I have nothing much to say anymore. Hope you enjoy this one!

Ch. 5 World Of Fog

April 14, 2011

Yet another rainy day from the aftermath of the experience Souji had. Although kind of nervous, scared, and excited at the same time, he still payed attention to class.

Today, there was a new teacher at the school. She looked really strange, like Morooka. She wore a brown vest with a black skirt, with an Egyptian headdress and a dowser in her hand. She even had eyeliner like the Egyptians!

"Hello everyone. My name is Kimiko Sofue, and I don't know how much you know about world history, but I'm an expert." She introduced. "First, a little about me. I love to use my dowser to look for lost items, and there's nothing quite like a romance. In fact, world history is a magnificent romance. History is like a river; it was born in the past and flows ever outward. I hope we can all enjoy the profundity of history together. Hohoho. And since this is my first lecture, I'll start with an easy question. Our transferee, Mr. Seta, please stand up."

Souji blinked, then got out of his seat.

"When did A.D. - in other words, Anno Domini- begin?"

Anno Domini... isn't that like after Christ? He wondered. "When Jesus was born?"

"Ah, you seem to understand this well." She said pleased. "And does anyone know what B.C. stands for? Oh, I'll just tell you. Before Christ, or the years before Christ was born. This is, of course, the way we count our years today, but it wasn't adopted in Western Europe until the 15th century. Hohoho, it was around that time that there were many religious wars and power shifts occurring. Anyhow, the world's beliefs have been in an ever-flowing tide since humanity began to emphasize religion. Most holidays are related to religion, you know. If you do some research, you many find some interesting facts. But regardless of the culture or the tradition, the tide decides who will survive in the present and the future. And those survivors ensure that their will is passed down to the next generation... But now it's time to start from the beginning. Let's take a look at the origin of civilization..."

"What's up with body being hung upside down?" A girl asked her friend after class. "That's so freaky!"

"Is it supposed to be like, mimicking an execution?" The other girl said. "It's messed up..."

"My sempai told me it was a third-year named Saki who found the body."

As they talked, Yosuke walked up to Souji, but with a worried look instead of his usual cheery attitude.

"Y-Yo." He began. "Umm..."

Souji gave him a confused look.

"It's, uh, it's not really that important, but..." He said. "Well, yesterday on TV, I..." He scratched his head for a little bit. "Oh, uhh... never mind. Look, I'll tell you later. Ahaha..."

Chie walked up to the two. "Yosuke, did you hear the rumor? Saki-sempai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."

"I wonder if that's why she looked so down..." Yosuke said. "She doesn't seem to be at school today either."

Chie blinked as Yukiko finished packing her stuff. "Huh? Hey Yukiko, are you helping out at the inn today too?"

"Things are really out of hand right now..." Yukiko said sadly. "I'm sorry." She walked out of the classroom.

"Is it just me, or does Yukiko-san seem way stressed out today?" Yosuke asked.

"I guess they're running her ragged..." Chie said.

She blinked again. "By the way, did you see... it... last night?"

"Huh...?" Yosuke asked worriedly. "Uh, well... what about you?"

"I did!" She exclaimed. "I seriously saw a girl! But... my soul mate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure. Her hair was brown, about shoulder length. She was wearing our school uniform, and..."

Yosuke stepped back. "Hey... I think that's the same person I saw. I couldn't make out much detail, though. The image I saw was much blurrier..."

"Wait, so you saw it too?!" Chie exclaimed. "And we saw the same girl...? Does that mean... we have the same soul mate?"

"How should I know?" Yosuke turned to Souji. "How 'bout you? Did you see it?"

Souji nodded and began telling them about what happened: the image he saw, the voice he heard, how he got stuck in the TV...

"It sounds like we all saw the same person..." Yosuke muttered. "But wierd voices aside, what was that about getting sucked into your TV...? We you that tired last night? You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV."

"That'd be one interesting dream, though." Chie grinned. "I like the part where you got stuck 'cause your TV was too small. That's pretty realistic. Well, if it had been bigger, the-"

Then she blinked. "Ohhh, that reminds me. Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."

"Oh yeah?" Yosuke said. "Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month."

Chie smiled. "Oh definitely! My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen!" She made a kicking pose, yelling, "Hwa-taaaa!"

Yosuke's sweat dropped, then he turned to Souji. "We've got some pretty big ones in stock. I bet they'd be big enough for you to fit into, hehe."

As the two continued to talk, Souji groaned. They don't believe me at all...

Junes, Electronics Department...

The three stood inside the mega mall called Junes, inside the electronics department. There was a whole mess of televisions around the area, with other electronics, and posters platered on the wall of famous celebrities.

All three of them stood in front of a huge wide screen TV. "Wow, this is huge!" Chie exclaimed. "And... holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"

"I dunno... Rich folks?" Yosuke said. "Honestly, not many people shop for TVs here. That's why we don't have clerks around."

