Chapter 3: Captain William Kidd

(A/N: If anything looks like Rika speaking, but it is not in quotes, those are her thoughts!)

--April, 11th, 20XX, Afternoon--Shujin Academy-- Past

Akira and I stood in front of the faculty office, arguing about who would knock on the door.

"Rika, you do it!"

"You're older."

"You're wiser!"

"So?"

"That means you would know what to say!"

"Such amazing logic, you should be in a debate team."

"Shut it!"

"Ugh, this is a waste of time. Fine, I'll knock.", with that, I knocked the door and walked inside. Akira and I walked up to Kawakami. She looked at us with both anger and exhaustion.

"*sigh* Unbelievable... Being over half a day late on your first day...? You can't be serious... Will you pull yourselves together? You were given fair warning yesterday. More importantly... I heard that you were caught along with that Sakamoto-Kun?", Kawakami questioned.

" "That" Sakamoto...? It sounds like you don't particularly like the guy...", I said with a raised brow.

"Don't get involved with him, OK? He's nothing but trouble. He wasn't like that when he was devoting his time to track and field though...", Kawakami mumbled.

So he was in track and field...! Kamoshida's information section said that he used to coach the track team before stopping for some reason! If the rumors about physical abuse to the team is true, then Ryuji might have been through it, too...!

"... Anyway, break's almost over. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident. I will have you introduce yourselves when class resumes. Follow me.", Kawakami got up from her seat and led us both down the hall. As we neared the classroom, Kawakami stopped us and spoke.

"By the way, when you introduce yourselves... Be serious about it even if you're lying to the class, OK? Do NOT say anything unnecessary.", as we began to walk again, two female students passed us by and began to whisper to themselves.

"... You think that's them?"

"Huh? The ones in the rumors...?"

Jeez, we are popular already? Yippee...

We quietly entered the classroom and stood before the class. Kawakami stood in front of the class podium. Akira looked at everyone with a small smile. I just looked down at my shoes, waiting for this to be over. I kept hearing the students whispering.

"Being super late on their first day? They really are insane..."

What is so insane about that?

"They look normal though..."

Don't judge a book by it's cover, sweetie.

"But he might slug us if we look him in the eye... And she might help tie us up and throw us down the stairs with a sick smile..."

"What vivid imaginations you have.", I said with a straight face. Everyone shut up after that.

You really think we don't have ears and we can't hear you TRY to whisper?

Kawakami spoke.

"Settle down... Well, I'd like to introduce two transfer students: Akira Kurusu and Rika Koga. Today, we... Had them attend from the afternoon on since they weren't feeling well. All right, please say something to the class.

"Nice to meet you.", Akira said with a quiet voice. Some students whispered again.

"He seems quiet... But I bet when he loses it..."

"I mean, he was arrested for assault, right...?"

Kawakami cleared her throat and gave me the okay to speak.

"My name is Rika Koga, and my first impression of you all: You are all idiots because you are all easily influenced by dumb shit like rumors. Honestly, what a waste of time...", a roar of whispers erupted from the class.

"Wow, rude much?"

"She seriously said that...!"

"I mean, she IS her brother..."

"But I heard she was adopted..."

"Where did you hear that?", I asked, looking right at one of the female students.

"U-Uh, W-Well, I heard it from M-Mister K-Kamoshida..."

"You don't say?", I mumbled as I balled up my fists and tried to calm my nerves.

So that piece of shit spread the word... Should have known he would do that.

I looked back at Kawakami with a raised eyebrow.

"... Uhh, so... Your seats will be... Hmm... Over there. The ones that are open. Sorry, but can the people nearby share your textbooks with them for today?", more whispers.

"This sucks..."

I looked around to see a boy with dark blue hair and black eyes wearing a white sweater. He had injuries all over his face and arms. He looked downcast.

Damn, this guy is beat...

As Akira and I walked to the back of the class, we noticed someone: the blonde girl who took a ride with Kamoshida.

"... Lies.", the girl mumbled.

"You're that girl...", Akira said with a slightly shocked face.

"...", she stayed quiet.

As we went back to our seats, more whispering came to our ears.

"... Did you catch that? Do those two know each other? Does that mean he hit on her before transferring here?"

"That means she's cheating on him with Mister Kamoshida. Then again, this is Takamaki-San we're talking about..."

Wait a minute, cheated? That can't be true, could it? I mean, they did get in the car together, but she seems too good for that piece of shit Kamoshida! Maybe it's just a rumor... I'll look into it later.

"For real. That side of the room is totally awful."

Kawakami cut the whispers off.

"Oh, right! The volleyball rally's in two days... Everyone's just changed classes, so make sure that you use that time to get to know each other. Well then, let's get class started. Who's on duty today?", with that, the beat-up boy got up and asked for everyone to rise.

--After school--

As Akira and I got out of class, we began to hallucinate. I saw the castle hallways mix with the school hallways. Kawakami looked at us with concern.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Is this a school?", Akira asked groggily.

"*sigh* are you sure you're OK? Also... It seems like people are already talking about you two, but I'm not the one who told them."

"Yet you were the one who told Mister Kamoshida the day we came to introduce ourselves here to the staff, am I wrong?", I said with crossed arms and a look that screamed "Try to get out of this now, I dare you.".

"H-How did you know...?... *sigh* I did tell him, but that's all!"

"And that led to everyone knowing...", I said with another death glare. Kawakami gulped and avoided the questioning.

"Y-You should head straight home without stopping by anywhere. Sakura-San sounded pretty angry. Oh, and about Sakamoto-Kun. Don't get involved--", just as she was about to continue and I was about to give her a piece of my mind about talking behind other people's back, but Ryuji came just in time.

"Ryuji, perfect timing. We need to talk."

"I actually came for that.", as Ryuji was about to continue, Kawakami cut us off.

"Speak of the devil... What do you want? I heard the police caught you cutting classes today."

"Ugh... It was nothin'."

"And you haven't dyed your hair back to black either..."

"Sorry 'bout that.", with that, Ryuji got close to us and whispered.

"... I'll be waitin' on the rooftop.", Ryuji then left us with a skeptical Kawakami.

"See? That's why I don't want you to get involved. Understood?", Kawakami left us alone, but we were not alone for long. The principal and Kamoshida walked by us. I quickly pulled Akira aside so we could hear them clearly from a safe distance.

"Why did you allow students like them to transfer here? They're already started associating with Sakamoto. A student with a criminal record, and the culprit of an assault case. Another student who seriously needs an attitude adjustment, too! At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to the school.", Kamoshida ranted.

Attitude adjustment? How about I adjust your damn face!

"Now, don't be like that... This school counts on you, Kamoshida-Kun. You are our star. Still, a steady build up is necessary behind such brilliance as well.", the principle said with a sigh.

Why does everyone kiss this guy's a*s? He is a regular teacher! I swear, they are wasting their time...

"... Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal Kobayakawa? All right, I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me.", Kamoshida said with a cheesy smile. With that, they both left.

"Alright, Ryuji is waiting for us on the rooftop.", I said as I nodded towards the stairs. I began to walk with my gloved hands in my pockets and my back straight. We made to the top, where a door stood with an "off limits" sign on it, but the door was open. I pushed the door with my foot lightly and Akira and I walked up to Ryuji, who was leaning in a chair.

"... There you are.", Ryuji said with a conflicted look on his face.

