Fem-Souji/Yuu! When mysterious murders break out in the small town of Inaba, can Suzumi Seta the new transfer student from the City, solve the case? She can't do it alone, but will the many bonds she has made be enough to help her reach out to the truth?

Our beloved protagonist goes through something we like to call 'New Game Plus!' Except this time, he gets boobs. Fanfic will be based off the game, with minor changes and Anime references.

A/N: Aaand Chapter 3. . . . Another boring chapter. Did I mention it was boring? C: For those who are wondering as to why I'm updating so quickly. . . It's because I actually started this story on 2/14/12. I'm just posting what I have completed up until now. So that means you have 5 good chapters to read until you really have to wait. As we speak, I'm in the midst of finishing Chapter 6. . . Er, enough talk. Read and review! Like right nao.

DISCLAIMER!: I don't own Persona! Or Atlus by any chance. . .
if I did, Mara would be censored.

Chapter 3: The Midnight Channel.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
- Early Morning -

I woke up again today, surprisingly with no odd dream. Doing the usual, I got dressed, had breakfast with Nanako- since Dojima still wasn't home, and left for school. Yet- something today told me I was going to get lost on the way there. . . I found myself in one of the school zones, however didn't know which one. The sign up ahead was a little too far to run over to just yet, so I kept on walking. Would I be late if I didn't speed it up a bit? The thought of turning back and trying to find another route occurred to me, since this one looked hardly familiar. . . Just as I turned my head to do so, a boy on a bike had zoomed past me, god knows how fast. I was correct when I predicted what would happen next, and heard a loud boom. ". . . . ?" The poor lad hit the dumpster before somehow rolling into a trashcan, his yellow bike discarded to his right. This was the guy from yesterday. . . ? My feet walked itself over to him in concern and curiosity. He rolled around inside of the trashcan viciously in hopes of getting out, but to no avail. "S-Someone. . ." he cried out. ". . ." It seemed as though this was a good time to help out and not ignore him again. . . "H-Hey, give me your hand. . . !"I knelt down and spoke so he could hear me.

. . .

After about a good 5 minutes of him struggling, I had finally been able to pull him out. A relieved smile was evident on his face as he examined that nothing was on him or his hair. He was also lucky that there was no stench lingering to him either. Once the rolling student finished making sure he was alright, he checked his bike and picked it up. And after that, looked at me for the first time today. Widened eyes greeted me for a few seconds, but then it shortly turned into a happy-go-lucky wink. "Whew, you saved me. Thanks! Umm. . . " he gazed up into the sky. "Oh yeah, that's right. You're that little transfer student, Suzumi Seta."Did he really have to go and address me as 'little' again? Also, it didn't help at all that I had to look up at him slightly as he spoke. . . The brunette had looked at my face, all the way down to my feet, which made me a little uncomfy. I tried to ignore it nonetheless.

"Well, I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya." he placed his hand on his chest and bowed to me the same way as yesterday. . . . I couldn't help but stare at the odd boy. "It's nice to meet you too." Yosuke grins all the while and nods. He was talking with Chie and Yukiko yesterday, but to me it seemed as though he hadn't talked to a girl in years. It was just a feeling a got. He seemed to be alright despite the tremendous dent he left on the dumpster over there. . . "Say," he grabs my attention. "Did you hear about the incident from yesterday? They found that announcer lady hanging on an antenna! You think that was some kind of warning? There's no way something that weird could've been an accident."

Yeah, now that he mentioned it- that was odd. "You might be right."

