Chapter III

THE FOOL

**

November 22nd, 2015

Tuesday Night

8:25 PM

**

"Yukiko! I…" Seta blurted, stumbling both words and the torrent of thoughts and feelings rushing through his mind.

Yukiko, now the owner of the famous Amagi Inn of Inaba, slowly walked up to Souji and delicately wrapped her arms around Seta digging her face into his chest. "Souji…. you're back…" she whispered. Souji instinctively draped both arms around Amagi as his heart simply dropped from his chest in happiness. He couldn't focus his thoughts on anything but his first love, now right in front of him; in his arms. He felt the warmth from her slightly heated cheeks which he figured he was responsible for, standing there with an open shirt. He felt the moisture of her tears on his bare skin.

"You're here, you're really here.." she rambled. Dojima and Nanako looked at each other with smiles. Nanako began pouring tea into the glasses that she made sweet to go with the meal. Dojima began plating the evening's meals. "Alright kids, how about you sit down so we can get started!" said a smiling Dojima.

Souji grabbed the back of the chair adjacent to his seat and pulled it out, looking at Yukiko affectionately. Once in front of the chair, Yukiko fixed her skirt and sat straight down, allowing herself ample room for Souji to push her chair in. As soon as Seta sat down, Yukiko's hand found its way to Souji's and fit perfectly within.

"So Yuki-chan, how was work?" Nanako asked, sitting down across from their guest and near her father. Yukiko looked over the table to Nanako with a smile. "It was fairly busy as usual, you know this time of year is when we have to prepare for the holiday rush!" their guest explained. "Speaking of which, we have some vacancies for the hot springs tomorrow night, you guys are more than welcome to come by!"

Nanako's face lit up and Dojima was quick to respond. "We'd like that, but I dunno if I can make it this week though since I'm working, but if you're adamant about it I'm sure Nanako will still go!"

"Of course I wanna go! I love the hot springs!" exclaimed Nanako with her trademark emphasis on the word 'love', and Yukiko giggled. "Then it's settled, tomorrow night we'll go to the inn together for awhile!"

**

8:57 PM

**

"That was delicious, thanks so much for dinner!" said Yukiko, who had rinsed her plate in the sink.

"Don't lift a finger! I cooked so dad promised he'd do the dishes!", Nanako reminder her father with a smile from one side to the other. A sigh escaped from Dojima's lips as he got up and walked to the sink and began washing. With his hands in the sink, he looked over his shoulder to Nanako with a wink. "Why don't you finish up your homework for school tomorrow and give your brother and Yukiko some time to catch up?" suggested her father.

"Okay!"

"Oh, and Yukiko I hope you don't mind the place, we just got in this afternoon and we haven't really had a chance to clean the house" added Souji's uncle. Yukiko giggled and shook her head as if she didn't mind at all. Souji asked one more time if his help was needed in the kitchen, but was shooed away but both his cousin and uncle. Hand in hand, Souji took Yukiko upstairs to catch up in the privacy of the second floor.

Upstairs, Souji opened the door to his bedroom all the way and led Yukiko in first. She smiled at him as she walked in and sat on the loveseat side closer to the door. Yuki propped her right leg up on the loveseat with her knee against the back and let the rest of her leg fall off the side along with her left leg. Souji lightly swung the door closed on his way in, the door barely making contact with the frame. He sat on the loveseat in a similar fashion on the opposite side to face his company.

"Yukiko can I ask you something?" Souji said, with furrowed eyebrows. She looked back at him and tilted her head in a questioning manner. "Well of course Seta-kun, what's wrong?"

"Did….. Rise-chan tell you I was here?" he asked, with a slight smile as he leaned his side into the back of the loveseat. Yukiko giggled and shook her head left and right. "No.. but Rise-chan called Yosuke, who called Chie-chan, who called me!" she explained. "And I can't believe you weren't going to tell us!" said Yukiko. "Even though I …. can understand why you didn't call us right away…" she added.

