahead at the bridge in front of them and beckons at Jun to follow him. The two then make their way across the bridge, ignoring Morgana as they demand to be released.
It is only when the electricity fades from their body that Ryuuji releases Morgana. He pays no attention to them as he shakes out his blazer, effectively ignoring their death glare in his attempts to rid his blazer of any wrinkles (and cat hair, if there's any—just to be safe). Morgana growls loudly, stopping only when they catch themself. They clear their throat and pretend that didn't happen, even though Jun heard them loudly and clearly.
"So cute!" she thinks as she watches Morgana's tail flick left to right in annoyance. She finds it adorable, because of how they insist that they are not a cat and yet, their cat-like behavior says otherwise.
"The entrance hall is right up these stairs!" Despite how uncooperative they were with giving any directions when Ryuuji was carrying them, Morgana had kept a close eye on where they were heading. Morgana was prepared to say something the instant they noticed something was off, but Ryuuji and Jun ended up going in the right direction anyways without their help. "Not like they needed it anyways…"
Morgana did most of the work already by taking them this far. There aren't many places to go but the entrance hall after crossing the bridge. Of course, it's not something that Jun and Ryuuji would know, and knowing the latter…it was better to take precautions.
…
…
The entrance hall is completely empty, much to Morgana's relief. They weren't too sure about what to expect, considering their experience with some of the Shadows in this place. It's a lesson learned that Morgana won't be forgetting anytime soon. They hold out their paw and tell Ryuuji and Jun to wait.
Even though the entrance hall is empty, Morgana doesn't feel like taking any chances. So they listen carefully for the sounds of heavy footsteps and clattering metal. When their ears fail to pick up the telltale sounds of roaming knights, Morgana gives the order to keep moving forward.
Morgana leads the way, thinking it as an easy feat to accomplish…until Ryuuji and Jun stop to pick up their discarded schoolbags on the floor. "What're you doing?!"
"Calm down!" Ryuuji says as he checks the schoolbag in his hands. He notices that none of the contents are his (they're too new to be his), so he holds the schoolbag in front of Jun's face. "This is yours."
"Oh…thank you." Jun switches out the schoolbag in Ryuuji's hand for the one she picked off the floor. "I guess this one's yours, then."
Ryuuji accepts the schoolbag without saying another word and takes to wearing his schoolbag like a backpack. Afterwards, he dashes over to Morgana, with Jun trailing after him. Morgana waits for them on the other side of the entrance hall rather impatiently, with their arms crossed over their chest and blue eyes narrowed in anger.
"What was that about?" Morgana asks them almost accusingly.
"Lay off, dude!" Ryuuji snaps. "You have any idea how much this stuff'd cost to replace?! Like hell I'm just gonna leave this behind!"
Jun nods her head in agreement. "Besides, the coast is clear."
Morgana huffs. "Yeah, but for how long?"
"Long enough, from the looks of it," Jun simply replies.
Morgana resists the urge to growl and turns around. "Never mind…let's just get going now that we're here."
"For real?!" Ryuuji grins widely. "Finally!"
He runs over to a door on their right and tries to open it…only to find that it's locked up tight. He pushes and pulls to no avail—the door won't budge.
"It's not openin'!" A look of panic crosses his face as he turns to Jun and Morgana. Panic quickly turns to anger when he recalls what Morgana told them, so he scowls at them. "D'you trick is, you jerk?!"
Morgana only smiles. "Don't jump to conclusions! It's over here!"
Morgana spins around and charges though the second door on their left. Unlike the door Ryuuji had tried opening, the door Morgana goes through isn't locked and swings open with ease.
"H-Hey, wait up!" Ryuuji exclaims as he follows after Morgana.
Jun stays behind in the hallway and stares at the open door before her. She adjusts her glasses and then sighs loudly, feeling somewhat exhausted. She'd prefer it if Morgana and Ryuuji got along better than this, but that might be asking for too much in such a short amount of time. She supposes it could be worse.
