A/N: Another new chapter! The fun part hasn't been reached yet in this chapter though, but the next chapter will finally include the thing we all know and love... so please wait a little longer and enjoy the new part to this story.
Oh, and if you want to understand a little more of the premise of the story, you can check the version of this story on AO3. It's the same, really, only the tags I put for it will explain just a small bit about this story. Only if you want, but either way, it'll all be revealed in due time anyway.
The next day, in the afternoon…
Yu listened in on the gossip the other students were talking about while clearing his things out. They were still talking about the murder… he just focused on his own things until Yosuke approached him. "Y-Yo. Um… it's, uh, it's not really that important, but… well, yesterday on TV, I… oh, uhh… never mind. Look, I'll tell you later. Ahaha…"
The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow. This is odd of him.
Then, Chie joined in on the small talk. "Yosuke, did you hear the rumour? Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."
"I wonder if that's why she looked so down… she doesn't seem to be at school today either."
Sounds of footsteps alerted Chie to Yukiko getting up from her seat. "Huh? Hey Yukiko, are you helping out at the inn today too?"
"Things are really out of hand right now… I'm sorry." Yukiko was looking fairly distressed and quickly left. Yosuke didn't miss that little detail. "Is it just me, or does Yukiko-san seem way stressed out today?" he questioned.
"I guess they're running her ragged… by the way, did you see… it… last night?" Chie mused before asking him.
"Huh…? Uh, well… what about you?"
"I did! I seriously saw a girl! But… my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure… her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and…"
Yosuke realised something. "Hey… I think that's the same person I saw. I couldn't make out that much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier…"
"Wait, so you saw it too!? And we saw the same girl…? Does that mean… we have the same soulmate?"
"How should I know?" Yosuke looked at Yu. "How 'bout you? Did you see it?"
The smaller boy nodded. "I did. I saw the exact same thing as you two did… and I began hearing some kind of strange voice in my head, which made my head hurt. After all that had passed, I touched my TV screen to see if it wasn't real, and my hand got sucked through it and into the TV. Since my TV was too small though, it got me stuck so I managed to get out."
…Yu then noticed that both Yosuke and Chie were giving him disbelieving looks.
"It sounds like we all saw the same person… but weird voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV…? Were you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV," Yosuke told him.
"That'd be one interesting dream, though. I like the part where you got stuck 'cause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic. Well, if it had been bigger, the—" Chie added, though she was reminded of something else while she was somewhat mocking Yu's dream. "Ohh, that reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."
"Oh yeah? Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month," Yosuke offered to her.
"Oh, definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen! Hwa-taaaa!" The athletic girl then did a pose that looked a lot like it was from a kung-fu movie.
"We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they'd be big enough for you to fit into, heheh," Yosuke said the last sentence to Yu who glared a little at him, almost like a peeved girl. They really didn't believe him at all… guess he'll just have to go to Junes with them.
They all went to Junes, at the electronics department.
Standing in front of a huge flatscreen television, Chie was flabbergasted at the size and price of it. "Wow, this is huge! And… holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"
Yosuke shrugged. "I dunno… rich folks? Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."
"Huh… not worth trying then, I guess. Well, at least looking's free."
Chie and Yosuke looked at each other for a short moment. The both of them then approached the television and touched the screen. "…Nope, can't get in. Figures," Yosuke commented. Chie laughed a bit. "Haha, this proves it. It was all just a dream."
"Besides, these flat-screen TVs are so thin, you'd just end up on the other side… argh, what am I saying!? So, Chie. What kind of TVs are you guys in the market for?"
"O-Oh, they said they wanted one that's cheap. You got any suggestions?"
They walked away to the smaller televisions nearby, while Yu just kept looking at the television they had been staring at earlier. Something was bothering him about it. With a TV this big, he might really be able to go inside… well, if he wanted to prove to himself if it was all just a dream…
He reached a hand out to touch the screen.
It went straight through it.
Yu could hear Yosuke's voice asking about his opinion before it became silent.
"Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?" Chie asked the brunet. "I-is his arm… in the TV…?" Yosuke sounded shocked. The brunette then turned around, finally seeing Yu with his hand in the TV. "Whoa… uhhh… is that some kinda… new model? L-Like with a new function?"
"Hell no!"
They ran over to Yu, who wasn't exactly sure whether he was happy or frightened to be proven right of what happened to him. "You gotta be kidding me… did you really stick your hand through the screen?" Chie questioned him worriedly.
