Chapter 16
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.
I own how much of SMT and Persona? Nothing…
This could be the last one in a while. Finishing the last bit of the trip, Finishing two party s-links. We're are moving towards the Secret Lab. I'm messing around with the fact that Rise is rejected. Bear with that fact. Well, I hope you enjoy.
Taking Rise and Yukiko back to the hotel were not as bad as they thought it would be. The hard part was getting Teddie back to Seashell in one piece. The bear thingy was not really in a mood to leave.
"This is such a drag…," Yosuke said, pulling and dragging Teddie down Shirakawa Boulevard. He was trying to put what just happened out of his mind.
"Don't look at me," Souji responded. He was making sure Yukiko got to the hotel, or the love shack, as it looked like, in one piece.
Rise and Yukiko were nodding off the whole time as Chie and Souji helped them back, while Naoto and Rion were staring daggers at each other across the Moonlight Bridge.
"Let's goesh back to the club!" Teddie exclaimed to Kanji, "We can play the King's Game, and drink some more! Don't you agree, Kanji!?"
"I'll pass," Kanji muttered. He would have nightmares about this for the rest of his life. "Why Teddie!?" he screamed in his head, "Why!?"
"I think you've had enough," Rion said dryly. It wasn't his intention to get Teddie like this. The group had reached the glitzy pink hotel. They started moving the group into the rooms, and said their drunken goodbyes for the day. Souji swore he saw Rion and Naoto get in another fight about something trivial. "What's with those two?" Souji thought. He shook his head, "I'm not even going to think about it." He had to help Teddie get settled and not run back to the club. It didn't matter. It wasn't like there was anymore booze for Teddie to have.
The next day, before the group left for the train to say goodbye to Port Tatsumi Island, they ended up at a small eatery called Hagakure Ramen. It was a small eatery filled with steam from the ramen. There were signatures up top from all the people who eaten their special dishes. The simple design was dwarfed by the good food they served. They were all eating ramen and were sitting close by. Souji was in ramen heaven.
Rion and Naoto still weren't talking to each other. The incident from last night must have really pissed each other off. Souji could only try and ponder what happened, "Let's see… first Rion says something, and Rion gets punched. Rion tries to say something else and Naoto tries to hit him again. Then Naoto questions the intoxication; Rion proves that he had spiked the drinks. Rion gets dragged downstairs, apparently getting in an argument. Rion got slapped in the exchange." Souji shook his head, "If I could, I'd ask Rion what the hell happened. He would be the person who would be able to figure this out, but he's the one who caused the whole damn thing."
"Mmmm! Oh man! This is really something!" Chie exclaimed, disrupting Souji's thinking, while eating her ramen.
"This place serves the best ramen in town!" Rise told the group. She seemed to have recovered quite a bit.
"It isn't increasing my knowledge though…," Souji muttered, "Therefore… Meh... It is delicious."
"Your knowledge?" Rion asked quizzically. He had heard Souji.
"Yeah, my knowledge," Souji responded.
Rion shook his head at Souji's remark.
"When we were filming, a lot of times I came here instead of eating boxed lunches," Rise said, ignoring the others' words. She looked at Yukiko, "Huh? You're not hungry?" Rise noticed that Yukiko wasn't eating and her bowl was still full.
Yukiko just stared at her ramen and held her head. She looked like she had a headache, "Uhh.. What happened last night? I don't remember much about it."
Rion chuckled silently, and Naoto glared at him. Rion stopped chuckling. Souji gave him a weird look as he thought; "Now we know he's acting weird. He's doing things that are making him laugh."
Rise answered, "Oh, I think the two of us fell asleep pretty quick. I heard it got pretty wild, though."
"I wish I was awake for that, then" Yukiko said, thinking of Souji, "But, I don't remember it at all."
Rise smiled, "Ahh… This flavor never changes. I couldn't come here too often because it's high in carbohydrates, so being able to eat as much as I want is like a dream!"
Yukiko started eating the ramen as she said happily, "Oh… This is delicious! It has an interesting taste that makes you hungry for more!"
"See? See?" Rise put forth in agreement. Souji could agree with statement. Even it did not increase his knowledge; he could not stop eating the stuff.
Teddie told the chef, who was standing at the end "Another bowl, please! Keep the noodles hard!"
While the others shook their head at Teddie, a man walked by and asked for the special dish. "One Hagakure Bowl, please!" he asked.
"The Hagakure Bowl's a normal menu item now? Argh, I should have asked," Rise said in dismay. She said in resignation, "Oh well, this is just as good."
Souji looked at Rise and asked, "Is it okay for you to be out in the open like this?" probably wondering about her status as an idol.
"Sure, no prob," Rise answered, "See those signing boards?" Rise pointed up top, "My autograph is up there too, but the cook doesn't give me a second glance. That's just how it is over here. Plus, I'm barely wearing any makeup."
"Typical Rise Kujiawa," Rion thought to himself.
Yukiko looked up, "You're right. There are a lot of autographs on display here."
Chie looked at Rise, "Y'know what I think? The reason they don't notice you is cause this bear sticks out like a sore thumb. I guess if he wore it over here, he'll have to wear it coming home."
"You're probably right Chie," Souji said, "A person in a bear suit sticks out anywhere." Souji thought, "I wonder why Naoto is not asking about Teddie?"
"Isn't it all steamy inside from the ramen?" Kanji asked. "You'd think the suit would be as foggy as inside the TV world," Kanji thought.
Yukiko just noticed something, "Huh? Where's my bowl?" Her bowl had disappeared from in front of her.
"You lost your ramen?" Souji asked.
Yukiko looked at Teddie questioningly, "You didn't eat it… Did you?"
