A/N: Oh lookie, this is my 30th chapter. Wonder how many chapters I'll end up writing if I've only reached that weird game guy's saga by now... welp.
Ryuji for King (Guest) - Ah, thanks for the compliment! To be honest, even I'm surprised at how fast I'm uploading (when this year is supposed to be doomsday year for me because I'll be finishing secondary school... haaa) but all the better for those who enjoy reading this story. I'll try my best to keep up my writing skills then.
Guest2
- Yep, and they also reveal some parts of her past through her thoughts. Daisuke and Kou are the iconic sports duo I'll always enjoy lol
- The advice is certainly working (got the idea from a little comic book reading, hehe)! Little green jealousy is running around in Kanji's thoughts... hah. There's not much of him in the last chapter or this one since things are still quite serious... well, this story serves as a Fem!Crossdressing!MC story with the pairing as a side dish in a sense?
- Well, I hope I can keep up to your expectations then!
Creedpah
- er... umm... hhhhhaaa its kinda accurate- /whyareyousogoodwiththesetheories ;w;
- For certain, but I'll applaud you if you can piece up a story of her delinquent days (and maybe some other stuff) before I reach a certain part of the story where her full backstory will be revealed to the readers through certain events! Yui doesn't think of it much (think of her as an unreliable narrator where she will hide parts of her own past from the reader) since it's painful for her to remember that time... anyway, thank you for your support!
Although the next day was the start of summer break, Yu had no time to rest as he rushed out of his home the moment he woke up and got dressed to meet the others at the Junes food court. By the time he arrived, everyone except Rise and Teddie were there – Yosuke then told him that those two were checking out the other side, so they'll start the meeting for now. They first talked about what they saw last night… and there was one thing they were sure of: the boy on the Midnight Channel was the killer.
However, the boy's motive for targeting people who were shown on TV was still a mystery… but if he had a personal grudge against Mr. Morooka, it could explain the sudden change in modus operandi. Yet the way he looked on the Midnight Channel… he seemed depressed, almost like he was going to get desperate and end it all, though that might not be the case. Either way, they'll just have to ask him their questions face to face. As they reached to that conclusion, Rise arrived at the table to tell them that while there's not enough information to go on, there was definitely someone in the other world.
With that, all they had to do now was to find out who the boy is and if he really was the killer. Once that is done, all they have to do then is to confront him in the TV world… and only they can do it now.
The Fool Social Link grew stronger as everyone's heart was united by the desire to solve the case.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As everyone went to ask for information in the various spots in town, Yu started off in the flood plains. The problem is that they didn't have much to go on… but Kanji gave him a good idea – why don't he ask his uncle about the guy? Though knowing Dojima, he'll probably scold him for asking in the first place.
Worth a shot.
Heading down to the shopping district, Yu found his uncle by roadside. Steeling himself for a potential scolding, he approached Dojima with a question in mind and dared himself to ask it. The detective raised an eyebrow at that. "A clue to the criminal investigation? You… I told you not to stick your neck into things! There's no way I'd tell you!" Dojima sighed and looked around. "Geez… damn, where did that Adachi go off to…?" he muttered to himself, but it didn't go unheard by the silver-haired teenager.
…Well, it was worth a shot.
Realising that there was nothing much he could do today, Yu decided to kill time by eating the special dish for today at the Aiya Diner…
When Thursday came along, Yu went to Junes since that was where he kept seeing Adachi in the past. Luckily, the young detective was there today. He approached the man quietly, trying to hear what Adachi was mumbling about. "I think I'll stay here a little longer before I go out again…" Adachi murmured before sighing. He then turned his head, only to notice the silver-haired boy there. "Mm? Aaah! You startled me… don't sneak up on me like that…!"
Yu bowed slightly to apologise for that. "My apologies… I was just wondering on what you were doing here, sir."
"Eh? What was I doing? Oh, uh, you know… investigating…"
…Doesn't look like it.
This might be his chance to get some information… "I'll tell Dojima," Yu told him, holding in a smirk. That wouldn't help him get anywhere if he let it show, but he couldn't help it. It was somewhat satisfying to exploit a person's one fault – an old habit of his back when he was a delinquent. He should really be trying to get rid of it anyway.
"D-Did Dojima-san maybe say anything about it? Just keep this a secret from him… please!"
"Fine… then tell me some clues you have to apprehend the suspect."
"…Wait, what? Clues to catch the suspect? If I tell you, will you keep quiet!?"
The silver-haired boy nodded in response. In return for his silence, he wanted information.
"Okay then… I'm just talking to myself here, but… he supposedly had a part-time job in the shopping district. Where was it? Oh… I don't think they told me that much."
