The first door we came to was another metallic, cell-like barrier, and no matter how hard we tried we couldn't get it to open. Luckily, the gap to the other side of the area was small enough for us to jump — and the door over there was already open.

I shivered as I looked around — the entire area was divided by a rushing moat, and empty cages hung from chains all over the place. Who had designed this castle? Had it been Kamoshida-sensei?

We hopped across a series of fallen cages to cross the moat again. Cells just like the one we had been held in surrounded us, but all of them were empty… And the next locked door we found had no convenient path around it, though the cell nearby was open.

"L-Let's go in there and think. We'll be less visible, at least," I suggested.

"Good idea." Sakamoto-san followed me in.

I stared at the wall. "…Sakamoto-san, a-am I hallucinating?"

"Not unless I am too, Senpai."

We gazed at the enormous hole in the wall for another moment.

"C-Could… you go through first?" I winced.

"Why? Oh!" Sakamoto-san's eyes widened, and he blushed. "Sure, Senpai."

I followed him through what turned out to be a fairly lengthy, deliberately-carved tunnel. It led to a cell on the other side of the door, this one just as open as the first. We crossed a nearby drawbridge, but were quickly forced to duck behind a set of crates to evade the gaze of a pair of searching guards.

"Damn, guess they're seriously looking out for us… We've gotta find a way out of here!"

I nodded. "R-Right. Let's just keep moving. It looks like there are some stairs behind you."

"Eh?" Sakamoto-san blinked and turned around. "There are! Good catch, Senpai. Maybe these will get us back to the entrance!"

The spiral staircase was extremely long, so much so that I really did begin to hope it might lead to the ground floor. Unfortunately, when we opened the door at their top, we just found ourselves facing more dungeon. How far below the surface were we?

Unlike the cells and cages on the first floor, though… this floor was occupied. Boys in the Shujin student uniform filled the place.

"What the hell…?" Sakamoto-san's eyes were wide. "What's goin' on here?" I whimpered, and his gaze returned to me. "Let's just focus on getting' outta here for now. We can call the cops or somethin' later, yeah?"

I nodded, but it didn't turn out to be that simple. The next drawbridge was up, and the wall ahead was a dead end. I crouched down and hugged my legs.

"…Hey, you there!" The voice was high-pitched. "Blondie! Tiny girl! Over here!"

Our heads swiveled. A bizarre little creature was in one of the cells. It looked almost like…

"A monster cat?" I squeaked.

"I am not a monster cat!" The creature grumbled. "More importantly! You're not soldiers, right? Get me out of here! The key's right there!" They pointed at a key dangling from a hook on the wall.

"We're just trying to escape!" Sakamoto-san hissed. "We don't have time for this! I mean, you look like some kind of enemy anyway!"

"I'm locked up here! Why would he lock up his own soldiers?"

Both of them had good points. The apparently-not-monster-cat had the same odd proportions and unreal presence as the pumpkin monsters from earlier, but they were locked up…

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of tromping feet.

"Crap, they're catching up!" Sakamoto-san groaned, clutching his head.

"Let me out and I can take you to the exit!" The creature in the cell promised. "You don't want to get caught, right?"

"Do you really know the way out?" I asked, trying not to get too hopeful. It could just be lying to get us to free it, after all… or it could be a trap set up for escapees.

"I never go back on my word!"

That would have to do — we were doomed if we did nothing, anyway. I grabbed the key from the wall and opened the door.

"Freedom tastes so great," the creature purred.

"Just take us to the exit, monster cat!"

The creature glared at Sakamoto-san. "Don't call me that! I am Morgana!"

"Whatever. Just hurry up unless you want to get caught again!"

Morgana-san's eyes widened. "Okay, okay! Follow me."

Morgana-san led us to a strange statue of Kamoshida-sensei that was sitting next to the raised drawbridge.

"Now it may not look like it, but this is a lever." Morgana-san grinned. "Hey, tiny girl. See if you can figure it out."

Feeling Sakamoto-san's expectant gaze, I moved over to the statue. Where would I hide a lever… Well, only one part of the human face really moved like a lever. I tried tugging on the jaw, and it moved easily. The bridge lowered.

"What the hell?" Sakamoto-san stamped his foot. "Who designs something like that?"

A guard came down the stairs ahead of us after we crossed the bridge, and we froze.

"Crap, it's them!" Sakamoto-san fell over in his haste to get away.

