I do not own JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or the Persona series.

"And this used to be a quiet shop…" Dojima announced with a sigh as he looked at Marukyu. "I remember that almost nobody came here just a week ago."

"Hey now, don't say that…" Adachi said as he got out of the car. "You're going to sound old." Dojima shot him a glare. "W-what I mean is that a man at such a young age like yours shouldn't be sounding older than he actually is!"

"Yeah, I thought you meant that." Ah hell, maybe he was screwing with Adachi too much. But after the idiot spilled coffee over Kanji Tatsumi's files Dojima felt that a little ribbing was necessary for punishment.

For Dojima at least. The Chief punished Adachi by sticking him on crowd control in front of the shop.

"Still, I kind of get what you mean. Can't believe we're getting crowds like this in Inaba. Not even that Zeppeli kid needed police to manage the people who came to see him." Adachi walked beside Dojima and said, "But hey, I get it. Rise Kujikawa is an actual celebrity on this part of the pond. And her body probably got her a lot of fans too."

Dojima raised an eyebrow at that and lightly glared at Adachi. "Isn't she a bit young for you?"

Adachi panicked at that. "H-hey come on! I didn't mean it like that! Besides, I know I can't… I mean I won't.." Adachi gave a sigh. "I'll shut up now."

Shaking his head at his partner's actions, Dojima stepped forward. "Well in any case, let's give her the warning and then I can make sure you processed your report correctly at the station. Then maybe we can get a beer before heading hom…"

Dojima stopped himself as the door to the tofu shop opened, revealing his nephew and Satonaka along with Yukiko Amagi. "What are they doing here?" Dojima hated to admit it, but something went off in Dojima's guy that this was no mere coincidence.

As much as Dojima disliked that punk Shirogane's presence, the boy detective had mentioned he had seen Johnny with Amagi and now Kanji Tatsumi. Both had the strange coincidence of going missing before reappearing with explanations but no proof to support them.

Now Johnny was at the place where Rise Kujikawa was staying?

Something was off. "But what if I'm wrong?" What if this all really was just a coincidence?

"Hey, Dojima-san." Adachi spoke up, breaking Dojima from his thoughts. "What's your nephew doing here?"

"I don't know." Dojima took a step forward. "But I'm going to find out." He began waving his hand and shouted, "Hey! Johnny!"

Johnny looked in his direction, and his face reverted to a scowl. "Hey." Johnny offered with a grumble, while the two girls looked at him nervously.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Dojima glanced back at the shop. "Never thought you were a Rise fan."

"Like hell I am!" Johnny shouted suddenly, catching the detective off guard. "Do we look like fans?"

Dojima glanced at Yukiko and Chie. They weren't gossiping or anything, or swooning over meeting an actual idol. "No, I suppose not." Dojima turned his attention back at Johnny. "So what are you doing here?"

"Oh!" Yukiko spoke up. "We were just getting some tofu!"

"...You just decided to come here for tofu." Yukiko he could understand. Girl seemed like one of those types who dieted a lot. Chie too since he had seen her and Yukiko hanging around together during his patrols from time to time. But Johnny? The kid who looked at a cube of tofu during a dinner in disgust?

"Yeah. Why the hell else would we come here?" Johnny sighed as he asked, "Look, is this going to be a thing? Because I have places to be."

"Johnny!" Chie hissed out, and she had good reason to. Johnny's attitude was not something he appreciated.

"Even if it's just a coincidence, it doesn't warrant…"

"Look, Dojima-san." Adachi placed his hand on his shoulder. "The kid's probably just annoyed that they had to wait for the crowd to leave before getting their tofu. Give them a break, okay?"

Dojima took a deep breath before breathing out. That's true. Dojima knew he would be pissed if something like that happened to him. "No, it's not a thing. Just seeing what you were up to." Dojima then pointed at the wax paper in Johnny's hand. "But I hope you didn't eat too much. Otherwise you won't be able to eat dinner."

"Yeah, okay." With a wave, Johnny and his friends left and went further up the shopping district. Dojima watched them for a second before sighing. "Alright, let's do what we came here for."

They entered the shop, and Rise Kujikawa was just behind the counter cleaning it. "Oh! Good afternoon officers." Rise looked up at them and smiled. "What can I do for you today?"

