4/19 Sun - Iwatodai dormitory - Evening
I didn't go anywhere today. Instead, I just stayed in my room, playing video games until Yuka-chan asked me to come down to the lounge for something important. When I reach the lounge I saw Akihiko, Mako-kun, and Yuka-chan down here.
"Aki, what's going on?"
"Who's Aki?"
Senpai seemed troubled by me calling him that.
"Sorry, do you not want to be called that?"
"It's fine, it just reminded me of something..."
Well, this got quiet real quick.
"So, what's going on Aki?"
"Right. There's someone I want to introduce." He opened the door leading outside of the dorm.
"Hey, hurry up."
"Hold your horses...this is freakin' heavy," a male voice said.
"You need help," I asked.
"Nah, I got it."
The person Aki wanted to introduce came into the dorm with a large suitcase. Yukari's expression turned dire as the person in question came in.
"Junpei...why is HE here, wait don't tell me...!"
Yuka-chan seems to be somewhat surprised and annoyed by this person's presence. So this is Junpei.
"This is Iori Junpei from class 2-F, he'll be staying here as of today."
"He's staying here, You've gotta be kidding me!?"
Yuka-chan sounds even more annoyed and angry than before.
"I bumped into him the other night. He has the potential but he just awakened to it recently. So I told him about us, and he agreed to help us."
"You have the potential, for real!?"
"He found me cryin' like a baby at the convenience store, surrounded by a bunch of coffins. I don't remember much, but man, that's embarrassing! He said that's, ya know, completely normal, in the beginning. Like, bein' confused and not remembering anything. Did you guys know that?" He had asked us. "Didn't happen to me," Makoto responded.
"Me neither," I added.
"Ah big deal, happens to the rest of us."
Someone was knocking on the door to the exit.
"I'll get it," I volunteered. I opened the door to find nobody out here.
"Huh. Not funny..."
I was about to close the door but I saw something leaning on the guardrail. It was a tall metallic case. It was reflecting light from the street light, It would've been practically invisible without it. There was a note on the case, "for Kazuki Kei". I don't remember making an order for a case like this. It looks pretty suspicious but honestly, I don't want to leave it out here. I picked up the case but it was a struggle due to how heavy it was. "Holy hell, this is freaking heavy!"
It was hard to take steps with this thing weighing me down!
I entered back into the dorm, and with my mysterious delivered goods. Junpei and Yuka-chan were sitting on the couch. Aki got off the armrest chair and came right over to me.
"So, what did I miss, Aki?"
"I'm gonna give you the short version."
"We're going to a place called, Tartarus tomorrow."
"What's Tartarus," I asked as I was trying to keep the case from falling.
"We'll fill you in tomorrow, just get here after school tomorrow."
"Kay."
Junpei stared at the box, in my arms.
"Yo, that's a large ass box, what's in it?"
"I don't know, but I think it was something I left at home."
"I see, sorry for snooping, man."
"No problem. Oh, by the way, I'm Kazuki Kei, nice to meet you, Jun."
"Dude, that's not my name."
"Don't worry Stupei, that's your nickname apparently," Yuka-chan said while she was flipping pages in her magazine.
"Really, cool, in that case, I'll call you...Kazu!"
"Kazu, yeah, that definitely fits."
"Dude, it's settled, I'm Jun and you're, Kazu."
"Sweet!"
I first bumped Jun. Yuka-chan cringed at the scene. After that, I made an attempt to go upstairs. Though, that proved to be harder than expected.
"Umm, can someone help me upstairs, this box is really heavy?"
Jun jumps up from the couch.
"I got you, dude!"
"Thanks."
Kazuki room - Evening
I sat right on my bed, staring at the box on the floor in anxiety. I slowly open the box, and what I find inside the box left me speechless. I found a katana sword. I nearly dropped it due to my surprise.
