A quick note to say I have updated the previous chapters to correct grammar and made slight edits here and there, but nothing drastic has changed so there's no need to read through them again, unless you're as OCD as I am and want to see every little change. XD seriously though, the edits are so small you probably won't be able to notice them all.
Once again I must thank all those who have read and added my story to their favourites. I must also apologise to you all since I realise some of the characters may be out of character...but this is my take on the story, so I hope it'll all work out.
Anyway, here's chapter four~
The Velvet Lake
Chapter Four
Akari didn't know what to say. Instead, she nodded in response to Akihiko's exclamation of surprise. She didn't tell him straight away that she'd seen coffins and creepy shadows in case she was hallucinating, like with the mysterious boy.
"Where? Have you seen anything else strange?"
"Like what?"
"There are these creatures we call Shadows. They appear just like an ordinary shadow until you get up close to one...then they turn into monsters. They prey on humans, which makes them our enemy."
It was all going over her head. "Um...I-I see…well...I saw the coffins out there just now. I did see a weird Shadow crawling around, too...then you…shot yourself and a-a…ghost killed the 'Shadow' monster."
He nodded and seemed to be studying her facial expression. "I don't expect you to believe this...but if you trust me, I can hope that one day you will."
Akari shook her head. "So...people turn into coffins at night."
"Yeah, pretty much. They 'transmogrify'. You saw my Persona too, right?"
"You mean the ghost that killed the Shadow?"
"He's not really a ghost...but maybe that's the easiest way to put it for now. You probably have one inside yourself too since you haven't transmogrified."
She stared blankly at his worried face, trying to understand and believe it all but her mind just couldn't seem to deal with it. Shaking her head again, she averted her eyes to the floor. The green tinge slowly started to fade and normal colour was being restored to the world.
"It's over for tonight," Akihiko informed her. "We can relax now."
"This feels like a dream," she stated, standing up and walking to the window. The group of coffins had changed back into people. The moon was still big, but had returned its original light to the city and there were no strange Shadows lurking about.
"You should get to bed. I'm going to have a quick shower first," he told her, taking his top off.
"W-What are you...?" she trailed off in a loss of composure, staring helplessly at him.
"I need a shower before I go to bed. Training my Persona isn't exactly a light workout."
Akari blushed at his shirtless torso and gave him a timid smile as she watched him leave. She wondered if he meant for her to go to bed in his bedroom, but thought she should probably sleep in her own bed for once anyway, especially since she now has her own key. After grabbing her things, she went to leave but the door was locked so she dumped her stuff back at the end of his bed and sat on it.
It wasn't too long before she decided to climb under the covers and curl up close to the wall. Akihiko returned a little while later, not bothering to turn on the light. He got into bed and sprawled out on his back. His movement disturbed Akari; she fidgeted and rolled over onto her other side, now facing him. He felt paralysed and didn't know what to do after realising who it was and his heart began to beat harder as a soft, warm hand touched his chest. She snuggled closely under his arm and into his body, breathing deeply. Akihiko didn't want to move her away in case it woke her up and didn't know what to do in this situation, let alone get out of it so he decided he might as well get comfy and gently cuddled her back.
That Tuesday night passed by peacefully. Akari had no nightmares and Akihiko unusually slept through his alarm; that was, until loud rapping stirred his slumber.
"This is Mitsuru," a muffled voice called. "Are you awake, Akihiko?"
"Ngh..." he murmured, fidgeting a little.
"Akihiko? It's ten to eight. Yukari and I are leaving soon."
His eyes flickered open and his mind tried to register what Mitsuru had just said. When it sunk in, he gasped and went to sit up but stopped, feeling something on his body. After realising it was Akari, he attempted to get out of bed with the smallest of movements and was about to slide her off of his chest but stopped for a moment to watch her sleep contentedly. He smiled affectionately at her peaceful face and had an immediate urge to kiss her forehead as he was reminded of the past, but time was getting on so he thought he should probably make a move; there was already no time for breakfast. Just as he was sliding himself from her embrace, Akari began to fidget. He had been trying his best not to disturb her and felt disheartened now that she seemed to be waking up.
"G-Good morning..." he stuttered, blushing as she opened her eyes. "S-Sleep well?"