Teddie tried to escape the glare, "You didn't eat it… so haha…"
"I was going to finish it!" Yukiko exclaimed at the bear angrily.
"That's not very nice, Teddie," Souji said. He'd have to get back at Teddie later.
Rion looked at the bear and asked, "Didn't you just order more ramen a moment ago?"
Yosuke questioned, "How many have you eaten?"
"I dunno how to count," Teddie admitted.
Yosuke didn't believe him, "You little liar! Let me see that check!" He grabbed the check from Teddie, "One… two… Ten bowls!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"Yuki-chan makes it eleven," Teddie told them as he belched loudly.
"I was going to finish mine," Yukiko said disparagingly.
"There, there," Chie tried to comfort Yukiko.
Naoto looked at them and finally said something for the first time, "I'm sorry to interrupt your fun, but it's close to meeting time."
"Aww… already?" Chie looked disappointed, "I thought that the trip was going to be a bore. But now that it's over, I actually had a good time."
"I had a very good time," Rion said with a very atypical wink from him, and got a glare from Naoto.
"You would say that," Souji muttered.
Chie turned towards Souji, "Hey, let's buy a souvenir at the station. I bet Nanako-chan will be expecting one."
"Let's get her a T-shirt, then!" Souji said.
"I bet she'll love it," Yukiko said, temporarily forgetting about her anger towards Teddie.
"Alright, let's get going. Teddie, we're leaving!" Yosuke told the bear, and the group. He waved at the bear, "Yo, Ted!"
Kanji threatened, "Don't make me rub your fur the wrong way, you little…," Kanji started walking towards the bear, "Dude, he ain't moving. Is he hibernating?"
"I don't think that's possible," Rion said, "He can not hibernate."
The group started worrying about the bear, "Hey…," Chie started to say. "Don't tell me… It's because he's been in our world too long, is it?"
Naoto looked confused at Chie's way too revealing statement, but Rise said, "Are you serious!? Teddie!"
"This worries me, Teddie," Souji remarked.
Teddie let out a large, "Urrp!" He then said, "My tummy's heavy."
As everyone except Yukiko looked at the bear with relief, she said with conviction, "Leave it behind!"
Teddie said worriedly, "I ate too much… Can't move… Someone carry me."
Naoto stood up, ignoring Teddie, "I mustn't be late for our rendezvous. Please excuse me."
Naoto left Teddie behind, saving a glare for Rion. Yukiko quickly followed Naoto from Hagakure Ramen and headed for their departure point.
Chie didn't want to be left behind, "Ah, Yukiko. Wait for me." She got up and ran after the two. Souji finished his last bite so he could leave as well.
Teddie was flustered, "Hey, I really can't move! And I don't have the money for a return ticket!"
"You should have thought about that before you ate all of that food," Rion gestured before he got up and walked away.
Yosuke, Kanji, Rise, and Souji all surrounded Teddie in a circle.
Yosuke read him a eulogy, "Farewell, Teddie. We shall leave you here, along with the memories of our youth."
"Goodbye, Teddie," Souji said.
Kanji, Rise, Souji, and Yosuke all grasped their hands in a praying position and bowed towards the bear.
They all started walking out leaving Teddie behind. A young Yasogami student, a first-year, saw the bear, looked confused, ignored it, and walked past to meet the teachers.
Everyone except Teddie headed their way towards the meeting point, and headed back towards Inaba via train. Souji had bought a t-shirt at a stand across from the train station. Except for the drinking incident caused by a certain smart-ass, there were no problems. It was not a terrible trip, but it was not a great one either. He did not like learning on school trips.
Souji returned home to see Nanako watching one of her quiz shows.
"Ah!" Nanako said as Souji opened the door. She walked up to him, "Welcome home!"
"Hello, Nanako," Souji responded.
"Did you have fun?" Nanako asked.
"I had fun. It was very interesting," Souji said. He chuckled on the inside, thinking of the King's Game, "You should come with us next time." But, he thought, "Just not to Club Escapade, especially if Rion is with us."
"Yep, for sure! Um, I wanna go to Destiny Sea too! There's this roller coaster that goes Woosh into the water, and…" Nanako went on and on about what it'd be like.
"I brought you something Nanako," holding the gift bag out for Nanako.
Nanako looked happy, "Wow! Thanks!"
Dojima had entered the house soon afterwards…
"Oh, hi Dad!" Nanako told Dojima.
"Ah, you're back. We just missed each other, huh?" Dojima told Souji.
"I guess so," Souji responded.
Nanako told her dad with glee, "Look, my Big Bro got me a souvenir!" Nanako showed her dad the t-shirt Souji got her.
Dojima looked surprised at Souji's thoughtfulness, "Hey, nice. Did you remember to thank him?"
"Of course!" Nanako nodded and she went up to put her new shirt in her closet.
Dojima looked at Souji, "Heh, I guess that came out of your own pocket. Thanks."
"I just wanted to make her happy," Souji told him.
"You went to Tatsumi Port Island, yeah?" he asked. Dojima chuckled, "Haha, I guess the city was no big deal for a guy like you."
Souji shrugged and Dojima sat down at the table. Dojima went on and said, "By the way, if the first-years went along with you, Naoto Shirogane must've been there too."
"Naoto was there," Souji said.
"You talk to him much?" Dojima asked.
"I guess so, yeah," Souji answered. "I'm not the only one who talks to him," Souji thought."
"He's mature for his age, but he's still a year younger than you," Dojima looked at him, "Try to make friends with him, will you? He's a cocky brat, but he's honest.
"I'll try to do that, then," Souji told Dojima. "Cocky brat indeed," Souji thought.
