Chapter 2 – Dealings by Day
"Good morning, all. My name is Sakuya Shiomi, another transfer student." Sakuya eloquently introduced himself. "And yes, I know my name is a bit unusual, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't use the "chan" honorific when talking about me with others. For their sakes, as much as mine. Nevertheless I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
Everyone in class was enraptured by the way Sakuya introduced himself, no small part due to his voice. Nobody expected a tall, lanky and somewhat dark figure like with a girl's name to speak with a voice full of vigour or move so gracefully. It caught everyone in the classroom off guard, excluding Miss Toriumi since she heard him speak before and was once again rolling her eyes at his hammy introduction. And for Akane, who once again put her mind into overdrive trying to figure out why he said what the masked boy in her nightmare had said. She was giving it too much thought to pay attention to her surroundings.
As for the rest of the students, the men of the classroom were watching him with interest while the girls were trying their best not to blush so much from his extravagant mannerisms. The same could not be said for Yukari Takeba as she was busy fighting such thoughts out of her mind as she observed Sakuya. Though she was stunned when he spoke up, she realised that he matched the description Akihiko gave of the guy who froze him last night, and was able to recover quicker than the others.
She watching him all the way though his introduction, checking his behaviour and the way he spoke against what Akihiko had said. So far, she couldn't see anything that would interpret him as a person who would lord himself over others with the power he had, but one look around the room told her that he wouldn't need to do that. Everyone was so taken in by how he acted, as though they were hypnotised. It was as though Sakuya were portraying himself as someone who would be above any suspicion, yet at the same time, Yukari noted how Sakuya acted so comfortable and carefree as he talked. He wasn't saying all of this in a determined or commanding way; it was as though he acted like this normally.
Another thing she noted is that Akane was wary of Sakuya. Especially when he casually commented that he liked cherries. Despite her unusual welcome in the dorm last night, there didn't seem to be anything bothering Akane as she walked to school this morning. So it seems that the new boy did something to upset her and either didn't notice or didn't care, maybe a bit of both. Regardless, Yukari was going to keep an eye on him for the rest of the day.
After all was said and done at the front, the two transfer students took their places in the empty seats around Yukari, with Akane behind and Sakuya to the left as the introductory lessons for the first term began. Throughout each morning period, the girl in pink took periodic glances at Sakuya, glad that his large fringe obscured his vision of her. She didn't see anything noteworthy, apart from the fact that his smile never seemed to waver. Sure, it was reduced considerably compared to the one he gave at the front, but there wasn't a single time that his face bore what most would consider a vacant expression.
"I'm having a hard time getting a bead on him." Yukari mentally complained. "What a weirdo. Doesn't he ever stop smiling?"
When lunchtime came around, people flocked towards Sakuya. He didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest and was incredibly patient with all of them, answering all their questions as he deemed fit while Yukari heard the sound of someone familiar behind here.
"Name's Junpei Iori! I know what it's like being the new kid, so I came to say hello. Isn't that nice of me?"
Yukari sighed and decided to cease her observation for now, lest she became enamoured with Sakuya herself. She then turned around to face Akane talking with the baseball cap-wearing goofball she knew through most of her academic life, standing there with his shirt untucked, a cheesy grin on his face and his ever-present wispy goatee on his chin that tempted Yukari to attack it with a shaver.
"At it again, huh?" She disdainfully announced her presence. "You'd hit on every girl you meet, won't you?"
Junpei looked indignantly at his fellow classmate. "H-hey! I'm just trying to be friendly here. Besides, Sakuya is the only one neck-deep in people right now. Can you blame a guy for trying to pick up the slack?"
"No need to worry, Yukari-chan." Akane said in a relaxed manner. "I can handle myself when it comes to pushy people. Not saying that you're included in that statement of course, Junpei-kun."
Junpei chuckled with a smirk as he scratched the back of his fuzzy head. "See, Yuka-tan? No harm at all."
"If you say so…." Yukari sighed in exasperation before getting up and standing by the new girl. "Hey," she whispered, "you didn't tell anyone about… you know what, right?"
"Of course not." Akane whispered back.
"Good, that's a relief. Seriously, though. Don't…"
"Excuse me, miss?"
Yukari yelped in surprise upon hearing that. Turning around, she came face-to-face with Sakuya, who still had that darn smile on his face. "Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could tell me of a quiet place where I could eat my lunch? I'm not that familiar with the school's layout, and I'm not fond of excessive background noise."
"Huh?" Came Yukari's intelligent response before she straightened herself out. "Uh, the roof is usually a good place to go if you don't want to be interrupted. Take the staircase on the right as you leave the classroom."
"Thanks." Sakuya said, giving a warmer smile before making his way out with his lunchbox under his arm. But before he stepped out, he turned to Yukari with a sly expression on his face. "By the way, I forgive you for staring at me all through the morning."
