Chapter 3: Restart

"Get up."

The voice was harsh, gravelled and course. The words rolled around in the speaker's mouth, then fell lazily from their lips like slugs. Makoto pretended for a moment that he couldn't hear them, even as they crawled their way into his ears.

"I said, get up!"

Usually, if he waited long enough, the speaker would walk away. Distracted by whatever addiction was calling for their attention.

"Get the fuck up!"

He felt something hard collide with his bedframe. Heard laboured breathing near his ear. Guess today was going to be different. Makoto opened his eyes, sleep blurring his vision for a few moments. When cleared, all he sees is the wall in front of him, a wall pockmarked with damp and age, "I'm up, I'm up."

"Good. Get your shit together."

Another move? Perhaps the others had come back at last, like they had said. Now properly awake, the acrid stench of smoke enters his nose. Makoto sits up and turns his head to look at the speaker.

This man was stringy, like bootlaces turned to flesh. His leathery skin was grimy, and he looked far older than he was. The skin hung off him in places, making his form misshapen. Already, Makoto could see a flush to his nose and cheeks. A poorly rolled cigarette hung loosely from his purple lips. A friend of a family friend, who Makoto had been left with until the family friend was back from visiting their own family.

It had been a few months. Makoto glanced to the window and saw orange light filtering through the holes in the rags that cover the glass. Morning. Early. "We going somewhere?" He didn't bother to keep the Face on with this man. It wasn't worth it.

"You are. Ya got school. Pack up and piss off."

Makoto raised an eyebrow at that. As far as he knew, the school year had started a while ago. Maybe his 'guardian' had finally remembered. Not that Makoto had made effort to remind him that he needed to transfer, "Oh?"

"Yeah. So you can stop eating my food for most of the day. Fuckin' freeloader." It was a common complaint. The man twists his jaw, the cigarette rolling as he does so. It falls from his lips and lands on the floor. The man doesn't even seem to notice.

With that, he turns to leave. His shoulder knocks into the door frame as he stumbles his way back downstairs. Makoto waits to hear the couch creak as he collapses into it. Time to go. He stands, his bare foot landing on top of the cigarette. It had gone out, but it was still hot.

That was fine. The pain just sharpened his mind, fuelled the fire in him. People wouldn't miss this man. He would be forgotten in moments. And it would be so easy. But it would also draw attention to Makoto. Would that be so bad?

Something to think about. Something to think more about.

He throws on the wrinkled, leather-brown uniform and makes his way to school, debating on how to play it. The other students on their way looked sullen, bored, or worried. No point in going down the cheerful route then.

He needed to let off some steam. Makoto's lips twitched upwards as a thought came into his head.

The classroom was poorly maintained. The desks were bent, marked by damage and graffiti. The light fixtures were old and washed the room out with sickly pale light. His new teacher was aging and had that sort of world-weariness on his face that comes with trying to dig a grave with your bare hands for years. The source was likely the students. Some had their heads down on their desks, napping or avoiding trouble. Others lazily stared out of the window. More sat around, chatting and chortling amongst themselves. A few fiddled with their phones.

"Everyone, we have a new student today. He'll be joining us for the rest of the school year." The teacher indicates Makoto with a withered hand, "Please introduce yourself."

A few of the students looked up, or broke conversation to gauge him. The looks were already either hostile, or neutral. Makoto let the grin snake onto his face again, "I'm Makoto Yuki. And I already wish that most of you were dead. I look forward to the rest of the year." He gives a half-bow and glances to the teacher, "I'll sit over there, shall I?"

Makoto makes his way to a seat, ignoring the shocked look on the teacher's face, and the daggers shooting from the other students' eyes. All the while he grinned, even as he leant back in the chair and cast a look around the class.

He had returned to the man's house that day with a black eye, a bloodied lip and nose, and more than a few bruises. But his grin had never faltered. He had given just as good as he got, to each person that came at him.

It felt pretty damn good.

"Wake up."

Huh?

"Wake up!"

"Hello? Yuki? Are you in there!?"

