White Noise

Chie pouted at the text on her phone. Yukiko hadn't been at school again today, and wasn't going to make it tomorrow because she had to help out at the inn. Was it really the busy season again? Nah, it couldn't be, time didn't go that fast. Sighing, she shoved her phone back into her jacket, resting her chin in her palm as she glanced around lazily at the students slowly filing into the classroom from lunch. For the third day in a row, she had an empty desk in front of her, and an empty desk beside her. She was used to the empty one beside her, considering Souji was still recovering from everything that had happened to him. How long had it been now? Months? Nooo, she didn't want to think about it, time wasn't supposed to go so fast.

Though, it did look like he was improving a lot when she finally managed to visit him again two weeks ago. Maybe she could squeeze in the time to visit him again after school. She felt bad she couldn't pop in a little bit more, but it felt like they were piling on more and more homework while more and more kung-fu movies were being released. It was hard to keep track of both!

She turned at the sound of a chair behind her scraping along the floor, leaning back in her own chair to stare at Yosuke as he sat down. His shoulders were hunched and he had a scowl on his face, which wasn't unusual in the morning, but at lunch? Now that was weird. He glanced at her slowly, quirking an annoyed eyebrow once he met her gaze.

"What?"

"You look grumpy," she noted, tilting her head to the side. "You doing okay, Yosuke?"

He stared at her for a long while before sighing and rolling his eyes. "None of your business."

"Aw, c'mon, Yosuke, I'm just trying to be nice here."

"And it's still none of your business."

She pouted again, crossing her arms. "Fine then, keep your secrets! I'll just turn back in my seat and talk to nobody!"

Yosuke scoffed, before resting his head on the desk. "Knock yourself out."

Her pout softened into concern at how tired Yosuke suddenly seemed. He seemed happier that morning, which was a huge feat, seeing as how he wasn't a morning person. She wondered what happened to make him so upset? He didn't want to talk about it, and as much as she wanted to pester him into telling her, she also didn't want to alienate the only person she talked to in homeroom away. Blowing at her bangs, she leaned back to her desk, picking out her books from her bag and lazily leafing through the notes. Chie hoped there was enough for Yukiko to pick up on the subject matter; no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on note-taking, she'd zone out halfway through the lecture before snapping back into it.

Squinting at a page, she leaned in close as she re-read parts of her notes for math. Did she miss a step? How did she get that? She was missing steps! Probably like five! Man, she wasn't any help to herself, let alone Yukiko! She'd concentrate better this time for sure! Wait... they didn't even have math today. Crap, then what class was next?! What day even was it anymore?!

Letting out a giant groan, Chie faceplanted into her book, whining into the pages as she let her arms droop. She could feel the stares of her classmates before they went back to their own business, idle chatter filling the room. She could hear the door slide open as more students filed into the room. She could hear their shoes scuffling around, the scraping of chairs as they were pulled out from their desks. She tensed at the sound of chair beside her moving, lifting her head harshly at the sound as she looked, ready to yell, only to freeze at the sight of Souji sitting at the desk next to hers. She blinked in a stupor, looking back at Yosuke to see if he could confirm what she was seeing, only to realize Yosuke had covered his head with his arms and was even more tense-looking than five minutes ago. She looked back to Souji, the teen catching her eye and giving her a short wave. Still unsure of what to do, she hesitantly lifted her hand and poked his arm.

He was definitely sitting there, no mistaking that... Just to make sure though, she hesitantly poked him again. Yep, still sitting there. Her thoughts churned in happiness and confusion. Was he really well enough to be out of the hospital? Sure, he seemed way way better when she saw him two weeks ago, but was it still okay for him to be here?

"Are you okay...?" She blinked slowly at Souji's question, his head tilted lightly and the smallest of amused smiles on his face.

She laughed hesitantly, scratching the back of her head. "I just―you're here! In school! Out of the hospital! I can't believe it! Are you sure you're up for it?"

"Not really..." his smile faded and he turned back in his seat, lightly glancing around the classroom. Chie froze, and noticed the murmurs and whispers that flooded around, stares focused on Souji. "But... I wanted to try..."

"W-Well, if you need any help, I can tutor you!" She froze. "I-I mean I can share my notes! I'm already sharing them with Yukiko, she's missed a lot of school to help out at her family's inn, so it's no biggie! I don't think I'd be a good tutor, though."

She glared at the sound of Yosuke scoffing behind them, turning in her chair to stick out her tongue before putting her attention back on Souji. There was another small smile on his face, but he kept looking towards the front of the class.

"Thank you, Chie."

"H-Hey, no need to thank me! We're friends, right? That's what friends do!" She beamed, before looking back at her notebook. "I hope you can read my writing. I mean, Yukiko can, but she's known me for years, y'know? I wish she was here today, I bet she'd actually like to talk to you! She never got the chance to visit with me because she's been so busy, and..."

