A/N: The dungeon crawling is going to be shorter now because I'm not going to write the... "mini battles" or whatever. But this chapter's still long.


Saturday, 6/25 (After School)

I set out on my quest to find some information.

Some guy wanted me to… succeed him in a cleaning club, so he wanted me to bring a tool and clothing that's fit for cleaning.

Maybe Croco Fur has cleaning clothes…. That place has crazy costumes.

A guy traded a cleaning mop for an Iai Katana. Well I know who to go to now for the cleaning tool.

Down the hallway was a hugeee Risette fan. I got some nice things out of him, but certainly not enough.


I went Daidara's and bought the Iai Katana the guy wanted and went to Marukyu. Her grandmother heard that there was a paparazzi wandering around. I decided to look for him… after I trade my katana to the guy.


I traded with the boy and went back to finding more information.


I found the paparazzi on the flood plain.

"You came to ask about Rise Kujikawa?" the man replied after I asked him about Rise. "How about we exchange information? You tell what you know, I'll tell you what I know. The people in the shopping district are making it hard for me to do any information gathering."

"Sure. Well… I think she's stressed out," I said.

"She's worried about something, huh? Maybe it had something to do with…. No, actually, she's probably just worried about the T.V. coverage regarding the shocking hiatus. I'd heard that 'Risette' was getting tired of her made-up personality. 'The real me and the different me who has to act like an idol.' She couldn't stand living two lives anymore… or something like that. Well, you didn't give me anything new, but thanks for the info." I told him that she was different on T.V. "As I thought. To be honest, I used to do a little digging into Risette's private life. I was surprised to discover she's totally different than on T.V. You'd never recognize her in real life. Though, when you think of an idol you should honestly just assume 'manufactured personality,' too."

So… basically, Risette was acting as a "manufactured personality." And she was worrying about her true self.

"Thanks!" I said with a bow. I waved to him as I ran back home to change clothes and get my shovel.


I patted the fox's head and it gave me a kung fu costume.

"Chie, wear this!" I tossed her the costume. "Everyone should take off their glasses while she changes. We can't see anything through the fog without them, so she can have some privacy." I looked pointedly at Yosuke. Everyone took off the glasses and I covered Teddie's eyes.

"What did you do that for!?" he demanded.

"I'm not letting you see her without her clothes on, bear," I explained. He pouted.

While she was changing, I told Teddie the info I found about Rise.


"What is this place…? It's all dark…" Chie muttered. I studied her for a bit. She actually didn't look bad in that costume. It fit her pretty well.

Suddenly, the lights turned on. It was… a pink strip club.

"Oh! Like the kind you always find in resort towns!" Yosuke said, glancing at Yukiko.

"Ah, I think you're right," she agreed. "B-But we don't have one…. Our inn is not like that!"

"So this is a strip joint, eh?" Kanji mumbled.

"Strip!?" Teddie repeated. "I know what that is! It's the thing zebras have, right? Strip…. Like a zebra, right? Right!?"

"It's so bright here…. Even with the glasses on, my eyes hurt," Yukiko said.

Teddie tried to make his pun again but failed miserably.

"Misaki… is that a… shovel?" Yosuke asked me in disbelief.

"Yeah. It's a bit heavy, though," I replied. "Got a problem with that?"

"Uh… no… not really."

"Good. Then let's get going!"


We traversed through the dungeon.

On the third floor, we met up with Shadow Rise.

"It's Rise!" Yosuke cried.

"But something's not right…" Chie muttered.

"It must be her other self," Yukiko said.

"Hello, all you fans out there! Thanks for coming today!" Shadow Rise greeted. "Today, you're gonna see every last inch of me! What's that? You don't believe me? Ahahah! Okay, okay! Then why don't we―Oh, but you won't be able to see with all this smoke, huh? Okie-dokie! Just follow me a little further in and I'll prove that I'm every bit as good as my word!" Words appeared above her head.

