Chapter 5
“You have returned to the real world! Welcome back!”
Kaede frantically looked around once she was back outside. There was no sign of the castle anywhere. She looked at Ann, who looked just as shocked as she was.
“Did… Did that really just happen?” Ann asked.
“I strongly doubt that it was a dream…” Kaede said before the throbbing in her eye gave her a harsh reminder.
“Oh crap! Your eye! I forgot about that!” Kaede couldn’t blame Ann for forgetting about the shiner Kamoshida had given her amidst all the chaos.
“Oh no… what am I going to tell the teachers!? What am I going to tell Sakura-san!?” Kaede began panicking. Before she and Ann could think of what to do, they were approached by two police officers.
“You two! Are you Shujin students?” Asked one of the officers.
“Um, yes! Could you give us directions? We’re lost.” Kaede said while keeping her eye out of view.
“Lost? School started hours ago! Are you sure you two aren’t playing hooky?” The cop asked.
“It’s true! We got lost and were trapped in-” Kaede quickly slammed her hand over Ann’s mouth.
“We took the wrong train! We were wandering around for hours before realizing we were lost!” Kaede said.
“Does that have anything to do with your face, Miss?” Kaede froze when she realized she had forgotten to hide her black eye.
“My eye? Oh! Um… it’s nothing! Just… um… allergic reaction?” Kaede could only imagine how much Kokichi would laugh at her for telling such a bad lie. The way the two cops stared at her told her enough.
“...Gotta go! Bye! As you said, we’re late!” Kaede grabbed Ann’s wrist and ran off.
“What was that about!?” Ann whisper-yelled.
“We can’t just tell them what happened. They’ll think we’re crazy.” Kaede replied.
“But-!”
“Think about it. I think other people would’ve mentioned the presence of a castle, don’t you think?” Kaede said.
“Then… what’s going on?” Ann asked. Kaede bit her lip as she tried to think of an answer. How exactly could someone think of a rational explanation for the events of the morning? Then again, things had been weird since she arrived in Shibuya. On the other hand, those had been isolated experiences where she was by herself. This was the first time she had one of these experiences with another person.
It was just… so confusing.
“Let’s just focus on getting to school for now.” Kaede said. Ann, in complete defeat at this point, just nodded in response.
“A Minister of Transport announcing his resignation…” The SIU Director said to himself before letting out a small chuckle. “Things are going exactly as planned.”
Suddenly, a darker expression adorned his face.
“Sae Niijima… That reminds me…” The Director muttered.
He sighed before leaning back in his chair.
“...Best to leave it be for now.”
“Haruka-chan! Kimiko-chan!” Miyuki waved to her classmates. She smiled at the idea of spending time with her friends, thinking that would allow her to finally take her mind off of Kaede. However, she couldn’t help but notice there was something… off about the way they smiled at her. It looked awkward and forced.
“Oh, um… hey, Miyuki-san.” The first of Miyuki’s friends, Haruka, said.
“Um… we’re eating lunch together like always, right? I know Kae-chan can’t eat with us anymore, but-’
“Sorry! We already promised to eat with Emiko-san!” The other half of the duo, Kimiko, cut her off. Miyuki looked towards a third girl who appeared to be waiting for the other two.
“...Since when were you on a first name basis with Miyazono-san?” Miyuki asked.
“We’ve been talking a lot lately!” Kimiko said.
“Sorry, Miyuki-san… maybe you can join us next time…” Haruka said before she and Kimiko went to join Emiko.
Miyuki stood there in shock. How could they just ditch her like that? They never had a problem eating with her whenever she was with-
That’s when she remembered. She wasn’t the Ultimate Pianist’s sister anymore. She was a criminal’s sister. Who’d want to spend time with a criminal’s sister?
Just as Miyuki let out a sigh of defeat, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, and saw it was Ren.
“Hey. Why don’t you eat with me instead?” Ren offered with a smile on his face, but it was impossible to not see the pity in his eyes.
“...Sure. Thank you.” Miyuki said with a nod.
“No problem. Come on.” Ren said as he gestured for Miyuki to follow him.
Meanwhile, Kaede and Ann could only stare in shock as they stood in front of Shujin Academy.
“How is it here now!?” Ann yelled.
“Are… Are you sure we took the same path earlier?” Kaede asked.
“Yes! I’m sure!” Ann replied.
“This is freaky…” Kaede said.
“What on Earth is going on!?” Ann asked no one in particular.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you.” Just then, a man in a suit stepped out. “We received a call from the police.”
“Of course you did…” Kaede sighed. She felt stupid for expecting any other kind of outcome from that encounter.
“I don’t think you’ve been this late before. Where were you roaming around until this time?” The man, who Kaede presumed was some sort of counselor, asked.
