A/N: A recent comment from a reader claimed I was painting Bryan in a bit too attractive a light. Keep it mind, if I recall correctly, he described himself as very neutral looking. Also, in regard to Yukiko's intense reaction to his appearance is in part due to the fact that in this section of the game she was hoping for a prince to come save her from her fate. Naturally she'd involuntarily try to see this prince in the guy that might just whisk her away to a far off land when he left (she even remarked on this herself). Most characters see him as pretty neutral as far as looks go and such a case is actually in this chapter when he meets Chie. The extreme things, like his intense eyes, tenancy to look like he's analyzing you, and weird mannerisms, are actually that extreme-looking if you are the sort to notice those things. Also him having a high intellect is pretty much required in a mystery story. When Naoto comes in, she'll be painted as being a generally better detective than him with the exception of things involving the emotional workings of the mind.
Chapter Six: A Sense of Contentment.
In place somewhere between mind and matter, a place that is neither dream nor reality, a man in a well pressed suit takes another long sip of his drink and looks down to the table of cards in front of him. He senses the present fate of his current guest unfurling, the rise of the Dying God. The Hanged Man, an arcana of profound but veiled significance. Equal opportunity for victory and defeat awaited the guest. His unique power could just as easily lead him on a path of destruction. He looked down, flipping a card over with his mind. This Hanged Man had manifested the first signs of its power alongside an Empress, and so fate would have it, the Empress was the next card in the spread. Though a maternal and caring aspect, when appearing with the Hanged Man it predicted desire in the near future. That desire could destroy, or create. Such a future, balanced on the edge of a knife, seemed to always await his guests.
He smiled, this would be interesting.
Naoto's Perspective
Dear Naoto-chan,
Right know your getting pissed off at me using the "-chan" honorific again, but you know very well that's why I do it. I can't help but wonder what you look like when you get annoyed. I bet it's a pretty controlled expression, but with a glare that could bur through steel. Well, I'll just have to find something to annoy you in just the right way to break that control by the time we meet. I'm pretty sure if fate has such an event in store for us it will happen, but I have the sense to know you don't want it to. After all, why keep a pen pal from such a boring and remote area unless you never planned to meet them?
Don't worry, I'm fine with that. I've said many times in my letters that I'm happy just being the person you feel comfortable talking to. If I can lighten the burden of a deserving person, then that's plenty to keep me happy. It's what I do really. Hot that I'm a therapist or anything. Though maybe I should consider a job in that field. They say that if you love your job then you'll never work a day in your life. Try to keep that in mind.
You never told me what that part-time job was, but a part of me (maybe the part that reads too many Japanese comics) imagines you as a master sleuth. You have the insight for it after all. A ridiculous thought though. It'd be really cool if you were a teen detective and all that, but I imagine it'd been hard to get taken seriously in that job. Too bad.
There I go off on another tangent, and this time not even due to metaphors...analogies, whichever. Do you know which? I should pay more attention in English class I guess.
Back on topic, I realized my last letter might have been a bit confusing, I forgot I didn't mention the exam to get into that exchange program before telling you I'd passed. Well, I didn't even sign up for it, so it didn't really matter much to me until I'd gotten the results. A chance to study abroad, can you believe it? In Japan of all places too? What a coincidence. Maybe it's fate telling me to march into your house and kick in the door, whisking you off to a chapel or something. HA! HA! HA! Not that I'd mind, there's a lot worse marriage prospects, but I'm only kidding. Get that look off your face Naoto-chan. Hmmm...I wonder if that one cracked that control you probably have. But like I said earlier, you don't want to meet, and I don't particularly mind either way so I won't be stopping by unless you've emailed me before I hop onto the train to Inaba.
I'm writing this on the long flight to Japan by the way. 12 whole hours, and that's after a 3 hour flight to Hawaii for a transfer. If I sound a bit more neurotic than normal it's because I'm writing to keep my mind off being thousands of feet in the air over 12,000+ feet (miles? I forget. Darn boring Geography teacher) deep water. Have I ever mentioned I hate heights and swimming? Ha ha, that's not funny is it? I get dizzy on short ladders for crying out loud! So I'll just keep writing for a bit while cursing the fact the ticket they gave me was a window seat and they wouldn't let me change. Ha! Ha! HELP! Ha! Ha!