"We're almost out of here…" She's thankful for that at the least. She flips her hair over her shoulder and walks through the door to join up with Morgana and Ryuuji.
The door leads into a room without any windows. There are bookshelves lined up against the wall, filled with a random assortment of books that Jun feels no need to investigate. She's curious, yes, but not that curious.
"Where are we supposed to get out from here?!" Ryuuji glares at Morgana. "There aren't even any windows!"
Morgana frowns. "Ugh, amateur… This is the most basic of basics."
"You mean a ventilation shaft?" Jun backs away to get a good look at the ventilation shaft above one of the bookshelves. Her thoughts immediately go to some of the movies she's seen where people had to sneak through the vents.
Morgana jumps into the air with glee, smiling widely in satisfaction from Jun's response. "That's right! As I thought, you're a natural at this. It leads all the way outside."
Ryuuji turns his attention to the ventilation shaft. He almost missed it… "I see… Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off!"
Being the tallest of the three, Ryuuji feels that this is a job best suited for him. Except Jun feels otherwise when she charges ahead without any warning. Ryuuji's jaw slackens in awe as he watches Jun climb up the bookshelf with such ease. She reaches the top within seconds and quickly gets to work in removing the metallic mesh covering the ventilation shaft.
"You okay?" Ryuuji asks, growing concerned with each passing second the longer he watches Jun struggle. He's worried she might pull a muscle or something. "Try not to hurt yourself!"
"I'm…fine!" Jun says through clenched teeth. She can do this—she knows she can! "Almost…got it—whoa!"
The metallic mesh gives out after one particularly forceful tug. It catches Jun completely by surprise, causing her to stumble back with the metallic mesh still in her hands. The weight and size of the mesh is too much for her to maintain her balance at her current disadvantage. It's really only a matter of time before she ends up falling off the bookshelf.
"Kimura!" Ryuuji screams as he dashes over to Jun. He holds out his arms and catches her in midair. He bites back a yelp and winces when his right leg throbs painfully under the sudden strain of her weight. "Oww…!"
His eyes go wide when he watches the metallic mesh crash onto the floor in front of them. He feels Jun tense up in his arms, no doubt from how close that was.
"Ahhh…!" Jun can feel her heart pounding within her chest. "That almost fell on us…"
"You okay?" Ryuuji asks her again.
An incoherent string of words leaves Jun's mouth when she opens it. She is far too frazzled to say anything right now.
"I'll take that as a yes…" Ryuuji isn't going to push it. "Crap! The enemy didn't hear us, did they?"
Morgana frowns at Ryuuji. "Really? Now you decide to ask that after making all that noise?"
Ryuuji sputters from realizing that Morgana is right (as reluctant as he is to admit it).
"Forget about it—the shaft is open now, so you two should get going!" Morgana urges them to leave.
Ryuuji looks at Morgana. "But what about you?"
Morgana shakes their head. "There's something that I still have to do. We're going our separate ways."
"Don't get caught again," Jun finally speaks.
Morgana laughs at Jun's comment. "Heh, you better be careful too."
"No shit…" Ryuuji exhales shakily as he sets Jun down. "That was seriously too close…"
Jun laughs awkwardly while she smooths down her skirt. "Sorry…"
Ryuuji taps on his right thigh a few times after turning to face the bookshelf. He grits his teeth and starts climbing up the shelf. He takes to ignoring the pain that he feels in his leg. It really isn't that far up…and yet, that doesn't stop him from nearly losing his footing when his leg decides to give out on him. The pain is unbearable, causing tears to spring to his eyes.
"Shit!" he gasps out.
"Need a hand?" Jun asks him as she extends her hand towards him.
He blinks a few times, somewhat surprised to see Jun already at the top of the bookshelf before him. "When did you—?!"
"Just now," she says with a smile. "If I can do it once, I can do it again! So do you need any help?"
"Hell no—I'm too heavy for you!" Ryuuji would rather take his chances than drag Jun down with him, should he fall.
