09/18
-Daytime-
I had the day off school today, but I had to go into work. On my break, I chatted with Yosuke a bit, but other than that nothing really happened.
09/19
-Daytime-
Today is Respect for the Aged Day, so there was no school, but I had to work again. Toward the end of my shift, I saw Nanako buying some things for supper and talked to her a little about how Dojima and Yu were getting along. They seemed to be on good terms these days, according to Nanako who seemed quite happy. It was nice to see her smiling so genuinely now. She invited me to come eat with them sometime, but I had to keep working today so we agreed to work out a day some other time.
09/20
-After School-
I didn't have work today, so I agreed when Yu asked me to hang out. We went for a walk along the floodplain and talked about random things before I brought up that Nanako invited me to eat supper with them sometime. Yu asked me if tonight would be fine and called Nanako at home to let her know while I sent a text to my mother. Nanako asked him to pick up some ingredients, so we stopped by Junes to do the shopping before heading over.
-Evening-
Yu and Nanako made dinner together, insisting that I was the guest and should just take it easy. Dojima came home shortly before the food was ready, so I sat with him at the table while they were cooking.
"I heard you're working part-time at Junes now." Dojima brought up, smiling a bit at me.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm working there three or four days a week. I wanted to make my own money so my parents don't have to pay as much for me."
"You like working there?"
"It's fun." I smiled at him and he nodded.
"Good for you. I'm glad you're working hard, but don't push yourself too much, alright?"
"I'm being careful to notice my limits." I reassured him. "I don't want to cause any more problems for everyone."
"...You've really grown up, Kyoka." He laughed a little and put a hand on my head to lightly ruffle my hair.
"Have I...?" I muttered, tilting my head slightly at him, but he didn't seem to hear and quickly got distracted by Nanako and Yu finishing the cooking and serving the food.
We had a bit of a lively dinner that was pretty fun. I could see how much like a close family the three were now and it was kind of a relief that Nanako and Dojima seemed to have recovered a bit more from Chisato's death since Yu came here. When I left, I thanked Yu for being there for the Dojimas while I was saying goodbye. He just smiled and nodded, ever the silent type, but I got the feeling he genuinely cared for them too.
09/21
-After School-
I had work today, so I had to go to Junes after classes finished. I saw Nanako as she was buying some more groceries and we chatted only a little since I was still working.
09/22
-After School-
Today, I decided to go to the movies with Yukiko. She seemed pretty excited when I invited her, since she really wanted to watch this new horror movie called "One Missed Text" that came out recently. Yukiko laughed at a lot of stuff no one else was laughing at, but a few of those times I ended up laughing alongside her because of the ridiculous horror movie cliches. I just couldn't take the movie seriously, though. Yukiko seemed really happy with the way the movie progressed with a sense of dread, but I was a bit dissatisfied that nothing was really explained even by the end of it. Either way, it was a lot of fun.
09/23
-Daytime-
Today is the Autumnal Equinox, so there wasn't any school. I had a dance lesson. Thankfully, it was inside the studio this time and I was able to practice without as much nerves as last time.
09/24
-After School-
I had to work today, so I left right after classes were over.
09/25
-Daytime-
I was going to spend my day off playing video games for hours straight, but Chie called me and I ended up going out with the girls. Rise, Yukiko, Chie, and I ended up at Junes, eating in the food court and talking about school and other normal topics for a while. Then we talked a bit about Shadows and Personas, but it wasn't anything we didn't already know and the topic was abandoned pretty quickly in favour of wondering how Naoto was doing. After we finished our meals, the others decided they wanted to go shopping in Okina and we ended up riding our scooters over there for the afternoon. I got dragged around to clothing stores and although I lacked an interest in shopping, it was kinda fun to watch them get excited about changing up their look. I did find a long layered skirt that was a darkish purple colour and had a brown flower pattern on the right side with vines going up toward the waist, though. I thought it might be nice for dancing first, but then my mind wandered as I looked at it and I found myself wondering if Yosuke liked skirts better than the jeans I always wore. I mean, it was probably the case considering his personality, but...When did I start caring about that...?