I nodded as the boy looked over to one of the telephone lines, even though it wasn't the exact one that was broken from yesterday. "Dangling a dead body over the roof like that. . . That's just messed up. Then again, it's pretty messed up to kill someone in the first place." He winces. I suppose he was going over all the gory details within his head. "O-Oh crap, we're late!" he suddenly shoots up. My eyes widened too- if I hadn't lost track of the time. . .! "You wanna ride? It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine." . . . . . . As much as I wanted to pass on the offer, it looks like there wasn't time for a second option. it just that the way he seemed to handle his bike- I felt the little hairs on my neck stick up. "S-Sure?" He grinned happily and reached over to his bike handles, taking an orange helmet from the right side and placing it in my arms. "I don't usually wear this, but I bring it with me in case I really need it. If we get into another crash, you should wear this." G-Good point, I didn't want to get into a crash with him. Not that I didn't trust him or anything. As I was adjusting the protection on my head, the brunette reached over to buckle the straps under my chin. His fingers had brushed around my neck a little and caused me to shudder. It's not that I haven't been close to a guy before. . . I couldn't explain this feeling either. Well- at least I know he was going to be a good friend. "There ya go. Anyways- c'mon. Just hold on to me, we'll be there in a flash!"

"Please not too fast."I fidgeted as my arms were forced to warp around his waist.

"Hm? Alright. Here we go!"

. . .

- Morning -

Luckily, we get there on time. No one is in front of the school, but the some teachers came out to close the gates a little after we made it. To my relief, no one saw us together either. I waited for Yosuke as he heavily chained his bike to a nearby rack. What caught me off guard was the way he grabbed my sleeve and started running. "Oi, remember- we've got King Moron first period! If we don't get there now, we'll surely be tortured to death by his on-going rants! If we run we can probably get there in time!" Good call, I didn't want to get yelled at by that man again- not that I couldn't take it. He took lead and and dashed up the stairs and through the halls. The door, which is closed, Yosuke slides open. Much to my relief, Morooka wasn't here yet. However, we were been greeted by intense stares from our classmates anyway. Well, it was probably because we were panting in sync, and or that Yosuke looked quite disoriented. T-That's right, he was the one biking too, so he didn't have any time to take a breather. . . I nudged him as we made our way to our respective seats. "Thanks, Yosuke. I really appreciate i-" The world stopped. In an instant, I had realized I addressed him with his first name- not his last, no honorific used. However, I'm sure he didn't seem to notice what came out of my mouth, because of the way he inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm down. "H-Hm? Yeah, a-anytime." He takes a seat behind me and our buck-toothed teacher comes in to start the lesson. . . Note to self: second day of school- alsointeresting.

. . .

Morooka slams his attendance book on his desk. "Be quiet, you idiots! You guys ARE in high school, aren't you! Can't you shut up during class? Don't you have common sense?" Can't he shut up? Doesn't he have common sense? "First of all, my job is to waste my precious time teaching you assholes philosophy! And since I'm so nice. . . I'll straighten up your rotten attitudes while I'm at it! Aren't you honored!" He should look in a mirror and re-evaluate himself first before trying to peg us! "And I'll be going especially hard on any of you morons that're curious about the murder! Got it! Now get your books out!". . . The lecture was long, boring, and just extremely irritating. I was forced to pay attention if I wanted to pass though. After a few minutes of pulling my hair out over this, I felt as though I finally understood what he was trying to teach. . . Only because I read the text book beneath me as he yapped. I felt as though my knowledge had increased by a little bit.

. . . School passes by on a dull note.

- After School -

Somehow, I find Yosuke over at my desk, stretching, then folding his arms while I managed my things. "So, you getting used to this place?" he asks nonchalantly. I'd have to think about that. Well, the air was fresh, I guess my relatives were nice, I made a few friends throughout the school day. . . "Yeah." That was my only answer for now. It's not like something went horribly wrong- besides King Moron that is. "Wow, that was fast." The boy beams in surprise. "There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain something you can't get anywhere else. The air's clear, the food's great. . . Oh, you know about the local delicacy? It's grilled steak, man! Like that's anything special, huh?" He laughs heartily. "I know a place where you can get it cheap. Wanna come? You helped me out this morning, so it's on me."

