"Mr. Yamada, here is your full dorming schedule, dorming is compulsory this year, but you will be provided with plenty of space. Here is your full dorming report"

Ken took the paper from the teacher in the office. He had waited a long time for this list, but was surprisingly not eager to read it. Instead he made his way for the Lunchroom, taking care not to bump into anybody. He acquired some snacks, a chocolate bar, soda, and chips, and sat down to read.

First things first, the dorming assignment. He pulled out the paper and looked over the roster in his dorm, Rikkyo Hall it said. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the names. Four names that were recently on his mind happened to be on his sheet. The four other second-years who had experienced the Lhermitte effect. His eyes narrowed. This is most strange could this be a coincidence? all four of us? No. I don't think it is, or that it even could be. That's highly improbably out of all the students at this school. But what does it mean? are we all part of some strange experiment? He took a sip of his soda and pulled out his phone, deciding now was the time to research.

During the entire lunch period, Ken found absolutely no useful information, all he could find was that a small number of scientists hypothesized it was caused by pollution. The research supporting it was so insignificant that Ken became suspicious it was a cover up. Something was up, perhaps he would find out once all the sufferers were in the same room "If we all have an episode simultaneously, we'll know there is some design behind this..." He mumbled to himself as he left the cafeteria for his final classes.

It took a while, but Kazu got the paper of the dorm and who would be there, as he looked over it he saw quite a few names from the classroom he was in, one of them being that skeptical guy Ken. Kazu thanked the teacher as he left the room, and went to the cafeteria, where he got his food, and ate in peace. To him that was a huge milestone, usually he had multiple people asking him something pointless during a free period. Oh well, Kazu was going to enjoy it for once, so when he was finished with his food, he went back to the class room.

Taking his seat again, he stared at the list once more. It had some first years on it, with one third year, well at least he would know, who would be in charge most of the time while they were all there. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like half the number were guys, and half were women. Was the school aware of this? They had to be, no one could accidentally put so many guys and girls in a dorm together. It had to intentional. "They sure got some faith in us. Doubt the girls feel the same way." Kazu mumbled as he opened his book and waited for class to get started again.

Tsukiko sighed as she looked over the list a second time, sitting back at her desk. She doubted any of the guys would try to make a move on her, so she had no problems with them being in the same dorm. She put the paper down, the signifigance of two of the names not escaping her. Since she preferred to believe in fate rather than coincidence, she had no doubt that at least the other names in her class, if not the entire list, were the ones who had shared the strange experience with her. Although she wouldn't say it out loud because he got on her nerves, the boy from before had adequate instincts. If he could just learn to do some digging before jumping up in front of everyone and, calling attention to himself, he might actually make a decent reporter.

For some reason her mind drifted back to the girl she had met in the hall, her underclassman apparently. She wondered if she was one of the first years on the list, believing fate had sent her another twist. Forgetting all that for now, she sighed and finished eating her lunch.

Tsukiyama Academy, Lunchtime

After some people left. Cruz was finally able to enter the Faculty Office. There were many teachers, and he was thinking on which of them was his. A senior called Cruz and asked him the year and the class. He answered it and then the senior gave him a list. "Meister-san, your appointment is the Rikkyo Hall, along with some classmates and students from upper classes. Your stay is compulsory, like your dormmates. Please talk to them so you can decide your room.", he said. Cruz nodded and left the room.

He walked to the classroom, reading the list more than once or twice. Most of them are from the second year. I hope I can be a good company for them... if I ever desire to talk, that is., Cruz thought. He didn't minded that more than half of them were boys, romance wasn't something that he was taking too much interest upon. What he thought is how those rooms were going to be split. Personally, Cruz wanted a single room, where he could lock himself without having any problems with a roommate. Nevertheless, he cleared these troubling thinkings and headed for the classroom, where he believed that it would be full of people already.

As he opened the sliding door, he saw that there were some students there, but not all of them were in the class. Cruz looked for somewhere to sit, as he wanted a space near to the door. But he knew he had to wait for a teacher to put him somewhere. Just as he thought on it, a breeze blew away his list, but a girl got it. Before he would take back, she spoke to the other girl in the teacher's desk. "That guy over there is the Cruz person.", she said, pointing to him. Cruz started to shake a little. This is my first day, and they're already after me?! How is this possible?! I don't know anyone in here!, he thought.

