[IC] Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 10th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@RiverMaiden

It didn't come as much of a surprise that the cat brought a collection of Noriaki's peers along with her. She had managed to gather quite the number of errant students beforehand, after all. Unlike them, however, the teen actually knew at least the first one to approach. Hinari put forth a theory about kittens, and for all his love of felines, he couldn't offer a rebuttal of worth for that. Maybe she was just looking for a lost kitten that managed to find its way into the school. Certainly didn't explain why she was so affection with him, but maybe his uniform picked up some kind of smell from his own cat earlier in the morning. He didn't have too much time to ruminate on it, as others quickly began to assemble around the mystery animal. One of them, the next tallest kid in his class, expressed shock there really was a cat after all. Noriaki had heard the rumblings too, during lunch. Apparently they blamed the shattering of one of the gym's mirrors on the poor little thing, as if something her size had the strength or leverage to pry one off the wall. Not that he especially minded the loss of gaudy, polished glass. He had been wary of mirrors ever since the night he rescued his own mouser from the burnt out ruins near his home, ever since that girl—imagined or not—warned him about straying too close. It was in that moment, the vague acknowledgment of memories he had spent the better part of two days trying to bury, that it clicked for Noriaki. That was where he had seen the bewitching eyes this little kitty possessed. On the back of his sudden realization, he recalled another phantom from his hours spent dozing. "The previous denizen of the stage has made it to your world," His expression immediately soured. This was not what he came to Kyoto for. He was here for a new start. New school, new friends, new job, good grades and a pleased parole officer. No weird, mysteriously regeneration houses down the street. No creepy mirrors full of grasping hands. No bloodcurdling demons trying to stab him in the chest and no god damn ghost girls pretending to be cats. He didn't have a choice that first time—hell, up until that very moment, he had been content to consider everything that happened that night a stress-induced nightmare. But now other people could confirm the weirdness was real. Mirrors were exploding, cats with mystical eyes were wandering the halls, and it all managed to find its way back to him. "I told you last time I wasn't doing that shit again," He hissed under his breath, using the fingers that had so gingerly been searching for a good spot to scratch to force the little imposter's gaze up to meet his own. "I don't want a damn thing to do with you, or your house, or your immortal demon bitch." It might have occurred to him how crazy he sounded to the others assembled, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to stick around long enough for the girl crazy enough to go back into the viper's pit to do more of her spooky magic and end up dragging him into who knew what. He stood up from his crouch and turned back to his locker, pulling out his sneakers and dropping them to the floor so he could change and get the hell out of there. Whatever soul-eating kitten she wanted him to find could be someone else's problem.

[Hero]

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---

The blonde cat let out a sad meow, albeit she didn't let up as Noriaki stepped away. If anything, his distance caused her to get even louder, as if she was insistent that he give her his attention. Once Noriaki made it clear that he would be taking his leave, however, the meows ceased as she simply watched him. Her tail curled around her, mismatched eyes watching and following his movements. Once his shoes hit the floor, however, it seemed like a decision was made.

Without warning, the cat lurched forward, biting down on the laces on both pairs of sneakers and quickly dragging them with her as she darted towards the bulletin board. She stared at Noriaki in defiance, backing up slowly until she was approached--at that point, the cat outright ran. Both sneakers repeatedly hit the ground as she sprinted away, albeit as she tackled the gym door, there wasn't enough space for both sneakers and one was abandoned at the door as she slipped through with the other one.

Once inside, she stopped momentarily, looking around. The air in the gym felt off, an unnatural chill permeating the room. Abandoning the sneaker for the moment, she sat down as she eyed a pair of glowing blue butterflies flying around in a circle. They eventually split off, one landing on the mirror still intact, and the other one fluttering away. It went through the gym doors, flying past several students, but no one reacted to it. It circled around the shoe lockers, making its way back to the gym until it landed on the same mirror as its twin.

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@Asura@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@RiverMaiden

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[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 10th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@RiverMaiden

All the sad yowling in the world wasn't going to get Noriaki to follow that little hellion. Honestly, taking the form of his favorite animal to try and guilt him? What did she take him for, some kind of bleeding heart who was that easily lured in? He would have given her a piece of his mind, if he intended on ever engaging with her again. Yet no sooner than the rubber soles of his sneakers clattered against the floor did his resolve falter—the little shit had taken off with his shoes! "Get back here with those, you little bitch!" He yelled after the supposed feline, who only seemed to stare him down as if challenging him to come and take them. He practically snarled as he slammed his locker door shut, jamming his foot back into the one slipper he had managed to shed before her little stunt. Those were his favorite pair—never mind his only pair—and he wasn't going to let her hold them hostage for whatever spooky, mirror-related bullshit she wanted to drag him into this time! The teen muscled his way past Hinari and Mori as he began his pursuit, which predictably caused his quarry to skitter off in the opposite direction, his footwear clattering across the ground as she took flight. Fast as he was, he wasn't quite fast enough to reach her before she rammed her way through the gymnasium doors, albeit with one fewer of his sneakers in her grubby little mouth. He snatched it off the ground as he barreled through the doors himself, wielding it above his head like a projectile-to-be for the second he laid eyes on the little thief. He might have pegged her with it, had the atmosphere in the gym not immediately taken him back to the chilly April night they had first crossed paths. In lieu of a shoe to the face, he instead laid a dagger-like glare upon her from across the court. "Not this shit again. I am not doing this shit again!"

[Obscene Symphony]

_{April 10th—Afternoon}

---

Emi didn’t hear a word in class that day.

