Chapter 48
July 26, 2021; Friday
Mirror Dimension; Floor 25; Safe Room
(Afternoon)
Kaz stepped out of the teleporter and made his way to the shelves. Sure enough, one of the spare gauntlets were taken off the shelf. Checking his phone once more, he affirmed the position of the thief to be on the 32nd floor. Tyr scratched his chin and commended Kazuhiko for his plan.
"How did you know that they would take this specific piece of armor?"
Kaz chuckled as he pointed to the appointed racks for the members.
"Since we're all appointed our own equipment, we would notice any differences in them such as damaged portions or adjustments in size. Since whatever has been able to get inside the room, we can assume that it isn't a shadow. However, it isn't one of the Harbingers. They would have outright sabotaged our equipment. The only thing that I can plausibly come up with would be someone outside of our group that is just interested in our supplies. Besides they're aware that we might be watching, so they deliberately took items that are of a large amount of surplus, believing that we wouldn't notice. However",
Kaz tapped his phone into the notes app.
"We never really left behind any evidence that we were keeping track of items, so we know every single thing they took. As for the bait,"
Kaz turned back to the small basket filled with spares.
"It's sometimes rare to find armor off of shadows, but it happens sometimes. More often than not, we usually sell them due to how they're inferior to our own equipment but we keep some that have outstanding statistics such as those that have mentally invigorating effects. Due to all the items that they have taken the most, mentally invigorating items seems to take the cake. That's what made me put the tracker on these gauntlets and armor pieces."
He walked over and picked up a shoulder shroud. Between the folds of light plating, a small object was wedged snugly.
"I found a handful of trackers beforehand and bugged these hoping that the thief would fall for the trap. And that's how we can track them now."
Now making his way to the door, Kaz unsheathed his sword and placed his hand on the handle.
"Since these are lower floors, you and I can handle the shadows easily enough, but whatever we find that has been stealing supplies, we'll only spectate; we have no idea how powerful it is."
*bang*
The sound was faint, but Kaz's sensitive ears picked it up. He turned in the direction of the staircase towards the next level, his sword in a ready position.
"Now just who are you?… "
Floor 32
Nanako picked up her pistol and put it back in the side holster. Today was an exceptionally eventful day: She discovered how her mother died, she was betrayed by those she trusted, she lost Toyotama, and the opportunity to avenge everything was lost. Sometimes, life couldn't be more cruel.
"Damn… why today?"
She made her way towards the staircase, but she could hear something emanating from the floor below.
*tmp* *tmp* *tmp* *tmp*
She couldn't see very well down the dark staircase, but she could make out a figure that was walking up the steps.
"Shit!"
She turned around and ran back into the hallway, looking for somewhere to hide. After finding a large pillar near a corner, she hid behind with her pistol drawn. Her heavy breathing soon became calm , but her heart would not stop beating out of suspense and fear. Sneaking a glance from behind the pillar, she quickly turned back around.
"Should be around here somewhere", Kaz mumbled to himself as he looked down at his phone.
Why is he here today? Daichi and Iselin never said anything about going into the Mirror Dimension. Unless…
She snuck away and ran down the hallway, desperate to gain some space between her pursuer and herself. After gaining a good enough distance, she checked her belongings.
"Nothing, nothing… wait a second… "
She took off her gauntlet and put her fingernail into the small chink. She then proceeded to pull out the small tracker from its hiding spot.
"I knew it. This was a trap."
Kaz POV
Kaz looked at the tracker on his phone and pinpointed the position of the thief. As he approached, he noticed that it wasn't moving anywhere. Drawing his sword, he began to turn the corner until…
*tnk*
*BAM*
"Ah!"
A flash bomb from the stores below was dropped right in front of his face, his eyes wide open.
*SHOVE*
Suddenly, he was pushed onto the ground by an unknown assailant. The surprise flash bomb combined with the unexpected attack knocked him senseless for a few seconds before he could get back on his feet. He tried to follow, but without his eyes, he couldn't tell where; not to mention that Tyr would be affected by his own injuries, so using Tyr for guidance would be out of the question.
Stumbling around, he tripped and felt something cold and metallic on the ground. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the stolen gauntlet in his hand, the tracker on the ground a meter away.
"Shit"
He picked himself up and let out a deep sigh. All of this planning only for it to blow up in his face, but at least he took something away from it.