"Thanks. I'll keep quiet about it." Yu then left the place, contemplating about the info he just got. The boy had a part-time job, huh… well, off to the shopping district, then.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Arriving at the shopping district, Yu asked around about a student that used to work part-time, but he got negative responses until he asked the lady running the Souzai Daigaku down the block.
"Wh-Where'd you hear that from? I told him not to tell anyone… anyway. Yes, he did work here for a short time. But this was a while ago. He freaked out just from cutting the raw meat. Hmm… I remember he had black eyes. And what else… oh yeah. He said the person who worked here before him was his classmate during middle school… I see that kid - his classmate - around here sometimes. Maybe you should talk to him when you see him. I don't know if you'll find him today, but he recently dyed his hair golden brown, so he should be easy to spot."
"Thank you, ma'am." He now had a lead about that boy. If he could find this golden brown-haired classmate, he'll probably get some information about the guy on the Midnight Channel. Though he couldn't find him anywhere on his way down to the food stall, so he'll have to continue the investigation tomorrow… he'll just kill time in the meanwhile.
The next day, Yu began searching in the shopping district for the classmate of the boy. It didn't take him too long as he spotted a flash of golden-brown hair near the tofu shop, which the lady running the Souzai Daigaku said belonged to the classmate of the boy on the Midnight Channel. He approached the student and asked to see his yearbook if he could.
"Huh? You want to see my yearbook? Oh, are you looking for… him? You wanna see his picture? Heh heh, you do, don't you? Well, today's your lucky day, because me and my friends are going around showing it to everyone! Want a copy?"
"Uh… sure."
"Here you go." The student gave Yu a photograph.
Taking a closer look at it, the silver-haired boy noticed that it was the guy they were looking for all this while. There's no doubt about it. The name written below the picture was 'Mitsuo Kubo'… so this is the guy's name. He'll have to report to Rise about this, but he could see that everyone in the team was tired from the three-day investigation. So, he messaged them to take a break as he found some information about the boy they're looking for, and that they'll meet up in three days' time.
Getting a few messages of affirmation, he decided to spend the day working at the day care centre. He hasn't been there in a while.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After Yu finished his work for the day, he was walking back home through the flood plains when he noticed someone sitting at the resting hut – it was Yuuta's mother. He guessed that he should at least greet her and maybe remind her to go pick up Yuuta… so he walked towards the resting hut. "Hello, ma'am."
The brunette lady noticed him standing there. "Oh, you're... you're the caretaker I met the other day, right?" At that thought, she realised that it must be time to pick up her son, her expression turning troubled. "Oh! It's already this late? I've been sitting here all this time..."
"…Is something on your mind, ma'am?" Yu could see that she seemed stressed about something. However, Yuuta's mother just gave him a smile. "...Oh, no, it's nothing." She giggled softly. "You're a high school student, right? You seem so mature..." Her smile then fell as she looked down at her lap. "I was heading over there... I was going to pick up Yuuta... but then something came over me... my legs just went weak all of a sudden. Every time I think about him..." She sighed deeply, the sound echoing through the empty hills of grass like a wispy whisper.
She then lifted her head to gaze at Yu. "...Have you heard? Yuuta and I aren't related by blood..."
So… the gossip he heard from the supervisor was true. He thought it was mere empty words, brought about by the wind of chatter.
"He's my husband's child. I've lived with Yuuta for six months now... only six months... already six months... we don't ever talk to each other. My husband is away, so... heh... it's just the two of us, alone together in a dark house."
"That sounds tough…" Yu could understand how that felt. The days he had to stay with his grandfather was exactly like that. Just plain awkwardness between them, a boundary of generations and rules keeping them apart. The only thing that connected them was the blood that ran through his veins, and the silver white colour of his hair – the trademark sign of a Narukami. White hair wasn't very common among young people, obviously…
Yuuta's mother then snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell you all this out of the blue... but I'm glad you listened to me, that you spoke with me... haha, it's sad, but these days, I don't even get to have simple conversations like this..." she said, smiling weakly. She must be trying her best to adapt to living in the countryside… the silver-haired teenager could sense that. There were whispers in his head, speaking in echoes of a new bond forming between them… which resulted in the formation of the Temperance Social Link of the Temperance Arcana.
It's strange how some of these Social Links involved adults… but he has one with a fox and a 'bear', so he's not exactly questioning it. When he came to, he saw the brunette lady smile at him.
"I'm Eri Minami. Nice to meet you. Please take good care of him," she introduced herself. Yu nodded, smiling back. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. My name is Yu Narukami."
