A/N: Like the chapter title implies, this chapter focuses some more on the Social Link events. Ah, but we're getting closer to another set of new events... you'll have to wait for the next chapter, heh.
adtauthor22 - I'm glad you think that way. It's what sets Yui's backstory at difference from Naoto's too - while Yui is forced to crossdress for her family's sake, Naoto crossdresses on her own free will, and also to be like her grandfather who's a detective, if I'm not mistaken? Well, that's the basic premise anyway.
Mr Giraffe (Guest)
- Yep, Dojima knows. I thought it would be obvious since he even says that diapers thing in the first chapter (he's there where Yui was just a baby then)... welp. Also, nah she won't wear that during the camp. Too early... but I think I have an idea where she can wear that, hehehehe /insert pervert face here/.
- Yui hides a lot of shit from her team, really. These masks should make sense when the time comes, but you can actually see how they come into play with how she interacts with anyone, if you squint super hard. She hides her problems because of some unresolved problems with both herself and her family in general, plus the expectation from others - I don't wanna go too deep into it cause I'll be spoiling my own story in that case, lol. Everything will be revealed in time... kahkahkahkah.
- Eh, having a social link with a fox ain't the weirdest thing I've read or see about in my experience of diving into fandoms. But yes, it's cute... especially with that apron. Your random thoughts are pretty entertaining, haha XD
- Well, I'll certainly be trying to play P5 at another time. P3, I'll think about it some more? :P
- Arsene is old news for me - I spoiled myself up to the 2nd Palace because that's how I ended up getting into Persona at all. Though I'll admit, the awakening scenes in P5 were the most awesome ones compared to P3 and P4. Just the fire and the ripping of the masks alone, damn.
Aaaanyway... let's get on to the chapter!
Yu walked to school the next day morosely, his thoughts during the night before having brought his spirits down easily. However, he quickly forced a smile on his face when he heard a squeaking sound approaching him from behind which should belong to Yosuke's bike…
Right as he turned around, there the brunet was with his bike. "Yo!"
"Hi." Yu slowly nodded. Yosuke got off his bike, setting it against the pole for a moment. "Dammit, I just fixed this thing… it's making squeaking sounds again…" he muttered. The silver-haired boy glanced at the bike – it looked pretty… shit. "Maybe you just need a new one."
"Huh? Yeah… hey, by the way… I'm sorry about the other day… you know, about what I said to Nanako-chan. After hanging out with Nanako-chan… I feel even stronger that we have to solve this case."
"Well… I'm counting on you." Yu depended on everyone else on the team much like they did on him, to remind himself to never lose sight, and to not make a choice that may endanger everyone's lives. Though their actions in the TV world were risking the latter anyway.
Yosuke grinned at him. "Hehe… same to you! Y'know, Chie and Yukiko seem different lately… they're a lot closer." He then thought of something. "Oh yeah, I was just curious, but are you… ehh, never mind. If we keep chatting, we're gonna be late." He sighed after that, looking at his bike. "Man, school's such a chore. And now my bike's messed up too… the roads are much wider here than in the city, so I keep speeding… I guess that did it." He shrugged in the end. "Oh well. Until I get my motorcycle license, I'll just have to walk."
Yu raised an eyebrow. A motorcycle license? He had a bad feeling about it.
"…Hey, what's that look for?"
"Nothing!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That afternoon, they decided to chat for a bit.
"Ugh… why do the holidays have to end so fast…?" Chie murmured. It was fun, not having to wake up early and walk to school. "At least they were peaceful," Yosuke told her, shrugging. "I listened in on the housewives gossiping at Junes, but it doesn't seem like anything happened. And I haven't heard anything about someone disappearing suddenly, either… y'think Yukiko could've been the last of the victims?"
Yu shook his head. The killer was still on the loose, after all. "I doubt this is over."
"Hmm…" Chie looked worried at that. "I don't know. But we shouldn't relax as long as the culprit remains at large," Yukiko then said. Yosuke scratched the back of his head. "I wonder… will someone show up on TV again if it rains? If we only knew a little more about who the killer might be…"
"Eh, it's no good fretting over it now. If someone does show up on the Midnight Channel, then we'll deal with it. It's supposed to start raining soon, but I hope this weather holds through next week…" Chie glanced at everyone nervously. "You know… midterms…"
"Ugh, you had to go and bring that up… I don't wanna think about it."
