Summer Woes: (Ab)normal Days

Cicadas. The sound of cicadas: all she could hear were their chirps echoing throughout her ears. She felt stiff as she lay on the dirt, surrounded by leaves, a bit of light visible through her closed eyelids. How she found herself like that, she couldn't say. Taking a deep breath, she finally opened her eyes, squinting against the sunlight as it was filtered through the trees. From what little of the sky she could see, it was clear and blue, but that didn't tell her much.

Putting her hands against the ground the girl pushed herself up to a sitting position, looking down, noticing her clothes. She wore a tan blazer overtop a long sleeved, white blouse, said blazer having a bit of dirt on it, presumably from her lying there. Her legs were covered by a long, navy blue skirt, which went past her knees. On her feet, she saw long, white socks and brown loafers, hardly suitable for hiking. Mind full of questions, she stood, grunting as her body moved against its stiffness. As her light purple hair passed over her face, she noticed it had a couple leaves in it. Once she was standing she ran her fingers through it, removing the few dry leaves that had hitched a ride before leaving it to hang free, reaching to her back past her shoulders. Taking another breath of warm, fresh air, she looked around, trying to get a gauge on her location. But she was in a small clearing surrounded by nothing but trees and the song of cicadas.

Before making a move, she checked her pockets, taking note of her possessions. She checked one of the two on the inside of her blazer, finding a small, black, elastic hair tie, and pair of black, sleek, leather gloves. Trying them on, they fit perfectly, her nails being short enough to allow for them. Returning them to her pocket, she checked the other, finding a gray, card shaped item. Pressing the button, it turned blue as it lit up, displaying an emblem, like a coat of arms, with a crown on the top, wings on the side, and the words 'High School' underneath the centerpiece, which was marked by a pen crossed with something pointed and jagged. Before she could study it further, it flashed with static, and a few characters flashed on the screen for a few moments, but not all of it was visible:

?:&*ri Kasu^!

It faded, and began to bring up another screen, but before the girl could investigate, it suddenly switched off. She reattempted, turning it on again, but the same thing happened: she was unable to access the device. Disappointed, she stowed it back in her pocket. She had learned nothing, which was a bit distressing, because she knew nothing. Not where she was, how she got there, why...

She didn't even know who she was. She couldn't remember her name, nor did she have any memories of getting here. Yet, even stranger, she still had knowledge. She knew the Japanese language, she could recite major cities, and name allies of the country. As she remembered more about that, her thoughts turned to other subjects she was aware of: math, science, literature...but her own name never popped up beyond what was on the card, 'Kasu'.

Stopping the introspection, she looked around again, hoping to find a clue that could send her in the right direction. For all she knew, she could have been in a large park or the middle of the wilderness. She felt as though staying and doing nothing would amount to no good. She had to move and find someone, or something. Taking out one of her gloves, she threw it up in the air and stepped back. It flipped around before flopping to the ground. Following the direction index finger of the fallen glove, it pointed directly between two trees. Thinking that was as good enough a direction as any, she picked up her glove, dusted it off, pocketed it, and began her trek. She ducked through branches, trees, and the occasional cicada, being careful not to get scratched and damage herself or her clothing. It wasn't long before she found something: after a few dozen meters of walking, she came across a sheer cliff face, going up easily twenty five meters, perhaps more. She couldn't see the top from her position. With a sigh, she turned to head back, just as she realized she'd have a better chance of finding something if she went along the cliff side. It was a landmark, and that was something she could not ignore.

Changing direction, she began to walk alongside the cliff face, the tree trunks not quite reaching the rock, though the branches stretched over her head. She was glad for the shade: it was warm, there wasn't much breeze, and she wore a blazer that was not suited for the weather, but she didn't feel like removing it either, as she might drop her things if it were slung over her shoulder. As she walked, the blaring cicadas not letting up, her mind wandered as she speculated her current situation, trying to consider various ways to find someone, or in the worst case, live through the night. There didn't seem to be much obvious in the way of edible flora or fauna, nor were there any bodies of water. Even then, the only ways she knew to clean water involved things she did not have-

"Oh! Hey!" came a sudden voice, echoing a bit. The mysterious girl jumped, tensing, surprised at the presence of another. She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, a boy, by the sound of things. After a moment, he spoke again, "Up here! Whew, I thought I was in trouble!" Finally, the girl spotted him: stuck in the branches of a large tree nearby. He had shaggy black hair, which hung over his eyes and ears, his bright smile plainly visible. His feet were bare, and he only wore a light blue yukata with a white obi, though it wasn't in the best condition. A few small twigs had poked through, and he had a few scrapes as well. The girl couldn't even guess as to how he got there, but she was too surprised to say anything.

The black haired boy kept talking, "Haha, sorry, sorry! I didn't scare you did I? I didn't really expect to see anyone. How did you get here anyway?"

The girl shook her head, her light purple hair flitting about as she admitted, "I...don't know."

After a moment, he nodded, a few leaves falling as he moved, "Well, I guess I'm not surprised. None of us really do!" He laughed again, but the girl didn't see anything humorous about it. Her shoes shifting leaves at her feet, she was about to make a move when he continued, "Hey if you could go get help...well, I don't know which way to go either. Hmm, I-" He suddenly stopped as the branched shifted. There were the sounds of a few snapping, and the boy's smile suddenly turned to a gasp of surprise. Before either of the two could say anything, the branches gave way, and he plummeted. The girl averted her eyes, hearing a thump and a cry of pain as he hit the ground. The boy coughed a few times, and the girl looked back, finally heading over to his side.

She was able to help him to his feet, and he began to regain his composure, brushing away and leaves or twigs and fixing his yukata. She noticed that his yukata went down to just below his knees, and that he was a bit taller than her. "Er, are you hurt?" the girl finally asked him.

The boy laughed again, "Nope! Guess it's my lucky day. That was a pretty long fall."

Looking back up at the tree, the girl nodded, "I suppose."

