A/N: Mitsuo's battle incoming! Oh, and there might be a little eggy mess by the end of this chapter... hehe. Man I took a while to write this - school has been taking most of my time and energy, so I wasn't able to write as much as I would've liked over the past few days. Even worse, Malaysia's connection to this website suddenly went kaput (kept showing the 'took too long to load' error, and I even got the runtime error) so I had to change my DNS. Nonetheless, it's here!
Creedpah
- One of those possibilities are kind of correct, but I won't say which! XD
- That theory, I guess I can say it's true in a sense. It's one of the reasons why she got so deep into delinquency, and getting out of it was no easy feat... she still has remnants of her bad habits, after all.
- Ramble on all you like, I love reading stuff from you and the other reviewers! And I'm surprised that you think that with how fast I write my chapters, they're still of good quality... I was a bit worried that I might be going for quantity vs quality, but if that's how you think of it, then maybe I can loosen up a little :) Thanks for reviewing, anyway!
Yu had expected that the battle might be tougher than the last, but this was just plain brutal.
"I am… a Shadow… come… I'll end your emptiness." The Shadow had surrounded itself in a shell of giant blocks that made it look like a lame eight-bit RPG character, now known as Mitsuo the Hero. Its voice was still laced with distortion, but now it sounded almost like a robot.
"It's all jaggy and blocky!" Teddie said, observing the Shadow's form with shock. Yosuke just felt like he was seeing the worst rendition of a game character ever. "Is that thing supposed to be a game character…? Geez, how insulting can he get?!"
"Come…"
"Senpai! You'll have to destroy the outer shell first!" Rise alerted Yu as the battle finally began. The silver-haired boy nodded in affirmation. "Got it."
This won't be easy, but he'll do his best to make sure they'll win this fight.
Firstly, they did their usual round of buff and debuff spells, though with Teddie's help, they were able to cast them much faster and easier. Then came the Shadow's turn, and the team quickly realised that this was a different case – the Shadow was able to attack them twice in just a few moments, and as it did so, a little selection menu even popped up to show what it chose. Among its choices were 'Attack', 'Spell', and 'Item', all of which seemed bad enough.
Choosing the first option just did what it said, and 'Item' actually made the Shadow use a bomb on someone and caused them to feel exhausted in the aftermath of the blast, which could thankfully be cured of with Teddie's Energy Shower spell. It didn't seem to be using its 'Spell', which is strange. Nonetheless, despite the circumstances, the team attempted to destroy the shell… which didn't take too long since it wasn't too durable.
The blocky shell soon exploded when it reached its limit, downing the Shadow inside that acted as its core. The Investigation Team took this opportunity to do an all-out attack, dealing some good damage… and now the Shadow had the chance to retaliate again. It has the same ability to attack twice, this time casting Dekaja that nullified their increase in strength… and then casted Red Wall on itself.
Yu felt instinct telling him that they needed to guard themselves, so he quickly told everyone that were fighting with him to do that. "Everyone, guard yourselves!"
His warning came just in time as Mitsuo's Shadow casted Mabufula, hitting everyone with ice. The Shadow merely stared at them in silence for a few moments. "…There's no need to be scared. It'll be quick." It then casted Stagnant Air to increase the team's chances of being affected by status ailments before casting Whisper, which caused it to begin regenerating its blocky form…
"The shell takes time to finish forming… destroy it before that happens!" Rise alerted the team.
Yu looked at everyone. "You heard her – let's attack it before it can get back at us!"
The others nodded, and began using their strongest attacks to try and stop Mitsuo's Shadow from forming Mitsuo the Hero again. By their luck, they were able to stop it in time which caused the blocks to explode again, downing it and giving the Investigation Team a chance to do another all-out attack. The Shadow didn't seem to understand why they would want to destroy it as it got back up into the air. "Why…? Don't you want to be at ease? I… I need proof that I exist… that's why… I have to kill you!"
At those words, it began regenerating its shell even faster. This time, the team wasn't able to stop the Shadow in time, which resulted in it being encased by the same 8-bit-like shell again. Yu spotted a screen appearing above the Shadow, bearing an ominous message: 'Mitsuo leveled up!'. It soon disappeared… now that the tables have turned, the Shadow started its attack again by using the 'Spell' option, which used a spell called Gigadyne on everyone… and that hurt.
Kanji was low on health by the end of it, barely supporting himself up using his iron plate weapon. "Guh…!"
