This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.
4/28 Sunday
Afternoon
Mirambela looked nervous, and it was tempting to ask her if she wanted to opt out. Her last experience with the gaping maw of green light at Yume Bay wasn't exactly a good first impression.
But Aiko also knew what the answer to that question would be. Her friend would buck up, set her lips firm, and insist that she had to come along and help them.
"Sorry", she said as the tide lapped at their legs. "I forgot about the cave. At least you came prepared."
After studying and studying until the point where Aiko felt her brain might melt or freeze or both, Mira had gone and changed into an exotically-patterned red swimsuit, unaware of the routine the others had developed for changing at the beach cave so as not to draw attention or have to face an increasingly bitter wind hitting her skin on the way down the coast from the dorm. She hadn't complained about it once, and if she was cold it was impossible to tell.
"I suppose it is more convenient", she remarked as the tide tickled her exposed feet. "If anyone asks, we can just say that we went swimming. That's not even a lie, really. I hope I won't have to wear this on the other side, however."
That wasn't something that even Pelagio could have guessed at, but they had their answer when they emerged from the other side of the gate onto the deck of his ship form. The sky of this dimension was as threateningly dark as Aiko remembered it, and the water canvassed a universe's worth of reflected lights.
Aiko was better prepared for the change this time, her clothes shifting during transition through the gate into an outfit that even the most dedicated costume designers might find difficult to create. A dark, wide-sleeved frock coat garbed her with a faded tunic and belt beneath it blocking out the cold of the breeze. The lined white gloves coming out of those sleeves looked better cared-for, though the alarming thought occurred to her for the first time that these gloves looked like the exact same type as the ones worn by Igor.
Not that I don't like him, it's just... he's, well... he's creepy. That's not an opinion, it's a hard, inarguable fact. Mr. Igor is a creepy, creepy friend.
The rest of her outfit remained mostly unchanged as well, including dark breeches and leather boots plucked from a 17th century renaissance. The triangular hat remained nestled up in her loose hair, its thin, floppy brim inevitably dipping down to veil her eyes no matter how tried adjusting it. There was the comforting hard metal foil of a cutlass at her belt, with which she had destroyed Shadows drawn straight out of her worst nightmares for much of this month, and the lingering, splintered remnant of her ruby remained tucked away in her pocket.
Mira, however...
Mirambela was a completely new sight, however. Her bathing suit had gone, to be replaced by a costume that looked to be composed entirely of beads and string, with the exception of a thick white cloth completely guarding her modesty. A vibrant headdress of red and gold like the kind her Persona bore topped it off, the ribbon cloth waving around her like tiny flags in the gentle wind, and beneath it a shining golden eye mask covered her upper face.
Her friend said nothing for several minutes, taking it all in and reaching down to her belt to find the protruding handles of a pair of rounded ornamental-looking daggers in the shaped pockets at her waist.
Mira smiled, despite her lack of enthusiasm for the violence that such weapons implied. "I am the Dancer", she repeated the words from a week prior, the words which had sealed her contract with the newly-awakened Persona. "Chakacha, Oya!"
"Nice", Aiko approved as the new Persona manifested, floating just above her friend's shoulder. The breeze seemed to curl around the Orisha, forming a barrier that was almost visible, and lightning skipped along her long, ring-covered arms as though each individual bolt was a merry dancer itself. "Wait, do you think you can...?"
Knowing what she spoke of, Mira's smile widened, all her previous doubts falling away now that her Persona was beside her again. She didn't even feel the slightest bit cold. "I do believe I can. But we must select our destination first, yes? A training ground, I believe you asked for?"
Pelagio's bow shifted, turning so they could see a squat plume of dead gray rock ahead of them, evidence of deep networks of caverns already apparent across its pocked surface. "I believe that this island will suffice, my lady. It is near Dancer's Land, so many of the Shadows who fled it after its fall would have taken refuge here."
It looked promising, but Aiko frowned. "Her name is Mirambela."
Mira chuckled, and raised her arms as if in ritual. Oya followed her gesturing, and a moment after, the wind current behind Pelagio's main sail kicked up several notches, accelerating and boosting his speed over that short distance.
"I am Mirambela, and I am also the Dancer", she announced merrily, legitimately excited to see Aiko's reaction to what her new Persona powers could do for their voyage. "Yes. I feel it... that's my role in this world. The Dancer of storms, and death and rebirth."
"Actually, my lady", Pelagio piped up, trying not to sound too impressed by their new ally's talent with wind, "she brings up a point I had wished to discuss with you earlier, now that we shall be operating as a team."