He sighed, "Well, all's well that ends well! Oh, by the way, I'm Ichijou Mitsuzi, nice to meetcha! I'm the Super High School Level Luckster!"

The girl stared blankly at the shaggy haired boy, blinking. With a sigh, she shook her head: it wasn't his fault she couldn't remember anything. As she stayed silent, Ichijou scratched his head, waiting for her introduction. "Um..." he mumbled.

Not wanting to leave him hanging, she finally admitted, "I don't..."

Putting his hands behind his head, he smiled, "It's okay, don't force yourself. Nothing wrong with being a little shy! Come on, let's head back, the others might be wondering what happened to me."

He began to turn, looking around, likely trying to choose which way to go. The girl opened her mouth, replying, "It's not that, it's..."

Ichijou turned to her, his mouth open, as if he wanted to speak, but he stopped. Leaning in, he implored her to continue. Put on the spot, she had no choice but to answer to the best of her knowledge. "I don't know. My name, that is," she finally replied.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Ichijou mumbled in deep thought, "Hmm..." Suddenly having an epiphany, he let out a small gasp as he put the bottom of his fist to his palm. With a smile, he reached into his yukata, pulling out a small gray card just like the girl had in her pocket. Turning it on, he showed it to her as it displayed clearly:

Ichijou Mitsuzi

It went on to a menu that the girl wanted to look through, but before she could dare look further, Ichijou asked, "Did you wake up with one of these things? It should have your name!" The girl frowned, taking it out, and showing it to him as she turned on the power. He looked at it, seeming to be in deep thought, nodding as it turned itself off. Thinking for a moment, he finally nodded, "I think...it's broken."

The girl snorted in surprise, before covering her mouth with her hand, holding back a laugh. She'd expected something more, but it seems she had overestimated him. Ichijou smiled sheepishly, scratching his head. "Well, it looks like we have part of your name, at least, Kasu...mi," he said. Thinking about what he said, he repeated, "Hey, Kasumi-san! That fits you, I think."

The girl now called Kasumi blinked, asking, "It's better than nothing, but why Kasumi and not, say, Kasuka?"

"Nah. 'Kasumi' feels just right!" he answered as if it were obvious.

Kasumi didn't disagree, but she also had to admit; his good mood was somewhat infectious. "Kasumi it is then," she replied with a slight smile, receiving another grin in return.

"It just popped into my head," Ichijou nodded. He seemed to be glad she was satisfied.

Thinking back, Kasumi asked warily, "Tree climbing wasn't another one of your epiphanies, was it?"

"Huh?" Ichijou asked. After pondering for a moment, he answered, "Oh, no. I accidentally fell off the cliff and landed in the tree. Guess I'm not much of a Luckster!"

As Ichijou smiled, Kasumi gasped, "Eh!?" Turning, she looked back up the cliff wide eyed, then back at Ichijou, before saying, "I have to disagree: surviving a fall like that unhurt is quite lucky..."

Ichijou thought for a moment, before smiling, "Yeah, maybe you're right! Plus, I ran into you, so that's gotta be pretty lucky. But if you'd seen how I fell, you wouldn't think I was very lucky. I guess it sorta balances out."

Curious about his status as a Luckster, Kasumi inquired, "What did you mean by 'Luckster', exactly? Or 'Super High School Level Luckster', even."

Ichijou answered, "Oh, right, I guess you wouldn't know...well, basically, there's this school called Hope's Peak Academy that only accepts a few students a year, and only the most Talented. Apparently. I hadn't heard much of it before I got a letter. They said chose me randomly from a pool of every High School student in Japan, so my Talent is my Luck!"

Kasumi pondered on that for a moment, before saying, "What's this school like?"

Ichijou seemed to get excited as he spoke, "Oh, once I started looking into it, it sounds amazing! All the students they accept are in the top of their field. They say that if you graduate, you're certain to be successful in life!"

He stopped when he saw Kasumi in deep thought. She finally made her concerns clear, saying, "So, if you're luck balances out...something unlucky might happen to you. To balance out going to such a prestigious Academy. You might fail your classes, or otherwise be forced to drop out."

Ichijou jumped in shock, "Ah crap! I didn't think about that!" Taking a few breaths, he coughed awkwardly, before saying, "Er, w-we really should head back..." Taking a look over his shoulder, he began to move in the same direction Kasumi had been heading earlier. The girl in the skirt noticed he seemed to be having no difficulty despite his lack of shoes. She guessed he was used to the outdoors.

Still full of questions, Kasumi asked, "So, how did you get here?"

"I fell!" Ichijou said cheerily. He flinched at her displeased stare, explaining further, "Oh, I guess you mean in general, huh. It was pretty much the same for all of us. We were all heading through the front of Hope's Peak Academy on our first day, blacked out, and woke up scattered around this mountain retreat. Everyone but you was on the upper Level though."

Another thing on her mind, Kasumi asked, "Who else is here?" Remembering what Ichijou had just said, she added, "They're all Talented individuals, correct?"

Mitsuzi nodded, "Yup! You got it. Counting you, there are fifteen of us. Oh yeah, what's your Talent?" As he asked innocently, he turned back to her. She replied with no words, simply a blank stare. Ichijou cleared his throat, turning back as he apologized, "I forgot, sorry! It's just, everyone was so interesting and they had such cool Talents...you probably have a good one too, we just need to find out somehow..." After thinking a moment, he added, "Oh yeah, we guess there might be sixteen of us here total. There should be one more around somewhere."

"Why sixteen?" Kasumi wondered aloud.

Ichijou began to answer plainly, "Oh yeah, on the upper Level-" He stopped suddenly, looking around. He asked, "Did you hear that?"

The two were quiet for a moment, only hearing cicadas until Kasumi heard a voice calling from the woods: "Ichijou-san! Ichijou-saaaaaaan!"

The Luckster called back, "Over here!" Kasumi watched where she'd heard the voice come from, and after a few moments, heard them coming through the branches.

