RepresentationofP4Ch. 20 (I just noticed that on Nov. 3rd they didn't have school. It's Culture Day, but I won't bother to fix it)
I own nothing, I am nothing, and Persona owns me. Anyways, Atlus owns SMT and Persona
This chapter covers up to Nanako brought to and thrown into the TV.
Okay… more super angst, More OOC actions by some people. Liberties are being taken, and you have to bear with me at least till chapter 22. The story will be back to completely normal by then. 2 more evolving Personas and 1 more upcoming soon by the next chapter.
Naoto was quite cozy and warm being nestled in Rion's shoulder, if slightly uncomfortable for her. Yet, Naoto became less uncomfortable as time went on. She wondered to herself, "What caused his change of heart? Does it really matter right now?"
Naoto saw blue fire rise from her body. Her Persona was changing. The diminutive Persona that helped to built Izumo changed into what else, but a cross-dressing king, "Yamato Takeru".
"This is what I've gained through my love… and by being with him," Naoto murmured, "He was able to change me to who I really am."
"I'm glad to have helped," Rion smiled. He thought, "About time I did something right."
Naoto asked, "So, does this mean you'll stop teasing me?"
"Not in a million years," Rion responded, "Princess."
Naoto pouted, "Not fair…" She thought, "But, I'll be your princess."
Rion was broken out of his own reverie by looking out of his window. He saw a broken-hearted girl running away from the front of his condo, the rain mixing with her tears. That girl was red-headed. That girl was a Persona-user. That girl… was Rise Kujikawa, and one of the people… Rion had treated terribly yesterday. Rion wanted to apologize to her, but he didn't want to damage what he had just figured out with Naoto. Fortunately, or unfortunately for Rion… Naoto saw Rise as well. "What am I going to do?" he thought.
"Why is Rise-san running away?" Naoto asked, lifting her head, "She seems distressed."
Rion sighed and explained, "She suffered an abusive experience yesterday by a conversation with another idol. I also may have made her angry when trying to discuss how to fix and regulate the situation afterwards.
"Poor Rise-san…," Naoto said, "Judging by your expressions, I believe you want to speak to her and apologize."
"She is one of my best friends… But… I understand if you don't want me to go," Rion explained.
Naoto thought to herself and blushed, "He's thinking of me…" She said to him, "Its fine, go talk to Rise-san." She removed herself from his shoulder and smiled at him.
Rion nodded and left the room, and headed for where Rise had run off. She had ended up near the floodplains when he caught up to her. He had run the whole way without bothering to grab an umbrella beforehand. It was the only way Rion was going to catch her. Rise was indeed crying, and the tears were coming down in streams, much like they were yesterday while her umbrella lay on the side, forgotten. Yet, they were different from the tears she shed yesterday from Kanami's barrage of insults… Those were tears of anger and distress. Her tears were streaming down her school uniform when Rion walked up next to her, picking up her umbrella and giving it to her.
"Rise-chan…," Rion said softly. "This is not going to be fun," Rion thought.
Rise didn't want Rion's sympathy, "L… Leave me alone… I… I don't want to talk to you!" Rise was inconsolable at the moment.
"Rise…," Rion said in a slightly more commanding tone, "Just listen to me…"
"No!" Rise yelled through her tears, "Who will listen to me now? When Souji rejected me… I had someone to talk to. Now… I don't have anyone." She broke down completely, "I'm completely worthless…"
Rion wanted to smack her… She was back to her old ways of feeling worthless when something went wrong. And here he thought he might have been able do something, but he had to try. Rion looked at the distraught girl and said softly again, "Rise… look at me," Rise turned her puffy eyes towards him, albeit reluctantly "You look terrible. Please don't cry… I don't want you to cry. You're my best friend." Rion hated making people cry, and he seemed to be so good at it recently.
Rise brushed her tears away, "Rion-senpai… I just… I wanted you to be there. You were always there, and I wanted to be the one to k… kiss you. This wasn't some stupid infatuation like with Souji-senpai. This was… This was love."
"Rise-chan… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry," Rion told her.
Rise looked at him as she sniffed and said, "I… I shouldn't be like this, I know. I should be happy for you. You looked so happy with Naoto-kun, and she looked happy too. Kanji will be so pissed though."
Rion wanted to laugh at her last sentence, but he composed himself. "Do you want to go for a walk?" Rion suggested as Rise wiped away the rest of her tears from her face, "You can yell at me all you want about all the stupid stuff I've done, okay?" Rion steadied himself, for this was not going to be easy.
"Yeah… I'd like that. I need to go and change. I look like a mess," Rise accepted his offer.
They began walking down the floodplains to clear Rise's head, and to get Rise's makeup cleaned up.
---
Meanwhile…
Souji, Yosuke, Teddie, Yukiko, and Chie had all met up under the sheltered table when Yukiko said she had gotten this weird feeling. Kanji had to help his mom, and would be there soon.
Souji had just received a text just a few minutes ago from Rion. It contained a picture of Naoto that he had sent earlier. It was that infamous schoolgirl picture that he had taken with his cell phone. Needless to say, it caused quite a stir among his classmates and Teddie.
"Wow, that's amazing…," Yosuke said, "She looks… well wow," He was promptly hit by Chie, "Sorry, well… how did Rion get this picture?"
"It's Rion, you idiot!" Souji exclaimed, "He hangs out with her more than anyone else except for maybe Rise. She obviously likes him."
"Nao-chan looks so cute," Teddie said, "I want to see her!" He was promptly hit on the head by Yosuke.
"I doubt she'll let you see her like that," Yosuke responded.
"I never thought she would do this though," Chie put forth, "She's usually so against doing anything like this."
"Yeah… I wonder if this is why she was so nervous at school today." Yukiko asked, "She looked like a complete mess."
"Shit, Rion," Souji was thinking, "How did you pull this off?"
---
After all the drama had been cleared, well temporarily, Rise and Rion were walking down Samegawa Floodplains, the flowing river in the distance. Rise had calmed down a bit since she had broken down in front of him. But Rion was still a little worried about her psyche. It hurt the young man to see her that way. What bothered him the most was that it caused a pang in his heart.
Rion explained that he was going to be on TV, and it worried Rise, "You shouldn't do it…"
"You know I'm trying to help people," Rion explained.
Rise wouldn't have it, "It's irresponsible." She sniffed.
"Isn't it…," Rion said, "But when am I not acting rash?"
"You do things like that way too often…," Rise admitted softly, "You should be careful. I don't want to have to save you too." Secretly, she meant it would hurt too much.
Rion decided to change the subject. He knew far too well what she meant by those words.
"I haven't always done the best I could for you," Rion admitted, while not fully looking at her. He seemed to be more enamored with the trees, or he was trying to be. He didn't want to look in her eyes. He was failing too.
"What do you mean?" Rise looked at him while she placed her hands behind her back.
Rion shook his head as he failed at his attempt to not look at her and said, "I'm sorry for spiking your drink and basically knocking you out at the club."
"So… it really was you!" Rise exclaimed. Any sadness she had was forgotten as she stared him down.
"Yeah… Pershona… all the way," Rion smiled as Rise pushed him, "Hey!"
"You're so mean…," Rise complained, "You spiked my soft drinks!"
"Like you aren't mean… Why was I stuck cross-dressing?" Rion asked, "I had to dress as much like a boy as possible so I didn't look stupid."
"I didn't want to leave you out. I don't know… It was like they were already annoyed at Souji and Yosuke for making them participate, and Kanji seemed too desperate for Naoto to compete. I think you just got caught up in the cross-fire," Rise shrugged, "You just imitated Naoto-kun." She shook her head sadly. "Of course you would imitate Naoto-kun."
