Chapter Text
"Ngh, ah… The pain… It hurts. It hurts so much. I want to forget. I need to forget. I can't… keep going… like this. It's my fault, all my fault. All of it! My fault…"
"Do you wish for it to stop?"
"H-huh? Wh-who's there?"
"Do you wish for it to stop?"
"I… I do."
"Then please, come with me. You can help me… where I can help you."
"Yuki? Yuki Judai? Are you present?"
The class glanced around the room, curious where the new student was. The blue haired boy in the back of the middle row glanced over his shoulder, spotting the sleeping brunet in the desk behind him.
"Hey, w-wake up." The boy whispered and nudged the brunet in the arm.
"H-huh…?" The brunet grumbled in his sleep.
"Yuki Judai, are you here?" The teacher repeated.
The brunet suddenly threw his head up as his brown eyes widened. "Uh, h-here, sir!"
The class all turned to stare at him and he suddenly felt their eyes boring into him. His shoulders tensed as he realized they weren't his classmates. Their uniforms were different and he didn't recognize a single face. This wasn't his school.
"Thank you, and welcome to your new school. I hope your stay is beneficial to your recovery." The teacher greeted as he focused on his clipboard.
"My… stay? W-wait… where am I? This isn't my school. How did I get here?" Judai questioned, feeling himself grow frantic.
"Hm? You don't know?" One girl wondered.
"It's Kishimai High School, duh." A boy answered.
"Kishimai? N-no, I go to-..." Judai cut himself off and stared at his desk.
Kishimai wasn't his high school, but he couldn't remember where he did go to school. Why couldn't he recall? Did he really go to Kishimai then? No, of course he didn't. He would remember that. But then why couldn't he remember his actual school?
"Do you… not remember how you got here?"
Judai looked forward to see the blue haired boy in front of him. He looked a bit nervous.
Judai shook his head. "No, I don't."
"Would you like a proper introduction again?" The teacher offered.
"Proper… introduction? Uh, yeah, sure. If it'll tell me what's goin' on here." Judai agreed.
The teacher cleared his throat before speaking. "Welcome to Kishimai High School in Mobius, where all your troubles will wash away and you can properly recuperate until you can return to the real world again. Please enjoy yourself as you have all the time in the world to stay here and focus on your healing in the healthiest environment possible. Remember, we're here to help you while providing a comforting setting for you to live in. Please don't hesitate to rely on us throughout your recovery."
Judai just stared at the teacher, his expression becoming somewhat somber. "Recovery… healing… th-the real world…? Wh-where am I?"
"He just said you're in Mobius. Ya know, where we come so we don't die." Another girl blurted out.
"Don't remind us." A black haired boy in the front of the class grumbled.
"...H-huh…?" Judai could barely speak, only stare with wide eyes.
"You don't… remember a thing." The blue haired boy muttered.
"Oh my, would you like an introduction to Mobius then?" The teacher further offered.
Judai only nodded.
"Well then, welcome to Mobius. You are here because you were suffering so greatly in the real world, that Mobius granted you access in order to avoid the world losing you forever. Here you will recover from the ordeals you faced until you are ready to return to the real world. Remember, we're here to help you while providing a comforting setting for you to live in. Please don't hesitate to rely on us throughout your recovery." The teacher explained.
"The amount of times we gotta hear that last part…" The black haired boy mumbled.
"Do you get it now, dude?" Another boy said.
Judai looked from the teacher to the blue haired boy, who still appeared nervous. The teacher's weird way of talking aside, Judai was suffering? What was he suffering from? He thought he felt some kind of pain before waking up, but he couldn't remember it too clearly. And the world could have lost him forever. How so? What kind of suffering could have been so bad that the world might lose him from it? He was supposed to recover, but how could he recover from something he couldn't remember.
"I don't think he does get it." The black hair boy stated, causing the class to look at him as he stood up. "You're here in Mobius - in Kishimai High - because you were gonna kill yourself."
Judai felt a weight form over him and a tension spread across the classroom.
"N-no way! I'd never do that!" Judai immediately shouted.
"How do you know? You don't know how you got here. No one forgets how they got here. Do you even remember why you were gonna do it? Do you remember anything?" The other boy interrogated him.
Judai hunched his shoulders as his head started to pound. He couldn't remember anything. The idea of killing himself seemed so far fetched, but how could he be sure if he couldn't even remember what would make him want to do that. He didn't even remember his name. He just trusted what the teacher called out was meant for him. He didn't even know what he looked like. Maybe it was possible he would want to kill himself.
"Leave him alone, Manjoume." The blue haired suddenly butted in.
"Oh, what does the little shrimp, Sho, have to say now?" Manjoume questioned in a mocking tone.
Sho looked to the floor before adjusting his glasses and looking back up. "He-... he clearly doesn't remember anything. Maybe he repressed everything. You shouldn't assume stuff about what people have been through, you know that. So leave him alone and give him time to get used to it."
Manjoume glared at Sho.
"I don't…" Judai began, making everyone focus on him. "I don't want to get used to it here. I- I wanna go home! I wouldn't… I would never! I know it! I wouldn't ever give up!"
"Give up? That's kind of a rude way to put it." A girl said.
"Yeah, I wouldn't say I gave up so much as it was all just too much." A boy agreed.
Judai got up, the sound of his chair scooting against the floor making everyone fall silent.
"I wanna go home! Someone tell me how to go home! I don't need to be here! I shouldn't be here! There's nothing wrong with me! I know it!" Judai desperately exclaimed.
His word choice continued to bother people, but that was the least of everyone's worries. No one knew what to say though, not until Sho opened his mouth.
"Uh… um… you could… go to the Elites. They have the power to grant permission to return to the real world." Sho explained.
"The Elites… Show me where they are!" Judai requested.
"H-huh? N-now or-...?" Sho nervously responded.
"Now, of course!"
Judai grabbed Sho's wrist and surprised everyone as he ran for the classroom door, Sho being forced along with him. Judai opened the door and left into the hallway, the sound of Sho begging to be released echoing down the hall. No one knew what to do and they all started an uproar of gossip over it. Manjoume stared at the open door with his jaw wide open. Recollecting himself, he bolted for the door and chased after Judai. A couple other students stood up after him, but the teacher immediately shut the door before they could leave as well.