Dojima started a bit of small talk, about how she was doing and if she was adjusting well as well as if she wanted someone watching over her house at night. After three yes answers to those questions, Dojima steered the conversation to his intended goal.

To warn Rise.

After giving a good hard look at the evidence (and as much as it hurt his pride to admit it, some input from Naoto), Dojima had a hunch on what the murderer's pattern might be.

Konishi and Amano were on TV before disappearing and being murdered. Thus the killer's pattern might be that his victims need to appear on the TV before he kills them.

"Oh man, really?" Rise gave a slight gasp as her right hand covered her mouth. "T-That's…!"

Dojima had seen a lot of things during his years. Carjackers saying how they were just borrowing the cars, robbers who said that they were simply getting things at the owner's request, and punks who said that they were just a victim of circumstance.

Some of them were actually convincing actors, who could get anyone to believe their story until evidence proved otherwise.

But Dojima could tell what was or wasn't bullshit depending on how artificial things sounded.

Rise was a good actor, but Dojima could tell she wasn't surprised in the least about the news. Mostly from the hand-covering thing.

"Well remember, this is just a theory. But all the same, please call if you see anyone suspicious." After a nod and offer of thanks, Dojima and Adachi left the store.

"Man, you're detective's intuition is amazing! Now we actually have a pattern for the killer!" Adachi looked back at the shop as they went back into the car. "And on top of that, we were able to identify and warn a potential victim!"

"Yeah, we sure did…" As he said that, Dojima looked towards the direction Johnny and his friends left.

Something strange was happening in his town.

June 23, 2011:

Yukiko Amagi went up the stairs towards the school roof with a bento in hand. Chie normally stayed up there during lunchtime due to the breeze and to have space to train. There were times when Yukiko thought that her friend might be too obsessed with her hobby, but Yukiko liked to think it added to Chie's charm. "Hope she didn't eat too much." Yukiko thought as she arrived at the top of the stairs and began opening the door. "I might not be able to finish all this."

However, the roof wasn't being occupied by Chie. Instead it was Johnny, who was out of his chair leaning on the fence while eating pieces of Sushi using a fork.

While part of her was a bit disappointed that Chie wasn't there, she wouldn't mind speaking with Johnny.

"Besides, he could use the company." With that Yukiko cleared her throat and said, "Good afternoon Joestar-san!"

Johnny looked up from his lunch. "Oh, hey."

"Pleasant surprise to see you here." Yukiko walked towards the fence and sat beside Johnny (at a respectable distance, of course, before opening her bento.

"Yeah, well I was here to see Chie but she had to run off for something King Moron wanted." Johnny ate another piece of sushi. "Seriously, the hell is that asshole's deal?"

"Do you have to use that kind of language?" Yukiko muttered with a frown.

"Eh." Johnny set aside his box, revealing it was now empty. "I just like saying how I feel."

Yukiko still didn't appreciate the language, but she had to admire that aspect of Johnny's personality. She looked back at her bento, and frowned. "Maybe he'll like to try it?" Looking to Johnny she asked, "Hey, would you like half of this? It's stir-fry that I made."

"Hell no." Came Johnny's blunt answer.

Part of Yukiko was hurt, but part of her understood thanks to Mystery Food X "Thank you so much for than name, Hanamura-san." She thought sarcastically while sighing. "I suppose I can't blame you. That food before was really bad."

"Yes, it was." Johnny looked at the bento. "So why are you trying to feed me your cooking? Trying to get back at me for something?"

"N-No! I've been trying to improve my cooking skills and I wanted a second opinion." Yukiko set aside the bento and placed her hands on her lap. "I tried cooking before at the inn's kitchen, but the cook would always push me out of he caught me. If I made my parents something, they would eat the same dish but I could tell it wasn't the one I made."

"They would tell you straight out?"

"I think that they just didn't want to hurt my feelings." Yukiko admitted with a frown. "Actually, Hanamura-san and Chie were the first to actually try something I made." And it was a real blow to her confidence when they had… less than stellar reactions to it. "Which is why I'm practicing and trying to improve. I'll…" Yukiko felt her throat go dry, but steeled herself. "I will be moving away from Inaba in a few years. And I will have to cook for myself and guests. So if I'm going to be independent… then I'm going to have to improve with cooking on my own."

