Monday, April 6th

Paulownia Mall

Kazuo kept staring at the date on his phone as he sat on a bench in the Paulownia Mall. He had one more day to get a good look at the city before the new school year started, and he was out doing what he could. Using the monorail to get around was actually pretty addicting in its own right. It wasn't a type of transportation he used before, but it's nearly mandatory here. In fact, it kind of made him wonder what would happen if the monorail was out of service. Would the bridge be more crowded or are they just absolutely sure that the monorail won't fail on them? Heck, it would be a good thing to bring up to someone who was in charge of it all.

Speaking of being in charge, his mind went to Mitsuru. He ran into her just before he left the dorm, her saying she was likely going to be there most of the day working on... something. Did she say exactly what it was? … Not like he could remember, but he did remember that she said to call if anything came up, and he had some questions he wanted to ask, but didn't feel up to heading back to the dorm just yet.

Before he even know it, Kaz pulled up his contacts and started a call, but the voice that came up wasn't Mitsuru. It wasn't even a woman for that matter.

"Hello? Aoi Kujikawa speaking."

"D-Dad?" Did he call his dad by accident? Crap, he didn't want to do that!

"Kazuo? I've never known you to call out of the blue before."

Yeah, this was awkward. He never did just call him out of nowhere, and never without a reason behind it. Their relationship... It wasn't exactly a typical 'father and son' thing. It used to be, but ever since Kaz's mom died... It was tense. They weren't hostile to each other, but Kaz kept his distance. Even talking on the phone it felt like they were communicating on a business level rather than like a family.

"Oh, yeah... I meant to call someone else. Sorry to bother you."

"It's fine. I'm just waiting for my flight to be called." He... really is leaving him here. "So... Are you adjusting to the dorm? I believe you start attending Gekkoukan tomorrow."

"Yeah, everything is ready to go. Once I get on a schedule I should get into some kind of routine."

"That's good... Well, my flight was just announced. Take care, Son."

"Yeah..."

Kaz ended the call, sighing. There was way to many things going through his head after that. So much that he couldn't sort it out. Why did he call his dad? Sure, Kirijo and Kujikawa wasn't that far from each other on the list, but he can't blame it on his phone. Maybe his thumb twitched and he didn't catch it? It's not like he calls his dad to say 'hi' periodically.

"Ah!" The voice pulled him from his thoughts as he glanced over to see a girl with a few things on the ground. Off to the side, he saw some girl laughing at the scene, but walking away as she did so.

Part of him just wanted to sit there since he had his own problems at the moment... But it seemed insignificant compared to her problem right now. Getting up, he walked over and started picking some things up.

"Huh?! O-oh, you don't need to-"

"I know I don't," Kaz said, cutting her off. "I just wanted to."

As he gathered the stuff, he glanced at the girl he was helping and actually got a good look. Short teal green hair with matching eyes, sporting a light green poncho with a floral pattern at the end. She looked a little surprised, likely from what he said, but he just went back to gathering up what he could and making them easy to hand over and carry.

"Um, thank you." She took the items handed to her, sorting them with what she already had.

"Don't mention it." Kaz smiled before turning around and walking off.

He didn't want to hold her up, plus he still had some places to look at. He just wondered how much he could see by the day's end. Hopefully enough to know where the more popular and convenient places were, if nothing else. Just to know what other students would be talking about. Simply because he's the new kid, it doesn't mean he has to be completely oblivious to the area around him. Although... it won't really give others the chance to show him around... No, they can still do it. It's not like he'll learn every detail of a place just by looking at it.

As he walked out of the mall, he was greeted by a sudden push which knocked him to the ground. Did someone run into him or was it just the wind packed with a sudden burst of clumsiness? "Oh, sorry, man." Chalk that up to the former.

Kaz shook his head as he started to get up, but noticed his glasses were missing. "Oh, crap."

"Huh? Dude, are you hurt? Damn, I didn't think I was running that fast."

"No, it's not that."

