Nanako couldn't help but be worried.
Her Big Bro was out late today. Later than usual, in fact. Sure, he would sometimes spend an hour or two after school hanging out with his friends. And because it was summer break she expected that he would be spending more time outside.
But not this late.
It was almost seven at night, and Nanako hadn't seen Big Bro at all. Not even a phone call from him telling her that he was out with Gyro or another one of his friends. Dad would call whenever he was going to be late, which was most of the time, and while she was sad about that, a part of her was relieved. She, at least, knew where Dad was.
"I wish Big Bro gave me his phone number," She sighed as she kept watching Loveline on the television. "Or wrote it down."
She would have gone to look, but Dad said that when it got dark she was to head straight home. She didn't want to be hurt by the bad men who were out.
Bad men like that dead-eyed boy.
She shivered and hugged herself. It was scary… that boy wanted to hurt her and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. It even looked like he would enjoy it! Why? Why would people want to hurt others for no reason? She didn't understand.
"But… Big Bro came and saved me." Yet as she said this, Nanako frowned. Big Bro looked scary when he came to her rescue. Not like some heroic and dashing hero of justice, but more like something… something…
She couldn't get the right word. It's just that something was in Big Bro's eyes. Like the small flicker of a dark flame. One that was hungry and driven.
It scared her.
Nanako shook her head and looked out the window. "It's raining again…"
She hoped that Big Bro brought his umbrella. Or that he was at least at the shopping district or near Junes. The last thing she wanted was for him to get wet.
She heard a knock on the door. "Nanako? It's me!"
A smile grew on her face. The six-year old got to her feet and rushed to the door, leaping over the step as she came to a halt in front of the passage between the house and the outside world. She unlocked it and swung the door open. "Welcome back!"
Nanako couldn't help but blink at the strange sight in front of her. There was Big Bro, but for some reason he was dressed in his school uniform. Next to him, holding up an umbrella, was his friend Chie. Both were smiling, but both were soaked and their eyes seemed… puffier somehow. They looked strange.
They looked like they'd been crying.
"Sorry I'm late." Big Bro said, and for some reason he lifted his hand and ruffled her hair. It just added to the strangeness of the situation. Big Bro never did that before. "I was out working on my summer homework. I wanted to get it out of the way…"
"Is that why you're wearing your uniform?"
"Yeah. Wanted to get into the zone." Big Bro pointed up. "And then it started raining!"
"And like a bozo, he forgot his umbrella!" Chie put one of her hands on her hips. "Thankfully I was around and saw him getting soaked! I decided it would be best if I escorted him back into your waiting arms, Nanako-chan!"
Nanako wasn't stupid. Everyone from her dad to her teachers said that she was pretty bright for her age. So she could tell both Big Bro and Chie were lying.
"But why would Big Bro lie to me?"
There had to be a good reason. Maybe it was the 'grown up stuff' that Dad and some of her classmates mentioned?
Maybe Chie and Big Bro were being gross and kissing before the rain started to fall?
Either way, in that split second, she decided it wasn't important and just returned to smiling. She nodded and said, "Thank you, Chie-san!" She looked at Big Bro and pointed to the kitchen. "I made dinner! It's a bit cold, but we can heat it in the microwave!"
"Sounds good." Nanako turned around and walked to the kitchen, but she could hear Big Bro and Chie whispering.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
"I think so. Thanks… thanks for being there, Chie."
"Anytime. I'm here for you if you need me."
Big Bro then entered and softly closed the door. She could hear him crawling to the living room as she filled bowls with rice as the microwave continued to cook the leftover beef.
"Big Bro is sad."
She didn't like him being sad, especially when he seemed to be getting better. When he first arrived, all she could feel from him was anger and sadness. Anger at everyone, from Dad to how he lived, and sadness towards herself and his situation. But as time went on, he seemed to get better. He smiled more. He had friends he hung out with. He talked to her more often and was happy to hang out with her.
Now though?
He was smiling, but his eyes were telling a different story.
She wanted to say something as they ate, but didn't know how to put it into words. Instead, they just talked about what she did while he was gone and what Loveline's plot was. She didn't understand all of it either, so she instead did impressions and that made Big Bro laugh.
But, eventually, she got tired and yawned.
"Wanna go to sleep?" Big Bro asked, and she nodded.
"After the dishes…"
"We can do them tomorrow morning. Come on."
Reluctantly, Nanako put the dishes in the sink and walked up to her room. To her surprise, Big Bro was following her.
"Um…"
"I was thinking I could tell you a story."
A light giddiness filled her. A story? Told to her? That hadn't happened in so long! Dad was usually too busy or just too tired to do it. "Really?! Thank you Big Bro!" She ran into her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She flung off her dress and got into her pajamas, a pair of pink pants with a red heart on the sides as well as a button-up pink shirt. With nimble fingers, she buttoned up and went into her bed, fidgeting underneath the pink blanket. "Okay, I'm ready!"
Big Bro opened the door and took a moment to inspect her room. Her stuffed animals to the right, the small bookcase next to her bed containing her picture books, and the little desk she had in front of her bed where she would sometimes do her homework. Big Bro pulled himself into her room and, using his arms, got up and sat on her bed. "What story do you want to tell?"
"A bit of an original one." He said softly. "It's kinda sad though… but I think there's a happy ending."
Nanako looked at her cousin's eyes and saw them looking at the ground. They were so… sad. Unbelievably sad. But something in what he said made her think what he was about to say would make him feel better. So she simply nodded and listened.
"Once upon a time… there were two brothers. A big brother and a little brother." Big Bro's lip quirked up. "And they loved each other a lot. The big brother did what all big brothers did and protected his little brother from the bad things, and that made the little brother admire him even more. But one day… one day, the big brother died and left the little brother alone."
"Cousin Nicholas…"
"The little brother, lonely and afraid, acted out because of that. He wasn't nice to people. He used money to get what he wanted. He bought a lot of stuff, but none of it meant anything. People pretended to be friends and loved ones, but they never bonded with him. The little brother didn't care because it filled the loneliness and emptiness he felt inside." Big Bro frowned. "One day, someone got sick of the little brother's attitude and took away his legs."
Nanako gripped her blanket tighter. She felt tears stinging her eyes. Big Bro was telling her how he lost his legs. Dad had never told her, and Big Bro never wanted to tell her… before now that is.
"The little brother, without his legs, thought he was useless. He felt like nobody wanted him and he no longer had a purpose. If everyone was a plus, then he was a minus. He felt that way for so long and began to believe it to be the truth."
"You're not useless, Big Bro! You're not a minus!" That's what she wanted to shout, but she didn't want to interrupt.
Big Bro's sad expression then turned into a small smile.
"Then… the little brother went to a new land. He wanted to find a reason to keep going and maybe become a plus. What he found instead was a family. An uncle and a cousin who loved him. He found friends that wanted to be with him and who he wanted to be with. People he could laugh with and bond. The little brother and his friends went on crazy and amazing adventures into a secret world that only they knew about to stop a bad man, and the little brother found that he could maybe, just maybe, walk again."
