Persona BLEACHED 3: Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Opening Day
August 6, 2029
"Just a couple more...one more for Grandma Hana, and..." 
Rin took several pictures with her phone. Shizuka, dressed in a standard kindergarten uniform, looked unenthused.
"Do I have to go to school, Mama?" the girl asked.
"Lovebug, I'm a teacher, remember? You know I'm going to say yes. It'll be fun, I promise." Rin replied.
"I wanna stay with you and Mama Rose."
"Oh, dearie, I know it's scary, but me and Mama Rin have to go to work. You won't be by yourself. Aura's going to be there. You'll be around a lot of kids your age. It's all part of growing up." Rose replied.
"What if they think I'm weird?" Shizuka asked.
"Weird is good, Shizuka. I've always said that much. I wrote as much on your sister's plaque. Never let anyone tell you different." Rin replied.
An expensive-looking car with tinted windows pulled up in front of the house. The passenger window rolled down. "Good morning, ladies. Ready for a day of separation anxiety?" asked a woman in a yellow sundress, with bells in her long brown hair.
"Nope. But it has to be done." Rin replied.
"Don't get me started." An intimidating-looking man, with long brown hair tied back, a dark dress shirt with "Crazy Diamond" written on the back, and an eyepatch over his left eye, stepped out of the driver's side. "This one's been asking me for the last three days if she could make a convincing preschooler."
"I could just tell them I was held back for two decades. It could happen." his lady companion retorted.
The pair were Hiyoko Kagetora, and her husband, Shūjo Higashikata. A former yakuza gang lord, Shūjo had used his considerable wealth and influence to maintain a local fishery. Hiyoko, due to life-long illness, largely remained at home, though had recently taken ownership of a casino parlor once belonging to Shūjo's family.
"Alright. Moment of truth time." Rin picked Shizuka up.
"Mamaaaaa." Shizuka begged.
"You'll be fine, lovebug, I promise. Just think, in ten years, if you're really good, you could be in my class. Wouldn't that be fun?"
"Really?"
"Mmhmm. But you have to be good, and it starts today. And if you're really good today, we can go for ice cream after. That sound good?"
Shizuka nodded.
"Good girl."
Shūjo opened the back door. "Nothing if not a gentleman."
Rose snickered.
"Something funny, rosebud?"
"Oh, not at all. Not. At all."
"That's what I thought."
Rin sat Shizuka down. Sitting next to her was another girl in an identical uniform. Her hair was snow-white, with a large blue bow on the back, her eyes were pale, and she was grasping a white owl plush toy. "Hi, Shizuka. Hi, Aunt Rin." she said softly.
"Hi there, Aura." Rin replied.
Aura was Shūjo and Hiyoko's adopted daughter, having been brought into the home only a few weeks ago. Her pale complexion was a result of albinism, which had led to a lonely life prior to her adoption.
"Everyone at the school knows about her condition, right?" Rin asked.
"They'll be accommodating as best they can. Unfortunately, her outside time might still be limited." Hiyoko replied.
"We've tried the hooded jackets, but apparently they aren't 'cute enough'. Yeah." Shūjo added.
"Oh, so a cute hoodie is what you need? Hm. And you were still looking for a babysitter, right? I think I have the perfect girl in mind." Rin replied. "Well, I've held you up long enough. Not to mention I've got to run myself. You girls have fun, okay?"
"Be good. Mind your manners and be polite. We want to hear only good things." Rose added.
"Okay. I'll be good." Shizuka assured.
"That's all we want to hear." Rin replied. "I'll be by to pick her up after work. And I'll see what I can do about that hoodie."
"She's in good hands, dear. You focus on your own first day. No need to drive yourself mad with worry." Hiyoko reassured.
"You just focus on you, Red. Don't worry about your baby." Shūjo added.
The car shortly departed, Rin and Rose waving goodbye to it. "...what's the matter?" Rose asked.
"I MISS MY BABY!" uttered a tearful Rin.
"D'oh."
---
Naruki Ascension Academy. One of the foremost centers of higher education on the continent. Here, the country's best and brightest congregate, surrounded by the top instructors.
It being the first day of the new school year, the campus was as lively and crowded as it could be, as the new crop of students walked about in search of their homerooms.
As it happened, one second-year student was also in need of directions.
"Now...did they say the second floor or third? Could've saved myself some walking if I'd asked again..." Sakuya said. 
"You're going to be looking for the third floor."
Sakuya turned to the source of the voice. "Oh, hello, Ms. Rose. Paying the Professor a visit?"