She was far, far too antsy to listen; if she had any use for pens and paper, her margins would probably be filled with William’s words from last night. “The previous denizen of the stage has made it to your world.” Everything else he’d said paled in comparison: that “denizen” was Mineri, Emi was sure of it! Could it really be that Mineri had returned to the real world? Did that mean her other friends were somehow trapped inside the mirror—the Reflected World, as William had finally called it—too?

The thought was at once thrilling and relieving. Though she’d felt so certain that her friends couldn’t possibly be dead, she supposed there’d always been some little voice in the back of her head telling her that she was just delusional, a grief-stricken girl in denial. But oh, to have something confirm what she so desperately wanted to be true! It felt like she’d spent the last five months clamped in a vise, and only today was she set free.

Of course, that made it all the more difficult to sit idly in a classroom all day when all she wanted was to be out searching for Mineri. But what was she going to do, run around Kyoto shouting a dead girl’s name? Getting scooped up by the police for some kind of psych evaluation wouldn’t help anybody. No, she needed a plan. And she had the makings of one, at least, and although she wasn’t too fond of simply waiting for another sign from the Reflected World to show itself, it seemed like her best course of action. After all, two nights in a row she’d gotten signs from William, who she assumed hailed from there; in fact, it seemed that Mineri herself used to be his “client”, if her understanding was correct. Additionally, the mirror still wouldn’t let her cross, so her only choice seemed to be to wait for… whatever decided to come out and find her.

But at least some threads were popping up, assuring her she wasn’t just entertaining some broad and complex fever dream. People around Hinotori were testier today than yesterday, there was no question about it. It was the same familiar, tense sort of agitation she recalled from a few other locales across town that she and the Torch Bearers had dealt with over the summer; the kind of tension that made you walk on eggshells, fearful that it could snap at any moment. Even the weather seemed angry, judging by the thunder in the distance and the static in the air. The Reflected World was stirring, there was no doubt about it.

In a weird, twisted way, it was almost fun to get back to sleuthing out the Shadows again.

Consumed by thought, Emi missed the toll of the day-end bell, and it wasn’t until a familiar voice sounded right in front of her that she deigned to pay any attention to the world around her.

“Ueno-san, I’m glad I could catch you. I just wanted to...apologize for yesterday. I didn’t mean to come off as insensitive. I was just throwing out potential options. I am grateful that you have taken up the mantle to try and work with the club members. If there’s anything I can do to assist, please let me know.”

Blinking, Emi straightened in her seat, chasing the fog from her head as she tried to absorb what Naomi was saying. “Oh, right,” she finally replied, moving to gather what few things she had on her desk. She took a deep breath, stalling a moment as she brought yesterday’s meeting back to mind. How insignificant it felt now, after learning that such much more important matters were at hand.

“I’m sorry, too, if I came off a little testy. I’m sure you can see that the clubs are a topic pretty close to my heart,” she said, standing. A knot threatened to form in her throat again, but it was less pushy than yesterday; maybe a newfound confirmation of hope was helping her to stay strong. “At the same time, though, I hope that jumping to cuts won’t become a trend on the Council this year. I know the new budget will be a challenge, but like I said yesterday, there’s almost always a way to make it work, as long as we don’t throw things away before trying to fix them. I think we can figure it out.”

Unfolding her cane, Emi hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, gesturing in the direction of the door. “We can discuss more on the way to the meeting, if you’d like,” she suggested, silently hoping that her suspicions would hold true and that the weather would deter the other members from attending. She’d go to save face, but she sincerely hoped she’d find an empty room and with it, an excuse to go looking for her friends without rousing suspicion.

A well-timed, distant boom of thunder punctuated her statement, and she chuckled for good measure. “That is, if anyone bothers going.”

---

_@Entityx

[Entityx]

April 10th- Afternoon

---

Oka noticed that it was taking Ueno-san a moment to reply. She seemed to be lost in thought there for a moment. It was then she replied with an apology of her own and Oka felt a sense of relief. The last thing she needed was a rift in the Student Council. Besides, in a way she was still trying to build some sort of relationship with her peers this year without her father knowing.

Oka moved out of Ueno-san’s way so that she could move beside her. Oka began to walk out of the classroom, assuming that Ueno-san would follow. “Well, honestly I didn’t mean it that way. It’s a bad habit of mine. There’s a lot of pressure from administration and I just wanted to throw the feelers out. That and...I guess I just thought of how my father would react.” Oka grew silent for a moment. She had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. For as long as she could remember, she always worked to earn the respect of her father.

To some degree she felt like she had it and part of her still continued to work hard to keep it. It was a strange ethical dilemma she was experiencing between her father and her school life. Oka had been under this thought process for so long...it was hard to break old habits.

“But I understand, moving forward we will look at other solutions that benefit everyone.” As they walked, Oka thought about Kendo again. It would have been a good time to burn off some frustration but maybe she could really make amends by working with Ueno-san on the club budget. The sound of thunder boomed throughout the school, causing it to rumble. Oka immediately became distracted by it. “So odd that it would be storming today. I’m usually very prepared...what’s going on? I’m sorry to get off topic Ueno-san, first yesterday with the writing on the board and now this random storm today.” Oka couldn’t explain why she felt so uneasy.

"The corruption of that world has started to seep into your own.” That phrase started to ring in her head. It was just a dream right? She just hadn’t gotten enough sleep last night that’s all. Yeah, that had to be it.

---

@Obscene Symphony

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 10th - After School}

---

The cat was understandably popular, but Daigo was a bit worried all the commotion would spook her again and she'd dart off. Though, one of the onlookers seemed to have stopped more for Hoshino than their new feline companion. She looked familiar somehow, so the redhead assumed she was in their grade or maybe even their class, given her familiarity with the new kid. Or maybe Hoshino was just catching girls' attention everywhere. Figures. The other kid was definitely in their class, though - Mori-kun, if he remembered right. More importantly, he was asking the important questions.

