A/N: For this chapter, we see the formation of another bond... and while our Yui is at it, another victim goes missing... well, I think you know who I mean by now. And finally! He's going to be a part of this story after... eleven chapters? Yeah, eleven chapters. Oh well.
I wrote this so fast that my usual reviewers haven't even reviewed... welp. On with the chapter, then!
The next day, Yu felt like checking out the notice board in the central shopping district to see if there were any other part-time jobs he could take. So right after school finished, he went out to do just that. The notice board soon came into view, and he got closer to he could take a look.
Again, the same few jobs were there… though a few grabbed his attention, such as the translator job and the assistant day care caretaker job. The translator job shouldn't be too hard as he had a good basic for English and some other languages… and he was a bit interested at the latter one, in fact.
Taking out his phone, he called the people whose phone numbers were written for the two jobs to tell them that he's taking the job. Once that was done, he guessed that he could start his first day as a caretaker… he'll have to take the bus, then.
So, off he went.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After getting ready for his work, Yu was introduced to the other children as an assistant caretaker. The children were extremely interested in him…
"Mister, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Don't ask him that, you creep!"
"Let's play tag, Mister! You're it!"
The silver-haired boy looked around, slightly overwhelmed by the chaotic scene of children running around.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Somehow, Yu managed to survive the children tugging at him in every direction until all of them were taken back home by their parents… except for one kid. It was a boy… it seemed that his guardian hasn't come to pick him up.
The day care supervisor approached him. "How are things, Yu-kun? Has everyone been picked up?" She noticed the boy. "Looks like Yuuta-kun is still here. It's always like this, though…"
A moment later, a woman showed up for the boy. "…Hi, Yuu-kun. I'm sorry I'm late…"
The boy huffed. "…Whatever." Then he ran off. The brunette woman looked at the teenager, a bit curious. "Are you… one of the supervisors?"
"Not exactly… I'm just an assistant, ma'am," Yu answered, shaking his head.
"I see… I'm sure Yuu-kun will cause you trouble, but please take care of him…" The woman soon left after that. The day care supervisor then began to gossip to Yu. "Yuuta Minami… he's full of energy during his play sessions… maybe too much energy. But once she arrives, he's a totally different kid… she's his stepmother, so I guess it can't be helped."
"Stepmother?" Yu looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"…Yuuta-kun's father got remarried to that woman you just met. I heard she's from the city… I really don't know what she's thinking. Perhaps that's why Yuuta-kun is a troublemaker at school, too… the other day, he…"
At that point, Yu didn't bother to listen to it. It wasn't proper to gossip about someone from behind their back.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That evening, the news was a bit different than the usual ones. It spoke about biker gangs… and Yu soon realised that this was what he had heard with the others back in class. The report grew intense at a supposed attack when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew.
A teenage boy with blond hair, a familiar looking school jacket on his shoulders and a black shirt with a skull logo on it appeared on the screen, the only thing being blurred was his eyes while his voice was distorted slightly. It was pretty bad, though… most people could probably recognize him if they knew the guy.
"The hell are you punks doing here!?"
Dojima lowered his newspaper, looking at the screen. "That voice…"
"This ain't a show! Get bent!"
The detective sighed. "Still up to the same old tricks…?"
Nanako looked at her father. "Do you know him, Dad?"
"Mmm, well, I know him through work. His name's Kanji Tatsumi… he's quite a handful. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school. But I thought he got into a high school and started attending class…"
"Huh."
"Man, that blur sure is pointless. It's completely obvious who it is. The guy's family runs a historic textile shop. I think what happened was, he crushed the local bikers all by himself because the noise kept his mother up at night. It's a nice gesture, but he's way too violent… at this rate, his mother'll have to apologize again."
The special report soon ended, and the weather report began.
Nanako noticed that it was going to rain tomorrow. "Oh, the weather report's showing on the bottom. It's going to rain tomorrow. I'll make sure to hang the laundry inside the house."
"Hm." Yu looked at the weather report with slight worry. Will the Midnight Channel be on again…? He'll have to see tomorrow.
