This story is a work of fiction. Any similarities to events or persons living or dead in your world is purely coincidental.

'The greatest danger facing us is ourselves, an irrational fear of the unknown. But there's no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden, temporarily not understood.'

PERSONA: EMERALD

Welcome to where time stands still...

The repeated sensation of a tide lapping over her, then retreating to do it again, wasn't what woke her. That was a familiar, almost comforting sensation. A natural metronome that filled her ears with the gentle crashing of waves, a great giant's breath. One could go to sleep to such a rhythm, and some frequently did. To her, it was more welcome than any lullaby. The sea was where she found peace.

The problem was that she couldn't quite remember what had led up to her washing onto this beach. Or where the beach was.

Or what her own name was.

Slowly, tentative as a sleepy child half-willingly pulling out of a warm bed, she rose from the water. The beach stretched onwards into a cluster of tropical trees, but the way it began to curve at both ends let her know that this island was on the small side of the scale. One could probably walk the entire way around in an hour.

She was, most certainly, not in Tosashimizu city any more.

"You've slept a long while", a sudden voice pulled her head around to the source. "Far past time for you to wake."

She stared, wondering how she'd missed her visitor the first time. The man was tall and lanky with a beard of black hair as wild and unruly as what was top of his skull. Combined with the worn rags he wore, he painted the very picture of an island castaway.

Taking a moment to get her bearings revealed that her own garments gave that same impression- a threadbare leather greatcoat and antiquated black breeches. She did have the faint memory of having worn a hat with the getup, but that was nowhere to be seen now.

His voice was short and sharp, yet somehow melodious. Like everything else, it was difficult to place at this time, but he didn't seem dangerous, smiling and extending a hand. "Forgive me for not waking you. You looked so comfortable there, and in no danger of drowning until the tide goes out."

She tried approaching and nearly pitched into the sand. As the man helped her up, the error in his words finally clicked, and she forced air back into her lungs to speak. "You mean, when the tide comes in?"

The castaway chuckled warmly. "Not in this place, lass. Here, the danger comes when the tide empties, the sea of souls claiming what it has taken into itself forever after. That's the way of the sea."

His words made no sense. Better to question him further before trusting him implicitly, she reasoned. "Who are you?"

"A name, huh..." The man stroked his beard as though the concept of names was a temporary stumper. "I suppose Manan's as good a one as any. What of you, lass? What's your name?"

She turned back to the water to hide from him the way her face fell at the question. "I... I don't know. I don't remember."

Manan sounded apologetic. "That's a hard loss to face. The sea of souls takes away everything if you stay in it long enough. Still... you must remember something of yourself, yes?"

Instinctively reaching up, she found herself touching her hair. Long, silver-gray hair that remained light and easily moved despite being soaked through. It seemed completely unharmed by hours spent in the surf. No... if anything, she remembered now that if anything her hair was enhanced by spending time in water.

That memory was the gateway to others, and she sat back on the shore to recollect. Smiling.

Certainly, there were many things that hadn't come rushing back, but a lot of things had. "It's been a long, crazy story. You probably won't believe me."

Manan shrugged gamely. "Never know if you don't try. Let's begin with your name, shall we?"

The girl from the sea nodded, more confident now even if she knew there were many, many things yet to be recalled. "Thank you, Manan. My name is..."

2023

4/9, Tuesday

Morning

"Aiko Tsuruga."

The familiar words brought the light gray-haired girl out of her trance, sitting up in her seat as she remembered all at once where she was and what she was doing. Some of the other students murmured softly to themselves, and the older boy who had called her name smiled. "I'll take that as a yes?"

Embarrassment flooding her cheeks with heat at an amazing rate, Aiko nodded. "Yes. I'm Aiko Tsuruga, first year."

As the amusement quieted, the older boy reached into a brown case and handed her a nondescript-looking key before glancing back at his list. "You've already signed the forms, right? You'll be in room 22 with Mirambela Sorano. Second floor, first door on your left."

That's right... yeah, we signed the permission forms, and we're getting paired with roommates now, right? Now she remembered. They were all gathered in the big lobby of Koashimizu High School, and that flat-haired boy- a third-year- was giving roommate pairings and keys to each dorm after making sure they had signed the school forms mailed to them weeks prior, which had basically asked for a signature saying that they 'accepted responsibility for their actions'... whatever that meant.

Damn it, how could I forget that? The whole time I was hoping for a nice, comfortable dorm that wouldn't make me miss being at home at all. Not that that's a high bar to reach for. "Uh... sorry, what's your name?"

