Author Notes: I'm glad that in the previous chapter I was able to further develop Rei's relationships with Kanji and Naoto. I personally feel like both characters deserved more scenes in the actual video game. While I do like Kanji had a couple of good scenes, it felt like he definitely deserved more.
It did feel different to write scenes with Kanji still recovering. In the game, we never get to see Yukiko or Kanji while they are recovering. Personally, I feel that is a shame since I think we could have seen another side to their characters if we visited them while they were in a vulnerable state. It could have been similar to how in Persona 5 we had to help Futaba better develop social skills before her link could begin.
While the chapter was fun to write, the lack of reviews was a bit of a disappointment. I was pleased that the reviews I received were positive, but they were lacking in number which was a disappointment to put it mildly. It seems I may have made a mistake in the timing of releasing content.
Personally, I thought that with people staying home due to the WuFlu there would be more people available to read the story. I guess I was mistaken. I can understand since a number of people are probably working from home or taking care of other important tasks. I'm in the same boat, so I can understand that. I can also understand that some people might not be in the mood to read either due to the circumstances. In that case, future updates following the release of this chapter will need to be adjusted for further down the line.
I hope you will all enjoy this chapter and leave a review. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
/
Into the Fog
Story Arc VI: Transitions – Part II
Chapter Thirty-Five: New Steps – Part II
/
Misunderstandings
They can lead to resentment
Try to correct them
/
Date: Monday, May 30th, 2011
Location: Inaba – Elementary School
Weather: Cloudy
Clouds once again covered the skies above Inaba. While those clouds appeared threatening, they would not go any further than that. Plenty of residents would be grateful for that, especially since the weather in the coming week did not appear promising. However, that problem mattered little to the students of the Inaba Elementary school.
It was a lunchtime, and all the students scattered about picking up their lunchboxes and forming groups with their friends. The adorable Dojima Nanako had her lunchbox on her desk as she looked around the classroom. She saw there was someone sitting by himself. It was none other than Yuuta slowly eating through his meal. The boy was sulking. She stared at him for a moment before she heard someone else.
"Hey, Nanako! Over here!" One of the other girls called out to her.
Nanako looked over to her classmates and told them, "I'll be right there." Before they had a chance to say anything else, Nanako got up from her desk and walked over to the boy.
When Nanako was standing next to Yuuta's desk, he appeared to notice her as he glanced to his side and said, "What is it?"
Nanako titled her head as she asked, "Are you okay, Yuuta-chan?"
Yuuta sighed as he leaned on his desk and responded, "Don't call me, 'chan'."
Nanako ignored that as she repeated her question, "What's wrong?"
Yuuta looked away from her as he answered, "Nothing."
Nanako bluntly replied, "You liar."
"Huh?" Yuuta was caught off guard as he looked in Nanako's direction.
Nanako remained blunt as she told him, "You're a liar. You've been like that for days." Nanako remained persistent as she asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Yuuta tapped his desk as he said in exasperation, "You're pushy. What're you my mom?"
"Big Sis is honest with me, and I'm honest with her." Nanako put her hands together as she told him, "Being honest feels good, so tell me what's wrong." She added pleadingly, "Please."
Yuuta pointedly asked, "If I give you an answer, will you leave me alone?"
Nanako put her hands behind her back as she said, "Okay."
"It's my step-mom." Yuuta leaned on his desk as he said, "She has the worst timing."
That only served to make Nanako more curious, "What happened?"
Yuuta's exasperated tone remained as he answered, "She was late again. Like always. But just when I was having a great time she just shows up and ruins everything."
"You were having a great time at daycare?" Nanako asked, "Shouldn't that be a good thing?"
"Yeah …" Yuuta softly remarked, "There's this great new girl there that everyone really likes. She's a lot of fun, and she's easy to talk to." Yuuta's voice made a sharp turn as he then said, "Then, my step-mom shows up and spoils everything. It's really annoying."
"Um …" Nanako couldn't help but feel a little awkward as she said, "I'm sure she doesn't mean it."
"Of course, she does!" Yuuta insisted, "She doesn't care about me! She cares more about whats on TV!"
"…" Nanako was rendered speechless as she listened to what Yuuta said next.
"It's like she's not there half the time." Yuuta remarked "It's like picking me up is just another 'errand' for her or something." Yuuta then looked away from Nanako as he attempted to brush her off, "I answered your question now go."
"Hmm …" Nanako remained standing there for a moment before she felt an idea popup in her head, "Would you like to come over to my place, Yuuta-chan?"
Yuuta's eyes widened at the out of the blue question as he looked over to Nanako, "What?"
"Do you want to come over?" Before Yuuta could even reply, Nanako told him, "You'll have a great time, especially with my Big Sis there. We'll have a lot of fun. I'm sure your mom would be fine if someone else is watching you, right?"
"Um …" Yuuta's mind was still processing Nanako's proposal as he absentmindedly replied, "I guess … Maybe …"
"Great!" Nanako clapped her hands together, "Then, it's settled! We'll have so much fun!"
"Wait! Hold on, I …" Yuuta attempted to derail this in vain.
"This is gonna be so much fun! I know it!" Nanako's cheery smile was enough momentum to prevent this from stopping.
Yuuta could see that his words were not reaching Nanako as he then sighed in resignation, "Never mind. Fine"
Nanako remained excited as she clapped her hands together, "All right!"
/
Date: Monday, May 30th, 2011
Location: Inaba – Yasogami High - Rooftop
Weather: Cloudy
While Nanako was 'settling' one person's problem, her older cousin, her Big Sis, was in the middle of resolving someone else's difficulty. It was lunchtime at Yasogami High. Narukami Rei and Amagi Yu were heading to the rooftop to enjoy something to eat, but there was another problem that needed dealing with.
When they were just outside the door, Yukiko looked like she was about to back away. When Yukiko was about to take a step back, Rei grabbed Yukiko's shoulder and told her, "Come on, Amagi-san. You already told Satonaka that you wanted to talk to her at lunchtime. You can't just stand her up. Not now. Not when you're right here."
"I know … I know …" Yukiko indignantly replied before her voice sounded nervous, "It's just … It's already been a little while, and she might think I'm being passive aggressive or something …" Yukiko looked away as she softly said, "I don't know …"
"Maybe you are." Rei bluntly told her, "But if you don't tell her now, it's just gonna get harder, and that's gonna be a problem for the both of you. You might as well ask her now and get things over with." Rei leaned forward and reminded Yukiko, "Remember the promise you both made to each other. Hanamura-san and I were both witnesses to it, and we're holding you to it."
"Fine …" Yukiko stepped forward as she reluctantly remarked, "Let's get this over with."
"That's better." Rei stood behind Yukiko with crossed arms to make it clear that there would be 'no escape'.
Yukiko sighed as she then put her hand on the door and opened it. In front of them was Satonaka Chie sitting down already eating her lunch. The short haired girl looked up and waved over to them, "It's about time you two got here. I was getting tired of waiting."
"Sorry for making you wait, Satonaka." Rei spoke up from behind Yukiko. "It's just that Amagi-san has something very important that she needs to talk to you about."
"Oh right." Chie put her lunch down as she then asked, "Is there something wrong, Yukiko?"
