Chapter One

4/9/20XX

Jolyne was walking home at night in Nagasaki, minding her own business, until she came across a woman being harassed by a man, who was trying to force her into his car. Of course she wasn't gonna let it slide, so she stormed over to the man and shoved him. However, he was drunk and she used more strength than intended, sending the man's head slamming against the car and bloodied. "Ack…damn brat! I'll sue!" The rest was a blur…policemen dragging her into their car…

Jolyne Cujoh was roughly jostled awake as the train she was on began to slow down. "Ah damn, fell asleep…" She groaned, covering her mouth as she yawned.

"…psychotic breakdowns? You seriously believe that stuff?" Jolyne's ears perked up, attention on a pair of girls around her age in school uniforms similar to the one she had on.

"It's totally true! It's been all over the news lately." One of the girls spoke up, causing her friend to roll her eyes.

"You fall for this stuff way too easily! Remember that thing about the TV a few years ago?"

"This is different! I'm telling you!" Jolyne would've paid more attention, if not for the train intercom announcing that this was her stop. Checking the directions on her phone, she exited the train into Shibuya Station. Following the directions on her phone, she arrived at Shibuya Square, a bustling epicenter full of people. Jolyne let out a small whistle at the sight.

"Damn, this place is a lot livelier than back home." She mumbled, looking back at her phone. "Let's see, take a left at Shibuya Square and…huh?" The thing that had Jolyne stumped was a symbol on her phone she had never seen before, that was a red eyeball with a black star in the center. The image then took up the entirety of her phone screen, pulsating red.

"The hell is-" The green-haired girl began to question, when she noticed something: the loud noise of the square had slowly dimmed until it had vanished completely. Looking up, Jolyne was stunned speechless by the sight in front of her: the world around her had completely stopped, almost as if was frozen in time. Looking around, it was clear something was wrong, and that's when Jolyne saw it. In the middle of the square, a column of blue flame appeared. The column smoothed out into a large humanoid form, with wings on its hips. What looked like a smiling face appeared, and when Jolyne looked at it, she could swear she saw…herself, grinning manically with yellow eyes.

As quickly as it stopped, time resumed, the people in the square acting like nothing had happened at all. "What the hell…what the hell was that?" Jolyne asked herself. "Wait, that app…!" Looking back at her phone, Jolyne saw that the app was still on her phone. She couldn't delete it fast enough. Maybe the stress of the past few weeks had finally caught up with her, making her see things. Yeah, that was definitely the case.

Jolyne followed the instructions on her phone, soon arriving in Yongen Jaya, a district located within the Shibuya ward of Tokyo. It was a small, quaint district, and the area Jolyne was directed to was a backstreet that was lined with businesses and homes. As Jolyne walked through the street to her destinations, she passed multiple businesses, such as a secondhand store, batting cages, a convenience store, a movie theater that didn't appear open, and a sign that read 'Takemi Medical Clinic.' "Let's see, Sojiro Sakura's house is…this way." She read the directions on her phone, turning right into a small street, walking until she arrived at a two story house with a nameplate that read 'Sakura' at the gate. Figuring this was the place, Jolyne pressed the buzzer…only no one answered the door. She waited a few minutes, before pressing the button again. Still no answer, though this time, Jolyne could've sworn she saw the curtains on the second floor shifting, and the glare of light reflecting off something…but then it was gone.

"Looks like Sakura-san's already gone to work." A voice said behind her, and Jolyne turned to see a delivery man standing next to his truck behind her, holding a package. "Damn traffic, making me late to my deliveries…"

"Mind telling me where I can find Sakura-San?" Jolyne asked.

"Hm? Oh right, you can probably find him at his store, Leblanc. Head back to the street, and take a left when you reach the tobacco shop. Can't miss it."

"Alright, thanks." Jolyne followed the man's directions, soon arriving in front of a small shop with an awning that read 'Leblanc.' A bell above the door rang when she pushed it open, being greeted with the sight of a small restaurant. Two customers sat in a booth discussing an accident that had been on the news, and on a barstool examining a crossword puzzle sat a man in his late 40's with dark hair that was thinning, a chinstrap beard with a pointed goatee, wearing a pink dress shirt and a white apron.

