Marlowe

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Masashi [@Zombehs], Akira [@DJAtomika], Hoshiko [@Fabricant451], Akio [@Lord Orgasmo

”Don’t worry about me! I totally got this.” Asumi waved Masashi off as she furrowed her brow. What, didn’t he believe in her? She was so pumped up, she was certain she’d beat anyone that tried their hand at her.It was because of the left-over adrenaline from before. She turned to Akira, smirking. ”You should check out the arcade’s new Street Fighter game! They installed it just last week.”

She turned to Hoshiko when she gave her a suggestion on who to play. The sumo wrestler, huh? Asumi was about to reply when one of her wild movements knocked over objects on a shelf. She winced in alarm, though the moment quickly passed. In her nervousness, she couldn’t help but laugh. Though, this didn’t stop her from turning to their host. ”Sorry about that. We’re both pretty clumsy.” Asumi said with a slight frown. Hopefully Hoshiko wouldn’t make any other weird movements like that. Chen would understand a mistake, but if it happened again, it’d be even harder to cover for her. She reached forward to grab her bag and pulled it closer to them so Hoshiko could nab one of the snacks that remained inside. ”A-anyways, I’ll show you how to win at this–”

THUMP!!

Asumi flinched, her eyes glancing up at the window. A grayish smear stained the glass. ”Oh no!” she yelped. ”One of the birds must’ve hit the window… I’ll be right back!”

She pushed herself onto her feet and scrambled out of the room before anyone could react. If the poor bird was smart enough, it’d stay in one place to recuperate…

It didn’t take Asumi long to return with something bundled in the sweater that was previously tied around her waist. She stepped carefully towards them without a second thought and knelt down on the ground. Gently, she set the bundle on the ground between them all. ”I’m glad he didn’t fly away. Poor guy’s dazed outta his mind…”

Asumi pulled away one of the sleeves that she had used to keep the creature in place. A normal crow rested in the midst of the wool, though it was hardly moving. It let out a low croak and ruffled its wings, but that seemed to be all that it could do for now. Its red eyes blinked up at her. She frowned and reached out to feel one of its legs. There didn’t seem to be any broken bones in either of them. Her eyes settled on the purple band that was wrapped around its left leg. Hadn’t she seen this bird before?

”Oh!” Asumi perked up. She glanced up at the others, a blush crossing her cheeks, before she finally looked back at Chen. ”I hope you don’t mind that I brought it in… I was just so worried about it.”

「 Persona: Reflections 」

???

MENTIONS: Nagi [@Psyker Landshark], Munehisa [@Solace]

Nagi’s attack had rendered the bee-monster disoriented as it crashed to the floor in a mess of twitching antennae and thrashing wings and legs. The rest of the bees, though, became even more furious, their venomous stingers pressing closer and closer with every passing moment. They were within seconds of turning the two teenagers into swiss cheese when–

“How now, my lovelies, what seems to be the problem?”

The angry fluttering stopped; the bee-like cryptids seemed to purr with pleasure as the circle suddenly became much looser than it had been before. The impenetrable wall of rapidly fluttering wings and hairy, segmented bodies spread apart, leaving enough room for a figure to slip between their numbers.

It was a woman with blonde hair that fell past her bare shoulders and perfect, fair skin. She wore a long, brilliant black-and-yellow striped dress that was short at the front, which revealed slender legs and black high-heels, and long in the back, where the fabric trailed behind her like a cape. Her breasts seemed to be on the verge of bursting from the dress’s bodice, though this did not appear to bother her in the least. A very fluffy, black feather boa wrapped around her neck as if it were concealing something, and ivory white gloves reached her elbows. Her head was crowned with a black Victorian-style hat complete with delicate white lace and bright yellow dahlias. Her cheeks were powdered with rosy pink blush, and her lips were colored a deep crimson.

The strange woman watched the two children with a complacent expression as she stepped closer, her high heels unrestrained by the stickiness of the floor. Her right hand held a slender, long tobacco pipe, which she brought up to lips. Even the way she took a draft from it was the very definition of posh. She seemed to be the spitting image of a certain Miss Okamoto… if it weren’t for the dangerous look in her glowing, yellow eyes.

“Well, well, well… what do we have here?” A billow of white smoke followed her churlish words. Her glower cut through them as she scanned them up and down. “It seems like two little roaches have crawled into our home…”

The bee-monsters let out another hum, their wings drooping. One of them drifted closer to her, its wide head bumping against her shoulder. “Miss Okamoto” pouted and reached up to stroke its head, then one of its feelers. Her delicate fingers drifted up the coarse antennae and produced a pleasured hum from the creature. “Oh, my poor babies…” she coddled, her voice one of pity and sadness as she gazed tenderly at the monsters. “No wonder you’re all so upset.”

Then, with a fire burning in her gaze, she pulled away from the bee-creature and slowly made her way up to Nagi and Munehisa. She glanced up and down them one more time, smoke curling from the tip of her pipe as she pursed her lips. Then, when she finally finished her observations, she wrinkled her brow and tipped her chin up at them. “Who are you…?” she snarled, venom dripping from her words. “... what are you…? And what are you doing in here?!”

Honestly, Nagi hadn’t expected her punch to actually be that effective, even with the aid of brass knuckles. This was good. It didn’t matter that the other bees were closing in, she could take them-

What the actual shit? Was that Okamoto? With tits? And with absolutely no fashion sense? The striped dress and boa were tacky as all hell. Someone was watching too many foreign dramas. What was this, the bitch’s identical twin blessed with a better rack? Of course, the fact that this look-alike of her history teacher was evidently controlling the bee monsters should have made Nagi wary, but sharing Okamoto’s face meant that her caution was overtaken by a brazen desire to assert dominance over the useless bitch who was trying to make their lives more difficult.

“Look, we didn’t come in…wherever the fuck this is by choice. We were supposed to be walking out of school, then shit goes weird and now there’s bees trying to murder us. So if you could just point us in the direction of the exit, that’d be real nice of you.”

