7/18 Sa - Gekkoukan high - class: 2-E, Afterschool- Kazuki

The grueling week of finals has come to an end. I can say with 100% certainty that I am likely not gonna like the results when they get posted. I guess usually do well enough, but I didn't study as much as I would have liked. Thinking about it is making me depressed, so I might as well just sleep it off for a bit.

"Kazuki-kun?" My quick rest is disturbed by Fuu-chan.

"Sup," I greet her.

"You sound depressed."

"I think I failed. I was stumped on most of the answers "

"You're underestimating yourself. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Easy for you to say. You're a genius."

"I wouldn't say that. There were sections I struggled with… Although, it happened rarely, but–"

"Forget it. Consoling me makes it worse. Gah, forget exams, that doesn't matter anymore! At this point, all that matters is one thing: Yakushima," I exclaim, fist-bumping the air.

"I see you're excited about the trip."

"Of course!"

Natsuki enters the class from the front end of the room. Lately, I noticed that she's been hanging around by herself or with Fuu-chan. She probably wasn't all that close with those other girls as she is with Fuu-chan.

"Hey, Fuuka, Kazuki."

She refers to me by last name, more or less in an awkward sort of gesture of politeness. With how things were, I guess this is the best it can be between us; I don't hate her anymore, however, that doesn't make it any less awkward to talk to her.

"Hello, Natsuki-chan."

"Fuuka, can I borrow you for a minute?" she requests

"What for?"

"I need your help on a subject."

"Oh, okay, but..." Fuuka looked over at me.

"It's okay, I'll be able to back by myself today."

"All right. Let's go, Natsuki-chan."

They leave together. Kind of disappointed that I can't walk with her, but oh well. I would ask M.G. but she left as soon as class ended. Whatever, I'll see her later anyway. Grabbing my bag, I head out of the classroom for today.

Walking past the 2-F classroom, I can hear Minako laughing. I open the door a crack to see her talking to Jun and Yuka-chan. She's giggling, smiling, and is just having a good time in general. It's kind of creepy that she is. Whenever I look at her, I remember her emotionless expression, her toneless voice, and her killing intent. Her eyes shift in my direction. My heart skips a beat upon contact.

"I gotta go to the bathroom," she excuses herself from the conversation.

Crap, she's coming this way! Do I run!? No, there's no point, she knows that it is me. I move out of the way as she opens the door. She shoots a glare at me before turning towards the other end of the hall, towards the bathroom.

"Minako," I suddenly call her name. She stops moving but doesn't turn around. "... Is it real?"

"What?"

"That smile, is it real?"

She turns to me without the smile she had in that classroom.

"Does it need to be?" she answers with a question.

She walks off without saying anything else. Does it need to be? Of course, it does... it certainly has to be, or else I...

7/19 Sun - outside Iwatodai dormitory - Morning - Kazuki

Today is the day; it's the day of the trip, and I am so hyped for this! Everyone from the dorm is going to the port together. A car is supposed to be picking us up. Shizuka said she'd text me when she gets here.

"I can't believe," Jun says, giddy with joy. "The beach, the water, and the bikini babes! This summer rocks!"

"Yeah, I can't wait."

"You sure don't sound excited! Come on, show some spirit."

I'm not exactly ecstatic to see "bikini babes", but it isn't like I'm not dying to see a certain someone in their swimsuit.

"Senpai," I call Sanada-senpai, who's sitting next to us with his bag in hand. "...Are you excited?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to get down there."

"Oh, I didn't know you were interested in girls, senpai."

"Girls? I just want to see how far I can swim in a short amount of time."

Jun groans at Sanada-senpai's response. Talk about dedication. Even on a vacation, he doesn't let up on his training. Sanada-senpai is an example of what it means to keep going at it, so much so, that it inspires me to push farther than I ever thought was possible.

The door to the dorm opens from the outside. M.G. steps through with a duffle bag in hand. She's going for her usual, normal, model student act, but with a bag like that, it sort of clashes with that image.

"Good morning, everyone," she greets in a jarring lighter tone.

"Yo, Shizu-chan, how are you doing?"