The brunette sighed. "I wish I had Yukiko's gift for studying… hey Yosuke, why don't you have Yukiko go over some of the material with you?"
"Hm? Oh, that's right. Yukiko's ranked at the top on every exam. Maybe I should ask her for some private lessons."
"P-Private lessons!?" Yukiko looked at him with shock.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Yosuke soon found himself being slapped in the face by the black-haired girl. Somehow, his choice of words ended up with him like this. "Ow…! What was that for? I'm just asking you to help me study…"
"Oh, I'm sorry… you were talking about studying… I thought it might've been an off-colour joke. Our inn has had some strange visitors lately…"
"If you thought it was a joke, then just shrug it off!"
"Sorry. My hand moved without thinking…"
"Geez… thanks a lot, Chie, for bringing up the whole studying thing."
"Wh-What did I do!? You're the one who made it sound creepy and wrong! 'Private lessons', huh?" Chie glared at Yosuke for that. "Wha-Then it's mostly my fault!?" Yosuke glared back at her, and soon the two of them were arguing.
Yu and Yukiko could only stare at them quietly, troubled at the ongoing argument between the two brown-haired teenagers. The latter checked the time. "Oh… I should start heading home." Yukiko then left, leaving the silver-haired boy to deal with it.
…Well, darn it.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Once those two finally calmed down, Yu decided to go out to town for a bit. He remembered about the fox yesterday and went down to the shrine at the shopping district to see if the fox had another wish it wanted granted.
Upon arriving there, he looked up to see the fox on the roof. Soon, it jumped off and landed right behind him with an ema bearing a wish written on it in its mouth. "Hello there…" He approached the fox and picked the ema out of the fox's mouth, reading the wish.
It seemed to be a young girl's handwriting… wishing that things go well with the person she liked.
Yu glanced at the fox. "Sure, I'll do this one."
The fox barked happily at him.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As Yu walked back to school, he saw something strange when he entered. A female student was standing in front of his shoe box, looking nervous… he approached her. "Excuse me?"
"Aahhhhh! Wh-what? Oh, you're the transfer student, Yu…" She was silent for a moment. "Yu…? Oh, I must have made a mistake! This is your shoe box!" When that realisation dawned on her, she quickly ran away. The silver-haired box watched her for a moment with a confused look.
…She said something about his shoe box. Looking at his shoe box, he checked the inside of it and found a note. It was literally a love letter, confessing her feelings to whoever the lucky guy was… and it wasn't him, thankfully. That would've been awkward.
His thoughts then went to the ema request. What if she was the one who wrote it? Well, he'll have to see her another day since she already ran off to who knows where… maybe he'll spend the day hanging out with Yosuke this time.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The two of them decided to go to Junes's food court for a quick bite to eat, sitting at one of the tables there. Yosuke grinned at him. "Hanging out with you here every so often isn't that bad. Even if we're short on cash, we can get a little discount here. Though there's a small price to pay in exchange for that…"
As if to make the brunet's point, someone called out to him. "Oh, there you are, Hanamura!"
He sighed. "…For example." He stood up, turning to face a pair of girls who looked like they would do anything to make sure things always went well for them. Yu tried not to frown at the sight – even if he never met those two girls, he had a subtle feeling that he wouldn't like them at all.
"Hello there, Senpai. What's wrong today?" Yosuke asked the two girls. The girl wearing a yellow shirt started complaining. "You better say something to that blockhead manager! I told him I can't come in on Saturdays or Sundays. But he's saying I have to be here since we're low on staff. And if I don't, he'll fire me!"
Her friend spoke up too. "Isn't there some kinda law against that?!"
Yosuke attempted to keep a calm face while he spoke. "Er, but… didn't you guys say you could work weekends during your interviews?"
"Well, yeah. They wouldn't hire us if we didn't!"
The brunet could only sigh quietly. "…Alright, I got it. I'll try talking with him… but you don't wanna get fired, right? It'd make it easier for me to strike a deal if you could show up every now and then on weekends…"
One of the girls nodded. "…We'll think about it."
