[Summary: Nanako's desire to go after Kubo leads her into the TV just after midnight... despite dire warnings.]
Mr. Morooka's killer was in the TV World. And Naoto, too, but that was secondary.
Somehow the true killer had gotten ahold of both of them—hadn't Mitsuo Kubo been in jail, or at least the police department? Maybe that's how it happened. He'd put Kubo in there and then followed Naoto home.
Something didn't seem right about that, but Nanako ignored it for now. This took priority. She barely remembered to grab her phone before she headed out of the house, heedless of the hour and the downpour. Within minutes she was soaked through, but the cold wetness did little to dissuade her.
It occurred to her at some point that Junes was closed and probably had a strong security system—not that it would stop her. Getting arrested while breaking in was a risk she'd take. Oh, but she had a way in. Without stopping in her inexorable journey, she took out her phone and called Yosuke. He picked up within a matter of seconds. "Nanako? I guess you watched that, too. I don't even know what to say. Two shows? Does that mean two people are in there? Who was that second guy? And—"
She cut him off. "I'm going in. Get to Junes and open it up for me. Pronto."
"What, the store? I don't have a key to that! Nanako—"
"Steal one."
She hung up and began to walk faster. Minutes later she was past the shopping district and splashing her way down the flood plain. It was a good thing she'd gone to Junes so often that she could make her way there even in the darkness and pouring rain.
A chance. Her chance. It wouldn't come twice, and she wouldn't miss it. Part of her felt that she should be happy. After all, given a chance, she would have throw him into the TV herself. But now that he was inside...
Her thoughts were interrupted by a glint of metal passing by her through the sheets of rain. A bicycle pulled up in front of her. "Nanako!"
Yosuke. She didn't stop for him.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" he called as she passed.
"I'm going after him."
He began to pedal after her. "Have you noticed what time it is? We can save that Shirogane guy tomorrow. Or later today, as it is... Hey, stop! Nanako!"
They were past the bridge now, only a few streets away from Junes. "You've got a key to the store, right?" she stated.
"No."
That was fine. She'd find a way in, with or without his help.
"Nanako?" There was a desperate quality to his voice. "Look, I know you care about the case, I know you respect that detective kid and want to get him out of there, but—"
"It's not him I want."
Yosuke was derailed from his speech for a moment. "That other guy in there?" he hazarded. "Well, regardless, what happened to Rule #2, huh? You were so quick to remind us about it the other day! You can't go in alone!"
"I'm not going alone," she retorted. "You're here."
He stared at her back, for she was still on the move, as the implication set in. "Oh, no!" he objected. "No. I'm not going to indulge you in this."
"Then I'll go alone!" she said, raising her voice over the escalating downpour. "Rules are meant to be broken, Yosuke. This is something I have to do."
"Why, Nanako? Why aren't you listening to reason?" He pedaled ahead of her and then stopped in front of her again. "Oh, I get it. It's because it's coming from me, isn't it? 'Yosuke isn't helping me, so I'll just ignore him, like I always do.'"
"It's not about you," she retorted. "Not everything is about you. I haven't even used your discount in forever. Get out of my way."
Yosuke steered his bike purposely in front of her. "Only because you have Saki-senpai's discount. I know exactly how it is. You only think of me when you want a free soda. For a while there, I thought... I thought you were going to be different, Nanako. You were always a little crazy, but... Now I see it. You're just a regular delinquent."
Her head snapped up to fix him with a glare. "So what if I am, Yosuke?"
She grabbed one of his handlebars in the attempt to push the bike out of her path. Yosuke's hand covered hers, holding it in place when she tried to pull it back. "What are you going to do, break into the store? I take it back, you aren't a little crazy. You're full on loony! Look at you, you're in this torrent without even a damned umbrella!"
"Let go of me," she snarled. "Or I'll make you."
"You'll make me?"
She leaned in towards his face. She could hardly see him now through the dense deluge. "I'll. Break. You."
"Do it, then," he dared. "It'll just prove that you're a delinquent."
She lifted her free hand in a fist—
—and the world shifted around her. The sensation of falling enveloped her, and she staggered forward. Her surroundings swam back into focus. Yosuke was gone, the bike was gone, the rain was gone.
She was in the Velvet Room.
"Dearest guest," said Igor. "So good of you to stop by."
"Stop by, nothing," Nanako declared. "I thought you said you couldn't interfere, and yet here you are, stopping me from punching Yosuke?"
