A/N: I... LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEEE! /coughcoughmulanreference
First, happy new year, 2019! Second, holy shit 2018 was hell. Thirdly, thank you to those of you who were patient during the fanfic's hiatus and waited for this update to finally come! During the last A/N's note and this new chapter, I've been through quite a lot (failed RP'ing, stress from classes to name a few) and as a result, with change comes change in my own writing style, oh boy.
So, just to inform you guys who did see that little update on the first chapter, I felt kind of embarrassed when I re-read this story. Sixteen-to-seventeen year old me sure did suck a little in writing (scratch that, they did a lot of bad decisions), but I was too lazy to change most of what I've already written for this chapter before I got into college so this chapter is more or less an amalgamation of my current writing style and my old one. Not to mention that I had to replay P4 from scratch as I lost my save files (but I was planning to restart anyway as I screwed up somewhere involving a book and was too far ahead to roll back the save...), so it took me a while to finally reach where I last left off and continue writing this little chapter.
This does mean this story is finally out of hiatus (woo!), but I'm still in college so updates will, unfortunately, be a little slow (aww).
For a little refresher, this story is not beta-read so any mistakes are all my fault (and if I ever notice them, I'll change 'em) and characterisation might be OOC since it's been a pretty long while since I last dabbled in the Persona fandom. I'll try my best nonetheless, it's the least we all deserve for this pairing and this plot!
As usual...
Vagran - Thank you for your support! I've gotten at least a 3.00+ GPA last semester, so hopefully I can pass this one and get that certificate. /shakes fist
javier6xd (Guest) - Oh hell no, I'm not gonna abandon this story after literally writing 35+ chapters for it, haha. Thank you for your understanding, at least!
Yukai yami - Hm, that reminds me of why I started this little story in the first place. I wanted a taste of writing a female character who cross-dressed (cause there's too many traps in the meanwhile heheh) while adding in my preferred pairing, so I started this fanfic without expecting much in return but my own satisfaction. God, I'm still not as satisfied with my writing but everyone else says it's good so I'll try to take that to heart! Thanks for your support!
RaiaYuki - Maybe, who knows? He did get his sewing skills from his parents too, hahaha.
PersonaLover (Guest) - I had just been on the brink of finishing this chapter when you reviewed, so I hope you'll be thrilled when you see this story finally got its deserved update after more than a year. Welcome aboard the MC x Kanji train this story is leading!
With that done, on with the story! Choo choooooooooo!
The final day of the school trip was a lot calmer than last night.
Didn't do anything to help the slight throbbing sensation in his head, however.
They had stopped for ramen at a place near the station called Hagakure Ramen which Rise said was quite good… Naoto had come along again, probably to get an answer to his question last night. Well, he's not going to get it even if he tried now that everyone's sober. Supposedly.
Yu quietly ate his bowl of ramen at a table with Kanji, since the girls, Naoto, Teddie and Yosuke were eating at the counter, leaving the atmosphere between him and the blond quite awkward, especially after what happened at the club. He wasn't sure of what to feel of the whole hugging act – happy, because it's the closest he'll ever get with Kanji? Or sad of what could've been, of what might've been had he been truthful with everyone from the start?
Maybe even embarrassed, because that was all he could feel around the blond now.
Damn it, he still can't get that moment out of his head… it kept him distracted until he heard Yosuke ask Rise if it was alright for her to be out in the open like this, which… now that he thought about it, the chef hasn't even noticed that Rise was sitting at the counter.
Odd.
"Sure, no prob. See those signing boards? My autograph's up there too, but the cook doesn't give me a second glance. That's just how it is over here. Plus, I'm barely wearing any makeup." Rise then pointed up at a bunch of papers attached to the upper part of the wall, all of them bearing unique autographs from presumably famous people – celebrities, most likely – over the time this spot has been open. Everyone else looked up to follow the direction she was pointing at, noticing the boards there.
Yukiko's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, you're right. There's a lot of autographs on display."
"Y'know what I think? The reason they don't notice you is 'cause this bear sticks out like a sore thumb…" Chie commented while she glanced over at Teddie who was chowing down on his ramen like he hasn't eaten in forever, shaking her head at the sight. "I guess if he wore that over here, he'll have to go home wearing it…"
Well, she wasn't exactly wrong…?
Kanji tried to not look at Yu without getting red all over again, focusing his sight only on Teddie. After what happened last night, he can't bring himself to look at his Senpai in the face since then... they just had to be sitting at the same table, huh? Those girls took their seats faster than he could take one. "Isn't it all steamy inside from the ramen?"
Right at that moment, Yukiko looked down to find that her bowl was gone. "Huh? Where's my bowl!?" She looked around in confusion, when she saw that Teddie had promptly froze in place. Too obvious. Her expression of surprise turned into one of an icy calmness. Even men would feel shivers down their spine if they saw such a face after doing wrong with her. "You didn't eat it… did you?" she questioned the bear, staring pointedly with those dark brown eyes of hers.
Teddie didn't turn when he answered her. "…Y-You didn't finish, so… ahaha."
Busted.
"I was going to finish it!" Yukiko then yelled at him, fuming.
This little incident reminded Yosuke of something – if Teddie just ate Yukiko's bowl, then what about all the other bowls of ramen the bear had just a while ago? "Hey, didn't you just order more a second ago? How many have you eaten?"
"I dunno how to count…" Teddie answered in a voice that was meant to garner sympathy, his face all pitiful and adorable… but the group already knew how he truly acted at this point.
"You little liar! Gimme that check! Let's see here…" The brunet grabbed the paper from the bear and checked it, counting the number of bowls this darn animal had. The number absolutely boggled him. "One, two… t-ten bowls!?" He almost couldn't believe his eyes, and neither did everyone else could believe their ears.
Teddie just smiled innocently. "Yuki-chan's makes it eleven." Then he let out a small burp.
Yukiko could only pout as her shoulders sagged down, now left without a bowl of ramen to finish. "I was going to finish mine…" she murmured sadly, her head hung low. Not even Chie's small consolation could cheer her up from her devastating loss of her food to the 'teddy bear' that sat beside her with that same smile on his face.