So, just in case we don't meet up, I got my new address in and put it on the envelope. I'd like to hear how you've been doing. Did your grandfather get back okay from that trip? When's the next one due? I hope my being in the country doesn't impact our friendship, as I would feel like my accepting this chance to study abroad was letting you down. Let me know if you're uncomfortable, and I'll write back complaining that you need too much space. Ha! Ha! Ha! I'm not kidding.
Hugs and Snuffles,
Bryan Neir
P.S.: Don't ask me what snuffles are, I don't know. Also did I mention that I HATE FLYING! GAH! Now if you'll excuse me I have nothing more to write about so I'm gonna resume screaming in terror.
P.S. #2: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LET ME OFF THE PLAAANE!!! AHHHH!!!
I frowned, such a silly person sometimes, but the letter I had received just moments before from my longtime pen pal put some worries to rest. Mind you it brought doubts into my mind as to how much he really meant it, but I had no choice but to accept the fact he wasn't going to try and meet me. What kind of person was fine with just being a shoulder to cry on without expecting anything, not even love? After worrying about it far too much on the day of his arrival in the country, what little relief the letter brought was welcome. He hadn't come that day, and had probably dropped the disorganized letter into the mailbox right before jumping onto the train. Reading it over again with a more relaxed mind, I couldn't help but smile. Normally he was pretty serious, only throwing in the occasional joke making fun of odd things about society. It was amusing to see a weak point in a person that otherwise seemed like a solid and infallible individual. Even more amusing was the fact he still had me pegged with startling accuracy, even when terrified. He had gotten to know me so well in one year of correspondence.
On that thought, I started writing my reply.
Yukiko's Perspective
"So, will you be coming back right after school?"
"Yes, Father, I'll be back and getting to work straight away." I poked at the eggs on my plate, too deep in thought to have much of an appetite.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a frown of his face, "You know what? You can be a bit late, Miku-san and I can handle things around here for a bit. You don't need to push yourself. Take the time to enjoy your first day of school. Let Bryan-san know he can be late too. I'm sure he wants to look around town at some point. Hahaha!"
"Where is Neir-san I wonder? He said he'd be right down." he was running late, though I got the feeling someone was lurking around.
"Sorry." the very person in question strode in, dressed in the school uniform that had been sent over for him, "I woke up in a bit of a cold sweat do I had to shower."
"Bad dreams?" father wondered.
"Nothing to dwell on, I always have bad dreams on the first day in a new bed. Plus the climate change kind of threw my system a bit."
"Yukiko, something wrong?" my dad was looking at me strange and I quickly took a bite of my meal. I had noticed too late that'd I'd been staring at Bryan, I mean Neir-san.
"No, I'm just a bit sleepy."
I glanced his way again and was glad that he chose that moment to stop looking at me and start eating. Those gray-blue eyes were far too intense. He even looked like he was studying his food. What had got me staring though was the school uniform. For every bit his work kimono looked wrong on him, that uniform looked right. His broad shoulders fit well into the jacket, making it look more like a high paid salaryman's blazer than a simple dress jacket. He even buttoned it up the same way. The gray seams seemed to outline ever distinct aspect of his build and combined with the deep gray color of the jacket and paints to draw out those eyes of his. It was just a school uniform, but he cleaned up so well he might as well have been in an expensive suit. My thoughts wandered back to that glimpse of him I'd seen on that phantom program. Did seeing him on there mean he was my soul-mate?
"What's up? The two of you seem very deep in thought this morning? If it's Mrs. Amagi's condition, that's nothing to be too worried about." my father was looking at both of us in turn. Neither of us had said a word in several minutes.
Neir-san blinked twice and flashed a hollow smile, "Sorry, I was thinking about something else. Come to think of it. Is that lady that was giving you all that trouble to begin with still not back?"
Father nodded, "Haven't seen her. Fortunately she paid for a month in advance, but still. She shouldn't just vanish without saying anything like that."
