A/N: This chapter finally has Rise enter the story... welp, we're getting there, heh.

Mr Giraffe (Guest)
- Well, she had to admit it one way or another, lol. As for the being dunked underwater, she's still wearing that school jumpsuit. If it got wet, it'd probably look pretty baggy, which is why no one still realised she's a girl XD
- Gotta wait for P5 lol... which to say, because of a request, I'll probably start on a P5 story with a genderbent Akira Kurusu! And a little extra oneshot for the aftermath. But that's miles in the future from now... ;w;
- Ahhh thank you, I guess. I won't hesitate then. Besides, I suppose it beats the crack comedy fanfics that reside on this website haha
- Yeah, Sing to the Dawn is actually pretty good Chp. 2 and onward. The protag's name is Dawan, fyi. The reason I might use it as a reference is because of the climax in the plot where she confronts her father with her brother, Kwai, about her rights to go to the City to study since she won a scholarship for placing first in a test by the government back in Chp. 2, so either I'll take ideas from that or think of something else.

During dinner, Yu barely touched his food. He didn't feel hungry, not after admitting to himself that he has let his feelings get the best of him. Both his uncle and cousin haven't noticed his strange attitude as they were watching the news, which was showing… wait, Rise Kujikawa? She's taking a temporary leave of absence from the entertainment industry? Looking at the TV screen in surprise, the familiar face of a dark brunette appeared on the screen, her hair in twin pigtails – there was no doubt about it. She's one of the idols his grandfather's company supplied stage clothes to for performances.

Now that Yu had his attention fixed to the TV, he listened in on the news. The reporters were asking for her reason in taking a break, and they were just as terrible at it. Rise could barely answer as they peppered her with question after question, but the silver-haired boy had noticed that one of them mentioned a rumour about Rise staying with her relatives that were in Inaba… who ran a traditional tofu shop. Hm, he recalled spotting a tofu shop down in the shopping district…

Eventually an agency spokesman ended the press conference, and everything descended into chaos.

Nanako looked at her father. "Is Rise-chan quitting her job on TV?" she asked him. "Who knows… but if this is her hometown, we'll have to deal with everyone who's trying to get a glimpse…" Dojima answered her, frowning at the thought. As the news ended, Rise's famous advertisement for some kind of low-calorie drink played – like the many times Yu had seen it play, she was in a revealing bikini. Dojima shook his head with a sigh. "Rise Kujikawa, huh…? The one good thing about this town was that it had nothing of note, and now we get all the buzz… what's going on?"

If only anyone could answer that.

But one thing now worried Yu – if Rise really was coming to Inaba… it's possible that she may be the murderer's next target.

Monday was a usual school day with cloudy skies.

What Yu didn't expect was to hear the voice that belonged to the one guy he really didn't want to see at the moment call out from behind him, and in just a few seconds, Kanji caught up with him. "Yo, Senpai…" he greeted before yawning. The silver-haired boy attempted to keep calm as he smiled hesitantly, feeling his pulse rise with the slight heat in his cheeks. "Hello, Kanji." If this was how girls felt whenever they had crushes, he had a feeling he was going to hate himself for acting like this around the blond.

Kanji rubbed his face a little. "Oh, sorry. I haven't completely woken up yet… oh yeah, the shopping district seemed different today when I was passing by… like, everyone was really hustlin' more than usual… I wonder what's going on," he told him. Yu coughed a bit before he responded. "Well, I smell a case behind it." It's not a normal occurrence if the shopping district was 'hustling more than usual'; it's usually quiet due to Junes. The younger boy merely stared at him for a moment. "'Smell'…? Man, you're sounding like Teddie. It didn't seem like the cops were involved in what was there, though. Guess I'll try asking around at school…"

"…I suppose you can do that…" Never in the silver-haired boy's wildest dreams had he thought that he would be compared to that bear… and to know how much it hurt to hear that out of Kanji's own mouth. Yet with a melancholic smile, he kept on walking to school with the blond.