"The higher-ups are losing their patience with him. It doesn't matter if his argument holds water or not. At this rate, he won't accomplish anything but getting himself booted off the team. Adults can be a selfish bunch." He looked at Souji differently, "Oh sorry, you must be tired. Why don't you take a bath? Oh, but don't forget to take your stuff upstairs."
"Alright, and thanks." Souji said.
Dojima yelled out to Nanako as the older man stood up, "Nanako! Can you get the bath ready?"
As Souji finished drying his hair, he decided to make a call before bedtime. He decided he wanted some information. He called Rion.
"Rion…"
"Souji," Rion greeted him, "Is this about what happened?"
"Straight to it, aren't you?" Souji shook his head over the phone.
"Of course," Rion responded. He sighed, "Does it really matter?"
"Yes it does," Souji said, "It was foolish. Was it necessary to include us all in this? What were you trying to accomplish?"
"It doesn't matter right now," Rion said, "I was trying to make that person reveal something, but in the end, it was not the right time. I have decided that it is best for you to figure it out for yourself."
Souji had no idea where Rion was coming from, so he asked, "So… was it worth it? Getting hit?"
"If it gets the point across, then yes," Rion responded.
"I still think you are being reckless. I'll talk to you later," Souji said.
"Okay," Rion said.
Souji hung up. "I still don't understand this at all," Souji thought, "What are those two hiding?"
September 11th… The first day back from the school trip. It was a normal Sunday and there was nothing on Souji's plate, so he decided to make his own plans. "What should I do?" he thought as he finished getting ready, and put on his trademark white polo. Of course, he needed to pop his collar. Souji decided to call up Yosuke.
"Good morning Yosuke."
"What's up Souji?"
"I was wondering if…," Souji was saying.
"We should hang out?" Yosuke finished.
Souji responded, ",Ummm… yeah."
"Alright, let's meet up by the flood plains!" Yosuke was exuberant today.
"Okay then…," Souji responded.
The pair of them decided to meet by Samegawa, but the "hanging out" portion didn't turn out like it expected.
"Man, I was always jealous of you," Yosuke had told him.
"Why?" Souji asked.
Yosuke went on and on about him being jealous of Souji's power, and then Yosuke said he wanted Souji to hit him…
"So I want you to hit me!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"Why the hell would I hit you?" Souji asked.
"To make up for it all," Yosuke responded.
"How would this fix it? Why don't we settle this like real men…?" Souji smirked.
"Alright then!" Yosuke smiled.
The pair rushed towards each other in a flurry of fists. One of Souji's fists connected with Yosuke's face, and one of Yosuke's went straight into Souji's midsection.
"Take this, you son of a…" was heard randomly.
Yosuke saw light as he lay there, and his Persona evolving. "Jiraiya", had turned into the trickster god, "Susano-o".
"This is my power," Yosuke said, "The power you gave me."
At the end, they were both on the ground, bleeding profusely, and Souji only got one band-aid to clean up the whole damn mess.
"Man, Dojima is going to be so mad when he sees me bleeding all over his carpet," he said as he walked home.
"Welcome home, Big bro… oh my god, what happened to you?" Nanako was greeting Souji when she saw the bruised and beaten Souji, and she rushed off to the bath to start cleaning off the blood. After all the blood was cleaned off, Nanako murmured that she bought groceries and Souji made sushi for tomorrow.
Souji asked Yukiko to join him for lunch tomorrow at school. They met up to eat on the rooftop at school.
"Ooh… This is so good, Souji-kun," she told him as she ate the sushi.
"I'm glad you liked it…," he said, "Do you want to hang out today?"
Yukiko blushed, "Umm… I would like to."
"So, where do you want to hang out?" Souji asked.
She blushed even harder, "If it is okay with you… I want to go to your room."
"Holy Shit!" Souji thought as his cogs in his brain were spinning like mad. He knew he had to answer though, "Okay. We'll head there after school."
Yukiko blushed and pecked him on the cheek before they headed back to class. Souji was in a daze.
Souji's mind definitely was not on school as the day wore on. Kashiwagi started spewing crap about his "Teddie" souvenir and salmon swimming.
Souji nearly threw his hands up in glee after the bell rang for the end of school. Rion raised an eyebrow, but he ignored Souji's reaction to the end of school. Souji rushed down to the 1st floor and picked up Yukiko, well not literally. The couple headed away from Yasogami High, through Samegawa, and to the residential district and Dojima's household. Souji was obviously in a hurry, and Yukiko didn't seem to mind. She was just embarrassed that she had the opportunity to make this happen. On the other hand, Souji didn't realize someone else was watching and had run off. She was crying.
Inside Souji's household and his room… and cue the cheesy music
"So this is your room," Yukiko said as she stood near Souji's dresser.
Souji told her, "It's my room alright. Just a boring old room."
Yukiko suddenly looked embarrassed as she had been trying to see what was in there, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look around!"
"It's fine, Yukiko."
Yukiko continued to explain herself and try to assuage the situation, "It's just that this is the first time I've been to a boy's room."
"That's understandable to be nervous," Souji told her.
Yukiko looked around, "Oh, you sleep on a futon, I see. I use a futon too."
Souji chuckled as he thought, "We could use the same futon."
"Umm… sorry, I didn't know what to talk about," Yukiko apologized.
"It's okay… stop apologizing," Souji told her, "So, is the sofa good for you?" Souji was having dirty thoughts again. He tried to push them out of his head as hard as he could.
"Huh?" She looked ready to turn into a beet, "Oh, you mean to sit… Anywhere is fine." She looked at him, "I'm fine with anything. You don't need to worry about me."
"Hehe," Souji thought. "Well, let's sit on the couch then," he said.
The pair sat down on the couch close together, with Souji having one arm around Yukiko's shoulders. They looked happy just gazing into each other's eyes.
