April 9, early morning.
Mitsuru Kirijo left almost immediately after we exchanged introductions, but not before saying, "We will discuss your situation later. For now try to recover as best you can. The other residents are currently down stairs, why don't you go meet them." and then she strode off down the hall and out of sight.
As I was left staring at an empty doorway, an overwhelming sense of curiosity overtook me and I left the room to start exploring the rest of the building. The hallway had six doors, three on each side, which I assumed to hide rooms like the one I was in. The door on the opposite end of the hall from "my room" had a name plate that read "Akihiko Sanada" and the one next to it "Shinjiro Aragaki." Past that the hall ended and opened into a landing to stairs to the left that spiral up and down, and on the right was a table and chairs, and behind that a vending machine.
Down the stairs led to the first floor and into a lobby.
"Ah, you're awake." A friendly voice called from the table on my left. There sat a middle aged man with long hair and glasses in a casual brown business suit. A newspaper was unfolded next to a plate of donuts and a mug of coffee, I must have interrupted him when I came down. He slid the plate towards me and in english said, "Why 'donut' you sit down and have one?"
The smirk on his face made it clear he was way too proud of that pun.
I hesitated but with an audible stomach growl I gave in and took a seat. "Thanks," I said, my use of Japanese apparently not catching him off guard. "So, who are you?"
"My name is Shuji Ikutsuki and I'm the chairman of the school board that owns this dorm. don't worry if you have difficulty pronouncing it, even I get tongue tied sometimes." There was a joke in there somewhere but it evaded me.
"Ikutsuki-"
"Ikutsuki-san, who are you talking to?"
A teenage girl with shoulder-length light brown hair and wearing a pink sweater peaked out from the door behind the… counter? Bar? Well, from what I assumed to be the dorm's kitchen. She was also very pretty, not the same kind of elegant beauty that Mitsuru was but attractive all the same.
Her eyes, a soft brown, found mine, "Oh hey, you're awake!" Then back into the kitchen, "Akihiko-senpai, the boy Kimiko found is up!" she left the kitchen carrying a book-bag. "And I'm off to the station. We can have proper introductions after school, Later."
"Yukari, wait! What about the protein shake I made for you? It's important to have breakfast!" A masculine voice called after her.
A very handsome young man, Akihiko, came out from the kitchen carrying a glass, but Yukari was already out the door. Akihiko wore an outfit similar to Mitsuru but with black slacks and a red vest over his shirt. Logic dictated that that was their school's uniform. I was starting to suspect this was a home for exclusively beautiful people.
"Oh well," he sighed. Akihiko walked over to Ikutsuki and me. "Here. You look in need of something more substantial than a donut." He handed me the glass.
"Thanks..."
"I'm Akihiko Sanada."
"David Hudson. Nice to meet you, both of you." I glanced at the shake then at Ikutsuki's mug. "Is there any more coffee? And maybe something more substantial than a protein shake?"
Ikutsuki gave a silent laugh. Akihiko sighed. "I'm off too, gotta get a good run in before classes start." And Akihiko left.
Ikutsuki led me into the kitchen to show me where the coffee was. The kitchen was, while not large, not small. On one side was a refrigeration unit and a walk-in pantry. A countertop separated the fridge from the stovetop with a rice maker on top, more counter into the corner then a sink. There were of course a number of cupboards and a few drawers, no doubt containing cups, bowls, plates and utensils.There was no coffee machine, instead, an electric water heater sat next to the sink with a pour-over coffee maker and an assortment of tea
I was half way through brewing a cup when a loud thump came from above, quickly followed by the slam of a door and footsteps on the stairs.
Kimiko usually had plenty of time to get ready in the morning, so when she realized how late it was that morning she definitely did NOT knock over half of everything in her room trying to gather all that she needed for school. Bookbag? Check. Homework? Check. Definitely NOT trying to walk out half dressed? All the check.
What Kimiko absolutely did do was to practically fly down the stairs and vault over the bar counter into the kitchen. She zipped past two male figures, not giving either a second glance, and slid to a halt at the fridge.
"This is Kimiko, our newest resident." Said a specific voice that Kimiko adamantly pretended did not exist.
Kimiko grabbed the ingredients that needed cooking before they'd be safe for bento and two eggs. A pan to the stovetop. Butter, egg, scramble. Rice into the bento box, 'thanks to whoever has been making rice each morning.' egg folded in next. Beef strips seared in pan then to box. Umeboshi, and other pickled veggies. Lid, sealed. Clean up.
