A/N: Ahhhh this is another long chapter for me - I almost miscalculated how many pages I had left before Rise came into the picture... but no worries, she's in this chapter. Oh well! And if there's mistakes in this chapter and the previous ones, forgive me... I only spot some mistakes if I bother to reread my chapters... which is funny, because I procrastinate a bit too much even when writing. ;w;
Mr Giraffe (Guest) - Well, it's a slow burn fanfic for a reason... heheh.
Guest2
- Pffft, I had trouble with that little scene because I was wondering whether to have a scene of Yu struggling to ask Kanji if he wanted to share lunch with him or just skip to the scene at the rooftop, but I decided that my grammar and idea capabilities were too weak to write it and decided to skip to that, which led to the birth of that little line. Yui has definitely fallen hard for Kanji at this point lol
- I was kinda worried if that was too abrupt of a mood change, but if you think that was good, then I guess I can be happy about it :D
- Welp, I can't answer what exactly happens when Naoto does join the team... that'll be spoiling the part I'm excited to write about when I finally reach it in like, weeks or months later ahhhh
Creedpah
- Ahhh thank you, this is literally my first time writing an ongoing fanfiction with romance added in the mix because I tend to lose inspiration if I can't think of a good idea for a new chapter. Nonetheless, their relationship from now will just grow more and more tangled and deeper... hopefully, because I ain't the best writer out there =w=||
- Well, I can't exactly answer that, eh? But I'll just say that it's... similar to that. /isaythatasimentallyrollaroundinpanicbecauseyou'reactuallyontosomething
Yu sat in the living room with Nanako after eating dinner, staring blankly at the TV as the turmoil in his mind continued to wreak havoc on his thoughts. What is he going to do, now that the revelation that he was truly in love has finally come to the surface? To think that this might be how Ai Ebihara felt… it was terrible, but oh so warm. It felt like being in a sea of anxiety and joy all at the same time – he was scared, of course, but this love left him feeling all fuzzy and happy in a way. It left him genuinely confused on how to go on with this.
He's tired of thinking.
Getting up from the table with a quiet sigh, he told his cousin that he's going out for his part-time job at the hospital. An encounter with that nurse would be enough of a distraction from his dilemma right now… even if it's troubling to think that Sayoko seemed interested in him, that is, if she's in the hospital tonight anyway.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Upon arriving at the hospital, Yu was ordered to clean an empty room that just got vacated. He did it without much of a word about it as he wanted to get his mind off the problems he was going through right now. It did give him a bit of a funny thought instead: how would his family react to knowing that he, the heir – well, heiress of the famous Miyabi Jo Apparels company, was cleaning rooms and windows as a janitor in a hospital at a rural town? He'd probably get yelled at… but screw them, they're not here to tell him what to do with his time in Inaba.
Besides, he got a taste of how the maids and butlers that worked in the mansion that belonged to his parents felt. It was tough work, to clean every nook and cranny until it was spotless. Heck, he may have discovered a bit of a perfectionist complex for cleanliness in himself because of this job. There was still that nagging feeling of something watching him, yet he tried to ignore it as he eventually finished cleaning the room.
He then turned around to leave when he noticed Sayoko entering the place. "Nice work... were you waiting here for me?" she asked teasingly. Yu didn't say anything in response, staring at her blankly. The nurse merely smiled. "Oh, you sweet thing. Well, then... would you like to study with me? Perhaps a subject that they don't teach in school, if you catch my drift...?" she suggested.
The silver-haired boy shook his head, knowing what she meant. Now he wondered if his choice in coming here tonight was one made in haste… "I'm not interested."
Sayoko smirked at him as she took a few steps closer to the teenager, now face to face. "Oho... you're an honest guy. That's cute, in boys your age." She then eyed Yu's body for a moment before staring into the silver-haired boy's eyes. "I don't find your type around here. The kids over here are much simpler. All they see is the carrot dangling in front of their faces... you're... I know. You seem to have some sort of secret deep inside you..." She smiled in satisfaction. "…I think it's irresistible."
Her words made Yu feel like as if he was being cornered. A secret deep inside him… she couldn't have noticed…? But she was still thinking of him as a boy, her mischievous affection still coming off of her in ripples. It must be a false alarm… though it still concerned the silver-haired teenager.
…The Devil Social Link increased in strength from this little encounter.
"I'll see you again." Sayoko still gave him that satisfied smile as she left the room. Yu let out a breath he had been holding unknowingly, as if the cold grip of the devil had wrapped itself around his throat. He needed to be careful… nonetheless, he finished his work and went home.
Friday started by raining heavily, signalling the imminent arrival of the fog.
Yui was kind of glad that none of her friends were up to hanging out due to the rain… especially after what happened yesterday. She needed some time alone from people, but maybe a certain fox would do well for silent company. Besides, she had to report that she had successfully fulfilled the wish on the ema anyway – hence, without further ado, she left the school with her umbrella over her head and walked down to the shopping district. Once she was at the shrine, she looked up to see the fox on the roof again.
The creature jumped off the roof to land behind her, holding the ema with the request by that lonely boy in its mouth. She smiled at it when she noticed the worried look in its eyes. "Don't worry, the kid's got friends now."
