Chapter 5
I am butchering dialogue, battles, and s-links to get the novel version respectable. I can make characters more cynical, mean, out of character, and amusing. My character is "special" personality-wise.
If you can guess, there's a little rivalry between the OC and Souji. It's mainly Souji harping on Rion in secret. You'll see the intro of the person in blue, and another rivalry forming. That'll be very important later on. Thanks and Auf Wiedersehen.
I own nothing. SMT and Persona owns it all, including my money.
A day passed where Souji could start to fish, and he caught some stupid goldfish. For some reason, he got tired after one cast. Souji must not have eaten enough ramen yet.
"Stupid ass fishing," he thought and cursed the old man who gave him the rod.
The next day, he got some stupid lecture from Morooka about how exams were coming up. After school, Chie and Yukiko came up to his desk. Souji very quickly cleared it off when they came by.
Yukiko shyly asked Souji, "Hey, Souji? Want to go study with us in the library? Rion is probably going to tutor 3rd years or something, and I'm working with Chie.
"You want to work with me, too?" Souji thought this was a very good idea indeed. He'd see no problem with working with girls, especially Yukiko.
He remembered that Yosuke asking earlier about working with Yukiko.
"You want me to tutor you too, Yosuke?" Yukiko asked. She had really opened to everyone recently
"You mean private lessons?" Yosuke said.
Yukiko promptly slapped him and recoiled quickly.
"Ow… All I asked for was if you will help me study," Yosuke said. He had a hand mark on his right cheek.
She had a guilty look as she said, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that we have had some nasty guests at the inn recently."
"So, you will help me?" Yosuke said, rubbing his cheek.
"Nah, I'll have Rion help you," Yukiko answered.
"Thanks for asking me if I'd do it first Yukiko, but whatever," Rion said, gathering his books looking slightly offended. "Rion looks like he doesn't give a damn about the test," Souji thought to himself.
At this point, he snapped back to the present.
"So, will you work with us, Souji?" Yukiko asked.
"She wants me to help?" Souji thought with interest, "Alright, I'll study with you two."
"Awesome!" Chie said, "Maybe I'll do well this exam."
Yukiko and Souji looked at her nervously. I think they knew how it would turn out for Chie. The three ended up working in the library for a few hours going over history, math, science, and English problems. They spent most of their time helping Chie, but it was good review, Souji decided after all.
"Thanks, Souji!" Chie said, as she walked out of the school.
"Thanks for helping me out," Yukiko said as she left.
"It didn't help me much, but at least I got to hang out with two girls for a few hours," Souji thought.
He went home and ate dinner with Nanako. They were watching the news. There was a report about a robbery who stole something with construction equipment. Shortly after the report, Nanako got a call from Dojima after dinner. She picked up the phone
"Okay…"
"Okay…"
"I understand," she said as she handed the phone to Souji.
"I have to work," Dojima told Souji, "I really didn't have a choice."
"I feel bad for Nanako," Souji replied.
"Me too," Dojima replied, "Can you take care of her for me?"
"I'll try," Souji said.
"Thanks…," Dojima said as he hung up.
Nanako told Souji, "Dad has to go work. He won't be home."
She looked quite sad. Souji felt bad, "Not even Nanako deserves that," he thought.
He comforted Nanako briefly. He really did try, but Nanako really felt bad. Souji finished his night off by eating some dry pickles, which made him puke.
Next morning, in which he greeted Nanako who was watching TV. They suddenly heard a doorbell ring. It was Chie at the door… "What is she doing here?" Souji wondered.
"Cool, you're home!" Chie exclaimed.
"Hi… Chie. How do you know where I live?" Souji asked. "That's kind of creepy," Souji thought, "Maybe she's the kidnapper."
"Never mind that. If you're free today, do you want to go somewhere? Yukiko and Rion are coming too," Chie said. She turned her attention to Nanako, "Hey, Nanako-chan, you want to come?"
"I can come?" she asked nervously.
"Of course you can…," Chie replied.
"You are allowed, you know," Souji said. Maybe this would cheer Nanako up a little.
They all ended up at Junes, which excited Nanako to no end. Besides, they needed to find a place to meet Yosuke. He was still working apparently.
"I love Junes!" Nanako said, when Chie asked Yosuke why she was brought here.
"That's great," Yosuke said.
"We were going to go and have boxed lunches," Nanako said with a little pout.
"I can cook pretty well," Chie said, "But I guess you're the cook, Big bro."
"I doubt it," Yosuke said.
"Me too," Yukiko replied.
Yosuke unfortunately brought up her mother, in which Nanako said she wasn't here anymore. It made everyone quite uncomfortable, even Rion, who had lost of his own parents. Souji didn't know that fact about Rion.
"But now I have Big bro!" Nanako said cheerfully speaking about Souji. It made Souji happy to hear Nanako saying that about him.
"Man, she's stronger than all of us," Chie said as Nanako and Yosuke went to get some soda. Yosuke had to recover from the bruising Chie gave him.
Rion replied, "It takes a lot of guts to take it in stride. Not many people would be able to deal with that."