"W-Were we like that…?" Kanji muttered. "That's… going kinda far…." Suddenly, we heard a large crowd cheering.

"... A bit," I replied.

"The roar of the crowd is insane this time…. It's making me sick…" Chie groaned.

"If people really are watching this, we gotta do something, and fast," Yosuke said.

"All right, Risetteers! Don't touch that dial! When we come back, you'll get a good, long look at the real me! Maru-Q!" She turned around and ran off.

"We'd better move it! This is a thousand times worse than just hearing a few nasty secrets!" Yosuke exclaimed. Suddenly, we heard Shadows.

"They're really getting aggravated!" Teddie cried. "What we just saw is what that Rise girl is suppressing! She'll be in trouble at this rate!"

"So, guess I'm on the rescue team now. All right, let's hurry up and go!" Kanji yelled.

"If the Shadows get in our way, we'll just smash 'em!" I said.


I went back and fused some more Personas after continuing deeper into the dungeon.


On the seventh floor (it was dark, which I didn't like. I couldn't see where the Shadows were), we had to find… something. We came across a door. Voices could be heard.

I nodded to the team and pulled aside the curtains.

Shadow Rise was standing there. In a flash, the lights were on. Standing in Shadow Rise's place was a white snake. Shadow Rise herself was nowhere to be seen.

"All right!" I yelled. "Let's beat this guy up!"

The Shadow twirled around and green smog enveloped the area.

"What the hell is this!?" Kanji asked.

"No idea," I replied. It smelled horrible. Before we could do anything, green zaps of light bounced around the whole area. Yosuke got hit with it.

Wounds opened up on his body. They looked a bit… purple. Was he poisoned!?

"Persona! Matarukaja!" I yelled, smashing the tarot card. I felt stronger.

"Fatal End!" Kanji yelled, lunging towards the Shadow. Take-Mikazuchi appeared and brought down his lightning bolt, slicing the snake.

Yukiko healed Yosuke.

"Revolution!"

Suddenly, the green smog cleared away. The snake twirled around and the smog reappeared.

"This guy really likes to keep it up, huh?" I muttered, trying not to gag at the stench.

"Agilao!" Fire blasted the snake, making it fly across the room.

It recovered and whipped its tail around, an orange wave slicing across the room. It passed through me, cutting open a few wounds.

Suddenly, panic struck me.

"Misaki-chan!?" Yukiko cried, running towards me. She glared at me and slapped me in the face.

"What the hell was that for!?" I demanded jokingly as the others kept the snake at bay.

"You didn't look okay, so…" she muttered. I chuckled.

"I was kidding! Now let's get back."

"Gdon! Agilao!" I yelled, charging at the Shadow. It flew back and hit the wall. "Go, go, go!" We all smacked it until it dissipated.

"Good job, guys!" I laughed.


"There it is!" Chie yelled.

"Look, the real one's here too!" Yosuke said, pointing to the stage. The Shadow laughed.

"They're all watching! All eyes are on me now!" she laughed.

"Stop it!" the real Rise cried.

"Aww! What's the matter? You wanna show your stuff, don'tcha?" her Shadow asked. "How's this!?" She danced on the pole.

"Please… stop this…" Rise pleaded.

"Ooh, she wants me to stop. That's so funny," the Shadow smirked. "As if that's even close to what you're really thinking, you little skank! You're me! And obviously, I'm you!"

"No…. That's not true!" Rise protested.

"C'mon, look! You can't tear your eyes away! This is me! This is who I really am! Not Risette, the fake celebrity! Look at the girl right in front of you! I'm sick of being some airhead cliche who chokes down everything she's fed and takes it all with a smile! 'Risette'? Who the hell is she? There's no such person in this world! I'm no one but myself! C'mon, look at me!"

"That's not―I…!" Rise began.

"Well then, I guess it's time to prove it. I'm gonna show it all off!" the Shadow shouted. "Let my naked truth be burned into your brains!" I glanced at Teddie and Yosuke. They both looked excited.

"Ha! No," I said.