"I imitated Naoto-kun cause I was trying to make her act like a girl," Rion explained. "Besides, "Rion said to her, "You were the one who suggested signing us all up though."
"I thought it'd be fun to see you in a dress…," Rise chuckled, "Except you did not wear one."
"That's it, you're the mean one," Rion rolled his eyes as he stated the facts, "And if you wanted me to wear one, you should have dressed me yourself."
"The only reason you had to dress yourself is because you had to work," Rise responded. Rise shook her head, "You also walked in on us while we were at the hot springs."
Rion rolled his eyes again, "During the guys' turn to use the springs, let me remind you."
"It doesn't matter!" Rise exclaimed, "We didn't even get to pummel you with buckets like you should have been."
"I'm sorry you can't throw a bucket fast enough, Rise-chan. But, if it makes you feel better, I wasn't watching," Rion explained to her. He smirked, "But you sure did get a good look at me."
She blushed scarlet at remembering Rion with his toned and muscular bare chest. Maybe that's why she was slow at throwing the bucket.
Rise looked at him shyly, "O… okay, I believe you, but I'm still mad." She looked at him and asked slowly, "Are you sure you weren't trying to take a look?"
Rion pretended to look innocent, "I'm not going to say anything." Rise hit him over the head.
"Ohh… I see how it is," Rise smirked, "You were trying to "take a look".
"Again, no comment," Rion shook his head again, "How about you make an edible omelet next time, and then we'll talk, okay?"
Rion was shoved again as Rise exclaimed, "Meanie! That was a mistake, okay! Nanako-chan liked it."
"Nanako-chan would like anything. She's much nicer and tolerant than all of us," Rion told her.
"You're right… she's totally innocent and such a polite girl," Rise said.
"I just feel bad that…," Rion started to say before he spotted a girl ahead of them coming from the riverbank. It was Kanamin in a black blouse and skirt, and it looked like she was ready for another round of abuse to give to the former idol.
"Heeey! Risette! Come here!" she yelled, "I want to have a talk with you!"
Rion told Rise, "You don't have to deal with this. Just ignore her."
Rise steeled herself and told Rion, "I have to redeem myself and face my fears. I need to face myself." After that, she walked away from Rion, and towards Kanamin.
"If this is what she wants…," Rion shook his head and pushed up his glasses, "I believe in her."
"What do you want this time?" Rise asked. She had wiped away all of her tears, and showed none of the former pain she had felt yesterday, or even from about twenty minutes ago. She had to have been pushing a lot away so she could keep a straight face.
I just want to have some more fun with ya!" Kanamin said in glee. She pointed at Rion, "Oh… that's the boy that stopped you yesterday… Who's he?"
Rise wasn't sure what to say, "He's… he's my friend from school."
"Right… I'm sure you have friends," Sounding disbelieving that Rise would have a friend like him, "He's far too good looking. He looks like someone who should be with me," Kanamin gestured to Rion, "Why don't you come with me?"
Rion rolled his eyes in denial, "I'll have to pass, little girl."
"What did you say!? Do you know who I am!?" Kanami asked Rion, "I'm Kanamin. Why are you even near this loser?"
"I'm someone who will never stop watching over her," Rion responded. Rise turned her head for a second at his remark. She wasn't sure by what he meant but she had to respond to her rival.
Rise stared her down, "Do you even have a real friend, Kamanin?"
"What do you mean Risette?" Kanami asked, sounding a little confused.
"I mean someone who cares about you? Someone who trusts you?" Rise responded.
"Of course I do!" Kanami rebuked.
"I don't mean your fanboys and girls," Rise rolled her eyes, "I mean people you can trust."
"I don't get you… I have tons of friends. More than you!" Kanami said proudly.
"Do you really?" Rise questioned, "Name the ones who really care about you? Do you trust in them?" Rise continued, "Do you trust your manager? Do you trust your own parents?"
Kanami couldn't say anything, "I… Quit this crap! Don't give me this shit about my friends! Or my parents!"
Rise felt arms encircle her own waist, and she was taken by surprise. Rion's arms had reached around her and made a circle to hold her against him. Rise just about gasped as she felt his warms arms wrap around her. It was a complete contrast compared to the rain that had surrounded them. Any words that she was about to say to Kanamin evaporated in her throat immediately. "Why…?" was the thought that crossed her mind.
"What the hell is this?" Kanami asked, watching the scene unfold between the pair.
"Tell me, Kanami," Rion asked, "You say you have so many friends, but can they prove that fact to you?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Would your friend ask you "How you are doing?"?" Rion asked, "Or if you were sad, "How can I help?" or, "What's wrong?""
"Of course they would!" Kanamin told them, "I have many that would ask me something like that."
Rion stared her straight down and said slowly with a sigh, "I don't think you really understand the meaning of friendship."
"I have no clue what you mean!" Kanamin yelled at him.
"A friend is someone you can count on to save you. Rise has gained friends that would risk their lives for her. Can you say the same?" Rion questioned the idol.
"Risking their life? Why the hell would someone need to do that?" Kanami asked incredulously.
Rion chuckled inwardly, "You have no idea, but Rise has friends who would."
"And who the hell are you then?" Kanamin questioned Rion, "Are you someone who would do this? Would you waste your life on this trash?"
"Without a second thought," Rion told her, "She is someone that my life is worth living and dying for."
"What the hell?" she asked, "Why…? What's so…?"
Rise looked up at the taller man in happiness and spoke for the first time since Rion came to her, "He already has," she said, "He risked his life for me, and saved me."
"This is the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard," Kanamin muttered. But, it was obvious that she was shaken by what she said.
Rion began speaking to Kanamin again, "I'll tell you what I'll told Rise. It's what drove Rise to take time off. You will lose confidence in yourself by not seeing your real self. You will become a pawn to everyone else. Your manager, Inoue, will use you to his advantages. The producers, directors, and agencies will use your talent to mold you and suck every last yen out of you. You'll see very quickly that your "so-called friends" will only want to know what's "new" about you, and not how you feel."
Those words touched Rise and rang home with Kanamin. It was a mirror image to what happened to her. She was held down by those exact things.
Kanamin shook her head, "I don't believe you." Yet, when she left, she had a much more distressed look on her face, "Go have fun with your boyfriend! Call me when you have your first kid."
After the younger idol left in a huff, Rion slowly removed his arms from Rise's waist. She turned around and looked at him. She was exuding happiness and was smiling. It didn't matter anymore to her that her makeup was running. She opened her mouth and said, "You know… you didn't have to stand up to her like that. You told me that I should do that on my own."
Rion responded slowly and deliberately, "I know I said that… but I felt like it." Rise smiled at him, and Rion returned with a small one.
"Thanks though…," Rise said sheepishly, "I think it really worked this time. She may leave me alone for a while."
"You did really well," Rion told the former idol, "That's all I ever expected and more."
"That's only cause you came in and started talking," Rise pointed out, "I could not have done it without you." She nodded with herself.
Rion shook his head in denial, "You were doing fine on my own."
Rise tried to deny it and shook her head, "I don't believe that."
"You said you only wanted me just standing near you," Rion told her the truth.
Rise looked guilty, "You heard that yesterday, didn't you?"
"I'm not completely deaf," Rion shrugged, "You're pretty loud, actually."
Rise cracked a smile, "Guess not…"
The two of them decided to walk down to the riverbank, which was thankfully devoid of Kanami, people named Death, and creepy, armor-selling fisherman.
