Chapter 3: Creeps
A/N and here is the second chapter. I want to apologize for not updating my Persona 3 and 4 stories in a while. It's not that I've had writers block, I've just lacked the motivation to write them. I'm going to be working on new chapters for both stories, and hopefully they'll be released soon.
As usual, please leave a review.
Thursday
Junes Grocery Department
"Nanako, what's next on the list?" Yu asked as he and a child with brown hair tied in pigtails and a pink dress and red skirt walked into one of the food aisles at Junes, a large department store owned by Yosuke's dad.
"Um..." Nanako Dojima, Yu's seven year old cousin started, looking down at the list. "We need to pickled radishes for dad."
"Okay." Yu replied.
Of course we need pickled radishes! They're uncle Dojima's favorite food.
"Let's see. Pickled radishes... Pickled radishes... There they are!" Yu exclaimed, finally finding the jar of pickled radishes. As he was putting the jar info their shopping cart, Nanako saw the label and shook her head at him. "What is it?" He asked.
"That's not the brand dad likes." She said plainly. Yu sighed and put the jar back.
"Which brand does Dojima like?" He asked. Nanako turned to look at the shelf. Her eyes scanned up and down the rows, and she pointed at a jar with a different label on it.
"That one." She said. Yu nodded and put the other jar of pickled radishes in the cart.
"Okay, now we have pickled radishes. What's next?" Yu asked as they left the aisle and kept on walking, Nanako pushing the cart. Before Nanako could reply, they passed the snack aisle and heard a male voice talking loudly, almost yelling.
"Come on...let's go somewhere..." The boy in question said, sounding desperate. He had shaggy black hair, a mole under one of his eyes, and pitch black irises. He looked somewhat like a fish. Yu recognized him to be Mitsuo Kubo, a guy he went to middle school with. The two of them had a pretty bad past as a result of Kubo's actions towards several of Yu's friends.
"I'm sorry, but could you please leave me alone...?" Mitsuo was leaning up against the aisle, and was standing extremely close to an uncomfortable looking girl with chin-length black hair.
Yu's eyes widened as he realized who the girl was.
Is that Marie?
His raven-haired friend inched away from Kubo, but every time she moved he closed the gap between between then and pressed his body against hers.
Yu took a deep breath, trying not to lose his temper and beat Mitsuo to a pulp.
Calm down, Narukami. You don't want a repeat of last time.
"Big bro, isn't that the boy who tried to hurt Yuki-chan?" Nanako asked. The color completely drained from Yu's face.
She remembers that? It was over a year ago!
He turned to his cousin and looked at her seriously. "Nanako, stay here with the cart. Whatever you do, do NOT follow me. Do you understand?" He asked sternly but with a hint of caring in his voice. Nanako seemed to understand why he'd made that request and nodded. Yu smiled softly. "Thank you. I'll be back in a minute." He stood up and slowly approached Kubo and Marie. Neither of them noticed that they weren't alone anymore, as Kubo didn't stop advancing on Marie.
"Let's go somewhere a little more private..." Mitsuo said creepily as he held out his hand and tried to touch Marie. She slapped his hand away and took a step back. Yu took another deep breath, still trying to keep his composure.
"G-get away from me you creepyidiotpervert!" She said hastily. His empty eyes flared with anger and he grabbed her arm forcefully. She tried shoving him off, but he took the opportunity to grab her other arm and pull her closer to him. "Let go!"
As Kubo grabbed her something inside of Yu snapped. His body moved on its own, each step feeling heavier than the last.
This fucker has tried to hurt my friends for the last time.
"You're coming with me, Marie..." Mitsuo whispered into her ear. She tried pushing him away again to no avail. He started pulling her towards the other end of the aisle. Marie resisted as best she could, but he was too strong for her.
Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, including Nanako who was watching the scene unfold from the end of the aisle, Yu's fist collided with Kubo's face, and he flew back several feet and dropped to the ground. A loud crack could be heard as he hit the floor. His nose was bent at an angle and he was bleeding.