The older boy frowned. He was a big one, dark hair cut into something only slightly bigger than a flattop, but kind-seeming brown eyes reduced the sting of his disapproval. "I told everyone before, Kohru Tatsunoko. Your memory needs work, Tsuruga-san. I trust you can remember where your room is?"

Instead of good-natured amusement like before, there were hushed whispers this time. The unwelcome kind. One conversation in particular seemed to be taking place directly next to her ear:

"Between her and Sorano, they'll have maybe ten brain cells in that room, tops."

"Hey, they'd forget ten seconds after you paid them a visit. They'd leave the door unlocked."

"Hell no. I'm not interested in any stupid girls even if they are pretty. Besides, if they catch you in the girls' dorm you're toast."

"Ahem", Kohru cleared his throat to mercifully end the whispers. "Moving on then. Noel Vitienne, second-year?"

The name sounded strange to Aiko, then Noel emerged from a crowd of boys to claim his room key and she remembered the most common thing about Koashimizu academy's reputation. Being located practically on the coast of Tosashimizu city near several major ports, it was advertised as a multicultural school specializing in foreign exchange students from all around the world.

Noel Vitienne certainly fit that description in her eyes. He had noticeably fairer skin than everyone else around him and a thick weave of messy golden-blond hair trailing behind him. And... while Aiko preferred to avoid such shallow observations of anyone so early on, there was no denying that this Noel was handsome by every possible definition. The mere shape of his face and gentle almond eyes brought to mind princely heroes from the old stories. Less unique was the way he had that hair tied back into a narrow ponytail behind his head, a fashion which she noticed many of the other male students mirrored.

He also shared in their student uniform. A wide-collared green button blazer with white borders and dark green tie, over top of a white undershirt and dark pants with a single gray line running down both sides. Leaning back in her seat, Aiko touched the circular school symbol sewn into her own school outfit. Similar, yet different. The same colour of blazer for the girls, only with several additional metal buttons replacing the tie, and a lighter green skirt streaked with several gray lines over some long white knee socks. They blended quite well with the interior paint job, which also focused entirely on white, green or gray tones.

Both of the student outfits struck her as fitting the school's 'theme', but overly formal compared to the ones she'd see at other schools, and she saw that many of the students of both genders there had most or all of their buttons left undone at the moment. Today was a hot one indeed. Outside the school, they'd be roasting.

"Room 17", Kohru was telling Noel as he handed the room key over. Aiko had missed the name of his chosen roommate over the whispers. Noel's accented reply, however, couldn't be missed.

"Thank you very much. If you don't mind, Tatsunoko-san, I must ask... has anyone here seen Furusato-chan?"

There were more mutterings, as the statement was loud and clearly directed at everyone, but no one had any real information. Noel seemed to sag, withdrawing to the pack of boys he'd been with before. "Ah, well... I would appreciate if anyone told me of any sight of her. Not showing up on the first day of school is so very unlike her."

Which of course set off an entirely new chorus of whispers focused on this missing Furusato girl, and Kohru had to clear his throat once again to reclaim their attention. The rest of the room assignments went on without any further antics, and Aiko found herself drifting off again until something else caught her attention.

It was another student, a boy who had been hanging back near the stairwell for the entirety of the gathering. Though he was short enough to be a middle-schooler or possibly even younger, he displayed none of the anxiety many of them did, casually leaning against the brickwork with arms folded. A tangled bushel of black hair obscured his face and the sides of his head, but the single blue eye that she could make out had been darting between students at a bizarrely mechanical pace.

Or at least, he had been, until the point where his eyes came to focus entirely on her, and never left. She couldn't help but look back, hoping each time that he had taken his single-minded focus over to someone else. No such luck. It was creepy, and she was on verge of complaining when the room assignments drew to a close.

"That's that", Kohru finished up, closing the case of keys and sounding glad to be done at last. "If you have any issues with your roommates, please report it to the guidance department in their office on the 2nd floor. Don't forget, there will be an assembly in the gym after last period today, and we will be taking attendance, got it?"

Now there were bitter grumbles amidst the idle chat, yet the short boy's eyes never left Aiko. Not when she sat up and headed out of the lobby. Not when she stopped to examine the fountain outside. Not when she turned around and headed for the girls' dorm. Only once she'd actually opened the front door and moved into the 1st floor hallway's line of identical dorm doors she did she finally let go of the breath she'd been holding.

"Wonderful", she half-joked to herself, leaning back against the door. "My first day and I already have a stalker."

Room 22, presumably, was the same as all the other dorm rooms. A plain affair of soft teal with a single black stripe running along the midsection before being bisected by two tall windows facing west. The ample counter top space near the front door was a pleasant surprise, though any actual cooking or storage of food would have to be done in the lounge area on the 1st floor.