Nanako didn't question any of it. Her cousin was being honest with her, and while most adults would scoff at his story… she believed every word.
"Eventually, the little brother began to realize that learning to walk again wasn't that important." A small sigh escaped from Big Bro's lips. "Rather, he was there mostly to be with his friends. And he didn't realize that sooner because… because he was very dumb." Something glittered in Big Bro's eye and he wiped it away. "And someday… he would repay the kindness they showed him when he didn't deserve it." He was silent for a few seconds. "Someday."
Nanako brought up her blanket, crawled up to her Big Bro, and hugged him.
She wasn't even surprised when her cousin hugged her back.
They stayed there for a few seconds before they released their grip. Big Bro smiled at her. "Goodnight, Nanako."
"Goodnight, Big Bro."
Her cousin wiped his eyes and got off the bed. He crawled out of her room and closed the door, leaving Nanako alone with only her nightlight and stuffed animals for company.
"You don't have to repay anyone, Big Bro." She whispered to herself and then closed her eyes.
Nanako Dojima and Johnny Joestar slept the sleep of the just.
July 29th, 2011:
When Johnny woke up, he spent a good five minutes staring at the ceiling. "Hello July twenty-nine…"
Rearranging his mental calendar was going to be so damn weird for the next few days. For some reason a part of him still felt like it should be November and that he needed to break out his sweatshirts and jackets. But the warm and humid air of summer morning reminded him of what season it truly was.
"Hope that bastard rots in a cell." Johnny muttered to himself as he sat up, swung his legs over, and reached for his phone. "Least he could do since I can't kill him."
He truly had wanted to kill Mitsuo Kubo. The world his Shadow threw him in was a torture that he would never wish on anyone. He probably would've killed the Shadow, knowing that it would kill the real one, had everyone not stopped him.
The American paused as he stared at the date on his phone. It was almost reassuring that he saw the number seven signifying July instead of eleven for November.
"Wonder if I'm messed up."
Johnny didn't even feel particularly guilty for having those murderous thoughts. It was like something just unlocked itself in his head. Igor had called it a 'dark determination', and he knew that he went well and beyond what was necessary when he set his mind to it. His first attempt to ride Slow Dancer and earn Gyro's respect came to mind instantly. "Yosuke wanted to kill the bastard and he was able to hold himself back."
And he saw the look of fear on Yukiko and Chie's faces when he was being restrained. The terror that showed on Chie's face when he escaped the dream world.
"Dark determination, huh…" He shook his head. That was all in the past. His friends understood his feelings and didn't begrudge him for it. Maybe the Johnny before all this would've believed they had every right to avoid him after those events, but not now.
Instead, he opened his phone and saw that everyone had texted him.
Yo! How's it hanging? Looking forward to the party tonight! I've gotta dish that'll blow your mind! - Gyro
Morning Sensei! Can't wait to see you and Nanako-chan later! Helping Junkyouin with his dish! Super yummy! - Teddie
Mornin Senpai! Hope you are feeling better after all that crap yesterday. Lookin forward to the party! - Kanji
OMG Johnny! Hope ur doing gd! Going 2 make omelet amzing! XD - Rise
Good morning! I'm helping out my parents at the Inn, but I'm also making the omelet for tonight! Don't worry, I'm following a recipe. - Yukiko
Morning! Hope you're feeling better! Let me know if you wanna talk, OK? Can't wait to see you and Nanako later! - Chie
GM Dude! Let me know if u got any free time! OMG we're going 2 try Risette's cooking! :D - Yosuke
Johnny smiled at the texts and shut the phone. It was stuff like this that made him realize just how stupid he'd been before. "I'll text them back later. For now…"
Like always, it was a bit of a journey to get to the living room. But when he got there, he saw Nanako was scooping scrambled eggs onto plates with a slice of buttered toast and some sausage. "Oh! Good morning, Big Bro!" She smiled at him as before she ran to the kitchen to put down the pan. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, yeah I did." He took his seat and waited for Nanako to sit down. Then, slamming his hands together, they shouted "Let's dig in!"
He picked up his fork and knife and began working on the eggs. "Are you going to be hanging out with your friends today?"
"Yeah! I did most of the chores yesterday, so I'm free to play!" Nanako giggled. "We're going to go bug-catching!"
"That sounds like fun." It was something Johnny did in his own childhood with Nicholas. Before, the forest had seemed like a scary place where a bear might pop out to gobble them up. But Nicholas knew his stuff and showed him all the cool bugs, the streams where they could catch fish, and the fallen trees where they could sit down and rest. Sure they got dirty and Mom would fuss over them, but it was a fun time. "Just watch out for mud. Get into a big puddle of that stuff and it'll suck you boot right off your foot."
Nanako stuck out her tongue. "Ew! That's gross! We're not going that deep. We're just going to catch them by the shrine."
Johnny then pointed at the kitchen. "Do you mind coming back around five? I'm throwing a party with my friends and we're going to be making omelet rice."
His cousin's eyes lit up at that. "Omelet rice? Really! Yay! That's one of my favorite foods!"
"Then I'll be sure to make the best batch possible." It wouldn't be hard since he had plenty of practice in that stupid dream world. It was probably the one good thing to come out of that experience.
Nanako was silent for a second before asking, "Are you and your friends going to visit that secret world again?"
Johnny was silent for a few seconds as he pondered this. He had admitted to Nanako without giving specifics that he and his friends went into the TV World. It was just one of the many things he felt he had to get off his chest. Because if he was going to be honest with his cousin and tell her some of his deepest secrets then that might as well be part of them.
Nanako was a kid. Kids were more accepting of the fantastical than adults. They thought there was a monster under the bed because they knew there were monsters under their bed. It was just a fact of life to them. When they went into forests to explore, they believed they were traveling to other worlds. It was the magic of childhood, and even as Johnny grew closer and closer to adulthood that acceptance of the fantastical was still a part of him. Maybe that's why he and the others could accept the TV World while believing that the adults would dismiss them.
Still, it was odd to hear his cousin ask him about it outright.
"Not today. Maybe not for a while." He smiled. "We're going to be taking a bit of a break, okay?"
"Because the bad man was caught?"
"Yeah. I think so."
Nanako nodded and said, "That's probably why Dad was late yesterday and left early today. Work stuff."
"Well don't worry. Me and my friends will keep you company, okay?"
His cousin hummed happily and continued to eat. As Johnny took a bite out of his toast, he felt his phone vibrate. It was another text from Yosuke.
Mind coming to the flood plains? I wanna talk about some stuff. - Yosuke
Johnny didn't even hesitate in replying.
Sure. Give me 30 mins.
Yosuke was waiting at the stairs leading down the floodplains when Johnny arrived.
He looked… tired. It wasn't surprising considering the rest of the team had gotten the crap kicked out of them before Johnny finally woke up. Hell, it was amazing none of them were bedridden. But Yosuke's downcast expression went beyond the fatigue of battle.
"Hey." Johnny greeted the brunette as he pushed himself in front of his friend. "You feeling okay?"
