Author Notes: I hope everyone is doing well in the face of the global pandemic that we are all facing. I was originally planning on releasing this chapter in March 2020 to celebrate the release of Persona 5 Royal. Now hopefully this can give you some additional entertainment to pass the time.

As I've told other people, remain calm and smart. This crisis will pass, and it will be in our rearview mirrors. In the meantime, do your part to mitigate the WuFlu. We will overcome this time together while ironically maintaining social distancing.

In regards to this chapter, you will see the title of the new story arc is 'Transitions'. As the title of the new story arc indicates, this will be the transition story arc between Kanji and Rise's stories similar to how the fourth story arc was a transition arc as well. We have quite a bit of ground to cover in this story, and I hope you are up for it.

I hope you all will enjoy reading this chapter. Please be sure to leave a review after reading because your feedback is greatly appreciated.

/

Into The Fog

Story Arc VI – Transitions – Part I

Chapter Thirty-Four: New Steps – Part I

/

Trouble always looms

New problems to prepare for

Beyond Horizon

/

Date: Wednesday, May 26th, 2011

Location: Inaba, Yasogami High

Weather: Sunny

In the wake of finding out that Ebihara Ai was aware of their secret lives, Rei knew it would be best to call an 'emergency meeting' for the Investigation Team. She called or texted them all to empathize its importance. After running to school, she met up with them before class in the designated Karate Room. Rei wasted no time informing them of the new development. They took it about as well as she expected.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Chie sounded by far the most exasperated as she then said, "This has got be a joke! Please, tell me it is!"

"Nope." Rei calmly reinforced, "It's all true. She saw us all get dragged in the TV World the first time we were in Junes."

"…" Yukiko remained silent as she listened.

Yosuke on the other hand was having a far easier time accepting Rei's words as he said, "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. The TV section is usually empty, but that doesn't mean no one couldn't be close by. And it's not like we were exactly quiet when we were pulled in."

"You definitely weren't." Chie spoke in an accusatory tone, "You kept saying how you were about to start peeing yourself!"

"Chie! Please!" Yukiko attempts to resolve this situation fell on deaf ears.

"Hey!" Yosuke defensively replied, "It was completely sudden, and a whole lot of stuff was happening. You can't blamed me for feeling weird when it was happening!"

"SO what? Y-" Chie began to speak.

"Enough!" Rei was completely irritated when she decided to intervene. She then told the two, "For about that! It's not important! What's important is that Ebihara-san has known about us from the start, and she hasn't told anyone else."

Chie was immediately skeptical, "How do you know that?"

Rei simply said, "I trust her."

"Seriously?" Everyone could feel Chie's disbelief radiating from her.

Rei sharply replied, "Yes, seriously!" When Rei saw Chie back off, Rei took a breath and calmed her voice as she told the Investigation Team, "When I met her, she was a little 'mean', but she's helped me out. She also didn't have to tell me she knew, but she did. I think we can trust her."

"…" Chie did not give a response as she crossed her arms.

"I don't really know this Ebihara. Never talked to her." All eyes were on Yosuke as he spoke up, "I've heard a couple of things about her, but I also know there's more to a person than what people gossip about them. If Narukami-san feels we can trust Ebihara, then I say we should give her a shot."

Then Yukiko spoke up, "I agree. Narukami-san is pretty good at making friends, so I'll trust her."

"…" Chie silently uncrossed her arms.

Rei's lips briefly parted before she then graciously told her two friends, "Thank you." Rei glanced between them, "Both of you. I really appreciate it."

Yosuke winked, "You've more than earned it, Partner."

Yukiko clarified, "I don't necessarily trust Ebihara, but I trust you. I'm sure that Chie feels the same way." Yukiko looked in Chie's direction as she asked, "Isn't that right?"

"Ugh …" Chie groaned before resultantly conceding, "Okay, fine … I guess we 'should' give her a shot. What do you want to do?"

Rei answered, "I plan on being honest, and I'll tell her about the Midnight Channel along with the TV World."

Yosuke merely said, "You might as well. She did see us get sucked up into a TV, but are you also gonna tell her all that stuff about Personas and Shadows?"

Rei repeated, "I'm going to be honest, so yes I am going to tell her about that stuff."

"Well then. What else are you going to do?" Chie factiously asked, "Bring her into the TV world?"

Rei glanced away as she answered, "Well …"

Chie exclaimed, "Oh, you've got to be kidding!"

"It's not gonna be a big deal." Rei sounded 'relaxed' as she told the Team, "I won't take her any further than the stage."

"Come on." Chie demanded, "What if she gets too curious?"

Rei replied in a deadpan tone, "I don't think she'll run off on her own." She crossed her arms as she added, "Unlike someone else we all know."

"Ugh …" Chie felt that sting.

"…" Both Yosuke and Yukiko glanced at each other unable to say a word.

Chie's mouth opened, but nothing came out of at first. After a few moments passed, her posture slumped as she sighed in defeat and reluctantly replied, "Okay … fine …"

With a satisfied glee on her face, Rei clapped her hands together and declared, "Well, since we're in agreement, I'd say meeting adjourned."

/

Shortly after Rei left the Karate room, she had a run in with a familiar auburn haired student, Ebihara Ai. As soon as Rei saw her, Rei couldn't help but say out loud, "Speak of the Devil."

"Devil?" Ai acted hurt as she pointed to herself, "Moi? I'm hurt."

Rei glanced over her shoulder before telling Ai, "I told the others about our little conversation."

"Did you now?" Ai shrugged, "I figured you probably had to."

"I'd like to have a little talk about …" Rei glanced around before finishing with, "You know."

"Of course you would." Ai stated, "I'm game, but can it wait till tomorrow? I've got something to do today."

"I thought your schedule was open on Wednesdays?" Rei asked in surprise.

"Not this time. Are you saying tomorrow is no good, New Girl?" Ai inquired.

"No. It's good." Rei assured her before adding, "If that's what you want."

"I do." Ai winked, "See you tomorrow, New Girl."

"Okay …" Rei nodded as Ai made her exit.

As soon as Ai made her departure, Rei could hear someone else call out to her, "Hey, Narukami-san."

Rei turned around to see it was Kou that was approaching her. He wasn't accompanied by his usual companion, Nagase Daisuke. It was just him much to Rei's surprise.

"Hey yourself." Rei smirked as she playfully asked, "Where's your other half?"

"My other half?" Kou appeared to be temporarily puzzled but it was replaced by understanding as he asked, "You mean, Daisuke? He's talking to the teacher about …" Kou slowed up.

"Ha. Ha." Rei couldn't help but laugh.

"Hold on!" Kou's cheeks were flushed red as he protested, "We're not …"

"I know. I know." Rei was grinning ear to ear."

"Why you …" Kou said in exasperation.

"Hey, I can't help it." Rei pointed to her waist, "You two are basically attached to the hip."

"Attached at the hip, we …" Kou shook her head and decided it was best to concede, "Okay we spend a lot of time together," Kou indignantly added, "but we're two different people you know."

"Of course you are." Rei replied with a smile as she put her hands behind her head as she asked, "What can I do you for?"

"I was kinda hoping to talk to you about something after school. Do you have time?" Kou inquired.

"Just you?" Rei jokingly asked.

"Yes. Just me." Kou empathized with a hint of annoyance.

"Okay." Rei told him, "I was planning on going to Junes. Do you mind coming with?"

"That works for me." Kou sounded pleased. "I was actually planning on checking out some sport stuff for the Basketball Club."

"Want to meet me at the bus stop after school?" Rei inquired.

Kou happily accepted, "See you there."

/

After school was dismissed, Rei and Kou met outside the school grounds to catch the first bus to Junes. Ai was off doing whatever took up her schedule. Daisuke was having a meeting with his soccer team. This time it was only Kou and Rei on this trip to Junes.

