A/N: Welp, I only got a few words for this chapter: SOCIAL LINK GO!
Oh, and maybe a dash of that weird guy appearing.
Creedpah
- I suppose I'll reveal tidbits of information that wouldn't spoil a surprise I'm planning... heh. Yui definitely isn't escaping that rabbit hole anytime soon - her feelings will just grow deeper overtime for sure. But romance doesn't come easily!
- You're the first reviewer to think about that little event in Chp. 6 I put in. Interesting theory... but I'll tell you this - it's not accurate (but you got some things right)! Good try, anyway XD
The next day, Yu did share his lunch with Chie as he promised last night. She obviously enjoyed it, even saying that she never tasted something this delicious before. After a moment, she asked if he made this for her with a reddish colour in her cheeks… and he admitted that he did. She thanked him, smiling happily. Although the silver-haired boy didn't let it show, he felt a bit troubled by the turn of events. He's unintentionally making Chie fall for him… how was he going to handle rejecting her if she dared to confess?
That's something he didn't want to think about at the moment.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That afternoon, Yu went to the flood plains with Chie to do some training.
"In the movie I watched the other day, this guy knocked down a tree using only his leg!" Chie told him about something she had seen. "How does someone kick that hard...? Just practice?" She was just about to wonder about it when a familiar voice called from behind her.
"Ch-Chie!"
She turned her head to see who it was. "…Oh, hey Takeshi..." It was her old school friend who they tried to save from some punks the other day… but Takeshi ran away like a coward early on. Yu definitely still remembered that day – it also served as a sour reminder of who he used to be back in junior high school. "W-Were you robbed again?"
Takeshi shook his head. "No... I took off right after that, right? So I thought I'd apologize..."
"…Why don't you be a man and admit you ran away?"
"Wh-What...? Were you this anal before? Tch, if you lose that sunny attitude, you won't have anything left."
"...Shut up!"
"Speaking of which... what's up with Yukiko-san? I saw her with you the other day... she seemed weirdly cheerful... she had this funky laugh, y'know...?"
"That funky laugh... that's how she really is."
"Oh, you've rubbed off on her, huh? I can't believe it... that's not Yukiko-san... she was better gloomy..."
Chie could only sigh quietly at the brunet's words. "…Look. If you get into trouble again, I'll step in and help."
"...Huh? Oh, uh... thanks..."
"So why don't you shut your mouth about Yukiko!? You don't know anything about her! She's a good person, got it!?" Chie then suddenly yelled at Takeshi, which took him by surprise.
"Wh-what the hell?" Takeshi left after the brunette's outburst, leaving Chie to watch him leave them alone.
A silence fell among the two after that, until Chie spoke up quietly, her back to the silver-haired boy. "I just remembered... way back, I saw Yukiko sitting by the road, holding a dog. I asked her what's up and she said she ran away from home... she'd picked up the dog, but her parents told her she couldn't have a pet, and that she'd have to get rid of it... she looked like she was dead or something... I tried everything I could think of to make her laugh. And that's how we became friends..."
She turned around to face Yu, a regretful expression on her face. "From that moment on... I told myself I'd protect Yukiko... but... somewhere along the way, I messed up, and that Shadow popped out... after that, I thought I'd try to focus on what's good about me. I swore to quit being nothing but the girl Yukiko can rely on... so... I just tried my best. At finding the culprit and stuff... just generally being more reliable... that's all."
Then she paused for a moment, pondering on her own words. "…I feel like I missed the point..."
"Well… it's hard to face yourself." Yu could understand where she was coming from. Even he had his own secrets and demons, and it's difficult to face those and admit that they were a part of him… or at least, used to be him. His time as a delinquent, his despair in his younger years… they're just things he wanted to forget now. Although he never wanted to be a leader again after what happened two years ago, he will be one, just to solve this case for his friends' sake.
"Is it like that for you, too?" Chie asked him in surprise. She was speechless for a moment when she realised something. "Are you trying to cheer me up?" she asked him, smiling happily with her cheeks dusted red. However, her smile soon fell as she averted her gaze to the ground. "I wonder if there's anyone out there... who can say, 'This is what makes me worthwhile!'. I guess everyone's looking for it..." she murmured.
Nonetheless, she was able to take a step forward and face herself…
…their relationship has grown deeper with the Chariot Social Link.
A smile came to Chie's lips again as she lifted her head to look at the silver-haired boy. "Oh yeah... that dog Yukiko picked up? It's gotten really fat at my place. Come by and see it sometime! It smells, but it's cute!" Her cheeks flushed slightly again. "...Maybe I'll walk it over to your house."
"Perhaps." Yu hesitantly smiled back at her. The more he spent time with her, the more he could see her emotions seep through her words… he had to act casual for the time being as they both eventually went home while talking about various things.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Once Yui arrived back home, she decided to start building up the model she got from the guy that made the ema request. As she entered his room, her cell phone rang up… so she answered. "Hello, Yu Narukami speaking."
"Um, hey, this is Kou. Wanna study together next Sunday? I'll drag Daisuke along too. Sound good?"
Oh… it was Kou. Yui recalled that her Strength Social Link was already at its strongest… but another day with him and Daisuke wouldn't hurt. "Yeah, okay."
"Alright! Don't forget."
The call ended there.
Seems like she just made plans for this Sunday… well, she'll remember that. For now, she had a model to start assembling.
Saturday was a rainy day.
As Yu was about to enter the school, he heard Chie's voice from behind him. He saw her catch up to him at the gates, greeting him. "Oh, Yu-kun. Morning."
