Sakura's glare at the creature in the form of a student broke when Jin suddenly started moving. Before she could react, they were already on the attack, but the situation they were all in faded into the background as tears welled up in her eyes.

"You're... alright." She said, almost a whisper, then suddenly threw her arms around her friend's neck. "You're alright!" she cried again, practically swinging them by their neck. After a few moments, she snapped back to reality, or whatever passed for reality here. The situation was becoming far too surreal for her to take in all at once, and she figured she'd have a breakdown later, but for the moment everything was strangely clear to her. She settled onto her knees behind Jin, still with her arms around their neck.

"Agi" She said, almost lazily, commanding her other self to launch her own ball of flame in retort. She raised herself to her feet, picking up the bow she had dropped, and looked at it for a second. Seeming to come to a decision, she unbuckled her quiver from around her waist and handed both to Jin.

"You're still a better shot than me, for now." She said, a barely visible grin on her face.

"Oh, no, it's no problem at all."

He never mentioned a secretary on the phone, though...

Hoshizora Aiko watches in stunned silence as this women with an ill-defined relationship to her possible new boss bows to her. She bows after Aiko, more formally than Aiko, and deeper than Aiko. All appearances seem to indicate this woman is showing deference to Aiko. Aiko tenses up further. Is this how people bow in Chūkyō? No, that can't be right. This would be weird no matter where you were, wouldn't it?

Are you fucking with me? She's gotta be fucking with me.

Hoshizora Aiko follows the woman into her apparent office, her face fearful but passive. She chews her lip, her palms and forehead are sweaty. She stands ramrod straight and expectant next to a small, ugly metal chair which sits in the center of the room, facing towards the desk. She is the very image of a nervous highschool girl. She takes a deep breath, her outward composure still shaky.

Greetings, I am Interview Slayer.

@Crimmy

Rena had successfully incapacitated the monster, allow her to take control of the situation and earning the rest of the group's respect. That badass moved she made her into the badass leader that would supply the group the morale they needed to survive. That was what was suppose, but instead, the kick was complete absorb as if it was nothing. "What?" She asked herself in surprise, that fearless masked she was wearing to inspire the group had cracked, revealing concern in it place.

She was dumbfounded, how come that kick didn't work...She tried again. This time with her other foot aiming for the chest...again adsorb. It was at that point she realize blunt attacks don't work(try slash or pierce?). She then put her leg down and jump back and begin to move backwards as she faced the monster, not wanting to turn away from it encase it would attack her if she tried to run. Before she even had the choice to call her persona the monster cast a spell at her...her life begin to flash before her eyes.

if she had time, she would have wondered if she should have used her persona to attack the monster,even if there was the off chance it was actually Tomoda...

@banjoanjo

@Zobozun

Sasori and Co. Investigations

"Take a seat," said the woman, gesturing to the aforementioned chair even as she herself plonked down on the cushy seat behind the agency desk. "And tell me about yourself. How good are you with cleaning?"

She pulled open a drawer, rummaging through it one handed for a number of seconds, before removing a slightly crumpled piece of paper that was a print copy of Hoshizora's CV.

Well, it can't hurt to play along

"T-thank you.", Aiko sits down carefully. She presses her knees together, shoulders inwards, hands thrust between her thighs in a defensive pose. She struggles to keep her head up and maintain eye contact. Shy and awkward.

"My name is Hoshizora Aiko. I'm a 16-year-old high school student who just transferred to Uchima Senior High a couple blocks from here. My hobbies are reading, visiting shrines, and keeping up with fashion trends. I have confidence in my ability to fulfill the archaic dialect requirements, since I w-"

Watching period dramas doesn't count.

She coughs.

"-I, er, read a lot of old literature, you see. I'm a big fan of Mr. Shiga's work, especially. As for cleaning- well, my parents were... They'd always come home really late, after I'd gone to bed, so I got pretty good at doing housework. Mostly cleaning up for my parents while they were away and taking care of myself, but I can do some cooking, too. My best dish is fried rice noodles... Ah, but I'm getting off topic here. Throughout middle school, me and... I was the most commonly picked for cleanup duty, as well. I guess something carried over, there."

