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Chapter Text

> ???

A butterfly before, and an endless emptiness behind. These are the first things one might see in this place. On brilliant blue wings, the butterfly beckoned a softer light to follow, away from the maw nipping at its back. It obeyed as a moth to a flame, knowing nothing else but the light before it being warm and kind, and the darkness behind it, belonging to a strange rift, being harsh and painful. It wasn't anything so simple as following directly however, for this place which all of these inhabit was anything but physical.

It was a world that existed in the hearts of many, a place given form from their deepest and most intimate thoughts, hopes, and memories. No, the softer light didn't have a form to speak of. it was nothing more or less than "wayward soul", wandering the depths of this abyss. Until just now, it did so mindlessly. But... this brighter light, it called to it. It compelled it, and brought it to sense. Both the gentleness of the glow and the coldness of the rift at its back guided its path, away from the latter and toward the former.

Following this path illuminated by fluttering wings, the soul was eventually taken from the company of its warmth and into the cold reality that humans know.

> 5/11 Monday, Past Midnight

"So do you think she's a Persona-user?" a brunette named Yukari Takeba asked her Senpai from school, a redhead named Mitsuru Kirijo who was seated in a chair in the same room as her. They were sitting in front of a bed that they had their fellow student who lived in this same dormitory named Akihiko Sanada carry a strange girl up to from outside.

"It's... possible. But it's also possible she'll turn out to have Apathy Syndrome." Kirijo responded.

Apathy Syndrome. A name given to a strange mental illness that had been spreading among the population of the world, but especially Japan, which by far had more than eighty percent of the world's cases. Characterized by complete listlessness and lack of situational awareness, it was as if the people infected with it were operating on complete "autopilot". In the early days of the illness's appearance, it even proved fatal to some since it wasn't known how to stabilize the conditions of those who had it yet, and how those with it typically acted.

Only the people boarded in this dormitory and the corporation that supplied and funded their activities knew the truth of the illness, at least to any extent, and where it came from. It was caused by beings known as "Shadows", which appeared during a strange supernatural phenomenon that occurred every night, after the stroke of midnight. Called the "Dark Hour", it was a strange temporal distortion during which only people who possessed a certain power could remain conscious. Those without that were represented as coffins, and lacked any awareness of what was happening around them, regaining it as if no time had passed at all once that secret "twenty-fifth hour" had ended. Sometimes, people without the powers they had did find themselves in the Dark Hour, and these were the people that would develop Apathy Syndrome, at least that was their understanding at this time.

This girl was likely to be one of those, but something was different about her case. A strange bright light, and finding her in that state on their doorstep... Mitsuru was glad she was the first one out the door, as it allowed her to better control the situation. She had Takeba bring a blanket outside to cover her with, because the girl was as exposed as the day she was born, and then had Sanada, a boxer and general fitness aficionado who was in their group, carry her up to the bed she was currently in. It was necessary to preserve the girl's dignity, if nothing else. Junpei Iori, a second-year in their group, certainly wasn't able to be trusted to be mature about this situation.

In any case, if nothing else this could be a rare opportunity to study a case that led to Apathy Syndrome up close, but the redhead who oversaw the activities of this organization, the Specialized Extracurricular Execute Sector, or S.E.E.S, had a feeling this was going to turn out very differently from how anyone could imagine.

Mitsuru was roused from her thoughts by Takeba getting her attention.

"She's waking up!"

Mitsuru jerked to attention, as the girl was just starting to get her bearings and have her vision clear.

She stirred awake, taking in the room around her. It had no decorations to speak of, and the only furnishings in it were the bed she was in and the two chairs nearby, which had two other young women seated in them. She said nothing, simply staring at these strangers for some time.

Eventually, the red-headed one spoke first rather than simply allow the silence to stick.

"Greetings. Are you alright?"

The girl thought for a moment, trying to understand the question, eventually just nodding.

"I see... You don't seem to have Apathy Syndrome..." The young woman put her thumb to her chin. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo. This is Yukari Takeba." She gestured at the girl next to her. "What's your name?"

The one in the bed, who had striking and foreign-looking platinum-blonde hair (which contrasted with her Japanese-looking face making it appear dyed, even if her bangs matching it made it clear it wasn't) and golden eyes which almost seemed to glow slightly when the light of the room hit them, took a long time to think about that question. She had no idea. She didn't know anything, her name, her identity, nothing. The more she thought and tried to remember something, anything, the more she noticed nothing whatsoever came to mind, and she was clearly uncomfortable due to that fact.

"I... don't know."