The two students sat at the end of the bus. When the bus began moving, Rei looked over to Kou and asked, "So what did you want to talk to me about earlier, Ichijo-san?"

"Hmm …" Kou leaned by the window as he told Rei, "It's something you told me after the mid-terms. It really got me thinking."

"Um …" Rei tilted her head as she asked, "What did I say again?"

Kou reminded her, "You were asking how we became a group."

"Did I …" It took a Rei a moment, but she then remembered, "Oh yeah. I remember asking something like that. We were at that restaurant, right?"

Kou nodded, "Yep."

Rei almost sounded concerned as she asked, "I didn't weird you out or anything, did I?"

"No. That's not what I was getting at. I was …" Kou briefly trailed off before then continuing, "Actually, you made me think about how different things are. Before it usually would have been me and Daisuke hanging out together. Sure we'd sometimes hangout with some of our fellow club members, but it was usually just the two of us. Before all that happened, we barely spent any time with girls let along two of them."

"…" Rei's lips slightly parted but she didn't say a word as she listened.

Kou was able to continue unimpeded, "I didn't think about it until you brought it up, and you're right. It's pretty crazy this happened, but I think it's the good kind of crazy. It's like I … I don't know … It seems right. Like it was supposed to happen. You get what I mean, right?"

Rei finally spoke up, "Actually, I do."

"Glad you got that." Kou scratched the back of his head as he sheepishly replied, "I'm really not the best at explaining things."

Rei merely concurred, "Some things are too difficult to explain."

"Heh …" Kou uneasily chuckled, "I guess so. I know Daisuke is 'really' happy this all worked out."

"Me too, but you know," Rei decided to ask, "As nice as this is, what brought this on?"

"Like I said, you really got me thinking." Kou clarified, "A while ago I never would've thought we'd actually have a group. It used to just be me and Daisuke, and sometimes one or two of the guys from the club. But now," Kou smiled as he said, "we actually have a regular group now. Honestly, it's only been a few weeks, but I can't picture us not having it."

"Aw." Rei sincerely replied, "That's really sweet. I can't really picture it being any different either. I really like hanging out with you guys."

"Glad it's not just me." Kou remarked.

"Hey." Rei teasing asked as she poked Kou, "You're not falling for me, are you?"

"What?" What started as dumbfounded turned into panic as Kou said, "No! No! That's not what I was getting at either." As Rei began to laugh, Kou's eyes narrowed followed with a deadpan response, "Oh, I see … Got me again."

"Yep." After Rei suppressed her laughter, she put her hands together and playful apologized, "Sorry. Sorry."

"Oh." Kou shook his head, "Good grief."

"You know …" Rei sounded rather sincere as she said, "I can picture things being totally different, but I think our group forming would've happened either way."

Kou tilted his head, "What do you mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it." Rei mischievously grinned, "Just a girl's random rumblings."

"Heh." Kou chuckled, "I see."

Rei could feel the bond was getting closer, but it needed more time to strength. That led Rei to tell Kou, "Anyway, thanks for talking to me about this Ichijo-san. I appreciate it."

"Glad to tell you." Kou replied.

"Anyway, when we get to Junes, I'll help you take care of your equipment thing first." Rei offered.

"I can always use another set of eyes there." Kou remarked.

/

A lonely bear was sitting on the edge of the stage tinkering with a pair of glasses. All he could do was sit around until something caused his ears to perk, and he snapped his attention behind him. He looked up to see it was none other than his Sensei, Narukami Rei, had arrived. Once again, it was only her. None of the others were with her. It didn't matter to the bear. He was just excited to see someone. As he rushed over to her, his squeaky footsteps caused her to look in his direction.

"Hey, Sensei! I see you didn't bring the Investigation Team with you again." Teddie smiled as he gleefully pointed to himself, "Are you here just to visit little old me?"

The silver haired Sensei smiled as she replied, "Yes, actually."

Teddie blinked as he asked, "Really?

"Yes, really." His Sensei crossed her arms as she told him, "I wanted to give you a bit of an update on the situation in my world."

Teddie sounded hopeful as he asked, "Any new leads on the killer?"

"I wish, but no." Rei-Sensei informed Teddie, "A friend of mine saw us enter into the TV World."

"You mean a friend of yours who isn't part of the team?" Teddie questioned.

"Yep." Rei-Sensei scratched the back of her head as she told the bear, "We kind of made a big scene, and she saw us get dragged in."

Teddie asked the essential question, "Is that going to be a problem?"

Without hesitation, Rei-Sensei answered, "No. We can trust her."

Likewise, Teddie replied, "That's good enough for me, Sensei."

"Glad to know you're okay with it." Rei-Sensei took a breath as she rubbed her neck.

"I know everything will be fine, Sensei." Teddie said with the upmost confidence. "Especially if you think it will."

"Anyway, Ebihara-san isn't the only thing I wanted to talk to you about." Rei-Sensei then told Teddie, "I wanted to tell you that Kanji-san is getting better, and he's a member of the Investigation Team now."

"Huh?" Teddie sounded confused as he asked, "I thought he was already a member of the team."

Rei-Sensei raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Isn't this how it works?" Teddie explained, "They get in trouble, you save them, and they join the Team."

"Um … No, Teddie." Rei-Sensei shook her head as she empathized, "It 'doesn't' work like that. There was a good chance Kanji wouldn't have wanted anything to do with us. Quite frankly, after everything that happened I can't blame him." Rei-Sensei then put Teddie on the spot, "Would you?"

With Rei-Sensei's eyes on him, Teddie slightly backed up before answering, "N … No. No, I don't think so."

"Right …" Rei-Sensei then stated, "Anyway, this is a bit of a transition for Kanji-san, but I'm sure he'll be ready for when we get back to the case."

"Hmm …" Teddie smiled as he said, "I might have a suggestion that can help get him ready."

Rei-Sensei tilted her head, "Did you find something?"

Teddie emphasized, "Maybe."

Rei-Sensei repeated the question, "Maybe?"

Teddie reminded his Sensei, "Remember when a Shadow took over Yukiko's castle?"

Rei-Sensei immediately understood what Kanji was getting at as she asked, "Did a Shadow take over Kanji's bathhouse?"

Teddie nodded, "Yup."

"I see …" Rei-Sensei grins as a thought came to her, "In that case, it looks like we got a test for Kanji, eh?"

"Yes." Teddie suggested, "You can test him just like you did with Yukiko. How does that sound?"

Rei-Sensei concurred, "Glad we're on the same page."

Teddie then asked, "When do you think you'll come here?"

Rei-Sensei answered, "Not for a little while, but we'll take care of this soon. Kanji-san needs a little more time."

"I understand …" Teddie sounded a little down as he then said, "I'll be waiting."

/

Date: Thursday, May 27th, 2011

Location: Inaba, Yasogami High

Weather: Cloudy

True to her word, Rei met up with Ebihara Ai after the school day was over. The two of them were on the rooftop. After listening to what Rei said, Ai walked over to the railing of the roof and leaned against it as she looked down at the students still leaving the campus. Rei remained silent as she let Ai absorb the information.

"So …" Ai's back was still to Rei as she stared in the distance, "… There's another world in the TV, and that's where the killer sends his victims?"

"Yes." Rei explained, "The killer doesn't finish the job himself. He lets the monsters inside do the killing for him."

"Huh …" Ai took a moment to process that information as she leaned against the wall as she said, "That would explain why he hasn't been caught yet."

"You …" Rei couldn't help but feel either too hopeful or 'skeptical' as she asked, "You believe me?"