"Kubo..." Yu said through his rage. "didn't I make it clear that you were to stay away from my friends?!" Recognizing the voice, Kubo's eyes drifted to the silverette standing over him. His face became one of anger and he stumbled, trying to pull himself up.
"Narukami? What are you... Dammit!" Mitsuo wailed in frustration and stomped away.
Bastard! He got in my way AGAIN! First Yuki, and now Marie? Why must he interfere with my quest to save those two fair maidens?
Yu glared at Kubo until he disappeared down the escalator.
"Yu-kun..." Yu heard in a shaky voice coming from behind him. He turned to face Marie, who was practically shaking. Tears were welling in her eyes. She was trying hard not to break down; she didn't want to look weak in front of her closest friend in the entire town. But something in his eyes, the mixture of sympathy and concern for her, told her that it was alright to cry. So she stopped holding back and began intensely sobbing. As tears started rolling down her cheeks, she ran forward and hugged Yu tightly. He was taken aback by her forwardness, but reciprocated the embrace nonetheless.
"It's okay... I'm here." Yu said, lightly stroking the back of her head. He switched to English thinking that it would help calm her down
"Wh-who was he?" Marie sobbed.
Yu's jaw clenched. "Mitsuo Kubo," he said, his voice filled with disgust. "This... Isn't the first time he's done something like that."
As he held her softly Marie cried into his jacket. She breathed heavily between tears, and inhaled a very familiar and sweet scent.
It must be Yu's cologne.
It smells really good, like maple...
She was terrified, but with the soothing smell of his cologne along with the warmth and gentleness of his embrace, she started to calm down.
"...Thank you." Marie said, breaking off the hug after what seemed like forever. She didn't want to stop hugging him, but she also didn't want to overstay her welcome and hug him for too long. She sniffled and wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Yu asked. She nodded, still breathing heavily.
I get that Marie was scared, but it seems like she had a much... Stronger reaction than other girls would. Even Yukiko, and it was worse for her. I wonder if she's had experiences like this before...
He then noticed her apparel. Marie was wearing boots, black and white striped stockings, a plaid skirt, a sleeveless white blouse with a loose black tie, and a cap similar to Naotos, except it was a lighter shade of blue and there was a golden button pinned to it with the letter 'V' engraved.
I've never seen her when she's not wearing her uniform. She looks really good...
"Big bro?" Yu saw Nanako pushing the cart down the aisle towards them. "Who's the pretty girl?" She asked. Marie couldn't help smiling at the compliment from the adorable little girl.
"This is Marie-chan. A friend of mine from school," he replied, turning to Marie. "Marie-chan, this is my cousin Nanako."
Marie knelt down in front of Nanako. "It's nice to meet Nanako-chan!" She smiled as warmly as she could. Nanako smiled back.
"Are you big bro's girlfriend?" She asked innocently.
"WHAT?!" Yu and Marie yelled in unison, their faces both turning bright red. They glanced at each other, but looked away quickly as their eyes met and they both realized that the other person was blushing. Nanako was confused as to why they were both blushing and looking away from each other. "What would make you think that?" Marie asked quietly.
"You were hugging for a really long time, and it seemed like big bro was the reason you stopped crying. He also looked really happy while you two were hugging." Nanako said. Yu's face turned even redder.
"Um... Nanako, don't we still have some more groceries to get?" He asked, taking Nanako's hand. As he was about to start pushing the cart away, he looked back at Marie. She was still blushing, and Yu could tell that she was still scared.
I can't let her walk home alone.
"Hey, Marie-chan. Do you want to finish shopping with us? If you want I'll drop off Nanako at our place and then I can take you home." Yu asked. Marie blushed a little harder at the idea of a boy escorting her home, but she was visibly relieved that she didn't have to go home alone after what happened.
"...Sure." Marie said as nonchalantly as possible, although she was overjoyed and very grateful to Yu, as well as slightly nervous.
She trotted up next to him and the three of them resumed walking. They picked up the last few items on the list and took the bus back to Nanako's house. Nanako opened the front door and walked in and placed her shoes next to the door. "We're home!" She yelled. A man in his mid-thirties with short black hair came from around the corner and smiled.