Takeba looked at her confused, while Kirijo's eyes widened. "You have amnesia...?" the redhead asked at last. "Is there anything you remember? Your address, names of relatives...?"

The girl shook her head again.

Takeba, who had been silent up to now, finally spoke up. "You don't remember anything...?" She sounded almost pitying in her tone, if not a bit skeptical.

Misturu Kirijo cleared her throat. "Do you at least remember how you got here?" After receiving much the same in reply, she sighed. "You ended up on our doorstep unconscious and in the middle of a strange burst of light. That alone is cause for alarm, but amnesia on top of all that..." She turned to the other girl next to her. "Takeba, she seems like she's more or less your size. Can you please get her some clothes to wear tomorrow? I'll be wanting to take her to the hospital to have some tests run on her. We'll also need to check any missing persons reports in the area that match her description."

Takeba nodded, but before she left the room, she voiced a concern. "Should we really be subjecting her to stuff like that the day after she wakes up like this? I know this isn't exactly normal, but..." She sighed after trailing off, realizing that it was probably necessary on some level. She left the room to get some clothes, as requested by her apparent senior.

Mitsuru Kirijo spoke a bit softer than she had up to this point. "We're just going to try to find out more about you. Tomorrow, we're going to bring you someplace safe, so we can make sure you're healthy, alright?"

The girl nodded, before looking up at the ceiling.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" At the redhead's question, she shook her head. "Alright then. We're going to leave you be for now. Tomorrow, one of our acquaintances will escort you to a hospital and have you looked at."

After that, the brunette came back in again with the clothes, which she placed in one of the chairs. Mitsuru turned to the girl before reaching for the light switch. "You'll have a knock on your door in the morning. After you're dressed, a student with white-colored hair will be outside in the halls waiting to bring you to the hospital."

The two then left the room after the girl acknowledged that, turning off the light after making sure one last time that their unexpected guest was comfortable for the night. She seemed exhausted, and fell asleep peacefully rather quickly after they left. Takeba went to bed after that, and Mitsuru went up the stairs to the fourth floor of the building.

***

Inside a room with a massive computer monitor and an arrangement of seats and other equipment, dubbed the "command room", Mitsuru was sitting next to her fellow third-year Akihiko Sanada. They were engaged in a conversation up to now about Akihiko escorting her to the hospital before going to school for the day. He was rather irritated that he wouldn't be able to go to boxing practice due to having to go with Mitsuru to check up on her after school, but he was mature enough to put this above himself.

"Do you think it's a coincidence she showed up just a day after we had such a big operation in the city?" he asked Mitsuru. Indeed, they had just that the night before during the Dark Hour, which led them into a harrowing mission that almost resulted in a train full of people dying including the three of their own members that were on board, the only ones conscious of what was happening. Akihiko and Mitsuru weren't on board as Akihiko had been seriously injured about a month prior, and Mitsuru was staying behind to provide remote support and analysis using the ability she had. They had taken out a massive Shadow, a creature much larger and more ferocious than most of its kin that night. Indeed, it was one closer in power to the one that had injured him the month prior. He'd never be taken so off guard by its small-fry cousins, after all. His pride would never have allowed that to happen.

Mitsuru rubbed her temples, tired and just wanting to get to bed as soon as reasonably possible. "Likely not, but there's no point in speculating about it right now. I've already woken up and informed Yuki-kun about the details as well."

"Yuki-kun" referred to their group's de facto field-team leader, Makoto Yuki. He was unique in how his powers worked compared to the others in the group, making him more versatile and the best option for the role when his ability to keep a cool head in troublesome situations was also considered. He did put the others off a bit from time to time with his depressive attitude, but she could hardly fault him that due to what had happened to his family ten years ago.

Akihiko stood up from his seat, and stretched a bit while yawning, before jerking ever-so-slightly at the sting in his left side. He was close to being fully healed though; the pain barely registered at this point.

"I'm going to bed. Something tells me It's going to be a long day tomorrow." He said with a sigh. "Before that though, are you serious about her having amnesia?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Yes, and I saw no indication that she was lying. I even had Penthesilea analyse her for good measure. Something is very off about her, but we'll have to have her checked out to know for sure what that is..." She sighed. Her Persona had the ability to "scan" things to determine some details about them, but it very much had limits in that area and was more specialized for combat. This was yet another limitation she found in that regard.

"Well... I'll do my best to see if I can help her remember anything on our way to Tatsumi Memorial tomorrow. I wish that this could have lined up with my own checkup though..." He shrugged. "Anyway, see you."