When it heard that, it happily barked and spun around her legs a few times before running up to the offertory box. The fox seemed pleased at what it saw as it then howled excitedly while looking at Yui, grateful for the silver-haired girl's help. The Hermit Social Link grew stronger, which still never made her stop wondering how in the world did she end up having a Social Link with a fox… but the TV world is strange enough, so she's not going to complain. With a small laugh, she went over to the shrine and sat by the old wooden steps as she closed her umbrella, now underneath the small roof of it.
It's strange how she's helping strangers by fulfilling the wishes on each ema the fox had shown her, but she needed some help with her own problems too.
Sighing, she stared out at the grey skies overhead, her gaze observing the pattering of the raindrops on the stone path as a small fog enveloped the area. It wasn't as bad as the usual fog that would appear after the rain had stopped, but it was enough to make one squint through the hazy air to see something from afar. This mist might as well be like her – she's lost her worries and questions, wondering just what to do with herself. She needed an answer… but who will give that to her?
Nearby, the fox approached the teenager and sat down next to her, a low hum or purr coming from the creature while it gazed at Yui. The silver-haired girl glanced at the fox and sadly smiled at it. "I wonder if you can understand the deep trouble I'm in…" she murmured to it. In response to her question, it yipped and bumped its head on her arm. "What, you want to know it?" Yui then asked, raising an eyebrow at its action. The fox straightened itself and barked at her, as if saying yes.
What an odd fox.
"Fine then…" Looking away from the animal, Yui stared out at the misty sight ahead of her. The fox might as well be her confidant on this rainy day. "I… I'm in love. With someone. He's a nice guy, with a soft personality under that tough look of his… but I shouldn't be feeling like this for him." Her cheeks were dusted pink as she admitted her predicament. "Yet I can't stop thinking of him, and I still have to see him whenever we meet up as a team… I know the logical thing to do is to keep my distance from him, however… I'm bound by a 'contract', so I can't just do that."
The fox then cocked its head. It seemed to understand, but something's puzzling it.
"…I can't reveal that I'm a girl to him, or to anyone. That's my real problem…" The silver-haired girl covered her eyes with a hand, letting the dark shadows blind her sight for the moment. "I'm afraid that my bonds with the people I know may break the moment I tell them the truth. I don't want to suffer that kind of pain – but the pain of potentially watching him fall for another girl is as painful as that. Plus, what would he think of me right now? Some kind of queer boy, or a weird guy?" Her breath hitched for a moment. "My chest just hurts all day, wondering if all of those will eventually become true."
Now the fox let out a small whine for her. It finally understood what her troubles were… Yui could only laugh pitifully, letting her hand fall from her eyes. "It's stupid. An heiress like me, forced to dress as the opposite gender as ordered by my parents, so my grandfather wouldn't pressure my family for a male heir after so long of trying to conceive one… and I've gone and made things worse by falling for a man…" She shook her head with a sigh, smiling wryly. "I've become a love-struck fool."
A bark from the animal next to her made her snap out of her self-demeaning speech. "…Ah."
Yui looked at the fox and noticed that it was kind of staring at her sternly… like a mother telling a child that they shouldn't think of themselves that way. For a moment, she stared back at it until the fox moved in front of her and got onto her lap by placing its front legs on it. "What are you…?" She paused when the animal then nuzzled her hand, and looked at her once it did that. She just gave it a look of confusion, which then made the fox repeat its action. "I don't know what you're trying to tell me," she bluntly told it, sheepish at the strange act.
The fox now looked somewhat frustrated. It got its front paws off of Yui's lap and ran up the stairs to the wooden floor she was sitting on in order to get closer to her. Once it did, it began rubbing its head on the girl's cheeks. "H-hey, why are you being so affectionate?" she questioned awkwardly. Then she noticed something – the fox never did something like this before… and it was certainly trying to tell her something as it stopped nuzzling her and gave her a knowing look in its eyes.
…Affectionate. Is it telling her to just… go for it?
"Oh, no. I can't just be all lovey-dovey with him!" Yui told it as her face reddened, almost like the colour of a rose. The fox barked at her with the same frustrated look, as if saying 'no'. "…You're not telling me to do that? What then…?" The silver-haired girl bit her lip while she tried to rack up an answer to the fox's actions. Her mind couldn't think of a single one, though… she looked back at the animal, still confused as to what it was trying to tell her. As a last resort, the fox went ahead and… uh, it looked like as if it was trying to smile. Except with sharp teeth.
Blinking a few times, Yui now wondered why it just 'smiled' when it hit her. Is it telling her just to discreetly show her feelings to Kanji with simple things, like a smile…? "You want me to… be natural and nice around him?"
At last, the fox yipped at her. That's definitely a yes. "Huh…" Yui thought about it for a moment. Rather than avoiding the man who held her heart… the fox was signalling her to just do simple things for him as an outlet for her emotions. It didn't sound too bad – she could just shrug it off as being friendly. At that conclusion, a small smile came to her lips. "…Maybe that's just the answer I needed." She glanced at the fox with a grateful smile. "Thank you for showing me."
Happily yipping, the fox then went down the steps to let her leave as it was getting late. Yui got up from where she sat to do just that, opening her umbrella first before stepping out from under the roof. She had an answer to her problems now… it's time she kept it in practice. So, she left the shrine to go back home…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Without nothing much to do at home, Yu decided to go to the hospital that night for his part-time job again.