"What took you so long?" Ryotaro Dojima, Yu's uncle and Nanako's father asked. He was wearing a gray collared shirt, black slacks, and a loose red tie.
"We would have gotten home sooner, but we ran into Yu's girlfriend." The young brunette said.
"Girlfriend?" Dojima asked, surprised. He looked past the open door and saw Marie standing next Yu. once again they were both blushing. "Good job, Yu. She's cute."
"WE'RE NOT DATING!" They yelled, both of their faces flushing. They both turned to face ach other, surprised that they spoke at the same time again. Dojima laughed and the two blushed even harder.
"Alright. Sorry, my mistake," Dojima threw his hands up in defense. "So what's your name?"
"This is Marie Kasumi. She transferred to Yasogami High on Monday." I said as I stepped inside and began taking off my shoes.
"Why don't you stay for dinner? Yu is making ramen." Dojima said. Marie turned to Yu and stifled a laugh.
"You cook?" She asked. The silverette groaned and nodded his head slightly. Marie smiled and came in. "I'd love to stay for dinner." She smiled up at Yu as she took off her boots and placed them next to Yu's shoes.
The two of them walked into the house and Yu closed the door behind them. "Is it okay if I sit?" Marie asked as she approached the couch.
Yu was about to respond when he noticed that his friend's makeup, specifically her eyeliner, had been runny and now stained the areas below her eyes.
How did I not notice that until now?
"Why don't you go clean up first?" Yu suggested. Marie gave him a confused look. "Your makeup is kinka ruined." The Raven-haired girl's eyes widened, and her cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
How could I have forgotten about that? I've been walking around for the last hour with screwed up makeup!
"Oh, of course," she said, trying to conceal her embarrassment. "Nanako-chan, could you show me where the bathroom is? I need to take off my makeup." Nanako nodded and took Marie's hand.
"Okay. I'll show you where big bro keeps his makeup remover!" Nanako said giggling. Marie raised her eyebrows and looked at Yu, who's face had turned red at his cousin's remark.
"Makeup remover?" She asked.
"I was in Drama club last year. That was for stage makeup!" Yu replied under his breath as Nanako pulled Marie into the bathroom.
"Why is her makeup like that, Yu?" Dojima asked, his detective intuition kicking in. "It looks to me like she was crying." He was sitting on the couch with a beer and was flipping through channels on the TV. His feet were kicked up on the table. He had a terrible feeling that he already knew the answer.
Yu's clenchedknuckles turned white. "Nanako and I were about to finish shopping when I saw Marie in the snack aisle. A guy was hitting on her, and when she rejected him he grabbed her." He told his uncle.
Dojima sat up at the edge of the couch. "This guy... Was it-"
"Kubo, yeah." Yu finished his sentence, disgust in his voice as he said the name.
"Dammit, I thought he would have learned his lesson after what happened last year," Dojima said, running a hand though his hair and placing his beer on the table. "Thank you for stepping in. I'll have to go down to Kubo's house later and have a talk with his family."
"What's the point? His parents aren't going to let anything happen to him. Even if you did arrest him he would be out by the morning." Yu replied bitterly. Mitsuo's father was the deputy mayor, thus they were one of the wealthiest families in town. His father wouldn't let him stay in jail for more than an hour, and Dojima would probably get fired for arresting him in the first place.
"I know, but still. From what you said Kubo attempted to sexually assault another girl, although to a lesser extent than the first time. If I arrest him and the deputy mayor were to set him free then I could bring the charges against him to the central office in Tokyo," Dojima rubbed his chin and finished off his beer. "The Kubo family doesn't have any sway over in Tokyo, and I'm sure that Mitsuo's five charges of assult and three charges of attempted sexual assault would probably be enough to get him at least 20 years."
Yu sighed and went into the kitchen. Having read several of Dojima's police manuels in his early teens, he was easily able to discuss his uncles job with him and understand all of the terminology that he used perfectly. "Don't forget about the one charge of assult with intent to kill." Yu reminded Dojima.