Ai said in a deadpan tone as she turned around to face Rei, "I saw a TV eat you Hanamura, and Satonaka. Finding out there is another world inside the TV isn't that much of a leap for me."

Rei shrugged, "Fair enough …"

"So what's it like in there?" Ai glanced back to the town of Inaba as she inquired, "Is it … Is it like a mirror image of our world?"

"Hmm …" Rei walked to the railing and put her hand on it as she considered the best answer, "Well … Actually it can be … a little."

Ai looked over in Rei's direction as she asked, "Really?"

"The fog." Rei explained, "When it's foggy here, it isn't foggy there, and vice versa?"

"Fog?" Ai's move back as she felt her eyebrow raise and lines form on her forehead, "What's that … Is that it?"

Rei looked over to Ai as she told her, "It makes a big difference. The Shadows are way more dangerous when the fog lifts in there."

Ai then asked, "Shadows?"

Rei briefly explained, "They're the monsters that live in the TV world."

"Oh …" Ai sounded oddly relaxed as she accepted that explanation.

Rei then furthered her explanation, "When people are thrown in there, we need to rescue them before the fog lifts in that world or they're dead. That's what killed Yamano-san and Konishi-senpai."

"…" While Ai's voice remained silent, her eyes widened.

Rei bluntly told Ai, "When we go in there, its life or death."

"Woah …" Ai glanced at Rei's face.

As Rei noticed where Ai's eyes were glanced to, Rei reflexively placed her hand on her cheek as she said, "You know … It really feels nice talking to someone outside the 'Investigation Team' about this stuff. It's … different."

"Investigation Team?" Ai raised an eyebrow. "That's the name of that little group of yours?"

"Meh." Rei merely said, "I'm not interested in anything fancy. It's a simple name that gets to the point."

"I guess it does." Ai didn't have much else to contribute.

"Anyway, it's great being able to talk about this with someone else. It feels … I don't know I guess … Um …" Rei could feel the right word was on the tip of her tongue.

"Liberating?" Ai offered his own solution to Rei's tongue tied problem.

Rei snapped her fingers and grinned, "That's it. It feels 'liberating' to talk to you about this. Trying to keep this secret from a lot of people can be pretty tough."

Ai replied, "I can imagine."

Rei sighed, "So … You've been like a 'secret' secret keeper for a few weeks. Why'd you wait so long to talk to me about it?"

Ai grinned as she told Rei, "You piqued my curiosity, 'New Girl'. You made things interesting, and it seemed too good to be true. Not to mention, you also kinda freaked me out. Between getting swallowed by a TV and begin perfectly fine afterwards, it seemed like one of those bizarre animes where something bad happened to a character, but the next episode it's like nothing happened. There is no explanation for why they're okay, but there you were." Ai then glanced at Rei's cheek again as she said, "I figured the TV World had something to do with what happened to you."

"I can see why you're think that." Rei touched her cheek as she said, "I thought I did a good job hiding my injuries."

"So …" Ai glanced toward Rei's cheek, "What exactly happened?"

"Yeah …" Rei sighed, "A Shadow took a real liking to me, and decided to make me into a scratching post before making me its chew toy." Rei held up her arm, "I think I understand how Captain Hook must've felt."

Ai cringed, "Seriously?"

"Just trying to lighten the mood." Rei could see that failed as she put her arm down.

"Can anything be done about that?" Ai asked as she scratched her own cheek.

"No." Rei shook her head, "These scars … I can't heal them."

Ai merely replied, "That's a shame."

"I don't like them, but I don't regret them either." Rei's fingers curled up into a fist as she stated, "All three of us were trying to survive, and we did."

Ai began to ask, "How did you …"

"Yeah …" Rei sounded a 'little' awkward as she said, "I didn't mention 'that' part yet … In the TV world, we get these supernatural powers we don't have in our world."

"Supernatural?" Ai didn't know how to react as she asked on borderline disbelief, "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Very serious." Rei answered.

"…" Ai silently nodded before simply saying, "Okay then …"

"Huh …" Rei felt a sense of disbelief as she pointed out, "You're pretty accepting of everything I'm telling you."

"Like I said before, when I saw you get swallowed up by the TV, believing anything that came after is pretty easy by comparison. It's like one of those things when you're told to forget everything you think you know." Ai then said, "In this case, I'm forgetting what reality is 'supposed' to be like."

"Hmm …" Rei nodded, "Good point."

"You know what …" Ai shrugged, "I'm pretty much open to believing anything you say at this point, so I'm not even going to bother questioning it."

Rei said in a relief, "Well thank you for making this much easier, but maybe I think this should be a good stopping point."

"Yeah …" Ai concurred as she looked over to Rei, "This is getting to be a little too much at once."

"I know the feeling …" Rei pushed herself away from the railing as she suggested, "Anyway maybe it'd be better if we get something to eat. My treat."

"Your treat?" Ai glanced over to Rei with a grin on her face, "Then, I'm definitely in New Girl."

As the two of them began walking off the roof, Rei suggested, "Well, I might as well bring you along one of the times we head to the TV world."

"Seriously?" Ai asked in surprise, "You'll bring me with you?"

Rei reasoned, "There's no point in trying to explain to you what it's like in there if I can just show you. I'm not sure if I could explain it even if I tried. It'll be much easier if you see what that world is like for yourself."

Ai didn't have any trouble accepting that line of reasoning, "Might as well."

"Plus," Rei crossed her arms as she bluntly stated, "you'll get to understand just how dangerous it can be."

Those words of warning did nothing to shake Ai as she mockingly asked, "Trying to make me nervous?"

Rei shrugged, "Clearly, I'm not, but you'll see why you should be soon enough."

Ai stood her ground, "Don't think I'll back down because of that. I'll be there. Count on it. Just tell me when."

"Hmm …" Rei suggested, "How about after Kanji-san recovers?"

"So the whole gang will be there?" When Rei nodded, Ai then said, "Sounds good to me."

/

Date: Thursday, May 27th, 2011

Location: Inaba, Police Station

Weather: Cloudy

Later in the night, two police officers Adachi Tohru and his partner Dojima Ryotaro were looking through the latest reports. Both of them were baffled. They were rubbing their heads, and it looked as if they were ready to tear their hair out, especially Ryotaro.

Adachi was leaning on his seat as he said, "First we have murders. Now, people are getting beat up on the streets. It's just one thing after another, Dojima-san?"

Ryotaro was leaning on his desk as he said, "Yes … This is quite troubling."

Adachi then asked, "You don't think it could be the killer changing his MO, do you? Is that why they called us to check out that scene? Could he be getting sick of a thrill for another?"

"Hmm …" Ryotaro combed his hand through his hair as he remarked, "While I doubt that, I can't exactly say it's implausible." Ryotaro turned to Adachi and requested, "Adachi give me a play by play on the case notes."

"Sure." Adachi scrambled to pull out his notebook. He flipped through the pages, "Okay … The incident happened shortly after eight. Due to the events happening in the alleyway, there weren't any witnesses to what exactly happened other than the bikers. Unfortunately, most of the said bikers are still unconscious, except for their leader Dabi. Does that sound about right, sir?"

"Yes." Ryotaro then commented, "You sometimes surprise me by how good your note taking is."

"Um …" Adachi's head moved back before slowly responding, "… Thanks, sir?"

Ryotaro ignored that as he then stated, "According to his testimony, the one who 'assaulted' them was a female, and she was coved head to toe, and she wore a fox mask to hide her face. She apparently made short work of them. There wasn't any blood or samples left behind that belongs to anyone besides them. There's also the matter of the phone call."

"Yes." Adachi opened his notes on the case, "There was a '110' call reporting the attack. The caller was female as well. The office who arrived at the scene said he encountered two females of approximately high school age, but he didn't take a statement nor get their names."