"Let's see, four letter word for a shellfish used to farm pearls…" the man mumbled to himself, and Jolyne cleared her throat, causing him to look up at her. "Oh right, that was today…" the man sighed, placing his paper on the table, as the two old customers got up and left. "So, you're Jolyne? Sheesh, last time I saw you, you barely reached my knee."

"Yes sir, and you must be Sakura-Sama. It is a pleasure to meet you." Jolyne said, bowing. Grandma Holly had told her it would be a good idea to present herself as politely as possible to Sakura, even if all that formal stuff made her insides crawl. Sakura gave a light chortle at that.

"Never thought that Jotaro's kid would be polite…" he mumbled to himself. "You can cut the bowing and the 'sama' crap. Just Boss or Sojiro-San will work." Jolyne righted herself.

"Alright, Saku…Boss." Sojiro sighed.

"So, it looks like I'll be your guardian for the next year. I'm an old friend of your dad, though I suppose that's not important right now. Follow me." Sojiro ordered, gesturing over to a stairway at the back of the shop. Jolyne followed him up into a spacious attic that was cluttered with junk, although there was a walkway cleared towards a bed at the very back.. "This is where you'll be staying for the next year."

"Cozy." Jolyne spoke up, looking around the attic.

"Sorry about that. Didn't have time to clean up. It'll be on you to clean up the rest." Sojiro explained. "I'll be locking the door after I leave each night, so you'll have the run of the place. But if I come back and find anything missing, I'll throw you out without hesitation. Understood?"

"Crystal clear."

"Good. Now, you're clear on your situation?"

"Painfully so. You don't need to remind me." Jolyne answered, clenching her fist as she remembered what happened. That man suing her…her expulsion from her high school in Nagasaki…the way in which her so-called 'friends' back home had turned on her in an instant…how the courts mandated she move here to Tokyo to serve out her probation…how her father had been too busy with work to even show his face…

"Good. That's what you get for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong." Sojiro coldly remarked, before pointing to a box nearby. "Your grandparents sent that over. It has all your clothes and personal belongings, along with some mail. Oh, and here…" Sojiro reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Jolyne. "Your father sent this to me, asked to give it to you when you showed up." Jolyne scowled at the mention of her father, but snatched the envelope anyways. Sojiro sighed, and headed back down the stairs. "I've still got customers, so just make yourself at home."

"Thanks, I guess." Jolyne said as Sojiro vanished into the restaurant, and she looked at the envelope he had given her. It was sealed with a symbol of a gold hand, her father's personal stamp. 'Tch. Damn bastard…so now he cares? Too little too late, asshole.' She thought to herself, and tossed the envelope onto the floor, walking over to the box, opening it. Inside were her clothes and items such as laptop, phone charger, and a few manga, as well as an assortment of letters. She picked up the letters, and grinned as soon as she saw who the first one was from, sitting on her bed and opening it.

Jojo,

Just writing to wish you good luck in Shibuya. I still think it's total bull what happened to you, for what it's worth. Just writing to let you know that you at least have the whole town of Morioh cheering for you. If you ever need anything, just say the word and I'll get the whole gang up there!

Love, Josuke

P.S. Almost forgot: Koichi and Yukako are having another kid! Think I can try and convince them to name it after me?

Jolyne smiled as she read the letter from her great uncle. When she was younger, she spent many summers in the town of Morioh, coming to view her great uncle's friends as a sort of family. The last time she had seen Josuke had been at her Great Grandfather Joseph's funeral a year ago, and it warmed Jolyne's heart that he kept her in his mind. Unlike some other people she knew…

Jolyne sighed, setting down the letters and looking around the attic at the junk. "Well, this place isn't going to clean itself…" she walked over to the box, pulling out and changing into some casual clothes that consisted of a green tank top with a white spider web design and a pair of jeans. Now that she was out of that stuffy uniform, she could finally set about clearing out this attic.

