7/21 Tu - The forests of Yakushima - morning - Kazuki

The vast forest of Yakushima is wearing on me at this point. So far, we found nothing. She only told me that we were hunting something, but she barely said anything else after that. Honestly, it wouldn't hurt if she threw me a bone here. This place's terrain is ever-changing and the trees are clustered near each other.

"It's been an hour now! What are we trying to find out here?" I complain as I demand an answer.

"The thing that is watching us."

"What is watching us, exactly?"

"No idea, that's what I want to learn though."

We trudge through the forest. It's rough for a city dweller like me. On the bright side, it's good exercise for my legs, but the weather makes this the worst hike I have ever experienced, and this is my first time hiking.

"Kazuki, do you remember how we got here?"

"I think so, why?"

"Cause I think we should split up to search for this thing separately. We'll cover more ground that way. After thirty minutes, head back to the beach and wait for me."

"Are you sure? What if this stalker attacks you?"

"Then I'll fight him. Would you have me not to?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I'm just saying that since...you're…" She's just standing with her arms crossed, waiting for me to say something stupid. "N-never mind. I'll go this way, and you go that way."

"Fine, be careful in your search."

"You too."

"And by the way, even if I am female, I'm more than capable of crushing any opponent."

"What, no, no, that's not what I… I'm sorry."

Feeling humiliated, I rush off to the north while M.G. goes west. I didn't mean to be presumptuous, let alone sexist. And I know she's strong but that should stop me from being worried about her.

I end up on the main path through the forest for tourists who want to walk through this place without getting lost. In front of me is a giant tree. Greenery covers it as it soaks in the sunlight. It has this calming aura to it… I should be looking for our mystery stalker, but my feet refuse to leave this spot and my eyes can't turn away from the tree.

"I have finally found you."

"Huh?"

On the other end of the road, a girl in a blue sundress stands, staring me down. Her pure blue eyes put me into a trance, locking me in place. My skin becomes sensitive to the air around me. The expression on her face is nonexistent, lacking in interest, curiosity, bewilderment, or any urgency.

"I found you", so that has to be the case.

She slouches for a second, preparing for something. She leaps forward, launching at me like a speeding bullet. The muscle in my body tenses up, right when she gets close to me. Sliding across the floor, she punches my gut, shoving my stomach back as she lifts me off the ground. She's crushing my stomach, sick climbs through my throat, ready to eject itself from my insides. As if the crushing blow wasn't enough, she strangely kicks me, inhuman in her stance and the delivery.

Hitting my ribs, I can hear them crack a little, making me let out a scream that goes beyond sound. The kick pushes my already weakened body to crush into a tree. It breaks behind me. Between the kicks and my body crashing into the tree, I can't move right now.

The blond-haired girl stands in front of me, standing straight as she stares down at me with those clear eyes. "Target: incapacitated," she states, her voice has a ridged, robotic tone to it as if she's emulating a human. She points her fingers at me. "Beginning extermination."

Her fingers flip open, revealing nothing on the inside, it looks like the barrel of a gun.

"What the hell!?"

How the hell is there nothing inside? No, how the hell is she able to do that!?

"Firing!"

My heart stops, something is going to come out of that barrel! In the nick of time, something stops her from shooting whatever at me. A knife sliced the sleeve of her sundress, sitting on the ground.

"Kazuki, are you okay?" she asks, sitting on the giant tree in front of me. Jumping off the branch, she lands on her feet, landing quietly. "Odd, there's no blood."

Hey, she's right, there is none, not coming from her arm, and the knife has no blood on it.

"Are you an enemy as well?" The blond-haired girl asks.

"That depends, are you our enemy?"

"I only wish to eliminate him." she points to me, not taking her eyes off M.G.

"I see, then that answers my question."

M.G. throws several knives at the girl. Her hand moves like a blur, throwing them with pinpoint accuracy. Each one of them hit their target, but they bounced off her with a clank.

M.G. expresses her shock, showing me an expression I've seen from her before. "How did you…?"

