Sunday, May 31^st - 2015

Warakuma Recreational Center

Masahide sat down and kind of... napped? That appeared to be the case. Gen tried to blame it on his glasses, but what Yamato said confirmed his suspicions. Wow he must really be tired, Gen thought, sleeping in a public place like that. It was not like he was infringing any laws, unlike Gen who, with a certain someone, practised in broad daylight with swords. Okay, they were not exactly swords, they were kamas, but they had edge and they were probably dangerous and illegal and stolen. The last one was not true, well, he did not know that, but most illegal stuff was stolen, so that conclusion was not too far off.

"Ah, it's all right, but it's probably nothing compared to the big city," Gen answered as to regain the appearance of a 'typical' conversation, but with a nodded-off Masahide in the surroundings, it was proving to be difficult. "If you want to see life, you could just hang out here or go to Ferrero Mall. Those are usually the most lively places," he suggested. True, there were probably a couple more places, but it all depended on Yamato. The Center and the Mall were of fairly general interest. Gen noticed a rather nasty dust particle on his left lens, so he made it his duty to remove it. "So, you said you are from Okinawa, right? Is it very different from Warakuma?" There could not be that many differences, given that they were in the same country. As he spoke, he took out his glasses and a icy blue handkerchief from his pocket and started wiping the left lens clean. That dust particle was dead now, and-

Oh no.

Instead of being eliminated, the particle spread through the entirety of the lense in a circle fashion, just like how he tried to wipe it off. That was a national scale tragedy, and he could not do without his glasses. "E-excuse me, but I have to use the bathroom," Adding 'it's an emergency' would have made him sound ridiculous, but in essence it was true. He could break his neck if he did not mind where he stepped. He bowed shortly and sped to the restroom to get rid of the menace.

Elena Dragunov | Warakuma Recreational Centre

The demure girl replied to her excited gesture with a calm response and proceeded to ask a general question about her plans here. She seemed to be talking with three more guys who certainly looked a bit older than her, maybe they were her senpais not that Elena minded. She had a natural flair to interact with people much unlike her brother.

She walked over to the group and joined them. Before she could introduce herself though, it seemed that the one who appeared to be the eldest was rather fatigued and he just went ahead and dozed off on a bench. His companion apologised for this and introduced himself as Yamato. Shortly, Shizuka's other partner also excused himself for a loo break and swiftly moved away.

"Nice to meet you, Saji-san! I'm Elena Dragunov. My brother goes the same school as Otonashi-san here. We bumped into each other a few times and got know each other." she said with a hearty smile. Pondering over at the male's question about a few good hangout places around town.

"Well it all depends on your taste, I guess. Warakuma has a few great places. There is this great Cosplay Cafe if you are into the whole themed dine-in scene. There is this Library cum Cafe if Coffee and Books are your thing. There is the Graffiti street next to the Shopping District if you want to express yourself with spray cans, The Shrine of Inari is up the hill; a good five kilometers away from the city outskirts but the view from the top is rather serene and beautiful. There is also a Gallery opening today, I guess. If art and Sculptures are your thing you can always check that out. It's on the High street just before the stretch where the opulent villas of Warakuma span." she replied with a hint of enthusiasm to the male.

"Or you can leave everything else and challenge the sleeping senpai for a game here. I think that'll be fun too." she added. Before turning her attention to her friend and asking her.

"Otonashi-san, Have you come for a swim as well? The waters are a bit warm today, don't know if the thermostat needs repair. I guess I will talk to the Manager here. I'm sure brother can fix this up."

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room", Sato's vision returned to him, and so did Kotori's. The two didn't recognize each other personally, but they were aware they were in a very unique situation. They looked around them... A room, dining room draped in blue, and a long dining table. In some of the chairs they could barely make out some familiar silhouettes... Akane, Rui, Chiaki... And a bunch more. They looked down to see something inscribed onto the table... Respectively, "Fortune" for Sato, and "Priestess" for Kotori. And as they looked down, they also noticed their clothes... Sato wore a blue blazer, with a black dress shirt with white vertical stripes, as well as a lapel pin with the number of his arcana on it. His attire at the moment was well-kept, a white tie pulling it all together.

Kotori on the other hand wore a black strapless dress, with a shortcoat, covering her neck and with long sleeves, covering her arms too. She had gloves, and the dress was frilled towards the bottom stylistically, as well as upon her hair was a flower brooch, whilst blue, was definitely a chrysanthemum. They would next realize that they did not open their eyes here of their own volition. It was a voice that had called them here, and they looked to the source of that voice.

"This is a place between mind, and matter, dreams, and reality. I see we have two more guests joining us this time", he began. The man had a characteristically long nose, was bald, pale, with wide round eyes, and a large creepy smile.

"I am Igor, and this is my assistant, Henrietta", he continue, motioning to the blonde girl next to him. She was the image of class or so it seemed. Straight hair, excellent posture, and with a look of slight disdain.

"To have two in here at once... It has been a long time since I've had the pleasure, of having more than a single guest in here at any single time. Let's see... You... Have drawn the Fortune. To choose one's destiny is one of the many facets of life, but whether or not you can execute that choice is an entirely other matter. It appears you nearly simply gave into a predetermined fate, I'm sure you will agree", he spoke. Sato knew exactly what he meant... Then soon Igor turned to Kotori.

"And you, have drawn the Priestess arcana... A very pleasant arcana if I do say so myself, it represents the feminine, and means untapped wisdom or power... Which for you would have remained untapped if not for some persistent people yes?", the events he was referring to, Kotori seemed to also know.

"But... Now is not yet time to go any further... Henrietta", he clicked his fingers, and while she walked around the table, handing out a key to Kotori and Sato, he continued to talk.

"This is the key to this room, in due time you will find yourself returning here of your own will, but until then... Farewell", and with that, Sato and Kotori's consciousness faded.

Ryan's House-Home
1/6/2015 Monday

Ryan woke up in the morning with a terrible headache. He took a few pills to dull the pain and considered not going to school. A few minutes later he had his backpack and he was walking to school. He groaned a little as he felt his heavy backpack drag him down. Perhaps he should only bring one book of manga every day instead of ten. He probably should've brought the pills with him. Oh god why didn't he bring the pills with him?

Ryan arrived at school and headed straight to class. He pulled out a manga and laughed at its absurdity. This helped distract him from his headache, this was pretty crazy. People summoning their personality to battle demons. And to do so they had to accept their problems. How insane! Ryan could never do something like that. At least the main character was cool. "I can relate to you Door-Kun. You have such a crazy life." The bell rang and Ryan put away the manga. He still needed to catch up on school a little.

