09/08
-Afternoon-
The school we went to for the school trip was called "Gekkoukan High School" and we were stood in front of the entrance to hear from the principal and student council president.
"Whoa, what's up with this place...? This school's way too big!" Yosuke said, looking around.
"It is a fancy private school..." I muttered next to him.
"Wait...If we can't beat 'em on size, we're totally sunk..."
"Well, uh, next I will explain about our fine educational institution and the reasons for its establishment!" The principal of the school said. "Uh, I'd like to start with a proverb..."If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well"."
Chie yawned. "Is this principal in love with his own voice or what...?"
"Chie! He'll hear you!" Yukiko chided her.
"Ah-hem...Our school is closed today, but, ahh, because of this rare opportunity for cultural exchange...Some of our students will walk you through these halls. First, though, a student body representative will say a few words..." The principal said.
"Thank you, Principal." A brown haired girl with glasses said and stepped forward to address us. "Welcome to Gekkoukan High School. My name is Chihiro Fushimi. I'm a third-year student, and the Student Council President here at Gekkoukan. It's an honour to meet you all today."
"Holy crap, that girl's unbelievable!" Yosuke said quietly to the guys.
"Yeah, you're right...She is cute..." Kanji agreed.
"I gotta say...She's the most bewitching bespectacled beauty I've ever beheld..."
"Pfft...Why the tongue-twister?" I muttered, then put a fist in front of my mouth to prevent myself from laughing.
"You guys...Stop overreacting!" Chie said.
"This is the first time our school has invited another student body for a true cultural exchange. To learn about others is to learn about oneself, and is the first step on the road to self-betterment...This I believe." Fushimi continued. "To ensure a worthwhile experience for each and every one of you, we will do our best to help you accomplish that. So let us enjoy our time together! Thank you very much."
"...She beat me in every category..." Chie mumbled as the applause came.
"Alright, everyone get into groups with your classmates!" Kashiwagi said and everyone went to get into groups, leaving us standing where we were since we were already in a group.
"Oh no...!" Fushimi sounded troubled and I looked over to her just before she approached our group. "Excuse me, could I bother you for a moment?" She seemed to be talking more to Yu, since she handed him some papers. "This is today's schedule for everyone. Could you hand it out later, please? I forgot to do it myself..."
Yu nodded and took the papers from her.
"Sorry to be so disorganized. And you all came so far..."
"You're doing a great job." Yu responded to her.
"No...I'm still struggling. Even with everyone's support, I'm barely pulling through. I used to get nervous very easily...and I once had a phobia of men, too. In fact, I didn't write the speech on my own. One of the former Student Council Presidents helped me. She was the president my first year here, and she was amazing...I always looked up to her. I should call her later and tell her the speech was a success! Oh, I'm sorry! Listen to me, going on and on about myself...I have to stop babbling when I get nervous. Um, your group is scheduled for a special lecture soon. The classroom is on the second floor. I have some arrangements to make with your student council, so please excuse me." Fushimi nodded to us and walked away.
"Did I just hear her say "special lecture"?" Yosuke asked. "We came all this way to be lectured!?"
"Let's see, our class is..." Yukiko looked at the schedules Yu was holding. "It's being taught by someone named Mr Edogawa. The lecture's about Qabbalah..."
"Kabawhat?" Chie looked confused.
"You don't know? It's a casino." Kanji said.
"No, it isn't." I sighed. "It's a philosophy thing..."
"So...when's our free period?" Yosuke asked.
"Uhh...We don't get one." Chie said. "We have classes all through today. Tonight and tomorrow, we'll be staying at a hotel...We'll have free time tomorrow and the day after, until we leave at noon."
"You gotta be kidding me..."
"Come on, guys! Let's focus on our studies for now, so we can enjoy our free time later!" Yukiko said.
Shortly afterward, we entered the school building, but I stopped suddenly in the doorway.
"Huh? Kyoka, what's wrong?" Yosuke noticed I had froze first, then got a worried look on his face, so my expression must've betrayed some degree of the pain in my head.
"I thought..." I started to say I thought I heard a bell and someone's voice, but shook my head and put a hand to the side of it as I forced a smile. "No, it's nothing. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" Yukiko looked worried for me too, but I waved them off and continued to walk into the school.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's go." I said, although I felt an overwhelming sense of dread as a piercing and painful voice seemed to be trying to say something I couldn't understand.