More like I was too much of a pushover to say no.

"A-anyway, I'd, uh, I'm not bragging or anything, but I'd say I'm fairly skilled at general housework, moreso than most girls my age. To be honest, I hadn't managed to get an apartment in time for my transfer so, uh, my life is in your hands, so to speak."

Senhime looked up pausing from her frantic healing of Tomoda to see a version of him that was wrong it screamed at her that it was wrong that it should exist it was WRONG. "Disappear." Senhime whispered at the dark version of Tomoda it needed to disappear it's very presence was wrong it screamed it out with no shame about it. "PLEASE DISAPPEAR" Senhime shouted at the shadow of tomoda. Than as if heeding her words Oichi stood in front of her swinging her naginata downward while a large black ball of darkness tried to swallow the shadow whole.

@Zobozun

Sasori and Co. Investigations

"A fan of Shiga Naoya?" noted the woman, unblinking crimson orbs glancing up from the resumé in her hands to gaze into Aiko's own eyes. "I wouldn't expect a high schooler to be such an avid reader of the God of Novels' work."

She smiled. It was an expression of warmth, albeit whether it had derived from amusement at the teenaged girl's taste in Japanese literature, or from approval of her choice in hobbies and personal abilities, was difficult to interpret. However, no matter the reason, it was clear that Aiko had garnered the woman's attention. The resumé had been placed back down on the wooden surface of the desk, the information provided having already been acknowledged.

The question was, had everything been enough to convince her into hiring Aiko?

"It's good to hear that you're capable," she continued, leaning forward, shoulders hunching over. "Some of the cases undertaken by this agency have ... at times left quite a mess to clean up. If your abilities are as you say, then I believe you should be able to handle it."

She steepled her hands together.

"What would you do if you didn't get the job?"

His mouth was slightly ajar, eyes confusedly focused on the purple haired girl’s shameless bravado. God, her Stand-thing was right there. Did she want to go easy on the shadowy Hawaiian shirt guy? That was stupid. There was no remaining shred of humanity in that monster. Any hostiles needed to be taken out immediately.

The girl’s kicks looked strong enough to shatter anyone’s ribs under normal circumstances, but the shadow was completely unfazed. He glanced down at his suddenly inadequate dusters.

So much for ”backing you up”, he frowned inwardly.

The girl was still using kicks instead of retreating and forming a more effective strategy. But it was too late. Halfway through the girl’s landing, heat started building near the shadow, expanding and transforming into a miniature sun. She wouldn’t make it out unscathed.

This scene seemed familiar. It was the same girl too. Funny, she could knock her opponents out with a single blow, but this was the second time he felt he had to save her.

She’s a fucking psychopath, she should be fine.

She looked like she had the physical ability to evade the shadow’s fireball. Land on the left foot, push out to the right, throw your weight to the ground. She was going to be fine.

But what if she wasn’t?

Thoughts were too familiar, feelings were exactly the same as they were when he heard that yelp and looked up from those unconscious students. She should be fine, she was going to be fine.

Why couldn’t he accept that?

Because if there was even a 1% chance she would get hurt because of his inaction, he couldn’t let it slide.

Thoughts were getting clearer.

That’s right. He hated seeing people get hurt, even more than he hated being hurt himself. When did he forget that, why did he forget?

I wanted to stop hurting. I was so scared. I would do anything for it to stop.

He moved without a second thought, lunging straight at the purple hai- no, Tatsuya. Everything came back.


He remembered chasing after them. Was it because of the fear of her wrath or genuine worry that he ran? Perhaps both?

Quit playing around. Who sprints across the entire school campus just ‘cos he’s afraid of one girl’s opinion?

A simple test; can you state your name?

