So, I found that I had a lot of free time and decided to publish this early. Enjoy!
CHAPTER 5
Through the Looking Glass
August 9, 2021
5:42 PM
Subway Train
The ride back to the hotel seemed to take longer than it should have to the three teenagers. Then again, the incident regarding the suicide of their classmate happening right before their eyes still lingered in their minds. Kazuhiko and Mikan stayed silent, but Johei was too angry at himself to not say anything.
"I almost caught her..."
It was true. Johei's fingers almost caught Suzuki's hand but couldn't grab onto her. Kazuhiko decided to help his friend ease of his guilt.
"Johei, it's not your fault. She chose to end her life. Let her rest-"
"Yeah! You're right! It's her damn parents' fault!"
Johei suddenly stood up from his seat on the subway, his eyes filled with hatred.
"They made her commit suicide and they should suffer for it!"
People in the train began to look at Johei, wondering if he was psyching himself up or was just plain crazy. Either way, the passengers began to slowly move away from him. Mikan gently put her hand on his arm.
"Johei, calm down. If her parents were to blame, they will be caught one way or another. For now, let's leave this in the hands of the authorities."
Johei, much to his dismay, sat back down and stayed silent for the remainder of the ride. Kazuhiko, on the other hand, was deep in thought.
What the hell was up with those chains? Kazuhiko thought.
The chains he had seen weren't connected to anything except for her wrists and ankles. And once she was dead, the chains began to dissappear.
"Hey, did you guys see any chains on her?"
Johei looked at Kazuhiko with a sideways stare.
"Chains? What are you even talking about?"
"Are you feeling okay, Kazuhiko-san?"
Kazuhiko felt confused, but answered them.
"Yes. I'm fine. I'm just… a little shaken up."
The subway finally dropped them off at their stop. Johei, Mikan and Kazuhiko started to walk to the stairs until Johei spoke up.
"Guys..."
Mikan and Kazuhiko stopped walking and turned around to see Johei staring at the electronic bulletin board. On it showed Suzuki's body being taken down by the fire department. The event happened a little while ago, but it was now the talk of the town. Mikan started to walk to him and move him away from the news cast, but Johei started to talk again.
"Tomorrow, we're going to talk to her parents."
Kazuhiko was startled by this. Of course, he only knew Johei for a month before he left Nuzoko, but he never suspected him to be this bold.
"Dude, you're crazy. We do that, we could get social security on our asses."
"I don't care!"
Johei began to walk to the electronic bulletin board with tears streaming down his face.
"They need to realize what they did! Their own child and they drove her to her death!"
Johei stared at Suzuki's body, trying to remember that kind person she was before.
Flashback
December 27, 2020
Johei had began to walk to Shigure's after finishing his chores, which took up most of his day. Snow began to fall again and he shrank deeper into his coat. On rainy or snowy days, Shigure's would usually make the rice platter half price. This would probably be enough for his dinner and his lunch tomorrow, so he had to take advantage, after all, he was living by himself.
Johei was an orphan at birth; he lived in the orphanage until he turned 15 about three months ago. He was now living in an apartment that was payed for him by the government, but he would have to get food and other necessities on his own. He could live in the apartment until he was able to provide for himself or if he misbehaved.
His long walk finally ended when he reached the familiar restaurant with a few tables outside. Surprisingly, there wasn't as much business as he thought there would be. The inside of Shigure's had very few people, but a girl chose to sit outside. She wore a white snow coat with a turtle neck that covered most of her face along with a pair of pink earmuffs and mittens. Despite her facial features being hidden, Johei recognized her immediately.
"Miura-chan? Is that you?"
The girl regarded him with sad eyes and silently nodded. Her eyes were slightly red as if she were crying for hours. There wasn't anything on the table except a cup and a pot of ginger and lemon tea. Despite being cold, Johei decided to sit in the other chair at the table.
"Do you mind if I sit here?"
Suzuki shook her head and sat back. She didn't move for several minutes while Johei ordered the special rice platter. For what seemed like forever, the two just sat there with two cups and a pot of tea between them.
"Hey, Miura-chan, are you feeling okay?"
Suzuki's face started to tear up as she shook her head.
"What happened? You can talk to me if you want."