Munehisa continued to cower behind his backpack in fear of their attackers, only peering out upon a familiar voice. His guard dropped slightly as he lowered the makeshift shield to his stomach, recognizing both the voice and face as Miss Okamoto. Yet, the amber glint in her eye spelled out a threatening intent– though her excessive appearance triggered his boyish impulse and easily caught his eye, their predicament and the great exaggeration of everything inspired vigilance. First, a beehive. Second, gigantic killer bees. Third, boobs straight outta an eroge. Even I’m not impressed…

Seeing Miss Okamoto coddle one of the killer bees caused Munehisa to raise a brow, looking between Nagi and the older woman with confusion. The hell’s she embracing it for? Lovelies? The sound that it produced in response to her stroke somewhat bothered him. None of this felt right at all. “Yeah, what she said,” Munehisa nodded in accordance with what Nagi said. “We’re supposed to be studying, not playing around with these, uh… robots! Jeez, the robotics club really nailed the realism with those things, haha!”

The Miss Okamoto look-alike did not seem pleased with their responses. She glared down her nose at them as she scrunched up her face with contempt. "Exit? There is no exit here. Once you step foot here, there's no leaving. Everyone and everything stays here for good," she hissed. "That includes you filthy worms. But no worries. You'll find your place in the hive soon."

She turned back to her "lovelies", thinking for a moment, before she looked back at Nagi and Munehisa with an unamused sneer. "I suppose you do have some potential… so I'll extend you an offer. You can join my lovelies in tending to my very wish, and I'll make sure you spend the rest of your little lives in peace and prosperity. What do you say?"

She waited for their response as she took yet another draft from her pipe. The bee-monsters hovered there aimlessly, their heads obviously void of any thought.

Oh, great. That was just dandy. Hopefully, not-Okamoto was as full of shit as the real one, or they were outright fucked. But either way, well…

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to go with hell no.” Nagi drawled, putting her guard up as she slowly backed away from Okamoto and the bees, preparing to take Mune by the hand and make a run for it. “Really not into the bee fetish you’ve got going on here. Stripes’re tacky as shit, you know.”

This’d probably get her killed. But bending the knee to this bitch? No way. Nagi had some kind of class, damn it.

Munehisa let out a small sigh of confusion upon the supposed doppelganger’s offer. “Is that really Okamoto?” the boy only found himself even more lost as the exchange dragged on, scratching the side of his head. The humidity of the atmosphere, coupled with his mounting distress, caused his expression to twitch with impatient annoyance. Slinging the backpack over his right shoulder, his face hardened as he brought up a hand to wave off Miss Okamoto.

“Look, we– I’m not into this shitty roleplay you’ve got going on,” Munehisa snapped a little as he looked around for a stairwell, completely dialing out the unfamiliar environment. “Don’t even know if the principal allows all of this,” he was forced to change his footing, having felt as if his feet were sinking into the goopiness of the floor. “But I honestly don’t care. If you won’t show us the stairway, then go away. C’mon, let’s just go.”

The children’s reply only kindled Okamoto’s fury. She straightened her head, staring at them head on with a ferocious smolder. “How dare you?!” Her words escaped her in a snarl. “Don’t you know who I am?! You have no right to speak to me in such a disgusting manner!”

Her fury seemed to roll off of her in waves as she stalked even closer, her lip curling to reveal shining white teeth. Okamoto’s eyes flickered up and down them once again, this time in a much deadlier fashion than before. “If you do not wish to submit to me, then I do not have any use for you. Dears, you’ve had such a hard day today,” she turned over her shoulder and motioned for the bees to resume their assault on them. “Enjoy your dinner~”

The bees were more than happy to encroach on the two again. As if they had been especially angered by Nagi’s attack on one of their numbers, they focused mostly on her, seeking to restrain her with their many legs and grabby pincers. They also pressed closer to Munehisa, growling angrily.

“Now that I think of it, you two do seem familiar… aren’t you two from Class 2-B?” Okamoto raised her voice so it could reach past the angry flutter of wings. She sent a sidelong glance down at Nagi before she raised her eyes back up at Munehisa. When she spoke again, her voice dipped low into a brooding rumble. “Especially you. You’re that worthless student in my class, aren’t you? The one who drew that horrible picture of me.” A wicked grin spread over her lips as a giggle bubbled from her throat. “To think that a shitty, no-good artist is going to get everyone in his class expelled… and there’s nothing that he can do about it! What a waste of talent… it’s sad, really.”

Nagi snarled, her face locked in a rictus of fury as she struggled to free herself from the bees restraining her. She’d managed to smash her fist into one more bee before she was swarmed, the rest keeping her pinned in place. Still, even through the haze of rage in her mind, one fact stood out. This was Okamoto. Somehow. And she knew it was Mune already? Why fucking go to that entire show, then?

“Shut your cock hole, bitch!” Nagi spat, simultaneously straining her limbs against the bees while trying to angle her head toward one enough for a headbutt.

“Why even waste your time dicking around trying to expel us all if you already knew he did it? What, you can’t be bothered to teach even less than you already do so you decided to just ax a class entirely? Hell, while we’re here, you compensating for your flat fucking chest in real life or something? Seriously, this silicone job you got going’s goddamn pathetic.” She hissed spitefully before catching Mune’s eye.

“The fuck are you still doing here? RUN, dipshit!” Nagi roared at Mune, hoping her little tirade pissed Okamoto enough that she’d take her attention off him and onto her.

The gravity of the scenario weighed back on Munehisa as his lackadaisical moment drew the furor of Miss Okamoto, and inspired her minions to draw forward once more. He’d thought of the killer bees as nothing more than mere contraptions, and yet, his eye for the smaller details only verified their general authenticity as the creatures inched closer. Just what the hell was going on?