By the time Rei made her way down stairs and towards the faculty office it seemed most of the other students that had came by had already departed well before she even arrived. Sliding the door open she stepped inside, paying no mind to any other students who did happen to be in the room, heading over to the nearest teacher. ”Do you guys have any aspirin in here, my head feels like its gonna pop.” She said quickly as the teacher turned to address her, giving a hum as they turned back to the desk and began looking through drawers. ”You're Nozomi from 3-3 aren't you? Take a look at the dorm assignments while you're here.” The teacher gestured to a stack of papers placed beside him and Rei took one to look over, sighing with disbelief as she read the names.

”Why am I with a bunch of underclassmen...” She said aloud with a bit of a grimace at the notion of being tuck with a bunch of rowdy immature kids. ”Dorms are being assigned with students from all years this year, Nozomi-san” The teacher replied while handing off a small paper packet containing two pills. The girl huffed a bit as she took them and turned to leave. ”Right, and its just my luck to be the only third year in the building.” Rei muttered to herself stepping back into the hall and downing the pills with a gulp. ”Maybe I'll get my own room if I get there soon enough at least.” She thought while lingering in the hall staring at the paper, hoping that for once she'd get some space to herself and not be crammed in a room with three other people.

Moving to the end of the hall she pondered stopping in to the other class rooms to size up the people she'd be stuck with but quickly decided not to bother, crumpling the paper up and tossing it in the trash.”Doesn’t make a difference... not what am I gonna do for the rest of lunch...” She said setting a hand on her stomach which had begun to gurgle lightly, lamenting the decision not to eat in the morning when she ended up being late anyway.

RYu finished his lunch in blissful silence, and with quite a bit of time in the lunch period to spare. So he took his time returning to the classroom, silently observing fellow students as he passed. A girl in the hall was obviously incredibly vain, given the sheer amount of cosmetics and the perpetual hand mirror that seemed all but glued to her hand. He passed a boy who's dark circles under his eyes indicated he was either something of an insomniac or he played a lot video games in poorly lit rooms.

And this went on until he reached his classroom where Ryu took his seat, the earlier phenomena returning to the forefront of his thoughts. What could cause four people to hallucinate simultaneously? It might be worth some minor of investigation and to that end Ryu pulled a medical encyclopedia from his bag, quickly scanning the index for what he was looking for. Yes, just a bit of light reading until afternoon classes started.

Leaving the office after picking up the dorm room list, Hoshiko felt a little weirded out. Everyone that had had an episode in Class 2-4 was in Rikkyo Hall. It was most likely a coincidence, but it still made her leery. Well, that, and the fact that there were quite a few boys. The teacher had said that the room assignments were up to the students, so she hoped that they'd separate themselves appropriately. It wasn't as though she could get out of it, as she was told it was compulsory. Hoshiko wasn't sure if her father would like that, what with all of the males. Locking the door to her room would be essential. Oh, what if she got a roommate?! That'd be so much fun!

Heading down to lunch, Hoshiko sat down with some of the girls she had talked to earlier, eating from a bento box she had packed and placed in her purse, a cold pack keeping it fresh. Her mind couldn't seem to focus on the topic of latest fashion, however...it was still stuck on the dorm list. If anything else happened, they'd know right away, and it'd be hard to deny that something wasn't going on. If this was the Lhermitte Effect at work, caution and treatment would need to be applied as soon as possible. Either way, the year was already shaping up to be one to remember...

Ken took the exact same seat he had when he first came in. Back of the room, furthest from the window, the mirror of where Ryu was sitting earlier today. As he had finished lunch early, he made it to the room before anybody else. He leaned all the way back and put his feet up on the desk. Before long, more people began to funnel in. Later day classes were pretty simple. Nothing he really felt the need to pay attention to. Instead, he kept watching for symptoms of the Lhermitte effect, both in himself and others. He figured even though his first exposure to it was a mass hallucination, future ones could be individual, and he wanted to keep a note of everything that happened in them so far.

On that note, he took out an extra sheet of paper and decided to journal his experiences so far. All he wrote for now is

Lhermitte Effect log, day one.

Mass hallucinations occurred within classroom at approximately 11:55 AM, Four sufferers, and myself.* little info was gleaned from the others, but given their appearances, it can be assumed they experienced 'bad trips' similar to me. Of note is that one other, Hoshiko, noted hearing the same auditory hallucination as I, and old man calling the hallucinations the hour of reflection, investigation will commence.

* Also of note, all sufferers of the effect so far have been placed into the same dorm, whether this is coincidence or not remains to be seen

Ken folded up the piece of paper and put it into his pocket. He would keep updates in a journal somewhere, preferably both a physical and a digital copy. He wondered if the3 other victims of the LE were working towards figuring it out as well?