"Kyoka-senpai, I didn't know you liked long skirts." Rise grinned mischievously when I quickly put the thing back.
"I-I don't, really..." I stammered, feeling my face getting a little warm as I looked away in embarrassment.
"Ohhh...? Is it maybe...That you're thinking about wearing them for a guy?" She teased and I couldn't think of a retort.
"N-No way! Kyoka likes someone!?" Chie looked shocked.
"Ooh! Now I'm curious! Who is it?" Yukiko seemed excited for some reason.
"N-No one. I was just looking." I denied, but even I wasn't convinced by it. Considering the way my thoughts went, I might've...Well, no way. I wasn't going there right now.
"Hmm...? Is it one of the guys we know?" Rise asked.
"Oh! Maybe it's a guy you met at work?" Yukiko suggested.
"Y-You're not d-dating someone already, are you!?" Chie questioned nervously.
"No, I'm not." I sighed, dismissing them and deciding I had to give them some kind of answer or they'd never believe me. "I was just...Thinking it might be good for dancing..."
"Huh? Dancing?" Yukiko repeated.
"You dance?" Chie blinked at me.
"I...Don't really want to announce it, but yeah." I sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed as I admitted this to them. "Sometimes I take lessons..."
"What kind of dancing? Ballroom? Traditional? Street?" Rise asked, seeming interested.
"It's, uh, kinda embarrassing..." I muttered, looking away as I rubbed at the back of my neck sheepishly. "Belly dancing..."
"What?" Chie looked confused.
"Oh, I've heard of that! It's not very popular in Japan, but it's that foreign dance with the hip movements in time with drum beats, right?" Rise asked, then laughed a bit when I nodded. "Wow, Kyoka-senpai! You're bolder than I thought if you're learning to do that!"
"I don't preform, so please don't say that." I grimaced.
"Um, sorry, but I don't really know what type of dancing you're referring to...It isn't bad, right...?" Yukiko looked concerned.
"It's not really meant to be, uh, provocative..." I answered uneasily, but wasn't sure how to explain and looked to Rise, but she didn't seem to know either. "It'd be easier to show you than to explain it. There's videos on the internet."
"Oh, then let's stop by the library and use one of their computers." Chie said.
And so, we ended up at the library, gathered around a computer as Rise looked happy watching one of my favourite dancers performing somewhere in Europe and Chie and Yukiko looked slightly embarrassed to watch it, likely because her top was only a bra with strings of beads attached to it. Though, as they watched her stomach shift and her hips pop in time with the music and the ridiculously fast shimmies she could pull off, the three seemed just as fascinated by it as I had been when I first saw a professional belly dancer preform.
"Wow...! Kyoka, you can do that!?" Chie looked to me with what I guessed was a mixture of shock and impression.
"Um, not that well...But I'm learning to do that stuff, yeah..." I answered a bit embarrassed. "She's also performing a different style than I picked up, so the nuances are a bit more reliant on drum solos specifically in this."
"So, this isn't really like Rise's dungeon..." Yukiko said, seeming thoughtful.
"H-Hey! Can we not talk about that?" Rise whined, but was ignored.
"It's more like...An expression of control over the muscles many people never even think about using."
"I don't know where exactly it started, but I heard somewhere that belly dancing was done by some women in private to promote abdominal health and help with things like menstrual cramps and stuff..." I shrugged. "It kinda became this big thing though, because it was really fascinating to watch."
"Really? I didn't know it was supposed to be like that...Does it actually help?" Rise asked me and I shrugged.
"I used to have really bad cramps, but they're tolerable now, so I don't know if it was the dancing that helped or not. I'm also a lot more physically fit since I started doing it more often."
"It looks like it'd be really harsh on your stomach..."
"Maybe I should try learning it too...Though I'd never be able to do it in public, it might help me more than just dieting..." Yukiko mumbled, looking downward.
"Yeah, I think I'll stick with my training...That's just way too embarrassing for me..." Chie said, blushing.
