This one has been a long time coming. It took me forever to figure out the beginning of this chapter so I just started writing the other stuff I wanted to include. I'm doing some small experimenting here or there so if the writing isn't tonally consistent in a jarring way I apologize. Now prepare yourself for a bit of fluff, a bit of meta humor poking fun at my writing, an onslaught of puns, and a whole lot of PLOT (No not that kind!) In advance I apologize if the deviations from the canonical story are bothersome, I screwed up some timing things in earlier chapters, and rather than do the sensible thing and edit them I decided to take what I wrote and run with it. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy reading, and if you're feeling particularly generous review! I'll be responding to reviews by message from now on when I can so as not to have a huge wall of text up here. All right that's it this time, read on!

Chie looked down once again at her and Yu's joined hands. After spending a quiet moment on the Samegawa Riverbank, Yu had offered to walk her home. They had just entered the shopping district and were now making their way to the residential part of town. The past several minutes had been quiet, and although the silence hadn't been uncomfortable, Chie still felt a little nervous. Questions began to appear in her mind: Were they an item now? Just how did he feel about her? She looked down again.

Seeming to catch on to her apprehension, Yu spoke at last. "Is something bothering you?"

"N-no! I mean- I'm fine!" Calming herself slightly she continued. "It's just… I'm wondering…" She trailed off, wondering how to voice her concerns. Yu waited patiently as she gathered her thoughts. "Those things you said… This," she raised their joined hands. "I'm just trying to figure out what all this means… Not that it has to or anything!" she finished awkwardly, fearing that she might be reading into things too much.

Yu's pace slowed for a moment before coming to a halt. Bringing her gaze to his face, she found him deep in thought, contemplating how to respond. Finally he began. "It means… I want…" He paused, seeming to get momentarily flustered as he tried to explain.

Trying to dispel the tension, Chie nudged him lightly. "What happened to the smooth talker from a couple of minutes ago, huh?" She teased lightheartedly.

Yu flushed for a moment before chuckling. "Doesn't seem to be present at the moment unfortunately. You… tend to have that effect on me sometimes." He cleared his throat. "I guess to put it simply: Those things I said? I meant them, I wasn't just being nice or anything like that. I don't want things to change between us… much." Chie raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. "But I want to be more than just friends." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "What I'm trying to say is, Chie, will you be my girlfriend?"

There it was, out in the open. Chie felt the corners of her lips tugging upward into a smile, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Y-yeah…" They both looked at each other for a moment before both bursting into laughter. After a moment she regained her composure, recovering from the nervous tension. "Geez, look at us! I mean, it's just like you said right? It's not like anything has changed too much. We're just… closer now."

Yu nodded. "Right… Well, I don't want to keep you too much longer. It really is getting late now," He teased, making a light hearted jab at Chie's attempt to escape earlier.

"Jerk…" Chie replied in mock indignation, lightly punching Yu's shoulder. "You're probably right; my mom would probably have a cow if I stayed out for much later…"

Yu nodded and they began to make their way to Chie's house. With the walk only taking several minutes, it appeared to be time for them to part.

"Well, I'll see you on Monday Chie," Yu said, smiling warmly. Before he could turn around completely, Chie grabbed his sleeve.

"Think you could stay for a little while?" Chie said suddenly, feeling bold. Before Yu could muster a response, Chie pecked him on the cheek. Grinning triumphantly as she left him there speechless, she quickly retreated into the confines of her home.

Chie awoke to the sound of distant police sirens. Rolling over her futon, she snatched her cell phone off of its charger to check the time. She groaned out loud as she realized that it was a little too late to try to get in a couple of extra minutes of sleep while still being slightly too early to begin heading to school. Reasoning she was up already, she figured she might as well start getting ready. Getting up she walked toward the windows and drew the curtains. A thick curtain of fog greeted her, prompting her to frown. They had saved Rise and no one had appeared on the Midnight Channel the previous night, when the fog had begun to set in.

A slight sense of unease began to pervade through her mind. It was unusual for the police to be active so early in the day. With the exception of the recent murders and various cases of petty crime, there were very few incidents that warranted sending out a group of police cars, with most of Inaba PD simply patrolling the small town on foot. Chie shook her head. There's no point in worrying about it, is there? We did everything we could. We stopped the murders, didn't we? Sighing she moved into the room adjacent to hers and began to draw a bath.