After on of her other classmates helped her identify one of the guys, Touko approached the guy, who seemed to be somewhat surprised to be called out all of a sudden. The blonde girl took him from his arm, and, without letting him protest, she tried to drag him along with her... To no use. Even if the guy wasn't a heavyweight, for someone like Touko it was impossible to make a man of his build, or any build, to drag along. She stood in front of the guy, facing the other way and letting him see her back. Her face was extremely red. She was embarrassed of how weak she was. In another exaggerated turn that made her pink dress flail around, she turned to face the guy, her face still a little red.

"You and I are going to be dormmates. I just wanted to come and meet you, maybe talk a little with you." She points at the guy with her index finger, leaving it centimeters away from his face. "Sooo...... I hope we get along!" She seemed really serious, maybe even upset before, but now it was quite the contrary, she was smiling and with a cheerful tone while she was talking. After making her best effort, though not to look exaggerated, to look cute in front of the guy striking a smiling pose while bending slightly towards the guy, she put herself at the Cruz's ear to whisper something to him. "If you try anything funny, I kill you." She said, though half-joking, half-serious, her smiling face just let it open for the guy toguess whether she was serious or not. "Got it? If you see Yikito-san, pass that along to him! See ya!" Touko waved goodbye to his dormmate and returned to her seat.

She chose to seat around the middle of the classroom, for no particular reason, really. There, she rested her head on her left hand and let out a sigh. "Ugh... I just hope that guy doesn't take to heart, though it'll be fun to see him scared whenever he tries to pull something off." A smirk crossed Touko's face. After having some idle chat with her classmates, the chime that signaled the end of the lunchtime sounded. Some guys rushed into classroom, trying to get on time, though the teacher wasn't even in the classroom at the time. Touko shook her head, thinking they were rather stupid.

So, the afternoon went on. Touko didn't even feel the time pass when she noticed school had ended. Of course, every class was kind of just an introduction to what it was going to be after, etc, etc... Touko felt like returning to her house and not even tell her dad about the dorms, no, in fact, she would do just that.

Though, her dad was already ahead of her. A maid, who appeared in the school somehow, came to inform Touko that her belongings were already on the dorm. She just clenched her fist and thanked the maid angrily, after which the maid left. "Dad... You are always two steps ahead of me." With no option now, she resigned and decided to leave for the dorm. She was decided to walk all the way there, but her dad had already brought a limousine for her. "You always go over the top." She lets out a sigh and gets on the ridiculous car her dad arranged for her. "Just.... make it quick. People are staring." She tells the driver and with a nod, they set off for the dorm.

Even with all the... inconveniences of having a car so large present, Touko is one of the firsts to arrive. After intruding into the dorm building, which looks rather normal, to be honest, she finds out that the teacher isn't there. She figures that the guy must be out for some kind of errand, so the first thing she does is go sit in the living room with three black sofas of different sizes. She sits in the the individual one and waits for anyone else to enter through the dorm door, maybe somewhat impatient. She doesn't like being let alone with her thoughts for so long. It makes her remember things that she'd rather not.

Ken eagerly awaited the end of class, there was nothing much to do in it, since he had wrapped up all his planning for the rest of the day. Go home, get his things, arrive at dorm, set up his room. (claim the room furthest within the building) And then spend the rest of the night acquiring the resources he would need to study the Lhermitte effect. He didn't have a degree in psychology and mental illness, but he could at least send off some papers to those who did.

Ken decided to forgo politeness this time, and as soon as he heard the bell, he got up from his desk and exited the room with a brisk pace. He weaved through the crowds of students until he got to the main gate, then broke into a full on sprint to get home before the traffic rush got any worse. He dashed up the stairs to his apartment and looked around. Mom and Dad were presumably out at work, but they never really cared about what he did anyway, so he wrote a quick note explaining the dorm situation and gathered up all his stuff in a box. That was, expensive laptop, clothes, cords for phone and laptop, his stash of physical money (around 12.3k yen) and that would be everything. He used to be a man of many possessions (perks of wealthy parents) but this was really all he needed.

The five minute walk to school became around a 7 minute walk with the box he was carrying and trying to maneuver around people, but he still made it back to the school before everybody had even left yet, so he was making good time. He wanted to be the first to pick out a room. Rikkyo hall was suspiciously separate from most of the other dorms and in fact the school as a whole, seemingly nestled in such a way to make it seem abandoned. But with absolute confidence this was where he was supposed to be Ken kicked open the front door (not destructively of course) and checked out the whole space. There was a single room near the back, not the one labeled for the teacher, (who was seemingly absent) and Ken was fine with it. He opened the door and started to put down his possessions. The room was neatly furnished, with a computer desk, bed, single window with dark blue curtains, a closet, and full length mirror.