Several hours later

By the time Jolyne finished cleaning, it was the evening. She'd dusted, mopped the floors, cleared out space under a shelf to place her things, cleared off the table and the couch, brushed off her bed…the young woman was exhausted, plopping down on her bed with an exasperated sigh. "Sheesh, has this guy ever hear of a broom before?" She said aloud, and the stomping of feet heralded the arrival of Sojiro, who let out a small whistle upon seeing the attic.

"I'll be damned…so that's what you were doing. Gotta say, I'm impressed. This is the best this place has looked in years." Sojiro mused, stroking his beard.

"And here I thought you were the epitome of tidiness." Jolyne shot out.

"Hey, don't get smart with me. I can give as good as I get." Sojiro retorted. "Get some rest. We're headed to Shujin tomorrow." Jolyne sat up at this, raising an eyebrow.

"Shujin? That's the school I'm going to, right?" She asked, and Sojiro nodded.

"That's right. I figured it be a good idea to introduce yourself to the stuff there, get things started on the right foot. Not a lot of places will take someone in with a criminal record, yknow." Sojiro explained, when he noticed the envelope from Jotaro on the table next to the couch. "Still haven't opened it?" Jolyne averted her gaze, not wanting to meet Sojiro's eyes.

"…I'll do it later. I've been busy." She answered, and Sojiro folded his arms.

"I suppose it's none of my business, but I want you to know that he does care for you. He's just…not the best at expressing it. So just…go easy on him, ok?" Sojiro stated.

"You're right." Sojiro raised an eyebrow. "It is none of your business." The cafe owner let out a sigh, and turned and left, leaving Jolyne to stare at the envelope for s minute. She mulled over her new guardian's words, and sighed before going over to the envelope. Breaking open the seal, she poured the contents onto the desk: a letter, a business card, and a round locket with the symbol of a butterfly on it. Jolyne took the letter and opened it.

Jolyne,

I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me. My work forced me out of the country for several weeks, and I did not find out about what happened to you until recently. This may not mean much to you coming from me, but I apologize for that. As a sort of recompense, I've included a few things that should prove useful if you're ever in trouble. If you ever need anything, call the number on the card and give them your name. They will provide you with whatever you need.

If you ever find yourself in trouble, use the contents of the locket. Things will seem strange at first, but I promise it'll all make sense in time. All I ask is that you do not lose that locket under any circumstances, as it is of immense value, and losing it would have dire consequences.

Once again, I am truly sorry for what happened to you, and that I couldn't be there. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.

Love, Jotaro Kujo

Jolyne had a scowl on her face the entire time she read the letter. Just who the hell did that bastard think he is? Dumping Jolyne on her Grandparents after her mother died, always disappearing, only showing up at holidays or birthdays, acting like he'd been there all along…did Jotaro seriously think some jewelry was going to make up for it?

She sat down the letter, and picked up the business card, reading the name in it. "Speedwagon Foundation…?" All she knew was that it was some sort of American organization that showed up whenever her family needed help. When Jolyne's mother grew ill, they got her the best doctors until she passed. When Jolyne was arrested and sued, they had provided lawyers that were able to get her her probation in Shibuya. She wasn't sure of the exact nature of her family's relationship with the Foundation, but she figured it would be a nice thing to have just in case, so she tucked the card into her wallet.

The next thing she examined was the locket. It was found, about the size of a large grape, and was largely dark brown save for the symbol of a green butterfly in it, causing Jolyne to pause. When she was younger, her and Jotaro would spend time in their garden when it was in bloom, which attracted a great many insects. Jolyne had always been fond of the butterflies. Shaking the memory aside, she opened the locket. Inside was a picture of a young Jolyne, probably around 4 or 5, sitting between Jotaro and her mother. She remembered that day clearly. It was their last family outing before her parents split up.

