Chapter 9: The Punk 5/13-5/17
The next night, Mika is watching TV with Nanako and Dojima, when the news comes on. The woman on the screen introduces the next segment. Oh, it's that biker gang the gossip mongers were talking about at school. Hahaha! I like this guy! "Get bent!" Hah, guess he doesn't like being interviewed…
"Up to the same old trouble making?" Dojima looks at the screen over his newspaper.
"You know him?" Mika asks surprised.
"Yea, through work... His name is Kanji Tatsumi. His family owns the textile shop in the shopping district. He's always causing trouble for his mom…Well, he beat up an entire biker gang, 'cause the noise kept his mom up at night. It's a nice gesture…But really? Beating them up wasn't the right way to go about handling that…That blur is ridiculous, too. Everyone who's seen him before will know who it is…pointless." He fluffs the paper and continues to read.
"Oh! It's gonna rain tomorrow. I'll make sure to hang the laundry inside."
"Good idea Nana-chan. I'll help you."
The next day, after school, the team talk about the weather, and what it may mean. They all agree to watch the Midnight Channel, all of them hoping that no one else appears this time. But later that night while Mika is sitting on her couch, waiting anxiously for the clock to strike 12:00, her TV flickers to life. Frick. There's someone there…Argh! It's too blurry! All I can tell is that it looks like a guy, young, maybe in high school? Suddenly her phone rings as the image fades to black, it's Yosuke.
"Hey, you saw that right? Someone appeared."
"Yea, I saw. But I couldn't tell anything about them. It looked like a high school guy…maybe? It was so blurry…" Wonder if having a small TV is part of the problem…
"I know what you mean. Guess we should all get together tomorrow."
"Sounds like a plan. Good night."
The next day they meet up at the Junes food court, Yosuke leads their discussion.
"This is now the first official meeting of the Inaba Murder-Kidnapping Investigation Team!"
"Yeesh! Take a breath, would you?" Chie looks at him, shaking her head.
"Oh! Does that make this place our 'special headquarters'? Snrk!" Yukiko suppresses her giggle.
"*Stifled giggle* What are we? Kids?" Mika can't hold in her giggles after looking at Yukiko.
"Well, I kinda like it. This place really is our HQ." Chie smiles at the giggling girls.
"I agree. Nicely put Yukiko-san. Now if we could get back to business…"
"Yes. So, did anyone recognize the guy who was on last night?" Mika collects herself enough to speak.
"I didn't. All I could tell was that it was a boy." Yukiko shakes her head.
"Me, neither…I mean, it was so blurry again!" Chie fluffs her hair while thinking.
"Yeah, I didn't recognize him either. But judging by what happened with Yukiko-san, he should still be safe."
"That's what I think. Yukiko, you 'appeared' on the midnight channel before you were taken and thrown in. So if we can figure out who this person is, maybe we can stop them from ever being thrown in."
"Oh, well. We can watch again tonight. Hopefully we can get a better look." Yosuke suggests to the team.
Later, close to midnight, Mika gets a call from Yosuke.
"Hey, sorry to bug you, but I just figured we could watch while on the phone, making it easier to figure this out."
"You're not bugging me." She smiles as she continues. "And good thinking. I hope we can figure this out together. I-"
But before she can continue the TV flickers, she and Yosuke go silent. They watch as the figure appears again. Its more animated this time, it reminds Mika of someone…The way he's moving…I know I've seen something like that recently…Oh! That kid on the news! "Get bent!" kid!
"I think I know who that is. Dojima mentioned him when he was on the news the other night. Kanji Tatsumi."
"Great! Now maybe we can keep him safe!"
"Yup!"
"Well, I should let you get to bed. I'll see ya tomorrow. Night…"
"Oh!...Yeah…Goodnight Yosuke…"
He hangs up, she closes her phone and holds it to her chest and pouts slightly. Poo. I kinda wanted to keep talking…But I guess it is getting late. He was probably tired…
The next day after class, the team talks about how it was Kanji who appeared on the Midnight Channel. Yukiko brings up knowing his family since she was a child and that their textile shop is not far from the shrine. They agree to head there and see what they can find out. As they enter the store they spot a small young man just finishing up a conversation with Mrs. Tatsumi and then leaving.
"Oh, Yuki-chan! It's nice to see you. You out shopping with your friends?" Mrs. Tatsumi notices Yukiko as she concludes her conversation with the young man.
Yukiko goes to talk to her as the rest of the teams looks around the store. Something catches Chie's attention.
"Hey, that scarf…it looks really familiar."
"Yea, it does…Where did we see it again?" Mika movers her face closer to it.
"I think it was in that creepy room! *Gasp* The one…hanging from the ceiling…"
"Oh yeah.*Shivers* Oh that brings back unpleasant memories." Yosuke shakes his head as he recalls their first time inside the TV.
"Why's that here?" Mika is about to continue when Mrs. Tatsumi notices the scarf they're looking at.
