Chapter 10: Tuesday 23th April
"I'm telling you, it was freakin awesome!"
For the last 10 minutes, Kota and Akina had sat at their table in the cafeteria with glazed-over eyes, as Jaden energetically retold a story that happened to him after soccer practice the other day.
"Wait, who were you talking about again?" Kota asked, sounding half-asleep. Jaden frowned at him.
"Zaki Shodaru," replied Akina, blatantly as bored as her classmate. "He's got a bad reputation for getting caught up in fights, particularly with his seniors."
"That may be true, but he's a straight-up legend!" He was aware of how disinterested his friends were, but he continued to sing his praises for the guy. "He was all like 'I can predict what you're going to say next', and he totally did, and then he punched him out in a second. It was as though he could read the jerk's mind." Jaden was beaming as he got going once again. "I'm not kidding. That guy's amazing."
"God, I've never seen you gush so hard over another guy before." Akina rolled her eyes as her words made an impact on Jaden similar to that of a strong jab to the stomach.
"I'm not gushing!" Jaden burst out, earning him several looks of annoyance from the neighbouring tables. "I'm just doing the story justice by describing how wicked he was."
"You're sounding pretty defensive there." Akina started to eye him suspiciously. "Are you sure you don't just have a man crush on him?"
"Heck no! I don't swing like that!" Jaden was quick to answer as the disgust he felt was reflected justly on his face. "Kota would know. He and I talk about girls at Chagall all the time."
"So… I'm not your man crush then?"
"Of all the times you could turn against me, this REALLY is a bad time for you to do so." Jaden looked a little hurt as he stood up. "I'm just going to go ahead and take my pork buns elsewhere. I'll see you guys once you're both done questioning my sexuality!" The blue-haired boy felt the sting of regret as he watched Jaden storm off with his food.
"We should probably stop annoying each other like this…"
"Eh… I guess." Akina, on the other hand, appeared to be much more indifferent as she shrugged off his concern, likely because she sees it as getting even for what unfolded last Sunday. "Anyway, I heard that you joined the Kendo Club."
"Yeah. Daichi and the other members were really welcoming." Of course, there was more to it than that but Kota didn't want to fill her in on those details.
"That's good, as long as you're not joining as a way of training for the Shadows." As Akina waited for his response, Kota's silence spoke more words than any form of denial could have. The transfer student feared that either of his friends would catch on the fact that he was constantly thinking and worried about Personas and Shadows, but Akina was able to notice immediately.
"Kota, look." She sounded slightly disappointed, though her concern was palpable as she spoke. "I know that this isn't my place to worry, but I don't want you to be caught up with what's happening in that other place. While you're here, I want you to be able to enjoy yourself. I can't help but feel that you need more of that."
"I guess you're right. But I enjoy hanging out with you and Jaden." Akina averted her eyes from the blue-haired youth out of both nervousness and embarrassment.
"You're just saying that."
"I'm serious… even if it usually ends with one of you storming off angrily." Kota smiled sincerely when Akina looked back at him. "Everything feels so much livelier when I'm hanging out with you two. Trust me, you guys are already doing enough."
"Really?" Kota could see the pale-skinned girl fidget as she struggled to face him again. "Well… if it's okay with you, we can always organise to see one another whenever you're free."
"You mean us and Jaden, right?"
"Actually…"
"Ahoy, Master Isarota, Miss Yonashi." Mr Kobayashi, Gekkoukan's school Principal, stood over the two seated students as he walked by, unknowing interrupting their conversation.
"O-Oh… Mr Kobayashi!" The Principal's sudden appearance looked to have flustered Akina, made evident by her reddening face and the abrupt spike in volume when she responded.
"I was just passing through and couldn't help but notice the two of you." The friendly man gave his students an undeniably goofy smile. "You're both getting along with each other, I hope."
"Definitely. She's really helped me settle in. Jaden too." Kota was quick to answer, while Akina awkwardly looked down at her bento box as though she was hoping to find a way to hide in it.
"I'm glad to hear that. It's great that you've already made some dependable friends." Kobayashi's eyes wondered briefly before becoming set on the clock hanging on the wall of the cafeteria. "Aw jeez, is that the time? I need to be back in my office!" He looked back at the youths and gave a rushed bow apologetically. "Please excuse me."
