Chapter 2: Meet the Gang

"Shut your traps, insolent brats," the teacher insulted. It hasn't been a full minute and already Haiyo was having second thoughts about this sleepy little town; if a teacher can utter such a phrase to a room full of high schoolers without a second thought, then what else does Haiyo not know about?

"Now then," the teacher continued as the talking died down, "you should know damn well how I feel about transfer students by now, so let's hope this little shit isn't as bratty as the last one." He then turned to Haiyo. "Tell them your name, and make it snappy."

Haiyo turned to who would ultimately be his classmates. "I-I'm Haiyo Yamamoto. It's very nice to meet you all."

"Stop staring, twerp!" the teacher snapped.

"Huh?" Haiyo asked.

"I saw how you were staring at that girl in the corner. But forget about hitting on her as long as I'm around!"

"B-but I wasn't…"

"A smartass, eh? Just sit down and be QUIET!" Although Haiyo was stunned by this level of indecent comments, there was nothing for him to do but take his seat.

"Y-yes sir," I replied as I left the presence of the teacher, taking a spot a few rows ahead of Chie, near the center.

"Why do I get stuck with all the shitheads of the school?" Haiyo heard the teacher muttered. And from the whispers he heard around him, he was already popular in a way he never intended.

"Yet another segment of King Moron on Parade," one student said.

"Tough year to be a transfer," another said. "First that one from last month, and now him."

"He is a little dreamy in his own mysterious way," one girl said.

"I said SHUT YOUR TRAPS!" the teacher shouted. Given the whispers, Haiyo assumed he was nicknamed "King Moron," so he decided to call him that for right now, just maybe not in his face.

Boy, he thought, this is gonna be a fun year for sure. The sarcasm was evident even to himself.

P4

Finally, the last bell of the day had rung; class was over, and Haiyo had never been more eager to leave in his life. Since he still held a grudge at Yosuke from earlier, he decided to approach him.

"Yosuke," he growled. Yosuke responded by turning his head towards Haiyo.

"Hey man," Yosuke responded. "What's up?"

"Oh, everything is peachy," Haiyo responded sarcastically. "The atmosphere is nice, the teacher is wonderful, and I had a swell time walking to school practically by myself." Both he and Yosuke stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond.

"Ha-ha," a familiar voice laughed; Haiyo saw it was, in fact, Chie from that morning. "Sounds like sparks are flying!"

"Always into the action in life, huh Chie?" a strange boy asked. Unlike Chie, Haiyo was unsure how to describe this kid. He matched his own height, wore the standard uniform, and was topped off with grey hair and eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, man," Yosuke apologized. "Guess I should've warned you, huh?"

"That might've helped a little," Haiyo responded. "It also wouldn't hurt to show your cousin around instead of leaving him to look like an idiot."

"Dude, I get it!" Yosuke snapped back.

"I'm just saying." Haiyo replied. He looked around at the group of students that had gathered around them. "So who are they?"

"Oh, they're my friends," Yosuke replied. "I guess I should…"

"He already knows me, Hanamura," Chie interrupted. "Right?"

Haiyo nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "It kept my morning brightly."

"H-Hey," Yosuke stuttered. "I-I was talking."

"I'm Yu Narukami," the boy introduced. "I'm the transfer Yosuke might've talked about."

"Really?" Haiyo asked before shaking Yu's hand. "Then it's a pleasure to meet you."

"There's no need to be so formal," Yu replied. "We are high schoolers, after all."

"Heh."

"Can I talk now?" Yosuke butted in.

"Why so irritated, Yosuke?" another girl asked. She was dressed in a similar outfit to Chie's, with the exception of her red jacket. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"In your dreams!" Yosuke shouted.

"Then I'd like to talk to the new kid," she replied before turning to Haiyo. "I'm sorry about him. He is a bit antsy."

"I should know," Haiyo replied, "he IS my cousin, after all."

"Really?" she asked.

"He said that this morning, too," Chie added.

"Well, Yosuke," she started, "is it true?"

Yosuke nodded. "He is."

"That's crazy," the girl added. After a minute of zoning out, she turned back to Haiyo. "Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't told you my name, haven't I?"

"Nope," Haiyo replied. "But I'd like to know your name."

"It's Yukiko Amagi. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he replied. "And to all of you, my name is Haiyo Yamamoto."

"And it's nice to meet you as well," Yu responded.

"Ahem," Yosuke coughed. "Now that the introductions are over with, how about we go somewhere else to talk?"

