Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        Two bright yellow eyes blinked open to a strange world. A world framed by the rose brown hair hanging low over them. A small hand lifted itself to brush away the hair obscuring the view.

        The strange world looked like an ancient temple. Pillars stood tall to support a massive, almost domed roof. The four walls were almost entirely stained glass, forming intricate images of flora, fauna, humans, and countless unknown creatures of all sizes, shapes, and colors. But the most prevalent image was a butterfly on the ceiling, large and dazzling with every color to ever exist painted on its brilliant wings. The silhouette of such a creature was on the floor.

        Something said it should’ve been overwhelming. That normally it would hurt to see such violently bright colors. But something about this place was simply too calming -- too peaceful -- to allow for such a thing.

        A man stood at the center of the silhouette; on the taller side, but not quite imposing. His long, dark hair was tied back, swaying in a feather-light breeze. He wore a white turtleneck shirt and brown slacks, and his black blazer sported embroidered designs of silvery plants and blue and gold butterflies, not unlike what decorated the windows. He wore a mask shaped like a butterfly’s wings, white gold with black veins, and spots of blue outlining the undersides of the eye holes, where soft brown eyes gazed at the bright yellow ones before him.

        “Welcome; it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

        The man’s deep, almost gentle voice compelled the yellow-eyed guest to stand, albeit on shaky legs. They could see their body, small and slightly tanned. The floor was icy under bare feet, despite soft clothes keeping the rest of such a small body warm.

        Oh right. She was also a girl. A young, yellow-eyed, rose brown haired girl.

        There was someone else behind her. A man she wasn’t sure she recognized. His hair was black and a bit long and shaggy, and his clothes were torn up and covered in blood, especially the pale shirt he wore. Rather than merely asleep, he looked unconscious from injury; she’d almost think him dead if not for the occasional shifting of the heavy chains all over his body. She couldn’t get a very good look at his eyes, but they seemed to be trying to open.

        “Who are you?… Where am I?” a small voice came from the girl’s throat as she turned back to the man in the mask.

        His lips quirked up in some form of a smile. “I am Philemon, a dweller between consciousness and unconsciousness. I invited you both to my domain. Now tell me, if you are able, who might you be?”

        She didn’t know if she’d be able to answer. She couldn’t remember anything beyond what she looked like. The girl racked her brain for something, anything , that could be what the strange man asked for. Images crossed her mind -- other faces, other people, other names -- but not quite her own.

        “Gakushu… Ren… Natsu… Teppei… Seo… where are all of you?” she asked herself, a slight lisp making itself known.

        “I’m grateful for your accommodations, Ms. Nikija.”

        “Hope you don’t mind me taking him off your hands, Yasumi.”

        “Yasumi…” the name finally emerged. “Yasumi Nikija.”

        “Rea… per…” a voice pulled her attention to the injured man still on the floor, unable to stand but doing his utmost to answer. “No. Wait… Koro… Korosen… ai…? No, no… Korosen… sei… Koro-sensei.” A soft smile reached his eyes and his body relaxed.

        “Well done, both of you,” the masked man commended. “Not many can remember their identity in this realm. You both pass that test. But it seems you may also be aware of the many masks that you wear; the selves within you."

        "Masks?" the two echoed.

        "Of course. The masks you wear are what allow you to move through everyday life. You harbor numerous selves, which can be capable of boundless love, or merciless cruelty. You live by wearing different masks, and either of you might be wearing one of said masks right now. However, you both have a powerful grip on who you are, and the force of will that might let you show it. Be your true self a god, or a demon, the time is soon to reveal all. Now you must return, little ones, to your proper time and place.”

        “Wait,” Yasumi said, even as the world faded around her. “Can you at least tell me what’s wrong with him? Or why he’s in this state?”

        Philemon slowly shook his head, but his smile remained soft. “All will be known in due time, child. You just may be able to discover and rescue this peculiar Wild Card, along with those who walk alongside you.”

        The darkness slowly closed in, and all disappeared with it.

        “Goodbye, little one, and good luck.”

        A lot of things were changing now that the Big Five and the majority of their peers were going to Kunugigaoka High School. But some things, like their junior friend, were thankfully staying the same.

        Ms. Nikija was at least content with her daughter staying on the academy’s campus while she worked in the Junior High kitchens. She had certainly grown more relaxed with her daughter’s independence since meeting Gakushu and his friends. All the better for the high school first years. After all, Akabane was back and fully cemented as one of their classmates, and while he didn’t seem quite as volatile as he used to be, they still felt a little more comfortable having a friendly face to go to.

        They did probably have to explain her presence to the upperclassmen, though.

        “Are you even out of primary school, shrimp?” one of said upperclassmen asked her.

        She gave no answer, still doing her work.

        “Hey, I’m talking to you,” the larger student warned.

        “Don’t do that!” hissed Kondo, a girl from the Big Five’s class. “She’s with the Five.”

        “Your point?” he asked, his hand moving to close her laptop on her fingers, not noticing her free one headed for her bag.

        “They probably won’t like hearing you going after their friend, Taneda,” another upperclassman warned.

        “Besides, she has a --!”

        A black rod shot from her bag and lodged two screws in his palm. Loud buzzing crackles of electricity filled the air as he cried out in pain.

        “…Stun gun,” Kondo finished with a wince when it stopped. With hardly a glance, Yasumi pulled the black pipe away and kept it securely at her side.

        That, of course, was when Yasumi finally completed her assignment and decided to look up. “If there is anything I may be able to assist you with, please allow me to first complete my own school work. Just because I am not one of you does not and will not equal to me being any less of a student than any of you. I hope you are able to understand.”

        Taneda flinched back, gripping his twitchy arm. “Creepy chick,” he muttered, turning tail and running for the door. Kondo merely shook her head with a sigh and shooed away everyone else who was gathering, apologizing to Yasumi for the senpai’s behavior.

        She didn’t stay much longer, though. Yasumi had soon after packed up and left the library and went to wait for her friends, in their new little meeting place.

        It was a computer lab; a peaceful classroom that was almost never used even by other students, especially since the vast majority of what was there was relocated somewhere more convenient; there were only one or two computers per table when each could easily hold four or five. It had everything one would like for a quiet and out of the way haven. It had an immediate door outside, a quick route to the restroom, and was overshadowed by the library on one side with nothing else on the other. The moment the Big Five and their de facto sixth realized such a place had existed in the Senior High building, they were quick to unofficially claim it. Even though they didn’t usually use the unfortunate computers, it was still a fairly comfortable and private place to congregate without much of a chance of any unfriendly ears or eyes.

        Yasumi made herself comfortable at a table with her own laptop, content to research her particular fixations, counting the hours for classes to end and for Gakushu and the others to arrive as they always did so long as Akabane could be avoided.

        She still found it a bit difficult to get that peculiar long-haired man out of her head. He wasn’t a parent nor was he an officer or one of the throng of news reporters that invaded the boys’ middle school graduation. He simply watched from the outside as the vultures were pushed back and their targets escorted from under their view. If that mountain class boy’s little sister hadn’t acknowledged him, Yasumi herself might’ve not even noticed he was there. Normally, it would be fairly easy even for her to notice someone wearing such a peculiar and obvious butterfly/moth-themed mask, but his presence was a notch away from nonexistent.

        The little girl who noticed him first probably only did so because of the mask he wore. She remembered Ren and Gakushu telling her that the child seemed to be also on the spectrum, and had a fascination for insects and arachnids. When Yasumi realized he was there, it was a bit difficult to place exactly what sort of person he was. He just stood there, quietly smiling and watching the final End Class be escorted onto their bus by her friends before being driven away.

        She vaguely heard the door open. “Man, that was close.”

        Outside her bangs, she could see a thin, slouched figure slumping into a chair. A telltale sign of it being Natsu. (That reminds me, I should really remember to keep an extra comb or brush on hand. He still hasn’t yet learned how to properly care for his hair. That can’t be any better than a bird neglecting its feathers.)

        “Will the others be here soon?” she asked.

        “Hopefully,” the bespectacled student replied. “Some of the seniors were pretty upset after you tased someone. What was that all about, anyway?”

        “He was attempting to interrupt my work via closing the lid of my laptop over my hand. Given how he was far larger and undoubtedly stronger than myself, I did not wish to have his weight in any capacity pressing down on and possibly breaking both my computer and my fingers.”

        “That’s fair.”

        It didn’t take much longer for the others to arrive. Teppei stumbled into a chair like he’d just run a marathon. Seo stalked in to lean against the wall with a thunderous look on his face. Ren and Gakushu came in together, the former closing the door behind them.

        “Forgive us for being late,” the strawberry blond apologized.

        “We barely managed to lose Akabane in the halls with that girl latching onto you, buddy. Sorry I wasn’t able to help shake her,” Ren sighed, hopping onto a table. “Anything exciting happen while we were in class, Yasumi?”

        “Just needing to tase a not-so-welcoming senior,” Natsu replied. “She said the bastard tried to close her laptop on her fingers and was probably begging to get zapped anyway.”

        The other boys seemed to understand well enough. The Junior High kids who attended the main building didn’t have a problem with her due to Yasumi having been around them for a few years already. Some of the High School’s oldest students may not have known about her before or could’ve even forgotten her presence when they were younger.

        “By the way,” Yasumi noted. “Did any of you even notice the man in the mask at your graduation ceremony last March?”

        “Not that I can recall,” Gakushu replied, eyes narrowing in piqued interest. “Can you elaborate?”

        The girl jumped right in at the invitation. “I remember when you first told me about Sasura, the little girl that wandered onto the Junior High campus last year. She was the one to first point out the strange man for me to notice him, most likely due to his mask resembling a butterfly or moth’s wings. She called him ‘Mr. Swallowtail’ in reference to its color pattern.”

        “Yeah, Sasura probably knows every butterfly and moth pattern by heart,” Ren commented. “But a mask like that would normally stick out like a rose in a vegetable garden. How did we not notice?”

        “As much as the mask, and his hair being long enough to be in a ponytail, might stand out, he wasn’t terribly tall and his clothes could easily blend in with the other formal attire in and around the building. He would’ve been easy to overlook in the crowd with all the news reporters that invaded the ceremony as well, given how he was quietly standing back and observing rather than actively attempting to intrude.”

        “So this strange guest was of the polite sort, however uninvited,” Gakushu summarized, earning a nod from the rose brunette.

        “If this guy was that weird, why didn’t you tell us about him at the ceremony itself?” Seo asked with a sneer.

        Yasumi blinked at him; the answer should’ve been more than obvious.

        “We were a little preoccupied getting E-Class away from the tabloids, remember?” Teppei pointed out. “And while it sounds sketchy, the guy wasn’t doing anything harmful like the reporters were. There wouldn’t be any reason to point him out to us unless he actually was causing trouble.”

        Thank you for the elaboration, Teppei. I’m sure that answers your question, Seo?

        “…Oh… right,” Seo replied, ever the eloquent linguist.

        “In any case, there is the possibility this man can be found on Araki’s recording of the ceremony,” Gakushu remarked.

        Yasumi, unfortunately, shook her head. “Even in the slight possibility that he is there, not only is he behind a very large, camera-laden crowd, but the distance and angle at its most plausible still makes it nigh-impossible to get a proper visual.”

        The boys scowled at their luck, or lack thereof.

        “Dammit,” cursed the purple-eyed redhead, banging a clenched fist against one of the tables. He sighed. “So many mysteries to solve, without a single available lead to follow any of them. Unfortunately, our best bet is to confront them one at a time. We’ll likely have better luck with the End Class monster.”

        “How are we supposed to do that?” Natsu asked. “We’re bound to have Akabane breathing down our necks if we get anywhere near it after they somehow bought the estate on the mountain!”

        “But it’s unlikely that anyone will be guarding the area,” Teppei pointed out. “No matter how unstoppable those guys have become, they’re all still our age and nowhere near Asano and Sakakibara in status, no matter how they managed to get that money. Let’s not forget, Akabane has been essentially blind to Yasumi’s presence from the beginning.”

        Yasumi believed she could see where he was going. “We’ve never truly met, as many times as we might have crossed paths. At the very least, he might know who my mother is, which would provide a perfect reason to pay me no mind if he were to see me in proximity to the Middle School.”

        “So you’d be able to fly under his radar and head up the mountain!” Ren finished with a grin. But a few seconds later, it faltered into concern. “But it’s dangerous up there. There’s supposedly a really touchy beehive on the trail, some of the boulders can come loose and fall, the leaf litter’s crawling with snakes, and there’s a dangerously fast river up there with a downed bridge.”

        Natsu cringed at the thought. “One trail up and down, and it has a dozen ways to kill yourself! ”

        “Right, as if the final mountain class didn’t make it a fair bit safer after purchasing the mountain,” Yasumi commented. “As a matter of fact, I’m almost certain that aside from the beehive and perhaps the bridge, any dangers were merely planted in years previous and are no longer functional. After my school work is done tomorrow, I’ll gladly search the E Class building.”

        They should’ve been expecting such a debunk to their worries. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the boulders or snakes were planted just to kick the End Class on their way down the mountain for assemblies and such. 

        “Just be safe for us, Yasumi,” Teppei requested in concern. “And make sure to leave no trace that you were even there. We still don't know for sure if anyone goes up to check on that place, so I’d rather you not take any chances."

Chapter Text

        When Yasumi went to sleep, she found herself somewhere new.

        For one thing, the main thing she saw was blue. Everything was dressed in deep, rich shades of blue, and it looked almost like a large, opaque greenhouse of sorts. The floor she was laying on was covered in thick, soft, royal blue carpet. Jagged, silvery formations reminiscent of trees littered the area, bearing lanterns on the ends of their branch-like protrusions. Cloudy, hard to discern, but colorful shapes fluttered between the “trees” and through the walls, like birds crafted from morning fog. And all at the center of the strange room was a place where the “trees” twisted into shapes reminiscent of two couches and a coffee table, sheets of ultramarine covering and cushioning the couches.

        One of the two couches was occupied by a strange man.

        The one thing that first got Yasumi’s attention about him was his long, ibis-like nose. His glaring eyes were wide and bugged out in a way; owlish, almost. His ears were long and pointed, and his silver hair was bald at the top of his head. And yet, even with his black suit, he sat in the center of his couch as if it were the most natural thing in the world, gloved hands neatly folded over his crossed legs. He was even staring directly at her, patient yet expectant, and chuckled as she approached.

        “Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young lady. Please, have a seat.”

        Yasumi, still in awe of the place she was in, wordlessly complied, sitting on the empty couch across the odd man. The closer look allowed her to also see a woman standing behind the couch the man took. A kind and smiling woman with a long, dark brown pixie cut whose bangs just managed to reach her golden eyes. She was wearing a long, dark blue coat that had gold straps along the sleeves. The white-striped collar was tied shut with a neat little bow, and a wide, darker blue belt bordered with silver was fastened around her waist, but the gold-bordered coat was still open enough to show a silver crescent shape on a black shirt, with a bright yellow circle in its inner curve. A similar design was in her hair as a clip with a bit of blue ribbon peering out from beneath the crescent. She even wore dark blue slacks with ribbons tied around her ankles, above her dark shoes.

        “My name is Igor,” the man introduced himself. “I’m delighted to make your acquaintance. I believe this is the first time we’ve had a guest like yourself. This is Yuki, a resident of this place like myself.”

        “It’s wonderful to meet you,” the lady in question said cheerily, hugging a tablet to her chest. “I hope that we’ll be a big help, miss… um…”

        “Yasumi Nikija,” the teen introduced herself. “If I may ask, what exactly is this place? And what am I doing here?”

        Igor chuckled. “This is a place that exists between mind and matter, dreams and reality. Only those bound by a contract may enter; yours was issued by my master, Philemon, for another guest is unfortunately unable to show. The Room itself reflects the state of your heart, and yours is a very interesting one indeed; more welcoming to wandering spirits than any other guest I have encountered.”

        Yasumi took another look at the Velvet Room’s appearance. At all of the cloudy lights that splashed color against her cerulean surroundings. Like a giant Velvet Aviary. “I suppose… But it could just be that I’ve always seen things differently from others. It’s a shame I can’t see these wandering spirits as clearly as I can see birds or patterns in the clouds. Perhaps regular people see such things this way as well.”

        Igor hummed at the remark. “A very curious thought indeed… Yes, I’m sure that your journey will be a most memorable one. One for which our purpose will be explained at a better time. Until we meet again.”

        A strange haze took over her mind, and the velvet blue faded away to a deep, dark sleep.

        Yasumi was able to push aside the strange dream she had -- and the question of whether it could even be called as such -- long enough to concentrate on and complete her schoolwork, with the upperclassmen inexplicably letting her be. Probably because they finally got the memo that she was a) with the best of the best students to come from the Junior High, and b) armed with a self-defense weapon that she can easily whip out on a dime.

        Once her schoolwork was done, she turned to her phone’s messaging app, wisely choosing to ignore Ren’s most recent “wrong chat” message to his new girlfriend. ( Gakushu and I still have some work to do with Ren’s philandering, considering where that might eventually land him. At this point, I wonder if he’s actually attracted to girls in the first place. )

Storm Soldier
@everyone I’m heading up the mountain now.
Meet in our usual place and keep someone at the door on lookout.

        The response came surprisingly quick.

Master of Cameras
10-4, Yasumi. B safe

Academic King
Best of luck on your mission.
Now all except Yasumi, phones away.

        Yasumi couldn’t help a sigh, unsurprised that Gakushu would send a quick “good luck” message before telling the others to focus on their classes. Without another word, she headed for the usual computer lab, exiting through the door in the back, venturing towards the Junior High campus and the uphill slope beside it.

