Crossing the drawbridge, Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana were ambushed by guards. The blonde tripped while trying to back away, leaving the sable-haired boy and creature to handle the guards with their mysterious powers.

After the battle, Morgana explained to the boys who and what were Personas. It also mentioned how Akira's powers were unstable as he changed back into his school uniform.

"Come on, we should hurry," Morgana stated, avoiding more questions from Ryuji. "It's not much farther to the exit and we still haven't found your friend yet."

Ryuji rubs the back of his neck, worried for his best friend. "Man, I just hope she's okay..."

"We'll find her," Akira reassured the distraught boy.

"Hey!" Morgana shouted, having already gone ahead of the students. "Are you coming or what?!"

Akira and Ryuji continued to follow the large-headed feline through the dungeon of the castle. Their eyes searched every cell but only were able to spot strangers and volleyballs. While the obsidian-eyed boy remained calm, Ryuji was growing impatient. He was deeply concerned about Mikono, hoping the guard that carried her away didn't do anything to hurt her. What he didn't know was Akira shared the same concerns as he did, but he was able to hide it under a level-headed facade.

As they reached another drawbridge, Ryuji spotted a collapsed boy wearing a red jersey inside one of the cells. He called out to the others when he felt like he recognized the clothing. "Hold on a sec!" Akira and Morgana stopped in their tracks and turned toward the blonde. "I feel like I've seen what this dude's wearing' before... Dammit! I'm too flustered! I can't remember a damn thing!"

"Come on, let's go!" Morgana shouted, scowling at the boy.

"Hold on, dammit!"

"What is it? We need to go, fast!"

"But...who are these guys?"

"Do you really think you have time to worry about other people right now?!" Morgana chided. "We're looking for your friend! Shouldn't she be your only concern right now?! Besides, they're-"

"There!" The trio heard a guard yell. The group turned in time to see the drawbridge being lowered. A single guard rushed across the creaky wood and blocked their way.

Morgana winced. "You should've listened to me...!"

"Let's fight," Akira said, his clothes changing.

The feline smiled up at the boy. "I'm glad you stick to your guns." The guard transformed, revealing its true form. "Looks like it's raring to go, too!"

With little to no effort, Akira and Morgana were able to annihilate their targets. Now their path was clear and they were ready to push forward. "All right! Let's get away before more show up!" The cat cheered.

Ryuji shook his head. "Hold on, we can't just leave these guys here!"

Morgana scowled at him disapprovingly. "You really don't get it, do you?" He then groaned. "There's no time to explain. Look, I'm going. If you don't want to follow, be my guest! Maybe I'll find your friend and save her myself!"

Ryuji knew the feline was right. "Dammit... Fine, I'm coming!"

The trio crossed the bridge and saw more cages suspended over the water. All of them were empty except for one. Akira was the one to recognize what the person was wearing. "Tsutsui-san..."

The blonde behind him heard him mutter the girl's last name. "What?! Where?!"

Morgana followed Akira's line of sight and pointed at the suspended cage with his paw. "Over there!"

The group rushed over to the cage, but they were stopped when they had no way to reach Mikono. Ryuji stood at the edge and shouted up at her. "Mikono!"

The girl raised her head, teary eyes wide as she glanced down at the group. "Ryuji, Kurusu-san, and..." She stood up slowly, trying to keep the cage from swinging. She grasped the bars, eyes narrowing as she analyzed the black and white figure standing beside Akira. "A cat?"

Ryuji glances down at Morgana when it didn't burst out yelling when being called a "cat." "Hey, how come-" He saw the starry-eyed look in the feline's eyes along with a faint blush on its cheeks and drool seeping from the corner of its mouth. "Why the hell're you droolin'?!"

"What a beautiful girl!" Morgana chanted.

Akira ignored the two, stepping toward the ledge. "Tsutsui-san, we'll get you out of there. Can you tell us how the guard got the cage down?"

"There's a lever behind you, but I don't know where the key is," Mikono answered.

"Leave that to me, Lady Mikono!" Morgana exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh yeah?" Ryuji scoffed, crossing his arms. "How're you gonna do that?"

"Well, um..."

"Will a hairpin work?" Mikono inquired as she tugged a black hairpin out of her inky tresses.