"H-Huh. . ?" It's true that I helped him out this morning. . . But he did give me a ride to school. That wouldn't be fair. "But, you gave me a ride to school. . . That counts as something- right?"I ask him.

Before he gets a chance to respond, a certain girl with a green jacket comes waltzing by at the sound of food. "What about me, huh? No apologies? My 'Trail of the Dragon?' " She places her hands on her hips and glares at him menacingly. "Oh- and what was up with you two this morning? I saw you and Suzumi get off your bike from the window. . ."E-eh? She saw that? W-who else. . . ?

Yosuke disregarded the last thing she said and sighed. "Urgh. . . You always come around when I'm taking about food. . ."

"How about it, Yukiko? Don't you think he should treat us too?"she gazed over to her friend who packs up her stuff and then stands.

"I'll pass. . . I don't want to gain any more weight. I need to help out at the inn today, anyway."The blackette says.

"Wow, Yukiko-san. You started training to take over the business?"The boy next to me adds with a tone that screams, 'I'm impressed'.

She shakes her head defiantly. "It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy. Well. I should be on my way. . ."

Yukiko walks out of the classroom, not looking back to even say goodbye to Chie. It seemed to bother the green jacket girl, but she shook it off as quickly as it reached her. Yukiko must've been really busy, and it would be best not to bother her in that case. "Oh well. We should get going too. "Satonaka grabs onto my arm and pulls us to the door where Yukiko had left from.

"Huh? Do I seriously have to treat two people?"

. . .

. . . Yosuke brought Chie and I to Junes, which was what the building we had entered said. I know this place it had to be special, since it drove the gloomy Nanako crazy, but in a good way. Before I knew it, I went up the elevator with the two, and ended up in a food court. ". . . ?" This is the place Nanako loved? It was practically a convenience store, judging by the automatic doors leading to the inside on my left. The display cases had mannequins of pro golfers, baseball stars, kendo and judo fighters, and not to mention their respective equipment too. Chie sat me down at a table, but my eyes still wandered. Though this place wasn't something I'd go 'crazy' about. . . It did feel. . . Pretty hip. As soon as Yosuke returned with our food, it looked as though Chie popped a blood vessel. She started yelling at him. "THIS is the cheap place you were talking about. . .? They don't have grilled steak here!"

He sat down calmly, and continued folding his arms. "Yeah, well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans."

"Still, that's no reason to take us to your place."

"Dude, this isn't my place or anything."

I looked at them both as they conversed about how Junes was Yosuke's. ". . . ?" I cocked my head. I don't get it. The two caught my gaze and nodded- nodded about what? I was seriously lost. "Oh, right. I haven't told you yet, huh? I moved here from another city six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So. . . Our entire family came out here. . . " He stated it bluntly, as if it was nothing. He was practically the son of this seemingly big business. Quite cool in my opinion, actually. He picked up a soda from the tray he had put down on the table from earlier. "Here, this is to welcome you to town." He urged that I pick up my soda as well. Was it TAP? I opened the lid to see what was inside it. Aw, it was just 'Orange Smash.' "Satonaka, yours is on me too."

"Yeah, I know."she reached across the table to get her drink.

We lifted our cups in the air and began drinking. After a while, the conversation brightened up over small talk. Chie sits back in a relaxed manner. "It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local shopping district much since. A lot of stores there started closing, and. . . Oh, uh. . ." She stopped and her words faded out into silence. I could immediately understand why, with the face of dissatisfaction Yosuke made just then. ". . . You can't blame it all on Junes, can you? . . ." He sighs perplexedly. The sound of a chair's legs scraping against the ground, and then being pulled in, suddenly catches the boy's attention. "Hey. . . It's Saki-senpai!" he turns his head to my right and gazes at the girl with ashy light brown hair, who looked pale. She had her elbows on a nearby table and her face in her hands. I wonder what was wrong? "Sorry, be right back."Yosuke left in a flash to get over to her.