Yes. She couldn't ask for help on this. This was something she had to do, to prove to herself that she could do things on her own, without her family's influence. "I can make good food, I can!"

"If that's what it takes for you to feel in control, I say go for it." Johnny placed both of his hands behind his head. "Just don't look at me for cooking advice. I can only make two things right."

Then it hit her. "Say, Joestar-san." She turned to Johnny and smiled. "When I get really good at cooking… would you mind being my taste tester?"

When Johnny stared at her, Yukiko felt her cheeks flush and her embarrassment grow. Did she say that weirdly? Was he getting the wrong idea? "Oh god why did I think this was a good idea…?"

Then, Johnny began to chuckle. "Sure. If that happens, I'll eat whatever you give me. The entire thing. Not a single crumb wasted."

"Is he making fun of me?" Still, a part of her felt as if Johnny meant it. And a part of her, the competitive part, could see this as a direct challenge. "Well then, it's a promise!"

Not only would this make Johnny appreciate her cooking, but it would make Yukiko prove something to herself.

That she could do anything, so long as she set her mind to it.

Unknown to Yukiko, the bond between them grew a bit stronger…

The two teenagers continued to talk until the end of lunch time, but affirmed with one another that they would meet with the others after school to stake-out Rise's residence.

xxXXxx

"Mugwort Yomogi Tea?" Johnny read out loud with a frown, sticking out his tongue in disgust as he held the small box up.

"Don't know why you want a tea that gives you warts." Gyro teased Johnny, causing the American to grimace.

"Yeah, very original Gyro. Thank you so much for that." The teen put the tea box back into its place.

"Why are you trying to get tea anyways Johnny?" Chie asked with a frown as she leaned on the cabinet behind her. "I thought you drank Camomile."

"Yeah, but I'm going to be eating a lot at Aiya." Johnny admitted with a frown. "I read somewhere that some Japanese teas help with weight loss."

"You need to lose even more weight?" Yukiko asked with a frown as looked up from the racks of spices. "But you're already so thin…"

"It won't last with that girl's food…"

Gyro chuckled at Johnny's grumblings. He knew what the American meant, but until the others asked what was up he would keep quiet about it.

The group had decided to spy on the tofu shop from the Shiroku Store, due to it not being far from the shop and giving them a good view of it from the front windows. Gyro had decided to join them in case the killer actually did show up and they needed help.

"Why not take some of these, man?" Yosuke then brought up a packet of diet pills.

"Ugh, no thanks." Johnny shook his head in denial. "I'd rather just drink the tea."

"How can you be cool with drinking tea?" Kanji asked incredulously while glancing out the window. "Seriously, shouldn't you be drinking coffee or something?"

"Oh, I had no idea that I could drink both! Thanks for informing me!"

"Not what I was saying ma-" Kanji then stopped and frowned. "Uh guys? The cop's on his way."

Gyro groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "No… Please don't tell me it's Shirogane…"

"It's not."

"Oh, good." Gyro stated with a sigh. "That's…"

"It's the detective."

The door then opened, revealing Tohru Adachi. But rather than seeming like his normal goofy self, he seemed… irritated. As if he wanted to be anywhere else but here. "Man, can't believe he's still pissed about the coffee thing. Now I'm stuck on kid watching duty…"

Gyro raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Huh!?" Adachi then seemed to register their presence in the store. "W-Wow! What a coincidence! I was just… um…" Adachi then went towards the small rack of organic vegetables and said, "Wow! The cabbage is so cheap! I always wanted to eat healthier!"

"That's such bullshit…" Kanji growled out, causing the detective to inch away from him just a bit more.

"Shit. He's not having that guy spy on us?" Johnny muttered out with a frown.

"Well maybe what you said to him yesterday made him suspicious?" Chie asked, only for Johnny to frown.

"Nah, I talked like that to him a bunch of times…"

"That's kind of horrible." Yukiko brought up with a frown.

"Whatever. Anyways, it wouldn't have him ask a cop to spy on us."

Gyro frowned as he crossed his arms. "So then maybe they suspected something from Rise? You guys supposedly warned her and told her to keep quiet about it."