The younger girl tried not to let her confusion show. "What is it?"
"As you well know by now, this world is one of cognition, of the human subconscious mind. However, it is not entirely deaf to the words that are spoken within it. Now that we shall be communicating with each other more often as a team, I would consider it wise for us to use names other than our true ones going forward. If you would wish to continue keeping this dimension and our involvement with it a secret from the majority of humans, that is."
Waiting for the ship to dock, she went to the rail to scan their arrival point. "Uh... Sorry, not following you. Why do we need to do that?"
Mira shrugged in apology. "Sorry Ai-chan, I know it's pretty complicated stuff. I think I get it though. Basically, if we keep calling each other's names while we're waltzing right through people's private dream worlds, someone might pick up on it while they're sleeping. Now normally, that won't be a problem for us, but if it was someone we knew..."
"Then they'd start looking at us a lot harder, even if they didn't know exactly why", Aiko finished for her, understanding finally. "Hee. And all this time, I've heard girls talking about hoping that guys dreamed about them. Fine. You're Dancer while we're here then. I guess that means we need code names as well, right Pela-tori?"
"I doubt that I will", Pelagio's voice issued from every corner of the ship. "I do not interact with very many humans. However, I would like to be considered a part of this group. Thus, I shall follow your lead. Hm."
The ship made no sign of it, continuing on its course, so they merely had to imagine Pelagio taking a moment to think carefully.
"I shall be... Guardian."
"Guardian", Aiko repeated. "Hard to argue with that one. What about me?"
Mira's attention shifted to Aiko's hat and greatcoat then, noting how it had gradually become more regal a garment with every trip they took into Faraway Lands. Though it looked like there was a lot of improvements yet to be made, the coat now looked like something one might actually spend money on instead of finding it in the trash.
"...Captain", she announced at last. "You're our leader, right? Guardian always defers to you."
Aiko shook her head and winced. "Not because I want him to. No way. I get that I'm the leader of this team now, but I don't like that name. I already know a captain."
"Maybe", Mira remarked teasingly. "But you are still our captain, captain. What about you, Guardian? Any ideas for a new name for our captain?"
"Hm... Lady?"
The two of them both stamped their feet hard into the deck, but the deck did not yield a cry of pain as they had expected. "...I take that to mean that as a no? Very well. What about... Saber?"
She instinctively brought narrowed eyes to the hilt of her cutlass, still hanging off her belt. "Kind of predictable... but I guess that's a blessing in this case. Having a cool code name isn't going to help us fight Shadows or anything. Alright. Saber it is then. Now, can we please get going and earn some money here?"
"Ha. I knew it", Mira gloated quietly. "That's why you said you wanted to go to Faraway Lands today. We're not going to be fighting Shadows until we have 10,000 yen, Ai-ch- I mean, Saber."
"We won't", their newly-christened leader promised her. "I just want to have some for next time. Never know when it might come in handy."
She didn't have to wait much longer. The trio had only to enter the first cave ahead of them to see something easily recognizable as a Shadow creeping towards them. It lacked the high-tech disguise that all the Shadows in Mira's Land had worn like metal shells around their true bodies, but the revolting black ooze form puddling along the dirt and frozen white mask suggested a miniature version of a Leviathan Shadow.
Even that fell away with the first hit of Aiko's cutlass, the mask giving out an angry roar before the entire form twisted, convulsed and collapsed into a puddle. It rose back up in a more familiar state a moment after, resolving into a short figure of white and blue, round head bearing a face with a yellow spot on its forehead and round eyes. Despite its pointed fangs, it was cute. Just like Igor being creepy, this Shadow's cuteness was an indisputable fact of the universe that couldn't be contradicted, and by the look on Mirambela's face she felt the same way.
More surprising was the childish voice it spoke up with, younger than any Shadow they had fought before. "Hee ho!", it squealed as Mira tried her daggers out for the first time, blending agile dancing moves with the leathality of dual-wielding. "Why are you hee-re, invading my hee-home?! I'll fr-hee-ze you, ho!"
"AAH!"
As implied, jagged stars of solid ice descended to pierce Mirambela at the creature's gesture. Aiko was already healing her as she cried out from it, still unfamiliar with just how painful actual combat against Shadows could be. Meanwhile, Pelagio had unleashed his own spell, the neon blue dome explosion sending the tiny Shadow flying. The instant she had recovered, Mira followed suit, calling upon Oya to unleash a surge of lightning into it.