"Kazuhiko, are you alright?"
Kaz nodded and picked himself up, dusting off his clothes.
"Yeah, I think so. It helps that I've taken something from this."
"You found something?"
"Yeah, but let's save it for later when we get out of here; I don't want to be swarmed by the shadows that heard the bomb."
Nuzoko Shopping Center, Cafe
Kaz ordered his usual drink and reclined in his chair.
"So about that evidence… "
"I could tell it was a girl. When I was shoved onto the ground, she body slammed me."
A light of realization shone in Tyr's eyes.
"Ah, I see now. So when she came in contact with you, you felt her… assets… "
"Yeah," he said, his cheeks flushing a little.
"Now, as for our thief's escapades, I don't think we'll run into her in there any time soon, not when she knows she's being watched."
"So what do we do now? We can't let them go free like this; they could kill us in our dire moment!"
"I doubt that. They could've taken me out, but they just settled for a shove to the ground. I don't think they prove a threat, but they don't seem to have a solid purpose. Worst comes to worst, the Harbingers could talk her into joining them."
Leaving money on the table, Kaz stretched and walked towards the exit.
"But I've got enough things to worry about for now; I've still got to hang out with Iselin today; She said she found out the person who's been leaving the notes."
"Alright then, let's continue this later."
(Afternoon)
Nanako POV
Nanako tossed her holster and pistol back into the drawer of her desk.
"Okay, no more Shadow hunting for a while," she told herself and fell back on her bed.
Today was too close of a call for her. Her secret could have been found out all because of a tantrum she had, and that was the killing blow. She almost lost everything, and she had nobody to blame but herself.
"I should probably eat something. Say, what do you think we should eat Toyo… oh yeah… "
Correction: She had lost something.
"Where are you?" she asked, but the silence was her only answer.
Something wasn't right; She and Toyotama never fought, technically because they were the same person and that they always agreed on everything, but this time was different. It was as if she wasn't acting like herself and rejecting Toyotama entirely.
*sigh*
Taking her phone out of her pocket, she skimmed through her contacts and tapped on a familiar number. She then proceeded to put her phone next to her ear as the line continued to beep.
"Hey, little sis! It's been a while since you've called me."
Nanako smiled. If there was anything that could make her feel better, it was her silver haired big bro.
"Yeah, it sure has. I haven't talked to you since I moved here. How's work?"
"Same as usual. This particular case I'm working on is on hold for a little bit, but it should be back off the floor soon. What about you? How's school?"
"Everything's the same, more or less. I guess the only difference is that there's a lot more to do after school."
"I guess that would make sense; you are in a city after all."
"Please don't make it sound like that. It's like you're comparing me with Yosuke-senpai when you first met him."
The two continued to chat for a while, enjoying the bond that they shared, until Yu brought addressed the elephant.
"So, I heard that you were stationed over there for some business, am I right?"
Nanako bit her lip.
"Actually, the reason I called you was to confirm something."
"And that would be?"
"... did you… ever feel like you weren't acting like yourself?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Like, have you ever done something that you know you wouldn't have done under normal circumstances?"
"... does this have something to do with Toyotama?"
"Yeah… kinda. We had a fight and now I can't find her."
"You sure she isn't just staying quiet?"
"I can't sense here anywhere either."
"I see. Then this really is a pretty big deal."
Nanako sighed and sat up.
"I don't know what happened, she just stopped talking while I was mad and when I came back to my senses, I couldn't sense her presence anywhere."
"Okay… maybe I know what happened. You rejected yourself"
"Excuse me?"
"It's not something so rare. In fact, it's quite common. I've seen it happen in action before, several times in fact. And no, it's not about everyday things; this happened when I first came to Inaba"
"So then, it had something to do with the TV world?"
"It happened when we were facing our own shadows. Yosuke was the first case, next was Chie, Yukiko and I think you can figure out the rest."
"We were confronted with the ugly parts of ourselves and rejected them, refusing to believe that they were us, and that resulted in the shadow going berserk and trying to kill us. It only quelled until we accepted them and thus became our Persona."
"Really? So the reason why Toyotama isn't here is because I refused to accept a side of myself that seemed darker?"
"Maybe… hm?"
Nanako heard some murmurs and shuffling on the other side of the line until Yu came back to the call.
