A/N: Here's the next upload a couple days early. This is turning out to be more of a really lazy novelization, and I updated the summary accordingly. This is a really long chapter, so I'm sorry if it gets a bit boring.
The day of the school camping trip has arrived. Even though it was really just an excuse to make them pick up litter on Mt. Yasogami, Yu has been looking forward to this day.
"Alright Nanako, I'm off!" Yu says as he opens the door to leave.
"Okay, have a safe trip!"
Usually they walk part of the way to school together, but today he needed to be there earlier than usual. As he walks along the Samegawa river, he meets up with Yosuke who seems to be even more excited than he is.
"Dude this is gonna be awesome! The girls are gonna be cooking for us. They said they were gonna make curry right?" Yosuke can hardly contain himself.
"Yeah, that's right. But... I have a bad feeling about that." Yu grimaces.
Yukiko and Chie had shooed him off when they went to go buy the ingredients to make curry. He was planning to give them a few tips, as he was no slouch at cooking. However, now he has this sense of dread, foreboding the disaster that is imminent. He tries not to worry about it, seeing as how he doesn't know how well Chie and Yukiko can cook anyway. For all he knows they could be better than him. So why does he have a bad feeling about this?
"Oh, come on! Yukiko's family owns an inn, remember? She must have some experience cooking!" Yosuke reassures him.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's just enjoy this trip." Yu feels a sense of relief wash over him.
"Besides, I got a surprise for the second day that you're really gonna enjoy!" Yosuke winks at him with a smirk on his face.
"I have a bad feeling again." They both laugh as they continue walking to school. They start telling each other inappropriate jokes along the way, leading to onlookers looking at them funny while they crack up.
After arriving at Mt. Yasogami, the students are sent straight to work, picking up trash. It's a tedious job, only made worse by a combination of the summer sun beating down on them and the fact they have to wear their PE uniforms, which are just blue jumpsuits with a big "Y" and "H" on the front of the upper layer. If King Moron catches them chatting while doing their job, they get reprimanded for not giving their full attention to picking up the trash. The hours went by painfully slow for the team.
Finally, it was time for lunch. Yu and Yosuke sit at a nearby table while Chie and Yukiko are busily working to prepare the curry. Yu had offered his assistance, but Chie forced him to sit back and relax. He begins to feel nervous again about leaving all of the cooking to the girls. Yosuke on the other hand is completely relaxed.
"It's done!" Yukiko exclaims cheerfully.
"Alright! I've been waiting for this!" Yosuke raises both fists in the air in triumph.
Yukiko and Chie place two plates of the curry and rice in front of them. Just from the smell, Yu realizes his concerns were justified. However, Yosuke was already about to take his first bite.
"Yosuke, wait!" Yu tries to warn his friend, but alas it was too late.
Yosuke had already taken a bite and a mere moment later he begins choking. Yu hands him a bottle of water which he immediately starts gulping down. Yosuke wasn't choking because he was eating too fast. He was choking because of how shockingly bad it tasted. After his body settles down, he turns his attention to the girls.
"What the hell did you put in there!?" Yosuke demanded furiously. "This isn't even edible!"
Chie gets angry and starts yelling back, "You should be grateful we even cooked for you! Besides, it can't be that bad! What do you think, Yu-kun?" She has put Yu on the spot, which makes him shift uncomfortably.
"Yeah, Yosuke-kun's pallette isn't refined enough. You're the real chef here, what do you think?" Yukiko also urges him to take a bite.
"I'm saying this as your friend, don't do it, partner." Yosuke warns him, a stern look on his face. Very rarely does anybody see Yosuke look this serious.
Yu looks back and forth between Yosuke, and Yukiko and Chie. He sees no way out of eating the mystery concoction Yukiko and Chie made. It would be too obvious if he pretended to take a bite, likewise if he were to say he wasn't hungry. Yukiko and especially Chie would be able to see right through him. Which left him with only one choice.
Yu quickly takes a spoonful of the slop and delivers it in to his mouth with gusto. Although, all of the guts and courage in the world couldn't help him stomach the food. This Mystery Food X. He feels s bit lightheaded from just the taste of the food. The smell is pungent, like toxic waste, and is enough to make anybody want to puke. He succumbs to his lightheadedness and lays down for a bit and closes his eyes.
