Kyoko and Yosuke had got on the train, before getting off at Okina Station. Going down the stairs, they entered Okina City, a place far more expansive than Inaba.

"Man... It's been a while since I breathed this kind air!" Yosuke held up his arms and took in a deep breath. "Y'know, I'm just a poor little city boy drawn to that urban scent."

"Even though the air's far more polluted here..." Kyoko noted.

"Wait a minute..." Yosuke said, not hearing her. "Am I starting to sound like Teddie?"

Kyoko put a hand under her chin and walked around Yosuke briefly in a circle. After observing him, she snapped her fingers.

"My detective analysis says... you're getting hairier, Yosuke Hanamura." She declared, pointing at him.

Yosuke faked shock. "Now that you mention it, the foam in my facial soap this morning had...! H-Hey, you're making me scare myself! Man, I knew it was a joke, but the way you said it made me start thinking it for real!"

Yosuke laughed as Kyoko smiled.

"Well, that aside, what should we-" Yosuke's phone started buzzing. "Oh, a text message."

He pulled out his phone and sighed. "More spam..."

Kyoko looked surprised as Yosuke simply put his phone away.

"Looks like someone got my address." He said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I get a lot of spam."

"Why don't you block them?" Kyoko asked. She herself had received many constant spam messages in the past, but it was always a simple block and move on.

"Well, even when I do, they change domains, so there's no point." Yosuke explained. "And I don't wanna change my address either..."

Sighing again, he looked up at her. "I haven't changed addresses since before we moved to Inaba. I mean, I might get a text from someone. It's hard to call, y'know? If I called people just to tell them my number changed, they'd get annoyed. And some of them never planned to text me anyways."

"Quite the dilemma." Kyoko noted.

"Oh but hey, don't look at me like I don't have any friends!" Yosuke said, before trailing off. "Though to tell you the truth, I don't remember what we all used to talk about. Can't really call 'em friends..."

Kyoko remembered the times she had with her own friends back at Hope's Peak Academy, before Yosuke continued.

"Inaba suits me just fine. Plus... I got something I need to do there." He turned and grinned at her. "I'm counting on ya, partner!"

Kyoko nodded and smiled, returning the sentiment. The sound of shattering glass indicated that she had gotten closer to Yosuke.

"Well, with that in mind, should we head back?" Yosuke suggested. "It'd suck if something happened back there while we were over here!"

"I think we should pick up some souvenirs for everyone back home first." Kyoko suggested.

"Oh hey, that's a great idea!" Yosuke agreed. "Let's get everyone a souvenir, then go home!"

The two then spent the rest of their time looking through the various stores the big city had. They didn't mean to spend so much time there, but they will admit they got a bit carried away.

She didn't know how it had happened, but she found herself hanging out with Yosuke again today. Chie had called in saying that she was going to check up on Yukiko, so that just left the two of them in the Junes food court.

"Handing out with you here every so often isn't that bad." Yosuke said.

"Even though we did do that just yesterday..." Kyoko lampshaded.

"Anyways, even if we're short on cash, we can get a little discount here." Yosuke said. "Though there's a small price to pay in exchange for that."

Kyoko was about to ask Yosuke what the small price to pay was, before a voice called out. "Oh, there you are, Hanamura!"

Yosuke groaned. "And here comes an example."

Two girls walked up to them, confronting Yosuke.

"Hello there Senpai. What's wrong today?" Yosuke asked, with a voice implying that this was common.

"You better say something to that blockhead manager! I told him I can't come in on Saturdays or Sundays!" Said a girl with a gaudy fashion sense. "But he's saying I have to be here since we're low on staff. And if I don't, he'll fire me!"

As a snooty student asked if it was against the law, Kyoko was really trying not to point out that the girl just sounded very lazy and self-entitled.

"Er, but... Didn't you guys say you could work weekends during your interviews?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, yeah. They wouldn't hire us if we didn't!"

Kyoko was pretty sure that lying in a job interview was worse than what the manager was saying.

Yosuke sighed. "Alright, I got it. I'll try talking with him. But you don't want to get fired, right? It'd make it easier for me to strike a deal if you could show up every now and then on weekends..."

"...We'll think about it." The gaudy student said.