"She was looking for something earlier, but she ran right to Hoshino when she saw him," Daigo explained, "I figured she might be a mother cat looking for k-" His voice trailed off once he registered Noriaki... angry grumbling at the cat? So Hoshino did know her, but then why was he playing dumb earlier? Kinda hard to forget an animal with eyes like that. Evidently, he and the mystery cat didn't get along, though the cat certainly didn't seem to agree with that assessment given how she had acted. Or... maybe he really hated her owner, if he so charmingly referred to them as a 'demon bitch'.

As Hoshino coldly turned away, Daigo reached out to comfortingly scratch the cat's back while it yowled in indignance. Who the hell moves to a new town and immediately gets into beef with a cat? He could at least be nice enough to tell them who the cat belonged to if he was evidently so familiar with her, demon owner or not. The ginger's earlier qualms of the cat not reciprocating the animosity were swiftly dashed, however, when she pulled away from Daigo's hand and snatched Hoshino's shoes. Maybe she liked to steal things and he'd been the victim of her antics once before?

Either way, Daigo moved to stand and offer help retrieving Noriaki's shoes, but the other boy barreled over him before he even had the chance to open his mouth. Hoshino really hated this one cat in particular - maybe if he'd been nicer, he wouldn't be missing his shoes right now. He'd still probably need help cornering the cat, no matter how spirited he gave chase, and Genki seemed a bit too... lethargic to help, if his attitude in class was any indicator. Plus, Daigo absolutely had to know what the new kid had against this cat.

"What was that about?" The boy mused rhetorically as he righted himself from the awkward position Noriaki had shoved him into and stood at last. He shrugged back at the other two students, heedless of the butterfly that had made itself known around the lockers. It wasn't until he'd trotted off in pursuit of the fleeing cat that he noticed it fluttering overhead. Daigo blinked a few times and, still unconvinced, took his glasses off to rub them fruitlessly on the front of his hoodie. It rarely made them any cleaner, but it never stopped him from repeating the futile gesture everytime he saw something weird. Once they were back on his face and the inconspicuous teal dot in the distance had sharpened into a butterfly once again, Daigo was fairly certain he'd be checking in to the insane asylum right alongside Hoshino later. Hallucinations from a recurring dream had to be ranked higher on the crazy scale than desire to fight a cat.

Worse, it was headed right for the gym. The closed gym. Principal's office for trespassing, then insane asylum. So much for going home early. He glanced around to make sure the coast was clear, then slipped into the gym as quietly as the doors would allow. The scene that greeted him was, naturally, Hoshino brandishing a shoe at the poor kitty. And the butterflies. Plural now, apparently. And why was it so cold in there? He would've heard if the new gym had A/C. Clearly he had somehow fallen and knocked himself out on the floor when Noriaki shoved past him.

"Um, Hoshino-kun," The ginger called sheepishly, on the off-chance he could still get in trouble in his dream, "We're not supposed to be in here, so you should probably hurry up..."

---

@Asura@RiverMaiden@Lord Orgasmo

[Lord Orgasmo]

April 10th. Speaking with:@Scribe of Thoth

---

As he observed the cat more closely, it almost seemed like it knew the boy it was rubbing up against. Maybe it wasn't as stray as he originally thought. Either that, or this kid was exceptionally good with cats. Upon further inspection to the small group that had gathered around, he recognized the two boys, and a third girl who had begun approaching. They were his classmates. He hadn't exactly been able to put names to faces, but he heard a "Hoshino-san" from the girl, presumably Hoshino was the one the cat was rubbing up to.

Now that the novelty of a cat had begun to wear off, Genki remembered that he needed to finish up those posters. He was about to say something, when this supposed Hoshino began muttering to the cat. He sounded... angry. He even had a grip on the cat's head. Guess he must not like cats after all. Or maybe he found cat shit in one of his shoes. That'd piss just about anyone off.

Well, whatever. It was time to get back to work. Or at least it would've been, if he hadn't heard a shout and a brush at his leg. He turned to see the cat had taken off towards the gym, tugging a pair of shoes behind it. Were those...

Before he could finish the thought, Hoshino had taken off towards the cat. Yep, those were his shoes. Though it left one behind as it ran past the gym doors. Running through a gym full of broken glass didn't exactly seem like the best idea, but Hoshino and the redhead took off anyways. As funny as it would be to watch them go traipsing around a gym full of shattered mirrors, Genki decided it would be better to just put the rest of the posters up and head home.

Yet out of the corner of his eye he spotted something blue moving about in the air. It was a butterfly. That's strange. First a cat and now a butterfly? What else was in there, a monkey? Although, he couldn't help be feel a little strange upon seeing the butterfly. Nobody else seemed to care about it, or, at least nobody he could see. It also felt like he'd seen this butterfly before. But where? It was on the tip of his metaphorical tongue, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen it.

Not a moment later, the butterfly returned to the gym, almost as if it was on a predetermined path. Well, this certainly piqued his interest. What other zoological wonder were inside of said gym? Surely just a quick look couldn't hurt.

Heading to the gym doors, he stepped inside and looked around. Yeah, there were certainly a bunch of broken mirrors in there. And Hoshino harassing the cat, though at this point it was pretty deserved. He also noticed that there were now two Butterflies, not just the one. And the air felt... strangely cold, like the AC was on full blast, but only in this room. He heard a voice beside him. It was the redheaded boy. Something about getting in trouble. "Given the fact that a cat stole someone's shoe, we could probably get away with just saying we were playing the good samaritan in helping get our fellow student's possession back. Besides, getting chewed out is totally worth watching this guy dance around after a cat."