"You'd better do it, 'kay?" Her friend then told him. The two of them were just spoiled brats... at least, that was how Yu saw them both. The two girls soon left, leaving Yosuke to deal with the problem on his own… and just when he thought he was done, someone else called out to him. "Oh, Yosuke-kun. Just the man I was looking for."
He looked up in surprise, seeing an older female employee approach him. "Ohhhh… hi."
"Hear me out! Remember that claim I had the other day? Well, the head butcher said…"
"Alright, alright. Let's talk over there." Yosuke looked at Yu. "Sorry, Yu. Could you give me a minute?"
"Of course." Yu nodded and watched as the two went to a corner so Yosuke could listen what the employee had to say. Once that was done, the brunet went back to his seat and groaned. "Phew, I'm beat… I'm not the complaints department…"
The silver-haired boy could only look at him in wonder. "You're pretty incredible, handling all that."
"Huh? Dude, it's nothing but trouble!" Yosuke told him, smiling sheepishly. He then lowered his head, sighing. "Geez… everyone's just trying to take advantage of me as the Junes kid. Maybe I wouldn't mind if I was free, but we have the murders to deal with. I don't have time for this. Can the police really handle the killer? Can the law really convict whoever's behind this…?"
Shaking his head, he continued. "Once I started worrying about that stuff, I knew I couldn't bother with anything else. I have to do what I can…"
"That's the spirit," Yu told him.
Yosuke looked up at him with surprise. "Hey, don't get carried away! You make me feel like I said something crazy…" After a moment, he looked down again. "Haha… I never thought I'd be talking about serious stuff like this…"
The brunet glanced out at the view of the town. "Before I moved here, it was all small talk. Stupid, trivial things. I thought that was fine. It's only with you guys that I talk seriously like this. I dunno why, but I feel like I don't have to lie…" As he said that, he looked at his friend. "…Especially with you. You've already seen the worst of me and all. But well… thinking about it now, if someone had to see that, I'm glad it was you." He smiled sheepishly. "It's a bit late now, but… thanks for going in with me that time."
"No problem." Yu smiled back, feeling his relationship with Yosuke grow deeper with the Magician Social Link.
"…Man, I'm getting kinda hungry." Yosuke looked at the counter and grinned. "Alright, I'll see if I can get a deal with the guy at the counter and try out the Meat Lover's Combo!" He got up and went to do just that. After a while of spending time together, they parted and went back home.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yu got back home quietly, entering it while announcing that he's home. When he entered the living room of the house, he noticed that his uncle was at the dining table while reading a newspaper. After what happened last night, the silver-haired boy felt like that maybe… he could talk to his uncle a bit.
"Uncle…?" He went towards Dojima, who looked at him. "Hey, Yu. How're things? You should be used to life here by now."
"I kind of am… can I talk with you?"
"Haha, you bored? Well, have a seat. We haven't had time to talk like this since you got here, huh?"
So Yu took a seat, sitting across of his uncle. Now Dojima was desperately trying to think for a topic to discuss… and ended up with the most basic question one could probably ask a teenager. "Uhhh… well, how's school?"
"It's… fun, I suppose."
"I see… that's good to hear. Your school days will be over before you know it. Make sure you have fun while you can." The man was nodding to himself. "What else…? Oh, yeah… how about your friends?"
"They're alright. I've made some since I've arrived."
"…Looks like you've made plenty of 'em." Dojima scowled at that. "I'm not saying who you can and can't hang out with, but… you know what I'm talking about, right?"
Oh, definitely. Yu could only nod, guilt growing in his chest at the memories of his time in junior high as a delinquent. He was literally friends with the worst troublemakers in that school… "Yes, I do."
"Huh. So you did notice…" The man then nodded. "For some reason, wherever there's an incident, there you are… I wish I didn't have to consider this, but… the killings began around the time you came to town. My job is all about eliminating the random element. I look only at the facts. If you keep getting caught up in my job, then…"
Nanako approached them both. "…What's wrong? Big bro didn't do anything bad."
Dojima looked at her with a troubled expression. He had to lie a bit about that. "I-I know. I didn't mean it like that."
"But you're bullying him…"
"I'm not bullying him. We were just having a little talk." Dojima then glanced at the clock. "It's getting late… go to sleep."
