A/N: This chapter is a lot of social link events, you can even tell by the chapter name. There is at least something new at the end of the chapter...

Mr Giraffe (Guest) - It's haaaard writing fight scenes. Almost make me want to write in a one or two-liner about the battle... but I don't know how that would look. Naaaah Yui's not in love yeeeeet. Or kindaaaa? Heheh. It's more like she doesn't know what she's going through... welp. She'll get the hint when she gets further closer with Kanji lol. Well, considering that Yu is one quiet guy in the game, that's probably one reason why Dojima doesn't even realise it until the last few months. Rise's gonna be the next victim... well, we'll see how things go, eh?

On with the chapter now!

Yu was fairly tired the next day, having fallen asleep well after midnight due to his inability to stop thinking of what happened yesterday. He's still trying not to, which was starting to infuriate him. Accursed training – why isn't it working when he needed it?

There were at least few things that managed to distract him… he even learned something about a mail-order show that played on TV every Sunday. He'll have to check that out later. But other than that, he was quite distracted throughout the whole day.

…He had also nearly forgotten that on this very day, there was a soccer game amongst the members of the club. It was the perfect distraction for his own mind as he gave all that he got from both his dexterity and his training with Kou and Daisuke. He promised himself that he'll show them – now to make due on that.

It was all worth it in the end as he managed to score a goal. Everyone, including Daisuke was surprised at that… maybe this was finally the turning point in how the other members saw him.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

When the game was over, the members of the soccer team all gathered around him.

"That was crazy, Yu! I didn't know you could hustle like that!" One of the players said, amazed at how great the silver-haired boy was at the game. "With him on the team, we might have a shot at next year's tournament," Another spoke, grinning. One other player nodded in agreement. "Man, I'm glad you came along."

Yu smiled slightly. Despite the exhaustion in his body, he managed to give it his all. "Thanks." Finally, they were acknowledging him as a member of this club after he showed them what he can do… though, he owed that all to his training as well as Kou and Daisuke's help.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu, Kou and Daisuke then went to the Chinese Diner Aiya in the shopping district to talk about it. They did have to wait for Kou to finish his basketball practice before coming there, but it didn't take too long. The black-haired boy was pretty happy to hear the news. "That's awesome! So the training paid off, huh?"

Daisuke grinned. "You should've seen the looks on their faces. Now he won't get stuck with all the grunt work. He's one of the team!"

"Nice. So am I free now? It's hard work polishing balls after a full day of b-ball practice."

"Yeah, thanks for helping out, Kou."

"It's not like I did it for you!" Kou then looked at Yu. "Still, Yu, I'm glad it all worked out!"

The both of them were beaming like it was all thanks to them… and in truth, it was. Yu smirked at the two of them. "That's not the end of it – I'm just getting warmed up…!"

Daisuke laughed a bit at that. "Hey, you sound pretty confident. Maybe I should leave the team to you, huh?"

"Well, I say we celebrate!" Kou then suggested. He looked at the owner of the restaurant that was busy preparing meals. "One extra order of mapo rice, please!" After ordered, he glanced at the silver-haired boy. "Yu, yours is on me."

Now, the three of them celebrated the end of Yu's training as he had finally proven himself to the others… and in a way, they grew closer as friends with the Strength Social Link.

Daisuke decided to order something too. "I'll have the pepper steak. Hold the green beans."

Kou stared at the brunet. "…Hold the beans? All you've got left is meat, dude. If that's all you want, why don't you order this?"

So their conversation continued on as the three of them talked about food…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

When Yu was about to go to his room for the night after finishing up his chores, his uncle called him over to talk about something. The silver-haired boy was a little nervous about what Dojima was going to say, but he was mostly relieved when his uncle spoke about his midterms.

"They say you did well on that last exam. I heard about it when I was investigating. It's great to see you're taking care of your responsibilities, even though you just moved here. I need to act like an uncle every so often and give you some spending money. But don't spend it all in…" The man paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, you can use it however you like."

He then gave his nephew about twenty thousand yen, which was quite plentiful. Even Yu was flustered at the gift as he never got anything for excelling in his exams. "U-uh, thanks, uncle."

It'll be useful… but Yu wasn't exactly sure in what he'll use it for. Probably better armour and weapons or just supplies. He'll think about it.

