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: And that's the last Chapter I'm gonna update for today. . . Phew. The next Chapter is 6! And it's still in progress~ Yup yup. Chapter 6 is where all the fighting begins. And sorry in advance, if my battle scenes have a lack of the adrenaline feeling they're supposed to have. . . To be honest, this is my first time writing about battle scenes. I'm a bit nervous that it won't meet up to any of your expectations, but still. . . Wish me luck. ;D

DISCLAIMER!: I do not own Persona! Or Atlus by any chance either. If I did, Naoto would've come out in that bikini during the Miss Yasogami Pageant. . . Oh, by the way. I'm making her bust size big in this fanfic! :D

Chapter 5: The Second Murder.

Friday, April 15, 2011
- Rainy Early Morning -

I woke up today feeling slightly groggy. . . But overall, better than yesterday- if the thought helped. Yesterday. . . what exactly happened, and why? I know I couldn't just ignore it, but it would be no use pondering about it at the moment. The best I could bet for is going to Yosuke and Chie and hope that they've done extra thinking about this as well. The bag that was sitting idle on my table was now scoped up in my arms and ready to go. . . Skipping breakfast today didn't actually seem like such a bad idea. . . I walked down the stairs and into the living room to see Dojima heading for the door. I hadn't thought he'd be here early today, judging by how he's never home. "Ah, you're up. Well, I'm off." he nods, just like that. . . In front of me, was a Nanako that seemed to be eying her father as well. Dojima leaves the house, slamming the door behind him shut. I stare at her. ". . ."

". . . Dad has to go do something. He got a call, so he left."the tiny brunette frowns, looking worried.

Along the way to school, sirens were alarming nearby. It seems there's been an incident . . I decided to hurry and head to class.

. . .

- Afternoon -

Strangely, no words about yesterday's incident were exchanged between the three of us for the whole day. . . . Instead, school ended on an anxious note. . .

However, in the afternoon, all the students were called for an emergency announcement from the Principal of Yasogami High. But since he wasn't here yet, I could hear all was girls and guys gossiping very loudly. Just having to stand here and talk amongst each other, seemed to tense everyone in this room as they waited for the old man's arrival. Yosuke was to my right, trying not to make eye contact with me, or anyone else for this matter. In my opinion, he looked paler than yesterday. Chie who was in front of me, had been poking at her phone troublesomely for a while now. . . I watched as, she with a sigh, slipped it right back into her pocket. "Yukiko said she'd be here after lunch. . ." the girl murmurs quietly, shaking her head. She then turns around to Yosuke and I. "I wonder why they're holding a school assembly all of a sudden. . . . Hey, what's wrong Yosuke?"

"Oh, it's nothing. . ."

The audience quiets down at the presence of Ms. Sofue now on the stage, in front of the podium. She gestures with her free hand to the principal beside her, and with her other hand, points out her staff in our direction. "Everyone, please settle down. The school assembly is about to begin. First, the Principal has something to say." The Egyptian teacher steps aside for him to take the center. He coughs up before taking a poorly organized stack of papers into his hands. The old man looks at us. "I. . . regret to say I have a terrible announcement for all of you. One of our third-year students, Ms. Saki Konishi of Class 3. . . has passed away."

" ! ". . . Did I just hear that correctly? . . . The same Saki Konishi that I met two days ago. . . The same one I saw on TV. . . Was now dead?

Satonaka gasped. "Passed away. . . !"

". . . . . . ."I shot a glance over to the Yosuke beside me, who was clenching his teeth and fists in disdain.

The Principal continues. "Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning. . . The reasons behind her passing are currently under investigation by the police. If they ask you for your cooperation, I urge you as student of this school to provide only the facts. " The gossiping and shock rumbles throughout the room. The brunette beside me, was shivering, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking, the way he hung his head and stared at the ground. I wanted to pat him on the back, somehow. . . but something told me it wouldn't be a good idea. "All right, please quiet down. . . I have been assured by the faculty that there's no evidence that bullying was involved in the incident. So mind what you say, not only to the police, but to anyone who asks. . . "The Principal's address continues with a horribly distressed looking boy in the crowd, forced to listen to the speech. We both constantly check on our friend as it goes on.