"Yu Narukami… what a nice name." Eri then stood up from where she sat. "...Oh, that's right. I still need to pick him up." She looked at the teenager with a gentle smile. "It was nice seeing you..." She then left, leaving Yu to continue his walk back home.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Nanako seemed anxious when Yu arrived back home, so he sat down at the table with her to find out why she looked so worried. "Is something the matter, Nanako?" he asked. The little girl stared down nervously. "Um... I lost the paper I was supposed to return to school... what should I do...? The teacher will yell at me."
Oh, so that's why. "I'll help you look for it, then."
"Thank you, big bro." Nanako seemed ready to cry to distress… without wasting anymore time, they began to search the house.
It was a while, but as Yu checked the dining table, he saw that the papers Dojima was always going through were here. Carefully checking through a few, he noticed a paper with a title about a survey hidden among the pile of papers. The word 'Anytime' has been written in the 'Day Requested' box... this must be the paper his cousin was looking for. He also spotted something else hidden in the papers. It seemed to be a photo… taking a closer look, he realised what it was.
…Nanako deserved to see this, at least.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They sat at the table in the living room again so Nanako could look at the paper and the photo Yu found. She first looked at the paper, which he had placed on the table. "It says 'Anytime... I'll try,' on it. So... he can come anytime?" she asked her cousin.
Yu nodded. "Yeah… he can come anytime."
"I see..." The little girl giggled, a smile on her face. She then looked at the photo she now held in her hands. "And this is... a photo? Oh, this is... mom..." Her smile fell the longer she gazed at the photo. "This little baby in the middle... that's me... dad's smiling..." She became quiet for a few moments before lifting her gaze to look at her cousin. "Why did Dad stop smiling...?" she asked him.
"…Because he's lonely, too," Yu answered softly. The death of Dojima's wife has caused them to become so lonely in her absence… their relationship has become strained as the detective tried to find the one who caused her death to the extent of being away from home for most of Nanako's life.
Nanako looked at him in surprise. "Dad's... lonely...? I see... so that's it..." She seemed to have realised something. "After Mom died, I was lonely, but... I'm not the only one who's sad that Mom's not here anymore... Dad... he was lonely, too... I'm sorry, Dad."
…She looked more mature, somehow.
From this turn of events, their relationship has grown deeper with the Justice Social Link…
"Thank you, big bro... will Dad ever smile like this again?" The little girl asked. Yu gently smiled at her with a nod to reassure her. "I'm sure that one day he will." He could only watch as his cousin stared at the photo again. Eventually he put her to bed since it was getting late…
The town was awfully quiet the next day despite the clear blue skies overhead. All Yu could hear was the cries of cicadas… it unnerved him a little since it was creeping him out. He decided to go to the day care centre to help out the staff there. Least to say, the atmosphere there was the total opposite of the atmosphere in the shopping district with children running around, and even Yuuta challenged him to arm-wrestling. It was a nice change in scenery, even if he was being tugged at from all directions.
As time passed, all the children except Yuuta were picked up by their parents. He chatted a little with the young boy until he noticed Eri approaching them.
"Oh, it's you... Yu-kun… was it?" asked Eri, to which the silver-haired teenager nodded in response. The brunette lady then smiled at Yuuta. "Yuu-kun, are you getting along with Mister Yu?"
Yuuta looked away from her. "...No! You don't have to come pick me up!" He ran away, leaving Eri to watch him morosely.
"Yuu-kun..." She sighed before looking at Yu. "Do you like children?"
The question surprised the teenager. He sheepishly scratched the back of his head, deciding to tell the truth this time. "To be honest, I actually dislike children." Nanako was an exception, of course. He just hated kids from his experience in his younger days… he could complain so much about them from the way they acted to how they could impulsively gang up on smaller kids. Though, that could be because of how their parents raised them, but who knows the truth of it?
"Really? You looked like you were having a lot of fun... so you basically just view this as your job, then? That's great." Eri was impressed at that. She soon sighed again, her smile falling. "It's so tiring… I don't hate him, but..."
"You have problems with him…?"
"...It's more complicated than that. Haha, you're still a child, I see..." The brunette lady smiled sadly at Yu. "I didn't like coming here because I'd run into the other mothers, but... haha." Her words resonated with the loneliness she felt… Yu felt like he could understand the feeling, which resulted in the Temperance Social Link becoming stronger.
After a moment, a pair of women soon noticed them. "Ah... are you Yuuta-kun's mother? Is it okay for you to leave Yuuta-kun by himself for this long?" One of them asked. The other added their opinion about it. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea. Even if you are worried about the young new caretaker being able to watch over your child."
