AN: A non-action chapter for a change, considering the last four of this arc have had some major fighting take place. Rest assured that Keiya and Asami haven't been forgotten about, hence why they show up here too. Enjoy, read, review, etc! Also, thanks again to Constant-Daze – read his story, A Matter of Time, as well!

Chapter 21: Another Severed Bond

|Pleroma|

Huh?

Kohaku had been fast asleep, having listened to a bizarre rock band she discovered through social media. Yet now she was back in front of Sakura Dormitory, as it had been that day she came to visit Kei. Even wearing the same clothes. Was this a dream? It felt awfully lucid for it to be one.

She didn't even seem to be in control of her actions, walking as if on a predestined path. On that day in Asakita, she had been in control. Yet now she was completely unable to move of her own accord.

The dorm door opened, but instead of Kei was someone else. A girl of the same height, but much longer hair and pink eyes. Her clothes were entirely different from Kei's as well, with a purple tank top, a short-sleeved red jacket, blue jeans, and purple sneakers.

"Oh, good to see you, Kohaku-chan. I wasn't expecting to see you here today." The girl said, smiling.

"Hi! I wanted to surprise you. That, and I wanted to check out this dorm. It looks really nice. What's it like on the inside?" Kohaku asked. Or at least, those were the words that came out of her mouth. What was going on? Why was this girl in Kei's place? Try as she might, she couldn't break free from this dream.

"I love it. My room is actually really nice, it even has a TV! And the people here are so kind, too. It's so pretty, they decorate the halls with so many flowers..."

Strange, that wasn't quite what Kei replied with. She had joked about it being a secret lab of some kind, not this. What was this?

"I bet. Look at all the blossom trees around this building. No wonder they call it Sakura." Kohaku said.

"I'm so glad I chose to say here. It's a pity it's not closer to Kansei High, though. Since you're here, would you mind if I gave you a tour of Asakita?" The girl said, with a bright and cheery smile.

"Show me around? I thought you were the exchange student, not me!" Kohaku replied.

"I've been enjoying wandering Asakita in my spare time. It'll be like when you and I are fighting Shadows together, and I take the lead. I wouldn't try and call Airmid though, or we might get some odd looks!"

And so, Kohaku and this strange girl wandered around the familiar Asakita ward, ending up at the Olympus Rollercoaster just as before. It was still a scary sight, yet this whole atmosphere was giving her chills.

"Um..." Kohaku said, staring up at the huge structure. "...Are you sure you've done this before?"

"Yes, I was with one of the other girls at the dorm. We were just fine, but they do provide bags in case you feel unwell." The strange girl said, tenderly. She was indeed saying similar things to Kei, but had a different vibe to her. A kind, almost sisterly one.

"Well, you only live once..." Kohaku said. The two of them took their seat in the ride, but others were getting, so they had a few moments until it set off. During this time, Kohaku tried her best to break free from this sequence, and just ask this girl who she was, and why she was in her dream.

"Are you really that scared?" The girl asked. "If it were Reia, she'd no doubt run up this ride and back down."

"...I'm not as strong as her." Kohaku said. "All I am is a girl who gets good grades and loves music. I never even thought about doing anything to protect this city."

"I don't actually think any of us expected to be doing anything so drastic." The ebony-hair girl said. "But you'll never run away from your duty, will you? After all, you're still with us."

"Yeah, of course I am. And I always will be." Kohaku said. "But...I just don't want to be weak. Like I was when I fought Toki. That kind of power he possessed...I want to reach it. No, I want to exceed it!"

"That's great, Kohaku. That's all you need to start with." The young lady said. "As with everything, it all begins with one's own choice. If you really want to become stronger, as a healer or a fighter, then you just need to work towards it, with each and every step."

"How did you become so wise -"

It was just then that everything finally changed. The entire world outside of the rollercoaster froze, aside from Kei and the strange girl, who stood up, with had a sad expression on her face.

"...What's the matter? Miss, who are you?" Kohaku asked, finally breaking free of the script.

This very question seemed to upset the girl, as suddenly, the environment completely vanished, leaving a bizarre void of purple mist, as well as floating blue human-like gaseous bodies. Kohaku watched them float by, and the sight of them made her shiver with fear.

"It's taking too long...even with the others' help." The girl suddenly said. She offered no explanation as to who these others were. Her clothes completely changed, to a black, red and orange ensemble.

"I know that voice. You're Nisa Liat, aren't you?!" Kohaku shouted. "How the hell are you inside my dream?"

"STOP ASKING ME SO MANY DAMN QUESTIONS! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Nisa Liat screamed, aggravated. "Whatever I do, it's still not enough! How long do I have to keep doing this?"

"H-Hey...!" Kohaku said, flustered. "Whoever you are, don't get mad at me. But why am I dreaming about the day I went to Asakita with -"

"Enough, Kohaku-chan." The now angry Nisa Liat said. A huge figure appeared behind her, one that seemed completely black and mostly misty, yet with trails of red blood flowing over her 'body'. Kohaku shuddered at the sight, and yet found it oddly similar to something else she had seen, not so long ago. "Clearly, I still have a long way to go. We'll meet again soon, okay? I promise. One day, we'll look back on this and laugh."