"I heard about your parents… and I'm extremely sad, and sorry to hear it Souji. But hiding it and dealing with it by yourself isn't going to get you anywhere positive – and you know that better than any of us", Yukiko continued. Her empathy could be read easily in her facial expressions. She wished she could just wash all his problems away, her empathy and tiredness.

"With everything behind you… how do you feel Souji-kun?" asked Yukiko, not wanting to beat a dead horse with her curiosity. Souji was quiet for a moment in thought. 'How do I feel about it all….?' "Well to be honest I was devastated when I found them….. like that. Now that the burial has already taken place, their affairs have been handled by Dojima-san, it feels as if I left them after a year of investigating another world like when I left you guys here in Inaba. It hurts, but somehow I think I'll be okay" explained Souji, trying to evaluate his own feelings in the process. This left the two of them with a silence that they never found awkward. He never found pain in the company of Yukiko. She always found freedom in the company of Seta Souji, whom happen to catch her yawning and laughed gently.

"You tired?" he asked. Yukiko nodded as she felt her eyes get heavier. She leaned forward and pivoted her knee to turn her back to Souji, scooting back into his chest. He stretched his left leg along the length of the back of the couch, and wrapped his arms around her and let his hands fall by her stomach. She instinctively let her hands meet with his, and allowed their fingers to entangle.

"Remember when we sat like this forever? On Christmas eve all that time ago…" asked Yukiko softly, with an obviously tired tone to her voice. Souji nodded reassuringly, closing his eyes and smiling as he caught the fragrances he missed the most while in Okinawa. Whatever hair products she had used to clean her hair left such a traumatizing aroma that always captivated him. They laid there for what seemed like forever, even though minutes went by. "We would talk about the case, and all our friends, and the….. other world….. and," Yukiko said as she went on and on about her past with Souji. "You know if you're tired I can walk you home, now that I'm in town permanently we've all the time in the world to spend together" he mentioned. She opened her eyes and turned her head to catch him in her peripheral vision. "You don't think Dojima-san would mind if I crashed here would you? It's kind of late, I don't want him to have to drive me out and it's kinda too late to be walking" she asked. He wondered if she was up to something, since the most daring acts he was aware of her committing were displays of public affection such as hugging or holding hands.

He responded carefully and playfully in attempts to catch her in a plot. "No no, Dojima-san wouldn't mind. You should probably call Amagi-san and let her know you're staying out". Yukiko looked at the door and nuzzled her head into his chest with a gentle giggle. "I might have sorta told her I was gonna be at Chie's again. I just may have forgotten to tell her you were back…" she admitted with a grin. He knew it, she told a white lie to spend more time with him. Not that fibbing bothered Souji when it came to situations like these, he found it that much more special that she would do that just to be with him. "

"I really missed you, you know…" she said, pushing her back gently into Souji's stomach. "Ah.. I missed you too, a lot.." Souji reassured.

"You know Yuki-chan, there's more room on the futon to lay down" he suggested as he drew in air for a yawn. He coughed slightly as Yukiko elbowed him in the stomach as a response to his suggestion, even though she had a smile on her face. "Trying to get me into bed again? Pervert…" Yukiko said with a slight giddiness to her tone. "You know exactly what I meant, you pervert.." retorted Souji, laughing softly. "I know, I was teasing. I really don't want to fall asleep just yet though" Yukiko confided as she yawned. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the loveseat until her feet graced the floor. Souji watched her move, relishing her every quality.

"I mean, I know you're here and all. But when you left all that time ago, I always felt like I would never see you again. I feel like this is too good to be true, like a dream…. and…. and….when I first said I loved you, I said that knowing you had to go back to Okinawa. I had to be true to myself, and that hurt – because I..," she explained until she was cut off. Until she was cut off by Souji's lips that homed in on hers gently. As the two pairs separated, Yukiko took a deep breath to try to relax her blazing face. He backed away from her slowly, devouring her with his gray eyes. "I know. It's no dream though. I promise I'll be here in the morning".

