Another Chapter - long overdue. Sorry for updates being slow on this story, I must confess, I don't see that changing, but rest assured I carry on with it on a steady pace. Were starting to get into the meat of the adventure now! I look forward to hearing what you all think.
A familiar blue velvet came into view. A hauntingly beautiful tune filled his ears. It did not take long for Sojiro to put two and two together. He sighed loudly to himself as he refused to get off the floor.
"The accused may rise!"
He grumbled an obscenity and lifted himself to his feet. Before him was the same scene as before; the amazonian woman standing guard, the piano player and the singer working in tandem and the strange masked man smirking at him from the judge's chair.
"The honorable Lord Philemon is now presiding," Shelley boomed out, staring down Sojiro.
"Sojiro Sakura… how is your rehabilitation going?"
"Can you just send me back already?" Boss blurted out.
"Not well then?"
"I don't know, you tell me? Surely you're keeping tabs on me?" Sojiro threw out an accusatory finger and stopped as he noticed his weathered hand. He patted himself down and found his old battered apron and familiar attire. He ran a free hand through his hair and discovered it was thinner and receding once more. "What the?"
"To answer your question, of course I am. I am you, you are me. I am always with you. And to answer the question you have not asked yet, within the velvet room you revert back to your true form. The old man hidden beneath the young man's body."
"You could have warned me," he huffed.
"Are you not more comfortable this way? Or do you truly wish to start again as you so denied?"
"No.. I mean, oh come on! That's not fair. Anyone would want to look and feel younger."
"Would they? When you are young, you wish to be older to experience what you yet cant have. When you are older, you want to reclaim what you lost. Is the problem not appreciating what you have before you?"
Sojiro went quiet. He rubbed his eyes as he buried his head in his hand. He grumbled loudly to himself as he let the soothing tones of that gorgeous song settle him down. When he took his hand away, he found the denizens of this room staring at him in anticipation.
"Alright, you haven't called me here for a chat, have you?"
"I have come to warn you," Philemon began. "You are about to begin a most dangerous game. Before you there will be a choice, to get involved or walk away. Now the old Sojiro more often than not would turn the corner and pretend he saw not a thing. But would the young Sakura do the same? That is what you must ask yourself in the coming days."
"That was about as useful as a back alley fortune teller," Sojiro muttered, but not quietly enough for Shelley to miss his comment.
"Show some respect. My master has graced you with his mercy, he could easily let you fend for yourself."
"You call this mercy? This world took Wakaba from me too!" He spat with no small hint of malice. "Even here she couldn't be alive and happy."
"Life is cruel as much as it is kind. Yet it is never personal. What has become of Wakaba is beyond your control, but you may yet decide what it leads to," Philemon explained.
"Leads to?"
"I will say no more. Our time is fleeting, and you are needed again in the real world."
Sojiro grew tired, so very tired. He knew what was happening and did not fight it. He felt himself slump to the floor. In the eroding edges of his consciousness, he could hear Philemon call out to him.
"Think not of the man you were, think instead of the man you could become."
With a groan, Sojiro returned to reality. He was covered in a cold sweat. The mere act of opening his eyes put far more pressure on him than it should. He was weak, pathetic, and his hands would not stop trembling no matter how desperately he tried to keep them still. He was in his bed in his makeshift room, that much was clear. How long he had been out was impossible to say.
"Summer flu, eh? Real killer that one," Futaba teased as she entered the room.
Sojiro croaked as he tried to say something, yet nothing intelligible came out. He shuffled in his spot, almost teasing the idea of dragging himself out of bed, but Futaba moved quickly to keep him in place.
"Bit early for that I suppose, but the flu's the flu." She held a steaming mug in her hands as she brought it to Sojiro's lips. "Here, try this."
It soothed his throat instantly. Honey and lemon, a simple concoction but,but it eased the scratchiness of his throat and gave Sojiro some relief. The steam alone unblocked his bunged up nose and at last he could breathe again. He felt himself finally relax.