After hanging up his clothes and stashing his valuables under the bed. He broke out his laptop and connected to the dorm wifi. Preparing an email to researcher he saw credited in the Lhermitte Effect report this morning.

Esteemed sir, I am an independent researcher of the Lhermitte effect, due to uncertain circumstances I have become infected with it as well as numerous others in my area. We have all experienced simultaneous episodes. I will be willing to compensate you for any research data not covered within the news reports

Short, and rather informal. Technically it contained no lies. Ken wasn't a fan of lies, though independent researcher was a phrase designed to create a certain expectation within the reader that wasn't 100% with reality. Either way, Ken walked back out into the living room, glanced at the TV, and saw another lounging on the couch, one he wasn't entirely familiar with. Deciding to take a casual approach, he announced his presence. "Oh Hello, I am Ken, Yamada Ken, can I ask your name?"

As classes restarted after lunch break ended, Kazu sat through the lessons jotting down a few notes, until a bell signaled the end of the class. This time with the man who decided to talk about the Lhermitte effect, leaving rather quickly. Kazu looked down at the list before shrugging, as he put away his books and left the classroom and went back home to pack away a few things he found that he needed. He took his time getting home as no doubt everyone was going to be pouring out of the school. So upon arrival his mother wasn't home yet, so he left her a note explaining things about what was going on, then went upstairs to pack.

He packed some clothes, a few books, and a laptop with its charger. For him that was all he needed, so when he was certain that he was good, he left home with the box in his hands, by now fewer people were leaving the school so he was safe from not being ran over. It took some looking around but he found Rikkyo hall, a little bit out of its way from everything else. So far that seemed to be the only annoying part about it, but he was certain he could remember the way to the building from now on. As he walked up to the steps, he set down his box so he could open the door, then picked the box back up and closed it behind him with his foot. he saw two people already there, one being the guy from his class and one being a girl he didn't recognize. They seemed to be talking so he simply found a room that was empty, and claimed this one as his own.

His room had some dark purple curtains in them, but he was fine with that, so Kazu put his books on a shelf his clothes in a dresser, and his laptop on the only desk in the room. After that he was done with packing so he smiled as he took off his Scarf for a few seconds, only to let the air hit his neck which was sweating from the warmth of the scarf. After a good few seconds he wrapped the scarf around his neck again, taking a book off his shelf and walked outside his room, he saw those two in the living room still. Oh well it didn't matter much to him, so he went out and took a seat on one of the black sofas. Might as well wait here, so everyone can get the whole introductions out of the way. Kazu thought as he glanced at the door before opening his book, to read from it while he waited.

Eventually Tsukiko got tired of wandering around campus aimlessly, collecting information from the random gossip around the school, and decided to pack up and head to her new home. It wasn't far, and she walked slowly on small roads so she could look at the small shops nearby. She spotted a couple of familly owned restaurants along with a book store, an antiques shop and even a small shrine tucked away. When she finally made it to the address she had been given, she pulled out her digital camcorder and set it to take stills, the took a few photographs.

On the inside, she saw three people already there. Smiling at them, she gave a small wave before turning the stairs. A small plaque on the stairwell proclaimed that the second floor was for the men, and the third florr was for the girls. She was satisfied with that, getting more privacy in exchange for more stairs. She climbed all the way up and picked out a room, tossing her overnight bag onto her bed and grabbing the key taped to the inside of the door as she left, locking it before heading back downstairs. "Well," she said to the small group there, sitting against the arms of the largest couch, "How is everybody?"

At the end of the school day, Hoshiko hurriedly gathered her things and began moving out of the school. Note to self: Ditch the dang blazer! Talk about hot... Hoshiko fanner herself, regretting wearing the uniform. Almost the only class to wear them were the first years. One of the girls told her just to keep it around and she'd be okay with the administration. As she didn't really worry about getting first pickings with rooms, Hoshiko took her time with walking home and enjoying the afternoon air. With a smile on her face, she looked around the main drag of town, which she passed through on her way home, to find several shops and even a few quaint family restaurants. It all set a very nice atmosphere for the city, and excited Hoshiko. She'd definitely have to hang out here with her new dorm friends.