"Oh, great you just made him pass out by feeding him that Mystery Food X! Curry is supposed to smell mild or spicy. THAT thing just smells!" It's odd how in sync Yosuke and Yu's thoughts could be at times.
Yu slowly regains consciousness and finds Yosuke and Chie still arguing.
"Now what are we gonna do for food? We're screwed!"
"Well... Do any of us have cellphone signal? We could order some delivery maybe." Yukiko's suggestion brings the hope back in to Yosuke's eyes.
All four of them pull out their cellphones and check their signals. And they are instantly disappointed.
"Nope." Yukiko frowns.
"Nothing here." Chie throws her face in to her hands.
"Figures..." Yosuke scoffs.
"Not even an emergency call." The fourth voice surprises the other three.
"Oh, hey! You're up!" Yosuke perks up a bit.
"I fainted and you guys didn't call for any medical attention?" Yu grimaces, thinking about the possibility that he could be dead right now.
"Well, you were breathing regularly and Chie checked your pulse, even though it was kind of a weird way to do it- OWWW!" Yosuke is hopping on one foot and yelping.
"Well excuse me for not paying attention in health class!" Chie's face reddened, but whether it is out of embarrassment or anger, no one can really tell.
Chie had put her ear next to his chest in order to check his pulse, not knowing about the vein in the neck that could be used. This had prompted some odd looks from Yosuke and Yukiko and teasing from the former.
"Alright, scumbags! Time to get back to work!" King Moron's voice boomed throughout the rest area.
The investigation team groaned and dragged their feet back to work. Their stomachs each growl audibly as they continue to pick up trash. This session taking even longer than the first.
Night falls and the girls and boys separate and head to their tents. Kanji joins Yu and Yosuke in their tent.
"So... Why are you here again?" Yosuke asks skeptically.
"It's a lot more fun hanging out with you guys. The first year's tent is so dead." Kanji explains.
"It's probably like that because you're in there." Yosuke mutters. "I mean, its no problem since the other two guys didn't show up. But... Nevermind." Yosuke seemed to want to say something, but ultimately decided against it.
The three of them talked for a while. Yosuke and Yu relayed their account of Mystery Food X to Kanji, all three feeling the tension the story brought. It was comparable to a ghost story and they would never wish having to eat that upon their worst enemies. After a while, they decided to go to bed.
"Uh... Kanji? You have plenty of room over there, why don't you use it?" Yosuke nervously says.
"No way, there's a huge rock under there! I'd break my back if I sleep over there. Besides this tent is really spacious anyway." Kanji points to the large bump in the corner of the tent.
"Well, it's just that... How do we know you won't try anything?" Yosuke continues.
Yu realizes where he was going with this and facepalms. 'This is going to end badly.'
Kanji becomes furious at this, "How many times do I have to say it? It ain't like that!"
"Well, you're protesting a lot which makes it seem suspicious." Yosuke keeps going, which makes Yu wish he could facepalm himself harder.
"Well I wouldn't protest it so much if you didn't bring it up every five god damn minutes!" Kanji's temper is only getting worse.
"Keep it down! King Moron will hear us." Yu tries to alleviate the situation, "and stop bringing that up Yosuke."
"I'm just worried is all, I mean if he really does swing that way..." Yosuke continues despite Kanji's flaring temper.
"I don't! Fine, if that's the way it's gonna be, I'm gonna go to the girl's tent! I'll show you I'm a real man! Kanji Tatsumi doesn't take crap from nobody!" Kanji runs out of the tent yelling a battlecry.
"Wait! You'll get expelled if you get caught!" Yu sighs and lays back down, defeated. He then glares at Yosuke.
"What?" Yosuke winces under his friend's piercing glare.
"You went too far." Yu reprimands him. Sighing one more time, his expression becomes one of concern, "Maybe we should look for him."
"No way! If we get caught, we'll be expelled too, you know. We shouldn't risk it."
Yu had admit he was right. No point in getting them all expelled. They just have to hope for the best.
At the girl's tent, Chie and Yukiko are having trouble sleeping, or relaxing at all for that matter.
"Now I know why only three of us were assigned to this tent. Just our luck." Chie grumbles with her attention towards the reason for their frustration. Their classmate, Hanako Ohtani, was laying down belly up on the other side of the tent. She was snoring very loudly, and it would get on anybody's nerves to have to spend the night with THAT.
"You think if we cover her nose and mouth she'll stop?" Yukiko suggests with a tired look on her face.
