Fem-Souji/Yuu! When mysterious murders break out in the small town of Inaba, can Suzumi Seta the new transfer student from the City, solve the case? She can't do it alone, but will the many bonds she has made be enough to help her reach out to the truth?

Our beloved protagonist goes through something we like to call 'New Game Plus!' Except this time, he gets boobs. Fanfic will be based off the game, with minor changes and Anime references.

A/N: Alright, alright. Chapter 2. Just got finished editing this one. . . Yes, if you played the game- cool. But if you're still taking your precious time reading my crappy writing- I love you. XD It's really just Suzumi's P.O.V And Persona 4's story. Nothing significant. You'll have to wait until the big changes come. ;D You know- Lover's paths, Social Links, an alternate ending- that kind of stuff. Chapter 2 - 4 is basically boring. 5 and 6 and on will be where the fun actually id. But please do BEAR with me! ;D Mem wants some Constructive Criticism. 3 Review! Or I'll kill you with a Mudo. C:

DISCLAIMER!: I don't own Persona! Or Atlus by any chance. . .
If I did, the Yasogami Pageant clothing would've been usable during battle. . .

Chapter 2: The Murder.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011
- Morning -

"M-Mmmm. . . . . . . . "

"Breakfast's ready." I heard a voice call for food, so I snapped out of it. That was Nanako wasn't it. . .? It was time to get up. . . Feeling like I had a nightmare, I sluggishly rose from my futon. Everything thing was normal- no fog. . . Just a muggy and unfamiliar atmosphere. What could that dream have been about. . . ? . . . It was no use, everything in my mind was blank. But- I was starting school today. Best thing to do was get dressed and head towards the living room. . .

. . .

I tied on my yellow scarf to add the finishing touch to my uniform, and then proceeded down the stairs. That dream from last night. . . Just really threw me off. I saw Nanako taking a plate of eggs and sausages and placing it on the table. "Good morning." she said and sat in her chair. I smiled at her too, keeping in mind that I shouldn't start bothering her with my gloomy mood. But really, the pitter and patter from the rain outside didn't help at all- made things worse on my part. Yet I tried to forget what happened for her sake. "Good morning, Nanako-chan." My tone was forced to be pleasant, but it was the best I could do at the moment. I had caught the smell of the food which immediately reminded me that usually I had to buy my breakfast. . . It was nice to have a homemade one everyone once in a while- today definitely being the 'once' in a while. "Okay." she says slightly enthusiastically. "Let's eat." I nod and took the toast from one plate and into my hand. Yet before I scarfed it down, I decided to be a little courteous. Plus, I couldn't help but notice Dojima didn't seem to be here. He must've been doing. . . whatever detectives did. I faced the little girl and questioned her about the breakfast, "Do you do the cooking?" Nanako grinned and pointed to the toaster not too far away from me on the table. "I can toast bread. . . and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner." Wow. . . Nanako is pretty impressive. What was she, 6. . .? I didn't learn to cook until 5th grade. "You're starting school today, right? My school's on the way, so. . . let's go there together." The girl seemed rather restless, the happy beam on her face told me so. It still was a little awkward between us too, but I had the feeling she was trying her hardest to cope. "Okay. Let's." I nodded in agreement. We decided to head to our schools together after finishing breakfast.

We left the house, taking our respective umbrellas so we could shield ourselves from the rain without being drenched. I still wasn't used to such damp atmosphere, but I didn't want to say I hated it- I just needed to adjust. . . Though the silence between us was still lingering, I made sure to examine the areas around me, not only to distract myself but in case of getting lost so I could retrace my steps back to the residence. The path slowly became narrow, and if I looked off to the side that wasn't blocked off by a wall, I saw a river bank- clear and wide. . . Actually, scratch the 'clear' part, it was raining and the drops just kept making ripples in the water. Normally this wasn't much to be fascinated about, but when you're from the city, I believed it was good to take time and appreciate things that you rarely saw. There was a sign reading what area I was in, not too far from here. But though it was just a few steps away, I found myself quickening my steady pace. 'School Zone Samegawa Flood Plain,' the characters in kanji read. Hm. Nanako suddenly stopped and pointed to up ahead. I averted my eyes from the sign. "You keep going straight from here. My school's this way. Bye." She left, knowing I could handle myself at this point. Well- I was a little nervous, but walking straight ahead was easy. I'd get there in no time. My legs started off in the direction of my school, 'Yasogami High'.