"Wait! What are you trying to do?" Kohaku asked one last time. Nisa sighed, and looked away. With it, she vanished, as did the figure behind her. The environment went white, but before she woke up, Kohaku heard Liat's voice.

"The day this will all be over will be soon. I'll make sure of it."

|April 24th|Chieki Academy – Class 2-4|15:10 pm|

It was time for another Mathematics class with Shiro Koyanagi, the school's least popular teacher, very much the opposite of Suzuki of Kansei. While he certainly knew his subject in and out, his attitude towards students was pure condescension. Every word had an air of superiority to it. Masato hated him with a passion, and his sister was no exception. Today, he was going over a rather complicated algebra lesson, but Masato was dwelling on other things, gazing idly at his notepad.

Man...all this stuff with Noburo and his two dads is crazy. The guy seems so determined, but he's fighting his own flesh and blood! I don't think I could do that if it was my dad. Or any of my family. Course, my dad sure isn't a fighter. Mom has him wrapped around his little finger. But I just wonder, what else is Bythos going to do? And are we ever going to meet Nisa Liat, face to face?

"Are you getting this down? You all still have some time before the first exams of the school year, so you should put that time to memorising these lessons. Remember, last year we had lower scores than Kansei on average. If that happens again, then it will be you disgracing the academy. Let's see...you! Masato, slacking off as usual? Look up here when I'm talking to you!"

The redhead gulped, and stared at his teacher in the face, gulping. A man in his forties, with light brown short hair with bangs, he had many nicknames, none of which were remotely affectionate. One of which, playing off his surname, was 'The Willowing Warpath', as he always seemed on the prowl – to find students failing to meet his standards, and single them out as mediocre dunces.

"This equation on the board. What's the answer?" Koyanagi demanded. "Well, are you going to keep quiet until the bell rings? Or are you just going to daydream about being Japan's best baseball player?"

Yeah, well I don't need your bullshit. Course, if I say that to you, I might get expelled, and my mom will kill me. C'mon, lemme think -

He suddenly saw Natsumi, out of the corner of his eye, write a number down. She actually did excel at this subject, possibly to help her measurements for creating clothes, and often tried to support her brother as much as she should. As quickly as he could, he stood up, and answered.

"Is the answer sixty five?"

Koyanagi frowned, but wrote the number on the chalkboard regardless. "...Correct. Perhaps baseball isn't the only thing you store in your brain. With this equation, you have to be very careful with the square factor. ...Is something funny, Hamasaki?"

"No, sir..." Asami said, but despite her denial, she had an amused smirk. She had been quiet, much to her fan's concern, and some of which had been having lengthy discussions on her official forum about her possibly suffering depression. If they knew about her ties with Bythos, Masato wondered if her fans would turn on her.

The class finally ended, much to the twin's relief, and the school day was over. Koyanagi was about to leave the classroom, when Asami suddenly approached him. She had been struggling with this subject last year, and didn't seem to be faring too well this year – but to ask him to help had never ended in anything except failure.

"Whoa, she's brave. Normally when I ask him to explain something, he chews me out and tells me to go over the textbook again." Eiji said, yawning. "Anyway, I'm heading out. See ya."

Eiji left the classroom. As the twins left, however, they felt harsh stares from Asami. Clearly, now that the truth was out – to them, anyway – there was no love between them.

|Chieki Academy - Courtyard|15:35 pm|

The fiery-haired twins left the school, and walked close to the fountain. There, they saw one of their senpai in his school gym clothes, a green tracksuit but with the jacket unzipped. Upon seeing him doing stretches, Natsumi blushed.

"Ah ha! If it isn't Koyanagi-sensei's least favourite student!" Masato said, giggling to himself, as they got closer. The older boy, or Toshiaki Yukimora, looked up and laughed, sweeping a hand through his short, spiky, slicked back silver hair. Even though he was in the year above them, he was known for treating everybody as equals.

"Yeah, for now, but when I finish school, it's gonna be you who inherits that title. You better honour my legacy." Toshiaki said, laughing, giving his underclass-man a strong high five. "How're things going with the baseball team, Masato my man? All good?"

"Awesome. We're gonna crush Kansei into the dust this year." Masato said, cracking his knuckles.

"The same dust I'm gonna leave them in?" Toshiaki said, laughing. "I dunno, their track team's main star is one hell of a speed demon. Sure, Katashi Yamaguchi might be a complete dick to everybody, but he's not to be underestimated. Don't worry, though, I ain't going down without a fight."

"Oh, there you are, Toshiaki. Are you bothering those poor twins again with your toys?"

Walking up to Toshiaki was another third-year, Evelina Solberg - a foreigner who was known around Chieki for being both beautiful yet unattainable. Her deep blonde hair, long, curled and draped over her shoulder, highlighted her fair face, especially her light brown eyes and slight nose. While Masato and Natsumi didn't speak to her often, they knew she was originally from Gothenburg.

