April 12, 2021

Haruka readjusted the blue ribbon that held her hair back as she drudged down the stairs. The weird dream she had last night did not make her excited for her first day of school, and going back to sleep for another thirty minutes had not helped either. When she reached the bottom, she found her fellow second year, Oshiro, dozing in one of the armchairs.

The teenager was dressed in the boy's uniform she had seen in the school catalog: a blue blazer with silver buttons and a pair of navy trousers. The only difference she could see from the picture was that Oshiro was wearing a white t-shirt that had a flash of yellow on the collar rather than a pin-striped tie and button-down shirt advertised in the catalog.

She walked closer to Oshiro with the intention of waking him up. However, once she was in front of the sleeping second year, Haruka realized the yellow on his shirt was removable. It was a sticky note. She detached the piece of paper and brought it up to her face to read.

Good morning, Haruka-chan! Apologies for not waking you up, but Noboru volunteered to wait until you came downstairs! Well, more like he was the last of us to get up, so he stayed behind. Anyway, if he's still asleep when you're reading this, wake him up by singing a couple of bars from Phoenix Ranger Featherman R! I'm not sure if you watched it as a kid, but that will be a sure fire way to wake him up!

-Hajime Reika.

Phoenix Ranger Featherman R...

Haruka had faint memories of watching the television screen with a blaring and obnoxious song coming on and scenes of people dressed in primary-colored costumes with strange masks, but then the television in her memory went static. She could not remember anything else about the show. Oh, well. She had remembered what was needed.

The schoolgirl glanced at the clock hanging against a nearby wall. There was not much time to spare until first period; she had to act swiftly. Her lips opened to inhale the air required to sing, and then she went for it. The song was filled with vivacity, and the lyrics waxed a tale of adventure and budding friendship.

Unfortunately, Haruka's voice was unable to reflect the power of Featherman. It was flat, with hardly any inflection. She remembered the words, but could not convey the meaning. Oshiro was still asleep. That left her with Plan B.

Oshiro's face scrunched up when Haruka pinched the boy's nose closed, but it took another minute for him to propel from his laid-back posture into a coughing fit.

"W-what the hell?!" he exclaimed.

"I tried Featherman, but it didn't work," Haruka offered in response as she tucked Reika's note into her pocket and picked up her school bag. Her fellow second year rubbed his nose as he stood up.

"Endo, did you really have to cut off my air supply?"

"I didn't cover your mouth."

"That's not the point!"

Haruka gave the boy a fixed expression. "Can't miss the first day of term, correct?"

"Huh?" Oshiro's eyes drifted to the clock, then back on Haruka. "Oh, right! Shoot!"

The boy yanked his backpack on and ran out the door with the new transfer student in tow. "Don't worry, I'll get us there. Hasn't been the first time I was running late on the first day."

Haruka did not doubt what Oshiro said as they jogged out of the dorm to school. It only took the pair ten minutes to make their way to the front gates. Thankfully, they had not been closed yet, and there were still a couple of stragglers also making their way through the school gates.

"Phew, made it. Told you I'd get us there," Oshiro said to Haruka as she trailed behind. "You okay?"

"Give… me a moment, please…" she got out, breathing in and out. She wondered if this was Oshiro's way of getting back at her for the nose. How could the boy be so fast just after waking up?

"I may not look it, but I can be pretty fast when it comes to sprinting short distances," Oshiro declared as if he heard Haruka's thoughts.

She frowned, unimpressed. At least they reached school on-time. She straightened up and looked at the front of the school. It was a relatively new building, around three to four stories high. The front of the main building had a large window made out of bluish green-tinted glass above the entrance that let Haruka observe students all in uniform walking up the main staircase inside. The glass reminded her of the ocean, less than a mile away. The students were schools of fish behind their depths. The way her mind equated the glass with the sea reminded her of last night's dream. Her body floating, tentacles in the dark-

"If there was ever a sentence that described you perfectly, that would be the one, Oshiro."

A new voice broke Haruka away from her inspection of the school. Another boy was walking up to them. He was roughly Oshiro's height, but he was skinnier and had darker hair that was even more mussed up than Oshiro's was from the run. His eyes were clear and focused, which clashed with his otherwise unkempt appearance. He wore no tie around his collar, and had a gray and black striped scarf wrapped around his neck instead. A battered messenger bag was slung across his chest.