"New target registered. Entering combat mode."

Why the hell is she talking like that? Gah, that doesn't matter, I have to take her by surprise. I push myself from off the ground, focusing whatever strength I have on my legs. I manage to sneak behind the blond-haired girl as she's about to attack M.G. Leaping on her back, I wrap my arms around her neck, putting her in a choke-hold.

"Got you!"

She doesn't struggle to get me off her or even look like she's bothered by me. Instead, she turns to the tree behind me again. We push against the ground, speeding at the tree. The tree and her heavy body sandwich me, crushing me between both objects. Unbearable pain flares up, my mind goes blank as my eyes close…

7/22 - Weds - Kirijo vacation house - Morning - Kazuki

Sunlight, color, and a vanilla-painted ceiling fill my vision. The feeling of something wrapped around me is present, and my head is up against a soft object.

Sitting up, my headaches like mad, as if my head is going to split apart from the air itself. Not to mention that my back and ribs are killing me, but for the most part, feel better than before.

"Ow! Shit, that hurts!" Looking at my torso, my side is bandaged./"What happened?"

"You were knocked unconscious." Fuuka comes into my view, seeming nervous while holding her hands behind her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but what about M.G. and that other girl?"

"Shizuka-san is safe, but about the other girl…"

Fuuka explained what happened while I was knocked out… The blond-haired girl, Aigis, is a robot. Ikutsuki said that she wasn't activated manually, saying she must've detected some sort of danger on this island. He also said she has a Persona - Palladion.

As for M.G., she didn't have any major injuries, so she's fine, for the most part.

"Well, that would be cool, if she didn't try to kill me."

"I know…but I can't help but feel excited. I mean, she's a real android! It's unbelievable!"

Well, I'm glad she's excited, since she's a sci-fi enthusiast, of course she'd be excited.

"So, Kazuki…" Fuu-chan frowns at me, slight anger etched on her face. "...can you tell me why you were with Shizuka-san in the woods?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Y-yes!" Oh, crap, she raised her voice! I still don't see how that's a problem, it's not like we were doing anything wrong. "Why didn't you wake me up and tell me?"

"O-oh… I didn't want to disturb you."

"I wouldn't have minded, and besides, you left this to tell me."

She presents a letter, the one I left when we went to the forest. In hindsight, it wasn't exactly the best way to tell her, but I didn't want her to be disturbed.

"I'm sorry, I mean it. I didn't want to wake you up for nothing."

She hangs her head, appearing apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get angry, but you don't have to worry about how I feel, I'll be more than willing to help."

"Yeah, and again, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Also, here…"

Fuu-chan puts something covered in cloth on the bed. She unveils a neatly wrapped bento... Wait, what?

"I brought some food, just in case you woke up. You're probably hungry, aren't you?"

"Tha-thank...you."

This isn't gonna end well, hell, this might be the death of me… She opens it, showing the contents of the bento. It looks okay, but the taste might be… Screw it, even if it might not taste the best, I can't back out now! Taking the chopsticks from the inside of the bento, I harden my resolve to face this adversary!

"Bottoms up!"

Picking up what I can, I courageously eat the piece of meat.

"Is it good?"

Chewing, tasting… Oh my god! The texture is soft, and tender as well. It's juicy but it's not overwhelming! This is amazing, so amazing!

"This is delicious!"

I can't stop eating, this is too damn good!

"Really? Let me try." She takes another pair of chopsticks. She takes a piece of meat and eats it. "Oh my, this is good!"

"Right?"

We ended up eating the bento lunch together. The meal helped fill a hole in my stomach and my body is feeling a hell of a lot better.

I slide back into bed, patting my stomach. "That was good…"

"I'm glad you think so. I wanted to make sure that I made something delicious. I had Shizuka-san help me. When she first tasted my food, she said, 'It's disgusting".

Damn, it must've taken some serious guts to say that? Then again, it is M.G., so maybe it's just an afterthought to her saying something like that.