Most important to Aiko, however, was the girl already in the room, her bags lining the left side bed. This is crucial for my plan. I'm going to be spending nearly a year of my life sharing a room with this girl. Please God, don't let her be a nuisance.

She didn't look like a nuisance. She didn't look stupid, either. Notably taller and more muscular than Aiko with prominent cheekbones and lips, thickly-tied tresses of dark hair trailing behind her like fox tails. Most striking however, was that this girl was obviously an exchange student from either Africa or America- that dark a shade of skin was passing rare in Japan.

What she did look like was sad. She hardly seemed to react as Aiko shut the door behind her. "Mirambela Sorano, I presume?"

"Here", she replied faintly, pretending to be working with her bag zippers. Her voice had very thick consonants, but beyond that her grasp of the language was superb. "You must be Tsuruga-san."

"Speaking", Aiko answered in a voice deliberately made cheerier than she felt. Getting off on the right foot was essential. "Hey, nice you meet you and everything. Do you want any help unpacking?"

"No", the response flew back instantly. It was amended just as quickly. "No... thank you, Tsuruga-san. I appreciate the offer. I'm sure you have a lot to unpack as well, and some of the things in my bags are quite fragile."

Aiko chuckled, whomping down hard on the bed that was apparently destined to be hers. "Not as much as you think." In truth, she only had three bags. One for school supplies, and the others for clothes. In less than an hour's work, it almost felt like a home. Mirambela wasn't even halfway unpacked by that time.

"So", Aiko tried breaking the silence. "You're in second-year, right? They said it was set up like this so the second-years could help the first-years. Any recommendations before first period starts?"

The question gave Mirambela pause, so much that she stopped unpacking and turned around on her bed to face Aiko directly for the first time. Her brown eyes were as pretty as the rest of her, but it was as if they were faded, clouded up by something she couldn't grasp. "I don't know you very well yet, so I can't make many suggestions... just one. Without meaning to be rude, Tsuruga-san... stay away from me."

Delivered more briskly, that would indeed have seemed quite rude. Instead, so calmly delivered, it seemed as pained as the rest of Mirambela's being. "E-excuse me? Stay away from you?"

Mirambela nodded. "Yes. My... You look like you're very eager to go make some new friends here, but it would be best for you to stay away from all of the exchange students. Aside from your hair, you look and talk like you're a native Japanese, so you'll be fine. Go. Make some friends."

Aiko leaned back on her new bed, still trying to process the girl's bizarre instructions. "Okay, first... yes, guilty as charged, on both counts. My home situation is, well... not the greatest. I want a better home. I want to create a new home for myself, right here at Koashimizu high school. I did it in middle school. No reason why I can't do the same here, right?"

"No reason", Mirambela agreed passively. "Just so long as you know who to avoid."

"Which brings us to the second part", Aiko continued. "Mirambela... can I call you Mira-senpai?"

"You may", Mira conceded politely. "But-"

"Thanks. Why do I need to stay away from you? We won't even be in the same classes."

Mira froze, glancing out the window in shame. "Actually, Tsuruga-san, we will. I am a second-year, but I will be taking first-year classes. I was... held back."

That rocked her. Held back? She didn't even know such a thing was possible. Knowing she had to consider her next words very carefully, Aiko sat up. "...Why?"

Mira shook her head. "Isn't it obvious? My grades were too low. The second-year's content is meant to build off the first year, which I had failed to learn. There was no point in trying to learn more advanced material until I improved my grades in the first year."

Aiko fought down the urge to whistle, or make any other kind of reaction that might be mistaken as mockery. Being held back was normally the direst of punishments, reserved for delinquents who skipped too many classes or were suspended often. Mira did not look even remotely stupid, and surely she understood as well as any other student the importance of keeping her grades at an acceptable level at school. There must be more to this. That last line sounded like she was quoting it from a teacher.

"But", Mira went on, tears straining at the edge of her vision now. "That is not the reason I ask you to stay away, Tsuruga-san. Being roommates is bad enough, but if the other girls here learn that you are friends with me... they will make you regret it. If they ask you what it's like to be roommates with me, make a joke about how I am stupid, okay? They will embrace you as one of them then, and you will have many friends as you want."

Now Aiko had to stop herself from laughing. She had to think a long time to come up with something she'd heard that was more ridiculous than Mira's words, and longer still to decide on a proper response. "If they're only going to be friends with me because I make fun of you, then maybe I don't want them as friends, Mira-senpai."