As expected from the weather report, by the time school ended it was already raining.
Chie was looking out the window. "Whoa, it started raining… I guess the weather report was right." She went back to the group. "That means the show's probably gonna be on tonight," Yosuke guessed. Yukiko was a bit worried about what they might see on it. "I hope we don't see anyone…"
"Yeah, that'd be the best. But if we do, maybe we'll see some kinda clue that can point us toward the killer…"
"Well everyone, don't forget to check your TV tonight! Got it?" Chie told them all, and the others nodded in response. Seems that tonight will be another rainy night… Yu can only wonder what he will see on the Midnight Channel tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yui waited in her room after she had dinner with her uncle and cousin. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was about to strike midnight… she then got up and stood in front of the TV. A few seconds later, it came to life.
…A figure appeared through the static. It seemed to be a man, looking like a high schooler… she couldn't tell who it was, though. When the Midnight Channel ended, she quickly took out her phone and called Yosuke. When it was answered, she spoke in a lower voice. "Yosuke, did you see that?"
"Oh, it's you! I was just about to call your cell! So, what do you think? That was a guy, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was… it was too hazy to see him, though."
"I wish I could tell what he looked like… let's get together and talk more about it tomorrow!"
"Right. See you tomorrow." Yui then ended the call, holding her head as she wracked her mind to try and recall where she had seen that person from. No matter how hard she tried though, she just couldn't place a finger on it.
Sighing, she just shook her head. She'll ask the others tomorrow.
The four of them met up at Junes that Sunday morning, sitting at their usual spot and table.
"Ahem, we will now hold a meeting on our investigation of the serial kidnapping-slash-murder case here in Inaba." Yosuke started off, nearly running out of breath trying to say that single sentence alone. "Dude, take a breath!" Chie told him.
Yukiko noticed what the brunet just said. "Oh, then does this make this place our special headquarters?"
With a grin, Yosuke nodded. "Yes! Exactly! Nicely put, Yukiko."
"Special Headquarters… hmm, it does have a nice ring to it…" Chie smiled at the idea too as she thought about it. Although it was strange to have a food court as their headquarters, it worked anyway.
"Anyways, as for what was on last night…"
"Did you guys see who the guy was?" Yu asked the three of them. Chie perked up at that. "I saw it too! I couldn't get a good view of the person's face, but it was a guy, wasn't it?" she asked. The silver-haired boy nodded. "It was. The guy looked like a high schooler, though."
It was Yukiko's first time seeing the Midnight Channel too. "So that's how I looked on TV…" She then recalled something. "Hm? Wait a moment. Didn't all the victims have one thing in common? That they were females with ties to the first incident?"
Yosuke scratched his head. "That's what we thought… but we still don't know who exactly we saw."
"In my case, the image on the Midnight Channel changed after I was kidnapped, right?"
"Yeah, the screen got clear all of a sudden and the program looked like some low-budget TV show. Come to think of it, maybe Teddie was right… maybe we were seeing the other Yukiko from that world. But last night, we couldn't clearly see whoever it was. Could that mean… he isn't inside the TV yet? If so, then…"
"He's still safe for now." Yu realised that too. They still have a chance.
The black-haired girl nodded in agreement. "Uh-huh, I think that's safe to assume. If we can figure out who he is, can we prevent him from being taken?"
"Yeah… and if all goes well, we might catch the killer in the bargain." Yosuke sighed. "But to do that, we need to know who the latest Midnight Channel star is… I hate to say it, but I guess we'll have to wait another night and see what happens."
Chie cleared her throat. "Ahehem... well, that means if my deductions are correct… though the image was hard to make out, and we can't say for sure who it was, it was definitely a young male. But if that's the case, it goes entirely against our prior assumptions… since we cannot identify the person at this time, we have no choice but to wait and see what happens!"
…That was the exact same conclusion the other three had come to, though.
"That's exactly what we just said," Yosuke told her frankly.
"Shut up!"