After several minutes she lowered herself into the warm water, and she exhaled deeply. For a moment, she briefly examined her body. Chie had always prided herself in her ability to stay fit, but the excursions into the TV world had further honed her athletic prowess. Without a doubt, the practical application of her training in combat had brought her further than her standard training sessions ever could have. In addition, there was the occasional scar here and there from their latest foray into the world of shadows. Thankfully, Yukiko's skillful use of healing magic ensured that only particularly grievous wounds would scar permanently, allowing Chie to avoid too much questioning from her parents. It was likely a similar situation with the rest of the Investigation Team, they had all grown stronger as a team as well as in their individual skills. With Rise likely joining the Investigation Team officially soon, along with the addition of Kanji from beforehand, they were able to able to stand firmly against the shadows, no small feat considering that they had only grown stronger as well in the span of the past several months.

With any luck, however, Rise had been the last victim, and they would no longer have to fight. The thought didn't put Chie's mind at ease however. Although they had thwarted the killer's efforts, they would still be out there and they could still harm other people. The team had invested so much time in the case now, and the thought of them not being able to catch the killer left a sour taste in Chie's mouth. The families of the first two victims deserved justice, and Chie felt her resolve to see the case to the end strengthen once more. Having finished her bath, she climbed out of the shower and began to get dressed.

As per her routine, she met Yukiko at the shopping district bus stop. The girl greeted her cheerfully. "How was your weekend Chie?"

Chie couldn't hide the slight flush of her cheeks. "P-pretty good, at least before it's started raining a bunch. This fog just gives me the creeps…" Chie had thrown out the last statement in an attempt to steer the conversation.

Her efforts went in vain however, as Yukiko had already zeroed in on the former part of her statement. "Did something happen?"

Chie mentally cursed her friend's perceptiveness. Although she didn't want to hide her and Yu's recently established relationship, if Yosuke caught even the slightest whiff of it she knew she'd never here the end of it. Not to mention Rise would likely be… less than pleased with the development. Chie knew the first year would act maturely for the most part, yet there was little doubt in her mind that there would be some jealousy involved.

"W-well, it was kind of awkward, I ran into Takeshi-kun the other day…" She trailed off, hoping Yukiko would mentally fill in the blanks.

"Oh that boy from middle school? How did that go?" Yukiko asked, pressing on much to Chie's chagrin. "Didn't you like him back then? Did he ask you out or something?"

"N-no!" Chie blurted out, flabbergasted at Yukiko's rapid fire stream of questions. Sighing she continued, "Actually he asked about you, but I wouldn't bother with that jerk. He was going on about how you were 'laughing all weird now' or some crap like that."

The raven haired girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess it's true," Yukiko replied. "We've changed so much just in these past few months. But it's for the better. We're being true to ourselves; it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

"Yeah, you're right," Chie agreed. "Doesn't change that I wanted to kick him right in the face."

Yukiko giggled at her friends usual 'kick first, ask questions later' antics. Suddenly her expression became worryingly thoughtful. "Hmm, that doesn't seem like it would qualify as a good weekend before the rain started though…"

Crap! Chie cursed mentally, furiously wracking her brain for a harebrained excuse. "E-erm, Aiya served the rainy day special as the clouds rolled in. S-since I'm a regular t-they… uh… let me try my hand at the Mega Beef Bowl early!" She laughed nervously, noting that her friend did not look the slightest bit convinced. Desperately she attempted to stick to her story, "M-man, after training for so long I still couldn't finish that thing! Heh…" She suddenly noticed that Yukiko was giving her a look so sad it was physically painful to endure.

Throwing her hands up Chie sighed exasperatedly. Incidentally, Yukiko's expression brightened almost immediately, knowing that the truth of the matter would finally come about. "Geez, you don't have to look at me like that," Chie sighed wearily. Clearing her throat she began. "Well before Takeshi-kun left, I got after him for saying that you were acting weird. He didn't like that one bit, starting saying stuff like I wouldn't have anything going for me if I wasn't all sunshine's and rainbows all the time. After that I didn't have much else to say and he left." Chie sighed. "And then Yu-kun showed up. Turns out he heard the whole thing. He… cheered me up, told me that Takeshi was wrong. We hung out for a little afterwards and went home."

"That was nice of him. And he was right too," Yukiko added.

Chie flushed suddenly, unused to so much flattery. "T-thanks Yukiko." Closing her eyes she exhaled loudly, savoring the moment. As embarrassing as it was, it was nice to get some things off her chest rather than keep them a total secret.

"So did anything else happen?"

"YUKIKO!"

