A/N: So it's the waiting period again... welp, have a bunch of social links and awkward Yui while we're at it.
Mr Giraffe (Guest)
- Well, you'll see the true extent of her experience as a delinquent over the course of the story. That, I can promise! And yesss, Naoto is the best detective prince over Akechi fucking Goro. I've spoiled myself enough to know his role in P5 lol ;w;
- Thanks! Shame that yours is coming up too... oh well, at least by the time you have time to catch up I may have written a bunch of chapters! Then you can give me a review bonanza and I'll have a fun time reading it! Usually, anyway!
The day after they saved Rise was a Sunday, so Yu was able to rest properly before he decided to go out and sell some scraps they got from the Shadows at the metalworks shop in the shopping district. It was pretty much a win-win situation when it came down to his purchases and his selling of these scraps to the owner of the shop, as he could get some money in return for having better and stronger equipment to purchase for the team. In the meantime, maybe he should catch up on Margaret's request.
So, after he exited the shop, he went over to the glowing blue door nearby and entered.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Margaret greeted the boy as he entered, Igor sitting at his usual spot.
Yu recalled that the platinum blonde woman's request was for an Ippon-Datara that knew how to cast Sukukaja… and it didn't really take him that long to figure out a way to fuse said Persona that knew the spell needed. Margaret quickly took notice of it. "An Ippon-Datara with Sukukaja… you have successfully completed the quest… well-rounded, flexible, muscular… splendid." She gave the silver-haired boy a gentle smile. "…You've done good work here. You are indeed the one with infinite potential…" She chuckled quietly. "…Now I'm even more curious about you."
In a way, the two grew closer… and the Empress Social Link did too.
Margaret's expression soon turned serious again. "Well then… for my next request… bring me a Matador with the Mahama skill. I know that if anyone can do this for me, it's you. I eagerly await your return."
With a wordless nod, Yu left the Velvet Room. He'll get to that one another day… but somehow, he had a feeling that he just got flirted with for a small moment…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Walking further down the shopping district, Yu eventually noticed that Kanji was standing around in front of the textile shop his mother ran. Biting his lip, he considered leaving the place to do something else, but… something's compelling him to just spend time with the blond, even if it wasn't going to help him with his predicament much. Letting out a quiet sigh, he put on a small smile as he approached the guy. "Hey, Kanji," he greeted with a casual wave, yet he could feel his pulse rising already…
"Hey, Yu-senpai." Kanji smiled back at the silver-haired boy. "…You have some time?"
"Huh? Oh… yeah. I got some time to spend." Yu nodded, trying not to get so flustered.
"Sweet!" The blond looked happy at that. "You wanna come inside? Ma said she wanted to meet you…" he asked him.
"Meet me, huh…? Sure, I guess," The smaller boy answered with some hesitance in his heart although he didn't let it show. Kanji's mother knew exactly the act he put up around everyone, but he's glad that she kept her word of not telling her son who Yu Narukami really was. If he had to imagine a scenario like that… he'd probably never live it down.
"Gotta warn you - there's nothin' fun here," Kanji told him. He then went over to the store doors and slid it open. "Hey Ma, I'm home..." he greeted, but he quickly noticed that his mother wasn't inside the store. He closed the doors and began to worry. "She ain't here. What's she doin' leaving the store open...?" he muttered, shaking his head with concern.
Yu was about to suggest a possible reason when the owner of the Aiya Diner ran over to them in a hurry, bringing some bad news. "Kan-chan! There you are! Your mother's in the hospital!"
This shocked the younger boy. "The hospital...?" He fell into a stunned silence, so Yu had to ask the old man on the events leading up to Kanji's mother being in the hospital. "What happened, sir?"
"I only heard from a customer, but she's at Inaba Municipal Hospital! Hurry, go!" The owner of the Aiya Diner ushered them to go quickly. Kanji could only nod. "Y-Yessir!" He immediately ran off with Yu in the direction of the hospital, hoping that things weren't as bad as they sounded.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The two boys ran into the hospital, and Kanji kept looking around so anxiously that he didn't notice his mother coming out from a room with a boy following behind her. When he and Yu heard soft footsteps approaching them, they glanced over at that direction to notice Kanji's mother. The blond ran over to her. "Ma! You all right!? You were taken to the hospital!? Someone do this to you...!?" he asked her questions so quickly, but she looked… fine. "Goodness, but you look pale," she told him.