Eri nodded with a calm expression. "...Yes, of course. I'm sorry to trouble you. Then... if you'll excuse me…" She went to go get Yuuta.
The only thing Yu could do now was finish up his job and return home.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, Yui spent her remaining hours for the day to finish up the model. She almost panicked when she noticed that there was one piece left over, only to recall that it was a spare piece. Nonetheless, she now had a completed model to show the guy that made the ema request in the shopping district… an MF-062 Brahman, according to the box the model pieces came in with.
She actually felt satisfied for finishing it. Made her feel proud for doing something so detailed… the man will definitely be happy to see this model completed.
She might even display it on the empty shelf in her room once she did show it to him.
Yu showed the model to the man who made the ema request, who was astonished to see that it was completed.
"That's the MF-06S Brahman I gave you! You actually built it… wow, it's good… well-made…" The man was beginning to tear up at the sight of the model. "Making plastic models takes a lot of time, huh? The time you spend makes the love for your creation deeper…" He sniffled, wiping his nose. "Haha, I must be getting old… I was recalling the days I spent toiling away at plastic models… it was fun… But it's all in the past now… thank you. By giving me a final glimpse of this joy, you made me realize that this phase of my life has passed. I thank you… oh, and the shrine, too. I finally feel like I can find something else to live for." He was smiling sadly at the silver-haired teenager.
Then the man remembered something. "Oh, yeah. You can have this, too. I have fond memories of this model… I don't need it anymore. It's time to move on…" He gave Yu another unfinished model before leaving. At least the man had some closure now.
Yu quietly left the shopping district, heading towards the flood plains with a thought in mind.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Going down to the riverside, the one person he hoped to see here was there today – it was the old lady he saw in the hospital. Yu approached her quietly, not wanting to startle her. "Excuse me…"
The old lady in mourning garb then looked at him, taking a moment to realise who he was. "Oh, you don't happen to be… the hospital janitor?" she asked.
"That's right, ma'am."
"My, I didn't think I would see you here. It's a nice day today… would you take the time to talk with this old woman?"
"Of course." Yu nodded, smiling at her.
"My, I'm so happy." The old lady in black gave him a gentle smile back. "Good day, umm..."
"Ah, my name is Yu Narukami."
"Yu Narukami... Yu-chan, is it? Haha, a lovely name. It suits you. I've lived here all my life, but... I don't know you."
"Well, I won't be staying long…" Yu only had a year in Inaba, after all. So much had happened in the few months he was here – he got involved in a serial murder case, actually had friends, and even fell in love… but all that was temporary. He will be forced to leave all that behind by next year.
"My, is that so? If you're from the city, you may think it's a bit inconvenient here... but I think it's a nice town."
"…I think so, too." Inaba was calm unlike the roaring streets and blaring lights of the cities in Japan. He might even miss this peacefulness when his time here was up.
"Haha, that's nice to hear. It's good to hear pleasant things about your home." The old lady soon noticed that she hasn't introduced herself. "Oh, dear. I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Hisano Kuroda." She paused for a moment, then said something strange. "…I am Death."
The silver-haired boy blinked a few times, wondering if he heard that right. "Death?"
After a few seconds, Hisano slowly shook her head. "...I'm sorry. I'm saying foolish things." She smiled again at him. "Yu-chan, you're still not used to this town, are you? If you ever have any problems, I can give you some advice. Haha... though I'm sure you'd rather spend your time with young ladies."
She seemed to be a kindly old woman even though she just called herself 'Death'… Yu found himself becoming acquaintances with Hisano, resulting in whispers speaking in his head again about the formation of a new Social Link… this time the Death Social Link of the Death Arcana. Man, way to make a point of the name…
"I hope we can meet again," Hisano said, nodding at the teenager. "Goodbye, now."
"Goodbye, ma'am." Yu bowed before they parted ways for the day. Tomorrow will be the day the Investigation Team met up to go into the TV world… he'll have to get ready for that.
The next day was the first day of August, and that was the day the team will be going into the TV world. Yu went to the Velvet Room first to fuse a few new Personas… and maybe finish more of Margaret's requests. He was much better than the last time he was in there, at least.
First, a Gdon that knew Rampage.
Margaret smiled when she noticed that he fulfilled her request. "This Gdon has Rampage… I see… you have successfully completed the quest… do you know why I asked you to bring me such a beast?"
Yu blinked in silence, which showed that he did not.
"…Because I wanted you to be aware that even an innocent girl like you can harbour such a dreadful creature inside."