This is just a momentary phase in his life.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

The whole Investigation Team gathered in the class Yu and his friends were in, so Kanji went there to talk with them since he was a first-year. "Yo." He greeted them like he usually would. Chie noticed him approaching them. "Hey, there he is. You've been coming to school pretty often lately. What's up?" she asked curiously.

"It's this annoying thing called the mandatory attendance policy."

"Is that why?" Ah yes, that little policy. Yu remembered how much of a pain that policy was – it was the only reason why he would go to school back when he was a delinquent. Otherwise, he'd be having his fun with his former gang members, but that's an old joy he wished to not fall back into, especially after learning that even Inaba's police force knew of his past antics. Bad enough that his actions were bad enough to be… well, reported in the news maybe one or two times.

"Yeah… anyway, you guys see the news?"

"News…? Oh, that stuff about Rise Kujikawa taking a break from showbiz? I wonder why. She was just getting popular lately…" Chie commented about it. "Just goes to prove that being an idol is tough work," Yosuke told her. Yu smiled at that. "Rise's pretty great." He saw her act on stage live once when he had to deal with the stage clothes as a manager under the orders of his grandfather. She's pretty good at it, even if he only watched from backstage. The brunet was surprised to hear those words. "You think so too? It hasn't been that long since her debut, but at this rate, she'll be a top-class idol in no time. To be honest, I'm a fan, too! She's such a cutie pie!"

And there goes that.

Chie stared at Yosuke for a moment. "A cutie pie…? What are you, 80?" That was such an outdated phrase. "But I think she used to live here, so she must have a lot of local fans."

"The news said she's going to her grandmother's tofu shop, right? Do they mean Marukyu…?" Yukiko then asked.

"Marukyu?" Yosuke looked at her with confusion.

"Marukyu Tofu. Our inn was serving their tofu until recently."

"Oh, that place in the shopping district! I pass by it all the time." Then the brunet realised something. "Wait, does that mean I can meet Rise if I go to her tofu shop!?"

Yu merely chuckled at his friend's growing enthusiasm. But in truth, he's not a fan of any celebrity. Literally. "Well, I'm not interested," he said. "Hey, aren't we getting a little side-tracked from the point here?" Chie spoke up before she remembered a small fact. "Wait, did you forget about the murders!? You're the one who said the connection between the victims might be the TV! She could be the next target!" she told the brunet. "C'mon, it's not like Rise started showing up on TV just recently. Also, how could Rise be connected to the incidents so far?" Yosuke retorted.

"I wondered the same thing, so I did some research. It seems that she had no personal interaction with Ms. Yamano. They've just been on the same show once or twice," Yukiko added. However, Chie knew better than to dismiss the possibility. "She's been an idol for a while now, but she's the talk of the town, thanks to the news last night. And she is moving here, after all."

Yosuke thought for a moment. "So, if our assumptions are correct, she fits the pattern… she'll probably be targeted next. And if she is, that narrows down the killer's methods even further."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kanji asked out of the blue. Was he not listening?

Sighing, Yosuke crossed his arms. "Kanji-kun, listen real carefully… if Rise is next, then that lets us rule out our theory that the targets have to be connected with the first case. And that means the killer's targets are people who've been shown on TV recently. Get it now?"

"Huh. Ohhh… yeah, okay." The blond nodded in understanding… or at least, he looked like he did. Once that was over, Yosuke then grinned. "Alright, now we have to keep a close eye on everything Rise does! Let's do it!"

"Sheesh, he's all pumped up…" Chie could only shake her head at the sight.

Guess they'll have to check around later…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon, Yukiko had asked Yu if he could try out a boxed lunch she made herself, since he did tell her that he'll help her improve her cooking by trying it out… which he was kind of starting to regret after that campout. Then again, he can't let her down like this. So, he agreed to it, which was why they were now sitting at the resting hut in the flood plains.

Yukiko handed him the box with the lunch she made herself. "It came out well, so I packed it up. Try it out," she told him. Yu looked down at the lunch, noting how it seemed normal… but now he could smell an unusually pungent odour hanging in the air. Swallowing down his hesitance to even take a bite out of it, he managed to smile at the black-haired girl. "Well, let's eat."