. . .

Green Jacket and I walk through the halls, hearing multiple things about Saki-senpai's incident. Things along the lines of 'she died the same way as the announcer', and 'her body was found in a creepy position, like that earlier murder, but this time, not from an antenna, but hanging from a telephone pole'. It so meant to me, that Saki Konishi was apparently killed with the same method as Mayumi Yamano's. . . However, there was one interesting part of the gossip Chie and I caught onto earlier, which made our skin crawl. 'Someone saw a girl that looked like Saki on that Midnight Channel' . . . . We both laughed nervously while hearing all those, but not until Chie broke out into a cold sweat. "Sheesh, it's easy to toss around theories if you're not personally involved. . . " After a while of loitering around in silence, we heard steps from behind and noticed that we were standing in the middle of the hall. I stepped aside at first, but froze in my steps when I saw that the person was a certain head-phoned brunette. He taps our shoulders and gets to the point. "Hey. . . Did you guys check out the TV last night? "

"Yosuke! Not you too!"Satonaka yells.

"Just listen for a sec!" he snaps back. "Something kept bothering me, so. . . I watched it again, and. . . I think the girl on the screen. . . was Saki-senpai."

" ! " That got my attention. So it was him who said he saw it. It was raining yesterday too, but I didn't bother of thinking to watch the Midnight Channel a second time. The first time we watched it, he was acting all strange and on the edge. Perhaps he must've suspected from the very start that the silhouette on the screen was Saki-senpai, yet wasn't too sure to bring it up to us. Not only that, but how could he mistake the figure of someone whom he saw everyday working at Junes with him? He must've realized the person on the screen was her the second time, right off the bat. And well, since I assumed she was the girl he liked, no less. I now decided to listen intently to him, gesturing for him to go on. "There's no mistaking it. . . Senpai looked like. . . she was writing in pain. . . And then. . . she disappeared form the screen. You heard Senpai's body was found in a similar situation as that announcer's, right. . . ? Well, remember that guy Chie told us about? How he was all excited that his soul mate was the announcer? Maybe. . . Just maybe, but. . ." he paused to look me, and only me in the eye. "Ms. Yamano might've been on that Midnight Channel before she died too."

"What's that supposed to mean. . . ?" the girl beside me pondered. But then suddenly, jerked. "H-Hold on. . . Are you saying. . .? People who appear on that TV. . . die. . . ?"

Hanamura shakes his head, folding his arms. "I can't say for sure. But something tells me. . . I can't dismiss it as a coincidence. Plus, remember what that bear thing said? How that place was dangerous, and we should leave before the fog clears. . . ? It also said, that someone's been throwing people in there. And that room with the posters on the wall. . . It has to have something to do with the announcer's death. I mean. . . don't you think there's some kind of connection there? Couldn't that world in the TV have something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death!" he finishes with a strained voice. The dark-mocha eyes never break off mine, as he gestures to me. "Well. . . ? What do you think. . . ?" While listening carefully, it seemed as though everything he stated had been true. Take from everything I went through these past days. . . It wasn't hard to believe the given facts. Yosuke to me, looked so bent on finding out what happened with Saki-senpai. It made me want to believe too. "You might be right." I told him. He nods in agreement. ". . . So it's not just me, huh? If there is a connection, then it's a good bet the two of them went inside that world. That would explain the posters in that room. Which means. . . if we look around, we might find a place that has something to do with Senpai, too."

"Yosuke, don't tell me. . ."Chie stares at him with a hint of fear evident in her light-brown eyes.

"Yeah. . . I'm thinking about going in again. I want to find out for myself."

