Novelization of Persona 4 Chapter 26
I own umm… nothing of Persona, nothing of SMT, and nothing of Atlus.
So, the story is getting closer to the end. I've been cutting it up for good measure into smaller chunks. Mainly, I play it by ear on how much fluff, angst, and length goes into it. So… Auf Wiedersehen. I'll try to stop over-focusing on Rion's relationship issues for a while after this chapter.
---
Souji woke up to "Catch that bastard," as he put it. The defective was the perpetrator. Adachi was going to get it, and everyone was going to get a shot at him.
School, well no one really paid attention during school that day. It was all about fog regardless. Everyone's mind was focused on one thing… kicking defective ass.
When the bell rang, Souji nearly sprung from his chair and thought, "All right… Let's find Adachi and make him pay."
They all met in Junes after school, in the Electronics Department, everyone except for Teddie, of course. Yosuke was the last to arrive to the TV. He was still searching for Teddie, and secretly, Souji didn't expect Yosuke to find him after what he had experienced last night.
"He's a Shadow, and he's running away from all of us," Souji thought.
Naoto asked Yosuke as he walked up to them, "How did it go? Did you find Teddie?" Naoto looked worried and distressed.
Yosuke's arms were crossed, and he shook his head in denial. He told them, "No, and no one's seen him either."
Rise gestured in frustration, "Ooh, that annoying little furball! Just when we're at a turning point in the case, too!"
"Of course," Rion muttered, "He'll show… eventually."
Naoto shook her head, "We have no choice. Let's pursue Adachi for now."
Into the TV they went.
When they reached the TV world, Souji was surprised. He could choke on the fog, it was so thick. It was getting difficult to see even with his glasses.
Rise was standing in the front of the group, Souji and Chie at the back. Naoto and Kanji were to the left, and Yukiko and Yosuke to the right. Rion was standing right in front of Souji.
Chie winced as she said, "Whoa… Look how dense the fog is. It's gotten even worse than before."
Rise walked forward as she exclaimed, "What the…!? There's this malicious aura everywhere. It feels completely different from the last time I was here."
"It has to be Adachi," Souji said.
Rise nodded, "I think we'd better hurry." She looked at the others, "Give me a sec to try finding Adachi."
Rise stood in front of the group and summoned Kanzeon to try and find Adachi. The white lady with the satellite dishes on her head started moving back and forth.
Yosuke asked as Rise started to search, "Does this mean both this world and ours are getting messed up?"
Yukiko shook her head, "Our glasses work on the fog on the other side. It can't be normal. And I heard more people are falling ill because of the fog. I wonder what's going to happen."
"Both of the worlds are getting really screwy," Souji said, "There's no explanation for it."
Rise suddenly said from underneath her Persona, "I sense him! Adachi is definitely in here!"
Well, most of the group looked surprised by the revelation, sans Souji and Rion. Both of them knew that Adachi was here and was still here.
Yosuke asked, "Are you serious!? Which way!?" That was the million dollar question after all… The location of Defective Adachi.
"Hold on…," Rise told Yosuke as she extended the range of her satellites.
As they moved back and forth, Naoto said slowly, "So he did come to this side… Well that settles it. There's virtually no doubt remaining that he's the true culprit. Once we capture him, solving the mystery of this world and the rest of the case can't be far behind."
Chie continued, "Then maybe we'll find where Teddie came from, too?"
"We already know what Teddie is and where he came from," Souji thought, "At least I do. It's kind of obvious." Souji noticed Rion pushing up his glasses, and he restrained himself from chuckling.
"Where is that bear, anyway?" Chie asked, frustrated.
Rise told her, "Well… I can say for sure he's not here."
This did make Souji wonder, considering Teddie was supposedly returning to his world. Yet, he was not here according to Rise's scans. But, the fog was almost impenetrable.
Suddenly, Rise's Persona disappeared and she told them. She was disheartened to say, "And I know Adachi is here, but I can't track him down myself." She gestured, "Gee Ted! Why aren't you here when we need you most!?" She sunk to her knees.
"I don't know…," Souji shook his head, "You want to try, Rion? Your Persona has scanning abilities."
Naoto looked at Souji in surprise as Rion responded dryly, "Short range scanning abilities… But as you wish."
Rion stood forward and his Persona sprung to life, the visor coming over his own glasses and Ameno-waka-hiko. The hakama-clad Persona flew up into air firing arrows in all directions, the information relaying back into his own visor.
"Any luck…?" Rise asked from her kneeling position, looking at Rion expectantly.
