Hero: It's been a long time, everyone. Five, I'm sorry would not be enough. Many things have changed since the release of my last chapter. You already know I did work on my FEA fic; in fact, it also is having a chapter drop at the same time as this one. Irony aside, it's good to put this up. I started writing this in December, but I did want to write more. However, given the circumstances, I thought it was best to get this up now and move on to the original stuff later. I need to rethink my approach to this fic as it's been put far in the back reaches of my mind for too long. I do want to believe I've gotten better as a writer since then, so I hope this lives up to some of your expectations. Again, my apologies, but it's good to be back. I saw your reviews asking where this was, and after five years I can say, Chapter 31 of Our Year Together is here!
Chapter 31
12/03
"Hello? This is Adachi. Um, I want you to stay calm and listen to me, okay? Nanako-chan's condition suddenly got worse. The Doctor wants you to come to the Hospital immediately… We'll be waiting."
The words of the normally inept cop shook up everyone. There were no minced words. This was the most serious he had ever sounded. There was no time to process anything as everyone would book it straight to the Hospital; their heavy hearts weighing down each step they took.
But when they arrived on the proper floor, an abnormal scene would be confirmed. Staff sounding stressed, bolting around the building. And when they all entered, Dojima and Nanako's doctor were already there. He was explaining the situation, but the voices of panicked citizens seeped into the room.
"Doctor, this fog is poisonous, isn't it? Isn't it filled with viruses? They said so on TV! Isn't there a vaccine or something for it!?"
"Calm down, please. That's just a rumor…" a nurse tried to bring it down, but another loud civilian cut her off.
"Don't tell me to calm down! You're lying! We know you have medicine for this! Are you just going to stand there and watch us die!?"
"Why would we do something like that!?"
"What a commotion…" Chie would break the room's silence, but soon Dojima would speak out.
"What the hell's that supposed to mean!? Can't you see how much pain she's in!?"
The doctor would immediately dismiss his concern. "All we can do right now is monitor her condition closely. Dojima-San, you need to return to your-"
"I don't give a damn about myself! Do something about Nanako-!" In his anger, his wounds were threatening to open up again. A swift Yosuke stopped any chance of his falling, but Dojima struggled to finish his demand. "Just save her…. For God's sake, please save Nanako…"
"...We'll do our best." Was all he could say. The doctor had nothing to assure anyone he could help pull the girl through this. "I must ask you to step outside for the time being."
The group would leave as a nurse would escort Dojima back to his room.
A painful silence in the hallway would be broken up by Yosuke, confronting Teddie.
"Hey! Can't you do something!? This all has to do with the world you came from! Can't you figure something out!?"
"I'm thinking… I'm thinking, but…" Teddie would struggle with the words. He had no idea that this could happen to a girl like her.
"Damnit! Why did this have to happen to a little girl like her…!? This is all bastard's fault…!" Kanji's abrasive tone cut their conversation short.
"Nanako-chan's gonna be okay… right?" Chie would ask as Adachi would walk up to the crew.
"...You guys still here?" The group shifted their focus to the Detective, with the younger one speaking up.
"How is Dojima-san doing?"
"His wound has opened up again. They're treating it in his room now."
"Any luck with your investigation on Namatame…?"
"U-Um… about that…" Oh, this can only end well. "I won't mince words here. We're gonna have a hard time making these charges stick."
This caught the team blindsided, with an easy to upset Yosuke responding with, "What's that mean?"
"I talked with the guys at the station, and it'll be next to impossible to find him guilty in court. Especially given the reason why we took him off our list of suspects for the first case…"
"Oh yeah… something about him having an alibi…"
"Yeah, that. And the whole angle about him putting people into TVs… There's no way that'll stand up in court. No one would believe that. What the public wants is the when, where, and how Namatame killed these people. And Dojima-san knows it…"
Kanji stepped forward, about a yard away from Adachi, absolutely irritated with the tone Adachi addressed the facts in. "Well. Ain't you calm about this."
"I'm just telling you the truth."
"And you call yourself a cop!? Huh!?" He would approach the cop, grabbing him by the ends of his collar. "If you wanna see that stuff so bad, we'll show you! Hurry and bring a TV here, damnit!"