"Stop…. Stop it!" Rise yelled, getting onto her feet. "You're…."

"No! Don't say it!" Chie shouted.

"You're… not me!" Rise screamed.

Her Shadow laughed evilly as dark smoke enveloped her.

She turned into a large rainbow girl. A flower mask was on her face. A pointy thing stuck out of the middle of it. Basically, her face resembled a satellite. She had two ponytails on the side of her head. She was hanging on the pole.

"Let's do this!" I yelled.

"And now, the moment you've been waiting for!" the Shadow exclaimed. "It's time for me to show you every last inch of myself! And for our guests in the front row…. I'll give you extra-special, extra-intense service!"

Crap…. Everyone except Yukiko and Teddie were right in front of Shadow Rise.

"Setanta! Matarukaja!" I yelled.

"Tomoe! Revolution!" she ordered.

"Agilao!" Fire blasted on the Shadow's face.

"Fatal End!" Take-Mikazuchi came out of nowhere and sliced the Shadow, cutting open a large gash on her side.

"Rakunda!"

Shadow Rise danced on her pole and lifted an arm. A tiny ball of fire hit Yukiko. It didn't affect her much, as expected.

"Jiraiya! Garula!" A tornado formed and whipped at the Shadow, cutting her a bit.

Tomoe flew in and slashed repeatedly at the boss.

Suddenly, the area I was standing in felt unbearably hot. Crap! A small fireball erupted on me. I cried out, losing my balance. Yukiko healed me up, and I got back on my feet.

"Taotie! Mind Charge!" I became focused.

Once again, I felt intense heat. A larger fireball blasted me in the chest, but I wasn't weak to it this time.

"Megido!" A tiny, white ball imploded on the Shadow.

Jiraiya flew in and sliced at her with his ninja stars.

"Enjoying yourself?" Shadow Rise laughed. "I've got a ways to go until I show my true self…. You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

I felt cold.

Bufu.

A small block of ice formed on my chest and broke.

"Konohana Sakuya! Agilao!"

"Pale Rider! Mind Slice!" He appeared and swung his scythe, cutting into Shadow Rise before disappearing.

"Zionga!" Kanji yelled. Lighting struck her.

She grabbed the pole with her hands and swung herself around it. A large orange wave came towards it. I jumped over it and summoned Taotie.

"Mind Charge!" I was focused again.

A bunch of different elements struck her, but she didn't go down yet.

"What? I dealt all that exquisite pain and you're still not satisfied? What a finicky guest…. You might as well die, then!" Shadow Rise yelled. She danced on the pole and green light flooded the area. The light formed boxes around each of us and disappeared.

"What's that!?" I asked.

"No touching allowed," the Shadow giggled.

"Megido!" It missed, and the Shadow laughed.

The whole area felt hot.

Maragi. I couldn't move away in time. The fire hit me, and I fell. Yukiko healed us all up.

That's how the rest of the fight went. We couldn't hit her, no matter how hard we tried. She slowly weakened us. All Yukiko could do was heal us.

But she was slowly getting more and more tired. I helped with the healing too.

"I can see everything about you!" Shadow Rise laughed.

"What's the deal!? Our attacks aren't even connecting!" Chie yelled.

"Damn, it's like it's anticipating our every move," Yosuke said.

"I-I'm completely useless…" Teddie whimpered. The green light appeared again. "I think it's scanning us! This is not good!"

"When you say 'not good,' what exactly does that mean?" Kanji panted.

"Woohoo! Analysis complete," Shadow Rise announced.

"What!?" I yelled. "This is bad!"

"Okay, here comes my counterattack! See if you can dodge, hmm?" she laughed.

"S-Stop it!" Teddie shouted. Everything turned white, and I felt a large force knock me down.

"Fortuna! Mediarama!" I ordered, smashing the glowing tarot card. "We can't keep healing for long…."

"How're we supposed to win…!?" Chie groaned.

"A-Are we… going to die…?" Yukiko muttered.