"Never mind me! What about you...!?" It took the younger boy a moment to see that his mother was alright. "...Huh!? You're okay?"
The kimono-clad woman nodded. "I wasn't taken to the hospital. I took someone."
"Huh…?" Now Kanji just grew more confused. A young boy then walked from behind his mother to stand next to her, bowing slightly in respect of the older boy. "The poor thing got hit by a bicycle right in front of our shop. He hit his head, so I had a doctor examine him," His mother explained to him. "He said there's no damage, thank goodness. The one who hit him was a boy from your school. When he saw the poor child fall, he ran away. Why don't you find him and give him a little scolding?" she then suggested.
"Cut the crap!" Suddenly Kanji yelled at his mother, but the woman just gave him the same confused look he had a moment before. "You've got no idea how I felt!" he continued, still yelling. Somehow, Mrs. Tatsumi just smiled at him. "Haha, I'm fine. Your mother isn't kicking the bucket that easily. It's not like you to get so worried over such a little thing."
"Shut up, you old cow!"
The blond then ran off after shouting those words, and Yu stared at his fleeting figure in shock. "Kanji…!" He glanced at the kimono-clad woman and the young boy next to her for a moment, then he ran after his junior.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time he caught up with the younger boy, Kanji was sitting at one of the waiting chairs, his head hung low.
"…Sorry. Looks like it was no big deal..." Kanji murmured, apologizing for the ruckus just now. "I don't blame you…" Yu would've reacted like that if he had learned that his grandmother was in the hospital… but if it were his parents or his grandfather… he might not act the same way.
An embarrassed look still remained on the blond's face. "Y-Yeah? If it's not just me, then... I guess it's okay." He slowly shook his head. "I thought I faced alla my bad parts back there... but not everything can change just like that, huh...?"
"Hm?" The silver-haired boy looked at him, puzzled at what he meant by that. Kanji soon realised that he just made his senpai run to this hospital with him for something that wasn't actually serious, so he got up to face Yu with a sheepish look. "Oh, uh... sorry for draggin' you around. If I'd been by myself, I might been even more scared... hah. Hope I can repay the favour."
"…It's okay." A gentle smile appeared on Yu's lips, and he could feel a warmth fluttering in his chest alongside the slight balmy flush in his cheeks. Nonetheless, he was able to support Kanji through this, and he could sense the trust the younger boy had for him… because of it, the Emperor Social Link became stronger too.
The whispers in Yu's head distracted him long enough to not notice the rosy hue on Kanji's own cheeks as he stared at his senpai. In that time, the blond saw Yu as a girl that merely had short hair… again. It was almost like the time he encountered the silver-haired boy on that rainy day, their gazes frozen on each other the moment he lifted the umbrella up. It also reminded him of the guy who asked him questions days before he got kidnapped and thrown into the TV, except… those two are just boys like him… right?
…He wondered if his eyes were fooling him.
Breaking his gaze away so his mind didn't go blank all of a sudden at those thoughts, he then noticed that his mother was approaching. "…I'm goin' home," he told Yu. "Oh, okay." The older boy blinked a few times to snap out of it, just to see Kanji running off. Hearing footsteps beside him, he looked to his side to see Mrs. Tatsumi and the young boy she brought to the hospital there. "That boy... we were both going home... he didn't have to run away like that," she murmured, watching her son run away with a wistful gaze. She then noticed Yu standing there, smiling gently at him. "Ah, Yui-chan. It's nice to see you again."
It was odd to be called by her real name.
"H-hello, ma'am." Yu bowed in respect, though he felt awkward knowing that this woman who was the mother to his crush knew what his greatest secret was. Kanji's mother still smiled at him. "I've been hearing a lot about you from Kanji, Yui-chan. 'Senpai this' and 'Senpai that'... he must really like you," she told him. This got the boy blushing upon learning that. "He does…?" It made him feel all fuzzy, but it also felt like there was rain pouring onto him – Kanji really just looked up to him as a senior student…
"I'm sorry to have made you both come all the way here. He hates hospitals, you see..."
"…Why is that?"
"His father... my husband died here. Kanji happened to be somewhere else when he collapsed... so I think he was scared today."
"Oh…" That would explain why they only saw his mother… Yu could only wonder how badly that affected Kanji. He didn't deal with it too well himself once the knowledge that his grandmother was gone truly hit him two years too late. He didn't even get to… "I'm sorry for your loss."
