Persona Zero: The First Journey

Chapter 5: The Ice Prince

BlueDestiny: Hey! Welcome to the new chapter! Been waiting long?

Philemon: It has been approximately 2 days since your last update.

BlueDestiny: Thanks for the notification, Phil! Hey, can I have a Persona?

Philemon: No.

BlueDestiny: H-Huh? B-But why?

Philemon: Because, my dear Blue, Persona and all of its characters, me included, solely belong to Atlus. You do not own Persona in any way at all. You've been asserting this for the last five chapters…

BlueDestiny: …Just get back to your story.

Philemon: Enjoy the chapter, my dear guests! *snaps fingers*

Narukami Household, Iwatodai Residential District, April 13, 1990

Souji woke up early today, as he gets ready for another day at school. Being absent for four days is a serious setback to his studies, so he was going to make the most out of this day catching up to whatever he had missed. His mom thought otherwise. "Are you sure you're well enough to go, Souji-chan?" she asked him when he addresses this matter to her yesterday. "You may have been studying a little too hard, according to the doctor." Souji knew she was concerned about his well-being, but other than his academics, he also had another reason to go; the letter from that senior. Apparently, she doesn't know about the warehouse incident. Either he carried Souji away before authorities arrived on the scene or she wasn't told he was found there. Either way, he thinks its better this way; he really didn't want her to worry about him too much. In any case, it was imperative for him to attend school today, for the classes and finally meeting face to face with the senior, and maybe getting more clues about his newfound powers, and the 'terrible ordeal' Philemon spoke of that will soon descend upon the world.

Souji descended the stairs to the living room after putting on his Reisen High uniform. "Good morning, Souji-chan!" his mother called out cheerfully from the kitchen. "Had a good night's sleep?" Souji nodded. "Yeah, I feel a lot of better now." "That's good to hear," she replied. "Breakfast's on the table. I made your favorite!"

Oh boy, OMELETS!

Upon hearing that, Souji zoomed to the dining table where sure enough, a plate of mouth watering, sweet smelling, DELICIOUS OMELETS. And his mom makes the best omelets there is. But before he could chow down the heavenly treat, something caught his attention. There were two plates of omelets on the table. That's odd, Souji thought to himself. Mom usually eats after he heads out to school, and Dad is on a business trip, and won't be back till tonight. "Mom?" he called out. "You're going to eat this one?" "Nope," she answered. "That's for our guest today!" Guest? Who could it be? As soon did he wonder about that, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" he said as he reached for the front door. Who could it be? As soon as he opened the door, he got his answer soon enough.

"Duuuude!" Souji had very little time to react as Fuyuki grabs his hands and began to apologize profusely. "I'm sorry, dude! I never should've taken you out to the arcade!" Souji was dumbfounded by his friend's words. Since when wasit his fault? "We found out you were hospitalized when Ms. Tachibana got a call from your mom in the middle of class. We were wondering where you were, since you hadn't arrived yet. Then she said you were found unconscious by someone and in a coma." Souji had to admit, the pathetic puppy face he's giving him is convincing, and he can't help but feel sorry for him, despite him misinterpreting the situation. He entered that warehouse on his own accord. But then again, he can't tell that now, can he? So he decided to just go with the flow. "Then Hoshi-chan started chewing me out! She thinks it's my fault for making you overwork yourself with all that homework you left to hang out with me! It was all because I tried to guide you down the path of laziness!" Well, Souji thought, he admits there's a point there. The amount of work was pretty big, but still it wasn't exhausting to the point of collapse, as he is asserting. He probably thinks Hoshino is using this as something to get on him for being a slacker. Looks like it did the trick alright. But suddenly, he thought of something. "How did you know I live here?" he asked.

"Oh," Shizune said, arriving at the door herself. "Good morning, Shirakawa-kun. You're just in time for breakfast, too!" "Goodie!" He became completely chipper again, much to Souji's astonishment. "You make the best omelets, Narukami-obasan!" He then gave a plate a whiff. "Woo! With eggs this nicely cooked, I can spend the day just eating these!"

…About what he thought just now about him, he takes that back, as he watched him attacking his plate of omelets with the force of a starving monster. "I met Shirakawa-kun when I was visiting you in the hospital," Shizune said, "He said you were his classmate, so I invited him over. He is such a sweet boy." Souji looked at his mom, to the 'sweet boy' wolfing down the omelets. Where the 'sweet' part is, he may never know. "Come on, Souji-chan," she then ushered her over to the table. "Your omelets are getting cold." "Yeah, Souji!" Fuyuki said between his chews. "Yeah, you don't want these savory goodness go to waste, right?" Well, Souji thought, that's one thing he could agree upon. "Idatakimasu~" he said as he ate the omelets.

