Chapter Text
April 16th, 2009
Junpei Iori has irresponsibly found himself wandering around Tatsumi Port Island looking for a convenience store. He knew it was dangerous to walk around so late, but he desperately needed some sort of cheap food to give him comfort, solace–anything.
Just as he enters a store that was open this late, midnight strikes, and with it, comes an urban strangeness. The lights flicker, and leave. Junpei rapidly swings his head to the window, the only other light source available. An emerald green covers the sky, as thin clouds hug the moon, which is larger than usual. He looks at the cashier, who has been replaced by a dark coffin-shaped block. Eyes widening, Junpei feels something wet on his shoes: blood. He shrieks, and falls to his knees.
Nothing surrounds Junpei other than coffins and an eerie green light. As his heart is beating, tears well. He feels as though he should be conspiring a heroic plan to save himself, but his head pounds with fear, chaining him to the ground. The only action he’s able to do is wail, loudly, hoping someone will hear.
“Hey! Who’s in here?”, a faraway voice cries. Junpei found that God came down to take his soul to heaven himself, what a blessing. In reality, it was third-year student Akihiko Sanada, who Junpei was vaguely aware of as his school’s boxing champion. He spots his bright red-vest out the window, a similar colour to the blood covering the floor.
To the left of Akihiko is a black, round shape, approaching him from behind. It extended a long, lanky arm, waiting to attack. Before it could, Akihko zips himself around and launches a right hook knocking away the creature's arm.
“If there’s someone out there, leave! It isn't safe here!”, Akihiko shouts. Junpei quiveringly stands up and wobbles his way to the exit. The air has a certain heaviness to it, almost as if it was infected with a disease that could not be transmitted. Junpei stops dead in his tracks when he sees Akihiko taking out a silver-plated gun and pointing it at himself.
Before Junpei could say a word, the gun fired. A faint vision of a large, sturdy figure appears nearby Akihiko, and mimics an attacking motion. The creature screeches, dissolving into the ground. It felt like a dream to Junpei. How could Akihiko point a gun to himself with such ferocity, such resolve? He stands for a moment, admiring the sight he had witnessed, not realising that Akihiko wanted to speak with him.
“Hello?” Akihiko repeats, waving an arm to Junpei’s face. “You’re a student at Gekkoukan, right? Come with me, it isn’t safe here.”
With tears still streaming down his face, Junpei responds with a quiet “Yeah” and trails behind Akihiko. “How did you do that? The shooty-thingy?” he asks, with a crack in his voice.
“I’ll explain everything once I get you home, I promise.”
“Okay”, Junpei responds. Even though the sky is still that disgusting shade of green, with upright coffins polluting the streets, Junpei feels his heart rate calm as he stays close to Akihiko. He has found comfort and solace, but in the form of the heroic, dare he believed handsome man leading him to safety.