Rion sighed as his own Persona disappeared and he pushed up his glasses, "I have a general premise on where Adachi is. But with three or four possible paths, I don't want to send you down the wrong one and get you lost."
Souji shook his head, "Well, unfortunately… that's not going to help us."
---
Back at the hospital… in Nanako's room at the ICU.
Teddie was standing to the right side of Nanako's bed. He seemed surprised to be there.
"This place…," Teddie said. He sighed. He noticed that everything Souji had said was true.
"I see…," Teddie said slowly, "I came back… But it really doesn't matter. I'm completely useless. Nana-chan… I'm so sorry."
"Teddie?" Nanako said slowly and painfully. When Teddie looked at her, "It is you… Teddie. I heard… your voice… You said… hang in there… I heard… my big bro… and everyone else, too…"
"Nana-chan!?" Teddie was still shocked to hear her speak despite what Souji said and seeing the machines showing her alive, "Hold on, I'll get the doctor!"
The doctor arrived at Teddie's insistence. He checked Nanako's vitals to make sure she was okay.
"It seems she's asleep again," The doctor said.
Teddie looked at the doctor and said, "U… Um… Nana-chan told me that she heard my voice. She heard me say, "hang in there"."
The doctor nodded and responded, "It could be that her frankly miraculous recovery was because everyone's voices reached her. Even unconscious people are capable of hearing other peoples' voices."
"My voice… and theirs too… Everyone…," Teddie said slowly and softly.
"In any case, there are too many things we don't understand about her condition and what caused it. We're doing our best, but it's difficult when everything about her illness is a total unknown."
Teddie put her head down and said, "Unknown…"
"Well, if anything happens, please send for me," the doctor told the bear-Shadow-human thing. The doctor walked away and out the door.
Teddie said to himself, "If I'm an unknown being, then the way I can change is unknown, too. So, all I have to do… is make them not-unknown. Nana-chan's doing her best… Sensei and the others are probably fighting now too." His voice slowed down, "I… I'm just a Shadow, but Nana-chan cheered up when she heard my voice… So what if I'm a Shadow!? There must be something I can do! I can't just give up thinking about things. That's why I came back here. Right, Nana-chan?"
He looked above him. His spherical-like red and blue Persona that carried a silver missile in its hands started to change. Kintoki-Douji was changing into a Persona with claws, and a red cape instead of blue. Its missile was lodged in its hindquarters.
He said to himself after the transformation, "Right! I need to get back to the others!" He looked at Nanako and said to her, "Hang in there, Nana-chan. I'll be back soon!"
---
Rise had gotten up again and started scanning with Kanzeon for the second time. She said disappointedly, "It's no use… I can only tell that Adachi is here, not his exact location." She was frustrated that even Rion was doing a better job at scanning than her.
"Rise-chan…," Chie said sympathetically.
"If only Teddie was with us," Rise said.
Kanji asked, "Didn't he say his nose was practically worthless? Could he even help us find the bastard?"
"I don't think that's the point," Rion said, pushing up his glasses. Souji nodded in agreement.
"Haha, nope. He'd be no help at all," Rise chuckled, agreeing with Rion, "But he was always there to support me whenever…"
"Massages, anyone?" Rion muttered, adjusting the right side of his glasses, causing the majority of them to laugh. All of them except Naoto… who looked distressed at what he said.
"That bear's a loudmouth, but he's nice to have around. He's always so full of energy," Chie said to them.
Naoto finally says to them, "He's lighthearted, and always optimistic."
Rise finally gave up and dropped to her knees again as her Persona dissipated. The group rushed to her side as she looked exhausted.
"Rise-chan? Are you okay?" Souji asked.
"I'm all right… I just got a little dizzy," Rise answered, "The fog's so dense… It's hard to see through it."
Chie suggested, "Why don't we call it a day? It won't do you any good if you collapse."
Naoto said, "I agree. If Rise-san becomes fatigued, even if we found Adachi, our capacity in battle would be reduced. Moreover, it's almost nighttime… We should return to our world for the present."
"Okay… let's head out of here," Souji agreed.
Rion helped Rise up from her knees and then all of them left the TV world. They all ended up sitting on the roofed table near the Electronics Department.
They were all distressed that they had no real idea of where Adachi was.
Kanji, who was sitting across from Naoto and Rion said, "Dammit… We came so far only to run into a dead end."
"I know he's in there too," Rise said, distraught. She said frustrated, "What's wrong with me!? My powers are completely useless!"
Rise suddenly stood up, and they looked in her direction as she said in surprise, "Teddie!?"
They all stood up at this and they saw the little bear-thing. Yosuke said to the bear standing to the bear over to the side of the table, "Y… You little… Where the hell were you!?"