"Oh, c'mon, Evelina!" Toshiaki said, playfully, as the Swedish blonde prodded him. "This after I spend all night fixing that laptop of yours? Where's the love?"

While Toshiaki was known for his athletic performance, he had a semi-secret hobby of tinkering with machines of any kind, where they be home appliances, computers, or other electronics. He had helped out with many small repair jobs at both school and home, and had lots of random projects going on at one time, some of which had turned out well, others...disastrously.

"Well, it hasn't exploded yet, and the language didn't change to Esperanato, so it's a worthy repair job. I might even pay you this time." Evelina said, smirking. She, like Toshiaki, had an affinity for technology, but was more into the software side of things. The two of them, ever since meeting in their first year at Chieki, been inseparable – like a more vitriolic version of Kohaku and Shintaro.

"You still owe me for the last three computers I fixed up for you." Toshiaki said. "Lemme guess. Willowing Warpath giving you more shit?"

"Yeah..." Masato said, grumbling. "How do you deal with it?"

"I just try to avoid him outside of classes. Thank god he's never involved with any of the sports teams. He's all bark and no bite anyway. If he was actually interesting to listen to, I might pay attention to his classes, rather than just letting Evelina get the lecture notes for me."

"Consider that my payment for the laptop fix, then." Evelina said, laughing. "Anyway, I better get to the student council room. Try not to make the other boys in the track team jealous."

"I can't make that promise. I'm too good for my own...good." Toshiaki said, amused. The two went their separate ways, leaving the twins.

"He's so cute..." Natsumi said, watching the athletic engineer run off.

Masato grinned. "So this is my sister's type, huh?"

"Oh, back off. It's not just me. Every girl at school fancies him." Natsumi said, blushing. "But he's always with her. If only I was good at the stuff he was into..."

"Sis, please don't turn into a 'senpai notice me' archetype, that's going to be horrible to watch." Masato said.

"Don't be such a jerk!" Natsumi said, glaring at him. She stepped lightly on his foot, something she had done many times whenever he got on her nerves. "I'm not going out of my way for him like everybody else! I've got class! Although after near year, he won't be at Chieki..."

"Yeah. We'll become the senpai the first and second years want to notice them. Scary." Masato said.

Just then, they saw someone else staring at them. In a Chieki uniform, rather than the usual one she had been seen wearing. It was Fumika, of Bythos. But when she saw the twins had noticed her, she practically leapt with fright, and ran through the school gates.

"Hmm. Maybe I'm already there." Masato said, amused. "Anyway, time for us to held to Ginumi. I'm looking forward to seeing what Noburo is like in battle."

"Same. I hope he's feeling better after what happened on Saturday." Natsumi said. "Anyway, here we go!"

|Grand Laguna Hotel|16:11 pm|

One by one, everyone in the team had assembled. Having been brought up to speed by Shintaro, Kohaku wasn't fazed to see Noburo, the last to arrive.

"Hi, everybody." Noburo said. "Um..."

"It's okay, son. These are our comrades. You can trust them completely." Shigeru said, arm around his boy.

"Yeah!" Akari said. "Our group keeps getting bigger, doesn't it?"

"Indeed." Kei said. "Initially, it was just me, Shintaro and Kohaku. Then we found Masato, made contact with Shigeru's team, Natsumi joined us, then Akari, and now we have Noburo. Although we still haven't met one of your team. What's the matter with them?"

"Well..." Shigeru said, trying to find a way to phrase it. "There's an issue with her power that we've still to overcome..."

"She's not good at using her Persona." Reia said, flatly. "It's not that she can't summon one. But it doesn't manifest properly at times. It might have something to do with her personality."

"A Persona failing to appear?" Kei asked. "That's never happened with us before."

"Indeed. The fact that she's the only one of us to have experienced this problem has no doubt caused her further anxiety." Hiroyuki said, frowning. "We'll have to find some way to address the problem."

"Eh, we'll get there. The times she can summon her Persona properly, she's a powerhouse." Netuno said. "Oh yeah, Noburo, saw you and your girl at the gig. She seemed to be really into it."

"Yeah, she was...excited. Bit of an understatement, I know. I didn't expect her to do that thing with the sodas, though." He didn't go into further detail, leaving Shintaro to ponder just what a girl like Teruko could do with the sodas.

"Here you go. I've made you all coffee and carrot cake." Novalie said, serving the youngest members first. "Perhaps I should teach you and your sister a few recipes, Masato. We'll turn you in a house husband yet."

"He'll need someone desperate enough to marry him first." Natsumi said, sticking her tongue out. Her brother pouted, but eat the cake anyway.

"Tonight, let's have a social gathering. No fighting Shadows. I want you to feel right at home, son." Shigeru said. "Only without your mother's miso soup." Both he and his son shuddered at the thought.

"What's wrong with miso soup?" Akari asked. "My mother makes amazing ones!"

"Get her to teach my mother how to do them, then. That way our weekends won't test our gag reflexes..." Noburo almost gagged at the thought, and the group chuckled.