Neir-san seemed to be thinking hard about something, "Miku-san said she didn't even take anything with her. That's weird."
"Maybe that lover of hers whisked her away. Good riddance."
That seemed to annoy Neir-san for some reason, "I have to wonder what could make a person like that. Every bad trait has to have a source. After what happened with Ms. Amagi though, I'd be hard-pressed to be kind to the woman though." he stood, and bowed slightly to no one in particular, as he was probably not certain who made the food, "Thank you for the meal. It wasn't necessary though."
"Oh come on, you're part of the family while you're here so enjoy yourself."
Neir-san's face seemed to go reflexively cold, but he forced a smile, "Thank you, but I asked to work to pay my way because I don't expect such treatment." he bowed again, "Next time, I'll cook for the family."
I stood up quickly as I noticed it was creeping every closer to the time we had to meet the city bus, "Let's go, Neir-san, we need to be going."
He nodded and I grabbed my bag from the back of my chair.
Father gave a little wave, "Don't forget your umbrellas, it's raining out."
"Thanks, father." I grabbed my umbrella, passed Neir-san his, and we were off.
Alone on the road to the bus stop. Neir-san wasn't carrying anything but his umbrella, as they hadn't sent over any textbooks for him. We walked in silence as he seemed to slip back into his thoughts again, which suited me just fine. I wasn't sure what to talk about anyway.
We were standing near the bus stop bench and waiting for our ride when he broke the silence, "I had a troubling dream last night."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Can I ask you something?" he didn't look at me, but his brow was furrowed in thought.
"Sure." I replied, my curiosity peeked.
"If you tried to save someone's life, but only managed to save their soul before they died, should you be sad? Or should you be happy that you at least helped them have peace?"
"That must have been some dream." I noted with an amused expression that was apparently inappropriate, he looked at me for an answer and I wasn't sure I had one, "It depends on your view of the afterlife I guess. I imagine giving them peace in their death can be good enough if it has to be. Try to imagine what their death would be like if they were left like hey were."
"I imagine that would be a terrible way to end your life, with lots of regrets." his expression relaxed a little, but it was a problem that he would likely be mulling on for a while.
"So who were you trying to save?"
Suddenly the bus came and we hurried on out of the rain.
Bryan's Perspective
There were a good many seats on the bus, so I let Yukiko lead the way to a seat. She apparently liked sitting in the back of the bus, which was fine. I liked sitting back there too. It was usually pretty populated, at least on American school buses, but you could easily vanish. If you didn't say anything, no one bothered looking at you. The very back seat was occupied, so she took the next, sitting as far against the window as she could so I would have plenty of room to sit. I was about to comment on all the room, but I suddenly recognized the people on the back seat. A familiar old lady, who was tending to a small boy. Like last time, there nationality was unclear, their faces neutral, and the boy bore a smile that was every bit as disturbing as the woman's expression was plain. How could that smile exist on a face that emotionless? It made no sense. There was something very wrong about those people.
"Something wrong, Neir-san?" Yukiko asked, looking concerned. I could imagine by expression wasn't exactly a comfortable looking one.
I snapped out of it and sat down, "Yeah fine, I just got a bit dizzy when to bus started rolling. You'd think I'd be used to that sensation."
She smiled, "So about that dream..."
"Don't worry about it, Taishou-sama." I grinned, avoiding giving more information than I wanted to, "It's like I always say. If something bothers you, either do something about it or don't dwell on it. While doing something would be nice, I can't. So why worry?"
I looked into the large rear view mirror at the front of the bus to make sure I hadn't imagined the pair and was taken aback, though I made sure my face didn't show it. The boy and woman were gone, replaced by an older man with a cane, similar clothes, and the same smile. The old woman was still old, but younger. When I blinked, they were gone entirely. That was about all I could take. I was one step closer to being convinced I was bat-shit insane. My hand went to my pocket to touch the velvet colored card key there. It was the only thing I had to tell me I still had some grasp on my sanity.
