Author Notes: This chapter will mark the official end of Story Arc Five. The events of this chapter will contain things that I have been planning for a while. As usual, I'm happy to finally make use of materials I have been planning for some time. It makes all the advanced writing I do for the stories feel worth it when they finally get published.
Similar to the previous chapter, this will act as a denouement for Story Arc Five. However, unlike the previous chapter, this will be primarily from Rei's point of view. I was happy that my readers enjoyed reading scenes that focused on other characters that gave a perspective of certain developments. I liked that some of you felt that it helped make the world feel more alive, and that is what I was going for. I hope to continue doing that in future chapters as well since there are other characters that exist outside of the core cast.
I look forward to continuing the development of multiple characters throughout this story similar to how the Persona games pulled it off. I always enjoyed seeing how both main and side characters go through their own journeys that the main character can partially help them with. Everyone has their own story, and sometimes we can't see everything that happens. However, we can do our best to understand what happened.
Merry Christmas 2019! Hope you enjoy reading this chapter and leave written feedback.
/
Into The Fog
Story Arc Five – Part VII (Final) – A Place to Belong
Chapter Thirty-Three: Are You Real?
/
What face will you wear?
We all have more than one face
What is yours today?
/
Date: Thursday, May 19th, 2011
Location: Inaba, Central Shopping District
Weather: Sunny
Another day had passed, and the person of interest, Tatsumi Kanji was still missing. After news had reached the 'Detective Prince's' ears regarding his disappearance, she had been doing what she could to find some kind of lead to his whereabouts. She had interviewed multiple people for anything she could latch onto.
At one point, Naoto found herself at the Konishi Liquor store. According to her notes, this place was not only home to second victim of these mysterious killings, but they were family friends with the Tatsumi Household. Naoto made sure to underline these key points, but it didn't surprise her. Given the close proximity of their respective family businesses, it only made sense that these people would interact with each other. However, she couldn't help but think there might be some kind of underlying connection she wasn't seeing.
Until Naoto could find some kind of string that connected the pieces, she would continue with her investigation. First, Naoto decided to interview Konishi Naoki, the younger brother of Saki and friend of Kanji. Technically, she was interviewing him during 'business hours', but there was no one else in the shop besides the two of them. His parents were making a delivery. From what she heard, they were doing everything they could to keep the family business afloat, but Naoto knew that wasn't the topic at hand.
Naoto had been interviewing him for several minutes before asking him for clarification, "So you haven't seen Tatsumi Kanji since last week?"
"No. I haven't spoken to him in a while." Naoki leaned from the other side of the counter as he made his own inquiry, "What's going on? I heard he went missing? Is that true?"
"Hmm …" Naoto took a moment to consider before confirming, "His mother put out a missing person's report the other day."
Naoki's legs seemed to lack the ability to support himself as he plopped onto his seat and mumbled, "Oh God …"
"I understand this is difficult, but I'm doing the best I can to get to the bottom of this." Naoto attempted to press further in a calm voice, "Do you remember anything that sticks out? Anything at all?"
"I … I don't … Let me think … Hmm … I think when the midterms ended, he mentioned getting a visit form a silver haired girl, and he …" Naoki gritted his teeth before finishing, "… I don't really remember what he said after that."
Naoto raised an eyebrow as she inquired, "A silver haired girl?" That description clicked with Naoto as she inquired, "Are you referring to Narukami Rei?"
"Yeah …" Naoki frown as he asked, "You know her?"
Naoto stated, "We've met. What do you know about her?"
"Enough." Naoto snarled as his fingers curled on top of the counter, "You might want to be careful." Naoki sternly warned as his teeth began to grit together, "She's nothing but trouble."
"Trouble?" Naoto was taken aback by the unexpected warning, but she didn't let that stop her as she continued to write and ask, "What kind of trouble?"
"She got into this argument with my sister, and I …" Once again, Naoto could see Naoki was gritting his teeth as his mind was attempting to process what he wanted to say. Naoto remained silent until Naoki told her, "I don't know." Naoki shook his head, "She's just someone I don't want anything to do with. I told Kanji to say away from her, and that's it." He then rubbed his forehead as he said, "I didn't see him again after that."
"I see … This is very interesting." Naoto took another note before closing her notebook, "Thank you for your time."
"What?" Naoki got up from this seat as he asked, "Are you saying you might be able to find Kanji? How?"
"Maybe. There are some more people I need to speak with. I appreciate you pointing me in the right direction." Naoto pulled out a card from her pocket as she told him, "Here's my card. If you remember anything," Naoto emphasized, "anything at all, call me."
"…" Naoto saw Naoki briefly stare at the card before accepting it. When he did, he reluctantly said, "Okay …" She could tell there was a tone of disappointment in his voice, but she decided it was best to leave it at that.
/
After leaving the Liquor Store, Naoto walked down the street while pulling out her notebook again. She skimmed through the pages to check over her notes. There was one note she was locked onto.
"Silver haired girl …" Naoto whispered under her breath, "She knows how to leave an impression …"
It was then that something caught Naoto's eye. When she looked in that direction, her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped. It was a sight she don't expect. She couldn't expect. It was Kanji slowly making his way to a pay phone.
Naoto stepped forward, but she stopped herself after the second step. She instinctively checked the area. There was something not right about this. She could feel it. Sure enough, she noticed someone in the distance was hiding in an alleyway and keeping a watch on Kanji. Without a second thought, she knelt down and hid behind a parked car.
As Naoto attempted to conceal her presence and hoped she hadn't been spotted, she could feel her heartbeat pumping faster than before. She knew this wasn't going to do her any good. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then repeated that process a second time before looking over the car. The figure must not have spotted her because he or she was still watching Kanji. Unfortunately, the figure was too far away from her to make out any details, but Naoto could see that the figure was wearing a hoodie and possibly a mask.
There was no other suitable place for her to hide between the car and that mysterious figure's position. When Naoto noticed Kanji finished talking on the phone, she looked over the car to see the figure was leaving. The figure turned her back from her position, Naoto attempted to purse, but she hesitated. She didn't want to alert Kanji. For all she knew, Kanji could warn the figure if he spotted her.
Naoto glanced over to Kanji, and he appeared too winded to notice anything as he was leaning against the payphone to remain standing. This gave Naoto her opportunity to pursue. Unfortunately, Naoto would see that her attempted pursuit was fruitless.
The figure was nowhere in sight. Naoto frantically looked around, but the time it took for Naoto to reach the figure's previously known position was enough for him or her to give Naoto the slip without even realizing it which only frustrated her further. She ran down the alleyway, but she couldn't pick up the trail. The target was gone.
"Damn …" Naoto cursed, "I can't believe I let him get away."
Despite this frustration, Naoto felt as if she had stumbled upon something rather significant. She looked toward Kanji who was being picked up by the authorities. Now was not her time to speak with him, but she would get the opportunity later. She needed to wait for the right moment.
/
Date: Monday – May 23rd, 2011
Location: Inaba
Weather: Cloudy
Several days later, Narukami Rei had successfully recruited Tatsumi Kanji into the Karate Club. Rei was on her way to school when she happened to come across a familiar face, or more accurately a familiar voice called out to her by calling her by the trademark, 'New Girl'. Rei didn't need any prompting to recognize who that was, but she turned around to see Ebihara Ai was running to catch up. Since they still had time, Rei stopped where she was as Ai ran up to her.
A wide smile was showing itself on Rei's face that Ai took note of when she asked, "What's got you so happy this morning, New Girl?"
Rei continued to grin as she proudly told Ai, "I finally managed to recruit a fifth member for the karate club. Isn't that great?"
"Really? Good for you. At least, you won't have to worry about King Moron shutting you down." Ai then remarked, "He's just the worse. I don't envy you for having him for homeroom."
"Meh." Rei shrugged, "I avoid him as much as I can. He did put me on his 'Shit List' after all."
"That's nothing special. His 'Shit List' is a mile long." Rei could tell that Ai did not appear to be exaggerating.