"I'm sorry, I've got to go. I hope that helped?"
"Yeah, don't worry big bro. I think I know what to do now."
"Oh, and also before I forget… "
"What's up?"
"How far have you and Kaz gone?", she heard him say on the other side of the line.
Her shoulders tensed up as she imagined the smug grin on his face.
"I mean, you are around that age where Yukiko and I started dating. I hope you haven't gone as far as I did on Christmas that yea-"
"Oh shove a sock in it!", Nanako yelled into her phone as she quickly hung up.
However, the desired effect of the silver-haired man kicked in regardless as Nanako pictured Kazuhiko.
"So what do you want for Christmas?" she asked in a lovingly tone.
"Hmm… what about you?"
She blushed as she backed up onto her bed.
"Wait, isn't this a bit sudden?"
"Why not? I mean, didn't you have a tradition in your family when you could open one gift early?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!", Nanako screamed into her pillow as her face became as crimson as a ruby.
Meanwhile with Yu…
Yu set his phone down and chuckled to himself.
"Ah, she really is too easy to tease. Now, what did you need me for?"
The secretary had a letter in hand.
"This just came in from the front desk."
She handed it to him and headed back to her desk. Looking at it, Yu took out a letter opener and read the contents. His eyes narrowed and folded the letter. The secretary looked up from her work to see Yu walking towards the exit.
"Was it something important?"
Yu shook his head.
"No, just a letter from a friend. I need to head out a bit for the case. Could you tell the boss I'll be out a little later than usual for patrols?"
She nodded and picked up her phone. As Yu made his way outside, he took out a lighter and burned the letter.
"Honestly, you think that Sho could just give me a call."
Kazuhiko POV
Iselin was waiting with Daichi in front of the bus stop. She turned around and saw Kaz approaching her. He waved as Tyr turned the corner after him.
"Yo. So, you found something out?"
She nodded and took an envelope out of her bag. Inside it were several leaflets of poetry.
"Were those all the ones you've received until now?"
Iselin nodded.
"And this was the most recent one," she added as she took a single page in particular.
Kaz took a look at it.
Flowing in the wind
We lost someone important
Rika, please come back
"Strange, what's with the 'we'?"
"Someone who lost her must have written this, but this is modeled after a poem that I read before. So whoever sent this must have the rest of her poems and read them before."
Daichi turned to her.
"You don't believe it was them, did you?"
She sighed and walked down the street, beckoning the two to follow them.
"The Colburnes are still in Japan; they decided to move here so that they can be near Rika."
"So this is how those poems ended up going to you."
"Honestly," Daichi sighed
"To think it was them this whole time. I thought there was a stalker after you."
Iselin tilted her head, but otherwise looked forward.
"A stalker you say?"
"A person who would leave poetry and flowers at your doorstep!", Hugin said.
"The kind of trash who would go to any means to win your affection!"
"Hm, that would be troublesome… ", Hildr said as she scratched her chin.
Iselin stayed silent before speaking once more.
"What would you do if it was a stalker?", she asked Daichi
"Well, I would probably haul him over to the police after I've finished dealing with him."
"And why would you 'deal' with him?"
Kaz suddenly felt tension in her voice, as if her existence depended on the hawk's answer. Daichi, however, was oblivious to this.
"Well he was stalking you after all. I mean, I know you so I would feel like I'd have to do something. Besides, I can't just let a man like this threaten a maiden's honor."
"Master Daichi is a man of chivalry!"
"He would never let such scum have their way!"
Iselin's gaze suddenly brightened as a wide smile appeared on her face. Daichi looked at her with a questioning gaze.
"What's up? What's got you in such a good mood?"
"Oh nothing."
Kaz meanwhile scrolled through his phone.
"God, when are they going to come to a conclusion?"
The Colburnes' House
"So, you found out," Daina Colburne said as she saw Iselin with the poems in her hand.
Iselin nodded.
"Care to explain why you're doing this?" she asked.
Daina sighed and beckoned them into the house. Seeing no other choice, the three teenagers followed her inside and sat down at the table. It was quite apparent that their moving was rather rushed. Tons of boxes were strewn on the floor. The only things that seemed unpacked were kitchen supplies and a few specks of furniture.