"Hey, stop-!" Rise would try to prevent this from escalating, but the door to Nanako's room would push open, an older nurse bursting out to inform a nurse further down before coming back to address the group.
"Is Nanako-chan's family here?" Souji was immediately brought to attention. "Hurry inside! Please talk to her!" No response from the leader as he sprinted inside, leaving the others to fear the worst as the nurse closed the door behind her.
"What the hell…? What's going on!?" Yosuke was the first to react. Everyone else had the same fear that Yukiko's tone would imply.
"No… Nanako-chan…" her hand would press against the door, knowing she couldn't cross that boundary. She along with the others could only wait and anticipate what was to come. Their lives were about to change forever in moments.
Inside the room, Nanako's eyes felt heavy, her chest even heavier. The pain made her call out to her father.
"Nananko! Hang in there!" Souji with a rare show of heavy emotions. Nanako couldn't even reply, then machines around her getting louder. The sounds of death filled the room.
"Nanako-chan… Nanako-chan, can you hear us? Do you understand what we're saying?" The doctor would call to her to keep her mind's attention on them. "Your big brother's here with you. Just hang in there." She could only make another grunt of pain, the nurse administering something to ease her pain. "Where's Dojima-san!?"
"We're calling for him right now!" The beeps from the machine would quiet down for a bit, slowing their rhythm tune… down to an eerie level. The nurse would whisper something out of Souji's reach. The face on the doctor is not promising at all. Far from it even.
Nanako would struggle to speak to Souji, using what felt like all the little energy the poor girl could muster!
"I'm right here, Nanako." The precious sister would nod her head, assuring her big bro she heard him. Souji would reach out to hold her hand, not wanting to let go. The gods themselves could not make him let go. But her hand… it didn't feel as warm as it always was. It felt-. No. He can't let her go.
"Nanako, you gotta fight! Remember… we have to buy that new Kotatsu." He was completely speaking from any memory he could recall. It didn't matter, he couldn't let her lose focus. He couldn't let her let go. He could not let go. "We can go to Junes and get it together… Remember the promises we made? When it snows, we got a huge snowman to make... You, Yukiko, and I have to keep playing. Didn't you want to spend more time with your Big Bro and your Big Sis!? With Teddie, Yosuke, Chie, Kanji, Rise, or Naoto!? We promised…!"
"Big… bro…"
"I'll always be here for you. I'm not going to go anywhere. I'll stay here… forever." He refused to let go.
"Big… bro… I'm… scared…. Dad… dy…"
Her head would tilt and only a long beep would emanate from the machines strapped to her. He felt it. He felt her life leave her body… and he couldn't stop it. He couldn't save her. He felt it. And at that same time, Yukiko felt it too. Even from being outside of the room, she felt something wrong. Her heart was pierced by something cold and sharp. But she could not speak. Seconds later, Dojima would enter the room, seeing a sight no father should ever see.
"Nanako!" He broke off the nurse's clutches grab and walked on his own to the foot of her bed. "Nanako…?" Yukiko on the outside could wait no longer, she followed through the door with Chie, Yosuke, and Teddie. And the feeling she felt was real… she saw her love, who no one could see the face of, holding onto the lifeless hand of the girl who called her Big Sis. The child who treated her like family despite how little they've known each other time wise.
"I'm sorry, sir…"
"No…!" Chie's voice was shaken. Her tears were as immediate as her best friend. Dojima lost all his strength, collapsing to his knees.
Yosuke would break the silence in raw frustration and anger. Both towards himself. "Damnit….. DAMNIT!" The first years outside could be heard, the worst was all but confirmed.
"Nana-chan…"
Dojima would be escorted out of the room, the doctor giving him the same cliche line all doctors tell the grieving members when a patient is lost. Dojima did not even give him the focus of his attention. But he instead walked aimlessly from Nanako's room. To where, no one would know. Kanji would punch the wall, wailing an angry cry as his fist pressed against it. Rise would quietly sob into her hands that covered her face while Naoto would mutter the lost child's name.
Adachi would walk in a moment later, turning to look back where Dojima walked on.