"Kanji!" Yu glanced at the blond in concern and decided to stop attacking for a moment to cast a quick Diarama spell on him. It healed Kanji just enough, but it put the silver-haired boy in harm's way as he was blasted away by a bomb the Shadow 'threw'. "Aaargh!" Crying out in pain, Yu now felt like he just got his life sucked out of him… a kind of weight settled in his limbs, making it difficult for him to push himself up from the dry ground underneath him. He could hear shouts of worry from the other three fighting alongside him, especially Yosuke and Kanji's voices.
Eventually he felt someone grab him by the hand, followed by the sensation of his body being pulled up by his arm.
"There we go..." It was… none other than Kanji who helped him up.
At that realisation, Yu's face flushed a soft red in embarrassment and surprise. He thought Yosuke was the one who got him up, but the brunet was apparently busy distracting the Shadow. "T-thanks." He gave the younger boy a grateful smile, savouring the gentle warmth of their hands for but a moment before finally letting go of Kanji's hand. "Come on, we got a Shadow to beat," he said, his resolve unwavering in light of the situation.
Getting a nod back, the silver-haired boy then focused back on Mitsuo's Shadow, just missing the slight reddish hue on Kanji's own cheeks.
With the team back up, they focused their efforts on destroying the Shadow's shell and promptly did one more all-out attack when they succeeded in doing so, the process downing the Shadow as a result. A few more spells and strong attacks, and soon the Shadow floated down to the ground lifelessly as darkness poured out of its form in defeat. Its form turned a colour of stone and was blown away by the breeze in the area, leaving behind the Shadow's original form.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The Investigation Team went to check on Mitsuo who was just getting up. "Ugh…"
Yosuke crossed his arms, "Finally awake, huh? You've been a major pain in our ass," he commented sarcastically. Mitsuo just looked at everyone, confused. "What the…? You guys… wh-who the hell are you guys!?" he questioned with a yell.
Yu tried to calm him down. "We just came to talk to you, that's all."
"Talk… to me…?"
"The police are after you. They think you're the one who killed King Moron and the other two," Yosuke continued, a serious look on his face. "So…? Are you the killer?"
"All the cases… all on me…" Mitsuo merely smiled, beginning to laugh. "Aha… hahaha! That's right, I did it!"
Kanji gritted his teeth, mad that this guy really did do all that. "You piece of shit!"
"And not just that bastard Morooka… that stupid announcer and that Konishi bitch, too! I killed all of them! It was all me!" Mitsuo gave them a twisted sort of grin as he said that. Right as he did however, his Shadow dissipated into motes of darkness, leaving nothing in its absence.
Rise stared in shock at the spot his Shadow used to be. "Wh-Where did it go!?"
This has never happened before.
"What's going on…?" Chie murmured worriedly, watching as Mitsuo turned around to notice his Shadow was gone. He just laughed again, glad that it disappeared. "Ha… hahaha… it's gone… that frickin' monster disappeared… take that, son of a bitch…" Then his exhaustion caught up with him, making him fall to his knees. "Urgh…"
Still, if he's the killer, they can't just leave him like this.
"He's exhausted… we need to hurry and get him out of here!" Rise told the others. As compelling as it was to leave him here, they still had so many questions that needed answers, and only Mitsuo could give them what they seek. Thus, they hurried out of the dungeon with the boy in tow…
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
In the real world, they gathered around Mitsuo who they made sit on the floor.
Mitsuo lifted his head up to look around in a daze. "Where… am I…?" he murmured weakly, which made Yu raise an eyebrow.
"…Can't you tell?" This guy should be able to know that this was the real world… he wouldn't have killed the two previous victims otherwise… and yet, Mitsuo merely held his head in pain and puzzlement.
"Why… am I here…? What the hell are you guys…? S-Stop it… why did the TV… nngh…"
"H-hey…" Chie was a bit concerned. It was strange to see Mitsuo be this weak after he just announced himself to being the killer… but Teddie just wanted answers.
"You seem confused from everything that happened. But we have a bunch of questions for you. First off, why did you do all this!? Answer in ten words or less!" he questioned the boy.
Mitsuo looked at him for a moment. "Haha… what the hell? Is that a costume…? Haha, what a loser… get outta my face, you freak…"
Teddie stomped his feet in anger. "F-Freak!? Grrrrr!"
Yosuke sighed. "Hold it, Teddie. You're not helping." He then looked at Yu, nodding at his best friend to ask the questions. The silver-haired boy focused back on Mitsuo, deciding to ask and clear the confusion up. "Did you really do it?"
"Get off my back… I already told you… I did it…" Mitsuo answered him with a blank stare. At his answer, Rise just couldn't understand why he would do it. "Why…? How could you do such a thing?" she questioned the boy in a quiet voice.