The other half of he locket held what appeared to be a small stone that looked it had been apart of something. It was mostly bronze, the light catching on the edge of it and giving off an almost ethereal glow. "The hell is this?" Jolyne picked up the stone, and examined it. "It almost looks like some kind of arrow and…ack!" She touched her finger to the very top, and a sensation that was like a cross between a stab and shock spread from her finger. "Son of a…OWWWWW!" She groaned, grabbing her finger and dropping the stone. That small prick hurt worse than anything she'd ever experienced in her life. The stone must have nicked an artery or something. Jolyne shakily removed her hand, cautiously examining the damage the stone had done to her…only to find none. She turned her hand over and over, and found no sign that anything had touched her. The stone didn't even break the skin! "What the…what the fuck…" she gently, carefully picked up the stone, examining. The part that had pricked her showed no signed of blood, and only gave off that weird glow when the light caught off the edge. Moving with the grave and precision of a deer, Jolyne carefully placed the stone back in the locket, sealing it closed. 'What the hell…maybe it was just static electricity. Isn't that supposed to build up when you've been moving around a lot? Yeah, that's it.' She thought, and set the locket on the table. With nothing else to do, Jolyne began changing into her pajamas, and hit the sack.

Jolyne had been walking home at night after studying with a friend, when she heard what sounded like an argument. Turning the corner, she saw a woman arguing with a bald man, who was trying to force the woman into his car. "Stop giving me trouble, dammit! Don't you know who I am?!"

"I-I'll call the police!" The woman protested, and the man laughed.

"You think I care? The police are my bitches! Think they care what some whore has to say about me?" The man spat, and they heard sirens in the distance. "So someone squealed, huh? Incompetent fools like you need to shut the hell up and let people like me steer this country! Now get in the damn car!"

"Hey, asshole!" Jolyne called out, approaching the two.

"What do you want?" The man sneered, and Jolyne approached him.

Jolyne's eyes fluttered open, awakened by the sound of her phone chiming. Pulling it out with a yawn, she expected to see a message from someone, only to see that strange app from earlier. "What the hell…? I thought I deleted this thing…" she mumbled, staring at the eyeball shaped icon. "It's so creepy…" Jolyne deleted the app once again, and fell back against her pillow, yawning as her eyes drifted shut…

Only for the sound of rustling chains to startle her awake, the feeling of her mattress replaced with the sensation of cold, hard stone. Jolyne's eyes snapped open, but instead of being greeted with the ceiling of Leblanc's attic, was greeted with the sight of a velvet ceiling and walls. Chains clinked as she sat up, and Jolyne was shocked to see chains and cuffs on her wrists, and not only that, but she was dressed in some sort of prisoner outfit. "What the…" looking around, all Jolyne could see beyond the velvet walls and stone cot she was on was a jail cell door. Swinging her legs onto the ground, she scratched her head, only to find her hair had somehow been put up into her usual style. Before she could ruminate any further, the sound what sounded like giggling drew her attention. Turning towards the cell door, Jolyne saw two young girls standing in front of the door, both dressed in matching prison guard attire. The one on the left had her silver hair done in a braid, with an eye patch over her left eye, while the one on the right had her hair into two buns that reminded Jolyne of a character in an American movie she once saw. "Hey…" Jolyne stood up, clinking of chains making her realize there was one tied to her ankle as well. "Hey, what the hell's going on? Where am I?" She asked, lumbering towards the door. The girls said nothing, each one gazing at her with a single golden eye. "Hey, you two deaf or something? I asked where the hell I am!" Jolyne demanded, slamming her hand on the cell door. A deep chuckle came from behind the two, and they parted, revealing to Jolyne the source: a hook nosed man sitting at a desk in the middle of the room, atop a rug with a large gold V on it. The man had a hook shaped nose, with thinning white hair, large eyes, and an unnerving grin on his face.

"Greetings, Trickster." The man said, his voice deep and booming, almost sinisterly so. "Welcome to my Velvet Room."

"Velvet…Room…?" Before Jolyne could inquire more, the girl on the right, the one with the buns, slammed her nightstick against the bars.

"Quiet down, Inmate!" She snapped at Jolyne. "Don't you know who this is?! Stand up straight and show some respect!"

"Why don't you make me, Shorty?" Jolyne snapped back, causing the short girl to sneer.

"What was that? I oughta-"

"Justine, please calm yourself." The one on the left said, placing a hand on her partner's shoulder, and the hook nosed man simply chuckled.