"Dojima-san…? what's with that look…?" His focus would shift towards the underclassmen. "Huh? What's with that look…?" A moment spent to look at their faces had him put two and two together. "Wait…! Is Nanako-chan…!? But then, where did Dojima-san go…? His room isn't that way- Wait a sec! That's the way to-!"
Moments later, the upperclassmen who remained in Nanako's room could hear Rise call out to them. When they rush out, Rise would state, "Dojima-san might've gone after Namatame! Adachi-San said he was admitted to this Hospital!" This is unheard of. How is the defendant in the same hospital as his victim! The entire group was flabbergasted for a few seconds before Yosuke would step up and speak.
"You transferred him to the same hospital!? For crying out loud, he's the suspect in the case!"
"What are you getting mad at me for? This is the biggest hospital, and he's in no condition to be moved…"
Souji would ask with no hesitation. "Where is his room?"
"I can't tell you that." Kanji did not like Adachi's reply and demanded the answer his Senpai seeked.
"Just tell us where he is already! Dojima-san's on his way, ain't he? You don't know what he's gonna do there if we don't stop him!"
Chie would be first to speak on what Kanji was implying. "Kanji-kun, you don't mean…"
"H-Hold on… Just what are you guys talking about…?" Kanji had had enough, pulling up off the ground by holding him by his shirt collar.
"Cough it up! Where's his room!?"
"Urgh… T-Top floor in the second surgical ward, furthest room back… B-But… there's a police guard…" Kanji would drop him immediately as he and the others would rush straight to the given location.
There, Dojima was being restrained by the guards, each shoulder being grabbed, yet he still tried to push through.
"Let go of me… I need to speak to him." His words sounded professional, an unsettling calm in his tone. Anyone can pick and understand his tone. But anyone who knew what he was like would find this truly scary.
"Like we said… without permission-"
"Permission!? Who gave him permission to kill Nanako? Tell me that, huh? The hell with you all! Why is he still alive when Nanako's dead!?" He would struggle against the two who restrained him, his words echoing through the dimmed hallway. "Give me back Nanako…Give her back! She's-She's all I have…! She's… the only one… in the world…" His struggling reopened his wounds, the cops quickly noticed the blood. The situation was getting out of hand.
"C-Call a Doctor!"
"Let go of me… I need to…"
Adachi would quickly rush in, as if perfectly timed. "Holy crap, Dojima-san! Quick, get him to his room! I'll go alert the doctors!" In only a few seconds they had begun to clear out, the Investigation Team was able to approach the door with no one able to stop them.
"Dojima-san… was he seriously going to…?" Chie shuddered, her fears being all but confirmed outright by the man in question.
"His only daughter's dead. Nothing woulda surprised me."
"Dojima-san probably knew… that there's little to chance Namatame would be convicted… Dammit…! He killed Senpai; and now Nanako-chan…! And the Bastard is gonna walk away without paying for what he did…!" Yosuke was angered that justice was failing him. Nothing looked good today. Even knowing Namatame is responsible for Nanako's death. No court will believe them. No jury would see the truth.
"It's not fair!" Yukiko would blurt out.
"Why…?" Rise would speak up next. "Why does he get to be the one that gets to go on living?"
With no warning, loud noises, like the sounds of falling furniture would be heard from outside the room. It was time to see the bastard of the hour. Just before midnight would strike too. How fitting.
The group would rush inside, finding the shaken Namatame on the floor, hands on his head as he looked horrified, like he saw something truly disturbed. Or maybe this was all in his head. Either way, the breeze that entered the room made it clear something was wrong.
"...Were you trying to escape?" The Leader asked as the cold near freezing air pushed through.
"I…. I…"
Yosuke would immediately snap at his audacity. "You have your life… and now you want your freedom, too!?"
"It's your fault that Nanako-chan's…!"
"I-I, I didn't. I-!" The man was not stumbling on the floor, but also with his words. His guilt felt obvious. But what was about to make their feelings more valid was when the clock struck midnight and like clockwork, like every other time, the Midnight channel would appear.
"Hey, 12 o'clock… is it the midnight channel?" Rise would note, spotting the clock on the wall before observing the TV. "Wait, isn't this…!?" It was! Somehow, Namatame was on the Midnight channel, despite his real self right before them. This broke all the rules that they believed were true.