Teddie started walking over to Yosuke and the others. He apologized to them, "I… I'm sorry."
Rise ran over to the bear and wrapped her arms around him, "You idiot! Bad bear! Bad! You're so late! Who do you think you are!?" She started crying.
"U… Um, Rise-chan," Teddie said slowly as he was being drenched, "Are you faking?"
"No, stupid!" Rise answered.
"S… sorry…!" Teddie tried to apologize, "I want to help you all again."
Kanji asked, "Y'know how much trouble you caused us ya dumb bear!? Where the hell were you!?"
"I'm sorry…," Teddie said slowly, "I figured out a lot of things… Stuff about me… and that world. I wanted to tell you all…"
Teddie took a seat next to Kanji, across from Rion and Chie. He began speaking about who he really is. Souji learned what he already knew, and Rion learned what he thought he knew.
Chie said finally, "A Shadow!? You mean you're one of those things we've been fighting!?"
Teddie nodded as he said, "Yup… just like the ones you all know about. Shadows are suppressed human thoughts given form… Everyone has them inside."
Yosuke looked at Teddie and said, "Wait… You say you're a Shadow, but you didn't attack us. And you kept telling us from the start that you wanted to bring peace and quiet back to your world, right?"
Teddie sighed, "But in the end… I was just an ordinary Shadow... Nothing special about me at all. I did everything I could up until now to try and make my world peaceful. But instead, this weird fog started seeping out into this world too." He started crying, "I'm sorry… I'm really sorry. If I really was special, then maybe…"
Souji shook his head, "It's okay Teddie…" "I thought we dealt with this," Souji thought.
"It's no big deal," Yosuke responded. He grinned, "We weren't expecting much from you in the first place. And about you being a Shadow, we pretty much figured you were something like that anyway."
Teddie's head sprung up in surprise, "Huh!? What are you saying!?" Teddie said to Yosuke vehemently, "Here I am, pouring my heart out to you, and you say you thought I was something like that anyway!? No normal person would think such a pretty bear could really be a Shadow!"
Kanji looked at the bear, "So what's the problem with being a Shadow?"
"It's true you may have been born this way," Naoto explained, "But you now possess the power of a Persona. A Shadow is suppressed power… Once controlled by the ego, it becomes a Persona."
"That makes you much more than a simple Shadow," Rion said to him, "You must have developed an ego, right? That's how you have gained and are able to use a Persona."
Naoto continued, "Whether the ego masters its Shadow, or the Shadow awakens to its ego… The only difference I see is in the order in which it occurs."
Chie smiled and said, "Oh! Teddie's practically human, then."
"I… I'm… the same as humans…?" Teddie asked slowly.
"Of course you are," Souji responded, "That's why you are able to turn human-esque."
Yosuke smiled, "You keep trying to find out who you are, just like all of us. You can't do much on your own… You really aren't that special… See? What's so different between you and us?"
The tears started flowing from Teddie's eyes, and Rion pushed up his glasses. Teddie cried out, "Th… Thank you! I… I'm so glad… I met you guys!"
Yosuke continued, "The rest of us were just a group of misfits to begin with too, right?"
"That pretty much was just you," Rion said with a smirk. Naoto hit him over the head.
"Shut up…," Yosuke jokingly, but responded, "Anyways Teddie, you fit right in."
"But who are you calling a misfit?" Naoto asked, annoyed.
"You are a misfit, Naoto," Rion said, "Do I have to explain?" He smirked again while pushing up his glasses. He got hit over the head again causing Souji to chuckle.
"Rion is right, that is just you, Yosuke-senpai" Rise smiled.
"He's right," Souji agreed.
Yosuke shook his head, "Hey… That's not something a detective would say… Or an idol, either!" As the group laughed, Yosuke looked at Teddie and told him, "Geez… Stop crying, will ya? Now's not the time for that. While you were gone we figured out who murdered the announcer and Senpai. It was Adachi."
Teddie looked up in surprised, "Huh!? Adachi!? That total goofball!? Whoa… I didn't notice at all. Looks like I'm kinda blind to that sorta thing." He sighed, "But you all know him… If you can't find someone like that, I don't think I can help you."
Yosuke said, "Like I said, we're not expecting much from ya."
Kanji explained, "The main thing is, it's hard to get pumped about this without someone nice and fuzzy around."
"Yeah, what Kanji said," Rise seconded.
"O… okay!" Teddie smiled, "Thanks, guys!"
"Alright, now that the band's back together, let's take it from the top, starting tomorrow!" Yosuke said.
