A/N: Remember when I said the DRRR novel-only characters won't appear? Yeah, forget I said that. I've been wanting to include Vorona but I was worried about her characterisation on top of juggling between the already massive cast here. But as I wrote this chapter, I felt that I really wanted Vorona in here despite my worries, haha. I hope I did her justice.

With this chapter published, we have marked the end of the first story arc and will be moving on to the second in the next chapter. To give a rough idea of how long this story will be, there are three arcs in total. For more details, do check out my latest Author's Note on my writing Tumblr :)

Also, it's Izaya's birthday today! Here's to our dear informant turning 21 (again) XD

Thank you all for reading/following/favouriting/reviewing this story! :)

April 18, 2013

It was a cool and crisp Thursday morning in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo when a young woman from a line of well-known detectives, along with the manager of a famous traditional inn in a backwater town, was seen together with the son of a textiles shop owner.

The rain from the night before continued into this very morning. Not too heavily, but enough to constitute the need for an umbrella, which Naoto made sure to bring along when she left her temporary residence in Ikebukuro together with her senpai. Thereafter, they took the train to Shinjuku where Kanji was waiting with an umbrella of his own.

"Yo," he greeted. "Looks like you guys got here safely."

Naoto gave him a brisk nod. "And you, as well... That's a relief."

At that statement, the bespectacled adolescent flushed, and quickly turned his head away, folding his arms. Yukiko giggled quietly.

After the incident at the train station yesterday, the team decided that travelling in a large group would draw too much unnecessary attention to themselves and attract potential attackers again, so Souji suggested that they should all travel in pairs, at most, while they were in Ikebukuro to be safe. It appeared that gathering in an open space was the main trigger, though; when they were in Shinra's house, for instance, they hadn't been on the receiving end of any unexpected acts of violence at all. That observation made the arrangements for their temporary accommodation much easier. Kanji and Teddie would move in with Souji and Yosuke, while the girls would stay with Naoto.

Just as they had planned for that morning, Teddie continued his search for suitable entrances to the TV world while Rise went to settle her work first; Chie would be responsible for staking out a certain debt collector and Souji and Yosuke would join her after their morning lectures; while Yukiko, Kanji and Naoto were tasked to pay an informant a visit and keep a close eye on him. Finding the address of an information broker as infamous as Orihara Izaya, however, would prove to be no easy task, but thankfully his loyal courier was more than happy to give it to them.

And so here they were now, standing before the entrance of a massive skyscraper in Shinjuku where that notorious information broker lived.

"By the way, Kanji-kun..." Yukiko started as the trio entered the lift lobby. "Did you see it? The Midnight Channel... It came on last night."

"Sure did," came Kanji's swift reply as he recalled the appearance of what used to be Inaba's urban legend.

It had started drizzling after the team broke into pairs and left Kishitani-sensei's apartment, once Rise and Teddie were done scanning the area that Kishitani-sensei's television led to. When the rain didn't let up - and even became heavier - as time passed, Souji-senpai told everyone to keep their eyes peeled for the Midnight Channel. Eventually it really did show up, just as Souji-senpai said it would.

It was a very fuzzy image; the static totally warped the shapes of the two people that appeared on the programme, melding them into one distorted mass of black. Yosuke-senpai had mentioned that there was something about that image which looked really wrong, but when Souji-senpai asked him he just dismissed it as nothing important.

That aside, though... Seeing the Midnight Channel again was quite a surreal experience, after a two-year break from it. And in a way, it was comforting to see that blurred image last night. At least it meant that they still had some time left.

"Hmm..." Naoto's contemplative voice dragged Kanji back to the present, where the detective was scrutinising what appeared to be a card of sorts in her hands with Yukiko looking over her shoulder.

Confusedly, the Yasogami Third Year walked over. "Hunh? What is it?"

"This is an employee card," Naoto answered without looking up. "I heard that Orihara-san hired a secretary two years ago. This must belong to the secretary, then." She flipped the card over. "The last record dates back to the fourteenth of April..."

"Isn't that the day Yagiri-san's body was discovered?" Yukiko asked, her eyes widening slightly at the realisation.

"That's right."

Kanji frowned. "Think they might be related?"

"Perhaps." The detective placed the card back in its respective holder. "This is something we can take note of, for now. We came here to talk to Orihara-san. I believe we should settle that first."