On Sunday, Yui remembered something about a TV show that played only today and further Sundays onwards… so she went over to her TV and turned it on, changing the channel to the one she heard about. Just like what the students had said, it was a home-shopping program.

…Even as it started, the cheery tune it played was kind of catchy.

Seems like the home shopping show went by the name of 'Tanaka's Amazing Commodities' and sold two types of deals at different prices… one of the deals looked pretty nice as it involved a medical kit with some medicines, so she decided to purchase that one, calling using the number that was shown on the screen.

The show soon ended with that same cheery tune, leaving Yui's room in silence after that. Without much to do, she decided to go out for the day. She had to do at least something to pass the time while they waited for Kanji to recover…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

While going through the central shopping district, Yu noticed Yukiko standing by the Yomenaido Bookstore. He greeted her. "Hey, Yukiko."

"Oh, Yu-kun!" Yukiko was holding a book she had just bought from the store. The silver-haired boy managed to see the title – it was… about job certifications. "Just bought a book?" he asked her, to which she nodded. "It was the last one, thankfully. Sensei recommended this book to me because it has details on a bunch of different job licenses…"

Yu was curious on why she was looking into other jobs… but who gave her the recommendation was also a question he wanted to ask, so he did. "Sensei?"

"…The career counsellor. I ask him for advice sometimes." Yukiko was a bit embarrassed, lowering her head as her expression fell. "Inside the TV… the 'other me' said she didn't want to inherit the inn… I think… those were my true feelings. So, I've decided to be a little more true to myself…"

Then, she looked up at Yu with a determined expression. "I… I refuse to inherit the Amagi Inn!"

That caught Yu by surprise. She didn't want to?

Yukiko continued on. "When I graduate… I'm leaving this town!"

She's also going to leave? Wow.

After saying all that, Yukiko blushed. "…I said it." She let out a quiet sigh in relief… before she began giggling. "I said it! Haha…" She had a refreshing smile on her face despite the weight of what she just said. "So in order to live on my own, I'm thinking of getting a job license. I was thinking something along the lines of an interior decorator… what do you think?"

Yu thought about it. If she could find a client and do well with her work, that client can spread the word with other people, and she'll be on a good start… he smiled and nodded. "Sounds good."

Yukiko smiled and nodded too. "It's cool, isn't it…?" Her expression turned troubled, however. "But it's hard. It costs money to get a license… and of course I can't tell Mother… if only there was a part-time job I could do discreetly…"

At those words, Yu remembered the bulletin board where there were available part-time jobs posted on it in this very shopping district. "Well, there's this bulletin board in this shopping district where people post part-time jobs that are available. You can probably find one that suits you."

Yukiko brightened up at that. "Really…?! I'll go check the board, then!"

"There should be a few that can help…" Yu was pretty amazed that Yukiko had the gall to go against what was already set for her… in some way, he wished he could do that too, but his grandfather was much more powerful with a company compared to an inn.

…He suddenly felt his relationship with Yukiko grow deeper with the Priestess Social Link.

Yukiko was glad that Yu decided to stay around with her. "Thank you for keeping me company today, Yu-kun. I was a bit nervous when I told you how I felt, but… now that I did, I feel much better."

"That's good…" Yu felt a pang of guilt and fear grow in his chest. She was able to tell him her problems, but he hasn't told anyone his own. The only ones who even had a semblance of knowing what he was going through was his relatives…

If he wanted, he could tell his friends… but what would they think of him?

He can't risk that.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

At night, Yu decided to spend some time with his uncle. Dojima was about to prepare some coffee and decided to make his nephew some too. "Hey, I was just thinking of making some coffee. All we've got is instant, though. How do you take it?"

Yu grinned at his uncle. Instant was fine with him, but he wanted to see how good his uncle was at making coffee. "Well, surprise me."

The detective laughed. "Alright, I'll pour you a good one." He looked like he was having fun.

"Dad, the news is starting," Nanako told her father. When she noticed that he was making coffee, she wanted some too. "Oh, coffee! Can I have some?"

Dojima smiled at his daughter. "Sure thing. Plenty of sugar and cream, right?"

"Yeah!"

The man then looked at Yu. "Go watch TV with Nanako. I'll bring it to you when it's ready."

"You don't have to do that, uncle." Yu was quite capable of making coffee too, even if it's instant. He was somewhat addicted to it back in junior high… a good difference in taste compared to the bland tea his grandfather would tell a worker to make.