Sato awoke at what seemed to be a dining table, deep blue covering the entirety of this dining room. His own clothes had been changed into some kind of formal wear. Despite the weird setting he suddenly found himself in, Sato did not feel alarmed. Calmly, he looked around him, spotting silhouettes seated around the table, as well as one more visible girl and the speaker, with his companion at his side. Though he recognized who the shadows and the girl were, he couldn't place the names. He was not frustrated with this, and instead focused his attention back to the speaker: a man with an extremely long nose, the rest of his unsettling face fitting.

"This is a place between mind, and matter, dreams, and reality. I see we have two more guests joining us this time. I am Igor, and this is my assistant, Henrietta." He motioned towards his blonde companion. She seemed very posh, if not a bit arrogant. "To have two in here at once... it has been a long time since I've had the pleasure, of having more than a single guest in here at any single time. Let's see... You.. have drawn the Fortune. To choose one's destiny is one of the many facets of life, but whether or not you can execute that choice is an entirely other matter. It appears you nearly simple gave into a predetermined fated, I'm sure you will agree."

Sato nodded at this, noting the inscription on the table before him of 'Fortune'. The strange man continued on to address the girl. "And you, have drawn the Priestess arcana... A very pleasant arcana if I do say so myself, it represents the feminine, and means untapped wisdom or power... Which for you would have remained untapped if not for some persistent people yes? But... Now is not yet time to go any further..."

"Henrietta," He said, clicking his fingers together. The elegant woman walked around the table, passing he and the girl velvet keys. "This is the key to this room, in due time you will find yourself returning here of your own will, but until then... Farewell."

As if the man had given him permission to, Sato's consciousness began to slip again. His eyes began to close, and while he didn't try to, he wouldn't have been able to keep them open no matter how hard he tried. For the third time, a sweet emptiness embraced him. Though... it felt less like an emptiness now, and instead a warm bed in his heart.

---

JUNE 1ST 2015, MONDAY
Mid-day
That dream... or was it a dream? It felt real, but it was so... not real. Everything that had happened over the past few days felt unreal. That man had said Sato had drawn the 'Fortune'. Wasn't that an arcana in tarot reading? What was that being that came from that doppelganger? Where was he taken to after being kidnapped? Nobody would believe him if he tried to say what happened, and he could hardly believe it himself.

The clattering of a door opening brought Sato's attention back to present moment. He'd been in and out for the last day he'd been in the hospital, none of what had happened yet registering in his mind. It'd been a blur of resultless diagnosis, motherly visits, and sleeping. The only thing he could recall as he opened his eyes was that strange dream. To his surprise, a familiar face other than his mother had entered.

Rokurou awkwardly shut the door behind him and stood in front of a chair in that 'I don't actually want to be here and you need to know that' kind of way. A silence followed the boy, pressing down on Sato's chest like a weight. It was a feeling he'd always felt prior to being administered to the hospital, or rather, the events that had transpired that lead up to the hospitalization. Neither started saying anything, so Rokurou gave a sigh and went to leave the room.

"Wait!" Sato blurted out, extending a hand out.

He reclosed the door. "Look," Rokurou started, "I'm only here because your mom kept bugging me to come. I got sick of those depressing voice mails so I came. Tell her that I did."

"Rokurou, don't leave yet." Sato said, pushing himself up from the hospital bed, a few steps towards Rokurou taken. "I need to talk to you."

Letting out another sigh, Rokurou slumped against the wall. "Fine."

"Look... I- I know I've been a total ass recently. Or forever or whatever. But I just need to tell you, that I'm so, so, sorry for everything I've done to you and everyone. I can't... I mean, I really want to be friends with you guys and I fucked that up so hard, that I--"

"Shut up." And Sato looked like a kicked puppy. Especially since Rokurou wouldn't meet his eyes. "I get it, you're sorry. Don't be such a baby about it. I... I guess I know where you're coming from though. I can't say I didn't do that kind of stuff to people I care about..."

"Yeah, but--"

"Let me finish! My point is, don't let that kinda stuff drag you down. It's in the past, ok? Now stop looking like I beat you up or something."

"Does that mean...?"

Rokurou rolled his eyes, huffing as loud as he could. "Fine, fuck! I forgive you, okay? I was a dick too."

"Roku, I'm really glad you said that." Maybe that was too much... Whatever. Sato earned being a cheeseball for once, after whatever the hell happened happened.

"First, don't call me that. Ever. Second, don't make this weird. If you're going to be so sappy over it, you're gonna have to help me sort out all the shit in my room before we're even. I'll text ya when I'm free." And with that, he was gone. The same clattering noise as the taller boy left the room, leaving Sato to his own devices again. With little else to do before being able to check out, Sato sat on the edge of his bed. His regular clothes, tattered and dirty, rested on a chair next to the wall. A good shower was all he wanted.

"I see you're better already", said Rui as he entered Sato's ward. He waved hi to Rokurou who had just left, he overheard a bit of the conversation but had only just arrived. Rui had come from school, checked in on the clubs before he said he'd go down to check with the two, Sato and Kotori. He was starting to become a little famous for visiting the hospital too often on students who got admitted here that he heard a rumor that some girls wanted to get admitted just so he'd visit them. He almost felt like humoring them if they did...

"I think it's good to let some emotional baggage out", he continued as he stepped inside.

"If you have any questions about... 'that', give me a call... Although I was told there were police here noon today to talk to you", he inquired. He knew that Sato knew that the police wouldn't believe his story, so he was guessing he didn't say a thing, but only to make sure he inquired. He was planning on visiting Kotori next, but it looks like she'll be busy. When she was admitted, it wasn't just like everyone else, she had an actual condition that needed attention, so her room was going to be closed until very soon from now. It was closed since this morning, so police planned on holding off on questioning until the evening today.

Shortly following Rokurou's departure, another person entered, drawing Sato's attention from his thoughts yet again. Though he kinda felt that he'd come, Sato was still a little surprised to see Rui Shinichi come visit him in the hospital. "I see you're better already." The second-year said. "I think it's good to let some emotional baggage out."

Sato nodded. "Yeah. I'm a little tired and sore, but I'm fine now. Thanks for checking in on me." With pleasantries out of the way, Sato debated bringing up the whole thing that happened. It still seemed so surreal, that he wasn't convinced it wasn't just some weird hallucination and Rui had just found him yelling at his shadow.