"Amateur! Just stay still," Morgana-san taunted, flipping to stand next to me. I felt my clothes transform again, just as they had when I first activated my power. "You can fight, right tiny girl? Let's get 'em. Zorro!" A figure manifested behind the cat.

Between my darkness and the cutting gusts of wind that Morgana-san summoned, the enemy didn't last long at all.

"Not bad. Your Persona's pretty powerful," Morgana-san complimented me.

"I-I'm sorry, Morgana-san, but what is a 'Persona'?"

"You don't know?" Morgana-san blinked. "Well, you know how you rip your mask off when you summon it? Everybody has a mask somewhere in their heart. If you remove that…" They were interrupted by my clothes returning to normal. "Oh, looks like you don't have full control over your power yet. That shouldn't be happening. After all—"

"Whatever!" Sakamoto-san broke in. "None of this makes any sense, and they're still chasing us. Can you save it for later?"

"…You're right, this isn't the time for this," Morgana-san agreed.

"S-Sorry for asking." I ducked my head.

"It's fine! Here." Morgana-san handed me three little packets. "Use this only when you have to, okay? It's medicine. In this world, it will heal you up immediately, but that's the last that I have. At least we're almost to the exit!"

Sakamoto-san stopped us when we reached the next drawbridge, his eyes drawn to someone in a cell. "Hold on a sec! I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearin' before…"

I looked at the prisoner — he was in some kind of sports gear. "C-Could it be the uniform for one of the school's sports teams?" I asked. "The others were in regular Shujin uniforms…"

"Holy crap, you're right! How did I miss that?" Sakamoto-san looked stunned.

"We don't have time for this! Let's go!" Morgana-san urged.

"Tch, fine!" Sakamoto-san growled.

It was too late, though — another guard found us and promptly split into a pair of small winged girls. They were so cute that I really didn't want to hurt them, but they were trying to kill me… I hardened my heart and erased them with inky waves of darkness.

"Now let's move! We don't have any time to waste!" Morgana-san's desperation filled us all. "The entrance hall is just up these stairs. Keep moving!"

Just as Morgana-san said, we found ourselves in the first room we had encountered. Rather than moving towards the doors, however, Morgana-san led us to a side hallway.

"…Thanks." Sakamoto-san grumbled. He tried to force open one of the hallway's doors. "Hey! Why won't it open?"

"Wrong one." Morgana-san sounded smug. They kicked a different door, which swung open easily. It led to a small room with no other windows or doors.

"How are we supposed to leave from here?" Sakamoto-san demanded.

"Amateur," Morgana-san huffed. "This is the most basic of basics."

I thought back to the handful of heist films I'd seen. "…A ventilation shaft?"

"Exactly! You're a natural at this." Morgana-san beamed up at me. I didn't feel like a natural. "It leads all the way outside."

"I see…" Sakamoto-san finally seemed to be calming down. "Let's get that mesh off, then!" He leapt at the shaft, and while he did manage to remove the grate, he also fell to the ground with a loud crash. "Oww… You don't think they heard that, do you?"

Morgana-san rolled their eyes. "Just get going!"

"Aren't you coming, Morgana-san?"

Morgana-san smiled at me again. "I still have business here. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Be careful!"

"You too." Morgana-san patted my leg. "You may be a natural, but you don't have experience like I do. See ya!"

"Later!" Sakamoto-san darted up through the shaft, and I followed.

We found ourselves on an ordinary sidewalk. Nobody seemed to notice us appearing out of nowhere.

"Did we make it…?"

"I-I think so." I rubbed my arms.

A voice chimed from my pocket. "You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."

"…Returned to the real world? Does that mean we got away?" Sakamoto-san and I stared at my phone.

"Probably?" I offered.

"What was all of that?" Sakamoto-san looked flustered. "There was that… that castle, and Kamoshida, and then that cat… the hell's goin' on?"

I could only shrug.

"Sorry, Senpai. Didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's okay," I whispered.

"Are you students of Shujin?" A pair of police officers walked up to us. "Cutting classes, huh?"

"N-No!" Sakamoto-san sputtered. "We were tryin' to get to school, but there was some weird castle instead!"

"…What?" The officer's belligerence was replaced by bewilderment. "Just give me your bag. If I find any drugs…"

"Why would you think that?" Sakamoto-san yelped.

The other officer sighed and looked at me as the first dug through Sakamoto-san's things. "Are you his friend?"

I shook my head quietly. Sakamoto-san had already declared that we weren't friends, after all.

"Oh." The officer blinked. "You seemed friendly with him…" He shook his head, seemingly accepting my response. "Well, please just go to school, okay? It's important for your future."

