Chapter 4: The Fiery Bull-Headed Girl
Disclaimer: I don't own shit, except for Oku, her persona, Happy Maggots Committee, and the hanamachi.
Oku stared listlessly at the club members running basic drills, she didn't feel like practicing after what had happened with Minato earlier so she planned to cut the meeting short. She was leaning up against the gym wall with her arms crossed, thinking about the strange chain of events that seemed to happen one after another. "All because I'm a fuckin' troublemaker." She thought bitterly.
"Okay captain, I assigned Minato-san his keiko-gi, hakama, and bokken. I just need you to sign this form that you know that this equipment has been loaned out." Yuko spoke interrupting Oku's self-loathing.
"Ah, that was fast." Oku gasped grabbing the clipboard so she could sign the form. "How'd the uniform fit ya?
"Um, it's a little loose but nothing major." Minato answered quietly.
"Well that's good you seem like the type who can adapt pretty well." Oku smiled handing the clipboard back to Yuko. "If you need anything feel free to let Yuko-chan here know, she's the team manager but don't rely on her too much she isn't your maid got it?"
"Senpai don't be rude!" Yuko scolded with a light blush painted on her cheeks.
"Eh?! Rude you're always the one complaining cause the guys are constantly relying on y-…" Oku stopped herself realizing what was going on. "Seems she's got herself a crush." The upperclassman chuckled to herself then shook her head. "Okay change of plans, make sure she hand washes your underwear."
"SENPAI!" Yuko yelled louder smacking Oku across the face with the clipboard.
"Ooof!" Oku grunted, her head jerking to the side from the impact.
"I didn't think she was being rude, no hard feelings at all!" Minato reassured trying to calm down the fuming team manager.
"I swear you should be wielding a bokken instead of a clipboard…" Oku complimented rubbing her now tender cheek.
"Hmmph!" Yuko huffed before spinning on her heel and briskly leaving the gym to turn in the forms.
"Don't worry she won't treat you this coldly. Come on I have someone I want you to meet before I wrap things up for today. His name is Kazushi Miyamoto if anyone's gonna make it anywhere doing this, it's him." Oku lead Minato to a young man who was training vigorously defeating all of his sparring partners effortlessly.
"Kazushi-kun!" Oku called gaining the boys attention, "Come here for a sec I want you to meet the newbie his name's err…what's your name again?"
"I'm Minato Arisato, nice to meet you Miyamoto-san." Minato spoke confidently for the first time since club started.
"Finally a new rival, when do I get to break him in?" Kazushi asked excitedly.
"He isn't a toy dumbass and he'll be joining in the fun next meeting." Oku informed appalled at the boys behavior.
"Oh fine, well does that mean you'll finally spar with me cap?"
"No." Oku deadpanned before turning back towards the wall she was so comfortably perched earlier. "Club is dismissed early today, enjoy."
Minato watched his captain walk away and felt something akin to loneliness yet he couldn't seem to keep his nerve when he was around Oku. The words "Come back." resounded through his head but it…it wasn't his voice.
Kazushi nudged his elbow into Minato's rib earning him a pained groan, "You got a thing for cap Minato-san?"
"Huh?! No… I just…does she usually call practice off early?" Minato rebounded.
"Actually, come to think of it she never does. It must be my unlucky day I was looking forward to practicing some more, oh well. How about we walk home together I'll tell you all about the team!"
"Sounds great, let's go." Minato agreed his mind still mulling over the strange emptiness he had felt.
Oku walked through the outdoor hall her hands in her cardigan pockets, her head was down and her eyes were closed. She was trying not to think because confusing herself more would just be more torturous. Nothing but strange and terrible things have happened but maybe once she got back to the hanamachi things would feel just a little normal. Well after she got her well overdue scolding from her okaa-san that is. "Oh fuck…why did I cancel practice okaa-san is going to eat me alive." Oku thought stopping in her tracks.