I could barely pay attention to Edogawa's lecture, although I already knew the story of Izanagi and Izanami that he was talking about. I was digging my nails into my wrist through my hoodie's sleeve so hard I had marks on my skin by the time the lecture ended. The atmosphere at this school was suffocating, as if something happened here that only I could sense. It was a painful thing. A really, really painful thing must've happened here. And...That voice trying to speak to me sounded like it was behind a thick wall of glass and I couldn't make out any of the words no matter how hard I tried. I started to wish I could take my pelt out of my bag and wrap it around me for some comfort, but I knew I couldn't and just endured the unsettling things assaulting senses I didn't really know I had.
-Evening-
I was relieved to be away from the school and it's suffocating atmosphere that I couldn't figure out, but the hotel Kashiwagi brought us to was sketchy-looking...
"Alrighty, here we are. The Seaside Clamshell Inn. We'll be staying here tonight." Kashiwagi said.
"Is this...really a regular hotel...?" A female student asked skeptically as everyone began to seem agitated.
"So what do you think? It was me who found this place. It just opened not too long ago. It's got that modern look-and the price was right! Personally, I think it was an excellent choice."
"We're saying here...?" A male student asked doubtfully.
"I mean the sign says "hotel", but..." A girl said.
"It opened recently...? Dude, this totally looks like a lov-" Another guy started, but was cut off by Kashiwagi.
"You there! Don't just stand there! Keep marching in."
They went inside and we were the last ones standing outside.
"Isn't there something funny about this place...?" Yosuke asked uncertainly.
"Is there? We don't have these modern hotels in Inaba, so I can't tell." Chie said.
"Um...this area is called "Shirakawa Boulevard", and it's-" Rise started while blushing, but Yosuke cut her off.
"Th-That's all right, Rise. I don't think I wanna know..."
"I'm never going to be able to sleep here..." I whined.
"Hmhmhm...Faster than I expected...This is quite the hotel." A familiar voice came from somewhere nearby. "If they were to meet me...I wonder, what would the look on Yosuke's face be...?"
"...!? Who's that!?" Yosuke looked around and then pointed toward a rooftop. "Look! Up there!"
Teddie was standing in costume on a roof with a posse of cats.
Yukiko gasped. "It can't be...!"
"Haaa!" Teddie jumped down and landed on a pile of garbage before waddling over to us. "Hmhmhm...Shoo bee doo bee..."
"Teddie!? What're you doing here!?" Kanji asked.
"The lonely bear inside of me went stir crazy!"
"Grrr...If only I could detect people in the real world..." Rise looked frustrated.
"How did you get here!? D-Do you have some special ability!?" Chie asked.
"Eh, I took the train." Teddie answered. "I swore off Topsicles and saved up the money I got working at Junes. I knew where you were going thanks to Yosuke's "Trip Guide". You guys have free time tomorrow, right? No use hiding it! I already know!"
"How in the world did you make it here looking like that...? I mean, why wear the bear suit here!?" Yosuke asked.
"I almost got thrown in the trash a couple times. But I kept hanging onto the promise Chie-chan made to go on a date with me! That's what gave me strength to carry on!"
"Uh...Good job, Teddie..." Chie said awkwardly. "D-Did I promise that...? Oh yeah...I do remember saying that I'd go out with you someday..."
"Wheeeee! You remembered, Chie-chan! Is it okay with Yuki-chan and Rise-chan and Kyo-chan too!?"
"Let's all go together, then. Is that all right with you?" Yukiko asked.
"Mmm...It's a deal!" Teddie looked happy.
"I've been here before, so I'll show you around tomorrow." Rise said. "I guess we can go shopping first. And I know a great place we can hit later on."
"Ooh, shopping. That sounds great!" Teddie chuckled.
"The other students don't know Port Island that well, so they're just gonna go wherever the school recommends." Chie said.
"Well, I guess a shopping spree beats a factory tour. Alright, we're in too." Yosuke said.
Rise chuckled. "Leave it to me."
"Now...before the fun starts..." Yosuke sighed and looked at Teddie. "We gotta deal with this guy."
"Can't you sleep outside for the night? That suit should keep ya nice and cozy." Kanji said.
"Cruelty to animals! You don't know how much trouble I went through to get here!" Teddie protested. "I took the slow train all this way! Do you hear!? The slow train!"
"Now now, you kids aren't bickering about your room allocations, are you?" Kashiwagi came back out of the hotel then and Teddie froze.
"Crap...!" Chie hissed.
"What's the matter? ...Oh? What's this giant teddy bear?"
"A souvenir." Yu answered her.
"My...It's so big...Go on, hurry on inside with it." Kashiwagi bought that, apparently. "By the way, the rooms are amazing. Every room has a waterbed! But don't flip the wrong switch when you're turning on the lights, or your bed will start spinning." And then she went back into the hotel.