"Hmm …" Ryotaro softly grunted.

Adachi added, "It probably would've been a good idea for him to have done that."

Ryotaro sighed, "As frustrating as that is, he was attempting to preserve the integrity of the crime scene and checking the status of those bikers was the priority." Ryotaro stated, "It was an oversight that I'm willing to overlook."

Adachi whispered out loud, "I wish you could be that merciful to me."

Ryotaro's ears perked as he looked over to Adachi, "What was that?"

Adachi hastily replied, "Nothing! Nothing. Why would you overlook that?"

"Well …" Ryotaro took a moment before giving an answer, "It probably wouldn't occur to him that either of those girls would be potential suspects. According to the officer, they asked about what happened. Not too many culprits would choose to stick around."

Adachi sounded dumbfounded as he inquired, "But isn't it suspicious they were wandering around at night?"

"Kids these days …" Ryotaro shook his head before then stating, "We could assume they had permission to be outside, but you're not wrong about being suspicious."

Adachi inquired, "So you don't suspect them?"

"The officer might've made a mistake when he didn't question them. They might've known something, but I doubt they were the culprits." Ryotaro then added, "Just instinct."

Adachi shrugged, "Fair enough."

Ryotaro leaned on the table, "There's also the matter of the phone call. It was made by a payphone. The local payphone had fingerprints on it, but nothing recent. If I had to guess, the girl had gloves on."

"Huh …" Adachi tapped the desk with his pen as he surmised, "Something tells me that this culprit has been doing this for a while, sir. She seems a little too good and prepared. What do you want to do?"

"It is unfortunate that she couldn't make it easy for us, but we shouldn't focus on that." Ryotaro sighed, "We'll probably need to keep this case open for now, but I'll recommend this case be reassigned to someone else since I doubt the killer and this vigilante are the same. For the time being, we'll handle both and make the murders our priority."

Adachi replied, "That sounds fine sir, but do you plan on making this another all-nighter?"

"Perhaps." Ryotaro looked over his partner and asked, "Why?"

"Well, um … Sir," Adachi decided to ask, "When was the last time you had time at home?"

"Hmm?" Ryotaro glanced over to Adachi.

"Um …" Adachi did his best not to sound nervous as he said, "Pardon me for saying this, but you've been working quite a few late nights recently so I was wondering if you've been spending any time with your girls."

Lines began to form on Ryotaro's forehead as he asked, "My girls?"

"Yeah. Nanako-chan and Rei-chan." Adachi couldn't help but ask, "You do remember them, right?"

Ryotaro didn't bother hiding his annoyance as he answered, "Of course, I know you were talking about them."

Adachi then asked, "Have you been spending time with them?"

Rather than answering directly, Ryotaro said, "They both know my work on the cases is important."

"I'm sure they do. They're both … pretty mature." Adachi then asked, "But what have they been up to lately? Midterms happened a little bit ago, right?"

"Hmm …" Ryotaro raised an eyebrow, "Why are you so curious?"

"Because I am." Adachi then said, "Your kids are quite interesting."

Ryotaro rhetorically asked, "You do realize only one of them is, right?"

"Huh?" Adachi sounded surprised.

Ryotaro repeated, "Only one of them is my kid. The other is just staying with us."

"Oh?" Adachi could only feel his curiosity be fueled further, "So you don't consider Rei-chan to be yours? You're family, aren't you? You are taking care of her, aren't you?"

"She's just my niece." Ryotaro firmly stated, "I promised my sister that she can stay. That's all." He then looked away.

"You're sounding a little hostile, Dojima-san." Adachi then asked, "What's up?"

Ryotaro looked toward Adachi and asked, "What was that?"

"Um … never mind." Adachi decided it was best to back away for the time being.

/

Date: Friday, May 27th, 2011

Location: Inaba Daycare

Weather: Cloudy

It was a Friday afternoon following the end of the school day, and it was another hectic time at the Daycare. For a while, it looked as if the clouds in the heavens threatened to pour. Rei was concerned that it would cause the job to be cancelled for the day. Luckily, that rain did not come to pass. It allowed Rei to focus on her objective.

As usual, lots of kids were running around. While Rei did her best to pay attention to all of them, there was one in particular she was focused on. He was a boy named Yuuta, and he was attempting to play a game with another boy.

Rei made sure to stand as close as she could to hear what they were saying. Apparently, the game was called 'Phoenix Ranger Featherman R'. It was a name Rei instantly recognized and smiled at. The two boys were naming different attacks the characters in the anime used to counter each other.

The competition between the two boys was getting fierce. Rei kept moving her head back and forth to see who was going to win. Unfortunately, it came to a screeching halt when Yuuta desperately cried out, "Feather Chop!"

Rather than shouting a different attack, the other boy exclaimed, "What?! That's not a Featherman R attack! You made that up!"

"There is too!" Yuuta replied defensively, "I saw it! I swear!"

"Is not!" The boy remained firm on this.

"There is too!" Yuuta attempted to stand his ground.

"No there isn't!" The boy then looked to the other kids and began shouting, "Hey, everyone! Yuuta's lying again! Yuuta's lying again!"

Rei could see this turning ugly fast as Yuuta was taking a step back. He was silently looking around at the eyes that were on him. Rei could see that Yuuta already wanted to find somewhere to hide, but there was nowhere. The kids were about to make their judgment be known as they were about to raise their hands and pointed at him. There was only one chance for interference. It was now or never.

The silver haired girl stepped forward and stood in front of Yuuta for all to see. She said out loud so everyone could hear her, "Hold on! Yuuta wasn't lying about that attack!"

Rather than acting haughty, the boy was taken aback and his voice shifted. It sounded soft as he asked, "He wasn't?"

"No." Rei glanced over her shoulder as she said, "That attack was based off of an earlier series." Rei briefly glanced over her shoulder winked. Yuuta silently looked at her in awe as Rei then said, "Attacks from previous series have been known to show up in sequels, so don't be surprised." Rei looked directly at the boy as she asked, "You got that?"

"…" The boy took a moment before softly responding, "… Okay."

Rei then clapped her hands, "All right everyone! Nothing to see here! Nothing to see here! Show's over! Go on and do something else!" Rei wasn't entirely sure if those were the best words to use, but it got the kids that gathered around to go away. This left her, Yuuta, and the other boy.

Seeing that they were alone, Rei asked, "Is there something you'd like to say to Yuuta-chan?"

The boy softly replied, "I'm sorry …"

Rei told the boy, "We can't hear you."

With a louder voice, "I'm sorry."

"That's better." Rei looked over to Yuuta, "And you?"

Yuuta simply said, "It's okay …"

"This is good." Rei then put her hands on both of the boy's backs and instructed them, "Now shake hands, make up, and have some fun. No more trying to publicly embarrass each other, all right?"

"Okay." Both boys said, and at Rei's insistence they shook hands.

"Great." Rei seemed rather pleased with herself.

/

It wasn't long until the day had come to an end. Rei was once again cleaning up the aftermath of the day. Most of the children had been picked up, but Rei wasn't surprised by who was left. Rei looked over to see Yuuta by himself wanting to talk to her.

Rei looked over to Yuuta and simply said, "I guess you have something you want to say to me."

"Um …" Yuuta walked toward Rei, but his eyes averted hers as he said, "Thanks for earlier …"

"No problem." Rei warned him as she continued to clean the field, "Just be more careful out there next time. I might not be there to bail you out."

"I know …" Yuuta's eyes still couldn't meet Rei's.

Rei knelt in front of Yuuta and asked the obvious question in her mind, "So … You're pretty into Featherman R, huh?"