"Not really." Yosuke shrugged and pointed down to the bank of the river. "You mind going down there? I've got a lot of crap I want to get off my chest, and the last thing I need is for someone other than you to listen in."
Well, that was surprising. Usually the two of them just hung out by Junes and Yosuke wasn't particularly worried about people eavesdropping. "Maybe he just doesn't want to run into those two girls." He remembered those workers he and Yosuke chewed out. The lazy and inconsiderate girls who half-assed their job and then brought up Yosuke's now-dead crush, Saki, to try and guilt him into special treatment. "Hope they got fired."
"Sure, but there's still the old guy fishing." The American pointed out, and a grin crept on Yosuke's face.
"Ah, don't worry about that geezer. He's half deaf and is in his own little world while fishing." He turned around and crouched down. "Come on, I'll help you down."
Despite the necessity of it, Johnny never liked the idea of being carried on piggy-back. It was humiliating, and he'd taken pride in the fact that he never needed anyone's help to move around. But, despite the fact that he could walk and now run in the TV World, in the real world he could only make his legs slightly twitch. He wasn't going to go down the hill of the floodplains in any other way besides rolling down.
"And now's not the time to give Yosuke crap." So, without a word, he wrapped his arms around Yosuke's chest and his friend hooked his arms underneath Johnny's knees. Awkwardly, they made their way down the steps.
"That other world must've done wonders for my muscles." The brown-haired teen chuckled out. "That or you weigh practically nothing."
"I just don't pig out is all. And moving around in that stupid thing does wonders for my upper body muscles." After nearly falling at the last step, Yosuke slowly put Johnny down on the hill and turned around. "So… what do you want to talk about?"
Yosuke reached into his pants pocket and took out a photo. He stared at it for a few seconds, his eyelids drooping before he handed it to Johnny.
The American looked at it and saw Yosuke, dressed in his Yasogami High uniform, standing next to Saki Konishi. Both of them were smiling and from what he could tell those smiles were honest and carefree. The expressions of two teens who were enjoying the moment, not thinking anything bad would ever happen to them.
"That's a print club stick I took with Saki-senpai. She… she insisted on taking it when I first got here." Yosuke put his hands into his pockets and looked down. "Back then… I thought I was above this place. I thought that it sucked that my parents moved here because of Junes, because I would have to deal with country idiots and I had a better life back in the city we were throwing away. It really didn't help that a lot of the townsfolk saw me and my family as the enemy. Saying stuff like how Junes was going to ruin the shopping district…"
"You don't have to feel guilty about that." Johnny insisted. "Yosuke… I'm from rural Kentucky. I hated the city and didn't have positive things to say about the assholes who came from there either. If I had been forced to move there…"
"Yeah. Yeah, I know. I know that if I was from the country and moved to the city it'd suck equally." Yosuke kicked at the ground. "It doesn't really change anything. I'm ashamed that I even used to think that way." He shook his head. "When I first met Saki-senpai… she told me something. 'Parents are parents, you are you'… I think that's when I first began to like her. She was the first person to get what I was going through." He sighed. "She probably didn't mean it, thinking back on it."
The blond thought back on the second trip to the TV World. Those voices they heard before Saki's true feelings about Junes, Yosuke, and her parents came out. Then, he shook his head. "No, no I think she did mean it. Maybe it was the only honest thing she ever said to you."
Yosuke stood there for a few seconds, his face twisting in despair and rage. His hands clenched and unclenched before he spat out, "Yeah, but so what? Before… before I could talk to her honestly about it she… she…!"
She died. There was no way to sugar-coat it. Both of them knew it.
"Damn it… it pisses me off!" The brunette slammed his foot on the ground. "I wanted to talk to her more! To actually get to know her! If she had told me to my face that she wasn't interested, it would've sucked but at least I would know her true feelings! But now… now she's dead, and all because some prick wanted to be famous!"
Tears were coming out of Yosuke's eyes and rolling down his cheeks. He was practically sobbing as he began to wipe at his eyes with his arm.
"Yosuke… if you need a minute…"
"No, no. I need to get this off my chest now or I never will!" Taking a deep breath, Yosuke lowered his arm and said, "I… I wanted to forget after Saki-senpai died. When she died, I… a part of me got excited." Johnny remembered what the Shadow said and gave a slow nod. "I thought that this was it. That this was my reason for being in Inaba. That by finding out who did it, I could forget Saki-senpai was gone and I was a hero instead of a loser…" Yosuke looked Johnny in the eyes and said, "That's why I've been such a shitty friend."
Johnny stared at Yosuke in shock. "He thinks he was a shitty friend?" Yosuke, who'd always been there by his side? Who stood up for him and dealt with his bullshit throughout the last few months? "Yosuke, that isn't true!"
"No, it is!" Yosuke shot back, the tears returning. "I knew all the shit you went through! What your dad said… what you lost… how you almost… almost…" He shook his head. "I just pretended that it didn't matter! That we could just keep going on like everything was normal, focusing on trying to catch that prick! I wasn't helping you walk again like Chie and Gyro are. I was just focusing on the case, dragging you into my personal bullshit, and trying to run away from my own feelings while wrapping it up in a noble cause! I'm a shitty friend and…!"
"You're not, and if you keep saying you are I'll beat the shit out of you!" That seemed to snap Yosuke out of his tirade, and the American took in a deep breath to calm down. "Yosuke… we didn't talk about it because… because it was something really hard to talk about. I didn't even want to remember it, and because of that I kept stewing in my bitterness. I was such an asshole to you and the others, and yet you still stood by me. You were always there for me, even when I didn't deserve it. I… I wasn't even that interested in finding Saki's killer. I just wanted to walk again, and to repay you and Chie for helping me." He pointed at himself. "You're not the shitty friend… I am."
Yosuke stared at him for a few seconds, but the tears didn't stop. He instead wiped at his eyes again and asked, "How can… how can you think like that? You… you dealt with all that crap and… and…" He sniffled. "Meanwhile, I couldn't bring myself to realize that Saki-senpai was gone! I couldn't get over the fact that finding the killer wouldn't bring her back, and I am stuck here no matter what I do… a loser until the end…" He lowered his arm and looked at the American. "It's because I was with you… talking with you… that I began to realize it. And when we caught the killer and I saw I didn't change, I could finally begin to accept reality."
Johnny's mouth settled in a thin line. "Sit down."
"Wha…?"
"Sit down, Yosuke."
Slowly, the teen walked over to Johnny and sat down next to him. Without any warning, Johnny pulled him into a hug.
"W-What the hell?" Yosuke half-laughed, half-sobbed into Johnny's shoulder. "This is the kind of thing you do with girls…"
"Just shut up, Yosuke." Johnny muttered into his ear. And slowly, Yosuke began to hug Johnny back as he continued to cry.
It felt like they were slower than ever before, using each other as a crutch for their pain and heartbreak…
*SMASH*
Magician Social Link: RANK EIGHT
"Huh. That's a lot shorter than before. Still… read the room."
After a few minutes, the two let go of eachother and the red-eyed brunette let out a sigh. "I think… I think I'm all cried out, man."
"Yeah." He nodded. "You don't have to come to the party if you're not feeling up for it."