When she saw her companions nod, Naoto turned back to face the door. She wasted no time in ringing the bell, the tune of which sounded like the popular children's TV show Neo Featherman R's theme song. It went on a loop twice before dying away, and a moment after that, the door opened.

A young man, looking in his twenties, wearing a plain, black v-neck shirt and fitting pants stood in the doorway. He had raven black hair, just like most Japanese did, and was of a rather average build. All in all, the man didn't have anything extraordinary to speak of, in terms of his appearance, with the exception of his outstanding garnet eyes which glinted like the rings on his index fingers at the sight of his guests.

"Well, well." A smirk crept its way onto the young man's face. "To what do I owe this visit from a well-known detective such as yourself, my dear Naoto-chan?"

"Nao-?!" Kanji's jaw immediately dropped at the affectionate designation.

"...Orihara-san," Naoto deadpanned, seemingly unaware of the stares she was getting from her teammates. "I hope that you are not occupied with your work at the moment."

The man, Orihara Izaya, gazed at her intently, and then nodded to himself. "It looks like you have a pressing matter to discuss with me. Well, do come in and have a seat."

"Thank you," the detective replied, stepping into the spacey apartment, followed by a slightly curious Yukiko and an oddly irritated Kanji.

While the informant had his back turned to them as he led the way in, Yukiko lightly nudged her kouhai. Silently, she glanced at him, then turned to look at Naoto, who was walking in front of them. Kanji, taking the hint, directed his attention to the detective, and was slightly surprised to find her holding up her cell phone behind her back.

The screen read: 'Please leave the talking to me.'

Before Kanji could react, Naoto quietly but swiftly flipped the phone shut and hid it in the back pocket of her jeans. "Orihara-san seems to have some work to complete," she commented, casually stealing a glance at the piles of paper on the information broker's desk. "If it's not convenient for us to be here..."

"Oh it's nothing at all. Don't mind it," Izaya replied smoothly, leading his guests to the sofa. As they took a seat and thanked him, he went to prepare three cups of tea, and then set them down in front of the group.

Naoto picked her cup up and briefly blew onto the drink before taking a silent sip. "I was unaware that Orihara-san can make such aromatic tea," she said monotonously. "Or perhaps, it was made by your secretary...?"

"Unfortunately, she's not around today," the informant answered, wearing a gleeful smile. "She has to settle a family problem, you see, so I gave her a few days off."

"How kind of you to do that," the detective replied, her voice carrying little to no trace of emotion whatsoever.

Izaya gave an amused laugh. "What a cold attitude, Naoto-chan~ Can't you at least pretend to be glad to see me? It's been a long two years since we last met, after all."

Upon hearing this, Yukiko and Kanji instantly darted surprised looks at their friend, who simply continued enjoying her tea without confirming or denying the informant's claim.

"And my, how you've grown in those two years!" Izaya continued, completely unfazed by the lack of reaction from the young detective. "Why, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought I'm speaking to your twin sister!"

Kanji's brow twitched. Yukiko frowned.

"So, how has life been for you? Do your superiors still look down on you? Even more so now that everyone knows who you really are?" Izaya shook his head in false sympathy. "I can't imagine how stifling it must be for you, Naoto-chan, to work in such a male-oriented profession."

Kanji clenched his fists. "Hey-!"

"I have to say, though, I certainly didn't expect you to reveal your little secret in the end. And at a press conference, at that. That really took me by surprise, you know." A chuckle escaped Izaya's lips. "Ahh, humans are indeed so fascinating!"

In contrast to the strange looks her comrades were giving the informant, Naoto calmly placed the cup down, appearing as if she were used to such words. "Orihara-san," she said, "while I am flattered by your comments, I would appreciate it if you could leave this until we've done what we came to do. We did not come here simply to engage you in a friendly conversation, after all."

Humming thoughtfully, the raven returned to his swivel chair. He rested his left elbow on the desk, and then his chin against the back of his left palm. "...And? You said you're here to do something? What is this 'something', then, if I may enquire?"

"...In that case, I shall go straight to the point," Naoto replied, turning to face Izaya, navy meeting auburn. "Orihara-san...your life is in danger."

"Ohh?" the informant said, his eyes gleaming. He leaned forward, keeping his gaze on the detective. "How interesting... Do tell me more."

