Chapter Three: Castle of Lust
Sojiro is understandably bitter when the pair arrive at Leblanc, too late to reasonably open shop for the day. Akira lets her eyes wander to the kitchen behind the counter before speaking up.
"Sakura-san, may I be allowed to use Leblanc's kitchen?" She asks softly.
Sojiro turns with a raised eyebrow, before shrugging and reaching back to scratch behind his head. "Guess it wouldn't be fair to ask you to wait for me to provide food for you… Hm." His chin dips to his chest as he mulls something over. He nods to himself and raises his head to meet her eyes. "Alright, you can use the kitchen. But in exchange, you're going to help me around the shop. I'll teach you how to make the curry we serve around here; don't want you using up all my ingredients, after all."
Akira smiles to herself. He gets free labor and she learns his cooking techniques? Win-win. "It's a deal, then."
They shake hands, and Akira blinks as time seems to freeze around her.
I am thou, thou art I…
A girl's voice echoes in her mind. It almost sounds like the twins from her dream of Igor, but not quite.
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the sound of rebellion
that heraldeth thy age of salvation.
With the birth of the Hierophant Arcana,
I have obtained the song of blessing that
shall sing of freedom and new power…
Akira blinks again, and Sojiro's releasing her hand. "Alright, let me show you the basics of our curry."
Akira nods, and looks forward to her curry dinner.
After learning Sojiro's basic curry—his instructions were thorough, but it was difficult to concentrate while having to rush about the kitchen as he ordered her around—he follows her up to the attic and reaches into his back pocket. "Here, this is for you."
He hands her a small leather-bound booklet. "It's a journal, for your probation. I've gotta make reports to your probation officer, so this'll be for your sake and mine."
Akira's lips purse at the thought of having to be so meticulous about her days, but she smiles regardless. "Thank you, Sakura-san."
Sojiro smirks. "Just call me Boss. Everyone does, and you're wasting the pleasantries. You might be a troublemaking punk, but I've seen you play nice, and I think I prefer it if you'd be honest with me instead."
Akira lets her smiles twist into a smirk that fits her face better. "Got it, Boss. Thanks for the cooking lesson, and I'll make sure to leave this little thing filled with all the neat and clean details of my time here."
Sojiro huffs a chuckle. "That's more like it. That good girl act of yours isn't bad, but it doesn't suit you. Don't go lying to me about what you put in that journal, got it?" He finishes with a stern glare.
Akira nods. "Don't worry, Boss. I'm not stupid and neither are you. I'll warn you ahead of time if I end up writing anything you wouldn't want to read in public."
Sojiro's glare narrows into something sharper. "I don't care what you get up to as long as it's legal. If I find out you're taking money—"
Akira rolls her eyes. "I'm out of the business, Boss. And I'm not going back. Not now, not ever."
"That's what I like to hear," he says with a nod. "I'm headed home, so make sure you get to sleep early. You've got your first day of school tomorrow."
"Lovely. At least that lardass isn't a teacher," she quips.
"Heh, what a piece of work that guy was. See ya."
"Night, Boss."
Akira heads over to her desk and looks over her notes for the upcoming classes. Shujin's coursework was basic enough that she just had to amend some of her notes from her old school. She'd still go through the textbooks in the library tomorrow.
She puts down the journal Sojiro gave her and records her dream and her introduction to Shujin. Hopefully Sojiro doesn't ask any tough questions about why two little girls were standing outside a prison cell. Akira makes a note more for herself to keep an eye out for her new homeroom teacher. Whatever it is Kawakami-sensei is getting up to, Akira isn't going to ignore what's clearly become bad habits for the woman. A healthy teacher means happy students, after all.
Before bed, Akira idly wonders if she'll actually stand to learn anything of value at Shujin. Given what she's seen today, she isn't going to go getting her hopes up.
The weather turns south on Akira's way out of Aoyama-Itchome's subway station. She scoffs at the bad omen on her first day of school as she ducks under an awning, hoping for a break in the rain to keep moving towards Shujin. She checks her phone's navigation app, but a bright red pop-up covers her screen. Clicking her tongue, Akira just palms her phone at her side and waits.
And then someone steps under the awning with her.
It takes Akira a moment to notice she isn't alone, but when she does she sees a girl in a jacketed Shujin uniform pulling off her hood to reveal fluffy blonde pigtails. Her roots are clear; it's her natural color. She catches Akira staring and looks at her with clear blue eyes. Akira can only blink in surprise at the half-Japanese beauty she's run into.
"Good morning." A familiar tone of voice immediately ruins Akira's still-turbulent mood. She turns a glare to the man who's pulled up next to the girls, leaning towards the open window of his car with a glint in his eyes that Akira knows all too well. "Want me to give you a ride to school? You're gonna be late."