I shrugged. "It's not for everyone, but I just find it really helps me relax and clear my head. The physical fitness part is a bonus for me."
"...Well, at least we learned something new about you today, Kyoka-senpai!" Rise grinned with a teasing edge to it. "You'd totally get any guy you want if you show off your sexy dancing skills!"
"I-It's not supposed to be sexy!" I protested and she laughed, soon followed by all of us dissolving into laughter that got us kicked out of the library for being too noisy.
09/26
-After School-
Even though it was storming, I had to go to work today. It wasn't very busy at the till, so I occupied my time with straightening up the shelves near it.
"Hey, Kyoka. Slow day?" Yosuke came by with some boxes to stock the empty spots on the shelves I was tidying up.
"I've only seen two people and I've been here an hour." I responded with a sigh. "It's boring when it rains."
"Just be glad you don't work in stock. There's never a shortage of work in that department."
"Yeah, I guess there wouldn't be...And it's best to stock up the shelves when there's not many customers, huh?"
"That's true." Yosuke sighed as he began putting away items into the spaces on the shelf I'd already straightened up. "...You work hard even when no one's watching, don't you?"
"Hm?"
"Whenever you don't have customers, you're always cleaning up the area or wiping off your till. It makes my job easier when you sort out the shelves like this too."
"It was what I was told to do if I had free time." I shrugged. "Why? Do the others not do it?"
He snorted. "No way. The other part-timers never do anything they don't have to if the manager's not around."
I didn't reply to that and it was quiet for a few moments before he suddenly spoke up again.
"You know, when you started working here I thought you'd slack off too...But you never complain and you show up for every shift you get. Um, I never said this before, but...Thanks."
"For what?" I tilted my head at him as I finished tidying up the shelves and returned to standing behind the till as I watched his back.
"I don't know...Taking this seriously? I mean, most of the others ask me to talk to my dad or the manager for them or don't do anything beyond what they have to here, so..."
"Yosuke..." I started, feeling a bit bad for him. "To be honest, if I started this job before we became friends, I probably wouldn't've done anything I didn't have to either. But now, I don't want to cause other people more problems because I half-ass everything. I think it should be more natural to consider how your actions affect other people, so doing things like cleaning up around the till when I have time to kill isn't really a thing I should be thanked for. Whether it gets acknowledged or not, I'm going to do it anyway. But...I appreciate your gratitude."
"...Heh. You're really working hard to improve yourself, huh?"
"Well, I'm trying." I sighed. "It's kinda difficult."
"...I guess I should try harder too." He smiled at me as he flattened the empty box, a determined look crossing his face. "Then, maybe you'll be satisfied with me..."
"Huh?" I looked at him in confusion, although I was sure the last part wasn't really meant for me to hear, he had said it so quietly.
"Ah...! Y-You heard that...N-Never mind!" His eyes widened and he seemed to get flustered. "Forget I said anything! It's nothing! Bye!" And he ran off quickly.
I stared after him for a minute, wondering what he meant, but decided that was a bad idea when I started to come up with possibilities that made me feel a bit flustered. He probably meant something else, or it didn't come out right because it was supposed to be an internal thought. Still, I felt kind of...Excited for some reason...
-Evening-
I checked the Midnight Channel, but no one showed up so I just went to bed.
09/27
-After School-
Today I went for training with Chie and then we headed over to Aiya afterward and talked about kung fu movies, although I'd only seen a couple because my dad happened to be watching them on TV.
09/29
-After School-
Rise invited me out for steak skewers after school, so I decided to go with her. We chatted a bit about random things and I learned more about her as an idol. She seemed surprised I didn't know a whole lot about her before we met, but I told her I didn't pay much attention to any idols and that she shouldn't take it personally that I wasn't interested. After all, most of my attention to media revolved around crime, local news, and video games.
09/30
-After School-
I hung out with Kanji today, although it would probably be more accurate to say I was forced to because he noticed a snag on my hoodie and insisted on fixing it. I don't even know how he fixed it, but I ended up laughing when he handed back my hoodie and it looked brand new again.