That whole event aside, Yu merely focused back on his bowl and continued to eat till Chie suggested that he get a souvenir for Nanako at the station.
"Oh… right." The silver-haired boy paused and looked up for a good moment, wondering what he should get for his little cousin. He could get her a T-shirt, some mochi… or maybe something pricey. A lamp, maybe? He could always go with the first option, but Nanako would probably grow out of it soon… and T-shirts were more of a boy thing than girls. Mochi wouldn't be really tasty after the long trip either… but a lamp? A lamp would… actually, it might work.
A lamp would be useful, and it can last for a long time since one only needed to change the light bulb if it dies… plus, they were usually decorated beautifully for the bedside drawers. It's perfect.
It'll cost a lot, obviously.
But for her, he'll get it.
"Alright, let's get going. C'mon Teddie, we're leaving." Yosuke got up from his seat since it was nearing the time for all the students on the school trip to meet up, yet when he saw that Teddie hadn't moved an inch since then, he got closer to the bear and knocked on his head a little. "Yo… hey, Ted!"
"Don't make me rub your fur the wrong way, you little—" Kanji also stood up while grumbling, finding Teddie's antics were getting quite annoying. However, he then became aware of the fact that the bear wasn't moving at all. Not even a twitch. His eyes grew wide with concern when it hit him. "D-Dude… hey, he ain't moving! I-Is he hibernating!?"
Now this worried everyone - what's wrong with Teddie?!
"Hey… d-don't tell me… i-it's not because he's been in our world too long, is it!?" Chie's assumption was the worst thing that could happen… but it possibly might just be what's happening right now. Her words made Rise gasp, who turned her head to look at Teddie in shock. That can't be it!
"Are you serious!? Teddie!"
…A burp soon broke the tense atmosphere.
"Urrrp… my tummy's heavy."
The little shit.
Yukiko looked at the others with a furious look on her face. "Leave it behind."
Well, she might be a lot angrier than the rest of them were at Teddie.
Teddie tried to move but found himself too heavy from eating nearly a dozen bowls of ramen. He could barely even move the hunky bear suit he wore. "I ate too much… can't move… someone carry meee…" But he was merely ignored as Naoto got up to leave, saying he mustn't be late for the rendezvous… and Yukiko went out soon after – Chie ended up following her best friend, which prompted the bear to tell them that he really couldn't move… oh, and he had no money for a return ticket.
He should've saved up more when he came with them, then!
Yu got up just as Rise did, the rest of them surrounding Teddie. Yosuke held his hands together in prayer and closed his eyes, saying, "Farewell, Teddie… we shall leave you here, along with our memories of youth…" With that, Kanji, Rise and Yu followed suit, doing the same gesture.
Serves Teddie right.
…But Yu felt that he should be a small bit lenient on Teddie, so he gave the bear enough money for the return ticket… on the slow train.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Ah, home sweet home.
The moment Yu entered the house of the Dojima residence, he was greeted by his cousin, Nanako. "Welcome home! Did you have fun?" she asked with a bright smile. Seeing her with that smile never failed to bring a smile on the silver-haired boy's face too.
"Of course. Why don't you come with me next time?"
Nanako nodded, giggling. "Yep, for sure! Um, I wanna go to Destiny Sea too! There's this roller coaster that goes WHOOOSH into the water, and…" She was talking about it quite happily, and it eventually reminded Yu of the bag he was holding – the souvenir he got for her. He got her attention and gave it to her, hoping that she'll like it… which started off well, at first. Her eyes sparkled with surprise and joy at the gift, taking the bag from her big brother. "Wow! Thanks!"
She then looked inside, seeing the Iwatodai Lamp. Her face lit up in intrigue. "Whoa, cool!"
Guess that's a yes, then. Thank goodness.
…The sound of the front doors sliding open alerted them to someone entering the house, who was none other than Dojima.
"Oh, hi Dad!"
Dojima's eyebrows rose for a moment before he smiled, noticing Yu with his daughter. "Ah, you're back. We just missed each other, huh?" he commented, tilting his head at his nephew. He then watched as Nanako showed him the souvenir Yu got for her, opening the bag a bit to reveal its contents.
"Look! My big bro got me a souvenir!"
"Hey, nice. Did you remember to thank him?"
"Of course!" Nanako then went to go up to her room, still beaming as she brought the souvenir gift up with her, leaving only Yu and Dojima in the main space of the house now. The latter looked at the silver-haired teenager, a small smile on his lips. "Heh, I guess that came out of your own pocket. Thanks. You went to Tatsumi Port Island, yeah?" Upon receiving a nod, he chuckled. "Haha, I guess the city was no big deal for a guy like you." He then went to sit on a chair at the dining table, his smile falling as he turned serious. "By the way, if the first-years went along with you, Naoto Shirogane must've been there too. You talk to him much?"
Yu looked up for a moment. More of being around the detective than talking… "Uh… somewhat."
"He's mature for his age, but he's still a year younger than you… try to make friends with him, will you? He's a cocky brat… but he's honest. The higher-ups are losing their patience with him… it doesn't matter if his argument holds water or not. At this rate, he won't accomplish anything but getting himself booted off the team… adults can be a selfish bunch."
…There's a kind look in the man's eyes.
Soon, a thought crossed Dojima's mind, making him realise that he was keeping his nephew up. "Oh, sorry. You must be tired. Why don't you take a bath? Oh, but don't forget to take your stuff upstairs."
"Yes, uncle."
Dojima got up from his seat. "Nanako! Can you get the bath ready!?"
The school trip was over, and the days had gone on peacefully, and yet, why does it feel like there are still loose ends in the mystery of the murders occurring around town? Naoto was questioning their involvement in the incident, and Dojima's words hinted that there was conflict in the investigation. What if this isn't over still?
Only in the event of the Midnight Channel returning would Yu be sure that their business wasn't finished just yet.
