I'm just gonna go ahead and post this without the fight scene~ I've had this written for awhile, and I don't want to hold it off for anymore xD I got the next one done too! 8D I'mma speedy thing~ I'll post Rise's Shadow Fight later on as a bonus chapter I guess. (Sorry Saber ;w; I understand you're busy~)
Oh my, long chapter is long! :O
Also~ It's Summer! 8D If you guys have any... Romantic requests, shoot them my way! (Although right now, I guess all we could do is Seichi/Chie, Yosuke/Erin, and Narashino/Rise owo) Oh~! But Kagome, and Aidou'll be coming up soon! 8D Wow, that's most of the couples actually xD
And, just wondering, is there anyone out there who DOESN'T like Kanji/Naoto? Because I told my friend (who's a diehard fangirl for it) that I didn't, and she got all upset Dx I mean, I apologized and everything, but I think she's ignoring my messages...
7/10
After fighting her, Teddie's own feelings manifested into a Shadow, which proved to be much harder than previous battles thus far. You still managed, and he's now going to be joining you on the frontlines.
The days, and months have seemed to fly by, blending together seemlessly, that you almost find it hard to believe it's Summer, almost 3 months since you moved here. Today's Sunday, and you think you're long overdue for a much needed break... Unfortunately, fate has a way of biting you in the ass, and your cellphone rings in your front pocket.
It's from Chie. You flip open your phone, and press it to your ear. "Hey Chie~ What's up?"
She sounds freaked out, "D-D-Did you hear yet?"
"...No?" You asked confused, and you can feel her frown on the other end.
"They found a dead body just outside the shopping district! I don't get it! I-I mean, we..." Her voice trailed off into silence, and you begin to get worried.
"Calm down, Chie. Everything's going to be okay... We saved Rise, remember?" You assure her, and it sounds like she's relaxed some.
"I know, I know~ Look, we're all meeting at Junes. Come over right away!"
She hangs up, and you stuff your phone back into your pocket, suddenly feeling alone standing in the middle of your room. You decide to hurry to Junes.
When you get there, Kanji, Yukiko, Chie, and Seichi are already there, solemn looks etched on their faces. When Chie saw you, she stood up, and waved you over. You took the empty seat between Yukiko, and Kanji.
"Yosuke, and Kazuto-kun went over to check the scene. They should be back soon..." You were informed, and you nodded simply in reply. Pratically seconds later, the two forementioned males rushed into the scene.
Yosuke's out of breath, but manages a, "Yeah, it was murder all right. The body was hanging upside down on an apartment's rooftop railing..."
Yukiko frowned, "But... how could that be...?
"That's not all, the victim this time was Morooka-san." Kazuto confirmed. The news was so shocking, that everyone stood up, and stared at the two teens in disbelief.
Seichi voiced his amazement in the most eloquent way possible, "Dude! You shitting us?"
"A-are you sure?" You relayed. Sure, you held no love for the teacher—it was obvious he hated his job... And kids for that matter—but the news was still... surprising, to say the least. Kazuto nodded.
"Wha... Huh? What on Earth is going on here?" Chie yelled.
"How am I supposed to know?" Yosuke yelled back, clearly upset for some reason, "But I talked to the guy there who saw it!" His brown eyes were downcast, "It's true... There's no mistake."
Kanji furrowed his brow, "Gotta be shittin' me... Ain't the killer targeting people who get shown on TV? I ain't never seen King Moron on the Midnight Channel, or any other programs!" A good point.
"I thought we were getting closer to solving the case..." Kazuto spoke up, also appearing to be downtrodded, "Was it all just a big coincidence of sorts?"
"Maybe the Midnight Channel doesn't have anything to do with this..." Yukiko muttered. The atmosphere felt heavier, as everyone seemed equally upset over this.
You shook your head, determined to cheer up your new friends, "It's too early to give up now!" Six pairs of eyes met yours, "We've come so far... I for one won't stop until this case is solved!"
Kanji punched the table, startling you, "Damn straight~! We started this thing 'cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. We give up now, and that shithead's gonna be on the loose forever. This ain't the time for bitchin' and moaning... We just gotta keep on keepin' on."
Seichi smirked, "Wow, Kanji-kun, that was insightful, even for you... But, you're right."
Yosuke sighed, and crossed his arms, "We've risked all our lives to get this far... No way we'll back down. And we promised the bear, too..."
Realization struck Chie, "Hey, that's right! Maybe Teddie knows something!"
"Let's go see him then," You offered, and the group headed over to the Electronics Department inside the store. When you got there, however, you were surprised to see staff scattered around the area. You looked at Yosuke expectedly. He shrugged, and walked over to a male staff member, holding a clipboard, and dressed up in a suit and tie.
"Hi there! Did something happen?"
