10/7/11 - Afternoon - Dojima House
"So, what's up for calling us here today?" Yosuke asked Yu, taking a seat in Yu's small room.
"Sorry, but Naoto wanted us to gather here in my room," Yu responded. Usually, the Investigation Team met up in the Junes food court to discuss anything related to the case. Naoto knew this, and she's seen the team there before. However, she still had them come over instead of the usual spot. Highly irregular from what he knew of her.
Yu already gathered everyone in the room. Chie and Yukiko sat on the sofa while Yosuke, Yu, Rise, and Kanji sat around his coffee table. Teddie and Akira sat on top of his folded futon.
"Then where is-"
A doorbell chimed and Nanako yelled out a cute "I've got it!" from the first floor. A moment later, Yu heard the door open and "Naoto-kun!" from Nanako. Steps rang through the house and eventually the door to his room opened.
"Thank you, Nanako-chan," Naoto said with a small nod towards Nanako.
"You're welcome!" Nanako waved goodbye and went back downstairs to watch the tv.
"Sorry for the delay," Naoto said as she took a seat between Rise and Kanji, making Kanji blush. "I had to answer some questions."
"Questions?" Yu asked. "From who?"
"Someone new in town: Akechi Goro, a private investigator," she responded.
"That sounds familiar..." Yukiko muttered.
"What's wrong with him?" Yu asked. "He's not harassing you, is he?"
Kanji growled. "If he is, we'll show him what's up!"
Naoto's eyes lit up in shock. "No, no! It's okay!" she yelled. Taking a deep breath, she calmly said, "No, it's okay. He wasn't harassing me. He's here because of me: my disappearance worried my grandfather and, since I missed updating him and his servants couldn't find me, he called Akechi-san to get information on me."
"Your grandfather called an investigator on you?" Yosuke asked.
Yukiko giggled from the sofa. "Someone called an investigator on a detective..." she said as she tried to keep herself from laughing out loud.
Her struggle only made Naoto blush. "Yes, I made a mistake on that end. However, I rectified that and contacted my grandfather as soon as I could."
"Great, so Akechi-san's case is done with, right?" Yosuke said. "What's the issue?"
"Well... It turned out Akechi-san had another case: the missing cases in Inaba."
"Wait, what?" Chie asked. "That's a thing?"
"I didn't think it would be a big issue outside of the town..." Yu said. "At least, not as big as the murder case."
"Normally, you'd be right," Naoto said. "However, Rise and I are too high profile, apparently. Two is a coincidence, but when my grandfather called Akechi-san, he felt the issue might be bigger than what it looked like."
"So, now what?" Yosuke asked. "Sure, that's another person looking into the cases in Inaba, but I don't see the issue."
"The issue," Naoto began as her hands clenched, "is that he's good, very good. He appeared two years ago, after graduating high school. Ever since then, he's created a name for taking in over twenty-five cases and solving each one of them. If he's working on a case, he will solve it."
"I don't see the problem?" Chie said. "The faster the case is solved, the better, right?"
"Normally, yes, but I..."
"Why do you know so much about Akechi?" Yu asked. "Is he that good?"
Naoto sighed. "You must understand: even right after high school, there are things we have to go through to even start, like studying in a training academy. I had my parents' influence and experience to shorten my process, but I did something similar. However, Akechi did nothing like that. He appeared out of nowhere and just worked. Not only that, but his work is also so undeniable that everyone has to respect him."
"Do you...look up to him?" Yu asked. There was something in Naoto's voice that he couldn't place. Respect?
"Yes," Naoto said resolutely. "I worked hard to overcome the prejudice in the workplace, both in terms of my gender and age. Where I failed for our age, he succeeded. He showed everyone that so long as you're good, your age doesn't matter. I begrudgingly respect him."
The entire room fell into silence. Yu's pretty sure this is the first time he's heard Naoto speak like that about anyone.
"Yeah, well, you'll definitely beat him!" Tatsumi yelled, destroying the silence. "You're way better than him! We believe in you!"
Naoto's eyes widened, and she chuckled. "Thank you, Kanji-kun. Yes, I'd like to show I'm better than him."
Kanji blushed again and looked away quickly.
"Oh! I know Akechi!" Yukiko exclaimed. "He's currently one of our guests!"
"Wait, in the inn?" Yosuke asked. "For how long?"
"He is, Yukiko-nee-chan?" Akira said. "I didn't get to see the guest list, so I wasn't even aware..."
