Persona 5 Royal: tmdrago Special Edition
By Tayla Drago
Episode #4 - Into Shujin Academy
Year 20xx
Day #2 – April 4/10th Sunday
A very strange dream for someone like Keiko to have last night, huh? Well, unfortunately...it was very real. Yep. As she wakes up on a brand-new day to come to question herself on what was real for someone like Igor to ask for her help to get something special in return with two more helpers, puzzling Keiko by questioning herself some more while trying to get out of bed.
Keiko: (...I had a very strange dream last night. Ruin...Rehabilitation...This Igor person with Caroline and Justine...what do they all mean...?)
She then hears Sojiro calling out to Keiko to come upstairs for her to get ready to sign in at school until she could start off tomorrow.
Sojiro: Keiko, I hope you're waking up right now.
She just about finished holding up the strange real dream thing aside 'for now'.
Keiko: (I'll worry about it later.) Yes, Mr. Sojiro, I've just finished getting dressed!
He comes up to explain where he's taking Keiko from the type of high school of Shujin Academy.
Sojiro: I see you're ready to wear your school uniform on, and it fits. Now the school I attend is in the Aoyama district. So I'm driving you for today only, you'll have to take a train to get to your school and back.
He lends Keiko some money.
Keiko: Is this for me?
Sojiro: You don't have to pay me for anything for staying here on good behavior, all I ask is for you to be good and clean around the place is your only payment.
It's a deal...To Keiko that is, works for her.
Keiko: If that's what it'll be for me to stay here, then I can do it. My parents always wanted me to do some good to clean up around the house in my free time from school and I always get it done. Lots of cleaning can make the day go by a lot faster.
She doesn't mind doing it at all.
Sojiro: Ah, yeah...If you say so. Now come on, let's get to Shujin Academy. I'm happy I want to get out for today.
And so...Sojiro and Keiko arrived at Shujin Academy 'on a cloudy day outside' to sign in to get everything all set once she starts off her new school like starting tomorrow.
Keiko: So this is Shujin Academy high school. It looks nice.
Before going in, Sojiro lays down some ground rules for Keiko to do with teachers and such 'just in case'.
Sojiro: Listen here, Keiko, and try to do me a huge favor and behave yourself, all right? Don't get me wrong – I don't care what happens to you. Just don't cause me any trouble.
Keiko: Mr. Sojiro, you have my word. I won't do anything bad even in front of you if I wanted to.
Getting inside of the place next...With the principal and a female teacher helping out Keiko get signed in for Sojiro to see her do all of this which she needed to attend the school.
Principle: Just so we're clear, Ms. Amamiya. Although you may look friendly, smart, and don't look like a fool, we know what would happen to you to try not to cause us any trouble. We will expel you right away if you do anything wrong. So remember this very well. We wouldn't allow criminals or other women who do...very bad things that won't be allowed, however some circumstances had to be done to get you in; so don't get arrested again or there will be nowhere else for you to go, Amamiya. I mean it. I won't warn you the second time. Honestly, I hesitated on accepting someone like you, but there were some circumstances on our side…You might have done a variety of things hiding in your hometown, but you will behave yourself here. If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.
Loud and clear, sir. For Principal Kobayakawa to say these things to keep his students in check by any means.
Keiko: Yes, sir.
Koba: Please, call me Principal Kobayakawa. And this is the teacher who's in charge of your class.
He then introduces the other two for Keiko's teacher was going to be Ms. Sadayo Kawakami. Who sounded sad and hard at work to not look so happy, as a teacher to do so well for her students to learn from right and wrong. By the way, I'm calling the principal- Koba for short. And calling the teacher Kawa as well, to make things easier to remember the names well little at a time.
Kawa: I'm Sadayo Kawakami. And here's your student ID card.
The teacher first hands Keiko her new student ID card to have with her when she's in school, as well as something in it too which looks really girly pink on a paper slip.
Keiko: Thank you, Ms. Kawakami. (….? Should I ask what she slipped under my ID badge? Ah, maybe not.)
As Kawa gets rid of it quickly, she then explains the rest to Keiko on the other subjects in mind of the other school rules next.
Kawa: 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...That is your promise, yes, Principle Kobayakawa?
Koba: Yes. She is responsible for all of her actions.
For Kawa to take this task for someone to be worried from Keiko's one mistake she made to be trouble for their school to have her worried, at least a little.
Kawa: But really though, why me? There should've been candidates.
Koba: I know, but a sudden transfer student had one class for you to put her in.
Guess now Kawa has no other choice and Keiko to get help from another woman to do better for a teacher for the sake of the school. Once this has been all taken care of for today to leave since all the paper work's been done, and to be coming for Keiko to do on her own from time to time 'or so they think'.
