Author's Note:

I have a new Persona RP site set up, with the game mechanics in the process of being fine-tuned. It's not going to be my main energy output, but I'd like you guys to check it out. I kind of need betatesters. So... Yeah. Anyone interested? PM me for info.

For Persona 4 Femfiction Golden: Cleaned-up chapters, male POV, extra scenes (including romantic paths), dungeon conversations, and probably a preview for Incarno.

Ain't I just a freaking entertainment powerhouse. Thanks for the love.

/Author's Note:

-...-

"Hey, did you hear about the new first-year student?"

"Sure did. But is it legit? You know…Like how he beat up an entire biker gang?"

"Hey, asshole! That's my bike!" The leader of some delinquents stepped toward a towering figure in the lights of several motorcycles.

A blonde-haired giant wearing a shirt with a skull on it put his huge shoe up on the custom leather seat.

"Yeah, but this ain't your damn parking lot!" He growled. "You're pissing me off just being here!"

"Like hell!" The punk charged and took a swing.

"Supposedly it's true. It was like, 100-1 and he beat them nearly to death!"

"Bastard!" A pipe-carrying muscleman charged, but was sent sprawling to the ground. Another beefy guy grabbed the new challenger's arms while his friend swung a bat at the teen. The skull-wearing delinquent broke free, grabbed the bat, kicked the guy in front of him to the ground and hammered the boy behind him with the bat. Both crumpled.

"He took over the biker gang and became their boss. Apparently, the news is even sending a crew out there to interview him."

"You serious?"

As the last few gang members charged, the scowling teenager in the middle downed them all with a lead pipe.

"Take that!"

"So what's street trash like him doing in our school?" Two teenage boys were talking in the Yasogami school halls.

"I dunno, but I wish he'd high-tail it out of here."

They laughed until they saw the boy in question walking towards them, his hands in his pockets. They sulked off, and his gaze followed them before he growled and turned around. He was about to leave when someone tapped on his shoulder.

"Is this yours?"

He whipped around, and there stood Yui, holding a fluffy pink bunny keychain. Flashing red, he snatched it out of her hands. "G-gimme that!" He put it in his pocket before looking around and whispering, "T-thanks." Blushing brightly again, he turned around.

"No problem." Narukami smiled and walked away.

After Yui was gone, the boy checked for witnesses before pulling it back out to study it. Flipping it over, he brushed some dust off of its coat.

-…-

-Persona4-

CHAPTER 11: GET BENT

Courage- Daring

Knowledge- Expert

Expression- Persuasive

Understanding- Generous

Diligence- Strong

-Persona 4-

-…-

May 2, 2011

Dojima Household

Night

Nanako cheerfully snapped up her dinner. "Big Sis, isn't this fried chicken great?"

"Yeah, it is." Yui looked at the TV, where they were speaking about the Mayumi Yamano case.

"…Sources confirm the singer was indeed on tour when the murder happened. Taro Namatame, who is the man with whom she had the affair with, also has a perfect alibi. In fact, a young man named Mitsuo Kubo has confessed to be the killer…"

The phone rung, and Nanako perked up. "Maybe it's Dad!"

Yui watched the girl pop up to answer, but quickly turned her attention back to the TV.

"Although he is clearly insane, Mitsuo has not been confirmed as the killer by the police due to lack of evidence confirming his actual ability to have committed the crimes."

"Hello?" Nanako chirped. "Uh-huh? Oh…" Her face fell. "Okay. I see." She turned to Yui. ""Daddy wants to talk to you."

Yui took the phone grimly. "Hello?"

Dojima sighed and flipped some paperwork. "Yui, I'm really sorry, but one of our rookies just got sick and this case isn't gonna let up anytime soon… Feel free to lock the doors and bunker down for tonight. And… About the fourth and fifth… I won't be able to take those days off."

Yui stood up and turned away from Nanako. "But you promised Nanako! You guys were going to go to the beach, right? Isn't there someone else who could cover you?" she whispered.

"I'll check again, but they said no go the last two times… I- I need you to take care of Nanako during Golden Week." He ground his teeth. "Please. "

Yui looked down. "Alright."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

She hung up and bit her lip. "Nanako…"

"Is that you on TV?"

Yui turned around. Sure enough, pictures of her, Yosuke, Chie, and Mogura were sprawled on the screen. They shrunk to allow a profile of Yukiko to appear as well.

"Four teenage residents of Inaba have taken part in the effort of catching Kubo and recovering Yukiko Amagi from possible death. These have been identified as Yosuke Hanamura, son of the new manager of Junes, Yui Narukami, niece of Ryotaro Dojima, Chie Satonaka, long-time friend of Yukiko, and Mogura Inja, resident of the Amagi Inn and past victim. Speculation says that the teenagers used information they gained from Mogura's experience to prevent the killer's attempt."

Yui dashed forward and turned the TV off.

"Big Sis… What's going on?" Nanako looked up.

