A/N: I only managed to write two chapters and we only got through about three days of the games... how slow. Well, the next chapter would finally reach the part where they enter the TV, so be on the lookout for updates. Oh, and my updates are very erratic, but I'll try to keep my inspiration up.
Oh, and if you're wondering why I keep switching between Yui and Yu, and the he and she pronouns, think of it as MC only thinking of himself as a guy when around or interacting with people, and letting her guard/masks down when alone. So, 'Yu' when he's with people, and 'Yui' when she's alone. Confusing... I know. But it's how I think. ;w;
Sleep came easily with how exhausted Yui was from the long trip. She hoped that everything would be alright despite her own situation as being a girl who does crossdresses as a boy. Her short hair made her look a bit masculine despite her smaller frame, and people bought it.
She did try to be like a girl once. When she was young, she tried on a small white dress, her hair still short but a flower pin was on one of her front bangs. She felt free, joyful to look like something she was… but that ended abruptly when her mother saw her and scolded her for wearing such clothes.
She was forced into boyish clothes after that, and all clothes for girls that could fit her were taken away.
Yui felt bitter about it for a long time. Even now, but that feeling has numbed down by then. She has gotten used to using a chest binder when her breasts began to grow as she reached adolescence, though she couldn't do much for her own figure. Her only hope was to wear looser clothes.
She doubted that she would look nice either as a woman or a man after all this.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Instead of darkness, what Yui saw was a foggy world.
She got up sluggishly, looking around. She couldn't see a thing in this thick and dense fog… but the only thing she could do now was to proceed forward through this place. She ran forward, her school jacket flowing in the wind. It gave her warmth through the cold fog though she still shivered slightly.
As she reached a certain distance, a strange voice spoke out. "Do you seek the truth…?"
She paused in her steps, looking around again. She saw no one… and her only way out of her was forward. Again, the voice spoke once more after she ran for a while, making her stop. "If it's truth you desire, come and find me…"
It came from up ahead.
She followed the voice, until she reached a strange wall… but realized that it was a doorway, and that someone was beyond it. "Huh…" With no other reason to not open it, she managed to open it by touching a hand on it. The wall of red and black unsealed itself in a spiral, opening up a pathway.
She entered.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yui soon found herself in battle with a strange figure that was hidden by the mist. In her hands was a large katana, and although she found it quite heavy to hold, her strength was just enough to use it for attacking the figure.
"So… you are the one pursuing me. Hmhmhm… try all you like…"
Yui's grip on the katana tightened. "Haaaahh!" She yelled as she ran towards the person, swinging her katana down and slashing the figure. In her heart though, she knew it didn't do much damage as the person barely faltered and moved away from her.
"Hmm… it seems that you can see a little, despite the fog…" The person continued to speak. Yui chased forward and attacked again, which the persona moved back once more. "I see… indeed, you possess an interesting quality…"
Narrowing her eyes, instinct took over her as she summoned… something… from within her that soon attacked the figure with what looked like an attack using electricity. It did not do much.
"But… you will not catch me so easily… if what you seek is 'truth', then your search will be even harder…"
The person began to cast a spell… and the fog grew even thicker to the point Yui couldn't see anything. Even as she tried to attack, she just couldn't hit the person.
"Everyone sees what they want to… and the fog only deepens…"
The silver-haired girl's attempts to attack were rendered useless by the fog.
"…Will we meet again…? At a place other than here… hmhm… I look forward to it…"
Yui breathed heavily, feeling her grip on her katana loosening. Her legs felt weak, and everything was turning… dark…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The sound of knocking woke Yu up.
"Breakfast is ready…!" Nanako's voice was muffled from behind the door, though it was loud enough to get the word across. It was time he got up anyway… but it felt like he just had a nightmare, whatever the heck it was about.
…Well, he didn't have much time to ponder about it. He was starting school today.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Going downstairs while fully dressed in his school uniform, Yu found the dining table set up with breakfast already. Nanako held a plate with eggs and bacon on it. "Good morning."
He went ahead to take a seat at the table with her, sitting across one another. "Okay. Let's eat," Nanako said, gently swaying her legs that didn't even reach the floor. Yu was a little curious though – Dojima wasn't here… and it's like as if Nanako did the cooking. He decided to ask about the latter. "Did you do the cooking?"
His cousin nodded. "I can toast bread… and cook sunny-side up eggs in the morning. Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner." She paused for a moment before continuing. "You're starting school today, right? My school's on the way, so… let's go together," she suggested with a smile.