"Not sleeping..." I muttered, grimacing.
"A-Anyways, I'm looking forward to tomorrow..." Chie changed the subject.
"Yeah, but I'm exhausted...For so many reasons..." Yosuke responded and headed inside first, so we all followed him and left Yu to deal with Teddie.
I was just starting to fall asleep when a loud ringing and the sound of a voice came again, startling me awake in a panic.
"So...Lonely..." That was all I could make out of the voice before it vanished just as suddenly as it came.
I checked my phone and saw it was a minute past midnight. I then dug my pelt out of my bag and wrapped it around my shoulders, shivering under it as I felt the dread I did at the school. I don't think I stopped feeling it until one in the morning, and then I drifted into a light sleep, although I kept waking up every half an hour because I was so shaken from the inexplicable occurrence. Was I...going crazy...?
09/09
-Evening-
After touring Tatsumi Port Island, we were taken to Paulownia Mall, Club Escapade by Rise. It was a nightclub, but it didn't seem super popular.
"Whoa...! So this is a club...!" Kanji said.
"Whoo! I'm totally ready for this!" Chie looked excited.
"There's nothing like this back home..." Yukiko said.
"It's kinda loud..." I muttered.
Then we turned and saw Shirogane coming down some stairs.
"Is it permitted for high school students such as yourselves to be here?" Shirogane asked us.
"Wh-What!? Dude, look who's talking! You were here before we were!" Yosuke pointed out. "That's right...I guess if the first-years came on the trip, you'd be here too..."
"The clientele here seems above-board, so I don't expect there'll be any problems." Shirogane said and went to walk away.
"Huh? You're leaving?" Chie stopped him.
"Why don't you join us?" Yukiko asked.
"Are you...asking me to stay?" Shirogane looked surprised.
"Uh-huh. We didn't get to chat last time."
"Ah...I...I-It's just that I had some matters to attend to that day."
"Well, you're free now, right?" Rise asked. "I was really eager to talk to you. I'm curious how someone my age is working as a detective."
"How about it?" Yukiko asked.
"Hmmm...Very well, if you insist." Shirogane gave in, looking to be blushing a little.
"Huh? What's up? You look a little red..." Yosuke got his teasing tone on.
"Th-That's not true!" Shirogane argued, seeming to blush a bit more.
"Aw, so cute...!" I muttered with a grin.
"Wait here. I'll go reserve the area upstairs for us." Rise told us.
"Okay." Yosuke replied and then realized what she said. "...Wait, what!? Reserve!?"
"Yep. Don't worry, I think I can pull some strings." Rise said, then walked off to go do so.
"...What's wrong, man? Stomach pains?" Yosuke asked Kanji, who had his back to us and was slumped over.
Kanji looked over his shoulder, then quickly turned away again. "Th-That ain't it."
"Aw, poor Kanji-kun..." I said sympathetically, knowing it probably had something to do with Shirogane.
Rise reserved the second floor, so we went up and sat on some red couches around a round table. On the right couch the order from farthest to closest to the couch on the left wall was; Yu, Kanji, Teddie, Yukiko, Chie. On the smaller couch the order from the corner was; Shirogane, Rise, Yosuke, and then me. We all made a toast with the drinks Rise got for us.
"Are you sure this is all right? Isn't it expensive...?" Chie asked.
"No worries. Two years ago when I had a secret show here, the power went out in the middle of it, and the gig was cancelled. They still owe me from then, so they're willing to put this one on the house." Rise smiled as she dismissed the concern.
"Well in that case, I'm gonna order more." Chie grinned.
"Whoooooo! I'm not gonna hold back either!" Teddie cheered, sounding a bit odd.
"Dude...You sound even weirder today..." Kanji pointed out.
"Awww, you're sho cold, Kanji...Hm...Kanji? Kanji, Kanji...I Kanj-ecture that shomething's up! Heeheehee, that's a great one!"
"Man, you're already in high gear..." Yosuke muttered as Teddie was laughing at his own joke.
Yukiko seemed awfully red for some reason. "Kanj-ecture...Snrk...Bwahahaha!"
"She's looser'n usual too..." Kanji commented as I gulped down half my drink.
"Ugh...Wow, I shouldn't've done that...My head..." I complained immediately after setting the glass down, grabbing my head that felt like it was buzzing.
"Hey, wait a sec! Are these liquor...!?" Yosuke looked at the drinks suspiciously.
"I-I told 'em to give us soft drinks! They're non-alcoholic!" Rise protested, although her face looked kinda red. "...I told them. Really, I did! Really!" She put her face in her hands, like she was crying.