Mrs. Tatsumi nodded slowly, yet she could still manage to smile despite that. "Haha, but it's good to see you. He's always had trouble getting along with people. He didn't have any friends like you before."
"Because of his hobbies?"
"Oh, he told you? He would always rather play house instead of catch, or go to home ec instead of P.E." Kanji's mother added, looking ahead at the entrance of the hospital. "So, he never had any male friends, but the girls didn't accept him either. After a while, he started getting into fights every day and bleaching his hair... I was worried about him... but lately, he seems to be having fun." She smiled happily at Yu. "Please take care of him."
The silver-haired boy would try to do that anyway, even if he's struggling to get rid of these forbidden feelings for a guy he shouldn't be having a crush on. "…Of course, ma'am." He nodded at her, indirectly making a promise with the kimono-clad woman. He could understand Kanji more now, but… will he be able to separate himself from this crush in the coming months, though…?
He eventually parted with Mrs. Tatsumi and headed home.
Monday arrived with a sour reminder as to why Yu was bordering on disliking and hating the homeroom teacher of his class.
"Don't get carried away just because some scatterbrained idol is back in town! You hear me?!" Mr. Morooka yelled at the students. "That's Rise, for all you out-of-the-loop morons. All she does are variety shows and silly commercials! What's the damn point of running your mouths about some half-wit whose only talent is appearing on shows for idiots? Now, I've got the perfect lecture for you assholes! Let's talk some Friedrich Nietzsche! It makes sense! Many of you are reacting to your own 'ressentiment' toward that idol girl by talking about her, right?"
Then he noticed the looks his students were giving him. "…Why the hell do you all look so upset!? Stand your ass up, Narukami!" he abruptly ordered Yu, to which the silver-haired boy had to do as he was told to. Goddamn this man… he was trying all he can to keep a calm expression as King Moron went ahead to ask him a question. "What does 'ressentiment' mean? Answer the question!"
Well, thankfully he does know some French. "It means hatred and jealousy, sir." Yu had to hold himself back from answering that with gritted teeth. Oh, how he despised calling this asshole 'sir'…
"Ah, I see you've already done the reading, smartass. Well, you got it right. 'Ressentiment' is a French word denoting hatred and jealousy! It's different from 'resent', because it's used specifically for jealous emotions toward someone better than you! I'm sure you're all very familiar with how that feels. At least I won't have to go into much depth on this one. And just so you know, there are LOTS more people out there who are much better than you dipshits!"
And there are thousands more people out there better than this bastard.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After school ended, Yu hung out with Yukiko since the black-haired girl asked during lunchtime if he could spend some time with her for the day since she wanted to go somewhere… which just so happened to be Junes' food court. They were sitting at a table for a moment. "Ummm, notebooks, three colours of pens, a loose-leaf folder, labels at the stationery department... then the furniture department. I want to look at the desks. Those and the lamps..." She seemed to be checking a list of items.
"What's all this for, Yukiko?" Yu asked her, a bit curious.
She giggled, full of energy. "Studying!" she answered him with a smile. "I'm thinking of studying seriously for a job license... though I haven't decided on exactly which one I'll pursue. But I was thinking of trying for all the ones I feel I can earn. I've started working at night, you see. Remember the job you told me about? Thanks to that, I have some money..." she explained to him, but stopped when a trio of men approached them.
"Huh? Well, if it isn't the manager of the Amagi Inn. Or should I say, the manager-to-be," The suited man of the three spoke with a fake smile. "...I see you haven't gone home yet," Yukiko said, her tone serious.
"Well, I can't very well go anywhere until the next bus or train departs. This really is the boonies. Stuck here with nothing to do... man, the countryside is the dumps."
"...I beg to differ."
"Turning down sweet deals is part of country life, too, is it? Hahaha."
The trio soon left.
Yukiko then remembered that she wasn't alone just now, her expression turning guilty. "Oh... I'm sorry. Those people are from some TV station. They wanted to cover the Amagi Inn..." she told Yu. "And… you said no?" The silver-haired boy asked, wondering for a moment why. Yukiko seemed embarrassed as she nodded in response, unwilling to look at the boy sitting opposite of her. "Yes… it's a 'news of the weird' show... it isn't real journalism. You know that our inn was associated with Ms. Yamono's murder, right? They want to make a special called, 'Hot Springs Getting Too Hot for the Amagis!?'. It was an abhorrent title. Mother turned them away."
She sighed as she looked down at her hands. "But maybe she shouldn't have declined... I mean... if it gets a bad reputation... we'd lose customers, and the inn really would close its doors. Then... I'd feel better about leaving."
