Walking up the stairs, Akira opened the door to the roof, ignoring the "DO NOT ENTER" sign. First day of school and he was already breaking rules.
Ryuji was already there waiting for him, sitting on a discarded folding chair. He looked up at the sound of the door opening, and regarded him with a heavy stare. "...There you are." He stated the obvious. "Sorry for callin' you up like this, especially since you were chattin' with Senpai." He apologized. "I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like "don't get involved with him," huh?" He snorted at the thought.
"She said you were trouble." Akira replied quietly. He knew though, that the person in front of him was a good guy. His actions back in that castle proved it when Ryuji distracted the ruler away from him, taking a couple hits to the abdomen. Did that really happen to them...?
"Heh," Ryuji snickered. "We're pretty much in the same boat." He crossed a leg over another. "I heard you got a criminal record. Everyone's talkin' about it." He paused. "No wonder you were so gutsy."
He rolled his eyes, exasperated at the constant mentions about his offense, and went to lean on one of the desks. He was so sick and tired of people automatically labeling him negatively once they heard he had a record. He clenched a hand inside a pocket. He knew he didn't do anything wrong. Even if...even if everyone told him he did.
A silence came over both of them, each wanting to ask the same question, but not wanting to acknowledge it.
Ryuji sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "...What was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed in a castle..." He quietly asked. "It wasn't a dream...right? You remember it too, right?" He asked, almost desperately.
Akira nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Yeah, it happened." He had no idea how, but they met some weird version of that ugly gym teacher who proceeded to kick the shit out of them. He felt so much pain from that voice that called out to him, that once he took off his mask, it was like he was breathing for the first time in his life. 'Arsene...right?'
He felt an answering pulse in his chest, and he gasped silently. So it was real. It wasn't some horrific nightmare.
The blond looked away, gazing at the skyline. "Well, just cause we both remember doesn't mean much though..." He quietly stated. Sitting back, he crossed his arms and legs, looking over at him with a troubled expression. "I mean, even if it was a dream, you still saved me from Kamoshida..." He grinned. "So yeah...thanks, Akira."
His lips quirked. "You're welcome."
The punk replaced his smile with an angry frown. "But man, that Kamoshida we saw there..." He fidgeted. "You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him."
"Kamoshida…" Akira muttered, furrowing his brow. So that's his name.
"Yeah." Ryuji nodded. "That ripped mophead." He sneered. "That asshole who was all full of himself at the castle. No one says anything to him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to Nationals." He ranted frustratedly. "The way Kamoshida was king of that castle felt crazy real 'cause of that..."
They both leaned back, exhaling heavy sighs.
"...I wonder if we can go back to that castle again." Ryuji thought out loud, scrunching up his face. With a loud grunt, he shot up from his seat. "Ugh, forget it. Must've been all a dream! It has to be!" He rubbed his head hysterically.
Akira looked on silently, unsure of what to say at the moment. Honestly, he didn't know what to believe either. That response from within him confirmed that it happened, but could they go back? What was that place really? What was going on?! 'It felt so real, but...'
Ryuji turned to look at him apologetically. "Sorry to drag you out here like this. That's all I had to say." He paused. "You know, we might be pretty similar. I feel like we're gonna get along just fine as "troublemakers."" He grinned. "I'm Sakamoto Ryuji. I'll come talk if I see you around. Don't ignore me, all right?"
Akira nodded, smiling slightly. "Kurusu Akira. It's nice to officially meet you."
Ryuji beamed. "Seeya!" With that, he walked off, leaving the roof.
He sighed. What a long day. 'It'll be even longer when I get back to the cafe.' He thought sullenly, knowing Sakura-san was going to give him an earful.
He began his walk toward the station. Hopefully he took the right trains, since last time it was Kimisawa-senpai unknowingly showing him the way.
With one last scream, the shadow dissipated into thin air. Airi relaxed the grip she had on her weapon, panting from the exertion.
'It's a bit weird, I've never held a scythe before.' She pondered, examining the weapon closely.
It was finely detailed, with elegant vine-like detailing swirling up the silver staff, and a purple clothed grip. The blade itself was a gleaming silver, with a razor fine edge on both ends. A sharp tip erupted at the top where the blade and staff met, allowing her to stab forward if need be. All in all, it was a graceful weapon to be used in battle.
