A Persona 5 Fanfiction:
"Colors Flying High"
The world looked as though it had been overtaken by hell. The skies were blood red, crimson rain spilling down towards the streets like a scene straight out from the Old Testament while hellish constructs made of bone enveloped the city. Some twisted and curved around buildings and skyscrapers, others seemed to jut out from the ground like a protrusions, resembling ribcages.
The most bizarre part about this whole scene, and perhaps the most disturbing, was that few people actually seemed to notice the radical change in their surroundings. Most continued to walk on by, speaking plainly to themselves and more interested in going about their own businesses while the few who did notice seemed shocked and disturbed, moreso by the fact that others didn't appear to notice what was going on. Some could see the changes clearly and as plain as day, others could only see a vague haze around them, like some sort of fog.
In the center of the Shibuya Crosswalk, where the unconcerned masses were slowly coming to their senses, a group of individuals prepared themselves. Their attire was outlandish and varied, some elegant and fancy and others straight out of a comic book. They were armed with weapons; knives, swords, shotguns, rifles, etc. Of course, what was perhaps the most eye-catching of the group wasn't their attire, their weaponry or the masks that covered their faces, but the bipedal cat-like creature wreathed in an ephemeral gold light that seemed to stir the populace from the deceit hiding their senses, making them aware of the hellish landscape around them.
The leader of the group, a young man with curly black hair with a white mask, stared at the path leading towards the towering black structure in the heart of Tokyo. The center of this madness laid waiting for them there, no doubt waiting for him to appear before it as he did the last time they faced off against it.
"So, this is it. Our final battle." The leader turned to one of his companions. A man older than him, a white mantle shrouding most of his gold attire and a staff held firmly in hand. "I must admit, this is rather daunting. Going after criminals is one thing, but a god?" The man chuckled and looked at the leader. "You don't do things by halves, do you, Joker?"
A giggle came to his right side. "That's just how senpai is, Bishop." A girl with red hair, tied back into a ponytail with an elegant black mask stepped forward, looking at him with a dazzling smile. "And that means we absolutely can't lose this battle."
"Damn right we can't," a teen the leader's age wearing a skull mask said with a grin, patting the leader on the shoulder. "Give the order, Joker!"
The leader smirked, once more setting his sights on the target. He tugged at his gloves and took a step forward, brandishing his knife. The edges of his mask began to break away into wisps of azure flame.
With vigor, he announced the beginning of the end to the one responsible for this twisted game.
"It's showtime!"
...you all must be wondering how this all happened. Tokyo turning into a nightmare, a bunch of teenagers, a cat thing and an adult all wearing such weird clothes and wielding supernatural powers.
Well, to be honest, it's kind of a long story. I guess I should start at the beginning.
My name is Violet. I am a member of the ones known as the Phantom Thieves.
And this is our story.
Chapter 1: A Royal Debut (Part 1)
15-year-old Kasumi Yoshizawa stared at the front entrance of Shujin Academy, the building standing before her menacingly. It should have been no different than any other high school in Japan, maybe a step up from middle school, but somehow the place felt daunting and unwelcoming. Perhaps it was the stone walls and iron gates that surrounded the school, making it seem like a prison, or perhaps the dreadful cloudy weather that was hanging over her head and threatening to rain any minute.
"Kasumi? Is everything alright?"
Kasumi blinked, shaken from her stupor and looked at her father, who looked at her in concern. Ever since the accident last month, he always seemed to fret over her and worry about the smallest things. Even her decision to attend Shujin seemed to put him on edge, if only because the school had a rather high bar for producing students with incredible academic and athletic talents. He must be worried about whether or not she was up to the task. She did admit she was nervous, seeing as how this would be her first year at a high school. High school was typically a whole other ball game compared to junior high or grade school, after all.
Even so, she had a feeling she would do alright here. How bad could it be?
"I'm fine, dad." Kasumi smiled at him. "Just...taking it in is all. It's a lot bigger than Kurokuri."
Shinichiro Yoshizawa chuckled weakly. "Well, it is a high school. And a rather elite one, at that. Why don't we head on inside? I'm sure the principal is waiting for us."
Today was a Sunday, so the school was closed. By this time tomorrow, it would be open and she would be sitting in a classroom, becoming acquainted with her new classmates and acclimating to her surroundings. The reason why she was here to complete the rest of her enrollment papers. Originally, though, she and her sister were supposed to complete the enrollment papers last month. That never came to pass, due to the accident that occurred last month.
