Fandom The Phantom Thieves

[That Weird girl]

Akira was not very popular at Shunjin academy. The people he hung out with were literally the "weirdos" or the kids who were anti social to everyone and that was not going to change soon or it might. He was not paying attention in Mrs. Kawakami's homeroom class drawing a pirate ship in his notebook. Kawakami was going on about the usual morning announcements and how they would be taking exams later in the year. She sighed as she knew her students were probably sleeping because it was early, the teacher wanted to make sure that the new student would feel welcome in Shunjin and in her class.

"Also we will be welcoming a new student here today," Kawakami explained to the class as she faced them, "now I don't know when she will be arriving but I expect you all to be nice to her since she is new."

Akira actually listened to this and shrugged wondering what this new girl would be like. Maybe she wouldn't hate him like the rest of the school? He knew the rumors would get to her and that Kajiki would make sure that she did not like him. Akira should have beat him to a pulp but Kajiki was a spoiled brat who deserved it, everything he wanted he got. Either that would the new girl would think Akira is an edgy kid who acted like an asshole for no reason although she would be partially right Akira did kinda have a reason. Everyone treated him like dog muck on their shoe except a few people who did not really notice him.

He wasn't cool enough to be in a gang or that tough really. He did talk back to teachers and adults excluding Sojiro because he was sacred of him and what he would do. Akira did have a horrible social life and mostly just went to Cafe Leblanc to either work or study. That was what he was planning on doing today after school. It was a Monday which meant a full week of school was going to exhaust Akira and maybe keep him from working night shifts if he could get away with it.​

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Miyuki was swarmed within seconds of entering the school ground. It was not unexpected, she was a known actress who worked for Disney and in Hollywood. In fact, paparazzi and fans followed her from her home to the school. It was expected and supposedly she was prepared for it. But experiencing it was a different thing all together. One student recognizing her, approaching her became four then six, then ten before she knew her back was gains the locker, and she could not move. Announcements of love and being with fans, request for signatures and selfies. Part of her was terrified and other was revelling in the attention and popularity.

She took a moment and intake of breath before turning on what she called her work mode. She gave her most winning smile and the standard lines on dealing with fans. She small-talked, took a couple of pictures, the odd flirtatious comment to both boys and girls. She continued to do so until the teachers finally intervened. A stern looking well maintained middle age male teacher with short black hair and glasses seemed to part away the students with one word and glare, and an attractive tanned female teacher with long raven hair and purple dress.

"You." The male teacher called on Miyuki. "What is your name? I dont recognise you."

"Miyuki Minamoto-Adams, Sir." She replied dutifully, finding herself straighten and her expression turning serious under the stern gaze of the teacher.e."

"I see.. The famous transferred student." He said disapprovingly. "I knew you would be trouble the first day you came here. A distraction to the other students.You like causing trouble for the school?" He seemed to start on going on some sort of rant before the other teacher intervened.

"Easy there, Mr Ushimaru." She said putting a hand on his shoulder before looking at Miyuki. Though there was a smile on her face there was something in the way that she looked at Miyuki that Miyuki found uncomfortable. Was it jealousy? "Do you know your homeroom or teacher, miss Minamoto-Adams?"

"Oh eh... I believe i am with a Miss... Kawakami I believe." She replied, checking a letter she had in her pocket.

"Oh good, i was hoping to speak to her. I will guide you there. " The teacher replied before turning and indicated for Miyuki to follow.

 

[Nellancholy]

In an alley somewhere within the less savory parts of the city, Shiro stood over the boy she had knocked down with a firm hook to the jaw, the lead pipe in her hand pressed down against his chest. He looked around a year younger than her, his spiky bleached blonde hair and leather jacket marking him as someone with a certain disregard for polite society. Even if the jacket did seem a bit too big for him.

"W-what the hell man?" The boy panted. "The fuck was that for?! You tryin' to start something?" He squirmed under her, reaching towards her leg to pull her off him. A slight raising of her leg and a step on his stomach put a stop to that.

"Quiet. I believe I'm the one asking questions." Shiro growled, her expression bubbling with contempt. "What business have you in our domain? You're not from around here, and I don't approve of you approaching my sisters."

"What, I need a permit from you to pick up chicks now? Piss off!" Despite the precarious situation he was in, the boy didn't hesitate to keep running his mouth.

"As foolish as I would consider that course of action, no. But you weren't just 'picking them up', were you?" She grit her teeth. "You were 'scouting' them. Now, in whose name were you doing that?"

"Why should I tell you?! I can keep secrets too-" His objection was cut off by the joint on the end of the pipe gently tapping the bruise on his jaw.

Shiro's eyes narrowed.

"F-fine. It's Kajiki." The boy sighed, deflating like a balloon. "He's been looking to make more cash and get us involved in some real work..."

"Kajiki. Of course..." Shiro hummed softly. Kajiki's gang had been getting more and more bold lately, and their recent actions meant...they were probably getting involved with the yakuza family that controlled this region of the city. Chinpira like him would never join a group with rules and obligations like the yakuza, but as long as his gang remained useful to them (such as by "scouting" girls to work in the yakuza's...establishments), they'd be willing to back them up to a certain point. And that meant Kajiki's gang would only get greedier and more reckless each day.