Despite the drying tears on his cheeks, Yosuke shot Johnny a grin. "What, and miss out on celebrating for catching the killer? And trying THE Risette's cooking? There's no way in hell I'm missing that!"
"You wanna stay here for a bit?"
"Nah. I'm going to go on a walk and get my head straight. Just… gotta be alone for a couple of hours. But I'll be there." He leaned forward and motioned to his back. "Hop on. I'll take you to your chair."
Johnny did as he was told and allowed Yosuke to awkwardly bring him up the stairs. Once he was settled back on his wheelchair, the two bid each other farewell and went their separate ways.
He looked up at the clear summer sky and smiled at it.
Today was probably going to be a good day.
"Why did I do it?"
That was the thought going through Chie's head as she stared at the ceiling, still dressed in her pajamas with her left arm over her forehead.
"Why did I just go straight to Johnny, instead of telling the others and having them come with me?"
It wouldn't be that hard to convince the rest of the team that Johnny was lying about not remembering anything. Johnny Joestar was many things, but a good liar wasn't among them. She had seen in his eyes the pain and anguish he was going through, even when he said with a smile that he was feeling alright and saying he didn't remember a thing.
"Did I just want to be the only one to help him…?" She muttered to herself with a scowl. "For me to be the only shoulder he could lean on?"
This was just like when she and Johnny scared off those punks that were trying to mug Takeshi. Was she trying to be the hero that comforted the 'weak' again?
"No… No, I wasn't even thinking of that." She had just saw that Johnny was in pain and rushed over to help him the moment she was free. She'd ran all over Inaba trying to find him, worried about the state he was in and what was going through his head. "All I could think about was what he had gone through… and how he needed somebody."
When she put her hands onto that pixelated mass, she saw something from that imaginary world. She saw things through Johnny's eyes just for those few seconds, and saw a double of herself say something unforgivable.
"I wish I never went to that world." Her fake had whispered. "I wish I never got those stupid glasses. I wish I never met my Shadow or got my Persona. And… and I wish I never met you."
She had felt every emotion that Johnny had. The pain, the heartbreak, the despair, and the crushing loneliness. When her fake said those words, he truly thought that he had nothing left. That everyone had abandoned him and that he was less than nothing. And she, in turn, felt just as lonely and empty even if she knew it was a lie.
Was that what fueled her to go and comfort him alone? Because she felt like she understood what he had gone through the most out of all of them?
"I… I didn't want him to think that." Chie got up and walked over to her closet. "He won't feel like that! Not anymore!"
He wasn't in that stupid creature's world anymore. He was in the real one. With all of his friends and loved ones.
And her.
Chie paused as she was going through her shirts. Letting out a sigh, she chose her yellow sleeveless tank top and took off her pajama shirt.
"What the hell do I feel about Johnny?"
She didn't know. She at first thought that he was just a friend. Then, as time went on, maybe one of her best friends.
But recently, strange ideas and feelings began to worm their way into her head. Feelings that were foreign to her, save for the time she had once held the slim hope that Takeshi would like her and see her as a girl.
Some of those feelings came out when she went to comfort Johnny in the rain.
"I wanted to hold him close and never let go. To make him see me as someone… more than just one of his friends."
God, did that mean she…?
"Nah. I'm just screwed up in the head because of all that crap." She shook her head and took a pair of jean shorts. "Just need to calm down is all."
She could sort all this crap later.
Right now, she needed to get ready for the party!
"Maybe I can put a bit of chicken stock into the eggs to make it extra chicken-y!" Chie grinned as she looked at herself in the mirror and put her hands on her hips. "Lookin' good!" She gave herself a thumbs-up before returning to her musings. "Oh! And Dad's coffee creamer! It's flavored so it'll give the omelet some sweet-!"
Images of the camping trip then filled her mind, and the horrible thing that was Mystery Food X.
With a sigh, Chie went to her desk, turned on the crappy desktop that she used for homework, and began to search through Google for recipes.
The last thing she wanted was to poison Johnny.
"Dojyaa~n!"
Johnny playfully rolled his eyes as Nanako handed him the chopped vegetables. He was already frying the bits of bacon and ham in the stove, and having some of the grease would help to soften up the onions to make then nice and sweet. "Where'd you even learn that?"
"Loveline says it sometimes!" His cousin revealed with a smile. "I thought it was pretty cute, so I started to say that!"
"Well, I suppose that it's better than you saying you're going to pop a cap in me…" He let out a chuckle when Nanako glared at him.
They were having some fun preparing the fried rice. Johnny figured that it'd be best if he prepared extra for when the others arrived, otherwise they'd have to wait a long time for each of the girls to prepare their dishes. The omelets would take a bit, sure, but not that long.
"Just hope that Chie follows a recipe, too." He didn't doubt that Yukiko would after their hang-outs and he had faith that Rise would come up with something edible, though he doubted it would be as mind-blowing as Yosuke thought, but Chie…
He shuddered. He remembered the description that Yosuke gave him of Mystery Food X. He didn't want to taste that. Hell, he didn't want to get Nanako within three feet of anything close to that!
He looked back at his wok and saw to his satisfaction that the onions were nice and brown. He reached for the rice they made and said, "Hey, Nanako, pass me the sesame oil, ketchup, and the soy sauce? We're almost done with the fried rice."
Nanako placed the three condiments next to him as Johnny poured in the rice and mixed it with the vegetables. Carefully eyeing the ingredients he put in, he began to stir and waited for the rice to somewhat caramelize before adding in the peas.
"It looks really good, Big Bro!" His cousin watched him stir and held up her wooden spoon. "Can I stir?"
"Sure, I need to begin on the omelet anyways."
Cooking the omelet rice, unlike his time in Shadow Mitsuo's world, was easy. He knew what he did wrong after all those tries and could now produce a great omelet. He knew how much he needed to stir the two eggs with daishi, how much a 'pinch' of salt and pepper actually meant, how the hot sauce he usually included with his scrambled eggs wasn't necessary for the omelet, and finally how long to cook it without the bottom side being burnt.
And there were no egg shell pieces in the mix this time.
"Nanako! Hand me a plate, will you?"
She hummed an affirmative and scooped on top of the plate a nice portion of rice. Gently, Johnny slid the omelet over the rice and gently began tucking the edges underneath the rice. Picking up the ketchup bottle, he 'drew' a small red star on top of it and presented it to Nanako.
"Wow!" His cousin clapped her hands and smiled at him. "It looks so pretty! I bet it tastes great!"
"Well, you'll have to wait a bit before you can begin eating." As if on cue, the doorbell rang. "Can you get that!"
"Sure!" Nanako ran out of the kitchen as Johnny set down his plate. When he got himself off the counter and into his chair, he heard his cousin shout, "Big Bro! Your friends are here!"
As he rolled himself to the entrance of the kitchen, a part of Johnny was worried. What if Yukiko was a no-show like in the dream world? But he quickly squashed it down when he looked to his right and saw everyone was there taking off their shoes. Yukiko, Rise, and Chie had Junes shopping bags in their hands while Kanji had two jugs of soda. Yosuke was grinning as he held up a bag of chips, and to Johnny's surprise Teddie was holding up a cutting board that had a Dutch oven sitting on top.