Jun stares at Ryuuji for a moment and sighs. "Suit yourself, I guess…"
Knowing her luck, it's better this way. That doesn't make her feel any less guilty when she watches Ryuuji force himself up the bookshelf, despite the pain in his right leg. She twirls a lock of her hair around her finger and then waves at Morgana before going through the ventilation shaft.
"See ya!" Morgana waves back. They watch Ryuuji follow Jun into the ventilation shaft, his voice immediately echoing out to complain that Jun shouldn't have gone first.
"Why not?" she asks.
"Because I don't wanna see your striped panties!" Ryuuji blurts out. He regrets that he knows about that from Kamoshida, especially since just the mere thought of that shithead brings back bad memories. "Not that I can see them—because I can't, but still!"
"Shit—is my skirt long enough?!" Jun's face heats up with a blush. "I'm sorry!"
"I should be the one sayin' that, not you!" Ryuuji can't believe that this is even happening.
Morgana can't help but laugh at the banter between the two teenagers. It doesn't last though, since the two eventually go out of earshot.
"Those two seem useful…" Morgana crosses their arms over their chest. "Especially that frizzy-haired one, if my judgement's right…"
Looks can certainly be deceiving and Morgana is pleased to see that is the case for the glasses-wearing girl with unruly hair.
…
…
The second Jun and Ryuuji get out, they keep running and running, never once looking back. They stop only to catch their breath, their legs having taken them as far as they physically can. Ryuuji gasps for air, barely acknowledging Jun as she leans against him for support. He can tell there's much more to her than just exhaustion from the way her body is shaking, so he refrains from making any comments.
"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back." The navigation voice from Jun's phone is loud and clear, much to her complete confusion when she pulls out her phone.
"Huh? Returned…?" Ryuuji is just as confused. "Does that mean we got away?"
"Probably." Jun sighs as she slips her phone back into her pocket.
Ryuuji runs his hand through his hair. "I dunno what to think anymore… What was all that anyways…? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat!"
Jun snorts. "Not a cat."
"Ahaha, right…" Ryuuji laughs weakly. The joke eases his nerves somewhat, but not enough to matter. "Ugh…just what the hell's goin' on?!"
"What's with the yelling?" The two teenagers freeze still as an aggressive-looking police officer approaches them. Another officer—one that appears quite timid in comparison—follows after him on a bicycle, stopping on when he's reached them. "Are you students of Shujin? Cutting classes, are we?"
"Huh? No!" Ryuuji frowns. "We were tryin' to get to school, and we ended up at this weird castle!"
Jun tugs on Ryuuji's sleeve. "Sakamoto, don't say that!"
Ryuuji furrows his brow. "Why not?"
Before Jun can say anything, the aggressive police officer tells Ryuuji to hand over his bag. "You better not be doing any drugs."
"Why would you think that?!" Ryuuji can't believe the nerve of that officer. He brushes Jun's hand off of his arm when she continues tugging on his sleeve. "You're gonna mess up my blazer if you keep that up."
Jun resists the urge she has to groan. Ryuuji is just so clueless when it comes to interacting with the police like this.
"Are you his friend?" The timid police officer looks over Jun, taking note of her school uniform. For a second, he almost mistook her for a grade-schooler…
"Something like that," Jun replies, hoping that she isn't sounding too forward.
"Then you should go to school," the timid police officer tells her. "Take him with you."
"Umm…give me a sec." Jun pulls out her phone and opens up her map.
Upon noticing the strange looks the officers are giving Jun, Ryuuji says, "She's a transfer student—it's her first day."
"Then take her there," the aggressive officer tells Ryuuji.
Ryuuji scowls. "I'm not going anywhere near Shujin when it's like that!"
The aggressive officer's eye twitches slightly. "We passed Shujin on our way here. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. If you spout any more nonsense, I'll contact your school. Is that what you want?"
Ryuuji grits his teeth. He looks down at Jun, who's still looking at her phone. "C'mon, say somethin'!"