"Now, now. Everyone relax. You all have your own unique ways of coping, so let them have theirs. Space and time are important, don't forget that." The teacher reassured everyone.
In the hall, Sho struggled to pry Judai's grip from his small wrist, but nothing seemed to be working.
"Lemme go! You practically kidnapped me!" He shouted, sounding surprisingly angry with a glare to match.
"I need to know where the Elites are! Just help me then I'll leave you alone. Please." Judai requested.
Judai stopped and stared at Sho, the shorter teen noticing a slightly scared look hidden in Judai's eyes.
"Do you… really not remember what happened to you?" Sho asked, feeling himself calm down a bit.
"I don't remember anything. But that doesn't mean I need to be here. It's gotta be a mistake or something, I'm sure of it. There's no way I'd wanna…" Judai trailed off, not wanting to entertain the thought.
Sho looked off down the hall. He didn't want to think about it either.
"They usually hang out in the Student Council room. It's on the top floor. I can show you the way."
"Thank you, uh…"
"Marufuji Sho. Yuki Judai, right?"
"I guess so. Thanks, Sho."
The two teens simply stared at each other until Judai released his grip on Sho's wrist. Sho walked a bit ahead and Judai followed behind him.
"So who are… the Elites?" Judai wondered.
"The four members of the Student Council. They're all equals so no one's the president or vice-president or anything like that. They rule together. There's a principal here though, but he's just an NPC so he has no real power unlike them. They're supposedly fully recovered but choose to stay here to lend help in their role as the Student Council. No one knows what caused them to have the power to send people home, they can just… do that as members of the council I guess." Sho explained.
"Wait, NPC? Like in a video game?" Judai questioned.
"Kinda, yeah. That's just what we all call them. Uh, the faculty I mean. Like all the adults around here. The principal, the teachers, the janitors. All them. They're not real. You heard the way the teacher talked, right? He kinda sounded like a video game NPC that explains things with the same dialogue over and over again. That's where the name comes from. There's also others outside the school. They basically keep things running around here and help in our recovery. Also like therapists. We don't recover completely on our own after all." Sho answered.
"Oh, so wait a minute! This place is like one big therapy session? Or like a psych ward or asylum or whatever? Those kinda places?" Judai assumed.
Sho nodded. "That's one way to put it. We come here to heal from what happened to us after deciding we can't take it anymore. Our classes don't go over normal subjects, but stuff like healthy coping mechanisms and all that. There are more private after school sessions too, since people like to keep quiet about what they're going through. Things get a little more personal during those and you're not allowed to talk about them. Even though we all have classes together, everyone's individual recovery is very private since it can feel, uh… too intimate and personal to talk about. A lot of us are worried about judgement even though we're all kinda in the same boat. Ya know, the whole stigma about mental health."
Judai wasn't sure he knew. If he had gone through something tough then he might understand that issue, but he couldn't remember either way. He didn't want to believe it anyway. He just stared at the back of Sho's head. The shorter teen looked so young. Judai had to wonder how old Sho was and what such a young kid must have gone through to be in Mobius. What did everyone in Mobius go through? It must have been unbearable.
Sho and Judai walked into the entrance hall of the school. Judai trailed behind as Sho headed for the stairs to go up to the third floor. Coming down the stairs were four teens that Sho almost bumped into. He backed up, but was stopped when he felt Judai right behind him at the base of the stairs. Sho looked up, realizing it was the Elites.
The two stared at them as they stared back. Four boys, all in the Kishimai school uniform. From the right, the first one was the tallest and wore a cowboy hat with an eyepatch over his right eye. The second had fluffy teal hair and bright green eyes. The third had straight black hair with metal clips holding it back on the sides. The last wore glasses with spiky red hair and was the second tallest. It was strange to Judai how they all exuded an entirely different vibe than the others. The only one he didn't feel apprehensive of was the green eyed boy. The innocent look in his eyes assured Judai that the group couldn't have been that intimidating.
"Th-the Elites… I-I didn't expect to-... Aah, it's really them…" Sho nervously mumbled mainly to himself.
So it was them. That was what Judai assumed already.
"Sorry, didn't mean to be in your way." The green eyed one apologized.
"You're… the Elites, right?" Judai spoke up and gently pushed Sho behind him as he took a step forward.
"That's what the kid said." The bespectacled one stated.
"Ah, right. Anyway, I need you guys to let me go home." Judai said.
Each of them looked taken aback in their own way.
"Woah there, that's quite the demand." The tallest said.
"W-wait a minute! You can't just-"
"What's your name?" The green eyed teen cut off Sho.
"Yuki Judai, and this is Marufuji Sho." Judai introduced them.
"I'm Johan Andersen." The green eyed teen replied.
"Jim Cook." The tallest added.
The other two shared a look with each other before the third spoke up. "Austin O'Brien."
The redhead hesitated before responding last. "Amon… Garam."
"Judai… that's a new name. I take it you haven't been here long?" Johan wondered.
Judai shook his head. "Just got here actually, but it doesn't matter. I'm sure I'm not supposed to be here, so I need to go back home."
"Not supposed…" Amon started.
"...to be here?" Jim finished.
"If you think you're here by mistake then think again." O'Brien said. "We're all here for a reason. Mistakes don't happen in Mobius."
"Well this is the first mistake then. I know I shouldn't be here. I just shouldn't." Judai argued.
"Judai, you do know what brought you here, right?" Johan inquired.
"No." Judai answered, startling Sho. "I've been told people come here 'cause they try to kill themselves, but there's no way I would ever do that. It's just impossible."
"You sound unsure." Jim noted, making the other three look at him. "You sound like you can't believe you would do that rather than knowing you didn't. People don't come here unless they see no other option. Now you being here is what would be impossible if that wasn't the case for you."
"You say… you don't know what brought you here, but you know why people do get brought here. I think Jim is right. Can you really be so certain you're not supposed to be here?" O'Brien questioned.
"Truth be told, I don't remember anything. I don't really know who I am. I just assumed the name called out was mine. But I do know I'm not supposed to be here. If I'm sure about anything, it's that." Judai explained.
The Elites all looked at each other again. They didn't seem too won over by Judai's words.
"Judai…" Johan began, a worried expression forming on his face. "Please accept that that's just not possible. Even though you can't remember it, that doesn't mean you can be sure you didn't go through something."