"…Okay." Nanako then left them alone, going up to her room. Dojima shook his head, smiling a bit hesitantly. "Sheesh… she's really taking a shine to you. Look… just don't get yourself involved in anything dangerous. As long as you're safe, everything's fine. Your parents didn't ask me to raise your grades or anything."
Yu nodded again. That was an advice he wasn't going to take, though. Nonetheless, his uncle was genuinely worried for him… and with that, he could feel a faint bond forming between himself and Dojima as the whispers spoke in his head of the formation of the Hierophant Social Link of the Hierophant Arcana.
Dojima seemed a little awkward now. "Things here might be a little different from what you're used to, but this is a good town. Though it's a little dangerous right at the moment… now then, it's about time for you to turn in. Get some sleep. 'Night."
"Good night, uncle." Yu nodded and got up from his seat before going up the stairs to his room. Now that he remembered, exams were starting soon…
Saturday was a rainy day this time, and while it was always a cause of worry now ever since Yu and his friends learned that the Midnight Channel was connected to the murders somehow, he did love the rain back in the past. Mostly because of the cool air and the calming silence that followed.
As he walked to school, he overhead two students talking.
"All this rain… I hate rain. It's supposed to keep raining until this evening, too. Speaking of misery… midterms start next Monday. They even post the results up for everyone to see…"
"Oh, don't worry about it. Your life isn't going to be ruined by one little piece of paper, is it?"
"What? How can you possibly believe that? Getting good grades has benefits when interacting with people! Talented people really are more highly valued in society, aren't they…?"
…Yu guessed that he should take that little information to heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After school ended, Yu was about to go study in the library when he bumped into the same female student from yesterday. "Oh… you're…" The girl grew embarrassed. She's the girl who had mistakenly put a love letter inside his shoe box. "…D-did you read my letter?"
Well, no point in lying about it.
"I did," Yu replied bluntly.
"H-H-How could you!? You jerk! I didn't even have the courage to sign it, and yet a totally random person now knows my secret! Argh! What's the point of trying to be secretive anymore!? I've already embarrassed myself this much, I might as well go confess! How do you like that!?" The female student then ran off.
The silver-haired boy could only blink in silence. This might go well… he should probably ask her on how her confession went some other day. In the meantime, he went to the library to study for his upcoming exams.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Yu felt like spending some time with his cousin. When he asked her about it, Nanako nodded happily.
So, now he found himself sitting across her at the small table in the living room. Nanako wasn't sure of what to say. "Oh, ummm… big bro…" She was fidgeting nervously… Yu just smiled. "Go ahead and ask, Nanako."
A look of relief appeared on the little girl's face. "…Okay! Ummm… well… are you an only child?"
Yu nodded. "That's right… I am."
Nanako giggled, smiling cheerfully. "So you're just like me. Oh, but I have you now, so…" She paused for a moment. "A while ago, Dad told me… that our family won't get any bigger… but now I have a big brother!" She beamed at the silver-haired boy a smile that covered her entire face…
Through that smile, Yu could feel like his relationship with his cousin grow deeper with the Justice Social Link.
Now, Nanako was all excited and cheery. "Let's talk, big bro! Umm… I wanna hear about your school!"
"My school? Well…"
So Yu began to talk about various things with his cousin until it got late, which he then put Nanako to bed before going to his room to rest.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
While Yui was getting ready for bed, she got a text message from someone. Taking out her phone, she checked the message and saw that it was from Yosuke, who was asking if she wanted to hang out with him tomorrow to get their minds off of studying for a while.
"Huh." The silver-haired girl thought about it for a moment. Well, she did spend some hours studying at the library this afternoon… a break from it wouldn't hurt. She sent a text message back, saying that she'll take up his offer.
Putting her phone back near her futon, she went to sleep.
That Sunday morning, Yui got ready to go out to meet Yosuke when her phone rang. "Who is it this time…?" She took out her phone and answered in the voice she usually used when she was acting as a boy. "Hello, who is this?"
"Um, hello? This is Chie. Would you mind hanging out with me for a while today? I need to get my mind off of studying for a while…"
"Oh, Chie. I'm sorry… I have plans today."
The change in her tone was subtly noticeable, sounding a bit disappointed. "O-oh, really? That's okay, then. Bye, Yu!"
