Hiya~! I can't quite believe y'all kept reading, so thank you so much for that! Sorry for how long this chapter took - once I get into the story, they'll probably come out faster. It was originally a lot longer than it currently is, but i had to cut this chapter in half, since it was getting too long, and I didn't want to leave the story without an update for more than a month.

Hope y'all enjoy!

A New Day

~ Monday, April 6th, 2009 06:30 ~

Brr-rrring. Brr-rrring. Brr-rrring.

Naoto groaned into his pillow, reaching out to smack the alarm, but he misjudged the distance and sent it falling to the floor, where it cracked against the wood. His arm flopped uselessly against the side of the bed and he lay still for a few minutes longer, unwilling to part with the comfort of the bedsheets.

Suddenly, loud music began blasting from under his pillow and Naoto squawked, falling off the mattress in his surprise. He rummaged around, drawing out his phone and hitting the disable button on the alarm, then yawned, shivering, and clambered right back into bed.

Once he was swathed in soft warmth, Naoto sat up, reaching for the notebook and pen on his nightstand. Last night's dream was perplexing, to say the least, he jotted down after outlining the details of the dream. He couldn't remember when he'd last had such vivid dreams, but Naoto supposed that it wasn't too odd to have a strange dream now and then. Yesterday had been rather unusual, after all.

Naoto's eyes widened. Right, Takeba had a gun. What had he written down last night about it?

TAKEBA HAD GUN AND HOLSTER

TAKEBA WAS AFRAID – LOOKING AT (ASSUME) DOOR. POINT OF ENTRY? WAS WEARING GUN & HOLSTER OPENLY W/ PPL IN ROOM, INCL IKUTSUKI. DID NOT WANT ME TO SEE GUN – STUFFED IN ARMCHAIR, DID NOT REMOVE HOLSTER

Naoto chewed the end of his pen thoughtfully. What reason would Takeba have for illegally owning firearms in Japan? There is, of course, the possibility that the pistol is just a model, and that Takeba is simply enthusiastic about guns. That would solve the problem of people letting her wear the "gun" in the open and might also account for her hiding it from me – perhaps she just didn't want me to think she was insane. That would be... reasonable.

That doesn't solve Takeba's apparent fear of something from the door. Adding that is, I'm left with three probable options. The gun was a model, the gun was real and everyone in the dorm is okay with it and possibly has their own for protection from some unknown threat, or the gun is real and the dorm lived in fear of Takeba.

…Somehow, I doubt the last one is the case, which leaves the first two options. Right now, however unlikely it is, the evidence seems to point to the second option, but I clearly need to do a more thorough investigation prior to coming to my final conclusion.

But where can I start investigating? Asking Takeba herself will make her wary of me, as will asking anyone else directly. I don't have anything to go off of other than what I saw last night, so there's no real evidence to confront my dormmates with. Searching Takeba's room is one way of getting evidence, but I don't know any of their schedules yet, let alone to a depth which will allow me to investigate without getting caught.

My best bet is to bide my time, he decided, and hope they slip up. In the meantime, memorising their schedules and connections around this area would be useful.

Having a plan of action made his ridiculous situation somewhat more manageable, Naoto found.

He rolled out of the bed and scrounged up a casual outfit from his bag, picking out a pair of black trousers and a plain blue T-shirt, as well as his usual hat. Naoto slipped the binder on under his pyjama top and left for the showers.

~ Monday, April 6th, 2009 07:20 ~

There was something unsettling about this dormitory. Even without the entire Takeba situation, Naoto had found a new reason to distrust the inhabitants of the dorm. When he'd been in the showers, Naoto had seen a small security camera just outside the cubicle – an incredibly invasive choice for CCTV placement. It appeared to be recording continuously as opposed to being triggered by motion sensors.

Now, as Naoto searched out cameras under the guise of acquainting himself with the dorm's layout, he found more and more concealed devices; in the kitchen (where he filled a travel mug with tea and grabbed a couple of protein bars from a box as breakfast), in the hallways, in the lounge, and finally…

That brings the count up to nineteen, that I know of. Naoto scribbled in his notebook, marking the position and angle of the camera in his room. Note to self: never get changed in my room – use the restrooms instead. In case of emergency – stand directly under camera – its position is fixed to see most of the room , but there is a blind spot underneath it.