[RiverMaiden]

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| April 10th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - School Entrance |@Scribe of Thoth@Asura@Lord Orgasmo|

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Though she could not hear the words the transfer student had muttered under his breath, Yori didn't attempt to hide her expression. It was common courtesy to look at the person you were speaking to, and whether or not his words were meant for her or one of the boys that had met with him first, it was clear with her look of disdain that the sole girl of the small gathering did not approve. The fact that he seemed to be messing with the stray cat that was near him by grabbing its head may have also influenced her attitude.

Her mouth opened, brows pulled together as she prepared to begin what would no doubt be a long, lengthy lecture. "You-"

The words never came, however, as their small yet relatively calm area of the shoe lockers suddenly burst with activity. She only caught sight of the cat running away with two somethings in its mouth before Noriaki quickly moved to follow it, shoving her out of the way in the process. Nearly stumbling, she was able to stop herself from falling by grabbing onto one of the open cubicles. Stunned, if only for a moment, she pulled herself back to her feet around the time she noticed that one of the boys had been knocked over as well. When his question reached her, Yori could only shake her head to convey that she had no idea why the chain events had occurred, just before her brain caught up with what had happened and she started to visibly fume.

While the other two seemed to follow Noriaki out of concern or mere curiosity, the girl briskly walked after them with a fire in her eyes, no doubt inflamed by what she considered to be not only terrible manners but a lack of care for his fellow classmates.

When they reached the gym, it was clear that she had trouble not slamming the doors wide open, physically restraining herself to merely pushing one of the slightly ajar doors to see what was going on inside past the two boys who stood by the entrance. Overhearing the duo's conversation, she added her own commentary to the mix, siding with her orange-haired classmate's sentiments. "The gym was blocked off for a reason. Besides, Hoshino-san's not getting out of here without a stern talking to."

As the transfer student yelled nonsensical words at the cat, who seemed to have stolen his shoes by the looks of things, Yori would've yelled at him in a similar manner if it weren't for a flicker of something that drew her eye. A pair of blue butterflies. Glowing as they settled upon one of the still-functioning mirrors, it wasn't quite clear if it was a trick of the dim lighting streaming into the gym or just her imagination. Unbidden, a faint memory, or rather the remnant of a dream, flickered at the back of her mind.

What had it been about again?

[Hero]

---

---

The cat focused on the dim glow of the unnatural butterflies, outright ignoring Noriaki's threat. She did end up dropping the other sneaker as she approached the mirror, lifting a paw and touching the glass. One butterfly sank in, enveloping the reflection in a pleasant, soothing glow. The reflection blurred itself until it was completely gone, making the mirror look more like a slate than anything. The entire gym was then enveloped in a similar blue light, reminding the students of their dream in the Velvet Room.

"God dammit! You guys need to get the fuck out of here, now, before—"

As the cat's meows cut him off, however, the blue quickly turned to black. Noticing the difference, she let out a hiss, slowly backing up. Much to everyone's surprise, something slowly came out of the mirror, looking a lot like someone trying to stretch out melted plastic. Eventually, it resembled a hand, reaching more and more until its shape was solidified, and it stopped in place. After a few seconds, it seemed to make a decision as several other hands slowly broke apart from it.

With an impressive speed, it zipped out, taking a hold of Daigo's ankle. There wasn't any warning before it hastily decided to drag him towards the mirror, the miniature hands making sure it had a good hold of his leg.

---

@Scribe of Thoth@Asura@Lord Orgasmo@RiverMaiden

---

Maki's greeting did little to convince the Vice President that his action was in the wrong, solidified by his weary look over at Suzuki, who had no choice but to close her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose. Momoji wisely chose to remain silent, crossing her arms and leaving the trio as she decided to wait for her own student. While Suzuki appreciated the lack of comment, she wasn't exactly thrilled at any of this.

Vice Principal Taniguchi remained relatively composed. "It seems the summer break did little to curb that attitude. A shame, but rest assured, we will not accept it," He stated. "Your penchant for slander is as far as we will allow it. For penance, you'll be joining the disciplinary committee under Nakano-san until we can be sure you've learned your lesson."

---

@psych0pomp

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Sora stifled a yawn as he walked through the hallway, rubbing his eye. He had finally gotten away with falling asleep at his desk! And then promptly stayed there while everyone else had left. But at least he didn't get in trouble! Despite knowing he was likely to get caught out in the rain, he still needed to thank his senpai and return the camera.

He entered the stairwell and was about to climb when he spotted a brown-haired girl curled up in the corner of the room. Concerned, Sora cautiously approached her, only to realize he recognized her. "Mina-senpai?" He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She jumped at his touch, eyes wide with horror, though she visibly relaxed, shaking her head as she stood up. "I'm...I'm fine," She mumbled, hastily wiping away a tear. "Sorry, Kinoshita-kun, but I don't think I'll make it to Photography Class."

"Oh, well..." He trailed off, though he couldn't help but remain firm. Nakano=senpai warned them yesterday about the rise in delinquency. "Mina-senpai, if someone hurt you or threatened you, please tell me."

"No, it's not--It wasn't--" She stumbled over her words, shrinking back. "Yamamoto-senpai just..."

"Yamamoto?" Sora asked, but at that point Mina turned and ran straight out the door. "Ah, Mina-senpai!" He called after her, but she clearly had no intention of coming back. Scratching the back of his head, Sora looked up the stairwell. No one seemed to be around, but she mentioned Yamamoto. Not the same third year Yamamoto though, right? It was a common name, but he didn't know who else she could be referring to.