She trailed off, noticing that Souji's smile had disappeared and he was continuing to stare at the front of the class. His expression was vacant now, like his mind had wandered to different things. Chie tensed, fidgeting lightly. Was she talking too much? She remembered the nurses saying something about his response times, but couldn't really remember it all that well. She let out a quiet sigh and forced a smile. She knew Souji didn't mean to ignore her.

"You okay...?"

She perked up again, Souji still wasn't looking at her, but the question was definitely directed at her.

"F-Fine! Totally fine! Don't worry about me, Souji-kun!"

She heard Yosuke scoff again. Jeez, what was his deal?! She didn't have time to turn around and glare at him again when the bell went off, the rest of the class quickly getting into their seats, some still murmuring and casting glances at Souji's direction. She saw someone lean over and place a hastily made origami crane onto his desk, and she could see words on the wings. Souji just kept looking towards the front of the class. It wasn't until halfway through the lecture that she saw Souji jump a little, grabbing the crane and looking around. Chie couldn't help but smile when he gave the girl a short wave after she signalled that she made the crane.

That little distractions made it hard to focus. She was doing her best to take notes for herself and Yukiko, but then she got distracted at the fact that Souji wasn't taking notes and she'd lose track of what she was writing and miss an explanation. All-in-all, Chie wasn't sure she learned much of anything, and her notes were nothing but unintelligible chicken-scratch missing bits and pieces of information. She pouted at her notebook, scratching behind her ear with her pencil as the final bell of the day rang out. She leaned back in her chair in a huff, arms dangling at her side in defeat before she jumped up and turned to look at Yosuke. Maybe he could share his notes! They could all study together at Junes and go over what Souji'd missed! Her smile of expectancy fell when she saw him already walking out of the classroom in a rush, practically running, it seemed like. That was strange, he said he didn't work today. What was the big rush all about?

Frowning, she turned back to Souji, who was still staring off into space, even as a couple of classmates crowded around and asked him questions. She quickly butt in before someone got upset or mad at Souji's lack of communication. Eventually, the class was nearly empty, Souji continuing to stare ahead before he suddenly snapped his head to look at his notebook, grabbing his pen and scribbling down words with a shaky hand. Chie watched in silence, kicking her feet lightly as she watched him write down... the notes from that day's lessons. His points were simple and brief, and there she was trying to write everything word-for-word.

"...You don't have to stay..." he mumbled, setting his pencil down.

She blinked slowly before waving her hands defensively. "No, it's okay! I don't mind! I was thinking we could maybe walk home together? I can show you a bunch of places, too, if you're up to it!"

"...That sounds nice... but I should go... home..." Souji trailed off as he picked up his pencil and wrote down a few more notes, before closing the book and shoving it in his bag.

"Then I can walk you home! Where do you live? Maybe it's near my house!"

Souji nodded dimly but didn't say anything more, instead getting out of his seat and walking towards the door. Quickly, Chie shoved her books into her bag and followed him. Souji's movements were stiff and slow, Chie finding herself bouncing on the spot as she waited for him at his locker, and finding she had to take a couple steps back as they walked off the school grounds to stay at his side.

"Y'know, I was kinda hoping Yosuke would have stuck around for a bit. I think you and him could get along really well! He's been acting a bit funny lately, but I j―"

"...It's okay... He should hate me..."

She paused mid-step, feeling a cold chill run down her spine. "H-Hate you? I'm sure he doesn't hate you! He barely knows you! Why would he hate you, Souji-kun? You're nice and―"

She stopped herself as Souji kept walking without another word, slowly catching up to him when she realized he wasn't going to wait. She never said anything about Yosuke hating him. What brought that on? She just thought something happened to Yosuke at work, like Saki rejecting him for a date or something, and that's why he was acting funny some days, but... Did it have something to do with that scar on his cheek? He never wanted to talk about it. Did Souji know something?

Biting her lip, she held her breath and crossed her arms, trying to force the questions out of her mouth. It wasn't any of her business. Her curiosity could stay curious. She didn't want to bother Souji too much, after all. It was pretty much his first official day at school!

"So, um... how'd you uh... like... today's classes?" she asked, slowly letting her arms fall back to her side.

Souji didn't answer. Instead, she watched him stop in his tracks and grab his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through it before wordlessly showing her the device. She blinked slowly at the screen, before realizing she was looking at an email with the address for a house.

"Is that where you live?"

Souji nodded dimly. She paused, looking to see where they were and trying to get a visual map of the town in her head. He didn't know how to get back home, and she didn't go down that way too often. It was near the Samegawa though, maybe that'd be a good starting point.

"All right, I think I can get us there! No problem!" She grinned, Souji nodding dimly again and putting his phone back in his pocket.

