I do not own Persona
It is owned by Atlus
I just own my OC's
Enjoy!
[Persona 5 OST: Hymn of the Soul]
"What the...!?" Ren wondered in alarm whilst grabbing the cell bars. He absolutely had no idea what was going on. Was he dreaming? Why is he in a jail cell? Who are the twins dressed like wardens? And who is the bizarre-looking man? Several questions just like this went through Ren's mind.
"So you've come to, inmate," said the twin on the right with an irate tone of voice.
"The you, in reality, is currently fast asleep," the other twin spoke but in a more polite way, unlike her other half. "You are only experiencing this as a dream."
I suppose I am dreaming? Ren thought. That still doesn't answer my other questions?
"You're in the presence of our master," the angry twin announced. "Stand up straight!"
"Master...?" Ren questioned as he looked at the bizarre-looking man.
"Welcome," the man greeted in his calm and chilling voice. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter."
Contract? Ren questioned. Okay, now this definitely makes no sense to me.
"I am Igor, the master of this place," the man called Igor introduced as he tapped his fingers on his desk. "Remember it well. I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well."
Ren had no clue what this guy was talking about and wanted out of this cage now. He grabbed hold of the cell bars and tried his hardest to pull but wasn't able to.
"I don't care what you have to say!" Ren shouted. "Let me out of here! Now!"
"Know your place, Inmate!" the angry twin ordered as she struck the bars with her stun baton. Her baton let off an electric shock as it impacted with the bars. The action caused Ren to stumble away. "Who do you think you're talking!?"
"Still this is a surprise..." Igor vocalized his amusement. "The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a 'prisoner' of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you."
"You can't be serious?" Ren asked as he glared his eyes. He just wanted out of the cell and struggled against the bars to pull them free but it was still no use.
"Haha, worry not," Igor chuckled at Ren's response. "There is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated.' Rehabilitated toward freedom. That is our only means to avoid ruin... Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?"
Ren didn't have a clue what was even happening. But if what Igor said was true that some kind of 'ruin' awaits him, then maybe he perhaps could play along until then.
"Well..." Ren said. "When you put it like that, I'd rather avoid ruin."
"Then allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation," Igor stated as the twins turned to face Ren. "Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here."
"Hmph," Caroline snorted. "Try and struggle as hard as you like."
"The duty of wardens is to protect inmates," Justine addressed. "We are also your collaborators. That is, if you remain obedient." Justine's voice rose to match her sister's authoritative tone.
"I shall explain the roles of these two at another occasion," Igor mentioned. "Now then, it seems the night is waning... it is almost time. Take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually..." a loud bell rang aloud from inside Ren's cell as he let go of the bars to look where the noise was coming from.
"Time's up," Caroline said. "Now, hurry up and go back to sleep."
Date: 4/10/20XX
Day: Sunday
Time of day: Early Morning
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Leblanc Attic
Ren awoke as his eyes snapped open. He was still thinking of that weird dream. When he was in that 'Velvet Room'? He remembered that's what Igor called the place. As much as he tried to forget about it, he just couldn't and was still trying to wrap his head around it. He put on his Shujin Academy uniform and sat on the bed but his thoughts kept bringing him back to thinking about the Velvet Room.
What did he mean by ruin and rehabilitation? Ren thought as he kept trying to make sense of it all. He felt like his brain was going to explode if he thought about it anymore.
"Looks like you're up," Sojiro's voice broke him from his thoughts. What Ren found a little amusing was the fact that Sojiro was wearing a white fedora. He had to admit, the older man fit it well so he didn't want to offend if he commented that if that hat was his 'picking up woman hat'. "Well then, let's go introduce ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. The school you're transferring to is in the Aoyama district. It cost a bit to ride the train there, and the route transfers are a pain. I'll drive you there, but just for today. Let's go." he turned and walked away. "Sheesh..." he sighed. "Men aren't usually allowed in my passenger seat."
Yeah, something tells me Sakura-san is quite the charmer, Ren mused.
Even though it was Sunday, Hiro wore his uniform while Hamuko was in her casual wear. He led her up to the third floor as they made their way through the empty halls of Shujin and walked to the Student Council room where Makoto said she will be.
"Pretty cool visiting a high school, huh, kiddo?" Hiro smirked at his sister. "Even though it's on a Sunday."
"Yeah," Hamuko agreed. "It's big. Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?"
"It's fine," Hiro reassured. "Makoto told me if anyone saw you, she'll handle it. Plus, she wanted to see you. Don't you want to see her?"
"Yes," Hamuko nodded smiling. "I really do."
"Alright then," Hiro winked. "Here we are." Hiro gestured to the Student Council door and then knocked a few times.
"Come in," came Makoto's voice from behind the door as she must have known it was them. Hiro opened the door and Makoto sitting at the table with several pieces of paper laid before her. She smiled once she saw him come through the door.