During a usual Thursday afternoon in Ikebukuro, where the rain had been reduced to a mere drizzle, Tanaka Tom shook his head with a hand covering his face for the most unusual reason.

"That's the fifth one today... And it isn't even lunch time yet."

"...Sorry, Tom-san," Shizuo said meekly.

"No, no, it's alright. It's just..." The dreadlocked man trailed off, removing his hand to watch a hazelnut brown-haired girl in a green jacket and dark blue shorts chasing after a debtor down the street, demanding the poor, haggard man to "pay up, or else feel pain beyond belief".

Tom could only sigh in response.

Noticing his senpai's disappointment, the blond clicked his tongue and did not hesitate to toss the chestnut brown-haired boy hiding behind a nearby lamppost a glare. 'The hell aren't you doing anything to stop her?' Shizuo mouthed to the teen.

Yosuke squinted before he mouthed back, 'Are you insane? If I go over there, Satonaka'll send me flying.' He flapped his arms as if to add to that effect.

"...Coward," the former bartender muttered under his breath, clearly not impressed at the teen in the least.

"Hm? You say something, Shizuo?"

"Ah, um...nothing, Tom-san."

From seemingly out of nowhere, Vorona decided to step in, her emotionless sky blue eyes staring after the younger girl who had just knocked the debtor down to the ground. "Shall I eliminate her for you, Senpai?"

"Don't," Shizuo replied.

The young assassin tilted her head to the side slightly. "But she has been troubling Shizuo-senpai and Tanaka-senpai all this while. A nuisance like her is to be eliminated. Is that not the case?"

"Well, 'eliminate' is too strong a word..." said Tom. "And look at it this way. The people she's chased so far end up clearing their debts, so it's not all bad. Although her method is a little bit..." he paused just in time to witness Chie rolling up her sleeves while yelling at the struggling debtor, "...unorthodox, so to speak."

The Russian considered his words carefully before she nodded in an almost robotic fashion. "Understood. 'Eliminate', inappropriate. A more suitable term would be 'reform' her method, make it less unorthodox. Yes?"

"Uh, yeah, you got it." Tom raised a brow. "I guess?"

Vorona gave another nod. "I see. So I shall take it upon myself to thoroughly discipline her into using a method that will not trouble Senpai."

Blanching at his female bodyguard's suggestion, Tom looked over to Shizuo in a pleading gesture. Having a fresh high school graduate suddenly show up, tackle the escaping debtors and scare them into paying up was enough; the dreadlocked man certainly didn't want to see Vorona's idea of "disciplining" others on top of that.

Noticing his senior's mental call for help, Shizuo sighed quietly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Uh... I don't think you should do that, Vorona."

The blonde looked confused again. "Is this not the situation where the superior requires to mete out punishment for unruly behaviour?"

"Not really... It's, uh...an exception this time."

"Exception?" Vorona echoed curiously. "It is possible to apply that concept even when one clearly deserves to be disciplined?"

"Well, in this case, yeah. Like Tom-san said, she does get the money back in the end." Shizuo shrugged. "I mean, yeah, she gets in the way of our work, but it's not like she means anything bad about it."

The Russian hummed thoughtfully. "Is that so..."

"Heeeey!" a cheerful voice cut in. The group of debt collectors turned, and saw the brunette running towards them with a thick stack of bills in her hand. Behind her, the haggard debtor was scampering for the nearest hiding place he could find. "Sorry to keep you waiting! It took a while, but here," said Chie as she handed Tom the money.

The dreadlocked man accepted it with a sincere "Thank you" before routinely flipping through the notes. "You know, you, uh..." he started off awkwardly as he counted the money. "We really appreciate your help, but you don't have to chase those guys like that. We're pretty used to having people who don't pay up."

"Huh?" Chie replied. "But they should return what they borrowed, shouldn't they? And haven't they been shirking that off for a long time now? So all the more they oughtta pay back, right?"

"Negative," Vorona responded. "You may be correct, but you must also know when to apply the concept of exceptions."

Tom and Shizuo promptly turned to face the Russian, seeming rather impressed.

Chie frowned slightly. "Well, if the guy's tight on cash flow, then I understand, but those guys we saw today all have enough money on hand to pay off their debts. They've been trying to avoid paying up! Isn't that just wrong? Since they promised to pay up, they should hold onto that promise! It's only fair, after all!"