Akira is about to tell this creep off when the girl next to her finds her words, "Um, sure-" Akira puts an arm out across the girl's chest to stop her. "Huh?"
Akira bares her teeth, "Keep walking, John. She's not in."
The hopeful creep narrows his eyes, his face contorting into a sour expression that suits his massive chin far better than the fake smile he'd offered earlier. "Don't need a lift? I'd be happy to take you, too."
"Not. Interested," Akira growls. They're all the fucking same.
The guy scoffs, and leans back in his seat before driving off, the window sliding up in the rain.
"Wow, that was…"
Akira turns to the student she'd just saved from getting in a stranger's car, prepared to give her a proper Stranger Danger speech, but blinks in surprise when the girl looks up at her with a mix of relief and confusion.
"Not that I'm not grateful, but you do know that was Kamoshida-sensei, right?"
Akira blinks, and opens her mouth to respond when a new voice rushes in.
"Screw that pervy teacher!" Another blond, this one noticeably dyed, stumbles on the sidewalk as if chasing after the John's car. He turns to them and smirks, his expression suitably goofy to match the graphic tee he's wearing in spite of dress code. "You alright, Takamaki? Who's this chick?"
"I'm fine, Sakamoto," The girl, Takamaki, says with a huff. "I didn't really want to ride with him anyways, but don't drag me into your beef with Kamoshida-sensei."
"That guy was a teacher?" Akira finally asks, doubt raising her eyebrow up under her bangs.
"You for real?" The punk kid, Sakamoto, asks. "You are from Shujin, yeah?"
"Just transferred."
"Guess that explains it," he mutters, scratching at the back of his head.
"Why even ask if she's from Shujin? She's actually in her uniform, you know!" Takamaki crosses her arms. "Shouldn't you get going? The school already doesn't like you enough as it is."
"Gah, you're totally right! Later Takamaki, see ya tall girl!" Sakamoto throws a wave behind him as he sprints off towards the school, favoring his left leg as he moves.
"Sorry about that guy, he's just a troublemaker," Takamaki says with a sigh.
"You two friends? You seemed close."
"Who, me and Sakamoto?" Takamaki blinks. "I mean, we knew each other since middle school, but we haven't really talked in a few months. He's," Takamaki stops, trailing off. "Let's just say he has issues, and leave it at that."
Akira nods in understanding. She knows what it's like to have issues, and be shunned for them. "Seriously though, that John was a teacher?"
"Ja-ahn?" Takamaki sounds the word out, cocking her head in confusion. "That's English, right? His name's not John, it's Kamoshida Suguru. He's the volleyball coach at Shujin Academy."
Akira's eyes narrow. "Does he pull that kind of stunt often?"
Takamaki awkwardly shifts in place. "...yeah. He's uh, just trying to be nice. You know how it is."
Akira shakes her head. "Takamaki-kun, if that's John's way of being nice, I don't even wanna know what he looks like when gets mean."
Takamaki snorts a laugh, "You sound so much like Ryuji!" She stops, "That's Sakamoto's given name, by the way. He's got so many problems at Shujin, but pretty much all of them start with Kamoshida. He's always going on and on about how sensei acts like the king of the castle."
Akira grins, ignoring the buzzing of her phone in her hand. "Ryuji-kun sounds like my kind of guy."
Takamaki stares for a moment and smiles. "You really are a bad girl, huh?"
Akira shrugs, "I'm just me, not going to lie about it. To a friend, at least."
Takamaki's smile drops to a surprised gape. "You… want to be friends?"
"Is that so wrong?"
"No, no, I just—" Takamaki waves her hands out but stops with a wince. Akira feels a rush of lightheadedness as well, and makes a grab for the crown of her head. "Ugh, what was that? Nevermind, we should get going. I chewed out Sakamoto but we shouldn't try being late either."
"Lead the way," Akira says with a nod, slipping her phone into her pocket before she could see the pulsing red glow on its screen.
The rain had stopped.
It's strange that Akira only notices as they slip into an alley on the way to Shujin. But the rain had stopped at some point while she'd been talking to Takamaki and Sakamoto.
And now it's strangely quiet.
The hustle and bustle of Aoyama-Itchome has dimmed to an eerie buzzing of noises that Akira hasn't associated with the big city. It almost reminds her of the sounds of Nakai at night. The scuttling of things scurrying in the shadows.
"What the hell?!" Takamaki screeches ahead of Akira, and she turns away from scanning dark corners forward to see—
"What the fuuuuuuuck…" Akira gapes as, in place of Shujin Academy, where she'd been yesterday, stood an enormous, medieval European castle.
"What happened to our school?!" Takamaki screams, looking around frantically. Her eyes stop at the golden placard at the castle gates, reading 'SHUJIN ACADEMY' in plain Japanese. So uh. There'd been some remodelling. And expanding. In one day.