Kaz looked around, finding the area a little more fuzzy than usual. He had to be disoriented because his eyesight wasn't that bad. Whatever the case, he couldn't make out his glasses from the sidewalk so he was just moving his hands around hoping to find it before someone stepped on them.

"Oh, you mean these glasses." He heard something being picked up from the ground, clearly the sound of his glasses since he knew the sound of them anywhere. "Here."

Kaz made out the familiar shape of his glasses being handed to him, taking them and putting them on to finally get a crisp view of the person that ran into him. Very short dark hair, grayish eyes, and has a goatee to boot. Though the first year could say that he liked the leather jacket the guy had on.

"Thanks." Kaz started to get up on his own, but then saw the hand being held out for him. After a second, he took it and was pulled the rest of the way up. "But what was the hurry? I mean, I barely got out of the mall."

The guy's eyes went wide with realization as he looked at his phone, immediately frowning and growling. "Man, I'm late... Thought I could make it if I ran fast enough."

"Late?"

"Oh, me and a few guys were gonna hit the arcade. But since I'm late, I guess I could spare a few more minutes." He chuckled. "If anything, I could use you as an excuse."

Kaz's eyes narrowed. "Well gee, glad I can be of service."

"Aw, come on, dude! It was a joke. Lighten up!"

Maybe it was, but Kazuo wasn't used to such a thing. Of course, that was his own personal history. No need to explain it all to some stranger.

"By the way, I haven't seen ya around. You one of those new transfers coming in?"

Okay, now he caught Kaz's attention. "'Transfers'?"

"Yeah, there's been some rumors running around that a couple people from out of town are gonna be transferring in to the school here."

Well, word got around fast. "Huh... Yeah, I'm one, but I didn't know another was coming in."

Another one of those smiles came up. "Separate transfers... 'As one is discovered in the open, the other still retains the mystery of their existence...' And here I am getting myself pumped!"

"Don't know why. It's just a couple of transfer students. Nothing to get excited over."

"Come on, man! Have a sense of adventure." Kaz just rolled his eyes. "Hey, can you imagine if it was a girl that was the other transfer? Who knows? Maybe you could get a shot at her."

Actually... the idea of it was kinda romantic in a sense... But as the thought crossed his mind, Kaz shook his head and tried to hold back a small blush. "W-what?! Hey, I didn't come here looking for a girlfriend!"

The guy just laughed. "Dude, I didn't think you would be this easy! Again, I'm just jokin'!"

Kaz just groaned as he held his head. He just hoped this guy wasn't in his class. If so, he might have a mental breakdown if this was how the guy constantly talked with everybody. Speaking of which, it may be the best time to ask the question since the cat was out of the bag about him attending Gekkoukan.

"I'm gonna ask this now so I won't be surprised. What year are you in?"

"Me? Second year. Jupei Iori is the name."

'Oh, sweet mercy, I'm spared,' was his initial thought, but kept his face from showing it. "Ah, okay. I'm Kazuo. First year."

"First year, huh? Well, so much for being in the same class. You know, I transferred here a few years ago myself, so I know what it's like being the new kid."

"That so?"

Another smirk. "Yeah, of course! Tell ya what. If you ever need any help, just tell your pal Junpei. I'll give you some tips whenever I can."

'Oh, joy...'

The conversation continued for a while before Kaz was finally able to find a smooth way out of it without ending it abruptly. Sure, that Junpei person was annoying him, but Kaz could tell he was trying to be friendly. It just wasn't the way the first year usually had people approach him. Then again, not many people did, but it's not like it was their fault.

Looking at his phone again, Kaz noticed it was getting a little late. The conversation must have lasted longer than he realized, so he decided to forget exploring any more and headed back for the dorms. For one, he was going to start his first day at school tomorrow so he should make sure everything was ready. Another was he remembered that Mitsuru wanted him and Yukari up during the hour to do... something. He didn't exactly remember what.