With a nod, Yukiko smiled back. "Go ahead!" She stared at him with an expectant look, unintentionally putting pressure on to the silver-haired boy.

Yu guessed that he could start with this… omelette-looking... thing. Using his chopsticks, he took a bite out of it. For a moment there, he thought it was soft when he bit into it, when his teeth suddenly hit something too hard for him to bite on inside. Plus, it smelled burnt, yet raw – how is that even possible? Hopefully he doesn't actually get sick from this. Hell, could his body even handle it? Trying all of his might to ignore the strange taste, he forced himself to swallow it with some difficulty.

His attempt didn't go unnoticed by the girl next to him. "...You're not about to tell me how delicious that was, are you?" She gazed down at her hands, sadness evident in her eyes. Sighing, he could only smile reassuringly at her. "Hey, there's always next time."

"I-I suppose... thank you." A relieved expression now appeared on Yukiko's face.

"Oh, big bro…! What are you doing?" Nanako approached them, having been walking down the road at the time. "Ah, Nanako-chan... well, I was just having him try my boxed lunch..." Yukiko told her. The little girl brightened up at that. "Ooh, I want some."

"I-I'm sorry, but I can't give you any. It's not good..."

"Oh. If you make a good one, will you let me have some?"

"Huh...? S-Sure, if you want..."

"Yay! I'm rooting for you!"

"Nanako-chan... thank you. I'll do my best, okay?"

Nanako nodded, smiling. "I need to go now. I'm going to Mai-chan's house. Bye!"

"Be careful."

The little brunette left, waving goodbye at the two. Yukiko looked back at Yu, seeming rueful. "Umm... I'm sorry to drag you around..." she apologised. Yu shook his head, chuckling. "No, it's okay. I'm having fun." Admittedly, it was interesting to challenge his body and mind's limits… even if it was by eating such oddly-tasting food. His words gave relief to the black-haired girl. "R-Really? I'm glad to hear that..."

Now Yu could feel that Yukiko was relying on him… and because of it, their relationship deepened with the Priestess Social Link.

"Only about a year left, huh...? I need to be able to do anything on my own by then..." Yukiko murmured quietly. Yu smiled at her again. "I know you can do it, Yukiko."

The black-haired girl blushed a bit before nodding, smiling too. Soon the silver-haired boy gave her back the rest of the boxed lunch before bidding goodbye to her.

Tuesday came along the same way.

There wasn't much after school ended other than Yosuke asking if he had time to talk. Seeing that there were no other activities to do, Yu told him that he could spend some time to do that. So, the brunet brought him to the riverbank by the flood plains with a solemn look on his face.

Yosuke was facing away from his friend as he spoke. "There's something I wanted to tell you."

"…What is it?" Yu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Somewhere deep down... I didn't trust you. No, it's more like... I was jealous of you. I thought you were like me. Coming from the city to the countryside, I thought you'd be bored out of your mind here. But as soon as you got here, you called your Persona... became our leader, gathered people... you're a hero. I like you for that, and I'm proud of you... but I guess I was jealous at the same time."

The silver-haired boy stared at him in surprise. Was this how Yosuke felt all this time…? "I… I didn't know."

"I didn't know it either..." Yosuke murmured as he stared at the grassy ground. "When I called you 'special', I thought some more about it. I think out of everyone, I wanted to be acknowledged by you the most... so, Yu..." He turned around, his stance becoming one of that in battle. "I want you to hit me!"

"W-what?" Yu was taken aback at those words, watching as the brunet took a few steps closer. "Give me a good one. Knock out all this crap inside of me. I want to be equal with you. I want us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. So c'mon..." Yosuke was really serious about it… but the shorter boy felt like it wouldn't be enough. "…Hitting you won't be enough," he told him, a serious look in his eyes. This surprised Yosuke. "Huh...? B-But I don't have a reason to hit you..." He fell silent for a moment, thinking deeply. "…I got it now. If we're 'equal', then... I guess you're right."

So, the two put some distance between them while they got into a battle-ready stance.