"Come on Chie, you can't blame me for being curious. It sounds so romantic… the boy that you like coming out of nowhere to comfort you suddenly confesses that all along-"

"Blegh, cut it out with the sappy crap! You know I can't stand it!" Chie cut off, covering her ears in mock indignation. Her face was red from embarrassment however, as Yukiko's 'sappy' fantasies weren't too far off from what had actually happened. If the raven haired girl happened to assume that she was just embarrassed from the teasing, Chie wouldn't bother correcting her.

Mercifully Yukiko seemed satisfied, momentarily ceasing her interrogation. They were nearing the school gates when they noticed a large crowd of students milling around the gate. Chie exchanged a glance with Yukiko, and with their curiosity piqued they pressed forward. As they neared the group, snippets of the students' exchanges became audible, with Mr. Morooka apparently being the subject of the morning's conversations.

"Did you hear? King Moron's the latest victim of that crazy serial murder case!" A student exclaimed.

"No way!" Another cried in disbelief. "That stuff was supposed to have died down!"

It was all Chie could do to exchange a shocked glance with Yukiko.

"Think they'll push back exams another week?"

"Fat chance, I've heard that-"

Chie's eavesdropping was suddenly interrupted by her phone going off. Seeing it was Yu on the other end, she quickly answered. "Yu-kun? What's going on?"

"Chie! Have you heard the news?" Yu answered, his tone far less level than usual.

"About King Moron? Everyone at school's talking about it!"

"Yosuke's going to see if he can check out the crime scene but… I don't think there's any point. Uncle Dojima was called in early this morning…"

Chie's eyes widened. The sirens I heard this morning! She realized.

"It looks like… Mr. Morooka really is dead," Yu finished at last, sounding defeated.

"This doesn't make any damn sense!" Kanji yelled, slamming his fists on the table. "We saved Rise, and that stupid prick King Moron didn't even appear on the Midnight Channel!"

"Not to mention that he didn't appear on TV beforehand, which would completely screw up our assumption that all the victims would get on the news or something before they got killed," Yosuke groaned. "Were we off base this whole time?"

"I don't know, maybe," Chie replied, groaning as she clutched her head. The day had gone from bad to worse when Ms. Kashiwagi had been announced as their class's replacement instructor, not to mention that exams were still right on track.

"It's always possible that the killer found out his usual method wasn't working," Yukiko noted.

"That's a possibility," Yu murmured. "After all, we've been able to stop their past three attempts."

"So… you're saying the killer decided to kill the Mr. Morooka in the real world instead?" Chie offered.

"That seems to be the most likely scenario," Yu agreed. "Still, we should consult Teddie to see if he's sensed some recent activity."

"Oh yeah, I wonder how he's doing?" Chie wondered out loud. The bear had seemed incredibly determined in his effort to make a 'comeback.' Hopefully he hasn't hurt himself, Chie thought. Teddie's behavior was very unpredictable, from his unsuccessful attempts to hit on the female Investigation Teams members to his surprisingly heroic display when they had confronted Rise's shadow.

"Alright, let's go. The electronics department should be clear like usual," Yosuke said, rising from his seat at the food court bench. The others soon followed suit, making their way to the familiar route to the television set displays. Along the way they encountered two employees chatting animatedly.

Noticing Yosuke was amongst their group, one of the two immediately approached them. "Yosuke-kun? There's a strangely dressed person asking for you. Said his name was… Teddie or something?" The Investigation Team exchanged incredulous glances. No way, Chie thought in disbelief, It can't be!

"Is there a promotion going on or something?" The employee asked.

"Uhh…" Yosuke suddenly looked as if he had just remembered something, "O-oh yeah! Uh, that's just the potential hire for the… store mascot! Don't worry about it I'll take care of it!" Yosuke replied, somehow managing to spin a convincing lie in a mere matter of moments. The employees seemed satisfied with the explanation, leaving Yosuke to handle it. The brown haired teen pinched his nose suddenly, "Please tell me this doesn't mean what I think it means…"

As they approached a prominently displayed massage chair, it seemed however, that it was exactly what Yosuke had feared. Resting off on top of the massage chair in his trademark red and white suit, was Teddie.

"A-aa-ahh, I n-never k-knew things l-like t-this existed on t-the other s-side!" Teddie remarked, his body being rocked by the powerful vibrations emanating from the chair. Noticing the Investigation Team staring at him, at a loss for words, he quickly hopped off. "Sensei! Everyone!"

