Chapter 2: Shattered Continuity

Sapphira rubbed her fingers on the worn-out desk, her mind racing as she pieced together the fragments of their situation. While her phone was taken from her, it was the least of her concerns. Logically speaking, she would not be able to use anything in this world. Whatever Miss Inari wanted in her phone was not there.

The dust in the room was thick, as if nobody has been using it for the past decade. If this is the special class that they have known, this is the equivalent of being sent to a camp.

Rina tried opening the window, but it is rusted shut. It took a bit of force but eventually gave way. A hazy cloud exited the room visible from outside. Rina hacked and coughed repeatedly as she fanned the dust away from her mouth and nose.

"So, this is the special class..." Sapphira spoke out as she tried opening another window. "Its almost the same location as our usual clubroom. In its current condition, there is no way classes can commence as normal here."

"I think the notion was to scare us into thinking this place will become our next class if we 'continue' to misbehave." Holly replied as she drew faces on the windows.

"That's a real possibility indeed, I can't imagine anything being done here." Ayaka

"What should we do now?" Rina asked with concern on her face.

"I don't know, its hard to come up with a plan when we were just suddenly shoved into this situation out of nowhere. And none of us knowing how we even ended up here is not helping." Sapphira crossed her arms and closed her eyes in deep thought.

"I think we just need to take a step back for now, examine the details of this huge picture." Holly trotted around the room as she spoke. "For now, we are very disoriented of all that is happening. I can't imagine our situation improving with rash action."

Ayaka dusted a desk and sat on it, "Honestly, if you think about it, Miss Inari being someone else...er... makes me see exciting opportunities."

"What is it?" Rina turned her head back into the room.

"Well, who knows what kind of friends you've made in this world?" Ayaka got off the desk and dusted herself, She realized what a mistake that was but did not skip a beat. "There is no obligation to maintain your 'current' friendships that you have no bonds with."

"Ayaka has a point there." Sapphira leaned against the open window, "but I disagree on the part of no obligations...It's a grey area on where the people we know are but its important we adapt to it."

"Mannn~ I wonder what kinds of friends I made in this new world." Ayaka started combing her hair to comfort herself.

"I.... I wonder what kind of person Hannah is in this world...I...I feel lost without her..." Rina started shaking violently. Hannah is the only person who consistently hangs out with Rina and talks to her about the occult. While Rina is friend with the other 3 in the room, Hannah has always been there since she first enrolled into Virtuous Path Institute.

"Don't worry Rina, it takes time for us to adapt." Ayaka hugged Rina tightly to calm her down. At the same time, Ayaka herself was hugging Rina to ease herself. Ayaka knows her family situation back at home was not the most publicly accepted. Thinking of all the possibilities is giving her a headache. As the two of them hugged, Holly and Sapphira continued strategizing.

"Would the best course of action be to ignore everyone while we get our bearing of this place?" Holly suggested something as if she does not do that everyday.

"Aha, you're funny Holly, but its not entirely possible...some of us have families to go back to." Sapphira shares sentiment to everyone in the room, only Holly is living in the dorms, separated from her family.

"It's simple." Holly gave a deadpan response, "People will never give you attention unless you specifically ask for it."

"That...kinda only applies to you, Holly..." Sapphira rebuttals Holly's point, "If you have friends, they'll talk to you out of nowhere."

"Just ignore them."

"I...don't think Holly gets around often..."

"Holly, I think you're underestimating the situation here..." Ayaka lets go of Rina, "Especially with girls like us, we are sure to attract attention. That's why we need to stick together."

"Miss Inari is onto us about being together, while it is safer to be in numbers, I think we need to grasp the situation better if we go as individuals. It would paint a clearer picture of who we were in this world." Holly being matter of fact as usual.

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Sapphira is used to Holly's straightforwardness, blunt, but she has a point. Sticking together will only delay the inevitable. While there is no immediate rush to get back to their original world, it is in their best interest to be careful and adapt to their surroundings. It seems all their reputations have been stained before they are even conscious, Sapphira sees an opportunity to keep going and study where this world is able to lead them.

"Holly, that's very insensitive of you. But I get where you are coming from." This new world needs exploring, having a whole new life does seem interesting, but we are leaving the people we love back at home without saying goodbye." Sapphira sighed as if that statement finally addressed a heavy load on her shoulders.

"Hm, you're right." Holly Looked down at the floor.

"It's all right Sapphira," Rina finally let go of Ayaka, "Our options is to either find a way back to our world...or continue to live and adapt to this new one...I do not intend on laying down and giving up..." Rina said with all her courage.

"Yeah, we need to stay positive and move ahead! Standing around won't help anyone!" Ayaka exclaimed as she combed her hair to the side.