"What!?" Yukari exclaimed.
All Sakuya did in response was chuckle, wink at her and walk out of the classroom. Words and actions like that did not go unnoticed, for all eyes turned towards the girl in the pink sweater.
"Ooooooh!" Junpei playfully said. "Do my keen senses deceive me, or do I detect a budding romance?"
"Wh-what? No!" Yukari exclaimed, her face turning bright red. "I wasn't staring at him!"
"No need to deny it, Yuka-tan. I noticed that you couldn't keep yourself from looking his way all through the lessons. I never would have expected you of all people to gaze longingly upon someone you've just met!"
"Look here, Stupei! I did NOT…"
Her objection was halted when she saw Akane from the corner of her eye, who was looking intently at the silhouette of Sakuya as he walked away. Hoping to change the subject, she decided to find out what was troubling her dorm mate.
"Hey, you okay?" Yukari asked, snapping the auburn girl out of her concentration. "I've noticed that you seem edgy around Sakuya-san since you came in. Did he do something to upset you?"
"Not really…" Replied Akane while looking down at her desk, right hand grasping her chin in thought. "It's just that he gave me a compliment about my eyes when we first met."
"Wait, what!?" Both Junpei and Yukari yelled in surprise along with everyone else in class, who were equally shocked upon hearing this this. "He hit on you!?"
"I'm not sure if he did." Akane said, looking even more troubled. "It's just that… I have the weirdest sense of déjà-vu…"
Akihiko growled in frustration as the guy who knocked his lights out last night continued to ignore him. He ignored him earlier when they passed each other on the third floor's staircase, and now he just sat there cross-legged on the floor with his eyes closed, bringing a bunch of cherries to his mouth with a pair of chopsticks.
The only thing that stopped Akihiko from hauling Sakuya to his feet was his curiosity about the way he ate. Without the aid of sight, Sakuya managed to empty his bento box. Nothing bigger than a grain of rice had fallen back into the empty container. And now he was pulling cherries off the stems with his teeth, eating them and then dropping the stones back into the box without any saliva or juice staining his lips or clothing. A few seconds later, Sakuya placed the chopsticks down gracefully. Only then did he open his eyes to admire his handiwork.
"Heh, every stone and stalk, only five rice grains and a few specks of food here and there… I must be improving." He said, before noticing Akihiko's shadow looming over him. "Sorry, I didn't notice you there. I tend to block out all external stimuli when I eat, so I apologise if you were trying to get my attention."
"How convenient." Akihiko mumbled indignantly. Though he was still a bit mad about the ice attack, he remembered to keep things low-key and waited for Sakuya to get up before getting down to business. "Now that you're done, I think that it's time we had a chat about what happened last night."
Sakuya's perpetually vibrant face morphed into a bored expression. "Does it have to be now? Lunch will be over in ten minutes, and we have company, you know."
Despite his desire to set the record straight, Akihiko knew he had a point. There wouldn't be enough time to talk extensively about last night, and near the corner where the two were standing hovered a small crowd of curious students. They were all watching the exchange between the two with interest; anything said would not go unnoticed. And as tempted as it sounded, dragging Sakuya into the student council room for a private talk would raise a few eyebrows. Akihiko couldn't lay a finger on him at the moment, and that frustrated him.
"Tell you what," Sakuya said; regaining his happy demeanour, "I'll meet you in the lobby later. Me going out late last night for a tour of the city wasn't exactly a bright idea, and I'll be happy to sort out any issues."
"At least he's giving a plausible explanation to the eavesdroppers." Thought Akihiko before replying. "Eh, I'm sure they'll understand. Just don't be late."
"Sure thing, senpai."
Sakuya gave an affirming nod before walking away, leaving the other students gossiping about his excuse in his wake. He wasn't at all bothered about whatever crazy theories would be formed from that tidbit of information. Akihiko stood his ground to watch him go, mentally reminding himself to tell Mitsuru about this later. She was just as eager to get her hands on him, though probably for different reasons. With her Persona's affinity with ice, she wouldn't have to worry about freezer burns.
Meanwhile, Sakuya bumped into a familiar auburn-haired girl on his way downstairs. Or he would have if he didn't notice her in time and swerved skilfully to avoid a head-on collision. He then stood in front of the startled Akane, giving her time to regain her composure.
"Sorry about that, Akane-chan." He apologised. "Corners are never easy to see around."
"Uh, thanks Shiomi-san…" Still thrown off from what happened, it took her a while to ask the question plaguing her mind. "Um, about that compliment earlier, did you say that to me before…?"
The blue haired boy cocked an eyebrow at that question. "What makes you think that? Where have you heard it before?"