"Wha- ah!" Makoto shoots awake and sits up; his legs tangled in the blankets cocooning him. The force of the motion carries him off the bed and he slams into the floor with a groan. Great start to the day.

"H-Hello? I heard a bang, are you okay? I've been knocking for ages!" Yukari's voice bleeds through the door. Makoto looks to the windows where a bright yellow light manages to fight past the curtains.

Ah… damnit. He scowls as he tries to unwrap himself from the blanket, which proves a task in itself. Oh c'mon, I don't move that much in my sleep, surely! Eventually he manages to extricate himself from their clutches and tosses them angrily in a heap back onto the bed. Yukari continues to knock at the door, a little more insistently now. Man, she's persistent.

He takes a deep breath to settle himself and closes his eyes. Flashes of his memory from the dream remain, until he pushes them back down into himself. Time and a place for everything. In an almost subconscious movement, he passes a hand over his face, pasting on the Ordinary Face. Keep the guise up, Makoto.

At the sound of more knocking, he crosses the room, unlocks the door, and goes to open it a crack. STOP. What? I'm forgetting something. He pauses… "J-Just a moment, Miss Takeba!" The contacts! C'mon, man! He quickly rushes over to the sink, keeping his eyes off the mirror. Inside the lens case float the two lenses from the previous night. With practiced ease, he inserts them onto his eyes and blinks until they get into the right place. Ah… He looks down, now looking at the mirror. There's a little pink in his cheeks from the rush, but otherwise, it's still him. Better. Even wearing that pleasant little smile that seems to put people at ease.

"H-Hey? Yuki? Should I come in?"

Forgot about her.

Makoto hurries for the door, opening it just a hair. Behind it he sees the flustered expression of his fellow student, wearing the same outfit from last night. Though, sans gun and armband. Interesting. The tension on her face eases as she sees him, "Oh, you're okay. I thought you'd hurt yourself or something!" Once she says that though, her eyes widen, "Wait, have you only just got up?"

"Uh…" His smile takes on a bashful tilt, "I-I'm so sorry Miss Takeba, I guess I was more tired than I realised!"

She frowns, sighs, then shakes her head, "Well, I guess that's normal after the night you had. Look, just… get ready quick, yeah? I don't want us to be late on the first day." She looks down the hall and chews on her lip nervously. Ah, the shy and apologetic angle works when she's mad. Good to know.

"You got it. Be right back!"

He ducks back into the room, closing the door for the time being. She must be serious about school. Doesn't seem like the studious type? Opening the closet, he seizes his new uniform and strips out of his pyjamas. Wrap up, throw on the uniform. He double checks the charge on his MP3 and his phone and sets the headphones over his ears. Let's see… what mood to go with? He scrolls through the list of tracks, stopping on one a bit bouncier and upbeat. This'll do.

"Alright, I'm good!" He returns to the door and opens it. Yukari is still there, fidgeting as she waits. He exits the room and makes sure to lock the door behind him. As he turns back to the girl, he spreads his arms out wide and gives his best playful grin, "How do I look?"

She blinks and rolls her eyes, "Uh… like a student? C'mon. We can grab something to eat at the station." Makoto notices the half-smile on her face and catches the chuckle in her throat as she turns to leave. That's a win. The two of them make their way back downstairs, Makoto looking around the hall in the daylight. Unfortunately, the brighter light doesn't help the décor much. Everything looked as though it hadn't changed as the years passed. The carpet was faded in places where it had been worn down by people passing by. The wallpaper was slightly yellowed and curling in the edges at certain points.

His mind goes back to a barely standing bedframe and a room which stank of alcohol and smoke. Well, it's an improvement. As they take the stairs to the lobby, the thoughts of just giving Yukari a light push well up within him again. Just a little tap. He rolls his neck and puts the thoughts aside for now, as hard as that might be. The whispers don't ever really stop, but at least they can get quieter.

He turns the volume on his MP3 up just a couple more notches.