"I am well. How about you?"

Jun flashes a grin. "Pretty good, going to the beach and all."

"That is good." She takes a seat on the couch across from us. "...I wanted to ask this other night, but Sanda-senpai, you are an undefeated champion in the world of boxing, yes?"

"Uh, yeah," senpai says, somewhat on guard.

"That is an admirable feat, especially when you debuted in middle school."

"It's nothing."

"Then why do you fight? Is it not for fame?"

"I'm interested in any of that. I just wanna get stronger, that's all. Me being undefeated has nothing to do with recognition, I just don't want to lose, ever."

His determination to win is astounding. Whether it's to Shadows or humans, he fights with everything he has, not to seem cool or whatnot, but because he never wants to lose… He's like me then.

"What a commendable reason. I wish you luck in all your next fights."

"Thanks, but I don't need luck."

Finally, the girls come down to the lobby. M.G. and the rest of them greet each other, exchanging quick pleasantries. Kirijo-senpai takes out her phone.

"Our ride is here. Let us depart."

Everyone follows Kirijo-senpai out of the dorm

On route to Yakushima - morning - Kazuki

We got on a large boat heading straight for Yakushima. The glistening blue sea is nothing short of breathtaking. No matter how long I look at the vast majesty of the ocean, my eyes refuse to tear themselves away from it. This is the first time that I've been out at sea…

"It's so beautiful," Fuu-chan exclaims, captured by its beauty.

"Yeah…"

"I concur." M.G. walks up next to us.

"Shizuka-san, how–"

"Fine, but I wouldn't let my guard down. The "Dark Hour" as you call it, is a worldwide phenomenon."

"Yeah, got it."

She takes her leave, but I stop her before she can disappear.

"Why don't you stay out here and watch the sea with us?"

"Sorry, however, I decline," she blankly responds.

She leaves, not giving a second glance our way. There isn't much of anything to pick up from her words, no expression, just her usual cold, pragmatic approach to things. It's not like I hate her, rather, I'm worried for her. It seems like she never lets herself have a break from fighting and all that… What life was she leading until now?

Yakushima - Kirijo vacation house - afternoon

Me being a normal citizen, I've never seen a vacation home, but even then, they probably don't come close to this place. This place is more glamorous than I could've imagined. Maids are lined up in two single-filed lines on opposite sides. Each of them is pretty cute. Gah, don't be charmed so easily! The power of girls in maid outfits is a dangerous thing indeed.

"Wow, this like an episode of - The Rich and Fabulous," Jun says as his mouth is gapping open in astonishment.

"Yeah, no kidding," I add, still taken aback by how big this hall is.

"Hm?"

A man with an eye patch covering his right eye comes out from the room ahead. His gaze is…how do I put it: hardened.

"Hey, M.G., who's that?"

"Do you not know anything about the people you work with?"

"Umm... Sorta."

M.G. lets out a tired sigh. "He's Kirijo Takeharu: the current CEO of the Kirijo group."

"Oh... Wait, that's her old man," my thought slips out in earshot of everyone else.

Crap! I said that out loud.

"...And I assume you are referring to me," senpai's dad addresses me.

"Heh heh, Umm..." I looked at the man standing in front of me. My nerves are beyond wrecked.

"Am I correct?"

"Y-y-yes, sir..."

I'm so gonna be walking the plank today!

"Your name?

"Kazuki Kei...sir."

"I heard a great deal about you."

"R-really?"

He shoots a glance over to M.G.

"We'll discuss it later. For now, I need you to do something..."

"Such as?"

Kirijo vacation house - Kitchen - evening - Kazuki

"This sucks!"

Mr. Kirijo told me to come here after everybody ate before they went out to the beach. I was left with cleaning after everyone else.

"I didn't think he was so sensitive about his age! Then again, I did call him an old man. This sucks..."

Being alone leaves me with my thoughts. A lot of topics came and went as I cleaned. However, one is sticking: what happened on the night of the previous operation? Fuu-chan didn't tell me anything that happened. I remember fighting Katsu, but then everything went black for a moment. The next thing I know, I'm staring at Fuu-chan. Although, I do remember something... I was surrounded by a pitch-black void that obscured everything; including my own body. In it, it held me down, keeping me from moving. However, in the end, I got the strength to break away and scrape away at the darkness to reach for a welcoming light.

