Chapter 2
Kaede looked around the blue prison cell. Was this some kind of dream? It felt like it was, but it also felt so real at the same time. She sat up in an attempt to better assess her surroundings, only to hear a light “clank” sound beneath her. This caused her to look down and notice not just the shackles around her wrists and the ball and chain around her ankle, but the black and white prison uniform she was adorned in as well. What kind of dream was this?
Just then, she heard footsteps. She looked towards the source of the noise, only to see two boys on the other side of the cell. They appeared to be in their third year of middle school, and were both wearing black shoes, black pants, and blue shirts with black ties. One had short and straight white hair. He smiled as his golden eyes followed his hand as it traced over a small knife in his other hand. It was then Kaede noticed his black gloves, with the letter V surrounded by laurels on the back of the glove on his right hand. The other also had short white hair, but his was more curly and his bangs were just long enough to cover both of his eyes. He nervously fiddled with the blue and black hat on top of his head, one that also had a match on who Kaede assumed was his brother. The nervous one held a clipboard to his chest, showing that the golden V on his gloves was on his left hand rather than his right.
“W-What is this!? Where am I!?” Kaede demanded. The boy with the knife looked up at her and his smile grew even bigger.
“You look scared, Dollface. Smile for our master, won’t you?” He said before going back to fiddling with his knife.
Master…?
“Trickster,” At the sound of a much deeper voice, Kaede’s attention was brought to the old man in a fancy suit sitting at a table in the center of the room. He was balding, and had the longest nose she had ever seen. His long nose almost made his pointed ears, large grin, and buggy eyes look normal in comparison. He extended a gloved hand towards Kaede’s cell, “Welcome to my Velvet Room.”
“Velvet Room?” Kaede asked.
“D-Don’t worry… You’re currently fast asleep in reality… Everything is okay...” The boy whose eyes were hidden behind his bangs said before quickly looking away from her.
“So… this is a dream?” Kaede asked, as this did absolutely nothing to lessen her confusion. The curly haired boy slowly nodded.
“It’s still no excuse to just act how you please. Straighten up, Dollface, you’re just embarrassing yourself at this point.” The straight haired boy said as he twirled his knife around his hand. The old man chuckled, drawing Kaede away from the two boys once again.
“Welcome, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those bound by a “contract” may enter.” The old man explained as he tapped his fingers against the table.
“...Who are you?” Out of all the questions that flooded her mind at the moment, this was the only one Kaede could get past her lips.
“I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.” Igor said.
“O-Okay… why am I here?” Kaede asked.
“I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well.” Igor replied.
“M-My life!?” If she wasn’t holding onto the cell’s bars, Kaede would’ve fallen to her knees out of shock then and there.
“You heard correctly. Still, this is a surprise. The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. It appears you truly are a prisoner of fate.” Kaede’s heart sank at Igor’s explanation of the room’s appearance. This was the state of her heart?
“Or she just enjoys being locked up.” The boy with the knife said before laughing to himself. His twin attempted to say something, but quickly shut himself up. Igor immediately brushed off the young boy’s comment.
“In the near future, there’s no mistake that ruin awaits you.” Igor said.
“R-Ruin!? What does that mean!?” Kaede yelled.
“I speak of the end to everything.” Igor explained, completely unfazed by Kaede’s rising distress. “However, there is a way to avoid this.” Upon hearing that, Kaede managed to calm down a little.
“How so?” She asked after taking a few deep breaths.
“You must be “rehabilitated.” Rehabilitated towards freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin. Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?” Igor asked. Kaede quickly nodded.
“Yes! Of course!” She didn’t even fully know what that meant, but she obviously didn’t want the world to end.
“Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.” Igor said.
The two boys turned to face her once again.
“Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. On your right is Felix; to your left, Alphonse. They serve as wardens here.” Igor introduced the twin brothers.
“U-Um… I look forward to helping you with your r-rehabilitation…” The boy with the blinding bangs, Alphonse, said before bowing his head and holding his clipboard to his chest again.
“You have nice looking skin, Dollface. Could use a bit more red though.” The boy with the knife, Felix, said as he bounced the knife in his palm.
“F-Felix… Wardens are supposed to protect their prisoners… You can’t just h-hurt her for fun…” Alphonse said without even looking in his brother’s direction. For the first time since Kaede entered this mysterious Velvet Room, Felix frowned. He tightly gripped his knife as he glared at Alphonse.
