6/20 Sa - Gekkoukan high - Class: 2-E - Afterschool - Kazuki
The end bell rings throughout the school, prompting me to jump to my feet. I have to meet with M.G., preferably without anyone around.
"Yo, Fuu-chan, you can head back by yourself today."
"Is something the matter?"
"Not really, I just have a few things I need to do before going back. I don't want to drag you around."
"It's okay, I'd be glad to go shopping with you."
Sometimes, I wish she wasn't so considerate.
"Well, um, you see, I..."
"Excuse me, but are you Kazuki Kei?"
M.G. approaches me with the "polite girl attitude" she has going on.
"Y-yes."
"I'm sorry...did I disturb you?"
"Not at all."
"Thank goodness. As I said before, I'm Shizuka Rin. I hope we can get along during this year together."
It's so weird seeing her act nice and polite to me, especially when she's tried to kill me two different times; is this really the same girl?
"I'm Yamagishi Fuuka, it is a pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure to meet you, Yamagishi-san." She looks back at me. "I've been told by Ekoda-sensei that you could show me around the school."
"Me?"
"If you cannot, then I would understand."
Is she trying to get me alone with her? Well, that was my plan from the beginning anyway, so why not?
"No, I don't want to be rude, I'll show you around."
She gently claps her hands together. "Excellent, then let us depart now."
I turn to Fuu-chan, giving her a curt bow. "Sorry, but I'll see you back at the dorm."
"Um, okay, I'll see you later."
Exiting 2-E, we head down the second-floor corridor, heading for the rooftop. The humid, summer air hit me hard, but I faced worse heat than this. Nobody is around to listen to us.
"What are you doing here?" I ask, venting some of my frustration at her.
M.G. instantly dropped her whole act, returning to the expressionless face she usually has. "I came to keep an eye on you."
"Why for?"
"To monitor you."
"You just said that."
"Does it matter? I am not here to harm your compatriots, so there should be no issue."
"Except that Minako knows about you and knows what you look like."
"Then prevent it from becoming a problem. I'll be sure to avoid her until you resolve that issue."
"Seriously?"
"Did I stutter?"
Ugh, for the first time during the year, I think I understand where Ekoda-sensei is coming from.
"Fine, I'll make sure she gets what's going on."
"Splendid, then our business has concluded."
M.G. walks over to the exit. She takes on the guise of an innocent schoolgirl, flashing me that fake smile. "From this day forward, I'll be counting on you as a classmate, okay?"
Damn, she's got her act down perfectly. Nonetheless, if she's in the same class as me, then I can keep an eye on her as well. Though, I'm kind of scared of how this will play out.
Iwatodai dormitory - Command room - Evening - Kazuki
I returned to the dorm by myself, Sanada-senpai texted me saying to come to the command room; the meeting was about the irregular shadows that appeared on the last three full moons. I was right about them appearing on those days, and Ikutsuki confirmed my guess. Now that we're all on the same page, these things taking us by surprise won't happen again.
All in all, the meeting went by quickly. Still, all four of them were tough, I can't imagine what the other eight are like. Please don't let one of them be a kaiju; that would be cool, but it would suck to fight it.
"Kazuki-kun, is something the matter?" Damn, my face is getting hot, why is it! "Are you blushing Kazuki-kun?"
"N-no, no! It's, umm…"
"I think it's kinda cute," she giggles after telling me so.
"Ah, you're making it worse."
"But I only said it's cute."
"That's exactly why."
Damnit, this is getting away from what I wanted to talk to her about.
"... Never mind all that. Fuu-chan, are you doing anything tomorrow?"
"No..."
"Then, how about we go have that date like I said we would? We can leave the dorm early in the morning...if it's okay with you?"
She tugs her hand behind her back, lowering her head for a moment, only to face me again.
"I-I would like that."
Yes! Great, awesome, amazing!
"Great, then get plenty of rest, because tomorrow, we're gonna go all around the city."
"You really meant that?"
"Ah, i-is that okay?"