"So, how's everything with the Inn?" Souji finally broke the silence, "Are you still working on everything else, though?"
"Oh, yes. I'm still studying. Cooking and job licenses…," Yukiko responded.
"That's really good," he was a bit distracted at the moment to answer logically. Yukiko was less distracted. She usually was the distracted one.
"I don't plan on leaving anymore, but I thought I might as well keep on learning," Yukiko explained.
"You want to be well-rounded?" he asked.
She put her head down for an instant before she said, "I'm glad I realized sooner… If I'd struck out on my own, I know I would have regretted it. I wanted to become self-sufficient. But I think I was being presumptuous."
"That's understandable. You just wanted to do what's best for you," Souji agreed.
Yukiko told him, "I have the Inn, I have my family, I have the waitresses and the chefs. I am who I am because I was raised by such a kind group."
"That's so nice," Souji said, holding her tighter.
Yukiko moved on to say, "When I think of it that way, my problems aren't just my own. That's why… I'm going to stay here. By my own will."
"That's great, Yukiko," Souji told her. He did mean it after all.
The two of them hugged tightly after she said her thoughts.
She felt something inside as they held each other. Her Persona was changing from the beginning of the mortality of Japan, to the Sun Goddess. "Amaterasu"
"I feel like I'm changing even now," Yukiko said, as they embraced, "You've changed me, Souji-kun. I will always treasure what you have shown me."
They released the embrace long enough to stand up, and Yukiko said, "I want you to have this."
It was the shrine charm. When Souji asked what it was, Yukiko answered, "It's a charm from the shrine. It's to protect you."
"You'll protect me, Yukiko. Without you, I wouldn't be safe," Souji answered. Souji trusted every single one of them to protect him, and he tried his best to protect them. He trusted Yukiko.
She shook her head, "I want to… but, I'm staying here. This charm will protect you in my place." Yukiko looked sad, "Then will always be together."
"We'll always be together," Souji said lovingly. He cupped her hands into his own.
She was blushing, "Souji-kun… I love you."
"I love you too, Yukiko," Souji admitted.
The two of them moved together and their lips touched softly.
After the kiss, Yukiko broke the embrace and Yukiko blushed at Souji's eyes peering at him, "Umm… Don't stare at me so much."
"I'm sorry," he said.
He moved forward and held her. He moved closer again, and their lips touched again. The time they spent together was special, and when they left, Yukiko's hair and necktie were disheveled and her headband was misplaced. Right before they left she told him one more time, "Souji-kun, I love you."
When she left his place before he would join him to take her back to the Inn, she put her headband back on, "Where's my brush…?" she thought, "Oh it doesn't matter." She put her hand over her heart, "I love him."
Around the same time, and at the Tatsumi Shrine, Rion was meditating quietly and in perfect harmony. His legs were crossed, and his hands were cupped as he faced the brown shrine. He felt nothing but the cool breeze flowing around his skin. Rion was concentrating on a blossom tree swaying in the wind. A single blossom would fall away from a branch and float away from the tree and blow into a running and flowing river. The water was calmly flowing through, and the blossom that had fallen into the river was making its way down. The blossom would touch the rocks jutting out of the river, but the blossom would just move around the rocks, instead of crashing into them and crumbling. Rion was at peace with the world. Nothing would be able to disturb him at this point, until a whining, sad, and sobbing voice broke him out of his reverie.
"What or who the hell is that?" he thought. Rion broke out of his cross-legged position and stood up. He turned around and opened his mouth, ready to berate whoever had disturb him, only to see it was Rise. "Oh… It's Rise…"
"Senpai!" Rise yelled out and ran toward the older student. Rise stopped about one foot away from Rion in obvious distress. Her blouse was wet with tears, and likewise, her eyes were still saturated and flowing. Rion knew a sad Rise was a bad thing.
"What's wrong, Rise?" Rion asked. He didn't really know if he was the best person to handle this, but he think he had an idea of what was going on. He wasn't the most emotional person, but he felt like he could at least try and help her.
She sobbed once, and tried to get out her words, "I… I… have been trying hard to win over Souji, right Senpai?"
"I understand," Rion knew he was right on where it was going, "You saw Yukiko with Souji, right? He was with her, together somewhere."
"I did…," Rise nodded. She wiped some tears from her eyes, "She went into his house." Rion was a little surprised by that. Souji moved a little faster than Rion expected.
Rise continued, adjusting the necktie of her uniform, "He was really nice to me. He always listened to me when I talked about me being an idol, and leaving the business. He even helped me when someone tried to interfere."
Rion shook his head, "That's probably part of the problem…," he told her.
"What do you mean?" Rise asked. She looked confused.
"You probably talked and maybe complained too much. Souji doesn't talk too much, but when he does, he likes to speak his mind," Rion told the idol, "If you don't let him express his feelings, he'll set his sights elsewhere."
Rise looked distressed, "W…Why Yukiko though?"
"Well, it could just be that he knew Yukiko first," Rion said, "It could be as simple as that."
Rise looked dismayed and still very put out. Rion knew that this explanation wasn't solving anything.
"Listen, I know this isn't the only thing bothering you, Rise. Why don't you tell me what else is on your mind, okay?" Rion asked.
"But… You just said that Souji didn't like…," Rise was trying to talk through her tears.
"I'm not Souji… I'm… well you can say there are times I can listen," Rion shrugged his shoulders.
Rise asked Rion, "Is there a place we can sit down?" She obviously had more to talk about, and was tired of standing. She seemed to be emotionally and physically drained anyways.
"Let's go to the floodplains then," Rion said. Rion knew he wouldn't able to meditate anymore today. He had lost all concentration after that interruption. At least Rion thought he might be able to help Rise. Walking down the Samegawa Floodplains towards the benches where he had spied on Kanji months before, he thought to himself, "I don't really know what I'm going to do. Listening, yes… Doing, no."