Sojiro: If you're done explaining things, mind if we get going? I gotta go back to.
Koba: Sakura-San, please keep an eye on Amamiya. Don't let her cause any trouble outside...
Sakura's gonna make sure of it for Keiko to learn a lot.
Sojiro: Trust me, I will. We have a lot to talk about in case Keiko might do anything wrong.
Keiko: I will do my best. Thank you.
With her saying that part, Kawa says something else to Keiko on what she's supposed to do tomorrow once she arrives at school in the morning.
Kawa: Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom.
Keiko: Yes, Ms. Kawakami.
All is taken care of now since Keiko knows what she must do on her first day back to a different school, for both her and Sojiro to leave next.
Sojiro: They're treating you as some kinda nuisance...I guess that's what it means to have a criminal record. Turns out your past follows you wherever you go, Keiko. By the way…if you get expelled now, I won't hesitate to kick you out. Got it?
Keiko: Yes, sir.
She heard the man loud and clear.
Sojiro: That's all I wanted to hear. Good. *sigh* School never changes, huh…? Come on, we're going home.
An odd way to start off Spring like this with the cherry blossoms falling out of the trees, it does look pretty. While Kawa had some issues to hope for this exchange student to be better while talking to a gym teacher of the volleyball and track class to see that Keiko might not be a problem to give her something to do, to make her change by playing some sports.
Gym Teacher: What a troublesome situation.
Kawa: I can't believe they pushed someone with a record on me.
Gym Teacher: Why in the world was someone like that admitted here?
Kawa: Who knows? It was the principal's decision. I was told that it's for the school's reputation.
Gym Teacher: I would have thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that.
Kawa: That's certainly true.
Gym Teacher: Be careful, OK? Then again, if anything were to happen, I'd kick out a student like that right away.
Kawa: I keep wishing that she'd just end up not coming to school. Still, that isn't something I should be saying as a teacher...
This has the man overhearing the new student was a girl.
Gym Teacher: Well, I should be returning to practice...Wait! Did you say it's a girl?
Weird, why was he so surprised?
Kawa: Yes I did...Oh, right. The tournament's coming up, isn't it?
Gym Teacher: Yes it is. Hehe, having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself. We'll have to work hard to make up for the track team too.
What's with this guy to be smiling so much? As he leaves for Kawa to be going through with all of this.
Kawa: Yes…that's true. Why'd it have to be my class...?
On the way back home to be stuck in traffic for Sojiro to drive through the whole thing must be a big mess.
Sojiro: Traffic's not moving at all...You're taking the train, starting tomorrow...Listen, Keiko, I want to lay down some rules for you to understand so we're clear about everything. I hope you don't have problems with it.
Keiko: I never wanted it to be, Mr. Sakura. Go ahead. And...I hope you wouldn't mind me calling you "Mr. Sakura"...
While having the radio on in the car, Sojiro lays down some rules that are nice and easy for Keiko to listen in.
Sojiro: That? Whatever. Just don't call me "grandpa". Okay, the rules...As long as you can help me out around the place to clean up, you can stay for free. I'll give some money a few times a day when needed, more importantly to get you to your school on the train every day. Try not to cause any trouble to get you arrested or else I will be forced to kick you out. Don't do anything stupid to get others hurt, including me. You can go out sometimes after school, and hopefully you can get out more to also try making new friends, it'll do you some good. Also, when I leave from work, put the close sign up from the door for me and flip it back in the mornings when I'm coming in to work. Don't cause any damage at my cafe. You'll also write something in a diary. I have to know what you're doing to make sure you're cleaned, so keep at it. And that's it...Now about the school, what do you think of it?
Keiko: It's different, I did fine from my other one to do some normal classes.
Sojiro: Just keep it that way and nothing else will happen.
Then, Keiko had to ask Sojiro one simple question...
Keiko: Mr. Sakura, please tell me. Why did you take me in to live with you?
Although he looked and acted tough, he was a really nice guy deep down to help kids to put them in the right place in life.
Sojiro: I was asked to do it, and I just...happened to agree with it. I've already paid for it too after all.
So that's why. Next thing on the radio, news starts to talk about another innocent at the subway stations having lots of accidents lately and other accidents besides this one. A very bad one does not happen by accident at all. For the news, it keeps on spreading.
[Newscaster: Again, a subway has derailed at Shibuya Station, greatly affecting the timetable all across the-]
Sojiro: ...Another accident? That explains the traffic situation. There's been a lot of those lately.
This catches Keiko's attention to learn more about it.
Keiko: Another one? You mean this hasn't been the first?