“Um… Uh… What was it you said before?” Ann asked Kaede.
“Wrong train. Got lost.” Kaede said.
“Really, now? You’ve been gone for hours. Do you really think anyone would be this late on accident?” The counselor asked.
“B-But-!” Ann was about to protest, but stopped when she saw who had stepped out and was now standing next to the counselor. “K-Kamoshida!?”
“I’m surprised, Takamaki. I’d expect this kind of behavior from someone like Sakamoto. But you? That’s a shock.” This Kamoshida, who appears to have traded the creepy yellow eyes for actual clothes, said.
“S-Sorry…” Ann said. Kamoshida gave a smile that, after the events of earlier, just sent chills down the spines of both girls.
“Don’t worry about it. Everyone has one of those days, y’know?” Kamoshida said before focusing on Kaede. “As for you. You’re that new transfer student, right? Kaede Akamatsu?” He asked.
“Um… Hi?” What was she supposed to say? Nice to meet you? This technically wasn’t the first time they’ve met. Nice to see you again? He didn’t appear to remember what happened at the castle. And either way, she didn’t feel very nice about it.
“Takamaki, you’ll be coming with me. No matter what your excuse is, it’s undeniable you’re extremely late.” The counselor said.
“What!? But… Okay…” Ann sighed before heading into the building with the counselor, doing her best to avoid making eye contact with Kamoshida as she went up the stairs. Kaede gulped, feeling her eye start throbbing again as the memory of their last encounter was still fresh in her mind.
“What’s gotten you so shaken up?” Kamoshida asked.
“U-Uh… Long story.” Was all Kaede could come up with. Did he seriously not remember?
“I see… Well, I’ll overlook this just for today. But just know that if you cause any trouble, you’ll be expelled. Got it?” Kamoshida said.
“I understand.” Kaede said.
“Alright. Well, you should get to the faculty office. I’m sure Miss Kawakami’s tired of waiting.” Kamoshida said. Kaede nodded.
“Right!” Kaede said as she went up the stairs. Just before she could get inside, she froze when she felt Kamoshida put his hand on her shoulder.
“I almost forgot. Enjoy your new school life.” Kamoshida said. Kaede nervously smiled and nodded.
“T-Thank you. Bye.” Kaede said before practically running into the building. Even after she stepped inside, the whispers that she heard almost immediately didn’t allow the empty feeling in her stomach to go away.
“Is that her?”
“The transfer student…”
“She’s cute. You think I should go for it?”
“Dude, the risk factor would just be too big with a delinquent girlfriend.”
Kaede nearly let out a sigh of relief once she managed to get to the faculty office. Was she going to have to put up with that for a whole year? With a sigh, she opened the door, and the dread returned when she saw how Kawakami looked at her.
“Where have you been!? Do you have any idea how late you are!? And what happened to your face!?” Kawakami yelled.
“I-I…” Kaede stuttered. She was too far in to tell the truth. “I took the wrong train. Sorry.” She said.
“Even taking things like the recent accidents into account, that’s no excuse for you to be this late! You were given fair warning yesterday!” Kawakami said.
“I know… I’m sorry…” Kaede said, her voice getting quiet as she hung her head. Kawakami sighed.
“Whatever. You’re lucky Mr. Kamoshida was willing to let it slide. Follow me. It’s lunchtime, so we can go to the nurse’s office to get something for your eye before class. Also, classes will be ending early today because of the accidents, so you’ll be sent home after fifth period. I’ll introduce you once class resumes.” Kawakami explained before getting up. “Also… don’t say anything unnecessary.” She sighed.
Kaede nodded before following Kawakami into the halls. Two female students saw them pass by before they began whispering to themselves.
“Could that really be her?”
“It has to be!”
“She looks less scary than I imagined…”
“Still, we should probably keep away from her.”
“Why’s she wearing sunglasses indoors?”
“Did you not see how she looked when she showed up?”
“No? I mean, she was super late. And on her first day too! Guess she really is a troublemaker.”
“Settle down, class!” Kawakami told the whispering students. “I’d like to introduce you to our new transfer student: Kaede Akamatsu.”
“Have I heard that name before?”
“I think she used to be some kind of famous pianist. She even went to that one school for talented kids… Hope something…”
“Oh yeah. I think I heard about one of their students getting expelled a while ago. Aren’t you set for life if you graduate from there?”
“Damn, she blew it.”
“Enough!” Kawakami slightly raised her voice a bit more. “Anyways, she had to come in late today because she wasn’t feeling well. Go on, introduce yourself.”