"We're here," Hiro smiled back.
"Glad you could make it," Makoto replied standing from her chair as Hiro closed the door once Hamuko stepped in. Hamuko ran to Makoto and wrapped her arms around her waist in a hug.
"Mako-san!" Hamuko said happily. "I haven't seen you in so long."
"Three years can feel a long time," Makoto giggled hugging the young girl back. "It's so nice to see you, Hamuko-chan."
Hiro crossed his arms and leaned against the door, watching the scene unfold. The day Hamuko was born, Makoto took an immediate liking to her. She probably viewed Hamuko like a younger sister of her own since it was only her and Sae and not having a younger sibling of her own.
"Is it only you working here today?" Hiro wondered.
"Yes," Makoto nodded as she and Hamuko separated. "I thought I'd try to get some last-minute work done on Sunday." Makoto brought her attention back to Hamuko, she bent down to her level, placing her hands on her own knees. "Hamuko-chan, how old are you now? If I had to guess, I'd say you're nine, right?"
"That's right," Hamuko grinned. "I'm a big girl now."
"You sure are," Makoto smiled back. "How do you like school?"
"It's easy," Hamuko said.
"You say that now, but wait until you get into middle school or high school," Makoto mentioned. "Though Hiro told me you're are one of the smartest in your class, so I suppose I don't need to worry at all, huh?"
"That's true," Hiro said as he stepped up to join them. "Right, kiddo?"
"Yep," Hamuko nodded but then frowned. "I still don't like doing my homework though."
"But it's very important that you do it," Makoto reasoned. "Especially once you reach middle school." whilst they talked, Hiro walked up to the table with all the obvious important school year plans and spotted one of the activities for the year: Inokashira Park Cleanup - May 30th. He turned from the papers and found Hamuko and Makoto still chatting.
"It's not that I don't enjoy going to school," Hamuko said. "I just don't really like homework."
"But it's very important that you do your homework," Makoto stated. "But don't worry. When it comes to homework, I'm certain you'll have your big brother here to help you. Right, Hiro?" Makoto gave Hiro a knowing smirk.
"Y-Yeah..." Hiro stammered as he nervously clutched his scarf. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. "I think it's about time we got going."
"Right," Makoto said. "I need to finish up my work."
"Okay, time to go, Hamuko," Hiro told his sister.
"Alright," Hamuko nodded but sounded a bit disappointed. "Bye, Mako-san." Makoto responded by patting Hamuko on the head with a smile. "You should come and visit at our house. Can you?"
"I've been busy but if I get the time I will," Makoto promised. "Is that okay?"
"Mmhm," Hamuko hummed with a smile as she and Hiro stepped out the council room and looked toward him. "Hey, bro, is it okay if I get a drink?"
"You sure can," Hiro smirked.
"If you want, Hamuko-chan, there's a vending machine just down those steps on the first floor," Makoto revealed.
"Okay, thank you, Mako-san," Hamuko said and quickly darted off to the stairs.
"Hey, hold on kiddo!" Hiro called after her but it was too late as she was already heading down the stairs. He looked at Makoto with a shrug as she returned the stare with a smile and an amused shake of her head. "Hamuko is smart for her age, but like most children, she can be a little impatient. But she's a good kid and she's responsible. That's why Dad let her have her own cell phone."
"I see," Makoto replied as she coughed in her hand. "Shouldn't you go after her?"
"Oh, you're right," Hiro agreed. "I gotta go. I'll see you at school." Hiro ran but soon stopped and turned to Makoto. "By the way, we should start hanging out again, Mako. Maybe we could get lunch, if you want?"
"I think I'd like that, Hiro," Makoto smiled. "Now hurry up and get your sister." Hiro smiled back with a nod of agreement and went to catch up to Hamuko.
Ren followed Sojiro to the Principal of Shujin Academy's office. Principal Kobayakawa was an obese man, his own neck fat fell over his shirt collar. The man was so rotund he resembled Humpty-dumpty. Next to the Principal was a woman in her late 20's. Her hair a dark-brown, a yellow long-sleeved top, and a blue denim skirt. Looking at her, Ren saw the exhausted look on her face which could have been due to stress.
"To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will be expelled immediately if you cause any problems," Kobayakawa spoke sternly.
Knew that already, Ren noted in irritation.
"Yessir," Ren nodded.
"In my opinion, you're nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider..." Kobayakawa addressed. "Whatever you might've gotten away with in your hometown... those days are over. If you're thrown out of our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind."
Why am I getting that feeling that everyone's going to keep telling me that? Ren thought. Maybe I should start counting down how many times someone reminds me of that.