The boy’s face tensed as he stepped back, his brow narrowing upon her apparently recollection of their identities. “You… what? You already know?” Munehisa gasped, the sting of the words that followed evident in his expression. Despite her knowledge, Miss Okamoto was knowingly exacting punishment upon the entire class, just to spite him. “All over some stupid drawing, that you took too seriously?” he took offense to the wound inflicted from her insult. “Why drag everyone into it if you know I’m the only one responsible, then?”

“Silence!” Miss Okamoto roared in Nagi’s direction, though her rambling did little to distract her from her true prey. She narrowed her brow at Munehisa as she took a step closer to him. “Of course I knew. What do you take me for, an idiot? I even knew that you would be trouble as soon as you set foot in my classroom. What else can I expect from someone with a tarnished name?”

“Oh yes, about your mother, she embezzled all of that money to the Yakuza, didn’t she? What a worthless bitch, destroying you and your father’s lives just to line her pockets with cash. That goes to show how much she cared about you two,” Okamoto continued in a hiss. “And your father’s almost as useless as she is! What a waste of space. You know that it was because of me that he was able to get a job in my school?! If it weren’t for myself, you two would be rotting on the streets… oh, to see how things have turned out just breaks my heart…”

Munehisa’s dejected gaze casted down to the ground below Okamoto’s feet. “That’s… that’s not true at all…”

“To think that your criminal whore of a mother spawned someone who is just as vile as she is. How funny that you’re following in her footsteps– dozens of other kids are going to suffer and fail because of what YOU did!” Grinding her teeth, she practically seethed in front of them before she finally jabbed a finger in his direction, roaring out her next words. “Tell me, how does it feel to be the root cause of your friends’ downfalls? How does it feel to know that this is all of your fault?!”

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Masashi [@Zombehs], Akira [@DJAtomika], Hoshiko [@Fabricant451], Akio [@Lord Orgasmo], Kenzan [@PrankFox]

Asumi would be lying if she said she wasn’t disappointed that Masashi didn’t accept her offer of a diabetes-inducing dessert. Leaving it at Chen’s house like he suggested was a no-go, either; what if he ate it all when she was gone? Was he the type of guy to eat a girl’s hidden candy? That’d be shameful! It was better to just eat it all now and make sure he couldn’t get his grubby hands on them. She gave Chen an inflated, yet playful glare once he took one of the Kitkats away from her. Hmph. He better just take one... for now.

She ripped open her pack of Pocky and nibbled on one of them, her eyes scanning the group as they discussed what to do. Video games or board games… hmm. Just as she was about to give her own input, Hoshiko voiced something about dirty magazines. Asumi’s eyes snapped to Chen in alarm. Wait, that was right. Chen was a guy. Guys liked that kind of stuff, didn’t they? A light blush dusted her cheeks. ”Oh my god…” she whispered, her eyes wide as if she had just found out the biggest secret ever. Her eyes blinked back to Hoshiko and Akira, and she leaned in close to whisper to them, despite the fact that the two boys in the room could definitely hear what she said. ”Do you think he really has those types of magazines?”

Eh. She wasn’t that much of a fan of judging; to each their own. Though, it was good to set a decent example. That was what her parents always said, anyways.

She quickly changed the subject after she was done chewing on another piece of Pocky. ”Anyways, we should totally play some Street Fighter! I’ll kick your butts at it!” Huffing a challenge, Asumi got onto her knees and crept towards the television as she pulled out another strawberry-chocolate covered treat. She stuck it between her lips like a cigarette as she sat down in front of the TV. The birds that sat on the wire outside Chen’s window scattered, squawking and chirping all the while. She looked at Chen, then Masashi, Akira, and Hoshiko. It was unfortunate that that one third-year student went away after dinner, because that would have meant one more challenger she could toy around with. A teasing glint shone in her glare. ”Who wants to fight me first, huh? Huh?”

It suddenly dawned on her that she had never played Street Fighter. Asumi assumed that was a bad thing. Welp, too late now!

the alphabet game. lol

Lamprey

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Masashi [@Zombehs], Akira [@DJAtomika], Hoshiko [@Fabricant451], Akio [@Lord Orgasmo], Kenzan [@PrankFox]

The feast that waited for them at Chen’s house had to be sublime. Crab rangoons? Spring rolls? Asumi could taste them already. It seemed like everyone else around her was hungry, too. She couldn’t help but giggle at the sound of Masashi’s yearning stomach, and it seemed like Kenzan was actually hungry enough to tag along. Yeah, they kind of had a crappy day, but that didn’t mean they had to go home hungry, even if it meant there wouldn’t be enough time to study afterwards. She perked up when Akira asked if they were going to cut up the body. ”I think that only makes sense if the cause of death wasn’t so obvious,” Asumi answered. ”And it’s kind of obvious how he died, right? Some guy cut his throat wide open.”

That was when Hoshiko had chimed in. It hurt Asumi to see her so crestfallen, and so she slowed her pace to walk next to the younger girl. ”Hey… if there’s anyone we should blame, it’s me. I’m the one who stumbled over the body and freaked out, and I’m the one who suggested everyone get together to study in the first place. If I hadn’t done any of that, we wouldn’t be in this whole situation! Don’t get yourself so down, okay?” She smiled broadly at Hoshiko, nudging her in an attempt to cheer her up. To anyone that didn’t know her all too well, they might get a bit caught off-guard over her willingness to take the blame for things she didn’t have any fault over. Her friends, on the other hand, very much knew she was just that type of person– the girl who would throw herself under the bus for others. Her parents warned her that she could get in a lot of trouble for that one day, and Nagi always called her out for her inclination to roll over and take punishment for the people she cared about.

That whole thing with Okamoto, though… that was a completely different story.

The smell of stir-fried vegetables wafted through the air as they got closer to Chen’s house. Her stomach roared even louder than Masashi’s. ”That food smells so good! Please tell me that’s your dad’s cooking.”