"Three people are dead because of you…" Chie added, feeling just about the same as the idol. However… Mitsuo began to laugh again, taking the Investigation Team aback. "Ha… ha… haha… hahahahahaha! Everyone's talking about it, right? It's a huge deal… and I did it! All of it! All by myself…!"
"You just wanted the attention…?" Yosuke stared at him in disbelief.
"Then why did you target me and the others? How did you kidnap us?" Yukiko questioned him in a serious tone. Mitsuo looked at her and gave her the same creepy smile after gasping for a moment from laughing so much. "Whoa… look who it is… haha, hey Yuki… after all this time… now you wanna talk to me? Haha… what bullshit."
"Answer me! If you held a grudge against me, that's fine… but why the others!?"
"Ha… haha, what a joke… you're so desperate it hurts… I didn't care who I attacked… everyone pisses me off…"
"You what…?" Those words appeared to have made something snap within Yosuke as his face turned furious. "…gotta be… kidding me…! You killed Senpai over nothing!? …You son of a bitch!"
Kanji seemed to have enough meanwhile, stepping closer to Mitsuo with a dark look in his eyes. "I hope you're ready to get what's comin' to you…" he muttered. The guy on the floor stared up at him with a mocking smile, chuckling. "What, you gonna kill me?"
Yukiko's eyes widened at the blond's words, hoping he wasn't actually going to do that. "Kanji-kun!?"
Instead, Kanji grabbed Mitsuo by his shirt's collar and lifted him up. "Kill you…? It ain't gonna be that easy, you piece of shit. What you did can never be taken back. No, you're gonna own up to your crimes and pay for what you did. You ain't gonna be allowed to kick the bucket until you understand exactly what it is you've done!" All he got as a response was a huff from the guy. He then let go of Mitsuo's shirt, letting the boy fall back onto the floor with his head hung low.
Yosuke was nearly in a rage from what he heard. "Why, dammit…? Why did she have to die because of this bastard…?"
Kanji looked at the brunet. "Dude… the cops."
"Huh?"
"What're you waiting for!? Call the damn police!"
"…Y-Yeah… you're right…"
Chie glanced at Yosuke in concern. "Yosuke…" This must be hard for him.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The police were called to catch Mitsuo, and they did arrest him. The Investigation Team now sat together at one of the bigger tables in the food court, having a talk.
"At least Adachi-san seemed happy…" Chie commented, not looking as happy as she should be at the fact that the murderer was caught. Yosuke had the same feeling. "Well, I guess this means our work is done…" he said slowly, letting it sink into his head for a moment.
"He did it all to draw attention… I can't get my head around that. It's just wrong. I mean, not that it would've been okay if he had a better reason…"
"I know… don't worry."
Rise was smiling in relief despite that. "It's all over… let's leave the rest to the police."
"My world will be peaceful again now." Teddie was also happy since now no more people would be thrown into the other world. Yukiko smiled at him. "Yeah. I'm happy for you. We really went through a lot…"
"Like scoring with guys!"
In an instant, the black-haired girl's smile soured. "Oh, come on…! Will you ever let it go?"
"What…? Scoring with guys!?" Kanji stared at her in shock. He didn't know that Yukiko's Shadow was all about 'scoring with guys' since he was the second to be saved by the team after she joined…
"Y-You don't need to know the details. I'm sure you'd like us to forget the sauna incident too… right, Kanji-kun?"
"Urgh… w-well…"
"That's not fair… I wanted to see everyone else's too!" Rise spoke up, disappointed. Yosuke perked up at that. "That's right. We three are the only ones who saw everyone's secret," he said, meaning himself, Chie and Yu.
Chie looked at the silver-haired boy since he was the only one who saw Yosuke's Shadow. "Hey, so what was Yosuke's like? C'mon, it's about time you told us," she asked him.
"Well…" Yu felt a little nervous as he found himself being stared by everyone, so he tried to remember what happened at that time. Now that he wondered about it, he noticed that Yosuke's Shadow was essentially the simplest one out of the others. It didn't have an outfit of its own, and the place it appeared in was really Saki Konishi's reality. "…it's pretty much like the rest, is all I can say."
Yosuke then tried to change the subject with a nervous smile. "C-C'mon, let's leave it at that!" He looked at Yu, remembering how his best friend got his Persona… which was strange, in a sense. "Speaking of which, nothing really happened in your case, huh?"
"Seems like it…" Even Yu pondered on it a few times before but decided to let it go. Better his secrets go unlearned by the others than to go through the same thing everyone did…
"Really… wait, really? Is there something special about Senpai after all?" Rise was genuinely surprised to hear that.
