Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Persona: Wings of Liberation

Chapter 9

Preparations Part 1

4/16

Shujin Academy

Early Morning

Shiho and Kazuya were walking together. They heard all manner of gossip.

"Hey, I heard a rumor about the suicide attempt."

"Really?"

"You mean Mr Kamoshida sexually assaulted her?"

"I heard he was jealous about Yanagisawa being around Suzui-san."

"Wait, are Yanagisawa-san and Suzui-san dating each other?"

"Yeah, and that's why Mr Kamoshida called Suzui-san to his office."

"The guy from the rally saved her from her suicide attempt."

"She must have been through a lot."

"I hear that she was just being used by Mr Kamoshida so he could have a relationship with Takamaki-san."

"Wait, so does that mean the rumors about Takamaki-san are false?"

"I mean… she was seen with Mr Kamoshida."

"But then what about that criminal transfer student?"

"Yeah, I saw him following Takamaki-san."

"Seems like Misaki-san came through to us." Kazuya said, "Kamoshida must be panicking right now."

"Yeah…" Shiho said.

"Um… excuse me?"

They saw a woman with a camera.

"I heard rumors of an attempted suicide that happened in Shujin Academy." The woman said, "Is this true?"

Shiho wanted to tell the woman everything, but…

"Yes, something like that did happen." Kazuya said, "Someone caught her just as she was falling."

Shiho looked to Kazuya.

"Kazu-chan…" Shiho said.

"I see." The woman said, "And was there a reason for it?"

Kazuya was hesitant about it. He sighed after thinking about it.

"The poor girl was sexually assaulted and almost raped. She was physically abused at the school on top of that." Kazuya said, "But for all I know, that could just be another rumor."

"I see…" The woman said, "I'll just let you move on then."

"We appreciate it." Kazuya said, "Come on, let's go."

Principal's Office

Principal Kobayakawa was pissed off at Kamoshida and he had a very good reason for it. The rumors of that girl's attempted suicide yesterday and what Kamoshida did just the day before has been drawing concerns from all the parents who didn't know about these incidents and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep some of these parents quiet about these rumors. Not only that, the rumors had spread to the students. If these rumors reach the ears of the student council president and she investigates these rumors and confirms them, everything he worked for will be all for nothing.

And all because a certain someone couldn't help himself and thought he was invulnerable.

Someone like Mr Kamoshida.

"Do you have any idea how serious our situation has become?" Kobayakawa asked, "Do you have any idea at all, Mr Kamoshida?"

Kamoshida was confused and was sweating bullets.

"Sir, I—"

"I just got off the phone with someone who works in the Public Prosecutor's Office. The Public Prosecutor's Office, Mr Kamoshida." Kobayakawa said, "Did you know that our student council president's older sister works in the Public Prosecutor's Office? Did you know that?"

"S-Sir, what is this—"

Kobayakawa flashed a screen at Kamoshida and looked at him in anger.

"This is what is all about!" Kobayakawa said.

It was a news article that read:

Rumors of sexual assault in Shujin Academy followed by a suicide!

"What?" Kamoshida asked.

"Yeah, that's the same reaction I had when I found this all over the news! The media is beginning to come at our school to find out more about what happened within the span of two days." Kobayakawa said, "And I've been called by several parents concerning the whole thing! If this turns into a scandal, you may have just brought an abrupt end to this school, Kamoshida!"

"W-Wait! It's that Yanagisawa bastard! He started it! Not me!"

"I know you wouldn't be that stupid!" Kobayakawa said, "But I find it hard how a brat like him could have started a rumor like that when we don't even know the source of the leak!"

"Th-Then maybe it's—!"

"I don't want to hear another word out of you!" Kobayakawa said, "Until this whole thing blows over, you are to say absolutely nothing about these rumors! And you better not drag any students into that office of yours either, got that?!"

"Yes, sir! I—!"

"Then get out!"

Kamoshida left the room. Kobayakawa wiped his head with a handkerchief.

