Author Notes: The Anniversary update also coincides with the beginning of Story Arc Four. I was hoping that would lineup, and I'm pleased it went according to my plan. It is always satisfying to see things work out.
With this chapter, I want this to not only be the beginning of a new story arc, but a new overall step in the story's structure. I will continue doing a mixture of adapting the storyline while incorporating these original elements you've been seeing in the story so far. I know I've written this before, but I'll repeat it. I look forward to incorporating a mixture of these elements into the future chapters. I've even written rough draft scenes in advance to work towards. I can only hope we will see these chapters to fruition one day.
One of the biggest examples of this would be the scene in the previous chapter when Rise is talking to her grandmother. I wrote a rough draft of that scene months before I started working on that chapter. I've even written scenes for chapters that are probably quite a ways away while some might be happening before 2018 is over. Writing chapters for the future is always fun since it helps with the motivation to make them a true part of the story. Not to mention, it does give me the satisfaction that the future chapter is 'partly' complete, so it is not as daunting.
Another example would be Rei automatically assuming she isn't invited on Ryotaro and Nanako's trip during Golden Week. It was something I thought up back during 2016 that Rei would believe she isn't actually part of the 'household' or 'family'. She would automatically assume that if they ever plan family activities she isn't meant to be included. That is something I thought up about two years ago, and I'm glad that I maintained that plan.
Hope you will all enjoy the beginning of Story Arc Four. Please be sure to leave a review regarding how you feel about how this begins. It would be greatly appreciated.
/
Into the Fog
Story Arc Four – Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 21 – Next Steps
/
No clear direction
Need to make some decisions
Please do not get stuck
/
With the life of Amagi Yukiko saved and returned to the human world, the Investigation Team had succeeded in their first mission. The girl was no longer in danger of being killed by the dangers of the shadows in the TV World. When Rei and her companions would check the Midnight Channel later, they would see for themselves that the screen would be left 'blank' due to no humans being trapped there for the time being.
While news of Amagi Yukiko's sudden return, was starting to spread, it did catch the attention of a certain individual. A certain individual who's curiosity was piqued by the occurrence.
This individual sat behind his desk as three other individuals stood before him. He leaned on his elbows at the desk as he held his hands together and placed them in front of his mouth. He had been listening to what one of the other individuals had told them before he decided to speak.
"I see … So Amagi Yukiko really has returned to this world?" The man inquired once more for verification.
"Yes." Another masculine voice that sounded far younger than the other individual stated, "I saw it for myself. She was exhausted, but she was very much alive."
"Heh." The man seemed rather pleased as he leaned back on his chair. "That is excellent news. So it's just as we've been told. A new Wild Card and other Persona users have been awakened. On a little more than a year after losing the last one."
The young man nodded his head as he replied, "That would appear to be the case."
"Yeah. Excellent news." An obnoxious sounding female voice sarcastically remarked, "It only took two people dying before making any progress. I was hoping for something more exciting to happen. Why couldn't we have gotten some front row seats at least?"
The young man stated, "They do say 'three is the lucky charm' or something like that."
The obnoxious female asked, "Who the hell said that?"
"I think it was a Chinese thing or …" The young man began to say.
"Enough!" The man sitting at the desk interrupted their little chat. They stood still as the man began to speak, "We all knew that for this to happen, it would require some 'collateral' damage. After all these years, this place was the one chosen to find the true successor. I never would've imagined a small town like Inaba would end up becoming a treasure cove for such a possibility, but I'm starting to see that is really the case."
The young man inquired, "How so?"
"We've had experiments like this before, but they've yielded little 'desirable' results." The man stood up as he clarified, "I'll be cautiously optimistic, but I do believe we might be able to find someone who can be a worthy successor for Izanami-sama's."
"That might be true." The young man stated, "We've only been able to get one or maybe two candidates before. Now we actually have three this time."
"Speaking of which," The obnoxious female interjected, "We know two of the three candidates. Why don't we know who the third one is?"
The man stated, "Apparently, Izanami-sama has decided to withhold that information for the time being."
"Why would she do that?" The obnoxious female inquired.
"Most likely so we wouldn't try interfering with the conflict the three will be in." The man then surmised, "We've already seen when one of us goes rogue. His previous meddling led to the Nix Incident. I believe it goes without saying that Izanami-sama wouldn't want a repeat of that. We did lose a valuable candidate when that situation was resolved. Izanami-sama most likely wants to ensure at least one of these three will still be breathing after the game is over."
"…" The other three remained silent upon listing to the man's worlds.
After a moment of silence, the man decided to push the agenda forward by stating, "Speaking of which, now that Amagi Yukiko has been saved, we will need someone else to take her role and see the game's next stage."
"I already have someone in mind." The fourth member of the group finally spoke as he pushed himself from the wall he was leaning on. He appeared to be a well-built man, and he was wearing a uniform.
"Is that so?" The man inquired.
"Yeah." The uniformed man confidently remarked, "He'll be an easy target. I believe he's already been on TV because of his behavior, but I think giving him some fresh screen time would be for the best."
The obnoxious female grinned as she stated, "That shouldn't be a problem to pull off. Just tell me when and where. Everyone in Inaba will know who he is in a heartbeat."
"They probably already do, but I'll be sure to take you up on that." The uniformed man calmly stated, "In the meantime, I believe it might be for the best to wait for the time being."
"I agree." The leader stated, "There is no need to rush things. Timing would definitely be in our best interest." The other three waited for their leader to clarify his orders as he stated, "We'll wait until Golden Week is over, and then we'll see how all our 'Wild Cards' react."
/
Date: Tuesday, April 20th, 2011 – Lunch Time
Location: Inaba – Yasogami High School - Rooftop
It was lunch time for the students of Yasogami High School. This time Rei decided to spend her lunchtime with her fellow Investigation Team Members, Hanamura Yosuke and Satonaka Chie. She offered both of them the tofu that she had purchased from Sakoto's shop the night before. Their reactions to eating the present vastly differed.
Chie was enthusiastic about eating her tofu as she bit into it. Yosuke decided to break off a piece of his tofu and place it in his mouth.
"Gah!" It only took one second after the tofu touched his tongue before he felt himself gag in disgust. He cringed as he held what was left of the tofu in his hand, "Eww …"
"Heh." Rei chuckled as she remarked, "I guess the saying is true. You learn something new every day. Now I know not to get you tofu again."
"Ugh …" Yosuke groaned as he remarked, "Sorry. I just don't like the way it tastes. At least not like this." Yosuke cringed as he looked at the tofu in his hand, "I don't mind stuff like ramen or ganmodoki, but tofu really doesn't work for me."