"Mitsuo ran away from Adachi, that guy Dad sometimes brings over, and the police couldn't find him. We found him in Junes, where we later found Yukiko, too. Is that good enough?"

"Oh… Okay…" She turned around. "I'm going to bed."

"Alright."

Yui watched the little girl go before collapsing in front of the TV in defeat. At least they would have Golden Week.

-…-

Margaret looked up. "Oh, I see you've returned. You've founded the Moon and Strength Social Links, as well as one more… The Hermit." She looked up. "This may sound strange, but the Hermit seems to have a special connection to you. Not romantic, mind you… Yet…" She smirked, watching the cards drift down into an open Compendium. Moving images of Ai and Kou appeared on the open pages.

Yui was not amused. "Mm-hmm."

Margaret turned back a few pages to display an image of Mogura and the Hermit card. "In fact, the Fool and the Hermit have a lot in common. They both look for their true meanings… The Fool looks to others, while the Hermit looks to himself."

"That seems a bit conceited, doesn't it? Only looking for your own opinion on things, I mean?" The grey-eyed girl looked out the window. There was nothing but fog in all directions.

"Normally, yes. But this Hermit has been pondering his whole life. He can run mental simulations of how different people would react to things. He has trained himself to be near-infallible in judgment. As it is his main resource, he needs to be able to trust it." Margaret closed the book. "And in situations where you have only yourself to look to, it helps to be able to choose wisely on your own. It may help you to know that Mogura has had to make tough choices on his own, without anyone to turn to."

"Oh, alright." Yui turned back to the other girl. "Say, where's Igor?" The main seat was unoccupied.

Margaret chuckled. "I wondered when you would notice. The master is out today… Or do you prefer it when he's not here?"

-…-

The doorbell rang. Yui was surprised to see Chie cheerfully standing outside the door.

"Hiya! I was wondering whether or not you wanted to hang out. Yukiko's coming, and I can call Yosuke if I have to."

"What about Mogura?"

Chie smirked. "Oh, Yukiko's dragging him out here for sure. Anyways, you wanna come?"

Yui looked behind her, where Nanako sat dully watching TV. "No thanks. I told my uncle I would take care of Nanako."

Chie looked past Yui. "You're Nanako-chan, right?"

The little girl looked up. "Yes?"

"I'm Chie Satonaka, one of Yui's friends. We were going to hang out, so… would you like to come with us?"

Nanko jumped up. "Really? " She stopped and looked down. "I-I mean, if Big Sis says so…"

"Sure!" Yui smiled. "Get your stuff and we'll go."

"Yay!" Nanako dashed toward her room.

Satonaka and Yui watched her go. "Thanks." Narukami said.

"Oh, it's no problem." The sporty girl shifted her weight back sheepishly. "She's a sweet girl, isn't she?"

Yui giggled. "Yeah, she is."

"So how's your uncle doing?"

"Oh… Um, Dojima is stuck at work… Par usual." She frowned. "I think he's worried about Nanako… They had something planned, but it got canceled."

"That's not good… But we're gonna make up for it today."

Nanako ran up to the door. "I'm ready, Big Sis!"

"Alright then." Yui turned to Chie. "Where are we going to again?"

Chie laughed. "Maybe Yosuke could tell you."

-…-

"Did I mention I hate paying for your crap?" Yosuke groaned as he slammed the carrying platter on the table. "I'll pay for Nanako-chan's stuff, but everybody else is paying for their own food. Especially you, Chie."

"I'll pay for Nanako-chan's food." Yui smiled. "You treated me last time, remember?"

"Don't remind me. Always cheaping out, except for whoever's new in the group." Chie muttered.

Mogura put up his hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but since when do you command how Yosuke spends his own money? And as I recall, I've had to pay for everything I get. I mean, I gave you guys the money for the iron staff. Just saying." He stood a bit off from the table, sipping from a soda and tapping his guidance staff on the ground.

"Yeah! If I want to treat someone to food, I can do it myself. Geez." Chie looked like she was going to explode.

"Ah, Mogura? Could you sit down? It's kind of distracting." Yukiko asked. "Please…"

"Oh, um, okay. Ah, where's an open chair?" He stumbled over next to Yosuke and sat down tentatively.

Everyone looked at him, and an awkward silence fell over the table.

"What?" Mogura growled. "I don't go out much."

"Um… You're Mogura-san?" The blind man turned toward the whisper. Nanako looked up at him timidly, holding up her drink as a kind of shield.

"Yes, I am. And you are?"

"...Nanako…" She squeaked. "…You're really scary in person."

Yui nearly dropped her soda. "Nanako-chan!"

Mogura waved it off. "I guess I just look kinda creepy, don't I?" He sighed. "I need to work on that."

"Nanako-chan… Mogura may look kind of scary, but he's actually really nice. Isn't that right?" Yukiko looked toward Chie for help.

"Um, yeah! He is." Chie shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't really trust Mogura at first, but I guess he's a nice guy."

"You guess. Thanks." Inja slumped angrily.