Kasumi felt her hands shake, the memory of that day unpleasant and painful. She quickly composed herself, unwilling to show weakness. If she had time to cry and feel sorrow, she had time to advance and not let such negative feelings weigh her down. For her sister's sake, she would make their dream a reality. She would make it all the way to the top, even if she must do it alone.
With her head held high, the red-head followed Shinichiro into the building. They made it past the front entrance, passing by a man wearing a fedora with a boy older than her. She didn't pay them much attention, thinking that maybe they were a transfer student or someone helping the faculty with something and continued onward. A teacher was already waiting for them by the administration office, guiding them to the principal's office without delay.
Once they made it to their destination, the teacher entered the room first. "The Yoshizawas are here, sir."
"Send them in." The teacher complied and the two entered the office.
The principal sat behind his desk, though to Kasumi it looked as though he was visibly straining to keep himself confined to his chair and suit. It was probably rude of her to think so, but Kobayakawa was rather large, skin hanging over the overturned collar of his shirt and the buttons strained. The suit looked like it was strangling him.
"Kasumi Yoshizawa, I presume?" Kobayakawa asked. The red-haired girl nodded. "I am Kobayakawa, the principal of this school. I believe you've come to complete the rest of your enrollment papers before you start your new school life with us tomorrow?"
Shinichiro nodded. "Yes. I'd like to thank you for allowing my daughter to continue attending in spite of...what happened last month."
"Admittedly, some of the teachers did raise some concerns about her mental health, but I see no problem to allow her to attend this school, so long as she follows the rules and whatnot."
Kasumi inwardly frowned. No doubt Kobayakawa was speaking of her sister's death last month. Were they concerned that her grief would affect her abilities? If so, she would prove them wrong. Yes, she was saddened Sumire couldn't be with her, but she would not allow her sadness to weigh her down.
"I promise to do my best, Kobayakawa-san!" Kasumi assured him.
Kobayakawa smiled slightly, nodding in appreciation before he set a clipboard in front of her. On the clipboard were the documents attached.
"Please sign these. They are the forms needed to complete your registration. From there we will work on your classroom placement and schedule." The two nodded as they filled out the paperwork. Once it was all completed, it was exchanged with a school ID card. "This is your school ID. If you lose it, you will have to pay a fee to get a replacement." Kasumi nodded and took the ID, slipping it inside her pocket. "Normally, I would have the teacher assigned to your homeroom present with us, but with this being so last minute..."
Shinichiro nodded. "I'm aware. We're sorry for taking time out of your busy schedule, especially with school starting tomorrow."
"It's no trouble, Yoshizawa-san. Regarding your classroom assignment, you will be placed in Class 3-A. Your homeroom teacher is Chouno-sensei, our English teacher. Chouno-sensei should have your class roster by the time you begin your school year with us. I'm sure you've been told this numerous times, but we have high expectations for you, Yoshizawa."
Kasumi nodded. "I understand, sir. I'll do my best to meet those expectations."
"I would certainly hope so." She noted there was a certain hesitance somewhere in that sentence, but ignored it for the time being. He looked over the paperwork on the clipboard, making sure everything was filled out correctly, and nodded in satisfaction. "Everything appears to be in order. I look forward to your future success here at Shujin Academy."
"Is that all, Kobayakawa-san?"
Kobayakawa almost let them go without further fuss before something seemed to cross his mind. "Actually, there is one more thing. We've recently accepted a transfer student, albeit one with a rather...unsavory background, I'm afraid." Kasumi and Shinichiro looked at one another before looking at the principal, gesturing for him to elaborate. "He's a second-year student who will be starting the same time as Yoshizawa. However, he has a criminal background. I would advise not getting involved with him, for your own sake."
"A criminal background?" Shinichiro questioned. "You're allowing someone like that here?"
"I'm afraid so." He answered regretfully. "There were...reasons why we had to accept his enrollment. We hope that his time here will help his rehabilitation."
"Even so..."
While the adults discussed, Katsumi remained deep in thought. If this new transfer student have a criminal background, why were they allowing him to be a student here? Just what sort of circumstances were there that Kobayakawa had to accept them? Well, not that it was any of her business, really. She did suppose it was nice to know ahead of time. The last thing she wanted was to get involved in shady business. She imagined that, given Shujin's standards, it would be quite problematic if she engaged in any sort of illicit activities.