But Rui seemed to have interpreted his absent-mindedness as confusion, which was accurate enough, and went on. "If you have any questions about... 'that', give me a call... Although, I was told there were police here noon today to talk to you."

Sato again nodded. He went through what he'd said to police when they came to question him. Seeing as a proper retelling of what happened sounded like something straight out of some niche RPG, Sato only talked about the actual kidnapping, covering up the events after by saying it was all just a blur until he was found on the streets. "I couldn't say what really happened, as you might've imagined. I almost don't even believe it myself. If you have answers, I'd love to hear them... but I don't have your number. Care to share?"

On her way to school, Ayano had heard two girls from her class talking about something. It caught her attention and she promptly went closer to the two, hoping to get some information. She wasn't really one for gossip and rumors, but with the current crisis hitting the city, it makes things slightly more plausible...

"Hey, did you hear who got kidnapped last time?"
"Ah, I haven't been updated lately, who was it?"
"Was? More like were! I think someone said it was Kotori-chan and Sato-kun. Can you imagine that? Two victims at once?
"Stop that, you're scaring me!"

Afterwards, they found themselves in front of the school, ready to begin a brand new day. Although the names weren't exactly familiar to begin with, the girl couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that was beginning to envelop her classroom, as her classmates spent their homeroom time exchanging stories and discussing the rumors that hit the the town last weekend. She gave a sigh and looked down at her table, thinking to her self if this kidnapping can just end and move to a different town just so she has nothing to worry about anymore. But that doesn't seem likely, her wishful thinking swept away as the teacher entered, Ayano began to focus her thoughts elsewhere.



No sooner than she would have it, classes were already over, the teacher lamenting over the fact that they've barely gotten to the middle part of their lesson. It was a shame too, Ayano was actually getting into the gist of things and was ready to take on whatever questions were about to be handed out, maybe that was an exaggeration...Rising from her seat and packing her things, the brunette reminded herself that there was a club meeting today and headed towards their club room without hesitation, with luck she'll be the first one there and no one could disrupt her precious reading time.

Kotori Shirohane - Unknown Place | Unknown Time

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room" It was to these words that Kotori opened her eyes - or rather, she woke up to. No, that wasn't quite right either - but at the same time, the distinction didn't seem important. Instead, she found herself slowly looking about her surroundings - it was predominantly blue, in a velvet shade which seemed oddly familiar for some reason. Bringing her gaze to her front, she saw a long dining table; big enough to host about a two dozen or so guests at the same time. The seats - one of which she occupied, she realised - there were other figures, but most too wispy to truly make out.

It was strange. She should be afraid, or at least wondering at the oddness of this place and how she got here - but she found herself quite calm instead, as if she'd somehow already been here. Looking closer at the table, she noticed that before her own seat was an inscription which read as 'Priestess' - and that she wasn't the only occupant who wasn't a mere silhouette. Of the three, one drew her immediate attention. An impossibly long nose, huge eyes and a very wide grin made up his face - yet despite his outlandish appearance, he seemed neither comedic nor truly frightening as he fixed the two guests before him with his eyes.

"This is a place between mind, and matter, dreams, and reality. I see we have two more guests joining us this time. I am Igor, and this is my assistant, Henrietta", he said, the blonde-haired girl giving only the slightest of acknowledgements at her introduction. "To have two in here at once... It has been a long time since I've had the pleasure, of having more than a single guest in here at any single time. Let's see... You... Have drawn the Fortune. To choose one's destiny is one of the many facets of life, but whether or not you can execute that choice is an entirely other matter. It appears you nearly simply gave into a predetermined fate, I'm sure you will agree", he spoke. He seemed to be addressing the other guest - before turning to Kotori.

"And you, have drawn the Priestess arcana... A very pleasant arcana if I do say so myself, it represents the feminine, and means untapped wisdom or power... Which for you would have remained untapped if not for some persistent people yes?" Kotori didn't know how he'd know of such things - he just did and that was all there was to it. She didn't even need to nod in agreement - she knew it to be true too. "But... Now is not yet time to go any further... Henrietta." At the clicking of his fingers, the girl in question stood up, walking around the long table to hand both of their guests a key. Kotori looked at hers - it was in the same shade of velvet as the room itself.

"This is the key to this room, in due time you will find yourself returning here of your own will, but until then... Farewell" And with those words, velvet to blackness once again; Kotori's departure being just as seamless as her initial arrival.

---

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | Monday, June 1 2015

Kotori's eyes slowly opened - only to immediately close again at the brightness before them. A little more gingerly she tried again, slowly trying to adjust her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that her surroundings weren't velvet - instead, they were mostly white. Besides that, she had difficulty actually making them out - everything seemed out of focus. Blinking once, twice, it took her a moment to realise that she didn't have her glasses on as she reached up to rub her eyes. Looking down and around, she also realised that she was in a bed - and even without her glasses, an involuntary frown came over her face as she recognised it; even seeing clearly: She was at the Warakuma Hospital. She'd been here a few times in the past; sometimes even in these very same beds - so often in fact that she not only was able to recognise them but also had grown to dislike them.

Luckily though, it also meant she knew that there was a small cabinet at the bedside atop which she found her glasses - and as the world returned to its normal unblurred self, she gave a small sigh of relief. A small smile followed when she saw that that hadn't been the only thing there: A small vase stood there, a colourful arrangement of flowers standing within and bringing at least some life to this otherwise so pristine and stale feeling room. Looking around, Kotori reconfirmed that she really was in a hospital room - before her gaze fell on the chair beside her bed. Or rather, the occupant therein. Wide-eyed and with the strangest of expressions on her face sat her mother, staring her straight in the eye. Kotori was taken aback at the sight - beneath her eyes were the beginnings of dark rings, the eyes themselves reddened and her hair looked somewhat disheveled. She looked like she hadn't slept a wink for days.

"...Mum?" Kotori gingerly asked when she didn't say a word - only to find herself in a sobbing hug so fast her mother might as well have spontaneously developed teleportation skills. "Oh, Kotori," she heaved between breaths as she clutched her daughter closely. "You had me so worried." Relenting ever so slightly in her grip, Tsubame drew away just enough to sit down on the edge of the hospital bed - but now with a tearful smile on her face. Confusion started to make way for guilt in Kotori's mind as she realised what her mother meant - and just why she looked that way.