"Well …" Yukiko put her hands behind her back as struggled to say, "There is one thing that's been bugging me … I um …"
"What is it?" Chie repeated in an anxious tone.
"It's about the midterms …" Yukiko's words trailed off.
"Oh …" Chie seemed to realize where this was going.
Yukiko decided to finally get it out, "Why didn't you ask me for help if you were having trouble?"
"Well, I um …" It was Chie's turn to have her words trail off.
Rei decided to step in, "She didn't think you were up to it."
"What?" Yukiko did not expect to hear that outright.
"Narukami!" Chie said in exasperation.
"It's true." Rei stepped between the two girls and looked between them as she said, "Satonaka was worried about you, Amagi-san. You were just kidnapped and spent over a week recovering. You had enough on your plate. Satonaka didn't want to add to it. That's why she asked me for help instead of you."
"Chie …" Yukiko hesitantly asked, "Did you really think that …?"
"Good grief, Narukami …" Chie sighed as she brushed her hand on her forehead, "Fine. I was thinking about that. I didn't think it would bother you."
"Chie …" Yukiko softly spoke, "I appreciate you were being considerate to me, but I don't want you to think you'll be a problem for me if you ask for help." Rei stepped out of a way as Yukiko stepped closer to her friend, "We're friends, Chie. We promised we'd be better friends. We need to be honest with each other."
"I know … I'm sorry …" Chie looked Yukiko in the eyes as she said, "I didn't mean to hurt you or anything."
"No." Yukiko shook her head, "I should b-"
"Okay." Rei interjected, "You're both sorry. That's enough. It's time for you two to move on."
"…" Yukiko stared at Rei blankly and then blinked.
"Wow." Chie sarcastically remarked as she put her hands on her hip, "You really know how to ruin the moment."
"We've all got baggage, and we all need to carry on." Rei bluntly stated, "Best not to let things fester. Let's just make sure not to let that happen."
"…" The two friends simply looked at Rei. Neither saying another word.
"Okay …" Rei took another step back. "They do say three is a crowd. Might as well let you two continue this conversation on your own." Rei walked away as she awkwardly said, "Later."
After Rei walked through the door, she saw Yosuke was heading up the stairs. He asked, "Hey are the others up there?"
"Yep." Rei grabbed his arm to escort him back down as she told him, "And we're not joining them."
"What did you do this time, Narukami-san?" Yosuke asked in a deadpan tone.
"Tried to help out with a problem." Rei then added, "But I think I might've overplayed my hand a little."
Yosuke sighed, "What a surprise."
"Might as well enjoy the karate room today." Rei insisted, "Let's go."
"Okay, okay." Yosuke reluctantly followed along as he then said, "Can you let go of me." Rei let go of him, and they walked down.
Rei then asked, "You want to hang out after school?"
"Sure why not." Yosuke casually replied.
/
Date: Monday, May 30th, 2011
Location: Inaba – Dojima Household
Weather: Cloudy
Later that evening, Rei returned to the Dojima household without a hitch. She told her 'little sister', that she had been hanging out with her friend Yosuke. While she was hanging out with him, she bought something they could have for dinner that night rather than eating a TV dinner. Tonight would be something special. However, before they ate dinner, Rei wanted to do something else first.
It was only after Rei went upstairs that Nanako remembered what she discussed with Yuuta earlier that day. Nanako felt the need to facepalm herself. Nanako didn't go upstairs immediately, but after twenty minutes passed. Her Big Sis wasn't down yet, so Nanako decided it was best to go upstairs while she was still thinking about it.
Without knocking, Nanako opened the door to Rei's room. It was at that moment Nanako saw Rei in a different state than she would usually see Rei in. Her Big Sis was doing pushups. She was wearing her shorts, but she was only wearing her black sports bra as she was working out. Nanako quickly slammed the door which immediately got Rei's attention.
Nanako could hear on the other side of the door, "Nanako-chan? I know this is your house, but you know you're supposed to knock on the door before you enter someone else's room, right? Even if it's being borrowed."
"I know. I'm sorry." Nanako leaned her head against the closed door.
"…" Rei took a moment before asking, "Did you see anything?"
"No, Big Sis." Nanako sounded panicked as she told Rei, "I shut the door quickly."
Nanako was telling the truth. While she might've briefly caught a glimpse at her cousin's developed muscles and a couple of her scars, Nanako averted her yes and shut the door before the sight of either could be engraved in her head. They more or less left her mind.
The doorknob turned. Nanako backed up when she saw the door was opening. Rei was standing in front of her wearing a proper shirt, and she knelt down to be at Nanako's eye level. Rei reached out and put her hands on Nanako's head.
Rei began rubbing as she told her, 'little sister', "Don't worry about it, Squirt. Just remember to knock first, okay?"
Nanako hesitantly asked, "You're not upset?"
Rei answered that question with one of her own, "Did you learn your lesson?"
Nanako replied, "Yes."
"Then, I'm not." Rei stood up, "I'm going to get cleaned up. I did promise to do something special with you tonight, so I really shouldn't keep you waiting."
"Really?" Nanako's voice was filled with excitement.
Rei smiled, "Absolutely."
"Yay!" Nanako jumped up and down before making her way back down the stairs. However, her excitement gave way when she remembered what she forgot. She kicked her foot out as she softly said, "Rats."
Nanako looked back up the stairs and heard the water going off as she realized that it might be best not to push her luck.
/
A few minutes later, Rei and Nanako were in the kitchen. Rei had her hair tied up, and she was holding Nanako up high enough that she could reach the cabinets that Nanako could only dream of reaching on her own. Nanako's face was beaming as she was being held up. She was able to pull open the cabinet door, and she grabbed the item Rei instructed her to. They then placed the item on the counter.
As soon as Rei placed Nanako back on the ground, Nanako marveled, "It's amazing how strong you are, Big Sis. That was a lot of fun. Can you lift me up again like this?"
Rei knelt down to her cousin as she said, "If you want me to."
Nanako replied, "Yeah, but not right now. A little later, please."
Rei smiled, "Sure. Just tell me when."
"Yay." Rei smiled at Nanako's enthusiasm especially when she then asked, "Do you think I can ever become strong like you, Big Sis?"
"Hmm …" Rei briefly glanced away before answering, "You never know. You just might."
Nanako jumped up and down, "Hooray!"
"All right." Rei stood up and put her hands on her hips as she said, "Thanks to you, I think we have all the necessary items."
"We don't need anything else?" Nanako asked.
"I don't think so. Anyway, Nanako-chan, I want you to pay attention." Rei instructed, "Take your seat and pencil ready?"
Nanako ran to the seat that Rei designated for her by the table. She held up her pencil and said, "Ready!"
Rei turned the faucet as she began giving her instruction, "First, step is simple. Turn on the faucet. The second one is you fill up the pot with water." After a few seconds passed, she began filling in the pot with water. "Best to have the water run for a little bit before you fill the pot. Water waiting in the faucet tends to stagnant which isn't good for you. Did you get all that, Squirt?"
Rei turned around to see Nanako busy at writing and repeating out loud, "Fill up with water and have the faucet run a little bit before filling it …"
"That's good." Rei had her hands together as she leaned forward and asked, "And?"