Yukiko began to laugh. It was nice to see her acting normal again, but man did her laughing fits can last long. "Heehee, aha, ahahahahaha! You're so funny, Chie! Ahahaha, oh no! M-My funny bone…!"
Chie just groaned. "Not again…"
"S-Sorry, heeheehee!"
Yosuke sheepishly smiled. "This is how Yukiko really is, huh… who'd have thought?"
Chie then looked at the brunet. "By the way, about that guy we saw? I get the feeling I've seen him before… pretty recently, too…"
"Oh, you too? Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing since last night… well, let's check the TV again tonight and think about it more tomorrow."
"Heehee…!" Yukiko was still laughing… Chie glared at her best friend. "Grrr, when are you gonna stop that, you crazy hyena!?" Her words just made the black-haired girl laugh even more. "Ahahaha! That's a good one, Chie!"
Yu chuckled at the sight. Well, guess he'll have to check the Midnight Channel again tonight…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Once again, Yui waited in her room for midnight to strike, sitting on the sofa while she did so. Once it was about time for the Midnight Channel to start, she got up and stood in front of the TV, staring into the black screen that showed her slightly dim reflection.
Soon, that was replaced by the dim glow of the Midnight Channel coming to life on the TV.
This time, she could see the figure on the screen a bit better, though it was still unfocused… Yui had a gut feeling that she had seen him before. When the Midnight Channel ended a few moments later, she got a call from someone.
Answering it, she placed her cell to her ear. "Hello?"
"Did you see that?"
It was Yosuke. Yui thought about it a bit more and came to a single conclusion – the man on the Midnight Channel was that guy from the news, Kanji Tatsumi. "I did… I think it might be Kanji Tatsumi."
"Yeah, I think so too. I knew I saw him somewhere! It was on TV! He was on that special news report! He's one scary dude. He was even yelling at the camera to 'Get bent!'… Alright, so we finally have a lead. Let's all get together tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
"…Oh, I almost forgot… it's kinda off-subject, but as long as you're on the line, mind if I ask something? It's something I've been meaning to ask for a while."
"What is it, Yosuke?"
"Well… what do you think about Yukiko and Chie? I mean, let's not mince words: Which one's your type?"
Yui blinked, dumbfounded at the question. Did he just put her on the spot like that? Well, her answer was damn obvious since she's not a guy with normal likings towards girls. "Neither."
"Hahaha! Kinda harsh, don'tcha think? Well, I kinda understand. They're great girls, but you saw their ugly sides right off, and I guess your first impression is the one that sticks. Hey, but don't worry. This is just between you and me."
"You better." Yui would be quite screwed if those two learned how she thought about them.
"Dude, I promise! Okay, see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Yosuke." The silver-haired girl ended the call there, rolling her eyes at the question. She hoped that she didn't have to deal with something like that again… acting as a guy was hard enough when romance is added to the mix. While she was a loner back in her previous schools, some girls did end up having a crush on her… and rejecting them was tough as it was harsh.
That was an experience she genuinely wished would never happen again.
The next day, they continued to talk about what they had seen last night after school ended.
"The one who was on last night… it's THAT guy, right…?" Chie said, looking nervous. "Kanji Tatsumi, huh? He definitely didn't look like the social type," Yosuke commented, crossing his arms.
"Now there's an understatement. Isn't he really scary? Did you see the news special the other day?"
"Yeah, I saw it."
"You mean the special on biker gangs? I watched it too. He wasn't like that when he was younger, though…" Yukiko told them. Chie was surprised to know that. "You know him, Yukiko?"
"Uh-huh, but we haven't talked to each other in a long time. His family runs a textile shop, and we've been a customer of theirs for many years. So I speak with Kanji-kun's mother from time to time." Yukiko then smiled as an idea came to her. "Oh, why don't we go there now? We might be able to talk to him in person."
"Sounds good. At the very least, we can ask if anything strange has come up lately. I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley, but I'm pretty sure he won't fly off the handle in his family's store."
Yosuke nodded. "Alright, then let's get going."