Rise's spirits were slightly raised at the thoughts of someone helping her, but knowing she had lost Souji to an innkeeper's daughter was quite the let-down. She kind of understood what Rion was saying, but it didn't make her feel any better. She needed to explain the rest of what was going on when she walked through the floodplains.
They sat down on the benches and Rion asked Rise what her other issues were, "Okay, there are other problems you have to be having. Talk to me about them then, if you are willing to share."
Rise shifted in her seat. She was kind of nervous talking to a senpai she didn't know as well as the others, but she didn't think Rion was that bad. He seemed like a quiet senpai, but one would find everything about you in an instant.
"Umm… Well, you know that I'm trying to leave the modeling business. It's been nice being able to do what I want and not be told what to do," She told him.
"So, you're saying you were controlled by others completely against your will, then?" Rion put forth, "I grasped that well before you joined, but there is more than that. Isn't there?"
"Well, at first… I was glad just being away from modeling and acting. Some people even stopped noticing that I was Risette. It made me really happy in a sense. But things kept coming to the surface, like my manager, Kanami became the new poster girl, and the movie. I tried to forget everything, but it just didn't work," Rise was just about into tears again.
Rion looked at Rise and took a deep breath, "Well… I think you're really used to being pushed around, aren't you?" Rise nodded, and Rion continued, "You tried to abandon that for a normal life, and it came back to haunt you, so instead of staying on that track of being yourself… You're thinking of coming back to Risette."
"Uhh… I just don't know… I don't know what to do," Rise shook her head. She started to tear up again. Rion started thinking about what to say. Rion did not like people crying.
"Look," Rion explained, "I think you just got tired of being told how to feel. You're young, so you're easily swayed. You don't get much control on which jobs you get, and you become who you are told to be. If the director tells you to act sad, you have to act sad, even if something good happened to you today."
Rion had struck a realization within Rise, and she had looked him in straight in the eyes so, Rion continued, "If they want you to be happy, you have to be happy, no matter how you're day is going. They want a Risette-flavored sappy show; then they're getting a Risette sappy show. Everyone gets a piece of Risette except Risette."
"How would you know all of that Rion-senpai?" Rise asked, "You've never been like me…" Rise looked down. Deep down, she knew it was all true. She wanted to deny it, but no Shadow was going to come out here.
"I can't tell you that I was glitzy model. I was just a run-of-the-mill athlete who ended being washed up," Rion shrugged, "When it happens, it happens. Everyone wants a piece of you until they don't want you anymore."
"But… how do I fix this?" Rise inquired.
"When you're older, you won't be just some girl-idol. You won't just be the teen sensation Risette. You'll be the idol, Rise Kujikawa. You'll have the power to choose what you want to do," Rion said frankly, "Right now; you need to be far more assertive if you want to eventually end up back into the modeling, idol business. Tell them that you are in control, and that this is what is best for Rise."
"I have a lot of sides to me, Rion-senpai. But one that can completely hold sway over agents, producers, directors, and others is not one of them…," Rise sounded completely dismayed, "Right now; I'm in no condition to do this." She looked so sad that Rion started feeling depressed.
Rion looked at her, "I may be pretty apathetic, but I show a lot more emotion when I feel like it. I'm better at telling people what to do than doing things myself, and you know that."
"That's true, Senpai," Rise wiped a tear from her eyes, "I think I'd be willing to try. I just don't wanna be alone. That's my problem."
Rion shook his head as he thought, "That's the issue, right here." He adjusted his glassed with his pointer finger. He felt bad for the teen idol, "I'll try and help you, I guess."
She looked up expectedly at the older brown-blond haired boy.
"I'm available more often than Souji if you need to talk about something. He seems to be running off to talk to someone almost every day it seems. Just try not to meet me on a day I work," Rion said.
"Alright, and thanks, Senpai," Rise told him, "It makes me feel a little better." She wiped the tears from her eyes.
Rise and Rion parted ways. Rise still didn't feel very well about what happened about Souji. She had a feeling that Rion knew beforehand. "He probably just didn't want to hurt me, but I'd rather him not lead me on. Actually, Souji and Yukiko made it worse," Rise thought, "I'll talk it out to my grandma too. She's good at listening." Reaching Marukyu, she knew she would have a lot to talk about.
Back at Souji's place, after spending time with Yukiko and taking her home, a TV special was on the news. Nanako was on the other side, who was giving inquisitive looks on why Souji was gone for so long today…
Souji was tired. He had never kissed someone for so long before. Sometime during the make-out session, he had knocked off her headband. That was amusing. "I guess it'll be common knowledge now," Souji thought as they had decided to tell everyone.
"Good evening, and welcome to Niteline's special Nitewatch Report," the announcer rang out from the television, "A suspect in the murders in Inaba was safely arrested recently. But what few people know is that mastermind that brought him to justice was a high school detective."
"Actually, it was a bunch of people fighting in a TV," Souji thought, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Tonight's report will focus on this Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane, whose handsome looks are sweeping the nation," the announcer well announced, "Thanks for being on the show."
Naoto had appeared on the screen and started to talk, "No, no, the pleasure is all mine."
"Somewhere, Rion is about to kill someone," Souji thought to himself, "Or spike something."
Nanako looked at Souji, "Oh, his uniform is the same as yours."
"Naoto goes to my school, Nanako," Souji responded.
The announcer told Naoto, "First, congratulations to you and the police for your recent arrest of the culprit. It was well-known that there were a lot of mysteries surrounding this case, and you did a great job clearing them up."