Yosuke poked Mogura in the ribs. "Don't worry, Mogura. Chie never trusts guys straight-up. She nearly took my head off when I first talked to Yukiko."

-!-

"What?"

"Now she's even trying to extort me for money…"

"Am not!"

"Oh, yeah. Meat. Sorry." He dodged a punch.

Nanako giggled. "Big Sis, do they always act like this?"

Yui laughed too. "All the time."

Yosuke sighed. "Still, it kinda sucks to be stuck at someplace as lame as Junes for Golden Week. I feel sorry for Nanako-chan."

Suddenly, the Junes theme played.

Every day's great at your Junes!

Nanako perked up and sang along. "Every day's great at your Junes! I love Junes!"

One could almost see stars flowing from Yosuke's eyes. "Nanako!" He quickly caught himself. "I mean, that's great!" Tossing his apron aside, he slumped and sighed tiredly.

"So what's going on? Are you done for the day?" Yui asked.

"Nope. I'm just on break."

"But we were supposed to go on a real trip." Nanako grumbled. "We were going to make boxed lunches and everything."

"Wow! You can make boxed lunches, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko looked genuinely impressed.

"No… But Big Sis can!"

All eyes turned toward Yui."Um… Yeah… I guess I can make some stuff…" She blushed.

Chie smiled. "You're the family cook? Pretty nice, 'Big Sis'."

"Woah, you can cook? Well, you do seem to be great with your hands- Um, never mind." Yosuke stuttered.

Yui frowned. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Well, I'm a pretty good cook too, you know…" added Chie.

Mogura shook his head. "No, you're not…"

"Probably!"

"Probably not. I can tell you're lying by hearing you talk." The blind man tapped his left ear. "And you lie pretty badly."

The sporty girl began to fume. "Says you! I-I can whip up boxed lunches easy as pie! Yeah…"

Yosuke tapped his chin. "Hmm. Let me think—Nope."

"Screw you! If you think I can't cook, then… Then why don't we have a cooking contest and I'll show you how good I am! Then you'll see!" She crossed her arms triumphantly.

"Challenge accepted." Mogura said.

Yosuke nodded. "Yeah. I don't cook, but… Somehow I feel like I'd win anyway…"

"Hehehe… I can understand that…" Yukiko chuckled.

"What?" Chie stood up violently. "Whose side are you on?"

Yui crossed her arms. "I'll join too."

Chie froze up like a statue.

"Yeah." Mogura said. "Yosuke and I can be one team, Chie and Yukiko can be another team, and Nanako can help Yui cook That gives every team about an equal chance of winning. I'm blind, Nanako has no cooking experience, Chie can't cook for shi-"

"I'm right here, you jerk!"

"…And?"

Throughout all of this, Nanako was bobbing up and down excitedly.

"Maybe we can make something on-par with your mom's cooking, Nanako!" Yosuke said.

Everything came to a screeching halt as Nanako turned her face down sadly.

"Um… Did I say something wrong?" Yosuek stuttered.

"I don't have a mom." Nanako put down her drink. "She died in a car accident."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Yosuke frantically thought of a solution.

"But it's okay…" Nanako said. "I still have Daddy… and a big sister." She blushed and looked at Yui. "I'm at Junes, and I'm having a great time!"

The teenagers were stunned at Nanako's selfless optimism.

Chie cried, "We'll play with you whenever you like, Nanako-chan!"

"We will?" Mogura asked. "Sorry, but I'm not used to keeping track of kids."

"You will be soon enough." Chie said.

"Besides, it'll be good practice for you." Yukiko added.

"Good practice? What for?" Mogura sounded confused.

"For… Um, Yui! Didn't you say there was a daycare that needed caretakers?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I signed up because I needed a job. It's just a little time after school, not much."

Mogura drummed his fingers on the table. "I'll think about it. But for right now…" He turned toward Nanako. "Nanako-chan, would you like something to eat?"

"A little." She turned to Yui. "Big Sis, do you wanna share some takoyaki?"

Yui smiled and nodded. The whole group drifted towards the food stands, and Yosuke hurriedly put his apron on.

-…-

May 5th, 2012

Mitsuo was once again sitting in the interrogation room. This time there was no television in the corner. Unfortunately, the man interviewing him was not happy at all.

"All right, you. We know you did it. So why?" Dojima slammed his left fist on the table. "Why the hell would you murder someone you didn't know at all?"

Mitsuo's normally cocky attitude melted. "Uh… Ah… Eh…"

"I want answers, dammit. I had to break a promise to my six-year-old daughter over your sorry ass! So spit it out. Why. Did. You. Do it?" He stood up and roared, "ANSWER ME!"

The teenager held up his hands protectively. "Okay!" He whimpered. "I-I did it for attention! Coming in and confessing! I-I thought I would get noticed that way!" He broke down and began sobbing. "I didn't throw anyone into TVs! Honest! Please just let me go!"

Dojima sat down. "What? Throw people into-what did you just say?"