"Nice shot, Dancer", Aiko called, the old, giddy confidence which had brought her here flooding back. As expected, this Shadow seemed comparatively weak, a minor annoyance compared to some of the more dangerous specimens from Mira's ulra-technological forest. This one was already on the ground, the chirpy fear in its voice conveying what its nearly motionless face could not.
"N-nooo-ho! Please don't kill me-hee, ho!"
Pelagio brandished his broadsword, but Aiko saw that Mira was already sheathing her weapons. "This... doesn't feel right. I feel like we are the bad guys here. Were all your battles like this?"
"No", Aiko agreed, lowering her weapon in frank embarrassment. "All the other Shadows we saw weren't nearly this... well, this cute. Fortunately, we do have an alternative to just killing it... because honestly, I don't think I could bring myself to do that now."
She spoke to the Shadow then, trying to use a soothing tone like Mira's mother- or rather the android cognition pretending to be Mira's mother- did. "Easy now, you cute little guy. We didn't want any trouble. We're just so used to Shadows attacking us first, that's all. Didn't mean any harm, okay?"
The white and blue fairy seemed to consider that, round black doll eyes staring back into hers. "They are pretty me-hee-an", he acknowledged. "They give us Shad-ho a bad name! Someone ought to te-hee-ach them a lesson, ho!"
"Someone like you, little guy?"
The face remained motionless, but its head tilted upward, suddenly excited. "You me-hee-n it? I can jo-ho-in you in teaching?"
Smiling back, she extended a gloved hand. "Join with me, and we'll teach all those mean Shadows a thing or two."
The creature's joy was contagious.
"Yay! You're so cool! I'll help you! My name's Jack Frost, ho!"
The Shadow became a mass of a multicolored particles then, flying wildly around the grotto before joining with Aiko. While Pelagio had seen this sight enough times to find it mere rote, Mira's brown eyes shot open in amazement. "Whoa... Saber, what did you just do?"
"I took on a new Persona", Aiko explained calmly, briefly checking for any side effects of her newest addition. A bit chilly, perhaps, or just her imagination? "Don't get too excited now, I'm the only one who can do that."
"I'm feeling pretty excited", Mira countered wryly. "And I'm glad we don't have to kill all of them. "
"No", Pelagio agreed beside her, his voice sliding into a more serious tone as two more dark blobs emerged from a narrow crevice. "Merely the ones who cannot behave themselves."
The new arrivals were exactly that kind of Shadow once their masks had been discarded. One took on the form of a red-scaled hound with vicious-looking jaws and yellow fish fins, but despite its appearance a dose of Jack Frost's ice magic took care of it rather quickly.
The real problem was the second one, a green-skinned hulk with long, mangy black hair and a toga that looked like skin. Repeated exposure to elemental spells barely seemed to faze it, and a single strike from its stone club was enough to send Pelagio careening into a wall, only spared further injury by his protective spells and armor. Only when Aiko got close enough to stick her blade directly into the beast's chest did it finally surrender a grasping hold on life, leaving the cavern quiet once more.
"That", Mira noted in a voice carefully keeping the worst of her alarm out of it, "was more like I was expecting it to be like. Without you two here, I'd be doomed."
"Don't worry about it. You'll get the hang of it", Aiko promised her. Though it was true that Dancer had a lot to learn about using her Persona's powers and her daggers effectively, having a novice teammate was much better than none at all.
This only became more apparent as they continued into the cavern, battling more hostile Shadows as they went. They were a varied bunch, ranging from dome-haired fanged imps to red-haired winged fairies in blue leotards, but nothing stronger than the green giant from earlier appeared to challenge them. Mira seemed more impressed with the variety of different Personas and powers displayed by their newly-appointed leader, who continued changing her abilities to meet each new foe with hardly any delay.
"I'm starting to see why you were so confident, Saber", she remarked after she had used Anne Bonny's gushing water blasts to dispatch a shiny, golden-feathered bird whose very presence offended Pelagio even before it had struck with green wind similar to Oya's power. "Still, I hope we finish soon. This is still a risk. We're playing with our lives here."
"I believe that we are in fact done our journey here, Dancer", Pelagio said, his large raptor eyes staring up a slanted shaft of rock with an rough opening at the top letting in stale orange light. "I do not sense any more Shadows here."
"Awww", Aiko sheathed her blade, pouting. "I was hoping for just a few more at least."
Mira waited until they were all out of the shaft and waiting for Pelagio to transform before gripping her friend's shoulder through her greatcoat. "Ai-chan, please listen to me."