'God… I knew I shouldn't have hired Kamoshida… that idiot has no self-control whatsoever!' Kobayakawa thought, 'If this turns into a scandal and my involvement reaches his ears, I'll lose everything!'

Yes. God help him if this explodes into a scandal. He wouldn't have made it this far without the support of him. If he were to know of this in its entirety, all that support, all that money, all of it will be gone. Withdrawn from his bank account. He'll lose all his connections and his reputation will be ruined.

All because of this.

He just had to make sure no one, not even the student council president can do a thing about it.

Morning

Teacher's Office

"You two have become the talk of the school." Chouno said, "Everywhere I went you two were being talked about as if you two were a married couple or something like that."

"Well… given all that has happened…" Shiho paused.

"Ms Chouno, I've been meaning to ask, did… did you know about what Kamoshida has been doing and the Principal's involvement?" Kazuya asked, "I'm… I'm just asking."

Chouno sighed before she got up and hugged the two.

"M-Ms Chouno…" Shiho said.

"You kids… you kids don't deserve any of this." Chouno said, "If only that fat bastard wasn't the Principal…"

"Huh?" Kazuya asked, "Wait… you mean… you knew… and that there is more to this, correct?"

Chouno made a sharp gasp. Her face contorted to one of… pain and regret.

"Yeah…" Chouno said, "You could say that…"

"So… are you being threatened, then?" Kazuya asked.

Chouno pulled two in closer to her.

"Y-Yeah…" Chouno said, "The Principal… the only reason that fatass Kobayakawa even got that job was because he had a little 'help' getting the job."

The two students looked at Chouno with concern. She released the two. Chouno looked at the two with regret. She looked at them as if she felt nothing but regret.

"Kobayakawa… he… he was just the vice-principal back in the day before got help from someone to take his superior's position." Chouno said, "The old principal… he… he had a heart attack and just… died. That's how the public thinks of it. In reality, the old principal had been poisoned and the whole investigation into it was suddenly brought down and Kobayakawa became the principal. I was the only one to have found out what really happened and… no one would listen to me…"

"Is it… because of your skin tone?" Kazuya asked.

Chouno clenched her teeth. A finger of hers twitched.

"Well… when your skin color is a bit darker than everyone else's some people think you're hot and some just think you look like some ogre." Chouno said, "But that's not the only reason."

"It isn't?" Kazuya asked.

"The police that were investigating the case were bought out." Chouno said, "Another case of police bribery and obstruction of justice."

"And I bet he's not threatening everyone while Kamoshida is around." Kazuya said.

"Yeah, you could say some of them decided to take bribe money from the principal's big bank account." Chouno said, "Those who didn't ask for money or just didn't take it were either threatened and intimidated into submission or just kept quiet because they knew how pointless it was."

He felt like he was getting even closer to the truth behind all of this. He now knew some additional information. Firstly, the principal in charge of the school was formerly a vice-principal that was elevated to the current position thanks to help from an outside force. Secondly, the teachers were either being bribed or threatened to keep silent about Kamoshida's actions. He was going to have to look this all over when he gets home.

"Anyway… you two should go to class." Chouno said.

"Right." Kazuya and Shiho said.

Classroom 2-D

Morning

Kawakami got into the classroom and breathed in and out.

"I know all of you are still shocked by the attempted suicide from yesterday and that you heard rumors about what happened to that girl on the day before, but, be mindful about what you say in front of the media." Kawakami said, "I know some of you are worried about what has happened in school lately, but know that we, the teachers, are doing our best to get to the bottom of this."

"Get to the bottom of this? It's obvious what happened!"

"Yeah, I bet the teachers knew what Kamoshida did to that girl."

"They could have stopped that girl from trying to kill herself!"

Kawakami sighed.

'God… I don't even know what's going on anymore…' Kawakami thought, 'I really hope these rumors go away… so I can just do my job in peace…'

Ann leaned back towards Ren.

"Man… Ms Kawakami must have it rough…" Ann said quietly, "The rumors about Shiho's attempted suicide and what Kamoshida did and almost did to her is spreading fast…"

"It must be hard for her, given everything that has happened." Ren said.