Nanako enjoyed the trip and Souji promised her to take her there again. It ended up that again would be the next day. Souji went with her, Kou, Daisuke, and Yosuke to Junes. They hung out at the Electronics Department and talked about little sisters and ugliness. They also talked about magic.
The next couple days went by pretty quickly. He talked to his uncle because he was bored, and he thought he was treating his daughter badly.
Saturday, he answered some stupid science question that Hosoi gave him. It was annoying and a waste of time to answer the questions a simpleton could answer. He knew he had an exam he could study for, but instead he decided to hang out with Chie and train instead. He got kicked in the nads again. It was getting to be a painful tradition. At least he had fun afterwards laughing at her pointing out she had a grasshopper on her back. She had told Nanako that she had a fear of bugs, so he was going to take advantage of that.
Souji talked to Dojima again and went to bed. Studying for exams was pointless in Souji's eyes. Besides, if he wanted to get smarter, he could always eat ramen.
Finally, the day of reckoning was upon him. It was the day of exams, and Souji had not studied. Chie came up to him the day of the exams would start. She asked him as they walked down the floodplains, "Hey! Did you study?"
"Of course not, except for the day I was with you and Yukiko of course," Souji answered. That was a fun day.
"Then how will you be ready for this? I studied almost every day, and I don't feel ready at all," Chie asked.
"I think I'll do alright. I ate my ramen," Souji said confidently.
"You ate ramen? How will that help?" Yukiko asked. She had met them at the gates.
"Just trust me…," Souji said, "Ramen is the food of the gods."
They walked into the school and started to take the exams. The four days of exams were a bore beyond belief. Most were questions that were drilled in his head. He didn't have to study for them because he remembered being specifically called out for them, or having to answer them for Chie or Yosuke. The final day, he felt confident about most of his answers, but Souji wasn't sure about a few of them. Souji was glad just to have his exam done.
After the days of testing, Yosuke came up to Souji's desk. Yukiko and Chie were going over the exam. Why they were going over it after it was finished, Souji wasn't sure, but he guessed it was for next year. The dreaded entrance exams…
"It's finally over!" Yosuke said.
"You're telling me," Souji said. He could put his arms up and scream in glee if Chie and Yukiko weren't reviewing. He'd rather not disturb them.
Rion seemed sleepy as he answered, "I was bored. I slept through half of my exam."
"He slept through most of the exam?" Souji thought, "I wonder if he even paid attention."
"What a load off… I bet every student besides Rion feels this way after exams are over," Yosuke said, "Do you know what I mean?"
"Quiet down, Yosuke!" Chie yelled at Yosuke. She turned back to Yukiko's desk. "So, what did you write down for number seven? The one about the meaning of "that" referred to in that sentence," she asked Yukiko. She didn't seem very confident.
Yukiko answered, "I put her sorrowful expression."
"Shit, I got it wrong. I put "The rice cakes go on the top of the table," Chie answered.
"Rice cakes? Wait, is that what the story was about?" Yukiko looked confused at Chie's answer.
"I don't think so. I think Yukiko got it right," Rion said, "I put the same thing on my test."
"Were you awake at the time?" Souji asked.
"I was, in fact," Rion responded.
"Alright, I'm giving up on composition. I'm putting it all on geography," Chie said.
She looked at Rion, "What did you put for the tallest mountain in the solar system?"
"Olympus Mons, in Mars," he replied.
Chie looked despondent, "Seriously! I chose the wrong one."
"That's what I put," Souji said.
"Oh, I put that one too," Yukiko said in agreement.
"All of you? Then it's probably the right answer," Yosuke looked at all of them, "I just can't wait for our grades to be posted where everyone can see them." It was obvious he was being sarcastic. Souji wasn't sure if he wanted them posted up there either. He didn't want to look bad in front of others. For some reason, he didn't want to look bad in front of Yukiko. "I really should stop thinking this way," Souji thought to himself.
A student was being nosy and said, "Did you hear? A TV station is filming in town."
The student he was talking to said, "It's probably just more stuff about the murders."
"No, it's not that. It's about that highway nearby. They are going to be covering the biker gangs out there. A friend of mine goes to the biker gang meetings out there."
"What are you doing with a guy who's in a biker gang? Well, what do you think about tomorrow's blind date? We were going to meet outside… It is going to rain tomorrow, so we should play it safe," the first boy asked and responded.
"Biker gang?" Yukiko asked from her desk.
"Yeah, they raise a ruckus from time to time. You must live too far away to hear them," Chie said.
"They are quite the annoyance," Rion said.
"So, to annoy Rion, I should join a biker gang," Souji thought. He chuckled on the inside.
Yosuke put his two cents in, "We live right by the road. It drives you insane."
"I hear there was a student in the school in a gang," Chie said.
"Why would they do that? It seems like they would just ruin their lives," Souji said.
"Yeah, I heard there is a first-year who's a real hell-raiser. One of the guys at Junes said that he's been famous since high school," Yosuke said.
"That's interesting. So he's been a jackass for that long?" Souji said.
"Pretty much," Rion said.
"Though, was he in a biker gang?" Yosuke said.
Yukiko asked, while looking at Yosuke in awe, "Did you say he was a legend?"
"It's not what you think, Yukiko," Chie said while everyone looked nervous.