"Yo! Johnny!" Gyro grinned as he held up a bottle of wine. "We made it!"
"I don't know why you brought that, man." Yosuke sighed. "None of us are old enough to drink! And what are you going to do if Johnny's uncle comes in?!"
"Ah, come on. One little victory glass will not hurt anyone. Besides! I can just claim its a cultural thing, and we're in a private residence with him off duty."
"If I'm going to do any underage drinking, it's going to be with beer!"
"That piss water?!"
Johnny chuckled and shook his head. "Come on in, guys." He nodded to the girls and said, "The kitchen's free for you. I already made the rice so all you need to do is make the omelet."
"Well, that's considerate of you!" Rise winked at Johnny. "And here I thought cooking wasn't your thing!"
"I learned." He eyed Yukiko and Chie. "You are following a recipe, right?"
Both girls blushed crimson at that. "O-Of course!" Chie stuttered as she pointed at her bag. "The camping trip was just a fluke! This time I'm going to make a dish that'll knock your socks off!"
"That's right." Yukiko's eyes glinted in determination. "Don't underestimate us!"
"God, I hope you're right…" Yosuke rubbed his stomach. "I don't think my stomach can handle Mystery Food X 2.0." He received Chie's knee on his thigh in response, and he hopped around while massaging it. "Damn it, Chie! Lay off!"
"Hi, Gyro-san! Hi, Teddie-san!" Nanako beamed at the two other boys. "What did you bring? Are you making omelet rice too?"
"Nah, it's something better!" Gyro motioned over to the Dutch oven. "A recipe from my homeland and passed down my family from my mother's side!"
"Junkyouin and I spent all last night and today making it!" Teddie said proudly, and it was only then when he saw the bags underneath Teddie's eyes. And the fact that Teddie kinda had his face brought a whole new unnerving feeling to it. "It's going to be beary tasty!"
"Dude, you spent all night making that thing?" Kanji eyed the pot before looking back at Gyro. "I can't think of any food that's good enough to be worth taking all day to make."
"Oh, ye be of little faith, Kanji-kun!" Gyro wagged his finger. "You'll see how good it is in thirty minutes!"
"Well, make yourselves at home." Johnny motioned to the living room before turning to his cousin. "Can you please put my omelet in the oven so that there can be more room in the kitchen?"
"On it!" Nanako scampered off as the girls followed her, talking amongst themselves about their planned dishes.
Though worry settled into Johnny's stomach when he heard the word 'improving the rice' being uttered from Rise.
"Come on, dude!" Yosuke slapped his shoulder and, before Johnny knew it, he was having his chair pushed into the living room. "Let's hunker down and wait for the girls to make our dishes with love!"
"Okay! Okay, just stop pushing!" But while Johnny said this, he was glad that Yosuke seemed to be feeling a bit better after what happened earlier.
"Maybe he did just need a walk to clear his head."
Still, he'd probably want to talk about it sometime in the future. Not that Johnny would complain. So long as Yosuke was still talking to him, everything was fine.
Johnny got out of his wheelchair and settled for sitting on his knees as Gyro sat his butt down on the couch where Dojima usually was. Yosuke was to Johnny's left while Kanji was to the right. Meanwhile, Nanako sat right next to Johnny while Teddie settled himself next to Yosuke.
"Oh man, oh man! I can't wait!" Yosuke was practically bouncing while he sat down. "An actual idol is making us food! This is something out of a dream!"
"Yuki-chan, Chie-chan, and Rise-chan…" Teddie let out a dreamy sigh. "I bet their omelets are going to be bear-rific!"
"Don't see what's the appeal." Kanji shrugged. "I mean, she's just a girl making us some food. It's no different from my mom or yours doing it."
Yosuke sighed and shook his head. "Kanji, you've got much to learn…" He looked at both Gyro and Johnny. "What about you guys?"
"Well, I do love the fact that I've got three women hoping to buy my affection with food." Gyro wriggled his eyebrows, causing Yosuke and Teddie to chuckle. "It just breaks my heart that one will have to be better than the other two!"
Johnny coughed. "Well, if you want my advice…" He leaned over and whispered, "Skip Rise's dish."
"Big Bro! That's mean!" Nanako squeaked.
"What's mean?!" Came Yukiko's voice from the kitchen. "Is something wrong?!"
"No! Nothing!" Johnny shouted back before putting his finger over his mouth and shushing his cousin. "Don't worry, Nanako. Sometimes friends… aren't good at everything they do. And it's best if you let your other friends know beforehand."
Nanako huffed and crossed her arms. "I still think it's mean…"
"You should be tactful about the feelings of ladies, Sensei!" Chided Teddie. "The key to a woman's heart is to compliment them! That's how you will be able to score!"
"What's a score?" His cousin asked innocently. "Is this a game?"
Thinking fast Johnny said, "Yeah, yeah it is!" Nanako having her full attention to him meant that she wouldn't see Yosuke slapping Teddie upside the head for his remark. Once that was done, he looked back at the guys. "Look, I'm telling you this for your own good…"
"I'll believe it when I see it." Gyro replied with a shrug. "If it looks as bad as that crap Chie and Yukiko tried to give us, I'll avoid it."
"Same." Kanji agreed with a nod.
"Eh, you guys are quitters! You're just trying to scare me so you can have Risette's cooking all to yourself." Yosuke proudly thumbed at himself. "Well I ain't falling for it!"
"Same!" Came Teddie, mirroring Yosuke's action. "Even if Junkyouin's dish is great, I bet Rise-chan's will be just as good!"
"Your funerals…" Johnny said cryptically. He did, in fact, warn them. His duty as a friend only stretched so far.
They continued to talk for a few minutes, munching on chips and drinking soda, before the girls came out of the kitchen.
To his surprise, Chie and Yukiko's omelets looked… normal. Sure, Yukiko's looked a lot paler than he would've expected and he saw a piece of egg shell on the corner of Chie's omelet, but nothing that appeared to be stomach-turning. They even put little signatures on their omelets. On Yukiko's, she wrote in kanji 'dig in!' while Chie's had the kanji for 'victory!'.
Rise's omelet, however, was… a concerning shade of orange. There was a heart on it shaped with ketchup, but the color almost blended with the orange of the omelet. Johnny's nose wrinkled as he got the whiff of something spicy. What the hell did she put in there?
"Well, dig in guys!" Chie sat to Johnny's left with Yukiko sitting between Yosuke and Chie. Rise, however, sat between Gyro and Kanji. The former idol was beaming at them all and continued with, "So… who's going to be our judges?"
"All of us… but Yosuke and Teddie go first." Johnny pointed at the aforementioned teen.
"Yeah, sounds about right." Gyro agreed instantly.
"That's good in my book." Kanji said, and the three teens exchanged a knowing look after confirming what Rise's omelet looked like.
They brought this on themselves…
Chie, however, narrowed her eyes. "What are you guys up to…?"