"...It's fine, I'll be sure to be ready. Should we leave at 9:00 A.M."
"Yeah, that's perfect. Okay, 9 tomorrow, don't forget."
"You too, make sure to get plenty of rest."
I salute Fuu-chan. "Yes, ma'am!"
This is great, tomorrow is gonna be so damn exciting.
6/21 Su - Outside of the Iwatodai dormitory - Morning - Kazuki
The morning heat isn't too bad, but I'm not good with summer heat at all. Dressed as light as I could, and even left my jacket behind. I usually just tie it around my waist, but I can go without it, just for today.
I'm waiting for Fuu-chan to meet me outside the dorm. She texted me a minute ago saying she's about to come out…
"I hope this goes through."
The dorm doors open up, and out comes Fuu-chan, wearing a bright aqua-green sundress. To say that she looks cute in it would be an understatement.
She hurries down the stairs. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Kazuki-kun."
"It's no problem."
"So…?"
"So?"
"Oh! Um, I… How do I look?"
"You…look cute!"
"Cu-cute!?"
"Was that the wrong thing to say? I mean it, I swear."
Damnit, did I already mess up a few seconds into this?
"It's not that, it's just… I've never been called "cute" by a boy before."
"Oh…well, that's good– Not that I mean you aren't, it's just I'm glad I said it first."
Fuu-chan, despite my jumbled sentence, laughs it off. "...I'm glad too, and I understand what you're trying to say."
Someone slap me, I'm just mumbling at this point. Come, Kei, get your head straight. You have to take the lead here.
"So where are we heading to first?" she asks me.
"How about we go to the shrine first since it's close by? Plus, I want to try drawing fortunes."
"Okay, let's get going."
Nagaki shrine - morning - Kazuki
The shrine grounds is pretty small, there's a playground near the Chozuya, and the offering hall is dead ahead, with the pathway splitting towards other points of interest.
"This place is rather small."
"What was the one in Mikage-cho like?"
"The shrine wasn't an outside type of one like this, it was an inside type of shrine."
"What did it look like inside?'
"I only went inside there once - the day before I moved to the dorm."
After going through the cleansing ritual, we head over to the offertory box.
"What are you going to pray for?" I ask her.
"We shouldn't tell each other what the other is going to be praying for."
"Oh, right, but how much are you gonna be offering?"
"I don't have a lot of money, so I'll only be making a ¥500 offering."
"I can spot you some money."
"It's okay."
"Well then, if you're making a ¥500 offering, so will I!"
We both put in a ¥500 offering inside the box...
"God please hear our prayer..."
I start to put all my concentration into one wish: to gain the strength to protect everyone, especially Fuuka. After finishing our prayers, I look at the Fortune table before taking another step.
"Hey, you wanna draw fortunes?"
"Sure."
I wonder what fortune I'll get? Maybe great luck? That would be nice.
"You go first, Fuu-chan."
"Okay." Fuu-chan digs around inside the box. "I think this is the right one." She pulls her hand out with a slip of paper.
"It's...great luck!"
"That's great! Well, looks like it's my turn."
I put my hand inside, stirring around for something good… I think this is the one! I lift mine out of the box, and it's…
"...Bad luck."
"Sorry, Kazuki-kun."
"Why are you apologizing, it's alright."
I was really hoping for some good luck on this, but oh well. I tie up my fortune slip on a nearby tree with tons of other slips tied around it. That should keep misfortune away, hopefully.
"Well then, where to now?" Fuu-chan asks me.
"Paulownia mall."
"Okay, let's go then."
Along the road, a dog comes up from the stairs, running over to us.
"Koro-chan!" Fuu-chan kneels to pet the dog.
"Who?"
"Koromaru - he's a dog that comes around this shrine."
Koromaru strolls towards me, wagging his fluffy tail.
"Whatsup, my name is Kei." He barks, almost as if he's responding to me. "Did you…understand what I said?" Koro barks again, definitely as a response.
"He can understand what we're saying. That just shows how smart he is."