"Hmph. I've learned what I need to. Go ahead, you may depart." Stepping off, Shiro turned to leave.

"D-don't get so cocky!" The boy stammered, still shaking from the altercation. "There's like fifty of us! Soon we can come back and run you and your bitches outta town!"

Shiro stopped. She inhaled sharply. The end of the pipe rested above the boy's knee.

"Well, perhaps then they can start by collecting you."

Crunch.

---

[2 days later...]

Shiro leaned against a wall on the outside of the Shujin Academy building, the same frayed hoodie hugging her tight over last years uniform. After the...altercation of two days ago, she figured it'd be a good time to lay low for a bit and change her hunting grounds. And yet, she found herself loitering on the school grounds instead. No one would dare to start a fight here, except perhaps those as foolhardy as her.

But why did she come here, of all places she could hide? Knowing that many of Kajiki's lackeys attended here as well, perhaps she thought that she could learn a bit more about his plans for the future. Even so, what could she do in the face of all that? It's not like she was a cop. Or much interested in talking to cops. Or could she even fight him herself?

She frowned. And there was Mr. Ushimaru, raising some kind of stink about the new transfer student. She seemed a little familiar...Shiro's eyes followed her for a moment. Maybe she might find out something interesting if she stayed a bit longer.

 

[That Weird girl]

Akira had decided to stay out of the whole "gang war" thing that Kajiki was involved in or whatever. He knew that Kajiki wanted to get involved with the Yakuza and honesty he hated the Yakuza, they were full of horrible people. Akira wished he wasn't just a 16 year old kid and could actually fight back for a change. He would have to avoid Shiro and her sisters when he was going to go back home if they knew about him which was unlikely. He was sure that Kajiki's lackeys would never find him since he was planning one staying in Kawakami's class all day.

"Hmmm maybe the new student got lost," Sadayo thought out loud as she cleaned the whiteboard. She was beginning to get worried and also that her students would make the girl uncomfortable by wanting her autograph and gossiping about her. Sadayo then decided to look out of her classroom and saw a teacher walking towards her with another student she guessed was Miyuki.

"OH hello," Sadayo greeted Miyuki not seeming too fazed by her famous presence, "I am your homeroom teacher Mrs. Kawakami. and you didn't miss much I was just talking about the exams that are happening in November." Sadayo understood that Miyuki would not want to introduce herself but if she wanted to then she could. "If you would like to introduce yourself you can," she said with a friendly tone, "but I won't make you."

Akira glanced at Miyuki wondering if she would be friend or foe for him. Was she with Kajiki? Kajiki was not shy around famous girls or popular ones and would probably try to get in her pants soon. Akira scoffed softy at Miyuki not thinking he was going to like her because of her fame

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

"Good morning, Mrs Kawakami." Miyuki said, bowing her head briefly and respectfully at her new home room teacher. It had been a while since she had been in a school environment, and she had been in the US most of that time. She was surprisingly uncertain what was the proper protocols were though she remembered that things were stricter things. "A pleasure meeting you."

She paused, considering whether she should introduce herself. Part of her did not relish to introduce herself, however she knew what she did not say the gossip and rumor mill of the school will fill in, and it might be to her favour. Best she said her side of the story now and hopefully that would counter at least somewhat counter any rumours about her. "I think I will, ma'am." She replied with a confident smile before walking to the front of the class by the teachers desk. Looking out at the staring faces of her new fellow students.

Some seemed to realise who she was with a look of surprise, and some were just curious or perked up be her looks. All the stares and speaking in public was nothing new to her, still she could have feel nervous. When she spoke in front of people is to mostly people she will see once and then never again. The people in front of her were people she was stuck with for the foreable future, day after day. Potential friends or enemies, and there was no speech she could read of from or advice from her manager or mother to go for. Maybe she should not have agreed to speak after all.

Too late now. She cleared her throat and put in the same charming smile she had put whenever she was in an interview. "Good morning all... I am Miyuki Minamoto-Adams. Most of you might know me better as Minnie Moto and from various shows and the Land of Mysteries saga films. I have taken a break from acting due to medical reason and return to my hometown of Tokyo for the foreseeable futures. I am looking forward to meeting everyone and hope we have a good time together. Thank you."

 

[That Weird girl]

"Alright that is fine," Sadayo said and dreaded the attention Miyuki would bring and make kids not pay attention to her lessons even more. She was already having a hard time getting her students engaged and with a celebrity it would be harder on her but she could manage it. The poor girl was probably getting hassled by the other teachers so she did not need Sadayo to get on her case.

"Thank you for introducing yourself Miyuki," Sadayo said, walking to the middle of the room and turned to her class, "Now everyone we are going to treat Miyuki like a normal student and welcome her to our classroom."

"Her agents are going to make Mrs. Kawakami give her good grades," A boy whispered to his friend who was sitting next to him, "you think she is smart?" Akira whacked the boy on the back of the head because he was sitting behind him, "How about you shut your trap and leave her alone." The boy rubbed his head and turned his head to Akira, "shut up Akira."

Sadayo turned to the boys with her arms crossed and the boy nervously turned back. Akira sighed and and returned to drawing in his notebook. "Akira in my office after school," Sadayo scolded and Akira rolled his eyes, "Ok fine." Sadyo then returned to teaching her lesson.