"No one is brought to Mobius unless they meet the requirements." Amon added. "If you're here then the only answer is that you met those requirements. Something happened to cause you to fall into a deep enough despair. That's an undeniable fact."
"And just 'cause you can't remember doesn't mean you can't benefit from being here. You might end up remembering, and if you go back without any help then you might not be able to make it back here to get that help." Jim suggested.
"I think… at the least you should wait before deciding you really want to go back. You really could end up remembering. Although, I will concede if it turns out there really was a mistake." O'Brien offered.
"Right!" Johan agreed. "There's no need to rush! Mobius is a never ending place. Time doesn't flow here like in the real world. You won't be missing anything there by staying here. Maybe take some time to be extra sure that you want to go back. Like O'Brien said, if there's no way for you to benefit from being here, then there's no reason to make you stay. We can let you leave in that case. But it'd be best if you're as sure as possible that that's what you want. If you can't remember then you can't be sure that Mobius can't help you. I would love for you to at least take some time to get to understand this place and see if anything here can benefit you, or if you can remember something, before writing it off completely. After all, I honestly doubt you were really brought here by mistake."
Judai glanced at the ground and thought for a moment. He hated that they had a point. Just because he felt sure didn't mean he was right. He only had his gut feeling, which he wanted to believe, and nothing else to go on. Mobius seemed like a useful place, but he didn't believe it would be useful for him. Still, he supposed the things Sho explained about the school could benefit anyone regardless of if they needed to use the information.
"You'll really let me go home if I decide it's what I want?" Judai asked.
The four Elites shared a look with one another.
"Yeah, I think we're all fine with that." Jim said.
"Then… I'll give it some time, but don't get your hopes up." Judai stated.
Johan and Jim smiled in response.
"Don't expect us to." Amon muttered.
"It's less hope and more… knowing the foregone conclusion, I'd say." O'Brien commented.
The school bell suddenly rang, catching everyone's attention.
"Oops, we're way past late, heheh." Jim humorously noted.
"Well I'm done here." Amom stated and stepped down the stairs.
O'Brien looked from the other two, to Judai, then followed after Amon.
"Can't wait to find out what you decide!" Jim said a bit too cheerfully before joining Amon and O'Brien.
"Yuki Judai… I've never heard of someone forgetting everything upon arriving here, but maybe it means something good. You seem… unique, at least." Johan noted before being the last to leave.
Judai's eyes followed Johan before the Elite disappeared around the corner. Something felt unique about the four of them as well, but Judai couldn't pinpoint what.
"Uhhh, h-hey…"
Judai felt a tug on his uniform jacket and looked down at Sho. His eyes didn't stay long before he noticed there were other people present. He hadn't realized a small group of students formed behind him, watching as if his talk with the Elites was some kind of show to them. He hadn't considered his actions were that much of a spectacle in Mobius. Around one corner, even Manjoume was keeping a close eye on Judai. And around the other… a gray haired boy quickly walked away.
"Woah man, you just made demands to the Elites."
"Wanting to leave right after getting here… he must be in so much denial."
"Oof, tell me about it."
Judai and Sho looked at each other.
"I have a feeling you're about to be the new 'hot topic' around here." Sho claimed.
"Hopefully not for long." Judai remarked. "Uh, are there classes to get back to?"
"Yeah, but no one gets in trouble for not going. It's wholly optional, but you're not likely to get back home if you don't improve. Uh, your case is obviously different though." Sho explained.
"Oh, that's pretty sweet actually. You won't mind missing the rest of classes today, would you?" Judai asked.
"H-huh? Why?" Sho wondered.
"'Cause I need a tour guide. I should at least see the rest of this place, yeah? Get a hefty info dump and whatnot." Judai clarified.
"B-but you said you'd leave me alone after I took you to the Elites!" Sho protested.
"And this time I'm giving you the option. I'd like for you to do it since you're the first and only person I know here, but you can say no. I did kinda drag you along after all." Judai said and rubbed the back of his head.
Sho just stared at the brunet. He was the first and only person Judai knew in Mobius, and they really only knew each others' names. Sho had to admit he didn't actually have any friends in Mobius himself. He didn't talk to many people and he already had a reputation for being shy. Plus he tended to scare people off when he got aggressive. But Judai… Judai wanted Sho to give him a tour. Judai was done using Sho, but was now asking for more help instead of forcing him. Judai could have walked away and asked literally anyone else, but it was still Sho he wanted help from. Sho could actually be useful for once. It made the boy feel nervous in a strange way and he had to look away.
"I'll… I'll show you around." He agreed. "I've been here awhile so I know a lot about this place, but obviously not everything. If there's something I can't explain properly then just ask an NPC. That's what they're meant for after all."
"Thanks again, Sho. Glad I have someone to help me out." Judai said with a smile.
Sho tensed up and adjusted his glasses. "R-right. You seem… a bit too chipper about all this though."
"Oh, I do? Sorry. Maybe that's just the way I am. Or, at least I don't have a reason to be depressed. Or… one that I know about. Man, this is confusing."
Sho chuckled a bit. "Nah, I think more genuinely happy people are a good thing to have around here. Liven the place up a bit, ya know? Anyway, follow me. We'll start with the school and then go to the city when school ends."
"City? There's a whole city?!" Judai questioned as he followed behind Sho.
"Yeah. It's important we have other places to go other than school. Just because we're here for recovery doesn't mean we shouldn't be able to live normal lives. I mean, there's definitely nothing normal about this place, but being able to go shopping or walk through a park makes everything feel normal, even if just for a bit." Sho said. "Oh, we even have apartments too. Now that I think about you, you probably didn't get the run down on that if you don't remember anything. We could probably ask an NPC where you're supposed to stay."
"Living in an apartment, huh… Now would be a really good time to remember if I have a family I live with or not." Judai grumbled.
"Oh… yeah you have no way of knowing what your life was like. Anything's possible, especially since you came here, but… I… I hope you have a loving family to go back home to."
Judai glanced at Sho. The shorter teen was looking at him, but his eyes felt a bit distant. Like he was lamenting something.
"About that, what's going on on the outside? That Johan guy said time flows differently here. When I leave, will I go to right before I got here no matter how long has passed?"
"I'm not really sure. I haven't aged a day since I got here, and no one else has as far as I've noticed. I doubt we would go back and it be years in the future, especially with what was about to happen before we all arrived here."
"Wait, just how old are you, Sho? You look like a little kid."