Kimiko shot out of the dorm just as fast as the stairs. There was only 15 minutes until the train would leave and the next one will make her late for homeroom. Hell would freeze over before she'd let Junpei beat her to class, funny though he was, it just. Will. Not. Happen.
Kimiko was halfway to the station when it occurred to her that the other person in the dorm had been the coffin-boy from the first night. A small sense of disappointment flashed through her mind. After school I'll have to make proper introductions. She thought adamantly.
The station was filled with students which meant the next train was the one kimiko needed. She would not be late as she had feared. On the train kimiko spotted a few of her classmates but was unable to push through the crowd to talk to any of them. The doors closed and in the next moment they were 'gliding over the sea' to the man made island the school was on. The poetic phrase that Yukari had used before forced its way to mind while Kimiko looked out the window.
X
"Sup, dude.
And there it was. Kimiko had just reached the gates of Gekkoukan High when that too casual voice came from behind. Kimiko turned to see none other than Junpei strolling towards her. She tried to keep the chit chat short and kept heading to the classroom, Junpei followed saying something about how sleeping in class is more refreshing than at home. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Yukari is right, he's kinda stupid.
Lunchtime.
I spent the next few hours talking with ikutsuki. He was a much better conversation partner than I had initially thought. We talked mostly about the dorm and his role as effectively it's supervisor and that only members of a specific school club were normally allowed to stay here.
"So what does that mean for me?" I asked. Because if understood correctly, I wouldn't be able to stay… "Where can I go?"
He gave me solem glance before responding. "Mitsuru and I will be looking into finding your family. By this evening we should have at least one lead."
"Thank you very much." I replied. I could tell he was just trying to give me some hope. A kind gesture. But something told me it was a false hope, more than likely I was heading for foster care.
We chatted a bit more, and every other sentence or three from Ikutsuki was one pun or another. It was kinda funny for a while, but… Eventually the clock by the sign-in desk chimed Noon.
"Oh, is it that time already?" Ikutsuki asked. "You'll have to excuse me, I have a meeting that requires my attendance. Time for me to make like a tree and leaf." He said, picking up his briefcase. "Please stay rooted just a bit longer." And with a last little laugh at his bad joke he walked away and I was left alone at the dorm.
Despite his obvious attempt all throughout the morning, for some reason his words did not inspire much confidence. Mitsuru, Yukari, and Akihiko all felt like very trustworthy people, but something told me that Ikutsuki was not. Maybe it was the puns.
Never trust someone who always makes puns.
"So all I have to do is wait?" I asked myself. But what to do until then?
I took another tour of the small dormitory. But the only interesting find was the locked doors on the fourth floor. One was clearly labelled as the rooftop exit but the other seemed like it should have been a game or rec-room. Whatever was in there I could hear the hum of electronics, maybe a number of computers?
Lame, I thought. So much for finding entertainment. I started to head back down the stairs.
"I could always watch the TV on the first floor."
But I don't know anything about the media. I'd just be channel surfing.
"The newspaper might have some useful information, and/or a crossword puzzle. Let's see if I even like those?" The newspaper was right where ikutsuki left it on the dining table. I picked it up and flipped to the crossword… it was already filled out and I only knew less than half of the trivia needed to do it.
The news itself was actually very boring. This team beat so-and-so and that politician had this scandal. The one thing that I held any attention for was a passing mention of something called apathy-syndrome. It struck me as familiar, like I had had an invested interest in it at one point in time in my past… but I had no real memory of it. It was new to me, and yet, not.
I needed to clear my head and the dorm suddenly felt very stuffy. I left out through the front door and walked in a random direction.
"Apathy-syndrome."
What is it?
"I know what it is. I think."
But how and where? Does it have anything to do with why I apparently have amnesia? That didn't sound right, but what else could it be?
I eventually found myself at the foot of a stone staircase. At the top I found a wooden archway and there was a shine it seamed. Next to it was a small playground with a slide, a jungle jim, and a couple of benches. I did not get to explore more however.
"Esukyusu mii, Gaijin-san." Came a voice in Bad-English from below. I turned to see who it was and saw a police officer looking back. I wanted to hope he wasn't talking to me but, one: I was the only person here; two: gaijin ment foreigner, that definitely described me in his eyes. My first instinct was to grab my ID, but when I went to reach for it a horrifying realization dawned on me.