The call ended there. Yui could only sigh – she'll try to spend time with her later. For now, she's meeting Yosuke.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
…What Yu didn't expect was for Yosuke to call him and say that he was waiting in front of the house. In a quick hurry, he hid the bag that had his uncle's gift to him in one of the shelves of his study desk before he went downstairs to answer the door.
"Yosuke, you didn't tell me you were coming here…!" Yu told him, panting a bit. "Sorry, kinda had the idea pop into my mind. I've never been in your room, actually." Yosuke apologized while grinning sheepishly. Without waiting for an invitation inside, he took off his shoes and went inside. "This place's pretty small…"
"Y-Yosuke…" Yu tried to stop him as he laughed nervously.
"Oh, what about your room?" Yosuke then went towards the stairs and ran up.
"Yosuke!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yosuke pretty much barged into Yu's room, taking a look around. "Hmmm, it's pretty clean."
"Wait up, Yosuke!" The silver-haired boy ran after him into his room, panting heavily once inside. The brunet just grinned. "What are you so nervous about? Is there something you're hiding? Like… under your futon?"
Yu wiped his brow of sweat. "If you're seriously asking that, then yes. Who doesn't?"
This made Yosuke laugh. "Hahaha! Why are you acting so dignified about it? Alright, I'll check 'em out when you go take a piss of something. I'll expose your embarrassing tastes!" He was clearly having fun with himself.
"Hey! Don't you dare!" Yu blushed slightly. Thank goodness he didn't hide anything weird under it, though… just a few mementos from his past… and… crap. He forgot to remove a picture of himself when he was young with his grandmother. He needed to be careful.
The brunet was silent for a moment. "So, you ever invited a girl in here?" he asked, staring directly at his friend. Yu hesitated a bit at answering, but he had to think of how he would answer if he really was a guy… "…I will. Soon."
That felt weird to say.
His response took Yosuke by surprise. "Seriously?! That mean you're working on someone?!"
Now Yu had no idea what to say to that… but he was glad that he didn't have to as Nanako's voice took their attention. "Are you up there? Have you seen the public notice anywhere?"
The two boys looked at each other. "Nanako-chan's here? Let's let her in," Yosuke told Yu who nodded. "Okay then."
So the two of them let Nanako enter the room.
"Nanako-chan, are you free today?" Yosuke asked her with a smile. Nanako shook her head. "No, I'm going to Takeyoshi-kun's house with Miwa-chan and Yo-chan."
"A-a guy's house!?"
The little girl didn't understand why the brunet was shocked by that. "Takeyoshi-kun sits next to me. I'm going to deliver the class notice to him. Miwa-chan said she's going with me because she likes Takeyoshi-kun."
"…Because she likes him…? M-man, kids sure are mature these days… well, my first love was in kindergarten, too! I've always been ahead of my time." Yosuke frowned after that. "But, well… I don't really need that in my life right now. It's just not the time… I have something I need to do before that can happen…"
"Homework?" Oh Nanako… she's unaware of what her cousin and his friends were doing.
"No… well, maybe it is." Yosuke somewhat smiled. "You're smart, Nanako-chan!"
Nanako smiled back brightly at the compliment.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Soon, she left for her friend's house, leaving Yu and Yosuke alone in the room again. The brunet frowned again. "Nanako-chan called it 'homework'… catching the killer, ending the murders, bringing peace to the town… only we can do it, huh?" He looked at his friend with a grin. "Let's hang in there. I'm counting on you."
He was really determined to solve this mystery… Yu could sense the trust he had towards him, and while it was bringing on a heavier weight onto his shoulders, the silver-haired boy couldn't find it in his heart to refuse it.
With that, his bond with Yosuke grew closer with the Magician Social Link.
Yosuke then remembered something. "Oh, so did the notice reach you yet? The one about joining the young men's association."
"Joining… what?" Yu never heard of it.
"They were talking about having some kind of event to boost the economy. Junes is involved with it, so they're trying to rope me in. I don't have time for that… I told 'em I was busy, but they keep dogging me. I don't care about the young men's association or about boosting the economy…" Yosuke could only sigh while looking down at the carpet floor.
All of a sudden, he turned around to face the folded-up futon. "Alright, time to take a peek under the futon!"