Sho glared at Judai for a moment.
"Everyone says that… But I was sixteen when I got here. It's been… uh, maybe three years so I think I'm nineteen now. There's others who got here even younger and have been here even longer, so never trust that someone is as young as they look. Although, you're obviously as young as you look, since you just got here. You're probably the same age as me. Uh, at least physically."
"No way! So you're an adult! Three years feels like such a long time to be here too. And… even longer for some people, huh? Does it really take that long to get better?"
"I don't really know if I'd consider myself an adult. We don't exactly get the same life experience here that we would on the outside. Just being nineteen doesn't mean I'm any more mature than I was when I got here. Although… I suppose our classes do help us handle things in a mature way. It's not like I know about taxes though, hahah. Uh, but anyway. Everyone goes at their own pace. I knew about someone who went back after only, like, ten months of being here. Just depends on the person and how bad they're doing. You tend to get used to this place too. Even if you're pretty much fully recovered, it's not just about that. You also have to actually be ready to go back into the real world. And, well, like I said… you tend to get used to this place."
"I'll be here for a while then, huh…"
"You can't know that. I mean, the Elites already agreed, if you can't recover your memories and decide not to stay, they'll let you go back. But, you can stay if you want. The whole point of this place is to stay until you're ready to go back. I'm sure that applies even in your case. It's whenever you're ready."
Judai stopped in the hall and Sho stood beside him.
"When I'm ready, huh…"
Would Judai ever be ready?
Sho escorted Judai around the rest of the school. There really wasn't much to see in just the school alone. It felt like a completely normal high school, even if it was a bit too clean and everything felt a bit too perfectly in its place.
There was a large library filled with self help books. It didn't appear to have anything the average library would have though, like fiction books or math books or anything relating to a different subject. There were a couple students sitting around reading, but it looked like most people just checked out books and left. Judai had to wonder where all the books came from.
Out in the hallway there was a bulletin board covered in club posters that they walked by. It wasn't for anything along the lines of chess or photography club. It kind of disturbed Judai that they were for different forms of abuse. There was bullying, PTSD, self harm, eating disorders, and many, many others. That must have been the private after school sessions that Sho mentioned. They took the form of clubs at Kishimai. Judai did suppose talking about those kinds of personal things in class might have been embarrassing. In a club where everyone was going through the same type of thing, it was probably easier to talk stuff out. Judai wondered what club Sho went to, and if there was one he himself belonged in.
Continuing on, they reached the gym. It seemed a bit unorthodox though. There were no bleachers, but it seemed like there was a running track just outside. There was a shelf full to the brim with rolled up mats. Sho had to explain that gym wasn't really about playing sports so much as it was about yoga and meditation. Students still played sports when they wanted to, but no one was forced to do that. They also ran laps sometimes, but everything seemed optional. No one did anything they didn't want to, and although Sho admitted to not being very fit, he did admit that sometimes a lap or two around the track helped clear his mind.
By the time the vast majority of the tour was over, Judai realized a lot of students he passed seem to stare at him. Had word spread around about Judai's confrontation with the Elites? They didn't exactly seem intimidating, but he wasn't sure what their impression was to the rest of the student body. Maybe what he did was just seen as disrespectful to the Elites. Were people going to be mad at him for making demands of them then?
Sho brought Judai back to their classroom, which Judai noticed was class 2-5. So he was a second year. He really must have been sixteen then. The classroom was empty, save for Sho's bag that was left at his desk. That must have been why Sho brought them back there. Judai went ahead and sat back down in his desk, staring out the window as Sho picked up his bag.
"Do you have a club you need to go to?" Judai asked.
"Huh? No, I don't go to a club." Sho answered.
"Why not? Aren't they supposed to help? Like, where you get the majority of that help." The brunet wondered.
"I, uh… just feel weird about it. Clubs aren't mandatory and I don't… wanna talk about things with other people. Groups sessions just don't help me. I prefer reading things in the library and recovering by… well, by having freedom I guess. Not thinking about it helps me more is what I feel." Sho explained.
Judai noticed Sho was avoiding eye contact. He felt having freedom was a way for him to recover. That seemed so strange to Judai. He wasn't going to question how anyone chose to recover, but it made him curious as to what freedom could help with.
"Sho… what did you go through?"
The shorter teen tensed up and clutched his bag close to his chest. It was painful, but he wanted to speak. He wanted to answer Judai. He wanted to actually talk to someone, even if Judai wouldn't understand. He wanted to tell someone he could trust, but the words were stuck in his throat. There were too many of them trying to escape at once. He didn't know where to start. How to start. It was embarrassing and sudden, but he made the snap decision that he wanted to get it all out. Three years of silence had built up and he needed to release it all, but nothing would come out.
"How dare you break the most fundamental rule of Mobius!!"
The classroom door flung open and Manjoume burst into the room, startling the other two boys.
"Who the hell do you think you are, disrupting class and running out to confront the Elites and making demands to them! Then breaking the sacred rule of Mobius?! You don't run this damn place!" Manjoume shouted.
"M-Manjoume… w-were you eavesdropping?!" Sho exclaimed.
"Huh? Uh, n-no! I would never do something so low!" Manjoume suddenly denied.
"Yeaaah, I think you were eavesdropping." Judai said. "But, what do you mean by the sacred rule?"
"I wasn't-!! Wait, right! You don't know! Wait, no! That doesn't excuse it! It should still go without saying!!" Manjoume continued to yell.
"Uh, what's he talking about?" Judai asked Sho.
Sho simply sighed. "The number one main rule in Mobius… is that you don't ask about other people's trauma. You just… don't. It's incredibly rude and inappropriate. We're all here because we almost killed ourselves over what we've gone through. It's our innermost personal secret. Clubs meet in private so no one is able to tell what kind of trauma people have just by seeing what club they go into. Everyone in clubs also takes an oath to never reveal who's in their club. Coming out on your own and telling someone what you went through is seen as a sign of deep, everlasting trust. You only tell it to someone you trust in more than even yourself. And even then, most people wouldn't tell anyway."
Judai went wide eyed. He didn't know that, and yet in hindsight he realized it really was a rude thing to ask. He asked Sho to tell a practical stranger what drove him to want to kill himself. That indeed was incredibly rude of him. He wished he could take it back, and yet, it looked as though Sho was going to tell him anyway. Sho said it was something told only to the most trusted people, but Sho appeared like he was trying to give Judai an answer. Maybe Sho was just having a hard time telling Judai it was rude to ask and didn't want to seem rude back. He supposed there was no way to know what Sho was going to say since the other guy interrupted.