"Well, that's not very nice."

"But, even though she says that, she didn't show any disgust. She could've pretended that it was good and said nothing else. Also, she helped me make it better… Of course, I'm a bit upset that she didn't soften the blow, but I think she meant it with good intentions."

When she puts it like that, it's hard to argue back. Besides, criticism usually comes from a good place. In any case, M.G. seems to be getting along with Fuu-chan, and she seems to have a gentle side to her…

"Kazuki-kun, since you're up, do you want to go to the beach?"

The beach… Fuu-chan will be in her swimsuit again… I'd be a fool to turn it down!

"Yeah, just let me go get my swimming trunks and we'll be set."

Getting out of bed, I realize my chest is showing. The scar I got from my first shadow is showing.

"That scar…"

"This is when I fought the first Full-moon Shadow. God, it feels like a year has passed since that fight…"

I can't remember what I felt other than fear from that time, the me from then and the me now feel like two different people who happen to share the name Kazuki Kei. But now, I am different; I have friends, someone I love, and I feel happier than I ever have before.

"You speak of change, yet your circumstance has not. What drivel do you speak of?"

You...

"Is something the matter," Fuu-chan asks me, sharing her concern with me.

"Yep, a-okay."

She stands up from her seat. "I'm going to go get my swimsuit. I'll meet you outside. Oh, I'll go see if Shizuka-san wants to join us."

"Sweet, go for it."

She nods her head as she heads for the door. Turning the door nob, I follow behind her to leave as well. Wait, I can't leave the bento box. Right when I grab it, static layers itself over my hand, all feeling escapes me, the limb feels foreign to my body, making me let out a gasp.

"Kazuki-kun, are you coming?"

Turning to her, she's waiting for me by the door. Then, like a light switch, my arm has feeling, readjusting itself to my body as it tells me it belongs to me. What the hell was that?

"Yeah, I'm coming."

I grab the box, closing it with its square lid. Heading for the door, I cautiously stare at my arm. Whatever the hell that was, it better not happen again.

Yakushima - beach - Morning - Kazuki

Outside, on the beach, I'm waiting for the girls to get changed. Oh man, I can't wait to see Fuu-chan in her outfit again. This is gonna be sweet...

"Kazuki-kun, over here!" Fuu-chan strolls her way over to me, and behind her is M.G. She is wearing an all-black bikini set, wearing a slightly transparent skirt around her waist.

"Kazuki, you're fine I see."

"Yeah, my ribs aren't killing me and my back is good to go."

"That's good… Why am I here?"

"Ain't that obvious? To have some fun!"

She's not amused, in fact, she looks lost. Geez, does she not know how to have fun? In that case, I'll have to introduce it to her! I run over to a seat under an umbrella. A ball sits on it, waiting to be played with.

Running back over, I present it to them. "Ta-da! A beach ball!"

"I can see that," M.G. says, dry in tone.

"Are we going to do volleyball?"

"That's right."

Fuu-chan pumps herself up, sporting a determined look. "Well, I never played, but I'll do my best!"

"Me neither!"

M.G. just stares at the ball, blank in expression. "So what do we do with this?"

"Easy, volleyball. You do know what that is, right?"

'Of course, I'm not daft."

"Just checking. But you really have no idea what happens during a beach vacation?"

She turns from me, hiding her irritation. "I do not need to know!"

"Look, I'm not trying to make fun of you. Do you wanna play or not; that's the question.

Sighing to herself, she glances back with her blank expression, acting as if she wasn't bothered. "Fine, then let us play."

"Sweet, Fuu-chan, be the referee, M.G., you're my opponent!"

"Okay, I'll do my best!" Fuu-chan, you don't have to get so pumped up.

We face away from each other, standing a couple of feet from each other. I'm going to serve.

"You ready, M.G.?"

"I suppose…"

"Alright, here we...go!"

I spike the ball, hitting it over to her. It's about 4 meters in the air. M.G. kicks off the ground, and the stand below reacts like a ripple in a pond. The ball shoots at me like a cannonball. Zooming past my head, it crashes into the sand.