"Fine by me." Rei held up her hand to Yosuke as she said, "More for Satonaka and me." Yosuke then handed over what was left of his tofu to her.
Chie swallowed her tofu as she exclaimed, "Yeah! I could eat this all day. Are you sure you're cool with paying for this?"
Rei smiled as she replied, "It's my treat."
"Heh." Chie grinned as she gratefully said, "Thanks a lot.
"Not a problem, but we have something else we need to talk about." Chie stopped eating as Rei then asked, "How was Amagi-san after you two left?"
"Mmm …" Chie swallowed her tofu before answering, "After I dropped her off, it was complete chaos, but I don't think I had ever seen them so happy. Her mom got out of bed as soon as she heard Yukiko was back."
Rei glanced away as she remarked, "That's right … the news did say she was sick."
"…" Yosuke remained silent on the sidelines.
Rei looked up as she inquired, "What exactly did you say about how you found her?"
"Don't worry." Chie casually told Rei, "I stuck with the story, but no one really cared about that. They were so focused on Yukiko's return that anything else I said was basically ignored."
"Hmm …" Rei told her companions, "Last night, my uncle and his partner said Yukiko spoke with the police. She apparently told them she can't remember anything."
Chie shrugged as she asked, "It's true isn't it? She told us herself she couldn't remember a thing."
"Yeah … I know." Rei remarked, "But they do seem to think she's hiding something. At least my uncle's partner thinks she is."
"Hmm …" Chie glanced down at Rei's remark.
"Speaking of the police," Yosuke chimed in as he said, "I think it was a good idea you didn't leave the TV world when we did."
"Huh?" That caught Rei's attention as she looked in his direction.
"Well …" Yosuke hesitantly brought up, "Junes has a few security cameras. I don't remember where they are exactly, but Junes does have them. They could've spotted the three of us when we got back from the TV World."
"Wha …" Rei's eyes widened as far as they possibly could as she put both hands on her head and she exclaimed, "Holy crap! I didn't even think about that!"
"!" Chie was taken aback by Rei's sudden action. While she had seen Rei panic before, it was still far from the usual calm demeanor. Chie's eyes followed Rei who then stood up and quickly began pacing back and forth. Chie then looked over to see that no one else seemed to be witnessing this breakdown.
"Um …" Yosuke held up his hands as he tried to assure his friend, "Calm down Narukami-san … It probably won't be a big deal …"
"Huh?" Rei stopped her pacing as she looked in Yosuke's direction, "How could it not be?" Rei grabbed Yosuke by the collar as she told him in a panicked voice, "My Uncle might try using those cameras! That's the last thing I need!"
"Well …" Yosuke hesitantly began to explain, "Since you took a few minutes, I doubt they'll notice you … Probably …"
"…" Hearing that was enough to calm Rei down as she let go of Yosuke's collar and backed away.
"Anyway," Yosuke felt more at ease as he continued his explanation, "those security camera don't store data permanently. From what I've heard, they begin rerecording over their information after a few hours if they don't notice anything weird. Since Amagi-san was returned safely, they might not have even considered going to Junes. Even if they did, it'd be a waste of time since they won't see Amagi-san anywhere before we found her. They'd be looking for her not us."
"Hmm …" Rei crossed her arms as she calmly tried to think things over before then inquiring, "I guess that's true, but wouldn't they have noticed Satonaka helping Amagi-san walk?"
"Ha!" Chie laughed off that concern as she remarked, "Yukiko was wearing a Kimono. They're hard to walk in. Nothing is going to seem strange about me helping her."
"Okay …" Rei reluctantly admitted, "I guess I can buy that …"
"You're really worried about a lot of things aren't you?" Yosuke rhetorically asked.
"Of course I am." Rei crossed her arms as she then remarked, "Anyway, how did Amagi-san seem when you were taking her back?"
"You saw how she was. She was pretty tired." Chie stated, "She seemed like she was ready to fall asleep right then and there."
"Think you can check up on her after school or something?" Rei asked.
"I probably could." Chie remarked, "I was thinking of doing it anyway."
"If you could that would be great if you do." Rei then stated, "It might be for the best if we save any further discussions for two days. We'll meet back up here Thursday at lunch. Are you two okay with that?"
Chie hesitantly replied, "Um … sure."
Yosuke shrugged as he said, "Sounds good to me."
"Okay then." Rei nodded her head as she began to step away from them, "I'll see you later." Afterwards, Rei made a beeline for the rooftop door and returned to the school.
As soon as the rooftop door was closed, Chie asked, "What was that about?"
"Mmm …" When Chie looked over to Yosuke, she could see he was looking in Rei's reaction as well. He seemed like he was observing her, before answering Chie, "I think she's got to have a lot on her mind. Let's try not to forget Chie. Narukami-san is in a very 'awkward' position to say the least. She does live with a detective. That alone can get people nervous."
"Yeah …" It didn't take much for Chie to remember that as she sorrowfully remarked, "… I guess you're right."
Yosuke crossed his arms as he remarked, "That stuff that's happened just made it worse. If any of us are gonna get in trouble for what we're doing it'll be her first. She has to do what she can to avoid her uncle's suspicions."
"…" Chie sighed, "I don't envy her. It's gotta be tough being in her position."
"Exactly." Yosuke then told Chie, "Anyway, you two really got off on the wrong foot and a lot of stuff that's happened made it worse, but I think that can be fixed."
"Hmph." Chie leaned back in her seat as she skeptically asked, "You really think so?"
"I think you've been earning her trust." Yosuke pointed out, "You kept your promise. You worked with us, and you did what she ordered you to do. All three of us were able to save Amagi-san together just like we were able to save you."
"…" Chie remained silent.
"Satonaka?" Yosuke asked.
"Yeah." Chie replied, "I get it. I get it."
"Do you really?" Yosuke raised an eyebrow as he stated, "Neither one of us will be happy if you try pulling that again."
Chie replied, "I'm not gonna do that again. I swear. I didn't do it when we went back into Yukiko's castle."
Yosuke conceded, "Yeah. I know, but it's kinda hard to forget that."
"…" Chie replied in an exasperated tone, "I promise I won't do it again."
Yosuke leaned forward as he inquired, "So you really planning on sticking with us even though we saved Amagi-san?"
"Heh …" Chie remarked, "The person who tried to kill Yukiko is still out there. Even if Yukiko is safe, there'll be plenty more like her if we don't do something." Chie put her hand on her forehead as she said, "I don't want that to happen. Not again …" Chie looked at Yosuke in the eyes as she declared, "That bastard needs to pay for everything he's done."
"…" Yosuke remained silent for a moment before agreeing, "No argument from me."