 

[TreasureSniper]

The meeting in the student council room was as fruitful as ever, with Sougo mostly looking at his phone while the president continue to talk about relatively trivial manners. With everything as of late, Sougo found it strange that the president chose to omit more pressing concerns such as the recent surge of gang violence and sexual harassment rumors about a teacher. "Agata, are you even listening?" The president spoke up, mildly irritated by the fact that the vice president did some to take the meeting seriously.

Sougo cracked his signature sly smile and replied. "Yes, of course, I am. I've already taken steps to investigate the matter....personally." He was vague with his response, but that seemed more than enough to quell the wrath of the president. He already had a list of people he knew for a fact that was involved in the recent gang violence, he just needed to decide how he would approach, and how he can walk away with from this situation with an advantage.

"That's it for this meeting, we are done for today." And with that, the president closed the meeting, but not without adding one more message to Sougo. "Oh and Sougo, the principal wants to have a word with you." the president added before leaving. Sougo wasn't that surprised about all this, since he was a bit of trouble maker, but he was pretty confident he could slip out of all this unscathed.

"You wanted to see me, Mr principal?" Sougo entered the room, putting on his usual polite facade to prepare for whatever allegations he had to deal with. "Ah.. Agata-kun... please come in." He invited him over for a seat in front of his desk. "Lately, I've been hearing some troubling rumors about your investigation of gang violence. Now I understand your intentions might be noble, but involving yourself with such people can cause....complications. The last thing I want is one of our modal students to get hurt..." That last part didn't seem to sit right with Sougo, but like always, he just wanted to deescalate the situation. "Your concern is appreciated sir, I shall be more mindful of my investigation." He said, once again, very vague with his response. "I also would appreciate it if you were to stop your investigation of one of our teachers. That is something I will deal with myself, is that clear?" The principal spoke with a much more authoritative tone, taking this matter much more seriously. "Oh? Is that so?" Sougo purposely gave a condescending response, clearly not convinced by the principal's performance.

"As you wish..." He finally muttered finally breaking the tension. And with that, the young man got up from his chair and tried to leave, much to the annoyance of the principal. "Do not think that you are indispensable just because of the title you hold, Agata-kun." The man warned the boy, clearly angered by the disrespectful actions and antics. "....Likewise..." He gave a sly smile. before exiting.

Current day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sougo entered the teacher's office to drop off some paperwork he had for a few teachers as per his duties. He wasn't that surprised to see Akira again in the office. He was a troublemaker, so it was only natural to see him there every now again. Suddenly, a certain gym teacher seemed to stand up in a panic, looking around as if trying to find someone. "When I get my hands on the bastard who did this...." He mumbled to himself, holding a piece of paper that resembled a ransom letter. "Was it you?" He randomly shouted and pointed to Akira, which triggered a small amused chuckle from Sougo. Turning his attention to the snickering Sougo, he grabbed by the collar and pull the boy closer. "It was you wasn't it? You think this is some type of joke?" He asked, clearly fuming from what he had just read. "Who knows?" He simply gave a sly remark as the teacher winded up a punch but notice that everyone was watching and decided not to. "You're lucky I have training today..." He spoke bitterly before leaving the office.

 

[Nellancholy]

Shiro couldn't quite make out the details of the new girl's self-introductions through the window she was peeking through. She did look more and more familiar, though. And even more than that, she looked sharp. Neatly manicured. Plastic, even in that uniform. Now that she thought about it, that girl was probably yet another showbiz alumnus. One of many that the industry chewed up and spit out on an annual basis. She'd be back to being Plain Jane soon enough.

Well, there wasn't much left to do here. She could just climb back over the wall and head somewhere else-

Bee-beep!

The default ringtone of her phone rang from her jacket pocket. Crap. Somehow, she'd forgotten to set it to silent.

"Hey, you!" Mr. Ushimaru's voice boomed from one of the entranceways. Man like him clearly had little more to do than "patrol" the hallways for any miscreants. "You...Akiyama?! The hell are you doing back here?!" Before he could take his next step, Shiro broke into a sprint, throwing herself around the nearest corner. The walls were too high to climb quickly and get away with someone hot on her heels...time for plan B.

Putting her hand on the ledge of the nearest open ground-level window, Shiro vaulted into the school building and pulled the curtains shut behind her. "Phew..." Ushimaru's leather shoes thundered by outside, having left her just a few seconds to spare.

She seemed to have escaped into some kind of vacant clubroom that was being cleaned out. Whoever was in charge of the job seemed to have left the window open and gone for a break, but dust was still stirring in the air.

"Ha...ha...hachoo!" Shiro's face scrunched up, and she let out a thunderous sneeze. "Damn it..." She definitely couldn't stick around after making a noise like that. Time to find another exit. Wiping her nose on her sleeve, she slipped out the door.

Any further thought was disrupted by the equally loud sounds of an altercation between a certain sports coach and a sharply-dressed student. Shiro scoffed as she watched the coach depart in the opposite direction as she walked into the corridor, doing her best to look like she was supposed to be here. Narrowly missing Sougo as she swaggered around the corner, her gaze swept past him, landing onto Akira in the teacher's office instead.

"You...heh. You're one of Kajiki's foul spawn, aren't you?"