"Huh... not worth trying then, I guess." She sighed. "Well, at least looking's free."

Then Chie looked at Souji for a second, then turned to Yosuke. They both nodded and walked to the TV, touching and feeling it.

"...Nope, can't get in. Figures." Yosuke said.

Chie giggled. "This proves it. It was all just a dream."

"Besides, these flatscreen TVs are so thin, you'd just end up on the other side..." Yosuke said. "Argh, what am I saying?!" He decided to change the subject. "So, Chie. What kind of TV are you guys in the market for?"

"O-Oh, they said they wanted one that's cheap." She said. "You got any suggestions?"

They walked over to another TV, just a little bit smaller than the one they just looked at. Yosuke cleared his throat to make him sound professional. "Well, miss, might I suggest this one over here? It's the newest model, just released this spring..."

Chie gasped. "Wha- that's not cheap at all! There's way too many zeroes!"

"I should've asked what you meant by 'cheap' right off the bat." Yosuke groaned.

"You've got connections, right?" She said with a sly look. "C'mon, hook me up!"

"You know I can't do that..." He said. "Hey, how about this one over here? It's a display unit and it's a little old, but..."

Souji turned from them back to the TV. With a TV this big, I really might be able to go inside...

He walked up to the TV and placed his hand on it. Suddenly, it fell right inside the TV, with it rippling like water!

Yosuke turned to him. "Oh yeah, Souji, what kind of TV do you-" Then he gasped.

Chie looked puzzled. "Huh? Something wrong, Yosuke?" She turned to Souji and gasped as well.

"I-Is his arm... in the TV...?" Yosuke said in disbelief.

"Whoa..." Chie stared. "Uhhh... is this some kinda... new model? L-Like a new function?"

"Heck no!" Yosuke exclaimed.

The two rushed over to him. "You gotta be kidding me..." Chie said. "Did you really stick your hand through the screen?"

"Oh man..." Yosuke said. "This is for real... That's some magic trick, man! So how's it work, huh?! What's the magician's secret?!"

Souji frowned at him. Maybe I can put something in more than my arm. Then he stuck his entire head into the TV!

"H-Hey, don't do that!" Yosuke shrieked. "What're you doing?!"

"Oh my gosh!!" She yelled as well.

"There's empty space inside..." Souji muttered.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'inside'?!" Yosuke questioned frantically.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'empty space'?!" Chie asked also.

"It seems very spacious in here..." He muttered again.

"Wh-what do you mean, 'spacious'?!" Yosuke shrieked.

"I mean, what's going on?!" Chie yelled.

Then Yosuke began holding the front of his upper pants, skipping like crazy. "Holy crap... I-I think this is all too much for my bladder..."

"What the-?" Chie shrieked. "Are you gonna pee you pants?!"

"I've been holding it all day!" Yosuke groaned. "I-I haven't had a chance to go... Aaarrgh! Can't... hold it... anymore...!"

Then he ran off to the restroom, but stopped. Then he ran back to them. "Shit! Customers! They're coming!"

"What?!" Chie gasped. "But we've got a guy half stuck in a TV here! Wh-what're we gonna do?!"

The two ran frantically around the area, for different reasons: Yosuke had to use the restroom super bad and Chie was shocked at Souji being stuck in the TV. Bu then the two ended up colliding into Souji, with the three of them falling into the TV!

"What the?!" Yosuke yelled. "W-Wai- WHOA!"

The trio collided into a floor with odd drawings on it, being white and black humans. The area was very foggy-like, colored yellow. There also seemed to be lights flashing from nowhere. It seemed very strange.

"Ow!" Yosuke exclaimed. "I landed right on my wallet!"

"Man, where the heck are we?" Chie asked. "What is this place? Is it some place in Junes?"

"Heck no it isn't. I mean we fell through a TV." Yosuke said. "Actually, uh, what is going on here?"

Everywhere they looked seemed like an endless expanse of fog. They could barely see any paths, and those lead probably somewhere they didn't want to be.

Chietoo a deep breath. "Haa... so... uh... We're still alive... right?"

"Are you guys okay?" Souji asked the two.

"I think my butt's cracked now..." Yosuke groaned.

"Of course it is!" Chie said angrily.

Yosuke looked around, then up and blinked, "Whoa!"

Chie stepped back. "Wh-What now?! Did you wet your pants?!"

"No, idiot!" Yosuke said. "Look around!"

The fog became a little more clear, with the lights appearing from above. There were a few paths out of that area, and wires too. It actually looked like a television studio.

"Is this... a studio?" Chie asked. "All this fog... or is it smoke? There's no place like this in Inaba, is there...?"

"Heck no..." Yosuke muttered. "But man... this place is huge..."

"What're we gonna do...?" Chie said.