Vorona placed a finger on her chin, contemplating as she stared at the brunette.

"Yo, Satonaka," Yosuke, who was walking over, interrupted. It caused Tom and his bodyguards to redirect their attention to him instead, with Vorona watching him warily.

"Hey, what're you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be keeping a lookout from a distance?" Chie glanced at their surroundings. "And where's Seta-kun? I thought he was together with you?"

"Yeah, about that..." The brunet showed his friend the screen of his smartphone. "After he talked to Vorona-san, I realised Souji was gone, and then I got this weird text from him about some important matter he wanted to tell me in person. I'm a little worried, so I'll be heading off to find him, but...will you be okay by yourself?"

"What, me?" Chie could feel the blood rising to her cheeks and mentally fought back a light blush. "Oh c'mon, I-I'm not that pathetic. I can take care of myself and keep a close eye on Heiwajima-san at the same time, no problem! And it's not like you'd be away for long, so go on ahead!"

Yosuke gave her a smile of relief. "Great! I'll see you later, then!" When he sped off and made sure he was at a safe distance away, he added, "And don't give them any more trouble!"

The cadet's expression immediately soured at that. "What?! Who's giving anyone trouble now?!"

Tom quickly tried to calm her down. "Um...it's okay, you're not-"

"Saying that I'm troubling people when I'm helping them? Ugh, honestly! Who does he think he is?! I don't see him offering to help out!" Chie got into a fighting stance. "That's does it! I am so beating Hanamura up the next time I see him!"

The dreadlocked man nearly sighed in exasperation.

Shizuo, who had been watching the exchange unfold before him, simply stole a glance at his watch and then pocketed the little device. "Hey, isn't it lunchtime now?" he casually pointed out.

Tom and Vorona stared at him quizzically while Chie whipped her head towards him. "It is?!" the brunette gasped in excitement. "Awesome! Can we go eat now? Can we? Can we?!"

Realisation dawned upon Tom. "Oh, uh...sure, why not? It's been a tiring morning, after all."

"Alright!" Chie exclaimed. "Hey, is there a good place for steak around here? I've been dying for some steak since like, forever!"

"Affirmative," Vorona replied as the group made their way towards a nearby lunch place. "Outback Steakhouse has a branch in Ikebukuro, among their many branches in Roppongi, Shibuya, and other parts of Japan."

Chie came close to drooling. "Ooooh, that sounds good~"

"...However, it is only open from 5pm to midnight on weekdays."

"...Ehhhhhhh?"

When Yosuke arrived at the meeting place provided by Souji, he found his partner conversing with a group of strangers near an ordinary-looking van which was parked by the pavement.

Souji was talking to a man who was taller than he and wore simply - a long-sleeved shirt and pants - along with a beanie. Standing behind this tall man was a blond, dressed in a plain hoodie and jeans, as well as a young brunette donned in a black cap and one-piece dress. They, along with a light brown-haired man who was leaning against the van, were simply watching Souji exchange words with who Yosuke assumed to be their leader in silence.

Uncertain if it was appropriate for him to interrupt, Yosuke waited at the opposite pavement. It wasn't long, however, before Souji noticed his presence and called out to him.

"Oh? Is this the friend you've been talking about? The one who moved in with you?"

"Ah...yes," Souji replied the older man while Yosuke hesitantly made his way over, oblivious to the way the woman's eyes suddenly twinkled for no apparent reason. "Yosuke," he said, turning to face his friend, "this is Kadota-san. He attended the same high school as Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san, so I thought we might be able to find out more about them if we talked to him."

The man whom Souji referred to as Kadota-san frowned a little. "Well, it's not like I know them that well... You'd have better luck with Kishitani, but you guys have already asked him, huh?"

Yosuke froze. "We...didn't exactly ask him about Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san specifically... The thought didn't cross my mind," he admitted. "Um, it's nice to meet you, Kadota-san. I'm Hanamura Yosuke."

"Nice to meet you too," Kadota replied, smiling. "So you're Hanamura. We heard all about you from Seta here."

"H-huh? Really?" Yosuke turned to look at his best friend, who casted him a rather sheepish expression.

"Kyaaah!" the lady clad in black suddenly squealed. "I can't take it anymore! Ne, ne, Sou-chan, could it be that you and Yoyo are…ufufu…toget-mmf?!"