She was mere centimetres from his outstretched hand. The fireball came closer.

I am Akihito Irimi. And I need to stop being such a cowardly ass.

His hands made contact, one with Tatsuya’s torso, the other with a glowing blue card.

“PERSONA.”

One body hit the ground.

“Metis!”

The second one followed suit. A different body materialised, humanoid but definitely not human. An elegant purple figure framed in a majestic golden cloak pointed her halberd at the monster.

“Garu!” The command escaped his lips as easily as a favourite song would.

A monstrous wave of wind erupted towards the shadow. But he didn’t look to see if the attack had any effect. Akihito’s gaze was fixed on Tatsuya. She was on her side, dazed but unharmed. Relief set in. Then pain. It seared through his body, consuming every part of his consciousness. He clawed pointlessly at the ground, searching for any sort of relief. His back, the pain was radiating from his back. It hurt, it hurt, IT HURT. Was the heat from his injuries or were the flames unextinguished? It didn’t matter, he was powerless against it. He lay on the ground; teeth clenched and tears escaping from the corners of his eyes. Yet through all the torment, there was a tiny seed of satisfaction. She was safe, he could take pride in that.

@chukklehed@banjoanjo@Suku@demonspade64@Mistress Dizzy@Zenphilvian@HereComesTheSnow

School Side

The fire enveloped Akihito's form, setting the unfortunate teenager ablaze, his other self's vulnerability to flames only serving to intensify the pain. Although the flickering wisps disappeared seconds later, the ethereal pumpkin head, its eerie, grinning visage, seemed to flash its gold eyes with satisfaction. The faux Tomoda body stepped forth, but was immediately buffeted by the winds called by Metis.

It recoiled back, cracked face throwing itself back as strips of oozing black miasma ripped themselves from its limbs, the miniature gale of the Garu clearly doing harm to its body.

"e̶̶̢̠͍᷆̓E̶̶̟̱᷃̉̿e̶̶̜̫͇͛͒e̶̶̥̥̔ͫ᷄E̶̶̢͔̹̝͌e̶͙̯᷃͏̶̆!!!"

An inhuman scream. Pained.

It staggered back with unnatural movements, arms seeming to melt, before righting itself. The thing reached an arm out, readying another ball of fire, but a wave of energy flowed over it. As if a machine, it froze. Confused and lost, the Pulinpa cast by Jin having done its duty.

The pumpkin's head swivelled to and fro, wild malformed eyes trying to set themselves on a target. Yet its body could not move, the fire dissipating from its arms.

It was a sitting duck for Sakura's fireball.

The attack struck true, engulfing the imperfect copy of Aloha-kun in a manner not dissimilar from how it Akihito had fared. But instead of bringing it pain, the thing began to heal.

A crazed, distorted laugh.

It clearly absorbed spells of the fire element.

With renewed strength, the thing slipped away from Senhime's naginata strike, jumping back in a manner impossible for humans, and avoided the shadow ball.

[[A͏̢̥̲̙̰̩̙̰̳̭͙͌͛̏̑͌᷁̍͐͌ͬ͠G̷̣͚᷊̰̖͖͋͌ͯ͆͌ͥ͜ͅḬ̵̢̞̣̣͔᷅᷉͌̀᷉͌̄͂̈́̿᷅͌̆͟͡ͅ]]

Another fireball left its hands, this time towards Senhime.

Dammit, should have picked someone more obscure. She's gotta be suspicious now.

Hoshizora Aiko leans back as the pink-haired woman moves forward, as if repelled by some invisible force. She asks what Aiko will do if she doesn't get the job. Shit. This woman probably planning to throw Aiko out in the cold the moment she stepped in here! God, this was such a stupid thing to bank on! Damage control; what can she say so she won't seem desperate? She had close friends in the area who were willing to take her in, but the commute was prohibitive? No, she can verify that easily, and then Aiko will be in an even worse position. What can she bluff with? She reaches into her bag, fingers curling around a plastic bag of newspaper clippings.

