Act I - The Prelude"Vice President!"
The glaringly bright star that was masquerading as a human forced Okazaki to immediately avert his eyes, in fear that staring at the pearly white teeth beaming in his direction for too long would leave him permanently blinded on the virtue of having his cornea set ablaze by the sheer radiance being outputted. It was always difficult, dealing with the most ... exuberant member of the drama club, especially for a more reflective and introverted person like him. The sheer energy that Oogami Youta, a frequent lead actor and part-time master of stage lighting, produced in his day to day life was immense, to the point where it would not be hyperbole to say that the other dramatist could easily power the entirety of Japan on his lonesome. For him and the other club members to deal with him on such a regular basis ... it was almost miraculous, really.
"What is it, Youta-san?" he replied politely, holding a hand up to his forehead and squinting through the glare at the other teenage boy's grinning visage. "Were you not helping out with the repairs on one of the sets?"
The last week of drama club meetings had essentially revolved around planning for the year's major production (dealing with logistical issues and assigning roles), ensuring that the newest members to the club were not left out of all the unfamiliar (to them) proceedings, and generally organising all the paperwork that came with the new year. In one of those meetings, one of their fixture sets had been damaged (accidentally, of course), and given its versatility and general ability to be utilised in a large variety of plays, one of their first jobs of the year had been to try and fix it. Oogami Youta, being the flamboyant type of person he was, had endeavoured to take charge (and thereby expose the newer members to his all-around 'magnificence').
Okazaki, on the other hand, was spending most of his time flitting from place to place, serving in a multitude of roles and generally holding the fort until Kaede Yamamoto, the actual Drama Club President, arrived to take charge of the proceedings.
He shot a quick glance down at his wristwatch. Yamamoto was beginning to be a bit late.
"I do think it's high time we had a break," declared Oogami, breaking him out of his reverie with powerful tones. "Or at least, wait until the Commander-in-Chief pops by and tells us what the plan is."
It admittedly wasn't a bad suggestion. The present drama club members were really aimlessly doing ... things in an attempt to seem productive, given that the last meeting hadn't really provided any of them with a major agenda to be dealt with. The president's absence also meant that they couldn't really host another meeting either, and so they were left aimless, as if they were shipwrecked sailors clinging onto a raft in the hopes that a passing vessel would rescue them from the cold sea of lethargic ennui.
"I guess we could stop for a bit," said Okazaki finally after a minute of silent thought. He really was just a stand-in, after all.
His proclamation, despite how subdued it was, seemed to reinvigorate the other club members immediately. What had been a quiet session of aimless work (give or take whatever flamboyant outburst had exited Oogami's mouth) transformed into activity, with gossip and chatter slowly seeping across the room as his colleagues sought the gentle caress of relaxation. Something that he himself was willing to enjoy as well. The introverted vice president leaned back against his seat, allowing the atmosphere to wash over him as tension seeped out of his body. It was best to let everyone be until Yamamoto came back.
"You're a real uk-, ukgh, doormat, Okacchin~" The whispered half-stammer caused Okazaki's head to turn carelessly to his left, half-lidded gaze meeting a strangely ... intriguing set of mischievous eyes. He blinked. Once. Twice. The eyes were very close to him.
He spoke.
"Hanazawa-san, why is your face so close to mine?"
The aforementioned drama club scriptwriter and amateur authoress shrunk back, her face fully appearing within his field of vision. To others, it would have been strange to have a girl in such close proximity, but he was beginning to grow used to her tendency to infringe upon what he considered his personal space. He wasn't particularly sure why she spent so much time shadowing his every move, especially when he was talking to Oogami, but it was one of those eccentricities to his fellow students that he doubted he would ever truly decipher.
"N-no reason, none at all," was the reply, but was that a glint of amusement in her eyes?
Okazaki decided not to pursue that path of inquiry.
"My comrades, I have the most excellent idea!"
And there was Oogami again, jumping into the middle of the room and making dramatic poses.