Johei had only known Suzuki from a distance. They never had been classmates until this year, but even then, she was still quiet. Johei had always tried to talk to her but never got the chance to. Suzuki began to take off her right hand's mitten to show grotesque scars and cuts. Johei opened his eyes with even more worry.
"Oh God, Miura-chan. You should really get that looked at. It looks like it could start bleeding again."
Suzuki stared back at Johei who was fishing out some gauze in his pocket. She didn't foresee that Johei would act this way. She suspected that he would ask her who did this to her instead of trying to mend her wounds. He seemed to be more caring than he let on.
Johei carefully applied the antibiotic and wrapped the bandage on her hand.
"Alright, don't take off the bandage for three days. By then, the antibiotic will have kept the bacteria away and the scars will have healed."
Suzuki looked at the bandage that Johei had just finished with awe. It was expertly wrapped so that she could still perform everyday tasks without disturbing the healing process.
"Shiroka-san! H-how did you..."
Johei sat back with his face full of pride.
"I kind of live by myself so I have to take care of my health if I get hurt" He boasted.
Suzuki smiled slightly. She couldn't remember the last time she felt happy. School was full of people who either didn't care or couldn't understand what she went through. Although, staying at school was still better than staying home.
"You don't have to tell me how you got those scars. I can already tell. I've seen that look before"
Johei sadly remembered his old friend, Kazuhiko, who moved to Inaba. Thankfully, he seemed to be doing better than before and was able to have the strength to make friends.
"I used to have a friend that was constantly getting beat by other students. He had the same look that you had on your face when I first saw you."
Suzuki wanted to hear more but the waiter had arrived with the food.
"Alright, we have one special rice platter and a refill on the tea. Will that be all?"
Johei started to take out his wallet but stopped himself. Instead, he turned to Suzuki.
"Miura-chan, you sure you don't want anything to eat? I'm fine with paying for you."
Suzuki paused and nodded without saying anything. Johei then turned to the waiter.
"Actually, we'll take another rice platter."
The waiter nodded and soon came back with another large plate of fried rice. Johei and Suzuki ate their food in silence.
"You know, if you don't want to, you don't have to go back home for today..."
Suzuki looked at Johei with slight confusion.
"I mean, you ran away from your parents because they were hurting you right? You could stay at my place for the night."
Suzuki slowly digested what Johei had said. True, she could stay at his apartment to stay away from her parents for a little longer, but she would eventually need to get back to them soon enough. And when she did, she would probably get in even more trouble, not only with her parents, but with the police. People who ran away from home didn't tend to be taken lightly.
"I'm fine. I should probably get going now. Thanks for paying for me."
Suzuki stood up and took the remainder of the food in a takeout box. As she left, Johei called out to her.
"Wait!"
Suzuki turned around to see Johei's face slightly tinted.
"W-would it be… alright if I called you… Suzuki-chan?"
Johei felt somewhat embarrassed and didn't even know what he was doing.
Damn it! This isn't the time to do that! Johei thought
She'll probably never talk to me again! I really ruined the moment didn-
"Sure. Only if I can call you Johei-kun."
Suzuki, for the first time in her life, had warmly smiled to Johei as she walked off. Johei stood there watching here walk in the distance.
"Well, she's alright. After all, she's already got me as a friend."
"Excuse me, sir. Your bill is 3000 yen."
Johei turned around to see the waiter with the check.
"Oh, alright. My wallet's here somewhere..."
Johei fished out his wallet and opened it to find only 1500 yen.
"Oh shit..."
End of Flashback
Present Day
"She was a good person. She deserved to live a long life!"
Kazuhiko walked behind Johei.
"Johei, calm down."
"NO! I'LL MAKE SURE THEY PAY!"
The electronic bulletin board was suddenly broken. For a few seconds, Johei didn't feel anything. Then he realized that he had punched a hole in the board. The glass had cut his knuckles and began to bleed. Mikan sighed as she took out some cloth from her bag.
"Come on, let's get you home."
Johei silently obeyed as they walked up the steps. Pretty soon, they were in front of the apartment complex that Johei lived at.
"Guys, can you give me your numbers?"
Kazuhiko nodded and the three of them took out their phones. Once the scanning was done, they put their phones back in their pockets.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow."