Mrs. Colburne took out a teapot and some cups while Mr. Colburne joined them. After setting down the tea, they all sat in silence.
"The reason why we sent you those letters, was because we felt we had no right to any of her belongings. We've been deeply regretful of what we've done to her so we've tried our best to fulfill what her last wishes were," Daina told them.
Mr. Colburne took out a slip of paper and handed it to Iselin. Curiously, she looked it over.
"Her will?"
He nodded.
"Yes. We found it a couple days after we moved here. All her belongings are yours and yours alone."
Iselin stared at it and lamented the situation.
"But why the poem that you made?"
"Because we want to apologize for everything," Mrs. Colburne said.
Then, the two of them stood up and knelt to the ground, bowing their heads.
"Please forgive both of us for trying to push you away from our daughter,'' they said in unison.
Iselin stood up and looked at both of them.
"They seem to be very remorseful for what they did. Perhaps we should forgive them?", Daichi suggested, but Iselin still stayed silent.
"No, if we let them off the hook, they'll still feel remorseful. They might even try to kill themselves again. What should we do?"
They both turned to Kaz who was touching his chin.
"How about this?", he said.
They gathered around him as he whispered to them.
"That would be a good course of action; I mean, they did wish they raised her differently," Daichi pointed out.
"Of course it's the way to go. I'm all for it!", Iselin said.
"It was your call in the first place," Kaz said.
The three turned around to face the Colburnes with Iselin clearing her throat.
"I have come to a decision. I will forgive you for your actions against my best friend."
The two looked up at her with tears in their eyes.
"But on one condition. You must raise another child of your own. Raise them how you believed you should have raised Rika and you will not only receive my forgiveness, but also hers."
The two of them looked at each other, and then the ground.
"Another child? Well, we wouldn't say that's the worst idea… "
"It'll take a lot of time… but if it's for Rika, then there's no other choice."
Mr. Colburne looked up to Iselin and nodded.
"Yes, we will accept those terms. We will definitely have difficulties, but we shall do our best."
Iselin smiled as they stood up.
"Well, I guess that's all we had to say. C'mon guys, let's go."
Before they walked out, Daina had grabbed onto Iselin's hand to stop her.
"Wait, before you leave. I want to speak with you."
Iselin turned around.
"We might have a rough time with a lot of things, but please help us out."
Iselin smiled at her and patted her shoulder.
"Of course I will. Anything you need, I'll help you."
"I mean, please be there for our child. Not as a friend, but as their godmother."
They stood there silently for a few moments.
"WHAAAAT!?"
Kaz and Daichi looked at Iselin who was just as surprised as they were.
"Wait, why me?! I'm not cut out for being a godmother!"
"Exactly! She has a terrible temper!" Hugin pointed out.
"And she smokes!" Munin continued.
"And curses!"
"And doesn't have a stable job!"
"And she sometimes mastu-"
"Will you two shut up!?" Hildr said as she knocked their heads together three stooges style.
Daichi slightly cringed in pain at the sight of his Personas being beaten. Kaz, on the other hand looked confused.
"Please accept. Knowing that you will watch over our child will put Rika at ease."
Seeing no other way out, Iselin sighed and nodded.
"Okay then. This is pretty spontaneous, but I see your point. Alright, I'll be its godmother."
The three left the Colburnes' to their business as they walked back out onto the street. After a few minutes, Iselin let out a deep breath.
"I can't believe I did that!" she exclaimed as she pressed her hands to her head.
She started to breathe heavily as Daichi put his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey hey, calm down. Deep breaths. You okay?"
She nodded as she finally calmed down.
"Thanks for being there for me, guys. I really appreciate it."
Kaz nodded.
"It's no problem. We're all here for each other, after all."
She looked at the ground and smiled.
"To think that they actually cared about her all this time, it really hits home. I wonder what they'll name their child."
"It'll depend, but if it's a girl, I'm betting it's either Rika or Iselin," Kaz said.
"Heh, yeah that's definitely something to hope for."
"Huh?"
Kaz suddenly felt an intense pressure react in the core of his chest, but instantly felt it leave.
"Damn, I think I might be behind on my sleep."
"Seriously? It's summer vacation. You shouldn't be feeling tired now of all times," Daichi told him.
They arrived at the hotel where they broke off from Kaz.
"Alright, later guys. I'll try to get a few winks tonight."
