Chapter 1 – Le Mat – The Journey Begins

09/04 (Saturday) [Afternoon] {Juvenile Hall}

"So, this is how they felt…" I mumbled as I was led into the underground parking lot of the Juvenile Hall.

"Get in the car."

Her voice was clipped – cold. Her long, thin fingers wrapped around the handle of the back door and held it open. Attached to the inner handle was a set of handcuffs – an exact replica of the ones tightly binding my wrists. I promptly sat on the white leather seats and clutched the seatbelt. The woman held the door open, tapping her foot impatiently as I struggled to pull the safety belt across my chest with my bound hands. She sighed and grabbed it from my clumsy grip, leaning over slightly and clicking the belt into place. She then took hold of the handcuffs attached to the door, intertwined them my own, and locked them into place. Without saying a word, she closed the door, got into the driver's seat, and started the car.

The metal on my wrists felt heavy and uncomfortable. It chafed my skin. Hateful brown eyes filled my vision every time I blinked. There was nothing I could do except tap my thumbs together and gaze around the car. My eyes found their way to the woman sitting in the driver's seat. Her ashen hair fell down to the center of her back. My eyes drifted to the rear-view mirror and locked with hers – a reddish-brown. She glared at my reflection, the red in her eyes truly coming forth.

"You'll be staying with a café owner during your probation. However, since it would be unfair to cheat him out of his business hours, your custody will be exchanged between us once a week. This should go without saying, but no matter where you are – I expect you to be on your best behavior. Understood?"

My stomach twisted. The phrasing of her words bothered me to no end. A sea of melted faces clouded my vision. I swallowed the bile that tried to claw its way out of my throat, giving a curt nod and replying, "Of course. You don't have to worry about me, Niijima-sama."

My perfect, practiced smile was met with narrowed eyes. Immense distrust danced in the sea of red, but I was unfazed. It was not the worst that I had seen. The rest of the ride was silent.

09/04 (Saturday) [Evening] {Yongen-jaya}

The metal falls from my wrists and I'm ushered out of the car. The hand applying pressure between my shoulder blades reminded me that even though my hands were unbound, my freedom still escaped my grasp. I was steered quickly through the backstreets, only capturing glimpses of my surroundings as I was hurried along. Eventually we stood before a furnished oak doorway, murky glass preventing me from seeing inside. The woman behind me stared at me expectantly, and I turned the knob – entering the quaint coffee shop. The smell of ground coffee drifted into my nostrils. I breathed in through my nose, inhaling the bitter scent. The man behind the counter blinked at me, sighed in what I assumed to be resignation, and placed his magazine on the counter. He took slow, even steps around the counter, standing before us.

"So, this is it, huh?" He scratched at his goatee before scratching his dark hair – slicked back and with a receding hairline. His grey eyes took stock of my appearance, before he raised an eyebrow. He continued in his baritone voice, "You don't look like the punk I was expecting…"

Niijima opened her mouth before I could, "Don't let his appearance fool you. The cruellest criminals have the best visages."

The word 'criminal' bounced around in my head. Red and blue lights flashed in the corner of my vision as sirens echoed in my ears. I smiled politely at my soon-to-be guardian, but I could feel the crack forming at the edge of my mask. I bowed – just in case I couldn't keep my expression level. "Thank you for taking me in. I promise to not cause you any unneeded stress, sir."

His hands found themselves in his hair again and he sighed, "Call me Boss. Sir makes me feel old…" He nodded towards the back of the shop – a staircase that led to higher ground. "I'll show you to your room."

I glanced back at Niijima, who simply crossed her arms and looked pointedly at her watch. With nothing to lose, I followed the older man up the staircase to find my room – the attic. My nose burned and I felt tears gather at the corner of my vision. It was a mess. Dust covered every surface, cobwebs lined the ceiling beams, and junk was strewn everywhere. Everything became a blurry mess as similar images of dirty walls, cramped floors and crying children flew across my vision. The clothing I was wearing offered no protection against the sudden cold that had sunk into my bones. I clenched my fist, trying to stop the shivering. A hand grasped my shoulder and my vision cleared.

"Hey kid! You alright?" Boss looked down at me. I realised that I was now sitting amongst the filth. Niijima stood at the top of the stairway, eyeing me warily. I slowly rose to my feet, patting the non-existent dust from the front of my black jeans.

"My apologies. I am quite alright. I was just taken aback by how… spacious it is." My voice was level – years of practice coming into play. I snuck a bit of awe into my last words – hoping to make it sound as authentic as possible. Boss simply raised an eyebrow. We both knew it was a lie. He didn't question it. He simply nodded and left alongside Niijima. I was left alone in the filthy attic. My fingers twitched.