"You'd better do it, 'kay?" Said the snooty student.

Yup. Definitely self-entitled. Kyoko thought as they walked away.

"Oh, Yosuke-kun, just the man I was looking for." Came another voice.

"Ohhh. Hi." Yosuke said without enthusiasm, as a woman walked up.

"Hear me out! Remember that claim I had the other day? Well, the head butcher said-"

"A-Alright, alright. Let's talk over there." Yosuke said, trying to diffuse the situation. He turned to Kyoko. "Sorry, Kyoko. Could you give me a minute?"

Kyoko gave him a nod of understanding as Yosuke talked to the employee. After quite some time, Yosuke sat back down at the table.

"Phew, I'm beat... I'm not the complaints department..."

"You were incredible." Kyoko praised. "I doubt even I would be able to withstand that constantly on a daily basis."

"Huh? Nah, it's nothing but trouble!" Yosuke said, though he did sheepishly smile at the compliment. "But geez... Everyone's just trying to take advantage of me as the Junes kid. Maybe I wouldn't mind if I was free, but we have the murders to deal with. I don't have time for this."

He looked up at the sky. "Can the police really handle the killer? Can the law really convict whoever's behind this...? Once I started worrying about that stuff, I knew I couldn't bother with anything else. I have to do what I can..."

"That's the spirit." Kyoko encouraged. "You know, you could make a great detective one day."

"Hey, don't get carried away!" Yosuke said. "You make me feel like I said something crazy."

"We're on the trail of a murderer, Yosuke. I don't think we can get crazier than that."

"...okay, yeah. Guess that's fair." He leaned back, before speaking seriously. "Haha... I never thought I'd be talking about serious stuff like this. Before I moved here, it was all small talk... Stupid, trivial things. I thought that was fine. It's only with you guys that I talk seriously like this. I dunno why, but I feel like I don't have to lie. Especially with you. You've already seen the worst of me and all."

Kyoko didn't say anything as Yosuke continued.

"But well... thinking about it now, if someone had to see that, I'm glad it was you." He admitted. "It's a bit late now, but... thanks for going in with me that time."

Kyoko smiled, as she heard glass shatter. "We're partners, Yosuke. That won't change."

Yosuke nodded, before his stomach grumbled. "Man, I'm getting kinda hungry. Alright, I'll see if I can get a deal with the guy at the counter and try out the Meat Lovers Combo!"

"That... doesn't sound very healthy."

"Hey, you're helping me eat it." He said.

"...pardon?"

Several hours later, Kyoko was back at home. Looking at the clock in her room, she wondered if she should study, despite there being no upcoming tests at the moment.

But instead, she decided to go out for a night walk. It would help her clear her mind. As she stepped out, she didn't really have any plans for where to go, but just headed to the shopping district.

To her surprise, she found Chie already there. She standing outside of Aiya, looking quite bored.

"Hm? Oh, hey Kyoko!" Chie said, looking up.

"Chie, what are you doing out here?" Kyoko asked.

"Well, I spent most of the day checking up with Yukiko." She said. "After that, I didn't know what to do today, so I came out here. What about you?"

"I just decided to take a bit of a walk." Kyoko said.

"Well, since we're both doing nothing, wanna hang out for a bit?" Chie suggested.

"I don't see the harm in it." Kyoko said. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Well, I bet you don't know much about this place, seeing as how you just transferred and all." Chie said. "Well, there's not much to know. The only thing I can think of is, uhrm, how much nature we have here...? Oh, but the people are really nice! Like, if you lose your wallet, it'll definitely come back to you!"

There was a bit of an awkward silence between them, before they both laughed.

"Man, I sound like a dork, don't I?" Chie said.

"Perhaps." Kyoko said.

"Well, if you're ever in a fix, you can count on me. But you want to ask me anything?"

Kyoko thought back to some of the conversations she's had with the girls back at Hope's Peak Academy. What would be a good question for socializing? She thought hard, before settling on one the others always brought up.

"Is there anyone you like?"

Chie was not expecting that question, to say the least.

"HUH?! ME?!"

"...did I say something wrong?" Kyoko asked.

"N-No! It's just, a question like that from you was a bit sudden." Chie said.