Their phones vibrated. They pulled their phones out and saw a text conversation.

Kazuya: Guys, I got some new information from Ms Chouno. It's about the Principal.

Ryuji: Turns out, the fat ass is even worse than Kamoshida! He got his job because someone helped him ice the old principal and bumped that bastard up into his current position!

Shiho: He's even threatening some of the teachers to keep quiet about Kamoshida's actions while bribing others to keep quiet.

Ann: How horrible! How can a man like him be the principal of our school?!

Ryuji: I know, right?! It's making me so mad!

Ren: It's unbelievable.

Kazuya: In any case, we should probably just make preparations for the operation.

Ryuji: Operation?

Ren: For stealing Kamoshida's heart.

Ryuji: Oh… oh yeah…

Shiho: Oh yeah… we have until May 2nd to change his heart before Amamiya-kun, Ryuji-kun, Mishima-kun, and Kazu-chan get expelled because that's right after the board meeting.

Ann: That gives us two weeks to change his heart starting next monday.

Ryuji: Ok then, we need a hideout then. Anyone got any suggestions?

Shiho: Well, there is the roof.

No one sent a text message after Shiho made that suggestion.

Shiho: I promise I won't go near the edge.

Ann: Good. You gave us all a heart attack when you did.

Shiho: Besides, it's quiet and no one really goes up there.

"The roof, huh?" Morgana said, "That'd be the perfect hideout."

Ren: Morgana says it's the perfect spot.

Kazuya: No one will even know we went up there.

Ryuji: Ok, so that leaves us with weapons and supplies.

Shiho: Wait, weapons?

Ren: Ryuji handed me and Kazuya a pair of model guns when we went into the Palace just a day after the 11th. When we entered the Palace with them, they seemed to actually fire off bullets like real guns.

Shiho: So… we can use guns in that whacky other world without any problems? I mean… that's good for us, but…

Ryuji: I can lead Ren to where I got the model guns.

Ann: So what about our supplies?

Sophia: Well… we have the vending machines we could use.

Ryuji: Well you took your sweet time…

Sophia: I was trying to find a way to communicate with you guys.

Ann: The vending machines won't be enough. We need medical supplies.

Kazuya: Noted.

Ren: I'll go with Ryuji after school ends.

Kazuya: And what should I do?

Ren: Well… supplies and weapons aside, I heard about a back-alley clinic in Yongen-Jaya. You should scope it out.

Kazuya: Understood.

Classroom 2-E

Afternoon

Kawakami was teaching the class about Japanese.

"I'm sure all of us are still shocked over what happened, but let me all remind you that we still have a class to run." Kawakami said, "Sakamoto, do you mind telling me what is the difference between the kanji for bird and crow?"

"Wha—? Uh… um…"

Ryuji leaned towards Kazuya.

"Dude, help me out…" Ryuji whispered, "My Japanese is kinda bad…"

"You can't tell the difference between the kanji for crow and bird?" Sophia said quietly.

"It's the eye." Kazuya said silently.

"The eye?"

"Just go with it."

Ryuji leaned away from Kazuya.

"The uh… eye?" Ryuji asked.

Kawakami looked impressed.

"Huh… I thought you wouldn't get it." Kawakami said, "In any case, yes. The main difference is the 'eye' where there either is or isn't an additional horizontal stroke. The symbols may look exactly the same, but there's just that one subtle stroke you might miss."

Ryuji sighed in relief.

"Crows symbolize a transformation or change. They have also been noted to be watchful birds that have incredible foresight." Kawakami said, "I'm sure that all of you have changed somewhat for those who went to Shujin last year."

"There is no way Sun Wukong over there got it right like that!"

"Yeah, his Japanese is questionable at best!"

"Yeah, he's not that smart."

"Jeez, a little something positive wouldn't hurt…" Ryuji said, "Thanks for the save though."

"No problem." Kazuya said.