"Okay, here I come! Take your best shot!" Yosuke told him, and soon they both ran at each other to initiate a brawl.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

They brawled it out like their life depended on it, until their bodies gave out in exhaustion with one last punch at each other's faces. They fell down onto the ground with their backs to it, chests heaving as they panted heavily. Even Yu hasn't had a fight like this since he stopped being a delinquent… but man did Yosuke have a strong punch. The brunet could say the same about him. "Ugh... your punches are brutal... I was seeing stars there for a second..." he murmured, wincing. "But thanks, man... I don't know how to say it, but... that sure beat words."

For once, there was a peaceful expression on Yosuke's face. He then dug into his pocket, taking something out. "You can have this."

Yu glanced at him, noticing what seemed to be a small bandage in the brunet's hand. "…Thanks." He took it, holding it in his own hand as he let his head fall back to the ground and letting his eyes stare up at the evening sky, orange and red hues mixing like water.

"If you start bleeding, put that on. Y'know... we should fight more often," Yosuke told him. He then stared at the sky as well, letting out a quiet sigh. "Phew... the sky's so high up. Is Saki-senpai watching us...? Is she smiling at us? Senpai... I'm going to live. Without lying to myself, without deceiving myself... days like today, days like before when I did nothing... they're all important days... they're all days you didn't live to see... I'm going to live them here." He was smiling gently as he said all that.

…Then, something happened within the brunet's heart.

His strong will that allowed him to accept and overcome his weakness has awakened his heart's true power... his Persona Jiraiya has been reborn, transfiguring into Susano-o.

After all that, the two boys sat up. Yosuke crossed his arms as he looked down for a moment, taking in the event that just happened. "This... is my power...? The power to protect what's dear to me, huh..." He chuckled slightly. "Heheh, just what I wanted." He looked at Yu with a smile. "Let's keep at it, so we can live every day with a smile... Leader."

Nodding in response, the silver-haired boy smiled back. He could feel the warm trust coming from his friend… or… maybe he could really call Yosuke his best friend now. At that little thought, he felt the Magician Social Link reach its full potential, followed by the whispering in his head speaking of the formation of a genuine bond. From the looks of it, he could now fuse a whole new Persona – Mada, of the Magician Arcana.

Yosuke grinned at him. "Well... we're all counting on ya, Yu!"

"I won't let you guys down," Yu replied with a grin as well, then they both shook hands as a new understanding now existed between them. The two spent some more time together before parting ways for the day…

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

There was still some time before his curfew, so Yu took a quick detour to the shopping district. While on his way down, he was met with the sight of the same dog he saw at the flood plains the other day.

The dog seemed wary of him as it growled at him, and he didn't want to scare it off since it could be that runaway dog from the ema that fox at the shrine showed him… he decided to try and talk to it gently. "Hey… I'm not gonna hurt you…" His soft voice let the dog relax a bit, whimpering – it seemed less wary of him now. Eventually it ran away… it probably wouldn't return here anytime soon. The silver-haired boy planned to look for it another day, for now he had a trip to the Velvet Room to do.

He soon reached the gently glowing blue door with gold accents that was next to the metalworks shop. Taking out the Velvet Key, he used it to unlock the door and enter.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

What he didn't expect was to see that it was only Margaret inside, with Igor nowhere to be found.

Margaret looked at Yu, noticing him there. "Oh… excuse me. Do you have any business here? Mmm… as you can see, my master is currently away. If your errand isn't urgent, I regret to ask that you come back lat—" Then, she suddenly looked away as a thought crossed her mind. She shook her head slowly. "No, that won't do. This room is bound tightly to your fate. Nothing here happens without a reason… there must be meaning in our meeting here alone."

She turned her head to gaze at Yu again. "Welcome to the Velvet Room. I am Margaret. I am the one who rules over power, invited here after my predecessor's sudden disappearance. You may be the first person who has ever been welcomed here by someone other than my master. The Velvet Room is inseparable from the heart of its invited guest… the shape of the room and its residents are selected by my master, based on the number of guests and their destiny… shall we chat? I feel that is what I am called to do." A faint smile appeared on her face with her eyes bearing a hint of gentleness in them, unlike her normal gaze…

Yu could feel a faint bond forming between himself and her, and whispers spoke in his head once more as the Empress Social Link of the Empress Arcana was formed. How unique.