Kyoko vaguely wondered if the girls back at Hope's Peak were laughing right now.

"A-Anyways..." Chie said, changing topics. "Most restaurants here close real early, but Aiya stays open late."

She looked back at the restaurant, before taking a deep sniff.

"I keep getting lured in by the delicious smells from inside... wait, why do you look sick?"

"I... had a little too much to eat earlier." Kyoko said.

"Wait, what did you eat?"

They continued to talk some more, not keeping an eye on the time. Before they realized it, it was even later.

"Whoa, how long have we been talking? I got so caught up in the conversation..." Chie noted.

"Well, we'd both better get home." Kyoko said. "It was nice talking to you."

"Right back at ya, Kyoko!"

The two girls went their separate ways, their bond even closer than before.

Only one thought was going through Yosuke's mind: How did I end up here?

He asked Kyoko if she wanted to hang out for a bit, and jokingly suggested why not head to her room. Before he could say he was joking, Kyoko had already said yes, to his surprise. It was too late for him to say it was a joke.

So that's how it ended up for him. He was standing awkwardly in Kyoko's room, while the girl stared at him.

But to her credit, he was surprised that Kyoko's roomed seemed fairly normal. Almost gender neutral when it comes to design as well. Then again, she did just recently move in, after all.

"Huh, it's pretty clean." Yosuke said, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.

"I try to keep things organized." Kyoko said. "It helps me think."

Yosuke looked into the corner to see that there was a box full of brand new studded gloves. "No kidding."

"Those are just my spares." Kyoko said, following his view.

"But do you really need that many...?"

Thankfully a knock on the door helped ease the tension.

"Are you up there? Have you seen the public notice anywhere?"

"Oh, Nanako-chan's here? Let's let her in." Yosuke said, desperate for someone else to be in the room as well.

"Did you need the public notice for something?" Kyoko asked as her younger cousin walked in.

Nanako shook her head.

"Well, I think it was on the table in the kitchen." Kyoko said.

"Oh, thanks."

"So, you doing anything today, Nanako?" Yosuke asked, starting a conversation.

"Yeah." She nodded. "I'm going to Takeyoshi-kun's house with Miwa-chan and Yo-Chan."

Yosuke looked stunned. "A-A guy's house!?"

Nanako looked confused. "Takeyoshi-kun sits next to me. I'm going to deliver the public notice to him. Miwa-chan said she's going with me because she likes Takeyoshi-kun."

"Because she likes him...?" Kyoko asked.

"M-Man, kids sure are mature these days..." Yosuke said, not sure how to feel about it. "Well, my first love was in first grade too! I've always been ahead of my time."

He looked down. "But, well... I don't really need that in my life right now. It's just not the time... I have something I need to do before that can happen..."

"Homework?" Nanako asked.

"No... Well, maybe it is." Yosuke said, smiling. "You're smart, Nanako-chan!"

Nanako beamed at the complement. "Well, I should go now."

"Alright. Stay safe, okay?" Kyoko said.

Nanako nodded as she left.

"Well, Nanako-chan called it "homework"..." Yosuke said. "Catching the killer, ending the murders, bringing peace to the town... Only we can do it, huh? Let's hand in there. I'm counting on you."

Kyoko nodded, hearing the sound of shattering glass as their bond strengthened.

"So, why do you have that many gloves anyways?"

"Why are we out here?"

Chie had suddenly asked if Kyoko could come with her to the Samegawa riverbank. Chie inspected the area they were in.

"Well, this looks like a good spot." Chie said.

"For what?"

"Y'know, for training! I need to hone my kicking skills, or I won't be able to use them in battle." Chie said. "I tried practicing at home... But my mom and dad yelled at me for putting a hole in the shoji."

Kyoko could only imagine how much of a mess that ended up being.

"Still, now's the time to train, right!?"

"Your logic is honestly sound." Kyoko said.

"Really?"

"Yes. Preparation is honestly the best course of action if we have time available."

Chie smiled. "So with that in mind, let's train together!"

There was bit of a silence.

"Is... that a no?"

Kyoko shook her head. "I do have a bit of martial arts training and self-defense knowledge." She said.

"Whoa, you do? Thanks, Kyoko!" Chie said. The grin on her face looked like it was about to split it in two. But it faded soon after.