Dojima was a bit surprised at that offer, but he shook his head with a gentle smile. "Oh, no, it's okay. Making the coffee is my only job around here." He then looked at the table where there were three different coloured mugs. "When I got married, her mother made me promise one thing. She said this is all I have to do around the house. But nobody else can do it. So… well, you know. It's habit now." Now he seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Is that so…" Yu found himself witnessing an unexpected side of his uncle, but he was fine with it. If that's how his uncle wanted it to be, he wasn't complaining.

…He could feel himself growing closer to Dojima, and it culminated in the growth of the Hierophant Social Link.

Dojima's smile soon fell as he took his gaze away from the mugs. "This is the only promise I can really keep these days… well… anyway. Sit over there." He went to prepare the coffee while Yu quietly went to sit with Nanako.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

After the coffee was prepared, the three of them sat in the living room to watch TV together.

The news was reporting about a woman bicyclist that got hit by a car and died on the scene... and right after hearing those words, Dojima told Nanako to turn the TV off. Yu and her looked at her father, the latter troubled at his words. "Oh… okay." She picked up the remote and turned the TV off.

Dojima had gone silent. He soon got up and left the room, leaving Yu and Nanako alone.

Nanako knew why he acted like that. "…It was because they showed a story about a traffic accident…" She lowered her head. "Mom died in an accident. I don't remember it. And Dad won't talk about it…"

Yu could only look on in silence. Now he saw a look of loneliness on the little girl's face… one he couldn't do much about until he somehow helped the bond between the two heal. That look was all too familiar to him.

It was a look he saw in the mirror, and was still a look that hasn't faded out.

He decided to spend some more time with her by watching TV before eventually retiring to his room for the night…

There was still no sign of Kanji when Monday rolled around.

Yu decided that maybe he should spend some time with Chie after school this time, considering that he didn't have the time to do so weeks ago. He met up with her on the school roof to suggest that, and the two of them soon went to the flood plains to hang out… kind of.

Chie checked out some spots and eventually settled on one. "Hmmm, this looks like a good spot."

Yu looked at her in confusion. A good spot for what?

The brunette noticed the look on his face and turned to face him. "Y'know, for training! I need to hone my kicking skills, or I won't be able to use them in battle. I tried practicing at home… but my mom and dad yelled me for putting a hole in the shoji." She was a bit sheepish at saying that. "Still, now's the time to train, right!?"

…She was kind of right, Yu guessed. It was a better use of their free time than just chatting around. "Right."

Chie smiled happily. "You think so, too!? Soooo… let's train together!" She was quiet for a moment. "…No?"

The silver-haired boy shrugged. "I'm cool with it." Maybe he could bust out some of his old moves from when he was a delinquent… he would be using them for good rather than causing a ruckus, after all. His response got Chie all happy. "Yesss! Thanks, Yu-kun!"

Chie then remembered back to what her Shadow said. While she would be awkward with telling others about it, something about Yu made him a reliable confidant. "That thing… y'know, from that time? I mean the Shadow that came out of me. I feel pathetic knowing that's another 'me'. Makes me feel like I gotta work harder!" she admitted.

"Well, overcoming that would be a start." Yu smiled encouragingly at her. Chie grinned, now all excited to start. "Allllright, let's do it! Between you and me, we'll be unstoppable!"

So, today marked the beginning of Yu's training with Chie. In a way, their relationship grew a bit deeper… and the silver-haired boy could feel the Chariot Social Link grow stronger as well.

Chie didn't think too long on what to start with. "Let's start today with frog leaps! C'mon, you try some!"

Yu wasn't expecting to hear that. "F-frog leaps? Alright…"

They both trained for a while, and when it was time for them to go back home, he walked partway home with her.

Tuesday also went on without a sign of the blond boy. How much longer is Kanji going to rest…?

Yu sighed and decided to join soccer practice in the afternoon with Daisuke, but something was off with how the brunet was doing in practice. When the training was nearing its end, some members went to talk about it with him. "Daisuke, what's your problem? Are you hurt or something?"

Daisuke didn't seem like he understood their question. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Meanwhile, Kou arrived at the field. "Wow, basketball practice finished before soccer today? It's a miracle!" He glanced at Daisuke who was getting criticised at for his performance. "You're running like a fat kid with asthma, and you're letting guys drive right past you," One of the members told the brunet.

However, Daisuke merely put on a calm smile. "Don't worry… when I play for real, I'll be fine."