"Aw, sheesh...I was wondering why it's so hot..." Chie said.
"Hot? It's hot? I'm warm at best..." I muttered, although I felt like my face was a bit warmer than the rest of me. Maybe it was red too.
"Is this seriously booze? But the smell's-" Kanji muttered, sniffing his drink, but Rise suddenly stood up and cut him off.
"King's Gaaaaaaaame!" She said, catching everyone's attention. "Times like this, adults play the King's Game. It's the law..." She hiccuped. "What's their problem...? They make me act like a ditz, call me Risette and stuff, and then say I'm a kid..." She hiccuped again. "It's so obvious...Those wrap parties get a lot funner after I go home! Morooons! I'm gonna play the King's Game now and ain't no one gonna stop me!"
"Yet another side of Rise exposed...I wonder if she knows what she's saying..." Yosuke said.
"Kanjiiii! Get the chopsticks ready!"
"Wha-!? Why me...?"
"The King's word is law! Chop-chop!"
"I-It's already started!?" Yosuke asked.
Kanji reluctantly prepared the chopsticks, but in the brief pause that gave us, I could've sworn I heard someone's voice. It wasn't any of my friends, though, since it sounded muffled and inside my head. It was like before...
"U-Um...What's this King's Game again?" Chie asked in confusion.
"Okay...one chopstick makes you the King if you draw it, and the others have numbers on 'em..." Yukiko slurred a little while she explained. "The King picks a number and says what that person has to do. But who has which number is a secret until the King gives the orders!"
"Senpai, you're such an adult! You tell 'em!" Rise seemed impressed.
"Y-Yukiko!? Where'd you learn this stuff!?" Chie looked surprised.
"C'mon, everyone draw!" Rise held up the handful of chopsticks and more or less forced anyone who was reluctant to draw one. "Okay, sooooo...Who's the King?"
Teddie stood up. "Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King!?"
"Oh no." I muttered.
"Ugh, we're already doomed from the get-go..." Yosuke said next to me.
"I, the King, command thee to smooch the King without delay!" Teddie declared. "Smooooooooch!"
"S-S-S-Smooch!?" Chie stammered.
"Please God...Grant me a girl! Number 1!" Teddie said and Yu stood up with an alarmed expression. "I meant Number 2..."
"No take-backs!" Yosuke said at the same time I said, "You can't change it!" I'm not sure if he spoke up as well because he happened to see I had two, or because he actually cared about the rules, but I was grateful I wasn't the only one arguing.
"Smooch, smoooooch!" Yukiko urged.
""A bear's chastity: True love needs a sacrifice Just for you, Sensei." -Teddie." Teddie said and went to tackle Yu, but somehow got Kanji instead.
"Ow, hey! Not me!" Kanji yelled as they were sprawled on the floor now, but Teddie went ahead and forced a kiss anyway. "...Ngh!"
"Ohooo...Only the first round, and two contestants have dropped out already." Rise announced and Yu sat back down.
"Huh? Is it that kind of game?" Chie asked.
"On to round two!" Rise stood up to take back the chopsticks and forced us to draw again before sitting back down. "Who's the King?"
Yu raised his hand and Chie sighed with relief. "Phew, someone decent...No crazy orders this time..."
"That's not how it goes! If the last King demanded a smooch, then the next order's gotta be more extreme." Yukiko corrected.
"More extreme than that!? Geez..." I whined.
"Kyoooka, don't be such a party pooper like Chiiiieee...Ahahahaha!"
"Heyyy! The person who gets picked should have to rest their head on the King's lap." Rise suggested.
"Nah, make 'em sit on his lap." Yukiko suggested.
"Oh! Or they could have to hug him!" Rise came back again.
"Better than that...A piggyback ride!"
"C'mon, King! Who's gonna do what!?"
"Number 2 sits on my lap." Yu said, as blank as ever.
"Huh? N-Number 2!?" Chie's expression gave away that it was her.
"The King's order is..." Rise started.
"Absolute! Ahahaha!" Yukiko finished.
Chie got up and reluctantly walked over to sit down on the edge of Yu's knee.
"C'mon, you gotta sit closer up!" Yukiko told her.
"Y-Yukiko! Quiet!" Chie was cringing in embarrassment and even Yu looked a bit uncomfortable as well.
After Chie got off him and returned to her seat, Teddie and Kanji returned to theirs as well after having been out of the room for a bit. Probably to go wash out their mouths or something.
"Ahahaha, me next! Me! I'm the King! Actually, the Queen!" Yukiko laughed, seeming past the point of reason.