Makoto gazes at the façade of the large building in front of him and is legitimately impressed. Damn, this place looks… fresh. And it does. Gekkoukan was built out of a clean white stone, and the main building stretched extensively, both horizontally and vertically. It seemed to have some sort of Roman theme, with tall pillars dotted across the front. Other students streamed past him, some glancing his way, others hurrying into the building. A couple of them call out to Yukari, who replies with a cheery wave, and a "Hey!" Upon spotting her with a young man, they lean to each other and whisper as they pass. Makoto glances at that, catching the look two girls give Yukari, then him, then Yukari again. One waves at him and laughs, prompting the other to bat her arm and drag her off.

Okaaaay… The other schools Makoto had been in had been varying degrees of quality, and steadily got worse each time he moved. That went for the buildings, the educators, and the students. "This is pretty nice." He had said as much on the monorail here, after Yukari had pointed out the facility in the distance. Now, standing in front of it, it seemed so much larger than expected.

Yukari laughs at his surprise, opening a hand to the building, "Welcome to Gekkoukan, Yuki. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it." She nods towards the large entrance doors and begins walking towards it. Makoto snaps out of his reverie and follows her, looking this way and that. Some clusters of students were hanging out under the shade of trees which flank the walk up to the school. They seemed cheerful, healthy. Wonder how long that'll last… His mind murmurs possibilities on how to bring them down. Time enough for that.

Yukari looks across at him, smiling easily, "It was actually built not all that long ago, and it's got really good funding. So, consider yourself lucky." She opens the entrance and lets him step in, following behind. The inside is just as neat as the outside, though considerably busier. Students cluster around some noticeboards just inside the building, past the lockers. A few students push to the front, see something, and then let themselves get reabsorbed into the throng. Makoto can hear groans here and there, small cheers spattered about. A girl in a yellow sleeveless sweater consoles a brown-haired boy, another pair closer to the lockers seem to be having a heated discussion. One wears a gym uniform, which seems to be the source of the short-haired girl's consternation. Over it all, a stern looking young man with a yellow armband watches, occasionally reaching out to pull someone out from the throng.

Pure, unfiltered, youthful chaos. Makoto grins, taking a deep breath. Perfect.

He hears a sigh next to him and turns to see Yukari shaking her head. She looks over and gives him an apologetic smile, "Those're the room postings. Everyone's got a favourite teacher, I guess." She shrugs, and nods away from the crowd, directing his attention to a hallway on the left, "The Faculty Office is down there. Don't bother with the boards, just go see your homeroom teacher." She rolls her shoulders and gives him an odd look. Why does she look… scared?

Makoto gives her that gentle smile he's practiced oh so often, "Everything alright, Miss Takeba?"

"Yeah…" She looks around them both, and for the moment it seems the stream of students has slowed. She reaches out for his arm and pulls him a little closer. Mighty forward, aren't we? She leans over and whispers, "Listen, don't tell anyone about what you saw last night, yeah?"

Aw. Boring. Makoto turns his head slightly to whisper back, "Miss Takeba…" He grins, though she can't see it. It's a wolfish grin, which is gone the moment after he speaks again, "I've got no idea what you're talking about."

And so, she steps back and huffs a breath, looking conflicted, "Well… Good, I guess." What would happen if I did talk about it though… Young schoolgirl threatens new transfer with weapon… He chuckles, prompting her to shake her head again, "Alright, well, we'll probably see each other back at the dorm. See ya later." She waves a hand and walks off, joining another conversation.

And then there's just me. He takes one more moment to take in the atmosphere before heading for the Faculty office. Maybe my teacher will be as lively as the rest of this place.

She was not. At least, assuming that the woman in the pale pink suit is to be his homeroom teacher. She had been the first to spot him as he entered and greeted him as 'the new student' which, while true, wasn't exactly friendly. She's not bad looking though. She has brown hair about the same shade as Yukari's, in a slightly similar style. Must be a popular look. There are also dark bags under her eyes, mostly obscured by hastily applied concealer. Generally, pretty, in that mature way.

