Bride smiled as Saito took of his jacket just to help him cover up that was really sweet of him to do it was fine he had his arms to cover up but Saito still helped him. “T-thank you…” He blushed as with Saito followed him towards the dorms to change. He really held the jacket tightly and waved everyone goodbye, today been a bit of a day that for sure but all the things that happened would make him a better person, he would have friends that wont hate him for who he is and how he is. He smiled all the way back to the dorms where he sat n his bed well he returned the jacket back to Saito but he was smiling happily. He was happy he was able to do something great today and he wanted to continue supporting everyone as much as he can.

-----


Bride couldn’t see Ms. Sasaki though, he after changing fell asleep right there, he was that tired and he couldn’t just go anymore so a night rest was needed for him clearly. After waking up, Bride felt ten times better. He stood up and got ready for a new day, wearing still the girl uniform, putting his hair into braids and putting on some flower scented perfume he felt the dorms with some lingering looks on him. Sometimes people forget he is a guy and such things like guys or girls would be looking at him.

He wasn’t sure what he would want to do for today after classes but maybe a job would help him get money to pay back Mr. Bunny would help. He only worked ever in his mom’s flower shop though hopefully he would have other skills in other stuff. Bride walked around the campus for some time thinking about a lot of stuff mostly his classmates and just….for now on he got to do his best for them. He got to be strong and ready for anything!

Then suddenly he didn’t tie his shoelace properly stepped on one of them and tripped on the floor grazing his cheek on the ground. It hurt a lot only because he really had a frail like body and any hard damage was crucial to him at all. Being a sick kid had those side affects that for sure. “Oww….” He muttered out as he sat on the ground touching his cheek, boy it would be easy just to heal himself up since he can heal but they were at school and him using his powers like that would cause dire trouble well that would any fantasy book would say. Bride just sat there, it was a good time just to think probably. Just a few minutes of thinking would help him think what to do after class.

-----
(Not sure XD sorry)
4000 yen

Walking through the hallway of the central building, Kazuo stopped by a bulletin board to see if there was any after school activity he may be interested in. Kazuo's eyes soon fixate themselves on a flyer concerning Music Club. That might be a fun experience. Kazuo decided to head to the Music Room to join the club. Arriving at his destination, he opened the door and is greeted by an entire orchestra of students - each having an instrument in hand. No one was actually playing any music but, rather, was engaging in conversation. Apparently, today was just a meet-and-greet day for the Music Club. Inside, Kazuo was quickly approached by a couple of students who asked him if he was here to join the club to which Kazuo nodded in response. Before he knew it, Kazuo was assigned a seat and an instrument - a piano. Kazuo has a bit of experience with a keyboard but an actual piano? He hopes he's up for the challenge. Three hours soon passed by as he spent time meeting the other members of Music Club. Kazuo walked out into the hallway and wondered about what he should do next.

> Gain 2 Points. Add 2 Points to the Magician Arcana Compatibility Rank. 2 more points until next Rank.

---

Kazuo
4 Hours Left
¥4,000
Feeling Normal

Saito couldn't help but look embarrassed when Bride smiles up at him, it's the least any of them could do. "It's no problem at all, Bride." Saito replied nonchalantly at bride as they walked together to the dorms. Saito nodded to his classmates as his silent way of saying goodbye and did a lazy wave of his hand once the pair started to walk back to the dorms. When the odd pair walked Saito couldn't help but see the feminine student smile, he was timid when they first met, I guess that place can be of use to them if to feel different about themselves, he knows he does. He feels like he can do more with his life besides schooling and being locked up in his own room for hours, willingly or not. Once the two got to Bride's dorm room Bride thanked him and give back his coat. Saito nodded ands lied causally, "it's nothing, be careful." Saito said with an oddly concerned tone, normally he wouldn't tell others that, but this whole has been making him different. Maybe he just wanted to be better then what his parents wanted for him.

---

Saito couldn't meet up with the gang when they met up with Ms. Sasaki, he was far too busy catching up on some letters from a long lost parent he has been ignoring for too long. It was hard to read them, it reminded him of his time with the woman, but she never asked for forgiveness. She even told him about his father more, Saito only memory of the man was when the Yakuza killed him and send his still bloody arm in a box for his mother to find. They never did find his body, his mother said he looked like him even as a kid, and she was thankful that he had neither of their weakness of easy money, Saito couldn't help but pity them. But he decided that he shouldn't be like them or to to excuse what they did simply because he feels pity for them.

But he sighed as got up from his desk that he had fallen asleep on with letters scattered all over the desk and even some on the floor. He quickly gathered the cards and placed them neatly on the desk in a pile. Saito had a plan since he gotten that email from the professor saying they have no class so Saito has decided to go this school 'shop' where a rich student buys and sells weapons and armour, he has to be more useful then he was last times.