"You didn't even draw a chopstick!" Yosuke argued.
"Alright, then...Let's have someone talk about something really embarrassing that they'd never wanna tell anyone!" Yukiko completely ignored him. "Hrmmm, let's see...Ah! Naoto-kun! I choose you!"
"She's breaking all the rules...Just ignore her, Naoto." Yosuke told the surprised looking boy.
"No...No, that won't be necessary." Shirogane answered. "One stipulation, though: If I do this, the rest of you must reveal "something" as well."
"Okaaay!" Rise agreed without hesitation.
"No particularly embarrassing experiences come to mind...Would discussing my life be fair game? It's the rare situation like this that gives me call to speak of such things."
"S-So eloquent...!" I muttered, in awe of Shirogane's way of speaking for probably not the first time and likely not the last either.
"Damn...Way to kill the mood..." Yosuke seemed to disagree.
"The Shirogane family has been detectives for generations now. We lend our powers to the police from time to time." Shirogane started.
"For generations? Wow, it's like that guy from a movie I watched before. What was the name...Kuzu...noha?" Chie said.
"In days gone by, when there were no crime scene investigators, consulting detectives were considered more valuable. Thus, my grandfather still has a strong connection with the police and looks after me despite my youth and inexperience. But investigators nowadays are well versed in science and medicine, so I must further my studies."
"That sounds tough..." Yosuke said, then paused. "...That's it? No punch line?"
"Ahm...I fear you may be looking to the wrong person for that."
"That's sooo embarrassing! Isn't Naoto-kun embarrassing?" Yukiko didn't seem to have been listening at all.
"I wanna go home..." Yosuke muttered.
"...Tartarus...Shadows...G..." The voice in my head came back stronger and louder and I made out some of the words as I winced at the faint sound of a bell that came with it. It almost sounded frantic, trying to tell me something I didn't understand.
"Phew...I'm sleepy." Rise said, then seemed to immediately fall asleep sitting up.
"Well then, it's your turn now." Shirogane spoke up as I tried to focus on the conversation and push the voice to the back of my mind. "A straight answer, please. What is your true involvement with the murder case?"
"Death is...cannot...F..." The voice broke through a bit more, but I tried to push it back.
"You know, you're so good at killing the mood that it's almost funny..." Yosuke said to Shirogane.
"Weeeell, we go rescuing people who've been kidnapped by jumping into the TV!" Yukiko started to explain without thought. "And theeen, we do stuff like, "Persona!" with our Personas and beat the crap outta Shadows..."
"Y-You idiot..." Yosuke scolded her.
Shirogane sighed, though. "Are you making fun of me?"
"Ish true! Personaaaa!" Rise suddenly stood up, put her hand in the air, and then sat back down to resume sleeping.
"Sheesh! Somebody put these two drunks to bed already!" Chie said.
"...I see now that you had no intention of telling me the truth." Shirogane said.
"Truth is...Death is inevitable...Fate...Shadows are...The Fall will..." I began repeating the voice's words aloud as I subconsciously pulled my pelt out of my bag and wrapped it around my shoulders, trembling. Then, I felt completely overwhelmed by sudden images that made no sense and words that seemed out of context. "No...Nonono...I don't...!" I instinctively bit back an urge to scream as I got up and began running from the room.
"K-Kyoka!?"
"Wh-What happened!?"
"H-Hey! Someone has to go after her!"
The voices of my shocked and worried friends faded quickly as I dashed down the stairs and then out the door of the club. I don't know where I was running or how long I ran for as my mind was completely overtaken by the voice's words ringing much louder and clearer than any other time I'd heard it. It seemed like the voice became intermixed with more voices the longer it tried to speak to me. I couldn't make sense of it, nor did I have any idea what the images I was being shown meant. A weird tower, a coffin standing upright in the street, something that looked like some kind of strange machine, a boy with blue hair and a stoic expression I didn't recognize...
"Ah, what is it? What is this...Fate is in the cards...? Death was being fought against even though it was inevitable...? I don't get it. I don't understand! I don't understand this! Stop! Stopstop! My head hurts...Please stop this! N-Nyx...? Nyx is...Nyx...Is it Nyx? No, I don't care! Stop it! Stop showing me these things! Stop talking! I don't get it, dammit!" My voice was kind of weak by the time I finished talking in a panic, having fallen into a crouch as I gripped my head and shut my eyes tightly against a stinging in them.
"Kyoka! Hey, Kyoka!" A voice finally broke through the images and forced my eyes open to see Yosuke's familiar face as he crouched in front of me and had his hands on my shoulders.