"It's been a while, but I'll do my best to look for him. Leave it to Fuzzy!" Teddie exclaimed.
"That's all we want," Souji said, "Let's head out."
They all walked off to get ready for tomorrow. Yukiko and Souji together, while Chie and Yosuke walked off together as well.
---
Yukiko and Souji were hand in hand on their way to the bus stop. They were finally all reunited, and brought new vigor to the group. He wasn't sure how, but Souji was sure they would actually be able to find Adachi now.
"I'm so glad we found Teddie," Yukiko said to him, still holding his hand, "We can find Adachi now."
"I'm happy too," Souji replied. "I just didn't know when he'd show up," Souji thought, "Should have been sooner."
"As long as you're happy," Yukiko said as Souji's arm went over her shoulder. She smiled and relaxed into Souji's grasp.
"I just hope he'll be able to help us find him," Souji said, "Something tells me it's important to find Adachi as soon as possible, or it could prove troublesome."
They shared a kiss while Souji and Yukiko were waiting for the bus. Souji didn't want the bus to come.
---
Chie and Yosuke got no time alone before Teddie started berating them. Chie and Yosuke shook their heads. That's the only good thing that while Teddie was gone… No Teddie to bother them.
"Teddie!" Yosuke yelled at the bear. Chie shook her head. It was just like old times again as Teddie started asking questions about Chie's and Yosuke's relationship. Yosuke put his hand on his forehead, "If only he put this much effort into finding those who were kidnapped, and Adachi," he thought.
---
Rion returned to his condo by himself. He was told to wait for Naoto at his place, which wouldn't be the first time he had to do so. Her grandfather made it difficult, indeed. He filled up a glass of water, and took off his glasses. He put his right hand over his face and sighed.
He finished his drink as the landlord announced that Naoto was coming up. She had changed into her un-Naoto-like apparel before she had come.
"Hello, Naoto-chan," Rion greeted her as he opened the door and let her in.
"Evening…," She responded. They weren't here to discuss the case for once. As she made her way in, she wrapped her smaller arms around him.
"Unexpected," Rion said… He noticed something bothersome to him… very bothersome.
"I don't want to worry about my grampa… I can stay for a while," Naoto told him as she snuggled into his chest.
As she was trying to get comfortable, she was suddenly pushed away and held at arm's length. "Huh!? What's wrong!?"
"You know what's wrong," Rion responded, "It's in your body language… And don't try to lie to me."
Naoto sighed, "I… I…"
"If you're going to break up with me, just tell me," Rion told her.
"I don't want to," Naoto explained, tears gleaming, "It's because of my…"
"I understand…," Rion said. He took and let out a deep breath, "I hope you don't have another "raison d'être" that is also affecting your reasoning. If you do, please tell me."
Naoto tried to wipe her eyes, "I love you as much as I did as when I met you."
"So… not at all," Rion smiled. It made Naoto chuckle.
"You won't forget me will you?" Naoto asked as she forced her arms back around him.
"I'll forget about you when I die," Rion whispered into her ear.
He sat down on his little couch with Naoto on his lap. His arms wrapped around her waist. She was falling asleep, and so was he. "Her grandfather pushed her too far…" Rion thought.
---
Souji watched school go as a passing memory and the whole group headed into the TV world. Teddie would be key in finding Adachi, he hoped. Souji noticed that Rion and Naoto weren't as close today, but they looked… He would have to call Rion tonight.
Teddie was looking distraught as Souji had asked him to search for Adachi. They were all counting on him and standing around him at the plaza. Souji stood close by where they went towards Yukiko's castle and next to Rion.
He told the others, "I'll give it a try, but… If Rise-chan couldn't find him, I really doubt that someone with a dried-up nose like me will be much help." Teddie started thinking and smelling. He put his nose to the grindstone. He told him, "I do smell Adachy-baby in here, but the fog is completely covering up his scent."
"Just like it was for us," Rion said, gesturing to Rise.
"Teddie… you can't do it either?" Rise looked disappointed at Teddie's words.
Teddie looked at Rise and said, "Wh… When you look at me with those eyes… I get this feeling that I have to sniff him out no matter what!" He yelled out, "This is my time to shine!"
"Go Teddie!" Souji told him. "We're counting on you," Souji thought.
As Teddie sniffed, he suddenly said, "Ooh… I'm getting something!" He buckled down and started growling. He literally started glowing and scared Souji. It seemed to scare the rest of them as well.
When he stopped glowing, they looked at him. Yukiko asked, "Teddie…?"
Teddie started walking around, seemingly searching for Adachi. Yosuke was bothered by his searching and bearated him, "Hey, quit wandering around! You better not flake out on us again!"