It was nice down there. You could only hear the whistling of trees, the flowing river, the pattering rain, and fish searching for food. The only people in the area where Rise and Rion, and Rise knew this was her only chance to state her case. She knew he had already set his heart on someone else, but she had to tell him everything, even if there was nothing he probably didn't already know.
"Rion… Rion-kun, Kanami is going to raise hell by seeing your arms around me," Rise told him, "That's probably the last thing I need. An imaginary boyfriend that I don't have. There will be so many rumors going around now. My website will be a disaster now."
Rion shook his head, "I'm sorry… I hope you understood the point I was trying to make."
"I did… Thanks, Senpai," Rise said.
Rion sighed and he started to turn around, "I better get back, Naoto will be worried."
Rise put her arms out, "Wait!"
Rion stopped, turned back, and looked at her, "Yes?"
"You know… I… I didn't want you to let go of me. And hearing Kanamin calling you my boyfriend… Of course, you already knew that."
Rion sighed. He didn't want to say this. It was killing him. In reality, he could hear his own self… his own heart breaking, on the inside. Slowly, he finally started saying, "Rise-chan… There is a part of me… A part of me that didn't want to let you go either. The part of me that never wanted to let you go."
Needless to say, Rise was left speechless. "What is he saying? Did he just say?" Her thoughts were jumbled… Rise's thoughts only became more tangled as Rion moved closer and brushed his lips ever so slightly against hers. It was the shortest kiss one person could imagine, but in a way… it was more passionate than one of lust and force.
Rion put his head down and muttered, "I really can't tell you what I'm thinking right now… I'm so sorry, but I need to think things through. I've made such a mess of things that I can not forgive myself." Rion walked past Rise without a second thought leaving a stunned Rise in his wake. Rion was as solemn as he could be as he left the floodplains walking along the riverbank. He still so much to do that he didn't want to do anymore, but now he felt like his actions had alienated him from everyone. He knew that she saw him, and what had just been done, had been undone by his own actions.
Rise could still feel the tingling where Rion's lips had touched her. It took her a second to get her thoughts together on what happened. "He's such an idiot…," she said, "What is he thinking?" It was the first "real" kiss she felt like she ever had. She felt something above her, and she looked above. Her Persona was changing in front of her; "Himiko" was changing and turning into "Kanzeon". It was no longer the Prophet and Queen of early Japan.
Yet, she wondered if there was any doubt in his heart. She shook her head, "There had to be," as she shed a tear, "Or he wouldn't have been with Naoto." But, she also felt a little jealousy, and even anger that he would play with both of their hearts simultaneously. In the end, love was going to win out with Rise Kujikawa.
Rise couldn't stop from being a little happy though. She turned around to leave Samegawa to do her own thinking when standing in front of her was none other than Naoto Shirogane. "Oh, shit!" Rise thought. Needless to say, Naoto didn't look happy to see Rise Kujikawa, even sans Rion.
Naoto was a mixture of pure sadness and anger. Rise was thinking as she gazed upon the blue-haired girl in the school-girl outfit even in a mix of emotions, "She looks so pretty."
"I hate… why!?" Naoto ran up to Rise by the water and collapsed at her feet, "I… I saw it all…"
"Naoto-kun…," Rise wasn't good at consoling people, "Umm…" She noticed that her voice had never been so high-pitched before. The only time it was ever close to this was when she faced her Shadow. "Rion-kun really had changed her," Rise thought.
"He… kissed you…!" Naoto yelled, "Why!?" Naoto looked up at Rise, "I saw him putting his arms all around you and over you while conversing to that other girl. Somebody please tell me what the hell is going on!? There is no logical explanation for this."
"Umm… well…," Rise didn't exactly know where to start, "Well, that other girl was another idol that had been making fun of me, and Rion was helping me stand up to her. He was pretending to be my boyfriend so she'd leave me alone."
"And why does that involve fondling you?" Naoto questioned, "Why did you even need his assistance? You should be better than that." Naoto was shaking her head.
"Umm… I don't know," Rise answered, "I wasn't really sure, but it… wasn't like that."
"Why… Why did he kiss you?" Naoto was crying now. Rise didn't know Naoto could cry like this. She felt so bad about it all. "I think this is what Rion meant by his confusion," Rise thought, "He's really torn with his feelings." Rise didn't know what she was going to do with him either.
Naoto looked up, "Torn with his feelings?"
"He doesn't know exactly," Rise said sadly, "I think he's very confused. Rion… Rion-senpai is lost right now… I don't think he knows what he wants."
Naoto shook her head and wiping her eyes as she said, "Lost… I thought he just found himself and he got lost again!? This makes no sense. He's acting like an infantile kid who does not understand people's feelings!"
"We are kids… Naoto-kun," Rise responded.
Naoto exclaimed, "Don't give me that right now! Rion should know better!"
"Since when does anything concerning Rion…Rion make sense?" Rise asked. Rise really wanted to call him, Rion-kun but did not want to push Naoto.
"It never does… He acts like a know-it-all who gets out of everything, breaks every rule, and is arrogant as hell," Naoto answered. It seemed like she had ran out of tears to cry.
Rise told Naoto, "No matter how much we want to pummel him for choosing one over the other, or even trying to take both of us; I don't think we'd be able to get through to him."
Naoto sniffed in what might have been an attempt to be a laugh, "I think that the others would want to talk to us after this."
"I think Kanji-kun will want to pound Rion-senpai after this," Rise tried to chuckle, but was unsuccessful.
Naoto rolled her eyes, "I need to change back. Kanji-kun won't get a chance to pummel Rion. There won't be anything left for him to beat after I get done with him."
Rise looked at Naoto as they were about to leave, "Naoto-kun… where are your socks?"
Naoto could have screamed, "RION!"
---
Kanji had arrived while this was all transpiring and was subsequently shown the picture of Naoto in a school-girl uniform. There was temporary worry from the group that he would need a blood transfusion as his loss of blood through his nose was making him rather pale. Luckily, Yukiko knocked him unconscious, and stuck large amounts of tissues in the nostrils.
"He's got major issues," Yosuke said.
"Tell me about it," Souji agreed, "We haven't even told him where we got the picture from. He's going to be so envious."
"Not anymore… Who wants to knock some sense into Rion?" Naoto had entered wearing her usual uniform, talking in her normal voice. She was looking at Chie expectantly
"Knock some sense into… Rion?" Chie asked, "Why?"
"He's a person who can not keep his lips to himself!" Naoto exclaimed, "He goes and…"
"Kisses me out of the blue," Rise said, "But try to calm down Naoto-kun… I thought I explained it to you."
"Well…" Souji didn't want to be a part of this, "Umm… what's going on here?" Souji shook his head as he thought, "He kissed Rise? But I just got that picture, and he's cheating on Naoto… with Rise?"
Yosuke woke Kanji up with a bucket of water and everyone started to listen to Naoto and Rise's story. Kanji didn't seem amused, as expected, "I'll kill him!"
"Calm down…," Yosuke said, "You just lost a lot of blood, remember? Don't raise your blood pressure, or you'll pass out again."
"This is bear-y confusing though," Teddie said, "Why would he do this?"
"That's what we want to know," Rise lamented, "One day he was pushing both of us away, and the next…"
"So…," Souji put it together, "You both liked him, and then he suddenly had a change of heart or something."
"If there weren't two of you, his change of heart would have been romantic," Yukiko looked up at the sky.
"Thanks a lot," Naoto said sarcastically, "I've never felt so worthless and used."
"Well, Rion-senpai will be on TV tonight, and he better show up at school tomorrow so I can kick his ass!" Kanji yelled.
