January 15th, 2012

It was over, wasn't it? They'd driven back Ameno-Sagiri when he'd popped out of Namatame and stopped the fog, the killer was in jail... everything was good. Even Nanako had come around. It was over. So why was there still this unsettled feeling in everyone's gut, two weeks later? Yukiko had just mentioned that she was 'feeling like there was unsettled business, like there were still some answers that they hadn't gotten,' and to Yosuke, that resonated. He turned and looked to Souji, who shrugged his shoulders silently and then, with his next breath, dismissed it as disbelief that it was finally over.

Yosuke could believe that, honestly. This case had been everything they'd done for the past year. It had taken over basically everything in their lives, so naturally, it would be hard to believe when it ended, right? That answer seemed to placate Yukiko, too, who turned to Naoto across the table from her. Everyone else's gaze followed, and Naoto hummed thoughtfully. She'd become kind of the voice of reason over the past few months. That was what she was, really. Reason and intelligence, wrapped in a tiny little body.

"It seems likely, doesn't it?" she asked, pressing her lips together for a moment, before adding, "we all devoted so much of our time to this, now that it's over, it's only natural that we would be floundering a little bit."

Usually, these meetings were livelier than this. Yosuke was making jokes that the girls were rolling their eyes about; they were making plans and having fun, but today, it was quiet. Maybe Souji and Naoto's reassurances weren't as placating as they'd hoped. Even Teddie, not known for his pensiveness, was staring at his empty steak plate like he was unsatisfied.

Chie was the next one to finally speak. "C-c'mon, guys. We're just being weird. So, what about this ski trip we've been hearing you guys talk about since summer?" she asked, hoping that would be enough to get everyone's minds away from the dismal air that had overtaken their table.

It seemed to work. After a few seconds of silence, Yosuke finally spoke up, and the conversation turned far more pleasant, talking about what they would do with the rest of their time together now that things were over. Still, every time someone mentioned the end of things, the whole table went silent for a couple of seconds. Was that going to be how it was every time they got together now, Yosuke couldn't help but wonder? Would there always be this doubt and uncertainty, swirling and covering the table at Junes in a heavy blanket? How long, then, until Souji, his best friend, his partner in crime-solving, got tired of coming back to visit? There were two months left, after all, until he went back home.

Still lingering in dismal thought, Yosuke was the only one at the table who was quiet.

Seeming to pick up on it, Rise nudged him from his left, and looked up at him with a smile. "It's okay, Yosuke-senpai. It just feels weird. Like Chie-senpai said." Her smile was supposed to be reassuring, and because of that, Yosuke responded with a smile of his own. Still, he saw the concern he was sure she hoped she was hiding.

"Yeah," he said simply, turning and looking at the table with a slightly more genuine smile. Teddie had a shocked look on his face, because all of the girls had denied his request for a ski-lift snuggle. It's over. Everything will be okay. Scratching a hand through his hair, he joined in on the laughter. Turning his eyes to Souji, though, with the intent to share a smile and a laugh with the one who'd undoubtedly done the most work in ending this, Yosuke was overcome by another bout of concern when his friend didn't seem to meet his eye. That was weird, wasn't it?

Nah, he's just overwhelmed. This is the first time we've talked about it since we closed the case. And now Nanako's out of the hospital, so... just overwhelmed. Even though Souji wouldn't meet his eye, he still gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile in his friend's direction.

It hadn't worked. Now Yosuke was feeling more unsettled than ever.

His attention turned to Naoto, who in stark contrast to everyone else, had the same look of disquiet on her face. Especially when she looked at Souji. They'd gotten to know him so well over such a short time, though, and they could tell when he was acting off. Or maybe, for Naoto, it was just detective's intuition. Whatever the case, it was both good and bad to know that he wasn't the only one to notice. Maybe he'd talk to her later.

For now, though, he was content to pretend. Was that bad? Probably. But Yosuke was pretty good at bad decisions. Why the hell not continue the trend, right?

He turned to Teddie, who was excitedly yammering away about going to play with Nanako more now that she was out of the hospital. It was then that Naoto excused herself to go and get a drink, and Yosuke took the chance to follow suit. It would give him a chance to ask if she'd spotted the same weirdnesses as he had.

"Yosuke-senpai," she said in a level voice, before Yosuke had made his presence known.

Blinking in surprise, Yosuke looked ahead and saw that she was watching him in the window ahead of her, as he walked up behind her. He chuckled softly. "Guess I could've been sneakier, right?" he asked. "Hey Naoto."

She lifted her hat from her head and smoothed a hand through her short hair. "Well, partly that. I also knew you were coming. That's why I excused myself, after all," she smoothed a hand over her jacket, getting rid of a couple of wrinkles and then beckoned for him to follow her. Her eyes went back to the table, and Yosuke's instinctively did the same. Souji was watching them.

Yosuke followed Naoto around the corner and put his hands in his coat pocket. "You noticed, too, huh?" he asked, when he was sure they were out of sight.

"I'd rather not doubt Souji-senpai, but there's something bothering me about his behavior. He should be ecstatic about Nanako-chan and Dojima-san coming home, right?" That hadn't occurred to Yosuke, actually, but yeah, now that she mentioned it. He nodded. "I think he's earned some trust from us, don't you?" she continued. "We have to assume that he's just a little overwhelmed by everything right now. Finishing the case, Nanako-chan's recovery. Knowing that he has to leave in a couple of months. I'm sure things will eventually level out, and he'll be back to normal."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yosuke nodded his head. "You're right. Sorry," he laughed, a little self-deprecating sound. "I shouldn't doubt him either. I just..." he trailed off. He still wasn't satisfied.

She nodded. "I know. I'm not either." She smiled softly. "Maybe he'll be more open to discussion later. When there's less going on."

Yosuke turned his head back toward the table, even if it wasn't actually in his field of vision. "Right." They walked a little bit further to a vending machine. Both of them knew that if they showed up back at the table without a drink, the rest would be suspicious. When there was less going on, things would be normal. That was Yosuke's mantra for now.