Yosuke approached the bear point blank. "Just what the hell are you doing here? More importantly, how did you even get here?"

"I just came out the same way you guys do! So this is the world you and sensei live in?" Teddie remarked, looking around the department store curiously.

Sighing exasperatedly Yosuke, decided not to press further, deciding instead to focus on the issue at hand. "Hey, how long have you been here?"

Teddie looked deep in thought for a moment then replied, "Not too long! It's beary fortunate you guys came along when you did! I was about to start looking for you all!"

"So before you left did you sense anything?" Yosuke asked.

"Nope, it's been quiet recently thanks to you guys!"

"Are you sure? Your nose has been acting up lately."

Teddie suddenly looked offended. "Rrrgh! Although my sniffer hasn't been on the top of its game lately, I would have definitely been able to sense if someone had been thrown in!"

"So it looks like the killer must have killed Mr. Morooka in the real world." Yu noted. "It would explain why we didn't see anything on the Midnight Channel, and I trust Teddie."

"Thank you sensei!" The bear gushed. "Ooh ooh, can we look around some, please!"

"Alright, alright," Yosuke relented. Inspiration struck his features. "Well, I guess the secret headquarters is as good a place to start as any!"

The team once again gathered at their usual haunt at the Junes food court. The weather was especially hot today, a reminder of the coming summer. Yosuke, in a friendly gesture, had brought everyone complimentary drinks, in an attempt to stave off the heat.

"So where do we go from here, leader?" Yosuke asked.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure." Yu answered. "With no current leads and no apparent involvement of the shadow world, for the moment it seems things are out of our hands. For now, I think our best course of action would see if anything comes up during the police investigation, and go from there." The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Meanwhile the heat seemed to be finally getting to Teddie.

"Urgh… it's so hot!" The bear complained loudly, reaching for the zipper that kept his 'head' in place.

Yosuke suddenly intervened. "Woah there! Geez Teddie, if those kids saw an empty suit just walking around they'd be scarred for life!"

"I'm not empty anymore!" Teddie insisted. "I can't BEAR this anymore!" Heedless to everyone's protests, the bear yanked off the top half of his ensemble. Instead of revealing an empty shell however, there was a blonde haired, blue eyed boy inside.

"W-what the-" Yosuke stammered, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Teddie?" Chie asked. "Is that you?"

Teddie suddenly unceremoniously started chugging one of the nearby drinks, not stopping until the bottle was empty. Letting out a sigh of content, he suddenly tousled his hair dramatically. "Don't worry about me, baby."

Chie groaned internally. "Yep, that's you alright…"

"Can I get some clothes like you guys? I'm like a newborn babe in here," Teddie inquired, unaware of the implications of his question.

"W-what!" Yukiko stammered. "You mean you're naked?"

Teddie suddenly blushed. "I'm afraid you all have me at a disadvantage. I'm only in my bearthday suit other than my costume."

Suddenly grabbing Teddie's arm, Chie quickly starting making her way to the department store entrance. "We're going to get him some clothes!" Yukiko quickly joined in to aid her. Looking over her shoulder Chie shouted, "We'll meet up with you later!"

Minutes later they had shut Teddie into a dressing room, and after some trial and error, managed to deduce his clothing sizes. Along with Yukiko, Chie browsed through the boys tops section. Finding a ridiculously frilly shirt, Chie could barely contain her laughter. "Yukiko, check this out!"

Once Yukiko had lain eyes on the offending garment, she began to break into hysterical laughter. "It's perfect!" She replied once she had regained her composure. They jokingly added it to the selection of shirts they had gathered. Little did they know, however, that Teddie would take quite a shine to the eclectic shirt.

As they waited outside the dressing room the girls overheard the shadow world resident gasp, "Its bearfect!" Teddie suddenly sashayed out of the dressing room, adding a twirl for good measure. "So, what do the ladies think?" Teddie asked breathily, doing his best take on a suave wink. Chie could only face palm as Yukiko began to all but start rolling on the ground, howling with laughter. Undeterred, the now blonde haired Teddie picked out a corsage to complete the ensemble. As they rang up the items, Chie's eyes widened as the final total came up.

Suddenly a mischievous grin crossed her features. Chie turned toward the cashier. "Hey, you know Yosuke Hanamura right?"