"Good morning...senpai!" she greeted in surprise at Akihiko getting out of the same bed as her and felt her cheeks heat up as a result. "Um...I-I...yeah, thanks. H-How about you?"
Akari was squashed up against the wall now, sitting with the covers pulled up to her chin. She'd absentmindedly stolen the whole duvet from Akihiko, who was now sat up too, smiling sheepishly and scratching his head.
"Oh, y-yeah. I slept really well, too..." he trailed off, letting out a nervous chuckle as he stood up. "We need to hurry up and get ready for school. Mitsuru and Yukari are probably already leaving without us."
She didn't want to move from under the covers. Her cheeks showed it, too, but she forced her body to get up and gather her things. They met again in the lounge and journeyed to school together, both completely silent for most of the way but just as the train was getting into Port Island Station, Akihiko spoke.
"Hey, um...about last night..." he started quietly, almost under his breath.
Akari automatically looked at him with concern on her face. "…Last night?"
"It's obvious, but don't tell anyone what you saw."
"Oh, you mean the ghost-"
"Yeah," he interrupted, hoping she'd say no more. "Don't worry, though. I trust you."
Wednesday morning's classes went by smoothly; Akari felt invisible and didn't even speak to Yukari or the guy she remembered was called Junpei, not even during break. The class before lunch and her lunchtime break itself was just as lonely until she spotted Junpei in a corridor as she tried to find her way to Composition. She silently followed him since she didn't know the way and hoped he wouldn't notice, but it was as though he knew her plan right from the start.
"Yo, Akari," he greeted, looking over his shoulder. "Modern lit is this way. Follow me."
"Thanks..."
They entered the classroom together and she took the desk next to Junpei before anyone else could. Yukari came in with a few girls and they sat in the back row. Seats filled rapidly and once the last student came in and slid the door shut, Miss Toriumi's familiar face addressed everyone.
"Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Miss Toriumi and I'll be teaching you Composition, or what most students call 'modern lit' these days. So, let's get started. I've given you all a textbook that we'll be following this term. Please take care of it. Now, turn to the first chapter and we'll begin...ugh, Zenzou Kasai? Why him? I'd rather teach Utsubo Kubota. Hey, Junpei! Are you listening?"
Akari looked at him, along with the rest of the class. He looked blankly at Miss Toriumi but appeared to be awake.
"Uh...sure, sensei!" he said warily.
Miss Toriumi raised an eyebrow. "Who did I just say I'd rather teach?"
"Um..." he said under his breath. "Hey, Akari! What's she talking about?"
"Utsubo Kubota," she told him.
Junpei repeated what she'd told him with hope that he'd get away with asking Akari this time. They heard students at nearby desks whispering about how nice it was of her to help him out and Miss Toriumi let him off, telling him to be grateful of having friends like Akari. When the class ended, he caught up with her as she was leaving.
"Akari," he called, jogging over to her as she stopped in her tracks and faced him. "Thanks for telling me what to say earlier."
She gave him a smile and walked out of the classroom with him. "You're welcome. Thanks for being nice to me."
He smiled. "I just wanted to say that I really wasn't trying to hit on you yesterday. I was a transfer student once, so I know how tough it is to be the new kid. I thought I would-"
"It's okay, I believe you," she assured him.
"Heh, cool. I guess what I'm trying to say is…if you ever have a problem, you can tell your old pal Junpei about it!"
"Thanks, Junpei. I'll remember that," she said, still smiling.
After their final class of the day, Junpei and Akari said goodbye to each other at the school gates and went separate ways. Neither Yukari nor Akihiko caught up with her on the way back, so she made her way back to the dorm alone. When she arrived, she didn't even bother trying the door and just sat on the steps and hugged her legs.
"Akari, is that you?" a girl called.
She looked up and saw Yukari approaching. "Hello, Yukari."
"Are you okay? Why are you just sat out here?"
"I was waiting for someone who has a key."
"What? Nobody's given you a key yet? I'll ring Mitsuru-"
"N-No, it's okay," Akari interrupted quickly, just remembering that Akihiko gave her a key last night. "I don't want to rush her."
"It's silly for you to not have one, though. I mean, you live here now..." she trailed off, letting the subject go and unlocking the door. "Aren't you coming in?"
"Nah, the weather's nice...I just want to sit here for a while."