"I suppose that's one way to look at things." Yukiko seemed a little disappointed at something, though I couldn't tell what. She was doing a remarkable job of not letting me know what was going on in her head, but she probably wasn't even doing it deliberately. After all she didn't know I could do that, "By the way, we'll be meeting my friend Chie at the bus stop. She lives right near it so I usually walk with her the rest of the way to school."
"Oh, well, I'll be sure to be shy and uncomfortable like I normally am." I joked.
Yukiko looked confused for a moment, like she wasn't sure what the heck I was talking about, then something dawned on her. It was then that it finally occurred to me that I had been shy and uncomfortable to everyone but her. Sure our meeting had been awkward, but I'd talked pretty openly. We were both probably wondering about that, though it likely struck me harder than her. I should have found it odd that my early sadness about seemingly failing Mayumi-san had left almost the very moment I talked to Yukiko about it. It would still bother me, but Yukiko's opinion had somehow brought me to a point that I could feel somewhat content. In fact, sitting there I kept forgetting everything that was on my mind and just...existed. To just exist...you can't imagine what that's like for me. Just tuning out everything else around me, all except for me and her talking.
Looking at her, I couldn't settle in though. There was something wrong that I couldn't put my finger on. She seemed so...something...tired maybe? She wasn't revealing anything. That open book had closed again. I wanted to pry, but had the sense to know it wasn't my place. I'd just end up either making things worse or, god forbid, she'd think I was some kind of weirdo. I looked down, the gap between us on the seat could be measured in inches, but seemed enormous.
Yukiko broke into the vast and unbearably awkward silence that had been the most uncomfortable two seconds of my entire life, "She's great. We've been friends since I was really little, always there to give me motivation. She's got so much more energy than me."
"Sounds like you really get along well."
"Of course, she's my best friend." she smiled, a beautiful smile, but it seemed smaller than it should be.
Not really sure what to say at all, I just went with, "I'm sure the three of us will get along great."
A few minutes later the bus stopped in what looked like a shopping district, Yukiko moved to stand up, so I got up and stepped back to let her go first. On my way out I saw a girl outside spot Yukiko and then look at me. Of course it was Chie, it wasn't hard to figure that out. I wasn't pleased that she wasn't as calm about my arrival as the Amagi family. She was going to be one of those country folk with a hundred questions for the foreign transfer student. I took the chance to learn her appearance. She was just a little shorter than Yukiko, with short brownish blond hair and a competitive smile. She was wearing a green running jacket and the skirt that was part of the school uniform for girls. She carried herself like a fitness fanatic and I could tell she could fight a bit. A real tom boy type, she was probably more shapely than that jacket let on, or than she likely believed herself to be. We'd get along pretty good after my novelty wore off I was sure, but there was no telling really. I might have a good sense of empathy, but that doesn't mean I'm a mind reader.
It dawned to me I had only been looking at Yukiko's face, and she wasn't looking my direction, so I took the chance to look at the rest of her, more for reference than anything sexual. Though those stockings and dress shoes did have a certain measure of appeal to them, they went nicely with the skirt and her figure seemed to make the look work supremely well. A more lecherous eye would have lingered on the shapely contours of her hips and butt, which were...um....shapely and very much contouring, but my eyes moved up the small of her back along her smooth features and to her shoulders. Those were nice shoulders, as well balanced and elegant as the rest of her. Is it weird that I like shoulders? He long, likely silky hair danced about as she walked held out of her face by a red headband that matched the sweater she was wearing. Red and black suited her skin tone, which was a little lighter than most, but not pasty enough to be called pale. It was a good balanced tone. Something seemed familiar about the tone of red...sure red and black were all over the high school back home, but that shade seemed familiar for a different reason.
I was careful to hide my quick examination, and I'm sure she didn't notice, but the fact I'd studied her too closely made me uncomfortable enough for the both of us. I quickly put it behind me though when I stepped of the bus and braced myself for the inevitable curiosity fueled perkiness that was to come.
Chie walked over to meet us and that smiled got a little wider, "Hey, Yukiko. We're running a bit late, we should get going." she pointed to me, "This must be the exchange student. Bryan Neir right? Everyone's been talking about you coming. In a small town like this you're big news."
"Sorry we're late, Chie, and yes. This is Neir-san. He arrived the day before yesterday."