Ascending the stairs, Sora went straight to the Council Room, though it was empty, much to his dismay. Nakano-senpai hadn't come at all? He lingered, trying to think of what he could do, but after a moment, he spotted both Naomi and Ueno walking together.

"Naomi-enpai! Ueno-senpai!" He hastily rushed over to the two. "You haven't seen Nakano-senpai or the third year Yamamoto, have you?"

---

@Obscene Symphony@Entityx

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[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 10th - After School}

---

So this was just the next part of his dream. Daigo had been half-kidding when he entertained the thought earlier, but the sudden shift in atmosphere confirmed it. The butterflies, the blue light; Daigo did miss the melody that had been playing though. It had been an enchanting tune, and it really livened the - what was it called? Silk Room? - up. The silent gym was just ominous. It still felt oddly real for a dream; he had a sense of lucidity that shouldn't have been present through the usual haze of sleep, but he supposed he could say the same about the other visits to the blue train car.

The second shift of lighting quickly turned the dream into a nightmare. Hoshino's warning registered just enough to convince Daigo to hesitantly back up a few steps, though the undulating black mass emerging from the mirror stole his attention far more effectively. It looked like a hand - was a person coming out? Maybe William, he hadn't made an appearance yet. Rather than a man in a blue suit, the ginger was greeted with more hand. And even more hand. And it was fast. The hand cleared the room before Daigo even noticed it was coming for him, and once it seized his leg, Daigo realized he was decidedly not in a dream.

The hand ripped him off his feet and caused him to slam hard on his back, promptly knocking the wind out of him. In lieu of screaming, the ginger sucked air and flailed his arms, clawing for something - anything to grab onto. When he failed to get a firm grasp on either of his classmates' legs, he started to kick futilely at the vice around his ankle. The hand didn't flinch or falter; whatever had grabbed him was either very committed or didn't even notice the sensation. As he slid toward the mirror, Daigo continued scrambling for a handhold, though the smooth floors of the renovated gym offered little in that regard. Wait, Hoshino seemed knowledgable about all this; maybe he knew something.

"Wh-what do I do?! What is this thing?!" Daigo cried frantically, now kicking wildly like a child throwing a tantrum without a better option in sight.

---

@Asura@RiverMaiden@Lord Orgasmo

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 10th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@RiverMaiden

He didn't think it was somehow possible, but the atmosphere which hung so oppressively over the gym managed to put Noriaki on edge more than any dumb, ghostly girl's antics. It was exactly like the night he had been dragged by who-knew-what into that other world, right down to the gentle plodding of a pale cat towards a seemingly innocuous mirror. Only, unlike that time, he wasn't alone. All three of his classmates had apparently come after him into the gym, completely unaware of the danger they had put themselves in with their curiosity. He had to warn them, no matter how crazy he might have sounded. If this was going to go down again, he could at least prevent other people from getting wrapped up in it. He jerked his head to the side as cool azure seemed to overtake the ambient light. "God dammit! You guys need to get the fuck out of here, now, before—" His warning seemed to come just a few seconds too late. Blue faded to black, and darkness overtook the interior of the gym. His eyes instinctively snapped back to the mirror the feline had been toying with, and surely enough it appeared. A shadowy mass, morphing itself into the vaguest of hand shapes. There was a split second, a single beat, as it seemed to contemplate its victims. In that heartbeat, Noriaki's feet pushed off the ground. It was going to grab someone. He just needed to get to them first. The most likely victim would be the one closest, which meant... "Hinari!" But again he wasn't fast enough. By the time the word left his mouth, the grasping hands had already gotten a hold on the ginger's legs and pulled him to the floor. A thousand swears ran through his mind as he watched the boy skidding across polished wood, no handholds in sight to try and keep him from being dragged in. In their absence, he resolved to act in their place. His mad dash across the gym culminated in a dive, the teen sliding across the well-kept floor as he had done in so many home games, managing to just barely reach his one-time companion and grip his hand around one of those so desperately outstretched. As he clung onto Daigo, the heels of his feet pressed hard into the gymnasium's floor, and Noriaki pulled with all the might such a position could afford him. Which, unfortunately, wasn't as much as he wanted, the traction of school issued slippers being what it was. "You hold on for your life! I fuckin' knew this was going to happen! Every fuckin' time I follow a cat to a mirror!"

[Lord Orgasmo]

April 10th. Interacting with:@Asura@Scribe of Thoth@RiverMaiden

---

The girl behind Genki had a point. Staying here would likely result in some sort of trouble, but in his mind it was totally worth it. Though the chewing out he'd get would probably come from her, not the principal. Then, he noticed something strange. The cat holding the shoes put one of its paws on the mirror, and seemed to absorb one of the butterflies, and the soft blue glow from the mirror looked eerily familiar. Just like the butterflies. Then, everything went pear-shaped.

The mirror suddenly turned dark, and something began to come out of the mirror. A black, amorphous blob began to reach out, eventually taking the form of a hand. Genki stood dumbfounded. Was this one of those American prank shows? Were these three in on it? Was the cat in on it? No, it couldn't be. This was too real. And before he could continue the thought, the hand suddenly jumped forward, with extra hands splitting off from it, and wrapping itself around the redhead's leg, pulling him forward before he had time to react.

Hoshino seemed to have some sort of idea of what was going on, as he yelled some kind of warning earlier, which Genki was a little too stunned to hear. He then watched as he dove for the redheaded boy's outstretched hand. But that didn't seem to slow down the hand. Well, if one couldn't do it, how about two?

