Chapter 1: School Days

He gave the door a good hard knock to be sure that someone would hear him, the door opens a crack and he sees a white haired male.

"Wade-san?" checking to see who he was, and then moved out of the way. Alex had then taken his things and set them aside at the check-in desk, he looked around the dorm lobby and noticed that there was a lot of missing furniture and the rest were covered in white sheets; it was easy to realize that the dorm building had been reopened recently.

The man who was in his thirties, snow white hair, and a goatee same colour then addressed the student "I hoped you arrived sooner, did they stop you for anything at the airport?" it seemed he was waiting all night for your arrival.

"N-no" rather sent back because of the question, "But I had forgot to exchange my money at the airport and wound up doing it at the station". Now looking at the floor.

"No need to apologize, if it was out of control, my name is Sanada Akihiko, I approved the scholarship on behalf of S.E.E.S, I'm also your principal"

"S.E.E.S? Oh, uh principal what brings you here at the dorm like this?" Alex found himself surprised of who this man was.

"Never mind that, but the reason I'm here in this dorm room is because I live here" Alex gulps.

"And the other students?" hoping to at least find someone else who could share the suffering of the expected martial law that would be imposed with Sanada's pressence.

"Only one other student, a girl in your grade will be living here as of yet, she's at home right now still gathering her things, you'll meet her in the morning" He takes off his coat, and Alex does this as well, " Well let me take you to your room then."

Alex follows Sanada-san to the second floor, "And here it is, last door on the right" he abruptly pauses having a moment with himself his room, I hope their right about this kid. "Sanada-sensei?"

"What? Oh, excuse me, seems I need some sleep as well, I'll see you at school tomorrow" he then leaves up the stairs to his own room.

Alex opens the door and looks around, a nice bed, almost big enough for two people, a empty desk where he could set up his laptop after he buys an adapter for the Japanese power, and a calendar "Today is the 11th. April 2022, "he sighed, "I'm beat talking to myself like this".

Immediately changing into his pyjamas he unpacked from his travel bad, which was rather light on clothes, meaning he would have to buy some another day. Alex finally could lie down and get some rest, and quickly delved into slumber.

In Alex's dreams it was dark, but not as in he had closed his eyes, or that it was because of the night, he could feel it around like before. He was terrified of this nightmare

"You shouldn't be here" came from a disembodied voice.

"Leave this place, you ... have to go" from the voice again. Then a malevolent aura came from the darkness. It wreaks of death... I can't breathe...

Alex was already lost he didn't know how he got here, if he was even here, he kept repeating in his head, wake up, wake up.

"There's no light in this place, no hope" a final warning from the voice in the dark.

Alex began to panic, there was nothing all around him, all his worst fears began to take over, and dark images of the evil aura filled his mind. And then there was a door, a blue glowing light in the empty place around him, he ran to the door and rushed inside. He was now in a place he remembered the Velvet room.

"Ah your back." Igor chuckles to himself. "There are no coincidences in life, everything is there for a reason, what may seem vague or unnoticeable may be the precursors to fate, for some this realisation comes too late, as for your fate, let us see." He takes a deck of cards and sets three face down.

"First your past," he flips the first card over, "ah Death, from what I can see you reached a time where you had to face an abrupt change, perhaps in yourself that you could not escape, and thus could not go back to it" the description was more than true for what happened to Alex in his life, he wasn't the same as he was as a kid and he couldn't go back to the way things they were, but what exactly? He just couldn't put the two together.

"Now the present" he flips a second card "The Fool, of course, as in the Fools journey, it seems you will be set on to a journey, one where the circumstances are unknown, intriguing this destiny is." His smile disturbs Alex further, now this journey? Or this contract business, nothing was clear.

"Now for the future." The final card is turned over " The Hanged man, if we look at what the journey may hold this card may either lead to letting go, and simply following the path that takes you, or..." he pauses for the next reading

"A self sacrifice for the greater good, hmm? My look at the time its best you wake up now, but this won't be the last time you see us, the time of our next meeting will be of your choosing." The silent attendant Beatrice hands Alex a key again made of blue velvet. The Velvet room began to fade into white and slowly be muffled by the sound of knocking on his door.

*April 12th*

"Hey open up, you've already missed breakfast" it was a female voice, about maybe the same age as Alex's.

Groggy eyes looked up on the flashing red numbers of his alarm clock unset because he was too god damn tired and didn't give a crap at the time. He got up a little too fast and stumbled dizzy

"I'll be right out" he said, in English not thinking. It became blatantly obvious that he was not a morning person. Alex hastily put on his new uniform for school a pair of black dress pants with a white undershirt and long bowtie, and a jacket, also black, the jacket had a button on it of 4 checkers black and white, the school logo or something I guess.