        On her little trek, the image of the Velvet Room wildly reared its head, and all the questions that came with it, tumbling out of her mouth in an endless whisper.

        “Where did that place even come from? Between dreams and reality? What on Earth does that even mean? It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no such place as between dreams and reality or mind and matter. And why a place where everything is blue?”

        She reached the bottom of the hill, still murmuring all of her unanswerable questions as she started climbing the mountain, up the path worn by so many people going up and down the mountain day in and day out.

        “What sort of person was that Igor supposed to be? And why did that Yuki woman seem so familiar? Didn’t there once be a teacher of that sort at the Junior High? I don’t remember seeing such a person. A mountain class teacher, perhaps? Then why would she be in the Velvet Room as an assistant? I may have a reason not to know her, but she should at least know about me via my surname if she did teach here.”

        She avoided the sound of buzzing when she heard the noise, continuing along a path littered with fallen, broken rocks. Some sported very unusual colors compared to the rest of the ground; others looked like they’d been cut from the earth. She couldn’t see any precariously looming boulders further up the hill, though.

        “What did Igor mean by all of those things he said? Contract? I don’t remember signing any contract of any kind. Master? Wasn’t his name Philemon? Who’s that supposed to be? And guests? Have other people seen that room before? Would I be able to find them to ask what they had to do with it? Could they help figure out why some other guest might not appear? And what sort of journey am I supposed to be going on that would require the involvement of such a place and such people? What did he mean by the Velvet Room reflecting the state of my heart? That looks nothing like a human heart; I saw no such image anywhere in that aviary of ghosts. Just that odd piano and singing, wherever that was coming from.”

        With the trail she was taking, Yasumi only found a couple of snakes in the leaf litter, all of which only poking their heads out from under rocks or logs. Though a rather incriminating couple of bugs impaled on a thorny branch suggested the beginnings of a shrike’s larder; a young one must’ve flown in recently from the other side of the mountain.

        That helped calm Yasumi’s thoughts about the Velvet Room, bringing her attention to the other birds chirping around her. She could hear the call of a bluebird or two, and a couple of swifts. And given the loud calls of various bluebirds, cuckoos, and swallows following and surrounding a much bigger shadow, it was easy to assume a passing goshawk was currently being mobbed.

        It would be a nice place for birdwatching at a more convenient time.

        The downed bridge was a very real problem, though. Or at least, it would be if it were a necessary part of the trail. She rose a brow after passing by an old wooden sign that read “shortcut” as she skirted alongside the river and continued her way up. The local water birds seemed pretty content that the invading girl was leaving them be anyway, and she was glad to observe them while passing through.

        Eventually, she reached the fence of poles around the old, wooden schoolhouse. A short, quaint little place with an old, shingled roof. A small section of the back looked relatively new, though, as if part of it were torn down and rebuilt. As she expected, no one was around. The place was already quite a ways from any reason to even approach the mountain. There was a highly unlikely chance that any but those who already once came here would go so much as to the border of the forest, and even that was slim.

        It wasn't particularly hard to get past the fence. Yasumi was able to slip through the widely-spaced bars with ease to approach the building. Strangely enough, for all the bad things that were said of this place, it was somewhere that any person like herself would adore. There was just something welcoming about the building, even as she had to seek out an abandoned open window to get inside. The windowsill was only as high as her hips; it was easily enough to climb over and hop in.

        You’d have thought the teachers and students who attended had only left for the day. There was a filled bookcase in the corner she climbed in next to, and the recycling bin and garbage can had some paper scraps and food wrappers in them. She spotted a calendar, a seating chart, and a few schedules on either side of the giant chalkboard, too. But weighted to the teacher’s podium was what she was really looking for.

        A photograph. Over thirty people stuffed into a single 16x10cm image, if a couple could even be called people. But between the human teachers in the back and the class of students was a creature unlike anything she’d ever seen. A giant, lemon yellow creature in a long black robe and a graduation cap, who had a wide and welcoming smile and a number of endlessly long, winding tentacle arms wrapped around anywhere from individual students to a handful at a time. Some looked a bit disgruntled in their positions, others didn’t seem to mind, but a fair many grinned like it was the best group hug in the world, some even hugging each other. Even the tiny image of a girl on a student’s phone seemed to be offering a smile to the camera, making a heart with her hands.

        In a way, the media was correct: this Class 3-E really did spend an entire year under the tutelage of a monster. But Yasumi’s theory was correct as well: monster he may be, but that creature was the best thing that ever could’ve happened to those kids. She could even see Akabane himself in the photo, -- the furthest thing from aggressive or intimidating -- alongside a blue-haired boy with another student holding onto either of their shoulders.

        One way or another, this place had to have been the happiest year of any of their lives.

        Yasumi took the photo and placed it in her bag. Looking around for anything else she could use but finding none, she climbed out the window, now on her way back down the mountain.

        “It’s more than obvious that this place housed a far more nurturing environment than the main building ever did. Perhaps if I introduce them sometime, the boys will actually grow to like this place themselves. Perhaps they’d understand how the children of the final End Class were better off than the ones who despised them so.”

        She reached the High School again to the same door she exited from, seeing Seo holding it open and having a seemingly heated discussion with the others inside. He was just leaning against the door, talking haughtily to the rest of the Big Five with his nose upturned and his eyes hooded shut. The ultimate position of arrogance.

        “What’s wrong with thinking she got caught? It’s not like she’ll get in trouble for it. Unless she went and spilled the beans like the retard she is,” -- the word brought Yasumi’s hand to her taser, slowly walking closer while his attention wasn’t outside -- “it wouldn’t be hard to say she was birdwatching or something.”

        The other guys inside turned to her almost the moment she silently stepped into view. Teppei quietly counted down with his fingers, mouthing the numbers.

        Three… two… one… go.

        “I mean, either that or she got sidetracked and that’s what she’s doing -- AGH!” Seo cried out when the screws of the taser zapped him in the side. “What the HELL!”

        “I’ve returned,” Yasumi said flatly, pushing through, “and I didn’t enjoy hearing that slur.”

        Gakushu sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. “Honestly, Seo, you really should remember that such language ought to be beneath your dignity.”

        “Sorry, Asano…” the other apologized before slumping into a seat.

        "You find anything, Yasumi?" Teppei asked, pushing up his glasses as she sat down.

        The girl nodded, reaching into her bag while the boys gathered expectantly. She drew out the photo she found and put it on the table between them. "This was a photograph that was found in the mountain classroom, on the teacher's podium. And the image is evidently not doctored."

        They all stared down at the grinning creature in the picture with wide eyes. Gakushu looked almost in awe, Ren holding onto his shoulder. Natsu touched the corner of the image in an almost delicate fashion, where a girl with glasses and braids was being hugged by a girl with green pigtails. Even Seo was rendered speechless, unable to leave any kind of snarky quip. It was like they couldn't even recognize the E Class as what they were intended to be. They knew the students, and they probably at least vaguely recognized the teachers in the background. But they never appeared to expect the most jumbled, haphazard, and happy class/family photo in the world.

        "Do you understand now, boys?" she inquired. "Do you know who was telling the truth now?" If she didn't know better, she'd think a few of them were crying from sadness.

        Teppei briefly removed his glasses to rub his eyes. "Absolutely," he replied wetly. "The media had seriously messed up this story, and that's coming from me."

        It was easy enough to see the gears whirring in Gakushu’s head. “All of those strange reports… the yellow octopus… the strange-looking man… possibly even the disembodied whispers… and the rise of the final End Class… No doubt this was the reason for all the strange phenomena at the end of the year.”

        “It all comes back to this so-called monster,” Ren concluded. “I know we’ve all seen him, at the very least in the assembly last year, but… it’s still hard to imagine something like this being hidden on the satellite campus.”

        “Given the structure of the school’s system itself, I have little reason to doubt that this teacher was one of, if not the only teacher to ever truly be in their corner,” Yasumi commented. “The classroom was quite clearly abandoned as well. It’s almost definite that this teacher didn’t live past your graduation.”

        He’s not dead, though, a small voice said in the back of Yasumi’s head.

        “Can’t say I’m surprised,” Natsu said glumly. “Considering the giant beehive barrier of doom and all-encompassing death laser from above, it’d be beyond a miracle if he made it out at all.”

        But he did. Just not in the way you’d think, the voice said again.

        “Why is that, I wonder?” pondered Gakushu. “What reason could they have for slaughtering a creature that lifted this class beyond their own expectations? You’d almost think he was the world’s most wanted criminal fresh out of his cell, if this didn’t prove otherwise.”

        Seo cringed. “You don’t think they blamed this thing for what happened to the freakin’ moon , do you?”

        The images hit her all at once in a bursting headache. The man in the mask, Igor’s face, Yuki, every single spirit in the Velvet Room. A different image was there, but it was too cloudy… too dark… she couldn’t figure it out.

        The effort was making the other images too bright and invasive. The boys were all pressing in too close with their huddling. Pain and fear were seizing her like shackles and chains wrapping all around her body and locking around her neck.

        “Wouldn’t surprise… Yasumi? Yasumi, is something wrong?” Teppei’s voice reached through the images and rang in her ears. Her bangs weren’t enough to shade her eyes from those damned fluorescent lights every single classroom she knew was doomed to have. She crumpled into a ball in her chair, burying her face in her knees and grabbing at her hair, her arms’ positions locking her legs together. Her skin itched and burned like acid were poured onto her body, every single muscle rattling underneath.

        Too loud… Too bright… Too close… Too much! Too fast!

        Her surroundings started to dim… someone was turning the lights off. It dimmed some more… the blinds, maybe? Someone tugged a hand away from her hair, but even its gentle hold seared her before something new was slotted into her palm. Her hand clenched around it tight.

        There was a soft click, and a buzzing, vibrating crackle reached her ears with a flickering light outside her field of view.

        Her hand relaxed, and it stopped. Her body recognized the object sooner than she did, and she lifted her eyes to where her taser sat in her hand. Her thumb pressed the button as her grip tightened, and the electricity made it rattle in her grip while the flashing sparks mesmerized her. When her grip loosened, the button popped back into place, the current stopping and falling silent and still.

        Instinctively, her hands joined in front of her around the black pipe, elbows resting on her knees now. Closing her eyes, she held her precious weapon against her forehead as she repeatedly pressed the button, feeling how it vibrated against and grounded her brain. Like the low rumble of thunder, it brought her back to herself and slowed everything down. Her thumb followed her heartbeat, pushing the button one beat and releasing on the next, repeating the cycle as it gradually slowed down. Pulled taut and shaking muscles loosened and fell back into their original position, and breathing came a little easier now that she wasn’t inadvertently constraining her lungs, even though her stomach still rolled angrily. The high-pitched whine faded from her ears.

        As her legs lowered, so too did her arms, bringing the screws of her taser back into view and letting her once again see the flicker of electricity between the threaded metal spires. The tunnel vision receded, and even though she was still shaking, she could look around at her friends: Natsu at the light switch, Seo and Gakushu on either side of the blinds, and Teppei and Ren both standing a few paces away from where she sat.

        She didn’t normally melt down like this in front of them, but she supposed this was one of those days.

        Yasumi took a deep, shuddering sigh. “S-sorry.”

        The tension melted from all of them with a mirroring, simultaneous sigh around a chorus of most of them softly saying, “Don’t be.” The strawberry blond was the first to step forward and ask, “Are you alright, Yasumi? We can return to this matter at a different time if you’d like us to. Perhaps with Akabane in tow, should we have to question him about this.”

        The rose brunette nodded and craned her head towards the darkened ceiling, her hand still squeezing her taser as if it were a stress ball. I can agree with that idea. I just need a few minutes.

        I can get back together. I can make sure Mom doesn’t know. When I get home, I’ll be able to rest. All of this can wait until tomorrow, when I'm in better control. Just breathe for now… just breathe…

Chapter Text

        It was a relief to see Yasumi come back from that meltdown. Hopefully, her mother would just see the eventual repercussions of it at home as her usual decompress routine and not picking up after a sudden episode. He bore witness to it enough times when he stayed with the Nikijas at the tail-end of last year. Watching her grab a weighted blanket and rest in the dark of her room, sometimes reading an encyclopedia of birds or weather or just fiddling with the pages while the power source of her taser was being charged.

        Gakushu should’ve known better than to crowd the tiny girl like that. She told them how she hated being confined; it was one of several reasons why she resorted to virtual education. At the very least, he knew to darken the room and give her something familiar and linked to one of her special interests. They were able to fix how they messed up, and that was all well and good, but it shouldn’t have happened. They shouldn’t have been so caught up in what she found. He shouldn’t have forgotten it, even and especially after seeing the photo she took home with her.

        They all knew what happened the first time he and his friends bore witness to one of her darker moments. He couldn’t exactly recall the details, but it involved running away from an irate teacher in the halls and, in blind panic, promptly locking herself in a janitor’s closet. Araki had to retrieve her panicking mother while Ren did all he could to talk her out from behind that sturdy wooden door.

        At the end of it all, especially according to the girl herself, it seemed far more like Ms. Nikija was the one who’d just had a breakdown, holding onto her daughter too tight and crying too loud and needlessly apologizing several times over nothing she could’ve possibly had any control over.

        Ren’s familiar presence was touched with almost brotherly concern as she went back to the Junior High to return to her mother, barely so much as dragging her feet. Like Gakushu, he knew how Yasumi could force down her less desirable characteristics terrifyingly well even after breaking or shutting down. Something meant to both deal with social life and her mother’s paranoid concerns.

        “S-she’ll be fine, I think,” Araki attempted to reassure them all. “I hope…”

        Gakushu could practically feel the guilt gnawing at their insides for how they might’ve caused Yasumi’s reaction. “We all know full well that she will,” he told them. “Give her a day, possibly two, and she’ll be going about her business like nothing had ever happened. It’s in all of our best interests to continue with our typical workload and these new developments she’s helped us discover.”

        His words took away the guilt and sadness from the others and replaced it with new determination. Good. They were all better off making it up to their friend rather than beating themselves up over this mistake they made. “Araki, in the case of the final E-Class and their mysterious educator, I ask you to compile as many articles of particular strange occurrences during that particular school year.”

        His green-haired classmate nodded grimly. “You can count on me.”

        “Please never do that again.”

        Yasumi sighed out the words, wrapped up in a familiar calming, warm pressure. She stared at the charging light of her taser’s power source, the door closed and the room dark. In her peripheral vision was the photo she took from Class 3-E, held in her hands as her fingers mapped and memorized the texture on both sides

        “I was only able to recognize that voice in the past hour, but I know that was you. If you need to tell me anything in the future, please wait until I am alone and not otherwise engaged. Don’t take me by surprise like that while I’m with my friends or my mother; I’ll risk worrying them all.”

        She felt like she was sitting in the Velvet Room again. She could vaguely see the cloudy spirits drifting around overhead, and the deep blue and silver bare trees. But right in front of her was an empty couch where Igor sat the night before, Yuki still standing dutifully behind it, tablet clutched to her chest.

        “I’m so sorry, Yasumi,” she apologized with a bow of her head. “I didn’t mean any harm while I was telling you. But that creature simply isn’t dead. We don’t know where he is or what exactly happened, but that creature is the Wild Card, and he truly is alive.”

        Wild Card. Yasumi didn’t know where she’d heard that term before, but it sounded familiar. “Just make sure to communicate with me like this at a more opportune time, if not find a less intrusive way of doing so.”

        The woman smiled sadly and nodded. “Of course. I hope to meet those friends of yours, though; you must care for them quite a lot to not want to worry them.”

        Her fingers stopped moving. “Of course I do. But there’s still this photo; you say the monster within it lives despite many circumstances stating he had perished or otherwise inexplicably disappeared, relatively recently at that. How am I or my friends supposed to locate him when every source that can be summoned proves him being either dead or missing? For that matter, why us? Why not the children who are actually in this photograph with the Wild Card in question?”

        Yuki shook her head, as if unable to answer the questions yet still unsurprised that Yasumi would ask. “You may not know right now, but I know very well that there is, in fact, a way to do what’s been asked of you. And rest assured, it will make itself known to you soon. You deserve to find your own freedom, and help break the chains that those children still have yet to remove.”

        “Chains? What could qualify as ‘chains’ for the mountain class?”

        “Something that holds onto them much longer and stronger than those placed on them by their school. And it’s something that you and your friends have fought against yourselves. You can reach them, and save them, and I know you will. A good place to start is actually much closer than you might think.”

        The blue world started to fade away. The spirits vanished from view, the couch Yasumi sat on returned to being her bed, and Yuki disappeared back into the dark of her room. She looked down at the photo again, at all of the different students held in those endless, yellow arms, a shade so much softer and warmer than that of her eyes.

        “I still may not know what you might be trying to tell me, Yuki,” Yasumi murmured to herself. “But I’ll do whatever I can to find this Koro-sensei, who you so graciously call the Wild Card, if only to return him to the arms of his students.”

        “Yasumi? If you’re done recharging, dinner’s on the stove waiting for you,” a voice beckoned outside her door.

        The rose brunette crawled out from under her blanket, leaving the photo in her backpack. “Coming, Mom.”

        Sayuri Nikija was sitting at the table when the teen emerged from her room for dinner. A woman with the same rose brown hair as her daughter, though a little different. A little more brown here, a little less red there, and a bit more of a shine to her crown that she’d worriedly believe to be going gray too young. Her eyes were different from her daughter’s as well; a shade of brown so dark you could hardly see her pupils. It didn’t help that she nearly always had this worried look on her face that practically forced her eyes wide open.