Luckily for them, it was.

The lot of them discussed what happened over dinner. Asumi, who had devoured the chow mein with all of the voraciousness of a hungry orphan, only punctuated their explanations towards Chen’s dad with rapid nods of her head. Luckily, Chen’s dad seemed like he understood the absolutely bizarre predicament that they had just gone through. When mealtime was over and the dishes were cleaned, they were invited to Chen’s room. She was surprised to see how big it was. Well, she had a big room too, since she was also an only child, but still. It felt nice to be in such a big space after spending so long in an interrogation room…

Stuffed with chow mein and other types of scrumptious Chinese delicacies, she let out a long sigh as she sat against the wall. Asumi tucked her legs close to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and set her chin on top of her knees. Last time she checked, her phone read that it was about 6:30-ish. That was about three hours before she had to be at home, which meant that there was ample time to kick back and chill before she headed out. Her mind went back to what Naoko said. What would actually happen if they were caught on the streets after ten? Would they get thrown in jail? She was pretty sure that was worse than getting expelled. She shoved away the thoughts. No, she’d think about that stuff when she was with the rest of her friends. They were probably planning something while she was here.

Asumi jolted in realization. That was right– she still had her snacks! ”Oh yeah!” She took her schoolbag and turned it upside down, and a ton of wrapped candies and snack bags came tumbling out. Chocolate and strawberry Pocky, crunchy Sucorn, caramel Kit Kats… a variety of snacks were quickly sorted out in front of her. An excited spark reappeared in her blue eyes at the sight of them. ”I still have the snacks from before. It’d be a shame if we all let them go to waste!” She grabbed a bunch of them and held them out for them to take. Then, with a threatening yet over exaggerated glare, she added, ”don’t take the strawberry Pocky, though. That’s mine.”

They had just eaten, but who couldn’t make room for a yummy dessert? She knew she could!

---

???

MENTIONS: Nagi [@Psyker Landshark], Munehisa [@Solace]

They were still in school, alright. Though, anyone with a drop of sanity in them would doubt that statement. A sickly sweet breeze rippled through the halls again, as if someone had left windows open and allowed the perfumed wind to slip inside. Which would make sense, if there were any windows in the first place. As Nagi and Munehisa delved deeper into the wide-walled corridors, they might have gotten the sense they were being watched. Not watched in the normal sense, like being eyed by a curious individual or a secret admirer. No, they were watched with all of the malice of a hungry pack of wolves.

Golden, hexagonal-shaped chandeliers swayed gently in the wind. To their right and left, honey-wax candles, perched delicately within sconces, flickered with amber flames. While the establishment was so different from their school, it also displayed eerie resemblances. Gaps in the walls, human-sized and honeycomb shaped, led into smaller rooms with smooth, off-white– yet, all the same, sticky– walls. Desks that once lined the classrooms were replaced with giant, lumpy, yellow sacks, and whatever spherical objects that were encased inside the slimy pouches seemed to writhe and throb with intent. The deeper they traveled, the more overpowering the aroma became. The goop that covered the floors in a film stuck more and more to the bottom of their shoes and seemed to engulf their soles in honey. The viscosity of it might have even made it difficult to walk without losing their shoes, at times.

They couldn’t have walked for more than ten minutes before something stirred from the depths of the pools of honey that they had just walked past. Several globs of pitch black, slimy liquid slipped out of the gaps and slithered along the floors in hot pursuit of the two intruders. Steadily, more of the black slime-like entities plopped to the ground and tailed the pair. The final set of slime-like substances leapt out from the walls, right in Munehisa and Nagi’s path.

Hissing, the black puddles stretched up from the ground, their shapes wrenching and morphing until they finally solidified into hideous, bee-like creatures that were about the size of a medium dog. Their wings flapped rhythmically, producing a vicious buzz that kicked up the air around them and produced a storm of wind that lashed at their ears. They had become surrounded by about four or five of them, and little by little the circle the monsters had formed around them became smaller and smaller. Their faceted crimson eyes glowed with demonic energy. The largest of the devil-like bees, mandibles opening and closing in excitement, charged at Nagi with the intention of piercing her with its three-foot long stinger.

the alphabet game. lol

Eel

PMD: Explorers of the Unknown

She wanted to cry so bad. It was hard to just not lay on the ground and cry until her stomach hurt. She was hungry, cold, and scared, and now they had to walk the rest of the way home without their brothers. Either way, she maintained steady footing on the cliff side and followed after Sora. Her eyes, once bright and upbeat, were now downcast and glued to the rocky floor. Her legs trembled with every step she took after him and her whole tail dragged on the floor. Her skull throbbed; had she touched the Sage Stones without realizing it? Was she going to turn into a brainless monster, too? The thought scared her, though she guessed that Cane was lucky. At least he didn't have to suffer with what he did.

As for them, she was sure that not even Arceus knew what was going to happen.

Clans of the Coast

Wait, what? They were the same Clan, now? Her tail shivered in shock. That whole thing was... ridiculous? Cool? Was it even a good thing? Frostpaw sent another glance towards the fresh-kill pile. It seemed full enough. If FireClan and BreezeClan had merged, that would bring in more prey for both of them. That, and they could learn things from each other, right? Despite the fact it all seemed fine and well with everyone, even her, there was something deep inside that made her feel like this was just a little bit wrong. Maybe it was just her being negative.

"Whatever..." She gave her shoulder a nervous lick. "It's not like we can tell Dawnstar and Whitestar 'no'. We're only apprentices."

Oh, that was right. She still had to go and see if she could find Nightwater. Her stomach still grumbled as she looked around camp. There was Goldensight and Beetlestep sharing tongues in the bright sunlight, then there was Albatrosspaw carrying some moss to the medicine den. Barricudashade was eating a big fish in the shadow of the camp's walls. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a flash of long black fur. There she was! "Let's go," she told Reedpaw and Lionpaw as she strode in the direction of her mentor.