"Well, I heard it from a middle school kid who lived in Sumaru City. He looked similar to you from what I remember. But the strange thing is… I've never been there before. My middle school was in Osaka."
"I see." He said while closing his eyes. "In that case, that can't have been me who said it to you. It's true, I went to middle school at Sumaru four years back, but I never saw or met anyone like you. And I was too busy dealing with the deaths of my parents at the time to be paying attention."
"Your parents?" Akane asked, looking surprised. "What happened to them?"
His expression darkened as he looked to one side in reluctance. "Electrical malfunction. They were… literally fried to death."
"Oh, I'm sorry… But I have an idea of how you feel. I lost my parents when I was seven."
"Sucks to be us, eh?" He joked while still sounding hurt. "Anyway, I'm sorry for confusing you like that."
"Oh no, it's okay." Akane said, trying her best to sound upbeat. "Sorry for dragging up a sensitive subject."
"Water under the bridge, my dear." He said, regaining his usual demeanour. "Anyway, class will start again soon. We'd better get back."
The two of them walked back side by side, with Akane mulling over what her fellow transfer student said. A big revelation like that made her think about his behaviour. She wondered if he acted in an extravagant manner because he was still pained to remember his parents' deaths and tried to hide his gloomy side. She also thought about his reaction to her dream. He outright dismissed it and changed the subject entirely. It may have been because it wasn't true, but a nagging doubt lingered in her mind.
"It's as though he's trying to discourage me from thinking about it. Is there even a small chance…?"
"Akihiko," began a very unimpressed Mitsuru, "I would like to clarify something since we've been standing here for over half an hour now. When Shiomi said that he would meet us later, did he mean "later" as in after school, or "later" as in sometime in the near future?"
"I'm guessing it's the latter." He responded, looking everywhere around the schools entrance for any trace of the blue-haired boy, before slamming his fist against the wall. "That lying son of a…!"
The memories of yesterday afternoon still plagued Akihiko's mind as he laid in wait in the school's lobby. Sakuya managed to dupe SEES yesterday and leave them in the dust. Mitsuru was, to say the least, not amused by this turn of events. Since she would be caught up with other affairs today, she ordered Akihiko and Yukari to keep a close eye on the blue-haired student and stop him if he tries to escape from their grasp once more.
"He won't get away this time." Akihiko vowed as he waited for Sakuya to make his next move.
So far, he hasn't done anything suspicious throughout the day. He was present for every lesson, ate lunch on the roof in his trance-like state as before, went to the bathroom whenever he needed to and caused no trouble in class. The only things noteworthy were that he wasn't giving the other students as much attention as he was yesterday, despite his friendly interactions. The only person he did give attention to was Akane, though everyone assumed he was simply gaining her trust before making a move on her. He did come across as a bit of a flirt.
Despite that, he was behaving like a model student, and that unsettled them. If he were to make a break for it, it would be spontaneous, meant to catch everyone off-guard. But that means it will also be easy to follow him, as an instantaneous action would certainly grab people's attention. On the other hand, it could be a ruse covering up an elaborate escape strategy he planned in advance, in which case…
Akihiko felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open to find a text from Yukari:
Sakuya went down the other staircase.
I think he's going to get out from the back.
Akihiko chuckled and snapped his phone shut. "Easier than I thought."
He briskly walked through the corridor to the right of him, quickly scanning each of the clubrooms as he went in case they became impromptu hiding places. He even checked the fire escape just in case Sakuya managed to disable the alarm and slip out. Finding no signs of his presence, Akihiko continued on his way through to the corridor connecting the main school building to the sports wing. He took a quick look around outside for any trace of his target. Surprisingly, there was none. He wasn't hiding behind any bushes, nor was there any sign of the small group of curious students who followed him around to give his presence away. Not giving up, he checked out all of the sports club's regular hauntings, again finding no trace of him. He searched every nook and cranny in the gym, the pool and out the back near where the track team practices. But he wasn't there, nor was there any evidence that he climbed over the fence.
"Where on earth is he?" Akihiko growled in frustration. "And where's Takeba? I thought she was tailing him."
His phone buzzed again. This time, the message was:
Where are you?
He just walked out the front.
"Are you kidding me!?" Akihiko cursed and dashed back to the entrance.
Upon arriving, he looked outside the glass doors of the school and, sure enough, he saw a lanky figure with blue hair disappearing in the direction of Paulownia Mall. Akihiko cursed audibly, catching a few looks from the surrounding students. He hadn't changed into his outdoor shoes since he was expecting to catch Sakuya before he left. And the ones he wore were no good when it came to running, he very nearly fell over while dashing through the halls just now. Quick as he could, he went over to his locker and swapped his indoor pair out, brushing aside the usual pile of love letters that the younger female students left for him and were always ignored. Before he was done tying his laces, he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"You're still here, senpai?" A bemused Yukari asked. "I thought you would've caught him by now."