No kidding? All the dogs I've ever seen never acted like this one.
"Alright, then, give me paw." To my amazement, he actually gave me a paw. This is so cool! "You can actually understand me, that's so cool!"
"Like I said, he's a smart boy."
"Hear that, you're something else, Koro."
I pet his extremely soft fur for a second before standing up.
"Well, it's been cool to meet you, Koro, but we have to go somewhere."
"See you later Koro-chan."
He lets out another bark, sending us off with an adorable smile on his face.
"Okay, next how about we… Fuu-chan?" Fuu-chan is gazing at the empty playground. "Hey, Fuuka...Is something the matter?"
"Huh? No, it's nothing... I just, I always wanted to play here when I was younger."
"Really, didn't you play here as a child?"
"I never had anyone to play with, and even then, I would never have the time to do so. My mother was already pressuring me to study to become a doctor.
I couldn't bring words out of my mouth. It must've been pretty lonely for her…
I grab Fuu-chan by the hand and I lead her to the playground. "...Let's do this."
"Kazuki-kun?"
"We're going to hang around the playground for a bit."
"But, I mean, won't we look weird?"
"Who cares? Today is only about us, so let's do this."
In the end, Fuu-chan gave in. She heads on the balancing beam while I stand next to her in case she is about to fall.
"I don't think I got this!"
"It's okay, I got you."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
She continued to balance on the beam until I caught her when she fell.
Next, we went over to the jungle gym.
"Um...I think I'm stuck," Fuu-chan declares, frantically looking around for an exit.
"Nah, you're fine."
"But I really think I am."
Huh, I guess she is, and here I thought she would be able to get out easily. I tried to help her out of there, and I did, but I got myself stuck in the end.
"Fuu-chan, I think I'm stuck."
"Nah, you're fine," Fuu-chan mimics what I asked her with a smile.
"...Okay, I'm sorry, now can you help me out? Pretty please?"
"Don't worry, I'll help you out." Koro barks as he approaches us. "You'll help too, Koro-chan?" He barks to confirm.
I am never going to live this down, am I?
Iwatodai strip mall - Evening - Kazuki
Leaving Hagakure ramen, I was stuffed. But before we came here, we went to most of the shops in Paulownia Mall; we took some pictures in a photo booth, and after that, we went to do Karaoke. It wasn't late enough for that nightclub to be open yet. But I doubt people like Fuu-chan and I would fit in there, so it's for the best we avoid it.
"Man, that was too good!"
"It really was."
"Yeah, but it wasn't better than your singing," I tell, drawing all the charisma in my body to make it sound cool.
I don't think it was a good line, but I had to try.
"R-Really?"
"You know it, you sounded amazing."
Although, she did flub a few lines here and there. Overall, she was fine, whenever she didn't get nervous and stopped singing. I refused to sing, for painfully obvious reasons.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I flip open my phone, opening my messages… Perfect, it's ready!
"Fuu-chan, before we head back to the dorm, we have one more stop to make."
I take her hand, walking towards the station.
"Kazuki-kun, where are we going?"
"You'll see."
It's ten, so we'll be able to get in and get out before the Dark Hour.
Gekkoukan high - roof - Evening - Kazuki
The docile halls of the school take me by surprise. The students that filled every nook and cranny of these corridors are nowhere to be seen. A quiet ambiance has overtaken it at night, making it almost as otherworldly as Tartarus.
"Come on, up to the roof," I whisper to Fuu-chan, who is more than apprehensive about the whole thing.
"But, this is… If we get caught, we could be expelled."
"Don't worry, everything is taken care of. Just trust me."
She takes my hand as I lead her up to the roof. There isn't a security guard in sight to ruin this. I swing open the rooftop door. We step onto the roof.
"Pretty cool, huh?" I ask Fuu-chan, standing in front of her with my hands in my pockets.
"Why are we here? Is there something you want to show me that can only be shown here?"
"Yep. May I direct your attention over there?"