He was just about to finish wiping the windows when it seemed like as if there was a noise coming from the dark hallway… he ignored it and continued to work, though it did worry him as to what the hell is roaming this place at a time like this. Once he finished with the windows, he turned around to go into one of the rooms when he noticed an old lady in a mourning dress get up and walk forward. Yu blinked once, wondering if the darkness was playing tricks on him… is she even real?
The old lady then looked at his direction. "My... oh... forgive me…" After a few seconds of silence, she then walked down the dark hallway, leaving the silver-haired boy wondering who she was. Without much of an answer to that, he could only continue to work.
That is, until Sayoko found him and dragged him to an empty room.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As Yu faced the nurse with a blank stare, Sayoko smiled at him. "Well done. You could just slack off and do a half-assed job, but you really do work your cute little butt off, don't you?" she told him teasingly. "...So why are you working at a job like this?" she then asked him. The teenager just took the job for experience, but the money was an extra bonus – his parents didn't even send money to him, much less his grandfather, so he had to rely on part-time jobs and the money dropped by Shadows in the TV world. "For the money," he answered, his voice unwavering.
"Hmmmm. You're a starving student? Then should you really be caught up here with a 'naughty' lady like me?" The nurse smiled mischievously, though it soon fell as she seemed to think of something. "But still, a young child shouldn't be wasting time wiping windows at the hospital... I'm sure there are girls who would cry if they saw you doing menial chores like this. Speaking of which... say, do you have a girlfriend?"
That question nearly made Yu freeze where he stood. What is he supposed to answer to that…? But seeing that she was endlessly teasing him and flirting with him, maybe he could throw her off that course. "…I do."
The same mischievous smile appeared on Sayoko's lips again. "Oho... then you can't let your girlfriend see you like this, hmm?" After saying that, she turned around with her back towards him. "...High schoolers are so young. They're only ten years younger, but they seem so far away... it's like they're glittering... I feel this... what do you call it? Envy? Maybe that's why..." She fell silent for a few seconds… then turned to face the silver-haired boy. "...I just want to see them get screwed over by life."
For a moment, Yu thought that she was serious. The nurse laughed, however. "Oho, that was a joke, of course. Half of it was, anyway..." Suddenly, she got closer to the teenager and looked at him in the eye. "...Do you see what I'm getting at?" she asked with a suggestive tone. Yu held back his nervousness and tried to stand his ground. "Stop it!"
"Oho... I keep telling you, silly, that that's the kind of reaction I just find... irresistible...!" Sayoko smirked at him. She then glanced at the door of the room. "I have to go now. I have a lot of work piling up. But I just can't help myself... it's because you're just so cute..." She smiled in satisfaction, and Yu could still feel her mischievous affection for him… as a result, the Devil Social Link became stronger. Eventually the black-haired woman looked at him again. "Sorry to bother you while you're on the job. Keep up the good work, okay?" She left the room as teenager watched her leave…
Eventually, Yu finished his job and went home. Tomorrow would still be a rainy day.
School ended the next day without much trouble. Yu had decided to go to town and see if the fox at the shrine had any requests for him to fulfil… and it did - this time, it was a request by a man who wanted to 'recapture the joy of life'. He accepted the request like usual, but seeing that it was still raining heavily, he probably wouldn't have any luck finding this man today. Thus, he spent his afternoon studying in the library at school before finally returning home for the evening.
The news on TV spoke that a thick fog would be enveloping Inaba that very night. Tonight, he'll have to check… but he's sure that there will be nothing on the Midnight Channel. As he did check, his guesses were true. Since Rise was already saved, the killer was thwarted once more. But now there's this dreaded feeling in his chest, like something bad was going to happen…
…Yui woke up to the sound of sirens in the distance.
As she got up with confusion, her cell phone suddenly rang out from where it was near her futon. Picking it up, she answered the call to hear Chie's voice on the other end.
"D-D-Did you hear yet!? They found a dead body just outside the shopping district! I don't get it! I mean, we… look, we're all meeting at Junes. Come over right away!"
The silver-haired girl could barely say a word upon hearing that as the call then ended. Rise was already saved… she couldn't have been the victim! Yet Yui can't be sure until she met up with the others at Junes, so she hastily got out of her futon and began to get dressed in her school clothes to go out.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Rushing over to the food court at Junes, Yu looked around to see where the team was. He soon heard Chie calling him from nearby, his head turning to glance at where her voice was.
"Hey, over here!" Chie was standing at a table, waving worriedly at him. Seeing that everyone but Yosuke was at a table, he approached them with that question in mind. "Where's Yosuke?" he asked her.
"Yosuke went over to check out the scene. He should be back soon…" Chie answered. Just as she said that, Yosuke ran over to the table with a grim expression on his face, gasping when he stopped. "Yeah, it was murder all right. The body was hanging upside down on an apartment's rooftop railing…"
"But… how could that…?" Yukiko could hardly believe it. However, the brunet had even worse news. "That's not all. The victim this time… it was King Moron."
This shocked everyone, and even made Yukiko and Kanji get up from their seats. How could have they been so wrong with this…?
"K-King Moron…!?" Chie stared at Yosuke with wide eyes, horrified to know that the supposed victim wasn't Rise… but rather, it was their homeroom teacher. Even Yu couldn't believe what he was hearing – sure, he disliked the guy, but to know that he's murdered… that's just nothing short of a tragedy.