        Yasumi noticed her mother subconsciously drumming her fingertips against the table again. Not from impatience, though; rarely, if ever, would that be the case. Sayuri’s nervous stimming alone could make just about anyone unfamiliar in her proximity on edge without the anxious air she always let off without any distractions. It was a miracle Gakushu didn’t pay it any mind when he stayed with them. (Maybe she should get a few fidgets of her own to use. A tangle bracelet would probably be best; far more convenient and easily accessed than a stress ball or something of that sort, and it might actually help.)

        “So, sweetie, um… how have the boys been adjusting to high school?” Sayuri asked as her daughter went to the kitchen.

        Yasumi could hear the jittering in her voice while serving herself some of the fried rice. “They’ve taken to it fairly well,” she answered, keeping her tone even. “It’s been far easier ever since the new Chairman’s arrival. However, they still seem to prefer shying away from Akabane’s presence. He rarely comes by the library where I do my work, though, so I can’t say for certain whether he’s any different compared to before.”

        “I see… Have any of you made any new friends yet?”

        “I don’t believe so. Some of the upperclassmen are still almost in denial of my presence, but that hardly gives me any trouble. Gakushu and the others rarely interact with anyone outside their classes to begin with -- which primarily consist of people they already know -- so it’s mostly been just the six of us. But I do plan to at least reach out to Akabane and try to befriend him properly. He’s the only one in his class who stayed with Kunugigaoka, after all.”

        “That… wasn’t quite what I meant.” Her mother sighed. “I hope for you to make some other friends who are girls.” She nearly jumped when Yasumi gave her an odd look. “Don’t get me wrong, sweetheart, I adore Asano and those other boys and couldn’t be happier that you're friends with them, but… I feel bad enough about what I’ve had to do all these years. I just don’t want you to be alone. I want you to have girl friends like I did at your age and talk about grades and boys and other things with them instead.”

        “Okay…” Yasumi still couldn’t quite understand her mother’s reasoning, especially it having anything to do with her own childhood. If her mother was feeling guilty about how she switched to homeschooling back in primary school, there wasn’t any reason for that from Yasumi’s perspective. For the sake of her mental health, she had no other real choice in the matter. She hadn’t exactly deprived her daughter of anything, really. In actuality, she all but saved her daughter from the downsides of a school atmosphere for someone like her: Bullying, pressuring competition or speed, unforgiving rigidness, general inability to individualize education in all subjects, etcetera etcetera. Unless she had a teacher like Koro-sensei through all her school years, she’d be devoured just within a few years of her first school-influenced breakdown.

        And besides, she didn’t have much interest in such things as romance or grades -- especially after what the latter did to her already existing friends. Finding people who didn’t drain her mental stamina was already a luck of the draw with life as is; finding anyone, especially a girl, with any particular interests like hers was most likely outright impossible in a school like Kunugigaoka. The only girls she had that much contact with were among Ren’s long list of girlfriends, (the main source of drama in a place like the school library) and the incredibly draining Tsuchiya, Seo’s own on-and-off girlfriend. Some of their former classmates, such as Kondo, could count as a “maybe,” and some aside from her were much less likely than others.

        As for Yuki and Igor?... They probably can’t be classified as “friends” yet. They’re still relatively new, and she’s barely known either of them for very long. In time, it might be possible, but certainly not now.

        "Perhaps if one of the other former Class 3-A girls stops by the library often enough, I might attempt to properly befriend them."

        Her mother looked much more relieved after hearing that. Far less likely to jitter her way off her own chair.

        Maybe this sort of thing was what Yuki meant by "chains" for the mountain class…

        Teppei worked furiously at his keyboard for information, scouring the Internet. He combed any news outlet he could think of for stories possibly linked to the Class 3-E monster aside from the events that happened at Kunugigaoka. Strange yellow airborne cephalopods, suspiciously large figures with unnaturally spherical heads, possibly even random gunmen targeting some sort of impossible quarry with Akabane and his classmates caught in the background/crossfire, anything that could've helped.

        He put article links and any particular notes down on a document saved to his thumb drive. Something that could easily be transferred to school for Yasumi's laptop to put on display. The most convenient option he could use to gather this information.

        His search history was going to hate him after this. And his retinas from staring so hard at the screen. And possibly his head from the band of his headphones.

        He kept leafing through articles upon articles just about everything Yasumi had proved to be a lie. It took sets of articles to find single web pages that could help.

        This is far beyond just layering smack onto a legally ambiguous situation. It was practically a final smear campaign to make the world hate the monster enough to condone killing him. Whoever stuck him in our school wanted it to play out like this! What else did they do, ask Akabane and his friends to kill that thing themselves only to boot 'em when they didn't make it in time?! Possibly find some way to shut them all up so they wouldn't talk about all this to anyone else?

        "I probably can't even talk to Mimura and Okajima about their teacher if that's true. Is there no one else besides Akabane I could ask about this without worrying that they'll clam up?"

        As if waiting for such a question, an angry face framed in pink appeared in front of Teppei's search engine.

        "Who's asking?!"

Chapter Text

        Araki was having a bad day; that much was clear. He was almost late for class, could just barely keep up with note-taking, and tired out in PE even quicker than he typically does. Ren could barely tell if it was because he was tired or because he was traumatized . Maybe he was the only one to notice since he was effectively the “center” of the group in their class. Not the exact center seat in the class, but he had a decent view of the other four guys and didn’t really need to turn in his seat to look at any of them, unlike Gakushu and Koyama who sat at or at least near the front of the classroom.

        He could even keep watch of Akabane if he so desired or was so instructed, but the red-haired delinquent was unusually quick to realize any eyes on him.

        Just a glimpse of Araki while he wasn’t writing was enough to confirm the brunette’s suspicions. Even at a moment’s rest between taking notes and the teacher clearing the board for more room, his hands were shaking. Ren would sooner expect Koyama to be the one shaking, if only because he’s run cold ever since they first welcomed him to their group. Araki, though? That hardly ever happened.

        Which meant whatever he might’ve gone through last night on Asano’s intel-gathering assignment must’ve rattled him pretty badly.

        He’d ask what was wrong once lunch break began, but if it had anything to do with their current investigation of the End Class, it would probably be a bad idea with the possibility of being overheard.

        Besides, Araki was, at that moment, leaving for the restroom. He wasn’t gone for long, but he didn’t look any better once he got back. He might’ve even looked ever so slightly paler at that point.

        Nothing compared to the level Ms. Nikija could reach, but that was still more than a little concerning.

        What to do about it, though? As much as the others would at least somewhat share his concern, he doubted that they would have any effective ideas if their friend got any worse. Ren wondered if they even noticed at this point. He wasn’t particularly experienced at handling such things unless it was Gakushu’s particular brand of terror, which was nothing like this . He needed someone who was familiar with nearly all forms it can take and how to respond to each kind.

        His best bet would probably be to slip a DM to Yasumi about his concerns while there wasn’t any work to do. She’s good at handling anxiety and things like that thanks to her mom.

PM: Princely Poet → Storm Soldier

Princely Poet
Hey Yasumi, I think something’s wrong with Araki. He’s not acting like himself and it looks like he’s really shaken up. Any ideas to help him out before this afternoon?

        He waited a few frighteningly slow minutes for the girl’s response. Finally, it came with a small jump of his phone.

Storm Soldier
For the time being, just try not to surprise him; let him know you’re there by making a bit more noise when you walk or by verbally alerting him. Stay close, but don’t touch; not unless you know he’s alright with it.

Don’t ask him about the cause of the problem, either, at least not until we’re all in the computer lab. It could be something important.

Princely Poet
Sounds doable. No promises about our other classmates or the teacher, but I can make sure the others don’t spook him.

Storm Soldier
One other thing. Let the whole group know if Teppei gets any worse. And more importantly, get him out of the classroom if a panic attack or something of that sort appears imminent.

Princely Poet
Understood. Thanks!

        Ren looked back up at Araki. He couldn’t see any change in his demeanor. At least that was good. In any case, they were all going to learn what was wrong soon enough. Just a couple more hours, and they’ll be able to at least figure out why their friend was suddenly so jumpy.

        Though, after only a fraction of that remaining time, it still felt a lot longer than he wanted to wait. He watched Araki with every second he could spare, mildly relieved to see he wasn’t getting any worse. Possibly because the note-taking was much more familiar than anything else; even calming. It didn’t require too much thinking so much as simply keeping up with the teacher, and the Big Five were infamously good at doing that much. It probably helped that their hellish experiences from last year made this year so far look like a cakewalk by comparison.

        Hopefully, that’ll be enough to get him through the rest of our classes until we can get him to the computer lab.

        Movement from Akabane’s seat caught his eye. Like Ren himself, Gakushu’s main rival was also eyeing their green-haired classmate as he chugged along with his notes.

        “Hopefully,” meaning that we can be sure Akabane doesn’t get near him or the rest of us; we can’t directly involve him in our investigation; not yet.

        The moment the final period ended, Ren tried not to be too obvious about shooting up from his desk. Seo, Gakushu, and Koyama were fine, his best friend already rallying them to head to the computer lab. Araki, however, sat almost frozen at his desk.

        “Hey Araki,” he flagged over the other, following Yasumi’s advice as he approached. “Ready for our usual meeting?”

        Araki looked up at him, his eyes appearing to be drained of energy and sending several warning signs of shot nerves. “Y-yeah,” he replied as evenly as he could, standing up in a way that seemed almost clumsy as he got all his stuff.

        He followed Ren to their meeting place oddly quietly, taking a deep breath several times in the hall and fidgeting with his glasses.

        "Hang in there, buddy; we'll be back with Yasumi and the others soon," he said as softly as he could manage. "Think you'll be able to tell us what's going on?"

        Araki swallowed, slowly nodding. "I think so. Last night… was a pretty long one for me."

        When they reached the computer lab, everyone else was already waiting, almost confused. All except for Yasumi anyway, but her face didn't betray the private conversation between the shortest and tallest people in their group.

        Koyama leaned forward from where he was sitting. "Araki, buddy, you don't look so good."

        It sent a small flare of exasperated frustration through Ren’s chest. Well, duh, it’s about time you noticed. He’s only been like this all day .

        Araki cleared his throat as he took his usual seat. "Yeah, um… that might be because of what Asano had me look for yesterday after Yasumi left."

        Gakushu looked up in interest. "And what did you find?"

        As if on cue, each of their phones chimed; a notification even appeared on Yasumi's computer.

        "What's this?"

        Each of them soon saw a girl's face staring back from their screens, with pink hair and bright blue eyes.

        "Is this some sort of… virus?" Gakushu asked.

        "No, Gakushu Asano; I’m not a virus," the girl on each screen said in unison, startling all of the guys except Araki. "My name was Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery. But since my time as part of Kunugigaoka Junior High Class 3-E, my name is now Ritsu. Your friend told me that you all know the truth about Koro-sensei and wish to know more about our class."

        Frankly, Ren felt like he was about to fall over. He most definitely understood why Araki would be so rattled now. If all of a sudden his phone or computer suddenly started acting on its own and basically grew a face, he wouldn’t be too settled the next day either.

        “Yup… No wonder you looked so freaked out all day,” he bit out. “How’d she even get into all of our devices at once ?”

        “I’d probably say the Internet,” groaned Koyama, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let me guess, pinky; you were originally an AI meant to help kill Class E’s teacher. But since that’s all over and done now, you’ve been cut loose and are now allowed to roam through all of cyberspace and do as you please.”

        “Very well done, Natsuhiko Koyama!” Ritsu replied, showing a photo of an orange grinning face with a red circle. “Though Koro-sensei himself is the main reason I became the way I am now since I didn’t really work very well with my classmates at first.”

        Seo sniffed. “Guess that means the pink-haired chick we saw at assemblies and exams was actually your stunt double?”

        “In a way, yes, Tomoya Seo. I tutored her in exchange for her being my proxy during public school gatherings like what you mentioned. Though I must say, I’ve never met your female friend nor have I or my proxy ever seen or heard about her before. Since she isn’t part of the Kunugigaoka student database I used to reach the rest of you, the only way I was able to reach her was through your group chat.”

        “I can understand your confusion in that regard, Ritsu,” Yasumi said cordially. “My name is Yasumi Nikija. I rely on virtual education, so I do not attend Kunugigaoka as a student; my only proper connection to it has to do with my mother, who works at the Junior High campus. However, I’ve been known well enough by those in the same year as my friends here to occasionally be considered their sixth.”

        “Nikija, you say.” Ritsu manifested a pile of files with a pair of reading glasses, sifting through them until she produced the paper she was looking for. “Oh, the lunch staff! I see why that’d be the case. Thanks for the clarification, Yasumi. It’s wonderful to finally meet you!”

        “Likewise.” Their smallest friend was managing a little smile, to Ren’s surprise. Despite the first impression, Yasumi seemed to have warmed up to the AI’s presence already. Well, that makes one of us, I guess.

        “With the exception of Yasumi, all of you seem rather unnerved by my presence. Don’t worry, though. I’ll place a direct line in your contacts in case you wish to speak with me for any reason in the future. No promises if it’s about the previous year, though, especially if it was before my arrival.”

        “That would, ahem, be much appreciated,” Gakushu coughed out as he regained his composure.

        Ritsu smiled at them all with a friendly wave before she disappeared from their screens. “Until we speak again!”

        Yasumi took a quick look at everyone else, expression back in its typical blank form. “I take it you’re all a bit too overloaded to discuss any next moves concerning the mountain class at the moment. I will gladly take charge of speaking with Ritsu after you take the rest of the day to process this recent development, if you believe that will be enough.”

        Gakushu was taking a long, deep breath. “Yes, I do believe that course of action to be for the best, at least for now. Your consideration is… greatly appreciated.”

        Thank our lucky stars for Yasumi. She probably understands why we’re so shocked. This is probably pretty similar to her typical overload signs, too.

        Seo tried to scoff at her suggestion. “We don’t really need anything like that , do we?”

        The question earned him a quick swat to the back of the head with an unactivated taser. “Don’t bother hiding it from me,” she said sternly. “All of you look like you’re about to keel over, especially Teppei, and I’d rather that not happen. Ergo, I’m not making your obviously visibly scrambled and very confused mental situations any worse.

        “Before any of you say a word against it, I have no issue in being the main person to speak with Ritsu until you grow a bit more accustomed to her existence and presence. In any case, I’m almost certain you would prefer the company of a fairly amiable AI compared to a direct conversation with Akabane. Now, are we in agreement?”

        Araki and Koyama were all too quick to nod their heads, and the rest also agreed. From the looks of it, Yasumi couldn’t necessarily blame them. Akabane was already quite infamous for getting involved in fights on the main campus at the middle school, though she never bore witness to said fights. Him and his entire class being involved with a creature like their tentacled teacher was easily enough to make him an entirely different monster.

        Their little friend was certainly quite fortunate for not seeing any fights Akabane was in. Then again, her typical haunts almost never housed such brawls, and according to Gakushu, she was the furthest thing from a possible target anyways. She wasn’t even close to the profile of his usual victims; if anything, she was more like Akabane’s best friend, who oddly enough helped the fallen Student Council President when his father had overtaken his class.

        While the rest of his friends were made into monsters by said father, a part of Ren’s mind growled with a pang of guilt and a shudder.

        “Ren, why are you shaking? Are you cold?”

        “Uh, maybe,” he replied (maybe a little too fast), looking down at Yasumi’s inquisitive gaze. “Just… maybe there’s also this thing with… y’know, Ritsu being able to access all of our stuff and… a few less-than-happy memories.”

        “This is all still way too weird for me right now,” Seo scoffed. “I’m heading home. I need to rant about this somewhere I don’t have to worry ‘bout getting zapped .”

        Gakushu sighed as he disappeared around the door. “Araki, Koyama, you can leave as well if you want to. I’ll stay behind to continue speaking with Yasumi.”

        The two quickly complied after thanking him. The three that were left were engulfed in a rather awkward silence after the door resolutely closed.

        "…Ren?” the ginger inquired.

        The brunette in question gave a small startle. "Er, don't worry about me, Gakushu. I can stick around a little longer. I'm still your ride home, after all."

        Gakushu turned sheepish, as if he’d somehow forgotten despite having spent at least the last month or so at his best friend’s house. “Right. As long as you’re still alright.”

        Yasumi let the two collect their thoughts about other matters as she typed away at her laptop, seeing if she could find anything about the Velvet Room. Unfortunately, she wasn’t getting much. How frustrating, that it seemed like she was the only one who knew of such a place existing. She was practically flying blind into the whole issue about the peculiar place and the people within it. The chirping of the hiding cricket in the computer lab only seemed to echo her frustration.

        “Um, if Ritsu isn’t able to help us figure out what’s the deal with the E Class, what will we do then?” Ren inquired.

        Yasumi looked up at him, noting his concern.

        “If she doesn’t help us, we may have no choice but to contact Akabane for one reason or another,” Gakushu answered. “Be it to speak directly with him, or ask him to help us contact his other classmates. Out of such a group as they, there has to be someone willing to share if they know that we’re onto them.”

        “However, that might only make them more likely not to,” Yasumi pointed out. “If even Akabane hasn’t so much as breathed a word into school gossip, the entire class may have been placed under a strict order not to speak of it. Being reckless in our search can only lead to us being found out and blindsided in the same way Ritsu did to Teppei. And in future cases, the consequences may be far beyond being mentally shaken by the experience.”

        “That is true. Government intervention is quite irritating in that way, as incompetent as they can be in other areas without even realizing it. I’m almost certain that my father may have been involved in such a situation, and at least someone outside of us in our year must have been even the slightest bit suspicious.”