Yukari looked confused. "Okay...I'll see you later, then."
Akari hugged her knees again and stared silently at the ground. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. Her thoughts became daydreams about Akihiko and she idly smiled to herself.
"Akari...?"
She snapped out of her imaginary world as the star of it interrupted her. "H-Hi, Akihiko!"
He saw her blushing and chuckled. "You didn't lose your key, did you?"
"No...I forgot I had it so I waited outside for someone to come home, then Yukari got back and wondered why I was sat out here. That's when I remembered I had my own key..."
Akihiko let out another sympathetic chuckle. "Why are you sitting out here, then?"
Akari was far too embarrassed to say she was waiting for him just so she could lay her eyes on him again in the flesh, even though that was only half of the reason. She looked at his white trainers. They were brilliantly clean. Her eyes slowly worked their way up his school trousers, then to his familiar red waistcoat. She kept her stare there, not moving her head from facing towards the ground so it came across that she was looking at the floor. "I just wanted a bit of fresh air and it's nice outside. I don't know when it'll rain, so I thought I'd take advantage of the weather."
"That's true. It could rain at any time. It is springtime, after all," he said thoughtfully, sitting on the step next to her. A few birds tweeted in the soothing silence. "I noticed you slept really peacefully last night, compared to your first night here. I'm glad. Are you getting used to being here already?"
"Oh, n-not really..." she admitted, realising that she must have been so content because she felt safe sharing his bed with him.
"Well, you didn't have a nightmare. I guess that's all that matters."
This time, she let out a nervous chuckle and looked at him in from the corner of her eye. It seemed he was smiling pleasantly to himself, but suddenly his head turned to face hers and she looked up properly to meet his gaze.
"I think I understand why you slept so well."
"Y-You do?" she stuttered, absentmindedly blushing again and trying to keep herself calm enough to hold eye contact.
He wore an insightful expression now. "You were lonely, so when I got into bed your subconscious jumped at the chance to be close to me. You wanted to feel safe."
Akari's cheeks were bright red now. "U-Um..."
"It's okay. I think the reason I understand this is because I'm lonely too."
Her heart skipped a beat as she wondered where this conversation was going. "You're lonely?"
"Let's not go into it," he said, looking at his knees solemnly.
"I'm sorry, senpai."
"No, don't be. There's nothing to be sorry for and even if there was, it wouldn't be your fault."
"I'm confused..." she said slowly, frowning.
He looked at her and chuckled. "Good. Anyway, let's go inside. There's someone I need to introduce you to."
"Wait, can I ask you something first?"
"Of course you can," he said, standing up.
Akari felt even more confused as she stood up with him. "What did you mean when you said I…j-jumped at the chance to be close to you? What exactly happened last night?"
"Well…" Akihiko trailed off, unsure how to explain it. "When I got back from having a shower, I completely forgot that you were in my bed and when I got under the covers you…"
"What? What did I do?" she pestered.
"Y-You…cuddled me, in your sleep."
Her eyes immediately averted to the floor. "…O-Oh. I-I'm sorry, senpai…"
Before Akihiko could say anything back, Akari tried the door handle. She was surprised when it didn't open and Akihiko appeared close to her, reaching in front of her to unlock it. Without another word, she darted inside but froze in her tracks as she saw an older, unfamiliar man sat next to Yukari on a sofa. Both of their heads turned to the door as Akihiko shut it with Akari in full view. He then led her over to the sofas, where she timidly sat down next to him, opposite the stranger.
"Akari, I'd like you to meet Shuji Ikutsuki. He's the chairman of the board at Gekkoukan," Akihiko told her.
"Good afternoon," Shuji greeted with a smile.
"Hello, Mister Ikutsuki. It's nice to meet you," she replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.
Shuji explained that he simply came here to welcome her to the school. He then told her who lived in this dorm; something she already knew. Regardless, she politely nodded and listened patiently.
"Do you have any questions?" Shuji asked. "If you do, feel free to ask away."
"Actually, there is something. Um...I was just wondering if you could tell me about the story on the news that I've heard a few rumours about. The one about random people turning into zombies..."
Yukari and Akihiko took a glance at each other as Shuji chuckled. "Oh, that one. Yes, it has been circulating the city for a little while now, hasn't it? To be honest, nobody really knows anything. Personally, I think someone is trying very hard to pull a joke on us all. It's nothing to worry about."