"Sensei is da man!" Teddie commented with a bright smile. However, Kanji realised a small thing. "But now that the case is solved, we won't be calling you 'Leader' anymore, will we…?" he said, gazing at Yu with… melancholy in his eyes.
Chie deflated at that. "Oh yeah… it's kinda sad."
"It's alright… I'm just glad I was able to lead you to this day's success." Yu gave them all a comforting smile, but even he felt a little sad that they wouldn't be a team again – they'll just be teenagers who became friends under strange circumstances. Everyone fell quiet as that thought remained in their heads for a small while… and at that moment, an idea came to Rise's mind. "Hey, why don't we have a celebration?" she suggested. "We always have a wrap party after we're done shooting. It's fun, and it'll help give us some closure."
Chie smiled when she heard the idea, agreeing with it. "Oooh, a party! That sounds great! Let's go all out!"
"Ooh, ooh! I wanna go to Yuki-chan's house!" Teddie said excitedly. "Gorgeous dinner, hot springs, table tennis, yukata! Geisha, Fujiyama, full wootness!"
…Everyone just stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Is he that excited to go the Yukiko's home?
"You're right, Yukiko-senpai's family runs a hot springs inn…" Kanji murmured, recalling that the Amagi Inn was run by Yukiko's family. "A-A hot spring that… Yukiko-senpai bathes in too…?" His face reddened slightly at the thought of it, making almost everyone stare at him the same way they did with Teddie, Yosuke especially.
"Hey, keep it to yourself… you're sounding like a creep."
Yu felt that same tightness in his chest and sour taste in his mouth, similar to how he did when he spotted the blond staring at Naoto the day they discussed about Mitsuo.
Is this…?
God, how far has his feelings gone by now?
Biting the inside of his mouth, he shook his head a little to dispel the feeling and focused back on the conversation.
"W-Well, it sounds like fun, but I don't think it's possible today…" Yukiko told them guiltily. Chie knew why. "Yeah, it's summer vacation. All the rooms must be occupied," she commented. Hearing that, Teddie's grin fell. "We can't do a sleepover…?" he asked dejectedly.
"Maybe next time. I promise." Yukiko's words put a smile on the light blond's face.
Yosuke had another idea. "Hey, why don't we hit your place instead?" he then asked Yu.
"My place…?" The silver-haired boy looked at his best friend in surprise.
"Oh, but will your uncle get suspicious? Like, 'Why are you all celebrating?'."
Yu took a moment to think it over. Of course, his uncle would be suspicious; Dojima was a damn detective for crying out loud… but with Mitsuo's arrest, it's likely that he wouldn't even be home tonight, so they're free to do this small party. "…No, there shouldn't be a problem. Let's do it." He gave them a nod of agreement, which made Rise smile happily.
"Great! Let's head over right away!"
Chie then came to the same conclusion the silver-haired boy did just a moment ago. "Oh yeah, if your uncle's a detective, he might not come home tonight… Nanako-chan might be getting hungry." At her concern for Yu's cousin, an idea came to Yukiko's mind. "Hey, then why don't we make dinner together?" she also suggested.
Rise then looked at Chie in awe. "Wow… are you good at cooking, Senpai?"
"W-Well… sort of?" The brunette answered hesitantly. Yosuke stared at her in dismay. "What are you saying…? Did you already forget the tragedy of the school campout!?"
Now that took Yukiko and Chie off guard. "W-We already told you that was an accident!" Chie retorted, trying to keep their pride. Yukiko nodded at that. "She's right! We just got a couple of the ingredients wrong!"
Yosuke and Yu's faces paled at the memory of the school campout. What they just tasted that very day was the worst of the worst… even spoiled food seemed much better than whatever monstrosity was cooked by those two girls. At least the silver-haired boy had the idea of bringing extra ingredients to make a proper batch of curry, otherwise they would've starved that night. "Guys, please don't do this, I'm begging you… I don't need another trauma to deal with…" Yosuke begged to the others weakly, hoping to whatever deity was out there to let him escape this impending food disaster.
"Hey, I'm a good cook too!" Rise added. She then looked at Yu with a cheerful smile. "I'll make something for you, Senpai."
…Somehow, Yu felt like there were alarms ringing in his head. That doesn't sound good, even if the idol said she was a good cook.
"Tadaaaah! Teddie has a great idea!" Teddie spoke up, his sapphire blue eyes shining now that he had one more idea in his head. "Let's have a cooking battle! The winner will be crowned Iron Cook Inaba!" And again, his suggestion made everyone stare at him the same way they did the first time around.
