Ren's eyes fluttered open to the sound of a soft piano melody. As he looked around, he saw the newly familiar curtains of the Velvet Room. Caroline and Justine were standing at attention in front of him, and once they saw him wake, they motioned for the curtains. The massive blue curtains pulled back slowly, revealing the empty audience, empty except for one seat.
There sat Igor, who greeted him with a massive smile.
"Welcome, Trickster." Igor's deep voice called out to him. "It seems you've finally met your scene partner, your persona. Now, the real performance may begin."
"Persona?" Ren echoed the new term. "Was that what Tartuffe and Circe were?"
"Indeed." The owner of the Velvet Room nodded, the grin on his face growing ever so slightly.
"Then… that world… Was that Kamoshida's mind? Or…" He trailed off near the end. Ever since they'd entered, he'd been trying to figure out what it was. And while he had many different explanations, the one he asked was the most probable one in his eyes.
"All will be revealed in due time, Trickster." Igor responded with a hearty chuckle. "For now, I shall give you some advice. Your persona is your strongest tool, make sure you work hard to understand and form a bond with it. The castle you've encountered is notably sturdy, a weak heart will only lead to your demise."
Ren nodded to acknowledge his words, after which Igor continued.
"As for the Metaverse Navigator, I trust you will find it useful. It is one of your strongest tools, and with it, you will be able to navigate between reality and Palaces. I bestowed it upon you as a means to facilitate your growth."
It was then that one of his "stagehands" spoke up, Caroline.
"You should be thankful for the gift our master gave you. There's rarely been a time when someone has been given such free reign over their coming and going as you now have." She blurted out in a stern tone. "You better not disappoint our master!"
Ren raised an eyebrow at the way she spoke to him, but he simply chose to ignore it for the far more important question.
"Palaces?"
That got another chuckle out of Igor.
"Our allotted time is drawing near, Trickster. As much as I wish I could personally guide you, you shall have to save your questions for the future. But before we go, allow me to give you one final piece of advice." Igor paused for a moment. "Remember, no showman triumphs alone. For that reason, I shall give the Metaverse Navigator to any who you choose to bring onto your performance. Choose your fellow actors carefully, Trickster. And finally, remember to be careful in that world, Trickster. A premature ending to our show would be disastrous."
The moment he finished speaking the curtains began to close, until finally he was only left with Justine and Caroline in view.
"Our time here is also drawing to an end, Trickster." Justine began with a soft tone. "However, if you wish to reach us in the future, you will be able to find us the next time you enter a Palace. I hope that in the future, we will have better ways to reach each other so that we may assist you to our full capacities."
"You heard her." Caroline echoed. "From now on, you better make sure to ask for our help when you need it. You better not disappoint our master by slacking off, alright?!"
Ren looked at Caroline for a moment as the lights around him began to dim, and he couldn't help but chuckle as he pointed at Justine.
"I think I like her more." He said playfully, watching as the girl with buns became slightly flustered, yet before she could try to answer, the world around him went dark.
— — —
Arriving at the subway station early, Ren's attention was drawn to a striking figure. A girl with vibrant red hair secured by a matching ribbon. Someone who stood out amongst the crowd of black and brown hair. That by itself wouldn't have been so striking, but what caught his eye was her face. Or to be more precise, what was on it.
Just like with Kamoshida, when he'd seen the strange mask, he could faintly see the outline of a mask in her. But as he focused his eyes the faint outline became clearer… clearer, but also more confusing.
It was a mask of her own face, from what he could tell. But that wasn't the confusing part, no. The part that drew his attention was the way the mask rested on her face. It wasn't natural, like Kamoshida's. If anything, it looked as if it had been stitched on by force onto her face.
The other thing he noticed was also the fact that the girl was wearing a Shujin uniform. Which meant she also went to the same school as Kamoshida.
She appeared to have an athletic build, so could she have been another victim of the man? But no, she didn't appear to have any noticeable bruises, and her expression was far too bright for someone who was being abused. If anything, she looked to be a little too happy.
He hadn't meant to stare, but he couldn't see even an ounce of sadness in her eyes.
It was while trying to get a clearer picture of the girl that he saw her stand up to offer her seat to an older lady, and out of the corner of his eye he caught a business man try to steal the seat from under her.
Sure, the man looked exhausted, and he probably needed it just as much as the next person, but Ren stepped in either way to block him, earning enough time for the older woman to take a seat. That action earned him a thankful smile from the red headed girl.
For now, Ren was debating whether or not he should approach her. Or if he should take a wait and see approach. But the girl took the choice away from him as they stepped off from the train. She approached him with a bright smile, and before he could stop her, she gave him a thankful bow.
"Thank you for earlier." She said with a radiant smile. "I saw you help me when that man tried to take the seat."
"Ah, it was nothing." Ren replied, trying to match her smile. "If anything, I should be thanking you for being kind and offering your seat."
The girl's smile broadened at his compliment, accompanied by a light giggle.
"Well, I just did what felt right." She answered, before suddenly perking up as if remembering something. "Ah, also, you are a second year student at Shujin, right? I'm a first year student there myself. It's nice to meet you!"