"Yeah, well, when I play for real, I'm a freakin' juggernaut! Haha."

Kou immediately sensed that something was off. "You have to play seriously, dude. If you're not gonna play for real at practice, why are you playing at all…?"

This got the brunet to look at him. "Kou…? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You think I don't know?"

Daisuke fell silent.

The other members of the soccer club grew awkward at the growing tension between the two old friends. "H-hey you guys… lighten up…"

Even Yu grew worried at the scene. What's happening…?

The group's words proved ineffective as Daisuke suddenly stepped towards Kou, his voice threatening. "Go on, say it, Kou. What do you mean?"

Kou remained strong despite it. "Why don't you ask yourself?

Noticing the small commotion, the varsity player approached the crowd. "Hey, what the hell's going on here?" He saw Daisuke and Kou looking at each other angrily… "…Daisuke, sprint over to the gym and give me twenty sets of burpees!"

Finally, Daisuke broke his glaring at Kou to avert his eyes in silence. He turned away to leave when a female student stopped ahead of him. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked. The brunet scratched his head, still looking away. "…Kinda."

"Um… maybe next time you're free—"

The varsity player called at Daisuke from nearby. "Daisuke! You just earned yourself five more sets!"

Daisuke looked at him in surprise. The female student grew flustered. "S-sorry. Was that my fault?" She was about to apologise when the brunet shook his head. "No. I needed the practice anyway."

"O-okay. I'll, um, see you later then."

Then, Daisuke left the field.

Kou looked at Yu with some regret. "…Sorry about putting a damper on everyone's mood…" he murmured before falling silent for a while. "…Yu, we need to talk. It's about him…" he told the silver-haired boy after that. "I have to do some family stuff today, though. Would next time be okay?"

Yu nodded. "Anything for you guys." These two were some of his earliest friends when he first arrived in Inaba – he'd do anything to help them now. Kou smiled in relief at his answer. "Alright… thanks!" He glanced back at where Daisuke just left for a moment, then looked back at Yu. "…Daisuke really likes you, man. I do too. You're the only guy I can trust to talk about him with."

To hear those words meant quite a lot to Yu… he had never gotten this close to anyone in terms of friendship. He could feel the trust Kou had in him, and now he felt like he was truly friends with the two athletes he had somehow met the moment he joined this soccer club.

Because of that, the Strength Social Link grew ever stronger.

Kou then realised what time it was. "Oh, sorry. I better get going. Seeya later."

"See you later, Kou." Yu bid goodbye too, watching as the black-haired boy left. He then continued his practice for the day before finally going home…

Yu guessed that Kanji might take more than a week to rest, so he decided to give up on expecting the blonde boy to go to school anytime soon. While on his way there in the morning, he overheard a conversation about a tutoring job. He may think about taking it up one day, but for the time being, he's a bit hesitant on taking up the job.

During lunchtime, Ai had asked if he wanted to skip afternoon classes again. He was feeling a bit cheeky today, so he agreed to go with her. Now he was in some kind of fancy store by the name of Croco Fur in Okina City. The bright and reddish lighting was hurting his eyes…

Ai didn't seem bothered by it as she looked around. "Today I feel like getting something that's easy to slip into," she said as she looked at the available selections. She soon looked frustrated, however. "Hmm, doesn't look like they've gotten anything new in. I already have all of this…"

"If that's the case, then we'll have to come back," Yu told her. He wondered for a moment if this shop bought clothes from his grandfather's company… but Okina City was still quite a distance away from Tokyo. That reminded him – he should finish up on reading the books his grandfather gave him. Next month was the final deadline to do that.

The blonde girl looked at him. "I'll get something next time, but I want something today, too. I came here to buy, not to look." She did look enthusiastic now after saying all that. She then went over to another rack of items to survey it… but then felt a bit thirty. "Hey, I'm thirsty. Buy me an ice latte," she told the silver-haired boy.

Yu just stared back at her stoically. "Buy it yourself." No way is he becoming an errand boy to someone like Ai. Hell, his response actually surprised her. "Huh…? Did you seriously just say that?" she questioned him. "You're probably the first guy who's ever taken that tone with me."

Just then, a saleswoman approached them out of nowhere. "Oh, Ai-chan! You're back again?"

Ai turned to face the woman. "…Well, yeah?"

"Are you looking for anything in particular today? Oh, we got a purse in that's just your style! The guys'll be allll over you!"