I knew I had to be getting somewhere when I saw the next sign reading, 'School Zone, intersection in front of the school'. . . That was a pretty blunt way of putting it, but quite helpful in my case. I payed no more mind to it and kept walking. From behind, there was a strange creaking and screeching sound that was already bothering me for the two seconds it had started. The noise was obnoxious so I turned my head to see what it. . . was? A bike. . . I stared at the bleak looking student with light brown hair who was trying to hold his umbrella and peddle at the same time. ". . . . . . . . " Er- to me, that looked like a very bad idea- "W-WhooooaaaaAAAA!" I flinched and closed my eyes immediately as I saw the guy scream while his bike hit the pole, and the pole hit his. . . ". . ."

"Ngh. . . Urrrrghhhh. . ." N-Nevermind. Other students who seemed to be passing by quickly ran ahead, hoping not to get involved with his accident. He looked like he was in a lot of pain judging by the large crash. . . ". . . . " Part of me wanted to help, but the other part said I should leave him be. I went with that and sprinted past him, acting like nothing ever happened.

. . .

Up ahead, the path was finally being bordered by stone walls that lead to what I'd assume was Yasogami High School's main gates. The school looked perfectly normal. Everyone back home had kept telling me that the schools on the countryside would be a rundown mess. Of course, I knew from the start that that was just an over exaggeration. I was never a fan of over shallow stereotypes. The cherry blossom trees protruded from the sides where the stone walls separated the road from the grass. Though the view would've looked nicer if it hadn't been raining. What a shame. I wonder what kind of student life awaited me here. . . ? Closing the umbrella that had been resting on my shoulder, I walked inside noticing the shoes lockers, staircases, halls, and doors. Now it wasn't so different from my old school- just very. . . brown. N-Not dull, but interesting. Excitement was rushing through my vains like it always had every time I moved schools. I got to meet new people and experience many different things. Sure the process of moving itself was troublesome, but it was good to view it with a positive outlook. Well, it was only my third or fourth time moving from one school to another, but I'd make the most of it nonetheless. Those around me were already rushing into their classrooms at the sound of the bell. "Huh. . ." That reminded me- where was my classroom? I was a second year student, so. . . Weren't their classes held upstairs? W-Wait, but there was a stair case here, and. . . one over there. . . And then there was an open door leading to another building. Okay- I admit it, I'm lost. I turned around but jumped in shock as I saw a man is in his late 30 or 40's with straight bob cut black hair, hazel eyes, and buck teeth towering over me. He wore a dark navy suit with white lines, a white collar, a long sleeved shirt with yellow and light orange checker tie. I didn't mean to judge, but he looked rather unsightly, and- wait, he was giving me the evil eye? "Hey you! What're you doing, get to class you, dimwit! Quit loitering around!" I leveled my eyes with him and stared back sternly. That was very impolite in my opinion. "Huh? What're you looking at, you trying to start somethin' here?" The tone of his voice was utterly sour and nerve-wrecking- I didn't like it. I didn't like the way he was speaking to me at all. Unfortunately, I had to bear with it, he was a teacher- or at least appeared to be one, take that he was wandering around the hallways. I pushed the feeling of annoyance back down my throat and answered in reply to his uncanny insults. "No sir. . . I-I'm just lost, I don't know where my classroom is because I've just transferred here. . ."

"Hmph. Then you must be that transfer student from the City. Well big whup. You're must be damn unlucky to get tossed out of the city like a girlie that gets dumped by her boyfriend after a day, and then to here in Japan's own dump, and especially in my homeroom class." He seemed to smirk when my expression seemed to falter. No- I wasn't scared. He just needed to brush his teeth- his horribly disfigured teeth. "Well it's that way. So get a move on already!" I turned around glaring, I was in this man's homeroom class! The teacher takes lead and slides the door to my new homeroom open, drawing the attention from all the students who had seemed to be chatting amongst themselves only milliseconds ago. I painfully followed him as he took his place behind the front desk. I on the other hand, take precautions and stand a good 10 feet away from him yet close enough for the students around me to take a good look at who I was. "Awright, shut your traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!" I examine as everyone cringes in disdain. Good, so it wasn't just me? "First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons! Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow." The tension of the atmosphere rises slowly. . . Well, no surprise there. "Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage. And she's probably just as much as a failure here as she was there, so you boys better not get any ideas about hitting on her! Tell 'em your name, girlie, and make it quick."