"Don't you mean Saber? You're the one who-"
The grip tightened, almost causing her pain. "Saber, please listen to me. This isn't a game! If we ever lose to these Shadow creatures, they will kill us. Even a fight against weak Shadows, or Shadows we've beaten before, still risks the end of our lives, the end of everything that we ever were, everything we are, and everything we might be back in our world! So please..."
She paused, her other hand flying up to a messy gash in the pale flesh of Aiko's cheek which had eluded their notice until now. Though it was small, there was a scarlet sign of blood loss to a Shadow's razor claws there. "...Please, please, be careful. You're the best thing that's happened to me since I came to this country. I... I don't what I'd do if you died. I... Ca-Can't..."
Then the tears were in the way, and she had to sniff and reach up with her other hand to brush them off first.
"Saber. Please. I don't want you to die here. I don't want any of us to die here. We all have to go on living."
Her friend sensed it too, one gloved hand rising up to touch the blood, sensing it for the first time. It glowed green with healing energy before disappearing, leaving the flesh as pristine as a newborn's. "I know, Dancer. It's alright. Believe me, I'm taking every single battle seriously here. Even the so-called 'easy' ones. If we lose a fight, we die. I know that. We'd just disappear, just like Furusato-san. No one would ever know what really happened."
She would never forget what her own reaction had been after coming to the same realization, or the fear that had nearly caused her to give up as a result. But if she had, then Mirambela would not be standing here talking to her right now. She would be gone.
"Good", Mira said, apologetically releasing her grip. "Just as long as you completely understand. This isn't supposed to be fun. You did this so that I could learn how to use my Persona in combat, and now I have. Unless someone else enters the gate, then there's no reason for us to come back here and risk our lives any more."
"I still want to find Ayano-san's Land", Aiko reminded her sternly, refusing to budge on that point. "It's somewhere out on these waters. Noel-kun deserves his closure. But you're right. No sense in taking risks. We'll face this thing one day at a time. Exploring one island at a time, if we need to, getting stronger all the while. Then, some day, we'll find her."
"That... would be nice", Mira admitted shyly. She only wanted this trip to be over now, so that she didn't have to keep emphasizing to her seemingly oblivious friend the very real dangers of Faraway Lands. She didn't like it when they fought like this. "This place is massive though. Even with my Persona boosting Guardian's sailing speed. It's going to be a long time before-"
"Ahem", the aforementioned Guardian piped up, having transformed minutes ago. "I trust that you two are planning to board me at some point in the near future? Or shall we wait here for the Reaper's ship to find us?"
Both hesitated, however, thrown off for a moment.
"Wait... was Pelagio just... sarcastic?"
Aiko laughed.
Regardless, that memory of the Reaper got her back onto the deck in record time, Mira right behind her despite knowing nothing about the Reaper except its name. "Sorry for the wait", their captain said. "Set a course for home, Guardian."
4/29 Monday (Showa Day)
Lunch
A Big Bang Burger joint wouldn't have been Aiko's first idea of a date location (can't believe it still sounds so cool to even think that word... date), but yesterday had given her a stark reminder of the financial realities that most students her age faced. Even this was an expenditure.
While it might have been possible for her to afford a trip to a fancier restaurant or go to a movie together now with the money she'd earned from the Shadows yesterday combined with everything else she had in reserve, throwing that much cash around- cash that as Mirambela had reminded her again and again and again had been earned by risking their lives in fights to the death against nightmarish creatures- seemed like a colossal waste. Sacrilegious, somehow.
No. That money stays separate from my usual funds, only to be used for special occasions or emergencies. That's a road I'm definitely not travelling, butchering Shadows just so I can buy nice clothes. It feels too much like killing animals to wear their fur. No.
Pelagio had tried to explain to them exactly why Shadows dropped money to begin with, but she still didn't quite get it. She wouldn't complain however.
It might have even turned Julian off. He seemed like the type who wanted to be in charge of his own destiny more than any other partner, and it wasn't like either of their stomachs would rebel at having burgers for the umpteenth time. Julian wolfed his meal down with an energy she'd rarely seen outside of eating contests on TV, spending the extra time merely watching her as she ate her food at a more deliberate pace.
"Hey Tsuruga-chan, thanks again for the fencing club", he started with a smile equally as energetic as the rest of him. "I honestly never thought I'd enjoy it this much. Umaeda-sensei's got to enjoy teaching that way more than freakin' math class too."