"What the hell happened back there?"

I gaze at my hand...

"That night was only the beginning," a voice rings out in my head.

I slam my palm against my head.

"Hey, who the hell are you!? Talk, you bastard!"

Just like last time, he says something and just leaves. What the hell is this, why is this thing talking to me!?

"Kazuki-kun..."

"Huh?"

Fuu-chan's voice snaps me out of it

"Oh, hey. What are you doing here?"

"I came to help."

"Well, um... There isn't much to help with besides dishes."

"Then I'll help with that."

She grabs a plate, washing the front of it.

"So, did you have fun?"

"Fun?"

"Fun on the beach."

"Oh. I didn't go."

"Why not?"

"Because I felt bad that you were on clean-up duty."

"Oh, thanks. Good to know that I'm not being left out."

Fuuka presses her shoulder against mine.

"I also wanted you to be there to see me in a swimsuit for the first time."

Man, her telling me that makes me want to see her in a swimsuit even more than I already do.

"Are you okay, Kazuki-kun," Fuu-chan suddenly asks me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You seem as if you're bothered."

"Oh, I didn't notice."

"...Do you want to talk about it?"

I really don't want to. To be honest, I just want to forget about it.

"Seriously, I'm fine, see."

I flash her a bright smile, trying to tell her I'm okay, even if that isn't the truth.

"Okay, but just know you can talk to me about anything."

"Sure."

I put my arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. I don't want her to worry about me, so I'll keep this stuff to myself. I just want us to live comfortably. Speaking of comfortable, I think this is the appropriate time to go for it. I dry off my other hand. I put both of my hands on her shoulders.

"Kazuki-kun...?"

My heart is racing but I ignore that and decide to go for it. Fuuka closes her eyes and leans her head forward. I follow suit.

"Kazuki, Yamagishi, Mr. Kirijo wants to see you." Fuuka jumps away from me. She awkwardly adverts her eyes away from me and M.G.

"Why us?" Fuuka asks.

"Not only you two but all of SEES. Except me of course."

"I see, but I want to stretch my legs."

"What do you mean?" Fuu-chan raises an eyebrow.

"Tell them that I don't feel too good. I want to go out onto the beach since I didn't get the chance this morning."

"That'll never work, you fool," M.G. remarks.

"Sure it won't. Can you do that for me, M.G.?"

"Fine, I guess I have no choice."

"Thanks." I move toward Fuu-chan. I bring my head to her ear. "Meet me outside after the meeting. I want to see your swimsuit."

I walk to the exit of the kitchen.

"Kazuki." M.G. follows me outside the kitchen, wearing a dire expression. "Careful out there."

"Why? The Dark Hour isn't coming anytime soon."

"That isn't what I was referring to. I felt something in the forest, as if I was being watched."

"Really? Okay, I'll be careful then."

It's probably an animal or something, but if she's telling me to watch out, I guess I better keep my eyes open.

Yakushima - beach - evening - Kazuki

Ahh… The cool summer air, the sea breeze, sitting on the soft sand, and most of all, I'm finally breaking into those swimming trunks. Yep, this is summer…at night.

"Huh...?"

Footsteps against the sand grow closer. It's Yuka-chan. Shit, this might be bad. Can't excuse why I'm on the beach instead of being at that meeting. Might as well bite the bullet.

"Het, Yuka-chan," I greet her as best as I can.

She recoils, surprised to see me. "O-oh. Hey, Kazuki-kun," she returns my greetings, lacking her usual energy.

"So, um, how did you find me?"

"What?"

"...you didn't come out here to get me?"

She stares off into space, her expression vacant.

"Are you okay?"

Yuka-chan looks like she's ready to cry. "No, not really."

"You wanna talk? I got nothing else to do, and I'm pretty good at listening."

She looks down at her feet, saying nothing to me. "...Fine," she mutters.