Souji was silent throughout the walk, but she didn't mind. He'd give some semblance of answers, or a brief smile or laugh as she talked, and that was enough for her. Maybe one day she'd get to have a full conversation, where there would be back-and-forth between the two. She didn't mind waiting for that, she was just glad he was okay and out of the hospital. It was so refreshing to actually see him moving around! She hated visiting that hospital room! It always smelled of citrus, and it was always way too strong. Like she did then, though, she asked if she could tell him about the latest things she'd seen about her kung-fu movies. Even if he wasn't looking at her as she spoke, she still knew he was humouring her at least.

"...and then there was this super BRIGHT flash of blue light―it like covered up the whole screen! And then the DVD froze and it scared the crap out of me because it just let out this creepy whirring sound and I―I... S-Souji-kun? Are you okay?" She paused, turning on her heel at Souji suddenly stopping. He was looking pale and clutching his head. Oh no, did she say something wrong?

"Souji-kun? You okay?" she questioned again, taking a short step forward. "C-C'mon, let's sit down. How about under that tree?"

Hesitantly, she touched his arm to try to lead him to the tree, only for him to jerk away and fall to the ground, bringing his legs to his chest and burying his head in his knees as he continued to grip tightly onto his hair. Chie paused, mind blanking as it rattled with panic and worry. What did she say? Why was he so upset? What could she do to help him?! She didn't want to force him anywhere and make it any worse! She needed help... Oh, duh!

Ripping her phone out of her pocket, she scrolled through her contact list and dialed Dojima's number, bouncing hesitantly on the spot as Souji stayed as he was. She was kind of thankful there was nobody around here.

"Dojima speaking. Is something wrong, Chie?"

She froze for a second at Dojima's voice, trying to recalculate her thoughts.

"Is Souji with you?"

Jeeze, was he a mind-reader, too?!

"Y-Yeah, a-and he just kinda started um... freaking out... I guess?" she stammered. "I-I was just talking about this movie I was watching and th-then he just kinda stopped walking and was holding onto his head. I-I tried to get him under a tree for some shade but he... uh... fell to the ground and... I don't want to um... I just..."

"Calm down, Chie. Where are you now?"

"We-We're near the Samegawa Floodplain. Um, I―"

"Would you mind staying with him? I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Y-Yeah, sure, no probl―" she was cut off by the dial tone, the rest of her sentence trailing into silence as she flicked her phone shut. Hesitantly, she sat down on the ground, holding her knees to her chest and watching Souji closely, unsure of what else to do. She could hear him mumbling under his breath, but couldn't make out what he was saying. She wasn't sure how much time had passed until Souji finally lifted his head, sniffling quietly and wiping his eyes.

She didn't move as she asked, "Are you okay, Souji-kun?"

He froze, turning to look right at her, like a deer caught in the headlights. Had he forgotten she was there? His lip quivered a little as he looked away, "I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Huh?! You have nothing to be sorry for, Souji-kun! Don't worr―"

He interrupted, furrowing his brow in pain. "...Did I... hurt you...?"

Chie paused, the cold chill running back down her spine. "N-No, I'm fine! You just scared me a little, that's all."

He stared off into the distance, falling back into a silence past his quiet hiccups and sniffling. She was still too scared to move until she heard the sound of a car door closing nearby, slowly getting to her feet when she saw Dojima rushing over, followed by someone behind him. Souji turned to look, straightening himself out at the sight of his relative. The concern on Dojima's face was the most apparent thing the world as he looked to his nephew.

"Are you okay, Souji?" he asked, Souji nodding slowly in response, the teen awkwardly shuffling to pick himself off the floor. Dojima gently helped him up before looking to Chie. "Thank you for staying with him. Are you all right?"

She nodded firmly, "I'm fine!"

"That's good. C'mon, Souji, let's get you home, all right? Do you want a ride, Chie?"

"Huh? Oh, no, that's okay! I don't want to be a bother or anything. I live in the opposite direction, so..." She fidgeted in embarrassment, feeling her face heat up. Suddenly, Yosuke's voice was in her head, taunting her about having a crush. Ooh, she was so gonna kick his butt for that later! Sure, it'd been weeks since he'd said it, but it still warranted a good butt-kicking! Oh, and she could still take him up on that offer for lunch.

"I can walk home, it's no trouble, Dojima-san! You feel better, okay, Souji-kun?" She beamed, Dojima hesitantly agreeing as he led Souji back to the car. Dojima stopped to pass some parting words to the man that had run up with him before continuing on his way with Souji.

When the two were out of sight, the man rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before turning to Chie. "Sorry about all that. You must have been scared, huh?"

"W-Well, I mean, a little..." She admitted, scanning the stranger. Judging by his uniform, even if it was unkempt, he was an officer like Dojima, too.