Sojiro: A lot of it's been happening lately to not be stopped. It's making big news so much. In fact, there was a really sad one just last month...It happened before you came here.
So there was something else to be sad and messed up if someone was killed a month before Keiko arrived, for that must've been a very sad one.
Keiko: Really? How awful...
Sojiro: If I remember right, the girl that passed away was only fifteen. Her parents have gotta be just...
Then more things were being said on the radio news about the other accidents to never stop.
[Newscaster: ...All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam-packed streets.]
Bad traffic like this was very annoying.
Sojiro: Oh, come on!
So true, it doesn't have to be a lot more happening. And how it happened – a train sped up for the person controlling it wasn't himself to be out of it and bleeding out what appears to be dark colored blood.
Passenger: Hey! What's going on?!
It crashes near the stop destination area...
Announcer: [We're experiencing technical difficulties in the lower line.]
Man: I don't have a visual yet. Oh f-
...To cause a huge chaos for some were killed. For it was going way too fast to crash at the other station for the people to get out of the way and others to be rushed to the hospital. For the man on which Sae works for - the Director of District Public Prosecutors Office (or the SIU Director for short) to tell Sae about it as they were seeing all of this on TV from the news show to be a mystery to them both. Was it a terrorist thing?
[Newscaster Woman: That was direct footage from the accident. According to the police, the engineer's life was not in danger, despite his injuries. After questioning, he could not explain his high speed when approaching the station. No further comments were made. Police are still looking for a plausible motive.]
Or something not normal?
SIU Director: It's less an operating accident and more a crime of the company and the government. Site inspectors apparently reported all of this six months ago-the deterioration of the tracks and the ATC. Seems the company and the Ministry of Transport both turned a blind eye to the truth. There's no way they can hide. This will go all the way to the top.
Hearing more about the TV news...
[Newscaster Woman: Now onto our main story. With this derailment accident, as well as other recent incidents of unknown motive, concern is spreading among the general public. Just what could be causing such a drastic change so suddenly in these people?]
SIU Director: Everything's linked–that's what you're thinking, correct? ...Ah well. Are you free? You and I haven't gone for a drink in a while.
Sae: Thank you sir, but I have another meeting to attend. I must be going.
Strange...for Sae to get on with the case with her young partner who's also from high school and works as an ace detective prince named Goro Akechi 'who's a very important character', he's also the one who passed by Keiko yesterday.
Akechi: Did you ask for me? Is it a case?
Sae: Not quite. I want your opinion on something.
Akechi: Sure. Your judgment is quite often correct, though. Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all.
Sae: Conveyor belt only.
Now that had to burn.
Akechi: Aw...
He gets the drill to still work with Sae on the case at hand. Hours later for Keiko to do as Sojiro told her to do while she was home alone to close the place and for him to go straight home next, all was good to call it a night for her to go to school tomorrow.
Sojiro: Well, Keiko, I'm off. I'll lock the place up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night. Oh, but don't mess up my store. If something goes missing, I'll hand you right over to the cops. You got school tomorrow…You better head off to bed, all right?
He leaves for Keiko to do her best 'like she always does' to behave.
Keiko: Good night, Mr. Sakura. (I should do as I'm told for now...Looks like I need to take the train to school...Yongen-Jaya...Aoyama-Itchome...Transfer...)
She was looking at her phone to find the nearest train station to get her from the house to her school and news of the train accident today.
Keiko: (Okay, so it looks like I need to go out to Shibuya, then transfer there. And that's not all...more news about the subway. How awful. It sounds like a lot of people were hurt. I bet this'll affect the timetables for tomorrow too...)
Before going to bed, Keiko answers the phone from downstairs of the store to hear Sojiro's voice. She was fast.
[Sojiro: Yo it's me.]
Keiko: Hello? Mr. Sakura?
The one and only.
[Sojiro: Good girl, you know it's me. Uhhh…I closed up shop, but I forgot to flip the sign to CLOSED. It's too much of a hassle for me to go back, so you flip the sign.]
Keiko: And you called me on your public phone at work for it, right?
Just in case...
[Sojiro: Sorry. I make it a habit not to save guys' numbers on my cell phone. Girls are a bit different from having your cell phone later. Anyway, I'm glad you answered the phone over in the shop. OK then, I'm leaving you in charge of the door sign. Anyway, good night.]
She takes care of it in and out to go back upstairs and she gets dressed, but Keiko sees the strange app to show up on her phone for the third time.
Keiko: Hey! That strange app I saw last night is back...It keeps showing up again...Weird, I thought I'd erased it.
So she tries getting rid of it again.
Keiko: I think I should reboot my phone later on.