Not that she would.
The discussion eventually came to an end, evident by Kobayakawa clearing his throat. "I believe that's everything I wished to discuss with you all at the moment. If anything does come to my attention regarding your daughter, I will contact you, Yoshizawa-san."
"Thank you, Kobayakawa-san." Shinichiro bowed his head deeply before turning to Kasumi. "Let's go home."
Kasumi smiled and nodded, leaving the principal's office behind them.
The return home was uneventful, aside from her father being the worrywart as usual. "Will you be okay there?" "Do you need me to drive you to and from school?" "Will you be safe taking the trains?" It was a little irritating, but she didn't raise her voice at him or tell him to stop. He was just being protective as usual, and his concerns were valid. The psychotic breakdown incidents that had been making the news lately were pretty scary and grew more frequent. The mental shutdowns were not much better, either. With those incidents all happening in Tokyo, it was hard not to feel concerned.
"Still, I'll be alright." Kasumi said to herself.
It was going to be pretty exciting, attending Shujin. It seemed daunting at first, but when she got the chance to see what little she could of the interior, it really was no different from other schools. There were some minor differences, like the bigger campus and whatnot. From what little she did know of the school based on the brochure for Shujin and the online website, it was definitely one of the better prep schools. Maybe the best. It even had an Olympic gold medalist working there as a teacher, which was one of the school's selling points. To her disappointment though, the teacher coached volleyball, not gymnastics.
Then again, maybe a change in perspective could help with her training. She was suffering from a choreo block, so any tips a gold medalist might have could offer some insight, even if they practiced two entirely different sports.
Before long, Kasumi's first day at Shujin Academy arrived. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, looking over her form. The Shujin Academy uniform fit her nicely, though she couldn't help but feel something was a little off but couldn't quite put her finger on it. Thinking it was most likely just her imagination, she practiced her best smile, readying for the first day of the new school year and prepared to leave. She only stopped when she saw the photograph sitting on top of her dresser, showing her and her sister Sumire standing atop a podium, one holding a trophy and the other shyly trying to retreat into the background to no avail.
Kasumi's hand traced over the picture frame gently, eyes watery as she remembered that day; a middle school competition, a year before the accident that would claim her sister's life. The day seemed so umremarkable that she would have otherwise forgotten about it, were it not that Coach Hiraguchi had given the twins quite the scolding after she caught them fooling around. They were doing something silly, Kasumi knew that, but she couldn't remember what it was other than that it really embarrassed Sumire to the point where her face was as red as her hair.
"I wish you were here..."
Kasumi stared at the photograph for a moment longer before she turned away from the photograph and walked out of the room.
"I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa. It's nice to meet you all!"
Kasumi bowed deeply after making her introduction and writing her name on the blackboard. In front of her were her classmates, all of whom staring at her with a mix of intrigue, awe and curiosity. Their stares made her feel a little self-conscious, shifting from one foot to the other while trying to avoid looking them in the eye. She didn't understand why they were so interested in her since they were starting Shujin Academy for the first time as well. Maybe they had seen her on TV during one of her performances? It wasn't out of the question, but it did make her feel a little embarrassed.
Chouno cleared her throat, removing the attention on Kasumi and on to her. "You can take your seat now, Yoshizawa." Kasumi nodded and walked over to the desk she had taken on not long after she arrived. Once she sat down, the homeroom teacher continued. "Before I get into the nitty-gritty and tell you what you can expect about your first year here at Shujin, we'll be ending school earlier than usual today due to the subway accident yesterday."
"Subway accident?" Kasumi questioned, having only heard of it now.
One of the students sitting next to her answered. "The train conductor went crazy or something and ended up smashing a train into a platform. A lot of people got hurt in the accident, too. Some are saying it was because the railways and the tram system was faulty or something."
"Oh..."
"Classes will end after fourth period this afternoon," Chouno continued. "With that out of the way, let's begin our lesson. To start things off..."
Classes went by quickly, though Kasumi supposed it was natural since today was meant for the first years to get used to their new surroundings and the material they would be presented with. So far, the teachers seemed to be pretty normal compared to the quirky teachers she had in middle school.
Was it wrong that she thought a teacher wearing a samurai's helmet was normal for her?