Yu blushed again when he heard that. "Yosuke, no!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yu spent the rest of his day chatting with Yosuke after the little futon ordeal, and once it started to get dark did they say goodbye for the day. He managed to stop Yosuke from discovering what he did hide under the futon, which was something he was thankful for.
His uncle was inside again, reading newspaper… he approached him quietly. "Uncle?"
"Hm? Oh, Yu. What is it?" Dojima looked at him with a smile. Yu rubbed his own arm a little awkwardly. "I… just wanna talk. Is that okay?"
"Of course... are you that bored, though? Just take a seat."
The silver-haired boy nodded and sat on the chair across of his uncle at the dining table. Dojima set the newspaper down so they could start talking. "So… what have you been doing after school?" he asked his nephew.
Yu sheepishly smiled. "Working, actually." While he did hang out with friends, his studies and readings could count as him working to become the heir of his grandfather's company… and then there was his part-time jobs.
His uncle was pretty surprised at that, impressed even. "Oh, really…? You're pretty responsible for your age." But then he noticed how he was speaking and looked away with a sigh. "…Whoops. This is turning into an interrogation, isn't it? But it's not as if we have much in common… except for the murders."
The boy then tried to change the subject. "Well, tell me about yourself, uncle."
Dojima glanced at Yu. "About me? You're interested in the strangest things…" He shrugged, but was somewhat thankful for the change in topic anyway. "It's just what it seems. I'm a simple country detective living with my daughter. There's nothing about that to interest a high school kid…"
He then smiled at his nephew. "But you know, it really is good to have you around the house. I didn't think Nanako would be so happy… hell, I'm already tired of hearing 'big bro' this and 'big bro' that. You're more like a very young brother to me than a son. Or… a very young sister." He was a bit sheepish at that.
"Come on, that's stretching it." Yu chuckled at that.
"What?! You're saying you can see the years on my face? What a punk! Treating a regular guy like an old man…!" Dojima laughed cheerfully. He fell silent after a moment, thinking of something. "…I think it's been a while since I've laughed this much," he admitted with a wistful smile.
Yu could feel his relationship with his uncle grow deeper after being able to speak frankly with him… and soon, he felt the Hierophant Social Link become stronger as well.
The man's expression soon turned serious again. "Alright, I have to finish processing some data from work. Don't hit the sack too late, you hear?"
"I won't… good night, uncle." Yu nodded.
"'Night."
The silver-haired boy then got up from his seat to go up to his room. It wasn't until now that he remembered yet again that tomorrow was the start of his midterms… well, he better sleep early.
On the way to school that Monday, Yu noticed Chie running up to him while looking quite worried. "Morning… exams are finally starting today… real life's harsh…" she murmured. "…Have you studied for them?" The silver-haired boy then asked her.
"Can't you tell? Do I look like I'm ready?" Chie looked like she lost the world already. "…But, even once exams are over, we're not done with the case. All this depressing stuff's just gonna keep going on and on and on…"
"Come on, we'll pull through…" Yu tried to cheer her up, at least.
They won't be able to do anything until the midterms are over…
Just like that, three days of the midterms passed. Yu felt confident about his answers when he answered the written comprehensive part which was the test for today… and once that was done, the midterms were finally over. Exams were still a stressful part of high school, even if his knowledge was much better than the average student due to pressure from his training…
When school ended, he and his friends chatted a bit.
Yosuke stretched his arms, relieved that exams were finished for the time being. "It's finally over. Whewwww! What a load off! I bet every student feels like this after exams are over!"
Chie glared at him. "Hey, quiet down!" She focused back on Yukiko. "So, what did you write for number seven? The one about what 'that' referred to in the sentence."
"Um… I put 'her sorrowful expression'," Yukiko answered her.
"Oh crap, then I got it wrong! I put, 'the rice cakes on top of the table'."
"Rice cakes…? Wait, was that what the story was about…?"
The brunette sighed, slumping into her seat. "Alright, I'm giving up on composition. I'm gonna bet it all on geography!" She glanced at Yu. "What did you choose for the tallest mountain in the solar system?"
"Olympus Mons," Yu merely answered.