The katana was sheathed in a black and red cover. I unsheathed the sword, the blade itself was jet-black. The handle was black as well. It also had another weird detail I took notice of; there was a small chain on the bottom of the hilt. But the part of the chain that caught my attention was a ring that was attached to it. The chains are connecting to both sides of the ring. I got off my bed and I held it in my hands. It was heavy, but not the weight of the case. The blade didn't reflect anything whatsoever...
"This is so cool," I snickered. I had always wanted to hold a sword, not just some toy one. Feels like I'm a little kid again. When I stopped gushing at the sword I calmed myself and I put the sword away in the case. I change clothes - like I always do before heading to bed...
"Ah, back to kicking it on the bed..."
My phone was going off on my desk. I got out of bed and I picked it up.
"Hello, Kazuki-kun," Fuu-chan called. "Fuu-chan, what's up"
"Nothing... I know it's late, so I'll make it quick."
"Okay, what's on your mind?"
I took a seat in my chair.
"About the time we would meet up outside of school." Crap, I forgot all about that. "...I was wondering, can we meet up Sunday?"
"Next Sunday is cool with me."
"Great, so we'll meet up at the Port Island station," Fuu-chan suggested.
"Yeah, the station, that sounds good to me."
"Okay, then, I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"Yep, you'll see me there in good condition."
"Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Please get some rest."
"Don't worry, I'm hitting the sack and not waking up until the morning."
I hung-up on Fuu-chan.
"Sunday... Can't wait."
4/20 Mon - Gekkoukan high - Class 2-E - Afterschool
I put all my stuff away after the final bell had rung, indicating that the school day was over. I had gotten a text message a few seconds after the bell, it's from Aki. I open the message and it reads, "Kei, we need you to come straight back to the dorm today, we're making preparations to go to Tartarus."
"Kazuki-kun." "AH!"
The hairs on my back rose and I fumbled with my phone a bit.
"Oh, Fuu-chan...hey."
"I'm sorry...did I scare you?"
"No, you just surprised me, that's all." "Um, okay then."
"Yeah..."
Akward~
"So, do you want to go somewhere today?"
"I can't, I have to get back to the dorm."
"It's okay. We can always go somewhere after school tomorrow."
I feel bad for not hanging out with her, but if we're going to Tartarus tonight I need to be ready. When I was halfway out of the classroom, I saw Natsuki, the girl that was bullying Fuuka, walk right over to her.
"Hey, Fuuka can I ask you a question?"
"Umm...sure."
"What's your relationship with Kazuki? Is he your boyfriend or something?"
"N-no, we're just...friends!"
"Are you sure about that?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"I mean for all we know, he might be trying to cozy up to you because you're simple and easy."
This has gone on long enough, I'm putting a stop to this!
"I have a question for you Natsuki."
"What is it?"
"Here's the question: why do you pick on Fuuka?"
"I'm not picking on her, you see I-"
"You know what, hold that thought, because I have the answer for you.
I've been thinking about it for a while now. Besides, I know how bullies like her act.
First of all, you pick on Fuuka so you can fulfill some sort of twisted satisfaction of yours."
"The hell you going on about!?"
"...Are you jealous of Fuuka?"
"WHAT, why would I be!?"
"Well, I only ask this because why else do you bully her. As far as I see it: you been bullying her since last year."
"Yeah, so what!?"
"Oh, I'm sorry to let me be a bit more...specific. You started bullying Fuuka around the time she became an honor student, isn't that right?"
"What's your point!?"
"My point is, you're just jealous of Fuuka because she isn't like the other girls here; yeah, she's might have a reserved personality but under that, she's smart, kind, and considerate to other people. Hell, she's taken all this harassment from you for this long. So you know what that tells me, she has the personality of a saint! Now, how about you do me a favor, and leave her the hell alone!"
Everyone in the classroom went silent from my outburst. Natsuki, on the other hand, seems like she's about to burst into rage.
"Screw this, I'm out of here!" Natsuki opens the door in anger and shuts it with an equal amount of rage. I was panting from my yelling. I'd never yelled at someone like that before, my heart was beating like hell. It kind of feels good.