Morgana nodded frantically. "Yes!"

"All right," Akira started, approaching the lever. He pulled it, but what he didn't expect was how stiff it was. He resulted to two hands to pull it. Morosely, it didn't budge.

"Dude," Ryuji chuckled. "You need a hand?"

Akira shook his head and used all his weight to pull the lever. It lowered, but he gasped when he saw it wouldn't stop. Mikono screamed as the cage plummeted downward toward the water.

"Shit...!" Ryuji shouted, rushing over to the lever and helping Akira push it back up into place. When they heard a 'clank' and realized the lever was locked in place, they looked toward the cage to see it hover a few inches above the surface of the water. Both boys sighed in relief to know they made it in time.

"Let's try this again," Akira said. The two boys tried to operate the lever again, but it didn't budge. They grunted when using all their strength to pull it. As before, it remained locked in place.

"Dammit...!" Ryuji cursed vehemently. "How're we supposed to get to her now?!"

"I'm not sure," the obsidian-eyed boy responded.

The delinquent looked around before his eyes landed on Morgana. He smirked as he grabbed the top of the cat's head and lifted it off the ground.

"Hey-!" Morgana growled, kicking its small legs in protest.

"Just shuddup and unlock the cage!" Ryuji threw the cat toward the cage.

It mewed as it soared through the air before latching onto the bars. Morgana sighed in relief before scowling at the blonde. "You could've killed me!"

"Just unlock the cage, dammit!"

Morgana turned its head and saw it was only inches from Mikono's face. It blushed again, the starry eyes returning. "I, Morgana, shall free you, Lady Mikono!" Ryuji groaned at the cat's words while Akira watched the scene closely in silence.

The girl smiled at the feline as she handed over the hairpin. "Here you go, Morgana."

A giddy grin materialized on its face and promptly began picking the lock. It twisted the hair accessory multiple times in different directions before hearing a faint 'click.' "All right!" It cheered, using its small body to swing open the door. It entered the cage and hopped onto the girl's head, sliding the hairpin back into her sable locks. It rubbed its cheek against her head with hearts in its eyes. She didn't mind Morgana's actions due to her focus being elsewhere.

Standing near the edge of the cage, Mikono glanced down at the rushing water below before seeing how far she would have to jump. When she saw the distance, she became frightened. "I-I don't think I'll be able to make that jump."

"We're right here, Tsutsui-san," Akira said with a gentle smile.

Ryuji nodded. "Yeah! One of us will catch you!"

Exhaling deeply, Mikono places her trust in her friends. She looked at Morgana, who moved from the top of her head to her shoulder. "Ready, Morgana?"

"Yes, Lady Mikono!" The cat grinned.

The cerulean-eyed girl inhaled deeply to calm herself before leaping. It felt as if time froze as her body soared through the air. She didn't look down and focused on landing safely on solid ground. By the skin of her teeth, she landed on the edge but her body teetered back and forth from instability. Morgana slipped from her shoulder, but she caught it in her left arm before it could fall into the water below while someone grabbed her right one. Hugging the cat against her chest, she stared into Akira's onyx eyes as he tugged her body away from the ledge.

Mikono thanked her classmate and once he released her, she fell to her knees and hugged Morgana close. "That was the most terrifying moment in my life..." She rested her head on top of the cat's with a sigh.

"It's droolin' again..." Ryuji muttered, noticing the trail of drool down Morgana's face.

Mikono pulled away from the feline but kept ahold of it as she examined its strange body. "I've never seen a cat like you. You know, the ancient Egyptians worshipped cats because they would keep asps, scorpions, and rats from eating their food. Those who did abuse cat's were punished. Sometimes the punishments included death depending on how severe-"

"Mikky, we've no time to listen to an encyclopedia entry. We've gotta get the hell outta here!" Ryuji interrupted her. He looked over at Akira, who had his hands in his pocket. "And why're you standin' around?!"

"I was enjoying the free lesson," he confesses the truth.

Ryuji sighed. "What a weirdo..."

Mikono released Morgana and stood up, accepting her bag from her best friend as she smiled apologetically at Akira. "Sorry 'bout that. I have a tendency to ramble on about random topics at random times. Now, how do we get out of here?"