"Then you will have no one", Mira argued, personal experience lending a terrible certainty to her claims. "You will ostracized and mocked as I am. There's already rumours creeping around the school that my new roommate is as stupid as me. Please... this is my best advice for you, Tsuruga-san. Keep your head down, and stay far away from the exchange students, especially when Kujou-senpai is near."

Aiko blinked in doubt. The fear in her voice at that name... just how bad is this Kujou?

"I'm not stupid, Mira-senpai. I know what you're talking about. I saw it in middle school too, just none of it directed at me. I'll watch out for Kujou like you said..."

Instinctively she rose, using one firm hand to lift the stricken girl's head back up by the chin. "But if anyone starts bothering you, then I can't promise I'll sit still. I can't make a good home out of a place where things like that are allowed to happen. Let's... let's just think positive, okay Mira-senpai?"

That seemed to cheer her up a little, but only a little. "Try to keep your promise", she advised the younger girl. "You still don't understand, Tsuruga-san... for us, this school is hell. Try to help us, and you'll burn in that hell too."

Aiko gave a hard smile back, hoping it would be contagious.

"You know, Mira-senpai... There's a line I once read about preferring that choice over serving in heaven. I don't need Koashimizu academy to be a heaven. I just want a place I can call my home."

4/9 Tuesday

Afternoon

Her stalker couldn't find her until the last period. It almost came as a pleasant surprise after sitting through the introductory classes. As promised, Mira was right there with all the first-years. As promised, Aiko had staked her claim at a desk directly across the classroom from her... but that didn't stop her from looking, and learning.

It was certainly more subtle than Mirambela had implied, Aiko observed with half her attention, the other half on memorizing the teacher's names and subjects as they introduced both. The constant whispering between sessions was the main hint that something was up. If she listened, she could catch the occasional snatch of conversation about the exact circumstances for Mira's being held back a year, none of it flattering and most of it probably lies.

But if that was really all it was, then Aiko's advice to her new roommate might have been merely to get some thicker skin, because she knew as well as anyone how gossip swirled about in a crowded school environment and magnified even the smallest flaws into something others could discuss and laugh about. It was unpleasant, yes, but also impossible to fight. Girls will be girls, and boys will be boys, after all.

The real hint of a serious problem came in the third period, when Mira was assigned to hand out paper copies of a map. A boy stuck out his foot from his desk at the perfect timing to send her plummeting into the linoleum tile, the papers scattering everywhere.

Ms. Mattora didn't seem bothered by it. The teacher was unusually well-dressed and elegant with a coif more at home on a noblewoman, and now that showed in her tone as well. "I should hope, Ms. Sorano, that this is not an example of how you plan to spend the rest of your school year. Head up to the medical office, please. We'll see if they can find something for you."

Class proceeded normally once Mira was gone, and Aiko was even willing to admit that maybe the teacher had just missed seeing the trip. The clincher came for her shortly after, when she stopped by Mira's square locker. Someone had written several blocky katakana in black marker on the door that read: 'Go Home, Stupid Gaijin'.

"Please don't", Mira told her when they met up and Aiko started talking about reporting it to the teachers. "They won't do anything about it and it just makes things worse."

As a result, by the end of the day Aiko was a great deal more angry than she had wanted to be on her first day at the place she had hoped to call a home. When she saw the small boy coming down the hall, she nearly retreated into the girls' restroom out of the concern that all that pent-up rage might come blasting out and get her sent to the guidance office. Somehow, she held her tongue and waited for him to catch up.

"Aiko Tsuruga", the boy called in the exact opposite cadence. Calm and measured, while she felt like she was one more incident away from screaming.

"You remembered", she acknowledged. They rounded a corner into a small alcove of vending machines, blissfully free of anyone else for the moment. "Is there a reason you've been stalking me?"

The boy seemed genuinely confused. Now that they were up close, Aiko noticed that his face really did look a few years too young to be at a high school, not just his body. "Stalking? Oh... My. I suppose that's what it must look like to you, isn't it? My apologies. I am Shukiji Niyoga, second-year. Some call me the Information Merchant."

"That's an... interesting title", Aiko admitted, idly scratching her head and wondering where exactly this was going. The boy might have looked young, but there was something decidedly off about his voice, as though he was also auditioning for a villainous role in some TV show. "Fine. Is there a reason you've been following me around, Niyoga-san?"

Shukiji smiled back. "There is, or else I wouldn't have been doing it. I'm very busy these days. It's a new school year. People come to me asking for other people's information, offering all sorts of things in return. If there is anything about this school that you want to know, I can provide. For a price, of course."