"Holy shit…"

"Shizuka-san… That was amazing!" Fuu-chan runs up to M.G., who is surprised by her reaction.

"I simply hit the ball."

Simply!? That hit almost took my head off! You struck the damn thing like it owed you money!

"Are you kidding me, it was like you were a gun! Can you teach me how to do that?" Fuu-chan ecstatically asks.

"I don't think I can, but if you want, I can do it again."

"Yes!"

"No!"

…

Coming back from the kitchen, I retrieved a watermelon, and from M.G.'s room, a sword. I had to avoid some of the guests on this island. It's easy to forget that we're on this island with other people.

"I'm back, and got this!"

M.G. raises an eyebrow. "We're splitting a watermelon?"

"Yep, and I want you to do it!"

Apprehension spreads on Fuu-chan's face. "I don't know, maybe that isn't such a good idea."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful, right, M.G.?"

Her attention is off us, she's standing with her hand below her chin. "Maybe I should do it."

"Seriously? Why can't I do it?"

"I'm much more experienced, and I know how to cut this into pieces." Taking the sword and blindfold, she throws off the scabbard, getting into a stance. "Get it ready," she orders, sounding slightly confident.

"Okay, but next time, I get to do this."

Putting the blanket on the sand and the watermelon on top of it, I stand back as M.G. steps forward without instructions. Each step is taken without disturbing the sand. Quietly making her way, her sword steady as she gets closer. Then, she stops. The air around her goes still, it's as if she's been switched out with a statue. A moment passes, silent, uneventful, but long...

A grunt escapes her mouth, and she swings the sword, too fast for the human eye to make out. A breeze kicks up from her multi-slashes. The watermelon falls to sliced pieces as she picks up the scabbard.

I knew she was a great swordsman, but damn, she's more than good. Her stance, her movement, that silent presence she gives off, all of it culminated in those sword slashes. Although, it might just be my imagination, but at the last second, it seemed like she let an aggressive nature take hold, using that to cut the watermelon. Maybe it's just me, but she was mimicking a sense of zen for a moment before leaving it completely.

Fuu-chan picks up a slice. "Amazing! You cut it into fine slices!" She takes a bite of it. "It's so good!"

I take up a slice and bite a bit of it off. Holy crap, this is good!

"This is awesome! Nice slices, M.G.!"

"Are they that good?"

"Yeah, come on, have one." I pick up a slice for her, waiting for her to take it from my hand.

"Thank you." She nibbles into it. Life sparks up in her face, surprised by the watery goodness. "...This is good."

"I know!"

After feasting on the melon slices, I stretch my body. "Right, let's swim!"

"We just got done eating, we should digest our food before then," Fuu-chan warns me.

"Oh, yeah, I think I heard about that. Then let's bury me in the sand!"

M.G. shares a puzzled look. "Bury you?"

"Uh-huh, I always wanted to be buried in sand when I was a kid!"

"That's an odd wish. However, if that is your wish, I am not one to say anything about it."

She really doesn't know anything about going to the beach. Was she raised under a rock? Come to think of it, there's a lot about M.G. I don't understand, who she really is, where she came from, and why she's here… Maybe none of that matters, I don't have the right to pry into her past. All I owe her, that's all I need to know.

7/23 Th - Yakushima - beach - Dark Hour - Shizuka

We were active on the beach until dawn. I came out to refresh my mind. I find myself gazing out at the vastness of the sea. The Dark Hour has swept the land, the night sky becomes dirty green, Dyed in crimson blood, and the pale moonlight illuminates the sea of blood. Such a sight would be considered horrific, yet I find myself amazed by the ocean nonetheless. Perhaps I am deranged, but I do not regret seeing such a sight.

"Yo, M.G."

My attention goes to Kazuki, who is walking alongside Yamagishi.

"Kazuki, Yamagishi, what are you two doing out here? The ship comes in the morning, surely you two would want to be well-rested."