Kobayashi turned on a dime and briskly weaved between the rows of tables in a not-so-composed fashion. Kota looked on, amused.
"He's a bit of a character, huh?"
"Hmm…" Akina didn't move as she gave him subdued reply. It was almost something annoyed her all of a sudden.
"Oh yeah. Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me?"
"Umm… never mind. It wasn't anything important. Really." Shaking off her bad mood from earlier, Akina just gave her friend a smile. "Just know that Jaden and I are happy to help."
"I know," Kota responded in kind with his own smile. "Thanks for looking out for me."
As Kota ate with Akina, he remembered that he had something to discuss with Kobayashi. When the Principal dropped him off at the dormitory the day he arrived, he mentioned that he would look into the details of his enrolment. Excusing himself from the table after his meal, he saw that he had time to visit Kobayashi's office.
Navigating the school building, he made it to the office without a problem with the directions, thanks to the door being positioned just down the hall from the cafeteria. Just as he was reaching out for the door, it slid open, revealing the dark-haired boy who opened it from the other side.
"Oh!" Kota stepped back to get out of the student's way. "Pardon me." With an indifferent look on his face, he gave just a nod of acknowledgement and continued on his way. Just as Kota turned back to the office, he caught the padded glove that the boy was wearing on just his right hand. After hearing Jaden's story just minutes ago, he had a realisation.
"Hey," Kota called after the boy. "You wouldn't happen to be Zaki Shodaru by any chance?" The boy lazily turned back to Kota until his blue eyes were able to bore into him.
"I am." The boy crossed his arms as his gaze met Kota's, unflinching.
"Ah, well…" The curt response tripped Kota up briefly, but he continued despite Zaki's standoffish nature. "My friend in the soccer club told me about how you got those bullies off his back. I just wanted to say thanks for helping him out." Zaki sighed in response, seemingly annoyed.
"Your thanks isn't necessary. I didn't do it for him." The gloved student lifted his hand in a way that partially hid his face, making it difficult to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. He later lowered his hand to continue the discussion. "I was called in for that incident just earlier," he spoke, lazily gesturing towards the door he just walked through with a nod.
"You didn't get into any trouble, did you?" Kota felt worried for him as Zaki didn't instigate the fight, from what he heard from Jaden anyway. In contrast, Zaki just shrugged without a care.
"Just a warning. The guy didn't need any real medical attention, so being sent to the Principal's office was a bit much. Though, I suppose my history had a hand in that."
"History?" Zaki didn't seem interested in elaborating, choosing to turn his back on Kota instead.
"If you would excuse me, I'm heading home."
"Wait! We still have afternoon classes to attend."
"I know." That couldn't change Zaki's mind as he wandered off, likely heading to the shoe lockers on his way out. Kota saw him off, completely dumbfounded. He didn't seem to be the misunderstood fighter of justice that Jaden spoke of or the reckless, good-for-nothing bully that Akina thought he was.
Somehow, seeing the boy walk off made him feel uneasy. He had the sudden urge to call out to him, almost like he wanted to warn him of something, but he couldn't find the words. He didn't understand it.
It was only when Zaki turned down another hallway and disappeared from Kota's sight when he turned back to the Principal's office. Hopefully, he could find something that would explain why he ended up in this city and fill in the blanks that his amnesia caused.
Feeling more than a little nervous, Kota held his clenched fist in front of the door before knocking his knuckles against the wood. He could hear the sound echo from the other side of the door along with a startled noise from whoever was inside.
"Uh, come in!" Kota promptly entered the office to find an immaculately polished desk, arranged to the point of millimetre perfection with each item put in its proper place. The walls surrounding the large window opposite the door were lined with awards received by the school and an excessive amount of filing cabinets.
"Master Isarota." Principal Kobayashi straightened up in his black leather chair. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. Please, take a seat." Kota helped himself one of the two black chairs opposite of Kobayashi.
"Sorry. I would have let you know beforehand, but it only just occurred to me." Kobayashi interlaced his fingers as he waited for Kota to go on. "You have a student record that I'll be able to look at, right?"