"This is the teacher in charge of your class," Kobayakawa gestured toward the woman beside him
"I'm Sadayo Kawakami," the woman introduced. "Here's your student ID." she placed the ID on the Principals desk for Ren to take. Beneath the ID, Ren noticed some kind of colorful folded piece of paper. His eyes widened wondering why his new homeroom teacher had it as Kawakami quickly snatched the colored slip off the table before Ren could get a closer look. He reached for his ID and put it away in his pocket.
"Be sure to read the school rules," Kawakami advised. " Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all."
That's one, Ren thought.
"That IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?" Kawakami asked.
"He is responsible for all his actions," Kobayakawa agreed.
"But really though, why me...?" protested Kawakami. "There should've been better candidates."
"It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening," Kobayakawa explained.
"If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going?" Sojiro interrupted. "I got a store to get back to."
"Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him," Kobayakawa reminded Sojiro. "Don't let him cause any trouble outside..."
Strike two, Ren remarked.
"Well, I'll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he's in," Sojiro answered.
Kawakami let out a short sigh. "Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow," she said. "I'll show you to your classroom."
"Yes, ma'am," Ren said.
Ren kept behind Sakura-san as they made their way to the school entrance. Sojiro sighed as he rubbed the back of his head in irritation.
"Everyone's giving you the cold shoulder," he said. "That's what having a criminal record does to you. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go."
That's what I have been noticing, Ren mused.
"By the way, if you get expelled now, I won't hesitate to kick you out." Sojiro glared. "Got it?"
Strike-you know what, never mind, Ren figured resisting the urge to roll his own eyes.
"I understand, Sakura-san," Ren said as he twirled one of his bangs. "I'll be careful."
"Hmph," Sojiro huffed and looked around the school's main hall. "School never changes, huh...?" he sighed. "Come on, we're going home."
"Okay," Ren said and looked down the hall and noticed a vending machine. "Um, can you wait a moment, I'd like to go get a drink if that's alright."
"Well... I guess that's fine," Sojiro exhaled with a frown. "Just hurry it up. I'd like to get back to my store before it gets dark."
"I'll be quick," Ren admitted. He stepped down the hall on his way to the vending machine. Once he was there, he stopped as he spotted a young man dressed in the Shujin uniform similar to himself, but altered to his own style. What made him stand out was his silvery-white hair. Could he have been born that way? Maybe dyed it? He didn't look like the delinquent type. There was also a grey bandana tied around his neck. Ren saw him talking down to a girl that looked too young to be a student here. Ren paused before them as they talked.
"Don't run off like that again, all right," the bandana-wearing student said.
"I know, big bro, I'm sorry," the girl nodded. "It won't happen again." the bandana-wearing smiled as he patted the girl on the head and saw Ren and turned to address him.
"Oh, sorry," he apologized. "Are we in your way?"
"Not at all," Ren shook his head. "I was just hoping to get a drink from the machine right here. I apologize for my rudeness."
"Don't sweat it, man," the bandana-wearing student chuckled. "So, are you a student?" he asked he turned to the machine and inserted Yen into it
"That's right," Ren answered. "Though, I actually start tomorrow. I'm a transfer student."
"Transfer student, huh?" the student noted as he picked up the pair of drinks and handed one to the young girl. "I'm Yasuhiro Isamashi. A Third-year."
"I'm Amamiya," Ren introduced. "Ren Amamiya. Second-year. Nice to meet you, Senpai."
"Likewise," Isamashi nodded as put a hand out for Ren to shake.
"I didn't know they allowed kids?" Ren wondered as he looked at Hamuko.
"She's not a student here," Isamashi mentioned. "This is my little sister. Say hi, Hamuko."
"Hi," Hamuko gave Ren a small wave.
"Hello," Ren greeted with a small smile.
"We were just visiting a friend," Isamashi explained. "Were you going to get something from the machine? Let me get it for you. Is Tap alright?"
"I could do that," Ren offered. "You don't need to go through the trouble."
"Please, let me," Hiro insisted and purchased the drink, handing it to Ren. "It's the least I can do as a proper Senpai. Think of it as a way of saying 'welcome to Shujin'."
"Thanks," Ren as he realized Sakura was waiting for him. "I need to go. My guardian is waiting. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"You know it," Isamashi smiled. "C'mon, kiddo, let's go home."
"OK," Hamuko agreed as they walked to the main entrance. Ren followed them outside as they walked past Sojiro, the older man giving Ren a disapproving glare.
"What took you so long?" Sojiro questioned. "Never mind that. Let's go." Ren followed Sojiro and thought about the nice conversation he just had with Isamashi-senpai.
I guess Shujin won't be so bad if the people are that nice, Ren thought.
"Traffic's not moving at all..." Sojiro grunted irritably as they had been held up in traffic and just as the older man had mentioned it hasn't even moved an inch since they've been it. "You're taking the train starting tomorrow."