Yu can sense that she was somewhat restless, though. Well, he'll just head to school with her today.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They both reached the Samegawa Flood Plain, which was a little foggy with the heavy rain going on.
Both Yu and Nanako had umbrellas of their own so they didn't get wet. They stopped when they arrived there. "You keep going straight from here. My school's this way. Bye!" Nanako told him, smiling before she went back the way they came. Yu went ahead from there.
As he arrived at the intersection leading to his new school, he noticed a brunet student on a bike, clearly struggling to control it. "Whooaaaaa…!"
Soon, that student crashed. Yu got closer, noticing that the student was holding a part of his in pain, groaning quietly. Yu just blinked, knowing how painful that could get for the average male person… but he himself was no guy. With that, he just quietly left the student alone.
It wasn't long until he finally reached the main gates of Yasogami High School.
Yu could only think of what kind of student life he'll have here as a new transfer student. He continued on forward, heading inside the building to go talk to the teacher so he'll be introduced to his new class.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Least to say, Yu had a feeling that the teaching leading him inside the class was… well, a shithead. He had no other ways to call this teacher. His parents would scold him for using such a word, but they're not here to do that.
Plus, if he has to act like a guy, then he needs to speak like one.
He stood near the teacher's desk, facing the class as the teacher, Mr. Morooka, then shouted at the students in the class. "Awright, shut your traps! I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!"
Every single student in the class clearly looked troubled at the statement. Hell, Yu would roll his eyes if he could.
"Now I hate wasting my time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student. This sad sack's been thrown from the big city out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage, and he's just as much of a loser here as he was there, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!"
Yu felt like glaring at him already.
"Tell 'em your name, kid, and make it quick."
The silver-haired boy looked at his teacher with a blank gaze. "…You calling me a loser?"
Everyone in the class was shocked at his response. Mr. Morooka looked at him with a glare himself. "Hrnh… that's it, you're on my shit list, effective immediately. Now listen up! This town is miles away from your big city of perverts and assholes, in more ways than one. You better not even think of getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them! But what do I know… it's not like the old days. Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you're fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places…"
By now, the teacher just went on and on… Yu was nearly out of it when a short-haired girl who wore green high collared athletic jacket with some decorative pins spoke up. "Excuse me! Is it okay if the transfer student sits here?"
Mr. Morooka then snapped out of his 'speech'. "Huh? Yeah, sure. Hear that? Your seat's over there, so hurry up and siddown already!"
Yu then went to the open seat next to the girl who just spoke up, who then began to whisper to him. "He's the worst, huh? Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class… well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year." She went back to sitting straight in her seat after that.
Then, Yu could hear the whispers around him. Guess his luck really was that bad according to what they were saying… but the teacher shouted at them all again to stop the whispers. "Shut your traps! I'm taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"
Yu mentally sighed. He hoped that he'd be able to fit into this school… somehow. With the secrets he held, he'll just try to last the year until he got back home.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The school day passed by quick since it was just a day to introduce everyone to the school again after the year.
Mr. Morooka had just finished his lesson at the moment. "That's all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow."
As everyone began to do their own things for the evening, the school intercom rang out with an announcement. "Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice."
The announcement ended there. Mr. Morooka turn to look at his students. "Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." Then he left. Just a moment after that, sirens could be heard from outside, yet one couldn't even see out the window due to the thick fog that had formed after the rain.
Yu barely focused on much things, but he did hear something about the announcer from the news last night being at an inn that belonged to the girl that had long black hair, and the athletic looking girl who whispered to him that morning earlier was talking about a little something that happens on rainy nights…
Then, another announcement rang out.
"Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the school zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat…"
This only intrigued the interests of most of the students in the class. Yu then realized that if police officers were dealing with this 'incident' then his uncle would be busy too… guess he'll just have to head back home alone.
Putting his things back into his bag, he was about to leave when the athletic girl and the black-haired girl approached him. "Hey, are you going home by yourself?" The athletic one asked. "Why don't you come with us? Oh, nearly forgot! I'm Chie Satonaka. You know I sit next to you, right?"
…That's a bit of a dumb question. "Of course," Yu answered with a nod.
"Well, nice to meet you!" Chie looked at the girl next to her. "This is Yukiko Amagi."
"Oh, nice to meet you… I'm sorry that this is so sudden…" Yukiko greeted humbly. "C'mon, don't apologize like that. It makes me look like I got no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff. Really, that's all," Chie told her friend.