Upon hearing that series, Yuuta's ears perked, and his eyes were looking in Rei's direction. A smile began forming as his eyes were filled with life. He began to say, "You bet! I –"

Rei wouldn't get to hear what was about to said as a voice could be heard that distracted them, "Yuuta!"

It was none other than Yuuta's stepmother, Eri. Yuuta barely said a word to her as he ran pass her. The two were simply not connecting. However, Yuuta running away gave Rei an opportunity to keep a promise.

Rei walked over to Eri who then asked, "He hasn't been causing you any trouble, has he?"

"Yuuta-chan?" Rei shook her head, "No."

"Don't worry. I won't take offense." Eri's tone sounded 'defeated' as she looked down in resignation, "He's a handful …"

"No, it's fine. Really. Actually," Rei then told Eri, "I know something that might help you." That appeared to catch Eri's attention as she turned her head. Before she could say anything, Rei told her, "Today Yuuta and the others were playing 'Phoenix Ranger Featherman R'."

Eri simply asked, "What's that?"

"The latest iteration of a hit anime franchise. Kind of like … um …" Rei needed a moment to think of a good example that she was sure Eri might've heard of. A number of mental images moved through Rei's mind until she thought of the right one. "OH! You've heard of Gundam, right?"

Eri shrugged, "Who hasn't?"

Rei explained, "Well this is a franchise that has managed to gain a lot of success with younger audiences. They make a new series or OVA every couple of years kind of like Gundam. This one happens to be 'R'."

"Huh …" Eri softly repeated out loud, "Phoenix Ranger Featherman R."

Rei grinned as she said, "Sounds like something you should keep in mind."

Eri sounded grateful as she said, "I'll do that. Thanks."

/

Saturday: May 28th, 2011

Location: Inaba Central Shopping District

Weather: Rain

It was another day for Sakoto at her Tofu shop. Unfortunately, due to the weather, Sakoto didn't consider it likely they would get too many customers today. Regardless, she was grateful that Narukami Rei was there to help her tend to the store, especially since she got a new supply delivered. Sakoto felt like she could trust the girl to stand by the cash register whenever she had to go to the back. However, there was something different about this girl, and it wasn't just her hair.

Regardless of how much Sakoto trusted her, Rei was proving to be a wonder. There were more than a few things that Sakoto was curious to inquire about. However, she knew she had to hold back on some of her inquiries, and her granddaughter had inquires of her own. Today would prove to further that assortment as well.

As Rei was tending to the cash register, Sakoto said to her, "I noticed that you have visited Kanji-san a few times recently."

"Um …" Rei glanced over in Sakoto's direction as she asked, "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all. If anything, I'm happy he has a friend." Sakoto approached Rei as she happily answered, "I'm especially happy that Kanji-chan is okay. He really is a sweet boy, and his mother was so worried about him."

"Yeah …" Rei glanced away toward the shop's entrance, "I was worried he'd end up like … you know …"

It wasn't difficult for Sakoto to understand what Rei was implying, "Yes … I feared the same. As much as I was happy to see him come back safe and sound, I couldn't help but wonder what happened and where did he go? How'd he come back? Will there be others?" Sakoto shook her head, "So many questions and no answers."

"Hmm …" Rei nodded, "My uncle is asking the same questions."

"Oh, right." Sakoto inquired, "Your Uncle is a detective, isn't he?"

Rei merely answered, "Yep."

Sakoto then asked, "So he doesn't have any idea, does he?"

Rei shook her head, "Doesn't sound like it."

"Now, that makes me worried." Sakoto continued looking in Rei's direction as she said, "Four people have disappeared. Two of them wind up dead, and the other two come back alive with no memory of how it happened. As glad as I am that the last two survived, the fact the police don't have a clue puts me ill at ease."

"You're not the only one." Rei crossed her arms, "It's like something out a supernatural anime or something."

Sakoto replied, "I'm being serious, Rei-chan."

Rei looked Sakoto in the eyes as she told her, "So am I. This town is peaceful, but it feels like there is … I don't know a 'foreboding' feeling I guess … Would that be the right thing to say?"

Sakoto concurred, "I think that describes what I'm feeling perfectly."

"You don't have to worry." Rei stepped toward Sakoto, "As long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you."

"Oh." Sakoto could feel that this silver haired girl meant every word, "That's very sweet of you, Rei-chan, but I'm more worried about you."

Rei's eyes widened as she asked, "Me? Why me?"

Sakoto pointed out, "Three of the four people that went missing were students from your school. Two of them were girls around your age. I'm just afraid he may have a preference."

"I …" Rei took a moment before giving a proper response, "Thank you for your concern, Sakoto-san, but I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me."

Sakoto stated, "I'm going to worry. At least until whoever, is responsible is behind bars."

"…" Rei stared at Sakoto for a moment. She was about to speak until they saw someone enter.

Both Rei and Sakoto bowed their heads and greeted the customer, "Welcome."

"I see he was right. You do work here." The 'customer' was none other than a detective who was becoming familiar with the town, Shirogane Naoto.

"Shirogane-san?" Rei sounded genuinely surprised before attempting to correct herself and clearing her throat, "How may I help you?"

"There's no need to be so polite, Narukami-senpai." Naoto informed Rei, "Believe it or not, I'm actually younger than you."

"Oh yeah …" Rei thought back as she replied, "I think I remember an article stating you were fifteen. Is that right?"

"Yes." Naoto then stated, "Anyway, you can feel free to call me Naoto or Naoto-san if you prefer."

"Are you sure?" Rei asked.

Naoto repeated, "Yes."

"Um … Okay …" Rei hesitantly, but graciously replied, "Naoto-san it is."

"Hmm … Very well." Naoto ordered, "First, I would like some tofu."

"Of course." Rei replied.

"Also," Naoto added before Rei could get the order ready, "Do you mind if I talk to you?"

Rei began to answer, "No, but now might not be the best …"

"What's going on here?" Sakoto interjected.

"Oh. This is a friend of mine." Rei glanced to Naoto before requesting, "Would you mind if we … I don't know … If we …"

As Rei was saying this, Naoto softly repeated, "A friend …?"

"Say no more." Sakoto stated, "You can take a few minutes to talk, but be mindful."

"If you don't mind." Rei replied.

Sakoto then turned her attention to Naoto and looked the detective up and down before looking back at Rei. "I don't mind, but could you talk in the back?"

"Of course." Rei bowed her head, "Thank you very much."

/

After getting Sakoto's permission, Rei and Naoto moved to the back area. They could hear the sound of the rain outside as Rei was closing the backdoor, Naoto said, "A friend, huh?"

"I'm sorry." Rei bowed her head, "I thought it'd be easier if I said …"

"No worries." Naoto sounded rather amused as 'he' put 'his' hands on his waist. "I don't mind. You seem like a decent person to be friends with."

"I am." Rei insisted, "I totally am."

Naoto replied, "Okay …"

Rei cleared her throat, "Sorry … So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Naoto answered, "I take it that you've heard of Tatsumi Kanji's safe return."

"Yeah …" Rei combed her hand through her hair as she answered, "My uncle told me about it."

"I see …" Naoto basically stated the obvious, "Then, I'm sure you're happy things turned out the way they did."

"Of course. I was afraid after what happened to Konishi-senpai that the worse was going to happen." Rei then reversed it, "You must be happy, too. You two are friends, right?"

"Hmm …" Naoto clearly wasn't expecting to hear that as Naoto said, "I suppose you could say we are. Anyway, I was actually speaking to him a little while ago. He also told me I might be able to find you here."

Rei wasn't sure how to react as she asked, "You guys … talked about me?"

Naoto answered, "He merely told me that he was going to take you up on your offer to join the club."

"Oh …" Rei was relieved as she explained, "We talked about that the other day. I'm glad he decided to join."