"When Adachi sat me down, he asked me if I was the one throwing people into TVs. I said that I was, and he started to get really scared. He told me he wasn't going to let me get to the TV in the corner and escape into the TV World. I said, "Like hell you will," and pushed over the table, jumping into the TV! Then I fell into the TV World and got knocked out! Then I started feeling really weird… and-"

"Wait! Stop!" Dojima held his hand up. "You say Adachi told you this?"

Kubo nodded.

"What did he say, exactly?"

"He said, 'So you're the kid that's been pushing people into televisions and killing them?' I played along and said that I was."

Dojima thought for a second. "Stay here, and don't move a muscle. Understand?"

"Yes." Mitsuo whimpered and clutched his head, beginning to sob and apologize continuously. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Ryotaro stepped outside, locked the door, and looked around. Seeing Adachi talk to one of the Tatsumi Port Island police officers, he walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Adachi."

"Hold on- yeah, Dojima-san?"

"Mitsuo said he was faking it… that he was playing along with you… that he never threw anyone into the TV World."

Adachi was confused. "What do you mean? Of course he did… He's the murderer."

A pause, and then:

Tohru's eyes bulged. "Oh, shit." He quickly pulled out his pistol, but the officer he had been talking to hit him on the hand, making him shoot Dojima's left leg instead of chest. Then the recruit hammered Adachi in the jaw and knocked him out cold.

Dojima gritted his teeth and picked up the pistol, wincing. "Call an ambulance, dammit!"

Three other officers rushed over. Two helped Dojima, while the last one handcuffed Adachi.

"Hello? This is Sanada." The junior officer looked at the situation. "One of our officers- Dojima-san- has been shot in the leg. We need emergency medical assistance now! Yeah… The Inaba police station… Rodger that." He ended the call. "Geez. First transfer and a guy gets shot… maybe Iori was right for once."

-…-

Yui was sitting at dinner when the phone rang. Nanako stood up, but Yui said, "I'll get it." She walked over and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"This is the Dojima residence, correct?" a man's voice said on the other end.

"Yes. Yui Narukami, Dojima's niece speaking."

"I'm afraid to say that Dojima has been shot in the leg. We have the criminal in custody, the ambulance arrived a minute ago…"

Yui froze up.

"…He's on his way to medical treatment, and he's stable now. But he wants to talk to Nanako, and he's in a lot of pain. Please come to the hospital as quickly as you can."

"What? Where?"

"Big Sis? What's going on?"

Yui wrote the address down and put down the phone. "Nanko-chan, I need you to stay calm and listen to me. Your Daddy's been hurt, but he got the bad guy. He's not going to be hurt anymore, he's going to be okay, and he wants to talk to you. Okay?"

"What? Daddy…?" Nanako started crying. "Not Daddy too! Please!"

"Nanako, your dad's okay!"

"I don't want Daddy to die!"

"He's not going to die, okay?" Yui hugged her crying cousin. "We need to get to the hospital and see him."

"Promise?" Nanako sobbed, looking up at Yui.

"I promise." She led Nanako by the hand out the door and locked it before heading into the night.

-…-

They ran up to the hospital doors and into the lobby. A dark-haired nurse saw them and guided them toward Ryotaro. "You must be for Dojima. This way."

As they walked along, Nanako could hardly keep from crying. "My Daddy's going to be alright, right, Ms. Nurse?"

The nurse nodded. "Yes. The doctors have managed to take the bullet out of his leg. Thankfully, it didn't hit anything like bones or arteries, so he should be fine. In fact, it didn't hit much... It mostly grazed the side of his leg."

That seemed to calm Nanako down some.

When they came to his room, Nanako rushed towards the door, but the nurse grabbed her shoulder. "Wait. They may not have finished putting on the bandages yet. Stay here while I check."

After a bit, the nurse came back out. "He's ready to see you."

Nanako jumped up and ran into the room. Yui followed a little less quickly.

"Daddy!" Nanako cried.

Dojima looked up and sighed in relief. "Nanako!"

"Daddy! I-I thought you were really hurt! I thought…" She started crying again.

"It's alright. I'm okay now… Though I won't be able to walk for a while." He laughed. "At least now I'll be able to stay at home. The police captain said that I have time off until my leg recovers regularly. Even better, this stupid case is just about closed."

"Does that mean you're gonna have more time to play with me?" Nanako asked tentatively.

"I sure hope so." He frowned and looked around. "Oh, I got you guys some stuff for Children's Day. Not that you're a child, Yui, but, you know…I was trying to be fair." There was a plastic bag in the corner. Nanako ran over to it and brought it over. "It's a duck shirt!" She squealed. "It's so silly-looking!" Yui picked up the bag and pulled out a cheap but durable wristwatch.

Dojima shrugged. "I was gonna get you a swimsuit for summer and all, but that just didn't seem appropriate."

"Thanks anyway." She hugged Dojima. "I'm just glad you're okay."

-…-

"So how's Dojima coming along?" Chie asked. The Investigation Team had joined together for a study session. Yosuke had suggested it, but he was fast asleep.