The rest of the evening continued on enjoyably well. Kohaku and Noburo spent most of the night discussing their favourite music, and later, he and Shintaro got into a lengthy debate over some rather controversial film adaptations of his favourite books. The team were finally starting to come together, the bookworm thought. The young actor was in good spirits, whose charm seemed to have the girls hanging onto his every word.

Yet soon enough, Shintaro had another event to look forward to, and he told the others in great detail. The Golden Dragon had been booked for this Sunday, for just him and Celestine Courtois. She insisted she would cover the bill. Hopefully, he could pass as slightly older. Otherwise, he might end up embarrassing himself, as well as the French novelist.

"Hmm. Are you sure there aren't any romantic connotations to this, Nakahara?" Hiroyuki asked, somewhat playfully. "It's okay to admit you're smitten with her. But to be invited to such an expensive venue for your first meeting with her is..."

"Yes..." Novalie said, anxious. "It's quite a romantic hotspot – according to my travel guide, that is. Don't give me that look. We're only looking out for you."

"I...I know I can trust Celestine." Shintaro said, indignant. "She and I have a connection. Not just my grandfather's book. It's our way of thinking, the way we want to communicate our ideas to the world. In fact, she might have inspired me to become a writer myself."

"That's awesome, dude. Hey, you could practice by writing song lyrics for me." Netuno said.

"And thus, the moment you asked someone in high school to write your songs, you reached the apex of your career." Reia said sardonically.

"Man, I wish I could just take Teruko there one night..." Noburo said, envious. "Whatever happens, senpai, you better not leave us hanging. I want all the details."

"Relax. I'll be writing a full review of the food for all of you to see."

Noburo just stared flatly at him, in disbelief. "No, doofus, the food isn't important. It's the company I want to hear about. If you've never been the romantic type before, then maybe it's time to start! Even if she is a little older..."

"Okay, I think it's time I take this boy home!" Shigeru said, walking over abruptly. "Thanks for coming tonight, everyone. We've got a hard fight ahead of us, I know. But Nisa Liat doesn't scare me. Not one bit."

"Nisa..." Kohaku said, anxious.

"What's the matter?" Kei asked. "You look awfully pale. Do you need some fresh air?"

"It's...nothing." Kohaku looked out of the window, her eyes on the road below. "Nisa Liat, whoever she is...I wish she'd just go away."

"You and me both, Haku-chan." Shintaro said, nodding, as he stood right by her. The others were staring to leave, and before long, it was just the two of them.

"Shintaro, I..." Kohaku began. "I had a dream last night. About her. Nisa Liat. I saw her...her voice was just like in the voice calls we've had with her."

"You saw her?!" Shintaro asked, amazed. "What...did she look like? Tell me everything."

And so, she told him the full story. An alternate version of the day she went to Asakita, only for Nisa Liat to be in the dorm instead of Kei. When she told him this, Shintaro felt a shiver down his spine. It was just like his own dream. Where the transfer student had been a black haired girl. A girl who had a dress similar to the one in his friend's dream.

"...It's just like me." Shintaro said. "I had a dream of our first day of school this year. But it wasn't Kei. It was her..."

"I don't know what this means, Taro-kun. Is my dream really just a dream? It sounds so much like yours. Too much. Something's not right at all." Kohaku said.

"I think so too." Shintaro said. "Is Nisa Liat simply toying with us?"

"No. I'm sure It's more than that." Kohaku said. "It's scaring me. Both our dreams have her replace Kei. What is that meant to mean? Is she wanting to get rid of Kei and be our friend?"

"It's a bit of a crazy plan. Create an anti-establishment group, gather a group of followers, and wage war with us, just so she can be a transfer student from Yokohama?" Shintaro asked.

"I know it doesn't make sense..." Kohaku said. "But what is she trying to do with these dreams? And why?"

There was an uneasy silence. For now, the truth behind these dreams was eluding the two. They would simply have to wait and see what became of these premonitions. Somewhere in this city, in either Kosmos, their nemesis was planning her next move. And her cadre of nine associates were at her every beck and call.

|April 28th|Hiyashi - Golden Dragon|17:59 pm|

Finally, the night had come. Shintaro arrived, dressed in his best white shirt and black tie, and had purchased a new pair of shoes for the occasion. With any luck, he could pass as a rather youthful adult. His heart was pounding, his pulse racing. Even if this wasn't exactly a date, he was feeling the pressure. Impressing a smart woman like Celestine would be a challenge, one he was afraid he might fail. Yet he must try regardless.

"Wow. It's even better up close!"

The outside of the restaurant was grand, if ostentatious. Gold dragon statues were at either side of the main doors, breathing fire. The menu, consisting of many pages and exquisite dishes, was there for all to see. Looking in from the window, he saw the place embodied a minimalist, yet sophisticated dining experienced, adorned with tasteful deep red and a touch of gold.

As he was about to venture in, he saw a trio of women in traditional Chinese dresses, or cheongsam. They bowed to him, their hair tied neatly into buns with hair decorations matching their dresses – the oldest had red, the youngest had blue, and the one in the middle had green.

