View source for Birthday Surprise (August Kohler)

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2016/11/01
|Location=Alberichstadt, Germany
|Synopsis=August Kohler gets a belated birthday surprise.
|Cast of Characters=894
|Tinyplot=Persona: Were the World Mine-1
}}
NOVEMBER 1st, 2016
ALBERICHSTADT, GERMANY
BEFORE DAWN


The night is finally still. Halloween celebrations at Drachenblatt Academy have died down early into the morning, and people are finally either collapsing into bed, or just retiring to their dorm rooms. For August Kohler, it's both. The long night of Halloween has ended. It's usually a day for him to celebrate; two events that only happen once a year, the coming of age, and the coming of candy. He was 17 now, and a part of him feels he should be excited. But last night was terrifying. People, people close to him, people he was supposed to protect, were hurt. They were trapped. And he didn't do anything. He was fooled by an illusion, thinking everything was alright as unspeakable horrors happened to them. He had let his friends down.

No, that's wrong. You can't call them friends, August. You know where that'll lead. And you can't be their friend. You'll put them in jeopardy; no, you already have. And they elected you team leader. A role you never deserved. 

'Because in the end, I'm just a burden, who makes everything worse. Who makes people worry. Maybe if I had died in that explosion, things would be better. Someone else would have taken over. They wouldn't let everyone down. And I will, every time. It's just how the world works. How I work.'

August Kohler had barely finished that thought, when he heard the sound of his bathroom door creaking open. August's room was actually just half of a larger room, with a thin wall inbetween his side and the roommate's side. His bathroom door directly faced his bed. August sat up, cautiously getting up to look at the door, when he saw him.

That tall, towering creature was easily recognizable. A tilted cap. A toothy smile. A rifle in one hand. The faint gleaming of yellow eyes. A sadistic presence. An old foe had come for him. August had to react, fast, keep him from approaching long enough for him to grab his radio. He'd need to summon his Persona. So, with a thought, he'd summon his spoon to his hand, and release the Tin Soldier. But when it failed, he realized. He remembered that it was missing.

There is no spoon.

The predator approached, faster. August had only one course of action left. He slid under his bed, grabbing the pistol he kept under there. It was loaded, of course; he said he'd remove the cartridge, but that was a lie. He felt safer if it was loaded. Turning back at the hunter, he rose the gun, and in a panic, fired. A gunshot rang out.

The Huntsman merely sidestepped the bullet, leaving it to fly into the bathroom behind him, as August moved to fire again. But before he could, his foe was there, grabbing the pistol from his hand, taking a mere glance at it to determine the caliber, and tossing it to the ground. His sharply clawed hand gripped around August's neck, as he started losing his consciousness.

Ivan Jones didn't know August very well. They were dormmates, sure, but they didn't really interact besides taking turns using the shared bathroom. But when that gunshot rang out, Ivan knew something was wrong. He ran to the door to August's room, forcing it open. "Kohler, what the f-"

And then, briefly, Ivan saw him. Something out of this world. But he'd only get a glimpse. The Huntsman merely regarded the student, lifted his rifle, and pointed it lazily. Two more shots rang out, bullets piercing. Blood began to spread through the chest and stomach of Ivan's pajamas as he clutched himself, collapsing to the ground. August could do nothing but watch, as he began losing his vision. As he was dragged towards the bathroom, he could only faintly hear the sounds of a window being smashed as he lost consciousness, with the symphony of police sirens finally lulling him into sleep.

Happy birthday, August Kohler.