Genki took off towards the two boys, the occasional piece of glass crunching under his shoes. He lunged forward and grabbed at the other flailing hand of the boy being dragged. He pulled with all his might, trying to slow down the hands, but there wasn't much he could do besides add more weight. The waxed gym floors didn't offer much in the way friction. He looked towards the other boy, Hoshino, or at least, Genki hoped that was his name. "Any idea what to do next? If we keep pulling, will it stop? Do we need more weight?" He looked to where the green-haired girl was. Would she be enough?

[psych0pomp]

| 𝖣𝖠𝖳𝖤 : 10 APRIL 2018 | 𝖨𝖭𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖠𝖢𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭𝖲 : ASSHOLES TEACHERS | 𝖫𝖮𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 : HINOTORI HIGH |

The silence between the three teachers, one being the vice-principal, was enough for Maki to know that she had already been the topic of conversation. They’d probably already discussed her previous actions and her escalating attitude. She’d never really been shy about her behavior, but she at least had an ambiguity to her actions. Now everything was out for people to pick apart and put under a microscope. This was doubly bad considering she’d heard nothing from Shiro. He had to be somewhere.

Maki awaited whatever their punishment was. As long as they didn’t berate her again about not pursuing arts in a more substantial manner, she’d be fine. Or at least that’s what she thought.

Her jaw went a little slack at her sentence Washing graffiti? A poetic punishment. Picking up trash? She’d try to stab Funai a few times with her poker. Organizing school supplies? She needed a few more highlighters in her pocket. But being under Nakano was akin to putting Hitler under Gandhi to “learn his lesson.” Wait. That was a bad analogy. Why did she make herself Hitler? Uh. It was like asking a chicken to teach a dinosaur a lesson. That was a better analogy. Maki would take being a tyrannosaurus rex any day.

“Are you fu-for real? Nakano-san?” Maki placed her hands on her hips. “Disciplinary committee? What? Why? How?” She made a noise through her lips that was akin to a cat raring up to pounce. Where was the other guy? She needed that human shield right about now. “You-you...” she irked out, pointing her finger. Maki deflated. She knew that she’d be in more trouble than it was worth if she really finished that sentiment.

“F-fine,” she gritted out, eyebrow twitching. "I can't wait to be her bit-best friend."

^{| 𝖳𝖠𝖦(𝖲) : @Hero|}

[RiverMaiden]

---

| April 10th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - School Entrance |@Scribe of Thoth@Asura@Lord Orgasmo|

---

Eyes locked upon the mirror, not a single sound escaped Yori's lips. Whether by a wave of confusion, instinctual dread, or silent awe of the unnatural phenomenon occurring before her, the young woman barely even registered Noriaki's warning under the brilliant blue glow that covered the interior of the gym. Nothing about the situation could be conveniently explained, not the disappearance of the butterflies, the mirror becoming a source of light, nor the subsequential shift of blue to black that heralded the appearance of an amorphous something that crawled out from the mirror's surface.

Unable to comprehend what she was looking at, Yori took precious seconds of time to realize that the strange material from the mirror had formed into an otherworldly appendage, and could only watch as it stretched with incredible speed toward one of the boys she had followed to the gymnasium and grabbed him by his leg.

While the others quickly moved quickly, she hesitated despite the circumstances, stuck in place as the boys struggled to wrestle the orange-haired teen away from the abnormal limb. It was only when the redhead looked her way that she began to move, a modicum of resolve rising to replace the confusion and fear in her eyes. Stopping where the hands were wrapped around an ankle, Yori rose her foot and stomped on its fingers as hard as she could, but to no effect. It was as if the appendage hadn't even noticed she had done anything at all.

Abandoning the idea of causing pain to force whatever was dragging her classmate to let go, she instead crouched down and attempted to pull one of the hands off, only to yet again cast aside the idea when she could find no leverage under the fingers or hands of the supernatural arm. Instead, she mirrored her classmates' idea to grab hold of the boy himself, wrapping both hands around his leg in hope of having better leverage as she pulled in unison with the other two.

Still, her efforts seemed to be in vain, and the foggy memory of a dream grew clearer in her mind. Through clenched teeth, she started to repeat words under her breath, barely audible to her classmates as she continued to pull as hard as she could. "Don't slip. Don't let go. Don't slip. Don't let go..."

[Hero]

---

---

The pace at which Daigo was pulled slowed down at the additional weight, albeit it kept going. Eventually, as the four neared the mirror, the hand raised itself up, consequently pulling up all four students. There wasn't any warning aside from the change in movement, and in what seemed like a blink, they were then pulled into the mirror. There was nothing but darkness at first, and one could mistake it for an unpleasant dream if not for the chill that would run up their spines. Once they were through, the gym returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

On the Other Side, the four promptly fell through as the hand paused for a moment, though its grip on Daigo remained. The room they were now in was similar to the one that Noriaki had previously visited: there was nothing but bare walls all around them with only one way to go. The only exception was the mirror behind them, its color inky black as before.

A small spot remained clear but was slowly closing, though a brilliant blue light shined through it. Consolidating on the ground, the cat leapt through as its body took on the blue light, promptly erupting into a burst of flames that reached the ceiling. When said flames died down, a young woman stood in its place, opening her eyes to reveal the same pair of mismatched eyes as the cat. However, Noriaki would notice a few changes from before. For one, she no longer bore the same armor, instead clad only in a short, black dress and a pair of tassals hanging from her elbows. The second and much more noticeable difference was the addition of a pair of cat ears that were clearly not there before, and with a second glance, one would notice her tail swaying quietly behind her.

At her presence, the hand immediately released Daigo and grew in size, its fingers sharpening into claws. Letting out a scoff, she snapped her fingers, a blue flame producing a card in front of her. "Come, Lorelei!" She called, beckoning forth a creature behind her. As the hand shot forth, Lorelei released a spell of ice, resulting in several icicles shooting up and piercing through it. The effectiveness of the attack may have been questionable, but the hand yanked itself back, slithering away and through the open door.