"Girls, girls, behave yourselves. After all, it is not every day that we have a guest of such a prestigious bloodline among us." The Man said, and Jolyne's eyes widened, hands tracking to a spot on her left side, just below her neck, where a purple star shaped birthmark resided. "Yes, my dear child, I refer to the Joestar blood coursing through your veins. Now, before we begin, do you have any questions?" The Man asked, and it took Jolyne almost a minute to speak.

"Where…where are we? What is this place?"

"This is the Velvet Room, a place that exists between both Dream and reality, both mind and matter." The man explained. "My name is Igor, master of this place. These two are my assistants. You've already met Justine, and her sister's name is Caroline." Igor gestured to the two. "This is a room that only those who hold a contract may enter." Jolyne's eyes widened at this.

"Contract? What contract? I haven't signed shit!" Igor chuckled once more, sending chills down Jolyne's spine.

"All will be clear in due time, my dear. Although I admit, the shape of your Velvet Room is a bit of a surprise to me as well." Igor said, looking around. "I have seen this room take many forms, from an elevator to a limousine, but never a prison such as this. It seems as if you are truly a prisoner of fate. Fitting, I suppose, given your family history." The Hook Nosed Man mused. "In the near future, ruin awaits you. Of that, there is no doubt." Jolyne gripped the bars.

"Ruin? What the hell are you talking about?" Jolyne asked, and Igor's grin never faltered.

"Worry not, child. There is a mean to avoid such a fate. You must be 'rehabilitated' towards freedom. That is the only means to avoid the ruin of the world. Do you have the resolve needed to face this ruin head on?" Igor asked, and Jolyne felt a lump forming in her throat. Ruin? Contracts? Jolyne had no idea what the strange man was talking about, but at the same time, she felt a feeling in her gut, that felt like it originated from her very DNA. A drive to meet this challenge head on, state it down…and overcome it.

"Yes. I accept." Jolyne answered firmly, and Igor let out a solid laugh.

"Excellent! The game has begun!" He cheered, when a chime sounded. "I'm afraid our time is up. I shall grant you more details of your rehabilitation in the future. Farewell for now…my Trickster." With that, Jolyne's vision faded into darkness…

4/10/20XX

Jolyne's eyes snapped open, seeing the ceiling of her attic room once again. She sat up and checked herself, finding no chains, cuffs, or anything that might have signified that might have signified that the events of last night actually human. "What a weird dream…" she muttered to herself, yawning as she rose out of bed.

"Hey, you up yet?" Sakura' voice called from the stairwell. "Hurry up and get decent. Don't forget about our meeting."

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming. Let me get ready." Jolyne called back, getting up to change. As she got dressed, she felt something itchy around the spot of her shoulder where her birthmark was. Scratching it, she felt an odd sensation, and when she pulled her hand back, there was a singular string attached to it. 'Huh. Must have come off my clothes.' Jolyne thought to herself, getting dressed in her uniform and walking down the stair to greet Sojiro in Leblanc, who had on a white blazer over his dress shirt and a white hat.

"Nice hat, ladykiller. We off to a poetry slam after this?" Jolyne said, and Sojiro seemed unamused.

"Cmon, we need to hurry up or we'll be late."

"Where are we even going?"

"Shujin's over in the Aoyama district. Most of the time, you'll be taking the train there, so it'll cost a bit, and figuring out all the route transfers will be a pain in the ass. I'll be driving you there today, but that's it. Cmon, let's go." Sojiro beckoned, leading Jolyne out of the store towards his car, which was parked near the street. "Sheesh, a girl your age in my front seat…people might think I'm some sort of cradle robber."

Several Hours Later

In all the ways she could've thought up something to do, nothing would have been as tedious and time consuming as that meeting. The principal, a shirt, portly bald man in a gaudy yellow suit, and her teacher, a woman named Sadayo Kawakami who couldn't seem more disinterested if she tried, had told her nothing she didn't expect, almost to the point that Jolyne could've written a script about it. "Behave yourself blah blah blah, you'll be expelled if you act up blah blah blah, be a good student blah blah blah, you're sooooo lucky we decided to take you in blah blah blah." As if Jolyne hadn't already figured they had chosen to accept her to try and boost their rep. Taking in the troubled daughter of a distinguished academic like Jotaro Kujo? The PR wrote itself.