"Follow me!" Morgana shouted, leading the way.

<-----<<<<<

"We're here!" Morgana announces as they stood in the middle of a dark hallway.

"Finally! We're saved...!" Ryuji darted over to a door located on the right side of the hallway, but his joy was short-lived when he discovered it was locked. "It's not openin'! D'you trick us, you jerk?!" He hissed at Morgana.

"Don't jump to conclusions!" The feline chided. "Over here!" It opened the door on the left side of the hallway and skipped into the room.

"H-Hey, wait up!"

The three teens follow Morgana into the room. The only light they received were from two torches hanging on the wall. The blonde glanced around the room and his brows knitted together when he wondered where to go from here. "Where are we supposed to get out from here?! There aren't even any windows!"

"Ugh, amateurs..." Morgana grumbled with an eye-roll. "This is the most basic of basics."

Akira and Mikono scanned the room with their eyes and the girl took note of the ventilation shaft located above the empty bookshelves. "Oh! You want us to use the ventilation shaft to escape!"

Morgana sighed dreamily. "Ah, Lady Mikono... You're not only beautiful but smart, as well! You guys should be able to squeeze through it one at a time."

"I see... Then we just gotta get that metallic mesh off!" Ryuji used the empty bookshelves as a ladder and climbed to the top. He grabbed the vent cover and prepared himself to pull. "And a one, and a-Whoa!" The ventilation cover took little effort to remove, resulting in the boy to fall with the mesh in his hands. He fell to the floor and the metal cover 'clanked' obnoxiously against the tile.

Mikono flinched at the loud sound. "Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah," Ryuji responded, pushing himself to his feet and brushing off his hands on his pants. "The enemy didn't hear us, did they?"

"I don't think so," Akira responded. "The hallway is clear."

This brought relief to the chocolate-eyed boy. He looked back up at the ventilation shaft with a grin. "Seriously, we're finally gettin' outta here!"

"You should wait on celebrating until you actually get out," Morgana stated. "Now, get going."

"You're not coming with us, Morgana?" Mikono asked.

The feline eyed the female with an infatuated smile. "There's something that I still have to do. We're going our separate ways. But don't worry, Lady Mikono! I'll be careful."

"Don't get caught again," Akira warned.

Morgana chuckled faintly. "Heh, you better be careful, too. See ya."

The three students climbed up the bookshelves and quickly made their way into the vent, leaving their feline companion and the castle behind.

<-----<<<<<

|| 4/11 Monday ||
|| Morning ||

"Did we make it...?" Ryuji panted, hunched over and resting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath.

Mikono placed a hand over her racing heart and sighed. "I-I don't know..."

Suddenly, Akira's phone beeped and a computerized voice spoke. "You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."

"Huh? Returned?" The blonde mumbled with a puzzled expression. "Does that mean we got away?"

"I wonder..." Akira hummed in curiosity, staring down at his phone.

"I dunno what to think anymore..." Ryuji clicked his tongue and rubbed the back of his neck. "What was all that anyways? That castle, and Kamoshida, and that weird cat! The hell is goin' on?!"

"Ryuji, don't shout," Mikono scolded the boy when she saw numerous of eyes on them. "People are starting to stare..."

"What's with the yelling?" A stern voice commanded. "Are you students of Shujin Academy?" The trio's eyes focused on two cops as they approached them.

"Oh, no..."

"Cutting class, are we?" The aggressive officer questioned.

"Huh? No!" Ryuji shouted in their defense. "We were tryin' to get to school, and we-!"

Mikono spoke up, interrupting her best friend and standing in front of the boys. "We were on our way to school when I suddenly wasn't feeling well. My friends took me to the doctor's office. We just left and now are heading to school."

"You got a note to prove it?" The other officer asked.

"Oh, shit..." Ryuji mumbled under his breath.

"I do. Give me a second..." Mikono searches through her bag and pulls out a slip of paper, handing it over to the man.

"Dr. Blackwell, huh?" He eyed the signature suspiciously. "What a strange last name. Never heard of him."

Mikono plucked the slip of paper from the officer's fingers. "Just because you haven't heard of him doesn't mean he doesn't exist. If you'll excuse us, we're heading to school. Good day, Officers." She turned on her heels, placed the strap of her bag on her shoulder, and walked away.