Lunch period arrived quickly. Most of the first years had disembarked the classroom in favor of hanging out with their friends from their previous schools or to explore Shujin. Kasumi chose to head to the cafeteria and eat her lunch there, then explore the school after classes were over since they would be over early.
As she was gorging herself on her homemade bento, packed with anything and everything an athlete would need to keep herself ready for practice, she happened to overhear some of the students near her talk with themselves.
"Did you hear? That transfer student everybody's talking about is playing hooky!"
"You mean the one with the criminal record, right? I've been hearing all sorts of rumors about him."
Kasumi found herself straining her ears, trying to listen in. Were they talking about the student Kobayakawa had warned her about when she and her father completed the rest of her enrollment papers? Something didn't sit right with her. Why did they know about the criminal record part? Wasn't stuff like that supposed to be confidential and only known by the staff? She pitied him. That knowledge just made his transition even more difficult. On top of that, he was running late? Was the train issue that bad around his part?
"I can't believe the school'd allow someone like that here!" the gossiping students continued, not noticing Kasumi eavesdropping. "What were the teachers thinking?"
"They say he's done everything! Murder, extortion, blackmail, drugs, ivory smuggling..."
Kasumi blinked at that last one. 'Elephant tusks? What in the world...?' Was that really true? It sounded so outlandish! Were they talking about a hardened criminal or a high school student like them? The red-haired girl sighed and finished her bento, shaking her head. Even if the transfer student did have a criminal record, there was no reason to create such wild rumors and blow them up to ridiculous degrees.
The bell chimed, signaling the end of lunch period. Kasumi wrapped up her bento and placed it in her bag, leaving the cafeteria behind and making her way up to the third floor, where her next class was waiting for her. She nearly bumped into someone the second she stepped onto the second floor hallway. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized immediately.
"It's fine," the person Kasumi nearly knocked into told her. She looked up and found them already walking away, hurrying up to the third floor. She could only see their curly black hair and school bag, but nothing else.
Kasumi shrugged, thinking maybe that person was in a hurry or something, and resumed her trek to her next class.
"I'm home!" Kasumi announced.
"Welcome home." Her father announced back. The red head saw her father at the table looking through some papers. "How was your first day?"
"It was uneventful for the most part, I guess." she answered, setting her school bag on the pedestal near the front door. "I'm sorry I was late. The trains were running on a different schedule, thanks to yesterday's accident."
"I thought that was the case. By the way, why didn't you answer your phone? I called you when school should have ended."
"You did?" She didn't hear her phone go off at all. She took out her phone from her school bag and pressed the on button. The skin didn't light up, regardless of how long she pressed the button or button mashed it. Realization soon dawned on her and her cheeks turned rosy pink. "W-whoops... Looks like I forgot to charge it."
Shinichiro smiled wryly. "Again? How scatterbrained are you?"
"Hey!"
The two shared a laugh and began to eat dinner. As usual, Kasumi was in the kitchen making them dinner. Once the food was prepared, she set it on the table and took a seat across from her father.
"Itadakimasu!" The two said before digging in.
After a few bites into their meal, Kasumi decided to start a conversation. "How was work today?"
"It was work, same as usual. Though one of the newscasters was requesting we do a segment on Akechi-kun."
Kasumi's eyes widened slightly. "Akechi? You mean, Goro Akechi-kun?" She knew of the teen from the few times she and Sumire visited their father at work. If she recalled, the first time they met was when Sumire had accidentally bumped into him near the stairwell, having not seen where she was going at the time. It was a humorous first meeting, but they hit it off soon afterward. The last she heard of him, he was preparing for the upcoming entrance exams.
"That's correct. Despite being so young, he's racked up quite the resume in solved cases. It's pretty impressive."
"So you guys are gonna talk about him?"
"Well, it's still up for debate. They're actually discussing about holding a broadcast interview in the future. But nothing's concrete yet. It's still remarkable, really. A high school student, solving murder cases."
Kasumi giggled. "It sounds something straight of a TV Show. Like Detective Conan!"
Shinichiro laughed. "Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be seeing teenagers shrink into children anytime soon. But speaking of remarkable students..." Kasumi paused upon hearing the way her father said those two words. His face turned slightly serious. "What about that transfer student Kobayakawa-san mentioned the other day? Did you run into him?"