"I'm… I'm sorry Sho. That was careless of me." Judai muttered.
A tiny smile formed on Sho's face. "It's okay, really. You didn't know."
Judai wanted to argue that it wasn't okay, but Sho was willing to overlook it, so Judai should just be thankful for that.
"Who… who are you anyway? Man-… something, right?" Judai inquired.
"It's Manjoume-san! Jun Manjoume-san! Get it right!" Manjoume corrected.
"Uh, right… Manjoume-san." Judai quietly responded.
"What are you doing in here anyway? I thought you were in the 'go home' club." Sho questioned, his tone sounding uncharacteristically harsh.
"I'm making sure this weirdo doesn't cause any more problems! Someone needs to keep an eye on him!" Manjoume claimed.
"H-huh…?" Judai got a goofy wide eyed look on his face.
"If anyone needs to do that then it'll be me, so you can butt out. Got that?" Sho decided.
"Watch your damn tone, kid! You're speaking to the class rep!" Manjoume ordered.
"I'll use whatever damn tone I want. And you're not the rep. No one is. You appointed yourself that title. And just because you're a year older than me doesn't mean you can tell me what to do and call me a kid. We're both still the same age in here." Sho argued.
Judai just looked back and forth between the two of them. They really seemed to go at it. Judai had to wonder if they had a history together. It surprised him how aggressive Sho seemed to get too. The little guy appeared so shy at first.
A knock on the wall made the two quiet down.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Yuki Judai."
The boys turned their heads to see three girls walk into the classroom. The girl in front had long dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She seemed to carry herself rather elegantly. The two girls behind her had black and auburn hair and they both looked a bit overly curious.
"Uh… that's me." Judai announced, accepting that name as his own whether it was true or not.
"A-A-A-Asuka-san…" Sho stuttered at the sight of her.
"T-Tenjoin-kun…" Manjoume muttered, his eyes completely fixated on the blonde
"Oh, Manjoume-kun. You're still here." Asuka noted.
Manjoume felt his heart flutter at the sound of his name coming out of her mouth.
"Judai, I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind." Asuka said as she walked up to Judai's desk, a bit of static appearing around her feet with each step.
"I don't mind at all. But, uh… who are you?" Judai asked.
"Guh, ah- who are- No, no! He's new, it's understandable! Gaaah! You have no idea whose presence you're in! She's Tenjoin Asuka! The most gorgeous girl in all of Kishimai High- No! In all of Mobius!! You must grovel before her! Grovel!!" Manjoume extravagantly explained.
Everyone just stared at him.
"How many times do I have to tell you to please not grovel, Manjoume-kun?" Asuka complained.
"Actually, do grovel. That way I can step on your head." Sho said.
"You are an evil, evil little child." Manjoume angrily muttered.
The two glared at each other as Asuka simply sighed.
"Anyway, Judai, I heard you demanded that the Elites return you home after you just got here." Asuka said.
So the gossip was spreading like wildfire.
"Uh, yeah. I did." Judai responded.
"Care to tell me why? I haven't been able to get that info from anyone."
"Sure, but… why do you care?"
They all stared at Judai. Asuka didn't expect him to be so blunt.
"Ah, because…" Asuka glanced over her shoulder at her two friends. "Because I want to go home too."
It was Asuka's turn to get stared at.
"A-Asuka-sama?!" Her two friends exclaimed.
"If you wanted my help with that then… I'm afraid you're probably not gonna get it. I agreed to wait a while before deciding if I really do wanna go back. I mean, I know I do, but I'm giving this place a chance anyway." Judai told her.
"Giving this place… a chance?" Asuka repeated. "What do you mean by that?"
"Judai can't remember anything about himself, nor what caused him to come here. Ya know, beside the obvious. That's why he wants to go home." Sho explained.
"You can't remember? Not a single thing?" Asuka looked taken aback at the idea.
Judai shook his head. "I don't even actually know if my name is my name. But, since I can't remember, that's why the Elites asked I wait. In case I do remember something or find some kinda use for this place."
"Spooky!" The raven haired girl commented.
"Poor guy." The auburn haired girl added.
"Tenjoin-kun… I didn't know you were ready to leave." Manjoume said.
"Technically it's been determined I'm not. But I want out anyway." Asuka clarified.
"Wait, what? Don't you have to finish recovery first?" Judai wondered.
"You don't need to know about that. It's none of your business." Asuka refused to answer.
"Yeah, Judai! I already told you to watch your mouth!" Manjoume added.
Judai immediately shoved a hand over his mouth.
"And I told you to lay off of him. He just got here. He doesn't know any better." Sho demanded.
He and Manjoune glared at each other again.
"You are new here, and you don't remember anything. You didn't mean anything bad, but do try to watch your words from now on." Asuka advised.
"R-right. But uh, what makes you think anything I know- or… did? Uh, would help you get outta here?" Judai responded.
"I was hoping if you could convince them to let you go back even if you're not deemed ready, then you could do the same for me." Asuka revealed.
Judai looked at her for a moment. "But… the chance of that working aside, what makes you think you can ask that of me?"
"You… really do have a rude personality, even if unintentional." She noted.
"Saying that seems kinda rude to me…" Sho muttered.
The static at Asuka's feet flickered.
Judai looked around at the group, coming to a conclusion. "I think… we're all kinda rude."
The group glanced at each other before Asuka let out a chuckle, surprising the other three and her friends as well.
"Maybe you're right. Let's just drop the expectation of formalities then. Is there nothing you can do, Judai?" She said.
"To be honest with you, I just wanna get myself out, and as soon as possible. I'm not really interested in making friends. Ah, as rude as that may seem. And if I'm stuck here and they won't let me go back, then there's no need for you to associate with me."
"I didn't say I wanna make friends. I said I wanna use you."
"And I said I don't think you can even if I'm okay with that."
Judai and Asuka simply stared at each other. A tension formed in the air that even the others could feel. They both had plain expressions on their faces, but Judai could sense something strong behind Asuka's eyes. It was getting stronger by the second.
"Kuri, kuri!"
Judai's eyes widened. Did he hear something?