"It seems you have several 'Social Links' already. Recurring meetings, recurring words… by deepening your understanding of one another, your bonds strengthen. But sometimes the heart it shaken more by a single action than a thousand words. Do you understand?" Margaret told him before asking. Yu tried to understand it – he could get an idea of it. "Somewhat." It probably meant that an action can have greater meanings to someone than mere words… or something like that.

"Hmhm… today's meeting might be classified as that single action." Margaret looked down for a moment, then nodding to herself as she lifted her head to gaze at the silver-haired boy again. "I've decided. The strand of fate you follow… entangle me within it as well." She smiled slightly. "Perhaps a new bond will be spun. There is something I have wanted to know, and you are the first guest I welcomed here… in light of today's meeting with my master absent… hm. I believe we are both special to one another…"

Those words inflicted a small nervousness in Yu. What did she mean by that…?

Margaret continued on, nonetheless. "I want to know more about you. First, I think I shall have you show me your rare Persona ability. Let me see…" She thought for a few seconds. "…Show me an Ippon-Datara that knows Sukukaja." A knowing look appeared in her eyes. "The heart is shaken more by a single action than by a thousand words… have you already forgotten?"

The boy shook his head. "I haven't, miss."

"Hmhm, then I have something to look forward to. I wish you well."

So, Yu nodded as his goodbye before leaving the Velvet Room. Time for him to head home… even if he didn't get any Personas fused, having a new Social Link with Margaret was an interesting surprise. Wonder what that will lead him into…?

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

The night came with the downpour of rain, meaning that the Midnight Channel would be on if it lasted until midnight.

It did, so Yui was waiting in her room again for midnight to strike. If their suspicions were correct, then they would see Rise on TV… which would mean that she's the murderer's next target. When it was a few seconds before midnight, the silver-haired girl got up from her sofa to stand in front of the TV and stared at the dark screen. Soon, it came to life as the Midnight Channel played… and there was a figure through the static. It was definitely a girl, and she's wearing a swimsuit… those twin pigtails looked very much like Rise's too.

Then the screen kept focusing on the girl's chest and thighs, and Yui found herself grimacing at the sight. This made it hard to see the girl's face…

Before the silver-haired girl could really be sure that the girl on screen was Rise, the Midnight Channel ended. Her phone's ringing broke the silence, and she quickly took it out to answer it. "Hello?"

It was Yosuke. "Hello!? Hey, did you see that!? That was Rise for sure! Rise Kujikawa!"

"You're right. It's definitely her." Even if Yui couldn't see the girl's face, the body shape and hairstyle was very reminiscent to Rise's.

"Thought so! Oh… I guess I shouldn't be so excited. There's a chance she might get kidnapped… c'mon, we should go there tomorrow! What was it called again…? Oh yeah, Marukyu Tofu! Dude, my heart's pounding already…"

"Really, Yosuke?" The silver-haired girl chuckled at that. As expected of a fanboy.

"C-c'mon, aren't you at least excited? Well, see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, yeah… see you tomorrow too." Ending the call there, now they had a job to do – they needed to prevent Rise's kidnapping however they can. Yet the murderer could be a step ahead of them either way… Yui could only hope that they can prevent it from happening.

The next day, the Investigation Team got together as school ended to plan out how they were going to deal with the new task at hand. Nearby they could hear a trio of students talking about Rise Kujikawa being in Inaba – they even said that the owners of Marukyu Tofu had the same last name as the idol.

"I've been hearing that there's a big crowd at Marukyu," Yukiko told the others. "…I'm not surprised. But was it really her on yesterday's Midnight Channel? Didn't she seem a little… different?" Chie asked, bringing up the topic of what they all just saw last midnight. "It was her, no doubt about it! Her curves… her posture… even her beautiful, slim legs!" An awed look appeared on Yosuke's face as he said all that, causing Yu and Chie to stare at him for a good moment. "…What's that look for?" The brunette eventually spoke up.

Yosuke shook his head to snap out of it. "A-Anyways, I'm positive! Right!?"