Finally, someone stepped out of the woods. It was a boy, around the same height as Ichijou. His curly brown hair was short, and had trapped a few twigs in his movement. His skin was lightly tanned as well. He wore a short sleeved, white shirt over his torso, and he had a dark yellow jacket tied around his waist. He also wore blue jeans and a gray pair of casual shoes. He smiled in relief as he looked over them with his hazel eyes, then interest as he took note of Kasumi. Breaking eye contact, he smiled at Ichijou, before saying, "Glad to see you in one piece; that was some fall. You really are Lucky!"

"I know, crazy huh?" Ichijou laughed. Kasumi sighed; this other fellow seemed to have a similar disposition.

The curly haired boy nodded, brushing twigs out of his hair, "We should head back and let the others know you're all right, but first." He turned to Kasumi, asking, "Nice to meet you! Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Ishihara Jouji, Super High School Level Aeronaut!"

Kasumi nodded, thinking about the term. She postulated, "So, you work with machines capable of flight?"

"Oh, you're pretty knowledgeable! That's right! I made some small gliders, even a jumpsuit that I can glide around with," he elaborated.

Ichijou nodded, "Yeah, he even jumped off some really tall building with just the jumpsuit and made it to the ground just fine."

Ishihara scratched his head modestly, "It was nothing! Hey, if you could fall down this way and be fine, I'm sure I could do the same thing. I considered it, honestly."

Rolling her eyes, Kasumi asked, "Really now?"

Ishihara grinned, "It's true! I do all kinds of challenges like that for fun, fashioning bedsheets or tarps into gliders or chutes and taking off." Looking up, he said, "Yeah, I could take this cliff with just my sweatjacket no problem, especially with these branches." Nodding, he also added, "And I've only had my legs broken once!" Kasumi stared blankly, but didn't respond. She did feel her eye twitch, however.

After a moment, Ichijou asked, "So, I forgot to ask, what's the Tokyo Tower? I guess it's really tall."

Giving him an incredulous look, the curly haired Ishihara gaped, "Eh? You've never heard of the Tokyo Tower?"

Ichijou smiled, as if boasting, "Never been to Tokyo!"

Ishihara scratched his head, "That doesn't mean..." Turning to Kasumi, he asked, "Come on, you must have heard about it." Kasumi looked away, readjusting her long hair. Ishihara's eyes widened, "R-really? W-was my previous life some dark dream? Is everything I know a lie!?"

Kasumi blinked in surprise at his sudden melancholy and shook her head, "I think this is reality, but I have heard of Tokyo, at least."

"Hey you might have been there too! Even if you don't remember it," Ichijou reasoned. Ishihara blinked, tilting his head in curiosity at Kasumi until Ichijou finally explained, "She doesn't remember anything, not even her name. I'm calling her Kasumi though."

Figuring there were a dozen better, less vague or misleading ways to put things than that, Kasumi interrupted, "I remember things, or to be more specific, general knowledge, but I couldn't tell you when or where I learned it. I don't know anything about myself, aside from the part of my name on my ID Card."

Ishihara's jaw dropped as he stared at Kasumi in surprise. After a moment, his seemed to sniffle, "You mean, you don't remember your family, or all the good times in your life? Just the things you studied? That's horrible!" With sudden intensity, he raised his arms, grabbing Kasumi by the shoulders, looking into her eyes with determination, "Don't worry, Kasumi-san! If there is some way to restore your memory, I will help in any way I can."

Wide-eyed, and perhaps a little frightened, Kasumi nodded, "O-okay. Thank you." Looking down at his arms, she added, "Please let go of me."

Taking a steadying breath, Ishihara backed up, taking a breath, before regaining his composure and stating, "Well, anyway, let's head back. We still need to find the last person and figure out what to do. Maybe the others have found something?"

Nodding, Ichijou led the way, going back down the cliff face. After a few minutes, Kasumi, still full of question, asked, "So, where are we exactly?"

Ishihara answered, "The signs and such say 'Arashimine Resort'. Heard of it?"

Kasumi thought for a moment, before saying, "No, but at least we're in Japan."

Ichijou nodded, "Yeah, but we don't know if any towns are close by..."

Ishihara noted, "Oh yeah, we passed a Ranger Station on the way down. Some of the girls are looking at it now...aaaaahhh!" Kasumi jumped as he suddenly cried out. Looking around, Ishihara explained, "I totally forgot about Tamura-san! We split up to look for you!"

Ichijou thought for a moment, before nodding, "Okay, let's split up and find him."

"Then we're back to square one!" Kasumi blurted. The boys looked at her, surprised at her outburst. She looked away, mumbling, "I just...don't think it's a good idea to split up."

Ishihara nodded, "Well, we agreed to meet up at the Ranger Station in a couple hours if we didn't find you, so how about you two go ahead. I'll try and find Tamura-san, and if I can't, I'll meet up with him at the Ranger Station later."

Kasumi wondered, "Why not just wait at the Ranger Station?"

Ishihara stated, "I don't want him to be out there longer than he needs to be. Don't worry about me, you two go on ahead!"

"Alright, see you later then!" Ichijou waved. Ishihara nodded with a smile before heading back into the forest.

Suddenly a bit paranoid, Kasumi asked, "You don't think there's anything dangerous in the forest, do you?" Ichijou simply shrugged, likely having just a good a guess as her.

The two continued on, finally breaking free of the woods after several minutes. Looking around, Kasumi saw that the forest ended with a road, the pavement nestled the base of against another cliff on the opposite side. Kasumi saw a sign warning those on the road to be careful regarding falling rock. Strangely enough, there was a monitor on the wall above it. In front of the pair, the road sloped upward, going up and curling behind the cliff side. To the left, the road extended several dozen meters to a tunnel, which was blocked off by a massive boulder, along with a number of signs and obstructions to keep people away: the sign was not for show, apparently. About halfway between the tunnel and the slope, the pair could see the Ranger Station, a small wooden building with a sign sticking out over the road, reading 'Thank you for visiting Arashimine Resort'. Opposite the Station, Kasumi saw a large chain link fence door, the area behind it hard to perceive due to the sun still being high in the sky.