She turns her attention to the edge of the roof, guarded by a fence. She strolls closer to it, remaining silent.
"Wow…" That's more than enough to tell me that she likes what she sees. "...I never knew the city could look so…beautiful."
In the distance, from up here, we have the perfect view of the city. A peaceful night, where the moon hangs over the city. Dozens of lights, like a sea of stars, shine bright.
"I'm glad you like it. I thought that the view of the city up here was always great, but then an idea popped into my head: what if I came up here at night? So, I thought it would be the perfect place to cap this all off." I take a seat on a bench next to Fuu-chan. "...I was scared that I wouldn't know what to do during this whole thing, that I would say something stupid, or do something stupid, or both at the same time… I just wanted you to enjoy yourself, that's all."
She turns to me, wearing a gentle smile. "Me too, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was nervous. I know I can be a bit…clumsy, and boring sometimes, as well as not all that confident like the other girls in the dorm. But, I wanted to do my best, to make this date the best."
"I don't think you're boring at all, and you don't have to be the other girls. I like you for you."
"What about the clumsy part?"
"You're talking to the king of clumsy. Remember how we met?"
We share a laugh at the thought of that memory, albeit, not my finest moment.
"I still think we shouldn't have come here," Fuu-chan says. "...But, I don't mind, for now."
The serene atmosphere coupled with the moon shining down on us with its ephemeral glow makes all of her worries about not being as beautiful as the other girl's nonsense…
I get up from my seat to stand next to her, taking her soft, delicate hands. She jolts for a second but collects her cool immediately after. She doesn't do anything, she just gives me a longing look.
I stare deep into her eyes and she stares right back into mine. Her lips catch my attention again, but this time, I'm not pulling back. I close my eyes and lean my head in. Her lips press against mine. Nothing else matters at this point; I don't care if we got caught, I don't care about the Dark Hour, Tartarus, I just don't care right now. Right here, right now, everything is in this moment, and it feels great.
We separate our lips from each other. I can still feel the taste of them. It's driving me insane just how soft they were.
"Fuu-chan..."
"Yes..."
"...Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"I would love that."
Her cheeks are even redder, and so were mine.
There's a light coming from the window, it's the moon.
"It's a blue moon tonight."
"Yeah."
"I will never forget this moment," She whispers in my ear.
"Me neither..."
Fuuka and I make our way out of the school, hand-in-hand. Up until now, I've only wanted to protect Fuu-chan, but I don't just want to do that. I want to make her happy, in any way I can. Because that happiness is mine as well.
Iwatodai dormitory - Kazuki's room - Evening - Kazuki
I'm inside my room, waiting for Fu-chan to arrive. I switched out of my street clothes the minute I got in here to whatever was comfortable. Now that I've calmed down, my heart is going a mile a minute. If we got caught, I hate to imagine what we'd be in for.
Three silent knocks hit my door.
"Kazuki-kun, it's me," Fuu-chan says in a hushed tone.
I went up to the door to let her in. "Hey," I greet her, abashed from head to toe.
"Hel-hello"
She's in front of my door with her bag of clothes in hand. She lets herself into my room.
"So, I guess we should...lay...on...the bed," I suggest.
"HUH!?"
"Sorry, did I say something wrong!?"
"Not at all Kazuki-kun."
"Oh, okay."
I'm a total mess right now. This is just beyond what I'm used to. However, I'm the one who suggested this, I have to be the one to take responsibility.
"Look, let's just relax," I tell her, trying to keep a cool head.
"Mm-hm."
Fuu-chan sets her bag on my desk, then sits right next to me on my bed.
"...Are you uncomfortable," I ask her.
"Not uncomfortable, just nervous."
"Yeah, me too."
I lay down on one end, and she goes on the other.
"...Hey, Kazuki-kun. Are you sure everything is fine?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, with your battle against those Persona-users."
"Yeah, I'm fine. The cut I got from the first one I fought are gone."
"I'm glad but you almost died back there. When did the fight start anyway?"
"While you were sleeping."