"He's doing well. The doctors say he got lucky… He was hit in the outer thigh, so it cut through mostly muscle. They say he should be able to walk around a little bit in about a month."

Mogura sat back lazily and drummed his fingers on the table. "That's great. Now, not to be a spoilsport, but I have different stuff to study than you, so could I please get to it? Like, alone?"

"Hey, c'mon. this is a group study period!" Chie said. "Even though Yosuke looks dead."

"Huh? What was that?" Hanamura jerked up. "Wanna discuss that?"

"He looks fine to me…" Yui grinned.

"I do, don't I? I've put a lot of thought into this."

Yui rolled her eyes. "What? Actually studying instead of flunking all your classes?"

"Shh. I mean the case."

"Yosuke, isn't the case closed? I mean, both Adachi and Mitsuo are behind bars… Who else could be doing this?" Yukiko shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, at least I wanna know why the people were selected. After all, if there is another guy… Well, let's be prepared just in case." He pulled out a notebook. "Now, the first two victims were Miss Yamano and Saki Konishi. Then Mogura got kidnapped, then Yukiko."

"Wait a minute… Are we going off the theory that Adachi kidnapped Yukiko and I?" Mogura waved his hands. "Didn't the news report that Adachi was knocked out by the kidnapper?"

"Yeah…" Yukiko muttered.

"Then that means…" Yui realized something.

"You're interrupting my very logical deduction."

"Boo hoo." said Chie.

"…That means that Adachi couldn't have kidnapped Yukiko!" Yui whispered.

"Right." Mogura tapped on the table. "If he knocked Yukiko out and then himself, he would have had to remove the hanker-chief from the situation. Which is not easy when the effects are instantaneous. The police would find it on his person for sure. But they didn't. If he had thrown it into the TV, then he wouldn't have gotten very far before collapsing. But they found him across the room, sleeping like a stone. The only way he could simultaneously knock him-self out and kidnap Yukiko at the same time…"

"Is if he had an accomplice!" Yosuke cried.

Mogura popped him in the chest with a punch that was aimed for the jaw. "Thanks for stealing my thunder, Ace Detective. But yes. Sadly, this case is not closed. Mitsuo would be too damn self-obsessed to do it, for one. Besides, he was as surprised as we were to find him in the TV World."

Yukiko bristled with anxiety. "But… You mean the guy's still out there?"

Yui sighed. "we need to continue watching the Midnight Channel."

"Wait! I think I know something about the next victim!" Yosuke cried. "You see, everyone that has been killed or kidnapped so far has gotten tons of news coverage before they got kidnapped or killed. So… Maybe the next person the news are fixated on is the next victim?"

"Hey! His brain does work!" Chie poked Hanamura in the head.

"Shut up! You haven't contributed anything!"

"Hey! I came here to study! And I haven't gotten a solid minute of it…" she groaned.

"Ah! Speaking of which… Um… Mogura?" Yukiko asked. "Could you help us with English… because… umm… you know…" She began to panic.

"In case you're wondering, no, I am not offended. I've had to get help from many an English-speaking Japanese student in my time."

"Oh, right!" She blushed.

"Yui… Um… You're great with schoolwork and stuff… Could you help me?" Chie asked.

"Hey… I'm not too shabby either." Yosuke volunteered.

"Yosuke, I will ask for your help when the subject matter becomes 'Annoying People: Level One.'"

-…-

Monday-Thursday, May 9th-12

Then came exam week. For every day, Yui drilled out question after question. Chie, on the other hand, was in throes of pain, struggling to remember everything she had been studying. Yosuke fell asleep on Wednesday, and on Thursday, he flat-out didn't show up. Yukiko calmly answered questions, though not as quickly as Yui, and somewhere, a pained Mogura sat in front of a computer screen wearing headphones.

When the final bell rang, Yosuke walked in. "Ah, freedom at last."

"Where were you?" Yui asked.

"Lazing around. I was sure I would get the same grade whether I came in or not."

"I wish I was so carefree." Chie groaned.

Yukiko turned to her friends. "How did you do, Yui-san?"

"Pretty well."

-…-

"That's certainly vague!" Dojima laughed. He had his broken leg up on a pillow when they were eating dinner.

"Tonight: An interview with the new leader of Inaba's biker gangs goes horribly wrong."

Onscreen, it showed an interviewer getting shoved around by the blonde-haired boy Yui had seen earlier.

"Get bent! This ain't a freak show, dammit!" The boy picked the interviewer up by the scruff of his neck and tossed him backwards.

"Who's that?" Nanako asked.

"Ah… That's Kanji Tatsumi, a troubled teen who likes to start fights." Dojima sighed. "I know him through work. He's still pulling crap like this?" Yui looked at the television screen warily, then finished her dinner and went to her room.

-…-

Sunday, May 15th

She looked out the window. Sure enough, it was raining. Sweeping the curtains shut, Yui turned to the TV. The clock clicked down to midnight, and her television blurred on. She could make out a human figure… Her eyes widened as she realized it looked vaguely like Tatsumi.