"You mean THAT King Moron!? Senpai's homeroom teacher?" Kanji was startled to hear who the victim was.
Chie couldn't make sense of it. "Wh-Why…!? What on earth's going on here!?"
"How am I supposed to know!? But I talked to a guy there who saw it!" Yosuke told her, his expression falling. "It's true… there's no mistake."
"Gotta be shitting me… ain't the killer targeting people who get shown on TV? I ain't never seen King Moron on the Midnight Channel, or any other programs!" Kanji then said, not buying it.
Yosuke stared down at the ground, gritting his teeth. "Why…? Why did this happen?" he muttered, his hands turning into fists. Chie hung her head morosely. "I thought we finally figured some things out… were they all just a big coincidence…?"
"Maybe the Midnight Channel doesn't have anything to do with this…" Yukiko murmured, her expression crestfallen. It frustrated Yosuke who shouted angrily. "Dammit! We came so far, and now we're back to square one!?" His shoulders then slumped. "Were we in over our heads, trying to catch a culprit that even the police couldn't find…?"
"No, it's too early to give up just yet," Yu told him and the others, trying to encourage them. There must be something behind all this, even if there was the possibility that they've been wrong the whole time since they formed this team.
Kanji had to nod in agreement. "Damn straight! We started this thing 'cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. We give up now, and that shithead's gonna be on the loose forever. This ain't the time for bitching and moaning… we just gotta keep on keepin' on."
"Kanji-kun…" Yukiko was surprised to hear such a speech from the blond. Yosuke couldn't help but smile at that. "Hmph… big talk from someone like you, Kanji," he commented.
"Wh-What's that s'posedta mean!?" Kanji questioned him, a bit uneasy at the brunet's words.
Yosuke just sighed with the smile still on his face. "I know… we're dealing with a murderer here. But we've all risked our lives to get this far… no way we'll back down. And we promised the bear, too…"
Chie then realised something. "Hey, that's right! Maybe Teddie knows something about this!"
"Well, since moping around won't do us any good, let's go see him!"
They all nodded in agreement, and soon headed to the electronics department.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
When they arrived, they were met with the sight of some staff talking among themselves. It was strange – staff weren't usually around this department, which was what allowed them to frequent their trips to the TV world and back without much trouble. Yosuke approached a pair of employees discussing something.
"Hi there. Did something happen?" he asked them both. The female employee noticed him. "Ah, Yosuke-kun."
"Great timing. Did the manager tell you anything about this?" The other employee then asked the brunet. When Yosuke gave him a confused look, he explained some more. "There's been this weird mascot around our department for quite a while now… is there some kind of campaign on today?" he asked again.
"Mascot…?" The brunet just seemed puzzled.
"He said his name was… uh, what was it? Terry? Eddie?" The female employee tried to remember the name of the 'mascot', which sounded… very familiar. The other male employee decided to let it be. "Well, there are no customers around, so I guess it's fine… I better get back to my station."
So, the pair left, leaving Yosuke standing there with a troubled look. "Please don't tell me…"
Looking to the side, what Chie then saw shocked her. "Whoa, h-he's here!" she told the others. Everyone else glanced at where the brunette looked as well, and they reacted the same way… for what sat in one of the massaging chairs on display was none other than Teddie. It was really the bear, in his colourful suit and teddy bear-like shape.
In the real world.
At Junes.
How ridiculous was that?
"Aaaaahhh. This really hits the spot." Teddie was noticeably enjoying the massage chair… the team ran over to him, startled to see that he's in the real world in the first place. Yosuke was stuttering in disbelief, unable to form words. "Wh-What the…? I mean, how'd you…?"
The bear then saw them all there. "It took you guys long enough! I've been waiting."
"Teddie, are you okay on this side!?" Yukiko asked him in surprise. "How did you even leave your side!?" Kanji also asked, his eyes wide with shock. The bear answered them in a casual manner. "Of course I can come out. There's an exit. It just never occurred to me to do it before. But spending time with you all sparked my curiosity about this world! I did wonder if it was a good idea, but my feel started moving before I could decide. And when I thought about it, I had nowhere to go, and it was a waste to go back. So I waited here for you. Oh, someone asked for my name. So I told them, 'I'm Teddie'."
Chie felt sheepish. "So that's why…" Though it didn't really answer the real question of how can he be in this world.
"Oh yeah, there's something we need to ask you! How long have you been here, Teddie? Did anyone enter the other world?" Yukiko asked again.
"I stayed until the fog settled in on my side, but no one came," Teddie told them. The team perked up at those words – there was no one in the other world when the fog came? "You're positive? You really didn't sense a single person?" Yosuke questioned him in a serious tone.
"I just said that I didn't! I was there all by myself, like always. Hmph!"
"And your nose wasn't clogged or anything…?"
This got Teddie mad. "Grrr, aren't you listening!? I was utterly, totally, and 100% alone! That's why I came over here! But I can understand if you don't believe me. My senses aren't that good lately anyways…"
"Hey, I believe you, Teddie," Yu said to the bear, smiling softly. Teddie's doing his best despite his senses failing since they first saved Yukiko… and it's not fun to be underappreciated. Teddie smiled happily at the silver-haired boy's belief in him. "Oh! Sensei's heart is radiating pure kindness…!"