The three of them began to walk out of the classroom when the same boy who crashed this morning approached them. "Uh, umm, Miss Satonaka…? This was really awesome. Like, the way they moved was just amazing to see…"
The boy then suddenly held out something towards Chie while bowing down, his upper body almost perpendicular to his legs. "And… I'm really sorry! It was an accident! Please just have mercy until my next paycheck!"
Chie took the thing, which upon closer look was a small package for a disk. "Seeya, thanks!" The boy said before quickly leaving. However, Chie ran towards him. "Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD?!"
"Aggh!"
Yu nearly winced. Poor guy.
He and Yukiko got closer to the two, seeing the boy in pain again. Chie opened the package and was dismayed at what she saw. "What the…?! I can't believe this! It is completely cracked… my 'Trial of the Dragon'…!"
The boy spoke out in a pained voice. "I think mine's cracked too… c-critical hit to the nads…"
"A-are you all right?" Yukiko asked in concern.
"Oh, Yukiko-san… are you worried about me…?"
"He's fine, Yukiko. Let's ditch him and go home," Chie merely said to her friend. She closed the package and put it into her bag before leaving with Yukiko. Yu looked at the boy, seeing that he was in a lot of pain… he couldn't really do much about it and merely let him be, leaving.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As they were leaving the school, a strange student approached them.
"You're Yuki, right? Y-you want to go hang out somewhere?"
"What…? Wh-who are you?" Yukiko asked, bewildered. More students noticed the strange guy and began to gossip. They even talked about an 'Amagi Challenge'…
"Um, s-so… are you coming or not?" The strange student asked again. "…I-I'm not going…" Yukiko eventually answered quietly. Then, the student lashed out all of a sudden. "…Fine!" He ran away after that. Yukiko looked at Chie and asked, "Wh-what did he want from me…?"
"What did he want…? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date," Chie answered her. The black-haired girl looked shocked. "Huh? Really…?"
"You really had no clue? Sheesh… but then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."
Then, the boy who got kicked 'there' appeared with his bike. "Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel… you got me the same way last year."
Yukiko was confused. "I don't recall doing that."
"Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?"
"…I'd rather not."
"…That'll teach me to get my hopes up… anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much." The boy then rode away on his bike. "We're just curious, is all!" Chie shouted at him. "U-um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this…" Yukiko apologized to Yu.
By now, many more were staring at them.
"C'mon, let's go. Everybody is staring…" Chie told them both and went ahead. The other two followed behind…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Along the way, they were talking about how Yu got to Inaba.
"Ah… so you came here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious." Chie smiled, then looked around for a moment before focusing back on silver-haired boy. "There really is nothing here, huh? That is what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside."
She thought for a moment, then remember something. "Oh! Though, there is something from Mount Yasogami… I think our dyed clothes of pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh wait, there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!"
"Huh? It's… just an old inn," Yukiko told her.
"Oh, no way, it's been in all sorta magazines as a hidden treasure." Chie looked at Yu again. "It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. The inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba, It pretty much keeps this town going."
However, Yukiko looked troubled… "…I don't think that's entirely true."
"So, tell me. You think Yukiko's cute, huh?" Chie suddenly asked Yu again, which took the boy off guard. What could he say to that? He's not attracted to girls because he's… agh, whatever. He'll play along. "Well, not really…"
"Wow, really? I think that's the first time I've heard someone say that." Chie was surprised at his answer. Most guys – scratch that, nearly all the guys in Yasoinaba High School would at least have something going on for Yukiko… and to hear Yu say that outright was kind of new.
Yukiko sighed. "Come on… don't start this again…"
"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?"
The black-haired girl blushed. "C-come on, stop it. Y-you shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend! Wait, no! Wh-what I meant to say was, I don't need a boyfriend! Geez… Chie!"
Chie laughed. "Hahaha! Sorry, sorry… but this is our chance to talk to somebody from the big city, and you barely said a word!" She then noticed something ahead. "Hey, what's that?"
They walked forward, reaching some kind of scene. From the gossip the housewives were talking, a dead body was found hanging from an antenna…
The three of them were shocked, naturally. "Wait… what did she just say? A dead body?!" Chie whispered, her eyes wide.
A familiar face approached them after they learned of that, who was apparently Yu's uncle. "Hey, what're you doing here?" he asked, looking suspiciously at them. "We're just passing by," Yu told him, which was really the truth. They didn't mean to stumble upon this.
"Huh… I should have figured that'd happen. That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here…"
Chie looked at Yu. "…You know this guy?"