"I'll stay with you as long as Narukami doesn't try kicking me out." Chie stated, "After what happened, this is definitely my fight too. Besides, just because we saved Yukiko, that doesn't mean she's safe as long as he's around."
"Good point." Yosuke grinned as he pointed, "Since Narukami-san wants to capture him too, I guess having a common enemy can help you two get along."
Chie lacked any confidence in that assertion as she replied, "Maybe …"
"…" That did not go unnoticed by Yosuke.
Before Yosuke could say another word, the two of them could hear the sound of bells coming from the school. It was time for lunch to come to an end.
"Let's talk later." Yosuke stood up as he grudgingly stated, "We got some classes with King Moron to deal with."
"Ugh …"Chie groaned at the thought, "Don't remind me. It's only been like what a week or two, but it already feels like years or something. That guy really knows how to drain the life out of you."
"Heh." Yosuke chuckled, "You can say that again."
/
While Rei was walking in the school walls, she could overhear some of the students gossiping. There were a few that appeared to still target her and the incident she had with Konishi Saki prior to her death. However, her ears picked up on two other topics that seemed to be 'trending' just as much as her if not more.
The first topic was regarding the 'weapon incident' Hanamura Yosuke caused at the Junes food court. Rei stood near the students, but she didn't look in their direction, so she was not sure what they looked like, but she heard one student say, "I'm actually surprised that Hanamura is in school. I heard that he got arrested by the cops."
"For real?" Another student asked in shock.
"That sounds pretty messed up." A third student inquired, "What the hell did he do?"
The rumor mill student answered, "Apparently, he was swinging weapons around the Junes food court."
"Seriously?" One of the students asked in shocked, "How is he not in a cell?"
The rumor mill student replied, "I heard they let him out on a warning or something."
"That is 'really' messed up." The third student remarked, "That guy belongs behind bars for doing something like that."
Rei dug her nails into her hand and bit her lip before she moved on to her classroom. She did her best to remain silent as she continued her way down the hallway. As she was moving along, she overheard some students talking about the second subject.
"I heard they found Amagi." A female student said.
"Really? She's alive?" Another female student said in shock.
"Yep." The student confirmed, "I heard that she was randomly found somewhere in town or something like that …"
Rei decided to stop listening in on that conversation as she continued walking. It was for the best if she didn't stick out any more than her hair already caused her to. With all those other people being focused on each other, they weren't going to notice her unless she gave them reason to.
The silver haired girl couldn't hold back a sense of 'satisfaction' as she smiled while walking towards her desk. She proceeded to sit at her desk and wait a few minutes before the next class would begin.
/
After the afternoon classes began, Kinshiro Morooka, a.k.a. King Moron, spoke to the class, "All right. All right. Shut up and listen ya bunch of miscreants!" The class was silent as Morooka announced, "For those of you who haven't heard, Amagi Yukiko has been found after being missing for a few days."
No sooner did he make that announcement, he could hear a number of whispers which included, "So it was true. She really was missing," "Isn't that the kind of announcement you make at the beginning of class?", "Was she kidnapped too? Did someone save her?", and "What happened to Amagi?"
Since the whispers were not going to cease, Morooka raised and slammed his foot on the floor like a gavel and shouted, "Shut up!"
"…" The room went silent as all eyes were on him again.
The bucked tooth teacher then stated, "I've been told she'll still be out for a few days, so she can rest at home. In the meantime, I need someone to provide notes for her and someone to deliver them. They can be the same person, but they don't have to be." He then looked at one of the male students as he stated, "That's especially true for you."
Despite King Moron's attempts at trying to be intimidating, Chie immediately raised her hand and volunteered, "I'll do it!"
"Hmph." The bucked tooth teacher seemed amused by Chie as he rhetorically asked, "Why am I not surprised?" He then looked to the rest of the class as he said, "We got our delivery girl. Now who'll give Satonaka their notes?"
"Uh …" Chie felt herself unable to respond.
What the teacher said did not go unnoticed by the students as some of them said, "Oh!"
"Shut up!" Morooka reiterated, "Is there anyone willing to give Satonaka a copy of your notes."
"…" There was a silenced in the room to Morooka's chargin.
After a few moments, Rei raised her hand and said, "I'll give Satonaka a copy of my notes."
"Hmph …" Morooka looked at Rei for a moment before stating, "Very well. Then that's settled. Now moving on."
The class proceeded, but Rei looked over to see Chie whose face was looking down at her desk. She appeared to be frozen in place with her eyes glued to the desk and incapable of looking up or hearing anything else.
/
After school, they received permission from the teachers to make use of one of the copy machines in the computer room. Rei put her book and papers on the copy machine as Chie and Yosuke were there with her.
"Ugh …" Chie groaned as she shook her head. Her body leaned forward which gave her a hunchbacked appearance as she wallowed, "I really should've saw that coming …"
"Mmm …" Rei's eyes remained fixed on the copy machine as she asked aloud to the girl behind her, "Are your grades that bad?"
"Well …" Chie hesitated to answer, "… not bad per se but …"
"Yeah." Yosuke bluntly chimed in in a deadpan tone, "They're bad."
"Hey!" Chie nudged Yosuke as she attempted to protest, "I can do … okay …" Chie's normally strong voiced vailed to maintain its tone as she faltered. She lacked the ability to give a follow-up.
"Heh." Yosuke grinned as he remarked, "If barely 'passable' is 'okay', then I guess so."
"…" Chie couldn't give a comeback to that one.
Rei decided to interject, "I heard Amagi-san gets good grades. I heard she ranked first in her class last year." Rei inquired, "Haven't you ever asked her for help?"
Chie answered, "I used to …" Chie looked down as she admitted, "… That was before things got way more busy for her at the Inn for the past year or two, especially recently."
"Mmm … I see." Rei stated, "It's possible that she might be able to get more free time in the future. Maybe she can tell the Inn that she wants more time to be 'herself' or something like that."
Chie replied, "That'd be great, but I wouldn't want her to do that just so she can tutor me or something."
"Of course not." Rei rhetorically asked, "You'd just like to hang out with her again right?"
"Yeah." Chie stated, "I promised I'd become a better friend to her, and that's what I want to do. I know I could use her help, but I don't want to seem like I'm taking advantage of her." Chie reiterated, "I don't want to do that to her."
"Wouldn't she be fine with helping her friend?" Rei inquired, "Friends are supposed to help their friends aren't they?"
"Well yeah … but she's been through a lot." Chie stated, "I should just focus on being her friend right now."
"…" Yosuke remained silent as he listened to the exchange between the silver haired transfer student and the tomboy.