“Wardens aren’t supposed to be such huge crybabies either! So shut your mouth!” Felix yelled, making Alphonse flinch before he seemingly went completely silent, but anyone listening closely or had a sense of hearing as good as Kaede’s would realize he was whispering apologies over and over again.
“I’ll explain the roles of these two at another occasion.” Igor said as the banter of the twins came to a halt and they once again turned away from Kaede.
The mysterious Igor, the sadistic Felix, and the timid Alphonse. Whatever this path to “rehabilitation” had in store for her, these three would be her guides. So she figured she’d better get used to them pretty quick.
“Now then… It seems the night is waning. It is almost time. Take your time to come to slowly understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually…” Igor said.
“Wait-” Kaede was cut off by an alarm that blared throughout the room, making both her and Alphonse flinch.
“Awww, our time is up.” Felix said in what almost sounded like a sad tone before he turned towards Kaede one final time. “Alright, Dollface, head back to sleep.”
“Hold on!” Kaede sat up in bed, her arm outstretched towards nothing.
“That must’ve been some dream you were having.” Startled, Kaede gasped and turned her head to see Sojiro standing in the doorway. She quickly attempted to laugh it off.
“M… Mhm. Nothing too special, just reenacting a scene from a manga I read recently.” Even if it was just a dream, saying “I had a dream where I was in prison and a long nosed old man and two teenage wardens warned me of the upcoming apocalypse” would be too weird to say out loud.
“Whatever. Hurry up and get ready, we’ll be introducing ourselves properly to the staff about your transfer. The school you’re attending is in the Aoyama district. It’ll take a while to get there by train. The transfers are a real hassle, too. I’ll drive you there, but just for today.” Sojiro said before he turned to leave. “Sheesh… children usually aren’t allowed in my passenger seat.” Kaede heard him mutter before going down the stairs.
Kaede stared in awe as she and Sojiro approached Shujin Academy. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but probably not something that gave off a feeling so… bleak. Though, she probably should have expected it just from the uniform. The black, red, and white were a huge contrast from the brown and white of Hope’s Peak Academy’s uniform, and an even bigger contrast from the pink and purple usually seen in Kaede’s casual wear.
“Do me a favor and behave yourself in there, alright?” Kaede was snapped out of her train of thought when Sojiro spoke to her.
“Hm? Yeah, of course I will.” Kaede said. Sojiro sighed.
“Don’t get me wrong-I don’t really care what happens to you. Just don’t cause me any trouble.” Sojiro said before heading inside.
“Okay, good talk.” Kaede muttered before following him.
Kaede usually wasn’t one to judge someone based on their appearance. But something about the overweight bald man in a yellow suit sitting at the desk before her and Sojiro immediately made her think he wasn’t going to be the most pleasant person to speak with. Though, the fact that he wasn’t exactly giving her the most kind stare in the world also played a large role in that.
“Just to reiterate, if you cause us any trouble, you will immediately be expelled. Frankly, I was hesitant to accept someone like you, but there were some circumstances on your side.” The principal, Kobayakawa, said as Sojiro signed some papers.
“I see…” Kaede said as she rubbed the back of her neck.
“Whatever you got away with in your hometown, you won’t get away with here. If you get expelled from here, you’ll have nowhere else to go, understand?” Kobayakawa asked as though Kaede hadn’t basically had this type of warning carved into her brain.
If she messes up, game over.
“Right. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to stay out of trouble.” Kaede assured the headmaster. Although he nodded in response, nothing about it indicated he’d be any less harsh towards her.
“This is Sadayo Kawakami. She’s the teacher who will be in charge of your class.” Kobayakawa gestured to the woman next to him. She appeared to be in her mid twenties, had frizzy shoulder length brown hair, and was wearing a long sleeved yellow and white striped shirt and a jean skirt that ended just below her knees. The look she gave Kaede made it clear that she would rather be anywhere else at the moment.
“Here’s your student ID.” Kawakami said as she placed Kaede’s ID on Kobayakawa’s desk. Kaede got a brief glimpse of what appeared to be a pink piece of paper underneath it before Kawakami quickly snatched it away.
“Thank you.” Was all Kaede said as she picked up her ID.
“Be sure to read the school rules, okay? Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. If you get in any trouble, I won’t be able to protect you at all.” Kawakami instructed her. Kaede smiled and nodded.
