Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Time never waits.

It delivers all equally to the same end.

You who wish to safeguard the future,

however limited it may be…

You will be given one year;

Go forth without falter,

with your heart as your guide. 

Persona 3: Noumenia

Chapter 1 - Fool

April 6, 2009 - Afternoon – Full Moon: 3 Days

The evening sun hangs overhead as he makes his way through the busy streets. He can’t help but listen to the passing conversations; the cacophony of sound creating a feeling of energy and life. Sound surrounds him and he can feel his thoughts drifting away into the sea of voices. His own voice, however, is unable to join in with those around him. The dark haired boy lifts his head to look around at the strangers passing him by. He takes note of all the couples, groups of friends, and even the people talking on the phone. A strange, almost painful, feeling rises in his chest. The boy grimaces slightly and stops walking once he reaches a crosswalk, his hand moving to cover his heart. It’s a familiar action, one that he does instinctively. He’s unsure as to when exactly he started doing this, or even why. 

His thoughts are interrupted by a gust of wind ruffling through his hair and clothes. The scarf around his neck loosens, and he quickly fixes it to its original placement. A small sigh of relief escapes his mouth once he feels it is properly secured. Despite the seasons changing once again to spring, the yellow scarf remains around his neck. Its presence provides some much needed familiarity to him. 

Once the crossing signal appears, he confidently strides across the street. He looks down at the sheet of paper in his hand. This paper only has a few things written on it: a name, number, a time, and the word “Iwotodai.” He knows that he has to locate the train station, however he cannot recall why, nor the identity of whoever sent him. But he doesn’t let that stop him, he can’t allow it to.

After taking more time than necessary to locate the train station, he observes the people around him taking out some sort of pass. He digs around his pockets and finds a similar looking item. With a sense of triumph, he mimics what he saw and scans the train pass. A happy little beep from the machine lets him know that he’s able to get through the barriers. The hard part will be actually finding where he’s supposed to go…

April 6th, 2009 – Late Night – Full Moon: 3 Days

The rocking of the train had lulled the boy into an almost dreamlike state. Night has long since fallen over the sky, which only adds to his drowsiness. It was a herculean effort for him to even find the correct train. Which then, in turn, left him weary and tired. As he looks at the stars above, his vision focuses on his reflection. He frowns slightly as he studies his image in the glass. Maybe it’s just the tiredness, but it feels like he’s just in a daze. He has felt like this for as long as he can remember, which isn’t very far. Still, every time he sees himself, it’s like looking at a stranger. He shakes his head and attempts to rid himself of these thoughts. It’s no use trying to look into it, he’s probably just tired. Just then, the speaker announces the next stop: Iwotodai Station.

As he gathers his meager belongings, consisting of a single bag and himself, he looks into his reflection once again. For a moment, he thinks he sees a sparkling butterfly flying past. Though, once he blinks, it’s gone. He chalks it up to just being fatigue finally catching up. To be fair, it has been a long day of… doing what? It takes him a moment to remember what he had even done a few hours ago. An uneasy feeling creeps up again, and he automatically places his hand over his heart. He remains like this until the train comes to a stop and the doors open. Without hesitating, the boy exits the train, but the feeling follows him.

Above him, on the speakers, an announcer’s voice speaks. “Iwotodai, Iwotodai. This is the final stop for Tatsumi Port Island. Please make sure you board in time for your next departure.” The train station is quiet and there’s still a few people milling about. Someone mentions the time being close to midnight. He can hear his quick footsteps echoing throughout the halls. That feeling keeps getting painfully more intense, he pulls his scarf over his mouth in a vain attempt to ease the dissonance within. 

Following the signs, he comes across the scanner to exit the station. After fumbling around in his pockets, he taps his train pass against the scanner, but there’s no response. There’s still no response even after he makes a few more attempts. Just as he’s considering climbing over the security gates, the sound of the entire building’s power shutting down reverberates through him. The station is plunged into darkness, with only the moon’s light illuminating the desolate halls. As he looks outside, he notices that the sky has turned a sickly hue of green, muddying the natural colors around him. Where strangers once stood, are now dark, ominous coffins.

It feels like he’s been transported to a whole other world… and he couldn’t be more enthralled by it. That uncomfortable feeling in his chest has been alleviated and replaced by excitement. It’s not long until he’s running out of the station.

April 7th, 2009 – ??? – Full Moon: 3 Days

A small sound of dissatisfaction exits his mouth when he accidentally steps in yet another puddle of blood. These are his only pair of shoes, and now they’re already dirty! At first, this strange situation he was placed in was fascinating and intriguing, but now it’s more bothersome than anything. The numerous, and frankly concerning, amount of coffins and blood has overstayed its welcome. When he first encountered the coffins, there was a valiant effort made to attempt to open one. It didn’t go so well; not that he’s particularly physically adept, but he figured opening a coffin wouldn’t be such a struggle. Another thing he noted was that it seemed that all the power in the city was out, not just the train station. It felt more akin to a graveyard than a city. 

The unnaturally large moon serves as his only source of light. On the back of the note, it stated that his final destination would be the Iwotodai Dorms. Luckily, there were some directions on the note for once, which he was grateful for. Wandering around a weirdly green city at midnight, unfortunately, wasn’t as fun as he thought it would be. 

After double checking he’s at the right address, he takes a moment to look up at the building. It’s decently tall, he can count four floors and plenty of windows. This is a dorm building after all, maybe there’d be people inside, preferably alive. He just doesn’t know what to expect next from this place, but that almost makes this more exciting for him. 

With a gentle push, he opens one of the wooden doors and enters the dorm. There’s not much he can actually see once he’s in the building. Without lights, it’s hard to make out what is in front of him. What he can see are the faint outlines of couches and a television set in front of him. It appears to be a lounge area of sorts…

A clear voice rings out to his left, “You’re late. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.” In the reception desk, a small boy in black and white striped pajamas stares directly at him. That boy’s eyes bore into his, there’s a certain hollowness in that gaze. With a snap of his fingers, suddenly, he’s standing in front of him. “Now, if you wish to proceed,” the boy gestures coldly with his hand to a paper and pen on the counter, “Please sign your name there. It’s a contract. Don’t worry, all it says is that you’ll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff.” It almost sounds like there was an attempt at humor being made, however, it falls as flat as the boy’s monotone voice. 

Name? I have a name? He thought to himself. That was strange, more strange than anything else that has happened thus far. It takes him a moment to remember the paper in his hand, there was a name on it, but he hadn’t paid attention to it before. He lifts up the paper to read the name on it: “ Ryoji Mochizuki .” It’s a nice name. A small smile appears on his face, it makes sense now, how could he forget something so important? 

With newfound confidence, Ryoji picks up the quill pen to sign the contract. He makes an attempt to try and read what the contract even says. Either he’s extremely tired or somehow lost the ability to read, because the contract is completely illegible. In any event, it’s not like Ryoji has anything to lose by signing this. The notes that he was given don't have any more instructions to follow, it’s all up to him now. After a few more moments of internal deliberation, Ryoji writes his name along the indicated line. After he does so, the contract vanishes from the counter and appears in the other boy’s arms. 

“No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the same end,” the boy lifts the contract to obscure his face, “You can’t plug your ears and cover your eyes…”

The room around them begins to darken even more, Ryoji sees a black fog emerge from the depths of the dark, consuming all light in its path. The boy raises his hand outwards as the fog reaches himself, “... and so it begins.”

 Ryoji reaches out to the boy, hoping to pull him out of this fog. However, the boy disappears into the darkness, leaving Ryoji still standing in the entryway with his hand trying to grab something that isn’t there. After a few beats of silence, his hand falls back to his side. 

“Who’s there?!”

A girl’s voice cuts through the stillness of the room, Ryoji turns to see who the voice belongs to. Even though the dark lowers his visibility, Ryoji can immediately see her pink sweater standing out. He smiles and takes a few steps forward, looks like there are living people here. And it’s a girl, no less! Unfortunately, his actions spook her into moving her hand down to the gun holster around her leg. Ryoji’s smile falters as he starts to feel the tension in the room. The girl begins to hyperventilate as her hands shake, and now that he’s closer, he can see the fear in her eyes. Then, without warning, the girl unclasps the holster and grabs the gun, preparing to–

April 7, 2009 - Late Night – Full Moon: 2 Days

“Takeba, wait!”

Both Ryoji and the girl pause as another girl’s voice urgently commands her to stop. A tense silence follows… before the lights in the dorm turn on again. The strange green hue that once tinted their surroundings, vanishes. Now that the lights are on, Ryoji gets a better view of who is in front of him. The first girl has short, brown hair that’s swept to the side. Her breathing has calmed to a more normal state, and she turns to look at the girl behind her. However, she still clutches on to the gun in her right hand. The other girl is standing at the top of the staircase. Her long red hair looks meticulously maintained, and her bangs cover her left eye. She has a presence that commands a mature authority. It’s more obvious now that both girls are wearing a school uniform, as both have a bright red ribbon and black skirts. “Takeba” just wears a pink sweater over hers, while the other has a white, long-sleeved, dress shirt. Lastly, Ryoji also notices that both girls have similar holsters on their hips or legs, and a red armband on their left arm. 