"Man, his blood pressure has never been so boiled," Souji said, "Not even when Naoto was captured."
Yukiko pulled him over to the side and said, "I think Rion's hurting… we should talk to him."
Souji nodded, "He'll talk to me. I'm usually the only guy he'll call."
When Souji did try the call, no one picked up, "No luck."
"I wonder if he left for the interview, maybe?" Chie asked herself.
"Or… he's not answering," Rise said, "He's probably not going to." "He's hiding from us," Rise thought.
Souji just sighed and told everyone to go home.
Rise stopped Naoto before they left.
"Naoto-kun… I'm sorry about all of this," Rise said, "I just wanted to tell you, I was actually really jealous of you."
Naoto looked at Rise. They both had their share of puffy eyes today, "You were jealous of me? Why?"
"I liked Rion-kun for a while, but not anything like the way I felt for Souji-senpai. This was more real for me," Rise explained, "When you joined us, it seemed Rion-kun started spending all of his time with you, and no matter what I did… I could not get his attention anymore."
Naoto sighed, "I understand, sort of. Most of the attention he paid to me was not always enjoyable for me, but I can sympathize with you. He did come back to you after all. We will see what he says when we see him again."
Souji had gone home and made dinner with Nanako. It was a lot easier on Nanako when you had someone who could actually cook, so less of that processed crap for her and her uncle. The TV was on, and Souji was anxious to hear if Rion was going to be on. Sure enough…
"Now for the local news…," the anchorman said, "A local resident of Inaba made news when he qualified for the Summer Olympics in London 2012. Over the summer break, a 2nd year high school student went through the regional tournament and was accepted for the national team for Saber fencing. His name is Rion Ishinata and was a previous Jr. National Champion of Japan. Let's see if we can get a few comments from him." It was Rion on the screen, and he was sitting on a bench near Samegawa with a reporter interviewing him.
"There he is…," Souji said. "Rion looks even more solemn than usual. Maybe he really is affected by what happened today."
"I know him!" Nanako exclaimed, "He's been here. He's famous too?"
"Yeah, he is…"
"Mr. Ishinata, is it true that you are leaving to work with the National Team as soon as you can?" the reporter asked.
Rion looked serious, "As soon as the things that are needed to be taken care are finished… I'll leave."
"Like school?" The reporter asked, "I heard you're finishing school early, and they are even allowing you to taking your exams early."
"I guess… I guess that's part of it," Rion said slowly. Souji knew what he meant. Rion meant the murders. Rion continued, "The team understands I have things to finish and they'll be ready."
"You had to have been rusty after all this time away from the sport. How were you able to come back so easily and qualify for the team?" the reporter asked.
"I was able to do some special training. Before you ask, I can not disclose on what kind of special training it was," It seems like Rion was covering all of his bases.
"Rion is smart…," Souji thought, "It's not like he'd disclose what we do."
If the reporter was confused, he didn't show it, he asked, "You have dual citizenship, correct? You could have competed for Great Britain correct?"
"I am half-Japanese and half-British," Rion explained, "But, I'd rather compete for Japan."
"Is there anything else you would like to say?"
"I just want to say…," Rion said, "If I hurt you… I'm truly sorry for what I've done."
"At least he's apologizing…," Souji thought.
The reporters looked confused, but the interview ended after a few more questions.
After that, Nanako and Souji began eating again when Nanako finally said, "Dad's late."
"I guess he is," Souji said.
The doorbell rang and surprised both of them. Nanako thought it might have been Dojima, "Did he forget his keys?" and she ran to the door. She walked back after checking, looking disappointed, "It was the deliveryman. He was asking where Mr. Takahashi's house is.
Right after that, the phone rang, and Nanako reached for it. It was Dojima of course.
"Hello, this is the Dojima residence," Nanako answered.
"Nanako… This is dad," Dojima said.
Nanako was happy, "Oh, hi Dad!"
"I'll be back late tonight," Dojima told Nanako over the phone, "I'm sorry."
"Uh huh… All right. It's okay, I know it's your job," Nanako told him, a little sad.
"You'll be okay all alone?" Dojima asked.
"Uh huh… Uh huh… Big bro is with me, so I'll be fine," Nanako replied.
"Okay… that's fine," Dojima responded
"All right then," Nanako said
"Bye, Nanako"
"Okay… Bye bye!"
When Nanako hung up she turned to Souji and said, "Dad says he's coming home tomorrow."
"That's too bad," Souji told her.
She steeled herself from her disappointment and put up a brave face, "But I'm not lonely… You're here with me!"
Souji smiled, "She looks sad on the inside," he was thinking.
She looked cheerful anyways, but then says, "It's cold outside too." She looked at Souji, who was still sitting, "Wanna bring out the kotatsu? Dad said we could pull it out it if it gets too cold. That'll make it nice and warm."
"Sure!" Souji said.
It was pretty chilly and the lack of indoor heating made it cold inside.
Souji helped Nanako pull out the kotatsu. It took two people to pull out that heavy thing. Souji helped Nanako plug it in. He was a little suspicious when it sparked a lot when it was plugged in.
"Okay, I'm turning it on!" Nanako said cheerfully.
She flipped the switch on and off multiple times, but nothing was happening. It made Nanako frustrated.
"What? It's not coming on. Looks like it's broken," Nanako said.
"That's silly," Souji said, "Let's get the best one from Junes!"
"Huh? We can get a new one!? From Junes!" she was excited, "Yay! When you have some time, let's go! We get to go to Junes!"
It was still raining when Souji went upstairs for the evening, so Souji decided he would watch the Midnight Channel. At midnight, as expected, the yellow screen came on. There was someone on the Channel, but he could barely tell it was someone. There was no way it was Rion, but that was all he could tell. "No luck for Rion. That's too bad. He's going to be pissed off," he said quietly.
As expected, he got a phone call afterwards, so Souji answered the phone. It was Yosuke.
"Hey, did you see that?" Yosuke asked.
"I did," Souji answered.
"It was really blurry, but you saw someone on the screen, right?" Yosuke asked Souji.
"I did, and it wasn't Rion," Souji responded.
"Yeah… Dammit! Is there going to be another kidnapping then?" Yosuke asked in annoyance.
"I don't know…," Souji wasn't sure.
"Let's get together as soon as we can tomorrow," Yosuke put forth.
"We should. It was just far too hard to make out who it was. Maybe someone knows who it is," Souji said. He thought, "I wish Rion would show up at school, but I doubt he will."
"Let's just keep our schedules open after school," Yosuke said.
Both of them hung up after that.
After school, they all met up at Junes, underneath the covered benches. The only one who wasn't there was Rion, much to Kanji's disappointment and to Rise and Naoto's as well, it seemed.
Naoto had calmed down a little bit since yesterday, "I watched the Midnight Channel last night, as you suggested." She looked annoyed, "To think a master of deduction and evidence would strain her eyes over an urban legend like this. And yet… I definitely saw someone."
"We all were like that in the beginning," Souji said.
Yosuke asked, "Could any of you tell who it was?"
"I couldn't," Souji shook his head. The rest shook their head as well.
Kanji said, "From a fuzzy picture like that? No way!" He was disappointed he couldn't bash Rion senseless. Souji knew it was driving him nuts that he couldn't take his chair and take it over Rion's head.
"How about the regular TV? Has anyone became famous around here lately?" Yukiko asked the group. She was trying to think outside of Rion.
"I can't think of any offhand," Naoto said, "I suppose there was that politician who came to quell the rumors about the fog. His statement was read on TV. But the chances of him being the one are slim. He returned immediately to the city after his inquiry."