He decided to skip his afternoon classes to hang out with the sports club manager. It was fun to ditch classes after taking tests. Rion didn't look happy at him ditching class, but it was exciting regardless. Then again, they went shopping, and he watched her beat off boys with a broomstick.
At night, the TV crew had their report on the biker gangs, which he watched with Nanako and Dojima. Dojima was currently reading his newspaper on the couch.
The reporter rambled on, "Young men, recklessly riding their motorcycles, disturbing the peace of a quiet rural town. Our special report took a turn for the worse when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew!"
The kid yelled, "The hell are you doing here?"
Dojima dropped his newspaper and put it on his lap. "That voice," he said.
Souji guessed his uncle recognized the person on the show. "Must be someone he's dealt with before," he thought.
"This ain't a show! Get bent!" the kid yelled again.
"Still up to the same old tricks?" Dojima said.
"Do you know him, Dad?" Nanako asked.
Dojima sighed, "Well, I know him through work. His name is Kanji Tatsumi. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school. He is quite the handful. Though I thought he got into a high school and started attending class."
"Huh," Nanako said.
"Man, that blur sure is pointless. You can tell who it is pretty easily. The guy's family runs a textile shop. I think what happened is he crushed the local biker gangs because the noise kept his mother up at night," Dojima told them.
"That's pretty ridiculous," Souji said.
"It's a nice gesture, but its way too violent. At this rate, his mother is going to have to
apologize again," Dojima said.
Nanako told them, "Oh, the weather report is showing on the bottom. It's going to rain tomorrow. I'll make sure to hang the laundry inside the house."
Souji got some sleep, after folding envelopes. Souji needed some fast yen because Souji needed a new golf club to beat people with.
It did end up raining the next day, and when they got to school Chie was a bit shocked that it did.
"Hey, it is raining today. The weather report was right…," Chie said.
It was after school, and they were all gathered around their desks, except Chie was standing. She was staring mindlessly at the rain, intoxicated by its pitter and its patter.
"I guess the Midnight Channel will be on tonight," Souji said.
"That's what I was going to say!" Yosuke said.
"I'd rather we don't see anyone," Yukiko said looking down.
"That would be reassuring," Rion said.
"That would be the best thing, but if we do, maybe it will be a clue that will lead us to the killer," Yosuke said.
"Just don't forget to check your TV tonight," Chie reminded them.
Souji went to Aiya's after their umm… conversation. Was it worthwhile? He didn't think so. After eating his ramen and gaining his knowledge and diligence among other things, he still knew he couldn't eat worth anything.
Souji was waiting for midnight to come. When it did, the yellow fuzz appeared! Amazing, it did! Souji rolled his eyes. A high schooler appeared, or at least he looked like one. He was male, and looked angry. He was swinging at random things. He decided to call Yosuke.
"Oh, it's you! I was just about to call you. What do you think? It was a guy, wasn't it? I wish I could tell you what he looked like," Yosuke said.
"Just some high schooler," Souji answered.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow," Yosuke said.
The next day they met up at Junes at their typical and usual table. "Pointless shit," Souji thought, "It's not like we'll figure anything out."
"We will now hold a meeting on the investigation of the serial-kidnapping murder case in Inaba," Yosuke told everyone.
"Take a breath," Chie said.
"You are going asphyxiate," Rion said.
"Does this make it our special headquarters?" Yukiko inquired.
"I guess," Souji said.
"Exactly!" Yosuke said, "Nicely put, Yukiko." Yosuke said.
"Special headquarters… It does have a nice ring to it," Chie said.
"For what was on last night…," Yosuke said.
"Who was that?" Souji asked.
"Hmm… I don't know exactly," Rion said, "I have an idea, but I might as well wait until we are 100% positive on the identification before making an assumption."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Souji thought.
"It was a guy, wasn't it," Chie said.
"I believe it was," Rion said.
"So that's how I looked on TV," Yukiko said, "Wait a moment. Weren't all the victims female and have ties to the first victim?" She looked confused.
"That is what we thought," Souji said.
"But who did we see?" Yosuke said.
"The image changed after I was kidnapped, right?" Yukiko asked.
Souji looked at Yukiko, "It got clear, and it looked like a B-movie or a low-budget TV show."
"Maybe Teddie was right… We were seeing the other Yukiko on the TV show," Yosuke said.
Yukiko added, "Last night, we couldn't see clearly who it was. So, that means, he isn't inside the TV yet? If so… then"
"He is safe for now," Souji said, "Supposedly."
"That's safe to assume. If was can figure out who he is, maybe we can prevent him from
being kidnapped," Yosuke said.
"If it goes well, maybe we can catch the killer too," Yosuke replied.
"Prevention, maybe… Catching the killer, not as likely," Rion said.
"Though, we need to know who the person on the Midnight Channel is," Souji said, "If we don't know, we can not move forward."
"We are just going to have to wait another night to see who it is," Yosuke said with regret.
"If I'm right, though the image was hard to make out, it was a young male. If so, it goes against our prior assumptions. Since we can't identify the person, we have to wait and see what happens," Chie said. Souji was smirking. She was saying the same things everyone else was saying.
"You do know that's exactly what we've been saying," Yosuke said.
