A/N: This chapter's a little bit more of social links and game events, and maybe some extra. I'm just distracted by a cat these days - she's suddenly so loving, how can I pass up the chance? Welp, next chapter might be more social links while waiting for Mr. Killer Student to show up...
Ganheim - I'll admit, seeing that much mistakes pointed out made me think (and hesitate) on writing a new chapter for some hours on the day I saw your review. I thank you for giving your time to look over the first two chapters, but I'm afraid that I'll have to pass on fixing those two chapters up... because in the end, I'm really just writing this for fun. Studying science subjects have admittedly made my speech a little 'sciency'... and the way I write works for getting marks in tests, which has become a habit. That's probably an excuse, but it's a reason why.
Mr Giraffe - Lol, next chapter would have some Rise I think, so stay tuuuuuned!
Creedpah - Yeah, you're on to something, which is bad in my case, because I need to keep things secret to pack a punch to you and other readers! As for Yui being afraid that her bonds will break + not trusting them, a reason lies behind that as well... and I ain't revealing it just yet, haha. Thank you for your compliments!
Yu had himself a hot drink while watching the news with Nanako that was talking about the murders in Inaba… and that the third victim was Mr. Morooka. As worrying as the circumstances of that man's death was, he was a little preoccupied with his new problem about Rise – she's too close for his own comfort, and he's already in love with a guy… the worst thing that can happen now was that she or any other girl he knew fell in love with him. That'll just make it harder for him to reveal his true gender.
"What's wrong? Was it someone you know?" Nanako asked him, looking a bit scared. "…He died?"
Noticing the look on his cousin's face, the silver-haired boy tried to calm her down. "It's okay… I'm here with you." He gave her a reassuring smile. Nanako nodded, smiling back with some relief. "I'm all right…"
Focusing back on the news, Yu noted how livelier it sounded this time. The reporters must be having a blast talking about Mr. Morooka's ways of teaching and how it might be the motive for his murder. However, this all only meant one thing for Nanako whose smile fell. "Dad won't be coming home again today…" she murmured sadly. Now the silver-haired boy wondered on how to cheer her up – he had already talked to her… oh, maybe a magic trick could do.
So, he got her attention by holding his hands up together. Then, he seemingly moved a finger on his right hand to his left, or so it did to the little girl sitting opposite of him. It was an old trick he saw when he was young, but he had a feeling that it would get Nanako's attention anyway… and it did.
"Huh?! Do it again, do it again!"
"Alright then…" Chuckling, Yu repeated the trick again though this time, he moved a finger on his left hand to his right hand. Nanako seemed to cheer up at the trick, looking surprised. "It moved! Hey, how did you do that? Tell me, tell me!"
At least he got his cousin all happy again. When it got late, he put her to bed like usual before going back to his room.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Falling back into the depths of his dreams, Yu instead found himself in the extravagant interior of the limousine-like Velvet Room, with Igor and Margaret at the other end of the vehicle the moment he opened his eyes.
"Welcome. It's been quite some time…" Igor greeted him, his voice smooth and deep like it has always been. "Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world… I have summoned you within your dreams. How are things proceeding…? Are you gradually drawing nearer to a solution to the mystery…?"
Nodding once, the silver-haired boy answered, "…Yes."
"Excellent."
"The season has changed, but your future is not yet closed. In time, a path will open to you," Margaret informed the teenager.
"Our true reason for calling you here tonight is to provide a new form of assistance to help you achieve just that. Fusing Personas… have you been using our services diligently? The aid we will henceforth provide is an advanced form of fusion… I speak of the power to fuse four or more Personas at once. I am quite certain that this will enable you to command even stronger powers…" Igor added, signalling to Yu that he could now do advanced types of fusions. Whatever that was, he'll have to visit the Velvet Room again another day.
"Now… your journey will soon reach its climax… and as a result, many challenges - which I cannot foresee at present - await you. Most interesting…" Igor chuckled, giving the silver-haired boy a knowing smile. "Well, until we meet again… farewell."