-…-

"We hereby begin a meeting of the Special Investigation Unit for the Serial Murders and Kidnappings in Inaba." Yosuke declared proudly.

"Well, ain't that a mouthful…" Mogura laughed.

Yukiko looked around Junes. "So this is our secret headquarters?"

"Right! You're on the ball, Amagi!" Yosuke grinned.

Chie drummed her fingers on the table. "Not very 'secret,' if you ask me…"

"Moving along… About the figure on the Midnight Channel…" Yui cleared her throat. "I think it was Kanji Tatsumi."

Hanamura nodded. "Oh, definitely. I saw him wearing a jacket and everything."

"Kanji Tasumi?" Yukiko asked. "He wasn't like this when he was younger…"

"Yukiko, you know that creep?" Chie was stunned.

She nodded. "Yes, but I haven't talked to him for years." She looked down. "His family has a textile shop, and the Inn has been buying their wares for years."

"That simplifies things! Let's go check out the textile shop." Yosuke stood up.

Yukiko nodded. "Yeah… If people on the Midnight Channel are thrown into the TV…"

"…Then Kanji is next."

-…-

When they entered the textile shop, they found that Mrs. Tatsumi was talking to a short, formal youth in blue detective clothing. Even the boy's eyes and messy, short hair were blue, something Yui found odd.

"Ah, Yuki! Come in!"

The boy quickly studied the group and turned back to his conversation. "I think I will be taking my leave."

"I'm sorry I couldn't have been of more help." Mrs. Tatsumi apologized.

"Not at all. You gave me a lot to think about." As the boy walked out, he crossed gazes with Yui, giving her a cold look.

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "What was that all about?"

Mogura closed his eyes and concentrated. "…"

"Yuki! You're as beautiful as ever!'

"Oh, thank you. You're too kind." Yukiko smiled. "Uh, is Kanji home?"

"I'm afraid he hasn't come back yet."

While they continued to talk, Yui spotted something on one of the racks. It was a red scarf with snowflake-like white imprints. She walked over to it. "Hey, I think I've seen this before."

"Yeah, I think I have, too." Chie tapped her chin. "Wasn't it in that one creepy room? You know, tied up into a, you know…"

Mrs. Tatsumi looked surprised. "You were friends with Mrs. Yamano?"

"I wouldn't say friends, exactly." Yosuke scratched the back of his head.

"Mrs. Yamano had that scarf custom-ordered. It's too bad…"

A deliveryman knocked on the back door. "Delivery!"

"Okay! I'll be right there!" Mrs. Tatsumi stood up. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave for now."

"It's okay. We were just leaving anyway." Yukiko nodded.

Mogura broke his concentration. "We are?" He was dragged out by Yui.

As they came out into the street, Yosuke signaled for them to halt. "Shit! It's Kanji! Hide!"

Everyone, including Mogura, hid behind a mailbox.

"What are we doing?" He whispered.

"Who is he meeting with?" Chie asked.

Yosuke hushed them. "It's that guy we saw earlier! Be quiet!"

"So, Mr. Tatsumi… I would like to be able to talk with you later." The boy with the blue hat tipped it upward, making eye contact with his taller associate.

Kanji glanced to the side. "Uh, I guess that would be okay…"

"Would Tuesday after classes be a good time?"

'Yeah, sure, whatever."

The boy in blue nodded. "Thank you. You are a very intriguing person, Mr. Tatsumi…"

"Intriguing?" Kanji blushed.

"I will see you again." Turning around, the young man walked away.

"Oh, okay…" He waited until the boy had left. "Intriguing? But I'm a guy… and he's a guy…" Something caught his attention.

"Hey! Whaddaya doing?" Kanji screamed at the group. Everyone got up and ran, last but not leas Mogura, who had to quickly search for his staff.

He waved his fists at them. "Beat it, punks!" He glared after them. "Tch… What's their problem?"

-…-

After a bit, they stopped running. After catching her breath, Yui said, "I couldn't hear a word of what they said."

"I could…" Mogura panted. "There was something about Tuesday. Meeting on Tuesday… Geez, this uniform is hot."

Yosuke straightened up. "Right. So they're gonna meet on Tuesday. I say we stake out the textile shop and keep track of when he talks to that guy."

"Yeah. If the criminal is really after Kanji, he'll either approach him directly or at home." Yui said.

"So it's settled. That said, could I get your number, Amagi?"

"So that's what you were after!"

"No!" Yosuke snapped. "But I'm gonna need it for the case."

"That reminds me… Could you stop calling me in the middle of the night to tell me dirty jokes? You are such a perv."

"Shut up! So Yukiko, could you give me your phone number?"

Mogura waved his hands. "Wait, Chie… Pass that one by me again…"

"What? 'Yosuke's a pervert?'"

"No, no. The one before that."

"I just remembered… I have to pick up some tofu…" Yukiko muttered.