"Something like that. I had to be the calming hand on the way here. Today is Shizuka's first day of school. Rin was crying for over twenty minutes." Rose giggled. "Don't mention that I said that."
"Okay, but..." Sakuya observed Rose's manner of dress, not too dissimilar to what school officials were wearing. "...you look rather official to be going to the flower shop."
"That's because I'm not going to the flower shop."
"You aren't? Did something happen?"
"A game of business musical chairs, as it were." Rose replied. "You look confused. To make a long story short, Ms. Hana sold the pachinko parlor to JoJo and Hiyoko. Then, she asked if she could have the flower shop again. I was more than happy to oblige, but then she followed it up with 'Now I want you to find your own path. You worked as hard as Rin when it came to your education. Go and spread your wings a bit~.' Her words, not mine."
"So where did your wings take you?"
"Where else? Right here. You're looking at the Academy's new councilor. I'm putting that doctorate to proper use."
"Doctorate--so 'Doc' isn't just what Kit-er, Kat-san calls you? You actually are a doctor?"
"Indeed. It required a gluttony of sleepless nights, but rest assured there was no preferential treatment involved. I never once mentioned who my spouse is. I've dedicated my life to being of help to others. What better challenge than helping prodigies under pressure through their problems?"
The school bell sounded. "I'll let you get on your way. It wouldn't do for you to be late on your first day. You have a pleasant day, now." Rose said.
"Thank you, Ms. Rose. This was a welcome surprise. See you around." Sakuya bowed, and went on her way.
"Oh, Ms. Tsumomo. Give it a little while. The surprises have only just begun."
---
"...what." Kibō deadpanned.
It was physical education period for Rin's class and a few others. The students were all made to stand in rows. Rin's class, in particular, were all varying degrees of shocked by who was standing at the head of the gym.
It was a man in his late-20s, with short bleached-blonde hair, beard stubble, and a green jacket with the collar popped up. He held a baseball bat over his shoulder. A faded scar could be seen on his left cheek.
"Good morning, brainiacs. Welcome to every geek's worst nightmare: unrelenting phys-ed from a guy who takes zero excuses. If any of you ever watched a baseball game, you might recognize my face. My name is Ryōma Tsutsugo. And I'll be your drill sergeant for the foreseeable future."
The shock from Rin's troupe was understandable. Ryōma Tsutsugo was a former Nippon Professional Baseball MVP who lost his career and standing due to a tampered drug test. His fall from grace led him to Death's Hand, where he served as one of its top generals. Up until a few months ago, he was the students' sworn enemy. Now, with Rin's recommendation, he was given a second chance.
"Hey...what gives? Why is he here? I thought he was just gonna be the baseball coach and we wouldn't have to deal with him..." Max whispered.
"Beats me. All I know is, this is gonna be insanity." Kibō whispered back.
"Got something to say, pointy hair?" Ryōma suddenly appeared in front of Kibō.
"N-no."
"No what?"
"...no, sir."
"That's a good braniac. Don't want to spill something I'll be keeping in mind. I don't forget anything." Ryōma rubbed his head.
"(This asshole...)" Kat thought.
"(Suppose this is our punishment for not leaving him in Hell.)" Kenneth thought.
"Okay, nerds. I want you all out by the track, posthaste. I don't get paid to have you all standing in a line like a bunch of cult freaks. Now move!" Ryōma ordered.
"Irony isn't your strong suit, is it, 'Creon'?" Sakuya whispered as she walked off.
"I'm not paid to be ironic either, 'Tiresias'." Ryōma got behind her. "Now get to stepping."
A short while later, the students were made to run laps around the track. Rin's class were soon the only ones left. "Just because your pal gave me lip earlier, you all get an extra go-around." Ryōma said.
"You couldn't have caved this guy's head in a little more, Keeb?" Max asked.
"If a certain someone hadn't stopped me, I might've." Kibō replied.
"Don't blame me for this." Sakuya bit back.
"Why did it have to be that Creon guy? He's gonna make us suffer for the whole year if this is anything to go by..." Natalia uttered.
"Less yapping, more running. Need a waffle for some encouragement?" Ryōma bellowed.
"Why are you so rude?!" Barbara demanded.
"Why are you so goddamn pale? Mind your own business. I'm just offering some incentive. Seeing how she scarfed down that cookie before class, she could use it."
At this point, Carrie had heard enough. Near enough to Ryōma, she prepared to take a swing. At the last moment, her hand was stopped.
"Let it go, Care Bear." Kat said.
"You lot are really pushing your luck, you know that? *sigh* Everyone back in the gym. I've got a few words for Miss Apple's troupe." Ryōma ordered. The other students dispersed.