Thankfully, the next day was a Sunday with clouds overhead, which meant that Yu could just take a break while relaxing in the cool weather before returning to school tomorrow. In fact, the fresh air of Inaba helped to get rid of his pseudo-hangover when he got up that morning… but it must've made him and Kanji crazy for a few minutes because somehow, they agreed to spend the day together to meet up with the boy who the blond teenager helped make a new doll for at the flood plains, specifically at the resting hut there.
Attempting to ignore the faint flushes on their face – it was easier to blame it on the cold weather – and acting like it wasn't there in the first place was much harder now after what happened at the club.
While Yu stood a little at the back, Kanji spoke with the kid after clearing his throat. "H-Here." He then started placed a bunch of knit dolls on the table, each one with different clothing and accessories... they're very elaborate, if Yu had to admit that himself. Kanji's skill in knitting is unrivalled… maybe only second to his mother.
The boy stared at the cluster of dolls on the table in astonishment, gaping at the sight. He looked at Kanji with wide, awe-filled eyes. "I can have these!?"
Kanji nodded in response, an unsure expression on his face. "Y-Yeah. If you don't need 'em, I guess you could just toss..." He was soon cut off by the kid thanking him, making him look away while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He was certainly not used to compliments about this particular thing. Not after years of being teased because of his hobby…
"Oh, yeah! Mom said... you should at least be paid for the materials... she gave me some money."
At that, the blond teenager shook his head. "I-I said I don't need it! I look like I'm in this for the money to you!?"
That made the kid look down in slight frustration… when he remembered something. "Mister, you're from Tatsumi Textiles, right?" When he got a confused look from Kanji for asking that, he waved his hands dismissively to divert the topic. "Oh, uh, nothing!"
Hm… wonder what the boy is thinking?
Yu stared off to the side when he saw a familiar head of brown hair sticking out amongst the green plains. That looks like… "Nanako?"
"Huh? Big bro?"
It was Nanako, passing by the flood plains when she saw her cousin and Kanji with a boy about her age at the resting hut. When she got closer to greet them, she saw the dolls on the table and squeal at the sight of them. "Ooh, dolls! These are so cute! What are these!?" she asked curiously and excitedly, looking over at Kanji and Yu. Her excitement was causing Kanji to fumble with his words, averting his eyes nervously.
"Uh, well..." When he couldn't say it, the brunet kid spoke up for him, much to his shock.
"This man made them!"
Nanako was looking at Kanji when the boy said it, making her smile at him in admiration. "That's amazing! You're really good!"
At that point, Kanji had to take a moment and look away, his eyebrows furrowing at all that just happened. "She looked straight at me when he said, 'this man'..." he muttered to himself, which was loud enough for Yu to pick up but not Nanako or the brunet boy. He then faced Nanako again. "H-Hey, Nanako-chan... don't go around telling everyone, okay? It's kinda embarrassing..."
The little girl tilted her head to the side in puzzlement. "Why? I think it's cool you can make things like this." She straightened her head and smiled at him cheerfully. "I want to learn how to make them, too."
"…Oh... well, maybe next time..." Kanji pursed his lips, glancing at Yu after that. He could feel his face warm up the longer he stared at his Senpai… ugh, stupid feelings. "T-That okay with you, 'big bro'?" he asked, feeling like his words were too cheesy. Too late to pull them back, however. The question was out in the open for the silver-haired teenager to answer now… which, his response was definitely not something he had expected – for while Yu's face was somewhat reddish too, he smiled gently and nodded.
"Go ahead, Kanji. And… well, I want to learn how to sew too."
Now that set off a number of bombs in the blond teenager's head.
"M-Me? Teach you...?" Kanji's face reddened in an instant. He had to look away, scratching the back of his head so Yu didn't see how flushed his whole complexion was. "Er, I-I ain't that good at teaching..."
While all that happened, Nanako remembered why she was going in this direction in the first place. "Oh, I was on my way to Emi-chan's house! Teach me next time! Bye!" She waved goodbye at the two teenagers who returned the gesture. The boy also decided it was time to go, telling them that he was going to show the dolls to his mother and thanking Kanji once more before running off with the dolls in his small arms.
Now, it was just the two teenagers alone…
Gulping, Kanji mustered what courage he had and turned to face Yu. Emotions aside, there were a few things he'd come to realise about through these series of events. "...I think I kinda understand now. A little, anyway. About what 'strength' really means. I used to think it was doing what needed to be done, like a man... so I thought, for me, that was catching this damn killer. And I mean, that's important too, but... there's something else I gotta confront too, ain't there?"
It was obvious.
"It's your past."
The blond teenager lowered his head upon hearing his senior's answer. "My past..." It made sense. "Yeah. I still ain't snapped out of it. The stuff that 'other me' said inside the TV world... that girl I made cry a long time ago... I haven't gotten past any of it..." He then gazed up at the grey clouds, puffs rolling slowly through the breeze and making shapes he couldn't recognise. There was a hint of sunlight shining through them, but all it did was made the clouds a bit brighter.
Those clouds – they're just like him.
"It ain't that easy to become strong, is it...?"
Kanji had a relieved look on his face as he gazed up at the skies, his face shining with a gentleness even Yu has never seen before from him.
…The Emperor Social Link grew in strength.
Eventually, Kanji looked Yu with a smile, managing to remain calm this time. It's time he went back too. "I'm takin' off. Mom saw that stuff I made... she's been hassling me about selling 'em at the shop. The hell's a textile shop gonna do with stuff that's already been knit?" And yet, he seemed happily embarrassed about the whole situation. "And, uh… Senpai, 'bout what happened during the school trip… I—" He paused when Yu held up a hand, noticing a similar smile on the silver-haired teenager's face.
"It's okay, Kanji. It was just a game, right? The whole thing was just because I had picked your number by chance." Yu then held his hand out to Kanji. "Let's just pretend it never happened… and be like ourselves again. Does that sound good?"
"…Yeah, sounds good."
Kanji grabbed Yu's hand, the both of them shaking hands in agreement.
And yet, disappointment echoed within themselves.