The silence that fell between them gave Yu enough time to comprehend what the platinum blonde woman just said. His eyes widened once he realised that Margaret knew that he wasn't a boy all this while. "Y-you…"
The Velvet Room attendant merely gave the silver-haired teenager a knowing smile. "…And… I wanted to ride on it for a bit. But this Persona seems too hot for me… can I extinguish its flame?" She acted like she didn't just reveal a crucial piece of information to the crossdressing teenager that sat at the other end of the limousine-like room, chuckling when the only response she got was stunned silence from Yu. "I'm kidding. I wouldn't harm your Persona, nor yourself… I think. And yes, I know who you are. You don't need to hide yourself from me or my master."
"…Oh." Yu's voice was an inaudible whisper, baffled that Igor and Margaret were so much more than they appeared to be. His face visibly reddened despite the dim azure glow coming from the windows and the lights above them. "You know that I'm…?"
Margaret nodded, and Igor flashed the silver-haired boy his typical grin.
…This new revelation made the Empress Social Link grow stronger.
Even so, Margaret continued on like nothing happened. "Well then… for my next request… I would like a Neko Shogun capable of using Bufula. If anyone can do this for me, it's you."
"N-Neko Shogun, Bufula… got it." Yu took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, seeing that the two occupants of the Velvet Room weren't bothered in the slightest by his deepest secret. If they could remain calm, then so could he. Thus, he summoned and fused Personas until he managed to fuse a Neko Shogun that knew Bufula, which made Margaret smile at the result.
"Ah, a Neko Shogun with Bufula… you have successfully completed the quest again." She chuckled as she took a closer look at the cat that looked like a shogun, as expected from its name. "This is a rare Persona… I think I could even beat my master with this. Hm… wait a moment. The Persona's nose isn't long at all…" She then shook her head. "No… there's no way I can win with this Persona. It's not easy to surpass the master… regardless, I appreciate your showing me this beautiful Persona. One after another, you make my every wish come true… what an astounding lady… hmhm."
She smiled gently at Yu as the Social Link that represented their bond grew even stronger. "Now, for my next request… bring me a Black Frost that knows Auto-Sukukaja… I know you can do this."
That shouldn't be too hard.
Feeling more confident this time, Yu repeated the same process of fusing and summoning Personas until he got the result he wanted. Margaret chuckled as a tarot card bearing the Black Frost Persona appeared, floating down onto the table. "A Black Frost with Auto-Sukukaja… you've once again successfully completed the quest. Do you know this Persona's tragic past? Black Frost lived alone for over thousands of years… while enduring this solitude, he prayed to the sky, over and over. Pleading, 'Give me a friend'… eventually, the god he served granted him a friend for a single day… and the two of them frolicked through the fields, as happy as could be."
In some way, it sounded like that this story was going to have a sad ending…
"They spent many precious hours together… and then… the sun set. The friend vanished… Black Frost regretted his request. If he had known he would have been left sad and lonely, he would never have asked for a friend in the first place. Hence, Block Fro…" Margaret paused for a moment. "I didn't mispronounce it."
Yu stared at her, knowing that she did. Also, he was right about the sad ending.
"…Forget it. I made it all up anyway. Did you believe me? Adults shouldn't be so easily swayed by what others say. Anyhow, I appreciate that you showed me this wonderful card. You've been making my wishes come true so easily… you're outstanding," Margaret said all that with a gentle smile like before, and the Empress Social Link increased in strength yet again. Her gaze turned serious as she revealed her next request. "For my next request, show me a Yatagarasu equipped with the Megido skill… I am sure that you can do this. I await your return."
Seeing that he was kind of running low on funds to summon Personas now, Yu excused himself with new knowledge in mind. Guess he'll have to add Igor and Margaret to the list of people who knew he's not who he says he is…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After Yu called everyone to the Junes food court, they entered the TV to let Rise scan the other world for the murder suspect's presence. Firstly, he showed the others the picture of Mitsuo Kubo. Yosuke recognised the face in an instant. "That's him all right… it's definitely the guy on the Midnight Channel! It's settled, then. He is the killer… and he's in here now!"
"This guy came to our shop before…" Rise murmured, looking frightened as her words surprised the others. "Was he… spying on me…? Oh my God… I really was being targeted…"
"Dammit! Frickin' punk!" Kanji was starting to get mad, hearing about this boy's actions. To think that this guy kidnapped them with the intention to let them get killed in the other world… they had to stop him before he could get anyone else.
Chie stared at the photo for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing. "Hey, I've seen him before too… hmm…" Then, a memory hit her. "Oh, now I remember! Yukiko, it's that one guy!"
"That one guy…?" Yukiko looked at her best friend in confusion.
"Back in April, remember!? He suddenly came and started hitting on you!"