"Tsutsui-san!" Akira shouted, quickly following after her.

"H-Hey, Mikky, wait up!" Ryuji shouted, chasing after her.

The two boys caught up with their companion. Ryuji already knew her father's last name, but Akira didn't. He looked down at the shorter girl as he walked beside her. "Who's Dr. Blackwell?"

She looked up at him with an innocent smile. "A story for another time. We better get to school."

After a few minutes of walking, the trio arrived at Shujin Academy. They stood in front of the school, noticing the castle was gone. Ryuji gaped at the sight. "Is this for real? I'm sure we came the same way. What's goin' on here...?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you," a voice scolded them.

The three looked up to the top of the stairwell, spotting one of the school counselors glaring at them. His arms were crossed as he looked down upon the students. "We received a call from the police."

Mikono looked away with a guilt-stricken expression. "Sorry, guys. Guess the note didn't work."

"Not your fault," Ryuji said. "That damn cop snitched on us!"

"It's rare to see you with someone else other than Tsutsui-san," the counselor pointed out. "Where were you roaming around until this time? And don't you dare try to use your father's signature as a scapegoat, Tsutsui-san."

"Father?" Akira mumbled.

Mikono looked away from the school counselor. She heard Akira but ignored him. "You wouldn't even believe us if we told you the truth..."

"What was that, Tsutsui-san?" The counselor demanded.

Ryuji quickly stepped in. "Uhh...a ca-a castle?"

"So, you have no intention of giving an honest answer? I expected this from you, Sakamoto-san, but not you, Tsutsui-san. If your parents were to hear about this, they'd be furious! Why do you hang out with such riffraff? At this rate, you will no longer be a model student."

"He's not-!" Mikono tried to come to Ryuji's defense but was cut short when Kamoshida strolled up and stood beside the counselor.

"What's this about a "castle"?" The coach inquired as he eyed the three students.

"Kamoshida?!" Ryuji squealed.

"You seem so carefree, Sakamoto. Quite a difference from when you did morning practice for the track team. And now, you're trying to drag Tsutsui down with your careless antics."

"Shuddup! It's your fault that-!"

"How dare you speak that way to Mr. Kamoshida!" The counselor shouted over the blonde. "There's not much leeway left for you, you know?"

Mikono clenched her fists tightly as she listened to the man defend the coach. Her nails dug into her palms as she refused to listen to anyone who tried to defend such a fiend or condemn her best friend.

"He's the one that provoked me!" The student bellowed.

"Do you really want to be expelled?!" The counselor fired back. "In any case, you'll have to explain yourself! Follow me!"

"What?! This is bullshit!"

Kamoshida forged an innocent smile, the counselor being the only one to fall for it. "Come now. I should have been more considerate, too. Let's just say that we were both to blame."

The bespectacled man gobbled up Kamoshida's angelic facade. "Well, if you say so... Still, you're coming with me. It's undeniable that you're extremely late."

"Fine..." Ryuji grumbled in defeat.

"By the way..." Kamoshida stared at the frizzy-haired boy. "You're that new transfer student, correct? Akira Kurusu..."

Ryuji walked up the stairs, stopping for a few seconds to glare at the coach before following the counselor.

Kamoshida was amused by the boy's antics, but he kept his attention focused on Akira. His eyes widen slightly when he recognizes him. "Have we met somewhere?"

"He was with me when you offered us a ride outside the station," Mikono answered in Akira's stead.

"Oh, now I remember... Well, I'll overlook this just for today. I will have to see you after school, though, Tsutsui."

Mikono's hands begin to shake because she knew what was in store for her. "I-"

"She can't," Akira said. He remembered what he heard from Kamoshida at the strange castle and would try to protect her from him at all cost. "Tsutsui-chan promised to give me a tour of the school and show me around town."

"I see..." Kamoshida's smile fell, eyeing the boy incredulously. "Then we'll have to reschedule our discussion at a later date. At any rate, hurry up and go to the faculty office. I'm sure Ms. Kawakami's tired of waiting. Good luck trying to enjoy your new school life." The coach turned and walked back into the school, vanishing from sight.