"Who's that?"I ask Chie who also seems to be watching in amusement.

"Oh, that's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district." I comprehended as the girl finished her sentence, however started talking again after a few seconds. ". . . I think she's working her part-time though."

She and I gaze at Yosuke chatting with her happily, however the very tired girl didn't seem to want to hear it. . . . I could only hear brief things in the conversation, since they were sitting just slightly away from us.

"Heeey! I'm finally on break. . ." that girl seems to say. "What's up, Hana-chan? Boosting the family business by bringing your friends here?"

"Madam, you wound me!" he seems to joke with her. "Kidding aside. . . .You look down. Did something happen?"

". . . It's nothing. . . Just a little tired."

"Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen, I. . ."

She chuckles to herself and clutches at the ends of the apron she has on. "I'm okay. Thanks, though." Even with that said, she stops to take her face into her hands and wipe of that sweat. "Ugh. . . Why'd I leave school early yesterday?"

" ? "

"Hey. . . Is she the kid who transferred here?"

I catch her looking at me, as if I was some kind of scapegoat. Or at least, that was my first impression. Saki Konishi walks over with Yosuke following. I gaze up to my upperclassmen, and I have to say, she did look a little pretty. "Are you the transfer student? Oh, did you hear about me already? It must be nice to have someone else from the big city to talk to, huh? I don't see Hana-chan hanging out with the guys much. . ." Well, that I couldn't argue with. I hadn't seen Yosuke with any other guy today or yesterday. He was either sitting alone, sleeping on a desk, or with. . . Chie and Yukiko. Come to think of it, I'm surprised he didn't bring anyone but Chie and I to Junes. Then again, he might not have wanted to pay for another person, but. . . "N-not necessarily. . ." he stutters. "He doesn't have too many friends, so I hope you two get along good. Hana-chan's a good guy, but he can get nosy sometimes. You gotta tell him right in to his face when he starts to annoy you.". . . That didn't seem entirely true.

"No, he's a great guy."I couldn't help but protest a little.

"Ahaha, I know. . . I'm just kidding."

Yosuke, who still seemed to be listening scratched his head. "C-C'mon, Senpai. There's no need to worry about something like that."

"Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go. . . Laters!"

"Oh, uh, Senpai. . . !" But before his words could reach her, she was already gone. The brunette pauses in defeat and sits down, still not looking away from the direction she left in. He finally comes back down to earth with a chuckle, and turns back to us two girls. "Hahah, Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me. She has a younger brother, and she treats me pretty much the same way." Satonaka slaps her knee in humor and places her elbows on the table while facing the Junes kid. "Ohhh, you don't want her treating you like brother, huh? Oh, I get it. So that's how it is. . . The daughter of a local family-run liquor store, and the scion of the invading chain. . . The flame of forbidden love!"

"Wha-! Dude, it's not like that." So he claims, but I could see his cheeks lighting up in a rosy blush. His voice, also seemed to be disoriented. Green Jacket places her hands on the table. "Oh reaaaally. . . Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart."Before speaking again, she looks to me and to Yosuke to make sure we were listening intently. I was part of this too?

"You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen. . . And they say that person's your soul mate."

I look at Yosuke, and he looks at me, deadpanned. "What? For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful. . . How can you get all excited over a childish urban legend like that?" I don't know, seemed pretty interesting to me, but kinda dumb at the same time. It wouldn't hurt trying it out, however. "Childish, huh? You don't believe it, do you!"Satonaka yells.

"Of course I don't!"

"Well, it's raining tonight! Let's all try it out- then you'll see!"

"Try it out. . . ? Wait, you haven't even tried it yourself! . . . Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid. . ."

I shrugged, not wanting to be part of their argument- not even the mediator.