Saito walked out of his dorm room with his outfit he wore yesterday and a bag and carrying his slightly bent pipe over his back, luckily for him he was in the same dorm building as this 'merchant' and also most of the students were at classes so not many people to look at him and his strange shopping spree.

He arrived to Shinjo Gear, the two exchange banter quickly and Saito bought a weapon and sold his old one to the store.

Sell List:
Old Pipe for ¥500

Bought:
Spiked Bat for ¥2,300

Current ¥
¥2,200

---

Saito as silently and sneakily as he can hid his new spiked bat from view of the few others around, luckily all ignored him on his walk back to his dorm, where he quickly hid his bat near his bed for later use. Saito sighed, that was good that he will be better equipped for next time if he has time to get his weapon anyways. But he still has all day to do something, what should he do?



Saito though a mixed up when he went to Cafe Fortuna, has somehow gotten a part time job as a Barista but he decided that since he has a more reckless life style now he has to pay off his weapons and armour and soon enough medicine and hospital bills, so this job can be a good start.

At one point Saito seen Jonathan but Saito was far to busy when he was there to serve him himself, also why are each of the sizes in a different language?? How does anybody remember which sizes is the size they want?

Luckily he figured out by the end of his shifts, and he was only yelled at once for purposely misspelling names all day, it was funny making puns and jokes with peoples names, but he should slow down if he wishes to keep working there.

> got paired ¥850 and lost 6 Hours

Once his shift was over for the day he relaxed inside the mall for a bit, and he decided to look around the mall for something to do or buy.

---

Saito:
1 Hour left
¥3050
Feeling normal.
Received a Spiked Bat from Shinjo Gear

Dormitory B

RING! BEEP!

Dai groaned and burrowed his face digging deeper into the pillow. His alarm clock had just blared to life; its noisy disturbance was enough to make it vibrate against his desk. His flip phone only added to the growing ruckus with its insistent ringing. While his phone was as dead as a corpse all night long – probably due to that strange world – it only resulted in having all that backlog of messages from his fellow acquaintances to come flooding in this morning. At least he hoped that the message was from yesterday. If any of them came from this morning, there’s going to be a long, long chat on their schedules.

RING! BEEP! BEEP!

BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!BEEP!RING—

“AAAAAAH, SHUT UP.” Dai threw his covers to the side, slamming his hand against the button of the alarm clock, before he grabbed the phone and tried to suffocate it with his pillow. He shot his device with a half-hearted glare. “I’M UP ALREADYYYY.”

As the blurs around his vision became clear and the noise quieted down, the young man slowly took notice of a bow and arrow that had been tossed aside callously to a corner. A brown bag that did not belong to him was next to the weaponry. He took a deep breath at the sight, unsure as how to go about this whole situation. Personae, shadows, an upcoming calamity; this is hardcore surreal stuff, things that can only be made from dreams and nightmares.

Dai ran his tongue against dry lips. Hesitantly, he spoke, summoning a bit of his will. “P-Persona…?” He raised his eyes and bit his lips. Suddenly, a mask materialized over his face and, out of the corner of his eyes, Stuart Little sat on top of his desk, twisting its little blue scarf between it paws. The creature looked up, smiled, and waved.

“…Hi.” The tension in Dai’s shoulders lessened as he waved back to his Persona.

Within a few moments, his mask faded away along with the mouse. Dai rubbed the palms of his fist against his weary eyes and flopped back into his bed. As expected, it wasn’t a dream. Saito is probably missing his bag right about now.


Track & Field Club

Other than the fact that geography class was cancelled, the school day has been uneventful. The track and field team was out on the field. Like any start to a new school year, the club was a mere meet-and-greet today along with a few try-outs for those who want to enter school competitions. In all honesty, athletics were not his thing with the slight exception to archery. The drama club and the music club was more in tune with his preferred niche; unfortunately, the drama club won’t meet until tomorrow and he didn’t have much interest investing in the mastery of musical instruments. With nothing else to do, Dai decided to branch out a bit, opting to give track a shot, when one of the students thrust a flier into his hands in hopes of recruiting new members for track and field. Well, how could he say no? Who knows when that skill could be useful – especially if it comes to running from a calamity?

After a few stretches, Dai stood at the starting line, tapping the tip of his right shoe-spike against the tartan track. As the other runners started to get into position, he copied their form and crouched. Soon, the man in black and white stripes raised his toy gun.

BAM!

> Gained 2 points. Add 2 points to the Lover Arcana Compatibility Rank. Two more points until next Rank.