"…That's all right. I'm not shopping for purses today." Ai then walked towards Yu, which the saleswoman finally noticed. "Ooh, is that your boyfriend? He's quite a handsome one! Are you gonna introduce him to me?"

Yu nearly grimaced at that. Boyfriend? That's one word he never wished to hear again when it was associated with him…

The woman just began to ramble on and on. "I've had the worst luck with men lately! We were at the bar the other night—"

Ai had to interrupt her. "Sorry, we've really gotta get going. I'll be back." She then dragged the silver-haired boy out of the shop, leaving the place.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

The pair went back to the station, sitting at one of the benches there.

Ai sighed. "I hate salespeople. I'm the one keeping them in business, why do they have to pounce on me every time I go in there? They should get rid of all salespeople and put in vending machines. Press a button, and out come your clothes."

"…That's not a bad idea, actually," Yu commented. It'd make clothes searching much faster… though it does remove the small thrill of finding just the right pair of clothes you needed. Ai looked at him. "Isn't it? I don't need all that pointless banter. I can see right through it… there's no such thing as a relationship without ulterior motives." Her expression began to fall the more she spoke…

The blonde girl then looked away from Yu, staring at her hands. "…I don't know why, but I got a little annoyed when she was talking about you back there. She said you were handsome. Good for you, I guess," she admitted.

Yu was silent at that, unsure of what to say. That's not exactly good for him… did his looks really work that well to his act? When he glanced at Ai again, he noticed that she was… pouting. Somehow, he felt like he understood her a little more now.

…With it, the Moon Social Link became stronger.

After a moment of silence, Ai got up and looked at the silver-haired boy. "Let's go home. It'll be dark by the time we get back. Not like I have any reason to hurry…"

"Alright…" Yu got up too. He hoped that his uncle doesn't find out that he was skipping classes with Ai – that wouldn't bode well… either way, they both soon returned to Inaba and Yu went back home.

Thursday was a cloudy day, though it didn't rain. Yu was genuinely surprised with himself in how often he spent time with the people he knew, or at least had a 'bond' with. It didn't really bother him since midterms were already over, so he was free to do as he wished until summer vacation came around.

There was band practice for the day, so he went to join it.

However, the band captain had everyone assembled in the music room before they started. "Everyone here?" Once he was sure everyone was inside, he continued. "Bad news, guys. I just got word that Takeru's been in an accident."

At those words, everyone except Yu and the captain were shocked. When they began to talk amongst each other worriedly, the captain had to stop them. "Hey, hey! I'm still talking here! It's nothing serious. From what I've heard, he just fell off his scooter. But… he hurt his arm."

One of the male players spoke up. "Ouch… is it broken?"

"No, but I guess it's sprained. He's gonna need some time to recuperate. Anyway, we don't know when he'll be able to come back… which leads us to our next problem: the performance." The captain looked at Ayane, who was noticeably the shortest of all the members. "Ayane! Looks like you'll be his replacement."

That got everyone to look at her. She was a bit flustered but nodded anyway. "O-okay!"

Then a female player also began to speak. "Wait a second, doesn't the song we're doing have a trombone solo?"

"Yeah, what of it? Maybe you'd like to switch to trombone and do it yourself? She can handle this," The band captain merely told her. Ayane was getting nervous as the pressure was getting to her. "Uh, umm…" She couldn't bring herself to say anything, though.

"Alright, let's work in our section today," The captain then said. He looked at the small girl who looked quite nervous. "Ayane, practice by yourself. Try to get caught up to the rest of us, okay?" he told her. Ayane nodded. "A-alright! I-I-I'll do my best…"

And so everyone practiced their parts… while Yu didn't have to join in the performance, he played his instrument to the best he can anyway.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time practice ended, Ayane was still quite focused in her own part. Yu decided to tell her that practice was over. "Uh, Ayane…?"

The small girl suddenly sat up. "Yes?!" She looked at who was talking to her and noticed the silver-haired boy there. "Oh, Senpai…! Sorry, you startled me."

"It's okay... I just wanted to say that practice is over for the day."

