Chapter 2: First Day
New chapter here! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as well. As I still have no idea what to say in this part... I shall now proceed with the next chapter. ONWARD AND UPWARDS!
4/6 Monday
Dark Hour
Minako was still a bit shaken by the sudden disappearance of the mysterious boy.
'People don't just up and disappear like that...' She thought to herself as she wonders just exactly what had happened. She finally decided that he either used some sort of trap door in order to scare her or she had just hallucinated the whole thing altogether because of how late it is and how tired she felt at the moment. She refused to believe that this had something to do with ghosts or other spiritual causes. She refuses to believe that something scary like ghosts can exist.
Any further pondering about the subject matter were cut short as the girl who was at the staircase earlier took a step closer towards her. She finally turns her head towards the other girl when she notices her guarded stance.
"How can you be... But it's...! Don't tell me..." The auburn haired girl says taking a much more aggressive tone of voice.
She was about to go over and calm down the obviously distressed girl before she suddenly stops when she sees the other girl pull something out from her thigh. It was a little bit hard to see due to the still green tint covering the area but the unmistakable shape of the gun was enough to stop her in her tracks.
She can see the other girl slowly raise her arm and she prepares herself to dodge out of the line of fire. Any further actions on the crazy girl with the gun were soon stopped as another person was heard coming down the stairs.
"Wait!" An authoritative female voice calls out and a mature looking girl with long, dark red hair appears from the staircase.
Before anything else crazy can happen, the lights suddenly turned back on and the strange green tint in the air seemed to slowly dissipate giving her a much better view of the two new girls in front of her. She can also hear her music player start playing music again. She moves her hand to turn it back off wondering just how it managed to turn itself on again when it ran out of power earlier.
"The lights..." The auburn haired girl says before lowering her gun and looking back at her.
The redhead takes a step forward and moves to stand in front of her with the gun-wielding girl following tentatively behind her.
"I didn't think you would arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm." The redhead says as she introduces herself.
"...Who's she?" asked the gun-wielding girl.
"This is Minako Arisato, a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign them here. She'll eventually be moved to the female dorm once everything is sorted out." Mitsuru answered.
"...Is it okay for her to be here?" The gun-wielding girl asked and she can already tell that she was hiding something from her by the way the girl said that.
"I guess we'll see," Mitsuru said before smiling calmly at the other girl making her think that something just went over her head. She turns her head to focus her attention back at Minako before motioning to the girl who she spoke to earlier, "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."
"...Hi, I'm Yukari." She introduces herself but Minako can easily tell that she was reluctant to do so.
"Nice to meet you! Feel free to call me Minako!" Minako says, giving Yukari a gentle smile while she does so.
"Uh, y-yeah. Nice to meet you too." Yukari replies seeming to calm down significantly.
'Don't ask about the gun don't ask about the gun don't ask about the gun...' Minako repeats in her head not wanting to let this awkward situation get any worse than it already was.
"Why do you have a gun?" She finally blurts out as curiosity overwhelms her.
Goddammit
"Huh?" Yukari says with a surprised and nervous look. Minako can clearly see the distress quickly returning to the auburn haired girl.
"Um, well, it's sorta like a hobby... Well, not a hobby, but..." Yukari stammers trying to desperately find a suitable excuse.
"You know how it is these days... It's for self-defense. It's not a real gun, of course," Mitsuru butts in, answering for the clearly nervous girl with a calm and steady expression,"Anyways, it's getting late. You'll find your room on the 3rd floor. Your things should already be there. I suggest you tuck in for the night."
Minako nods towards Mitsuru and Yukari beams at the change of subject.
"Oh... I'll show you the way. Follow me" Yukari said as she turns and makes her way towards the stairs.
Mitsuru nods back at Minako as she follows Yukari up the stairs. On the third floor, they make their way down the hallways stopping at the very last door.
"This is it... your room... Pretty easy to remember, huh? Since it's right at the end of the hall. So, any questions?" Yukari says as she turns to face her.
"Does that boy with the blue hair live here?" Minako finally asks after a bit of pondering.
