SMT Persona (Reyo and Nikko)
 

It was the last week of summer, and Raenah Morikawa was enjoying her time off from college at a local manga cafe. She had two stacks of manga on either side of her, and a cup of coffee betwixt her and her current reading material.

She listened about the cafe while she flipped idly though the graphic novels. She could hear a bunch of rowdy teenagers a few tables over daring each other to do things, like drink an entire bottle of soy sauce or hit on the waitress. She listened more closely when they started talking about one of the town's old legends.

"Hey, do you guys know about the ghost in the mirror?" one of them asked. "You're talking about the black candle thing, right?" another said. "Yeah, about how you perform some kind of freaky ritual and this evil spirit haunts you until you either die or go completely insane," the first one explained. "Dude, that's probably just some old story for scaring little kids," another one chimed in. "Nah, man, it's true! Apparently some chick tried it about forty some odd years ago and died. It was a huge story because she was turned completely inside out and had to be identified by her dental records." "Jeez, dude, that's sick!"

After that, they all dared each other to try the ritual and Raenah began to tune them out. She pushed some of her coppery red hair out of her face and went back to reading, sipping at her coffee every now and then.

I am the manry-est of men!

Raenah sighed as she finished the manga she'd been reading and placed it atop one of the stacks surrounding her. Her coffee had grown cold, but she finished it anyway. She made a slight face at the cooled bitterness of it. A waitress stopped at her table and asked if she'd like another and she nodded.

She took a break between books and looked out the window only to find someone else looking in. She smiled at him and gave a small, friendly wave. She knew she had never seen him before, but she thought he looked kind of gloomy and could use some cheering up.

I am the manry-est of men!

The waitress returned with Raenah's coffee and she smiled, saying her thanks. She tried to begin reading another book from one of the stacks on the table, but just as she'd opened the book it was yanked from her hands by the group of obnoxious teens from earlier. "Dude, check this out! It's a comic book!" said the one who had stolen her book. He tossed it to his buddies at the other table and laughed with them while they flipped carelessly through the pages.

However, they all failed to notice the now irate ginger from whom they had stolen. Needless to say, they were not expecting to have their 'leader' picked up and thrown onto the floor. They stared at her in slight shock as she shot an icy glare at them. The cafe had gotten quiet at the scene. She held out her hand and said, "Give me my book."

The teen on the floor stood up and said, "Ey, where does a shrimp like you get off pushin' over a guy like me and makin' demands of us? I'd say you owe me an apology before we do anything." She turned her glare towards the punk and said, "Shut up. You stole my book right out of my hands, and I tossed you to the floor like the trash you are. I'd say we're even. Now, give me my book."

The boy tried to grab hold of her, but she flipped him over onto the floor again in one fluid motion. She again held out her hand towards the other teens and said, "Give me my book." This time, they handed it to her, picked up their leader off the floor and left the cafe. When they had cleared out, Raenah sighed, returned to her own table, and picked up reading like nothing had happened at all.

I am the manry-est of men!

She drew herself out of her little world of books and gazed at the offering for a moment before smiling. "Thank you; that's very kind of you," she said, taking the cup and telling the warm scent waft close to her face. She looked the dark-haired young man over and said, "So, you decided to come inside? I'm sorry if you thought it odd for a complete stranger to wave at you. You just looked like you could use a friendly gesture. My name is Raenah. May I ask yours?" She took a small sip of the tea to check how hot it was before setting it down on the table.

I am the manry-est of men!

She blushed a little and chuckled nervously "Yes, I was just finishing up my summer reading before the next semester. I bought most of these a while ago thinking I would have time to read them, but then I got caught up in my studies and just forgot about them," she explained. She wouldn't say it out loud, but this was the most she'd talked to someone in weeks. She didn't know what it was about this guy that made her feel so relaxed.

"What kind of music do you have on your MP3 player? That's an older model, isn't it? The new ones have a clip instead of a lanyard," she asked as she gestured towards said electronic dangling in front of his shirt.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Yeah. I know it's childish for someone my age to still read what are basically comic books, but I love the stories. I can get lost in them for hours without realizing it," she said wistfully before picking up her tea and sipping at it. She saw him staring at one of the books and took it off its stack, holding it towards him. "Would you like to read with me for a while? This is the one you were looking at, right? I don't know if you'd like it, though, since shojo manga are usually geared more towards a female audience."