"Hmm … I get it …" Rei remained facing away from Chie as she offered, "In that case, I'd be willing to offer you a little help instead."
"Huh?" Chie raised an eyebrow. She didn't seem sure she heard what she thought she did.
Rei turned around and reiterated her offer, "If you want, I could help you out a little."
"Wha …" Chie appeared stunned at the unexpected offer.
Rei crossed her arms as she stated, "We can't exactly have a member of our 'Team' fail school. If you need a little help with your school work, I can help you out a little."
"Um …" Chie was still taken aback by what Rei was offering as she hesitantly replied, "Okay … Maybe I'll take you up on that."
"Fine." Rei then turned back to the copy machine to make the final copies as she said, "Just think about it. Anyway, this should do it." Rei gathered the papers and handed them to Chie. "Give Amagi-san my regards."
"Sure thing." Chie replied as she accepted the documents, "I'm sure she'll be happy to get your notes."
"You can use them too if you want." Rei pointed at the papers that Chie was holding as she told her, "I set the copy machine to make two copies. Based on what Morooka-sensei was saying, I figured you might need something too. Just look over what I wrote. If you like it, you can take me up on my offer."
"Um …" Chie was not entirely sure how to react to this as she slowly said, "… Wow … Thanks …"
"No need." Rei crossed her arms again as she told Chie, "You can save your thanks if they actually help."
"Hmm …" Chie didn't have anything to say.
Yosuke thought, "Maybe I should ask Narukami-san if she'd be up to giving me a copy of her notes too …"
Rei stated, "Be sure to ask Amagi-san if any of her memory comes back. We still have more to talk about the day after tomorrow … or maybe Friday."
"Are you sure you want to meet then?" Yosuke asked.
"Right now I do, but things can change." Rei answered, "We'll kinda have to play it by ear. I'll call you."
"Okay then …" Yosuke replied in an uncertain tone.
"Oh!" Rei grinned as she patted Yosuke's shoulder, "Before I go, it looks like I do have to thank you for one thing at least."
Yosuke raised an eyebrow as he asked, "And what's that?"
Rei had to suppress her chuckling as she told Yosuke, "Your stupidity at the Food Court is really helping me out."
"Hey!" Yosuke attempted to protest.
"What's the problem?" Rei playfully nudged Yosuke's shoulder as she happily told him, "I'm thanking you. You really helped take a weight off my shoulders."
"…" Yosuke cringed as he listened.
"Heh." Rei giddily stated, "That stunt you pulled is distracting a lot of people from me." Rei playfully nudged him again, "Way to take one for the team. Heh … Heh …" Rei couldn't keep her chuckles to herself.
"Ugh …" Yosuke groans while he placed his hand on his forehead, "This isn't going away anytime soon."
Rei bluntly stated, "Nope. Sorry Hanamura-san, but that's what happens. The best thing we can do is move along until people lose interest or another rumor grabs their attention."
"Is that really the best we can do?" Chie asked.
Rei shrugged as she stated, "Pretty much. Since rumors seem to come and go every day, it should be only a matter of time before they move on too." Rei patted Yosuke's shoulder again as she told him, "You're really turning out to be a good partner. Thanks for taking the heat off me." Rei then started to move past him as she then told him, "Later."
"Ugh …" Yosuke groaned while he placed his hand on his forehead, "That's not what I had in mind …"
"Heh. Heh." Rei chuckled as she left the room.
"?" Chie looked over to Yosuke and asked, "Partners? What exactly does that mean?"
Yosuke looked up and asked, "Huh? It means like what it sounds like. We're partners in trying to solve this case."
"Really?" Chie inquired, "That's all?"
"Yeah …" Yosuke then asked his own question, "What did you think that meant?"
"Hmm …" Chie grinned as she said, "Just curious." She held up the documents as she said, "I ought to catch the next bus and give this to Yukiko." Chie then quickly made her exit as she said, "Later."
"Hold on! Wait a minute!" Yosuke rushed after Chie and quickly caught up to her, "Did you think we were dating or something?"
"I thought it'd be strange if you were." Chie replied as she walked and talked. "But I also thought it was weird you'd say the two of you are 'partners'."
"…" Yosuke didn't say anything in response at first as he tried to think of something to say.
"I don't know." Chie shrugged, "It just makes me curious. That's all."
"Hmm …" Yosuke looked to see other students in the hallway before telling Chie, "I think it might be better if we don't talk about it here in school."
Chie picked up on what Yosuke was getting at as she looked to see the other students as well. "Oh …" Chie took a moment to suggest, "… There might not be too many at the bus stop to the Amagi Inn."
"That'll do." Yosuke replied as he followed Chie to the bus stop.
/
After arriving at the bus stop, Yosuke leaned against the nearest wall as he told Chie, "After we found out how Konishi-senpai was killed and Narukami-san saved my life, the two of us made a promise that we'd get the killer. That's how we formed this 'partnership.'"
"…" Chie looked away from Yosuke as she admitted, "I … I really did have the wrong idea …"
"I haven't known her long, but Narukami-san is a girl that'll keep her word." Yosuke stated, "If she makes you a promise, she'll do what she can. That includes helping you out with your school work. All you need to do is say yes."
"Um … I didn't think she was joking about that." Chie stated as she held the copied notes in her hand. "She's an honest person after all."
"Hmm …" Yosuke tilted his head as he figured, "You don't want to ask her do you?"
"…" Chie didn't reply right away as she took a moment. "That's not it. We just … I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable."
"Hmph." Yosuke then stated, "She's giving you an offer. I don't think it'd be a good idea to turn her down. If you did that, you'd definitely make things uncomfortable."
"Probably …" Chie shrugged.
"Okay … um …" Yosuke scratched the back of his head as he contemplated, "How about we talk about something else? How about Amagi-san?" Yosuke then asked, "Do you know what you're going to say to Amagi-san when you see her? You already apologized to her like you wanted to. Where do you plan on going from there?" Yosuke inquired.
"Mmm …" Chie admitted, "Haven't really thought that far ahead. I wasn't entirely sure we'd even make it out of there alive … Heh … Heh …"
"…" Yosuke remained silent as Chie bitterly chuckled.
"What both our shadows said is still pretty fresh in my mind …" Chie admitted, "To be honest, I'm still not completely over them …" Chie looked up to the sky as she stated, "I guess I'll just try taking it one step at a time and 'playing it by ear'."
"Heh …" Yosuke stated, "I guess that's as good an answer as any." Yosuke put his hands on his hips as he assured Chie, "I get that you really don't want to talk about it. I didn't either but you heard what your and Amagi-san's Shadows were saying. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what you need to do. I'm sure you'll think of something."