Wondering aloud, Ichijou said, "Who's in the Ranger Station, I wonder..." Without asking, he headed over, reasoning, "As good a time as any to get you acquainted with everyone, right? With that boulder, we're kinda stuck." Kasumi nodded, following.

As the two reached the Ranger Station, Kasumi stopped, pointing at the tunnel. The cliff continued for a while, but it seemed to lower into something of a hill, though the forest was still dense. "The tunnel looks closed, but we might be able to go around if we trek through the forest," Kasumi reasoned.

Ichijou agreed, "Yeah, that boulder's huge. It won't be going anywhere. Maybe we'll get a better view from up top?" Kasumi nodded, and the two headed into the Ranger Station.

It wasn't a very large building. In the reception area, Kasumi saw a desk, a partition leading to another room. Behind it, there was a monitor on the wall, similar to the one outside. There were a few chairs about, presumably for those waiting, along with an aquarium, with a number of colorful fish swimming about. It wasn't only Ichijou, Kasumi, and the fish present however: someone was tending to the aquarium, watching the fish as they swam. She was quite short, being perhaps about one and a half meters tall, by Kasumi's estimate. Her bright teal hair was very long, being at least a meter, tied into one long braid. Like Ichijou, she also went without shoes, only wearing a light green summer dress with a swirly pattern.

She turned to them, looking at them through her dark green eyes curiously. Spotting the Luckster, she lit up, bounding over. "Mitsuzi-kun! You're alright!" she exclaimed, ignoring any notions of personal space as she nearly bowled him over, wrapping her arms around him. As he gasped in surprise, Kasumi took a step back, not wanting to join them should they take an unexpected tumble to the floor.

Patting her back gingerly, Ichijou smiled, "Sorry to worry you, I'll try to be more careful next time."

The girl backed up, insisting, "I'm sorry, I would have gone to help look for you, but there was the most adorable bird! I got distracted and separated from Tamura-san and Ishihara-san, so I came back."

"Don't worry about it! Ishihara-san's out looking for Tamura-san, so they should be back soon," Ichijou nodded. Taking a step back he introduced the girls to each other, "Kasumi-san, this is Andou Moriko! She's the Super High School Level Environmentalist. Andou-san, th-"

"You can call me Moriko-chan!" Andou smiled brightly.

Ichijou returned the smile and finished, "Okay, Moriko-chan, this is Kasumi-san. She doesn't remember her Talent, or her surname..."

Andou frowned for a moment, before bringing a hand to her chin in thought, muttering, "So many strange things about this Resort... Regardless, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kasumi-chan! I was just feeding the fish. Aren't they adorable? I love the crowned seahorses because when two of them get close to each other, they look like a heart! And that white spotted pufferfish...I just want to hug it!" As she fawned, she clutched her face longingly, like a girl in love.

Giving a more proper introduction, Ichijou explained, "She told me earlier about how she got scouted for Hope's Peak Academy, it was pretty neat. She turned her house into a garden, using almost all the available space for plants. The landlord wanted them gone, but she wouldn't have it. They kept trying to take them down, but she managed to keep them from doing so, with some help."

"Fire ants," Andou nodded. "They have so much spirit! Their burning souls must be the reason for their shining color!"

Suddenly a bit put off, Ichijou said, "Er, how about you finish, Moriko-chan?"

Andou nodded, continuing, "Well, the landlord eventually called the authorities, so the police got involved, but I kept them away from my hard work. Then it got worse, news coverage...the helicopter was so scary! It looked so big... I was only eleven! I had some other help, but..."

Kasumi's eyes widened as she tried to imagine this already small girl even smaller, fending off police and firefighter alike with her woodland friends. Was being a weirdo requirement for having Talent? Moriko continued, "Don't worry, the Moriko garden still stands. I was able to convince them to be more proactive. They tried to reason with me, so I pointed out the city was closing two of its parks, and a bill had just been signed to put a factory there. I was just doing my part to keep the city green! Well, they finally relented, and the whole town started pitching in to try and be more efficient and eco-friendly." Raising her thumb, she nodded, "Mission: complete!"

"You were so brave, Moriko-chan!" Ichijou smiled, making Andou giggle.

Noticing something, Kasumi asked, "Er, what's that spot on your arm?"

Blinking, Andou held up her forearm, looking at a bleeding cut. Recalling, the short girl answered, "Oh, it was that bird earlier."

"I-it attacked you?" Kasumi asked, a bit worried, wondering if it was possibly infected.

Ichijou sighed, "Why are the birds around here so vicious?"

Getting defensive, Andou retorted, "It was only showing its love!" Kasumi had no words to offer.

Ichijou, suggested, "You might want to get that looked at though, Moriko-chan."

Andou sighed, "Perhaps you're right. I think I will. Thank you. And it was nice meeting you, Kasumi-chan. Good luck with your amnesia!"

Not sure how to respond to that, Kasumi mumbled, "O-okay..." With another smile, Andou skipped out the door.

Ichijou sighed, "She's enthusiastic, huh?"

"If that's the word you want to use for it," Kasumi mumbled. Ichijou looked at her a bit sheepishly, as if he wanted to say something. Kasumi inferred, realizing grimly, "...The others are strange too, aren't they?"

Ichijou didn't seem to want to say anything, moving through the desk to the door, opening it. he peeked inside, before heading in. Kasumi followed, hearing a female voice say, "Oh, Ichijou-san, you're back!"

Stepping in, the amnesiac saw not one, but two girls. One was closer by, smiling happily at Ichijou, the other was hanging around in the back, looking at the pair warily. The room seemed like a break room, with two couches and a table in the center of the room, the windows cracked open. On the wall near the door Kasumi just came through, there was a counter with a phone, and on the other side of the room, next to the window, seemed to be a radio, on yet another counter, not far from a small mini-fridge. Kasumi noticed yet another monitor, this one being tucked away into one of the corners of the ceiling.