I leapt for the cardboard box at the centre of the room. I tore it open, violently shoving the clothing and books to the side. Cleaning supplies. I grabbed the cloth, the feather-duster, the cleaning spray and everything else in that particular bag. I tore through the room like a man possessed. Nothing would be spared. I didn't breathe in, the thought of contaminating my lungs with the musky air made me shiver. My arms screamed in protest as I scrubbed every area of the attic with vicious fervour, and then did it again – twice. I twisted the bookshelf, hiding my bed behind it. I organized the shelves, the current inhabitants at the bottom and my personal books at the top – everything in alphabetical order. Everything on the floor and rusty workbench were placed, as neatly aligned as possible, on the second set of shelves – near the entrance to the room. A potted plant was placed in the corner, wilting away as far from everything else as possible. After thoroughly cleaning a tarp I had found on the floor, I hung it over the entrance, allowing me to create a curtain that I could close to give myself a sense of privacy.

I finally allowed myself to collapse on my bed. I took deep breaths, supplying my oxygen-starved lungs, while my muscles cried out in relief. I inhaled the smell of my blankets, the strawberry-scented cleaning agent giving me a sense of euphoria. The curtain was pulled aside and a surprised-looking Boss popped into the room. He let out a low whistle as his eyes surveyed the room.

"You really cleaned up, huh? What, trying to impress me?" He smirked as he stepped towards the workbench and picked up a framed document.

I tensed. My muscles screamed. His fingers left oily, DIRTY smudges on the glass. Boss was saying something about tomorrow and an academy, but I tuned him out. My eyes never left the frame even after he had put it back down on the table. It was only several seconds later when I realised that he had left, having the decency to close the curtain behind him. I immediately reached for the box under my bed, withdrawing the cleaning spray and cloth and sitting down at the workbench.

'Spray. Wipe. Repeat. Spray. Wipe. Repeat. Spray. Wipe. Repeat.'

I felt my conscience slipping away as I went through the motions. The document before me being the last thing in my vision.

Gekkoukan Primary School

Test Results – First Term

Class: 3-A

Name: Akechi, Goro

Results Average: 100%

10/04 (Sunday) [Early Morning] {LeBlanc}

There was brightness. I slowly opened my eyes and suddenly became aware of my aching back. I straightened the frame and slowly rose from my seat, massaging my back as I did so. The school uniform I had unpacked the night before laid upon my bed, crisp and ready to be worn. I carefully undressed, folded up my casual wear, and equipped myself with my school uniform. I made sure to smooth out all the wrinkles, have my sleeves be of equal length, and ensure that I could see my reflection in the shiny darkness of my shoes. I took hold of my long, unruly locks and pulled them into a low ponytail – using my pocket-mirror to look for any loose strands. There were none. Finally, I smiled into the tiny mirror and gave a polite 'hello'. Both were happy, innocent, and perfectly faked – as it should be.

My eyes shift to a slim item on my desk. A phone – to keep track of me. My fingers slowly curl around it and I lift it to my face. With a tap on the side, the screen comes to life. I casually swiped at the foreign object, interested in the way it reacted to my touch. I pressed the button again and the screen darkened. I can fiddle around with it later. I pocketed the small device and turned towards the doorway. I slipped on a pair of simple, black gloves.

'5:30… We're supposed to meet up at 8. Niijima mentioned that there was some sort of navigation tool on my device. I don't need to be escorted everywhere like a dog. Boss will probably be glad that I got out of his hair.'

I walked over to the window and took hold of the handle. I was met with a surprising amount of resistance. Pushing down with more force, it let out a groan of protest before finally giving way and the window opened. Looking over, I measured the distance between myself and the ground.

'Doesn't look like a large drop. I should be able to land without breaking my ankles, at least. Nothing I can't handle.' I mused as I swung both legs over the windowsill.

I pushed myself off and landed in a crouch. I dusted off my shoes and straightened myself. Taking off a glove, I retrieved the phone from my pocket and once again gave life to the device. One of the icons created a ripple-like affect across the glass, and it grew to cover the entire screen. What appeared to be a red-and-black eye pulsated at irregular intervals. A feminine, robotic voice echoed from the device.

"Awaiting input…"

'This must be the navigation tool that Niijima was talking about. Why does looking at it make me feel uncomfortable? It's most likely because I'm not used to staring at such small screens.'

There was no space for me to input anything. I tapped on the icon and it kept repeating its earlier phrase. I lightly scratched my jaw.

'So, I cannot input my destination manually, and interacting with the icon does not work either. Niijima was talking into her phone before we left for Jongen-jaya. Can I do the same with mine? It's worth a try.'

Clearing my throat, I spoke clearly, "Shujin Academy."

"Location found. Please enter Candidate Name"

'Candidate name? So, this can take me directly to the person I want to find? Just how advanced is this navigation tool? Whose name do I put in though?'

I pressed the central button at the bottom of my phone, and the black and red receded from the screen until it was an icon once more. I scrolled through and opened several of the other icons, trying to find something I can search with. 'Gallery', 'Storage', and 'Snek' were of no use to me. Finally, I stumbled upon 'Ethernet Implorer', and that gave me access to a bar. I tapped at the white space and several characters popped up. Without delay, I typed out 'Shujin Academy' and pressed the magnifying glass. Near instantaneously, information regarding the school filled the screen. Near the middle of the page was the word I had been looking for: principal. Closing the search tool, I moved back to the navigator – its eerie appearance created a stir in my stomach.