The world began to fog up, and Yu eventually couldn't see anything but the white mist covering his eyes… until it all turned to inky black.
"Yo, Yu."
Glancing behind him, Yu saw Yosuke running up to him from behind. "Oh, Yosuke."
The brunet soon caught up to him and walked at the same pace for a small chat. "I still can't believe it… our homeroom teacher was killed. I… couldn't get that much sleep yesterday." He sighed for a moment. "How about you? Are you alright?" he then asked.
"I'm fine." As much as he disliked the poor bastard of a teacher, Yu could only feel sorry for the guy who was now gone from this world. No one deserves to die so early – not even Mr. Morooka. Sure, one could talk about the ones who truly deserve death for their crimes… but death in that case is merely an escape. What those people deserve is a life sentence in prison, to live out their lifetimes until death comes to knock on their doors.
"Well… if we start getting depressed over something like this, we'll never catch the killer, huh? Hmm… oh, yeah… this means we'll be getting a new homeroom teacher. I wonder who it'll be… well, I'm pretty sure that they won't be able to find anyone worse than King Moron."
"Don't tempt fate…" The silver-haired boy murmured out. God only knows how many times he's heard a phrase similar to that… and knowing Yosuke's luck, the replacement teacher is probably going to be worse than Mr. Morooka.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
…Like always, Yosuke was wrong.
The new homeroom teacher that entered the room was a woman this time, but instead of being irritable like Mr. Morooka, she was… sultry. The way she left her pink collared shirt slightly unbuttoned to show her lacy red bra was a no-brainer to her attitude. "Goooood mornin'. I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, your new class teacher starting today."
In an instant, Yu could see the horrified looks on everyone's faces.
"You all probably know already, but now that Mr. Morooka has passed away… I'll be taking good care of you instead." She giggled, her voice quite befitting her appearance. "Okay, why don't we start off with a moment of silence for Mr. Morooka. Close your eyes, everyone…"
Following her order, everyone including Yu shut their eyes…
"…That should be good enough."
The moment they opened their eyes, they saw Ms. Kashiwagi sitting on the desk with her legs and arms crossed in a way that was meant to be seductive, but it just made her look creepy to the average guy. She's as bad as Mr. Morooka at this point…
"I'll do my best to fill Mr. Morooka's shoes. So our regular exams are still on track for next week. As your principal said, 'It's times like these when the schedule is most important, Nori-chan'." The brunette lady giggled again. "It must be tough for you. But that's what it means to become an adult, little by little." She gave them all a teasing smile. "Oh, and one more thing. That idol in our first-year class… Ms. Kujikawa, was it? In person, she's nothing like she seems on TV, so don't get your hopes up, mmkay?"
In an instant, her face twisted in disgust. "What's so great about an idol anyway, right class? She's just a piece of inexperienced jailbait." She began ranting on and on from there, and Yu felt like she's worse than Mr. Morooka now. He could handle a man being a shitty guy in general, but a woman ranting on about other girls in a never-ending battle of beauty is something he can never understand. As all that happened, he could hear his classmates gossiping… and what caught his and his friends' attentions were that they had seen the striptease show Rise's Shadow was in on the Midnight Channel.
"The rumour about the Midnight Channel is spreading further…" Chie murmured, looking around worriedly.
"We'd better wrap this case up quick. Anyways, let's meet up later. Don't make any plans for this afternoon," Yosuke told her and Yu. The two nodded in understanding – they just needed to tell the others then.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Since there was eight of them now, the Investigation Team sat at a bigger table that was under a canopy instead of their regular table.
"Ugh… finals are next week… it's been a while since I failed any subjects…" Chie groaned at that fact.
"Yeah, if by 'a while' you mean 'all the time'," Yosuke commented with a straight face.
"Sh-Shut up! Like you've ever seen my scores!"
"But Chie always has above-average marks in the subjects that she doesn't fail!" Yukiko added with a smile on her lips, which made the brunette a little embarrassed.
"H-Hey! Why'd you tell him!? My scores just… vary! Yeah, that's it!"