Making her way home finally, her father and mother were in the living room. "Welcome home, sweetheart! How was your first day?" Her mother asked. Hoshiko smiled, deciding to omit the part about having a hallucination collaboration (what a fun rhyme) with three other people. "It was great, mom! I got the list of students that'll be living in Rikkyo Hall...aaaaand I found out it's compulsory. Turns out I didn't have a choice to begin with..." She laughed sheepishly as her father took the list, and his eye twitched visibly. "Compulsory? With all of these boys? Oh, I should have a word with the faculty..." He growled, in that way father's do. The blonde girl waved her hands frantically, "No, Dad! Wait! I'm sure they've got girls and boys separate, and either way, I'll lock my door at night, just to be safe! I've already met the students from my class that'll be there, and they're all pretty nice..." It was maybe stretching the truth a bit, as they probably thought she was a nutjob aside from Yamada-san.

The burly man with dark hair and mustache sat back down on the couch, and sighed, "Alright, Hoshiko. Just...be careful, please. We couldn't bear to lose you, too." Her father said sullenly, before Hoshiko walked over to the couch and gave her dad a hug. "Remember what I said this morning? I promise I'll be alright. I'll come by whenever I can." She assured, before moving to hug her mother as well. "I better get moving if I don't want to get stuck with poor pickings!" Hoshiko exclaimed, before running into her room. Her laptop, floral magazines, a few manga, and her savings box (It had about 10k Yen), were loaded into a rolling suitcase, in addition to whatever clothes she could fit. She could always come back and get the rest.

Hoshiko said goodbye to her parents for the night, and made her way back to the school area and Rikkyo Hall. It was so detached, it was a wonder it was still in use. Entering, a few people were already there, namely Ken, Tsukiko, and Kazu, as well as a student with hair and eyes like hers that she had not met yet. Waving at them happily, she hurried up the stairs, taking note of the sign which delegated the third floor to girls. Carrying the somewhat heavy suitcase all the way up and choosing the room second to last, the young woman put her things down and started unpacking. The bright white curtains, which allowed more light in, were a very welcome sight, though she'd have to brighten the rest of the room up. She also took this chance to throw off the blazer, keeping the blue blouse.

After unpacking, Hoshiko moved to the main lobby and smiled, leaning against the wall facing the sofas. "Hey, guys!" She exclaimed, most likely a bit too happy about being forced to live with strangers for a year.

Tsukiyama Academy, Lunchtime

The day went on... Yikito didn't really talk to many people, no one he really knew. This year is going great.
It was then time for lunch. Obviously Yikito must have taken some type of nap at some point. He had a strange, yet very realistic dream about the school's floor turning into a huge mirror.
"This...is the Hour of Reflection..."

That voice sounded... Familiar.

Once this "hour" was over, Yikito "woke up" from his dream.

"Was it really a dream..? Strange.." Yikito wondered.

The day moved on, rather dull and uneventful. It was only until a girl entered his class and asked, "A-are Yikito Ikizaki and Cruz Meister here? I'd like to have a word with them."

Yikito stands up. "Um... Here?" Confused, he walks over to the girl. He knows he hasn't done anything bad, so it's going to be okay, right?

Following lunch the second half of the school day passed by just as dully as the first. Lecture after lecture, students chatting about this and that until finally the bell rang signaling the end of the day. Just as quickly as she did previously Rei stood from her seat and made her exit from the class. She had to make the trek back to the boarding house and gather her things before heading back towards the school and for the dorms. An annoying prospect having to go back and forth on foot but she had little choice otherwise.

When she finally did arrive back at the orphanage she scurried back up to her room, gathering up her clothing and the few belongings she kept during her stay, though most of it was inconsequential. The only relatively expensive thing she owned was her cellphone which she carried with her anyway. Thankfully it seemed the others she roomed with hadn’t came back yet or were elsewhere in the building so they could not make a nuisance of themselves. With her things shoved into a duffel bag Rei once again headed for the exit after leaving a note for the buildings staff. Even if she had no parents to tell she was leaving she still had to inform the boarding houses management even if it had become a yearly occurrence.

Her half hour was spent walking back towards the school and dorms, lamenting the orphanage being so far from the school once again. With that sort of travel time there was no way she'd arrive first meaning she'd be stuck with whatever was left over. Still, a little over a half an hours walk and she arrived at the dorm, swinging the front door open to see several people having already arrived, some even had time to deposit their things in a room. The girl sighed lightly before giving a wave, looking over the dorms entrance room. ”I guess you guys are the underclassmen I'm stuck with.” She began, stepping over to the stairs and taking a quick glance upstairs from the bottom floor.

”Lets all try and get along now boys and girls, I don't wanna have to start knocking anyone around!” She gave a grin and flexed an arm in jest, it was pretty obvious with her small stature that it would hardly be intimidating to anyone more confident than a baby bunny. Even if she figured she could really take a few of them it would never seem like it to most. Afterwards she moved over to a chair and sat down, dropping her bag beside her, eager to let her legs rest from the long walk. ”Nozomi, Rei. Third year, class 3-3, by the way.” She said casually, tilting the brim of her hat back a bit to look around the room again.