…They left with goodbyes, choosing to honour their agreement either way.
Come Monday, Yu decided to join band rehearsal once again, playing his trumpet alongside everyone in the club. He could also tell that Ayane has improved a lot since he started his year in this school – she was doing quite well, the sound of her trombone blending well with the music of the other instruments. He was proud of her for how far she has come, though he did wish that she didn't end up falling for him along the way like Yukiko and Chie did… he wouldn't have needed to reject her like he did for the other two.
Nonetheless, the two of them stayed back a little longer after everyone left.
"Senpai! I just wanted to tell you how good it feels to play lately. Me and this old girl are getting along great," Ayane told him, looking at her trombone with a smile. "You know what, Senpai? I think instruments have feelings too… I was treating it like an object before… probably because I wasn't looking at the bigger picture. I think what I needed was for someone to open my eyes. And that's where everything you taught me came in, Senpai…" She giggled softly, now looking up at Yu with admiration in her eyes.
…The Sun Social Link became stronger.
"I think I'm gonna practice a little more, so please go on ahead, Senpai." Ayane smiled at Yu happily. "I want to get good enough to make this girl really sing. Plus… I'm hoping someone will tell me how proud I've made him…"
Hm… does she mean him?
The small girl's cheeks then grew a reddish tint to them, yet her smile remained. "Er… th-there I go again! Haha…! A-Anyway, be careful out there, Senpai!"
"Of course. Take care, Ayane."
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
The news that night surprisingly had Naoto be a guest on some kind of news show, introduced as a 'Detective Prince', the person who brought the Inaba serial killer to justice… though, Naoto appeared to doubt that the case was over due to inconsistencies that he refused to say on air.
Nanako was quite excited at how many famous people were at the school Yu went at, including an idol and a detective… but the silver-haired boy could only watch the news with slight worry.
If Naoto was right…
The walk to school was calm the next day.
Well, until he heard a familiar voice call him from behind.
"Hi, Senpai!"
Turning around, Yu saw that Rise, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko were walking in a group towards him, bearing casual smiles on their faces as they greeted him. They ended up chatting about the show that Naoto was on last night, somewhat gossiping about it too… until Naoto himself approached them from behind them all, surprising them. "Good morning. I've been waiting for you all. There's something I needed to discuss with you regarding the case."
"Discuss? Dude, we'll be late if we talk too long… hey, where's your uniform?" Now that Yosuke pointed it out… Naoto was only wearing a blue button-up shirt with long sleeves, black slacks and loafers… plus a yellow tie and a blue cap as his only accessories.
Naoto ignored the question, instead asking his own to the group. "Could you please indulge my current theory on the matter?"
"What is it…?"
The detective turned away from them, telling them his theory, or so he says. "First, as regards commonalities between the victims, all of them were kidnapped before they were murdered. The victims were all locals who had been the focus of recent media attention, becoming suddenly well-known… that is the most likely scenario. I don't believe there's anything intrinsically unique about the victims themselves." He then faced the group again, serious look and all. "…Haven't you all come to the same conclusion?"
Yu glanced at the others before nodding in response. "Yes, we did."
Lowering his head, Naoto took a moment to speak. "…Then, allow me to state my point." He stared at them pointedly. "Will you admit that a number of you fit these identical circumstances?"
Everyone except Naoto's eyes widened slightly.
"There was a long interval between the second and third deaths in this case. But after I applied the aforementioned criteria, I discovered several similar disappearances had taken place. Yukiko Amagi. Kanji Tatsumi. Rise Kujikawa. All of you disappeared shortly after being shown on TV… either you escaped death somehow, or you faked your own disappearances in order to divert attention from yourselves… since some of you had ties to the victims, there came a point where I suspected one of you must be the culprit."
Chie was shocked at his assumption, frowning at the blue-haired boy. "You thought one of us was the killer!? You can't be serious!"
Naoto nodded, admitting his mistake at least. "This was a prior theory, since discarded. Putting together everything I've learned until this moment, I believe exactly the opposite." His statement got him confused looks, so he continued. "You aren't the culprits. You may, in fact, be the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator… seen as a joining of forces between the rescued, everything falls into place… of course, this is all speculation."
For being just speculation, he had gotten the correct conclusion without even being aware that he did!
"There is in fact a flaw in the theory. It doesn't account for the third incident… Mr. Morooka's murder. He has never been broadcast on television, and neither did he ever disappear. We must also consider the condition of his corpse. The first two victims are still listed with an unknown cause of death… but Mr. Morooka died of an easily identifiable blunt force trauma to the occipital cranium. The police have not satisfactorily resolved this discrepancy, yet they are desperate to close the case. Further action will be necessary to obtain some sort of decisive evidence."
"Further action…? What do you mean?" Chie asked, growing more puzzled by the minute.
No answer to that question. "Well, whatever the outcome… the evidence should come to light." Naoto's seemed to shine with an unknown expression. "…You said something interesting to me not long ago." With that, he walked away from the group, in the direction that was going away from school.
When Yosuke questioned him on where he was going, Naoto's answer was quite… cryptic.
"This is not a game for me either…"
He left.
…What was that all about…?
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Naoto didn't come to school ever since that morning.
It was a cause for concern, but Yu chose to not think about it too much until it happens… and it was going to rain tomorrow, so he might as well keep his hopes up and think that he was just being paranoid. As if paranoia was a better feeling to experience over worry.
In the meantime, he stumbled upon a familiar light brunet boy – Saki Konishi's brother, was it? – standing near the exit of the school, pair of eyes silently staring out into the greenery shown beyond the paned windows. He was on his way to go out of town and decide what to do for the afternoon when he spotted him... or, he would've done so if he felt as if they've started off on the wrong foot. Maybe he could just… start it with a few words, see if his efforts would pave way or be for naught.
Well, not like he had anything better to do today.
Once the boy noticed Yu approaching him, he turned around to face his senior. That same, stoic face (a natural one, or a lie?) stared at the silver-haired boy— just like the last time they met, months ago. "…Oh… Yu-san. Did you need something?"
