The living room was a mess. A dark green overcoat was thrown over the TV, all the pillows of the couch had been arranged in a technicolor house of plush, and empty glass bottles were overturned and scattered around the floor.

"The things I put up with from you, kid." I heard a gruff, low voice sigh. "How in the world did you get me to agree to this?"

"You know you love me, Dojima. 'Sides, I invited you to the actual party with the Investi-uh, my friends and you said no. So think of this as-hic-the before party!" Another voice said. This one was feminine, but uneven and excited.

"I've only been in my room for ten minutes. Geez." I said.

The ear-splitting energy surrounding the coffee table died as soon as I stepped off the stairs. Two pairs of eyes, one bloodshot, the other a little creased at the edges, gave me their undivided attention. Their owners stared at me, one open-mouthed and speechless, the other wearing a wry smile on his face.

I found my voice. "How did I let you talk me into this, Chie?"

"Do mine eyes deceive me?" The woman slammed her drink on the table, sloshing alchohol over her hand. Her dark green jacket lay haphazardly folded in her lap, exposing the three cracked and worn buttons otherwise masked by the flaps. She staggered to her feet, and the man sitting adjacent to her rose without a moment's hesitation.

"Whoa there, kid," Dad said. He held his hands wide, ready for any drunken missteps. "I'd rather not make a second trip to the hospital tonight."

She waggled a hand at him over her shoulder. "I'm fine, Dojima. Besides, tonight, it's all about Nanako!"

My face heated immediately. "You're being too nice," I said. "It's just Yasogami's black and gold."

"You just haven't seen yourself yet!" Chie flicked her cap back and tipped her head forward, allowing a red compact to slide into her open palm with a soft plop.

She closed the distance between the table and staircase in three strides, wrangling me in with a single arm. She popped the compact open and I saw my steadily reddening face staring back at me. Chie's face squeezed into the frame, her lopsided smile pressed into my cheek.

Her hair was still in the same brown bob, easily hidden under her uniform cap. It was cut a lot shorter and classier than I ever remembered seeing it. Soft lines angled her face, experiences of the force etched into each one.

I could barely see the collar of my outfit. The only bits of my face not blocked out by Chie's was the brown eye reflecting my embarrassment. My eye suddenly blinked. It's a good thing Chie was on cloud nine, since it startled me pretty badly.

"Lookit you, no responsibilities but school. Reminds me of the old days." Chie snapped the compact closed. "Trying to make me all depressed are you? Well, you totally managed it." She took a ring of my hair between her fingers. Her smile was genuine, but through the red fog in her eyes, I could see the heavy lids were also a bit sad.

"Is something wrong with my hair?" I asked.

"No, just a little surprised. You've been wearing the same adorable pigtails since I've known you, Nanako." She tapped me on the nose.

"Do you guys not like it?" I'm glad she was tipsy, otherwise she'd have noticed my voice sounded a lot more hurt as I spoke than I thought it would.

Chie stared at the ringlet in her fingers long enough for dad to gather a few bottles at his feet and take the roof off the pillow fortress. All while keeping one eye on his deputy. "We love it dummy! But me and Yukiko, we went on a major wardrobe overhaul when we were getting older. It's a right of passage or somethin'."

She tugged gently and I felt my hair come loose, followed by a breezy sweeping over my left shoulder. Chie held her compact up again, much further away, so I could see myself. I looked older, with a single plume of hair dangling from one side and long brown locks draped over my shoulder.

"That looks really nice Nanako. Very grown up." Dad said, pausing mid cleanup.

"I don't look like me anymore." I said.

"Nope! You look like a woman about to start school."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Chie's huge smile drained the words away. I nodded a bit, but turned away from my reflection, it had winked at me again, but I didn't want to think about any nervous twitches I was developing.

Dad took a seat on the couch, arms crossed. He'd been watching us wordlessly the entire time, probably not too sure on how to enter the conversation. "Don't you have a prior engagement tomorrow anyway, kid?"

Chie's face flushed. "Oh god, could you zip me to the inn? It's sooo after midnight. I'm a dead woman if you don't help me, Dojima!"

Dad shook his head, trying and failing to hide the smile on his face. "Not what I meant, but okay. You passed a few too many a few too many hours ago, anyway."

Dad corraled Chie, draping her jacket over her shoulders and steering her towards the door. He swung his own coat over one shoulder and shot me a look over the other, "Hey, Nanako, lock up and hit the hay after I'm gone, will you? As gone as she was, the kid had a point. Big day tomorrow for you."

I nodded in between trying to rub the red off my cheeks. Dad turned back to Chie, but she'd already wandered through the front door while we were talking.

"Dad! Wait! Can't I go to Chie's party tomorrow?" I shouted at his back.

"I already told you no, Nanako. They're a lot older than you and there'll definitely be alcohol." He looked annoyed, splitting between looking at me and keeping an eye on Chie.

"You know they won't give me any, dad! Don't you trust them? They're his friends, and they're my friends, too." I felt calm, but something ugly kicked in my chest.

A car blared from the side of the house. Then again. And about a dozen more times. "Nanako, the answer is no. I'm sorry." His voice was firm. He gave me one last pointed look before closing the door.

A minute later, I was back in my room. But it felt different. I felt different. Out of place.

Everything was pink and bright and cheery, the walls, the nightstand, my bed. I snatched my laptop up and turned on the webcam. The other me loomed sadly in the grainy image. More mature, less me. I held the undone pigtail up and groaned. Chie must have accidentally palmed the rubber band keeping it in place. I let it fall uselessly back onto my shoulder.

As tears welled in my eyes, my image's clear eyes winked at me. I leaped back, dropping my laptop on the floor. A loud crunch broke the silence of the room, and my alarm quickly chilled to ice cold apprehension.

"Oh no... dad paid an arm and a leg for this." A huge crack webbed its way across the screen, dividing it into two jagged halves. In spite of myself, my anger at my dad became anxiety. I gingerly lifted it from the ground and placed it on my wardrobe, between my textbooks and mirror.

I flopped on my bed. I could practically see everyone having fun without me tomorrow.

"They'll be at the Junes foodcourt," I said. "Clinking sodas together and laughing." I pulled a pillow over my head and tried to block out my own thoughts. But the scene became sharper and clearer in my head. I watched Yosuke and Teddie arguing over whose turn it was to buy everyone steak, Chie and Yukiko discussing things about the inn, and Kanji asking a ton of questions about Rise and Naoto's careers.

I stood directly in front of them. An unrecognizable stranger.