"Good evening, sir. Might you be Shintaro Nakahara?" The senior of the girls, in her mid-late twenties, said. According to her name tag, she was called Lihua.

"That's correct. I hope I'm not late." Shintaro said, adjusting his tie.

"Not at all, sir. Welcome to the Golden Dragon! We've been expecting you. Please, let us show you the way." The youngest girl Huiling, perhaps eighteen, said.

And so Shintaro followed the girls up the carpeted stairs, onto the grand second floor, consisting of the private rooms. Thoughout the place, he heard soothing traditional Chinese music, that was a delight on the ears. He saw a few aquariums boasting colourful fish, and some exquisite pieces of artwork, most striking of all, a grand painting of the sacred dragon Kohryu, or in Chinese, Huang Long.

"This is amazing..." Shintaro said. The girls nodded in appreciation, and they opened the door to the one that faced the front of the building. Standing by her table was Celestine, as glamorous as ever.

"Madam Courtois, your companion for this evening has arrived." The other girl, Xifeng, said.

"Wow! You look beautiful!" He said, instantly. She laughed, as the light from the red lanterns shone on her short red designer dress, with one of the thin black stripes lightly loose, and a fetching ribbon around the waist. Her high heels elevated her above Shintaro even more, and her face was clad in a small amount of makeup – yet it made her ever the more bewitching.

"Why thank you! You look quite handsome yourself. Like a proper gentleman. I'm sorry if I'm a bit overdressed." Celestine said. "Yet for a place like this, I must look the part. I hope the Zhao family are treating you nicely?"

"Very nicely!" Shintaro said, smiling at the three sisters. They stood there in a dignified manner, their hands clasped together in front. Immediately, they pulled out chairs for the pair to sit on, and poured glasses of water. There were complimentary prawn crackers on the table, and they looked far more delectable than any the avid reader had seen before. The two of them couldn't help but begin to devour them, dipping them in the sauces that Huiling had provided.

"So..." Celestine began. "Tell me about school, Shintaro. I want to know more about what it's like to be a student in Japan. Researching it online or in books is simple enough, but I want to hear it in your own words."

"Well, I love studying. I know that sounds a little silly, but it's true. I'm someone who learns for the sake of learning. There's so many things you can learn in just one day." Shintaro began.

And so, while they were treated to a feast of amazing starter dishes, the favourite of Shintaro's being the spare ribs in sauce as well as the prawn toasts, he discussed his school. Yet she seemed to want to know everything – the subjects, the teachers, and even the layout of Kansei. Spurred on, he kept talking, while they waited for their main dishes to arrive.

"And our Principal, she's been at the school for about thirty-four years. But she's still sharper than most of the teachers. When she gets mad, that's when you should run for the hills. Thankfully, though, she's always nice to me and Kohaku." Shintaro continued, as Lihua took away his plate.

"I see. So that's the kind of place that cultivates minds such as yours." Celestine said, drinking her glass of red wine. "Only sixteen, but you're so much wiser than men twice your age..."

"I wouldn't go that far. I've never experienced life outside of being a schoolboy." Shintaro said. "What if I can't handle life in the real world?"

"Shintaro, don't be silly. You're far more capable than you think." Celestine said, reaching across, her hand touching his. His face went red, and his heartbeat went a little faster. "It's true that it takes more than academics to make a life successful. But you have far more to you than just reading books and absorbing knowledge. Talent burns within you – trust me, I know."

"You're very kind, Celestine. Or do you prefer Courtois-san?"

"I think Celestine would be just fine." She said, with a sly wink. "This city has already given me more inspiration than I ever thought possible. What about your friends at school?"

"Well, I don't have that many. But there's Kohaku. I've mentioned her a few times already, but she's my best friend in the whole world." Shintaro said. He hadn't quite said it so strongly before, but he meant it. His honesty seemed to be appealing to the novelist, who leaned in closer.

"Is she...?" Celestine said, curious. "You keep talking about her so fondly, but have you never wanted to be more than friends? Oh... Forgive me, I shouldn't pry in such things."

"Don't apologise. You're not the first one to ask that." Shintaro said. "Ever since we met in elementary school, we've never really wanted to be anything more than friends. Maybe it's because we don't have siblings. At the end of the day, I know I can trust her."

"That's nice. True friendship is hard to come by. You should treasure it for as long as you can." Celestine said. Before long, their middle course arrived, consisting of a half roast duck to be served up on thin pancakes, accompanied by spring rolls, cucumbers, and various sauces, all laid out in uniform fashion. The waitresses were flawless, and Shintaro never had to ask them to do anything – they seemed to know what he wanted, whether it was an additional napkin or a refill of his ginger beer.

"How often have you been here, Celestine?" Shintaro asked, as he prepared one of his pancakes. The duck was succulent, and not as fatty as he had seen it in inferior eateries.

"At least once a month. Truth is, I owe the family that runs this restaurant. Their daughters run this place like clockwork. No job is too much for them." Celestine said.

"You owe them?" Shintaro asked.