The Faculty Office in general is in a state of general mayhem. The teacher who had spoken to him rifles through a tall stack of papers, apparently trying to find his information. In the back, a young woman in a bright orange outfit is being lectured by a scruffy-looking man in a lab coat, "-and thereby, if you analyse the patterns of the ley lines which intersect near here-" Ah, a quack. The woman seems to be trying to politely escape the conversation. Nearby them, an older man with a severe expression is having a debate with another man wearing a… samurai helmet. Makoto blinks. Definitely a samurai helmet. Is… that allowed, here? He looks around, and the other teachers don't seem to take any notice of it. Unless I've gone so loopy I'm imagining clothes on people now. Teleporting children, why not samurai helmets?

So, all said, the room is noisy and distinctly unpleasant to be in. Makoto can feel his mood souring the longer he stands there. He sticks his hands in his pockets and clenches them into fists, trying to keep his expression neutral and patient.

"Ah!" Eventually, the pink suited teacher straightens up, holding a slim folder, "Here it is." She opens it up and runs a finger down whatever is on the inside, "Let's see… Makoto Yuki, yes?"

Makoto takes one of the hands out of his pocket and raises it, focusing on the sensation of his nails against his palm on the other hand, "That's me, Teach. Pleasure to meet you!" It is not. Please hurry this up, before I throw myself out of a window. Or slam his head in the sliding door. Or grab the set square one of the teachers was wielding and run himself through with it. Or-

"And a pleasure to meet you, young man." Her eyes return to the folder, "Wow, seems like you've been around most of the country. Does your family travel a lot?"

That's a little personal there, Teach. "Uh… no. They aren't. It's mostly been moving to different family members or their friends." He clenches his jaw, fighting to keep the smile on his face. This is beginning to feel like an interrogation.

"Oh, I see. Ah, there's a note here." She leans in to read it, "In 1999… around… what, ten years ago? Your parents- Ah!" Theeeeere it is. Makoto sees an expression he's seen far too many times. Her eyes widen, and she looks between the paper and him a few times, her mouth working to find the words. Something in him starts to boil. A flame blooms in his stomach, and bile churns in his gut. "I-I'm so sorry. I ah…" The teacher does her best to maintain a professional air, but Makoto can see the pity and embarrassment written across her face as though it were in ink pen and bold capitals. It disgusts him. "I've been so busy; I hadn't had the chance to read this until now…"

Makoto lets her trail off. He consciously has to relax his hands to avoid cutting into his skin with his nails. He can feel his palms sting all the same, and it helps keep him present, despite the roaring flames in his ears, the shattering glass, the sharp, rhythmic crack of gunfire- "It's okay, Teach. No harm done. Don't worry about it." It comes out with more bite than he had wanted, and the teacher winces.

"O-Of course. Um…" She closes the folder and places it back on her desk, "Well, I am Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition here, and I'm the homeroom teacher for class 2-F which will be your classroom." Oh wonderful. Hopefully she'll have enough time to extract the foot from her mouth. Makoto tries to fix the smile on his face, with some success. "But, before that, we should head for the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony starts in a few minutes."

Ms. Toriumi goes to leave, and a couple of the teachers in the room notice the time as she does and start to file out with her. Be right behind you, Teach. He grasps at what remains of his Ordinary Face and sets it back into position.

"If a job's worth doing… it's worth doing well. When applied to-"

I'm going to ram my face into this chair. Makoto eyes the chair in front of him. I'm going to make a noble sacrifice and save everyone from this speech. But mainly save myself from this speech. He looks up to the stage where the Principal, eyes half-closed, continues to drone on. And he's still going!

Before Makoto can give himself a chair-based lobotomy, he feels a tap on his shoulder. He ignores it, and continues to try and goad the chair into coming to life and starting to commit a killing spree using it's… legs? Makoto looks down and sees the chair is bolted to the floor. Maybe not.

Another tap on the shoulder. Makoto groans and turns to look over at the student behind him. An unassuming boy sits there, his uniform a size too big for him, brown hair styled in what could be called stylish about five years ago, "What?" Makoto hisses, then freezes. Don't lose it now. "Sorry, can I help you?" There we are. Nice and pleasant.

If the student was surprised by Makoto's initial reaction, he didn't show it, "Hey, you came to school with uh… Yukari today, right?" The way he said Yukari's name dripped with something sweet. Ugh. "I saw you two walking together. You uh… looked pretty close."