"Jiga Kobayakawa."

"Candidate found. Please enter Distortion."

I scratched at my jaw again. This was slightly more troublesome than I thought. Now it required a 'distortion' – whatever that means. A specific branch of the school, perhaps? I went back to the search tool, clicking on the blue text with Shujin's name. I initially tried 'Principal's Office', but was met with an aggressive beeping. Trying classroom names, the gymnasium, and the courtyard yielded the same result. I exhaled through my nose as I felt my frustration build. Upon further investigation, I found a tab that was labelled 'Clubs' and started stating their names in a last-ditch attempt to achieve results. I tried Kendo, Music, Art, Science, Theatre –

"Distortion found. Beginning navigation. Jiga Kobayakawa – Shujin Academy – Egotistical Theatre."

The device started pulsating again, but the ripples seemed to continue beyond the screen. Red and black washed over me and my forehead throbbed. I stumbled, desperately trying to maintain my balance, and found myself leaning against the wall. Within seconds, the feeling was gone.

'What just happened? Egotistical Theatre?' I pondered as I looked back at the device. The screen was black, red lines highlighting pathways. A firm, red line formed from my location all the way to an exclamation point in the distance. At the bottom of the phone was a simple '6.6km'.

I dismissed the strange occurrence as a headache from staring at the phone for too long. The name of the club was probably 'Egotistical Theatre', a strange name – but I digress. Yes, nothing that cannot be explained with logic. With that resolved, I began my long journey towards Shujin Academy.

10/04 (Sunday) [Morning] {Aoyama-Itchome?}

It was uncanny. I had been walking for 80 minutes and the city was empty – completely. No cars. No people. No animals. Nothing. The glow of the rising sun made the sky seem redder than usual. The surroundings were bleak – devoid of colour.

Everything was still – except for that thing. I sometimes caught it in my peripheral vision as I turned a corner – sharp, blood-soaked teeth glinting amongst the darkness. The rest of its features hidden amongst dark flames whenever I turned towards it. I quickened my pace. My brain told to get as far away from the thing as possible, but there was a small tugging in my chest – trying to coax me towards the wicked fangs. I was a just over a hundred meters away from the school. Panic shot through me as I heard the sound of scraping metal, mere centimetres behind me. Every alarm bell in my head went off in unison. I ran. My instincts drove me in the opposite direction of the noise. It had not been that close the last time I had looked at it. I needed to get away from it.

"You have reached your destination. Jiga Kobayakawa – Shujin Academy – Egotistical Theatre."

Pushing my legs to their limits, I emerged from an alleyway. I bent over, gasping for breath and clutching my quaking knees. There was a painful brightness that I shielded my vulnerable retinas from by raising my arm. I stood up once more, slightly lowering my arm as my eyes slowly adjusted to the interference. I looked back down at my phone – my destination was right in front of me. I looked up again. Instead of the bleak, grey walls that I had seen images of, the building in front of me was the opposite. Adorned in neon-lights and extending into the sky was a black, brightly lit building. Every variation of an arrow I could imagine all pointed towards the massive sign above the eight sets of double doors that read: Shujin Academy. From behind the building, floodlights illuminated the sky – complimenting the occasional explosion of colours that painted the skies. I stood at the foot of the grandiose stairs that led to the entrance. Despite the flashy colours and inviting atmosphere the theatre was aiming to exude, I felt a heavy weight in my heart. Anxiety, despair, and fear all seemed to radiate through every bone in my body.

'The navigation tool led me here, but this obviously isn't the school. Why is there a theatre here? I know that I had to put it into the tool for it to lead me here. It was classified under distortion. If the theatre is considered as a 'distortion' of the school… then maybe that means that the school underwent a change. Perhaps they changed from a prep school to an arts school over the new year. That makes sense. It also strikes out the possibility that I ended up at a random theatre that was also coincidentally named Shujin. The sign does also say 'Academy', after all.'

'I had arrived an hour earlier than we were supposed to meet, so I might as well make sure I know where the principal's office is. I do need to leave a perfect first impression, after all. Height often correlates with power and importance, so his office will most likely be on the top floor.'

I took a deep breath and started making my way up the stairs – the 50-something stairs. My shoes squeaked as they slid along the black marble, bringing me closer and closer to the top. I felt that negative cluster of emotions grow slowly – quietly, with every step I took. At the end of the perilous climb, I found myself standing in front of a large set of red doors. I slowly put my hand to the, undoubtedly expensive, Grenadilla Wood – my glove sliding across the smooth surface. I held it there, taking slow breathes in an effort to calm myself. With a huff, I pushed the door open and entered.

I finally got around to playing Persona 5, and needless to say, I fell head first into the rabbit hole. During my third playthrough of the game, I really took a liking to Akechi as a character. As such, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at writing a story where Akechi is the one chosen as Igor's champion. Due to this, there are undoubtedly going to be major changes to canon that I am excited to write and I hope that you will look forward to.

See you in the next chapter!

~AnimeTrashPile