"A carbon copy," Rion remarked.
"Was she even listening?" Souji thought.
"Shut up!" Chie said.
Yukiko started laughing as Yosuke and Chie started fighting again. At least no one was bruised or beaten this time as Yukiko's laughter broke up the fight.
They looked at her as she was breaking out in laughing, "You're so funny, Chie," as she was slapping her knees, "Ahaha, no, my funny bone!"
While Yukiko was laughing, Chie stopped fighting with Yosuke long enough to say,
"Not again…," Souji muttered, "At this rate…"
"Sorry… Ahahaha," Yukiko was laughing.
"So, this is Yukiko, huh," Yosuke said.
"Well, it's better than an uptight one," Rion said.
"I wish some others wouldn't be so uptight," Souji thought to himself. "At least she's cheerful," Souji said.
"By the way, about that guy we saw? I thought I've seen him before," Chie asked, "Pretty recently, too."
"I've been thinking the same thing," Yosuke replied.
Souji finalized their plans, "Let's check the TV tonight, and come together tomorrow to talk about it."
Unfortunately, Yukiko couldn't stop laughing, and Chie's comments didn't help. Souji, Rion, and Yosuke had to leave on their own and leave the pair behind.
Souji went home and went back upstairs waiting for the Midnight Channel to come on. Souji didn't even bother with dinner. The image appeared on the TV. It wasn't exactly focused, but the boy was punching around like he was trying to beat up a bunch of invisible gangsters. It seemed maybe like the boy you saw on the TV a couple days ago. Souji picked up his phone and called Yosuke.
"Did you see that?" Yosuke said.
"It's probably Kanji Tatsumi," Souji said.
"Yeah, I thought so too. I knew I saw him somewhere before. It was on that special report that the TV was showing. He's one scary dude. He frightened off the whole camera crew," Yosuke said, "Well, we have a lead, so let's meet up tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Souji said.
"Oh, I forgot something. By the way, it doesn't really matter, but I have a question I want to ask you just for the heck of it," Yosuke said.
"Alright," Souji said, "What is this about?"
"It's something I've been meaning to ask you about… So what do you think about Yukiko and Chie? I mean, which one is your type?" Yosuke asked. Yosuke had been wondering for a while if he should ask this. And now that he had decided, he'd been waiting for the opportune moment, and this looked like as a good as time as any.
Souji shook his head. "Should I really tell Yosuke?" He thought, "He's more likely to tell someone. But, I don't think it matters." "I guess that it would be Yukiko," Souji said.
"Ahh… I didn't know you'd be up for the Amagi Challenge," Yosuke said, "Well… Good luck!"
"Why did you ask, by the way?" Souji asked.
"Well… to tell you the truth, I kind of like Chie. I asked Rion and he doesn't care either which way. So I thought I'd ask your opinion," Yosuke responded, "I mean… I'm not ready for a girlfriend right now, not while we're dealing with this, but yeah."
"I should go for Chie to burst his bubble, but I'm not that mean," Souji thought, "Yosuke isn't a bad person. I wonder if Rion likes someone. Now if he did… Nah, I wouldn't do that." He picked up the phone again and said, "Alright, we'll meet up tomorrow."
"Right, but don't worry, this is just between the guys," Yosuke told him.
After the end of school the next day the group of five met up around their desks. Souji was in the center of the group, but the center of attention belonged to someone else as usual. He never was the center of attention.
"The one who was on last night, it was that guy, right?" Chie said.
"You mean Kanji, right?" Rion said. He adjusted his glasses like he so normally did.
"Kanji Tatsumi, huh? He definitely didn't seem like a social person," Yosuke said.
Rion shook his head, "Definitely not a socialite."
"There's an understatement. Didn't he look really scary on that news report?" Chie asked.
"Yeah, it was pretty bad," Souji said.
"I saw it," Yosuke said, "How he was cussing out the camera guys, and all."
"The special on biker gangs? I watched it too," Yukiko added, "He wasn't like that when he was younger though."
The four looked at Yukiko in surprise at thought that Yukiko might have known Kanji, even if it was in her past.
"You know him, Yukiko?" Chie said.
"Yes, but we haven't talked to each other for a long time," Yukiko said, "His family runs a textile shop, and we've been a customer of theirs for many years. So I speak with Kanji-kun's mother from time to time. Oh, why don't we go there now? We might be able to talk to him in person."
"It does sound like a good plan," Rion said.
"We can ask him if anything strange has come up lately," Chie said.
"I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley though," Souji said, "I don't think he'll blow up in front of his own store though. I don't think he'd kill any of us in his own store either." Souji wondered if he should go back and grab a shovel to dig a grave.
"Well, let's get going," Yosuke said.
"If things get rough, we're counting on you guys," Chie said.
Souji and Yosuke looked at each other. "Great…," was the thought shared between them. Yosuke looked at Rion, "Can we count on you?"
"I guess…," Rion replied. He just adjusted his glasses again. Souji wondered if he should take his chances with Kanji instead. No, he was in safe hands with Rion.
They headed to Shopping District North and towards Kanji Tatsumi's textile store. When they arrived at the store, a short young man with a blue shirt and pants was talking to Kanji's mother. What exactly they were talking about, Souji didn't know. Souji wasn't sure, but it sure looked suspicious.
