Tokyo, Beta 1.22474487139
Velvet Room - ???
Igor extended his arms in welcome. “My dear Trickster, where would you like me to start first?”
Yuki was unamused. “How about this world, for instance?”
Igor smiled. “Of course, but first allow me to introduce the body of the girl you’re inhabiting. Her name is Yuki Amamiya, and she, like you, Ren Amamiya, was deemed by this world and by me to have the potential to save it, as she is this world’s Trickster, much like you were.”
Igor drummed his fingers on the table. “She was truly a magnificent Trickster. In this reality, Yaldabaoth was unable to breach the Velvet Room, and thus her journey was unhindered by sabotage. Alas, even when she confronted the God of Control, she was unable to sway the public, the masses still distorted. Thus, she was unable to awaken to her full power. Nevertheless, she was able to depose the God of Control, but not without a heavy cost. By the time she managed, Tokyo and Japan had already been irreversibly fused with Mementos, and her friends had perished in the process of fighting. When I next met her in the Velvet Room, I offered her the option of reliving her entire journey, for if she did so, there would be a chance that the outcome would not occur again. That being said, I was unable to promise her that everything would have remained the same.”
Yuki crossed her arms. “I see… so this should have been her second chance. However, that begs the second question: why am I possessing her body? It was her wish that led to this.”
Igor contemplated. “There is a chance that when I enacted this last failsafe measure, in another reality, your World Arcana resonated. As to why, I can only assume that because you yourself had previously vanquished the evil lurking in Mementos, that when she agreed to my offer that in your reality, your World Card resonated with that wish, and sought to aid it by handing you the reins, in a manner of speaking. I am surprised myself that this occurred; only once did I offer my assistance to two similar yet different people living in different realities, one boy and one girl. However, both of them found the meaning to life, and awoke to a far greater power than you previously possessed in the form of the World Arcana.”
Yuki, eyes wide open, looked at Igor with an air of incredulousness. “Alternate realities? Body-swapping? Time rewinds? The next thing you’ll be telling me is that I’m going to lose Arséne.”
Igor only looked at her. Yuki shrank backward. “No way… are you saying that’s actually going to happen!? He’s me!”
A voice rang out in her head. Thou hast not to worry.
Arséne’s apparition appeared out of thin air, facing her. I am Thou, and Thou art I. Though Thou may not be thyself any more, Thou still possesses thine own qualities of being a gentleman thief, or in this instance, a lady thief. Even if thou may not possess thine as thou’s Persona, thine shall always be with you in spirit. Yuki nods to Arséne to acknowledge his words; Arséne tips his hat as he fades away.
Yuki looked to Igor. “So if Arséne isn’t my original Persona anymore, can you give me some information on who this girl’s starting Persona is?”
Igor shook his head. “Unfortunately, you will have to find out yourself, if you choose to set on the path of the Trickster. My attendants and I have already intervened further than what we would normally be able to, which means we have overstepped our boundaries. The limit at how we are to assist you is to fill you in into your new circumstances, and offer you assistance in this new tribulation, should you accept. Will you embark on this journey once more?”
Yuki sighed. “I don’t think I never had a choice in the first place. That being said, I’m anxious to get my other questions answered.”
Yuki gestured to Felix. “He’s her attendant, right? That explains who he is; however, Lavenza, why are you here?”
Lavenza was about to open her mouth when Felix beat her to the punch. “You might laugh at this, but when she heard that her precious little Trickster was transplanted into this reality, she immediately followed like a moth to a flame. I guess you, Ren Amamiya, really made an impression on her for her to swoon after you like this.”
Yuki grinned. “Well, she did say that she loved me.”
Felix’s eyes bulged out. “So she has fallen into the same conundrum as Margaret, Elizabeth, and Theodore. The pleasure of sin and the sanctity of romance… are we Velvet attendants forsaken to being tempted by such desires?”
Lavenza was silent for once. Yuki turned her attention to Igor. “Anything else I should need to know about? And why is the Velvet Room different? Is this a JUMBO JET or something? I can feel something like turbulence? I do like the seats, though.”
Igor laughed. “Trickster, your Velvet Room reflects the inner state of your heart. Since it pulled you from the end of your journey, it naturally reflects the inner state of your heart at that moment, hence why the state of your Velvet Room resembles an airplane.”