"I failed to save her. It's because you got in my way…"
"Another Namatame…? How!? The real one's right here, and we already beat his Shadow…" Yosuke looked down at the kidnapper, then back to the Shadow. Something nonsensical was happening and they couldn't comprehend why that was. At least until Naoto suggested a possible reason.
"No… come to think of it, Namatame never faced his other self. And we didn't witness his Shadow returning to him as a Persona, either… Perhaps that's why we're seeing this now!"
Namatame could only be flabbergasted as he saw and heard someone that looked and talked like him, albeit in a distorted tone.
"I failed. But it wasn't my fault. And the law can't touch me anyway."
"Wh-What!?" His real self, looked completely perturbed, wondering why this replica spoke this way with his looks and tone.
"Is that what Namatame's really thinking… Then, he wasn't deranged or anything… He knew what he was doing…!" Yosuke grit his teeth in anger, fists clenching as his tone would rise.
"To hell with the law… I won't ever forgive what you did!"
Namatame grew frightened by his outburst. "Th-This… please… stop…!" He beseeched the TV but his fake wasn't even looking at him, paying him no mind. Like he was never there to begin with.
"Huh? Stop what? We ain't even done anything yet… or do you want us to do something…? Something fitting for a bastard like you." Kanji's words were sharp, frightening Rise as she realized a divide was forming in the room, a crack between the team's ideals.
"Do whatever you want… you hate me because the child died, don't you?" He mocked them, the team's eyes widened at how he called out their grief with him so nonchalantly. "I don't care either way… living or dying, makes no difference to me. But you…" he would laugh for a moment. "You're different. You can't do such a thing. You wouldn't dare, right?" He laughed again as he spat on the beliefs of the team. "I'll continue 'saving' people… it's my mission…!" The TV's signal would fade to black and silence filled the air before Yukiko cut through it.
"Mission…!?"
"My god…" Naoto sounded like she just put two and two together. The maddened man continued to have his hands covering his ears, shivering in fear as he begged, "Please stop…!"
"He wants us to stop." Yosuke's tone was filled with malintent. It sent chills to the girls' spines. "What should we do?"
Chie would immediately demand elaboration. "Wh-What do you mean…?" To which Kanji would interject.
"We can't just let this bastard do as he pleases." But that didn't answer their question, to which Yukiko would remind them.
"Still… what are you going to do?"
Yosuke would make it more clear what he was thinking of. "No way I'm gonna walk out of here doing nothing.
"I understand, b-but…" Chie was worried about her boyfriend's state of mind. He was treading dangerous waters. Waters that you cannot come back from once you cross them. Naoto in the meanwhile, would walk to the other end of the room, observing what made this location special in its nature.
"...This must be a luxury suite. Usually, most Hospital Wards don't have such large Televisions… Why, with something like this in the room, this man could escape at any time." She was thinking the same lines along Yosuke and Kanji. Those two were naturally emotional, but she, however, was more rational. The fact she put that to the wayside for her feelings… was a scary moment indeed. Everyone knew what they were implying. "Although; once he enters… He may find there is no way out." The girls all gasped as this confirmed the other three were dead serious about this. Souji, however, was too silent to gauge. He will likely be the deciding factor.
"W-Wait a second! Y-You don't mean… Are you... serious…!?" The idol was clearly distraught from this dangerous choice of judgment.
"You just gonna turn your back and walk away!?" Kanji would blurt forth, questioning Rise's very resolve to find the killer and bring him to justice.
"That's… but…"
Chie would face the boys, shouting at them, "Wh-What's gotten into you guys!? This is crazy! How can we all do something like that!?" Yosuke would face his close confidant, trying to persuade her along with everyone else.
"Chie! Everyone… Listen to me. If we're gonna do this… now is our only shot. We won't get a second chance. At this rate, the guy's gonna get off the hook. And he'll go around saving people again! You just heard what this bastard's really thinking! It'll be Nanako-chan and Senpai all over again! Who knows how many innocent people will die this time? I can't let something like that go."