"If things get rough, we're counting on you guys!" Chie grinned at both Yosuke and Yu who then looked troubled at that. Did she really just say that? The last thing they both wanted was to get into a fight with some delinquent boy… at that thought, Yu felt somewhat like a hypocrite.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
When the group arrived at the textile shop, they noticed that Kanji's mother was talking to another guy. He was dressed quite formally, his outfit mostly in a dark blue colour… but he's surprisingly short for being a guy - like Yu.
Yukiko greeted the older lady, nonetheless. "Hello."
The shop owner smiled at seeing her. "Ah, Yuki-chan. It's so nice to see you."
The slender young man looked at the shop owner and nodded. "Well then, if you'll excuse me, ma'am."
"I'm sorry that I couldn't help more."
"It's all right; you've given me plenty to think about. Thank you." The young man then left, leaving the group in confusion. "What's up with him…? Weirdo." Yosuke raised an eyebrow at the strange guy. Chie shrugged, just as confused. "I 'unno. Never seen him before."
Mrs. Tatsumi began to talk to Yukiko. "Yuki-chan, you're as lovely as always. Your features are starting to remind me of your mother when she was young. How can I help you today? Are you out shopping with your friends?"
"Oh, um… well, actually…" Yukiko was about to ask about Kanji when Chie noticed something. "Hey, this scarf… I've seen this somewhere before…"
Yu and Yosuke glanced over at what the brunette saw, and they both recognized it too. "Hm? Huh, you're right. Where was that…?" Yosuke tried to remember, but it was Chie who eventually realised where they saw it before. "Oh! It was that place! Inside the TV!"
"That's right! That room with those faceless posters… then… it's that announcer's…" Memories of that time caused him to trail off. Mrs. Tatsumi noticed that they knew the announcer. "Are you acquaintances of Ms. Yamamo?" she asked them.
"Uh, well, kinda… um… did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?"
"Yes, it was a special order she placed. She actually ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately."
Chie groaned. "Oh man… there IS a connection to the first case…! What are we gonna do…?"
Yosuke looked at her uncertainly. "H-How should I know…?"
Just then a delivery came, and Mrs. Tatsumi had to leave. "Oh, I'll be right there. I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me."
Chie nodded. "Oh, it's okay. We should get going."
Yukiko also bowed to the older woman. "I'll come again, ma'am."
Kanji's mother smiled. "Is that so? Well, then please say hello to your mother for me." She then got up and went to receive the delivery, leaving the group outside. Yosuke sighed, crossing his arms again. "It really is connected to the first case after all… but it's just a scarf. Would the killer target someone just because of that…? Dammit, what's going on…? C'mon, let's talk outside."
So the group left the shop…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Right outside though, they saw the one person they had been trying to look for since the afternoon.
"Huh…? It's Kanji-kun." Yukiko noticed first. At that realisation, Yosuke ran over to a corner. "Wha- quick, hide!"
The other three followed suit, seeing Kanji talking with that strange guy from earlier. Chie wasn't too comfortable with the situation they were in. "You're not fooling anyone, you know…" she whispered. Yosuke shook his head at her. "Shhh! I can't hear what they're saying!"
They all tried to eavesdrop on Kanji's conversation with the boy…
"T-Tomorrow's fine with me… huh? S-School? 'Course I'm going to school…" Kanji spoke somewhat… nervously. The smaller boy nodded. "Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow." He then left, leaving the blond boy alone.
Kanji scratched the back of his head. "D-Did he say he was interested…? He's a guy… and I'm a guy… but… he's interested in me…?" He turned around and soon noticed the group in the corner there. "Huh? What the hell are you pricks looking at?!"
Crap.
In an instant, the four of them ran away from the scene like birds flocking away.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They were all breathing heavily after running away like that.
"That scared the hell out of me… he's even worse in person than on TV…" Chie murmured, panting. "The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun…" Yukiko said, confirming their thoughts on who the mystery figure on the Midnight Channel was.