The latter nodded in response. Dojima was a bit awkward at answering that question for his nephew. "I'm Detective Dojima, his guardian. Uh… well, how should I say this… I hope you get along with him. But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home."
As Dojima was about to go back, a young man in a suit ran straight past them and began to vomit. This frustrated the detective. "Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?"
"I-I'm sorry… nngh…" The man apologized weakly. Dojima just sighed. "Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information." With that, he went back to work, and the young man ran closely behind.
"Was this what that announcement was about…?" Chie murmured. "What do they mean, it was hanging from the antenna…?" Yukiko wondered.
"Hey, Yukiko…? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?"
"Good idea…"
"Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbour, let's do our best!" Chie told Yu with a smile, then she left with Yukiko. Yu's calm look turned restless as he sighed. That was harder than he had thought it would be.
These two were noticeably friendly… but how long would that last?
Yu knew they would forget him. He would be alone in the end, even abandoned by his parents. There was no use trying to keep them close, even if they somehow became his friends. Hell, how would they react if they knew the new transfer student was a crossdressing girl?
That wouldn't bode well with anyone, would it…?
Yu decided to not ponder on the question and went back home after that.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
It was just after dinner when the news came on about a dead woman found near the Samegawa River… in Inaba. It was the same place the incident had occurred…
The deceased was the announcer, Mayumi Yamano.
Nanako got worried when she heard that the case was being investigated by the Inaba Police Department, which her father worked at. Yu felt a little sorry for her. "…Are you worried about him?"
The little girl looked down silently. "…Uh-uh. It's his job, so things like this happen."
The report continued on, talking about how the body was found hanging on a large antenna. The causes of such a situation are unknown, and the police's plans have been delayed until tomorrow due to the thick fog.
Nanako got a little worried. "They found her on the roof? That's scary…"
The television then showed the Junes commercial. "Oh, it's Junes!" Nanako looked surprised, which turned into a big smile as the same tune played again. "Every day's great at your Junes!" She looked at Yu with some expectation, and he couldn't help but play along too.
"Your Junes!" he sang a bit, which sounded a little too feminine for his liking. It was a slightly higher pitch than the voice he used that was lower so it sounded like a usual teenage boy. It's tough, and sometimes got him a sore throat for continuing to do that, but for his cover… it's unavoidable.
Nanako giggled at it, not noticing the difference. "You memorized it already? I'm the best one in my class!" She continued on singing, over and over again… it's like she forgot the news earlier already. Yu felt glad about it – better for her to keep happy than scared over something like that murder case…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yui decided that she'll go to sleep early today. Adapting to the school and everything at once was immensely exhausting. There were so many things she had to keep track of – the homeroom teacher, her new school, the sudden murder case happening on her first day in school…
It feels like a bad omen.
With a shake of her head, she went up to her room and quietly closed the door. It has only been day one of her life in Inaba… and it's drastically different from her life in the city. It was calm and quiet unlike the bustling city, though the murder case seems to have riled up the town a little. Hopefully it'll be solved soon.
"So much for the quiet life…" Yui spoke in her normal voice quietly. Setting her bag down, she began to undress from her school clothes, which was the standard boys uniform for Yasogami High School. If one looked very carefully, the sleeves of the jacket reached the middle of her palm… which meant that it was a bit big for her.
Of course, not many would bother to focus on that. Yui took precaution to make sure no one found out her act… and that meant cutting her hair short, wearing clothes for boys, act like a boy and speaking in a lower tone.
However, she knew if one was really observant, they may find that her appearance is a little different than every other guy in school. She was about the same height as any other girl, had a softer look to her face, and a smaller figure… her baggy clothes only managed to hide the curves.
…It's hard, hiding her true self.
Once she was finished with undressing from her school attire, she took off her chest binder and let out a sigh of relief. She started wearing this since her fifth grade… and the pressure still hurt sometimes. It worked well in making it so like her chest was flat.
Setting the chest binder down on her school clothes, she went to her duffel bag and took out her night clothes, dressing into it. It was a simple white long-sleeved shirt and black loose pants, comfortable and boyish. Her parents wouldn't let her wear nightgowns or something similar, even for sleeping.
She just got used to it over the years, to the point that she has no idea how a girl should act or feel like.
What will it matter, though? She had to dress as a man so she can lead the company when the time comes… even if she didn't want to. She had no choices in these matters. Only her family was doing it, even if it was against her will.
Yui just sighed and went to her futon, getting ready for bed. She almost expected that her mother would call again… but from the looks of it, that wasn't happening anytime soon.