Okay- it's been 5 minutes, and I just about had it! "You calling me a loser?" I darkly growled at him.

I could feel the students gazes widen as they stare into my eyes. I could tell they were all rather surprised, take from the many gasps. What? No one had stood up to him before? Good- that makes me the first. A wave of sudden courage came over me which told me not to care about anything but this moment. If the teacher was a jackass, he was a jackass. Period. A blood vessel on Morooka's head popped when he turned to look in my direction. "Hrnh. . . That's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately. Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting yourself involved with the guys here, let alone whoring yourself up with one!" My eye twitched. Excuse me! "But what do I know. . . It's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around with those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places. . ." Ugh - ugh! Mr. Morooka goes on and on, looking like he's never going to stop and just shut up. His ranting drove me nuts. "Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?" A short haired girl with a green jacket abruptly raises her hand and gestures to the seat left of her. Whether she was doing it to rescue me from standing up here with a uptight man barking in my ear, or doing it to stop his annoying lecture, I appreciated it. Gazing over to the open desk, it seemed as though it was a good place for sitting in class. Not too close to the board, and not too far back. "Huh? Yeah, sure. Hear that? Your seat's over there. So hurry up and siddown already!" Hmph. I guess that was the only order I'd follow from him after that outbreak. I made my way over to the seat that was next to that girl's and sat down moodily. She seemed to laugh and bit. My eyes met hers as I soon found her leaning close to whisper in my ear. "He's the worst, huh? Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class. . . Well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year." I couldn't agree more, replying with a, "Yeah. . . No kidding." She leans back into place quickly avoiding the teacher's stink eye coming down upon her. So this was my new school life? I heard many students around me whispering. Things along the lines of, "Sucks to be the transfer student, ending up in King Moron's class the first morning here. . ." and, "Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side. . . Then again, we're all on the same boat."

"Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

Well. . . My new school life had begun. Was I going to be able to fit in here. . . ? I hope so. . .

- After School -

Hours and hours of school passed, nothing very important happening either. I went to my classes, met teachers, received a shoe locker, ate lunch, and well- that was about everything significant. Well, it was the first day- I wasn't supposed to expect anything great, however, I did start hearing some rumors about me. Not like it mattered much at all anyway. Well, in just a minute school would be done and over. "That's all for today. Normal lectures start will start tomorrow." Morooka slammed his books shut and jabbed his hands into his pockets. Everyone got up from their seats, one after another making it to their friends and having a lively conversation. Me? I sat there and packed my stuff. A little alarm went off from the announcement speaker and everyone stopped to hear what it was going to say. [[Attention, all teachers. Please report to the faculty office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice.]]

"Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." he said demandingly before leaving the room with quite a loud slam to the door. Everyone started taking again, more gossip. "He's seriously getting on my nerves. . ." A tall girl stomped her foot, sounding almost as extremely pissed as I was during the first class. Well, yes. I agreed with her all the way. My things were packed up inside my bag, books, papers, pens, which just made it heavier than it originally was. No one could be more ready than I to just head home and hit the sack. I had hopes that tomorrow would improve on a better note. I shifted my legs so they were positioned to stand up, when I heard. . . police sirens? And they weren't too far judging by how loud and audible it seemed. A couple of guys ran to the windows on left side of the classroom trying to find the source.

"Did something happen? Don't those sirens sound really close?"

"Ugh. I can't see a thing, frickin' fog. . ."

"Yeah, like every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy."

It was conversation about fog. Now didn't that seem familiar? I decided to listen in, no matter how irrelevant it may have been.

"Hey, did you hear? I hear the paparazzi's looking all over for that announcer."

"Oh yeah, you mean Mayumi Yamano, right? I heard some guy spotted her at the Shopping District."

"Actually, I heard that. . ." the boys voice became low, almost as if he was whispering. I take it that he was whispering and had said some little secret that got the other male all stunned.