Chie looked at Yu. "Well, it's true that the Midnight Channel was blank last night. And even before that… Teddie says he didn't sense anything, right? Does that mean… King Moron was never on that side?" she wondered. Yosuke sighed, crossing his arms. "Hmm… what's going on?"
"Hey, hey, I wanna go somewhere!" Teddie spoke up.
"Huh? Now ain't the time, dude… you seriously don't plan on going back, do you? Where do you wanna go, anyway?" Kanji asked him, a bit exasperated. The bear then got off the massaging chair, a pair of glasses with a pink frame in his hand. "I want to give this to Rise-chan. It's for her." He handed it over to Yu. "Rise-chan will probably back us up from now on! So I'm gonna fight alongside you with everything I got!"
Now that shocked everyone else. Teddie's going to fight with them?
"Don't think of me as the same cute little Teddie! I'm an all-new model! I have a powerful attack, an unbeatable defence, and a winning smile! Today begins the New Legend of Teddie!"
"Wow… a new legend…" Yukiko seemed astonished, but the rest just looked at the bear uncertainly. Nonetheless, Teddie has joined the group as a front-line fighter now… he'll be a strong asset in their battle against the Shadows. Because of this, the strength of the Fool Social Link increased…
People began to gather around them as they stared at Teddie. Yosuke began to worry. "Uh-oh, people are starting to stare… keep it down, will ya, Ted!? C'mon, let's go somewhere else!"
So, they headed back to the food court with Teddie.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay, just to make sure, I'm gonna ask you one last time. Nobody was over there, except for you, until the fog came back. Correct?" Yosuke was questioning Teddie, just to make sure that the bear wasn't wrong.
"That's what I've been saying," The bear told him, now seated in a chair while the brunet was standing next to him.
"He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel either…" Chie mused, now seeing how Mr. Morooka's death wasn't like the others…
"What's up with that?" Kanji questioned.
Yosuke sighed. "No clue… but I think we can be sure now that King Moron was never thrown into the TV."
"Then what, he was killed over here? Why not throw him into a TV, like all the rest?" Chie asked, raising a question that still hung over everyone's head. Yu guessed that the killer possibly had some special reason to kill Mr. Morooka… "It's possible that they never intended to."
"They never intended to…? So you're saying he wasn't like the other victims to begin with? But why?" Yosuke tried to think about it. After a moment, Yukiko soon realised why. "Maybe the culprit thought he couldn't kill any more people by throwing them into TVs. I mean, we prevented his last three attempts in a row," she told them her theory.
Chie nodded, her eyes widening as that theory made sense. "Ahhh, I get you… that could be it!"
Kanji grew frustrated at the turn of events. "So they snuffed someone on our side this time to make sure it worked. Dammit… if that's true, then we have no way of preventing more murders unless we catch the killer!"
"We need more clues… I wonder if Rise-chan's up and around yet."
"Yeah… we'll have to put our hopes on her." Yosuke then glanced at Teddie who was… sweating? The bear sighed, feeling uncomfortable. "It's so hot out… I'm taking this off." His words made the rest of the team stare at him in shock as Yosuke looked around worriedly.
"Wait, you're not talking about your head, are you!?" Upon seeing Teddie reaching for the head of his suit, the brunet pressed on it to stop him. "Cut it out! There's kids watching! Geez… they'll be scarred for life if they see an empty mascot walking around. Have a little consideration, man."
"I'm glad you're back to normal, though. Your fur's all fuzzy again!" Yukiko said, smiling at the bear.
"C-Can I feel it…?" Kanji asked meekly, though Teddie just flat out refused to let him.
"No!"
The blond just huffed quietly, somewhat dejected at being refused by the bear to touch his fur. Teddie merely gazed at the others with an excited expression. "Actually, I'm no longer a hollow bear! Mwahaha! I trained and trained, hoping to someday score with Chie-chan and Yuki-chan… and now I finally have an inside!" he announced gleefully. Chie didn't sound too convinced. "Yeah… good job with that."
Yukiko was more annoyed about what the bear said. "Come on! Can't we give it a rest with the whole 'scoring' thing?"
"Dude, you're hollow. Taking your head off isn't gonna cool you down!" Yosuke said, looking at Teddie with some puzzlement at the bear's persistence in taking off the head of his suit. Teddie just looked like he could sweat himself a whole bucket. "But I just told you! I'm not hollow anymore! Agh, it's too hot. I can't stand it…" He reached his hands behind him to grab at the zipper of his suit, struggling to open it… the teenagers stared at him as he did, until he managed to get his suit open.
Inside the bear's suit was a sight they never expected. Ever.
"Whoa! What the…?" Yosuke was taken aback at the sight of a handsome blonde-haired boy inside the suit, who was naked and sweating heavily, but was obviously enjoying the cool breeze.
"Ah… much better…" The boy spoke, bearing Teddie's voice…
"No way…!" Chie murmured, flabbergasted at what she saw. The boy – or is it really Teddie? – then picked up a can of soda on the table and began to drink it somewhat… attractively as well. The shining of the sunlight on his pristine-white skin just added to it.