Kaede, in spite of her complete exhaustion and desire for the day to just end already, smiled. “Hello. I’m Kaede Akamatsu. I look forward to spending the year with you.” She said as her eyes scanned the students sitting before her. The two that seemed to stick out the most were Ann, and a timid looking boy who seemed hesitant to even look at her. Kawakami then showed her to her seat, which was right behind Ann’s. She sat down and Ann quietly slipped her a piece of paper. She saw the words “Rooftop. After school.” scribbled on it.
“Hey, she’s passing notes with Takamaki.”
“Wasn’t she also really late today?”
“Oh yeah, I didn’t see her this morning…”
“Probably overslept after her latest escapade.”
“With Mr. Kamoshida, right?”
“Most likely, but you can’t tell with all the cheating she does.”
“What a whore…”
Kaede shut her eyes as she took a moment to curse her advanced hearing. This was, what, the second time it hadn’t done her any favors? Kawakami once again shushed the class, and Kaede decided to just put up with the cold looks she was getting from the student who had to share books with her for the day.
“Anyways. The volleyball rally’s in two days, so everyone’s changed classes. Take that time to get to know each other. Now, let’s get class started. Who’s on duty today?” Kawakami said. With that, the timid looking boy stood up.
“Everyone, please rise up…” He said as everyone did as instructed.
When Kaede stepped out of the classroom, the halls of the school briefly distorted into the interior of the castle. She shut her eyes and shook her head. No. It was best to think about it as little as possible. She was then snapped out of it when she felt someone bump into her. She opened her eyes and saw a blond boy with brown eyes standing near her.
“Uh, excuse you.” Kaede said. This seemed to get his attention.
“Huh? Oh, uh, sorry. Didn’t see you, I guess.” Said the boy. Kaede sighed.
“It’s fine. I shouldn’t have just been standing there, I guess.” Kaede said. It was then that he noticed Kaede’s sunglasses.
“How come you’re wearing those indoors?” He asked.
“Um… to look cool?” Kaede said as she uncomfortably shifted a bit. No way she was gonna show some guy she just met her injury. She especially didn’t want him asking her where it came from. The blond blinked, clearly not buying it.
“Riiiiight…” He said before his expression darkened. He stepped closer to Kaede, making her back up in response.
“U-Uh…” Kaede tried to think of something to say, but it felt like there was something in her throat preventing her from getting any words out.
“Listen. Does it have anything to do with-“
“Sakamoto! Stop bothering her!” Both students looked to see Kawakami standing behind them.
“I wasn’t bothering her.” The boy, currently known to Kaede as just Sakamoto, said. Had she heard that name earlier?
“Right. I’m surprised you even came to school at all today. I mean, you haven’t even dyed your hair back. I thought we talked about this.” Kawakami said.
“Sorry.” Was all the blond said before he gave Kaede one last glance and then took his leave.
“You really shouldn’t associate with him, okay?” Kawakami sighed.
“Huh? Why not?” Kaede asked.
“It’s just… better if you don’t. He’s nothing but trouble. It’s a shame, really. He was a great kid back when he was on the track team. He had a bright future ahead of him too. But then…” Kawakami trailed off.
Kaede frowned. Nothing but trouble? Sure, he got a bit in her face, but that wasn’t the vibe she got. Then again, it’s not like this school appeared to be full of nice people. Kawakami noticed Kaede looking at her and cleared her throat.
“Anyways, you should probably head straight home. Sakura-san sounded pretty upset about you being tardy.” Kawakami said. Kaede nodded.
“Alright. See you tomorrow, then.” Kaede said before walking off. She then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Kamoshida approaching her.
“Hey, Akamatsu! Want me to give you a ride home? Wouldn’t want you getting lost again.” Kamoshida offered. Kaede held in the urge to gag and politely shook her head.
“No thanks. My guardian probably wouldn’t approve of that.” Kaede gave the first excuse she could come up with. She noticed Kamoshida clench his fist a bit, but he still kept a rather amicable expression on his face.
“Ah, I see. Well, if you need anything, don’t be afraid to talk to me. You seem friendly with Takamaki, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine. Plus, us Hope’s Peaks fellows should stick together.” Kamoshida said.
“…Eh?” Kaede gave a look of confusion on that last part.
“Oh, you didn’t know? I was the Ultimate Volleyball Pro when I was younger.” Kamoshida explained.
“Ah, I see.” Kaede said. She would’ve also asked how he knew about her old school in the first place, but given that it’s hard to not find conversations about Hope’s Peak that don’t at least mention the student’s names, people recognizing her probably shouldn’t be surprising. She then cleared her throat, said she had to go, and practically ran up the stairs. As she ran, she ended up colliding with another student.