"Good morning, Chie." The silver-haired boy nodded.
"Hey, that guy the police are after… I wonder what he's like. How's the investigation going? I can't stop worrying about it. Speaking of worrying about things… we have tests coming up next week…" She sighed, a troubled look on her face. "But I can't study when I'm thinking about our investigation!"
"Focus! The exams should be your priority for now," Yu told her. Their studies are just as important as solving the case – wouldn't want to get stuck in summer school like their new homeroom teacher had informed them.
"Ugh… I guess you're right… how am I supposed to argue with that…?"
The two of them then entered school while talking about other things…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
For today, Yu called everyone in the team to the food court at Junes – they're going into the TV world to see if there's any new Shadows occupying the strip club where Rise's Shadow was while also getting some training in. The only thing everyone didn't expect when they did enter there was to see Teddie in his original bear form again… "Why the long faces?! What's the matter? Cheer up, guys!" Teddie told them, noticing the looks on some of the others' faces.
Rise then called for Yu's attention. "Hey, Senpai!"
The silver-haired boy looked at her. "Yes, Rise…?"
"I'm sensing a powerful Shadow in the direction of the strip club. It reads the same as an ordinary Shadow, so I don't think it's related to the incidents… but if you're bored, why not go defeat it for fun?"
"Hm, maybe that's what we'll do today." Yu nodded at that. For now, he'll have to fuse his Personas to get ready for the trek up to the top floor of the strip club for the second time. Maybe he could even finish up Margaret's request in the meantime.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Inside the Velvet Room, Yu managed to fuse a Matador with Mahama as per Margaret's request… and she noticed it.
"Ah, Matador… and he has Mahama… you have successfully completed the quest… what a beautiful Persona… this fascinating dance, performed by a true sportsman… I'm amazed. You're still young, but you hold such beauty within your soul…" Margaret gave the silver-haired boy a knowing but gentle smile. "Thank you. I am strongly confident that you are the one I've been searching for. I want to see more of your soul."
For a moment, Yu wondered why he could sense that shrewd look in her eyes – it's almost like the one he saw in Mrs. Tatsumi's own eyes before revealing that she could see through his little act, all of those weeks ago. Is it possible that Margaret knew who he was… and was just playing with him the last time he completed her request? He'll never know the answer unless he asked her himself, but for now, their relationship has grown a little deeper with the Empress Social Link.
The gentle smile on Margaret's face soon fell as her expression turned serious. "Well then… for my next request… bring me a Gdon that knows Rampage. If anyone can do this for me, it's you. I eagerly await your return."
Nodding in response, Yu then excused himself to leave. A Gdon that knows Rampage… he'll need to think about how to fuse that Persona… and probably some time away because he couldn't shake off the chills he got when he saw that look in the platinum blonde woman's gaze.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The team soon headed to the strip club to get rid of the Shadow that now resided there – now that Rise was on the team, she was able to tell much more about the Shadows there like the skills they had. Teddie's Persona was a great ice elemental user so they decided to bring him along for his first run as a frontline attacker. Once arriving there, they began their journey up the eleven floors of the dungeon's pink techno nightmare again… at least this time, they were prepared for what lies ahead of them.
Eventually, they did reach the top floor again.
"This feeling…" Rise sensed something from beyond the curtains covering the giant doorway. "I sense a Shadow behind that door! Are you ready for it?" she alerted the frontline fighters of the team before asking. Yu then looked at Teddie, Kanji and Chie who he had chosen as his teammates for the battle ahead. "You guys ready?"
The three teenagers nodded in response, so the silver-haired boy stepped towards the curtains and raised them up, letting them run into the room. On the stage was what looked like a Blooming Bambino, except… well, giant. So this was the powerful Shadow… but they can't underestimate it, of course.
"Don't let me down, Senpai! Show me your skills!" Rise cheered Yu on, getting a nod from him as he and the others started their battle against the huge Shadow.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
This Shadow wasn't too difficult like the last two – it had a weakness to ice, so they exploited that weakness to inflict even bigger damage by doing an all-out attack after every Bufu spell which downed it. Once enough damage was done, the Shadow exploded into darkness that dissipated into nothing. After it was gone, Yu went to see if there was anything of interest inside the room… and he did, finding a Bear Claw weapon behind the stage which would do well for Teddie.
"Hey, Teddie?" he called the bear over. Teddie approached him, all smiles like usual. "Yes, Sensei?"
"Here, I got something for you. " Yu gave him the new weapon which he had a feeling was much stronger than the one Teddie had on right now. The bear was excited at the thought of receiving something from the silver-haired boy, what else a whole new weapon. "Wowee! Thanks, Sensei!" He took off the mace-like weapon on his hand and slipped on the new weapon, trying it out with a few swings. "It's so much better!" he told the teenager, who smiled in response.
Now that they've defeated the Shadow in this place, they could go back to the real world since they already got some training in.
When Sunday came along, Yu had recalled that he promised Kou that he'll go study with him and Daisuke today… so he went out after he got dressed and met up with the two at the food court in Junes. Once they were all gathered, they sat at one of the bigger tables so they could study together.
Kou seemed a little frustrated. "Check this out, Yu… I borrowed Daisuke's notes for those days I was absent. Here's the one he gave me, and right across the top, it says 'Aljebra 1'…" he told the silver-haired boy as he showed him the notes. He then glared at Daisuke. "Dude, how long has it been since we passed Algebra 1? And learn how to spell!"