She set her phone near the futon and let her eyes fall shut, drifting off to sleep…
The next morning, Yu was on his way to school when he barely dodged the same boy with the bike riding fast him quickly… and crashing into a trash bin, getting stuck in it and rolling around while still inside it. "S-someone…"
Yu silently sighed and decided to help him for once, getting the trash bin off and helping him up.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The student was up with his bike again, all fine despite the crash. "Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Um… oh yeah, that's right. You're that transfer student, Yu Narukami. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya."
Yu nodded. "Nice to meet you too."
"Heheh. Say, did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging from an antenna! You think it was some kinda warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident…" Yosuke asked him, wondering about the case…
The silver-haired boy shrugged. "You might be right about it."
"Dangling a dead body over a roof like that… that's just messed up. Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place." Yosuke checked his watch and realized what time it was. "Oh crap, we're late! You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine."
"W-well…" Yu hesitated a little. Riding a bike with a guy… would've been awkward either as a girl or guy. But he's going to be late even if he ran to school. "…Fine, I'll go with you."
"Get on, then!" Yosuke made some space for the smaller boy, who got on the bike behind him self-consciously. Then the brunet began to ride the bike as quickly as they can before school began…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That afternoon, Yu was arranging his notes when Yosuke started talking to him.
"So, you getting used to this place?" The brunet asked, his arms crossed casually. Yu shook his head. "Not yet."
"Yeah, well, you just got here. There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain… something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clean, the food's great… oh, you know about the local delicacy?"
"What's that?"
"It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."
Right after Yosuke offered that, Chie approached them both. "What about me, huh? No apologies? My 'Trial of the Dragon'?"
Yosuke sighed. "Urgh… you always come around when I'm talking about food…"
"How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us, too?" Chie asked Yukiko who was clearing some things up. The black-haired girl then got up, having finished what she was doing. "I'll pass… I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway."
"Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?" Yosuke was astonished at that.
"It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy. Well, I should be on my way." Yukiko then left the classroom.
Chie looked at both Yu and Yosuke. "Oh well. We should get going too."
"Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people…?" Yosuke felt troubled at that. Grilled steak wasn't exactly cheap, even if he knew a place that sold them cheap.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They went to the Junes food court in town.
"This is the cheap place you were talking about…? They don't have grilled steak here!" Chie complained. Yosuke had just got back from getting the food and sat down at the table. "Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans."
"Still, that's no reason to take us to your place."
"Dude, this isn't my place or anything."
Yu just looked on in confusion. What were they talking about? Yosuke owned this place? That sounded impossible…
"Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh?" Yosuke finally noticed the look on the silver-haired boy's face. "I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it, so our entire family came out here."
He then grabbed a drink from the tray of food he brought. "Here, this is to welcome you to town."
Yu took a drink too silently.
"Satonaka, yours is on me too," Yosuke added, looking at Chie. "Yeah, I know," she replied while grabbing the last drink. They all did a toast and took a gulp from their drinks, then they started to have a conversation with small talk.
Chie started talking about the shopping district and how a lot of stores there started closing… but faltered when she noticed what she was talking about.
"…You can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" Yosuke asked before he sighed. Then, he noticed a girl with dirty blonde hair sitting down at a nearby table. "Hey… it's Saki-senpai! Sorry, be right back."
"Who's that…?" Yu asked as Yosuke got up and approached Saki. "Oh, that's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district," Chie answered his question since Yosuke was a little busy. "…I think she's working here part-time, though."
"Huh." Yu glanced over at the two, but he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. After a few moments, Saki noticed him and approached him. "Are you the transfer student? Oh, did you hear about me already?" she asked with a small smile. "It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the other guys much."
"N-not necessarily…" Yosuke added in.
"He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right to his face when he starts to annoy you. Yu raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No, he's alright."
Saki giggled. "I know… I'm just kidding."
Yosuke laughed nervously. "C-c'mon, senpai. There's no need to worry about something like that."
"Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go… laters!" Saki then left. "Oh, uh, senpai…!" Yosuke called her, but she was too far already to hear him. He just sat back. "Haha, Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me," he commented with a grin. "She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way…"
"Ohh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh? Oh, I get it… so that's how it is," Chie said, as if she finally learned something about the brunet. "The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain… the flame of forbidden love!"
"Wha-?! Dude, it's not like that." Yosuke blushed slightly at her words. A teasing smile appeared on Chie's lips. "Oh really… well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night.
While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen… and they say that person's your soulmate."
"What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful…" Yosuke commented on that. "How can you get all excited over such a childish urban legend like that?"
"Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!?"
"Of course I don't!"
"Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out – then you'll see!"
"Try it out…? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself? Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…" Yosuke shook his head. "All that aside… you know that 'incident' yesterday? You guys think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around…? Hehe…"
"Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one…? All I am saying is, you guys better try it out tonight."
Yu thought about it. The Midnight Channel, where one could supposedly see who their soulmate was on a rainy night at midnight… hm. No harm in trying it out.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yu noticed how gloomy Nanako looked while they were eating dinner. He felt kind of sorry for her – he understood the kind of loneliness she felt, what with his own workaholic parents… "…Did your father call?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Nanako sighed. "No. He always says he will…"
However, after a moment, the sound of the sliding doors opening resonated through the house. Nanako's head rose in surprise. "Oh! He's home!" She got up, watching her father walk over to them both. "What a day…" Dojima murmured tiredly. "I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"
"No. You're late again…" Nanako answered, somewhat reprimanding her own father too.
"I'm sorry… been busy at work." Dojima went to the sofa and sat on it, exhaustion evident in his movements. "Can you put the news on for me?"
Nanako had a look of frustration across her face for a few seconds before she sat back down and did as her father told her to do. The news was a follow-up report about the incident yesterday… they even managed to have an 'interview' with the student who found the reporter's dead body.
Yu couldn't help but feel like he has seen her before. Somewhere. Squinting his eyes, he noticed that she reminded him of Saki Konishi… Yosuke's senpai.
At the end of the news report, the Junes commercial played again with Nanako singing along with the small song. "Hey dad… can we go to Junes together sometime?" she asked, but Dojima was already asleep. She looked at him. "…No?" She sighed. "Geez…"
Dinner continued on quietly that night.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yui went up to her room after she washed up, remembering Chie's words to watch the Midnight Channel tonight. While it might hurt a little to sleep much later than she should, it's better than to get yelled at Chie for not doing it.
Changing into her night clothes, she waited on her sofa until the clock was about to strike midnight.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
It was dark. The sound of the pattering rain felt like a lullaby.
Her eyelids felt heavy with sleepiness, but Yui kept strong and watched the blank and faded screen of the TV, seeing her reflection in it. What she sees is her own deception, one she does not know whether to throw or to keep when the time comes, or if she has the courage to even do so.
Focusing back on the task at hand, she was reminded of Chie's words. Could her story about seeing her soulmate in the TV on the Midnight Channel really be true…?
By now, it was just a few seconds to midnight.
Getting up from the sofa with a huff, she approached the television and let her silver-grey eyes stare into the darkened screen. She stared for a moment… and nothing happened. "…It was worth a shot…" she murmured to herself, turning around to go to her futon…
…And a light began to illuminate from behind her.
Yui paused in her steps and cautiously looked behind herself, seeing that the television was… actually activated. The screen showed static, but it kept showing flashes of a place… and a girl. The longer she stared at it, a voice abruptly began to speak in her head alongside a throbbing pain.
"I am thou… and thou art I…"
"A-aahh…" Yui held her head in agony, her ability to stand wavering dangerously. Sudden flashes of light from the thunder outside only made it worse, her eyes barely able to focus on anything…
"Thou art the one who opens the door…"
Her legs lost their strength, and she fell to the floor, panting heavily as the pain faded out with the voice. She lifted her head to look at the time, and it was a minute past midnight now. Slowly getting up, her hazy eyes saw that the television screen was black once more.
She couldn't believe what just happened was real… her eyes were wide, bewildered.
Yui decided to get closer and reach out a hand to the screen, to try and prove to herself that it wasn't real… she tapped on it, and what looked like ripples came from where she touched it. She paused for a good moment.
…Then, she let her hand get closer.
It went right through the screen, and it got pulled in. "W-whaa-! Gyaaahh!"
She struggled to break free, pulling back against the force. Thankfully her television was small, so she only got in as much as her whole right arm, shoulders and head which managed to give her enough force to pull herself out.
Yui promptly fell back and hit her head against the wooden table behind her with a loud thump. "Ow!" She held her head, a dull ache now spreading through her skull. "Nngh…"
"Are you okay…?" Nanako's voice came from the door. Yui looked at it and quickly used a lower tone to speak, letting her arms fall. "Did I wake you up?"
"I heard a really loud noise… well, good night."
Yui could hear footsteps leaving the door, which told her that Nanako had gone back to her room. She looked back at the television, breathing heavily. What just happened?
She really needed to talk to the others about this tomorrow.