"No, not really… I just wanted to talk with you, that's all."
There was not a change in expression. "Again…? You really are a strange person."
Ah, yes.
Yu got that a lot.
That… did mean the boy wasn't averse to it, right?
But of course, an announcement just had to ring out through the school via intercom: All Student Health Association members were to report to the infirmary immediately. Yu wasn't sure if he had to go again, considering that he was a last-minute addition (thanks to King Moron) due to a member being sick.
Saki's brother sighed, glancing at Yu. "Student Health Association members, huh?"
"…You should go."
They could talk another time.
"You're right. If they're allowing a downer like me to be somewhere, then that's where I should probably be."
At least, the boy seemed to be an earnest guy.
Yu had only nodded and had just took a step towards the exit when another student suddenly ran up to him, asked if he was 'Yu-kun' and quickly rattled off that he had to go since, as quoted, 'Mr. Morooka said you're filling in for an absent health committee' and that they told him that. Else, they were going to get suspended. No, not him.
The damn student who just dumped the duty onto him and ran off.
What is he, a replacement for whenever they didn't want to do stuff?
It's almost like he's a servant, but it's not like he could do anything about it.
Goddamn it.
Narrowing his eyes at the fleeting figure, Yu eventually tore his gaze away from that back and looked at Saki's brother as he heard a small hum – to see an amused smile, which briefly surprised the teenager. Oh, so that face can form other expressions…
"Haha... you got dragged in again." Saki's brother chuckled before looking down the hallway. "I have to turn in some notes, so I'll join you later. Just go on ahead."
"Ah, alright."
Better hurry, then.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
"Yu-kun...? You got called in again?"
No shit.
After relaying the story sans the part where that prick dumped the duty on him, the female student who asked Yu in the first place nodded in understanding. "Really? Well, we're still low on members, so I'm grateful." And what a shocker, who knows how many other students in this club either ditched the job or dumped it on someone else like Yu – but considering the circumstances of how he was eligible for the latter to even happen, it was most likely the former case for the rest.
The students who did come to the infirmary were none the happier.
"I really wish they didn't call us in today. Heck, half the people here are saying they have dates or something. Plus, we have to take inventory? That's such BS... man, Konishi has it easy."
"I heard that he's exempt from homework. Is that true?"
"What the hell!? That's so unfair!"
Before Yu knew it, everyone except him was talking about Saki Konishi's brother…
"Hey, you shouldn't talk of him like that," he scolded them, frowning. Why do they love gossiping about others so much, as if the same thing won't happen to them one day if karma allowed it? The reality of it was almost disgusting: the grime of society who knew not the truth behind what's been spoken.
It almost surprised him when a voice spoke from outside the infirmary doors.
"It's okay. I don't mind..."
And Saki's brother entered the room, silencing everyone after the noise of the doors sliding open died off.
The atmosphere became awkward instantly.
It visibly bothered him.
"Uh... sorry. I didn't mean to kill the mood..."
Then, he left.
A beat passed until one of the members spoke up.
"O-Okay, back to work!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
After enduring an equally awkward day's work with the Student Health Association, Yu finally could go home and rest – there were so many things in the infirmary's inventory and a somewhat decent layer of dust coating the items. It's a miracle he hadn't begun sneezing on the way back—
…Eh?
Saki's brother is still here… standing by the shoe lockers.
The boy soon turned around and noticed him standing there, eyes slightly widening in surprise. Such a sight didn't last long, as the air of unease followed him here. "Oh... h-hi." And he fell silent, prompting the older teenager to ask about what he was doing, standing here alone, to which he answered as he looked away: "...I didn't want to just leave when everyone else was still working. I just felt like I..." Trailing off, his eyes went back to Yu— to then spot a hint of brown and black on the silver-haired boy's sleeve.
"Oh... your sleeve has dirt on it. It… was because of inventory, huh? Haha... I'm sorry, I was supposed to help with that..." He laughed weakly, and approached Yu. "Use this..." What he took out of his pocket and placed in his senpai's hand was…
…well, the best-fitting word to describe it would be a cute handkerchief.
Cute?
"Um, you know what, that... never mind. I'll stay here a little longer, so... goodbye."
They parted ways just like that.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
It's been a while since he last had a talk with his uncle, so when Yu saw that Dojima was at the dining table when he arrived home for the evening, reading a newspaper as usual, he accepted his uncle's offer to talk and took a seat at the table… but that took a sudden turn into Dojima pushing Nanako to Yu's room, leaving just him and the silver-haired boy in the living room now.
"Now then... first off..." The man scanned around the space – he seemed to have something in mind, if the look on his face was any indicator. Though, in the end he turned his head to look at Yu with a small smile. "Yu, go call Nanako down here. Take your time."
"Yes, uncle."
Wonder what he's up to?
Yu would just do as Dojima ordered him to, calling Nanako down… he waited until his cousin walked downstairs before going with her to the living room. She seemed a little annoyed since she had initially been told to go upstairs a few moments ago. "You told me to go over there..." And they promptly stopped in their steps when they saw a nicely set up strawberry cake on the table in the living room, along with three different coloured mugs filled with hot coffee in front of it, all under a small pink tablecloth.
Wow.
He's actually trying now.
Nanako gasped in surprise, her eyes widening. "A cake!? Wow! What are we celebrating!?"
"Uhh, well... today is a special day for us," Dojima answered her with a slight uncertain expression. He received a confused look from her then.
"A special day...?"
"That's right." The man nodded, smiling this time. "Today's the day when you, me, and Yu become 'family'."
"...What about before?"
Tough question.
Dojima lowered his head as he tried to think of a response, seeming flustered for a moment. "Uh, well..." Eventually he decided to change the topic back to the previous one, lifting his head up to answer his daughter. "A-Anyways, it's the day that we become a real family."
Nanako merely tilted her head to the side in puzzlement before smiling. "Hmmm... I don't really get it... but... cake!" She giggled cheerfully, causing her father to smile.
"Alright, let's eat."