"…Are you serious…?" Yu was shocked to know that she thought of it that way. He would be scolded by his own grandfather badly if he ever had such thoughts.
Yukiko nodded again. "I'm serious…" she muttered darkly, gazing away at a wall. "But you're right, there's no real point in saying things like that. I'm leaving under my own power... my life is in my hands now." Her usual smile appeared on her lips as she looked at her friend again. "And of course, I want to help everyone. You too, for being such a patient listener all the time."
Her iron will could be sensed easily by Yu… and he felt like he could understand Yukiko even more now. As a result, the Priestess Social Link grew stronger.
"W-Well, let's go shopping," Yukiko then said. "First is... the stationery department..."
So, Yu helped her with her shopping before parting ways for the day…
Tuesday started raining in the morning, but it let up by the time afternoon came.
The air was cool and fresh after the downpour, and what better way to spend it than to do some training? So, he offered that to Chie who agreed easily. Now they were eating at the Aiya Diner after they finished training for the day. Chie was eating her steak bowl pretty quickly… "Mmmm... the meat and rice just flow through my veins..." she said happily after swallowing a bite. Yu could only chuckle at the sight. "You look pretty happy."
"On the happiness scale, it's up there with watching action movies..." The brunette drifted off into a blissful reverie for a good moment. "I need to work hard and pump myself up, or else I can't pull us out of a jam, right? Especially Yukiko... I need to be able to protect her..." Her expression fell after she said that. "…I hope she's not straining herself. Makes you worry, huh?"
"…I worry more for you, Chie," Yu told her. No one should push themselves so much to do something… even if it's for a good cause. His words caused her to become a bit embarrassed. "Huh... m-me? B-But I'm fine! I mean, I've been training and everything!" She blushed a little as she smiled at the silver-haired boy. "I'll make myself stronger! For Yukiko, too! So keep it up, Leader! I know me and Yosuke joke around with you a lot... but we're all counting on you... heheh..."
Yu smiled back, sensing Chie's burning passion… with it, their relationship grew deeper with the Chariot Social Link.
"…All this talking is making me hungry." Chie looked at the owner of the diner as she ordered something. "'Scuse me! Another fried rice with meat, please!" She then glanced at Yu. "How about you?" she asked him. "Oh, no thanks." The silver-haired boy shook his head – a bowl of steak and rice was enough for him already.
The two of them talked for a while before walking home partway together.
Wednesday's skies began clouding up by the time lunchtime rolled around… and Yu didn't expect to see Ai be quite nervous with a reddish colour on her cheeks as she asked him if he was free during that time. He didn't have much to do that day, so he told her that he was free for the afternoon.
Now they were on the rooftop after Ai yanked him all the way up there, the blonde facing away from him when they got to a spot near the wire fences around the edge of the roof. "H-Hey. Umm... th-thank you for that, last time..." she told him. Yu then remembered that time back at the shoe lockers. "Oh… you're welcome."
Ai turned around to face him, her face slightly pink in embarrassment as she twirled a lock of her hair with a finger. "I was... you know, happy." She approached the silver-haired boy, still looking nervous. "I-I'm... I'm in a weird mood... every time I think about what happened, I can feel my heart beat faster, and I hardly sleep at night... wh-what should I do...?" she admitted to him in a soft voice. Yu could only blink a few times, realising what she was talking about. Is she…?
"I... I think... what should I do? I think I'm... in love. It's funny, isn't it? Like... why now? I just keep thinking back on that day... and about Daisuke-kun... d-do you know if he has a girlfriend? Do you think maybe I'm his type? O-Or do you think he hates... people like me?"
Yu let out a breath that he was holding, unaware that he was doing so in the first place. He just got worried if Ai somehow ended up liking him after that day… which wasn't the case, thankfully. With that knowledge in mind, he gave her an encouraging smile. "C'mon, have a little confidence."
"Y-you're right!" The blonde smiled as well as she nodded seriously, yet it didn't last on her face very long as nervousness took over her again. "I-I'm not used to things like this... you're the only one I can turn to..." she said, looking at the silver-haired boy with pleading eyes. Yu found himself seeing a side of Ai that he had never seen before… which made his relationship with her deepen with the Moon Social Link.
"C'mon, please... you'll help me, right? All I need you to do is... ask him what's his type. That's it."
"…No problem." Yu nodded. He'll do that when he sees Daisuke some other day.