She tugs on his sleeve one last time and lets go before pocketing her phone. "I don't want to be late, so let's go."
Ryuuji frowns. "Uh, that's not what I meant…w-wait a sec! Don't leave me behind!"
…
…
While initially hesitant to go back to Shujin High, Ryuuji relents, if only to keep Jun from getting lost. She's still new to the area and he'd rather not lose sight of her so quickly. After all, she's the only one who understands what went on back there…
"Is this for real…?" Of course, a new problem arises when it comes to their attention that Shujin High looks exactly like it should be and not some strange castle. This…is not what Ryuuji was expecting. "I'm sure we came the same way… What's goin' on here…?"
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you." A stern-looking man dressed in a suit walks down the steps towards them.
"Aw crap, it's the counselor…" Ryuuji swears under his breath.
The counselor looks at them in disapproval, his arms crossed over his chest. "We received a call from the police."
"Of course they ratted us out…" Jun's not even that surprised.
Ryuuji, on the other hand, lets his annoyance get the best of himself. "That damn cop snitched on us after all!"
"It's rare not to see you alone," the counselor remarks, taking note of how close Jun is to Ryuuji's side. "Did you get a new girlfriend over break that you decided to take out on a date? Is that why you're both late?"
Ryuuji sputters. "We're not dating!"
"Then where were you roaming around until this time?" The counselor looks expectantly at Ryuuji for an answer.
"Uhh…a ca—a castle?" Ryuuji furrows his brow as he crosses his arms over his chest.
"Is that your way of saying you were at one of those love hotels?" The counselor wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, considering the transfer student's compensated dating record.
"Not that type of castle!" Ryuuji's face burns red as he deliberately avoids making any eye contact with Jun.
"What's this about a 'castle'?" A familiar voice makes Jun's blood run cold as she quickly hides behind Ryuuji. The action catches him by surprise at first until he sees a very familiar face he'd rather wipe away from his memory.
"Kamoshida?!" Ryuuji extends his arm over Jun almost instinctively as a protective gesture.
"You seem so carefree, Sakamoto," Kamoshida says with an amused smile on his face. "Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team."
"Shaddup!" Ryuuji growls, his sharp teeth bared at Kamoshida. "It's your fault that—"
"How dare you speak that way to Kamoshida-sensei!" the counselor cuts Ryuuji off. "…There's not much leeway left for you, you know?"
"He's the one that provoked me!" Ryuuji adamantly protests.
"Do you really want to be expelled?!" the counselor threatens Ryuuji. "In any case, you'll have to explain yourself! Follow me!"
"What?!" Ryuuji's face contorts into a scowl. "This is bull—huh?"
Ryuuji trails off when he notices that Jun is trembling again. He must've scared her again with his yelling… He mutters a quick apology and pats her on the head a few times before glaring at Kamoshida and the counselor.
"Come now." A wide smile crosses Kamoshida's face. "I should have been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame."
"Well, if you say so…" The counselor decides to back off for now…in regards to that situation at least. "Still, you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late."
Ryuuji hesitates at first, but then sighs in defeat. "Fine…"
"By the way…you're that new transfer student, correct?" Kamoshida almost didn't notice Jun standing behind Ryuuji. "Kimura Jun…"
Jun peers out from behind Ryuuji and reluctantly nods her head.
"Come on, Sakamoto!" the counselor calls out to Ryuuji.
Ryuuji grits his teeth. He'd rather not leave Jun's side while Kamoshida is around, but it seems he has no choice… "Sorry, Kimura…"
"It's okay," she quietly says as he leaves her side to follow after the counselor.
With Jun no longer hiding behind Ryuuji, Kamoshida gets a good look of her, though not before Ryuuji gets in his face for a moment and tells him not to try anything funny. Kamoshida scoffs, deciding to shrug off Ryuuji's comment. He turns his attention back to Jun, his eyes widening when he noticed something oddly familiar about her.
"…Have we met somewhere?" he asks.