Rise then laughed a little at that.
"R-Rise-chan, you too…?"
However, the idol shook her head much to the confusion of the others. She giggled as she explained herself. "Sorry… I'm not laughing at you. It's just… I thought it would take me a while to make any friends at my new school."
"Too bad we met under such awful circumstances."
"Oh yeah… what do you guys think about King Moron's case?" Yosuke asked about Mr. Morooka's murder to the others. "He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel even once."
"If this person had been inside the TV, I would've sensed it. My nose isn't as sharp now, but I can tell that much," Teddie then informed them. Chie's eyebrows furrowed as she thought about it. "But they found the body on a foggy day again, right? They said on the news that that crime scene was just the way it was for that announcer and Saki-senpai."
Now the three of them just looked puzzled.
"I really wonder about the culprit's motives… why was Mr. Morooka targeted?" Yukiko said, bringing the question of why their previous homeroom teacher was chosen as a target this time.
"Hope it wasn't personal, 'cause there's way too many people who hated King Moron's guts," Kanji then commented.
He had a good point… yet Rise didn't seem to buy the 'motive' theory, saying, "But didn't you say it's people who get famous on TV who are targeted? If the killer's choosing targets by watching TV, I picture him as someone who doesn't know the victims at all. I don't think it's worth trying to figure out motives for that type. There are too many people who hold grudges against you for no reason, even if you've never met them before."
Chie glanced at the dark brunette with some pity. "Haha… you sound like you speak from experience, Rise-chan… but with King Moron, he didn't appear on the Midnight Channel or the regular TV…" She sighed, shaking her head. "Urgh… I don't get this at all!"
"Man, two victims in a row from our school… that's gotta set off the police's alarm bells. They're not gonna leave any stones at school unturned," Kanji muttered – he could definitely see how chaotic the school is going to be with the police.
"Y'know, to be honest…" Yosuke spoke up, getting the attention of the others. "Somewhere deep inside, I thought maybe King Moron was the killer…" he admitted, which surprised Chie and Yukiko. He continued on. "The news says that he was the second victim from Yasogami High, but we all know that's not the case. And I've heard him say more than once that so-and-so deserves to die… but now… I feel bad that I doubted him. He was a capital-A asshole, but that doesn't justify killing him… and not just King Moron… I feel sorry for all the victims… I can't forgive the killer, no matter what!" He said that with such fierceness in his eyes…
Everyone fell silent for a few moments, until Chie said something. "Well, we'll do what we can, for King Moron's sake too! At this rate, you have to figure that the killer has something to do with the school, right? So why don't we split up and—" She was interrupted by a familiar sounding voice.
"That won't be necessary."
A blue-haired boy walked to the front of the table, gaining the attention of the team. It was Naoto Shirogane, the detective Yu and some of them had met back at the tofu shop the other day. Kanji's eyes widened at the sight of him. "Y-You…"
"There is no need to examine the case of Mr. Morooka any further."
"Wh-why's that?" Chie asked.
"Apparently, the police has found a suspect. It would be best to let them handle the case from here."
Everyone stared at Naoto in surprise.
"H-How do you know…?" Yosuke then hesitantly asked the detective. "I'm on this case as a special investigator, by request of the prefectural police," Naoto responded in a serious tone. This got the brunet to stand up in shock. "What?!"
"They found a suspect…!? Who is it!?" Chie inquired the blue-haired boy.
"As to his name, I haven't been informed. I do know… that he is a high schooler." Naoto revealed that to the team, shocking them further. "It isn't public knowledge yet, but he isn't a student of your high school. It seems they are quite confident that this boy is the killer… they have testimonies directly linking him with the incident. I expect it's only a matter of time before he is apprehended. Soon, this case will be solved, and your town will once again be its peaceful, rustic self."
"The suspect… is a high schooler…?" Yosuke muttered that, letting that fact seep in. He eventually sat back down, his arms crossed. "All right… so why come tell us? That's confidential info, right? Why run right here and spill it?"
