From Another Point of View
Prologue: The ghost story is real?!
It has been barely a month since he left, and the weird still isn't gone. You just don't think of a bro that much. It's not normal. Girls think: What is he doing now? Is he bored in his new school, or does he have a ton of friends? What did he make for dinner? Is he going to text me today?
"Ugh!" I find myself groaning in total frustration as I slam my head down on my desk. The bell rang right before I freaked out, so at least I'm not going to get called on it.
"What's your problem, Yosuke?" Except by Chie, of course.
I just keep my head on the desk and wave a hand in, what I hope is, Chie's general direction, "Nothing."
"Oookaay," I don't think she believes me, but at least she leaves me be… for once.
I bet I'm overthinking this. I do that. I should get to work.
I rush out and run down the floodplain. Then, I realize I'm not really that late. I slow to a walk as I stare at my phone. I guess I'm still not used to not talking to him after class. No more need to run like an idiot all the way to Junes. I shut my phone with a sigh. This sucks.
When I look up something catches my eye. Is that the fox that kept following us into the TV? He's usually at the shrine, right? Yeah, that's him, weird red bib and all. Whatever. I shrug and pass by him, then he yips. He can't be trying to get my attention. I turn around, and he yips. Seriously?
"What's up, boy? Whoa!" The fox suddenly circles my legs then dashes off in the direction of the shopping district.
Does he want me to follow him? The fox stops just at the edge of my vision and yips. This yip sounded a little impatient, like the sound that fills my ears when I tune out a ranting Chie. Well, I've got time, and nothing better to do. I guess I'll follow him. He does go toward the shopping district. The fox stopped and waited by the gas station, then continued pass the bookstore before finally stopping and yipping right in front of the weirdest thing I have ever seen in my entire life.
I'm sure I'm gaping at it. Seriously, after last year I thought I've seen it all. But besides fog and corpses, all the freaky shit was contained inside a TV. Did I fall in somewhere? No way. I look all around me. This is definitely Inaba's shopping district. Everything is normal except this weird door. Why is there a weird door?! I rub my eyes. Maybe I'm just crazy. It's still there, a freaky blue doorway just floating there right in front of me. What the Hell?!
I jump when I hear a disgusted grunt from behind, "Are you gonna just stare at it?"
I turn and see Marie standing behind me with her arms crossed and an impatient look on her face. I guess she decided to stay in Inaba. Wait, can she see it too? I look from Marie to the door, then back to Marie, "Marie-chan? Y-you can see that too?"
"Didn't he tell you? Or did you not believe him? Ugh, whatever. I lived here for a while. Anyway, you can see it now, because The Nose has some kind of twisted interest in your behavior. I guess you're losing sight of yourself, or something. Like I care. I'm just here, because he asked for me and I kinda owe him. Let's go." Marie starts to pull me toward the door.
I tug back. This is all sorts of crazy, "Wait, hold on! 'The Nose'? Like in Partner's stupid ghost story? That shit is real?!" I mean, it can't be, right? He'd tell me, wouldn't he? Well, I'd probably laugh at him anyway…
Marie just stares at me for a minute, then bursts out laughing, "He told you guys about the Velvet Room like it was a ghost story? Wow, there is so much you don't know about him." Marie shakes her head then forces me through the door.
Creepy piano music, and a blue velvet limo. Are we moving? I went through a door, and now I'm sitting in a limo. How does that work? Marie and a woman I swear I saw with Partner once are sitting on either side of an old man that I can only describe as nightmare fuel. You know if he described this dude better then maybe it would have been a better scary story. The old man has his hands folded under his long nose and says, "Welcome to the Velvet Room."
The Velvet Room? Who calls the back seat of a limo… Ugh, never mind. I'm am sending Partner one Hell of an email if I get out of this without waking up first. I am so weirded out right now. The woman gives me a warm smile, "It seems fate has caused us to meet again, Yosuke Hanamura. I am Margaret. I assisted your friend, Yu Narukami, on his journey this past year. This gentleman is my master, Igor."
Pfft! Igor?! That is so freaking cliché! Shit, now that lady is giving me a scary look. Okay, calm down Yosuke. Don't insult the hot woman's creepy master…
Margaret clears her throat as she opens the large book on her lap, "The bond you have forged with Narukami," the card I always see when I summon Jiraya floats from the open page. The card seems to be flickering like a flame fighting to stay lit, "has become somewhat unstable."
"While I do not believe it will go out," Igor continues, "I find it rather interesting. It seems you are uncertain of what kind of relationship you hold with the wild card."
Wild card?! He doesn't seriously mean, "R-relationship?! With Y-Yu?!"
Marie rolls her eyes, "No with the fox outside… Geez, who else?"
"I don't suppose you could tell me what is making you uncertain," that Igor dude is staring at me like he can see into my soul. What did I eat yesterday? This has got to be a nightmare.
Be cool, be cool, "Oh, come on. We're bros. You know, best friends. Partners."
Margaret raises an eyebrow, "The word 'partner' can refer to another on several different levels. We honestly do not want to cause you more discomfort by spelling it out."
"You don't," Marie scoffs, "I've seen the way he acted around him, and I've seen him freak out about a related issue." Marie turns to glare at me with a smug smirk on her face, "You're afraid of being gay."
Guh! Dammit, Marie! I don't… I'm not… Hell.
"I see," Igor chuckles, "you cannot determine your true feelings, because you are afraid of becoming something you fear. To determine the truth, perhaps you need to look at your relationship from another point of view. What if we take the fear out of the equation?"
"Huh?"
I have no idea what this guy is going on about, but I think he's going to do something, "This place exists between mind and matter, dreams and reality. I'm going to send you on a journey through this place that will help you discover your true feelings."
A journey? In a limo? Are we going somewhere? Wait, I'm totally lost now. Before I even have a chance to think about this anymore, there's a flash of bright white light, then everything just goes black.