Rather than continuing with that line of thought, Rei decided to say, "Anyway, Satonaka's gonna be happy about this."
"I'm sure." Ai then made an inquiry, "So who's the new recruit?"
Rei began to answer, "That would be …."
"Oh wait!" Rei suddenly stopped at Ai's unexpected interruption, and she quickly followed up with, "Let me guess. Tatsumi Kanji?"
"…" Rei's eyes widened, and her face dropped as she slowly looked to Ai. She quietly asked, "How do you know? I haven't even told the others yet."
Ai grinned as she answered, "Let's just say it was instinct."
"Instinct?" Rei was completely dumbfounded.
Ai then explained, "You're like the only person besides Amagi and Konishi who have been friendly with him, so it made sense to me."
"Really? Huh, I wonder …" Rei then realized, "Wait, did you say Konishi?"
"Yeah. As in Konishi Naoki." Ai clarified, "Konishi Saki's younger brother. Tatsumi and Konishi have been friends since they were kids."
"Huh …" Rei wasn't really sure how to react to that other than, "I wonder if I heard that …"
"We can talk about this later." Ai pointed with her thumb behind them, "I'm not exactly a model student, but we should probably get going. I don't think this is a day we would want to skip."
Rei decided it was best to go along with this for now. Rei felt like there was more to this 'conversation', but she would worry about that later.
/
It was lunch time when she happily broke the news to her fellow members of the Karate Club as well as the Investigation Team. They were sitting on the rooftop, and there was no one else there to listen in, so they felt free to speak.
Yosuke asked in surprise, "Tatsumi wants to join us? Seriously?"
Rei proudly told the team, "As both a member of our Investigation Team and a member of the Karate club."
"We did it." Yukiko was rather exited as she said, "We now have five members."
"Hmph. I never thought we'd get another member so soon." Chie sounded more subdued than Rei expected, but she was still pleased as she looked to Rei, "Thanks a lot for your help, Narukami."
"It was my pleasure." While Rei was pleased, she knew she had to point out, "I'm just glad we were able to pull this off, but we should try recruiting more members just in case."
Chie nodded, "Agreed."
"Yeah, about that." Yosuke narrowed his eyes as he asked in a deadpan tone, "I hope you're not hoping other people get dragged into the TV and we make them members, right?"
Rei shrugged her shoulders as she rhetorically asked, "It would make things easier, wouldn't it?"
"…" Needless to say, it was a bit awkward after that remark. The other three silently glanced at each other.
Yosuke then asked in a deadpan tone, "You're kidding, right?"
"Mostly." Rei stated as she tried to finish her lunch, "It's just funny how things have worked out so well like that. Someone is in trouble. I help save them. There's an epic fight. They join the group. It's a pretty convenient pattern."
"Okay …" That was all Chie had to say before standing up, "I think it's almost time for class now." Rei saw Chie get up and take his leave.
After a minute passed, Yukiko excused herself, "We should probably head back too."
"We'll be right behind you." Rei told the girl.
"See you in a little bit." Yukiko then took her own leave.
When they were alone, Yosuke said, "Things working out, huh? That's one way to look at it."
"They have." Rei then pointed out, "Speaking of, I remember you were terrified of Kanji when he looked in your direction." Rei then asked, "What happened to that?"
"Um …" Yosuke answered, "The Shadow happened."
"What?" Rei stopped eating and raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying he's a weakling because of that?"
"No. I'd say the opposite. However, I didn't …" Yosuke cleared his throat before finishing, "He's just not as scary anymore."
"Is that so?" Rei then stated, "I'm sure he'd be happy to hear that."
The only word Yosuke could say in response was, "Probably."
/
While Kanji had received a few guests, he was not expecting a returning one so soon. It came at the most inopportune time. When he heard his mom say that Rei-senpai was visiting him, he didn't feel he had it in him to reject the visitation. He owed this girl so much. He owed them all, but he especially owed her. He remembered a lot of what happened, and what she went through for his sake.
When Kanji closed his eyes, he could see Rei standing before the three monsters. He then saw her head getting slammed into the floor. The sight of her covered in blood couldn't leave the back of his head either. She has done so much, and she was the one checking in on him.
Kanji's mother gave him the option to tell Rei to leave. This was his opportunity, and if he made the request, he was sure Rei would understand, but he couldn't. Instead, he told his mom to allow Rei to come up. He tried to slow down his breathing, but it was no use. When Rei entered his room, he was lying on his bed breathing heavily. Needless to say, he could see the red flags being raised in her head as her eyes widened.
Rei rushed to his bedside and inquired, "Kanji-san, are you okay?"
"Yeah …" Kanji's voice sounded a little horse. He wasn't expecting that as he answered, "I kinda pushed myself too much the other day …"
"Oh …" Rei looked down as she asked in a down trotted voice, "When I came to visit?"
"No." Kanji did his best to clarify, "It's not that … I didn't listen my mom as much as I should when she told me to rest."
"Huh?" Rei looked up and when she did, she noticed something on the table in front of his bed. He knew she was going to ask. "Were you sewing?"
Kanji attempted to avert his eyes as he sheepishly answered "No …"
"…" That did not placate his senpai who looked at him blankly.
What started out as a blank stare grew in intensity by the second. He could feel her eyes on him. There was no shield.
It was under that stare that Kanji bit his lip, but Rei continued to look at him with her piercing stare. It did not take long for him to finally admit, "Okay … yes … I was sewing."
/
What seemed like an eternity to him under her stare was less than thirty seconds to her. When Rei heard Kanji finally admit the truth under her 'gaze', she lightened up as she then asked, "You really enjoy sewing don't you?"
Kanji remained looking away as he responded, "I'm just good at it. That's all." It sounded as if he was admitting to a great shame.
Rei sighed and thought to herself, "Still not entirely honest with yourself." She then said to her Kohei, "Whatever you say, but I say this looks really good."
"Hmm …?" Kanji peaked and asked, "You mean it?"
Rei held up Kanji's work as she replied, "Very much. You basically work with your mom as a team, right?
"I …" Kanji continued to act coy, "I guess you can say that. She does a lot more work than me."
Rei smiled as she said, "If you're this good now, I can hardly wait to see how great you'll be later."
"…" Kanji s looking away. Although Rei couldn't see it, she assumed he was blushing. The thought of that alone amused her.
"Well, Kanji-san …" Rei decided to use this moment to change the topic momentarily, "It makes me happy that you'll be a new member of our Investigation Team and a new Karate club member. We really needed that."
"You were really that desperate?" Kanji asked in a deadpan he turned to face her.
"Pretty much." Rei reiterated, "Like I said, we needed a fifth member, and you fit the bill."
"I'm pretty sure anyone would, but I'm more than happy to. You guys did save me life …" Mentioning that last part led to a momentarily awkward silence between the two before he could then say, "… so I can't really say no."
"You don't have to do this because you 'feel like' you have to." Rei reminded him, "I'm not trying to force you or anything."
"I know you can't 'force' me, but I 'want' to." Kanji insisted before then admitting, "Besides, I'm pretty sure my mom wants me to try making some new friends."
"Heh." Rei couldn't help but feel relieved as she stated, "Great. That could be your cover story."
Kanji looked over to Rei an inquired, "Cover story?"
"Yeah." Rei nodded, "While we actually do karate stuff or at least we 'plan' to, the club acts as a way to explain why we'd all be hanging out together at all."
Rei could see that Kanji was leaning forward as he then inquired, "What do you mean by that?"
"Let me explain." Rei then combed her hand through her hair as she told Kanji, "The cover story is that Satonaka wanted to reestablish the Karate club, and she was desperate enough to ask me for help despite how rough things started off between us. Do you follow me?"
Kanji nodded, "So far."
"Hanamura-san is the easiest. I've helped him out of a trash can, and he knows Satonaka. He understands his cover story is that he wanted to help out two of his friends."
"Okay, that's … wait …" Kanji asked in a dumbfounded tone, "You helped him out of a trash can?"