"D-Don't do this. . . You should just let the police handle this and-"

He flings out in anger at her suggestion. "You think we can rely on the police! They haven't even made any progress on the announcer's case. Besides, even if we told them about the world inside the TV, there's no way they're gonna believe us! If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine. . . It's just. . . I need to know why Senpai had to die like this. . . "

"Oh, Yosuke. . ."

"After what I've seen and what I've put together, there's no way I can ignore it now. . ." he stares at the door which led to the exit of the school. "That's why. . . I'm going back." he started walking off tensely to Junes. But I- I. . . couldn't take this any longer. There were still something's bothering me too. "Yosuke, wait. I'm going with you."I asked him to take me to the TV world again. I was the only person who could help him right now. . . Those dreams. . . That fog infested world. . . The dizzy spells. . . The weird voices. . . So far, it all drove me to believe that I could do this. He turns back at gaze at me sincerely surprised, and Chie lashes back in disbelief.

"What? S-Suzumi, no- it's dangerous!"she says taking my arm.

"Y-Yeah. . . Suzumi-chan, she's right. It is dangerous. You could get hurt."the boy murmurs.

I wasn't going to take that for an answer. I needed better ones. "Even so. I want to find out what's happening as much as you do. Please take me with you."I tried convincing him. Just because I was a girl- doesn't mean I couldn't put up a fight.

". . . Fine. But you have to stay behind me." he turns his back and faces the door. "I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you at Junes."

He runs off. I move my body to follow, but Chie steps in front of me making a wall so I couldn't advance. She frowns and looks off to the side. "I can kinda understand how you two feel. . . But we can't be sure we'll be able to get out safely again. Y-You guy's can't go in again. . . What should we do. . .?" . . . She was right. There was no guaranteeing our safety. We might not even meet that bear again who let us out. Worst and best case scenario, we'd find the murderer. But still. Two people have died in the past few days, no one knows why, and now three high school students have a stronger lead than the police force itself. Plus, one of the victims who died, was someone close to a friend. Now she was gone, and had no one to avenge her but us. It just wasn't right, and I couldn't stand for it. We could only do what we could. "I'm going with him. "

"Y-You serious. . . ?" she looks out into the direction the male had left in. "Uh. . . Anyways, let's go to Junes. We can't leave Yosuke alone. . ."We run the convenience store. . . . I really hope Yosuke and I were going to do the right thing.

. . .

Junes, electronics department. . .

We dash in, to find the brunette in front of that large TV holding a kendo stick and and a rope, which was tied to his torso. "You guys came. . . !"his expression brightened immediately.

"We came to stop you, idiot!" she yells at him. "C'mon. . . You really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous."

"I know. . ." he says softly. "But we were able to come back once, right? If we go in from the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again."

" 'Maybe' isn't good enough!"

"Look, I can't just act like everyone else and pretend this has nothing to do with me." Hanamura meets my eyes with evident hints of seriousness enshrouded within his expression. "What about you? Could you just walk away?"

I thought about this rationally. It's true we could be the only ones who could go into more depth about the murders. But then again, this will involve putting our lives at risk. It's not like guns wouldn't be short of threatening, but, we were putting ourselves in the hands of the 'TV World' that we know almost nothing about. Then there was the murderer. If he did have something to do with the Midnight Channel and something to do with Saki Konishi and Mayumi Yamano's death. . .The fight wouldn't be too pretty. Wait- Then- there was Chie. . . "No, I couldn't. But I'm worried about Chie. "She was right- there was no telling what may happen over there. I voiced my concern about her coming along. Yes, I was a girl- but so was Chie. It wouldn't be a very good idea if Yosuke had to look over the both of us. I told him that. Just then, I felt as though I understood things a little better.

"Yeah, it'll be just you and me." He smiles to himself and gives one object to Chie. "Don't worry, I'm not going in without a plan. Chie, I'm leaving you in charge of this."