"Oh, someone new. Hello!" the girl who had spoken to Ichijou before said excitedly. While Kasumi felt that she had been poorly dressed for the summer environment, this girl was even worse off. Her skin was well tanned, but she wore a heavy white winter coat with purple stripes down the arms and sides. She had purple eyes and her brown hair was tied into two tails that trailed in front of her shoulders, a purple beanie cap covering it her crown. Underneath her coat, she wore a white, short sleeved shirt, with a large black circle on it that was split by the word 'RUSH' in English. Kasumi could tell even with the heavy clothing that she had a healthy, buxom figure. Her pants were intended for heavy weather as her coat was and were also white, with a purple stripe down the side. They were tucked into heavy black boots as well.

Farther back in the room, Kasumi looked over other girl. Her hair was blonde, and tied into a ponytail. Her gray eyes darted around nervously, and she wore a dark gray raincoat over a slightly dirty white shirt that hung loosely above the rim of her blue shorts. She also wore a pair of brown boots. Not aware of the nervous girl's mood, the more cheerful one began talking to Kasumi, "Where did you come from? Everyone else woke up on the upper Level."

"Er, the forest, I don't remember much else," Kasumi answered.

Interrupting, Ichijou explained, "Kasumi-san here lost her memories, so we don't even know her Talent."

"Aw..." the girl in the winter clothing sighed, seeming to be a little disappointed. After a moment, she began, "Well, anyway, I'm Yokozuna Hina, the Super High School Level Snowboarder!"

Introducing herself properly, Kasumi explained, "Nice to meet you, I'm just Kasumi..."

To the surprise of the other three, the girl in the back suddenly spoke up, hissing, "That's not fair...you might be lying."

Kasumi gave her a hard look, asking, "What do you mean?"

The girl flinched, before looking over to Yokozuna, who tilted her head and asked, "What's the matter, Ayumi-chan?"

The girl with the blond ponytail turned to Yokozuna, replying, "Her name should be on her ElectroID."

"Huh? What's that?" Ichijou asked.

"What else could it be?" Kasumi replied, taking an educated guess and pulling out the card from earlier, turning it on. "Mine is broken, look," She said, trying to show Ayumi, pushing it towards her. The girl reacted, jumping back, rather than forwards. Looking around, she saw the window, quickly opening it and climbing out, scrambling away.

Yokozuna ran towards the window, crying out, "Ayumi-chan! Ayumi-chaaaaaan!" With a dejected look, she turned back to the other two, sighing, "Sorry about that, guys. She's been twitchy all day, hasn't she?"

Ichijou nodded, saying disappointedly, "I know, I know. I still haven't even heard her Talent yet! Thanks for helping with her earlier though." Turning to the pale purple haired girl, he added, "Sorry, Kasumi-san, I should have warned you."

Stowing her ElectroID, Kasumi sighed, "It's not a big deal. How did she know what the ElectroID was called though?"

Ichijou shrugged, but Yokozuna answered, "She was looking at it earlier, maybe the name popped up somewhere while she was reading it."

Realizing that neither Ichijou or Ishihara had known what it was named, Kasumi grumbled to herself, "Do either of those two even read?" Kasumi would have gone through every menu had she been able. She'd probably try to borrow Ichijou's later.

Turning back to Yokozuna, Kasumi asked, "So, why are you dressed like that if there's no snow?"

Yokozuna tilted her head, ""Huh? No snow? Arashimine Mountain has some great slopes! I took part in a contest here a couple winters ago!"

Suddenly curious, Kasumi inquired, "So, you've been here before?"

Yokozuna nodded, "Well, the road wasn't blocked, and the Resort wasn't this big, but I did! It was fun! I can't wait to go back up and do some boarding. Wanna join me? I'll show you how!"

Ichijou smiled, "Sure! I've never heard of it before. Sounds interesting!"

Kasumi shook her head, "I might be willing to watch, since I haven't seen it before either, but I can't say it sounds like something I'd enjoy."

Ichijou scoffed, "How do you know, you might also be a Super High School Level Snowboarder!"

"Or a Skier!" Yokozuna smiled.

"Or a Snow Shoveler!" Ichijou nodded.

"...I hope not," Kasumi frowned.

"Shoveling snow is pretty important though, what if you got snowed it?" Yokozuna reasoned.

Kasumi shook her head, "But to be defined by it?"

Yokozuna pouted, "Gooooosh, we were just kidding. Jeez, you're so serious! Super High School Level Serious!" Kasumi simply sighed, not wanting to explain that she had every right to be.

Wanting to point something out, Kasumi noted, "Has anyone tried the phone or radio?"

Yokozuna nodded, "The phone is weird: the number buttons don't work, but you can still call." Kasumi, not understanding, didn't say anything, simply staring blankly. Seeing her confusion, Yokozuna said, "Er, here, let me just show you." Walking over, Kasumi got a closer look at the phone. The receiver sat on top of the green machine. Its numbers looked normal, but the row of five next to them were marked differently, from 'Line 0' all the way to 'Line 4'. Each button also had a light above it. Yokozuna lifted the receiver, the dial tone being heard clearly.

Ichijou leaned in, interested, saying, "Wasn't there something like this in the shack on the upper level?"

Curious, Yokozuna asked, "Oh, really? I didn't see. I wonder..." Explaining, Yokozuna added, "Earlier, me and Ayumi-chan didn't get anyone to pick up, but we only tried 4 and 2."

"Try the others?" Kasumi suggested. Yokozuna nodded, moving one of her ponytails out of the way and putting the receiver to her ear before pressing Line 0. Kasumi and Ichijou leaned in, wanting to hear. Kasumi caught the sound of the line connecting instantly, there was no ringing.

Yokozuna spoke, "Hello?"

Almost immediately, the trio heard back a girl's voice back, "Hello?"

Smiling, Yokozuna spoke back, "Who's this?"

The return started before she'd even finished, they'd heard, "Who's this?"