Chie grinned as she told Yosuke, "Well you're more confident in me than I am."
Yosuke stated, "Let's just say you and I both get how it feels when a Shadow really brings you down, but it does make you think about things. A lot of things."
"Well …" Chie looked down as she hesitantly admitted, "… you're right about that." ,
"…" Yosuke remained silent.
"Anyway, I don't think I'll be able to talk to Yukiko much today." Chie explained, "Call it a hunch, but something tells me I might not be able to say too much to her. She was pretty tired."
"Yeah …" Yosuke stated, "She was in there a lot longer than any of us."
"Let's think of it this way." Chie grinned, "This'll buy me more time to think things over."
Yosuke shrugged, "If that works, it works."
"Speaking of Shadows, there is one thing I'd like to clarify," Chie had Youske's attention when she asked, "When you told me Narukami saved you from a big monster, your Shadow was that type of monster you meant right?"
"…" Yosuke hesitantly admitted, "… Yeah. That was the monster."
Chie asked once more for clarification, "Your Shadow was the monster?"
"Yeah." Yosuke nodded his head as he reluctantly told Chie, "I did the same thing you did and rejected it. When it became bigger I couldn't do a thing. Narukami-san and Teddie had to save me. It was only after Rei took it down and I accepted it that I got my powers just like you did."
"Well, well." Chie crossed her arms as she looked at Yosuke with narrowed eyes, "You skipped out quite a few details when you first told me the story."
"So?" Yosuke shot back, "Would you have believed me if I told you?
"I …" Chie looked down as she couldn't come up with an answer.
Yosuke then followed up with, "Do you think I'd want you to know about my inner Shadow? I wasn't going to tell anyone about that? I didn't think you'd end up having to face a Shadow of your own."
"…" Chie remained silent as she contemplated Yosuke's words.
"I wasn't proud of what happened that day, but I'm glad I got through it." Yosuke then ended with, "Just like you."
"Hmm …" Chie then inquired, "… since I know about it now, what did your shadow say?"
Yosuke immediately replied, "Not telling."
"Oh come on!" Chie indignantly pointed out, "You heard what my Shadow said."
"Heh." Yosuke shrugged, "Not my fault. You ran out ahead on your own."
"Come on!" Chie remained insistent, "Give me something!"
"Nope." Yosuke turned and began walking away as he held up his hand, "I'm taking it with me to my grave. Later."
"Ugh …" Chie groaned as she waited for the next bus to take her to the Amagi Inn.
/
After the end of football practice, Rei was once again left to clean up the field by the other girls. Luckily for her, Ehibara Ai was around, and she decided to help Rei with the cleanup duty again. A few minutes later, they were joined by the fellow athlete, Kou and Daisuke. Having the three of them would make cleaning up the remainder of the field a simple task.
While Kou was picking up the cones, Kou commented, "Those girls really have it out for you don't they?"
Rei slowly answered, "I guess …"
"What the hell is wrong with them?" Daisuke bitterly remarked, "How can they be so mean to you? You haven't done anything to them right?"
"Not to them." Rei answered.
"Hmm?" Daisuke raised an eyebrow at Rei's question.
Ai bitterly told Daisuke and Kou, "Those other girls are friends with Konishi Saki-senpai."
Kou's eyes widened slightly upon hearing that as he softly replied, "Oh …"
"What?" Daisuke bluntly asked, "Why the hell should that matter?"
Ai replied, "It shouldn't."
"Damn right it shouldn't!" Daisuke closed his right fist as he angrily stated, "It's not like you had anything to do with what happened to Konishi-senpai right Narukami-san? You just had the argument with her right?"
"…" Rei took a moment to reply, "That was all it was."
"See!" Daisuke passionately stated, "Those idiots shouldn't be treating you like this! We should do something about it!"
"We've been over this." Ai reminded Daisuke, "We can't do anything about those third years."
"But …" Daisuke attempted to protest.
"Enough." Ai calmly stated, "We can help out New Girl by cleaning up the field. You said you wanted to help right?"
Daisuke nodded, "Of course."
"Then let's try finishing this up then!" Ai attempted to fire things up by telling the group, "Helping out New Girl should piss off those third years! So let's get this done!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Daisuke seemed like a soldier following orders as he continued with the cleanup.
"…" Kou couldn't help but look amused on the sidelines. He said in disbelief, "Holy crap … Look at him go."
"Heh." Ai commented, "I bet the football team loves having him around."
"Like you wouldn't believe." Kou chuckled.
/
In no time at all, Rei, Ai, Kou, and Daisuke had managed to gather all of the equipment outside of the shed. As Rei was opening the shed, Kou couldn't help his curiosity, "You know … I'm not thrilled about how those girls have been treating, but one of those nasty rumors say that you did have a fight with Konishi-senpai?"
"…" Rei was looking away when she lightly bit her lip before softly confirming, "… Yes."
Kou then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly was that fight about?"
"Um …" Rei scratched the back of her head.
While Rei hesitated, Ai stepped in and told Kou in a firm tone, "You do realize that New Girl doesn't need to answer your question, right?"
"I know. I was just curious …" Kou protested defensively.
"No, no." Rei spoke up, "it's okay. Might as well tell you guys my side of the story …" Rei glanced down as she spoke.
Daisuke said, "You don't have to if you don't want to."
"That's right." Ai concurred.
"No," Rei assured them, "its fine."
"…" The others remained silent as they let Rei begin her story.
"You know it was kinda fast when it happened. I was also kinda pissed too." Rei decided to give the short version of the story, "When I was in the Central Shopping District, Konishi-senpai talked to me. She said a lot of bad things about Hanamura-san." Rei calmly explained, "It got me super pissed that she was trash talking someone who was trying to be nice to her, so I let her have it."
Ai then bluntly summed it up, "So basically you were standing up for your friend against a bully who was bad mouthing him?"
"Mmm …" Rei crossed her arms as she answered, "Not exactly. Hanamura-san and I weren't exactly 'friends' yet. I just pulled him out of a trash can and he did me a favor, but he was pretty friendly with me. What Konishi-senpai was saying about him was pretty mean and unfair. She was really taking advantage of him."
"A trash can?" Daisuke turned his attention back to Rei as he inquired in disbelief, "Hanamura crashed into a trash can?"
"That actually happened?" Kou also asked in disbelief.
"Hmph." Ai seemed amused by this as she said, "I heard that Hanamura was crappy at riding his bike, but he crashed into a trash can?"
Rei's cheeks puffed up. She appeared to be having a hard time stopping herself from laughing at the memory as she answered, "And he landed head first."
"Heh. Heh." Ai chuckled, "Holy crap. I wish I could've seen that."