"... We just have to hope we don't," I muttered.

"You guys can't die!" Teddie cried. "What can I do…? Sensei…." I looked at the real Rise.

"Take Rise and get out of here!" I told him. "Hurry!"

"Abandon you…? Only I'd get away…?" he said. "I can't do that! Am I going to be all alone again…? No…. That's not what I want!" She scanned us away.

"It's winding up again!" Kanji said through gritted teeth.

She blasted us with that attack again.

"Goodbye… forever!" she said, readying up another one.

"It's coming!" Yosuke shouted.

"If only I had some kind of shield magic…" I muttered.

Suddenly, Teddie ran in front of us.

"Teddie! Are you crazy!?" I said. "Get the hell out of here!"

"My body's moving on its own!" he replied, sounding panicked. "I feel like I'm going bear-serk! I-I'll do it! Took a good look… at Teddie's last stand!"

Then… he looked like he was on fire. He was literally glowing with power.

"This high energy reading…" Shadow Rise muttered. "It it coming from that weird thing?"

"Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaawr!" the bear screamed, charging at the Shadow.

"Teddie!" the rest of the team and I cried.

After the light cleared, we ran up to him.

"Teddie!" Kanji and I cried, our voices breaking.

"You idiot…. You coulda died…" Kanji scolded.

"Did I… help?" the flat, charred Teddie asked.

"Yeah… you did," I answered with a smile.

"You didn't just help, you save our lives!" Yosuke added.

"Neat! I'm so glad…. I didn't want to be alone anymore," the bear said tightly. He pulled himself up somehow. "What in the world?! Noo…. My fine, silky fur…. I was so proud of it!"

"Looks like he's gonna be just fine… I guess," Yosuke muttered. The rest of the team ran to Rise.

"Teddie… good job," I told him with a bright smile. "Take a break." I followed the others.

"Where… am I?" Rise asked. "I'm sorry…. It's all my fault…."

"It's not your fault," I said.

"No…. It's still something that 'I' did," Rise muttered. She got up and faced her Shadow. Her Shadow followed suite. "I'm sorry…. You must've been in a lot of pain up to now. You're part of me, but I kept refusing to admit you existed. I was trying to figure out who the real me was. But I realize now that I was on the wrong track. There is no 'real' me. It just doesn't exist."

"There's no… real me…?" Teddie repeated. I glanced back at him, worried.

"You… me… even Risette…. They were all born from me. All of them are… me," Rise continued. Her Shadow turned into her Persona.

She was wearing a pure white dress. In her hands was some kind of crown. Her head resembled a satellite.

A scanning Persona.

Rise fell, and Yosuke caught her.

"I'm all right…. Hey, you're the one who came to the store, right?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. And these guys came with me," Yosuke said. We all introduced ourselves. I quickly glanced back at Teddie.

His eyes… were different than usual. They looked… broken.

"Thanks, everyone," Rise said.

"We'll explain everything later, but for right now―"

"Teddie," I called. "You okay?" Everyone turned around.

"There's… no real me…?" he asked in disbelief.

"H-Hey, Teddie…" Kanji began.

"No, get back!" Rise warned us. "Something's coming out of him!"

"Real? Me?" Teddie (?) said. His voice was… deeper… and more menacing. It sent chills down my back.

"T-Teddie?" I said uncertainly. I slowly walked up to him.

"Wait! Be careful!" Rise cried.

The voice chuckled. "Such foolishness." Suddenly, something came out of Teddie and appeared behind him.

I was face to face with a larger version of Teddie… its yellow, empty eyes staring right into mine.

I was frozen.

"What is that thing!?" Yosuke said.

"D-Don't tell me…. Is that the other Teddie? Teddie's hidden thoughts!?" Chie exclaimed.

"T-T-T-Teddie…" I stammered. I couldn't take my eyes off of those empty ones.

"I believe so, but it seems like there's more…. I felt some powerful presence intervene," Rise answered Chie.