"Boy with blue hair?" Yukari asks back, "I'm sorry, the only boy here in this dorm right now is Akihiko-senpai... and he doesn't have blue hair..." She answers Minako while giving her a strange look.
"Ah, never mind it then. Forget I even said anything." Minako says to her before making her way towards her new room not wanting to dwell on the strange subject any longer.
"Um... Can I ask you something?" Yukari blurts out as Minako reaches out towards the door of her room. She stops and turns towards Yukari wondering just what it was that she wanted to ask her. "On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"
Flashes of the weird things she encountered quickly came to her mind at the question. The weird black out, the strange green tint, the coffins lining the streets, the gun that she can still see that is strapped to Yukari's leg, and the mysterious boy and his charming smile.
"What do you mean?" Minako finally asks wanting a clarification on exactly what she was refering to.
"You know what I- ...Never mind," Yukari says with a sigh at the end before she gives Minako a gentle smile. "It seems like you're alright. Well, I'd better get going..."
She nods towards her before turning and making her way down the hall. She suddenly stops walking partway through before turning towards her with a slightly worried look on her face.
"Um... I'm sure you still have other questions, but let's save them for later, okay?" Yukari tells her.
"Okay, have a good night Yukari!" Minako responds with a big smile on her face.
"Good night." Yukari says before she turns and continue walking down the hallway.
Minako watches as Yukari reaches the stairs and goes down them before turning towards her room and opening the door. She steps inside and is awed by just what she sees.
"Wow... this is so much better than my last room." She says as she admires her newly acquired room.
She spots her belongings at the side of her room and makes her way towards them. Feeling way too tired to fix her stuff, she quickly pulls out a pair of pajamas out from her belongings. She quickly changes into them and makes her way towards the comfortable looking bed before suddenly just plopping down on top of it. She wonders just how a bed can feel so comfortable before pulling up the blanket to cover her body. She ponders for a bit at what the future has in store for her, feeling a bit giddy at starting a new school year in the morning. She lets out a yawn and feel her eyes slowly starting to drift close as sleep is slowly overcoming her. She doesn't fight it though and is soon asleep the moment her eyes close.
4/7 Tuesday
Early Morning
Minato lets out a gasp as he is awoken in the middle of his sleep. He warily takes at his surroundings before noticing that, yes, he is still in his room in the boy's dorm.
'What's wrong with me lately... what kind of nightmare did I just have' He thought as he slowly gets up from his bed when he notices the time telling him that if he didn't get up now then he'll be late for school. He starts does his best to prepare for the day ahead while pondering about the strange nightmare that he just experienced. He was already starting to forget most of it but he still does his best to remember what he can.
A strangely shaped tower, a gun pointed directly at a person's head, a monstrous cry, and a full moon with a strange green glow baring down on him.
He shakes his head clear of his cluttered thoughts as he finishes preparing for school. Why bother trying to decipher something that he'll eventually forget anyway.
He takes a look at himself one last time in his mirror fixing any creases that he can find in his Gekkoukan school uniform. Once satisfied with his looks, he picks up his bag and places his hands in his pockets before making his way out of his room. He wonders just exactly what is in store for him this year and hopes that it isn't anything too troublesome. He shakes his head as he makes his way to school at a leisurely pace. How troublesome can one school year be anyway.
At the Iwatodai Dormitory, Minako just finished getting ready for the day when she hears someone knocking at her room's door.
"It's Yukari. Are you awake?" Yukari calls out from the other side of the door.
"Yeah! Hold on a second." Minako answers as she finishes cleaning herself up in her mirror before making her way towards the door and opening it.
"Good morning. Did you sleep okay?" Yukari greets her as soon as the door opens.
"Yup, slept like a log. I can't believe how comfortable the bed is." Minako answers her with a bright smile on her face. Yukari just laughs a bit at what she says.
"I'm glad you liked it! Anyway, Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school. Are you ready to go?" Yukari asks Minako seeing as she's already in her uniform.
"Totally! just let me get my bag," Minako says and dashes back inside her room to pick up her school bag. She quickly returns to Yukari and gives her another bright smile, "Okay, let's go!"
