September 27th, Inaba Police Department Morgue
"We... We found her near a TV antenna..." - Said my uncle.
"Uhm, folks? Why are you all here? That's a bit unorthodox..." - Said Adachi.
"Miss Kirihara was a dear friend of mine and I wished to bring them along for moral support. If it truly does bother you this much, I can leave..." - Said Mitsuru.
"You can stay, just don't touch anything." - Saud my uncle, looking at the body of Rei Kirihara, or Yumi Ozawa as we knew her when not morphed - "We actually recovered some prints this time..."
"Really? That's great news!" - Said Adachi - "Uhm... In the interest of full disclosure, though, I was having an affair with her. I didn't want to tell you because, well, dipping the pen in the proverbial company ink..."
Teddie glared at him, but remained silent.
"No you weren't. I can do better. Heck, Hanako Ohtani could do better! Good thing these cameras work in the dark..."
And that wasn't Teddie, that was the body.
"R-Rei? What the hell?!" - Asked Adachi, jumping back as "Rei Kirihara" got up.
"End scene." - She said through gritted teeth, changing back to Yumi and handing Naoto two or three cameras she had hidden in her person.
Adachi didn't listen. He was too busy throwing a chair at my uncle and lunging for the TV that was...
Right behind him. Dammit.
He was already in the TV; there was next to nothing we could do.
"Let's get in!" - Said Sayoko.
"It's safer to go through Junes, even assuming he doesn't have powers inside the TV world. Besides, Yumi was bugged up to her teeth. We have evidence now of who it was, who did it and how they did it." - Said my uncle, coldly.
"I'm sorry that it was him." - Said Yumi - "I really am."
"Not as sorry as he will be when we get him, but I don't want to talk about this right now." - Said my uncle - "We'll have to explain it all to the other officers now... Including why I told three of them before Adachi that we had recovered prints from you when you hadn't even been processed..."
"Yeah, I'm a pretty good actress, but I'd still not remain in character if I were opened up."
"So, cat's gonna be out of the bag..." - I said.
"Pretty much." - Said Rise - "And we still need to solve the fog and figure out how you got the power..."
"Can't they lock us up for testing or something?" - Asked Yosuke.
"We have rights; they cannot." - Said Miss Sofue.
"Our rights are backed up by Kikuno, as well, should the law not suffice." - Said Mitsuru.
"Your maid? What could she do?" - Asked Chie - "I get that they'd not mess with a millionaire, but Kikuno is your maid..."
"...who knows how to pilot a combat helicopter, which I own. I also alerted Aigis, who should be here momentarily. Do you honestly think I would not take precautions?" - Asked Mitsuru.
"Peace through superior firepower. Nice." - Said Sayoko - "Let's go talk to your boss, Dojima."
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September 27th, Inaba Police Department Chief's Office
After some explanations and revealing of evidence and personas...
"Okay, so that's why I've been hearing a chopper overhead for twenty minutes? Call it off already, Kirijo. And you should have run this by me, Dojima..." - Said Takumine Sakaki, my uncle's boss as Mitsuru sent Kikuno a message, a tall and very light-skinned man with black hair.
"Everyone was a suspect, including, no offense, you." - Said my uncle - "Besides, showing you I can go into the TV would make me and the Investigation Team the sole suspects; we needed to prove the culprit also had that power."
Chief Sakaki nodded, pensively.
"And you are the one that has been doing the healings at the hospital?" - He asked Miss Sofue.
"Correct." - She answered.
"Okay. First off, I can't keep you from going into the TV basically because you aren't breaking any laws and we don't really have jurisdiction over the friggin' world of people's minds..." - He said, evenly - "Plus I'm pretty sure most of the force can't get into TVs, you're trained in combat and Dojima will need all the help he can get... In a week."
"A week?" - Asked my uncle.
"Take a week off. Paid." - Said Chief Sakaki - "Either Adachi will still be in the TV world in a week, where he's most likely stranded without, well, your friend Teddie to get him out, or he'll come out somewhere and we'll have people ready to catch him. You can even get Nakamura to feed him if you really want him alive."
"But he's my partner. That was my..." - My uncle began.
"Let me stop you right there." - Said Chief Sakaki - "By your logic, I'm as guilty as you are because I'm his boss's boss. And I'm giving you the week off exactly so you can process this whole thing and cool off rather than going in enraged and making a mistake that can get yourself or your friends killed. Not to mention I'm not asking, Dojima. Are we clear?"
"...yes." - Said my uncle.
"Good." - He said - "Now... Uhm, Sofue-san... Tell me. Can you cure allergies?"
"I should be able to, yes. What is it you need?" - Asked Miss Sofue.
"Well, my wife and I moved here a few years ago from Tokyo. Our daughter is a vet elsewhere and we love to visit her, but my wife is pretty allergic to cats and our daughter loves them and has quite a few..." - Said Chief Sakaki.
"I shall pay you a visit." - Said Miss Sofue, smiling - "It should come as no surprise that I, too, like cats..."
"Thank you. Get my address from my secretary." - He said - "Now... I'll... try and keep this more or less under wraps, but you know this will leak. Heck, people have seen you flying around, Amagi..."
"Yeah, our cover's pretty much blown by now." - Said Kanji.
"You know that at some point you'll have to deal with it, right?" - Asked Chief Sakaki.
