Author's Notes

Energized, the Western feel of the dream world was intended to create a heavy contrast. Then again, it may not have been the best method, in retrospect.

After Hajime's awakening, he decided to take a mega-nap. So let's wash away the small trace of action with the start of social links. Oh boy.

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Chapter 7

THOU ART I

I don't know how long it took me to wake up. Apparently, I was placed in the school hospital (I have no clue how they managed to justify doing that, but that's not my problem.)

When I first woke up, Toshiro was leaving, having apparently visited.

"Toshiro-kun, wait." I called in a fairly raspy voice.

Toshiro turned, apparently surprised I woke up.

"What's up?"

"How long've I been out?"

He seemed to think for a second, as if he was trying to count.

"Like a week and a half or something?"

I hadn't expected to be out of commission for so long.

"Anyways, Ajibana-sempai's also been visiting. He's been telling me to give you your homework when you awaken."

I groaned. Give me a break, Tadashi.

"Oh right, I should tell him you woke up."

*

"Tadashi-sempai, I have to talk to you after school."

I bumped into him in the corridors while he was on the way to the Kendo club. I don't usually use the honourific -sempai on him, but I think I would've been lynched at school if I didn't.

*

There was a tense air in the lounge that evening.

"Firstly, what the hell happened a week or whatever ago?"

Tadashi sighed. "It's a long story."

"Try me."

We locked eyes and simply stared for a moment.

"Well, alright, I actually don't have a good idea on the situation myself, but I'll try to explain as best I can. Basically, from what I've gathered, certain people are able to 'enter' a dream-world or something similar. I remember seeing you, actually."

I nodded.

"From what I've gathered, every few weeks, we enter some sort of advanced dream-state, like we did a week or something ago. I think it's some sort of super-dream, as it did feel more realistic, and as you found out, it can have repercussions into real life."

I nodded. "Go on."

"Of course, only some can enter the dream world. In that dream-state, everyone who can't is sleeping; unwakable. I explored a few months ago. I think that whatever we do to them in the dream will happen in real life on those special days. Of course, that's a hypothesis, as I haven't actually tried, well, making a visible mark on them."

"What about Hotherus—what I used to kill that black spectre thing—and about the spectre itself, why did that guy burst into it?"

"Hotherus is your Persona—or at least I think it is. Many of us who can enter the dream world has a Persona—a sort of second self, a bit of our personality in a physical form. This bit of our mind, it has awesome powers. Of course, we can't use it in waking life, but, in that dream world, it seems to work just fine. That spectre, I'm not sure myself. I've seen them before, and the locals in the dream world seem to call them shadows, and supposedly they prey on people in the dream world. I've never fought one before that night, and I've never dared investigate. That's all I know."

"Anyone else we know with a persona?"

Tadashi shrugged. He flicked on the television, clearly not wanting to talk any more.

*

Nobody seemed to mention my "sickness" at school. The official word was exhaustion, and everyone simply put me down as a victim of overstudying for exams. Of course, I wasn't actually popular enough to merit rumours about me, which is all the better.

Class ended on a boring note, with an incredibly yawn-inducing English lecture. I was one of the few who stayed awake; Takamura-sensei seemed to not even bother to wake up the nappers any more.

There wasn't baseball practise today, so I headed home. While I descended the stairs, I saw Shinako, presumably walking home.

There aren't many things in this world that can make me nervous, let me tell you.

These were one of those things that did.

I sucked up air in my chest, and took a deep breath. It was now or never.

I walked to Shinako.

"Hey, uh, Shinako-chan, I was wondering.."

She turned to me. "Wondering what?"

"Can I walk you home?"

She stared at me strangely, as if thinking "That's a really weird question." It must've been an eternity.

"Sure, why not? I've gotta take a few stops on the way, I hope you don't mind."

Score! "No problem at all."

I could hear sobbing behind us, coming from who looked like a sophomore.

*

It turns out Shinako's "few stops" was doing some every day shopping. At least it wasn't clothes shopping or something.

We walked into the pharmacy, supposedly because her sister had a cough. Our last stop.

"So, Hajime-kun, which should I get…"

I blinked. Would I really know what cough syrup to get?

"Hmm... you're not really helping."

I pointed to the one I kept above my sink. Obligation choice ahoy!

"Hrrm, is that really a good choice..?"

"No offense, but is it that important? I'd imagine their formulas are similar."

She gave me a cold look. "I can understand if you don't care about my sister, but…" She trailed off mid-sentence. "I forgot where I was going with that."

Shinako decided to buy the cough syrup I kept over my sink.

"C'mon, let's go."

I heard the sound of glass breaking. Time stopped. This was so not good.

I saw a giant card in front of me. It turned, revealing some wacky drawing.

"THOU ART I…"

Am I getting a new persona?

"AND I AM THOU."

Seems like it.

"THOU SHALT HAVE OUR BLESSING OF THE FORTUNE ARCANA."

Wait, what?

Time started again.

"You alright?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

Shinako shook her head. "Nevermind. Let's go."

*

The day after the next (baseball practise), I met up with Shinako and asked if she was doing anything.

"Nah, studying."

"Mid-terms were a few weeks ago, Shinako-chan."

"But the summer exams are not."

Someone proactive. Oh, how envious I am.

Instead, I went to Toshiro. He was never busy.

Evidently, my life's getting a lot more surprising, since he had already left, leaving me to curse under my breath. Maybe I should find a job.

Instead, this kid I never knew approached me. He seemed cool enough; he had a confident yet casual look on his face, and wore his semi-long hair in a short ponytail. He seemed cheerful, as if he had just discovered a vault of gold underneath his house, or judging by the confidence he radiated, that the vault was full of supermodels.

"Name's Oohara Shichiro. You're Sakamoto, right?"

I raised my eyebrow. Seventh son?

"Yeah, who's asking?"

"I've been wanting to talk to you for a bit, man. Word's out you've been here for two months, and you've already got yourself waist-deep in cool guys."

"And?"

"Wanna grab a bite to eat or something? You gotta make good friends to get ahead."

I shrugged, and accepted.

*

I didn't know the city that well, and as a result, I never got to enjoy any really good food. Shichiro, however, has apparently lived here all his life.

We were both slurping noodles. By god, this was delicious.

"So, how're you finding school?"

"Not bad. How've you been, anyways? You look quite happy."

"Man, I'm always happy!"

"Yeah, yeah, save the keet crap for later."

"Well yeah, I just got myself a new girlfriend." He was bragging, and judging by his tone, he wasn't very experienced at it. "Yeah, Ueyama Hikari, eleventh grade."

Despite having transferred here recently, I had heard rumours about her, that seemed to place her in the "nearly impossible to date" category. "Congratulations. So, if you don't mind me asking, why're you hanging around me instead of her?"

"She was busy today. You're getting to be a bit of a popular topic around the school these days, my man!"

This guy's way of talking was pissing me off. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, most recent one's been that you've gone out with Chishu-chan."

I heard glass breaking. Time stopped again. Oh no.

"THOU ART I, AND I AM THOU. THOU SHALT HAVE OUR BLESSING OF THE MAGICIAN ARCANA."

The Magician? Am I going to have to bail this kid out of something when he messes up?

Time started again.

"Well, it's getting late, see ya. I've gotta pick out a nice shirt for tomorrow."

"Big date?"

"You read my mind, dude!"

We each paid for our own bowls, and left the store.

I had better stay on the lookout for people that make the voices in my head happy.

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Two new social links, Magician and Fortune.

As a piece of useless information you might not care about, Shinako was originally Priestess, before I decided Fortune was a much better fit. Shichiro was originally Lovers, before I gave him a rewrite.