“Of course. Let’s make this year a good one, alright?” Kaede said. Kawakami blinked.
“Uh… sure?” It was pretty clear that like with Sojiro the previous day, Kaede was not living up to whatever image that was in Kawakami’s head.
“Trust me, her attitude surprised me too. It’s like they sent me some kind of doppelgänger or something.” Sojiro said in a semi-joking manner, having also caught onto Kawakami’s reaction. Kaede awkwardly laughed.
“Well, don’t be fooled. I’m as tough as they come.” Kaede said in her best “bad girl” voice while holding up both of her fists. Something that, despite the “delinquent” label slapped on her, convinced absolutely no one.
“…Anyways. Can we get going now? I have a store to run.” Sojiro said. Kobayakawa nodded.
“Be sure to keep an eye on her, Sakura-san. Make sure she doesn’t get in any trouble outside of school.” Kobayakawa said.
“I’ll make sure to have a serious talk with her about her situation.” Sojiro assured Kobayakawa.
“Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I’ll show you to your classroom.” Kawakami instructed Kaede. Kaede nodded.
“Alright. See you tomorrow, then.” Kaede said before she left with Sojiro.
“Why my class?” Kawakami thought.
“I think things went well.” Kaede said as she and Sojiro walked through the hallway.
“Really? Because everyone’s giving you the cold shoulder. Though, I guess that’s what a criminal record does to you. No matter where you go, your past always follows you.” Sojiro said.
“Well… isn’t that true for everyone? Criminal or not?” Kaede asked.
“Hm. I guess you’re right. Still, you seemed a bit insistent back there on being seen as such. What’s with that?” Sojiro asked.
“Um… I don’t want to look soft?” Was that really the best she could come up with? Though, saying Sojiro’s joke about her being sent in a lookalike’s place made her panic for being too on the nose would probably be a worse idea.
“Whatever. I guess this is a good time for me to remind you that I’ll kick you out if you get in any trouble.” Sojiro reminded her.
“Mhm. Don’t get in trouble. Got it.” Kaede said.
“Alright. Let’s go home.” Sojiro said with a sigh before leaving the building, with Kaede quickly following after him.
Meanwhile, Miyuki Akamatsu was in a funk.
“Kae-chan… I’m so sorry…” She muttered as she hugged her pillow to her chest.
Not only had Kaede been arrested in her place, but that man had forced both her and the woman who was being assaulted in the first place into compliance. Meaning she was forced to lie and then watch as her sister was condemned to a fate that was supposed to be hers.
Miyuki’s attention was then drawn to the sound of a knock at her bedroom door.
“Miyuki?” It was her mother, Shiori Akamatsu.
“What is it?” Miyuki asked. Shiori frowned when she opened the door and saw Miyuki laying in bed.
“Why don’t you go spend time with your friends?” Shiori suggested.
“Would my friends even want to talk to me? I’m “the criminal’s sister” now.” Miyuki said as she sat up. Shiori sighed, sat on the bed, and put a hand on Miyuki’s shoulder.
“Miyuki… it’s only for a year. If Kaede doesn’t get in trouble again, things will be back to normal in no time.” Shiori attempted to reassure her daughter. Miyuki clenched her fist. Even if Kaede did successfully serve her probation, that wouldn’t get rid of people’s views on her. Kaede’s life was basically over. And it was because of her.
“That’s not the problem…” Miyuki muttered.
“If you miss her so much, we can call her.” Shiori suggested. Miyuki shook her head.
“It’s… it’s fine… I just need some fresh air…” Miyuki said before walking past her mom and leaving her room.
After getting her shoes on, Miyuki stepped outside and took in the world around her. With a sigh, she decided to go to the nearby park. It wasn’t until she already arrived that she realized that was a bad idea, as she just ended up remembering childhood memories of coming here with Kaede as a kid. It was always her favorite place to go when she wasn’t playing piano. Not exactly the best thing to think about when trying to take her mind off Kaede.
Right as she was about to leave, however, she saw a boy. The frizzy haired boy noticed her and quickly ran up to her.
“Um, hey, Akamatsu-san.” The boy said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Hm? Oh. Amamiya-kun.” It took Miyuki a second to recognize him, but she knew who he was.