"Okay. Then, let's go." Yukari says smiling at just how energetic the other girl can be in the morning. She starts to make her way down the hallway and Minako eagerly follows after her.
They make their way out of the dorm and head towards school gossiping about random stuff as they do so. They take the train to reach the school and Minako is a bit awed because she's never had to take a train going to school before. They finally reached school and Minako is shocked at just how many people are greeting Yukari as they make their way towards it.
"Mornin'!" A passing female student calls out towards Yukari.
"Good morning!" Yukari calls back waving towards the other student.
"Wow... you're really popular Yukari-chan." Minako says to her causing Yukari to blush a bit in embarrassment.
"It's nothing really. Anyway, here we are... Welcome to Gekkoukan High! You're gonna love it here!" Yukari turns towards her with a smile in her face.
"Whoa... it's really big!" Minako says in awe as she sees just how big the school is.
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually." Yukari says laughing a bit at the expression on Minako's face. She turns and walks inside and Minako quickly rushes after her once she is finished gawking at the huge school that she will be attending for the year.
"You're okay from here, right?" Yukari asks Minako once they both enter the school.
Minako nods towards Yukari smiling brightly at her. "Yeah! Thanks for showing me to school."
"No problem," Yukari says while returning the smile as well. "Anyway, you should go see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is right there to the left," She says while pointing towards the said hallway. "...And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?"
"Nope, I'll be okay." Minako answers her.
Yukari nods and turns away from her and before she could get too far she turns back towards Minako with a slightly worried look on her face.
"Hey... About last night... Don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?" Minako wonders just exactly what Yukari wanted her to keep quiet about since there was a lot of weird things that happened to her last night. "... See ya later."
She was about to inquire just what she meant by that was when Yukari cuts her off and practically bolts away from her. She shakes her head at the weird actions of her new friend before smiling and making her way towards the Faculty Office.
'I can't wait to see what this year has in store for me' She thought to herself as she makes her way through the school.
4/7 Tuesday
After School
Minako stretches her arms above her head once she sees the teacher leave the room. Today has been one hectic day for her. She met her homeroom teacher who was Ms. Toriumi. After that, she was lead to the auditorium for the Welcoming Ceremony. Once there, Minako faced her first challenge for the school year.
Staying awake while the principal gives a speech.
Now, Minako was a model student, or at least tries to be one whenever she can, but something about the way the principal was giving a speech made it extremely difficult to keep her eyes open. She didn't know if it was the slow way he talks or the proverbs that he says that makes no sense but once it was over she was happy to see that she managed to keep herself awake throughout the whole thing. Another point to her model student status.
After the grueling speech, she was finally led to where she'll be spending most of her school days. Classroom 2-F. There she was happy to see that Yukari is in the same class as her giving her a small wave as she introduced herself in front of the class. There she was met with another surprise as she saw the blue haired boy that she met when she arrived at the dorm last night sitting near the back of the class.
Speaking of the mysterious blue haired boy. She turns around to see him picking up his things before slowly making his way out of the classroom. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, she gathers all of her courage as she stands up and makes her way over towards the boy. If she wanted answers from last night then now was the time to get it.
"U-Um... excuse me..." She nervously says once she is close enough to the boy.
He turns to look at her with his single visible eye before unclipping the earphones in his ear which she now notices is the same model as the ones she has around her neck.
"Yes, what do you want? You've been staring at me from time to time for the whole day." He states causing her to blush a bit at having been caught staring by him.
"O-Oh, I'm so sorry! It's just that... just that," She stammers out feeling a bit uncomfortable as his single eye is staring right at her. "H-Have we met before?" She finally blurts out after gathering what was left of her shattered courage.
He stares at her for a bit just wondering what she is on about before turning away from her. "I'm sorry, but I have never seen you before in my whole life." He states before walking out of the classroom.
She sighs as she just watches him leave. "Oh... okay, thanks." She says a bit dejected at being blown off just like that.
Any further pondering were cut short as a different male voice calls out to her from behind.