Stepping out of his room he was caught in surprise that the female student stayed in front of the door the whole time waiting there, instead of somewhere, well ... less private. After getting a good look at her new dorm mate she burst out laughing "Baka you left your shirt inside out" she giggles.

Alex caught in a whole new level of embarrassment with this very attractive girl retracted himself to his room fixing his mistake, and his hair for the matter a scientifically unexplained king of bed head that never would seem to die, regardless of what kind of product or hairspray or urban home cure could solve. But he wasn't one who cared much of what people thought of his looks anyhow. There was one thing he remembered his old principal say too him before the trip to Japan "Remember when your there you're representing your country, so mind yourself and don't cause trouble". What a douche Alex thought of the man, and remembered how he would just linger a little bit longer near the gym when the girls were using it for gymnastics. It's not like I'm the new ambassador of Canada all of a sudden.

So the atomic bed-head decided to walk back out there and play it cool this time like it never happened and play out the mysterious stranger attitude, he had lots of practice doing nearly every school he had gone to in the past 6 years. "Well we ready to go" he said smoothly. And the two left the old dorm room and headed to the monorail station.

At the train the car was jammed packed with business men on the way to work and students being dropped off of their respected schools and in about 3 stops Alex would be seeing his for the first time.

"By the way I we never introduced each other, I'm Oohashi Maiko."

Alex would have bowed his head or something to that respect if he weren't pressed between 3 strangers while hanging on a pole. "I'm Alex" he brushes his hair away from his face, in a charming way and smiles. "Alex Wade" shaken not stirred, you have done well my son. His ego swelled.

Maiko paid no attention to Alex's charms, (imaginary glass heart breaks) and instead look through the window and pointed out. "There it is!" acting excited on Alex's behalf "Gekkoukan High!" Alex looks himself and understands the excitement, the sheer size of the place was larger then what he would ever expected, taking up a huge chuck of the manmade island. Seeing the monumental size made his jaw drop and imagining in fantasy of a school with Asian girls just as pretty or more as Maiko put himself in a stupor. Yep one super awesome school year.

Later at Gekkoukan High.

Without a doubt this was one of the best schools Alex's ever been to, not simple the size of the school, he has been to another just as large, which was more like a overstuffed prison, but this place had something about it, talent would be the word. From the hallway long murals, or the showcases of awards from A to Z and one honour roll student's name seen a few times Alex seemed to notice.

"Arisato Minato second year class 2F 2010", Alex then looks further on the list and says to himself outloud. "Huh, didn't take another year"

Maiko now yelling through the crowd, of students in front of the bulletin board "Hey come on, Arekkusu-kun 1st bells soon we can get the grand tour later"

Alex blushed the at the way Maiko pronounced his English name, So cute... His name was shared by his father and grandfather actually making him Alexander the 3rd and also lead to confusion during the holidays when all three of the men were together. "Well where's your homeroom?"

"2F same as you" she replied, with a slight smile. Just like that ace student huh? Whatever. "So let's just take a quick look around so you can get your bearings okay?" Alex nodded.

Near the doors to the music room the two walked side by side, asking each other questions about each other, simple stuff, hobbies, where they're from, etc. Maiko's last one was "So is it really just gonna be us two at the dorm?"

"Well the principal Sanada-sensei is apparently living with us, jeez sucks don't it? Well anyway I guess there will be more roomies whenever he hands out more of those golden tickets.

"

Meanwhile their chat a student with long (that is long for a male) straightened black hair with the parted Emo bang over the eye and spiked out on the back of his head., his Gekkoukan uniform, and underneath a purple shirt that looked like it had an ink blot test on it as well as leather wristbands with studs following the Emo style.

The Emo looking teen was talking to another student a girl but she had a tomboyish cut hair and if not for her skirt she wore with the boys student top she would pass off almost as a bishonen male.

"Yea sucks that we had to let go of Chosokabe" The male teen said.

"Date hasn't been to practice again?"

"Course not dude, and if Date doesn't show then Takeda skips with him to go to that Maid cafe" He sighs, then looks over and sees Maiko and the transfer student.

Maiko waves to the two "Hey Mori-kun, Uesugi-kun, more drama with the band?".

"M-m-Maiko-san!" face gone from blue to red blush just from a simple question about his day, and kept catching himself starring too long at her face. "Yea, umm... Chosokabe transferred and ... uh." he gulps unable to make decent conversation so looked at the ground his face red with affection, his mind repeating the same thought subject, subject, change the subject, crap crap crap!

Stuttering every other word. "I s-see you b-brought the transfer s-student" and laughs it off weakly, then calms done and regains some composure.

"Yea this is Arekkusu-kun"

"Ahem, Alex please."