Don't know where he's getting that from but… "Yeah, I was with her. Why?"

The student shifts in his seat, looks about to the others around him. Most are whispering amongst themselves, sneakily fiddling with their phones, or are half-listening to the Principal. "I uh, I've got a question." He gives a weak smile, "Do you… know if she's got a boyfriend?"

Oh good, glad to see that people never change. He's about to provide a simple response and turn back when a thought brings him pause. What's the best thing to blow off some steam? Time to stir the pot… "Oh, Yukari? Yeah. She does." Makoto gives the other student a gentle smile, which he tinges with just a little bit of apology. That should do the trick.

Internally, the smile only grows as the other student wilts and mutters a curse, "Man, I knew it… She's so popular, of course she would." He looks down to the floor, and Makoto watches as his brows begin to furrow, "Wait… How well do you know her?"

Before Makoto can drive the point home further, a teacher from another class pipes up, declaring that he can hear talking from Ms. Toriumi's class. The student behind Makoto quickly sits back, ramrod straight. Smooth, buddy. Makoto glances around and notes that plenty of students from other classes are still chattering to each other. Do I sense a targeted teacher? Said teacher leans down the aisle and shushes them, "You'll get me in trouble!" She doesn't seem to have spotted who was the culprit, but the murmuring does die down for a few moments.

Give it a couple days and that rumour should circulate nicely, if I know students. Makoto takes a breath, feeling a little more at ease. A little trouble ought to keep things interesting.

After the ceremony, the day had progressed as to be expected. Teachers came, delivered their lectures and introductions, then filtered out. Makoto had learnt the names of some of the odd teachers he had seen in the Faculty Office, and they were just as eccentric as their appearance. Guess Gekkoukan hires both the best, and the weirdest.

He starts to pack up for the day, only to feel a hand clap him on the shoulder. Wonder if it's someone else wondering about Yukari. He turns and looks over to see another student grinning down at where he sits. The student wears a deep blue ballcap, a navy-blue shirt and what appears to be the beginnings of a goatee on his chin. Makoto gives him a cursory up-and-down. His stance, his smile, the look in his eyes. Oh, this guy thinks he's the shit. Welp, start as we mean to go on. "Sorry, can I help you?"

"Sup, dude? How's it goin'?" The student's grin only seems to widen as he slips a hand into his pocket and leans back in what he likely thinks is a cool pose.

"It's going pretty good, thanks." Makoto gives the guy his own cocksure smile, "How about you?" Like attracts like. Might as well play the 'chill dude' card.

"Never better my man!" He jabs himself in the chest with a thumb, "The name's Junpei Iori! Nice to meetcha!"

"Makoto Yuki, same to you." You could probably rig him up to something as a battery and get a decent charge with all this energy. The idea tickles Makoto slightly. Heh. Zap. Watch as he squirms and wriggles.

"Yeah, I actually transferred here back during middle school, so I figured I'd come over and say hey." He pulls a sour face, then chuckles, "I know how rough it is being the new guy."

"You said it. Are people already talking about me?"

Junpei gives him a wink and puts a finger over his lips, "Nothing worth worryin' about. People'll talk no matter what." He rolls his shoulders and relaxes his stance, "We transfers gotta stick together, man. See, ain't a nice guy?"

Makoto internally rolls his eyes as Junpei laughs. Already, he can work out this guy to a T. Class clown. Showboater. Every class has one. And this seems like it's theirs. What's worse is that he seems to think he can just buddy-buddy up like this. Bet he's secretly a huge loner.

"You never change, huh, Junpei?"

Junpei spins around with a playfully wounded gasp, "Hey now Yukari, why've you gotta hit me like that?" Makoto turns to see his dorm-mate approaching, her eyebrows knitted and half a smirk on her lips. Junpei places his hands over his heart, "I'm trying to be nice and you're tearing me down!"

"Just because he has ears doesn't mean he has to listen to you. You either think you're just bothering someone?" Junpei pops a shrug and grins again. Yukari sighs, "So, you're in 2-F too, huh?"