"Let's look around." Souji suggested.

"Huh? B-But..." Chie began nervously. "Look, we need to get home and-!" And she turned around, then gasped. "H-Huh...?" She turned around again. "Wait a minute... Wich way did we come in from? I don't see a way in... or out!"

The other two gasped and looked around frantically for an exit! But there was no exits they could see in sight.

"What?" Yosuke asked. "That can't be right! H-How could that be?!"

"I don't know!" Chie exclaimed. "Don't ask me! I can't take this anymore! I wanna go home!!"

"Okay... so how?!" Yosuke questioned.

"Let's calm down." Souji said first.

"Y-You're right." Yosuke agreed and breathed in deeply. "Okay... okay. Let's calm down and think about this. All right, so we need to find a way out."

"Is there really a way outta here...?" Chie asked.

"We got in... so we must be able to get out somehow." Yosuke said.

"That's true, but..." She muttered.

"If there's no exit, we're trapped, so let's cross our fingers and look around." Yosuke said. The trio nodded to this.

The three began to walk around the area. They ended up in an apartment hallway somehow, with a door in front of them. There seemed to be a few houses nearby, but the wierdest thing of all was the sky: It was passing through red and black stripes, like how televisions are when they malfunction.

"What is this place...?" Chie asked. "It feels different from where we were before..."

"It feels like we're in some kinda building, but..." Yosuke said. "Darn, this fog's so thick, I can hardly see."

"Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?" Chie asked worriedly.

"I can't be positive, but we've gotta trust our instinct a little."

"I know, but..."

Yosuke and Souji began walking into the door. Chie followed after a while.

The two walked inside and blinked. It was like an apartment, with a bed, a bookshelf, a big window, and a potted plant.

"Hey, is it me or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke asked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "No service. What a surprise..."

"Can't you guys slow down a little?" Chie asked. The two turned around and gasped at what was behind her. "It's hard enough to see where you're going..." Chie blinked at their surprised faces and turned around, gasping as well. "Huh? What the...?!"

In the walls behind them, there were posters of someone with the heads cut off from it. Blood was splattered all over the walls. There as even a chair with a rope hanging from the top.

"It's a dead end!" Chie screamed. "There's no exit!"

"It keeps getting creepier and creepier the further we go..." Yosuke muttered. Then he blinked and started hopping around even faster! "Aargh! I can't hold it any longer... My bladder's gonna explode!"

He ran to the wall and zipped down his pants.

"Yosuke?! What're you doing?!" Chie shrieked.

"I gotta let it out before I piss my pants!" Yosuke yelled.

"You're going here?!" Chie yelled. "Oh, you have got to be kidding..."

"T-Turn around!" Yosuke begged. "I can't go if everyone's watching!" But nobody turned. "Aaaaargh... I can't do it! It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!

"Like I care..." Chie said. "Anyways... what's with this room? Check out these posters... their faces are all cut out... Somebody must really hate this person..."

Yosuke walked up to the chair in the middle of the room. "Dude... this chair and rope... That kind of arrangement is never good..." Upon closer inspection, he noticed something hanging from the rope. "It's tied to a noose... Is this a scarf...?"

Chie shuddered. "C'mon... Let's go back to where we came from, and look somewhere else for an exit..."

He nodded and the three began for the door. Then Yosuke stopped and took a look at a poster. "Hey... I think I've seen that poster before..."

"Who CARES?!" Chie yelled. "Let's go! I am sick of this place! And I'm not feeling so good..."

"Now that you mention it, me too..." Yosuke muttered.

My body does feel heavy... Souji thought. Could it be from this place's oppressive atmosphere...?

"Alright, let's go back." Yosuke said. "I'm seriously starting to feel sick..."

The three finally made it back to the area they started from. But they seemed tired more than ever.

Chie sighed. "We finally made it back here..." Then she blinked as she saw something in the fog. "Wait... What's that...?"

Souji and Yosuke frowned at her then looked, shocked at the sight of a figure coming over to them. "Th- There's something over there!"

It stepped out of the fog. It was a bear-looking thing with a red pants and blue fur (I guess).

"What is this thing?" Chie asked. "A monkey? A bear...?"

"What in the world...?" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Th- That's what I wanna know!" The bear said. "Who are you guys...?"

Chie gasped. "It talked!! Uhh... What are you?! Y-You wanna fight?!"

The bear cowered in fear. "D-Don't yell at me like that..."

"What is this place?" Souji asked nicely.

It instantly stopped shaking. "This place is what it is. It doesn't have a name. It's where I live."

"You... live here?" Yosuke asked.

"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side." The bear said. "Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."

"Huh? Throwing people in?" Yosuke questioned. "What're you talking about?"

The bear stomped on the ground angrily. "I dunno who's doing it! I just want them to think before they go doing things like that."