Akari nodded even though a part of her didn't feel satisfied with his answer, but she let it slide. After quickly checking the time on her phone, she decided it was best to find a supermarket before shops closed for the day. Yukari and Shuji were talking about the cherry blossoms whilst Akihiko was reading something on his phone.
"Hey, um...Akihiko, I'm going to the shops by the station. I need to get some food," she informed him quietly.
"Oh, I'll come with you," he said, putting his phone in his pocket as he stood up. "There's somewhere I wanted to stop by on the way home but it completely slipped my mind."
She wondered where he wanted to go and what distracted him from going there earlier, but couldn't help thinking that wasn't the main reason he said he'd go with her. They said quick goodbyes to Yukari and Shuji before leaving the dorm together.
"What time do shops close around here?" Akari asked as they started their brisk walk towards Iwatodai Station.
"It depends on the shop," Akihiko answered. "The supermarket closes at eight o'clock though so we have plenty of time."
"Oh…" she muttered, feeling silly for rushing. "I thought all of the shops would close at half past five or something, so that would have only given us an hour to get there and buy things..."
"Ah, I see. Well, like I said, we have plenty of time." She looked at him. He turned his head to look at her and gave her a cheerful smile, which she returned with a light giggle. "So...tell me something about yourself."
"Um...there's not a lot to say..."
"Sure there is. Pick anything." Akihiko watched her facial expression change from a smile to a look of depressed thoughtfulness as she turned to look at the ground. "What's your favourite animal?"
"Dogs," she answered straight away.
"I had a feeling it would be. I like dogs too."
"Really?" Akari looked up into his eyes. He nodded. "For some reason, that made me really happy."
"I can tell," he told her with a smile.
They spent the rest of the journey to the supermarket talking about dog breeds. Akihiko listened intently to her detailed knowledge about various breeds, such as the German Shepherd, Akita and Husky. When they finally reached their destination, he had to interrupt her to show her the way through the Strip Mall.
"Sorry about cutting short our conversation about dog breeds," Akihiko apologised as he grabbed a basket. Akari grabbed a basket too. "What do you need a basket for?"
"Um...I came here to get some food, remember?"
"I have a basket, we don't need two. C'mon, I'm starting to get hungry from just being surrounded by food."
Akari muttered a small thank you and walked next to him up the vegetable aisle. He grabbed a pack of fresh bean sprouts and placed them in the basket, then went to put it on the floor but Akari took it before he could and felt pleased with herself.
"Why do you look so proud?" he wondered whilst swiftly pulling a paper bag from the holder.
"N-No reason," she told him, blushing now as he put two onions in the bag.
He dropped the bag in the basket too and took it easily from her lose grip. "Is there anything in particular you want?"
She thought to herself about what she wanted to eat, but it made her look disheartened; when it came to food, Akari was a bad decision maker. She hadn't tried many different things in England, so it was difficult to think of what they might sell in Japan that she would like. She knew they ate a lot of sushi and fish, which she'd never tried in her life and the smell made her feel queasy. Different types of beans were another thing she knew they used a lot in their recipes, but that was another thing she'd never had the opportunity to sample.
"I suppose I should get some rice," she decided finally as they reached the aisle full of sauces and condiments. "Maybe I should pick up some pasta if they sell it."
"This place won't have any," a deep, young male voice said from behind them. "Hey, Aki."
Together, Akihiko and Akari turned around and saw a young boy in a maroon pea coat and a black beanie hat, barely half a centimetre taller than Akihiko. He stood there with a serious look on his face. Akari took in his chin-length choppy brown hair and matching eyes, which were staring at them as if they had just committed some sort of crime.
"Shinji, what are you doing here, of all places?"
"Is it really an unexpected place for me to be seen? Besides, I could say the same to you. This isn't exactly the place to take someone when you're on a date."
"D-Date!" Akihiko exclaimed; both he and Akari immediately turned red.
"Don't tell me it isn't true," he said, letting his lips curl to a slight smirk at their flushing cheeks. "It's obvious. Anyway, I'm not complaining. It'll be good for you to have a girl in your life."
Akihiko raised his eyebrows. "That's coming from the guy who told me girls complicate life."
"So you don't deny it..."