Flipping her hair behind her back, the blonde took a step forward, listening intently. After a few seconds, she visibly relaxed, turning back to the other teenagers. Once her mismatched eyes landed on Noriaki, she lit up. "There you are!" She grinned. "I was wondering when my Devil was going to come back to me."

---

---

"The two of you will be friends before you know it," The extremely dry and completely unconvincing response from Vice Principal Taniguchi could not have been delivered in anything that would have even remotely been anything but disdain, but there it was. The expectation had been laid out and there was no room for discussion; Maki's compliance was, at best, a convenience but little more to him. Suzuki was a little surprised, but not entirely relieved.

Still, at the very least she would give Maki some sort of recognition. "Your cooperation is appreciated," Her response was sincere, at least. "Now, as to what your duties entail, that will be up to Nakano. From what I'm aware, the council usually gathers a few times a week in the Student Council Room with Nakano herself being there every afternoon, but I don't think you'll be there every day. For now, go on over to the room and introduce yourself."

"And remember that we will be keeping a close eye on you going forward," Taniguchi added, ending his side of the conversation as he rejoined the other teachers.

Suzuki resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but she looked back at Maki. Letting out a small sigh, she crossed her arms. "I'm a little surprised by you, if I'm honest. I heard nothing but good things from Kaibara-sensei, but this...even you have to recognize targeting Nakano was wrong, right?" She stared down hard at Maki, searching her face for something to convince her. "I understand you've been going through a rough time, but there are better ways than this to let out all that anger. Have you considered speaking to Chitose, the school's counselor?"

---

---

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 10th - ???}

---

Three people. That would be enough. It had to be enough. This hand couldn't be that strong. And yet, with every passing second, the door in the distance grew further and further away. Daigo still wanted to scream, but he couldn't will himself to do so. His mouth simply hung open, petrified in fear. Focusing on anything except the floor right in front of him became a challenge, though the hint of blue that still lined his periphery told him it was merely another symptom of panic. Literally nothing he could do here would matter. It was over. As he reached the mirror and the arm saw fit to lift him upward, his mouth finally pursed into a lopsided grin. He wanted to puke.

Then everything was gone, replaced with cold and vertigo and darkness. Did he die? That wasn't so bad.

Daigo's fears weren't assuaged when his body flopped against the cold floor of a new room, mainly because the creepy hand had followed him into the afterlife. It was still there with a vice around his leg like a shackle. He couldn't catch his breath; why couldn't he catch his breath? Dead people didn't breathe. He was alive, but... somewhere new. Even as the hand finally saw fit to release him, his limbs wouldn't stop trembling. Strangely, the other grips remained. Purple. The thing staring at him from the other end of his arm was purple. That wasn't natural.

The redhead pulled his arms away from the two grabbing his wrists with the last bit of strength he could muster, still hyperventilating. He propped himself up just in time to witness some giant figure spear the hand that had harassed him. That new girl did it somehow. Her eyes looked like the cat's. She looked like a cat. Daigo was wrong; he had seen that yellow before. William had the same shade. Maybe a good sign. But why lead him to the hand and then ward it off? Nothing about this was right, he couldn't even think straight. All his thoughts came out choppy. Worse, his glasses probably fell off in the gym. Dazed as he was, the boy didn't have the presence of mind to realize they had simply gotten tangled in his bangs when the hand briefly dangled him upside down as they entered the mirror.

"Who are-" Daigo panted. No, that wasn't appropriate, "What are-" His words failed again as he sucked in another frantic breath. The potentially evil catgirl called the thing with the purple eyes her devil. Devils weren't good. But... she helped him. Was she just warding off another predator when she attacked the hand so she could eat him? "Think... 'm gonna throw up."

---

@Asura@RiverMaiden@Lord Orgasmo

[Obscene Symphony]

_{April 10th—Afternoon}

---

Emi was admittedly a little too distracted to listen carefully to what Naomi was saying, tapping her way alongside the girl with her head in the clouds—literally. The tumultuous weather was growing nearer by the minute by the sound of it, and if it decided to settle upon the school, Emi was pretty sure she’d have another clue. An actual storm whipped up by corruption bleeding through from the Reflected World… that would probably be the biggest disturbance she and her friends had seen if it was true. What did that say about the scale of the disturbance, then? Was what stirred inside the mirror this time a more formidable foe than she’d faced before? And how could she hope to take it on alone?

Those thoughts and others troubled her as she walked, though it was as if Naomi read her mind, bringing up the thunder of her own accord. “The writing on the board and the weather? You think they’re connected somehow?” she feigned ignorance, tossing Naomi an innocent shrug. “I mean, I’m no meteorologist, but who knows? Maybe the electricity building up from the storm riles people up or something?”

There wasn’t much time for further conversation; as they rounded the corner to the Student Council room, a familiar presence made itself known—in the form of shouting at them, anyway.

"Naomi-enpai! Ueno-senpai! You haven't seen Nakano-senpai or the third year Yamamoto, have you?"

“Nakano-san isn’t here yet?” Emi asked in return, brow knit in confusion. The weather was likely going to call off the meeting, sure, but from what Emi knew of Nakano, she wouldn’t be the type to shirk her duty as President until she knew nobody else would be there.

As for Yamamoto, the first person who came to mind was Yamamoto Kenta, the son of a wealthy benefactor of the school. But what did he have to do with anything? Kinoshita sounded more than a little distressed—had something happened to them? “I haven’t come across either of them, why? What’s wrong?”