He stared at the drying ink for a moment, watching the dark colour spread slightly as the solvent evaporated. At the very least, this discovery does seem to add more evidence for everyone being afraid of something that I have no knowledge of. Naoto snapped the notebook closed, tucking it away in his jacket beside his pistol.

Staying in here and brooding over what little information I have won't do me any good. He pulled on his coat, snatching up the spare protein bar and his wallet as he left. Anyway, Grampa wanted me to go to Paulownia today, didn't he? As I recall, he sent a text with directions and instructions…

~ Monday, April 6th, 2009 09:10 ~

Naoto raised an eyebrow at the run-down police station in Paulownia Mall. Appearances can be deceiving. Grampa knows what he's doing – there's a reason he'd send me here. He nudged the door open and was met with a glower from a police officer from behind the cluttered counter.

"Something I can do for you?" He asked hoarsely – the man appeared to be almost angered by his presence. Naoto cleared his throat, closing the door and standing up as tall as he could with his annoyingly diminutive stature.

"My name is Naoto Shirogane. I was sent here by Takashi Shirogane, my grandfather, to meet with Officer Kurosawa. Would you happen to be able to tell me where to find him?" He recited the lines he had practiced on the train, brushing away the hair that was falling into his eyes. I should probably get it cut soon.

"That'd be me you're looking for." Officer Kurosawa gave Naoto a cursory look, but his glare had softened immensely. Had he thought Naoto was someone else, or here for some other reason? "Detective Shirogane told me you would be stopping by sooner or later. He wants you to help work here if you have the time – helping with the investigations, taking on cases and so on."

Naoto had guessed that Grampa had intended for him to do something of the sort, and even though he'd expected it, the excitement that bubbled in his chest threatened to tug his lips into a childish grin. Thankfully, he was able to clamp down the juvenile response and maintain his cool demeanour, allowing Officer Kurosawa to continue uninterrupted.

"He said you'd be fine with most of the harder jobs, so we've already assigned you a couple of incident reports to go through. Usually, I wouldn't even think about letting a kid anywhere near this kind of work," Officer Kurosawa frowned at Naoto here, but the intent behind it felt closer to concern than the initial hostility he'd show when Naoto came in, "But the number of cases that have come in have skyrocketed in the recent years, and your grandfather said you needed the practice. I trust Detective Shirogane – he got us through a rough case a few years back – but I just want to ask you. Are you alright to be doing this kind of thing at your age?"

Naoto didn't hesitate, despite the look Officer Kurosawa sent him. "I fully intend to live up to the Shirogane name. I know what I'm doing – I'm quite fine to be working here." He said calmly.

Officer Kurosawa let out an exasperated huff, opening the gate at the side of the counter for him to enter. "If you're certain… Be sure to tell me if you ever need a break."

Naoto bit at the inside of his lip to stop a retort. Of course he was certain, why wouldn't he be? He was about to say as much, but one look at Officer Kurosawa stopped him in his tracks. The man's unfriendly demeanour was ever-present, but the expression on his face was more akin to… (looking down and away, index finger rubbing against his thumb in a comforting manner) …

Guilt?

Naoto wasn't quite sure why, but a lump rose in his throat. He backed down and nodded once as Kurosawa closed the gate behind him.

"I will." Naoto said quietly, then choked loudly as something in his chest snapped. He inhaled raggedly as he was filled with a strange rush of something he couldn't explain. Wiping away tears of shock, Naoto glanced up to ask Officer Kurosawa for help and jolted away in surprise. His face was frozen mid-blink, lips parted like he was on the verge of speaking.

"Officer – Officer Kurosawa?!" Naoto coughed. Kurosawa didn't respond. He wasn't even breathing. Naoto waved his hand in front of Officer Kurosawa's face, but he didn't move in the slightest. It's almost like- Naoto thought, realisation dawning and terror setting in, -like time has halted entirely. He whirled around, suddenly aware of the oppressive silence that surrounded him, devoid of even the whirring of the ventilation fan or the thrum of heating, until –

I am thou, and thou art I,

A voice, high and clear, rang out inside Naoto's mind. The lilting intonation drew a feeling of serenity forward, and Naoto instinctively relaxed. The melodic tones were familiar in a way he didn't understand. He could've sworn he'd heard the soft voice before, but he couldn't quite place where.