"Yes." Rei curtly responded before Kanji could ask anything else, "Moving on. Amagi-san was a little trickier. Even though she's Satonaka's best friend, she was extremely anti-social. Some people were surprised she even talked to me."
"Seriously?" Rei could see the surprise written on Kanji's face with his widened eyes.
"Oh, yeah." Rei was having fun with this as she told him, "She turned down a lot of people."
"Woah." Kanji appeared completely amazed as he lamented, "I had no idea. She always talk to me."
Rei then stated, "Her cover story is that Satonaka convinced her to join the club, so she could socialize with others."
"Hmmm …" Kanji was catching on as he then inquired, "Is something like that going to be my cover story?"
"Maybe." Rei was able to think it up as she told him, "I could see you wanting to joining a school club, so you could change your image or your mom asking you to join a club or something."
"Huh?" Kanji nodded, "Okay, let's go with that."
"Yeah." Rei then reminded him, "The simpler the cover story the better. It also helps if there's truth to it as well."
"Hmm …" Kanji nodded, "I'll go talk to my mom about it."
Rei gave him the thumbs up, "That's using your head."
Kanji pointed out, "I already knew you and Yukiko, so wouldn't that make it easier?"
"It should." Rei concurred as she then began to bite her lip. As well as this was going, this was starting to go a little 'too easy' as she attempted to say, "I …" However, she stopped right then.
Apparently, that did not go unnoticed by Kanji who then asked her, "Something wrong, Senpai?"
"I … Tatsumi …" Rei cut herself off before slowly correcting herself, "Kanji-san … I'm sorry …" Rei followed her apology with bowing her head.
Kanji was taken aback by this as he raised an eyebrow. He inquired, "For what?"
"Your Shadow …" Rei was hesitant to remind Kanji, but she decided she needed to do her best to get it over with like ripping a bandage off. Rei looked him in the eyes as she reminded him, "He said I broke your trust."
"…" Kanji suddenly became tightlipped.
"I keep thinking about what your Shadow said, and I …" Rei bowed her head again as she told him, "I had no idea someone else betrayed you. I never meant to make you think I betrayed you either … I didn't think … I wasn't sure …" Rei kept trailing off because her words failed her. Her head kept thinking of different things to say, but she lacked the ability to keep up and form a coherent sentence. Rei could only look down in defeat.
There was an awkward silence in the air as Rei's attempts at an apology fell flat. She couldn't bring herself to look Kanji in the eyes as he remained lying in front of her. She nearly bowed her head in apology again and excuse herself from the room until something caught her ears.
"It's cool." Those two words was enough to stop Rei from leaving. Rei looked up to see Kanji was still looking at her, and he had her undivided attention as he told her, "You were just trying to help me, right?"
"Yes, but …" Rei figured this was a good a time to admit, "I was trying to catch the killer. Since we figured you were the next target, we were hoping the killer would come and get you or something …"
Kanji bluntly asked, "So basically you were using me as bait?"
An honest question was followed by an honest answer as Rei told him, "Well … yes, but we didn't want him to capture you. I actually thought there was a chance you'd beat him up like you did to those bikers," She then awkwardly added, "or we could help you do it, but um …."
"…" Kanji glanced away. It was hard for Rei to tell if Kanji felt shame for failing to live up to that expectation of if he was frustrated by what Rei told him.
Regardless of the case, Rei asked, "So what happened? What was the last thing you remember before you were kidnapped?"
"I've …" Kanji rubbed his forehead as he told her, "I've been trying to piece that together … I was pretty pissed after I noticed you guys following me around."
"…" Rei silently bit her lip again.
Kanji didn't notice this as he continued speaking, "So I was working on something when I heard the doorbell ring."
A red flag went up in Rei's head as her eyes widened and raised eyebrows. Before Kanji could continue she inquired, "You heard a 'doorbell' too?"
"Huh?" Kanji was puzzled, "What're you talking about?"
Upon realizing Kanji didn't understand the context of what she was getting at, Rei explained, "Amagi-san told us she heard the doorbell before she was kidnapped."
Kanji sat up again as he replied, "So Yukiko really was kidnapped."
Rei nodded, "Yeah … She said she blacked out after that."
Kanji replied, "Me too …"
"Hmm …" Rei brought her hand to her chin as she considered the similarities, "Then, the killer must be using drugs to knock out his victims before throwing them into the TV world. He must be using chloroform or something like that."
"Chlor-what?" Kanji sounded legitimately clueless as he asked that.
"Chloroform …" Rei quickly explained, "It's basically a drug that'll knock you out if it gets shoved into your face."
"Oh ..." Kanji took a moment to consider. Rei figured that sounded like a good enough explanation.
Rei continued, "Anyway, it probably affects the memory. You can't remember what happened when you checked out the door, right?"
Kanji shook his head with a hint of shame, "Not a thing."
"Great …" Rei then sighed, "Looks like I'm gonna have to eat more words about the killer never seeing us coming."
Kanji was rather confused by this when he asked, "What do you mean?"
"If we make more blunders like that, we might as well be advertising to the killer that we're the ones trying to stop him." Rei then made a gun shape with her hand and pointed it to her head when she stated, "Then, he can just come along and put bullets in the back of our heads."
"Ugh …" Kanji cringed at the thought, but Rei knew that didn't make it any less true. She knew Kanji understood that as well. It was then that Kanji asked, "Hold on. I forgot if you explained this to me before, but how did you know I was going to be the killer's target?"
"It's a little crazy." Rei stated matter-of-factly.
"We're well passed 'crazy' senpai." Kanji reminded her in a deadpan tone.
"True." Rei explained, "Before you appeared on the Midnight Channel I saw you on the news at least once."
"Seriously?" Kanji groaned as he put his hand on his face, "They really did a bad job pixelating me."
"They don't do a very good job with that. Hell, you're doing a better job right now." Rei jokingly remarked.
"Senpai …" Kanji moaned.
"I know, I know." Rei voiced her own frustration as she stated, "I mean seriously. It was almost as bad as Konishi-senpai. It's like they wanted everyone to know it's you."
Kanji stated with disdain, "What a bunch of assholes."
"Yep." Rei concurred, "The media is full of them.
"Yeah …" Kanji then asked, "So what now?"
"I'm not really sure." Rei told him, "I'm just concerned about you."
"Hmm …" Kanji shifted in his bed as he sheepishly admitted, "It's kinda weird hearing someone else say that …
"Yeah." Rei told him, "My Uncle told me about how you weren't exactly cooperative after you beat up all those bikers. I'm sure that must've been quite an experience for you."
"It doesn't matter." There wasn't an ounce of shame in Kanji's voice as he justified, "All that matters is my mom could sleep easier again, and that's all I wanted to do."
"…" Rei lightly bit her lip as she said, "I still think it was brave of you to do that, Tatsumi-san." She emphasized, "Very brave."
Kanji blushed as he attempted to coherently reply, "Oh … um … thanks, but I wasn't the only brave one that day."
"Hmm …" Rei then decided to change the subject again, "You know … About your sewing … I was wondering …"
"What?" Kanji glanced over to Rei.
When Rei saw Kanji's eyes on her, she knew this was the moment to ask him, "I was hoping you could teach me how to sew."
"…" Kanji blankly looked at Rei. From where Rei was standing, it looked like Kanji was attempting to process this before he pointed to himself, "You want me," He then pointed at Rei, "to teach you?" The disbelief was evident in Kanji's voice as he repeated, "You actually want me to teach you how to sew?"
"You seem like the best person to ask." Rei then stated, "I'm not terrible at it, but I'm pretty sure I can do a lot better if you teach me."
"…" When Kanji was silent, Rei wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't sure if she should say something, but she decided to remain quiet since he appeared to be contemplating. He then asked, "So you really want to learn how to sew?"
"Yes …" Rei then gave a slight revision of her answer as she told him, "It'd be nice to learn something more … elegant I guess."
Kanji bluntly asked, "Do you mean feminine?"
Rei waved her hand, "I'd rather not get into that kind of stuff, Kanji-san." Rei clarified, "I'm interested in sewing, and you're good at it. That's all there is to it."