"Hey, don't borrow notes if you're gonna complain about 'em," Daisuke merely retorted, which made his best friend sigh. "Fine, next time I'll know better…" Kou muttered, his shoulders slumping. "I'm ready for the tests in every subject except math…" He then looked at Yu. "…You any good at math, Yu?"
Yu just smiled jokingly at him. "You can 'count' on me." He's a damn hypocrite right now, but that pun was too cheesy to pass up on. Kou stared at him in surprise at that response. "Really? Wow, I gotta give you props for that… I can memorise the formulas well enough to pass, but I'll never understand math…" he admitted, shaking his head dejectedly.
Daisuke then spoke up. "Forget math. I need major help with world history, physics, English…"
Kou simply gave the brunet an exasperated look. "...You're hopeless, Daisuke."
As the trio kept chatting, a pair of girls noticed them there… it was Chie and Yukiko.
"Wow, hey you guys," Chie said, gaining their attention as she and Yukiko approached the table. "Are you all going to study? Think we can tag along?" she asked them.
Kou smiled at the idea. "Oh, really? For sure! The more the merrier!"
Yukiko smiled too. "Thank you so much."
"S-sure, n-no problem…" Kou stuttered when he saw the smile the black-haired girl gave him. Chie definitely didn't miss that little act, commenting on it. "Ooooh, so you're one of those guys in the Yukiko fan club." She did an indignant huff and lifted her head while Kou shook his head in denial, shocked at her words.
"Wh-whaaat? N-no, it's not like that…"
Chie then smiled cheekily at Kou, waving a finger. "Don't worry, I'll just ask Yu to help me."
"Yeah, me too," Daisuke added, looking at the silver-haired boy sitting next to him with a grin. Kou tried to say something. "H-hey, wait just a minute here!"
…Well, they had some fun anyway. Besides, they got some studying in before finals next week.
Monday was Ocean Day, so there was no school for that day… and finals would begin tomorrow.
Despite that, Yu decided to go out because he had done enough studying yesterday and wanted to loosen up before he had to face pages and pages of papers for the exams. He went down to the shopping district only to notice Yukiko standing by the book store, so he went to go greet her. "Hey, Yukiko."
"Oh, Yu-kun." Yukiko smiled once she noticed him there. "I heard this rumour that people have been seeing a ghost… they say an old woman wearing black appears on the riverbank… but what's funny is that she appears on holidays during the day. That's odd, isn't it?" She giggled after telling him that. "I'd like to see her."
"An old woman, huh?" Yu wondered if it's that lady in mourning garb he saw back in the hospital… he'll have to check another day then. "Say, wanna hang out today?" he then asked her. Yukiko brightened up at the offer, smiling. "Oh, sure."
"Well, where do you want to go…?"
"Um... can we go to the shrine down the road? I want to pay my respects."
The silver-haired boy nodded in agreement, and so to the shrine they went.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After Yukiko paid her respects, they sat on the stairs for a small chat.
"I come here every so often. It's nice and quiet… I visit here with the waitresses, too. Like before a big guest arrives. We make our annual hatsumode visits here. The exam charm was here, too…" Yukiko murmured before sighing. "Once I leave this town… I won't be able to come here again, will I…?" she wondered wistfully.
Yu raised an eyebrow at the sudden drop of mood. "…You're not coming back?"
"I mean… I couldn't face my parents again…" The black-haired girl looked sad as she stared at ground, nodding slowly. Then, the sound of footsteps approaching them made her lift her head to see a kimono-clad woman walking towards them. She stood up quickly, recognizing who it was. The woman seemed to know her too. "Oh, Yuki-chan!"
"Kasai-san… what are you doing here?" asked Yukiko to the lady.
"Taking a little break after ordering from the liquor store." The kimono-clad woman then sighed. "So now you know."
"O-Oh, I won't tell…"
"Hahaha, just kidding." The lady then saw Yu sitting on the stairs, smiling as a thought crossed her mind. "Oh! Is that the rumoured boyfriend? I see… that hard work in the kitchen paid off, huh?"
That made Yukiko's cheeks darken into a deep shade of red. "I-It's not like that!"
"Wow, your face is burning red. Well, I'll let you two be alone!" The kimono-clad woman then left, leaving the two by the stairs. Yukiko glanced at Yu as an awkward silence fell among them both before looking away in embarrassment, her face still red as a tomato. "Sh-Sheesh… I-I'm sorry about that. Oh, that was one of our waitresses. They all have the wrong idea… I'm really sorry…" she kept apologising for it.
Although it did made Yu a bit uncomfortable, he wasn't too bothered by it… as long as no one started confessing their feelings to him, he'll be fine. "It's okay."
"…Thank goodness." Yukiko seemed to have broken out in a cold sweat as she smiled in relief. "Kasai-san is teaching me how to cook, along with the other waitresses and chefs. I said I'd learn on my own, but I kept messing up… I burnt myself a couple of times… 'Please let us teach you,' they said." She giggled as she told him of her experience. "It's usually the other way around, you know? They use up their break time for my lessons… they're so nice to me… when I was halfway successful one time, everyone gathered around and taste-tested it, saying how good it was… I didn't know what to say… I was just happy…"
She looked up at the sky, smiling softly. "Plus, I have my friends at school… all things considered, I'm pretty lucky… I want to do my best… for everyone's sake…"
From the smile on the black-haired girl's face, Yu could sense a quiet passion in it… and in a way, he felt like he could understand her even more now - as a result, the Priestess Social Link grew even stronger as well. But that smile didn't last long as Yukiko looked down at the stone path, looking guilty. "But I'm trying to leave… betraying those who've been kind to me… I… can't help that, I suppose…"
The silver-haired boy could only stare at her in silence, knowing how she felt. How he sometimes wished to leave to another place, to escape from his family's control over his life… but there was no escape for him. There was no place in Japan left for him to hide, unlike the girl next to him whose life as the Amagi Inn's future manager was merely in Inaba. She already had her own future planned out for herself despite her own guilt.