"Hello," Yukiko said as she walked in.
The shop-owner said, Ahh… Yuki-chan, how nice to see you again."
"Well then, if you will excuse me, Ma'am," the young man said as he walked out. He was talking to Kanji's mother before Yukiko and the others had arrived.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help more," the shop-owner said.
"It's all right; you have given me plenty to think about. Thank you," The young man nodded at the group and left. Unfortunately, one person didn't accept the nod.
Rion noticed something odd…, "What the hell!?" he thought. The boy and Rion shared a look. Souji looked at the pair; Rion's face was a mixture of confusion and almost... was it anger? The boy's face seemed calm and collected. He seemed completely indifferent at Rion's reaction.
"What's up with him?" Yosuke said.
"Something about that person pisses me off," Rion muttered.
"Never seen him before," Chie said.
The shop-owner brought them out of their thoughts, "Yuki-chan, you're looking as lovely as always. Your features are starting to remind me of your mother when she was young. How can I help you today? Are you shopping with your friends?"
"Well… Actually," Yukiko said.
They started talking to Kanji's mom, while Yosuke looked around.
"Have you noticed anything strange…," Yukiko was talking to Kanji mother.
Chie looked away and noticed something on the counter. It was a magenta scarf.
"Hey, this scarf, I've seen it somewhere else before," Chie said.
"You're right, so have I, but where?" Souji said.
"Where was it?" Yosuke said.
Chie had a revelation, "It was that place in the TV."
"The place with the faceless posters," Rion said.
"It's that announcer's…," Yosuke was trailing off.
Kanji's mom asked, "Are you acquaintances with Ms. Yamano?"
"Uh, well, kind of," Yosuke lied, "Did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?"
'Yes, it was a special order that she placed. She actually ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell the other separately," Mrs. Tatsumi replied.
"There is a connection to the first case, then. What are we going to do?" Chie asked. She was obviously worried.
Souji shrugged. It wasn't like he could make things go away. "I don't know," Souji responded.
"How should I know?" Yosuke said. He was worried and unsure as well.
A doorbell rang and the delivery man announced that a delivery was coming. "Hello! Delivery here for the Tatsumis!"
"Oh, I'll be right there. I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me," Kanji's mom said.
"Oh, it's okay. We need to be going anyways," Chie said.
"I'll come again Ma'am," Yukiko said.
"Is that so? Well, say hello to your mother please," Kanji's mother said. She bid them good day.
"It really is connected to the first case," Yosuke said.
"There seems to be something related to it at least," Rion said, "But nothing substantial."
"It is just a scarf though. Would the killer target someone just because of that? What's going on? C'mon, let's talk outside," Yosuke asked.
They walked outside, only about 50 to 100 feet outside the textile store when Yukiko noticed someone outside. It was a person talking to someone.
"Hmm… It's Kanji-kun," Yukiko said.
"Quick, hide," Yosuke said.
"Hide? Why?" Rion asked.
"You're not fooling anyone, you know?" Chie said to Yosuke, as they hid by the mailbox. They had run over to the red mailbox as fast as they could. But, their hiding position did not give much cover from Kanji's sight.
Kanji was talking to the slender young man that was talking to his mother earlier. It was a very suspicious sight to Souji's eyes.
"I can't hear what they're saying with you talking this loud, Chie," Souji said.
"Yeah, shut up!" Yosuke muttered.
"Sorry…," Chie muttered.
"Tomorrow's fine with me," Kanji said. He seemed nervous, "Huh, school? Of course I'm going to school."
"Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow," the man said.
"Again, what's with this person…," Rion thought, "Driving me insane…?"
Kanji looked puzzled, "Did he say he was interested? He's a guy, and I'm a guy… But, he's interested in me."
He suddenly turned away from his puzzlement and saw the others in their "hiding spot". His look turned to rage when he saw them looking at him.
"Huh, what the hell are you pricks looking at?" Kanji yelled at them.
Souji, Chie, Yukiko, and Yosuke ran away. Rion stared back at him before running after them. When they stopped running, they were out of breath, well most of them.
"That scared the shit out of me. He's even worse in person that he is on TV," Chie said.
"The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun," Yukiko said.
Yosuke looked at them, "I just realized something. The common points… Kanji's mom fits the pattern. Though she has the connections, her son appeared on the TV."
"Well, so what does that mean?" Souji inquired.
"Then why does his mother fit the case better than Kanji?" Yosuke asked.
"Well maybe it's like my case, then." Yukiko said, "My mother fit the case better than mine. She was the one who dealt with Ms. Yamano directly, but I was the one targeted."
"Does that mean it'll be the kid again, instead of the mother?" Chie asked, "If it's true then… Then the killer's motives don't make sense. It'd have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge."
"We would be on the wrong track completely then," Souji said.
"Maybe there is something within the textile shop," Yosuke said.
Rion looked at the confused group, "It's going to take more time to figure out." He thought to himself, "We're going at this the wrong way…"
"Yet, we can't ignore this," Yukiko said.