For her, it had been a strange experience - but for her mother, her only daughter suddenly vanished from the face of the earth without a trace. Of course she was going to be worried - even more if said daughter happened to be Kotori. A faint clicking noise drew the two Shirohanes' attention to the door where a nurse stepped through - only to stop for a moment when she saw that Kotori was sat up and awake. "Ah, excellent, you're awake, Shirohane-san. I'll let the doctor know," the nurse said with a genuine smile before leaving the room again. Turning to her mother, Kotori asked to confirm her suspicion: "What time is it?" The answer didn't really surprise her - but her eyes widened for a moment when the next question was answered with "Monday."

---

"So, just to be sure. In recent memory, have you felt light-headed? Had difficulty breathing? Chest pains? Headaches?" With each question being answered with a "No" and a shake of Kotori's head, the doctor gave a satisfied nod. "Okay, that's good." Flipping through the several sheets of paper on his clipboard, occasionally stopping on one to examine it, he finally nodded once more before speaking up again. "Well, the test results show you're doing as well as on your checkup last Saturday, so there's no cause for concern. You can be discharged tomorrow," the doctor said before leaving again. Following that, the two talked for a while more - most of it being Tsubame catching Kotori up on what had happened these past few days before she too would leave. She was more than a little reluctant to do so - but Kotori insisted that she looked like she needed rest more than her daughter. Tsubame promised to come by early the next day again before heading back home - the same place she'd spent the last few days in constant fear ever since Kotori had gone missing. But thankfully, that was now over she thought as she passed the two policemen sitting outside the room and a boy; paying neither of them much heed at this point.

The policemen were the next to enter the room - the same two that had shown up at her home Friday to inquire about her disappearance - and asked her a few questions; having rather tactfully given the two some time first. Unfortunately, she couldn't really answer their questions to any kind of satisfaction - on one hand, she didn't know anything about the kidnappers. On the other hand, she kind of doubted that telling the truth would work out very well so she instead opted to simply say she didn't have any clear memory of things after the kidnapping until she woke up again in the hospital. The policemen were clearly not very happy with so few leads, but soon after thanked her for her time and wished her a swift recovery before they too left the room; the shortness of her answers leaving just a few minutes before visiting hours would end.

Once they did, she found herself alone in the room as her thoughts turned to the events that had unfolded. It seemed even crazier now that she thought back on it - but at the same time, she knew it wasn't a dream. She gave a soft sigh as she turned her eyes downward to her hands resting on her lap. It was silly, really - and at the same time, that silliness just made her feel all the more guilty. Three years ago, her father had died in a car accident - it was so sudden and unexpected, it'd come as a complete shock to her. One day he was there - and the next, gone. Forever. She still remembered that she'd crying for days afterwards whenever she realised just how much she'd taken him - and everyone around her, for that matter - for granted. It was a terrifying realisation to have to come across, knowing how easily someone you loved could vanish from your life.

But that hadn't even been all - for a few days later, the cause of the accident had been found out. According to the police, he must have briefly lost control of the car. The reason he'd lost it had been unclear - until it was found that he'd actually suffered a heart attack moments prior. As it turned out, he'd actually had a weak heart all his life - according to the doctors, the heart's blood vessels were unusually small and in turn caused the heart itself to be perpetually overcompensate with stronger, more rapid beats just to keep itself going. This, in turn, tired the heart disproportionately - and made it very susceptible.

And then they found that the reason for this was genetic - which meant that Kotori suffered from the very same weak heart which might just stop beating at any moment. Fortunately though, with the problem known and identified at a relatively early age, countermeasures could be put in place - in fact, she'd had three operations to try and correct the problem over the past three years already, though it still wasn't entirely fixed. Lifting a hand to the neck of her hospital gown, she gave it a light tug - and, as ever, saw the scars of the operations on her chest.

But now, in light of the past events, she actually gave a small smile - before, she'd only seen the scars themselves, perpetual reminders of her own death. But in reality, that wasn't true - that was just what she'd come to believe after descending a constant spiral of negativity; having focused entirely on the wrong things. No, instead they were just small scars - all of which were already in the process of fading from prominence - that instead showed that she was well on the way to full health. Somehow, she'd become so fixated on this that her fear of death had instead turned into a fear of living. Somewhere down the line, she'd used this as an excuse for herself to not even try to really get to know people; to keep to herself - when in reality, it was just her own shyness holding her back. That was something she was going to try and change from here on out.

A small smile came to her face after all that. Thinking about it, she should probably thank those four that had risked their lives back then for helping her with her rather literal inner demons when she go the chance. It had been a rather odd group, too - Akane had been there, and she thought she remembered seeing Hamada too. Even the rather famous idol girl, Chiaki, had been part of it, as had the boy whom she'd remembered hearing the some girls occasionally talk about and point out, Rui. Looking back up, however, she could picture him perfectly - until she realised that that was because he was actually standing in the open door; a knock on which she must have missed. Blinking in surprise, she quite quickly returned her hand back to her lap as she realised how odd she must have looked to an onlooker.

Giving a fairly unconvincing half-cough, half-throat clearing sound, Kotori gave a small bow in greeting as well as she could whilst still sitting in bed. "Good evening, Shinichi-san," she greeted, her voice still rather quiet. "And thank you for..." Kotori tried to find a fitting word, before just settling for "'this'" and a vague hand gesture - after all, she figured that was probably the reason he'd show up so soon instead of just waiting until after she was discharged.

After leaving Sato with his number and bidding him farewell until the next Kyuudo meet, he walked around a bit and found that Kotori's doors opened, with policemen leaving it. So he was to assume the questioning was over. It wasn't normal policemen this time, it was detectives... It looks like the situation with the cult was getting serious enough to more directly involve detectives. He overheard them talking about cases from last year, and that there was something strange about this year, as people didn't turn up dead this year... In any case, Rui after them strode in to see Kotori, who in kind, thanked him for... Whatever 'this' was supposed to mean. She was a little flustered, considering the scene he walked into, but he slid that aside,

"No problem, if you ever need help with 'this' or 'that', you can talk to me", he said, sneaking in his Persona summoning stance for 'that'. He wanted to ask about her heart condition, but even with everything that happened back in the dungeon he still felt it was too sensitive a topic to bring up so soon, but also getting the whole shadows and dungeons thing out the way... He should probably start with that.

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you how eventful things have been lately... I'll let you gather your thoughts on it and you can talk to me later about it. I'm mostly here to just check to see if everyone is okay", he continued.

"In any case, take my number, I heard you can be discharged tomorrow, so I'll see you at school I guess", he got up and began to leave the room after handing her his number.

Toma Tanaka - June 1st | Before Dawn

Useless. Useless, useless, useless.

Toma punched a streetlight as he walked by it, numb to the pain that he should have felt. His dead, heavy eyes fought to scan the area, the effort of moving his head and neck too great to manage.