"You just need rest, Kiddo."
"How long was I out?" Sojiro strained out.
"A day. You missed school unsurprisingly. I already called ahead and let them know."
"What time is it?"
"'Bout four. Usually these things only last a day but this one is a real doozy. It hit you hard."
"Wakaba…" Sojiro spoke in his state of delirium. Futaba scowled instantly, but held herself back. "What happened to Wakaba?"
"She died, Sojiro. You were there. I was taking you both back home and I got rear ended by a drunk driver." She spoke about it so clinically, robotically, if not for her face betraying her, Sojiro might have thought she didn't care. Yet she was not so different from the Futaba he knew. The hurt was still present, just bottled up inside.
"I'm sorry."
"What is with you lately?" She asked. "You're acting like you've just found out."
"It feels like a dream."
"More like a nightmare." She reached for a cigarette in her apron. She placed it in her mouth, but did not light it. "Look, if you're still sick tomorrow, obviously I won't make you go in. Just make sure you get up if you're feeling up to it. Okay?" Sojiro did not answer directly. He weakly nodded and Futaba nodded back.
"You want anything to eat?"
"As long it's not processed, sure."
"There's the Sojiro I know," she chuckled while poking him on his forehead. "I'll bring you something later."
She walked out the door, taking a quick look behind her before closing it. Sojiro wanted to get up. Years of hard work made sickness feel like a speed bump on a hard working day. Yet this fever had crippled him. Any motion made his stomach churn and recoil in distress. He laid there pathetically, mumbling to himself incoherently until he passed out once more.
The early morning light bled through the window and Sojiro greeted it earnestly. He felt alive again. He had a shower, got changed in his uniform and was downstairs for a bite to eat before Futaba had the chance to check on him. He grabbed anything salvagle from her pantry, which amounted to an egg and a few slices of bread.
"Still alive then?" She teased.
"And starving," he chuckled. "Guess this will have to do."
There was a tune in how he spoke. An old familiar sing-sing tone that only came out when he was in perfect harmony. For the briefest moment, all was right again in the world. Futaba smiled and chugged her coffee.
"Got plenty of time, you know that right?" She cocked an eye as she noted how he wolfed down his meager breakfast.
"I know, I just thought I'd walk today. Get some fresh air. Been cooped up for two days now."
"Fair enough, before you go, I want you to know I have a surprise for you when you get back."
"Oh?" Sojiro gave her a coy smile.
"Let's just say, you won't be complaining about my cooking for much longer."
The way she smiled back almost made him uneasy, but he pushed the thought away as he shoved down the last droplets of food on his plate.
The morning air was cool. A light breeze rippled about him with every step. It was good to be alive. The walk to school was a long, yet refreshing one. While he doubted he would make it a habit, it gave Sojiro much needed time to think. The added benefit he did not expect was it also gave him ample time to observe.
Everywhere he went he started to notice more and more oddities. Things he knew but were just a little different from before. Yet what weighed on him further was all the added little touches to life in Tokyo. Police presence was much higher than before, in fact many had their faces entirely obscured. They wore no identifiers either. There were fewer people in the streets as well, and those that remained made sure to give the police a wide berth.
There was an abundance of political posters as well. Sojiro had never heard of the Reformist Party, yet he assumed they were a big deal considering they were supposedly the majority party now in all of Japan. The Prime Minister was a sight to behold, the best word Sojiro could use to describe him was beautiful. He felt uncomfortable with the description, but he had no better one to give. It was like he was staring at a pure being of light.
He had a full face and a majestic beard, kindly eyes, shoulder length black hair, and a calming smile. Yet there was a power in his pose, like Teddy Roselvolt would say; speak softly and carry a big stick. Prime Minister Shinzo Hirobume seemed to exemplify this trait. Sojiro highly suspected the man of being behind many of the changes to this country. While Boss detested politics, he made a note to look into this further at a later date.