"She's going to become a Digihead! Help her, kuri!"
"A-... a what?"
Asuka flinched and gripped at her chest. She felt a rage building inside her that she couldn't explain. She wanted to go home. She was tired of being trapped in Mobius. She couldn't get better, not in Mobius. She had to go home where she knew she could get the help she needed, and in the proper way. She couldn't run and hide anymore. She had to face her fears. But she wasn't deemed ready. But of course she wasn't ready, she would never get better in Mobius. She hated it. She hated being there. Judai was her best chance and he wasn't helping. She didn't care what she had to make him do. She was going to get his help whether she had to force it from him or not.
"Ngh, gah!" Asuka groaned as the tightness in her chest grew worse.
"A-Asuka-san?" Sho called out.
"You okay, Tenjoin-kun?" Manjoume worried.
"Help her!"
"But how?!" Judai questioned, unsure who he was talking to.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!"
Some kind of pulse emitted from Asuka, pushing everyone away and throwing them into the classroom wall. Judai groaned and sat up. He looked to Sho and Manjoume first, who both appeared to be struggling to get up. Asuka's friends were cowering in the corner and holding onto each other. Asuka, meanwhile, was clutching at her head and mumbling to herself in between short screams. There was what looked like static jumping around her.
"I have to go home. I have to go h-home. Agh, aaaagh!! Home… go home…"
"Help her, kuri!"
Judai slammed a fist into the wall behind himself.
"Tell me how, damn it! How am I supposed to help someone when I can't help myself here?!" He demanded as he got to his feet.
Everything around him suddenly froze and faded away, leaving just an area of black mist swirling around him. Before him appeared a small brown ball of fur. Two angel wings popped out of the back and big purple eyes opened wide. Green claws sprouted at the bottom and in the front, which stretched out.
"Kuri, kuri! Sorry for taking so long. I didn't expect your conviction to take that long to strengthen, kuri."
"Wh-what the hell…" Judai muttered.
He didn't know how much more strangeness he could take in one day.
"You need to help her achieve Catharsis or else she'll go on a rampage, kuri! You're the only one that can help her!"
Judai groaned and scowled at the creature before him.
"Screw that! I don't even know what's going on with myself!! I just wanna leave this place! I was thrown in here under the pretense that I was gonna kill myself and that's just- just stupid! I wanna remember who I am! I wanna know why I was brought here! The real reason I was brought here!" Judai shouted.
"Yes, yes! And?! We're almost there, kuri!"
"And I want everything to go back to normal!!"
Judai felt something sharp pierce through his chest and nearly knock him back. He couldn't breath from the pressure it formed on his chest. He looked down to see a spike poking out of his chest, right over his heart. The wound was covered in anemone flowers as if they were coming from inside him. He wanted to lift his hand up to touch it, to make sure he wasn't seriously injured, but a weight in his hand made him look over. Resting in his right hand was the hilt of a pitch black sword, a longsword to be exact. Judai couldn't see it, but small black angel wings had also sprouted from his back.
"Catharsis Effect achieved! It worked, kuri! Now please, help her do the same! It's the only way to stop her and protect the others!"
Judai looked from the sword to the creature. "Huh? B-but… what do I do?! How does this-... Wh-what is this?!"
"I can explain later! I don't have much time left, kuri! Just please, subdue her any way you can with your Catharsis Effect!"
And with that, the small creature poofed away and the world shattered, putting Judai back in the classroom with Asuka.
"C-Catharsis… Effect…" Judai glanced at the sword in his hand and grabbed the hilt with his other hand, brandishing it in front of himself. "I have no idea how to use this thing, but if it's what I gotta do then so be it!"
Black static pooled around Asuka's feet and traveled up her legs, forming a sort of armor over her legs. With unimaginable speed, she sprinted at Judai and jumped in the air. She brought her heel down, but Judai managed to block it in time, effectively stopping Asuka in her tracks.
"I-I blocked it?! I blocked it! Hell yeah!" Judai cheered.
He pushed his sword up and pushed Asuka back, who jumped away to distance herself from him.
"What's… going on?" Sho muttered as he got to his knees and adjusted his glasses.
Judai took the initiative next and charged at Asuka. He swung his sword, but she dodged it with her quick speed and counterattacked by kicking him in the face. It was a strong enough hit that Judai was thrown against the wall again, but easily regained his senses. He was surprised to find that it didn't hurt too bad. He would be able to fight without easily losing, that was certain at least.
"A-are Judai and Tenjoin-kun fighting…?" Manjoume wondered as he rubbed his sore head.
"I think, but… where did Judai get a sword from?" Sho responded.
"Hey, c'mon! Snap out of it! I don't wanna hurt you!" Judai called out.
"Home… home… must… go home. Fu-Fubu… ki… come… home…"
"Fubuki?" Judai curiously repeated.
He didn't have time to think on it since Asuka charged at him again. This time Judai made sure to dodge as well. He was rather proud of himself for catching on quick to whatever was going on. Unfortunately, he wasn't prepared for Asuka's second attack. She kicked him again and he collided with the wall next to Manjoume.
"Judai!" Manjoume and Sho exclaimed.
He groaned and got to his feet again. "K-keep your heads down!"
He swung at Asuka the moment she attempted to kick him again. Their blows collided and they both backed up. Despite feeling out of breath, Judai gave her no chance to regain herself and lunged his blade at her. Again, she dodged. Judai cursed her speed. She was so quick and seemed to know what she was doing. Meanwhile Judai had a large sword that was slow to swing. The disadvantage was obvious. He'd have to find a way to get the upper hand.
Then he remembered Asuka's friends. He glanced at the girls for just a split second while blocking another of Asuka's kicks. They were still there, looking terrified out of their minds.
"Hey, you two!" Judai called out to get their attention. "Distract her!"
The girls stared at Judai, then each other. Asuka was their friend, they had to do something to help her and so they hesitantly got to their feet.
"A-Asuka-sama!"
"Hey, Asuka-sama! Over here!"
"Junko… Momoe…"
Asuka turned her attention from Judai to her friends. They immediately flinched as Asuka honed in on them and they grabbed ahold of each other. Asuka dashed at them and Judai took the opportunity to jump on one of the few desks still standing upright. He launched off it, pointing the tip of his blade at Asuka's back.
"I'm sorry if this hurts, Asuka!!"
