A/N: Finally, we reach the top of the castle and meet Yukiko's shadow! Next, we see the formation of the Sun Social Link... but who it is, you'll have to read to find out! Heh, maybe this could be a new thing. I'll give the stuff, you find the details!... eh, kind of.

adtauthor22 - Well, you're actually correct. The fangame I've been talking about is that, and it's the sole reason why I fell in love with the P4!MC x Kanji Tatsumi pairing. Kind of funny how I wanted to do his route first to get it out of the way for I played it to try out Yosuke's route, but the way the maker of the fangame wrote Kanji's characterisation and the dating events, plus the drawings you'd get for certain actions... I just fell for it instantly over the course of my first playthrough. No regrets, except maybe trying his route out first... ;w;

Mr Giraffe (Guest)
- Eh, maybe not. I've read fanfictions here that has longer walls of A/N text than mine, and mine is at least relevant to the story, haha. Anyway, yay for Yui making friends! As for Mr. Secretary, yes we'll see him some more. He's the one link that connects Yui to her grandfather for the whole year as her parents are away, though it's mostly to give Yui assignments from her grandpa. As for crazy hyped, well, at one point she may just get loose, heh. And of course she'll be buying fabric from Kanji's mom's shop... who else sells cloth there? XD
- I'm glad you feel that way. I had a feeling that this story wouldn't feel much like a story if I removed the Social Link events for the sake of advancing plot, but those links serve as an important turning point in Yui's characterisation and confidence in herself, as well as her own thoughts on crossdressing at some point. No problem in you reviewing late, though I'll admit that it was a little worrying to see no review from you after a while.

Anyway, on with the story!

The moment Yui got up, she dressed up in her school clothes rather than her casual clothes to get ready for the trip to the TV world. While doing so, she got a call from one of her friends at school – it was Kou.

"Um, hey, this is Kou. If you're bored, let's hang out. I'll call up Daisuke too. How's that sound?"

"O-oh, uh, sorry. I'm a little busy today." The silver-haired girl apologized, refusing the offer. She could hear the slight shift in tone in Kou's voice, telling her easily that he was a little sad at that but nonetheless understanding.

"Is that so… okay then, take care, Yu!"

The call ended there.

Sighing, Yui then sent a quick text message to both Yosuke and Chie that she wanted them to gather in the food court at Junes.

With that done, she grabbed her equipment and headed out.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

"We're going to save Yukiko today," Yu announced to them both once they arrived, dressed in their school clothes too. "If you have anything else to do, do it now. Otherwise, we're going into the TV world. Ready?"

Yosuke nodded without hesitance. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's save her!" Chie nodded too, pumped up at the idea of actually saving her friend from that world. "Alright, let's go then." Yu led the others to the electronics department, where they waited until no one was watching them before entering the TV world and going to Yukiko's castle.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Somehow, Teddie found a way to make the door open up to the highest floor they'd gotten to. Yu didn't exactly care to know how it worked, but the difference in atmosphere was getting noticeable. The fog which used to be a pastel white was now turning a ruby red like the colour of the halls…

Upon reaching the sixth floor, they heard even more of Yukiko's thoughts.

"In other words, she's a manager who's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it… Let's see if we can interview her. Excuse me!"

"Shut up!"

"Someday, though… that aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono. You must have a lot of male visitors."

"Leave me alone! I'm sick of everything! I'm sick of it…"

Yu felt sorry for Yukiko. Somehow, being a girl also brought its own fair share of problems…

Teddie looked around in confusion. "I don't get what's going on with all those voices, but I can sense that we're getting closer. Hang in there!"

Just a few more floors left, then.

…For some reason, the silver-haired boy had the nagging urge to find that reporter guy and maybe punch him in the face for being like that to Yukiko. She didn't deserve to ogled like a prize to be won, or like a display at a museum.

It's just… wrong.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

On the next floor, they heard the Shadow's voice.

"Hasn't my Prince come yet? My dear Prince… please hurry and take me away! Somewhere… to a world where no one knows me…"

Teddie sniffed the air and jerked up. "It's close! She's just beyond here!"

"We're getting close… don't let your guard down, guys," Yu told both Yosuke and Chie who nodded in response.

The Shadows became stronger and harder to beat the higher they went, but they needed to conserve as much energy as possible for what might lie ahead of them when they really did reach the top of this castle. Hopefully Yukiko wasn't too affected by her surroundings…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

On the eighth floor, they were greeted by another huge set of doors, but this time grander than the one of the second floor.