"And …" Nanako sheepishly asked, "Could you repeat that?"
"Of course. The water in the faucet stagnates." Rei then realized something as she told her cousin, "In case you need to spell that, you spell with ' S'." Rei put extra emphasis in her warning, "You 'do not' what to drink that."
Nanako wrote down, "DO NOT want to drink that."
"Heh." Rei chuckled before returning to her instruction. "Okay." Nanako's eyes were on Rei as she then instructed, "Best to wait a few seconds before putting the water in."
"Okay." Nanako then wrote while repeating, "Wait a few seconds …"
"Now," Rei held up the pot above the sink as she said, "I know I said fill the pot, but you need to pour some of the 'excess' water out. You see, you don't want the pot to overfill when you add the spaghetti or heat up the water. You follow me?"
Nanako slowly repeated as she wrote, "Don't overfill pot and pour some water out." Nanako's face brighten as she proclaimed, "Hey! That rhymes!"
"Heh." Rei chuckled, "Yes, it does. Good one. Keep that in mind. It can help you remember."
"Okay." Nanako then finished writing the note before then asking, "How much are you gonna pour out, Big Sis?
Rei answered, "It depends on how much I poured in." Rei stepped out of the way so Nanako could get a better view of the pot, "I filled it a little too close to the top. Do you see that?"
When Nanako nodded, Rei stated, "So that means I'll be needing to pour out quite a bit." Rei grabbed the pot by its handles and titled it, so the water began to pour out. After a few seconds, she stopped and said out loud, "That should be enough."
Rei placed the pot on the stove as she told Nanako, "Having the water somewhere between the halfway and two thirds point should be okay." Rei turned the nob on the stove, "Now we wait for the water to begin boiling. It shouldn't take too long, so we'll need to pay attention."
Nanako wrote, "Wait for water to bubble."
Rei then said, "While we wait for the water how about we go over these notes."
"Okay." Nanako pushed her paper to the center of the table, and Rei picked them up. She scanned through them and began nodding her head, "Not bad. Not bad." Rei looked at Nanako and commented, "Are you sure you're just in Elementary School?"
Nanako smiled, "Pretty sure."
"Okay." Rei stated as she handed Nanako the paper back, "There isn't much left, but it is important. Be sure to pay attention. You ready?"
With pencil in hand and a paper back in her possession, Nanako declared, "Ready!"
"Good." Rei turned her attention back to the pot, "Because the water is starting to boil." Rei grabbed the box of whole wheat spaghetti as she advised, "This part is easy, but you still need to be careful. You don't want to get any of the water on you. It'll burn you if it does." Rei emphasized, "And believe me it'll hurt."
"…" Nanako silently nodded in response as she lightly bit her lip.
Rei opened the box and carefully poured the spaghetti into the pot. Rei then stepped to the side, so Nanako could get a better look.
"As you can see," Rei instructed, spaghetti starts off stiff, but this boiling water is gonna take care of that. I'll need to use this." Rei held up a large plastic spoon. "I'm gonna use this to twirl it around, so the spaghetti will have an easier time cooking, and so it won't get stuck in the pot."
/
While the spaghetti lost its stiffness, Rei began using the spoon to spin the spaghetti around in the pot. As she was doing this, she instructed Nanako, "You don't need to twirl it around the entire time. Just make sure the spaghetti doesn't become attached to the sides of the pot before it's done. Rei then put the spoon on the side and stepped away from the pot. "There was another thing I forget to mention. Rei pointed to her hair, "See how I have my hair tied up?"
"Yeah." Nanako replied.
"This is important, "Rei made sure to stress, "When you grow your hair out, you're gonna want to tie it back, so it doesn't get in the way of your cooking. It can be a real hazard if you're not careful, so this is the first thing you gotta do."
While that was sound advice, there was one part Nanako became stuck on. She repeated out loud, "When I grow my hair out?"
"Of course." Rei glanced over her shoulder and pointed, "You're already at the first stage of doing it."
"You mean this?" Nanako touched where her hair was tied.
"Yeah." Rei told Nanako as she resumed spinning the spaghetti. "You look cute."
"Big Sis!" Nanako said in complete embarrassment. Although Rei couldn't see it, she was certain that Nanako was as red as a tomato, and the poor girl was attempting to cover her face with her little hands.
Rei then replied, "Followed by a cute reaction. Nice combo."
"Big Sis …" Nanako said more softly. Based on the sound Rei heard, it sounded like Nanako was laying her head on the table.
"Anyway," Rei concluded her instruction, "This step is only meant to be a few minutes long." Rei turned off the stove. With a pair of gloves, Rei then moved the pot over to a part of the stove that was not actively heated.
"I think this is enough, but it is good to take a sample." Rei took out a plate. Using a spoon, she extracted two strands of spaghetti. She placed both of them on the plate while she then placed it in front of Nanako.
Rei said, "Moment of truth."
Nanako then wrote 'Moment of Truth' to Rei's amusement. Both girls ate their strand of spaghetti at the same time.
Rei then said, "Tastes good to me."
Nanako concurred, "Me too."
"All right. Now, it's time to wrap this up." Rei walked over and picked up a colander which she then placed inside the sink. Rei then put the gloves back on and told Nanako, "It goes without saying that this pot is 'really' hot. You need these kitchen mitts to protect yourself from getting burned, and you're gonna need a little more height and muscle, so you won't be able to do this part on your own until you're a little older. Understood?"
"Okay …" Nanako sounded a little disappointed upon hearing that, but she understood.
Rei repeated, "I asked you if that's understood?"
With more feeling, Nanako replied, "Yes."
Rei simply stated, "That's better."
"Geez, Big Sis." Nanako said, "I knew cooking could be dangerous, but it seems like you can get burnt in a lot of ways."
"Yes." Rei replied, "That's why we need to be careful."
Nanako nodded, "Okay."
"Now." Rei slowly tilted the pot so the spaghetti would fall into the colander, and the water would go down the drain. When the steam rose, Rei moved her head back, and she put the hot pot down on a hot plate to prevent any damage to the counter. With her hands free, Rei began waving at the steam as she sheepishly stated, "Okay … That was steamier than expected …" Rei then turned her head to Nanako and declared, "We're done now. In a few moments, we will feast!"
Nanako said, "That's great Big Sis, but there's actually something I want to talk about."
/
The two sisters were next to each other as they waited for the spaghetti to cool down. Rei knelt down as she looked her cousin in the eyes. While Rei was anticipating dinner, her 'Little Sis' took priority. Rei was listening to every word Nanako had to say.
After Nanako was done, Rei cheerfully said, "I think that's adorable you're so worried about your classmate."
Nanako sounded rather annoyed as she said, "Don't make fun of me, Big Sis! I'm being serious!"
Rei remained kneeling on the floor and she looked Nanako in the eyes as she told the little girl, "I'm not making fun of you. I'm completely serious. You care about other people, and I really do think it's adorable. You're growing up fast, and I'm proud of you. Very proud."
"Well …" Nanako's face began getting flushed, "I um …"
"Aw." Rei smiled as she pinched Nanako's cheeks, "You're blushing. So cute."
The annoyance returned to her voice as Nanako protected, "I am not!"