He himself didn't know his future… and he wished he could have that same courage Yukiko had in her to leave.
…Eventually, they both walked partway home together after hanging out with each other a little longer.
Four days of exams passed like clockwork, and Yu was able to answer the questions with ease even on the final day of the exams, which were usually the subjective and essay questions. He felt like he did even better this time…
After school ended, he and his friends of the same class began to chat.
Yosuke stretched his arms, a huge grin on his face. "It's allll over!" He yawned, now looking really exhausted. "I'm sooo sleepy…" he muttered with a slight slur.
Chie glared at him. "Yuck! Don't yawn in my face like that!" she yelled at the brunet before looking at Yukiko. "Hey, for the third question on the English test, which phrase did you choose?" she asked her. Yukiko tried to remember what she answered for that question. "Um… I went with 'used to'."
A shocked look crossed the brunette's face. "Wrong again…"
"So much for Chie going abroad. Heck, why leave Inaba? You have so much right here!" Yosuke commented, which infuriated Chie. "Ooooh, you're so annoying!" she said with gritted teeth. As she said that, Yosuke noticed Kanji and Rise approaching them with heavy steps.
"Yo…" Kanji greeted in an unenergetic way. Rise was no better. "No more encores… I mean… hi everyone…"
"Whoa, more losers!?" Yosuke was somewhat surprised to see them this way.
"What do I need to know English for!? I can always ask for a translator!" Rise complained with a huff. She then looked at Yu with a smile. "How did you do, Senpai?"
"Hm? Oh… I think it went well." Yu was confident enough that he wouldn't fail, at the very least. He wasn't going to put his hopes up that much. Either way, it got Rise in awe of the silver-haired boy's smartness. "Wow, you're amazing…"
Kanji looked almost like he could groan out in frustration. "Enough about the exams already… what's going on with the murder case?" he asked in a mutter. This made Yosuke smile as an idea came to his mind, so he suggested it to the others. "Hm… why don't we head to our special headquarters? We haven't been there in a while."
Rise seemed confused at what he meant, so the team decided to just show her.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They sat at one of the regular tables in the food court at Junes this time, getting an extra chair for Rise to sit in.
"I'm kinda bummed…" Chie admitted to the others. "Not just because exams are over, but… the whole thing with the police finding a suspect. I mean, we believed that only we could solve this case. And now…"
Yosuke sighed, understanding how she felt. "Well, we still don't know yet. They haven't made an arrest."
"So… we gotta sit on our thumbs," Kanji said, pretty much summarising the only thing they could do now.
Everyone fell quiet for a moment, feeling useless as they couldn't do a single thing about the murder this time… hell, with the detectives available in Inaba, the case would certainly be solved quick. Their attention soon went to a familiar face walking by the food court – it was Adachi, Dojima's partner. "For crying out loud… it's nice to have a suspect, but where the hell is he? We're at the end of our rope here…" He seemed frustrated as he said those words, which the team of teenagers didn't miss.
Adachi eventually realised that he was in earshot of the teenagers sitting at the table. "Y-You guys!? D-Did you hear what I said?" He quickly put on a grin, trying to act like he didn't just say that the suspect wasn't caught yet. "Ah… ahahaha! This case is as good as solved! Don't worry, kids. It's only a matter of time before we bring in the suspect. I mean, the guy's kidnapping people at random and slaughtering them! We won't rest until we bring him to justice!" Yet the only response he got was silence… "I-I gotta get going!" he told them before walking away quickly.
Really, is there any competent policeman or detective that can solve crimes here? Other than that Naoto guy? Yu was starting to have a feeling that the answer to that question would be 'no'…
"Now I'm REALLY worried…" Yosuke muttered with a shake of his head. "On the other hand… if the police have a search warrant out for the guy, we should stay out of it."
"Yeah…" Kanji nodded sullenly.
Everyone except Rise lowered their heads again… the dark brunette looked at the others, then she spoke up. "Oh, uh, I just remembered. There was a question on the exam that I didn't get. I think it was, 'The chemical formula HCHO, used for silver mirror reactions. Its 40% solution is known as formalin'. And the question was, 'What is HCHO?'"
"It's formaldehyde," Yu answered her. Chemistry has always been an interesting subject to study alongside a few other subjects. The other subjects, he just forced himself to study them for his grades' sake.
"Oh, I see. I chose acetic acid… duh, of course it couldn't have been vinegar." The idol looked at Kanji who sat in another chair near her. "Hey, you had that question too, didn't you, Kanji?"
"Shut up. And don't call me by my first name." Kanji seemed to be in a bad mood.
"Wow, kinda harsh, aren't you? I heard you got a nosebleed when you were around our senpai."
Now that shocked the blond. "H-Hey! Who the hell blabbed about that!?"
"A-Anyways!" Chie tried to change the subject. It was probably her who told Rise about it… "Rise-chan, why don't you ask Yukiko to help you study?" she suggested to the dark brunette.
Rise seemed not so sure about it. "Huh? I guess, but wouldn't you rather ask a senpai of the opposite sex?" She then looked at Yu, putting on puppy eyes to garner the silver-haired boy's attention. "Senpai… I'm not a nuisance to you, am I?"