Rei grinned as she remarked, "Maybe you will if you're in the right place."
"True." Ai laughed the thought as she remarked, "I heard he's a major klutz."
"Understatement." Rei stated with a grin.
Daisuke and Kou joined in on the laughter. While all four of them were laughing at Yosuke's expense, the student in question sneezed on his way home from school. He couldn't help but wonder if people were talking about him.
"So let me get this straight." Daisuke then inquired, "You were standing up to a bully for someone who wasn't exactly a friend yet? Is that right?"
Rei shrugged, "More or less."
"Hmph." Ai bluntly stated, "Sounds a little stupid if you ask me."
Rei lost composure almost immediately as she shouted, "Hey!"
"Ebihara!" Both Kou and Daisuke said in unison.
Ai did not back down as she shrugged her shoulders while stating, "Sorry, but that's how it sounds to me." Ai then asked, "What good did confronting her do for you? Look what's happened."
"…" Neither Daisuke nor Kou could offer a rebuttal as they glanced at each other.
"I was …" Rei took a moment to think of what she was going to say next, "I couldn't just let her get away with badmouthing Hanamura-san. She was … really nasty." Rei then countered, "You weren't there when it happened."
"You're right. I wasn't there, but I still don't see what good it did you." Ai pointed out, "You put yourself on public display and now there are rumors about you."
"It's nothing I can't handle." Rei crossed her arms, "It's annoying, but I don't care that much." Rei glanced to the side as she remarked, "I've handled rumors before."
"Hmph." Ai appeared rather amused. She grinned before saying, "Figured you'd say something like that. In that case, you can look on the bright side."
Rei raised an eyebrow and asked, "Bright side?"
"When you did something stupid, you did it to be a good person." There was an odd sincerity in her words as she told Rei, "I've seen people do some dumb things for worse and dumber reasons. You can think of yourself being the 'Best of the Dumb'."
"Gee. Thanks." Rei sarcastically remarked which resulted in the both of them chuckling with Kou and Daisuke joining in.
"You know New Girl, speaking of stupid things," Ai inquired, "I heard Hanamura got himself arrested the other day. Was that true?"
Daisuke interjected, "Yeah. I heard that too."
"Yep. It's true." Rei explained, "He thought it'd be a good idea to bring weapons to the Junes Food Court to show off to me."
"Seriously?" Kou asked in disbelief, "What kind of idiot does that?"
Rei shrugged, "You're asking the wrong person."
"Um …" Daisuke decided to ask, "You don't think he was trying to impress you with those weapons to hit on your or something right?"
"Wha …" Rei's eyes opened wide as she was taken aback by the unexpected question. Rei then shook her head and hands as she strongly denied, "No! No! Definitely not! Even if he was, I'm not interested!"
"…" Ai and Kou raised an eyebrow at this.
"You're …" Daisuke hesitantly asked, "You're really not?"
"Of course not!" Rei repeated her denial. "I was trying to help him after what happened to Konishi Saki. He was really down about it, and he hasn't been the same. So I was trying to keep him company."
"How nice of you." Ai remarked in a deadpan tone.
"I see …" Daisuke replied with a sense of relief, "I'm sure he appreciates that, but sounds like he might be trouble for you."
"Ugh …" Rei groaned as she lamented, "Don't act like my Uncle."
"Oh …" Kou uncomfortably gritted his teeth after hearing Rei say that.
"…" Neither Ai nor Daisuke had much to say in response either.
"After what happened, I'm kinda cutting Hanamura-san a break." Rei then stated, "Besides, he treated me pretty well after I got here. I'm returning the favor."
"I see …" Daisuke uneasily replied, "That is really good of you …"
"Yeah." Rei nodded her head, "Hanamura is a decent guy."
Ai interjected, "I'll take your word for it."
Rei stated in a matter of fact tone, "It's because he's a decent guy that I got my Uncle to step in, so he wouldn't get a criminal record."
"You did that?" Daisuke asked which Rei responded with a nod.
Kou remarked, "Then he's the lucky one."
"You got that right. Anyway, you don't have to take my word for it." Rei then offered, "We could all hang out together sometime if you're interested."
"Hmm?" Both Kou and Daisuke were surprised by the unexpected invitation.
Ai then asked, "You'd want me to a hang out with you and other people you hang out with?"
Rei shrugged, "Sure why not?"
"Hmm …" Ai answered, "I'll think about it."
After receiving a nudge from Kou, Daisuke replied, "That could be fun!"
Rei happily replied, "That's good enough for me."
"Okay then!" Ai clapped her hands, "I think we spent enough time talking about this stuff. The jobs' not done until we put all this into the shed! Let's get back to it!"
"You got it!" Daisuke replied as he returned to helping with the cleanup.
Kou couldn't help but think, "Why isn't she like this with anything else? Seriously …"
Thanks to Ai, Daisuke, and Kou, Rei was able to wrap-up the field clean-up long before the third years expected much to their chagrin. Unfortunately, Rei wasn't able to go out to eat with her friends this time. However, Rei did promise that she'd try to make up for it. Before she parted ways with her unlikely group of friends, she was able to sense a 'Rank Up' in her social links of 'Moon' and 'Strength' which she was pleased with.
/
Getting back to the Dojima household wasn't a problem for Rei. She was starting to get used to the different streets of Inaba. Since it was a small town compared to Tokyo or Kyoto, it was only natural that Rei would learn to navigate it quickly. Due to her lifestyle, it was always essential that she know the territory.
As Rei approached the home, something caught her attention. "Meow." The sound caused Rei's ears to perk. "Meow." When Rei looked towards the source of the noise, she noticed the small cat again.
Rei decided to walk over to the cat which remained in place while she approached. She knelt down and asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Meow," was the cat's reply.
"Heh." Rei smiled as she replied, "I'll take that as a yes." Rei stood up as she said, "Just stay here. I'll see if I can get something for you."
After arriving home, Rei received the usual greeting from Nanako. Nanako turned her attention away from the TV and happily greeted Rei with, "Welcome home!" She then added, "Oh I bought some groceries. If you want to make your lunch."
"You really don't mind?" Rei asked.
"Of course not." Nanako replied with a smile.
"In that case, don't mind if I do." Rei opened up the refrigerator to see a few items that Rei could make use of.
Before Rei could help herself, Nanako told her, "By the way, dad got home a little bit ago. He's upstairs now. He'll be up there for a little while. He likes to take his time when he has a lot on his mind."
"He's home?" Rei still had the refrigerator door open as she turned around and remarked, "That was early."
"Yeah." Nanako happily said, "He really is getting a break from work!" Nanako's grin was wide as she exclaimed, "I'm so excited!"
