"Huh?" Sougo was surprised to see that in between his fingers were a set of unfamiliar shoji doors belonging to the 'O-Edo Dojo' as written in the wooden sign above him.
In his confusion, he slid the doors open and spotted a lone young man swinging his bamboo sword. He knew that head of unruly orange hair from anywhere.
"Shimaru-niisan!" He called out to his old friend and comrade, glad to see someone familiar in this foreign dojo.
Upon hearing Sougo's voice, the young man relaxed his arms and lowered his wooden sword. From out of nowhere, he pulled his classic sign board, which magically conveyed his thoughts.
[ What are you doing here, Soichi? ]
"Oi, you made a mistake, Shimaru-niisan. My name is 'Sou-go'. Only Danna can call me Soichi."
Shimaru scratched the back of his head.
[ Who are you fooling? I've been your roommate for four years. Your legal name is Okita Soichi.]
"I get it. You're playing tricks on me right, Saito-san?"
Shimaru lowered his head and avoided Sougo's eyes.
[ I'm hurt. You don't even remember my name. It's Shimaru Saionji. ]
Sougo wasn't the least bit fazed by his pitiful appearance. "Did Hijikata put you up to this?"
A soft laugh by the entrance caught their attention.
"One of your many ex-girlfriends must have finally slapped you senseless." A man adorned in a purple kimono with a bandaged eye was leaning by the door frame. His silhouette stretched across the floorboards.
"Takasugi Shinsuke?" Sougo exhaled. The man wanted by the Shinsengumi was the last person he expected to see here.
"That's Takasugi Shiro-sensei to you." His last word was transmitted through a billow of smoke heading in their direction. "What made you change your mind to finally join us?"
Sougo couldn't hold his laughter. "Join hands with the enemy? That's a good one!"
These nicotine-addicted idiots think alike. They both want to drive me mad.
"That was a good laugh." He laid on the floor, wrapped himself in a nearby tatami mat, closed his eyes and ignored his surroundings. "This is just a bad dream. Everything should be back to normal when I wake up."
A little tick mark appeared on Takasugi's head. Not only did his recruitment fail miserably, he was completely and utterly treated like a fool.
"Hey kid, this is my dojo and my rules state that outsiders are not allowed to nap here." Takasugi kicked Sougo's vulnerable body and sent him spinning like a sushi roll.
Once Sougo's tatami mat collided with the wall, he was forced to wake up and face the truth. "Damn, I'm still here."
Sensing that things may escalate out of hand, Shimaru unwrapped Sougo from his tatami cocoon and dragged his lethargic body out of the dojo.
[Let's head back to the dorms and rest.]
Sougo nodded. He no longer had the energy to argue. He had no choice but to continue to play along with this ruse until he figured out who the mastermind is.
After Shimaru ushered Sougo into their dorm room, he warned Sougo to stay put and not cause anymore trouble unless he wanted to get kicked out of O-Edo University.
Sougo only agreed in order to find out more about the campus life and perhaps, discover a clue to go back to the real Edo.
Out on the balcony of his dorm room, he sucked on an orange chuubert and looked at his surroundings. "So this is the campus."
His room was on the eighth floor so the people below looked like ants. "This place is odd. It's like Earth, but not Earth at the same time. Is this another dimension? A parallel universe?"
While lost in thought, he heard noises from the entrance and assumed Shimaru came back from the convenience store with food and snacks. "Hey, Shimaru-niisan, what are we gonna do about living arrangements? There are only two beds and I refuse to sleep in the same bed as another guy-"
Sougo and the stranger who entered the room locked eyes and in unison, they both asked, "Who are you?"
Both men moved closer to one another, intrigued by each other's identity. They inspected each other.
"It's like I'm looking at a mirror." The stranger pointed out.
"Likewise." Sougo agreed, noting the young man's features. The lad also appeared to be in his twenties with long sandy hair in a high ponytail and maroon red eyes. The only differences were their clothing style and the lad had an earring of a white cross.
Sougo raised his right hand and the stranger replicated his actions. "Is this actually real?"
He pinched his doppelgänger's face and in turn, the lad copied him. Neither was holding back their strength.
"Ah!." They screeched in unison.
Just then, the door opened and an orange afro peeked into the room. Shimaru's mouth dropped along with his groceries on the floor. From his point of view, the duo appeared to be affectionately touching each other's faces.
[Sorry, I think I went into the wrong room.]
Then, he abruptly closed the door.
"Wait! Saionji!" The stranger yelled out to the closed door. "This isn't what it looks like! You know I don't swing that way."
The door opened again, but only Shimaru's sign board appeared.
[Don't worry, Soichi. I always knew you were a narcissist. I'm glad you finally met someone just like you. Feel free to love who you want to love. I saw nothing :)]
"Eh? Don't smiley face emoji me! I taught you that!" Soichi turned back to Sougo. "This is all because of you!"
Soichi pointed an accusing finger toward him. "Quick, explain yourself! Or else, my reputation as a ladies' man will go down the drain."
Sougo raised a skeptical eye at the frivolous young man. He couldn't even explain this situation to himself. How could he explain this to a total stranger?
Then again, if this lad was Sougo's parallel identity. Maybe the lad could help him figure out how to go back to his own timeline?
"Hmm. Where do I start?" Sougo began recalling the events from the earthquake to the present time.