Like Miyuki, Ren Amamiya was a Reserve Course student at Hope’s Peak Academy. The best way to describe him was… odd. He seemed friendly, yet also didn’t seem like the type of person you’d want to piss off. He wasn’t shy, but wasn’t chatty. He honestly reminded Miyuki of a cat, being calm and quiet one second, then being fierce and intimidating the next. Despite this, he appeared to catch the eye of several female students. It seemed like he got a different love confession each week. In fact, if Kaede’s word was anything to go by before she got expelled, there were even a few people in the Main Course who were willing to at least admit Ren was attractive when they had seen him. And yet shockingly, despite Miyuki being known for her constant attempts at getting a boyfriend, the two never spoke that often.
“I heard about your sister. I’m… really sorry.” Ren was noticeably not looking Miyuki in the eye. She sighed.
“Is that all?” Miyuki asked.
“No, I’m just… shocked. She didn’t seem like the type of girl to get herself arrested.” Ren said.
He was right. She wasn’t.
“Amamiya-kun… why are you talking to me?” Miyuki asked.
“Huh?” The look on Ren’s face showed he was genuinely caught off guard by her question.
“We’re in the same class, but we don’t really talk that much. Why are you suddenly concerned about me?” Miyuki elaborated.
“Oh. Well, again, I heard about what happened, and I just felt like it would be a good idea to make sure you were okay. I really hope you don’t think I’m using your sister as an excuse to flirt with you or anything, because… I’m not.” Ren explained.
“Alright. And good, I think I’m gonna take a break from my romantic pursuits for awhile. It just doesn’t feel like the right time for that.” Miyuki said.
“Okay. Just know I hope things turn out alright for you and your family.” Ren said. Miyuki nodded.
“Thank you. I just hope Kae-chan doesn’t get hurt, since she’s apparently staying where those supposed mental shutdowns are happening…” Miyuki said.
Several citizens were thrown back as the subway train sped past them at high speed.
“Hey! What’s going on in there!?” One of the passengers demanded as he pounded on the door, while several others clung to whatever they could grab for dear life.
All words fell on deaf ears, as the driver was completely rigid. His eyes had rolled back into his head as black ooze dripped out of his mouth.
The screams both inside and outside of the train were completely muted as it came to an abrupt halt and tipped over.
Sae Niijima stared at the TV as the reporter described the accident. Another one. Another shutdown.
“Everything’s linked. That’s what you’re thinking isn’t it?” Sae’s attention was brought to her director.
It was true. There was no way these accidents weren’t connected. Even if it seemed unlikely, someone was behind them. And Sae was going to find out who.
“Are you free? We haven’t had dinner together in awhile.” Her director offered.
“Thank you, sir. But I have another meeting to attend.” Sae said before bidding him farewell with a bow and leaving the room. As she walked down the stairs, she was met with the sight of a boy in his late teens. Phone in one hand, and a briefcase in the other, he looked up with a smile as Sae approached him.
“Did you ask for me? Is it a case?” The brunette asked.
“Not quite. I want your opinion on something.” Sae replied as she paused in her steps.
“Sure. Your judgement is quite often correct, though. Could we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You are making a student work late, after all.” The younger male said.
“Conveyor belt only.” Was all Sae said as she continued walking, leaving the boy disappointed.
Kaede stretched her arms as she and Sojiro entered Leblanc.
“Damn, to think there’d be this much traffic… What a waste of time. I wasn’t able to open the café today.” Sojiro sighed.
“Yeah. I could barely hear my mom over all the cars.” Kaede said. Her mother had unexpectedly called her while she was in the car with Sojiro. Mostly just to tell her that both she and Miyuki already missed her. Yet, strangely, Miyuki didn’t come to the phone herself.
“Hm. Good to know that your parents don’t view you as a complete pain in the ass.” Sojiro said before chuckling to himself. Kaede crossed her arms and pouted.
“Not funny.” Kaede said.
“Geez, is your real crime being unable to take a joke? Because that’s the second time you’ve done that.” Sojiro said.
“Sorry, it’s a bit hard to tell.” Kaede apologized.
“Whatever. Just head upstairs, there’s something I need to give to you.” Sojiro said. Kaede nodded before heading up the stairs.
“Talk about a gruesome accident. Eighty people were involved.” Sojiro noted as he read about the subway accident on his phone while entering the attic Kaede now called her room.
