FEBRUARY XX, 2012

Daytime - RAINING

Samegawa Flood Plains

Aika Nakamura didn't expect the weather would turn out for the worst during the duration of her short trip to Junes. She was quite positive that the weather report for the day was supposed to be sunny, maybe with a little snowfall here and there. While she did saw the sun disappearing behind the thick cumulonimbus when she left the diner, she wasn't prepared much for the light thunderstorm that suddenly invaded the region. Fortunately she'd brought her umbrella with her to help shield her from the rain, but the wind wasn't exactly helping her with her return trip.

How was it even possible for it to rain in the middle of the winter season? That, she could never answer. Although she did hear from various news that 'winter showers', while rare, is a possible phenomenon that could still occur. And Inaba was no stranger to uncommon weather phenomenon for years. The most recent one was during November to about December last year, maybe before Christmas. Inaba was shrouded in constant fog, so thick, that no one noticed that it'd already began snowing on some regions of the town.

The floodplains were basically devoid of soul, even the usual birds, critters, dogs or cats were nowhere to be seen due to the sudden rain. The booming sounds of thunder could be heard as they struck nearby locations with their blast, and the combination of hard rain and high-speed winds made the visibility poor for anyone who dared to venture out from their homes. Aika was lucky that the diner closed up shop earlier that day due to sudden influx of patrons in the holiday seasons, so her delivery services wasn't needed as much when the sun finally set.

It was supposed to be a simple trip to buy some ingredients for the store from Junes, but she was glad she didn't take her moped with her that day, else it would've ended even worse, since she wasn't exactly skilled enough to drive with one hand holding an umbrella. The motor vehicle wasn't exactly gassed up anyway after her delivery earlier, and buses were rare during the holiday, since most of the drivers usually also took the day off, so the bluenette decided that it was best for her to walk from the Shopping District altogether.

She was feeling regretful to a certain degree, though. For it was also her decision to skip the bus, thinking that it would take too long for her to go home before nightfall.

But in the end, she had to push her way through the rain anyway.

The bluenette's body was slightly damp due to the winds, carrying the rainwater with them to hit upon her despite the protection provided by the umbrella. The girl sighed internally, she would have to take another bath at home, and maybe a cold medicine as a precaution. It was still winter after all, and even with an outer layer of jacket, with a combination of the cold wind, freezing rainwater, and the overall still chilly atmosphere of the town, she wouldn't be surprised if her nose get clogged by the next hour or two.

At least, she was already nearing the Shopping District once more, going past the park by the riverbank with the gazebo, it was then the South road of the District that's also her home.

Speaking of the gazebo, Aika thought her eyes caught something, or rather someone, sitting on the bench beneath the gazebo, using the structure as a safe haven from all the raindrops. She noticed that the individual was pretty short, probably no more than a child. A brown hair tied to two low pigtails with pink ribbons, with cream turtleneck sweater underneath a multi-color dress. The bluenette could swore she'd seen her before, or at least, mentioned several times by someone.

It was Nanako Dojima, Yuu Narukami's younger cousin, and a member of the Dojima family which he was staying with.

Aika questioned why the young girl was alone during the rain. In the rather unfriendly weather, it could be dangerous for a child to be wandering around. It was no stranger for the classmates of Yuu Narukami to the news that his cousin was hospitalized for a few months during the waning months of the year before, back when a strange fog clouded the region. She'd never seen the gray-haired student so devastated before, probably her hospitalization hit him hard in more ways than one. Still, while Aika heard that Nanako'd been discharged, she thought that the Dojima wasn't exactly healed up just yet. All the more reason for the bluenette to worry for the health and safety of the brunette.

So, against her own judgement, the delivery girl's legs autonomously moved on their own to approach the gazebo Nanako was taking shelter on. At first the young Dojima didn't seem to take notice at Aika's approach, as the girl simply continued sitting with her legs swaying ever so slightly for every few seconds. If Aika had to guess, she deducted that it was probably because of the amount of hail, water, and thunder, crashing all around them, masking the sound of her own footsteps.