"Are you serious!"

He had walked over across the classroom to a girl with long black hair and a red sweater on who was siting a seat up from mine but to the right. The expression on his face was quite nervous. "H-Hey, Yukiko-san. Mind if ask you something?" However even with him standing two feet away from her, the girl payed no mind to him, seeming too absorbed in fixing her things to notice his presence. Well, the rumor-loving student didn't give up. "Is it true that announcer is staying at your family's inn?" The elegant blackette, finally gazed up, her eyelashes flickering suddenly as if she just noticed he was addressing her. Yet, the expression she had twisted into a look of disdain when the question had been asked was finally processed within with her head. "I can't discuss such things." Now all too quickly, which was a bit odd- the boy gave up. "Y-yeah, I guess not." He walked away only to be replaced with the casually-strolling-in green girl that I had been briefly chatting with in the morning. They both sigh to themselves. "Sheesh, how much longer is this going to take?" A light smile is given to the brunette from the blackette. "There's no telling."

"I shoulda left before that announcement came on. . ." The green student seemed to suddenly perk up in a second. She nudged the red girl with a wink. "By the way, didja try what I told you the other day?"

" ? "

"You know. . . The thing about rainy nights. . ."

The long haired girl shook her head softly. "Oh. . . No, not yet. Sorry."

"Ahh, that's okay. " They both stared at each other awkwardly. But then the brunette put her hands on her hips to smile. "Well. . . it's just, I heard some guy in the class next door yell something like, 'My soul mate is Yamano the announcer!'" Their conversation is interrupted by the school intercom again.

[[Attention all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents of guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat. . . ]] Loud murmurs are resounding throughout the room. I look around- everyone seemed to forget what they were talking about earlier, and discussed the announcement. "'Incident'!" an excited student yelps. "What? Something actually happened?" another girl says. "C'mon, let's go take a look." . . . What part of head directly home did they not understand? Hopefully, they wouldn't get into much trouble. Well. . . It wasn't really my business at all to care. I stand up and grasp at my heavy bag on my desk. The door. . . Was that way. However, before I could get a move on, I spotted two girls coming in my direction from the corner of my eye. "Hey, are you going home by yourself?" It's the green jacket girl who asks. I nod. Where else was there to go? I didn't want to get lost, especially after an accident occurred. "Why don't you come with us?" Silver eyes widened. "Me. . . ?" I looked down at the ground, and them back at them. "Oh, I nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?" How could I forget the first student who talked to me during class and saved my feet from standing near Morooka? The thought made me smile brightly at her. "Of course." She laughs contently to herself. "Anyways, this is Yukiko Amagi." Chie points to the one in red who grins at my sheepishly. "Oh, nice to meet you. I'm sorry that this is so sudden." The shorter girl, Chie, nudges her friend with an elbow. "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all."

I couldn't help but inwardly laugh. I was starting to like these two already. Perhaps I didn't need that 'tomorrow' to help me cope with school life. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm Suzumi Seta." I remembered to bow my head lightly in respect for the two girls befriending me. They do the same moments after, yet Satonaka seemed to be slightly caught off guard by my gesture. Amagi handled it pretty well however. The three of us strolled to one of the open doors of our classroom to head out back home- when a boy walks in front of us. "O-Oh. . . " He was that bleak looking student I saw who crashed into a pole with his bike earlier this morning. If I examined him closely, has had slightly unkempt brownish orange hair, and mysterious dark-mocha eyes. Instead of wearing a button-up dress shirt like every other male in this room, a white V-necked took its place. The red-headphones around his neck was a nice touch to his appearance and made him look pretty rad, in my opinion. He seemed to catch my gaze, and smiled- sending that silent, yet warm welcome greeting. Words didn't have to be spoken for me to get the message. I took the gesture happily and slightly bowed to him too. The boy beamed right back, but then had quickly diverted his attention to Chie, who was in the middle of Yukiko and I. He cleared his throat, suddenly nervous.

"Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka. . . ? This was really awesome, like the way they moved was just amazing to see. . ." he takes a DVD case out of his messenger bag and closes his eyes handing the case to her. "And. . . I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!"

She seems to take it back cautiously, a frown of confusion on her face.