I am the manry-est of men!

She couldn't help but chuckle at the question. "I'm sorry, but I never thought I'd actually hear someone ask that question; it's so corny. I do come here fairly regularly, though, even if it is only once or twice a month. I like coming here to read because it hardly ever gets really crowded, and the drinks are great," she said with a small smile.

She glanced at her now icy cold coffee from before. With a short sigh, she drank what little was left in the cup and set it aside. She grimaced slightly and said, "Even if it's as cold as the frozen tundra, I hate seeing it go to waste." She paused a moment before continuing. "So, I take it you're fairly new to town? I don't recall seeing you around before, and it's hard to miss someone in a place as small as this." She gestured vaguely towards the window at the tiny town.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Wow, Tokyo? That must have been interesting. You'll probably be bored to tears here. The last inresting thing that happened around here was a really bizarre murder over forty years ago. Well, unless you count riff raff from the college stirring up trouble as interesting." She pulled out her cell phone and checked the time. "The evening rush will be coming in soon. Would you be interested in continuing our conversation over dinner? I'd love to hear about Tokyo from someone who's actually been there." She began putting the numerous stacks of books into a large duffle bag next to the table. She smiled at each of her books as she placed them in, being careful to not bend or crease them.

I am the manry-est of men!

She laughed and said, "I suppose that did sound a bit forward of me. Would you mind waiting until we grab dinner to talk more, though? I lost track of time while I was reading and forgot to eat lunch earlier." She hummed in thought as she zipped up her bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. "The best place for a decent meal right now is probably either Peso's or Sandwich King. Of course, there's a Wild Duck Burger, too, if you're strapped for cash."

The restaurant plaza wasn't far from the coffee shop, and the area was slowly becoming saturated with people looking for a meal. Snippets of the lake could be seen in the distance beyond the plaza, a light breeze gently stirring the smooth, reflective waters. The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, painting the town an antique gold. "Well, this is pretty much it for places to eat in town. It's not much, but we have almost every cultural craving here. Take your pick."

I am the manry-est of men!

She nodded and smiled. "Smart decision. There are picnic areas down by the lake that should be pretty deserted," she said as they walked towards the fast food chain. She hadn't been expecting to spend time with another person, but she didn't mind the guy's presence even if he was a bit on the quiet side. In fact, she rather liked his calm presence.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Uh, thanks. That's really nice of you." She grinned at him and put in her order quickly so they could get going. The family crowd was beginning to come in, and she didn't want to be around screaming children for very long if she could help it. Luckily, the fast food chain lived up to its reputation, and they were able to head out to the park within a couple minutes.

Picking out a picnic table under one of the pavilions, Raenah sat down and placed her bag down on one of the benches next to them. "The air is really clean out here. It's probably a lot different than a super-industrial big city like Tokyo."

I am the manry-est of men!

Raenah took a few bites of her food while she thought about what to ask him. She put down her sandwich and asked, "What's your favorite area of Tokyo? I mean, I've read all sorts of things about areas like Shinjuku, Akihabara, and Ikebukuro, but are they really all that great? If I ever do get the chance to visit there, I wouldn't want to have this fabulous picture of what I want it to be only to be disappointed by the real thing. I'll tell you all about that incident if you tell me that." She smiled warmly at him and nibbled on some of the fries that came with her meal.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Beaches are lovely, but if you've seen one you've seen them all. Sand, water, and shells if you're lucky. Thanks for indulging me, though," she said while looking out over the lake. She gazed out over the lake and munched on some of her fries. When she was finished with them, she tossed the cardboard container into a nearby trash bin and sat back down. "I suppose I'll tell you about that incident, then."

"It happened a little over forty years ago when my mom was in junior high. You see, this town has always had this ghost story involving black candles and a mirror. Supposedly, if you stand in front of a mirror while holding an unlit black candle and say 'unveil your mysteries' to your reflection, the candle will light on its own and you'll be haunted by an evil spirit until either you go insane or die."