He snapped his fingers. "Oh, right...How could I forget, that one was against you." He said as he stood up and smoothed out his shirt and pants. "You need any help cooking?"
Yu chuckled. "Not at the moment, but I'll let you know if I'm ever in the mood for some really crappy sushi." He said, referencing the one time that he and Nanako let Dojima cook for the two of them. It didn't end well for anyone.
"It wasn't that bad!" Dojima defended.
"I had food poisoning for a week. If that's not bad than I don't know what is." The silverette replied as he opened up the fridge. He took out a pepper, carrots, lettuce onions, beef, and soy sauce.
"You got me there," Dojima said as he turned to leave the room. "I have some work to do, so It'll just be the three of you tonight
"Wait! Make coffee for us!" Yu yelled to him. He turned to look at him and chuckled.
"What happened to you not needing my help?" Dojima asked mockingly. Yu raised his eyebrows and glared at his uncle. "Calm down, I'm just kidding." Dojima walked back into the kitchen and got down two mugs from the shelf above the stove. "Uh... Yu?"
Shit...
"Hm?" Yu asked as he took the bag soba noodles from the pantry and placed them next to the other ingredients. He noticed that Dojima had only taken out two mugs. "You know you're making coffee for three people, right?"
Dojima sighed. "I know, but..." He trailed off and took a deep breath. "We only have four mugs. Mine is at the office and Chisato's is in storage, so that leaves yours, Nanako's, and..."Yu tensed up as he listened to Dojima. He understood why he was hesitant to use the third mug.
"Just let her use it."
"Eh?" Nanako's mug slipped out of Dojima's hand. With lightning-fast reflexes he stooped down and caught it just before it hit the floor. He placed the mug down next Yu's on the counter and turned to look at his nephew. "Are you sure? I mean, this was her mug."
"I know that! Just get down the damn mug!" Yu yelled slamming his fist on the counter.
Taken aback by his response, Dojima nodded silently and got down the third mug. While he was surprised that Yu spoke to him in such a way, he knew why he did. It had been a very sore subject for Yu over the last few years. As he began brewing a pot of coffee Marie and Nanako finally walked out into the awkward silence that hung in the air. "What happened?" Nanako asked concerned by the heavy atmosphere.
"Nothing happened sweetie." Dojima replied in a soft voice that was common of him whenever he spoke to Nanako.
"Did you and big bro have a fight?" Nanako persisted, pursing her lips.
"No, we didn't fight. Honestly, everything is fine." Dojima reassured her. Nanako didn't seem convinced, but sighed and held up her hands in defeat. Dojima looked over at Marie, who was standing behind Nanako awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "Kasumi-san, how do you take your coffee?" He asked.
"Huh? Oh, coffee... Uh..." Marie stammered and noticed the pot of coffee brewing on the counter. "Sugar and cream." She decided finally.
"That's the way Nanako likes it too," Dojima chuckled. "Why don't you guys go watch some TV? I'll bring the coffee over to you when it's done." He suggested.
"Okay," Marie nodded and sat down on the couch with Nanako following a few seconds later. "What do you want to watch Nanako-chan?" The younger brunette pondered the question for a moment before clapping her hands together.
"Loveline!" She exclaimed turning on the TV and changing the channel to the kids network. Nanako sang along with the Loveline opening, Dojima brought over their coffee. Marie didn't know why, but he seemed hesitant to give her the cup. Before she had time to question him Dojima walked to the door and put his shoes on.
"I have to head back to work for a while. I'll be back later," he said as he opened the door. "Since you'll probably be gone by the time I get back, it was a pleasure to meet you Kasumi-san." And with that he closed the door behind him.
Marie asked several questions throughout the episode, all of which Nanako answered easily. As the episode came to an end Yu entered the room and placed three bowls of steaming hot ramen on the table. She and Nanako moved to the table and started eating. "Yu... This is amazing! How did you learn to cook like this?" She asked. He just shrugged in response.
"I'm actually self-taught." He replied as if it were nothing.
"That's really impressive. I've always wanted to learn how to cook." Marie said as she took another bite of the ramen and finished her coffee. As she placed her cup back down she noticed a name engraved on it.