"Hmm …" Naoto then stated, "That made me curious." Naoto emphasized, "Very curious. Why did you decided to ask Kanji-san of all people to join your club?"

"What are you implying?" Even if she was speaking to Shirogane Naoto, Rei was able to remain blunt as she asked, "Am I not supposed to?"

Naoto shook 'his' head, "No. It's your choice. I'm just curious to your reasoning. While I personally know there is more to him than the rumors, you only met him recently, correct?"

Rei replied, "Pretty much …"

"Then, I'm sure you've heard rumors about him. Most people would walk away while you decided to approach him." Naoto asked the question of the day, "Why is that?"

"…" Rei looked on as she put her hand in her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She then held a photo in her hand offered it to Naoto. Naoto then held the photo and looked into it.

The moment Naoto's eyes gazed at the contents of this picture, Rei could see the eyes widened, "This is …"

"Yes. A photo of me as a kid." It was Rei's turn to ask her question of the day, "Notice anything?"

Naoto's eyes were locked on, "Your hair …"

Rei combed her hand through her hair as she stated, "My hair has always been silver. Let's just say I've heard my fair share of whispers."

"Hmm …" Naoto couldn't make any contribution to that.

Rei then stated, "I also got into a nasty argument with Konishi-senpai before she died. A lot of people knew it was me for … well you know … That earned me some rather unwanted attention."

"I'm …" Naoto handed the photo back as she said, "… sorry to hear that."

Rei put the picture back in her wallet as she told the Detective Prince, "I know what it's like. That's why I approached him."

"That's very nice of you." Naoto sounded genuine.

"Thanks." Rei had her hands in her pocket as she said, "Anyway, if this little interrogation is over, I'd like to get back to work."

"Of course." Naoto then said, "Allow me to purchase some extra tofu for your trouble."

"But of course Marukyu's tofu is the best you can choose." The two of them returned to the front of the store. After Naoto made her purchase, Rei bowed her head, "Thank you for your patronage. Please come again."

Naoto accepted the bag of tofu as she replied, "Sure. By the way, I didn't mean to sound …"

Rei merely replied, "It's fine. You're a detective. You're just a curious person."

Naoto nodded 'his' head. Naoto decided it was best for the Detective Prince to take his exit.

/

Later that night, Sakoto had another conversation with her granddaughter, Kujikawa Rise. Sakoto always enjoyed these conversations with her. However, there were a few things that Sakoto was more than a curious and concerned about in regards to her granddaughter.

After Sakoto told Rise about what happened earlier that afternoon, Rise asked, "Seriously? A detective was asking Senpai questions?"

"Yes." Sakoto told Rise, "She also said that this Detective was a friend of hers."

"Senpai has a lot of interesting friends." Rise remarked on the other end of the line.

"She does. It is never a dull moment with her." Sakoto stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Yeah …" Rise replied.

"So …" Sakoto decided to ask, "Speaking of her, I would like to know why you didn't give her that hat back when you were here last time."

"I was going to, but I just …" Rise sounded sheepish on the phone, "I kinda chickened out …"

"That doesn't sound like you at all, Rise-chan." Sakoto stated, "After all, you're an idol that always stands in front of hundreds of fans."

Rise backed up, "That's not … the right words … It is different …" Rise then said, "Um … I don't know … Things just didn't seem right I guess …"

Sakoto merely said, "I suppose I can understand."

"I wanted to tell her. I had every intention of doing that. I really did … But …" Rise took a moment before finishing, "… I changed my mind. I figured spending time with 'Risette' was overwhelming enough for her. If I told her I was a blast from her past, her mind would've been blown."

"What now?" Sakoto pointed out, "She doesn't plan on staying in Inaba forever. If you don't tell her before she leaves, you might never …"

"I know …" Rise said, "I've been thinking about that for a while, and it goes along with what else I wanted to tell you."

"Oh?" Sakoto had a feeling she knew what Rise was about to tell her, but she decided to let Rise tell her anyway.

"I've been thinking about this for a while now, but I've decided that starting next month, I'm going to go on a hiatus, and I'll come here." Rise then asked, "You're invitation is still open right?"

Hearing her granddaughter ask her this caused Sakoto to feel overwhelmed with happiness as her immediate response was, "Of course it is."

"I'm glad to hear it." Rise then said, "I look forward to spending more time with you, and I look forward to getting to know her better."

Sakoto said, "I'm sure she'll be happy to."

"Rei-senpai told me how surreal it was for her to spend time with me." Rise then said, "One day, I'll tell her the feeling was mutual. I can't wait to see the look on her face when that day comes."

"Heh." Sakoto chuckled, "That will be a day to remember."

"I'll make sure of it." Rise then asked again, "So it really will be okay for me to stay there?"

"Of course it is, Rise-chan." Sakoto insisted, "The offer stands. It always will. This is your home as well."

"Thank you … I appreciate it …" It was difficult for Sakoto to tell how Rise was feeling on the other end of the line, but she could picture Rise was getting a little choked up.

Sakoto then asked, "If you don't mind me asking, is being an idol really difficult? I understand your schedule is busy, but did they overwork you?"

"It's …" Rise sounded hesitant as she said, "There are fun parts, but … It definitely isn't all fun. I feel like I have to take a break … I've been thinking about it for weeks, and I've decided that's what I'm going to do. Plus, it'll be great to get away from the big city." Sakoto could picture Rise similar on the other end of the line.

The only thing Sakoto could say was, "I see … Then, I support your decision."

Rise replied, "And I greatly appreciate that grandma …"

"However," Sakoto felt the need to ask, "you're not only coming here because of Rei-chan, right?"

Rise clarified, "I'd be lying if meeting her didn't give me another reason, but she's not the only one. She's great, but I wouldn't make this decision solely because of her." Rise emphasized, "I've been thinking about this for a while. Her being there is an extra perk."

Sakoto then said, "Of course."

"Honestly, I can't wait to come to Inaba." Rise then said, "Last time just wasn't enough. I always loved seeing you when I was a kid, and the town … It's … It just feels right."

Sakoto nodded, "I understand, Rise-chan, but there is something we need to talk about."

"What is it?" Rise asked.

"It's about that killer here …" Sakoto nervously stated, "He still hasn't been caught yet."

"The police are after him, aren't they?" Rise rhetorically asked.

"Yes." Sakoto answered.

"Then, I'm sure things will be fine." Rise then said, "I'd be more worried about the 'Paparazzi'. You do know who those people are, right?"

Sakoto indignantly replied, "I maybe old, but even I know about the 'Paparazzi'. People like that are crazy loons. Do you think you'll be okay?"

"Of course I will." Rise sounded confident, "They'll only be interested after I get there. The hype will die down, and they'll move on. There won't be any more stories to write about me."

Sakoto asked, "Do you think so?"

"I know so. Trust me." Rise's confidence did not wane as she pointed out, "Writing stories of an idol working at a Tofu shot will only be interesting for 'so' long. If they can't keep their readers gossiping, what good will it do them?"

"True." That was something even Sakoto could not counter.

"Besides, those paparazzi will bring a boom to your sales. You should be happy for that." Sakoto could only picture her granddaughter grinning as she said that.

Sakoto replied, "When you put it that way …"

"You know." Sakoto heard a 'snap' on the other end of the line. She figured that Rise must have snapped her fingers before saying, "This would be a great marketing opportunity for both of us."

Sakoto couldn't help but feel dismayed, "Rise-chan …"

Rise sounded giddy as she told her grandmother, "I'm just kidding."

/

Date: Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Location: Inaba Central Shopping District

Weather: Cloudy

It was an early Sunday morning. Rei was stretching outside in a track suit as her arm reached to the clouds above. She closed her eyes, and she breathed in the morning air through her nose. She let it fill her lungs before exhaling through her mouth. She then repeated the process as she began to stretch again.