"No. At least, I don't think so." Kasumi answered honestly. She was still trying to get used to the new environment and could barely tell the years apart. She might have come across the transfer student, but if she had, she wouldn't have remembered them. "That reminds me, from what I heard, he came to school pretty late. And everyone knows about his record too." Kasumi frowned heavily and toyed with her food, bouncing it around with her fork. "Even if he has a criminal record, it isn't fair that his chance at a fresh start gets ruined."
Shinichiro's expression softened. "That does sound rough. For a school like Shujin to make such a mistake... I take it the students are having troubles with him?"
"Sort of. I've been hearing all sorts of rumors on the first day alone." She omitted some of the more outlandish ones, such as the ivory tracking. She definitely knew that one wasn't true, and even if it was, she would be quite impressed a high schooler managed to do something like that. Kasumi was about to return to her food before it got cold when she realized something. "Oh, that's right. Coach messaged me a little while ago and told me there wouldn't be any practice tomorrow. I was thinking I could see if there's a sports club I could join."
"Is that really necessary, though?" Her father looked skeptical. "I mean, you're already good in gymnastics. Wouldn't it exhausting if you tried two different sports at the same time? I know I wouldn't be able to do that."
Kasumi giggled. "Not like that! I've been thinking maybe I could learn something to help me with gymnastics. You know, like how runners train their legs and improve their stamina or baseball players with their arm muscles and acute senses?"
"Is this about your choreo block?"
"Mm-hm! I'm hoping if I study sport, I might incorporate it into my routine."
Shinichiro pursed his lips. "Well, I don't see a problem with you joining a club if you're that dedicated. And Shujin does have a large number of sports clubs, so I'm sure you'll be able to find something. Now that I think about it, that Olympic sportsman that's teaching there, isn't he in charge of the Volleyball Team?"
Kasumi stared up at the ceiling in thought. It was true that someone who went to the Olympics and won Japan a gold medal would definitely have some good advice, but she was rather apprehensive of the idea. Volleyball wasn't really her cup of tea, and she didn't really think much of the training that went into it. She had seen volleyball training before some odd years ago. It was a join training session between the Gymnastics Club at her middle school and the Volleyball Club from Gekkoukan High School.
It just wasn't for her. She didn't really think she could incorporate such movements and exercises into her routine. Maybe she'll go and ask the other clubs first before meeting with the gold medal winner.
"I'll give it some thought," she gives her father a non-committed answer.
Dinner ends on a mundane note and Kasumi returned to her room, ready for her second day at Shujin Academy.
As like yesterday, it was pouring cats and dogs when she stepped outside her home. The streets were covered by a thin sheet of water and people were hurrying to their destinations with all due haste, hoping to escape the downpour. Kasumi herself hurried as best she could without getting herself or her bag wet.
She eventually reached Shibuya Station and waited patiently for the train bound for Aoyama-Itchome to arrive. Behind her were whispers of her fellow Shujin students that were also waiting in line. Based on their words, she assumed by now that everyone knew about her status as an honor student. She mostly ignored the whispers, but grew slightly troubled. Her father did warn her that there would be people that would attempt to take advantage of her status, so she had to associate with others carefully if she didn't want people leeching off of her or pretend to be her 'friends.'
Kasumi could honestly say she never had such troubles, but she understood her fathers concerns and took them to heart. It was also partially the reason why she chose to distance herself from her classmates at the moment. She was still getting used to Shujin like they were. Maybe once she settled in, she could start making friends?
The train arrived as the red-haired girl was in her internal debate, dismissing her thoughts when the doors opened and the passengers spilled in.
Kasumi managed to steal a seat on the train before it could be claimed. As she expected in poor weather and during a weekday, the car was absolutely packed. The smell of rain, cologne and perfume were mixing together, making her want to gag. It wasn't long after they departed from the station that Kasumi took notice of the old woman in front of her, leaning on her cane.
It didn't sit right with her that someone who had to rely on a walking cane had to stand in the middle of a crowded train, so she stood up from her seat and offered it to her. "Please, take my seat."
"Are you sure?" the old woman asked her in surprise.
Kasumi nodded. "Yes. My station's coming up soon."
"Then..."
Before the old woman could sit down, someone else had already beaten her to the punch. A man in a business seat practically weaved through the people in front of him and plopped himself down on Kasumi's seat, stunning her in the process. She barely even saw him move! "What speed..." She quickly shook her head. She wasn't supposed to be impressed by something so rude! "Um, excuse me. That seat was for this lady."