Thou hast spun another's string of fate into thine own,

If it should turn the Wheel in thine favour and aid thine quest,

Thou shalt be blessed, should thine Arcana ever align with the Hierophant Arcana.

A card – a tarot card, maybe? It had symbols and numerals on it. – shimmered into existence over Naoto's hands, then vanished just as quickly. He blinked, trying to comprehend what had just happened when Officer Kurosawa started speaking, effectively scaring the living daylights out of him.

"I'm glad to hear it." He said, continuing as though he hadn't experienced… whatever that time-stop thing was. Did I just imagine that? Am I still tired from yesterday? Naoto followed him silently as Kurosawa led him though to the back of the station, trying to focus on what Kurosawa was saying, rather than doubting his sanity. "We've already had a key cut for you. You'll get it next time you come in – I've got to pick it up from the shop later."

"Since you're doing police work, and not working as a private detective here, the stuff you're starting with is fairly basic – examining records, inspecting evidence and going over testimonies previously gathered by our other detectives. Later, we'll have you doing some more hands-on work, but this is as far as it goes for the time being." Officer Kurosawa said sternly, watching for Naoto's reaction. He's testing me. Naoto recognised, then offered him a polite smile. Does he expect me to break out into a temper tantrum? I have no experience in interviews and very little experience in investigation. This is the better than I could have hoped for. Of course, this is assuming that everything I'm experiencing right now is real. It might not be. I might be losing my mind.

"That sounds perfect, Officer Kurosawa." He said demurely, and Kurosawa made an approving noise, reaching over to a shelving unit.

"Your working station is there." Officer Kurosawa pointed at a desk hidden behind the corner of a row of filing cabinets. It was made of metal and had a cheap plastic chair tucked under it. I wonder if Officer Kurosawa would mind if I brought a cushion for the seat? Naoto ran his hand over the lamp on the desk, then returned to Officer Kurosawa, who had evidently found what he'd been rustling through a drawer of files for.

He piled a stack of papers onto a shelf labelled clearly with Naoto's name. "This is where your stuff stays. There are lockers over by the entrance for your personal items that you want to keep here, but your work stays on this shelf. If you finish it, drop it on my shelf. I'll make sure you've got enough to go through each morning." Officer Kurosawa concluded.

"Understood." Naoto said, trailing after Officer Kurosawa as he went back to the front of the station. This seems satisfactory. I should probably report back to Grampa when I return to the dorm, if I ever left it. This could be a dream.

"That's all for today. You start school tomorrow, don't you?" Officer Kurosawa took his seat behind the counter again.

"I do. I'm a second-year at Gekkoukan starting on the eighth."

"I see. Take care of yourself, Shirogane-san." Officer Kurosawa said, looking back at his computer in a clear dismissal. Naoto inclined his head respectfully before taking his leave, maintaining his composure as he firmly closed the door behind him.

Outside the station, Naoto caught his breath, sitting down by the fountain in the centre of the mall. That settles that. I'm clearly going insane. He leaned back, staring up at the pastel sky through the glass roof. Hallucinations of time stopping, vivid and nonsensical dreams… and, not to forget, Takeba's gun. Maybe I'm just mad, and I've imagined everything since I got here.

Naoto slumped down on the bench, pinching the bridge of his nose. The sun was warm on his face – too warm. Wearing my full jacket may have been a bad decision. He unbuttoned his coat, adjusting his top so it wasn't bunched up under his arms.

Insane or not, he still had work to do. Grampa had ordered all his school books and had them sent to the post office, where he'd asked them to be stored until Naoto could pick them up. Additionally, he needed to get a uniform from a clothes store. He'd already sent his measurements so the blazer would be tailored appropriately, with the required alterations, of course.

Sitting around won't achieve anything. Naoto exhaled, pushing himself up and heading for the post office. I'll do what I need to do now, and ponder my mental state later.

As I said before, this was supposed to be a far longer chapter, so I'm sorry for the weird cut-off. On the plus side, however, about half of the next chapter is already written, so I hope I can get it out a little faster than this one.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated - I do want to improve my writing style, so any help with that would be great.

Thanks for reading!