Yosuke took a moment to realise who the brunette was talking about. "Oh, him! The dude who got served by Yukiko in front of the school! Man, Chie, how'd you remember something like that!?"
"Well, that was the first time he talked to her, but I remember he was always following her around."
Yukiko was still puzzled as to who the two were talking about. "Um… sorry, who are we talking about?"
"The dude who came right up to you at the school gates and called you Yuki!" Yosuke told her.
"Ohhhh… uhh… really?"
At that realisation, Chie became infuriated. "Wait, did he kidnap Yukiko to get back at her for rejecting him?!" Now this was starting to make sense. Yu remembered that day too – it was his first day in Yasogami High, after all.
"Um… I didn't really reject him…"
Rise had her share of the store too. "He came up to me while I was busy working and asked, 'Don't the biker gangs bother you?'. Just going on and on about how biker gangs can't do anything unless they're in a pack and stuff… he seemed to be the type who just keeps talking, whether you like it or not… if that make sense… I usually treat those people politely so they don't get offended, but I was so tired that I kinda ignored him. Was that why I was kidnapped…?"
After hearing the idol's story, Kanji shook his head in bewilderment. "Huh…? Wait, I'm not a biker! Ugh… that damn special report… so that's why I got dragged into this."
"You know, I heard he'd been saying stuff about that announcer's affair, too. Lots of muttering about how women who cheat on their husbands should be executed," Chie added. Yosuke smiled, seeing how everything was falling into place. "Sounds like it's all coming together… well, it's time for a showdown!"
They all nodded, determination in their faces.
Yosuke then looked at Rise. "Can you tell where this Mitsuo guy's at?"
"I'll give it a try. Just a sec…" Rise summoned her Persona, Himiko, who appeared behind her and placed the visor-like device in its hands over her eyes, letting the dark brunette scan the area while it moved its head side to side, like a satellite. "…Yeah, I found him!" she announced, lifting a hand to point in a direction. "He's that way." Then, Himiko disappeared into shards and back into the depths of her heart.
"Alright, let's go! We're so close to the killer… we can't lose him now!" Chie wasn't going to let this guy die in the TV world, and neither will the team. If he surely was the killer, then they can't let him go that easily.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Their destination this time was one of the oddest ones yet – instead of being a place similar to that of the real world, everything looked much like an old videogame… down to the blocky scenery and the appearance. There were floating words ahead of them, one with the words 'GAME START' and the other 'CONTINUE'… and beyond them was the abyss of red and black.
Chie stared at the sight, a bit puzzled at the whole image of it. "What is this…? Some kinda game?" she murmured, looking around. Yosuke was feeling just about the same. "Well, he did taunt us, saying 'Try and catch me'… I guess he thinks of all this as a game."
Now that made her mad. "Ohhh, this pisses me off! I hereby sentence him to a hundred kicks to the face!" She looked at the others, eager to teach this Mitsuo Kubo a lesson. "Let's go!"
"…Well, let the games begin," Yu said, which made Yosuke grin at him. "Gotta admit… all guys love games," The brunet commented, missing the exasperated look Chie gave them both. "And all girls love Teddie!" Teddie added with a cheeky smile. Of course, no one said anything about it as they walked ahead without him, leaving him to catch up.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Joining Yu for the journey up the dungeon this time was Kanji, Yosuke and Teddie. The first thing they noticed when entering was the whole appearance of the place itself – this was a legitimate game dungeon, though everything just looked blocky and retro, including the flames on the torches. Before they could take another step forward, a floating screen emerged out of thin air in front of Yu. "Huh?" He blinked a few times in surprise, taking a closer look at it. On it were options like that of a videogame, one saying 'Begin a new quest' and the other 'End your quest'.
Without any input from him, the arrow began to move before settling on the first option, which revealed another screen asking to input 'his' name.
Rise was confused at what she and the others were seeing. "Huh!? What is this?" They watched as the blank space began to reveal letters which spelled out Mitsuo Kubo's name… the idol huffed in irritation. "Does this mean the game's starting!? Urgh, this kinda pisses me off!" She looked at Yu, a fire in her eyes. "Let's go, Senpai!"
Getting a nod in response, the team started to traverse through the halls of the dungeon.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The Shadows in this place were much stronger than the ones in the strip club, that much they could see as they got up to the second floor. Arriving there, a loud, menacing voice echoed through the halls which halted them in their steps.
"Waahahahahahaha! How dare you stand against me for being a rotten orange! I'll make a worthless human like you taste endless pain! Take this!"
A screen popped up in front of Yu again, bearing the words 'System Message'. A few more words appeared on screen, almost like a game…
'Critical hit! Punishing hit!