"Oh?" Rei tilted her head as she playfully asked, "You're saying you're not cute?"
"That's not what I …" Nanako couldn't even finish that sentence as she looked over to the side in a huff.
"You're every teaser's dream, Squirt." Rei playful remarked as she patted Nanako's head.
"Come on, Big Sis?" Nanako was still not amused.
"Fine. So you want to bring him over, and you'll need me to play babysitter, right?" Rei sounded more serious.
"Yes …" Nanako's voice was difficult to describe. If Rei had to guess it was a mixture of nervousness and unease.
"I'm not against it." Rei told Nanako, "You'll have to give me more of a heads up though. I'm pretty busy, so I'll need to set time aside." Rei emphasized, "The activities I do with my friends are really important. And I mean really important. So I'll need to make sure everything is okay. Try to keep that in mind and give me more than one day you'd like to set this up. Then, I'll tell you what works, and you can make a decision." Rei winked, "Okay?"
Nanako nodded, "Okay."
Rei made an additional request, "Oh and try to keep in mind that I have a camping trip in a few weeks. So you're gonna need to do this either a few days before or after it, okay?"
"All right." Nanako replied.
"Good." Rei advised, "Talk to your friend, and we'll plan it from there."
"I'll do it." Nanako stated.
"That's my girl." Rei proudly stated, "Now, how about we enjoy this spaghetti. I'd say it's cooled down enough, so it won't make our mouth's steam."
"Okay, Big Sis." Nanako replied.
/
Date: Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Location: Inaba – Elementary School
Weather: Cloudy
The following day Nanako didn't waste any time finding Yuuta in class. Before class began, she saw Yuuta was sitting at his desk and ran up to him.
In her usual enthusiasm, Nanako greeted him with, "Hey, Yuuta-chan! I got great news!"
With far less enthusiasm, Yuuta replied, "What is it?"
"My Big Sis told me that she'll be happy to babysit for us, so your mom should be okay with it." Nanako answered.
"Stepmom," Yuuta corrected before inquiring, "When can she do it?"
Nanako clarified, "She was very clear that she has other things that she needs to do like her camping trip in June. She also said we'd need to give her a date ahead of time because she's got a lot to do."
"But she's willing to keep an eye on us if we give her a date even if she's busy?" Yuuta skeptically asked.
"Not just any date." Nanako stated, "She made it clear that there are some days she might not be able to do it. So we need to come up with more than one."
"If you say so." Yuuta replied.
"I do. Let's think of a good day." Nanako asked, "Any ideas?"
"Well …" Yuuta said, "You know that new girl at the daycare I like?"
Nanako replied, "Yeah?"
Yuuta answered, "I know she doesn't come in all the time, but the days she 'can' come in are Monday, Friday, and Saturday as long as they're not rainy. I wonder why she can only come on those days."
"I don't know." Nanako suggested, "Maybe those days are meant for other people."
"Maybe." Yuuta then said, "So I want to come on a day I know she won't be at the daycare."
"Sounds good to me." Nanako happily said.
/
Date: Tuesday, May 31th, 2011
Location: Inaba – Tatsumi Household
Weather: Cloudy
After school ended and before her shift at the Tofu shop, Rei decided to visit Tatsumi Kanji once again. She was alone in his room as she discussed with him the visit that she had with Naoto at work. Kanji remained sitting on the edge of the bed as he listened to what Rei said.
"Sorry, senpai." Kanji sincerely remarked, "I had a feeling she was probably gonna talk to you, but I guess he decided to make a beeline to you."
"You don't have anything to be sorry for." Rei remarked, "I just didn't expect Shirogane-san of all people to pay me a visit at work."
"What'd you tell him?" Kanji asked.
"Nothing special." Rei reiterated, "I just told him how I moved to Inaba recently, and he also asked me about why I'm friends with you."
"He asked that?" Kanji asked which Rei nodded, "What'd you tell him?"
Rei told him, "I showed him a picture of me when I was a kid. That told him the whole story."
"I see …" Kanji inquired, "And that was it?"
"Pretty much." Rei told him, "He ordered more tofu, and apologized for seeming like he was acting out of line or something like that. I told him we were cool."
"That's good." Kanji sounded relieved.
"Me too." Rei returned the sentiment.
"By the way, Senpai." Kanji said, "There is something I have been curious about."
Rei raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?"
"You were born with that hair." Kanji made a few inquiries, "Do you know why? Did your parents have silver hair, too?"
Rei shook her head, "Nope. They both have standard Japanese dark hair."
"Then," Kanji asked the obvious question, "why do you have silver hair?"
Rei shrugged her shoulders, "Not a clue."
Kanji asked, "They never told you?"
"Not really." Rei scoffed as she stated, "My parents would tell me that it's something like a mutation or something."
"Mutation?" Kanji was rather dumbfounded as he remarked, "This isn't X-men. Why would they tell you something like that?"
"Because they're probably right …" Rei added, "In their own way."
Kanji crossed his arms as he inquired, "What is that supposed to mean?"
"If you want to get technical, mutations actually can be something like …" Rei hesitantly pointed to her hair, "… this. It's not always easy to explain what or how it happens," Rei looked down as she said, "but science can be funny like that."
"Hysterical." Kanji remarked in a deadpan tone before then asking, "Did something happen when your mom was pregnant with you?"
That caused Rei to look up, "What?"
"I've heard about how kids can look different depending on what happened when their mom is pregnant with them. Do you know if anything happened to your mom?"
"…" Rei was momentarily stunned by this rather 'interesting' question. It was something that she had honestly never considered before as she slowly responded, "I … Don't know …"
"Would you're Uncle know?" Kanji quickly followed up with, "He is related to one of you, right?"
Rei lightly bit her lip before answering, "He's my mother's little brother."
"There you go." Kanji pointed out, "Maybe he might know something. Sounds like he might be more willing to give you a straight answer than your parents."
"Hmm … Maybe …" Rei didn't sound convinced.
It was easy for Kanji to pick up on as he asked, "Something wrong?"
"No I just …" Rei admitted, "I just hadn't thought about it that much."
Kanji seemed rather perplexed as he asked, "Why not?"
Rei began twirling the ends of her hair with her right pointer finger as she told Kanji, "When my parents told me my hair was a 'mutation', I just want along with it. I just figured they were right and moved on. I mean … silver hair … It's not right …"
"Senpai …" Kanji said in exasperation.
"No I means …" Rei attempted to correct herself, "I mean it's not natural. How would it not be a 'mutation' Maybe it's a 'mutation' is the reason why I have my powers. Everything seems fine like that … I just … I … um …"
Kanji bluntly said, "Sounds like you're sacred."
"Wha … What?" Rei was caught off guard as she defensively asked, "What're you talking about? I'm not scared. Anything but …"
"Hmm …" Kanji corrected himself, "Maybe 'scared' isn't the right word."
Rei inquired, "Then, what is the word?"
"Hmm …" Kanji considered it for a few moments before stating, "On second thought, maybe it is scared … Wait. Nervous, maybe? Maybe it's nervous." Kanji nodded his head as he settled, "Yeah. I think you're nervous."
Rei asked the obvious question, "Nervous about what?"
"I don't know. You tell me …" Kanji lightly chuckled as he sheepishly said, "I feel smart for just getting this far."