Tsukiyama Academy, Afternoon

He looked at his new dormmate, Touko, and stood there without understanding what did happen there. Cruz had simply entered the school, and he saw how crazy it was. Umm... so in the end, I did nothing. She just wanted to talk with me about the dorm. But... what would I possibly do? Is she thinking that I... no, I would never do that., he though. Cruz entered back in the classroom, still lost from this curious event. That made him want to know how the other dormmates were, so he could prepare himself... or at the very least, know who he should avoid at all costs and who he could speak every once in a while. He picked up a seat next to the door, and as he was putiing his bag down, the girl from earlier gave his list back. He thanked her, and then, he sat on his chair.

Cruz had lost the class in the morning, so he waited to see what it was in the afternoon. When it started, he lost the hope he had that it was going to be interesting. There were so many chats between the students that he had a hard time paying attention. He did his maximum to pay attention, but he knew that a further study on his books was going to be necessary. The teacher tried to continue with his lecture, but he stopped and changed the subject. Soon, the students were all loking at their cellphones. The bell rang and soon, all the students had left the class.

Road to Rikkyo Hall Dorm, After School

Cruz walked down into the road. He looked at the sunset, and felt the last warmth from the sun in the day. Cruz aways preferred the night, it was more peaceful and quiet than the day for him. He could stay alone, on his room, with the door, the window and the curtains closed. That now wouldn't happen, since it was probable that he would share the room with someone. Well, if I have my personal space, that's more than fine for me. It doesn't matter where it is, it'll be where I'll close myself once again., he thought, sighing.

Rikkyo Hall Dorm, After School

He slightly opened the door, probably thinking he was once again late.Pepping a little, he saw that many people were there already. After that, he entered and closed the door slowly, trying to not make too much noise. They must be the others... and there's that girl from earlier too. Please, someone tell me that we all have our own rooms, I don't want to share., he said.

Touko slightly jumped on her own seat at the sound of a foreign voice. She let out a squeal as well, when she jumped. "Kya!" She took one of the pillows that was near her and in a reflect, threw it at the soruce of the voice, with her eyes closed. As she opens her eyes, she notices a guy, who just introduced himself, though Touko didn't quite catch what he said, because, well, he startled her. She did hear that he said something like Yamada, so she would go with that. "Oh, uhm, sorry, Yamada-kun. I didn't notice you until, well..." Touko lowers her head, as if to apologize. Even so, she felt like killing the guy. Her heart was racing right now because of what he just did. "A-anyway, I am Touko Suzuhara. Nice to meet ya!" She said, changing her tone into a cheerful one. This guy looked like a sharp one, though not anything else stood up about him.

"I take it that you've already taken your room? Well, that goes without question. You wouldn't have gottent here so fast if it wasn't because you wanted to pick your room as fast as possible. Ummm, I think you are my senpai...?" She seems somewhat hesitant. She remembers that she saw some Yamada on her dorm list, and that the only first years with her were Yikito and Cruz, so she knew for a fact now that this guy was her senpai. "Then, Yamada-senpai. Hope we get along.

As she made some small talk with Ken, more and more people started to gather around. Though none of them said their names, just a third year who seemed somewhat unfriendly. Now that so many people were around, Touko stood up from her seat and bowed quickly. "I am Touko Suzuhara, class 1-2. I hope we all get along, senpais!" After that, she quickly approaches the girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Hers, most likely, was natural, unlike Touko's. As a curious kid, Touko inspects the girl's hair, stopping just at centimeters from touching it. "Wow, your hair is so pretty senpai! It must be way better to have it natural rather than going through all the trouble of dying it." Before intruding upon the girl's personal space even more, Touko stops for a bit. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Anyways, which room are you in? I am in the last one down the hall. If we are close by, we may get together at night to talk for a bit!" Touko seemed lively, well, she was lively, but she was sure that at some point, everything will come crashing down, so she'd better enjoy things while they are still ongoing.

Though, as everyone is in the middle of introductions, something feels off. As if at any time, things could go wrong in this peaceful dorm, filled with young people and without a teacher to look over them. At least, so Touko thinks.

---

In another part, near the school, Mikihito Kaminari, searches for one of the students that was assigned to his dorm. Not anyone in particular, really, just someone that, at that time, wasn't on his way to the dorm. It'd be more effective to search for someone who may have gotten lost or plainly didn't have any intention of going to the dorm than waiting for the kids to gather and then see who wasn't there. He got some profiles on the students, so spotting them shouldn't be hard.

