Chapter 3

"To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems." A bald, obese man glared at Yu behind the principle's desk. This is supposed to be Yu's new principal and he was less welcoming than Sojiro, the man who was busy signing paperwork right next to the teen.

They had arrived at Shujin Academy to get everything in order for his transfer into the school tomorrow. One would say it was going smoothly, but only if he were skating on dry ice. The atmosphere was just frigid, and all that AC was blasting all toward him. It wasn't comfortable. Even in this Shujin jacket.

The principle went on, "In my opinion, you're nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider. Whatever you might've gotten away with in your hometown… those days are over. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind."

Lovely. Yu just nodded. This man was asserting his dominance. Rather subtle, but most effective due to Yu's pinch.

Turning his head, the principle looked to the female standing beside him. "This is the teacher in charge of your class."

Please, be nothing like Miss Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi was his last homeroom teacher. She replaced his previous homeroom teacher after his murder. He was known as King Moron for his obnoxious and degrading attitude toward every student, Yu was no exception. No one thought there could be someone worse than King Moron till Kashiwagi showed up. In every class she basically attempted to seduce the student audience like she was doing a strip tease with the quadratic formula. No one was more attractive or appealing than her, according to her anyways. She may have thought she was being 'promiscuous,' but it came off more 'creepy' and 'vomitory.' Everyone began mourning the loss of King Moron the day she arrived. Yu sometimes went to the man's grave to bow his head in solum prayer.

The new teacher nodded toward him, "I'm Sadayo Kawakami. Here's your student ID." She planted some items in front of him.

On top was the traditional ID card that had his photo and school information, but beneath it… what was that? It looked like some pink pamphlet with white embroiled sidings. The main image was covered by the ID so there wasn't a way to get a good look at it. Realizing what he was looking at, Kawakami snatched it away and pocketed it with a frantic look.

Must have been something she didn't want anyone to see. Respecting that, Yu pretended not to notice and just took up his new ID. As he put it away Kawakami spoke with a relieved undertone, "Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all." With a nervous glance she peered over at the principle. "That IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?"

So, the principle was named Kobayakawa… yeah, Yu wasn't going to bother memorizing that. He's just going to call him Principal. He barely interacted with his former principal anyways.

"He is responsible for all his actions." Principle glared over at Yu.

"But really though, why me? There should've been better candidates." Kawakami complained.

Yu sniffed, upper lip twitching. She could have at least waited till he left the room.

"It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one that had an opening."

"If you're done explaining things," Sojiro frowned at their rantings, "mind if we get going? I got a store to get back to."

"Sakura-san," Principal gave Sojiro a grave stare, "please keep a close eye on him. Don't let him cause any trouble outside."

Sojiro chanced a glance at Yu before returning to the principal. "I'll talk with him about it." Seems he still remembers walking in on Yu last night.

Kawakami sighed before addressing Yu. "Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom."

"Thanks." Yu bowed to her and began walking out behindSojiro.

They exited the office and walked down the stairs where Sojiro stopped. "Everyone's giving you the cold shoulder." He turned to Yu. "That's what having a criminal record does to you. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go." The way he said that… it's from experience. "By the way… if you get expelled now, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?"

Yu nodded. He had more important things on his mind than causing trouble… then again, he might be diving headfirst into trouble. It was him after all. "I'll be careful."

The man appraised the teen, a different look in his eye. Looking about the school he whispered. "School never changes, huh?" He looked lost in his own world. Shaking off the thoughts, Sojiro waved Yu to follow. "Come on, we're going home."

After driving off, it only took them a few minutes of driving to hit some heavy traffic. They were parked on the road waiting for the car ahead of them to get off the brakes. Sojiro tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, other arm nestled on the backrest. With a groan he shifted into a more comfortable position. "Traffic's not moving at all… You're taking the train starting tomorrow."

No complaints, this was something he never missed about Tokyo. The student pass maked the train ride free anyway. Though… the traffic seemed unusually heavy from what he remembers. Have things changed in the six years he's been gone? When did he accept this whole time-jumping thing?

"So, how was it?"

"Huh?"

"The school, I mean. You think you can manage?"

There wasn't much Yu could say. He didn't exactly have a five-star first impression. "Seems like fun."

"Do you even understand your situation?" Sojiro snapped.