"Either you're very good at making me feel safe, or you're very good at talking girls into getting in bed with you!" Yukiko mentioned with a smile, knowing that it wasn't his true intentions entirely. "Right right, my entire time in Okinawa was spent wondering when I'd be able to sleep with the rather famous Amagi Inn owner again!" Seta teased as he leaned in to peck a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Souji!!" exclaimed a blushing Yukiko.

"I am pretty tired, so I won't hold it against you if you fall asleep. I think I'm ready to turn in for the night myself" said Souji who stood up and walked over to the duffle bag he had by the other side of his table. He unzipped the bag and fished around through its contents briefly before pulling out a white cotton tank top which Yukiko assumed was going to replace the open button-down shirt he had on presently. Yukiko stood up and reached over the table and grabbed the tank top from his hands, shaking her head saying "Noooo, just like Christmas eve…." Souji immediately knew what she was referring too. He dropped the tank top regardless of where it fell, it wasn't his concern, nor was his concern if the door was locked at this point in time. Yukiko made her way around the table and placed the flats of her hands on either side of Souji's pectorals. "Can we…." she said, with a fierce blush around her face and neck. Yukiko closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to his neck and pivoted to give her lips a chance to bask in his masculine flesh, for her nose to reminisce in his scent that she so longed for. Souji tilted his neck, revealing easier access to his neck. She used the hands on his chest to push him back towards the futon which caused Souji to step backwards slowly towards the wall that the futon lay lengthwise against. "I think you were right…." she said, as her quiet voice began to reflect her hearts heavier beating.

"Hm?"

"The futon does have more room to lay down on…"

**

November 23rd, 2015

Wednesday Morning

8:37 AM

**

"Daaaaaaaddy, do you know where my paper went? The one I finished last night?" Nanako said in the living room. She was ready for school but couldn't find the homework from the night before. This was a situation that nearly never happened, so naturally she was quite anxious. Dojima was up out of habit regardless of the fact he wasn't due in the office for another hour and a half. He looked around the kitchen, the living room. With an eight by eleven sheet of paper turned face down on the far end of the couch he wondered if that could have been it. He stepped over to the living room couch and picked up the paper flipping it over. Sure enough he found Nanako's paperwork and handed it to her promptly.

"Nanako you're usually so organized, what's with you this morning?" Dojima asked out of sheer curiosity. Nanako looked at him with a puzzled face and then understood what he meant. "Oooh, well I fell asleep downstairs after you went to bed last night and I guess when I woke up late last night, I left it here without bringing it with me to my room. Thank you daddy!" she said. "Oh, how's the coffee this morning?" asked Nanako as her father put down a half empty cup. He grinned and thanked her for a delicious pot of coffee and that he appreciated it.

"Hey Nanako, want a ride to school this morning? I can bring you to school and I can get to work early" he suggested. Nanako loved the idea of having a ride to school instead of having to walk the entire distance. It was settled. Dojima walked to his bedroom to grab his two last missing accessories before he was ready for the day; his jacket, and his car keys. "You don't mind being a few minutes early do you?" asked her father.

Strange enough, Nanako was a rare case in children, one that did not mind school at all. In fact she quite enjoyed it, and her father knew this – naturally he took advantage of it while it lasted. "Nope, not at all!" said Nanako, excited for another day at school, knowing that when she got back she had her big bro to come home to now!

**

9:32 AM

**

Souji heard the front door close and lock almost an hour ago, and usually that sound woke him right up for the rest of the day. He wasn't much for sleeping late, and he wasn't sure if it was from being overly tired, or overly happy, possibly a combination of both, there was no objection to staying in bed longer today. He had woken up laying on his right side knowing which side of the futon he was on since parts of his back were against the wall. He found comfort in feeling the entire length of Yukiko's back against his chest with no bra strap to interrupt them. Souji found his left hand draped over a sleeping Yukiko gracing her slender stomach with his fingertips, and his right arm underneath her head and when he lifted his own head gently, he smiled when he saw his fingers tangled with those of her own protruding from her out stretched arm.. He rested his head back down and listened to her sleep. He saw her light frame lift so slowly and fall back as she exhaled.