"Thank you for helping me get it started", she replied kindly. "Even with us both, Umaeda-sensei is technically bending the rules unless he picks up two more students."
"Rules", Julian echoed. The amount of disgust he was able to put into one word was truly astounding. "More like drools. Rules were made up by miserable assholes who can't enjoy themselves and wanted to ruin the fun for everyone else too, taking away their freedom."
Without even looking, she could tell that he was spinning his drinking straw around on one finger almost too fast to be seen, his usual self in full swing now. It seemed a shame to deflate him by changing the subject to something depressing.
"Have you heard about Noel-kun?"
The barely-perceptible spinning noise stopped. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah, I heard. Can't believe anyone would accuse him of doing anything bad to Furusato-chan. You know what that dude told me once?"
Aiko shook her head.
"One of Kujou's friends was being a bitch to him as usual, and I say to him that we ought to go sort them out personally." The way he smacked one fist into an open palm left no doubt as to what he meant. "And get this; he says to me, he says that he took an oath in some big deal cathedral back home- a fucking oath- before God, that he would never hurt another human being."
That revelation dredged up the anger she'd felt from before towards the two policemen. "So he won't hurt anyone except for himself. He's not even trying to fight the accusations."
"He doesn't fight", Julian said coldly. "Period. I've never seen him take so much as a single swing at anybody, no matter how much they asked for it. Me? I'd give 'em a piece of what they had coming, but he's different. Besides... I don't think he's in a good state to argue right now."
That much was certainly true. Noel had missed more classes than Aiko could keep track of. He never spoke with her, always retreating to the boys' dorm after class to be alone.
"Then we need to argue for him", Aiko claimed, slapping one firm hand onto the table. "I've talked with Samesaji-san, Hayato-senpai, Mira-chan, and all the people in the church he normally goes to here in the city. If he does have to go to a trial, then we're all going to show our support for him in any way we can."
Julian extended a lean arm. "Hey, you can count on me, Tsuruga-chan. Whatever you need. Anyone with half a brain knows that guy's not guilty. Trial? What a damn waste."
"Thank you", she beamed. "Enough depressing talk, then. If it's okay, I'd... I'd like to know more about you, Julian-kun."
He gave a triumphant laugh in return, but thankfully didn't start spinning straws on his hands again. "Hey, what's there to say? As you can probably tell, I was born here to a Japanese and American couple who emigrated. Somehow, that still makes me 'hafu' in some people's eyes. Whatever." Though lacking anything to hold, his fingers flexed with pronounced manual dexterity that few other people possessed. "And, as you've already seen... I have mad skills."
"I haven't seen it yet", she reminded him calmly. "But I'm kind of looking forward to it now. Your next game is on Friday, right?"
But that innocent question seemed to affect Julian far worse than any of the news about Noel had. He looked like he was about to retreat behind the table before shaking his head. "Nope. Thursday. Then we get a week without a game 'cause of exams, then two games in one week to make up for Golden week."
"I see. Are you studying okay for those?" It wasn't something she would normally ask anyone except Mirambela, but she wasn't forgetting for an instant that the continued existence of the fencing club hinged on both their grades maintaining an acceptable level.
"I'm good", he promised. "Really, I am. Better than I usually do in school anyway. I'm getting in a good two hours of studying at the dorm a day, 'cept when I have soccer practice. My folks want me to improve too, but I'm doin' it for the fencing club... and for you, of course. I mean..."
"Of course", she cut in, sensing his gratitude for saving him before things got too awkward between them. "If you ever feel like you do need some help, just call us. Mira-chan's been really good at keeping me focused on exams with everything else that's been going on lately." Including a bunch of things that I can't tell you about. Sorry.
"Hey, thanks." He broke off for a moment, waiting as a passing ambulance blasted them all with noise and light, then grinned foxily. "My turn. Not trying to veer this back into gloomsville or anything, but... do you know any details about what exactly happened to Furusato-chan?"
Aiko went very still, and wondered if there was something wrong with her burger after all from the way her stomach suddenly dropped out. "Why would you ask me that, Julian-kun? I never knew her myself. She disappeared before I arrived."
His gaze had dropped all the fun out of it now, for once boring into her with complete earnestness. "I was just askin'. Just wondering if it had anything to do... with Faraway Lands."
4/29 Monday (Showa Day)
Afternoon
Mr. Umaeda was relaxing in the fencing club room when the door suddenly opening reminded him of another aspect of his training that felt out of place at Koashimizu academy; the instinctive reaction that had him near the doorway the space of a breath, ready to pounce in case it turned out to be a hostile intruder.