The girl who Maiko referred to as Uesugi with the male honorific also said hello. "Talk Later after school?" Mori nods.

Mori turns his attention to the transfer student. "Well then nice to meet ya Alex-kun, the name's Mori Nobuyuki i, just stick with Mori, for the both of us." laughing, and then picking his binders and such off the floor.

"Anyway I'm off to homeroom 2F kay?" Mori said before walking out.

"Hey wait up that's our homeroom too, let's go together" Maiko cheerful as ever, "After all more the merrier."

After Mori heard his dream girl was going to be in the same homeroom all the gears in his brain stopped, and the thought was nearly ecstasy. Alex in a sense of pity dragged along his new acquaintance to homeroom before his head nearly lost oxygen from the stupor.

At the classroom Alex went to the desk in the middle of the classroom, even though his gut sensed that would be the teacher hotspot for sudden death pop quizzes, but there was something about it alluring to it. Like a sixth sense he found out just what it was, on the edge of the old desk was a engraving on it, A.M. 09. A. M 09, wait a minute... that kid on the front hall 2F, spooky.

Like a ghost story or something I'm gonna see this kid everywhere.

Behind Alex was Mori, and across the row beside him was Maiko who was in a half awake drowse, which Alex knew was strange because of her carefree attitude in the morning, maybe something's eating her that she's not telling us.

It was an uninteresting 1st day of classes no one was expected to do anything for actual school, even the teachers knew that their students would just catch up with each other or the new kids like Alex would be engaging with their new friends. Mori was like this too by around 3 minutes after introductions he would start poking Alex with his pencil "Hey dude, hey, say something in English, pleeease~ come on" Mori was a little annoying but a pretty alright and friendly guy, even despite his Emo, or Grudge, or Goth whatever appearance

Alex caved in after his incessant poking began to leave a semi-painful mark "Sometimes when I'm alone I pretend to be a potato" perfect English nonsense to throw off his friend's English grade no doubt.

"Wow, I have no idea what you're saying"

But more importantly during first and part of second period was the introduction ceremony, which wasn't terrible, again another excuse to leave class ignore the teachers and just talk to your friends but, Alex paid a bit more thorough attention to Sanada-sensei the principal he met last night, he never went on the podium to give a speech the VP Mr. Ekoda spoke for him. Akihiko did not exactly make himself very popular with the teachers because his age rather young for a principal, and how his job was given to him because his ties with the Kirijo group, or more precisely Mitsuru Kirijo.

Flashback 2021.

Akihiko fidgeting in his chair very impatiently, Mitsuru doesn't just leave someone waiting like this for a good reason, if it was something less he would have just received a phone call or a message, but a meeting in her study at the Estate like this meant serious business.

Finally with a briefcase in hand she walked in and sat to the desk in front of Akihiko. Taking a look at Akihiko and turning her serious look into a faint smile if only for the moment "I see you haven't shaved"

Akihiko stroking his chin with the light stubble grinning "I've been trying to grow it out, see how it looks" Akihiko then cleared his throat and continued "I think I can assume why you invited me here today"

Mitsuru nods, "Yes I'm sure you know what these are" see opens the briefcase, the contents as he expected their old Evokers, and S.E.E.S armbands. See then closes the briefcase after the quick look and sets it down on the floor "But the real proposal I brought you here, involving S.E.E.S is that I want you to run S.E.E.S as the principal of Gekkoukan High school"

Akihiko nearly choked "Principal? I'd rather go out with the shadows"

"But you can't, we both know now that we can barely use out Personas"

"I can still do it! There's gotta be some power left I can still use." Akihiko clenching his fist, unable to accept he doesn't have the power he tried so hard to master.

"Settle down Akihiko please, your experience on personas and shadows is more than enough to help train the new team we can assemble"

"Well isn't there someone else who can do this, why not you or Fuuka or Yukari, hell did you even ask Junpei?"

Mitsuru sighing because of Akihiko's rather resistant behaviour, Akihiko under any other day would not take a chance to go out to the field and fight shadows, "The Principal position is mostly for directing the new squad, plus I don't see how you don't find yourself responsible enough for this."

Mitsuru was trying to taunt Akihiko, "Well how are we going to start this team without persona users?" Akihiko sceptical of what Mitsuru was trying to tell him.

"Actually I've been working on some studies behind Persona potential on looking for other events in the media over the past few years on possible Shadow activity; it may not even be a birth trait after all."

"But more importantly with this new information I've created a test that may very well show the signs of potential. This is why we would need a school for a base of operations"

"Another Kirijo cover up" Akihiko smirks, this meeting really was fouling his mood.