"Is something wrong?"

"That thing... Y'know, from that time? I mean, the Shadow that came out of me. I feel pathetic knowing that's another "me."" Chie said. "Makes me feel like I gotta work harder!"

She turned back to Kyoko. "Alllright! Let's do it! Between you and me, we'll be unstoppable!"

"Wait, right now?" Kyoko said, hearing the sound of shattering glass as they grew closer.

"Yeah! We'll start with some frog leaps first!" Chie said. "Come on!"

Kyoko was very thankful that their training spot didn't have any visitors. She made a mental note to herself to wear longer skirts whenever Chie asked to hang out.

It was raining as Kyoko walked to school the next day. The rain splattered against her umbrella.

"Yo, morning!" Chie said, running up.

"Morning."

"Hey hey!" Chie responded. "Yukiko told me that she'll be able to come to school again in two days!"

"That's good."

"Yeah. Oh man, I'm glad. I'm so happy!"

"It was thanks to you we did manage to save her." Kyoko said.

"C'mon, you know it's because all three of us did our best." Chie said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "...Actually, more like the three of us, and one animal-thingy...?"

"That's also fair."

"Also, what happened after I got knocked out for a bit?" Chie asked. "I just remember waking up with you guys around me."

Kyoko didn't respond to that.

"Kyoko?"

"It's nothing." She said, almost coldly.

Chie didn't press on the issue. But could only wonder what baggage her friend had.

Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seem unlikely in the area. The news report said. A thick fog is expected to set in tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area.

Kyoko sipped some tea as she watched the television with Dojima and Nanako.

Anyone planning to go out tonight should take care. Now for our hourly weather breakdown...

"More fog, huh...? There's been a lot of that lately. Hopefully it's not a sign of more trouble." Dojima said from the couch.

Nanako pressed the remote, changing the channel.

"Ah-ah-ah. What did I say about changing the channel without asking?" Dojima chided her, as the TV pulled up a Junes commercial.

Have a great day even during Golden Week at your local Junes! Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! Every day's great at your Junes~!

"Every day's great at your Junes~!" Nanako sang. "Dad! They're going to be open during Golden Week!"

Dojima chuckled. "I heard. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday?"

Nanako looked very surprised. "We can go somewhere?!"

Dojima turned to Kyoko. "How about it? Got any plans yet?"

"My schedule's completely free, Uncle."

"Then let's all go somewhere together!" Nanako said. "Junes! Junes Junes Junes!"

"You're sure you want to go to Junes?" Dojima sweatdropped. "We can go there anytime... Come on, girl, time for bed. It's late."

"Alright." She said, before she started singing the Junes song again, undoubtedly very excited for the family outing.

After she left the room to get ready for bed, Dojima turned to Kyoko.

"Oh yeah, Kyoko. About the autopsy reports..."

"Yes?"

"Sorry, but I don't think I can get them to you anytime soon." He sighed.

"Why? What's the issue?" Kyoko asked. "Is it because I'm not officially working alongside you?"

"No, not that." Dojima said. "They actually wanted to give them to you, with you being the Ultimate Detective and all. The issue is that they're incomplete."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The guys that are filling it out are going nuts about it because for the life of them, they can't figure out the how for both of the cases." Dojima explained. "They said they'll give it to you once they find out what it is, but until then, it's just not possible."

"I completely understand." Kyoko said, turning around and going upstairs.

Dojima looked a bit surprised. He honestly expected a different reaction, but guessed it was because of how Kyoko was far more experienced than one would expect.

Damn, old man. Dojima thought, remembering his late father. You really raised Kyoko that way, huh?

Unbeknownst to Dojima, while part of the reason Kyoko had left was because of her understanding, another was because of the fact that the Midnight Channel would be on tonight. After washing up, she opened the curtain to see that the fog had set in.

Closing them again, she walked back to the television and stared at the screen, the silence growing.

The familiar sickly yellow glow started once again. But aside from that, the screen was completely blank. While it was the expected result, Kyoko couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.

With Yukiko rescued, the killer was thwarted this time. Kyoko admittedly had a sense of fulfilment at saving her, but until the killer was caught...