Chie flinches back in shock of her friend suggesting something like that so nonchalantly, "No, I'm pretty sure she'd die, Yukiko."
Chie thinks about whether the guys are asleep yet and what they could be doing right now. Girl talk is next to impossible with the bellowing whale occupying their tent distracting them.
Chie hears some rustling outside of their tent and moments later the sound of the zipper, "Who's there!?" She didn't wait for an answer and immediately sprang to action.
Back in the boys tent Yu and Yosuke sit by the lamp, wondering who the next person to be shown on the midnight channel will be.
"Who knows? The next person could be someone really famous!" Yosuke grins at the thought of rescuing a well known celebrity, and the rewards they could potentially reap.
"I've been checking the midnight channel every time it rains, but it shows nothing but static." Yu frowns a bit.
A few moments of silence go by, and they hear the zipper to their tent opening.
"Kanji?" Yu hoped it would be him, so no one would be getting in trouble.
The next thing they see is Chie's head poking through the opening, "Chie? What the hell are you doing here? And Yukiko too?" Yosuke says a bit too loudly.
"Keep it down!" Chie hushes them, trying to keep watch for any teachers.
The boys decide to wait for the girls to be completely inside their tent before questioning them further.
"Well, you see..." Yukiko began, but she has trouble finding the right words.
"Uh... Kanji came to our tent, came inside and just passed out!" Chie crosses her fingers, hoping they leave it at that.
"More like you knocked him out..." Yu mutters.
"Chie sure can be scary..." Yosuke adds to his comment.
"All you little shits better be sleeping! Hic!" King Moron's voice echoes through the darkness.
"Oh crap! Hide! Turn off the lamp!" Yosuke whispered frantically.
With no time to think, Yu turns off the lamp, and grabs Chie and pulls her under the cover with him. Yosuke does the same for Yukiko.
Lots of thoughts run through Chie's head, but none of them are about King Moron. Being held close to Yu's chest underneath the blanket caused her face to deeply redden. It was a feeling she didn't mind, she decided. And she was thankful that he wouldn't be able to see how red her face is underneath the covers.
"Hanamura, Narukami, you two asleep I'm there? Ya better answer if you're in there! Hic!" King Moron was standing at the front of their tent.
Yosuke panics and actually replies to him, "Yes sir! We're asleep!"
'Stupid Yosuke!' Yu absentmindedly held Chie even tighter, which made her all but faint.
"No, you aren't! You can't trick me! Go the hell to sleep!" King Moron lets out a big yawn, "Had too much to drink. Hic!" He mutters and walks away.
After they can't hear any more footsteps, they all come up for a deep breath. Yu turns on the lamp and they all sit around it.
"Oh man, I think I just aged twenty years!" Yosuke sighs, "So what are you two going to do? You can't really stay here..."
"Well, it's not like we can go back to our tent... When Kanji wakes up, he's sure to be grumpy." Chie looks down, giving them that cute begging stare girls use whenever they want something.
"We'll leave once the sun starts coming up, before everyone else is awake." Yukiko mimics Chie's puppy dog look, and the boys have no choice but to relent.
Yu nodded in agreement. "Well, that sounds fine to me. As long as no one gets in trouble. We'll go with you to make sure Kanji gets back."
Chie grabs their bags and puts them in a vertical line in the middle of the tent, splitting it. "You two stay on your side."
"Room hog! You two owe me for this... AND lunch." Yosuke grumbles.
"Hey, we have plenty of room, don't worry about it. Sweet dreams, guys." Yu smiles warmly before turning off the lamp and placing it out of the way.
Yosuke took the spot on the outside, furthest from the girls, "Whatever, let's just get this night over with."
"Goodnight!" Yukiko takes the spot on the outside on their side of the tent.
Chie took her place on the inside, closest to the boys, "'Night."
Yu, takes the last remaining spot. Being a heavy sleeper, Yu falls asleep almost instantaneously. The same goes for Yukiko. Yosuke shifts a little bit, but pretty soon he falls asleep as well. Which leaves Chie, who can't seem to fall asleep.
She looks over at Yu occasionally. Their fearless leader who has led them to victory in many battles like a seasoned war veteran. Yet, he sleeps so peacefully, much like an ordinary guy after a day of hard work.