"No way! Rise's got amazing acting skills. She wouldn't act suspicious." Yosuke brought up, defending his favorite celebrity's honor.

"Still though, he's here." Johnny motioned over to Gyro. "Either way, Dojima thinks he needs to send his lackey to check up on us."

"Well, try not to be bothered by it." Gyro replied as he put his hands on his hips. "If we show that we're bothered by it…"

"Hey guys!" Kanji shouted, catching everyone's attention. "There's some guy on the telephone pole!"

Everyone quickly went to the windows to look outside. Indeed, Kanji was correct in his description. Hanging on a telephone pole was a man, his arms and legs wrapped around the wooden pole while his hands held a camera aimed at the tofu store.

"H-Hey! Get down from there!" Adachi shouted as he ran outside. "The area is off limits! Get down! This is an order from a police officer!" Adachi held up his badge.

The guy seemed to get the message.

"C-Cop!" The man squeaked out as he slid down and landed on his feet. He was short and pudgy, wearing a green shirt and vest with pins of Rise attached to them. His green cargo pants were filled with what seemed like camera gear and other Rise memorabilia.

"Hey is that…" Yukiko pointed at the man.

"Yeah, it probably is!" Kanji shouted out, clenching his fists and clenching his teeth. "This is the piece of crap that put us through so much crap!?"

Gyro blinked at that. "Wait, wha-?"

"After him!" Yosuke shouted, and everyone (Including Adachi), began running after the man. The man squeaked once more before running as well.

Everyone save for Gyro and Johnny.

Chie was the last one to take off, but was also the only one to see that Gyro and Johnny hadn't moved. "Wait…" Chie turned back to Gyro and Johnny. "Aren't you guys coming?"

Gyro glanced at Johnny, who had the same look of disbelief. A look that screamed 'Are we seriously going to waste our time chasing this loser?" Gyro gave a shrug in response. Everyone else was leaving after all. With that, Johnny began pushing himself while Gyro began lightly jogging.

No need to put much effort into it after all.

The guy was not particularly fast. Gyro saw the other teens and detective were literally within jumping distance and gaining ground.

There was no way in hell this guy was the killer.

"Hey! Stop damn it!" Kanji yelled out to the man, who grunted as he continued to run and only stopped at the intersection.

He turned towards them, his eyes widened in fear.

"I-I'll jump! I mean it!" His nasally voice shouted, motioning to the fast moving traffic behind him.

Everyone froze, unsure of what to do. Even if this guy wasn't the killer, the threat was a bit extreme.

"H-hey! Don't do that!" Adachi shouted before muttering in fear, "If the suspect gets injured or killed, then the entire station will be in big trouble!"

Johnny looked at Gyro. "What do we do?"

Gyro was silent for only a second before something came to mind. "I've got an idea." Gyro replied, his face dead serious.

"Well then do it so we can get this over with."

Gyro gave a couple of low coughs. Then, he started his plan. "Oh my god!" Gyro shouted in English, his hands on his cheeks which made everyone look at him. "Is that Rise Kujikawa? And is that the wind blowing up her skirt and showing her panties!?"

"Really?!" The guy shouted as he turned around.

"No!" Adachi shouted as he tackled the guy in the back, pinning him face first into the ground.

Johnny blinked twice before raising an eyebrow at Gyro. "Seriously? That was your plan?"

"Figured it might work for that guy."

Johnny looked up in thought for a second before shrugging. "Japanese guys are supposed to be into that stuff, aren't they?" Johnny asked, causing Gyro to chuckle. Chie then stomped towards him and put her hands on her hips, glaring lightly at Gyro.

"Seriously?"

"Hey, it worked didn't it?" Johnny asked, motioning towards the downed man.

"This is so not how I wanted to catch the killer…" Yosuke muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"He isn't the killer." Gyro stayed matter-of-factly, causing the other teens to look at him.

"...What?" Kanji asked blandly.

"Yes, how could this man not be the killer?" Johnny asked with a mock gasp, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he motioned at the man. "After all, just look how fit he is. Look at how not obsessed he is with Rise and just how he strikes whoever happens to be on TV! This man absolutely has to be the killer! Only an ingenious killer would scope out the area from a telephone pole in clear view of everyone in broad daylight!"