"Thank goodness..." Ai was still blushing shyly, acting unlike the pompous girl she was before. "Um, y-you don't have to do it today or anything, but... p-please..."
"I know. I'll ask him when I have the time."
An awkward silence soon fell among the two, so they both eventually parted for the day.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
When Yu arrived home, Nanako greeted him like she usually did before telling him that she went shopping today. Seeing that he hasn't cooked for lunch in a while, he decided to check out the fridge to see what he could make. "Hm… some ground meat… seasoning…"
…He could probably make some meatballs from what he could see.
"Meatballs it is." Taking the ingredients out, he brought them over to the kitchen counter to start preparing them, making the meatballs from scratch using the ground meat from the fridge. Then he began to cook them once he finished rolling the seasoned meat. When the sizzling began to reach a tantalising crescendo, he took the meatballs to cut a hole inside and look for juice as a way of checking if they have been cooked enough.
Once he saw that juice was dripping from the meatballs, he took them out of the pot and put them in the container he used before to bring lunch for school. He hasn't gone for band practice in a while – maybe he should share his food with Ayane and join practice tomorrow.
With a nod to himself, he cleared up the kitchen and went to bed after storing his lunch.
Yu did share his lunch with Ayane the next day, but before he went to band practice, he noticed Daisuke talking with Kou at their usual spot in the hallway. He approached them, remembering his promise to ask the brunet about the type of girls that he liked for Ai. "Hey, Daisuke, Kou," He greeted the two, smiling casually. "Yo, Yu." Daisuke grinned at him, and Kou smiled back with a nod.
"Say, um…" The silver-haired boy felt a little sheepish for asking this, but he's done worse than asking a guy about his type. This shouldn't be too much of a problem. "I'm just curious, but what's your preferred type of girls?"
In an instant, Daisuke's face looked incredulous. "Huh? My type?" He averted his eyes. "…I'm not interested in women… well, if anything, I'd like a nice girl, though."
"Okay then, thanks for answering."
With that done, he went towards Ayane to ask if she wanted to walk with him to band practice.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The members of the band gathered in the music room, everyone except Yu seeming jittery about today's performance…
"I-It's finally here... I-I-I'm s-so nervous..." Ayane murmured, stuttering in nervousness. She was still able to smile at Yu despite that. "Senpai, will you please watch the room for me? I'll give it my best shot out there. I want to come back with my head held high!" she asked him, smiling determinedly. The silver-haired boy nodded, smiling back. "No problem. Do your best, Ayane."
A moment later, the band captain entered the room. "Everyone here?"
"Yes!" Ayane answered for the team. The captain smiled. "Alright, then let's do this! But first, we have a surprise guest!" he told them, and another boy entered the room after he said that. "Oh come on, can the theatrics..."
"Takeru! How's your arm? Are you okay?" One of the students asked, recognizing him. Takeru… wasn't that the name of the trombone player who was better than Ayane?
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's practically healed already. It was a close call, but I'll be able to play. We're gonna tune up on site, right?"
"Yeah, but... the trombone part is..."
Everyone but Takeru then stared at Ayane, who grew uncomfortable at the stares she got. "…Uh, w-well..."
"Huh? You guys look like someone died. What'd I miss?" Takeru was confused at the awkward silence that hung in the room. The band captain looked at Ayane. "What are you gonna do, Ayane?" he asked her. Ayane wasn't even sure of what to answer. "Huh? Well, I…"
Realising the situation, Takeru sighed. "Ohhh, I get it... no big deal. I'll sit out this time..."
"...I think Takeru should play. He's better, and he's more used to performing in public," A senior player spoke up, suggesting for Takeru to play today. They looked at the other members. "You guys are with me, right? We can't afford to blow this."
…No one spoke up.
At that moment, Yu decided to stick up for Ayane. "Hey, Ayane practiced hard to play the trombone well so she could fulfil her role after Takeru got into the accident. She continued to practice even after band practice was over! You all should know how well she's gotten since then... she shouldn't be cast aside just because he's back now."
The senior member smiled wryly. "Awww, what a stirring speech. Wasn't that nice of him, Ayane?"
"U-um…" Ayane stuttered, unsure of what to say. "...Well, I don't wanna force it either way. Ayane, I'll leave it up to you," The band captain eventually told her. She looked down, biting her lip. "I-I..." She was quiet for a few moments, then she nodded to herself before lifting her head and smiling at Takeru. "Go ahead and do it, Takeru-senpai. It was your part in the first place, and I'm not as good as you, so... please, take it."