"How charming", she remarked, taking a seat on a bench with him so that he no longer had to crane his neck upwards to look at her. "There are a few things, but I'm not paying you to tell me why you're following me. That, I want right now, before I tell a teacher."

Shukiji blinked and shrugged. "Be my guest. This isn't middle school where the teachers look after your slightest worry. They don't come over with band-aids and candy when you whine. I'll tell you, but I'd rather not give you the wrong impression twice in one day."

"Appreciated", she nodded back, still trying to figure out if this boy was friend or foe. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

His smile came back as he ran one hand through his wild black bush of dark hair, making Aiko wonder if he ever had trouble seeing where he was going. "First, I promise you that I not one of those JCAP fools. I have no patience for their ideology. Your origins do mean something to me, but it will not cause me to treat you any differently. You're a student of Koashimizu High just as I am, and you deserve no grief."

Aiko knew much of the 'Japan Culture Allied Protectorate' of course. She doubted there was a single person in the country who hadn't witnessed one of their rallies or heard about them on the news.

The message on Mira's locker flashed back to her. Gaijin. The term meaning 'foreign devil', though only a short while ago it had not been considered to be an insult, merely a descriptor without any kind of negative focus. That was one of many things that had changed over the past handful of years as the Protectorate's power grew, slowly spreading out from a nucleus of influential people who had previously been upstanding members of Tokyo's 'United Future Party' before its sudden disbandment six years prior.

She'd tried to avoid them as best she could, but suddenly a lot of Mira's bullying made a lot more sense, and her green eyes narrowed, the anger from before surging back. "Are you saying that the people bullying Mira-senpai are JCAP?"

But Shukiji made an annoyed hiss, his patience for interrupting questions finally expired. "I said nothing of the sort, Tsuruga-san. I just told you that I am not JCAP and I don't buy into their preaching. There are, however, a number of students here who do believe in what they say... and that is all I will tell you about that for free."

"Fine", she grumped. That tip alone was enough to clue her into just what she was dealing with here. Certainly, JCAP's influence had been felt in her years in middle school as well, but only distantly, like a dark storm on the far horizon that might never reach her. Now, it seemed it had at long last. "I can guess what you're going to ask next, but go ahead. I'll pretend to be shocked."

"Merely trying to avoid a mistaken impression twice", Shukiji reminded her patiently. "I was examining all of the first-years at the gathering this morning, committing all their details to memory. I catalogued all of your other major details easily... but for the life of me, I couldn't determine your origin. Are you full-blooded Japanese, or aren't you?"

Aiko studied the hallway passerby, idly wondering if this was a setup. "Are you joking? Cataloguing all our details? Why? How?"

Shukiji looked miffed at the accusation, but then he turned his around to check the hall as well. "You don't believe me? That's understandable. Not many other schools have an Information Merchant. A demonstration, then?"

The short boy took a deep breath. "You were born in Akihabara, the Electric City. Premature birth of about 2 weeks, I would guess. You look a few years older than you truly are. You've played video games for most of your life, yet you do not suffer from a lack of natural sunlight that is common to such people. You also enjoy swimming and face painting. On average, you've eaten slightly more than is recommended of a healthy growing girl. Your underwear size-"

"Stop", the command blurted out, shutting him up. Inwardly however, she couldn't help but be amazed- everything the short boy had just said was true, or close enough. "Stop. Okay, okay. I'm impressed now. You can really tell all of that just by looking at me, Niyoga-san? Are you some kind of detective?"

Shukiji nodded, trying not to be too smug about his greatest talent. "I am not a detective. I merely possess an eidetic memory, and a gift for observation... Yet I was unable to determine your country of origin. Your name is Japanese-sounding, but many foreign immigrants change their names to fit in better. Your hair, and that interesting ruby hairpin you have..." He put out both arms, as if in prayer. "Please, Tsuruga-san. Help me. This has never happened to me before, and I don't like it."

As proposals went, this had to be one of the most bizarre Aiko had seen in recent memory. He did seem sincere enough, and dedicated to his proclaimed role as a 'merchant'. And it gave her an idea.

"I'll tell you", she agreed at last. Like her own was said to be, Shukiji's smile was contagious, if a little bit too superior and self-satisfied for her liking. "We have to go to the assembly in the gym first. After that, I want my end of the deal in advance. A guided tour of the school, and information about how Mirambela Sorano failed her first year of school here. Then I'll tell you."

It was Shukiji's turn to lean back, palm his chin, and consider what was being offered. "Your terms are steep", he remarked thoughtfully. "But it's all information that I already possess, and I'm not doing anything important after the assembly. The trade is fair. I will see you after school in the lobby, Tsuruga-san. Don't be late."