Rei inquired, "Did he say where you're going?"
"I don't know yet. He told me we might go on the fourth and the fifth, so we won't be able to go far, but he promised me we'd go on a trip." Nanako excitedly told Rei, "He told me he really won't be cancelling this time! He really means it!"
"That's good to hear." Rei then looked back into the refrigerator and saw that besides the groceries that Nanako had purchased, there was a little brown bag. The word 'Dojima' was scribbled on it. This was clearly the lunch bag of her detective uncle.
"…" Rei glanced at the bag before then turning her attention back to the groceries. She picked them out and brought them to the counter. There was quite a bit of chicken, shrimp, and rice, so Rei immediately thought, "Chicken and Shrimp Teriyaki!"
While Rei was preparing the meal, she thought, "I might not be able to warm this up in school, but this chicken isn't raw. It should be fine to eat it even if it is cold." As Rei proceeded, she then thought, "Just as I thought, there is plenty of extra."
Rei looked over her shoulder and asked, "Hey Nanako! Would you like a lunch too?"
"I'm fine." Nanako told Rei, "I already have my lunch ready."
"Okay then." Rei then decided to make use of the extras to place it in a smaller box. Rei thought, "This should make a good 'Thank You Gift.'" Rei also set aside a two remaining extra pieces of meat on the side as well.
Rei pulled out her phone and sent a group text message regarding lunch the following day. She's glad that Daisuke asked to exchange contact information with her regardless of how awkward it was. She was pleased that all three of them replied in the affirmative. Afterwards, Rei sent text messages to Yosuke and Chie informing them that they will keep their meeting time for later in the week, and they replied with the 'Okay'. She'd try to have something for them when that happens.
Afterwards, Rei opened the refrigerator to place the lunch boxes. She then came face to face with the brown bag again.
"Hmm …" Rei began contemplating something she normally wouldn't, but her curiosity got the better of her. She blamed her new interest in mysteries for her subsequent actions.
Rei could feel her 'courage' rising as she opened up to the bag and looked into the unknown. What Rei saw caused her face to drop. One word to describe it was 'underwhelming.' Just more stuff to be put in the microwave. With nothing left to see, Rei closed the bag and put it back in the refrigerator."
"Um …" Rei bit her lip. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She wasn't exactly surprised given her Uncle's 'favorite' dish was a TV dinner. She looked over to Nanako whose eyes were still glued to the TV, "Hey Nanako?"
Nanako looked over from the TV and asked, "Yes?"
Rei bluntly asked, "Is your father incapable of making his own food?"
"Um …" Nanako looked down as she answered, "Cooking … Was never really my dad's thing. Mom always did that."
"Oh … then does he always eat 'that' in there?" Rei gestured to refrigerator.
Nanako shook her head, "Not always … He sometimes buys other things at stores or if he's out late, he'll eat at a fast food place."
"I see …" Rei then inquired, "Do you make his lunches?"
"Nu-huh." Nanako shook her head. "I can't make boxed lunches or dinner." Nanako clarified, "I can cook breakfast and a few other things, but that's it."
Rei asked out loud as she glanced back at the refrigerator, "Is that so?"
"Yeah …" Nanako's voice sounded downcast as she told Rei, "Sorry."
Rei shook her head and hands as she assured her cousin, "You don't have to apologize." Rei then turned her attention back to the food in the refrigerator.
"Hmm …" Rei contemplated Nanako's words as she drew her own conclusion, "So it's been a while since he's had something more nutritious for lunch." Rei snapped her fingers, "I've got an idea." Rei looked to Nanako and told her, "Hey Nanako! Leave the food shopping to me tomorrow!"
"Um … Okay." Nanako asked for clarity, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Rei nodded, "I kinda used up all your groceries, so I'll take care of it this time."
"Okay." Nanako replied.
"If you'll excuse me for a minute Nanako-chan, I'll be right back. There's something I need to check outside." Rei then proceeded to leave through the front door with the extra pieces of chicken.
/
When Rei left the Dojima Household, she saw the cat was still nearby where Rei had last seen it. Rei hurried over to the cat and remarked, "Figured you'd stick around." Rei held up the cold pieces of chicken and said, "It should be okay if you eat this."
Rei placed the extra two pieces of chicken on the ground. The cat proceeded to gobble both of them up. "Heh. Heh." Rei chuckled as she remarked, "You must really like chicken. I'll be sure to get you more soon. Okay?"
"Meow!" The cat happily replied in-between bites.
/
Eventually, Dojima Ryotaro returned from upstairs. Even when he was home, Rei could tell her uncle was hard at work on whatever was on his mind. Rei decided not to talk to her uncle about it while they ate. She decided it would be for the best if she kept out of his business for the time being. However, rather than speaking to him, he decided to speak to her after they were finished eating.
Rei and Ryotaro were cleaning the dishes while Nanako was watching TV. Ryotaro decided to ask, "By the way Rei, is there anything wrong?"
"Hmm?" Rei raised an eyebrow as she asked, "What gave you that impression?"
"You were a little quiet tonight." Ryotaro inquired, "Is something on your mind?"
"Um …" Rei reflexively knew that she only had a few moments to give her Uncle an answer. An answer that he could believe. Rei quickly decided that this was one thing she could be straight forward with, "… Actually there is Uncle Dojima."
"There is?" Ryotaro's eyes widened before then following up, "What is it?"
"Well …" Rei rubbed her head as she told her Uncle, "… It's about that argument I had with Konishi-senpai. Someone from my school must've saw it and now rumors are spreading about me."
"What?" Ryotaro asked in concern.
Rei nodded, "Yes. A couple of people asked me about it, and there are people gossiping."
"Wha …" Ryotaro seemed to be momentarily at a loss for words as he asked, "… What did you tell them?"
"I told them the truth." Rei made sure to look her Uncle in the eyes as she told him, "I had an argument with Konishi Saki and I left. However, it didn't matter how much I kept saying it. Everyone kept asking the same thing. Some of them even asked if I knew anything about how she disappeared before she died."
"I'm …" Ryotaro momentarily glanced away from Rei as he told her, "I'm so sorry to hear that." He put his hand on her shoulder as he asked, "Is there anything I can do?"
"…" Rei's eyes momentarily broke contact with her Uncle as she glanced at his hand on her shoulder. The feeling of such contact foreign, but not unwelcomed. It took Rei a moment to reconcile this feeling.
"Rei?" Her Uncle asked out loud.
"I …" Rei was hesitant before she was able to look at Ryotaro in the eyes and replied, "… I don't know." Rei told her Uncle, "I guess the best I can do is wait for the heat to die down."