That Weird girl

 

[That Weird girl]

The model student Sougo Agata graced everyone with his presence when he entered the teachers office. Akira didn't really like the guy but he had no beef with him so he did not really say anything smart ass. The Gym teacher had accused him first thinking he had written the ransom letter when he did not but then the Gym teacher grabbed on to Sougo's collar and almost punched him. Now Akira didn't like the guy but he didn't think he deserved to be almost punched by a teacher and it seemed like Agata-kun was being sly with his response which was something Akira didn't know how he felt about the senior, almost seemed like he was perfect for a guy with his own agenda.

Akira was surprised to see Shiro in the school and wondered how she was still enrolled. The things he knew she did certainly would get her expelled if told to the right person, maybe Sougo would decide to turn her in as one of the gang leaders that were in a battle with Kajiki. But then again Kajiki should be the one who gets caught because of his scummy behavior and he was far worse than Shiro Akiyama but that didn't mean Akira would be nicer to her.

"I am not involved with that spoiled prince," Akira exclaimed and glared at her, "why are you even here? Shouldn't you be like I don't know doing delinquent stuff with your sisters?"

Now Akira and Shiro have never met but Akira knew of her because she was the most gossiped person in the school besides Miyuki probably now. He was curious on why she was here around the school because she didn't seem like she wanted to learn or anything like that. But one thing was for certain, Sougo might see them talking together and since Akira was a troublemaker he would probably connect him to being involved with her or Kajiki.

"You better leave before Agata-kun thinks I am a part of your stupid gang," Akira threatened even though he knew he could do nothing to scare Shiro but he did not want the principle to call Sojiro, "I'll do anything for you if you just leave."

Akira was not one to beg but he really did not want anyone to see him with Shiro especially since the gang violence was a little high now.

Nellancholy TreasureSniper

 

[TreasureSniper]

"You need not worry about that Takahashi-san. I already know the people who are involved with the recent cases. And unlike most people, I am not satisfied with scapegoats." He replied to Akira while tidying his uniform from the previous scuffle. His eyes turned to Shiro, one of the ones who were definitely involved, he could easily just turn her in as one of the main culprits, but as he said before, scapegoats weren't the way he operated. "Normally this is the part where I would ask you for more information, but thankfully, I already know the culprits." He said with a shrug. A vague response, yet he really did seem to know something the others didn't. "That being said..." He lowered his voice to a whisper, so that only the two students nearby could hear his voice. "A little bit of advice..from one student to another. You should probably stick to giving bruises than broken bones..." He gave her a cheeky wink, showing he did to a certain extent know what was going on. And despite that, he seemed to be willing to allow her to exercise some force in this gang war.

"Now then, onto less pressing matters. Ahem. Your attendance once again is below the minimum requirement. I can pull some strings here and there but there is only so much I can do on my end." Sougo was known for helping students who were in a pinch, either those who needed to borrow a large sum of money or was a few points away from a passing grade. Though once again, his intentions were always unknown, some people think he does it out of pity or kindness, others think he's just trying to win them over, but in reality, he does it mostly for the challenge. "While your situation is more tenuous than most, I believe we can still salvage it, with the right amount of effort at the right place."

 

[Nellancholy]

And here came another "well-meaning", well-heeled model student. It was perhaps quite concerning that he knew something, if not everything of her personal circumstances. Maybe he did have eyes in a few places. Or just as likely, he was shotgunning based on her prior reputation. Either way, it was clear that her little scuffle did unfortunately catch the attention of some very troublesome people. "You needn't pull strings for my sake..." She took a moment to sift for his name in her memory. "...Agata." She raised her hand, an accusing finger poised as though to jab him. "I don't need a handout from you." But that wasn't really the most pertinent matter at hand. "You want to help this school? Start by cleaning out the little thugs that are taking money from-" She lowered her voice. Even she knew to be discreet. "-from the yakuza. Kajiki's gang! They're preying on the others, luring them into those 'jobs', getting them hooked on-"

Despite herself, Shiro was getting increasingly worked up. She turned, pinning her glare at Akira again. "And you! The only thing I need from you is for you to spill. Everything you still know about him. If you don't at least still see him or talk to him, I don't need your help. If you won't do something about him, I will." And again, she didn't know what exactly she'd do about him. But someone had to! Somehow...

That Weird girl TreasureSniper

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

The incident with Akira and another student was not just noticed by Sadayo. Miyuki had been passing by the whispering student as he spoke his piece, and she caught the jist of what he said. She had frowned, considering saying something before Akira interjected instead. She felt bad for him getting into trouble just for trying to do her a good turn. She considered approaching him after his detention, to repay him with a drink or something. Akira seemed a bit rough, but if he would do something like that it might be worth keeping him close.

She went through class as normal, she could hear some rumours going about her but otherwise was uneventful. There was a strange feeling of being watched at some point as well but could attribute it to anything more than just paranoia. She had paparazzi follow her in the past after all. Being a student was surprising calming, to be the audience instead of the presenter and just doing some work in relative quiet. It was challenging though, she was behind on a lot of school work and she wasnt that great of a student to begin with, but she was willing to learn. She needed to ask for teachers for any advice to catch up.