He doesn’t get much more time to observe the room before the red haired girl descends the stairs and stands next to “Takeba.” She has a calm, but welcoming, expression on her face as she addresses Ryoji, “I didn’t think you’d arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, I am one of the students who live in this dorm.” Her voice is measured and even, it has a certain elegance to it.

“Who’s he…?” The first girl’s tone suggests that she’s still wary of him.

“He’s a transfer student. It was a last minute decision to assign him here.” Mitsuru explains Ryoji’s presence in that same calm manner to the brunette girl, “He’ll eventually be moved to a room in the boy’s dorm.”

There’s a look of apprehension as “Takeba” receives this information. She visibly isn’t pleased with the idea of Ryoji staying with them, “Is it okay for him to be here?”

“I guess we’ll see,” Mitsuru muses before directing her attention back to Ryoji, “This is Yukari Takeba. She’ll be a junior this year, just like you.”

“... Hey.” Yukari’s response is hesitant, yet carries some friendliness to it. This is when Ryoji realizes that it’s his turn to speak. He’d gotten distracted by all the new information he was receiving at once that he almost forgot he was a part of this conversation. 

Ryoji quickly turns around to fix his hair and clothes, wanting to portray himself favorably to these two girls. Once he’s finished, he whips around and flashes them a kind smile,

“It’s my pleasure to meet you.” He places his hand over his heart and bows politely to them. Mitsuru chuckles in amusement, a small smile appears on her face. Yukari, on the other hand, isn’t as easily entertained. She sighs a little and shakes her head, “Oh jeez… There’s no need for that, really.”

“If you insist… I just cannot help myself when there are two beautiful ladies in front of me,” Ryoji straightens up again and notices Yukari’s exasperated expression. His gaze then drifts back to the gun in her hand, “I have to ask… Why do you have a gun?”

The two girls exchange a look after he asks this question, Yukari speaks up first, “Um… It’s sort of like a hobby? –Well, not a hobby but–”

“You know how it is these days, it’s for self defense. It’s not a real gun, of course,” Mitsuru interjects with ease, “In any case, it’s late, you should both get some rest. Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there.”

Yukari nods her head and takes this opportunity to speak up, “Oh! I’ll show you the way. Follow me.” With that being said, Yukari and Mitsuru share another glance before she leads Ryoji to the staircase. After all the events just from the past day, he’s more than grateful to be able to lay down. He’s still thinking about the mysterious boy from earlier… Is he some sort of spirit that haunts this dorm…? I should ask Yukari when I get the chance.

True to Mitsuru’s instruction, the pair stop at the last door on the right. Yukari turns to him and gestures to the door, “This is it. Pretty easy to remember, huh? … Since it’s right at the end of the hall.”

“Ah, yeah, I suppose it is easy to remember.” Ryoji nods his head in agreement, “But, if I do forget… I’m sure I could count on you to lead the way again!”

“Wh-What..?! No! This is the only time I’m doing this,” Yukari crosses her arms, “Anyways, as I was saying… Make sure you don’t lose your key, or you’ll never hear the end of it… Alright, any questions?”

Ah-a! The perfect opportunity! “Actually, yes, I do have a question… Does that boy live here as well? He seems a little young…” 

Yukari’s eyes widen and she tenses up in alarm, “Huh?! What boy? What are you talking about…? Knock it off, it’s not funny!”

Ryoji feels a bit of embarrassment as he realizes that Yukari has no idea what he’s referring to… What a great first impression he’s made on her tonight… “I see… My apologies, I did not mean to frighten you.”

“... It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Yukari sighs and glances off to the side, “Um… Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, what is it?”

She pauses for a moment before continuing, “On your way here from the station, was everything okay?”

Ryoji tilts his head to one side as he figures out how to respond to this. He figures he’s already caused her enough stress for tonight. There’s no need to tell her about the green sky and all the coffins, “Hmm… Yes, everything was alright. Why? Could it be that you’re concerned for my safety? Yukari… You’re too kind–”
“–ENOUGH! Nevermind, I can clearly tell that you’re alright… Let’s just call it a night here, okay? … Goodnight.” Yukari then turns on her heel and walks away without waiting for a response.

“Leaving so soon? Oh well… Goodnight, Yukari!” Ryoji calls after her. He watches her quickly leave before he turns his attention to the door. It’s just a door, but it feels much more than that. For the foreseeable future, this will be his home… Or at least until they move him to the boy’s dorm. Ryoji lifts his hand and places it on the metal handle of the door, before pushing it open and walking inside.

Inside the room, there’s not much to really take note of, it’s a standard dorm room. He doesn’t bother turning on the lights, as he plans to go straight to bed. Ryoji closes the door behind him and walks to the twin bed that’s pushed against the far wall. He sets his travel bag down on top of the covers and lays down next to it. The room is quiet, yet cold. Ryoji pulls his scarf around himself more to ward off the chill in the air. It doesn’t take long for his eyes to close once he’s laying down. After everything today, he just wants to rest… 

April 7, 2009 – Early Morning – Full Moon: 2 Days

The beeping from his stopwatch wakes him from his sleep. As he sits up, Ryoji starts to slowly remember the events that had transpired the previous day. There’s a slight pain in his head, it’s nothing that he can’t handle though. He’s more focused on the fact that he’s going to go to his new school today! That feeling of anticipation fills him once again and motivates him out of the bed. Now that he’s in the daytime, he takes some time to familiarize himself with his room. There’s a small television on a nightstand at the foot of his bed, and after testing, Ryoji confirms that it is in working condition. He then checks out the desk to the left of the television, nothing too notable there, it’s just a desk. Hopefully, he doesn’t have to spend too much time at that desk… The idea of studying is rather unappealing to him. However, maybe it’d be more fun if he asked Yukari or Mitsuru to help him… 

Ryoji shakes his head to snap himself back into reality, he needs to get ready for school. He probably looks like a mess, considering he didn’t even bother changing into sleepwear. His uniform is already hanging up in the closet. Ryoji takes it off the hanger and lays it out on his bed. Like most uniforms, it looks and feels very stiff and rigid… He sighs and leaves the blazer open, he can’t stand feeling so suffocated. Ryoji figures the dress code at this school must not be too strict, as Yukari was wearing a vibrant pink sweater over her uniform shirt. 

Once he has all parts of his uniform assembled, he looks into the mirror to fix his hair. Ryoji is face to face with his reflection again, he definitely looks more alive than last night. He just finishes pushing his hair back when he hears someone knocking on his door.

“It’s Yukari. Are you awake?”

Ryoji eagerly moves to the door and swings it open, “Good morning, Yukari!”

“W-Woah! … Good morning, I’m guessing you slept okay?”
“Yes, I slept well. How about you?”

Yukari nods her head with a smile before her expression turns more focused, “Mhm… Mitsuru asked me to take you to school. It’s getting late, so we should get going.” Ryoji didn’t realize time had passed so quickly since he woke up. Uh oh, I didn’t eat breakfast, but she wants to leave! Maybe I should ask her if we could stop somewhere along the way… Ryoji ended up psyching himself out of it, lacking the courage to do so. Instead he smiles, albeit a bit forced, and agrees, “You’re right, let’s go together!” 

He grabs his bag and hurriedly exits his room with Yukari. They quickly walk through the hallway, down the stairs, and out the front doors. Ryoji still hasn’t gotten a good look at the first floor’s layout, but he can tell it’s definitely a lounge. 

As they exit the dorms, the whole city of Iwotodai is awake and bustling with life. Being able to experience the city in the daytime has Ryoji reflecting on last night… They walk in silence for a good portion of the walk. Then, as if she could sense his thoughts, Yukari speaks up, “I’m sure you have more questions about last night, but I’ll answer them all later. For now, can you please not talk about it to anyone else?”

“Hm? … Okay, I promise!” This actually only makes Ryoji more curious as to what he experienced. He was about to write it off as just a really weird product of being so tired, but this confirms that something really did happen. 

Yukari seems satisfied with this response from him, she chuckles a bit and smiles, “You don’t have to promise… But, thank you anyways.” 

“Of course, it’s the least I could do for you. I appreciate that you’re taking the time to show me around…” Ryoji smiles and his hand covers his heart again. He feels a warm feeling of joy as he walks next to her. Ever since he’s arrived in Iwotodai and remembered his name, Ryoji has felt like things are finally starting to clear up, instead of living in a confusing maze of sensations. 

Yukari’s eyes widened at his gratitude, “Er… Don’t get it mixed up, I’m only doing this because Mitsuru asked me to.”

“Haha! Are you sure? I mean, you could’ve easily just left me to fend for myself–”
“Do you ever shut up?! Just drop it!” Yukari huffs irritably and walks faster. Ryoji decides to not push her too much, after all, it would be inconvenient to lose his guide… 

They make it to the train station and board without much more difficulty. Ryoji looks out the window and gasps as he watches the train speeding over the sea. It’s a beautiful sight, seeing how the water below shimmers with the light from the sun. He steps closer to the window and doesn’t realize he’s touching the glass, he’s too taken by the scenery around him.