"Okay," Ren noted as he turned to the window beside him and looked out at all the cars slowly moving along the road. Sakura-san definitely wasn't happy and was more concerned about getting back to his shop.
"So, what do you think?" Sojiro asked bringing Ren's attention back to him. "You think you can manage?"
"I can handle it," Ren commented. "It seems fun."
"Do you even understand you're situation?" Sojiro questioned with a sigh. "Still, you were expelled once already. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one. It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you. If that's what it was like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too. What a troublesome kid I've taken in..."
"If you don't mind me asking...?" Ren wondered. "Why did you take me in? You could have just said no and that would've been that, but you didn't. Why?"
"I was asked to do it, and I just... happened to agree to it," Sojiro answered. "I've already been paid for it too, after all."
Sounds like he just did it for the cash, Ren thought. Even placing me in his own coffee shop, he's risking a lot to keep an eye on me.
"And now back to today's top stories. A Subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of-
"Another accident?" Sojiro questioned in disbelief. "So that's why it's so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately. In fact, there's was a real sad one just last month..."
"What happened?" Ren wondered.
"It happened before you came here," Sojiro recalled. "If I remember right, the girl who passed away was only fifteen." the older man frowned as he put his head down. "Her parents have gotta be just..."
"All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam-packed streets."
"Oh, come on!" Sojiro groaned.
Date: 4/10/20XX
Day: Sunday
Time of day: Evening
Weather Cloudy
Location: SIU Office Building
Akitoshi stepped through the main entrance of the SIU building. He reached up to adjust his tie until putting in his pocket. He checked his smartphone for the time as a smile tugged at his lips when he saw the picture of Hiro and Hamuko. It was taken a year ago at Inokashira Park, both of them smiling while Hiro had his younger sister on his shoulders. The picture had him so distracted, he didn't notice there was someone peering over his shoulder.
"Are those your children, Isamashi-san?" asked a polite voice.
"Wha-!?" Akitoshi was brought out of his thoughts. In a startle, he quickly turned around and saw a young man. He had long brown hair that came to his shoulders, a grey suit jacket that was apart of his school uniform, and wore black gloves on his hands. Akitoshi knew him as Tokyo's own 'Detective Prince'. Or at least that's the media called him.
"Akechi-kun..." Akitoshi sighed. "Don't do that ever again."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Akechi's face seemed to fall, seemingly feeling bad for startling the man. "I didn't mean to frighten you, sir."
"Don't sweat it," Akitoshi waved it off. "Yeah, those are my children. They're the reason why I joined the force. They're all I got left of my late wife. My oldest son happens to be about your age." Akitoshi smirked at Akechi as he crossed his arms. "You know, you're not half bad at sneaking up on people. If you decided on thievery as a profession, you'd probably be pretty good at it."
"With all due respect, Isamashi-san," Akechi smiled. "I think I'd rather stick to detective work but thank you for the compliment."
"On that, we can agree on," Akitoshi commented walked as Akechi moved beside him. "So, I wasn't aware Sae called you?"
"She asked for me," Akechi replied. "I'm not sure whether or not it's about a case. Have you known her long?"
"You kidding?" Akitoshi chuckled. "Her father and I have known each other since we were rookies on the police. So, I pretty much watched her grow up."
"When she's not around, you'll have to regale me of what Sae-san was like as a child some time," Akechi laughed. The detectives chatted for a while as they both went silent waiting for Sae to arrive. Akechi looked at his phone, Akitoshi had his eyes closed, his arms folded as Sae had ascended down the steps.
"Ah, look who finally decided to join us," Akitoshi grinned. "Sae-chan."
"Aki-san," she greeted back with a nod as she kept making her way down the stairs.
"You asked for us?" Akechi questioned. "It's for case, yes?"
"Not quite," Sae replied as passed Akechi. "I just need both your opinions on something."
"Is this about Psychotic Shutdown's?" Akitoshi mentioned walking up to Sae. "Victim's suddenly shutting down, having no memory of what happened or what they did. Similar to the conductor of that train incident."
"You've done your homework," Sae noted as she stopped walking.
"I wouldn't be a very good detective if I didn't," Akitoshi smiled while stroking the light stubble on his face.
"Follow me," Sae gestured to them both. "We'll speak elsewhere."
"Sure," Akechi said. "Your judgment is quite often correct though, Sae-san. Is there a chance we discuss this over sushi? You are making a student and a father work late, after all."
"Conveyer belt only," Sae said coolly as she continued down the rest of the steps.
"Aww," Akechi moaned in disappointment as Akitoshi chuckled and patted and patted the young man on the shoulder.