The Dark Hour

The eeriness of it all still hasn't become commonplace to Kaz as he sat behind his Senpai in the Command Room in front of a large screen that seemed to work as a bunch of different things. But the more he tried the figure out what each part meant, the more confused he became. Whatever, though. The ones in front of him has been at this longer, so unless he had to man the contraption, he wasn't even going to bother.

"Kujikawa." The voice immediately snapped Kaz out of his confused trance.

"Yes, Mitsuru-senpai?" He had to admit, Mitsuru had one of those voices that was pretty hard to ignore.

"I haven't had the chance to ask you. How are you adjusting to the dorm? I know the move was a little rushed given the circumstances."

It was rushed. Kaz and his father wasn't going to stay there long to begin with. He was only in Iwatodai due to his dad taking care of business here and Kaz just happened to be given the chance to come along. Though if he knew all this was going to happen, the first year would have stayed put at home, alone or not. But, of course, now that he's actually here...

"It's actually pretty nice. Once I get into the swing of things, it might just feel like a home away from home."

A small smile crossed Mitsuru's face. "That's good to hear. I also wanted to say again that I'm glad to have you with us."

"I'm just glad to be given the offer."

Kazuo caught a glance of Yukari's face before she looked away again. She seemed troubled, similar to the face she had before back in the cafe. What was going through her mind anyway?

"On another note..." Kaz raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I wanted to say your new haircut suits you."

A small blush actually came up on the boy's cheeks. "M-my hair? You really think so?"

"It gives you a more confident look. Takeba definitely made a good choice."

"Well, it was more of a quick decision," Yukari came in once she was mentioned. "But you're right. He does look more confident."

This wasn't really helping him in the blush department. If there was more lighting, his blush would have been plainly obvious by this point. Was it just the compliments that made him this way? Or was it the fact that he was being complimented by girls in particular? Whatever the case, he wasn't sure if he could get used to it. But then came an alert from the system. It wasn't loud, but it definitely caught everyone's attention.

"Someone... came through the front door?" Yukari was a little puzzled, primarly for the reason that Mitsuru soon stated.

"It couldn't be Akihiko. He always notifies us before coming close..."

But as they were trying to rationalize the possibilities, Kaz was already getting up and heading to leave the Command Room. He didn't have the patience to just sit there if he could simply find out for himself.

"Kaz!"

He didn't listened as he opened the door and closed it behind him, immediately heading down the stairs. He didn't take time to look back to see if anyone was coming after him. Kaz was interested in who their unexpected visitor was. This could be his chance to do something, after all. However, he wasn't entirely prepared for what he would encounter.

"Who's there?" Kazuo asked once in the Lounge. Getting view of the front desk, he stopped in his tracks at what, or more who, he saw.

A girl stood there, a little surprised to see him by the look in her red eyes, but mostly calm all together. Most of her auburn hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with silver barrettes on the side that shined slightly in the dim light coming through the windows. On top of that, she was wearing the Gekkoukan High School uniform.

Kaz wasn't sure what to do. Was she an intruder? But people normally don't walk around at this time. Only special cases... But what if this was a trick by the Shadows? Then again, if it was, wouldn't someone give by now? Whatever the case, Kaz's hand took hold of his Evoker, but didn't pull it out of it's holster. He was waiting for something, anything, to happen. Something to tell him what exactly was going on and what he should do. But if it did come to a fight, could he even do it?

"Wait!"

Kaz turned around to see Mitsuru and Yukari behind him. Took them long enough, but not long after Mitsuru's order, the darkness gave way to the light from the lamps as they flickered back on. It ended, and the girl was still there. So she was human after all.

"I didn't think you would arrive so late," Mitsuru said as she stepped forward. "My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

That was a pretty casual introduction given what just went down a moment ago as far as Kazuo was concerned. One would think she'd rather explain Kaz's behavior in his stead, but no. Beyond all that though, Mitsuru knew this girl was coming?

"...Who's she?" Yukari asked, the very question in Kaz's mind in that moment.