"Yeah!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
They spent a nice time together, enjoying the cake and the coffee… eventually Nanako got tired and fell asleep, leaving Yu and Dojima alone after sending her up to her room – they both sat on the outside porch, though it was more of the younger one of the two sitting while the other continued to stand, looking off at the starlit heavens above.
Eventually, Dojima looked down at his nephew with an apologetic look. "Uhh, well... heh. Er... sorry about making you go along with this."
"No, it's fine, uncle. It was fun." Yu smiled at the man, someone who he come to see as another father figure aside from his grandfather's secretary. He really did think it was fun – he never had a time like that with his own parents with how busy they were… and now, he was starting to find that his cousin and uncle were more of a family than his mother and father ever were. Though, he was certainly setting himself up for heartache… for he'll only be here until March of next year.
He didn't want to think about that now, however.
"Huh... you're a nice guy." Dojima seemed quite happy to hear that. "I felt like I needed to do this to draw the line... and I wanted Nanako to know... she has to know how important my daughter is to me..." He soon fell silent, looking back on his attitude in the past… it made him grimace. "She's looking more and more like Chisato... her smile... her strong attitude... it was hard for me even to look at Nanako's face, because she reminds me so much of Chisato. Chisato died because she went to pick up Nanako... there were times when I'd come close to believing that. But even then, I can't count the number of times she's saved me just by being there..."
Then, he looked at Yu.
"If I was living by myself, I would've never thought about taking you in."
A single variable changes a lot of things, after all.
Dojima diverted his gaze back to the skies… and he spoke his mind out to Yu, revealing the words he had kept hidden in his heart for so long with a sad smile. "I think I was... scared. Scared to have someone else around... I was afraid we'd become a family... and then I'd lose it all again. I was running away by chasing a guy who'd run away himself... it was almost funny." He closed his eyes and lowered his head. To think that it took his nephew talking to him about this for him to realise his mistakes… and how he truly felt about Nanako.
"Yu… I've been scared this whole time. That's why I used revenge as an excuse to not spend time with her..."
"…Was it hard? Not spending time with Nanako?" Yu asked softly, knowing how difficult it is for his uncle to even admit such a thing… at least, now the man was trying to mend the bond that has long been neglected since his wife's passing.
"Yeah... yeah, it was..." Dojima could only nod, his voice choked. But soon, his tone grew determined as he held a fist up. "Running, regretting... that crap all ends tonight. I'm not going to lose the things that are important to me... never again." His resolve was able to be felt even from the sound of his voice alone…
With it, the Hierophant Social Link grew stronger.
Having made a vow to himself, Dojima then looked at Yu with a smile – one out of genuine gratitude, for helping him realise all of that. "That's the strength you've shown me." He wouldn't have discovered this if it weren't for his nephew. Or… niece. "…Thanks."
The silver-haired boy smiled back before nodding once.
No more words were needed.
It rained on Wednesday, just as the weather report said – the school was abundant with gossip about the 'Detective Prince', who is none other than Naoto… and yet, the detective hasn't shown his face since yesterday. Due to the downpour, nobody was really in the mood to hang out, so Yui decided to spend her evening with the fox at the shrine after reporting to it about successfully fulfilling the wish on the ema. Admittedly, she missed seeing the furry creature, especially after it helped her with a problem of hers.
But of course, the important thing to do today was check the TV if the Midnight Channel would appear again.
Sure, it's been a while… yet with all that's been happening, she had reason to be thinking that this serial killer problem isn't over yet.
After checking outside the windows, Yui went and stood in front of the TV, watching her reflection on the screen as the seconds counted down to midnight… before long, the TV came to life as the Midnight Channel started once more after more than a month of silence. Standing amongst the static haze was the image of a silhouette she couldn't recognise, and yet it felt… familiar. Like they were someone she had seen before.
Once it ended, her cell phone rang.
It was Yosuke.
"Did you see that? Someone came on, right?"
"Yeah, I saw."
"Now that the killer's been caught, do we still gotta worry about the Midnight Channel…? But then, someone said the blurry image seemed like an advance notice… what exactly is the Midnight Channel anyway? Did it have anything to do with the murders?" A heavy sigh from the other line. "Argh, this is so frustrating…! Hey, what do you think? Did you recognize who appeared just now?"
If one had to take the clues they've gathered in the past and complete the puzzle…
"Well, wasn't it Naoto?"
"Naoto? Why would he show up on TV? Now that you mention it, I wonder what he thinks about the Midnight Channel… ugh, I don't get this at all. It's gonna keep nagging at me, I can tell… I'm sure the others saw it too, so let's get another tomorrow and talk about it. 'Night, Yu."
"Good night, Yosuke."
The call ended there.
…This is starting to look bad.
Come Thursday, a rainy day yet again, everyone had gathered in the class Yu, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko were in after school to talk about what they saw last night - about the Midnight Channel.
While they couldn't be sure as to who the person on it was, Teddie had said that no one has entered the TV World, which should be expected since the killer was caught, but still… they can't be sure about it yet. Yukiko said something about how the people in town seemed a little strange, mostly about how everyone was in high spirits, that they all talk about others… and it appeared as if they're all afraid of something. But she dismissed it as something she just felt.
Yu decided to keep that assumption in mind, thinking that it might have something to do with the case.
Who knows, even the weirdest of ideas could actually be the truth.
Once they split up for the day, he chose to attend band rehearsal during the afternoon once again – and like last time, Ayane played her trombone well as the music that flowed from the brass instrument mingled in with the rest to create harmonious music, proving that her efforts all of those weeks ago were worth it.
Once practice ended, the band captain had even approached her to compliment on that fact which surprised her.
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah, I got totally lost in your solo. You've been working hard, and it sounds like it's really paying off. Your tone is much better than before, and if I didn't know better, I'd say you're actually enjoying it now."
Flushing slightly, Ayane smiled cheerfully and nodded. "Th-thank you very much!"
"That reminds me. I've been thinking about getting us a manager. You've done a lot for us, Ayane, but it's about time you moved on."
Yu frowned slightly at those words.
That can't be right.