"Let me guess. You want to talk about what happened today, correct? We came for that too.", I said as I played with my short black hair to calm myself. What happened made me snap at that random girl in class. I had to keep calm before it happened again.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry for callin' you up here like this. I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like " don't get involved with him", right?", Ryuji questioned with a knowing look.

"She called you trouble.", Akira said with a sigh.

"I honestly don't see it.", I said as I tilted my head, looking Ryuji up and down while pulling at my hair lightly. Ryuji got flustered for a second, but coughed and pulled himself together.

"T-Thanks... Heh, we're pretty much in the same boat. I heard you got a criminal record, Akira. Everyone's talkin' about it. No wonder you were so gutsy... What was all that that happened? You know, how we were almost killed at a castle... It wasn't a dream... Right? You remember it too, yeah?"

"I remember it and I wish I didn't...", I said as I held the bridge of my nose. Akira patted my shoulder, but I swatted his hand away while mumbling "Don't touch me.".

"Well, just 'cause we remember it doesn't mean much though... I mean, even if it was a dream, you two saved me from Kamoshida. So yeah... Thanks, guys."

"It was nothing.", Akira said with a bashful smile while scratching the back of his head.

"We couldn't just leave you.", I said with a faint smile while balancing on the balls of my feet, my gloved hands in my pockets.

"But man, the Kamoshida we saw there... You prolly don't know about it, but there are some rumors about him. No one says anything against him 'cause he's some medalist who took the volleyball team to nationals."

"I heard of those rumors, and I think I have some evidence to prove it."

"F-For real!? How? You just got here!", Ryuji said with surprise.

"Well, here is the whole story. You might want to sit down for this.", the two boys sat down on the metal chairs, leaning forward in anticipation.

"First, there is the way word spreads around school. The day Akira and I came to introduce ourselves, I stumbled on Kamoshida and Kawakami talking to each other. Kawakami told Kamoshida about us, but no one else. Kamoshida was the only person who knew about us, and it just so happened that the rumors about us spread like fire. Second, there are rumors about mental and physical abuse dealt by Kamoshida. When Ryuji left with the counselor today, Kamoshida practically threatened Akira by saying "Good luck trying to enjoy your school life.". I also read on the official teacher review for the school, some students said this: "He hurt me..." and "My friend comes bruised from practice...". This at least proves that there is some sort of rough practice going on during meets. Inappropriate relationships is also a possibility since another comment said that "Heard he had an affair, smh.", though I don't know with who yet. I need to do more digging for that. There is also rumors of sexual assault, with another comment saying "Very handsy...". He is also extremely friendly with the female students, since right after Akira left and I stayed behind with Kamoshida, he acted like I was some princess and I needed pampering. I immediately shut his little act down before he did anything else. He also gave a ride to that girl in our class from the rain. Well... That is all I have right now. Until I can get concrete evidence, like a testimony or recordings or something, it will sound like a conspiracy theory.", I finished my investigation analysis. Akira and Ryuji had their mouths hanging open.

"H-How did you... Where... When!?", Ryuji asked with an impressed look on his face.

You know, I could get used to this attention...

I felt myself smile, but I quickly covered it up with a cough.

"You don't need to know. Just know I need more info."

"Why!?... Ugh, fine... I wonder if we can go back to that castle again... Ugh, forget it. Must've been a dream! It had to be! Sorry to drag you two out here like this. That's all I had to say. You know, we might be pretty similar. I think we're going to get along just fine as "troublemakers". I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. I'll come talk if I see any of you around. Don't ignore me. All right? Seeya.", with that, Ryuji got up and walked away, but not before waving at us with a cheesy smile.

"He seems nice.", I mumbled.

"Huh? What's that? Did I hear correctly? Does Rika Koga actually like someone to a certain extent to view them as "nice"!?", Akira gasped jokingly.

"Am not."

"Are too!"

"Am not...!"

"Are too~"

"I swear to fu*king God, Akira! If you don't shut up and drop it, I will wipe your face on the goddamn pavement!"

"Alright, alright! Jeez... But it is nice to see you so... Warm around others.", Akira said with a smile.

"... Sojiro is waiting. I don't want to get scolded further.", I turned around, fixed my gloves with a sigh, and walked away.

--Later that evening--

Akira and I just walked into the cafe, Sojiro waiting for us with a pissed expression.

Oh no, I don't want another lecture... Please, for the love of God, don't do this, Sojiro...

"Hey, I got an interesting call from your school today."

He did it. Why me...?

"It's only your first day and you're already showing up hours late?"

"We got lost, Sakura-San. I promise this will not happen again.", I said with a bow and a silent prayer that he would not continue his lecture.

"Look, just behave yourselves.", just then, Sojiro's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered the phone.

"Hey, what's up?... Yeah, I just closed up shop. I'll be there in half an hour...", Sojiro spotted us staring.

"Hey, what're you standing around for? Go hurry on up to bed.", Sojiro went back on the phone as Akira and I walked away.

"... No, I just hired part-timers... Yup, I'm leaving now. I told you, they are part-timers."

Jeez, you don't have to hide us, you know.

I quickly said goodnight to Akira and went up to my room. I changed into some golden PJS and sat up on my bed.

Hmm... Might as well research some stuff...

I pulled out my laptop and searched up the people that I searched before, but I got the same answers as before. I decided to search up the blonde girl in the class. I opened up the student roster records with a hacking technique I saw online and found the girl.

"Alright... Ann Takamaki... A model who has been in multiple magazines... Her parents are in the fashion business... And has lived overseas... As I said, Kamoshida is completely out of her league!", I checked a bunch of her magazines but nothing came up. I then began to look for Ryuji, just to see what was up.

"Okay... Ryuji Sakamoto... Former track and field player... Coached by Suguru Kamoshida until a certain accident happened between the student and the teacher, which led to the disbandment of the team...! Hmm, accident... It may have to do with Kamoshida's rumors... I'll try to ask Ryuji about it later...! But... For now, I'll just sleep.", I closed the laptop and rested my head on the pillow, my short hair covering my eyes. I slowly descended to sleep.

I had fallen asleep until I woke up with a jolt in a different room.

Wait, this place feels familiar... This is that velvet room area...

I was wearing the prison uniform, still in the cage and still incapable of moving anywhere else. The same people, if you could call them that, we're still there.

Caroline... Justine... And Igor...

(Caroline--Justine)

"... About time you've come to. On your feet, inmate! Our master wishes to speak with you. It's for your own sake that you take his words to heart."

Igor began to speak.

"First off, let us celebrate our reunion. Oh...? You've awakened to your powers. And special ones at that. Your rehabilitation can finally begin."

"Wait, you mean... That power at that castle? How do you know about that?", I asked with a questioning look.

If this is in my mind, then he must know. But, it seems that this "Igor" has a mind of his own and knows more than I do... Why is that if this is MY dream in MY mind?

"There is no need to understand it all for the time being. You will training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to. Personas are, in other words, a "mask"-- an armor of the heart when confronting worldly matters. I have high expectations for you.", Igor said, his odd smile stretching farther.

"High expectations for me...? I never asked for this!", I called out. Justine turned to me with a straight face.

"You have no choice but to hone your strength. It's not because we are forcing you, but because this is your fate... Neglect it and you will die."

The hell...!?

Igor kept talking.

"By the by... Have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Teleporter? Using it will allow you to teleport to and from different places unnoticed."