"Got it in one! You get to spend another year with da man! C'mon, tell me you aren't happy."

"I'm not." She deadpans. Junpei clutches his chest and stumbles back, but his grin doesn't shrink.

Yukari shakes her head and looks to Makoto, who still hasn't had the chance to stand up. Her expression warms considerably, "Speaking of, looks like we've ended up in the same homeroom too! What are the odds, huh?"

Makoto switches out the 'dude' expression for something a little more teasing. His eyes narrow, his lips smirk, "Must be fate, don't you think?" Give the people something to talk about.

Yukari blinks and lets out a laugh, "Fate? Yeah, right. Still, it's a weird coincidence."

Apparently recovered from Yukari's cold words, Junpei leans between them, breaking line of sight, "Uh, hello? Have you forgotten I'm here too?"

"Wish I could, Junpei." Yukari narrows her eyes at him, though it doesn't seem particularly antagonistic. They do seem chummy… wonder if there's any history there.

"But, that said, I've been hearing some rumours." Junpei leans back and puts his chin in his palm, treating them both to a sly look, "A little birdy told me that you two came to school together this morning. What's up with that, huh? Come on, gimme the dirt!"

Wow that circulated faster than expected. Well, lets see how Yukari handles this. Makoto turns to look at the girl, who is looking at him with some sort of expectation of support. Nope, you're on your own for this one, pinky.

"Wait, what?" She looks back to Junpei, her skin turning just a little pinker. Hey, the nickname works even better now! "What are you going on about? We just live in the same dorm!"

Junpei's eyebrows climb further up his forehead, "Oh, really? That sounds… convenient." He leans towards Yukari, wiggling his eyebrows in a wave at her.

"Ugh, shut up! It's nothing! I just showed him how to get here." She crosses her arms and huffs, giving the other students left in the classroom a sweeping glare as though they are the people spreading the rumour. "Why're people even talking about it? Now you've got me worried…"

Surprisingly, Junpei softens the interrogation somewhat and pats the air placatingly, "Woah, Yukari, sorry. Don't worry about it, seriously."

Yukari gives him a half-smile, which slips off into a scowl as she turns to Makoto. Uh oh. She squints at him and puts her hands on the top of his desk to lean over it towards him. Trapped! "You haven't been saying anything to anyone about…" She glances at Junpei, who whistles to himself, the picture of innocence and privacy, "You-know-what, have you?" Her brown eyes swivel back to Makoto, and he can feel them boring into him.

Damn, she can put some fire behind her. Nice… "W-Woah, Miss Takeba, I haven't said a word!" He raises his hands in mock surrender and gives a nervous laugh. "Cross my heart, hope to die!" At least that's true.

She glares for just a little longer, then sighs and straightens up, a smile reforming on her lips, "Good. Just… Don't say anything about last night, okay?"

The whistling stops, as Junpei looks over at them, "Woah. L-Last night…?"

"Oh my god, it's not what you think!" Yukari groans and runs a hand through her fringe, rubbing at her scalp, "Look, we just met yesterday, and there's nothing between us."

Ouch, Yukari. Why not just stab me in the neck? Still… I see that blush. Junpei winces and pats Makoto on the shoulder, commiserating his injured comrade. Yukari huffs again, "I gotta go take care of something for the archery club. Don't go around spreading any rumours, okay?" The end of the sentence is delivered with a sharp point at Junpei. With that, Yukari flounces out of the room.

"Archery club?" That sounds… useful. An image of Makoto looking down the length of an archery range floats into his mind. The business end of arrows nocked in bows are pointing at him, and he watches as they sail towards him, the sun glinting off the sharp edges…

"Man, who cares about any of that? No-one listens to rumours anyway!" Junpei shakes his head, his words snapping Makoto back to the present, "You shoulda heard some of the ones that were spread about me!"

"Were they that bad?" Makoto arches a brow.

Junpei shrugs, "Nah, not all that bad really. Y'know, baby stuff. Like I'd committed a crime and was on the run, stuff like that." A grin sneaks onto his face, "People treated me like some kinda badass!"