"This is crazy," Akira mutters.
"Come on, we need to go get help." Takamaki turns around and grabs Akira by the wrist. She'd normally pull away and snap at someone getting handsy like that, but Akira lets it slide since they're both understandably panicked. Takamaki drags her towards the massive doors to the castle, which swing open invitingly, but very ominously. Especially with the violent creaking sound that groans out from the rusting hinges.
"What is this place?! This isn't the school!" Takamaki shouts into the large entry hall around us, the floor covered in a thick red carpet over checkerboard tiling, the interior of the castle as lavishly decorated as the exterior implied. Chandeliers and bannisters, suits of armor and… is that a painting?
"Isn't that the John?" Akira points to the portrait of a screaming Kamoshida brandishing a sword on horseback.
"What's going on here?!" Takamaki finally releases Akira's wrist to throw her fists at her sides. "If this is some kind of joke, Kamoshida, it isn't funny!"
"Princess!" A hollow voice echoes metallically, and a hulking suit of armor stomps towards them.
"You! Where are we, and why are you wearing that crazy thing?" Ann jabs a finger at the apparent knight beelining towards her.
Akira steps forward, pulling the blonde back, "Takamaki-kun, I don't—"
"Princess, how did you escape from your chambers?" The knight asks, apparently ignoring her questions. Another suit of armor trundles forth, this time towards Akira.
"Has she acquired a new handmaiden?"
"Alert King Kamoshida at once! The princess and her handmaiden will be waiting in the lounge hall." The first knight moves in closer, and Akira pushes Ann behind her.
"Back off, creep!" She brings her foot down and slams the wide heel of her shoe into the top of the guy's foot. Her eyes go wide as it bounces back harmlessly off the knight's metal boots.
"She'll have to be restrained."
"Knock her out, but don't harm the princess!"
The knight reaches out an arm faster than Akira can react, grabbing her by the elbow. "Let her go—h-hey! Let me go!" Akira can hear Takamaki say, likely struggling herself. Akira pulls back, only for something to crash into the back of her skull. She stumbles, trying to blink the stars out of her eyes before she feels another impact, and everything goes black.
This is truly an unjust game… Your chances of winning are almost none.
But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be another possibility open to you…
"...wake up…"
Akira dreams of darkness, and a crystal blue butterfly.
"...God, please wake up…! Please don't be dead!"
Akira groans, and shifts in place. She stirs, finding herself on the floor as she sits up, clutching at her face as her probable concussion pounds at the back of her eyes.
"Oh, thank goodness. Get me down from here!"
Akira looks up from where she is on the floor and sees Takamaki chained up to an X-shaped cross. She scrambles to her feet and rushes over, looking for some way to get her loose.
"What happened? Talk to me, Takamaki-kun," Akira says as she fiddles with the shackles, not finding any obvious weaknesses to exploit.
"You were out for maybe an hour? I can't tell. Those freaks chained me up here in this… disgusting room!"
Akira steps away from the cross, frustration digging under her nails with her other fingers as she turns to look around the room, hoping to find something she could pick the locks with. Her anger turns to horror as she sees writhing, faceless bodies strewn about the ground where she'd been unconscious moments before. Pink-hued feminine figures with bowl cut hairstyles, all topless and wearing gym shorts, moaning with uncanny timber since none of them have mouths. Akira shudders in disgust and, maybe if she were ready to admit it, fear.
"What kind of sex dungeon is this?" She mutters in shock.
"SEX DUNGEON?!" Takamaki immediately starts to panic. "Oh God, I don't wanna be here, I do not want to be here! Get me down?!"
"I'm trying! I don't have anything to pick the locks—"
"No one's allowed to do as they please in my castle," a warbling, reverberated voice proclaims loudly as the doors to this disgusting room open wide.
"Kamoshida?! Is this some sick joke? Let us go! And… what are you wearing?!" Takamaki rambles in a furious, squicked panic.
Kamoshida, or at least, Akira assumes it's the same Kamoshida, steps into the room flanked by knights, decked out in nothing but a small golden crown (that matches his disturbingly golden eyes), a fuzzy red heart-patterned cape… and a speedo, whenever the cape lifts up.
"That's some dressing, John. You're even sicker than I had you figured for," Akira spits, standing protectively in front of Takamaki.
"Is that how you speak to a king? You two don't seem to understand the position you're in at all." Kamoshida sneers at Takamaki, clearly not impressed with what he sees. "Guards, I can't believe you mistook this tramp for my Ann!" The suits of armor, which, now that Akira has a normal man to compare them to, are far too large and misshapen to be regular guys, bow their heads in shame, spouting apologies.
"Your Ann?! Wh-what are you talking about?! And that outfit… have you lost your mind?"
Kamoshida simply laughs. "I do as I please here. After all, this is my castle… the world of my desires."