"Your 'game' will soon reach its end. I felt I should at least let you know that."
Yu frowned at the detective's words. "…It's not a game to us." It was a matter of life and death to the victims… why would they think of it as a game?
"You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourselves in the matter? Well, no matter. I have no reason to say anything further."
"A game…? Aren't you the one who thinks of this as a game?" Rise questioned Naoto, who was taken aback by her words. She continued to tell the blue-haired boy off. "I don't care if you're a special investigator or an amateur sleuth… all you're doing is solving mysteries. What could you possibly know about us? You're the one who's playing a game here."
"One of the victims… she meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this like a game?" Yosuke added – he was still grieving for the death of Saki Konishi, after all... searching and thwarting the killer was the only way he could avenge her now. "Plus…" He glanced at Teddie. "We made a promise…"
Teddie looked at the brunet in surprise. "Y-Y-Yosuke…"
Naoto seemed to contemplate their words with a small smile. "A game… that may be quite true…"
Chie was a bit confused at the sudden change of heart. "Wh-Why so understanding all of a sudden…?"
Yosuke smiled knowingly at Naoto. "Oh, I get it. I was wondering why you'd be wandering around like this when the police have a suspect… what, did they get rid of you now that they have their man? Is that why you came here? You were lonely?"
"Detectives normally aren't involved with arrests. And we never harbour any special emotions regarding a case, either. Still…" Naoto's smile fell as his gaze turned serious again. "It is rather unfortunate that people are only attentive so long as our services are required… but then, I'm accustomed to it."
Throughout all this, Kanji was still silent as he seemed to stare at Naoto. Yu had noticed the way the blond was looking at the detective. Somehow, it left a sour taste in his mouth… alongside a feeling of his chest being twisted tight, almost like he couldn't breathe the longer he watched. Tearing his gaze away from it, he merely gripped the hem of his shirt tightly while keeping a calm expression on his face. He didn't know why he felt like this, but… there's something about that look on Kanji's face that was… making him feel… he didn't know what to call it.
He forced himself to focus back on the conversation at hand.
"Much about this case was perplexing, but its solution was surprisingly simple… well then, I'll be going now." Naoto then left, leaving the team to think about his words. Chie was a little uneasy. "What was that about…? He just said his piece and left…?" she murmured, becoming quiet for a moment. "…He said they have a suspect… but is this really gonna solve everything?"
Yosuke could only sigh. "Who knows…"
…In the end, they all decided to call it a day.
Since the only thing the team could do now was wait, Yu had nothing better to do but to just do what he normally did when waiting for a victim to recover.
Tuesday was quite uneventful as it rained the whole day… though Yu did spend his free time studying with Yukiko. Wednesday cleared up by the time school ended, so he decided to go out and see if he could find the guy for the request on the ema. Going to the shopping district, he eventually noticed a haggard man standing in front of a closed shop, looking melancholic. He stared at the shop, seeing the sign on it – it seemed to be a toys shop.
"…Isn't this a great-looking shop?"
The silver-haired boy glanced at the man who began to talk to him.
"My grandfather started this shop… and I closed it down. Nowadays, kids don't make models… if they want toys, Junes has a much bigger selection. I can't compete." The man spoke dejectedly. "…A long time ago, kids used to come in here and show off the models they'd built, comparing to see who was best. The store was so lively. Ah, those were the days…" He then sighed and stared off into the distance… perhaps he's the one who wrote the ema request.
Yu recalled that the request spoke of 'wanting to find something to live for'…
"I feel sorry for the toys that still remain in the store… I want them to be completed, but it'd be even more pathetic if they had to be constructed by me. The models would be happier if a young kid like you made them…" said the man in a murmur, seeming despondent now.
The silver-haired teenager wondered if assembling one of those models will restore this man's will to live… "Want me to make one?"
The man looked at him in surprise. "Huh? W-Would you do that? Do you have model paint at your place? You need clippers? Do you use putty!? What about detail pens…?" He was clearly excited about the prospect of this teenager building a model for him. He soon took a box with an unfinished model inside to give to Yu. "Here, you can have this! Please show it to me when you're done!"