Central Building Hallway

As Dai wandered the school grounds, stretching his arms above his head, he felt oddly refreshed from taking a shower after a good exercise. Three hours had passed since his time at track and field. There was more than plenty of time to kill - time that he needed to spend on sending those texts back to his acquaintances. A few people messaged him about Sasaki’s hospitalization and Dai quickly texted them the story that Kazuo had used; fortunately, it wasn’t the type of news that got people gossiping. With Kazuo’s excuse, people assumed it was nothing more than an accident and went on to better rumors.

With his flip phone in hand, Dai pressed a wide variety of buttons, catching up with the usual gossips, as he walked through the halls. He managed to avoid collision well enough without once looking up from his screen. It wasn’t until he finally looked up when he paused mid-step. He blinked several times and quickly backtracked a few feet. He opened his mouth to speak, but soon closed it. After a few moments of silence, Dai flipped his phone shut.

“Hello, rosebud, need a hand?” Dai asked with a small smile as he crouched next to Bride who was merely sitting on the ground, gently touching his cheek. He winced lightly as he spotted the wound somewhat covered by the boy's fingers. "Ouch, what happened there?" He frowned a little at the sight before he reached into Saito’s bag that he had been lugging around all day and pulled out the last bottle of iced coffee. The drink was still cold, dripping with condensation. He wasn't sure it could heal anything in this world, but it could be used for something else.

“Here, press this against your cheek.” Dai held out the cold drink to Bride. “You know, someone as lovely as you shouldn’t be sitting on the ground. Wanna go to the nurse’s office? Or how about you and me go someplace quiet to get you fixed up?” He grinned and winked playfully at the last part. He then waited patiently for his classmate to answer.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Dai:
4 hours left
¥4000

Walking around campus, Kazuo soon arrived at Dormitory Building C. He'd heard rumors going around about a rich student who sells weapons and armors on campus. Dan Shinjo was the name Kazuo heard about. Walking to the side of the building, Kazuo noticed a male student walking towards him with what looks to be a bulge underneath his blazer. "Oh man, this sword is so freakin' cool," the male student uttered as he passed Kazuo. Curiosity got the better of him and Kazuo decided to walk to the back of the building where the male student had come from. Behind the dormitory building, Kazuo is greeted with an interesting sight.

"No, you dumbasses! I said move the dumpster to my left!" A male student with with jet black hair and wearing the standard uniform with a bow tie shouted to two other male students - one has dyed blonde hair and the other has a shaved head.

"W-Which way is that again?" the student with the shaved head asked with genuine confusion.

"His left would be our right, dumbass!" the student with dyed blonde hair responded to the inquiry.

"Stop yapping and move the damn thing before I shove my foot up your asses!"

"Yes, Sir!" the two lackeys said in unison.

Their "boss" then turned around and noticed Kazuo just standing there watching the entire situation. "Huh? What do you want?" he said with an irritated tone. Kazuo asked if he is Dan Shinjo. "Oh, so that's it... Yeah, I'm Dan Shinjo. Dan neatly adjusted his bow tie and composed himself. This Dan Shinjo looks like he's wearing Goth makeup beneath his eyes, or are those bags? He's also pretty short for a third-year male student. He's about Bride's height; maybe a few inches taller. "So, you're here to peruse my wears? You don't look like that type of person but, whatever, it's not like I'm going to deny a business transaction. Isao, Ryo, move the dumpster back! Dan ordered.

"B-B-But we just finished moving it!" the two lackeys complained in unison.

"Do you want me to lose a sale?! Move it!" Dan shouted. The two of them took the time to move the dumpster back revealing a door with a padlock. "Come on in." Dan gestured for Kazuo to follow. Kazuo then explained that he would be buying things here in the future but he wasn't interested in buying anything at the moment. "Shame, but it's not like I'm suffering for business. Move it back." Isao and Ryo nearly collapsed hearing that order. Kazuo then left and headed for the central building again. After some time of wandering the halls, Kazuo came across Dai and Bride. He went up to greet them and noticed a bit of coloration on Bride's cheek. He asked the two of them what happened.

April 11th/Tuesday/Sunny
The Mall

She yawned, still feeling a bit sleepy even though she slept like a log as soon as she collapsed into her bed last night. Considering she had no real plan for anything today, Natsuki was meandering around in the mall window shopping.

As she walked through the throngs of people going about their own business, yesterday's events seemed very much like a dream.

Stopping by at a clothing store, the Tee-Party, she started going through their wares, noting each one she might want to purchase in the future.

"Hi hi~ Anything in particular you're looking for?" It was a young woman, an employee judging from her clothing. "Can I...help... Wow you're tall!" she blurted out, her surprise making Natsuki blush slightly. It was true that she towered over most girls in her class, and some of the boys as well, though no one really burst out in surprise like that.

"..and slender." The woman started staring at Natsuki for what seemed like an uncomfortably long time. "Say, wanna do some part time modeling? You can call me Hikari. Great, now that that's over with, lets get started with the modeling!"