Rei stretched as high as her hand could reach. She then reached and bent to her right then the left. Finally, she bent her knees and did a squat. She did reverse squats before she started stretching her legs. After doing her stretching for about five minutes, Rei began a morning jog. Luckily for her, it wasn't too hot out yet.

Every time Rei did her job or walked throughout Inaba, her eyes moved from one place to another, so she could familiarize herself more with this suburban town. During her jog, she passed by the tofu shop and saw Sakoto as she opened for business. They waved 'Hi' to each other as Rei ran by.

As Rei ran into another are of the Central Shopping District, Rei saw another person who was in need of help. He was wearing a kimono and sitting on a seat outside the Textile shop. He was none other than Tatsumi Kanji and Rei ran over to him and called out, "Hey, Kanji-san!"

Kanji's ears perked at the sound of his name. He looked to see Rei jogging toward him. He pleaded, "Yo! Hey, Senpai!"

Rei kept her feet moving up and down even she stopped jogging. Between breaths Rei asked, "Enjoying the fresh air?"

Kanji remained sitting, "Not much else for me to do."

Rei then asked, "So feeling good to be out and about?"

Kanji replied "No … I'm … Yeah … I'm good …"

"Are you really feeling okay, Kanji-san?" Rei asked for reassurance.

"Not really …" Kanji shook his head, "But I made a decision …"

"What is it?" Rei inquired.

"So Senpai …" Kanji leaned forward on his seat, and Rei took a step forward to hear him better, "I just wanted to let you know I'll be coming back to school next week …"

"Really?" Rei was elated to hear that, "That's great news. You think you'll be recovered by then?"

"I'm sure I'll be recovered enough." Kanji told her, "I told my mom that it's about time I headed back."

Rei sounded surprised, "You told her that?"

"Yeah ..." Kanji briefly looked down before telling Rei, "Believe it or not, I actually do want to turn things around now … If I died, I would've been remembered as some asshole, delinquent." As he put himself down, Rei could feel a sense of genuine sorrow with each word, and Rei let him speak uninterrupted, "You guys saved my life, so I decided I would make something of myself. I would start by going to school and stop cutting class every other day."

"Wow, Kanji-san." Rei believed every word as she sounded impressed, "That sounds great. Your mother must be happy."

"She is … I think." Kanji appeared to remember something as he then said, "Speaking of her, she wants to talk to you."

Rei pointed to herself, "To me?"

"Yeah …" Kanji then said, "I can see you're kind of in a rush, but would you …"

"I'll talk to her." Rei then offered, "After I'm done talking to her, want to visit the Shrine?" She jokingly suggested, "We can wish for you to be recovered by next week?"

Kanji sounded more than happy to accept, "Sure whatever."

Rei smiled, "Great."

/

The moment that Rei entered the shop, she received a warm welcome from Kanji's mother, Tatsumi Hisa, "Hello, Rei-san."

"Hey." Rei walked in the shop as she said, "I was just talking to your son outside, and he said you wanted to talk with me."

"Yes, actually I do." Hisa decided to get right to it. "It has come to my attention that you apparently did pretty well on the mid-terms"

"Well …" Rei scratched the back of her head, "I did pretty good I guess …"

Hisa then asked, "Would you be willing to tutor him?"

"Hmm?" Rei raised an eyebrow, "You want me to tutor your son?"

"Yes." Hisa briefly glanced away before looking Rei in the eyes, "My son is capable, but he's been having trouble lately, especially after he started high school. I can't help him with everything, so I was hoping you could help."

"…" Rei took a breath, "If Kanji-san is really having that much trouble then I'll help. Besides," Rei grinned, "I can't let the newest member of the Karate club fail."

"The Karate club." Hisa sounded relieved, "I'm so glad he actually said yes."

The feeling was mutual as Rei stated, "I wasn't sure if he would say yes either, but it's great to have him. I know that Satonaka is gonna love having someone like him to teach. With someone like him, she won't have to hold back."

"Heh." Hisa was amused, "I bet."

"So you're really okay with him being in the Karate Club?" Rei made it a point to remind her, "He is fighting there."

Hisa stated, "My boy picks one too many fights outside the school. It'll be nice to know if he's fighting someone in a more 'legitimate' place."

"I see …" Rei then did her best to assure Hisa, "Well I … My friends and I will definitely make sure he stays that way."

Hisa slightly bowed her head, "Much appreciated."

"So … About that tutoring …" Rei decided it was best to ask now, "What's the damage? How were his exam results?"

"I love him, but …" Rei couldn't help but get a feeling of dread before she then heard, "they weren't much to write home about …"

"Ah. I see …" Rei could only say, "I guess I'll do what I can to help turn that around."

"It would be greatly appreciated." Kanji's mother graciously replied.

/

True to her word, Rei escorted Kanji to shrine after she was done speaking with his mom. It didn't seem like Ema was around today. Rei sounded sad as she said, "I guess the fox is off on her own today."

"Wanted to do more Shrine stuff?" Kanji asked.

"I guess." Rei rubbed her head.

Kanji looked at Rei's head as he said, "Anyway there's something I need to ask you about."

"What is it?" Rei looked around and she could tell by Kanji's face that he wasn't sure if he was going to like this, but she knew this was something that he had to ask her.

"You know …" Rei could tell Kanji was uncomfortable, but she remained silent as he formed the words, "I never asked this, but I 'really' should … How's your head, Senpai?"

"It's fine." Rei then asked, "Why?"

"Why?" Kanji repeated in disbelief, "Why? Are you kidding me? I saw what happened. You nearly got crushed like a grape."

Rei had a finger to her mouth, "Shh! Not so loud."

"Sorry …" Kanji lowered his voice, but he remained firm, "But seriously I saw how your head got slammed into the floor. How're you still alive?"

Rei knocked on her head with her fist as she remarked, "I have a hard head."

Kanji stated, "I'm being serious."

"And I'm partly serious." Rei stated, "I do have a strong head, but I guess my Persona powers made me more … you know headstrong. Durable. Whatever."

"Even if that's true that muscle headed Shadow was really trying to kill you." Kanji then asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Rei assured him, "When Amagi-san healed me, it was as if I was never hurt."

"…Okay." Kanji didn't sound entirely convinced.

"When you get healed, you'll get what I'm talking about." Rei then stated, "Believe me."

Kanji sighed, "Well, as long as you're okay, that's good enough for me."

"Great." Rei then saw this as an opportunity as she said, "Anyway, since we're talking about that there is something I've been meaning to tell you."

"What?" Kanji tilted his head.

"It's …" Rei was hesitant as she told him, "… a little awkward, but I'll be blunt with you."

Kanji replied in a deadpan tone, "Aren't you always?"

"…" Rei was momentarily stunned as her eyes briefly widened before replying, "Touché, but this is 'really' important, so listen up." She made sure she had Kanji's undivided attention as she told him, "We'll take you into the TV world. We'll let you get used to fighting Shadows, but you're not ready to take on the bigger Shadow yet."

Kanji then asked, "What's wrong?"

"I talked to … Teddie." Rei told him, "He noticed something about your Persona. It's powerful. Very powerful. Unfortunately, it's slow and lacks precision. Your power won't do us any good if you can't hit the enemy."

"I know I'm not exactly the fastest," Kanji then asked, "but am I that slow?"

Rei affirmed, "Teddie confirmed it when he scanned your Persona. He only saw it for a moment, but it was enough."

"Okay, but I still don't get it." Kanji asked, "Why wouldn't I hit anyone?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but …" Rei lightly bit her lip as she finished, "I might have an idea …"

Kanji leaned forward and asked, "What?"