Naoto rebuked the reporter, "I'd hesitate to say that the matter is "cleared up", as such. It's true that our suspect is behind Mr. Morooka's unfortunate death. But when I cast my eye over the case as a whole, I detect a few things that seem out of place."
"We're all so sad that Morooka is gone," Souji thought, "And what's this about the police doing something?"
"Oh… like what?" the reporter asked.
"Unfortunately, I can't divulge such details at this time," Naoto told the reporter, "But this matter claimed the lives of three people. Hence, I believe that even the smallest inconsistency must be investigated."
The reporter was kind of shocked, "I… I see. I have to say, this is a kind of a surprise in light of the police's official statement. Now for our next segment, "The Detective Prince's True Identity," where Naoto-kun tells us a little bit about himself. Amazingly, the Detective Prince has solved a whopping 24 cases. 16 of them were…"
Nanako looked at Souji happily, "There's a detective at your school?"
"There is…," Souji answered.
"When I'm older, I'm gonna go to your school too!" Nanako said cheerfully.
The evening passed by happily, not just cause of Nanako, but Souji had a feeling that not everyone was as happy because of Naoto's appearance on TV.
The next day walking while Souji was walking down the floodplains towards school, he was thinking to himself. "I wonder if Naoto being on a TV special means…" Souji hoped it wasn't going to rain soon.
He was broken from that thought by Yukiko, Chie, Rion, Rise, and Yosuke catching up to him. Rise and Rion were chatting amongst themselves. Rise looked a little happier. Talking to her grandmother seemed to have helped.
Souji thought to himself as he saw Rion and Rise talking to each other, "Since when do they talk to each other? Since when does Rion talk?"
"Hi, Souji," Yukiko greeted him and blushed.
"Hey…"
"Yo…" Yosuke waved.
"Hey, did you see the show last night?" Chie asked, "Naoto-kun was on."
Rion looked at Chie and rolled his eyes as he said, "Of course Naoto was on."
Yosuke rolled his eyes too, "That thing about the Detective Prince solving the case? C'mon, we're the ones who actually caught the killer."
Yukiko pointed out, "But the police were the ones who identified the subject, and he was cooperating with them on it, right?"
"It's true that Naoto helped them, then," Souji said, "It's not like we could take credit for capturing Mitsuo."
"I'm kinda surprised though," Chie said, "I didn't think he was the type to go after the spotlight like that."
"Maybe he had figured out my card…," Rion thought, "But I doubt it."
Naoto had just walked nearby, "Good morning." He walked up to the six and said, "I've been waiting for you all. There's something I need to discuss with you regarding this case."
"Discuss? Dude, we'll be late if we talk too long. Hey, where's your uniform?" Yosuke was confounded.
"Could you please indulge my current theory on the matter?" Naoto asked them.
Rion shrugged, "Whatever floats your boat…"
Naoto gave Rion a dismissive look.
"As long as it doesn't take that long, I'll listen," Souji responded to Naoto.
"Okay then, what is it?" Yosuke asked.
"First, as regards commonalities between the victims, all of them were kidnapped before they were murdered," Naoto said, "The victims were all locals who had been the focus of recent media attention, becoming suddenly well-known. That is the most likely scenario. I don't think there is anything intrinsically unique about the victims themselves." Naoto turned to the group, "Haven't you all came to the same conclusion?"
"We have…," Souji said.
Naoto looked in approval, "Then, allow me to state my point. Will you admit that a number of you fit these ideal circumstances?"
The main portion of the group looked surprised that Naoto had figured all of this out.
"There was a long interval between the second and third deaths in the case," Naoto continued, "But after I applied the aforementioned criteria, I discovered several similar disappearances had taken place. Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa. All of you disappeared shortly after being shown on the TV."
"If Naoto hadn't figured that out by now…," Rion was thinking to himself, "Our detective here is rather slow."
"Either you escaped death somehow, or you faked your own disappearances in order to divert attention from yourselves… Since some of you had ties to the victims, there came a point where I suspected one of you must be the culprit," Naoto's theory continued onward.
"You thought one of us was the killer! You can't be serious?" Chie asked in outrage.
"This was a prior theory, since discarded," Naoto shrugged, "Putting together everything I've learned up until this moment, I believe exactly the opposite. You aren't the culprits. You may, in fact, be the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator. Seen as a joining of forces between the rescued, everything falls into place. Of course, this is all speculation."
Again, most of the group looked surprised… Rion was thinking, "Naoto may finally have put my clues together. Not completely though…"
"There is in fact, a flaw in the theory. It doesn't account for the third incident… Mr. Mooroka's murder," Naoto explained, "He has never been broadcast on television, and neither did he ever disappear. We must all consider the condition of his corpse. The first two victims are still listed with an unknown cause of death. But Mr. Morooka died of an easily identifiable blunt force trauma to the occipital cranium. The police have not satisfactorily solved this discrepancy, yet they are desperate to close this case. Further action will be necessary to obtain some sort of decisive evidence."
"Further action? What do you mean?" Souji asked.
"Well, whatever the outcome… the evidence should come to light," Naoto replied, "You said something interesting to me, not too long ago."
Naoto started to walk past when Yosuke interrupted, "Hey, where you going?"
"This is not a game for me, either," Naoto said and while looking at Rion, motioned him to come with the detective.
"Naoto-kun?" Yukiko looked at them askance.
Rion followed Naoto along the path walking along with the detective.
"I told you that I'm not playing a game," Naoto told him.
"Maybe in one aspect you aren't, Princess…," Rion shrugged, "But that other aspect will get you in trouble. Do you understand what you are doing?"
"I think I do now…," Naoto said plainly, "I have faith."
"I think you're a fool, Princess," Rion rolled his eyes.
"I'd rather you not call me that," Naoto chided him, "Flaunting the fact you know my gender is ridiculous."
