Chapter 7 – Saki Konishi: Yosuke's Plea.

That night, I came back home only to find Nanako and Uncle Dojima sitting down to eat. Personally, I didn't feel like eating that night, I really felt like I needed to lie down.

"Hey, welcome home." Dojima greeted me. I gave a simple nod and said my hellos again, sitting down and rubbing my temples all the while. The rain wasn't really helping any, even with the calm pitter-patter on the window.

"Um.." Uncle Dojima tried to find the right words. "Well, I'd doubt you know, but... Have you heard anything about a Third Year named Saki Konishi?"

"She wasn't at school today, from what I heard." I replied back with an honest answer.

"Oh." He looked back down, "I see..."

"Did something happen?"

"To tell you the truth, we got a call from her family.. She's disappeared."

"W-What..?" Oh, crap... What'll Yosuke think of this?

"We have people looking for her, but nothing has been found." Dojima gave a great sigh. "Work just keeps on piling up.."

"W-Well," I spoke before he looked back to the TV. "If I find any information about her, or if I see her around.. I'll tell you about it Uncle Dojima."

"Heh, I appreciate it." He flashed a wry smile before looking back at the TV.

"Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamano was found dead in the small town of Inaba," Again..? "Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death were unknown."

"Prior..?" I blurt out, listening intently to what they were saying next.

"The police investigation have found out that she had been staying in the region's famous Amagi Inn." Whoa... Isn't that where Yukiko-san works? "She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was recovering from the ordeal?"

"Oh yes, the Amagi Inn! Over there, they have first-rate hot springs!" Seriously? Frickin' Commentators. "The manager's teen daughter works there, and she'll be taking over the inn this spring. If that happens, she'll be the youngest manager there so far!"

"Wow... That's sad." I sighed, rubbing the back of my head as I got up from the floor. "Uncle Dojima, Nanako-chan, I'll be going to bed early toni-achoo!" I sneezed, all the while having a chill come across my body.

"You okay?" Dojima looked back at me. "You're probably still adjusting here."

"I-I'm fine, really..." However, I was ignored when Uncle Dojima sent Nanako to get me some medicine.

…

The next morning I was already walking down the stairs in my uniform when I saw Uncle Dojima walking out already.

"Oh, you're up." He waved back at me when he went out the door. "Well, I'm off."

As soon as I heard the door close, Nanako was already explaining. "He had to go do something because he got a call, so he left early this morning."

"I see..." I looked back at the door. "Guess we should get going, too, huh?"

I put my bag over my shoulder, and got the umbrella that we would both use. "I hope you don't mind me walking you to school this morning."

"No way!" Nanako giggled, "I don't mind!"

I left Nanako at her school and began to walk to Yasogami. As I was walking, I heard two girls gossiping down the street.

"...I saw about three police cars zoom right past me!" The chick with the red umbrella spoke up.

"You live by the police station, right?" The other one replied, "Did you hear something?"

"I only heard yelling, it was such a disappointment..."

"You really need to pay more attention to stuff like that! How else are we going to get good stories?" Her friend was whining off of all this. I was about to ask about something, when I heard some sirens nearby... another incident? I think I'll just head to school..

…

Later on that day, I met up with Chie and Yosuke at the stage where they held all the school assemblies at. Chie was using her Cell Phone, and Yosuke and I were standing there with puzzled looks on our faces.

"Hey, did you see it yesterday~?" Another gossiping girl was quite loud when it came to rumors.

"Of course not, what is that rumor for real?" Her friend asked.

"I dunno, but a lot of people have seen it, apparently."

"I wonder what's up with Yukiko," Chie replied, "She said she'd be here after lunch."

"Ain't it weird, though?" I asked Chie, "To be holding an assembly right now?" We turned to Yosuke after a few seconds.

"What's up, Yosuke?" Chie looked at him.

"What?" He looked up at us, "Oh... It's nothing, really."

"Everyone, please settle down. The assembly is about to begin." Ms. Sofue came up on the mic. "First off, the Principal has something to say."

After she said that, the Principal really DID have something to say.

"I regret to say..." The Principal looked down, "I have a terrible announcement for all of you... One of our third-year students, Ms. Saki Konishi of Class 3..." Oh no.. Don't say what I think you're going to say.

"...has passed away."

"Oh, my God..." I covered my mouth in pure horror.

"Passed away?!" Chie's mouth dropped open. I turned to look at Yosuke, who had his arms crossed over each other.. His face, however, had a grim expression on it.

"Ms. Konishi was found deceased early this morning," The Principal continued, "The reasons for her passing are currently under investigation. If they ask for you to cooperate, I urge you to provide facts."

"I-I can't believe this is all happening..." I looked back at Yosuke. "Yosuke-san.."

"All right, please quiet down." The bearded man spoke, "I have been assured that there was no bullying involved in all of this."

"Found dead?! How could this have happened?" Chie asked herself.

"Yosuke-san..." I placed my hand onto his shoulder, but he just pushed it away. His expression really seemed glum.