"Hmph." Kanji then answered, "Okay."
"Okay?" Rei almost sounded puzzled.
Kanji repeated, "Okay."
Rei inquired, "Just like that?"
"Just like that." Kanji then said, "When you put it like that it's pretty hard to refuse."
"I would hope so." Rei then told him, "Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with boys knowing how to sew. I hope you'll eventually feel the same as well."
"…" Kanji was silent. Rei could get the sense that Kanji felt touched by her words. Although, he could not bring himself to say the words.
/
After the silver haired girl was finished speaking with Kanji for the day, she decided to take her leave. As she was leaving, she passed by an underclassman by the name of Konishi Naoki. He was speaking with Kanji's mother when Rei was leaving, so she didn't pay him any mind, but he paid her mind as his eyes followed her until she left Tatsumi Textile.
"Is something wrong?" Naoki was brought out of the 'trance-like' state he was in when he heard Kanji's mother ask him that.
"Um …" Naoki shook his head, "No. I just got distracted."
"Oh." Kanji's mother glanced at the door that just closed, "By Narukami-san?"
"Kinda …" Naoto answered.
"Oh?" Kanji's mother slyly grinned.
"What?" Naoki was taken aback as he attempted to process the implication of what she was implying.
"I can't say that I blame you." Kanji's mother stated, "She is quite a lovely girl."
"That's not …" Naoki trailed off before playing along, "Yeah. She looks … nice. Is she and Kanji a … you know …?"
"Hmm …" Kanji's mother consider the unfinished question before shaking her head, "Not as far as I know. She has visited to see how he's doing, but nothing really struck me as them being together. I'm pretty sure they're just friends."
"I see …" Naoki then asked, "Then, can I see him."
"Of course." Kanji's mother offered, "Go right on ahead."
Naoki took the invitation and headed straight to Kanji's room. He opened the door to see Kanji was resting on his bed, but he looked happy the moment he saw Naoki. He sat up and greeted his friend, "Hey, Naoki."
"Hey, man." Naoki stepped forward, "How're you doing?"
Kanji replied, "A little better."
"That's great." Naoki then asked, "How much longer do you think you'll need?"
"Just a couple more days, and I'll be good." Kanji answered.
"That's great." Naoki jokingly said, "You were already pissing people off with how much you cut school before. Now with these sick days added on top of it. Oh, boy."
"Yeah …" Kanji chuckled, "I'm gonna have to stop doing that."
"By the way," Naoki was a little hesitant to bring this up, but he felt compelled to as he said, "I noticed that Silver girl downstairs."
"Silver girl?" Kanji repeated before realizing, "You mean Rei-senpai? She's been helping me out lately."
Konishi skeptical asked, "Really?"
Kanji answered, "She invited me to join the Karate club."
"There's actually a Karate club?" Naoki asked. He was simultaneous confused and intrigued.
"Kind of …" Kanji sheepishly replied, "I'm going to be their fifth member."
"Fifth?" Naoki then bluntly asked, "Doesn't that meant they're using you?"
"Actually," Kanji corrected Naoki, "she's been honest about needing a fifth member from the start."
"Really?" Naoki sounded skeptical again, "She actually told you that?"
"Yes." Kanji reiterated, "Like I said, she was honest. They needed a fifth member, and my mom wants me to do 'something', and well … after whatever happened to me, I figure I'd join."
Naoki then asked, "Just like that?"
"Hmm …" Kanji nodded before asking, "Something wrong with that?"
Naoki sighed before answering, "Look man. You might want to think twice before getting mixed up with her 'or' her group. It's bad enough Yukiko-san is hanging out with her."
"Are you …" Kanji was leaning forward, but his limitation prevented him from moving further.
Naoki crossed his arms as he stated, "You know what I'm getting at."
"Naoki …" Kanji began to say, "I …"
Before Kanji could finished, Naoki plainly stated, "I'm glad you're feeling better, but think twice before hanging out with her, man. For your sake."
Kanji remained firm as he stated, "I don't need to. I already decided."
Naoki bit his lip and took a breath. "Fine …" He said in exasperation, "I'll see you later."
Kanji saw his friend make his exit as he remained silent on his bed. He then looked up and quietly looked up to the ceiling. He didn't say another word.
/
It was nighttime at the Dojima Household. It wasn't surprising that it was only Nanako and Rei eating dinner again. Ryotaro had left them a number of dinners to heat up and eat, but he wasn't there to enjoy it. Rei could see Nanako glance over to Ryotaro's empty spot, and Rei couldn't help, but do the same. However, she shook her head.
Rei knew she had to do something, so Rei decided to ask the routine question, "So Squirt, how was your day? Anything interesting?"
"Not really?" Nanako replied, "A classmate of mine does like to stay in a corner sometimes."
"What was that?" Rei was surprised by that sentence.
"He doesn't really spend time with any of us." Nanako explained, "He just sits around by himself."
"I see …" Rei then asked, "Are things hard for him? At school? At home?"
"Well … I …" Nanako wasn't entirely sure what to say before it occurred to her, "He doesn't seem to get along with his family."
"Ah …" Rei nodded before advising, "Maybe he needs someone to talk to." She then suggested, "Maybe you could?"
"Big Sis, I …" Nanako shook her head, "I'm not sure if I can …"
"You can do a lot of things, Squirt." Rei encouraged her, "Talking to another kid shouldn't be a problem for someone like you."
"Hmm …" Nanako appeared to be considering her Big Sis' words before she decided to say something else, "Enough about me. What about you? Did you get your test scores yet, Big Sis?"
The conversation had been turned around, and the spotlight was no on Rei. However, Rei didn't give a response immediately. Instead, she said, "Tests …" Rei repeated the word out loud, "Tests …" Rei eyes widened, "Ah, yes … My midterms. That's right!"
Momentarily Rei's mind felt foggy until she remembered the bulletin board. She remember how everyone was crowding around it to find out what was their 'fate'. She then recalled what her 'fate' was.
A grin formed on Rei's face as she proudly told her cousin, "I was in the top ten."
"The top ten?!" Nanako eyes were beaming as she congratulated Rei, "That's amazing, Big Sis! There's a lot of people in my class. You must have a ton."
Rei modestly replied, "There are quite a few."
Nanako countered, "Your school has more than a few, Big Sis, and you're in the top ten. You're just amazing! I bet you'll be the best!"
As soon as Nanako said that, Rei decided to roll with it. "That's my goal." Rei held up one finger, "Before this year is over, I'll be number one."
"Awesome!" Nanako excitedly held up one finger, "My Big Sis is gonna be # 1."
"Heh." Rei then reached over and brushed Nanako's head with her hand before letting her go she said, "You know it."
Nanako declared, "I want to be just like you when I grow up, Big Sis."
"Really?" Rei asked skeptically as she pointed to herself, "You really want to be like me?"
"Of course. You're kind. You're strong. You're honest." With every trait that Nanako listed, Rei couldn't help but blush, and it was capped with Nanako finishing with, "Who wouldn't want to be like you?"
"Heh." Rei grinned, "Guess you got a point there."
Nanako returned the laugh, "Heh-heh."
"You know …" Rei then said, "You shouldn't sell yourself short. I think I can owe some of my success to you."
"What?" It was Nanako's turn to point to herself, "Me?"
Rei reminded her, "Remember when you told me to take a bath? I think that really did a good job calming me down, and it helped me with my studies."
"It really helped you that much?" Nanako asked.
"Yes, but it did more than that." Rei then told Nanako, "The last time I took a bath, I remember having a dream. I think it might've made me remember something. Something important. At least, I think I'm starting to remember it."
Nanako leaned forward as she asked, "What was it?"
"Hmm …" Rei looked up to the ceiling as she answered, I'm trying to figure that out, but it happened when I was about your age, but when I was asleep I felt like it was playing a memory in movie format or something, and I hit the stop button partway through."
Nanako then asked, "People can dream about their memories?"
"Well …" Rei looked to Nanako and answered, "Yeah. They can dream about a lot of things. Most of the time, we can't remember what we dream, but I think most of us dream about our past."