"This has nothing to do with your Magician," Margaret said.
Igor's bulging eyes remained locked on Nanako. "Your altercation notwithstanding, we have business, you and I."
He swiped his gloved hand over the short table, and where it passed it left behind a spread of face-down tarot cards.
"A guest of your nature allows for endless possibilities," he went on. "Yet in your immediate future, only two paths can be seen."
All the cards faded away, save two.
She waited, but Igor didn't touch the cards. "And?" she prompted.
"By your own hand, please, dear guest."
She started with the left card. She turned it over. The card's face depicted a pointed staff with a key in each top corner.
Mr. Morooka's card.
"The Hierophant," said Igor, "represents authority, and, on some level, obedience to it. It is a symbol of knowledge, discipline, and respect."
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. There was so much more she could have learned from him.
"The other card, if you would."
She turned it over and blanched. The large skull depicted on the card grinned at her.
"Death," said Igor. "It represents an end. An end to an era, an end to a journey, perhaps the end to a life... It can also represent a new beginning, in the way that the ashes of a phoenix give rise to new life."
"I have to choose between these two?" she croaked.
"Not at this very moment, but quite soon. Remember, dear guest, that you are—"
"Responsible for my own actions," she interrupted. "Yeah, I got it, thanks."
She could hear Igor's dry chuckle as the Velvet Room faded away.
The torrent of cold rain blasting at her brought her back to her senses in the real world. Her fist was still raised to punch Yosuke. She lowered it for a moment, hesitating, and then brought it back up. Her open-palm punch caught the boy on his jaw, knocking him flat off his bike and into the mire of mud on the side of the road. It was a good thing, perhaps, that he was wearing his bike helmet.
As he swore and scrambled to his feet, she sighed. "I get it," she said. "You don't approve of me. Well, I don't care, not right now. I only need one thing from you. One thing, and I'll never bother you again."
His answer was a string of curses; his bike had fallen on top of him.
"Listen to me, Yosuke. Maybe you'll understand. That other boy in there. His name is Mitsuo Kubo." She paused before adding, "He killed Mr. Morooka."
Yosuke paused in his struggle to pull his bike upright and watched her closely, as if gauging whether or not she would strike him again. He rubbed his jaw where the blow had landed. "You serious?" he finally asked. "How'd he get in the TV?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I want to find out. Get me into Junes. That's all I want from you."
"Nanako."
"Please."
"I'm not lying to you. I don't have a key." He wiped away some dirt from his bike's handlebars. "...But I do have the security code for the automatic alarm."
She made an unashamedly victorious gesture.
"Now you wait a minute, delinquent girl," he went on quickly. "You are not going in there alone. I'm going to call up the others, and we'll do this together, as we've always done, or not at all. You got that?"
"You want to wait in this?" Nanako indicated the rain around them. It had lightened up a little, but it was still nothing less than a downpour. "We go inside and call them there. And dry up while waiting for them. Now, which door do you think would be the easiest to open without a key?"
"Just... follow me," he said with a resigned sigh.
Several minutes later he was watching Nanako attack the lock to the employee's entrance door with one of the bricks used to line the landscaped garden path and muttering 'delinquent girl' to himself repeatedly.
"Shut up, Yosuke," she growled. "If you aren't going to help..." She took aim and hit the lock with a glancing blow. More damage was done to the brick than the lock. "Once the door's open, how long do we have before the alarm goes off?"
"About a minute," he replied. "Don't worry. I can key it in blindfolded."
"See? You are good for something."
His retort was lost in the sound of the hinge that held the lock snapping under Nanako's next blow. She opened the door and ordered Yosuke in without ceremony.
The room was lit by faint emergency lights along the floor. It seemed to be a break room with lockers against the wall, a couch, some chairs, and a small table. She saw Yosuke's form at the far wall. He punched the security code into a device built into the wall, and after a few beeps from it, he told her it was all clear.
"Now, the main power is turned off at night," he said, his voice a harsh whisper as if someone might overhear them. "The elevators won't be running, so we'll have to use the stairs to get to the electronics department. The stairs are right next to the elevators. I'm gonna call the others now. Don't go wandering! I'm honestly not sure if we have nighttime security cameras or where they are. I think they're mainly around the main entrance."