He must have seen her eyeing him, because he suddenly jumped to attention. "Oh! My name's Adachi. I'm Dojima-san's partner. You're Chie Satonaka, right? You were asking your classmates if they had any info when Souji-kun disappeared that one time, right?"

"Yeah. Not that it was much help, though..."

"Well, trust me, Dojima-san really appreciated it!" Adachi grinned, rubbing a finger under his nose before he paused, brow furrowing in thought. "Satonaka, though, hm? That sounds familiar..." he continued to mutter her name under his breath, Chie feeling a chill of awkwardness shoot through her spine. "Oh! I know! You found his body at the Junes parking lot!"

She flinched, images of the night suddenly filing back in her mind. She couldn't see much past the fog, but her heart racing in the cold night, the sensation of everything came rushing back all in an instant. Biting her lip hard enough to try to forget the memory, she looked at the detective who was rubbing the back of his head again.

"Sorry, guess that's something you don't wanna remember, huh?" he apologized. "Well, um, I know you said you'd be fine, but Dojima-san insisted I walk you home, at least. If you don't want me to, that's totally cool, I get it! I think we live in the same direction though, so..."

"I... I guess that'd be fine," she smiled awkwardly. He didn't seem like a bad guy, but it was still kinda... weird. If Dojima insisted, though, she couldn't back down on his good intentions. "...Adachi-san, do you like dogs?"

"Eh?" His face lit up in confusion and surprise at the sudden question, before he turned to walk with her as they headed back down the path. "Well, I guess they're all right... why?"

"My dog Muku tries to jump the fence when I get home." she grinned, emphasizing with her arms. "He's a big ol' porker, and he'll give you nothing but love if you get close enough! He'll probably try to dash the gate if he sees you to say 'hi'. Normally he's really good, but if he sees someone new and the gate's open just a tiiiiiny bit, he'll think it's okay to leave and jump on them!"

"I see." Adachi pursed his lip, voice faded in what seemed like disinterest until he perked up. "So... is he trained? Like, if the gate's closed, he knows to stay in the yard?"

Chie nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! It's only open when we have to get in and out, of course, but he usually knows that, too. Sometimes we do have to push him back when he gets too excited. When I take him for a walk though, we keep it open. The night I... found... y'know... uh he got spooked and ran off home, which is how I ended up finding... y'know... cuz I was looking for him. But, he's a good boy! If he gets spooked out and stuff, he just runs straight home, which is why we keep the gate open when we go for walks. He can also sit and lay down, and we're trying to teach him to roll-over, but he doesn't get it."

"Interesting." She could see Adachi nodding out of the corner of her eye. "You know, I've always been curious, since I've never had a dog, how exactly do you... train them?"

"Ooh, well, with Muku it took a long time, and it was mainly my mom who was teaching him the tricks, but..." She rambled on and on as they walked, Adachi nodding enthusiastically and chiming in with questions here and there until the topic got sidetracked, where she was asking questions about police duty, and Adachi either droning on about boring paperwork, saying something and then immediately paling and asking her not to tell Dojima he said that, or him boasting and exaggerating tales of heroic duties such as... saving a cat from a tree.

"...and did you know I saved Dojima-san's life on a mission?"

Her eyes widened, "Really?! How?!"

"Okay, so we were called to investigate something at the junkyard one night, right?" His voice fell to give more atmosphere to the story, smirk on his face as he told it. "The person who had called it in had been attacked, and the culprit had fled deep into the landfill. We split up into teams and had to go looking, and barricades were set up all around to make sure the culprit didn't get out. Obviously, the guy was playing games with us, because we went through that place around fifty times. Dojima-san was starting to lose his cool, and I was getting a little stir-crazy, too. The smell was really getting to me. Anyway, so, after passing this one part again for the tenth time, I heard something and noticed a guy under a discarded desk. Then, all of a sudden, he charged right for Dojima-san! Lucky for him that I was there! I pushed him out of the way and disarmed the culprit! I mean, sure, he managed to get a hit in, but that's besides the point."

Chie could feel her face light up in astonishment. "That's amazing, Adachi-san! Did you arrest the guy?! What did Dojima-san say?!"

"W-Well, I um..." A light blush formed on Adachi's face as he scratched his cheek. "I... wasn't... conscious... uh... he disarmed the weapon... into me and I kinda... passed out."

"Oh..." her face fell in concern, the awkwardness from earlier quickly flooding back. "A-Are you okay?"

"I am now; nothing to worry about!" He grinned, placing his hands triumphantly on his hips.

"Well, that's good, then." She lifted her head as they rounded the corner to the street her house was on. "My house is just down this way. Did you want to say hi to Muku?"

Adachi paused, a low hum echoing from his throat as he took a moment to think before he shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

It took her, her mom, and her dad before they managed to pry Muku off after he pounced and knocked Adachi to the ground as a greeting.