"All that aside. . . you know that 'incident' yesterday? You think it was murder? Ooh, what if the culprit behind it was still lurking around. . . ? Heehee. . ." Yosuke alters his voice to make it sound creepy. Actually- he just sounded like a dirty old man. Chie sighs and scowls at him. "Sheesh, you shouldn't joke about stuff like that. Now who's the childish one. . . ? All I am saying is, you two better try it out tonight."She's really applying to me too? I never said it wasn't fake, or real. So let me get this straight- the Midnight Channel, where one can see one's soul mate on a rainy night.

The three of us spent a little more time in Junes eating and chatting, before parting ways. . .

. . .

- Evening -

Back at the Dojima Residence, it was yet another evening with Nanako-chan alone, no Dojima in the house. She had ordered delivery from a Aiya, the Chinese Diner in the shopping district with the money her Dad left us. ". . . . ." The little girl sighs. "Did your father call?" I couldn't help but ask. She seemed to fidget while staring at the phone on the desk near the door. "No, he always says he will. . ." A two second silence lingers between us until the opening of a door is resounded behind me. Could that be him? "Oh! He's home!"Judging by Nanako's reaction, yes. The overjoyed individual watched as her fatigued father gradually made his way to the couch.

"What a day. . ." He groans. "I'm back. Did anything happen while I was out?"

The brunette only stomps her foot. "No. You're late again. . ."

"I'm sorry. . . Been busy at work." he answers, taking a seat on the sofa. "Can you put the news on for me?"

Nanako sighs and gives up, turning on the TV.

[[- Next, more details in the devolving story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi.]]

. . . It's a follow-up report about the incident yesterday. . . When Ms. Yamano, the TV announcer, was alive, she was having an affair with councilman's secretary. . . The man's wife seems to be Misuzu Hiiragi, and enka singer. Could the incident be tied to their lover's quarrel. . .? My mind drifted off in a daze, and I thought about many things, like when Chie, Yukiko, and I walked home from school one day, and ended up near the crime scene. Misuzu Hiiragi. . . 'Misuzu' . . . and 'Suzumi'. . . When you come down to it, all you had to do is switch a few kanji and we had the same name. I think this was how bored I was.

[[The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body.]]

Dojima breathed out heavily. "An interview with the kid? Where the hell did they find her?"

The TV flashes, and there's a girl on the TV, her eyes were censored. Behind her, is apparently the North part of the Shopping District.

[What went through your mind when you saw it? Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?]]

[["U-Umm. . ."]]The female student tries to shy away from the camera, but to no avail as it keeps closing up on her. Her voice was altered as well, indistinct. I felt like I've seen her somewhere before. . .

The report nudges the mic closer to her face. [[Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?]]

[[Huh. . . ? She was killed?]]

[[Oh, errr. . . So did you see anyone suspicious around here?]]

[[No, not really. . .]]

[[We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did have some personal business to take care of?]]

[[Huh? That's. . .]]

The reporter's enthusiasm seemed to be perplexing the girl to no end. I felt sorry for her. If I looked closely, she reminded me of Saki Konishi, Yosuke's senpai. . .

The announcer finishes. [[A tragedy that occurred near the local shopping district. Many store owners are raising concerns about losing customs as result. . . ]]

"Hmph." The detective Dojima glares at the screen of the TV. "If they lose more customers it'll be because you're making such a stink about it. . ."

[[It really is a bizarre care, isn't it? I mean, hanging someone upside down from an antenna. . . I'd have to say it a warning or a sign from the culprit.]]a commentator from the side adds.

[[Yes, but so far, no one has come forward to take credit for the crime.]]

Dojima clenches his fist. "Loads of prank calls, though. . ."

The commentator asks, [[So the cause of death is still unknown? And they don't have a single suspect yet? Taxpayers' finds are going to a police force who can't even figure out it this is an accident or a homicide?]]

There is an eerie silence in the room, and it felt even worse than when Dojima was taking back to the TV. [[We'll be back after these messages. . . :]]

[[At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day. Comes see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!
~ Every day's great at your Junes ~!]]