She ignored his exhortation while he made his first call and peered into the room adjacent to this little break room. It was an empty hallway. She tried to consult her mental map of Junes to figure out where they might be. East side... should be near the bakery. If that was the case, then...
She strode out into the hall, swung left, and followed the dimly lit path right to the stairs. No alarms went off—so much for a sneaking mission! She took the stairs two at a time and didn't slow even when she reached the electronics department, where she leaped right into the TV.
"Boss?" said Teddie, looking up at her from his position on the backlot floor. "What are you—"
"Where is Kubo?" she demanded.
The bear's big eyes blinked at her. "W-well, there are two new people in here. Three, if we count you! Oh, boy, I've been wanting to tell you so much! They both came in just yesterday, Boss, and—"
"Where?" she repeated. "Shirogane-san's apartment is south of Junes, so that's where he'll be. But I'm not sure where Kubo's lair is going to be."
"I know, I know!" Teddie cheered. "They're both that way!" He twirled and pointed a hand towards the replica shopping district.
She was right, then. Kubo had gone missing by the police station.
She went to the storage crate—a new one, she'd replaced the one Kanji had broken long ago—and began to dress herself up for combat. She donned a set of open-finger gloves and twirled her naginata with a grimace. She was out of practice. This was going to be her riskiest gambit yet.
"Show me, Teddie," she said, and the bear skipped along in an excited display.
"Wait," said a voice behind her. Yosuke, of course. She didn't turn around, but she heard him step forward. "Nanako... The others are on their way. They're not happy, but they're coming. You're lucky. Yukiko-san was staying with Chie tonight, otherwise she wouldn't be able to come. The buses don't run this late."
"Good," she said, looking up into the yellow haze above the backlot.
"Nanako..." he began.
"Come," she told him. She prodded Teddie, and the bear led the way into the mist until they reached what appeared to be a military bunker surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The building was metal-framed with large satellite dishes on its roof pointing in several directions. Traffic cones littered the concrete in front of it. A large red light blinked on and off by the entrance. There were some trees around the building, but upon closer inspection they were fake.
"This is probably that Shirogane kid's dungeon," Yosuke remarked. "If you're gonna do some mad science, this would be the place. That's what his Midnight Channel show was about, right? A body alteration... I'm not sure I want to know."
Naoto's dungeon. Naoto was in there, possibly unconscious or facing his Shadow. Nanako had prepared him as well as she could to accept his Shadow in case he ended up in the TV like this, but sometimes it was difficult to apply theory to reality. At the same time, Yukiko had accepted her Shadow without anyone's help, so who knew?
"Boss! Your friends just came in!" said Teddie. "Should I bring 'em here?"
Nanako sighed. "Yes, Teddie. Quickly, though!"
Yosuke glanced at her without saying a word before following the bear to the backlot.
Alone. She could think now. How were they going to approach this? Naoto needed rescuing, and Kubo needed... well... he needed...
Split the team into two groups. No, that wouldn't work. There was no one she wanted with her. Definitely not when she made it to the end of Kubo's dungeon. Solo was the only option. She could do it. She'd done all right on her own in the bathhouse. The rest of them would work well together. They had someone specializing in each element. And Teddie for support. It'd be a cinch. They'd save Naoto, and she'd deal with Kubo.
Yes, that was the best plan.
"Nanako! What the hell is going on?" It was Chie, along with others. She and Yukiko both looked haggard from interrupted sleep, and all of them looked none too pleased with the situation.
"Look," Nanako told them right out, "we've got two people in here that need dealing with. We're on summer break. We can sleep all day tomorrow. Let's get this over with."
"When's the fog supposed to set in?" Chie asked. "We don't have to do it all in one night."
"We do because I have to..." Nanako blinked.
She had to. She had to reach Kubo, didn't she? Just like Izaya-san had said.
But...
"We've got to get that detective kid out of here," Kanji said, "but who's the other one?"
Silently, Nanako handed the group the photograph Naoto had given her of Mitsuo Kubo. The ink was runny from the rain, but the boy was still recognizable.
Chie read the name aloud. "Huh. Hey, it's that boy who asked you out by the school gates, Yukiko!"
"Who?"
"He killed Mr. Morooka," Yosuke informed them.
Chie covered her mouth in surprise. "So that's why... Nanako... You want to bring him to justice."
Instead of answering, Nanako looked away.
"Well, we're here anyway," Chie continued. "We might as well do this. What's the plan, Nanako?"