Takeru nodded too. "Hmm… well, if you say so…"
"Alright, then let's get going. Head over to the bus out front once you're ready," The captain said to everyone else. "G-Good luck, everyone!" Ayane cheered for the band members, but Yu could see the sorrow that was seeping into her voice.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The band members soon packed up and left, leaving Yu and Ayane alone in the room…
Ayane stared off at a wall, not looking at the silver-haired boy as she laughed pitifully. "Haha... I must look so stupid." Her eyes slowly began to glisten. "I... I must be stupid..." Then, tears bubbled up and slipped down her cheeks like raindrops as she began to cry, sobbing heavily. Even as she tried to wipe them away, more tears continued to slide down her face. "Nothing ever... goes how I... imagine it... it's no one's fault, but... time after... time..." She was weeping sorrowfully…
"Ayane…" Yu gazed at her sadly. He stepped towards her and lightly pulled her close to hold her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Senpai…" The small girl's breath hitched as she was hugged by the only person who had supported her since the beginning of the school year… and just like that, her walls crumbled down and she cried even harder.
It was a while until Ayane gently got herself out of the boy's embrace, taking a few steps back while she turned away from him. "I-I'm sorry... I thought I could finally see my dream come true... to think, my music might have actually reached out to one of those people... I thought this was it..." Her hands gripped into fists. "That dream used to feel so far away, but for a minute there, it was close enough to touch... I know it sounds like a childish fantasy, but it's much deeper than that. It's more like... a purpose. So... so..."
Then, she turned around to face Yu with anger in her eyes. "I can't help feeling bitter!"
She breathed deeply after her outburst, staring at Yu who did the same thing. "Ah…" She quickly averted her gaze, then laughed sadly. "Hahaha... it's so funny... I've never thought about it like this before. Whenever I've felt bitter, I've known it was for the good of the band, so... I was satisfied with that... but that song ran through my head day and night, constantly, no matter whether I was awake or sleep... if I had even a few minutes, I'd practice. My arm started aching all the time... this is the first time I've really invested myself in it... before, I always figured it was impossible..." She sighed and looked up at the boy. "That's why I'm bitter. But letting myself be bitter... makes me feel good. It's hard to explain..."
Then, Ayane smiled softly. "Senpai... thank you for standing up for me back there. That made me really happy." Her smiled quickly fell, however. "But… I couldn't imagine pushing Takeru-senpai aside so that I could… I'm sorry."
"It's okay… one day, you'll get your chance." Yu comforted her with a smile of his own. The small girl nodded, smiling again at his words as her cheeks flushed a bright red. "I feel like... I've changed a little. And it's all because of you..."
Yu could feel Ayane's strong fondness for him… this event had made their relationship grow deeper with the Sun Social Link.
"Oh... I just noticed that we're the only ones left. Haha... maybe it's not such a bad thing that I didn't go after all." Ayane finally realised that they were alone in the room. Nonetheless, Yu spent his remaining time at school with her, aware that she was trying to keep smiling despite what happened.
Once evening was about to fall over Inaba, he bid goodbye to her and went home.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
For the night, Yu had told his uncle that he was going to his part-time job as a janitor at the hospital. Dojima allowed him to do that, so he was now wiping windows at the hospital… but damn if the atmosphere wasn't creepy enough. A wimp wouldn't even last one minute in this place at this time of night.
Thinking that he was hearing things down the dark hallways didn't help either. But the TV world was dozens of times worse than this, so he paid no mind to the noises and continued his job. Once his shift was over, he was about to leave when he noticed a doctor and a nurse emerging from a room. The former noticed him and told him to leave if his shift was over, yet he didn't. He still tried to listen in on the conversation, even if all he got were bits and pieces.
It didn't really work, and all he got was something like 'after patrolling' and 'empty room'. Yu tensed up as he saw that the nurse was approaching him, though. "Oh, were you listening?" she asked, giggling. She seemed to eye his body with a sly smile for a moment. "Oho… you're cute. You're the student who started working here today, right? I'll show you something fun the next time you're here. I'll see you again." She then left, leaving the silver-haired boy feeling weirded out.
Did he just get checked out by a nurse?
…With a shudder, he decided to leave the hospital quickly.
This wasn't how he had planned to spend the final day of June, but that's how things went. Besides, seems like Rise would be taking a longer time to rest… the team will just have to wait.