There were two of them, and one of them did feel hostile, but not in the way that he could do anything about. It was the kind of hostility far more common to the modern day and age, the type which could not harm you directly but sought your ruin in other ways. The type that was usually hidden behind a smile, and Ms. Mattora did in fact have one of those plastered on her Olympian face.
"Mr. Umaeda", the other arrival, Principal Yumika bowed to him with a more genuine courtesy, the fencing room's ceiling lights glinting off his round glasses. "I thought we'd visit you here instead of having to make a scene and drag you into my office. Sadly, some teachers are as bad with gossip as our students."
"You don't say", Umaeda noted, one eye locked onto Ms. Mattora. "Well, whatever secrets you have are safe with me, sir. Sorry I can't offer you a chair."
"Think nothing of it", Ms. Mattora told him as they entered the room and shut the door. "This shouldn't take very long."
He wouldn't sit. It felt like it might be an insult to them, and he wanted to be on his feet for this if it was what he expected.
"It's come to our attention that you have re-opened the fencing club", Yumika said neutrally.
"Without requesting permission from the principal", Mattora seconded more confrontationally.
Umaeda looked as bored as he felt. Even an amateur duel using the foil variant would have been less predictable. "Begging your pardon, Ms. Mattora, but the club was never actually officially closed down. It was merely not being used due to lack of interest. This year, there have been two applicants so far who were interested. I think we should respect that interest."
The tall woman shook her head, light raisin hair tousled atop it. "Only two applicants, Mr. Umaeda, and both of them known troublemakers. Delinquents. The school rules state that a school club may only remain active if it has at least four students in it. Surely, a mathematics teacher is aware of the difference there?"
Yumika smiled sadly. "She's right, I'm afraid. While I don't wish to trample on the dreams of those two students who applied, that rule is in place to conserve school resources for use in more popular clubs, such as the Shogi and drama clubs, not to mention soccer. As you have been made aware, our budget has never been tighter this year."
"I know the budget's tight", Umaeda countered wistfully, knowing just how galling it must have been for Principal Yumika to go to those school board meetings and learn what was being cut next due to lack of funds. "Kind of hard to miss with that great big gaping hole in our backyard. But this costs the school nothing. I'm not asking payment for extra hours."
To drive his point home, he slid the wall partition aside to reveal the sets of equipment, still bearing little in the way of use except the occasional marking.
"You tried selling it off", he reminded the younger man. "But no one would take it, it's too outdated. It's ours. Using it costs us nothing, and I wasn't planning on asking for any money to buy more modern gear or schedule any events. This is just two kids who wanted to learn how to fence from me after classes. That's all."
Finally, something of a surprise- he hadn't planned on sounding quite so satisfied when he gave his explanation. Whatever the cause, it had certainly set Mattora off.
"That equipment is far too dangerous", she protested. "Using it endangers our students and promotes violence. Besides, you aren't being paid for this club. You're being paid to teach math to students. I would think that a man your age-"
Predictably, Yumika cut her off before she could really start to piss him off with more remarks about 'needing to conserve his energy at his age'. "Regardless, Mr. Umaeda, rules are rules. Unless your fencing club has four or more students, I must ask you to disband it, and restrict yourself to your regular classes."
Tetsuo Yumika, at least, knew how to cut to the chase. Umaeda had always liked that about their new principal, even if they were on opposing sides of an argument now. An argument where it looked like Yumika had just struck the coup de grace.
"Alright, fine", he said wearily. "When they come by on Saturday, I'll tell them that-"
He was cut off by a rapping on the metal frame of the door, drawing the attention of all three of them to a pair of students poised there. The pony-tailed girl looked more than a little nervous, but the older boy in the thick school jacket, whom he recognized from his brief stint as detention supervisor a week ago, looked like he had chosen this exact time to show up.
"Um... hi there", he called, oblivious to the glare he was earning from Mattora. "We heard the fencing club had started up again... can we join?"
A/N: A special thanks to all my reviewers so far. I was actually a little scared to look, knowing that I was out of practice and treading on some sensitive ground, but it looks like people are enjoying it so far.
To clarify for my first reviewer all the way back in Chapter 2, yes, that is intentional anger invoked. I wanted some antagonists on both sides of the 'gate' who are just as despicable as Persona 5's villains. Without wishing to spoil, I am also making Julian/Jiachi's character deliberately egotistical and brash in a set up for what's coming.
EDIT: Just fixing a few typos and redundant phrasings. Told you I was out of practice.