As he left the room, Mitsuru bid him a good night, and after finalizing her email to their group's advisor, who also happened to be the chairman of the board at their high school as well as the department head of the electronics division of the Kirijo Group, the zaibatsu that was ran by her family and had been since it was formed by her grandfather Koetsu Kirijo, she went to her own room to get ready for bed herself.

> 5/11 Monday, After School

The strange girl had already been subjected to a litany of tests at a place known as the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital. She had her blood taken, been poked and prodded by various doctors and nurses, and had just been put into some machine resembling an MRI machine. She was sitting quietly in an exam room in the special wing of the hospital reserved for the Kirijo Group to use for special situations like this, with a one-way glass window from which she was being watched by Mitsuru Kirijo and Akihiko Sanada. The others were still at Gekkoukan High School, or had come back to the dormitory by now.

"Do you think that the doctor's right?" Akihiko looked concerned about something.

Mitsuru sighed. "I'm not sure. But if he is, you understand we have to do something with her, yes?"

The young man's eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious."

The redhead returned his intense stare. "We can't have a Shadow running free, Akihiko. Even if she is intelligent, she's a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off."

Akihiko scoffed. "She's not a Shadow! Since when could they talk!? Look at her! She's shivering, Mitsuru! She's cold and scared!" If Akihiko were being honest, he wasn't sure why he was coming to this girl's defense. He had never met her before, and certainly wasn't interested in her in any untoward way. But Mitsuru casually implying she should possibly be killed if her suspicions were to be proven right left an awful taste in his mouth.

The Kirijo heiress shook her head before sighing again. "Look Akihiko, let's just wait for-" she started, before she was cut off by a doctor entering the room, as well as a specced man with graying brown hair in his late forties. The man in glasses was Shuji Ikutsuki, an older gentleman who was a part of the "old guard" at the Kirijo Group, as well as the department head of Kirijo Electronics, a division of the zaibatsu which mostly handled consumer devices and appliances. Mostly.

Ikutsuki cleared his throat. "I came as soon as I heard. She's fascinating. Just going off what Doctor Kusanagi says alone... He gestured to the doctor at his side, who then elaborated.

"She does in fact put out small amounts of Ideal radiation. We believe it's harmless, however. But I've never seen a human being serve as a source of such energy... I theorize perhaps she was attacked by Shadows, and something happened to interrupt them. She wouldn't have been too far gone in that case, but still slightly destabilized. It would certainly explain her amnesia and the circumstances of her arrival as you described them, assuming that flash you mentioned was what stopped the Shadows from consuming her mind."

What the doctor described was how they currently believed Shadows worked. Shadows were beings made up of Ideal Energy, an energy undetectable except with very specific equipment, put out by the human psyche. Shadows in particular were composed of various peoples' negative emotions which built up over time before overflowing and becoming the vile creatures. They reproduced by attacking people through unknown methods, and extracting an individual's negative emotions, which as they were much more potent and undiluted coming from a single person, could then become a Shadow on its own.

Akihiko was a bit worried as he spoke. "But she's not a Shadow herself, right...?"

The doctor shook his head. "I highly doubt it. Her form is physical, even if it has one foot in the ether, as it were. It's likely she even has a Persona. If she didn't have one before, she almost certainly has one now due to whatever experience she went through. Again, all of this is just a theory though... It would need to be tested." He looked at Ikutsuki beside him, who nodded in agreement.

"I absolutely concur. That's why until we find her parents or anyone else who knows her, she'll be living in the dorm with all of you." He wasn't phrasing it as a question. It was more of an order, which instantly put off Mitsuru.

"Chairman, I must-" but she was cut off by the man waving his hand.

"I'm sorry, but this is too great of an opportunity to allow to pass us by. I've already spoken to your father about it. Kirijo-san had a staff member agree to serve as her legal guardian for the purposes of paperwork. As soon as that's all handled, her name thenceforth will be Agasa Chouno."

Mitsuru blinked. "Our head butler agreed to that...?"

Ikutsuki nodded. "Of course he did. After what happened to his daughter, he was actually rather open to the idea. He won't be able to see her for a while, but if no-one comes for her, he's legally her father going forward." Ikutsuki was talking about how the Kirijo family's head butler, Hayato Chouno, lost his daughter in a plane crash while going to attend school overseas. Mitsuru remembered how devastated he was. It was just long enough ago as well that he would have been more open to this idea. It all made sense.

With all this in mind, she finally gave in. With a defeated-yet-dignified sigh, she nodded in agreement. "Alright. I assume we are to begin training her for S.E.E.S activities as well?"