"Oh man… this is for real… that's some magic trick, man! So how's it work, huh!? What's the magician's secret!?" Yosuke joined in, staring with wide eyes. "There's no secret…!" Yu told them with a nervous look. Looking at the TV, he wondered if he would be able to put in more than just his arm…
So he stepped up onto the table and put his head in. He only saw… nothing. Just space.
"H-hey, don't do that! What're you doing!?" Yosuke shouted at him, panicking. This was getting out of hand… "Oh my God!" Chie was shaken at what she saw. "There's empty space inside…" Yu told them calmly, though he still felt nervous at his actions.
"Wh-What do you mean, 'inside'!?" Yosuke nearly screeched. "Wh-What do you mean, 'empty space'!?" Chie was almost the way Yosuke was.
"It's pretty spacious in here…" Yu added.
"Wh-What do you mean, 'spacious'!?" "I mean, what's going on!?" Yosuke and Chie were nearly losing it… "Holy crap… I-I think this is all too much for my bladder…" The brunet suddenly spoke out, trying to hold it in.
Yu would've facepalmed if he could. What the hell?
"What the-? Are you gonna pee your pants?!" Chie glanced at him incredulously. "I've been holding it in all day! I-I haven't had a chance to go… aaarrgh! Can't… hold it… anymore…!" Yosuke ran off, but he quickly ran back. "Shit! Customers! They're coming!"
"What!? But we've got a guy half stuck in a TV here! Wh-What're we gonna do!?"
The two panicked as they tried to find a way to deal with this but ended up bumping into Yu and falling into the TV with him.
"What the!? W-wait—WHOA!"
…It felt like they were going to fall for eternity.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
But of course, there would always be a bottom to everything. Almost.
The three of them fell down roughly, nearly falling on their heads but instead landing on their backs or bottoms. As they sat up, they found that they weren't in Junes anymore… but rather, a foggy area with a yellowish hue, and some lighting that was coming from somewhere.
Once they got up, they took another look around themselves.
"Haa… so… uh… we're still alive… right?" Chie asked, a little confused. "Yeah… but are you guys okay?" Yu answered her, though he was concerned for them both too. "I think my butt's cracked now…" Yosuke muttered, wincing a little. "Of course it is!" Chie retorted.
Yosuke ignored her and looked around some more, before looking up. "Whoa!"
"Wh-What now!? Did you wet your pants!?"
"No, stupid! Look around!"
If one were to look closely enough, they could see their surroundings through the fog… they were in some kind of stage. Or studio.
"Is this… a studio? All this fog… or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there…?" Chie wondered quietly. "Hell no… but man… this place is huge…" Yosuke was just as taken aback as she was.
"What're we gonna do…?"
"We need to head home, that's what," Yu spoke up, rubbing her neck. It ached slightly from the fall, her body much frailer than a boy's, though no one knew that about her.
"G-Good plan! Look, we need to get home and-! H-Huh…?" Chie looked around. "Wait a minute… which way did we come in from? I don't see a way in… or out!"
"What? That can't be right! H-How could that be!?" Yosuke looked very afraid at that observation. Were they actually stuck here?
"I don't know! Don't ask me! I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!"
"Okay… so how!?"
Yu sighed. "Let's calm down. We'll just look for a way out." Surprisingly, the training he got to become the heir for his grandfather's company was helping him a lot in keeping calm in tense situations, just so he didn't break down during deals when he finally works there. Not that he wanted to.
"Y-Yeah, an exit! We need to find one! Let's calm down and think about this. All right, so we need to find a way out."
"Is there really a way outta here…?" Chie had doubt in her voice.
"We got in… so we must be able to get out somehow."
"That's true, but…"
"If there's no exit, we're trapped, so let's cross our fingers and look around."
So, they began to walk around the place, trying to find a way out of there.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As expected, they didn't get much progress, other than the fact that they've arrived in some kind of hallway.
"What is this place…? It feels different from where we were before…" Chie murmured. "It looks like we're in some kinda building, but… damn, this fog's so thick, I can hardly see," Yosuke was squinting as hard as he can to see anything.
"Are you sure we're not wandering further away?"
"I can't be positive, but we've gotta trust our instinct a little."
"I know, but…"
They really had no other choice for now, but to continue onward.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Entering the doorway at the end of the hall, they entered a fairly… creepy room.
"Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke asked, looking around the room. He checked his phone, then sighed. "No service. What a surprise…"
"Can't you guys slow down a little? It's hard enough to see where you're going… huh? What the…!?" Chie has just arrived, but even she could see that there was no exit. "It's a dead end! There's no exit!'
"It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go… aargh! I can't hold it any longer… my bladder's gonna explode…!" Yosuke then ran over to the wall as Chie and Yu stared at him in shock. "Yosuke!? What're you doing!?" Chie couldn't believe what he was doing.
"I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!"
"You're going here!? Oh, you have got to be kidding…"
"T-Turn around! I can't go if everyone's watching!" The brunet tried to go… but he couldn't when both Yu and Chie were still there. "Aaaaargh… I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!"
"Like I care… anyways… what's with this room? Check out these posters… their faces are all cut out… somebody must really hate this person…"
Posters were pasted all over the walls, the faces in them cut out. There were also splatters of red colour on the walls… Yu would rather not to think much about it, just in case it was exactly what he thought it was.
He also did not miss the chair and the rope hanging about it, with a scarf tied as a noose at the end of the rope…
"Dude… this chair and rope… that kind of arrangement is never good…" Yosuke looked at it nervously. "It's tied in a noose… Is this a scarf?"
"C'mon… let's go back to where we came from, and look somewhere else for an exit…" Chie wanted to leave. This place was too creepy.
"Hey… I think I've seen that poster before…"
"Who CARES!? Let's go! I am sick of this place! And I'm not feeling so good…"
"Now that you mention it, me too…"
The fog made everything feel heavy. Yu felt like he could collapse with how 'heavy' he felt. Could it be due to this place's oppressive atmosphere?
Yosuke finally agreed. "Alright, let's go back. I'm seriously starting to feel sick…"
They quickly left the room and went back to the 'studio'.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The three of them gathered there, still with no exit.
"Whew… we finally made it back here…" Chie panted slightly. The fog was making it hard to breathe, too. She became on high alert when she spotted something through it, though. "Wait… What's that…?"
"Th-There's something over there!" Yosuke saw it too. So did Yu, who saw some kind of outline through the misty air… and it somewhat looked like a bear? When it got closer, he realized that it did look like a bear.
"What is this thing? A monkey? A bear…?" Chie wondered about it. "What in the world…?" Yosuke's eyes were wide. The last thing they expected was for it to actually talk.
"Th-that's what I wanna know! Who are you guys…?"
Chie gasped, taking a step back. "It talked! Uhh… what are you! Y-You wanna fight!?"
"D-Don't yell at me like that…" The bear cowered in fear. Yu wondered if it's better to ask him nicely… "What is this place?" he asked softly. The bear looked up at him slowly. "This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name… it's where I live."
"You… live here?" Yosuke sounded incredulous.
"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side. Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."
"Huh? Throwing people in? What're you talking about?"
"I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!"
Chie did not take that well. "Hey, what's your problem? What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that?! What ARE you!? Where are we!? What the heck's going on here!?"
The bear then ran towards Yu and hid behind him, cowering in fear from the brunet. Yu sighed and just let him stand there. "I already told you… a-anyways, you should hurry back," The bear told them. "What it comes down to is, you want us to get outta here, right? Well, so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!" Yosuke yelled at the bear.
"Urrrrgh! That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!"
"Like I keep saying, we don't know where the frickin' exit- wait… what?"
The bear stepped away from being behind Yu and tapped the floor, causing a stack of televisions to appear in the middle of the studio. "What the hell!?" Yosuke looked at the stack up and down, wondering where the hell it came from. "Wh-Where did these TVs come from!?" Chie just asked outright. Yu went around it to take a closer look.
"Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" The bear then suddenly began to push them into the stack…
"What's going on now!? Whoa! Hey, what're you doing!?" "S-Stop pushing!"
That same falling sensation ran through their bodies once again. This time…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
…They landed right back in Junes, in a heap.
"Huh? Is this…?" "Did we… make it back?"
Yu looked around, slightly disoriented. It did look like Junes… maybe they were finally back.
"Attention, shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!" An announcement rang out.
Yep, they've definitely returned to the 'real world'.
"Crap, it's already that late!?" Yosuke couldn't believe the time already. "Looks like we were in there for quite awhile…" Chie guessed. They all got up slowly… and the brunet saw something from the corner of his eyes. "That's right… now I remember where I saw that poster before… look over there! That's the poster we saw!"