Man, these are good.

Naganaki Street, West Iwatodai

The normally quiet neighborhood was then broke by the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching the vicinity, albeit slowly rumbling compared to the loud wailing the machine is capable of. But the boy respected the residents of this area's wish of not to be disturbed in the mornings, so the RG500 rumbled slowly down the road. But this does not bother the boy. Sometimes, it's nice to take it slowly and enjoy the calm, peaceful scenery while feeling the cool morning breeze. Then, once he reached downtown, he can let his bike roar as much as it wants down the city streets. He still needs to be earlier than most students, so he and his bike would not attract any attention.

And he dislikes being under unnecessary attention.

He stopped by the local convenience store to purchase his lunch. He does not want to bother competing with the other students for food at the school cafeteria. A simple egg sandwich and a bottle of green tea was his choice for the day. After he made the purchase, he headed out to where his trusty bike was waiting. But then, something caught his eye. In front of him a distance away was a young woman, wearing a white, long sleeved blouse and a long, grey skirt. She seems to be examining her bicycle. Upon his observation, it seems her bike chains broke. Something then ticks in his mind. He thinks he knows who she is. Then, without realizing it, he approached the woman. As he walked over, the woman heard his footsteps and turned around. Upon seeing her face close, he then remembered who this person is. Her anxious face then brightened when she saw him. "Ah, you're…"

Reisen High School, East Iwatodai

"It's good to see you're alright, Narukami-kun," Ms. Tachibana said, after calling Souji to the faculty office when she encountered him at the courtyard. "I admit, by the way your mother talked to me on the phone, she sounded like she was ready to burst into tears at any moment then." Another pang of guilt hits Souji. Did he look that bad when they found him? "Well, you don't have to worry," she assured him. "I don't know about the other classes, but mine hasn't gone too far into the syllabus," she then frowned a bit. "You can thank Shirakawa-kun for that. Does he really think I could get fooled for the 'my dog ate my homework' trick?" Souji made a mental note to ask Fuyuki just how in the world he managed to get into this school. "As his friend, Narukami-kun," she then looked sternly at him. "I advise you to make sure he does not goof up this year. He only barely managed to pass the finals last year, no doubt thanks to Hoshino-kun. From what I read from his record, he has been doing this since his middle school days."

…Addendum to the note, ask him just how he managed to even survive his school life.

"I'll do my best, miss," he said. She sighed before giving him a smile. "Don't overexert yourself, Narukami-kun. You don't want your mother worrying about you working yourself out again. If you ever need any help, I'm always available," before frowning again. "Trust me, with Shirakawa, you'll need it." Souji was dismissed as Ms. Tachibana headed out to another class. "Ah, good morning, Yuki-kun," she greeted someone just outside the door. Souji took a peek and to his surprise, it was that guy. The boy too, noticed Souji, briefly making eye contact before returning to Ms. Tachibana. "What brings you here?" she said. "If it's another attempted theft of your bike then…" The boy, Yuki, as Souji finally knew his name, shook his head. "You're in charge of the freshmen and new intakes, correct?" Ms. Tachibana looked at him for a moment and answered, "Why, yes I am. Is there anything I can help you with?" "I'm here to check on the class of a certain Haruko Sakura. It's uh…quite urgent." "Oh, Sakura-kun?" she said, "She's in 1-B." "Thanks," was his reply as he walked briskly away. "Hey, wait, Yuki-kun!" she called out to him, but he turned into a corner and disappeared from sight. "Geez, what's with him?"

Souji, who had been watching the whole scene, finally went up to Ms. Tachibana. "Uh, miss…" "Gah!" she yelped, not realizing he was there. "Narukami-kun, you're still here?" "Ah, sorry, miss…" Souji apologized. "I was just wondering who you're talking to." "Oh, him?" she said. "That's Shinosuke Yuki, class 3-A." she frowned as she looked back at the place he disappeared to. "Vice Captain and ace of the Kendo Team, and…" she let out a sigh, "…prime target of affection of many female students here." Souji did a silent double take on the last one. "Girls here have been striving to get his attention ever since he showed up on that motorbike of his," Ms. Tachibana continued, obviously sounding annoyed, for some reason. "But that boy, nothing fazes him. He shot down every confession he receives, bluntly and coldly, and just walked away like nothing happens. But they never gave up on him. Since then, girls call that quest of theirs 'The Ice Prince Challenge' or something." Souji took a look at the corner where he had disappeared.

The Ice Prince, huh?

"Hey, look! It's Yuki-senpai!"

"Isn't he the coolest?"