Her mind shuffles through memories they have with each other. From the first day they met, when he had been getting a very long lecture from King Moron and she had saved him by raising her hand and volunteering the seat next to her. That same day she had asked if he thought Yukiko was cute while walking home together, and he had completely dodged the question. Then, there was that time where he had just straight out asked for her number. He needed it for the investigation, but didn't mention it. It had embarrassed her how forward he was in asking for it, but then she realized he would need it for the investigation. That same day she told him that she felt like he wouldn't let her down. He had responded by asking if she was falling for him already. He had said it as a joke, but she was still embarrassed all the same.
Finally, she thought about their close encounter earlier. All of these thoughts and feelings welled up inside of her led her to one conclusion. She likes Yu Narukami, no doubt about it. But, she couldn't tell if he reciprocated those feelings. It was hard to get a read on him. He likes to joke around a lot, but he definitely has his serious moments. Chie decided that it was no use thinking about it any longer and let's her mind shut down.
The next day, the all five members of the investigation team met up on a cliff near the river. "It's over at last!" Chie stretches her body out.
"And no one got expelled!" Yukiko adds, everyone nodding in agreement.
"Well, now that we have some free time... Let's go swimming!" Yosuke says excitedly.
"Huh?" Chie furrows her brow in surprise.
"You want to go swimming? No way, I'm too tired." Kanji was squatting on the ground, exhaustion painted all over his face.
"You couldn't sleep last night?" Yu inquires.
"Well, I don't know. I remember running out to go to the girls' tent, but the next thing I knew I woke up in the tent this morning feeling all sore and beat up." Kanji yawns and cracks his neck.
It had been no feat to wake Kanji up and pry Hanako off of him. When they had gone to the girls' tent, they found Hanako cuddling a passed out Kanji in her sleep. Kanji was in a weird position, most likely the same position he passed out in when Chie had knocked him out. He had been pretty heavy to carry back to the tent, even with both Yu and Yosuke working at it. After all, dead weight always feels three times heavier than it should be.
"If you wanna go swimming, you can just go by yourself! Leave us out of it." Chie said, shutting down any plans Yosuke might have had.
"It'd be no fun if I'm the only one swimming! And well... you two do owe me." Yosuke said mischievously.
Yukiko had a worried expression on her face, "He's got us there..."
"That's true, but... we uh, forgot our swimsuits! Sorry, looks like you're outta luck!" Chie was happy with the excuse she made, and Yukiko happily went along with it.
"Leave that to me," he winks at Yu and pulls out two swimsuits from his bag. One was green and orange, and the other white with red trace. "From Junes' summer line! I'm sure they'll fit you perfectly." Yosuke winks again, albeit coming off pretty creepy this time.
"That's... what you left to go get at Junes'?" Yu was feeling pretty creeped out himself from this.
"Dude, that is so messed up." Kanji agreed that it was going too far.
The two girls sighed in exasperation, took the swimsuits, and went off in to the woods to find a good place to change in to them. Yu and Yosuke did the same, but took considerably less time. They met back up with Kanji who was still squatting in the same position as they left him. Kanji yawns loudly, and Yosuke starts to tap his feet impatiently.
"Sorry for the wait." Chie said from behind them. There was an odd shyness in her voice that is uncharacteristic of her.
"Whoa."
"Wow."
"Holy crap."
Their jaws instaneously dropped one after the other. The three boys could only express their amazement at the sight that beheld them, as if they couldn't believe that Yukiko and Chie actually put on the swimsuits despite how creepy the situation was.
"Quit your gawking!" Chie is a lot more embarrassed than she is angry, but there is no doubt there is indignation behind her words.
"Either say something, or look away! Geez..." Yukiko says coyly.
"You both look great." Yu compliments both of the girls, but it seems to only serve to further their embarrassment.
"What the hell!? Don't say THAT!" Chie is now equal parts angry and embarrassed. One wrong move now, and they'll have footprints all over their faces.
Too bad Yosuke can't see the situation for what it is, "Damn, I knew you'd look good, but not that good! I mean, you both still look like little girls, but after you do a bit of growing, you'll be both be really hot! Right Yu?" The moron winks at his friend, still not seeing the dangerous situation they were in.
"Uh, Yosuke I think you're going a bit too far." Yu tries to reprimand his friend, but the damage has already been done. And now they were going to pay the price.
"Now, I'm really pissed!" Chie's voice thunders through the air, and before Yukiko even has a chance to agree with her, she charges forward.