"Ah, w-wait! I didn't agree to anything!"

"Is that so?"Hikari looked genuinely surprised. "I give a pretty good rate you know? ￥860 per day for you, only for modeling and perhaps helping out with the store time to time."

Natsuki froze for a moment, thinking of what she would do with that amount of money. One month of saving those should yield her quite a lot, plus, she wasn't exactly rolling around in money right now. A bit of extra income could be helpful. But on the other hand, she had no idea how to model, and she was deadly afraid of making some embarrassing decisions.

"See?" Hikari said, starting to herd Natsuki towards the back again. "Come on now, day's wasting."
Her weak protests soon overruled by Hikari's firm decision, Natsuki decided to try it. Just one day, and she'd quit if she couldn't handle it.

As Bride touched his slightly injured cheek one of his classmates came by, it was Dai. He blushed when he called him rose bud and decided to help him by giving him the cold coffee drink he didn’t like but putting it on his injured cheek help a lot. “T-thank you….” Bride stuttered out with a blush as he stood up and bowed his head to him. Dai was really nice helping him out there even if it was his fault for slipping on his own show lace.

“O-oh..I trip t-that’s all…my fault and such…fort-got to tie my shoe lace right” He explained as he stood up holding the cold drink on his cheek. Once more he blushed as Dai winked at him telling that maybe he and him should go somewhere quiet…was this well…was he? Bride wasn’t sure at first…but he got to admit he would like that. “Oh…u-uh..su-sure…” He answered then Kazuo came in and asked what happened as well. “Oh..m-my fault, slip and f-fall…its stupid….” Bride told him as he turned back to Dai, maybe it be best to let him go to the nurse office first but…he been hurt before this wasn’t nothing well…with his state and small injury could mean a lot that for sure.

“No prob.” Dai watched as Bride took the drink; the feminine boy stood and explained that the shoe laces were the perpetrators to this whole incident. As his classmate answered yes to his latter suggestion, Kazuo walked onto the scene and inquired what happened.

“Hey, Kazuo.” Dai greeted the transfer student with a grin. As the stuttering boy repeated his story to Kazuo, Dai eyed Bride’s shoes. “No biggie. We’re all a little clumsy once in a while.” He shrugged nonchalantly before he tied Bride’s laces without a care. Dai was still squat to the ground so might as well. It was tempting to tie the laces into giant decorative bows found only on Christmas presents, but it won’t do to freak out any potential friendships so soon. He'll do that later. Instead, he opted for a normal one – small and neat.

“Allllll done!” Dai hopped to his feet and dusted off his hands, looking proud of his work. His moment of pride was broken when his back pockets vibrated. Having done this many times before, he flipped opened the phone in one fluid and smooth motion, fingers ready to go into action. However, he was silent; his gaze flickered between the vibrating phone to his fellow classmates. Bride and Kazuo - two people he didn't know except through the occasional gossip. Would he really pass up this chance of getting to know them just to get more gossip?

Of course, not! Besides, Bride appeared to be nervous and hurt. The poor guy should lighten up more especially around classmates. Plus, Kazuo is a pretty mysterious guy. This was a good chance to know them both.

Dai shoved the device back into his pockets, and stared at Bride and Kazuo with a thoughtful look. “Kazuo, you just transferred here, right? Minto, we should show the new guy around the Wonder Mall after we pick up a proper ice pack. I’ll treat you guys to something nice.” He offered to sweeten the deal.

Kazuo agreed with Dai's statement that everyone could be clumsy every once in a while and that it wasn't a big deal. He also added that Bride just needs to pick himself back up and march on; it's no use getting flustered by it. Dai then helped Bride out by tying his shoes. The tied laces looked quite tidy and it appropriately reminded Kazuo of how his mother would tie his shoelaces when he was a mere child. That aside, Dai then suggested he and Bride show Kazuo around the Wonder Mall once they go get an ice pack for Bride. Kazuo nodded his head and said he'd love to go with them. The three of them walked together to the nurse's office. The office itself seemed quite big and it was only one of five scattered throughout the campus. The air in the room smelled sterile and a bit lemony; plus everything is so clean and white. The perks of being a prestigious academy...

Gruffydd was mildly frustrated to discover that while he did share a dorm with some of the others—that being Dorm C—he was on a completely different floor. Intellectually, he knew that it was actually great to be in the same building, but Igor's talk of calamities had sent his legend-stuffed brain into overdrive, and couldn't stop thinking of all sorts of reasons why it would be better if they were on the same floor. But to his room he went. He changed out of his uniform, and into something less formal, and more comfortable. He joined a few of his fellow students at the gate and went to see Ms. Sasaki.