"Seeya thanks!" he then bolts for the door.

We all watch him until the brunette bounces back into reality and realizes- this was HIM she was receiving this back from, with a nervous expression no less. And knowing him. . . " ! Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD!"

"Argh!"

" ! " Another crash resounds. One that was similar to the this morning's catastrophe. . . The blackette and I felt our sweat forming. We both walked over nervously and watched as the kicked-in-the-crotch boy winces in pain. Chie takes her distance and opens the DVD case expecting the worst. "What the! I can't believe this! It is completely cracked! My 'TRAIL OF THE DRAGON'. . .!"

"I think mine's cracked too. . . C-Critical hit to the nads. . . "

Dear god, that didn't sound pleasant. I had a choice of staying silent, saying something to console him, or let Yukiko say something that she was literally eye-bugged about. Well, I decide to say what I wanted, since I had practically ignored his first plea for him in the morning. "A-Are you okay. . . ?" He looks up at me, but the pained expression still painted all over his face. "O-Oh, Miss. . . Are you worried about me. . . ?" Green Jacket shakes her head furiously, slips the DVD case into her bag and takes my arm and Yukiko's. "He's fine, guys. Let's ditch him and go home." Her angry tone was amusing, but I knew it was nothing to be reckoned with. I had no choice but to go follow those two who already started for the door. Yet, no one said I couldn't steal another glance at him. . . still hopping. . . in pain. Another feeling said that it was best to leave him be. So I scurried down the halls to catch up to the friends. The three of us girls had a mini chat as we got our shoes from the locker and headed outside. To my content, it was no longer raining. Though, it didn't get rid of the frigid chill from the aftermath of the shower. It was quite odd to have such a chill in the Spring. Chie, Yukiko and I walked from the gates of the school only to be stopped again by a male- who I didn't recall seeing before. Puzzling stares and unsure glances were exchanged for the 5 seconds of confrontation.

"You're Yuki, right? Y-You want to go hang out somewhere?" I examine the boy with messy black hair, fish eyes and big lips who directly asks Yukiko. Judging by his uniform, he looked from the rival school I had heard about in today somewhere along the lines- green tie, jet black blazer. . . Well- tossing that aside, there were a few things wrong with his sentence. How could he be asking if her name was 'Yuki'? Calling someone by their first name and without an honorific in Japan meant intimacy and had even more significance if it was used in a nickname kind of sense. The boy didn't look like he even knew the blackette, and he was calling her by her first name AND asking her out? I made a face of misunderstanding.

" ? What. . .? W-Who are you?" Yukiko stepped back slightly behind Chie.

Two passerby's saw the scene. "What's up with him? What school's he from?"

"Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san? Man, you'd think he'd at least wait until she's alone to make his move. . ."

"I bet you a can of TAP he gets knocked out."

"No bet. Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi Challenge is?"

The two went off in conversation about how pretty and refined Yukiko was. Well, agreed that she was very pretty, and I wouldn't mind joining them. But with her standing a few feet away, you'd think that she wouldn't feel awkward hearing it. . .

The strange student from earlier urges on. "Um, s-so. . . are you coming or not?"

"I-I'm not going. . ." she said rather bluntly to him.

". . . Fine!" And just like that, he made a mad dash away. ". . ." I said nothing. . . That was quite. . . random. "Wh-What did he want from me?" Yukiko nudged her friend hoping that her befuddled voice would reach her. "What did he want. . .? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date!" Chie replied in disbelief that her long haired companion didn't get the message. "Huh? Really?" the two girls stared at each other for a few seconds. "You really had no clue? Sheesh." Chie puts a balled fist up to her lips and shifts onto a different leg. "But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy the way he called you Yuki all the sudden." My thoughts exactly. . . . . . . . Huh. Suddenly, there it was again! That annoying creaking noise! But if I heard that, that meant- "Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel. You got me the same way last year." That boy who bowed to me from earlier came in walking with his yellow bike. . . Oh- and he seemed okay now from Chie's high kick, which was a relief. I'm sure it was tough being a boy- just think about it: one blow to your weak point and you were down for the count. . . Actually- that could be applied to life too- like at school when you're studying. Oh- who cares. The Amagi girl cocked her head to the side. " ? I don't recall doing that."