        Ren suddenly perked up. “Like with the assembly? The Okinawa incident? The Kyoto trip?” he rattled off a few incidents. “I have a whole list; take your pick. Trust me, smooth-talking the ladies works surprisingly well in gathering intel I wasn’t even asking for. A lot of times, it was just for the sake of venting their confusion.”

        “It also isn’t unheard of that students share gossip in the library,” the shorter girl added. “The media has also done quite well in recognizing the odd occurrences presumably caused by Koro-sensei himself. The only reason students wouldn’t look into it even out of curiosity would be their own rather unhealthy study habits.”

        The boys averted their eyes briefly, knowing their place on that particular matter.

        “He is a wild card; that’s for sure.”

        At Ren’s comment, the school phone on the wall started ringing. A rather odd thing to happen, if you asked them; as far as they were concerned, no one in the faculty exactly knew or cared that this was their meeting place. The custodial staff knew, most likely, but they wouldn’t use the school’s phone system to call them for anything.

        Gakushu went to answer, seeing as it stubbornly refused to stop. “Hello?”

        He began to look confused, looking at the phone as he took it from his ear. “Strange. I don’t hear anyone there for some reason.”

        Ren was getting tense again. “Maybe we should get going, so no one comes here and boots us out of here.”

        He rushed for the exit, only to stop before he left the doorway. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

        Gakushu rushed to put the phone back, him and Yasumi following him outside. The sky was strangely yellow and storming with shades of green. Following his gaze, Yasumi realized it was leading to where the Junior High campus was supposed to be.

        And it wasn’t the campus standing there.

        “...What in the world is this place?”

Chapter Text

        “…What in the world is this place?”

        That was a very good question. Yasumi certainly hadn’t expected some kind of unfamiliar building standing where the Junior High stood not too long ago. The fact that its steeple stood above a dome reminiscent of a sawtooth acorn proved easily enough that it was at least based on their school, but there was no denying that it was a church, despite having such imposing wrought iron gates. It was carved of marble and brick, intricately trimmed ivy trailing down its walls like carefully-painted murals. The windows were stained glass, but frosted to a point of being almost completely opaque.

       Something about the entire world seemed so foreign and wrong . The area being devoid of people would’ve been ordinary enough, even if not for the current time. But something Yasumi was especially unnerved by was the fact that they heard nothing . No insects. No cars. No birds.

       Nothing but us, and the buildings around us.

       Gakushu was normally the calm and collected leader; Yasumi learned as much in the years she spent walking alongside them. But in a situation like this, so far out of what seemed like reality in and of itself , he was evidently as lost as the other two with him. Worse , even. His eyes were wide with awe that was rapidly becoming fear, and rising in degree. Ren seemed to notice as well, holding onto his shoulder to keep him steady.

        “How is this… even possible?” she asked the thin air. Do Igor and Yuki have something to do with this? Or Igor’s master? “I know I didn’t see any construction like this going on last I saw the Junior High.”

         “Exactly,” Gakushu agreed. “Because nothing was going on… But that leaves nothing that can explain this. Least of all how we even got here to begin with.”

        “There’s no service either,” Ren hissed, staring at his phone like it had caused the whole problem before pocketing it again. “Whatever this place is, it’s a giant dead zone.”

        Yasumi took a few steps towards the unfamiliar structure. “There are centipedes on the windows. Or millipedes… I think…”

        “Mostly centipedes,” Gakushu confirmed, also coming a bit closer to see them better. “But that’s not the only thing…”

        He was right about that. There were five large windows up at the front. Each one had a person on it, teemed with the massive arthropods crawling over them like they were nothing more than prey to devour.

        The window furthest to the left was some sort of gladiator. Strangely they were holding a large war hammer that bore spikes on each head and a spine at the bottom of the handle. Two centipedes were spiraling up their legs, one crawling over the hammer while the other continued up the one holding it, watching from their shoulder. Something about the gladiator’s helm seemed to bear a quality not unlike that of the arthropods.

        The one next to it was a warlock of sorts, with dark and frizzy hair and a long blue robe, and a large open book hovering in front of them. Their wooden staff was almost falling from their hand from one centipede snaking out of the book, up the arm holding the staff and sitting atop their head, just barely exposing their glasses. Another one was winding down, around their torso and legs.

        The window on the far right had what appeared to be a knight in some kind of armor. A knight who looked more or less like they were being puppeteered by the centipedes. Their sword and shield didn’t even look like they were being held up properly. One centipede even seemed to be forcing his head down.

        The window just to the right of the center seemed to bear the most heart-wrenching character. A warrior stood with a long spear or glaive, ready for battle. However, the centipedes on that window were especially long, winding around them in an almost violating manner. It looked as if they were purposely tying up the warrior and weapon in such a way that the blade was hooked around and against their neck, their free hand just barely able to reach out. The head of the hideous creature even sat directly over the face of the warrior, covering their eyes as what remained of their expression appeared to cry out.

        And at last, the center, just above the doors. An angelic character with arms held out like a beckoning embrace, wings spread wide. A circle of various weapons stood at their back, centipedes twining around each and every one. Only a single creature dared wrap itself around their neck. And the figure’s most unmistakable feature was the red gold hair crowning his head.

        “I can tell just by looking at it…” Gakushu murmured. “It’s me…”

        Ren gulped. “And the one on your right… I think that’s… me !”

        “It’s all five of you, I wager,” Yasumi stated somberly. “The sorcerer is Natsu, the gladiator is Seo, and Teppei is the knight on Ren’s right side.”

        Gakushu’s eyes soon narrowed with ire. “Of course. Even when the school isn’t under his thumb, he still sees it as his. Just like the rest of us.”

        The other two knew exactly who he was talking about. But that didn’t leave them any less surprised at his words.

        “...You really think your dad is the cause of something like this?” Ren asked softly.

        The strawberry blond boy nodded. “He’s the only one who’d bother to showcase the five of us like his personal martyr and saints. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still idolizes Ikeda these days, even if he tries to hide it. We’d best find a way to leave this strange world, before it gets any more unnerv--”

        He stopped, his head suddenly whipping towards the cathedral.

        “What?” Ren asked, squeezing his friend’s shoulder. “What is it?”

        “I hear a voice calling for me…” the redhead breathed. “It’s coming from that church.”

        He started walking towards it, like he was in some form of a trance. Yasumi shared a look with Ren, both of them sharing the same sort of concern.

        Not good.

        “Gakushu!” they both called as they rushed to follow him, trying to get him to stop. But he was already going through the wrought iron gates, which opened with seemingly nothing controlling them.

        They also closed behind them.

        “Gakushu, I really don’t think it’s a good idea to go in there,” fretted the tall brunette, grabbing his shoulders and staring him in the eye. “This world is already scary enough. You said it yourself; we need to focus on finding a way out of here.”

        Those purple eyes they knew so well were strangely dazed, clouded with a puppeteered resolve that was achingly familiar yet never belonged on the face of such a leader. The fear inflicted on them by the church was like a sickness, running thick and cold in their veins.

        “The voice… it sounds strange…”

        The fear escalated at his eerie monotone voice. However, that fear, for one of the two, only compelled them to act .

        ZAP!

        Gakushu arched away from the black rod with a shout after it collided into his side, electricity burning between his ribs. “What on Earth was that for?!” he demanded, rubbing the afflicted area.

        “Keeping you with us,” Yasumi said simply, brandishing her taser. “Religious places such as churches cause me enough discomfort as is, but this place is presumably run by no less than a true monster. I can feel the air he used to give off from all the way out here. This place reeks of his lust for power; it’s quite literally written on the walls!” She gestured to the windows for emphasis.

        “What are you doing here?!” demanded a different voice. A sound like multiple voices blended together. From the large doors came large knight-like monsters, whose long armored limbs resembled millipedes; their helms and faces even resembled pillbugs in some ways, but any trace of their bodies beneath the armor was nothing more than darkness. Somehow, even with their oddly-shaped arms, both of them held large swords.

        The reaction was instantaneous. Ren stepped out in front of Gakushu like a shield. Yasumi jumped in front of them, taser held towards the knights like one of the swords they were holding. The second they advanced, she rammed her taser into one of their bodies.

       It shook off the shock like it couldn’t even feel it.

       “That puny weapon can do nothing,” the monster scoffed, knocking her taser from her hands and right through the fence, before pushing her and the guys against it at the edges of their blades and the weight of their bodies.

       “These two look like the Messiah and one of the Saints,” said the second one, tapping at the boys. “The Great Father will wish to see them. But what of the wench?”

       The three of them looked at each other. Each of them knew as much of what they were talking about as the rest.

       “Bah. She looks more like the Beast than anything else. The Great Father will know what best to do with all three of them.”

       There was a clashing of shields against heads, and the three knew nothing else.

       Yasumi awoke slowly, as if she had to drag herself from the dark of unconsciousness. Her head throbbed with pain when she finally managed to get her eyes to open.

       “Nnnngh… boys…?”

       There wasn’t an answer, and that alone gave her a bit more clarity.

       “Ren! Gakushu!”

       She was the only one in the room, she realized as she sat up. Her wrists were cuffed together by a length of sturdy metal links, barely long enough to let her arms remain at her sides. A clasp at the center linked to a separate length attached to a stake in the floor. As if that weren't frustrating enough, her feet were chained together as well, though not to the floor like her hands were. When she stood up, the chain linked to that between her wrists was barely long enough for her to shuffle-walk around and look outside her barred door. And the room Yasumi was in… it looked suspiciously like a dungeon, fashioned out of catacombs. Which meant bones. Hundreds of thousands of human bones…

       Stop. Stay calm, she reminded herself sternly, shaking her head. What happened, and why am I here and the boys aren’t?

       She could remember seeing the church -- most likely belonging to Gakuho Asano -- outside, as well as Ren and Gakushu being there. And being unexpectedly lured to and trapped at the front door. Then came those strangely monstrous guards that effortlessly disarmed her and trapped her and her friends… and then they made use of their shields.

       Her head pounded angrily at the memory, drawing a hiss from between her teeth. They must have been separated while they were unconscious. Those guards talked about the boys looking like the images in the stained glass windows, which they had already realized beforehand. The guards also considered her to be something along the lines of a “beast” of sorts. Because she wasn't on the facade, perhaps? Or was she nowhere on or in the entire building? This cathedral was already a dreadful enough place; she wanted nothing more than to find a way out of this cell, seek out her friends, and leave this horrible place so they can at least have some form of a plan.

       "My my, it seems you're an even more wonderful example than I expected," said a voice she knew all too well. "We truly must reward our school officers for their splendid work today."

       She looked to the barred door and saw a strange figure standing there. A man clad in layers of red, and purple, with trimming of gold and silver and two blue gems on a gold chain holding his pauldrons in place. An intimidating figure, but still recognizable in all the ways that confirmed Gakushu’s suspicions. His clothes were different, the location was odd, and his eyes were nothing natural in the eyes of genetics; a luminous and viper-like shade of gold. But nothing could disguise that voice .

       “Watch out for the hearts poisoned by earthly desires, my students,” he said to his soldiers. “They may seem kind, gentle, or possibly even friendly. But they are still poisoned, and shall poison you if you remain at their side.”

       The meaningful, smug look he was giving her was telling enough of what he was trying to say. I suppose my direct role in taking his son out from under him has caused this. But really, last we saw him, he at least seemed to accept his fate.

       “Ren and Gakushu,” she said lowly, a raging undertow to her tone. “What did you do with them? Where are they?”

       The gold-eyed former principal didn’t show so much as a shift in his countenance. “Why, I simply brought them to a place a fair distance from you. But you are quite lucky. Our sermon today involves a sacrifice. What better than the Beast herself, who dared tempt my Messiah and his Saints away from the church I have so lovingly raised them in? You know well enough that you can’t keep them away from me forever. No matter what you do, no matter how far away you take them, I will be there with them. I can whisper in their ears whether they are awake or asleep. They’ll never cease to see me in their dreams. Make no mistake, I know that with your death, I may finally have full ability to properly guide the Messiah and his servants once again. Then, I can turn my attention to what’s left of his memory. The monster that took away my throne with his own followers.”

       That could be Koro-sensei, Yasumi realized. With the way his students had all but stripped down his entire philosophy. But if he considers the mountain class and their teacher to be his true enemy, why still go after me?

       Mr. Asano turned to the guard at his left. "Officer, please bring our Beast to the sanctuary." He looked at Yasumi with visceral anticipation, watching the guard unclasp her wrist chain from the floor to a sort of lead chain that it proceeded to pull her along with.

       "After all, we ought to make a proper example of a pest ."

       Ren woke up with a gasp, hearing nothing but rattling chains and scuttling feet. Feeling nothing but cold metal all the way down his arms, which were holding them spread out straight. His head pounded, his arms hurt, and something about whatever place he was in felt suffocating .

       “W-what is this?” he asked himself, planting his feet more firmly on the floor before looking at his surroundings.

       There were chains around his arms, long and winding all the way from his wrists to his shoulders over a wooden bar. He could see a second bar of wood perpendicular to the first, extending from the floor behind his feet to about a foot above his head.

       Not far away was his best friend, bound to a similar cross, but a little different. It was bigger; more ornate. A crown of barbed wire was wrapped around his skull. The strawberry blond's chains looked more like platinum than regular steel like those around Ren's arms.

       "Asano?... Gakushu. Gakushu, wake up!"

       He started groaning, hands clenching against his restraints. "Ren?… Yasumi?..."

       That's right. Yasumi has to be in this place, too. Where is she?…I don't see her anywhere. Wherever she is, she can't help us.

       They were in a really large room, that much was clear. They were both on a platform overlooking rows and rows of pews. Like what you'd see inside of Notre Dame or something. And it was just the two of them in there.

       "Gakushu, Yasumi isn't here . Those… things must've separated us while we were knocked out." He pulled at his chains, attempting to squirm free to no avail. "Wherever she is, I doubt she's any better off than we are."

       "Father…" he mumbled again, before it seemed like a switch flipped and he jumped to full alertness. "NO!"

       His shout echoed in the otherwise empty room like the inside of a cave. His breathing as he came to his senses only added to the painful lack of any familiar or unfamiliar presences in the large room.

       “…Gakushu?” Ren dared to ask.

       The redhead turned to the brunette, as if he didn’t notice the other was there. “Ren… Where’s Yasumi? And… what is all this?”

       “I think we were separated after we were knocked out,” the taller boy repeated. “I’m not sure where she was taken or how she’s doing, but we were both here when I woke up… And honestly, I don’t know why we're both chained to these crosses, but I’m not sure I want to find out.”

       There was something incredibly out of character about the look in his friend’s eyes, and it was a disturbing thing to see. As if, even in this empty, giant room, he could feel his father looming over his shoulder. A presence that Ren himself thought they finally managed to evade, and were far from prepared to face again.

       "Man, I wish Yasumi were nearby," he admitted, voice beginning to shake from fear. "Last year, I'd sometimes feel like she's the only one who could look your father in the eye and rip into him without any fear for--"

       "Shh."

       He was startled by the sound his companion made. "What?"

       "Listen," was all Gakushu said, staring at the double doors at the other side of the room. In the quiet as Ren thought of what to say next, he noticed something himself.

       Footsteps. A lot of them. But are they friend? Or foe?

       The answer turned out to quite possibly be the latter. A sweeping throng of monsters filed in and took each part of every bench. A hopelessly massive multitude of monsters filing in through every entrance like it was for the starting Mass. If they tried to escape now, they'd have to get through all that, and that in itself sounded like it would quickly get them all killed. But the hopelessness of that statement said nothing of the surging terror he felt seeing someone he actually recognized .

       For approaching the pulpit, flanked by armored monsters, was Gakushu's father, dressed as a pope.

       And a chained-up Yasumi was being dragged along right behind him, as if to her own doom.

Chapter Text

        Yasumi could do little more than attempt to map out her surroundings as she was dragged through the cathedral. It was better than staring at the backs of the golden-eyed Chairman and his monstrous "pupils," -- really just a convoy of knights in more oriental armor that looked more like platinum than silver or steel -- or the guard pulling her along.

        If nothing else, I can look for a route of escape in this strange place.

        Unfortunately, there really weren’t many routes that could be used; at least, not many that weren’t guarded. Even the windows had at least one guard stationed in front of each.

        She was pulled along into a sanctuary of countless monsters filling numerous pews. Even more bug-like beats that spit literal venom at her in between their terrible jeers aimed at “the Beast.” And above the altar stood her two friends, chained to crosses on a platform above the pulpit; both of them looking incredibly scared.

        Yasumi was led towards the pulpit as the Chairman gracefully took his place behind it. Right beneath it, she was suddenly knocked to the cold, marble floor, sprawled on her back. Two of the oriental guards each used a rapier to stab through the center links on the chains between both her wrists and her ankles to pin her to the floor, in a position too far apart to let her get up. 

        “Today is a rather momentous occasion, my students,” the man said from his pulpit. “For as we stand now, our Messiah returns with his most trusted advisor, and his most hated adversary. May today’s sacrifice be of a kind that will bring our god’s favor unto our poor, earthly, shared desire.”

        The monsters all cheered mindlessly as the man gave his rather monotone sermon. But in the position she was in, Yasumi couldn’t even look at her friends.

        If we don’t get out of here, and quickly, we may all die here… And not only will I die first… but Gakushu and Ren will be stuck with him until they die as well.

        Ren couldn’t even pay attention to the former principal’s lecture at this point. Raw panic ran through his veins like rushing rivers. He couldn’t get himself free from the stupid cross any more than Gakushu probably could. Yasumi could barely move in the vulnerable position she was in, pinned to the floor and strung out like she was put on a rack.