He had been surprised to find that the Professor there. Perhaps, he thought, [color=forestgreen[i]there is more to him than I had thught. Even if he's still passed out.[/i][/color]

---

He rose with the dawn and greeted it with his prayer to Belyn, as was his custom. He took the extra time he had before school to see if he could find any information on these "Personae" online. He could probably just go an ask Igor, and planned to do so, but there was probably different information to be found online than the old entity—and whatever Igor was, Gruffydd was fairly sure he was not human—would have to say.

This, of course, led him to Carl Jung. He recognized the name, but he didn't know where from. Jungian psychology was far, far too complex to take in all at once, what with its talk of the "Colective Unconscious" and "Archetypes," and Gruffydd only just giving it a cursory scan, but the presence of Personae and Shadows convinced him to look into it deeper.

He'd have to do it later, though. He had classes, and he was used to having far more time to get ready in the morning than he'd left himself with.

---

Gruffydd was not surprised by the cancellation of Geography that day. Ms. Sasaki was prbably still in the hospital, and if the Professor...

Ah yes, the Professor. That would be the first time I've heard of a hangover lasting for over twelve hours. Either something else was going on, or he has a serious dinking problem.

These were Gruffydd's thoughts as he entered the Drama room. Looking at him, one might think him ideal for a spot's team, and while he's certainly had fun playing sports in the past, that was playing for the shee enjoyment of it. While he knew there were exceptions, teams played to win, to the exclusion of everything else, and that killed it for him.

There were certainly other places he could go, but why bother? The way you "win" in the Theater is to put on a good show, and you don't manage that without genuinely caring about the material. But there wasn't Drama club today. So why was he there? He had, for reasons that he couldn't exactly have predicted, missed the first meeting. He wasn't part of the club hierarchy, but he had been a member for a-year-and-a-half, and was rather invested in it. So, he wanted to see if he could find someone from the club, and in doing so discover how things had gone.

They had gone well. One of the first-years even had half an idea of what they were doing.

This good news warming his heart, Gruffydd set out for his real destination for the afternoon: the library. There wasn't too much to study this early in the year, but he had something else on his mind: a man by the name of Carl Jung.

---

The Red Book, huh? Something to look for, then.

Gruffydd was walking down one of the school's man halls, when as he passed of their five nurse's offices, he saw some familiar people out of the corner of his eye: Dai, Kazuo, and Bride.

"Hey guys, what are you doing in the nurse's office? Is everything all right?"

Bride smiled at the two of them, they were really brightening his day…it felt weird having actual friends…well should he call them his friends yet? It might be pushing things to forward if so but Dai just tied his shoelace for him, oh boy…that just made him blush brighter than ever. He really just did that, like he could have just well…tied it on his own but Dai took his time to tie it for him. That was really nice of him to do and he felt like he had to do something back as well for him doing that. “T-thank you…a-a lot…” Bride thank him with a bright pink blush on his cheeks, it just that was really a nice thing for him to do.

Then Dai offered that they should show kazoo around, which be a great idea as well! He can treat them to something as well, as payment for what they done…at that scary distorted town they were at a lot has happened and well he wanted to…pay all of them back for the trouble he made as well. “su-sure! I…a-also want to treat you guys something as w-well…” He said as they went the nurse office, which he would always go to before when he was really sick. He was healthy now but sickness would come and go time to time.

------


As they were at the clinic the nurse gave him an ice packet and some medicine he needed to take for well his weak heart, he still had it clearly. That weak frail heart of his, he was born with it he had to deal with it that for sure. After taking some pills and putting the ice packet on his cheek Bride thank Dai a lot, he really helped him on there even if it was just a slight wound and that was all. Then suddenly Gruffy came by; he waved at him then explained what happened and his small slip up. “Oh I s-slip and my cheek…t-that is all. we a-are going to the m-mall actually to s-show Kazuo around...” He stuttered out, explaining it to him. Then he realized that maybe he should explain why he was stuttering a lot. It was his sickness anyway, a side effect of it.

“Oh s-sorry..I just…s-stutter too much, s-side effect of…be-being so sick before…” he told the guys while pressing the ice packet on his cheek. It be better to explain so they wont think he was always nervous well…he was nervous but it somewhat having the crush feeling way of nervous.

Nurse Office

"Dude, you can't experience the full academy life without seeing the nurse. People kept telling me she's hot." Dai nudged Kazuo from the side, grinning playfully as he peer through the doorway to see Bride get the proper treatment from said nurse.

As much as it stroke his already inflated ego, Dai couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the number of thanks that Bride handed out from a simple act. Most people would stare at him strangely if he were to randomly tie their shoes. It was... a bit our of the norm - not that it was a bad thing, of course. Heck, it told him that Bride must be an incredibly kind person if he's that grateful for something as simple as a shoe tie.

