Author's Note:

I'm sorry for the month + delay. I have been dragging my homework out for some reason, and I don't know why. It's swallowed up too much of my time for me to get this out sooner. However, I should have less of a delay on the next chapter.

/Author's Note

-...-

"AUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH H!"

"HANAM URA-SAN!"

It was dinnertime during the yearly Yasogasmi High camping trip, and everyone was eating at the picnic tables. Just about everyone, that is. Yosuke had collapsed onto his side after taking a bite of his dinner, eyes rolled up into his head. Yukiko and Chie stood over him, struck by horror. As Yui rushed to him, she noticed that he was drooling and appeared to be in a lot of pain.

"What happened?" She got a glass of water and propped her friend up.

"W-W-worms..." His head twitched as he spoke.

"Worms?"

"Mo-Mosqu..."

"Mosquitos?"

"Worms and mosquitoes?" Chie shook her head. "I don't think any fell in..."

Yukiko looked guilty. "Thank goodness... You know how food outside attracts insects... Hahahaha!"

"I don't see what's so funny..."

Yui looked at the food in front of her. It was a purplish meat sauce sitting alongside clean white rice. "Um... What is that?" She asked.

"You mean you can't tell? It's curry." Chie smiled. "Yukiko and I did our best to make it."

Yui swallowed what she was about to say next. She scanned the bustling lunch tables and sought out a specific third-year.

"Hey, Mogura-san! Get over here!" she waved.

The blind man took a while to walk over. "Yeah, what?"

Yui held out the plate of 'curry'. "Eat up."

Mogura sat down and put a spoonful in his mouth. His face instantly twisted into disgust, and he spit the gross concoction out. "PT-TAH! What the heck is this?" He found his way to the nearest trash can and tossed the plateful in. "It tastes like you mixed coffee grinds, powdered milk, oatmeal, ham, and scrambled eggs and nuked it for half an hour!"

"But we put a lot of love in it..." Yukiko muttered.

Yosuke finally sat up and coughed. "A lot of love? What the hell kind of love did you put in it?"

"Well, we did put turkey in it..." Chie coughed.

Yukiko looked down. "Lots of peppers..."

"Coffee milk..."

"Lettuce..."

Everyone looked at the pair of girls angrily.

"Haha, oops..." Chie tried to laugh.

"Anyone want to order takeout?" Yui asked.

Yosuke, Mogura, and Chie all raised their hands.

"Chie!" Yukiko glared at her sheepish friend.

"Sorry... Steak sounds really good right now..."

-...-

-Persona4-

CHAPTER 13: HAPPY CAMPERS

Courage- Daring

Knowledge- Expert

Expression- Persuasive

Understanding- Generous

Diligence- Strong

-Persona 4-

-...-

July 17, 2011

Yasogami High Camping Trip

Girl's Tent

The girls moped around in their poorly lit tent when the sun had gone down. Yui, Yukiko, and Chie had all been assigned to one slightly cramped camp.

"So... This could have gone better." Chie leaned back and sighed.

"Did you guys even think about checking a recipe?" Yui muttered. "That stuff you made was purple."

Yukiko looked distant and angry. Yui sat up on her sleeping bag and smiled sadly at her friend.

"Sorry. Even the best chefs need a recipe to make food."

Amagi ignored her and rolled over, pulling her sleeping bag over her eyes. Chie tapped the grey-haired girl on the shoulder. "She's just tired and a little angry. Let her be." she whispered.

Yukiko sat up in her sleeping bag. "I... I take a lot of pride in my cooking... maybe a bit too much... But at least the takeout was good!" She perked up.

Yui laughed. "Yeah. Who would've guessed that Aiya delivers this far out?"

"Well, they did get us on the go that one time when we were being chased by Kanji."

They chatted a little while longer and then an awkward silence fell over the tent.

Yui rolled her head around. "So... Whaddaya want to do?"

"How about truth or dare?" Chie asked.

"There's not many dares we can do in here... And there's not enough people to make it fun." Yukiko muttered.

"What about 'I never ever?'" Yui asked.

"Ooh! I know that!" Satonaka shifted. "It's when you say something strange you've done by saying 'I never ever' before saying it. Like... 'I never ever stole something.'"

Amagi looked startled. "You stole something, Chie?"

"What? N-... Well, I did steal Yosuke's bike... But he owed me for it."

"I'll start." Yui tapped her chin. "Um... I never ever broke a door."