"Everyone ready…?" Yu glanced at the others. "Yeah, we've gotten this far. No turning back now," Yosuke replied. "Come on, let's save her…!" Chie got ready with a determined look on her face. "Okay… let's go!" The smaller boy then opened the doors, letting them all run inside.

Standing in front of the throne at the back of the room was Yukiko's Shadow… and in front of the steps leading up to it was Yukiko, down on her knees.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out, immediately worried for her best friend. What they saw also confirmed their suspicions – the one wearing the dress truly was Yukiko's Shadow. "I knew it… there's two of her!" Yosuke muttered, looking at the Shadow and Yukiko.

As they got closer, the shadow finally noticed them and gleefully grinned. "Oh? Ooooh, what's this? Three princes are here to see me?! My, my! Are you the surprise guests who came in late? Awwww… I wish I'd gotten a better look at you!" She took a step forward, looking at everyone. "My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…?"

A dreamy look appeared on the shadow's face as she continued on. "A land far, far away, where no one knows me. If you're my Prince, you'd take me there, won't you? C'mon… pretty please?"

For some reason, Teddie had the gall to be a little attracted. "Oooh. Is this 'scoring a hot stud'?!"

"What? No! That has nothing to do with this." Yu glanced at the bear with an exasperated expression on his face. Chie was a little troubled at what the shadow said, though. "Three princes…? Wait, does that include me, too…?"

Teddie shook his head. "Duh! The third one's gotta be me!"

"Dream on, Teddie…" Yu muttered under his breath, shaking his head. Yosuke sighed. "I seriously doubt that…" he murmured to himself, indirectly agreeing with the silver-haired boy. The bear sure did have a vain side to himself.

Yukiko's shadow merely chuckled. "Chie… yes, she's my Prince…"

That took the group by surprise.

"She always leads the way… Chie's a strong Prince… or at least, she WAS."

Chie grew confused. "Was…?"

The shadow then began to lash out. "When it comes down to it, Chie's just not good enough! She can't take me away from here! She can't save me!"

The brunette could only look at the shadow with sadness in her eyes. "Yukiko…"

At the words uttered by her shadow, Yukiko slowly got up despite the exhaustion in her body. "S-stop…" Her words went ignored by her shadow who continued to pour out her inner thoughts out of its mouth. "Historic inn? Manager training?! I'm sick of all these things chaining me down! I never asked to be born here! Everything's decided for me! From how I live, to where I die! I'm so sick of it! To hell with it all!"

Yukiko weakly turned to look her shadow. "That's not true…"

Her shadow turned away from her, the expression on her face turning sweet at her next words. "I just want to go somewhere far away... anywhere but here… someone, please take me away… I can't leave here on my own… I'm completely useless…"

Yukiko could only shake her head. "Stop… please stop…"

Then her shadow turned back around to look at everyone. "I have no hope if I stay, and no courage to leave… so I sit on my ass hoping that someday my Prince will come!" It then lashed out once again, shouting its words. "I don't care where we go! Anywhere's fine! As long as it's not here, I don't give a damn! Historical tradition? Pride of the town? What a bunch of bullshit!"

That got Yukiko to look up at her shadow, slight anger in her voice. "How dare you…?"

The shadow merely smirked. "That's how I really feel. Isn't that right… me?!"

"N-no…"

The group behind the two realised what Yukiko was about to say. "Stop! Don't say it!" Yosuke shouted at her, but it was too late as it went unheard by the kimono-clad girl.

"No! You're not me!"

…It has been said and done.

The shadow began to grin, cackling madly while the dark blue aura around it became darker and darker. "Heeheehee… aaaah! This feels wonderful! It's building… more and more… if this keeps up… I'll… I'll…! Ahaha! Ahahahahahaha!" Her laughter echoed through the throne room as darkness covered her form, changing her into a monster… and once the darkness dispelled itself, it revealed a ruby red phoenix that burst out of a metal cage that was built on top of a chandelier with flaming candles, bearing a white heart sign on its chest and having black hair reminiscent of Yukiko's.

The sudden energy drain caused Yukiko to fall. "Aagh!"

"Yukiko!" Chie stepped forward to try and help her friend, but it was too dangerous with the shadow acting up. "We have to stop it! That girls in danger!" Teddie told them all, quickly going to a safe distance away from the battle. "We know!" Yosuke knew the drill already.

"It's all right, Yukiko… just hang in there! We'll save you!" Chie reassured both Yukiko and herself.

