Chapter 2; Another day in normal life

...24/07/2009 Friday, Morning...

Hiro sits on the edge of his bed, his hands covering his face as he tries to shake off the remnants of that strange dream.

Every time he closes his eyes, flashes of memory hit him, bringing back the image of that immense tower he saw.

The alarm clock beside him begins to ring, emitting a sharp, grating sound, but he quickly silences it with a slap that dents it even more. Hiro lets out an irritated sigh.

"Alright, alright. I know it's time to get up." he mutters, his voice muffled by his hands.

Slowly, he rises and looks at his reflection in the wardrobe mirror.

The young man staring back at him, dark-haired and disheveled, has deep eyes, colored by a blend of exhaustion and confusion.

Hiro holds his own gaze for a moment, reflecting on what he had witnessed.

"That tower… it wasn't just a dream… but what was that?" he murmurs to himself, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to make sense of it.

He stands up and heads to the wardrobe, pulling out his school uniform. After grabbing his bag, Hiro leaves his room and heads for the bathroom.

Steam from the hot water begins fogging up the mirror as he showers, but thoughts of the tower persist, swirling in his mind.

A bit later, fully dressed and ready, Hiro leaves his apartment and descends the stairs, blending into the crowd of students heading toward the metro station, all on their way to Gekkoukan High School.

"Hmph, break's over, and most of the girls are already complaining." Hiro thinks, walking among the other students.

"I'm starting to think I'm going crazy." he mutters, scratching his head.

The metro arrives, and he boards, joining the sea of students who, like him, are headed for another day of classes.

When he arrives at the school and starts walking toward the entrance, a shiver runs down his spine.

He has the feeling he's being watched.

Hiro pauses for a moment and looks around, scanning for any student's face focused on him.

But all he sees are ordinary faces, absorbed in their own thoughts and worries.

"I guess it's just my imagination," he thinks, trying to shake off the uncomfortable sensation.

He continues toward his classroom, unaware that, from behind a tree, Junpei, Minato, and Yukari are watching him closely.

"I don't know, man…" Junpei whispers, his face a mix of curiosity and apprehension. "Feels like he might pull a katana out of his bag any second."

"You're just exaggerating." Yukari retorts, narrowing her eyes in Hiro's direction. "He doesn't seem that bad. Anyway, we need to know more about him. Good thing the president is the one talking to Hiro about S.E.E.S."

Minato, looking noticeably annoyed to be there, thinks to himself, "What a pain, why did Junpei and Yukari drag me out here?"

Inside the classroom, Hiro walks in and places his bag on his desk.

His eyes drift over to Mitsuru, who is seated near the window, diligently jotting something down in her notebook.

Her expression is as serious and focused as ever, her long red hair perfectly in place, reflecting the soft light streaming through the window.

"I can tell those days off didn't make much of a difference for you, Mitsuru," Hiro comments as he takes his seat.

Mitsuru pauses her writing for a moment and looks up, meeting Hiro's gaze. "Good morning, Mikoshi. I can't rest too much, after all, I am the student council president," she replies, her voice firm but with a slight smile on her lips.

Hiro pulls out his chair and sits down. "Yeah, I know. Not that it makes a difference to me."

Mitsuru resumes writing, but her gaze occasionally shifts back to Hiro, as if she's pondering something.

After a brief silence, she speaks again, her tone more serious this time.

"Mikoshi, can I ask you something?"

Hiro turns to her, slightly surprised by the shift in tone. "Alright... what's it about?"

Mitsuru places her pen on the desk and, with her eyes fixed on his, asks, "Did you saw anything unusual at midnight? Anything strange in the sky?"

Hiro is caught off guard by the question, and his hand unconsciously goes to his chin.

He reflects for a moment before answering. "That's unexpected. But since you're asking… yeah, I did."

Mitsuru raises an eyebrow, intrigued, and leans forward slightly. "Really? And what did you see?"

"A green sky." Hiro begins, crossing his arms as he looks toward the front of the room. "And I saw a massive tower on the horizon. All the electronics stopped working, and the clock at home froze at midnight."

A slight smile appears on Mitsuru's face, as if she's confirmed a suspicion.

"I see." she says, sitting back in her chair and picking up her pen again. "Maybe you saw something in a dream. Or something like that."

Hiro, still gazing at the board, narrows his eyes, his thoughts circling around Mitsuru's question.

"If she's asking about this, then she must know what it's about," he thinks, suspicious.

He turns to Mitsuru and asks, "Why are you asking, Mitsuru?"

Mitsuru meets his gaze, her look calm but enigmatic. "It's nothing important. I was just curious."

Hiro watches her for a moment, his eyes narrowing. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Her voice remains serene, her posture elegant.

The two stare at each other, a silent tension hanging between them, until the teacher enters the room, breaking the moment.

"Sorry for the delay." the teacher says, adjusting his glasses as he heads to his desk.

"I was looking for my book of circumferences that I'd lost in faculty office. Open your notebooks to take down the formulas I'll be writing on the board."

Mitsuru and Hiro return to their activities, the mystery of what happened the night before lingering between them, unresolved but certainly not forgotten.

...24/07/2009 Friday; Dusk...

The bell echoes through the hallways of Gekkoukan High School, signaling the end of the school day. Hiro, with his usual look of disinterest, walks slowly toward the exit.

He passes through the hallways and the courtyard, where he notices some students chatting and laughing without a care. His mind, however, is elsewhere.

After taking the subway and arriving at Iwatodai Station, Hiro senses something unusual.

A group of boys surrounds him, forming a circle.

Hiro recognizes one of the leaders, Akasa, a student from another school.

"Brought more friends, Akasa?" Hiro asks, unfazed. "Didn't I already tell you there's no reason for you to keep coming after me?"