Souji thought, "Naoto is really trying to take her mind off Rion and put it on the case. It must be tough for her." He was wondering if he could have done that if it was Yukiko. He shook his head. He probably couldn't have. "No wonder Yosuke didn't want a girlfriend while this was going on," Souji thought.
Teddie was thinking as well, out loud, "Hrmm… "
Yosuke asked, "What's the matter, Teddie?" He then said, "Oh yeah, they stuck you with the midnight shift because you kept falling asleep on the beds in housewares. I told you to use the TV in the electronics department, right? Did you check it out?"
"How rude!" Teddie looked offended, "I made a promise to Nana-chan and I'm serious about living! From what I saw… wasn't the person on TV last night pretty small?"
"I dunno… It was too blurry to make out any details, including how tall or short they were. It was probably just a dream, or your imagination," Chie said, "Either way, though, did you sense anyone in that world?"
"Nope. No one has come so far," Teddie responded.
Souji said, "Then we'll have to wait another night, I guess."
"I guess so…," Yosuke said, "Good thing it looks like the rain will keep up all night. Don't forget to check again later on."
"I need Rion to tell Yosuke to shut up," Souji thought, "But, he's not here."
They parted ways after that, and left for home. Souji sighed at the lack of information they had gleaned from that day and headed to the residence of Dojima.
Nanako and Souji were sitting at home watching TV in the evening, waiting for Dojima to come home. When Dojima did come home, Nanako got up and walked towards her father. Dojima had a letter in his hand.
"Hey, I'm home!" Dojima said as he walked in.
"Welcome back!" Nanako greeted her dad. She told her father with a smile, "Dad, the kotatsu's broken. Can me and big bro go buy a new one?"
Dojima was confused for a second, "The kotatsu…? Ah, it's already that season, huh? Yeah, the weather has been odd lately." He looked at Souji, "Alright, I'll leave it up to you. Get whichever kind you want."
Souji nodded and Nanako looked at the letter in her dad's hand, "Is that a letter?"
Dojima looked at Souji and said, "It's for you, but…" He handed it to Souji. Souji had a very bad feeling about this. He didn't like random letters.
It was addressed to him, but there was no return address. Souji opened it with everyone watching. It said,
"If you dont stop this time someone close to you will be put in and killed"
It looked like another warning letter. Souji thought to himself, "Not this again. Not while Dojima is home!"
Dojima quickly grabbed the letter and read it. He was obviously shocked by what it said, "Hey!? What the hell is this?" He exclaimed, "Not often do we get letters with no return addresses on them." He looked angry, "So I was right."
Nanako looked worried. Dojima looked really angry now. He looked really mad, and at her Big bro. Nanako was ready to tear up.
Dojima went down to Souji's level where he was sitting by crouching down. He asked, "Be straight with me… You're involved in the case, aren't you? What are you up to?"
Souji decided not to talk. "There's no way in hell I'm telling him anything," he thought, "It's not like he'd believe me, anyways."
"So you're not going to be honest with me." Dojima answered, "I've been treating you like family. That's why I've never questioned you like this before. But I see this was a mistake. I should have intervened much earlier because I care for you." Dojima was very direct, "I will have the truth from you today."
"D…Dad?" Nanako was scared.
"We'll continue this somewhere else. But I'm not letting you leave until I'm convinced. This is for you own good… Got that?" Dojima looked at the scared Nanako, "It's alright… We're not fighting. We'll be right back, so don't wait up for us to get to bed, okay?"
Souji tried to calm her down, "We'll be back soon."
"Okay, I'll be waiting," Nanako answered.
Souji was lead to the police station after Dojima drove him, and taken to a small room for questioning. Dojima didn't handcuff him or anything. He wouldn't do that, obviously. While he was sitting at the police station, across from Dojima and Adachi sitting behind Souji, Souji's cell phone went off. Dojima quickly got up, went over to where Souji was sitting, and took the cell phone from Souji's hands.
Dojima told him, "I'll hold onto this." Souji no longer had a cell as Dojima returned to his chair across from Souji. Souji needed that. How would he order pizza now? Really, now there was no way for him to contact his friends.
Dojima wanted answers, "Now speak up. What have you gotten yourself into? What was that warning letter about? Why would you be sent something like that?"
Souji decided to tell him everything about well… everything, "Might as well. He isn't going to believe me," he thought. "Personas, Going into TVs, All-Out Attacks, and Galactic Punts!" he told Dojima.
"Personas…? Going into TVs…? Are you making fun of me?" Dojima told him, "I thought you'd finally tell me what's going on in here." When Souji tried to keep going on about the art of Galactic Punts, Dojima got annoyed, "Enough! That's enough!" He sighed, "I guess half a year wasn't enough for you to trust me like your old man. But I hoped you would open up to me a little." Dojima sighed, "It's a shame." Dojima shook his head, "Stay here for the night." He walked away and Adachi quickly got out of his way as Dojima exited the room.
"Whoa! Sorry…," Adachi said as Dojima left. He looked at Souji after Dojima left,
"Dang… Go inside TVs… and Personas, huh? Well, you can't blame him. I mean, sure, I want to believe you. And I know Dojima-san brought you here, and asked you those questions because he wants to believe in you too. Plus, you know, you'll be safe here. He probably freaked out once he saw that letter and thought he had to protect you. Like what a father would do for a son. I think he cares for you a lot. So yeah, don't take it so hard."
He explained, "Y'know, Dojima-san's started looking into the people involved with the first case again. Guess he wasn't satisfied with the case wrapped up after all. That's why he's even more sensitive about this and that…" Adachi was cut off by a knock on the door. "Ahaha… I better shut up before I get chewed out again. Alright, I'll be just outside. If you need anything, just let me know."
"Yeah, can I ask you to let me out?," Souji thought to himself.
---
Meanwhile,
Yosuke and Teddie were working at the Junes' grocery department.
Yosuke sighed, "Why do I have to pitch in with stock duty?"
"It's because I'm not working hard enough," Teddie replied, "There's no getting around it."
"And you're proud of that because?" Yosuke asked, "Why am I taking care of you anyways?" He sighed, "I shouldn't have bought you this." He handed Teddie a cell, "Hang onto this, okay? It's your own cell."
"I've entered the Information Age!" Teddie sounded excited. Yosuke just rolled his eyes at the bear-human's exuberance.
"We'd get worried if we couldn't reach you," Yosuke said, "It's just a cheap kid's model, though."
Teddie was very gracious, "Th… Thank you, Yosuke!"
Yosuke tried to explain, "So, to use it, press this button…" He gave up and pulled out his own, "Uhh, scrap that. Watch, I'll show you how I use mine."
He speed-dialed Souji, but since it was taken away by Dojima, got no answer. He's not picking up," Yosuke said, "It's raining right now, so I was going to remind him about the Midnight Channel. Does he not hear it because he's out?"
Teddie picked up a huge basket of something that looked like candy and told Yosuke, "I wanna go to Nana-chan's place! I promised to play with her lots!"
Yosuke denied him, "We're not going! And put those snacks back! It's already dinnertime, so save'em for your next visit." While Teddie looked down, Yosuke thought while saying, "Oh, I get you… If he's out, that means Nanako-chan might be home alone."
Teddie exclaimed, "I feel bad to think of her staying home all alone. We could take her some dinner, please!"
"Okay, I hear you!" Yosuke shook his head.
"So we can go!?" Teddie asked expectantly, "Sweet! You're so mature, Yosuke! I think my heart just skipped a beat because of your thoughtfulness!"