"Oh… okay." So Ayane went to put her trombone where it was usually stored at before going back to Yu. She looked really troubled. "I don't know the solo at all… I never imagined I'd be the one playing it… what should I do…? I…"

Before Yu could say something, Ayane began to wipe her eyes as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "I can't do it. I'll screw it all up… I-I… I can't do anything right! All I ever wanted to play was the flute, but my parents said it was too expensive to buy one… we had a trombone in the closet, so they told me to play that instead…" Her tears wouldn't stop even as she wiped them away. "It's hard for a girl my size to play such a huge instrument… but I had no choice… no matter how much I practice, I don't get any better. I'm already afraid of sticking out during practice… and now… a solo…"

…She finally sobbed. "I can't… I can't do it…"

Yu tried to keep calm now that he found himself facing a girl who was crying right in front of him. "Don't worry, Ayane… you can do it. I know you can…" he attempted to encourage her. Ayane's tear-stained face looked a bit brighter as she nodded silently. She eventually sighed. "…I'm sorry… I feel a little better now. This is all so much…"

"It's alright. I understand the feeling." Yu was dealing with something so much bigger at such a young age too. Ayane's problem may be mediocre compared to his own problem, but it's similar to how well they can handle it. It's just too much.

Ayane looked up at him, smiling despite what she just went through. "Um… th-thank you very much, Senpai." She giggled a bit. "As long as you're here… I think I'll be able to keep on trying."

Yu could feel that the small girl was relying on him for support… he was willing to give that if it meant she would be happy. As a result, his relationship with her grew deeper alongside the Sun Social Link.

Ayane then nodded in determination. "I'm going to stay here and practice a little longer. But don't worry, I won't get discouraged again!" Her enthusiasm brought a smile to the silver-haired boy's face. "That's great, Ayane."

He soon said goodbye to her and went home.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon returning home, Yu noticed that his uncle was looking from something.

Dojima was looking through pages of folders, his face noticeably showing his frustration. "It was there before… those damn kids… don't they teach 'em how to file data anymore?" he muttered to himself. When he felt that someone was watching him, he lifted his head up to notice his nephew standing nearby which caused his face to fall. "Oh… sorry, I wasn't talking about you."

"Do you want me to help?" Yu offered to him, but the man just shook his head, smiling wryly. "No… it's okay. Don't worry about it." He looked at the pages of the folder. "I was trying to find an old newspaper article… it was falling apart, so I made a copy, but… the copy seems to have gone missing." He then focused back on Yu. "There's a certain case where we don't have a suspect yet… and since the trail's going cold, it's about to be buried under newer cases."

Yu had a feeling he knew what his uncle was talking about… if anything Nanako told him a few nights ago had something to do with this. He watched as his uncle gazed back at the folder once more. "But I can't give up on this one… ever," the detective muttered, having a cornered look on his face even as he stared at the pages.

The silver-haired boy knew that this wasn't the time or the place to ask more about it.

From the corner of his eyes, Yu soon noticed Nanako slowly approaching them both. "Dad…?" she called to her father quietly. "Hm? What's wrong?" Dojima asked her.

"My stomach hurts…"

Those three words incited a panic between Dojima and Yu.

"Was it something you ate?!" The former asked his daughter, having gotten up from his seat in a worry. "It feels like a sharp pain below my stomach…" Nanako told him, her eyes shut in pain. This just got the man even more worried. "What?! I'll call the doc—" He recalled something for a moment. "N-no, wait. This happened before. Is it the same feeling?!"

"I don't know…"

"Urgh… okay, the medicine we used before is—" Then, Dojima's phone rang. He cursed under his breath. "Dammit! Who's calling at this time of night…?" He took out his cell and answered the call. "Dojima here!" When he heard the voice, he gritted his teeth. "Adachi…? I'm hanging up." Then he heard what Adachi told him. "…A sealed letter? For me?" His expression soon turned from frustration to surprise. "Is it from Ichihara-san?! When did it come?! You forgot!? Adachi…! I'm on my way!" He ended the call and looked at his nephew. "Gotta go. The medicine should be in the first aid kit… she's in your hands."

"U-uncle…" Yu could only watch as his uncle ran out of the house in a hurry, leaving him with his cousin who was still in pain. Seeing that he shouldn't waste any more time, he went to get the first aid kit so he could give Nanako the medicine…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Yu stayed up a few hours after he had put Nanako to bed, waiting to at least tell his uncle about how his cousin was doing. The sound of the doors sliding open alerted him to Dojima returning home, and the first thing he heard was a sigh from the detective.