A not-so-gentle yank on his scarf from Yukari brings him back to the present, “Hey! Don’t press your face against the glass! There’s so many germs on that thing… You could get sick.”

“Ah.. haha! My apologies… I wouldn’t want to worry you even more by falling ill.” Ryoji fixes his scarf back to how he had it before. 

“Ugh… I’m not even going to respond to that,” Yukari’s expression lightens as she points in the distance, “Look, there it is!” 

As the train makes a turn, Ryoji is able to get a good view of the high school he will be attending with Yukari. It’s a very large school, almost impressively so. For some reason, looking at the school makes his headache a bit worse. Ryoji winces slightly and looks away… It’s probably just motion sickness, I’m fine… He can see Yukari about to ask him what’s going on, but Ryoji shakes his head and smiles. Her concern is better spent on other things… 

“Oh by the way, our school’s at the last stop on this line. It’s called Tatsumi Port Island. Have you heard of it? The whole island is man-made and our school’s smack-dab in the middle.”

“Woah! Really? You’re really good at this ‘tour guide’ thing, Yukari!”

Yukari’s face turns into a flustered look of surprise, “Tour guide?! Who said anything about me being a tour guide?”

“Well, for one, you’re showing me around. Second, you’re giving me fun little facts about important places. And, you’re also quite pretty, like someone off of one of those travel pamphlets!” 

“... Can you cut it out with that? I really don’t appreciate your flattery,” Yukari sighs once again, “But, I guess you do make a point other than that. I kind of am like a tour guide…”

Ryoji smiles victoriously as Yukari reluctantly agrees with him. He then turns back to the sea. There’s something almost soothing about watching the waves down below…

After the train reaches their stop, they exit the train along with a large group of other students. Yukari really sticks out thanks to her pink sweater, which helps Ryoji not get lost in the swarm of students. 

As they get closer to the front gates, Yukari speeds up and comes to a stop before the entrance. She turns around to face him, “Alright, this is it! Welcome to Gekkoukan High School… Hope you like it!”

… 

The halls of Gekkoukan are filled with students. Some are first years trying to find their classes, others are reuniting with friends. Ryoji looks around with eager interest, there are so many people to talk to! He starts to walk away as he spots a large group of students all crowded around some sort of billboard. Yukari is quick to notice this and grabs his arm before he gets too far, “Hey, hold on a moment! You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The faculty office is over there, to the left.” She motions with her hand to the hallway that she’s referring to. Once she sees that Ryoji understands, Yukari smiles and lets go of his arm, “Alright then, that concludes the tour! Do you have any questions before I go?”

Ryoji blinks a few times and subconsciously adjusts his scarf, “Oh… Are you not going to accompany me? Which class are you in?” He didn’t mean to make his tone sound so disappointed, but he couldn’t help but want to stay with her. She was the first person he’d really interacted with since coming here. 

“Me? … I dunno. I haven’t looked at the classroom assignments yet,” she replied with a shrug.

“I see… Well, maybe we’re in the same class! Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

“... Maybe it would be nice.” She quickly crosses her arms and fixes him with a glare, “But I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Ryoji grins and raises his hands up in a placating gesture, “Easy, Yukari… Can’t a guy dream?” 

“That’s… Whatever, stop distracting me!” Yukari shakes her head and mumbles obscenities underneath her breath. Once she’s back to a more calm state of mind, she glances around the students, “But seriously… Don’t tell anyone about what you saw last night.”

“I won’t! I promised you, remember?”

“Right… You promised…” Yukari hesitates, as if she wanted to say something else. In the end, she just shakes her head again and smiles, “Well, I’ll see you later!”

Ryoji waves goodbye to Yukari and they part ways for the time being. Once he makes sure that she can’t see him anymore, Ryoji decides to do his own thing. Of course, he’ll eventually go do what Yukari told him. Just… Not right now.

He walks up to the bulletin board where he presumes the class assignments are. Ryoji feels a bit of concern as he’s unable to locate his name. He manages to find it at the way bottom, written on a note that just barely fits on the board. The name of his class is F, taught by Ms. Toriumi. Just F? What floor is it on? Oh well, I’ll find it eventually.

Feeling satisfied with what he finds, Ryoji turns to look at the boy who is complaining next to him.

“Taught by… WHAT?! Ms. Toriumi?! Argh… Well, she is older than me,” the short haired boy sighs, “... I was hoping for Ms. Kanou…”

“Why? Is there something wrong with Ms. Toriumi?” Ryoji questioned, he was slightly worried that he got unlucky with a strict teacher.

The boy seemed surprised that Ryoji was even talking to him, “Oh! Er… Just forget what I said, okay?” He then quickly walks away from the bulletin board before Ryoji gets the chance to talk to him again. 

Moving on from that encounter, Ryoji decides that maybe he should go to the faculty office. After all, the school day should be starting soon. As he walks he continues to pick up snippets of other conversations around him: “... I mean we’ll never see them again after we graduate…” “How did I get the worst teacher?!” “Another year… What does it even matter?”

It takes Ryoji a few tries before he finds the faculty office. At least he knows where the library and nurse’s office are now. He enters the faculty office and looks around, he’s not exactly sure what to do next. Ryoji spots a woman walking towards him, he notices her salmon colored suit first. It stands out among the other adults in the room who are wearing black suits.

“Oh, are you the new student? Ryoji Mochizuki, 11th grade…” the woman opens her folder and she seems impressed, “Wow, you’ve lived in a lot of different places… Let’s see… 10 years ago, in 1999, your parents…– I’m sorry! I’ve been so busy, I haven’t had time to read this beforehand.”

Ryoji tilts his head questioningly once he noticed her abrupt stop, “My parents? Oh yeah! They’re really busy with work. Since they’re not home a lot, I just live with my relatives.” My parents? How did I forget that? He can feel his headache worsen in intensity, perhaps he’s just allergic to something in the air?

“... Um… Right…” the teacher gives Ryoji a strange look before shrugging, “I’m Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school.”

“Thank you! I’m pleased to meet you, Ms. Toriumi. I read on the board that you’re my homeroom teacher too.”

 “That’s correct, you’re in my class, 2-F. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon,” Ms. Toriumi walks to the door and opens it for him, “Follow me, please.”

… 

“As you begin the new school year, I’d like each of you to remember the proverb: ‘if a job’s worth doing, do it well.’ When applied to student life…” The principal begins his speech, addressing all in attendance. Ryoji, along with most of the student body, quickly stopped paying attention to the mind-numbing lecture. He looks around the gymnasium and fidgets with his scarf absentmindedly. 

“Psst… Hey…”

Ryoji jolts to attention once he hears a boy behind him try to get his attention. It seems no one else has noticed this but him. Ryoji turns his head marginally to listen, “Hm?”

“You came to school with Yukari this morning, right? I saw you two walking together”

“Oh! Yes, I did,” Ryoji whispered back, “Why do you ask?”

“Thought so… Hey, do you know if she has a boyfriend?”

This question stumps Ryoji for a moment. Does Yukari have a boyfriend? The question never came up between them at any point. He shrugs his shoulders before answering, “I mean… Probably? I don’t know, but she seems very kind. Anyone would be lucky to date her!”

“Huh? Kind? Really…? How well do you know her–”

“–I hear talking,” the gruff voice of a teacher interrupts their hushed conversation, “It sounds like it’s coming from someone in Ms. Toriumi’s class.” 

“Shh! Be quiet! You’re going to get me in trouble…” Ryoji and the classmate quickly stop talking once Ms. Toriumi tells them to. Heeding her warning, Ryoji sits in silence for the rest of the principal’s speech.

April 7, 2009 – After School – Full Moon: 2 Days

The final bell rings, signaling the end of the first school day. In spite of the strange occurrences from last night, the rest of the day went by smoothly. Which Ryoji was silently thankful for, as his headache persisted throughout the entire time. As it turns out, Yukari was in the same class as Ryoji. Though, at the time, he couldn’t tell if the sigh she let out was from relief or disappointment. Either way, it was still a nice surprise to see a familiar face. 

Once his headache subsides to a manageable level, Ryoji stands up from his desk and stretches his arms out. He severely underestimated the mental strength it takes to sit in one spot for so long… As Ryoji starts to gather his notebooks and pencils, he surveys the classroom for Yukari. He hopes she hasn’t left yet, he thinks it would be nice to walk back to the dorms together. Maybe they could always go to and from Gekkoukan together. 

Together . 

That word stirs more unfamiliar feelings within him; unfamiliar, yet not unpleasant. It’s akin to the emotion of joy he felt earlier this morning. This feels softer and warmer than “joy” for him. 

Ryoji’s attention then starts to focus on the student that’s currently walking up to him. He didn’t see him at first, but now that he’s closer, it’s hard to ignore him.

“ Hey! ‘Sup dude? How’s it goin’?” the student with the baseball cap greets him with a casual wave. Ryoji wasn’t expecting someone to so boldly strike up a conversation with him, but he welcomes this encounter nevertheless. 

“Oh! Hello, I’m doing well, thank you! What is your name?”