"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Ren Amamiya." He introduced himself before looking out into the rain. "I see you don't have an umbrella, do you want to walk to school with me?"
"If you wouldn't mind!" The girl answered him with a bright smile. "Oh, and sorry for forgetting. I am — Yoshizawa"
"Huh?" Ren asked, clutching at his head slightly. Strangely, when he looked at her this time, he could see the mask on her face far more clearly than before. "I'm sorry, what was your name?"
It was then that for the first time, the mask on her face moved, speaking along with Yoshizawa.
"Kasumi Yoshizawa." She introduced herself again, and the moment she did, Ren felt his vision return back to normal, seeing the girl's face once more instead of the mask she wore.
Yeah, there was definitely something wrong with her. But for now, he simply played along.
It was during the walk to school that his suspicion of the girl grew. Not because she did anything weird again, but simply because she was far too positive. There was no one in this world that was actually that nice, and that was a fact.
Hell, for the first time since he'd woken up in that train station, Ren was slightly unnerved. Not just because she was kind, but because he really couldn't see even a hint of deceit in it. She was just a bit too… perfect.
Either way, they eventually had to split ways once they arrived at school. So he simply filed the girl away under someone to keep an eye on while he tried to deal with Kamoshida. It was also once in school that Suzui found him and pulled him aside from the crowd of students to talk.
"About last night… it wasn't just a dream, right?" She asked him with a sense of urgency. "You remember the castle too, right?
"Yes, I remember it." He answered her with a nod, and after checking to make sure that no one could overhear them, he continued in a lower tone of voice. "I think we were in Kamoshida's mind."
Shiho's eyes widened at his words, but she nodded along as she pulled her phone and showed it to him.
"There's also this." She said as she pointed to the strange app. "I thought it was a virus, or one of those apps that get downloaded every time you update your phone, but when I checked it out it had the 'castle' saved under previously visited locations."
"The Metaverse Navigator." Ren nodded. "I also have that app on my phone. There's still a lot we have left to learn about what the hell that place was, but the only way to do it is to go back."
"I was thinking the same thing." Suzui answered with some excitement. "We have to go back. We have to stop him. I don't want to get into it, but I want to beat up Kamoshida until he looks like a pig. And… I think I can do it in that place. After Circe I—"
Before they could get carried away, Ren heard heavy footsteps approaching them. Hell, it was practically someone stomping in their direction. Turning around, he saw Kamoshida approaching the two of them with a scowl.
"Suzui. I expected better from you than to associate with... trash." He began, his eyes flicking to Ren with a look of pure disgust before snapping back to her. "I told you to come to my office yesterday to discuss your performance on the volleyball team. You never showed. Do you realize the position you've put yourself in? You are jeopardizing your spot on the starting lineup."
He was using his height to loom over her, a tactic designed to intimidate. Perhaps it would have worked yesterday. But the fire of awakening Circe must have still been burning somewhere inside her, because rather than shrinking away, Shiho straightened her back. She met his gaze.
"I quit."
Kamoshida blinked, his brain seemingly unable to process the words.
"You quit?" Kamoshida echoed in disbelief, a humorless laugh escaping him. "Who gave you permission to quit?"
Kamoshida's voice rose, and he took a step forward, invading her personal space. Judging by his aggressive body language, he was about to force her into a corner, to crush her resolve right there. But before Ren could step in, Kamoshida froze.
He glanced around. The hallway had gone quiet. Dozens of eyes were on him. He stiffened, realizing his mask was slipping, and forced himself to regain his composure. He smoothed his track jacket, his eyes narrowing.
"So you are willing to throw your future away? You are going to discard the only thing that makes you valuable to this school for what?" He sneered, gesturing vaguely at Ren. "Because you got yourself a little delinquent boyfriend?"
He let the insult hang in the air. It was clear he wanted to say much more, to drag her down further, but he held his tongue.
"I hope you know what you are doing, Suzui."
With that, he spun around and marched away. Yet, judging by how tightly he was clenching his fists, it was clear he was absolutely furious.
It was only once he had rounded the corner that Suzui finally let out a deep breath, her knees trembling slightly. The adrenaline was wearing off. Her eyes widened as panic set in.
"Ah, crap. Ann… I have to warn her," she muttered, her voice rising in pitch. "He's going to take this out on her. Or the rest of the team. If I'm not there to take the heat, then…"
She looked genuinely regretful, as if protecting herself had been a mistake. She turned to run, maybe to find Takamaki, but Ren grabbed her shoulder to stop her.
"Wait. Stop. This is perfect." Ren said firmly.
"Perfect?" Shiho looked at him like he was crazy. "He's going to kill someone."
"I have a plan to get rid of Kamoshida for good."He told her, and he saw her visibly calm down at his words. "It might not have worked before, but now? He's pissed off. He's emotional. That means he's sloppy, and I can trick him."
"What is it?" She asked.
Just then, the sharp chime of the school bell rang out, signaling the start of classes.
"Don't worry about the details. Just do exactly as I say." Ren said, his mind racing through the variables. "Bring a few teachers to the faculty office about fifteen minutes after lunch starts, alright? Make sure the Principal is there if you can."
He hesitated for a split second, calculating the timing of his provocation. He shook his head.
"Actually, no. Make it ten."