"Hey, Fuuka, you alright?"
"I'm all right?"
"I know what you're going to say, and you're right, I shouldn't have snapped like that."
"I think we could've resolved that in a more peaceful way, but thank you, Kazuki-kun."
"No problem, but I still think I could've handled that a lot better than I did. But that doesn't mean I regret saying what I said."
"Thank-you again, Kazuki-kun." She bowed to me.
"Don't sweat it, seriously. Friends need to stick up for one another."
"R-really?" She muttered to herself.
"Yeah, that's what we're supposed to do, right?" I presented my fist in front of her. "Now come on, bump it."
She seemed a bit startled at first but she eventually connected her fist to mine. It was light, delicate touch. I grabbed my bag from my desk.
"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay."
Before I made my way out of the classroom, FuU-chan walked in front of me.
"Wait, Kazuki-kun, I have to give you something."
"Fuu-chan, you don't need to give me anything."
"But, Kazuki-kun."
"...I mean, a gift from you would be good."
"Kazuki-kun."
"...but the best gift from you would be your respect."
"Um, Kazuki-kun."
"Yes, Fuu-chan?"
"I was going to give you this."
Fuuka reaches into her bag to reveal my hoodie.
"..."
"Kazuki-kun, are you okay?"
I took a moment to think about how much of a complete tool I sounded like. I grabbed my hoodie from Fuuka's hands, and upon doing that, my fingers grazed her left hand a bit, but enough to have her let go of my hoodie. Thankfully, due to my quick reflexes, I caught my hoodie before it hit the floor. Looking at Fuu-chan, I saw her blush immensely.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drop your hoodie, Kazuki-kun! I just...I just."
"It's alright Fuu-chan, I know you didn't mean to."
I smiled at her in reassurance. With that being said, I took off my uniform jacket, so I could properly wear this outfit set-piece of mine.
When I put on the hoodie, I expect a big *swoosh* noise like in an anime, but nope, that didn't happen. Although, something does seem different about the hoodie. It smells different, it smells nice; like some-sort-of-flowered fragrance. Did Fuu-chan wash this for me?
"I know it smells a bit weird, but-"
"It's alright, it smells great."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I see, Thank-you."
Fuu-chan made her way out of the classroom.
I know I need to go to the dorm right away but maybe it would be all right if I walk with Fuu-chan. Besides, there's probably still a pissed off Natsuki in the area, so better safe than sorry.
"Hey, Fuu-chan, wait up."
"Is something wrong, Kazuki-kun?"
"No, not exactly, but I was wondering, is it okay if I walk you home for today?"
"I thought you weren't able to?"
"You let me worry about that."
"Okay, then let's go."
Fuu-chan and I left the school grounds. While we were leaving, I kept an eye for any unexpected appearances. - Oh, say like...a possibly pissed off bully.
"Kazuki-kun, about that conversation in the hospital."
"What about it?"
She was fiddling with her fingers.
"I'm really sorry for yelling at you."
I don't really remember much yelling but I do remember the argument.
"Um, you're forgiven. But to be honest, I don't remember much yelling."
"Thank goodness!"
It still sort of bothered me but I wasn't gonna say anything about that.
"Kazuki-kun, I have a question to ask."
"Shoot."
"How are you feeling? I mean, are you feeling better since you got out of the hospital?"
"Yeah, I feel as fit as a fiddle."
And that was no lie, I was feeling pretty fine, in fact, I'd say the only way you say I was hurt during my first encounter is by my scar.
"I see, but tell me if you're not feeling well."
"Oh, you gonna treat me, doctor Yamagishi," I joked.
"N-no! I can do cuts, bruises, and not too serious sicknesses, but that's it."
"Oh, do you know about medicine,"
"Just a little bit. I've been studying for a while now..."
"Planning on being a doctor?"
"No. I don't really want to be."
She seemed pretty upset when I touched on wanting to be a doctor.
"But Kazuki-kun, seriously, tell me if you're feeling ill or something between those lines. I want you to take care of your body, okay?"