Rion turned around and started to walk away, "As long as you hide, you'll still be playing a game. This will cause your downfall, Ms. Shirogane." Rion gave Naoto one more glance, "Don't be a fool. I'll be waiting for you to stop acting like one."
"Likewise," Naoto responded.
When Rion came back to the group he was asked what he was talking with Naoto about, but the oldest of the senpai shrugged it off.
Souji spent the day at school playing basketball with Kou. They actually played a game. They only lost because Daisuke sucks majorly. They went to Aiya's afterwards. He spent the night talking to Nanako about where people go to after they die. Souji was going to say they rot in the ground but that'd be terrible so, he decided to say they go to a magnificent place called "Heaven".
The next day, it was raining and as Souji was walking to the school, the girls were all talking about Naoto.
"Did you see the special about Naoto-kun?"
"Man, he really has it all going for him. And he's so young to be a detective, too."
"He's so cute, and he has this aura of mystery around him. It's so cool!"
"Will he be at school today?"
"Shut up already!" Souji thought, "Rion is probably still fuming and someone has to pour cold water on him before he explodes again and spikes everyone's lunches."
Naoto wasn't at school and it was pouring rain. Souji spent his afternoon eating ramen to increase his courage and knowledge. He also increased his diligence in trying to eat the endless beef bowl. Souji rolled his eyes, "I still can't eat shit!"
Since it was raining, Souji knew he had to watch the Midnight Channel. He trudged upstairs and waited for Midnight to come so he could gaze at a blank screen, hopefully. A yellow screen came on, and there was someone on that yellow screen. An undistinguishable, hazy form that Souji felt he had seen at least once before.
Souji got a phone call after the yellow screen disappeared. "Probably because something came on," Souji thought, "I should have expected anything by now in Inaba." It was everyone's favorite loudmouth, Yosuke.
"Hello?" Souji said.
"Did you see that? Someone came on, right?" Yosuke asked in disbelief.
"No, it was a figment of your imagination, Yosuke. Of course I saw that," Souji responded.
"Now that the killer's been caught, do we still gotta worry about the Midnight Channel?" Yosuke asked.
"Maybe we still have to," Souji told Yosuke
"But then, someone said the blurry image seemed like an advance notice," Yosuke said.
"Yukiko said that," Souji reminded him.
"What exactly is the Midnight Channel anyways? Did it have anything to do with the murders? Argh… This is so frustrating. What do you think?" Yosuke asked in irritation.
"I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it didn't. There is only one person that I trust to figure that out," Souji thought of Rion when he talked to Yosuke.
"Do you recognize who appeared just now?"
"It might have been Naoto," Souji deduced.
"Naoto? Why would he show up on TV?"
"Naoto was on a TV special. Maybe Rion talked to Naoto to warn him," Souji said.
"Now that you mention it, I wonder what he thinks of the Midnight Channel. I don't get this at all. It's keeps nagging at me, I can tell. I'm sure the others saw it too," Yosuke said.
"We'll just have to get together and talk about it then after school," Souji told Yosuke before he hung up.
Just like they agreed, the group met in class 2-2 after school around Souji and Rion's desk.
"So… about the Midnight Channel last night," Chie started.
"I wonder who that was?" Yukiko shrugged.
"I talked to Teddie, and he said no one had entered the other side…," Yosuke put his forefingers on the bridge on his nose.
"That's good," Souji said, "But it was only a yellow screen after all."
Rise looked like it was obvious, "Well yeah, the killer's been caught."
"Yeah…," Yosuke said in a low voice.
Rise and the others looked at Kanji, who was looking down in thought.
"Huh? What's up?" Kanji suddenly looked up.
"You did see the program last night, didn't you?" Rion asked.
"Get with the program, Kanji!" Souji told him.
"So? 'S got nothing to do with us," Kanji explained, "The killer's behind bars, man. You guys are overreacting."
Rion looked at him, "That line of thinking is rather irrational."
"Rion, that shit Naoto said didn't make any sense either, so there's no use getting all worked up about it," Kanji told him.
"That shit, as you call it, makes more sense than you think," Rion replied.
Yukiko interrupted, "Naoto-kun?"
"Uh, no, well… How do I put this?" Kanji was flustered.
"What, were you out of it because you were still thinking about what Naoto said?" Yosuke asked.
"That is a good explanation if you are still worried about all of that," Souji smiled.
Kanji angrily put his fist forward, "That's… I ain't hung up on it!"
Yosuke put in a mocking tone, "It's okay, we all understand. Just don't go overboard, man."
Kanji was getting pissed, "You little… I said that's not it! Tch… I got stuff to do. I'm outta here!" He walked away in anger.
Chie looked annoyed, "Stop bringing that up, Yosuke! You know he doesn't think that's funny!"
Rise seemed to like the gossip, "Ooh, what? What? Did something happen between Kanji and Naoto-kun?"
Yukiko hurriedly changed the subject. All the 2nd years knew why she did so, "Well, that aside… Is it me, or does the town seem kind of strange lately? Everyone is in high spirits, for some reason… And they all talk about other people, but never themselves."
"That is rather natural for humanity. They don't want to focus on themselves," Rion said in his normal voice as he pushed up his glasses.
"Really? I don't think it's anything special," Chie shrugged, "Now that the murder case is solved, people feel relaxed, that's all."
"That's how society is," Rise pointed out, "They all just want to get in on the latest trends. People get excited fast and lose interest even faster. It goes 'round and 'round. There's no underlying reason for it."
"I don't know… It still seems a little weird," Yukiko said.
Chie and Rise looked at Yukiko as she said, "It's like… they're all afraid of something."
They all looked confused as she suddenly said, "Oh… sorry. I just had this feeling."