Teddie let out a satisfied sigh once he took a few gulps. "Ahh… that hit the spot." He opened his eyes, revealing a pair of sapphire blue eyes that could mesmerise just about anyone, perhaps even a guy. Yu stared at him, stunned at what he was seeing – if this was really Teddie, then the male models he saw in the city before were no match for Teddie's… er, beauty.
It was almost as if Teddie was sparkling in the sunlight as he looked at Chie and Yukiko with a smile. "Hey, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan."
"Y-Yes…?" Chie's eyes were wide as she kept staring at the light blond.
"Do you have anything to wear? I'm basically like a newborn at the moment…"
"T-Teddie? Is that really you…?"
"Umm…" Yukiko could hardly form words in her mind. A moment later, the brunette noticed what Teddie just said. "Wait, did you say you're like a newborn!? Then don't take the bottom part off!" A small blush appeared on her cheeks. "You need some clothes, right? C'mon, let's go look around…" She, Yukiko and Teddie then went off to get some clothes for the bear-now-turned-human, leaving the rest of the team at the table.
"That's… Teddie…?" Kanji murmured, staring at Teddie with visible shock in his own eyes. "He said he's not hollow anymore… so, like… he grew himself a body in there?"
"What kinda creature would do that!? I mean… what IS he?" Yosuke then sighed, shaking his head. "Then again, this is hardly the first bizarre thing we've seen… and I gotta admit, it's probably better than him walking around in his bear suit." He then remembered something. "Oh, hey, weren't we gonna see about talking to Rise? I was so shocked that I lost track of what we were talking about. Let's head over to Rise's place. As for Teddie… he's with the girls, so he should be fine."
Yu and Kanji nodded in agreement with the brunet's suggestion, so they went home first to change into their regular clothes before heading down to the shopping district.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The trio decided to wait for the girls and Teddie, so they stopped for some Topsicles… which were like popsicles but they're not exactly popsicles either. Yu didn't even know how to explain about them, other than the fact that they're pretty good.
"Mmmm-mmm! It's finally the season for Topsicles again." Kanji was enjoying his two Topsicles as he ate them. Yosuke stared at him with some concern. "Dude, how many are you going to eat? You're gonna get a stomach ache."
Yu just laughed at that. "Just let him be, Yosuke. The summer heat is hot enough already," he said jokingly to his best friend.
"Ugh… fine, but don't say I didn't warn him!" Yosuke retorted with a small groan, but he chuckled nonetheless. Kanji looked over at the silver-haired boy, to which Yu noticed him doing so. Remembering his time with the fox two days earlier, he chose to follow the advice the fox had shown him and gave the blond a soft yet bright smile to him. His cheeks had a rosy hue to them – whether that was because of the heat or something else, no one would know but him.
Kanji could only stare at him in surprise as his own cheeks began to grow red, but nonetheless, he kind of smiled back at his senior. They certainly didn't forget what happened back in the flood plains… but they weren't about to say a thing about it anytime soon.
The moment was broken by the arrival of both Chie and Yukiko.
"Sorry we're late…" Chie told them apologetically. Yosuke sighed with a shake of his head. "How'd it take you that long to find clothes for Ted?" he questioned them. At that time, Teddie then approached them while dressed in some fancy modern clothes that fit his new appearance quite well. The trio of boys froze at the sight of him. "Whoa…! I-Is that you, Teddie…?" Yosuke asked nervously, his eyes wide with surprise. Teddie nodded, smiling. "Oui, monsieur! How do I look?"
"C'est magnifique." Yu couldn't help it, even answering in a French accent himself. He just grinned cheekily while Chie groaned. "Uh, don't encourage him. I have to say, it totally blew my mind, but he's Teddie alright. This guy had to make it a huge ordeal… everything was new to him, so it turned into a big mess. He was so excited in the women's section that he started blabbering…" She then looked at Teddie and began scolding him, causing him to hang his head in shame. "Hey, you can't just go around doing whatever you please when you're in this form, got it?"
"Well, he can't help it. It's his first time in our world." Yukiko was more forgiving, though. The brunette sighed. "All right… you don't need to get all mopey like that," she told the light blond next to her. "I never said I won't forgive you!"
In an instant, Teddie lifted his head and smiled in relief. "I'm so glad! I was worried that you didn't like me anymore."
Chie chuckled at that. "Man… if you can behave yourself, you'll be pretty cute."
For some reason, Yosuke began to ask Kanji about that. "Is he cute…? What do you think, Kanji?" he asked the younger boy next to him. Kanji stared at him warily. "Huh? What're you asking me for?" he asked back.
"Well, I was just wondering if he was your type."
"Yosuke…" Yu looked at his best friend disapprovingly. They were supposed to be over with this.
Thankfully, Kanji seemed like he was not taking shit from the brunet anymore. "Ohhh… I get it. What you're really asking is… 'Will you please beat the shit out of me, Kanji?'."
Now this got a troubled look out of Yosuke, and Yukiko began to laugh despite trying to hold in it.
"It ain't funny, Yukiko-senpai."
"S-Sorr-heehee…"
Chie just sighed again. "You'll have to forgive Yukiko. She's helpless once she gets this way…"
"Oooh, please, everyone! Don't fight over me, baby!" Teddie told them all, which only infuriated Kanji more.
"Shuddup! You picking a fight with me!?"
