He could feel the water gently swirl around him. He thought it was the underwater currents pulling him deeper into the sea's grasp but, upon opening his eyes, he realized that was rising towards the surface.

Hoist over the line separating the ocean and sky, Shujinkou was soon washed onto the sandy shore of a beach. The sky was uncomfortably cloudy and beyond the shore of the beach was a barrier. The young man curiously approached the barrier and reached for it.

A small shock instinctively prompted him to his retract his hand back to his side.

What is this place?

"Go any further and you may never be able to go back."

A sharp chill crawled up the spine. It wasn't because of the shock of someone out of sight suddenly talking to him; rather it was the voice itself. It didn't sound sinister, but something about it was intimidating.

Slowly and cautiously, Shujinkou turned around. Standing in front of him was a figure wearing a black cloak. Their face was covered by a hood but their sharp red eyes shined through. They seemed familiar somehow, but they were also scary. Just staring into them robbed Shujinkou of all his strength.

The figure's arms rose towards the hood and pulled it away from their face.

Long silver hair spilled over the hood and dropped down to the figure's knees. Now staring at their lower body, Shujinkou noticed beneath the unzipped portion of the stranger's cloak was a black dress that ended just past their knees. It was a lighter shade of black that contrasted the darker variant that defined their cloak and the socks that completely covered their slender legs.

"Shujinkou."

Once again hearing that intimidating, yet composed voice prompted the young man to swiftly look back up at its owner; he feared what would happen if he didn't.

Face to face with the stranger once more, Shujinkou was surprised to find that it was a female that looked about his age. But that wasn't his only surprise.

Her face was as white as paper and two thick black lines ran from her emotionless eyes to towards the bottom of her face. Her ears were longer than normal and pointy and protruding from her head were two horns with black shackles wrapped around it.

Hanging from the shackles were chains; on the right was only one single broken link, on the left were two full links and a white skull at the end. The white skull was the same shape and stylized like the one connected to the black choker surrounding her neck.

She kinda reminds me of Karizu.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek before realizing that the sky was no longer cloudy. Now it was night with stars brilliantly shining above them.

"Shujinkou," she said once again.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" he asked.

The girl remained silent. She was just staring at him, but it was if she was staring into his soul. He was sure they could steal it to if they wanted to.

"Uhm… Do you happen to know where we are?"

"…You need to go back to where you came from," she said.

"Huh?"

The girl raised her right palm towards his face. That was the last thing he saw before the world around him was suddenly blanketed by darkness.

"Shujinkou…"

"Huh?"

"Shujinkou."

A familiar voice coerced him to leave the world darkness of sleep. He slowly his eyes opened them to greet the new day.

"Shujinkou?"

He could feel someone's hand gently shake him back and forth. A tired yawn burst through his lips and he rubbed his eyes as he slowly sat up in his bed.

"Wh-What's going on?" Shujinkou asked.

"We have school today? Did you forget?"

"School? But didn't we-?"

The moment Shujinkou stopped rubbing his eyes and beheld the owner of the voice he spoke too caused a spiral of emotions to explode within him.

Standing in front of him was a girl that bore a great resemblance to him. She brushed her messy brown hair away from her black eyes and contemplatively scratched her right cheek.

"You still here, Shujinkou?" she asked.

"Hiroko…?" A single tear crawled down Shujinkou's cheek as he stared at the person in front of him. "Hiroko!"

His tired, confused face immediately brightened up as he instinctively threw his arms around the girl.

"Um, good morning…?" she said perplexed.

Feelings of regret and happiness hit Shujinkou all at once as he embraced his twin sister.

"I think Sayori's hugging bug finally got to you, Shujinkou," she awkwardly chuckled as she continued to scratch her right cheek.

"Uh…" It finally dawned upon him as he released his grip on his sister; He had no idea why he was so happy to see someone he saw every day. "That was weird."

"Did you have a nightmare or something?"

"Nightmare…?" Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. It did feel like he just woke from a nightmare. "I don't think it was."

"Well anyway, we need to get ready for school."

"Right."

He didn't know what was going on or why he felt such relief seeing his sister but he also found himself not caring about the particulars. It was most likely just the result of waking up from such a strange dream.