Worth a shot.

Aiko pulls out the bag cautiously, opening it and sorting through ugly little slips of paper.

"W-well, this is the closest one, but I've researched and there's a s-surprising number of companies these days that offer employee dorms. I'd really like to, uh, be close to school, though. I get carsick easily. If that fell through, I'd, uh, probably see if the shrine a few miles from here could take me in while I got my bearings. After that, er, I can't say I really planned that far ahead, honestly."

@Zobozun

Sasori and Co. Investigations

The woman seemed to consider Aiko's words, her two index fingers twiddling unconsciously against one another as her crimson eyes blinked in thought. She didn't look as if she was about to reject the young girl for the job; in fact, she appeared to be dwelling on the information that had been provided to her. It was pretty easy to tell, given the way her brows were creasing in thought.

"Hmm ... you're attending Uchima Senior High, are you not?"

"Great work, Kimiko-chan!" Daisuke crowed victoriously, flashing the other student a quick thumbs-up before he refocused on the DRUs in front of him. With the way he grinned, you'd think he'd already one. Maybe in his eyes he already had. Maybe in his eyes the presence of Miyamoto Daisuke and Kimiko Saitou and the embodiment of their spirits, allied with a mechanical fiend turned to their side by sheer force of will, was already proof of victory. Not that the DRUs were very eager to allow him his defiant attitude. The pizza bot he was previously fighting had taken it personally and started to charge him, while two of its brethren moved to flank.

But things were different now. Now, he had Benkei.

The samurai pushed Daisuke back with a forceful shove to the chest, one that the teen didn't fight even the slightest. To the contrary he took another step back himself to let his Persona move in front of him, effectively tagging the much more qualified entity into the fight. The two flanking DRUs were doomed to be outright disappointed, as their fireballs struck the Persona standing where his master had previously been and the flames were simply absorbed into his being. Not that the warrior was paying them any mind.

It, instead, was drawing back its naginata and swinging the haft directly towards the oncoming DRU while Daisuke shouted "Bash!". The collision of the two forces would be interesting to say the least, but the eldest Miyamoto didn't plan on being up close to see it. In a rare showing of better judgement he had elected to start withdrawing a few paces towards Kimiko, Kaguya, and the newly-flipped DRU to let Benkei be the new point of their formation.

He was much, much better equipped for it.

Just when all hope was lost Something slammed right into Rena from the side...Rena then snapped out of her own life review and realise some hot was on top of her. At that pointed she wondered if she was still alive or did heaven just sent her straight to hell with any review from a saint sitting in front of heaven's gate. Then she noticed it was moving. Something wet and warm dropped onto her face. She then tried to get up in order to look around. That when she realize that the hot thing on top of her...was a now on fire Akihito Irimi.

"Aki!" She screamed out before quickly move out from under. In a panic, she started looking around trying to figure out what to do.

>Put the fire out.
>Take him out of the front lines first.

She then calmed herself down as she took off her overcoat that calm with the uniform(If i remember correctly it is still spring). She then screamed to the rest of the group fighting the monster. "You guys, lead the monster away from here while I put out Aki." She told them before she started smacking her overcoat on into the flame on Aki back in an effort to crush and smother the flames. Once the flames were put out Rena then lifted Aki up and wrap his arm around the top of her neck she could carry him out of the front lines.

Damn it how did he end up on fire, That attack was meant for her. She wondered as she carried him away from the danger she begin to reflect once more on what happen back there. Then the answer that was in the back of her mind soon found itself in her conscious mind. "Wait a minute Aki...did you save me back there?" She asked him looking nervous. Was it her fault he was burned? Did her Pride put this man in danger? Theses Questions haunted her more than any ghost could.

Those burn look painfully. "Hey do any of you guys know how to treat burns?" she yelled out theses the group. Perhaps this was a good time for a "Dia" spell.

ost

Victory swelled within her breast like a balloon full of heroin.