Yosuke was growing anxious for a light at the end of this disastrous tunnel. "A cooking battle? Now I'm even more worried…"
"S-Sure, that sounds like fun." Chie seemed nervous though. Rise smiled teasingly at her. "Aww, but I'll win hands-down. You sure you want to make it that easy?"
Yukiko and Chie looked at her in shock.
Yosuke glanced at Yu. "Dude, listen to me. For the sake of our stomachs, you have to cook something too. Help us, Yu Narukami! You're our only hope…" he begged, sounding even more desperate. Chie stared at the silver-haired boy with a sudden fierceness in her eyes. "Then you can represent the guys' team. Nanako-chan will be our judge!"
"H-hey…" Yu was growing flustered at the competitiveness he could see flaring among the three girls in the team. But seriously, he's the only guy – well, they thought he was – cooking? If Rise was as good as she said she was, then she might as well be his only competition…
"I can be a taster too!" Kanji spoke up with a casual smile.
"Teddie can be a tester too! At the end, you're supposed to say, 'That was delicious!' right?" Teddie said, joining in on the judges team too. He got no response as Chie stood up suddenly, ready to do her best in this cooking contest.
"Woo! I'm getting all fired up! Alright! Let us advance forth into the grocery section downstairs! Chaaaarge!"
With that, they went to the grocery department in Junes.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Firstly, they had to call Nanako and see what she wanted.
Everyone gathered around Yu as he dialled up the Dojima residence house number on his cell, waiting for an answer. The silver-haired boy smiled as he soon heard his cousin's voice.
"Hello, Dojima residence…"
"Nanako, it's me, Yu."
"…Oh, hi."
"Just asking, is your dad going to be busy tonight?"
"Yeah, he said he's gonna be late today."
"Well, I'm calling to tell you that me and my friends are going to cook dinner for you tonight."
"Huh…? Dinner? You're all going to cook?"
"Yep."
"Ask Nanako-chan what she wants for dinner!" Chie told him. Yu nodded and asked that to Nanako.
"What do I want…? Um… anything's fine."
Yukiko wanted a definite answer though. "She's just being modest! Ask her again." So he did.
"Well, umm… an omelette. I wanna eat omelette with fried rice."
"An omelette with fried rice… got it. We'll be coming home soon to cook you some dinner, okay Nanako?"
"Okay, I'll be waiting!"
Yu ended the call there, noting how his cousin seemed to be looking forward to the dinner event. He glanced at Yosuke who looked quite happy at Nanako's voice. "Fried rice omelette… an excellent choice, Nanako-chan. With a dish that simple, I doubt we'll get a second helping of Mystery Food X." His comment made the three girls in the group stare off in silence. "…Huh? What's wrong?"
"…N-Nothing," Chie replied with a slight stutter. "Alright, let's go get our ingredients." She, Yukiko and Rise went off to get their ingredients, but… they all went off in different directions. The three remaining boys watched them go on their own ways, eliciting a worried reaction from Yosuke. "Uh… if they're all making the same thing, why are they splitting up to different parts of the market…?" he murmured, grimacing at the realisation that these girls might have no idea on how to cook a proper omelette. Sighing, he turned to face his best friend. "Looks like you'll need all the help I can give you… hey, what kind of omelette are you making? I'll go get the ingredients for ya."
"Hm…" Yu guessed that a regular old omelette dish would do – more specifically, an Asian American omelette which was soy flavoured. It's for Nanako, after all.
Now that he made his choice, he told the brunet the ingredients he would need.
"Got it! I'll go grab 'em real quick." Yosuke rushed off to get what the silver-haired boy needed, knowing that at least one of the edible – not to mention tasty – dishes would be made by none other than Yu Narukami. He's not going to screw that up if it meant having something good for Nanako as opposed to Chie and Yukiko's cooking.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After a while, everyone brought their basic ingredients to the cart.
Yosuke stared at the cart's contents for a moment. Soon, he spotted something amongst the many ingredients in it. "Foie gras!?" How the hell would that fit in an omelette?
"Quite an eye you got there, Senpai." Rise smiled at him. "It's a must-have for my special omelette! Don't worry, I'll let you have a taste. Ooh, or maybe I could spoon feed you." She chuckled at that idea. "I heard last time you choked down something so awful that words couldn't describe it…" She actually put on some kind of motherly voice as she said that…
The brunet stared at the ceiling, shutting his eyes tightly at the memory. "It was horrible…" he muttered, unaware of the glares he got from Chie and Yukiko.