"You guys are going to go—"
The way Yosuke was looking at her reminded her of how she'd punched him earlier.
The Hierophant... or Death.
"You guys," she repeated, torn.
Her chance, her single chance. It was right there.
"sh-should..."
Right there.
"...go after Kubo," she finished. "Teddie. Show them the way there. I'll save Shirogane. I know the guy much better than any of you. I know that's no guarantee of what his Shadow is gonna be like, but I'm confident."
"You're going completely alone?" Yosuke said, incredulous. "Now you're really on the crazy train. At least take Teddie."
Nanako rolled her eyes. "Teddie? Please. No. I'll do this on my own. You four can work as a team. I believe in you. Catch that bastard and tie him up. Go, go."
Go before I change my mind.
"I can't be the only one who thinks this is a bad idea!" Yosuke cried.
Yukiko and Chie exchanged glances. Kanji shrugged. "Senpai says she can handle it," he said. "Wouldn't trust anyone else to go alone. She can switch her Persona, you know. Makes her tougher'n all of us."
"She's not invincible," Yosuke protested further.
"Not invincible," Nanako agreed, "just crazy."
Kanji put a hand on Yosuke's shoulder and turned him in the direction Teddie was heading. Nanako overheard him whisper, "Yosuke-senpai... you gotta understand. Sometimes there are things people just have to do."
She watched them leave her sight, and then turned towards Naoto's dungeon. She hefted her naginata and went inside.
It led her directly onto a metal catwalk made of chain-links, the guardrails covered in yellow-and-black warning tape. Radioactive green blobs oozed out of metal pipes in the walls and dripped to the floor. Metal crossbeams passed overhead, painted with hazard warnings.
Naoto wanted to be a scientist more than a detective, apparently.
Wait a minute. Nanako slowed to stare at a red banner hanging prominently on the wall. It was embroidered with a stylized golden bird with its wings outstretched. She recognized it. Not a scientist; Naoto wanted to be a Featherman villain! Now that she noticed, she could see that the entire environment seemed lifted right from the show. No wonder he'd been so understanding about her not wanting to miss Sunday morning television.
The same stylized bird decorated the door at the end of the hallway. Inside she found a control room of some sort, with consoles hooked up to computer screens, but when she tried to press any buttons, it didn't do anything but beep at her. Naoto's subconscious hadn't created a working lab, just a facsimile of one—much like a set piece for the TV show it was based on, perhaps.
The most difficult thing about entering a new dungeon wasn't getting used to the unfamiliar surroundings—it was encountering new brands of Shadows whose strengths, weaknesses, and skills were completely unknown. Nanako was flying blind here. It was exhilarating in a way, in the same capacity as it was frightening, not knowing whether her attack would destroy the target or the attack would be sent flying back at her. And all of the Personas in her current repertoire had at least one weakness that made them a liability.
Jack Frost, as cute as he was, loathed fire, which was exactly what the newest form of hablerie used on her. She dodged the inferno, nearly falling off the catwalk in the process—hey, maybe she could skip trying to find the stairs to the next floor and just climb down, wouldn't that be nice?—and had the Persona freeze the damned tongue-ball where it floated in the air.
She looked over the edge of the catwalk, but there was, in fact, flooring down there made up of the panels that held the green-tinted fluorescent lights that illuminated the place. It would never be that easy, she realized with a sigh.
The corridors all looked the same to her; that was one thing she actually missed about Teddie's support. He was good at keeping a mental map of the places they'd been to in a dungeon, at least until the dungeon warped itself into a new configuration. It was too bad his support abilities were so pitiful. It would be nice if she could remain in contact with the others through him while they worked through the two dungeons, if only for peace of mind.
She decided on the tried-and-true right hand method. She also made a habit of marking the ground at every intersection where she'd been before—a little bit of that green ooze on the tip of her naginata did the trick—just in case she got turned around after a Shadow encounter.
Which she ran right into after turning the next corner too fast. Slow down, she told herself while pulling up her naginata into attack position. She couldn't let Yosuke's concern for her be justified. Not now.
The Shadows were a pair of basalts: rock-shaped Shadows with purple arcana masks in the center and a couple of hands sticking out at odd angles just to add to the creepy factor. One targeted her with an ice attack that did nothing to her due to Jack Frost still being in the forefront of her mind, while the other emitted a noxious-looking gas that she couldn't avoid. It didn't seem to do anything. If Teddie was here... No, he probably wouldn't have any idea what that just did, either.