…Yu couldn't help but feel like his best friend could be a creepy guy sometimes - and by sometimes, he meant all the time.

"Uhh, are we going?" Kanji asked, looking disinterested. "I don't really care about celebrities, but it's not like I got anything better to do… sure, I'll tag along."

"Sorry, but me and Yukiko have plans. Give us a call if anything comes up," Chie said.

That meant only Yu, Kanji and Yosuke would be doing the investigation this time. "Well, shall we get going? But let's be clear on one thing: we're not spectators. We're on an investigation, got it?" Yosuke reminded them all. "Of course." Yu got up from his seat, keeping his gaze averted from Kanji. The last thing he wanted at the moment was for his face to go red whenever his eyes met the blond's own bluish grey ones.

Despite all that, he went with the two other boys to the Marukyu Tofu shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon arriving at the tofu shop, there was a large crowd outside the entrance of the shop. Dojima's partner, Adachi, was directing traffic outside.

"Huh? Um, Mr. Detective, did something happen?" Yosuke asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight. Adachi glanced at him and noticed Yu and Kanji too. "Oh, it's you guys." He sighed while shaking his head. "Ai yi yi… these gawkers keep streaming in with their cars, trying to park in the middle of the shopping district," he answered. "Why's that?" Kanji then asked about that.

"Don't you know? Rise Kujikawa's here. Hey, did you see her already? Is she there? Which is it?"

"Huh…? We're askin' why a plainclothes detective is here doing traffic control."

"Oh… uh, well… the Inaba Police Department isn't that big, and we don't have enough staff… well, I still have work to do, so I'll see you later." Adachi then left in a hurry. Yosuke stared at the fleeting figure of the young detective before looking at the blond in shock. "Dude… you managed to scare off a police detective on active duty…"

"I wasn't trying to scare the guy, I just said what I was thinking," Kanji tried to explain himself.

"But you're right, it's weird for the police to come out like this… hey… you think the police suspect that Rise might be the next target, too?"

Then, Yu could hear the familiar voice of his uncle come from inside the shop. "Alright, clear out. Coming through…"

Dojima came out of the shop, looking around. "Hey, Adachi! Dammit… I told him not to leave his post…" He soon noticed the trio of boys, including his nephew. "What are you guys doing- hm? Kanji Tatsumi…!? Are you friends with them?" he questioned. Kanji acted nonchalant. "Like it's any of your business…" he muttered. Dojima was silent for a few seconds, wondering whether to just let it be. "…If you say so. So I'll ask again: What are you all doing here?"

"We're just passing by, uncle," Yu told him, putting on a calm expression so his uncle didn't suspect anything.

"…Is that so?"

"Oh, um… w-well, who wouldn't wanna come check it out if they found out an idol's family ran an ordinary tofu store? I'm, uh… a big fan!" Yosuke added. The older detective narrowed his eyes, trying to see if these three were lying in any way… but in the end, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. But remember. She might be a celebrity, but this is her home. Try not to bother them too much." He then left, looking for Adachi. Kanji glanced at the silver-haired boy. "That cop's your uncle, eh…?"

Yu tensed a little as he felt some heat rush to his cheeks. He hoped that it wasn't too noticeable in the hot sun. "Yes… he is. From my mother's side."

"Oh, okay. So, what the hell was that about? Are you guys under suspicion…?"

"Well, they did take us in once…" Yosuke sheepishly scratched his head. "But we can't just tell him everything, right? If we say anything about the other world, we only look more suspicious. They'll be watching us all the time."

"Got a point there…"

At that moment, a young guy came out of the shop saying that there was no one inside but an old lady. An older man said that it was probably a rumour that Rise was here. The crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only the trio left at the front of the shop.

Yosuke looked more devastated than he should be. "A rumour!? What, she's not here!? Seriously!?"

"Pfft, you sound like the world's about to end." Kanji chuckled at the brunet's reaction. His words caused Yosuke to blush in embarrassment. "Shuddup! Anyways, now that all those people are gone, we might as well check inside. I'll buy something."