And this made Yukiko totally lose it. "Ahahahahahaha!"
"Geez… oh well." Yosuke then gave Kanji a 1000-yen bill. "Here, Kanji. Get whatever ice cream you want, just share it with Teddie. We're gonna head for the tofu shop. Wait here until we get back."
"Wow, you're rich!" Teddie was astonished to see the brunet give some money to Kanji.
"I can't just take this from you!" Kanji said as he shook his head, shocked that Yosuke would give him some money in the first place. Yosuke glanced at Teddie with a small smile. "Think of it as a welcome-back party for Teddie. Just don't go around making a racket."
Chie and Yukiko looked at each other for a moment, then the former smiled at the brunet. "Whoa, Yosuke, what's gotten into you? You're acting like a real senpai all of a sudden. Oh, I get it. You might say differently, but you're still nice to Teddie. I'm glad Yosuke's developing into such a mature adult. Someone who doesn't let trifles bother him."
…This sounded off.
"What…? You're worrying me, Chie." Yosuke looked at her suspiciously.
"Oh, it's about Teddie's clothes, that's all. We didn't have the money for them, so we charged the rest to you."
"Charge?" Yosuke then realised what she meant. "WHAT!? You put it on my account!? What the hell, Chie!? I never said you could do that!"
"What else were we supposed to do!? This stuff was expensive, even for Junes!"
The brunet took a few steps back, dismayed at the news. "You seriously charged it to me? Wh-Why would you do that!? You know I've been saving up to buy a motorcycle!"
"Oh, that. You don't need one."
"What!?"
Teddie attempted to calm Yosuke down. "C'mon baby. Stop fighting over—" He got cut off by the brunet yelling at him. "Shuddup! This is your fault, y'know! Grrrrr… you listen here, Ted… you better take really, really, REALLY good care of that. If you put even a single tear in it, I'll make your next set of clothes out of the bear hide you took off!"
This made the light blond look down in shame once more as Chie and Yosuke started another one of their arguments…
"Yo Teddie, don't let it get you down," Kanji told Teddie. "Let's go get some Topsicles."
At that suggestion, the light blond ran around the arguing pair to go with Kanji so they could get some Topsicles. Yu watched the guy who held his heart leave with Teddie with a wistful gaze until Yukiko spoke to him. "Let's go on ahead… I think they're going to be a while."
"Ah… alright." With a nod, the silver-haired boy went to the tofu shop with her, leaving Chie and Yosuke to argue it out among themselves.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
When they arrived at the tofu shop, they saw the person Kanji had talked with back when they first saw him was there. "Ah… I had a feeling you'd come."
"You're…!" Yukiko recognized the blue-haired boy from that day as well. He approached the two, speaking with such formality. "Are you here to ingratiate yourself with Rise Kujikawa now?"
Just then, Yosuke and Chie arrived there as well. "Geez… why did the clerk even let them charge it to someone else…?" The former muttered under his breath when he soon noticed the blue-haired boy with Chie. "Huh? W-Wait, you're that guy we saw with Kanji…!"
"Precisely. I don't believe we've met since then - in fact, I don't believe I've ever introduced myself. My name is Naoto Shirogane. I'm investigating the multiple murders that have occurred here."
This surprised the team. This boy was a detective?
"Mind if I ask you a few questions on the subject? The latest victim, Kinshiro Morooka… he was a teacher at the school you all attend, correct?" Naoto questioned them.
"S-so what?" Chie asked him nervously.
"The public is focused on the fact that he is associated with the second victim's school… but in truth, that's irrelevant. What intrigues me is the inconsistency. This Morooka… has never appeared on television. What do you make of that?"
Now that took the team off guard. Somehow, this Naoto Shirogane guy has figured out the pattern of the murderer too… he's quite impressive if compared to the police officers of Inaba.
"…How are we supposed to know?" Yosuke said, trying to act like he didn't know anything about it.
"Well, we'll leave it at that." Naoto then walked around the group to leave, but stopped in his steps for a moment. "Well then, until we meet again." He continued on his way after that, leaving the group feeling like they just got their deepest secrets revealed.
"Who is that guy…?" Yosuke murmured, watching as the blue-haired boy left.
"It felt like he completely saw through us… he even knew about the TV thing." Chie seemed worried at that. Before they could continue on about that, they heard a voice from behind them. "Oh… hi."
Turning around, they saw who that voice belonged to – Rise Kujikawa.
"Rise-chan!" Yukiko smiled upon seeing Rise looking all fine and healthy. "Are you okay now…?" she asked, to which the dark brunette nodded in response. Yosuke smiled as well in relief. "Good, good…"
"Are you all here to check up on me?" Rise then asked them, wondering why they were all gathered in front of the tofu shop.
"Well, yeah…"
"Oh, um… do you guys have a moment? There's something I want to tell you. Follow me. My grandma's taking care of the shop today."
"Huh? Sure, okay…"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They went to the shrine with Rise, with her telling them of what she remembered when she got kidnapped. "Yeah, I remember being at my house… when I came to, though, I was already in the other world."
Chie sighed, dejected at the lack of helpful information. "Still no real information on the killer…"
Yosuke decided to ask the dark brunette something else. "We met this weird kid named Naoto a second ago…" he started off. Rise recognised who he meant. "Oh… he's come to the shop several times. He asked me a lot about the incident. I didn't tell him anything about the other world, though. I figured it'd be a waste of time. Actually, he asked me about you guys too, but I just made up some stuff. Like, 'They found me unconscious on the roof at Junes'."