And as he walks, searching for someone who may or may not be there, he notices one of the students appointed to the dorm. Ryu Kouzuki, if he was right. He approaches him from behind and then taps on his shoulder. "Excuse me, are you Kouzuki-kun? I am Mikihito Kaminari, the teacher appointed to watch over the dorm you were assigned to." He says in an extremely deep and manly voice, though he wasn't acting it, that IS his voice. TO be honest, some of his students find it very scary.

As soon as Ryu turned around, he'd be greeted by a person who looked most intimidating.



Mikihito was dressed in a black suit with a tie and everything. Even so, his impressive build couldn't be hidden. He looked like an extremely muscular man, even over his clothes. His height was just as surprising, standing at 1.99 m, almost reaching the 2 m. Some wonder how the hell did he end up as a maths teacher. "If you follow me, I'll guide you to Rikkyo Hall, the dorm you'll be staying in." He says and turns around, walking towards the dorm. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask them now. Oh, and your stay in them is compulsory." He says as he walks, hoping the guy would walk after him.

---

Yet again, when people are doing whatever, the Hour of Reflection kicks in, and everyone in the dorm, including Ryu who was outside for the time being, notice it, but Kaminari seems totally oblivous to it. It is the same as before, the floor turns into a gigantic mirror. At first, the Shadows, crawling all over the place instead of humans, don't notice them, but as soon as they do, they go wild and let out a screech. Seeping through the mirror that the floor has become, they materialize in front of everyone. They look menacing, even if they are only black blobs with masks, they have hands that look more like claws, and seem to be out for blood. Touko can't believe it. It happened yet again, just as in school. But this time, it doesn't go away after she blinks. This time, for protection, she clings onto Ken, who was the nearest man to her. "W-what is happening?!"

Igor's voice echoes yet again through their skulls. His calm voice doesn't seem to be aware of the situation. "And this, are Shadows. They are extremely dangerous beings which live inside people's minds... Your only opportunity against them is using a Persona, now, I wonder, who'll be the first one to awaken it?" He lets out a chuckle. The Shadows, no, everything, seems to have stopped just because Igor is talking. "After all, to summon it, you need to feel a really strong emotion. I hope you have something at your disposal that will help you in this, let's say, endeavor."

Igor finishes and everything goes back to normal. Touko is still to scared to think logically. "A strong emotion? Like what?! The only thing I feel now, is fear!" She lashes out at no one in particular. She takes in her hand her brother's pendant. It is burning hot, for some reason. "Onii-chan?" With no time to think now, one of the Shadows seeping out, jumps against the group and she lets go of it, while letting out a scream.

Tsukiko didn't scream or show fear when the Hour of Reflection started again. Instead she put herself between the Shadows and the rest of her dorm mates. She cast her eyes about for a weapon, but before she could find one she felt something hot in her breast pocket. Reaching for it, she drew out her father's pen, staring at it. When she did, tears welled in her eyes and she held it close to her chest, with a whispered. "Help me, dad."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt something roar through her body, and heard a crackling behind her. Looking up, she saw an imposing man standing there in full plate armor, holding a massive bow. "Persona?" She asked, remembering Igor's words. Instead of answering, the figure drew back it's bow and loosed a lightning bolt instead of an arrow, spearing the nearest shadow. Tsukiko shook herself out of her daze and finally found something she could use as a weapon, grabbing a nearby floor lamp and gathering the cord in her hand, holding it upside down so she could swing the base at whatever attacked.

Afternonclasses were over, yet RYu wasn't quite finished with school yet. No instead of leaving the school like most did, he went to the library to do some research. "Lhermitte, Lhermitte, Lhermitte....Aha, there you are." His long, thin fingers tracing along book after book until he found what he wanted. He carefully examined the index and began leafing through the pages. "Here we are, Jean Lhermitte, a french neurologist of the early 20th century. Let's see, born January 20, 1877, studied medicine at Saint-Etienne in Paris. Specializing in neurology, later he also studied psychology. In World War one after extensive study of spinal injuries he became fascinated with neuropsychiatry. This led to various publications about his theories on visual hallucinations of the self. Hallucinations of the self? What could that possibly mean?" It was then, lost in his own mind that Ryu didn't notice the hulking figure approach behind him, nor did he notice the initial tap until a second and third soon followed.