"You mean that yellow app? You made it? Why did you give it to me? And why does Akira have a red one?", I asked frantically.

"... I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as a fine thief and spy. Your brother has the power to come and go between reality and Palaces. Of course, if you wish to go with him, you can simply follow him to the desired Palace by staying by his side."

"The Metaverse Navigator and Teleporter are gifts from our master! You better take care in using them, inmate! Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief as well as a professional spy.", the twins advised with tones of steel.

"It must be disheartening to make use of the Metaverse Navigator alone. Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well. This is all for you to grow as an excellent thief and spy...", Igor finished his speech just as the prison bells rang.

"Hmph, it's time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have...", Caroline's voice faded as I felt lightheaded and fell to the ground with a thud, darkness surrounding me.

--The next day--

--April, 12th, 20XX, early morning-- Leblanc Cafe-- Past

I woke up from my sleep, confused as hell as to why I had strange dreams like last night's dream. I quickly got up and went downstairs to shower and get dressed. I fixed my gloves and thigh highs as I waited for Akira to come downstairs. Akira came downstairs and we both left for school.

--Later that afternoon, after school--

Just as Akira and I were headed to leave, Kamoshida stopped Takamaki-Chan on her way. I pulled Akira away and began to listen in.

"Hey there, Takamaki. You looking for a ride home? Things have been pretty dangerous lately with all those accidents.", Kamoshida offered with a sick smile that was disguised with kindness.

"Sorry, I have a photoshoot today. It's for a special summer issue, so I can't afford to miss it...", Takamaki-Chan said with a nervous sigh.

"Hey, now... Being a model's fine and dandy, but don't work your pretty little self to the bone. You mentioned you weren't feeling well, right? Something about appendicitis?"

Pretty little self... Okay, no. Stop it. Please. Someone, please pour bleach in my ears.

"Yes. I keep planning to go to the hospital, but I've been too busy... Sorry to worry you."

"You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often. That's why I asked you out in the first place. Oh, and... Be careful around those transfer students. The boy has a criminal record and the girl has a bad attitude, after all. If something were to happen to you..."

That piece of shit is trying to make her ignore us...!

"... Thank you. Please excuse me.", with that, Takamaki-Chan left, leaving Kamoshida behind. I quietly told Akira to leave and went behind Kamoshida with a smirk and my arms crossed.

"Word travels fast, wouldn't you say?"

Kamoshida turned around with surprise and scowled when he saw my smug face.

"What do you want? I don't have time for this."

"And yet you have the time to spread rumors. What an odd schedule you have...", I walked past Kamoshida, but not before saying something else.

"Oh, and one more thing... "Bad attitude" isn't the only thing you need to worry about when I'm around. I hear, see, and know everything. I know my way around...", with that, I walked off with a smirk, one hand in my pocket and the other lightly tugging at my hair. I felt like giggling like a maniac because of Kamoshida's shocked face.

Man, I love making people squirm with fear... I forgot how fun it was...!

The students around me stared at me, since I was happily humming with a smirk on my face. They began to whisper.

"What's up with her...?"

"You think she did something?"

"What if she hurt someone!?"

"Don't get near her, she might kick us into oblivion..."

I walked without a care in the world until I made it outside, seeing Akira and Ryuji outside. Ryuji turned to me with a questioning look.

"Yo. You seem... Happy?", Ryuji asked with a questioning eyebrow. My smirk went wide as I began to giggle a bit.

"Oh, Ryuji... Silly Ryuji... I am so happy. I might even go as far as to say that what I just did wasn't a waste of time!", I said as I calmed down a bit, but still had a small smile on.

"Uhhh... Akira, bro, is Rika okay...?"

"Ah, don't mind her. She becomes like that when she is satisfied with something, but she never elaborates on what made her like that. Just leave her be, she will calm down on her own."

"Okayyy... I want to talk about that castle from yesterday. I tried tellin' myself it was all just a dream... But I couldn't do it. I can't act like nothing happened. It's all connected to that bastard Kamoshida, after all. I wanna find what's up with that place, no matter what. And y'know, you two're the only people I can rely on for this stuff. So, you two in?", Ryuji asked with a determined expression.

"Hmm, I am curious about that place... Fine, I'm in. Akira?", I asked my brother.

"Sure. What's next?", Akira said with a firm nod and a ray of confidence.

"Ooh... Looks like I managed to talk some sense into you two. I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday. In the meantime, you two're walkin' to the station, right? Let's go together. Lemme know if you notice any other weird buildings on the way.", We all nodded together and walked to the area where we hid from the rain.

--sometime later--

We stopped in the middle of the area.

"If a huge castle like that really exists, I'm sure we'll find it in no time... When'd they build something like that though? We walked that way from here, right?", Ryuji asked as he looked at the direction of the strange alleyway.

"I'm pretty sure that that is the way.", I pointed at the alleyway.

"...all right, this way. Lemme know if you two notice something.", we nodded and began to walk through the alleyways. We kept going until we came back to the school, with nothing odd about it.

"Huh...? We're at school... There wasn't anything out of place along the way, right? I didn't see no castle either... We must've made a wrong turn somewhere. Let's try again.", Ryuji insisted.

"Again...?", Akira groaned.

"Don't worry. I won't mess up this time. Let's go.", with that, we went back.

--sometime later--

We took the same route to school, but still the same: a normal school.

"For real...? Is it smaller than we think it is? What do you think?", Ryuji asked. Akira shrugged as he checked around the area. I was deep in thought, but then I remembered what Igor said.

Your brother has the power to come and go between reality and Palaces.

That's it!

"Akira, let me see your phone.", I demanded.

"Why?"

"Don't make me repeat myself. Give me the phone and you will thank me later.", Akira raised an eyebrow at me but did what I asked of him anyways. I took the phone from his hands and removed my gloved hand and turned the phone on. As expected, the red-looking app was glowing.

"What's this eyeball-lookin' thing?"

"Shh, I think I'm onto something.", I shushed Ryuji as I turned the app on. It looked like a navigation app.

"Hmm, a navigation app with a search history. It wants... Random keywords for the place we want to go to.", quickly, I typed down a bunch of words and phrases to see what happened. The boys circled around me to see what I was doing.

"Suguru Kamoshida... Castle...Shujin Academy...Pervert... Abuse... King...Beginning navigation.", the voice that came out of the navigation app confirmed my suspicions.

"I-It worked!?",Ryuji exclaimed. With that, the app began to take make the screen red with the red eyeball, and the sky became purple. Red ripples came across the sky, changing the school in front of us into the eerie castle we were looking for.

"Look! It's the castle from yesterday! We made it back... That means what happened yesterday was for real too... Yeargh! Those clothes...!", Ryuji backed up from us. Akira and I looked down and, sure enough, we had those weird clothes back on.

"That happened last time too, huh!? What's with those outfits!?"

"What? Jealous, Ryuji?", I said with a smirk as I played with my twin swords. I was good at duel sword fighting because my uncle had a small dojo where I stayed for a while when my parents left for a long business trip. I stayed there for a year and a half, training with him. I never knew this would happen and that I would need it.

"I-I ain't jealous! What's going on here?! This makes no effin' sense at all...", Ryuji stuttered as he looked around. I suddenly heard soft footsteps coming our way, so I turned to see someone familiar, Morgana.

"Hey! Stop making a commotion."