Realizing something, Kasumi began, "I think-"

Yokozuna however, replied, "This is Yokozuna Hina!"

Again, before she'd even finished, they heard, "This is Yokozuna Hina!"

Getting flustered, the Snowboarder shouted, "Hey, stop that!"

"Hey, stop that!"

Bearing her teeth, Yokozuna hissed, "I'll get you!"

"I'll get you!"

Kasumi quickly grabbed the receiver from Yokozuna before things could escalate, explaining, "I think that this phone is Line 0. You were...talking to yourself."

Flushing a little bit, Yokozuna grabbed her purple beanie, pulling it over her eyes and groaning. She then lightly slapped her face, before sighing, mumbling, "Er, you guys can mess with it a bit more, I'm going to go try and find Ayumi-chan..." Hurriedly, as if running from the embarrassment she could never escape on foot, she left the room.

After a moment, Ichijou Mitsuzi laughed, "Hah, that was weird! I've seen a phone before, but I've never used one."

Piecing a few things together, Kasumi guessed, "Hmm, did you live in the countryside, perhaps?"

Ichijou gaped for a moment, before throwing back his head and laughing, his black hair parting. Turning back to her, Kasumi briefly saw his brown eyes for the first time before his hair settled back into place over them. He nodded, "That's right, you're smart!"

Satisfied by her deduction, Kasumi, still holding the receiver, decided to try one of the other Lines. She pressed Line 3, and the phone began to rang. Kasumi let it go for a moment, before the phone was picked up. "Hello?" Kasumi spoke, hoping to get an answer back.

There was no answer, at first. Then after a moment of silence, there was a giggle, then a laugh. It was one of mocking laughter, not one of mirth. Heart starting to race, Kasumi asked again, "Hello? Who's there?" There was a sudden click: whoever it was had hung up. Kasumi pressed Line 3 again, trying to call back, but this time, the phone rang until Kasumi finally put down the receiver.

Ichijou suddenly seemed a little serious, muttering, "That was creepy..." Kasumi didn't have a response to give. A part of wanted to try the other Lines, but that one call had turned her off of it.

Deciding she was done here, she led the way out, Ichijou following casually. They left the Ranger Station, returning to the outside. Immediately, Kasumi noticed yet another Hope's Peak Student, whom was standing as if he'd just gotten out of the forest, looking around. The boy spotted Kasumi and Ichijou, saying, "Oh, there you are, Ichijou-san." As he approached, Kasumi noticed he was quite tall for a High School student. He had short black hair, which perked up a little at the sides above his ears, and some stubble on his chin. He had orange eyes and wore a blue jumpsuit, the logo over his heart reading 'JAXA', a nametag visible underneath. Under his right shoulder, Kasumi saw the Japanese flag. Having a bit of dirt and twigs on him, it was clear he had been in the forest as Ishihara and Ichijou were.

Kasumi didn't even need to get a good look at the nametag to guess, "Tamura-san, I presume?"

The tall boy nodded, looking at Kasumi quizzically. He asked, "Where did you pop up from? We gave the upper area a pretty good look."

"I found her after I fell. This is Kasumi-san!" Ichijou explained.

Tamura scratched his head, replying, "Ah, I see. I just assumed it was only the fourteen of us. Well, nice to meet you then. Tamura Ryunosuke."

Interrupting, Ichijou stated excitedly, "He's got to have the best Talent! Go on, tell her!"

Tamura smiled, saying, "I'm the Super High School Level ASCAN. That's short for Astronaut Candidate."

Kasumi nodded, and Ichijou added, "Astronauts go to space! That's so amazing! I wish I could be an astronaut."

Tamura laughed, "There's still time! You're probably too young. You need to finish school first, for starters."

Raising an eyebrow, Kasumi asked, "You can't be that much older, weren't you just admitted to Hope's Peak Academy?"

A bit sarcastically, Tamura replied, "Nothing gets by you." Continuing, he explained, "But yes, I cheated. Or to be more specific, faked my identity. I had some friends to pretend to be references and well, once I was in the selection process, it was a piece of cake. Of course, once I was selected, I told them the truth about who I was, and the story ended up getting out. JAXA and NASA ended up deciding that I wouldn't be able to finish my training until I passed High School."

Thinking, Kasumi said, "I've heard of NASA, but not JAXA."

"It's the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. Basically, Japan's space program. They sort through Japan's astronaut applicants, bring the promising ones in for initial scouting, and continue to narrow them down through numerous trials and tests. I think there were around three-hundred and thirty three accepted after the initial resume screening, then closer to forty after the first exam. I was one of three astronauts selected to begin the actual training," Tamura elaborated. Kasumi had to admit, that was impressive: less than one percent had passed, and he was competing for those spots against full grown adults...

"Huh? You haven't actually gone to space yet?" Ichijou asked in confusion.

Tamura scratched his head, "No, I don't think I said that. I mean, I told you what JAXA and NASA did, but I'm still not quite a part of that yet. I've got a long way to go." Looking at Kasumi, he changed subjects, asking, "More importantly...where's Ishihara-san?" Kasumi was a bit relieved, he didn't seem particularly interested in her, and she didn't want to have to explain her amnesia any more than she had too.

Ichijou answered, "Oh, right. He went back to look for you once he found out I was safe."

Tamura nodded, "So he's still out there, huh? Hmm..."

Kasumi asked, "You're not going back there, are you?"

Tamura sighed, "I could just wait here for him, but I don't want him to think I ditched him. I'll go back and see if I can't find him for a little while before coming back."

For a moment, Kasumi wanted to stop him, imagining a bizarre scenario where the two continued to renter the forest, trying to find each other, but she figured it would work itself out eventually. "Be careful," Kasumi warned. With a halfhearted wave, Tamura turned back, casually returning to the forest.

Kasumi turned back to Ichijou, who still seemed a little disappointed. "What's wrong? You'd thought he'd been to space?" Kasumi asked.