"Hmph …" Ryotaro reluctantly agreed, "… I suppose that's true." Ryotaro let go of Rei's shoulder as he told her, "Besides that argument, you had nothing to do with what happened to Konishi Saki. When that becomes evident, I'm sure the rumors will die down."
Rei replied, "I can only hope."
"…" Ryotaro remained silent as he looked at his niece.
"But you don't have to be 'that' worried about me." Rei held a few strands of her silver hair as she told her Uncle, "I've dealt with a lot of rumors before."
"Hmm …" Ryotaro did not feel comforted in the least.
"At least this time I sorta got a few friends to help me out." Rei told her Uncle, "Their names are Ebihara, Ichigo, and Nagase. They've been helping me out a lot lately."
Ryotaro raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Really?"
"Yeah." Rei nodded, "Ai brought me somewhere that we could eat our lunches in peace without anyone interrupting us," Rei then felt the need to correct herself, "or almost not interrupting us. Daisuke and Kou have been pretty nice to me. They've helped me with cleaning up the field after practice today and the other day."
"I see." Ryotaro did feel a sense of relief upon hearing that, "That's good to hear."
Rei asked, "Would it be okay if I invite my friends over to dinner sometime."
"Um …" Ryotaro hesitantly replied, "I supposed that could be fine, but would you be inviting Hanamura as well?"
"Are you still having trouble with him?" Rei asked in dismay.
Ryotaro answered in a deadpan tone, "Kinda difficult to ignore someone who nearly got put in jail when he was holding weapons near my niece."
"Uh …" Rei found herself at a momentary loss for words as she tried to think of something to say.
Her Uncle was able to give a follow-up to his previous point, "I can't help but question the character of someone who would think that'd be a good idea." Ryotaro scratched his head as he stated, "It baffles the mind or why you'd want to keep hanging out with him."
Rei was then able to give her Uncle a proper response, "I understand Hanamura-san's stupidity bothers you." Rei put her hand on her chest as she told her Uncle, "Believe me. It really bothers me too. I had no idea he was going to bring weapons to the Junes Food court. He said he wanted to show me something, but I never thought he'd bring weapons like that to the public place. Words can't describe … I mean … If I knew he was going to bring weapons, I would've strongly advised him to think 'really', 'really' hard about what he was doing."
"Hmm …" Ryotaro had his arms crossed and eyes closed as he listened to Rei's words. He relented, "Well I suppose you don't have control over your friend's actions, but this is still alarming."
Rei decided to counter, "Maybe, but there's something else I find alarming."
"?" Ryotaro raised an eyebrow when he waited for what Rei would ask next.
Rei bluntly asked, "Did the police really suspect Amagi-san?"
Ryotaro sighed, "Adachi really doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut does he?"
"He wasn't the only one who thought that." Rei stated, "I may not know Amagi-san that well, but I didn't belive she could be the culprit for a second."
"…" Ryotaro reluctantly stated, "I can assure you that I never personally suspected Amagi Yukiko of foul play. It is a theory a few officers came up with that didn't have any ground to support it. Such baseless accusations tend to fall through."
Rei bluntly stated, "Baseless or not that's a very dangerous theory to be throwing around, and they can be dangerous."
"I agree." Ryotaro replied, "Every second is precious and it shouldn't be wasted on ridiculous ideas like that."
Rei stated, "I'm glad you think that. I've been getting to know Hanamura-san, and I know he is a good person. If you give him a chance, I'm sure he can make a better impression."
"…" Ryotaro took a moment before reply, "I suppose I can try overlooking his 'mistake' this time. However, I don't want you getting caught up in anymore funny business either. You're my responsibility."
"What happened wasn't my fault." Rei protested.
Ryotaro replied, "No, but you should be mindful of who you hang out with from now on."
"…." Rei didn't have much to say in response.
Ryotaro reminded Rei, "I'm supposed to take care of you for the next year. I want your stay in my home to go well. Please keep that in mind."
While Ryotaro's demeanor was firm and stubborn, Rei could sense fairness in it along with a genuine care for her. Rei replied, "Yes sir."
"…" Ryotaro remained silent for a moment and said, "Make sure you get some rest."
"I will." With the end of their conversation, Rei could sense that her ranking with the Hierophant social link had increased.
It was the end of a 'mixed' day for Rei. She was doing her best to find the next step in both her stay and solving this mystery. She wasn't sure what to make of her progress in either regard.
/
Omake:
Rise: "Hey! Wasn't I supposed to get a scene in this chapter?"
Rei: "It got cut."
Rise: "What? Why? Come on!"
Rei: "It didn't work out for this chapter, so it got pushed back. Same thing goes for some other chapters."
Rise: "But I'm lucky to get even one scene. This is what I was talking about. I don't always appear in every chapter, and that causes my absences to be really noticeable. Even one or the reviewers said he has a hard time rooting for me."
Rei: "Well we are taking steps to fix that."
Rise: "I hope we see that sooner rather than later."
Rei: "You and me both."
/
Author Notes: I mentioned previously that I would not be making this simply an adaptation of "Persona 4" with a female protagonist. I've proven before that there would be deviations, and I'm happy that this was another example of those deviations.
As I wrote previously in Chapter 17, Rei would hang out with Ai, Daisuke, and Kou in another chapter. You can more or less consider these guys Rei's secondary group of friends or 'Muggle' friends outside of the Investigation Team. Early on I decided that I would have Rei hang out quite a bit with people outside of the Investigation Team to keep some of the spirit of the video game and anime since Yu interacted with plenty of characters outside the main characters as well. I look forward to utilizing that idea.
I figure that Rei can do a mixture of developing her social links simultaneously while occasionally spending one-on-one time with them. It would be more realistic in certain aspects. It also helps that in the original video game there were several occasions some social links and/or hang out events would involve the characters running into another social link.
For this chapter, I think some of you might have had concerns regarding the cat. Similar to how dogs can get sick from certain things easily, I know that cats can get sick just from eating certain things as well. I decided to look up some specifics about what they might be able to eat. Apparently, they can eat cooked beef, chicken, and turkey while they would get sick with raw and spoiled meat. Doesn't sound too different from humans in that regard. Anyway, I decided that Rei would give the cat a little bit of chicken. While it was cold, it wasn't raw, so it should be fair game.
What are your thoughts regarding the mystery four that appeared at the beginning of this chapter? What did you think of the implications and potential tie-ins? I mentioned before that things will be different and similar. This is one of those things. I look forward to eventually giving them official introductions later on.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the beginning of this mini-story arc and please leave a review to share your thoughts. This will indeed be the calm before the next storm.