"Don't pout, kid," Akitoshi teased. "Let me give you a tip. Women don't like a guy who comes off as too pushy. Just listen to me and you'll be quite the charmer when it comes to ladies. I got a few tales in my younger days that'll knock your socks off, though I'll have to be drunk if you wanna get those outta me."
Akechi only gave a look of utter bewilderment as light blush dusted the Detective Prince's cheeks as he tugged at his collar.
"I... did need not to hear that," Sae commented as continued walking. "We should get going."
"After you," Akitoshi gestured for Sae as he followed beside Sae with Akechi following behind.
"I believe I haven't asked yet," Sae said to Akitoshi. "How have Hiro and Hamuko been?"
"It has been a while since you last saw them, huh?" Akitoshi inquired. "They're doing good. Hiro is focusing on his entrance exams for college and Hamuko is bright for her age and she does well in school."
"I see," Sae replied.
Thanks to the traffic, Ren and Sojiro didn't make it back to Leblanc until got dark. The older man was upset that he didn't get to open up shop today. Ren felt a little bad that maybe part of it was his fault. Sojiro told Ren to head upstairs and mentioned he had something to give him.
"Talk about a gruesome accident..." Sojiro commented as he came up to the attic while looking at his phone. "Eighty people were involved." he placed his phone in his pocket and pulled out a little black notepad. "Here's a diary. Make sure you keep it up to date." he tossed the pad on the table beside him. "You may be under probation, but there's no special limitations on what you do in particular. Besides following the law, that is. However, I'm obligated to report on you, which is why I'm having you record your daily activities." Sojiro's phone beeped in his pocket as he answered the call.
"Hey, what's up?" he greeted. "I'm about to leave right now. Don't worry, I'll be there in no time."
The way he's talking it sounds like he's got a date lined up, Ren remarked. Maybe? Though, I'm certain the guy's not married.
"Uh-huh. I'll see you soon." Sojiro hung up. "Well, I'm off. I'll lock the place up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night."
"Alright," Ren nodded.
"Oh, but don't mess up my store," Sojiro sternly reminded. "If something goes missing, I'll hand you right over to the cops. You got school tomorrow, you better head off to bed, all right?" Sojiro left down the steps leaving Ren on his own as Ren went to grab the diary.
It's obvious I'm on very thin ice with Sakura-san, Ren thought. I should do as I'm told for now.
Ren decided it was best to head to bed. Right when he was about to change, heard ringing which wasn't coming from his cell phone. It sounded like it was coming downstairs and true enough, the yellow telephone that was on the counter was ringing. Ren had to wonder who would be calling at this hour? He supposed he may as answer it and hoped Sakura-san wouldn't be mad if he touched the phone.
He heard ringing that wasn't from his cell phone which was obvious. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs. Ren walked down the stairs and sure enough, the yellow telephone inside Leblanc was ringing. Ren wondered who would be calling at this hour? He supposed he may as well answer it and he hoped Sojiro won't be mad if he said he answered the telephone, Ren grabbed it and put it to his ear. Putting all thoughts aside, he answered the phone and placed it on his ear.
"Um, hello?" Ren spoke.
"Yo, it's me," the voice responded.
"May I ask who's calling?" Ren inquired.
"Sheesh, you forgot my voice already? It's Sakura."
"Oh, sorry about that," Ren apologized. "Honestly, you sound a little different over the phone."
"Anyway,... I closed up shop, but I forgot to flip the sign to 'closed' when I left," He explained. "It's too much trouble for me to come back for that. Think you can do it for me ."
"Why did you call the public phone in your own store?" Ren wondered. "You could've just called my phone? I'm sure you were given my number."
"It's a personal policy of mine not to save a guys' number in my phone," Sojiro mentioned. "Either way, I'm glad you actually picked up. Anyway, I'll leave the shop sign to you."
Ren walked outside of Leblanc's door and out into the alley. He flipped the sign from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED' and went back inside the cafe to get ready for bed since he was starting his first day of school tomorrow. He changed into his sleepwear and laid down on the bed, his hand resting behind his head.
He took out his phone and started looking up the directions he had to take to get to Shujin Academy. He saw that he needed to go out to Shibuya, then transfer there to Shujin. Scrolling through his phone, he found more news about the recent subway accident. Ren assumed that will probably affect the train times and noticed that the same icon that appeared before on his cell phone had returned.
I don't even know what this app even is!? Ren thought. I deleted it twice in a row. Guess I have to do it again. Ren dragged the app over to the recycle bin once more. I should reboot my phone, just to be safe... Ren felt his eyelids become heavy as sleep soon took him.
Ren woke up the next morning and put on his uniform. Sojiro gave Ren a plate of curry. To Ren, curry is dinner food but he couldn't be picky. The spicy, delicious flavor of the curry just made him pretty much wolf down the food quickly as he had quite a weakness for spicy foods. He was tempted to ask for more but he had to head to school now and didn't want to be late. He complimented Sojiro and thanked him for the meal and headed to Shujin Academy. Ren flipped the store sign to open per Sojiro's request and started on his way.