Daichi and Iselin waved goodbye to him as they made their way to the dorms.
"Oh yeah, by the way… "
Hildr grabbed Daichi by the scruff of his neck.
"What was all that talk of protecting a maiden's honor?" she asked in a pleasant voice full of venom.
Daichi's eyes grew to the size of pie plates.
"Wait! There is a perfectly good explanation for all of this!"
Iselin narrowed her eyes.
"And that would be? I mean, you're a good friend, but if you're stalking me-"
"Hm? Oh, Iselin, are you almost finished with that new artwork of yours?" Hugin asked.
"Huh? How do you know about that?"
"You really have gotten onto One Piece pretty late. I mean, you haven't even finished season one yet!" Munin exclaimed.
"Wh-How do you know that!?"
"Our rooms are next to each other! We can hear you if you aren't quiet enough!" Daichi shrieked.
Iselin's face turned pale.
"Then that means you know… that I… "
Hildr let go of Daichi suddenly.
"Uh, Iselin, I feel pretty tired right now. What's going on?" she asked.
"I'm just gonna go back to my room now… I want to die… "
Daichi looked at her with a worried expression.
"O-okay. Just don't die, alright?"
Student Dorms; Iselin's Room
Iselin face planted into the pillow and screamed.
"Dammit, why'd that have to happen?!"
"Try to be quiet, the neighbors will hear you!"
"Ugh, don't remind me… "
Iselin wasn't very loud during her… escapades, but sometimes her imagination would get the better of her and… sounds happened.
She groveled into her pillow a bit more until a noise was heard above her. She turned around to see the crows peering down on her.
"Is she doing it again?" Munin asked.
Hildr grabbed the two and flung them back to the other side.
"Stay out!" she yelled back at them.
Seeing her user in complete disregard of herself, Hildr sighed and sat down next to her.
"Well, at least something nice happened today. The Colburnes finally seem to be doing something about their mistakes, all thanks to you."
"Oh yeah, and I'm now the godmother!" Iselin said, completely forgetting about her previous embarrassment.
"Man, this is all pretty heavy. Will I be able to handle this?"
"Rika knows that you can. I can tell you that for a fact."
"If I could only talk to her again, I'd tell her the good news… "
Hildr looked at Iselin's art supplies scattered across her desk.
"Actually, you might be able to."
Iselin looked at the empty canvas on her desk and connected the dots.
"Oh yeah… that's right."
Getting to work, Iselin set up her stand and closed her eyes, letting her memories guide her paintbrush. After an hour, Iselin opened her eyes to reveal the painting of her deceased friend staring back at her.
"Hey, Rika. How's it going? Well, I guess it's not too bad on my end. I've got some good news: your folks are planning to have another kid and they're gonna raise them the way they should have raised you. On top of that, I'm gonna be the godmother! Yeah, yeah, laugh it up while you still can. I know that there's a lot riding on me to take responsibility, but if you watch over me and the kid, I'm sure I can do it."
The painting did not reply back, but Iselin already knew her friend well enough to accept the silence as a response. Smiling, she leaned back in her chair to stretch.
"Man, is it just me or am I just more tired than usual?" she asked.
However, no response came. Iselin turned around and couldn't find Hildr anywhere.
"Hm? Hildr? Where are you?"
She opened the door to the hallway and could hear the crows in the distance.
"Probably after them right now. Oh well. Maybe I should… *yawn* turn in for the night… "
She shut the door behind her and started to see her pillow.
"That's strange… why am I… already in bed… ?"
The Chariot Social Link Complete!
Meanwhile…
Dojima Household; Nanako's Room
"Refused my dark side… ," Nanako lamented as she stared at the ceiling of her room.
What was dark about her? According to anyone, she was as dark as a ball of sunshine. Just the thought of it made her more frustrated.
"What evil part of me did I reject to cause Toyotama to disappear?"
She looked at her desk and noticed all of the papers on top.
"Better get that out of the way so Dad doesn't find out."
True, she was a junior member of the Shadow Operatives, but her father didn't know any of that. If word got out to him that she was undergoing the same kind of trial that Yu, he would have her under constant surveillance 24/7.
*click*
"Nanako, I'm home!"
Nanako turned towards the door and made her way downstairs.
"Hey Dad! How was work?"