Ikutsuki adjusted his glasses before nodding once more. "Not immediately. She'll need to be fully registered at Gekkoukan as a freshman - the doctors believe she's in that grade based on the examinations conducted today -  and the paperwork regarding Chouno-san's guardianship of her will need to be in order. Until then, just keep her engaged. We'll work on having some equipment made for her too. Though it's short notice, and we're eager to see what she can do, so we may have to cut some corners... If so, do keep her safe. I'm very interested to see how this turns out." He gestured at Mitsuru. "By the way, I'll need your help getting the ball rolling with her enrollment papers, Kirijo-kun."

Akihiko, who was silent until now, wasn't comfortable with how they were talking about her like a science experiment, but he at least found himself relaxing a little that she wasn't going to just be subjected to... whatever they would have done to her if she were a Shadow. "In that case, I'll take her shopping. She's going to need more clothes than just the set Takeba gave her. We'll get something to eat too. She must be starving. I know a good beef bowl place that-"

Mitsuru cut him off. "I would much rather you not take her out for that... But, that being said, Takeba isn't available and I don't want to interrupt her archery club activities this late during the day." She thought for a moment. "Akihiko... I need you to promise me you won't do anything... odd." Akihiko was about to speak up in protest, before she elaborated. "By that I mean, take her somewhere that doesn't just have meat dishes, and ask the FEMALE staff at whatever store you go to for recommendations." She was very firm in her tone, which made Akihiko shiver.

He sighed. He wasn't planning on doing anything weird at the clothing store, but she had him pegged on going to a primarily meat-serving restaurant. Also, he didn't exactly know much, in fact anything, about women's clothing. It was best to simply agree and comply.

"Yeah, I'll get her and we'll go. We'll be back at the dorm in a couple hours or so."

Mitsuru nodded. "Good. I'd rather go myself, but as the chairman said, I'll need to go back to Gekkoukan before the day is over." With that, she headed out with Ikutsuki to a company car waiting for them outside, while Akihiko waited for the nurse to bring the new girl out to him. Agasa Chouno...

If Akihiko understood what was being said correctly, this girl had the potential, and was special in some way. Perhaps even like their leader... Either way, he was also excited to see what she could do.

First thing's first though... I can't exactly say I've taken a girl out shopping before...

He suddenly found himself hesitating. He quickly steeled his nerves.

It's fine... It's nothing to worry about... Just think of it as getting the proper equipment for boxing training... 

Chapter Text

> 5/11 Monday, After School

Akihiko and the new girl had just left the hospital and were heading to get new clothes for her. She seemed to keep close to Akihiko, keeping away from every other person that came close to them on the street. The senior raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

After some time walking, they came close to a clothing outlet just outside of Paulownia Mall, which was located on the same man-made island, Tatsumi Port Island, as the hospital and Gekkoukan High School. The island was connected to the mainland Iwatodai City by both an elaborate monorail system and a large suspension bridge called Gekkouhashi, or the Moonlight Bridge.

Paulownia was a large shopping center that was actually named for the Kirijo Group, which had the character for "paulownia tree" in their family name. In fact, the island was constructed and owned by the Kirijo Group. Pretty much the only thing on the island they didn't own was the water park on the southwestern edge of the island which was connected to another half of itself on the mainland coast, called Destiny Sea. It was a seasonal offshoot of the Destinyland parks, which were a number of theme parks built and based on a Japanese animation studio and its intellectual properties. Still, even the land on the island that half of the park stood on was leased to that company by the Kirijo Group.

Once they finally got inside the shop, they were greeted by a rather enthusiastic young woman, likely a fellow student doing a part-time job, who came up to them as she would have any other customer. Her nametag read "Kotone Shiomi", and she had light brown hair. The new girl got behind Akihiko, clutching him as if the woman would take her away.

"Hello! Welcome to Croco-fur! how may I help you?"

Akihiko took a breath to prepare himself. "This is Agasa. She needs new clothes. I don't know much about any of this stuff, so can you help me out and recommend stuff to her...?" He scratched the back of his head.

The woman nodded. "Of course!" She looked at the girl cowering behind Akihiko. "Agasa-chan, was it? Do you mind coming with me? I'll help you pick a nice ensemble that will suit you."

The girl looked up at Akihiko, who patted her back to assure her. He used to do that same thing to his little sister, when she got scared of something.

"It's alright. She won't hurt you. You're still sore from the tests, right? I promise, this won't be anything like that."