"Pleased to meet you." I put on a small smile of my own and habitually avoided eye contact.
I must have avoided it too much, because she called me out on it, bending over slightly to look me in the face, her grin suddenly more mischievous, "Oh, we got a shy one here. You must be downright crippled around Yukiko then."
"Chie! Cut it out!" Yukiko frowned.
"Sorry, you're just too easy to tease. I'll be nice." she stood up straight and looked back at me, "I don't mean anything by it."
"It's okay, it could be worse."
"Ah so you do speak Japanese!"
We started towards the school at a fairly brisk but still casual pace, "Yeah, I've always enjoyed the literature and culture. Thought the writing system is hard as heck, the spoken form is a lot easier than Spanish."
"You know Spanish?"
"No. That's my point."
Chie laughed a little at that, "Well you speak our language pretty well. To be honest, when I heard you were from the south I was expecting some cowboy boots and a goofy accent."
"Chie! That's rude!" Yukiko chimed in.
I couldn't help but laugh, I slipped to English and let my accent seep in, "Ah more prefah haking boots. Butah do havan accent whenah let it happen."
They both stopped and gave me the strangest look, Chie thought it was hilarious, "Oh my god! I didn't understand a word of that! I'm sorry for laughing!"
Back to Japanese, finding it strange that Yukiko hadn't laughed, "That's fine. I imagine southern speech is a bit goofy sounding. I moved around a lot when I was little, so I have pretty good control over my accent usually. Plus, only farmers wear cowboy boots these days."
We passed the riverbed not long afterward, and I gazed down a hill to an embankment that would make a great spot for reading. Chie looked around and frowned, "There really isn't a lot here is there? Well, I think we have something from the mountains that's pretty famous, like dye or something. Oh and the Amagi Inn! It's the pride of Inaba. It's always in magazines and stuff as a hidden treasure."
Yukiko seemed embarrassed, "It's just an old inn."
"You don't need to be so humble about it." I smiled, "Anyway the town I come from is actually smaller than this, so I'm perfectly comfortable with it."
"Lucky you." for some reason, Yukiko was still frowning.
Chie got that mischievous grin again, "So Bryan-san, be honest. You think Yukiko's cute right?"
For a split second I was worried she'd spotted me looking at Yukiko earlier, but that didn't seem to be the case, "Of course. She looks great in a kimono too."
Yukiko blushed redder than I'd seen anyone blush before. It would have been cute, but underneath was a barely detectable twang of emotional pain.
Chie beamed as if she had felled a mighty foe, "I knew it! Yukiko's really popular at school, but she's never even had a boyfriend, can you believe it."
"Chie stop. Don't believe her. I mean don't believe that I'm really popular or that I've never had a boyfriend....I mean I don't need a boyfriend!"
Suddenly, a guy on a bike raced by, trying to keep control while holding an umbrella, "Wha-o-oa!"
It wasn't pretty. Seeing the wreck Chie started over to him and we followed without a word, "Yosuke! You alright?"
I say not, considering that he'd fallen onto the bar on the bike and what part of his anatomy has was clutching. He forced himself to stand upright, but his voice still cracked, "Ugh...that smarts!" he turned, still in pain, "Satonaka-san! Yukiko-san! What are you doing here?"
"Checking on you, you blockhead!" She punched his arm, making it clear why he;d only used last name when referring to her, "Who rides a bike with one hand full? In the rain? Walk next time!"
"Ow! Okay, I'm sorry! I'll be more careful!"
I handed him his umbrella, "At least there's not gonna be scars. I knew a guy who scared up and broke his knee after a crash like that. By the way, I'm Bryan Neir, the exchange student. I wish we could have met under less painful circumstances."
"Me too." He winced, "I'm Yosuke Hanamura. I-"
"My Trial of the Dragon!" Chie had picked up a DVD case off the ground that apparently Yosuke had dropped, the disc was cracked, "It's ruined!"
Yosuke bowed low, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I'll replace it!"
I stepped up, "It was an accident. She can have my copy. I don't watch it anymore."
Chie looked at me funny, "You have it? It's a really obscure movie."