"Ah... You!?", Ryuji exclaimed as he examined the cat again.

"The shadows started acting up, so I came here wondering what it could be... To think you guys would come back to the entrance when you barely managed to escape.", Morgana sighed at our little stunt.

"What is this place?... Is this the school?", Ryuji asked.

"That's right."

"But it's a castle!"

"This castle IS the school... But only to this castle's ruler."

"The castle's ruler...?"

"I think you called him Kamoshida?"

"I prefer to call him Kamo-shitlord, shitlord, Kamo-b*tchface, Kamo-suckmya*s, piece of shit, craplord, pervert, buttface, and many others. Please continue.", I intervened. Akira just stared at me with a blank face, Ryuji was trying to stay straight faced but was failing with the struggle he was having to not laugh, and Morgana just looked at me with a "Okay then..." Face.

"Anyways... This is Kamoshida's castle. It's how his distorted heart views the school."

"Kamoshida... Distorted...? Explain it in a way that makes sense!", Ryuji demanded.

"I shouldn't have expected a moron to get it...", Morgana sighed.

"What'd you say!?"

"Umm, I might get it. I am guessing that since Kamoshida views the school as his own castle and he is the ruler, and since that view is so strong that it is affecting others, it made a different reality that housed his desire to be the king of the school/castle?", I briefly explained, looking back at Morgana for confirmation.

"You are very clever, unlike this guy!", Morgana praised as he pointed his paw towards Ryuji, who just looked confused.

"How the actual eff did you figure that out!?"

"I was very observant as a child, and I kept that trait with me.", I said with a small smile, but quickly dropped it when we heard screaming from the inside.

"It must be the slaves captive here.", Morgana explained.

"For real!? We saw other guys held captive here yesterday... I'm pretty sure they're from our school.", Ryuji panicked.

"Most likely on Kamoshida's orders. It's nothing out of the ordinary; it's like that everyday here. What's more, you three escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit."

"That son of a b*tch...!"

Another nickname for Kamoshida.

"Ryuji...?", Morgana called out for Ryuji weakly, trying to calm him down.

"...This is bullshit!", Ryuji quickly ran to the large door and punched it with all his might.

"You hear me, Kamoshida!?", Ryuji yelled at the top of his lungs. I walked up to Ryuji and pulled him away from the door while patting his back lightly.

"Look... It seems you have your reasons, and I get that you're mad as hell... But try to calm down a bit, it will keep us safe and you will be able to think straight.", I said with a determined look. Ryuji looked at me for a second before sighing and walking up to Morgana.

"Hey, Monamona!"

"It's Morgana!"

"Do you know where those voices are comin' from...?"

"You want me to take you to the them?... Well, I guess I could guide you there. But only if they comes with us.", Morgana said as he looked at us.

"I'm going. How about you, Rika?"

"Do I get to kick a*s?"

"Uh, I guess...?", Morgana said.

"Okay, I'm going."

"For real...!?... Thanks, guys.", Ryuji thanked us.

"All right, let's do this. Follow me!", with Morgana's command, we were off.

--Time skip to first safe room--

After many fights and explanations of battle, we made to what Morgana called "a safe room". We walked in, the room changing from a chamber and a classroom. Morgana spoke.

"The shadows probably won't come in here."

"*gasp* *pant* How can you tell?", Ryuji asked, breathless from all the running and hiding we did.

"There's a lack of distortion here, meaning the ruler's control over this area is weak. Now do you understand? This place is another reality that the ruler's heart projects."

"This is Kamoshida's reality...? Shit makes no sense at all!"

"One could say it's a world in which one's distorted desires have materialized. I call such a place a "Palace"."

"A Palace...?"

"This is happening because he thinks the school is his own castle."

"So, it became like this 'cause he just thought of it like that!? Hahaha... That son of a b*tch!", Ryuji yelled as he kicked the ground.

"You must really hate this Kamoshida guy.", Morgana stated.

"Obviously. That guy is beyond disgusting.", I said as I pulled at my hair.

"Hate doesn't even cover how I feel. Everything is that a*shole's fault!", Ryuji argued.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but don't let emotions get the better of you. His lackeys are everywhere inside. You two're curious about your outfits, aren't you?", Morgana asked with a smile.

"Yeah, why the hell are they so tight? I need mobility!", I complained.

"That's what you chose to ask? Not how you got them?"

"Yeah, that too.", Morgana sighed at my comment.

What? I have standards and requirements when it comes to clothing!

"I can't comment on the tightness, but as for where it came from; That's also because of this world."

"More stuff that makes no sense...", Ryuji mumbled. Morgana continued.

"Anything distorts according to how a ruler pleases within his palace. A school can turn into a castle like this, after all. In order to prevent such distortions, one must hold a powerful will of rebellion. Your appearances are manifestations of that. It's the image of rebellion that you hold within.", Morgana explained.

"So, what your trying to say is that because we don't take any of Kamoshida's shit, we got cool costumes and Personas?", I asked. Morgana looked at me with a "that's a crappy explanation." Look, but nodded anyways.

"Uuugh, I'm so fed up with all this! I'm curious about you than their clothes! What the hell are you anyways!?", Ryuji asked Morgana.

"I'm a human- an honest-to-God human!"

... Is he kidding me right now...?

"No, you're obviously more like a cat!", Ryuji stated.

"This is, well... It's because I lost my true form... I think."

"You think?"

"But I do know how to regain my true form. The reason why I snuck in here was for a preliminary investigation of those means. Well, I ended up getting caught though... Besides, I've been tortured by Kamoshida too! I'm gonna make him pay for sure!", Morgana said with a determined face.

"What is this, a comic book? This is seriously crazy..."

"Nah, not a comic book. I would say this is more like... Those weird JRPG's you stumble upon and then get addicted to.", I stated with a straight face. (Hehehe... Breaking the fourth wall like a boss!)

"I wasn't lookin' for an answer...", Ryuji mumbled with a raised eyebrow.

"If we're gonna keep going, we should hurry along. I'll be counting on your skills this time, rookies. Got it?", Akira and I nodded with matching smirks on our faces.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to force it all on you guys. I thought it might help, so...", with that said, Ryuji pulled out something unexpected: a gun. I got a shiver just looking at it. My composure was breaking down. No one had noticed yet.

"I brought this just in case! It's a model gun though, so it only makes sounds."

"No...", I mumbled.

"Hm? What was that?", Ryuji asked.

"No... I am NOT going anywhere near that thing...!", I said with a panicked voice as I began to back up towards the wall in fear.

"It's fake, Rika! No need to be afraid of it!", Ryuji said as he tried to give it to me. I shrieked as I slapped the gun away, making it fall to the floor with a clank. I began to shake just looking at it.

"I... Have a phobia...", I mumbled with a small voice.

"O-Oh... I-I'm sorry, Rika. I--"

"You didn't know... I get it. It's okay... Just... I just don't want to use any guns, alright?"

"Got it. I'll just give it to Akira. You got it, dude?"

"Anything for my little sis.", Akira said with a smile as he took the gun.

"Thanks, Akira.", I said with a sigh as I calmed myself down.

"I brought medicine too. You know what they say: "Providin' is pre... Something." Huh? Huh?", Ryuji pulled out a few bottles of medicine with a huge grin. I grabbed the medicine bottles and put them in my gun holister to keep them safe. I had a gun holister with the outfit, but no gun.

Might as well put it to use.