Nanako inquisitively asked, "If most people forget, why do you remember?"
Rei shrugged, "I don't know. Some people just can. I've had a lot of dreams. I can't remember many, but there are a few I can. I'm sure you'll see for yourself when you get older."
"Okay." Nanako was more than willing to accept that explanation.
/
Date: Tuesday – May 24th, 2011
Location: Inaba
Weather: Mix of Cloudy and Sunny
The following day, Rei received a text from Ebihara Ai to meet her on the rooftop after school. Rei was more than happy to accept since she felt that their conversation yesterday came to a 'premature' end. They would have more time to talk after school before she had to go to her job.
When Rei opened the door, Ai was already leaning on the railing looking at the town. She turned her head and remarked, "Took you long enough, New Girl."
"Sorry." Rei sheepishly apologized as she scratched the back of her head and walked over to Ai, "I had to deal with King Moron. He seems kind of pissed knowing that we have a fifth member now. He was really looking forward to putting the kibosh on us.""
"Shouldn't Satonaka deal with him?" Ai asked, "Isn't she the president?"
Rei was standing next to Ai as she replied, "She was there too."
"Hmph." Ai then stated, "I bet it was pretty satisfying to see King Moron pissed."
"A little." Rei stated, "It was annoying hearing him rant about needing to fill out more paperwork, but he knew he couldn't stop us from officially reestablishing the club."
"Not too many people would've been willing to handle that." Ai then remarked, "You know, New Girl, I think a lot people have underestimated you."
Rei raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"You're able to do things other people can't." Ai answered, "But there's more to it."
"…" Rei was silent as she listened.
"Some weird things have happened like the great amount of fog we've been getting and those people disappearing, but," Ai added extra emphasis on the 'but' which caused Rei to almost feel alarmed before Ai finished with, "I think you're the most mysterious person of all."
Rei's body could feel her body stiffen. Her mind had an idea of what was going on, but she needed a confirmation, "What?"
"Don't play dumb with me, New Girl." Ai then stated, "Others may not have noticed, but I have. You have a connection to what's going on."
"…" Rei's mouth was agape, but she was unable to say a word.
"Hmm …" Ai leaned forward and her face was getting closer to Rei's who backed away before commenting, "You're not saying anything, but you're not trying to deny it. That's good." Ai grinned, "You're taking a step in the right direction. Just so we're clear, I saw you, Satonaka, and Hanamura get pulled into that TV that day at Junes."
"You … You did?" That was all Rei could ask. She wasn't going to bother putting up an effort to deny anything. Not this time.
"Yeah." Ai leaned on the railing as she told Rei, "I accepted your invitation, and I saw you getting sucked into the TV, and those two being dragged along for the ride."
Rei reiterated, "You saw all of that?"
"Yep." Ai stated, "I was so freaked out by what I saw that I didn't have any idea what to do. You got sucked in before I could do anything. That's why I was so surprised to see you still alive."
"…" Rei lightly bit her lip before she inquired, "You didn't tell anyone else?"
"You expect me to tell someone that I saw a bunch of kids get Jumanjied into a TV?" Ai then answered her own question with a, "Pfft. As if."
"…" Rei took a moment before replying, "Fair enough."
"You see New Girl," Ai pushed herself off the railing and stood up straight as she looked Rei in the eyes, "I not only saw you that day, but I've been paying attention to you. I also saw you guys go into the TV again. I followed you to see if what I saw was … well if I was just crazy myself, but you did it again."
"We didn't think anyone else was there." Rei said out loud.
"You really should pay attention, New Girl." Ai warned, "Just because that area isn't popular doesn't mean people won't occasionally be there."
"Huh … You know …" Rei sheepishly said, "I think I might've said or thought something like that …"
"Hmph." Ai then remarked, "Not careful enough. Anyway, I knew that you had something to do with Amagi coming back after she disappeared and then reappeared."
"How do you know I didn't have anything to do with her disappearing in the first place?" Rei curtly asked.
"Pfft." Ai wasn't fazed, "As if." Ai casually remarked, "Like I said, I've been paying attention. Both Amagi and Tatsumi disappeared, and now they're part of you little group. Why would anyone want to become friends with someone who kidnapped them?"
"Well, that could …" Rei hesitated and decided it would be best to not finish what she was saying. "You know what, never mind."
"Right." Ai then stated, "Never mind. Anyway, even if you did something like hypnotize them or something, sounds like you might've done them a favor. Amagi basically closed herself off, and she's rejected anyone that wasn't Satonaka. Then, all of a sudden she disappears and comes back. It was like a switch was turned on her since she started hanging out with you and Hanamura. Even if disappearing caused her to change, it still seemed out there to me."
"Oh." Rei felt her cheeks puff up as she told Ai, "Amagi-san would get so depressed if she heard you say that."
"Well, that's too bad." Ai bluntly pointed out, "She developed quite a bit of a reputation over this past year."
Rei merely said, "So I've heard."
"Of course, this isn't even getting into Exhibit B, your dear friend Tatsumi Kanji." Rei didn't say a word as Ai then gave her own take, "A delinquent who has been a troublemaker since elementary school, and now he's become your buddy."
Rei stated, "There's more to him than that."
"Maybe so," Ai then pointed out, "but it doesn't change the fact that 'him' being your friend seems more out of place than Amagi."
"Well …" Rei then said, "Things are gonna change …" Rei then said, "He's a member of the Karate Club now, and I'll help him if he wants it just like I helped Satonaka."
"Really?" Ai raised an eyebrow, "You're the reason why she didn't flunk? Then, you must be good."
Rei defended Chie, "She's not exactly stupid."
Ai bluntly stated, "But she's not exactly smart either, and he'd be stupid not to want your help." Ai then asked, "So anyway, how is this gonna work? You save someone they become a part of your group?"
"I …" Rei began to say something before then admitting, "That would be kind of convenient, wouldn't it?"
"Seriously?" Ai was taken aback before remarking, "That sounds kind of disturbing."
"I'm not gonna want more people to be in danger, but if we can get more people who can help us with this case, I'm not gonna be against it." Rei replied, "We can use the help."
"That's a fair point." Ai then asked, "So does this whole 'case' have to do with the Midnight Channel?" When Rei raised an eyebrow, Ai replied, "I know about the Midnight Channel when I heard some classmates talking about how they saw Amagi on there. Then, I saw Tatsumi dancing around in his loincloth. After that, I heard he went missing. After seeing you get dragged into the TV, it wasn't hard to figure out these things were connected."
"Heh …" Rei chuckled.
"How about we put it this way." Ai then said, "When Amagi joined your little group after she came back, did she join your little 'A Team'? Also when Tatsumi went missing a month later, did you guys go somewhere before he just happen to return? Did you go the Junes by any chance?"
"Yeah …" Rei shrugged her shoulders, "Pretty much."
"Hmm …" Ai then said, "Sounds like we got a lot of other stuff to cover."
"Yeah, like for one thing …" Rei solemnly looked at Ai as she told her, "We almost didn't make it out alive when we got dragged in the first time."
"…" This time it was Ai's turn to look stunned as she then glanced at Rei's cheek.
"There's actually a lot that I'm willing to tell you, but do you mind if we save it for later?" Rei requested, "I got some other things I need to take care of today."
"That's fine. We can finish this another time." Ai then offered, "How about we hang out on Sunday, and you can tell me all about it? Sound fair?"
Rei accepted, "Fine by me."
/
Shortly after leaving school, Rei knew there was still time before her shift began, so she decided to make another stop at the Tatsumi household. As usual, his mother was happy by how Kanji was receiving visits from a 'concerned Senpai'. Kanji was sitting on the edge of his bed this time, and he looked up when he saw her enter the room.
After Rei entered his room, Kanji merely said, "You don't have to keep visiting me you know …"
Rei replied, "I'm actually going to work in about an hour, so I decided to check on how you were doing."
"I'm fine …" Kanji massaged the back of his neck, and Rei could hear a few 'cracks' as he adjusted, "Just a little bored."