That dream was the only thing on his mind as he got dressed. The girl he met in his dream; she was both scary and not scary at the same time. It felt like she was someone who wouldn't hurt someone on a whim, but also someone that shouldn't be crossed.

Once he was fully dressed, Shujinkou grabbed his bag and met his sister on the way to the steps.

"So, how's the new article coming along?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's not…" Hiroko sighed a depressing sigh. "I can't get with Fuyu and Rei's mom to pencil me in on an appointment because she's so busy. I know she's a prominent psychologist but still…"

"Maybe you could try reporting on something else?"

"My internship kinda depends on something pretty newsworthy and getting an interview with someone who doesn't usually do interviews would be pretty impressive. The only other thing I could think of would involve somehow knowing who Yoki is, score an interview with her without revealing who she is to the world before she's ready and is still somehow be credible…"

Hiroko contemplatively scratched her right cheek. "Besides, a reporter/columnist can't give up at the first sign of trouble, right?"

"I think so? I think it's very situational," Shujinkou answered.

"So, I'm going have to rely on journalistic instincts?"

"Pretty much. What about your school articles?"

"Nothing interesting happening right now. The last major thing reporting on was your Kōhai's pranking spree."

Shujinkou weakly chuckled as he scratched his right cheek. He remembered the large scale pranks Mali pulled around the start of the semester and how it was his job to convince her to stop. He was successful in doing so, but he knew it was only because her interests shifted to something else entirely.

He followed his sister into the kitchen; there he found his mother, Hiro, and-

"Dad!?"

Sitting at the kitchen table was his father, Jomei, reading the news and drinking a cup of hot chocolate.

"Yes?" he replied.

Though more subtle, he sounded as confused over Shujinkou's sudden outburst as Hiroko was.

"Uhm…"

Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. First he responded with surprise over seeing his sister and now his father.

What is going on with me?

Without saying another word, he awkwardly joined his father and sister at the kitchen table. Though it was something simple that he had experienced for years, it somehow felt foreign and nostalgic at the same time.

"You okay, kid?"

"Huh?" Shujinkou looked up at his father with surprise. "Y-Yeah."

"You sure? You seem like you lost your bearings."

"Was that pirate talk?" Hiroko asked.

"Possibly," Jomei shrugged before taking a sip of from his mug.

Labeled on in was "World's Greatest Dad". Just looking at those words caused conflicting feelings to collide within him. It was because of this that he spent breakfast in silence.

Once they finished their morning meal, Shujinkou and Hiroko walked outside where they were immediately greeted by Sayori.

"Shiko! Hiroko!" a giant smile stretched across her face as she skipped towards them.

"Sayori," the twins happily responded in unison.

They exchanged a brief glance with each other then turned their gaze back to Sayori.

"Morning," they once again said in unison.

"Wow, you two are in sync today," Sayori marveled.

"I thought we had worked it out…" Hiroko thought aloud.

"Oh, by the way, Hiroko…"

Sayori leaned towards her and whispered a question into her left ear.

"Isn't that kind of early?" she asked.

"I like to be prepared," Sayori insisted with her usual bright smile.

Hiroko scratched her right cheek. "Okay, I'll try and investigate things from my end."

"Thanks, Hiroko," Sayori beamed.

Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. Something about what was happening in front of him seemed off somehow.

And not just because they're talking secretly in front of me…

He couldn't explain it but something was bugging him. It was like a little voice in his head was trying to get his attention.

"Shiko?"

Brought back from the depths of his thoughts, Shujinkou was immediately taken aback by how close Sayori's face was to his own.

"What are you waiting for, Shiko? We got to get to school," she reminded him.

"R-Right."

…

This is weird.

Though his morning routine seemed a bit strange, school was as familiar as always. He went to class, soaked in as much knowledge as possible and, when the final bell rang, he walked to the clubroom. Everything was normal until the moment he arrived.

Thought it happened before, it was still just too surreal being the first one to arrive.

"Hi, Shujinkou."

The young man turned around to find Monika standing behind him..

"Monika."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Something about standing in front of Monika seemed strange somehow. Feelings of sorrow and awkwardness mixed together, forming a new sensation he couldn't fathom. His heart was also beating slightly faster than usual; the unknown sensation being the only thing keeping the pacing of his heart from reaching an unbearable level.