"What is it?" he asked, the question leaving his mouth before he could even think further upon it.
The rapid-fire explanation that made up his fellow dramatist's immediate response was almost far too overwhelming for him to understand. The mentions of a 'four-player game', 'corners' and something about 'Persona' were all that really leapt out at him between the mass of Jungian-seeming jargon and the gleaming teeth that continued to throw off his concentration. The other club members were rather enraptured by Oogami's words, but Okazaki himself was instead quite confused. Were they undergoing some sort of ... mock demon summoning ritual? Was the occult club not a floor below them?
"That's why it's a 'mock' ritual, Okacchin~!" explained Hanazawa sagely, although her expression did not even convey the slightest of the ancients' supposed wisdom. "I think it's going to be something fun to do!"
She wasn't the only one. The vice president noticed the other club members gossiping to one another, clearly interested in this strange activity that Oogami had suggested. There was some talk about the missing student council president or two, though in what context he had not been concentrating hard enough to hear. But it was clear that they were interested.
Personally it seemed rather strange and incongruous, but if the others wanted to try it out, he supposed he could help Oogami out.
What could possibly go wrong?
"I will help out as well, I suppose," he said, pulling himself up from his seat with deep sigh. "You need ... four people, is that right?"
Oogami nodded in approval. Sparkling approval. "Indeed! With you, Hanazawa and I, we just need one more fellow to be a dear and join us for this Persona ritual."
"Count me in then, sunbeam," stated a voice, one comparable to that of the highest of angels within God's host, from the back of the room. Nine sets of eyes glanced over towards where Sasaki Hayate, their narrator (for performances that required them) and eternal extra (hence the name-tag attached to his gakuran that declared the teenager to be "Tree A"), was detaching himself from the wall he had been leaning against. He was a constant fixture of the club, but the amount of effort he seemed to put in ... was admittedly rather lacklustre.
"Then that's four then!" was Oogami's response. "To our corners, comrades!"
Okazaki sighed once again as he stumbled lethargically towards his assigned corner of the room (well, the one he had been closest to). The ritual wasn't to his taste, but it would be interesting to see how it panned out. Whether or not it would summon a demon or allow them to see their future ... it didn't really matter to him. He was just here to help out the others. That was all that mattered.
"Persona-sama, Persona-sama, please come to us!"
I am thou...
That was Oogami starting them off. He dutifully shuffled from his corner to the next one, touching Hanazawa on the shoulder. The girl giggled at him, before skipping off to the next corner to hug at Hayate. Not that the magnificently-voiced man appreciated it.
But the other teenage boy too followed the rules of the ritual (what were they, say the incarnation, move to the next corner and touch a person, and repeat until everyone was finished?) and moved on to Oogami.
"Persona-sama, Persona-sama, you're really busting my balls here."
Thou art I...
It was starting to get cold in the room. The air conditioners must have been screwing up again. It was strange how they paid so much in tuition when the maintenance staff could barely keep everything working in mint condition. It did not do wonders for their already horrid reputation. Okazaki tightened his gakuran as he walked towards the next corner, nudging Hanazawa again. It was her turn now, and then his.
"Persona-sama, Persona-sama, show me my dearest wish!"
From the sea of thy soul, I come...
Hanazawa's giggles were ... stranger than usual. He glanced at the club members who weren't participating in the ritual. Their eyes were transfixed on the club's scriptwriter. She seemed ... a bit different now. Okazaki looked back over at the other two. There was also something about them. Was it the aura? They had an aura of ... something. He couldn't explain it.
He'd ask them once they got the ritual over and done with.
Okazaki stepped into his final position, ignoring the eeriness that had befallen the room. He took a deep breath.
"Persona-sama, Persona-sama ..."
Something shifted.
"
COME TO ME."
MIME!
His eyes flashed red with inhuman rage, and the rest of the club members could only scream as the four ritual participants
began
to
change
And the room exploded with unnatural light.