Alright, I'm in Yongen-Jaya right now... Ren went over in thought. So, my first stop is in Aoyama-Ichtome and then Shibuya. After that, it's a home stretch to Shujin.
Date: 4/11/20XX
Day: Monday
Time of day: Early Morning
Weather: Cloudy
Location: Leblanc
Hiro was walking down the street, his Shujin satchel bag hanging across his torso. He was listening to music until his phone vibrated in his pocket. He reached in and looked at the screen only to find it was from Makoto.
[Chat IM]
[Makoto N.]: Good Morning.
[Yasuhiro I.]: Morning. What's up?
[Yasuhiro I.]: I didn't think you'd message this morning, Mako. Something wrong?
[Makoto N.]: I just thought I'd message you good morning.
[Makoto N.]: Nothing's wrong.
[Makoto N.]: I'm at the school right now. I come here early to do some early Student Council work.
[Yasuhiro I.]: How very diligent of you, Miss Prez :P
[Makoto N.]: Oh, come on! Don't tease me...
[Yasuhiro I.]: I know, I know. I'm just kidding around ;)
[Yasuhiro I.]: I'm almost at school. If you have time we could talk more before class starts.
[Makoto N.]: That's fine. I could use a break. I've been at it since early this morning.
[Yasuhiro I.]: Alright. I'll be there soon. See ya.
He shoved his phone back into his pocket, knowing he should hurry once the rain started to pick up. A silver car passed him by him and he knew exactly who owned that vehicle. Hiro pulled his earphones from his ears and his eyes narrowed.
Kamoshida, Hiro thought as his fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. As he stood, someone ran past him in a hurry. The person had gold-yellow hair in a faux-style.
Sakamoto. he recognized as he saw Sakamoto chasing after the car.
Ren took shelter from the rain as he stood under the store known as the Jeunesse et Beaute. He leaned against the wall as he saw other Shujin students run past him, complaining about the rain. Ren turned his attention back to his phone and once again saw the strange app he deleted had returned.
Again...? he thought. Though before he had a chance to get rid of it, someone joined him beneath the store.
The person was a girl and wore the Shujin Academy which was upgraded to her liking. Under her blazer, she over a zip-up varsity jacket, peeking from under the jacket he noticed the plaid skirt, red tights, and brown boots. The girl flicked water off her sleeve before she took hold of her hood and pulled it off.
Ren's eyes widened once she was revealed to him. Her hair was ash-blonde with two bushy pigtails and her eyes an ocean blue. Ren felt somewhat captivated by this girl's appearance, thinking she was rather beautiful, although, probably almost anyone would.
So, there beauties like this at Shujin too, Ren thought as his focus was still on the girl. It took a few seconds for the girl to realize he had been staring. Ren wondered if it was a bad move on his part for looking at her as long as he was but to his surprise, the girl gave him a small smile. The smile set butterflies in his stomach as he stared back at her.
Are you going to eventually say 'hi', Ren? Or are you just going to keep gawking at her? he thought. Nah, that would just be weird.
"Oh, you've got..." the girl spoke as her smile faded. Ren wondered what was wrong until she reached a hand toward him. She gently plucked a blossom from his hair, he must've gotten it when he walked past a blossom tree earlier.
"I hate the rain," she commented sadly. "The blossoms are so pretty right now and this just makes them go everywhere." the horn of a car beeped before Ren could respond. It came from a silver car that was just on the sidewalk in front of him and the girl. The vehicle's window rolled down to reveal a man with dark, bushy hair. His broad smile directed at the girl beside Ren.
"Hey, you're gonna be late!" the man called. "You wanna ride, Takamaki?"
So, she's called Takamaki-san? Ren thought.
"Sure," Takamaki smiled in appreciation. "Thank you."
"What about you?" the man asked Ren. "Need a lift?"
"No thank you," Ren stated. The closed window on Takamaki's side. Before the window closed, Ren saw a look of sadness in Ann's eyes. The sound of hurried footsteps is heard when a boy ran past Ren and stared at the driving car.
"Damn that pervy teacher!" the boy cursed angrily. "I hate that Kamoshida!"
"Kamoshida?" Ren repeated in confusion. Unnoticed, his voice was recorded with the app that kept appearing on his phone.
"Hmm?" the vulgar-looking boy turned to Ren. His hair was a gold-yellow in a fauxhawk style. He wore a Shujin uniform with the blazer open, underneath he wore a yellow t-shirt that had a design that read: ZOMG!, the pants were rolled up and showing his ankles, and wore white sneakers.