Teddie continued searching around with his nose. He stopped and finally said, "Huh!?... I sense it from this way!" He pointed at 9 o clock down the plaza. Rion pushed up his glasses. It was a place he remembered visiting.
Kanji asked quickly, "Is it Adachi!?"
Teddie responded nervously, "Umm… How do I put it… It's kind of hazy, but at the same time, it feels like I got a whopper on the line."
Rise said, "I don't get it…"
Souji chuckled.
"Veery suspicious… This definitely smells…," Teddie told them, "But that's weird. If I remember right, that's where Sensei, Rion, Yosuke, and Chie-chan came from when I met them for the first time."
Souji shook his head as he thought, "Oh dear. No wonder it smells."
Yosuke was confused, "When we first…? Where was that?" He suddenly remembered, "Oh… You mean that creepy-ass room where all the faces on the posters were cut out?"
Teddie nodded, "Yep! There's someone there!"
Rise smiled as she told him, "Teddie! You really are amazing!"
Teddie blushed as he turned to talk to Rise, "I… It was really was just dumb luck… It's because that's where I first sensed Sensei and the others. That's why it kinda smelled over there."
Chie nodded, "Ah… I see." She looked at him, "Wait… did you say it smelled? Wasn't that the room where Yosuke had to go to the bathroom, and…"
"Yeah…," Souji answered.
Rise looked aghast, "Huh? You're saying… he peed his pants there!?"
Yukiko hunched over and said in disgust, "Eww! I… I don't want to hear it!"
Yosuke protested, "Oh, you lie so bad! I did not piss my pants! Chie! Quit spreading random rumors about stuff like that!"
Chie shrugged nervously, "Uhh, well, it happened so long ago… My memory is kind of fuzzy, you know."
"Sure it is," Souji told her. Rion pushed up his glasses, causing him to chuckle.
Teddie walked into the center of the group, "Oookay guys, enough fuzziness! Follow me, the master of fuzzy logic!" He chuckled.
Yukiko started laughing, and Chie said, "Hah, I haven't heard you crack up in a while, Yukiko. Though I really wonder sometimes about your sense of "humor"."
"How do you know if she hasn't laughed recently?" Souji asked, causing weird looks to be directed at him.
After staying behind to make sure Yukiko would be okay, the group started heading down the path. They followed the stench, trying not to gag. "You got to be kidding me. The smell has matured. It's gotten worse," Souji thought.
They opened the door to reach the scary room with the faces of Hiragi cut out. Souji remembered the bloody-like splatters on the wall, and the noose in the middle of the room. Souji heard a voice he had heard many times before as he walked in, "That damn bitch… I noticed her first, and she just had to run off and have an affair."
It was Adachi, and they were all standing around the doorway as the defective turned around to confront them. "Who's there!?" Adachi asked angrily. When he noticed it was Souji in the front, and flanked by Chie, Yosuke and the rest… Adachi smirked and said, "Oh… it's you guys. You're very persistent."
"Did you kill Ms. Yamano?" Souji asked.
"You're getting on my nerves, little kid," Adachi responded.
"Answer the question!" Yosuke demanded, "Did you or did you not throw Ms. Yamano into the TV!?"
Adachi chuckled, "It was an accident. She started struggling… What else was I supposed to do?" He told them, "I called her out to the lobby because I wanted to ask her something. And then she started getting hysterical on me."
---
Flashback to the Amagi Inn-Lobby
Yamano, in her white suit coat, was standing in the lobby of the Amagi Inn next to… what else, but a large-screen TV. There was a plush beige couch to the left of her.
Mayumi asked Adachi, "Who're you? And what's this "something important" you called me out here for?"
Adachi advanced towards her, making her back towards the TV. He asked calmly, "What they saw on the news isn't true, is it? All that talk about having an affair and whatnot… It's a lie, right?"
Mayumi looked annoyed as she told him, "Why do I have to explain myself to you?"
Adachi took another step towards the announcer, forcing her back some more. He was still calm as he said, "I see… so you don't deny it." His voice raised, "You caught my eye, but it turns out that you're just another worthless bitch!"
Mayumi took another step back at his livid words. She asked him, "What's wrong with you? D… Don't make me call for help!"
Adachi shook his head as he muttered, "Ugh… shut up, shut up, shut up!" He told her with a smirk, "I think you need to see what it's like to fear for your life… It'll get your head straight."
Adachi kept walking towards her, making her step back all the way until she was right behind the TV. Mayumi was terrified as she asked, "Wh… What are you going to do!?"