"Like you're one to talk, Sekihara. Didn't see you even come in last night," Oshiro retorted as he rolled his eyes.

Haruka blinked. Reika and Oshiro had mentioned a "Sekihara" last night. This was probably the same person.

"Family matter I had to deal with. I got an overnight pass from the school," the boy replied calmly. His clear eyes noticed another person besides Oshiro as they swept over Haruka. "Who is this?"

The lighter-haired boy laid a hand on Haruka's shoulder, but she shrugged him off.

"This is Haruka Endo. She's the new transfer student that's staying in our dorm: the one you would've met yesterday, if you were there."

"Family business, I can't do anything about it," Sekihara sighed. "Hello, Endo. My name is Atsuro Sekihara. I hope you enjoy your time here at Naito High."

"I was going to say that…" Oshiro huffed.

"Thank you, Sekihara. But I think we should all go inside now," Haruka replied, bowing her head at Sekihara's introduction.

The first bell was about to ring, and all three briskly made their way through the gates.

(~)

Haruka reached her homeroom class on time, and the morning went along without issue. It turned out to be convenient that shehad been placed in the same class with Oshiro and Sekihara. There were introductions and talk about the pending curriculum, which she paid special attention to. Part of the reason she was at Naito High instead of a school in her hometown was based on academic scholarship. If she did not meet the expectations that previous test scores showed, then she would most likely lose the scholarship.

"Wow, the first day and you're already taking notes," Oshiro commented after the lunch bell rang as he leaned forward to peek at the notebook on her desk.

Haruka frowned and slid both notebook and pen back into her bag.

"Guess that shows how much of a good student you are," her classmate continued.

"Thank you," Haruka replied, but there was nothing gracious in the tone of her voice. She had no breakfast, and her stomach was starting to growl. She hoped the food lines were not already out the doors.

Before she could ask the boy beside her, the classroom door opened with a brisk clack. A girl was standing there. She was petite, but there was a kind of presence around her that drew Haruka's gaze. She wore the girl's uniform, with black tights that stood out against her white indoor shoes. Her black hair was long: even longer than how Haruka kept her own. The ends of it drifted into waves of light curls, and an ornate wooden headband pulled some stray strands from falling into her face instead of a ribbon. Haruka glanced around and could see with the looks some other students had she was not the only one struck dumb by this girl.

"Is Atsuro Sekihara in this class?" the girl asked in a clear tone. At her words, Sekihara sighed as he rose from his seat. He grabbed his bag and dragged his feet towards the doorway.

"Here, Ueno-san," Sekihara replied. The girl, Ueno, did not seem happier, even though she found who she was looking for. She only gave a curt nod and exited with Sekihara behind her. Haruka could hear parts of a conversation, but the door shut behind the two before she could discern what it was about.

Once the door closed, people went back to their own business or gathered in groups of two or three to whisper to each other.

"And this is how rumors are born," Oshiro sighed as he leaned back to his desk.

"Oshiro, who was that who left with Sekihara?" Haruka asked. She was curious. Most students would not simply open a classroom door unannounced, even if it was during lunch period.

"That was Masami Ueno. Gave you a shock, right? Don't worry, despite that scene, she doesn't make it a habit. At the start of the term, she finds out where Sekihara is and asks him to lunch," Oshiro replied with a lazy grin.

"Are the two of them dating?" That was the only reasoning she could think up.

"Half the school thinks they are, but whenever I ask Sekihara, he just says they're childhood friends. Ueno is a part of one of those old-money families that have lived in this city for centuries. They even hold a place on the school board. Sekihara's is pretty well-off too, I think, so it makes sense for birds of a feather to fly together, right?"

Haruka hummed in response, but looked around the room at the small groups that snickered and gossiped.

"Anywhere you go, there will always be rumors."

Oshiro nodded. "True."

Haruka wondered if she drove her own point further by asking Oshiro when her stomach gave an audible gurgling noise.

"…Uh." The boy averted his eyes, but looked like he was about to laugh.

"…Oshiro, do you know where the lunch room is?"

"S-sure! I'll take you there myself!"