Dojima then emerged from the entrance hallway, seemingly in a bad mood. When he saw his nephew still awake, he looked like he was about to scold him. "Yu… you're still up? It's late. Go to sleep."

The silver-haired boy could sense that something was wrong. "…Are you okay?"

His uncle looked away from him. "Just shut up…"

A silence fell between the two for a while. Then, Dojima looked at his nephew but refused to gaze directly at Yu's face for a moment. He seemed apologetic. "…Sorry."

"It's alright, uncle." Yu held no hard feelings… even he would lash out at anyone if something had happened to his cousin. Dojima looked at him directly after he said that. "How's Nanako…?" he asked him.

"She's okay… she went to sleep after I gave her the medicine and put her to bed."

"She's sleeping… good. You've been a great help here."

Even until now, Dojima seemed to bear a heavy burden… yet what is it that he's keeping locked up in his heart? Yu may have to talk more with his uncle to find out, but tonight's events have caused their bond to deepen even further with the Hierophant Social Link.

The detective eventually spoke up again. "It's pretty late. Go hit the hay… 'night, Yu."

"Goodnight, uncle." Yu then quietly went up to his room to sleep for the night.

On Friday, Ai had asked Yu again if he would like to go and skip classes with her. He just agreed since he had noticed that the afternoon classes have gotten quite side-tracked from the original syllabus… he had already finished reading up all the books his grandfather gave him, so any lessons he missed, he could quickly learn himself.

They were at Okina City again, mostly because Ai insisted on going here. She was sitting on the bench while Yu stood around. "Hmm… I don't really feel like buying stuff today. What should we do instead?" she told him before asking.

Yu didn't really know this city much. "…Let's just chill, then." He did enjoy the scenery, though. Kind of reminded him of the bustling streets of Tokyo, though it did get to him sometimes.

Ai just sighed at his suggestion. "What? You mean you don't have any kind of plan? Sounds boring… oh well. Maybe you'll be able to make it interesting." She seemed willing enough. She then got up from where she sat. For a moment, she thought about something. "You know, it's pretty funny… if I didn't sign up to manage your team, you wouldn't be here with me now. Looking at it from your perspective, I'd say you got pretty lucky."

The silver-haired boy shifted his stance a little. "Well… not exactly." He's skipping classes again – what are the odds? His response made Ai laugh mischievously. "Haha, are you still all butthurt that I made you skip class? You should be thanking me! You're a real rebel now…"

Too bad for her, Yu Narukami was already a rebel since junior high. But now he's merely an ex-rebel.

"It was your advisor who put me on your team," Ai told him. "He said something like, 'Ai, being on a team should teach you something about putting someone besides yourself first!'. I don't understand people who play sports in the slightest… but I guess it wouldn't kill me to go cheer you on every once in a while."

The way the blonde girl was smiling with self-importance for some unknown reason gave Yu a bit of an odd feeling. He soon realised that Ai was starting to like him a little… oh boy. That even resulted in the growth of the Moon Social Link.

Suddenly, the pair was approached by another Yasogami High Student. "H-hey, u-um, Ai-san!" He was stuttering so much, it was almost annoying. "U-um, us meeting here like this… i-it must be f-fate, right!? So, um… y-you w-wanna go o-o-out with me sometime!?"

How straight.

Ai just looked away from the boy. "Ha, are you kidding me? Have you looked in a mirror recently?" she rejected him coldly, causing the student to run back to where he came from.

Yu felt… somewhat sorry for the guy, but since he's no man himself, he can't really understand how wounded the student's pride was at being rejected. "…You could've talked to him," he said to the blonde girl. Ai brushed her hair away from her face, shrugging. "Why? Even if he's a nice guy, I'm not attracted to him at all. Then I'd be getting his hopes up for nothing, right?"

The silver-haired boy looked away. She was kind of right… though that rejection must hurt.

After all that, Ai just sighed. "I'm bushed. Let's go home."

"…Alright."

The two of them soon returned to Inaba, with Yu going back home afterwards.

A full week had passed since the Investigation Team had saved Kanji, and he was still absent from school. Now Yu wondered if he was going to be absent for another whole week… the weather forecast did say that rain has yet to come for another long while.

Chie had asked if he wanted to train with her again, so he decided to go with her to the flood plains to do just that.

"Allllright! Today's the day!" Chie was pretty enthusiastic today. As they were about to start, Nanako had noticed them as she was walking home from school, nearly bumping into the two. "Huh?"