The man took one look at her, his expression blank, before he lowered his head and closed his eyes. Seconds later, she heard him snoring. Whether he actually did fall asleep or was pretending to be asleep, though, she had no idea. Seeing this, Kasumi could only sigh and shake her head. What was she supposed to do now?
"You should say something."
A voice called out next to her. Katsumi turned to the source and furrowed her brow. He looked familiar, swearing she saw him somewhere before. He was maybe a year older than her, hair a mess of frizzy black curls and large glasses with an obnoxious glare over them. His school bag was slung over his shoulder.
"It's alright," Kasumi told him. "I can understand his position." She turned back to the old woman and bowed apologetically. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be of any help."
"It's alright, dearie. Don't you worry."
"Please allow me to carry your luggage, at least!"
"Thank you, but wouldn't it be awfully heavy?"
"No need to worry! I train plenty!" Compared to weights, how heavy could her luggage be?
The train arrived at its destination soon after the exchange. Kasumi carried the old woman's luggage and followed after her until they were at the exit, where she accepted her luggage back and thanked the red-haired girl greatly for her help. Kasumi saw her off afterwards, then made her way back to the ticket gate. She stopped when she saw the frizzy-haired student from before, making his way to the exit as well. Looking at his back, Kasumi realized he was the student she nearly bumped into the other day.
'Wait...'
Looking more closely, Kasumi realized that wasn't the only time she met him, either. She almost forgot about it, but now that she looked more closely, she remembered someone with similar features leaving Shujin at the same time she and her father went in to fill out her papers. Kobayakawa's warnings and the rumors she had been hearing about the other day reminded her of the existence of the so-called "delinquent transfer student." Was he the one from the rumors?
Kasumi thought about it for only a moment before shaking her head and ran up to the frizzy-haired teen. "Excuse me!" The student stopped and turned to her as she bowed. "Thank you so much for earlier."
"For what?" he asked in confusion.
"For speaking up when I gave up my seat," Kasumi clarified for him. "And for sticking up for that older lady." Now closer to the teen, she noticed some subtle details like the year marker on the lapel of his blazer. It showed that he was a second-year. "You're a second-year at Shujin, right? I'm a first-year student myself. I completely forgot to thank you back on the train, and it'd be pretty rude to not thank my senpai for stepping in."
Her upperclassmen shrugged. "It's fine," he assured her. Kasumi stared at him when the glare in his glasses faded for a moment.
'S-such intense eyes...!'
"...something wrong?"
Kasumi snapped out of her daze, shaking her head. "N-no, I'm fine! Please excuse me!" She bowed and thanked him again for his help as she began walking away, not noticing the pink tint in her cheeks.
As she left the station, she noticed it was still raining hard outside. She quickly took out her umbrella and used it to shield her from the torrential downpour before continuing her walk to school.
The second day was just as uneventful as the first one. Kasumi listened to the lectures and took notes as did everyone else. So far, the teachers explained things in a logical manner and made no missteps, though on occasion she got them glancing about the room and scolding someone who didn't get it. Thankfully, she wasn't one of the ones who were caught not paying attention by Ushimaru, a middle-aged man with graying hair and a rather mean-looking scowl.
Around lunch break, Kasumi once again delved into her homemade bento and away from most of the students. Some threw a few looks her way, but none made the attempt to approach her. Maybe they were giving her space for the time being, waiting to see if she'd come to them or at least know a little more about her before they made any decisions.
That was fine, though. Kasumi didn't want to force them into something they didn't want. She wanted people who could be her friends to come to her instead of trying to force them into it. That said, she also couldn't ignore the warnings her father gave her either about people trying to use her for self-gain. On that line of thinking, she turned hesitant...
'Wait, what am I thinking?' Kasumi shook her head. 'Ugh, my head's been such a mess lately. What am I getting so paranoid for? So what if people try to befriend me, even if it's just them being selfish? All they'll really be able to brag about is being friends with a gymnast, and that's about it.'
As she ate, she happened to notice her senpai from the train station sitting alone and away from the rest of the second-years in the cafeteria. Looking around, she saw several people glare in his direction and leaning towards each other, muttering harsh whispers that she couldn't hear. The looks on their faces, however, told her all that she really needed to know.