They were once again thrown into battle with someone's shadow… and this one would certainly be stronger than the last.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

The red phoenix stood at the edge of its cage, spreading its wings out as it spoke. "I am a shadow… the true self… now, my Prince… why don't we dance and make merry together?" It chuckled, still sounding like Yukiko except with that layer of distortion to its voice, something all shadows seem to have.

"Hang in there, Yukiko… I'm right here for you!" Chie called out to her best friend.

"Oh really…? Then I'll make sure to give you plenty to deal with!"

So the fight finally started.

The group started off the round by casting some buff spells on themselves and debuff spells on Yukiko's shadow when possible. When it was the shadow's turn, she attacked one of them but didn't deal too much damage with her claws. They were able to attack her a good amount…

…However, the true fight began when she summoned a shadow to her aide.

"We're not done yet. Show me this strength of yours!" The shadow spoke with a chuckle. Then she spread her wings, calling to her Prince with a loud eagle-like screech. "Come, my Prince… heeheehee…"

Next to her, three spotlights shone onto one spot as a cloud of dust appeared. When it dissipated, a shadow had appeared… a Charming Prince, to be exact, and it looks just as terrible. "Don't underestimate that shadow, Sensei! It's pretty strong!" Teddie warned Yu.

"Alright then." The silver-haired boy nodded and looked at the two shadows, quickly thinking of what to do in this case. They could try to focus on getting rid of the Charming Prince first, but it'll the drag the battle much longer… but focusing on Yukiko's shadow would risk more damage from the Prince.

He decided to try out the first strategy, seeing that their elemental attacks didn't bring out any weaknesses in Yukiko's shadow – heck, maybe she actually didn't have one? That just made things even harder. Looking at the Prince, he started his orders. "Yosuke, Chie, try out your elemental attacks on the Prince to see if it has a weakness. I'll use Zio and Agi when I can."

"You got it, partner!" Yosuke nodded in confirmation and summoned Jiraiya to cast Garu, but it didn't bring out any weaknesses. "He's not weak to wind!"

"Okay, my turn!" Chie also summoned Tomoe and casted Mabufu to deal damage to both shadows. This time, the Charming Prince fell back as the block of ice broke in front of him, which evidently told the teenagers that its weakness was ice.

"You got it, Chie! Do it again!" Yosuke told her as the tides were turned in their favour for now. Chie grinned and casted the same spell, inflicting damage while also making the Charming Prince dizzy. "Good job, Chie," Yu complimented her while using his turn to then attack Yukiko's shadow using Izanagi, cleaving the shadow.

Of course, things can't always remain this smooth.

The red phoenix turned to look at Chie, beginning to cast a spell. Once it spread its wings out with a loud shriek, it casted Agi on the brunette, hitting her weakness. "Aaah!" Chie fell down onto the floor as the sudden rush of pain made her legs collapse, leaving her vulnerable to the shadow's further attack.

"Chie-chan's down! This isn't good!" Teddie was nearly panicking at that. However, the shadow decided to use its second turn to cast White Wall on the Prince, increasing the dizzy shadow's resistance to ice. "Nngh..." Yu had to change his tactics then. "Yosuke, heal Chie using Dia. I'll cast a Red Wall on her," he told the taller boy as he summoned the Slime Persona, doing so.

"Okay, partner." Yosuke did as the silver-haired boy told him to do, healing Chie's wounds. Chie was finally able to get up, up and about after that. "Ow… geez, that hurt!" At least her weakness to fire wouldn't be exploited for some time just like the Charming Prince's weakness to ice.

Much to their luck though, the Charming Prince was able to cast a stronger healing spell, Diarama, that healed the red phoenix quite a lot. "That shadow's got Diarama! You need to take either the Prince or the shadow out quick!" Teddie advised them to do.

"Guys, let's try and attack the Prince as much as we can until I tell you to stop…!" Yu ordered his friends, and they agreed to it. With that, they began to use their arsenal of physical attacks that their Personas can do as those were much stronger than their own attacks and also their elemental attacks. While doing so, Yu and Yosuke would try and heal any of them when their health got low.

Eventually, they managed to take the Prince out.

"My Prince! My dear prince!" Yukiko's shadow called out to the Prince, but as the spotlights shone down and the cloud of dust disappeared, there was no one answering to the call. "Why… why won't he come…?"

"No one's coming! Now's your chance to attack!" Teddie told the trio, so they took this chance to focus all of their attacks on the red phoenix. As they got the shadow's health down, it began to rage. "What, are you trying to make me mad…? That's not how it's supposed to work… you have to escort me!" Promptly after saying that, it lashed out by casting a fire spell that hit everyone.