"Yeah, I'm a big kung-fu movie fan. I got it from a specialty store in Memphis. You ever see Rage of the Master?"
"Only 12 times!"
"Snake-Crane Fist?"
"I love that one!"
Yosuke collapsed at last from his gravest of wounds, "Ugh!"
After dragging Yosuke to his feet and helping along until he recovered, we somehow made it to school on time. I got a lot of looks, not only due to nationality and appearance, but because of rumors I was 'staying with Yukiko', who I later found out was the center of a lot of gossip. The homeroom teacher was a man named Mr. Morooka with impossibly greasy hair and even more incredibly crooked teeth. He stopped me on the way in and very condescendingly told me to wait at the front of the class to be introduced. He even talked slow and loud, as if I were deaf or mentally challenged. That and his dang teeth just made me want to beat his face in.
Once everyone had filed in, Morooka stood at his desk, "Now you degenerates, I want to start off by reminding you that this is a classroom. I won't have any skirt chasing or flirting with each other on my watch. Your studies should take priority over spreading the vile sludge you maggots call a gene pool around to each other." He motioned to me, "This loser wasn't welcome in the United States anymore, so they tossed him over here with the rest of their garbage. Girls, don't go fawning over him because he's foreign. This skinhead thug isn't worth your future."
Oh that was it, "Sir, I'll have you know that I am a pacifist, and have nothing to do with skinheads. Presuming I am a white supremacist due to my hair cut is racist in itself. This happens to be a popular style in my hometown among athletes." I heard some muttering so I addressed the class, "Hello, I'm Bryan Neir, from the United States. I'm here as an exchange student and I hope to learn a lot of what this country has to offer during my stay. If you wonder about my athlete comment, I played American football until an injury last year. My hobbies include writing, acting, reading, and studying various martial arts."
Chie raised her hand as Morooka was about to bite my head off, "Mr. Morooka, there's a free seat right here!"
"Oh right, hear that punk? You're sitting there." he grumbled, then went into a sermon that I tuned out while getting to my seat.
Chie leaned over. "Bad luck getting transferred to King Moron's class. Don't worry, most of us aren't racist like that."
I nodded, tuning out the muttering from other students that was about me, but not directed at me. After class was over an announcement called the teachers to a meeting and told the students to stay in the classrooms. Apparently something had happened, a fact made clear by the fact we'd been hearing sirens not long before. Some of the students were panicked, but my attention was drawn over to Yukiko who was dealing with some question from a fellow student.
She was sitting just diagonally across from me so I drew her attention, "What was that about?"
Yukiko frowned, "There's a rumor that the announcer involved in a recent scandal is staying at my family's inn. I couldn't discuss it of course."
"Right, good for you." the fact that people were talking about the announcer we something was going on with police made me squeamish. My fears seemed to be coming true.
Chie had been pacing but came up to Yukiko, "So Yukiko, how long do you think this'll take?"
"There's no telling."
Chie shrugged and looked at me with a frown, "This is one heck of a welcome to Nihon." she suddenly remembered something, "Oh, Yukiko, did you remember to try that thing I told you about?"
Yukiko suddenly froze, "Huh?"
"You know. Looking into the TV at midnight and you see your soul-mate?"
My turn to freeze. Looking into a TV...at midnight?
"Oh." she looked uncomfortable, "No....not yet. Sorry."
Was she lying? Had she really looked? What exactly had she seen? She couldn't have seen that battle, her reaction to me talking about that dream would have been different.
"Um...Neir-san." I turned to see Yosuke bowing to me, "Thank you for your help this morning. I swear I'll pay you back for replacing that DVD."
"Wait, no. I offered, it's okay." I stuttered a little. There were three people around I wasn't all that familiar with send everyone not talking about the incident was sneaking glances at me. I tried not to get overwhelmed, but that darn tenancy to shut down around large numbers was winning out.
"It wouldn't be right of me to let someone else pay off my debts."
I sat down and looked at my hands, "Okay, whatever. If you insist."