"Hey, what's your problem?" Chie said angrily to the bear, being blown back. "What gives YOU the right to yell at us like that?! What ARE you?! Where are we?! What the heck's going on here?!"

The bear bolted right behind Souji, gripping him in fear. Souji's sweat dropped.

"I already told you..." The bear said. "A-Anyways, you should hurry back."

"What it comes down to is, you want us to get outta here, right?" Yosuke asked. "Well, so do we! We just don't know how, darn it!"

"Urrrrgh!" The bear shouted. "That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!"

"Like I keep saying, we don't know where the freakin' exit-" Yosuke began. "Wait... what?"

The bear tapped his foot on the floor twice, and three big TVs appeared in a puff of smoke right in the middle of the three! Everyone jumped back in fright.

"What the heck?!" Yosuke said.

"Wh-Where did these TVs come from?!" Chie stuttered.

They all walked up to the TVs. Souji, Chie, and Yosuke stared at it for awhile, until the bear got annoyed. "Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" And he pushed the three inside the TVs!

"What's going on now?!" Chie shrieked. "Whoa! Hey, what're you doing?!"

"S-Stop pushing!" Yosuke complained.

Familiar mall music played as the trio was thrown out of the TV and landed on their butts again! They all almost yelped in pain.

"Huh? Is this...?" Chie began.

"Did we... make it back?" Yosuke asked.

The three of them stood up and looked around, trying to get feeling back into their bodies. The intercom started speaking, "ATTENTION, SHOPPERS. OUR DAILY LIMITED-TIME SALE WILL NOW BEGIN AT THE SIDE DISH AREA ON THE FIRST FLOOR. WHY NOT TRY THE DELICIOUS, FRESH PRODUCE JUNES PICKED FOR YOU THIS THIS MORNING AS YOUR SIDE DISH FOR DINNER TONIGHT? ALL AGES ARE INVITED TO TAKE PART IN THIS INCREDIBLE BARGAIN!"

"Crap, it's already that late?!" Yosuke realized.

Chie sighed. "Looks like we were in there for quite awhile..."

Yosuke went into deep thought, then blinked. "That's right... Now I remember where I saw that poster before... Look over there! That's the poster we saw!"

"What's up now?" Chieasked. She turned around and saw a poster of a woman with pale white skin and a dark purple kimono on. "Hey, you're right, they're the same. I couldn't tell before without the face, but it was Misuzu Hiiragi... She's been all over the news lately. Something about... her husband having an affair with that announcer lady who died the other day."

"Hey, so does that mean...?" Yosuke began. "That wierd room we saw... Could it be related to that Yamano lady's death...? Now that I think about it... there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling..." He paused for a bit then yelled out, "Yaaargh, stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this. I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take anymore.

Chie nodded, then shuddered. "I'm feeling a chill too... Let's go home... I wanna lie down and rest."

It was finally evening when Souji returned home. The rain was pouring harder than usual today. Dojima and Nanakosat around the table with ramen bowls, watching TV.

"Hey, welcome home." Dojima said.

Souji came over to them and sat down. He still felt numb. I feel sluggish...

Dojima looked down for a bit, then turned to Souji. "Uh-Hmm... Well, I doubt you'd know... But have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"

Souji blinked. "She wasn't at school today."

"Oh, I see..." He said, then he sighed. "To be honest... we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet..." Another sigh. "Work keeps piling up..."

The announcer on TV spoke. "And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba. Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamanowas found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death had been unknown. But the police investigation has found that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn."

The Amagi Inn... It's the inn that Yukiko's family runs... Souji thought.

"She had apparently been staying there alone." The announcer continued. "Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal...?"

"Oh yes, the Amagi Inn!" A commentator exclaimed. "Their hot springs are first-rate. The manager's teenage daughter also works there, and it's rumored that she'll take over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be one of the youngest managers on record! I should book another trip there!"

"Uhh... I-I see..." The announcer was startled. "Moving along, it's time for the weather report. The rain has begun to subside. From now until morning, heavy fog warnings will be in affect in the Inaba region. Visibility will be severely reduced, so please be careful if you plan on driving in the area..."

So before the announcer died, she was found in the Amagi Inn... Souji thought. And Saki hasn't been found yet either...

"Is the ramen ready now?" Nanako asked.

"Give it some more time." Dojima said.

Suddenly, Souji sneezed. What is this chill...?

"Are you sick?" Dojima asked. "You're probably still adjusting to the new environment. Nanako, could you get him some cold medicine?"

She nodded, then ran towards the cabinet. "You should get to bed after you take it." Dojima said.

Souji nodded.

April 15, 2011

It was a quiet morning in the town of Inaba. Everyone was still asleep in their beds. It was still foggy in the region as well. And a schoolgirl that went to Yasogami High was hanging upside down on a electric pole...

And that's this chapter. Yeah, updates are still as slow as ever.