Igor smiled, continuing. “Trickster, any last questions you wish to ask before the throes of sleep envelop you once more?”
Yuki nodded. “Now since Yaldabaoth has not occupied the Velvet Room and is not spreading the MetaVerse Nav app around, how will I reach Mementos and the various Palaces? Will it be more difficult than using the app? Also, is Morgana still going to be created despite the lack thereof of finding me?”
Igor looked at Yuki. “Excellent questions, Trickster. All I am willing to divulge is that there will be a different method for how you gain access to the MetaVerse. Not to worry, the method of accessing Mementos won’t be made any more difficult. As for Morgana…”
Lavenza spoke up. “Since Morgana had been made in your reality with the intent to find and guide you, my Master had seen fit to grant Morgana at a… later time in this reality. However, considering your past endeavors, Master…” She looked at Igor.
Igor nodded. “I have decided that he will be of valuable assistance to you. Considering your affinity with Morgana, he’ll be here the next time you come here. However, I’ve decided that you will need to come here of your own will.” He has a key floating in his hand. It floats over to Yuki’s hand and drops. She clasps it; it reminds her of the key she got from Lavenza in her own reality, the day before she left Tokyo to go back home.
Lavenza added, “The key in your own reality didn’t come with you, so the Master saw fit to give you a new key. This was truly how things were supposed to go in your reality had it not been for Yaldabaoth deposing my master.”
Igor nodded. “Now, for one final thing, Trickster. I will allow you to choose which Velvet Room Attendant shall accompany you on this journey. I have allowed Lavenza to appear simply because of her status as your previous attendant. Felix has been Miss Yuki’s attendant for the past year of this reality.”
Yuki sighed. “Do I have to choose? Can’t I choose both of them?”
Igor stroked his chin. “If that is what you truly want, then I will allow it. We will discuss their respective roles at another time.” The cabin intercom crackled to life. “Ah, it seems our time is up. Trickster, descend back into sleep.”
Yuki woke up. Guess that means I’m up for another year of shenanigans with the Metaverse.
She fumbled around, trying to dress up. It was not her fault that she wasn’t accustomed to this. The previous day he had just been transplanted into a girl’s body, for heaven's sake. Thinking about this, he remembered sex education back in middle school. They had talked about the male reproductive system and the female reproductive system, but nothing lingered in his mind so much as something that girls experience. It had been called “periods.” Apparently, during a woman’s puberty forward, there was a monthly regimen where their womanly private parts leaked blood.
Her eyes widened. Oh, gods, she has to deal with that now? What does she have? She rustled around; she has tampons and pads, washable as well as disposable pads. She looked closely at what she had to do; she had a disposable pad yesterday, but which was more effective? She searched the net (she figured that she’d be consulting the internet for a lot of these womanly issues from now on). She opted for the pad; she had no inclination to fist a tampon up her private part, being a complete novice. She strapped it, put on her panties, and then put on her school uniform.
Someone knocked on her door. She said, “Coming.” She got ready and then opened it.
Sojiro, in his white suit and fedora, stood there. “Jeez, I was wondering what that racket was there for. You ready?” He looked her over. “Good, it seems the uniform fits you. Let’s get going. I don’t want to take too long.”
She followed him downstairs, and out the door to his car. Another 30 minutes of languishing in the car. This feeling is familiar.
They got to Shujin. She wasn’t going to lie, she felt a bit nervous even though ironically, this time, she had nothing to fear this time around. Well, there is the fact that my hair is all blonde now.
Sojiro noticed her lagging. “What’s the matter?”
Yuki got startled. “Ack! Nothing… just nerves, I guess.”
Sojiro sighed. “Anyways, just let me do all the talking. You okay there?”
Yuki nodded, throwing up her hands. “Yep, doing better now!” She proceeded to follow Sojiro to the principal’s office.
Principal Kobayakawa was there, along with miss Kawakami. At least some things never change. She hid a smile as Sojiro filled out some paperwork.
Kawakami pointed at her hair. “Principal Kobayakawa, is it okay for her to-?
Principal Kobayakawa cut her off. “First of all, Ms. Kawakami, read the news. Secondly, I think I remembered telling you who our newest transfer student was and the circumstances surrounding her. Finally, her parents sent me an email, in which they explicitly stated that her privacy and her current appearance as a deterrence were of the utmost importance. More like this girl’s parents either bribed him or threatened him with a lawsuit if he raised anything about her appearance.