"It's not true," Akari blurted out courageously, even though she was looking at her shoes. "We're not on a date."
"Have it your way," the guy said, dropping the subject. "If you want pasta, I suggest the international food shop across the street. They even sell traditional trimmings for roast dinners."
Akari looked up into the stranger's eyes and stared nostalgically. "I miss those..."
His eyes darted to Akihiko's and he winked at him. Akari didn't notice since she'd already looked back down at the shiny supermarket floor and sighed to herself. Akihiko felt slightly confused and looked at the guy hopefully for a hint.
"You guys should make one this Sunday."
"That's a good idea," Akihiko agreed, picking up on the hint straight away. "We'll go to the international food shop when we're done here and get the ingredients. How does that sound, Akari?"
"Okay," she said with a smile. "That's made me hungry now."
"I'll leave you guys to it. I have somewhere I need to be."
Once he was out of earshot, Akari spoke. "Who was he?"
"A friend...but we don't keep in touch that much these days."
Akari giggled nervously as she grabbed a bag of rice, but clumsily fell to the floor in surprise and squeaked. She didn't realise it would be so heavy. "Heh...and he thought we were on a date..."
"Yeah," Akihiko said, sounding slightly peeved as he held his hand out. She tugged on it and just had the strength to pull herself up, although Akihiko was technically doing most of the work. "Can't a boy and girl go anywhere these days without being accused of dating?"
"Not in today's society."
He picked up the bag of rice from the floor and put it in the basket, then took another one off the shelf for himself. Akari still had no idea what she wanted to eat that was Japanese. Akihiko picked up a few packs of dried noodles and some jars of strange-looking cooking sauces and then they moved onto the next aisle.
"You know what," she started as he picked up a box of eggs. "I'm going to grab some onions, bean sprouts and red peppers."
"Sounds good," he commented, browsing the shelves of baking ingredients.
She turned around and went back around the corner, then began intently searching the rows of fresh vegetables. Finally she found onions. She took a bunch of spring onions, a few red onions and a bag of bean sprouts from the bottom row. "Hmm, red peppers..."
"Over here," that deep voice called out.
Akari looked up and saw the boy in the pea coat, oblivious to the red peppers in front of him and somehow found the courage to greet him. "Hi again…"
"Hey," he said, his face expressionless.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Akari gathered up the confidence to break it. "I'm Akari, by the way."
"I see..." he trailed off, moving his eyes to the baskets of peppers. "Didn't Aki introduce me?"
Akari thought he sounded a little rejected, but didn't want to admit they talked about him behind his back. "Sort of…but I asked him who you were."
He said nothing for a short while. "What kind of peppers are you after?"
"Red," she answered simply. "Not chilli, though."
"I'm not as dumb as you might think. Some guys can actually cook, you know," he told her, grabbing a couple of red peppers and putting them in a paper bag. "Here."
"T-Thanks..." she said in what was almost a whisper, taking the bag. "I'm sorry..."
The boy looked as though he was stopping himself from smirking. "See you around."
She held her shopping tightly and watched him stride quickly towards the tills before turning around and hurrying back to Akihiko in the baking aisle.
"Did I hear you talking to Shinji?"
"Oh, yes. I bumped into him around the corner. He showed me where the red peppers were."
There was silence, until they both started speaking at the same time. "I want to ask you-"
"I decided to get-"
They stopped mid-sentences and looked at each other.
"You first," Akihiko said kindly.
"Um, well I was just going to say that I decided to get spring onions as well as red onions; spring onions for a quiche or pie, and red onions for a stir fry or something."
"That sounds delicious. I can't wait to try some."
"Try some?" she repeated in surprise.
"Yeah, I mean you'd let me, right?"
"Of course, but..."
"But what?"
Akari didn't know what to say. She hadn't cooked much, so her meals might not turn out perfect, which is what she was fretting about. "I don't want them to taste bad..."
Akihiko smiled at her determination and together they wandered around the rest of the supermarket before heading to the checkout. Akari had asked him what it was he'd wanted to ask her, but he told her he'd tell her later. So they silently packed the shopping into bags, paid for it all and began the journey back home. Akihiko decided to take her to the international food shop another day since they had so much to carry.
"Hey, um..." Akari started as they were nearing the dorm. "What did you want to ask me earlier?"