Oshiro took her to the lunch line, showing her how to order food and pay with her school id. The cooks were not bad, judging by the quality of her lunch in comparison to Yadosu's failed curry the night before. She even got to have more yams, which were quickly scaling to the top of her favorite foods. Despite an abrupt awakening, Haruka was having a nice first day. Or at least she was, until she got the phone call after school. She was walking down the stairwell after filling out some paperwork in the office when her cell when off. She wondered if it was her parents calling to check on her after her first day, despite how out of the blue it sounded. However, the phone number shown was unlisted. Haruka decided to pick up anyway.

"Hello, I am calling you to warn you."

Haruka jumped at the voice. It was a girl's, and one that sounded familiar, but she was unable to place it.

"…Who are you?"

"I'm afraid I was unable to introduce myself previously. We didn't have much time. All you need to know now, though, is that something is coming."

The made Haruka even more confused. "I don't understand."

"You will. All I am asking is for you to be prepared for what awaits you."

Haruka was starting to place the voice to a face from her memory. That dream on the train, that pair, a woman and girl with the yellow eyes: it was the girl!

"Listen, I don't know how we're talking right now, if you are a figment of my imagination, or how you got this number if you exist, but I'm asking you to please stop being so cryptic. What is coming? What 'awaits me?'"

"I cannot give you that information at this time. The only other thing I need to say is that my mistress wishes you good luck. Farewell."

Haruka could not get another word in before the phone call ended. She shifted through her list of previous calls to find no phone number to speak of. This… was starting to frighten her. The strange dreams, the phone call, and all of them in the span of a little more than a day…

She dropped her cell back into her bag and continued to walk down the steps, grateful no one else was around when the call happened.

Haruka chose to think about those events later. Oshiro was waiting to show her the way back to the dorm. With the rush that morning, she could not remember which landmarks or directions to look out for in order to get back. On their walk, Haruka focused intently on whatever her dorm mate said, hoping it could shake her of the unease she was feeling and the growing throb in her head.

(~)

Later on that night, to Yadosu's protests, Haruka made a simple meal for her and the rest in the dorm. She had enjoyed the soba, but eating it every night would not be healthy, and she did not trust Yadosu near a stove top.

"Mmm, this is delicious, Haruka-chan!" Reika chirped after taking his first bite of grilled fish. His bare legs swung back and forth under the dining room table.

Of course he would be wearing the girl's uniform. Did the school even know he was a boy?! Haruka thought to herself, staring at Reika and turning her gaze away before the upperclassmen could catch glimpse of her doing such.

"It's easy enough to do. How you prepare fish doesn't change much if you get it from a river or from the ocean," she answered.

It was a simple enough meal: grilled fish with some vegetables and white rice with a broth on the side. Oshiro, Okamura, and even Yadosu were gobbling up the meal. Haruka wondered when the last time they had something not from a restaurant or convenience story for dinner was while she watched them eat.

"I have to admit, this is… wonderful!" Yadosu exclaimed, close to tears. "Suro-kun is missing out. He loves seafood."

'Suro-kun,' or Sekihara, was missing again at the dinner table. Reika came back from school with the news that the second year had more family business to attend to.

"He should not have to meet with them so early in the semester. What if his studies suffer?" the upperclassman worried out loud.

Okamura dried her mouth with a napkin before answering. "That's interesting coming from you with how many times you miss school, senpai."

Haruka leaned over with a questioning look to Oshiro.

"Reika-senpai does modeling part time," he answered, blowing on some rice he had dunked into the hot broth.

Huh. Well, that helped explain the cross-dressing.

Reika looked sheepish at Okamura's response. "I guess you're right. But it's my job; they don't care as long as I make shoots and stand still long enough for them to get a picture. Family should care more about you doing well in school and getting into university than finding a job. Especially with the money his family has. You'd think they'd let him skip a few soirees because of that, wouldn't you?"

"Awwh, you sound just like parent, Hajime!" Yadosu cooed.

"I-it's not like that…" Reika's cheeks turned a rosier shade than the pink blush on his cheek.

"Either way, I believe Sekihara-kun can take care of himself," Okamura continued after taking a sip from her water glass. "Despite the frequent calls from his family… he does do better than all of us on exams…"

Haruka watched with interest at how the expressions of everyone around the table, even Yadosu, grew depressed.

"You really had to remind us, didn't you…?" Oshiro muttered.