Sojiro scratched his head, clearing his throat. “It looks like you guys are already aware of her situation already; that makes everything a lot easier for both parties.”
Principal Kobayakawa nodded. “Sakura-san, as her guardian, please keep an eye on her. We’ll keep this information confidential inside the school; however, we can not control her activities outside. If she accidentally gets discovered outside the school, then everything will be for naught.”
Sojiro nodded. “I already informed her about it. It helps that she seems to be rather proactive in that regard.”
Principal Kobayakawa gestured. “This is Miss Kawakami. She will be her homeroom teacher.”
Kawakami nodded. “My name is Sadayo Kawakami. This is your Student ID.” She puts it on the desk; strangely nothing was underneath it. She retrieves it; yep, it was her spitting image looking back at her.”
Sojiro looked exasperated. “Now that I’ve finished all the paperwork, do you mind if we leave? I have a cafe I have to run.”
Principal Kobayakawa held up a pudgy hand. “Wait just a minute, Sakura-san. I have something to inform Miss Amamiya-san about. Miss Amamiya, know that you have been given a rare exception for this case, based on your circumstances in the outside world. I urge you to not abuse this privilege of yours. Additionally, we have seen fit to pair you with a fellow Shujin student to guide you around. He is the student vice-council president and will be there to help you after the Morning Assembly tomorrow onwards. Please do not be late for school.”
The entire ride back, Yuki was silent. Nothing deviated from the first time around, aside from that little maid flyer not showing up. Also, who was this student vice-council president? Ren never had to deal with this; usually, he was inundated with threats of expulsion or fear from the students.
Sojiro asked her, “What did you think of the school?”
Startled, she replied, “Well, I’m happy that they gave me this exception, but it’s like my parents either donated to the school or privately threatened him for the Principal to make that decision. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure my hair color would not have gotten a pass.”
Sojiro sighed. “It’s something I’ve noticed. If not for your parents and them explaining your current precarious situation, you would have been forced to dye your hair.”
The car radio blared to life. Sojiro groaned. “Uuugh. Traffic is not moving at all… You’re taking the train starting tomorrow.
The Newscaster spoke. “... And now back to today’s top stories. A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of-”
Sojiro had his eyes wide open. “...Another accident? So that’s why it’s been so crowded. There’s been a lot of those lately.” He gestured his left hand. “There was a really sad one just last month… It happened before you came here. If I remember right, they both survived, but one of them hasn’t woken up yet. Her parents have gotta be just…”
The Newscaster interrupted Sojiro as he spoke. “All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam-packed streets.”
Sojiro looked annoyed. “Oh, come on!”
By the time they got back to Yongen-Jaya, it was pretty apparent Sojiro wouldn’t be able to open his cafe that day. Sojiro only sighed in exasperation; Yuki didn’t know anything she could say.
Sojiro looked at her. “Don’t worry about me; I don’t turn that much of a profit from the cafe anyways. You’ll start your training soon, I haven’t forgotten about our deal.”
They had gotten dinner on the way back, and ate at the dinner table silently, Sojiro only pausing to go ahead and bring a portion for Futaba upstairs.
They finish eating. Yuki offered to wash the dishes, but Sojiro insisted on at least helping her. What ended up was that they were washing dishes, both of them not making any small talk.
She says good night to Sojiro and heads back to her room. She then prepares to take a bath before heading to bed, contemplating one thing.
What else is different?
If only she knew.
First day of class. She rolled out of her bed and started changing into the school uniform, making sure to brush her teeth. Ren didn’t know anything about make-up or anything, so he left that aside. No matters, Ann would probably want to get her hands on her at some point to dress her up and whatnot.
As she brushed her teeth, Yuki briefly wondered if the same thing would happen this time around, her and Ryuji accidentally traipsing into the Metaverse, but then she remembered. The MetaNav app wasn’t on her phone, so how was she going to be able to get into Mementos, much less Kamoshida’s Palace? Does Kamoshida’s Palace even exist? Is he even an abusive, perverted teacher this time around?
Her phone rang. She picked up. Sojiro was on the other line. “Are you awake yet?”
Yuki affirmed yes. Sojiro responded. “Good. Come to LeBlanc. It’s near the bathhouse if you haven’t found that yet. Two alleys down. I have your breakfast ready. Good thing you woke up this early.”