"Alright, drama and phobias aside, let's go.", and with my comment, we were off.

--time skip to Kamoshida's training hall of love (ugh)--

We had been running for what felt like hours, but we finally made to the area we had been looking for; the hostage area. The hostages were put in separate torture rooms with the Knights beating them to a pulp. Ryuji was the first one to react to this.

"Dammit! This is bullshit!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down?!", Morgana whisper-shouted.

"But this is beyond messed up! How do I open this...?", Ryuji tried to pry the bars open, but no luck. Then, one of the hostages came up to us, looking like he could die at any second.

"Stop it...! Leave us alone... It's useless..."

"What the hell are you talking about?", I asked, grinding my teeth together to keep my voice down.

"If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like you guys!", another slave said with a hushed voice, probably due to all the yelling.

"You're tellin' me you wanna stay in a place like this?!", Ryuji questioned them with anger and surprise laced in his voice.

"Wait a minute... Were you two planning on taking these guys out of here?", Morgana asked Ryuji and I.

"Well, I don't want people to suffer, if you were wondering.", I spat back.

"Yeah, we can't just leave 'em here!"

"How stupid can you two be...?", Morgana mumbled. I walked up to him and grabbed his fur, pulling him up from the floor and dangling him in the air.

"Explain, furball.", I commanded.

"A-Alright, alright! Put me down!", Morgana scrambled. I dropped Morgana on the ground and gave him a look that said "Talk.".

"These are only humans in Kamoshida's cognition. They aren't humans that have entered from reality. They're different from you three.", Morgana explained.

"Cognition...?", Ryuji mumbled.

"It means there's no point in saving them! They're different from the real ones in the real world. You could say that these are extremely similar-looking dolls.", Morgana said , slightly cringing at his own weird explanation.

"The hell?! Why's it gotta be so complicated? So the school's a castle, and the students are slaves... It's so on point that it makes me laugh. This really is inside of that a*shole's head...!", Ryuji cursed.

"No point denying it now; this is Kamoshida's reality...", I mumbled, pulling at my hair.

But this is messed up on so many levels, I can't even count them...!

"Still, this is horrible. It must mean that he treats them as slaves in the real world too.", Morgana sighed.

Wait...

"In the real world too...? Wait, I know these guys... They're members of the volleyball team-- the one Kamoshida coaches for!", Ryuji gasped.

"Hey, Morgana. You said that this is Kamoshida's cognition and what he sees and does in the real world has a similar counterpart in this world, correct? Does this mean that the torture that is happening here happens in the real world too?", I asked.

"What makes you ask that?", Akira asked, eyeing me with a slightly doubtful look.

"Think about my research. there are rumors about mental and physical abuse dealt by Kamoshida. If this is a reality that Kamoshida sees, then the abuse is true. Am I wrong, Morgana?"

"No, you are right, sadly.", Morgana confirmed with a face filled with anger.

"If they're true, wouldn't this be somethin' to report to the police...? I'll use these guys as evidence. If it all goes well, we can take down that a*shole Kamoshida...!", Ryuji said as he pulled out his phone. He went to take a picture, but the camera didn't even work. Static covered the screen.

"...Huh? It's not workin'?! We can use the navigation app, but the camera's a no go?!", Ryuji exclaimed.

Figured as much...

"A navigation app?", Morgana asked.

"That's what we used to come here? What about yours?", Ryuji questioned.

I opened my phone, but static covered the screen. I shook my head no.

"My camera's not working, either.", Akira sighed.

"Whatever you do is fine, but we're gonna get caught if we stand around like this. We need to head back!", Morgana informed us, panic evident in his voice.

"Hang on a sec! There's no other way... I'll just memorize their faces before goin' home!", with that, we went around each torture chamber as Ryuji memorized the slaves faces.

--Time skip to reaching the castle entrance--

Right as we were about to reach the door, we were blocked by the Knights and their king himself; Kamoshida.

(Kamoshida)

"... You knaves again? To think you'd make the same mistake again. You're hopeless!"

"The school ain't your castle! I've memorized their faces real good. You're goin' down!", Ryuji claimed with a naive confidence.

Uh, he does realize we need to fight the guards to get out, right?

"It seems it's true when they say "barking dogs seldom bite.". How far the star runner of the track team has fallen.", Kamoshida mocked.

Fallen...?

"The hell are you gettin' at!?", Ryuji asked.

"I speak of the "Track Traitor" who acted in violence, ending his teammates' dreams. Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under your... Selfish act.", Kamoshida continued to ridicule.

"Ngh...", Ryuji gritted his teeth.

Wait, track traitor...? That can't be true...

"Violence...?", Akira questioned, looking as confused as I was.

"What a surprise. So you two're are accompanying him without knowing anything at all? He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on as carefree as ever.", Kamoshida explained with a sick smirk on his face.

"That's not true!", Ryuji retorted.

I don't believe it, not one bit. Sure, Ryuji seems to act on impulse, and there is that incident that was documented on his student record, but he won't live on carefree because of that!

"You've come along with this fool and are now going to end up dead... How unlucky of you. Go. Kill them all, except for the girl. I'll take her as my princess~", Kamoshida ordered with a sick smile on his face. I felt like barfing and I shuddered in the asshole's gaze.

"Like hell I'll let you do that!", I snarled at the king and summoned Ezio for battle. Morgana and Akira summoned their personas and took their positions, but we were surrounded. We tried to fight the shadows off, but they kept coming back. Each one of them knocked us down to the ground. Ryuji was on his knees, looking scared as hell. I honestly couldn't blame him.

"Rgh... You piece of--", Morgana cried out in pain as Kamoshida stepped on him. A guard stepped on Akira. I tried to get up and help, but another guard grabbed both of my hands and lifted me up in the air. I tried to pull away, but the shadow had an iron grip.

How fitting. The iron clad guard has an iron grip.

Another guard held both of my legs to keep me from pushing them away, and at that point I was immobilized.

Dammit...!

"I bet you simply came here on a whim and ended up like this, isn't that right?", Kamoshida guessed with a smirk.

"No...", Ryuji mumbled, stunned in place.

"What are worthless piece of trash, getting emotional so quickly... How dare you raise a hand at me. Though it was only temporary, have you forgotten my kindness in supervising track practice?", Kamoshida asked.

"Wasn't no practice-- it was physical abuse! You just didn't like our team!", Ryuji retorted as he hit the floor with his fists.

I knew it... That bastard abused Ryuji...!

"It was nothing but an eyesore! The only one who needs to achieve results is me! That coach who got fired was hopeless too... Had he not opposed me with a sound argument, I would've settled it with only breaking his star's leg.", Kamoshida spat.

Wait... He BROKE Ryuji's leg!?

"... What?", Ryuji mumbled, the weight of Kamoshida's words finally dropping down on him.

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!", Kamoshida mocked.

The incident... It was covered up by the school...! So the school knew and did nothing to stop the abuse?!

"Dammit... Am I gonna lose again...? Not only can I not run anymore... The track team is gone too 'cause of this asshole...!", Ryuji asked himself.

I can't even imagine his pain...

"So that's why...", Morgana realized, lifting his head ever so slightly to cast a sad look to Ryuji.

"Once these two are dealt with and the girl is taken away, you're next. Hahahahahahaha...!", Kamoshida laughed maniacally.

Oh hell no...!

"Ryuji!", Morgana called.