Yukari unloads everything that happened in the meeting; her father was a researcher who was assigned to a project, an experiment, that involved the shadows. But something happened during the final stages of the research. In a nutshell: he sabotaged the final stage on purpose, for some reason.

"Wow... That's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, you're telling me.."

"Shit..."

I don't know what to say, I don't know how I can't even begin to understand how she feels.

"All this time, I believed in him, thinking he did nothing wrong. But that faith was just worthless. A worthless hope that my dad never did anything wrong."

"No, it wasn't, it never is."

"Huh?"

"I don't think it's worthless, and neither should you. I mean, he's your dad."

"How do you know that?"

"What?"

"You're talking as if you know what's right and what isn't! What do you know anyway!?" She grabs me by the collar... "How would you know what it feels to know your own father is responsible for all this? How would you know anything about this pain!?"

She's right, I don't know how it feels to have been betrayed, or to have your faith broken by someone you care about; I was just saying things that sound nice to make her feel better…

"...You're right, I'm sorry for trying to act like I have all the answers when I don't, and I can't say I know what it means to lose a belief you've held onto for so long… But I know what it feels like to lose someone you love." I face the gentle sea and the moon hanging over it. "...Life wasn't easy for me either, sometimes, I couldn't see much of a reason to even live."

"...Is that…"

"...It's true. I had no hope and nothing to believe in… So, I can't tell you how it feels to lose it, 'cause I never had any of it to lose."

Little by little, Yukari is loosening her grip. "Then tell me, what should I do then!? Please, tell me!"

Her voice is becoming less stable as the tears start coming out. The desperation in her voice is all too familiar. This makes me remember how I used to be. If I have to lie to her, I'll do it; I don't want someone like her to be as desperate as me.

"I think you should keep that faith for your dad alive."

Altogether, she lets me go from her grasp. "Do you really think I should do that?"

"Yeah. he helped us by leaving that message about the Shadows, I think you should put faith in his good intentions."

"What if that isn't enough?"

"Then, I'll keep cheering you on until the end of all this. And we all work together, we can put an end to this. If that doesn't work, then…I'll have to come up with something else."

Yukari lets go of me, not moving an inch from her spot. I'm sort of nervous about what her reaction is gonna be.

"Kazuki-kun, thanks, for listening and for putting up with me," Yukari shows me a beautiful smile, one that I've never seen before.

"It's fine, that's what teammates are for."

She turns towards the sea. The moonlight shines onto it.

"You're right, you might act like Junpei sometimes, but there's something different about you."

Do I really act like him?

"That would be?"

"You can relate to someone like me."

"Well, we gotta look out for people like us. Besides, I couldn't just leave you like that."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me..." The waves fill in the silence as we watch the sea. "You know, once you experience the Dark Hour, any innocence you ever had is taken from you. You can no longer turn your back on the things you never wanted to confront."

She's certainly not wrong. Ever since I started fighting shadows, I've been experiencing so much hardship. But I don't regret it, because, without it, I wouldn't be where I am now, and it beats anything before that point.

"So, why are you out here? aren't you not 'feeling a?"

"Well, I'll have you know I am waiting for someone."

"It wouldn't happen to be a certain teal-haired girl, would it?"

"Umm, ah…."

Yukari moves in the direction of the vacation home, giggling all the while.

"It's alright, I won't tell anybody."

"Thanks."

"Although, in return, you need to do something for me."

"That would be?"

"Find something to have faith in."

My head went empty for a sec, doing its best to process what she just told me… 'Find something to have faith in'...

"Well, I guess I'll see you later. And again, thank you for listening to me."

"No problem…"

Yuka-chan heads back to the vacation house, in a better mood than when she came here. That's good. Now, all I have to do is sit and wait…

Time flows by, the sea continues to push against the sand, and the wind begins to die down a little…

"...Sorry to keep you waiting!"

There she…is. Fuu-chan is wearing a teal-colored swimsuit. Despite her worries, it highlighted her delicate, petite, and attractive body… I am so glad to be alive.

"F-for w-what?" I stutter, trying to calm myself down.

"For being late. Something came up. Did you speak to Yukari-chan?"

"Huh? Yeah, I did."