Luckily Yu had re-casted a fire resistance spell to Chie, so her weakness to fire wasn't in direct fire of the spell, although everyone suffered some damage from it. "It's getting harder… don't let your guard down…!" Yu encouraged the other two, gripping his katana harder.

With some difficulty, they kept their attacks going… until finally, the shadow snapped.

"Hmph, looks like I had the wrong idea… you're no Princes… die, you worthless commoners!"

Things just got a lot harder from that point on. Yukiko's shadow would keep casting the huge fire spell frequently and even lash out at one of them with an assault dive. Yet with their drive to save Yukiko, the trio did prevail.

"No…!" With a last shriek, the chandelier fell to the floor with a loud crash as clouds of darkness poured out of it, the red phoenix defeated. The form soon blew away into dust, leaving only Yukiko's shadow in its original form.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time the battle ended, they found Yukiko slumped against the base of a pillar. "Ngh…"

The group ran over to her despite their injuries in the fight, still concerned for the kimono-clad girl who had been in this place for a few days now. "Yukiko!" Chie called to her worriedly. Yukiko slowly got up, weak and exhausted. The brunette just became even more worried. "Yukiko, are you hurt…!?"

Yukiko was about to answer when she glanced to her side, noticing her shadow that has gone silent. "…No… I'm not-"

"We understand. You're not the only one like that, Yukiko-san," Yosuke then told her before she could deny her shadow even more. "Everyone has something they can't show to other people, or don't want to admit to themselves…"

Chie faced her best friend, looking down in shame. "Yukiko… I'm sorry. I was so self-centred that… I never understood what you were going through… I'm your friend, and I still… oh, I'm so sorry…" Her voice began to shake as she sobbed, wiping her eyes of tears.

"Chie…" Yukiko didn't know what to say.

"I was always jealous of you, Yukiko. You had everything that I didn't… that jealousy was like a wall, and I was so lonely…! I wanted you to need me… but it was me who needed you. I can't do anything right on my own… I've caused so much trouble for Yosuke and the others. If you weren't by my side, I… I wouldn't know what to do…" The brunette just kept wiping her face, her tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Chie…" Yukiko bit her lip, and began to confess her own feelings too. "I never saw the real you either… I was too busy trying to find an easy way out." She then slowly walked towards her shadow, finally facing it. "'I want to run away…', 'I want someone to save me…'… you're right, those feelings are part of me, too. I understand now… you're me."

Her shadow nodded with a smile, and soon faded to form her Persona. The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest… she has faced her other self and obtained the façade used to overcome life's hardships, the Persona Konohana Sakuya. The Persona soon turned into a tarot card before fading back into the depths of Yukiko's heart…

After all that, the kimono-clad girl fell onto her knees as her exhaustion caught up to her.

"Yukiko!" Chie and the others ran over to her again, concerned for her wellbeing. "Are you okay?" Yosuke asked her. Yukiko slowly nodded, tiredness laced in her voice. "Yes, I'm just a little tired…" She lifted her head up to look at Yu, Yosuke and Chie. "You all came to rescue me…?"

"Of course!" Chie would never abandon her friend like this.

"Thank you…"

"Don't even mention it. I'm just so glad you're safe…"

"Hehe… Right on." Yosuke smiled. Yu felt glad too – for once, they were able to save someone and prevent a murder from happening. Teddie decided to ask her then and there despite not being introduced to Yukiko yet. "So, who threw you in here?"

"Teddie…! You can't just… never mind…" Yu was about to whisper at the bear but just gave up on it. Yukiko had already seen him. She just looked at Teddie in confusion. "Huh…? Who are you? Rather… what are you?"

"I'm Teddie! So, who threw you in?" Teddie asked her again.

"I don't know… I think… someone called my name… but my memory's a blur. I can't remember who it was… I'm sorry, um… Teddie."

"No new clues…"

Yosuke shook his head. "Not necessarily. Now we know for sure that someone threw Yukiko-san in here."

"Hrmm… then it really isn't you guys…"

Yu glanced back at Teddie with an accusing look. "You still suspected us?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The bear tried to deny it. "N-no no no no no! Absolutely not!"

Yosuke was nearly done with Teddie. "You little…! You're one lying sack of honey…"

Chie merely sighed. "Anyways, let's hurry back home, Yukiko looks exhausted… thanks again, Teddie!" she thanked the bear as Yukiko got up before everyone except Teddie began to leave, much to his confusion. "Huh? Wait, you're leaving me here?"