"Nightwater!" she called, "Can I ask you something?"

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Masashi [@Zombehs], Akira [@DJAtomika], Hoshiko [@Fabricant451], Akio [@Lord Orgasmo], Kenzan [@PrankFox]

This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t happening! She had to be in the middle of a nightmare. At any moment, she would wake up, eat breakfast, and go to school. Hell, if this was a nightmare, maybe the whole thing with Okamoto was part of it, too. Asumi couldn’t help but hyperventilate as she raised a hand to her other arm and pinched her skin. No, it still hurt… so, this was all real. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and within moments, she was crying. She sobbed into her hands, her body overcome with shivers as she tried to calm herself down. Since she was in the middle of an emotional fit, she didn’t notice the approach of the third year who had run up to help them at first.

“I don’t even know who that guy is!” she wailed at the boy who had knelt down beside her. “I was… I was just walking, and then I tripped and fell on top of him! I probably got his juices all over my clothes and everything!” Asumi punctuated her statement with a frustrated squeal, her hands brushing up and down her uniform as she desperately tried to remove the invisible dead-person germs that had undoubtedly soiled her clothing. When Chen showed up and said that they had to leave, her eyes widened to the size of ramen bowls. “D-do you really think the killer’s still around?!” she asked as her voice rose several octaves higher. She leapt to her feet, her body now shaking like a leaf on a branch. “Oh God, what if he comes back and sees us? He’ll kill all of us for stumbling across the scene of the crime! We need to leave, come on, let’s go already-!”

Her hands scrambled towards Kenzan, Akio, and even Masashi as she attempted to drag them down the alleyway by their sleeves and the hems of their shirts. Though, her struggles were thwarted by Hoshiko, who had started to touch the body out of curiosity. Asumi flinched. There was no way that she was actually putting her fingerprints all over the dead body. First off, that was very gross. Didn’t know that bodies started to decompose as soon as someone died?! There were probably all types of weird germs all over his clothing! That, and… “Don’t touch him! You’re gonna get your prints all over–” Asumi began to scold her, but even that was interrupted by a flurry of footsteps from further down the alleyway.

Her eyes snapped upwards to see a pair of police officers had approached, probably having been drawn to the scene because of all the commotion. Asumi held her hands behind her back, intimidated by the police officers’ questions. If only Nagi was here– She would know what to do. Her gaze flicked to the dead body, then back up to the officers, then down at the floor, then back up to them. Just as she prepared herself to explain to the police, Hoshiko said that “she did it”. Her jaw dropped open. Did it? Did what?! “I didn’t do anything! I just left school and was gonna go to Chen’s house to study ‘cause Miss Okamoto said there was going to be a test soon and I don’t wanna fail so I was just trying to be a good student and I cared about my friends so I brought them along with me so they won’t fail the test either and get then we ALL get expelled-” Her eyes flooded with tears once more before the alleyway brimmed with the caterwaul of her frantic weeping. “I just wanna go home!”

“Okay, okay, hold up! This is getting us nowhere,” the police officer said, exasperated. He turned his scrutinizing gaze towards the rest of them that stood in the alleyway. “I think it’s best if we take you guys down to the station–”

“To the station?!” Asumi bawled. “I don’t wanna get arrested!”

The officer let out a long sigh as he rubbed the back of his head. “You’re not getting… oh, forget it. Just come with us, okay?” He turned back to his partner. “Call in an extra cruiser. Don’t think we can fit all these kids in ours.”

As the other officer leaned their face towards their radio once again, Hoshiko’s words echoed in Asumi’s mind. Maybe it was a bad idea to make this study group after all…

---

The extra police cruisers hadn’t taken long in getting there. As both police officers and detectives began to study the body hidden beneath the garbage bags, the lot of them were guided to the two cars that would take them to the station. Asumi whimpered as she was shoved into the car and became smushed between Hoshiko and Masashi. The ride to the police station was uncomfortable, though the warmth of her schoolmates provided her some comfort during the ride. Her sniffles punctuated the quiet that brimmed within the vehicle, which earned her a half-confused, half-pitying glance from the woman that drove the cruiser. Yet, even the cop didn’t say anything the whole ride there.

Being questioned by the police was… an experience, to say the least. One by one, they were taken into a singular room where they were questioned for about half-an-hour before they were cycled out for another member of their group. Asumi had been the last one to be brought into the small, gray-walled room with a big white table in the middle of it. The detective in charge of them was a surprisingly young– and short– woman who was named Saitou Naoko. When Asumi was questioned by her, Miss Saitou’s voice was always rough and overly aggressive. “Where were you earlier today?” she would ask in a snarl, then she would ask, “What time did you wake up?” or “What time did you have lunch?”. Then, she’d ask where she was at a specific time again and again. Sometimes, her questions would even be repeated. This stressed the hell out of Asumi, who hardly remembered what she had for breakfast. It was only when she started to tear up again that Saitou’s confrontational demeanor became somewhat extinguished, and she left the room to bring her back a bottle of water and some tissues. After Miss Saitou asked a few more questions, Asumi was allowed to leave the room, where she met up with her friends back in the spacious lobby of the station. The light of the mid-afternoon sun filtered through the clean windows and soaked the cheap brown leather chairs in warmth.

“That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever gone through! I thought I was gonna say something weird under all of that pressure,” Asumi chirped as she walked up to them. She rubbed her eyes, which were sore from crying for the past two hours or so. How had it gone for everyone else? Had it been as scary as hers?

Before anyone else said anything, a white-haired man in a tan suit and with a clipboard under his arm entered the lobby behind her. Asumi recognized him as Daichi Ishida, the head detective that had poked his head in her room once or twice in order to scold Saitou when she became too hostile. He scratched the side of his stubbly face as he looked at each one of them respectively with tired brown eyes. “Well, your stories all match up, so you’re free to go. We’ll call you if we need to ask you guys any more questions,” he said.