"You poor dears… who would do such a horrible thing…?"
Now Rise got the other end of the glares.
"R-R-Rise-san? This is gonna be the only chance you get to gloat, is that clear?" Chie told the idol, attempting to soften her words although she was burning up inside. Yet Yukiko didn't hold back. "…I'll crush you with one strike."
The dark brunette didn't seem worried, though.
Just then, Kanji arrived and grinned at the sight of the three girls looking like they were inches away from entering a catfight. "Whoa… you guys look like you're ready to enter the Ultimate Frying Championship," he commented. Yu saw the bottle in the blond's hand… and when he noticed the words on the label, he quickly averted his gaze and tensed up. That's…
Yukiko glared at the younger boy. "Kanji-kun! That's alcohol!"
"Huh…? Oh, uh… hahaha…" Kanji hurriedly went back to put the bottle back where it used to be. In the meantime, Chie looked around to realise that Teddie wasn't around. "By the way, where's Teddie?"
Right at that moment, they heard Teddie's voice from nearby. "Miss? Am I allowed to eat this?"
Yu and Yosuke looked over by a rack, seeing Teddie standing by a food sample tray stand that was being handled by a lady. "Of course you can, dear. Eat as much as you like!" The woman told him with a friendly smile.
"You're such a nice lady. Is this one cooked already?"
The lady giggled. "This one's ready too. Oh my, are you hungry for more? Here… I'll open this one too."
One might imagine that they could see Teddie practically sparkling with handsomeness under the fluorescent lights of the store. In which, he is. "You're so beautiful…" His compliment made the woman blush, but she quickly shook her head. "Oh my, no! No, I mustn't! I've got a husband and a son!"
"But I really want this meat… and I want you to cook it, Miss."
"Ohhh, I couldn't possibly. The manager would get so upset."
Yosuke gritted his teeth at the sight. "I'm gonna knock the stuffing outta that bear…"
"Do that after we finish the cooking contest," Yu told him plainly. Teddie was still a judge for it, after all – wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of the light blond's criticism just for being beaten up, if the brunet was really serious about it.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
That night, the Dojima residence was lively as the whole Investigation Team got busy with the cooking competition.
The three girls were by the kitchen counter, doing whatever they had to for their omelettes while the other three boys chatted, with Yu busy mixing the egg mixture for his omelette in the meantime. He listened in on Teddie and Nanako's conversation as well, noticing how the former seemed saddened at the thought of going back to the other world. After he finished preparing his plate of omelette and fried rice, he asked the two guys with him to watch over it while he went over to Nanako and Teddie.
The light blond looked up at him with a melancholic gaze. "Sensei… you kept your promise with me… so I should go back over there…" he murmured quietly. Yu gave him a soft smile. "Hey, don't worry about it." There's no way he'll send Teddie back to that upside-down world all alone…
"B-But… a promise is a promise… it's not good to break them…"
"Still, you promised Nanako… and it'll be lonely without you."
"S-Sensei…" Teddie smiled happily at him. Then he looked at Nanako. "My promise with Nana-chan… I made a promise to play with her… can I really stay here…? It wasn't just my promise. Nana-chan made it with me… I'm really… really happy…" He soon gazed happily at Yu again, his eyes glistening with joyful tears. "Thank you…!"
"Teddie… you're always welcome to stay." The silver-haired boy smiled back at him. He felt the Star Social Link grow stronger from their small talk…
Yosuke went to see what they were talking about, standing next to Yu. Teddie looked at the brunet. "Yosuke… I have a new promise to keep… s-so, I wanna stay here a little longer! Is that okay with you, Sir!?"
"Huh? What're you talking about? You're not going anywhere," Yosuke told him with a raised eyebrow. "You can't just quit your job like that. In any case, if you left—" He was cut off by Rise's voice from behind them.
"It's reeeeeaaaaadyyyy! Incoming food! Out of the way, Senpai!" The idol bumped into the brunet, pushing him aside. In her hands was a plate of omelette and fried rice, though the omelette had an… ominous reddish colour to it.
"Whoa! Ow!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Everyone sat at the table in the living room which now had four plates of omelettes and fried rice on it, all four done by different people for Nanako to try.
"Bon appetit!" Rise exclaimed with a smile. But to let Nanako try all this might be dangerous for her… especially with Yukiko and Chie's omelettes. Yosuke spoke up about it. "W-Well, wait a sec. Asking Nanako-chan to jump in and try these for us is kinda… unethical," he said while looking at Chie and Yukiko.