Namatame feared for his life and tried to flee as such, crawling behind them all, but he had no shot at escape. There were always eyes on him; Naoto, Kanji, Yosuke… all had their eye on him. And he knew it.
"Listen, you got it all wrong! I-It didn't happen like you t-think it did-!" But who got him? Why, who else but the fearless Leader, Souji; with the hellbent intent of seeing him go down, would pull him by the collar of his gown back down towards the TV, the crimson light of the power button reflecting in Souji's eyes. Namatame would start to struggle and yell, "Let me go! P-Please don't do it!"
"Senpai, no!" Rise calls out, the two being blocked off by Naoto and Yosuke.
"Souji-kun, don't!" Chie would call out, but her boyfriend would not budge. "Yosuke-!"
"Look, if you don't want to be a part of this, leave the room." Yosuke would suggest so coldly. Naoto's gaze also looks sharp and focused. Lethal, even; like a predator waiting for its prey to die in its claws.
Yukiko was blocked off by Kanji, who had her right next to Rise. This wall of muscle would be hard to go around, but her words tried to stop her beloved from crossing that line. "Souji-kun, stop this!"
Namatame was kicking and screaming, shouting to everyone, "Let me go! I promise, I was only trying to save her!" Souji would not believe his lies, finally going to reach the TV and would pull him up. "They were trying to kill her!" And yet Souji's eyes started to look like those of a cold-blooded killer. The ice in his veins was frigid. He had him up against the TV, the tone of his victim growing louder and more frantic. "Let me go!" Yukiko saw an opening, Kanji was looking more at them than at her. She had to push through from the blindside. "PLEASE! PLEAASE!" The sound of all things faded from his mind, only his heartbeat as Souji began to nudge him into the TV, but he did hear one other thing. Loud, rushing footsteps coming at him from his right. The moment he turned, he saw red. And then…
A loud slap.
Yukiko broke through, against all odds, to stop him, and everyone else from doing something they would all regret later in their lives. She nor anyone would realize this, but her moment, her actions here, would shape their lives towards something better. All she was thinking about now was only to stop him. To see the young man she loved turn down the dark path, the very path that their enemy was on, was a painful possibility that she would never want to see come to pass. She did not say anything to him after she slapped him, and he only stared at her as Namatame was dropped to the ground, scampering to the edge of the room. Yukiko only glared back, her eyes fierce on getting her message through. This was not the way towards finding the truth. Even though at this very moment, it feels like the right thing to do; they still do not know everything needed to come to a proper conclusion, much less pass judgment on an individual. That was not what they formed this team for. Souji was finally coming back down to earth, realizing all of what they stood and fought for. And it was thanks to his beloved that he recalled everything; their truth.
"Souji, what the hell? You're just gonna let him go?" Yosuke would turn, the girls' expressions all showing relief that his course was averted. "Yukiko, why did you stop Souji? If we don't stop him now, he'll just go on pretending to save people! If we don't stop him here, then no one else will-!"
"And if we do that, we'll be no better than he is!" Souji snapped back at Yosuke, looking him and Kanji dead in their eyes, before shifting to Naoto. "We can't lose sight of what is right." And it seems she regained her senses. "That's why we started doing this in the first place. To find out the truth." The room was silent before Yosuke would argue back.
"You've already got the truth, it's sitting right over there!" He would turn his partner around to face Namatame once more, still cowering in absolute fear. "We found the truth, it's in this room!"
"It's not… Something doesn't sit right with me. And it's thanks to Yukiko I now recall that fact."
"Yeah, like what?"
"...I'm not sure yet. It just feels like we got something wrong. There's something we don't know." Yosuke's anger would boil over, as he turned Souji around once more to face him in the eye, grabbing him by the collar of his clothes.
"Something we don't know…? What don't we know!?" He barked to his face.
"His true feelings."
"But we just heard the guy's true feelings on TV! What didn't you understand!?"
"Something's bothering me, Yosuke. Calm down."
"Well, what is it? I already told you there's no time to waste! Are you even getting at something here, or are you just stalling!?"
"I said Calm down. We're missing something."
"Missing…? Like what exactly? Damnit, I've heard enough of this bullshit! Give me a straight answer!" His grip tightened. "Are we doing this thing or not? That's all I give a damn about right now!"