Once dinner was finished, Yadosu shooed Haruka away from gathering the plates.

"You've done enough today, we'll worry about clean up. Fair's fair, right?"

Haruka nodded in response. Her head was throbbing even more than before, and she wanted to go lie down.

After Haruka walked upstairs and out of earshot, Yadosu rested a hand on her waist and smiled at the remaining dorm mates.

"So, you guys planning on doing it tonight? It's tradition, you know!"

"So, you think she isn't going to leave?" Okamura asked as she stacked empty bowls and tucked back a strand of her light brown hair.

The young woman shook her head. "Nope! She's a little quiet, but so were you and Suro-kun when you first came to the dorm. On the plus side, she's a wonderful cook."

"But shouldn't Sekihara be, you know, here for it? He lives in the dorm, too," Oshiro said while he gathered plates.

"I don't think he'll be disappointed with missing it. Besides, four people are perfect for it. Not too many, and not too little either," Yadosu replied.

Oshiro's lips quirked up. "It's funny hearing all this from someone who's legally an adult. Shouldn't you be worried we'll get caught by the police, Taka-senpai?"

"Hey, I wasn't caught, and I did it for all of you. If you get caught, it's not my fault." Yadosu replied flippantly. "I'll deny all responsibility and say I left all of you snug in your rooms like the little lambs I thought you were."

"Harsh," Okamura deadpanned.

"Then we're all agreed then? Atsuro-kun will just have to miss this year," Reika replied. Both Oshiro and Okamura nodded to their senpai.

Now all they had to do was prepare.

(~)

Haruka's head had hurt more than she first realized. As soon as she entered her room, she stumbled into bed, face first. She felt too tired to even dress out of her school clothes, and soon fell asleep to escape the pain, and dreamed.

The bizarre dreamscapes just kept coming. Only this one was a place Haruka had been dozens of times before. She forgot when the dream first slithered its way out of her subconscious, but it had been going on for years now. She would be in front of a screen of some sort, staring at her reflection. She would reach out to touch it, only for another hand to come through and reach back. It grabbed her wrist and pulled her forwards. There was no weapon in this dream to fend it off. She was powerless as the hand yanked her forward, into a bright light.

April 13, 2021

When Haruka woke up, her room was dark, and someone was knocking at her door. She sat up and pulled her cell out. Her clock showed 2:15 AM.

"Who would be up right now?" she mumbled, but the knocking persisted. Haruka put her phone back, stumbled though her dark room and opened the door. Outside her door were three of Haruka's dorm mates: Oshiro, Reika, and Okamura. All of them had their school uniforms on and sweat shirts or jackets over them. Haruka wondered if she would be more afraid if she was not already irritated.

"Hello, young transfer student," Reika grinned in the dark, showing off white teeth. "We are here to escort you to your destiny."

"…What?"

"He means we're going to have an initiation of sorts," Oshiro offered as he zipped up the hoodie under his blazer. Haruka noticed white wax sticking out of his pocket.

"… And If I refuse?"

"Then we won't do it," Reika shrugged. "But I swear this isn't anything life threatening."

Haruka wondered if the upperclassmen thought that was reassuring. She sighed and looked back into her dark room. After her dream, she would not be able to get back to sleep anyway.

"Fine, let me fix my hair."

"I'm glad you're already dressed. If you were in pajamas… this might have been more awkward," Oshiro said with chagrin.

"And we're going to ignore that comment," Okamura added.

Haruka adjusted her ribbon back into its rightful place and grabbed a pullover from her closet to change into as they set off on their journey.

The streets of the city were far quieter than they were in the day. There was still a building or two with windows lit up, or the random ramen stand open to the drunks making their way back home, but there was no moon that night, and the sky was pure black. Her dorm mates herded her towards the shadows. They were cautious about being spotted after curfew. All three of Haruka's classmates were practiced in their strides to avoid detection, and Haruka stumbled a few times to keep up with their easy glide.

Eventually, the four of them made it to the school grounds. Instead of heading in through the front, Oshiro ducked his head under a broken piece of the fence to the outside fields. It was late enough that the lights on the field and track had long been dimmed, but they went even further to the outskirts, until Haruka could make out a decrepit building on the farthest corner of school property. The only features she could make out in the dark were that it was an older-style school building and it only had only two floors.