I'm not good enough. I don't know how to fix this.

Be better.

The boy clenched his hands tightly, digging his nails into his palms as he continued to drag his feet.

And if I can't?

Try harder.

Toma had no idea how, but he was getting even more frustrated in his sleep-deprived state than he had been before.

I am trying.

Keep trying. Until the end.

Try until you die, or fix the problem.

But I can't die. Not yet. Not before my parents.

Then fix the problem.

Of course. He wouldn't die. It would take far more than this to put him down. And pain was no issue. In fact, it was necessary. It was a part of his sentence.

Stay awake!

The boy's drooping eyes snapped open as he dug his nails harder into his palms and bit down on his tongue.

See it through.

---

Toma Tanaka - June 1st | Warakuma High Main Entrance, Noon

Toma found himself heading towards school, having skipped out on the morning classes. He still wasn't planning on attending any classes -- instead, he wanted to just question everyone he saw about Kotori, hoping one of them could tell him where she was last or some other peice of information that would be even remotely useful. Though he knew the odds of that were low.

Those plans were put to a quick stop upon the reply of the first person he pulled over. Toma didn't even know what he had asked exactly, but the younger students wide eyes and shrinking frame were clues that he hadn't exactly been polite about it -- also, he looked like hell, which probably wasn't helping.

"Sh-shirohane-san was found earlier today, I think she's at the hospital now!" he said quickly, wanting to be anywhere else.

Toma's scrunched face immediately relaxed as the other student's words registered -- words that he could hardly believe.

"Eh?" was all that came out of his agape mouth, a moment before he turned to leave for his new destination.

---

Toma approached the hospital's front desk, the receptionist giving him a bit of a strange look but quickly replacing it with a fake smile.

"Hello there, how may I help you?" she asked.

"Oh. Is... is Shirohane Kotori here?" The boy struggled to vocalise his thoughts, mind running on empty. "Here in a room, I mean."

The secretary's big, plastered-on smile faded for a moment, before coming back more genuine.

"Yes, Shirohane-san is here, and she's doing well. She can't take visitors for a few hours, though. Police questioning and the like."

"Oh, right..." Toma looked around for a moment and spotted the many chairs available. Turning back to the woman, he gave a small nod. "Thank you."

The boy made his way to the corner of the waiting area, and sat down heavily in a chair, his exhaustion crashing down on him as he felt the relief of not being on his feet for the first time in almost three days.

He went to blink...

---

...and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself on his side and taking up two seats, the receptionist gently shaking him awake.

Toma held his pounding head as he sat up, glancing at a clock on the wall and seeing that he had slept for about two-and-a-half hours, though he didn't really feel much better.

"You're free to visit Shirohane-san now, if you'd like," the woman said with a sincere smile.

The red-haired boy blinked, his eyes feeling a little lighter than they had before. Maybe the nap had done him a little bit of good. Nodding his thanks to the woman, he stood up slowly, stretching his limbs out at the same time before beginning to make his way to Kotori's room.

The walk was a struggle, Toma having a hard time not dragging his feet. The little sleep had helped, but considering how long he had stayed awake and on his feet, it obviously wasn't enough to get him back up to speed. That could come later.

Toma paused in front of the door, confirming he had the right room, and moved to raise his arm and knock on it, but stopped himself short when he saw the state his hand was in.

Dirt all over, cracked and bruised knuckles, and four small cuts in his palm from his fingernails. Huh. A quick glance down at his left hand showed that it was the same. He clenched and unclenched them, trying to confirm that nothing was broken.

With that checked, the boy knocked lightly on the door, wincing from the pain before quickly tucking his hands away into his jacket pockets.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | Monday, June 1 2015

Much as expected, Rui had indeed come to speak about what had happened in... wherever that place had been. As he gave a subtle pose to indicate the topic - most likely because 'summoning magical beings' sounded a little ridiculous in any serious conversation - which seemed familiar - but luckily, he spoke on before Kotori could recall the scene of him and the shirtless Noboru posing in the mall some time ago. As he stated that he was just checking in today, she gave a nod followed by a "Ah, yes, I'm fine. No need to worry." She gave an awkward half-smile at that - given that he'd heard her talking literally to herself, he had to know that 'fine' was a rather relative term. However, it was still as true as could be. He then handed her his phone number to be able to contact him on the matters before leaving after saying his goodbyes. "Yes, that's right," she confirmed her discharge date before giving another small bow as he was leaving: "Goodbye, Shinichi-san."

Once he'd left, Kotori reached for her phone to save the number - which, she realised, was the first number outside her family's that she'd entered. Not only that, but it was even a boy's - but before she could think on that, another knock could be heard from the door. When the door wasn't opened afterwards, as she might have expected from a nurse, she put her phone aside before calling "Come in" to whoever this visitor may be. Her mother had been a given, as had the police - and Rui, likely as a representative of the others, too, hadn't been completely unexpected. This left her wondering - until the door opened to reveal it to be Toma.

Kotori was quite surprised at that - but gave a small bow in greeting nonetheless. "Ah, good evening, Tanaka-senpai," she said - before getting a closer look at the older boy. Concern came over her face as she noticed that he looked more than a little under the weather - and he hadn't been the first person to do so today. "Uhm, are you alright?" she asked, a little hesitantly - which likely seemed a little odd, considering that she was supposed to be the patient and he the visitor.

His entire search last night had returned nothing, something that aggravated him a lot. After a long time had he felt so helpless. He couldn't shake off that feeling even as he had returned home last evening. He had seen his sister's concerned expression but chose to ignore it, instead cooking her a hearty meal and putting her to sleep early.

He had been awake from 3.00 AM, the unease having become a lot more now. The bullies and the Yakuza was something he could deal with but this situation was turning out to me a lot more grave than expected and he feared for his sister's safety. The first thing he did was to reconfigure the speed dial on her phone and make it accessible. He then proceeded to check how the entire process would work and hoped that wherever she may end up, the lord gives him enough strength to reach her in time.

After the uncommon exercise he got into his routing of readying the clothes and making the lunches. He'd begin his search after school today.

--

The school day dragged on slowly as he heard some idle chatter of the return of the two kidnapped. He eavesdropped to confirm the identities and was a bit relieved that Kotori-chan was alright. That meant that his plans after-school changed a bit. He waited eagerly for the day to finish and was among the first to leave his class as soon as the bell rang.

He went into the flowerstore near the school and got a bunch of flowers. He wasn't much impressed by the arrangement but he reflected on the chat he once had with Kotori and believed that it was the thought that counted. He made his way to the hospital.