No. Don't think like that. Kyoko told herself. We saved Yukiko. We'll catch the culprit.

She went to sleep that night, feeling much more at ease than previous nights.

At school the next day, she found someone waiting for her at the gate.

"O-Oh, good morning." Yukiko Amagi greeted.

"Good morning." Kyoko said. "Are you feeling better?"

"Y-Yeah. I'll be coming to school again, so... That'll be nice."

Yukiko looked down.

"I caused everyone some real trouble. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." Kyoko said, shaking her head. "What happened wasn't your fault."

Yukiko agreed with her. ""Sorry" isn't quite right... What I mean to say is, thank you."

While she could have said "It was no problem." Kyoko let Yukiko continue speaking.

"My mother's back to work already. The maids are being really supportive, and I think things are going even smoother than before. I wonder if I was trying to hard..." Yukiko wondered. "I may have been too caught up in the idea that I had to do everything myself. Ever since the incident... I feel like I can think about these things more calmly."

Yukiko blushed a bit, with how much she was opening up to Kyoko. "B-But, it's still kind of embarrassing... You guys saw everything, even the things I didn't want to admit..."

"Don't worry about it. We're not going to hold it over your head." Kyoko reassured.

"Thank you."

"Yukiko!"

The two turned to see Chie waving at them.

"Oh, it's Chie! Well, I'll talk to you later." Yukiko said.

Kyoko nodded, as she walked towards the school building, letting the two best friends talk. The sun was shining, making it basically a perfect day.

After school, Kyoko met up with Yosuke and Chie on the roof. Yukiko walked up to them holding two bowls of cup ramen.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. The soba is yours, right Chie?" She said.

"Thanks!" Chie said, taking her bowl. "Oooh, that smells so goood... These instant noodles are just the thing to help me through club... How much longer do I have to wait on this?"

"It still needs a few minutes." Yukiko said, sitting down next to her.

"So... why're we here?" Chie asked, before remembering. "Oh yeah, we were going to ask Yukiko what happened."

"Yukiko-san, I hate to bring up stuff that you'd rather not think about, but we need to ask you again. Did you recall anything about when you got kidnapped?" Yosuke asked.

"No." Yukiko said, sadly. "I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but as time passes, it only gets hazier..."

"Any small details can help." Kyoko said.

"Well, I think... the doorbell rang at the entrance... and someone called for me..." Yukiko recalled. "But when I woke up after that, I was already in the castle. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize." Chie said. "But... does this mean her visitor is the culprit!?"

"I dunno. If it's true, then that's one daring criminal. What kind of killer would ring the doorbell?" Yosuke argued. "The police are looking for witnesses, but I don't think we can expect much from them. Heh, as if the culprit wore bright yellow clothes at the scene of the crime."

"I wonder why whoever it is would do stuff like this." Chie wondered. "Kyoko, got any insight?"

She shook her head. "There's various reasons behind a criminal's actions. Whether it's for their own gain, because they're forced to, or for their own entertainment."

"We won't know until we confront 'em ourselves." Yosuke said. "But we can be sure of one thing. It's no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place. Someone on our side is definitely kidnapping them and throwing them into the TV. It's murder alright..."

Yosuke then remembered, turning to Yukiko. "Oh yeah, we never told you. Kyoko and I? Are gonna catch the culprit ourselves! The police are out of their league on this case, but we got Personas."

"We're not asking you to join us, as that's completely understandable." Kyoko told Yukiko. "But-"

"Hey, don't forget me, Yosuke!" Chie said, fist in the air. "I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this."

"Chie..." Yukiko thought for a moment, before a look of resolve was on her face. "Let me help too. I want to know why this is happening. Especially if someone hates me so much they want to kill me. I don't want to run away from myself anymore."

"Alright!" Yosuke said, standing up. "Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!"

"Agreed." Yukiko said.

Kyoko smiled as they all started to talk about the case. With the sound of shattering glass implying that they've all grown closer.

"But how're we going to find them?" Chie asked. "We don't have a single lead yet."

"I'm the third one to be targeted so far... But I have a feeling this isn't the end of it." Yukiko theorized. "If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?"

"So we'll outsmart them, huh?" Yosuke said. "Yeah, that might work."

"First, we should find the similarities between the victims." Kyoko said.