"Er…" Yu wasn't sure on how to exactly answer the idol's question, feeling quite awkward now that he was suddenly put on the spot.
The others except Rise were surprised at how undaunting Rise was, directly asking that question to the leader of the team. Chie was especially taken aback at the dark brunette's question. "Damn… this girl's dangerous…!" she murmured, watching as Rise gave Yu a cute and somewhat flirtatious smile, much to everyone's shock.
At the sight of that, Kanji felt his chest tighten… gritting his teeth with his mouth still closed, he shook his head to ignore it.
Why the hell is he feeling like this? For a guy that looked… kind of like a girl too?
"L-Let's change the subject." Chie spoke up, smiling nervously. She remembered that Teddie wasn't at the table… "Hey, any idea how Teddie's doing?" she asked Yosuke.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it to you. Check this out." Yosuke grinned and looked over to the side, letting everyone else follow his gaze… to reveal that Teddie was actually just nearby in his bear suit, holding a bunch of floating balloons and giving a few to children. When the bear noticed that the team was sitting at a table there, he waved at them cheerfully. Yosuke turned his gaze back to the others, still grinning. "I let him stay at my place. In return, he's now our official store mascot."
The new topic was a good distraction for Kanji as he smiled despite the pain in his chest, realising the idea the brunet had. "Aaah! So he's hiding in plain sight. Reverse psychology, huh? Man… he looks like one happy bear…"
"He kept saying that he didn't wanna go back. So I made him a deal. Now, since I've got nothing better to do… I'm gonna go bug him."
Chie perked up at that. "Oooh, I wanna go too!"
"C-Can I… feel his soft fur…?" Kanji was getting excited at the idea of possibly feeling Teddie's fur for once.
Everyone got up from their seats to go approach the bear, though Yu and Rise got up a little later than the others. As the silver-haired boy was about to follow them, he heard the dark brunette's voice from behind him. "Hey, Senpai?"
"Hm?" Yu turned around to face her.
"Now that I'm getting the hang of school, I want to go out more and see the sights. But I tend to get recognized everywhere I go, so I'm a little nervous about going out on my own… and you seem like the type of guy who knows all the cool spots in town…" Rise trailed off, as if waiting for a response. Yu couldn't bring himself to reject her, even if she tended to flirt openly to him. "…Sure, I'll show you around."
"Really? Woohoo!" The idol cheered happily, her natural, easy friendliness being sensed by Yu. In that moment, he could feel a faint bond forming between the two of them… which resulted in the formation of the Lovers Social Link of the Lovers Arcana.
…Lovers? Now he hoped that he wasn't going to end up in a mess of emotions in the future.
"If you ever have some time to kill, think of me, okay?" Rise told him. "Now c'mon, let's go pester Teddie." She looked at the bear and called him. "Teddieeee! Heeeey!"
They both joined the others after that… but the fact that the murder suspect hasn't been caught is a worrying thought that remained in everyone's minds.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, the news spoke about the serial murder case and how the police have yet to announce any progress in the investigation – in short, there was no new information about the suspect.
Nanako was getting quite worried about it. "They still haven't caught him?"
Yu noticed the look on his cousin's face and began to feel protective of her. "Don't worry Nanako… I'll protect you." That was a promise he intended to keep. Better he save a life and many others than to lose another one… this might as well be his payment for the damage he caused back when he was a delinquent, though he was genuine in his wish to protect Nanako who was… much like a little sister to him now.
His words made Nanako smile in relief, her cheeks bearing a pinkish hue to them. "Okay. You promise, right?"
"Of course… I promise."
The little girl then got up from her cushion to go sit next to her older cousin. She seemed anxious about the murder case… it made Yu feel a deep responsibility – it was now up to him and his friends to catch that murderer where others could not. It obviously risked their lives, but…
…He'll willingly die if it meant he could keep that promise.
Without much to do on Sunday, Yu went out to the shopping district to sell the scraps they got from the Shadows in the TV world and buy some new equipment for everyone. He eventually noticed Rise standing by the tofu shop her grandmother owned after he finished his business at the metalworks shop. He would usually be careful around girls like her, but it's not like he had a choice when there was a Social Link involved, so… he approached her. "Hey, Rise," he greeted, putting on a casual smile for the sake of it.
Rise smiled when she saw him there. "Oh, Senpai! I just finished my shift at the store. Are you free today?" she asked. Yu nodded, guessing that he could keep up his little promise on showing her the places in town. "Yeah, I'm free today."
"Ooh, okay!" The idol's happiness was visible through the vibrant smile on her lips. "Why don't we go to the food stall by that Chinese diner, Senpai? I wanna try the food there."
"The Souzai Daigaku? Sure."
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
So, they went to the Souzai Daigaku for a quick bite.
Rise ate quite a lot, now sitting on one of the crates that acted as a chair. "I can't take another bite. My stomach's full... but that really hit the spot! I've been wanting to come here." She was smiling as she looked at Yu. "But it's a little embarrassing to show up alone, you know?"
"Then just order takeout." The silver-haired boy just stated the easiest solution to that, but he ended up getting berated by the idol.
"How little you know, Senpai! It's the atmosphere that's important. The meal itself isn't everything, you know." Rise's voice was swelling with pride for some reason… she soon got up from the crate she sat on and went to survey the things there were being showcased at the stall. After that, she went back to Yu's side and giggled. "To tell you the truth, I've wanted to do this since I was a child. My parents were actually pretty strict." She then fell quiet, her smile falling. "…I didn't really have many friends. Though I guess that couldn't be helped, since I hardly ever showed up for school…"
Yu blinked once, realising how lonely Rise must've felt.