Or are they just easily misunderstood?
"Huh?" Immediately, the smile on the girl's face fell. "U-um… y-you mean… you don't need me… anymore?"
The band captain seemed bewildered for an instant before he quickly shook his head. "Wha…? Er… no. You've got the wrong idea."
Before he could explain himself, Ayane said her thoughts with no hesitation – just like she said she would, to no longer be quiet and let things go as they did. "I like doing those things… cleaning, balancing the budget, setting up our performances… I thought I was… helping out…"
"Uhhh, listen, what I mean is… you've done a great job. I just think we've been too reliant on you. You're an able musician now, and we shouldn't be making you do all the grunt work by yourself."
A stunned look was all Ayane could muster up.
"Captain…"
"…Well, um, okay. That's that." Whether he was just embarrassed or something along those lines, the band captain then looked over at the other members if to tear his gaze away from the girl in front of him. "That's a wrap for today, guys! We're done! Go on, go home!"
With that, the members all left one by one… until it was just one Yu Narukami and one Ayane Matsunaga standing where they first met: in this room, both having come a long way since early April.
Happiness in her smile, Ayane looked up at Yu whose smile bore a similar feeling. Maybe not lovers, but friends at best. It was the least the latter could give, considering the truth of the matter. "Wow, that was great news! It's like I'm a different person now. This might be the first time I've actually… liked myself. And it's all because I met you…" Ayane giggled, her gaze moving down to the black of her shoes. "Umm…" Then, her hands moved to take something out of the pocket of her uniform. "…here, take this…"
Gently grabbing hold of the silver-haired boy's hand, she placed something in his hold.
Upon closer inspection, it was a paper written and decorated into the form of a ticket.
A handmade ticket…
…for Ayane's future concert, with a 'to-be-announced' date.
Oh.
Oh, this is…
"D-don't laugh, okay…?" Ayane laughed awkwardly, appearing sheepish. She eventually turned serious however, staring unwaveringly at the boy before her. "That… that's proof of my determination. I figured it was time to grab a hold of my dream." That same, bright smile took hold of her features. "I'm always using the word 'if' when I talk about my music reaching someone… but from now on, it's gonna be 'when'. To really make it happen, thought, I know I have to keep trying. I can't just look the other way anymore."
Her face reddened slightly as she then explained about the handmade ticket. "I made this for you… because, um… you're the one who taught me all those things. I'm going to keep playing my best so that someday you'll be able to hear my music for real!"
She has come so far.
His own smile couldn't express just how proud he was of her now.
"That's great, Ayane. It really is."
…The Sun Social Link reached its peak strength.
"I'm proud of you."
Along with it, the joy in Ayane's smile as she finally heard the words she needed most.
Just like what happened in the past, whispers echoed within the recesses of Yu's mind of a genuine bond being formed once more, one that was unbreakable and would be his eyes to see the truth. Bestowed upon him was the ability to fuse a new Persona: Asura, the Highest of the High, the ultimate form of the Sun Arcana…
Determination then could be seen on the small girl's face. "I hope I can help you like you helped me, Senpai. If there's ever a time when you're in trouble… like, maybe you lose sight of who you really are, the way I did… please think about me. Think about how I was able to muster up my courage."
For a brief moment, Yu's own smile turned wistful. 'Lose sight' of himself… he could never lose sight of it when he was made to be who he was today from the start.
He will accept her advice either way, for this was her earnest request.
Bubbly laughter, from her.
Louder, brighter, ever stronger than the pattering against the windows.
"…I'll always be rooting for you!"
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Monotone noise kept on, even as night fell.
Muffled to her ears while she stood before the TV.
Midnight would come soon.
Amongst her thoughts as she waited, Yui noticed that she only ever bothered to think of herself by her real gender when she was truly alone. That aside, true to her fears and worries, the TV in front of her came to life. She could only watch in stunned silence as what appeared to be some kind of sci-fi place came into view, the Midnight Channel being as clear as day this time around. Someone soon walked into view, revealing themselves to be Naoto… yet he seemed to be wearing a white lab coat with the sleeves dangling from his arms over his attire from two days earlier.
Even if the person on the screen looked like the detective, there is no doubt that this is his Shadow doing the show…
"Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane."
The camera would change positions every few lines, and 'Naoto' would turn to face the screen then. Even the way he was speaking was making him sound like he was a mad scientist about to show the world something so amazing that he had to put on a peculiar accent for that.
"Welcome to 'Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project'. I will be experimentor and experimentee both in a forbidden yet wonderful bodily alteration process! You shall witness my departure into a new realm… the moment of a new birth! From the chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life…! And I will share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you! Do stay tuned!"
The Midnight Channel ended then.
…A beeping noise snapped Yui out of her stupor, making her quickly take her cell phone out. She first cleared her throat to ready it for speaking in a lower tone, then she answered the person on the other line. "Hello?"
"Hey! Izzat you, Senpai?! N-Naoto was just… h-he…!"
Huh.
It's Kanji.
Yui stayed silent for a moment as she attempted to swallow her shock down – apparently Kanji beat Yosuke to be the first one to call her this time. She pulled her head away from the cell phone to clear her throat, prepping it to speak in a lower tone like she always did as Yu Narukami. "Y-yes, it's me. I saw it too."
"So 's this mean he was kidnapped…? You said people only show up clearly on TV once they're thrown into that other world, right? The hell's going on!? I thought we caught the damn killer!"
He sounded completely flustered… "Kanji… calm down. Take a deep breath." Only with a clear mind could they come to sound conclusions. Kanji seemed agitated over this.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry!" A pause. "Being a detective, solving cases… it ain't worth shit if he gets himself kidnapped… damn, that idiot pisses me off. Anyways, let's get the gang together and meet first thing after school!"
"Got it. See you tomorrow."
Kanji ended the call there, leaving Yui in silence again. She eventually decided to go to bed early, now aware of two certain things that still remained in her mind as she tried to sleep for the night: the killer is still at large… and now they needed to save Naoto from the TV world.