Now, Jolyne and Sojiro were stuck in traffic that was moving slower than a snail. Apparently during the meeting, a subway had derailed and crashed into its platform, injuring dozens of people. "Damn traffic. At this rate I won't be able to get home in time to open. What a waste of my Sunday…you're taking the train, starting tomorrow." Sojiro stated as they listened to a news report on the radio as they sat in traffic. "So…what'd you think? Of the school, I mean?" Jolyne simply shrugged.

"It's alright, I guess. Seems a little uptight for my tastes, but I guess beggars can't be choosers." Jolyne answered, and Sojiro breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a relief. Just…don't go beating up any teachers, ok?" Jolyne raised an eyebrow at Sojiro's request.

"Weird thing to request, but ok." She turned to look at the slow, almost unmoving line of cars on either side of the road. "This sorta thing happen often?" The restaurateur nodded.

"Yeah, though lately they've been happening a lot more frequently. Bus drivers driving down the wrong side of the road, subway drivers forcing themselves off the tracks, people losing their minds for no reason…it's why I like Leblanc exactly where it is, removed from all this. The world could go to hell, but I'd still go on like nothing happened." Sojiro stated, and Jolyne sighed, leaning against her hand.

"Of all the times to move here, it had to be in the middle of all this? Gimme a break…" She lamented, and Sojiro chuckled. "Something funny?"

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing. It's just…your father used to say something like that a lot when we were your age." He answered, and Jolyne looked at him.

"How is it you know my old man, anyway?" She asked.

"We grew up together, here in Tokyo. We ended up in different classes in high school, but we've always stayed in touch. He comes by whenever he's in town, and we catch up." Sojiro answered.

"…what was he like back then?" Sojiro adopted a puzzled look, glancing at Jolyne.

"Why do you want to know?" Sojiro's ward simply shrugged.

"Just curious. My grandfather wasn't around a whole lot then, and my grandmother can be a bit…vague." Jolyne explained, and Sojiro stroked his goatee, thinking back to his youth.

A young Sojiro was walking past a fancy looking restaurant, when out walked Jotaro Kujo, who was being yelled out by the manager. "Get back here and pay, you punk!" The manager shouted, and Jotaro turned and glared at him.

"I'll pay when you don't serve me crap! I wouldn't feed that rubbish to a dog!"

Young Sojiro was walking to his class, walking past Jotaro. About a second after, he noticed a bunch of students staring past. "What's going on?" Young Sakura asked, and a girl answered him.

"Ono-sensei was giving Kujo crap for his uniform, and Kujo beat the shit out of him!"

Some time later, Sojiro was studying at his desk, when another student came up to him. "Hey, Sakura, did you hear about Kujo?"

"What did he do this time?"

"Word is he beat the crap out of a bunch of guys downtown, and he actually got arrested!"

"Your father was…a bit of a punk, actually. Beat the crap out of people, got into a lot of fights…honestly I'm surprised he turned out as well as he did." Sojiro answered Jolyne, who simply adopted an incredulous look.

"You're serious? The 'great Professor Kujo' used to be just a thug?" She asked, and Sojiro nodded.

"Yep. Although, looking back, there was a point where he seemed to just…change." Sojiro reminisced, stroking his goatee. "Back in…I wanna say '87…Jotaro dropped out of school for about 2 months. Way I understand it, your grandmother got really sick, and your father stopped coming to school to take care of her. After that he seemed more…I dunno, mature, I guess." He explained. "How are your grandparents, anyway?"

"They're doing fine. Grandpa Sadao plays his music whenever he gets the chance, and Grandma Holly's still as cheerful as ever." Jolyne said with a small smile, before that fell, and she looked at the road. "They…they never gave up on me, even after the lawsuit and everything. I…I just wish I'd been a better granddaughter to them." Sojiro watched her expression, and sighed, the two of them sitting in silence as traffic slowly moved.