Yu jumped at Sojiro's tone. What was wrong with saying it may be fun? Usually adults were happy to hear a student calling school fun.

"Still, you were expelled once already. To think you'd re-enroll at a different one. It's not like anyone will be sympathetic with you… If that's what it was like at school, people might say stuffabout me in the future too… What a troublesome kid I've taken in…"

That was almost random rambling. It was hard to discern what exactly the café owner was talking about. Despite that, Yu looked out the window. "Why did you take me in?"

"I was asked to. Your mother knows a customer of mine and… I just agreed to it alright. I've already been paid for it too, after all."

His mother… Sojiro may have meant Ren's mother, but Yu couldn't help but think about his own mother. What would she think? About her son being charged with assault, having a criminal record? Now, his future was all gone. It won't really matter what school he went to anymore. No respectable place would accept him. All because he wanted to defend that woman from a fate something horrible. It's hard for him to say if his mom would be proud or not. She was gone most days and he had to care for himself. Still, he wanted them to be proud, proud of what he had done for himself and others. He was even looking forward to telling his parents about his friends and family in Inaba… now he only has a mother who just sent away a troublesome delinquent.

Strangely enough though, he couldn't really focus on who Ren's mother was exactly. Any attempt would end with some image of some strange smile. It wasn't fake or sinister, though. It was patient and kind. When he saw it, he could feel himself relaxing. Still, something in the back of his mind itched at him, saying there was more to this than anything.

"Now for the top story of the day." The radio cut off his reminiscing. "A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of-."

"Another accident?" Sojiro gawked at the radio. "So that's why it's so crowded. There's been a lot of those lately."

A lot? Yu strained his ears, trying to remain passive.

"In fact, there was a real sad one just last month…It happened before you came here. If I remember right, the girl that passed away was only fifteen. Her parents have gotta be just…"

Before Yu could probe, the radio interrupted again, taking Sojiro's attention immediately, "All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam-packed streets."

Sojiro bowed his head with a growl. "Oh, come on!"

Liking his lips, Yu chanced a quick look at his caregiver. "How long have these accidents been occurring?"

"How should I know? It has nothing to do with me."

"But if we can find the cause there won't be a repeat of that girl."

"Or we'll just waste our time. They're accidents. No point in getting so worked up over it."

"But people are dy-."

"This is exactly what's got you in trouble in the first place! Just drop it before you end on the street!"

The teen grimaced at the dejection, looking out of the side window. Yu could only shake his head and chew on his bottom lip. He's going to have to do his own research then.

His thumb flipping up over the screen of his phone while his eyes glean over the search results. It took longer than he would have liked, but Yu didn't feel comfortable searching this stuff in front of that café manager. Now, the accident the radio mentioned injured eighty people, no deaths were mentioned but it was hard to believe all eighty survived something so… brutal.

As for the other events Sojiro referenced, they were all cases everyone were dubbing 'psychotic breakdowns.' It occurs when someone randomly becomes violent without warning or suddenly stops functioning all together as if brain-dead. Besides the immediate reactions, there are no signs that there was anything particularly wrong with them. Even the brain-dead individuals had no known cause of their conditions, but in every case, it always ends with an accident.

That just screamed the other world. Back in Inaba, the murders had the same, exact circumstances. Unknown causes of death, it was as if the body just shut down on their own. These incidents varied slightly, but the difference is so miniscule it was worth investigating further. There was even a pattern, an accident or event that resulted in injury or death, usually newsworthy. However, those unaware of the other world wouldn't know what else to say besides random bad luck. Sometimes he wondered when adults would stop dismissing everything as 'coincidence' when there were so many of them. A few instances can be random luck, several instances are a pattern. How is that not common sense? It's basic statistical analysis.

Yu stood up from the stool and faced the TV. It was nighttime and the screen was off. A setting all too familiar. It made him a little nostalgic. There was just no rain, and it wasn't midnight yet. Regardless, it's the atmosphere.

Stretching out his finger the teen hesitantly hovered over the screen. Then he reached out ready for his fingers to dip into the strange world.

His finger bounced off the screen.

Yu flinched, stepping back in disbelief. He tried again, but the same happened. He frantically poked the screen, but each time it only tapped on the small device.