Mitsuo has been knocked down…'
This sounded a lot like… abuse. But he couldn't assume that since they had no idea whose voice that belonged to. Rise seemed uneasy at the sight of those words. "Huh!? No way… what's this all about? A-Anyways… we need to hurry on!"
They continued on.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The third floor had even more voices, none of them belonging to Mitsuo.
"Good morning. You seemed to have slept well last night. You slept so well that not even the noisy siren from the police cars woke you."
"I think something really bad happened… can you go buy some coffee from the café at the arcade? Thanks. Did you hear a girl was killed? It's becoming a dangerous world out there… I don't even feel safe walking around town… don't let your guard down, and make sure you're not out late, okay?"
The strange conversation aside, this floor almost looked like a dead end… but upon reaching certain areas of the floor, they were transported forward to another similar hallway. Eventually they managed to get through this floor and went up to the fourth floor, which revealed even more of Mitsuo's actions.
"A female announcer draws near!"
Another screen popped up in front of Yu, acting like a way for the team to see the events that happened.
'Command? Fight'
'Mitsuo attacks!
Thou hast done well in defeating the female announcer.
Mitsuo hath been promoted to the next level.
Thy Excitement increases by 4.
They Emptiness increases by 1.'
"This can't be…" Rise watched the screen with wide eyes. "Does he mean murdering people was just a game for him? He's so on my enemies list!"
Yu gripped his katana tightly. This boy seems a lot more dangerous than he looks… the only thing they could do now is keep going.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
What they heard from the voices on the fifth floor was horrible.
"A corpse discoverer draws near!"
Yosuke froze, staring at the screen that soon popped up in front of Yu as he watched the words dance on the glossy surface of the screen. A corpse discoverer…? That means…
'Command? Fight'
'Mitsuo attacks!
Thou hast done well in defeating the corpse discoverer.
Mitsuo hath been promoted to the next level.
Thy Sadness increases by 5.
Thy Emptiness increases by 8.'
Rise was growing worried, not noticing how the brunet fell silent all of a sudden. "The next level…? No way! Does that mean he's getting stronger!? Senpai, be careful! This guy may be more dangerous than we thought!" she alerted Yu.
The silver-haired boy nodded but glanced at his best friend with concern. That voice just revealed that Mitsuo was the cause of Saki Konishi's death… "Yosuke? Are you alright?"
He could see Yosuke visibly shaking, arms turned into fists. Suddenly, the brunet whispered in a low voice, rage seeping into his words. "That damn bastard! I'll…!" He was about to run ahead in his anger when Yu grabbed his arm before he could get too far. "Yosuke!" The silver-haired boy yelled, trying to snap him out of it. Yosuke shook him off as he turned around to face his best friend, looking like he could burst into tears at the reminder of Saki's death. "That guy… he killed her!"
"I know… but we're this close to catching him now, Yosuke." Yu attempted to calm him down despite that. "We'll make him pay for his crimes in jail. Isn't that what we're doing this for?"
The brunet could barely say anything. "But… S-Saki-senpai… she…" His voice was shaky, and he was breathing deeply to hold down the rage he had. The urge to just run off and get this guy for what he had done was compelling, but Yu was right. Death would merely be an escape… and jailtime would ensure this guy paid for his crimes in full. "…You're right…" He sighed, the anger in his heart dissipating like mist. "I guess I shouldn't have reacted like that…" he murmured, seeming shameful for his attitude moments ago.
"It's alright." Placing a hand on the brunet's shoulder, Yu gave him a reassuring smile. "We just need to keep going – we'll get him."
Nodding slowly, Yosuke sadly smiled back at the silver-haired boy. "…Thanks, partner." To avenge Saki's death, he was now further determined to get to the top floor of this dungeon and catch Mitsuo Kubo with the team.
"It's what friends do, no?" Yu said as he patted his best friend's shoulder. "Come on, we got a guy to apprehend."
So, they traversed through the hallways of the floor…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Going further up, the voices sounded even worse. It's almost as if Mitsuo was going insane… and on the seventh floor, they found another strong Shadow hidden in a room. It merely summoned Almighty Hands that once they defeated the original Shadow, all the summoned ones scuttered away like spiders.
What a joke.
At the far end of the room was a chest, and inside was some kind of orb… full of darkness. With that in hand, they pushed forward to the next level.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The eighth floor revealed that Mitsuo did kill their previous homeroom teacher.
"Waahahahahahaha! How dare you stand against me for being a rotten orange!"
A screen appeared in front of Yu.
'Morooka draws near! Command?'
'Kill… Run… Kill'
'Mitsuo attacks!