"Yosuke… calm the hell down!" Souji would firmly shout as he took Yosuke's hands off him with precise pressure. "We've only been reacting and stopped thinking. We need to be using our minds, not our hearts. If we kept on, we would have made a decision we might all regret later."
Naoto's eyes closed, she tried calming herself down from all this. Her senpai was right. She was acting out of character. Everyone was. Her role was to be the one who thought rationally, but here and now, with all the extreme circumstances, even she wasn't immune to her own emotions.
"He's right. You know, we didn't even consider the fact to question Namatame and his side of the story."
"How am I supposed to believe anything coming out of this psycho's mouth! He thinks killing and saving are the same!" Yosuke would face her, now standing on an island at this point. His girlfriend would now slap some reality back into him, thought not literally in this case.
"Yosuke. Look, I hear you. I don't think he's innocent either… But fighting each other over this isn't going to solve anything and it will just tear us apart. We can't let that happen."
"Yosuke-senpai… she's right. We all must calm down. We need to think rationally about this. As I said before, we haven't questioned Namatame and his perspective. There's no denying that this man has brought great harm to Nanako-chan. But other than that point, the rest come from our assumptions based on watching the Midnight channel a moment ago. I won't deny that we were blindsided by the heat of the moment… trying to impute all responsibility on him rashly."
"Yeah, the guy's not saying anything. Whatever reason he had, there's no doubt about the fact he'd been throwing people inside the TV. It was him who put Senpai through that misery. How can we possibly understand someone who says killing people is the same as 'saving' them!?" Yosuke would refute, with Kanji agreeing on his counterpoints.
An important quote Naoto heard a long time ago had come to the front of her mind. And it couldn't have come at a better time. "...Failing to understand and failing to listen are rather different things." That line silenced Yosuke. "Truthfully, not all the hitches that were nagging at me have been answered yet. We'll have to see what he can tell us about them… Though it appears he's in no condition to do so at the moment."
"...True." Yosuke's heart was being swayed back to the line of reasoning. "Dealing with him now might not solve all the things that are bothering us…. Damnit. But you better remember this… I'll do everything I can to stop him from repeating what he's done. Anytime, anywhere… anything."
"...Let's just think for now, Yosuke." Souji sounded back to normal with his classic tone of voice.
"Jeez. I don't know how you calmed down so fast. Then again, that's why you're our Leader." A heavy sigh to remind him why he's the Right hand man in the group and was not worthy of that title he coveted much before. "...Alright, I'm with you. Let's think this through and get it right this time."
"There ain't no other way we can do this." Kanji would add, looking up to the ceiling. "We leave any unanswered questions behind, we'll just be lying to ourselves. Yeah, that ain't gonna cut it... Alright, I'm convinced." Everyone looked towards each other, now seeing this perspective of Namatame's as a vital aspect that needs to be checked out from all angles. If he was the killer, they needed to see if his testimony confirms it. Or if they're all being played by someone else. Yosuke would apologize, to which everyone would forgive him naturally for. They've done much together, this won't break them. Moments later, the police would come back, demanding they all leave. And so they would, but not without staying together in the hallway to piece together what was wrong so far. But as they tried racking their brains around the facts of the beginning of this case, Nanako's nurse would find them and order them to all come with her.
When they arrived, the Doctor turned to them with both a smile and absolutely stunned expression.
"Oh, there you are! Nanako-chan came around!"
Everyone's widened. Did a miracle really just hit them? A long overdue bit of good news?
"Huh!? …W-What did you just say!?"
The group all gather around her bedside, the Doctor and nurse still closest to her.
"Nanako-chan's… alive!?" Yukiko would turn to the doctor, then to the young girl, her breathing looking stable. This wasn't a lie. It was real! Nanako is alive!
"A-Are you serious!?" Yosuke's voice stammered, he along with the others were clearly on the verge of tears once again.
"It's very rare to be resuscitated after one's heart and lungs fail, but… it does happen." The professionalism from the doctor's words sounded clear but his expression gave away his own bewilderment. "But, until I know why she collapsed in the first place, I can't say for sure how well she'll recover from here on… Still, Nanako-chan's a fighter, she's still trying desperately to stay alive."