"Yes. They're my dearest friends, to be honest. It's why I come here so much." Celestine said. "It's a long story. Let's just say I had a terrible time getting published. Rejection letters one after the other, barely personalized at all. There are only so many books a publisher can release at a time, and they picked the ones they thought would sell. I didn't want to compromise my ideals. The story you're reading is the one I penned. I won't let it be censored or cut to shreds for the sake of sales."

"Good for you." Shintaro said. "My grandfather was the same way. He wouldn't listen to anybody who wanted to change his story. Silver's Pain might not have many copies left in existence, but in a way, I'm glad. At least the people who matter got to read it."

"Integrity is important." Celestine said. "I'm so glad I got accepted by Omega Letter Publishing. Even if..."

"Even if...what?" Shintaro asked.

"There were some rather...vicious reviews for my first novel." Celestine lamented. "I couldn't believe it. They weren't impartial at all. They were scathing attacks, not just on the book, but me personally! One of them even called me a 'unimaginative would-be harlot, fantasising herself as a hero who actually has a life of her own, when she can only live vicariously through this drivel'. Give me nightmares for a week."

"That's horrible." Shintaro said. "I've never seen any reviews like that for your more recent books, though. What was going on with those first ones?"

"Oh..." Celestine said. "Let's just say a horrid little man had it in for me. Pure sleaze, coalesced into a man that somehow wormed his way into a publishing firm. He had no class, no charm, and when I turned him down, he wanted to ruin me professionally. Paid writers to make up such negative reviews and hurt my book sales. But with a little help, I got to take him down and make it all go away. Now, if I get a bad review, it's at least honest, and I can bear it."

I've never heard of anything like that. Someone who hated Celestine so much, he made people pen such disgusting reviews. How could he do that?! If he was still up to his old tricks, I'd show him a thing or two.

"You don't have to look so angry. It's over now." Celestine said, amused. "I can handle myself. Well, with a little help from my friends at the Golden Dragon, of course. They've never had to show their true strength, but if they ever needed to kick someone out, believe me, they're more than capable."

"Wow. I better be extra nice to them!" Shintaro said. The night went on, and they continued to eat and drink. Talk soon turned to Leanne Rouge, and it was as if he had never been in the Theio Kosmos. His kidnapping felt like a distant memory. Yet somewhere in the city, Toki and Kaii still lurked. What were they doing?

|Chieki Academy – Courtyard|16:40 pm|

Natsumi had finished with her sewing club, having started work on a yukata for the summer festival. Even though it was still a while away, she wanted to have one ready in time, and look the part. As she left the school, there were still a few students around. One of which was Fumika, who was talking to Asami. Making sure they couldn't see her, she went behind them, listening in.

"It's okay, Fumika. Don't belittle yourself like that. It's not that easy to summon a real Persona." Asami said, gently.

"So you keep saying, but...there's so many people out there that can do it. There's you, the rest of the admins, the Princess...and then our enemies." Fumika said, sadly. "I want to be more useful to everyone. It doesn't seem to bother Aritomo-kun and Konomi-chan, but -"

"Don't worry so much. We appreciate your efforts. At least, I'm sure Toki and Kaii do." Asami said. "I've been thinking. The whole time I've known them, I've been treating them like dirt. Especially Kaii. The guy just wants to make us proud, and he tries so hard. He's...just not very good at seeing the bigger picture."

Fumika nodded, laughing a little. "Asami, about what happened to Hisaya and the others - how do you feel? I've been afraid to ask the Princess about it."

"...Well, not great." Asami said. "I really never wanted to kill anyone, I swear. I just wanted that bastard to understand a little." Tears fell from her eyes, and Fumika shared a look of sorrow with her. "My best friends are gone. Nothing I do will ever change that. The pain doesn't go away, no matter how many counselling sessions your mother forces you to take. I wanted Ryosuke to understand what that was like. Now he's gone, he had an easy escape. But I'm still here, grieving."

"I'm sorry, Asami-san." Fumika sad, sorrowfully. "I know this sounds a little mean, but do you really have to avoid Natsumi so much? You never meant for her to get hurt, did you?"

"Of course not!" Asami said, strongly. "She was a really good friend to me. I thought I'd sail through Chieki alone, but then she came along. Now I've lost her, and sooner or later, I'll have to face her head on."

"Your Kaihime is really strong. I'm sure you can win!" Fumika said.

"But I don't want to have to fight her!" Asami shouted. "Having to face her in battle would be too cruel"

"Then join us."

The two girls turned around. Fumika screamed a little, but Asami held her hand tightly.

"How long have you been eavesdropping?!" Asami shouted, on her feet.

"Long enough." Natsumi said. "I'll be going. But just understand that I don't want to fight anymore than you. At the same time, I could never join Bythos. So if you really don't wanna fight, you know what you have to do."

She left the two girls in silence, and as she did, tears streamed down the red-head's cheeks. Fighting her former best friend could be avoided...right? What if she was forced to attack Asami? If she hesitated, it could endanger the others. She broke into a run, desperate to get home.

|Mizuho – Kita Crossing|17:13 pm|

It had been a rewarding day with the baseball team at school, and before he headed home, Masato went into town and went shopping at Umeda. Upon leaving, with a copious amount of health foods – including some curious flavours of smoothies – he caught a glimpse of the ruined Kaleidoscope, still closed.