"That's a great idea," Haiyo replied. "Where do you suggest?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Yosuke asked.

P4

"I know you said it was obvious," Haiyo started, "but did it have to be here?"

"Of course," Yosuke replied. "Do you know anywhere else to hang out besides Junes?"

"Erm, no," Haiyo replied.

"Then sit back, relax, and enjoy the atmosphere," Yosuke replied. Haiyo sighed as he looked around the building. Sure, it gave him fond memories of home, but it also depressed him to see so many people here instead of all the unique places in town he saw on the car ride to Yosuke's house.

"So Haiyo," Chie started, "what brings you here to our quiet little town?"

"Well," Haiyo started, "my parents are too busy with overseas work, so they decided it was best to send me somewhere with family to take care of me; after all, it's not like they would leave me home alone for a prolonged period of time."

"That's true," Chie replied.

"That sounds just like the reasons why Yu had to move here.

Haiyo turned to Yu. "Is that so?"

"Pretty much," Yu replied with a nod.

"So what was Yosuke like when he was younger?" Yukiko asked.

"Well," Haiyo started, "pretty much like he is now. Actually, we both acted like that when we were younger." He looked at the ceiling. "I remember this one time, he wanted to have a contest to see who could get a girlfriend faster; I agreed, but after a few days, I thought it would be funny to pull a prank on him."

"So what did you do?" Chie asked.

"That's enough, bro," Yosuke stuttered.

"No, I want to tell the rest," Haiyo replied.

"You better not," Yosuke threatened.

"C'mon, Haiyo," Yukiko pressured. "What happened next?"

"Well," he continued, "the next day, I told him I had found a girlfriend. But of course, he didn't believe me."

"And then?" Yukiko asked.

"I showed him a picture of my 'girlfriend' and he cried for days." Everyone broke into instantaneous laughter, except for Yosuke, who wore a frown.

"That sounds like Yosuke," Chie replied.

"T-That's not how it went," Yosuke a stuttered. "I-I was just trying to trick you! Yeah, that's right!"

Expecting a word from Yukiko, Haiyo looked to her and instead saw she was stuck in a laughing fit.

"Are you okay, Yukiko?" Haiyo asked.

"I'm, ha-ha, fine," she snickered.

"Don't expect a straight answer from her like that," Chie added. "She's always like this when she's in a laughing fit."

"I see," Haiyo replied. The rest of their afternoon they spent reminiscing about memories of their past, and at last Haiyo felt welcomed into town; they weren't his other friends, but he was, for once, having some fun since arriving in Inaba. When Yu, Chie, and Yukiko had to go, Haiyo said his goodbyes to them and was left all alone at his table, since Yosuke had to get to work.

I could work here, he thought, but this place just isn't my style. He decided to walk around and explore rather than just sit in one spot for hours on end. While he explored, he noticed a camera crew stationed in the food court; normally he would find it strange, but given the recent events that have transpired, Haiyo understood: the news stations were just milking the story for profit. Curiosity took over, as he walked over towards the crew to see what poor soul was dragged into this.

"…and here's someone now," the reporter stated.

"Hmm?" he asked. He saw no one there, so he was left in a state of confusion.

"Excuse me!" the reporter shouted. Now he was pretty sure what was going on.

"A-are you talking to me?" Haiyo asked.

"Of course!" The reporter confirmed. "I have a few questions to ask a random citizen such as yourself."

"Uh, ok?" Haiyo replied shakily.

"What do you think about the bizarre murders and kidnapping that has shaken up the town?"

"W-well," Haiyo started, "I think that they've damaged the quiet rural feel of this place. I mean, that's what makes the country feel so relaxing."

"Fair enough," the reporter replied. "Next question…" This went on for countless minutes, and by the time he did finish up, Haiyo was too agitated to even stay at Junes another second, so he just left for home. The walk home was further agitated by the slight downpour of rain falling from the sky.

Damn it, he thought. I knew I should've had a second jacket. Or even an umbrella. He made a note to do that when he was next at Junes.

At last, Haiyo walked through the front door, dripping wet and all. After greeting Yosuke's mom, he walked up to his room to unwind and prepare harder than before so he could be ready for King Moron. Just before he went to bed, Haiyo decided to write a journal entry of sorts in his notepad:

"May 6 - Today was okay. Met a very unlikable teacher and Yosuke's friends. Shared childhood memories, got interviewed, and walked home in rain. Hope tomorrow is better."