Growling Yu spun around and slammed his hand against the counter. What the hell was that? Even after stopping the fog from engulfing all humanity, the whole team could still enter the television. In fact, all his friends assured him that while he was gone, they would keep an eye on the other world and contact him if anything should happen. So why couldn't he access the TV now?

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he dropped the phone on the counter before looking at his hands. Did he… lose more than that power? His persona? He shouldn't, he should still have that, it was his true inner-self. That shouldn't be gone. But what other reason could there be for this lack of other world dipping? His friends couldn't go into the TV until they unlocked their personas. It stands to reason that would be the key aspect of how to enter. Is it because… he's not Yu anymore?

No, that couldn't be it. He was- is Yu. He has the memories, the knowledge. Hell, he felt more like Yu than Ren. Everything he knew about Ren was more like someone watched it from some show or read it in a book. Bits and pieces of information coming from the very depths of his mind. Could that be wrong? Was it Ren's memories and they were just being… overwritten somehow?

He grunted, plopping down on the stool. He couldn't get into the other world. Now what? What could he do about the other world? The appearance of Igor, or whoever that was, implies that something major was happening. That, things would deteriorate until chaos ensued. Without the other world there was nothing more he could do beyond acting as a spectator. Then, it's just like last time. Wait until an opportunity arises. Just… without a talking bear costume with the convenient power to send him back to the real world… man he missed Teddie right now. He missed all his friends.

They were caught in jams like this before, but those times they would group together and figure something out. Now he was alone… and couldn't contact them. It all came rushing back to him. The empty room pressing down on him, taunting him with silence. Even the ever-warm presence of a certain detective sitting next to him remained absent, leaving a chilling air instead.

With his arms curled on the counter he buried his face in them, covering his eyes withdarkness. He didn't want to be in the empty room. He didn't want to feel the darkness, smell the coffee. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up on that train. Then he could call Yusuke so they could laugh at this absurd world. Where Yu was friendless… a criminal.

Was he really Yu? Or… was Ren all that existed, and Yu's memories just happen to be…?

Ren stood from the counter, shaking. He snatched up the phone and stormed up the stairs. He was done. Done with this café, done with this shitty world, done with this hell that's torn through his life! Who cares about some stupid train wreck! Why couldn't he just have a normal life, then maybe he wouldn't have to deal with all this crap!

Igor didn't summon him within his dreams again. That's good. Maybe he'll get lucky and never see that long-nosed freak again. Ren sighed as he stepped off the stairs and toward the train station exit headed toward school. Only to stop and stand there as rain poured over his head.

Cursing, he rushed away and hid away under the roof of one of the side buildings. He reached into his bag, rummaging through it. Ren cursed some more. Of course, he forgot the damn umbrella. Why wouldn't he? His life was going so well today. Yu never forgot to bring one on his way to school, it rained almost every week in Inaba after all.

Ren pulled out his phone, huffing as he scrolled through the map. Maybe there was some shortcut to school that would provide more coverage. The screen suddenly filled with a red eye staring at him. Ren reeled back. It was back? Why? He made sure to delete it. He double checked and everything.

He reached down to click on it, an inspection to figure out what this thing was when someone came running in and stoped right next to him. He took a quick look at them. Female, based on the physique. Though she wasn't wearing the uniform in its entirety, he did recognize the Shujin Academy jacket.

Whoever it was, she pulled down her hood letting her blond hair flop out and onto her shoulders. Ren blinked and turned to look at her closer. A foreigner? She didn't look Japanese. Though, that's very presumptuous. If she's going to Shujin, she must know Japanese. For all he knows it's her parents who are foreigners and she's a naturally born citizen on the country. Still… he couldn't stop but look her over in curiosity. Even with Yu's memories, Ren has never seen someone like her before, naturally blond. Must be rather popular with the boys, especially with a figure like her's.

She turned and looked him in the eyes. She smiled nervously, giving him a small laugh before looking back out to the pelting roads. Blinking, Ren looked back out there too. He shouldn't have been staring, that was rude, and he didn't have a prestigious reputation to help him make friends right now. He opened his mouth to apologize but a car rolled up along the sidewalk. The window rolled down and a man with curly and fairly long hair poked his head out. "Good morning. Do you want me to give you a ride to school? You're going to be late."

The female smiled slightly, stepping toward the vehicle. "Um, sure. Thank you."

