Chapter Text
Unknown location
“Time is a part of life. It gives us humanity to shape our story in anew. Whether in the path of goodwill or the path of chaos and destruction. You, the timekeeper and guardian, can change the timeline as you see fit. You must take responsibility of your own accord, and it can’t be undone.”
Meanwhile, somewhere in the unknown location. An anthropomorphic rabbit in shrine attire was wearing around a tablet, running away from something evil.
“You.. won’t get away! Traitor!” says an unnamed voice.
“No… You’re the traitor! I won’t let you get the Index and change the course of history!” The little one yelled back as they tried as they might to get away. However, one of them cast Agni on them and injured their leg. They almost fell, but that doesn’t stop them from giving up.
“DANG IT. My leg! It has been poorly burned. I won’t have time to heal myself. I need to hurry before—-“. Suddenly, they felt another injury, but it was on their back this time.
As the unknown enemy slowly catches up, the rabbit quickly opens a portal on the ground. They force themself to run a while in pain and jump into it before they quickly close it up. The two figures appear where the portal disappeared. They consist of a humanoid dragon and rooster dressed in black clothes.
“Damn it. She got away with the Index. What do we do, brother?” Says the rooster humanoid.
“Forget her for now. She won’t survive in the real world. There isn’t a single Persona user living in the area she’s been transported to. After she dies, we will obtain it. For now, we wait. Let’s report back to our other siblings.” Says the dragon humanoid calmly.
“Yes, elder brother.” He obeyed.
The two figures vanished without a trace.
2022/04/05
In the early afternoon, the twin siblings (a young man with teal hair and a young woman with aqua hair) waited patiently on the subway train for their destination at Shinjuku, where their new school is located. The twin sister reads a romance manga through her smartphone while her twin brother listens to his punk rock music. They remember what their stepfather told them: they must socialize with other people instead of relying on each other. They will stay at the school dormitory a few blocks from their new school, Hosei Academy. A school where everyone is welcome, including foreigners and disabled students. This is the only high school they would accept without discrimination or bullying.
The twin sister recalls two years ago when their mother was killed in a tragic incident; no one knows what caused her life to end. Some people think it was a discriminatory act, and some think she sacrificed herself to protect her children from particular danger from falling buildings. From her perspective, she fainted from the shock of a near-death experience. She was unwilling to witness her mother’s sacrifice. She shortly regained consciousness, looking around to see many people injured or killed until she saw her mother’s damage as a piece of the building fell on top of her upper body. She was distraught until she saw a silhouette that appeared to have become a dragon. She wasn’t sure if this was a dream or if she was an illusion as she hoped this was a dream until she saw her brother screaming in anguish and swearing he would find their mother’s murderer. She doesn’t know what to say to him and doesn’t want to upset him; she decides to pretend to be still unconscious until helpers rescue the survivors. This results in her brother thinking she never witnessed their mother’s damaged corpse. After they were taken to the police, their stepfather picked them up; she didn’t tell the police what happened as she lied to them that she didn’t see anything nor who killed her mother since she was unconscious at the time. In reality, she didn’t want to end up with her brother when he told them about a “dragon” that killed their mother, and they didn’t believe him. She is not the type of person to get revenge, and she learns to accept what’s done is done, and there is nothing to do about it. Since that incident, she and her brother have been transferring to different schools due to bullying and getting into fights. Although she wasn’t treated as severely as her brother, most kids think she is normal. Their mother was the only one who kept them and their behaviors around other people in check. The only explanation kids were picked on them was their heterochromia eyes. Some were amazed by their eyes, and some grew jealous and despised them for being different. Mainly because they have been hiding their unusual traits since they were toddlers. To her, their mother and stepfather hid our traits because they wanted us to have an everyday life, but she felt like her mother wanted us to wait until we were enough to show our true selves since we were born. She knew her mother loved them equally. The last kindness their mother ever did was saving her brother's life from a falling building. She was scared then and didn’t witness her mother’s sacrifice since she fainted shortly after. Midori does grown consider for her twin brother’s obsession of finding their mother’s killer even though it was a unsolved case. There is no trace of them at all almost if they never existed.
“Sister, we’re here.” says the twin brother, who taps her shoulder.
The twin sister returned to her senses and noticed the subway train had stopped. He looked at the sign that said “Shinjuku.”
“Oh… Sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention. Let’s get our things and go to our dorm.”