Ryu closed the book and turned to the very large man who stood about half a foot taller then him. The man identified himself as a teacher, although it was unnecessary as Ryu was very familiar with his own math teacher being the best student in his year, maybe the whole school. "Ah, Kaminari-Sensei, to what do I owe the pleasure?" His dull-flat tone was perfectly polite and the young man's etiquette was flawless. And while his face betrayed nothing of the inner workings his mind was running at a million miles an hour calculating and guessing at what the math teacher could want from him. "Dorm? I'm afraid I have absolutely no interest in staying in a dorm. My current accommodations are perfectly satisfactory." Unfortunately the teacher didn't seem to listen as he turned and starting walking, calling back to him that the dorm arrangements were compulsory.

AS they were walking Ryu couldn't help but ask. "And what are the consequences if I don't comply to this compulsion set forth by the school?" If they were minor enough he would likely take his chances, but if expulsion or detention were on the table he'd have to bite the bullet. They were almost to the dorm now, in fact they were climbing the steps to the door when it happened. The ground suddenly became a giant mirror with it's hulking black blobs n the other side. Kaminari is totally oblivious to the phenomena that is happening directly underneath his feet. A piercing wail permeates the air causing Ryu to clap his hands over his ears, the dark blobs then start climbing out of the mirror, poised to strike and likely kill.

From there everything froze as the voice from earlier sounded. Explaining a way for him to save himself, yet Ryu couldn't decipher what he meant. "Persona? Awaken? Strong emotion......" Everything unfroze as the first blob lunged at him, yet Ryu deftly jumped aside. The next was a bit slower and easier to dodge, yet still terrifying all the same. OUt of the corner of his eye Ryu could see a few start to move toward Kaminari. The young man stepped forth, his mouth dry as he reached for the chain on his neck, grasping the cool gold band that hung upon it. "Per....So....Na" He heard his mouth say as he felt something break within him, blue flames sprung forth from his clutched hand, forming into a regal knight in shining armor. "Kratos" His mouth said purely on instinct, yet he knew it fit.

From there Kratos charged at the monster nearest Kaminari, cleaving it in twain with it's sword. It turned pointing at another and instantly setting it ablaze, it pointed to another for the same effect. One blob lunged at Ryu only for Kratos to intervene, cutting it down with ruthless prowess. "Now, Kratos. Finish them." Ryu solemnly commanded his Persona who sprung forth slaying two more before setting the rest ablaze. With it's task done Kratos took a spot beside it's master who was cautiously looking over the battlefield for reinforcements.

Ken reflexively caught the pillow that flew at him rather suddenly. Wow, it's not like I just waltzed in on her in the shower or something

Ken remained silent and just looked at her, clearly flustered, as she stumbled over her own thoughts trying to get out some sort of formal greeting. Not that he was one for formalities.

"Then, Yamada-senpai. Hope we get along."

"Ah, yeah, me too." Ken tried to smile, but it probably looked a little forced. She was a rather, lively person. More people sauntered into the dorm hall now. He recognized those from his own class and a handful he didn't recognize, likely the other years listed on the roster. Ken remained silent as everybody exchanged greetings and gave his own last.

Just as he finished giving his name, the world changed again. Ken wasn't exactly prepared for it, but he didn't waste time panicking now. "It's the Lhermitte effect again." He thought out loud as Touko-Kouhai* clung to him, seemingly for protection. what's the deal, it's just a hallucination he thought, but then the voice came again.

"And this, are Shadows. They are extremely dangerous beings which live inside people's minds... Your only opportunity against them is using a Persona, now, I wonder, who'll be the first one to awaken it? After all, to summon it, you need to feel a really strong emotion. I hope you have something at your disposal that will help you in this, let's say, endeavor."

As Igor finished speaking, a shadow crept up near Ken, and slashed his leg.

Pain

Blood

It was very real. Ken couldn't believe his eyes, something was distinctly wrong here. Igor's words repeated in his mind, seemingly unwillingly.

"Summon a Persona? but, how, I'm not much of an emotional person" He whispered, half wondering if Touko was crying next to him. As he wondered what to do, the Shadow next to him reared up for another attack, but Ken found himself paralyzed by fear. Before it could though, a bright light emanated from his watch, shoving back the Shadow. "Emotion... Emotion..." Ken racked his brain, digging up half repressed memories of the only times he was ever happy. He shoved Touko off of him, not roughly, but not gently either. And pulled up his watch to look at it. On a whim, he pressed the backlight button.

Behind him, a massive card appeared, face down, then rotated to face forward. On it was a vicious monster, looking down at two suffering people. "Persona!"

The card shattered, and where it was, appeared a single Dragon. It roared triumphantly. And crushed the Shadow that was harassing Ken before.

Now this, is cool He thought as he saw another girl pull out a pen and summon what he assumed was her Persona.