"Whoa, you serious! So then, you wanna hang out sometime!" the cycling boy perks up and winked at her.

"I'd rather not."

There is a long awkward silence between all of us. The color on the male's face then drains of color and he goes completely deadpan. Was it pity that I felt? ". . . That'll teach me to get my hopes up." I exhaled deeply. "Anyways, you guys better not bother the little transfer student too much." D-Did he just call me 'little'? I-I'm not. . . Little. I turned away from brunette slightly and made sure I didn't show any signs of caring on my face as he cycled away. "W-We're just curious is all!" the other brunette snaps, despite the fact he was far already. Speeding perhaps. "U-Um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this. . ." As soon as Yukiko turned to me and apologized, I heard the footsteps of many others now coming to watch the scene. I swear, could people here get any nosier? T-Then again, we were right smack in the middle of the school gates. I shook my head, which meant I accepted her apology, I didn't mind hanging out with them at all- and I wouldn't say they literally 'dragged me in' to this. . . Chie notices the increase in bystanders. "C'mon, let's go. Everybody's staring." The way she speed walked ahead made it look like she was power walking away from us in style. The red girl and I exchange glances and finally decide to follow.

The conversation gets animated, and I tell the two why I came here, mentioning every single little detail to try and make it sound interesting- even though it wasn't. I even told the two about my random headaches. They listen intently until we came to a sudden stop. Chie starts commenting, "Ah. . . so you moved here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious." but pauses to look around. A frown replaces the fascinated grin on her face. "There really is nothing here, huh? That is what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside. Oh! But there is something from Mt. Yasogami. . . I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kind of famous. Oh wait, there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!" The brought up girl interrupts to protest slightly. "Huh? It's. . . Just an old inn." There is a slight vibe of bitterness in her voice, I pick up easily. It had threw me off, but Chie seemed totally oblivious to it. I could contemplate about that later if I remembered. "Oh, no way, it's been in all sorta magazines as a hidden treasure. It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. The inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going."

". . . I don't think that's entirely true."

However, Satonaka kept trailing on. "Y'know, Yukiko's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?"

"C'mon, stop it. . ." Amagi steps forward, about to say something to make sure to convince me. "Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend! . . . . . Wait no! Wh-What I meant to say was, I don't need a boyfriend! Geez. . . Chie."

"Hahaha! Sorry, sorry. But this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city that isn't Yosuke, and you barely said a word!" Her sudden enthusiasm dies out as her eyes meet something that takes her way from the whole conversation. Chie gazes up ahead and so do I. "Hey, what's that?

Walking up ahead, I noticed the crowd of people against barricades that were blocking one of the streets to the left. They looked scared, surprised, sorrowful. . . There were so many of them and so many emotions, it was hard to try and figure out what happened here- but if my hunches were correct- was this the accident the school was talking about earlier? The two students who seemed to be gossiping in class were here too, but only watched with no expressions on their faces at all. Others had cell phones, trying to take a picture of the scene, Police Officers, who were obviously past the barricades to put traffic cones to prevent drivers from coming in through the other side. We girls stepped closer to get a good look, and noticed something under a white sheet on the ground. . . "T-That couldn't be. . . ?" Was someone dead. . . ? My body shivered because there were no cars, or crashes, no blood that could've signaled a specific accident. . . It just felt. . . Creepy. A shopping housewife spoke quite loudly to another housewife. "So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down the street. . ." A high schooler? "Wow. Who could imagine THAT hanging from an antenna?" . . . Hanging? Wait- from one of the power line antennas? I gazed over the nearest one. Some of the rods and wires around it were snapped. "I wanted to see it too." One housewife clutches her bag of groceries to her chest and grimaces. "Uh, you got here too late. . . The police and fire department already took it down just a moment ago. " . . . I shot a nervous glance at the two girls beside me, however they only frowned. "Well. . . I think it's terrifying. I can't believe a dead body showed up around here. "

Chie gasps."Wait. . . What did she just say? A dead body!" My assumptions were right. Someone got killed. But. . . I wondered how. A man came walking from the scene, red tie, gray dress shirt, jacket slung over his shoulder- I-It was Dojima. . . He seemed to stop to gaze at the crowd, but then he noticed. . . me. I flinched. I knew this wasn't going to end well. . . He speed walks over. "Hey. What're you doing here?" Well- I know we three didn't wander over here on purpose. . . "W-We're just passing by." I inwardly sighed. ". . . Hmph. I see." The detective scratches his head and sighs deeply. "That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here. . ."