Elsewhere

In the upper level of an office building in downtown Shibuya, two people, watched a television report about the subway accident earlier. One was an elderly man who was almost completely bald, save for gray hair around the side of his head, who wore a blue business suit, and the other was a woman. "According to police, the driver's life was not in danger, despite his injuries. When pressed for questions, the driver could not come up with an explanation for why he forced his train to derail."

"This is less of an accident, and more of a crime of accompanying the government." The man, head of the Special Investigations Unit, stated. "Apparently 6 months ago, site inspectors reported deterioration along the tracks, as well as the ATC system designed to prevent such an incident. The Minister of Transport, however, decided to overlook it, insisting that they didn't have the money in their budget to cover it. There's no doubt he'll be replaced soon." He analyzed, and turned to his associate, who was none other than Sae Niijima. "What's your take on all this?" Sae remained silent, watching as the news announced how timetables all across the city had been thrown off. "Let me guess…you're thinking it's connected to the psychotic breakdowns that have been happening all over the place, correct?" Sae looked at him with a small smile.

"Spot on, though I'm also worried about how this might impact my sister's schedule."

"She's a smart girl, I'm sure she'll be fine." The director answered. "It's been far too long since you and I had a drink. Care to stay a bit?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I'll have to take a rain check. I have another meeting to attend to." Sae replied, bowing farewell to her superior and leaving his office. After descending the stair, Niijima saw a boy waiting for her near the bottom. He was young, about 16 or 17, with shaggy brown hair wearing a light grey blazer over a school uniform with a beige tie that had white stripes. He was carrying a brief case that had a large letter 'A' emboldened on it.

"Good evening, Sae-San. I assume you asked me here because of a case?" The boy asked as she approached him.

"Not quite. I just want your opinion on something." The inspector told him, and he nodded.

"But of course. Although, your assessment of a case is often as precise as my own, if not more so." The boy replied, following her down the steps. "Although, since you ARE making a student stay out late, perhaps we could grab some sushi?" Saw rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but conveyor belt only." She stated, much to the boy's chagrin.

4/11/20XX

Jolyne stepped off the Ginza Line train into Aoyama-Itchome station, her last stop before she would have to walk the rest of the way to Shujin. So far, it hadn't been too much trouble figuring out her route, although figuring ."out where the Ginza line was had felt like navigating a labyrinth. But she had figured it out, and now all Jolyne had to do was follow the students that were dressed like her to Shujin, and her first day of her new life would begin. It had been a rough few weeks, but from here on, Jolyne was bound and determined to make this the best year possible!

Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. "Rain?! Gimme a break…" Jolyne groaned, taking shelter under a store's awning. "Shoulda grabbed an umbrella…" she mumbled to herself, checking her phone to make sure she was on the right track, only to be greeted with a familiar sight. "That damn eyeball thing again? I'm gonna have to reboot my phone later…" The transfer student grumbled, and was about to delete it again, when a presence coming up next to her distracted her. Looking up, Jolyne saw a female student in a similar uniform coming up next to her, only she had on a light white hoodie under her blazer with the hood up came up next to her. The hoodie had red and blue stripes at the bottom, and a four leaf clover on the back of the hood. The student pulled back the hoodie, revealing long, wavy, ashy blonde hair tied into pig tails. The student was lighter skinned than the average Japanese, and had bright blue eyes.

The student sighed as she looked at the weather, only to notice Jolyne, who was honestly a little dumbstruck, staring at her. However, instead of flipping out, the girl simply smiled. "Talk about lousy weather, huh?" The girl asked, and Jolyne suddenly remembered that she knew how to speak.

"I'll say. Man, I really hope that this isn't an omen for the rest of the year." Jolyne answered, causing the girl to giggle. Almost as if on cue, a car pulled up on the curve, the window rolling down to reveal a man with a square jaw and unkempt brown hair, who had on a smile that almost unnerved Jolyne.