Johei left and went inside the apartment leaving Mikan and Kazuhiko outside. With nothing else to do, the two walked to the hotel.
"Kazuhiko-kun, about yesterday..."
Kazuhiko looked to Mikan. He remembered how he had protected her from the thugs yesterday and ended up getting sent to the hospital.
"I should have done more to protect you. Being your senpai, I shouldn't have gotten you involved with my problem. I am truly sorry for my mistake."
Mikan deeply bowed to Kazuhiko. She had these problems for a long time and whenever someone tried to help, they ended up getting hurt. She couldn't let this happen.
"Mika-senpai, you don't have to apologize. I chose to help you out of my free will."
Mikan stood up and looked surprised.
"When I saw you being threatened, you were a lot like me when getting beat by other kids when I first lived here. Friends are what helps ease that pain."
Mikan slowly smiled and repeated those words to herself.
"Friends are what helps ease that pain, huh?"
Kazuhiko nodded. He felt happy when he could help others with similar problems that he had. Before they knew it, they arrived to the hotel.
"Well, it seems like I have a lot to learn. And from my own underclassman. You are very wise, Kazuhiko-san."
"Thanks, senpai! I'll see you tomorrow."
And with that, Kazuhiko walked into the hotel and got into his room. He immediately felt drowsy and fell onto his bed. Sleep took over him before he even felt the mattress.
The Velvet Room
?/?/?
Kazuhiko opened his eyes and found him sitting in a chair inside a very blue courtroom. At the judge's chair, sat the strange and long nosed man, Igor. Next to him stood Alexandria, who looked emotionless as always.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor said.
Kazuhiko sighed and rubbed his temple.
"Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world." Igor continued.
"Is this going to be a regular thing now? Just pulling me into this room?" Kazuhiko asked.
Igor chuckled slightly and continued.
"Do not worry. The next time we meet will be of your own accord."
Kazuhiko continued to stare at Igor.
My own accord? Why would I even want to be here in the first place?
"Now, to the matter at hand. The previous event you had witnessed has become the starting point of your journey." Igor stated.
This time, Alexandria spoke.
"The chains of despair are what limits the human capabilities from their true potential. Only when they are broken can the raw power within be used."
Kazuhiko stopped them for a moment. The only significant phrase that they said was something he needed answers to.
"Wait, hold on. Did you just say 'chains of despair'?"
Alexandria nodded. Igor answered this time.
"The chains of despair are somewhat a metaphor. Through experiences, people become shackled by despair; being shackled by despair makes certain experiences happen."
Kazuhiko felt like he only understood part of that, but he kept going.
"You also said that a power could be used when those chains are broken. What power are you talking about? Why was Suzuki-chan chained?"
Igor smiled mysteriously smiled and spoke.
"You will find out. All in due time. Now, Alexandria, present him the reason why we summoned him."
Alexandria bowed to Igor.
"Yes, master."
With a flick of her hand, a key had appeared in front of Kazuhiko.
"This is a key that will allow you to enter this room of your own free will. You will require our assistance when the time comes. For now, we shall wait until you gain that power."
Kazuhiko's vision started to blur until he found himself in his room again. He turned to see the clock on his desk and got up with a start.
"Holy crap! 7:05 already?!"
Wondering what Igor and Alexandria was talking about, Kazuhiko got into his uniform and rushed down the stairs. Upon arriving at the front of the hotel, Kazuhiko met Mikan who was waiting for him.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Senpai!"
"Don't worry, we can make it if we run!"
The two ran until they finally reached the school gates. Kazuhiko left Mikan on the second floor and took his seat just before the bell rang. Mr. Ozuma walked into the classroom with a depressed facial expression.
"Would everyone stand up from their seats and follow me, please?"
Kazuhiko stood up along with a bunch of his other classmates, but for some reason, Johei was nowhere to be found. They were soon all seated in the auditorium. The principle and the line of teachers were on the stage.
"Students, it has come to my attention that Ms. Suzuki Miura has committed suicide"
A couple students started talking to each other. Even though it had just happened yesterday, everyone had known about it. The principle continued.
"It has also come to my attention that the reason behind her death is because of one of our students."