"Hang on a sec, I'll try calling again," Yosuke said. Obviously, no luck again, "He's still not picking up. Oh, duh. I forgot to try his home line." So, Yosuke called the Dojima household.
Nanako picked up, "Hello?"
"Hey, Nanako-chan." Yosuke asked, "Is your brother home?"
"No," she answered, "He got a weird letter, and Dad saw it and got angry. He took big bro to the police station."
"Wait, what!? He got taken to the police station!?" Yosuke was stunned.
Teddie got annoyed at waiting and listening to Yosuke, "Stop blabbering and let me talk too!" He took the phone and started talking to Nanako, "Good evening, this is your Teddie speaking. Let's get together and eat snacks again."
Yosuke was talking to himself, "Weird letter…?"
"We'll go check up on your brother and dad," Teddie told Nanako, "So don't worry, okay?"
Yosuke came to a conclusion as he was thinking out loud, "Wait, was it another warning letter!? Did he get a second one? And Dojima-san saw that, so… he took him to the police station?"
Yosuke yelled at Teddie, "Teddie, give me the phone back! I need to call the others!"
Yosuke started calling the others, except for Rion who he couldn't reach through the cell.
---
Meanwhile,
Souji was sitting in the lonely police station holding room, waiting for the time to go by. He noticed a small TV in the corner, and that it was reaching midnight, so he thought to himself, "Why not?" He went to the TV and went to watch the Midnight Channel. The yellow screen came on, and it was indeed a small person. And not only that, but it was also Nanako! There was no way it wasn't his little sis. "Oh fuck!" he nearly yelled, but he kept it to himself. "Damn it! I can't call anyone. Dojima took my fucking cell!"
---
Elsewhere,
A man, "Poor thing… I'll put you at ease soon…"
---
At Rion's
An opened cabinet was absent of his weaponry, He was looking at an address book and a map, "Well… it'll be too late to reach her, so I'll have to take this route. Okay… God help her, and may god help his soul when I reach him." He started placing the weapons in slots on a bike, and grabbed the helmet. "I hope you know what it will be like to suffer."
---
On the road in Samegawa towards Dojima's residence,
Naoto was running towards the Dojima's home talking to Chie over the phone.
"Wasn't that Nanako-chan on the Midnight Channel just now?" Chie asked Naoto, "How could it be her?"
"I know what you're thinking, but Nanako-chan does fit the pattern. She wasn't seen, but she was heard," Naoto told Chie.
"What!?" Chie was dumbfounded.
"Do you remember the politician who visitied a local school, and made the news multiple times? In those interviews, he always quoted a particular student he spoke with. The child became well-known while remaining anonymous. That child was Nanako-chan! A reporter who took interest in this released her photo and interview using her real name in today's evening paper. But even before that… This is a small rural town. Her identity must have been circulating for quite some time now," Naoto was out of breath.
"Oh my God!" Chie was speechless. Chie felt terrified and scared for Souji's cousin.
"I should've realized it much sooner…," Naoto was downtrodden, "But I was hung up on the idea of people who were "shown" on TV. It didn't occur to me that this would qualify." She thought bitterly, "That's not the only reason I was distracted. That's exactly why…"
Chie was flustered, "What are we going to do? Nanako-chan's all alone right now, isn't she?"
"I'm on my way there as we speak to check up on her!" Naoto responded, "Yosuke-senpai is heading to the police station! He said he called Kanji-kun too. They'll explain the situation!"
"I'll join them right away! And I'll let Rise-chan and Yukiko know!" Chie yelled.
"Yes, please do!" Naoto yelled back. She just wondered, "Why can't we get a hold of Rion-senpai?"
---
It was a little later in the police station when Teddie, Yosuke and Kanji arrived and ran into where Souji was being held.
"Hm!? What are you guys doing here!?" Dojima asked, "Hey, what do you think you guys are doing!? I didn't say you could go in there!"
Teddie, Yosuke, and Kanji appeared and Souji immediately stood up to face them.
"Nanako-chan's missing!" Yosuke exclaimed to Souji. This shocked Souji and he stood up quickly. Unfortunately, as much as it shocked him, Souji almost expected this.
"What!?" Souji still yelled.
"Wha…!? What do you mean!?" Dojima was shocked and confused.
"Naoto's on the phone, calling from Nanako-chan's… I mean, your house," Yosuke handed Dojima his cell phone, which had Naoto on the other side.
Dojima asked seriously and in worry, "Shirogane!? You there!? What the hell is going on!?
Shirogane answered, "I'm at your house right now. The front door's open and there's no one inside. I'm afraid that Nanako-chan has been kidnapped by our serial killer. Surely you must've known, Dojima-san!? The case isn't over yet!"
Dojima couldn't say anything as he threw the phone on the table, leaving Naoto on the line. He picked up his own phone, "This is the KJ customer service center. The number you have dialed is unavailable right now. The phone may be switched off or is out of our coverage zone." He could only say, "Nanako…"
"Dojima-san…," Adachi tried to comfort him.
Dojima looked at Souji, "Is this true? Has Nanako really been kidnapped?"
"We have to hurry…," was all Souji said, "We don't have much time."
"Why!? Why Nanako!?" Dojima yelled.
Yosuke tried to explain fruitlessly, "It's probably because the media…"
Dojima ignored him and went over to the land line and picked it up.
Adachi asked, "What are you doing?"
The phone rang, "Traffic Division, Ohta speaking…"
"There's been a kidnapping! Get your men on it immediately! Start with checkpoints along the highway!" Dojima yelled.
Ohta was flustered, "Checkpoints? Umm, could you explain the situation a little more…"
"Quit griping and get to it! The victim's a seven-year-old girl! My daughter!"
"Wait! What about the scene? What makes you think this is a kidnapping!?" Ohta asked.
"That's… Look, this could be connected to that multiple murder case!" Dojima yelled over the phone.
"Connected!? But, we caught the killer. How long has she been missing? Have you received any notices or ransom letters?" Ohta asked. He was flustered by Dojima's constant raving.
"N… No, but Dammit… There's no time for this right now!" Dojima exclaimed.
"Um, alright… I'll try contacting each of the departments."
Ohta hung up… It seemed like a lost cause.
Adachi pointed out, "Even if you tell'em it's connected to the murders, we can't prove it. And everyone on the force thinks the case is over and done with."
Dojima started walking away, and Adachi asked, "Where are you going?"
He yelled at the gofer, "I'm going to save my daughter! If this is connected to that murder case, the top brass won't accept the facts until it's too late. I'm not going to wait for those clowns."
Adachi yelled back, "But do you even have any ideas or leads on who took her? If they used a car, there's no way…"
"Shut up! That's why I'm hurrying!" Dojima ran out the door.
Adachi was pacing when he said, "Augh!? What am I going to do? Dojima-san ran off half-cocked."
Yosuke pleaded, "Adachi-san, we'll go look for her, too! So please… let him go!"
"Huh? You know I can't," Adachi answered. Souji wanted to punch the defective in the face.
After his denial, every other person in the group rushed into the room… well almost every other person.
"So what's going on!?" Chie yelled.
Adachi was freaked, "Whoa hey! If I let all of you guys in here, then I'm really in trouble! Besides we really don't if this thing's a…"
"Quit your bitching! Now ain't the time for this shit!" Kanji yelled at Adachi, "The hell are we sitting here for if this guy's family is in danger!? You gonna own up if something happens? Huh!?"
Naoto tried to calm him down, "Kanji-kun!" That worked effectively.
"I know how you feel, but if you don't tell me what's going on, there's really nothing I can do," Adachi explained.