"Akechi-san is the one with brown hair. A bit shaggy, but not unkempt." Akira's eyes widened in recognition, and Yukiko continued. "He's been a guest for a couple of days now."
"That's... going to be expensive..." Chie said, cringing. "Any clue when he's leaving?"
"He said there was some mishap with his original plan for housing, so he's staying in the inn for now."
"Is it just a coincidence he ended up in the same inn as you, another victim of kidnapping?" Naoto asked. "Has he asked you anything?"
Yukiko shook her head. "Not yet, but I'll keep an eye out."
Yu frowned in thought. Something was wrong with what Naoto said...
"What was the case he's currently working on, Naoto?" Yu said.
Yosuke looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"
"He was..." Naoto began but she began to quiet down, and she frowned. "He's not here for the murders, but for the missing cases. He never mentioned the murders."
"Specifically, those?" Yu pressed on and Naoto nodded. "Something's up. The murders should be what's making news, not the missing cases. How does someone from outside town know about the disappearances?"
"You're right," Yosuke said, rubbing his chin. "Everyone in town is saying the missing people are just teenagers having the time of their lives or just went somewhere and didn't tell anyone. And yet a total stranger from outside comes in and sees something weird about that?"
"I don't think he's related to the murders itself," Yu said, "but the fact he zeroed in on the disappearances is weird. Just keep an eye on him, answer if he talks to you, but don't give away anything about the murder. We don't know how good his instinct is, but Uncle gets suspicious of me sometimes, so I'd rather not get an actual investigator on our backs."
Everyone nodded, but Yu's stomach felt like it wanted to drop.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
12/5/11 - Night - Inaba Hospital
"Geez, what're you asking me all this for?! For crying out loud, what's this all supposed to be about?!" Adachi yelled before turning to Dojima. "Dojima-san, you really need to get back to your bed. That's why your wounds aren't healing. And you," he continued, turning to Yu and his friends, "all need to go home right now! Do you have any idea what time it is?!" He exhaled. "I'm going back... I need to get to the situation to report in."
Adachi tried to get out of the hallway, moving towards the exit, but Kanji and Yosuke quickly blocked him.
"Just one more thing, please," Naoto said. "We know for certain now that the first two murders weren't Namatame's doing. Someone else killed them. Adachi-san... Do you have any idea who might that be?"
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"'Cause we think it mighta been you." Kanji said, anger apparent in his voice.
Adachi's head whipped towards Kanji. "What?! Th-That's ridiculous! We already know Namatame's the one who put them all in!"
"What did you just say...?" Chie asked.
"Put them all in...?" Dojima repeated. "What's this 'putting them in' business? Do you know something about the method behind their murders...? Don't tell me that all that talk about TVs and whatnot from before was..."
"It was all real, uncle," Yu said, not taking his sight away from Adachi.
"I see... Now I finally understand," Naoto said. "To tell the truth, Adachi-san, I've been fixated on something you once said. Before, I didn't know why... Only that it sounded a wrong note to me." She approached him, Yu right beside her. "Do you recall when I read Namatame's diary at the scene of Dojima-san's accident? At the time, I said, 'Even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are written here.' And in response, your words were, 'Wow... Then that settles it.' How, I wonder, would that 'settle' anything?" she asked with a glare. "At the time, the police had no idea that there had been other attempted murders related to the case... You had no reason to say such a thing. After all, there are countless examples disappearing for a few days. Yet, when I read the list of names, you raised no objection. Odd, that. What do you say to that, Detective Adachi?"
"I-I don't know!" Adachi yelled, waving his arms around. "I-I said I'm busy!"
He pushed through Yukiko and Chie and broke off running in another direction.
However, before he disappeared around a corner, someone tripped him.
"Well, that was certainly unbecoming of you," someone said.
Yu saw Naoto's eyes widened. "Akechi-san?!" she yelled out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
Akechi's eyes roamed over Naoto and her friends and then returned to Adachi, who was still on the ground. "Just followed some clues here and there. I realized something was off when an officer put both the perpetrator and the victim in the same hospital, much less the same wing. Highly irregular. There were also no records saying Namatame was getting transferred tonight." Adachi grunted off the ground, but Akechi placed a hand on him, stopping him from getting up. "Let's not do that, hmm? It's already too late."
From behind him, a couple of officers appeared and handcuffed Adachi. Akechi stepped away, though he kept his eyes on Adachi as the officers escorted him away.
"I suppose I must thank you, Akechi-san," Naoto said with a soured face. "If you weren't there, he might have escaped." She glanced behind Akechi and recognized the hallway. "That way... Did you come from Namatame's room?"