"What the hell's your problem? If you're gonna single us out like this every single day, we might as well play hookie." Max asked.
"I didn't give me lip or take a swing at my face on Day One, did I? That was all you." Ryōma replied.
"Is this your way of getting payback for me knocking your head in on the moon? If that's the case, don't take it out on them. I can handle the extra punishment." Kibō said.
"How very chivalrous. But this ain't about the moon. If I was really that bitter, I would've done something about it. No, I'm just making a point. I'm making sure you runts don't go soft with a little bit of peace in the air."
"You can do that without resorting to schoolyard insults. Aren't you a grown man?" Carrie retorted.
"I'll admit that the base insults might've been a bit much. But here's what my issue is. Just because you lot can shoot lightning bolts from your fingertips doesn't mean you get special treatment. You don't get to punch my lights out without consequences. And here's something to really rattle your bones: I'm being extra hard because your dear, sweet Professor asked me to."
"What...? Teach asked you?" Sahir asked.
"She wants me to keep you sharp up here." Ryōma pointed to his head. "You've seen it for yourselves. The kinds of things that other people can't see. You fought the devil on her home turf, and walked away. Great. You saved the day. But what comes after that? What happens if another Kerberos pops up? You can sit on your bums and pretend that it can't happen again, but knowing who your Professor is, chances are good that something'll come up."
"Being a creep about it doesn't help." Kat replied.
"I'll address this to you, seeing as how the rest of these kiddies made you their boss. I was an ass, I'll admit that. But given how much your Professor preaches being nice and forgiving, it took you all less than a day to crack. Did it really take a summer of nothing happening to make you all soft? You were smart not to let Frenchie hit me, cuz that would've been an even worse mess. Just for today, I won't be saying anything. Like how I won't mention you carrying that knife around with you."
"A knife? Kat-san, what is he talking about?" Sakuya asked.
Kat didn't take her eyes off Ryōma, then proceeded to pull a dagger out from beneath her shorts. "Yeah. I'll admit it. I kept this with me just in case. I don't care what happened down there. I don't trust you as far as Keebie could throw you. Which, considering how he throttled you, I'd guess is pretty damn far. But since you're on the Academy's payroll now, we've got no choice but to put up with your BS. So if Prof told you to be hard on us, cuz we might go soft? Tell her not to worry. Cuz if I really wanted to, I would've let Care Bear whoop you for what you said to Hoodsie. I would've liked nothing more than to do it myself. You mess with one of Kitty Kat's Krew, Kitty Kat's gonna have something to say about it. So, Bat Boy..." She got right in his face. "Put us on the spot like this again, and you're gonna wish we left you down in Kirby-chan's House of Giggles. It would've been much less painful for you."
The other students were speechless. They didn't know whether to be impressed or horrified.
Ryōma stared Kat down for a second. Then, he started to snicker. "I like this one. Y'all picked the right leader. You keep following her lead, you might actually live. Get your asses in the gym. The fun's only just started."
The others let out a sigh of relief, and walked away. "Another day in paradise." Kenneth uttered.
Kat followed suit, not taking her gaze off of Ryōma until she walked past him.
"Gonna be a fun year. I can feel it in my bones." he mused to himself.
---
"Teach, do us all a favor..." Sahir muttered. The students sat at their desks, showing varying degrees of exhaustion. "Please don't give us a nasty surprise like that ever again."
"Sorry. I didn't know how to break it to you all without you experiencing it first." Rin replied.
"Surely there were more suitable candidates than a ballplayer with an axe to grind..." Kenneth groaned.
"I had to call him 'sir'. I've never felt so unclean." Kibō added.
"Trust me when I tell you it never gets any better." Sakuya replied.
"If today was any indication, gym's gonna be a circus for the rest of the year..." Barbara uttered.
Natalia looked despondent. "Don't let what he said get to you. He's an idiot." Kat assured.
"Did he say something awful to you?" Rin asked.
"Nothing that I haven't heard a million times before..." Natalia brushed it off.
"An awful thing stated a million times doesn't make it any less awful the following time. There is absolutely, positively nothing wrong with how you look or what you enjoy eating. You're beautiful. Don't let a cultist nitwit tell you otherwise." Carrie dictated. "No offense."
"None taken." Sakuya assured.
"Did he really go for the playground insults? Unreal. I'll have a word with him about this. I told him to be firm, but nothing like that." Rin said.
"You won't have to worry about that, Prof. I already gave him a piece of my mind. He won't be doing that again." Kat replied.