"Alright!" Yosuke rubbed his hands together as he took out his chopsticks. "Time to be the first to have the one and only Risette's omelet rice!"
"Yeah! Rise-chan's omelet looks super!" Both cut a generous portion of the omelet and the rice, brought it to their mouths, and chowed down at the same time.
For a few seconds as they chewed, nothing happened.
Then, Johnny saw as their faces began to cycle through deeper and deeper shades of red. Beads of sweat began to form on their brow while their eyes watered. They were obviously suffering, but were trying to keep strong for the girl. But when their sinuses opened and snot began to dribble out of their noses…
…well, everyone had their breaking point.
"Hothothothot!" Yosuke shouted as he grabbed his cup of soda and began to chug it down.
"My mouth is burning!" Teddie wailed as he ran into the kitchen, took out the milk, and began gulping it down.
Rise, who watched this all, looked at the two in shock. "W-What? Why are you guys acting like it's spicy!?"
Yosuke set down his cup and shouted, "Because it is! What the hell, Rise?! Did you put ghost peppers in there?!"
"W-Well, I just added a bit of spice to the rice and a drop of ghost pepper sauce for a kick…" Now Rise looked like she was about to cry. "I-It's just a mature flavor! You guys just don't have an idol's palate!"
"If that's an idol's palate, then I don't want to know what the hell else you eat!" Yosuke got up and shouted, "Ted, don't drink all of it! I need some!" He scrambled at the kitchen, leaving the six teens and one six-year-old alone.
"Well, I guess that takes Rise out of the competition…" But before he could suggest trying Chie's omelet rice, Nanako brought out her chopsticks and took a small piece out of the omelet. "Wait, Nanako don't…!"
Too late. Nanako already put the nuclear hot hell into her mouth.
Johnny expected his cousin would pass out from the heat alone.
But Nanako didn't turn a slight shade of red. She let out a cough, sure, but otherwise she seemed just fine. She smiled at Rise and said, "I like it, Rise-chan! It's really good!"
This time, Johnny did see a few tears come out of Rise's eyes. "Nanako-chan…!"
"Alright, mine next!" Chie pushed her omelet out. "Dig in, guys!"
Tentatively the three men took pieces out of Chie's omelet. Johnny chewed a bit and frowned. It was a bit… crunchy. Not burnt but…
He put his finger into his mouth and dragged it out. Sure enough, there was a hard piece of white eggshell on it. He raised an eyebrow at Chie.
Chie's cheeks burned as she said, "I-I held the eggs too hard, okay? I tried to get as much out as I could, but…"
He sighed. "Well, at least it's edible. So… thanks for that."
The tomboy gave him a weak smile of appreciation, with Gyro and Kanji nodding in agreement.
Like before, Nanako took a piece and after some chewing beamed at Chie. "I like it a lot!"
And just like Rise, Chie seemed about to cry from the praise. "Oh Nanako-chan… thank you!"
"I hope you enjoy mine!" Yukiko declared as she motioned to her omelet. "I followed the recipe and everything."
"Well, that's good!" Yosuke declared as he and Teddie returned. They sat down with new chopsticks and took a piece from Yukiko's plate. "And it doesn't smell horrible! So that's a bonus!"
He ignored the glares that Chie and Yukiko shot him as he and Teddie put the pieces into their mouths. They chewed it for a bit, their elated expressions slowly morphing into ones of… curiosity?
"Well?" Yukiko asked, biting her lip. "What do you think?"
Slowly, Yosuke put down his chopsticks and said, "Okay… how do I put this? It tastes…?"
"Like nothing!" Teddie happily declared. "It actually makes me not taste the rice! And it got rid of the rest of the spicy stuff in my mouth from Rise-chan's omelet!"
"It's actually kind of amazing." Yosuke pointed at the omelet. "Seriously, you have to try it guys."
The three men and even Rise and Chie took pieces of Yukiko's omelet. They simultaneously took a bite… and to their amazement, Yosuke was right. It was like biting into a cloud. Hell, it was like they were chewing on solid water!
Yukiko looked downcast. "W-Well, the recipe said I should use a pinch of salt and pepper… I didn't know what a pinch was, so I used a couple of grains…"
"I mean…" Johnny sighed. How could he spin this without totally hurting Yukiko's feelings? "It's also edible? At least there's that?"
Gyro looked down at the omelet. "It's like it temporarily just knocks out the taste buds…"
"Yosuke-senpai's right. It freakin' incredible…" Kanji just stared at Yukiko. "How'd you do it?"
While Chie put a comforting hand on Yukiko's shoulder, Nanako took a piece of the no-taste omelet and chewed on it. Once again, she beamed at his friend. "It's so yummy! Thank you, Yukiko-chan…!"
"Nanako…!"
"God, she's too pure for this world." Johnny shook his head and said, "Now it's time for mine."
"I'll get it!" Nanako got up and ran into the kitchen. In a few seconds, she came out with his omelet and sat it in the center of the table. "Hope you all like it! Me and Big Bro worked hard!"
"Alright!" Chie and the others leaned forward, taking a piece each, and put it in their mouths.
Honestly, he wouldn't mind if they didn't like it. This was basically a foreign dish, and he didn't make anything more complicated than steak and grilled cheese before all this. Maybe he still put in too much salt? Maybe he still beat the eggs for too long?
"Holy crap! This is great!" Chie's declaration caused Johnny's doubts to disappear. He stared at her.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah! This is so good!" Yosuke agreed as he continued to chew. "It's just the right amount of salty so that it doesn't overpower the rice!"
"You certainly blew mine out of the water!" Yukiko agreed, even if she looked a bit embarrassed by the admission. "But that wouldn't take much…"
"And you put in enough ketchup to make it not too sweet!" Kanji gulped down his portion. "After the others, this is freakin' heaven!"
"S-Shut up! You didn't even try mine, Kanji!" Rise elbowed Kanji's arm, causing him to let out a cry in protest.
"So good…! But I wouldn't expect less from Sensei!" Teddie declared as he took another bite.
"Nice going, Johnny!" Gyro gave him a thumbs up, flashing his grills with a wide smile on his face. "You really blew my expectations out of the park!"
Johnny felt a big, stupid grin spread across his face. They liked it. They really liked it! "It's unbelievable… even the party in that Shadow's little fantasy world wasn't as good as this!"
The memory made the smile slowly disappear. The party in that world… that was the night before everything began to fall apart. Before the worst couple of… seconds… months… of his life. All because he got caught in that Shadow's attack that preyed on his every weakness.
"What if… what if it happens again? In a way that makes more sense?"
"It's great, Big Bro!" Nanako's declaration snapped Johnny out of his dark thoughts. He turned to his cousin, who was beaming at him. "It's so delicious! Will you make this again someday for me? Will you?"
The American chuckled and placed his hand on his cousin's head. "Sure. But I'll need your help again!"
"Okay!"
"So, I guess that settles it! Johnny Joestar is the omelet rice winner!" Gyro got up from his seat. "Alright! Time for the big reveal of my gift to the party!" With long strides, he made his way into the kitchen and hid himself from view. In a few seconds he came out with his hands in mitts. One at the bottom of the Dutch oven while the other one was on top of the cutting board. The cutting board replaced the top of the Dutch oven, causing everyone to mutter among themselves.
