"...About time you've come to." Caroline spoke first.
Ah... The tsundere one. He sighed, not really wanting to get up nor take any part in this charade.
"On your feet, Inmate!" She hit the bars with her baton.
"Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart." Justine interrupted.
"First off, let us celebrate our reunion." Igor joined soon after. "Oh...? You've awakened to your powers- and special ones at that." He grinned, "Your rehabilitation can finally begin."
"Rehabilitation?" Ren cocked his head to the side, curiously lost.
"There is no need to understand it all for the time being." Igor answered, "You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a mask- an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters." His smile was still plastered on his face. "I have high expectations for you."
"What do you mean?" He wanted answers.
"You have no choice but to hone your strength." Justine responded first. "It's not because we're forcing you, but because this is your fate... Neglect it and you will die."
"By the by... have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator?" Igor questioned right after Justine, "Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and Palaces."
"Palaces?" Ren was bewildered, trying to understand this whole situation.
"...I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as a thief." He replied.
"The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, Inmate!" Caroline added.
"Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief." Justine spoke.
"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone." Igor assumed, "Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well." He beamed. "This is all for you to grow as a most excellent thief..."
"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have..." Caroline bid him farewell.
I feel I should've asked them to clarifies things, but I doubt any of their responses would be of any use... He sighed, accepting his unanswered questions, I might as well get used to it now, I guess. Ren's vision became black, light appearing through his window, signalling him it's morning.
The boy with glasses got dressed then sat back down on his bed, trying to think things through. I had another strange dream... He sighed. Fate... and awakening...? Could he be talking about my probation... and Arsène? No... lets just forget it. He tried to erase it out of his mind and try to focus on the important things in his life. More importantly... I need to hurry and get ready for school...
Ren turned the sign to open for Sojiro before he began to head to school. The teen looked up at the sky, noticing it was raining. What luck... He laughed, Eh... I don't mind the rain. He smiled weakly as he began to head out after opening his umbrella.
"What was the conductor thinking, charging into the station at the top speed like that?" A lighthearted student spoke up enough for Ren to hear.
"Didn't you hear? The guy totally lost it." A mellow student responded. "It's been happening a lot lately."
"All these accidents are because people are suddenly losing their minds, right?"
"Well, between the economy sucking and how depressing the news always is, it's not all that surprising."
Ren sighed heavily, What great timing to live in the city. He chuckled, noticing he was arriving soon.
"Look, isn't that her?" A student with a ponytail asked.
"You mean that one with the red ribbon?" A sleepy student questioned for clarification. "Uh, I guess so."
"She's so thin..." She sneered. "It's not fair, I've got my hair in a ponytail too..."
"Okay, and what's that got to do with being thin?"
Another person who gets talked about right behind their back. He shook his head with disbelief after looking at the students that seem to attend the same school.
Ren wanted to take a look on who it was they were talking about. He was wondering if she was in the same year as him, but he couldn't catch a glimpse and decided not to put effort into seeing. The conversation ended once everyone entered the next train and everything was blocked out by the sound of the engine.
The boy with glasses tried to move around to get a decent amount of room, a sigh released once he got enough room to breathe. Once he stopped and was able to catch his breath, he noticed a girl with scarlet hair tied up into a ponytail with a crimson colored bow.
Oh... is this who those students were talking about? He wondered.
"Please, take my seat." She stood up, looking at an elderly woman who stood in front of her. "My station's coming up."
"Are ya sure? Then..." The elderly woman smiled kindly, about to head towards the seat, but a man beside her took it before she could even take a step towards it.
"Oh wow, what speed!" The girl looked impressed, "I mean- Excuse me, that seat was for this lady..." She spoke politely, trying to correct things. "Oh..." The man fell asleep.
Wow... Ren was surprised, yet felt he shouldn't be since this is a city, "Want me to wake him up?" He asked, presuming the man was acting.
"It's all right. I can understand his position as well." She replied.
He sighed, I guess I can't disagree with that, He glanced over, seeing a small smile slide across the mans face, But there are times where people act so they can get away with things... He hid a glare, Almost like every other adults I've dealt with, but I have nothing to say about this guy since I don't have any business with him. Ren looked away, awaiting for the train to reach it's stop.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be any help." The girl with scarlet hair looked over at the elderly woman.
"It's all right, dearie. Don't you worry." She gently beamed.
"Please allow me to carry your luggage, at least." The student said, beginning to grab hold of her bag.
"Thank you!" The elderly woman was surprised, but grinned, accepting her offer. "Ain't it heavy, though?"