Teddie turned around and jumped back and crashed into me, yelping as we fell down.

"The truth is unattainable," Shadow Teddie said. "It was always be shrouded in fog. Though you reach through the murk and the gloom to grasp something, you have no means to know it is the truth. In which case, why? What sense is there in yearning for truth? Close your eyes. Lie to yourself. Live in blissful ignorance. It is a much smarter way to exist."

This was odd. He didn't act like the other Shadows.

This was bad.

"What're you talking about!? I don't understand a word you're saying!" Teddie yelled. "You're making it sound difficult because I'm not that smart!" I would've laughed if we were in a different situation. "How rude! Maybe you can't tell, but I'm thinking as hard as I can!"

"It is those efforts that I am calling useless…. You are hollow. Empty," the Shadow said. "At your core, you know this…. You just cannot accept it. So you seek an alternate form… a denial of your nature. You have no lost memories. If you have forgotten anything, it is this truth."

"Th-That's… a lie…" Teddie whimpered.

"Shall I spell it out for you? You are a but a mere―"

"I said shaddup!"

A mere what?

I had a feeling Teddie knew what the Shadow was about to say.

Teddie charged at his Shadow, but was flung back.

"It is the same for you all…. You undergo suffering because of your search for the truth…. This world is filled with thick, heavy fog…. How can you find something when you know not what you search for?"

"... He's different…" I muttered.

"What?" Rise asked.

"... Shadows don't usually act like this…. This one keeps mentioning the fog…" I said. "And the truth…."

"Maybe it's because Teddie's different?" Chie said. "I mean… it's not like we had problems with the truth like Teddie does…."

"He's talking to all of us, not just Teddie," I mumbled. "Something's wrong."

I stood up.

"To answer your question," I said, "all we have to do is lift the fog. Not that it'll be easy…"

"And thus, you invite more suffering upon yourselves. It is beyond my comprehension," he replied.

"You wouldn't know," I said. "You don't even try! You seem to embrace the fog… we're trying to lift it. Our interests clash."

"Then I will grant you one truth," he said. "You will all die here. You sought the truth, only to find death." I laughed.

"We won't know until we get there," I said. "So let's stop assuming and get to it."

"How are we supposed to fight something like this without Teddie?" Yosuke asked.

"It's all right…. Get ready, everyone," Rise said.

"Don't tell me you're fighting with us!" Chie yelled. "You can't take it!"

"I'm okay…. I should be able to take that bear's place!" Rise replied. "It's my turn to save you all!"

"Okay then. Let's do it," I said.

The Shadow became huge. He sank into the floor. His face was broken, his eyes purple and blue.

"I shall give you the 'truth' you claim to hold so dear…" Shadow Teddie said. "The inescapable fact of your death here!"

"You wish!" I yelled.

"Was that creepy thing really inside our Teddie?" Chie murmured.

"... Guess so," I replied.

"Foolish beings! Accept your end with dignity and grace!" the Shadow said.

"Setanta! Matarukaja!"

"Tomoe! Revolution!"

"Agilao!"

Jiraiya and Take-Mikazuchi dove in, slicing and punching the large Shadow as much as they could.

"Rakunda!"

Tomoe joined the other two soon after.

Suddenly, everything felt cold.

Mabufula.

Everyone got hit. Yukiko took the most damage.

"Why, you!" Chie yelled, sending her Persona at the Shadow.

Suddenly, I didn't feel as strong.

Dekunda.

He took off our buffs….

"Taotie! Mind Charge!" I was focused.

Yukiko got up and healed us.

Then he silenced Yukko and me. I didn't know it at first.

I tried to summon the tarot card. It didn't appear. I quickly fished out two mouthwashes and handed one to Yukiko.

While the two of us were trying to cure the silence, the other three were pounding on Shadow Teddie as much as they could.

Once again, the room went cold… but this time it was colder. I got hit by it…. It hurt a whole lot.

Yukiko instantly fainted.

Was that a Mind Charged Bufula!?