It was not until Aika was only a couple of meters away that Nanako realized there was another person by the premises. She spun her head around to look over her shoulder and saw her.

Aika's first reaction was to give a wave. "Good evening, Nanako-chan," Her edges of her lips were tugged upwards, forming a small smile to greet the young Dojima, although it wasn't exactly her intention.

Nanako eyed the young woman carefully, before returning it with a cautious nod. "...Good evening," Her voice was reserved and polite.

Aika knew that the brunette wasn't exactly on familiar terms with her, so her reaction was quite expected. "Ah, I'm sorry. I'm sure you haven't heard of me?" Once the delivery girl was within the sheltering roof of the gazebo, she closed her own umbrella and placed it on the table. She then proceeded to sit on the opposite side of the young Dojima. Responding to this, Nanako fully turned her body around to face her. "I'm Aika Nakamura, a classmate of your cousin, Yuu Narukami. It's really nice to finally meet you in person, Nanako-chan."

"You're... big bro's classmate?" Nanako repeated her statement with a questioning tone. After blinking twice, she then let out an elongated "Ooohhh..." before continuing. "Right, big bro told me about you once!" Replacing her neutral, if not wary expression, it was Nanako's turn to smile. "He said you make some really good food at restaurants!"

"I wouldn't exactly say I make 'really good food', but that was nice of him to say," Aika responded, still smiling at the younger Dojima's innocence. Even while still recovering, her energetic mood's more similar to Yosuke's. It was contagious.

The time it took for the girl to lose her caution was relatively quick. A trait that could be a double-edged sword combined with her innocence. Aika could finally empathize with Yuu and his feelings when the news came in that Nanako was kidnapped last year. Still, as a whole, it was surprising that Yuu even had a thing or two say about her, and Aika wouldn't deny that she felt just a tad bit embarrassed when Nanako just complimented her right out of the blue.

Still, 'big bro'. She knew that Yuu's relationship with his cousin was pretty close, but the way Nanako just blurted the term so casually, and so happily just tugged Aika at her heart strings. She couldn't stop the smile from disappearing from her face, though it did get smaller as time progressed. One more reason to miss the transfer student when he goes back next month. Who knew the quiet one at school would leave so many meaningful impact to those around him.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Nanako-chan?" Aika tried shooting another question to the Dojima. "It's almost nightfall, but you're still outside?"

Nanako gave a single nod. "Oh, I was on my way back home from Takumi-kun's; my friend's house. I was lending him my notebook, and I left in a hurry because it's already cloudy outside. But I didn't know it was going to rain on the way back home, so I decided to stop here to wait out the rain."

Aika nodded back to the girl. A reasonable answer. "I see. But does your family know about this?"

This time Nanako shook her head. "No... not really. Big bro usually comes home during the evening, and dad's usually even later to the night. I did leave a note back at home, though."

The bluenette rested her arms on the table. Part of her was impressed at Nanako's independence. "Still... they should at least know you're here..." She mumbled to herself, but loud enough for the Dojima to hear. "Want me to call your family, just in case? Maybe they can pick you up. The weather's no good for a walk."

"Ah, right... if that doesn't trouble you..." Nanako was rather hesitant, but Aika knew that a girl at her age probably wouldn't have a cellphone just yet.

Aika quickly pulled out her cellphone, only to find that there was no service available. Feeling rather dejected, she placed the phone back to her pocket. "...Sorry, the signal's dead on my phone, it's probably because of the weather."

"It's okay," Nanako, feeling the downcast mood of the delivery girl, despite her neutral face that acted as a mask defused the situation with her own smile. "I'm sure big bro would pass by here sooner or later, he usually walks over here with his friends."