"Well, I never ever watched six samurai movies in one sitting." Chie said proudly.

Yukiko looked down guilitly. "I never ever dropped a box filled with china plates."

"I never ever dressed up as a boy for a play."

"What?"Amagi and Satonaka were startled. Yui looked embarrassed.

"It's not that big of a deal..." She muttered. "It was a minor part. I was one of the background characters. It was in middle school anyway..."

"But how did you hide your hair?

Yukiko nodded. "Yes. You have long hair like me. How did you hide it so well?"

"Actually, I had to get a haircut. I had hair that looked like Chie's for a while afterwards."

"Wait, are you saying I look like a guy?" Chie shifted forward.

Yui shook her head quickly. "No, no. It's that my hair grew out really slowly, so it ended up kinda short for a while."

Chie seemed to accept this. "Okay, well, I never ever broke a punching bag by kicking it."

"I never ever did a photo shoot."

Chie looked in awe at her raven-haired friend. "Wow, Yukiko! You did a photo shoot?"

"That's so cool!" Yui leaned forward.

Amagi frowned. "It's not that cool. In fact, I almost told the photographer to stuff it several times." The air became tense. "He was very intrusive."

"You're really patient. I probably would've punched him." Yui said.

Chie snorted. "He would've deserved it."

They laughed and carried on.

-...-

At the boys' tent...

-...-

"Well, shit." Yosuke groaned. "First day of camp and we end up eating the terribly poisonous Mystery Food X."

"That's what we're calling it?" Mogura smirked. "Maybe we should call it 'Mystery Food XX'."

"Shut up. Just because you're immune to it doesn't mean you can gloat."

The blind boy leaned back. "Hey. Being a Persona-user has its benefits. Especially one with ailment resistance."

"Even after eating the food from Aiya's, I can still taste that crap." Yosuke growled. He turned to the colossal freshman to the right of him. "How'd the food taste on your end, Kanji?"

Tatsumi shrugged and flipped open a switchblade, which he polished with his school athletic jacket. "Not great. I coulda' used some of that takeout ya bought." He put down the knife. "By the way, thanks for letting me stay with you guys. I really appreciate it, ya know?"

"Whatever." Mogura yawned. "I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, it's fine, Kanji. Just so long as you don't, you know... Do anything." Yosuke said pointedly.

"Do anything?" Kanji blushed. "What the heck do ya mean by that?"

"Oh, come on... You know what I mean. Does the word 'Shadow' mean anything to you?"

Kanji shook his head wildly. "No, no, no! I-I'm not like that! I-I conquered my Shadow, right?"
"Please shut up, you guys. I want to sleep."

"No. I want to know that I'm safe in this tent." Yosuke crossed his arms. "Prove to me that you don't swing that way."

Kanji thought for a second, then stood up. "You know what? I will prove it."

"Now what?" Mogura sat up in his sleeping bag.

Kanji threw his jacket on the ground and cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna hit the girl's tent. Then you'll see."
Inja felt around for his blindman's staff alarmingly."What? Are you crazy?"

"Go for it, man!" Yosuke grinned. "This oughta be good."

"Don't encourage him! Kanji, you can't just go to the girl's tents! You'll be expelled!"

But Kanji wasn't listening. He broke through the tent door and headed towards the girl's camp at a full sprint. Mogura stumbled out behind him. "Kanji, wait!"

-...-

At the girls' tent...

-...-

"Dang... This is hard..." Chie tapped her chin. "Umm... I never ever made bento?"

"I remember that. It didn't taste very good." Yukiko looked down. "In fact, the principal made you throw it away about thirty seconds after you opened it."

"Huh?" Yui sat up. "What was that noise?"

"What?" Chie got to attention as well. "I don't hear anything..."

"It sounds like footsteps!" Yui said.

Yukiko nodded. "Now I hear it, too! But it sounds like somebody's yelling as well..."

"It's coming toward us!" Chie yelped, getting into a crouching defensive posture.

The footsteps grew louder and faster as time went on. Yui grabbed a flashlight, while Yukiko pulled out one of her fans.

"Alright! When it tries to come in, we launch an All-Out-Attack!" Yui whispered.

Both of the other girls nodded.

"I... LOVE... WOMEN!" A hulking figure burst into the tent.

"Now!" Yui swung her flashlight, cracking the intruder on the skull.

"Ow! Dammit!" The target clutched his head.