Yosuke nodded, getting his breath back after a few moments. "Yeah… and I just realized something. Remember the common points we were talking about? His mom fits the pattern. She's a woman, and she knew Ms. Yamano. But it was her son who appeared on TV… so what does that mean?"
"Kanji's still a target, that's obvious…" Yu spoke up, breathing deeply. He hasn't ran around that much in a while…
"Yeah, that's what it seemed like, based on the TV image… but his mother fits the pattern more than he does."
Yukiko then thought of something. "Oh… Maybe it's similar to my case. If you think about it, my mother fit the victim profile more than I did. She was the one who dealt directly with Ms. Yamano… but I was the one who was targeted."
Chie just grew confused now. "Does that mean it'll be the kid again, instead of the mother? But if that's true, then the killer's motive makes no sense at all. It'd have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge or anything."
…She's right. Then what was the killer's motive…?
Yosuke crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. "Y'think we're on the wrong track…? Maybe even the first case had nothing to do with grudges or revenge… or is there some kinda secret in the textile shop itself…? Argh! I'm totally lost!" He shook his head, frustrated. He couldn't think of a single thing…
Yukiko sighed. "But we can't ignore this."
"Hmmm… Why don't we just go ahead and ask Kanji himself?" Chie suggested despite what she just said earlier. "We could at least see if anything odd's happened lately. He scares the wits out of me, but…"
"That might be the only thing we can do…" Yu muttered, straightening himself once he got his breath back. They didn't have much choices left, what else the chance that they could fail to stop the killer grows ever higher the more time they waste.
Something soon crossed Yosuke's mind. "Hey, wasn't Kanji making plans with that weird kid a moment ago? Something about meeting up at school. I heard he's been skipping school ever since the new year started… doesn't that see a little suspicious?"
"…Yeah, something did seem weird." Chie noticed that too, her eyes widening. "Yeah, it's suspicious all right. There's something funny going on here… I can sense it."
Yosuke looked at her somewhat in disdain. "'Sense'? You sound like Teddie… still, we might find some clues." He then nodded, making up his mind. "Alright… let's try staking out both Kanji and his family's store. We definitely don't want the killer getting ahead of us." He glanced at Yukiko. "That being said… Yukiko, can I have your cell number?"
Chie glared at him the moment he said those words. "Hey… was this your plan all along?"
"Uh, no? I got everybody's number except for hers. And the Y section of my address book needs some filling out."
The brunette sighed. "While we're on the subject, could you stop calling me at night just to tell dirty jokes? You really sound like a pervert."
"H-Hey! I'm trying to have a conversation with Yukiko here!"
Yukiko had been silent this whole time. "…Oh, that reminds me… I need to buy tofu on my way home." Her words had dumbfounded Yosuke into silence. "…Whoa… she didn't hear a word I said…"
Chie ignored him and looked at Yu. "Okay then, the stakeout is set for tomorrow." She was starting to look excited for some reason. "Hmm… stakeouts… tailing people… whoo, I'm getting goosebumps!"
"Hah…" Yu looked at her with a troubled smile. This could go pretty damn wrong in an instant… but they still had to do it anyway. Tomorrow, they'll be staking out Kanji and the textile shop – hopefully it'll go much better than today's little mission did.
The next day, they all waited at the school gates after school ended for Kanji to arrive. They looked like an odd bunch, if Yu could see himself with them.
"Has the target arrived at school?!" Chie began to speak as if she was a secret agent on a stakeout like in the movies. Yosuke acted just the same. "Yes, Ma'am! Visual ID confirmed! Target arrived in-zone near the end of his mess break, with mother-issued rations in hand. Current status: In the bathroom, fixing his hair. The target was acting nervous. I left my position before he had a chance to pick on me!"
"I wonder what kind of plans they made... it didn't seem like he knew that boy very well…" Yukiko wondered about that. "Who knows… we'll have to see," Yu told her in a murmur. Chie glanced at them both. "Well, I think there's something more subtle- oh, he's here!"
Right then and there, both Kanji and the slender young man showed up. Yu noticed that the latter came from outside the school.