Reika smiled when he caught sight of it. "The rest of the school was remodeled twenty or so years back, but they decided to leave this old building as is. Probably because the funding ran out, but it's creepy, huh? Our school has its own haunted house."

"I'm more worried about falling through the floor than any ghost," Okamura replied. "But, it is the perfect place to perform our welcoming."

"Let's head on in," Oshiro said. He walked forward and loosened a bit of paneling on the side: enough for a person to squeeze through. The fellow second-year motioned to Haruka. "In you go."

Haruka kept her face neutral as she crawled inside. When she came out of the crumbled exterior wall, she found herself in an old classroom. It was covered in dust and debris, but there were still desks strewn around. A teacher's podium was still at the front of the class, and a chalk board hung behind it. She had to admit, the room felt unsettling.

"Ah, we're back," Reika announced as he climbed through and dusted off some sod from his skirt as the other two followed suit. "Noboru-kun, you have the candles?"

"Yep." Oshiro pulled out four old-fashioned candles that were made with white wax. He handed one to each of them. "Okamura- matches?"

"Yes."

She took out a small matchbox, the kind that would be offered at a restaurant. Reika motioned them all forward, and Haruka checked her cell. It had taken them a while to get there, and the time was now 2:45 AM.

The older boy motioned them all to sit down, ignored any dust or possible muck on the floor, and stuck the candle straight up. Haruka followed his lead. Okamura lit one of the matches and distributed the fire to all four candles before she shook it out and placed the blackened match into her pocket. The flickering light of the wax candles was only enough to illuminate their faces: nothing more.

Reika cleared his throat, moved closer to the light, and spoke in a low tone that was meant to make the listeners draw their heads in close.

"We are gathered here, on this night of nights, to welcome a new member to our ranks," he began. "Haruka Endo: if you wish to remain in our dorm, you must face the tales of terror we three have for you. Are you ready?"

Haruka looked at their faces. Despite the oddness of it, she felt… a little touched that they had decided to do this for her, to try and make her feel more welcome.

"Bring it on," she answered with a quirk of her lips. And so they did.

Oshiro began with a common horror story: a beast would prowl through the streets after hours and look for food to feed its insatiable appetite for pure flesh. After the story was done, he blew out his candle, which left his face in darkness. Okamura was next; she recalled a legend she heard about the nearby pier, and a ghost that would drown any unfortunate pair or lovers under the dock because of her jealousy of a lost love who never returned from war. Like Oshiro, the girl snuffed out her candle. This left only Haruka's and Reika's faces still illuminated.

"Unlike the rumors and tall tales you've heard, my story in a hundred percent true. And it happened here, in this very building," Reika began. "A few years ago, back when I was a little first year, a group of upperclassmen took their youngest hanger-on to this spot, and decided to play a small… prank."

The flame flickered. The time was 2:57 AM.

"They took him here, telling him that if he lasted the night, then he could join their gang. The boy was not scared, believing it was just an old building. He accepted the challenge. But, as the night wore on, the older members began to worry. They expected the student to come out running, or scream for them to come in and help. But they heard nothing: not even a cough."

"Eventually, one by one, the members went in to see what was going on."

"The next day before school, a groundskeeper was making his daily rounds, when he noticed something… odd, outside the old building."

Reika leaned in closer, Oshiro and Okamura did the same with their shadowed forms. Haruka stopped herself from leaning back, not wanting to appear frightened. The time was 2:58 AM.

"He walked, trudging his way through the uneven grass and debris surrounding it, until he came to its front doors, completely open despite years of rust and boards that had just yesterday kept the doors sealed. There, he found the desecrated bodies of three of the group members. He ran, and when the police went inside, they found the other missing youths in a similar state. Their hands bloodied… as if they had been clawing at the floor, trying to save themselves from being pulled away by someone… or something."

The time was 2:59 AM.

"The most interesting thing to think about is, you know the young student? The one who first entered this building? His body was never found. Maybe… he was pulled into another world."

3 AM. Reika blew his candle out. All that was left was Haruka's, her face the only thing lit to the three benighted forms in front of her.

And then, it was over.

"Akane-chan, still have some matches?" Reika asked. A ball of fire appeared once more, relighting their candles so Haruka could see their faces once more.

"So, you terrified?"

"I… suppose?" Haruka answered. She was not quite sure how she felt.