"I will, sir." Yu nodded. He could start assembling it on the table in his room whenever he had time… though it'll definitely take a while. Excusing himself, he began heading back to school – he recalled that Yukiko had asked if he could spend some time with her back during lunchtime…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yukiko brought Yu to the grocery department in Junes as she had to pick up some things there.
"I wrote down everything I need, so this shouldn't take that long," Yukiko told him. Yu smiled casually at her. "Gotten any better yet?" he asked. This made the black-haired girl blush slightly as she smiled sheepishly, averting her gaze from the boy. "That's… I hope so." Her smile fell when she turned to face Yu though. "I'm studying the basics of the basics. But it's not turning out quite like it does in the book, even though I'm following the directions."
"Just keep practicing, then. You'll get it." Yu could clearly see that she wanted to learn this for herself – it went beyond just being able to cook. Yukiko nodded in response. "Yes. Practice makes perfect. I think there's no point unless I do it alone… our cooks help me out all the time. At first they just give me advice, but eventually they take the knife from me. So even if the meal turns out wonderfully, it doesn't mean anything that way… I told them to leave me alone, but they still stay and watch." She seemed thoughtful... "Are they that worried about my cooking…?"
Does she not realise how much the people who work at the inn care for her from how they act…? Yu had to at least say that. "Yukiko, they care about you."
There's no doubting that from what she said.
This surprised the black-haired girl. "They care about… me? Do… do you really think so?" She seemed happy despite the look on her face. "Last time, the head chef took the knife from me, shouting, 'I can't stand to watch anymore!' and made the rest. The waitress saw it and said to the head chef, 'Yuki-chan wants to make it herself, even if it's awful…'." She then smiled, giggling. "Before I knew it, I was 'studying how to cook for a boy I like'… my parents got involved and it exploded from there… funny, isn't it?"
For a moment, her cheeks were dusted pink. "But… maybe it wasn't all a lie." After a few seconds of silence, she looked at Yu with a soft smile as the colour in her cheeks grew a deeper red. "T-Taste my food again, okay…?"
Anxiousness gripped Yu's heart as he forced himself to smile, nodding in response. He could feel a faint hint of love from the girl in front of him… which resulted in the Priestess Social Link growing stronger. If Yukiko was really falling for him… well, crap. He hadn't intended to make her fall for him the more he hung out with her…
Yukiko eventually broke her gaze away to look at the shopping cart. "Ummm… oh yeah, shopping!" She just remembered why there were here again, so the silver-haired boy helped her with her shopping before walking home partway together.
This is going to get complicated if this is how his Social Links with the girls he knew went.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Yu went for his part-time job in the hospital again.
He had just finished cleaning the windows in the hallways when he noticed the old lady in mourning garb standing a bit further down. He somehow managed to keep calm regardless of the strange and somewhat frightening sight of seeing her there. The old lady in black took a few steps forward, getting closer but not too close. "Good evening... I'm sorry about what happened last time, when I was staring at your face. You just... you looked like someone I knew." She smiled gently at the silver-haired boy as she greeted him. "Do you work here?"
"Only part-time, ma'am…" Yu answered her, his voice slightly muffled by the mask he wore.
"My, is that so. That's wonderful... I have a granddaughter about your age... she went back home today, though... thinking about it... meeting you here is a wonder..."
The teenager raised an eyebrow at that. Why is meeting him here a wonder…?
"But I won't be coming back here anymore..." The old lady told him. Yu had so many questions to ask her out of curiosity, but this wasn't the right time and place to be doing so. "Then… we should meet again," he suggested.
"Haha... this isn't a big town; we might run into each other eventually. I like to take in the sun at the riverbank when I have days off. The river sparkles so beautifully... it all feels so good, it saddens me." The old lady fell silent after that, before chuckling again. "…Haha, I'll be going now." She slowly walked past the silver-haired teenager, leaving the place.