"O-Oh, heh...yeah..." he stuttered nervously, coming to a halt at the steps to the dorm. "W-What I wanted to ask you was..."
Akari stood there patiently, waiting for him to finish his sentence. She noticed his face looked troubled as he stared at the ground.
"W-Would you teach me how to cook a roast dinner?"
Her heart skipped a beat. "What…? Um…okay…"
His face looked up to hers in surprise. "Really? U-Um, thank you."
She smiled happily. He grinned back and she followed him into the dorm. They headed straight to the kitchenette and made some rice balls with tuna, mayonnaise and sweetcorn to share. After cooking them, they ate with Mitsuru and Yukari at the dining table, discussing school and the recent news events. This only made her more suspicious about the zombie stories, mostly because of their extremely high levels of interest in them. The subject of their cooking lesson wasn't brought up at all, but she was grateful about that because she didn't want people to know in case it went horribly wrong.
"Are you up for practicing tonight?" Akihiko asked as he started to clear up their dishes.
"Okay," she agreed, reaching out to grab her plate. "What will we do today?"
His hand had reached out too, stopping her from picking it up. "The same as before."
She remembered now that Akihiko had said they were going to practise warming up before they started to get into any actual strength training. Once they- or Akihiko, since he still refused to let her help, had finished cleaning up from dinner, they changed and headed to Akihiko's bedroom to practise. Nearing the end of their so-called workout, a question itched to be asked. She'd held it back for most of the time, but by the end of the session as they were heading to have showers, it was too much to hold in any longer.
"Can I ask you something?" she blurted out as they stopped outside the bathrooms.
"Of course."
She swallowed hard, finding the courage to enquire about the vexation that was on her mind. "I...overheard you guys talking last night."
Akihiko looked around the lounge and lowered his voice. "What exactly did you hear?"
"What you guys are planning to do tonight."
"Oh...that," he muttered. "Don't worry, it's not bad. Mister Ikutsuki just wants to monitor you in case you have the potential; although you and I both know you probably do."
"Monitor me how?" she questioned suspiciously.
"He wants you to share my room so I can see if you turn into a coffin. Conveniently enough, we both already know you don't."
"So what does that mean?"
"You sleep in my room again tonight. Then, tomorrow morning I'll tell everyone."
She felt slightly confused, but nodded. "All right. Um...can I ask you something else?"
He chuckled. "Of course you can; you don't need to ask me every time."
"Okay...well...when I said I was going to the shops earlier, you said you wanted to come because there was somewhere you wanted to go and you'd forgotten to go on the way back from school, but we only went to the supermarket."
"Oh! I wanted to go with you to the sports shop, but I forgot again...let's meet at the school gates tomorrow and we'll walk home together. We can stop by the international food shop as well."
"Okay," she agreed with a smile.
That Wednesday evening was spent in the lounge with everyone, getting to know them better. Akari learned a few things about each one of her new friends, as well: Yukari was part of the school's archery team and Mitsuru was a member of the school's fencing club, alongside the student council.
Akari was so tired. She wanted to go to bed but since she had to sleep in Akihiko's bedroom, she felt rude asking to go to bed before him. Her elbow rested on the sofa arm, with her cheek resting in her palm. Every now and then, her head would slip as she dozed for a second, but she awoke instantly each time and her eyes darted around nervously to see if anyone had noticed.
It seemed as though this time Akihiko had detected her extreme tiredness; he picked her up as gently as he could and quietly bid Mitsuru and Yukari goodnight. Yukari giggled softly and waved, whispering goodnight back to him. Mitsuru simply smiled fondly and gave a small nod.
Amongst the pitch black, a blue glow emerged in the distance. It grew brighter and began to enlarge, as if it was sucking her towards it. Akari felt her stomach get left behind and the light got even closer, until a purple-blue door appeared in it. It opened, and from what she could tell, a tall, white-haired young man in uniform and a cap had opened it, beckoning her inside with a curious smile but she seemed to whoosh past him so fast that it could have been anything.
"Good evening," a croaky old voice with an accent greeted her gleefully. "I am Igor...and I kindly welcome you to the Velvet Room."