Akechi nodded. "Indeed. I just finished questioning him about his situation and then I heard yelling."
"To think you'd catch the perpetrator..." Naoto said, fiddling with her cap. While she was grateful for Akechi being there, she hated how disappointed she felt about it. She was so close to catching the true murderer, only for Akechi to take it away. But if he wasn't there, then Adachi might have escaped through the TV in Namatame's room. Her grip on the cap tightened.
However, before more thoughts appeared-
"I may have stopped him, but I certainly didn't figure out it was him. That goes to you, Naoto-san," Akechi suddenly said. Naoto blinked rapidly and glanced up at him. "It was just lucky timing." He paused, seemingly in his own thoughts. "To think he'd slip up like that," he muttered.
"Sorry?" Naoto asked.
Akechi jolted and said, "It's nothing. Just some old memories. Anyway, congratulations on figuring out it was him. I didn't think it was him until at the end. I already got what I wanted out of here, so I have to leave as well."
"Kid!" Dojima yelled down the hall, taking both Akechi and Naoto's attention. "Was it really Adachi? The murders? The kidnappings?"
"Yes, sir," Naoto answered. "His answers and actions after should prove so."
"And the things you mentioned about the TV?"
"Not the place, uncle," Yu whispered to Dojima.
"Don't worry," Akechi said. "As mentioned, I'm done with my case, so I'm leaving for the night." He nodded at the group, but his eyes landed somewhere behind Yu before lightly glowering. However, he quickly broke off and left.
Yu glanced behind him, and he saw Akira staring at Akechi.
-.-Take Your Time-.-
12/6/11
"Sensei, the Shadows are leaking into the real world!" Teddie said. He summoned Kamui and an enormous block of ice appeared, freezing the Shadow in its tracks. Chie's Suzuka Gongen smashed through the ice with its sword and killed the Shadow.
"How?!" Yosuke yelled. "Our Personas are in the real world and the Shadows are coming through Junes! What the hell is going on?!" Susano-o's shuriken spun quickly, and a tornado ripped through the streets of Inaba, launching the Shadows into the air. Kanji's Rokuten Maou swung its sword and lightning arced towards the Shadow, finishing them off.
"It's the fog!" Rise answered in their mind. "I think the Shadows are using it to travel to the real world, like a taxi or something!" Somewhere behind them, they saw fire erupt into the air. Yukiko was currently protecting Rise from Shadows, meaning there were some Shadows that slipped through. Somewhere else, another pillar of black flames erupted. That must be Akira.
"Senpai, you don't think this is because of Adachi, right?" Naoto asked beside Yu as she shot another Shadow. "He's the only one that could be there."
When the police officers took in Adachi, they didn't put him in a jail cell. No, they put him in an interrogation room. With a fucking TV in it. Naoto ground her teeth when she heard about how Adachi somehow escaped. Why didn't the officers handcuff Adachi to the table? Why the fuck wasn't he in a cell?!
It took her a minute of deep breaths to fully compose herself. What's done is done.
Yu nodded. "Most likely. Just the way he was in that room... I wouldn't be surprised if he had some control of the TV World right about now. How he's doing it? Your guess is as good as mine."
In time, they arrived inside Junes, having cleared every Shadow in their way.
Teddie reeled, seeing the TV they used to enter the TV World. "This is it... This is the fog's source!"
"So, the fog came from the TV World?" Chie asked. "What about weather fog?"
"That's different, Chie-chan," Teddie replied. "I'm talking about this fog specifically."
"No wonder people kept getting sick..." Yukiko muttered.
"Um... Are we all going in?" Akira asked. "What's going to happen to Inaba while we're there?"
"That's right... We cannot afford to split our forces now," Naoto said. "Traversing Adachi's world and Adachi himself will most likely need everyone."
"I can stay for clean-up!" Kanji volunteered. "I'm better off-"
"I think not."
Everyone in the team whipped their head towards the familiar voice.
"Akechi-san!" Naoto said, her gun raised towards him but her finger off the trigger. On their way to Junes, they never encountered everyone, on account that either they were sick, or they were afraid of going out of their houses. On top of that, Shadows filled the way to Junes. So how did a civilian fight through all that? Naoto checked his eyes, but they were the same distant brown eyes he always had, not the usual yellow Shadow eyes. "How did you get here?"