"S-So this isn't a joke?" Yosuke was already on the cusp of bawling his eyes out. He just needed the confirmation. "You're actually telling the truth…!?"
"Nanako-chan…!" Yukiko would start to well up herself, though not as much as her best friend. "It's a miracle…"
"Oh my god…. I… I…"
"Haha… this is amazing!" Kanji would smile through his tears.
"Miracles do happen… I'm so glad…" Naoto commented. An early Christmas miracle… and it's only the third of December.
"I… I didn't know what I was gonna do…!" Rise would exclaim as she began to sob. Yukiko would be the next to fall alongside her.
"Hey… stop crying you two!" Chie would say this, yet she was the first one who had tears rolling down her eyes.
The doctor would fiddle around with the machines for a moment before facing everyone again.
"You all should go home for the night. I'll speak with Dojima-san about Nanako-chan's treatment. It's rather chilly outside. If it starts snowing, be careful not to catch a cold."
In the moments of relief and joy, Yosuke would scan the room and realize someone was missing amongst them.
"Wait a second, where's Teddie? I noticed he wasn't with us when we went to Namatame's room.
"You're right… that's weird. I figured he wouldn't move from Nanako-chan's side…"
"Teddie… Where did you go…? Yukiko would ask out loud.
"Oh yeah, he has his phone with him… wait, I shouldn't use mine inside the hospital. I'll try calling him up once we're outside." After a few moments of gathering themselves, everyone would start to make their way outside.
Soon everyone would walk over to the entrance, to call for Teddie; except for the main couple. Souji had something he wanted to ask of her in private. And to own up to himself.
"Yukiko… about earlier." He seemed irritated with himself. If he broke completely, this situation would not have gone the way it did. Far from it even. "I-"
"Souji-kun… it's okay. I'm not mad at you. I'm just glad I got through to you. I was scared…. Really scared actually…" Her hands were flinching, the thought brought back those scary thoughts.
"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just glad you hit me when you did. I just wanted to let you know that." He was not only the leader, but the rock of the team. The anchor. But in this moment, he failed them. Not just her. If not for his girlfriend's interference…. They would all have blood on their hands.
"Souji-kun, please, it's okay. I'm just glad everything turned out well. We've gotten this far from working together, right?"
"Yeah. Together." With that out of the way. "Yukiko, can you go with Chie back home tonight? I think I want to be alone for one night. I need to sort out everything personally and privately."
"Sure. I understand." She held his hand, trying to keep it and his spirit warm. Though her smile alone did that for him. "Let's go. We need to rest for tomorrow."
"Yeah. Tomorrow." The truth is still out there. As long as he has Yukiko, his friends, and his family. It will be found. They all will see it through to the end. Their search continues on. The two would head outside, finding snow dropping from the fogged up nightline. A calm in this cold, hard to see storm. A calm they all deserve after the night they had.
Hero: I'm not going to try and explain my way out of this, I just lost desire for it among other reasons outside of this place. I got a job for one. Not one I want to keep anymore, but still it's something. The pandemic also was a thing, which fitting we were at this very moment in the story. Dear god, this game aged like fine wine, didn't it? But this is perfect timing as P4G will drop in a couple of days. I'll be streaming it actually, but I won't share that info here. You can go find me on your own. This isn't my name on there though. Good luck finding me as I won't tell you if if it's me or not. Anyway, it's good to be back. I'll spend some time trying to make an outline for this before I begin writing Chapter 32. I still have all the major ideas in my mind, but we'll cross that bridge when the time comes. I hope with the Switch/Xbox ports of this game, we get more SouYuki fans cuz we're a drying breed. Not to toot my own horn, but I feel I need to post this here to keep the fire alive. When the world needed me most, I APPEARED. Anyway, thanks to those who've been reading this for years. I truly do appreciate it. And to the newer fans, welcome aboard. I hope I don't keep you waiting for years. Oh and in regards to the Namatame scene, I really like how the anime did its portrayal in the limited time it had, so I blended aspects from the main game and the anime's take into one as I deemed fit. Okay, so that's all I need to say. Next time, we'll see what the future holds. Until next time, stay gold.