She saw the tired detective put his coat onto the coat rack and take off his shoes.
"How about we talk over dinner? I bought some tofu on the way back but I've gotta put away some files first; can you take this into the kitchen?"
Nanako nodded and took the bag inside. She already had a rice pot going twenty minutes before-hand so all that was left was to get the bowls and chopsticks. Before Dojima sat down, he grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge. He popped the cap off and was about to take a sip until he saw Nanako looking at him with her arms crossed.
"Oh yeah, forgot about that."
It was a household rule that Nanako had established 2 years earlier on New Years Eve. Yu had been 21 for a while but never had the chance to celebrate with them until then and decided to spend the holidays in Inaba. Dojima, understanding the importance of a man coming of age had invited his friends over to have a few drinks on New Years. Needless to say, things did not end well, thus Nanako declaring a household rule of only drinking on a Saturday.
Dojima put a plastic wrap on the bottle and put it back into the fridge. Then, they dug into the food while engaging in idle chatter.
"Hey Dad, do you still miss Mom?"
Dojima sighed and put down his chopsticks.
"Every day, Nanako."
Nanako looked down at her rice, not feeling up to eating at the moment.
"Did you ever find anything about the person who… took her from us?"
Dojima shook his head.
"Unfortunately, no. But I don't let it bother me that much. I know that she wouldn't want us to worry about her when we still have each other, so I decided to put it aside and spend as much time as I could with you."
Nanako smiled. She still remembered that year when her big bro had come into their lives. Afterwards her father had been to dinner more often, came to her parent-teacher conferences, and even spent Golden Week with her. It truly was a blessing.
"But what if you found out that it was part of something bigger? You were told that she was run over in an accident, but what if it was just a cover-up for something? What if-"
*SLAM*
Dojima's hands had hit the table, making his bowl shake a bit. His face couldn't be seen because of the lighting, but Nanako could see his hands shaking. She fell silent.
"Nanako… I'm sorry for that."
He sat back down and picked up his chopsticks.
"To be honest, if I was lied to, I think I would lose control and kill the person in charge. It's a scary thought, but I've moved past it. I wouldn't do anything to risk what I have now."
He scooped some rice and tofu into his mouth and stood up from the table.
"I've… I've got some more work to do… Sorry I couldn't spend more time… "
Nanako was left alone at the table, contemplating herself.
"Yeah… that's probably what I would've done too."
She took out her phone and stared at the screen.
"Why did I do that?"
On screen, she saw the picture of Mitsuru Kirijo and a timer counting down the remaining days of her life.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand we are BACK! Welcome one, welcome all to chapter 48! It's almost chapter 50 and I am so PUMPED! This story has gotten a bit difficult to fit into my college schedule, but I've been able to do so against all odds. Special thanks to Zachgoertz, Defender31415, and animangafreakZX who have recently joined this story's favorite list. And I wanted to talk about this recent chapter. So, yes; Iselin's Social link was pretty short, I know that I am going to get a lot of criticism about this. I made it short because I really didn't know where to take her social link or how to fill up all the other levels. The conclusion I came to was to have a poem be revealed to her every level until this one. Besides, I still haven't covered all of the arcanas yet and I need to get some social links out of the way. Usually during summer vacation, people would have finished at least one or two, so I felt I was holding up people with the plot too much. Anyways, one last thing I wanted to say; If you guys are fed up with the jumping around between the plot and the social links, please leave a review or message me. I have an idea where I will publish the social links in different stories in more depth. The social links will exist still here, but will last longer in the side stories. However, this is entirely up to you guys; I don't want to do something you guys don't want me to do and impede this story any longer than I should. Also, I am now on Playstation using the same name as my fanfiction name here. If you send me a friend request, state your favorite character's name in the message and I will get back to you. But enough of this silliness; here's your omake
What happened 2 years ago
"Thanks for having us over, Dojima-san!" Yosuke said to the old detective as he took his shoes off.
Dojima chuckled.
"Well, that's the thing about New Year's parties: the more the merrier. Besides, Yu's going to be here for New Year's ever since turning 21. We need to let him have taste of the experience"
More people filed in alongside them. There was Teddie, Rise, Naoto, Kanji, and Chie right after them. Yu and Yukiko were out to get some more food while Nanako went out for a little while.