Rei had no idea what to say next. All she could muster was, "I …"
"It's okay to feel nervous about things." Kanji assured her, "You accepted me for things no one else would. I'm not going to call you a coward for feeling nervous about something."
Rei then said, "It's not that I … I just … I don't know … If you know my Uncle, he's not the easiest person to talk to. I really pissed him off the other day."
Kanji asked, "What happened?"
"I um …" Rei nervously said, "It is kind of hard …"
"Hmph. Fine …" Kanji then asked, "Is there anything you can tell me?"
"I guess you could say …" Rei admitted, "if you think I'd get nervous talking to my uncle about anything, you're right."
"That's …" Kanji began to speak only to pause and say, "Yeah, sure. The cops can be a real pain."
"…" Rei silently nodded.
Kanji then asked, "So what now?"
Rei sighed as she scratched the back of her head, "I guess I could try talking to him at some point…. Can't really be sure when …" Rei trailed off.
Kanji bluntly remarked, "Sounds like a tough person to live with."
"Yeah …" Rei then held up her hands as she told him, "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to him for giving me a place to stay, but it's just things are a little …" Rei took a moment to consider the right word, "inconsistent."
"Inconsistent?" Kanji repeated the word as he raised an eyebrow. He inquired, "What do you mean?"
"I feel like he means well …" Rei corrected herself, "At least, I think he does, but in general he's 'inconsistent'. Half the time, he treats me the way I imagined an Uncle should. Other times, he feels like kind of off or even cold."
This only raised Kanji's curiosity as he was on the edge of the bed, "How so?"
"Well … hmm …" Rei then snapped her fingers, "I think I got it. Let's put it this way. When Hanamura-san brought weapons to the food court …"
"He did what?!" Kanji nearly shouted absentmindedly.
Rei repeated, "He brought weapons to the Junes food court."
Kanji asked in disbelief, "That was him?"
"Yeah …" Rei awkwardly transitioned, "Anyway, I had to keep telling my Uncle that I had no idea that Hanamura-san was gonna do that. I then had to play the whole 'Hanamura-san wasn't thinking' card." Rei explained, "I told him how he and Konishi-senpai were friends and her death really affected him, so he wasn't thinking clearly."
"I see …" Kanji then remarked, "That must've been a tough conversation."
"Ugh …" Rei groaned, "That's putting it mildly." Rei scratched the back of her head, "Anyway, I guess that he's probably worried about me, but even though I had nothing to do with that, it was as if he thought I was partly to blame, and that did not sit well with me."
Kanji concurred, "That wouldn't sit well with me either."
"Anyway," Rei considered her words as she said, "if you'd want me to sum up my relationship with him, it would be 'awkward' I guess. He seems nice, but he's also kind of intimidating, and he's suspicious about everything. I get he's a detective, but it's like he's trying to find something wrong with me half the time …"
"I see …" Kanji didn't have much to add.
"Now back to what exactly happened … There's also the fact that I think I might've …" Rei glanced away as she admitted, "I think I pissed off my Uncle enough to want nothing to do with me."
Kanji was astonished, "Are you serious? What happened?"
Rei then told him, "It goes back to our mutual friend, Shirogane-san."
"What about him?" Kanji inquired.
"Yeah …" Rei explained the situation as best as she could, "My Uncle is a hard worker, and he's dedicated to doing his job for the police. I really respect that. I honestly do."
"…" Kanji remained silent as he knew the meat of the problem was coming.
"As you know, he does work for this murder investigation, and he apparently has other things to do. Because of that workload, he doesn't spend a lot of time with his daughter. He even cancelled the time off he was going to spend with her. I was hoping to do something about that." Rei then said, "I thought maybe he could use a little help. Plus, I'm a big fan of Shirogane-san's work, so I thought maybe he could be that help."
"Ah …" Kanji seemed to understand what Rei was getting that as he rhetorically asked, "Your Uncle didn't take that well, did he?"
Rei shook her head, "Nope. I think he's been doing his best to avoid me because he can't stand to be around me."
"No way." Kanji rejected that notion, "That can't be true."
"I would hope not, but …" Rei glanced away as he said, "if he really feels that way I wouldn't be surprised. We haven't really talked to each other in days."
"That's no good." Kanji offered, "Would you like some help?"
"Thanks, but …" Rei sighed, "about that … my Uncle doesn't exactly know I'm friends with you. Chances are he'll probably get pissed when he finds out."
Kanji sarcastically remarked, "Like that's a surprise."
"I appreciate the offer, but …" Rei attempted to politely reject the proposal.
"No." Kanji rejected the rejection as he stated, "You don't have to be a lone wolf in this. You can let me help you."
"…" Rei was briefly taken aback. However, rather than continue what she was saying she simply said, "Okay. If we ever have to deal with him, let me do the talking."
Kanji asked, "Are you sure you want to push your luck?"
"I've been pushing it for years." Rei then stated, "Besides, my parents are paying him to put me up, so I don't have much to lose."
Kanji softly said, "Rei-senpai …"
"Don't fret on it …" Rei smiled she told him, "If I can't defuse the situation, you can run and leave me behind. I won't fault you for that."
Kanji immediately shook his head, "I won't do that …"
"Heh," Rei playfully remarked, "That'll take a lot of courage. I'll make sure to treat you to big meal if that ever happens."
Kanji declared, "I don't care if you're kidding. I'm gonna hold you to that."
/
Date: Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
Location: Inaba Police Station
Weather: Cloudy
It was yet another night at the Inaba police station. Things were relatively quiet, but there were several police officers moving around. Unlike the ones that were moving around, Ryotaro remained anchored at this desk looking through documents. With dried, empty cups scattered on the desk and half closed eyes, he seemed as if he would pass out at his desk.
When one of this fellow officers stopped by his desk, Ryotaro didn't bother looking up when he asked, "What is it, Tsukuda?"
"You knew it was me?" Rather than answering Ryotaro's question or letting Ryotaro respond, Tsukuda rhetorically asked, "Working late again, Dojima-san?"
Ryotaro didn't bother looking up from his desk as he said, "Pretty much."
Tsukuda crossed his arms as he remarked, "Well aren't you a model officer for us all."
Ryotaro sighed as he glanced up, "What do you want?"
"Nothing. Just wanted to have a friendly chat." Tsukuda grinned as he stated, "I'm sure you can spare a couple of minutes. I heard a rumor that might catch your interest."
"Fine." Ryotaro sat up straight and asked, "What is this rumor?"
Tsukuda inquired, "Have you heard of the Midnight Channel?"
"The Midnight Channel?" Ryotaro repeated the words as he thought about it. "Hmm … The name sounds vaguely familiar. What is it?"
Tsukuda answered, "I heard it's some sort of supernatural channel on the TV that will allow you to see your soulmate."
"…" Ryotaro put down what he was doing and stared at the man for a few moments before voicing his skepticism, "Soulmate?" Ryotaro brushed his hand into his hair as he said, "Thanks but no thanks. I'm not that desperate. Besides, I'm not even looking for anyone."
Tsukuda simply said, "Just repeating what I heard from my son. He told me about out it was giving him some kind of mixed signal."