Not how Gyro would have put it, but it got the point across. Now everyone was looking away and shifting awkwardly with cheeks flushed thanks to embarrassment.

"...You don't have to be mean about it." Yukiko spoke up, frowning and looking away.

"So this guy…" Kanji pointed back at the man, who was protesting as Adachi put on the cuffs.

"Total creep? Yes." Gyro have a firm nod. "The killer? Hell no."

"So we just ran… for nothing?" Yosuke groaned as he slapped his forehead. "Ah man, now I feel like an idiot…

"Well, it's a good thing Gyro and I didn't think what you guys were thinking. Otherwise we would have been idiots too." Johnny gasped in surprise as Chie kicked his wheelchair.

"Ah man, so this guy isn't the killer…?" Adachi asked as brought up the handcuffed man. "Well, at least it's not a complete loss. I think I recognize this guy from Kujikawa's list of restraining orders."

"I-I wasn't that close!" The man shouted in fear. "And I never killed anyone! Why would you people think that!?"

"Well, maybe next time you won't act like a total creep inside a town with an ongoing murder investigation." Adachi chuckled to himself. "Man, I sound like I'm from a detective show." He turned his attention to Gyro and the others. "Look, thanks for this but you guys should really stop getting involved with this kind of stuff." He turned his head to Johnny. "Dojima-san's worried enough about you as is."

"Where I go and who I hang out with shouldn't be any of his business." Johnny shot back.

"Man, are all American teens like this?" Adachi muttered to himself. "Well anyways, see you guys." Adachi then began walking forward, lightly pushing the stalker to keep up his pace.

"Well, so much for ending the case early." Yukiko muttered to herself. "We should probably get going before Dojima-san comes to see if we're still here."

"What do you guys want to do?" Kanji asked, and while the other teens gave their suggestions, Gyro turned his head back…

…And saw Rise Kujikawa, dressed in a dark pink shirt, brown hat, grey jeans and red shoes with a pair of glasses over her eyes and a purse slung over her shoulder. The girl exited the tofu shop and walk away, without anyone noticing.

"Hmm… wouldn't hurt to see if she's okay." But going in a group would draw attention, and arise could probably do without Yosuke's gushes. "I'll see you guys later. I've got some stuff to do." Waving goodbye, Gyro left the group and followed the idol at a healthy distance with his hat down to shield his face from view.

xxXXxx

Gyro scanned the surrounding area of the flood plains. There wasn't a soul in sight. All the students had since abandoned the area, school and clubs being long since over with. The only ones in the area now was just an old man by the river and a dog chasing a butterfly at the bottom of the slope. Sitting on the slope watching the river flow and the sun set was Rise Kujikawa.

"Guess the lack of a nightlife is why she came here." Still, Gyro didn't know why she came to this specific place. Was it supposed to be a safe place for her? "Maybe I should leave her." After all, Rise was against them interacting with one another due to the paparazzi.

But they wouldn't be here. Not after the excitement in the tofu shop.

That and Gyro was still a bit curious about the newest Inaba resident. Plus, as someone who was familiar with how annoying the press could be he was also a little interested in how she'd been dealing with all the fuss so far.

With that in mind, Gyro walked down the slope and stood next to her. "Yo. Crazy day, huh?"

Rise looked up at him, sighing when she recognized him. "What are you doing here? Don't you remember what I said before?"

"I was a bit worried when I saw you slip out the back before." Gyro gave a light shrug. "Thought you needed some company."

"The thought's nice, but like I said about the press-"

"Are busy writing their newest headline." Gyro threw up his hands and said, "Breaking news! Brutal Inaba Police Assault Innocent Risette Fan!" Gyro grinned and showed off his grills. "Something like that, right?"

Rise let out a few chuckles. "Yeah, it definitely sounds like something they would write."

"Nyohoho~!"

"But you guys shouldn't have worried yourselves over me. After all, even without police protection…" Rise reached into her purse and brought the objects into view. Gyro's eyes widened as he saw a can of pepper spray and a stun gun. "... I've dealt with creeps like that guy before."