Meanwhile, Teddie was practically hopping in his seat.
"Okay, now here it is! A gift from both the Zeppeli family and Italy…"
Everyone moved the omelet dishes away as the Italian slowly and carefully flipped the utensils. Now, the Dutch oven was upside down while the cutting board remained affixed to the top. He set the cutting board on the table and placed both his mittens on the handles of the pot.
He grinned at them, revealing the words 'GO! GO! ZEPPELI!' to all of them.
"I present to you…!"
Slowly, he lifted the pot and revealed a giant and brown block of… something. It kind of looked like bread or cheese, if Johnny could compare it to anything.
"Timballo!"
"Man…" Yosuke looked the dish over with wide eyes. "It's huge!"
"What is it?" Johnny pointed at the 'timballo'. "Is it cheese?"
"Oh, you'll see…!" The Italian ran back into the kitchen and came back with nine plates that had a knife and forks precariously balanced at the top along with a saucepan and ladle. He set down the plates and utensils, one for each, while putting the knife and red sauce next to the timballo. He ran back to the kitchen, and after the sound of a bottle uncorking he came back out with eight glasses and the wine bottle.
"Zeppeli-san…" Yukiko said, obviously worried as Gyro poured everyone besides Nanako about two inches worth of wine in their cups.
"It's fine! You're not going to get wasted on that!" When he was done, the Italian put a splash of sauce on each of their plates. Gyro then took the knife and began slowly cutting a pie-shaped portion out of the timballo. Grinning even wider, he slid the knife underneath the peace while putting two fingers on the top.
As he pulled out, Johnny couldn't help but gape. It was like a lasagna, but even more complicated. On the bottom was cheese, but then came a layer of sausage. On top of that were some hard-boiled eggs, meatballs, pasta, cheese, more meatballs, more pasta, and even more cheese!
"Holy crap…!" Kanji whispered in amazement as Gyro put the slab of food on Johnny's plate.
"A Zeppeli-family specialty! Far better than any lasagna, and only brought out in times of real celebration! The pasta, the sauce, and the meatballs are made by hand!" Gyro gave everyone, who stared dumbly at the timballo, a slice before running back into the kitchen. Coming out with a piece of nutmeg and a grater, he began to grate a bit of the spice on top of each of their plates before sitting back down. "Enjoy!"
Everyone dug into their piece. Johnny, a piece of meatball and pasta on his fork, took a bite…
And it was like heaven.
"The meat… it's so tender! Not a part of it is rubbery, and it's perfectly seasoned without the sauce overpowering any of it! And the pasta… it's al dente! Perfectly al dente!"
"Oh my god…!" Chie hummed happily as she chewed. "Sho good!"
"This is real Italian food…!" Was… was Rise actually crying? "I'm in heaven…!"
"It's heavy… but I want to eat more!" Yukiko smiled as she smeared more red sauce on the food on top of her fork. "You outdid yourself, Zeppeli-san!"
Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie said nothing. They were simply too focused on their dishes, eating with gusto and ignoring the rest of the world.
"So yummy…! I'm so happy I could try this…!" Nanako smiled at Gyro. "Tell your Mom I said thank you…! And thank you too, Gyro-san!"
"Anything for Johnny and his cute little cousin!"
He chuckled at that. "Thanks." God, this was even better than cannoli!
All of them ate Gyro dish until only a quarter of it remained. Once they were done, all of them were leaning back with full stomachs and felt about two pounds heavier.
"Dude, I can't eat another bite…" Yosuke burped while patting his stomach. "I think I'm gonna pass out!"
"That was… it blew all my expectations away." Yukiko let out a sigh as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. "I thought all Italian dishes were spaghetti and meatballs!"
Gyro's face turned dark. "Never put meatballs on spaghetti."
"Whatever you say, man! You're the expert!" Johnny laughed as Nanako looked at her half-finished slice with disappointment. "You even made a dish not even Nanako could finish!"
"It's because I'm full!" Nanako huffed and crossed her arms. "I wanted to eat the whole thing!"
"Maybe when you're older!" Rise teased and pointed at her partially eaten omelet. "You're the only one out of this lot with a mature palate! You'll do wonders when you're older!"
Everyone laughed at that.
"God, this is nice…" It basically destroyed the party from the dream world. Everything was turning out so great. All his friends were hear and good food was on the table. It was a night that Johnny didn't want to end.
"Alright, alright!" Gyro took his glass of wine. "Okay, and now for the reason why we're here!" He paused and looked at Nanako.
"It's okay!" Johnny shouted back. "I told her about it!"
"Wha…? Seriously?!" Yosuke asked, obviously horrified by the idea. "Dude! Why…?!"
"Don't worry! I won't tell anyone!" Nanako looked at Johnny and smiled. "It's a secret world, one that Dad and the other adults wouldn't get, right?"
Everyone exchanged glances at that, obviously trying to think the news over. But Teddie, of all people, seemed to accept it the best.
"So Nana-chan knows about my world?" Teddie grinned and shouted, "That's great! Sensei and the others were worried about anyone else knowing, but if Nana-chan knows about it then that's alright!"
"Oh, it's your world!" Nanako clapped her hands. "That's so cool! Can you tell me about it later, Teddie-san?"
"You bet!"
That seemed to calm everyone down. They nodded to each other and stared at Gyro, who grinned.
"I can't believe it. They aren't angry…!" For a second, he was worried about what the others would think. But they weren't angry. Even when Yosuke was asking his questions. They were worried, sure, but Nanako's acceptance of the news and Teddie's own blessing seemed to settle them. "God, they're the best…"
He still couldn't believe they spent their time with him.
"Well, anyways…" Gyro coughed and said, "I propose a toast! To finally ending the reign of the killer! Nobody else may know about it…" Gyro's mouth formed a small thin line. "But Yamano, Saki, and even Morooka… they are finally avenged. Justice was done for them, and while the cops may get the credit, we were the ones to bring him in. And we all know that's enough."
A moment of silence passed. Even Nanako seemed to read the room and grew quiet.
Those three… none of them deserved to die. Yamano made mistakes with her love life, but she was still a woman with a future ahead of her. Saki even more so. Saki was a girl who was cut down before she could even make something of herself, and that just added to her tragedy. Morooka wasn't anyone's favorite teacher, but even he didn't deserve to die. And they only died because Mitsuo Kubo wanted to be famous.
At least now their killer was caught. At least the person who ended their lives was in the hands of the authorities.
"Maybe that is enough."
"Look, I didn't know Yamano-san…" Yosuke let out a long and weary sigh. "I sure as hell didn't like Morooka. And… and I didn't know Saki-senpai as well as I thought I did." The brunette raised his glass and said, "But I knew her enough that she wouldn't want us moping. We caught the bastard, and I sure as hell consider that a victory! So yeah! Let's toast to them… and us!"