"It will all end here!" Yukiko landed a flurry of strikes before Yui rammed her flashlight in the enemy's solar plexus as hard as she could. With a howl of pain, the attacker collapsed on his back. However, a second set of footsteps followed the first.

"One more!"

"Let me handle this!" Chie stretched her legs. "Galactic..."

The tent door opened again, but this time the figure was shorter and thinner. "Kanji, are you alright?"

"...PUNT!" Chie swung her leg its full distance, catching the enemy right in the gut and sending him flying. There was a loud cry and a huge thump outside.

Yui turned the flashlight on and realized what had happened. Kanji lay on the floor, light cuts all over his face as he wallowed in pain.

"Um, guys, you might want to look at this..."

The other two girls gathered around the fallen boy.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko cried. "What on earth were you doing?"

Tatsumi was still disoriented. "Mrrrrp... I did it, you guys... seee?"

Chie stepped over Kanji to look at the other boy. "Mogura's out here, too!"

"Is that... Chie?" Mogura groaned. "Goddammit..."

"Yeah, it's me! What the hell were you guys doing, charging into our tent like that?" Chie was quite angry at the two boys.

"Trying... to stop... Kanji... Failed... Badly..." Mogura gasped for breath and slowly began to stand up. Yui was taking the time to drag Kanji out of the tent. He slowly began to regain his bearings.

"Wha- huh? What am I..." He sat up and looked around. "Oh... Hah!" He looked at Mogura. "Take that! Now who's weird, huh?"

"What?" Yukiko asked.

Mogura brushed off his pants."It's a long story. I'm gonna kill Yosuke when we get back to..."

"HEY!"

Everyone jumped.

"Is that Mooroka?"

"Whadda ya bruts bein' so loud fer?" Mooroka sounded even less 'together' than usual. "Ya horny lil' basturds oughtta be in bud! Sepaeraetely!"

"Shit." Mogura felt around on the ground for his staff. "Kanji, we need to get gone."

The girls had moved back into their tent.

"Wait!" Kanji grabbed at the flap opening. "Let us in!"

"What?" Chie asked. "After what you did? No way!"

"There's no time!" Kanji whispered. "Mooroka is gonna catch us!"

Yukiko turned to Yui. "What do you think? You're the leader, after all."

"Let 'em stay out there." Yui zipped the tent shut.

"WHAT?" Kanji tried to pull at the zipper, but it was no use.

"Sorry, guys. You're on your own."

"If you weren't girls, I'd..."

"I thouht I tuld yah guys to gah tuh bed!" Mooroka babbled.

"Is... Is he drunk?" Mogura was still tottering from the kick.

Kanji grabbed Mogura by the collar. "Never mind that! Let's go!"

"Come buck her, ya -hic- brats!"

Inside the tent, the girls lay in their sleeping bags and listened to the screaming and cursing. Yui shook her head and drifted off into sleep.

-...-

July 18, 2011

Yasogami High Camping Trip

Common Camp

The next morning, the girls were going down to breakfast when they heard a familiar scream. But it wasn't from Mogura or Kanji.

"Shit, shit, shit, MOVE!" An auburn and blue blur shoved Chie out of the way.

"Hey! What the hell?" Chie turned to see Yosuke running at a full sprint.

"Get back here!" Kanji brushed the other two girls aside. Yukiko yelped and tensed herself as Mogura came hurling right after the blonde delinquent. "My apologies, whoever. Yosuke, you are a dead man!"

All three girls were stunned for a second.

"Maybe we should go after them." Yui said, taking off towards the boys. Yukiko and Chie looked at each other and ran after their leader.

"Whatever. Maybe we can see Yosuke finally get his comeuppance."

"That's a harsh way to put it, Chie... But you're right." Yukiko's smile turned uncharacteristically vicious. "Maybe he'll get what's coming to him for teasing me."

Meanwhile, Yosuke had been cornered. Mogura and Kanji stood on either side of him, and there was a small cliff overhanging the river. "Uh... What's up, guys?"

They glared at him angrily.

"Look, I know I told Kanji to prove himself as a man, and I did encourage him to hit the girls' tent... But you guys brought that on yourselves!"

Hanamura tried to turn around and jump, but Kanji grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him down.

"Yeah, and you brought THIS on YOURself!" Tatsumi grabbed him by the arms and yelled. "Mogura! Grab his legs!"

"Sure."

Yosuke struggled against his captors. "Hey! Whaddaya gonna do?"