The dark brunette quickly changed the topic as she noticed how the mood has dropped. "Er, that's enough talk about that! What a depressing subject, huh? Let's talk about something fun. After all, I don't want to waste the time we have together!" She smiled again at him. "It's so great that I came to this town and met you. Really, I'm serious!" She then laughed with a natural smile on her lips.
In a way, their relationship has grown a little deeper with the Lovers Social Link…
A mischievous smile then appeared on Rise lips. "Why don't I start by asking what kind of girl you like?"
Now Yu found himself dealing with the idol's barrage of questions until it became dark. He was only able to avoid answering some of them, but most of the questions he answered with lies… and very few with the truth.
He went home with a heavy heart after parting with Rise, knowing how he was merely adding heat to a flame that won't ever extinguish till the day everything about himself is revealed.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
To try and get rid of the heaviness in his chest, Yu spent some time with Nanako that night. He noticed that his cousin had the paper about the survey she showed him the other day on the table…
He heard the doors of the house sliding open, followed by a familiar, deep voice. "…I'm home."
Nanako got up and went over to Dojima to greet him while trying to show him the paper. "Oh, welcome back! Um, Dad...!"
However, the detective just looked tired. "Later, Nanako..." he told her, exhaustion in his voice.
"B-But, this paper..."
Dojima sighed and went near the table, seeing the paper. "'Scheduling of Parent-Teacher Interviews'?" He scratched his head, now knowing why his daughter was nervous. "A survey, huh...?"
All this while, Nanako was silent… until she spoke up with such seriousness. "Fine. It's fine... it's fine, okay!?" she shouted with frustration. Her father looked at her with confusion as she continued yelling. "You don't have to write anything! You don't have to come! It's just another case to you, right? It's more work, isn't it? Bad people and everyone else are more important to you than me, huh!?"
Dojima didn't know what to tell her upon hearing those words, looking troubled.
"You're not 'real'..." The little girl murmured quietly. Then, she looked up at her father angrily. "You're not my 'real' Dad!"
After that outburst, she ran off even as Dojima called after her. "Na-Nanako! Wait!" The sound of the doors opening and closing just made him sigh again. "What's gotten into her...?"
Whatever it is, Yu knew that it was not a good idea to let Nanako run off outside at this time of night. "Uncle, we should go look for her," he told him as he got up. Dojima nodded strongly at that. "Yeah... yeah, you're right. Now's not the time to stand around asking questions. I'll go check Junes. Yu, you look around the shopping district! I'm counting on you!" The man rushed out of the house first, followed by the silver-haired teenager. They needed to find Nanako before something bad happened…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The shopping district was very different at night, with darkness enveloping every corner of the buildings and streets other than the pale blue glow coming from the streetlights. No matter how hard he tried to find Nanako in this place, Yu couldn't see a hair of her anywhere… he was starting to feel worried, wondering if his cousin got into trouble somewhere. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a voice calling out to him from behind. "Hey, Yu!"
Turning around, the silver-haired boy saw Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko running towards him. "You guys…?" Were they here to help?
"I ran into Dojima-san at Junes, and he told me what happened," Yosuke explained to him. "You coulda just asked!" Chie added, giving Yu a pointed look. Yukiko then explained how they got here with the brunet. "We got a call from Yosuke-kun. I'm sure if we all look, we'll find her."
"Hey, do you know what kinda places she might've gone?" Yosuke asked his best friend, which made Yu think for a moment. A place where Nanako would go… well, she did say that her family used to go to Samegawa when her mother was still alive… that must be the place. "She might be in Samegawa. She and her parents used to go there a lot," Yu informed them.
"Samegawa...?" Yosuke nodded in understanding. "Alright. Yu, you head straight there. That's our best bet. The rest of us'll split up and look around. If anyone finds anything, give the others a ring, okay?"
The silver-haired boy nodded as well and soon ran off in the direction of the flood plains.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As Yu arrived there, he heard his uncle's voice from behind him. He turned around to see Dojima running towards him, looking anxious. "Yu, did you find Nanako!?" he asked, to which the teenager could only shake his head solemnly. The detective sighed in worry. "Dammit... where is she...?"
Looking around, his eyes fell on the sight of a little girl sitting on the seats of the resting hut. "Nanako!"
Yu followed his uncle's gaze and noticed his cousin sitting there dejectedly. So she was here… but his uncle wasn't going over to her for some reason. Dojima lowered his head, as if a thousand thoughts were swarming in his head the longer he kept silent. Eventually he looked at Yu to ask him something, his eyes bearing a kind of sorrow in them. "Could you... talk to her?"
"What…?" The silver-haired boy was puzzled as to why the detective was asking him to go. Dojima merely sighed. "I'm not her "real father," huh...? Yu... you should go pick her up. She'll listen to you..."
"Why, uncle?" Yu didn't get the reason why Dojima just wouldn't go to Nanako and fix the things between them. It was the reason why the little girl was sad in the first place.
"You're the 'family' she trusts most right now..." The man murmured, unwilling to let his gaze meet his nephew's sharp eyes. "As long as Nanako is okay... I'm fine… please." Before he could let Yu respond, he turned around and left the place.
The silver-haired boy could only watch, his uncle's words stuck in his mind like the echoes of a ringing bell. The only 'family' Nanako trusted most right now…? While it's true that he's been spending time with her a lot, he was doing it for the sake of healing his uncle and cousin's relationship… but now he was actually getting in the way of it. What could he do about that?