I didn't have one.
"Um…"
The officer sighed, noting my issue. "You'll have to come with me then. We can get to know each other on the way to the station."
The police station was filled with the quiet rustling of paperwork and the occasional ringing of a phone. The officer who found me, his name was Tatsuya Suou which was also familiar but not in the same way as before, it was more a sense of sadness I felt toward him, he brought me to… not into intarrigation, but more of a waiting room near the chief's office. The phones were louder here. It felt like hours before he came back.
After what was almost definitely a million years Officer Suou returned with a small stack of paperwork and cookies and a can of Starvicks coffee. Probably from the vending machine by the entrance. There were a lot of vending machines basically everywhere.
"Hudosan-kun, Sorry for the long wait." He said offering me the Starvicks and cookies. "I tried to look up your family records. There were none. And I couldn't find any valid ID for you either." He slid the paperwork over to me. It was for deportation. "I understand that you have amnesia but unless you can give us any more information this is the only option." He sounded very much like he did not want to be telling me this. It didn't sound like pity but rather he simply felt like a kind person and this was the last thing he would want anyone to hear.
"Suou! We just received a high priority missing persons report! Leave the kid to someone who ISN'T ALREADY THIS CLOSE TO A SUSPENSION." The chief yelled. Officer Suou was apparently giving me more attention than he was supposed to. A scary looking officer with an even scarier voice came in.
"I'll take over here for you. You better do what the chief wants."
A sigh, "yes sir, Kurosawa-san." Officer Kurosawa did not seem nearly as friendly as officer Suou.
I felt like a leaf in the wind, blown in every direction but not the one I wanted. How can I take back control over myself.
After School.
Mitsuru was the first one to return to the dorm, and even before her motorcycle was parked, she knew there was something wrong. Although Penthesilea could not be summoned outside of the Dark Hour, her persona still allowed Mitsuru to sometimes feel when others were nearby. And the dorm felt empty.
The door had been left unlocked and there was no message from Ikutsuki about bringing Hudson out with him. Nor was there sign of a struggle, meaning he had left on his own. Nonetheless she called the police to file for a missing person. Hudson had the potential. Mitsuru Kirijo could not let a possible persona-user out of her reach.
Officer Kurosawa stared daggers at me. Something about him reminded me of the dorm and everyone in it. It occurred to me that I could probably use them to get out of this situation.
the world ... you to, is about to ... a great time of...but remember… it will be your own choice…
What was that? A memory?
"I have a choice to make?" I mumbled.
Officer Kurosawa didn't respond. Suddenly officer Suou was back. "Kurosawa-san, the report is from Kirijo-san. I think the chief only glanced at it. And this has to be the worst coincidence ever. Here, just look."
"What? It's not like I'm the only one that can take a case from the kirijos you know." Despite saying that, Kurosawa took the report to look at. "Ah. I see." He looked at me again. " So kid, what was that about a choice?"
My choice. To return to the dorm and whatever fate was there; It felt familiar yet ominous. Or go through with being deported, assuming Kurosawa and Suou would still do it; it would be to the unknown but I could do anything in the USA.
What should I do?
Which one was the right one?
Was there a right decision?
"Well kid?"
I brought my focus back to the officers. "Can you call someone for me? I don't know the number but it's to Mitsuru Kirijo-san."
There had been almost no time from when officer Kurosawa agreed to call Mitsuru and when she arrived. She was most likely already on her way and in style too. Apparently Mitsuru rode a fancy yet powerful looking white motorcycle.
I barely managed to give appropriate farewells to Tatsuya and Kurosawa, as Mitsuru tossed me a helmet and practically shoved me out of the station and onto her bike. Normally in a situation where I can be this close to an attractive woman and even have an excuse to hold her, it would definitely be a dream come true. However it was all I could do not to fall off the bike and become a David-pancake.
Mitsuru's driving was terrifying.
Author notes:
Because of how long it's been since my first post I was half tempted to delete and reupload to reset the published date. But that would have been unfair to the people who left reviews.
To answer some of their comments, firstly thanks for the reviews and I'm glad the feedback has been mostly positive. As evidenced by how long I took to upload I have no idea how often I will be updating.
It's nice to see recognition of the persona 1 and 2 elements, I didn't expect people to get that immediately.
As for SEES being the worst persona group, while your milage may vary, they are my favorite set of persona users.
Until we meet again, Farewell.