--


Alexei stepped inside the hospital aiming to go towards the reception as he caught sight of a familiar face behind the desk. The elegant, Ms. Mizuno greeted him with a warm and gentle smile. Through his countless visits since is arrival, he had got to know Ms. Mizuno a little. Much like her mother she had been a young widow but being close to a supportive and helping family she had rebounded much well than his mother.

"How are you, Alexei?" came her gentle greeting.

"I am fine, Mizuno-san. How have you been? It's odd to see you at this time?" he asked.

"Ah! I'm fine. Mitsuhara-san isn't feeling too well today so I'm filling in for her. How has your mother been? I hear that the procedures have been going well." she asked.

"She's been a lot better after a long time. Thanks entirely due to the effort you all have put into it. We are genuinely grateful." he said with a bow.

"Don't be silly, young man. It is our duty." she said with a smile, standing to pat his cheek.

"Well then I must say that you have been doing that duty steadfastly. But I'm here to meet a friend. Do you know if Shirohane kotori is admitted here?" he inquired.

"Yes! yes, she has been. She has had quite a few visitors today. Come I'll walk you to her room." she offered.

"Thanks, Mizuno-san." he bowed again.

--

As they reached her room making small-talk. Alexei sensed that she already had company. He looked at Ms. Mizuno who gave him a knowing smile.

"Come on, go in. The boy who came earlier is inside, I think. He himself didn't look too well. Your friend certainly made you all very worried it seems."

Alexei nodded and knocked on the door. Before waiting for a moment and going inside.

"Hello Kotori-chan! How are you?" he asked in a low grumble, the flowers held in front of him. It was a little bouquet of peonies and Yarrow meant to symbolize good health and recuperation.

As the upperclassman dozed off on the bench, a worried expression visibly appeared upon the younger maiden's features. Ever since her first meeting with the male, she had known of his tendency to over exhaust himself to his limits. Now that she took a closer inspection upon his sleeping face, the signs of exhaustion when Shizuka had first encountered him were still there. Seeing them made the underclassman frown slightly, being concerned over Masa's treatment of himself once again. "Saji-san... Do please look after senpai, it seems he had been overworking himself again," Shizuka pleaded out of concern for her acquaintance.

Once the other two listed places the Saji's could hope to unwind themselves at, the raven haired girl merely nodded at the suggestions she thought were appropriate for them. But as Elena mentioned the cosplay cafe, Shizuka twitched ever so slightly that no one would have been able to see unless they were staring at the girl. Speaking of which, upon taking a quick glance at her wristwatch, she noticed that it was about time she got going to work. Before she decided to take off, her gaze turned to Elena once more, "Actually yes, I've just gone swimming but I did notice the temperature of the water to be a little off from the usual one. Hopefully Dragunov-senpai may be able to help." Shizuka flashed a soft smile before bowing towards them and bidding them farewell. "I apologize for leaving so soon but I must take my leave for my shift at my work. It was delightful to see you all, a pleasant day to you." Once she had announced them of her, she left the premises.

---

With just three knocks upon the door to the room of the bespectacled girl, it was suddenly opened without awaiting any response as a voice called over upon entry, "Kotoriii! The Agriculture club is here!" Another voice familiar to the patient was heard from behind the enthusiastic male voice, "Ha-Ha-Harvester-senpai, w-we shouldn't just barge into pe-people's rooms like this-- Oh." Taking a glance around the room with the upperclassman, it seems there were already 2 visitors in the room, whom of which were also the freshman's acquaintances.

Feeling that having too many visitors may disturb Kotori's rest, Shizuka spoke up, "Um... This may not be a good time, let us come back later or at a more suitable time, Harvester-senpai. So-Sorry to have disturbed you, Shirohane-senpai, but we got you something." Before turning to leave, the younger student rested the basket of fruits upon a table in the room before bowing for farewell.

"But we just got here, Shizu! Though if we really hafta leave, then we'll come back again for sure, Kotori. Hope ya enjoy the fruits!" After flashing his signature bright smile, he waved his hand good bye towards the girl and Alexei, who he was also familiar with.

Fearing that the other upperclassman who was also heard to be hospitalized may also be entertaining his own set of visitors, Shizuka handed over the other basket of fruits to be brought to the room of Sato Hashimoto upon their next check up on him.

The next day started and sure enough Sato and Kotori were at school again. It seems some people knew they went missing, likely from their parents, who were likely gossipers. He saw a lot of visitors come after he left Kotori's ward in the hospital the other day, with all that's happened, he knew this was a good turnout for her. In any case, the school day ended fairly normally, just a few students who failed were called out to retake their exams later in the week. Rui who scored well didn't need to. It was a Wednesday, so Kendo and Kyuudo were both on. He saw Kami earlier today, and he said he would be out looking for more clues.

He was trying to leave his schedule open in case Kotori and Sato wanted to ask him about the whole shadows affair. To be honest he didn't know much about it, and when he thought about it he couldn't find a meaning beyond just helping people, because that was the right thing to do. Then again, everyone was becoming steady friends, but he couldn't feel that vibe with Kazuki and his group... Except for Megumi, but she was the only one actively being open with everyone.

"Oh well whatever...", when was summer holidays... A month and a half from now... Well, this month was going to be a long one, he thought to himself, as he headed to the club building. Maybe he should go Kyuudo again, since he hadn't shown up there in ages.

Mako walked hesitantly into the ward of the hospital where Sato was currently resting. He didn't really know what he was doing here, to be honest. Maybe he should just go home? ...No. It was time to stop being stupid. A mishap at a cosplay cafe- one that Mako himself had no hand in- should not be enough to make the two young men hate each other needlessly. Or at least be stupidly awkward at each other (though that was mostly on Mako's part). If they couldn't come out of this situation as friends, at least maybe they could come out of this genially enough to not cringe away from each other in the halls at school. That would not do at all.

He finally came to the room where the nurse told him the upperclassman was staying until tomorrow, his heart almost beating out of his chest. He rolled his eyes at his nervousness, or whatever this was.

No reason to be so antsy, Mako. It's just talk. With another guy. Whom you're strangely obsessed with.

...Just open the fucking door.

Rather than follow his brain's rather blunt suggestion, he knocked politely on the door before entering. He put on what he hoped was his most winning smile, and walked fully into the room. There was a nervous beat of silence as Mako noted that, yes, Sato was still here, before he steeled himself and launched into what he hoped wasn't going to be a big ball of awkward.

"Uh... hey."