"Right. First, there was that announcer, Mayumi Yamano. Second was Saki Konishi... Senpai. Third was Yukiko Amagi." Yosuke listed off. "What do they all have in common?"

"The obvious answer is that they're all women." Kyoko said.

"Pretty easy to deduce, but bingo." Yosuke confirmed.

"How dare he target females!" Chie angrily said. "Now that's unforgivable! The culprit's gotta be some kinda pervert..."

"It looks like you're safe then, Yosuke." Kyoko joked in a deadpan tone.

"Ha ha, funny. Anyways, another thing. The second and third victims had some sort of connection to the first one." Yosuke added.

"Hey, that's right. Yukiko and Saki-senpai both had connections to that announcer..." Chie remembered.

"That's true." Yukiko confirmed. "Then, does that mean females connected in some way to Ms. Yamano's case are being targeted?"

"I think that's a safe assumption for now." Yosuke said. "There's another angle we can take too. If another person disappears..."

"You think they'd be on that Midnight Channel?" Chie realized. "That happened right before Yukiko was kidnapped too."

"Yeah, it's hard to tell who at first, but what's important is, it's happened before the victims disappeared." Yosuke said. "Kinda like a ransom note. We still don't know why that happens, but we'll have to rely on it for now."

"So the next time it rains..." Yukiko said.

They all nodded, silently agreeing to watch it. Yosuke looked down at the cup noodles the girls had. "By the way, aren't those done now?"

"Whoa, that's right! Chow time!" Chie said.

The aroma of the noodles made their way to Yosuke's nose. "Hey, could I try just a little bit of that!? Just one tiny bite!"

"Hands off the soba, pal! Go get your own if you want some!" Chie said, protectively holding her noodles, before reconsidering. "...fine, just one bite, got it?"

Yosuke took a flavorful bite. "It's sooo goooood... The aroma, the flavor, and the texture all combined... This is perfect!"

The delicious taste was tempting him to eat more and he almost did, but Kyoko took the bowl from him and gave it back to Chie.

"I saw that look in your eye." Kyoko said.

"Aw man..."

"Do you want some, Kyoko-san?" Yukiko asked.

"I'm fine." Kyoko said. "I don't really like cup noodles."

Chie looked almost offended at that statement, but stopped when Kyoko's stomach growled.

Yosuke laughed as Kyoko blushed. "You're hungry too, huh? Well, we could head to Junes after this. We just started serving grilled steak today too."

"As long as it isn't too much compared to last time." Kyoko remembered.

"Yeah yeah." Yosuke said. "Don't worry about cash though, I'll buy it."

"Steak?" Chie asked.

"Uh oh."

"You guys started serving steak?!" Chie said. "Why didn't you tell me this! Now I want some!"

"But you already have a bowl of noodles..." Yosuke said.

Soon after they were at Junes once more. Thankfully for Yosuke's wallet, Yukiko offered to help pay a bit as well. Admittedly, Chie was upset it wasn't the gourmet stuff she expected, but she wouldn't complain about steak.

"But back on topic." Chie said, cutting into her steak. "I wonder what kind of person the culprit is."

"Well, if you focus just on the announcer's case, it seems like a revenge thing. Maybe it was her lover's wife." Yosuke said.

"But Misuzu Hiiragi had a solid alibi." Kyoko said.

"And it seemed like she was already separated from her husband." Chie said.

"Really? You know an awful lot about this." Yosuke said. "Okay, what about the second case? Saki-senpai... she found the announcer's body. Assuming the same person killed them both, then why target Senpai?"

"Most likely to keep silent." Kyoko said.

"Yeah, I think so too. Maybe she found a clue or something about the culprit." Yosuke agreed.

"But the killer just threw the announcer into a TV, right?" Yukiko asked. "I don't think he would've left evidence the police, much less a high school student, would catch."

"Yeah, exactly." Yosuke concluded.

As they discussed more, a familiar face came onto the scene.

"Man, I thought the countryside would be a snooze, but it's proving to be a lot more exciting than I thought... Ooh, they updated the menu!"

"Huh? Isn't he that detective?" Chie said looking over.