I feel like this is too good to be true, like a dream… he remembered her saying. Deep down he felt the same sentiments, and waking up next to Yukiko provided him with some of the most cherished feelings he had ever known. Filled with cherished feelings or not, he also felt a slowly rising excuse to get up. The thoughts passed through his mind to see if there was a way he could get up to use the restroom without waking her. The dilemma didn't last long though when he realized his left leg was captured between both of Yukiko's and as he tried to retrieve it, even in sleep she wasn't letting him go. As he tried to gently jerk his knee from between her legs he felt nothing but silky flesh and it was enough to grind his sexual gears into motion again.

Yukiko unlatched her hand from his and lifted her other arm in stretching, accompanied by a feral yawn and the simultaneous stretching of her legs as well. Souji used the opportunity to get his knee back, and his eyes feasted on the view. He saw her beautiful face turn to him as she rolled onto her back and begin to open her eyes. "G'morning Souji.." she said with a smile. He leaned over and teased her lips with his. "G'morning beautiful…"

He knew exactly what it took to make her melt, and this time was no exception. She sat up, wrapping her arms around her possessions and smiled at him with a faint blush. "I told you I was going to be right here when you woke up" he said as a reassurance to her mild issues from last night. "That you did…" she agreed, tilting her head still smiling.

"Um…." Souji started with furrowed eyebrows. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I hafta pee…." he said. Yukiko giggled. "Well go then, I'm not going anywhere!" she said with a laugh. Souji sat up, letting some of his body escape the confines of the futon. "Well… I don't have anything on…" he added. "Oh yeah that's right…. you just might want these too if you're getting up.." said Yukiko, as she reached over on the floor and recovered a pair of black boxer-shorts that she had removed from Souji's inventory of clothing. Souji knew exactly what happen the night prior and felt compelled to blush, which got a slight giggle and a kiss on his lips from Yukiko. "Since when you do you wear boxer-shorts anyway?" she asked smirking. He grabbed them so that they wouldn't hang from her index finger tip any longer and added "since my regular boxers always found places I didn't know I had".

He grabbed his boxer shorts and shuffled himself into them from under the futon. As he got up and stepped over Yukiko he looked over and down at her affectionately. "Hey do you have plans for today? Yosuke invited me for breakfast so I want you to come with me, okay?" She had to think about it for a moment, but plans she premade struck her quickly. "Aw, Souji I did … I have a hiring interview for a new chef at one o'clock, but I think I can make it for breakfast without any problems." she said. Souji was delighted about the news and slightly embarrassed at the same time as he had to make his way to the door past the mine fields of undergarments such as red panties and a matching red bra. He stepped out into the hallway and made it down two steps before realizing, he didn't have to open the door…. recalling how he left the door barely ajar.…. Oh boy, either Nanako or Dojima-san saw the room this morning. At least I hope it was in the morning…he thought to himself.

Moments went by and Yukiko decided it was a good opportunity to throw her clothes back on. She escaped the futon and made her way to her underwear and bra. As she put them on, she felt her body flush pink remembering the manner of which they were removed by Souji-kun. She found the rest of her clothes and tidied up the room starting with the futon. Souji tapped his knuckles on the door once he made his way back upstairs and got Yukiko's attention as she turned her head to the door, now fully dressed in last nights' clothes.

"That's not fair, you're all dressed already…" he said with a faux-depressed tone. Yukiko could see right through it with the smile on his face. "C'mon stud, put some clothes on… I'm hungry!" said Yukiko, laughing.