"Oh, no. You didn't punch him, did you?"
"Nope. If I'm being honest, I stopped him from getting punched. But I really, really wanted to let it happen."
Rin groaned. "I can at least give you credit for the self-control." She took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's move on. I have enough swirling in my brain today as it is."
The remainder of the day passed by without incident. "Natalia, before you go, can I talk with you for a minute?" Rin asked.
"Um, sure. Am I in trouble for something?" Natalia asked.
"Oh, not at all. I actually have something that might cheer you back up. Ms. Hiyoko and her husband could use your help with their daughter."
"Their...they have a daughter?"
"They just adopted her a few weeks ago. But she actually has a condition where she can't go outside for long periods. She really wants to go out more often, but apparently she keeps turning down the hooded coats they give her. Say they aren't cute enough. Know anyone who might be able to help there?"
"Um, well...maybe? I don't know if I could...I'm not really good with kids..."
"You've babysat Shizuka before. I think you'd get along well with this girl. Just a gut feeling I have. They're going out this Saturday. I don't want to pressure you, but I think you could really help this girl out. Should I tell them to look for a sitter, or..."
"Okay...I guess I can try. I can stop by on Saturday."
"Great! They'll be so happy to hear that. I'm sure you'll be fine." Rin replied. "Hey, chin up. Pay Tsutsugo no mind. It's too soon to abandon hope for the year. And if he ever says anything rude like that again..."
"Then Care or Kat'll turn him into jelly before I ever get a hand on him. That's what friends are for, I guess." Natalia giggled. "Thanks, Professor. I'm OK now. I'll see you in the morning." Natalia walked out.
"For your sake, I hope you are." Rin commented to herself.
A few minutes later, Rose entered. "Are you ready to go?"
"YES. TAKE ME TO MY BABY." uttered a suddenly emotional Rin.
"Try to keep the waterworks under 10 minutes this time, please."
---
"*phew*" Sahir took a deep breath. "Okay. Now or never, champ. Just gotta ask her where she wants to go this weekend. Totally normal stuff." He moved to knock on the door, stopping just short. "Nah, she's probably tired. Yeah, that's it. I'll try again later. Much later. Like never. Cuz I suck." He rapidly began scratching his head. "Uuuuugh. Come on, man. You've got this. Take it like you would a penalty. First step is everything."
As he moved to knock on the door, it suddenly opened slightly. "Huh? The door's open? That's not like her..." He peered inside. "Sakuya? Is everything okay in here?"
Inside the dormroom, Sakuya was laying on the couch, holding her head and sweating. "Nngh..."
"Hey! What's wrong?!"
"Unh...Sahir-san...it's nothing...just the medication again...all I need is a few minutes."
"You sure? I can grab you some ice or water or something."
"I have an ice pack in the freezer...if you wouldn't mind."
A few minutes later, Sakuya had ceased sweating, and held the pack to her head. "I'm sorry to worry you. It happened almost as soon as I walked through the door."
"It's fine, just freaked me out for a second cuz you never just leave the door open. I thought the new meds meant less fainting spells like that?"
"Less. Not 'not at all.' I actually hadn't had one in a month until just now. But I should be alright now. Actually...could you do me one other favor?"
"Sure, anything."
"Could you bring me my laptop? Mother is going to be calling soon. It's on my desk. And touch nothing else. I mean it."
"C-come on, I've got better manners than that! Laptop and nothing else, got it..."
Sahir went into Sakuya's room. "(Yeah, as well-kept as I thought it would be. And pink. So. Very. Pink.)" he thought. "Focus, man, focus." He grabbed the laptop off of its desk. It was a lightly-adorned desk otherwise, only holding a small vase with three magnolias in it, and a gray, somewhat tattered plush toy of a seal. Next to the seal was a small note card.
"'Happy 5th Birthday, to my dearest Saku. No matter how hard it gets, just give this a hug, and remember that Mommy loves you with all of her heart ❤.'"
"Looks like it's gotten it's fair share of hugs..." Sahir mused, and left the room.
"Thank you, Sahir-san. I don't like to ask, but I'm still a little dizzy." Sakuya said upon receiving the laptop.
"No problemo. Can't leave a pretty girl in peril, can I?"
"I wouldn't classify this as being perilous, but it's appreciated all the same. By the way, what was it that brought you here?"
"Uh, well, I, uh...uh..." he stuttered.
"I'll save you the trauma. You wanted to ask me out this weekend, right?"
Sahir froze. "(And she just comes out with it!)"