Yu recalled that his best friend can't eat tofu normally from someone… "I recommend you buy some ganmodoki, then," he told him. Yosuke was surprised to hear that. "How'd you know I can't eat tofu? Wow, that's considerate of you." He seemed somewhat happy. "…Wait, what's ganmodoki again? Is it the kind with a rice cake in it?"

"There's no rice cakes in 'em… they're sorta like… fried tofu patties with veggies and stuff in, and…" Kanji ended up giving the brunet a crash course on ganmodoki. Yosuke managed to understand it, at least. "Ohhh, okay, I know what you mean! I think I can eat that."

With that finished, they entered the shop.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside the shop, there didn't seem to be anyone else other than the old lady handling something at the other end of the room.

"Let's see here… sure enough… the only one here is your typical old lady." Yosuke sighed, his hopes of seeing Rise more or less shattered. "Man, why don't you just ask if she's in back?" Kanji told him with a shake of his head. "'Scuse me!" he called out, and an old lady came out from the back of the store to respond. "Yes, may I help you?"

Wait, what?

"What the-!? Then, who's that…?" Yosuke stared at the person at the other end of the shop, who straightened herself to reveal… Rise Kujikawa. In the flesh. "…What?" She looked at them with a furrowed brow. A silence fell among them all, which Kanji eventually broke by asking her. "Uh… are you Rise?"

"Yeah. So?"

It really was her. Yosuke almost couldn't believe it. "No way… are you really Risette?"

"What do you want?"

"Huh…? Oh, sorry, um… some tofu, please!"

"Tofu…? Which kind?"

"Huh? Wh-Which one's which again…?" The brunet tried to remember what he and the others planned on buying. "If you're going to eat it by itself, you should go with silken. Momen's better for cooking… depends how you use it," Rise recommended to him.

"U-Um…" Yosuke then glanced at Kanji, whispering at him. "Psst, Kanji! Order something!"

"Wha-!? Why're you making me do it!? You already picked ganmo a second ago!" Kanji whispered back with an exasperated voice. He looked at Rise and ordered anyway. "Dude here wants three ganmodoki."

Rise nodded. "Oh, I see… I'll go get them." As she went to get the ganmodoki, the trio of boys whispered among themselves. "Wow… she's nothing like she seems on TV… I wonder if she's just tired…" Yosuke commented. "Man, but it's really her… I'm so glad I came! Mission comple- wait, we haven't done what we came here for yet!" He realised that they completely forgot about it.

"You better ask, then," Yu whispered back at him. "M-me? Alright then…" The brunet nervously nodded and looked at Rise. "Um…! H-Have you noticed anything weird lately?" he asked her. Rise stopped her working to look back at him. "Weird…? Like stalkers? Are you guys fans of mine?" she questioned with suspicion in her voice. Kanji glanced at Yosuke. "I wouldn't say 'we', but yeah, dude here's a big fan."

Yosuke glared at the blond. "You little…! Why'd you let that slip!?"

"'Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim legs'… ya finished checkin' em out yet, or what?"

"Waaaaaaah! Y-You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!? I didn't say that! I never said any of that!"

At that point, Yu was trying not to laugh at the scene happening in front of him. What a way for Yosuke to get exposed like this…

Desperately attempting to recover from that, Yosuke cleared his throat and explained to Rise why he asked. "Maybe you know already, but it's been dangerous in Inaba lately. That's why we've been investigating some stuff."

"Oh yeah?" Rise raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, um… let's see… do you know about the TV show that comes on at midnight? I mean, it's not like regularly scheduled programming… how do I explain this…?"

"…That thing that was on last night? The Midnight Channel, yeah?"

Seems like Rise had seen it too. Yosuke almost took it in stride. "Oh, you know about it… wait… what!? You mean you saw it last night!?"

"I heard the rumours from some friends of mine. But that girl last night wasn't me. I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit before. And the bustline…"

"Huh?"

"Mine aren't that big."

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean now… I-I mean… what am I saying!? U-Um, I'm sorry…!" The brunet was beyond embarrassed now, apologising for his words. Rise smiled at him, surprisingly enough. "…Don't apologize so much. You're funny."

Genuine surprise appeared on Yosuke's face for a moment. "Hey, she smiled…" he whispered.