"Yosuke...Ngh!" I winced and my fingers pulled on my hair a bit at the voices' incessant speaking to me, now nonstop and way too fast for me to make much sense of the words.
"Wh-What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He looked panicked and way more concerned than I'd seen him in a while.
"I-I don't...Nyx is...Nyx isn't...M-My head...It won't stop." I had to put a lot of effort in to give him a proper reply, but it still wasn't good.
"Your head...? Is there something going on? Wh-What can I do? Should I take you to a hospital...?" He glanced around frantically, a movement that made me notice we were at a shrine and the sign nearby said it was "Naganaki Shrine" or something like that.
"Uh...D-Distraction..."
"Distraction...? Huh? You mean distract you with something?"
I nodded. "My head...It won't stop. I need it to stop! I need my mind to stall, so...!"
"Okay, um, uh...Oh yeah! You know, the other day at Junes we..." He started trying to tell me something in a shaky voice, but quickly stopped, noticing my wincing as I couldn't focus on it. "H-Hey...! It's not working! I don't know how to distract you, Kyoka! What do I do!?"
"A-Anything! I don't know! Just do whatever would make my mind shut off for a minute!"
"B-But I don't know what would-"
"Please, Yosuke! I feel like...This is going to drive me insane...! I don't care what it is, just please do something so I can't...think...Mph!?" My desperate pleading was cut off when he got a strange look on his face and suddenly leaned in and put his lips over mine. He pulled back pretty quickly, but it was still shocking.
"Um...Did that...?" He began nervously, but I winced as the voice sounded a bit more muffled but had come back quickly. "Sorry! I didn't know what to do...! Did it not help at all!?"
"Sort of...Yosuke, do it more, please! For longer!" In my anxious pleading, I had grabbed fistfuls of the front of his shirt and leaned in close to him.
"Wh-What!?" He jerked back, face seeming completely red in the dim lighting, but only hesitating and looking my face over for moment before another wince of mine seemed to convince him.
He kissed me again and this time my eyes shut like his, the voices melting away as all I could think about was how hot my face was and how hard my heart was beating and the strange feeling of someone's lips on mine. The voice was at the very back of my mind, driving me in my almost instinctual urge to get rid of it to open my mouth just enough to run my tongue over his lips. Although he tensed and I immediately retreated, hesitantly and awkwardly, he returned the action to me. Deepening the kiss was a bit weird and awkward, since both of us were being a bit shy in actually putting our tongue in the other person's mouth, but...It felt incredibly sweet to me, just like how it tasted. My stomach was doing flips, my heart was pounding so loudly, and my body was between melting into relaxation and gripping onto him more tightly. However, my mind had went blank in the moment, only beginning to race with thoughts about it after we were forced to pull away for air.
"Thank...you..." I only managed a small smile as I panted and felt no trace of the voice returning, then I felt like my vision was swimming.
"K-Kyoka!?"
I was leaning my cheek on something warm but kind of uncomfortable when I woke up, which caused me to lift my head and quickly realize Yosuke was carrying me on his back.
"Hey, you awake?" He seemed to notice when I moved to rub at my eyes and glance around an unfamiliar street.
"What...happened...?"
"Uh, do you not remember anything? Really?" He sounded especially annoyed at me for some reason.
"I remember we were playing the King's Game and Yukiko took over, Shirogane-san thought she was making fun of him, but...After that, I'm drawing a blank." I sighed, rubbing at the back of my head that was aching. "Man, my head hurts...Did I fall or something?"
"...You passed out after pulling your pelt over your shoulders and suddenly running all the way to a shrine." Yosuke informed me, though he sounded slightly nervous. "Hey, so you have no idea what you were going on about before? Like, who's Nyx and what you didn't understand?"
"Nyx...?" I repeated, tilting my head slightly in confusion at the vaguely familiar name. "...You mean the Greek Goddess of Darkness or whatever it was?"
"I don't know. You said something about Shadows and "the Fall" too, but...You weren't making any sense."
"...Sorry, I can't remember anything." I sighed, shaking my head and holding onto his shoulders when it made me slightly dizzy.
"...Maybe it's better that you can't." His voice sounded like a mixture of disappointment and relief, but I couldn't be sure since I couldn't see his expression.
"What do you mean?"
"It's nothing, never mind. Just...Don't freak out and run away again, okay? It was a real pain to run after you."
"Sorry, Yosuke. I'm always causing you trouble..." I responded a bit painfully.
"...It's fine." He offered me a bit of a smile over his shoulder, but he looked embarrassed. "Taking care of you actually makes me feel kinda useful, so I don't mind it that much."