Adachi grabbed a hold of Yamano… and then… she disappeared.
As Adachi stared at the blank TV where Yamano used to be, Adachi said blankly, Sh… She fell in." He started laughing, "Wow… So people can go completely inside!"
---
Back to the TV world,
Adachi smirked as he told the Persona-users, "Good thing for me no one else was around in the middle of the night."
Yukiko said, dismayed, "That… happened in our lobby?"
"You bastard…," Souji muttered softly. "Who would be sick enough to do this?" he thought.
Adachi explained, "I learned about the Midnight Channel through some rumor. You hear a lot of fishy stories like that through the force. But it was pure coincidence that I touched the screen and discovered my power. I burst out laughing when I found out. I knew right away that it was going to be interesting!"
"Interesting!?" Souji exclaimed, "You said it was going to be interesting!?"
"So you tested it out on Mayumi Yamano," Yosuke confirmed.
Adachi shook his head, "Nah, it was nothing like that. I'm a very sincere fellow. I was just trying to punish the stupid bitch a little for betraying me." He nodded, "Yeah, putting them inside the TV was never the plan. But y'know, both Mayumi and that dippy high school girl struggled for no reason."
This shocked them, and Yosuke exclaimed, "So you were responsible for Saki-senpai's death!"
Adachi thought for a moment before saying, "Saki? Oh yeah… her name was Saki Konishi or something like that. At first, I just called her in because of work-related stuff. Her being the one who found Mayumi's body and all. And naturally, if there was any chance she'd seen anything, I'd need to know, right? So I was all set to be a nice guy to her, and then that bitch."
---
Police station- Interrogation Room, same as the one Souji was taken to.
Saki was standing in the interrogation room, looking impatient as she asked, "What's this all about, anyways? Didn't you call me in for more questions?"
Adachi advanced quickly towards her. She backed away quickly, towards… a… TV! He faced her and confronted, "Well, we'll get that. But you know, I saw you this afternoon." He kept advancing on Saki, and she kept backing up until she was all but pushed up against the TV. Adachi grasped Saki and said, "You were getting pretty cozy with that Namatame."
Saki wrested from his grasp and struck him across the face, leaving a red mark on his cheek.
Adachi smirked, "Huh… So I'm not good enough for you?" He snarled, "Well, I know how to deal with girls like you."
Saki screamed, "N… NO!"
Adachi grabbed a hold of Saki, and then… she was gone.
Adachi's voice was vicious, "God, these high school girls today. This world has gone straight to shit. When I was in high school, I wasn't allowed to do anything but study my ass off. I was supposed to be the best of the best, but instead they stick me in the boonies." He smirked, "But… I guess I get this sweet power to make up for it. Life's not so bad after all." He chuckled and then stuck his head inside the TV, "Get on your knees and beg, and then maybe I'll let you out!" He took his head out and walked away. He chuckled as he said, "Yeah, like that'll happen. As if I'd walk into a deathtrap like that."
---
Back to the TV world
Adachi told them, "It was a lot easier the second time. High school girls are thinner, y'know? Lighter."
"You son of a bitch!" Yosuke exclaimed.
"There's no excuse for what you did," Souji told the defective.
"C'mon, gimme a break," Adachi said, "I didn't know it was dangerous inside the TV. It's not like I was trying to kill them. I mean, I'm sure they hit on Namatame, not the other way around. A council secretary will one day rise to public office himself. Mayumi and that high school student were just gold digging." He snarled, "They got exactly what they deserved. I didn't do anything wrong."
Yosuke advanced and yelled, "Shut the hell up! You knew from what happened to Mayumi Yamano that people die in here!"
Rion pushed up his glasses as he thought, "It's obvious he knew that."
Adachi sighed before he said, "So what if I knew?"
"Did you trick Namatame in kidnapping the others?" Souji asked the defective.
Adachi shook his head in denial, "He called the police in the middle of the night, just after they found that Saki girl's body. The rest of the force had their hands full with the double homicide, and it happened that I was the one who took the call."
Naoto stared down the criminal and proclaimed, "Namatame said the police refused to take him seriously… You were responsible for that, then."
Adachi answered, "Oh, quite the contrary. If anyone else had the taken the call, sure, but I did actually believe him, y'know?"
---
Namatame's room with Yukiko on the Midnight Channel
Adachi on the line as Namatame as the phone… Adachi spoke to Namatame, "Huh… So that's the pattern to the first two murders so far? And now you're seeing a girl in a kimono on that weird program, and you'll think she'll die too. Is that right? Namatame-san… Do you seriously expect us to believe something like that?"