Naoto reasoned, "Ah, so you agree so release him once we explain the situation? Very well, then."
"No, t… that's not what I meant," Adachi was trying to cover his ass.
Souji said, "Let's look at what we know again. If we sort it out, perhaps we will get a better idea of it all."
The group all agreed and left it to the midget detective to explain. She was the expert here. She adjusted her hat, and began.
"There's no doubt in my mind this is a kidnapping by the same culprit who was behind the others," Naoto said, "Now. Consider that the front door at Nanako-chan's house was open. I examined it, and found no trace of forced entry."
Chie was a bit shocked, "You mean… Nanako-chan opened the door herself?"
"Precisely," Naoto answered.
"But, she wouldn't do that," Souji said.
Naoto continued, "The culprit didn't sneak in. He came boldly up to the front door and pressed the doorbell."
"Like how it was for all of us…," Yukiko lamented.
Adachi was confused, "Umm… "For all of us?""
"But the circumstances were different for her, as compared to us," Naoto told the group, "Remember what Nanako-chan said to us when we were at the hot springs?"
"No…," Souji thought.
Naoto told them her quote, ""I always do what my Dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers.""
"So, is the killer someone Nana-chan knows?" Teddie asked.
"Souji-senpai, do you have any insight into this possibility?" Naoto asked Souji.
"A friend of Dojima's, maybe?" Souji answered.
Adachi answered, "Nah, probably not. Dojima pretty much keeps to himself at the station. The only one Nanako-chan might know is me, his partner."
He looked nervous, "Uh… I've been here this whole time, though." As he said it, Souji gave him a look.
"I don't think we can limit it to people Nanako-chan knows," Chie said.
"I agree," Naoto said, "Then let us change our perspective slightly. We know for certain that the culprit must be using a large-screen TV. "
Adachi was confused again, "Huh? TV? What?"
"Each victim was taken at a different scene, yet thrown into a TV almost immediately after being kidnapped," Naoto deducted, "I would go as far as to say that it happened in front of their houses. Therefore, the culprit must be taking a TV with him as he goes."
"You think he's using a car?" Yosuke asked.
Naoto told him, "Given the efficiency of the culprit's methods, I would assume a vehicle larger than a sedan. However... No unusual vehicles have been sighted. I'd expect someone to notice, since most of the victims vanished during the day."
Rise said, "So it's someone Nanako-chan knows, who has a car, but it's a car that can't be seen?"
Yukiko shook her head, "I think we can rule out the possibility that no one has happened to see this vehicle. Especially since it's happened so many times now."
Chie was thinking out loud, "A car no one would notice? Is there such a thing? What would it be?"
"A delivery truck…," Souji said after thinking for a second, "No one would look twice at it."
"Oh yeah, one came to my house that day!" Kanji exclaimed.
"You're right, no one does look twice at it, no matter where it is," Rise shook her head.
"If it's a local company," Naoto said, "It'd be same deliveryman every time so he's not a stranger to Nanako-chan. She must've received packages from him during the times she was home alone, meaning we wouldn't know his face."
She looked at Adachi, "Adachi-san! Is there anyone who fits that profile!?"
"A profile formed by a bunch of kids talking it over?" Adachi was dubious, "Let's see, a delivery company, huh? I dunno… Take it from a detective… I think this is going to be a lot more difficult than…" He went over to Dojima's files on the case and was shocked at what he found, "Hey! Maybe you're not too far off base! Dojima-san put this stuff together to reinvestigate the first case, the murder of that announcer. And there's a deliveryman mentioned right here. I better go tell Dojima-san!"
Souji shook his head, "bunch of kids?" "We were the ones who saved all those people while you were doing nothing and bringing me into custody."
He ran out to talk to Nanako's dad who had been running around "half-cocked".
The group went to look at the files. Souji read the files, "After resigning from his last job, he took up the family delivery business. Before that, he was a council secretary!"
"Taro Nametame!" Naoto exclaimed.
"The enka singer's husband!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"All we know about him is his occupation, but I'd say that's enough to tell us where to go next," Naoto explained, "The address is… It's not far from here!"
Adachi came in after that and he sighed, "I give him the clue and he still finds a reason to chew me out."
"Is he gonna be okay? The killer isn't a normal guy!" Chie was worried.
"Nana-chan!" Teddie worried.
"Adachi-san!" Yosuke yelled.
Adachi turned around, "If there's been a break in the case, I'd better hurry to the scene. I'll just have to hope nothing happens here while I'm gone. I didn't see anything."
"Adachi-san…," Naoto said with regret.
Yosuke's cell went off. It was a text message.
"Who's it from?" Souji asked.
"Rion…," Yosuke said incredulously, "It says he racing towards Namatame as fast as he can, and he wants us to hurry over." It brought surprise to everyone's faces.
"We have to go to Namatame's place! Dojima-san is probably is on his way now!" Yosuke said, "I guess Rion is too."
---
The truck was flying down the road at fast speed. It was green and white, the local company of Inaba, KJ. Namatame was very exhausted as he was driving very fast and swerving like a drunken man. There was a large TV in the back of his truck. Chasing him was a familiar white car that Dojima-san had picked up Souji in at the beginning of the year. "Hang in there, Nanako! Daddy's coming for you!"
A black motorcycle revved in the distance and started its own flight towards Namatame.
There was a sharp turn, and Dojima had to make a drifting turn that almost made his car flip off. "Shit!" as Dojima was forced to swerve to get out of the way of an oncoming car. The other car spun out from the maneuver. The truck and the car continued their chase when Namatame noticed the Dojima's car slowing catching him. So, Namatame pulled his parking break. The truck flipped sideways and Dojima's car crashed into it. It made one hell of a mess.
Only minutes behind, the cycle was swerving through the same turns and jumping over the same bumps into the roads. When he stopped over on the shoulder to see the carnage, he took off his helmet, and said quietly, "Holy shit!"
---
Back on the road, people running, not driving/cycling,
Yosuke, Souji, Kanji, and Naoto all saw smoke from where the crash had happened.
"What the!? Hey, is that smoke!?" Kanji asked.
"An accident?" Naoto said to the group in wonder. She gasped as she realized what it probably was. She thought, "I hope Rion-senpai or Dojima-san wasn't involved."
Adachi was there, and Dojima-san somehow ended up underneath his car. No one noticed the black motorcycle on the side of the road.
"Dojima-san! Are you alright!?" Adachi asked.
"Wh… Where's Nanako?" He tried to ask.
Naoto was flustered as she made a cell phone call to the emergency services, "Hello? We need an ambulance, quickly! There's been an accident. One adult male has been injured."
Adachi looked around, "That's right! I should call backup too! We gotta find Namatame!"
"Nanako? Where's Nanako?" Dojima kept saying. Souji had to guess he had a concussion.
The rest of the group had just arrived at this point, "What happened!?" Chie asked.
Dojima explained, "Was on my way to Namatame's house… when I saw him… drive past me… I… I gave chase… and he… dammit! Where's Nanako? And Namatame? Find them! Please!"
"But how!?" Yosuke asked. He had a revelation, "Oh yeah, maybe there are clues in the truck."
Adachi cried out, "Wait, you can't! We need to preserve the scene!"
Naoto told Adachi, as she was a detective, "Then allow me. If it rains again while we wait, the information we need will be lost regardless."
Naoto got to work on raiding the truck for clues and any information of the killer.
"Look! There really is a TV in there!" Chie yelled. Souji nodded aimlessly. He knew he had a Namatame to kill now.