"…" Rei reluctantly answered, "… You're issues were a lot bigger than any of the others."

"Umm …" Kanji wasn't sure how to responds.

Rei decided it was best to rip off the band aid as she told him, "I think part of the reason you'd have trouble is because you still need more work on what's troubling you … Everyone else … Well, I wouldn't say their problems have been taken care of, but let's just say things have been working out better after they got their Personas while your problem is still kind of ongoing and a much bigger deal."

Kanji sounded nervous as he asked, "Really?"

"Yes." Rei stated, "I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't being serious."

"I see …" Kanji wasn't going to put up any resilience as he then asked, "Then, what am I supposed to do?"

"There are several things we can do." Rei told him, "For one, I think part of your problem is that while you're trying to be more honest with yourself, you're still being held down by your Shadow's words."

Kanji asked, "What do you mean?"

Rei tapped the side of her head as she told him, "They're still affecting you mentally."

Kanji didn't bother denying it. Instead, he asked, "Do you expect me to just get over it?"

"No." Rei shook her head, "Everyone else still has troubles, but they're working through them. Even now."

Kanji inquired, "Then, what do I do?"

Rei stated, "First, when you get better, we'll return to TV World, and we'll figure some things out."

Kanji nodded, "Okay …"

Rei then said, "Second, we can also help you polish how you fight. That might help."

Kanji decided to ask, "And the third?"

Rei replied, "Something that might help the both of us."

Kanji asked again, "What is it?"

"We spend time together." Rei stated, "Your mom asked me to tutor you, and I'll do my best to help you."

"Okay …" Kanji nodded his head again.

Rei sighed as she told the boy, "Kanji-san the Shadows aren't right about everything. They can strike nerves by telling you things that are partly true, but they're exaggerated. They went after the worse or the most insecure parts of ourselves, and they tire to use it against us. They do that because they want to take over. What they said had truth to it, but it was not necessarily the whole truth."

After Kanji listened, he then said, "You heard a few things my Shadow said. I'm sure you'd probably remember something."

"Your Shadow was asking for someone to accept him." Rei remarked, "I understand a lot of people made fun of you because you liked sewing or other things guys usually wouldn't do. Was there really no one who accepted that besides your mom?"

"Well …" Kanji sounded hopeful as he said, "I do have this friend Naoki who knows I like to sew even when I'm not helping my mom … I guess Yukiko kind of accepts me too …"

"That's at least one or two right there, but I can understand that won't be enough, so allow me to help." Rei sincerely told him, "I accept you."

Kanji raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I know. I know." Rei shook her head, "I said something 'cheesy' again, but I mean it. I accept you for who you are while you try figuring it out."

Kanji asked, "What do you mean figure it out?"

"You really think you've got yourself figured out just because you accepted your Shadow? If you really think that you've got another thing coming." Rei pointed out, "Hanamura, Satonaka, and Amagi have their own things to do. They have their own things to work out and decisions to make. If I can, I'll help them. I'll be willing to do the same for you if you'll have me."

Kanji merely said, "Well … I guess it's be pretty stupid to turn down help."

Rei smiled as she told him, "See. That's a step in the right direction."

/

Date: Sunday, May 29th, 2011

Location: Shirogane Estate

Weather: Cloudy

Outside the town of Inaba, the Detective Prince Naoto Shirogane returned to her home at the Shirogane Estate. She was warmly welcomed by their faithful staff including Yakushiju. While Naoto reciprocated the greetings, her mind was focused on other matters. She immediately went to her grandfather's office to speak about matters directly.

Shirogane Kenshin, Naoto's grandfather, remained sitting in his seat as he looked at his granddaughter across his desk as he asked, "You were able to do your research on that girl you mentioned to me the other day?"

Naoto reported, "Most of my research came from observation asking questions to the right people, including Narukami Rei herself."

Kenshin then asked, "You interviewed her?"

"I told her I needed to gather more material, so she was happy enough to talk to me." Naoto made sure to add, "She also understands how important information is. For one, I never thought she was a suspect. What she told me is in line with some information I looked up." Naoto placed her notebook on the desk as she told her grandfather, "She only arrive at Inaba a few hours after the first victim disappeared, so she has a solid alibi. While she did have a confrontation with Konishi Saki, she's unlikely to have anything to do with that either. Her silver hair sticks out too much and no one saw her anywhere hear the Central Shopping District when Konishi vanished."

"…" Kenshin didn't say anything as he looked at the notes on his desk.

Naoto then told her grandfather, "While it is possible there is something she might be hiding, I do believe considering her a suspect of the killings would a big mistake, but she does have a connection even if it is an indirect one. That much I feel is true."

Kenshin stood up and pointed directly at the notebook as he asked, "Is that more based on instinct or facts?"

"…" Naoto momentarily took a step back before replying, "Both."

"Very well ..." Kenshin sat down as he requested, "Give me more of an information on her if you don't mind."

"Of course." Naoto did her best to comply, "Her name is Narukami Rei, and she moved her here in April while her parents are overseas. She apparently used to live in Kyoto before that she was born in Tokyo. According to her, she was born with her silver hair. While investigating her would be interesting, it would definitely be a distraction from these killing and kidnappings which I can't afford. While she appear to have some connection to the present situation, her past doesn't have anything to do with this. It'll be best to observe and occasionally speak with her for the time being."

"If you think that is what you need to do," Kenshin finished with, "then do it."

/

Author Notes: What did you think of the beginning of the transitions? What were your thoughts of Ai officially becoming an Ally to the Investigation Team? I personally like how I had something planned since the second story arc finally coming to fruition. It felt like a much needed character divergence.

On another note, in the continuity of my story, I do believe Rei and Ai becoming friends and forming a group with Kou and Daisuke was meant to be. Rei did invite Ai to meet up at the TV section which Ai decided to take her up on. Ai probably would have helped Rei when athletes were picking on her which would have led to Daisuke and Kou helping them out. While there is no guarantee that Rei would have been friends with the Investigation Team besides possibly Yosuke, Ai, Daisuke, and Kou are another story. Rei seems to acknowledge that. What are your thoughts on it?

You know in TVTropes there is a 'What It Could Have Been' trope in regards to content that was either cut or altered. This is a scene that was sort of cut from the story at the moment, but it could be added in later. In one scene I planned on writing, I originally was going to have Rei mention the 3DS, but I decided there was a slight problem with that possibility.

The 3DS would've come out about a month or so in Japan prior to the beginning of Persona 4. The 3DS had some difficulties at launch due to how high Nintendo charged for it. After Nintendo dropped the price to a more reasonable level, it sold far better worldwide and became the hit that we remember it for. Due to that, I changed it to Rei mentioning the DS, but that scene ended up not entirely materializing anyway. Rei mentioning it would have been involved in a planned Social Link scene. While it is possible to incorporate it later on, it won't be used in the Social Link scene it would have been used since that scene already passed.

While it isn't entirely important, I figured it would be fun to share that bit of trivia with you guys. When I originally wrote the rough draft of the scene, it seemed to work to an extent, but it wasn't meant to be for that scene. It'll be interesting if it would ultimately be meant for another scene because similar circumstances have happened on other occasions.

On a similar note, the scene with Naoto talking to her grandfather was meant for either this chapter or the next chapter. Then I actually temporarily thought it would work for Chapter 36. However, I ultimately believe it worked out best as the ending for Chapter 34 due to this being the beginning of Transitions and New Steps for multiple characters.

I hope you all stay safe out there. Be careful and maintain social distancing as much as you can. As long as we all do our part, we will get passed this. The WuFlu will become a memory.

As usual, be sure to leave a review, and I'll see you next time.