"K-Karisawa-san, you can't just ask him such a personal question like that!" pleaded the blond, who had used his hands to cover the brunette's mouth.

Resisting the urge to sigh, Kadota rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. "Sorry about that," he said to the adolescents, who shook their heads and told him that it was fine. "Ah...right. Hanamura," the man continued, addressing the brunet before indicating to the pair standing behind him. "This is Karisawa Erika, and this is Yumasaki Walker." Then he indicated to the other man who was nearest to the parked vehicle and waving at them. "And that's Togusa Saburou."

"Uh, hi there," Yosuke greeted with a wave of his own. "So...are you all friends that Souji made when he moved here?"

"Hmm, well, not exactly. The four of us frequent Russia Sushi, you see. We heard about Seta here from Simon and sometimes we'd bump into him there, too," Kadota replied. "Oh, right, you said you wanted to ask me something?"

"That's right," Souji said with a nod. "Kadota-san, we're hoping we can learn more about Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san from you, so we'll need to ask you some questions. Is that alright with you?"

Kadota gave a light shrug. "Not sure if I'd be of much help, but alright."

"Thank you very much," Souji replied with a bow; Yosuke mirrored his actions. "Well, firstly... Have you heard of any rumours concerning them recently?"

"Rumours, you say." The man folded his arms, his frown deepening. "I did hear of something, but it's not exactly... How do I put it..."

"Is it about them finding Yagiri's body?"

Kadota stared at Souji with both brows raised. Walker and Togusa did the same, though they appeared more surprised than Kadota was. Erika, too, seemed to have calmed down and was paying full attention to the conversation at hand, causing Walker to release his grip on her.

"...So you've heard about that," Kadota commented with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, word sure spreads fast..."

"Where did you hear the rumour from?" Souji continued to question.

"Are you seriously asking that? What alternate universe are you living in, Souji-kun?" Walker spoke jokingly, fishing out his clamshell phone and flipping it open, its screen revealing an image of an online discussion forum. "Practically everyone's talking about it on the Internet, you know. The four of us are members of this particular forum, so we know all about the recent happenings in Ikebukuro through it."

"Oh right... This is the city we're talking about," Yosuke pointed out, mostly to his leader. "It's not like Inaba where people gossip openly."

"But the problem is who exactly originated the rumour." Souji's reply came in the form of a cautious whisper. "Naoto said that the police had already requested the media not to spread the news, and the students of Raira Academy wouldn't dare to lest they get into trouble... If we can find out who spread the rumour first, we might be able to identify the killer."

The brunet gave it some thought before he nodded subtly. "Yeah... You're right," he whispered back.

Watching this, Kadota's brows creased, but he made no move to ask the two teenagers about what they were hiding from him. If they weren't comfortable with sharing it with him, then he should leave them be, he decided.

"Uh..." Yosuke continued from where he and Souji had left off. "We were also wondering if any of you saw some kind of...strange thing appearing on your TV screens at night. Particularly during the past two days."

Before Kadota could even think of a reply, Erika leapt in front of him with a high-pitched squeal, her eyes sparkling brightly with excitement. "Oh my gosh," her voice rose an octave and then it lowered back down, "are you talking about the official ShizuIza video clip that was released yesterday?!"

"...Huh?"

Kadota and Togusa both shook their heads and sighed while Walker hurriedly made his way over and tried to pull an ecstatic Erika aside. "I-I'm really sorry, Karisawa-san is-"

"Did you see? Did you see?!" the fujoshi exclaimed, shoving her fellow otaku away harshly. Crimson tinted her cheeks as she recalled the misty image that was shown on-screen the night before. "How they stripped themselves before the eyes of millions? The way their naked bodies moved and snaked around each other in bed? Melding into one entirety like two jigsaw puzzles coming together?! Kyaaaaah~!"

Yosuke blanched. "Y...you c-can't possibly be serious..."

"Of course I am!" Erika continued, despite Walker's efforts to seal her lips shut. "It was obviously Shizu-Shizu and Iza-Iza shown on TV last night! Declaring their undying love for each other! How could you not tell?!"

Souji blinked. "Was that what it was all about? I thought it was just the image being blur, but-"

"Dude," Yosuke was quick to answer, growing paler by the second, "don't ask."