Below him was also a congratulatory poster for the newly elected mayor of Tokyo, Hideo Hirobume. He was the spitting image of the Prime Minister, yet noticeable younger looking. From that and his name alone, it did not take Sojiro long to piece together their obvious relation to one another.
"Nepotism never ends," he commented dryly.
The Matsumoto Clan was a 'spiritual' group that had made great waves across Japan. Sojiro knew this because their leader's face was spread everywhere, even more so than the leader of the country. Their slogan was simple; We Are All Matsumoto. The term was literal, as once you were a member you had to strip oneself of their worldly belongings and name and become only Matsumoto. The Grand Matsumoto was the only one above them, a gaunt man with pinpoint spectacles who's eyes always seemed to follow no matter where you stood. They quickly filled Sojiro's 'avoid' category.
Passing a cinema provided a list of films Sojiro had never heard of before. Finding Fabio, Tomb of the Fireflies, Star Quest, but what caught his eye was a new film from a supposedly big film director, Sebastian Lemar. His new film, Black Ninja, was a romance across Japan following a seductive warrior in search of vengeance. It sounded awful, yet it was prominently placed despite how far off the actual debut was.
Then he passed a bookstore, and while Sojiro wasn't an avid reader even he knew the classics. Again, they all seemed slightly off; See Through Blue, Catcher of the Rice, then there was a discarded medical journal as a best new seller. Doctor Taji Nora stood sternly with crossed arms on the front cover, doing his best to look important.
All these names, these faces, while some distinctive, none should have stuck out like they should. It was if his eye was automatically drawn to each one, ignoring all others along the way. It was a sixth sense Sojiro could not explain. That's when he realised he had eyes on him.
He turned to look at the blonde woman with large black shades glaring at him. She did not turn away as he met her stare. She stood but a few feet away up the street. She wore a long black coat and could be no older than him. Despite this, she seemed strangely more mature with a disturbing focus. Her stare made his skin crawl. The longer she stared however, the more apparent it was that he had felt this way before.
"Can I help you?" He asked pointedly as she refused to let up.
"Can you?" She put on a heavy accent. Obviously fake, but not enough for him to call it out.
"I don't know, that's why I'm asking."
"You're strange."
"Says the woman who stares at strangers."
"By that definition, since you and I are strangers, we are both strange. Why not simply ignore me?"
"I like to know if I'm in danger."
"Should you be in danger?" She smiled, the first emotion he gave her. Again, a disturbingly familiar reaction coursed through him. His heart fluttered yet he did not know why. "You're special, I can tell."
"Buttering me up now?"
"Simply stating facts. A lot of people don't notice me, even when I'm right in front of him. You did though."
"Do I win a prize?"
"My attention. How about that?"
Sojiro laughed. Yet he felt a strange intimidation. It radiated off her like a fissure. He couldn't tell if they were flirting or threatening one another, but he could sense a certain chemistry mixing in between. This girl was trouble, no doubt about that.
"Well you'll have to offer me something more than that," Sojiro countered, placing a finger on his goatee and masking his nervousness with a cocky grin. "I get a lot of attention, some good, some bad, what makes yours different?"
"Mine's dangerous." She stopped a moment, letting the words settle in. "You like danger?"
"Sometimes," he lied. "If it's for the right prize."
"And what's that?"
"That would be telling. Can't give all my secrets that easily."
He tried to flip it back on her, fighting cryptic with cryptic, yet she seemed entirely unfazed. She smiled and shook her head. "You're funny. Funny and strange."
"I can work with that," he muttered to himself before speaking aloud. "You live round here?"
"I used to." She looked around almost wistfully, as if recalling a long suppressed memory. "I guess I'm back now."
"You sound unsure?"
"I move around a lot. I suppose I'm here to stay." She said no more. Sojiro was tempted to pry, yet he knew when to mind his own business. And if he didn't like it when people rummaged through his trash, he wouldn't go scrounging through other people's.