"Well I think this might help liven things up a little." Rei leaned forward as she told him, "Another person is aware of our secret."
"…" Kanji's eyes widened as he slowly looked up to Rei and asked, "What?"
"A classmate of mine, Ebihara Ai." Rei explained, "She saw me get dragged into the TV when this whole thing started."
"Oh …" Kanji slowly replied, "That's what you meant."
"I haven't told her everything yet, but I will …" Rei then told Kanji, "She figured out a lot of things already, so I might as well fill in the blanks for her."
"Hmm …" Kanji inquired, "You trust her?"
"She hasn't given me a reason not to." Rei further justified her stance with, "She could've told someone else, but she actually told me that she knew. That has to mean something, right?"
Kanji nodded, "That's a good point. If she's good with you, she's good with me."
"Great." Rei then told him, "Anyway, you're the first person in the group I told this to. I'll tell the others later."
Kanji leaned back as he said, "I suppose that makes me special."
"Heh. I guess it does." The two of them chuckled before Rei then asked, "Is there anything you'd like to do, Kanji-san?"
"Well …" Kanji glanced around as he said, "I'd like to get out of this room. I've been stuck in here for a week."
"Hmm …" Rei considered the possibilities before then suggesting, "Would you want to go for a walk to the Shrine or something? It's not far, and you can hold onto me." She assured him, "I can keep you steady. I'll go talk to your mom about it if you want."
"Sure." Kanji immediately agreed to the suggestion as he said, "I can do that."
/
After Rei spoke to Kanji's mother and assured her that she would stay by Kanji's side, she was willing to let him leave, but they could not leave the Central Shopping District. After Rei suggested the old Shrine, his mother was fine with that.
Rather than wearing his normal street clothes, Kanji was wearing a Kimono that his mother made for him. Rei didn't have much trouble supporting him. Kanji had regained a fair about of his strength, so he didn't need to rely on her as much as before.
After they arrived at the Shrine, Kanji took a rest at on a bench when he bluntly remarked, "This place has seen better days." Parts of the Shrine were barely holding together.
"You can say that again," Rei glanced around at the planks as she stepped toward the Shrine's offering box, "but it looks like people are coming here." Rei leaned forward to see some money as she commented, "I'm definitely seeing more planks and donations than before."
"Good for them." Kanji then asked the obvious. "So what made you decide to come here anyway?"
Before Rei needed to answer, the two of them heard a bark which caused Rei to smile, "You're about to find out."
The two of them looked to see Ema the fox on top of the Shrine's roof before jumping down. Kanji was taken aback when he saw Rei's furry friend as he remarked, "It's that fox again!"
"Yep." Rei knelt in front of the fox as she informed Kanji, "This is Ema's home."
"Here?" Kanji looked around.
Rei didn't hear Kanji as she was focused on the fox and told her, "Thanks a lot for your help before." When Ema barked, Rei replied, "Don't worry. I know your 'goods and services' aren't free, but I trust you're fine with what I gave you right." When Ema nodded, Rei replied, "Great."
"…" Kanji silently watched in awe as he witnessed this.
"Hey, Ema." The fox looked up to Rei as she asked, "Were these leaves what you wanted to show me last week?" When Ema nodded again, Rei petted the fox and told her, "Thanks a lot then, girl. Those leaves are going to be a big help. I'll make sure you receive reasonable compensation for the leaves when we use them again."
The fox then happily barked as Rei replied, "Glad to see you're happy"
"…" Kanji wasn't sure if he should say anything or not. Even he knew it was bad manners to interrupt a conversation, but he wasn't sure if that's what was going on.
Rei then asked, "You know Ema. I've seen some pretty intelligent animal, but you're probably leaps and bounds above them all. It's incredible." After Ema barked again, Rei inquired, "How did you become this intelligent? Were you experimented on or something?"
It was then that Ema looked down and gave a 'whining' sound. That was a sound that Kanji was unfamiliar with, and clearly Rei wasn't familiar with it either
.
"Oh …" Rei uncomfortably moved back as she solemnly remarked, I think I'll take that as a 'yes'. I can see that you're not exactly up for this 'discussion'. Sorry."
Ema didn't appear to be up for continuing this 'conversation' as she softly whined again. Her head was looking down. If animals could cry, Rei was certain she would.
It was at this point, Kanji felt he had the best chance to say 'something' as he inquired, "You and that fox really understand each other, don't you?"
Rei looked over to Kanji as she said, "Ema seems to understand what I'm saying, and I can sort of get what she wants to tell me. That's about it."
"That's incredible." Kanji leaned forward as he said, "I've never seen anyone in the real world talk to a fox before. Do you have some kind of bond with this fox?"
"Well …" Rei looked over to Ema who merely replied with a 'yip' before looking over to Kanji and telling him, "… I guess you could say that."
"I knew it!" Kanji replied with a satisfied tone, "I just knew you and that fox had a connection!"
"Anyway," Rei insisted, "could you call her, Ema? That 'is' her name."
"Okay, fine." Kanji promised, "I'll try to remember that."
"Great." Rei then looked over to Ema and requested, "By the way, Ema do you mind giving us some privacy?" Ema once again appeared to understand that as she turned around and began walking away, Rei told the fox, "Thanks a lot I'll make sure to help you later."
"What do you help her with?" Kanji asked.
"She's been asking for my help around the Shrine, so I've been doing stuff for her." Rei answered.
Kanji felt more dumbfounded by the minute as he asked, "A fox recruited you?"
"Pretty much." Rei pointed to the hanging planks as she told him, "She gives me planks, and I see if I can help."
Kanji's voice was still filled with disbelief, "Seriously?"
"I've been helping out a few people in town here and there." Rei told him, "There's only so much I can do, but I do what I can. One of them was from Marukyu-san." As Rei was speaking, Ema picked up a plank and walked over to Rei. When Rei noticed, she said, "Speaking of, it looks like Ema has a new one." Rei picked it up and after reading it she looked up to Kanji and told him, "I think your mom wrote this one, Kanji-san."
"Huh?" Kanji continued to voice his disbelief as he asked, "Are you kidding me?"
"Read for yourself." Rei handed Kanji the plank.
When Kanji read it over, a blush formed on his cheeks as he reluctantly replied, "Yep … This is definitely her handwriting …"
"Looks like the wish is already being fulfilled." Rei commented.
"Hmm?" Kanji tilted his head.
"I mean …" Rei blushed as she said, "We're friends now … Aren't we? Or am I misreading something?"
"No." He shook his head, "We're friends." He repeated, "We're friends."
"That's great." Rei sounded relieved as she spoke.
Kanji asked, "Did you really think I was going to say no?"
"Yes." Rei bluntly replied without hesitation.
"Huh ...? I see …" Kanji almost sounded disappointed, but he didn't say anything else about that as he then said, "Well … about the sewing lesson you wanted."
Rei asked, "Yes?"
"I'll help as best as we can, but we do them when I'm available, and I decide where to do them." Kanji clarified, "There are places where I can feel 'inspired' to get the job done."
Rei nodded his head, "Whatever works for you works for me. I'm the one ask for the favor after all."
"Good," Kanji pointed to him and Rei as he said, "but I'd also appreciate it if you would just keep our lessons between you and me."
"Fine with me, but why?" Rei inquired.
"Well it's …" Kanji stated, "Something other people really don't need to know about."
Rei bluntly asked, "You do have a point, but are you embarrassed?"
Kanji weakly attempted to deny, "N … No I was …"
Rei prodded further, "Does this have anything to do with what your Shadow said?"
"…" Kanji became silent as he bit his lip.
"Look it's … It's not easy." Rei did her best to assure her newly confirmed friend, "I understand. He said something pretty nasty things about you. Then, he also asked questions about your orientation in front of all of us or how manly you are. If you want to know how I feel. Knowing how to sew doesn't make you any less of a man."
"Hmm ..?" Rei had Kanji's attention.