Judai's sword pierced through Asuka's chest, right through her heart. Amaryllis petals fluttered out of the wound and fell to the ground.
"G-gah! Take… me… home…"
"Catharsis Effect achieved, kuri!"
Judai pulled his sword out, not noticing that it remained completely bloodless. A spike remained in Asuka's chest where she was stabbed, Amaryllis flowers hanging off of it. The black armor on Asuka's legs transformed. Their figure was sleeker and looked like boots that reached up past Asuka's skirt. At the bottom, under her feet, they looked like ice skates. It was hard for Judai to get a good look at them, since they faded away completely. Even the static around her faded away too. Judai felt a weight lift from his arm and looked down to realize his sword had disappeared. He couldn't tell, but his wings were gone as well.
"Asuka-sama!" Junko and Momoe exclaimed.
Asuka fell forward and the two girls caught her, struggling to hold her up. She must have been unconscious. At least, Judai hoped that was the case.
"Judai!! What the hell did you do?! You stabbed her!" Manjoume shouted.
Judai was whirled around by Manjoume, who grabbed the front of his uniform jacket and shook him.
"W-woah, hey! What about me?! She kicked me into the wall! Like, three times!" Judai protested.
"She's not bleeding." Momoe assured them.
The boys looked down to see that Momoe and Junko let Asuka lay on the floor, her head resting on their legs. Manjoume let out a sigh and released his grip on Judai.
"But there was a weird spiky thing in her chest. It's gone now though." Junko informed them.
"Spiky thing? Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!!" Judai shouted.
He pulled on the collar of his shirt to look down it, seeing a small spike poking out over his heart. It had somehow gotten smaller so it wasn't protruding through his clothes, but it was still present. It was strange how there wasn't a hole through his clothes though. He tried to pull his shirt collar down, but it wouldn't go far enough. He forgot he was wearing a button up and could just undo the buttons, so he lifted his shirt up to show everyone.
"I've still got mine! See?! Maybe hers is still there!" Judai revealed.
Manjoume looked dumbfounded while Junko and Momoe covered their eyes and Sho's face turned completely red.
"Alright, that's weird as hell, but put your shirt down, dumbass." Manjoume demanded.
"Huh? Oh, sorry." Judai apologized and fixed his shirt, realizing that was probably unnecessary.
"D-does it hurt?" Sho asked, finding himself unable to look at Judai.
"No, it doesn't actually. In fact, none of the fight really hurt too bad either. I would think half my bones would be broken from that." The brunet answered.
"That's… really weird. This whole thing is really weird. Gah! This whole day has been really weird!" Manjoume shouted and yanked on his own hair.
A gasp from Momoe made the boys look down. They realized Junko had undone Asuka's uniform jacket and the top button of her shirt, making Sho and Manjoume flinch even though they couldn't see what the girls could.
"Look away!!" Momoe shouted at them.
They both turned around, but Judai was simply confused. Not wanting to get in trouble, he turned around as well.
"Her spiky thing is still there too." Junko revealed.
"What does it mean?" Sho wondered.
"Ca-Catharsis… Effect…" Judai muttered.
"Huh? What?" Manjoume questioned.
"Catharsis Effect! You guys didn't hear the little fuzzy thing's voice?" Judai repeated.
Manjoume and Sho stared at Judai.
"You're just crazy, that's what it is. You are absolutely, completely bonkers. You've lost every single possible marble you ever coulda had and that's why you don't remember shit! You've fucking lost it!" Manjoume complained.
"Hey! You should know well enough that's not stuff you say to someone! Especially not here! He's not crazy! I-I trust Judai. Something really weird is going on here, but it's not his fault." Sho defended Judai.
"Sh-Sho…" Judai couldn't believe Sho claimed to trust him. "Y-yeah, it's not like I have any idea what's going on either. But… you guys really didn't hear that thing?"
Manjoume groaned. "Alright, alright. What did it say?"
"Uh, like, stuff about a Catharsis Effect and that I had to save Asuka. That was really kinda it." Judai explained.
"Well I didn't hear anything like that." Sho said.
"And neither did I." Manjoume added.
Junko and Momoe looked at each other before shaking their heads. They didn't hear a voice either.
"But… it told you to save Asuka-sama, right? Whatever it is, it must be a good thing." Momoe suggested.
"...I hope…" Judai muttered.
"Ngh…"
Everyone looked down to see Asuka stir for a moment before opening her eyes.
"Asuka-sama!" Junko and Momoe happily called out.
"Tenjoin-kun, you okay?!" Manjoume asked.
Asuka slowly sat up and rubbed her head. "What… what happened?"
"Do you not remember?" Judai questioned.
She shook her head. "I got really angry, and then… nothing." Asuka glanced down at herself and realized her shirt was unbuttoned. "Why is my- What the hell is that?! What is that?! Why is it in me? What the hell?!"
"Asuka-sama, calm down!" Junko tried to tell her.
"Asuka, don't worry. I don't really get it, but I've got one too." Judai assured her.
Asuka looked up to see that Judai unbuttoned part of his shirt and pulled it aside, revealing the small spike in his own chest.
"W-what is it?" She asked.
"I think it's our Catharsis Effect. What that means though, I dunno." He answered.
"Catharsis… Effect…" She quietly repeated.
"This whole thing is seriously confusing…" Manjoume sighed.
"That's alright. All that matters is that we get home." Judai said.
"We?" Asuka repeated again.
"Yeah! You and me, Asuka, we're gonna go home. We'll get out of Mobius, together!" He told her with a smile.
The brunet held a hand out to Asuka and she looked at it for a moment before reaching out her own hand. Judai took her hand and pulled her up to her feet, Junko and Momoe standing up with her.
"Yeah, we will." She agreed, a smile forming on her face as well.
"Hey, sorry for another personal question, but do you go to a club?" He suddenly asked.
"Huh? N-no, I don't." She said.
"Okay then! We'll be our own club, the Go-Home Club!" He decided.
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
"Go home clubs are what you say when you don't actually have a club. It's just an excuse, not a real club." Sho noted.
"Doesn't mean we can't make it a real club! What do ya say, Asuka?" Judai said.
Asuka chuckled slightly. "I would love to be in the Go-Home Club with you, Judai."
"Awesome! But, uh… I think it might take a little while. I do still wanna learn more about this place, and now that weirder than usual things are happening, I'm curious about that too."
"That Catharsis thing, huh?"