The trio made their way toward the shopping district soon after. The boys of the group had arranged to meet with Rise to discuss her officially coming onto the Investigation Team. Although she had already began to associate with the group's members, everyone on the team strongly believed in voluntary participation. Although some of the initial buzz of her arrival on campus had died off, the fact that she was a former famous idol did not go unnoticed by her peers, which in itself brought a host of issues when it came to her properly integrating into Yasogami High. Joining the team would add a whole other slew of potential troubles, and with Mr. Morooka's recent death, there was no apparent end to them in sight.

They found Kanji, Yosuke, and Yu in front of the Shiroku general store, enjoying some ice cold topsicles in the scorching heat. Noticing them approach, Yosuke chuckled.

"Nice duds," Yosuke quipped, noting Teddie's new attire.

Teddie quickly approached Yu. "I'd say I look quite the ravishing bear, don't you think so sensei?"

Yu played along. Nodding sagely, he replied, "C'est Magnifique!"

As Teddie practically glowed from the praise, Chie groaned, "Don't encourage him."

Noticing the topsicles Kanji and the others were enjoying, Teddie suddenly became very excited. "What are those? Can I have some?"

Chuckling Yosuke walked over to Kanji, handing him a two thousand yen note. The first year's eyes widened. "Dude, I can't accept this!"

"Don't sweat it!" Yosuke replied, waving his hand dismissively. "Go ahead and treat yourself and Teddie, just don't get brain freeze alright?"

Clapping the brown haired boy on the back, Kanji grinned, "You're the man senpai! C'mon Ted!" The two quickly entered the shop, beginning to examine the wide variety of frozen treats.

"Wow Yosuke, that was surprisingly mature of you," Chie noted. Although she would never admit it outright, she was starting to feel slightly guilty about charging Teddie's clothes to his tab.

"Well, I have my moments," Yosuke stated, his chest swelling with pride.

"It's just good to know you can handle situations like an adult," Chie went on, hoping that after buttering him up a bit that he would handle the news better.

Yosuke, however, seemed to catch on. "Just who are you and what have you done with the Chie I know?"

Chie laughed nervously. "Err, well… it's just…" Yosuke raised an eyebrow, beckoning her to explain further. "Teddie's clothes were really expensive, so… we charged them to you, heheh…"

Yosuke's reaction was immediate. "WHAT! Are you kidding me, I just got my motorcycle fixed I'm broke! That was one of my last big bills," He groaned. Suddenly his features became angry. "Just what the hell do you think you were doing? It's not like I'm hedging your personal spending fund or something!"

"Well it's not my fault that Junes charges so much for their clothes!" Chie replied indignantly.

Teddie suddenly made a timely exit from the store. Apparently having overheard what had ignited Chie and Yosuke's latest spat, he said, "Don't fight over me, baby."

Teddie's attempt to defuse the situation seemed to only irritate the two further. "STAY OUT OF THIS!" They replied in unison.

With his focus returning back to the matter at hand, Yosuke once again faced Chie. "Seriously, you couldn't have at least TRIED to pay for them yourself?"

"It's not like I just carry around that much money!" Chie protested.

"Well than maybe you should get job like the rest of us!" Yosuke insisted.

"'Rest of us?' What are you talking about?"

"Yukiko works practically full time at her inn, Kanji helps out at his mom's store, Rise helps out at her grandma's tofu store not to mention is probably loaded from her time as an idol! Hell, last time I checked Yu had like four jobs or something!"

"Well what was I supposed to do? Just let Teddie go commando in his suit or something?"

Yosuke grinded his teeth, apparently grudgingly deciding to let the matter drop. "You owe me," He growled. "Just remember that…"

"Yeah, whatever," Chie replied, rolling her eyes. Turning to check on the others, she was surprised to find them gone. "Wait, where did everyone else go?"

"They probably left already, we were supposed to meet with Rise at the shrine not much longer after you guys got here," Yosuke said. They quickly made their way over to the town shrine, not wanting to keep the others waiting.

The shrine grounds were quiet save for the sound of Teddie going to town on a batch of topsicles.

"Woah there Ted, don't get yourself sick," Kanji warned.

"Buth there sho' good!" Teddie exclaimed, his mouth full of the frozen confections.

"Sorry for holdup," Yosuke announced. "Did we miss anything?"

Yu shook his head. "Apparently Rise had to help around the tofu store a bit, so she's running a little late."

As if on cue, the former idol came rushing into the area. "Sorry I'm late everyone!"

"Its fine," Yu assured. "We understand."

"Thanks senpai!" Rise replied brightly. "Now, tell me, what can I do to help?"