"Ah." Understanding, Kobayashi looked sombre. "No luck remembering your past, huh?" The cyan-haired youth looked down at his feet. He felt almost ashamed for not recalling anything after more than a fortnight of arriving at Iwatodai. "Cheer up." The Principal's smiled in an attempt to instil optimism in his student. "I'll see what we have about you on file." The man moved around his office, going from cabinet to cabinet as he scanned through the folders contained within them.
"This all… doesn't seem too weird, does it?" Kota looked at his reflections from the shiny nameplate on the desk as Kobayashi started tossing papers aside in his search.
"In all honesty, it doesn't seem normal. That's the definition of weird, right?" Kobayashi's brutally honest words discouraged Kota as he wished he didn't bring it up. He wondered what Jaden and Akina would think if they knew. Given what the two of them had just been through, would they look at him the same way as they do now? They might even grow suspicious of the Persona-user and distance themselves from him. Having only just forged friendships with them, he wasn't willing to risk ruining it with his secret, at least not yet.
"Aha!" Kota looked up at Kobayashi as he let out a triumphant cheer. "Took a bit of searching, but here you go." Labelled 'Isarota, Kota', the folder was placed on the mahogany desk before him. Eager to see what it contained, Kota wordlessly flipped through its contents. "You'll be happy to know that your schooling and accommodation has been paid for the year, so you won't have to worry about being kicked out anytime soon."
Ignoring the Principal's chatter, Kota got to work absorbing all the information that he could get. His birth date was March 6th, 1997. His birth city was, oddly enough, Iwatodai while his place of residence prior to his enrolment was a place in Okina City. He had just one allergy: Shellfish?
As he took down notes using his phone, Kota couldn't feel any sort of familiarity with any of these facts. Still, they embodied hope that the boy would remember everything and learn why he was sent here. Outside of a street address, nothing in the file was particularly useful.
"I hope that has cleared everything up," Kobayashi spoke as Kota closed the file and handed it back to Principal. "If not, you may need to visit a doctor. They'll be more likely to help you further."
Kota nodded, but it was bad enough that the Principal knew his secret. He didn't really have any intention of involving anyone else. Grateful to the Principal for what he was able to provide, he bowed to him. "Thank you, Kobayashi, sir."
Sitting behind the main school building shortly after leaving the Principal's office, Kota was navigating through the map app on his phone. Even when he would enter his "home" address to the letter, it would just point to a cinema complex in the city. After scanning the surrounding further for other buildings that might hold the same address, he had no option but to accept that the address was fake.
The idea that Kota didn't have a home to return to scared him, but he didn't allow himself to despair. He had another year until he would have to leave the dorm and he was hopeful that with all the extraordinary things that seem to cross his path, he'll find someone that has to know what's going on.
Just as Kota shut off his phone, it sprung to life again to the sound of his ringtone. He expected it to be either Jaden or Akina since they were the only ones who have his number, but the number wasn't listed in his contacts list. With the phone display simply reading 'Unknown', Kota was apprehensive as he answered.
"Hello?" Silence was the only response from the other side of the line, leaving Kota anxious as he held his phone firmly over his ear.
"You seem to be doing fair well for yourself." From seemingly nowhere a deep, unfamiliar voice oozed out from the device's speaker.
"What?" Kota was left stunned as he waited for clarification from the older-sounding man.
"Things have been moving more quickly than I anticipated, though you've been handling things quite nicely. Perhaps you won't need my guidance after all."
"Hey!" It felt as though the man had hijacked the conversation and pushed it into hyperspeed before he was able to follow. "Who are you?"
"Just call me Noah. Think of me as your Guardian." The man spoke as though it was a matter of fact and Kota was slow for not being able to catch on. "I wish to only assist you in your endeavours."
"What endeavours? What are you talking about?" Noah sighed, tired of all the questions that were fired at him.
"As uninformed as you must feel right now, I'm sure you know the answer to that one." Kota settled himself briefly with a deep breath and tried to think what he would need guidance for. In the end, only one possible explanation stood out to him.
"The Subex..." The uneasy weight in his chest grew as the chatter halted once again. What on Earth did he just find himself in the middle of?
"As fun as this chat has been, I'm afraid that there will be something much bigger for you to worry about."
"What do you mean?"
"Another unfortunate soul is due to collapse soon and someone has to bring him to his senses." Kota's hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the alarm bells started to ring in between his ears.