This time, even more students began to talk. Kazuhiko and Mikan were shocked to this news.
"You all shall be relieved from your regular schedules as of today so the police can perform an investigation amongst you. If you are asked for an interrogation, please do not refuse. The sooner we find out the cause of her death, the better."
Soon after that, all classes were let out. Kazuhiko still couldn't find Johei anywhere so he decided to text him a message.
K:Hey, where ru ?
J:Didn't feel like going 2day. What happened?
K:Principle says that Suzuki's death is a student's fault.
J:WTF?!
K:I know. Why did he say that?
J: Her parents are behind this.
J: Meet me at the mall after school.
K: Okay. Should I bring Mikan?
J: No. She won't approve of what I'll do.
K: What are you going to do?
J: You'll find out soon
The school day went by quickly and Kazuhiko started to go to the meet-up spot. He was starting to walk to the mall until he heard Mikan.
"Kazuhiko-san! Wait up!"
Mikan fell into place with Kazuhiko's footsteps and walked beside him.
"Are you going to see Johei?"
Kazuhiko nodded.
"Yeah. Johei wanted me to meet with him about something. He told me not to bring you though."
Mikan frowned slightly, but agreed to not come.
"One thing though."
Kazuhiko stopped for a moment to hear Mikan's request.
"Make sure he doesn't do anything he'll regret."
Kazuhiko smiled. Johei did see Mikan as a big sister, so it was only natural if she went out of her way to keep him safe.
"Don't worry, I will."
Kazuhiko left Mikan at the front of the mall and walked to the arcade where he saw Johei waiting.
"There you are. What took you so long?"
Johei seemed annoyed but kept his cool.
"Officers were doing an investigation. Nobody could leave until everyone was interrogated"
Johei's eyes then softened but he remained on task as always.
"Okay then. I guess you can't argue with that. Anyways, there's something I want to show you."
Johei dug in his pocket and produced a small scan code. On the back was something that looked like links of a chain. Along with that, Kazuhiko could see his own reflection. He looked back up to Johei puzzled.
"Is this a code for some type of gmae?"
Johei laughed lightly.
"No, just follow me."
Johei walked until he found a large mirror.
"Alright, now scan this and walk through."
Kazuhiko scanned the card with his phone and was surprised to see a new app appear on his phone.
"Go on. Walk right in."
Kazuhiko was confused. The mirror was large enough to fit in and nobody was around, but the idea of walking into a mirror was ridiculous.
"Dude, come on. Just do it."
Reluctantly, Kazuhiko walked up to the mirror.
"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Johei?"
Johei looked slightly more annoyed and crossed his arms.
"Alright, fine. I'll go first."
Pushing Kazuhiko aside, Johei walked up to the mirror and placed his palm on the glass. At first, it was solid, but as time passed, Johei's hand seemed to sink further into the mirror. After a few seconds, Johei had walked through the glass entirely. Kazuhiko was standing there dumb-founded.
"I must be on some type of drugs..." Kazuhiko muttered.
Kazuhiko then went to poking his finger on the glass. When his entire hand passed through, he drew it back in shock.
"Okay, I am definitely high on something."
Before Kazuhiko could walk away, a hand appeared from the mirror and grabbed him, pulling him into the mirror.
"Holy shit! Let go of me!"
Desperately, Kazuhiko looked around for anything he could hold on to. He found a railing that was close by and caught it with his fingers. The hand began to pull him with more strength into the mirror. Slowly, his grip on the railing faltered until he could only hold onto it with a finger.
Kazuhiko looked around and panicked when he saw some people heading his way. If any of them saw this, it could cause them to panic and call the police; something that Kazuhiko could not deal with now. Faced with a horrible decision, he closed his eyes and let go of the railing.
Kazuhiko half expected to feel glass on his back, but when he felt the sensation passing through water, he opened his eyes. Johei stood right in front of him while he was sitting down on the ground.
"Is this… the mall?"
Kazuhiko looked around and saw the restaurants that he passed by, but something seemed off.
"Johei… wasn't the Korean Barbecue place over there, and not there?"
Johei smiled, amused at his friend's confusion.
"Yeah, but have you noticed the signs?"
Kazuhiko looked at the sign and was even more confused when he saw that the signs were all backwards.