“Me? Heh…” the other boy takes a dramatic pause, “I’m Junpei Iori! Nice to meet ya. I transferred here when I was in 8th grade. I know how tough it is being the new kid… So I just wanted to say, ‘hey!’ See what a nice guy I am?”

Ryoji nods his head, already committing the name to his memory, “Haha! What a nice guy you are indeed, Junpei. My name is Ryoji Mochizuki, it’s a pleasure!” 

The two boys begin to get acquainted with each other. Shortly after their introductions, Yukari returns to the classroom and walks up to the pair. For a moment, Ryoji almost sees a look of dread as she looks at Junpei…

“Hey, it’s Yuka-tan! … I didn’t think we’d be in the same class again!”

Yukari shakes her head and rolls her eyes at Junpei’s greeting, “There you go again, acting like everyone’s best friend. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?”

“What?! But I was just bein’ friendly…” Junpei whines and glances at Ryoji, as if hoping he’d say something about it.

Ryoji picks up on Junpei’s pleading look, “Ah… It’s okay, Yukari, really. He wasn’t bothering me at all. I quite enjoyed meeting him!” 

“Uh-huh… If you say so… Anyway, it looks like we’re in the same homeroom.”

“I know, isn’t it great? I just knew something like this would happen.” Ryoji’s smile turns more self-satisfied as he speaks. He really was hoping they would be placed in the same class.

“Yeah right… You just got really lucky, that’s all.”

“Maybe I should make more predictions! Let’s see…” Ryoji pretends to actually think about this, “Hmm… I predict that we will go back to the dorms in the near future!”
Yukari fixes Ryoji with a glare and shakes her head again, “What?! That doesn’t count! Your predictions are lame…”

“Um, helloooo? Are you forgetting I’m in this class too?” Junpei steps closer to the pair and interrupts their conversation. Ryoji catches the slight glimmer of frustration in Junpei’s eyes, but it quickly morphs into the friendly look from before. “By the way, I heard that you two came to school together this morning. What’s up with that? C’mon, gimmie the dirt!”

Yukari immediately is on the defensive again, “Wh-What are you talking about?! We live in the same dorm. There’s nothing going on, okay?! … Why are people even talking about it?! Now you have me worried…”

“The same dorm? H-Hold on, why is he in the same dorm as you?!”

Yukari and Junpei’s conversation fades into the background. Ryoji also is starting to understand where she is coming from. This is the second time someone has brought up the fact that he walked to school with her. Are people really talking about them that much? He can only wonder as to why students would fixate on him and Yukari… The ever painful headache intensifies the longer he thinks about this. It might just be better to focus on it another time. He then realizes Yukari has been trying to get his attention this whole time.

“Hey! Earth to Ryoji”

“... Huh? Oh! My apologies, Yukari. What were you saying?”

“Um… I was wondering… You didn’t say anything to anyone about… you know what , did you?” 

Ryoji stands up straighter and nods his head, happy to report that he kept his word, “Oh! Yes, I didn’t tell anyone about last night. See? I’m good at keeping secrets!”

For some reason, after he says that, the three of them fall silent. It’s a strange, and frankly, uncomfortable silence. Did I say something wrong? I did good, right? 

Yukari eventually looks at Junpei, “... What?”

“L-Last night…?” 

“Ugh! Ew! Wait a minute, don’t get the wrong idea,” Yukari physically recoils from them as if she got shocked, “Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there’s absolutely NOTHING between us!”

A lightbulb goes off in Ryoji’s head as he realizes what Junpei was insinuating. Although he agrees with Yukari, did she really have to deny it that brutally? Ryoji doesn’t know if he wants to laugh or feel hurt by her words. He decides to just stand there and smile, maybe if he had more confidence, he would’ve come up with some sort of reply…

Yukari finishes her lecturing of Junpei before turning around to leave, “I’ve gotta go. I’ve got something to take care of for the archery team. But, you better not start any rumors!”

“Huh? … For the archery team? So you mean, we’re not going to go back together?” Ryoji looks at Yukari hopefully. He had a whole plan in his mind how the day was going to go, but now, it seems like a distant wish.

Yukari hesitates for a moment before her scowl reappears on her face, “What are you? Five? You don’t need me to guide you everywhere. And besides, we wouldn’t want certain people to continue to spread lies.” She gives Junpei a nasty side eye before she quickly exits the classroom. Ryoji is left with both a pain in his heart and his head.

“Ah, who cares? No one takes rumors seriously anyways. She’s so paranoid…” Junpei shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, “But hey! It’s your first day here and people are already talkin’ about you!”
“... Ah, yes, I suppose so.” Ryoji has a more strained smile on his face. He’s not particularly upset with Junpei, but this headache is really starting to hurt…

“Believe it or not, she’s actually pretty popular. You da man!” 

“I’m… ‘da’ man?”

Junpei chuckles to himself and claps his hand on Ryoji’s shoulder, “This is going to be a fun year. I can feel it! … Hey man, are you alright?”

“Hm? Don’t worry about me, I’m alright.”

“I dunno… Hey, why don’t we walk back to your dorm together? I gotta make sure my new buddy gets home safe!”

Ryoji can feel his face relax as Junpei offers to walk with him. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t grateful for the company, “Really? You don’t mind?”

“Nah, it's all good. Come on, let’s go!” Junpei gently pushes Ryoji forward, silently reinforcing his words. The two of them exit the classroom, together. 

… 

The cherry blossom trees are still in bloom, even as it nears the end of the sakura season. Ryoji looks up at the petals that fall from the branches, he extends his palm and lets one land on it. He rubs his thumb and forefinger against the smooth, pink surface. It feels almost nostalgic, but he can’t remember why. There are still many things still elude him, some more minor than others, but each equally as important. For every new experience, it feels as if more questions take its place. 

He does his best to pay attention to Junpei as they walk. Ryoji takes note of a student wearing a red vest, surrounded by a group of girls. It doesn’t seem like that boy is too interested in them though…

Junpei watches the track team jog by them to their left, “Woah, those guys don’t quit! It’s the first day and they’re back to training… Hey, Ryoji, are you thinking about joining any clubs?”

“Clubs? Yes, I was considering it. Except… there’s just so many to choose from… I couldn’t make up my mind.” 

“Yeah I get you– Oh, wait, I forgot. You gotta wait a while before you can even join any, it’s kind of a rule for new transfers.”

Ryoji nods his head along to what he says, what a strange rule…

“But… You could always join my club!” Junpei continues as they make their way to the train station.

“Your club? I don’t recall any clubs listed under your name…”

“Er… Don’t worry about that,” Junpei laughs awkwardly, “It’s called the ‘Go-Home Club’! It’s lots of fun, and you get all the free time you want. Pretty cool, right?”

Ryoji nods enthusiastically, “It does sound cool… Okay then, I’ll join!”

“Alright! That’s what I’m talking about,” Junpei slings his arm over Ryoji’s shoulders, “Welcome to the club!”

The gentle spring sunlight is warm…

April 7, 2009 – Evening – Full Moon: 2 Days

Ryoji, with assistance from Junpei, makes it back to the dorms in one piece. He waves goodbye to his new friend and closes the entrance door behind himself. The lounge is empty and quiet, Ryoji looks to his left, wondering if he’ll see the strange boy from last night. Although there’s no sign of the boy, there is a sign-in sheet on the counter. Ryoji can see a few names already written on there, so he decides to write his own on an available line. 

“Welcome back.” The familiar voice of Mitsuru can be heard down the hallway. Ryoji looks up to see her once again walking down the stairs. “How was your first day at school?”

“Mitsuru, good evening. My day went very well, I even made a new friend!”

“I see, that’s good to hear.” She checks the clock on the wall before looking at him again. This time, her expression seems to be more concerned, “You really shouldn’t be out on your own at night. It’s too dangerous.”

“Oh, I wasn’t alone. Junpei was with me!”

“Junpei… Is that the friend that you just mentioned? Either way, it’s still best to exercise caution at this time,” Mitsuru advises him, “You must be tired. You should get a good night’s rest.”

With that, she excuses herself to go sit down on the couch to read. It seems she’s said all she needed to for the time being. Ryoji then spots Yukari sitting at the dining table on her flip phone. He walks over and taps her on the shoulder, “Hey, Yukari.”

“Hm? Oh, hi. What’re you doing?” Yukari sets her phone down and looks back at him.

“I just got back, I’m thinking about going to sleep early tonight. What are you doing?”
“Nothing much, honestly… Just killing time,” Yukari waves her phone for emphasis, “Well, have a good night.”

Ryoji smiles and nods his head, “Thank you, goodnight, Yukari.”

He doesn’t linger around much longer, all he wants is to lay down and hope that this headache goes away. As he’s climbing up the stairs to his room, Ryoji is starting to wonder if he should tell Mitsuru about it. He figures that he will if it continues after tomorrow. If a headache lasts that long, there’s definitely something wrong. 

Ryoji opens the door to his dorm room, this time deciding to get changed into sleep wear. He felt kind of gross after not doing so the previous night… The bed is much more comfortable once he’s under the covers. He sets his stopwatch for 7 hours from now, that should give him enough time to get breakfast. 