"I'm wildly aware..." - I said, sighing - "Plus, well, people here have their own agendas too. Nothing criminal, of course."
"Okay, I believe you, but, just so you know, that's about the worst thing you can say to a cop." - Said Chief Sakaki, smirking, as we left.
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September 27th, Inaba Police Department Entrance
"Oh, hello, Aigis." - Said Mitsuru.
"I see my aid proved unnecessary." - Said Aigis - "Should I help apprehend the culprit?"
"You are busy training the Minato Recovery Team..." - Said Mitsuru.
"Plus we can take him on." - Said Kanji.
"Let me guess. You won't let him starve." - Said Sayoko.
"There are several practical reasons not to, plus I wanna punch him personally." - Said my uncle.
"Well..." - Said Sayoko, smiling - "Fair enough. Doesn't mean we have to give him food that's good for him to be able to fight... I'll have a talk with Aika. How much does he weigh? And his height?"
"About 65 kilograms, 175 centimeters." - Said my uncle.
"Aw, and in metric, too, thanks, much easier for me to get him on a nice diet... I'll check the BMI chart and other stuff later, but turnip greens, kale, bananas and beets... It's best that his diet is kept veeeery light so he can have a nice hypotensive crisis when he tries to fight us..." - Said Sayoko, smiling.
"You're enjoying this way too much." - Said Yumi.
"Like you enjoyed using acting to screw Adachi right over." - Said Sayoko - "This time, it's not my persona. It's me. My skills."
"Or a perversion thereof..." - Said Miss Sofue.
"Innit?" - Asked Sayoko, her smile growing.
"I'll go with you. You coming, Mitsuru?" - I asked.
"I need to make some plans and to obtain some resources." - Said Mitsuru - "I shall see you tonight?"
"Sure." - I said.
"Get food for the five of us." - Said my uncle - "You know what we like by now, right?"
"No, but I'm pretty sure Aika does." - I said, smirking.
"Heh. Good one." - Was my uncle's response, smirking - "The world is bigger than we thought. Even this small town..."
"It always was." - Said Miss Sofue, taking his hand - "Let us go to your house."
My uncle nodded and we said our goodbyes and left.
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September 27th, Aiya's
"What? Let me get this straight, you want to have Aika deliver food to a psychopath so you can find him and fight him later, when he's nice and weakened? Are you nuts?"
That was, of course, Sho Minazuki.
Sayoko smirked.
"Let me guess. You'll say you don't want off the nice Chinese food train and that is the only reason you're worried about the goddess going to the detective's little hideout, right?"
"Heh. Of course!" - He answered.
"Riiiight. And you're here, instead of waiting for your food in your house, because...?" - Asked Sayoko.
"She sometimes calls me over and I don't have anything else to do. Anyways, there's no way in Hell I'll let you do this..." - Said Minazuki.
"Hell. Heh. Hahahaha..." - Sayoko giggled - "You crack me up with these puns..."
"What? I wasn't making one, are you nuts?" - Asked Minazuki.
"Listen." - I said - "You want to go with her and ensure her safety? I can make it happen. Somehow I really doubt your shadow will be waiting for you in the TV world. All you have to do... Is promise me you'll fight me before you kill Mitsuru. And, if I win, you'll simply give up."
"Wow. Such a gallant knight! And your hair can double as your helm, too!" - Answered Minazuki, laughing.
"Did it ever occur to you that she might not want you to do this, Yu?" - Asked Sayoko - "Sheesh! Watch and learn. Minazuki, forget what he just said. You'll owe us a favor. One we can call in at any time..."
Minazuki chuckled.
"So... Oohh... So that is why you laughed at the hell thing. Your arcana! Heh... Hahahahah... You're right, it is funny! Okay. A deal with the Devil... All right. Worth one favor..." - He said.
"Oh, hello."
And that was Aika entering the restaurant.
"Hey, Aika. You will not believe what these morons want you to do..." - Said Minazuki.
"Or what he's willing to do so he can have you..." - Sayoko paused for some two seconds - "...keep giving him that nice, tasty food."
"Stick that innuendo in your endo! I told you I'm only doing this for the food..." - Said Minazuki - "I'll escort you..."
"Please explain." - Said Aika.
We did.
"I see. It can be done, of course. And I do not mind your company in that world, Sho." - Said Aika, taking on her human demeanor - "The three of you can go to Junes to get into the TV. Sho can bring me the ingredients as well. Oh, and Sho? No fights to the death."
"Spoilsport." - Said Minazuki - "And what makes you think I'll serve as your delivery service?"
"There are two extra portions of mobo dofu in it for you." - She said.
"...fine by me, long as you pay me back for the stuff. What do you need?" - Asked Sho.
After I asked Aika to deliver some food to my uncle's house as well, I and Minazuki went silently to Junes, entered the TV, I got the talking teddy bear to send us back through the TV and I left as the katana-wielding psychopathic manchild went to pick vegetables for his she-is-not-my-girlfriend to make for my uncle's former partner, the would-be rapist and succeeded-at-being murderer so he'd be in bad shape when we fought him in the world inside the TV. As was wont to happen when I found myself going into that line of thought, I wondered if I wasn't actually in a cushioned room somewhere...
Then again, today I'll make out with my supremely hot and insanely wealthy girlfriend after a goddess delivers us some very good food, so I guess if I'm crazy I might as well enjoy it...