"That was the guy who driving the car just now," the boy mentioned stepping up to Ren. "He thinks he's the King of the school! It's not a castle!" the boy only stared at Ren with narrowed brows. "Are you even listening or am I talking to myself? You're going to Shujin, right?"
"You mean Shujin Academy?" Ren questioned.
"Ahem!" a throat cleared as Isamashi made himself known to them. "Allow me to interject before you confuse the poor guy even further."
"Hey, Senpai," the faux-blonde as he noticed Isamashi. "Didn't see you there."
"You ran right past me," Hiro frowned at him. "Probably because you were too busy chasing after Kamoshida's car. Good to see you again, Amamiya."
"Good morning, Senpai," Ren smiled and then turned to Sakamoto. "I just transferred to Shujin as a student. My name is Ren Amamiya."
"A transfer student, huh?" Sakamoto said. "I'm Ryuji Sakamoto." after Ryuji introduced himself, he looked down and noticed the No.2 pin on Ren's blazer. "You're a Second-year... we're in the same grade." Ryuji sighed. "If you were a transfer then why didn't you just say. It was no wonder you didn't know Kamoshida. Like I said, guy thinks he's the king of the castle at school. "You think so too, Senpai? I mean, you were on his volleyball team."
"Hmm," Hiro hummed in agreement as he crossed his arms. "Yeah, Kamoshida does act like he's the King of Shujin or something along those lines." Hiro shook his head with a sigh. "Anyway, I think we should start heading there now."
"Yeah, I guess," Ryuji shrugged. "This rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up, or we'll be late."
"Agreed," Hiro nodded. "Let's..." they began to walk until each of them paused and all felt separate headaches.
"I'm feeling a bit light-headed for some reason..." Ren voiced clutching his head.
"Yeah..." Hiro groaned. "What even was that just now? My heads killing me."
"Same," Ryuji moaned after. "Dammit... I wanna go home..."
Ren followed Senpai and Ryuji down the street and into the alleyway which was a shortcut to Shujin. While moving through, Ren turned to look behind him and couldn't exactly place it but something off for some reason.
"Amamiya, you alright?" Hiro wondered as Ryuji kept walking.
"Yeah, it's just-"
"Wha-!?" Ryuji mouthed just ahead of them.
"Was that Sakamoto-san?" Ren questioned walking up beside Hiro.
"Yeah," Hiro nodded. "Let's go see what the problem is." Hiro and Ren found Ryuji just standing completely still like he's seen a ghost. "Hey, Sakamoto, what's the... matter?" Hiro's expression matched Ryuji's. Eyes widened at the view they were looking at.
"What is that?" Ren asked to no one in particular as he came out the alley. An of disbelief similar to Hiro and Ryuji. The three were looking at a large medieval castle that reached up into a dark, crimson sky. "Um, did we take a wrong turn?" Ren had to ask.
"We didn't come the wrong way though..." Ryuji mentioned. "Yeah, this should be right. It says Shujin on the gate." Ryuji pointed at the plaque on the gate.
"This is bizarre..." Hiro commented nervously clutching his scarf. "What's even happening?"
"Guess we'll just have to go and ask," Ryuji supposed.
"If you say so...?" Hiro said uncertainly and shrugged at Ren and walked to follow Ryuji. Ren followed them into the castle that could quite possibly be Shujin Academy, even though all of this felt off.
Once they stepped inside the 'castle', the interior of it reverted to the main hall of Shujin Academy until it changed back. Hiro was looking around rather confusingly as were Ren and Ryuji, as each of them surprised by what was going on.
"Th-that's weird..." Ryuji voiced. "Where's the school...?"
"Is this the school?" Ren questioned.
"It said 'Shujin' on the gate," Hiro said. "But the school looks nothing like this."
"What's goin' on here?" Ryuji asked and checked his cell. "Out of service? Where'd we end up...? Hey, Senpai? That sign was for the school, was it?"
"That's what it said," Hiro stated while checking his own phone. He also soon found out there was no service. Just like how Sakamoto already figured out.
"Do you guys even know what is going on here?" Ren questioned folding while looking about the castle.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Hiro replied. "Let's just calm down and then we maybe figure if... huh?" Hiro and the other two turned and saw a tall person in dark armor approach them. It held a sword and shield in each hand and a helmet matching its dark armor with a blue face.
"Geez, you freaked me out..." Ryuji said to the armored figure. "Who're you? You a student?" Hiro only facepalmed once Sakamoto asked that to the stranger in armor.
"How could he possibly ask that with a straight face...?" Hiro sighed quietly.
"Maybe he's the school mascot...?" Ren wondered tilting his head.
"Are you serious...?" Hiro frowned at Ren.
"Man, your costume's impressive..." Ryuji said stepping up to the stranger. "Is that armor real?"
"You obviously know something is clearly not right here, right?" Hiro questioned Ren.