"Desires…? Is this some kind of… red-light district?!"
"No red-light district I've ever been to, and certainly not in Aoyama-Itchome," Akira says.
Kamoshida steps closer, and Akira matches him. "Hm? Are you accepting your place among my harem, girlie?" Kamoshida grins. "I'll admit, such a… lively and assertive handmaiden would fit in quite nicely—"
Akira doesn't let him finish his disgusting fantasies before she's kicked him straight in the dick.
Kamoshida grunts and doubles over, falling back on his caped ass. "You bitch! You sneak into my castle, and commit the crime of assaulting me—the king!" He looks up at her with a grin, and Akira prepares to give him a second helping. "Usually, the punishment for that would be death… but I like that feisty attitude of yours. Guards!" Akira can't get a good stomp in before she's being rushed by the knights again, who restrain her up against the wall in their literal iron grips.
"Hey! Let her go, you monsters!" Takamaki Ann screams, and Akira smiles glumly as she realizes that she was right to want to be friends with someone so kind. She's strung up on a cross and she's worried about little ol' Aki-chan—
Kamoshida cocks his head at Ann, staring blankly, "What a lively slave."
"This isn't funny! Enough of the bullshit, Kamoshida!"
"The girl's decided to tell me off. I have no need of her with my princess at my beck and call, but…" Kamoshida shakes his head. "There's no reason I shouldn't have a little fun before her execution." Another guard steps forward, brandishing a comically oversized longsword. "Now then, how should I play with you? Shall I… tear you into little pieces?"
Ann looks about ready to cry. "Are you kidding me…?"
"TAKAMAKI!" Akira screams. Come on, look at her, asshole, not the blonde.
Kamoshida rolls his eyes and his neck and turns back to Akira. "Just sit back and enjoy the dismantlement show." Akira spits at him, and he stalks forward, craning his neck like a bird of prey. "Or are you saying you'd rather take her place?" Whatever he's hoping to see on Akira's face, she doesn't give him. He snarls, "That look in your eyes irritates me!" The air is forced out of Akira's lungs as he kicks her straight in the stomach.
The knights adjust their grip, holding Akira against the wall by her shoulders. "Don't you dare touch her, you sick fuck!" Akira shouts, trying to push off of the metal arms holding her down.
Kamoshida rolls his neck again, turning his back to her and looking over his shoulder at her out of the corner of his eye. "Didn't I tell you? Enjoy the show, because it's your turn next."
"No!" Ann presses back into the cross she's chained to, a primal fear blowing her eyes wide. "D-don't!"
"Maybe I'll start with her clothes~"
Are you going to stand there and watch?
"NGH!" Akira gags as a voice cuts through her brain, sending her already spinning head into a throbbing fervor.
If you do nothing, she will die… or worse.
Akira struggles and pushes against the knights. She has to move; she has to make it STOP!
You are but a slandered and disgraced whore… but does that make you powerless? Were you powerless then?
The images flash unbidden in Akira's mind. The drunk, the girl, his sneer behind the blood.
"I wasn't… I'm NOT!" She growls under her breath, fury bubbling in her chest… along with something else. She looks up at Kamoshida, eyeing Ann like a piece of meat, and Akira knows she has to stop him. Just like before.
Good. Your resolve is unchanged.
That 'something' pulses in Akira's chest like a heartbeat, and it hurts. It hurts like a heart attack might, like something is crawling its way out of her. She doesn't know what sounds she's making, but her muscles twitch and creak in desperate need of release.
Swear this oath… I am thou, thou art I… Thou art willing to sacrifice thine innocence for the sake of others!
Akira screams. She can feel it bubbling up inside her, something dark, something powerful.
Grab thy blade, little harlot. It is time FOR HEADS TO ROLL!
Kamoshida reaches out to Ann.
"Let go of her!" Akira cries.
Kamoshida turns, and Akira grins as she feels the power settle inside her, like the calm before the storm, ready to be unleashed. "You desire to be disciplined that much? Fine." He nods to a knight, and Akira feels a shield smash into her face. Or, she thinks she should feel it. But everything has gone numb. Akira simply lets her grin grow wider, even as her hair tie snaps, letting her curls fall over her cheeks and settle at her neck.
There's a pause. Akira's eyes close, and she feels nothing.
And then a pulse.
Wind and power rushes forth into the room out from where Akira lies against the wall, the knights and Kamoshida stumble back, and Ann can only watch as the girl trying to protect her stands there, looking far too calm in this situation.
Akira sighs, smiles, and takes a breath.
But she can't.
She can't breathe!
A/N: I had a lot of fun altering the major dialogue (like Akira's Arcana unlock) to suit our fair protagonist, and I hope you had fun reading it!
Next Chapter, we meet Akira's Persona, and a talking cat—not a cat!
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See you all next week!