A loud car horn blared out and took their attention. A long black limo with a missing registration plate was situated on the other side of the street. A window rolled down and a single gloved hand emerged, beckoning the strange girl over. She sighed as her fun had come to a sudden end.
"Guess this is goodbye." Without further ado, she stepped away and headed towards the now open limo door.
"Wait, I never got your name," he called out to her.
"I know," was all she said, stepping inside the limo, the door closed behind her and the car drove away down the street.
"Usually, I'm the one who walks away," he grumbled, unhappy finding himself on the other foot.
This was a new one for Boss. Only one woman in his life had made him sweat like that, and she was long gone twice now. That strange girl felt unattainable, far out of reach in both class and status. He'd be surprised if he ever saw her again. Ordinarily he would have put the moment out of his mind and kept moving forward, yet he stared dumbly down the road she departed down.
"Who was that?"
Sojiro jumped as a voice emerged behind him. He spun around to find Ohya giving him a knowing smile. It took him far longer than it should to recognise her. In his broken down state, he had suppressed the memories of the day before, and now he remembered her and their near fatal encounter.
"Stop that!" He snapped.
"Stop what?"
"Sneaking up on me."
"You like her~" She teased.
"I just met her," he reasoned, which was true, yet did not discredit what Ohya had said.
"You've got a crush~" She teased further.
"Bah," he muttered as he felt hot under the collar. Ichiko made a face akin to a smug cat and it pissed him off. "What are you stalking me for?"
"Revenge."
"Pardon?"
"You need to pay me back for ruining my shot!" She pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Lunch! You owe me."
"You've got to be kidding me..." He sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
"In fact, you owe me many lunches, until you've paid off my new roll of film."
"First off, you lost one shot-"
"The last shot! The most important shot!"
"Second, I'm under no obligation to give you anything. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I saved your keister yesterday."
"Man, you really do talk like an old dude." She smacked his arm hard enough to feel a sting. "Do something useful and buy me food," she finished with a definitive huff.
"What a pain," Sojiro sighed.
He wasn't going to shake her. She was a relentless young lady, the only reason she had stopped aiming for a quote from Sojiro was her focus had switched to punishing him instead.
"Fine," he reluctantly agreed. "But only once. One ruined shot, one bento box for you."
"I wanted sushi…" She tried to put on a cute face, but had little effect on Boss.
"I'm not made of money. Take it or leave it."
"Fine," she agreed, seeing he would budge no further. She held out her hand for him to take, and Sojiro went to shake. The moment they clasped together, Ohya pulled him in and pulled out a voice recorder. "So do you have any comments on your near-death experience with Shujin's most dangerous student?"
"Kill me," Sojiro groaned.
"That could be arranged."
Sojiro and Ichiko felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand up on end. They both recognised the voice instantly. It was cold as ice, with an unnatural rumble for a man as young as him. While no taller than Sojiro, Boss still felt like Iwai was able to tower over him with his sheer presence. His knees shook and nearly buckled, held only together by the rest of his muscles locking into place and keeping him steady for whatever came next.
"Y-y-yoo~! Mune-San." Ichiko fared no better, her attempt to hide her intimidation was poor at best. "What brings you here?"
"You want a picture of me?" He asked pointedly. "You SURE you want a picture? It will cost you…" He stared at Ohya, waiting for an answer.
"I-I-I…" The photographer suddenly regretted her life aspirations.
"Cause I don't know if you can afford the commission."
"L-listen. This isn't what you think, I-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Munehisa grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close. "No, you listen. You don't know who and what you're messing with here, but if you had any sense you would tear up any pictures you took of me and throw 'em into the sea."
"I just want a story, I just-"
"I'M NOT A STORY! I DONT WANT SHIT TO DO WITH YOU OR THIS SCHOOL!" He screamed in her face, all his rage and frustration coming out at once. "You think I enjoy doing this? You think this is how I get my kicks? All I god damn want is for assholes like you to leave me alone!"