Tonight, he falls asleep peacefully, dreaming about his new friends.

April 7, 2009 – Late Night – Full Moon: 2 Days

Mitsuru

“I’m going out for a bit.”

Mitsuru looks up from the book she was reading, but she knew who it was before he even said anything. She regards him with her usual composure, “Hm?”

“Didn’t you see the newspaper? There’s a lot going on,” he continues, clenching his fist.

“... I know. People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome. I’ve seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it’s due to stress but…”

The boy in the red vest shakes his head incredulously, “Yeah right, it has to be them . Otherwise, it’s not worth my time.”

“You have a one track mind…” Mitsuru shuts her book and stands up, “Will you be okay on your own? The Chairman will be here for the next couple of days, but after that–”

He shakes his head, “Don’t worry. I’m just getting a little practice.”

Mitsuru watches as he brushes past her, she doesn’t try to stop him. He’s always been like this, it’s both admirable and frustrating. She calls out to him one more time as he reaches the main doors, “This isn’t a game, Akihiko…!”

But of course, he’s gone before she finishes her sentence. The door shuts behind him, leaving her in the empty lobby. She resumes her original spot on the couch and attempts to pick up where she left off in her book. This time, she just can’t get into it again. After a few minutes, she sighs and looks up at the clock. It’s 11:56pm, only a few more minutes … Mitsuru can only watch and stand guard. Just as she always has. 

April 8, 2009 – Early Morning– Full Moon: 1 Day

“Did you hear the rumor?”

“Oh um… Something about a bathroom?”

“No! Not that one! I mean the one about the first year student!”

Ryoji overhears a conversation from a few students on his way to class. He’s not usually one to eavesdrop, but the girls are talking quite loudly. Ryoji decided to wait by the front gates for Junpei this morning. He wasn’t able to find Yukari before he left the dorms, so he had walked to school by himself. It wasn’t as fun as when she was with him, but Ryoji did enjoy spending more time watching the ocean. 

“Not only did she stop coming to school,” one of the girls continues, “she does nothing but sit and stare at walls all day. If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself…”

“Woah… Creepy! What does she say?”

“Hmm… Pretty sure she says ‘It’s coming…. It’s coming…’ Totally weird, right?”

Ryoji’s interest is piqued when he hears about the unfortunate situation. He’s never heard of something like that happening to someone… What if it happens to Yukari? Or Junpei? Or even Mitsuru? I need more information… 

The first school bell ringing snaps him out of his thoughts, the girls have already dispersed anyways. He can feel his headache worsening… Ryoji checks around for Junpei before giving up and making his way to class. It would look bad to be late on the second day.

April 8, 2009 – Afternoon – Full Moon: 1 Day

Ms. Toriumi stands at the front of the class, most of which are already half asleep, “Open your textbooks and we’ll take a look at the first novel by… Zenzou Kasai.” She sets her own textbook down on the podium and sighs, “Ugh, why him? I’d rather teach Utsubo Kubota. He became famous as a singer, but he produced fine literature… I wonder why it’s not in the textbook… Well, I’ll just bring Kubota’s book next time. Hm… Hey, Junpei! Were you even listening?”

Ryoji sees Junpei flinch into attention the second he hears his name. Clearly, he was not paying attention, “H-Huh?! Um…”

“Who did I say was my favorite author?”

The class can really feel the pressure from Ms. Toriumi now. Ryoji almost feels bad that Junpei got called on. It feels a little unfair, as she didn’t say that Kubota was her favorite either.

“Uh…” Junpei attempts to stall for time before he whispers to Ryoji, “Psst! Can you help me out here?!”

Ryoji quickly whispers the name “Utsubo Kubota” to Junpei. Thankfully, he had been kind of paying attention. Even though his thoughts were more focused on the girl’s conversation from earlier. 

“That’s right! So you were listening to me after all!”

Junpei forces a laugh, trying to play into it, “Well, you know how I… uh… Like to pay attention!” Once Ms. Toriumi goes back to the lesson, he turns to Ryoji and whispers his thanks, “Man, you really saved my bacon…”

“No problem… Bacon, huh? Now I’m hungry again…” 

“Dude, no way. How does that make you hungry?” 

“... That’s a good question…”

April 8, 2009 – Evening – Full Moon: 1 Day

The school day passes without much else of note happening. Ryoji’s headache continues to worsen as time progresses; he could hardly even focus in class. It’s so bad that he didn’t even talk much to Junpei as they walked back to the dorms. 

After saying goodbye to Junpei, Ryoji opens the doors to the dorm. He immediately sees Yukari sitting on the couch in the lounge, talking to a man he doesn’t recognize. The man has long, brown hair and dainty glasses, he’s currently resting in the chair adjacent to Yukari. Ryoji’s entrance draws their attention to him. The man’s eyes look strangely excited to see him, as if he’d been expecting him.

“So this is our new guest,” the tall man stands up and takes several steps closer to Ryoji, “Good evening, my name is Shuji Ikutski. I’m the Chairman of the Board for your school.”

Ryoji quickly attempts to make himself appear more presentable, after all, this is clearly someone he needs to make a good impression on. “Oh… Good evening, sir.” Ryoji winces as he feels the pain in his head intensify, he just wants to go rest in his room. But he still puts on his best smile. I can make it through this… It’s alright…

“Haha! No need for the formalities. You can call me ‘Ikutski’... Hard to say, isn’t it?” The man smiles casually as he attempts to break the ice, “That’s why I don’t like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes… Please have a seat.”

Ikutski gestures to the couch where Yukari is sitting, it doesn’t seem like Ryoji has an option. He makes his way over to Yukari and sits down next to her. The Chairman returns to the chair he was just in moments prior before continuing, “I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you’d like to ask?”

Ryoji has so many questions, such as: “Why are you here?” or “Who else lives here?” but he decides to bring up something else. 

“The night I got here… I saw something strange…” Ryoji hesitantly begins. He remembers how Yukari reacted when he asked her about the boy. He’s thinking that maybe the Chairman should have more insight about what it could be. But will anyone believe him? Maybe he was just really tired?

“You saw something strange? Like what?” Ikutski leans forward slightly, obviously intrigued by what he’s heard.

“Well, there were several things, but I’m more curious about that young boy. Does he live here also?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Yukari slump back against the couch. Ikutski sits up straighter and seems to ponder this for a moment. He then smiles and shakes his head, “A boy? The only boy that should be here is you. You must’ve been tired, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

Ryoji feels almost crestfallen at this response. Is he seriously just imagining things? Will people think there’s something wrong with him if he keeps asking these questions? Why did I expect anyone to believe me? His hands instinctively move to fidget with his scarf. Something doesn’t feel right. He looks at Yukari’s averted gaze and remembers how both times, his concerns were brushed off. Nobody asked for more information about this boy, they just told him that it was just “tiredness.”

“Any other questions?” 

“... So, who all lives in this dorm?” Ryoji stubbornly continues this line of questioning. He can hear a sigh from Yukari, but he doesn’t understand why. What’s so bad about asking about this boy?

“There are only four students in this dorm: you, Yukari here, Mitsuru… and a senior named Akihido Sanada. I hope you all get along!” Ikutski answers with ease. He takes a moment to wipe his glasses clean before he addresses Ryoji once again, “Anything else?”

Ryoji stops his fidgeting and refocuses back on Ikutski, “Yes, one last question. If it’s not too impolite of me to ask, why are you here?”

“To welcome you, of course! … Well, I do have other business here. Speaking of which,” Ikutski turns to Yukari, “Where is Mitsuru?”

Yukari almost flinches when she’s addressed by him, her answer comes out quickly, “Upstairs, she’s upstairs.”

“Ah… As diligent as always. Although, it doesn’t hurt to come down and say hello…” Ikutski chuckles to himself and finally stands up, “Well, I hope you have a successful school year. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

Ryoji and Yukari both acknowledge the Chairman as he walks past. As he stands behind Ryoji, Ikutski decides to say one more thing, “Oh… You must be tired from all the excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, ‘The early bird catches the bookworm!’… Get it? Bookworm, because your students? Clever, isn’t it?” The man laughs to himself and walks away after delivering the unexpected joke… Yukari does not seem too amused by Ikutski’s attempt at humor.

“You’ll get used to his lame jokes.”

“... Hehe… Bookworm…”

Yukari sighs and shakes her head in dismay, “Don’t you dare …”

Ryoji does take the advice of the Chairman and retires early for the night… 

April 8, 2009 – Late Night – Full Moon: 1 Day

Yukari

Various beepings from the monitor are the only sounds in the room. The two girls sit next to each other, yet not a single word is shared between them. Mitsuru keeps an eye on the screen, taking note of the data being broadcasted. Several diagrams and charts display the data, data that Mitsuru meticulously analyzes for any outliers. Yukari’s gaze is downwards at her hands, she can’t bring herself to watch what’s being shown. The guilt gnaws at her consciousness, how much longer can she keep this to herself? 

The door to the command room opens, and the Chairman enters, “Hello there. So, how’s he doing?”

“He went to bed a little while ago,” Mitsuru takes her eyes off the screen to address Ikutski, “He’s asleep now. Mr. Chairman, do you think he’s…?”