Chie scratched her head at my suddenly strange behavior and I felt Yukiko staring at me with an even more perplexed look, it was Chie that made the first statement though, thankfully not about my change in attitude though."Hey, we never got the chance to finish that talk we were having this morning. Want to grab something to eat on the way back?"
"Sure." I said.
Despite her earlier behavior, I could tell Chie wasn't a violent or taunting person at heart, just self-conscious, lashing out to assert her position because of her self-doubt. All three new friends we good people, they just needed a little help to get past the little hurdles in life. I could almost feel their troubles. Relatively small though they were, even little stumbles can send you flying off course. Maybe I could help. My innate knack for understanding the mind was a great asset in times like these.
Soon, they announced that we were allowed to leave, but were to go straight home, making sure we didn't get in the way of the police. A few students seemed shocked that something had really happened, but really the sirens earlier should have tipped them off. Yosuke had to go make sure his bike wasn't too damaged, but the rest of us decided to leave together and grab a bite at some department store called Junes. The smaller group was a bit of a relief. Adding to our luck, the rain seemed to have subsided.
At the front gate, a slightly creepy looking guy that looked like he was from another school walked up nervously, something about him weighed heavy on me, "You're Yuki, right?"
Yukiko suddenly got really nervous, "Y-yes, who are you? What do you what?"
"Do you want want to....maybe...go hang out somewhere?"
Some students nearby were muttering about how bold the guy was and how hard the 'Yukiko Challenge' was. Apparently, a lot of people asked her out.
"I...I'd rather not."
The guy was suddenly angry, not only at Yukiko, but at everyone in the area, "FINE!" He ran off, and I wasn't sure if he was about to cry or about to punch something.
Chie was shocked, "Imagine the nerve of that guy. Coming up and calling you Yuki all of a sudden."
Yukiko was clearly rattled, "What did he want from me?"
"Are you really that clueless?" Chie was amazed, despite apparently having seen this a lot, "He was asking you for a date!"
Yukiko was shocked, "R-really?"
I laughed a little inside, then noticed we were getting a lot of strange looks, "Let's go, everyone is staring."
Chie was laughing a good bit about the whole thing but I tried to change the topic by getting back to kung-fu movies. It worked. After a short walk we rounded a corner to take an alleged short cut to the store, a shortcut roped off by crime scene tape. The girls stopped to look, and I overheard some housewives nearby gossiping about it, one complaining about she hadn't gotten to see 'the body' and another mentioning that it looked like someone had tried to hang hr from an antenna, but the body had been cut loose at some point and was just on the roof when the cops arrived. It made me sick, not the mention of a body, but the fact they had wanted to see it so badly. Why were humans like that? It was morbid!
A plain clothes cop suddenly spotted us and walked over, "Hey, you kids. Did you see anything?"
"No sir, we were just now passing by from school." I replied.
"Well move along and head straight home." He turned away, "Damn principal, I told them to keep kids away from here.
Another plain clothes officer, apparently named Adachi, ran by and puked, gaining a reprimand from the first, who was apparently a detective named Dojima.
Dojima was about to turn but I called out, "Excuse me. Who got hurt?" I didn't expect him to answer, I was trying to get the housewives to gossip about it.
The cop looked at me scornfully, "That's police business, now move along."
I got my answer, I couldn't hear most of the new chatter, but I caught one word that made my heart sink: Yamano. I still couldn't remember exactly what happened back in that room, or how I was alive and she wasn't, but I'd failed. I rolled over the description in my head. Someone he tried to hang her from an antenna? I could only wonder if it had been by the leg like the Hanged Man card in my fortune. Why was it cut loose though? If someone had freed it, wouldn't the cops have some evidence to find who cut her loose? Why hang it? How did whatever did it get it up there? Was was the body in this world at all? My mind reeled with questions. The metaphor of the situation might have been off base, but it had some meaning to me. If her present had been the same as one face of the Hanged Man, like Igor had said many people's were, I had given her the power to finally act. I'd at least saved her soul. All I could do was move on. Move on and find who put her there to begin with.
Chie looked a little frightened, "Let's go to Junes tomorrow okay? Let's just get the DVD and leave it at that."
Yukiko nodded.
Next Chapter: Moving On