Over there, near a television, was a poster of that enka singer. The one whose husband was having a relationship with the recently deceased female reporter.
"Hey, you're right, they're the same. I couldn't tell before without the face, but it was Misuzu Hiiragi…" Chie noticed it too. "She's been all over the news lately. Something about… her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died the other day."
"Hey, so does that mean…? That weird room we saw… could it be related to that Yamano lady's death…? Now that I think about it… there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling…" Yosuke then abruptly stopped and shook his head. "Yaaargh, stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this. I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take anymore."
"I'm feeling a chill too… let's go home… I wanna lie down and rest."
Yu had to agree with them. He still felt sluggish and cold from his experience in… whatever that was. The rain had nothing to do with the chill in their bodies.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
When Yu got back home, he saw that Dojima and Nanako were already there.
"Hey, welcome home," his uncle greeted. They were about to eat ramen, from the looks of it. Yu nodded tiredly in response, still feeling sluggish as he sat down with them.
"Uh- hmm… well, I doubt you'd know… but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?" Dojima pondered for a moment before asking. Yu's thoughts then went to Yosuke who had said that he did not see her in school earlier. "She wasn't at school today, apparently…" he answered.
"Oh. I see… to be honest… we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet…" The detective sighed. " Work just keeps piling up…"
The news channel on the TV began to report on the murder case again. The police found out that the deceased reported had been staying at the Amagi Inn… the one Yukiko's family ran. The weather report just stated that heavy fogs will be coming over to Inaba tonight.
Saki Konishi's whereabouts are still unknown too. One can only hope she's alright.
Nanako looked at her father. "Is the ramen ready now?"
"Give it some more time," Dojima told her. Yu gripped the hem of the sleeves to his oversized jacket, shivering as a chill hit him… then suddenly he sneezed. "Achoo!" He quickly covered his mouth, afraid that his uncle might notice the change in tone in his voice from that. A small blush appeared on his cheeks, which made him lower his head slightly.
Thankfully, Dojima didn't notice it. "Are you sick? You're probably still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?" he asked his daughter. Nanako got up and went to get the medicine.
The detective looked at his nephew who had uncovered his mouth. "You should get to bed right after you take it," he told him. Yu silently nodded – better that he go to sleep early then, after taking the medicine.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yui stayed up in her futon for a few more moments, wondering about the events that happened earlier.
There was a whole other world in the television. She, Yosuke and Chie fell into that world after she let her hand enter through the screen… and what was up with that strange room? Everything was so foggy and cold, it was difficult to make sense of it all.
Shaking her head, she pulled the futon over her body just enough to leave only her neck and head exposed. No use pondering on something like this… she'll just go to sleep. The medicine was starting to have its effect on her, making her feel drowsy… and soon, she dozed off.
When Yu got up the next morning, he saw his uncle leave.
"Ah, you're up. Well, I'm off," Dojima said as he left. The silver-haired boy looked at Nanako who had a worried expression on her face. "…Dad has to go do something. He got a call, so he left," she told him. "Is that so…" Yu glanced at the door.
Wonder what the ruckus was…?
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As Yu walked through the flood plains, he could hear the gossiping from other students.
Something about police cars, and he could definitely hear sirens in the distance. Another incident must've happened… well, he had no business here. He needed to get to school, either way.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Instead of going to class though, they were called for an assembly.
Yu could hear all the gossiping around him, the students talking about if they had seen 'it' yesterday. Chie was standing in front of him while Yosuke stood to his right… but Yukiko was nowhere to be seen.
"Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch…I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden," Chie mused quietly as she checked her phone. She looked at the brunet who seemed to be deep in thought. "…Hey, what's wrong, Yosuke?"
"O-oh, it's nothing." Yosuke quickly shrugged it off.
Two teachers stepped up to the stage. It was Ms. Sofue and the principal. The former stood up to the podium first. "Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say."
She stepped back, letting the elderly principal approach the podium. "I… regret to say that I have a terrible announcement for all of you."
What the man said next was something the trio could never expect.
"One of our third-year students, Miss Saki Konishi of Class 3… has passed away."
This brought a sudden silence to the hall.
"Passed away…!?" Chie whispered, horrified at the news. Yosuke fell silent. Yu could only stare at the principal in silent shock. Another murder case on what was her fourth day in Inaba… it really was a bad omen. Who knows how many more people will be murdered like this?