'I'll have to practice, but it feels really natural so far.' She complimented herself. It felt good to be able to fight. For the first time in her life, she was standing up on her own two feet, fighting for herself.
Looking around, she noticed she ended up passed the kitchens. Examining the empty room, she wondered where Morgana was. 'I hope it's OK…' She thought worriedly. The only thing she could hear was the crackling of fire from the oven pit.
Airi bit her lip. The castle was huge, and she was all alone. Was it a good idea to keep going? 'I am pretty tired...maybe I should go back.' She bleakly thought to herself.
Allowing the weapon to disappear, she walked toward the way she came from. There weren't any new guards, so she safely made it all the way out.
"You have returned to the real world from Kamoshida's Palace. Thank you for your hard work." Her phone stated.
Her brows furrowed. Thank you for your hard work? Maybe this app was as insidious as it looked.
She bit her lip. Was it a good idea to keep using it when she didn't even know why she had it? Who downloaded this into her phone? She would check, but she had never had much experience with technology, so she can't trace it...
Sighing, she pocketed her phone and headed home.
She laid down on her bed, bringing the covers up to her chin. 'I'm so exhausted…' She thought tiredly, her eyes boring into her ceiling. 'Summoning my Persona and infiltrating a castle really takes the energy out of me...'
As she slipped into slumber, one last thought floated through her mind.
'I should get some coffee tomorrow in the morning..'
…..
-BEEP BEEP BEEP-
Her eyes snapped open. Airi lazily sat up in bed and turned to shut her alarm off. She yawned, stretching her arms up in the air. She hooded her bloodshot eyes, bags prominent under her wine colored irises. Even after sleeping a full nine hours, she still felt exhausted.
'Definitely need that coffee.' She thought grimly.
Slowly getting out of bed, wincing from the way her body screamed at her in pain, she made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After an extremely hot shower to loosen her aching muscles, she changed into her school uniform, grabbed her bag, and left the house.
Lethargically, she walked down the backstreets of Yongenjaya. It was a gloomy and rainy day today, and it only made her feel more tired. Gripping her umbrella tightly, Airi finally made it to Cafe Leblanc. Checking the time on her phone, she still had a good half hour before she fell behind schedule.
The bell on the door rang as she walked in, signalling a new customer, and after closing her umbrella, she collapsed onto the nearest bar stool, leaning on the counter.
Sojiro, who was stirring a pot of curry in the kitchen, looked up and raised an eyebrow. It was rare to see Airi so exhausted. "What can I get ya?" He inquired.
Airi held up one finger. "Your strongest brew, please." She requested, voice muffled from resting her head on her arms. "And a sandwich."
"Sure thing." He replied, getting what she requested.
The clinking of the coffee jars and pots lulled her into a state of calm relaxation. 'I could fall asleep right now...'
The wood creaked underneath feet as someone came down the stairs from the attic, breaking her zen, and she looked up in curiosity. Sojiro was the cafe's only inhabitant, she recalled.
Her eyes locked with gray ones, concealed behind a giant pair of glasses.
Airi blinked. It was Akira.
Akira, who stared back at her with a surprised expression on his face. He wasn't expecting to see her here.
Airi gave him a tired smile. "Good morning, Kurusu-san." She greeted warmly.
He walked up to the bar stool next to her's, taking a seat. "Good morning, Kimisawa-senpai." He replied with a small smile.
"You two know each other?" Sojiro asked brusquely, raising his eyebrows as he placed both her order as well as a plate of curry down in front of the two students.
"Yes, we're in the same class." Airi replied, picking up her sandwich. "You know, you don't have to call me Senpai, we're the same age." She said, looking at the ebony haired boy next to her.
He shrugged in response, picking up his spoon. "Itadakimasu." They both said quietly, and started eating.
After finishing her sandwich, she grasped the handle of her cup. Swirling the coffee, Airi took a long swig. The heat hit her first, followed by a rich bitter taste that coated her throat as she swallowed. Downing her drink, she placed the cup down on its saucer before dabbing her mouth with a napkin. Already she could feel the effects of the caffeine, which means she'll have enough energy to get through the day. "The coffee was amazing. Thank you, Sojiro-san." She complimented.