"Velvet...Room...?" Akari muttered, almost under her breath. A relaxing, yet powerful piece of piano music was playing in the background; she also noticed the room seemed to be an elevated floor and everything in it was a different shade of purple-blue. She felt the soft carpet under her feet, realising she was now shoeless. The wall straight ahead of her was hardly a wall; instead it was more of an elegant iron fence, beyond which she could only see blurs.
"Only those who have signed the contract may enter here...and you did so on the night you arrived here. I simply wish for you to abide by it and take responsibility of your actions."
She felt too confused to try and remember things, but Igor's words somehow jogged her memory instantly. Her eyes merely stared at his big pupils as she struggled to take in everything he was saying.
"You will require my help to hone your unique ability."
"Ability...?" she wondered aloud.
"Soon enough, you will find out what form it takes..." Igor trailed off, smiling knowingly.
"Is this...a dream?"
"Precisely...you are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. Although in time you will visit of your own accord, which is why I wanted to give you this-" he cut off, pulling an old, large key from his jacket pocket.
It was only then that she noticed Igor's appearance; he wore a smart, black tuxedo and was almost bald. His white hair covered half of his head and he had an extremely long, curved nose. He was also sat in a comfy, luxurious looking armchair. In front of him was a large, round table covered in a silky tablecloth that matched the walls of the room; both were a few shades lighter than the carpet.
Igor laid the key carefully on the table without taking his eyes off of her. "Take this key. You will then be free to come back whenever you wish. Oh, and before I forget...there is one resident of this room that I must introduce you to. Unfortunately he cannot be here today to welcome you, but I will make sure that next time you stop by, you are properly introduced."
"Next time...?" she wondered in surprise. "But...you said...this is a dream..."
"I believe you already know that all of your questions will be answered in due course. Patience is the key..."
Akari knew she wasn't a particularly patient person and when she was curious it was very hard to contain herself. However, the piano was fading out, as was her surroundings and she found it almost impossible to speak. "Igor-"
"Hush now, Akari. It seems as though it is already time to say our goodbyes...so, farewell...until we meet again..."
Someone shook her vigorously. She scrunched her eyes up, even though they were closed; she felt very nauseous and the shaking made it a lot worse. "S-Stop...please..."
"Good morning," Akihiko's voice greeted her as she felt the bed spring up. "I'm sorry I woke you, but we really need to get going. It's quarter to eight, so there's only just time for a really quick breakfast."
"Oh, I think I'll pass on breakfast today-" Akari muttered, watching Akihiko gather his school things.
"No, Akari. You have to eat. I'll leave you to change and wait downstairs."
She thought he sounded very business-like and watched him leave, wondering if he was in a bit of a bad mood this morning. Regardless, she forced herself out of bed and quickly changed. When she reached the dining area, Mitsuru and Yukari were sat at the table in silence. One was reading, the other was busy texting friends and Akihiko was nowhere to be seen.
"Akihiko already left for school," Mitsuru informed Akari from behind her book.
This news made Akari feel even worse. Not only did he wake her up and seem like he was in a bad mood, he said he would wait for her downstairs and then left for school without her. Her heart sank and she felt quite dejected, even though she tried to convince herself she'd done nothing wrong. She felt as though it was her fault that Akihiko was acting strangely.
"He said to tell you that he still plans to meet you after school though," Yukari said, looking up from her phone and giving Akari a reassuring smile.
She smiled back as a whoosh of relief waved over her. Worry still filled her mind, but she gave a nod, thanked them and said goodbye, rushing out of the dorm before they could stop her.
Iwatodai Station was as busy as usual in the early morning, full of chatting students making their way to Gekkoukan and people commuting to work. Akari took a deep breath and boarded the waiting train. She found a seat next to a businesswoman near the end of the carriage, hoping that she would blend into the background if Mitsuru and Yukari caught up with her.
Her head thumped with the movement of the train. The gentle swaying made her feel a lot queasier than when she woke up and brought upon her some images from her dream last night. She felt as though she had been in a constantly ascending elevator for a very long time, which made her remember every little detail of her dream…
Akari didn't know what came over her in Classic Literature. She fell asleep the moment Mister Ekoda started talking. Apparently Junpei had tried to wake her up multiple times, but she was in such a deep sleep that she wouldn't wake up until there was all the commotion of class ending. She felt fully refreshed afterwards, though and managed to stay awake easily for the rest of the day. Her mind wandered to Akihiko when she wasn't concentrating on a lesson, however and she wondered if he was avoiding her at school today since she hadn't seen him at all. That theory was then contradicted by the idea that if he was, she would have seen him trying to avoid her to prove her assumption. This idea was then doubted by the fact that Gekkoukan was a large school, so that made it harder to spot him amongst the crowds of students...