"Oh, seriously!? I chose the wrong one…"
"Oh, I put that one too," Yukiko told them both. Yosuke was surprised to learn that. "Whoa, you too!? Then it's probably the right answer…" He sighed. He's so going to fail this. "Boy, I can't wait for our grades to be posted out in the hall where everyone can see 'em. Geez…"
Then, a conversation between two students caught their attention.
"Hey, did you hear? A TV station's filming here in town."
"They're probably just doing more stuff about that hanging corpse case."
"No, it's not that. You know the highway nearby? They're gonna cover those biker gangs that hang around there. A friend of mine goes to the biker meetings sometimes. I heard it from him."
"Dude, what're you doing hanging out with a guy in a biker gang? Well, anyways… whaddya think about tomorrow's group blind date? We were gonna meet outside, but… it's gonna rain soon, right? Won't it be better to play it safe tomorrow too?"
Yukiko was curious at that. "Biker gang?"
The words rang a bell in Chie's head. "Oh yeah… they raise a ruckus from time to time. I guess your place is too far away to hear 'em."
Yosuke groaned. "We live right by the road. The noise can drive you insane."
"I hear some guys at this school are part of it, too."
"Yeah, I know there are some rumours about a first-year student here who's a total hellraiser. One of the guys working at Junes said the dude's been a legend ever since middle school. Although... was he in a biker gang…?"
Yukiko raised an eyebrow. "D-Did you say he was a legend?"
"Uh, it's not what you think, Yukiko…" Chie told her with a sigh.
They eventually ended their conversation and went to do their own things.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Yu went out of the classroom to notice the girl who had stormed off to confess to the guy she liked was standing near his class again. "Oh! Hey you, listen!" she called him over. "Yes?" The silver-haired boy went over to her.
"The confession! It worked! I can't believe it! I'm so happy. I'm glad I got his shoe box confused with yours." She was smiling happily. Yu smiled too. "That's good." Then the wish on that ema was finally granted. He should probably report to the fox about it someday.
The female student then recalled something. "…Oh, that's right! I need to give thanks at the Tatsuhime Shrine! My wish came true! I'll make a big offering!" She went off to do that, leaving Yu at the hallway. The boy glanced behind himself to notice Yosuke standing around. "Hey Yosuke."
"Uh, Yu! Mind if you can help me at Junes for a sec?" Yosuke said as he went over to his friend. He looked really troubled for some reason, which made Yu confused at the sight. "What's the matter?"
"No time to explain! You can help out with restocking at the grocery department. Please, partner?" The brunet was practically begging. "W-well…" Yu didn't exactly have any other plans… "…Sure, lead the way."
"Great! Come on!"
So now Yu found himself being dragged off to Junes by his friend…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The two of them went to Junes's grocery department as Yosuke's father needed some extra hands to restock the items there. While Yu was busy doing that, Yosuke continued to promote the items on sale.
"Welcome, one and all! Choice salmon, 59 yen a slice, just as advertised! And while you're at it, how about some cheese? Direct from Italy and just 298 yen for today only…" Yosuke glanced at the silver-haired boy. "Restock this shelf, too!" he told him while pointing at said shelf.
"A-alright." Yu hurried himself to do his job, running over to restock it. This kept on for a while…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Afterwards, they both hung out at the food court. Yu did get some extra money from his work, which he'll put to good use for weapons and armour later.
Yosuke was all tired after that. "Phew, I'm dead tired… they decided on the sale at the last minute, and Dad was bugging me to find helpers. I told him I didn't have time for that, but he wasn't listening." He looked at his best friend with a smile. "But hey, I'm glad you were there! Thanks."
"It's no problem." Yu shrugged, smiling too. It was actually kind of fun – he wouldn't be having any experience working in such an environment since he'll be stuck working in a company in his late future. The brunet laughed a bit. "You really are a good guy."
But of course, the mood was easily ruined at the presence of the two girls who had complained to Yosuke the other day. "Oh, Hanamura." They both approached the table, looking annoyed. "What's with the crowd today? It's way busy. If I'd known, I woulda skipped out."
Yosuke got up, trying to talk to them. "Please don't. You got a bonus for today, right?"
"Yeah, a whole 500 yen. I'm trying to save up! Gimme a raise." Ungrateful, much?