"Ho! This girl's got spunk!" While it is debatable whether or not those would help against the actual kidnapper, it did show that Rise was prepared for something going down. "Never thought you would have those on you!"

Rise frowned at that, and put the objects away. "No. Nobody would. After all, how could the cute and innocent 'Risette' ever defend herself? She shouldn't even know how to in the first place."

Gyro shifted a bit as she said that. Seemed that Rise had problems with her career. "The press really gets into you, huh?"

Rise looked up at him, studying him for a second before sighing. "It's not just them." Rise brought her legs up and hugged them to her chest. "It's my fans too. They think Risette is meant to always be Risette. She can't have a life of her own because she is theirs. If I act out of character, it's as if I make some horrible betrayal and the press eats that right up. They don't care about me, Rise Kujikawa. All they like is Risette and her hot body, being 'pure, and being a cute ditz who sings songs and poses and stars in shows where she does the same thing as always under a different name…" Rise bit her lip. "And I hate them for it. I just couldn't stand it anymore. Risette is not the real me. Risette isn't Rise Kujikawa. She's fake. Just another product off the assembly line."

Gyro frowned at that. Was the idol industry really that bad? Enough to make Rise this stressed out? "I never experienced that." Gyro always took his fame in stride. He knew the ropes and how to avoid the press. But he never felt fake or anything like that. He never felt as if he was playing two different roles. "She just needs confidence in herself." yeah, that was it! "Why should you care?" Rise looked up to him in surprise. "You're your own person. They can't take that away from you. If they think you have no life besides being your role 24/7 then, well…" Gyro shrugged. "They're idioti. That's Italian for idiots."

Rise continued to stare at him, and then sighed. "You make it sound so easy…"

Gyro frowned even more. She still wasn't cheered up? Well then, time to break out a joke. "Say…" Gyro smirked. "Did you know that this town's name is actually partly Spanish?"

"Spanish?" Rise raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah!" Gyro held up fingers. "Ya-Soy-Inaba! The founder must've loved the Spanish but didn't know the language that well. Because Ya is supposed to be Yo, and he took out the y and forgot the en! The proper saying is 'Yo soy en Inaba', or 'I am in Inaba'!"

Rise stared at him in silence.

"Clever huh? It's an original gag of mine!"

Rise blinked before giggling, and then bursting out laughing, "O-Oh God! Pffthahaha! That was so lame!"

Gyro's pride took a blow from that. "My jokes are anything but lame!"

Rise's laughs died down, but the happy smile remained. "Oh man, thanks for that. I needed it." She then got onto her feet. "I have to get going before my grandmother gets worried. It was nice talking to you again."

"Yeah, you too." Rise walked away, waving goodbye at Gyro which he returned. Gyro turned back to the river before looking at the setting sun. "I guess this town is going to get stranger every month."

Gyro Zeppeli was surprisingly ok with that.

June 24, 2011:

"Pi-zza mozz…" Gyro frowned as he walked down the hallways of the first floor. "No, that doesn't sound right."

Lunch had finished a few minutes ago, and the students that Gyro had grown familiar with over the past few weeks were busy with their own activities. Not that Gyro minded, but occupying his time by walking around the school was growing tiresome.

So he decided to begin working on that song that he was thinking about making.

"Piz-Za Moz-Zer… no that sounds stupid." Gyro pinched the bridge of his nose. "Come on, it can't be that difficult to think up? It's just got two verses." Gyro hummed to himself as he stopped in front of the shoe racks. "Maybe if I had a beat?"

Gyro then stopped and blinked as someone exited from the faculty office.

That someone happened to be Rise Kujikawa, dressed in a Yasogami High uniform.

"Man, talk about a coincidence." Gyro muttered to himself.

Apparently, Rise heard and turned her head towards him. "Wow." She said with widened eyes. She stepped towards him. "We really see each other way too often."

Gyro snickered at that. "Yeah, must be fate."

"Or something like that." Rise then stopped just before she came to the shoe rack area.

"Uh, you okay?" Gyro asked with a frown while scratching the back of his neck.

"They still there?" Rise asked as she pointed to her left. Gyro looked in the direction and saw, just outside the school gates, a crowd of cameramen, reporters, photographers, and Rise fans milling around. Cops stood in front of the gate, their arms crossed but shifting uncomfortably.