Souji found another pair of light blue jeans, and a black button-down which he put on, quickly managing the buttons. As he fixed his collar Yukiko couldn't help but examine his back pockets with her hands. "You know this is all your fault…" she said as she removed her hand away from his buttocks. He turned to face her with a grin. "What do you mean?" he asked her with as much innocence as he could muster. She frowned and crossed her arms when she replied "You are turning me into a dirty sex fiend" she admitted. "Yuki how could you be a fiend when it's only been twice?" he asked. "Souji you can count, it was way, way more than twice!" Yukiko answered, but then slowly realizing "Oh you mean in the course of our relationship…" which Souji couldn't help but to laugh at. Souji stood behind Yukiko and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to the side of her neck. She tilted her head in response and closed her eyes.

"Yuki-chan?" he asked. She loved when he called her Yuki or Yuki-chan she felt as if she could actually feel his affection dripping from the nickname. "Hm?"

"I know this might be a silly question, but …. are we…." He stumbled, not really knowing how to put it, which was uncommon for him. Yukiko knew where the question was going and she squeezed his hands gently as she finished his question with "boyfriend, girlfriend?" He agreed with an "Ah..", and she followed up with an "Of course, silly.. You've fallen in the trap of Princess Yukiko Amagi, and she's scored her hot stud! You're not going anywhere!" she teased, making light reference to three years ago when he had rescued her in the alternate world from her own shadow. Granted how serious that situation was, and how more deadly it could have been, Souji did find the joke quite comical.

"Should I call Chie and have them meet us at the Inn for breakfast? I'm sure breakfast doesn't have to be in private!" Yukiko asked. She unlatched herself from Souji's arms as she grabbed her phone off his study desk where she left it the night before. Souji grabbed his phone and placed it into the front pocket of his jeans as he awaited for his girlfriend to make arrangements.

"Chie?" Yukiko spoke into the phone.

"Hmmm?" Souji heard softly ejecting from the speaker of Yukiko's phone.

"Chie….. did I wake you!?" asked Yukiko, genuinely surprised.

"Uh huh…." responded what sounded like an animal yawning on the other end.

"Chie you're always up before I am. What's the matter?" Yukiko was trying to figure out if anything was possibly wrong on Chie's end, since her best friend was always the one getting her out of bed if not her mother.

"Oh, nothing's wrong Yuki-chan, no worries!" Chie said.

"Is that Yukiko-chan on the phone? Tell her I said hi!" said another voice behind Chie's. Yukiko looked at Souji in playful shock. She giggled into her tone. "Chie is that Yosuke-kun in the background, did you…… were you…." She started to ask.

"Uh huh…." said what sounded like Chie confessing to a crime. "Chie-chan!" Yukiko chided her friend playfully as she caught Souji laughed himself.

"Hey are you still up for breakfast with the boys?" Yuki asked.

"Of course, we were waiting for you guys to call and meet up with us!" said Chie.

"Waiting? But I thought you said I just woke you up? You weren't….. when I called? Ewwww Chie!!!" Yukiko exclaimed with a smile on her face. "What? You can't 'eww' me when you slept over Mr.I-don't-call-my-friends house. And don't tell me you two didn't because I know you like a book Yukiko!" Chie said laughing on her end of the line. Souji couldn't make out the entire conversation but he knew it must've been good to make Yukiko blush.

"W-well, now that that's out of our system…. we agreed that breakfast at the Inn would be fine. You two okay with it?"

"Sure thing. Want us to meet you there now?" asked Chie.

"Okay. We're heading there now. If you get there first, just say I'm on my way to join you" Amagi said, using her ownership of the Inn to her advantage.

"See ya in a few!" said Chie before ending their call. Yukiko held her phone until she retrieved her jacket that she left downstairs.

"Oh, do you think Dojima-san would want to join us?" she asked.