Soon Keiko falls fast asleep to start her new day at school because the night soon turns into day time. What will happen on her first day? Well, something that wasn't going to be normal at all.
Year 20xx
Day #3 – April 4/11th Monday
With Keiko getting up in time to get cleaned up, in her new school uniform clothes to wear, making her own lunch, having something to eat thanks to Sojiro's kindness to make curry just for her, and using her phone to make her way to the train station to get to Shujin Academy right away.
Keiko: (Hopefully, I can get there without getting lost…I don't want to be late on my first day. I should head out now...) Okay, Mr. Sakura, I'm going! Thanks for the meal!
Sojiro: Fine, you take care...and be careful.
Keiko: Excuse me?
I think Sojiro really said something nice to Keiko to rethink something else instead.
Sojiro: I mean...Yeah, I'm glad you ate until lunch later, so don't forget. Now get going, Keiko, before you're late. Don't forget to switch the sign to open for me, all right? Now, you better hurry on out. You're gonna be late if you get lost, country girl.
Keiko: I won't.
That's not a problem for Keiko to use her phone to find the train station to get from one place 'and have the open sign to show on the door on her way out', to another one next. From taking the Shibuya - Underground Walkway and the next one to Ginza Line. Having no trouble so far, only it starts to rain outside; for Sojiro didn't think it would today for Keiko to not bring an umbrella to still get to her school somehow to get poured all over if some to not be late.
Man in a Suit: Oh man...Didn't it say it was going to rain today?
Sojiro: Huh? It's raining outside?
It was about to form the bad clouds in the skies to be moving really fast.
Man in a Suit: It just started all of a sudden…This is why I hate the early spring.
Sojiro: That reminds me…Did Keiko take an umbrella...?
Man in a Suit: Huh? Who're you talking about?
Sojiro: Don't mind me. So, what'll it be?
Man in a Suit: One house blend, please.
Hearing about the delays of some train lines since yesterday's event.
[Newscaster: The effects of yesterday's subway accident continues on today as various lines suffer delays and-]
Man in a Suit: There's been a lot of nasty accidents lately. You know, I mean the subway accident that the news is talking about…My coworker got caught up in it and is in the hospital now…But that aside, it's kinda creepy. The people who caused these accidents supposedly went crazy all of a sudden. I heard that some of them suffered from nervous breakdowns during interrogation.
That was new for Sojiro to hear.
Sojiro: Huh...
I guess she was quite used to it a lot. As Keiko was waiting around to make it through while not getting too soaked wet outside, Keiko then looked at her phone to see the app appearing again to cover her screen all the way.
Keiko: (Huh? It's happening again. Does my phone have a virus or something?)
She wasn't the only one standing around, so was someone else in a hoody who was a girl with pink tails type of blonde hair. For Keiko to see another girl named Ann Takamaki who was the same age as her but in a different area she was staying at 'who's also half American too'. For the girl to look at Keiko to smile, and then someone to be driving by who worked at the school, the gym teacher who talked with Kawa yesterday named Suguru Kamoshida. For he and Ann seem to know each other a lot.
Suguru: Good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You're gonna be late.
He was talking to Ann, for she goes with him to do just that...was it legal in Japan?!
Ann: Um, sure. Thank you.
Keiko couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing for a student like Ann to get a ride from a teacher like him...don't you see what was wrong with this picture? For Keiko didn't do those kinds of things at all to avoid doing so.
Suguru: Do you need a lift too?
She acts like she was getting a ride to make something up.
Keiko: (I don't want to be like the other girl is.) Ah, no thank you. My brother's picking me anytime now. But thank you, sir.
Suguru drives off to take Ann to the school, but when she was sitting in the car...she looked sad for Keiko to see it. Huh? Something was up...And even weirder for another person who goes to the same school like Keiko was going to and Ann, it was a boy with blonde hair who happens to have some type of problems with Suguru for some reason. He was Ryuji Sakamoto. From the looks of it, he was chasing after the car to be a bit too late to get Ann not to ride with him.
Ryuji: Dammit...Screw that pervy teacher.
I think Keiko heard him correctly to call a gym teacher to be something other than acting all good and perfect.
Keiko: ...Pervy teacher?
And then something happens to Keiko's cell phone where the logo was still on there to hear a command word of some kind. What was it? And for Ryuji to stop and see another girl to think Keiko was with Suguru to be mistaken.
Ryuji: ...What do you want? You like that guy who likes all of the other girls? You plannin' on rattin' me out to Kamoshida?
Keiko tries to talk to Ryuji calmly.
Keiko: Kamoshida? Who? I just got here, and I don't swing that way! (Why is everyone questioning me like I'm some type of whore?)