At the end of the day, she stuck around at school, talking to a couple of teachers and fans as watched at the teacher's lounge for Akira to leave. In the process of speaking to her fellow student, she was told a little about the school's issue with gangs. It surprised her, the school was well rated after all, and he doubted that her mother despite her faults would put her anywhere that was potentially unsafe. Well, that was another thing she had to look over her shoulder for, thanks to her celebrity. She wondered if she could transfer.

 

[That Weird girl]

"You know what?" Akira glared at Shiro, "I think you better off staying out of this since Kajiki has a way of staying untouched and unnoticed by the law...he will probably destroy your gang because there is no way of fighting back." Akira huffed and turned to leave the teachers office when he saw Kajiki with two of his lackeys standing there watching them and his lackeys were laughing as Kajiki seemed to be amused that Shiro was here.

"Well, Akiyumi-san," Kajiki greeted, "I am quite amazed that you are not expelled yet...but I assume Agata-san is pulling Strongs for you then because he is such a nice guy." Kajiki glanced at Sougo and looked at his uniform to see if it was perfect and sure enough it was and Kajiki scoffed and pretended to not to notice Akira. Kajiki knew that Shiro could do nothing to him here like the mindless brute she was. The only thing she knew was how to be violent and Kajiki thought he was way smarter than her when in reality that may not be true.

"Agata-san why are you around these troublemakers?" Kajiki asked, "Men like us deserve to be around people that will challenge us academically."

"You two have fun flirting," Akira remarked and left the teachers office where he saw Miyuki and looked at her with his arms crossed, "don't mention it...figured you had enough of people thinking you are stupid and you only are passing because of your fame."


TreasureSniper Nellancholy ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[TreasureSniper]

"Dont you worry, I am well aware of the situation.." He reassured Shiro with his usual cocky smile. He already had his own plan laid out on how to deal with these ruffians, he just had to find a way to benefit more from it. "Speak of the devil..." He muttered as he saw Kajiki approach them. Not an ideal situation, but he was known to make the best out of bad situations. He couldn't help chuckle a little, hearing Kajiki compare himself to him.

"I am a bit of a troublemaker myself, you know." He retorted back to Kaijiki with a charming wink. "Oh and Kajiki...from where I am standing..." His lips shifted to a mischievous smile. "Both of you are likely to get expelled if you keep up with your "after-school activities". So this is my one and only warning. Both you better stop..or I'll have to step in." He smiled before turning to leave. "I hope both of you make the right decision now...Ciao~!" He said cheekily as he left. He knew what he had to do. He didn't really care whether they kept their end of the bargain, as he already had planned on how he dealt with them both.

As soon as he exited the teacher's lounge, he could see Akira talking to Miyuki, prompting him to join in as well. "Hello Minamoto-san, I hope the school has given you a warm enough welcome. I can understand that it can be difficult to ease into given your...circumstances, so please don't hesitate to contact me or any of the other student council members should you need assistance." He explained to the new girl. Her status as an Idol meant very little to him since to him she was just another student. A pretty one, but a student nonetheless. "Well seems like you've already gotten acquainted with Takahashi-san. Please fill her in on the areas she should avoid for the time being after school." Unlike the other students, he didn't have a negative opinion of Akira as he can see what happens behind the scenes and understand who is really at fault.

That Weird girl Nellancholy ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[Nellancholy]

"Bastard..." Shiro snarled under her breath as Kajiki condescended to her. The fact was that he managed to remain superficially upstanding and popular despite his immoral dealings, from which he had even been making dirty money from. Whereas she...had not. It was such a terrible thing that her face and name were still known by the people in this town, or else surely she would be able to act against this filth without fear of retaliation coming down on the people she cared about. Whether from the law, or those on the wrong side of it.

As for Agata..."As I said, intervention from your gilded hand is unneeded in either of these matters." Either way, she went mostly unheard by the both of them.

With the situation entering a momentary lull, Shiro had the chance to flip out her phone. It was one of those cheap ones that the Americans might call a "burner", the kind that would barely leave a dent in a store's inventory if one or two went missing. Still, it took SIM cards and it could connect to any wifi networks that the host forgot to secure...and that was good enough.

It appeared that the notification that had catapulted her into this situation was a message from a conveniently unknown number, sending her a link to an app.

MetaNav 0.9

"The hell..." Her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment. Despite herself, she found herself clicking on it.

The app's garish red and black color scheme was almost painful to look at. Maybe there was a dark mode somewhere. What the app did have was a few empty chat boxes and a menu that seemed to be a list of...locations? All of which had yet to be filled in.

But what was it supposed to...do?

Time to find out. Taking a few more steps out, she flipped her phone's screen towards Akira. "You. Did you send me this? What in the world do you mean by it?"

That Weird girl ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[That Weird girl]

"Yes, I can do that," Akira replied to Sougo's request seeing as he was the one of the only one students who didn't't have a negative opinion of Akira at the school. There were some places that Miyuki would have to avoid and especially since she was a celebrity and could get hurt. Akira didn't know anything about her despite being a popular actress in Japan and a big media presence but he suspected that someone was taking advantage of her, that was perhaps why she quite acting and why she wanted to attend this school.

Akira turned away from them and looked at Shiro in confusion as she asked him about sending her the app, "send you that? I didn't-" Akira pulled out his "burner" and gasped as he saw the same app, maybe he did send out to her...but how could he? He didn't know what the app was and what it did. He pressed on the app and saw empty chat boxes and a list of locations that were not discovered.