After they get off the train, they travel a few blocks into the big city. They look at a map of their dormitory. They finally arrived at their new dormitory, where they would stay for two years. The building is fancy, clean, and massive, with three floors. The twin sister was interested, while her brother looked uninterested in boredom. They entered the dorm, but there was no one in the lobby. She wonders if she and her brother were too early or if the other students were already in their rooms preparing for classes tomorrow.
“Who are you two?” says the unknown voice, confused.
They look at the young woman with black hair tied in a neat bun and magenta eyes. She wears a strawberry pink cardigan, a mini black skirt, black tights, and brown loafers.
“We are transfer students to stay in this dorm. This is the only school that accepts unique students.” Before she can fully explain the situation, her brother finishes her sentence.
“Please don’t tell authority and have us kicked out for being different from the others,” The twin brother begged her so he wouldn’t be kicked out of another school.
“Brother, that’s not what I will say..” she sounds annoyed.
“Why would you say that? You guys look perfectly normal to me. Don’t tell me, are you the twins who were supposed to be here? ”
“Yes, we here. Our stepfather was the one who helped us get rooms in this dormitory and the high school. That reminds me, who are you?” The twin sister asked.
“Me? My name is Rena Yumichiru. I’m a second year of Hosei Academy like you guys.” She politely introduced herself.
“It's nice to meet you, Yumichiru. My name is Midori Hisui, and this is my older twin brother, Sasuke.
“Who is at the door, Yumichiru?” says the mature voice.
“Oh! Touya-senpai! I didn’t know you were still here?! The twins are scheduled to live in the dorm for two years.” Rena explains to her upperclassman.
“I knew you two were coming, but I wasn’t expecting you to arrive early. I will inform the dorm manager at a later time. My name is Touya Yuujou. I’m in my third year.”
“Yuujou? Do you mean the head of the Yuujou group, who is part of the Kirijo group? Is Mitsuru Kirijo your cousin since you could be her little brother.” Midori questioned him.
“Technically, I am. However, I’m mainly focusing on my studies and finishing my senior year. As for my cousin, I get that a lot since I got my looks from my mother’s side. Mitsuru’s mother is also my mother’s older sister.” Touya looks a bit fluttered by her compliment. “Now, get back to the topic. Please sign your names for registration and information before I tell you what rooms you guys are assigned. Please be sure to read it before signing it.” She gives Midori a tablet to ask questions and tap out her answers before signing her name.
“Name: Midori Hisui
Birthdate: 03/05/2004
Year: Second
Blood type: AB
Allergic reactions: Beans
Likes: Dogs, reading romance/fantasy manga, sweets, hanging out with friends
Dislikes: spicy foods
Fears/Traumas: Death
Long for staying in the dorm? 2 years
Personal note: I hope we can get along with everyone and be friends.”
After answering the questions, she wrote her signature and pressed “done” that she was fully registered in the dorm. She gave the tablet to her brother to sign in the dormitory. As she waits patiently for her brother to be done, she decides to chat with her senpai.
“Yuujou-senpai, why are you making us answer personal questions as registered? Is it another way to get to know each other?” She asked.
“It’s not my idea. It was the dorm manager’s. She thought it would be best to get to know the students better before she made a proper introduction in person. She also arranged therapy daily for students who had severe trauma or depression during their lives and tried their best to help them. Yumichiru has been taking therapy for a year, but she is slowly improving from her trauma.” He explains to her.
“Do you have some kind of trauma, too, Senpai?” Midori wondered.
It's not significant. Just parent neglected and lost of a sibling.” He looked sad.
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that. You must have been close to your sibling.” She apologized to him.
“I was sort of close with my older brother during my early childhood since he was the same age as Mitsuru before he was caught in an accident two years ago.” He explains briefly of his past.
“Touya-senpai, you never mention this. I didn’t know you had a brother.” Says Rena.
“You never asked. I wasn’t important to my family since I was a spare to the Yuujo group and nothing more.”
Rena stays silent.
After an awkward conversation, Sasuke finished his registration and gave it to his upperclassman.
“Hisui, Your room is on the east wing on the 2nd floor. Hisui, your room is on the east wing on the 3rd floor. Don’t worry; your other personal belongings are already in your rooms.”
The twins become confused as their senpai calls them by their last name, and they can’t tell who he refers to.
“I’m sorry. This is the first time we have twins attending our dormitory. Do you guys have any middle names or nicknames to call you?” He asked, concerned.