"Why don't we just go ahead and ask Kanji himself? We could at least see in anything weird has happened lately. He scares the wits out of me, but…," Chie said. "How are we going to do this?" Chie wondered.
"Hey, wasn't Kanji making plans with that weird kid a moment ago?" Yosuke asked, "Something about meeting up at school. I heard he's been skipping school ever since the New Year started. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"
"It looked like he was," Rion said about Kanji. "That person is bugging the hell out of me," he was thinking about the slim person that was talking to Kanji.
"It did seem weird," Chie said, "Something funny is going on here. I sense something is going to happen."
"Now you sound like Teddie," Souji said.
"You "sense" things now? At least we'll find clues," Yosuke said, "Let's stake out both the store and Kanji himself."
"We wouldn't want the killer to get ahead of us," Souji said.
"Oh, that being said, Yukiko can I have your cell number?" Yosuke asked.
Chie stared at him, "Was this your plan all along?"
"I have everyone else's but hers. The Y section does need filling out."
"Idiot," Rion muttered.
Chie stared at him again, "While we're on the subject, can you stop calling me late at night to tell me dirty jokes? You really sound like a pervert."
"Hey… I'm trying to have a conversation with Yukiko here," Yosuke argued.
Yukiko looked at her feet, "Oh that reminds me, I need to buy some tofu on my way home."
"She didn't hear a word I said," Yosuke looked forlorn.
"What'd you expect, Yosuke?" Souji said. He thought, "I'd want Yukiko's number, not you."
"The stakeout is set for tomorrow then, "Chie said, "Stakeouts… Tailing people… Whoo, I'm getting goosebumps."
They headed their separate ways, left the Shopping District, and waited for the next day to try and talk to Kanji.
Sleep came quickly for Souji as the next day came and school went by. They watched the different people leaving the school as Souji, Chie, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Rion were standing by the gates.
"Has the target arrived at school?" Chie asked.
"Yes, Ma'am, Visual ID confirmed, "Yosuke said, "Target arrived in-zone near the end of mess break with mother-issued rations in hand. His current status: In the bathroom, fixing his hair. The target was acting nervous, so I left before he had a chance to pick on me."
"I wonder what kind of plans they made… It didn't seem like he knew that boy very well," Yukiko said.
"Yeah, I think there is something more subtle," Chie was saying, "Oh he's here!" She exclaimed, looking towards the school.
"We should move soon," Souji said, "Kanji will see us if we're not careful."
When Kanji walked up past the front gates, he was confronted by the slim young man who had just walked up to Kanji. "I didn't keep you waiting, I hope?" He asked.
"This is bugging the hell out of me," Rion muttered to himself, "There is something very wrong with this."
Kanji was nervous, "No, I just got here myself too."
The both of them walked away from the school. Kanji was following the man in blue. They were headed towards the floodplains it seemed.
"What in the world was that?" Yosuke asked. He obviously was bewildered and confused by the actions that took place.
"I can't really say, but it's pretty complex," Rion said, "Kanji is acting rather strangely."
"We do need to hurry after them!" Souji rushed them.
"Right! We'll lose them, if we don't go after them," Chie said.
"Okay, let's split into two groups," Yosuke said, "That okay with you?" looking at Souji.
He nodded in agreement, "One can watch the store, the other group can tail Kanji himself."
"So, how should the teams be arranged?" Chie asked.
"I'll go with Yukiko, Rion can go with Chie and Yosuke to make sure you two you don't kill each other," Souji said. Souji with Yukiko would definitely be a win in Souji's book.
"Fine, fine," Chie said, "Let's hurry! They're almost out of sight!"
"So, I'm pairing up with Chie, and Rion. Okay…," Yosuke admitted, "We need to act like we're on a date to make it look natural. You don't mind if you stand on the side and hide, Rion?"
Rion's look said he didn't care either way.
Chie's look said otherwise, "Not in a million years! There will be no need for that if we stay out of sight. Let's just hurry up and go."
The three of them ran off to chase up to Kanji and the other boy. Yukiko and Souji stared at them as they left.
"I wonder if they'll be alright," Yukiko said softly.
"They do have Rion with them. They can't really get in trouble," Souji said. Souji did wonder for their sanity, Rion's sanity really. How he broke up all those fights, he couldn't figure that out.
"Oh… That leaves us in charge in watching the textile shop," Yukiko came to a sudden realization, "So, shall we?"
"Alright," Souji said. "Not too bad, hanging out with Yukiko," Souji thought. Souji smiled.
They went to the Shopping District North and ended up by the Tatsumi Shrine near the textile store. While they were waiting Yukiko brought both of them some soda she got from the machines near the liquor store.
"Sorry about the wait… This one is for you," Yukiko said.
"Thanks…," Souji responded.
"Everything seems fine at the shop. I hope stays that way," Yukiko told Souji
"That's refreshing to know," Souji said.
"Do you think the culprit will come?" Yukiko asked.
"If he does, I'll protect you," Souji assured her.
She blushed, "Thanks."
"No worries," Souji said. "This is nice…," Souji thought, "I'm glad I'm partnered up with her."
"If he doesn't, our efforts might be fruitless, but maybe it's for the best," Yukiko shrugged.
"I'd rather he didn't," Souji said.