The man takes a seat on one of the chairs behind them, “Well, let’s wait and see for now… The Dark Hour is approaching.”

Yukari glances at the clock on the monitor’s display, the time ticks to 12am. And, as if on cue, the world is once again bathed in a nauseatingly green light. The Dark Hour has fallen.

All three of them turn to the live feed of Ryoji asleep in his bed. In the back of her mind, Yukari faintly wonders why he still sleeps with his scarf. 

“Hmm… He’s still sleeping,” Ikutski observes, “The Dark Hour occurs every day at 12 midnight; you could say it’s the ‘hidden’ hour. During this time, an ordinary person Transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs”

Yukari shudders as she once again hears Ikutski’s description of the Dark Hour. She can only imagine the fate of any unfortunate person who is awake during this time. Ikutski has mentioned that those without the “potential” suffer a horrible demise as they melt down into inky, black goo. She anxiously looks at the screen again, Ryoji still seems to be resting easily. Her eyes widen and she turns to look at the Chairman, “Wait… Then that means…”

“As you can see, Mochizuki has retained his human form. He’s asleep, but he’s definitely experiencing the Dark Hour,” Ikutski crosses his arms and studies the screen with intrigue, “The only question that remains is whether or not he has the potential… Although, he must. If he didn’t, they would’ve certainly preyed on him by now.”

“Scary…”

“In any case, we should continue to monitor him for a few more days.” Ikutski finishes and stands up from the chair. 

“Yes sir.” Mitsuru nods her head, Yukari is almost confused at how she can sound so indifferent about this. It sounds so cold, so callous. There’s none of the pleasantries or care that was present only hours ago. How much of it was genuine? Was any of it real? Mitsuru treats this as if it’s just another bothersome task on an endless list. It’s not right… 

“... I feel kinda bad, spying on him like this…” Yukari quietly mutters to Mitsuru. However, she receives no response. The message is clear, this is something they have to do, whether they like it or not. 

Is there really no other way?

??? ???, ???– ??? – Full Moon: ??? Days

A long dark hallway stretches past his field of view, only the ground in front of him is illuminated. Ryoji walks along this path, the black and white diamond patterned floor a familiar sight. Somewhere in the dark, he can hear the rattling of chains. Recently, this sound feels to have gotten closer, and with it, a feeling of dread. 

His attention is grabbed by the blue butterfly from earlier, the flapping of its wings sound almost melodic. Ryoji is curious about this new addition to his dream, he’s never seen something so colorful in this space before. He decides to follow the glowing insect as it flutters just outside his reach. It has an almost crystalline body, reflecting a light he cannot see. Eventually, the butterfly leads him to a similarly blue door. Without him even touching it, the door begins to open on its own. It feels as though there’s a force trying to drag him inside, and he is unable to resist. 

Inside the spacious room, Ryoji can hear the clatter of machinery around him. He feels gravity pushing him down, indicating that this room is rapidly moving upwards. Occasionally, flashes of white light from beyond the gated wall illuminates the room. It’s as if he’s in a large, blue elevator. A massive clock hangs at the back of the room, the hands of time moving clockwise chaotically. The butterfly is no longer able to be found, but he has other things to focus on now anyways. Across the table in the center of the room, are two people. One, a balding man in a black suit hunched over in the lavish couch in front of him. His head is bowed and his hands folded neatly in his lap, the shadows obscure his face. The other, a girl in a slim blue dress, stands off to the side. A large tome is clutched to her chest, it looks very old and worn. Bits of her white hair flair out around her head, it reminds Ryoji of the sun. Though, her uncanny yellow eyes are what captivates him the most. 

The elderly man on the couch lifts up his head, his nose is significantly longer than Ryoji expected it to be. There’s an unsettling grin stretched from ear to ear on that man’s face, it looks almost painful. 

“Welcome to the Velvet Room,” the man’s mouth doesn’t even move as he speaks, “My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance.”

Ryoji wants to speak, but no words come out. He can’t tell if he’s still dreaming or not as he sits in a plush blue armchair. The Velvet Room, as Igor called it, is so overwhelmingly blue that it hurts to look at. 

“This is Kotone.” Igor gestures with one hand to the girl standing next to him. “She is a resident here, like myself.”

After her introduction, the girl waves at him cheerfully, “Hello! It’s nice to meet you.”

“This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…” Igor explains, “It’s been years since we’ve had a guest…” On the table in front of them, Ryoji sees the document he signed a few nights ago. “Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place. Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return… That you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make.”

Ryoji is starting to wonder if maybe there is something wrong with his head. He hasn’t had a dream this outlandish in a while, potentially ever. He shakes his head in confusion, this is just too much, “What? I… I don’t understand…”

“That is fine, for now… Hold on to this.” A blue key descends from the dark abyss above them. It glitters in Ryoji’s palm as he holds it. It looks like an old-fashioned key, something from the Victorian Era. There’s a design on the handle, it looks like a face… 

“… ‘Til we meet again…” 

Ryoji doesn’t have time to react, as the room in front of him dissolves back into the darkness it came from…

April 9, 2009 – Early Morning – Full Moon: 0 Days

He jolts awake and sits up, breathing heavily. The covers on his bed are bundled in a heap on the floor. It takes him a few minutes to even calm his heart rate and remember where he is. What a strange dream… And, of course, his headache feels worse than ever. He feels like today will be a long day… However, he must still go to school. Thankfully, his alarm hadn’t gone off yet, so Ryoji decides to rest in bed until it’s time to get ready for the day.

… 

“Hey! Ryoji!”

Junpei’s voice stops Ryoji before he walks through the gates to Gekkoukan. Ryoji feels a bit of uneasiness fade as he sees his friend waiting at the gate for him. Once they meet up, they begin walking to class together. 

“Junpei, good morning.”

“What’s up? Man, today is the perfect day!”
“Oh? Is something special happening today?” 

Junpei laughs and shakes his head, “Nah, but think about it: The sky is blue… We’re young… What more could we ask for?”

“… What more could we ask for…” Ryoji touches his hand to his chest, another strange feeling has made itself known. He hadn’t taken the time yet to actually take a breath and take a step back. After everything that’s been going on the past couple of days, Ryoji had lost sight of the simple joys in life. “You’re right, this is all I could ever want. I have you and Yukari, and the school isn’t too bad either. I think I would be happy if things stayed like this forever…” Ryoji smiles to himself as he starts to think of days like these continuing. It makes him excited for the future and what waits for him. What wouldn’t he give for days like these…

“Yeah, you get it! We gotta make the most of it!” Junpei pats him on the shoulder, “Forget the ol’ Junpei… This is the real me!”

“The real Junpei?” Ryoji frowns slightly at that, “But I don’t want to forget any version of you…” He looks at his hands as he walks with his friend. What makes someone the “real” version of themselves? Ryoji, himself, hadn’t given much thought into who he actually is. He didn’t even remember he had a name until a few days ago… Most of his past still eludes him as well. He can remember only fragments of conversations or experiences, but even then, those memories are hazy. There’s a part of him that worries if he’ll forget Junpei, Yukari, and Mitsuru too… How could he live with himself if he forgot about them? Who is the “real” Ryoji? The headache starts to intensify the longer he dwells on these thoughts…

“Woah, dude, relax…! It’s just a saying…” Junpei sighs and shakes his head in an exasperated manner, “You can be weird sometimes, y’know?”

“O-Oh… I am? Sorry, I wasn’t aware…” 

“Hey, no need to get down about it. Usually everyone has a friend that’s a little odd. That’s why you have me as your friend! I’ll balance your weirdness out.” Junpei attempts to lighten the mood once again. Ryoji smiles weakly as he listens, he decides maybe it’s better to just let Junpei talk…

April 9, 2009 – Morning – Full Moon: 0 Days

Class begins as usual, but Ryoji cannot seem to stay awake for Mr. Ekoda’s lecture about classic literature. He can feel his eyes drooping the longer he stares at the empty page of his notebook. The headache has returned with a vengeance, and it seems to only be getting worse. But he still fights against his drowsiness, it would be impolite to fall asleep during class. Besides, he got a decent amount of sleep last night anyway. Why would he still be tired? Being this exhausted is extremely off-putting for Ryoji, it just doesn’t feel right. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just close his eyes for a few minutes… After all, the headache lessens when he sleeps…

As tempting as it is, Ryoji forces himself to stay awake. Just a few more hours and then I’ll go to sleep early tonight…

April 9, 2009 – After School – Full Moon: 0 Days

The sound of the final school bell ringing never sounded so heavenly. Once he stood up, Junpei was already at his side, “Hey dude, let’s stop somewhere on the way back!”

Ryoji doesn’t have the heart to deny his friend, after all, this is what he wanted. He wants to be around his friends and explore the city. He would also like to not feel like his head is about to explode from pain, “Of course, Junpei. Where are we going?”

“I dunno, maybe grab a bite to eat?” Junpei chuckles a bit as if he just realized something, “Thaaaat’s right, you’re new around here. No worries, I’ll show ya. It’s just around the corner from here. Let’s go!”