Adachi saw the group and walked to them. "Oh hey, Kyoko-san. This is great timing. Dojima-san said that he'll be leaving work on schedule tonight. Could you pass that on to Nanako-chan?"

"He will?" Kyoko said. "That's good to know then. I'll tell her."

Adachi introduced himself to the rest of the group. "Yo! I'm Adachi, Dojima-san's gofer... err, I mean, his partner."

"Are you this busy every day?" Yosuke asked, a bit of lightheartedness in his tone.

"Huh? Oh, well, the public seems to be getting a charge out of these cases, but we can't leave it at that."

"Sorry to butt in, but could it be that the killer targeted Saki-senpai in order to silence her?" Chie interjected.

Kyoko mentally facepalmed at Chie's words, only to do it again when Adachi started spilling information.

"U-Ummm, you sure get to the heart of the matter. Yikes, haha. Of course, we're also thinking along those lines. She was killed right after the announcer's body was found, after all. If the killer was trying to silence her, there might've been something at the scene only she would have understood. Which would mean that the culprit may be someone close to Ms. Konishi." Adachi explained. "Nothing like that points to Misuzu Hiiragi, so... Ooh, I might have stumbled across something here..."

"We heard everything, Adachi-san." Kyoko said.

"W-Wait, you listening in to all that?!" He asked. "Crap, me and my big mouth..."

"I recommend not saying any confidential information aloud in the future, Adachi-san." Kyoko suggested.

"I'd better take the advice of the Ultimate Detective then! Just don't tell Dojima-san, or he'll flay me alive, heh heh." Adachi said, chuckling and rubbing the back of his head, before clearing his throat and speaking confidently. "Relax kids, the police are on the job!"

He waved goodbye and left, and Chie let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding in.

"You were right, Yosuke. The police are totally useless... Aaagh! My steak's getting cold!"

"Could you shut up about the steak for five seconds?" Yosuke asked.

Once they had all finished eating, they decided to go into the TV world since they had time. This was also Yukiko's first time getting a really good look at the area inside.

"Wow... This really is inside the TV..."

A familiar bear walked up to them.

"It's Teddie..." Yukiko recognized. "Then it wasn't a dream."

"Are you feeling better, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked. "I did what you said! I've been a good bear!"

"Oh, I see." Said, laughing a bit. "Good boy!"

While Teddie had an enamored expression on his face, Yosuke started to talk.

"W-Well, this bear's part of the reason we want to find the culprit." He explained.

Understanding, she turned back to Teddie. "I'm one of the group now too. Let's work together, okay?"

"Yup! I was thinking the same thing!" Teddie said. "That's why I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan!"

He handed her a pair of eyeglasses.

"Oh, so these are what everyone's wearing." Yukiko said, putting them on. "Thank you, Teddie."

She looked around the area. "You're right, it's just as if the fog doesn't exist!"

"Hey, tell me something." Chie said. "How come you have so many pairs of glasses?"

"Excellent question! Guess what? I'm the one who makes them!" Teddie said. "I've lived here for a long time. So I came up with some ways to be comfortable here."

"Making glasses with those large, fuzzy and adorable hands..." Kyoko muttered. "That's impressive."

"...adorable?" Yosuke asked her as he turned away.

"I see. But don't you need a pair?" Yukiko asked.

"Oooh, good point. Another great question!" Teddie said. "Listen to this! My eyes themselves are lenses! You didn't know?"

"Of course not." Yosuke said bluntly.

"Wh-Why are you being so mean?" Teddie asked. "You act like you're not interested! I'm a really dexterous bear! See how smoothly my fingers move!"

Yosuke watched as Teddie stood in front of him, waggling all his fingers.

"...what am I even looking at?" Yosuke asked, pushing Teddie onto his back, only for him to roll back up onto his feet.

"Hm? You dropped something." Yukiko said, looking down at an odd pair of glasses.

"Oh, that's a pair I kinda screwed up on." Teddie said.

Yukiko picked them up and swapped them with the pair she already had on.

"Y-Yukiko?" Chie asked.

"Ahaha, how do I look?" She asked, laughing.

The glasses in question had squiggly eyes, as well as a big nose with a handlebar mustache.

In short; they looked absolutely ridiculous. But oddly enough...

"They look natural on you, Yukiko." Kyoko said.