"Akari," a voice called over the chattering students leaving school. She was just walking through the gates, staring at her shoes. "Akari! Over here!"
Her head whipped up this time, looking for him. "Aki-"
He motioned for her to shush, but beckoned her to come over at the same time. A few students were curious, but their gazes only lasted until they were too far down the street and had turned away.
"I'm sorry, senpai," she apologised quietly, realising she might have attracted his fan club.
"It's all right," he said, trying to give her a small smile. "Let's get going."
She followed him silently down the path; neither of them spoke for a while. Even the train journey was silent, apart from everyone around them talking amongst themselves.
"S-Senpai-"
"I'm-" Akihiko started at the same time as her. "You first."
"Um..." she muttered, coming to a standstill outside the sports shop. "H-Have I...I mean...have I done something wrong?"
"What!" Akihiko exclaimed preposterously at the idea. "Don't be silly, Akari. What made you think that?"
She nervously chuckled. "H-Heh...oh, I don't know...you just didn't seem to be in a good mood today..."
"Oh, well...it's just something someone said to me...I'm sorry. Please forget about it...haha...what's the point asking you to forget about it if I can't?" he said, sighing. "Forgive me. I'll try my best to cheer up, although that shouldn't be too hard now that you're here. At least I'll have a little distraction from my thoughts."
Akari blushed as Akihiko walked into the shop and followed him, but stopped at the door and remembered what happened last time. "Akihiko?"
"Mhm?" he responded, poking his head by the door. He noticed her flushing face again and his expression became worried. "Oh no, are you sick?"
"N-No, I was just-" she stuttered, realising she must still be blushing from what he'd said about her company. "Um, I was wondering if maybe we should just use our gym clothes..."
"A-Are you sure?"
"Yes, of course. I mean...there's not really much point when you think about it, is there?"
"I-I guess not..." he agreed thoughtfully as he came out of the shop, blushing slightly whilst scratching his head. "I just wondered if maybe you wanted some specialised outfits, like for jogging or...yoga..."
Akari thought he sounded really hopeful for some reason. She tried not to think anything of it though and immediately shrugged the thought of him being attracted to her in any way by convincing him to show her the way to the international food shop. However, on the way, she pondered about the possibility of him being attracted to her but came to the conclusion that since she'd never had a boyfriend, no guys had flirted with her seriously before and both of them were just tense in the presence of the opposite sex, it wasn't possible.
"We're here," Akihiko announced, stopping in his tracks outside a shop with a colourful display.
"Ahh!" she squealed, bumping into his side.
He caught her in shock and held her tight. "Are you okay!"
She looked up into his eyes and felt her cheeks heating up again. "Y-Yeah..."
Akihiko relaxed, and Akari could feel it in his grip on her because it loosened and he dropped his arms back down to his side. She smiled nervously and moved her stare to the floor as she followed him inside the shop, but her eyes were immediately drawn back up to the array of food she recognised from England. She let out a squeal of excitement; after realising this, she gave him an embarrassed smile and felt her temperature rising even further.
Akihiko said he'd grab a basket whilst she finds the aisle of English food. It didn't take her long. Soon she'd spotted rows of sweets she recognised, such as a range of Cadbury chocolate, various flavours of traditional toffee and even an assorted pick and mix...when she turned around, the shelves were lined with baking ingredients like suet, flour, baking powder...next to those there was a larger chilled and frozen section. Inside the fridges and freezers were Yorkshire puddings, cod, haddock, sausages, bacon, clotted cream and lots of varieties of cheese.
"Akari?"
"Oh!" she exclaimed, snapping out of what appeared to be a daydream. "S-Sorry!"
Akihiko simply smiled. "So, what are we getting?"
"Well..." she began, browsing the shelves. "I-I...had an idea..."
"What's your idea?" Akihiko wondered curiously.
"Um...I don't think it's a good idea, though..."
"Just tell me already," he pestered, looking through the range of sausages.