"Something wrong?" Monika asked with concerned eyes.

"…Not really. I'm just a little out of it today."

"Really? Have you had any headaches or feeling sick overall?"

"No."

"No seeing double or things that isn't there or any visions?"

"No, there's nothing physical wrong with me. It's just the usual I have no idea. My sixth sense is probably just screaming at me that I forgot something that I won't notice until I don't need it."

"I see…" Monika giggled. "Well, I'm glad it's nothing serious."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Monika's question seemed a little weird to him. The situation he was facing didn't seem to warrant any worry over those more serious medical conditions.

Though his confusion was quickly swept to the side the moment he realized that Monika was still staring at him.

"Um…"

"So, Shujinkou…"

A figure suddenly speed passed her and wrapped their arms around Shujinkou's left arm.

"M-Mali!?" Shujinkou exclaimed.

"Why are you always so surprised to see me, Senpai?" Mali giggled. "I'm starting to think you don't like having your Kōhai around."

"It's not that. It's just that you kind of show up out of nowhere sometimes."

"I like to keep Senpai on his toes. Anyway, there's something I wanted to talk to Senpai about."

Without saying another word, Mali eagerly led Shujinkou into the hallway.

Now alone in the clubroom, Monika could only weakly chuckle, "So, this is what it feels like to be on this side of that happening…"

Not too far away, Shujinkou and Mali perched themselves on the still of one of the many nearby windows.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Mali?"

"Nothing in particular, I just wanted to see how Senpai is doing?"

"Um… I'm doing fine?"

"Really?" Mali stared intently into his eyes and giggled. "Senpai is so transparent."

"I probably can't argue that point."

"Senpai is so honest with himself," a innocent smile crossed Mali's face. "It just explains so much, doesn't it?"

"Explain what?"

Mali simply giggled and walked away.

"What just happened?" Shujinkou wondered aloud.

"Good afternoon, Shujinkou."

Something about that familiar voice caused the strange feeling Shujinkou felt all day to grow. Slowly and cautiously, Shujinkou turned around to find Yuri standing behind him. He felt his heart beat against his chest the moment their eyes met. Without a nullifying counter emotion, the pace his of his heart beat was as intense as he thought it would be a few moments ago.

Unable to maintain contact for long, the young man averted his stare.

"Is something wrong," she worriedly asked.

"N-No…"

Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek as he pondered what was happening.

Why does it feel so awkward just being near Yuri?

But no matter how much he thought about what the cause can be, nothing came to mind.

"Did… Did I possibly do something to offend you?" Yuri asked.

"No… It's just… Honestly, I don't know what it is. I'm just…"

His world suddenly went dark as he heard a playful, "Guess who?"

"Um… Nowa?"

"No."

"Bubbles?"

"No."

"Sae?"

"I don't even wear glasses."

"To be fair, she doesn't need them, Sayori."

Sayori removed her hands from over Shujinkou's eyes. Though their brief interaction provided him with some levity, it did nothing to ease the strange feeling gnawing away at him.

…

Shujinkou sat along the edge of the front porch to his house. The sky was still blue when he came out to think but that was then; now the sky was tinted orange. Not too long from now, it will be night. Another strange feeling made itself known as he realized that fact; a sudden preference of night over day.

"Shujinkou."

Ripped away from the tangled web of his erratic thoughts, the young man looked up to find Monika standing in front of him.

"Hey, Monika. What are you doing here?"

She pulled a familiar looking sketchbook from her bag and presented it to Shujinkou.

"You left this at the club."

"Oh. Thanks."

He accepted his lost item and watched in silence as Monika sat down next to him. Just like before, just looking at her made him feel a variety of different emotions he couldn't understand.

So many emotions to things to normal things can't be normal, at least that was what Shujinkou wanted to believe.

"So, feeling any better?"

"Better? About what?"

"I know you said it wasn't anything serious, but you were really quiet during today's club meeting. It seems like whatever's bothering you is more than just your sixth sense trying to tell you something."

"I couldn't really tell you what. I'm pretty sure that it's just one of those days where everything feels off even though nothing is."

"Jamias Vu?"