"Yeah, that Catharsis thing. I wanna know what it is, and what these spikes mean. And what happened to you. You did practically try to kill me after all."
"H-huh? I did? What exactly… did I do?"
"You really don't remember, Asuka-sama?" Momoe wondered.
"You got all kicky and staticy and your legs turned black!" Junko tried to explain.
Asuka just stared at them. "I… think I would rather not know."
"It was definitely scary. Are you sure you're not hurt, Judai? And there's nothing wrong with you, is there, Asuka-san?" Sho inquired.
"I told ya, I'm surprisingly not hurt at all." Judai reassured him.
"Other than this thing in my chest nothing seems off." Asuka said.
"Agh, let's just hope things don't get any weirder." Manjoume said.
"Yeah, maybe we can ask the Elites. See if they know anything about this." Judai suggested.
"I doubt that. I mean, asking them. Uh, at least for right now. They stay in the Student Council room all day after school hours." Sho explained.
"What? And never come out?" Judai wondered.
"Tch, yeah! I think they live in there. I bet that room's way bigger than it looks. They don't come out for anything." Manjoume added.
"You'll have no luck talking to them after school hours unless they call you to meet with them. You can try tomorrow morning, but you'll get nowhere today." Asuka said.
"Ugh, tomorrow. Okay. We're probably trespassing by staying here this long anyway, huh." Judai assumed.
"No, actually." Junko said. "You can stay on campus as long as you want. But you probably might wanna check out your apartment and the rest of the city. You did just get here after all."
"Yeah, take your time if that's what you wanna do, Judai. I've been here for five years, I can wait another couple weeks or so. At least I have a chance to leave now." Asuka assured him.
"Thanks, Asuka. I promise I'll do what I can when I can." Judai swore.
"Right, we'll see you boys tomorrow then. And sorry for whatever trouble I caused." She said.
"Hey, everyone's okay so it's no big deal!" He said.
She waved at them and turned around to walk out of the classroom, Junko and Momoe following behind her.
"Great, now people are grouping me up with you." Manjoume grumbled.
"Oh? But aren't we friends now?" Judai teased.
"Hell no! I don't wanna be friends with you. Or the shrimp over here." Manjoume protested.
"You know I'm at the perfect height to inflict many painful things, right?" Sho threatened.
"You're tiny, I'm not scared of you. Ugh, anyway, I'm going home." Manjoume said.
"Wait, couldn't we walk together?" Judai suggested.
"Don't you wanna look around the city or whatever? I need a nap after that shit." Manjoume responded as he started to leave the room.
"It's okay, Aniki. You don't need to associate with a jerk like him anyway." Sho said.
"...Aniki?" Judai curiously repeated.
"Huh?" Sho flinched. "O-oh, uh… I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to call you that!"
Judai chuckled. "It's fine. I like it even. Aniki… Yeah, I'm Aniki!"
Judai smiled and Sho put his hands over his eyes. It was too embarrassing for him. He couldn't believe he said that out loud.
"Oh, uh, shouldn't we do something about the classroom? Won't we get in trouble for leaving it like this?" Judai wondered.
Sho looked around at the room. The desks were strewn all over the place as if a tornado passed through.
"No, it's okay. It'll go back to the way it was before once we leave. Mobius is weird like that." Sho explained.
"Ah… okay then. Well, show me around the city a bit. I'd like to get my mind off the weird things." Judai requested.
"Same here. Let's go." Sho agreed.
The duo walked out of the classroom and Judai thought he heard the sound of furniture rustling. He turned around to see all the desks back in their original places. Even though Sho told him that would happen, it still creeped him out. He caught up with Sho to get further away from the room.
Mobius really was weird, but Judai had to wonder what made it work. Where was it anyway? Obviously the real world was called 'the real world' and 'the outside' for a reason. Wherever Mobius was, it had to be some kind of fake place. Did that mean someone made it? And if so, who had that kind of power? Clearly some things in Mobius were of the supernatural variety. Maybe some kind of otherworldly being made Mobius as a way for it to help humans. The Elites had to know something about that, but he wondered if they would ever be willing to tell him.
There was no use thinking about it now. It didn't matter to Judai anyway. He was going to leave as soon as possible and that was what he needed to focus on.
On the third floor, in the student council room, the four Elites sat at a large table together. In the middle of the table was a cat bed. Sleeping inside was a small purple creature. It appeared catlike, but with raccoon hands and a large crystal at the end of its tail. Standing before the Elites was the principal, giving out the daily report.
"Now, let's see here…" The man continued. "There was a Digihead report in class 2-5. The fourth one this week."
"Fourth? What's going on with everyone?" O'Brien wondered.
"Do you think we should do something to lift everyone's spirits? Like a pep rally maybe?" Johan suggested.
"Ooh, I like the sound of that." Jim agreed.
"I don't think there's any reason for us to worry about that yet." Amon commented.
"Can you really be so sure about that? Usually there's a Digihead maybe once a month. There's been four just this week." O'Brien rebutted.
"I mean, I think we should be more worried about the rats in our basement first." Amon clarified.
"We have rats? And a basement?" Jim questioned.
"Jim…" Amon groaned.
"Ehehe, not the time for joking?" Jim nervously rubbed the back of his head.
"But… we still can't confirm anything like that is actually going on…" Johan said.
"Which is why we need to take a more active role. Lady Ruby chose us as her proxies for a reason. If someone's trying to start something in Mobius then we need to cut them off at the source." Amon explained.
The other three glanced at each other.
"Do you think that new guy has something to do with this?" O'Brien suggested.
"Judai? He just got here though. How could he have something to do with an issue that's been going on the whole week?" Johan wondered.
"Hm, maybe he's not the source… but maybe he's another symptom. If he came here without memories, what if it's the same thing for the next kid? And then the next, and then the next." Jim considered.
"But who, or what, would have the power to do that?" O'Brien questioned.
"Are the rats getting stronger, perhaps? Or did we underestimate them?" Amon thought aloud.
"Lady Ruby, any words of wisdom?" Johan requested.
The creature asleep on the table didn't budge.
"Guess she's still tired. Best to let her rest, we can ask her later. Don't need Mobius collapsing on us after all." Jim advised.
"That's the least of our worries…" Amon muttered as his eyes focused on the door.
As the conversation died down, a gray haired boy on the other side of the door walked away.