The girl hesitated, and finally nodded, agreeing to go to the back with the woman. "Alright..."

She walked away with the employee, and Akihiko sat down in a chair at the entrance area while he waited for them to come back out.

***

"So, Agasa-chan, how do you like the dress?"

She stood in front of the mirror as the employee spoke to her from the other side of a black curtain. She tried to help her with a different outfit before, but Agasa was clearly uneasy with being near somebody she didn't know. The employee was curious about why she seemed so scared yet curious of the world around her, like a young child would be who had never seen any of it before, but it wasn't any of her business. She did try to make her as comfortable as she could, though.

Agasa looked at herself in the mirror. "It's very comfortable..."

Shiomi giggled. "I'd hope so! It's a very popular choice. It's soft, yet affordable. A lot of our customers love it." She snuck a peek at her by sticking her head into he room. "It looks great on you! The frills are in just the right spot for your height and body-type."

Agasa looked at the other clothing items on the rack that Shiomi had rolled into the room. She had multiple outfits and shoes for each season, which Shiomi was very insistent on her trying on each one, especially since the boy who came in with her, who Shiomi had learned was named Akihiko Sanada, had spoken to her and explained that she didn't have anything besides what she was wearing when she came in. She was sad for the girl, even if she didn't know her exact circumstances. It seemed sensitive, so she didn't pry.

"May I please wear this out? I think I like it." Agasa asked.

Shiomi grinned and nodded. "Of course! That was the last outfit I picked out too! I'll roll these out to the front and have them bagged for you, okay?"

Agasa nodded, looking away from Shiomi as she stepped into the room. The employee hesitated. She could tell this girl felt a bit lost, and she wanted to cheer her up at least a little. "May I tell you something Agasa-chan?"

"Yes...?" she responded, still a little uncomfortable but now a fair bit less wary since she realized that Shiomi wasn't a threat.

"I don't know what your situation is like, but I can tell you're sad about something. Whenever I get sad, do you know what I do?" The smaller girl looked at Shiomi curiously, which led her to continue. "I remind myself of what I want to do with my life: 'I want to become a fashion designer one day.' I'm working every day, little by little, to make that a reality. If I ever doubt myself, I take a while to think about it and ask myself, 'If the future me looked back on this moment happening right now, what would she wish I would do in the present?' It always helps me get the clouds out of my head. It's not foolproof, but it helps me focus at least!"

Shiomi had friendly smile on her face. Agasa thought about her words. They didn't fully apply to her, but... perhaps she would be able to make use of it with time, as she understood everything around her more. She found that while she knew nothing about who she was or her own past, she could still read, speak and had some idea of what things were. She understood what a tree was, for example, and knew the names of colors... If the future her looked back on her now, knowing a lot more abou the world at that time, she wanted her to be proud.

She gave a small smile, the first one she had ever had since she woke up without her memories, and nodded gratefully. "Thank you. I'll remember that." It was an awkward smile, one that almost looked a bit smug, but Shiomi could tell it was as genuine an expression as her own.

"Alright! Great! Now let's get you on your way."

Agasa headed outside with Shiomi, who brought her items up front and scanned them herself, putting them into the bags with care. Akihiko joined them at the desk and pulled out the credit card that Mitsuru had given him to pay for expenses related to SEES. He was sure she'd be fine with it, since she sent him out to handle this herself.

Akihiko smirked himself after seeing the smile still on Agasa's face. He hadn't seen anything but her neutral emotionless expression since this morning. He was thankful that Shiomi had given them some sort of discount, and after Agasa had said goodbye to her, they left the store and headed out to find somewhere to eat.

***

> 5/11 Monday, Evening

Entering the dorm, Akihiko was glad to set the bags down for a moment after carrying them all the way from Iwatodai Station. Agasa had offered to help him, but he refused. He needed the exercise anyway considering he had to miss boxing practice today.

Akihiko had ordered her as balanced a supper as he could while he himself got a meat platter. Agasa seemed confused at all the meat on his plate, but didn't say anything. He figured that the girl would be more comfortable initiating conversations in the future, and decided to not push her until then. It was actually kind of nice. Most girls he knew talked too much for his comfort, but she was quiet without being so much so that he ever forgot she was there.

Mitsuru wasn't downstairs, but a second-year male student named Junpei Iori and SEES's field-team leader Makoto Yuki were downstairs alongside Yukari Takeba.

Junpei, wearing his baseball cap as always, got up and came to meet them at the door, even more enthusiastic than usual. "Wow, this is her!? She's a cutie!" He cleared his throat. "Howdy! I'm Junpei Iori. If you ever need anything, just ask little ol' me, okay?"