"But I've only come to the conclusion that the potential this test is able to find is the rare kind" Mitsuru takes out the folder marked "Minato Arisato investigation"

"All these details on Arisato ... Then you figured out his power?"

"Just the possible signs of that potential, Perfection. The potential of the Persona identical to their abilities and personality , by running the test I created with the information gathered on Arisato it shows career wise he would excel at anything from A to Z"

"He really was special, but still if you could find a person with power like him then what about everyone else?"

"I'm afraid at the time being you'll be short, in the meantime we will try this with any result across the country and out west if we can find anyone, however when gathering information on Arisato and seeing if anyone he was affiliated with had potential and I came across one girl"

Mitsuru grabs the phone in her study and dials for her secretary, "Yes can you have Nobutada bring in the girl please? Thank you"

"And a good year, thank you all, you may now return to your regularly scheduled classes"

After the hour long opening ceremony Vice Principal Ekoda stepped down from the podium and all the students were able to get out of their seats and get back to talking to their friends without being scolded by a teacher for talking during the repetitive and rather cheesy speech on blah blah blah.

Mori who was beside Alex took his earphones he was able to hide in his long dyed black hair, for what other purpose, stretching widely after in a music trance during the speech.

"Ahhh, whelp that what a long one, yeesh just kill me now."Mori puts a finger gun to his head and pulls the imaginary trigger, then laughs cheerfully.

"So new kid, Al-kun you every play bass" Mori making his hands into an air guitar pose.

"I've dabbled" Alex answering modestly.

Mori chuckles lightly "Your alright new kid, maybe you can show the band what ya got, since our bass player transferred schools, we get to use the music room after school every day but Friday and Saturday."

Alex considered the idea and put it in his mental "To-do list". Then there was just Alex and Maiko.

"So Alex, how did you get so good at Japanese?" Maiko; who had been remaining silent since class started, tried to spark conversation even though her troubled thoughts were becoming much clearer on the keen eyed exchange student.

"My Mother taught me, well step-mom, she's Japanese. She met my Dad while he was on the return flight from a business trip or something I don't know" Meanwhile Akihiko walked toward the two who had seemed to stay behind all the other students that returned to class.

"Ah, good your still here, would the both of you please come to my office?"

Alex had a mixed reaction of this, brushing it off as a simple formality about his transfer, or the dorm room because he invited Maiko, yet something didn't seem quite alright. Alex then threw away that gut feeling and decided to follow his principal regardless.

The three had entered the principal's office, Akihiko took sat on his fine leather chair cross-legged and gave a nod to the two students to sit down. Maiko took the chair to the left facing the door, while Alex took the right chair by the window.

"Wade, Oohashi I'm sure you two have questions according to your stay in the old dormitory then? Well I can answer a few on your mind because we have some spare time for second period then." Akihiko readjusts his legs crossing the other way now.

"First of all you won't be the only ones living in the premises there will be 'other students' recruited into the scholarship program during the school year, from this school, maybe more transfers, it depends if I get the call."

Alex acting rather nervous raised his hand "Yes Wade-san?"

"Well I think I asked before but what is S.N.E.S or something?"

"S.E.E.S, or the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, and what it is will..." he and pauses and strokes his goatee "be explained in time"

How could that not be suspicious, that pause, that goatee, Maiko doesn't seem stunned at all about this, she's buying it all up crap!

"Anyhow I brought you here to sign these" he puts down his legs to the floor and slides a piece of paper in front of them. More contracts? No man that was a dream idiot, but back to reality there's no way I'm signing it without reading it!

Alex takes the sheet of paper and holds it to his face, reading intensely to see what his principal's big idea was.

"That is just a simple code of conduct form about the rules for dorm use, they're very lenient if your troubled" Akihiko could see the real reason why he didn't trust the deal, more so how he intended it at first in fact

"I'll go first" Maiko volunteered to sign the waver, Just like that? Maiko ... Jesus. No, I think I'd better do it too.

Akihiko thought to himself It's not fair tricking him like this but she knows well that we can't explain it without him seeing it, he'll be just like him I can tell in his eyes

"Thank you for your co-operation, you two can return to class" the students exit and Akihiko sat alone thinking on the next step.

Notes.

What Mori said in Bold text about his schedule is my substitute for the classsic Blue text in the games.

Also all the members of Mori's band go by their last names which I named them all after Japanese Feudal lords, Mori, Takeda, Uesugi, Date, and Chosokabe.

JRaiga: this chapter should answer some of the questions you've asked setting up more of the time frame acting like a sequel to P3 instead of say a Au retelling or something on the those lines. Minato will have an important role in Alex's journey as a social link and kind of spirit guide for some of the social links and plot elements to come. Elizabeth and Theodore nothing can be said about them in the future but keep your eyes open.