"Probably never dealt with a crowd this big." The cops of the town could barely handle the murder case. Asking them to do this much crowd control almost seemed like some sadistic punishment courtesy of their boss.

"Yup."

"Damn. This was supposed to be an in and out thing." Rise sighed as she leaned against the wall. "What am I going to do now? I need to get home, but I don't want to deal with those guys…"

Gyro smirked a bit. "I might know a thing or two." Gyro walked over to Rise and motioned her to follow him. "Come on. I have a secret passageway."

Behind the school, far away from the sports areas was a gate that lead to a small pathway. That pathway lead to a street that connected to the Shopping District, which hardly had any traffic so Gyro used it constantly during his first few days in Inaba to avoid the press. Nobody besides the locals knew about it, and even then hardly anyone used it.

Thus it made the perfect escape route.

Gyro jumped over the gate, his hands gripping the top metal bar, as he went from one side to the other. He held out his arms, ready to catch Rise, as she climbed over the fence. Her height and build preventing her from making the move Gyro used. "Wow, when did a horse jockey become an acrobat?" Rise asked with a smirk as she landed feet-first onto the ground.

"Horses are tall. So either you learn some or you throw out your back when you try to get on one without assistance." Gyro looked both ways, and listened carefully. "Alright, coast is clear. Follow me."

"Man, it's as if we're on some cheesy drama." Rise commented as the two teens ran.

Gyro was rather impressed with Rise. The girl had resolve, and was not sheltered. It was obvious her training had built up stamina, shown by the teen idol keeping up with his pace. "Good thing, because I don't think I could deal with someone who would complain from my help."

The two were lucky in that nobody was on the road. Everything seemed empty, even for a small town like Inaba. So thankfully, there wasn't anybody to identify Rise and call in the media.

Gyro would rather avoid a tabloid cover.

The two slowed down their pace as they neared the Shopping District, some sweat dripping down from their bodies and their breathing just a bit ragged.

"W-Why did we have to run again?" Rise asked as she sucked up some air.

"If we took too long, we risked having someone spot us." Gyro really had to thank the other world for getting him well acquainted with long runs. He recovered fast now, faster than he ever had before. "Why? You tired?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. Just…" Rise let out a cough. "Give me a second."

Gyro nodded and the two walked forward. Gyro could not help but be impressed by Rise. She truly was committed to being hidden, from disappearing from the media's radar. This didn't seem like a permanent thing, not in the least.

But still… Gyro could not help but feel as if there was more to this than it seemed.

Oh well, it didn't matter. "I can still help her out a bit, if she's willing."

"Oh man, not here too…" Rise muttered, breaking Gyro from his thoughts and causing him to stop.

Just like at the school, there was now a crowd of people from the media and fans in front of Marukyu Tofu. All of them clamoring in, peeking into every window and ever crack on the wall just trying to get a glimpse.

Like a bunch of bloodsucking parasites.

"We're going to have to find some other way to get you in…" Gyro muttered out with a frown.

"Rise?" An older male voice asked, and Rise gasped in shock. Gyro turned around to see a man in a professional blue suit and red tie with a white shirt. His brown hair was messy but stylized, while his eyes were framed by a pair of glasses.

"I-Inoue…" Rise muttered out, shock and trepidation in her voice. She knew the man, and seemed shaken to see her again.

"Who are you?" Gyro asked. The man looked at him and bowed.

"Minoru Inoue. I'm Rise Kujikawa's manager..."

"Former manager." Rise corrected forcefully.

"...Former manager, Zeppeli-san." Gyro was impressed. The man actually knew him from first glance. "There are some things that I want to talk with Rise about. But first…" He pointed at the crowd. "Let's go somewhere more private."

With a nod, Gyro and the two went towards the shrine, sneaking past the crowd which seemed too obsessed with their target to notice them. They went into the shrine, completely empty at the moment save for the chirping of insects.

As Gyro leaned against a tree, his ears honed in on Rise and Inoue as they spoke by the ema tablet wall.

"Why are you here?" Rise asked her manager, who gave the idol an almost father-like look.