"Mixed signals?" Ryotaro raised an eyebrow then inquired, "What exactly is that suppose to mean?"
"I haven't seen it for myself, but my son thinks this is for real." Tsukuda then answered, "He told me that on certain nights when the TV is off, someone will appear on the screen."
"What?" Ryotaro asked in a dumbfounded tone.
"He says he's seen different people on it." Tsukuda held up three fingers, "He said he's seen three different people on there. Two of them were girls and now he's seen a guy. He's been pretty bummed out by the last one."
"I see …" That was all Ryotaro could say.
Tsukuda could see that he was losing his audience as he said, "Well, it sounded interesting when I heard about it."
Ryotaro remarked, "You're better off just forgetting about it. It's just some kinda childish fantasy."
Tsukuda shrugged, "You're right. It was my fault for letting my imagination run wild, but there was something else interesting my son told me about."
At this point, Ryotaro was keeping his head propped up with his fist as he asked, "Okay, what is it?"
Tsukuda stated, "I heard some of the people who went missing, such as Amagi Yukiko, appeared on that channel around the time they disappeared."
"Wha …" That did catch Ryotaro's attention as he sat up straight, "What was that?"
"I was saying that my son saw at least one of the kids who went missing was also on the Midnight Channel." Tsukuda added, "Like I said, I haven't seen it myself, but it would be pretty spooky if it was true. Pretty interesting right?"
"Where did your son hear about this 'Midnight Channel' from?" Ryotaro inquired.
"I asked him." Tsukuda stated, "It was just word on the street. I'm pretty sure it was a bunch of high school students who were spreading that around to sound important or something."
"Of course, they were." Dojima put his elbow on his desk and rested his head on his fist as he sarcastically remarked, "That sounds perfectly credible."
"Just telling you what I heard." Tsukuda suggested, "I bet your niece has heard of it. Could you imagine her trying to find her true love with it?"
"Ugh …" Ryotaro groaned, "Don't try putting that thought in my head."
"Sorry, sir." Tsukuda stated, "But still it would be quite fascinating if this was real."
"That's exactly what those kids want you to think by spreading around those rumors." Ryotaro put his foot down as he stated, "They want these kidnappings and murders to sound like something out of an anime or a video game. They just want things to be more interesting."
"You might have a point." Tsukuda then said, "Good talk. I'm gonna get back to work."
Ryotaro picked up his papers as he stated, "You do that."
/
After Tsukuda made himself scarce from Ryotaro's sight, he passed by Ryotaro's partner, Tohru Adachi. They simply glanced at each other as they passed by. Adachi was holding two cups of coffee in his hands as he asked, "What were you guys talking about?"
Ryotaro didn't look up as he answered dismissively, "Just about some odd rumors. Nothing important."
"I see." Adachi then placed the coffee by Ryotaro as he said, "Here's your coffee."
"Thanks." Ryotaro didn't waste any time to grab it and began drinking.
"I have some news, sir." Ryotaro placed his coffee down, and his eyes were on Adachi as he informed him, "I can confirm that that Shirogane Naoto is definitely hanging around Inaba."
"Hmm …" Ryotaro leaned back and crossed his arms.
"Didn't your niece tell you that the Detective Prince was here?" Adachi then asked, "You didn't think she was lying, were you?"
"No." Ryotaro then leaned forward to his desk as he said, "I was hoping she was somehow mistaken."
Adachi then asked, "Well, she's not so what now?"
"The boss wasn't exactly thrilled by this, but I do know he'd be even more pissed if I didn't tell him when I did." Ryotaro combed his hand through his hair as he remarked, "My niece put me into a real awkward situation."
Adachi frowned as he said, "The lesser of the two evils, huh?"
Ryotaro concurred, "Pretty much."
"I don't get why it's a problem, sir?" Adachi pointed out, "We're kind of at a standstill with the case. Wouldn't brining in someone with fresh eyes help lead to a breakthrough?" Ryotaro was looking at Adachi as he then sheepishly said while scratching the back of his head, "I'm pretty sure I heard something like that. Couldn't your niece been thinking like that? She clearly meant well."
"She was …" Ryotaro glanced away as he conceded, "Maybe …"
"I thought so." Adachi then said, "It's not like she'd do anything to hurt you." Adachi added, "Not intentionally."
"No …" Ryotaro hesitantly replied, "She's not the type of person."
"Then, why don't you get along with her better?" Adachi bluntly asked.
"You think I don't?" Ryotaro sounded genuinely surprised.
"A little." Adachi then bluntly asked, "You and your sister don't like each other, right?"
"What?" Ryotaro was taken aback as his words stumbled, "What're yo- I never said that."
"No," Adachi then stated, "but I kinda figured you didn't based on how you treat, Rei-chan." Adachi grinned as he pointed out, "And you get a little tense whenever you sister gets brought up."
Ryotaro reflexively defended himself, "I don't treat her badly."
"I'm not saying you're treating her terribly or anything. It's just I think you come off as a little … What's the word … um … cold." Adachi snapped his fingers, "That's it. Cold."
"Cold?" That was a word that Ryotaro wasn't expecting. "You think I'm 'cold' to her?"
Adachi simply answered, "I know you care about her, but something feels off, don't you think?"
Ryotaro leaned back on his chair as he admitted, "Maybe …"
"In that case, maybe you can try making up with her." Adachi suggested, "Talk to her or something? You've just been avoiding her, right?"
"You know …" Ryotaro stood up as he told Adachi, "It's moments like these I 'almost' forget about how you threw up at a crime scene."
"Come on, sir." Adachi defensively said, "It was just one time."
"One time too many, but you do have a point." Ryotaro then said.
"Of course, I do." Adachi seemed rather proud of himself and even felt that he was on a roll as he suggested, "Maybe you should ask how she did on those exams. That should be a good conversation starter."
"You're just full of good ideas today, aren't you?" Ryotaro almost sounded impressed.
"I'm on a roll, sir." Adachi grinned as he repeated, "I'm on a roll."
/
Date: Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
Location: Dojima Household
Weather: Mix of Cloudy and Rain
The following day Rei received a text message from her Uncle informing her that he would be coming to the household at a 'reasonable' time. He would want to have a chat with her after they had dinner. Rei made it a point to inform Kanji about this upcoming encounter, and he wished her luck. Rei attempted to put the thought of the upcoming talk out of her head by spending some time with her friends, but she could only bury it so far. The thought came back.
As Rei was walking home, her mind was lost in thought. She had no idea what was going to be the outcome of this talk or what direction it could go. On reflex, she had her hand on her mouth. It looked as if she was attempting to stop herself from getting sick before she felt something land on her head that created another distraction for her.
What started off as a cloudy day quickly turned sour by the darkening skies. Rain began to pour from the heavens. She was fortunate to have had an umbrella with her at the time. She couldn't help but feel that this weather matched how she was feeling as she heard the rain drops land on her umbrella. Part of her wanted to move faster to get out of this storm while the other part wished to prolong her trip home. In the end, she ended up running to the Dojima Household, and she got there not a moment too soon.
After Rei got home, she received her normal greeting from Nanako. Nanako was fortunate enough to have gotten home before the rain, so she was perfectly fine. Rei on the other hand would need to get changed into more casual clothing and get her uniform cleaned. She was able to quickly take care of that before her Uncle arrived.