Yu narrowed his eyes. That tone of voice. He learned to read people in Inaba for the investigation. It took a while, but he had a good understanding of others and their responses. Her demeanor and tone… it sounded hesitant and unwilling, but he didn't know what these two were to each other. She apparently had reservations about the guy, but beyond that he knew nothing else. So why did he feel so on edge? Was his shadow intuition kicking on? That should only happen in the other world though.

She got in the passenger's side and shut the door. The man turned to look at Yu, "Do you need a lift too?"

Yu blinked. He wasn't expecting to be acknowledged. He smiled and waved his hand. "Nah." Though he would like it, there was no way he was getting in a car with a stranger sending out bad vibes. Call him paranoid, but he just didn't want this day to fall into a hell's pit.

Nodding the man rolled up the window, but not before Yu spotted that look of despair on the girl's face. If he wasn't suspicious before, Yu was most certainly suspicious now. Why was she so depressed being in that car? Why did she go in if she didn't want to? It was like that man had something against her and she couldn't refuse.

No matter, he had no right to do anything. He had more restrictions on him than a police officer drowning in red tape. All he could do was watch the car drive off.

"Damnit!" Yu spun around. A teen rushed past him. The young man's face contorted with rage. "Screw that pervy teacher!"

What? "Pervy teacher?" Yu repeated.

The teen looked back at him, allowing Yu a better look at him. A Japanese boy, he dyed his hair blond, just as yellow as the rock t-shirt he wore under a Shujin jacket. Probably a delinquent considering the violation of school uniform code. The clear impulsive aggression gave him that air too.

In a flash, the image of Kanji appeared before Yu. A delinquent, dyed his hair blond, and had an anger issue. Seeing this guy in front of him… it just made him think of Kanji, wanted to hear his friend tell him to get over his mood and act like the leader he is. Instead, it's only the sound of downtrodden rain echoing around him.

The blond teen appraised and marched over to him, ignoring the water running over his clothes. "What do you want? You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?"

"Kamoshida? Who's that?"

"Huh? In that car just now, it was Kamoshida."

So that's his name. What does he have to do with them though?

The vulgar boy kicked at the ground, looking over his shoulder at the road, tsking away. "He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is- the king of a castle? Don't you agree?"

"Which castle?"

"Uhh… it's just a sayin'…" The blond-haired boy looked him up and down, a peculiar look on his face. "Wait. You don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You're from Shujin, right?"

"Shujin Academy." This was awkward. Could he go back and pretend not to notice this guy?

"What? No other high school's got a uniform like this." He looked at Yu's collar, probably the tag that tells what year he's in. "A second year, huh. We're in the same grade then. Never seen ya before though?"

Was he going to get jumped before school started? He half expected it to occur after the fact.

A flash of realization appeared on the newcomer's face. "Oh, you a transfer student?" Yu nodded. "Then no wonder you don't know him." The boy looked out into the open air. "This rain ain't too bad. We better hurry up, or we'll be late." He turned to leave.

A pulse shot through Yu, causing his hand to clutch his head instinctively.

The boy groaned, too. His own hand rubbing his temple. "Uuuugh, my head hurts. Dammit… I wanna go home." Then he marched on through the rain.

Yu quickly stashed away his phone and followed. The guy was nicer than the first impression implied. Good thing he met Kanji before. First time meeting that guy went a whole lot more running and screaming. Could be worth getting to know this new kid. He probably knew the best way to school in this weather. Yu's found that the best way to learn the area was to follow the regulars anyway. It's how he first learned how to traverse Inaba… because of Chie… who decided to pull him along and show him around. Though she did have more tact than this guy. At least she asked him if he wanted to join her and Yukiko.

The blond boy turned down an alley, Yu quick behind him. The tall buildings did little to stop the rain, but at least it was enough to prevent them from being wet. Yu didn't feel as cautious as the boy did though. The blonde guy stepped around puddles, but Yu would just follow along, no care if his shoes disrupted the small water tensions beneath him. That is, until he felt something dragging along his foot.

Yu stopped and turned around, as if a presence was behind him. His shadow senses kicking in and throwing red lights at his skull. This place… felt familiar. But,he's never been here, not even as Ren. He hummed to himself then his ears perked up. "Hwa!?" The boy jibbed behind him.

Yu turned and stepped out of the alley to stare up at the massive structure before him. A castle that stretched all the way up to the sky. A red glowing sky.