It was only now did Sojiro realise he could walk away. Iwai did not care about him, or at least his focus was entirely on Ichiko. He could turn and leave and hopefully that would be the end of it. To his shame, he did consider that. Sojiro was a fully grown man, or at least he was supposed to be, he shouldn't be threatened by a two-bit punk, yet nothing but panic and adrenaline was coursing through him now.
He looked at Ohya and felt something turn within him. The smugness, the arrogance, the ball of life that was Ichiko had been reduced to a whimpering mess. She was afraid. He saw the fear in her eyes and his own frustration at her melted away. Then finally, one last thought crossed his mind; what if that was Futaba? No, he already knew he wouldn't walk away. He couldn't. Instead he was about to do something very stupid.
"Get off of her!" He bellowed, smacking Iwai's hand away from Ohya's collar.
If he actually hurt him, Sojiro was unsure, but Munehisa released his hold of Ichiko and switched his focus to him. For the briefest moment, Boss thought he saw a look of betrayal in his eyes. That lasted for what might have been a millisecond, before Iwai returned to his angry glare."Don't you know the rule? Don't dish out shit you can't take back."
He was about to get swung at, Boss had enough sense to see that coming. Logically, he came to the most sensible conclusion on what to do next. He grabbed Ohya by the arm and pulled her into a run. Ichiko nearly tripped as she was pulled aside but miraculously retained her balance as they both quickly bounded down the street.
Here they were again, him and Ohya running for their lives from a kid their age they were convinced was ready to murder them. This time though, Iwai did not just stare at them as they left, he gave chase at a frightening pace. Within seconds he had matched their speed, causing both Sojiro and Ichiko to run just that much faster.
"You still want that story!?" Sojiro shouted between breaths.
"Shut up!" She shouted back.
They ran down the many streets and alleyways, unsure initially on their target destination till all three clocked to where they were naturally heading towards; school. People gave them shifty eyes but surprisingly there were no police along the path, leaving the unfortunate pair at the mercy of Iwai. However, after what had felt like running a marathon, Sojiro realised that sanctuary was within reach.
Sojiro's phone rumbled violently inside his jacket pocket. The sudden sensation nearly gave him a heart attack. He pulled it out to figure what the hell it was, only to find that strange app again. The icon's single eye looked back at him unnervingly. In one swift move he went to delete it again, but considering his pace and his lack of experience with smartphones in general, he accidentally opened the app before placing it back in his jacket pocket.
Then on the horizon he could see salvation. "Heh, never thought I'd be relieved to see Shujin Academy of all places." He spoke softly, nearly out of breath.
Keyword accepted.
Sojiro missed the tiny electronic voice calling out to him as all he could hear were his own strained breaths and his tired feet slapping against the floor. He turned an eye towards Iwai who was still hot on his heels and showed no sign of slowing down, while Sojiro's aching muscles told a different story.
"This way!" Iwai suddenly called out, pointing towards a nearby alleyway.
With no reason to argue, he followed her lead and drifted down the path. Alley after alley revealed a maze like network behind the streets leading to the school. Boss had been confident that this was some shortcut that Iwai knew, when suddenly their road came to an abrupt end. Sojiro narrowly avoided crashing into his running partner as she was frozen in place, staring blankly at a brick wall.
"The hell!? Where are we?"
Ichiko ignored his question. Boss could hear his fellow students on the other side of it, they were but meters from the school gates, but one bad turn had led them down the wrong way. They spun quickly, but still too late. Iwai had closed the gap and now he was standing between their only way out. They were trapped.
"This is the colosseum…" She finally said, her voice filled with dread as she watched Iwai stop running, and instead slowly stroll up to his prey.
Keyword accepted
Sojiro heard his phone that time, yet paid no attention to it, focusing instead on the world of hurt fast approaching him. "The what?"
"Some kids use this spot to grab others just as they are leaving school, then chuck them in here with someone twice their size. Y'know, like throwing someone to a lion?"
"... Joy."