Yu watched her as she left, letting the old lady's words ring in his head. Maybe on sunny days, he could try to find her by the riverbank… he then turned his gaze back into the darkness of the hallway and noticed someone exiting a room, dressed in a nurse attire – he soon realised that it was Sayoko. The nurse started walking towards him. "Oh, here you are. Talk about timing! The room over there needs some work done in it. Perhaps you could...?" She just shook her head after saying that. "...Oh, whatever, just get in there."
She pointed at a door that belonged to another room. Wonder what she wants him to do?
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Yu ended up having to clean the room, which was his job anyway… but to be ordered by Sayoko to do that was kind of surprising.
"Okay, everything's back in order. The patient who had been in this room left just a little while ago. I want you to mop the floor," Sayoko told the teenager. She was quiet for a few seconds before continuing. "...Don't ask what happened here."
The silver-haired boy just blinked once. "…Okay." He can't really see what's wrong with the room, though… but he won't question it.
His response made the nurse laugh, however. "Oho, I was just kidding. The patient who was here was released today. He returned right from the brink of death!" She smiled mischievously at him. "He was a good patient, who always listened to what I said. Plus, he was the president of his company at a young age. He was handsome, didn't complain, and independent. He wanted to get back to his work... desperately. And, thanks to his perseverance, he was able to leave even earlier than we had scheduled to release him. 'Thank you for caring for me,' he said, bowing to me so happily... then he turned around and walked out. He said such stupid things, like that he loved me."
Sayoko looked down at the floor, her voice suddenly low and emotionless in spite of the smile on her lips. "...Everyone leaves. They only need me when they're my patients... in the end, they all leave me."
It was strange to hear that out of her. "That's just how it is," Yu commented, seeing where she was coming from. That's how the jobs of doctors and nurses are… they are only needed when the patients are in a dire state. If that's how she felt about it, then she must be quite bothered by it.
Sayoko merely shrugged at his words. "This, coming from a kid...?" She pondered on her words, then spoke once more. "...I must not have been making sense. Forget about what I was saying. I'll ask another janitor to handle this room. You go on home. The streets are dark... you shouldn't be here." She gave Yu a faint smile. "You wouldn't want to get caught... by me."
At that moment, Yu realised that he just saw a bit of Sayoko's inner self. With that knowledge, the Devil Social Link became stronger…
"Nice work." Sayoko smiled at him before leaving the room.
After all that, Yu went ahead to finish the rest of his tasks before going back home, receiving his pay for the night in the meanwhile.
Thursday was a clear day unlike yesterday.
Yu was almost surprised to see Kanji approaching him during lunchtime – the blond seemed aggressive as he asked if Yu had free time in the afternoon… which he did. Kanji then told him that he had an 'appointment' with the young kid that lost his doll that day, which was why he asked. The silver-haired boy relaxed upon hearing that, smiling.
Of course, he'll come.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The two of them went to the hill overlooking town after school ended, with Kanji having called the young boy there.
"Here's the stuff I promised ya. N-No complaining, okay...?" Kanji told the kid with slight nervousness as he took out a bunny doll, giving it to the young boy. The bunny doll was complete with clothes, a ribbon, a hat and an umbrella… it's very elaborate for something that was handmade. Yu was amazed at the detail of it all – to think that this was all done by someone with great skills in knitting… he hasn't seen a person who was as good at it as Kanji was.
Even the young kid felt the same about it. "Whoa! This is incredible! Where'd you buy it!?"
Kanji looked at the child in surprise. "Huh...? Wh-Who cares!?"
"But I want one too!"
"Oh... well, I got one for you." The blonde teenager then handed the young kid another bunny, this time complete with clothes, shoes, a cap and a soccer ball. It was just as elaborate as the other doll.
"For me!? Thanks! But where'd you buy it...?"
"Er…"
Yu looked at Kanji for a moment. Seeing that the blond was hesitant to tell the truth… he decided to say it himself. "Well, this old man here made it," he told the kid with a small smile.
Kanji's face instantly flushed red with embarrassment, his eyes wide in shock at the silver-haired boy's words. "Gaaaaaaah! What're you tellin' him for!?"