When her Uncle came back with TV dinners, Nanako was ecstatic as usual that he was home. She was able to let Nanako do most of the talking. That was until her Uncle asked her a specific question.
Ryotaro asked, "By the way, Rei, I forgot to ask how you did in your midterms. You did get the result back, right?"
"Yes." That was the only word Rei answered with.
"What did you get?" Ryotaro asked.
"Well um …" Rei answered, "I did pretty good." Rei was then nodding her head as she repeated, "Yeah. My grades were good."
"Glad to hear it, but I'd like some specifics." Ryotaro remarked as he tapped the table.
"Big Sis was in the top ten!" Nanako blurted out.
"Really?" Ryotaro raised an eyebrow. "The top ten?" Ryotaro looked at Rei and inquired, "Is this true?"
Rei nodded, "Yes."
"Why didn't you say so?" Ryotaro asked.
"Well …" Rei took a moment to say, "I plan on making it to number one next time, so it won't matter."
"Number one, huh?" Ryotaro remarked before continuing to eat, "You sound like your mother."
"…" Rei didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Nanako was there.
"Isn't Big Sis awesome, Dad?" Nanako cheerfully said.
"Yes, she's pretty awesome." Ryotaro replied, "You should be proud of yourself, Rei."
"Yeah …" Rei simply said, "I'm happy."
/
After dinner was finished, Rei and Ryotaro moved over to the kitchen table while Nanako was watching television. One of her favorite programs was on, so she was completely engrossed in it. She wouldn't be there to cause any interference this time. It was only Rei and Ryotaro this time. Rei took a breath before they began talking.
"So you managed to get into the top ten of your class?" When Rei merely nodded, Ryotaro stated in a matter of fact tone, "I meant what I said. That's impressive."
"Thank you." Rei then declared, "If you think that's impressive, I'll really show you when I become number one in the finals."
"You really are confident." Ryotaro almost seemed in awe of that.
"I've been number one before, so it's not just confidence. It's a promise." Rei held up one finger, "I will be number one."
"Well, I'll be rooting for you. In the meantime," Ryotaro reached for his pocket and pulled out his wallet, "here's a little reward for our hard word."
"Huh?" Rei glanced down at what Ryotaro was doing, and her eyes widened when he pulled out some cash. She looked up and asked, "You're giving me a reward?"
"Yes." Ryotaro put his wallet away as he held out the cash. "You've been working hard. I knew you were a hard worker between your jobs and trying to set up that karate club with your friends. However, you exceeded my expectations, and I think that deserves a reward." He then held out the cash closer to Rei.
"I …" Rei looked at the cash dangling in front of her like she was a fish staring at a worm before then looking to her Uncle, "I didn't work hard to get rewards."
Ryotaro merely told her, "I know, but I'm happy to give it to you."
Rei glanced at her Uncle once more who merely nodded his head. That caused Rei to have a smile as she accepted money. "Thanks." On a whim, Rei's arms opened up and encircled her Uncle as she repeated, "Thank you so much."
"…" While Rei couldn't see her Uncle's face, his brief silence did not go unnoticed by her. She figured he must've been surprised before he patted her back, "You earned it, Rei. Also, I appreciate how you've been keeping Nanako company."
"Hmm …" Rei concurred as she let go of him, "Nanako-chan is a good kid. Very mature for her age."
"She gets that from …" Ryotaro trails off before he could finish.
Rei seemed to pick up the trail as she inquired, "Her mother?"
Ryotaro's only response was, "If you don't mind …"
Rei immediately decided to back off this time, "Of course not. Thanks a lot of for the money. I'll put it to good use."
"Be sure you do." When Ryotaro told Rei that, she could feel things were 'better'. That also softened the blow for what he said next, "Now about the real reason I wanted to talk to you. I'm sure you already know."
"…" Rei felt her stomach sink as she merely nodded her head.
Ryotaro glanced over to Nanako whose eyes were glued to the TV screen. He then said in a low voice, "Things may have gotten a little 'heated' last time. I may have overreacted."
"…" Rei's jaw was slightly agape, but she said nothing.
"When you told me about Shirogane Naoto, I became upset." Ryotaro admitted, "I probably should've handled that better."
Rei merely asked, "Wasn't I wrong?"
Ryotaro then asked, "You thought you were wrong?"
"I don't know …" Rei admitted, "I didn't think I was wrong at first, but then … I mean … I kind of thought maybe I did something I wasn't supposed to? That's what I thought."
Ryotaro asked the obvious question, "You didn't mean to cause any trouble, right?"
Rei answered, "No."
Ryotaro further inquired, "This Detective Prince was already investigating the killings before you met, right?"
"That's what he said." Rei answered.
"I see." Ryotaro then stated, "In that case, chances are, he would've come to use at some point anyway. Even if you sped up the time table, that's irrelevant.
Rei hesitantly asked, "Is that so?"
Ryotaro reiterated, "You did mean well, right?"
"Yes and no." Rei could see her Uncle raise an eyebrow, so she quickly explained, "It's true I'm a fan of the Detective Prince, but I was hoping he could help you. You've been way too busy with all the stuff you'd been doing, and this hasn't been easy. You …" Rei lightly bit her lip, "I really don't want to say it, but …"
Ryotaro leaned on the table, "Yes?
Rei just came out and said it, "You really let Nanako-chan down during Golden Week."
"…" Ryotaro moved his head back as he wordlessly listened.
Rei shook her head before continuing, "I did the best I could, but it wasn't enough. Nanako-chan likes me, but let's face it. She's only known me for two months. Less than that. She's known you for her entire life. She's mature for her age, and she understands that you're busy, but she's only … She's just a kid, man. I just want you to spend more time together ... I was kinda hoping …"
Ryotaro finished the thought, "Having the Detective Prince on board could make that happen?"
"Basically, yeah …" Rei looked back to see Nanako wasn't paying attention to them as she then said, "I honestly didn't think you'd get upset. I didn't think about anything like that."
"It's fine, Rei." Ryotaro assured his niece, "It's fine. I don't have any problem with this." He corrected himself, "Not anymore. I appreciate the thought. I really do."
"So …" Rei then hesitantly asked, "You're really not upset anymore? Really?"
"No, it's fine." Ryotaro emphasized, "We're fine."
"That's good …" Rei scratched the back of her head as she admitted, "To be honest, I was a little worried."
"Is that so?" Ryotaro then stated, "You don't have to be."
Things got a little awkwardly silent between the two. Eventually, Rei excused herself and sat next to Nanako in the den. Nanako seemed happy to have someone else to watch her anime with. Ryotaro on the other hand remained in the kitchen and watched the two cousins turned 'sisters' sitting next to each other and enjoying each other's company.
/
Date: Friday, June 3rd, 2011
Location: Inaba – Tatsumi Household
Weather: Rain
The following day with the daycare job cancelled that day, Rei paid another visit to Kanji after school. They could both hear the rain coming down hard outside. When Rei looked out the window from Kanji's room, she couldn't help but muse, "This would be a day the Midnight Channel would come on."
"It only comes on during rainy days?" Kanji asked.
"Yep." Rei then said, "Anyway, I know you're curious about what happened."