While Souji was undeniably confused by it all, he took a mindful note of his friend's reaction and made sure not to ask any further about the matter for the rest of the time they were there with Kadota-san and the others. Much to Yosuke's - as well as Kadota, Walker and Togusa's - relief.

"...She's been in there for a long time, hasn't she? Naoto-kun, I mean."

At Yukiko's question, which shattered the silence that had enveloped them, Kanji raised his head and turned to face the door, and then he looked away solemnly. "...Yeah, she has."

Ever since Naoto showed them that message on her phone this morning, she had been acting rather strange while explaining to Orihara-san about the situation with the murder case. And when the informant spoke to her it sounded like he was on close terms with her, but in a way that really did not sit well with Kanji, and possibly Amagi-senpai as well.

Once all the explanations were done, Orihara-san even requested for Naoto to remain in the apartment, which Kanji didn't hesitate to oppose, but Naoto unexpectedly agreed to it. So while Yukiko and Kanji had been standing outside and keeping a lookout, Naoto had been in the informant's apartment all day long. It made Kanji extremely antsy, and he sent the detective countless text messages to make sure she was alright, but he didn't receive a single reply, which only served to add to his anxiety.

Kanji sighed. "Shouldn't we go in there...?" He suggested, worry and frustration evident in his tone.

The raven-haired manager fidgeted. "But Naoto-kun said she wanted to take this opportunity to ask about Orihara-san's involvement in another case... I'm not sure if-"

At that moment, the door creaked open. Stepping out from the apartment was a lethargic-looking Naoto, who heaved an exhausted sigh as she closed the door behind her and joined her teammates. "I must apologise to Amagi-senpai and Tatsumi-kun... You must have been standing here for so long..."

Yukiko shook her head. "Oh, it's okay, Naoto-kun. Please, don't apologise."

"Y-yeah, Naoto, we understand," Kanji agreed.

The detective's features pulled into a faint frown as she reached into the right pocket of her trench coat to remove her cell phone. "But... Tatsumi-kun was texting me all this time and I didn't..."

"O-oh, that?" The bespectacled teen scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed and awkward fashion. "I-it was nothin'. Really!" he added when he noticed the look of doubt that instantaneously flashed through Naoto's features. "Just... Just treat it like I had nothin' to do and felt like spammin' you, okay?"

Naoto kept her apologetic, yet inquisitive, gaze on him before she conceded and kept her phone. "Still, it was terribly rude and unbecoming of me to have you stand outside like this..."

"Um, if you don't mind telling us, Naoto-kun..." said Yukiko. "Why did it take you so long? I-I mean, we didn't mind standing out here at all, it's just...you were in there since morning. Did...did something happen?"

There was a brief moment of silence until Naoto broke it. "...No," she answered coldly. Kanji flinched at that. "No, nothing happened at all, Senpai. I simply took longer questioning a suspect than I had initially expected. Normally, such interrogation can be completed in just a matter of minutes, but Orihara-san is...unlike most suspects who try to escape conviction."

"A suspect trying to escape conviction... So Orihara-san was...?"

"Unfortunately, there's no concrete evidence to prove that he was truly involved. And interrogating him proved to be of little use, I'm afraid. I had thought that if the interrogation was prolonged, he would accidentally let slip of some crucial information... But perhaps I had underestimated him."

Yukiko nodded in understanding. "I see… So that's why..."

Kanji, however, didn't seem entirely convinced. "There's something else I don't get, though. Didn't Orihara-san say that the last time he saw you was two years ago? I mean, was that a lie or somethin'? 'Cuz you were in Inaba investigating the case back then, weren't you?"

"...Ahh," Naoto muttered. "Yes, I don't believe I've ever told the rest of you. Actually...prior to my arrival in Inaba, there was a short period of time where I lent my assistance to the local police here in Ikebukuro in investigating a particular case. There was an unusual rise in the number of residents who tried to commit suicide. The police subsequently discovered that these residents belonged to a few suicide groups that were being formed online, and these groups all came under the same administrator, who went by the alias 'Nakura'.

"The police exhausted all means and ways to track 'Nakura' down, but 'Nakura' never failed to evade them. After a few months with no leads to work on, they decided to ask my grandfather to help, but since Grampa was busy with another case, he passed it to me." A pause. "Unfortunately, even with my assistance, we were unable to apprehend 'Nakura', and eventually, the case was declared unsolved. I was...adamant, and decided to carry out the investigation by myself. And after some time, I finally managed to track 'Nakura' down." She lowered her gaze. "But...'Nakura' still managed to escape before I could even see their face. It was...disheartening, to say the least.