"Well, I guess that's close enough to the truth."
"Um… so…" Rise seemed nervous…
"Hm…? What's up?" Chie asked her in concern.
"Um… I-I really appreciate what you did for me…" Rise's face immediately brightened up with a smile. "Thank you soooo much! I love you guys!" Her words got the team a little flustered at the word of thanks.
"Huh…? Awww, you don't have to thank us!" Chie told her, smiling sheepishly. Yosuke was blushing at how cute Rise was, or so he said. "Dude… she's so cute… man, it's finally hitting me that you're the real deal. You really are Risette."
"Well, I know I sounded gloomy and all from stress, so… I-I thought you might not like me that way…" Rise admitted to them. "Do I… sound weird? Oh, but I guess it sounds more 'natural' this way to the public… I'm sorry… I've practically lost touch with what the normal me is like." Her smiled fell as she said that.
Chie laughed a little. "Haha, no need to apologize. Just do what comes naturally."
"I think everyone has multiple sides to them. You don't have to force yourself to decide on just one," Yukiko added with a reassuring smile.
"Heh, it sounds convincing when Yukiko says it."
"Huh…? R-Really?"
Rise was silent at the exchange for a few seconds… then she chuckled, smiling again. "Thanks. I'm glad you're the first people I got to know here."
"Oh yeah, we almost forgot your present. The Teddie Glasses." Chie remembered the pair of glasses Teddie had given to Yu back at Junes. "Um, you don't have to take them, but… well…" She glanced at Yu who nodded at her, knowing what she meant. The thing is… what should he say when giving them to her…?
Rise didn't miss the contemplating look in the silver-haired boy's eyes. "Senpai… would you be struggling without my help?"
The rest of the teenagers stared at her in surprise. Was she willing to do this?
"I can help you in that world, right? With my power… so wouldn't it be better if I joined the team?"
…Guess that Yu didn't even have to ask her to join. Nodding in response, he gave her the pair of glasses.
"These are kinda proof that you're one of us…" Yosuke told the dark brunette. Yu went ahead and explained the effect of the glasses of Rise. "These glasses help us to see through the fog in that world, and by wearing them, you won't be affected too much by the atmosphere there."
"I see… I do remember you all wearing glasses over there." Rise smiled brightly. "Thanks, Senpai. Now I'm part of the team, too!"
Now Rise Kujikawa has joined the group – she'll definitely be a strong asset in solving the case. Yu could feel the Fool Social Link grow in strength as a new member has joined the team… Rise's powers seemed much stronger than Teddie's, so she'll probably be essential in locating victims in the TV world.
"I'll be going to Yasogami High, starting tomorrow. But I don't have any friends yet, so don't ignore me, alright?" Rise's cheeks reddened slightly as she smiled at the silver-haired boy. "I do owe you my life, so… you know…"
"Leave it to me," Yu told her with a smile back. It shouldn't be too much trouble… though he still had to be careful. His response surprised Rise.
"W-Wow… I didn't realize you were so cool, Senpai."
"This sure is a rough time to transfer here, though," Yosuke commented. "The kidnappings, King Moron's death… all that, and exams are soon, too." He sighed at the reminder that exams were coming. "Exams… now I'm depressing myself. I wonder if there's any chance they'll be cancelled…"
"I doubt it. They always hold exams, rain or shine…" Chie told him, looking just as troubled as the brunet was. Rise chuckled at the two's words. "I almost got killed by those monsters. Compared to that, exams are nothing."
Yosuke crossed his arms, nodding. "Alrighty then, let's discuss the case some more tomorrow at our special headquarters."
The sound of footsteps from behind alerted them to someone approaching them. When they turned around, they only saw Kanji there. "Yo. How's it going?" he greeted casually. "Dude, Teddie ate five Topsicles… though if you count the ones I had before, that makes six, so I still win." He said that with a smile, as if he was proud about that fact.
Yosuke stared at him weirdly. "No one asked…"
"We're all done talking already!" Rise told the blond. She then got closer to Yu, holding his arm as she grinned cheerfully. "Let's go, Senpai!"
The silver-haired boy was trying with all of his might to not grimace at the closeness he had with the idol. Ah, fuck… if Rise was going to be this close, he's going to immensely regret being a gentleman to her, but it's not like he had a choice to not act like that anyway.
Kanji raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Uh… when did you get so chipper?"
Rise smiled at Kanji as well. "Do you go to Yasogami, like Senpai? I'll be starting school there tomorrow, so I hope we get along too."
"Huh? Oh… cool. Uhh… what grade are you in?"
Yukiko let out a small snort. Yosuke ignored her and asked him where Teddie was. "So, where's Teddie?"
"He's over there, finishing up his fifth Topsicle. What are we gonna do with him?"
The brunet sighed. "Well… I guess I'll take him home…"
With all that done, they split up and went home for the day.
Yu was left feeling troubled at the new circumstances he was now in – how is he going to handle Rise's actions and his feelings towards Kanji all at the same time? He finally came to terms with his emotions… and now he had to deal with an idol's evident flirting towards himself.
…What a life.