"Leaving you? What're you talking about? You live here," Yosuke told him.

"Well… yeah, but…"

Yukiko slowly limped her way towards the bear, beginning to pet him. "I'm sorry, Teddie. I promise to come again… so be a good boy and wait here until then."

Obviously, Teddie liked the petting. "R-raaaawr!" Then he glanced at the other three teenagers and blushed as he teasingly suggested something. "My, it's getting crowded here. Why don't you and I go somewhere else…? C'mon… pretty please?"

"Ugh." Yu quietly facepalmed himself. Yosuke, not so much. "Gah… you're giving me the creeps! That's it, you're stuck here for the rest of your life!"

Everyone else then began to leave the castle with Yukiko, regardless of whether Teddie followed them or not… which the bear did after a moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

The group went out to the food court so they wouldn't have to be in that fog-filled castle. Chie sat at the table with Yukiko while Yu and Yosuke stood nearby.

"Yukiko…? Are you all right? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" The brunette asked, still worried for her best friend's health. Yukiko slowly shook her head. "No… I'm just a little tired…"

Yu didn't want to press Yukiko for too much information at the moment, but he had to try and confirm some things at least. "Do you remember anything…?"

"I'm sorry, but… I don't remember anything…"

"Well, no worries! You're safe, and that's more than enough." Chie was gladder that Yukiko was safe from harm. Yu and Yosuke nodded in agreement, but something still bothered them.

"But there's no mistake that Yukiko-san was… um… attacked… the same way as the last two victims. And I think the one we saw on the Midnight Channel wasn't the real Yukiko-san, but her Shadow. Maybe the things Yukiko-san was suppressing in this world took form in the TV…?" Yosuke theorised.

"You know, Teddie was saying something like that…"

The brunet tried to think over it some more but just couldn't get to a conclusion. "Awww, it's no use. I'm just going round and round in circles. What kinda person could be doing this?"

"Well, I think we should call it a day… Yukiko's in no shape to remain here like this," Yu told him. Chie agreed too. "Yeah, Yukiko really needs to get some rest. I'll take her home."

"Oh, that's right… sorry. Yukiko-san must be exhausted." Yosuke realised that and decided to hold off on thinking about who the culprit could be. "We'll talk about this all some more once she gets her strength back."

They all went their separate ways for the day, deciding to let Yukiko rest first…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu returned home in exhaustion, but he was a bit thrilled at the thought of both the hard fight against Yukiko's shadow and the fact that they actually succeeded in saving her. A bit of exhaustion was nothing compared to that.

Plus, Yukiko wasn't the only one who got to come home when she returned.

He was having a warm drink with Nanako while watching television when the sound of the door sliding open echoed through the small house. The little girl got up, a smile appearing on her lips. "He's home!" Her smile slightly fell when she saw that her father wasn't alone, though. "Um… hello…"

…It was Adachi that he brought along. "Hi there."

"We got off work at the same time, so I'm giving him a ride back to his place. And I thought we might as well swing by," Ryotaro explained. "Nice to meet ya. I'm Adachi, the guy who's been your dad's slave since spring," Adachi introduced himself to her.

"I can still work you harder, you know."

"Haha, good one, Sir! Ha… ha…" The younger detective laughed nervously at that before noticing the silver-haired boy who has been watching the conversation quietly. "Oh, I almost forgot! You're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right? They found her safe and sound! Tell all your friends at school!"

Yu decided to play it cool, like usual. "That's a relief."

"Yeah, for us on the force too. But this doesn't mean the case is closed, though. We were just questioning Ms. Amagi, but she says she doesn't remember anything that happened while she was missing. And we can't figure out her whereabouts during the missing period, either. It's like she really disappeared. It's all pretty fishy, if you ask me… like there's something else going on…"

Then Ryotaro promptly smacked him in the face.

"Ow!"

"Stop blabbering, dumbass!" The older detective scolded him sternly.

"S-Sorry…"

"Ignore him. He's just spouting some wild fantasy."

Yu blinked once and decided to do as his uncle asked. "I'll… forget it, then."

Ryotaro sighed as he scratched his head. "Yeah, don't give it a second thought. Sheesh, he's a real pain sometimes…"

"…I'm hungry." Nanako then spoke up. Her father smiled at her. "Hey, you're right. My stomach's growling too."

Adachi laughed a bit at that. "Hahaha, so you do have a softer side around Nanako-chan, Sir."