Yongen-Jaya

After School

Kazuya and Shiho were in Yongen-Jaya, trying to locate the clinic. They kept walking until they saw Misaki carrying groceries.

"Hey! Misaki-san!" Kazuya said.

The pair went over to Misaki.

"Oh great… what do you want, kid?" Misaki asked, "And why is your girlfriend with you?"

"Uh… no. We're not dating." Shiho said, shaking her head, "Do you know of a back-alley clinic?"

"A clinic? Wait, you can't be talking about that clinic, right?"

"You know of it?" Kazuya asked.

"Yeah… I know the crazy bitch who runs it." Misaki said, "In fact, I saw her walking around a while ago."

"You did?"

"She's this goth named Tae Takemi." Misaki said, "She… she got me to drink some weird stuff for her 'clinical trials' and… I don't want to talk about it, especially after I just ate."

"Then why are you buying groceries?"

"Because sometimes, a woman has a bottomless stomach!" Misaki said, "You think you're full but then your stomach tells you it wants more! Or maybe it was that weird stuff she made me drink…"

"Well, I'm an athlete and I exercise a lot, so—"

"Girl, just cause you're an athlete don't mean anything when it comes to having a stomach the size of a black hole…" Misaki said, "Why are you even interested in going near there?"

"I just wanted to know if there was a doctor I could go to in case I felt sick or anything." Kazuya said.

Misaki looked relieved.

"You know, for a second there, I thought you'd take her clinical trials." Misaki said.

"Oh! A thought just crossed my mind!" Shiho said, "Kazuya, do you have a job?"

"What? No. The kid doesn't have a job." Misaki said, "Why are you asking, anyways?"

"Well… he needs to make money to buy his own things, right?" Shiho asked.

"Hm… well… having a job is part of growing up after all." Misaki said, "Though, he's not ready to work in my place, but I think you could find a job with some of the magazines in Shibuya."

"Alright, thanks!" Shiho said, "Let's go, Kazu-chan!"

"Sure." Kazuya said.

Shibuya

Central Street

The boys made it to Shibuya's central street. The street had a bookstore, a DVD rental shop, a beef bowl restaurant, an arcade, a fast-food restaurant, and a movie theater at the end of the street. They took a left to an alley to find a shop with a sign saying:

Untouchable Airsofts

"Untouchable…" Ren said.

"It's where I got the guns." Ryuji said, "Simply put, it's a shop for model guns run by this guy who's kinda just… well… when I came here, let's just say he kinda felt shady."

"In what kind of way?" Morgana asked.

"I don't know. I just got the guns and then bounced after paying up the money." Ryuji said.

"Well, this is going to be interesting then." Ren said.

Ren and Ryuji entered the shop. There was a man by the counter. He wore a gray hat with yellow ear defenders, a black turtleneck sweater, a long gray coat with a red peace symbol on it. That's all they could see behind the counter as he was sitting down. Judging by the air in here, he'd have to be wearing jeans and some shoes at least. The man looked to be middle-aged. He had a faint stubble, gray hair, and what looked like a gecko tattoo on his neck. He had a lollipop in his mouth.

He had a surly feeling around him as far as Ren could tell.

"Are you the manager here?" Ren asked.

"Yeah, that would be me—wait."

The man looked at Ryuji.

"It's you." The man said, "Is he a friend of yours?"

"Uh… um… yeah! Friends! We are totally friends!" Ryuji said, "My friend here was uh… hoping he'd take a look at the goods you got in here."

"Is that so?" The surly manager asked.

"Yeah, mind showing me your inventory?" Ren asked.

"Whoa there," the surly manager said, "what are you buying them for?"

"What am I buying them for?" Ren asked, "Well… I'm a bit of a collector of model guns."

"A collector of model guns?" The surly manager asked, "Is that so?"

"Yeah." Ren said, "Can I take a look?"

The manager scowled a bit, but then he had a smile on his face.

"Alright, but you better not be pulling a prank with these things, got it?" The manager asked.

"Thanks." Ren said.