The two teenagers turned to notice her. "Oh, Nanako-chan!" Chie had just noticed the little girl there. "What are you doing?" Nanako asked them.

"Hm? Training, of course!"

"Training... who are you fighting with, Chie?"

"Hmmmm... myself... I guess...?" She was quiet for a few seconds. "…Heheh, just kidding!"

"Wow, cool!"

"Y-You think...? Hahaha..."

Then, Nanako saw something. "…Oh, a grasshopper!"

"Huh!? N-No way! Wh-Where!?"

"It just landed on your back."

"Ahhhhhh!" Chie ran towards to the little girl in a panic. "Get it off! Get it off me!"

Nanako calmly took the grasshopper off of the brunette's back, surprising Yu a bit. So much for being brave and tough... Nanako was pretty mature and brave enough to handle bugs. "...You don't like grasshoppers?" she asked Chie.

"I'm no good with anything with thin, jointed legs! Or anything creepy or squirmy! Ack, now I can't get 'em out of my mind! I can't stand those things!" Chie shook her head as she tried to get rid of the thought.

"But they're cute..."

"...You're like Yukiko. Oh, see, 'cause Yukiko's fine around bugs. But me, I totally lose it... kinda funny, huh?"

Yu chuckled at that. "More like it's very feminine." He saw her kick Shadows till they pop, and even kicked Yosuke until he nearly collapsed. This was his first time seeing her this way. "Th-That's not true! It's not..." Yet even as Chie protested, she somehow looked happy.

"A lot of kids in my class don't like bugs. It's not just you. Don't worry!" Nanako told her too, grinning cheerfully.

"Nanako-chan... ooh, you don't know how happy that makes me. Thanks! C'mon, you wanna train too?"

"Okay!"

"Let's start with form. I'll teach you a kata..."

So the two began training instead… oh well. Yu sent her home before it got too dark for her to return, eventually.

Chie was looking sheepish after all that. "I'm gonna get over my fear of bugs. I don't wanna look like a sissy next to Nanako-chan! All I have to do is think of them as Shadows! Then I'll be able to grab a whole fistful!" At that thought however, she fell silent. "…I-I just gave myself goosebumps... g-getting used to bugs might take a while, but I won't lose to Shadows!"

"Oh, you won't." Yu smiled at her, feeling her burning passion to fight. He could feel their relationship grow deeper, and so did the Chariot Social Link grow. The two of them continued to train using what time they had left, and once finished, Yu walked partway home with Chie like he did before.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

After a whole week of doing nothing much but hanging out with others, Yui felt like she had to focus on her private life this time. Glancing at the bag full of books that her grandfather sent her, she took out her phone and contemplated on calling her grandfather's secretary for a moment.

…She eventually came to a conclusion and called him.

Putting her phone to her ear, she waited as a beeping sound rang in her ear for a small while… before it was answered by an aged yet still charismatic voice. "Hello, Yui."

"…Hello, Mr. Tadashi."

She could hear a small chuckle from the other line. "Are you calling me to talk, or… have you finished reading up on the books?"

"The books, of course. I've finished."

"…I'm actually surprised you managed to finish that within two months."

"Yes, well… I'm just wondering if we can set a date for the test. I might be busy with school and such..." Yui told him. With the TV world business and the added risk of being seen doing the test in Inaba looking like some businessman… she needed a set time so she could get ready.

"Is that so? Your grandfather has set it so that I will go there to meet you on a day in June… will that be alright?"

"It's… okay. Hold on, let me check the calendar first, Mr. Tadashi." Yui went over to the calendar in her room while still holding the phone to her ear, using her free hand to check the days for June. She looked over the days and soon picked a date. "Would the fourteenth of June do? It's a Tuesday."

"Fourteenth of June? Hm… I think that should be okay. But are you sure? Once I tell your grandfather, he won't be accepting any changes to the date."

"Yes, I'm sure. Please tell him… and thank you."

"It's nothing much, Yui. Take care."

The call ended there.

Yui sighed and put her phone back into her pocket. The fourteenth of June… that should be enough time for her to get ready. She may have to dress up in different clothes than she would usually wear if her past tests were to be referenced from.

At least she knew a place that did sold textiles… but she had to be careful of Kanji.

...She immediately stopped thinking of it. No way is she making herself think back to that moment in the sauna— oh, damn it.

So much for her 'strength of the mind' training.