"Whaddaya think we're gonna do?"

"Please, no! I'll do anything! I'm sorry!"

"Mogura! You ready?"

"Aye!"

"Please, no! Huh?"

The two boys began to swing Yosuke back and forth like he was in a hammock.

"Ready, Kanji?"

Yui ran up to the clearing, with Yukiko and Chie right behind her.

"Ready!"

"What are you guys doing?" Yukiko looked confused.

"One!"

The grey-haired girl ran up. "Hold on!"

"Two!"

"Hey, wait!" Yosuke cried.

"THREE!"

The two boys let go of Yosuke, sending him hurling over the cliff and into the river. The auburn-haired boy realized his predicament and started waving his arms around wildly, hoping to somehow regain his coordination. "No, no, no... AUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH H!"

As Hanamura hung in the air, Mogura quipped, "I hope he doesn't land on rocks."

Thankfully, only the sound of crashing water resounded in the ears of those standing by. Sputtering and flailing around, Yosuke stood up and glared at his friends.

"Thanks, jerks! Now my camp jacket is freezing!" Yosuke began to wade toward the cliff, shaking his head like a soaked dog.

"Now there's only one more thing to do... Right, Chie?" Yui smiled, but there was a sharpness in her voice.

There was a moment of silence before Chie shifted her weight to her front foot. "Yeah..." The brunette made eye contact with the grey-haired girl, and the plan was set into play.

Suddenly, Mogura made a realization. "Kanji, move!"

"Huh? What?"

But it was too late. Kanji turned around just in time to get hit in the chest by Yui, and Mogura failed to escape Chie's push. Kanji reflexively grabbed his attacker and dragged her in as well.

"Son of a BIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-"

Yosuke looked up to see Mogura tumble on top of him. They both went underwater, followed by Kanji and Yui.

Mogura was the first to stand up before stepping aside. Yosuke burst from the water, gasping. At this point he was livid, and started pelting Mogura with punches.

"What the hell, dude? You already soaked me... What more do you want?"

Mogura grabbed Yosuke and hit him over the head with his staff. "What more? You cost me a good night's sleep! I had to sit in a tree for hours as a drunk guy yelled all around me! I could have been expelled!"

By this time, Kanji had stood up, with Yui face-to face with him. Realizing his position, Kanji jumped up and turned to the side, blushing. "S-sorry!"

Yui sighed, wrung out her hair, and made to leave the river.

"Great. You guys are idiots." She turned toward the two other boys. "Stop fighting already. It's over."

The two boys put their fists down and waded towards the cliff. All this time, Yukiko had been laughing so hard she could barely stand.

-...-

Everyone helped pick trash off the assigned hill, working almost nonstop until the sun met the horizon. The teenagers groaned and dragged themselves back to the camp. Yui was walking alone, trying to straighten out her hair, when Kanji started walking alongside her. She looked up at him, but he was looking away.

"Sup." He turned to face his senpai. "What's up with you?"

"My back hurts. How about you?"

"Not really. Listen, I want to apologize for breaking into your tent last night."

She shrugged. "Whatever. Yosuke did goad you on."

"'Whatever'? That- That's not good enough, dammit!" Kanji balked. He scratched his head and said, "I-It's not like I'm not grateful for you forgiving me, but I want you... I want you to understand that I shouldn't have done that anyway!" He blushed and looked away. "I... I need to watch what I do like that."

Yui nodded. "I forgive you anyway. We did beat you pretty badly, so I'm not gonna push it." She sighed. "But you need to work on your temper."

"How? By ignoring it when punks start pissing me off? That's just letting them walk over me!"

"No... By understanding them. If you know where they come from, you might be able to calm yourself down more easily. You can see things from their perspective."

"Tch." Kanji looked upwards, slowing down. "Man, you're really good at that."

Yui stopped. "At what?"

"Understanding people, y'know." He quit walking and looked at Yui directly. "You're like, the only girl that really understands me. It's really cool of you."

There was an awkward pause between the two.

"Wait! That's not what I- Urrgh... I just wanted to show my appreciation... No, I, uh, think you're really..." He started mumbling incomprehensively, blushing, and looking away from Yui.

"Kanji?" Yui stepped towards the blonde boy. "What do you... What do you really think of me?" Her cheeks colored slightly.

Kanji looked like he was about to blow up. "Stop- Stop lookin' at me like that! I can't think with you doing that!"