"Then guess we didn't do as well as I hoped. Taka-senpai would've probably told it better," the upperclassmen sighed.

"No, she would've just told it with more gorey bits," Oshiro scowled.

"Well, the initiation is over: you have now successfully become a member of our dorm and we welcome you with open arms and open hearts. Now, let's clean up and get out of here. If there's any wax behind people could know someone's been here."

They all nodded, and Haruka reached to grab her candle, but before her fingers grazed the wax, the flame of not just hers, but all four candles flared up. She jumped back, but instead of dimming down, the flames only got bigger and bigger- too big to be held on a simple candlestick, yet it did not stop the flames.

They stumbled back, falling against desks to escape the light.

"I'm guessing this isn't part of the initiation!" Haruka yelled out.

"No!" Okamura yelled back, the flames had gotten so big that they were all now on opposite sides of the classroom- the ceiling was licked with flames, blackening the old paint.

"If it doesn't stop, the ceiling will catch fire and collapse!" Reika yelled.

"Oh, thanks for that pearl of wisdom!" Oshiro screeched back from his side. Haruka continued to focus on getting as far away as she could from the flame, until, one moment, they shrunk back.

"What the hell…?"

The candles were on, then they were out, then on, then out. The flames flickered back and forth between there and not there, until something emerged above them. Then another something followed it.

They were floating spheres dripping with some unearthly black ooze, before their wide, open mouths appeared from the muck, fangs bared in twin mocking smiles. They dripped this muck as they floated, but the muck never put out the candlelight.

"What… are those things…?" Reika whispered in horror. One of the floating spheres turned itself towards him with the same grin, and began to float to his side of the classroom.

"No!" Oshiro yelled, throwing a chair at the back of the creature. The creature stopped, before a large tongue shot from its mouth, grabbed the chair stuck in its back, and flung it back at the boy. The force of the impact slammed Oshiro against the wall. Okamura screamed as she saw him fall.

All Haruka could do was watch, frozen. The first one that had emerged made its way towards her with a wild grin. It had no eyes to be seen, but the mouth told all. She could tell what it looked like by the light of the candles behind it.

Okamura yelled for her to run away, Reika was quickly being cornered by the other. Haruka's head was throbbing, throbbing, throbbing. Until, suddenly, everything in her head became clear.

She ran, but not in the direction Okamura had suggested. She wove her way between the scattered desks and avoided the creature that was on her tail, until something blazing hot knocked her down on the ground. Her long black hair had been singed off, but that didn't matter right now. She was a foot away from the standing candles, and she grabbed hers.

The throbbing feeling in her head became a voice, and the voice formed words.

"I am thou… thou art I…"

"Endo-san!" Okamura yelled, eyes bright with fear.

"E-endo…" Oshiro groaned from underneath the chair's remains.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Reika roared. They only saw a defenseless girl, about to be eaten by a terrible… thing.

They were wrong.

Haruka could not keep the smile off of her face. She knew. She knew.

The slime ball traveled closer, and readied itself for another attack as Haruka drew the candle to her lips.

"Per…so…na."

Those words blew out the candle. That small flame was replaced by a bright and blinding light. The slime balls squealed and fled back from it in shock. As the light simmered, the three other humans looked to see what had happened.

Haruka kneeled on the ground beneath a figure. It was shaped like a woman, but was far taller than any woman ever found on earth. She had long, red locks that shined in an ethereal light, only matched in intensity by a deadly pair of white horns. She was donned in a dress that seemed to harness all the colors of the sky: night, day, sunrise, sunset- all were shown. In one of her hands was a long measuring rod, dripped in shimmering red that from a distance looked like blood. She held it like a sword. Her eyes opened; they were bright yellow and without pupils.

"Inanna…" Haruka shuddered out. Her breathing was heavy as her blue ribbon fell to the floor, useless without long hair to tie. Her eyes, in that moment, mirrored her Persona.

"ATTACK!"

Attributes:

Cognition: Narrow

Diligence: Wavering

Charisma: Awkward- Up 2

Intuition: Fair

(~)

Thank you very much for continuing to read this story! My first year of college has concluded, so I will hopefully have much more time to write for this and others!

Special thanks to Infinityphoenix for editing. Without him, this chapter would still be being written.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series.