"Kajiki is this a joke?" Akira demanded thinking Kajiki purposely sent them this to pull a prank or something on them but it seemed Kajiki was just as confused. "Why would I send you an app as a joke Akira?" Kajiki snorted with a laugh at how stupid it was as he exited the teachers office. He turned to Sougo and smirked cockily, "You have no proof." That was not true and Kajiki knew it and it worried him.

"We all know about your involvement with the Yakuza," Akira said to Kajiki and suddenly both the Metaverse app on both Shiro's and Akira's phone revealed a new location and a Japanese looking castle began to replace the image of the school and Akira, Shiro, Sougo, and Miyuki were at the entrance at the castle.

"What is this?' Akira looked around in confusion, "did we just time travel?"

TreasureSniper ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Nellancholy

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Miyuki was surprised to be open to her directly when he saw her when he stepped out the teacher's lounge. She could have easily been in the teacher lounge for something else. Though on second thought, she was staring at him the moment he stepped out and moved to approach him. It was likely that he would have guessed her intention. " Oh mention what? You are very presumptions. I could be here to see a teacher" She said with a teasing smile in her tone. "Seriously, still it is appreciated, and I believe gentlemanly behaviour is to rewarded regardless of the intention. What do you think about me treating you..."

She went to offer before another student stepped out of the room and interjected. She instantly had the impression, he was charming trouble despite his position on the student council. Which not a necessarily bad thing of course but something to be careful of still. "Thank you. I will keep that in mind." She said, giving him a flirtatious smile and wink, more out of habit than anything. "Actually, i dont think I could his name yet, either of you're more to the point. I think that is as important as showing me the "good" places to be. Should a school have good and bad places?" She pointed out.

However before she could an answer another person stepped out of the lounge. There was sense of similarity with the girl she could not place, but she had a feeling she was not part of the school. The uniform seemed off. Yet in the end, what the girl was talking about seemed to draw Miyuki's attention. An arrival of a mysterious app? "Ah... I think it is clear noone of us sent the app... What the.. Yakuza?" She asked getting confused but even the mention of Yakuza paled in comparison to what she saw next.

Without warning the school was just gone around them, and they were standing at the gate of castle. "What the..." She said looking around shocked and at a loss for words. "I...I..."

 

[TreasureSniper]

"Sougo, Sougo Agata." He briefly introduced himself before moving on the the next topic. "It is regretable but our school seems to be caught up with something bigger, not to worry. It will soon come to past." He explained as he realized what Akira was doing. He didn't think he of all people would have access to the app, but the world was full of surprises. Despite being caught up with the activation of the mysterious app, Sougo was nowhere to be seen.

TThe marching of numerous soldiers could be heard closing in the on the group. Shortly after this, the group was surrounded by individuals with samurai-like armor, each of them having an eerie mask instead of a face. "Halt prisoners! There is no escape from Lord Kajiki's Castle!" One of warrior spoke as he gestured for the other guards to get closer. He was different from the others, clad in golden armor, signifying his higher ranking. The warriors unsheated their blades and slowly approached the group. "Return to your cells at once or you will executed!" The golden captain barked out once more. The captain tilted his head at Miyuki, noticing something about her. "You there! You are not prisoner here! You must present yourself to Lord Kajiki at once!"

On top of the walls, a mysterious figure sat at the edge watching over what was going on, waiting to see how things would play out before making a move. So far, he saw no reason to reveal himself just yet.

That Weird girl ThatGuyWithSouvlaki Nellancholy

 

[Nellancholy]

This day was just getting worse and worse. She knew she should have gone somewhere else to hide for the day. It was bad enough to have to be condescended to by some rich boy and be confronted with the object of her hatred right before her without being able to do anything. But now something far stranger had happened, and there seemed to be very little she could do in response. This wasn't some kind of dream or elaborate trick. The scene before her felt just as real as anything else.

Which meant that these ghostly figures bearing down on them...were just the same.

"Addressing ME as prisoner?!" Her eyes narrowed. "Come take me, then!"

The samurai certainly seemed interested in capturing the group, but they were just that little bit more interested in Miyuki. Of course.

Despite her mild contempt towards the older girl, Shiro found herself moving to shield her the moment the "captain" addressed her. "Stay behind me." Shiro mumbled, feeling around in her jacket. In a few seconds, she produced a switchblade which she flicked open, maintaining a wide, protective posture.

That Weird girl ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[That Weird girl]

"Lord Kajiki huh?" Akira commented, "that sounds familiar to someone we know in the real world...of course that spoiled brat would think of himself as a lord! You all are pawns to Kajiki," Akira would hope they would listen to him but that was unlikely and so they wanted Miyuki? Akira glared to Shiro and was glad that she decided to protect the girl from being presented to that monster.

"Stay away from us!" Akira shouted, "or I will be calling the police...we finally have the evidence to lock Kajiki away and soon you guys will be locked up too!"

Akira brought up his phone but nothing was working and he became a little scared now, especially that he had no weapon. He was powerless and helpless as shitty people could do whatever they wanted to them. Anger grew in Akira and he wanted to throw himself at the captain but knew that it would not end well. "How much is Lord Kajiki paying you?!" Akira asked and pointed a finger at the captain not knowing he was a shadow and not a real person.