Great start, Moritomi. He paused again, then went on.

"Missed you at drama practice. Such as it was- we haven't really been doing much, to be honest. I'm glad to see you're all right, though."

No response. Might be a good sign.

"So, uh... look. I feel like we've gotten off on the wrong foot with each other, what with the... that thing I told you I wouldn't talk about anymore. And all of that seems like a really stupid reason for us to act so stupid toward each other, yeah? So... what say we start over? Be friends, maybe? Then I can give you a chance to hate me for more legitimate reasons."

He laughed weakly at his lame joke, before stopping and staring at his feet. Curse his cheeks, they were already going red, he could feel it.

"So. You think about that, and... I'll see you at school?" And curse his voice for sounding so annoyingly hopeful.

And here I was thinking I wouldn't fuck this up...

JUNE 3RD 2015, WEDNESDAY
Early Morning
Sato was laying in his own bed. He'd never before been so glad to be in it. After the last few days' events, such a simple thing felt like a miracle blessed straight from the gods themselves.

He'd gotten discharged from the hospital the day before, and with little else to do, Sato ended up trying to call Rui. Fortunately he picked up, and after a long talk, Sato was informed of the reality of the situation. It only took a minute before Sato agreed to joining whatever makeshift rescue team Rui was in. A different kind of weight was on his shoulders now, though instead of the oppressing feeling that came with the last weight, it now filled Sato with determination.

Unfortunately, after what felt like seconds of laying in his nest of blankets, Sato had to get back up to get ready for school again. Forcing himself through his morning ritual, Sato ended up finding himself seated across from his mother, both eating some kind of egg dish Sato didn't remember ever having before. His mind was still preoccupied with the mirror world things, but not even that kept him from noticing the peculiar scene.

"Don't you have work?" Sato questioned, before taking another bite of the breakfast that was made for him.

"I usually leave an hour early most days," Sato's mother explained, "but if you'd rather I left you alone today..." She was already picking up her dishes, but Sato stopped her with one hand.

"No. Please stay. I, appreciate you being here."

A warm smile formed upon her face before setting her food back down on the table. It was a quiet morning, and soon Sato was out the door. He'd decided to forget about the whole thing until at least after school, but before he could get moving, the teen felt his cellphone vibrate in his pocket. Whipping it out, he noticed a text from Rokurou. It wasn't even worth checking; Sato already knew what it was going to say.

---

Sato found himself, again, rushing out of the classroom with the crowd. It felt a lot better than the last time. Just being in class felt better. Exams were a thought of the past, all that action was over, and instead it was slow school days and the looming responsibility he'd taken on. Keeping up his promise to himself about forgetting about the mirror world for the day, Sato preoccupied himself with dealing with a few things. The first on his agenda was to find Mako Moritomi, wherever he was. He wasn't a third year, but Sato didn't really know if he was a first or second year, so the teen opted to check out all the classrooms. Luckily, Mako was a second year and it only took one stop before Sato found the boy.

"Hey," Sato started. He'd thought it through, what he'd say, but it didn't sound right when he went through it again. "About the other day, at the hospital. I'm sorry I didn't really give you an answer. It's just kinda stupid, this thing we've got going on. So, as you suggested, I'd like it if we could start this whole thing over."

That was still dumb but better than what he'd had originally. It must've looked weird, him being a scary intimidating third year apologizing to this underclassman about their relationship. But whatever. As he'd learned (albeit through unconventional means), he didn't need to uphold some appearance.

Sato gave a laugh, rubbing the back of his hair. "So, uh, where do we go from here? Assuming you're cool with trying to put all that awkward stuff behind us."

@EnterTheHero

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | Monday, June 1 2015

Toma had entered only shortly when there was yet another knock on the door - when it turned out that apparently, Kotori hadn't made just one senpai from school worried, but another in the form of Alexei. "Ah, good evening, Dragunov-senpai. I'm doing fine," she said in response, giving a small bow while she did. Seeing the flowers in his hand, she gave a small smile - it was an unexpected, but not unwelcome, gesture; both the flowers and the smile. Much like the vase holding those that her mother had brought, flowers of all kinds always helped in making a hospital room a little more hospitable rather than their usually meticulously perfect and sterile selves.

However, that wasn't even the end of the ever-increasingly unexpected tide of visitors - a series of knocks followed before the door swung open, the one responsible making his entrance with his characteristic cheer being the Agriculture Club President, Matt. And in tow - and apparent distress at the other's brash entering - came Shizuka. She hesitated at the sight of the other visitors already present before apologising for the intrusion. "Oh, no, you're not disturbing at all, Otonashi-san, Harvester-senpai," Kotori said, shaking her head as she did - though it as true that the room was a little too small to accomodate quite this many guests. Holding up the fruit basket he'd brought along, Matt complained about having just got here - but relented anyway, dropping his gift off to a word of thanks from Kotori before heading out again.

---

Later that evening, long after visiting hours had ended, Kotori found herself herself with a small smile on her lips when she looked over to the bedside table - though she did feel a little guilty for having made everyone so worried, it was still nice to know that they cared so much. She really had been silly to think that it would be for the better to try and keep her distance from people, she thought as she shook her head at that.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Classroom 2-2 | Wednesday, June 3 2015 - After School

Like any other, this school day came to a close with the bell signalling its end. And, again, like any other, the classroom erupted in activity and chatter. But unlike most days, some of that activity homed in on Kotori - even before she could finish up her notes. It had been much the same earlier during lunch break - after feeling the looks of more than a few of her classmates on her, they'd crowded around and asked her all sorts of questions. How she was, if she'd been hurt, who'd done it - questions which, unlike the rather recent last time she'd garnered such close attention, she actually tried to answer as well as she could. At least those that didn't pertain to anything after the kidnapping - she doubted that anyone, besides Akane who'd been there, would believe her even if she told the truth; leaving her instead to give the usual 'Can't remember anything' vagueness for an answer.

Her classmate wasn't the only one who'd believe it though - as Kotori had found out the day before, there weren't just four other who bore the power over their Persona. She'd given Rui a call - after deliberating about it for a good minute or five beforehand - and been given the brief low-down about what he knew about the whole thing. Much as expected, the other kidnapping cases had resulted in the victims actually showing up in the strange place and facing their own shadows - once she'd gotten over the whole magic and other worlds stuff, it seemed only logical. Soon enough, Kotori had more than willingly agreed to aid the investigation team.