Asumi stared at him, a wave of relief washing over her body. “For real?!”

“Yep. We just wanted to make sure you didn’t have anything to do with the whole fiasco,” Daichi grumbled. “To be honest, I doubted that a bunch of high school kids had the hearts to murder that poor man in the first place, so I told Naoko to keep her questionings brief.”

“Yeah, but you better get home before the curfew!” Saitou’s head poked out from behind the lobby’s desk. Her brows were furrowed as she glared at them in warning. “After what happened, it’ll look pretty bad if the police catches you out and about when you’re supposed to be–”

“I’m sorry for the trouble. Like I said, you can go now. Make sure to get home safe.”

They were sent off as quickly as they were brought in. Luckily for them, it was still early, and they decided to drag Kenzan along with them to Chen’s house with the promise of food. Asumi was disappointed that they probably wouldn’t have time to study, though the mention of a warm, home-cooked meal was quick to brighten her mood. It kind of sucked that Nagi and Munehisa stood her up, but she guessed it was better than them showing up and getting dragged to the police station with everyone else. That, and maybe there’d be leftovers at Chen’s house!

Asumi hummed a tune as she bounced after the group, enjoying the spritely spring breeze that drifted down the street. Their bus ride had taken about fifteen minutes, which left more than enough time for her to chill at Chen’s place before she had to head home. Even though she kept up a cheery demeanor, her mind couldn’t stop going back to what Chen had said back in the alley. Was there actually a killer in the neighborhood? Was it a man or a woman? Why were they killing in the first place? Would they target students from the school or stick to adults? Either way, the thought bothered her and made her a bit afraid. She wondered if Masashi would walk her home if she asked him to...

Asumi realized that her ponderings had made her slow her pace and the group had walked a bit ahead of her in the process. Her heart skipped a beat and she trotted to catch up with them. She was half-tempted to talk about the dead body and what they thought of it, but she concluded that it was probably a bit too heavy to discuss at the moment. They were almost at Chen’s, after all. It would be best to move on and enjoy the rest of the evening.

“Gosh, that made me hungrier than I expected!” she blurted out without thinking. With a broad smile on her face, she turned to look at Chen. “What’s your dad cooking up for us? I hope it’s something yum-my~!”

---

At Fujihama High School...

MENTIONS: Nagi [@Psyker Landshark], Munehisa [@Solace]

At Nagi’s question, Munehisa sounded from the hallway without delay. "Yeah, yeah, can we get the hell out of here now? Getting expelled don't hit the same as breaking the law!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now shut up and let's go study with the others. I already told Asumi we're on our way, so no pussying out of this for you."

The two then began to make their way down the hallway of school with the intention of leaving as soon as possible. Their rabble continued between them as they walked, with Munehisa’s voice dinning down the corridor as they arrived at the entrance of the school.

"Not like I'm gonna be able to focus, anyway-- man, this sucks! I can't believe the page tore out, much less Okamoto being the one to find it in the first place! And all those other kids she's got runnin' around like bees in a hive trying to find clues, seriously pisses me off..."

Munehisa’s phone buzzed and let out a high-pitched chirp. At that moment, the atmosphere morphed around them, as if a new realm had been wrenched from a hidden fiber of existence and brought to reality. The school’s floors, once polished and clean, now felt sticky under their shoes. The walls’ panelings were now covered in strange, brownish hexagonal structures that protruded slightly and oozed sticky, golden liquid that was viscous in nature. Even the overall structure of the walls were curved, and the shoe lockers behind them were no longer there. In fact, it seemed that the school itself had grown much larger in size.

A sickly sweet scent beckoned for them to come further inside...

「 Persona: Reflections 」

MENTIONS: Munehisa [@Solace], Nagi [@Psyker Landshark], Masashi [@Zombehs], Akira [@DJAtomika], Hoshiko [@Fabricant451]

"Don't worry about it, Nakano. They were actually pretty okay for the most part." Yuri shrugged nonchalantly as she scribbled down their incoming orders. At Munehisa's greeting, she gave the male a small smile. "Awww, hey Nara. Being a sweetie like always, huh?"

Yuck. Asumi grimaced at the exchange. It was very much like Munehisa to flirt with Yuri-- in fact, he always did-- but it was even worse when Yuri kept him at arm's length. Whatever, nothing she could do about it for the time being. She instead chose to listen to everyone give Yuri their orders, only snapping out of her daze when Nagi commented on her appetite and figure. She scoffed at her playfully before she took on an over-exaggerated, offended expression. "Excuse you, but I work out every day before and after school. The walk home's actually a pretty long one!" She held the snobby look on her face for a few more moments before she broke out into a series of childish giggles that were promptly smothered by one of her hands.

When Hoshiko spoke for the first time since they entered Obi's, Asumi turned towards the first-year with interest. Others might have been daunted by her storm of words and questions, but she was able to keep up with her well enough. Her eyes widened with surprise as a light blush dusted her cheeks. "Wait, wait, wait, four boys? Really?" she asked in a high-pitched voice. Time to ask the important questions. She leaned forward, her voice a whisper. "Are any of them cute?"

"The better question is if they're interested in a poly-amorous relationship," Yuri corrected as she noted down Hoshiko's order with a flurry of her pen. "God knows Asumi needs a whole harem of men with all of the energy she has..."

"Hey! Not true!"

Yuri waved her off with a leisurely swaying motion of her right hand. "Anyways, I'll be back with your orders soon."

Her blush having returned in full force, she rested her chin in her hand as she glanced outside. The rain had finally begun to let up; the walk home shouldn't be too bad by the time they finished eating their food. Already, she imagined being all warm and fuzzy inside, filled up with ramen to the brim. The proper way to go home and study! As she took in the smell of spice-filled broth, her look drifted across the table to Munehisa. She raised a brow at his antics before pouting at him upon realizing what he was doing. "Jeez, Nara, again? Hasn't she turned you down like, three times already?"