"Huh? What's that? A rope. . . ?"

"We'll go in with this tied to me, so I want you to hold on to this and wait here."

"Wh-What? Then, is this a lifeline? C-C'mon, wait a sec. . . "

"Here, Suzumi. . . This is for you." Yosuke placed the kendo stick he had been holding, as well some medicine, in my arms. He winks cleverly. "I thought it might be better than going in empty-handed. You can defend yourself if things get nasty, with this. . . And alright. . . Let's go. There's no use wasting any more time. Chie, whatever you do, don't let go of the rope!"

We both nod and walk towards the large TV screen.

"H-Hey! I said wait!"Satonaka yells.

Before I could think twice about the decision we had made, I dove in.

. . .

TV World, backside. . .

Once again, we fell from the sky. And again- I somehow fell on top of the Junes kid.

"Owww. . ."he groans.

"S-Sorry."I manage to squeak out as I help him up.

We looked around. . . . It appeared to be the same place as last time, to my relief. There was nothing different, new, or scary. However that sharp pain from yesterday was starting to fill my whole body yet again. Exhaling, the male beside me began, "Is this. . . ? Look, this is the same place as last time! So they are connected from place to place!" Hanamura flips his hair back as if he achieved something great. But now. . . This left us with something to do. Right, our goal was to find another area that was connected to Saki Konishi's death. But which way would we look to? "Y-You guys. . . Why'd you come back. . .?" we heard a voice from off to the side. As we expected, the bear thing approached us, with a troubled look on its face. It suddenly gasped. "I get it! You're the ones behind this! " The mysterious bear turns around. "Lately, I can tell someone's been throwing people in here. It's making this world more and more messed up . . . This is the second time you guys came here, and I don't think anyone forced you in. That means. . . you're the most suspicious! You guys must be the ones throwing people in here, raaaawr!"It turns at us and points dramatically.

"Don't label us like that."I couldn't help but protest. This bear's got the totally wrong idea about this all.

The brunette screams at it. "What're you talking about, 'throwing people in'! If someone was thrown in here and they couldn't get out, they might die! Who would do such a-" He pauses and realized what he had just said. "Wait a sec. . . All this talk about someone throwing people in here. . . Does he mean Senpai and the announcer? Did that 'someone' throw those two in here? H-Hey. . . What do you think?"he faces me.

"That must be it."Everything just seemed as though it was coming together. . . There really was no mistaking it!

"Yeah. . . I agree." We face the odd bear. "Let's assume he's telling the truth. . . Could it be that someone's throwing people in here, intending to kill them. . . ? If that's the case. . ."

"What're you guys mumbling about? Why'd you come here, anyways! It's a one-way door! You can't get out once you're in! Remember? How I had to let you guys out?"

"Yeah, whatever." Yosuke fiercely dismisses him, faces me and smiles. He finds the rope connected to him at his side. "We don't need your help this time! See, this time we have a lifeline-" We gaze over at it confidently, only to find that it had snapped on the way here. "Whaaaaaat!" To our horror, this wasn't going to end well. He flings it off him, and into the open air below. "H-Hey! You better let us out once we're done investigating here!"

"Grrrrr! I'm the one who wants to investigate! I've lived here for a long time. But it's never been noisy like this till now. Do you have proof! Prove to me you're not throwing people in here!"It demanded.

I shook my head. "It doesn't work that way. . ."

The mysterious bear turns to me. "See! So it is you guys!"

"For the last time, it's not us, so we've got nothing to prove to you! Hey, you better answer our questions. This isn't like last time, when we came by accident. We're dead serious!" Yosuke shoves it away and steps in front of me. "Listen up, 'cause people have DIED in our world. . . Every time the fog appears, a dead body shows up with it. It has to be related to this place somehow! If you know something, tell us!"

"A dead body? Whenever the fog appears. . . ?" It begins to contemplate. "I know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent. . . . Aaaah. . . I get it. . . ."