"Did she mention what happened?"

"Yeah, some rough stuff. Don't worry though, she and I talked. She'll be a-okay."

"Good, I was so worried."

"But that being said. You look amazing!"

"Thank you. I…was w-worried that you wouldn't like it. It's my first time wearing a swimsuit, so I had no idea if it looked good, or if I'm–"

"You kidding? You look cute!"

"Oh, um, ah, thank y-you."

She sits next to me, pressing her shoulder against mine. We watch the ocean under the moonlight.

"It looks nice, especially at night," she says, transfixed by the sea.

"Yeah, it does."

The sea pushes quietly and gently against the sand, soothing my mind of all its troubles and worries.

"When we defeat all of those full-moon shadows, what about 'us'?" Fuu-chan asks.

"What do you mean?"

"After we defeat them, SEES will disband; then after that, the dorm will probably close down. What will you do then?"

Yeah, I didn't think of that, did I? I can see why she's worried, but I think that shouldn't matter right now; in fact, I'll get her mind off it.

I jump to my feet, striding straight into the water. "Come on, let's do this!"

"But it's dark out, and the Dark Hour could–"

"Who cares!" I scoop up some water and I fling it at Fuu-chan. Direct hit.

"Ahh!" she lets out a feminine cry. "Why did you do that!?"

"Because you worry too much."

"What?"

"Come on, grab some water and throw it at me. You aren't gonna take that, are you?"

"N-No!"

"Come on, use your lungs!"

"No," she shouts.

"Then let's do this!"

She charges at me, scooping up some water in her hand. I dodge the incoming attack.

"Gonna have to move faster than-" She hit me square in the face with water. I cough out some of it.

"That was a low blow."

"I might be slower than you, but I can think a bit faster."

"Oh, I see how it is. I guess I better amp my game."

I move towards her, while I take up some water in my hand. "Take it!" I throw it at her.

"I'll get you for that!"

I slip behind her and I wrap my arms around her.

"Gotcha!"

"Ah, let me go!"

"I can't do that."

She turned around and jumped off the ground.

"Whoa!"

My back hits the sand. The water somewhat broke the fall, but it didn't stop it from hurting somewhat. Not a bad move, if I say so myself.

I chortle, doing my best to laugh off the pain. "Did you need to do that?"

"You left me no option."

Her smile is helping me forget all about my back pain.

"...Fuu-chan, even if the dorm shuts down, we'll still be together; I promise. Besides, there's the boys' dorm. I can always commute from there, and I'm sure Naoya wouldn't mind it, so there's nothing to worry about."

"You're right. I guess I was overthinking things, and when I do that, I tend to just see the negative side of things." She rests her head on my chest. "...Hey, can we come back here again someday?" Fuu-chan asks.

"How would we? We might not be able to get Kirijo-senpai to bring us here again."

"We can always get jobs."

"I guess you're right. And I would love to come here with you again."

The stars in the sky are crystal clear from here, brightening up the night sky.

"Kazuki-kun, we should probably get going, the Dark Hour is gonna arrive soon."

"You're right, let's get back."

I get up to my feet, pulling Fuu-chan up with me. We walk along the water, hand-in-hand back to the vacation house… Yuka-chan told me to find faith in something. I don't know what I should have faith in, but I want everyone to have faith in me, to believe in me. I'll keep fighting to keep this dream alive, no matter how many times I get hurt.

"Hm?"

"What is it, Kazuki-kun...?"

"Nothing."

That's strange, It felt like something was watching us from the distance. Was it the thing M.G. told me about…? Whatever, it won't matter when we make it back to the house. I wonder if we can go to my room without anyone noticing?

Kirijo vacation house - Kazuki Kei's room - early morning - Kazuki

"Kazuki, wake up."

A hushed voice disturbs my sleep. My eyes slowly open to adjust to the darkness of the room. M.G. is sitting besides me. It takes every fiber of my being to not yelp in surprise.

"M.G.? Why are you in my room!?"

"Put on some better clothes on."

"Why, I wanna stay in my PJ's."

M.G. lifts a duffel bag on top of the bed.

"We're going hunting."