The girl got behind Akihiko again. She wasn't scared of Junpei, but she was a bit overwhelmed, especially since the other two students were approaching.

Junpei looked confused, and Yukari flicked the back of his head, making him flinch.

"Come on, Stupei. Can't you tell she's tired? She doesn't have the energy to deal with you right now."

He looked almost offended. "Whaddaya mean? I'm not being that annoying..."

Makoto Yuki said nothing, just watching the girl. Their eyes met, and Agasa felt... something stir in her. She couldn't explain what, though. Eventually, Makoto spoke up, interrupting the bickering of his fellow juniors next to him.

"Hey. I'm Makoto Yuki."

"...Agasa." she replied. She was used to her name by now, especially since Akihiko had explained the situation around that at the restaurant. "Agasa... Chouno..."

Their brief interaction was cut short as Akihiko told Agasa to follow him, carried her bags upstairs to Agasa's new room on the third floor, and even hung them up in her closet. He put a key on the counter next to the door. "This is your key. You'll need it to get in and out of here. Mitsuru's the only one with the master key, so try not to lose it if you can help it, okay?"

"Okay." she replied.

"Apparently, you'll be starting school tomorrow. We're going to Gekkoukan High. Takeba - the brunette downstairs who was arguing with Junpei, the one with the hat - will come get you. She'll get you to school and tell you what to do to get settled in, okay?"

"Okay." Agasa repeated.

Akihiko scratched his head. She really wasn't talkative, and her vocabulary was rather limited.

...Well, he could only hope school would fix that.

"Anyway... Good night. Try to get some sleep. If you wake up after midnight and see everything being green, don't get scared. You'll be safe here. We'll explain everything about that eventually."

"Yes." she accepted. "Good night."

After Akihiko left the room, Agasa changed into some pajamas she had also gotten during the day and got into bed after cutting off the lights. She was exhausted, not physically but rather mentally, despite not having done all that much today. It wasn't even 10 pm, but her eyes felt heavy regardless.

As she drifted off to sleep, she swore she felt a voice calling to her...

Chapter Text

> ?/?? Unknown, Unknown

Agasa's eyes opened slowly and took in her new surroundings. Blue. So much... blue. A blue floor in a blue elevator decorated with blue furniture, going up a blue elevator shaft. It hurt her eyes in her drowsy state... or they should have. But for some reason, she didn't feel anything in this room, discomfort or otherwise. She couldn't determine the temperature of the room, or the sensation of touch she should have felt from the chair she was sitting in. She could barely even feel the sensation of movement from the elevator going up.

Her eyes began to focus as the darkness cleared away from their edges, and she saw herself in a mirror... except her reflection had shorter hair, a book in hand, and wore some sort of elevator attendant's outfit...

...That wasn't her reflection. Although, she couldn't really be faulted for thinking such. The woman looked an awful lot like her, down to the same yellow eyes. Even their faces were somewhat similar.

The stranger noticed Agasa's presence right after she noticed hers.

"Oh...?"

The young woman, who seemed a little older than her (but likely not by much) and was standing up, walked over to the right side of the chair Agasa was sitting in. She studied the girl closely, analyzing every inch of her, and possibly more. Her gaze was... definitely piercing.

"How curious... You're not one of my siblings. Yet you seem so much like us. Especially in the eyes... and your aura! It's so similar...!" The woman got so close to Agasa it almost seemed like the was taking in her scent. "But then again, it seems a bit weaker... your aura, I mean." She made a show of looking confused, clearly a dramatic sort. "Perhaps you're not one of us if that's the case, but it's uncannily similar, if not as powerful..."

Agasa tried to speak, but she couldn't. It was like her voice wasn't able to escape her throat.

"Oh! Apologies. Let me help you with that." The woman wrote something down in a book she held, a new one that wasn't in her hands before and appeared to replace the one she was holding previously, and miraculously Agasa's senses came flooding to her all at once. The intensity of being taken from near-complete deprivation to a "normal" state made her gasp and breathe heavily for a few seconds.

"Better?" she asked.

After Agasa got herself together, she nodded. "Y-Yes..."

The woman clapped her hands together, neither of the books she had been holding at different times before visible anywhere anymore. It was like she was manipulating the fabric of reality on a whim. "Good! Then we can discuss why you're here. But first, introductions! I am Elizabeth, and you are...?"

"Agasa Chouno."

"Agatha?"

"Agasa" she corrected.