"Huh. . . ? If you get it, then explain it to us, dammit! If it's foggy on our side, it isn't here. . . ? Shadows get violent?"

"That's why I said to hurry back! It's dangerous when that happens! Okay, no more questions." It began stomping it's foot. "I know you guys did it! You better stop right now!"

"I've told you, and told you, we're not the ones doing it! I've about had it with you. . ." Yosuke holds his head in frustration. "Why the hell won't you listen to what we're saying! Man, this bear's driving me nuts. . . What is this place, anyways? It looks like a TV studio. . . Is something being filmed here. . . ? H-hey, don't tell me. . . Is that weird show being filmed here!"

". . . . . . . . ? I don't get it. . . This world has always been like this. No one has ever done that filming thing here."

"Always been like this?"I cock my head, unsure.

"Only me and Shadows are here! I told you before!"

"Ugh. . . We don't know what these Shadow things are! Or what you are either, for that matter! You keep telling us to prove our innocence, but you're the most suspicious thing here! Maybe YOU'RE the real culprit! And what's with that stupid costume! It'd say it's time you showed your FACE!"Yosuke snapped, walking up to it, and pulled at it's head.

pop!

" ! " As soon as Yosuke popped the bear's head off, he spazzed, dropping the dismantled head on the ground. The bear was completely empty inside! Totally and utterly hollow! And this wasn't the end of it- the suit, even without the head kept moving, and moving. . . I'm positive that for the first time in my life, I've never been this lost for words. "Whoa!" Yosuke exclaimed. "Wh-What the hell are you. . . ? I-It's empty inside." The suit desperately searched for it's missing head, and even got on its knees. Finally finding its way to the ears, he latched on to them with his paws and flung the head piece back on his top. The bear frowned sadly. "Me. . . ? The culprit. . . ? I wouldn't do such a thing. . . I just live here. I just want to live here peacefully. . ." Right now, I couldn't comprehend why he would dwell on the whole culprit thing first, right after Yosuke pulled his head off. But. . . When he put it that way, I did understand where he was coming from. "Okay. I'll believe that you guys aren't the culprits. But I want you to find the real guy who did all this. You have to stop him. Promise me, or else. . . I'm not gonna let you guys outta here."

I gasped. The male next to me held his fist up. "Y-You little. . . !"

"This can't keep going on! My home will be a complete mess! And then. . . and then. . . I. . . Waaah. . ." . . . The mysterious bear was asking us to find the culprit behind this. . . And someone on the outside is throwing people into this world. . . If the culprit isn't us, the bear wishes for us to find who really did it, and the bear seemed to be dead serious about this too. . . Suddenly, I had remembered the words of the mysterious long-nosed old man who called himself Igor. . . (It seems you will encounter a great misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. . . ) . . . Could it be that this was the mystery being thrust upon me? Was this the 'contract' Igor spoke of . . . ? Could finding the culprit and solving the case be part of this promise? Was that dream in that blue limo a forewarning for the future events? In any case, since I couldn't leave the TV world on my own, there appeared to be no other option. . . ". . . I promise."I told the bear, patting it endearingly- yet cautiously, on the head.

Almost immediately, it's expression brightened. "Th-Thank you!"

"Damn bear. . . Practically holding a gun to our heads. . . " The brunette muttered in frustration. "But. . . it's true that we came here to figure things out. So far, we're completely in the dark. Look for the culprit, huh. . . ? Bring it on! You got my word too." I gaze at the Junes kid admiringly who just had a sudden change of heart. Whether he was just saying it to appease the bear, or in all sincerity, it made me happy to hear it. He scratches his scalp. "Might as well introduce ourselves. . . I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is my friend, Suzumi Seta. You got a name?"

"Teddie."

"Figures. . . " the brunette groans. "But how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"

"I dunno. . . . Oh, but I know where the last person came in."