"This isn't my area of expertise …" Rei then shrugged, "Hell talking about anything like this isn't my area of expertise. If you need me to keep this a secret for now, I will, but I think you should show off your talent to more people." Rei suggested, "If you need someone to start with, try Nanako-chan."
Kanji raised an eyebrow, "Nanako-chan?"
"Right you haven't met yet." Rei explained, "She's my cousin. She also more like a little sister I never had, and she's pretty cool for a little Squirt. You'd like here."
Kanji nodded, "If she's related to you, I probably will."
"Oh!" Rei snapped her fingers, "I got an idea. Do you have anything you wouldn't mind me showing to my cousin? I'll even pay for it if you want."
"You want to show her something I made?" Kanji inquired.
"Yes." Rei stated, "I can tell you that my Little Squirt will love what you made, and she will be impressed that you made it. I can promise you that."
"Hmm …" Kanji took a moment before answering, "I guess I have something I can give you."
"Great." Rei reached for her wallet, "How much do you want for it?"
Kanji said with a smile, "First one will be free."
"Wow …" Rei was nearly at a loss for words as she told him, "Thank you. That's … That means a lot."
"I'm just giving you something for free." Kanji reiterated.
"And I greatly appreciated it." Rei then stated, "I can also say that with absolute certainly that my 'Little Sis' will be more than happy to accept you. You're gonna really like her when you meet her."
Kanji repeated, "I already said I'd be happy to."
"All right … Let me think …" Rei's mind quickly considered the possibilities, "It might not be a good idea for you to come when my Uncle is around. " Rei quickly explained, "He's one of the cops who doesn't like …" Rei stopped herself short, but the point was made.
"Right …" Likewise, Kanji didn't need any other words.
"I'll be sure to ask him about his work schedules." Rei then stated, "If he asks, I'll tell him that I want to try making dinner and I'd want him to try it"
Kanji observed, "You're pretty good with cover stories."
"Heh. It's a gift." Rei sounded proud of that.
"Hmm …" Kanji quietly replied, "I guess it would be."
Rei couldn't quite hear that last part as she asked, "What was that?"
Kanji answered, "I just said I'm sure it is."
"Yeah." Rei continued to sound proud as she said, "It really is."
/
Outside the Shrine area, there was a certain detective eating a steak dinner. Her seat wasn't close enough to give her eyes inside the Shrine area, but she looked in the direction often enough to be sure that neither Rei nor Kanji had left. She was planning on paying Kanji a visit earlier. Instead, she saw the two of them walking from the store or more accurately, Narukami Rei was supporting Tatsumi Kanji as they made their way to the Shrine.
At first, Naoto considered following them, but she decided to go meet with Kanji's mother. This was an opportunity.
After Naoto entered the shop, Kanji's mother welcomed Naoto, and she asked, "Is Kanji-san doing, okay? I heard he wasn't feeling well."
"Thank you for asking. He's actually doing much better." Kanji's mother then said, "However, he's not here right now. He's getting some fresh air. A friend of his is watching out for him."
"A friend?" Naoto inquired, "Which one?"
"A Senpai of his. Narukami Rei." Kanji's mother said, "I think you might've met her before."
"She's the one with silver hair, right?" Naoto rhetorically asked.
"Yes. She's been very good to my son." Kanji's mother sounded happy as she said, "She's checked on him a few times ever since the police found my boy."
Naoto raised an eyebrow, "She's been checking on him?"
"Yes. She's been very good to my son. She even invited him to join a club." Kanji's mother added, "And he said, yes."
"Really?" Naoto commented, "Sounds like a good senpai."
"She really is." Kanji suggested, "They should still be at the Shrine. You could catch up to them if you want."
"I'd rather talk to your son alone if you don't mind." Naoto asked, "Could I come by tomorrow?"
Kanji's mother happily replied, "Certainly."
"Then, I will see you tomorrow." Naoto bowed before taking her leave, "Thank you for your time."
"Of occurs." Kanji's mother bowed, "have a lovely day."
After leaving the shop, Naoto thought, "I feel kind of bad for not buying something, but I'll buy something tomorrow."
Several minutes later, Naoto could see from a distance that Rei and Kanji were in the Shrine area, but she couldn't hear from that range. If she got closer, they'd' spot her. Instead, she noticed an outside vendor she could get something to eat. She was starting to feel a little hungry, so she figured she might as well.
As Naoto was eating, she was writing and going over the notes. The person of interest was Narukami Rei.
Naoto thought to himself, "Most people would probably stay away from Kanji-san, but Narukami has been consistently friendly with him. She seemed like a nervous fangirl at first, but I guess it doesn't take courage to actually try and talk to someone you want an autograph from. I know there is a lot more to her than her silver hair. We also bumped into each other quite a few times. Even for a relatively small town that is quite astronomical, 'but' she does stick out. While I think looking into her might be a good idea, I can't bring myself to believe she could … No. Even if she isn't strictly involved, she could be a lead, but that could be … Hmm … She is interesting. Definitely interesting. Maybe I should."
After Naoto paid for her meal, she decided to make a phone call when she was sure other people weren't listening, "Grandfather …"
Naoto's grandfather, Shirogane Kenshin, immediately asked, "Have you found a suspect already?"
"Not exactly." Naoto scratched the back of her head as she said, "I found another interesting person. While she's someone I wouldn't consider a suspect in this case …"
Kenshin led off with a, "But?"
Naoto then continued, "But there's just something about her …"
"Yes?" Her grandfather was clearly attempting to lead her on. Half the time, Naoto wasn't sure if her grandfather was doing this to have fun or to actually help her, but she did her best to remain focused.
Naoto answered, "She's straight forward and honest. When we first met, she told me that she was a fan of my work. She was nervous, but I got the sense that she was genuine."
Kenshin then asked, "So a fan that didn't go after you because you were 'cute' or 'handsome'?"
"No." Naoto remarked, "She made it very clear she has been a fan of my work as a 'Detective Prince', and I believe her. I could also tell that she's also rather intelligent herself."
"Then, it sounds like you're doing a lot of things right." Kenshin then bluntly asked, "So what's wrong with her?"
Naoto was still feeling hesitant as she told him, "Nothing is wrong per se, but …"
Kenshin added, "There's always a 'but'."
"But …" Naoto stated, "There's just something about her that doesn't sit right with me."
Kenshin was able to deduce, "She's that silver haired girl you mentioned, right?"
Naoto confirmed, "Yes."
"It's not her silver hair that bothers you is it?" Kenshin rhetorically asked.
"What? No." Naoto shook her head, "That's not it. I couldn't …"
Kenshin jokingly remarked, "I'm sure seeing that silver hair made it easier for you to remember her."
"Well I … That's not was I was trying to get at. She seemed like a good person. I think she is. I don't have any reason to think otherwise …" Naoto trailed off again.
Her grandfather added, "But?"
"I don't know …" Naoto stated, "Something about her just feels 'off'. I don't have any reason for it. I just feel it."
"Hmm-Hmph." Naoto could picture her grandfather nodding his head.
"I mean … She's been honest with me from the start." Naoto surmised, "She's been nice and courteous. She has been cooperative when I spoke with her. She volunteered information about herself, and she seems to care about others. However, I get the feeling she knows more than she letting on."
Kenshin furthered his inquiry, "And that about her catches your interest?"
"Yes … Kanji-san caught my interest, and so has Rei-senpai." Naoto then thought about the company Rei appears to be keeping as she then absentmindedly remarked, "The friends she has also seem interesting as well."
"Very well." Naoto felt a red flag pop up in her head before she then heard her grandfather tell her, "In that case, I will begin work on your transfer to Yasogami High."
"Grandfather?" Naoto was taken aback by this unexpected decision.
"It's been a while since you've been so passionate about something." Kenshin rationalized, "You won't be able to learn about these people if you have to keep leaving Inaba. Besides, I'm sure you want to get directly involved in this case sooner rather than later. Being readily available is key. Do you agree?"
"Yes. Yes, I do." Naoto was starting to sound excited, "Rei-senpai could act as a key."
Kenshin then offered these words of advice, "Do what you can to see what door she unlocks."