"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning… the reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you as students of this school to provide only the facts. All right, please quiet down… I have been assured by the faculty that there's been no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police but to anyone who asks…" The principal continued on.
"Found dead…? How could this happen…?" Chie looked at both Yu and Yosuke, only wondering of what's to come for the town of Inaba. Yu noticed how silent Yosuke had become since the news just left the principal's mouth, and how droning the sound of gossiping was as nearly everyone kept talking about Saki's death.
…She knew this kind of thing all too well. Press conferences by chairmen of companies or the begs of forgiveness by the higher-ups… this was similar to that principal's actions.
That man's just saving his own hide.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
On their way to class, Yu and Chie overhead a pair of students' gossiping about the murder.
Chie could only sigh. "Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved…" she commented. Yu nodded solemnly. "That's how the world works, though…" he whispered, reminded of his own life in the city.
Yosuke approached them from behind. "Hey… did you guys check out the TV last night?"
Chie looked at him disapprovingly. "Yosuke! Not you too!"
"Just listen for a sec! Something kept bothering me, so… I watched it again, and…I think the girl on the screen… was Saki-senpai. There's no mistaking it… Senpai looked like… she was writing in pain. And then… she disappeared from the screen."
Yu and Chie glanced at each other. It sounded crazy, yet…
"Maybe… just maybe, but… Ms. Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died, too," Yosuke added. Chie cocked her head. "What's that supposed to mean…? Hold on… are you saying… people who appear on that TV… die…?"
"I can't say for sure. But something tells me… I just can't dismiss it as coincidence."
The brunette was silent for once.
"Plus, remember what that bear thing said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears…? It also said that someone's been throwing people in there. And that room with the posters on the wall… it has to have something to do with the announcer's death. I mean… don't you think there's some kind of connection there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death!?" Yosuke looked at Yu. "Well…? What do you think…?" he asked, wanting an opinion.
Yu thought about it. It sounded preposterous, but there was some definite sense to it too. Based on what they've discovered and just experience, it's possible that his explanation just answered the question to how the murders were done. "…You might be right, Yosuke."
"…So it's not just me, huh? If there is a connection, then it's a good bet that the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room. Which means… if we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too."
Chie noticed the way Yosuke worded it. "Yosuke, don't tell me…"
"Yeah… I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself."
"D-Don't do this… you should just let the police hand this and-"
Yosuke then suddenly lashed out. "You think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine… it's just… I need to know why Senpai had to die like this."
"Oh, Yosuke…"
…Yosuke was right, though. If these murders had a connection to that other world in the television, the police in the real world are going to be merely useless in solving them.
"After what I've seen and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now…" The brunet admitted. He looked at Yu. "Sorry… but you're the only person who can help me. I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes." Then, he ran off.
Chie sighed and turned her head to look at Yu. "I can kinda understand how he feels… but we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again. What should we do…?" she asked him. Yu did feel inclined to help Yosuke out, but he also knew it was dangerous. What if the brunet ended up stuck there? He'll be the one to get murdered if his theory was right.
The silver-haired boy sighed with a shake of his head. "We need to stop him before he does something reckless," he answered with conviction. Chie nodded in agreement. "…Yeah, I agree." She glanced at where Yosuke just ran off, getting worried. "Uh… anyways, let's go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone…"
"Right."
The two of them quickly headed there…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
When the two arrived at the electronics department, Yosuke was already prepared with rope and a golf club. He smiled upon seeing them both. "You guys came…!"
Chie shook her head. "We came to stop you, idiot! C'mon… You really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous," she told him, trying to shake him off of this dangerous idea.
"I know… but we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again."
"'Maybe' isn't good enough!"
"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me."
"That's true, but…"
"What about you? Could you just walk away?" Yosuke finally asked Yu.
The silver-haired boy felt the same as Yosuke did, but… he didn't want to put anyone else in danger. "Well, no… but I'm worried about Chie," he answered. There's no telling what may happen over there – better to have lesser casualties.
It's another trait he had to learn from his training for taking over the company. Learn to risk your successes with lesser people, so if something went wrong… there would be lesser casualties, especially when his grandfather's company experimented a lot with colour types.
"Yeah, it'll be just you and me. Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan," Yosuke reaffirmed him. He then looked at the brunette. "Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this."
Chie glanced at the loops of rope around Yosuke's arm. "Huh? What's that? A rope…?"
"We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here."