…

Junpei was not lying, their destination was a lot closer than he anticipated. They step into the large dome-like structure and enter a busy plaza. There’s a fountain centerpiece and many different shops in a circle around them. 

“This is Paulownia Mall,” Junpei gestures to the space around them, “Whenever I hang out with the guys from school, we end up comin’ here. There’s a karaoke box, an arcade… Oh yeah, you can rent out CD’s too. Then there’s that club over there… –Not that I’ve ever gone in myself.”
Ryoji nods his head as he listens to Junpei talk about the various amenities in the mall. He wonders if the TV in his dorm room has a CD player… Maybe he’ll check that out later… “A club? Why haven’t you gone in? That seems like the perfect spot to hang out with friends.”

“H-Huh? You can’t be serious… We can’t go in there!”

“Is that so? Why not?”

Junpei sighs and shakes his head, “I’m not sure if you’re messin’ with me or not… Uh… Let’s check out the CD’s first!”
The two of them move on from the topic of the club and walk over to the CD store. However, Ryoji makes a fatal mistake and looks to his right. He sees a bright pink crane machine filled with prizes. Ryoji’s attention is completely transfixed on the little plush dolls inside. The plush looks like a little snowman with a funny blue hat. He feels himself smile as he looks at the doll, it almost looks like a familiar mascot… 

“… We can see if they have anything good in here this time–” When Junpei turns around, he sees Ryoji with his hands against the glass of the crane machine.

“They’re… so cute! ” Ryoji points at the prizes inside excitedly. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. The headache is nothing in comparison to the pain Ryoji felt when he realized he was completely broke…

Junpei walks to his side and whistles appreciatively as he looks at the machine, “Hey… This is new! When did they install this?”

“Junpei…”

“Hm? Woah! W-What are you doing? Don’t look at me like that!”

“...”

“Dude, cut it out! I’m not getting you one.”

“...”

“... Are you serious?”

“... Please?”

Junpei sighs and looks around, trying to avoid looking at Ryoji. Eventually he sighs and takes out his wallet, “Alright, fine! This will be a good opportunity to show ya my mad crane game skills!”

… 

As they quickly found out, Junpei did not have “mad crane game skills.” 

Even if they didn’t get the toy in the end, it didn’t matter. 

He was more than happy with simply spending the afternoon with Junpei. 

April 9, 2009 – Evening – Full Moon: 0 Days

Ryoji was exhausted when he arrived back at the dorms. Not only was he tired from hanging out with his friend, but the headache has worsened to a debilitating level. He was honestly surprised he’s even made it this far without any sort of painkillers. It’s hard to even think straight, Ryoji stumbles through the lounge, he’s just trying to get to his bed…

“Mochizuki, you’re back late again. I don’t mean to be overbearing, but please don’t make this a regular occurrence–” Mitsuru stops her sentence and her face takes on a more concerned expression, “… Are you alright? Did something happen while you were out?”

Ryoji looks up from the floor as he hears her voice, he smiles faintly and shakes his head, “I’m… alright, thank you. It’s just, I think I’m going to lay down for a bit…” He can tell by the look on Mitsuru’s face that she doesn’t believe him in the slightest.

“Are you sure? … You look very pale.”

“There’s no need to worry, I’ll feel better tomorrow. I promise.”

He doesn’t wait for a response, he doesn’t want to. Ryoji’s heart aches as he thinks about what a nuisance he must be for Mitsuru. He’s not even supposed to be in this dorm, yet she still goes out of her way to make sure he’s safe. 

Thankfully, she lets him go upstairs without much more difficulty. Ryoji breathes a sigh of relief when he makes it back to his room. He throws himself on his bed and closes his eyes. He didn’t bother turning off the lights or changing out of his uniform. It feels like there’s something in his skull trying to claw its way out…

April 10, 2009 – Dark Hour – Full Moon: 0 Days

Yukari

The tense silence is only broken by the Chairman once again entering the room. Their observation of an unsuspecting Ryoji continues another night. Yukari notices that Mitsuru seems more alert tonight. 

Ikutski checks the data before addressing Mitsuru, “How is he?”

“He’s a little worn out… Something was off about him today. When he came home a few hours ago, he looked unwell. However, he seems to be sleeping just fine as always.” 

“Hm… Very interesting…” Ikutski then takes a seat behind them, the same as nights before. “Those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first. Memory loss.. Disorientation… Our subject fits the criteria almost perfectly. Although, I guess his loss of memory is tied to an external source.”

 Yukari’s curiosity was piqued when she heard Mitsuru mention Ryoji’s status. It’s true, at school today she had noticed that he was more subdued. It’s not like she had much to go off from, but hearing Mitsuru confirm her worries was a partial relief. Ikutski’s comment about Ryoji threw her off though. She didn’t realize he suffered from amnesia, but it would answer the vacancy she saw in his eyes during their first encounter. 

She looks at the monitor for the first time in a while and frowns, “... But we’re treating him like a guinea pig…”

“Oh, don’t look at it like that,” Ikutski smiles as he speaks, “You two are classmates, right? Consider it an opportunity to have someone your own age here. Besides, it’s imperative that we recruit new members…”

Yukari looks down from the screen at her hands, “Yeah… I guess that’s true… But still–”

Her sentence is interrupted by a loud notification, Mitsuru snaps to attention and answers the call, “Command room. Is that you, Akihiko?”

Through the speakers, a voice answers, “You’re not gonna believe this…! This thing is huge! … Unfortunately, I don’t have time to talk, it’s chasing me. I wanted to let you guys know, I’m almost there.”

ALMOST THERE?! Yukari stands up in shock and looks to Mitsuru, “Does that mean… he’s bringing that thing here?!”

“Mr. Chairman! Let’s suspend our observations for now. We’ll prepare for battle!”

“R-Right…! Be careful!”

… 

Mitsuru and Yukari, after grabbing their gear, rush to the front door. They make it there just as Akihiko enters the dorm, slamming the door shut and leaning against it. Yukari can see him in obvious pain as he holds his left shoulder and sinks to the floor. She kneels down beside him and gently touches his shoulder, assessing the damage. He grunts and flinches away from her hand, “I-I’m alright. Get ready to be surprised. It’ll be here any second now…” 

Despite the pain he’s in, Yukari can hear a fierce determination in his voice. Mitsuru does not find this as amusing as he does, “This is no time to joke around!”

“It’s one of them, Akihiko?” Ikutski hangs in the back, watching everything unfold.

“Yes, but not an ordinary one–”

Before he can finish, something very large forcefully slams against the main door. The wood creaks as it bends to the unknown attacker. Whatever it is, it’s determined to get to them.

“You gotta be kidding me!” Yukari quickly backs away from the door. She can feel her heart rate continue to rise. This is the real deal, she can’t run from it anymore. Her hands begin to shake as she thinks about the holster on her leg… I… I have to do this!

In an instant, Mitsuru whips out her Evoker, “Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room! Takeba, go upstairs and wake him up! Then, escape out the back.”
“B-But… What about you two?” 

“We’ll stop it here. You let it to us, so I’m afraid you’ll have to fight.”

“Like I had a choice!” Akihiko then looks at Yukari, “What are you waiting for?! GO!”

“I-I’m going!” Yukari quickly nods her head and reluctantly leaves them behind as she runs through the dormitory…

… 

A loud noise startles Ryoji awake. He opens his eyes to the world once again in that strange green light. His headache spikes as he gets up from his bed to investigate. The sound of people talking loudly can be heard from downstairs. It’s not much longer before he hears the sound of footsteps running to his door. 

“Wake up!” It’s Yukari’s voice, she sounds panicked, “Sorry, I’m coming in!”

The door swings open and Yukari makes her way straight to him. She’s fumbling with something in her pocket as she speaks to him, “I don’t have time to explain. We have to get out of here, now! ”

“H-Huh? … Alright, let’s get out of here–”

Another loud bang shakes the entire building, Yukari pulls out a small pocket knife and hands it to him, “Take this… Just in case… Okay, let’s hurry! We need to go downstairs and out the back door!”

Ryoji grips the pocket knife in his hands as they run through the hall and down the stairs. He wants to ask questions, but he can tell that now is absolutely not the time for that. They run to the back door, by the kitchen area, the door is right there… 

“Takeba! Do you read me?!” Mitsuru’s voice comes from somewhere on Yukari’s person. It seems like they have some way of communicating, albeit, it’s a bit hard to understand due to the static.
“I hear you!”
“Be careful, there’s more than one enemy! The one we’re fighting isn’t the one Akihiko saw!”

“What?!” Yukari looks around anxiously as she receives this information. Ryoji has to close his eyes as his headache starts to get even worse.

It’s then that a third, louder, slam comes from that door. Ryoji’s eyes snap open as he watches the wood splintering under the force of the impact. Yukari wastes no time and grabs his wrist, pulling her along as they start running again, “We don’t have any choice, we have to go back up!”

Ryoji does his best to keep up with Yukari, he can hear whatever is pursuing them climbing up the side of the building. A sense of helplessness starts to consume him, how are they supposed to escape? 