"It was around this time when I received news about the serial murder case in Inaba. I was reluctant to accept it, but then...well." Naoto gave a soft, nostalgic smile. "Of course, I never did give up on that 'Nakura' case, and continued looking into it when time permitted. And then a few days ago, I finally found a lead...when I read the file on Orihara Izaya-san."

"Ohh...so you suspected that Orihara-san is actually 'Nakura' after that?"

Naoto confirmed Yukiko's question with a nod.

"And when he said that he saw you two years ago... He was actually talking about that time when you nearly caught him?" asked Kanji.

"It would seem so," Naoto replied. "In fact, I wasn't even convinced myself if he was truly the 'Nakura' I had been pursuing all this while, but when Orihara-san mentioned that he had once met me...I became certain that he is the one." Then, she shook her head. "This is all simply a conjecture, however... Like I mentioned, there's no evidence to prove that he is indeed 'Nakura'. But that is not our main priority at the moment."

Kanji considered this before he nodded. "Yeah, you're right. We should be focusin' on the case we have right now."

"Agreed," said Yukiko. Then she gave Naoto a warm smile. "But regardless, thank you for sharing, Naoto-kun."

The detective smiled back. "No...I should be thanking you and Tatsumi-kun for listening."

"So...how's Orihara-san now?"

"Quite possibly asleep in his room. Before I could ask any further, he pointed out that it was late and that he wanted to get some rest...so I obliged." Naoto resisted the urge to sigh. "Well...how about you and Tatsumi-kun, Amagi-senpai? Did anyone suspicious come looking for Orihara-san?"

"None at all. Things were pretty quiet out here."

"I see... That's a relief." Naoto checked her wristwatch. "It's already midnight... I'm so sorry for making you wait this long... Um, shall we head back?"

While Yukiko nodded, Kanji hummed thoughtfully and folded his arms. "Midnight, huh? So I guess the Midnight Channel is being aired right now. I mean, since it's still raining."

"...That's a very good point, Tatsumi-kun," Naoto commented with a smile that made Kanji flush. "I think we should give Senpai a call to ascertain if-"

Pipipipi! Pipipipi! ... Pipi-

"Ah, hello? Chie?" Yukiko answered her cell, beaming and cheerful upon receiving her best friend's call. "What is it?"

Kanji and Naoto watched quietly as their senpai spoke, until Yukiko's face fell into a grave expression. "Eh...?" she murmured, her voice barely above a shaky whisper. As she slowly grew silent, a loud voice that clearly belonged to Rise could be heard coming from her cell phone.

Kanji's eyes widened. "Amagi-senpai, don't tell me...!"

At the same time, Naoto drew in a sharp breath, mentally preparing herself for her senpai to confirm everyone's suspicion.

Yukiko turned to face the pair. "Ch-Chie said...that the Midnight Channel showed a clear and vivid image tonight."

Kanji clicked his tongue and naturally mumbled a curse at the killer. Naoto, on the other hand, simply released the breath she had been holding and remained silent.

"So in the end, both of them got thrown in, huh?" Kanji grumbled.

To his and Naoto's surprise, however, Yukiko shook her head. "No...that's not it," she replied. "Only...only one of them did."

Naoto's eyes widened. "What?! But...that's..."

"That's impossible, ain't it?!" Kanji finished for the detective. "Didn't the both of 'em show up the past two nights? Doesn't that mean that both of them were targeted?!"

"I don't understand it myself..." Yukiko said regretfully.

Naoto closed her eyes. "...Understanding will have to come later." Then she reopened them with a determined frown. "Amagi-senpai...who is it?"

As Yukiko ended the call, her grip on her cell phone tightened. "It's..."

Huddled together on the sofa in the darkness of their apartment, a pair of shadows kept their eyes glued to the screen of their television set which had once again come to life for the third time that week.

A fistful of popcorn was suspended in mid-air when the screen produced a clear, distinct image - and someone they recognised stepped into the scenery.

And when words that sounded alien in that familiar someone's voice started spilling out from his very lips, the arm fell onto the sofa limply.

"...Iza-nii?"