Ryuji: Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida.
Keiko remembers to be the same man who gave Ann a lift to school.
Keiko: Oh, so he's a teacher who helped out a student. I see...
But Ryuji says something else about the man.
Ryuji: No you don't! He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is – the king of the castle? Don't you agree?
Keiko: Castle? He doesn't look rich...
That's just an old saying for Keiko to learn about it a bit more.
Ryuji: ...No, I mean...
He stops to see that he has never seen Keiko before at school until now before heading there.
Ryuji: ...Wait, you don't know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You're from Shujin, right?
Keiko: No, I just moved here for a while on a program I have to do. Does that mean you too go to Shujin? Your uniform you're wearing tells me so.
Seems like it to know of the gym teacher too.
Ryuji: What...? No other high school's got a uniform like this.
He now sees that Keiko was new in the area.
Ryuji: A new babe in school, huh? I like...And you're not into men like Kamoshida either, I like you even more. You're a second-year student, huh...We're in the same grade together. Never seen you before though.
Keiko snaps at Ryuji for calling her a babe out of nowhere.
Keiko: Excuse me! Please don't call me "babe", it's so rude.
Ryuji: What? I'm just saying, don't yell at me. I take you're the new transfer student? And its no wonder why you don't know him. Look, sorry about the whole "babe" thing, all right? With this rain, we better walk to our school together. Follow me, I know a way to get there much faster.
Keiko takes Ryuji's advice and follows him.
Keiko: You do? Then yes, please. Lead the way.
As soon as they started walking together, they felt something to have their heads hurting very painfully.
Keiko: Ah! (I feel light headed for some reason...)
Ryuji: Ugh, my head hurts...Dammit...I wanna go home...
Well, that was very weird for the two to continue walking to their school.
—-
Tayla: And now cutting back to where Keiko was captured to tell Sae what she slowly remembers so far from that day to be rainy and Ryuji to be tagging along with Keiko to get into a bigger mess. For the innocents to be going on the call it a "psychic breakdown incident" to have the first one to be a gym teacher from a high school to be doing something to students so much, as Keiko continues to remember for Sae to listen in to everything she was saying.
Sae: ...There was a terrible subway accident that day. You remember it, don't you, Keiko? I assume you know of the uproar that the public calls the "psychotic breakdown incidents."
She has heard about it a lot.
Keiko: I might have...
Still feeling drugged up trying to try listening to Sae on what she's saying to Keiko.
Sae: You say that like it's none of your business. *sigh* It was all over the news, and one of the victims included a teacher at your high school. I've no doubt you heard about it since you were a victim too like the other girls. On that day…were you still an "ordinary" student?
Keiko: What do you mean?
Trying to recall it all very carefully.
Sae: …Let me change the question. You transferred to Shujin Academy, correct? An ordinary prep school that could be found in any city…..That's what it should have been. What happened around that time, Keiko? Tell me everything—truthfully.
—-
Back in the past again...For Keiko and Ryuji to continue walking to their school on foot during a rainy day, looking at the phone to do something for Keiko to not notice. She kept on following Ryuji down the part of the city to walk through and step on a watery puddle, to do...something very weird to slow down for time to freeze up time. What the-? Keiko thought she heard something, or it was just in her head to continue walking; then more strange effects happened on Keiko's cell phone screen to change a lot more to then hear Ryuji freaking out for some strange reason.
Ryuji: Wha...?!
Keiko: Hey, what's wrong?
She follows Ryuji to be shocked by what Keiko was seeing as well to be very real.
Keiko: What the...?
They both thought they'd made a wrong turn, I mean-they were going in the right direction for this castle to appear where the school was at.
Ryuji: We didn't...come the wrong way though...Yeah, it should be right...
Keiko: If this is a school, then it must not be a good one to be a type of joke of a late April Fool's Day.
It looks very real alright.
Ryuji: I wish it was a prank too. So what's goin' on here...?
Keiko: I don't know. I thought you knew.
Ryuji: Me? I guess we should just go in and ask.
And going into the strange looking castle for Keiko and Ryuji went in to see what was going on in their school, but it wasn't what they thought it would've been a school at all.
Keiko: (I got a really bad feeling about this...)
Once inside the two needed to watch out for anything. As something from the scene to make weird movements all over to not be a normal place both Keiko and Ryuji were in right now, but somewhere far worse than making a wrong turn, or walking into a dream that was coming to life and to soon appear to be a very bad nightmare. From the looks of it – they were in a different world to be part of a school for this type of castle, but far different like they've entered into a different dimension of some type. I guess we'll see what happens and to find out more later.