She turned around to see all of the club members waving good bye with giant smiles on their faces out of happiness from being let go early. "I guess changing my mind is out of the question." She sighed under her breath continuing on her miserable way.
Once out of the school she threw down her skateboard and hopped aboard taking off with record speed. Dodging and weaving through students who were going home from studying or club activities, "'Scuse me, pardon me, comin' through!" She warned as she zipped through the crowd of students. Passing through the gates of the school she turned sharply so she could stay on the sidewalk surprisingly without casualty.
As she continued on, she finally made it to the station, hopping off her skateboard, she kicked it up into her hand. Repeating the same routine she did this morning she got a ticket to board the monorail. Oku made her way to a bench that was under a television protruding from the wall.
"Yesterday there was a strange incident involving a mass body of fire, only claiming the life of one Issun Nishiwaki. This occurrence happened at about 3 o' clock last night, there were no witnesses to this strange occurrence. However it is advised that you take care when being out at such late hours in case this was done by a serial killer." A news reporter spoke from the T.V.
Oku froze, "Se-serial killer? Seriously?" She shook her head and shoved her earbuds into her ears not wanting to hear anymore. It was easier for Oku to simply turn her back on a problem and forget but this time she wasn't so lucky. "You've gotta be kidding me, just the other day I was a simple hard headed trouble maker but now I'm a murderer. The news is warning people about me…Oku Kasai a senior in high school, the girl these unsuspecting people are about to get on the monorail with."
She looked at all the people around her, some tapping away at cell phones, girls drooling over their boyfriends, her kouhai sharing precious memories. As she examined the soon to be passengers a terrifying vision of these people burning alive on the monorail filling her ears with their blood curdling screams that seemed so real. Oku stood up in shock, sweat trickled down her forehead, and her eyes wide, what did she just allow herself to see?
And they'll burn yes they'll burn
Into ashes they'll turn
Yes they'll die, I guarantee
And they'll die cause of me, the female lead of Happy Maggots Committee screamed.
Oku ripped out her earphones, frowning at the disgusting coincidence, "Now boarding, we are now boarding." The announcer said over the intercom causing people to herd inside the monorail.
The girl didn't want to board, not after what she had just seen what if that was a premonition of what was about to happen. Her breathing picked up and she began to tremble, "Go on, board the monorail child." A voiced called out from nowhere that seem to have stopped time as the passengers halted in their tracks frozen in time.
This caused a panic in the girl making her run back in forth trying to get the frozen people's attention, "If you do not get on we cannot speak, and if we cannot speak you cannot understand." The voice spoke again.
"No, no more of this! I'm not riding that thing!" She yelled at the voice running out of the station however as soon as she reached the exit she was back in the station. "Oh come on, gimme a break!" she groaned running to the other exit but again was returned to the station.
"We can continue this for as long as you'd like if you want. Time has been frozen so we practically have all the time in the world but it'd be so much easier if you'd just board the monorail."
"I'm not boarding shit!" Oku yelled spitefully running toward every exit in the station only to be returned to her spot in the station. Hours passed or at least would have if time wasn't frozen and Oku still had the resolve to escape this strange situation.
"Honestly, you are truly too stubborn for your own good but that just might be your saving grace." The voice spoke with a chuckle.
Oku, out of breath and sweating profusely she looked toward the monorail feeling her resolve weakening, "So if I board, you'll let me go home?"
"Precisely and I will even make sure that these people make it home safe as well. Now board the monorail we have much to discuss."
"Fuck, okay I'll board the got damn train." Oku spat, cautiously walking to the monorail, as she got closer the door slid open revealing a bright light. She entered feeling her fear slowly dissolve and her confusion grow stronger.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room child, my name is Igor."
Aw fuck Oku, you wanted to forget about this but now you're balls deep in it. By the way this is a completely different take on Persona so don't expect events and shit like that to be the same. The enemies and final threats aren't the same this is like an alternate version of P3 but if you just continue to read I think you'll like it. Also when I said scream for the lyric part I meant metal screaming just in case no one knew.
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