Akasa, visibly irritated, replies, "Oh, Hiro. You always like to play innocent. But don't forget, you still owe me twenty thousand yen."

Hiro sighs, bored. "Didn't I pay you last week? Or did you spend it on another hospital bill?"

Before Akasa can answer, one of the boys tries to catch Hiro by surprise, raising his fist to strike.

But Hiro, with quick reflexes, grabs the boy's arm, skillfully twists it, and applies a lock that makes a loud crack echo in the air.

The boy cries out in pain as Hiro shoves him away, making him fall at Akasa's feet.

"Anyone else want their arm in a cast?" Hiro asks, his gaze sharp as he looks around.

The other boys hesitate, uncertain about attacking. Akasa, however, doesn't back down.

He charges at Hiro, attempting to hurt him. But Hiro easily sidesteps, sticking his foot out just enough to make Akasa trip.

As Akasa falls to the ground, a switchblade slips from his hand.

Hiro quickly kicks it away and stomps hard on Akasa's wrist, drawing a shout of pain from the bully.

"Next time, your hospital bill's going to triple. Got it?" Hiro says, coldly.

Terrified, Akasa nods in agreement.

Without hesitation, Hiro kicks Akasa in the face, breaking his nose, and walks away calmly as if nothing happened.

However, as he's leaving, Hiro is stopped by a police officer, who prevents him from going any further.

"The same troublemakers as always?" asks the officer, who seems used to these scenes. "If I were them, I'd have stopped coming after you by now."

Hiro shrugs. "Honestly, they just want to squeeze some money out of me. I lost count of how many times they've harassed me, and I reported them to you. Well, you know what to do."

The officer sighs and goes to talk to the group of boys, while Hiro continues on his way home.

Arriving at the building where he lives, Hiro climbs the stairs with a sense of unease.

As he goes to open the door to his apartment, he notices it's slightly ajar.

He narrows his eyes, confused, because he clearly remembers locking it before he left. Cautiously, he pushes the door open and steps inside.

Sitting on his couch, waiting for him, is a middle-aged man with dark brown eyes, long wavy brown hair, and a well-groomed goatee.

He's wearing a beige jacket over a black turtleneck.

His expression is calm, almost welcoming, yet Hiro can't hide his suspicion.

"Who the hell are you? And how did you get in here?" Hiro asks, his voice cautious.

"I apologize for intruding in your home, Mikoshi-san." the man replies in a polite tone. "I'm Shuji Ikutsuki, chairman of Gekkoukan High's board of directors."

Hiro steps closer, vaguely recognizing Shuji's face. "Now I remember you. I've seen you a few times in the halls. But you still haven't answered my other question. What are you doing here?"

Shuji gestures to the couch, indicating Hiro should sit down.

Reluctantly, Hiro sits, keeping his gaze alert.

"Mikoshi-san." Shuji begins, crossing his legs, "I came here to ask a favor. It's not just anything but something involving everyone's safety."

Hiro scratches his head, still wary. "Just call me Hiro. So, what do you mean by 'everyone's safety'?"

Shuji smiles slightly, his eyes almost hypnotic as they meet Hiro's. "Well, Hiro, would you believe me if I told you that a day is longer than 24 hours?"

Hiro's surprise is evident as he tries to process Shuji's words. "Wait... what? Explain yourself."

"The Dark Hour," Shuji starts, "is an hour hidden between one day and the next, where creatures called Shadows appear. These creatures are responsible for the Apathy Syndrome."

Hiro feels a chill run down his spine as Shuji adjusts his posture, speaking seriously. "Have you ever seen a green sky, by chance?"

Hiro nods, still confused. "Yeah, I did. My phone stopped working, and everything seemed frozen in time. At midnight."

Shuji nods, as if he expected this answer. "The Dark Hour is unnoticeable to most people because, to them, it's just a few seconds. And if someone happens to see the Dark Hour, after it ends, they simply forget and continue living as normal. However, there's a catch..."

Shuji looks out the window, and Hiro follows his gaze.

"Certain people have the ability to remember the Dark Hour, either because they have a natural resistance to its influence or because they possess a power within them, the Personas. And that's why I'm here talking to you, Hiro."

Shuji pulls out an armband from his jacket and extends it toward Hiro.

He takes it, noticing the words "S.E.E.S" written on it, with "Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad" and the number 8 engraved below.

At the center of the emblem, Gekkoukan High's crest stands out.

"S.E.E.S... is it some kind of club at school?" Hiro asks, still processing the information.

"Something like that." Shuji replies with a nod. "The S.E.E.S is a group of students with the same power as you, Hiro. You fight the Shadows to keep everyone safe."

Hiro hands the armband back to Shuji, his mind reeling from the new information. "And what exactly is this power?"

"How can I put this?" Shuji begins, thoughtfully. "The 'Persona' is a manifestation of a user's personality, a sort of 'mask' that an individual can rip off. Those who can do this have the ability to use it to destroy the Shadows. It's like the embodiment of one's true self."

Hiro is taken aback by this, looking down at his hand as he reflects on what Shuji just said. "So, you're saying I have some kind of power that can stop the Apathy Syndrome?"

"Exactly," Shuji confirms. "You're one of the few who can save people, Hiro. If you want to go on with your life as it is, I won't force you. But everything you do with the S.E.E.S will be the same as saving humanity, without them ever knowing a battle took place."

Hiro looks away, questioning himself if this is what he really wants.

Would he have to sacrifice so much without even receiving a simple "thank you"?

Face creatures that no one understands or knows the purpose of?

"I never wanted to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders," Hiro thinks to himself. "But, just this once, I might be able to save someone."

Finally, he looks Shuji directly in the eyes and says, "Alright, I'm in."