Sojiro hung up. She grabbed her stuff and headed out to LeBlanc. As expected, Sojiro already opened his cafe, and a plate of steaming rice and curry with coffee was sitting on the countertop. She hopped on (she was a couple of cms shorter than when she was Ren but she was still tall for a girl.)
Yuki dug into the curry. Sojiro’s curry made you overlook the fact that it wasn’t meant to be a breakfast food. “Chicken katsu curry, with a hint of yogurt and honey.”
Sojiro laughed. “In all my years, I never expected someone to be able to guess my curry ingredients. You’re probably the second to achieve such a feat consecutively.”
Yuki took a sip of the coffee. “Blue Mountain, finely ground. Perfect.”
Sojiro chuckled, stroking his beard. “Are you sure you don’t have any more surprises hidden up your sleeve?”
Yuki smiled. “Oh no Boss, nothing else.”
Sojiro raised his eyebrow. “Are you a psychic or something? If you hadn’t just moved to Tokyo, I could have sworn that you came by this cafe before, but I don't remember someone like you being one of my customers.”
Yuki smiled genuinely. “Ah well… that’s a secret. I will tell you that you’re correct, in a sense. Thanks for everything, Boss.” She got off the stool and made her way to the door.
Sojiro called out, “Hang on… did you remember to bring your lunch money with you?”
Yuki smiled. “Got it with me!”
Sojiro nodded. “Excellent. Off to school with you. I don’t want to hear the school complaining that you’re late.”
Yuki nodded and exited the cafe. “Now… to Aoyama-Itchome and Shujin.” That reminds her; wasn’t the train timetables drastically changed today because of yesterday’s train incident?
She shook her head; if she lingered here, she’d be late. She headed off, not remembering one crucial item she left in her room.
The first time Ren made his way to Shujin, he was understandably a little lost, finding the line to Aoyama. As Yuki, she was all too accustomed at this point to get lost. When she got to Shibuya while walking to her transfer, she saw a reporter chatting it up with an officer, crowds of people gathering around an officer making an announcement, but she didn’t linger. She headed to the Teikyu building and boarded the subway train for Aoyama.
She forgot from the last time around it rained that morning. It was a shame that she didn’t remember to prep and bring an umbrella; she should have been smarter about that, considering her position. She sprinted from the subway entrance to a nearby store awning. She looked outwards; the rain was still not letting up just yet. Just then she saw something. She squinted and then gasped. She saw Ann, but she was… different. She had an umbrella by her side, but easily the most important thing was her hair. Ann never had her hair down ever in the previous timeline; she doesn’t even remember if she ever saw Ann with her hair down back when she was Ren. She remembered when they first met; he was so stunned by her that she found him gazing at her. This time around, it looked even more mesmerizing watching her; Ann in her timeline was already a stunning person to look at, but with her hair down, she looked… timeless, like in one of those old Western movie flicks.
A car pulled up besides Ann. Yuki tensed; that must be Kamoshida. Sure enough, his stupid little mug showed itself when he rolled down the window. She was too far away to hear what Ann and Kamoshida were saying. She got closer, but Ann said something that chilled Kamoshida to the core; she could see Kamoshida’s face scrunch up before he rolled up the window and pulled away.
Yuki had no idea what the hell just happened, but she considered it a win. Ann had somehow spooked the hell out of Kamoshida that he voluntarily left. She internally clapped for her; Kamoshida was a massive dirt-bag, considering everything he’s been accused of in the previous timeline that she knew of.
Ann continued walking, before noticing Yuki. She then walked over to Yuki.
Yuki didn’t know what to say. At first, she wanted to say hi, but her tongue froze. Somehow the way Ann approached her seemed more hostile towards her.
Ann studied her. Yuki did seem a little self-conscious. “Hi…”
Ann squinted. “I haven’t seen you around before. What’s your name?”
Yuki blurted, “Yuki Amamiya…” This was preposterous; when she was Ren, he was smooth and ever the charismatic joker, and now she feels tongue-tied by someone who sucked at acting. Hang on, this is an alternate reality; does this mean that everyone is different in some regards? I don’t think Kamoshida was different though; the same thing almost happened as last time.