To switch her Persona or not? If the enemy continued to use ice, it would be prudent to keep the current one set, but for that same reason, the enemies were likely strong to anything it could dish out. Nullifying their ice resistance was a possibility as well.
Too many options, really. She went with the simplest and brought down her blade on the nearest basalt. The rock wasn't as heavy as it looked. She knocked it over by catching the blade on one of its crags. The other basalt sent ice at her again, causing her to grin since it still did nothing to her.
And then the statue in the center of the chamber that she'd thought was just a decoration opened up, spewing forth a blue mist that brought her to her knees.
Exhaustion overcame her, and she had trouble focusing on the battle at hand. She speared the knocked-over basalt, destroying it, but rather than satisfaction, it sent pain shooting through her head. She hissed, and the statue opened up again, this time sending powerful blades of wind that cut at her skin. She somehow found the strength to remain standing and switched to Cu Sith, hoping at least one of the enemies would be weak to wind. No such luck, and now the basalt sent ice at her that this Persona was not strong against.
Now the exhaustion wasn't induced by a Shadow's ability, it was due to physical pain. She hurriedly called out for Izanami to sing for her, and was soothed somewhat by the goddess. She gripped her naginata and slammed it into the statue as it tried to pour out more of that exhausting mist. She wasn't going to let that happen again.
Finally the statue was defeated, and she returned to Jack Frost to finish off the basalt, but damn, that battle had been far too close for her liking, and it was only her second one. At this rate, she wouldn't make it to the second floor, let alone Naoto.
She should've stuck with her original plan. That chance, her chance, she was missing it right now, letting the others have it, and they wouldn't take it, she knew them, they wouldn't.
She gripped her naginata and considered it. Going back. She was only two hallways into Naoto's dungeon. She'd catch up with the others, easily. And then the chance would be hers again. Naoto could wait, right?
No, he needed out of here. She'd promised him that she'd save him if he ended up in here like this. And she had to know how their plan had failed for him to end up in here in the first place. She was responsible for him. She had to get him out.
But screw fighting these Shadows. She was going to have her stealth mission, and it was going to be now.
Eight floors and several ID cards later—the security on this place was nuts!—Nanako was finally at the bottom level.
The pressure-locked door before her was magnitudes larger than any she'd encountered on higher levels, and there was no other path on this floor. She didn't need Teddie to know that this was it.
With shuddering mechanical noises, the door opened. Behind it was Naoto, gesticulating at his lab-coat wearing Shadow. "Yes, I am scared," he stressed at it, "but there are more important things than my mental state right now."
The yellow-eyed Shadow sneered at him. "What, like your pride?"
"My pride..." Naoto murmured.
"Yes," the Shadow went on before he could say more. "Aren't you so proud of yourself? Living up to the Shirogane name, becoming the ace detective that Grampa helped you become. How proud you are of the professional attitude and appearance that you've so painstakingly groomed." The Shadow straightened its cap on its head and affected Naoto's casual standing posture. Then it began to chuckle. "How proud you are of how you outsmarted the police when they attempted to deal said pride a hefty blow by removing you from the case so unceremoniously."
"I only chose the most prudent course of action—"
"By involving the media, who care only about our 'handsome looks' and our status as a child prodigy in the interest of ratings. The public had to be informed. That's what you told yourself. Why, you think it served the greater good? As if knowing the true killer was still at large, the public could better protect themselves. If it was that simple then what are we doing in here, hmm?"
"Y-yes, the plan didn't... It was caught on a snag..." Naoto admitted, his voice wavering. Then he shook his head and rallied on. "But that is also unimportant. Remember, the goal is to catch the killer. Two killers, in fact."
The Shadow laughed, its whole body shaking with wry amusement. "You say that's your goal, but it isn't. No, your one and only goal was to be the child prodigy who solved this serial killing mystery that so stumped the experts. An achievement that no one could ever look down upon. It all comes down to your sensitive ego." It glanced at Nanako. "This town and its citizens matter little to you. What matters is what they can do for you."
"I can't say I'm much different there, Shirogane-san," Nanako declared.
Naoto stepped backward in surprise; despite the noise from the door opening, he hadn't noticed Nanako's arrival. She saw that he didn't have his anti-fog glasses, so he might not have seen her standing there watching the exchange. "Nanako-san," he said, his lips turning up slightly, glad for her presence.