"I didn't keep you waiting, I hope?" The smaller boy asked. Kanji shook his head. "No, I-I just got here too..."
The two boys then headed towards the flood plains, unaware that there were some others eavesdropping on them. Yosuke was getting weirded out even at that small exchange. "Wh-What in the world was that...?"
Chie realised that they were losing the pair, though. "Oh, a-anyways! We gotta hurry after them, or we'll lose them!"
"Okay... then let's split up into two groups. One team will follow Kanji, and the other will stake out the shop."
"R-Roger that! How should we split the teams?"
"I'm going with Yukiko." Like hell Yu was going with them after witnessing all that 'mission impossible' crap from the two brown-haired teenagers. This was a serious thing and they're just… ugh. Somehow, he managed to keep a serious look as he thought of that…
Chie nodded anyway. "Sure... that's fine with me." She looked back at Kanji and the formally dressed boy and saw that they were getting farther away. "Oh man, they're almost out of sight! C'mon, Yosuke!"
Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "So, I'm pairing up with Chie...? Eh, okay. Alright! We'll need to pretend we're on a date to make it look natural!"
"Not in a million years! There'll be no need for that if we stay out of sight. Sheesh... let's hurry up and go!" The two then ran off.
Yu and Yukiko looked at them both with worry. "I wonder if those two will be alright..." The black-haired girl murmured. She looked at Yu and snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh... u-um, that leaves us in charge of staking out the textile shop. So... shall we?"
"Yeah, let's go." Yu nodded in response. The two of them then left for the shopping district…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
…Staking out textile shops were pretty boring, apparently.
Yukiko had went to get them both some drinks, having returned with two. "Sorry about the wait… this one's for you." She gave Yu one of the drinks. "Everything seems fine at the shop. I hope it stays that way... do you think the culprit will come...?"
It was still a possibility. Yu nodded, feeling confident about it. "I'm sure of it. He'll come."
"Then we need to keep our eyes open. It would be scary if the culprit did show up... but if they do, I'll do what I can to help you catch them. You all saved my life... I don't want to be the only one doing nothing. I mean... I'm sure there's something I can do..."
"Yukiko…" Yu looked at her with concern. "You're already helping a lot by doing this, you know."
"Oh, sorry. I went on and on without realizing... I-I guess I'm a little nervous. I've never chatted with a boy my age like this before... Chie, of course, has no problem getting along with guys because of her personality... but I think she's had more fun hanging out with you and Yosuke lately." Yukiko blushed a bit. "...The same is true for me."
While Yu felt a bit nervous at those words, he could sense Yukiko's gratitude and affection for him… in turn, more whispers spoke in his head about the formation of the Priestess Social Link of the Priestess Arcana. It's funny… everyone actually became stronger for facing their Shadows.
He's still here with his own problems, having never faced one to get his Persona.
Well, he's somewhat grateful for it. No one has to see his faults if it meant he can still remain friends with them…
…Oh, and he hasn't gotten her contact information too. "Hey Yukiko, mind if I ask for your cell number? It's for the investigation."
"Oh, you're right. We'll need to contact each other if anything happens." Yukiko nodded, so they both took out their phones and exchanged cell numbers with each other. In the meanwhile, nothing much has happened… so they just chatted about other stuff.
Yu wondered what happened with Yosuke and Chie, though.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After a while, Chie and Yosuke did arrived… only to inform them that their 'mission' failed. They did tell Yu and Yukiko on what happened, and the events that happened during that time made the silver-haired boy glad he chose to stake out the shop with Yukiko.
"Well... let's wait here a little longer. Maybe Kanji-kun will come home," Yukiko told them. Yosuke sighed. "Yeah..."
"Huh...? What're you guys doing here?" Behind the group was the guy himself. Kanji stood there with narrowed eyes. "You're those stupid lovebirds I just saw!"
"We are not a couple!" Chie yelled at him.