Ann’s eyes briefly widened before closing. “That’s strange… I heard about an idol with your name a while ago. It said she had gone into hiatus… and that she had an incident. I thought you were that idol, but that…” She gestured at Yuki’s blonde pixie cut. “That’s so not her. She had long, dark curly hair. She also has a similar figure to you, but she would have never dyed her hair blond, of all colors.”
Yuki laughed nervously. “Yeah… parents let me do this. They got the school and the principal to ‘okay’ it too.”
Ann waved her hand. “Whatever… just don’t poach the student vice-council president. All I’m asking from you.”
Yuki tilted her head in confusion. Ann looked at her. She stepped closer. Yuki took a step back. “You better not… or else. I’m going to make your life miserable if you do…”
Yuki threw up her hands. “All right! I yield!”
Ann nodded. “Good, I hope we can become friends, Amamiya-san.” With that, she walked off.
Yuki collapsed against the wall of the store. The hell was that? She almost gave me a heart attack. Poaching someone… oh. She meant romantically. But why? She takes a look at herself in the glass. Oh. I guess I can see why. But why is Ann acting this way? She wasn’t jealous of anything in the previous reality; is this some kind of alternate worldline bullshit? Who’s the student vice-council president anyways?
Yuki noticed the rain stop. Strangely enough, Ryuji didn’t come running by. Yuki never saw him while she was occupied with Ann; she almost missed that lovable dork at this point.
She shook her head and looked at her phone. No MetaNav app, I’m a girl, my whole situation with Sojiro is different, Ann with her hair down looked to be more in the mood of “I’m about to kill anyone who steals my boyfriend,” and Ryuji is nowhere to be seen this morning. Just what the hell is going to happen to me? I can’t even predict anything. Shit, I’m almost late.
Shaking her head, Yuki walks the rest of the way to Shujin. She walks in, traces the steps to the faculty office, and finds Kawakami in there, drinking a cup of coffee. Kawakami had eyebags; being a maid must be tough for her if she even was moonlighting as a maid in this timeline.
She sighed. “Amamiya-san, I’ll guide you to the classroom, but for most of the homeroom, we have the Morning Assembly, as Principal Kobayakawa stated. I’ll have you introduce yourself when we get back. For now, follow me.”
She leads Yuki to the auditorium, where people are waiting in line. Kawakami points out where her homeroom is and tells her to stand anywhere she likes. She opted to just stand in the middle (Kawakami kinda gave her chills with that dead look of hers).
What she saw next made her jaw drop.
Ryuji Sakamoto walked onto the podium.
Now to be fair, it wasn’t the Ryuji Sakamoto she knew, the blond-haired delinquent who was loud, rambunctious, and ever so the lovable idiot and the punching bag. This Ryuji had dark hair, he didn’t seem to be slouching, and he wore the Shujin turtleneck as well. She was kind of surprised and a little creeped out by it. So that’s what Ryuji would look like if he had black hair. And he looks intelligent; him, of all people?
Ryuji begins, “Hello, students of Shujin Academy! As we start this new school year off, surrounded by all the bizarre mental shutdown and psychotic breakdown cases, I would like to remind you that academics are necessary for our future. Even though everything may seem distracting, I would like to offer a word of caution: allowing yourself to be distracted by these tragedies and letting yourself hear random baseless rumors does not prohibit you from caring for your fellow students. The Shujin Student Body should be an example, that of peers caring and supporting one another. I hope you all remember that incident from last year; the school and I were most horrified and shocked to learn of that. Rumors cost an innocent girl her life; that by itself should deter most of you from spreading them, but lately, I've noticed the rumor mill has started again. I would like to remind you again of the dangerous nature of rumors. Now, a word from the Principal.”
He stepped off the podium. Yuki noticed Ryuji didn’t bow to him and seemed to shoot a rather disguised, disgusted look at the principal.
The principal spoke, but honestly, it wasn’t anything special. By the time he was done, Yuki had zoned out. Only when he told the students to go back to their classroom did Yuki snap back to reality.
“Are you Amamiya-san?”
Yuki flipped around quicker than a dog chasing its tail. Ryuji was there… standing right in front of her. She never thought to say this, but he looked… hot. Traces of the Ryuji she knew as Ren were still there, but somehow the Ryuji that stood in front of her was different. He looked more imposing, more put-together, more... gentlemanly. Oh, don’t fucking tell me because I’m a girl now, I’m falling for… FUCK, I AM FALLING FOR HIM.