"Oh, you've got a good eye. That's part of a special order made by Ms. Yamano, part of a matching pair; a man and a woman's scarves. But Ms. Yamano changed her mind and only took the one. Now I only have that one left." She shakes her head softly. "Such a shame. They made such a beautiful set."
Suddenly there is a ring from the back and someone yells out "Delivery!"
"Oh. I should get that. Please excuse me."
"Oh, it's ok Mrs. Tatsumi. We were just heading out. I'll let my mother know you say hello."
"Wow! So Ms. Yamano is connected to this place…"Chie puts her head to the side as she tries to puzzle out the connection to Kanji.
"We should see if we can find him and talk to him. C'mon lets go." Yosuke heads for the door.
As they step outside they see Kanji and the strange young man talking to each other. The team dashes into a small alley nearby so they can listen in. It sounds like Kanji and the boy are going to meet up after class tomorrow. Kanji is muttering under his breath when he spots them.
"Hey! What the hell ya think you're doin'?" He yells as he runs towards them.
The team panics and makes a mad dash for safety, away from the angry Kanji.
"Oh jeez! That was scary!" Chie sputters as she catches her breath.
"Seriously! Well, I mean, we were eavesdropping…But that's no reason to run after us!" Mika pants.
"You said it! I don't think I've ever run so fast before!" Yosuke manages between heaving breaths.
"He wasn't like that when he was younger…"
"Well it looks like they made a plan to meet up tomorrow. We can wait for them by the front of the school and just tail them. Maybe we can learn something." Mika points out, after catching her breath.
"Oooo! Our first steak out! This is so cool!" Chie hops from one foot to the other excitedly.
Sheesh! Chie is like the Energizer Bunny! We just ran for our lives and she's already hopping around!
"Then it's settled. I guess we should all just head home then. I probably need to help out at the inn for a little bit." Yukiko heads off with Chie close behind her.
"Want me to walk you home?" Yosuke looks at Mika and smiles.
"Um, sure. Thanks." She smiles and turns her head to hide the reddening of her cheeks. He can be so sweet sometimes…I really like that about him. I'm also really enjoying him walking me home all the time.
The next day at school, the team hides by the school gate, waiting for their target to show. Kanji walks out and waits. A few minutes pass when the mysterious young man comes up to him.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"No! I-I only just got here." Kanji looks down and away as he turns pink.
"What the hell is that?" Yosuke whispers.
"It's, uh… something…" Chie shakes her head. "Oh! They're leaving! We need to follow them quickly, before we lose 'em!"
"Right. I think we should split into teams. Chie, you and Yukiko can steak-out the shop. Yosuke and I will follow those two."
"Ok. We will call if anything happens on our end." Yukiko nods in agreement.
"We should probably act like we're on a date. Ya know, to make it more believable." Yosuke just sort of throws that out there.
"We should wha-what?! Da-date?! Wh-um…" Mika begins flushing deep crimson as she stutters out an incomprehensible response. "Let's just go!" She ducks her head and runs after Kanji and the young man.
Yosuke doesn't manage to say anything before Mika dashes off. They follow in uncomfortable silence, eventually making it down to the Samegawa River. What was that just now?! Pretend to be on a date? How does that make following them more believable? Do boys and girls need to be dating in order to be seen walking together? We do that all the time! Well, if this supposed to be a date, should we be holding hands? What am I thinking? Holding his hand?! I'd be red as a tomato the whole time! Oh god! Then I'd get sweaty palms from being so nervous! He'd be holding sweaty, shaky hands! He'd be so grossed out that he'd never think about actually dating me! What would I-
"The hell are you two doing?!"
"EEEP!" Mika is ripped from her thoughts and confronted by a furious looking Kanji.
"Ya know! Us two crazy love birds are just out on a date…hehehe." Yosuke manages to get out as he reaches for Mika's hand.
"What? Crazy birds?" Mika wasn't paying attention, so she has no idea what Yosuke is on about, all she can think about is that he's holding her sweaty, shaky hand…
"Play along!" Yosuke hisses through the side of his mouth.
"Hey! I know you guys! I saw ya yesterday! The hell? You following me?"
"N-No! It's just a coincidence that we happen to be walking behind you. Damn small towns. Heh, always running into the same people…heheh…"
"Yea! Small town. And you know, you two meeting up and walking around together is fine. It's not strange at all." Mika's smile is more of a grimace.
"What'd you say that for?!" Yosuke says through clenched teeth, panic in his eyes. He's ready to bail.
"What do ya mean strange?!" Kanji makes to run at them.
Yosuke grips Mika's hand tighter and bolts, Kanji hot on their tail. He chases them around the gazebos a few times, yelling the whole time.
"Hey! This ain't what you think! You got it all wrong!"
Yosuke and Mika eventually lose him and head over to the textile shop, too afraid they'll have to run again to call the girls. They eventually arrive and go up to the girls, apologizing profusely. It's decided to just hang around a little longer and wait for Kanji to come home. Not much later they see him walking up the street.
"Huh?...Aren't you those lovebirds I just saw?" Kanji narrows his eyes at Mika and Yosuke.
"I-I'm not a bird!" Mika blurts out.