Namatame beseeched, "But… it's true! If there's any way the police can protect her."
Adachi responded, "Listen… There's no way the police are going to make a move based on a fantasy story like that. It does sound interesting, though."
"B… But," Namatame tried to plead.
Adachi suddenly said, "Oh, I have an idea. If you really want to save her that much… Why not do it yourself? Like… You could shelter her somewhere. Some place where no one could find her."
Namatame said quietly, "Where no one could find her?"
Adachi told him with a smirk over the line, "Save her yourself… You can do it. I'm busy, so I'm hanging up now. Bye."
Adachi hung up the phone to leave Namatame to his thoughts.
---
TV world
Adachi was laughing, "Isn't that amazing!? Of all the people that could have received Namatame's call, it ended up being me. Talk about luck! All I did was give him a little push… And he completely bought into his vision of this world. The more people you guys you saved, the more he'd kidnap. Both sides had the best of intentions, so the game of cat and mouse would never end… Haha, it was awesome!"
Rion muttered as he pushed up his glasses, "Unfortunately, your side didn't have the best intentions."
"You gotta be shittin' me!" Kanji yelled. He wasn't as calm as Rion.
Yukiko was dumbfounded as she asked angrily, "Why!? What reasons could you have for doing that!?"
Adachi chuckled as he smirked, "Reasons? None, really. I could it, that's all. And it was fun…. I guess that's my reason."
Souji had to resist the urge to go over and cut through his jacket by drawing his sword and slice Adachi into pieces right now. He thought the others shared his sentiment.
"Y… You murdered people just for the fun of it!?" Chie asked incredulously. She wanted an explanation.
Adachi told her, "C'mon… All I did was put people in here. I didn't murder them. And Namatame did most of it. I had nothing to do with any of you."
"You're dodging the blame!" Kanji yelled.
Adachi looked at the gang-killer, "Yeah? Then how would you prove it? "He put people inside TVs"? Haha, you think the police are that stupid?"
Teddie was pissed, "Grrr… What a jerkwad!"
Adachi said, "I do admit, though. I never thought you guys would be able to track me down. I like that. Games like this have to have surprises or they get boring fast. It's like when I dealt with that Kubo kid. That was fun too."
That was surprising to the whole group. Naoto asked, still surprised, "Then… you mean to say that Mitsuo Kubo's disappearance was your doing as well? I did sense something odd in his course of action. If he had special powers and wanted attention, why resort to a regular copycat crime? But that wasn't the case… Kubo had no special powers. In fact, he was thrown in by you… Am I correct?"
Adachi smiled as he explained, "It had been a while since I last put someone inside the TV, so I really got a kick out of that one."
"Why did you do that?" Chie asked, "And… how come Mitsuo didn't say anything about you?"
Souji started thinking, "He must have put him in the dark or something."
Adachi started laughing, "You think that didn't occur to me before I did it? C'mon, I'm a detective. I let him through a room at a station with a TV, switched off the lights, and did it quick while he was still startled. As long as he didn't see me push him in, and no one else did either, no one would believe him… even if he survived. Of course, I don't think the Kubo kid ever figured out what happened." He chuckled.
"The police station?" Yosuke looked confused.
Adachi explained, "Yeah, he turned himself in pretty quick, actually. This was back when we didn't even know enough to even issue a search warrant. But the other officers decided it was just a prank, so they pawned him off on me. I didn't blame them… I mean, a kid coming and saying "I did it all! It was me!" Who'd believe him? But it looked bad… I didn't think anyone would come forward and take the blame for all the incidents. The police were desperate to pin it on anyone. If this kid really did it, they might have announced the case was closed. And if that happened, Namatame would stop "saving" people. I couldn't let that happen, or the game would be over." He smiled, "That's why I told the others I sent him home. I came up with the idea to put him inside the TV on the spot."
"So…," Rion rolled his eyes, "Someone is playing a game… It's Adachi's fucking game."
"Bastard…," Souji thought.
"The game would be over?" Yukiko wondered, but saying, "You threw him in just so your fun wouldn't be end!?"
He asked viciously, "You gotta have some excitement in life, don't you agree?" He looked directly at Souji and said, "But then you guys put your foot in it yet again and ruined my fun. Thanks to you, Kubo was arrested again, and everyone acted like he was the true culprit behind it all. Couldn't they see how badly he copied the crime scene? It worked out in the end, though, because good old Namatame kept on saving people. I guess the guy started to develop some sort of messiah complex, huh? What an idiot."
"This is all a game to you…," Yosuke told Adachi, "How dare you murder people for such a stupid reason! You bastard! I'll never forgive you!"