Yuki didn’t realize this, but she was shedding tears.
Ryuji pulled out a handkerchief. “Amamiya-san, is something wrong? You’re crying.”
Yuki smiled. She took the handkerchief and dabbed at her face. “You just remind me of someone, to be honest. He was a lot like you.”
Ryuji was flustered. “Oh… Thanks. Anyways, you should get…”
He was interrupted by someone. She turned around to see Ann approaching them.
Ann puffed her chest out. “Sakamoto, you’re already latching onto a new girl? Whatever happened to, ‘I plan to not date anyone for a while?’ It’s barely been a month since we broke up.”
Yuki was about to clear things up when Ryuji responded. “Takamaki-san, she’s our newest transfer student. Don’t you think my job is to help her?”
Ann sneered. “So… where’s Niijima-san? Why did she pawn her off to you? Let me guess, it’s because you’re her lapdog, her fuckboi.”
Ryuji sighed. “Ann… you should know why Niijima-san is not here, of all reasons to consider. Even the rumors can tell you that much, even if I don't condone them. That’s why I’m filling in for her. Her duties now fall to me for the time being. As such, I’m now the student liaison for our two new transfer students. Originally, I was supposed to be only Yoshizawa’s student liaison.”
Yuki tilted her head. Another transfer student? “Sakamoto...san, what’s this about another transfer student?”
Ryuji nodded. “Another transfer student, a first-year to be more precise. Her name is Kasumi Yoshizawa. She’s an honors student who’s a rhythmic gymnast.”
Ann looked irritated that the subject got changed. “Anyways, don’t mess with me. You got that, you blonde bimbo? I don’t know why I spared you this morning, but if you try to seduce Sakamoto, I’m going to end you.” She’s blonde too, you wanted to point out but honestly was still too in shock about everything. She remembered Ann being an absolute ray of sunshine. An airhead, but still a ray of sunshine
Ryuji sighed. “Ann… try to play nice with her. She’s in your class, 2-D. Miss Kawakami’s homeroom.
Ann smirked. “Oh, I’ll do more than play with her.” She moved faster than Yuki could react, even with her past life experience as Joker and the Third Eye. She was mostly still dazed at how this reality turned out: Ann and Ryuji were dating until recently, Ann was a vengeful person, Ryuji was in Student Council and looked completely smart, and she, Ren, was a girl.
Funny how alternate realities seem to come up with the weirdest shit to throw her off.
Ann locked lips with her.
Yuki was like, What’s this feeling on my face? Is that lip balm? No, too warm. A water bottle? No, not metallic or plastic. She snapped out of her stupor and was stunned; Ann was kissing her on the lips, though it wasn’t French Kissing.
Ann pulled out. “Ah! That wasn’t half-bad actually.”
Yuki was too tongue-tied to comment. She felt flustered yet oddly aroused. She touched her lips. She, as Ren, had dated Hifumi in the previous life and so she knew how kissing was. However, that was a general, heterosexual kiss.
This kiss was different. It evoked something else other than what he felt with Hifumi.
To be honest, she wanted another, if only to savor this new inexplicable feeling.
Ryuji was too flabbergasted. “Ann… just what do you think you’re doing? That’s wildly inappropriate; she didn’t even consent, and the school rules forbid such behavior. Do I need to report you to the principal?”
Ann smirked, waving her hand. “I know she liked it. Sakamoto, if you’re half as smart as you are, crossing me and getting with her will be the end of you and her. Too-ta-loo. Message me if you want to get together with me again. You have my chat ID.” She walks away.
Ryuji sputtered; he, Ryuji Sakamoto, hook up with the transfer student? That’s absurd; he’s not going to abuse his position like that. Ryuji was stunned by the audacity of that girl; she locked lips with the student who he was supposed to help. If word gets out, then the school administration would blame him for standing there like a cardboard cutout.
Ryuji turned to Yuki. “You alright?”
Yuki, still a little out of the loop, replied. “Fine. I’m absolutely fine.”
Ryuji groaned. “Sorry about her. Ann’s a little… vindictive when it comes to me. Anyways, Yuki-san, you better get to class. Stop by the student council room after school. I had more things to also say, but she interrupted us.”
Miss Kawakami introduced her to the class. “Students, this is Yuki Amamiya. She’s transferred here for this year.” She gestured to Yuki.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Yuki Amamiya.”