"Right back at you."

"I don't get fatigued easily, so staying up is no issue for me."

"Same with us, we're used to fighting in the dead of night."

He settles beside me, looking out at sea.

"Creepy, if someone told me to swim in it, I'd say they're crazy," Kazuki quips.

A simple response to this sea of blood, polar to mine. It's expected that someone would react like that.

"Shizuka-san, do you like that sea?" Yamagishi asks.

"Yes, I don't mind if it's painted in blood, it still captivates me. There's a sort of peace that comes from seeing something as disturbing as this be so peaceful. It's as if, for a moment, a horrifying sight becomes beautiful. It must sound like nonsense."

"I think it kinda makes sense," Kazuki answers.

"...You're strange."

"I'm pretty normal, Shizuka, but I understand, that's all."

The fact he's able to, makes me doubt his normalcy. Then again, who am I to judge…? Did he just call me by my name?

"Hold on a moment, you called me Shizuka."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"I mean, I call you Shizuka-san all the time. Do you not like that?

"No, it's just…why the change?"

"Cause at this point, we've practically become friends, so calling you M.G. sounds inappropriate." I don't see why that is, if he continued to call me that, nothing would be done about it. Also, friends… If he's referring to me in such a light, then that means he trusts me.

Staring back at the sea, it pushes forward, nearly hitting my shoes.

"So, Shizuka-san, how did you like the beach?" Yamagishi asks, walking up next to me.

"I had my reservations, but coming to this island wasn't so bad. Though, I do feel as if we wasted time idling around instead of training Kazuki."

I get what she means, but I can't train around the clock, I'll die otherwise.

"Shizuka-san, can I ask you something?" Fuu-chan asks.

"Depends on what it is."

"Well… Why did you come with us?"

"Hm? I was invited, was I not?"

"I know, but you don't seem to be the type who likes to relax, also, you said you'd rather not be idling around."

She's sharp. I didn't consider what I said to be important, but she managed to use that as a means to question my motives. I should be more careful about what I say around her.

"Shizuka, why are you helping me? I mean, I don't mind it, but why are you here? Also, I wanna know why you're helping me get stronger."

I have to keep my composure, and I can't reveal anything about my motives. "Does it matter?"

"It does because frankly speaking, we know nothing about you. I'm willing to work with you, but if you're hiding something important, I need to know now."

This is no good, I can't have him losing his trust in me now. I suppose I'll just tell him as much as I need to.

"Fine, I'll tell you. The reason why I'm training you, why I enrolled into school, and why I'm sticking close to you is because–"

The air inside my throat freezes. Yamagishi lets out a gasp. Someone is behind Kazuki, suddenly dropping from the sky. He's hanging upside down in mid-air.

"Cause she ain't in the organization no more, right, senpai?"

Late to realize their sudden appearance, Kazuki turns to see the man behind him. The individual hanging in the air is wearing a hoodie, their hood is up with a face mask, obscuring only their mouth and nose.

"Sup," he greets, playful in tone.

Kazuki gets away from him, putting his hands up. "Who are you!?"

"Me? Well…you could say I'm here…umm…what's the word?" He taps the side of his forehead. A moment later, he snaps his fingers, pointing at me. "I got it! Her replacement." Replacement!? Shit, it's too soon to be caught now! "...Pretty cool, right? My first week on the job and I'm already in the best position. We should celebrate!"

Who is this clown? I never heard of any new member like him joining. More importantly, why is he hanging in the air like that?

Kazuki shields Yamagishi, ready to fight at the drop of a hat. "Who is this!?"

"An unwanted guest."

"Come on, don't be so mean. You should be congratulating me."

His childish attitude only raises the tension as he rotates his body around, touching the sand with the tip of his feet.

"Who are you!? Don't make me ask twice, you clown."

"Come on, senpai, you gotta be much nicer to your Kouhai! Oh well, I'll tell ya." Mocking me, he takes a theatric bow. "The name is…M, let's go with that. Nice to meet ya."