The brunette taps my shoulder lightly and asks. ". . . You know this guy?"

I nod.

"I'm Detective Dojima, Suzumi's guardian. Uhh. . . Well, how should I say this. . . I hope you get along with her." he pauses to look at the scene. "But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home."

Though Dojima seemed nice when I met him, he really knew how to send shivers down my spine as an interrogating detective. We watched him walk back to the investigation and other police officers, when a young detective, maybe in his 20's who is covering his mouth, sloppy attire only briefly seen, dashed right passed him. He goes to the river bank and kneels. "Ngh. . . Uuuurrghhh. . . " We all looked away, save for Dojima. "Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!" he yelled at the disoriented man. "I-I'm sorry. . .Nngh. . ." He says in response. I felt sorry for him- it didn't feel like his fault. Wouldn't anyone have done that? Detectives sure had it tough. The more experienced man sighs. "Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information!" The young detective momentarily runs by us.

"Was this what that announcement was about. . . ?"

"What do they mean. . . it was hanging from the antenna. . . ?"

Tension rises, and traces of the carefree mood we had only a few minutes ago could no longer be found. . . Chie faces Yukiko. "Hey, Yukiko. . . Why don't we go to Junes some other time?" The nodding blackette says, "Good idea. . ." before they face me again. "Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbor, let's do our best." She puts her hands on the sides of her green jacket and tries to smile, but nothing comes out. Understandable. . . "Yeah, let's." I couldn't agree more, because today. . . Was- different. They walk off in another direction, and I make my way back to the Dojima residence where Nanko probably is right now. . .

- Evening -

Nanako sits in front of the TV as usual, though her head constantly turns from right to left. She has a juice box in hand and sits on a pillow, but keeps fidgeting rather impatiently. "I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight. . ." She gazes at the screen in front of her. On the TV, there is a commercial for Featherman R, which is about a group of rangers with different colored outfits or suits who work together to fight evil robots from taking over the world. And then a commercial for Magical Detective Loveline that comes on, which seems to be about a pink-haired heroine and her canine partner who go around solving mysteries with the power of love. . . . TV these days. But the news flashes on as Loveline makes her disappearance from the screen with a little magic. The reporter man shuffles through his papers and scans them with his eyes before attempting to even look at the camera. [[Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba.]] The School Zone is shown on TV. . . . . If you looked closely at the crowd in the background, you saw a girl with a red sweater, a girl with a green jacket, and another with silver braided hair. My sweat drops. Hopefully Nanako didn't catch that. . . This must've been the incident that took place After School. . . [[The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old at the local Television Station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's Investigation have revealed. . .]] The report is interrupted by the little brunette who stops to gasp and cover her mouth. "Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works! . . . . . ." She seemed very startled, therefore I couldn't help but feel very concerned. "It'll be alright." I tried to console her a bit. However, she just frowned more. ". . . I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens."

[[The body was found hanging from a large television antenna a top a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was found in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. At thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow.]] . . . It seems that the local TV station's announcer was found dead near the Yasogami High School Campus. . . The announcer, Mayumi Yamano. . . Her affair with a local councilman's secretary had been on the news just the other day.

"They found her on the roof? That's scary, . ." She bits her lip and clutches at the juice box in hand. The TV flashes again, and Nanako looks up, as if she was accustomed to what would be on next. "Oh, it's Junes!"

[[At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day. Comes see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! ~ Every day's great at your Junes ~!]]

"~ Every day's great at your Junes ~!" The girl sings in reply to the song enthusiastically. She then looks at me with glowing eyes- expecting me to do or say something. . .

"Your Junes~!" I sang along after her, for the heck of it. It made her smile- and she took it very happily. "You memorized it already?" Nanako grins. "I'm the best one in my class!" She begins to sing the song to herself over and over again while I listen. She really was a cute girl. it seems as though she completely forgotten all about the scary story on TV. I was vastly tired from adapting to my new environment. . . I decide to rest in my room. The night passes. . .