"Don't let Kamoshida win!", Akira yelled with a pained tone.

Right, he is our only hope...!

"Ryuji, listen to me! You are not going to lose to Kamo-shitlord, you hear me?! You have gone through so much, you can't back down now, not like this! Where is the Ryuji that doesn't take shit from anyone and goes with his gut?! He is still inside of you, so tell him to get the f*ck out here and kick a*s!", I yelled at the top of my lungs. Ryuji lifted his head slightly.

"Everything that was important to me was taken by him... I'll never get 'em back...!", Ryuji snarled.

"Stay there and watch. Look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you.", Kamoshida said with a sick smirk. Ryuji slowly got up from the ground and looked at Kamoshida dead in the eye.

"That's where your wrong...! All you think about is using people... You're the real scumbag, Kamoshida!", Ryuji declared.

"What are you doing? Silence him!", Kamoshida ordered as the guards were ready to pounce.

"Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!", Ryuji yelled. In that second, he stopped and fell to the ground in pain, cradling his head in his hands and writhing around the carpet. As one of the guards was about to slice Akira with his sword, Ryuji's face was covered with a metal mask that looked like the top half of a skull. Ryuji pulled the mask off and a wave of power shot through the area, making the guards, Kamoshida and the team topple over. I fell to the floor, but quickly got up, albeit clumsily, and saw something amazing; Ryuji was now wearing what looked like a thugs' uniform, dressed in a black suit with yellow gloves and a red bandana around his neck and a metal pipe in his hand. Behind Ryuji was a persona; a skeleton pirate on a huge pirate ship. Ryuji smirked, a new found determination crossing his face. Akira, Morgana and I ran towards Ryuji and stood beside him, summoning our personas.

"Right on... Wassup, Persona... This effin' rocks! Now that I got this power, it's time for payback... Yo, I'm ready... Bring it!", Ryuji mocked the shadow in front of us.

"Ngh... Don't mock me, you brat!", the guard turned into a shadow and was ready to attack.

"Blast him away... Captain Kidd!"

Wait, Captain Kidd...! So his Persona is Captain William Kidd, the famed pirate that said he had hid a treasure before his execution! Man, Ryuji's Persona is cool!

--Timeskip to after the battle--

We had finally defeated the shadow and we were tired as hell. Ryuji was panting like he ran a thousand miles.

"*gasp* *pant*... How 'bout that!? Even if you apologize now... I ain't forgivin' you...!", Ryuji threatened.

"I told you that this is my castle. It seems you still don't understand...", at that moment, something odd happened; two girls appeared. One looked like Takamaki-Chan, but she wore a purple panther bikini with matching cat ears and a tiara. The other girl looked just like me, but wore a blue and black striped bikini and a policeman hat and a baton. Both girls walked up to Kamoshida and clung to him with desperate looks on their faces.

"Wh-- Takamaki!? A-And Rika!?", Ryuji exclaimed, blushing like crazy and looking back at me and that sorry excuse of me.

"Hell no, that is not me!", I retorted, feeling disgusted by the sight.

"Oh...! Wha... What a meow-velous and beautiful girl...!", Morgana gushed as he pointed at Takamaki-Chan.

Expected the cat to like the cougar...

"What's going on...!?", Ryuji freaked out.

"Something seems off.", Akira mumbled.

"Seems? All of that is just messed up! Of course it is off!", I yelled, cringing as my shadow counterpart giggled like a schoolgirl. Kamoshida held Takamaki-Chan's chin and pet my head with a smirk.

"Hey! Let go of them, you perv!", Ryuji shouted with anger and disgust in his voice.

"Let go of my sister!", Akira was about to pounce, but I held him back. As much as I wanted to beat the ever living crap out of the King, I didn't know what he was capable of.

"How many must I tell you until you understand? This is MY castle-- a place in which I can do whatever I want. Everyone wishes to be loved by me... That is, besides slow-witted thieves like you.", Kamoshida spat venom in his tone.

"Takamaki! Rika! Say somethin'!", Ryuji called after the girls, but they were focused on the King.

"Calm down, Ryuji! These girls aren't the real ones. They're the same as the slaves-- beings made from Kamoshida's cognition of them!", Morgana exclaimed.

Wait, he sees me like that...? Okay, I'm going to have nightmares tonight...

"Are you jealous? Well, I'm not surprised. Women aren't drawn to problematic punks like you.", Kamoshida mocked the guys.

"I am more attracted to a spider than you!", I shot back with a snarl. The shadow me giggled.

(Shadow Rika)

"My darling King Kamoshida gave me a purpose, and you chose a bunch of thieves? What a joke. You should join us, it will feel sooooo good~"

"F*ck that!", I said with such disgust that I felt like my words would turn into pure trash.

"Clean them up this instant!", Kamoshida commanded as a bunch of guards emerged from the ground.

"We're outnumbered... Let's scram before we get surrounded!", Morgana commanded.

"We're not gonna do anything and just run!?", Ryuji questioned our logic.

"Dude, we will kick their a*s some other time! If we stay, OUR a*ses our gonna get kicked!", I explained.

"We can't die here!", Akira backed me up.

"Ngh... Fine. We'll expose what you really are, no matter what! You better be ready for us...!", Ryuji threatened Kamoshida, who was watching all this with a twisted smile.

"Hahaha! I was beginning to get bored of torturing the ones here! Come at me whenever you want, if you don't care about your life! Haaaaaahahahaha!", Kamoshida cackled.

"Ignore him. Let's go!", Morgana said as we ran out of the castle and headed for the outskirts of the castle that seemed relatively quiet.

"*pant* *pant* *pant* Anyways! I don't remember changin' into this!", Ryuji finally realized that he was wearing the thug uniform.

"It looks amazing...", I mumbled as I walked around Ryuji, eyeing the suit with sparkling eyes.

"Uh... Wh-What is she doing?", Ryuji whispered, looking flustered.

"*sigh*... She has a thing for costumes. She loved to watch movies and shows with superheroes that looked bada*s as a kid. This is probably a dream come true to her...", Akira explained as I examined Ryuji's mask

"A skull... Cool...", I gushed quietly. Morgana cleared his throat, which brought me out of my stupor. I quickly moved away and mumbled a quick "sorry".

"The costumes appear when a Persona-user opposes a palace's ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It's to prevent prevent you from being affected by distortions. Your appearance reflects your inner self. It's the rebel that's slumbers within... Not that you'll get it.", Morgana said with a sigh.

"Nope...", Ryuji gave in.

"Then stop asking questions and accept what you see for what it is.", Morgana scolded.

"Easy for you to say. *gasp* Wait, we're in deep shit! We may have gotten away from here, but were still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school...", Ryuji freaked out, but I quickly settled his fears.

"Relax, Ryuji. Don't waste your time on worrying. Remember when we first came here? Kamoshida didn't confront any of us about the "execution" that day, so my guess is that the stuff that happens here remains unknown to the real world counterpart. Am I right, Morgana?"

"It's just as she says.", Morgana said with a sly smile.

"All right! Now that we know that, all we gotta do is--", Ryuji was cut off by Morgana.

"Wait. I guided you as promised. It's your turn to cooperate with me. That's why I was super nice about teaching you idiots everything.", I was about to kick the damn cat in the face, but Akira sensed my anger and held me back.

"Huh? Cooperate?", Ryuji asked.