The only person that wasn't glaring at her senpai was a boy with dyed blonde hair. He was staring at him for a long while, expression conflicted in that he wasn't sure whether to approach the boy or walk away. He eventually decided on the latter and moved on, though not before glaring and scowling at a teacher that was walking past him.
"Another day, done and over with..." Kasumi said to herself as she walked out into the open street in front of Shujin Academy, bag slung over her shoulder.
Another day of school. Another boring day sitting in a classroom. She wondered why it seemed that the days dragged on longer while in a classroom, while the rest of the day or days off seem to flash by quickly. The day was mostly uneventful, save for the few moments when a student became animated or when the teacher got fed up with someone for failing to answer the question posed to them. So far, it was becoming more and more obvious Shujin really did put an emphasis on education. If the teachers were that hard on them when school was just starting, she'd hate to think what it would be like during midterms and final exams.
As Kasumi left, she noticed the blonde student from earlier standing at the front gate. For some reason, he was staring at the front entrance intensely as though he were waiting for someone. A friend maybe? Kasumi didn't think much of it and decided to leave it alone, walking past him and towards the station.
It was when she made it to the platform and past the ticket gate that she remembered her father's request before she left. "Oh, right. He told me to call him when school was over." She dug her hands into her blazer's pocket, only to stop. "...huh? Wait, where's my phone?" She dug into the other pocket and panicked further when she searched her bag, only to find her notebooks and gym clothes. "Oh no, did I leave it at school?!"
If someone picked it up and stole it...!
Dreading the worst, Kasumi rounded on her heel and took off in a sprint back towards the school, drawing some confused looks from the students heading home and other bystanders.
Unnoticed by anyone, there was a blue butterfly sitting atop one of the ticket gates. When Kasumi ran past the gate, sliding her pass mid transit, the butterfly beat it wings and flew away.
Kasumi panted as she exited the cafeteria, close to hyperventilating. "This is bad. So, so bad. Ugh, how could I have forgotten my phone?" She searched her classrooms, but found nothing in the desks. There was the possibility the item was turned in at the lost and found, but to her dismay the teacher told her no one turned in a missing phone. She checked the cafeteria, hoping and praying to find it there, but it wasn't. All the places she went to through the day didn't have her phone at all. The idea that someone stole it was becoming more and more apparent. By now, her father was probably having a panic attack and calling her repeatedly.
"Where could I have left it?" Kasumi racked her brain for an answer. "Come on, think Kasumi. First it was homeroom, then Class 1-E, then..."
"Excuse me? Are you looking for something?"
Kasumi turned and saw a girl approaching her; a third-year and mature-looking student with chin-length brown hair and crimson eyes wearing a black vest over the turtleneck shirt.
"Yes," Kasumi nodded. "I'm looking for my phone. Have you seen it?"
"You mean this?" To Kasumi's joy, her senpai took out the item she had been searching for the past half hour. "I found this in the hallway after the last class in the day. It was left on the floor, and I just happened to notice it at the foot of the stairs."
"That's where it was?" She didn't even think to look at the stairs. Sighing and berating herself for her clumsiness, Kasumi gratefully took her phone back and bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, senpai. I was worried I'd never find it."
The senior student smiled. "It was no trouble. Stay safe on your way home."
"Yes!" Kasumi nodded and bid her senpai farewell. Not wanting to lose it again, Kasumi slid the phone into her bag and zipped it all the way closed as to prevent it from falling out. She'd call her father when she switched trains and apologize profusely. She hoped she didn't miss the train. Leaving school for the second time today, Kasumi stopped and saw the same blonde student from before, only now he was with the frizzy-haired senpai from earlier today. "Are they friends after all?" she idly wondered to herself.
She had already thanked him this morning, and he seemed fairly pleasant. Maybe the rumors, the more reasonable ones anyway, were just exaggerations or they had the wrong didn't seem like the guy who would do all of those things. He just seemed so nice on the train.
Still, she had no idea why they would even focus on him.
He didn't look like he was interested in doing anything to them and was just keeping to himself from what she saw. And everyone gave him a wide berth, and he made no attempts to try and socialize.
Then again, she was just now seeing him for the first time, so maybe she was just basing things on mere assumptions.
Still, though...
'When I think back to today in the cafeteria... He looked so lonely.'