True enough, Aika did saw Yuu strolling down the flood plains during one of her many deliveries, often times with people. Sometimes it was with Chie, helping the girl's training at martial arts, other times it was with Yukiko Amagi, with the two quietly chatting as they walked home from school together. Sometimes, it's with a junior, if she's not mistaken, her name's Ayane Matsunaga, a member of the band class, as he helped her with her trombone. Even she once saw the transfer student chatting idly with the rather scary-looking Kanji Tatsumi, the first year once thought to be a member of a biker gang.

"What are you doing here, then?" It was Nanako's turn to satiate her curiosity. But it wasn't long before she noticed the plastic bag Aika'd settled beside her had the Junes logo printed on it. "Oh wow! You're from Junes?"

Aika simply nodded. "Yes, I bought some things there," For the record, she was slightly quizzed at Nanako's excitement when she saw Junes. Usually the first reaction people, especially the locals, had to the department store was either a repulsive insult at worst, or a condescending look at best. "Do you go to Junes a lot, Nanako-chan?"

"No, I just go there when dad's around," Nanako kept eyeing the bag, a big, innocent smile was seen and was only getting bigger. "But Junes's the best!" She declared proudly, even puffing her chest as she said so. "Everyday's great at your Junes!" She sung the tune of the catchy store jingle.

Something inside Aika melted. She had to try her best from joining in with Nanako's cheery attitude, but alas, she settled in for a light, quiet giggle. She couldn't fathom the young Dojima's love for Junes came from, because for everyone else, it was simply just a department store. Sure, it was the only one at Inaba, but people would think that the place was either a curse or simply a convenient place to go to. Aika's mind simply thought that it was probably only because of Nanako's innocence, and Junes's large and impressive look caught the eye, and the heart of the young one.

"What did you buy, then?" The Dojima questioned again. For the record, Aika was surprised that a child at her age, especially when she's in love with the store didn't just downright skip the formalities and just take a peek on the bag, maybe even ransack a thing or two.

And for that, the bluenette was glad for Nanako's maturity. "Ah... these are just ingredients. It's for dinner back home."

"Wow, do you cook everything then at your restaurant?" The brunette was sounding even more impressed.

"Technically, it's only a small family diner," Aika corrected with a small smile, she meant no harm at Nanako's false perception of the diner. "And no, it's usually my dad who's cooking, I only occasionally help him at the kitchen when things are getting out of hand. I mostly help with deliveries."

And Nanako indeed took no harm from being corrected. "Wow, that's really cool! I also heard from big bro that you always ride a motorcycle around during deliveries!"

"Ah, no. It's only the family's old moped," Noticing the suddenly confused look from the Dojima, Aika quickly added. "Moped is... some kind of a... motorized bicycle, I think? It's more of a scooter than anything else, though," With that, Nanako seemed satisfied of her explanation. "What about your family, Nanako-chan? Who's usually cooking?"

"Because dad can't cook, and I don't know much about cooking myself, we usually buy dinner, but sometimes, big bro and his friends come over to cook dinner for us!" Nanako smiled at the last part. "And big bro's cooking is always yummy!"

Aika smiled faintly at the Dojima's admiration to her older cousin. From what she's spoken, the way she kept only mentioning her father aside from Yuu, and no one else, that would make it easy for the bluenette to assume that she was an only child of the family. And how she never mentioned the presence of a mother in the house, Aika's smile slightly dropped to form a sad one instead. Either it was a divorce, or her mother left her to a place she couldn't reach. She understood another reason why Yuu always had to come home early on some days. He wanted to take care of his cousin.

Part of Aika's mind pondered at her own similarities to the young Dojima. She's also an only child, and her mother met her unfortunate end at a young age, leaving her and her father alone. Maybe this was the source of their synergy between one another. But comparing herself to Nanako, Aika couldn't help but feel... small. For someone so young, Nanako was very strong. Despite her innocence, it was safe to say she has already matured. She's perceptive, assertive, and also good with people. It was admirable, and also rather the embarrassment for the bluenette to take notes from the younger girl in a thing or two.