"Don't you remember? I originally came here for an investigation. I need to erase the distortion from my body and regain my real form! That's why we must delve deep into Mementos and--", it was now Ryuji's turn to cut Morgana off.

"Whoa, hold up. What're you goin' on and on about? We never said anything about helpin' you out.", at Ryuji's comment, Morgana flipped.

"Huh? Don't tell me... Are you not going to repay the hospitality I showed you? Especially you! You're going to up and leave, even though you're already part of my master plan!?", Morgana asked as he pointed at Akira in fear of losing the key part of his "master plan".

"... Let me think about it.", Akira said with a blank stare.

He says he is a innocent cinnamon roll, but he can be a savage when he wants to.

"Is it because I'm not human...? Because I'm like a cat...? Is that why you're making a fool of me!?", Morgana kept yapping.

"Cat racism" is now a part of my dictionary...

"We're busy! Thanks for everything, cat. You've got guts, bein' a cat and all! See you around!", Ryuji bid goodbye and exited the palace and Akira followed him. I looked back at Morgana and sighed.

"There is a chance we will be back, so don't lose hope yet, Morgana.", with a small wave, I left the palace, seeing red and black morph into the alleyway outside of the school. Ryuji and Akira were there, letting out signs of relief.

"Thank God. We're back. I dragged you guys around a lot, huh?... Sorry. Ugh, I'm dead tired... How you holdin' up?", Ryuji looked at us.

"I could use a nap...", Akira mumbled.

"That was quite the workout, not gonna lie...", I groaned as I picked up my bag from the ground.

"True... Man, I'm going to sleep like a rock when I get home. But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good! I totally remember the faces of those guys Kamoshida was treatin' like slaves. Once we make 'em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done. So... Wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?", Ryuji asked, looking hesitant about us agreeing.

"We'll do it.", I said while looking at Akira for confirmation, who nodded his head in agreement.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Hey, so... If you two're thinkin' go layin' low 'cause he's got a record, I don't think that'll help... Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal.", Ryuji sighed.

"Let me guess: Kamoshida's the only one who could have spread the word.", I guessed as I pulled at my hair, trying NOT to punch the nearest thing in sight.

"No one else besides a teacher could have leaked it that fast! It doesn't matter if it's a student or a club; that a*shole just wrecks things he doesn't agree with. Just like he did with me...! No one'll take anything I say seriously. Still, those rumors about him gettin' physical have to be true. And after seein' Kamoshida's distorted-heart thing in person, there's no way I can just sit back!", Ryuji declared.

"Preach, brother!", I said with a smirk.

"Of course you can't stay quiet. This needs to stop eventually, and eventually means now!", Akira cracked his knuckles to confirm his need to kick some a*s.

"I'm countin' on you! Don't worry; I'm hyped about this too!", at Ryuji's comment, I felt a bond of trust that I thought I would never feel until that day.

--???, interrogation room--???,???, 20XX--Present--

Akira and I took a breather and looked back at Niijima-San.

"Acting as Phantom Thieves would've been more efficient alone. You could've gone about it that way... However, you did not. There are merits to having associates... That's what you decided. Am I wrong?", Niijima-San pressed. Akira and I stayed quiet for a moment, before continuing our story.

--April, 12th, 20XX, Afternoon--Shujin Academy-- Past

"Oh... Right. I haven't eaten anything since lunch. It'd be weird splittin' off now, so why don't we grab a bite somewhere?", Ryuji asked.

"Nah, I got to go. I got dishes to finish up. How about you, Rika?", Akira asked me.

"Rule number 7 of Koga: Never turn down food unless it's poisoned. I'm going, you can wash without me, right?"

"Go have fun.", Akira winked and left us alone.

"So, what kind of food are you going for?", I asked Ryuji.

"Meat, man. Just follow me. I mean, I totally gotta hear about your past!", with that, Ryuji dragged me to a ramen shop nearby, the smell of noodles taking over the entire area. True to his word, Ryuji had ordered meat bowls and noodles galore.

"Now, about your past!", Ryuji egged me on, trying to get me to talk.

I mean, it is only fair. He needs to know, I know about him, after all.

"Alright, buckle up, because this is a bumpy ride..."

--January, 30th, 2005, Evening--Koga residence-- Past--3rd person--

In the Koga residence, Rika was a 5 year old girl with a creative and curious mind. She had a blast playing with superhero action figures, her favorites being a limited edition Batman figure that came with the Robin and Joker figures she held so dearly to her heart. Rika loved playing pretend, especially as The Joker's arch nemesis: Captain Koga of the police force who regularly teamed up with Batman and Robin. Just as Rika was about to win a battle once again against the king of jokes, the bedroom door opened to reveal a woman. She was quite stunning, in all honesty. The woman had long black hair, hazel eyes, porcelain white skin with the exception of freckles scattered across her face and neck. This woman was Rika's mother; Izumi Koga. Rika only inherited Izumi's black hair and cold nature, although the young Rika only developed her cold nature in her older years. Right behind Izumi was a man; The man had messy brown hair, black eyes, and a tough exterior for a body. A lot of people feared the man because of his gruff looks, but he never cared. This man was Rika's father; Shigematsu Koga. Rika inherited her black eyes and her future tough body from her father, along with his love for food.

"Rika, your father and I will be gone for a bit. Do you mind cleaning our room?", Izumi's voice was like velvet, yet sharp like a knife.

"Sure thing, Mom.", Rika bounced to her feet as she bid farewell to her parents for the night. Her parents always left late in the night for some reason, but they never elaborated on why. Rika couldn't care less, though. It wasn't any of her business, but it was still odd. Rika ran to her parents room and began tidying up the area. Their room was usually off-limits, but the only time she could go was when she was tasked to clean. Now, Rika was not a snoop, but that day something caught her interest when she was about to leave her father's side of the bed. Something metal was shining from the small opening in the cupboard, so she went to go put it back in place. When Rika opened the small cupboard, she froze. Inside was a gun, white powder in small packets, an empty bottle that smelled like sake, and a list of names Rika never even heard of. This is where Rika's fear of guns came from. Rika was young, but she wasn't stupid. She had watched enough detective shows to know that her father was no good. Rika ran to her mother's cabinet and found the same things inside, albeit in a more hidden area. Suddenly, she heard the front door open. Rika was furious. She ran to the front door to see her parents looking at her with questioning looks. Rika began to tear up and scream.

"You guys are evil! All of you! You lied to me! You don't have jobs as business people! I saw the guns, the powder and the names! You guys do bad stuff! Why did you lie to me?!", Rika's parents stood frozen. Their daughter had found out the secret they were trying to keep for the past 5 years. Both parents looked at each other and nodded. They quickly ran to Rika's room and began packing everything she had in suitcases. Rika was asking questions, but no one answered. That night, she was told to sleep and everything will be explained to her in the morning.

--The next day--

Rika was in the backseat of the car, quiet as her father drove to God-knows-where. It felt like hours, years maybe, but they finally stopped in front of a building. Rika exited the car and tried to read the sign.

SHIBUYA ADOPTION CENTER

The words were too big for Rika to understand, but she couldn't do anything about it. Her parents brought all of Rika's suitcases and wheeled them in. Izumi looked around and went into a separate room, Shigematsu following close behind. Rika ran after them, still in the dark about what was happening. Once they entered the room, an old man came into view, and began talking to Rika's parents. Rika couldn't understand what they were saying, not one word. After a long time, both of her parents got up and began to leave, and Rika called out to them.