Elizabeth shook her head. "That's a silly name. Agatha sounds much better. But I can't deny it if it's your name, I suppose." She looked at Agasa with a serious look, doubtless unusual for her, as she asked her next question. "How did you find this room?"

Agasa shrugged. "I don't know. I went to sleep. It felt like I heard a voice calling out to me. When I came to, I was here."

Elizabeth tapped her chin. "This is the Velvet Room. As my master would say, this is a place between dream and reality, mind and matter." She put her hands up to the ceiling as if calling something down... or just for the sake of being dramatic. "It is a room that only those bound by a contract may enter." She lowered her arms. "Yet, you haven't signed any old thing like that. My master, the caretaker of this place, isn't here at the moment. Nothing in this room happens by coincidence. You must be related to our guest in some way."

Agasa tilted her head. "Your guest."Elizabeth put a finger to her lips playfully. "That's right. I believe his name was Minato Arisato..." She hummed, obviously putting on a show of pretending to not remember. "No, that wasn't it... Sakuya...? Kanata...? Oh no, that's right! Makoto Yuki."

Agasa perked up at that. "'Makoto Yuki'? The boy I met last night...?"

The rather strange other woman smirked. "Ah, I see. It would seem that your fates are connected. Yet, I can see that you're not supposed to be here."

Agasa sighed. "What is this place, exactly?"

Elizabeth giggled. "I already told you. But if that won't suffice, you could say it is connected to our guest's heart. It's a reflection of it, actually." She gestured to the constantly-moving elevator and the decorations. "It's always moving, always going up, but never hitting the top... almost as if there is no ceiling at all. A curious thing."

Agasa wasn't sure she understood. No, she definitely didn't. Elizabeth seemed to notice her confusion. "Don't think on it too much. It is his place, after all."

A chime sounded in the room, like that of a large grandfather clock. "It seems our first meeting must be cut short. Don't worry, we'll speak again. I'll make sure of it. You're far too interesting to just let be. I've already put your name on the registry. When the time is right, I'll call you back and we'll resume our discussion."

Agasa opened her mouth to protest, but Elizabeth shushed her by putting a finger to her lips. Then she pushed in on them, and Agasa fell from the chair... and didn't hit the floor of the elevator, instead finding herself free-falling in absolute darkness.

> 5/12 Tuesday, Early Morning

Agasa woke up to someone knocking at her dormitory room door. She was back where she was last night. She wanted to sigh in relief, but couldn't before the person on the other side of the door made their identity known.

"Chouno? It's Takeba. Are you dressed?"

Agasa took a moment before responding. "Yes."

"Can I come in? Kirijo-senpai said to help you with the uniform."

"Uniform...?"

Yukari came inside after trying the knob and noticing that her door wasn't locked. She looked around Agasa's room before opening her closet and taking out the uniform that had been given to the freshman, with the ribbon still in the plastic wrapping. "Senpai wasn't sure you'd know how to wear it right."

She put the uniform straight down onto the bed next to where Agasa was now standing, followed by a pair of black leggings, the white shirt she was to wear beneath the uniform's outer layer, and the red ribbon. "If you need help, let me know. I'll wait until you're done and fix it up for you if you need it."

Agasa nodded and Yukari left the room, closing the door gently behind her as she waited directly outside. Agasa removed her pajamas and got dressed in the uniform. She figured it out how to tie the ribbon pretty easily, but decided against wearing it, instead going into her closet to fetch a different ribbon. A thinner one with a flower pattern on it. Shiomi from the clothing store had called them "forget-me-nots." This gave her neck more room to move than the default ribbon, and for some reason it felt more... right.

"I'm ready." She called after a little longer.

Takeba came in and looked her over. "You figured it out pretty quick, huh? Oh. But that's not the right ribbon. You need the red one."

Agasa frowned. "Why?"

"Well," the girl in the pink cardigan that clearly was not typical of the school uniform replied, "It's what we're supposed to wear. It is a uniform, after all." She didn't seem too pleased by the idea of having to wear one herself. Agasa looked her up and down before gesturing to her cardigan. "Oh, that's... actually a good point." She sighed. "Well, They'll probably let you get away with it. It's a private school, so they're usually a bit more lax, I guess... If you get chewed out for it though, don't blame me."

Agasa nodded. Yukari looked at her hair, which was a mess. "Do you want help with your hair, though? We still have a few minutes."