“Oh no…” Kaede felt a chilling emptiness in her gut. The more she thought about it, the more the idea of a mental shutdown terrified her. Especially if the victim was the driver of a vehicle you were in, while you were trapped and unable to do anything.
“Anyways, here’s a diary. Make sure you keep it up to date.” Sojiro handed Kaede a small black book.
“Huh? What’s this for?” Kaede asked.
“You may be under probation, but there’s no limitations to what you do in particular. Besides following the law, that is. However, I’m obligated to report on you, which is why I’m having you record your daily activities.” Sojiro explained.
“I see. Well, I’ll write in it as much as I can, then.” Kaede said. Before Sojiro could respond, his phone rang. He immediately picked it up.
“Hey, it’s me… Don’t worry, I’m almost done… Alright, I’ll see you in a bit.” With that, he hung up.
“Well, I’m gonna assume you’ll be going now.” Kaede said. Sojiro nodded.
“Right. Spend your time however you like. Oh, but don’t go messing with my store. If anything goes missing-“
“You’ll kick me out?” Kaede cut him off.
“…At least you’re catching on.” Sojiro said. Kaede heard him mutter something about a headache before she was left to herself.
“Alright. I think I’ll just write in my diary then go to bed.” Kaede said to herself before she began writing. When she finished writing, she heard a ringing from downstairs. Confused, she went downstairs to find that the source of the noise was a phone on the counter.
“Hello?” Kaede asked upon picking it up.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Huh? Sakura-san?” Kaede asked.
“Yeah. Look, I closed up shop but I forgot to flip the sign to “Closed” when I left. It’s too much trouble for me to go back and do it myself. Think you can do it for me?” Sojiro requested.
“Oh. Yes, of course.” Kaede replied.
“I doubt anyone will come in, even if the sign is flipped to “Open.” Still, this is quite a relief. It’s pretty rare that I save a kid’s number on my phone. I’m glad you picked up. Anyways, I’ll leave the store sign to you.” Sojiro said.
“You got it!” With that, Kaede hung up. After that, she went outside, flipped the sign, and went back inside and up to her room.
After that, she changed into her pajamas, and got into bed. She sighed. She’d have to take the train to school and that accident would certainly make things difficult. She went to open the GPS app only to notice… that damn mystery app.
“Mmm… go away…” Kaede muttered as she deleted the app for what felt like the millionth time. She then groaned at the realization that if something was wrong with her phone, she’d have to reboot it. She rebooted it, proceeded with what she was doing, and went to sleep.
Kaede tapped one of her fingers against her cheek as she examined her uniform. She felt like she needed to do something to make it feel less bleak. That’s when she got an idea. Removing the black ribbon that came with the uniform, she replaced it with one of her orange ties. Nothing too extreme, but it added some extra color to the uniform. With that, she was ready to start the day. She went downstairs and was about to head out the door, but was stopped by Sojiro.
“I don’t even know if I should be surprised you’re actually going to school…” Sojiro sighed. Kaede awkwardly chuckled at the fact that whatever person she was in Sojiro’s mind was continuously proven to be the opposite of how she was in real life.
“Um… yeah. Bye.” Kaede was about to leave once again.
“You’re leaving on an empty stomach?” Sojiro asked. It was then that Kaede noticed the plate of curry in front of him.
“…Oh! Thank you!” Kaede said as she quickly sat down.
“Just hurry up and eat before-“ Sojiro was cut off by Kaede already taking a bite. It was then he saw her eyes light up in a way that rivaled the way they lit up when she saw her piano related stuff.
“S… So good!” Kaede exclaimed before stuffing the rest of it into her face. Upon finishing, she once again stood up and grabbed her bag. “Again, thank you for the meal.” She said with a smile.
“I know I said I wouldn’t comment on it anymore, but you sure are nice for a supposed delinquent.” Sojiro said.
“Is that a bad thing?” Kaede asked.
“Not at all. I mean, I guess I could be stuck with someone worse. Anyways, you should get going. Don’t want to be late on the first day. Oh, and turn the sign to “Open” on the way out. I’ll be leaving that to you from now on.” Sojiro replied. Kaede nodded.
“Alright. See you later!” Kaede gave a small wave before heading out the door. She flipped the sign as requested, and went on her way. Sojiro sighed once she was gone.
“Seriously, did they send me the wrong kid or something?”