Thou hast done well in killing Morooka.
Mitsuo hath been promoted to the next level.
They Attention increases by 16.
Thy Fame increases by 17.
Thy Coolness increases by 3.'
Rise huffed in disbelief. "What's with this…!? All this about attention and fame… I can't believe this! What makes him think this is cool!? Let's hurry, Senpai! We gotta catch this sick bastard!"
Yu had to nod in agreement. This was just wrong.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The ninth floor seemed to show Mitsuo's descent into insanity.
"Ah, the hero Mitsuo… thou hast done well! You're… yyyyooouuuuu'''rrrreeeee…"
Another voice spoke, bearing Mitsuo's voice. "…I… I… don't have anything… IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII DDDOOOONNTTHAAVEANNYYTHINNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG—"
Rise was uneasy as she sensed something. "Senpai, we're closing in! Be careful!" she warned Yu, which she got a nod in response. "Alright… everyone, don't let your guard down." The silver-haired boy had a feeling that they'll be reaching the summit after this floor… they must get ready for a potential fight against the killer.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
As Yu expected, the next floor was the top.
In front of them was a giant wooden door that blocked their way. Rise observed it for a moment. "Hmmm… I can sense him past this door…" Yet as she pushed it a little, it was noticeable that the door was sealed with a mysterious power. At that realisation, the orb of darkness they obtained a few floors ago suddenly began to act up.
Yu held out the orb, watching with some fascination as pitch-black darkness flowed from it towards the doors… promptly breaking the seal holding the doors closed.
Then, the doors opened up to let the team run inside.
"Look! There he is!" Chie pointed out. The place seemed to be an arena of sorts, and there was Mitsuo… with another Mitsuo. Except one of them bore a dark blue aura and bright yellow eyes… similar to that of a Shadow…
"You Mitsuo?! You better be ready to pay, you bastard!" Kanji began to yell at him. However, Yosuke noticed that something was off. "Wait, Kanji… something's not right!"
Mitsuo was shouting at the other Mitsuo. "Everyone gets on my nerves… that's why I did it! What do you think of that!? Say something, dammit!" Yet all he got was silence. "Nobody even thought of me after the first two people. That's why I went for the third one! I killed them!" His words shocked the Investigation Team, hearing that he did kill the victims from his own mouth. Again, the other Mitsuo remained silent which unnerved him. "Wh-What're you all quiet for…?"
Finally, the other Mitsuo spoke, his voice laced with distortion. "Because… I feel nothing…"
"What're you talking about!? Make sense, dammit!"
Chie stared at the two, growing confused. "What the…? Which one's the Shadow?" She and the others could only watch as the other Mitsuo continued to speak.
"I… have nothing… I am nothing… and you… are me…"
Mitsuo was taken aback at what the other him said. "What…? What's that supposed to mean!? I'm… I'm not nothing…"
Yukiko soon realised that he was about to make the same mistake she made when confronted with her Shadow. "No! If this keeps up…!" Her voice was loud enough to make Mitsuo turn around to see who was there.
"Wh-Who are you guys!? How'd you get in here…? Dammit, who the hell are you!? What're you doing here!?" he questioned them.
Kanji yelled at him again. "Shut the hell up! We came after you!"
"Are you the killer?" Chie asked nervously.
Mitsuo began to laugh. "Haha… ahahahahaha! Of course I am! I'm the one behind everything!" He turned around to face the other Mitsuo. "I don't give a damn what this imposter's saying! Hahaha, you hear that!? You have nothing to do with me! Get outta my sight!" he shouted at his Shadow, practically telling it off. He didn't even care that he got no response again as he turned around to look at the Investigation Team once more. "That goes for the rest of you, too… why'd you chase me all the way here!? I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you! I can do it, you know… I can do anything!"
…From behind him, darkness poured out of his Shadow as a deep voice spoke. "So you don't accept me…"
"Ngh… what the…?" Mitsuo felt weak all of a sudden, falling onto his knees. The darkness concentrated into his Shadow, and he cried out in pain as his Shadow turned into a monster resembling a bare child with a halo of strange shapes floating around its head.
The Investigation Team got ready for battle, now having to face another person's Shadow. "Dammit, here we go again!" Yosuke wasn't fond of these battles, but it seems that he'll have to fight these Shadows either way. Rise backed off to a safe distance away to prepare for her assist. "Get ready, everyone! Once we beat him, this case is as good as closed!" she told everyone.
Yu prepared himself for another battle against someone's other self – now it was up to him to lead the team to victory.
Thus, they were thrust into a battle with the killer's Shadow itself, one that'll be their toughest one yet.