Kanji was more than happy to listen to Rei, especially after he had managed to recover significantly. He was able to stand on his own two feet without any help, but he still felt a little wobbly. However, rather than sitting on the edge of his bed, they sat across from each other by the little table in his room.
After listening to what Rei had to say, Kanji simply remarked, "Wow. That sounds like it went better than I could've expected. Glad your talk to your Uncle went so well."
Rei replied, "About as well as I could hope. Anyway, I still don't feel comfortable asking him any of those questions, so don't even ask."
Kanji shrugged, "Fair enough."
"Now, how about you?" Rei stated, "You think you'll be ready to come back to school on Monday?"
"Oh yeah." Kanji flexed his arm as he said, "I can feel it. I'm really starting to get stronger now."
Rei looked at Kanji and nodded, "That's good."
"I knew you weren't kidding about what you told me before." Kanji held up and flexed his hand as he remarked, "I do feel stronger, but I do feel a 'little' off. How bad is it?"
Rei replied, "I can't say other than maybe you'll be a little on the slow side. I'll have to see you in action."
Kanji sighed, "I guess there really isn't a better way to get to the bottom of it, huh?"
Rei asked, "Are you angry?"
"No, I …" Kanji looked down as he said, "Maybe a little …"
Rei softly said, "I'm sorry."
Kanji looked up and told her, "I'm not pissed off at you. I'm just … frustrated."
Rei then asked, "Anything I can do?"
Kanji shook his head, "I don't know … I …" Kanji rubbed his forehead as he told Rei, "My Shadow said a bunch of stuff about me, and I … I feel …"
Rei decided to finish for him, "Insecure?"
"…" Kanji lightly bit his lip before admitting, "… I guess. I mean. You guys got to know a lot about me, and I … I just …"
"I get it." Rei bluntly stated, "You hate how we got to see your dirty laundry."
A blush was on Kanji's face, "I wouldn't say those words … exactly …"
"But you basically mean that." Rei rhetorically asked, "Right?"
"Yeah …" Kanji admitted.
"Well … You already know I was born with this hair, and I'm into some …" Rei glanced to the left then to the right before saying in a low voice, "night activities."
"…" Kanji remained silent as he listened.
"I can tell you a few things about the others." Rei offered.
"Wait. You're gonna tell me personal stuff about your team?" Kanji then asked, "Are you sure that's cool?"
"None of this is really a secret. Not anymore." Rei assured him. "Teddie loves bringing up what happened to Amagi-san."
"Really?" Kanji raised an eyebrow. "Sucks to be her."
"Yeah." Rei stated, "You see when Amagi-san was thrown in to the TV, her Shadow wanted a 'hot stud' for a boyfriend. Teddie's been trying to understand what exactly a hot stud is ever since. I tried explaining it to him, but I'm still not sure if he gets it."
"Huh?" Kanji was even more curious, "So what exactly did Yukiko's Shadow do?"
Rei briefly puffed up her lips and swallowed them before answering, "I'd rather not get into all the details, but the short version is that she didn't want to inherit the Inn, and she was hoping a hot stud was her means to escape. Like a prince coming to save a princess."
"I see …" Kanji took a moment to process, "You know what … that doesn't surprise me."
"You see." Rei reminded, "Not really a secret. Anyway, Satonaka's Shadow mocked her for being jealous of Amagi-san among other things."
"What other things?" Kanji asked.
"Not something I should tell you." Rei replied.
"Oh." Kanji left it at that.
"Anyway," Rei then stated, "I'm not gonna tell you what. Hanamura's Shadow said, but I can confirm something you might've heard about him."
Kanji was leaning forward, "What's that?"
Rei grinned as she told him, "He's terrible at riding his bike."
Kanji asked in a dumbfounded tone, "He really crashed into things?"
"Heh." Rei chuckled, "I had pull him out of a trash bin."
If Kanji was drinking something, he would have spit it out as he asked, "Seriously?"
Rei nodded, "Yep. That's one of the many reasons we became friends." Rei curtly added, "I'm sure saving his life helped."
"I bet. Kanji chuckled as he marveled, "Wow …" Kanji glanced away as he simply said, "I didn't expect that."
Rei asked, "You feeling any better?"
Kanji chuckled as he replied, "A little yeah …"
Rei leaned on the table as she assured him, "We all have our problems and secrets. It's not just you."
Kanji nodded, "Yeah, I get it."
Rei's leaned further into the table as she told him, "I can help you get through your problems."
Kanji leaned back as he told her, "That's nice of you. Almost seems too good to be true."
Rei moved back and held up her hands as she told him, "You got me. I never said it was for free."
Kanji raised an eyebrow as he asked, "You want me to pay you like some kind of therapist?"
"Hell no." Rei pointed out, "We already agreed on my compensation, remember?"
Kanji was completely taken aback, "We did?"
"Yep." Rei grinned, "You're gonna teach me how to sew."
Kanji tilted his head, "That's it?"
"I think it's a fair deal. I listen to you while you teach a new life skill that'll probably help me out." Rei held out her hand and asked, "Is that a deal?"
"…" Kanji took a moment before reaching out, "It's a deal."
The two of them shook hands, and the deal was made. At the same time, Rei could hear the sound of shattering glass in her head. She smiled as she knew what that meant.
/
Author Notes: There were more scenes with Kanji and Nanako in this chapter. I always like writing the developing bond Rei has with both of them.
I more or less hinted that Kanji would be upgraded to the main cast rather quickly a long time ago. It has been nice being able to utilize the scenes I had planned for him. Similar to what I've previously written, I have had a number of these scenes planned out in advanced, such as his reaction to Rei thinking her hair was a mutation. I figured that Kanji would be a great confidant to Rei since he would understand how it feels to be an outcast.
For a while, I have been planning on having Nanako forming more of a friendship with Yuuta and learn some cooking tips from Rei. I was able to accomplish both of those in this chapter. I figured it made sense for it to happen now. They have been developing the sister-like bond for a few weeks now, and Nanako definitely trusts Rei the most. She'll listen to what Rei has to say, and she will believe it because Rei has a proven track record.
On another note, I've been meaning to give Chie and Yukiko a scene with Yukiko asking Chie about their lack of communication in regards to the midterm tutoring for a while. However, I was having a difficult time placing it. I didn't want to exclude the scene since I'm not a fan of the 'aborted arc' trope. I decided that this chapter would be a fine place to have it to check it off the list.
I hate it when it seems like they're setting us up for something only to then forget or ignore it. While this wasn't a situation like that, I didn't want to leave Yukiko's feelings unresolved. This scene helped put a nice Band-Aid on it. Problems can be resolved, and Yukiko can move on. Hopefully, they'll have better communication in the future.
As I mentioned in the earlier author notes, I was hoping that people would be interested in reading the story for entertainment and leaving reviews. It was disappointing, but understandable that some people might not be able to or not be in the mood given the present circumstance. This is why I have decided to temporarily halt any future chapter releases for the immediate future. As of this moment, I still plan on releasing a new chapter for the Anniversary in July 2020. Hopefully, things will be better when that release date comes.
As usual, I hope you enjoyed reading the story and please leave a review. Stay safe, and I'll see you next time.