Yamato could only blink in surprise as Gen bolted from the conversation towards the 'facilities', causing the light-haired youth to chuckle as he shrugged his shoulders, "When you gotta go, you gotta go I guess." Yamato would turn his attention to those remaining; listening to the suggestions intently, raising a hand to rest lightly under his chin as he nodded attentively. The young boys eyes would continue to flicker between the two before him, landing every so often upon his snoozing cousin- though only for a moment before returning to the females. However, he once again blinked in surprise at Shizuka's request, nodding his head in understanding as his face now bore his trademark smile, "Of course. Masa couldn't get rid of me if he tried... And trust me, he does. But I'll see that he unwinds a bit." With that, his attention would return to the one named Elena, bow slightly as his hand now returned to his side, "Thank you for your suggestions. I'll drag him around a bit, see if anything garners his attention. Anyways, thanks again! And I'll see you both next year!" With that, Yamato would make his way from the duo towards his cousin, dawning a mischievous smirk. 'Try to weasel your way out of this one,' he thought to himself.

Masa had lost track of time in his snooze, not knowing if he had been asleep for hours or mere minutes before waking to the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket. Despite the threats of his cousin, Masahide had merely silenced his phone and tucked it away, but now that he was alone, he subtly slipped it from his pocket as he checked the screen. Sure enough, it was the local shrine. Despite not reading the actual contents of the message, Masa was sure it was a request for his assistance once more. In his mind, the boy began to wonder how he would separate himself from Yamato, and put an end to this charade. With a heavy sigh, he tucked away his phone as he faced forward and began to rise- greeted promptly by his cousin's form that bore a stupid grin.

"Enjoy the nap?" Yamato quizzed, eyeing over the older male who rose from the wooden bench with a slight groan. At this point, the smirk gave way to concern as Yamato's voice softened, "Does this happen often?"

"No." Masahide said flatly, once again dusting off his clothes (though they bore no sign of dust), "Just haven't slept well in the last couple of days."

"Yeah... Sure." Yamato's tone hinted at his skepticism, but he merely shrugged it off as his smile returned, "So, apparently there are a couple of hotspots around here. Your choice, but we're going to one."

Masa remained as straight faced as he could, amused by the irony of the situation. With a nod, he would start moving towards the doors, "I'll show you the shrine. I've spent a lot of time there."

"Well, aren't we eager all of the sudden? Lead the way," and with that the duo set off.

---

It had been a couple of days since Yamato's visit, but the soreness of his parting punch to Masa's jaw was still present and subtly distracting. When they arrived at the shrine and Masa had announced his plan to spend the day working, Yamato struck him without warning and merely walked away. The sudden shock and anger that welled within Masa was hardly suppressed, but enough for him to continue to the shrine and fulfill his self-appointed obligation. He figured he'd handle Yamato when he got home. After all, it was their annual visit, and normally they'd stay in the guest rooms. But Masahide returned home a few hours later, it was just his mother... And there was obviously something upsetting her. Sure enough, Yamato requested to return to Okinawa early, and his mother obliged- though hesitantly and not before apologizing profusely.

"But in truth, I should've been the one apologizing..." Masa's mother spoke out, turning her gaze away from her son with a sullen expression as she began to walk deeper into the home, but not before pausing long enough to utter her parting words, "It's once a year, Masa. Do you truly think so little of us that you can't even give us that time?"

Those words continued to echo in Masa's mind as he idly stared off into the gym, still wearing his gear from the practice merely minutes before. As hard as the young man tried to remain focused, he could not. Instead he just sat there, rummaging through his own thoughts as the others continued their drills and routines. After a while, he stood and made his way to the locker room without a word- stripping himself of his gear and hopping into the shower. Once he was finished, dressed in his uniform once more, and had returned his gear; he made his way to the head of the club and apologized for his actions before leaving. He began making his way to the front gate, his vision focused forward as he made it a point to avoid any and all that might address him. That wasn’t hard, since the student that had gone missing seemed to garner most of the attention, which was a blessing, but Masa would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious himself… But that could wait. Besides, despite being her classmate, Masa really didn’t know much about her beyond her perfect score that surpassed him.

Still, for now, he was merely attempting to get away and sort out his thoughts, but not before taking out his phone and thumbing through his contacts to Yamato's number. For a brief moment, he considered reaching out to him- apologizing for abandoning him like he did. But what was the point? No, Yamato would get over it soon enough, and if not- Masa would be alone as he always had been. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he'd continue his stroll in silence.

Mako remained in his seat at the end-of-day bell, sulking slightly. It's not like he really should have expected his visit to Sato to go anywhere else than what it did, but still, he was an optimist at heart. However, the reality was that Sato had refused to answer his question at all, forcing Mako to stand awkwardly there for what felt like forever, waiting for a response that was never coming, until he finally awkwardly made an excuse and shuffled off, defeated.

He buried his face in his hands, groaning quietly under his breath. It was bad enough that the guy probably thought he was some kind of creepy psychopath now, but because of that, he'd never have a chance to sort through this bizarre chaos of emotion caused by the cafe incident.

I mean, really- what did you expect? You can't just change someone's mind like that, and convince them you're actually worth their time, ESPECIALLY with how much of an idiot you were acting. Face it, Mako, you screwed yourself, big time--

"Hey."

Mako jumped so badly that his knee slammed painfully into the underside of his desk, requiring him to bite back a particularly caustic curse before it escaped his lips. He turned to see who had accosted him and--

His heart seemed to be trying to leap into his throat. Sato Hashimoto. Here. Not looking at him like some kind of insane idiot. Clearly, this was some sort of bizarre dream or something, since this kind of thing didn't happen in the real world.

"About the other day, at the hospital. I'm sorry I didn't really give you an answer. It's just kinda stupid, this thing we've got going on. So, as you suggested, I'd like it if we could start this whole thing over."

...Okay. Well. If this was a dream, then, he could work with that. Mako raised an eyebrow as Sato chuckled, rubbing the back of his head ruefully. Was he... nervous? And if so... why?

Easy, Moritomi. Don't read too much into this. Play it cool.

"So, uh, where do we go from here? Assuming you're cool with trying to put all that awkward stuff behind us."

Mako couldn't help it. He barked out a laugh at the upperclassman's comment. "Am I cool with it? Are you? I thought for sure you were gonna have security take me away when I was just standing there like an idiot in your hospital room! Yeah, I'm perfectly comfortable putting all that awkward BS behind us. No problem."

He stood then, suddenly feeling much better with this whole situation. He could work with this. Even if he still wasn't entirely convinced that this wasn't a dream.

"Well, uh... did you want to grab something to eat? I know a few decent places in town. My treat?"