"Hear, hear!" Everyone clinked their glasses, even Nanako with her water, and began to take tentative sips at their wine. Johnny and Gyro were less tentative with theirs. Johnny had gotten his first sip of alcohol from a very drunk uncle of his and had a few drinks on the sly when he was sneaking off to clubs. Gyro, meanwhile, was just Italian.
"Hey, this is pretty good…" Yukiko muttered to herself.
"Eh, I don't see what the big deal is." Chie eyed her glass. "It's basically grape juice!"
"Sacrilege!" Gyro put his hand on his chest, his eyes wide with shock and horror. "It's from my father's cellars! I snuck it out on my flight over here! You insult both the Zeppeli family and all of Italy with your words!"
Rise chortled at that as she took a noticeably bigger sip of her wine. "Oh Gyro, ease up! You can't expect everyone to be wine sobs like you!"
Everyone chuckled at that. The good mood had finally returned, and Johnny himself couldn't be happier. This was it. This was the night he had thought it would be. No talk about splitting up. No affirmations of sticking together that would never come to pass. Just them being together and talking like… like friends.
"So… when do you guys wanna go back to the TV World?"
Kanji's words made Johnny look up in shock.
The delinquent merely grinned at him. "C'mon Senpai, don't think I'm dumb. I know you can only walk there, and I'd have to be a real jackass to think we'd never head back!"
"B-But the killer… he's caught." Johnny swallowed what little saliva he had in his mouth. "You guys… you don't have to…"
"We do! For you!" Chie pointed at Johnny. "If that place is the only way your legs will move again… if fighting Shadows and stuff is what it takes for you to walk again then you bet we'll be there to help! Just say the world and we're running right to Junes!"
"Right!" Yukiko smiled. "Besides, I want to burn that stupid castle to the ground."
"So long as the nightclub is next, I'm game!" Rise pumped her fist into the air, and Johnny couldn't help but notice her cheeks were getting red. "But that isn't as important as helping Johnny!"
"You helped us out, man." Yosuke crossed his arms and grin. "It's only fair that we help you out!"
"We're not going to break apart just because the Grizzly's behind bars!" Teddie agreed. "There's just so much to explore! Enough for you to walk normally again, both in that world and in this world!"
"So what'd you say, Johnny?" Gyro asked, raising his glass and winking. "Do you mind having us stick around for a while?"
Johnny didn't know what to say. A lump was caught in his throat and eyes felt like they were itchy. "Y-You guys…" God, was he crying? In front of all of them? He wiped at his face and sputtered out, "T-Thank you… thank you so much… How… how can I repay you?"
"Dude, you don't have to repay us." Yosuke shook his head. "It's just what friends do."
*SMASH*
Fool Social Link: RANK SEVEN
"Thank you…" Johnny looked down. God, why did it take so long for him to admit that these guys were his friends? Why did it take that much pain and heartbreak for him to realize it? "I guess I really was stupid…"
"Okay! Now, let's kill this bottle!" Gyro yelled as he held up the wine, still only half empty. "It's summer break, so let's live a little!"
Everyone cheered at that. What the hell? They ate enough that the wine wouldn't affect any of them, and the first-timers now understood that they wouldn't get drunk from one glass. So why not another?
However…
"Pffthahaha! Chie, Chie you look so funny!" Yukiko, her cheeks flushed and wine on her breath, laughed at the wine stain on her collar. "Wine shirt! Wine shirt!" She laughed for a bit more, wobbling back and forth, as if her center of gravity was constantly changing.
"Gyro…!" Rise was wrapping her arms around the Italian's arm and she pouted at him. "You shly dog! Yoush wanted to see the great Rishette drunk, didn't you…!" She giggled, hiccuped, and leaned her face on Gyro's shoulder. "Sho thick and strong… Do you work out…?"
"Man. I guess Yukiko and Rise are lightweights." Kanji looked worriedly at his Chie. "You feeling okay, Chie-senpai?"
Chie also had red cheeks, but she seemed perfectly coherent. "Y-Yeah…" She yawned and shook her head. "I think I'm sleepy is all…"
"I think it's time we packed it in for the night." Gyro looked pleadingly at Kanji. "Can you take her back to her grandma's place?"
The first-year delinquent gave Gyro a flat look. "You know I'm gonna have a very interesting conversation with that old lady and maybe the cops if I go alone, right?"
"Right…" The Italian sighed and got up. "I'll come with you."
"Junkyouin…!" Teddie whined, his arm around Gyro's left as he and Rise were brought up with the Zeppeli heir. "Which one do you like better? Me or Rishe-tan?"
"Me, obvioushly!" Rise huffed. "I'm… I'm the better kisser!"
"Oh yeah!?" Teddie leaned up and puckered up his lips, but Gyro moved his face away before the human-bear could make contact.
"Us too," Chie sighed as she got up and, while wobbling a bit, was right on her feet and brought Yukiko up with her. "If we go in a group the less likely they'll think that kind of stuff is happening."
"Vine? I don't drink vine!" Yukiko snorted and let out even more drunken giggles.
"I'm probably going to be on her mom and dad's shit list if they aren't asleep already…"
"God, my dad's going to kill me…" Yosuke was clutching his head as he slowly got to his feet. "If I get grounded for this, I'm going to kick your ass, Gyro."
Johnny merely chuckled and waved at them. Nanako was already picking up the plates and preparing to wash up. "Good luck! And remember, you have Gyro to thank for tomorrow morning!"
Yosuke, Chie, and Kanji groaned while both Rise and Yukiko giggled. They bid their good nights and after a few failed attempts got their shoes on before heading out the door. The two drunk girls' laughter rang out for a few minutes despite the shut door and then disappeared into the night air.
"Wow, that was fun!" Nanako declared, still smiling as she washed the dishes. "Your friends are great, Big Bro!"
Johnny smiled at that remark. "Yeah, yeah they are."
And tonight only proved that fact.
Getting onto his wheelchair, Johnny pushed himself into the kitchen. "Hey, scoot over. Let me help you."
"Okay!"
And so the two cousins washed the dishes together, talking and laughing about how the night went and how Dojima was going to love the leftover timballo when he returned from work.
Thoughts of the TV World and his legs working again didn't even cross his mind.
Right now, he was going to live in this one perfect moment.
"I wonder if tomorrow will be just as good?"
Well, there was only one way to find out!
—[To Be Continued \]
Notes: Well, hope you all enjoyed this epilogue/cool-down chapter for the Just Push Play arc, betaed by the ever-excellent Saint Danielle!
This chapter was nice to write. Because I actually got the opportunity for Johnny to act like a good friend, while also making it pretty clear he's still rattled from his experience with Shadow Mitsuo. Also I got to touch on Yosuke's own feelings of guilt over how he never really talked with Johnny about the darker stuff his friend went through, before having it segue into Chie sorting out her own feelings and finally some underage partying & drinking!
I want to make it known that I do not condone underage drinking.
I do, however, find it pretty hilarious in some cases.
Like, Rise, Yukiko, and Teddie got drunk from freakin atmosphere in the original series. Of course they'd get plastered from two glasses of an actual alcohol.
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Until next time!