"Shut up and siddown… and wash those hands first! Hm, I should do the same…"

…Well, dinner promises to be lively for once. While Yu hoped that Yukiko would be the last victim, he had a gut feeling that this 'killer' wasn't planning on letting things be.

The next day was quiet for once as Yu wasn't in any pressure to do anything since Yukiko was saved from the TV world already, but she was currently resting so there wasn't much he and the others could do. While on the way to school, he overheard something interesting from a pair of students.

"The cultural clubs are accepting new applicants starting today! You're welcome to join, even if you're already in a sports club. Hmm… which cultural club should I join?"

"Huh? You mean you joined a sports club after all that whining? And now you're trying to join a cultural club!? Don't say you're confident just because you wished for luck in your exams!"

"Look, colleges look more at your extracurricular activities than your grades, right? I think I should be joining clubs so I can show that I'm a real team player!"

This time, it's cultural clubs that are accepting…? Yu thought about it for a moment – if what happened when he joined the soccer club culminated in his friendship with Kou and Daisuke, it's possible he may meet someone when joining any available cultural club.

He figured that he'll look into them after school was done.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

During physical exercise class, Yu was fairly tired from yesterday's events.

The teacher, Mr. Kondo, just laughed a bit at the sight of the students, including the silver-haired boy. "Good moooorning! Hahaha, I'm seeing lots of drowsy faces out there! Just because it's such nice, warm weather doesn't mean you have time to be drowsy! It's dangerous to fall asleep sometimes, you know that? I mean, you could get mugged, or a thief could sneak into your house!"

Mr. Kondo then glanced at Yu's way. "Hey, Yu! Tell me, what time are thieves most likely to sneak into your house here in Japan?"

Yu perked up when a question was suddenly thrown at him. Thankfully, he read about this little fact back when he was studying about general knowledge. It's about early in the morning when everyone has left for work. "8 a.m., sir."

The teacher nodded, smiling. "Yup, as Yu says, mornings are the most dangerous time! You should be ready to react to anything in the morning! …Hm? You don't care because you're at school by that time?" He was silent for a moment. "Well, alright! Let's shake the sleepies out with a little endurance training! Line up, ladies and gentlemen! Let's take a jog around the school!"

Just a regular old school day.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Once school was over for the day, Yu had to go to the faculty office to ask about cultural clubs… and he still couldn't believe his luck as he met Mr. Morooka inside again. But this time, he was a little luckier as his homeroom teacher didn't end up ranting over ten minutes.

"The cultural clubs? You'd better not be interested in them just so you can meet girls, Mister! …You can join either the drama club or the band. Both clubs meet on the ground floor of the Practice Building. Go find them yourself! Before you go… the culture clubs meet on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday! So are we done here!? Go home already! Are you staying at school to hang out with a girl later on or something!?"

The silver-haired boy shook his head in response and excused himself quickly. There was no reason for him to remain in that room a moment longer now that he had the information he needed.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Going over to the Practice Building, Yu thought over his choices again. The drama club or the band… well, acting has been something he's doing his whole life, what with his crossdressing act. But music was also a big part of his life - another thing he liked doing was either listening to music or playing instruments he knew how to play, like the piano at the mansion he hardly lived in or a trumpet back in his elementary days.

"Well, I don't think I'd like to act a moment longer…" he muttered to himself. He was getting sick of having to act as someone he's not, so the band it is. He had to look around the first floor to find where the band usually practiced, but soon found it at the end of the hall.

With his mind made up, he entered.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu entered as the club was having a practice session, though it was about to end.

"Oh, and don't forget to stop by the faculty office and pick up the key," One of the students said, to which a small girl with black hair cut in a bowl hairstyle nodded in response. "Okay, no problem!" She was about to leave when she nearly bumped into the silver-haired boy. "Ahh! Oh… sorry about that."

She looked up at him quietly. "…? Umm…"

"I'm here to join the band… this is it, right?" Yu told her, hoping he was correct. The girl nodded, smiling. "Yes, it is… okay, umm, wait right here, please." She turned towards the other end of the room and called out to someone. "Captain! Caaaaptain!"

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

The band captain soon introduced Yu to the other members of the band. "This is Yu Narukami, a second-year. Let's give him a warm welcome, everyone."

Everyone else smiled at the silver-haired boy. "Welcome!"

With greetings done, the band captain glanced at the smaller boy. "So, Yu, have any experience with musical instruments?"

"I play the piano when I can, and I used to play the trumpet. I think I still can do that…" Yu answered with slight hesitance. It did mean that his skills with a trumpet might be rusty, but nothing a little practice can't do.