The manager pulled out a book. Before Ren could touch it, the manager held his hand out.

"What are you into?" The manager asks.

"Oh, well my friend here is a fan of shotguns." Ren said, pointing to Ryuji, "Me? I'm more of a pistol person. I also got a guy who likes slingshots."

Ryuji leaned to Ren's ear and whispered something to him.

"I also got some other friends who are into SMGs and crossbows." Ren said.

"Well then, I got just what you need then." The manager said, "Look around and tell me what you like."

Ren began to look through the book. He bought whatever he was looking for using the money he had. He had Ryuji carry the bag with the guns inside.

"Alright, thanks for everything." Ren said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The manager said, "Just go."

Ren and Ryuji left the store. Ren pulled his phone out.

Ren: We got the weapons. How are things on your end?

Kazuya: There's a clinic in Yongen-Jaya. I think the owner goes to Leblanc. Her name is Tae Takemi. She might have the supplies we need.

Ren: Good, I'll keep that in mind.

"So, a clinic in Yongen…" Ryuji said.

"I'll have to go there tomorrow." Ren said, "I'll contact all of you when I get the supplies."

"Sure." Ryuji said, "Oh, and take the weapons."

Ren took them from Ryuji.

"We'll head to the station and head home." Ren said.

Shibuya

Underground Walkway

After School

Kazuya was flipping through job magazines hoping to find a part-time job he can do. There were multiple jobs to take. There was one at a flower shop, a beef bowl restaurant, and a convenience store.

"Seriously? These are the only jobs left?" Shiho asked, "Well, at least you're getting paid some good money at least."

"Indeed…" Kazuya said, "Well… I haven't worked in a convenience store, maybe I'll work there."

"Hmm… good idea." Shiho said, "Go ahead and call them."

He looked at the convenience store's phone number. The store was called 777. He was surprised to know that the phone number had 777 at the middle part of the phone number. He dialed up the number and held the phone to his ear.

"777 speaking."

"Hello, I just called about a job opening that just came up." Kazuya said "It was on this magazine and—"

"Oh? Ok. You know where the store is?"

Kazuya looked at the address. It was on Shibuya's central street.

"Central street." Kazuya said.

"Alright, then, I'll just need a name."

"Kazuya. Kazuya Yanagisawa."

"Alright, that settles it! We'll be happy to have you work with us."

"Thank you." Kazuya said, '777… I can work there during the day. Guess I should go there now.'

He hung up.

"Alright, I'm going to work." Kazuya said.

"R-Right now?!" Shiho asked.

"Yes." Kazuya said.

"Shiho."

The two turned to find Ann walking over to them.

"Ah, Ann, I was hoping you'd come." Kazuya said, "Could you watch over Shiho for me?"

"Huh? What for?" Ann asked.

"Kazuya's going to work at a convenience store." Shiho said.

"Huh?"

"Right after he decided to work there and after he called them."

"Huh?!"

"We need money." Kazuya said.

"Oh yeah… right." Ann said, "If we don't have any money, we can't buy any gear or items for when we go into Palaces."

"That's correct." Kazuya said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to work."

Kazuya began to walk up the stairs leading out to the square. Ann looked at Shiho. Shiho had a look in her eyes. Ann could tell she was looking at Kazuya. Ann walked over to Shiho.

"You know, I'm glad that I met him and became his friend." Shiho said, "He's been through a lot…"

"Yeah… I mean… he lost his parents, right?" Ann asked.

Shiho nodded, "Yes… but that wasn't the whole story…"

Ann looked confused.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Ann asked.

Shiho took a deep breath and exhaled. She looked at Ann with a sort of saddened expression on her face. There were hints of sympathy on her face and posture. She made eye contact with Ann.

"Well… after the rally, we went to this karaoke place and we had a conversation." Shiho said, "He already knew about my knee and my situation and… He told me everything about himself."

Ann raised a brow.

"Everything?" Ann asked.

"Yes…" Shiho said, "When we left school, we ran into his brother. His name was Naoya. At first, he introduced himself as Kazuya's "cousin", but Kazuya… he knew that it was a smokescreen to keep me from knowing that they were actually brothers."