The boy stood, departing quickly as if this was an everyday conversation for him and leaving Aiko to marvel at just what she was getting into here. "A pleasure doing business with you, Niyoga-san", she murmured softly.

Maybe she had just hallucinated the whole thing?

4/9 Tuesday

After School

The hole in the ground must have gone down at least 10 feet, its length even greater. Countless perfectly square tiles lined the walls, a complex pattern of white, black and blue. The steel railings and rungs of the ladder had likely been exposed to the outdoor rain for a long time, but it still looked shiny and new.

Of course, none of that meant anything, because the remaining side of the hole was a wall of packed dirt instead of tile, surrounded by protective barriers.

Aiko couldn't help but be livid, clenching her fists and staring down into the gap in the earth like it had slapped her. "What the hell is this? The pool isn't done?!"

Beside her, Shukiji merely nodded sagely at her reaction to the last stop on their tour of the school. "Exactly halfway completed. Three years ago, they were building it... but the money ran out. Most people blame the change of principal around that time, and I'd consider that an accurate appraisal. Principal Sanaki had many faults, but he was good with finances."

"Principal Yumika seemed okay", Aiko remarked, remembering the speech they'd just gone through. Tetsuo Yumika was very young and bookish-looking for a principal, going so far as to wear a pair of thick round glasses along with a blue tweed jacket and scarf to make him look deliberately older, or perhaps he was merely cold.

In contrast to the intro classes, the principal's speech had been mercifully brief and to the point, simply complimenting the students and staff, reminding them of Koashimizu's proud history as the largest academic institute in the Kochi prefecture, and then expressing his hope that this would be another fine school year. It had taken less than fifteen minutes.

"Principal Yumika tries", Shukiji admitted, staring down at the empty hole as well. "He's optimistic, like you. But you weren't here last year. Last year, his opening speech was almost the same, except it included positive references to the school's commitment to multiculturalism and accepting students of all nationalities. Nothing of that this year. He's getting backed into a corner, no doubt... and of course, he doesn't have the business skills to force the construction firm into finishing their job here, or create anything else new at the school. In a few more years, he'll be done for. His career will be buried down there."

"That's an awful thing to say", Aiko said, her rage at a lack of outdoor pool gradually subsiding. Incredibly, the changing facilities were all set to go and could be used, but the pool itself remained an incomplete mess. "I'll just have to use the coastline then."

"You are committed", Shukiji noted with grudging approval and looking towards the far edge of the massive cliff the school was built on. The entire Pacific was visible from here, and the sun beginning to settle down into it as its light started to fade from yellow into orange. Her favourite time of day. "I've never understood the allure myself, but a lot of students and parents were very excited to have a pool here. They were equally upset when it got cancelled... and I hope you're not planning on diving from here!"

That last bit of alarmed shout was because Aiko had actually taken her school blazer off to fight the afternoon heat, leaving only the white shirt underneath as she stretched and kicked her shoes off to enjoy the feel of the tall grass on her feet. "I know", she assured him. "I saw the brochure. There's tons of rocks down below here, right? Even if there weren't, an impact like that might knock you out. The coast will be safer."

Hesitating a moment, Shukiji looked back at the fading sun. "Don't be so sure. There's a circulating rumour lately about a certain portion of that coast. A small inlet called the Yume Bay."

Looking to the east, Aiko could see the coast in question with a score of small fishing boats docked along it. It was certainly a marvel of natural rock formations there, though she couldn't tell which of the subdivided beaches was Yume Bay. "And we all know how reliable rumour is, right?"

Shukiji amazed her by chuckling like a normal human boy might instead of an anime villain.

"We do. But most rumours of that type are lazy and uncreative, normally focused on the slander of a student or teacher. This one, however... someone got creative with it. They say that if you should wade into the Yume Bay exactly at the time the sun sets into the sea, you will be led into a far away land where your greatest dreams come true."

Aiko frowned, checking the sun's position again. It was almost sunset, and not enough time for her to run down to the coast and check for herself. "Has anyone tried it?"

Shukiji laughed, less innocently than before. "Oh, I'm sure that many have! Earning nothing for their trouble except wet clothes, of course. They wouldn't confess to such a failure."

"No", Aiko agreed, turning away from the sun and the bay. "Of course not. Just another crazy rumour, right Niyago-kun? Did you ever hear that crazy one about the TV you put your hand into that takes you to another world?"