Sighing deeply, he silently went to where Nanako was sitting.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
"Nanako…?"
Nanako lifted her head to see Yu standing there, a worried look on his face. "Big bro…"
"…Let's go home." Yu went up the steps and sat down next to his cousin, knowing that the little brunette had a lot on her mind. Nanako nodded, looking like she was about to cry. "…Yeah."
"Nanako… your father was the one who found you. That's how I knew you were here."
He got no response for a moment, until Nanako asked in a quiet voice. "He was looking for me...? Did Dad say anything about the river?" She saw the troubled look on her cousin's face and simply lowered her gaze. "Did he forget about Mom...? He never talks about her... I wanna see Mom..." She was struggling not to cry although her eyes with glistening with tears… through her fierce resolve, their relationship has grown deeper although the air was heavy between them… and so did the Justice Social Link.
"Dad must've forgotten Mom. There aren't any pictures of her at home. He probably threw them all away... is he going to throw me away, too...?" Nanako continued, her voice an inaudible whisper. Yu was still able to hear her despite that.
"He hasn't forgotten." In truth, he knew that Dojima was struggling to find the person who caused the hit-and-run that killed her mother…
Nanako only glanced at him for a moment, then looked down at her feet again. "...I'm going home. Let's go home together." She got up from where she sat, and so did Yu after a moment. He called his friends and told them that Nanako was alright first before going back home with his cousin… tonight's been eventful enough.
At least Nanako wasn't hurt or anything…
Monday came again, but this time with a heavy downpour that wouldn't last until the afternoon based on what Yu saw in the weather report. Thankfully, tomorrow was also going to rain and it'll last the whole day… he'll need to check the Midnight Channel tomorrow night. In the meantime, apparently the test results have been posted at lunchtime. The teachers must've really pushed themselves to mark the test papers before summer break came along on Wednesday… he went to check it out with Yosuke, seeing a small crowd by the notice board like last time.
As they both took a closer look at the papers, Yu noticed his name was at the very top – he got the highest score!
Yosuke's eyes widened in surprise. "Whoooa! You're a genius, Yu! That's awesome! I'm just as happy as if I'd got the highest grade myself!" He grinned proudly at his best friend while Yu sheepishly smiled.
He wasn't used to getting compliments for his high grades… he usually just got bullied for it when he was younger. "Thanks…" The silver-haired boy could see the admiring looks he got from his friends… he felt closer to them now for some reason.
Eventually, everyone returned to class as lunch break was almost over.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That afternoon, Yu went to do some training with Chie again. They were now in front of the Aiya Diner after they finished, with Chie looking excited at the thought of eating some steak again. "Today is steak bowl day! Just you wait!"
However, their attention was taken by a kid's voice coming from an alleyway. "I-I don't have any more..."
"D-Don't tell me they're at it again!?" Chie was now determined to stop the punks again. "Let's go, Yu-kun!" she said. Yu nodded and rushed off to the source of the child's voice with the brunette. Those punks must be stopped before they do any harm…!
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They found the punks cornering a kid at the same spot Takeshi was in the time they found him cornered by the same gang. Chie was growing infuriated at the gang's act. "What are you up to!?" she yelled at them as she and Yu ran towards them, making the gang groan at the sight of her. "Huh? Aw, not her again."
The leader merely grinned. "Heheh, I know how to handle this bitch."
"Huhuhuh! You look like you have something planned!"
"H-Help..." The kid called for Chie, making the punk leader chuckle. "Hear that, 'Chie-chan'? He wants help," he said mockingly. Chie was taken aback upon hearing her name coming out of that bastard's mouth. "How do you know my name...?"
"We ran into the guy you saved last time... had a friendly conversation. He told us all kinds of stuff. Like where you live, and about that precious 'Yukiko-chan' of yours."
"...What are you trying to pull!?"
"Oh, I'm just gonna have a little chat with this kid. Stay put, okay? 'Cause who knows what'll happen to 'Yukiko-san' if you get in our way...?"
One of the punks grinned deviously. "Hehuhuh! Man, that's nasty!"
The brunette could only grit her teeth in anger. "Why, you...!"
Things weren't looking good… but if Chie was going to fight these punks, then Yu was going to help her out. "We have to stop them," he told her as he stepped forward, getting into a battle-ready stance. Chie nodded in agreement, looking furious. "Yeah... we can't let these guys get away!" She was spitting mad…
"You sure about that? So you don't care what happens to your loved ones?" The punk leader reminded her condescendingly, causing Chie to straighten herself. "Rrrgh... fine, then hit me!"
This caught everyone else off guard, including Yu.
"You're pissed at me, right!? Then why don't you just take a swing at me? I won't fight back. Be my guest! The face, the gut, just pick a target! As hard as you want!" Chie got closer to the punk leader, until she was face to face with him. "C'mon!"
The leader averted his gaze, unable to find the courage to take the hit. "...Freak."
"What's with this bitch... she for real? Whatever, man... let's go..." One of the gang members suggested, so they all left the two and the kid alone. The child was crying as he thanked Chie. "M-Miss... thank you..."
Chie was staring off into the distance for a moment until she broke out of it. "Huh? Oh, no, don't worry about it!"
The child then ran off, saved from the punks…
Sighing, the brunette turned to face Yu. "My heart's still pounding... was that stupid of me?" she asked him. Yu shook his head, smiling reassuringly. "No, you protected that kid. He would've been hurt if you hadn't come in."