Whispers abounded.
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Wait, could she be…?
Nah, look at her. She looks completely different from that idol.
Why does she get to keep her dyed hair? It’s not fair; at least I can understand why Takamaki is blond. Her natural hair is blond.
Did you hear about what happened between Takamaki and her?
Sakamoto was there too; he apparently saw everything.
I hope she doesn’t fling herself at Sakamoto-kun. I like Sakamoto, but I’m too afraid to piss off Takamaki-san.
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Miss Kawakami cleared her throat. “Well, Amamiya-san, how about… you take a seat over there by the window, behind Takamaki-san?”
She nodded and made her way. Ann only smirked at her. If not for the fact that she had fond memories of Ann in the previous reality, she would have internally spewed a tirade of curse words at her.
More chattering ensued. She sighed, not knowing whether being part of a rumor of a love triangle or being feared is worse. Even still, the Shujin rumor mill keeps on churning.
Lunch didn’t seem like it finally came, but it did. She somehow had time before school to pop by the nearby 777 in Shibuya's Central Street and get the healthiest convenience store bento she could find, but the classroom was an utter loud mess. Additionally, she felt uncomfortable there; it wasn’t as bad as when she was Ren, dealing with the fact that Mishima leaked his record, but it wasn’t that much better. Pervasive rumors about her and Ryuji had already gained traction.
She decided to head up to the roof. Something about the roof always made her calm down. She walked upstairs to the roof. She heard voices. Maybe I’ll see Haru up here.
She opened the door.
Haru was indeed there, but there was an unfamiliar girl sitting nearby, eating out of what seems to be an enormous bento box.
They looked at Yuki. Yuki shrank back. “Sorry… am I not welcome here?”
Haru, bless her soul, shook her head. “No, it’s fine. In fact, if you want to come up here, let me come with you. I have an excuse to be up here anyway, so any teachers won’t question you guys if I say you’re here with me.”
The other girl spoke up. “Maybe I should leave…”
Haru and Yuki said, “No.” They looked at each other. “Jinx. Double-Jinx. Triple-Jinx.” They giggled.
Yuki responded. “It’s all right. You’re here as well to escape the rumors, aren’t you?”
The girl nodded. “My name is Kasumi Yoshizawa. I’m an honors student, and I also do gymnastics. However, because of my honors student status, people seem to single me out. I don’t understand why; I’m not that much different from them.” She seemed downcast; for what reason, Yuki wasn't sure. She certainly wasn't going to pry. Kasumi would be much better off opening up to her little by little.
Yuki waved her hand. “You’d be better off not trying to tame the Shujin rumor mill. It seems like it’d be a losing battle anyway.”
Kasumi nodded, a small smile forming. “You’re a second-year, right?”
Yuki put up her hands. “You caught me. I’m actually a transfer student. Sakamoto-kun says hi to you.”
Kasumi grasped her hand. “You met Sakamoto-senpai? He’s honestly been a big help. He was originally not my liaison here, but Niijima-san took time off from school. He’s helped me with adjusting to school here, at Shujin beforehand.”
Yuki made her way to sit down next to her. “Yeah, he’s nice. It’s a shame I instantly became the root of another rumor because he happened to also be my liaison.”
Kasumi looked at her. “You haven’t introduced yourself yet.”
Yuki gasped. “Sorry, my name is Yuki Amamiya. A pleasure to meet you, Yoshizawa-san.”
Kasumi looked shocked. Yuki was a little confused. “Earth to Kasumi?”
Kasumi snapped out. “I’m sorry. That name just reminds me of an idol I used to watch. She’s one of my inspirations. You just happen to have the same name as her.”
Yuki nervously laughed. “Oh right, I’ve been told that by nearly everyone at this school.”
Yuki gestured to Haru. “Come join us, Haru-senpai. Let’s eat lunch together.”
Haru smiled. “Please, just call me Haru. Don’t ever call me Senpai.”
Yuki and Kasumi looked at each other. Kasumi was fearful for her life; of course, she called everyone Senpai. Haru literally threatened them not to call her Senpai. Yuki was afraid because that was Haru's sadistic side right there, the one she displays when Ren and the team in the other reality go into Mementos or a Palace and starts fighting Shadows.
They ate lunch silently together, not making a single peep.