This spirit - this Persona - this robot - her tools. Her array of weaponry, her greatest allies, against those who would seek to give Kimiko Saitou a hand-tossed death. Daisuke brought death to the robot the apocalypse two at a time as he and his own Persona began veering around to join her and the student from their class who had remained. They were defended here, but not by much. And the larger question went unanswered - of why they were attacking at all.

Her DRU, with infatuation brimming in its eyes, launched a pizza at one of the advancing horde. Daisuke's Persona - and her McFriend - looked as ready as ever to fight. But Kimiko's eyes had found her next prize.

"A piece of Ramen or a military unit can only be led from the front end."

Deliberately, with steel in her eyes, Kimiko Saitou straddled a brainwashed pizza robot and pointed.

"I ride."

And, with her DRU brought to heel like a synthetic thoroughbred, the formation began advancing towards the truck.

In a fit of panic Senhime was caught by the large fireball that was hurled at her. "AHHHHH" was all she was able to word as the fire quickly engulfed her. As if on instinct she grabbed the uniform blazer and tore it off sadly this did little to actually stop the fire that caught on her. Large burn welts formed on her arms and legs as she collapsed onto her knees in exhaustion. Tired and in pain she tried to get up only to collapse once more due to the pain. "Why...." She muttered out as the pain was enveloping her body leaving her to distracted to say much more than that.

Lala finally arrived to the suburban area that Uchima Senior High was located. She would walk around after having to go through multiple types of transportation to arrive to this area. Her first time getting around in Japan, but specifically Shikatsu, she was struggling a bit to getting around. It was quite normal that she'd speak to herself as part of her optimistic and self motivating personality. Her hands reached into her small bag as she stopped and left any bags of things she was bringing over with her stay abroad.

"Huh? I thought I had my notes in here." She would scrounge around looking around in the smaller bag she carried and looked up. "Well it seems I might have forgotten it on my way here." She would close her bag to look around.

Lala would walk to where she thought the school she was attending at. She still had enough on her mind for her nervous state of going abroad. Her eyes trailed around looking at the area she was in. She wasn't quite aware of the current phenomenons of the school, but she wasn't going to take the adventure of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire, not yet at least.

Finishing any arrangement of sorts, she would begin heading towards the correct direction to Uchima Senior High. Her mind was preparing for her mind to waver by the time she got to the school. After all, it was full of actual possible intellects and skilled young adults. She wouldn't be doubtful, but she'd probably be lesser of the others she thought to herself at the time. She arrived in sight of the school as she looked from a distance.

"So this is it huh? I somehow have an odd intuition that I shouldn't go ahead, but it's probably some butterflies in my stomach." She would slowly move toward the school, but turn back and hesitate. "Maybe I should go back and tour around the other areas." Her eyes stared towards the way she came from with silence filling the air. She soon turned toward the school and sighed, "Well, let's get this over with, but something still seems odd." Her feet moved at a short and slow stride as she had some odd suspicions of it currently. That is of what's happening now that is.

Sakura's glare at the creature in the form of a student broke when Jin suddenly started moving. Before she could react, they were already on the attack, but the situation they were all in faded into the background as tears welled up in her eyes.

"You're... alright." She said, almost a whisper, then suddenly threw her arms around her friend's neck. "You're alright!" she cried again, practically swinging them by their neck. After a few moments, she snapped back to reality, or whatever passed for reality here. The situation was becoming far too surreal for her to take in all at once, and she figured she'd have a breakdown later, but for the moment everything was strangely clear to her. She settled onto her knees behind Jin, still with her arms around their neck.

"Agi" She said, almost lazily, commanding her other self to launch her own ball of flame in retort. She raised herself to her feet, picking up the bow she had dropped, and looked at it for a second. Seeming to come to a decision, she unbuckled her quiver from around her waist and handed both to Jin.

"You're still a better shot than me, for now." She said, a barely visible grin on her face.