"Hey, Kanji!" Yosuke began to walk towards the pair, followed by the rest. "King Moron is pretty much out of it, so everyone thinks we're gonna have a little get-together while he's fast asleep. You two in?"

"S-Sure, why not?" Tatsumi quickly changed the topic. "I mean, we did bust ass today. Why not take a break, y'know?"

Yosuke looked perplexed, and Yukiko stepped back in shock.

"K-Kanji! Your nose is bleeding!"

"Huh?" He quickly moved to cover it, turning around and brushing past Yui. "S-See you guys at the party!"

Mogura looked even more confused than Yosuke, but Chie looked slightly impressed.

The American's eyebrow raised. "I don't get it."

Yui shoved her hands in her pockets and plodded toward the campsite. "Forget it."

-...-

July 22, 2011

After School

Shopping District

When the camping trip had come to a close, there was a huge ruckus in Inaba. Yui's phone rang.

"Hiya, Chie. What's up?"

"What's up? Hiro Kujikawa is coming back to Inaba!" Chie squealed.

Yui blinked. "Hiro... who?"

Chie balked in disbelief. "Are you completely out of touch or something? Hiro-kun is that redheaded heartthrob that sings like a dream. How do you not know him?"

"I guess I don't listen to a lot of music... But... I didn't know you were into guy singers, Chie."

"Shut up. Anyway, he's coming back to Inaba to take a break from show biz."

Yui stopped walking for a second. "Really?"

"Yeah, I heard he's gonna be a first-year at our school."
"That seems a bit young to be a heartthrob, if you ask me. What is he, fifteen?"

"But he's super cute! And like I said before, he's got the greatest voice."

Chie actually sounded really excited about his arrival. Maybe I should look into this, Yui thought. After all, he's probably gonna make a big splash when he arrives. He might be the next target.

"Alright, sure. When's he gonna arrive?"

"Supposedly he's in today, at the tofu shop his family owns. We should check it out, you know."

"Whatever. I'll go over there soon." Yui ended the call.

-...-

Kujikawa Tofu Shop

Yui came to the tofu shop, finding that Yukiko and Chie were already there. There was a small crowd of almost all girls waiting outside the tofu shop, all chattering about their favorite idol.

Yukiko turned to face Yui. "Ah! Yui-san! You came here too?" She smiled. "Isn't it great we finally get to meet such a great singer?"

"Yeah. Chie told me about it on our way here. I don't know very much about him, really. What do you know?"

"Um... I know that he's a good singer, and I listen to some of his songs... He has red hair, right?" Amagi shifted uncomfortably.

"Yukiko, you too?" Chie sighed. "He's about medium height, has short red hair, brown eyes, and is pretty thin."

Yukiko looked impressed. "Wow, Chie. I didn't know you knew so much about him. But I've never heard you listen to his music at all... So how?"

"I, uh, watch his concerts on TV, that's all. I-I do listen to his music. I do!" Satonaka looked off to the side, twirling one of the arms of her green jacket, which she had tied around her waist.

"They have televised concerts?" Yui asked. "I thought you had to pay to see singers live."

"Well, I saw him on TV once! So there!" Chie barked defensively.

Yukiko blinked in confusion. "Only once? But you said you saw lots of his concerts."

"Well, I..."

"Chie, are you sure you don't just follow him because you think he looks good?" Yui asked, putting her hands on her waist.

Satonaka held her arms tightly to her chest."NO! Wha-Whatever gave you that idea?"

"The fact that you can tell us what he looks like from memory?" Yukiko mumbled.

Before Chie began to respond, Ryotaro Dojima exited the building and started waving people away.

"Come on, come on, let's go. Just because a pop idol's family is here doesn't mean you can swarm the place. If you're not gonna buy tofu, then get outta here!" Girls started flowing away from the store, grumbling and whispering amongst themselves.

"What? We don't get to see Hiro-kun?"

"That's stupid..."

"Whatever. We can see him later."

Yui's uncle started walking toward the trio, and Satonaka began to look nervous.

She poked Yui in the ribs. "Psst... I don't know anything about tofu. Give me something to work with!"

Yui's brow wrinkled. "I dunno, ganmodoki?"

"Sure. Thanks."

Ryotaro walked up to them, a limp in his step. "Hey. Are all of you actually here to buy tofu?"

Chie burst forward, a bit too excited. "Yeah! I came to get some ganmodoki."

Yukiko stepped forward. "Ah... I simply came by to help Chie. She doesn't know much about tofu, and I buy for my family all the time."