"But let me tell you," Nanako went on. "You've got nothing if you don't have pride. Whether you're going after the killer for your personal gain, or for your family's name, well, it doesn't matter because we're still doing the right thing, bringing about justice. I'm going after Kubo for revenge, plain and simple. Our personal motivations are irrelevant, as long as the job gets done. That's how I see it."
Naoto set his mouth in determination. "You're correct. My goals here were not selfless. I loathed how the police discarded me when they thought they could make a case for Kubo being the serial killer. All of the time and effort I spent on the case were trivialized, and indeed, intentionally or not, my reputation was likely to be damaged by their actions. Being treated like a tool is par for the course for a detective, but my pride would not allow it in this instance."
The Shadow tilted its head as if considering the detective's acceptance of its words. Its posture seemed to relax. It nodded at Naoto, but it didn't turn into a Persona. It smiled, but it was not a pleasant smile. "But isn't it too bad that your entire reputation is built upon a falsehood, Detective Prince? If the truth were discovered, oh, you'd never be trusted again. You'd be mocked, and teased, and bullied by your very own peers. That's how it was before, wasn't it? That's why you developed this... this identity."
Naoto sighed. "I thought I had come to terms with this. Apparently not. Nanako-san..."
"You wonder why life is so unfair," the Shadow continued. "Every time you look in the mirror, you wonder this... Detective Prince. If everyone only knew how stupid that nickname truly is, wouldn't you say so, Prince?"
As it stressed the last word, Nanako blinked, understanding the implication. She put her hands on her hips and turned to the Shadow. "What, and girls can't be princes?" she demanded. "I'd rather be a prince than a princess myself!"
"'Naoto' is such a manly name for a girl," the Shadow said with a sneer. Despite Nanako's interruption, it didn't take its gaze from Naoto. "But you are a girl, and you will never be the ideal man that you wish to be. The rugged detective that you admire from your novels. Unless, ah—!" The Shadow pretended to spy the operating table for the first time. It moved to it now and ran its fingers along the saw's blade with a longing sigh.
"I wouldn't go that far," Naoto said, looking ill at ease.
"Wouldn't you...?" the Shadow whispered. "No more would the men at the police station look down on you for being a woman. No longer would they keep you from the gritty, interesting cases that they might claim would harm your delicate, womanly sensibilities. If you were one of them, then you'd already have their respect and their esteem. You've dreamed of it. I know. I am you, after all."
"You're—" Naoto began.
Nanako breathed in sharply and gripped her naginata. There was no way she could win against a Shadow here on her own. She'd only barely managed to squeak by the giant mecha guarding the ID card on the fourth floor by running like hell away from it. "Shirogane, please!" she cried. "If you want to be a man, a woman, or anything in between, it doesn't make one difference to me."
"Oh, but doesn't it?" the Shadow taunted, finally addressing Nanako. "Won't you try to make her accept that she's a woman? All the while telling yourself that it's for her own good. That's the way it should be, shouldn't it?"
"No way," Nanako replied. "What sort of friend would I be if I didn't accept you for who you are? Or more importantly, who you want to be? Nothing's gonna change between us, Shirogane-san. Well, maybe some things—like I didn't have the hots for you already, heh heh... But I'll respect whatever decision you make regarding your own body."
Both Naoto and the Shadow were staring at Nanako after her admission. She was just being honest! That's all the Shadows wanted, after all.
And then the two were chuckling in sync. As Nanako watched, the Shadow dissolved into velvet blue smoke that formed into a Persona. It looked like a tiny boy in a blue suit. It flew in place with iridescent butterfly wings. Naoto turned to it, a peaceful look on her face. "Sukuna-Hikona," she murmured.
The Persona faded from sight. Nanako stepped forward and put her arm around Naoto's shoulders, steadying her, and the detective turned into her and soon it was a hug. "Are you all right, Shirogane-san?" she whispered.
"For a given value of 'all right,'" Naoto replied with a sigh. "You came for me so fast, Nanako-san... Thank you."
"I promised."
"You prepared me well and yet I was not prepared at all. I..." Naoto swallowed, and Nanako rubbed her back and told her it would be okay.
[Author's Note: Naoto's gender identity is something we will be exploring throughout the story. For now, Nanako thinks of Naoto as a woman, but it's not necessarily going to stay that way as their friendship grows.
Next Chapter: The Point of No Return]