"Well then, shall we take the first step outside of this room?" Sapphira returned to her confident leading tone. The literal and figurative first step is going outside of the room they frequently meet united them once again. The four exited, half expecting to see Miss Inari again, but she never returned.

In silence, the four walked through the hallways, down the stairs and eventually to the main entrance.

"Looks like this is where we split." Holly stated.

"I think I'll walk with Rina for a while." Ayaka told the group. "Our houses are in the same direction."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then, lets make sure we meet at the same classroom after classes to gather what we know." Sapphira told everyone. "Although its in horrible condition, the fact that it looks like it was never used is a good indicator nobody will interrupt us there."

"Agreed."

"That's a great idea!"

"I'll make sure to be there..."

...

...

...

The four split up, leaving Sapphira left on her way home. Felene City did not look different from how she last seen it. A working public transport system, plenty of orange streetlights illuminated the sidewalks, moderately sized highways occupied by cars. Its probably time to reconsider the road infrastructure to accommodate the city's boom in population in the last few years.

"Sapphira!" A voice called out Sapphira and a hand grabbed her shoulder as she looked through the directory for train stops. Sapphira instantly slaps the hand away. What she saw next was a disgusting homeless man.

"Hey! What gives?!" The man complained.

"Anyone would have been surprised by you 'greeting' Mr. Man."

"Mr. Man?! Sapphira, its me Takeru! You're a regular to my services!"

"A regular? Services? What do you mean by that?"

"It seems you have a bit of amnesia, you've always come to me for information about leaders and hierarchies, to the captains and the standard thug." Takeru put his hands in his pockets. "Next thing I knew, something happened to someone related to that person."

"Shouldn't we be in a more secluded area to talk about this?" Sapphira shot back. "I was almost ready to scream out for security."

"Don't be ridiculous, Sapphira, everybody knows who you are and what you've done. Just that you've been able to slip away without evidence proving you've done it." Takeru explained. "Look around, if I was talk to someone else at your age, that security guard over there will definitely escort me out right about now."

Sapphira looked over, the security guards are looking away from their conversation, confirming the situation to her. "So, what do you need from me now that you've called me out?"

"I needed money, and I thought you needed information to buy from me." Takeru started grinning. "And you looked troubled, so I took the initiative."

Sapphira thought about this for a while. She always had people in high positions telling her what she needed. It seems here she got the opposite; a homeless man, an information broker whose connections stem from the community which is always close due to their similar circumstances and everyday feeling like its their last. Sapphira has dealt with people like this before, but they always shut her out due to her connections with even the police. This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about this new world.

"What are your rates?" Sapphira asked

"Depends on what you need now. As usual."

Sapphira though for a second, "Can you tell me how my family is doing?"

Takeru reached into his jacket and whispered into it, a few seconds later he gets a response, "Hiraya family is still arguing, something about gambling away savings."

Takeru had a concern look on his face, "That...does not sound good...take that as a freebie..."

"I'm glad you're sentimental. How about the O' Rama's ?"

"They have been dead for a long time now, only Rina survived, don't you remember? It was all over the news." Takeru responded quickly as if it was common knowledge. "That's how you easily got Rina to follow you."

"I would nev-"Sapphira stopped herself mid sentence. While recruiting a girl who is in her most vulnerable spot is not something she would do, she considered what this world's Sapphira did and not question it further.

"That would be...5 dollars." Takeru held out his hand. "Sorry, but I need a meal.

"How much would information on the Ashen's and Yuzuki cost?"

"Much more than that, it can be quite complicated to even gather information on them."

Sapphira considered the cost, would it be in the hundreds? Maybe thousands? She can't risk being in debt to a man like the one in front of her right now. Who knows what he'll do. Sapphira decided that what enough and paid Takeru the 5 dollars she owes.

"I guess you don't need anything else." Takeru said with disappointment in his face.

"I'm speculating on my options for now, and it sounds like I will be needing cash, knowing the situation at home for now." Sapphira started to quickly walk away from Takeru.

Although this world and her own world are similar in nature to gather information before getting what they want, they get it from opposite sides of the karma scale. She fears this world's Sapphira has already had a substantial body count to get what she needs. And its not a reputation she wants to continue, but she might be forced to in the future. Whatever it is, Sapphira is now dancing with the shadows she once avoided.

...forced to play the role until she can navigate this world safely.

Sapphira quickened her pace, the city's glow casting long shadows as she mulled over what she had learned. The weight of her apparent reputation here, the strange shift in power dynamics, and the knowledge that her usual methods might not work in this world all sat heavily in her mind.

For now, she had a plan—gather more information, maintain appearances, and avoid making any reckless moves. If she truly wanted to understand this world and find a way back, she'd have to play her cards carefully.