"It would be scary if he did show up," Yukiko added.
"I agree," Souji concurred
"If they do, I'll do what I can to help you catch them," Yukiko said
"Thanks," Souji said.
"Remember, you all saved my life, I don't want to be the only one doing nothing."
"It's not like you are not doing anything for us."
She blushed again. Souji thought it was cute when she blushed.
"I'm mean, I'm sure there is something I can do," Yukiko said, "Oh, sorry. I'm guess I'm a little nervous."
"That's not a problem," Souji said, "Everyone gets a little nervous."
"I have never chatted with a boy my age like this before. Even with Rion it's only been about school and studying."
"I understand," Souji said. "Was she really that focused that back then?" Souji thought.
"Chie, of course, has no problem getting along with guys her age because of her personality. I do think she's having more fun hanging out with you three lately. The same is true for me," Yukiko explained. Yukiko seemed to be blushing again.
"Really?" Souji asked. Souji smiled. This really was a good idea.
He decided to ask Yukiko for her cell phone and other contact information. He was pretty confident he could get it. Besides, for some reason, eating that ramen and eating nasty stuff in the fridge made him more confident.
Yukiko was blushing again, "Oh, okay, if you want. I can't always answer since I'm working at the inn a lot. But feel free to call anytime."
"That does sound a little wrong…," Souji thought, "Anytime…"
Since there was no action around the store, they just talked about whatever was going on recently.
---
Meanwhile, with the other three group members at the flood plain. Beforehand,
Chie was telling Rion.
"You have binoculars, why don't you go on the top of that park… bench… top… thingy…," Chie told Rion.
"Yeah, go up there," Yosuke said.
"You're just trying to get rid of me," Rion said, "Fine, but you owe me,"
"Why would we want to get rid of you?" Chie asked.
"For your alone time," Rion said.
Chie blushed then yelled, "Shut up!"
"Alright alright, I'll go…," Rion muttered.
Yosuke wasn't complaining about Rion's comments.
He climbed up one of the spokes, all but flipped himself up there, and positioned himself with his binoculars watching the two of them walking across the floodplains. He then motioned to Chie and Yosuke, "Hurry up. They'll get away."
Kanji and the young man were walking down the floodplain and Chie and Yosuke were following them, yet hiding behind the trees.
"Man, this is weird," Chie said, hiding behind a tree.
Yosuke looked at her, "Yeah, we definitely stand out."
"No, I mean them. I get a weird feeling from them. Rion said he gets a weird feeling from the young man. I almost feel it from both of them," Chie asked.
"Weird, what about them is weird?" Yosuke asked.
"I don't know how to put it. Maybe it's just my imagination. Hey, how do you think the others are doing?" Chie asked.
"I don't know. He's probably hitting on Yukiko as we speak," Yosuke answered. He knew that answer already.
"Well, no. He's not like you. Yukiko doesn't seem to be interested in stuff like that anyways. Wait, are you saying he's interested in her?" Chie asked.
He was taken aback at her response, "Huh, I don't know. We don't really talk about that kind of stuff anyway." Yosuke knew he should have kept his mouth shut.
"Now I'm even more suspicious. You know something, don't you?" Chie looked inquisitively at him.
"I seriously don't know. It's not like we've been hanging out that long," Yosuke defended himself. Yosuke shook his head. "Souji is going to kill me," he thought.
At that point, they just noticed that Kanji had walked up to the pair. Appropriately, the two of them somewhat freaked, and Rion almost dropped his binoculars at their confrontation.
"The hell are you two doing?" Kanji asked.
"Oh, you see… We are just two crazy lovebirds," Yosuke said nervously.
"What do you mean, bird?" Chie said.
"Play along, birdbrain!" as Yosuke stepped on her foot.
"Didn't I see you guys yesterday?" Kanji questioned them.
"It just happened that we were walking behind you. It was only pure coincidence," Yosuke lied through his teeth, "It happens our houses are that way, we'll be going now."
Chie looked at them, "Look, we weren't planning on getting in your guys' way, and there is nothing strange about it, either."
"Strange?" Kanji looked shocked.
Yosuke yelled at Chie, "Why can't you keep your big mouth shut?"
Rion kept looking on, "What the hell is going there?" he muttered, "They should either be best buds or dead. Something fishy is going on." He refocused his binoculars, "I should head down there before those two die," he muttered.
Kanji suddenly started chasing them again, "Wait, Dammit"
He was chasing them around the area Rion was perched; "This ain't what you think. You got it all wrong." It didn't help at that time Rion decided to jump down. "What the hell is this? Who are you!?" Kanji yelled at Rion.
"Hey! Are you guys listening!?" As he chased all three of them around the floodplains, Rion was chuckling, chuckling of all things. "This guy is so confused," Rion thought.
"It seriously ain't like that!" Kanji yelled
After that, they returned empty handed to Yukiko and Souji with no information.
"We regret to inform you, that our mission failed," Chie said.
"There was nowhere to hide," Yosuke said.
"It was amusing to watch though," Rion said. He was still chuckling, which made Souji think that hell had frozen over.
Yukiko motioned, "Well, let's wait here a little longer. Maybe Kanji-kun will come home."
"Yeah…," Yosuke said.