"For real...?" Yosuke asked.

Yukiko started laughing harder. "Ahahaha! Awesome!"

"Do you like that one, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked.

"I wanna wear this one. It's even got a nose guard!" She said.

"Ohhh no you don't!" Chie said.

"How bear-y unfortunate. That pair doesn't have the right lenses in." Teddie said. "Guess I should have made an actual pair."

Yukiko looked disappointed. "Aww, too bad." But then she turned to Chie. "Here, Chie. Your turn!"

Chie sighed, but decided to humor her best friend and put on the glasses.

"Snrk... Heehee...! Ahaha, ahahahahahahahaha!"

"How'd it come to this...?" Chie asked, as Yukiko started laughing like a hyena.

"Erm, Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked. "Helloooo...?"

"There goes one of Yukiko's laughing fits... I never thought she'd do it when someone besides me was around." Chie said, before turning her focus on the glasses. "Ugh, these stupid glasses are useless for investigating! I mean, what the hell's this nose for, anyway?!"

"That's what happens when you guys leave me here alone and I get bored." Teddie said.

"W-Well, I'm glad that she's in high spirits again... I guess..." Yosuke said, looking on the bright side.

"Oh Chie, the look on your face... Snrk... Hahaha, it was so funny!" Yukiko laughed. " I-I can't stop... laugh- heehee! Ohh, my stomach, ahaha..."

"...is it possible for someone to be too high in spirits?" Kyoko asked.

"The 4th and the 5th..."

Now back at the Dojima residence, Dojima had spoken up to Kyoko and Nanako.

"I think I might be able to get the 4th and the 5th off."

"Really?!" Nanako asked, before softer. "...Really?"

"What, you don't believe me?" He asked, pulling down his newspaper.

"It's always canceled." She said.

"N-Not every year!" He said, a little desperate before changing the subject. "I know you wanted to go to Junes, but... I wouldn't mind going a little further out of the neighborhood."

"Really?" She said again. "Can we go on a trip?"

"Uhh, well, it might be okay to go on a trip once in a while." Dojima said. "I'm sure it'll be crowded everywhere, though..."

"Yaaaay! We're going on a trip!" Nanako cheered.

"Hm... all right, all right." Dojima conceded. "Then we need to think of someplace to go. You want to come along with us, Kyoko?"

"I don't mind." Kyoko said.

"Yeah! Let's all go together!" Nanako cheered.

"Looks like Nanako wants us all to go." Dojima chuckled.

"Ooh, let's bring boxed lunches!" Nanako said.

"Hm? Yeah, good idea. We're always eating side dishes for dinner." Dojima said, before frowning. "But I can't cook... And Nanako's not good enough yet to make them by herself..."

They both turned to Kyoko.

"...I do have some culinary experience." Kyoko admitted. "But-"

"Well, then it'll all work out." Dojima said, smirking good-heartedly. "Good thing I decided to take you in then."

"Yaaay! Boxed lunches!" Nanako cheered again.

Kyoko was under a bit of stress, having to try cooking for all of them, but smiled. It really was nice, being part of this family. She wished days like these could last forever.

A/N: This chapter was a Social Link heavy this time around, but I think a bit of a break is alright.

I was heavily considering changing where Yosuke's Social Link Rank 5 takes place, but decided that it would be fine, just changed it up a bit. Honestly, Kyoko seems to be the chill type of person that doesn't mind gender roles (for the most part). She was probably raised learning to treat both genders equally (there is no bias when investigating). Also, it caused some added hilarity too, so I'm not complaining.

Also, to all those guest reviews, please stop begging for Makoto's inclusion and the Naegiri being a thing. That's not for this fic. I have nothing against the ship. I like it myself, but I'm doing something different this time around.

In other news, Minecraft Steve is in Smash. I'll be busy learning how to main him.

Anyways, see you all next time.

Kyoko's Social Links:

Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): Rank 5

Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Rank 2

Fool (The Investigation Team): Rank 2

Hope (Hope's Peak Academy Students): Rank 1

Rui: A nice break is always well deserved.

Kyoko: Indeed, though I think we'll both soon be called to the field of battle once more.

Rui & Kyoko: Super Hero Time! Read next time too!