I look over to the girl in front of me. Cue Nanako Dojima's singing. "~ Every day's great at your Junes ~!" . . . And yet no matter how many times she sang that catchy tune about a convenience store, it always sounded cute. Without looking away from Junes' commercial, she blurted out, "Hey Dad. . . Can we go to Junes together sometime?"

". . . . . . ."

". . . No?" Nanako turns her head to her father. . . Only to find him sleeping. ". . . . . . Geez." Dinner ends on a poor note. . . . The rain does not cease to let up. I remembered I had made a promise with Chie to try out the rumor about the Midnight Channel, so I decided to return to my room after washing my plate.

. . .

I could hear it raining outside as I waited alone in boredom for the clock to strike 12. Nanako and Dojima must've already gone to sleep, which meant I was the only one up at this hour. . . . Come to think of it, I wondered who else besides Yosuke and Chie would try to prove this urban legend tonight. If the rumor really was true, would I see my soul mate? It was almost midnight and practically seconds away. I stood up and decided to shut my curtains to remove the light from the moon shining on the screen. I gazed at my reflection intently, waiting for something to happen.

. . . . . . . . .

"Hm."But nothing showed up at all. I turned away.

. . . . . . . . .

BzzZZzzZZbzzt. . .

I heard a static noise behind me, a light shining on the curtains. C-Could it be. . . ?

"Huh. . . ?"

BzzZZzzZZbzzt. . . Zzbztzzzbztttzzzz. . . .

There was an image on the screen, it seemed like a low budget one. There was a girl on it, but with the screen flashing on and off like that- it was hard to tell what was going on. It looked as though she was being thrown back and forth, and hurled all over the place- looked like that girl was in. . . pain. At that moment, the blurry image on the screen disappeared when the lightning thundered in the background.

"!"

"I AM THOU, AND THOU ART I.
THOU ART THE ONE, WHO OPENS THE DOOR."

"Nnngh. . . !" An excruciating pain filled my head as the voice resounded echoes, causing me to lose balance. I could no longer focus my eyes on anything as I moved all over the place, and crashed into the wall behind me moments after. Beads of sweat waterfalled from my cheeks and onto the ground as I desperately tried to maintain my grip on reality. "Rrghh. . ." I jerked, panting all the while. There was a crash of lighting, most likely from outside, that broke and shattered something into pieces, but snapped me out of my pain spell. Before I knew it, I was on my hands and knees trying to figure out what had happened. . . . The TV- it. . . I was so caught up in trying to comprehend everything, that I stood up and poked the screen without realizing it. "!" However, to my surprise, ripples of light had erupted from the surface in which I touched. ". . . . ."Without thinking, I pressed my hand into the screen. Though, if I hadn't felt so disoriented at the moment, I would've had a heart attack when I felt my arm unbelievably sink deeper into the solid and past something- thick and compressing. As soon as I was deep enough, the only thing I had realized, was that I was being forcibly pulled in.

"N-Naaagghhh-!"

. . .

I opened my eyes and realized, I wasn't sucked in just yet. . . . My TV was so small, only my right arm and head fit through it. The rest of my body struggled to squeeze in, much to my relief. With one strong yank, I pulled myself out of the TV only to be greeted with the impact of hitting the cold floor, and the thin rug not helping one bit. My left shoulder slammed into ground heavily as my right hand had hit the wall. Though, I was lucky enough when I realized it could have been worse and that my head could've hit one of the table sides. Shuddering at the thought, my attention was grabbed by a voice calling for me in concern.

"Are you okay. . .?"

I-it was only Nanako who knocked and was standing outside my door.

"K-Kind of." I answered back and hid the agony in my tone.

"O-Okay. W-well, good night." And she had left for her room, just like that.

. . .

I stared back up to my TV. What in the world just happened. . .? I decided to talk to Yosuke and Chie about it tomorrow. . .