"Rosebud, please, you're flattering me too much. For my own sanity, just keep watching my-- everybody's back as thanks, 'kay? It's that kind of thing where we scratch your back, and you scratch ours, right, Gruffy?" Dai suddenly addressed Gruffydd and offered him a grin as a proper greeting. He looked back to Bride, frowned, and nodded. "Is that so? Sorry, I just assumed you were a nervous guy. Honestly, I've never heard of a condition like that."

School was over quickly enough with Shinku worrying about the previous day. She knew her grades would suffer slightly from it and would have to ask a classmate to lend their notes for a bit. That was the problem with having a great memorization of vocalized words but a shoddy knowledge of how to actually study. Still, it didn't matter too much at this point as the sick teacher was more of what they needed to keep an eye out for. After classes, she found herself outside the sketchy door in the middle of school to the "Velvet Room". As tempted as she was to go in and investigate. . . Well, she didn't see a point. They were cryptic as it was, and Shinku doubted they would give her a straight answer anyhow.

Instead, she decided that rather than gain answers she should train her body. Whatever those things were on the other side, she was sure that it wasn't the last time she'd see them. Perhaps today would be a good day for a patrol. As it was, she found clubs pointless anyhow. On her way out, she passed near the nurse's office and saw Kazuo, Dai, and that "Mint" person (an odd name she thought). She smiled and waved to them as she passed on her way out to a rumored spot of deliquints. . .

When she got to the spot, she found it actually was all that far away from the mall. On top of that, they weren't really hardcore delinquints. . . Just wannabees. "Oi, idiots." Shinku started saying aloud to the five guys just sitting around. Of course, she caught all of their attention. "You all the ones I heard about causing trouble?"

One of them decided to stand up and walk toward her while the others were just laughing. "Depends. We're just taking things that we decide was ours in the first place. You ever hear of "Charles Darwin" and his little idea of evolution. You know, "survival of the fittest" and all? If we can take it. . . Then it is ours? Right?" Then he looked straight up and down Shinku examining her. . . "Nice proportions, eh?"

As he moved towards Shinku trying to touch her. . . "Disgusting." She muttered before punching the guy right in his stomach. "I don't want to catch whatever venereal disease you might have, idiot." Before he had a chance to retort she sent her elbow into the back of his neck and knocked him out. Three of the others jumped up, shocked, and rushed her. Shinku thought it was cute they came at the same time and all, but dodged one, blocked the next and tripped the last guy. Stepping over the guy she tripped, the guy she dodged tried running and swinging, but slipped on his friend and took them a nap in the dirt. The blocked guy tried throwing something but had a horrid aim and missed by a long shot. Shinku just jumped at him, grabbed him and threw him on top of his friends. A nice little deliquint pile really. The last guy that sat out threw a rock and hit Shinku in the back, only before running and trying to escape out the back way from the little alley like area they were in.

Shinku gave chase and noticed that he was making his way toward the mall. In fact he made it inside. There was little she could do there with the amount of people around. It still hadn't been too long since she left school, though it took some time before she actually left. Perhaps it would be best to just kill time at the mall. . . Maybe look for the last good-for-nothing and give him a message. So she started to just wander the mall at this point.

Bride just blushed again when Dai called his rosebud was that his nickname now? Its a cute nickname that for sure...he really liked it when he thought about. Also he really should thanking them but he really was glad for his help it just in his nature to say thanks to anything nice that has happened to him. His mom did say be kind and grateful for the ones around you. "... just really thankful...n-not much people really help me...j-just well only to well...go out with me..." That was true, some people would just help him to get in bed with him...well that what would some people say but he didn't get it.

"oh yes.. I-I was sick alot a-as a kid so... well... side affects a-and all that sorry a-about it...Well I am nervous b-but in other meanings a-actually..." Bride said with a bright blush on his face, it was obvious that Bride has kind of a small crush on Dai after him helping him out but it was just his thing he gets crushes on anyone nice to him. He waved back at Shinku as she passed by and his attention was brought back to them.

Kazuo, Dai, and Bride would soon be joined by Gruffydd who asked about their general well-being. Kazuo explained the situation of acquiring an ice pack for Bride's cheek. During their conversation, Bride revealed that he was often sick as a child and that resulted in his nervous stutter. An usual side effect for sure but it's not like Kazuo can question it since he isn't a doctor. Kazuo turned to Gruffydd and asked if he would like to join them for a trip to the Wonder Mall; additionally, he mentioned food was involved. After a bit more conversation, Dai led everyone to the mall including Gruffydd, disregarding any plans he may have for the day.