---

_{@Entityx @Hero}

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 10th 2018 L O C A T I O N The Hall of Mirrors T A G S @Hero@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@RiverMaiden

There was an inevitability to their fate that lingered in the back of Noriaki's mind, even as additional bodies piled onto the ginger to keep him from being dragged into the mirror. When the hands had come for him, he had significantly better leverage and traction to fight against them with. He was taller, stronger, and the mirror was a hell of a lot smaller, yet his handhold snapped before he could wrench himself free. The source of the hands seemed to want Daigo just as much as she had wanted him. It probably would have been smart to just let him go. The ghost girl masquerading as a cat could go in after him, seeing as though she was so very acquainted with fighting demons. It was her fault the lot of them had been brought into this. But he had always been obstinate when he set his mind to something. There was a small, stubborn part of him that refused to allow him to walk that path, just as it had refused to allow him to flee the night that demon decided to attack. Noriaki stubbornly clung to Daigo's hand as the group was slowly but surely pulled through the surface of the mirror, and only blackness remained. It was a little different from his first journey through. Maybe it was because he had been on his ass when they were forced through the mirror, but the darkness gave way to light just as Noriaki landed with a thump against the floor of... wherever the hell they had been brought. It was all vaguely familiar, but familiarity with this place was not something Noriaki wanted to cultivate. A cursory inspection seemed to imply the others had been brought along with him just fine, including the one who had been snared. Who was still snared. The teen stared at the hand—which had been so kind as to pause its endless tug-of-war—and released Daigo's arm. He had been here before. That little shit on an angel had helped him. He even had a sword! One which was now suspiciously absent from his hand. If he could just get it back, he could try severing the damned thing. Yet he would not have the opportunity. No sooner than he raised his hand and tried to call the weapon into existence, did an unfortunately familiar voice hit his ear. It hit the hand with something equally unpleasant soon thereafter. With slit-eyes, Noriaki watched the inhuman appendage squirmed its way across the floor in retreat, all the way down the blank hallway until it disappeared entirely into what looked to be an ominous doorway. Most people, in that scenario, would probably have felt relief. Freed from the grasp of something horrible, safe for the time being, able to collect themselves and tend to their peers without fear. That was not the case for Noriaki. He could feel a heat building up inside of him, roiling just below the surface. A tail he had scarcely acknowledged since arrival flicked to-and-fro irately. When he heard it again—that fucking voice—the heat boiled over. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" His voice seemed to echo off the narrow hall as he boomed at the ghostly visage behind him, the aforementioned tail whipping against the ground to punctuate each word of his. The classmate he had labored so hard to rescue went by the wayside entirely as he stomped his way over to the girl, now sporting cat-ears and a tail like she had started part timing at a cosplay cafe. "What part of 'I don't want to do this again' do you not understand?! I'm not getting involved with you or that half-naked demon bitch! Which should have been clear about two minutes ago when I told you I wasn't going to do it! And who do you think you're calling a devil?! Or yours, for that matter?! I don't see a collar on my neck, do you?! If anything, you should be wearing one!" His tirade was only matched in its intensity by its volume, and paused only so he could seize the girl by one of the fluffy feline ears atop her head. "Look at these things! You seriously thought this was gonna work?! Lure me in with another fuckin' cat?! Fool me once!"

[Entityx]

April 10th- Afternoon

---

Maybe she was just overthinking things. She didn’t really think they were connected, more like the instances were strange. The students were really acting out of character lately. The rise of delinquency was very unlike the school. It was to the point that administration was involving the student council to help manage these issues. Everything just felt off. Then the weather this morning, she initially put it off as a potential error by the meteorologist but the fact that they had gone from no chance of rain to this was a bit odd.

Either way, she couldn’t argue against Ueno-san. Instead, she opted to stay silent and not say anything further. As they rounded the corner to head to the Student Council room, their familiar kouhai came shouting at them. Odd, she didn’t see him as the type to behave this way.

“Yamamoto-san? Hm? Why would I know where he is? And now that you mention it, Nakano-san as well? She’s not here either?” Oka was as puzzled as Ueno-san. For one, she didn’t have too much of a close relationship with Yamamoto-san. What little she did know of him, she didn’t like. He reminded her of a pesky, dirty little weasel. He never gave her the aura that he was truly pleasant to be around. Word around school was that he often gave Nakano-san trouble. That alone was more than enough reason not to like him. She respected Nakano-san too much. She tried not to make a face at the mere mention of the boy.

“It is odd that she’s not here. I understand the weather, but I would’ve assumed she would’ve mentioned something to us today.” And as Ueno-san asked if anything was wrong, Oka followed up with, “Is there something we can help you with instead?”

---

@Obscene Symphony@Hero

[Hero]

---

---

Letting out a cry of disapproval, the girl immediately tried to get out of Noriaki's grip. "Ow ow ow ow--stop! You're gonna pull my ear off!" She whined. "Why are you taking it out on me?! You've already awakened, haven't you?! We have to go defeat the source of the Corruption so it stops targeting that boy! That's just what we do!"

Yanking herself out of his grasp, she let out a tiny whimper as she massaged her ear. Letting out a small huff, she puffed out her chest as she threw a glare at her attacker. "I said you're my devil because you are, see?" Pressing her finger into his chest, the blue card formed before him. "I don't know how you got it, but that's my Devil arcana. I saw it when I was at the shoe lockers and knew you'd be the one to follow me over. Not that I thought it'd go grabbing people, but if it's getting that bold, it has to be stopped."

Coming to a pause, she realized something as she slowly blinked at him. "...I've never seen you before, though. I think you have me mistaken for someone else," She said, frowning.

---

@Asura@Scribe of Thoth@Lord Orgasmo@RiverMaiden

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