The brunet sighed. "Well… I don't think I can help you there…"
"What's the point, then?" The two girls then went away, so Yosuke sat back into his seat.
However, those two girls still stood around as they began to talk. Loudly, in fact.
"At this rate, my graduation trip'll be somewhere in Japan. Maybe I should ask my parents to pay for it."
"Why don't you find a guy to pay?"
"Haha, like Saki did?"
This caught both Yu and Yosuke's attention. The latter bit his lip in silence at the mention of his Senpai's name. The two girls just kept on talking.
"Was it last year? Saki's elopement, I mean."
"Yep. Apparently she got with a college guy who came home, and went off with him. But she came right back, saying she'd save money and leave on her own."
"Huh? You mean she was dumped?"
"Who knows… she started working here to save money, didn't she? You know us high school girls can make easy money if we really want to."
The pair continued to gossip…
Yosuke sighed and looked away. "It doesn't matter. It's just hot air. I'm not letting it get to me." He gritted his teeth. "…It's sad to be talked about like that, though." Looking at Yu, his expression turned serious. "We're the only ones who can avenge Saki-senpai… we're special. We're the only ones. So… there's no need to bother with outsiders."
Yu felt a bit sorry for him. "You're quite mature…"
The brunet chuckled sadly. "Haha… I saw the kid in me inside the TV. I felt I needed to change..." He smiled sheepishly. "I think it's good you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it this far." As he said that, he nodded firmly.
The bond between the two boys grew deeper, and so did the Magician Social Link.
Yosuke then sighed again, looking up at the sky. "What a pain." He was quiet for a moment when he noticed what he just said. "Oh, uh, not you…" he told Yu. "…I wonder what is it. I dunno…"
…They talked some more after that, before they finally went separate ways for the day.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yu decided to talk some more to his uncle for the evening, a glance from him being enough for Dojima to take the hint. He sat in his usual spot as his uncle set down the newspaper he was reading.
Dojima started the talk like usual. "I heard something at the station the other day… about… well… I heard you guys hang out at Junes pretty often."
The silver-haired boy tried to not be intimidated by his uncle's probing stare. If he knew, he would never approve of their actions.
"…Nothing wrong with that, of course. The question is… why do you make so many trips to and from the electronics department?"
Just as Dojima asked that in an interrogation-like tone, Nanako approached him. "Daaaad…"
The man tried to explain himself. "Oh, er, this isn't what you think. I'm not interrogating him…"
The little girl started to complain a little. "It's not fair. You're always talking with big bro."
"What…?" Dojima didn't expect that.
"I mean… today, you're home, but…"
"…I always talk with you."
"When is always?"
This took Yu's uncle by surprise.
"I… I wanna… talk… " Nanako rubbed her eyes sleepily as she said that. Dojima sighed. "It's bedtime for you already. Go to sleep. I'll play with you… nest time."
"…You promised." Nanako then went up to her room reluctantly. The detective looked down at the floor, thinking of what his daughter just said. "'When is always', huh…?"
Yu was a bit confused at the exchange that just happened. "Why not play with her, uncle?"
His uncle just sighed, grimacing. "…I'm busy." He was quiet for a few moments before he continued to speak. "Truth it, I mostly left raising her up to my wife… her mother…" He then looked at his nephew. "So… I don't really know how to approach her." Upon those words, he looked away again. "Plus… I'm not fit to be her family…"
The silver-haired boy frowned a bit. "…Fit or not, you're still family." At the very least, his uncle was trying… unlike his own parents.
Dojima nodded wordlessly. "…Maybe you're right." He was smiling wryly. Eventually, he looked back at Yu once more. "You think just being related by blood makes you 'family'? …That's not the case…"
"Uncle…" Yu felt like he was starting to grasp the worries his uncle carried inside himself… because of it, their relationship grew a bit deeper with the Hierophant Social Link.
"Oh… sorry. You didn't need to hear about that…" The detective apologised quietly. "Get some sleep. 'Night."
"…Goodnight." The silver-haired boy got up and went to his room. He did understand the worries his uncle had… that's how he felt with his parents. They were barely there for most of his life, just busy working everyday… he can hardly remember the last time they even spent a proper time together.
Now, it felt like his uncle and cousin were a much better family compared to his own parents.