The brunet kid stared at the younger teenager. "You... made this?"
"Y-Y'got a problem with that...?" Kanji questioned him. "If ya think it's so creepy, then give it—"
However, he was cut off by the child's exclamation of amazement. "Wow! You're so cool! Hey, can you make me something else!? Mom loves this kind of stuff!"
"Huh? S-Sure..." Kanji nodded, stunned at the young boy's excitement.
"You promised!" The kid grinned at the blonde teenager. "I'm gonna go give this to Sana-chan! Thanks, Mister!" He soon ran off, leaving Kanji and Yu alone.
The younger one of the two stared at the ground for a moment. "I'm not that old, dammit..." he muttered quietly with a shake of his head, yet a smile came to his face as he recalled the kid's words, making him chuckle. "Hah, he said I'm cool..."
"It was pretty amazing," Yu commented, smiling as well. It was nice to see the guy he liked be complimented for something he was really good at.
Kanji seemed a little embarrassed at his senpai's compliment. "Yeah, but it's not like sewing's good for anything..." he said as he looked at the older boy. "But y'know... it ain't a bad feeling. 'Thanks', huh...? Ahhh, it was nothing." He then averted his gaze, an embarrassed smile on his lips. He looked more mature than usual right now…
Yu felt his cheeks warm up as he observed the blond, also feeling his relationship with Kanji deepen… and with it, so did the Emperor Social Link.
Kanji then looked off into the distance. "…This is a great place, huh? The wind is different up here… never noticed before." The breeze on the hill was much stronger than in the city, but it had a touch of placidity as it moved past both his and Yu's forms. He looked at the silver-haired boy again and found himself staring at the sight of his senior watching the distance as well – the way the evening sunlight kissed Yu's peach skin and bathed his silver-grey hair and eyes in a pale orange shine was… mesmerising.
Then the older boy turned his head to gaze at him… and he softly smiled, looking cheerful.
…It felt like his heart skipped a beat… but that's impossible. To possibly have feelings for a guy…? That'll just worsen the rumours about himself, and probably ruin Yu's reputation. Kanji could handle the former, yet the latter is something he can't have happening.
And yet, he still smiled back at the silver-haired boy, feeling a fuzzy warmth in his chest.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time Yu returned home, he was in a daze after his time with Kanji.
He got a smile back from the blond… and it just made him feel like he was walking on air at that. Throughout the walk back home, they even talked about some things together before finally parting at the road that led to the shopping district. He was unaware that he was still smiling since that very moment until Nanako pointed that out. She had just greeted him when she saw the bright smile on her cousin's face. "You look very happy, big bro!" she told him, giggling.
"Huh? Oh… do I?" The silver-haired teenager rubbed his cheek, finally noticing that he was smiling even after he parted from Kanji. "I guess I do." He chuckled sheepishly – was he ever this happy with someone's presence? He can't recall a time before he came to Inaba that he did feel like that.
Nanako smiled cheerfully at her cousin. "I went shopping today, so the fridge is full of food!" she informed him, to which he nodded in understanding. Maybe he should make some lunch again…
Setting his school bag down on a chair, he then checked the fridge to see what its contents were. The first thing he saw were some chicken wings and pieces, then a few ingredients that could go really well when fried. "Chie would definitely love this…" he murmured to himself with a snicker, deciding to cook some fried chicken as he took the ingredients out of the fridge. Taking them over to the kitchen counter, he first started with the marinade before smothering the chicken with it.
Now he needed to use something to cover the chicken in… potato starch would do wonderfully for that. Once the chicken was marinated enough and covered in potato starch, he fried them in hot oil. He smiled in satisfaction upon hearing the crackling sound of the chicken frying in the oil; the result being some crispy fried chicken. He put it in a container that he regularly used as his lunch box before storing them somewhere for the night. He might as well spend time with Chie if she was free tomorrow.
They all still had to wait until more progress was made in the investigation… for now, the case was out of their hands.