Jin would deal with the sudden, confusing flood of warmth coming from Sakura's body later. Taking the bow with a nod of thanks, Jin took a moment to line up a shot, exhale and fire. Once the shot was off, they whipped the quiver around their shoulder and buckled it in one swift movement. Everything after that happened so quickly. That thing spoke, in a horrible voice that Jin would be digging out of their nightmares for weeks, and then there was fire. Someone tried to play hero, Senhime was on fire, and...

"HEY! HEYYY!" Jin loosed four arrows, one after another. Not really aiming for a kill-shot, but looking for attention. "Right here! Come on, you ugly fucker! Fight someone worth challenging. Clotho, come on!" After calling their Persona, Jin darted toward the shadow-monster, and away from Senhime. "Cool but not cold water, get it covered and get her the fuck out of here!"

Hoping the shadow would follow, Jin and Clotho took off running.

Sakura watched Jin run, a slight smile on her face. She wondered briefly that she wasn't freaking out at the situation they had found themselves in, fighting a monstrous clone of one of their classmates with their own inhuman creatures on a platform of butterflies in a patch black void. She decided that the crisis registered more important than the unreality of it, and that most of them would have plenty of time to be upset later.

Her gaze refocused on one of the girls, who had taken the brunt of one of the attacks. Leaving Jin to fight on their own for a moment, Sakura rushed over to kneel beside her. The girl was still breathing, but other than that it looked bad. Sakura glanced at Inari, hovering passively behind her, and knew what to do.

"Dia!"

Soft light flowed from her outstretched hands, settling over Senhime and healing most of the damage the burns had done.
"C'mon, this fight isn't over yet." she said, levering herself upright to find Jin again.

Despite not knowing of what was happening in the dark sides of the school, Lala proceeded on looking around upon entering the school. There were club activities going on during the after school period. Her eyes would try to peek into rooms as she moved through the halls. She began to think about some of the clubs she should join.

"Hmm... I should probably join a club. The physical activity clubs seem like a nice start, but drama club might be interesting." Lala would smile and move along while looking towards the classrooms. She saw some of the classrooms completely empty or being used for club activities. As she continued along while gazing towards the classrooms she bumped into a students as they were walking in a group with other students. She stepped back and bowed forward. "I'm so sorry!" She had looked up a bit after and saw them walking away shrugging her off. "At least I didn't stand out or get pestered by their curiosity."

After going through the hallway, Lala would begin to look for the faculty office. She planned to at least go in during the school day, but her arrival was deferred. On the bright side, she would be able to tour around the school and clubs while after school. Even being lost in the school, she made it to the faculty office without any detours taken.

"This seems to be it. Let's just hope there's someone in there to welcome me." Lala went to the door and began to slide it open. She entered after opening the door and looked around as she spoke, "Excuse me..."

@finalends

NPC: Igarashi Iemasa

"Oh, good afternoon!"

Igarashi Iemasa, twenty-five years old and committed to a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend in Hokkaido, swivelled away from the pile of half-marked history essays on his desk, the office chair beneath him squeaking as his entire body moved around to face the newcomer to the office. With ruffled blonde hair, handsome looks and a pair of round-rimmed glasses sitting over sparkling cerulean, the youthful teacher was quite the welcoming sight, especially with the easygoing grin that had found its way to his face upon sighting Lala, his eyes seemingly lighting up as the casual greeting left his mouth.

"I haven't seen you around before," were his next words, and it was patently obvious that the history teacher was in fact quite curious as to where Lala had originated! He prided himself on being a pretty amicable guy, and had spent a lotta time on getting to know each and every one of his students (even the ones who weren't in his class, because they could be awesome too), but this girl in front of him was completely unknown to him.

Given her uniform, that meant one definite thing?

"Are you new here?"

Meanwhile, the other teachers in the faculty office returned to their own business, satisfied that Igarashi was already dealing with the situation. That was probably the reason why they put his desk so close to the door; he was the people person.