“I don’t mind being called Mimi. I don’t mind being called by my first name or nickname. Either is fine by me!” Midori responds cheerfully.
“Mimi, your room is on the east wing on the third floor. Yumichiru, will you show Hisui to his room while I show his twin sister to her room?”
“Okay.”
Each of them takes the twins to their separate rooms.
3rd Floor, East Wing
After Midori and Touya arrived from the elevator, she was surprised at how many rooms were on the third floor. According to Touya, each corridor is split into three sections: first years are North Wing, second years are East Wing, and third years are South Wing. The West Wing is for men and women’s bathhouses who enjoy socializing with other people. Although each dorm room has its bathroom, it’s small. He showed her to her room at the end of the floor.
“Here is your key to your room.” Touya casually gives it to Midori by dropping it in her hand.
“Before I leave, do you have any questions you want to ask?”
“How many students are living in this dorm?” She asked.
“About 50 students have lived there since this building was opened last year. I’m sure more students will eventually move here when classes start. You might be able to make friends regardless of age and gender.”
“Friends… That would be nice,” says Midori, sadly smiling.
“Yumichiru will come to get you and your brother for dinner to introduce us to our dorm manager and the other students.”
“Senpai. Do you have any friends living in the dorm as well?” She asked.
“I have one friend living in the dorm. He has been my only friend since childhood. We used to be inseparable until seven years ago.”
“What happened to him?”
“He protected me from a monster and got scarred on his face and left shoulder. My friend’s mom forbids him to hang out with me during summer break. We still talk to each other, but we slowly grew distant.” Touya’s expression turns bitter sadness upon his face.
“I’m so sorry about your friend.” She apologized.
“It’s all in the past. There’s nothing to change but to move forward.”
After Touya left, Midori entered her room. She looked around and saw her room was plain with cyan curtains, matching blankets and a rug, a table, a small desk lamp, a television screen, and a small bathroom. It has a calm vibe, just like her old room from her hometown. She unpacked her luggage on her bed and put her belongings in her closet with her clothes, except for his instrument case, which contained a white flute with a Yang charm attached. It was once a gift given to her mother before her passing. She used to have fun playing with it, but now she is only playing at her mother’s gravestone during her death anniversary, sadly departs souls who lost their life tragedy or to calm her down when she’s depressed. She checks the time on her smartphone. She notices a strange app on it that she doesn’t remember installing it. It was a bright green icon with a white hourglass.
“Strange, It doesn’t seem like a video game, music, or learning app. I must have been half asleep trying to install a new music game app. I’m unsure if I should delete it or click to see what’s on here.” She says, curiously in her thoughts. She heard a loud noise before she could look into it and turned around to see something moving inside her bed. She put away her phone, slowly pulled the blanket, and saw an injured rabbit, barely conscious.
“What the?! How did an injured rabbit get inside my room? Did someone put them in my room without looking? It must have been someone's pet.” She looked surprised and confused. She was concerned about telling her brother, but he doesn’t have the same medical skills as her. She will say to him when she needs him. She carefully picks up the rabbit, checks on them, and sees if she can try to help somehow. She unzipped her bag from her other luggage and searched for a first aid kit that she always carries during travels while still holding them.
“H-Help..” says the unknown voice.
“Who said that?” She turned around, and there was no one except her and the injured rabbit.
“P-Please… keep the Index safe…” they say weakly. They are unable to open their eyes.
She looked at the rabbit and realized that they were the ones talking. She wasn’t surprised at a talking rabbit and had no idea what they meant by Index.
“Did you just talk? Am I in a tired hallucination, or might I be seeing things from reading too much manga? Normal animals can’t talk, right?” She sounds confused.
“Don’t let… them take it…” Before they could explain further, they passed out from exhaustion.
She took another look at a bed and found something that looked like an average-sized tablet. She gently put the rabbit on her desk and reached for the pill to touch it, a bright green light that used to be a tablet fused with his smartphone. Midori’s eyes widened as she looked at it and saw another unfamiliar app appear on her homepage. The icon appeared to be ultramarine waves with a white mask. She tried to delete it, but it cannot be removed. She tried to delete the green icon with the hourglass, and it kept reinstalling itself repeatedly after she tried to delete it a few times.
“What the heck is going on?!” says Midori, panicked.
She regained her composure and needed to focus on treating the rabbit’s injuries first before worrying about this later.