"Wow, must have been a big rumour for them to think that about you." Oops. Didn't mean to say it like that.

To his credit, Junpei takes it in stride, "Don't tell me you're gonna start attacking me too!" He laughs and steps away, letting Makoto finally get out of his seat, "And to think I was gonna treat you to a meal."

Hello, free food! "Guess I better apologise then?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm such a nice guy, I've already moved on. C'mon, man, let's go." He gestures for Makoto to follow him, then rubs his hands together, "It's your first day and people are already spreading your name around! It's gonna be a fun year, I can feel it!" He punches the air as he walks, chuckling to himself.

Sure hope so, Junpei. But who knows, I might not see the end of it. Makoto looks around the room, watching the other students chat and get ready to leave. Clusters of friends, discussing the other students, how the day went. All so mundane. I can only dream.

"And then they said I must've robbed the train on the way there! Like, what would even be the point?" Junpei laughs and slaps the vinyl-topped table between them, which bears the image of a smiling duck holding its wing out in a thumbs-up motion. The duck has teeth. There are so many things wrong with this picture. I think I might just hate it.

Once more, Makoto finds himself in a store named 'Wild-Duck Burger.' Though, this time it wasn't trespassing. Wait, is it trespassing if no-one can know you're there? Though this branch isn't the same he had technically broken into the other night. Seems they were a popular enough chain to have a few different stores around the island. As with larger companies, it seemed as though they had simply copied the other store and cloned it, plopping it onto a different plot of land.

It does look different outside of Makoto's hidden hour, at least. The yellow and orange pop in the sunlight and adults, families and students lounge in the booths or queue to collect to-go orders. Conversation fills the room just as much as the scent of grease, salt, and meat. Somewhere in the corner of the room, a human-sized duck mascot stands, idling and waving at customers. Is it a person, or an animatronic? He watches for a while and spots the duck slump slightly when it thinks people aren't looking. Person. Booooring.

Junpei had ordered him a meal, which the menu promised would be 'succulent, juicy and filling!' It seemed to be a pretty standard burger, fries, and drink combo. But, that said, it was still decent. Free food always tastes better. He grins, realising this is his second time eating with the franchise and he still hadn't paid for anything. Lifting the burger, he takes another chomp as Junpei continues to ramble on. The meat was a little over-seasoned and a lot oily but did sate his appetite.

"So, why'd you move here anyway, Yuki?" Junpei doesn't seem to have noticed Makoto zoning out. Makoto chews a little more, then swallows. "You know, I came here from a little further inland, so it's a bit weird having the coast so close, don't you think?"

How much to tell him? "Eh, I moved 'cos of some family stuff. You know how it is." Junpei leans back in his seat and nods at that, chewing on a fry. True, but basically tells him nothing. "As for being near the coast… I dunno, it's not that weird for me. I'm used to it." Since I lived here, but he doesn't need to know that.

"Oh yeah? Bet you came from some sort of fishing village or something, huh?" His classmate grins, "Ain't Port Island cool? Everything's all shiny and new, the weather's always pretty good. We're in the prime of our youth, man!"

Makoto shrugs, "It's nice enough. I didn't expect the school to be so big."

"Right? It's huge, dude! Funny story, I actually got lost on like, my first week."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah man, I spent an hour wandering around the halls trying to find my classroom." He chuckles at the memory, tapping a finger to his chin, "One of the student council hunted me down in the end, basically dragged me to the right place." He snaps his fingers, then points one at Makoto, "Speakin' of… That dorm you stay at…."

Oh boy, this ought to be interesting. "What about it?"

"Yukari's mentioned that one our senpai stays there too. Mitsuru Kirijo? Have you met her?"

"Miss Kirijo? Sure, she was one of the people that welcomed me."

Junpei leans across the table and looks about conspiratorially. His grin takes on a suggestive tilt, "What d'you think?"

Makoto frowns and makes a show of thinking. What do I think? She's pretty hot, but also… He recalls the icy glare she shot at Yukari the night of his arrival. Pretty scary. Which might actually work in her favour. He says as much to Junpei, who looks surprised by his response.