"What're you assholes doin' here?! You following me? What the hell is goin' on?!"He shouts before calming down a little, "*Sigh* I'm not sayin' it's 'cause of you guys…But…Damn it!"
"Um, hey, mind if we ask you something? Has anything strange happened lately?" Yosuke plucks up the courage to start asking Kanji questions.
"What's strange? You calling me strange?" His voice grows louder.
"What? No! I didn't mea-"
"You shitheads better get the hell outta my face before I make you!"
"What?! Why?!"
"Do I look like I'm kiddin'?!" Kanji raises a fist angrily.
The team flees before he can make good his threat. They eventually come to a stop by the river.
"Well that was a waste of time. But, I guess nothing happened either, so it's a good thing?" Chie attempts to alleviate the mood.
"Yea…Well if it's anything like what happened with Yukiko, then it should be happening soon." Mika looks down.
"Guess all we can do is try to keep an eye on him. Maybe we will see who tries to get him…" Yosuke rubs the back of his head, frustrated.
"So, we should just keep an eye on the Midnight Channel?" Yukiko confirms.
"Yes. I think we should all watch tonight. Maybe we'll get lucky, and he won't be in there yet."
"OK. Then I'm going to have to go now. I have to help out at the inn for a bit." Yukiko smiles before leaving.
"Yea. I'll watch tonight as well. I'll see ya guys later!" Chie says before she runs off after Yukiko.
"…So…"
"Yeah…I…" Yosuke pauses fora while before continuing. "I wanted to say sorry for bringing up the whole date thing."
"Um…I-it's ok. I didn't mind…Sorry my hand was sweaty…" Mika is looking everywhere but at him.
"Honestly, mine was too, so I didn't even notice if yours was, heheh…" He nervously rubs the back of his head and looks up at the sky.
"I didn't notice…So, why did you suggest that?" She finally manages a peek up at his face, a shy smile on her lips.
"Oh! U-um. N-no reason." He flushes as he looks down at her looking up at him, then quickly looks back up at the sky.
"…Oh...Ok then…Well, I guess I'll just head home then…" She can feel her stomach turn over. I guess it was just to look believable while following Kanji…Mmmph, I feel sick…
Her eyes are threatening tears so she turns to go before Yosuke can see them.
"Oh. Did you want me to walk you home?"
"No!" She says louder than she had intended, "Um, no. It's ok. I'll talk to you later." She speaks softly, keeping her back to him, struggling to hold in her sobs. I need to go before he asks why I'm crying and I'll have to tell him everything. It'll all just come spilling out, how much I love when he walks me home, the way he smiles at everything, his easy goofiness with me. It'll be like word vomit…Or actual vomit…
"Ok then…" Yosuke looks down after watching her leave, his own stomach lurching.
Mika arrives home shortly after and goes straight to her room. God! That was awful! How could I think he likes me? He's barley known me for a month…It was nice holding his hand…He probably still really likes Yukiko. She only seems sweeter and more elegant the more I get to know her. He's probably thinking the same thing. I should have paired him with her and had them watch the store…Argh! No! I wanted to pair up with him…But if Yukiko likes him too… Her thoughts are interrupted by her phone buzzing on her desk; the caller ID says Yukiko. Speak of the devil…*glares then slumps* She reaches out and answers her phone.
"Hey, Yukiko. What's up?" She forces herself to sound pleasant.
"Hey, Mika. I just got off the phone with Kanji-kun's mother. She said he's missing. She's not that worried, saying he does it from time to time, but what if?"
"Yeah. What if he's in there now? Let's hope that's not the case, but I don't feel very confident that he's not in there…"
They end their call quickly and Mika flops face down onto her couch. Why are boys so infuriating? I can't tell what they're thinking unless they're thinking of that, and that's just sort of an all the time thing with them...I'm really starting to like him. How am I supposed to keep acting normal around him? She sniffles a little as she buries her face into the pillow and stays like that, lost in her emotional storm, till the Midnight Channel comes on.
The screen flickers to life, this time Kanji is clear as day…and mostly naked…in a bad, bad bathhouse… Mika is at a loss for words when her phone rings. Its Yosuke's song as the ringtone, the one he told her was his favorite…
"Did-Did you just-I mean!" Yosuke's brain is moving faster than his mouth can keep up.
"Yeah. It's definitely Kanji in there." She says quietly.
"Y-yeah. That's what I meant, too…So…um…I guess we need to come up with a plan to go in there, right?"
"Yeah. That sounds good to me…" She's still speaking softly.
"Hey, Mika, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…well, what I mean is…" She pauses for a long moment, she can hear him breathing softly, "I'm just tired. Forget I said anything. Night." She hangs up before he can say anything else to her.
I just can't deal with this right now. Push it down. Shut it up and focus! We need to get Kanji out of there and I won't be much of a leader if I'm stuck in this funk. It's just gonna have to wait. She can feel her personas shiver within her. Don't worry guys. I know, I won't deny my feelings. I'll just bury them, with everything else that's ever been a disappointment. 'No one likes a gloomy girl.' Right Mom?