"So much of an unapologetic lady's man, yet you're a stuttering mess at the critical moment. Regardless, I won't be available. I start again at the café on Sunday."
"Oh, well, alright then. Guess I'll just--"
"Suppose it'll have to be early on Saturday, then. Did you have anywhere in mind?"
"(...crud. I actually didn't get to this part. Think fast, man, think fast. Where would she want to go to...wait...BRAIN BLAST!)"
"Um...there's a big zoo over in Karakura we could go to...I hear they've got seals and the like..."
"Did you say SEALS? Ohhhh, I love seals! So squishy and bouncy and cute and--ahem. Pardon my outburst." Sakuya regained her composure. "That is to say, I would like that very much. A zoo day sounds incredibly asealing--um, appealing."
"Oh, okay, good...I'll have to find what time it opens...Saturday it is...just the two of us...alone...without the rest of the--"
"Sahir-san."
"Y-yeah?"
"I already said yes to the date. You don't need to keep fidgeting."
"Yeah, I know, but..."
"Go get some rest. It's been a long day. We can talk more in the morning."
"Alright, alright...sure you don't need anything else for your head?"
"I'm okay. The dizziness is under control. Thank you."
"No trouble, really...guess I'll see you tomorrow, then...tell your Ma I said hi...ring me up if there's any trouble." Sahir slowly edged out the door. "...so it is a date, then?"
"Good night, Sahir-san."
"Yeah, yeah, good night..."
Sahir made his way back to the boys' dorm. "Feh, that wasn't so bad...least I didn't faint or cry or any of the other five-thousand things I was afraid of! I'd call that mission accomplished..."
As he walked down the hall, he came across Kibō and Kenneth standing outside their dormroom. "Hey, fellas. You got bugs in your place?"
"...someone's been in my room." Kibō muttered.
"Wait, hold up. Someone broke into your place?! Did they take anything?"
"They didn't take anything. They...left something." Kenneth replied.
Kibō presented a small framed photograph, of his younger self sitting on his mother's shoulders. A sticky note was attached to it, reading 'Forgot something!!! 😍' 
"According to my dad...Mom never came home yesterday. Then I found this on my bed. So I texted Mom, and apparently she's staying at a hotel nearby. For a week, so she says. And she made a key."
"That's...disturbing." Sahir uttered.
"She ate a muffin I was saving." Kenneth added.
"I called her and told her to come here. I'm not gonna be stalked by my own mother. She needs to go home." Kibō said.
"That's messed up, dude. Talk about an invasion of privacy." Sahir said.
"I'm hoping I can convince her. Something's been majorly wrong with her for a while. If I can't talk her down now, then...no. I don't want it to come to that. But it's gone too far now. I need to resolve this." 
"Good luck with that, man. That's one lady I wouldn't be trying to upset. Godspeed." Sahir departed.
"....." Kibō remained pensive.
"Not even a day and you might be calling the others to arms. Paradise, indeed." Kenneth said.
---
Later that night, Kat sat in her bed, going through her phone. There was a knock on her door. 
"Still up?" Barbara asked.
"You know it. Telling off gym instructors really builds up the adrenaline." Kat replied.
Barbara sat down next to her. Kat covered her eyes. "Easy! You've got too much of that angel glow. I could go blind." She sniffed. "Is that lavender?"
"Stoooop. Save the teasing for the boys..." Barbara blushed. 
Kat put her arms around Barbara's shoulders. "Don't see any around. And they don't smell like lavender, so..."
Kat's phone began to ring. "It's...Keebie. Probably jealous that I'm teasing his girl instead of him."
"I'm 99% sure that's not it." Barbara denied.
"Heya, Keebie. Careful with the naughty words, ya girl's next to me and you're on speaker. Choose wisely." Kat answered.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Kat. I'm not even sure if doing this is a good idea. But I don't have another choice." Kibō replied.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Long story short, my mom's been acting really off lately. She's been more attached than usual. Today I found out she broke into our dorm while we were in class. I just got done talking to her and...there's nothing else I can do for her out here."
"What happened, Keeb? What do you mean 'out here'?" Barbara asked.
"You know what I mean. Mom has never been the type to just talk about her feelings. This isn't what I wanted to do, but I can't think of any other way to get through to her."
"It couldn't wait a day, huh, Keebie? Right back into the fire." Kat said. "You know you don't even have to ask. We'll get your mama out of her funk."
"I'd really appreciate it. I can't let her keep going like this. I didn't want to invade her thoughts, but I don't like where this is going."
"I'll get the others up to speed tomorrow. After school, it's on. Ashen Artisans, back in business."