/
The remainder of the day went smoothly for Rei afterwards. Rei returned Kanji back to his home, and she went to her job at the daycare that day. When she was working at the daycare, Yuuta did not appear to be in the mood to talk that much, but he was happy to play games with her. She figured that she would need a little more time to break ice before she could learn anything, but she was making progress.
Afterwards, she returned home, and it was just her and Nanako again. There was no Dojima Ryotaro in sight other than receiving another phone call regarding him being stuck at work again. It was okay because the two sisters were able to spend more 'precious' moments together before they called it a night.
Unfortunately for Rei, while the day ended well, she still had more to deal with after she closed her eyes. Once again, she would open them and find herself in the dark empty space. When she got up, she was greeted by her Shadow again who appeared to be rather happy. Rei wasn't sure if she wanted to know what was going through her Shadow's 'head', but she didn't need to anyway.
Rei merely sat up and asked in annoyance, "What do you want now?"
Hearing Rei's question merely caused the Shadow's grin to extend from ear to ear as she said, "It's funny you should ask that because I really have a question that I'd be most interested in hearing you answer."
"…" Rei narrowed her eyes and winkles could be seen forming on her forehead.
The Shadow was not the least bit intimidated as she playfully replied, "What? You want to have a staring contest or something? I'm game if you are. Let's do this!"
Rei groaned as she shook her head, "Just ask your questions."
The Shadow signed, "Okay, okay. You really know how to take the fun out of things sometimes. You must have a stick up your ass or something."
"…" Rei offered no response.
"Tell me something, Rei." The Shadow leaned forward and asked, "Are you real?"
Rei was taken aback, "Excuse me?"
"I repeat." The Shadow slowly punctuated, "Are. You. Real?"
"…" Rei was almost at a loss for words as she replied, "I don't get it. What do you mean?"
"Hmm …" The Shadow merely grinned as she said, "I see I've gotten your attention. Allow me to explain. Have you ever noticed that you act a little differently depending on who you interact with? You're not entirely 'consistent'."
"I …" Rei reiterated, "What are you talking about?"
The Shadow merely replied, "Well, I suppose some parts of you that aren't 'consistent'. You're always pretty blunt and honest, but there are some subtle things that differ. Do you notice how much more at ease you are when you hang out with that 'B Group' of yours?"
"Do …" Rei hesitantly asked, "Do you mean Ai, Daisuke and Kou?"
The Shadow sounded amused as she said, "I see you knew exactly who I was talking about."
"Um …" Rei did not want to answer that.
"Do you like hanging out with them more than your 'Investigation Team'?" Rei didn't try to stop her as the Shadow continued her 'interrogation', "Do you like that you don't need to act like some kind of authority figure? A mixture? Neither? I'd definitely like to know the answer."
"…" Rei took a moment to keep herself calm as she asked in a deadpan tone, "Shouldn't you already know?"
"To be honest," The Shadow titled her head, "you seem rather uncertain."
"Heh." Rei chuckled, "Then, I guess that's your answer."
"Meh." The Shadow shrugged, "Disappointing, but fair enough. I'm sure you've noticed how different you act with your family. You're pretty stiff with your Uncle. It's kinda like how you are with your parents but less so. It makes it all the more interesting when you do your best to act like the ideal 'Big Sister' with your little cousin. The way you smile at her is always so warm and adorable. Last but not least, your 'vigilante' persona."
"…" Rei remained tight lipped upon hearing that last part.
"You take down punks that deserve it, but your quiet merciless. You sometimes beat them to a pulp and leave them sprawling on the ground for someone else to take care of." The Shadow then added with a deadpan tone of her own, "Generally, the police. When you smile underneath that mask, I know it's a smile you'd never want anyone else to see."
"…" Rei gritted her teeth, but she didn't say a word.
"You know. I personally find it amusing to see that satisfaction written all over you when you do that." The Shadow then began scratching her cheek as she said, "It's like you're scratching an itch you couldn't quite get before."
"…" Rei then took another breath and eased up as she let the Shadow continue.
"As you can see, you come in different forms. Each with their own similarities, and the differences range from certain aspects of your behavior to the smile you wear." The Shadow put her hand on her chest as she said, "I'm your Shadow, but I can't help but find it all fascinating. Since you haven't interrupted me, I'm guessing you find it fascinating as well. It all must feel so natural to you, I bet you never noticed or maybe you didn't care to."
"Meh." Rei shrugged and waved it off, "You know as much as I do, Shadow. I don't have much more to say. Quite frankly, talking about this crap is kind of boring."
"Hmph." The Shadow appeared slightly 'less amused' by this as she then asked, "Then, answer me this. Out of all the forms you take, which one is the 'real' one?"
"Hmm …" Rei crossed her arms and titled her head. She tapped her feet before then telling the Shadow, "You can figure that one out on your own."
"Aww … But that's no fun." The Shadow sounded legitimately disappointed as she asked, "Are you seriously telling me that you have no idea?"
Rei replied, "Like I said, you know as much as I do. I wish you good night. I got a big day."
"You can go, but this isn't over!" The Shadow declared, "I'm gonna hear an answer from you sooner rather than later. I will get it!"
"Whatever." Rei waves it off as she walked away.
"I'm looking forward to hearing whatever your answer is. That'll be a lot of fun." The Shadow's smile was as wide as the Cherise Cat before she faded away.
/
Date: Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
Location: Inaba, Dojima Household
Weather: Sunny
Once again, ray of sunlight entered the room Rei was borrowing for her stay at the Dojima Household. The ray reached Rei's face and caused her to steer moments before her alarm began to sound off. This time Rei was able to sit up in the bed and get up without any problem.
Rei's body felt more energetic than it felt the other day as she looked over to the window to open the curtain to welcome the morning sun. Rei briefly shielded her eyes from the onslaught of sunrays, but her eyes adjusted. When they did, Rei look toward the beautiful morning sky. She couldn't help but smile.
While progress in the case had briefly come to a standstill, Rei understood it wasn't going to be permanent. She and the rest of the Investigation Team would press on. She was certain they would find another lead. When they did, they'll be ready for it.
In the meantime, Rei decided she would be better off making effective use of her time to prepare. Since the weather looked great, it would be a fine day to go for a run. She could already hear her heart beating in anticipation. This was only the beginning with plenty more to come.
/
Author Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It marked the end of the fifth story arc. Kanji knows there is a group he belongs to. While there hasn't been the scene yet when he officially joins the group, he has accepted the call and the invitation. Additionally, Rei also knows that she has two groups, but she doesn't really know which one she truly prefers.
Which group do you think Rei prefers? Which version of Rei do you think is more real?
What did you all think of having Ai speak to Rei? This scene had been planned for years. Rough ideas for this scene were partly written out well before I played Persona 5. In that game, I liked it when the Confidants figured out Ren's identity as a Phantom Thief. It made me believe I was making the right choice with Ai, and I'm happy that I finally decided this would be the chapter to start going more into her divergence with her storyline.
How about Naoto? What did you think of her scenes? I always thought it was kind of strange that Naoto only transferred during the Fall semester when she appeared in Inaba pretty often before that. While transfers mid-semester are somewhat rare they are far from impossible. I would imagine that she would need to be Inaba often if she was helping out with the case for a few weeks.
Regardless, I would like to know your thoughts regarding the different divergences and liberties this chapter has taken with the source material. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed writing them. Please leave feedback, and we'll see you again in 2020. Hopefully, Persona 5 Royal won't get censored, so we can enjoy it.
Anyway, this chapter was published as a celebration of Christmas 2019. I hope you all will have a Merry Christmas while reading this chapter. I also hope that you all will have a great time with your friends and families.
Spending time with friends and family is important. Recently, a tragedy befell my family shortly after I released Chapter Thirty-Two. It was a tragedy I was rather prepared for. I saw it coming, and it happened. Despite that, it feels strange having one less person around. It'll happen again in the future. If you have people you need to resolve issues with, do your best to resolve them. It'll be good for the both of you.
Once again, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!