"Yeah," nodded Ren. "I'm starting to see that now."
"C'mon," Ryuji was still trying to have a conversation with the person in armor. "Don't just stand there. Say somethin'." Soon a similar armored figured appeared. "H-Hey, what's goin' on?"
"There's no way this is a prank," Ren mentioned. "This is real."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Hiro agreed.
"You guys really think so...?" Ryuji asked them as both the armored strangers closed in on the three teens who now stood more alert. "C-Calm down! Timeout, man!" Ryuji turned to Hiro and Ren. "Senpai! Amamiya! We gotta run!"
"Right!" Ren nodded.
"Stop standin' around and run!" Ryuji told him.
"After you!" Hiro said. The three began rushing to the exit but were soon cornered by more armored guards that surrounded them.
"Ugh, what's with these guys!?" Ryuji groaned. One of the armored guards knocked Ryuji in the back with its shield. "Gah!" the boy shouting in pain.
"Sakamoto!" Hiro shouted worriedly. Another bashed Hiro with its own shield. "Agh!" Hiro yelled as he fell to the ground.
"Sakamoto-san! Isamashi-senpai!" Ren shouted with concern.
"Oww... you're gonna break my bones, dammit!" Ryuji yelled. "The hell you think you're-Aagh!"
"Take them away!?" ordered one of the armored men.
The boys were swarmed, knocked out, and dragged away by the soldiers. To where? They had no clue, but little did they know it wasn't going to be good for them.
Okay, that's another chapter. I got a little impatient and didn't wait 'till Saturday. But I did mention that I wanted to post on different days since I've already got some chapters ready. Like my other stories, I will be answering reviews.
Reviews...
Clarent excalibur: I guess I can't hide it since it's in the title. Yes, I will confirm Hiro will be the Strength confidant for Ren. As for the twin's, that's a good idea for them to be 'requests' like Elizabeth. But I also have an idea where they were apart of the Fool like how Igor is.
Walter Hitchcock: Thanks. I mean, yeah, I honestly like Akira Kurusu better than Ren Amamiya. Kind of like how I like Yu Narukami better than Souji Seta. But I'm using the DSN/Anime name just to become more familiar with it. It's not a bad name though.
Grimraven.V: I'm still not sure. Anything can happen, though, I might've made my mind on what I have in mind for that. I do have an idea I decided on that I will confirm in a few chapters.
ShadowUzumaki55: I will confirm that Makoto is an option for Hiro. Though, the childhood friend idea kinda just happened in the process of all the planning. People can decide whether it should be made into a romantic relationship between them later on in the story.
Cure Crystal: The love interest changed. But I have decided that whoever(or who you believe) Hiro ends up with, I'm going to do special scenario chapters with Hiro paired with a different girl. Just to show off what it would look like if he were with said girl. Also, expect possible ship teases.
Heisei255: Thank you!
ReallyLazyReader: Honestly, it does feel good to be back on this. Hiro having a full family in the last story is what made him a little unique to the other thieves since some only have one parent or none. Ann is the only one with both parents but they're both not present in the game and for Ren we just have to make our own imagination on his parents.
Hiro's mother will be referenced here and there. She's pretty important to his storyline.
Naruto RWBY: Well, I wasn't going to mention this here but there's a chance that Hiro could be paired with two girls. I mean, look what happened in the game, romancing several girls at once didn't go so well. Though, this is a fanfic so anything could be possible. Here's hoping I can pull it off, assuming it comes to that, heh heh.
GreenD109: Glad you like it, dude. I have mentioned that Hiro will be the Strength Arcana(or Confidant) for Ren.
Guest: Maui doesn't match Hiro. I feel like the Persona and the ultimate form have to match the character and their arcana in some way. I do have the idea of who Hiro's ultimate Persona is. But that won't appear until later down the line.
Before we end off here, so did you watch that Persona 5: The Royal trailer. I think it looks really cool. It's gonna be like Persona 5's Persona 4: Golden. They added new locations(who wants to play Pool?), two new characters(and Confidants), and new scenes. Will we get a bathhouse scene with everyone just like in Persona 3 and 4?
I'm really interested in what Kasumi Yoshizawa going be like as a character. All we know about her is that she's a First-year at Shujin, she's a rhythmic gymnast, she's joins the Phantom Thieves, and she's got a thing for Joker. Can't blame her though, right? It's the glasses, girls dig big glasses. All I can say is, is that she looks interesting and her design is great especially her Metaverse outfit. Would love to know what her codename is though.
It does suck that people who live in the West as I do won't get their hands on it until 2020. Watch them delay it. What are your thoughts on Persona 5: The Royal if you haven't seen the trailer yet?
Enough with my rambling, I'm going to post the next chapter probably in about a day.
I'll see you guys next time!
See you later! XD