"She's a transfer student. Unlike Kujikawa, it was a last minute decision to assign her here."

"Last minute is right," Kaz mumbled to himself.

Mitsuru either didn't catch on or kept silent about it as she continued. "She'll eventually be moved to a room in the normal dorm."

Yukari and Kaz traded glances, both seemingly thinking along the same lines at this point. Kaz, however, spoke this time. "You sure it's okay for her to be here?"

"I guess we'll see," she said, a smile on her face.

'I hope you're right, Senpai.' It's not that Kaz doubted Mitsuru, but one can never be too careful when in regards to other people.

"This is Yukari Takeba." Now came the introductions to the new girl. "She'll be a second year this year, just like you. The young man here is Kazuo Kujikawa, a first year."

"... Hi," Yukari said, at the same time Kaz saying, "... Hello."

The look on the girl's face faded finally, eventually being replaced with a small yet infectious smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Minako Arisato."

Kaz and Yukari both were taken aback. That was... not the response they were expecting. If anything, a bunch of questions about what was going on was the primary thing Kaz expected, at least. Yukari recovered quickly enough, though.

"Uh... yeah. Nice to meet you too."

Kazuo was still stuck though. He couldn't get much of a word out at all. The main question in his mind revolving around how outgoing this girl must be just to push aside the fact that he was standing there, in front of her, ready to pull out what looks like a gun at a moment's notice.

"It's getting late. Arisato, you'll find your room on the third floor. Your things should already be there. I suggest you tuck in for the night."

Minako nodded to Mitsuru's words, not really putting up much resistance to the idea. If it was Kaz, he likely would have said something about 'just getting here' and all those excuses. Didn't matter if there was school in the morning or not... Though it was a late hour.

"Oh... I'll show you the way," Yukari chimed in. "Follow me." Minako followed as Yukari started to walk up, but they both stopped and looked back. "Hey, Kaz. You wanna come along?"

That was a surprising offer, considering what they were doing was just showing a girl to her dorm. However, Kaz was more than willing to take her up on the invite. It could give him a chance to rectify the awkwardness that happened. Before he could answer, though, Mitsuru spoke up first.

"If you don't mind, I would like to speak to Kazuo alone. There's something I wish to discuss with him."

That small smile on Yukari's face faded. "Oh... Okay." Minako had a slightly confused look on her face, but as Yukari motioned for the two to go on, they headed up the stairs.

Kaz, however, was having a time even turning to look at Mitsuru. Given the situation, he could easily guess what the topic was going to be about, and he was honestly nervous as to what she was going to say. If he was going to die, he just hoped she would kill him quickly. A painless execution, please!

"That was rather reckless of you." Yep, topic was right. "If the situation was different, you may have engaged in a fight, and given how you still have yet to summon your Persona, the hesitation may have spelled the end for you. Surely you realize that."

Kaz sighed as he closed his eyes, nodding in understanding.

"But... I was going to give the order for you to scout ahead to begin with."

His eyes snapped open. "You were?"

"I noticed your impatience during surveillance. I can understand what it's like feeling as though you're simply sitting there doing nothing, as well as the want to actually take action the moment something arises. However, the next time a situation comes up, please wait for an order. If this happens again, I won't be so lenient."

A silent sigh escaped Kaz as relief washed over him. He was spared... at least this time. "I understand, Mitsuru-senpai."

Mitsuru nodded. "Good. Now as I said to Arisato, you should head to bed as well. As you know, your first day of school starts tomorrow."

The red-head went ahead up the stairs, leaving Kaz to let everything sink in. In short, he blew it. He made a possibly bad impression with the new girl, and shown himself to be impulsive around his Senpai. The only way it could get any worse is if he loses sleep over this to where he ends up sleeping in class on his first day. Which, if that happened, it would start a trend, wouldn't it?

Shaking his head, Kazuo stuffed his hands in his pockets before trudging up the steps to his room. He better take Mitsuru's advice, otherwise the bad first impressions will become a regular thing with him.