"I wonder if it's a good idea depending on what happened with them," Souji said.
Kanji was walking up to them as Souji finished his sentence. He noticed them, and was obviously fuming at seeing them.
"What are you guys doing here?" Kanji asked at seeing Yosuke and Chie, "You are those stupid lovebirds I just saw."
"We are NOT a couple!" Chie exclaimed with emphasis.
"Ouch…," Souji thought, "There goes Yosuke's chances down the tube."
Kanji made a motion, "Why are you assholes following me around? Damn it, what the hell is going on? I ain't saying this is your guys' fault. But damnit." He sighed. Kanji looked worn out.
Yosuke asked Kanji, "Hey, mind if we ask you something? Has anything strange happened to you lately?"
Kanji looked first confused, "Huh, strange?" He then started to get mad again, "What's this "strange" stuff, huh? Are you saying I'm strange?"
Yosuke was flustered. He wasn't sure what to say, but knew he was in hot water again as he said, "Huh, no… I didn't mean…"
"You shitheads better get the hell out of my face, or I'm taking you down!" Kanji yelled
"Wait… Why?" Yosuke asked.
"I look like I'm joking!?" Kanji yelled again.
Kanji started to chase them, and they all ran as fast as they could except for Rion. Rion seemed unfazed by the yelling and the threats.
"Are you going to take me down?" Rion asked calmly.
"If you don't run… I'm going to take your ass down!" Kanji yelled at him.
A fist flew from Kanji's right hand and Rion caught it in mid-stride.
"I would entertain you, but I better catch up with the rest of them," Rion smirked, "They're expecting me."
"Wait, you asshole!" Kanji yelled as Rion released his hand and jogged off lazily.
Souji had ran away from Kanji, and everyone followed him. Souji was out of breath, and even Rion caught up to eventually, though he was smirking when he had returned.
"Urgh… Too much running," Chie said. She was sucking in air by the mouthful.
Yosuke looked at them as he took a deep breath and said, "Well, nothing happened today, so I guess everything is okay."
"Wait, it has been a few days since he has appeared on the Midnight Channel though," Yukiko said.
Souji said, "So, if something is going to happen, it will be soon."
"Then we can't let our guard down. We'll have to check up on him tomorrow," Yukiko said.
"Looks like we've got no choice. Let's go home, I'm wiped...," Chie said.
Souji got home and looked in the fridge. He drank all of the milk in the fridge. He needed it after being chased by a gang killer. Souji was waiting in his room for the Midnight Channel when he got a call from Yukiko…
Normally, Souji would be overjoyed by getting a call from her. This seemed like a serious call, however.
"Oh, hello? This is Yukiko. I'm sorry to call so late," Yukiko said
"It's alright," Souji answered.
"Kanji-kun seems to be missing!" Yukiko exclaimed.
"You're kidding?" Souji asked. He did half-expect this though. Souji shook his head.
"I had some calls to make for the inn, so I made a call to the textile shop as well. When I talked to Kanji-kun's mother, she said that he left the house and hasn't returned since. She did say that happens all the time, but what do you think?" Yukiko explained, and then asked Souji.
"It sounds like he's gone," Souji answered.
"That's what I think, too," Yukiko agreed.
"It's going to rain again tonight; maybe the Midnight Channel will come on," Souji suggested.
"I plan on watching it," Yukiko said.
"Then we'll know for sure if something happened to Kanji-kun or not. I'll be sure to check it out at midnight. I'll talk to you later," Souji said.
"Goodbye," Yukiko said as she hung up.
It was raining at midnight. At that exact hour, the Channel came on, but the picture was clear for once. The picture showed a brown and steamy background and then Kanji appeared. He was wearing nothing but a small towel around his lower area.
"Hel-Lo, dear viewers… It is time for "Bad, Bad Bathhouse"! Tonight I'll introduce a superb site for those searching for sublime love that surpasses the separations of the sexes! I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi, serving you this scandalously special sneak-in report! Goodness gracious! Just imagine the things that could happen to me in there. Well then, let's get this show on the road,"
Kanji proceeded to run off into the whatever it was. Souji was scared for the first time in his life. He wasn't scared the first time he saw the vivid imagery, well it was Yukiko, but not this time.
Rion and Yosuke set up a conference call somehow. Rion must have figured out how, Souji guessed.
"Hey, I mean what-the…," Yosuke said.
"I believe that this is a reflection of Kanji's confusion," Rion said.
"You need to calm down Yosuke," Souji said.
"You're right, that's what Rion has been saying. That was completely over the top though. It was Kanji though. We guessed right, but he still slipped through our fingers," Yosuke said.
"There's nothing we can do now, but go forward," Souji said.
"If only we held our ground and stayed there a little longer," Yosuke said, "In any case, the place that was behind him… What do you think it was?"
"A bathhouse?" Rion said.
"Anyways, we better get together tomorrow, and figure out a plan on what to do," Yosuke said.
"There is nothing better to do," Souji said.
"I'm with you two," Rion said.
They all hung up and went to bed, trying to keep the disgusting thoughts out of their heads. Souji tried his hardest and ended up in a nightmare where he and Yosuke were fighting off men attacking him in those little towels.