Yu takes a moment to wonder what he did to deserve this before he recognizes the wind up Chie is doing. He's seen it plenty of times before in the TV world. Actually, they all have seen the technique she is about to use. It's a very handy one, one that amazed them all the first time she performed it. It was the Galactic Punt, and it was headed straight for Yu.
Why not Yosuke? He's the one who said all of that little girl stuff! Why me!? Yu doesn't have any more time to think about it. He has to either dodge or block it. If he doesn't, he's a goner for sure. He isn't even sure if he CAN block it. Treat it like any other straight kick. Come on, focus! All it takes is a simple sidestep, but this pressure is unreal! He can't sidestep too early, or else Chie will have time to adjust and he might literally end up seeing bides his time, waiting for the moment Chie raises her leg. Now! Chie's leg is raised and chambered, and as she takes her final step in, Yu sidesteps. However, due to all the pressure he was feeling, he sidestepped in the wrong direction – to the inside rather than the outside.
Luckily for him, Chie did not expect him to dodge her Galactic Punt and couldn't follow up with any other attacks. Unfortunately, that's where his luck ends, and Chie's forward momentum continues and their bodies collide, pushing him backwards. There is nothing to be done now, they both have lost their footing and will now be sent crashing in to the river.
Mid-fall, Yu instinctively grabs Chie and pulls her in close, so that if they end up landing on something hard, Chie's fall would be softened. Chie blushes and is embarrassed by being held so close, especially because she isn't wearing much clothing. Fortunately for them, the cliff was a straight dive directly in to the water.
The two were still hodling on to each other when their heads surfaced. The water was cold, and it stung against their bare skin. It was only made tolerable by the heat their bodies radiated off to each other from being in such close proximity. "Are you alright?" Yu asks. He feels something peculiar touching his torso. More like two things. They were soft, a bit round, but they weren't all that big. They were also a little bit pointy. Yu's eyes widen after realizing something. Are those what I think they are?
Chie notices finally what had exactly happened to her top. When they had fallen in to the water from so high up, the force from hitting the water made her top go up, exposing her breasts a tiny bit.
"AAAH!" Chie shrieks hides her body underwater and pushes Yu away from her so she can adjust her top without letting him actually see anything. Her face glows a bright red and she struggles to find any words to say, only sputtering out incoherent phrases.
Yu stumbles upon his words for a bit before finally saying something coherent, "Uh, I d-didn't see anything." Yu instantly regrets saying this, as it prompts a furious look from Chie and a drop kick to the chest. Yu resurfaces after a moment, and floats on his back. What did I do to deserve this?
"Hey, are you two alright down there?" Kanji calls out to the two in the water.
"Chie, what was that scream about?" Yukiko asks, "There's not a snake down there, is there?"
"N-no, we're fine!" Chie calls back to reassure their friends they were okay.
"Of course she's fine at least... I mean did you see that kick?" Yosuke only says this loud enough for Yukiko and Kanji to hear. He calls out to Yu, "You alright, partner?" Yosuke doesn't receive a verbal response, only what seems to be a nonchalant thumbs-sideways in the distance.
Retching is then heard from somewhere upstream. Everyone looks over at the source of the noise only to see King Moron on his hands and knees hurling up his insides to the river. In the distance, disgustingly colored chunks can be seen floating down the river towards Yu and Chie.
Yu and Chie start yelling and running towards the riverbank frantically. They shout at each other casting the blame on the other.
"Well, I'm just glad we saw that before we went in." Yosuke grimaced. "Looks like those two are having a bit of a lover's quarrel," Yosuke adds, his expression lightening up watching the fallen two bicker.
This elicits a giggle from Yukiko and a confused grunt from Kanji, "Huh?"
Yosuke sighs, "Man, you're really out of it aren't you?"
This school camping trip would be one the team would never forget. Even after a whole week of showering twice a day, Yu and Chie still didn't feel any cleaner than before. No amount of scrubbing and soap was enough to ease their minds about the whole incident.
End Note: I have chapter 5 already waiting to be uploaded next week, which gives me ample time to prepare for chapter 6. That being said, I'd like to know what you, the readers, think. How do you feel about more fight scenes? I don't plan on writing Mitsuo's shadow fight (unless requested), so it would be a short, regular shadow fight. Then there'd be a couple of social link scenes and such. Would you like me to do more scenes that are not in-game? Or continue to do a mix of in-game events (with changes, of course), and my own original scenes? Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.