Yuki sighed as he walked through the hallway of the main building's first floor, which was unfortunately filled with students already. Can't I go anywhere in this place without hearing whispers? Usually, he would keep to himself and stay at the rooftop, where there are hardly any students in the morning. And he would rather be there than endure all this staring and screaming. But, as luck would have had it…

"You're Yuki-kun, right?" The boy nodded. "You remember me, right?" The young woman said. "I'm Himiko, Haruko's sister. The one you…" "I remember," Yuki interrupted her. It's best if he didn't go through that again. "You seem to be having troubles with your bike." "Oh, yeah…" she said, looking back at her busted bike chain. "Well, it is an old bike. I've been using it since I was in middle school. I used to take Haru-chan to school and back with this." Yuki looked at the bike chain. "I can fix this, Himiko-san. This isn't too badly damaged." "Ah, you don't have to do that!" she suddenly exclaimed, surprising Yuki. "I mean, I can take it to the workshop, no problem, but…" she looked at the bike's basket, which contained something Yuki guessed was a bento box. "Haru-chan seems to have forgotten her lunch, since she was in a hurry to catch the train." She sighed. "I could give it to her, but I'll be late for work if I walk there…"

"I'll do it," Yuki suddenly said. "E-Eh? You'd give it to Haru-chan?"Himiko exclaimed again. She really needs to control that voice, Yuki thought. "B-But…um…doesn't it bother you?" "No," he simply said, as he took the bento box out of the basket. Himiko looked like she was about to object some more, so Yuki assured her. "It's no bother at all. We go to the same school, after all." He then puts it into his bag and headed back to his bike. Himiko's mouth opened a bit, and then closed, seeing that Yuki had a point. Then, her eyes widen, then she gave a knowing smile. "My, my. Could it be that you have a thing with my little Haru?"

Yuki nearly stumbled at those words, but gave no comment. He merely put on his helmet and slammed his visor shut. He then revved up the RG500's engines as he prepared to head out. "Tell Haru-chan I said hi!" Himiko shouted to Yuki above the sound of his engines. Yuki nodded, signaling that he hears her and sped off with a wail of the RG500's two stroke engines. As he zooms through the road, he realizes something important. He didn't know her class.

…Damn it.

…And that's how he got here. As he walked a little longer, feigning deafness at the girls cooing on him, he finally reached Class 1-B. As he reaches the front doors of the class, a scene occurred which Yuki can only describe as 'hell broke loose'.

"KYAAAA!"

'Yuki-senpai? Here? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!"

The girls were screaming, gasping and repeatedly said his name out of pure shock and delight. A girl actually fainted at her seat upon seeing him. The boys, however, looked distraught at his presence. "What the hell is he doing here?" "He got all the girls crazy just by standing there? What kinda trick did he use?" were some of the things he heard. Yuki sighed at all the commotion he's doing. He needs to get this done quick. But, as he looked around, his target was nowhere to be found. Yuki was a bit doubtful whether or not he should do what he needs to do, but still…

"Excuse me…"

"YES, YUKI-SENPAI?" was the united reply of all the girls in the class, even those who fainted suddenly awoke to answer him. They were putting on faces of absolute joy and hopefulness. Well, he thought, here goes…

"…Have you seen where Sakura Haruko is?"

Immediately, the girls' hopeful faces disappeared into faces of disbelief. Knew it. "She was helping Ms. Furukawa carry stuff to the senior's block, Senpai," came the answer from a boy sitting at the back. "Thanks," he said as he heads off at that direction. Of course, as he was walking away, he heard the girls' whispering among themselves. "What does he want with her?" "Yuki-senpai? With her? Please…" was some he managed to hear. A part of his mind wanted him to go there and chew them up, but he decides it isn't worth it. Calm your soul, he repeated to himself. Calm your soul…

The senior's block was the secondary building behind the main building, connected to the latter via a walkway accessible on the first floor of both buildings. It's also where all the cultural clubrooms are located, but since it's still early in the year, club meetings aren't held yet. Walking here is less stressful than the main building's corridors, since the female senior students managed to either have constraint to call him out loudly, or have boyfriends already, although he always given a few questionable winks and coy smiles from most of them. As always, he ignored all of them. As he was walking around the ground floor of the senior's block, he noticed a bunch of girls in front of the drama club. As he quietly moved closer, he saw what exactly is going on, and took a deep breath and exhaled out of annoyance. Not again…

"…Please, stop…" said the first year girl who was cornered by a red haired brunette with two others by her side. "Not unless you tell me why you're following him!" the red haired said, the other two nodded in agreement. "I-I wasn't following him…honest!" the younger said desperately. "Please let me go, Senpai!" The red hair was obviously not happy with her response, as she suddenly seized the girl by the collar of her uniform. "Kyaa!" she yelped, as she was brought closer to the red hair's face. "Listen, you. Don't you DARE go near my Shinosuke again. If you do, I'll…"

"…Ahem."