ThatGuyWithSouvlaki TreasureSniper Nellancholy

 

[ThatGuyWithSouvlaki]

Before she could make sense of what was happening around them, they seemed to be surrounded by a group of weird looking samurai. They seemed to consider her fellows as prisoners, while she was not. "Lord Kajiki?" She repeated, still confused. This all seemed like something out of an anime or video game. Was see dreaming... Why would the other be involved too? From what she could hear, it had something to do with this app. She could hardly believe what she was seeing but she had the feeling this was all too real.

The other strange girl seemed to come to her defence, stepping in front of her, clearly not appreciating being a prisoner. It seemed Akira intersected as well. She did not want to be protected, at least none of them becoming hurt on her account. She doubted police were much of a threat to ghostly figures in samurai swords. Especially if they think they are the once who were taking prisoners. She tried to think of a way to do something, but she was in a near panic. She took the chance the others have given her, to take a moment and breathe deeply. She calmed herself, trying to think of what they could do.

She had an idea of something that might at least buy them some time and maybe create an opening for the other to escape. She stepped forward in front of the pair and looked on at the Samurai captain with as much courage and confidence she could muster. "Honourable Samurai..." She said before realizing she should give a respectful bow and did so. "Would you... Would you really want to cause a scene now, a few prisoners escaping without your knowledge cant look good infront of your master. How would so many prisoners escape under what i assume is your watch. Dishonourable...You might be able to hand them over, but... But your lord might request you to fall on your blade to earn back your honour." She wasnt sure what she was saying was making sense, just trying to remember what she had learned from old samurai movies. "Especially when the prisoner... Ronin... Almost accosted a lady like myself."

 

[TreasureSniper]

The figure watching from above was surprised to see all the bravado being displayed by the ragtag team, even the idol seemed to join in on antagonizing the shadows. The captain seemed unfazed by the taunts of the two prisoners, but when the idol stepped forward, her air of confidence manages to convince him to acknowledge her as a member of high society. Unfortunately for her, the results were likely not something she desired.

"What a pitiful blade, but I suppose it is appropriate for a miscreant such as yourself." The captain commented on Shiro's weapon. "Foolish prisoner, the only law that exists here, is Lord Kajiki's. This is his domain, there is no one that can help you here. " He boasted, as the shadows slowly got closer and closer with their blades pointed at them. "My sincerest apologies, Lady Minnie Moto. I did not realize they have committed such a vile act. I shall rectify this mistake by personally executing them immediately." The samurai captain stepped forward and unsheathed his odachi. The captain took a step forward, walking past the idol girl, and winded up his blade before swinging aiming to decapitate the two with single slash.

Having seen enough, the figure above decided it was finally time to intervene. Standing up, the mysterious figure begins running down the wall, towards the action. Suddenly, the giant odachi breaks in half, as if it was just shot by something. The other half of blade the flies over the heads of the two students, hitting a few shadow samurais, causing panic among their ranks. "Where did that come from?" "Is it him again?" "Show yourself, coward!" The shadows scrambled to identify the attacker, which they quickly did when a few more of the samurai head's started popping from gunshots. The figure finally reveals himself jumping right above the group and unleashing a hail of gunfire onto the samurai surrounding them, swiftly turning them into swiss cheese. Black blood began to ooze out of the bodies, staining the ground beneath them. The figure finally lands on the ground, in between the student and the remaining Captain.

"Get behind me, lady! I shall protect you from this vile fiend even if it costs my life!" The last remaining golden samurai stood its grown before violently pulsating with power. Seconds later, it melts into a black goo and reforms into a mythlogical figure known as Eligor. In response to this, the mysterious masked man simply holstered his gun and beckon the shadow to strike.


The rider reared its horse, before charging towards the group only for it to receive a powerful sidekick, sending it flying to the gate of the castle. Much to his surprise, the shadow got back up, seemingly trying to uphold its declaration from earlier, despite it. "Why? Why do you oppose him!? Can't you see that both of you are the same?" The shadow pleaded before charging towards the enemy once more but it was too late. The masked man, turned away not even bothering to face the creature. A few steps more, and shadow begins to disintergate into nothingness, its time was up. A silhoutte of dragon-like creature could be seen briefly emanating from the mask man before fadding away.

"Welcome to the Metaverse." He finally spoke to group, after the action had died down. "It seems like none of you can summon a Persona yet. So I'd advise against going any deeper into the palace. All of you are new here, so I'll cut you some slack and help you out for now." He spoke with a familiar tone, yet his voice was unrecognizable due to the mask's voice changer. "I am sure all of you have a lot questions right now. So please ask away while the area is still secured." He felt a sense of obligation as their "senior" of this activity. That being said, he will have to see firsthand if these people are worth helping. "Depending on your point view, this could either be the best or worst thing that has ever happened to you." He gave a snarky remark to the group, knowing that this isn't something everyone wishes to be involved with.

That Weird girl Nellancholy ThatGuyWithSouvlaki

 

[That Weird girl]

"Why are we here?" Akira blurted out to the masked man, "and what do you mean we have not summoned personas? What the fuck is a persona?" Akira was kind of stubborn and he would not likely listen to the masked mans warning since he was sure that were people being imprisoned here. If that was the case then he would be wanting to recuse them and bust Kajiki. "Actually I would like to go in the castle to collect evidence for the police-" Akira walked past the masked man being a stubborn little devil.