"Wh-What's so funny!?" He snapped at me, probably feeling self-conscious.
"It's just that this feels kinda nostalgic. Your mom always fixed my clothes for me too when she noticed the tiniest thing when we were kids." I smiled at him as I pulled my hoodie on. "I was always playing with cats I found on the street, so I got a lot of snags, remember?"
"Oh yeah...I haven't seen you around animals recently. Does your, uh, Shadow thing scare 'em off now?"
I shook my head. "I haven't noticed anything like that, but I really haven't tried either."
"Huh."
"Maybe I'll try on the way home today. There's a cat that hangs around the flood plain, right?"
"Just don't piss it off or I'll be fixing your clothes again."
"I'll try."
After that, I did stop to see if the orange cat I usually saw hanging around the floodplain was friendly or afraid of me, but it showed little to no reaction outside of a meow in my direction. It did let me pet it a couple times, but then it turned and walked off, uninterested in me. My best guess was that it was probably looking for handouts, it had the kind of look in its eyes that a cat gets when it's begging for food.
10/01
-After School-
It was raining today, but I had to work so I couldn't really enjoy it. I walked there with Yosuke though, so we chatted a bit on the way.
-Evening-
I checked the Midnight Channel, but no one showed up in the static.
10/02
-Daytime-
Chie called me and I ended up at Okina, in the Croco Fur store with her, Yukiko, Rise, Kanji, and Yu. I'm not really sure why, but I had the day off and the other girls insisted we came here for some reason.
"...Why here...? I thought we were gonna celebrate saving Naoto..." Kanji said, looking uncomfortable.
"Yeah! We're gonna celebrate with a shopping spree! And you have the honour of carrying our bags." Rise said happily.
"Senpai...now I need saving." Kanji looked to Yu miserably.
"Give it up, Kanji." Yu had apparently resigned himself to his fate.
"Attaboy, Yu-kun." Chie laughed.
"I'm going to buy a lot today." Yukiko said happily.
"Me too! I've got money to burn!" Rise agreed.
"Well, I'm gonna buy nothing, so..." I started, but the redhead glared at me.
"Hey! We all know you've been saving up money from working at Junes. It'd be a total waste not to spend it on something cute!"
"Wha-!?"
"Alright, alright..." Kanji sighed, looking as unenthused as possible with the girls. "Tch...I should've told 'em I had to watch the house, like Yosuke-senpai..."
"I should've begged to go to work anyway..." I sighed next to him.
We spent the afternoon together, and although I was adamant in my refusal to buy new clothes, it was kinda fun to hang out with everyone.
10/03
-After School-
I was supposed to work today, but they called in the morning and told me they didn't need me to, so I got the day off. I decided to go for a walk in the practice building and ran into Kanji, who didn't seem to be doing anything and mentioned a movie coming out recently that he wanted to see. It was called "Dachiko Story" and since it was about a dog, I decided to go with him to the theatre in Okina to see it. I tried not to, but I ended up crying with him a bit about the moving story about the dog who waited unfailingly for his master to return home.
"Dammit...They got me...I couldn't help but cry..." Kanji muttered while wiping his eyes on his arm after we left the theatre. "Movies about animals just aren't fair...Their eyes are too damn cute...That Dachiko, I just want to hug him!"
"I know, right? And the whole story was just so...Gah...It got me too!" I sniffled and smiled while dabbing at my own eyes with my sleeve.
"I'm glad I came along. Let's do this again!" Kanji said, and I nodded in agreement before we headed home.
10/04
-After School-
Today it was raining, so I decided to go to the hill overlooking town and sat under the shelter listening to it for a while as I studied. I wasn't really in a dancing mood today, so I didn't get completely soaked and piss off my mother.
-Evening-
I checked the Midnight Channel since it was still raining, but the static still showed no one.
10/05
-After School-
It was still raining out, but I had to work today.
-Evening-
It was foggy at midnight, so the Midnight Channel came on, but it showed nothing again.