"Not at all! I train plenty." The young woman shook her head with a grin.
Hm... she's just as helpful as Ryuji. A small smile slid across his face, Though their supports are a bit different. He glanced over every now and then, trying to process her appearance.
The young woman has red long hair tied into a ponytail, with a red ribbon tied into a bow, red eyes and pink lips. She wears a Shujin Academy winter uniform with black pantyhose and red loafers.
Hm... Quite kind indeed. He chuckled faintly, her kindness suddenly reminded him of Shiho's. Damn it... He sighed with disappointment hoping his face didn't turn crimson. As he hoped the train would stop soon, he heard a sudden giggle. Hm...?
He peeked over, seeing the girl with scarlet hair look at him with a smile. Her face turning a bit pink once seeing he noticed her. She turned away, trying to hide her blush. Discomfort filled the air, both teens wanting the train to stop real soon. Ren sighed with relief, automatically walking off the train. As he walked ahead, hoping to lose her, she called out to him
"Pardon me." She bowed, "Thank you so much for earlier."
"Earlier?" He questioned.
"For speaking up when I offered my seat on the train." She looked up at him with a soft grin. "You're a second-year at Shujin Academy, correct? I'm a first-year there myself."
Oh, a first-year? He was a bit surprised.
"Thank you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn't want to be rude to my senpai." She bowed once more, "Please, excuse me!"
Ren was a bit dumbfounded, taken aback by kindness, I bet she just doesn't know about the rumors. He chuckled faintly, ignoring that moment and heading towards school.
He was glad he made it to school this time, with no detours, I seem to have made it to school safely... What was that castle, though? He questioned, his curiosity beginning to grow.
Okay... today's first class is... social studies. Ren smiled a bit since he was good at it, all thanks for viewing it as if it's story telling. Heh... I bet this would make people think I'm kiddish for viewing this subject this way. He rubbed the back of his neck walking in and sitting down in his seat.
"A certain dictionary defines a year as a period of 365 disappointments." His teacher began, "The book's title is about as cynically satirical as the rest of it. It's The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce." He looked around the class, his eyes landing on Ren who happened to have been dozing off. "Hey, new kid." His teacher smirked, assuming he will be his first target to embarrass.
Damn it! Ren heard his teacher, a bit of worry arriving after realizing he wasn't paying full attention to this afternoon's class.
"Tell me what the Devil's Dictionary defined as the chief factor in the progress of the human race."
Oh... that's it? Ren chuckled with relief, "Villians." He spoke with a smile and a bit of confidence.
"Correct. Malefactors, to be specific." His teacher grinned with the look of impressiveness. "You actually knew that, huh?" His grin turned into a smirk, looking as though he's expecting him to trip at one point or another, but slight hope was beside his feel of doubt.
Ren breathed out a laugh when looking back at him, Well, I did learn a bit of this at my previous school.
"Sure, villains can affect the course of history. But remember that this definition is a sardonic witticism, nothing more." He looked back at his students, "Here in the real world, villains don't push humanity forward. All they do is spread chaos and strife."
"Wow, he got it right... Is he really a criminal?" One student whispered.
"He seems like a punk, but maybe he's actually serious about studying?" Another spoke.
"I know you've all heard the reports of these agitators stirring up trouble." Sensei spoke up, "We don't have any room for criminals here. Not in school, and not in society. Am I clear?" He looked at everyone before looking back at Ren. The student with glasses bowed his head a little as if agreeing to his statement.
Afternoon...
Ugh... finally... break time. He stretched, then placed his hand on his stomach, feeling it vibrate as it growled, Ah... yeah... forgot breakfast this morning. He groaned, And forgot to make lunch... Well, I guess I'll buy a piece of bread and head to the roof to avoid these continuous rumors. Best to lay low. Ren reached in his bag and grabbed his bottle of water before leaving class. Okay... it's right around this corner, right? He turned and a smile appeared once seeing it.
The teen pulled out his wallet and requested a piece of bread. He heard the usual rumors roam around his school, along with the rumor of his classmate Ann. The young man tried to ignore the words that escaped the students lips and headed up to the rooftops once he bought his bread.
Finally... He sighed deeply, opening the door to the roof. Hm...? He looked up and noticed the one person he was not prepared to see. Crap... He closed his eyes, hanging his head, debating on sneaking away or approach her. Before he could answer, he was called over by her.