"Good morning, Takamaki. Need a ride? You're gonna be late." The man said, and the girl, now identified as Takamaki, nodded.

"Yeah, thanks." She answered, getting in the man's car, and he looked at Jolyne.

"You need a lift too?"

"No thanks. I'm fine." Jolyne replied. Something about the way he was looking at her really made her skin crawl.

"Suit yourself. Just don't be late, you hear?" The man said, and as he rolled up the window, Jolyne caught a glimpse of Takamaki's eyes. They were downturned, and seemed almost…sad.

As Jolyne watched the car drive off, she heard what sounded like someone running towards her. Soon, a boy with spiky blonde hair appeared wearing an open Shujin blazer, a bright yellow t-shirt with a large purple star with the letters ZOMG written underneath, and standard Shujin academy pants. "Dammit! Screw that pervert teacher…" the boy shouted.

"Pervert teacher?" Jolyne asked, and unbeknownst to her, the strange app on her phone began to react…

The boy turned to her, a scowl on her face. "What do you want? You planning on ratting me out to Kamoshida?" He demanded.

"Hey, chill it with the third degree, ok? And who the hell is Kamoshida?" The strange app chimed once more…

"What do you mean 'who the hell is Kamoshida'? He was the scumbag in the car just now. You go to Shujin, right?" Once more, the app chimed.

"Yeah, so what? I just got here. Pardon me for not knowing the name of every asshole at the school yet." Upon Jolyne's answer, the boy's scowl was replaced with a look of shock.

"You seriously don't know? Wait, now that I think about it, I've never seen you around before. I'd certainly remember if I had…oh wait, you must be that new transfer student people've been talking about!"

"Ding ding. How many girls around here have green hair?" Jolyne replied, and the Vulgar Boy sighed.

"Sorry about all that. I just…get angry whenever I see that bastard." He apologized. "Piece of advice? Stay away from Kamoshida. Nothing good comes from being around him."

"Noted. So, you're a second year too?" She asked, noting a button on his uniform.

"Yeah. Class C. Name's Ryuji Sakamoto." The boy, now identified as Ryuji, answered.

"Jolyne Cujoh. Pleasure to meet you." Jolyne replied, and Ryuji looked out at the street.

"This rain isn't too bad. Cmon, I know a shortcut to the school." He said, gesturing for Jolyne to follow him. She followed him down a back alley.

"So, this Kamoshida…who is he exactly?" She asked, and Ryuji clenched his fist.

"He's the head of the volleyball team, the 'pride and joy of Shujin.' The school brought him on because he used to be some big shot Olympic gold medalist, and they can't get enough of him." Ryuji spat. "Bastard treats the school like his own personal playground, and they don't seem to care."

"So he thinks he's the king of the castle?" Jolyne asked, and the app chimed again as Ryuji nodded.

"Destination found. Beginning navigation." The app said, and Ryuji and Jolyne both felt light headed all of a sudden.

"Ugh, what's with this headache? It's not even pollen season yet…" Ryuji groaned, and turned back to Jolyne. "It's this next right up here."

"Got it." She replied, but when Ryuji turned the corner, his mouth dropped in shock.

"What the hell…" he muttered, and Jolyne was about to ask what the problem was, when she turned the corner and saw it for herself.

Standing where Shujin should have been was a massive castle made of stone, complete with a drawbridge where the gate should have been, set against a sky that had become red and wavy. "Did…did we take a wrong turn?" Jolyne asked, and Ryuji simply shook his head.

"No way. I go that way all the time…" he answered, looking around. "Look, there's the plate for Shujin…this has gotta be the right place. What the hell's going on here?" They stared for a solid minute, before Jolyne swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I guess we'll just have to go in and ask." She said, and Ryuji nodded. As the two walked up the drawbridge, they didn't notice the castle shifting for a moment, reverting to Shujin Academy, before turning back.

A/N: Hey there all you crazy kids! I don't normally do these much anymore, but I thought I might be able to clear up a few concerns. This will not be a simple retread of the Persona 5 story, although these first two chapters do seem like it. Once I get the ball rolling, I promise you'll see more unique content. Until next time!