        The boys and their friends were only barely in high school, and Yasumi wasn’t even at that point yet! Kunugigaoka was supposed to be a school that prepared them for their futures, not cut them short to a point that they never saw the end of their own teenage years. How are we supposed to get out of this?! We can’t die! Not here! Not NOW! Someone, SAVE US!

        “Hmm? Ah, I remember you quite well.”

        Ren froze at the unfamiliar voice, the rest of the room going dark in the wake of something that… didn’t belong with the rest of the twisted cathedral. Hundreds, no, thousands of tiny white threads, weaving themselves into something that vaguely looked human. Like a ghost formed from spider silk, standing in front of him. 

        “I have to say, I didn’t expect to see you and Asano in a place such as this, let alone with a friend, but I unfortunately don’t have much time.”

        If he could spare himself the fear, Ren would probably be terrified of this strange entity. But in a place that screamed the name of someone he feared so much more, this gentle-voiced stranger was a beacon of safety. A presence akin to a lighthouse in an otherwise dark and stormy ocean.

        “I know how scared you and your friends here must be in a place like this. But there is a way to at least get yourself free. When you’re tied up tight to something like these crucifixes, the first thing you need is a bit of wiggle room. Something those chains there will happily give if you manipulate them properly.”

        What… What are you talking about? Who even are you?

        One ghostly hand rested on his shoulder, the other carefully patting his head. “I’m almost certain that we’ll be able to meet properly eventually. Until then, I’ll be glad to wait. The one thing I wish is that I could’ve had you and your friends as my students much, much sooner. Come on now; show those Shadows what you’ve got.”

        The ghostly figure slowly faded back into the returning light, and Ren strained forward to try and follow him. But those cursed chains still held him back.

        …Wait… if I can get even one loop off of my arm… possibly even off of the cross, too…

        He had to bend his hand inwards to fold it under the outermost loop of chain links. But once he managed, he carefully twisted his body to get his hand out from under it, slowly pushing it over the end of the wooden bar. He wiggled his arm to disperse the new room before repeating the process, only needing to do it once more to slip his whole left arm free.

        Elated with his new freedom, the brunette immediately turned to pull the chain around his other arm as loose as he could to slide it out. The monsters seemed too distracted by the Chairman to notice he wasn’t chained up anymore as he turned to Gakushu, whose eyes were wide with surprise seeing him free.

        “How did you do that?” he asked in a whisper.

        “Let’s just say metal chains aren’t the best for sticking to whatever they’re tied to,” he replied, now moving the loops of chains off of Gakushu’s cross’s arms so he too could pull his arms out. “Come on, let’s get Yasumi and run while we can.”

        The redhead nodded before they both headed down either side of the platform, running towards their still-pinned-down little friend.

        Just when they were nearly in range of the rapiers, the guards noticed the two boys. And they wasted no time in pinning them down again. In only a few seconds, Gakushu was being pushed into the floor with a metal boot in his back; Ren’s collarbone was being crushed under a heavy hand, forced to his knees as the guard’s large sword was planted close in front of his other shoulder, trailing down to where his opposite knee met the floor.

        “Ah ah ah,” chided the monster of a man at the pulpit as the congregation gasped and growled. “I’m not certain how you managed to leave your proper place, but I must insist that you both return to it. The time for the sacrifice is almost upon us, after all. I’d hate for you two not to have a proper view of it.”

        “You monster!” Ren snarled at the man. “Let us go! What in the world did Yasumi ever do to you?”

        The golden-eyed man glared down at them. “Why, she took my prized acolytes away from me, of course. I had poured my heart and soul into making my son and all of my students into a plethora of perfect students. When that little parasite was first introduced by the sniveling mouse she calls a mother, I thought nothing of her. Not until I realized exactly what she was doing with you. With her death, I hope to at least have my revenge for my own flesh and blood being stripped out from under me, by foolish children no less.”

        He produced a blade from under his robe; an ornate and warped dagger as he approached the girl on the floor. A guard kicked her over to face the man, who met him with a fiercely defiant gaze, which only wavered slightly at the glint of the knife as her eyes darted between the boys pinned down on either side of her. The blade slowly raised over her head, ready to strike.

        No!

        He kicked the flat of the sword out from under his captor, leaving him reeling long enough to let go of him.

        The sword was absurdly heavy in his hands when he grabbed its hilt and lifted it off the ground. He could only see red as he used all the strength he had to swing at the knight whose sword he had stolen.

        The monster fell apart at his feet, no more than black primordial ooze, and the inertia swung him around backwards. He had just enough strength and momentum to swing again at another one trying to take him down again. The Chairman’s dagger was cast unceremoniously across the floor as he drew back from the armed teenager.

        Gakushu was staring up at him with wide eyes. "Ren..."

        Ren was heaving, steadying himself on the giant, stolen sword in his hands, almost sick from exhaustion already. The inky black blood of the Shadow he wrestled it from stained its long blade. A dull throb was pulsating at the back of his skull.

        So, you’ve chosen to show your true strength, little poet… even though he who you value most can easily protect himself… And he is far from the only one.

        Ren was gasping for air to respond, his eyes starting to water as the dull throb climbed higher. “Even he can’t always protect himself; neither of them can! Someone has to be there when they aren’t able to!”

        …Good. I understand your resolve. We may proceed with our honored vow.

        The pain hit harder and faster than he thought. He nearly lost his balance on the sword, falling on his knees while still trying to hold onto it, leaning on the hilt to keep him somewhat upright with one arm. The other dug into his scalp, looking for some way to divert the agony.

        I am thou, thou art I. It’s time to let go of the facade that others have painted onto you. Show thy strength to do all for those you value, no matter the cost in thine own hereafter.

        There was a soft, blue flash. There was suddenly something around his neck, thick and tight and made of either metal or very stiff leather. His free hand grabbed the suffocatingly tight collar as he forced his legs to work again. The edges scratched at his throat, and could’ve possibly rendered it raw with his struggling and screaming, and it only seemed to get tighter as it cut into his skin. After an agonizing eternity of yanking at the collar and causing tears to well up in his eyes, the stiff, tight ring broke off his neck with a final cry. Once he felt his tears of relief roll down his face, blue roared over his closed eyelids, with a sound and feeling like swirling gales all across his body.

        The pain had disappeared, replaced by a calm flush of power. When the blue light faded from around him, Ren looked up at the humanoid warrior standing beside him, large and incredibly imposing.

        A giant of a man, clothed in a black bodysuit that somehow glimmered with iridescence. But the golden armor he wore on top didn't fit quite right on his body. It was too bulky in several places, made for a larger physique. The cuirass -- engraved with a Greek Lambda symbol -- looked about to fall off one shoulder. The vambraces and grieves were a good shake from sliding off his arms and legs, bandages even wrapped around a few visible areas. Even the helm, blue feathers draping around the neck, looked ever so slightly too large, tilting this way and that with every small head movement. But even so, he held his long, spotless spear and round, ornate shield tightly. There was a foreign look of brave, solemn defiance on his face and in his neon green eyes, prepared for battle no matter the cost. He jammed the long handle of his spear against the floor, and the earth as well as the air pulsed with incredible shockwaves that sent the monsters sprawling, even shattering Yasumi’s chains.

        I am Patroclus: the Hero’s Heart. The spirit of your freedom and your deepest desires. I will gladly grant you the strength with which to win the battle that stands before you, that you may also win the war.

        Despite himself, Ren smiled at the unfamiliar being. “And I will gladly accept it.”

        The shadowy monster looming over Gakushu’s sprawled form scoffed. “And what do you think you can do? It will do nothing against me, you fool! ” In a blast of the same inky black substance, the monsters all transformed into entirely different beings.

        Ren met the monster’s gaze with an even glare, glancing at his friends. I’ll get you out of here, Gakushu and Yasumi; I promise. This time, I’ll be the one to help you. “Patroclus, to battle!”

        The sword he had taken away was affected by the sudden burst of power, too. Instead of the giant, unbalanced claymore, now he was holding a long glaive that seemed tailor-made for him to hold.

        Battle alongside me; trust in the spirit of the warrior within you. Use your blade.

        He gripped his blade. “Whatever it takes… to save them.”

        He charged and slashed at the legion of demons with the glaive, not unlike how Patroclus used his spear. The wind seemed to follow his commands, sending hordes of monsters tumbling over the pews and into each other.

        He wasn’t sure how long it took to finally clear a path to escape, but Yasumi and Gakushu weren’t about to let their chance go to waste. Before they even knew it, Patroclus had thrown open the front doors and gates, and they were safely outside the premises.

        He nearly passed out when the adrenaline wore off, though. Apparently, calling on the help of something he never even knew about, much less thought possible, took a lot out of him after that fight. But at least they were finally no longer inside the crazy cathedral, and they could all sit down and process what just happened to them all.

        “…What the -- what’s with my clothes?”

        His entire outfit had changed into dark shades of green and grey. First was the strange bodysuit patterned with dark gray and green, from his throat to his buckled black boots. He had a short, black leather jacket with an open neck strap that had two more olive green bands securing the sleeves just past the elbows, leaving the forearms and lime-green gloves a bit of freedom; a couple of extra straps hung loose off the back. Around his waist was a rather modest black utility belt, with the brown pouches strapped to his legs to hold them in place. After feeling something weird, he even discovered a cuff sitting wrapped around his ear, with silver leaves at the top and a short chain with a couple of beads and another metallic leaf at the bottom.

        Surprisingly, not bad.

        In a way, the collar had returned as well. But nothing like how it was when he first got the thing off. Now it was a gold medallion, marked with the profile of a man that might’ve been Patroclus’s real face.

        Yasumi seemed rather interested in its design herself. “Your outfit had changed after the blue light was gone. You probably didn’t notice because you were too focused on aiding our escape.”

        Gakushu nodded. “Patroclus, if I recall correctly, was a long-time companion of the hero Achilles in Ancient Greek myth. Not many people know of him, at least not in the same way they may know Achilles.”

        “I have to say, it is a bit surprising,” Yasumi commented. “We know for a fact that you aren’t the most combative person, Ren, yet you managed to gain the help of not only a spirit meant to fight, but you also managed to down all of those monsters alongside it.”

        The brunette chuckled. “Yeah, in hindsight, that doesn’t really sound like me. But… Patroclus said he was basically a part of who I am… Someone who’d do anything and everything possible to help the people I care about.”

        “For someone who doesn’t fight, you fared surprisingly well,” Gakushu commended. “I wager you’d make an admirable adversary with proper training.”

        “Maybe tomorrow, or even next week. Either way, I just want to go home; guess now I know how it feels to be you at the end of a long day, Yasumi.”

        The trio chuckled together, until Ren’s necklace started glowing. A bright, white light that only became brighter. Somewhere in the light, Yasumi heard the voice of Igor.

        “The Lovers has never before chosen a young man to be its vessel… How very interesting, the Persona he has…”

        When the light faded away, they heard the sounds of birds. They were back in their usual world, like nothing had ever happened. Ren was even back in his uniform.

        “That was… odd,” Gakushu commented in uncertainty

        “Wait… what’s this still doing here?” Ren asked absentmindedly. Even with the rest of Ren’s new outfit gone, the necklace remained, as bright and polished as ever.

        “It would probably be for the best that we all return home now,” Yasumi said softly as she stood up, helping the boys to their feet. “But I’m starting to believe we’ve stumbled upon something unlike anything even the mountain class has endured.”

Chapter Text

        All things considered, it didn’t seem like Yasumi or her friends had gotten a concussion from taking those heavy shields to their heads. In the real world, the injury was little more than a tender spot near the top of the head with a complementary headache.

        It wasn’t too hard to keep her mother from finding out about the bump, and it wouldn’t be impossible to write it off as a book falling off a shelf a little higher than she could reach if she did. They just needed to head back to the computer lab to retrieve their stuff before they headed home anyway.

        That said, the three were still “late” to their respective rides home, and Ms. Nikija’s cries about how worried she was rapidly started chasing birds out of their trees. Even on the ride home, her mother’s hands noticeably shook on the wheel, and it looked like she’d remain jittery like that for the rest of the day.

        Which, in her daughter’s experience, meant dinner was more likely than not to be a disaster, or at the very least result in her mother burning herself on something. Either one wouldn’t be the first time, but the girl would prefer neither of which to happen.

        “Will you be able to calm down in time for dinner?” she asked. “If not, I would happily take over that duty for tonight.”

        It was a logical alternative to what would probably happen otherwise. But her mother wasn’t giving an answer; she probably wouldn’t until they finally got home. If her mother could stop accidentally jerking the steering wheel into veering to the side, she’d retract her offer.

        …Her mother didn’t get any better.

        Sayuri kept shaking the steering wheel all the way through pulling into their driveway. Not very promising if she decided to decline her daughter’s offer. After parking and turning the car off, she looked down at her still-shaking hands.

        “If you think you can handle making dinner tonight… I think I’ll be alright with that,” she finally answered. “A-as long as you’re careful.”

        A small success, but an acceptable one, Yasumi thought as they went inside. It was a recognizable recurring behavior that her mother would prefer to ruminate over the course of a drive rather than give an immediate reply, and Yasumi had no issue with patience. It’s not too different from connecting with a skittish bird, if you think about it.

        It wasn’t as if it were of any inconvenience to her. In all honesty, Yasumi personally enjoyed cooking. It gave her a sense of control that helped her collect her thoughts better, similar to her “recharge” routine. Under normal circumstances, that was likely to be why it also appealed to her mother.

        Unfortunately, on bad days like this, it wasn’t uncommon that the woman would be so scatterbrained as to accidentally fling hot oil or water on herself (she had a decent few sunproof spots on her arms to prove it), neglect to remove a metal utensil from a boiling pot or pan when not using it (that left quite the unpleasant, if only minor and temporary burn), or just misplace her hands while straining pasta or transferring rice (which did the same as the previous).

        After she put her phone and taser up to charge, she went back to the kitchen to see what was there, loosely tying up her hair with a hair tie.

        Ah. some beef that wasn’t used last time Mom tried out a new stir fry recipe. I can use this to make a simple curry to go with our leftover fried rice. Though I might need to check if the knife needs to be sharpened… Well, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

        The Velvet Aviary returned as soon as she fell asleep.

        This time, she awoke lying on the couch across from the one Igor sat on. Yuki was at his side, and she seemed to be interacting with one of the many clouded figures in the Aviary. A tall, dark, and imposing creature that appeared vaguely humanoid with a strange, misshapen head. It was relatively easy to imagine it as a person wearing a large sun hat. In the dark creature’s hand, there was a great pole-like weapon whose top bent at a sharp right angle, and appeared pointed and ever so slightly curved upward. But for some reason, the young guest couldn’t make out anything more than that; quite unlike the exquisite detail she so vividly recalled with Patroclus.

        “Welcome back, my dear,” Igor greeted her. “It seems you have recently discovered a surprising development. That friend of yours was certainly a pleasant surprise for us.”

        “I assume you’re referring to Ren,” Yasumi replied. There was really no other explanation.

        “Indeed we are,” Yuki affirmed, her dark charge turning to leave the Velvet Room. “He was certainly quick to awaken to his Persona while you and your friends were trapped in the Otherside.”

        “Persona… What exactly is that? And I heard you talk about Lovers as we returned to our own world; what did you mean?”

        Igor chuckled. “Persona is a power wielded by a chosen few; those who are capable of breaking free of the chains that restrain this latent power are allowed to summon and wield it. It’s your true nature, god or a demon, allowed to enter battle alongside you in the world of human hearts.”

        “It’s a truly fascinating thing,” Yuki added. “Shadows and the Shadow Selves of people populate the Otherside. However, certain Shadow Selves are especially dangerous, taking those of others and holding them captive in Prisons constructed of their own desires, taking on the role of Wardens for the Prisons and commanding any Shadows they wish. That’s why there typically aren’t any wild Shadows near a Prison.”

        Yasumi hummed. “I suppose that makes sense. But what of the ‘Lovers’?”

        “It’s quite simple, really.” Yuki called over some of the Shadows, one remaining especially close to her side as she read something from her tablet. “Every guest forms their own group of allies inside and outside of other Persona users, each selected by one of the Major Arcana to be its human vessel. That friend of yours -- Ren, I think you said -- was selected by the Lovers Arcana. The thing is, the Arcanas each have a preference as to who they choose to be their vessel, and this is the first time that the Lovers has chosen a boy.”

        “How would I be able to tell who has been chosen by which Arcana?”

        Yuki smiled sadly, in what looked like embarrassment. “We hope that once the rest decide upon which one you will be -- and that might only happen once your own Persona is summoned -- you’ll be able to tell quite easily on your own. Hopefully, next time we meet, we’ll have a much clearer picture of what to look towards.”

        The rose brunette sighed as she watched darkness filter into the aviary, laying back down on the couch and closing her eyes. “Not the most satisfying explanation, but I suppose it will suffice for now…”

        As always, the school days went slow when Yasumi had no work to do and a few hours to kill before her friends could meet up. Luckily, Ren’s “Persona,” as Igor had called it, was a quite intriguing thing to look into to pass the time. Ignoring occasional reports about asteroids, the warrior known as Patroclus turned out to be a very interesting unsung hero.

        Supposedly, he wasn’t even a full-fledged warrior; he was a mere squire despite being Achilles’ elder and role model. He was a friend so dear to the more famous hero that only he could witness the softer side of the almost divine prince. His untimely death on the battlefield, impersonating the hero himself by wearing his own armor, caused the nigh-immortal warrior to lose his mind with rage and grief, eventually dying himself from that infamous mortal wound to his heel.

        Almost as if, without Patroclus at his side, Achilles wholeheartedly believed that his life no longer had meaning.