"Wha… Takeba!? Why did you tell me he was going out the back?"
"Huh? I never said that!"
"What do you mean you… Look here!" Akihiko said, bringing his phone out and showing the first message she sent.
After reading the message, Yukari's eyes widened and her mouth dropped in complete shock. "No way…"
Hurriedly, she then bought out her own phone and checked her sentbox. And to her utter surprise, the message was there. And below that one yet another message with her caller ID that was sent to her own number:
Next time you stalk someone,
don't be so obvious about it.
Yukari's face turned white, before the colour scheme changed to an angry red as the realisation dawned on her. "That son of a… So THAT'S where my phone went!"
"What are you talking about?" Akihiko asked.
"I lost my phone just before the bell rang. I was looking for this everywhere with the other students, until I found it in my schoolbag just now when I was going through my stuff."
"He swiped your phone and sent me a dummy message!?"
Both of them were silent for a moment, seething with anger over the fact that they had been duped yet again. Then they slowly turned their heads looked at each other. When their eyes met, they silently agreed on one thing:
They were going to kill him.
Though Yukari was still fuming as she walked through Paulownia Mall with Akane, she tried to keep it calm for her sake. She didn't know about the Dark Hour or what happened since the night she arrived, and she was the only one who got along well with Sakuya. There was no telling how she would take the news. So, Yukari decided to avoid the subject and talk about the mall instead.
"Have you come here before?" She asked, trying to sound upbeat. She gestured around as she listed off everything around her. "A lot of Gekkoukan students come here after school. There's a karaoke box, a CD shop… Oh, and there's a great café here too! There's also a nightclub, but that's… kinda not for us, yet."
Akane nodded, noting how many students from the school were passing them by or checking out the shops. The entire mall was a wonderfully designed place. The domed glass ceiling provided ample light during the day and made the main fountain sparkle beautifully whenever the sun was out. The pattern of the floor complimented the look of the place well, and each store was unique and appealing in differing ways. Akane liked this place and decided to visit here later when she had some free time. Plus, she could work part-time in some of the stores for some extra income if need be.
But when she looked back at Yukari, she could see that something was bothering her. It was distressing enough when she lost her phone earlier, but after the two met up outside the school gates, she seemed to be even more troubled. Akane didn't like seeing people hurt emotionally, which is why she acted friendly with Sakuya. She knew how tough it was to go through life knowing that your loved ones will never see you again in the world of the living. And now Yukari seemed to be at her wit's end. So once they were out of the mall, Akane tried to find out what was wrong with her new friend.
"Hey, is everything alright?"
"Eh? Uh, yes. I'm still a bit stressed after losing my phone." She lied. Badly.
Akane didn't buy that. "Weren't you the one telling me that you were so relieved to find it earlier?"
"Uh… W-well…" Cornered, Yukari decided to tell a half-truth. "Alright. I'm worried about a friend of mine. He was trying to set another student straight, and went completely ignored even though they were just trying to keep the guy out of trouble. I was going to help out earlier, but got distracted when my phone went missing."
"I see." Akane said, half-satisfied. "And how are things going at the moment?"
"Downhill. The person in question lied to my friend's face and left them picking up the pieces. No matter what we try to do, we just end up getting more and more frustrated."
"Do you think it will get sorted out anytime soon?"
"Not really. It had only happened the day you arrived, so I don't see it ending anytime soon. This kind of thing tends to drag on. It doesn't help that the person we're trying to help is completely thoughtless. They have no sense of what his actions may end up causing for him and for everyone else. But I guess all we could do is persevere."
"I see." Akane said, sounding completely satisfied. "I wish you and your friend luck."
"Oh, thanks, Akane!" The girl in pink said, glad that she could drop the subject and clear her frustration in one move. "Sorry to dump all of this on you, since you've only just got here."
"Anytime, Yukari. Besides, I'm the one who asked for it."
Both of the girls shared a laugh, before deciding to go back to the dorm early. Though Yukari thought that she had satisfied the curiosity of her new friend, Akane wasn't buying it. She noticed that the mysterious problem child was referred to using the word "him" at one point, probably a slip of the tongue. Yukari didn't seem to be as proactive as "her friend" was over the past few days in trying to sort it out. And there was only one person in the class who got her undivided attention, a certain male transfer student.
"Just what is going on between him and her?" She thought as the now chipper archer led the way indoors, where an important visitor from the school's faculty was waiting for them.
Author's Note
Okay, I'll admit this isn't my best chapter. A lot of dialogue, no action scenes and very little in the way of Sakuya screwing SEES over (alliteration FTW). But don't let that turn you off, if you are a new reader. I promise that things'll get spiced up as the story progresses.