"...Thanks." Chie seemed embarrassed at his words, smiling back with a rosy hue on her cheeks. She then looked away. "It might've been stupid, but I wanted to save them... that kid, Yukiko..." A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she looked back at the silver-haired boy. "How I feel about this isn't fake. I really want to protect them..."
Yu could feel their relationship grow yet deeper alongside the Chariot Social Link… he was beginning to feel like there was something going to happen soon too.
The blush on Chie's cheeks only grew deeper now, and she began to look a little shy. "…Um, well... I also want to protect you... I might be a little flaky... and maybe you don't even need protecting... but... I... I want to protect you..." she admitted quietly.
In that moment, Yu realised that she just revealed her feelings to him. If he were an ordinary guy, he might ask her to be his girlfriend… though that was only if he liked her that way. However, he's not a guy in that sense… damn it, he didn't want to be in this situation. It hurt him as much as it would hurt a girl he's rejecting, but that's exactly what he'll have to do now. He just won't say it outright. "…I'm counting on you." He could definitely see the disappointment in Chie's eyes as her smile turned into a friendly one.
"...Yep. I'm counting on you! So, let's have some steak!"
With a nod, he went back to the Chinese diner with her to eat there before going back home.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As night fell, Yu arrived back home while feeling guilty for having rejected Chie's feelings. He couldn't help it either… he's really just a girl in sheep's clothing, forced to do as his grandfather says. It was better he made it clear that he wasn't interested than to lead any other girl to growing a crush or attraction on him. Sighing, he went over to the living room to greet his cousin. "Hey, Nanako…"
"Hi, big bro." Nanako was all right after last night's events, smiling at him. She then remembered something. "Oh, yeah! Dad said you got the best score in the school on your tests. That's incredible!"
"You knew already…?" Yu was surprised to hear that. How did his uncle know that quick? The results just came out today…
Nanako nodded, still smiling brightly. "Umm… I made this. H-Here you go." She gave her cousin a paper armband, giggling with a slight flush to her face. At her giggling, Yu couldn't help but smile. She was so cute – he could admit that, at least. "Thanks, Nanako."
He might as well keep assembling the model that he was working on for a few nights now.
Tuesday was a dull day as it rained heavily, which was ironic as almost every other student was excited that today was the final day of the first school term… but Yui felt anxious since tonight was the first time in a while that she'll be able to check the Midnight Channel. Daytime passed so slowly that she just spent her afternoon at the Aiya Diner, trying out the Mega Beef Bowl challenge… and she failed, but it did give her a bit of a lesson. Nonetheless, when she arrived home, she went up to her room after eating dinner with Nanako.
Waiting for midnight felt like forever… but once it was about time, she got up from her sofa to stand in front of the TV. Soon, the TV came to life, and what appeared on the Midnight Channel was a boy standing with his back against a brick wall. The boy looked familiar, but Yui couldn't put a finger on it.
"…You all think you can see me? You all think you know everything about me? …Then try and catch me."
That was all the boy said as the screen turned to a dull black, leaving the silver-haired girl puzzled as she wondered who he was. She had to stop thinking when her cellphone rang, so she answered it first. "Hello?"
It was Yosuke. "Hey, did you see that!? Who was that guy? I don't know him… have you ever seen him on the news or some television special? He seemed really gloomy… like a zombie…"
"I don't think I have…" Yui was sure that the boy never appeared on TV… but his appearance was making a bell ring in her head, but as to what it meant, she just couldn't remember. She could hear another voice from the other end, sounding a lot like Teddie… "Yosuke! Yooosukeeee!"
"Alright already, I hear you! Sorry, I'm gonna give the phone to Ted."
Now it was Teddie on the line. "Sensei! It's me, Teddie! I finally got to see the Midnight Channel with my own eyes. Now I know exactly what's happening. That guy's suppressed emotions are resonating with the other side, which are picked up by the TVs over here. It's clear now that it's not being filmed by anyone. Mystery solved! But that kid… he must already be inside the other world! What're we gonna do!?"
It felt strange to hear that bear's voice in the real world. Oh well.
"We need a plan first." Yui concluded. They can't barge into the other world without a plan and maybe a backup plan to boot. Who knows if that boy had a role in the murders…?
"Gotcha! I knew I could count on you, Sensei!" Teddie's trust in Yui – or rather, Yu Narukami was strong… "I think my heart skipped a beat…"
Blinking once, Yui felt the Star Social Link grow stronger at Teddie's words. Is he seriously starting to have an attraction on her, who he thinks is a guy? This is going beyond weird now.
"That's enough, Ted! Gimme the phone!" Yosuke got his phone back to continue his talk with her. "Hey, how could he be already inside!? What happened to the blurry image that we usually see in advance? And did you hear what he said? 'Try and catch me'…" The other line fell silent for a few seconds. "Now that I think about it, he looked like a high schooler… hey, could he be…? Nah, I better not jump to conclusions. Let's meet up at headquarters tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll see you there."
"Alright, later!"
The call ended there. Right as Yui was about to put her phone back into her pocket, it rang again… this time, it was Chie. She answered it, putting her cell to her ear again. "Chie?"
"Oh, I finally got through! Yosuke's line was busy, too… I was just talking to Yukiko! Was that…?"
The silver-haired girl then recapped her conversation with Yosuke and Teddie for her.
"Yeah, we gotta get to the bottom of this. Well, off to bed. G'night."
"Good night, Chie." Yui ended the call, sighing. She'll have to go to bed early too… and there was one thought that hung around the back of her mind. Although neither of them wanted to jump to conclusions, but they all probably understood the meaning – the boy was the killer.
And he's in the other world.