P4

Haiyo walked to the first floor after having gotten dressed, but found that Yosuke was nowhere to be seen. When he asked Yosuke's mom, he found out Yosuke went ahead early, like yesterday. Haiyo wasn't fazed today, however, as he just started walking to school after a brief breakfast.

"Hey, Haiyo," a voice called. Haiyo turned to see it was Yu.

"Oh, Yu," Haiyo replied. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Yu replied back. "I just wanted to talk with you."

"About what?" Haiyo asked.

"Tons of stuff," Yu replied.

"Alright. Shoot."

"Are you enjoying Inaba?"

"To a degree, yes. What about you?"

"I like it. Even though it's been a month, I really like it here."

"Okay. Continue."

"Do you miss the city life?"

"Kind of. I do miss the friends I left there. Any other questions?"

"Just one more. What did you do after we departed yesterday?"

"Oh, uhh…" Haiyo began to sweat a bit.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I feel like you're interrogating me for some reason."

"I'm not."

"Well, I just wandered around for a few hours before heading home."

"That's it?"

"Yes. Why are you so interested?"

Yu just shrugged. "I was just curious. Are you ready for today?

"Not quite. That one teacher just gets on my nerves."

"You mean Morooka? Yeah, he has the nickname 'King Moron' for a reason."

"Ha-ha." The two carried on more playful banter before walking through the school gates.

P4

Also unlike yesterday, the day felt a lot more tolerable and, as such, went by a lot quicker.

"You doing anything today, Haiyo?" Yosuke asked Haiyo.

"No," Haiyo started, "but I think I'm gonna head straight home today?"

"How come?" Yosuke asked.

"What does it matter to you?" Haiyo asked angrily.

"Woah, man. What's the matter?"

"Yu was acting a bit wary towards me this morning, and now you're doing the same. I should really be asking what the matter with you two is!" Yosuke went quiet, but at that moment, Haiyo didn't care; he was too pissed off to care today.

"I'm just going home," Haiyo announced. He turned his back to Yosuke before saying, "Goodbye!"
"Haiyo, wait," Yosuke started before Haiyo slammed the door, heading straight home to avoid having to talk to Yosuke or Yu or anyone today. After walking through the front door, Haiyo went straight to his room, writing in an angry entry in his notepad:

"May 7 – Angry with all of them today. Why all the questions? Wondering if King Moron is worse than today."

At that moment, the door began to knock.

"Haiyo," Yosuke's mom called, "could you get that?"

"Sure," Haiyo replied. He strolled down, notepad in hand, as he approached the front door; if it was Yosuke, he sure as hell didn't want to talk.

"Yosuke for the last time, I don't wanna…" Haiyo uttered before he opened the door completely, revealing it was a man he hadn't recognized before.

"Uhh, can I help you?" Haiyo asked.

"Is this the Hanamura residence?" the man asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Haiyo asked back. "If you're looking for Yosuke, he's not home right now."

"That's alright," the man replied. "You're just the one I'm looking for."

"What the hell is his problem?" Yosuke asked himself as he walked home by himself. "Sure, I just wanted to ask him a question, but he didn't have to snap like that." He was at war with himself over Haiyo's attitude, wondering what was going on. As he walked up to the porch, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye: something in the yard. He went to pick it up, but found it to be an unfamiliar notepad; when he read it, however, he knew it belonged to Haiyo, so he walked inside to find him.

"Mom, I'm home!" Yosuke announced. "Do you know where Haiyo went?"

"No," she replied, "I told him to see who was at the door, and since he left in such a hurry, I thought he went with you."

"Huh," Yosuke grunted. "I guess he went to Junes, then. I'll go check."

"Okay," she replied. Just as he closed the door, he phoned Yu.

"Partner?" Yosuke asked. "We might have a problem."

I'm back and still kicking. Looking at reviews for my other fanfics, it's obvious where my high points and low points are when it comes to my writing style and preferences. Therefore, this series will hopefully dodge those issues, since Persona may be the easiest to place an OC in. Oh, and I didn't state this before, but there may be some perspective shifts between Haiyo and Yosuke to emphasize certain aspects of the story and for logical, convenient sense. You'll see what I mean.

In other news, I might be slowing down in terms of new content for a little while; school's starting back up in a few days, and I have the honor of being placed in AP courses where thinks are kicked up a notch. So if there are long periods where I don't write at all, that's why. But enough of my life story, you just want to go about your business. So thanks for stopping by, and read on!

-rjm324