Hiroyuki said that Hisaya's still in a coma. It's weird. Did the EX-NIHILO hurt her that much? I just hope it doesn't go after Fumika and the others. They seem like good guys, even if they are following the wrong people. No, what I really hope is that it never comes back to life. But there's no telling what will happen.

"Having a rare moment of reflection?"

The baseball fanboy leapt in fright. Standing there, in a less formal outfit consisting of a blue shirt and black trousers, was Keiya. He had let his hair down, revealing an almost feminine cut that reached below his shoulders. Perhaps he used some kind of shampoo or conditioner to get it that shiny.

"You..." Masato grimaced. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Obviously, I'm shopping around for something to destroy you and your allies once and for all. Perhaps these pre-made salads are the key." Keiya said. "...Or I could just be purchasing ingredients for dinner."

"Tch." The boy looked back at Kaleidoscope, and sighed. "You won't be so lucky next time. Your cards don't scare me."

"A bully like you clearly has no fear. The cards themselves may not be the threat, rather what's inside them. You'll understand when the time comes." Keiya said.

"Boring! Cryptic bullshit all you're good for, is it?" Masato asked. "Get out of my face. I'm sure you've got some stupid rabid fangirls waiting to see your tricks."

Keiya glared harshly at the boy, and had he not been surrounded by passersby, he probably would have subjected Masato to Sin. Yet, he had to compose himself in public. "I never intended to be a mere magician by profession. But fate conspired against me, and I failed to fight back. Never again. Let me ask you something, now that we're off the clock. What is it that compels you to work alongside Shigeru, the Mayor's lapdog?"

"I..." Masato said. "Why should I tell you?"

"I'm curious. You stubbornly cling to the notion that your mayor is just, and aid Komatsu blindly." Keiya said, grimly. "If your Mayor is so just, why did she turn a blind eye to the suffering of Kazuko Onishi?"

Masato blinked. "...Who's she?"

"Ah, my apologies. You know baseball players of every era, but those in the acting profession, not so much." Keiya said, full of condescension. His face turned dark, and he looked away. "Kazuko was the greatest stage actress Japan will never know. Her time cut short. All the work she poured into her role in that damned play will never pay off. All because of that cockroach."

"So the city council is to blame?" Masato asked. "You serious?"

"I'm always serious, you simpleton. Your newest friend no doubt finds it a privilege to be in Death By Moonlight. Long ago, I would have thought the same. But to be in the same cast as Yuchi Okamoto...if Noburo only knew."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Masato demanded.

"I'm going home now. Do some research. They tried to cover up the truth...but I'll make sure the world knows exactly what happened to Kazuko-chan."

He stormed off, and turned around the corner. As he did, Masato sneered at him, even though plenty of awestruck girls stared at him.

So he really did use to be involved in acting. Who is this Yuchi fellow? And what happened to Kazuko? I'll have to ask Noburo about this. Keiya could do something to ruin his debut on the stage...

|Hiyashi – Seishin-Tsubasa Shrine|18:12 pm|

Noburo, having looked at some of the film stores out of interest, was about to head to the bus stop to make his way back home. However, something caught his eye.

"Kaii...?"

Indeed, it was the Aeon Admin. Dressed in a black coat, he was heading towards the iconic Seishin-Tsubada Shrine, built on top of a small hill in the middle of Hiyashi, surrounded by flowers and trees. Not long after, a familiar man joined him. Toki. Angered, the young actor followed, careful not to be seen. When he managed to get behind a tree of the surrounding park, he listened in as carefully as he could. Maybe he could get valuable intel for the others. Or satisfy his curiosity.

"Why'd you want to meet me here?" Toki asked.

"Well..." Kaii said. "I've never been here before. I didn't want to miss out before I say goodbye to this place."

"G-Goodbye?" Toki exclaimed. "What are you saying?!"

"...I'm leaving Shinshuto. I've already bought my ticket out of here." Kaii said, eyes to the ground. "There's...really nothing here for me. Being in Bythos seemed like a whole new door had opened, but it's done nothing but made me a laughing stock. And I'm no closer to my goal than when I started."

"But...it doesn't have to be this way, boy!" Toki shouted, grabbing Kaii by the wrist. "C'mon. You gonna give up that easily? I know the other admins talk shit about you a lot. But c'mon, sticks and stones, right? Be a man!"

"I wish I could be..." Kaii said, tearfully. "But I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore. I've got to go and leave this city behind. You're the only friend here I have left. The only one I really can say goodbye to. The only one that will miss me."

"Wait a second." Toki said, seriously. "You're really just going to pack your bags and leave this city? And give up on everything you've been fighting for?"

"Bags?" Kaii laughed, albeit sadly. "I don't have a lot of things to take with me. Just some clothes. But the important things I'll be taking with me are up here." He pointed to his forehead, and Toki blinked in confusion. "You don't get it? My memories, old man."

"Old...man..." Toki said, uneasy.