-…-

?

Adachi sat in a prison block, growling and looking around at the people around him. In front of him lay a permanent marker and a piece of paper.

"Somehow…" He picked up the pen and gripped it with both hands.

"Someday…" He began to bend it, inducing a crackling sound.

"I'll have my revenge!" Breaking the marker in half, he watched its ink spill out and cover his hands. The shards lay in front of him like a broken figure.

-…-

Tuesday, May 17th

Kanji Tatsumi found himself combing his hair in the bathroom before school ended. Pausing to contemplate what he was doing, he thought out loud, "What has gotten into me?"

-…-

The Investigation Team hovered near the gate of Yasogami High, watching and waiting for Kanji's companion to arrive.

"Look, there he is!" Chie whispered.

The blue-garbed teenager walked up to Kanji and looked around. "I'm sorry. Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, I… I just got here." Kanji said.

"Alright then. Follow me." The boy walked off, and Kanji after him.

"Alright!" Yosuke said. "Chie and I will follow those two. The three of you cover Tatsumi Textiles. Got iT/"

"What?" Chie asked.

"Let's go!" Yosuke ran after the two boys.

"W-wait!" Chie dashed after him.

-…-

Kanji was just walking along with the boy, trying to mind his own business.

"Excuse me?"

Kanji jumped, blushing at the smaller boy's sudden exclamation.

"Could I cut to the chase and ask you some questions?" The boy in blue asked.

"Oh, yeah… Sure." Extra blood drained away from Tatsumi's cheeks.

Yosuke hid behind a telephone pole and put his phone up to his ear. "Satonaka… Satonaka… Do you copy? Over."

"Yeah. The targets are conversing 50 meters in front of me. Over."

Yosuke paused to think. "Why are we positioned like this, anyway? Over." Satonaka was about five feet away from him, crouching behind a mailbox.

"Because if he saw us together, he'd get us both. Over. Jeez."

"You put 'over' in the wrong place. Plus, we're right next to each other. Over."

"Whatever. I'm getting the munchies. Over."

"Like I care! Why don't you just call delivery?"

"Delivery?" Chie blinked. "But we're not in a building."

"Don't you know Aiya delivers anywhere and everywhere?"

"What, really?" She ended the call and punched in a new number. "Heelo? I'd like an order for two nikudon, please!"

"I don't want anything!" Yosuke walked over.

Chie glared at him. "Who said I was getting anything for you? They're both for me!"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes… I'm at…"

A shadow fell over the bickering teens.

"Whaddaya doing here?" Kanji towered over them suspiciously.

Both of them froze up. Yosuke was the first to speak.

"We're just a loving couple passing by!'

"In your dreams!" Chie screamed.

"Shut up, stupid… You're killing our cover!" Yosuke whispered.

"But I don't like what I don't like!" Chie persisted.

Kanji paused and thought for a second. "Hey, haven't I seen you two around before?"

"We're not snooping!" Yosuke held up his hands.

Chie nodded. "Yeah… We don't think you guys are queer!"

Kanji blushed heavily. "Qu-QUEER?"

Yosuke poked Chie. "Run for it!" He sprinted off.

"What? You- you're too quick to run!" Chie dashed after him.

"Hey! Get back here!" Kanji screamed. "It's not like that! I swear it isn't!" He began to run after them.

-…-

SOME TIME BEFORE:

Yui and Yukiko stood on a paved staircase outside Tatsumi Textiles. Mogura was inside the shop, apparently interested in something to buy. The grey-haired girl looked at her friend. "What's wrong? You look… distracted."

"Oh? Um… I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

"About how it's so pretty out here…" She looked down.

"Is something bothering you?" Yui asked.

Yukiko blushed. "It… It's my Shadow… She… she said I was going to use Chie and Mogura to escape… And… I hate to say this… but it was kind of true. So… I feel like I owe them an apology. Especially Mogura."

"What are you going to apologize for?"

"Um… I don't know… Abusing their trust?"

"Really?" Yui smirked. "Before you do that, I think I should tell you what Mogura and Chie's Shadows were like."

"Huh? Why?"

"Clarity's sake. Chie's Shadow was scared that she was being stuck in your shadow. Metaphorically speaking."

Yukiko began to laugh. "I'm sorry… I'm making this worse… go on…"

"And Mogura's Shadow was scared that you and other people were going to abuse his blindness to get him to do things for them."

"Well… His Shadow was right… Even if I try to hide it… I still want a Prince… I want things to go easily for me as I leave my parents." She frowned. "Even if it means hurting people."

"Maybe you just need to find something better. Something you can do… Why is it you want to leave the Inn, anyway?"

"It's too restrictive…"

"How so?"

"Well… I… I can't do what I want because I have to represent the Inn at all times. If I went out with someone, the Inn would think that we were getting married."

"So you want to choose your own fate?"

"Yes. I want to be able to say what I want and go where I want."

"Well, decide what you want to say and where you want to go… Isn't the Amagi Inn Manager allowed to give orders to any other Inn employee?"