The two girls noticed where he was looking at and glared at him. "D-Don't look at us like that!"
Kanji seemed to get the idea. "Ohhh… so it's our job to taste it first, to make sure we can keep it down."
"Hey! That's mean!" Rise said, frowning. She looked at Yosuke and smiled again, this time with confidence. "Then try mine first, Yosuke-senpai. It's guaranteed delicious!"
"You don't mind me going first? Actually, I've been looking forward to yours." Yosuke gave the idol an excited look. "I mean, Risette cooked it herself. Can you imagine how many guys would kill me if they found out? Well then, chow time!" Using his spoon, the brunet took a bite of the omelette and fried rice Rise made, which Yu noted was the one that was strangely reddish looking. Once he put it into his mouth, his seemed to cringe. "Urgh… I-I… can't give this to Nanako-chan…"
"Ooh! It's so delicious that you won't let anyone else have a bite!?"
...In that case, Yu guessed that he should try eating Rise's dish too. Picking up another spoon, he scooped up some of Rise's omelette and took a bite of it. In an instant, he blanched at the taste – it was spicy, but it's as if he had lava boiling in his mouth! He can't even taste the foie gras at all… and the longer it stayed in his mouth, the more it began to taste like iron. A dull pain started to grow in his mouth… if he still had his sense of taste after this, then it's a damn miracle he did.
He can't give this to Nanako.
Yukiko saw the looks on both his and Yosuke's faces and smiled. Rise's dish must not be that good then. "Here, try mine next."
"I'll take this one," Kanji said, taking a big scoop of Yukiko's omelette. Yosuke stared at him in horror, watching the blond eat it. "K-Kanji… that's a lot…"
For a moment, Kanji didn't say anything. He took a few more bites of the omelette, not exactly seeming like he would throw up but he wasn't exactly happy at the taste either. Yukiko got a little nervous at the silence. "H-Hey, say something."
"Well… uh… how do I put this…?" Kanji finally spoke up, eyebrows furrowing. "It tastes really, um… boneless…?"
"What!? That's not a word you use to describe taste! Does it taste good or not!? Tell me!"
Yu wondered if the black-haired girl had improved in her cooking – his time with her did reveal that she has been learning from the cooks in the Amagi Inn… he decided to risk his well-being and took a spoonful of Yukiko's omelette, eating it. One thing for sure, it was a huge improvement from the so-called 'Mystery Food X'… but he can't sense any flavours in particular. After taking a few more seconds to taste it, it hit him that he actually didn't taste anything at all. Not even the regular taste of fried omelette or the starchy feeling of rice was on his tongue.
How the hell is this possible?
Kanji continued to comment on the dish, seeing that his senpai reacted just like him. "Not good, that's for sure. It tastes like… like I'm eating plain oatmeal… it's pretty impressive that you put so many ingredients into a dish and it came out tasting like nothing."
Yukiko frowned at them both. "Y-Your palate just isn't refined enough!"
She's still trying to save face… Yu and Kanji looked at each other for a moment, knowing that she wasn't going to accept the result she got. The silver-haired boy couldn't help but sheepishly smile at Kanji due to the situation, even if they were still on the receiving end of Yukiko's glare. Somehow, he saw a hint of redness on the blond's cheeks… or was he just seeing things? He did get a smile back, but eventually the younger boy averted his gaze down to the floor to avoid letting Yu see his face.
At that time, Kanji was feeling conflicted at what just happened. His face was burning up from that smile… is he really feeling this way? It's wrong, but…
...He's not sure if it is.
Meanwhile, Nanako actually reached over the table to try out Yukiko's omelette. "…I think it tastes good," she said with a small smile. Yukiko's frown turned into a smile, happy that the little girl thought well of her dish. "Nanako-chan…!"
Seeing that, Chie wanted someone to try hers. "O-Okay… try mine next. Urgh… I dunno about this… but I think it'll taste good! This time for sure!"
"I'll give it a whirl," Teddie offered as he started trying out Chie's omelette, which looked… brownish. The brunette looked at him nervously. "H-How is it…?" she asked.
Then with a smile, Teddie answered her, "Wow, this tastes awful!"
Chie's eyes widened at his words. Everyone else stared at him like he was crazy for saying that, which, he might as well be.
"You have to try this, Yosuke," said Teddie to the brunet next to him. Yosuke held in a grimace. "Dude, not after you say that…" Nonetheless, he forced himself to try Chie's omelette, taking only a moment to know why Teddie said so. "Ahhh… I see…"
Again, Yu also took a bite of Chie's omelette… and it's just awful. That's the only word he could use to describe it.