Who is Sayuri?
"If you want I could teach you how to cook." Yu offered with his usual charming smile.
"Seriously? Thank you!" Marie said happily. She pushed her question about the mug to the back of her mind.
I'll ask him some other time.
As the trio ate and talked Marie's phone lit up and a song started playing.
Do you have the time,
To listen to me whine,
About nothing and everything all at once?
Marie opened up her phone and sighed. "It's from my guardian. I have to go." She stood up and smiled. "It was fun meeting you, Nanako-chan. We should hang out again."
Her closing remark made Nanako smile. "Okay Marie-chan!" She ran to the door and hugged Marie, who looked both startled and happy. She hugged Nanako back and stood up.
"You ready to go Yu-kun?" She asked. Yu nodded and the two of them walked out into the twilight and closed the door behind them.
Inaba Police Station
15 minutes later
Dojima draped his coat over his chair and sat down. Looking over the thick pile of paperwork on the desk in front of him he sighed. Like most people he wasn't a fan of doing paperwork, but for him it was worse than most. Most people would think that being a cop in a small town would mean less work. That, of course, was wrong. There wasn't less work. There were certainly less massive cases, but there were still a large number of small-time crimes happening every week.
Even with such a large amount of work Dojima had two much larger problems that needed to be dealt with. Luckily for him he only needed to go to one person to get both of those things done so he could get to his normal tedious work.
He opened the browser on his computer and sent an email to Naoto Shirogane.
Dojima: Shirogane?
As per usual her response came quickly.
Naoto: Detective? Can I help you with anything?
Dojima: Actually yes. Have you met a student at Yasogami High named Marie Kasumi?
Naoto: Yes I have. She transferred her this Monday and is in the same class as your nephew.
Dojima: there are a few thing regarding her that I need your help with.
Naoto: That doesn't sound very good. Did something happen?
Dojima: Earlier today she was assaulted by Mitsuo Kubo at Junes. Luckily Yu intervened and drove him off.
Naoto: What? You need to send an officer over to his house immediately.
Dojima: Actually I was hoping you could send an officer for me.
Naoto: why can't you do it yourself?
Dojima: I was going to earlier, but Yu pointed out that since Kubo's father is the deputy mayor I would get seriously reprimanded if I was the one to send an officer. I could even get taken off the force. It would be better if a person with no official affiliation to the police were the one to make the call. Since you're just a consulting detective I was hoping that you could be the one to send an officer.
Naoto: Yu-Senpai is right, you would get in serious trouble for something like that. I'll send an officer, although I'm not sure how much good it will do. Even if Kubo has commuted a crime his father practically makes him immune to punishment.
Dojima: I know. But we can't just let Kubo run around trying to rape girls.
Naoto: I'll get it taken care of. Is there anything else Detective?
Dojima: Two more things. Could you update Kubo's file and forward it to your grandfather in Tokyo? We might need his help in case things get out of hand.
Naoto: of course. What is the other thing?
Dojima: I'm going to call you for this other matter. It's more of a personal thing.
Without waiting for her to respond Dojima took out his phone and called Naoto.
"Detective?" Came Naoto's firm voice through the speaker.
"I'm sorry to ask this Shirogane, but I need you to keep an eye on Marie Kasumi for me." He replied in a hushed tone. He didn't want anyone else in the office to hear him.
"Why would I do that?" She asked.
Dojima sighed. "After Kubo attacked her Yu brought her back to my place so he could drop off Nanako and then take her home. It was subtle, but based off the way Yu acted around her I think he's starting to care about her a lot. I just don't want him to get hurt again." He finished.
"Dojima, they've only known each other for a few days. I doubt that Senpai already cares about her as much as you think." Naoto replied calmly. She didn't know the main reason for Dojima's suspicion.
"He let her use Sayuri's mug." He said bluntly. He heard a gasp from the other side of call, and then silence.
That's the last thing Naoto expected to hear.
Dojima-san is right...
"Shirogane?" Dojima asked in a sharp tone.
Naoto gulped. "...I-I'll help you." She said before hanging up.