"Most amusing", he agreed, wiping a jolly tear away once they'd both finished laughing together at the ridiculousness of the tale. "If the makers of these rumours spent half as much time studying as they did making up stories... hm. Enough about rumours, then. Time for facts. Time to hold up your end of the bargain, Tsuruga-san."

Looking back at him to find the face of the stoic Information Merchant he'd first come to her as, she shook her head. "But you haven't completed my end yet. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the tour. I feel like I know where everything is now. But more important to me was finding out how Mira-senpai failed. She's not stupid. You know that, if you've examined her like everyone else here."

"No, she isn't stupid", Shukiji agreed more delicately. "I promise I will tell you the reason... but the day is nearly over, and I can't wait any longer. I won't be able to sleep. It shouldn't take long, no?"

"It won't", she accepted, taking a breath and inwardly bracing herself for the backlash she knew was coming the moment she had agreed to this deal. "I... I don't know."

Shukiji visibly boggled at that, but thankfully he didn't seem to be in danger of falling off the cliff at the shock. Neither did he seem as angry as she feared. "You... what do you mean, you don't know?! Ask your parents! Check your family tree! Perform a blood test!"

Their gaze met, and Shukiji finally understood that this was not a joking matter. For Aiko, it had been a painful one for many years. "I never knew my father", she explained. "My mother, Kogaya... she doesn't speak a word about him, and she destroyed anything that might have told me who he is. She even banned me from ever accessing the hospital records. When I ask her, she just gets mad. I know that she is native Japanese, and so was her mother. But I really have no idea who my father was. Sorry, Niyoga-kun. I'm sure you were looking forward to something more."

Shukiji visibly pondered this for a long time, then suddenly ripped out a handful of grass by the roots. "Your body language tells me that you're speaking the truth as you know it. So, you really do have no idea... light gray hair like yours is quite a rarity in any country, but it can occur in any number of them through mutation. And that ruby pin... the design doesn't match any culture I've ever studied."

That unconsciously brought Aiko's hands up to the hairpin in question, a folded black metal ridge folding the rearward portion of her hair into a more conservative tail. As Shukiji had said, the body of the pin ended with a small, round ruby tucked into it. It was her only hair accessory, the only one she had ever wanted or needed.

"I think my father got it for me", she offered timidly, sensing disappointment coming on. "But I can't even be sure of that. As far as I'm concerned, the sea gave birth to me."

"Nonsense", he countered, showing anger for the first time as he stared out into the waves as if daring them to come prove him wrong. "The sea is a vast body of water. It can't give birth to a human. I understand that you enjoy swimming and boating very much Tsuruga-san, but please. Haven't we both heard enough fantasy for one day?"

"I guess", she gave in. There was no point in continuing to list to him everything else she'd experienced in her life that supported her theory. No point in telling him about how often she had dreams of waking up for the first time on some forgotten shore, or how weirdly welcoming it felt when she submerged, faint noises echoing in her ears as though the sea itself was embracing her. "Sorry."

"Sorry?"

Shukiji stood up as the breeze stirred his hair, but any anger he might have shown before was gone. "You have no reason to be sorry, Tsuruga-san. I was expecting you to be either a native Japanese on both sides, or half-American like Rosea or Sakaguchi. Boring. Predictable. Instead, I find myself with a complete wild card. A fabulously fascinating puzzle; Who is Aiko Tsuruga?"

Though glad that Shukiji wasn't mad at her, Aiko could only shrug. Her phone's beeping interrupted them, but she quickly shut it down, knowing already who would be calling and how little she desired to speak with them right now. "I'm afraid I don't know that myself."

The breeze had thrust Shukiji's wild hair into his eyes, and he pulled it away so she could see the fresh excitement in his young eyes now, and he placed the other hand on her shoulder. "I will find out. It will take me some time, but I will find out. I promise you. There is no knowledge in this world that I shouldn't have. Once I do... it will be expensive, but I'll be happy to sell you the information at a discount price."

Like smiles, his excitement was easily spread, even if Aiko had never felt quite as determined to learn the truth of her identity as he was now. "And Mira-senpai?"

Almost lucid again, Shukiji nodded back solemnly. "It's nearly dark. I will tell you tomorrow after school. I never break a deal. Thank you for this, Tsuruga-san."

Is he my friend? I'm pretty sure this feels like we're friends now. Or at least the closest thing he ever gets. Weird as he is, I feel like I can trust him, just like I can trust Mira-senpai.

Her considerations about exactly how to handle the self-proclaimed Information Merchant were disrupted when a keening noise drew their attention back to the southern coastline. After a moment, the source revealed itself as a single bird flying among the rock formations down there, possibly looking for a way to ascend higher, up over the cliff edge.