Ichijou sighed, before a smile returned to his face, "Well, I guess I thought it was cool to be talking to someone who'd been to space, but he'll probably find himself there eventually. Then I will be talking to a person who's been to space!" Kasumi let out a slight sigh, smiling slightly. She had to admit, he was kind of endearing.

Looking around for where to explore next, Kasumi noticed the chain link fence door in the rock wall again, though she was still unable to see much inside. In fact, it seemed darker than earlier somehow. Kasumi opened her mouth and pointed, but Ichijou interrupted, "Huh, I wonder what that is. Wanna take a look?"

"Sure," Kasumi nodded, taking the lead as the headed over. Reaching the door, she saw simple latch, which was easily lifted, allowing her to open the door. Looking into the tunnel, it was pitch black. Turning to Ichijou, she saw he was covering his eyes with his hand. Blinking in bewilderment, she asked, "...What are you doing, Ichijou-san?"

Cracking two fingers open and looking at her with his brown eye, he answered, "Adjusting my eyes to the dark so I can see easier." After a few moments, he took the lead from Kasumi going in, removing his hand from his face. Kasumi moved to follow into the dark tunnel, nearly losing sight of Ichijou in the low light.

After less than a minute of walking, Kasumi was nearly blind. Unable to keep her footing on the uneven ground, she eventually tripped, crying out in shock, she reached her hand out, failing to grab onto anything as she hit the stone fairly painfully, jarring her chin.

"Kasumi-san!?" Ichijou gasped, turning around, tripping over Kasumi's outstretched arm, landing on the stone himself, grunting in pain. As Kasumi groaned in irritation, she noticed there was a bit of light above. Checking, there was a light bulb, dimly lit, but growing brighter. As it glowed, she noticed others along the tunnel, beginning to illuminate it.

Kasumi got to her feet, turning to help Ichijou up. "So much for adjusting your eyes..." Kasumi droned.

"Yeah, who do you think turned on the lights?" Ichijou said innocently. Kasumi puffed out her cheek, wanting to smack him for his denseness, but it was technically her fault that he fell. Turning, she instead continued to head down the tunnel, which finally opened up in to a large Auditorium. There were several rows of white bleachers, all facing a well illuminated stage. Kasumi noticed two people here. One was familiar, crawling out from under one of the benches close to the stage, a kitchen knife in her hand, while the other was climbing down from the stage onto the dirt and stone floor, saying something, his words echoing incomprehensibly. The two seemed to notice Ichijou and Kasumi, stopping.

As they approached, Ayumi, the blonde girl from the Ranger Station, still wearing her gray raincoat, stowed her knife hastily. The other, Kasumi had yet to meet. He was fairly tall, and had a professional look to him, wearing a navy blue suit, his belt and dress shoes black, the coat hanging open over his white, buttoned, dress shirt. His dark blue hair was parted, the bangs on his left side hanging over his left eye, his right shining gray.

"What's going on here?" Ichijou asked, looking between Ayumi and the boy in the suit.

The boy was the one who answered, explaining, "I apologized already: it was my mistake." He pointed over back to the stage, saying, "You see, there was a console over there. I was toying with it, and I ended up mistakenly shutting off all of the lights. Nagasaki-san didn't take kindly to it, retreating under the bench. When I turned the lights back on, I saw her, shaking like a leaf, knife drawn."

Kasumi looked back to Ayumi, whom had moved a step or two away quietly. Kasumi looked back at the boy, replying, "You caused a bit of trouble for us too, you know."

"We tripped," Ichijou added.

The dark blue haired boy pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he rubbed the area. Removing his hand, he said, "Dear me, I seem to have made quite the blunder. It was an honest mistake. If we have the material somewhere, I could perhaps craft a sign? Warning others not to mess with it?"

Kasumi thought for a moment, before concurring, "Well, it would be better than nothing."

The boy smiled, "I'll begin work on it as soon as able. But first, I must say, I'm quite interested in you. May I have your name?"

Ichijou was about to jump in and introduce her again, but Kasumi quickly said, "Give me one minute, if you please." Looking back at Nagasaki, the girl seemed to be inching around Ichijou and Kasumi, trying to reach the door. Nagasaki, noticing Kasumi's gaze, froze, eyes darting around. As Kasumi made to approach, she reached her hand into her pocket, locking eyes with the pale purple haired girl.

Kasumi stopped, sighing, "Why are you afraid of me?"

Nagasaki looked aside, musing, "It's not you, it's...I expected to be in school, surrounded by people and walls, not a Resort."

The boy with the dark blue hair noted, "It's as I said before, you're hardly the only one anxious. We're all trying to get our bearings on things. It's no excuse to go drawing knives on people."

Nagasaki looked away, a bit shameful, before saying, "Sorry."

The boy smiled, "Apology accepted."

Nagasaki looked back up at Kasumi sheepishly, admitting, "I'm sorry about earlier, I thought you were..lying about your amnesia. Then when you came at me I...panicked... Yokozuna...er, Hina-chan, must think I'm crazy."

Ichijou tried to reassure her, saying, "You seem fine right now though!" Not liking the implication, Kasumi elbowed him in the arm. The Luckster grunted, leaning away and frowning at Kasumi.

Nagasaki requested, "Er, could we...start over?"

Kasumi nodded, smiling slightly as she replied, "Absolutely." Her hand twitched as she considered raising it for a handshake, but she wisely decided against it.

Giving a bit of a forced, nervous smile, Nagasaki introduced herself properly; "I'm Nagasaki Ayumi. Super High School Level Survivalist."

Kasumi nodded in understanding as Ichijou gaped in interest. Kasumi said, "I see. Come to think of it, you seem to have good survival instinct." Nagasaki simply nodded her head, rubbing her arm with her free hand, still a bit nervous.

The boy in the blue suit looked to her and asked softly, "If I may inquire, how did you earn such a distinction?"

"I wanna know too!" Ichijou butted in with a grin.