"Someone's going to end up in the Subex? Who is it?"
"Now, now. It would hardly be fun if I spoon-fed everything to you."
"I thought you were meant to help me." Confused and panicked, Kota pushed desperately for more information. "Tell me!"
"Patience, young Kota." Hearing the man call him by name brought out a reactive scowl from the boy. "If you are able to fulfil your purpose like I trust you will, the truth will come to you in good time. Until then, you know what you need to do."
The man hung up before he could get another word out, leaving Kota shaken. If what that man was saying was true, then there will soon be another person in the Subex. Kota would have to visit Glitch once classes have finished to make sure that they aren't there already. He dreaded the thought of taking on the Shadows again despite his past successful rescues. With Akina bent on assisting Kota and Jaden against the Shadows, Kota had even more to lose by returning there.
Looking down at the phone in his hand, the mysterious man's closing remark lingered in his mind.
"My purpose, huh?"
With an eventful lunch coming to an end, Kota found himself counting down the minutes until it was home time. History was the final lesson of the day and, looking around the classroom, he could see that he wasn't the only one among the students who were eager to leave. The grey clouds blanketed the sky beyond the window to create a dreary atmosphere, making it difficult for even the most diligent worker to focus on the lecture presented before them.
But while the rest of the class had drifted into a state of relaxation, Kota felt tense as he waited in his seat for the final bell. Someone could be in the Subex at that moment, yet he had to finish his schooling for the day.
As Mr Ono's lecture on the Kamakura period continued to fall on deaf ears, Kota silently cursed the situation he was stuck in the middle of. What did he do to deserve this, and what the hell does that guy expect from me?
The cycle of negative thoughts filled his mind until he noticed something move on his desk on the edge of his vision. He lowered his eyes in time to see Akina slide a small piece of paper under his workbook. Written in neat handwriting was a couple of words.
'You alright?'
He could feel his neighbour's concerned eyes on him as he read the note. The beanie-wearing girl must have noticed that how restless he was looking. The Wild card-holder felt bad for making her worry about him, but he was also thankful for the simple gesture.
Kota let out a long sigh, dispelling the nervous energy from his body. He had to shoulder a lot since he arrived at Iwatodai, but he felt better knowing that he had friends that he could rely on, whether he would be at school or fighting Shadows.
Kota was thinking of a reassuring response to the note when his phone vibrated in his pocket. The man he spoke to earlier that day came to mind when he pulled his phone out, but a quick glance at the screen disproved that from being the case. The sender's name was obscured as though the text had been corrupted.
G̶̺̚͠l̸̪͋ì̵̛̟t̴̛̲̤͝c̷̘̻̋̂h̵͙̿̚
Squinting, Kota was able to make out the name. Glitch. How was she able to reach his phone from the Subex? With greater urgency, the boy tapped on the notification to reveal the message.
'Emergency. Please call.'
"Kota?" Oblivious to Akina speaking his name with a hushed tone, Kota instinctively stood up out of his chair. The lesson stopped abruptly as the class turned to the cyan-haired boy, the colour drained from his face. Mr Ono's eyes zeroed in on him from beneath his outdated helmet.
"Mr Isarota. Is there anything you wish to share with the class?" The teacher wasn't particularly pleased with the holdup, having been on a roll with his lecture.
"I-I need to step out for a moment. Family emergency." Using the first excuse that came to mind, Kota was quick to head out the room, not bothering to wait for the teacher's approval. The rest of the class looked after him in confusion as he slid the door behind him.
Dammit! It couldn't have happened already.
No longer aware of where he was walking, Kota moved as far as he could from his classroom as he browsed through his phone until he reached a quiet stairwell by the edge of the building. Tapping on the 'call sender' prompt, the phone froze up. It crashed trying to contact Glitch.
Cursing under his breath, Kota tapped furiously at his phone and even tried to restart it without success. After some time, a low humming could be heard from the speaker. Kota brought his ear closer before…
SKRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!
Kota jolted his head away from the device and pointed the speaker away from him as his ear started to ring from the noise. As he rubbed his affected ear, he almost wished that Glitch waited for him to get home so she could use the radio to contact him. In time, the white noise died off to leave a low static sound.