"Yes, large enough for persons of any size to fit through," Naoto said, "I also recovered a diary from the driver's side. Most likely kept by Namatame himself." She opened it and read from it, "I learned the existence of a new world… Thus, I must save people."
Kanji wondered, "Save? The hell does he mean by that?"
Naoto gasped, "This… It's is the list of the victims' home addresses! Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa… Even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are written here. I note that Mr. Mooroka's address is absent from this list."
Adachi said, "Wow… Then that settles it."
Naoto continues, "The last date is today's… "I can't believe such a small child appeared on it. I must save this child, no matter what.""
"It has to be about Nanako-chan," Souji said.
Naoto continued, "I managed to take her to safety. The police have been active lately. This will probably be the last time I write in this diary. I've done everything I can."
Yosuke gestured, "It's clear now. He used the same trick on everybody. He'd just ring the bell like he was making a normal delivery, then throw the victim into the TV in his truck. Namatame is the killer!"
"We need to go save Nanako-chan! Here, let's use this TV and…," Chie was starting to say when she was interrupted.
"Wait a sec! We don't know where we'll enter through this one! What if we end up somewhere dangerous?" Teddie explained, "It doesn't seem like it will be foggy tomorrow, so we should go in tomorrow, the same way as usual!"
"But!" Kanji tried to argue.
Rise argued back, "If we fail, who's going to save Nanako-chan!?"
Naoto said, "Saving her will be our top priority from tomorrow forward. We'll leave Namatame's whereabouts to the police." She looked at the detective, "Dojima-san…"
"Wait a minute…, I thought Rion was supposed to meet us," Souji said.
"Yeah, where is he?" Yukiko wondered.
Rise looked around, "Umm…," She kept looking around, "Oh no!" She pointed over at his black motorcycle that was shrouded in the shadows.
"Don't tell me…," Naoto said worriedly, "He didn't go in…"
Teddie's phone went off, "Umm… how do I answer this?"
"Here… give it to me!" Yosuke said, "You idiot… I hope you didn't do something stupid," talking about Rion.
Yosuke turned on the voice mail, and the speaker phone function; the determined voice of Rion's came out of the phone, "If you're hearing this, you're probably cursing my name as I speak. I chased after Namatame as soon as I knew for sure it was Nanako-chan. Even I was too late for that, and I am sorry."
"You tried…," Souji said, "You failed, though it was probably not your fault."
"Well… when I did arrive... Nanako-chan was gone, Dojima-san was unconscious, and Namatame was nowhere to be seen. Don't bother looking for me, for you can't find me here."
"What the hell did you do!?" Kanji yelled, "You didn't!"
"Simply put, I went the most direct route to save Nanako-chan. If you are asking why I am breaking our most cardinal rule we set at the beginning of our investigation, it is because I am the most suited to go it alone. Also, it is because I am not worthy of fighting alongside you at this point."
"Rion… no," Rise put her head down, "Why!? Why are you doing this!?"
Yosuke was pissed, "Dammit! We told you not to go alone! No one goes alone…"
"There are also other things I want to deal with, but I won't put this in front of saving Nanako-chan. Yet, if I can not save Nanako-chan, and I am forced to only complete my secondary objective… There is a good chance I will not survive."
"What!? He thinks he's going to die!?" Chie yelled.
"We all have our demons… and I have mine. I have become a hypocrite in that fact that I do not know who I am anymore. That's why I don't want you to try and find me if my efforts to save her are compromised. Only worry about Nanako-chan, and not me. When you come for her, you'll understand your need to hurry."
"I don't understand him… What is he talking about?" Yukiko asked.
"Is he talking about Shadows?" Teddie asked.
The recording was finishing, "Be careful out there. I brought everything in that cabinet… well, Naoto knows what that means. I left the keys of my cycle lodged in the helmet. Yosuke… I want you to take the motorcycle and keep it with you so that when you get your license; you have something to take Chie to her kung-fu movies."
"He's giving me his motorcycle?" Yosuke asked, obviously dumbfounded.
"I need a fresh start if I survive anyways. Before this runs out of time, I just want to say to Naoto and Rise... that I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like this. I had no right, and you deserve much better than me."
"He's such a fool!" Naoto was crying, "He's assuming everything… being so disingenuous…" Naoto went into Yukiko's arms.
Rise hugged Teddie like a teddy bear while she said sadly, "He's running away again. Why can't we just do this together?"
"I think…," Kanji said, "He wants to do this himself. Like Naoto, he's got something to deal with. Maybe he believes it's something much worse than what she faced."
"We'll just have to see. We can't abandon him though. No matter what crap he's spewing," Souji said.
"Right," Yosuke agreed, "No bullshit is going to stop us from saving both of them."
"Yeah… I still have to kick his ass, ya know?" Kanji reminded them.
"You'll have to wait in line," Naoto said through her tears.
A small nervous chuckle erupted through them.
It was around this time that the ambulance arrived and took Dojima to the hospital. He was taken to the trauma center, given an IV, and made sure he wasn't in any immediate danger.
He had slipped into unconscious after some of the work they performed, but he awoke to see a somewhat recovered Naoto, and Souji.
"You guys…," Dojima said.
"Are you all right?" Naoto said a little shaky.
"I must look like hell right now," Dojima said.
"You went through a lot," Souji replied.
Naoto couldn't say anything, so Dojima said, "Nanako… She's… my reason for living. If I lose her… I might as well be dead. She must be so scared right now. Waiting for someone to save her."
He was coughing in pain, "And… here I am…" The pair looked worried, but he continued, "When she needs me most… I'm helpless. What kind of a father am I? I can't even protect my own daughter."
"Dojima-san…," Naoto said sadly.
"You're a damn good father," Souji said slowly.
"If anything happens to Nanako," Dojima said, "I'll make Namatame pay!" He looked at Souji, "You can save Nanako, right? I trust you! Please, save her for me! You're the only ones I can turn to now. Please…" He raised his hand for help.
"We'll do everything in our power to save Nanako," Souji said as he grasped Dojima's hand, "At any cost. You must put your faith in us."
The next day, the group gathered around the Junes table, their "secret headquarters".
"Nanako-chan is on the other side, right?" Yosuke asked.
"Definitely," Teddie responded, "There's no mistake."
"What about Rion?" Souji asked, "Is he there?"
"Maybe… he's really good at hiding if he is there," Teddie shook his head.
Naoto shook her head, "The police are pursuing Namatame, so let's focus on saving Nanako-chan, and finding Rion."
"Yeah, we're the only ones who can," Chie agreed.
"We'll save Nanako-chan no matter what!" Rise agreed, "We'll need to pick up Rion along the way."
"I often thought it might be impossible, but we've finally cornered the culprit," Yukiko said, "We've made it this far… We won't let him take Nanako-chan's life!"
"Yeah… This is it!" Kanji yelled, "Let's go all-out and get it done!"
"I made a promise with Nana-chan!" Teddie said," I said that we'd play again… and that everything would be okay… I promised her that!"
"Yeah, so let's save her!" Yosuke agreed, "We're doing it for Dojima-san, too. Hehe, he'll owe us another watermelon."
"Regardless, we must do whatever we can with what we have right now," Naoto said, "This is something only we can accomplish."
"It'll be no problem. Don't worry!" Chie told them.
"Yeah. We do this the same way as always," Souji agreed, "All we gotta do is find Nanako-chan before the next foggy day and get her out of there. Nothing to it if we keep calm, and get it done. Now let's get our asses in there!"
"Let's go!" Yosuke yelled.
(I definitely massacred the dialogue there. It was weird to write someone else jumping into the TV who doesn't belong in there. This'll be a struggle, but we'll see.)