"AH!" the three girls wheeled around in surprise as Yuki was standing behind them. Then, as immediate as a light bulb turning on at the flick of a switch, their attitude changed dramatically. "Shinosuke-kun!" the red haired girl said, with an eerily cheerful tone and an innocent, smiling face. "We were just, um…helping out Sakura here with some stuff!" She suddenly wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulder. "Right, Sakura?" she said to the girl. While her smile was still there, her eyes stared menacingly at the girl. She got the message and nodded weakly at Yuki. He raises his eyebrow. Either she thinks I'm retarded or the whole world is. "Well, if you excuse me," he said, "I need to talk with her for a moment. You three should head back to class." "Eh?" the red haired girl said, sounding obviously disappointed. "If you need something, you can always talk to me~" she said the last part with a seductive tone, while winking her eyes rapidly at him. "This doesn't concern you, Kirishima," he said, fed up of the act and took the girl's hand. "Ah!" was the response she gave, and her face began to flush red. "Now, excuse us," he said as he took the girl back to the main building. As the girl looked back, she saw the red haired girl giving her a face comparable to an angry serial killer, and quickly turned away, and didn't look back.

"I'm sorry, Senpai," she finally said when they are at the walkway between the two school buildings. "I keep giving you trouble, ever since t-that day," she shivered a bit when she said that. Yuki stopped and let go of her hand suddenly. "Eh?" she said, as he put down his bag he was carrying and pulled the box out. "Huh?" she said as she saw what he pulled out. "M-My bento?" She took the box from Yuki's hand, her own hands shaking a bit. "I must have forgotten about it while I was rushing out from home…"

"Why didn't you say something?" Yuki suddenly said, interrupting the girl. "Eh?" she replied. "What do you mean?" "Why didn't you tell anyone you were being bullied?" Yuki said, his voice said louder, completely the opposite of the cold, deadpan tone he always used. It sounded more emotional, something the girl has never heard of before. "I…I was…That was…" she fumbled over her words. She looked up and saw Yuki's face. He looked really mad at her, which causes her to look back at her shoes, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I-I'm s-sorry…Senpai…" Yuki was quick to realize his mistake and his face softened a bit. He then held her right hand, causing the girl to be surprised and looked back at his face. "It's alright," he said. "If you don't want to tell me, that's alright." "N-No, it's not that!" she said. Yuki raised his eyebrows, to which she stuttered before finally giving a coherent response. "You know Kirishima-senpai's the daughter of the school's Parent and Teacher Committee, right?" she glanced away, holding the box closely upon her chest. "If I say something, then…then" Yuki then gave her something the other girls would kill to receive.

He gave her a hug.

"I'll take care of you," Yuki said to the now really red in the face girl, who was stammering silent gibberish before finally saying, "Y-Y-Y-Yuki-senpai! P-People will s-see us..!" "Let them," was his only response. The girl then began to calm down, and quickly relax in his embrace, marveling at how warm his body is. Then, suddenly, he lets go of her, causing her to feel slightly disappointed. "Better?" he said. She nodded, still too embarrassed to look at his face. "Well, I should be going. Classes are about to start," She then checked her watch. It was almost time for the first class of the day to start. "Oh, right, your sister said hi," he added before he began to walk away back to the senior's block. "Um…Thank you very much, Senpai!" she called out to him. He stopped, turned back, and gave her another thing girls would kill to see.

He smiled at her.

"See you around then, Sakura," he said before he walked out of her sight. Haruko could not believe what she had just witnessed, but it was as clear as day; it happened very fast, and it was just a little bit, but the fact that the famous Reisen Ice Prince had smiled at her suddenly made her feel light, and her own lips curled into one, as he clutched the bento box he gave much closer to her chest. This was the best moment of Haruko Sakura's life yet, and she will forever cherish this moment, as much as she cherish that day, when he appeared in her life. "Shinosuke-senpai…" she said quietly the name of her savior, her protector, and the one she had truly fallen for…

As Yuki took his seat in class as the first bell rang, he took out a locket from inside his blazer and stared at it, before putting it back in. He sighed as he stared at the ceiling. I hate all of this…

Another chapter done! Sorry it took longer than usual. I have a chronic slacking syndrome ever since I finished high school. Hopefully chapters will be posted much frequently. Heheheh… (chuckles nervously)

So, there you have it, folks. Shinosuke Yuki, the Reisen Ice Prince, and a love drama begin to brew. What do you think of his character? Let me know if I can improve by leaving a review or so. Next, the awaited meeting of Souji and Shinosuke!

Well, seeya on the next chapter!