School ended. Yuki was about to head to the Student Council Room. We haven’t gone to Mementos yet, Kamoshida definitely still looks suspicious enough to have a Palace, and we haven’t even gotten to his Palace yet. Makoto’s also gone for unknown reasons.
She made her way to the student council room. This place has been the place of many stories. When Makoto blackmailed him. When they were looking for Haru. When they were working for the school festival. Taking a deep couple of breaths, she knocks on the door.
She then comes in. Ryuji was standing at the window. A laptop and some papers were spread out on the desk.
“Amamiya-san, I’m glad you can make it. Please sit.”
Yuki takes a seat, while Ryuji closes his laptop and files the paper away in a folder.
He begins. “First, of all, let me apologize to you for what happened this morning. I let my personal, private business interfere with you.”
Yuki instinctively touches her lips. “Apology accepted. Was she always like this?”
Ryuji sighs. “Since I involved you in my mess, I won’t spare no details. As far as I can remember, no. She seemed to really like me, and I liked her. I eventually broke things off last month when Niijima-san had her difficulties and didn’t attend school from then on. I suddenly got burdened with two workloads and it was causing me stress. That’s the gist of it. Apparently she has been intimidating other students into not pursuing any relationship with me, even though I’m far too busy to even consider one.”
Yuki nodded. Ann, a vengeful yandere. Who would have ever guessed?
Ryuji cleared his throat. “Now that that part got squared away, let me continue on. I’m assuming the principal has told you the basics already.”
Yuki nodded. “He really seemed to dislike giving me that pardon, I noticed. You also seem to hate Principal Kobayakawa.”
Ryuji sighed. “Honestly, you’re right. Anyone can see that he has no interest in the students. Honestly, he wanted me to urge you to dye your hair back to black, but I was also informed of the situation you’re in. It’s best if you don’t do anything; you’d be put in danger otherwise. I also suspect Mr. Kamoshida of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and sexual assault. That's why I want you to avoid him as best you could.”
Yuki nodded. Time to prod Ryuji. “Any idea why you think that?”
Ryuji continued. “Kamoshida has pranced to himself in his office that Shujin was like a castle to him. I happened to be outside and overheard him. Unfortunately, the volleyball team and everyone else has been too afraid to speak of me. I think it’s because Kamoshida’s holding a guillotine above their heads in terms of threatening abuse or to remove them from the volleyball team. Niijima-san, the Student Council President, has been carefully cultivating a file on Mr. Kamoshida until she stopped coming to school since last month. I possess two copies, one at home and one here in this room. No one else other than her and I know about this file, and I prefer to keep it this way. I trust you can keep this a secret. Yuki nodded; she admittedly loathed Kamoshida since she was anxious to get one over him this time around without any backlash from him.
Yuki and Ryuji suddenly feel a wave of migraines hit them. They clutched their heads in agony as it passed.
Ryuji groaned, then breathed. “I think it’d be best if we headed home, Amamiya-san.”
Yuki nodded. She already knew what this meant.
Ryuji and her got up, Ryuji packing his stuff into his duffel bag. They then opened the door and stepped outside.
Ryuji was confused. “What is this place?”
Yuki feigned ignorance. “Looks like an elaborate hallway. How did we end up here though? Could you have said something?”
Ryuji shook his head. “We were just talking about Mr. Kamoshida. Hang on, I hear something.”
Clattering shook the floor. Yuki guessed they were high up in the castle. Two knights appeared around the corner. “Who are you two?”
Ryuji stepped in front of her. “They look like bad news. Run. Get back inside.”
Just then, two knights appeared from the other side of the hallway, rushing in.
Yuki and Ryuji were trapped. She tried opening the door they just walked through. “It won’t budge.”
Ryuji looked desperate. “Damn… all right, I’m going to tackle that pair of soldiers, then you make a run for it. I'll be right behind him.”
Yuki nodded. The plan was a go.
Ryuji charged at the pair who appeared from around the corner. He managed to shove one of them to the ground, but the other smacked his head with the hilt of his sword. He crumpled.
Yuki cried out, “Ryuji!”
The guards turned to each other. “What was this intruder doing with a sex slave?” Just then, a knight clad in golden armor appeared. “Take them to the dungeons!”
Yuki could do nothing but smirk. Kamoshida will soon find out he messed with the wrong people.
Persona time.