"I have to decline on drinking tonight, Dojima-san," Naoto began, but Dojima shook his hand.
"Nonsense, this is New Year's Eve and everyone else is going to have a good time. I am ordering you to not miss out on this."
"I-I see. Well then, I wouldn't deny the fact that I've been a little curious… "
"Ooh! What's this?" Teddie asked as he poured himself a shot of bourbon.
"Wh- hey! Okay, you are one of the people we can't let loose. Even if you are legally allowed to do so." Yosuke told him as he took the shot glass away from him.
"Hey guys! We're back!"
Everyone turned around to see Yu and Yukiko arm in arm. Behind them, Nanako was dragging Kazuhiko by the arm.
"Sorry for barging in, but my folks were out of town for tonight. I hope you don't mind me," Kaz said.
"No problems here," Dojima said.
He poured everyone a glass of beer, except for Yukiko, Rise and Teddie.
"Well, here's to the last hour of this year. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" everyone said as they sipped their drinks.
"Whoo!" Chie whooped as she downed the entire glass.
"Yo, Chie-senpai, you actually finished the entire thing at once?"
Chie nodded.
"You learn it when you go drinking with the officers on the force!"
"Please don't overdo it this time, Chie. I had take you home last night and your parents thought I got you drunk."
"Oh, grow a pair Yosuke! Besides, you were the light-weight who only drank a sherry cocktail!"
"Really? Yosuke, you really can't bear your liquor, can you?"
"Oh shut up! I don't want to hear that from a guy who got drunk off the atmosphere in Tatsumi Port Island!"
"Hey, Chie-senpai, let's have a contest! Man-to-man!"
Kanji set down a couple of shot glasses and a bottle of whiskey. Chie answered the challenge and sat down at the table.
"Alright! Let's do it!"
In the distance, Yu and Kazuhiko were talking.
"So, how much money are we putting down for?" Kaz asked.
"Hm… smart money's on Chie; she can definitely handle this better than Kanji"
"I'm going ¥5000 for Kanji-kun," Kaz said as he placed his money on the table.
"Hey guys! You're Risette is here for the bets on the drinking competition!" Rise announced, seemingly holding a betting box out of nowhere, her cheeks turning red.
"And here we go again," Naoto said as she pulled her cap down.
"Lighten up, Shirogane. Here, have some sake," Dojima said, handing her a small vial.
The younger detective reluctantly took it, feeling skeptical.
Yukiko and Nanako looked at each other, then at the scene before them.
"I knew this was a good idea! I told you that everything would be alright."
"I'm… not so sure… " Yukiko stated, eyeing the sake set.
Nanako raised an eyebrow.
"What are you talking about? What could possibly go wrong?"
An hour later…
"Wee… so many shiny little stars… " Teddie said as he reached towards the ceiling.
Yukiko was sitting in Yu's lap and giggling while Yu remained motionless with a constant ":|" face. Naoto had been taken down a few notches after 3 cups of sake and had rested her head on Kanji's lap in the middle of the drinking match. Kanji, despite holding his ground, passed out from a nosebleed after Rise had undone Naoto's shirt and taken off the bandages. Chie, who declared herself the queen of drinking had made quite a ruckus, prompting Yosuke to stop her and resulting in Chie putting him in a lion tamer. Dojima just nodded off on the couch. Meanwhile, Kaz was currently trying to stop Nanako who had accidentally drank a cup of moonshine, believing it was Cielo Mist.
"Heehee. There's no use resisting, Kaz."
"Wait, Nanako! Stop! You drank something wei-"
Kaz suddenly felt himself being dragged up to her room by his legs.
"Help! HEEELP!"
She threw him on her bed and landed right next to him, cradling his head in her lap. He closed his eyes as she played with his bangs.
"Aww, you're so cute," she said.
Kaz whimpered, losing himself in the embrace of her body heat.
"Ara ara Ka-zu-hi-ko… kyu~n"
He waited for the inevitable to happen until he heard light breathing coming from Nanako. He looked up to see Nanako laying back with closed eyes.
"Hm, well, I guess this wouldn't hurt," he said as he relaxed in her lap a bit more.
Then, he had fallen asleep, not realizing that the New Year's countdown had just finished.
I do not condone the consumption of alcohol, especially at an illegal age. Anyways, seeya!