"Don't get pissed. You're not that bad for forty-eight, you know. Maybe get a haircut and shave a bit more, and you can shave off at least six years." Kaii said, grinning. "Look. Don't get upset. I'll keep in touch. You've been looking out for me, for some damn reason, so it's the least I can do."

"But...I don't want you to go!" Toki pleaded. "Stay here, with me..."

"I'm sorry, man, but this is something I've gotta do. I can't just hang around here, even with all the great places to walk a dog." Kaii said, sadly. "Coming here didn't give me any answers. Maybe I was never meant to know, and I just have to live with it. Either way, I'm starting all over again in a new place -"

"Kaii. The answers you're looking for." Toki began, seriously. He took Kaii by the shoulders, and gazed deep in his eyes. "...Don't you see it yet?"

"See what? You're starting to scare me."

What's going on? What's all this about 'answers'?

Toki, with a deep sigh, tried to think of the right words. Finally, he began.

"Reiko was my first love."

Noburo blinked, confused. He hadn't been spotted yet, thankfully. Who was 'Reiko'? And why was it so important his father had a relationship before Kaiyo?

"What?! But you said you didn't -"

"Me and her were really close. The moment I saw her, I knew I was in love." Toki continued. "It was before I moved to Tokyo and got cast in Featherman. I was doing some bit parts at Chiho, and she was doing office work there. Before we knew it, we were seeing each other every single day. We moved in together, and it felt like we were going to be in love forever."

"...So what happened?" Kaii asked, uneasy.

"Work offers dried for a while. I felt pretty hopeless, and I hit the bottle pretty hard. Me and Reiko kept fighting, then we'd make up, only to get into another argument. I just couldn't stop. Then one night, she tells me she has something important to talk to me about. I...thought she just wanted to break up with me, this time for good. I was drunk out of my mind, but I remember...throwing a bottle of wine at the wall, barely missing her. The next day, she was gone. She didn't even leave a note. And we never saw each other again." Toki said.

"When...was that?" Kaii asked, anxious.

"Twenty years ago." Toki said, his voice trembling. "Don't you get it? The man you've been searching for...I'm right here, in front of you!"

There was a long moment of silence. All Noburo could hear was birds flying overhead, and the hustle and bustle of the streets below the many steps. It took a moment for the boy to register just what he had heard.

This can't be happening?! Kaii can't be my brother. He just can't! What the hell is going on?!

"How long have you known...?"

Toki, now quiet, let go of Kaii, who was now on the verge of tears.

"Tell me! When did you know I was your son?!" Kaii demanded. "Was it that night in Tarumi?! And you never told me until now?!"

"I...I couldn't find the right words." Toki said. "It was bad enough Noburo having me as a deadbeat dad. I didn't want you to -"

"Godammit!" Kaii shouted. "If you had just stayed sober for one fucking evening, maybe mom would have stayed with you! We could have been a proper family! I wouldn't have been wondering about what kind of man you were for all these years, maybe I'd have made something of myself!"

"I know. I'm really sorry..." Toki moved closer, but Kaii stepped back, shaking his head. "Please. Don't leave Shinshuto. I never even knew I had another son. We can start over, just you and me!"

"Just the two of us? Really?" Kaii said, letting out an anguished laugh. "So you're forget all about little bro Noburo and be a dad to me instead? Sorry, but no. I don't want to be a substitute."

"That's not what I meant at all!" Toki yelled. "Listen here, Kaii. Do you think I would have abandoned you if I'd known Reiko was pregnant?!"

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Kaii snapped. "It's funny...I used to feel bad whenever you put yourself down. But now I see exactly what you mean. You are a useless bastard! You turned both of your lovers away, and both of your sons hate you!"

"You don't mean that -"

"The hell I don't! Toki, you can go straight to hell where you belong!" Kaii screamed, loud enough to make Noburo leap with fright.

"Please..." Toki said, his face wet with tears. He walked closer, only to be knocked onto the stone path. Kaii's fists were full of rage, and he wasn't about to be talked out of it.

"I'm leaving this city, whether you like it or not. I don't have any reason to come back." Kaii said, adamantly. "Goodbye, Toki. And goodbye to you too, Noburo."

The boy panicked, watching the older boy – or rather, his older brother – walk off into the distance. He looked around, and saw Toki just laying there, watching pitifully, as his eldest son abandoned him.

"...Go home, kid." Toki finally said, as he got to his feet. He walked straight past the young actor, and began to descent the steps.

"Aren't you...going after him?" Noburo asked, hesitantly.

"You heard what he said." Toki said. "Both of my boys hate me...there's no point upsetting him anymore. He deserves a fresh start somewhere far away from me."

And with that, Toki departed as well, leaving an empty shrine and a conflicted son.

So Kaii really is my older brother. I thought he looked a little like me, but I didn't think anything of it. Should I tell the others? If Kaii is leaving town, then I'll probably never see him again. The brother I never even knew I had. What the hell do I do?

He stood there, watching the world go by. For the first time in many years, he felt something other than hatred for his father. A feeling of pity.