        In hindsight, it reminded her of Gakushu’s plight, when all of his classmates were brainwashed by his own father, including the rest of the Five. While not necessarily insane with rage, his mental state was quite a far cry from optimal. Something that wasn’t helped by the disappointment the entire class had in themselves after everyone was back in their right minds, or the minor but painful injuries that Gakushu wound up suffering not even ten minutes after seeing the results of the mass mental sabotage.

        It begged her to wonder, If Gakushu were to acquire a Persona of his own, would the history between Achilles and Patroclus prove significant?

        A weight fell on the back of her chair. “Well well. That might actually be something we didn’t learn about.”

        Yasumi looked up, and Karma Akabane himself was reading over her shoulder. In one hand was a mostly-full bottle of what looked like strawberry milk, which he was holding respectfully away from Yasumi and her things. Surprisingly, he didn’t have the sort of intimidating or devilish air that her friends were so fearful of, at least not in a way that she could interpret; it seemed more like a wandering secretary bird or a caracara, stopping to check out something interesting.

        “Are you referring to this particular mythological story? Or Greco-Roman mythology in general?” she inquired.

        “Actually, any kind of mythology,” the redhead replied. “I’m surprised anyone in this school would be interested in something that isn’t already in the curriculum. You look kinda familiar, though I don’t think you were ever a classmate.”

        Yasumi hummed. “You would be correct about that. The only reason I’m ever anywhere near Kunugigaoka is because my mother’s part of the Junior High staff. Sayuri Nikija; do you know her?”

        He was quiet for a minute or two. “…Jitters?”

        “…Unfortunately, yes. She has anxiety.”

        “Huh.” Akabane strode around to sit across from her, nursing his drink. “I wouldn’t expect someone like you to be hers. I’d sooner peg you as Chiba’s little sister or something with how you style your hair and how you act.”

        “That part of my appearance is crafted out of personal preference, really,” she brushed off, turning back to her monitor. “My hairstyle is solely designed to shade my eyes and allow me to control who makes eye contact with me. Bright lights have bothered me for as long as I can remember, and I’m not fond of having foreign objects on my face if I can help it.”

        “Meh, I guess that makes sense. To be honest, I’m kinda surprised I was able to see your screen when you have the brightness so low. Maybe now I might have the time to look into the stuff you’re picking through; classes have been a pretty boring cake walk since graduating Junior High.”

        If the matter were less serious, she might’ve chuckled. “My friends would likely agree. Compared to the months before graduating, the decrease in difficulty since the former principal stepped down has done well to ease burnout in the entirety of Class A. I don’t doubt that the better part of their high school years will be essentially little more than a long review of what they were force-fed last year.” Though I still think it would do all the students here some good to step away from the overly-competitive mindset that’s been drilled into them.

        “Wouldn’t surprise me that much, all things considered. It’s a real shame some of my buddies didn’t stick around -- reputations and bully problems and that sorta thing. They’d be able to witness the effects of the school’s power vacuum, too. You’d probably like meeting some of them, like Hara or maybe Okuda.”

        “Hmm… I suppose at least some of your former classmates seem rather approachable. I'd gladly welcome meeting any of them, particularly your little friend who helped Gakushu out of a panic attack. Should I ever encounter one of your female classmates, I'd even go as far as ensuring Ren left well enough alone.”

        The redhead sipped his drink thoughtfully. "I can give you my contact; we'll keep in touch."

        "Thank you, but I doubt that will be necessary." She had Ritsu appear before turning her laptop to him, lowering her voice to an even softer whisper. "Your digital classmate gave Teppei quite a scare, but that's neither here nor there. Mind you, Akabane, my friends and I still bear an interest in your 'Koro-sensei.' While not necessarily at this time, we do plan to properly speak with you concerning the matter. State secret he may be, but you can't expect it to be an easy task to conceal a bright yellow, 3-meter cephalopod that flies in plain sight 20 times faster than the speed of sound."

        Rather than angry, the taller boy almost looked impressed as she turned. "I'll keep that in mind." He smoothly got up and turned to saunter out of the library. "Y'know, this almost makes me wish you were one of us. You'd make a good assassin, Nikija. Who knows? Maybe your buddies could've fit in with us, too."

        Yasumi smiled to herself as she retired to the meeting place. You're certainly not the only one who thinks so, Akabane. I like to believe that this might be our chance.

        To her surprise -- or perhaps the opposite, since Akabane was with her -- the boys were all waiting for her once she got into the computer lab.

        And to some degree, all of them were worried about her.

        "Yasumi, thank goodness you're okay!" Teppei exclaimed. "We were so scared when we didn't see Akabane in the halls after class ended. But then Kondo told us--"

        "Teppei--?"

        "--And we couldn't believe he was with you in the library --"

        " Teppei. "

        "--But then we saw him and we weren't sure if he'd hurt you or --"

        "ARAKI!"

        He froze like he'd just been shot at by Seo's shout.

        "Thank you," Yasumi sighed in relief before heading to her usual seat. "Teppei, I was not threatened or harmed by Akabane's presence. He simply showed interest in what I was researching and we sparked a conversation. Apparently, he thinks my hairstyle resembles that of one of his former classmates. He also thinks good things would come out of me meeting some of his other former classmates."

        Gakushu looked like he could hardly believe their luck. "That's actually quite favorable to help us learn more. Is he aware that we know?"

        “Yes, actually; Ritsu proved it to him via my laptop. He didn't react negatively to it. In fact, he seemed astonished. He also sounds as if he wished all of us were part of the mountain class, and that at least I would've become a good assassin.”

        "Assassin. Feels like that's become their word of choice ever since last year," Koyama mulled. “As early as the baseball tournament, if not earlier.”

        “The entirety of Class 3-E was specifically instructed to carry out the assassination of Koro-sensei,” Ritsu pointed out over Yasumi’s laptop. “And even then, several assassins frequented the school to try their hands as well, but no one succeeded. Not even those who… threatened the class as well.”

        Ren shifted in discomfort in his place on his usual table, fiddling with his shirt’s collar; underneath which Yasumi only assumed he secretly wore the necklace from the day before. “Something tells me that sorta thing happened way more often than should’ve been able to fly under the radar,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m not too surprised, considering the End Class would be the perfect place for something like that to play out unnoticed… and it all but confirms that Mister Asano was in on the whole thing.”

        “Once you get past how unbelievable it should be, it suddenly becomes pretty easy to figure out,” Teppei agreed.

        “That in itself is only to be expected,” Yasumi pointed out. “Remove any and all cognitive dissonance, and various factors become rather obvious in some fashion. The building that housed the mountain class is a fair distance from the rest of the Junior High campus, and it’s surrounded by a massive forest in all directions that you're led to believe is exponentially more treacherous than it truly is. Not only would it be highly unlikely for anyone outside the class itself to so much as approach the mountain, but you’re also trained to see them as pariahs that shouldn’t be associated with in the first place. It’s practically its own isolated school, easily capable of being infiltrated by strangers from every other direction.”

        “And you can’t leave out events like field trips, like the ones to Kyoto or Okinawa,” Natsu added. “That only gives more openings for assassins that aren’t affiliated with the school, especially when E Class was always kept separate from the rest of us. A thousand different things could’ve happened up there, and the rest of us would be none the wiser.”

        That train of thought sounds oddly similar to the Otherside, Yasumi thought to herself. Anything can happen there, and odds are, no one consciously knows about what happens there.

        “Sounds kind of like yesterday,” Ren voiced her thoughts. “We actually found something that might be one of the weirdest things yet. Like, the ‘visiting another dimension’ kind of weird.”

        Seo, Natsu, and Teppei immediately turned to him with looks ranging from confusion to outright disbelief. “What are you trying to get at this time?” Seo hissed.

        Gakushu sighed. “It started after the three of you left yesterday. We were debating our next move concerning E Class and their teacher, when the school phone began to ring…”

        The explanation was long, complex, and divided into two depending on where Ren, Gakushu, and Yasumi ended up after being knocked out and what each individual had separately experienced. Even then, most of what they recalled lined up almost exactly. It helped that they all still had some degree of the injuries they sustained, and Ren still wore the necklace given to him after initially summoning Patroclus. In which case, it did appear convincing, aside from the sheer surrealism of it all.

        However, what else Ren had said also turned out to be quite intriguing to hear. Neither Gakushu nor Yasumi recalled a ghostly figure standing directly in front of him, or a disembodied voice like that which he claimed to hear before he got the idea that let him free himself from the cross he was chained to. Not anymore than they heard anything that Patroclus may have told Ren before his Awakening, but that was more or less to be expected, since it sounded like it started in his head.

        There was something about Ren’s recollection of that ghost, though. When he said that the ghost himself wished that he and his friends could’ve been his students so much sooner…

        It sounded like what Akabane was trying to tell her.

Chapter Text

        The next day was Sunday, the one day of the week when there wasn’t anything to do. When students didn’t have any classes to attend. And for Yasumi, it offered the perfect chance to better explore their recent discovery after letting them off easy yesterday. If all went as planned, she could tell her mother she’d be going out with her friends for the afternoon.

Storm Soldier has created a new chat: Abt the Cathedral

Storm Soldier added Academic King and Princely Poet

Storm Soldier
@Princely Poet @Academic King

I think we should try to go back to the Otherside.

Princely Poet
…

P L S SAY THAT UR J O K I N G

Academic King
I don’t believe she is, Ren. Though I do understand how hesitant you are about doing so.

Yasumi, why should we return to that other world, if that’s what you’re referring to by “the Otherside”? We were nearly killed the first time we were there.

Storm Soldier
Regardless of the risk of being there, the cathedral and quite possibly the Otherside in itself ostensibly relates to real life in some regard.

Given the voice Ren heard speaking to him that moved him to action, I believe someone may be trapped somewhere within it.

Princely Poet
Then y can’t we just let someone else take care of it? We’re just high schoolers, and ur basically still in jr high. What can we do?

Storm Soldier
Simple. Whatever we’re capable of.

As far as I’m concerned, we are the only ones who know about the Otherside’s existence. Ren has a means with which to enter as well as defend ourselves, and it’s possible that others like Gakushu and I can obtain it ourselves. Whatever the Otherside truly is and whatever purpose it serves, only we are able to investigate it, and it may feasibly help us uncover more of the truth concerning the mountain class and their teacher.

Academic King
The idea that you and I can obtain the same power Ren has still poses an extreme risk, Yasumi, as intriguing as it may sound. The three of us still could’ve very well died in that cathedral had Ren not supposedly encountered the strange voice he mentioned yesterday.

Princely Poet
Yeah. What if the voice and weird ghostly thing was just my imagination? What if 1) nothing concerning the voice was rly there and 2) we actually DIED?!

Storm Soldier
About that, Ren. When I encountered Akabane, he told me that I would’ve made a good assassin, correct? In that sense, he said he wished I was his classmate

Similarly, the voice in the Otherside told Ren that he wished we were his students.

They made the same wish.

Princely Poet
What’s that supposed 2 mean, then?

U think they’re connected or something?

Storm Soldier
Precisely

However, before anything else can be done, I advise that we start by uncovering the remaining secrets of the cathedral, especially how it connects to all of us as well as Mr. Asano. We can only do whatever we can, and that means making do with what we’re capable of at this very moment.

Remember, while it does seem like we have to go through with this, you’re allowed to take this entire matter at your own pace.

We can meet in the same place where we initially saw the cathedral. Ren, if you wish to help, I advise that you bring your necklace; if it brought us out of there, it can bring us back.

Would after lunch be a good time?

Princely Poet
I mean, Ig that’ll give me the time to mentally prepare myself...

Academic King
Yes, that sounds acceptable. We’ll see you there.

        “Okay, before we go into the fourth dimension that can kill us all and leave no trace, how about laying some ground rules so we don’t get captured this time?” Ren asked, his voice shaking in a mix of frustration and fear.

        Gakushu looked at him like it was obvious; frankly, it was. “Simple: don’t enter through the front door, avoid guards, look for anything that might be the reason why the cathedral exists in the first place, and don’t let that world’s version of my father know we’re there if we can help it.”

        Ren sighed, before tugging at the medallion around his neck. “So… Now what? Do I just… tell Patroclus to bring us there? To the… Otherside?”

        The light appeared from the pendant in a blinding flash in response to the word, and all sounds around them went silent.

        "It appears so," Gakushu replied, marveling at the altered scenery all over again. When his eyes wandered back to the brunette, they saw his clothes had changed back into the outfit that appeared when he first summoned Patroclus.

        “Our best chance of success requires that we use stealth and maintain a sharp eye,” Yasumi relayed. “In most cathedrals, there aren’t many hiding places on the first floor; the best places are actually on the second floor. However, having said that, there’s also a series of catacombs under the cathedral. I know it’s there, because that was where I found myself after we were rendered unconscious.”

        Gakushu turned to the building, as if he was trying to visualize the catacombs hidden below the ground. “It would be a better idea to explore the second floor before we look into any catacombs. It’s the only place none of us have looked into yet, and it most likely takes up the least area out of all three levels; we won’t have to divide it into chunks like we might have to with a potential underground maze.”

        Yasumi considered that for a moment. “That would be the optimal course of action; best to ensure there isn’t anything we could miss on the second floor before exploring the catacombs.”

        “But how are we supposed to get up there without alerting the guards?” Ren inquired, fiddling with the handle of his glaive. “As far as I can tell, there’s no other entrance besides the front door, and for any windows… there’s no way we’d be able to reach them, least of all without being seen by one of the guards or part of that ‘congregation.’”

        Yasumi only blinked at him. “There should be at least one balcony along the side of the cathedral well within reach of Patroclus’s spear.”

        “I do remember there being at least a few windows leading outside last time. And even if it turns out to be out of reach, the building’s ventilation system should suffice to let us in and out of the building without detection,” Gakushu added, gesturing to a wrought-iron grill just at the edge of the facade. “And even if that proves impossible, at the very least it may potentially allow us to sneak around undetected. But which route should we take…?”

        “I’d rather try the balcony this time, just to be sure of whether it’s possible or not,” Ren stated. “That and I’d rather not risk bringing this thing through tight spaces, at least not yet; especially if there’s no way up.”

        “That sounds reasonable,” Yasumi nodded, heading over to the side of the building. As Gakushu said, there were at least five platforms on the side.  “As long as you’re alright with Patroclus being our way in.”

        The brunette shrugged. “Small price to pay.” He lifted his medallion, taking a deep breath. “Patroclus, to arms.”

        The necklace disappeared in a rush of blue light that appeared as the great Persona. He looked around them, seeming a bit perplexed that he wasn’t called for battle.

        “Uh, if you don’t mind, can you give us a lift up there?” Ren asked, gesturing to the platforms.

        Patroclus briefly looked between the smaller humans and the balconies, before offering a simple nod, resting the handle of his spear near the ground.

        Yasumi approached first, grabbing onto the handle with both hands. Before long, the ground vanished below her and she was lifted into the air near the railing, letting go once she was safely sitting on it to slide onto the balcony itself. Next up was Gakushu, and then Ren before Patroclus disappeared back into the necklace.

        “Okay, we made it up,” Gakushu said, peering through the door that led inside. “Now we need to be careful so no one sees us.”

        “Hug the walls,” Ren advised. “Less likely to be spotted and way less likely to make something creak.”

        As they crept inside, the second floor proved to be more or less a loft with a large number of empty pews, sectioned out into tiers like bleachers. The false former principal was back at his pulpit, preaching a sermon of perfection, hard work, and just about everything the boys had already heard before. The pews below were filled with various monsters, though, not unlike last time. And guards were stationed all around the first floor.

        Far in the back, just above the front door, was the staircase to a second loft that went all the way around the inside of the building, including behind the pulpit. All it would take for them to be spotted was for one of the creatures below to look up, and that included their ornately-clad preacher.

        But then again, that wouldn’t be different from his reign as principal. He makes sure he’s always able to see what’s happening in his classroom. He’d always be watching his students, yet keep failures and outsiders out of his sight.

        They snuck along the walls with Ren at the front, his glaive ready to strike just in case. They were able to use the pews and their shadows as cover fairly effectively, only needing to speed up a little when they were going between them. The voice of the Prison Warden below was no more than white noise that further covered what little noise they made.

        Yasumi could practically feel Gakushu fighting the urge to follow after his father’s Shadow. She paused to grab his shoulder, keeping him on course before continuing after their taller friend.

        Out of the three of us, Gakushu is unfortunately the most vulnerable, not least because of that trance he went into last time. Ren and I both have weapons, but he’s the only one with a Persona, and my taser didn’t do us much good the first time since we were so unprepared. Use of stealth is our most sure way to success, and will help us gain more experience in this world.

        As they drew nearer to the staircase, for some reason, the atmosphere among the trio felt more and more tense. Even for Yasumi, the possibility of being spotted by the man below was a growing weight of pressure on all of their shoulders.

        The three paused when they reached the stairs, the boys a little unsure of how to proceed. Yasumi went ahead, crawling up the stairs on all fours and carefully distributing her weight along each limb. Sheltered by the shadows of the railing, she stayed close to the wall.

        When she reached the second loft, she paused and turned to see how closely the other two had followed. Once both had made their way up -- even Ren with his glaive still in hand, they all breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Now that they reached a place almost completely out of the Warden’s earshot and possibly even sight if they stick to the walls, they could at least be a little more sure that they won’t be found out. There were no guards up here, and even though it seemed more like a series of regular platforms with light fixtures rather than a second set of pews, they probably wouldn’t have a problem staying out of sight.