"'Sup, dude!?" She turns to see a ball cap wearing boy with a goatee grinning at her.
"Uuh..." She stammers out a bit not really sure what to say to the newcomer.
"Haha, you look like a deer in headlights." He lightly teases her with a small laugh.
She puffs out her cheeks at what he says before asking, "Who are you?"
"I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya." He says while pointing at himself with his thumb and smiling proudly at her.
She returns the smile finding it hard to stay annoyed at the friendly guy. "Nice to meet you." She says in return.
"Anyway you are Arisato... Minako... right?" he asks her and she nods back at him. "Whoa, so what's your relation to the guy you were just talking to?"
"Uh, I'm not related to him in any way... I mean not that I know off." She answers to him wondering just why he asked such a question.
"Really?! but your names are just too similar" He tells her giving her a confused look as he does so.
"What do you mean by that?" She asks tilting her head a bit in question.
"You don't know?" He asks her looking a bit shocked as he does so. "Well his name is identical to yours... he's Arisato Minato and he transferred over here last year just like you did."
She looks back at him a bit shocked wondering if what he said was true. She was about to ask it when Yukari comes over and butts in the conversation.
"At it again, huh? Honestly, is there any girl you wouldn't hit on?" Yukari says in an exasperated tone. "Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?"
"What? But, I was just asking her why she went up to Minato earlier." Junpei says getting defensive.
"Oh yeah, what was that about?" Yukari asks getting curious herself and wanting to know the latest gossip.
"O-Oh that... I just wanted to ask him a question. I kinda... think I saw him last night when I got to the dorm and... never mind, it's not important now" Minako answers not really wanting to remember the disastrous outcome of her conversation with the mysterious student.
"You... saw him last night when you got to the dorm?" Yukari asks with a strange look on her face. Before she could inquire more about what she meant by that, Junpei decided to butt in.
"Oh you two live on the same dorm? Does that mean you two will be coming to school together in the morning more often?" He suddenly got this lecherous grin on his face, "A couple of cuties like you, walking side by side... The whole class was buzzing about you the whole morning."
"Ugh... Could you just cut it out? I hate dealing with rumors like that." Yukari says as she lets out a sigh remembering just how stupid and idiotic Junpei could be. "...Well, I've gotta go take care of some archery team stuff. Don't you dare go spreading any weird rumors. Minako just transferred over here and doesn't need to deal with stuff like that, you got that, Junpei?" She says giving him a strong glare before walking out of the classroom.
As soon as Yukari steps out of the classroom, she reminds herself to notify Mitsuru later that Minako might have seen Minato during the dark hour. It would be nice if that meant that he had the potential as well.
"What is she, your nanny...?" Junpei grumbles out as soon as Yukari is out of earshot.
Minako just laughs at the interaction between the two before heading back towards her desk and picking up her bag.
"Um hey," Junpei calls out to her making her turn to face him. "I know this might sound weird but... do you want me to show you around?"
"O-Oh... uh" Minako stammers out not sure what to say about the offer.
"Oh! I'm not hitting on you or anything!" Junpei quickly corrects seeing the nervous look on her face. "It's just that... I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is bein' the new kid... So I thought I'd help you out and show you around." He says giving her a calming smile.
"Oh sure! That's really nice of you Junpei-kun." She says easily agreeing after seeing no ill intent in his offer.
"Sweetness!" Junpei exclaims as they both make their way out of the classroom.
They walk through the school talking about different things as they do so. Junpei suddenly stops when they reach the school gates and turns to look towards the massive school with a big grin on his face.
"Hehe this school year is gonna be awesome... I can feel it!" Junpei says to no one in particular causing Minako to smile at his antics.
She smiles as they continue to walk away from school, letting Junpei lead her towards the nearest mall. She idly thought that she can't help but agree with what he said earlier.
That's it for this chapter. I'm a bit surprised that a couple of people actually took the time to read my little experiment here... A couple of them were also nice enough to give me reviews... and since all of them have been pretty supportive of the story I thought I'd continue on with this. Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and as always any feedback and suggestions you can give will be greatly appreciated. Until next time!