"Do you read me?" As expected, Glitch's voice sounded through the speaker over the continuing static. Kota held the phone over his left ear as he continued to massage the other ear.
"What was all that?"
"I haven't tried communicating via phone before, so I apologise if it's being unreliable." She didn't sound all that apologetic, though it wasn't the time to worry about that.
"Never mind that. What's the emergency?"
"A doorway has appeared at the end of the pier. Another person has fallen through." She was straight to the point, as usual, speaking those same words that Kota had both predicted and feared. The Persona-user let out a settling breath before responding.
"I'll find out who it is and bring you something to get us to them."
"Do be quick about it." The static faded to silence and Glitch was no longer on the line.
Kota's first instinct after the call was to contact Jaden and Akina as soon as possible, however, Glitch's hijacking of the device completely drained its battery. There wasn't any way he could get Jaden and Akina to leave Mr Kanno's class, leaving it up to the possessor of the Wild Card to conduct the preparation for the rescue. Not only did Kota have to find out who was trapped in the Subex, but he would need to identify the key and get his hand on the key that would allow him to reach the victim. There was a lot that needed to be done with the possibility that the person in the Subex could die at any moment.
Kota clenched his teeth in frustration at the thought of the mystery caller from earlier in the day. There's no doubt that he knew something and it was putting people's lives at risk. He would have attempted to call him back but even with a working phone, he wasn't even certain that he could even reach him.
"Kota!" Jaden called out from further down the hallway, running to him with Akina in tow. "What's going on?"
"There wasn't really an issue with your family, right? You looked unsettled before you even got that text." Kota wanted to have some time alone to process everything that had happened in the past few hours, but he knew that it was important that the others heard what Glitch just told him.
"I've gotten word from Glitch…" Jaden's face suddenly became serious while Akina looked at the two uneasily.
"Is that the person from that other world?" Kota lowered his eyes as he prepared to give them the bitter news.
"Someone else has ended up over there."
"Shit, already?" Jaden growled in frustration as Akina suddenly looked pale. "It's barely been a week."
"If you guys need to go back there, then I'm ready to go!" Akina spoke firmly despite that worry that was written on her face. "Whatever you ask of me, I'll be sure to do what I can."
"Thanks, Akina." Kota took a breath to compose himself. He could attend to this 'Noah' once he saves whoever was in the Subex. "The first thing we need to do is find out who it is that needs rescuing. Otherwise, we won't be able to get to them."
"Right." Jaden seemed to have calmed himself down as well as he nodded. "We'll need to get out of here so we can see who they are."
"Do we know where they were before they passed out? We could ask the hospital for anyone that fell unconscious just recently if we knew where they are staying." Akina suggested.
"Even if we knew where they are, the hospital wouldn't just tell us that," Jaden replied glumly. "For us to get anything out of them, we would have to pose as their friend or relative, which we can't do if we don't know their name." Kota and the other remained silent as they pondered over what their next move should be.
"You mean the guy just passed out, for no reason at all?" Kota's ears picked up on another conversation nearby. A couple of male students had stopped by a water fountain not far from the group and were unaware of the eavesdroppers.
"Apparently. My mum called to check up on me, seeing that he goes to our school and all." The shorter of the boys was refilling his water bottle, clearly in no rush to move on.
"If he goes to our school, what was he doing all the way at Korano Strip?"
"He probably skipped class, not that I blame him. I'm really not in the mood to go back." Something immediately clicked in Kota's mind as he heard this. He'd seen someone leave school earlier today.
"If you want to walk out of the school and into a coma as well, be my guest."
"I'd actually consider it if it means that I don't have to listen to more of Mr Edogawa's nonsense." Despite the student's whining, the pair headed back to their classroom once they had finished up. Jaden looked at the pair with a frown while Akina's shoulders tensed up.
"Someone's suffering in that God awful place and those guys are making jokes like that?!" The girl kept her voice down to avoid unwanted attention but the disgust in her voice was impossible to miss. Both her and Jaden had troubling experiences while their Despair had a hold over them.
"I think I know who it is." The heads of his friends turned in his direction. The person could have been anyone that had left early, but he was somehow sure of it. Thinking back to the encounter he had in front of the Principal's office, the negativity that he sensed from the boy felt similar to that of Akina before she fell unconscious.
"It's Zaki Shodaru."