"Okay, tell me what drugs were slipped into my food, my water, whatever."
Johei started to laugh heartily for a few minutes.
"Dude, this is real. Then again, I acted even worse than you did when I first found out about this place."
Kazuhiko felt a headache coming on.
"Alright, so if this is real, what the hell is this place?"
Johei looked around as if this had been the first time he had been here as well.
"I don't know. I tried coming up names for it. What do you think we should call it?"
Kazuhiko thought for a moment and finally spoke.
"Let's call it… The Mirror Dimension."
Johei whistled lowly and smiled at his friend's creativity.
"Yeah! The Mirror Dimension it is!"
The boys were excited for a little while until Kazuhiko brought them back to the matter at hand.
"Hey, you said that we were going to do something about Suzuki-chan's death right?"
Johei's gaze suddenly darkened and he nodded.
"Yes, we're going to make sure that Suzuki's parents realize what they just did."
Johei started to walk out of the mall and into the direction of the residential area. Kazuhiko followed along behind him, slightly frightened by his friend's new aura.\
"Okay, but what exactly are we going to do to them?" Kazuhiko asked.
He started to notice glowing bracelet-like items forming on Johei's wrists.
"Do you even have to ask?"
The bracelets started to grow with rings attaching themselves to each other.
"She died because her parents beat her and showed her she wasn't loved!"
More and more links began attaching to each other until they formed a long chain. Kazuhiko then started to worry.
"H-h-hey, Johei… We aren't going t-to do anything we might regret… r-right?"
Johei shook his head. His eyes showing anger and madness.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to regret this one bit!"
The chain links continued to connect to each other until the last one was placed, causing the chains to glow even more intensely.
"I tried going in here because some asshole was harassing women just to get away from him, but it was happening here too!"
Johei's pace quickened to a speed walk.
"I was so infuriated, I beat him to a bloody pulp!"
Kazuhiko really started to have a bad feeling."
"When I was finished, I told him all the horrible things people like him do to women. I came back to the real world, and you know what I saw?"
Johei then turned and stepped up to the porch of a nearby house. The mailbox read "Miura".
"I saw that same man blubbering about his crimes and eventually, JUMPED OFF THE TOP FLOOR!"
Kazuhiko's eyes flashed with horror. He tried to put his hand on Johei's shoulder.
"J-johei, you can't possibly mean that..."
Johei turned around and looked Kazuhiko in the eyes. They radiated hate and madness so much, Kazuhiko almost fainted with fear of what his friend had become.
"Yes..." Johei whispered to Kazuhiko.
"I am going… to kill them"
Okay, so I promise that the next chapter will have Persona awakenings. I'm just trying to stall because I'm trying to come up with some original Personas. If you have a suggestion that is original, I'll take it to consideration. The best one will be featured as the MC's Persona. If there are no suggestions, I'll make it up myself. Please like, follow review or recommend to someone you think would like this. Thanks! Also, I recently watched an anime that my friend suggested to me: High School of the Dead. The first episode was so good, I decided that I will probably make a fanfiction about it, but not after watching a few more episodes. Just want to throw that out for you guys in the near future. Anyways, I decided to make a mini adventure instead of an interview. Enjoy!
Mikan was walking to Shigure's after Kazuhiko left for the mall. At times when she felt that she couldn't do anything, she tended to get hungry.
"Hello, I'd like to have the special rice platter and some tea, please."
The waiter came back with the food. Mikan decided to get the special rice platter since it was the item that had the most food. She began to eat her food while worrying.
What did Kazuhiko mean when he needed to be alone with Johei.
*munch*
Johei had something that would "avenge" Sukima-chan
*crunch*
Johei tends to let his emotions get the better of him
Mikan heard someone in the background talking about betting.
He could even get violent
Cheering was heard in the background
He did blame her parents for her death…
The waiter walked up with something in his hands and congratulated her for an amazing feat.
Is he going to hurt them?!
Mikan quickly stood up and brought out her wallet.
"Waiter! How much do I owe you?"
The waiter looked shocked.
"B-but, ma'am. You finished the challenge."
Mikan looked down at her finished bowl and saw a plaque next to it.
"… I definitely worry too much"