Adachi sneered, "You can keep your forgiveness. Our world will probably become just like this place soon enough anyways."
While the others looked confused, Rion muttered, "It's already started."
Adachi explained, "Didn't you notice? The fog's leaking out. Everything on that side's pretty much screwed. The two worlds will merge soon, and then there will be no difference, no "sides" anymore."
Kanji was scared, "Th… The hell he's talking about?"
"He's talking about our world turning into the TV world," Souji said.
Rise and Teddie stepped up as Rise said, "This isn't his real body. The real Adachi is somewhere else."
Rion pushed up his glasses, "This Adachi is only a replica, a Shadow waiting for us…"
"So… this is really what pushing up Rion's glasses does", Souji thought, "Not just acting condescending… He's trying to use Ameno-waka-hiko's skills."
Teddie continued, "But this guy feels different from an ordinary Shadow… It doesn't seem like he's going berserk."
Adachi smirked as he laughed, "Wow… you can tell that much? This me is just here to greet you guys and thank you for wasting your time by chasing me in here. I'd say this world has taken a real shine to me… I feel like it's given me everything I've ever wanted. And the monsters don't attack me at all. Maybe they can tell we have the same goal?"
"The Shadows' goal?" Yukiko wondered.
Adachi explained, "By the end of the year, Inaba will disappear completely into the fog. Soon, this place will be reality. I'll be in this world, so if you want me, come and get me." He exclaimed, "This world has a mind of its own. We'll see which of us it favors!"
Kanji returned to him, "Keep your bullshit to yourself! It's about time you shut the hell up! We'll finish this right now!"
"Wait!" Souji told him as Kanji went forward to strike the invisible Adachi.
Kanji whiffed as Adachi disappeared.
The invisible Adachi spoke to them, "What a chump. Didn't I just tell you that the real me is elsewhere? I'll be expecting you all. We'll put an end to all of this."
Chie yelled, "Get back here, you!"
"It's pointless…," Souji said.
They all walked together and circled up in the middle of the room. Yosuke said, "That stuff about the world's mind, and how this place will become our reality… Was he serious?"
Naoto looked at Souji and said, "The rest of his confessions were consistent. We'd best proceed under the assumption that it's no lie."
Souji shook his head as he said, "The idea that our world… will be the same as the one we are in now…"
Rise told them, "It felt like… he gained some strong power after coming here."
Teddie continued, "Not only that… Maybe he got taken over by that power…"
Rion thought, "The fog… Adachi. If he wants the world covered by fog, someone has to be working behind the scenes with him. Together… or inside Adachi. Maybe he's not even in control."
Yukiko said, "So what he said about the two worlds becoming one… That's really gonna happen?"
Chie asked, "Didn't he say that's gonna happen by the end of this year!? What happens then!?"
"What do you think?" Souji responded.
Teddie answered, "I think he means that this world will engulf the human world. The people in town are acting weird. It's like when the Shadows that emerged from people went berserk. If the fog gets even thicker and this town gets completely cut off from the outside world… Then our side might become full of Shadows, just like here."
Rise was scared as she asked, "You mean… everyone is going to turn into Shadows!?"
Yosuke yelled, "Dammit! Damn that bastard! Why? We went through so much to get here… And now it turns out he has been pulling our strings this whole time!?"
"Not anymore," Souji exclaimed, "We'll find him before that happens."
Yosuke calmed down, "Yeah… It's about time we finished this. I don't want to feel this way ever again."
They turned to where the faux Adachi was to see a swirly black and red opening suddenly appear.
"Well… that was sudden," Souji said.
"There's a path we can take now," Rise said as well, "I sense Adachi's presence from that direction. He's taunting us."
"Bring it on!" Kanji yelled. He was ready to take on Adachi right now. He was steamed in Souji's eyes. You could tell when he said, "Let's go kick his ass, right now!"
Rion shook his head in denial.
Naoto stopped Kanji, "Wait! I suggest we prepare ourselves first. We can't let us stab in the back, ever again… We must face him with all the power at our disposal, and defeat him without fail!"
Chie shrugged as she said, "I'm a little worried by what he means "by the end of the year"… But now's not the time to freak out about that! Let's get prepared! Let's get beyond prepared and leave footprints all over his stupid, dumbass face!"
They shook their heads as they left to get ready. Rion pushed up his glasses one last time as they walked out of the TV world. Tomorrow… tomorrow they would be fighting to save the Inaba, no not Inaba… the world.
---
Okay, this took a few days longer than it should.
7-8 Chapters to go, maybe? Review if you want something changed or something added.