"You've heard of the serial murders correct? Up until now, the killer had been throwing people into the shadow world. Normally people can't stand up to their shadow, and it kills them," Yu explained.

"So that's how that announcer and the girl whose family owns the liquor store died?" Rise gasped.

The Investigation Team members nodded. Yosuke continued with the explanation. "That power you got, your persona, that's how we're able to go in, and save people before they get hurt. But… from the looks of it King Moron was killed in the real world, so we're stuck right now…"

"Well, if the time comes I'm with you," Rise said firmly. "You guys saved my life, and I want to help too! I can't thank you enough, I love you guys!"

Yosuke whispered to Yu suddenly. "Dude, she's so cute! It's finally starting to hit me, we're with Risette, live and in person!"

"I'm sorry, was that a little too much?" Rise giggled. "It's just I didn't want you guys to get the wrong idea of me from before. It was tough after I announced my hiatus… I didn't have the energy to keep up the image everyone expected from me. I'm still trying to figure out what makes me… me y'know?"

"Just do what come naturally and be true to yourself," Yukiko said. "That's what it means to really come to terms with your shadow."

Rise blushed. "Thanks Yukiko-senpai, I'll remember that."

"Ooh wait that reminds me," Teddie blurted out suddenly, wiping off what little remained of the topsicles off his mouth. Reaching into his pocket, he conjured yet another pair of glasses. "For you Rise-chan!"

"Is that you Teddie?" Rise said, looking surprised. "I didn't know that was what you really looked like!"

"Believe us, neither did we…" Yosuke groaned.

"I remember your presence from before we left the TV world, Himiko seems to pick up on stuff like that," Rise said thoughtfully.

"You better bearlieve it's me! I'm new and improved!" Teddie remarked proudly.

Giggling, Rise took the pink rimmed glasses from Teddie's outstretched hand. "You guys were wearing these on the other side. This means I'm really one of you!"

"Glad to have you onboard," Yosuke said. "We could always use some extra manpower in there! Don't worry, we'll get you caught up and up to speed in no time!" Suddenly he visibly deflated. "Uh, but in the meantime, I'm gonna start cramming for exams, seeing as there still gonna be starting come tomorrow…"

The rest of the Investigation Team collectively expressed their dismay before deciding to disband in order to prepare for the dreaded exams.

After the examination period had ended, everyone had agreed to reconvene at the special headquarters.

"So, did Dojima-san or that dopey detective happen to let anything slip about the case?" Yosuke asked.

"No, he hasn't mentioned anything. I would ask, but he already suspects we're involved somehow. If he were to find out to what extent, we'd be in some hot water."

"No kidding," Yosuke sighed. "Well, we're not gonna give up just yet! The minute we hear something we'll jump right on in!"

"That won't be necessary," A new voice said suddenly.

When everyone turned to see who had entered, they were greeted with the site of the young detective they had met earlier, Naoto.

"The police have identified begun to narrow down a suspect, a high school student like yourselves, if the rumors are to be believed." Eyeing them critically, the enigmatic detective continued, "Do you understand? This game of yours is over. Your involvement, however large, is no longer necessary. I suggest you all pursue other endeavors, soon your town will return to its usual peaceful, rustic self."

As the detective turned to leave, Rise shouted, "Just who do you think you are? Coming and showing us up all of a sudden! You're the one who's playing games here!"

The detective looked shocked. Suddenly he closed his eyes, and smiled slightly. "That may be quite true…" He admitted.

"This was never a game to us…" Yosuke said firmly. "One of the victims… she was important to me…"

"Shouldn't you be helpin' track the guy down? From the sound of it, you don't even know if your info on the killer isn't bullshit! What, did the cops can you or something?" Kanji said angrily, also a little riled up that the team's motives and intentions had been belittled.

Naoto stiffened slightly. "My persistence about the inconsistencies with the previous murders did not sit well with administrators. They have been… less willing to share new information now that the investigations are proceeding more smoothly. Regardless of your intent or the circumstances, my point stands: you need no longer involve yourselves, the case will be resolved shortly. Good day." Having said his farewell, the detective briskly began to walk away.

"As much as a jerk as that guy may be, I feel a little bad. I think we struck a little bit of a nerve back there," Rise said.

"Yeah," Yosuke agreed. "I doubt a guy like that who goes from place to place solving cases makes much friends." The rest of the team murmured a quiet agreement. "Well, to hell with all that! MY point still stands too! We so much as get a peep out of the midnight channel we're going in!" The rest of the team shouted in assent, their vigor renewed.