"Chie! Keep attacking the Shadow! I'll revive her!" I yelled, running over to Yukiko and pulling out a revival bead. I placed it near her, and it glowed. A second later, it shattered, and Yukiko woke up and quickly healed us up.

"Rakunda!" I yelled.

"Stop this futile struggling. Even if you resist, it will all come to naught," Shadow Teddie said. He dove into his hole and emerged with a black, glowing ball.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Rise said.

"Keep attacking!" I ordered. I focused myself and used Megido.

We pounded him for a bit before Rise told us that he was going to attack. We went into our defensive stances and braced ourselves.

The Shadow swung his arm, the black orb exploding and hitting us. It didn't affect us at all.

"Charge!" I yelled.

He lowered our defenses again.

"Dekunda!"

Yukiko kept healing us as we pounded on him. He raised his arm and smashed down, sending a large heat wave and debris flying at us. A thick mirror appeared in front of me and reflected the attack back at him.

I quickly used some snuff souls and focused myself.

"What…? How can you summon such strength for such a futile endeavor?" Shadow Teddie asked.

We pounded on each other for a bit until Shadow Teddie brought out another skill. A colorful orb appeared in front of me. It shot something at me, and I fell, my head spinning.

"Senpai!" Kanji yelled.

"I'm… fine…" I muttered, shaking my head. "Just... keep attacking!"

Suddenly, I felt the temperature drop. I couldn't stand, so I couldn't avoid the Bufula spell.

I felt my wounds heal a bit, and my head cleared.

"Mind Charge!" I was now focused. "Megido!"

"Why do you still resist…!? Even should you win, naught but suffering awaits!" the Shadow yelled. He used that dizzying spell again on me and Chie.

Yukiko pulled me up as he charged another large ball. I quickly pulled Chie up and lowered myself into a defensive stance. He hit us with the large ball again, but it didn't affect us this time either.

"Let's go! Rakunda!" I yelled.

Once again, the others resumed their barrage of attacks. I used a Mind Charged Megido again, feeling myself growing more and more weary.

"Dammit…" I muttered. "Setanta! Fatal End!" He sliced down with spear, breaking the Shadow's face even more..

The seemed to do the trick. Shadow Teddie let out a scream as he fell.

We tiredly made our way to Teddie (we didn't have enough strength to celebrate).

"Was that part of you, Teddie?" Yukiko asked.

"Even Teddie had a hidden side…" Chie muttered.

"I… I don't know who I am…" Teddie said to his other self. "I've thought a number of times… that maybe there is no answer. But I'm here…. I live here."

"We'll help you find it," I said with a smile. "You're not alone, after all."

"Then… I don't have to do this all on my own?" he asked.

"Dude, we'll help you figure it out," Yosuke said.

"I'm sure we'll find out about you, as we continue investigating this world," Yukiko said.

"Y-You guys…!" Teddie cried. "I'm one lucky bear!" He began to sob.

Teddie's Shadow transformed into a Persona.

It was basically a red and yellow ball with tiny arms and legs and a cape holding a large missile above its head.

"Congrats," I laughed.

"I can sense strong power from it…" Rise said, her voice hushed. "It's awesome, Teddie." She fell down.

"Rise-chan must be tired," I said. "And so are we. Let's get outta here." I tossed a Goho-M into the air.


"Are you okay, Rise-chan?" Yukiko asked. "We're almost outside."

"I'm all right…. I'm more worried about Teddie…" Rise whispered.

"You okay there? We gotta go back for now…" Kanji told the bear.

"I wanna be alone for a while," Teddie said.

"That's a first," I commented.

"H-Hey…" Yosuke said.

"My beautiful fur is all rough and coarse…" the bear whined. "And my nose hasn't been working too well either. So while I wait for my fur to grow back, I'm gonna train hard! Nobody can stop moi! Here goes!" He dropped onto his back and did sit-ups.

"Wh-What's gotten into you…?" Yosuke wondered.

