Wake Up Moonshine!

[AN]

[A shorter interlude-like chapter for ya all.

By the way, the only reason our boi was so talkative was due to the fact that he felt Akechi needed some help, and that she was pretty fucked up...just like him.

Here we go.]

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I couldn't help but give my new 'girlfriend' the stink eye.

I mean, god. She was insufferable. And she seemed to relish her part in my mental torture...Every. Single. Bit.

After the 'incident', it took a while for my parents to cool down, and even then, they ushered Akechi into my private territory. Among all the things she could've said, never would I guess she would go for that route.

I really underestimated her petty...vindictiveness.

"Who are you calling 'petty'~? You wouldn't be mean to your new girlfriend, would you~?"

Hooh boy. She's still angry. Whatever.

Yawning, I flopped onto my soft bed, nearly knocking my unwanted roommate aside as I did so.

"Hey-"

On goes my headphones-

"Oh no, you aren't!"

With some impressive Judo moves, Akechi twisted my wrist and caught me in a triangular stranglehold. God damn, that's some mass destruction moves right there.

What's a boy to do, manhandled by a girl in his own room? Well, it's time to try my best imitation of a deflated balloon.

I closed my eyes—five hours till midnight.

"Yuuki! It's time for dinner~!"

God damn it.

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Dinner was surprisingly uneventful.

Akechi was trying her best to give my parents a great first impression, and you know what? She was good at it. She even volunteered to do the dishes.

Really, one might think she was interested in me for non-unethical reasons. Hah, as if.

"Hey, you really have nothing in your room."

And now, back to waiting time in my room, with my undelightful guest, Gorou Akechi.

It's like times like these I wish I could go to the Velvet Room...free daydream service, baby. And now she's shaking my shoulder to get my attention...is she an attention-craving dog or some-

"...Hmph!"

"OOF!"

That...was...a splendid...right hook...

I fell onto the floor, foaming from the corners of my mouth in pain as the usurper took back her throne on my bed. Geez, any other 13-year-old would have been screaming their head off or bawling out their eyes for their mommy...

"You aren't any other 13-year-old."

It seems that I've been muttering under my breath...again. I really need to stop this habit lest my stalker gets even more excited.

"...Hmph!"

"ARGH! ...I didn't even say anything you violent piece of...!"

"It's a woman's sense...what did you just call me!?"

"Nothing mam."

Sighing yet again, I lay down on the floor and put on my headphones, too tired to give a crap about her antics. I needed to save my strength for midnight.

...Hmm...Bloody Destiny from Persona 1 would do for a lullaby. Boy, I love this kid's mp3 playlist.

"...Really? Not to boast or anything, but most boys in my class would be trying their best to stroke their frail ego by trying to impress me..."

"..."

"Then again, you are really something different...no one would try to...no one would've liked to do anything with me if they saw my true side as you did...of course, I sensed something similar between you and me, so that also counts, but even so, that's really something...you know?"

"..."

"...Hey, say something! I'm trying to be nice you little shit!"

"...ZZZZZZZ"

"...You fucking...heh, fine. I'll let you off the hook for now."

Akechi flopped on my bed like a particularly large humanoid fish until she found her comfortable spot and closed her eyes. Once I was sure that she was indeed asleep, I opened one eye and chuckled.

"You're welcome...we all need to live in this fucked up world, after all."

"..."

Yawning, I closed my eyes, and let myself drift into the realms of Morpheus.

"...Asshole."

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The clock ticked as time inched forward. By all means, it should have kept flowing, like the constant stream it was in this realm.

Like water, it flowed...until it didn't.

Tick, tock. 24:00, midnight.

The moon took a sickly, yellowish hue, as the darkness turned dark green. Blood flooded the streets and humans were encased by black coffins.

Humans, except a select few. The few that I really didn't want to be a part of. God damn it.

My eyes fluttered open the second the Dark Hour fell upon this world. I glanced towards Akechi, half-hoping that she would make things easier for me, but to no avail. She was not inside a coffin.

I stood up and walked over to my window as I took in the haunting view that was separated from me by just a thin piece of glass. It was so surreal, I half expected I was sleep-walking until I stubbed my toe at the corner of my closet.

The sharp pain pulled me out of my trance-like state and helped me focus on what must be done.

Maybe it was because I had knowledge from another world, or maybe it was the fact that I knew what I had stepped into, or maybe it had something to do with my cognition related to Persona in general...but I had the most bizarre sensation that something was calling me from within.

The accumulated unconsciousness of mankind...the sea of souls, was it? The image that arose from the depths of my mind was enough to make me gasp in disbelief.

It should have been impossible. By all means, I shouldn't, couldn't have this Persona...

...Orpheus Picaro?

""What the hell?"", we said calmly.

Wait.

We?

I turned around to see the pale face of my unwanted roommate, whose expression was twisted with equal parts of terror, awe, and shock.

"What the hell?", she said calmly once more. Following her gaze, I glanced back at the window.

Akechi's eyes were glued onto the black, gooey hand that was stuck onto the glass like a nasty smudge of pigeon excrement. A white mask rose up next to the hand and peered through the glass...and right at us.

At least she doesn't scream when she freaks out, I thought as I cracked my neck.

Hoooh, boy. This was gonna be a long hour.

...I'm so done.