"A saker falcon", Shukiji identified the creature, back to his usual staid calmness now. "At this latitude? Curious. Well, we really should get back. See you tomorrow."

Aiko smiled back. "See you tomorrow, Niyoga-kun."

Neither bothered watching the falcon as it took a high perch upon the rocks near the school gates.

Aiko tiptoed down the small stairs of the home that was not her home, praying not to be noticed. There was a woman waiting for her there in the building that was supposed to be home, ebon-haired and willowy. Her long lips failed to mask her true feelings.

This woman who was supposed to be mother, who claimed to be mother. But she lied. Every day, she woke up and started to lie more about that. She treated her daughter like she was a walking, talking sin.

This was not mother. Mothers appreciated their children. They loved them in actions, not merely words. Their eyes held only joy. Yet every time she looked she saw it, that regret. A lingering wish that tainted every breath, every gesture.

That horrible wish that she did not have a child at all. The desire to never see that child again, that some accident would happen to them.

This was not home, then. Home lay elsewhere, waiting for her to find it.

She would have to find it on her own.

4/9 Tuesday

Evening

The sudden flash of blue made her think she was standing on the coast, but in the next moment she realized that the blue was a far more subdued shade, generated by something other than water.

The next moment after that let her remember that she was supposed to be in her bed at the dorm. Instead of sitting in a circular wooden chair in the middle of a room she'd never seen before in her life.

"AH! Huh?"

The sleep fell from her eyes then, and the details became clearer. The room was of average size, but the ceiling, floor and walls were all lined with the same shade of uniform blue. The exceptions were the windows, perfectly round metal frames that brought a seafaring ship to mind even before she peered outside one of them to see an endless horizon of completely black water and a sky to match.

It was only then that the other occupant of the room registered to her, seated across a broad oak table with a squat compass, antique coins, and some kind of parchment strewn across it, covered in strange markings... a map, perhaps?

Focus, Aiko. If this is some kind of bizarre kidnapping...

The man poised across the other end of the table table was stooped and short like Shukiji, but while the appearance of the 'Information Merchant' contrasting with his personality might have induced a few laughs, then this one had to be a living cartoon. She was fairly sure it was impossible for any human to possess a nose as long or wide as the one before her, a sharp thing stretching down from his round face almost to the table.

Behind that was a cheshire grin of teeth that matched his nose, forked eyebrows, and cornered ears almost like an elf. A line of of elegant gray hair bracketed a balding dome, suggesting age if what she was looking at a human after all. Two white gloved hands perched like spiders just past the wide sleeves of a dressy black outfit, which held a white rose in its kerchief pocket.

"Welcome aboard, my guest", the bizarre-looking man greeted her with an oddly high-pitched, reedy tone that only made his grin even more unsettling as he clasped his deep-sleeved hands on the table. "I welcome you, Dream Voyager, to the Velvet Room."

A/N: Like Shukiji said, sometimes it's best to have an explanation first to avoid bad first impressions.

Firstly, a sincere apology to anyone who has been holding on for years hoping for a continuation of my Ogre Battle story. Unless the mood suddenly strikes me, that probably won't be happening. Interest waned and there were just too many characters to keep track of, (a mistake I don't intend to make here) and do justice to. In fact, few games have interested me at all enough to write about as of late, a sad fact of age... until I ran into Persona 5, that is. For a while it was all I could think about, so a story is inevitable.

But I don't do halfway measures, so aside from a few cameos I'm going to be making a completely new Persona story, cast and setting here, albeit using a structure similar to P5 and taking place 6 years after it. As for any reservations anyone may have about said setting, I promise you that one of my biggest concerns is avoiding letting the JCAP part of this story become too dominant. They're only the backdrop, at least for now. Perhaps that may change, depending on how people feel about it.

As for why I choose to use a fictional high school with a large population of foreign exchange students, it's a sort of compromise between an idea that gets floated around Persona fandoms fairly often, asking for a Persona game not set in Japan. At the same time, I don't want to lose any of the things inherent to that setting that make the series great, and I feel setting it in my own home would cause it to lose a lot of its flavour.

The rest of my concept for this tale, including main character Aiko Tsuruga, comes from watching CrossPawGames' channel on Youtube, specifically the video speculating on what we would like to see in Persona 6. Credit where due. He includes a picture in that video that is pretty close to how I'm trying to describe her appearance and character. Look it up if you like, but the rest is going to be my own ideas.

Phew. Glad to get all that off my chest. I'm hoping to update once a week and I have a good buffer built up, but as always reviews make me more productive. Hope you all enjoy what will probably be my swan song, and let's think positive.