"What?"

"Jamias Vu: the illusion that the familiar does not seem familiar. I think that's what you're expreinencing right now."

"The illusion that the familiar isn't familiar…?" Shujinkou thought about what he was told. He didn't think there was actually an explanation to what he was feeling. "And I thought you were talking about a level from Ground Zeroes."

"Nope. But anyway, I wouldn't really worry about it. Everyone has Jamias Vu every now and then."

"Oh," Hearing that finally offered him the relief he needed. "Well, I'm glad it's not a sign that I'm going crazy."

"Glad I could assuage that fear."

Monika suddenly stood up.

"Well, I have to hurry and get home. See you later."

With a smile wave goodbye, Monika took her leave.

"Huh… Everyday my question of your intentions in regards to your club grows."

Stepping through the door behind Shujinkou was Jomei.

"It's not like that!" Shujinkou denied.

"Hmm… So surrounding yourself with women-?"

"It's circumstantial. You know I joined because-"

For some strange reason, Shujinkou couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. Making matters even more confusing, he felt a brief ache in his heart; a flash of regret.

What was that? More Jamias Vu?

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek until, from the corner of his eyes, noticed his father walk a few feet in front of him. Tucked between his hands was a basketball.

"Want to toss the ball with your not really old man?" Jomei suggested.

"Um… Sure," Shujinkou nodded his head.

He opened his hands and caught the ball he was thrown.

"Seriously though, I kinda get the feeling that your club friends may think of you as more than a friend."

"I doubt that," Shujinkou rebuked, tossing the ball back at his father. "Besides, you've been saying the same thing about Sayori for years."

"And why do you think I'm wrong."

"Because I'm not the type of guy that would attract that kind of attention from so many girls. I'd be lucky to have one girl think of me that way."

"And why do you think that would be difficult?"

"I don't know. The only thing I know about romance is from TV, books and video games. Most of them are romantic bonding through a huge adventure which is something I can't do in real life. Other than that, it's usually love at first sight which I'm pretty sure I'll never be on the sight side of. Honestly, I don't really know how finding a girlfriend even works."

"I see… Changing subjects: Do you even want a girlfriend?"

"Well… Yeah, but… It's just…"

"You're not obsessed over it like those high school caricatures on TV."

"Yeah… Hey, Dad. How would you know when you would want to date someone?"

"Well, you could look at someone, think "they're quite attractive" and ask them out."

"I really can't see me just asking someone out like that. I'd be too afraid they'd laugh at me."

"Or you could try and get to know them and feel them out. See if there's any chemistry there before asking them out or not."

"Is that what you did with Mom?"

"Actually, she asked me out."

"Really?" Shujinkou's eyes widened with amazement. He had always thought his father asked his mother on a date, not the other way around.

"Yep. I was just minding my business on the beach and she asked me on a date."

"That simple?"

"That simple," Jomei shrugged. "At least from my side."

"Can it really be that simple?" Shujinkou doubted.

"It depends on the pairing. Some are blind to the feelings of other and need time realizing it which is the reason women say men are dense. Apparently a lot of us are blind to obvious signals."

"Huh."

"Then again, that's coming from a species that send mixed signals themselves. One side's blind and the other struggles to send a constant sign; it's a wonder anyone gets together."

"So…"

"So… I guess you just keep doing what you're doing and things will happen."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He didn't really feel like he learned anything useful.

Then again, he's just telling me the only thing he can; it's not like Dad can tell me how to do things from my walk of life.

I guess it really is up to me on my side. I mean, it would be nice to have a girlfriend. That doesn't sound possessive does it? It would be nice to be in a relationship? Would I even be a good boyfriend? I think I'd be okay? Maybe I should ask Kiyoko; she would give me an unbiased opinion.

His thoughts were soon interrupted by a hand ruffling his hair.

"Don't give yourself a headache over it, kid," Jomei chuckled as he walked into their house.

Shujinkou once again scratched his right cheek. Something about that usual show of affection seemed oddly foreign to him. But more odd than that was how happy it made him.

The strange feeling he felt- Jamias Vu. That was all it was. It shouldn't be long until it disappeared right?

"I guess I was worrying over nothing today." Shujinkou said as he walked inside.