"Mom? Dad? What's going on? Are we going back home now?"

Izumi turned around at looked at Rika dead in the eyes as she spoke.

"This is goodbye, Rika. I don't want to deal with you anymore, you are a waste of time. We are never coming back."

Izumi's voice sent chills through Rika's spine, and the poor girl went blank. The girl never even noticed she began to sob and scream, calling out for her parents who simply walked away.

--April, 12th, 20XX, Afternoon--Ramen shop-- Past

"And that's it. A year later, Akira's parents found me and decided to adopt me.", I sighed as I recalled the entire story to Ryuji, finishing the last of my food.

"... Holy shit... Your parents--", Ryuji stuttered.

"Were drug dealers.", I whispered, my voice shaking slightly.

"I... I don't even know what to say... I'm sorry I made you remember all that...", Ryuji mumbled.

"It's fine."

"But... Do you know where they are now?"

I sipped a bit of my tea and looked Ryuji dead in the eye.

"Jail. They were stupid enough to get caught. The money was sent to me, but the drug money was something I didn't want. I decided to donate the drug money to local children's hospitals. I kept the money that they got from their day jobs. Turns out, they worked for a big company and the money was proof of that.", I put down the now empty teacup. Ryuji was stunned.

"A-And have you seen them since then?"

"Why would I? They left me in that sorry excuse of an adoption home with no explanation as to why. I intend on keeping them out of my life forever.", Ryuji sighed when he heard my reasoning, but decided not to go into it.

"Anyways... The place you're livin' now is in... Yongen, right? It's rush hour on the subways. I suggest you kill some time before headin' home. Anyways, I got your backs, you and Akira, like you got mine from tomorrow on. As long as we do something about Kamoshida, I'm sure we'll all feel better about bein' at school. Oh, yeah! Tell me your number, CHAT ID too. Oh, and your brother's info too.", Ryuji pulled out his phone with a grin.

"Oh... Okay then.", I said with a small smile as I pulled out my phone and gave him the info.

I haven't had anyone to talk to like this in years other than Akira... Odd, it feels welcoming in a sense.

"Just you wait, Kamoshida... We're gonna start right away tomorrow. First, let's hit up those guys that were kept as slaves. The volleyball rally's tomorrow, huh? Shit's recommended by Kamoshida. Makes me wanna gag. But thanks to that, we got no classes in the afternoon, and we can walk around unnoticed. Well, I guess we can work out the details tomorrow...", Ryuji nodded at his own explanation. I felt a vibration in my pocket. I pulled out my phone and I saw that the Teleporter had a notification.

Well, gotta cut this meeting short...

"Hey... Sorry to leave like this, but I got something urgent to get to. See you tomorrow, yeah?", I asked.

"You know it!", Ryuji flashed a smile at me. I nodded and left the ramen shop. I ran towards a dark alley and pulled out tape recorder.

I need to keep all the conversations I hear with me, just in case...

I tapped the app and was transported to school, specifically around the grass, behind a bench where Takamaki-Chan and another girl sat. I began to record the conversation.

"Conversation between Ann Takamaki and another female student. April 12th, Shujin academy.", with my small note at the beginning, I made sure to record the conversation.

"I-I haven't been sleeping well lately... Whenever I close my eyes, I keep thinking about too many things...", the girl mumbled. The girl looked tired. She had brown, hazy eyes and black hair that was tied in a ponytail. She wore the Shujin academy sweater without the blazer, the skirt, and wore a bunch of bandages.

"Shiho...", Takamaki-Chan looked worried.

So the girl is Shiho...

"Nationals are coming up soon, so I keep thinking... Should someone like me really be on the starting lineup...?", Shiho-San questioned with doubt written all over her face.

"Don't worry. Just be confident in yourself! Your skills have been recognized! It's all because you work harder than anyone else!", Takamaki-Chan encouraged.

"...Yeah... Volleyball's all I have, after all...", Shiho-San mumbled.

Wait... Volleyball... Kamoshida coaches the volleyball team! Is that why she has a bunch of bandages on...?

"More importantly, was that injury OK? It looked really swollen.", Takamaki-Chan asked.

Injury...

"No, it's nothing. It's normal... Especially since a meet's coming up...", with Shiho-San's explanation, someone came; the blue haired boy in my class. Turned out, his name, as far as I knew, was Mishima.

"Mishima-Kun is here.", I mumbled into the recorder to get the info.

"Sorry to interrupt, Suzui. Um... Mister Kamoshida told me to get you."

Shit...! Suzui-San looks terrified as hell at the mere mention of Kamoshida...!

"Huh? What does he want...?"

"He didn't say...", Mishima-Kun mumbled.

"... Ann, I...", Suzui-San couldn't even speak.

"... It'll be fine! I bet it's a meeting about the starting lineup or something.", it sounded like Takamaki-Chan was trying to convince herself, but Suzui-San appreciated it.

"... Yeah. Well, I better go...", Suzui-San got up and looked back at Takamaki-Chan with a somber smile.

"Yup. Good luck!", after Suzui-San and Mishima-Kun left, Takamaki-Chan began to mumble.

"Hang in there, Shiho...!"

I quickly ended the recording and teleported away.

--April, 11th, 20XX, Evening--Leblanc-- Past

I entered the shop to see Sojiro. I mumbled a quick "good evening" and walked upstairs. Akira sat on the bed, looking at his phone. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Had fun? Ryuji texted me, said you gave him both of our numbers to contact us."

I pulled out my phone to see he did text me, specifically to both Akira and I.

===================

Unknown: hey, decided to go ahead and message you.

Unknown: can you see this?

You(Rika): Yep.

🤓The ultimate bro🤓(Akira): I can too.

Change Name: Yes No

Troublemaker Blondie💀(Ryuji): I'm gonna be counting on you tomorrow, OK?

You: 👍🏻

Troublemaker Blondie💀: you two are bros, man...

Troublemaker Blondie💀 welp, seeya tomorrow!

Troublemaker Blondie💀: let's save those guys who've been getting abused, the three of us.

Troublemaker Blondie💀: Oh wait!

Troublemaker Blondie💀: That thingy on your phone was some red eyeball icon, right?

🤓The ultimate bro🤓: Right. What about it?

You: I have a yellow one.

You: I have a y<

You: I have <

You: I have one too.

Troublemaker Blondie💀: we ended up in that weird place when we used this nav app, right?

Troublemaker Blondie💀: I found it on my phone too...

Troublemaker Blondie💀: I don't even remember installing it!

🤓The ultimate bro🤓: Creepy...😨

Troublemaker Blondie💀: for real. What is this thing...?

Troublemaker Blondie💀: think it's being downloaded on its own somehow?

Troublemaker Blondie💀: it's dangerous to use something without knowing what it is...

Troublemaker Blondie💀: but with it, we can go to that weird place, right?

You: yeah, it seems like it 🤔🤔

Troublemaker Blondie💀: basically, it's gonna depend on how we use it.

Troublemaker Blondie💀: but first we need to find evidence for the beatings.

Troublemaker Blondie💀: I'm counting on you, all right? Don't go ditching school on me.

You: Night.

Troublemaker Blondie💀: Seeya!

===================

After putting the phone away, I went to wash up, dress for bed, and hit the hay right after. The day was pretty eventful, so no one could blame for my laziness.