He was determined to put Kajiki behind bars now that he apparently had a castle. This would be the best day of Akira's life because he finally could fight back. Akira glanced back at the group not caring what anyone though and why was Miyuki called a lady? Like some noble title for a student, he did not care if she was from some movie franchise. She was going to be his friend whether she liked it or not.

This was why students had a negative opinion of Akira...he would always try to get justice even if it was by means of getting in trouble. They assumed he go to the extreme to achieve justice and that was scary. It was very stupid too since Akira was going in without a persona.

Akira entered the castle full of anger, "KAJIKI, THIS IS THE LAST STRAW! ITS OVER FOR YOU."

Shadow Kajiki laughed as he walked down the steps with a group of samurai following him as he heard his name and that it was over apparently. "Take this prisoner to his cell to be executed later," Kajiki ordered, "I have more pressing matters to attend to...I must have Lady Minnie Moto delivered to me and that criminal killed."

ThatGuyWithSouvlaki TreasureSniper Nellancholy

 

[Nellancholy]

The first wave of "samurai" was shredded before their eyes by the mysterious interloper, his strange power making short work of them. Of course, that didn't solve the problem of what laid before them in this situation, or how they were going to get out. Their "savior" condescended to them, talking about "Personas"...now that she looked at him, though...Agata? Well, he wasn't here with them, but for him to have such strange power was just ridiculous.

Considering who was involved, Akira seemed to have become even more heedless than Shiro, striding on ahead and finding himself face to face with even more opposition. Rather than needing them to fight through and barge into the throne room like some kind of hero, the head honcho had apparently bothered to show himself...albeit behind a wall of sharp blades and sturdy armor. She didn't know a lot about this situation that was only getting stranger and stranger, and Minnie's attempt to talk them down only caused her to be singled out by these unnatural beings even more.

Shiro didn't seem to be able to do much, but she knew two things. The first was that Kajiki, the source of much misery, was right there before them. Even if he looked even more absurd, dressed as the king he saw himself as, cloaked in darkness and his eyes gleaming with an eerie yellow light. The other was that Minnie appeared to be his main target. Because of course it was. So the solution was clear. She could try and defend her indefinitely, but that could only delay the inevitable.

Forget "Personas". Shiro had traded her fair share of blows in the past couple years of her life. She'd hurt people physically and mentally, and had received the same in return several times over. But to actually strike at someone with pure killing intent, even the bastard before her...could she manage that, deep in her heart? This was a time to act, especially thanks to Akira's foolishness.

"Will you stand with me, Akira?" The inhuman swordsmen at "Shadow" Kajiki's command took another step towards them, unsheathing their blades. "You know what? I don't care." Clenching her tiny knife in a death grip, Shiro sprinted forward.

The odds were thin, slimmer than a beam of sunlight. Her mind and body accelerated to the limit. She ducked the first swing from one of the samurai. In the next second, she leaped over another. If she could just get within arm's reach of Kajiki...

Slash.

That one blow opened and closed the matter in an instant as a blade tore across her back.

Her jacket didn't seem to even tear so much as yield to the otherworldly metal, nor did she appear to be wounded in the way one might expect from a sword carving a gash into her body.

But the pain was very real.

"Guh...!" Shiro fell onto her front, holding onto consciousness as the group of samurai casually stepped over her.

"Anyone else care to try?" Shadow Kajiki sneered. "What about you, sniveling coward?" His gaze returned to Akira. "Will you run? Or will you at least feed yourself to my men like your idiotic friend here?"

That Weird girl

 

[That Weird girl]

Akira watched as Shiro attempted to get to Kajiki to potentially hurt him as she managed to dodge a samurai strike. But unfortunately she did not get to Kajiki in time and got stuck down by one of his lackeys but Akira still thought about how she asked him to stand with her, he couldn't do it...not without a physical weapon and plus he did not want to get stabbed. Akira was angered over being called a coward but he was forced to act like one for his friends sake.

"Shiro!" Akira shouted, "I'm sorry..."

Akira turned to the samurai and Kajiki, "I surrender...please spare her I can tell you where Lady Minnie Moto is or whatever you call her."

Shadow Kajiki looked at him with interest now that he said that and maybe he and Shiro were not worth killing right now, "Where is she coward? I haven't got all day!"

Akira hoped Sougo would still be there to protect her and he knew that he was betraying possibly one of the only students who did not have a bad view of him. But he was trying to save Shiro's life and he knew that Miyuki would want that if anything since he doubted she wanted anyone hurt.

"She is at the entrance..." Akira hesitantly said, "will you spare us now?"

Kajiki laughed at him, "You are really a fool aren't you? You really think I would spare you both? Take them to the dungeon to be executed!"

"What?!" Akira yelled as the samurai grabbed him and Shiro bringing them to the dungeon to be killed. Akira glared back at Kajiki swearing he would get revenge on him. He felt like he had been wronged, hell they all have been wronged.

Kajiki scoffed and ordered another group of samurai to go to the entrance to retrieve Minnie and bring her to him.

Nellancholy ThatGuyWithSouvlaki TreasureSniper