Ann now looked curious.

"Wait, so you met his brother who pretended to be his cousin just so you wouldn't know that the two were brothers." Ann said, "What about Kazuya?"

"He… he went along with it." Shiho said, "He really didn't want me to know about his brother…"

"And… why's that?" Ann asked.

When Ann asked that, Shiho took a deep breath. She exhaled and looked into Ann's eyes.

"His brother… his brother abandoned him when he lost his parents…"

That sent shock running up Ann's spine. It made her gasp and looked horrified.

"I know… that's how I reacted when he told me." Shiho said, "His brother not only abandoned him, he just… he called him useless and… at that point, Kazuya became really heartbroken…"

"Shiho…" Ann said.

"He was in a lot of pain as he told me everything about his past." Shiho said, "He… he was clutching his chest as he tried to hold himself together from letting his own emotions out…"

Ann was beginning to understand why Kazuya wasn't open about his past or his feelings. Doing that would mean that he would have had to let out his emotions as well as the emotional pain he kept bottled up inside. Looking back into his past brought nothing more than pain to his heart. The pain must have been great enough to cause him physical pain.

Shiho began to sob. She hugged Ann in a quick moment.

"His relatives… they… they tried to help him, but… they… they couldn't do anything to help him…" Shiho said, "They got him into school, took him to a therapist, gave him some medicine, and nothing worked…"

Ann needed to take this all in. This was a lot and she couldn't believe that all this time, Kazuya had been abandoned by his own brother following the death of his own parents and that his relatives tried to help him, only to come up short. It… it couldn't get any worse, could it?

"Shiho… did… did he become suicidal?" Ann asked, feeling her gut wrenching from popping the question.

"He… he tried to kill himself at some point…" Shiho said.

Ann gasped in shock. Kazuya attempting suicide? Wait, he knew Shiho would try to kill herself. Now that she thought about it, could it be that the reason he saved Shiho from killing herself was because he once tried to end his own life?

"Shiho… did he save you because he—"

"Because he knew what it was like to want to die?" Shiho interrupted, "Well… now I think that was partially the reason…"

"Partially?" Ann asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Shiho stopped sobbing.

"Well… he told me that he never made a single friend until now and when I became his friend, I guess I must have given him something to hold onto." Shiho said, "Something like hope or love…"

"I… I think I get it now…" Ann said with a sympathetic look on her face, "He was afraid that he'd lose all of that if you had killed yourself."

"Yeah…" Shiho said, "I guess he didn't want to go through all of that ever again…"

"The pain that comes with losing someone you love… the pain of living without that person in your life…" Ann said, "He must have cried himself to sleep since his brother abandoned him…"

"Yeah… I thought so, too." Shiho said, "If he hadn't come to Shujin… if he hadn't met any of us… he wouldn't have any friends… he'd…"

"Yeah…" Ann said.

The two broke the hug. Shiho wiped her tears off.

"I heard from Kazu-kun that Amamiya-kun was arrested on a false assault charge." Shiho said, "Is it true?"

Ann looked sympathetic before she looked angered.

"Yeah, it is." Ann said, "Some drunk asshole was harassing a woman and Ren decided to help the woman out."

Ann balled up her fists tightly, making her fingers dig into her palms. Her rage began to heat up.

"He helped someone and he gets a criminal record slapped onto him thanks to that false assault charge." Ann said, "And Kamoshida… he played off of Ren's criminal record to make it seem like Ren really was a dangerous criminal!"

"Ann…" Shiho said.

"I can't believe that there are people like that and no one is doing anything to either stop these people or help people like us who get exploited by bastards like them!" Ann said, "Ren didn't deserve to have his life ruined like that! Kazuya didn't deserve to go through all of that terrible stuff! It's unfair that it happened to kids like us and that no one can do anything about it!"

Ann breathed in and out. She began to slow her breathing. She took in deep breaths. She felt calmer now.