"I saw a girl in your car." Jun hopes nothing bad happened to Ann…
Kamoshida scratches his head. "That's right… I remember now."
He didn't actually think that the girl who turned down a ride from him was actually the transfer student.
"So that's what Kawakami meant…" Kawakami certainly made her point when she said she wasn't expecting a student like Jun—because neither was Kamoshida. He guesses that compensated dating attracts all types of participants, especially those with niche interests in cutesy cat tights and glasses… "…Well, I'll overlook this just for today. I'm sure you've heard from the principal, but cause any trouble and you'll be expelled. Understand?"
Jun holds her schoolbag closer to herself. "I understand."
"At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office," Kamoshida says. "I'm sure Kawakami-sensei's tired of waiting."
Growl.
"Though I suppose she won't mind if you take a small detour to the student store to buy something to eat." Kamoshida laughs, finding it funny how such a loud sound can come from someone so tiny. "Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life!"
Jun says nothing and waits for Kamoshida to leave before making her way into the school. She refuses to buy anything from the student store, taking to ignoring her stomach's growling.
"Gotta…go to the faculty office." She exhales shakily and lifts up her glasses to rub at her eyes. She didn't think she'd feel so frazzled by just seeing Kamoshida…she shakes her head and discards any thought regarding that man. "Where is the faculty office anyways?"
Jun frowns when she realizes that she has no clue. She looks left to right at the hallway, taking note of the students standing about in various places. She wonders quite briefly if she should ask for directions before walking off on her own into the left side of the hallway. She takes to ignoring any student that comes her way. A few times, she hears some male students jokingly meowing at her because of her tights.
"Dammit…" This is why Jun didn't want to wear these tights with her school uniform…especially since it's her first day of school. It could be worse… "Actually, it is worse."
She has no idea where the freaking faculty office is and she isn't in any state to stop and ask for directions. Not only that, her stomach won't stop growling and there's nothing but third-year classrooms on this floor.
"I don't think it's on this floor…" Jun stands by the entrance to the practice building. She doubts she'll find the faculty office there, since she's sure it's located in the main building. "I guess it's time to move onto the second floor."
Except when she turns around to make her way over to the stairs, she finds that there's a female student with short, fluffy hair standing in her way. The female student stands at height taller than Jun and wears a short-sleeved pink turtleneck cardigan with her uniform instead of a black blazer. She also wears white tights with a black flower pattern and black Mary Jane shoes. She is rather a pretty girl with a dazzling smile that turns Jun into a stammering mess.
The fluffy-haired girl can't help but laugh at Jun's reaction. It's such a pleasant sound that it makes Jun's face heat up with a blush.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" The fluffy-haired girl's brown eyes go wide. "I didn't mean to make fun of your or anything! I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that!"
Her voice is so soft and gentle that it puts Jun at ease. Jun tries to say something, but a particularly loud growl from her stomach cuts her off. Her face turns a vivid shade of red as she looks down at her shoes.
"S-Sorry…" she quietly says. "I…haven't eaten yet."
The fluffy-haired girl smiles warmly at Jun. "I've noticed—that's why I wanted to ask if you'd like to have lunch with me! A good senpai always helps out a kouhai in need!"
The fluffy-haired girl holds up a rather elegant-looking box with intricate designs. It's mainly white in color with gold, lace-like prints. Jun supposes that's where she stores her lunch and while it is a nice offer, Jun feels that she should clear up any misconceptions that girl might have about her.
"…I'm a second-year," Jun shyly remarks.
The fluffy-haired girl giggles again. "I know—I saw your pin! I'm a third-year, you know!"
"Ahh…" Jun nods her head. "That makes sense…the third-year classrooms are on this floor…"
"By the way, I really like your tights!" The fluffy-haired girl's smile only widens. "Where did you get them?"
"I…didn't get them." While Jun did put in a request for them when her Uncle Shiba last went to Tokyo, she wasn't the one who purchased them. "But I think you can probably find them in Harajuku."