"Yeah? We don't really have a piano, but can you sight read? We aren't really that good… why don't you stick around and watch for today? We meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. And… hey, Ayane!" The band captain then called at the girl who nearly bumped into Yu.

"Y-yes!?" Ayane straightened up as she looked at the captain.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to Yu?"

"…Umm, er, my name is Ayane Matsunaga. I'm a first-year." The girl blushed as she introduced herself. She's probably not used to doing that. "I-I play the trombone. And, uh…"

The captain looked at Yu. "Alright, she'll get you brought up to speed. If you'll excuse me…" He then focused back on the other members. "Bring it in, guys. Break's over. Let's take it from the top again."

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

So Yu spent his time watching the symphonic band rehearse. The music wasn't as grand as classical music, but it was good enough. By the time the band members went home, it was only him and Ayane left. He turned to leave when he noticed her.

"Oh, Senpai… you're still here? It's okay, you can go home!" Ayane blushed again when she realised something. "Oh… I'm sorry! I was supposed to give you the details on our club, wasn't I? Umm, we meet on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays… er, they already told you that, huh."

"More or less…" Yu chuckled. He's been told that three times now.

Ayane continued on nonetheless. "We don't take attendance, so you don't have to come if you don't want to. But practice makes perfect, so… if you keep at it, this is a great way to learn to express yourself! Though… I'm not the best example of that…" She giggled. The silver-haired boy couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm despite her words.

"Do you have any questions, Senpai?" She then asked him. Yu thought about it for a moment. "…Where does the club play, if you don't mind me asking…?"

"Well, sometimes we do performances at hospitals, or for senior homes. We aren't a big enough band to enter any competitions… but people enjoy our performances. We really pour our hearts into the music." Ayane paused for a moment. "Well… I say 'we', but I don't usually play. I take care of all the paperwork around here." She blushed again and smiled. "A-anyway, I have to tidy up. Why don't you go on ahead, Senpai?"

Yu blinked a few times and took a glance at the room. There were so many chairs and sheet music stands – can she even do it alone? Not to mention the instruments that were set down at the back… "How about I help you?" he offered, not wanting her to be so burdened with this task.

"Huh? Uh, ummm…" Ayane seemed taken aback, as if this was the first time anyone had offered to help. Blushing, she shook her head. "N-no, i-it's okay! It's my responsibility! So, um, please, don't go out of your way! Still… it was nice of you to offer." She was smiling cheerfully at him.

In the end, Yu joined the symphonic band and became acquaintances with Ayane. It seemed that she handles even menial tasks with a smile… he could feel a faint bond forming between himself and her. With that, he could hear the voice in his head speaking of the creation of the Sun Social Link.

Ayane looked at the window, seeing the sky was already turning dark. "Oh, it's already getting dark. Be careful out there, Senpai," she told him, still smiling. Yu could only nod in response. "You too, Ayane. See you next practice."

He then left the room with a slightly heavy heart, still wishing that she would let him help at least.

Tuesday started cloudy, but Yu had taken another glance at the weather forecast which said that in these next few days, it would start raining heavily and continuously. At least Yukiko was safe, but she was still resting at the moment.

She'll need it to recover her strength after her ordeal in the TV world.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

For once, it wasn't Yosuke that was on the receiving end of questions.

Mrs. Nakayama was the one teaching for the current period. "I've heard there's a mysterious animal dwelling in the shopping district area. Supposedly, it knows how to search the change dispenser of the vending machines. How amazing is that? Even animals can learn the value of money… I guess I'll have to keep my wallet more secure from now on."

She then looked at everyone. "Students, at your age you might not understand, but money is very important! You can't do anything without it! And you know, smarts don't guarantee wealth… anyway, I guess I should do what they pay me for and lecture you. Let's see, we left off talking about the properties of whole numbers…"

Looking at her book, she noticed something. "Oh, here's an interesting one. A natural number that's half the sum of its positive divisors is called…? Come on, look at the third page of the handout. What's the answer, class?"

Meanwhile, Chie was panicking slightly. "Huh? I can't find my handout… it's half a sum of its divisors…? I'm totally lost… do you know what the answer is, Yu-kun?" she asked in a whisper, glancing at Yu. The silver-haired boy just smiled, whispering back the answer. "It's a perfect number, Chie."