Rain continued over to Friday, but lightened up by the time afternoon rolled around.
As promised, every member of the Investigation Team met up at the food court in Junes.
The mood was heavy.
"Last night on TV… that was Naoto-kun for sure," Yukiko spoke up sombrely, confirming everyone's guesses that this time, the next victim of the serial killer hiding within Inaba was the young detective himself. To think that the whole thing might've been already over with Mitsuo's capture, but…
Frowning slightly, Chie looked over at Teddie who stood between Yukiko and Yu. "What's the verdict, Teddie? Is he really in there?"
The bear's blue, round ears twitched. "I do smell someone."
Yosuke sighed at that, his arms crossed over his chest. "It's just like before… nothing's changed."
"Like… before…" Yukiko thought over that for a few moments… then, an idea soon came to her. "Of course! That's why Naoto-kun appeared on the news so suddenly!" At the others' puzzled gazes, she clarified on her sudden exclamation. "He said something didn't seem right, and that he wasn't convinced. He also believed that the people who are kidnapped appear on TV first, remember?"
The brunet's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, you're saying… he's using himself as bait!?" When Chie just seemed perplexed, he tried to explain it to her. "We came to the same conclusion he did, about how people who become famous through TV would disappear. Could he be trying to prove the theory by using himself…?"
Finally, she understood – and was similarly shocked like him. "You mean he got kidnapped on purpose!? That's crazy… he could be killed!"
"He said, 'This is not a game for me either…'." Biting her lower lip, Rise lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut as she recalled the time she said those words to Naoto. Now that boy has gone off and done something that could take his life. "It's all my fault… I'm the one that said that to him…"
Bang.
Kanji had slammed his hands against the table.
"That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us!?"
"He knew we'd stop him if he did… instead, he left us clues so we could figure it out and—" Yosuke attempted to explain again, but was cut off.
"I know! That son of a…"
However… something didn't add up.
Mitsuo was already in the hands of the police.
Still, Naoto was captured.
Chie noticed this and felt rather confused. "B-But… what about the killer the police are holding now? Mitsuo did kill King Moron, right?"
"Yes, Mitsuo did kill him…" Yu added with a nod, yet those silver-grey orbs held a familiar knowledgeable look everyone who knew him would've seen at least once. After all, he wasn't their leader (and one of the top students in the year) for no reason, even if he was hesitant on taking the role at first. "…but that's all he did. Nothing else."
Yukiko instantly understood what he meant. "I get it now…! I remember Naoto-kun mentioning this! He said it was strange that the police were able to identify the cause of Mr. Morooka's death!"
…And so did everyone else.
"Then is King Moron the only one Mitsuo killed…!?" Yosuke realised just how big this reveal was. This revelation cleared up the mystery of why the killer changed his method to kill Mr. Morooka… because of one simple fact. "That'd explain why there were no signs of King Moron being thrown into the TV… the killer didn't change his methods for King Moron… it just seemed that way 'cause it was done by someone else!" And that someone else was Mitsuo Kubo.
A fake.
The real one… "Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun… that's the real killer!?" Rise concluded, her face showing her infuriation.
"B-But wait a sec…" Chie called their attention, still unsure of a few things. "Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take the blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird? And they said on the news that the culprit confessed to the other murders, too… there's also something else that's been bothering me, but… um…"
If one were to base it on that 'game dungeon' in the TV world…
…wouldn't it seem like Mitsuo just wanted the attention?
To the point of taking the blame?
That would mean a whole lifetime of attention… the bad kind.
He probably didn't care what kind it was.
Yu would've added that piece of his mind into the discussion, but he nearly jumped in his chair when Kanji abruptly stood up with his hands planted firmly on the table, yelling: "To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there! We gotta go find him!"
Is this still worry?
The blond seemed very agitated over this.
"…Right."
In the end, there's nothing better than actually taking action.
They're wasting time talking here.
Off to the TV world.
~*~*~*~*~*~…~*~*~*~*~*~
Golden visor over her eyes, as her Persona attempted to find Naoto's location within this foggy realm… "Someone's definitely in here. And the world seems to have grown larger…" Rise murmured out, prompting the other members to look among themselves – larger, huh?
"That's amazing, Rise-chan! There's no way my nose can pick up that much," Teddie complimented, smiling cheerfully at the dark brunette. "Shall I give you a massage?" he then offered, only to be told off by Yosuke to not disturb her which made him pout. The fact that the bear costume could even show a pout was just something they didn't bother question anymore… Teddie did come from a world that defied the real world's logic and physics, and even managed to make a real human form to traverse the two places.
Eventually, Rise sighed. "It's the same as last time… I know he's here, but I can't tell where… I need something that'll help me understand him… I need some clues. Without that, I have no idea which way we should look…" she admitted disappointedly.
Gritting his teeth at that information, Kanji was beginning to feel frustrated. This, happening to Naoto…? "Dammit… there's too much we don't know about that kid… but if we don't do something, he's gonna…"
"Hey, snap out of it! This is just like all the other times," Chie told him, frowning at the constant 'if we don't do something, he's gonna this and that' yammering from Kanji. They've done this before, and they've managed to succeed with each victim so far. All they had to do was just repeat the process again for Naoto. "Let's not panic, keep an eye on the weather, and do this like always. We'll save him, no problem! First, we need to look for something that'll help us locate him."
"I-I know… I-I wasn't panicking. We know he's over here… so all we gotta do is get him out."
Finally, Rise unsummoned her Persona, her face crest-fallen. "I'm sorry I couldn't find him… all I need is some kind of hint to help me understand him better. Then I could find him for sure!"
"It's alright, Rise… we'll ask around town, then. We're bound to find some information sooner or later." Yu gave the dark brunette a reassuring smile, which made the idol giggle and nod in response. "Come on, everyone. Let's go back."
A pang.
Seeing that, Kanji just felt worse.
Even worse than when he saw Naoto on the Midnight Channel.
Swallow it down, for his senpai's sake…
…he can't drag Yu Narukami down with him.
There were more important things than just some feelings he would never admit out loud.