"The last person. . . ? You mean Saki-senpai!"

"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time. I dunno the name. I'll take you there. You might find clues. Oh, one thing first. You two should put these on." Teddie nods and reaches to his sides. I tilt my head slightly to see what he was going to pull out from that weird bear costume of his. It occurred to me, that somewhere Teddie had hidden pockets, or secret compartments of some sort, since it seemed as though he pulled out two objects from thin air. The way he waddled was strange- the sound he made when he waddled, was even stranger. I took note of that as he approached us, and then, with his furry paws, and gave us. . . glasses? Yosuke received orange, swanky looking frames- which actually suited him nicely. With the plain black frames laid on my palm, I couldn't resist the opportunity to size it up oddly. Why did we need these? "What're these glasses for. . . ?" he asks. For whatever the reason, Teddie probably wanted us to put them on. I did so accordingly. Perhaps it would enhance my vision, or maybe it was one of those sci-fi tracking device built into the lens. But what if I put the glasses on and somehow morhped into something similar to Teddie? Like. . . A rabbit, or a cat mascot or something. ". . ." Tossing those ridiculous theories aside, I opened my eyes. " ! " . . . The bright yellow fog- it was gone. It vanished, just like that! As long as I peaked through the lenses, the world was clear, save for the small amount of remaining mist in the background. With this, I could see past three feet- four. . . five. . . six. . . and I was more than delighted, too. The pain in my head upon arriving in this world, had dulled, and receded after a few seconds. . . Wonder how Teddie made this. . . The thought of it suddenly killed me inside.

"Whoa, the difference is like the night and day. . . With these on, it's like the fog doesn't exist."The boy awed.

Teddie grins. "They'll help you walk through the fog. . . Well, I've been here for a long time. So you can rely on me!" But he then momentarily paused. "Uh. . . But I can only show you guys where the place is. You guys will have to defend yourselves. "

Our sweats dropped. "What happened to relying on you! Th-There better not be any monsters! You understand! We brought weapons, but I mean. . . They're more for show! We just got here! If it's so dangerous why don't you do something instead on relying on us!"Yosuke argued.

"Uh uh. No way. I've got no muscles. Oh! Oh! I'll give you guys moral support from a safe distance! How's that sound?"

. . . Could Teddie really not fight? I went up to the bear, examining it carefully. It was perhaps half a head shorter than me. . . And exactly one head shorter than Yosuke. Whatever angle I stared at him in, he looked more like a big sturdy teddy bear that a weak and scrawny one. But then again, we had found out only minutes ago, that there's nothing but air inside of him. He looked at me curiously with those painfully cute, glossy eyes. He did seem to get terrified easily, but I don't think that'd wall him from trying to fight back somehow in any situation. An idea sparked within me suddenly. If Teddie could take a blow or a push, then he'd be alright with combat in a sense. Either that, or Yosuke could probably just use him for a decoy or shield. Placing my hand on it's forehead, I gave him a slightly hard shove and hoped for the best. thud! . . . But as soon as I did that, Teddie hit the ground and actually bounced. "N-Nooo. . . "He flailed in attempts to get back up, but it was so futile to the point where he started rolling around instead.

"I-Is this thing for real! Ugh, this is so lame. . ." Yosuke faceplamed himself. "We swore to find the culprit, and this is all the back-up we get. . . ?"

The bear, still dormant on the ground stopped rolling at the pissed-off boy's feet. ". . . Oh yeah. Can I ask you something? Who's this Saki-senpai person? Someone you know?"

". . . . ." He however, could only contemptibly wince in response to the question. "That doesn't matter right now. Anyways, at least now we know Senpai might have been thrown in here. Maybe we can find more information too. Let's get moving, Suzumi-chan." As we started off towards another random direction, Teddie cries, "W-Waaaait!" I then remembered he was still rolling on the ground. It would be best to help him up. . .