Nerusona

Chapter 10

Part 1: April

Chapter 10

April 6th. Sunday.

“Come on, Tanaka, let’s go downtown today!”

Groggily opening up his eye, the dark-haired teen cringed as the brightness of the new day peered in through the bedroom window. His sister was staring down at him, already dressed for the day. She gave him a big grin and said that breakfast was already on the table before skipping out of Tanaka’s room. He got out of bed and wondered how he and his sister’s free day would be spent.

…

“It’s a beautiful day today,” muttered Yamaguchi, sticking close to her brother as the duo approached the train station. “I heard from a couple students that they were going to be hanging out at the game center.”

Tanaka took his phone out of his pocket to check if he received any messages, but there were none. “If we have enough money, we’ll go.”

Yamaguchi sat down on one of the station’s wooden benches. “Oi, can you get me a cola? I’m already thirsty from that walk.”

Tanaka sauntered over to the vending machine located next to a pillar, but something caught his eye; beside the vending machine was a bluish door that seemed to faintly glow. His dog-like ears flicked a bit as he gave a curious stare at it. He glanced back at Yamaguchi, who wasn’t even paying attention. Tanaka stuck his hand in his pocket to grab his wallet, but ended up pulling out a key that matched the door’s color.

“You are always welcome to the Velvet Room. Please, hold onto this.”

The Velvet Room… Did that lie beyond the door?

Tanaka unlocked the glowing door, blinded by a bright light…

…and soon found himself sitting in the same seat he was sitting in the last time he visited. Hisu, Rin, and Len were all staring at the teen.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room,” Hisu greeted with a smile. “I see that you already have built knowledge on what Personas are—in fact, someone you have renewed your bond with has obtained with as well. The stronger the bonds you have, the stronger your Personas will become.”

“You, being the Wild Card, possess the ability to summon more than one Persona,” interjected Rin.

“Correct. Your Personas can also be fused together to form even stronger ones.”

Len added, “But if you break any bonds, then your power will weaken as a consequence.”

Hisu gave a nod, confirming what his attendant said. “If you would like to summon or fuse Personas, please visit us again.”

“Alright,” said Tanaka, nodding as well.

…

“Tanaka!”

The youth snapped back to reality, turning towards his sister. “Huh?”

“Why are you just standing there? I asked for a cola.”

“Oh, right.”

He did as his sister asked and bought her something to drink, and the two sat next to each other as they waited for the next train to arrive. When it did, they boarded it and made their way downtown.

…

Tanaka and Yamaguchi spent most of the day walking around the city. They visited the game center as Yamaguchi requested, and as it turned out there were plenty of other high school students hanging out there. Besides visiting the Velvet Room, Tanaka’s day was nothing but ordinary. Their return home, however, was a different story.

Car horns blared loudly as they meandered near the highway, and the two assumed a car crash disrupted the traffic. That assumption was quickly discarded as someone shouted, “Get out of the way, girl!” Curiosity got the best of the duo, and both teens pressed their faces against the chain link fence that prevented people from getting onto the highway. It took awhile to notice what was going on, but there she was.

Raku.

Ready to jump out onto the oncoming traffic.

“Tanaka, do something!” shouted Yamaguchi, tugging her brother’s shoulder. “Hurry!”

He didn’t think twice before climbing up the fence and hopping onto the other side. As he darted towards the female, he could see her taking small steps—one at a time—toward the car lanes. Tanaka hastily yanked Raku away, pulling her back to the fence.

She blinked a few times before realizing who he was, and once she did, she glared at Tanaka with her bright yellow eyes. “Why did you do that?”

His gaze averted to the ground, heart beating fast.

“Why did you do that?” repeated Raku, her own heart beating rapidly. “I—”

“Don’t do that again,” scolded Tanaka, gesturing for the female to climb over the fence and away from the highway. “Just don’t.”

April 7th. Monday.

The school day was relatively boring compared to yesterday’s incident. Tanaka and Yamaguchi—more so Tanaka—had a restless night due to worrying over Raku’s safety, and their lack of sleep showed during the day. Roku handed out short assessments to determine which class divisions students belonged in and the duo could hardly focus.

When the lunch bell rang, Tanaka and Yamaguchi headed up to the school’s roof to eat lunch in peace. When Tanaka swung the door open, Yamaguchi let out a shrill scream that startled him. She pointed out towards the edge of the roof, covering her mouth with her other hand.

Raku stood near the edge of the roof, her skirt and hair flowing with the wind. She outstretched her arms, ready to take a step forward.

Tanaka dashed after her, dropping both Yamaguchi and his lunches on the ground. He could’ve sworn he saw Raku leaning forward and beginning her fall, but his hand latched onto hers and dragged the female towards him.

Raku stared beyond the edge of the roof. A few moments of silence passed before she spoke up. “Why do you bother trying to save me?” the girl asked, her eerie tone giving Tanaka chills. A grin crept on her face, chuckling to herself. “I’m a lost cause. Why won’t you just let me die?”

“You can be saved,” Tanaka said, still holding onto Raku’s hand to ensure she didn’t attempt to jump again.

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Raku’s out-of-place grin disappeared. “I’ve hit rock bottom in my life, and there’s no hope of getting out.”

“Suicide isn’t the answer to anything.”

The dark-haired female gave the other a cold glare. “We’re going to grow up to become soldiers and die anyways. What’s the difference if I end my life now, huh?”

Tanaka bit the inside of his lip. It was true—all students at Shoudou Academy were going to become soldiers as soon as they graduated. “Raku…”

“You’re pathetic.” Raku’s hand squirmed out of Tanaka’s grip. “How can you act like such a savior during this era?” She clenched her fists together. “You can’t save anyone. Not even yourselves.” She turned away from Tanaka and took off for the door, darting past Yamaguchi and back into the school building.

 

Tanaka glanced back at Yamaguchi to check up on how she was doing, only to see his sister collapse to her knees. He jogged over to her, asking what happened. Yamaguchi only burst into tears, sick and tired of the pressures going on.