"Thank you for coming, Naoto-kun. I know it can't be easy with your busy schedule."

"Not at all, Yukiko-senpai. It's the least I could do for one of the people who saved me from the TV world."

"It's really not as impressive as you make it sound."

"I disagree, but I doubt that's the matter you wished to speak to me about."

Yukiko nodded. She had invited her new friend to her room to speak with her about a personal matter. Up to now, only Chie had ever been invited into the heiress' personal sanctum. As Naoto sat patiently on a chair near the bed, Yukiko summoned her courage and began to explain.

"Well... it's something I've mostly been keeping to myself. I've only told Yu-kun up to now."

"Not even Chie-senpai?" Naoto asked in a rare moment of lost composure. Clearly, the two best friends were expected to share literally everything with one another. Yukiko was sure that, if Yukiko were dating another Investigation Team member, even they wouldn't have this stringent expectation placed upon them.

"No. Because I know that Chie would be able to talk me out of it." Yukiko paused for a moment to collect herself. Naoto sat patiently until she was ready to continue. "I've been planning to leave Inaba for a while now. Uh, not right now, of course! I wouldn't just leave in the middle of the investigation. This would be after high school, at the earliest."

Naoto overcame her momentary concern and nodded her understanding.

"I'm sure you've realised that our Shadows take on an on-the-nose, symbolic form when they go berserk. My shadow took the form of a giant bird in a cage."

"A form with obvious connotations."

"Right. And it's those connotations that I want to discuss with you."

"I appreciate that you trust me enough to confide in me over something personal, Senpai, but why me? As the newest member of the team, I know you the least. Wouldn't Yosuke-senpai or Kanji-kun be a better choice? Unless, you are counting on our less developed relationship, akin to opening up to a stranger?"

Yukiko shook her head, her long black hair whipping this way and that. "No, it's nothing like that. I chose you for a specific reason."

"Oh?"

"When you confronted your Shadow, you said that your parents were proud of their job, and that you had no qualms with following in their footsteps."

"And that an inherited occupation can feel stifling," Naoto added. "Such as, the ownership of the Amagi Inn, perhaps?"

Yukiko supposed she really shouldn't have been surprised by how quickly Naoto was able to cut to the heart of the matter. She was respected enough to be sent to work alongside the police on a serial murder case, despite being only sixteen years old - younger than any of the victims thus far. Yukiko nodded.

"Even if you don't feel the same way, you at least understand how a person might feel confined by such a life. It's always been expected that I'll take over the inn when my mother retires. I've been trained my entire life to prepare me for when I eventually do so. I had no say in the matter. Everything was decided for me. I feel so trapped. That's why I had Yu-kun help me to try and figure out what I want to do with my life once I leave. He's even been helping me to improve my cooking. But, while there's been an improvement in my cooking, and I have a few ideas for goals to pursue, I just don't feel like I'm really making any progress towards what I want. Does that make any sense?"

Naoto pondered this for a moment before speaking again. "As you said, this is not something I can easily relate to. My parents were proud of their work, my grandfather was proud of them, and I was proud of them too. Nothing could have made me happier than following in their footsteps as a detective. It was not something that was chosen for me. Forcing one's child into such a hazardous occupation would be nothing short of child abuse, after all. But even if that had been the case, I cannot say that I would have been against the idea. Forced or no, it would coincide with my own desires.

"Along those lines, Senpai, indulge me - allow me to present to you a question: do you dislike working at the inn, serving customers and whatnot?"

"Well... no, not particularly. The guests are generally kind to me and seeing to their needs is rarely difficult."

"And can you honestly say that you have never outright enjoyed working at the inn alongside the staff?"

"No, I... I've enjoyed working there plenty of times. Seeing the satisfaction in a guest's face or hearing it in their voice can make all the work I put in feel like it was worth it."

"If, then, your mother took you aside tonight and told you that you were under no obligation to take over the inn, that you had the option to leave Inaba after you graduate and pursue another career in the city... would you tell her there and then that you intend to do that, or would you need some time to think on it?"

"I... I-I think I'd need to think about it."

"If you would feel uncertain upon being given the choice, if you would not outright reject the opportunity to succeed your mother as you current intend to... then the only logical conclusion is that your problem lies not in what has been chosen for you. Rather, it is that it was chosen for you. It would seem that your perceived inability to choose blinds you to the fact that you are not entirely opposed to the path that was chosen for you. In fact, you might quite enjoy it, perhaps even moreso than any of the other paths you have contemplated over the last few months, without this mandate."

Yukiko remained silent as she pondered the detective's words.

"Of course, that is just the deduction of someone who does not know you as well as Chie-senpai or the rest. It would be presumptuous of me to claim that this is 100% the cause of your misgivings about your situation. I feel it would be best for you to discuss this matter further with one of the others. Perhaps Yu-senpai, with his lack of bias towards Inaba, would be a suitable candidate."

"You say you don't want to be presumptuous, but you sound like you've got a pretty firm grasp on the group dynamic already."

"I shall take that as a compliment."

"Please do. You've given me a lot to think about, Naoto-kun. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it, Senpai. I've never had the chance to test my intuition against a friend before. I thank you for the opportunity.

"You've not had many friends before, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto's smile faded. "As I said in my Shadow's laboratory, I spent much of my childhood in my grandfather's study, reading detective novels. My friendships have been few and far between."

"I see. Well, now you have seven friends to test your detective skills with. In fact, let's go right now."

"Huh? Go where?"

"To find one of the others, of course. Oh, maybe you could try and deduct Chi's issues!"

Without another word, Yukiko grabbed Naoto's hand and pulled her out of her seat. Before she knew it, Naoto was being pulled through the door and out towards the lobby of the Amagi Inn. In spite of her shock and confusion, Naoto couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm of her friend.

Later that week, Yukiko met with Yu at Tatsuhime Shrine at after school. She had finally come to her final decision.