Akechi hmphed. "It's difficult to rest with all the commotion going on around the inn. When I checked outside, I saw a lot of fire, lightning, wind, and ice flying around town. However, when I realized they all moved towards Junes, I made my own way there. Of course, I did my own cleaning on my way here. Does that answer your question?"
"Wait," Yosuke interrupted, "how did you fight all the Shadows coming here? There was no way for you to just go around them if you wanted to come to Junes."
Boredom flitted across Akechi's face. "Oh, those things? They weren't much; after all, they're just trash."
"Trash...?" Naoto muttered. "Those Shadows needed at least two of us to fight. How...?"
"You sound like you know what they are, Akechi-san," Yu said with a glare. "Who are you?"
"Aren't you supposed to go catch the murderer?" Akechi asked. "Are you sure you're supposed to be asking that now?"
"What was that?" Kanji growled. "You've been real suspicious right from the start. It's nine of us, one of you. You really think you'll beat us all?"
Each member of the Investigation Team nudged forward, ready for a confrontation. It only made Akechi chuckle.
"And what makes you think you can stop me?" he asked. "Still, I'm not here to fight you; I'm only here to make sure you bring in the murderer." He hummed for a bit, then he smirked. "Then again, I suppose it doesn't have to be you that brings Adachi in. If you insist on doing this, you won't be able to do what you need to do."
Kanji heaved his weapon, ready to rush Akechi, but Yu held him back.
"Akechi-san, can you promise me you'll keep the town safe?" Yu asked and the rest of the Investigation Team whipped their heads toward him.
"Why?!" Kanji asked. "Something's definitely up with him! Why can't we just get him here now when he's right in front of us?!"
"Because your leader is pretty good at prioritizing," Akechi answered. "It's pretty clear that whatever is causing the Shadows to come to the real world isn't because of me, no? Then your only course of action is to stop the source: Adachi Tohru."
"You know about Shadows?" Teddie asked. "How do you know about them?!"
Akechi sighed. "Do you really think you're the only group of kids that had to deal with this bullshit? Don't get ahead of yourselves. These things can be explained later. Are you going in there or not?"
The Investigation Team glanced at both Yu and Akechi.
If Yu wanted to, they could definitely fight Akechi and then face Adachi. Akechi is far more knowledgeable about what's going on, especially using the terms Shadow and real world, as if he had experience. That would mean he's connected to the murder cases, right?
But if Yu didn't want to fight Akechi, then they could all go into the TV World and fight Adachi, but that would mean leaving the real world with a suspicious person.
"Can you explain how you plan on fighting Shadows?" Yu asked. "Can't exactly leave the fate of the town to someone we don't know."
Akechi nodded in understanding. Suddenly, blue flames surrounded him, blowing a bit of fog away from him.
Yu thought it was familiar.
Blue flames...
A black outfit surrounded Akechi...
"What...?" Yu heard Akira mutter behind him. He turned around, and he saw confusion on Akira's face. "That's like me..."
"Are you satisfied?" Akechi asked, the winds around dying down.
"Why do you have that outfit?!" Akira asked, rushing forward. "No one else has it! How-"
"Steady, kid," Akechi said. "I get you have questions, but the longer you stay here, the longer the Shadows can get here. Are you sure you want to do this here and now?"
"I-"
"I think that's a good enough reason," Yu said, interrupting Akira. "We'll be back, so we want answers when we get back."
Akechi merely shrugged. Taking that as Yu's last words, Yu begrudgingly led the others to the TV World. Akira snuck a peek behind him before jumping in.
Finally quiet, Akechi sighed. He didn't think it would get this bad. Still...
"Is this enough?" he asked out loud, to no one specific.
"Yes," an androgynous voice answered, and Izanami appeared behind him. "So long as you keep the Shadows contained, then I will allow you to stay in the town, Trickster of Chaos."
"Why do I have to do this when you can just wave away the Shadows or even close the gate? I assume, since you opened it, you can also close it?"
"I can," Izanami answered with a nod. "However, I cannot stain my experiment. Helping the representative of Hope would mean I favor him over the representative of Emptiness."
"And me helping them under YOUR orders isn't?"
Izanami tilted her head. "Why would it be? I am not directly touching the experiment."
Akechi sighed. Of course, she'd say that. She doesn't understand. Or perhaps it was because she is a goddess that he can't understand her?
He shook his head. Ah well, it doesn't matter.
A Shadow materialized in the fog, and it roared at Akechi. Izanami faded into the fog as he faced the Shadow. He smirked and Hereward appeared behind him, shooting an arrow at it.
"Well, since no one's looking, I guess I can go unwind now."
