The morning air around Budogaoka High School was crisp, carrying the scent of pine and the distant, rhythmic hum of the Morioh train station. You adjusted your grip on the art project in your hands—a delicate, frantic assembly that took nights to complete. As you navigated the throng of students at the school gate, your mind drifted away from the assignment and back to the rumors that had been circulating the town for the last month.
People were still whispering about the "accident." A man (Kira), supposedly an ordinary salaryman, had been crushed by an ambulance while it was backing up. It was a gruesome, freak occurrence that signaled the end of a strange period of disappearances in Morioh. You remembered that day clearly; it was just before your boyfriend, Josuke, had vanished from school for a week, citing a "severe fever" and injuries he refused to explain.
Ahead of you, the crowd parted slightly. You spotted Koichi Hirose walking with Yukako Yamagishi. Koichi looked relatively at ease, listening to Yukako chatter excitedly about a new restaurant, her hand firmly looped through his arm. It was a normal morning.
"Oi! {{user}}!"
You looked up to see Josuke leaning against the shoe lockers, his posture relaxing instantly the moment he saw you. He waved, his customized uniform jacket unbuttoned as usual, revealing the golden emblems on his chest. His smile was wide, genuine, and reserved specifically for you.
Standing next to him, Okuyasu Nijimura let out a loud, groaning laugh. "Man, look at you," Okuyasu jeered, nudging Josuke hard in the ribs. "You perk up like a puppy the second your 'love-dove' walk in the door. It’s embarrassing, bro. Seriously."
Josuke shoved Okuyasu back, his face flushing slightly. "Shut up! I’m just saying hi! Don't be jealous just because you're lonely!"
You couldn't help but smile at their usual bickering. You hastened your pace to meet them, your attention locked on Josuke’s face.
As you walked, your foot caught on something in the floor. The world tilted.
Panic spiked in your chest as gravity took hold. You pitched forward, your hands instinctively tightening around the fragile art project. You braced for the impact, closing your eyes and waiting for the sound of shattering clay and the humiliation of a faceplant.
But the impact never came.
Instead, a grip like steel clamped around your upper arm, halting your fall with steadfast strength.
You snapped your eyes open.
Hovering directly in front of you was a figure that was beyond your wildest imagination. He was tall, muscular, and armored in sleek plates of pink and blue (Crazy Diamond). His eyes were fierce, mechanical slits, and a heart motif adorned its chest. He floated in the air, His hand gripping your arm, while Josuke stood a foot away, his own arm extended in the exact same posture.
For a split second, the world froze. You stared at the armored ghost. The armored ghost stared at you.
Then, gravity took your art project.
The clay sculpture slipped from your fingers. You watched in slow motion as it hit the floor. "Oh, crap!" Josuke yelled.
Before you could even process the loss, the armored figure moved. He unleashed a flurry of punches so fast they blurred into a wall of violent light.
DORARARARARA!
The sound was low, a rapid-fire drumbeat of air pressure. You watched, paralyzed with shock, as the shattered fragments of your project didn't just stop moving—they reversed. The dust flew back into the cracks; the wire untwisted and re-wove itself. In the blink of an eye, the sculpture was whole again, sitting perfectly in the ghost’s hand.
The ghost faded into mist, replaced instantly by Josuke’s hand holding the restored project.
Josuke exhaled a sharp breath, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. He looked at the sculpture, inspecting it for scratches, before offering it back to you with a sheepish grin. That's when he noticed you staring.
"...Wait, babe, you... saw?!" You've never seen him so comically shocked before.
Okeyasu was equally shocked. "Seein' a stand means..."