"Ahh, I see!" The fluffy-haired girl nods her head. "I'll certainly take a look when I can. Umm…so is that a yes or a no?"
Growl.
Jun averts her gaze. "I have to head to the faculty office—do you know where that is?"
"Yeah, it's on the second floor where the second-year classrooms are!" The fluffy-haired girl frowns. "I don't mean to pry, but…is something wrong?"
"I'm kinda in trouble for being late on my first day of school…" Jun smiles awkwardly as a small bead of sweat rolls down the side of her face.
"Oh no…" The fluffy-haired girl furrows her brow. She tilts her head to the side in thought, her rosy lips soon forming into an innocent smile. "Well…I'm sure it won't make a difference if you take just a bit more time to get to the faculty office."
Jun blinks. "Huh?"
"It isn't healthy to skip meals," the fluffy-haired girl simply says. "So please take a moment to get some food into your stomach—I'll take full responsibility if you get in trouble. After all, I'm the one who's insisting that you should eat with me. With that said, won't you have lunch with me?"
Jun stares at the fluffy-haired girl for a moment. She then sighs and shakes her head. "If you say so…Senpai."
"Oh, there's no need for that!" The fluffy-haired girl laughs. "My name is Okumura Haru—call me Haru! It's very nice too meet you!"
Jun blinks once and then smiles. "I'm Kimura Jun."
A light blush dusts Haru's cheeks pink. "You have such a cute smile, Jun-chan! I hope you like sandwiches, because that's all I have!"
Jun only laughs and nods her head. She sees no reason to decline, especially since she isn't taking Kamoshida's advice to buy something from the student store…
…
…
…
A/N I suffered for this chapter. I'm being serious when I say that apart from the first page of this ?chapter, everything was written on a Google doc using my tablet (AND MY THUMBS). I highly appreciate it if you guys tell me what you think of this chapter and do tell me if I'd made any mistakes. Autocorrect is on my ass and Google docs doesn't keep track of my mistakes like Microsoft word.
ANYWAYS, HAVE AN EARLY HARU APPEARANCE! Anyone who's been keeping up with me should know that I planned on having Haru show up earlier in this fic. That being said, I wasn't planning on it being this early, like holy shit!
Anyways, Ryuuji is very protective of Jun, especially when it comes to Kamoshida. That's gonna be a thing, so get used to it. And by the by, Morgana's gender is supposed to be ambiguous at this point, according to the Japanese version of the game, so yeah I'm keeping with that because I want to.
Also the term used to refer to Morgana is bakeneko, which translates into changed cat. It's a type of yōkai, which is likely why they use monster cat in the localization.
Also this is the point where Jun's compensated dating rumor is rearing its head against her. And just so you know, I was trying to be funny with the love hotel comment, but then I looked it up and found out that the Meguro Emperor love hotel is like less than twenty-five minutes away from Aoyama-Itchome. And the thing about the Meguro Emperor is that it is a well-known love hotel in Tokyo with the appearance of a castle. Of course, I'm sure there are more castle-themed love hotels in Tokyo, but I'm just saying…yeah. Ahaha, when your jokes actually have some support to them, lmao.
Anyways, time for some shout outs and WHOOPS, I forgot I did shout outs for same number reviewers (like 11 and 22 and etc…)!
Reviewer #11: HikariYukino
Reviewer #20: anime hotty lover . 18
Reviewer #22: AeronaKorrie
Reviewer #30: icecold1039
Reviewer #33: XxXTwilight-SinXxX
Honorable mentions: Asphell's Advocate, Benven99 (many thanks for your random trivia during the fanfiction run streams!), Little Shiro-kun, droffatsstafford, ElanaEvelyn
Thank you guys so much for taking the time to review! I appreciate it, since it really does motivate me to keep writing. And remember, it's more of a hassle to work on any fic now because I'm stuck using my tablet. So please be gentle and don't rush me for any updates. I crave validation so much, so don't be too scared to say anything!
That's about it for now, so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Until next time everyone, KD out! XD