"Well, um… it's a huge improvement over the curry…"
It did nothing to lift Chie's spirits up as she hung her head dejectedly. "Yeah, thanks for the consolation… I feel soooo much better…" she murmured, not seeing Nanako reach over to try her omelette. The little girl then looked at Chie with a smile, just like she did with Yukiko's. "I think this tastes good too."
Chie looked at her in surprise. "Nanako-chan…!"
Feeling curious, Yukiko went ahead and tried her best friend's omelette. "Oh yeah, they're right…" She started to laugh. "They're totally right! It tastes awful! Ahahahaha!"
The brunette glared at her. "Then try Rise-chan's! I bet you anything mine tastes better than hers!"
So Yukiko did after getting a smile from Rise, and her reaction was instantaneous. "U-Urhg…" She fell back in a heap as the spiciness of the omelette hit her like a bomb. Rise stared at the black-haired girl's form in shock. "S-Senpai!?"
"Sure enough… one strike." Kanji could only feel somewhat thankful he didn't try out the idol's omelette. Yosuke tried to lighten the mood. "Well, Yukiko and Chie's didn't taste good either… but at least theirs didn't cause any casualties… haha…"
It obviously wasn't working since Rise looked at everyone, flustered at the situation. "I-It's a taste too subtle for kids! It's a mature flavor! You guys are just kids… I, I…" She sniffled… then began to cry, covering her face with her hands. "Waaaaaaah…"
The three boys felt bad about it, but it's the truth…
Nanako then tried out Rise's omelette, wincing at the spiciness. "Ngh…!" Somehow, she had the strength to smile at the idol. "It's spicy, but it's still good."
Rise let her hands fall from her face, surprised at the little girl's words. "Nanako-chan…!" She then smiled, as if she never cried in the first place. "I knew it! Nanako-chan's the most mature person in this room!"
"C-Crocodile tears!?" Chie exclaimed in shock. Rise was faking it this whole time?
…Crocodile tears aside, there was still one more omelette dish left to try.
"Oh yeah, didn't you make one too, Senpai?" Kanji asked Yu with a small smile. "W-well, I did…" Yu nodded slowly, feeling his cheeks burn at the attention from the blond. It was nothing special, but it's probably the only edible one among the four dishes…
Nanako was excited to hear that her cousin did cook an omelette dish for her. "You did!? Ooh…" She took a spoonful of the omelette and fried rice that she hasn't tasted yet, tasting it. Her smile brightened in awe and wonder the moment the flavour hit her. "This is really good! I've never had an omelette with fried rice this good! It's amazing!" She continued to eat it extremely cheerfully, which made Yu smile at the sight. It made him feel great to see her enjoy it.
After a while, the little girl finished the omelette her cousin made.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The table was cleared after Nanako finished, and everyone still sat at it.
"Are you full, Nanako-chan?" Chie asked the little brunette with a smile. Nanako nodded in response, smiling back cheerfully.
"We're still starving…" Yosuke muttered, his arms crossed. This made Chie glare at him. "If you're so hungry, then help yourself to an awful-tasting omelette! Hmph!" She looked away from him with an indignant huff. At that, the brunet got up in a hurry. "U-Uh, I have a suggestion… you guys know about the festival they're holding in the shopping district, right? Why don't we all go?"
Rise brightened up at the idea. "Oh, that sounds good!" she said, nodding. Teddie was surprised to hear about this festival. "Whoa! Does that mean the girls will be wearing yukata!?"
"A festival…" Nanako thought about it for a moment. Seeing the look on her face, Yosuke smiled. "We'll bring Nanako-chan along too."
That made her look at them all in surprise. "I can come?"
"Of course." Yu smiled at her, nodding. He wouldn't even imagine of going to a festival without bringing her along. Nanako cheered happily at her cousin's confirmation. "Really!? Yay!"
"That settles it, then," Yosuke concluded, and they all nodded in agreement. Kanji grinned at the thought of going to the festival. "Festival food always tastes great for some reason, even if it ain't anything fancy. Whew… we'll finally be able to get some edible food for once."
His comment made Yukiko, Chie and Rise lower their heads, as if they wanted to shrink away from the shame of their cooking skills.
…Well, they all made a promise that they'll go to the festival at the shopping district on the 20th of August. Since the culprit has finally been caught, all they could do now was wait for the police to do their work… but for some reason, Yu felt like there were still so many things that needed answers. How the Midnight Channel began, the power of these Personas, the whole 'other world' thing… those questions may go on forever without ever bearing an answer to them.
All he could do now was wait.