Even if his incessant mutterings over Yuri could get annoying, Asumi couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. Yuri just didn't seem all too interested in her friend, no matter how smitten he was over her. Honestly, it was getting a little too painful to watch. Maybe she could set him up with one of her girlfriends. She leaned back in her seat, rubbing her chin as she sent a sidelong glance towards Nagi. Hmmm...

Before she could pursue the matter, a light tapping sound came from the window. Turning to see what it was, she was surprised to see that the crow with the purple-pinkish leg-band had perched itself on the window sill. The bird stared inside with unblinking red eyes and cocked its head up at her. A low, raspy croak came from its beak, earning a smile from her.

"Awww... hey little guy~" Asumi cooed as she reached forward to rub her finger on the glass. "Didja get to eat any of that birdseed?"

The crow gazed at her, silent. After a moment, it reared its head back and began to rap on the window once again, harder this time. Poor thing's probably still hungry. Asumi thought with a frown. I hope its owner finds it soon.

Their ramen and drinks arrived not long after. Asumi set off on a quest to devour her food, feasting on the triple order of chashu and heaping pile of noodles. The crow's desperate tapping increased in the presence of food all of the while, which only made her feel worse for the bird. Yuri, on the other hand, did not appreciate the creature's persistence, and had gone outside to shoo it away with the bristly part of a broom. Asumi had been quick to berate her, but Yuri told her that the crow was a frequent troublemaker and was far too smart for its own good-- she even explained that it often raided their trashcans in pursuit of food. It was best to scare it away, she said.

Just as Asumi thought, the rain had ceased by the time they finished their meals. The sky was now clear, and a lovely, aromatic breeze swept through the streets. At the end of their feast, Asumi decided that she should foot the bill. It was a decent chunk of her allowance, but she was sure that her parents wouldn't mind. She was making new friends, so there was no way that they'd complain about it. Soon enough, everyone made to leave, and Asumi bid them farewell before she set off towards home. Hopefully she'd be able to complete her chores before she settled down to study.

---

April 24th, 2025.

Classroom 2-B

MENTIONS: Munehisa [@Solace], Nagi [@Psyker Landshark], Masashi [@Zombehs], Akira [@DJAtomika], Hoshiko [@Fabricant451], Hakuro [@FalloutJack], Kenzan [@PrankFox]

Asumi's day at school went peacefully... for the most part.

Almost everything went as planned; she arrived at school early, ate lunch with Nagi, and answered her teachers' questions correctly. Things changed in the latter part of the day, however. It all happened in history class. Miss Okamoto lectured the class in her usual way, ranting and complaining the whole while. She topped off the class with an brief announcement about a test a few days from then, which was honestly a little ridiculous. They had hardly learned anything; how could they be tested if they didn't know the subject? Asumi frowned, already semi-stressed out as she went to put her books away in preparation for the next subject. However, Miss Okamoto's announcements of terror did not end there.

"Before we move on, may I please have your attention again? Just for a moment." The teacher's voice was sweet-- too sweet, even.

Asumi was almost too scared to look at her, but when she did, she wished she hadn't. Miss Okamoto stood at her desk, a wicked, strained grin having spread over her lips. Fear crawled through her veins as she watched Miss Okamoto lift a piece of paper for the class to look at. Her heart dropped into her stomach upon realizing what exactly it was that she was looking at. Is that really...?!

"I found this drawing on the floor of the classroom the other day. I think it's a drawing of me," Miss Okamoto snared, her face darkening to match her tone of voice. "Honestly, I'm rather insulted. Does anyone know who created this... this thing?"

The classroom was dead quiet. Asumi swallowed as she fought the urge to glance over her shoulder at Munehisa.

"No one?" Miss Okamoto's eyes became slits. She set one of her hands on her hips, holding the paper up by one of its edges as she stepped out from behind the desk. Slowly but surely, she made her way around the classroom, worming her path around each of the students' desks with deadly grace. "Really? No one at all?"

Asumi chewed on the inside of her lip. Oh God, she was sweating. Thankfully, the history teacher had returned back to her desk after her parade, and too far to sense her sheer discomfort.

A long sigh left the teacher's lips. "Well, if we aren't doing this the easy way, then I suppose we'll have to do it the hard way..." Miss Okamoto's smile returned to her face, though it was practically demonic at this point, almost as if she was relishing the fact that she was in control of the whole classroom. Her venomous leer did not falter once as she placed the drawing back on the desk. "Since no one wants to fess up, I'll have to bring this up to the principal. I'm sure I can convince him to come up with an appropiate punishment for the class. Hmm... expulsion, maybe?"

Asumi bristled in her seat. EXPULSION?!

"I'm giving you lot a week," Miss Okamoto hissed. "If no one confesses by then, this is going straight to the principal's office and the entirety of Class 2-B will be removed from Fujihama High."

Asumi couldn't believe it. It wasn't even a week into the new semester and already she was being faced with a test and getting kicked out of school?!

The school day might have ended an hour later, but that granted her no respite. As the class chattered among their separate cliques, her mind wracked for solutions. There was no way she could solve the situation with Miss Okamoto-- not yet, anyway. Munehisa was her friend. There was no way she was going to rat him out to her. She only hoped that someone else did, or he manned up and turned himself in. As he should-- if she was expelled from high school because of Munehisa of all people, she would likely murder him. That left the other issue: the history test a few days from then. She could fix that, at least.

Her eyes drifted across the class in search of something– anything– that could help her out. That was when her gaze fell on one of her classmates, Chen Akio. He was doing what he did best, reading a textbook. Not just any textbook– a history textbook!

“Hey!” Asumi called out and got up from her seat before she walked over to his desk. Even though she was right in front of him, she gave him a small wave and a tender smile. “You’re Chen, right?”