Chie then answered what he told her, to which Mrs. Nakayama nodded in response. "Right, a perfect number. Satonaka-san, please come pick up an extra handout if you don't have one. Now, about these perfect numbers… the first one is six, then 28… then we jump to 496, and then the next one is 8,128. For your information, no perfect number that is also odd has been found yet. That's why these numbers are so special. Anyway, let's move on. This is the Mersenne Prime. It's really quite…" She kept on talking…

The brunette felt sheepish. "Ooops, I guess she saw me… but… thanks, Yu-kun!" She grinned at the boy who sat next to her, who nodded in response with a smile too. Anything to help a friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

At lunchtime, Yu was about to go back up to class when Ayane approached him. "Senpai! Don't forget that we have practice today, okay?" she reminded him with a smile. The silver-haired boy smiled back and nodded. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

…Well, he might as well join practice later.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Once school was finally finished, Yu went out of his class and was about to go to the Practice Building by himself when he noticed Ayane nearby. He approached her, which alerted her to his presence. "Oh, Senpai! Are you going to practice today?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I am. Why don't we go together?" The silver-haired boy suggested. The small girl nodded, smiling. "Okay, Senpai!"

The two of them then walked to the Practice Building together…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu had to admit, his skills with the trumpet did get rusty. He tried not to make too many mistakes when playing yet found that he was easily running out of breath as he did. He'll probably have to train himself to do circular breathing again if he wanted to play the trumpet without breaking the tune.

At one point, the captain stopped the playing. "Cut, cut, cut!" He looked at Ayane, who sat next to Yu. "The trombone is flat. Is that you again, Ayane?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Ayane apologized, a bit guilty at having the practice stopped because of her. The captain could only continue the practice, pointing out mistakes when he did notice them. "Alright. Let's see what we can do about the tempo in that second movement…"

They continued practicing until it was over for the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

After practice, it was only Yu and Ayane left.

"You must be tired, Senpai," The small girl said before smiling. "You have such great tone! I guess you weren't kidding when you said you'd played before." She looked down as she blushed shyly. "Oh, sorry, I know that doesn't mean much coming from someone like me. I was sticking out again today…" Then, she looked up at Yu with a bright smile again. "I wish I had as much talent as you."

"Well, effort is what matters, Ayane. Practice makes perfect – I wasn't good at the trumpet or piano before I even started playing them… but I got better the more I played and learned," Yu advised her. Ayane nodded, understanding what he meant. "Y-you're right! Just because I'm talentless doesn't mean I should give up!" She looked like she's in high spirits.

That look didn't last long as she glanced down at the floor once more. "Oh, but… we have another trombone player here," she told him. "Takeru-senpai. He's really good, so he always gets picked for the performances. That's why I've never gone to one. But it doesn't matter, I can't play in front of an audience anyway."

At those words, Ayane looked away sadly. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't bother you with all this. I better get this place picked up so I can go home."

"Please, Ayane. Let me help you," Yu then spoke to her. He didn't want her to clean this room all by herself – it's too much work for one person. Ayane looked at him, startled that he would offer to help again. "Huh? Uh, ummm… thank you so much… I'm sorry, you really shouldn't have to do this…"

"It's no problem." Yu did notice that she looked apologetic at this. In a way, he could feel her kindness towards him… with it, his relationship with her grew stronger with the Sun Social Link.

Ayane looked at the windows again, seeing that the sun was going down. "Oh my, it's already getting dark." Looking back at Yu, she giggled. "Alright, let's do it!"

"Come on, then." The silver-haired boy smiled as he went to start cleaning up the room with her, setting the chairs and sheet music stands where they should be and the instruments in their cases. Once all that was done, he bid goodbye to her and went back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Yu got home, it was raining quite heavily. Setting his things back upstairs after greeting Nanako, he went down and checked the fridge.

Inside was some white miso... wait… did this used to be red miso? There was a package of red miso, but it was far past its expiration date. He contemplated something as he stared at it in silence, the sound of the rain pattering against the roof drowning out the droning sound of the humming fridge.

He decided to eat it, because for some reason, he felt like it.

…Yu wondered if he's just idiotically courageous or just plain stupid for doing this.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

When Yui did manage to finish the suspiciously white miso, everything in her face just burned. While she did feel like she got braver, she felt terrible. Without much reason to not go to sleep at this point, she quickly cleaned up her 'meal' and went up to her room.

Never again is she doing that… ever.

Though, going through life normally without having to go through the foggy TV world felt nice.

If only it could remain that way… but now there's a tinge of fear inside of her. She may regret forming the bonds she had created here despite her own words to not bother making friends for she will leave them in the end.

It felt so nice, yet she wasn't going to keep her hopes up. There were still many months left before her departure from Inaba… she'll have to see how things will go from here.