"Still...I wish these strange things wouldn't happen to me and cause problems for you. On top of everything you've already done for me, I feel like these attacks are just annoying..."
"Yeah, they are a bit." He sounded snappish, but then seemed to panic as he quickly said, "B-But it's fine! You can't help it, so don't worry about it!"
"You're so nice..." I sighed, smiling a bit as I decided not to ask what exactly I'd done to annoy him so much and instead loosely wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him lightly with a sort of hug. "Thanks, Yosuke."
"N-No problem..."
"...I can probably walk on my own, now."
"No way, you were acting a bit drunk before, too. I'll let you down when we get close to the hotel."
"Was I...?"
"Your face was red and you were swaying a little. You kept bumping shoulders with me, but you didn't notice at all, did you?"
"Ah...Maybe I was, then...Oh, hey, what about the others?"
"I texted them that you're fine, so they're apparently staying at the club a bit longer before they come back."
"Sorry you had to miss the fun..."
"Are you kidding me? It wasn't even moderately enjoyable to listen to those drunken idiots wanting to play games and then breaking all the rules when there wasn't even any alcohol involved! I mean, how did they even get drunk in the first place!?"
"Pfft..."
"You know why, don't you? Please, enlighten me!"
"It's because...Of the incense...So, more like a high that's similar to being drunk."
"Huh? Really?"
"The drinks probably didn't help, but...Yeah, the really strong smell in that room is where I'd put my bet."
"Maybe for you...But then why was Teddie the only guy who was..."
"People react differently to that stuff. Technically it's not really supposed to have that kind of affect, but my brother used incense to get drunk in high school once, so..."
"Why didn't you mention that when we walked into the room?"
I shrugged. "I didn't think of it until just now when you asked me how they got drunk without alcohol. So, in short, we got drunk off the atmosphere, I guess."
"Geez...I can't tell if you're making this up or not..."
I laughed. "And you never will, because I don't know if that's how it works either."
"That's basically the same as admitting you're full of it...!"
09/10
After getting to the hotel and falling asleep almost as soon as I laid down, I woke up in the morning and met up with Yukiko, Chie, and Rise first, who all seemed worried about me until I explained what I knew of what happened. It didn't seem to help a lot, but they decided to drop it if I couldn't remember and we went on with our third day of the trip. After all, Yukiko and Rise seemed a bit clueless about the incident in general.
-Afternoon-
Shopping District in front of the Station Hagakure Ramen. Kanji and Yu were eating at a table while the rest of us were seated on stools around the counter in front of the chef as we ate.
"Mmmm! Oh man, this is really something!" Chie seemed happy, as she usually was when food was involved.
"This place serves the best ramen in town. When we were filming, a lot of times I came here instead of eating boxed lunches." Rise said and then noticed Yukiko wasn't eating. "Huh...? You're not hungry?"
"Um...What happened last night...? I don't remember much about it..." Yukiko said.
"Oh, I think the two of us fell asleep quick. I heard it got pretty wild, though." Rise answered her.
"I see...I don't remember at all..." Yukiko mumbled and they both went back to eating.
"Ahh, this flavour never changes. I couldn't come here too often because it's high in carbohydrates, so being able to eat as much as I want is like a dream!"
"Oh...This is delicious! It has an interesting taste that makes you hungry for more."
"See? See?"
"Another bowl, please! Keep the noodles hard!" Teddie called out.
"S-Seriously...? I can barely eat one..." I muttered, looking at the bear in disbelief.
Then, a young man entered and called to the chef, "Um, I'll have the Hagakure Bowl." The chef acknowledged his order and the man sat down at a table.
"The Hagakure Bowl's a normal menu item now...!? Argh, I should've asked!" Rise exclaimed. "Oh well. This is just as good."
"Hey, is it okay for you to be out in the open like this?" Yosuke asked, looking at Rise.
"Sure, no prob. See those signing boards?" Rise motioned up toward the things hanging above our heads. "My autograph's up there too, but the cook doesn't give me a second glance. That's just how it is over here. Plus, I'm barely wearing any makeup."
"Oh, you're right. There's a lot of autographs on display." Yukiko said.
"Y'know what I think? The reason they don't notice you is 'cause this bear sticks out like a sore thumb..." Chie pointed out Teddie wearing his costume. "I guess if he wore that over here, he'll have to go home wearing it..."
"Isn't it all steamy inside from the ramen?" Kanji asked.
"Huh? Where's my bowl!?" Yukiko noticed now that the bear had swiped her ramen while she wasn't paying attention and he stopped eating. "You didn't eat it...did you?"