Fuuka had a serious expression that had taken me by surprise a bit. I didn't think she could make one. It made me crack a smile. I gave a little salute to her.
"Got it, boss lady."
Iwatodai dormitory - Command room - Evening
When I get to the dorm everyone looked prepared, it's probably because we're going to Tartarus. I knew walking Fuu-chan home would make me late, but I was a bit paranoid for her safety; So I had no other choice. Besides, I feel like I could explain why I'm late to Mitsu-chan.
"Sorry, I'm late!"
Everyone in the room looked over towards me as I entered.
"Where were you," Aki asked.
"I was still at the school, I had to do something."
I walked Fuuka home, which was a bit far from the dorm, so I had to book it here.
"Well, that doesn't matter now, we're going to Tartarus, go get your Evoker," Mitsu-chan commanded me.
"Right!"
I went down to my room to go get my equipment. When I got into the room, I picked up my Evoker from under my bed and I pulled out the metal case with the black sword. I took it out and I held it up for a moment.
"Okay, we can do this, this shouldn't be a big deal even. I got this!"
I took a deep breath and I proceeded to put the sword in its sheath. I left my room with my equipment.
"I can do this...!"
4/21 Tu - Gekkoukan high entrance - late-night
I had arrived at the school. I had to keep the sword concealed by going into dark alleys with dark spots (I nearly got caught several times on my way here).
"Finally here," Aki stated.
"Sorry, I had to take a bit more of my time to get."
"Well, you got here just in time."
I looked towards the school, seeing the moon hover over it.
"What's going to happen to the school?"
"You're about to see..."
I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. It's 12:59 A.M, and in a couple of seconds, the Dark Hour will start.
For some reason, I'm feeling a bit excited. A few seconds later, it was the Dark Hour. My focus was still directed at the school. As I kept my undivided attention to the school, it started to change, many different pillars and structures started to appear out of nowhere, to form a giant tower that seemed to reflect the dirty green the moon and the rest of the world is giving off.
"This is Tartarus," I asked.
"Indeed it is," Mitsuru answered. My legs were shaking like crazy, and I had goosebumps all over my arms. I fell to the floor as I felt this.
"Hey, you all right," Jun tried to grab my shoulder but I stopped him.
"No, it's fine, my legs were just shaking from the excitement. I'm fine, really."
In truth, I was excited, but a bit scared at the same time. Mitsu-chan stepped forward. "All right, we wasted enough time, let's get going."
Everybody made their way to Tartarus. I, on the other hand, was still on the floor. I was trying to get up. Maybe my nerves were weak after all.
"Are you all right, Kazuki-kun," Yuka-chan asked.
"Huh?"
"I asked if you are all right, are you?"
"Yeah, 100%!"
I put on a smile, so I don't appear distressed.
"Good, I know this is a bit scary, but you won't be alone in this; Makoto, me, even stupei will be there, so don't worry. Besides, I saw what you did to that shadow the other night. As far as I'm certain, we'll all be fine, so come on."
"Thank you."
I got up from the floor, dusting myself off.
"Thank-you, Yuka-chan."
"Your welcome."
"Also thank you for healing my wound."
"No problem. It's the least I can do for the guy who saved us."
"Ah, shucks."
I was scratching my head, feeling the blood flow to my cheeks.
"Oh, I have to tell you one thing," I told Yuka-chan
"What is it?"
"...I'll do my best from now on, so you can count on me."
"I hope I can because both you and Makoto seem pretty reliable."
"What about Jun?"
"Junpei? Who knows, maybe he'll be some help."
We both started laughing for no reason at all, but I feel much better. I started to calm down a bit.
"Okay, Yuka-chan, I think we should get going now."
"Yeah, you're right. let's get going."
Yuka-chan and I made our way towards Tartarus. I heard people say that Yuka-chan was stuck-up. But from what I have seen, she's quite a nice person.
...
A figure watches as the boy enters the tower, silently staring at him.