"Ah, so that's what you're into. Fair enough man, I don't judge." He chuckles, reaching out to sip his drink, "She's a reaaaal ice queen, that's for sure. Rumour has it she's got people fallin' for her left and right." He takes a long sip and lets out an ah as he finishes, "Man that's refreshing! But yeah, guess that's what you get when you're an heir or whatever."

Huh? "An heir?"

"Yeah man, the Kirijo group?" Junpei blinks, lips around the straw of his cup again. "What, you've never heard of them? There's no way. They funded to build the school and everything!"

Ohhhh. Oh. Makoto slaps himself on the forehead. How didn't I realise!? Of course, he knew of the Kirijo group. Their products were always leading the tech and medical industries, and it's said their fashion lines and agricultural sector were just as powerful. Mitsuru Kirijo. How'd I miss it?

Across the table, Junpei snickers at him, apparently echoing his thoughts, "Wow, dude. How long did it take you?"

"Shove it."

Junpei laughs, "Alright, alright, I guess we're even for earlier now." His grin doesn't change all the same, "Still, fortune and looks? She's pretty much set for life, right?"

Money can't stop you from dying, Junpei. "I guess." He ruffles the back of his hair, pulling out some knots, "Alright, since you're asking, what do you think of her?" As he talks, Makoto pops off the top of his milkshake and starts to dunk his fries into it.

The question brings Junpei pause and he scratches at his goatee, "Kirijo-senpai? Eh, I dunno. She's good-looking, yeah." Makoto tilts his head at the response. You were just going on about everything she has. Unless you've got your eye on someone else. "What?"

"Sounds like someone's on your mind, eh, Junpei? Maybe someone wearing a pink sweater?"

"What, Yukari?" He shakes his head, lifting his ballcap a little, "Nah man, we've just known each other for a while. It'd be weird to date her, y'know?" Junpei spreads his arms out, "Let all the ladies in the world know, Junpei Iori is an available man!"

Makoto lets out a legitimate laugh, which he cuts short. Confusion makes its way past the mask for just a moment. That was… weird. He wipes it away and nods at Junpei, "I'll be sure to let them know. I'll let Miss Takeba and Miss Kirijo know what you said too."

Junpei freezes, his arms still spread wide, "D-Dude. Not cool." He relaxes, seeing Makoto's malicious grin soften, "Also, the hell are you doing?"

Makoto follows Junpei's eyes, which are fixed on Makoto's fry being swirled in his shake, "What? It's good." He withdraws the fry and chomps down on it, enjoying the juxtaposition of salty and sweet.

His classmate just shakes his head in some mixture of confusion and amusement, "I dunno man, that just looks weird."

"Work on your palate, you're missing out." He chews another fry or two, just to drive the point home. Y'know, he seems a decent enough guy, really. Trusting. That could be useful. Just need to get him on my side.

It's like a game of chess except the more people he can control, the more he can push them into danger, or have them lead him into it. Step by inevitable step. It just takes going up against a force clever or powerful enough to crush each and every one of his pawns. And if not, he can just get them crushed himself. Junpei could 'accidentally' be served a poisoned meal or could be made to heroically dive between Makoto and a savage attacker. The attacker would step over Junpei's form, and Makoto would only watch as the life leaves him, even as the blade descends on himself.

First things first… "You know what, Iori… You're a pretty cool guy."

Junpei's grin grows even wider, "Hey c'mon man. I'm just doing what everyone else would do." He takes a bite out of his burger and winks at Makoto, "Not that I'm sayin' you're wrong. You're pretty cool yourself, dude."

Now we're getting somewhere.

A/N: Now I had intended to have Chapter 3 lead us right up to the Full Moon but uh... That didn't quite work out. Oopsies!

It'll probably be another chapter or two, but hopefully you don't mind seeing Makoto get through the day and hang out with a real bro-to-be.

Next chapter we'll see a meeting between Makoto and Ikutsuki, and get a look at the Velvet Room! We might even get to the Full Moon!

Perhaps. Hope you don't mind the slower pace at the beginning here.

Either way, looking forward to seeing you there! Thanks again for reading!

Love,

Avalon