"I'm sorry Shiho, I just… I just get so angry when I think about it." Ann said, "Say… do you want to change the subject?"

"Hm… yeah, let's do that." Shiho said, "So… how's your hobby?"

"My hobby?" Ann asked, "Oh, you mean my modeling hobby?"

"Yeah, how is that?" Shiho asked.

Ann sighed and looked a bit down.

"Well… whenever I think about it now, I can't help but blame my hobby for having Kamoshida go after us." Ann said, "Aside from that, I'm not sure I seriously want to be a model."

"Why do you think that?" Shiho asked.

"Let's just say there is a lot of work involved with being a model." Ann said, "I have to make sure that I have a nice figure, I have to take care of my skin, and I have to be careful with what I eat."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you had a sweet tooth." Shiho said, "Want to go grab some crepes?

Ann looked excited.

"Do I ever!" Ann said, "Lead the way!"

"With pleasure!" Shiho said.

The girls began to make their way upstairs.

Elsewhere…

Naoya was looking at a woman who had just entered his office. The woman had long brown hair with a chain-like hair accessory and light olive green eyes. She wore a white trench coat, light blue shirt with white stripes and black jeans. Her name was Kuon Ichinose. She was an AI researcher and one of Naoya's confidants. He had something that she wanted and she had something that he wanted. He wanted her help in his psientific research while she wanted his help in understanding the human heart.

The two went to the same university together. He considered her a strange anomaly. At first, he thought of her as some heartless woman. But in actuality, she was just a woman who fundamentally believes that she is just an emotionless doll. He found her to be quite intriguing. When he found out that she was also studying cognitive psience, he felt like he needed her research. He told her of the Metaverse and said that he would help her understand the human heart if she helped him with his research. The two combined their research notes and made more progress than Naoya thought possible.

He told her of his life experiences, his knowledge about human psychology, his knowledge on the Metaverse and what each Palace represents, and even about the existence of Shadows and Personae to help further her understanding.

She was hoping to take all of this knowledge in developing an AI program that could essentially become a god and grant humanity's wishes.

"So, what Palace did you go into this time?" Kuon asked.

"It was a castle." Naoya said, "A castle of lust, ruled by a perverted gym teacher who sees himself as a king and that all who are beneath him as his slaves."

"Hm… interesting." Kuon said, "And where is it?"

"Interestingly enough, I found it at Shujin Academy, the school that my brother goes to." Naoya said, "And the one that Alice graduated from."

"Really?" Kuon asked, "That's even more interesting. So what about the Palace ruler? What is he like?"

Naoya sighed.

"A disappointment." Naoya said begrudgingly, "The man acts bold, thinking he is a king, but the minute I display my true power, he cowers before me."

"Uh-Huh…" Kuon said, "Then why don't you just kill him?"

"I wish I could." Naoya said, "But he is necessary for the game to go on."

He rubbed his chin, trying to think about something else to discuss.

"Remember that creation of yours? The one I had found? The one you threw away?"

Upon hearing that question, she looked at him with a crossed expression.

"Why are you bringing it up?"

"I had it installed into my brother's phone." Naoya said, "Your Sophia is looking after my little brother."

"And why did you do that?"

"Because I needed someone to protect my brother whenever he enters the Metaverse." Naoya said, "Besides, you designed her to be an assistant AI. If she's doing as she was programmed to do, then must have been a great deal of assistance to my brother."

"..."

She turned around and left his room. Naoya merely sighed. He turned to the window and thought back to the day his parents died. He could remember the person who was responsible for his father and mother's demise. He has witnessed it first hand in the Metaverse.

The killer was dressed in black. The face concealed by an enclosed helmet with a black mask tinted red that adorned a sharp beak. The head was much like that of a crow. He gave the killer a name that he would remember him by.

Black Crow.

He had not forgotten the killer. He could never forget nor forgive. But above all that, he could never forgive society for how arrogant and indolent it truly was. He will have his vengeance one day, that he knows. But for now, the game was what mattered the most.

Kazuya

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