…

The whole day was a bitched up day, I'll tell you that. A lot of people were taking this goddamn thing as a joke. 'Tell you the truth, I was worried about Yosuke... He loved her, right? And now, she was seriously gone!

"Sheesh," Chie clenched her fists. "It's easy to toss around crap when you're not involved in it."

"Hey... Did you guys check out the TV last night?" Yosuke had appeared behind us, already questioning as if we had something to do with it.

"Yosuke?!" Chie looked at him. "Everyone's been talking about it... Not you, too!"

"Just listen to me for a second!" He hollered at Chie. For some reason, I backed up a bit, and I've never done that before. "Something just kept bothering me, so... I watched it again, and..."

"Yosuke..?" I looked at him with sympathy.

"I think the girl on the screen was Saki-senpai.."

"Huh?!" My eyes widened.

"There weren't any mistakes about it." He continued, "Senpai looked like she was really hurting..." He looked to me. "And then, she disappeared from the screen..."

"What..?" That was all Chie could say.

"T-That's horrible, it's-"

Yosuke interrupted me. "You heard Senpai's body was found on a telephone pole-similar to the announcer's, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, remember that guy you told us about?" I had to retrace my memory from what Chie has told me. "How he was all excited about the announcer being his Soul mate?"

"What about it?" Chie asked him.

"Maybe, just maybe.." Yosuke struggled to say what he was about to say. "Ms. Yamano might have been on that channel before she died, too."

"Wouldn't that make it mean that's like a target place?" I asked Yosuke.

"S-So it's like saying people who appear on that TV die..?" Chie shivered a bit.

"I can't say for sure." Yosuke spoke, "I can't dismiss it as a coincidence, though."

"I remember what that bear said, now." I spoke out, "We had to 'leave the place before the fog cleared,' right?"

"It also said something about a person throwing other people in there." Yosuke was connecting information together. "And that room with the posters? It had to have something to do with the announcer's death."

"..." I stayed silent. It's like Yosuke didn't even try to wipe the information from his mind.

"Couldn't that world have something to do with their deaths?!" He panicked.

"Y-Yosuke, calm down!" I grabbed both his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "I know how you feel about this... You might be right. It's not just you who's thinking about it..."

"R-Really?" He looked at us both, then shook his head. "If there is a connection to that world, then there's a good chance that they both went into that world."

"Yosuke, please don't tell me-" Chie was now the one being interrupted.

"Remilia-san, please..." His eyes really seemed like they were filled with meaning. "Please... Take me into that other world!"

"..." I thought about it for a second. If we went back in there, and began to investigate, it could cause problems. But, Yosuke-san... I understood how he felt. When my father died of cancer, I wanted to know why he had cancer-how he had it. To this day, I still don't know, but that doesn't mean I won't leave Yosuke-san out... "I understand."

"..I'm sorry." He kind of brightened up a bit. "I'm going to go get ready, I'll meet you all at Junes."

…

I had taken off my school jacket, and left my hair out of a ponytail once we got there. I didn't want it getting in the way or getting lost while we dropped into the TV world, and I really didn't feel like wearing it anymore. Yosuke was holding a rope and a golf club, his face really hopeful looking.

"You guys came?!" He smiled a bit.

"We came to stop you, stupid!" Chie yelped. "Y-You really shouldn't do this, it's dangerous!"

"I know, but we were able to come back once, right?" Yosuke said, "If we go to the same location, maybe we'll meet that bear again."

"'Maybe' isn't good enough!"

"Look, I can't just pretend this has nothing to do with me."

"We know that, Yosuke, but..." I put my hands on my hips. "Are you sure you want to go through with this..?"

"You couldn't walk away, could you?" He gave me a hard look.

"No, but..." I looked at Chie. "What about Chie-san?"

"It'll have to be just you and me, then." He handed a rope to Chie, and looked straight at her. "Look, I'm leaving this in charge with you, Chie."

I didn't even realize he tied it around his waist.

"What's this, a rope?" Chie looked at it.

"I'll go in with this tied around me." Yosuke explained, "If something happens, I want you to pull us out."

"W-Wait, so this is like a lifeline?!" Chie freaked. "C'mon..."

"Remilia-san, this is for you." He handed me the blackened golf club and some medicine to cover us. I guess I needed my jacket after all, so I put it back on. "I thought it might be better than going in without anything to support."

"Thanks." I clutched it in one of my hands. "Shall we go?"

"There's no use in wasting anymore time." Yosuke pointed out, "Chie, whatever you do, don't let go!"

"Wait!" Chie cried out, but I decided to go either way and place my hand through after hanging it over my shoulder, holding it with my neck. I held Yosuke's wrist and jumped in with him.

Oh yeah, and I heard a snap.

Remilia & Yosuke finally go back into the TV world to learn about the murder. Ignoring Chie's plea to stop, they are beginning to travel back there through Junes.

Persona 4 (C) ATLUS

Remilia Konagi (C) Me~