"Welcome to the Wonder Mall, ho!" At the entrance to the Wonder Mall, the group was greeted by a giant Jack Frost statue that was a few feet taller than even Kazuo and Gruffydd. Jack Frost is a popular children's character and mascot; there's even an entire amusement park dedicated to him in the nearby Hitome City. An almost child-like grin formed on Kazuo's face when he saw the animatronic statue as it brought back sweet memories of his childhood. The mall is as busy as ever with hundreds of people wandering around the place to browse its shops. Impressive; it's even bigger than the mall back in Hitome City where Kazuo is from. Dai, Bride, and Gruffydd took over and gave Kazuo a grand tour of the place. They visited the numerous shops on all floors of the mall and, along the way, they saw their classmates. Johnathan was in Cafe Fortuna enjoying coffee with a good book. He seemed blissfully unaware of them however. It's best to leave him alone.

At Tee-Party, the group looked into the window to see Ito talking to the owner of the store. Well, it looked to be more of a one-sided conversation with the owner cheerfully chattering away while Ito seemed a bit overwhelmed. Kazuo couldn't help but lightly chuckle at Ito's helplessness in that situation. A bit later, they bumped into Saito who looked like he had just gotten off work or something. Kazuo greeted the tired individual with a friendly smile. Come to think of it, doesn't Dai have something to return to him? Looking off in the distance, Kazuo thought he saw Shinku wandering around the mall as well. Looks like all of them came here today.

The conversation proceeded well enough once Bride finished his glimpse into the past. After forcing Gruffydd to volunteer as a tour guide with them, regardless of any plans the foreign student had made, Dai proceeded to drag his classmates over to the Wonder Mall. They were quickly greeted by the mall’s most popular mascot, Jack Frost, as up-beat techno music blasted through the speakers. They visited a large variety of shops and everything that the mall has to offer. Dai tossed in a few commentary and gossips about the more popular stores - Café Fortuna has the best coffee, Tee Party's owner was once rumoured to be a professional cosplayer, a book store called Rabbit Hole sold mysterious cards for some reason, etc.

As the shopping area swelled with people of all shapes and sizes, it wasn’t farfetched to say that the Wonder Mall was the most popular hang-out spots for families, the elderly, and high school students. Heck, even a few familiar faces appeared on their radar.

Johnathan was kicking back over in Café Fortuna with a good cup of coffee in one hand and a thick book in the other. Dai was tempted to rush over there, but promptly dragged away before he could get the chance. Ito was spotted at the Tee-Party, being bullied into some job by the ever so pushy owner, Hikari. The sightings just kept going as the pattern was followed by Shinku wandering somewhere in the distance. Geez, if he knew everyone was going to be here, he would've invited everyone.

It wasn’t until he spotted a certain face did Dai came to a full stop. His eyes slowly drifted over the crowds, glancing at each face. "Saito?" He asked, the weight of the brown backpack reminding him of his mission. The familiar haggard face made his call out even louder. “Saito!"

Dai rushed over to the individual and shoved the book bag into Saito's arms. "Hey there, pal. You better not forget this or I might be tempted on selling this." He joked, grinning.

Saito was mindlessly wandering the mall, window shopping every other shop that was there but he didn't see anything important or worthwhile except seeing one of his classmates, Ito he think modeling for one of the fashion shops but he decided to let her keep working. He wouldn't like to be bugged when he was working, and he is still tired from work, but he kept walking.

Awhile later he found more of his classmates walking around and they started conversations with him. Saito waved them lazily while Dai got up close and shoved a bag into his arms, which he realized was his own which he lost yesterday during his scuffle when he attacked his classmates.

"Ah, thanks Dai, I completely forgot about this yesterday, it's a good thing you didn't sell it." Saito thanked Dai in a sheepish tone, he not one to forgot important details, and his only school bag would be a pretty big to lose.

"So are you guys just looking around here? I just got off work a little bit ago."

As all of them went to the mall and was greeted by the mascot jack frost he took a picture the mascot with his phone. It was soooo cut and after that showing the mall around to Kazuo with the others he was quite close to Dai after his nice acts to him it just he felt like he should be really close to him. He might not even like him but he was calling him rosebud and he was helping him only for kindness so it might be a sign for something else. They all visited alot of shops but his faourite was well the tee-shop one, all the pretty dresses and clothes it was just amazing and he saw Ito there talking to the owner about something.

Johnathan as at Cafe Fortuna reading while he saw Shinku was wondering around. While he others talked Bride saw a certain dress he liked in the tee-shop it was frilly and adorable with a cute rose on it just... if maybe he had enough yen he would so buy it. Saito cameby and as Dai gave him the bag he answered him. "Oh w-we are showing Ka-Kazuo around here." He said as he was once again distracted again with that idea of that dress.... just he wanted it soo much. As the others talked he carefully slid away to go inside the shop and check out that dress on the display. It was just amazing....