        The three continued along the loft, still taking care to not cause any creaking in the floorboards. Unfortunately, the increased distance from Mr. Asano’s Shadow did little to diminish the effects his very presence had on his son. Yasumi still had to keep a firm hand on the ginger to keep him on track.

        When they reached the door at the other end of the loft, Yasumi went to the front of the trio and sat up to carefully open it. Thankfully, it didn’t make much noise when she turned the door handle, or creak when she opened it.

        When she turned to the boys to wave them through, she was greeted with Gakushu trying to look down through the railing to the lecture below. Ren was able to pull him back before anyone could spot them, but the strength of the Prison Warden despite not being anywhere near him was a concerning thing to witness.

        It’s like the Warden’s influence gets stronger if a target is further away rather than closer. That’s a bit… worrisome.

        “Come along, boys,” she beckoned in a whisper.

        Gakushu briefly shook his head, as if to repel an insect flying around him, before he and the taller brunette went through the door, Yasumi closing the door behind them.

        Silence dropped around them once the door was closed, the vacancy of the former principal’s voice suddenly very obvious, like a yawning void. At least now that it appeared that they were safe from discovery, they all properly stood up to assess their new surroundings.

        The room they entered resembled a sort of library, whose curved shelves stretched from far, far down below, to the ceiling of the level they stood on. Apart from the platform that connected them to either end of the loft, the room was divided into several levels with scaffoldings of platforms with step stools on each one.

        Gakushu made his way to the top platform, plucking a book from the shelf to leaf through it. Yasumi and Ren followed him, the former looking at the book in the ginger’s hands while the latter scanned a different part of the shelf.

        “This one appears to be a school arithmetic textbook for primary school students,” Gakushu remarked. “But I’m not too familiar with this one in particular. The publishing date makes it incredibly old for being in such good condition.”

        “Is this a childcare manual?” Ren asked himself, partly pulling another book from the shelf. “Yikes. I remember the controversies this author got into, especially with the attempted English translation.”

        Yasumi noticed a different book on the shelf closest to the platform itself, pulling it out to take a look. “This looks like an attendance log… from several years previous to the classes of anyone I’m familiar with.”

        The redhead furrowed a brow as he put back the textbook. “Perhaps this is a library of all of the books my father has ever read, as well as written. This one here looks especially small.” He plucked the thin book from the low shelf. “And it only has three names: Haru Nakai, Saraka Mori, and Rikuto Ikeda… His first students ever… But why is Ikeda’s name written like this?”

        “Like what?” Yasumi inquired.

        He turned it around to show the girl what he meant. Strangely, the kanji of Rikuto Ikeda’s name appeared written in glowing, red neon. Nakai and Mori’s names weren’t written like that; they were simply in black ink like normal.

        “Hmm. That does raise the question as to why one person’s name would appear this way,” agreed the pink brunette. “Do you boys wager there may be anything else useful somewhere on the lower levels?”

        “I sure hope so,” Ren replied. “I mean, obviously Mr. Asano was pretty well-read, if he actually read all of the books that are here. Nothing up here is really on my 'to-read' list anyway, so I'm not all that sure if it’s any great loss to us if we don’t find anything of particular use."

        “Let’s keep looking on the lower levels,” Gakushu advised. “I still have the feeling that we’re missing something here. Keep an eye out for any other attendance logs, especially ones from last year.”

        “Right.”

        The three climbed down to different lower levels, inspecting each book on the level they were on. Yasumi spent most of that time picking around the various books that littered the shelves she stopped at. Some were strangely difficult to read, like the principal’s memory of reading those particular books was faded. Given her height, she had to make use of the step stools on more than one occasion. She did find a couple of other attendance logs, but some of their names were similarly faded.

        On a lower level, Yasumi stumbled upon Ren. He had an attendance log in hand, but instead of looking at it, he was staring in the direction of where they entered the library. His eyes were wide with horror, his face pale, and even with his gloves on, he was white-knuckling his glaive.

        “What’s the matter?” Yasumi asked.

“Look,” he said, pointing at the wall. “Look at them all…”

        She turned to where he was looking, seeing a horrifying depiction. A massive mural of a bridge, overlooking a dark body of water, with all sorts of dark shadows floating in its depths. But in the blank space between the bridge and the water was something a little difficult to see; a large group of scattered shapes, in fact.

        Her heart dropped when she realized what they were.

        People. Dozens of dark silhouettes of people, falling from that bridge. All likely being students of Mr. Asano who committed suicide for one reason or another. The one closest to the water had dirty blond hair, and one still standing on the bridge itself was a figure with bright orange hair. They were the only two that had visible faces. Just the image of Gakushu standing on such a bridge, ready to throw himself off like all the rest on the mural… It wasn’t something anyone deserved to see. 

        “These are all of the students he’s lost,” she realized. “From one of his first, all the way to his son, who might well be the last… How many of these are strictly his doing? How many out of all of them has he personally trampled upon?”

        The brunette looked like he was about to be sick, glancing down at the log in his free hand. “I’m not sure I want to know…”

        The two were silent for a bit, the only sounds being the echoes of Gakushu obliviously leafing through the bookshelves on a different level. Eventually, Yasumi slipped the log Ren had found from his hand, drawing his attention.

        “Return to Gakushu and wait for me on the platform. It would be best that we leave before we’re discovered.”

        Ren only gave her a small nod of his head, before turning and rushing up the nearest ladder.

        Yasumi looked through the log, taking note of all the names she recognized. The names of her friends caught her eyes, and she tracked down each of them until she reached Gakushu’s name. To her surprise, his name was written in the same red neon kanji as Ikeda’s. Combining that with the fact that those two were the only ones to be fully detailed on the mural… that had to have meant something, but what?

        She heard a loud crash and a few angry voices before she could figure out an answer.

        Panic shot through her veins at the noise. She rushed back to the bookshelf, putting the log back in the nearest gap. But right when she was about to turn and run for the ladder, an ironclad hand grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

        A couple of the pope’s guards were standing above her.

        “You heretics never learn. And this time, you will die because of it. ”

Chapter Text

        Yasumi’s mind blanked out when she saw the highly unwanted guards standing over her, rolling away when one of the two tried to run her through with a spear. The spearhead hitting the grated floor rang like the toll of a death bell. The guard tried to impale her again only for her to grab it, pulling it from his grip as she scrambled to her feet.

        “Defiant DEMON!” roared the still-armed guard as the second spear shot forward. Yasumi was barely able to dodge and run to the nearest ladder, but the knights continued to give chase.

        Yasumi scrambled up the rungs as quickly as she could when the guard tried to skewer her through the rungs. She was barely able to dodge the strike, leaving her dangling off the ladder from her right hand and foot, above a threateningly abyssal three or four-story drop. She swung back to respond with her stolen spear, jabbing the armed guard in the chest and causing him to stumble back into his colleague, knocking them both over and giving her enough of an opening to reach the platform above. Their shouts alerted her to their much longer drop; they fell off the edge.

        That was rather close.

        The platform above was, thankfully, clear of any guards. But she could still hear her friends somewhere among the platforms above. She had to get up there, and more importantly, get herself and her friends out of the cathedral as soon as possible, if only to reassess and return later. All she had as defense was her taser and the stolen spear, and it was hard to forget how easily her taser was knocked from her hand last time.

        My guard was low that time; I cannot allow myself to be in that situation again. Not only for my sake, but for the boys’. But why hasn’t Patroclus handled this?

        She put down the spear by the bookshelf, mapping out the areas of the grate where dark shadows cast down from people standing or laying on it. Once she found just the right spot, she got to work.

        She moved stacks of books from the shelf, making a new makeshift ladder right next to where she could see her friends. Once she deemed it capable of letting them hear her, she climbed up, gripping and stepping on the wooden shelves until she lightly tapped on the grate.

        “Huh? Yasumi?” Ren whispered, sounding rather weak. “That you?”

        “Yes,” she replied through the grate. “I think I might be able to at least incapacitate the guards, but I’ll need to use my taser on the entire platform; being made of metal, the entire structure will be affected. You might be zapped as well if you’re directly touching the floor at all.”

        “We’ll take anything over a repeat capture,” Gakushu said gravely. “For some reason, these particular guards are monsters that hurt Ren especially badly, and Patroclus couldn’t battle them very effectively in kind. They said their ‘pope’ is on his way, so please hurry.”

        “If you're absolutely sure. I’ll sneak up the ladder over there so I can reach the platform, and use my sleeves as insulation for my hands in case the ladder doesn’t have anything to insulate it. Try to keep as much direct skin off of the grate as possible and tap the floor twice when you're ready.”

        “Will do,” Ren replied. “Try not to slip, okay?”

        “Of course.” With that, Yasumi climbed back down, grabbing the spear and heading over to make her way up the next ladder. She took a quick peek up and locked eyes with the boys before ducking back down under the platform to stay out of view. The guards seemed more busy making sure the boys didn’t move than anything else, muttering to each other, so they obviously didn’t see her. With the spear arm wrapped around the ladder’s side rail and the taser in her other hand against the platform, she waited for the signal.

        Ting, Ting.

        The second she heard the faint ring echo across the metal, she pushed the button.

        The guards immediately started shouting in pain. She counted 10 seconds before releasing the button and climbing the rest of the way up, just in time to watch the guards collapse. The boys, on the other hand, were getting back up, a bit knocked about but not too badly harmed. Ren still looked a little worse off than Gakushu though, given he was the one who got beat up by whatever monsters the guards really were under that armor.

        “Thought they’d never get off our backs,” Ren grumbled with a brief backward stretch after picking up his dropped glaive.

        “Let’s get out of here before any more trouble shows up,” Gakushu suggested. “And possibly figure out what raised the alarm."

        “Oh, no you don’t, Beast!” one of the guards grabbed Yasumi by the upper arms and lifted her off her feet. The monster’s large hands gripped her with bruising, angry strength. He was trying to squeeze all the air from her lungs and his touch burned. “You will be returned and slaughtered by the pope! Cease your resistance, and your death will perhaps be swift.”

        The other turned to the boys, pushing them against the shelf. Ren summoned Patroclus for help, but the Persona was small and faded and neither were all that good at pushing back.

        Yasumi narrowed her eyes at the guards, fighting to pull her taser arm free from his grip. Her ears were starting to ring a deafening noise from the lack of oxygen, head slowly starting to pound. By rotating her shoulder, she managed to get her arm free, she raised her electric weapon above her head like a looming knife ready to stab.

        If you think I’ll simply lay down and die for your “pope”… you’re even more foolish than you realize, and so is he.

        With her eyes fixed on the glaring white eyelights within the guard’s helmet, she rammed the stun gun into the gap.

        Because of being hit in or between the eyes, Yasumi was unceremoniously dropped onto the ice cold floor of the scaffolding platform. She rolled to get back to her feet, thrusting her spear into the other’s face when he tried to lunge at her and also sending her taser’s current up the metal shaft and into the monster, stubbornly ignoring the pain of the current also zipping up her arm gripping the shaft. Once releasing the taser’s button, she kept the spear hooked in his helm and forced him to topple over sideways.

        “Leave… my boys… alone,” she hissed, gasping for air and trying to make the headache dull away. “If you’re so adamant to make me your ‘Beast’... I will have no issue showing how terrifying I am… by tearing this entire Cathedral down!”

        It has been a long time coming…

        Yasumi went stiff in shock at the unfamiliar voice, before she felt an unimaginable pain spear through her skull. It felt like time was somehow slowing down around her, turning into a liquid that she could barely move through. 

        You’ve spent your life in the midst of a storm, but here is a chance to change that. You can allow it to continue to ravage you. Or you can take control of it and use it for your own power. You are the calm inside a depthless force of destruction. Will you claim its strength, as the voice inside your heart yearns?

        Yasumi shook from the pain, fighting for words. “Yes. Please. Help ME! ” She screamed as the pain somehow only got worse.

        Very well. The contract may now commence. I am thou, thou art I. From hereon, thou shall take up the power of a gruesome predator, no matter your size. May all know thy hidden might from the bodies of your foes, impaled on spires of lightning!

        Yasumi felt the collar fasten itself around her neck, the same way it happened to Ren. But this felt like its fit was even tighter, and the band was even wider; she wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but it even felt serrated on the inside. She was practically tearing gashes into her neck just fighting to fit her fingers under it, stumbling into the books in her blind struggle. She pulled and pulled at it, the force pushing against her throat and choking herself, until she heard it tear. It gave out, soon hanging limp in her hand as she fought to fill her lungs, pain dancing along her throat from the strain.

        Her only warning was the faint buzz of electricity under her skin. Before she even blinked, her surroundings lit up in a blue lightning strike, the thunder drowning out her own screaming. Everything was overwhelming light and noise and TOO MUCH and it HURT.

        When the piercing bright light faded and the pain had finally ceased, Yasumi opened her eyes. She saw that hovering above her was a bird the size of a Haast’s eagle. Her wings were broad; every feather gleamed like a knife or arrowhead. Her bronze metal beak, opposite to the crest on her head, had a sharp hook, the tip stained red with blood. Long, skinny legs ended with sharp black points. The creature’s plumage was metallic, a mix of bronze and silver with faint coppery bars along the blade-like feathers. But proud even against her shimmering, feathered armor, the creature’s wide eyes were bright red.

        I am the Devourer of Giants, Stymphalides.

        The guard in front of her growled in rage, still somehow able to stand. “You little… By the orders of our lord, we will absolutely annihilate you! GUARDS!” he cried, becoming a dark, winged fiend with a long staff. The other became an oni-looking creature with a hollow head covered in hurricane symbols.

        “Your bodies will be empty suits before you get the chance,” Yasumi hissed back as the doors above flung open. “Stymphalides, eat them alive!”

        The bird sparked with lightning as she flapped her wings, sending off barrages of blade-like feathers at the guards. Some of the unfortunate Shadows hit by the feathers, like the two directly in front, quickly exploded into an inky black substance that birthed smaller versions of the original, which turned and started mobbing the rest, electricity flying off their beaks and talons.

        Yasumi’s taser began to behave less like a normal stun gun and more like an electric whip, jumping eagerly through all the conductors it could access and lash out against, some guards being more severely affected than others. The newfound vigor let Patroclus properly join in again, clawing their way up and out. And though Ren’s Persona could only fight when they were on a platform, Stymphalides and her flock were able to cover for the three on the ladders.

        It was when the teens reached the top platform that the guards all began to retreat, aside from those that Stymphalides had turned into her own.

        “Shouldn’t be too hard to bail now,” Ren remarked.

        “True,” agreed Gakushu. “Yasumi, can your new friends give us a ride to the ground?”

        Yasumi turned to her hovering Persona, who was talking to one of the smaller copies. The Warden and his Shadows have retreated for now. There should be little trouble leaving the Prison, if any.

        “Stymphalides says we can simply use the front door. Everyone in the sanctuary has disappeared for the moment.”

        Ren’s eyebrows went up. “Oh… that makes things easier.”

        Still, even though the trek downstairs and outside wasn’t terribly taxing, Yasumi was still exhausted now that there was no need to fight anymore. She had Stymphalides keep the flock nearby just in case, but the sanctuary did indeed look all but abandoned. And once they were outside and past the gates, she let her Persona disappear, releasing all of the captured guards into their true forms again. Oddly enough, they were rather quick to flee the humans rather than fight them once they had their bearings.

        Now that the Shadows were gone, Yasumi got the chance to really look at herself. The first thing she noticed was the gold gloves on her hands, reminiscent of a falcon's legs. They dipped under the sleeves of a surprisingly soft, yet leathery jacket; faded dark brown embroidered with branching patterns of silver along the sides, along with a sash on each side like a dress to be tied behind her back. Her loose black trousers tucked into dark gray ankle boots with a downy, pale gray cuff. Her collar overflowed with the same pale down that probably lined the rest of the jacket. There was also a strange headpiece; upon removal, it turned out to be a sort of headband, with a cluster of metallic, golden brown feathers on either side that resembled wings, or an owl's ear tufts.

        A necklace of her own appeared as well, now that Stymphalides had vanished. And now that it didn’t cause any pain as the collar, she could properly inspect it. Three separate, gold pendants on a soft, black satin cord; the pendants were each tied in lark's head knots to keep them spaced out. A feather sat at the center, and a lightning bolt was on either side.

        "It’s… different, compared to Ren’s outfit," Yasumi commented. “And this necklace…"

        "You look like some kind of high-end falconer, or even a pilot," Ren commented. "Given that bird that was fighting next to you, it works. And speaking of birds, I can't say I'm surprised you were pegged with the feather motif with a side of lightning."

        Gakushu hummed in agreement. "It suits you. But why Stymphalides?"

        “The Stymphalian birds,” the girl realized. “The targets of one of the Twelve Labors of Heracles. Arguably, the most mysterious in terms of origin.”

        “Cool,” Ren grinned, before his smile suddenly dropped.

        His face paled, his eyes went glassy, and a mere second later, he dropped over Yasumi’s shoulders, knocking them both to the floor. Not only was she not entirely prepared to catch someone almost 25 centimeters taller than she was, but in terms of energy, Yasumi wasn’t much better off than he was. In a mix of alarm from her tallest friend passing out and the internal panic of the unwarranted excess contact, she froze in place, mind engulfed in static.

        “Ren!” Gakushu was quick to grab the brunette and remove him from the girl. “That must’ve been the adrenaline crash after getting yourself hurt. You should’ve been more careful back there.”

        “Sorry…” Ren murmured, trying to find his footing again. “Maybe we should get out of here before anything else happens… Think we can get something to eat before going home?”

        Yasumi shook as she stood and dusted herself off, seeing the light emanate from the necklaces like last time. “Y-yes… I-I think that’d be alright.”