"Yukiko!"

"But it's true... you're getting fried tofu with vegetables mixed in. That doesn't sound like something you'd normally choose."

"What? No, I'm not!...Am I?"

"That's what ganmodoki is..." Yukiko muttered.

"It is?" Chie turned to Yui. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Because it tastes good to me. And you should eat more than just meat, you know..."

"But I love meat! Don't they have meat-flavored tofu or something?"

Ryotaro sighed. "Normally, people get tofu because they don't like to eat certain types of meat."

Chie looked down, frustrated.

"You could try Mado Dofu... But you'd probably have to make it yourself, because it's Chinese." Yui scratched her chin.

"Whatever, just make sure you don't bother Hiro if you do see him." Dojima shook his head. "Oh, and while you're in there, get us something to eat, Yui. I forgot because I was stopping the flow of fangirls, and I really need to get back to the station." He shifted his weight and looked away. "Adachi's trial is coming up soon, so this stupid case might just get wrapped up."

"Wait, what about Kanji?"

Ryotaro looked startled. "Kanji?"

Yui nodded. "Kanji Tatsumi. He went missing for a few days, right?"

The detective slumped. "Knowing him, he probably just got caught up in something. He's safe now, and that's what really matters." He turned back to Yui. "Just make sure he doesn't get in any trouble, right?"

"Right." Yui smiled. "Don't work yourself too hard, Uncle."

Dojima looked distant. "I won't have to, much longer."

-...-

The girls walked into the tofu shop and looked around. Chie was glum, due to tofu's lack of meaty goodness. However, all three of them were surprised to see a familiar face at the buying counter.

"Mogura-san?" Yukiko stepped forward. "What are you doing here?"

"Buying tofu. Did you come here to do something else?"

There was a muttering as the cashier handed Mogura his change.

"Thanks." He put the coins through his hands, concentrating as if to check them.

Yui stepped toward the blind boy. "Hey, Mogura. Did you hear the news?"

"You mean the news about the teenage pop star that no female under the age of eighteen besides Aiya's delivery girl will stop talking, daydreaming, or otherwise fangirling about for a duration of more than fifteen minutes? Yes, I have heard."

The figure behind the counter stopped and turned around angrily. He shoved Mogura, making the older boy drop his change on the floor.

"Hey!" Mogura slammed his palm on the counter. "What the hell was that for?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" The voice was certainly masculine, but it was relatively soft and had a higher pitch than usual.

Suddenly, Chie grabbed Mogura by the shoulder and pulled him back. "Wait a minute..."

A redhead wearing a food worker's uniform had his teeth gritted and fists balled behind the counter.

"...You're Hiro Kujikawa, aren't you?"

The boy's expression softened a bit, but in sadness rather than calm. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

"We wanted to talk to you about something." Yui came forward and dropped some coins in Mogura's hand. "Here's that money you dropped."

"Yes." Yukiko nodded. "Lately, some strange things have been going on in Inaba lately, so we just wanted to warn you to look out for anything weird."

Hiro's fists dropped, and he fiddled with something behind the counter. "If you're talking about the Midnight Channel, it's okay. I already know about it."
All of the Investigation Team members tensed up.

"You do?" Yui asked.

"Yeah. But I don't think my soulmate wears a long black cloak and a hood." He laughed. "That would be one creepy girlfriend."

"You saw something on it?" Mogura asked. "The Midnight Channel?"

"Yeah. I watched it last night. But I didn't know what to make of it. It was too weird, you know? By the way, sorry for getting angry at you earlier. It's just..." He sank into a distracted irritation.

"Yeah. Me, too. Being an idol must be a bit of a bother sometimes. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"Anyway..." Chie leaned over the counter. "Do you sell Mado Dofu... Whatever that tofu with meat in it is?"

"Um... That depends... I don't remember if we sell that ready-to cook. I'll check."

"But you do?" Chie beamed.

"I'll look, but you'll need to cook it at home, even if we do have what you need. Just make sure it doesn't spoil, okay..."

Yui coughed. "But, seriously. We've had a lot of stuff lately, so just keep an eye out. By the way, could I get a single order for silken tofu?"

"Yeah, whatever. That detective guy said the same thing. To watch out, I mean, not for that order." Hiro had begun to move around the shop, checking labels and taking different foods out of the bins that were lined up throughout the store.

"You mean Dojima?" The gray-haired girl looked up.