"Wh-What? Then, is this a lifeline? C'mon, wait a sec…"
Yosuke didn't listen to her and focused back on Yu. "Here, Yu… This is for you." He gave the smaller boy a golf club and some bandages and ointments he had picked up along the way here. "I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed."
His expression then became serious. "Alright… Let's go. There's no use wasting any more time. Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!" He looked at Yu and nodded at each other before they both began to walk towards the television, ready to plunge themselves into that other world again.
"H-Hey! I said wait!" Chie protested, however, she was already too late.
They've gone in.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile…
Chie held on tightly to the rope as the two went inside the television. She looked at it worriedly and slowly began to pull it out… yet horror set in as the rope suddenly fell out of it, having been cut short by something. She fell onto her knees, disbelief in her eyes. The rope didn't work. "See…? I knew this wasn't gonna work…" she whispered, terrified of what will become of her friends there. "Now what…?"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yu felt like he had been falling forever… but was torn out of his thoughts when he crashed down onto the floor alongside Yosuke.
"Gah…" The silver-haired boy rubbed his back, trying to numb down the ache that was starting to rise up. Yosuke groaned in pain too. "Owww…"
After a moment, the two of them got up.
"Is this…? Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!" Yosuke noticed that as he looked around. A somewhat familiar voice then came from ahead of them, that obviously belonged to that bear they met the day before.
"Y-You guys… Why'd you come back…?" The bear approached them, his voice suddenly turning accusatory. "I get it! You're the ones behind this!"
"You're that thing from last time…! Wait, what the hell did you just say!?"
"Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up…" The bear told them, turning around so his back was to them. "This is the second time you guys came here, and I don't think anyone forced you in." He turned around, looking angry. "That means you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing the people in here, raaaawr!"
Yu shook his head. This bear has got to be kidding. "Don't label us like that."
"What're you talking about, 'throwing people in'!? If someone was thrown in here and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a-" Yosuke paused in his yelling. "Wait a sec… all this talk about someone throwing people in here… does he mean Senpai and the announcer? Did that 'someone' throw those two in here?" He looked at his friend. "H-Hey… What do you think?"
"That must be it. There's no doubt about it," Yu said, firm in his answer.
"Yeah… I agree. Let's assume he's telling the truth… could it be that someone's throwing people in here, intending to kill them…? If that's the case…"
The bear started stomping the floor angrily. "What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways!? It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?"
Yosuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeli—" He looked at the rope tied to his waist, and only then did he and Yu notice that the line had broken when they entered this world.
Oh no.
"Whaaaat!?" The brunette held the rope in shock. Then he looked at the bear. "H-Hey! You better let us out once we're done investigating here!"
The bear stomped the ground again a few times. "Grrrrr! I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time. But it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof!? Prove to me that you're not throwing people in here!"
Yu was growing slightly frustrated at this. This bear was throwing so many accusations towards their way when they've just came to this world for the first time yesterday! "Just shut the hell up…!" he said through grit teeth.
The bear just became more convinced in his conviction. "See! So it is you guys!"
"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you!" Yosuke yelled at oddly coloured bear. "Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like last time, when we came by accident. We're dead serious! Listen up, 'cause people have died in our world… Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!"
This time, the bear's tone turned curious. "A dead body? Whenever the fog appears…? I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent." Then it hit him. "Aaaah… I get it…"
"Huh…? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, it isn't in here…? Shadows get violent…?"
"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions. I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!"
"I've told you and told you, we're not the ones doing it! I've about had it with you… why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying!?"
"I-I'm just saying… you might be the culprits. I'm just making sure…"
"What…? Man, this bear's driving me nuts… what is this place, anyways? It looks like a TV studio… is something being filmed here…?" Yosuke then thought of something. "H-Hey, don't tell me… Is that weird show being filmed here!?"
"Weird show? Filmed? What does that mean?"
"Uh… I'm asking if someone's been filming the people that get thrown in here."
"Eh…? I don't get it… this world has always been like this. No one has ever done that filming thing here."
Now Yu's head hurt at all this information. Literally nothing made sense, not in the way the real world did, anyway. "Always been like this…?" he asked, looking slightly puzzled. The bear turned to face him. "Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!"
"Ugh… we don't know what these Shadow things are! Or what you are either, for that matter! You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe you're the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume!? I'd say it's time you showed your face!" Yosuke got frustrated and went towards the bear, grabbing its head...
…And when he pulled, it came right off. It was totally empty, and the bear's body still moved.