"I see."
I can tell from the tone of her voice that she's downcast from that. I don't want her to think she's at fault. Hmm...I got it! I turn around to see her already facing me. I get closer to her to the point where there's no personal space anymore.
"It isn't your fault. I was the one who wanted to do it, so it's my own fault if I get hurt."
"But if–"
"I'd still go. If it means saving you, I'll do whatever it takes." Nothing's a short price, my own life especially. "Don't worry, I won't be ending up in the hospital again, I promise."
She still seems reserved on the topic, however, she doesn't raise any objections. She buries her head into my chest. Her hand clasps mine.
"Goodnight, Fuu-chan."
"Goodnight, Kazuki-kun
Iwatodai station - Midnight - Minako
It's late at night, Makoto and I are sitting on a bench near the station. The moon is big and blue tonight, setting the mood for a quiet stroll on the silent streets.
"So, how did you like the movie, Minako," he asked me.
"It was the best! Dude, I can't believe the movies are open this late though."
"I'm surprised as well. Still, we could've watched that action movie."
"Nah, it's cool, I'm fine watching whatever you want to watch."
"But you weren't paying attention to it."
"I know...it's just, I like it when you're happy, so even if I don't like it that's fine with me."
"Why?"
"Because...Well...I..."
Damn it, this is so embarrassing! No, actually, why is it, I don't know why I should feel embarrassed about how I feel.
"Okay, if you want to know, I'll tell you. You're the only reason I can be happy."
"How so?"
"...You already know this by now, but I was a miserable girl back in the orphanage. Losing my parents was a shock to me, so much so that it kind of killed most of my emotions, or at least parts of them. I still have suppressed negative emotions rattling inside me, but not enough to make me...well, give up on life, but at the same time, I didn't care much for mine either, so I was neither living nor dying; I just existed."
"I never knew you felt that way."
"That's what I wanted. This continued for an entire year until you came to the orphanage. I knew you were different, I knew that there was something about you, but that wasn't enough for me to talk to you. But as you know, you came to me, showing me a gentle, warm feeling I haven't felt. It was unforgettable. You gave me life, and ever since then, I promised that I would do whatever it took to make you happy...I'd sacrifice anything for you because I..."
Just then, the Dark Hour hit. The street lights are off, the world takes on a dirty green hue, and blood appears from nowhere. I'm still not used to this yet.
"Seems like we should be on our way." Makoto gets up from the bench. He approached me, hugging me when he closed."
"I care for you as well, you're like a sister to me. I'm glad you care for me that much."
Hearing him call me a sister is a bit disheartening, but as long as I can make him happy in any way, even if I'm not in the picture, that's fine. His happiness is mine as well. So I'll keep this to myself to not inconvenience him.
Makoto lets out a gasp. "Move," he shouts as he pushes me back. A few seconds later, somebody landed where we were standing. I land on my butt while Makoto is still on his feet.
"DAAmN, MEsSed Up," the mystery assailant says with an irritated tone. His speech is abnormal, maniacal even. He's wearing a dirty, tattered jacket that covers his whole body. A paper bag covers his face. He rises with a single-handed sword.
"MAkoTo? WhooOOO?"
I immediately go in for the attack. However, when I got close, the enemy swiped his sword my way. I duck but he kicks me right in the chest. I can feel the air leaving my lungs, forcing me to take in larger breaths. Despite what feels like a chest-shattering kick, I get up to help Makoto.
"Makoto, are you okay!?"
"I am! Minako, you need to run!"
"No way, not a chance in hell!"
Right when I take a single step forward, I sense of ungodly dread stabs into my body, spreading all over like bugs crawling under my skin, in my blood, and inside my head. Any movement, anything stupid, and I'll be killed on the spot, without a sound, without a fight, my life will come to an abrupt end.
"Sleep," The presence commands me, and with no resistance on my part, I immediately fall to sleep. I don't care if I'm killed, but please…whatever god is listening, let Makoto live
"I'll be happy to oblige you, little girl."