"Dojima-san's probably at the police department already. It's ten" Seta said. Yukiko looked at the front display screen of her phone to confirm the time, and admitted she hadn't noticed. "Well let's get going!" she said.

Souji made sure the room didn't show signs of being ravished from last nights' activities and exited the room before closing the door. He let Yukiko head down the stairs first and walk out the front door as he had to lock up before they left. He relished in the fact that it was a relatively warm day considering the month they were in. With the lack of wind present it could have passed for a summer evening at dusk, temperature wise. Souji slipped his left hand into her right and let their fingers tangle as they walked down the sidewalk towards the Amagi Inn, hand in hand.

**

10:32 AM

**

"Yukiko! I'm so glad you're back, the chef scheduled to come in for the interview asked to postpone until tomorrow!" said a tall fair skinned woman in a kimono designed specifically for the Amagi Inn. "Oh you could've called my cell, I wouldn't have gotten upset!" said Yukiko, smiling at her attendant, still holding Souji's hand. "Did he have any particular reason why he couldn't make it today?" she asked. "Well, he said his daughter fell ill suddenly yesterday and no one can figure out why, even the doctors. So he's been with his child at the hospital all night and this morning" the attendant said. Yukiko did genuinely feel sad for her potential employee and more so for his child even if they had never met. "That's so upsetting… well, if you have his contact number, can you call him or leave him a message and tell him tomorrow is perfectly fine with us at the same time" said Yukiko to her attendant; who nodded and walked behind the front desk and started digging through what looked like a small phone number repository.

Yukiko walked down the right hallway with Souji in hand behind her towards the Inn's dining area which was used for breakfast for the guests in the morning before 11:30. As they entered the wide open room used for many different events as well, they saw Satonaka Chie and Hanamura Yosuke sitting together at a table opposite to the entrance by the windows facing the hot springs which could be seen from a short distance. They haven't changed at all… Souji thought to himself with a smile.

Satonaka was wearing a black skirt and nylons to match, a dark blue blouse and her green jacket hung on the chair behind her. Hanamura was clad in a white graphic t-shirt, and couldn't' really see anything else since he had the window seat. Yukiko and Souji both pulled chairs opposite of Chie and Yosuke respectively but before Souji was able to sit down, his other two friends had gotten up. He furrowed his eyebrows and couldn't help but to laugh when Chie was the first one to hug him tightly. As she let him go she threw a playful punch as his shoulder. "You jerk, you call us once a in a blue moon if that when you're in Okinawa, and when you move back to Inaba you don't call at all!? You're so backwards!" Chie chided. She backed away and hugged Yukiko as she always did and smiled. Yosuke when given the room to do so, started to pass his hand out in front of him in a handshake gesture, but said "the hell with it…c'mere partner!" as he dragged Souji into a hug, who felt compelled to reciprocate.

Once the salutations were over, the four of them found themselves in their seats with menus and four glasses of iced water. "So was the rest of highschool in Okinawa any fun?" Chie asked, trying to spark conversation. Souji laughed in sarcasm as he responded to her with "'Abso-lutely. It was just so~o grand…." And the four of them laughed. "In all seriousness it was boring as hell. I missed you guys the entire time." The whole crew knew this, though it was nice to hear from Souji himself. "Well you haven't missed out on anything around here except for us. Nothing really has been happening in Inaba either".

Time and food passed by as they all caught up with each other after Souji's three year hiatus from Inaba. They shared laughter, surprises, gentle moments, even shocking moments. He had to admit that he always knew Satonaka and Hanamura would end up together based on their discreet displays of affection during the investigation but he never thought about what it would be like to see them together in a relationship where they were so comfortable and casual about it. It truly was a refreshing sight. They conversed about the others, Rise who was now working in her grandmother's diner where the Tofu Shop used to be situated. Kanji took a loan to open a clothing and doll store across from the textiles shop and he and his mother were doing very well. Naoto left after high school to pursue a law career and enrolled in a school in Tokyo. Teddie still helps Yosuke around at Junes from time to time when he's not spending time in the alternate world. They even got around to talking about some of their other high school friends and Souji was definitely pleased to hear that Nagase Daisuke started dating a new relatively tame Ebihara Ai shortly after the start of their last year in school. Ichiro Kou was still single but managing a men's youth basketball league and was attending school locally to play college basketball and was being scouted by a recruiter for professional basketball so he was doing very well.