"What is that show about, anyway?"

"Well, we're not too sure either… but you know there's been stuff happening here, right? We think the people who appear there… are the ones who get kidnapped next."

"I know this is sudden, but we're not lying," Kanji added. Yosuke nodded at that. "Yeah, that's why we thought you should know about it."

"Huh… so that wasn't a dream. I was tired yesterday, but I couldn't sleep. And it was raining, so I decided to try that rumour I'd heard about… hmm." Rise thought about it for a few moments, then she smiled. "Alright, thanks… I'll be careful." She gave them a small bag. "Here you go, three ganmo. That'll be 600 yen. There's extra tofu in there for everyone… a little thank-you for worrying about me."

"Whoa, seriously? Thanks!" Yosuke grinned as he took the bag. "Yosuke-senpai, you can't eat tofu, right? Want me to take yours?" Kanji offered to him, but the brunet shook his head. "Hell no! I always eat what people give me."

In the meantime, Rise approached Yu as well. "Here, some tofu for you too." She gave him another bag of tofu. "O-oh, thank you." The silver-haired boy accepted it with a nod. The dark brunette gave him a smile before going back to do her work. Yu looked inside the bag, seeing that there was a bunch of tofu… he could probably eat it for dinner tonight with his uncle and cousin.

Anyway, the trio's job was done. It was time they went back home.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

During dinner, Yu noticed that his uncle was sort of on edge as they ate dinner.

"We sure have a lot of tofu," Nanako commented, seeing that a separate plate was on the small table bearing a few blocks of tofu. "Yeah… it tastes great," Dojima said, but then he looked at his nephew. "You visited Rise Kujikawa today. What did you talk about?" he asked with a stern look in his eyes. Yu hesitated in answering, but he couldn't lie to his uncle in this case. "…About the cases."

The expression on the detective's face turned sour. "I told you to keep your hands off this. Listen, this is a job for the police." After saying that, he sighed. "Forget it… I shouldn't have brought it up."

Nanako perked up at the mention of the idol's name. "You guys met Rise-chan!?"

Another sigh came from the man. "Yeah…"

The little girl could sense the growing tension in the room. "Are you… fighting again?"

Dojima shook his head. "Of course not… here, hurry and finish your dinner."

Even with that, the tense atmosphere continued into the night. Yu had to excuse himself to go up to his room because of it – it was raining again tonight, and he'll have to see if the girl on the Midnight Channel really was Rise Kujikawa. His uncle was going to be an obstacle in their investigation, whether from now on or in the future, it's something he and the others will have to keep alert of. Even worse that his uncle might as well suspect him even more due to his time as a delinquent.

~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui stood in front of TV once more as midnight was merely a few seconds away.

She had gotten so used to doing this every rainy night alongside staring at the dim reflection of herself that she was getting into the act of living as Yu Narukami with her friends and as Yui Narukami when she was alone or with her grandfather's secretary. She was worried if someone would find out her secret, but from the looks of it, they were all fooled by her boyish appearance. Now she hoped that they will keep being fooled until she returned back home, and they'll all continue to live with the thought that the leader of their team was a great guy and not a skanking girl.

…She also hoped that this stupid crush would disappear too.

The TV eventually came to life which broke her out of her thoughts. Again, there was a figure through the static – it was the same girl as before, still wearing a swimsuit. Yui tried not to grimace as the 'show' emphasized on the girl's chest area and waist like last time, but what made the difference this time was that it showed the girl waving at the screen, smiling giddily. The image was clear enough for the silver-haired girl to take a better look.

It was Rise.

Right as the Midnight Channel ended, Yui's cellphone rang out. She picked it up, hearing Yosuke's voice on the other end.

"Hey! We were right about it being Rise Kujikawa! The one on tonight seemed a lot creepier than the real Rise, but you could see her face clearly. There's no mistake. Let's all get together as soon as possible tomorrow!"

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then."

The call ended there, leaving the silver-haired girl standing in her room in silence. Another potential victim… would they be able to save her before she's kidnapped?

Although there was hope for that, Yui had a dreaded feeling that they'll fail.