I nodded. "I-I will. Thank you."

He gave me a small smile, then tugged his companion away from Sakamoto-san.

"This sucks…" Sakamoto-san complained. "Let's just get to school."

I nodded and followed him again. Hopefully this time it would be less of a disaster.

We stared up at the school. Even to my big-city-direction-challenged senses, it seemed to be in the same spot that the castle had been.

"Is this for real…?" Sakamoto-san clutched at my arm. "Senpai, what the hell's goin' on here? We came the same way, right?"

A man glared at us from the top of the stairs. "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you. We received a call from the police."

Sakamoto-san winced.

"It's rare not to see you alone." The man spared a glance for me before returning his focus to Sakamoto-san. "Where were you roaming around?"

"Uh… a castle?" Sakamoto-san's voice was defeated.

The man's glare intensified.

"What's this about a castle?" Kamoshida-sensei's voice rang out. "Carefree as always, Sakamoto. At least you had some focus when you were on the track team."

"Shuddup!" Sakamoto-san glared at him. "It's your fault that—"

"How dare you speak that way to him!" The first man snapped. "There's really not much leeway left for you. Could you control yourself for once?"

"He's the one that provoked me!"

"I can expel you, if you'd like." The man raised an eyebrow. "Follow me. You need to explain yourself." He spared another glance for me. "It's your first offense, so just get to class… but I've got my eye on you."

"I understand, sir. Thank you." I bowed.

"Oh, give Sakamoto a break," Kamoshida cut in. "I should have been more considerate. We were both to blame, you know?"

"If you say so." The first man rolled his eyes. "He still needs to explain his lateness, though."

"Fine…" Sakamoto-san followed him into the school.

Kamoshida-sensei eyed me. "You're that new transfer student, correct? Hikage Harai…"

I nodded, trying not to let my unease show on my face. "Yes, sir. That's me."

"…Have we met somewhere?"

"Yes, sir. This morning, you offered me a ride, and there was that other girl…"

"Oh, that's right… I remember now." He shook his head. "Well, I'll overlook your lateness today." His eyes hardened. "If you cause any trouble, though, you'll be expelled. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded again.

"Good." Kamoshida-sensei's grin returned. "Hurry to the faculty office. Ishikawa-sensei's been waiting for you, and he's not exactly thrilled, you know?" He turned to leave, but then tilted his head back. "Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life!"

"Thank you, sir." I bowed.

I managed to find my way to the faculty office, doing my best to ignore the stares and whispers that I was receiving. Like Kamoshida-sensei had said, Ishikawa-sensei was inside, and he looked furious.

"Over half a day late on your first day, Harai?" He growled. "Give me one good reason that I shouldn't take you to the principal and have you expelled right now."

My shoulders slumped and I bowed as deeply as I could. "I'm very sorry, sir — I can't give you an acceptable reason. If you choose to expel me…" I choked up. "I'll understand. I won't protest."

"Huh." I heard a sigh from above me, but didn't straighten. "…I'll overlook it today. If this ever happens again, though, you're out. Understood?"

"Thank you, sir." I felt tears on my face. "Thank you."

A box of tissues was shoved into my hands. "Clean yourself up. Next period is about to begin, and I'll introduce you to the class."

I shifted uncomfortably as I stood next to Ishikawa-sensei in front of the rest of the class. Most of them were whispering, with the notable exception of a girl in the front row. Her red eyes were trained on me suspiciously, and her lips were twisted into a frown.

…Her eyes were gorgeous — I had never even realized that human eyes could be red, at least outside of albinos — and Ishikawa-sensei had to nudge me to break me out of our shared gaze.

"This is our transfer student: Hikage Harai. I expect you to make her feel welcome." Ishikawa-sensei glared around the room. "I don't want to hear a word about her being late — there was a mix-up in the paperwork, and we needed to send her back to her guardian to get it sorted out." He turned to me. "Well? Say something."

I bowed, trying not to shake or let my surprise at his willingness to cover for me show on my face. "I am Hikage Harai. I will be in your care."

The whispering started again.

"Quiet down!" Ishikawa-sensei barked. "Harai, sit there." He pointed at an open seat next to the red-eyed girl. His eyes conveyed his intentions — he wanted me up front, where he could see what I was doing. I nodded.

AN: I'm not going to be around tomorrow, so I thought I'd go ahead and put up two chapters today! I'll be posting chapter five on Sunday, which will finish off the 11th — after that, I'll probably move to putting up chapters every couple of days.