"That's great, Nanako-chan," Aika nodded in approval at Nanako's story, not wanting to let her inner emotions be seen for a second time by the Dojima, she turned her head to face the streets outside the gazebo, to see that it was getting dark, as the street lights were already turned on. "Oh... it's already getting late..." She muttered, but the weather conditions, whilst improving somewhat, as the strong winds died down, and the thunders no longer crackled in the skies above, it was still rather unfriendly. "But it's still raining..."

"Oh, do you need to go home too?" Nanako was quick to catch on to see the minimal restlessness of the older girl. "It's okay, I'm fine waiting for the rain to die down myself," She announced with a small giggle.

"Ahh... that's right, you didn't bring your umbrella with you, huh...?" Aika finally noticed herself, with the Dojima's lack of belongings with her. The bluenette quickly rummaged through a brain for a possible solution for their predicament. "Why don't I escort you back to your home then?"

"Huh?" Nanako was surprised at the older girl's offer. "Is it... really okay? I really don't want to bother you or anything..."

Aika nodded, calmly smiling at the girl's rather stunned state. "My home should be on the way too, since I live in the Shopping District, so it's okay, I think your family must be worried too by now, so it's probably better for you to reach your house quickly," She stated, standing up and picking up her umbrella once more. "Now, mind showing me the way to your home, then, Nanako-chan?" With a nudge of her head, Nanako, who was still uncertain for a couple of seconds finally skipped over to join the older girl.

The walk to the Dojima household's neighborhood was mostly quiet, but Nanako would strike up a conversation with Aika once or twice. Mostly asking about her school life at Yasogami, and her own daily personal activities as the delivery girl of the Aiya. In turn, Aika would also ask a thing or two about her relationship with Yuu. Despite the chilly weather, the two managed to keep the atmosphere around them warm and lively with their talks. And the walk itself only lasted for several minutes until they finally arrived at a modest-sized house with a white SUV parked at the garage.

"Oh, we're here!" Nanako notified the bluenette. "And dad's already home!" She added that chirp, pointing towards said vehicle at the house's parkway.

Stopping right before the front door, Nanako jumped over to the porch with a canopy overhead to shield her from the rain, giving Aika her personal space back.

"Thank you for everything, Aika-chan!" Nanako happily waved. "Sorry for troubling you!"

Aika once again gave a nod to the Dojima, not minding the informal way the young one referred her name as. "It's no trouble, Nanako-chan, well, I'll see you later I'm sure," She waved back, took a few steps forward, before stopping to look back at the brunette one final time. "Oh, and feel free to stop by the diner sometime with your 'big bro', the first round is one me," Aika then added a: "But keep this just as our little secret, okay?" Her smile cannot be contained, Aika left the Dojima somehow feeling more refreshed than ever.

It was her time to spend just another night at Aiya's.

Just Another Night at Aiya's - 04

A Persona 4 Work of Fiction

The door slid open, revealing a worried Ryotaro Dojima, with an umbrella on his right hand. He quickly went to one knee to reach the height of his daughter.

"Nanako, where have you been?!" The older Dojima exclaimed in worry. "Your brother and I are worried sick! We called Takumi-kun's house but his mother told me you already left before the rain!" He let out an exasperated sigh. "You know you're still recovering, even the doctors said we should still carefully monitor your condition, especially because it's still winter... and who brought you back home anyway?" Dojima knew he shouldn't push his daughter too much the moment he saw Nanako making that certain expression at him.

But to his shock, Nanako's sour look was quickly replaced with a bright one.

"Dad, we should eat at Aika-chan's restaurant later!" She flashed a toothy smile.

Dojima was confused for a couple of seconds. "Aika-chan's restaurant... this Aika, is she your brother's classmate? And if so... did you mean the Aiya's?" He mused, to which Nanako nodded vigorously. "Wow, since when did you start to crave for some Chinese food?"

"We should bring big bro with us too!" Nanako spoke excitedly. "It'll be a family dinner!"

Author's Notes:

Nothing, really.

Sorry if I made any mistakes that maybe hampered your enjoyment of this story.

Traesto.