She drank a bit more of what was left of her soda before continuing. "Now, apparently, this story has been around since the town was founded. Up until the incident, people had thought it was just some story to get kids to stay out of trouble. I can't see how it would do that, though.

"Well, someone tried the ritual. It was a freshman from the college. It was part of his fraternity hazing, apparently. Anyways, he went missing for a few days afterwards. When his roommate got back from a trip the following week, they found his body- well, what was left of it -in the dorm room."

She finished the rest of her sandwich and tossed out the wrapper before continuing, making a face as she did. "From the newspaper reports, the scene must have been pretty awful. There was blood and organs splattered across the room, and the lit candle had scorched part of the carpet. The entire dorm had to be demolished because of the awful smell... and because of the weird things that kept happening in the six months after the incident.

"Some of the other students living in the dorm swore to seeing the guy who had died wandering the halls. Others fell violently ill and had to be admitted to the hospital. A few more started seeing things and were either sent away or committed suicide. Eventually, the entire building was condemned.

"They were going to try building another dorm there a few years ago, but there were all these accidents. Workers falling into holes, machinery disappearing, stuff like that. Then, at one point, the entire structure just caved in on itself. The entire area was declared a no-build zone after that. They said the ground there was just too unstable.

"It was something about sinkholes and underground caves. I don't believe it, though. If we had a sinkhole problem around here, the lake would dry up and half the town would be caved in by now. No, I think there's something else going on that we can't see. It's hard not to after all that's happened, especially if you read as much manga as I do." She chuckled a bit at that and finally turned her gaze from the lake back to her companion.

"But anyways, that's what happened. I'm sorry if I bored you with our town's wild ghost story." She finished off her soda, poured the ice in the grass, and threw away the cup. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?

I am the manry-est of men!

"I can believe that. There are just some things that shouldn't be disturbed, and yet there are people who insist on sticking their noses where they don't belong," she said as she picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and gazed out across the lake. The moon was steadily rising over the lake, giving its still waters a silvery, mirror-like shine. "It's a great view, isn't it? It's almost like the entire lake is one big mirror."

I am the manry-est of men!

The next morning, Raenah awaited the arrival of her new quiet companion at the cafe. She once again had her nose stuck in a manga, but her thoughts were not on that. Registration for fall classes at the college had already begun, and she still hadn't signed up yet. She sipped her latte as she waited, licking the foam off her upper lip and then adding another sugar packet to the warm beverage.

I am the manry-est of men!

She nodded and said, "Sure, we can do that. We can check out the site of the old dorm while we're on campus, too. So what did you find out? I probably left out some details last night since it's been so long since I've told the story." She took another few sips of her drink, looking over the small dessert menu on the table. Her hair was in a braid trailing down her back, ending in a small tuft held in place by a hair tie.

I am the manry-est of men!

She tilted her head to the side and pondered the word. "I know a couple of my professors have mentioned the word before. They've said in ancient cultures the word 'persona' often came up referring to times when a shaman or witch doctor would go into a trance for healing, curses, or to invoke the elements. Why do you ask? It seems strange to mention something like that in this day and age," she said, pausing briefly to finish her drink. "Do you think that it has something to do with our little ghost story?"

I am the manry-est of men!

"Wow, that's trippy. All I've ever read was the police reports, and they didn't mention anything about that," she said as her mind buzzed with thought. "So was that incident in Japan you mentioned similar to what happened here?" she asked curiously. She absently went to take another sip of her drink, but frowned when she realized she had finished it already.

I am the manry-est of men!

"Umm, sure. There's a game shop not too far from here that's usually pretty quiet. Would that be alright?" she asked, a bit apprehensive at the guy's strange change in attitude.

I am the manry-est of men!

As predicted, the game shop had only a couple customers in it, and the store was rather quiet. The sales clerks were talking to the other customers about different games, and nobody paid any attention to the two of them as Raenah led Minato to a deserted corner of the store like she was showing him a game. "Alright, I don't think we'll be bothered here unless we start looking lost, so go ahead with whatever you need to say," she said quietly.

I am the manry-est of men!