"Huh…," Chie said.
"You think no one else picked up on that?" Rion asked, "It seems like something big is coming. It's like the calm before the storm."
"That aside," Souji said, "It's going to rain again tonight."
"We should check the Midnight Channel just in case," Chie told them.
The group dispersed after their talk and left while Rion and Rise left together to talk about something.
Souji thought it was odd that Rion suddenly was talking to people all of a sudden, "Maybe it's about the case," Souji said to himself. He shook his head and left them alone.
---
"So, you have to stand up and be loud and resilient when someone tries to tell you to do something," Rion was saying.
"You mean, like shout?" Rise asked as they were walking.
"No, not really. I mean take command of what you say. You don't have to get angry, just be forceful,"
"Okay, I think I get it…"
The conversation continued along the riverbank.
"Welcome home, Big bro!" was what Souji heard as he came back to his home.
He grabbed a pear on his way up to watch the Midnight Channel. He ended up having to hit the bathroom instead.
The TV on 5/15 at Midnight was really clear. It was vivid and Naoto appeared wearing a lab coat over his summer garb.
The Naoto on the TV said, "Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane. Welcome to "Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project." I will be experimentor and experimentee both, in a forbidden yet wonderful bodily alteration process! You shall witness my departure into a new realm… The moment of a new birth! From the chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life. And I will share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you! Do stay tuned!"
It turned off and Souji got a phone call. It was Kanji. Souji thought, "Who else would be calling about Naoto? Oh yeah, Rion."
"Hey! Izzat you, Senpai? Naoto was just… He…!" Kanji was a "little" flustered.
"Calm down a little bit," Souji told him.
"So, this means he was kidnapped?" he asked.
"I think so…"
"You said people only show up clearly on TV once they're thrown into that other world, right?" Kanji asked worriedly.
"That's what we believe," Souji answered.
Kanji asked, "The hell's going on? I thought we caught the damn killer!"
"We might have missed something," Souji said, "We'll just have to discuss it tomorrow."
"I mean, being a detective, solving cases… It ain't worth shit if he gets himself kidnapped. Damn, that idiot pisses me off. Well, let's all get together and meet after school," Kanji seemed to be a mix of frustrated, confused, and worried.
"Okay, I'll see you after school," Souji wished him goodbye.
Souji got another call. It was Rion, but he knew Rion would be much more composed, hopefully.
"This is quite a foolish endeavor that Naoto has gotten into," Rion started off by saying.
"You think so. Did you know beforehand?" Souji asked.
"It was obvious Naoto knew what would happen. Naoto was waiting for it, and trying to see if it would work," Rion said. His voice never wavered.
"That does sound pretty stupid when you think about it," Souji replied.
"Well… I'm sure you need sleep, and I'm sure Kanji already called you," It's like he read Souji's mind. It was a little eerie.
"You're right; I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Good night."
Souji went to bed straight after that. His dreams were plagued of fighting Shadows.
He heard from some of the students as he was walking to school the next day that the rain wouldn't last. After school, they all met around the table to discuss what had happened last night.
"Last night, on TV… That was Naoto-kun for sure," Yukiko said as they sat around their "headquarters" at Junes.
"What's the verdict, Teddie? Is he really in there?" Chie asked.
Teddie replied, "I do smell someone."
"It's just like before… Nothing's changed!" Yosuke was frustrated.
"We have to stay calm…," Souji said.
"Like… Before…," Yukiko slowly said.
She suddenly realized, "Of course! That's why Naoto-kun appeared on the news so suddenly!" Souji knew it was true.
Souji sighed as he thought, "Great… And I thought Naoto is supposed to be smart."
When most of the group looked confused, she explained, "He said something didn't seem right, and that he wasn't convinced. He also believed that people who are kidnapped appear on TV first, remember?"
Yosuke realized, "Wait, you're saying… he's using himself as bait?" Yosuke eyed had widened all of a sudden.
When Chie looked confused, Souji said, "He did come to the same conclusion that we did, about how people who become famous through the TV disappear. He could be trying to prove the theory by using himself."
Rion who had his eyes closed said calmly, "You just now figured that out. Of course Naoto is the bait, and our fish just took the bait. Naoto was never satisfied with the result of the case." Rion thought, "Then again, neither was I. Mitsuo was never right in the mind."
"You mean he got kidnapped on purpose!" Chie exclaimed, "That's crazy! He could be killed!"
Rise told them, "He said… "This is not a game for me, either…" It's all my fault… I'm the one who said that to him." Souji shook his head in denial.
"No, it isn't, Rise," Rion told her, "There are many things that lead to this, and this was not it."
Kanji interrupted everything by slamming his fists on the table, "That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us?"
"Don't you think this would stop him if we did?" Souji pointed out, "So, he left us clues instead so we could figure it out…"
"I know! That son of a…," Kanji was venting.
Chie was flustered, "But, what about the killer the police are holding now? Mitsuo did kill King Moron, right?"
"That's all Mitsuo did though… Naoto singled that out," Souji said.
"I get it now… Naoto-kun did mention that," Yukiko replied, "He said it was strange that the police was able to find Morooka's cause of death."
"Then is King Moron the only one Mitsuo killed?" Yosuke asked, "That would explain why there were no signs of him being thrown into the TV. The killer didn't change his methods for King Moron, there just was a different killer."
"Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun… That's the real killer?" Rise put forth.
"It may be so… but we can not be certain until we capture that person," Rion said, "Everything has many layers to it."
"But… wait a sec," Chie stopped them, "Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird? And they said on the news that the culprit confessed to the other murders, too. There's also something else that's been bothering me, but…"
Kanji slammed his fists again, "To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses that stupid Naoto is going die in there! We gotta go find him!" They nodded in agreement.