"You're welcome." Sojiro answered with a slightly fond smile, before taking the dirty dishes to wash.
Airi let out a sigh of content before turning to Akira. "So, you live here then?" She chirped.
He nodded. "Sakura-san is my new guardian until I'm off probation." He replied calmly. "I'll be living here for the next year."
The older man grunted in agreement, washing the dishes.
She giggled at their somewhat rough interaction."I'm glad that out of all the potential candidates, you got Sojiro-san." She said, fondness bleeding into her voice. "Hey may seem rough, but he's a genuinely good man."
They both could see Sojiro hunch his back from the statement, as if not wanting to accept the compliment.
Akira observed his guardian with a thoughtful look. He didn't treat him badly, he supposed. He turned back to the class president. "So you live in Yongenjaya, Senpai?" He politely inquired.
Airi nodded. "Yes, for the past year now, and in my childhood." Her smile dimmed, eyes darkened as she was lost in her memories.
Akira observed her curiously. What was she remembering? His thought was interrupted when he heard his companion get up, and he blinked questioningly.
Shouldering her bag, Airi offered him a smile. "We should get going or we'll be late." She stated.
He nodded in agreement, getting up. They both walked out of the cafe and opened their umbrellas. It was really terrible weather, he admitted. A lot of the older generation in Yongenjaya that usually walked around at this hour were nowhere to be seen.
The two students strolled peacefully down to the station, not feeling the need to speak. The rain filled the silence, after all. They swiped their wallets at the scanner, and headed down toward the train platform.
While riding the train, they both chatted quietly to each other about nothing in particular. "No way!" Airi laughed, covering her mouth with one hand. "You're really from Mishima? We have a classmate named Mishima."
Akira nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I met him yesterday when he bumped into me." He frowned. "I don't think he's OK...He was covered in bruises and bandages."
Airi nodded sadly in agreement. "Yeah." She whispered. "I noticed too. I-I tried to ask him yesterday, and before then as well, but he kept avoiding me." She looked down dejectedly. "I want to help him, but..."
He looked at her, frowning softly. He didn't like seeing her so down, especially since she's treated him so well. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "We'll look into it together." He reassured.
Airi looked up at him, surprised at his offer. She then smiled sadly at him. "Thank you, but you've just transferred. I don't think I should be bothering you with this..."
Akira shook his head. "No, I'm already involved. You remember Sakamoto-san asking to meet with me yesterday?"
Airi nodded at his question.
"We had met Kamoshida earlier yesterday because we were..." He glanced away. He couldn't mention they were in some weird castle. "Delayed in getting to school. He threatened me with expulsion if I got in his way."
Her eyes widened. "Already?" She whispered.
He looked at her questioningly.
She pursed her lips. "I was looking into the volleyball team and their various injuries because of Mishima-kun." She said reluctantly. "They're required to have practice every day, which is insane if you ask me. I got suspicious, so I sneaked into the gym after school to observe." Looking away, she continued quietly. "He's been physically abusing the team, driving them like slaves. The entire school is enamored with him though, and even the principal didn't believe me when I told him." She sighed heavily. "No one would say anything..."
Silence took over, both of them trying to figure out what the best course of action was.
"This is Shibuya. I repeat, this is Shibuya. The time is now 7:15AM..."
The train doors slid open, and they both got off the train, heading toward their transfer. They chatted amicably the whole way to school, unaware of the other Shujin students traveling along with them, their eyes glued to the two with avid attention.
"Hey, isn't that the transfer with the criminal record?" One girl whispered to her friend.
"Yeah that's him...don't talk to him or he might kill you." She whispered back fearfully.
"Who's the chick with him?"
"That's the class president of 2-D, Kimisawa. I hear she's super nice."
"Tch, trying to leech off success, I see. Didn't I hear that he and Sakamoto already started hanging out?"
"Hey, don't say that about her! She's my class president. She's probably taking pity on him, fat load of good that'll do though..."
Ryuji Confidant - Chariot - Rank 1