It wasn't just the fact that he sat by himself. He just seemed...depressed in her opinion. Like the mood he seemed to give off was rather lonely.
Kasumi stared at the transfer student for only a moment before she made her decision. Confident, she walked up to the two with the intent of striking up a conversation and maybe a chance to make her first friend here before she stopped and clutched her head. "Ngh...!" Her head throbbed in pain similar to a headache, though it thankfully lasted for only a moment. "Ow... What was that?" Shaking it off, Kasumi looked back at the transfer student and his blonde friend.
"Wha?!"
She couldn't help but gasp. Her senpai was still standing there, but his appearance changed completely. Instead of the Shujin uniform and glasses, he was wearing a black trench coat, gray collared shirt, black trousers, brown heeled boots and red gloves. In place of his glasses was a white-and-black domino-styled birdmask. Had she not known any better, she would have thought he was a magician about to perform in the most stylish manner possible or a thief dressed in style.
"What the heck?!" the blonde cried out, eyes darting all over the place before he noticed Kasumi. "H-huh? Who're you?!"
Kasumi gaped at him. His friend's clothes changed in the blink of an eye, and he was surprised about her being here?! On instinct, however, she blurted out, "K-Kasumi Yoshizawa! Nice to meet you!" before shaking her head. "No, wait. Nevermind that! Senpai, what happened to your clothes?"
"My clothes?" her senpai questioned before he looked down. His eyes widened when he saw his attire. "Oh, my clothes changed again."
The blonde sweatdropped. "What's with that lame reaction?! Wait, this happened before the last time we were here, right?"
"I'm sorry, but could either of you please explain what's happening? I'm so confused..."
Her senpai pointed at her. Or rather, what was behind her. "You might wanna turn around."
"Eh?" Kasumi was confused by that. Why would she look behind her? Behind her was the school, right? Regardless, she humored him and hoped she'd get some answers about how he changed clothes so quickly and turned...
...and gasped.
She had expected to see the sight of the increasingly familiar school building. But this? This was definitely not it.
It was a massive castle, standing several stories high. It was much larger than the school building and had an ominous presence to it. But this was crazy! She was sure it was the school building before! There was no way it could have been renovated in an instant!
...was she dreaming? Yeah, that had to have been the case. Schools just don't turn into castles out of nowhere.
"What..." Kasumi found herself asking, close to shouting. "What is this?"
None of the three noticed the blue butterfly, the same one that was present when Kasumi left the station to retrieve her phone, was sitting idly on the school gate, or the changes that this altered meeting would bring.
TO BE CONTINUED...?
A little on the short side and not much action, but since the story is being told mainly from Kasumi's point of view, that's kind of to be expected, not to mention kind of a challenge. Also, sorry this took so long to pump out. I was busy wrapping up my second playthrough, which was also me playing the new third semester content for the first time and...
WOW. Just, holy shit. I kinda spoiled myself by reading ahead of the game's storyline, but never actually watching any gameplay vids, so actually playing the storyline out and seeing it for the first time is... I'm not gonna lie. I felt like I was playing Persona 5 for the first time all over again. Well done, Atlus. Well fucking done.
Anyway, as you can tell by the early prologue scene, this is going to be deviating a lot. I should warn you now, however, that the first two Palaces, Kamoshida and Madarame, will probably play out the same, but with some minor differences. The real divergent point is the Kaneshiro and Futaba Palaces and beyond, though to be honest, me and my co-writer are debating exactly how we should have "Bishop" join the Phantom Thieves, mainly during the Kaneshiro Arc though.
Eh, we'll figure it out sooner or later.
This will be one of the fanfics I publish until I either finish one of my current ongoing stories or discontinue another one for whatever reason. There will be one more fanfic on its way, but it won't be for a very, very, very, very, very long time. You'll understand why when you see it. I've also been debating pulling a "story box" idea and publish a story where I just upload teasers or story ideas I'd be interested in pursuing, like future fanfics and whatnot.
Anywho, my last update will be for Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Pendulum's Fifth Swing because that deserves some love and attention, and then I'll be going on a little hiatus. Mainly to focus on helping my fam and school and all that shit. I hope you guys are staying safe during this troubling times, especially now that the United States is taking a freaking nosedive and tying the noose around its neck by re-opening its states. I get people are scared about losing their homes and the economy is in a bad spot, but for fuck's sake...
That's it for now!
See You~