Nagasaki looked around for a moment, before answering, "I...got into a boat accident when I was seven. I didn't see another person until I was rescued ten years later. I was on an archipelago of small islands. I got food by diving underwater, and kept hydrated by collecting evaporated seawater. I finally managed to make a raft and move to a bigger island, but, well...that one had some dangerous wildlife. I don't like to talk about it..." Nagasaki's eyes darted around, and she seemed to be getting anxious, sweating a bit.

As she wiped her forehead, Kasumi quickly said, "I won't press you."

Nagasaki mumbled something, breathing heavily, before saying, "I-isn't it kinda cramped in here? I-I'm gonna go get some air. F-find Hina-chan and, er, apologize."

Fearing she was about to have an anxiety attack, Kasumi made sure she was clear, stepping to the side, insisting with some concern, "Don't let us stop you!" Free to go, Nagasaki rushed past, heading to the tunnel, hurrying out of sight. Kasumi let out a sigh of relief: Nagasaki had been making her anxious.

"Survivalist, huh? That's pretty neat. I don't know how long I could live on just islands, and I'm ten years older than she was," Ichijou mused. Kasumi wanted to say of course you don't otherwise it'd be your Talent and not hers, but she stopped herself. Perhaps keeping her mouth shut was her Talent?

The boy in the suit added, "You'd think a Survivalist would have a more level head, but I suppose to earn such a title, she must have done something right." Turning to Kasumi, he changed subjects, saying, "Now, I don't think we've had the pleasure of acquainting. I go by Sanada, Sanada Shinji. I am known as the Super High School Level Debater." After his introduction, he let out a satisfied chortle, as if amused by something or other. Kasumi gave him a hard look, and he smiled innocently, responding, "Sorry, I just recalled a small detail. Please, introduce yourself."

Still not sure about him, Kasumi spoke, "Kasumi. That's all: I have no knowledge of my family name or Talent, let alone anything before I woke up earlier."

Sanada nodded, adding, "Oh, straight to the point, aren't we? I must wonder: have you talked to Saruta-san yet?" Not familiar with the name, Kasumi shook her head. "Oh, I see, I'd recommend it; he might have some helpful advice." Suddenly, he changed his tone, looking aside as he said in a slightly deeper voice, "Not necessarily, he's no Neurologist or Psychologist; it's hard to say for sure if he can help." Turning his head to the other side, he finished normally, "True, but Saruta-san is the most qualified of the fifteen of us to give his opinion on such a dilemma."

Kasumi felt her jaw drop a little before she shook her head and sighed: he was normal for at least a little while. Noticing her change in attitude, Sanada asked, "Is there a problem?"

Kasumi shook her head, saying, "No, it's just...must you do that?"

"Do what?" Sanada replied with a knowing smile. Faltering a bit under Kasumi's hard look, he admitted, "My apologies, but when I come up with a counter argument, I feel the compulsion to share, even if it's against myself. Unless, of course, it were an actual debate, in which I would wisely keep quiet while coming up with a counter-counter argument to my own counter argument, in case my opponent uses it. How far can one think ahead? How much can one predict their opponent? Such things are what decide the course of the debate."

Ichijou nodded in understanding as Kasumi wondered, "What about the prior research regarding the debate subject?"

Sanada smiled, "You must not follow politics. As long as you can convince the audience you're right, you don't need to know a thing about what you're talking about. You'd be surprised how much people will believe as long as the person they're hearing it from sounds like they know what they're saying."

Kasumi gave him a hard look, insisting, "You can't be serious."

Sanada gave a slight smile as he ran his fingers through his parted bangs, replying, "I'm half joking. Perhaps." The conversation finished, Sanada put his hands into his pockets and returned to looking around, walking through the bleachers slowly. Doing the math, Kasumi realized there were still seven more here she had yet to meet.

Looking around, Ichijou ruffled his black hair before asking, "Wanna go look at the stage?"

Kasumi shrugged, "I don't see why not." The two headed up, going around the elevated front until they found a set of stairs on the side. Looking around, they noticed an area behind the stage, and another tunnel in the rock. Kasumi noticed what Sanada had been talking about earlier: a control console, which seemed to have some simple switches and slides for adjusting the lights, mostly.

Noting something, Kasumi said, "It seems fairly clear what does what to me..."

Ichijou nodded, before saying, "Maybe Sanada-san wasn't sure if it would work?" Lighting up, he said more firmly, "Or, he came up with a counter argument that it might not work, and had to prove it."

Realizing something, Kasumi nodded, but had to mention, "It's strange though, the lights must have been off for at least two or three minutes. Why wait so long to turn them on?"

"Why, I couldn't find the right button, of course," Sanada suddenly said, appearing from the stage. Kasumi let out a small gasp of fright, before composing herself. Shinji smiled, before saying, "Excuse my intrusion, I just wanted to say a couple things. For starters, that tunnel leads to a few empty rooms, likely used for preparations by any performers, if you were curious." Continuing, he mentioned, "The other thing that was bothering me is...why were we brought here? Any ideas, Ichijou-san?"

The Luckster pondered for a moment, before saying, "Don't Academies do things like class trips to other cities? Someone was talking about that earlier..."

"But not this early in the year, and for it to happen so suddenly?" Sanada argued. Coming up with some other suggestions, he reasoned, "As it appears to have been done without consent, it can't exactly be legal, which rules out social experiments. We aren't being filmed, so it's no show... I suppose will just have to find out somehow."

Kasumi felt her heart flutter: if she could just get her hands on a working ElectroID or find something else while exploring to solve this mystery... Ending her train of thought, Kasumi said plainly, "I'm going to continue looking around."

"Don't let me stop you," Sanada nodded, turning and heading off as Kasumi and Ichijou exited the stage, returning to the now lit tunnel, going through it until they reached the road outside.

Nodding, Ichijou turned to head up the slope to the next level, but Kasumi grabbed him by the collar of his light blue yukata, saying, "Wait a moment." Something was off...

Chapter 1-1 was more than 17,000 words alone, so I split it into two parts for your convenience. Author notes are at the end of the second part. You're 9/17ths of the way there! Go take a break. :3