Everything starts to fall apart once they get to the third stairwell, he collapses on the floor, out of breath. The pain in his head is blinding and he feels like he’s about to be sick.

“H-Huh?! Ryoji?! Get up!” Yukari kneels down and shakes his shoulder.

“… Yukari… Just go, leave me here.” He looks up at her and just starts begging her to leave him. As long as Yukari is safe, that’s all he cares about. In this moment, he comes to the realization that he has nothing to lose. The pocket knife falls from his hand onto the stairs somewhere. No memories, no past, and the future is slowly closing in on him. Much to his dismay, Yukari starts to drag him up by his arms, “Shut up! I’m not doing that! Come on, don’t just give up. We can do this!” 

Somehow, the pair struggle their way through the roof exit on the fourth floor. Ryoji had to lean on Yukari for support as they made their ascent. Once on the open area of the roof, he looks up to see the ominous full moon above them. Another sharp bolt of pain shoots through his head, causing him to fall to his knees once more. Yukari continues to stand, her hand by the gun holster around her leg. Suddenly, she gasps as they finally see what’s been chasing them.

A lone, large, dark hand grips the edge of the roof. And then another. And another. More and more hands grab onto the ledge, there has to be dozens by now. Ryoji feels that cold sense of dread begin to fill his body, he can’t move, he couldn’t move even if he wanted to. He watches as a solitary blue mask is lifted by the hands. The face on the mask has a large “I” on its forehead. It seems to be looking around for something… until it locks in on Yukari. 

Suddenly, razor sharp blades appear in the palms of the hands and the monster lifts itself over the ledge. The full body being a black mass of some unknown substance begins its charge straight towards her. Yukari’s breathing turns into hyperventilation as she takes out her gun again and… points it at herself? He can see her hands shaking violently as she closes her eyes.

Ryoji isn’t able to warn her in time.

He watches in horror as one of the monster’s hands swings at Yukari. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. The monster successfully knocks her to the other side of the roof. Her gun falls out of her hands and lands by Ryoji’s feet. He can’t even make a sound as it completely ignores him and continues advancing on Yukari.

“Go on…”

The voice of the boy from the other night pierces through the haze of pain in his mind. Ryoji feels a stillness wash over him as he looks at the gun. Without thinking, his hands reach out for it. Once he feels the weight of it securely in his right hand, Ryoji finds himself standing up again…

He can’t let them take Yukari too.

As Ryoji aims the gun at himself, he can feel his hands shake. He doesn’t understand a single moment of this, but something in his heart urges him to continue. There’s a fine line that tethers him to life, and if he were to cut that line… Of course, he would die. Whether it's now or 80 years later, it doesn’t matter. Death will be there, waiting for him, just as it waits for all life. There’s no use in spending what remaining time he has fearing the inevitable. Every moment matters in the most significant of ways. 

The cool metal presses against his temple and his breathing slows. A smile creeps onto his face as he feels the shaking in his hands cease. Something within him has changed, it just needs one final push… Ryoji moves his pointer finger to the trigger.

“Per… so… na.”

The instant he pulls the trigger, a blinding light flashes before his eyes. He feels a surge of power course through him as the gun goes off. He was anticipating a bullet, but found no such thing. Shards of light flurry up and around him, slowly building a form from the fragments. The sounds of glass shattering fill his ears, and with it, a new voice begins to speak, “ I am thou, and thou art I. From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings.”

A strange humanoid apparition made of light apparition appears above Ryoji. It has an almost robotic body, with long cylinder shaped legs. An enormous harp is attached to its back, and it has two, glowing red eyes. The head of the being vaguely resembles Ryoji himself, but there are more differences than similarities. After it finishes speaking, it bellows out a roar and removes the harp on its back. 

Ryoji shakes his head and begins to come back to the present time. Both Yukari and the monster had been watching this whole event in a stunned shock. He feels relief when he sees that she’s still conscious…

Suddenly, his smile turns into a pained grimace as the pain in his head returns. The gun falls from his hand and clatters on the floor. He reaches up and holds his head in his hands as he sways in place. Something is tearing its way through his mind. Orpheus also mimics Ryoji’s actions, but it starts to shriek in agony. His fingers dig into his flesh, starting to draw blood as the pain becomes too much to bear. After a certain point, Ryoji realizes that he had been screaming alongside Orpheus.

Then, it’s like that fine line snaps.

Orpheus’ form starts to writhe around, distressed and confused as to what is happening. That is, until a pair of gloved hands reaches out from inside its mouth. The hands grab the sides of Orpheus’ face and start to pull outwards. The light from Oprheus flickers as it starts to be ripped apart from the inside out. Ryoji feels like his head is being split open, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. Eventually, Orpheus’ screams are silenced as it’s torn to pieces, replaced by a new, more guttural roar. Where it once stood, now a whole new entity has taken its place.

 A monstrously humanoid figure hovers in the air. Intricately designed coffins, connected by chains, surround it like wings. A sharp, metallic helmet, that looks akin to a maw, rests on its head. The moonlight reflects off of the long, sharp blade in its hand.

No words are spoken, no introductions are given. The beast lunges at the monster by Yukari without a moment of hesitation. It covers the distance almost instantly and goes right into bludgeoning it with the sword. There’s almost a blind rage to how it attacks, not even bothering with the traditional uses for such a weapon. It rips the arms off from the monster’s main body and uses that against it as well. Yukari watches it all happen only a stone’s throw away from herself.

 The monster is entirely overwhelmed and desperately attempts to flee from its attacker. But the beast continues its relentless onslaught of violence. It’s not much longer before it goes for a killing slash, severing the mask from the hands. The monster begins to dissolve into nothingness, it seems that was enough to end it.

It picks up one of the still squirming arms and crushes it in its hand. All goes quiet after that except for the heavy breathing from the beast. After a few moments, it fades away. Leaving both Yukari and Ryoji alone once again.

… 

Mitsuru

What… Had they just witnessed?

Mitsuru and Akihiko had retreated with the Chairman into the Command Room to get ahold of Yukari earlier. The Shadow in the front of the dorms was made quick work of by herself and Akihiko. She only realized the bigger threat had managed to target the two that were trying to escape. After their connection was severed, Mitsuru quickly turned on the cameras to observe their movements… Nobody in the room could’ve expected what they saw on the roof. 

Ikutski had instructed Mitsuru and Akihiko to remain in the room and to continue watching the screen. She had noticed how he was observing Yukari and Ryoji’s struggle with rapt attention. It was hard to remain in the room, knowing that they were alone out there. Yukari hadn’t yet awakened, without any proper means of fighting, they were just waiting to be slaughtered up there. 

And then Ryoji had pulled the trigger. Orpheus’ awakening was expected, everything that came after was not. It was disturbing, to say the least. Even the Ikutski was rendered speechless. None of them had seen anything close to this before.

Akihiko was the only one to speak, “… What on earth is that?!”

No one answered him. 

Mitsuru found herself running out of the room and up the stairs to the roof.

… 

He has never felt more exhausted in his life. Ryoji crumples into a heap on the floor, his legs refusing to keep him standing… He can hear Yukari trying to talk to him, but she feels so far away. Somewhere, he hears other voices from Mitsuru and one he doesn’t recognize. There’s no thoughts in his head except for “She’s alive.” Ryoji tries to move his hand, he wants to tell her he’s alright… But his body and mind is too tired to keep his eyes open any longer…

??? ???, ???– ??? – Full Moon: ??? Days

He didn’t expect to open his eyes, not at all. Ryoji had genuinely thought he was going to die. But instead, he finds himself sitting in the Velvet Room again. He still feels incredibly weary as he acclimates to his surroundings. 

“It’s so nice to see you again,” Igor begins as calmly as ever, “You became unconscious after awakening to your ‘power.’ … It’s nothing to worry about though. So just relax… By the way, I see that it was Orpheus that heeded your calling. That power is called a Persona… It’s a manifestation of your psyche.”

Ryoji, frankly, is not in the best state to be processing all of this, “… Persona?”

“It may take some time to fully comprehend. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli… You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships.” the elderly man pauses his explanation. He then chuckles to himself before continuing, “That being said, your power is still weak…”

Weak? They must have different definitions of what makes something weak. Ryoji had watched the brutality of that attack, it didn’t look “weak” to him. Though, it’s possible Igor is talking about Orpheus and not that other one. Ryoji sighs and just nods his head, he’ll think about this more later…

“The power of a Persona is fueled by the power of one’s soul… And the soul is fueled by the depth of one’s bonds. The ability evolves as you develop your emotional ties with others… Please remember that. Now then…” Igor sits up straighter, which is a feat considering how his back is curved, “Time marches on in your world. I shouldn’t keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here on your own accord. Until then… Farewell.” 

…

???

“Mom, can we go home now? I’m really cold…!”

“Well, you should’ve worn your jacket. Besides, we’ll be leaving soon.”

“I don’t like that jacket! It’s hard to move in…”

“Haha! Okay, okay… How about I give you my scarf? That should keep you warm.”

“… It’s so soft… Thank you, Mom!”

“Of course… How about you go wait in the car? Your father and I will try to finish this quickly. Just a few more minutes, and then we’ll go home together.”