"So, what now?" Iwai said as he continued his approach.
"You let us go and we forget what we saw?" Ichiko hoped.
"No, no you see I don't believe that. I dont know what kind of stupid plan you worked out in your head, but I know a squealer when I see one. Who were you gonna squeal to? The teachers? The Police? Principal Saitta?"
Keyword accepted. Beginning navigation...
The world began to turn. Colours blurred, darkness sunk within the cracks of reality. The stone walls around them were replaced with marble. The pavement degraded into cobblestone roads. Boss felt his stomach turn as well as he struggled to stay on his feet. The universe was shifting around him, the three of them remained the only fixed points in the cosmos.
"So now I have to teach you both a lesson," Iwai carried on, not having noticed what was happening. Ichiko was slower on the draw, but slowly began to notice the world was changing. Finally, the wall behind them faded away. "I'm going to show you exactly why you should have left-"
Iwai finally stopped as he stared past his targets and marveled at what now stood in place of their school. Sojiro and Ichiko followed his gaze and turned around. Shujin Academy was now a giant colosseum. The building was even bigger than Shujin and seemed to stretch on for miles. The buildings around them resembled something straight out of a history book on ancient rome. The edges of the streets had vibrant mosaic patterns and stark purple banners were hanging off each home.
"Where the hell are we?" Iwai growled, immediately on the defensive.
"Is this a prank?" Ichiko asked. "This has to be a prank. Like no way is this what I'm seeing right now."
Sojiro stayed quiet and took out his phone. The screen flashed on and the eye was on full display. It listed his location, something about a cognition, and a palace ruler, whatever that meant. To anyone else this would have meant nothing, but Sojiro had heard this before. He never took much stock into the explanation of exactly how the Phantom Thieves got into the metaverse, but that was quickly changing.
"The slaves have escaped!" Bellowed a voice from the colosseum entrance.
"Huh?" All three teenagers uttered as a large man in golden armour stomped out of the shadows.
At least, it looked like a man. A huge man. He towered over them with his black midriff exposed and his seemingly hollow helmet glimmering in the sun. He looked like a bonafide gladiator, with a trident and net to match.
"Great, it's a freakshow," Iwai grumbled.
"You should all be in the cells! Your match is in an hour!" He barked at them with his weapon raised and ready.
"Hold on! This is a misunderstanding," Sojiro attempted to explain.
"You misunderstand your place! Caesar will not be pleased by this." The Gladiator was quickly joined by two other identical ones. Behind them, Sojiro could hear a collection of footsteps fast approaching.
Ichiko quickly whipped out her camera again, taking whatever pictures she could of the surrounding area. Boss was unsure if she was oblivious of the danger, or was taking whatever evidence she could make before they were impaled. Iwai seemed unnerved. He approached the other two and stayed close to them. His eyes darted about as he maintained his cool veneer.
"Oh man, this is wild!" Ichiko exclaimed. "The costumes, the set pieces, this is the craziest reality show I've even seen."
"Yep. You've lost it," Sojiro sighed.
"Oh come on, none of this is real. This is such bullshit. A giant coliseum just springs up exactly where the school is meant to be, as if."
"Maybe it's all fancy sets, but these guys aren't playing around," muttered Iwai through gritted teeth.
"What do you mean?"
"Can't you feel it. It feels like something is about to blow, these guys are ready to fight."
As if on cue, the trio were completely surrounded. A mighty figure blocked their every route. Ichiko laughed it away though, poking the one directly in front of her. "These guys can't hurt us. They'll get sued out the ass-"
The full weight of the back end of the trident slammed into the photographer's head, knocking her out cold. Before she could hit the floor, Boss deftly grabbed her lifeless form. A switch was flicked in the mind of Iwai, it was now fight or flight. And he always chose to fight. He swung wildly, but was cut off by a net being thrown on him and sure enough, one was draped over Sojiro as well. Boss had perhaps a millisecond to process what was happening before he felt something blunt whack into the back of his skull.