“Aah! I-I’m so sorry!” Kaede said as she frantically picked up her sunglasses, which had been knocked off, and put them back on her face. The look on the girl’s face told Kaede that she had seen enough. Great.
“Oh, um, don’t worry about it. You’re clearly in a hurry.” Kaede took a moment to observe the girl’s appearance. She was fair skinned, had short and curly brown hair, and wore a pink sweater over her uniform.
“Yeah. I am. Could… you give me directions to the rooftop?” Kaede asked. The girl nodded.
“You’re in luck. I take care of the plants there.” The girl said before giving Kaede directions.
“I see… Thank you!” Kaede said before giving the girl a quick wave and heading to the rooftop. Ann was already there, appearing to stare into space before noticing Kaede had arrived.
“I think you know what I want to talk about.” Ann said. Kaede nodded.
“It’s not hard to guess.” Kaede said.
“I’ve been thinking… I want to go back.” Ann looked Kaede in the eyes.
“Eh? Why?” Kaede asked.
“Because… I think this might help me find a way to help Shiho.” Ann replied.
“Shiho?” Kaede asked.
“The friend I mentioned this morning. She… She’s all I have. And Kamoshida is using her against me! It’s not fair! I hate him so much!” Ann yelled as her eyes began to tear up. Kaede sighed as she felt her heart swell with pity.
“Alright. Let’s do it.” Kaede said.
“R-Really?” Ann asked.
“Yeah. I mean, we’d still have to figure out how to go back, though.” Kaede said.
“Yeah, you’re right about that.” Ann chuckled, “You’re pretty nice for someone with a criminal record, you know that?”
“Hehe, yeah. It’s a long story. Just know I’m not the violent blood seeker some of the others make me out to be.” Kaede rubbed the back of her neck.
“Was really starting to get that idea.” Ann said in a joking tone.
“I’m gonna assume what they say about you isn’t true either.” Kaede said.
“Mhm. I guess we have something in common then. You said your name was… Kaede, right?” Ann asked. Kaede nodded.
“Yep. Kaede Akamatsu.” Kaede confirmed.
“Akama… Would you mind if I just used Matsu? No particular reason, it just sounds nice.” Ann asked.
“Oh! Sure! I don’t mind at all. It kind of reminds me of how my sister calls me Kae-chan.” Kaede said.
“You have a sister?” Ann asked.
“Yeah. We’re twins, actually. She doesn’t have any special talents like me, though, so not many people know about her… Hey, speaking of twins, has anyone told you look like-“
“Junko Enoshima? Yeah, I get that a lot.” Ann laughed a bit. Kaede laughed too.
“Alright. I should probably get going.” Kaede said. Ann sighed.
“Okay. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Ann said. Kaede nodded, waved goodbye, and headed off.
Kaede sighed before going into Leblanc, fully expecting the glare she was getting from Sojiro.
“Hey, I got a call from the school. I heard you ditched half a day on your first day! Have you forgotten your situation?” Sojiro’s tone was enough to make Kaede flinch.
“…I’m sorry…” Kaede muttered out of shame.
“Sorry? Yeah, that’s what they all say when they get caught. Look, you need to behave yourself. One wrong move, and your life will be over, and the only place you’ll have to go is juvie. Do you understand?” Sojiro scolded her.
“…Mhm…”
“Good. Also, take those off.” Kaede paused when Sojiro told her to remove her sunglasses. Had they not informed him? Still, Kaede slowly removed the glasses, revealing her eyes to Sojiro.
Before he could say anything, his cellphone rang.
“Hey, what’s up?…Yeah, yeah, just closed up shop…” Kaede took the opportunity to go up the stairs, wanting to avoid any conversations about her eye as much as possible. When she got to her room, she shut the door and plopped onto her bed.
So much for a good first day.
Kaede sighed as she remembered her diary. She picked up the little black book, and wrote only three sentences. “Got lost. Face hurt. Was late.” No way she was gonna include anything other than that since she was starting to get sick of having to describe what happened. Especially since she had to leave out most of what actually happened. She was then startled by a knock on the door.
“Make sure to lock up and turn off the lights before you go to bed, okay?” She heard Sojiro’s voice from the other side of the door.
“I will.” Kaede said.
That night, as Kaede lay in bed, she retraced her steps in her head. If she and Ann were planning on going back to that castle, she had to remember how they got there. Maybe there was some kind of portal in that alleyway…? No, other people surely would’ve noticed it long before Kaede and Ann. Was it something she did or-
Wait.
She remembered hearing a voice coming from her phone when she came back to the real world. She pulled out her phone and looked at the screen. Could it be the app? But how?
“Ugh… What have I gotten myself into…?” Kaede asked herself before drifting off to sleep.