"Y-You didn't finish, so...Ahaha." Teddie responded.
"I was going to finish it!"
"Hey, didn't you just order more a second ago? How many have you eaten?" Yosuke asked.
"I dunno how to count." Teddie said.
"You little liar! Gimme that check! Let's see here..." Yosuke took the paper to see. "One, two...T-Ten bowls!?"
"Yuki-chan's makes it eleven." Teddie said, then burped.
"I was going to finish mine..." Yukiko looked downward, pouting.
"Th-There, there..." Chie tried to comfort her, but I got up and took my bowl to place in front of Yukiko.
"Here. I'm not going to finish mine."
"Kyoka...!" Yukiko looked really happy, but I just shrugged and went back to my seat. "Thank you!"
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's close to the meeting time." Shirogane spoke up suddenly.
"Awww...Already?" Chie whined. "I thought the trip was gonna be a bore...But now that it's over, I actually had a good time." She then turned around to look at Yu. "Hey, let's buy a souvenir at the station. I bet Nanako-chan will be expecting one."
"I'll get an Iwatodai Lamp." Yu said to her.
"Alright, let's get going. C'mon Teddie, we're leaving." Yosuke said, getting up, but Teddie didn't respond, so he hit his head lightly. "Yo...Hey, Ted!"
"Don't make me rub your fur the wrong way, you little-" Kanji started, walking over to the bear but stopping. "D-Dude...Hey, he ain't moving! W-Wha...? I-Is he hibernating!?"
"Hey..." Chie seemed to get worried as well. "D-Don't tell me...I-It's not because he's been in our world too long, is it!?"
"Uh, Chie...!" I protested, glancing at Shirogane with concern that he'd get suspicious.
"Are you serious!? Teddie!" Rise got worried too, but Teddie just burped.
"My tummy's heavy." Teddie grunted.
"Leave it behind." Yukiko said harshly after she finished off my bowl of ramen.
"I ate too much...Can't move...Someone carry meee."
"I mustn't be late for our rendezvous. Please excuse me." Shirogane was quick to get up and leave first, followed by Yukiko.
"Ah, Yukiko. Wait for me." Chie rushed to catch up to her.
"H-Hey, I really can't move! And I don't have the money for a return ticket!" Teddie said.
We all got up and stood around the bear.
"Farewell, Teddie...We shall leave you here, along with our memories of youth..." Yosuke put his hands together and lowered his head slightly, the rest of us mirroring the action.
After that joke was made, we headed for the rendezvous point, but on the way we came across a vaguely familiar place and I stopped.
"Huh? Kyoka-senpai, what're you doing? We're going to be late." Rise noticed I had stopped and turned around to look at me in confusion.
"Uh...Go on ahead without me. I've gotta stop a moment." I waved her off and returned my attention to the shrine.
"Huh...? But..."
"There's no way we can trust you to find your way to the meet-up by yourself." Yosuke said, sighing and walking back toward me. "You guys go on ahead, I'll make sure she catches up."
"We'll leave it to you, then." Yu nodded, although Rise and Kanji seemed a bit hesitant as they continued to walk and I headed toward the shrine.
"...D-Do you remember something?" Yosuke asked after following me over to the offertory box.
"No, I just..." I shook my head. "Felt like I should pray here all of a sudden."
I dropped some coins into the box and then put my hands together and closed my eyes to pray for my friends' protection, then when I was done, I went ahead and bought a good luck charm before walking toward the rendezvous point with Yosuke. It didn't take that long, so we didn't have to run, at least.
"...You're really into that stuff, huh?" Yosuke asked as he looked at the charm I was holding carefully in front of me.
"I don't think so. This is just...For some reason, I feel like I owe whatever god lives in that shrine..."
"Well it is where you ran to when you had your attack last night..." Yosuke commented, looking up toward the sky and stretching his arms above his head as we walked. "Maybe that's why?"
"Maybe...But I guess there's also the fact I need as much luck as I can get if I ever want to stop causing trouble for everyone with these random attacks...I wonder if being part Shadow is what causes it, though...?"
He didn't seem to have anything to say to that, but when I glanced at his face, he was making this really serious expression, like he was thinking about something really important and kinda painful. However, I didn't want to ask him about it for a number of reasons, so we walked in silence as I looked back to my good luck charm.
-Evening-
I went to my room and collapsed almost the minute I got home. It was so exhausting on the school trip, between the weird voices popping up in my head and the shopping. I did give my parents some sweets I bought at the station as souvenirs, though.