"Because I'm concerned about you, and the choices you are making right now." Inoue gave a sigh as he said, "Please come back Rise. It's not too late…"

"I told you before and I'll tell you again, I'm not going to be an idol anymore!" Rise stomped her foot down in anger as she said, "You even know why I don't want to do it anymore!"

"They're that close huh?" Even Gyro could tell. They sounded as if they worked together for a while. Gyro didn't know why else a manager would come all the way out here and not just move to the next client.

"Yes, I know but… Rise look, you're extremely talented. You worked so hard to become one of the biggest idols in Japan. You even had an important role in that movie." Inoue gave Rise a pleading look. "Please come back. It's not too late. We can just say you needed a short break to calm your nerves and then we can get back on track. Nobody will care within a week, and it'll be as if none of this happened."

Gyro half expected Rise to shout at the guy, considering her attitude towards her career before.

But instead, Gyro saw Rise bite her bottom lip and look hesitant. "Is she… Second guessing herself?" He thought that Rise hated her career, and now she was tempted to go back?

Just what was going on here.

After a few seconds of silence, Rise responded. "N-no Inoue. No, I'm sorry but I've made my decision."

She didn't seem entirely convinced.

Inoue stared at her for a few seconds before signing. "I'm not giving up on you Rise. I'm going to stay around for a bit and try to convince you to come back but… I can't do it forever. The music and film people are already thinking about tearing up their contracts with you. If you don't come back soon…" Rise's eyes widened in shock and dread as Inoue began walking away. The man gave a small nod to Gyro as he passed by the Italian.

Gyro looked at Rise in worry. He hadn't moved from her spot since Inoue gave his last word. "Is she okay?" Then, he saw Rise was shaking. Gyro knew he had to do something. "Hey." Gyro walked up to Rise and moved his right hand to Rise's shoulder. "You oka-?"

"No, of course I'm not!" Rise shouted, causing Gyro to halt his hand's progress. "I-I just…"

"Look, you just need to take it easy." Gyro suggested while placing his hands on his hips. "Maybe think about this, since you're obviously not sure on thi-"

"That's just so easy for you to say, isn't it?" Rise turned around and glared at him. "After all, you're all the way over here rather than back in Italy! You don't have your fans and sponsors breathing down your neck every second of every day!"

Gyro took a step back in surprise, "I was just…"

"Your fans don't look at you with the eyes of a complete creep bringing posters and models of you to… to… They don't think of you and treat you like their property!"

"I'm just trying to help you!" Gyro shot back with a frown. "I went through the same thing coming here, so…"

"You don't know anything!" Rise pointed at him and glared. "Your career is more flexible than mine! I have to act all the time, act like someone I'm not and do the same song and dance every day while you have the luxury of being yourself. Despite what you may think, I can't take it easy because I don't have the luxury of going into an entirely different country to forget about this! I wish I could, but I just can't!"

Rise breathed in and out, while Gyro was simply stunned. Was this what Rise thought? We're his words… Really just empty encouragement to the girl? "I didn't think that we were that different before, but now…"

Rise placed her right hand over her forehead and closed her eyes. "Crap… I'm sorry for that, I just…" She sighed and began to walk home. "I'm going home."

Gyro didn't stop her when she passed by him.

She was right. They did live entirely different lives, and entirely different careers. "I can still help though…" Gyro sighed as he placed his hands into his pockets. "No, no I can't. Besides she doesn't want my help."

And if she didn't want his help, there wasn't any point in trying to pursue her.

Despite deciding on this, Gyro cast a worrying look at Rise's retreating form from over his shoulder.

Later that day, Rise Kujikawa would be thrown into a TV.

[To Be Continued |\|]

Note: Here's the second half of a complete chapter, also betaed by Kiiam.

I really liked writing this chapter specifically for Rise and having her bounce off Gyro and Johnny. I will be the first to admit that I have zero familiarity with the idol industry, but with what I did find through research I didn't like much. But Rise is her own character who happens/happened to be an idol, and through her I can explore these things. As well as compare her fame to Gyro's, as shown through that outburst at the end.

This part also helped me to hint at a certain problem Gyro has...

Please check out the TV Tropes page and add whatever you find appropriate. Also check out the Spacebattles page for this story for a more in-depth discussion.

Please leave constructive criticism.