"I think that's what his name was. Why?"

"He's my uncle."

"Huh." Hiro pulled together a bag and walked back toward the other four teenagers. "This'll be about 1100 yen." He handed Yui her bag. "This is 600 yen."

"Really?" Chie sighed. "Well, I guess it is a lot of ingredients..."

"You're still going to have to cook it, though." Hiro handed Chie the bag and bowed. "Have a nice day."

-...-

"That went well..." The four were walking back to the residential area, Mogura following slightly behind the three girls. Yui stood in front, and had begun the discussion.

"Yeah... We got to meet Hiro-kun and got a hint about the Midnight Channel." Chie held up her bag. "Plus, I got some tofu, too."

Yukiko looked down. "I'm surprised. I thought he would be the one to show up on the Midnight Channel, being so famous and all. But that stuff he said about a cloaked figure couldn't mean him... could it?"

Yui shrugged. "Weirder stuff has shown up. Maybe it is him and we just can't tell. After all, we haven't even seen the Midnight Channel 'live' lately."

Suddenly, rain began to drop, startling the three girls.

"I guess we'll find out, then." Chie said. "Do you guys have an umbrella?"

"No." Yui said. "I didn't think it would rain today."

"We'd better hurry, then." Yukiko said. "There are umbrellas at the Inn that you can borrow."

"Here."Yui turned around to see Mogura handing her an open umbrella.

"What? But you need an umbrella, too."

Mogura shook his head. "It's one of the ones I borrowed from the Inn, like Yukiko said. As long as we're heading there, I'll be fine."

"Well, um..."

The blind boy's face twisted in irritation. "Just take the umbrella, okay? If you don't take it, we're both- we'reall gonna get wet."

Yui took the umbrella and held it over herself and the other two girls before speaking again. "You should get under the umbrella, too."

"Huh?" Inja looked down. "Well, I-I dunno if all four of us can fit under it."

"Let's try."

Mogura blushed slightly before regaining his composure. "A-Alright."

"Will you stop gawking around and get under the umbrella already?" Chie growled. "The rain is getting heavier, and we need to go!"

"Yes, please." Yukiko said. "I'm sorry, but my shoes are almost soaked as we are."

"Well, excuse me, ladies." Mogura murmured.

They shared a very vibrant discussion on the way to the Amagi Inn.

-...-

That evening, Yui sat at the table with Dojima and Nanako. There was a kind of awkward silence as the rain pattered down on the roof outside.

"Wow! This tofu is really good!" Nanako smiled.

Yui nodded. "Yeah, it is. I don't think I've ever had tofu like this."

"That's one of the bonuses of living in a small town like this. People put a lot of time and personal work into the things they make." Dojima finished his meal and put his bowl on the table.

Suddenly, the TV blared on. "It was confirmed today that Hiro Kujikawa has, in fact, returned to his family's residence in Inaba, where they run a traditional tofu shop. The police have had to clear people out, as large crowds of his fans thronged the area after his arrival."

Nanako sat up. "Big Sis, did you get to see Hiro-kun?"

"Um... Yeah..."

"Was he as cool as everyone says he is?"
"Um..." Yui hesitated before answering. "He's very nice, but he doesn't really want to talk to people right now. He's kind of trying to rest from having to deal with his job in show business right now."

Dojima nodded. "As much as you'd like to see him, Nanako, we need to respect his privacy. You wouldn't like people to bother you all the time, would you?"

Nanako looked down. "I guess." She perked up. "But this tofu is still really good!"

-...-

Night

Yui checked to see if it was still raining, and so it was. She turned around and sat to wait until midnight clicked down. As she leaned forward, static began to buzz from the TV screen, and an image began to form, like all the other times. If she looked closely, she could make out someone's face, but the body was cloaked in all black. She squinted, and something caught her eye. The person was wearing a cap...

"A food service cap!" Yui pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the screen before her. Suddenly, the screen cut to entirely black, and then turned off entirely.

Quickly, the grey-haired girl set out a call to Chie. As soon as the call connected, she knew for sure who the victim was going to be.

"It's Hiro for sure."

"You think so too?" Satonaka sounded quite up and awake.

"No. I know so. Hiro Kujikawa is going to be the next victim."

-...-

END CHAPTER

NEXT SCENT: BREAKING AN IDOL

"C'mon, clear out already..."

"I said forget about it!

"It was definitely him.. so why would that be?"

"Something is definitely wrong!"