"Don't… talk… to me… please." Teddie grunted out each word as he did a sit-up. "One more set! Huh! Hah! Another one!" I laughed.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Teddie," I said. "I don't want you to be pooped when we come back."

"Leave him be. Comes a time when a man's gotta stand on his own two feet," Kanji muttered.

"I'm not sure this is really one of those times," Chie replied.

"Chie and I will take Rise-chan home," Yukiko said.

"Yeah, she'll need a lot of rest. We'll talk after she regains her strength," Yosuke said.

"Well, um…. Good luck, Teddie!" Chie said as the rest of the team went back to the other world.

"I said this before, but… I can… sense… something… special… about you… Sensei," Teddie grunted. "There must be something… that I… can do…. That's… how I feel… when I'm with… Sensei. That's why I'm gonna get stronger! To find my special thing! Raaawr!" He looked at me with fire in his eyes.

"I'm looking forward to it, Teddie," I said with a smile. "Make sure you don't die from doing too many sit-ups before then, okay?"

I walked up to the T.V. and glanced back at the bear.

Good luck. Teddie.

(Evening)

I was really worn out. I almost collapsed instead of sit at the coffee table. A drunk Dojima came home with Adachi.

"Whoo…. I'm hooooome! Nanako! I'm baaack!" Dojima greeted drunkenly.

Oh god….

"W-Welcome back," Nanako muttered.

"Oh, hi, Nanako-chan. Sorry, but could you go get his futon ready?" Adachi asked. She nodded and quickly went to his room. Adachi placed his partner on the couch. "I think he had a little too much to drink. Haha."

"How else…" Dojima hiccuped, "am I supposed to deal with this crap!? Friggin' fancy-talking' kid…."

Kid?

"I've… I've been in this line'a work… since you were all learnin' yer times tables!" he continued.

"I'm sure you did, Uncle…" I agreed.

"The prefectural police sent in special investigational support," Adachi explained. "'Cause you know, we haven't really made any progress on the serial murders since they started in April…. Haha."

"... I see," I said.

"So this 'special support' is supposedly a hot-shot detective from a well-known private agency," Adachi said. "But you shoulda seen the look on my face when I met him! He's only a kid your age! I hear he's a pretty sharp cookie, though." I raised an eyebrow. Was it that kid that we met back a few months ago?

"Awwww, he's a brat like any other," Dojima mumbled. "Ain't nothin' he can do to help." He hiccuped. "He goes on and on about deductions and… deductions…. Heh. Ace or no ace, the prefeckshure oughtta be more careful about giving us brats to babysit…. Condes… condescendin' bashtards…." He hiccuped again.

"The kid said, as long as he can be of assistance in solving a difficult case, he won't require a reward," Adachi added. "Well, you can imagine the shine the higher-ups took to him after that. So we can't exactly turn him down…."

"Adachi!" Dojima yelled.

"Gah, sorry! Me and my big mouth…."

"You run your jaw like this is all shome kinda joke…" Dojima scolded. "It's your fault to begin with, for jumping the gun and hauling in that Peeping Tom! And you!" He pointed at me.

"Y-Yes!?" I yelped.

"You'cn take your share of the blame, too…. Always wandering around crime scenes whenever somethin' happens..."

"... Well, I'm just curious is all…" I mumbled as he continued to scold me.

"His futon's ready," Nanako announced quietly. Adachi brought my uncle to his futon. "Sure does stink like sake in here…."

"... Tell me about it…" I sighed.

I come home from two boss fights to this?


A/N: April 7, 2015

I think there were a few foreshadowing moments in this chapter, but I don't now for sure. Of course, I'm probably kinda late on this "train," but whatever.

Persona 4 Spoilers Good Ending Spoilers: Dojima says Adachi runs his jaw like it was all a joke. Adachi does treat it like a joke. [End of Spoilers]

I think there's one more about Persona 4 Arena Ultimax [spoilers] about Kagutsuchi, [end of spoilers] but I don't know.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! *bows*