"Why are you assholes followin' me around!? Dammit, what the hell's going on!?" The blond boy sighed in frustration. "I ain't sayin' this is you guys' fault... but... dammit...! Argh…"
Yosuke glanced at Yu, who nodded. He should try asking him. So, the brunet spoke up. "Hey, uh... mind if we ask something? Has anything strange happened to you lately?"
Somehow, the word 'strange' incited a different reaction from Kanji. "Huh? Strange…? What's this 'strange' stuff, huh!? Are you saying that I'm strange!?"
"Huh? N-No, I didn't mean-!"
"You shitheads better get the hell out of my face, or I'm taking you down!"
"Wha-!? Wait, why!?"
"I look like I'm joking!?"
At that threat, the group quickly ran away from the blond boy as fast they could…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The whole group was tired after all that, especially Chie and Yosuke who had to run away from Kanji earlier that day.
"Urgh… too much running…" Chie panted heavily, her hands on her knees to keep herself up. Yosuke wiped the sweat from his brow, panting too. "Well, nothing happened today, so I guess everything's okay... but it's already been a few days since he appeared on the Midnight Channel. If this is anything like Yukiko's case, it'll happen soon."
"Then we can't let our guard down... I think we should come back tomorrow to check up on him," Yukiko suggested. Chie could only sigh. "Looks like we've got no choice... let's go home. I'm wiped..."
Tonight, it might rain again… at least they could keep checking the Midnight Channel.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As Yui waited for midnight for the third time this night, her phone suddenly rang. "Huh." She took out her cell phone and answered the call. "Hello, this is Yu Narukami speaking."
"Oh, hello? It's Yukiko. I-I'm sorry to call so late. Um, Kanji-kun seems to be missing! I had some calls to make for the inn, so I called the textile shop as well. When I spoke to Kanji-kun's mother... she told me that he left the house and hasn't returned since. She did say that this happens all the time, but... what do you think?"
That's… not good. Yui bit her lip in worry. "This sounds bad…"
"I think so, too. He could be..." Yukiko's voice fell silent for a moment. "It's going to rain again tonight. Maybe the Midnight Channel will come on. Then we'll know for sure if something happened to Kanji-kun or not. I'll make sure to check out the TV at midnight... talk to you later."
"Right. Bye…" Yui soon heard a beeping tone as Yukiko hung up. She took a quick glance at the clock and saw that it was about to strike midnight. Holding her phone tightly in her hand, she faced the TV and stared into the screen.
To her dismay, the Midnight Channel came to life with a clear and sharp image this time.
Suddenly, a boy appeared on the screen. He was nearly naked, except for a white fundoshi to cover his… well, that. She's not going to think further about it. "Hel-LO, dear viewers… it's time for 'Bad, Bad Bathhouse'! Tonight, I'll introduce a superb site for those searching for sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes! I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi, serving you this scandalously special sneak-in report!"
Yui covered her mouth, not even sure of how to react. God, this is getting weird.
"Goodness gracious, just imagine the things that might happen to me there! Ooooh! Well then, let's get this show on the road! Tootaloo!" The boy then ran off to a doorway in the strangest way possible, leaving the silver-haired girl in utter silence as the Midnight Channel ended.
…That was unmistakably Kanji.
Before she could do a thing, the phone in her hand rang again. She answered it… and Yosuke's voice poured through the receiver.
"H-h-hey! What the—I mean-?!" He was way too flustered to get his point across.
Yui sighed. "It really was Kanji…"
"Huh? O-Oh yeah, you're right! What in the world was that...? But... dammit, it's just what we were afraid of… if only we'd held our ground and stayed there a little longer..." A sigh could be heard from the other end. "In any case, that place that was behind him... what do you think it is? A 'superb site for those searching for sublime love'? I just don't get it! Anyways... we'd better hurry and come up with a plan tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow, then," Yui told him and got the same reply back before the call ended. Sighing, she held her phone to her chest as she shook her head. Another person now stuck in the TV world… Kanji Tatsumi…
Whatever their plan will be, they must save him before the next fog falls over Inaba… or else, it'll be too late.