"O-Oh... A-Amamiya-san." Shiho exposed an awkward grin, "H-How are you doing today?" She wanted to face palm herself, wanting to leave instantly, but felt stuck since she's the one who started the conversation.
"Um... A-All is well." He responded with a beam, trying to stay composed.
"That's great to hear." She copied his smile, looking down at her food, "Care to sit with me? I remember food tastes better with company." Shiho looked at him gently, patting beside her.
"O-Of course." His smile turned small once realizing her smile became his weakness, "Thank you."
He sat beside her, setting his bottle down in front of him and opened up the wrapper, about to take a bite, until his stomach interrupted him from hiding his embarrassment. They both were surprised by the suddenly loud growl that came from his stomach. His face turning completely red. He buried his face in his hands, automatically apologizing.
"This is so embarrassing... I am truly sorry!" He wrapped his arms around his stomach, "I didn't eat breakfast this morning so-"
Before he could finish sentence he heard a stifled laugh. He looked over, his face still crimson. His heart was struck again once seeing her pearly white teeth and her cheeks lightly turning pink, finally showing color in her skin. Ren breathed out a laugh, his grin becoming genuine.
"No need to apologize." Her laugh beginning to lessen, "I should be the one apologizing." Shiho gave a simple grin, "I'm sorry for laughing." She looked at him gently, "I definitely understand. There were days where I forgot to eat as well."
"Don't hold yourself back from laughing." He gave a childish grin, "Your smile is cute. One that can easily pass onto others." Ren exposed a very beaming grin, finally feeling comfortable at this school. Every feel of discomfort effortlessly evaporating. "So, please, don't apologize." His smile became small, finally going in for a bite of his bread.
Shiho's heart beat roughly against her chest as her face became hot by his look of happiness and his kind words. She looked at her lunch before taking a bite. The two teens sat peacefully next to each other. The young woman peeked over at the young man and thought to herself on if she should or shouldn't. Before even processing the thought, she picked a rice ball from her lunch box and held it in front of him.
"Hm?" One of Ren's eyebrow rose out of bewilderment.
"Here. You can't just eat bread." She handed it over, "Who knows, your stomach may even growl during class." She stuck her tongue out teasingly, not giving him the chance to decline the offer as she placed it onto his hand this time.
"T-Thanks." His heart skipped a beat once their hands touched. "You know you really didn't-"
"I know I didn't." She peeked over, taking a bite of her other rice ball. "Just like you didn't have to save me from Kamoshida."
Heh... this girl... He smiled softly, feeling ecstatic. "Really. Thank you, Suzui-san." He said before finally eating.
"Call me Shiho." The young woman looked over at him, "Mind if I call you Ren?" She cocked her head to the side, awaiting for an obvious yes.
"Not at all." A chuckle left his lips, "Shiho."
"Ren." She responded.
The two adolescents continued to eat, both of them officially becoming comfortable with each other. Ren was the first one done, finishing off his meal by washing it down with his water. He wiped his lips with his sleeve, setting his drink down.
"Quite a peaceful afternoon." Ren looked over at Shiho.
Shiho responded with a hum, looking over at him with soft smile.
Ren ended up reaching out to her, his thumb brushing the side of her lip unconsciously. Shiho was startled as she felt his thumb graze on her face, suddenly remembering yesterday's event.
"S-Sorry..." He gave a weak grin, "A grain of rice was on you." His face became warm instantly after realizing he just ate the grain of rice that rested on the side of her lip. An... indirect kiss...? He questioned his confusion, feeling like an idiot for thinking it that way.
"N-No... w-worries." Awkwardness began to fill the air once more.
Once this whole thing processed in his mind, he suddenly remembered yesterdays event as well.
Damn it! Don't remember. Pretend nothing happened. Ren continuously thought to himself, trying to forcefully smile while trying to keep himself poised
Does he remember yesterday...? She questioned, having difficulty on looking away.
He tried to look away, too, but he had difficulty doing so. He forced a comfortable looking grin before tearing their gaze by looking away as if nothing happened just now.
Oh... I guess... I guess he doesn't remember. She gave a weak grin, trying to look relieved.
Shiho ended up tracing her thumb around her lips as though remembering the feel of his lips. Once she noticed she touched her lips by accident, she removed her hand away instantly hoping he didn't see anything. But sadly enough, he noticed. He saw it as clear as day to where his heart raced leading him to bite his tongue and looking in the opposite direction, putting effort into hiding his crimson colored cheeks.
This isn't good... The teens both closed their eyes, no longer having the ability to look at each other at this point...