"Yes, so?"

"If you want it so badly, then you can just fire yourself, right?" Narukami smirked.

"But…" She sighed. "It seems like the Inn really needs my help… And I'm the only heir…"

"Maybe you should talk to your parents."

"Well, I don't think they care about my opinions."

"They have to. You're the only heir, remember?"

Yukiko smiled. "I usually don't talk about stuff like this with Chie… Could we talk more often? Could I have your cellphone number?"

"Sure." Yui nodded. "After all, we're going to need it for the investigation, right?"

A little while later, they had each other as contacts.

"Oh… Also…" Yukiko looked around. "Do… do you have Mogura's number?"

"Yep. Whaddaya need it for?" She winked.

"Don't give me that! For-for the investigation, of course!" Yukiko stuttered.

Yui laughed. "Sure. He's a cutie, isn't he?"

"Stop teasing me! It's not like that!" Yukiko looked embarrassed.

"Yes. Please stop teasing her."

Yui jumped and turned around. Yukiko squeaked audibly.

"You guys are doing a great job being on guard for the murderer, you know that?" Mogura gave them a vampire grin. He was carrying a plain cardboard box, presumably with something in it.

Narukami turned red. "Shut up! Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop!"

"Don't you know it's rude to talk about people behind their backs?" Mogura countered.

"Hey… Don't you just-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Chie and Yosuke came sprinting up the road.

"I'll beat you and beat you good!" Kanji howled after them. "There ain't gonna be nothing left of you!"

"Well, how about that." Yui said. "We don't have to guard here anymore."

-?-

"What?" Mogura asked.

"Let's run." Yui dashed down the steps. Yukiko followed her, and Mogura stumbled down confusedly.

-…-

"Great." Yosuke panted. "Now he's gonna get all of us!" They were high-tailing it down the streets on Inaba at breakneck speed, with Kanji hot on their heels.

"You're so dead! You're so freaking dead!" Kanji screamed.

"Hey, Chie!" Yosuke turned to the girl running beside him. "You know that line… 'I'll hold him off, while you keep going'… Here's your chance to use it!"

"I have always wanted to say that…" Chie considered.

"Don't let him fool you, Chie!" Yukiko cried.

"You know what? So have I." Mogura said. "Here, Yukiko!" He handed Yui the box.

"What? I'm Yui!"

"Same difference. Just make sure it gets to outside my room's door. Now, where is he in relation to me?"

"You're crazy! He'll crush you into dirt!"

"A little bit to your left."

"Yosuke!"

"Right!" He turned around and charged, wielding his staff. "HYAAAHHHH!" There was a crash and some cursing, and then:

"Gib me te' box! Gib me te' box!" Mogura came sprinting past, snorting and trying to cover a bloody nose. "Ib tidn't wuk at alul! He'z just muh angreh!"

"You're gonna pay for that, you- Huh?" A motorcycle roared past Kanji.

A blue-haired girl drove a small delivery motorcycle and set it on cruise control right in front of the running teenagers .Everybody that could see her gaped as she held out a dish with two bowls on it. "Thank you for your patronage. That'll be 1600 yen."

Chie dug into her pockets. "I'm sorry, do you have change?"

"What the hell?" Yosuke looked at the motorcycle slack-jawed.

"Here's 100 yen, Chie!" Yukiko pulled a coin out of her purse.

Yosuke waved her down. "Save it!"

Chie paid the driver and took the tray. "Thanks."

"Just leave the bowls." The girl accelerated and began to drive off.

"WHERE?" Yosuke screamed.

-…-

"I think we lost him." The whole Team was grouped under a bridge.

Yui collapsed. "I hope so."

"Chie… Is it good?" Yukiko turned to look at her friend. The martial artist had begun digging into her meal.

Chie sighed happily. "It's so nice and warm!"

Yosuke threw his hands up. "There's no way we're doing that again. Maybe we should just give up."

"But whut abut Knji?" Mogura coughed and put his box down.

"He can take care of himself. He's not gonna get kidnapped without a fight."

"Mogura, your nose is bleeding!" Yukiko cried.

"Nuh… Ah nebber nutuzed thut, Yukikah…" Mogura snorted.

"Let's disband. Goodnight, guys…" Yosuke walked off.

-…-

Yui sat down to watch the Midnight Channel.

As it flickered on, her eyes scrunched up in confusion. What the?

Suddenly, very seductive music began to play, and Yui could feel her cheeks redden.

"Welcome to Kanji's Bad Bad Bathhouse!" Kanji, dressed only in a towel around his waist, appeared on the screen., flexing his muscles and generally acting 'queer'.

The grey-haired girl bit her lip. Yosuke is gonna have a field day with this…

-Persona4-

NEXT SCENT: A SUSPICIOUS SAUNA

"How are we supposed to respond to that?"

"I'm going to need something more to find Kanji…"

"We're not copping out now!"

"What's wrong with doing what I want?"

-Persona4-.