She went over to the mirror, looking at her platinum-blonde head. Yukari gestured for her to take a seat, and she complied. the other girl brushed her hair a bit, straightening out the tangles and knots. she then set about braiding it into one long pony tail, before securing it at the end with a metallic gold-colored band. Yukari left a strand off to the side and stepped back. "Do you like it?"

Agasa looked at her reflection for a while, thinking it over. It definitely was more comfortable than how she had her hair up to this point. "Yes."

Yukari smiled. "Good. We need to get to school. Kirijo-senpai told me to help you learn how to take the train and where to go to get to the faculty office. You're supposed to go see your homeroom teacher there. They'll help you figure out the rest, okay?"

Agasa nodded. The two headed out the door of the freshman's dorm room, before Yukari stopped and picked up its key. "You can't forget this. You need to lock your room."

Agasa took the key after Yukari locked the door it was for. "Why?" she asked.

Yukari blinked. Was she serious? It should have been obvious. "Well... The dorm's front door isn't locked during the day, and if you don't get in the habit of locking it, one of the guys might try snooping... Especially Junpei."

She tilted her head. "The one with the cap?"

Her Senpai grimaced. "Yeah... I wouldn't put it past him... Sure, he hasn't done anything like that before, but..." She remembered the time, before sighing. "Don't worry too much about it. Just get in the habit of locking it. For your own privacy." The younger girl seemed so clueless about the idea. It reminded Yukari of the fact that without her memories, she probably was clueless about this and many more things.

Agasa trembled a little. "Is where we're going to that place from yesterday?"

Another blink from Yukari, before she remembered the tests she was subjected to and how the idea that she'd be going back probably made her uncomfortable. "No, that's the hospital. I'm taking you to Gekkoukan High School."

"Oh." Agasa relaxed, relieved to hear that, at least.

As the two left the building, Yukari noticed just how her Kouhai was with every step and action she took. It wasn't her fault and Yukari knew this, but this girl was definitely different. The way she looked at everything around her with almost childlike wonder, absorbing every detail of everything she saw like a sponge... She was like a strange mix of a girl her apparent age and a much-younger child. Her lack of memories was surely responsible for this, and Yukari also found her constant curiosity a little cute... Still, she could already tell she was going to be as odd a character as the rest of them, in her own way. She'd probably fit right in, if she actually did start fighting with them in SEES.

***

The girls had gotten off the train and entered the school's outer gate. A couple of girls Yukari seemed to know looked at Agasa with interest seeing them come to school together. Yukari gave them a polite "good morning" before stopping in front of a path between two lines of cherry blossom trees, almost all of which weren't in bloom anymore to any extent. She gestured at the massive main building, which had three floors not counting the roof and was connected to a massive network of other buildings either directly or through various courtyards, including middle-school and elementary school buildings and smaller satellite buildings for them, and a much larger group of buildings closer to the main building which was also the high school's classroom building, including the club building, gymnasium, auditorium and others.

The campus was absolutely massive, and Agasa was completely overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all. She looked up at Yukari who giggled at her, and gestured to the entryway to the building they'd be going into.

"Welcome to Gekkoukan High School! It's really big, but you'll get used to it."

Agasa was so intimidated by the leviathan network of goliath buildings in front of her that all she could do was nod and take her word for it. Yukari led her past the entranceway to where the lockers were. She helped Agasa find her locker, who swapped her shoes out as Yukari said she should. Both her outside shoes and shoes kept at the school for her were of the same shade of brown.

Yukari brought her to the hall where the faculty office was, and stopped by the entrance to their destination.

"I need to get to class. If you need anything, Kirijo-senpai is the one to ask. She said she'll come get you during lunch and show you around a bit. She's the one with red hair, remember?"

Agasa nodded. Yukari gave her a reassuring smile at seeing how on edge she was. Her shoulders were tense and she was standing up so straight that she looked like she thought a bear would appear from nowhere and begin chasing her. "Hey. You'll be fine, okay? Just relax a little."

Agasa did just that, but only a little. She returned her smile with an awkward one of her own, the one that looked like a smug smirk. "Alright. Thank you."

Yukari bid her farewell and went towards the stairs to get to her own classroom. Agasa swallowed hard, and slid open the door to the faculty office. She walked inside, gathering herself. She didn't know why she was so tense. It was just that everything seemed so... big to her. She had this feeling in small bursts yesterday, but this was definitely something she'd need to get used to. Her amnesia made everything seem so new, almost alien. But she had enough wherewithal to understand she'd get used to it eventually, just like her Senpai in the pink cardigan said.

Eventually, a woman walked up to Agasa, seeming to know who she was after noticing her, apparently the teacher she was supposed to speak to.