"Whoa!" Yosuke took a step back, his eyes wide with shock. "Wh-What the hell are you…? I-It's empty inside…"
The bear's body moved slightly before it found its head and promptly put it on again. "…Me…? The culprit…? I wouldn't do such a thing… I just live here… I just want to live here peacefully…" it murmured, now looking saddened.
Yosuke didn't know what to say. Neither did Yu. This bear is just a resident of this world, apparently…
After a few seconds of silence, the bear looked at the two with a serious expression, however serious he could look with those wide eyes it had. "Okay. I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else… I'm not gonna let you guys outta here."
…He had a very effective threat, admittedly.
Yosuke grit hit teeth. "Y-You little…!"
"This can't keep going on! My home here will be a complete mess! And then… and then… I… waaah…" The bear somehow began to cry…
"Wh-What're you crying for all of a sudden? Geez, this thing's really weirding me out…"
Yu bit his lip in silence, only hearing the bear's cries of sorrow. The bear was actually asking them to find the culprit behind the murders… which meant that someone on the outside was throwing people into this world. The bear was very serious about asking them to find this culprit.
He was brought out of his thoughts when Yosuke asked him on what should they do.
His thoughts went to that odd dream with Igor and Margaret. A misfortune… a mystery, an incident. It all… actually made sense now.
"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you…"
This was the mystery, yet Yu didn't know what Igor meant by 'contract'… though finding the culprit and solving the case could be part of this little contract. Then again, he and Yosuke would need the bear's help to leave this world, so… there was no other choice but to accept.
"You're the only ones I can ask. Will you promise me…?" The bear asked, looking at them both with sadness and hope in his wide eyes. Yu mentally sighed, realizing what he was getting himself into. If this was his fate for the year, then so be it.
He's gone through worse before.
"I promise."
Upon hearing those words, the bear looked at the silver-haired boy happily. "Th-thank you!"
Yosuke was dismayed at how things ended up. "Damn bear… practically holding a gun to our heads… but… it's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh…? Bring it on! You got my word, too. Might as well introduce ourselves… I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my buddy, Yu Narukami. You got a name?" he introduced himself and Yu before asking.
"…Teddie," The bear answered.
Really, they should've seen it coming by now. It was too easy.
Yosuke groaned. "Figures… but how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"
"I dunno… oh, but I know where the last person came in."
"The last person…? You mean Saki-senpai!?"
"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name. I'll take you there. You might find clues. Oh, one thing first. You two should put these on." Teddie then gave both Yu and Yosuke a pair of glasses each.
The frame for Yu's glasses were black like the uniforms they wore, while Yosuke's was a bright orange colour.
"What're these classes for…?" Yosuke examined the glasses before putting them on at the same time with Yu. Instantly, their visions became much clearer through the fog. "Whoa! The difference is like night and day… with these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist," Yosuke commented, astonished at the difference.
Teddie smiled. "They'll help you walk through the fog… well, I've been here for a long time. So you can rely on me! Uh… But I can only show you where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourselves."
"What happened to relying on you!? Th-There better not be any monsters! You understand!? We brought weapons, but I mean… They're more for show! We just got here! If it's so dangerous, why don't you do something instead of relying on us!?"
"Uh uh. No way. I've got no muscles. Oh! Oh! I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?"
Yu wasn't exactly convinced. Can Teddie really not fight? There's only one way to find out… he approached the bear and gingerly touched the bear on the head… and Teddie promptly fell backwards like a turtle stuck on its back, waving his limbs. "N-noooo…"
"Guess he really can't…" Yu murmured, not exactly surprised either. Yosuke would've facepalmed himself right there, but he didn't. "I-Is this thing for real!? Ugh, this is so lame… we swore to find the culprit, and this is all the backup we get…?"
Teddie eventually gave up on trying to get up, still on his back. "…Oh yeah. Can I ask you something? Who's this Saki-senpai person? Someone you know?" he asked curiously.
The brunet was silent for a moment. "…That doesn't matter right now…" He looked at his friend. "Anyways, at least now we know Senpai might have been thrown in here. Maybe we can find more information, too. Let's get moving, Yu."
The two then started to leave the area, about to leave Teddie behind as well.
"W-waaaait!" The bear called, flailing his limbs again. "Oh Teddie…" Yu sighed and went to help Teddie up before they finally headed off.
Whatever that lies ahead of them now… it'll be something they never experienced nor encountered before.