        She heard Igor again in the midst of the radiant light.

        “Ah, the Sun Arcana… it has been so long since you’ve chosen our guest as your vessel…”

        When they returned to the real world, Yasumi still had her new necklace just like Ren. And he seemed a little more lively now that they weren’t in the Otherside. The chirping birds that welcomed them back was also an instant relief after the scare Ren had caused.

        “Huh, we haven’t been gone a full hour,” Gakushu remarked, looking at his phone. “We have more time to spare than I expected.”

        “So we can just hang out at a cafe or something for the rest of the afternoon,” Ren said, sounding relieved. “I know a place to try out; I hear they have the best sponge cakes.”

        The ginger smiled. “That sounds like a fairly pleasant way to wind down after this experience, as well as help you two recover your strength. Lead the way.”

        Yasumi only nodded before following the boys, not quite trusting her voice not to tremor until she had a chance to calm herself. Already, she was feeling rather frayed and couldn’t really pay attention to their small talk in front of her, her mind preferring to lock onto the birds chirping around them, from the songbirds in the forest to the crows, ravens, and even pigeons that appeared just about everywhere they possibly could downtown.

        She wondered what it’d be like to have a pet bird. Corvids and doves were both especially intelligent, and she’s seen videos of ravens who could imitate human voices like any parrot. And when Ren compared her changed outfit in the Otherside that of a falconer, it also brought to mind hawks or falcons… But she supposed a nice pigeon would likely be the best idea. Very clean and quiet, as well as least likely to scare her mother or any of the boys.

        “…sumi… Yasumi,” Ren’s voice pulled her from her thoughts, “we’re here.”

        She was confused for a few seconds before she remembered the cafe he was talking about. “Apologies. I think I’m still a bit dazed from Awakening to Stymphalides.”

        “Not surprising,” the brunette shrugged. “I felt a little out of sorts after last time, too. But check this out. It’s the perfect little spot for us.”

        She looked up at the cafe’s interior. A very quaint little place, tucked in a small alley neighborhood. Not a lot of people were inside, since it was between the usual lunch and dinner rush times, which was a huge relief, even if the smell was a little much. The only sounds came from the kitchen and the TV on the left side of the counter. The person to appear at the counter was a kind-looking man with pale blond hair, but Yasumi was still too frayed to really register his voice beyond ordering a slice of lemon chiffon cake and green tea.

        The three teens sat at a booth, the boys’ murmuring to each other adding to the white noise of the cafe. All Yasumi could really do was nurse and nibble at her food and try to ignore the vibrating pain between her temples and the way her normally very soft sweater was rapidly growing itchy. The cake and its vanilla glaze were as light as they were rumored to be, and the lemon taste was a perfect touch. It kept her from completely falling back into her head, but the growing headache still left her with an urge to somehow divert the pain. But instead, she busied her twitchy fingers with her new necklace.

        She didn’t exactly realize she was done with her food until Ren tapped the table in front of her, urging her to look up at her worried friends.

        “You want us to bring you home, Yasumi?” Ren asked in a low voice. “We’ll call it a day for you if you need it. You deserve it after today.”

        All she could really manage was a weak, “Please.”

        She wasn’t sure which of the boys paid for the food and drink, but she was soon following them out of the cafe. The sun was still fairly high in the sky, but just starting to dip down and try to peer under her bangs, lancing her retinas anytime a stray ray of light succeeded.

        Yasumi could vaguely hear her friends talking to her mother once they got to the house, but knowing she was home only drove her to go inside, toe off her shoes, and head to her room, closing the door behind her. With sluggish but hurried movements, she drew the blinds, put her electronics on charge, and curled up on her bed with her weighted blanket. Only then, weighed down in the dark quiet of her safest place, did she breathe a tired sigh of relief.

        But she still kept the necklace on. Somehow, that was what bothered her the least.

Chapter Text

        When Yasumi next found herself in the Velvet Room again, Stymphalides was there beside her. The Devourer of Giants was carefully grooming her hair with her beak, where the girl lay on her couch. When Yasumi sat up, the creature hopped off to the side to give her room.

        “Stymphalides is a very beautiful Persona, I have to say,” Yuki said cheerfully from Igor’s side, tapping away at her tablet. "And much stronger than she looks, too!"

        The long-nosed man chuckled. “You are a wonderful fit for the Sun Arcana, little bird. Already, you have proven to be quite adept in battle, and your potential as a guest is now beginning to take shape.”

        “Are you referring to the Cathedral?" Yasumi asked. "Or perhaps the mystery my friends and I wish to resolve?”

        “You are many things as an honored guest of ours, my dear,” Igor answered cryptically. “The wandering spirits are already expressing their interest. Some of them already desire to show their gratitude.”

        Yasumi looked around, surprised at the fact that she could now see the once-cloudy silhouettes as almost entirely clear images. Some of them were monsters that she recognized from the Cathedral. Monsters that Stymphalides had turned into her own, if only for a short while. And there were even some that she remembered from Ren’s Awakening.

        One of the latter group, a red-eyed perfectly carved pumpkin with a witch hat, robe, and a small lantern in a gloved hand, floated its way over to her. “Hee-ho, call me Jack-o’-Lantern! I’m waiting here for a brother of mine to hee-blow through, so I hee-hope you don’t mind me sticking around!”

        “The same for us,” added two more, who Jack-o’-Lantern floated above. The hollow-faced Oni adorned with hurricane symbols came forward, alongside the dark winged creature with the monk’s staff. “My name is Fuu-Ki, and I hope to wait here for my siblings. As another who embodies the wrath of the skies, I am grateful for you freeing us from the Warden of that Prison.”

        “As payment, we will aid you at your call to the greatest of our abilities, until the Reaper’s Master is released,” said the fiend. “I am Karasu Tengu, and I too hope to reunite with my brethren in this haven you have created.”

        As long as you and the rest behave yourselves, Stymphalides instructed, her feathers ringing as she ruffled and flattened them.

        “And that you don’t cause any trouble for my friends should you be called upon,” Yasumi added.

        The two only bowed before hurrying away, which could only be assumed to be their compliance. Igor snickered at the sight. “One good turn deserves another, my dear. Few among these creatures will neglect to repay that kindness. The Wild Card himself is aware of this.”

        “All Shadows pertain to a certain Arcana, just like you and your friends,” Yuki explained. “Any Shadows you rescue or befriend can potentially be summoned to help you out of a tight spot, but for your sake, they can only be called upon in groups depending on which Arcana you call for, although it can also attract enemy Shadows in that group, and certain elements that Shadows use can also have a part to play. It can also strengthen you or any of your friends who are chosen by that Arcana.”

        “So if I enlist the aid of Shadows belonging to the Lovers Arcana, that will also enhance Ren’s strength, correct?”

        Yuki smiled. “Exactly. However, you can only enlist the help of one Arcana per trip to the Otherside. And how much help you get depends on how many Shadows you recruit, through removing them from the Prisons, for example.”

        A simple task, said Yasumi’s Persona with complete confidence. We will surely amass a massive group to protect our flock. Philemon knows they sorely need it at this time.

        "It is quite plain to see, isn't it," commented Yasumi. "I hope that Gakushu summons a Persona of his own eventually. It's… difficult, watching him be influenced by his father's Shadow."

        "All will be done in due time, little Sun," said Igor with a snicker as darkness closed in. "All in due time…"

        As Yasumi had expected, she didn't wake up in an optimal condition. Even in the sanctuary of her room, things were too bright and too loud. The sound of the furnace in the basement was grating her ears and even the small light of her charged taser and laptop were blinding. She could even smell what her mother was cooking, and it burned the inside of her nose.

        More than anything, she wanted to go back to sleep, but she could practically feel her nerves buzzing with an unstoppable itching, crawling kind of sensation. While she was normally used to getting up earlier without being all that tired, today she was exhausted and hardly had the energy to try.

        She knew if she tried to go through with her usual routine, at best she’d never be able to concentrate on anything. At worst, she’d have a far worse breakdown than when the boys accidentally crowded her, by lunchtime at the latest. It happened more than enough times for her to know the signs.

        And Yasumi knew better than to take that kind of risk.

        Her mother knocked on her bedroom door. “Yasumi? Are you coming to the school? Or are you going to stay home today?”

        Despite herself, she pulled herself out of bed, her soft nightclothes grating her skin. Draping her weighted blanket over her head, she opened her door. “I’ll be staying home today, Mom,” she answered in a whisper. “Today is a bad day.”

        Her mother frowned. “Oh… Will you be alright staying home alone, sweetheart? Should I leave some food out for you? Or should I call off work for the day?”

        Yasumi waved off her mother’s concerns, and tried not to flinch when her voice rose a little. “I can handle myself perfectly well, Mom. It’s like how you remain at the Junior High while I go to the Senior High.”

        Her mother took a deep breath and sighed. “Alright. But let me know if you have any trouble, okay?” She kissed her forehead as her daughter agreed. “I’ll draw the blinds for you, okay? I’ll see you after school.”

        Yasumi bid her mother goodbye, watching her head out and lock the door behind her like she always did. Afterwards, she went back to her phone, texting the boys that she won’t be coming today due to a bad day, with what endurance toward the light of her phone she could muster. All of them at least reacted to her message, Ren and Gakushu adding that they knew it was because of Stymphalides on the Cathedral-related chat.

        After that business was done with, she took a moment to sit on her bed and think.

        “Stymphalides, can you speak to me in this world?” she asked.

        For a few seconds, all was silent. But then, she felt a small tug from the necklace she still wore, practically smelling ozone in the air. She could even see the bird standing at her side, albeit translucent and ghostly.

        Indeed I can, the Devourer of Giants answered from within. Anytime you wish, as long as you wear the sign of our bond. In this state, we are but two sides to a coin; when you come to my world, we are two halves of a whole.

        The girl hummed, stepping out of her room with her ghostly Persona walking beside her to the kitchen. “Does that have something to do with my Shadow Self?”

        Stymphalides hopped along the floor in delight. Precisely. We begin as Shadow Selves, and Awaken as Personas by first merging with our Real Selves. Though there are stories of some who had to speak directly with their Shadow Selves in order to Awaken. Some say a particular group was Awakened by… how to say… She tilted her head at the floor, as if to avert her eyes. Using some sort of device to pretend to… take their own lives.

        Yasumi paused, her hand reaching to the cabinet.

        They’re not the only ones to have Awakened by the fear of immediate death or injury, of course, but…

        The mere idea of what Stymphalides said only brought to mind that eerie mural from the Cathedral’s library. All those students jumping off that bridge… It made her shudder. But she simply grabbed a box of rice from the cabinet, measuring out a serving and washing it before turning on the rice cooker.

        “As much as I dislike such topics as… that… I find that your company is quite helpful on a bad day like today. It’s similar to talking to myself; that makes it easier for me. I wonder if Ren can do the same thing we can.”

        The bird fluttered her wings a bit as she hopped back. I don’t believe he has directly reached out to Patroclus in your world. Too busy with daily troubles, as far as he has seen. They both worry for that pope’s son, that he might be considering returning to his father. It might only be due to his Shadow being held captive in the Prison, rather than the fact that they’re family, but his time separate from the Warden has surely been eroding his resistance that much more.

        That was a definite cause for concern, Yasumi noted while drumming the countertop with thrumming fingertips. “Knowing Gakushu, he’ll hold out as long as he possibly can, if not beyond it. But at the same time, I highly doubt he’ll allow either me or Ren a straight answer should we ask. Once we’re able, we’ll have to hurry to retrieve his Shadow from the cathedral. Defeat his father, if we have to, as well.”

        My thoughts exactly. However, we must also exercise caution. Even Shadow Selves that don’t Awaken can be very powerful, and have a nasty true form hidden beneath their human disguise. And under no circumstances should a Shadow Self be killed, else the human linked to it will also perish. Using my power on one may also have unsolicited consequences, even if only temporary.

        “That makes sense,” Yasumi replied before the rice cooker chimed. After scooping her rice into a bowl, she grabbed an egg from the fridge and cracked one open into the rice, also pouring in soy sauce before bringing it to the table with a pair of chopsticks. Normally she would’ve seasoned her rice a little more, but she wasn’t sure her body could take that kind of stimulation so early in the morning. “While that slightly limits our options and poses additional risk, being able to free a dear friend from under his father once again will be well worth it. I, if not we, can discuss it with them tomorrow, if I can stomach the school day again."

        Yes, that's… largely my fault. Awakening takes quite a toll on the psyche, and you were already frayed by your first true battle. The same thing happened with Patroclus and his summoner.

        That did explain why Ren said he knew what it was like to be her after a long day. "I believe we should continue this another time, when my psychological strength has fully recovered. Will you be alright with that, Stymphalides?"

        Of course! The Persona replied. As said in our contract, we are one. Provided you have the necklace, I will be there at any time you need me. Until you call me next…

        The image of Stymphalides faded away from the living room.

        Needless to say, the Big Five were quite disheartened by Yasumi’s text. Even though Ren and Gakushu were the only ones aware of the most likely reason why Yasumi wouldn’t be joining them today, there was little that could be done about it. The best they could do was go about their day as normally as possible.

        “Hey, I just went to the library and noticed Yasumi isn’t there,” one of their classmates approached their table during lunch. “Is she alright? Akabane didn’t, um… cause her to not be here, did he?” She glanced at the desk of the classmate in question with a pensive look in her eyes.

        “You needn’t worry, Kondo,” Gakushu waved off. “She’s simply staying home today due to her sensory issues being more severe than usual. Unfortunately, if she were to come, she would likely melt down or shut down over the course of the day. Akabane has no part in her absence, and I’m certain she’ll return tomorrow at the earliest in far better condition.”

        “Here. See for yourself,” Araki volunteered, showing her the text on his phone.

        The ponytail-sporting girl sighed. “Alright. As long as she’ll be coming back okay… I’ll probably still worry, though. I can safely say that Yasumi’s the best thing that could’ve happened to any of us, even if we don’t exactly deserve her.”

        The boys couldn’t help but agree as she returned to her own lunch. Most of those in their class who really met her only did so because she was surprisingly smart and helpful. When they themselves came across her and found that reputation very much justified, she’d become part of them and all the more accessible to the rest of the students who knew about her.

        Sure, she had her days like this when she had to stay home or leave early for her own sake. Sometimes the teachers and especially the former principal frightened and overwhelmed her in their pursuits. But she was still Class 3-A’s rock through an especially stormy school year, so it was natural that they couldn’t help feeling indebted.

        All the while, Ren was quite literally the only one with even a clue of what she was going through. He was completely wiped after he first summoned Patroclus, between the shock of going through so much pain so suddenly and then taking on a rather vicious first battle in a mad dash to freedom… She was already awful with bright lights and really loud noise, even if they were technically storm sounds. And there was also the fact that I kinda collapsed on top of her without any warning right after her own first summoning and subsequent solo battle. As much as you’d say it wasn’t my fault, Yasumi, I am so very sorry that I temporarily broke you back there. You and the Stymphalian Birds were awesome to watch while it lasted.

        He couldn't help looking up at Kondo, though. Sure, like the Five and several of their classmates, she regularly approached Yasumi for review help, and her behavior suspiciously changed when she was around her. But she was also the only one to come up to them to ask where she was today, and the only one to alert them when Yasumi was approached by Akabane. For all they knew, their little friend actually did have friends outside of the boys.

        Watch that girl closely, my Summoner.

        Ren froze. He didn’t expect to hear that voice in his head, least of all in school instead of the Otherside where he even met its source.

        …Patroclus? That you?

        The Hero’s Heart appeared in the corner of his eye, hardly larger than a teacher and strangely translucent. Yes. That young lady has the attention of the Temperance. The Chariot may also reach a pivotal choice in his near future.

        Temperance? Chariot? Patroclus, what are you talking about?

        But the Persona had disappeared from his peripheral vision. And the others were staring at him.

        “Off in another world again, dude?” Seo asked with a derisive grin. “I’m telling you, man, you’re never getting anywhere with her.”

        He tried to avoid Gakushu’s searching gaze, pulling out his phone. “Says the guy who’s always on-again, off-again with his own girlfriend,” he replied, trying to be discreet in searching what Patroclus said on his phone. He thought better than to pay attention to Seo's reaction to the brutal, yet truthful retort.

        Temperance… and Chariot… His response from the internet gave him a very peculiar answer: tarot cards. And yet, Patroclus talked about them as if they were living entities, or gods choosing a champion like in certain novels. But would that mean he’s been chosen by one of them already? Has Yasumi? Does she even know? If Kondo’s potentially chosen by the Temperance, who’s the Chariot?

        Okay, what does the Chariot symbolize? …Okay, victory, conquest, self-assertion, self-confidence, control, war, and command.

        Oh boy. If that didn’t sound like his best friend, he didn’t know what else would. It was practically Gakushu’s entire life wrapped up in a single… card! And if Patroclus said the Chariot is going to reach some kind of “pivotal choice,” then that might mean Gakushu… And maybe the choice is based around his father, whether it has to do with his Shadow in the Otherside, or even going back to live with him.

        By that point, he could still feel the ginger’s gaze trying to drill holes into his skull, and finally decided to throw his inherent fear of the Asanos’ wrath to the wind and look up. Maybe Gakushu could already tell he’d just discovered something, maybe he just saw the fear in his eyes. But he didn’t look angry and suspicious as he ate his lunch; more so, curious and suspicious.

        He switched to his texts, going to Gakushu’s number.

PM: Princely Poet → Academic King

Princely Poet
Learned smth, will show u l8r

Might want 2 ask Yasumi when she’s back

        He didn’t need long for Gakushu to see it and respond.

Academic King
Understood. Show me after class.