Chen visibly recoiled at the sound of his name. Someone was talking to him? Why would anyone want to talk to him? Was he about to get mugged? He looked up from his history textbook to the girl who had called his name. She looked harmless enough. Wasn't her name… Asumi something? Maybe she was looking for something?

"Uh, yeah, that's me." Chen closed his textbook and began to put it into his bag. "Do you uh… need some help with something?"

Asumi perked up when the boy affirmed that it was actually who she thought he was. Okay, perfect, step one was done. “Well…” she began, swaying her hips side to side bashfully as she dipped her head at him. She glanced up at him pleadingly, trying to pull off the best puppy-eyes she could.

“I don’t really get what Miss Okamoto teaches most of the time. I’m so lost in the class, I’m starting to worry about my grades dropping because of her! So, I was wondering, would you be willing to tutor me and some friends? We could go to your place or something, and I can bring along some snacks to get us through the study session!”

As if that wasn’t enough to convince the studious boy, she leaned forward and gave him a sugary smile. “Please, please, please help us?” she asked. “I’ll do anything!”

Chen leaned back from the girl as she leaned in, the grip on his textbook growing tighter. She seemed… a little too enthusiastic about all this. Was this some sort of scam? Then again, she was right about Miss Akamoto. They had to have been some of the worst "lectures" he'd ever had the misfortune of sitting through. Maybe she was just really, really desperate. Well, helping others is a good way to make new friends right?

"Well, uh… Yeah, sure, I don't see why not. We can study at my place. Mom is supposed to be out on a girl's night out and dad has today off--"

Wait. Shit. His dad was home. That might complicate things. His dad probably wasn't opposed to the idea, and probably even liked the idea of him studying. There was just one ever so slight problem. "Uh, so if you're coming over, I'm just going to warn you now, my dad might not let you leave without staying for dinner. Not literally, of course, but you get the idea. Where he's from, food is kind of important."

Chen realized he had a death grip on his textbook this whole time. He let go of the book and zipped up his bag, before turning back to the girl. "I guess I need to call dad at let him know I'm having people over." He pulled out his phone. "Any idea how many of you there'll be?"

No way! He was actually going to help them and give them food! It was a miracle! Asumi grinned as she bounced excitedly on her toes. “Thank you so much! And no worries about the dinner thing! I’m sure everyone’ll love to stay and try out your dad’s cooking!”

That left one last question. How many were going with her? Well, grades were important, so she might as well invite everyone. “Maybe like…” She thought for a moment as she pulled out her own phone. “Five or six, including me. Mind if I give you my number so you could text me your address?”

Well someone was certainly excited. Maybe this whole Okamoto thing was worse than he thought. On rare occasions he was ever called on in class the questions were easy enough to answer, but that might have just been because he had read the textbook so much. Chen grabbed his notebook and began scribbling down his number on a corner before tearing it off and handing it to Asumi. "Alright, there you go. If you need anything else, I'm going to head over to Wantanabe's first to check out some stuff. Send me a text when you're on your way incase I need to cut my trip short." Chen looked down at the phone in his other hand. Time to make a call.

---

It wasn't long after her conversation with Chen that Asumi gathered her friends-- Hoshiko included, for some reason --and they set off together. Asumi thought it was the least she could do; she didn't only care about her grades, but theirs as well. Nagi agreed to meet them at Chen's place, promising to drag Munehisa with her. She kept their pace slow and leisurely to provide their savior with enough time to go to Watanabe's and back. The spring breeze was very lovely that day, backed by clear skies and a warm sun. Their first stop was a small, not-very-well-known corner shop that sold all types of snacks and candies. Asumi bought a ton for herself and for her friends and shoved them all into her schoolbag. The sweet, bitter, sour, and salty snacks rested comfortably in her bag as they set off in the direction of Chen's house. Oh right, she almost forgot! She pulled out her phone and sent a text message to Chen.

Hey! On our way! Bringing a lot of snacks too! :)

Asumi tried to relish the spring breeze as they walked down a small street that people hardly used, though it was to no avail. Her mind was bitter, and she was practically frantic as she led them down the path. It wasn't wide, but luckily it wasn't extremely narrow. Some trash cans lined the small side street, though they were kept in place for the most part. Once they made it down the street, they'd be near Chen's neighborhood. "I swear, that whole thing with Miss Okamoto was such B.S!" she whined. "Can she actually expel a whole class?! Is that even allowed?" Knowing their luck, it probably was.

"This can't happen. If it does, it'll ruin my reputation! There's not going to be a single university who wants a student who was expelled from school..." Asumi said, continuing her tirade as she glanced over her shoulder at them. "We gotta do something, and qu-- AH!"

Her foot snagged against a stray garbage bag, sending her tumbling onto a pile of other bags. Groaning in complaint, she struggled to pull herself to her feet, her face burning a bright red. Of course. "Damn it, she whimpered, "people really have to mind where they throw their... trash..?"

There was no mistaking that smell. She had smelled it before, when she accompanied her parents to the hospital when they weren't able to find anyone to take care of her. It wasn't even a smell, to be fair-- it was more like a stench, one of decay and blood. Panic ran through her as she stared down at the trash bags, her eyes growing wide upon further inspection. A older man with grayish-black hair was sprawled on his back beneath the pile of trash, his eyes wide open and staring up towards the sky. His sightless gaze was covered by a glossy film, and a ragged gash spread from one side of his neck to the other. Old blood had pooled beneath his head. Asumi stared, her face becoming paler by the minute. Then, her throat released the most guttural screech that it could manage, her scream rippling up and down the pathway and bouncing off the stone walls.

When she her lungs were emptied of air, she let out a series of dry gasps as she rolled off the pile of bags. A rush of adrenaline pulled her back onto her feet. "B-b-bo-" she stammered, shivering all the while as she backed up against the wall. Her eyes were wide, her lips hanging open as she tried to form words. "Th-that's a- a-... that's a dead body--!!!"