The frills, the smooth texture and that rose on it just was amazing he wanted to wear it badly and buy it... though would it fit him? He was pretty thin and small so the dress might not fir him at all. He slowly walked towards the owner of the store and asked if he could try the dress out first. "C-can I try it on...t-that dress at the display with the r-rose..."

It had been a while since she had been to the mall. In fact, she was glad to see most of the place was the same as it was last year when she left. Nevertheless, Shinku was still here to do one thing. Find the last of those imbeciles and teach him the meaning of scary. He was more than likely doing his best to avoid her. . . That being said. . . She found the perfect cover! Her fellow "Persona" users. Quickly enough she pulled out the tie for her hair and let it fall down, picking at it with her hands as she made her way over to Kazuo's group. "How are you all today?" She said in a polite tone looking each of them in the eyes. After which she looked past them for a certain . . . Person! Bingo She thought to herself before she almost whispered to the group, "I'll be right back. Just gotta' take out the trash."

From the group's perspective, Shinku lightly stepped behind the suspicious looking guy and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and looked at her like she was slightly mental. . . Or maybe he was before it seemed as his face turned white and started to turn and run, but not before Shinku grabbed his collar and dragged him away. He could lightly be heard saying, "Please no. . . Come on. . ." He couldn't resist his fate at this point and just went with it. . .

Not much longer Shinku came back with her hair tied back up and with a smile on her face while she unwrapped the boxing tape on her hands. "Alright, job well done." She said, "So, what are you guys up to? Mind if I join ya'?"

After Dai had given back Saito's bag to him, the weary young man asked what they were doing at the mall to which Bride answered his inquiry. Just then, Shinku arrived at the scene and greeted everyone. Kazuo greeted back with a friendly smile and took note that she was wearing her hair down. She also seemed a bit distracted by something. Shinku proceeded to walk over to some guy and tapped him on his shoulder. When he looked around, his expression quickly turned to dread and it looked as if he tried to run away. Shinku stopped his attempted escape, however, and dragged him away while he quietly protested. What's that all about? Kazuo can only assumed that it won't end well for the guy considering, amongst their group, she's the one who uses her fists to fight monsters.

In any case, looking back, Kazuo noticed that Bride was gone. Kazuo asked Dai, Gruffydd, and Saito if they saw Bride walking off. Wondering where he could've went, Kazuo then remembered Bride looked fixated on a dress back at Tee-Party. It wasn't long after that Shinku returned; this time, with her hair tied back up and unwrapping her bandages from her hands. Just as Kazuo expected: it didn't end well for the guy. She asked what they were all up to. Kazuo explained they were planning to head to the food court next to get some grub. Additionally, he told the others that Bride may be at Tee-Party and suggested they leave him to his own devices for now. Kazuo looked to Saito and Shinku and asked if they were interested in joining them all at the food court. After receiving their answers, the group made their way over to the food court.

At their destination, which was a short walk away, Kazuo ordered some takoyaki - enough for everyone if they'd like to share. Kazuo knows Dai wanted to treat everyone but Kazuo decided he should help out as well. He walked over to the circular table that the group had chosen and set the plate of takoyaki down, telling everyone to take part in it if they'd like but also cautioning them that it's still hot. The group chatted for a while while enjoying the food. Kazuo asked if they felt any adverse effects since going into the other world and acquiring their Persona. He wanted to know if their is any potential health risk. Personally, he felt fine. Some time later, a lanky security guard with short brown hair and a hasty expression on his face arrived at the food court and looked around in a panic. He then approached the group.

"H-Hey, you kids haven't seen a group of children on skateboards around here, have you?" He asked while panting. Kazuo told the guard that they didn't see any kids on skateboards passing through this part of the mall. "O-Oh, okay, thanks... Oh, man, I'm gonna get so fired..." He muttered under his breath.

Then, another security guard arrived: a rotund, older man with a full beard. "Tetsu, report!" He shouted at the lanky security guard who clumsily rushed over, almost tripping as he does so.

"T-They're not here, Oda-san!" Tetsu hesitated to report.

"You idiot! How could you let yourself be outsmarted by a bunch of little twerps?!"

"W-Well, I wasn't 'outsmarted' per se... They were just really fast on their skateboards..."

"I don't want to hear you excuses! I'd fire you if I wasn't so short-staffed. C'mon, they found some guy injured nearby. It sounds like he got beat up pretty badly." After that, the two security officers left. For some reason, that last part sounds like Shinku's handiwork. That aside, what was all that about? Kids on skateboards? It sounds like there may be some juvenile delinquents causing trouble around the mall. The day continues...

> Gain 1.5 Points. Add 1.5 Points to the Magician Arcana Compatibility Rank. 0.5 point until next Rank.

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Kazuo
2 Hours Left
¥3,950
Feeling Normal