"Well I really hate cutting things short with you guys, but Dojima-san only gave me the morning off so I could spend some time with you Souji-kun but I have to head back to the police department or else he'll chew my ass apart" Chie said, disappointed their breakfast date was coming to a closure. Yosuke turned to her and asked "You're working late tonight?" to which Chie nodded in disappointment. "Okay, well when you get home I'll have supper ready, but for now I have to get back down to Junes or else we won't have any managers available!" said Yosuke trying to cheer her up. Chie loved the idea that there just might be steak waiting for her, but she didn't hold her breath knowing Yosuke was the one behind the stove tonight. "Wait, when you get home… you live together too now? You didn't mention that!" Souji said in surprise.

"Well right after school we decided it might be a good idea, so we pooled some of our money and put a security deposit on an apartment in the neighborhood around the shopping district, about five minutes from the riverbed, and the rest is history!" explained Yosuke. "That's great! Good for you guys…" Seta said. Chie pushed herself away from the table and grabbed her green jacket off the back. She leaned over and pecked Yosuke's cheek and stood up. "I'll let you know if I'm going to be late which then his uncle's fault" Chie said with a smile looking at Yosuke and pointing at Souji. "I'm so glad you're back home Souji-kun, I wish I could stay longer but I really have to go" she said. "Wait, you're not going all the way to the police department on two feet. I'll take you there on my way to work" Yosuke said. Souji and Yukiko looked at each other smiling. "Let's make plans for tomorrow! I'll call you tomorrow after work okay Yukiko? We'll see ya later leader!" Chie said, and her best friend nodded. "I'll call ya when I get out of work partner, maybe you can Yukiko can join us for dinner when Chie gets out of work!" Yosuke offered. He knew Chie loved the idea because she gained a sway in her hips, which she only did when she was in a good mood. Yosuke got up and walked across the open dining area with Chie before disappearing around the corner.

Yukiko and Souji looked in each other's eyes, which was short lived when Yukiko turned her face to the side with a slight blush. "So… since I have no interview, I suppose I'm free for the day since it is terribly slow…" she said smiling. "Any particular things you want to do on your second day in Inaba?" she asked. Souji thought about it and quickly decided it may be a good idea to visit Kanji since he has seen just about everyone he could have, and didn't want to leave out his good friend. "Let's go visit Kanji-kun, I'm sure he'll be excited to see his old senpai" Souji said laughing slightly.

"Is there anything you wanna do today?" Seta asked, not wanting to be in charge of the entire day. Yukiko looked around to see if anyone was watching her as if she had done something bad, then looked back at Souji and firmly pressed her index finger to Souji's chest, then smirked before getting up and pulling Souji with her across the floor. He looked at her as if she was up to something but when one of the attendants said "don't worry about the inn Amagi-san, we'll see you tomorrow!" as they were by the front door, Souji realized they were just on their way to Kanji's for the time being. Aww, damn… he thought, silently laughing to himself.

"Boy, for a minute there I thought I really did turn you into a fiend" said Seta placing emphasis on 'fiend'. Yukiko looked at him with her hand still in his and giggled. "You did, but we have other things to do first before I get around to what I wanna do!" she said blushing slightly. "Let's go visit Kanji-kun and see what he's up to, okay!?" asked Yuki.

"Sounds like a plan to me you dirty fiend" Souji said in playful manner, which only rewarded him a playful punch to the chest from his girlfriend. "I'll make you regret that!" she said smirking at him. To which he could only delightfully agree.