The man seemed almost happy to see him, "Great timing! Did the manager tell you anything about this? There's been this weird mascot around the department for a while now... Is there some kind of campaign on today?"
"Mascot?"
"He said his name was... Uh, what was it? Terry? Eddie? ... Anyway, there aren't any customers around, so I guess it's fine... I better get back to my station." He announced the last part mostly to himself as he left with a female staff member.
Yosuke turned around, a pained expression on his face, "Please, don't tell me it's..."
"Heeey guys~!"
You looked over to your side, and found Teddie sitting in a massage chair. He seemed pretty content, legs stretched out, head thrown back, and his big round eyes were closed.
"T-Teddie? Where'd you come from?" You asked in amazement, which made him give you a look that read, "Well, duh! Through the TV!"
Okay, maybe it was the more obvious question. Yukiko rubbed her arm, "How long have you been here, Teddie? Did anyone enter the other world?"
He looked more serious, as he answered frankly, "I stayed until the fog settled in on my side, but no one came~" So he was all alone? Did that mean Mr. Morooka wasn't thrown into the TV? The answer he gave was bittersweet, and left you with more questions.
"Hey, hey, I wanna go somewhere~!" Teddie exclaimed excitedly as he climbed off the chair.
Kanji shook his head, "Now ain't the time, dude... You seriously don't plan on going back, do you?" He sighed, and rolled his eyes, "Where do you wanna go anyway?"
You decided to get a few drinks at the food court, and maybe get a few more answers out of Teddie. You sat at your usual table as you absentmindingly sipped your diet soda.
"I think we can be sure now that King Moron was never thrown into the TV," Yosuke frowned, taking a drink from his own can of caramel coffee. (Seriously, what is that in the brown can? xD I'm guessing coffee or hot chocolate~)
Chie asked if he had been killed over here then, and Kazuto replied with, "I'm not so sure, but if that were the case, why not just dispose of him in the TV like all the rest...?"
You put your own two cents in, "Maybe they never intended to?"
"They never intended to...?" Yosuke repeated, not in mockery, but in clarification, "So, you're saying he wasn't like the other victims in the first place? But why...?"
"Maybe the culprit thought he couldn't kill any more people by throwing them into the TV," Yukiko suggested, "I mean, we prevented the last three attempts in a row."
Seichi made small a noise in agreement, "Ahhh, yanno what, that could be it~!"
"So what, they snuffed someone on our side to make sure it worked?" Kanji asked.
"That's only one theory," Kazuto reminded him, "I don't think we can confirm anything just yet, not until we take a look at the body, and of course, question the culprit."
Chie sighed, and leaned back, "We need more clues... Oh! I wonder if Rise-chan's up and around yet?" She's been recovering at home, and apparently Narashino hasn't left her side since. You wondered briefly if the two were dating...
"Yeah... We'll have to put our hopes on her," Yosuke responded, and everyone nodded in unison. You noticed Teddie was sweating profusely, and panting.
"Ehhh, it's so hot... I'm taking this off~!" He complained, making a move to take off his head, but Yosuke stopped him.
"Cut it out! There's kids watching!"
You raised your brow in amusement, "And anyway, aren't you empty inside, Teddie?"
"Actually, I'm no longer a hollow bear~!" He laughed evily for some reason, "I trained, and trained, hoping to someday score with Chie-chan and Yuki-chan—"
"Over my dead body, bear." Seichi growled predatorily as he scooted closer to a flustered Chie.
He was ignored as Teddie continued, "And now I finally have an inside!" He unzipped his head, revealing underneath a pale teenager with platinum blonde locks and baby blue eyes. "Ahhh~ Much better!" He flipped his hair back as he grabbed Kazuto's soda, and chugged it down in one gulp.
"Whoa! What the hell?"
"There's a... body inside?"
"No way!"
"M-my soda..."
Sparkles seemed to radiant off Teddie's body, as he said to the two girls respectively, "Hey Chie-chan, Yuki-chan... Do you have anything to wear? I'm basically like a newborn at the moment." His tone was seductive. Chie raised a quizzical eyebrow.
"A newborn...?" She suddenly blushed, and waved her hands frantically, "Th-then don't take the bottom part off! ...You need some clothes, right? C'mon, let's go look around." She, along with Yukiko, and a very reluctant Seichi went with Teddie to the upper levels of Junes to do some clothes shopping. The rest of you decided to go get some ice cream before seeing how Rise was.
"Yeah, I remember being at my house..." Rise shook her head as her mind drew a blank, "When I came to, though, I was already in the other world." So, she can't remember anything either it seems... A little pointless, but you were glad to see she was feeling better... She also seemed a little happier. You gave her the pair of glasses Teddie made for her, and she officially joined the Investigation Team.
As for Teddie, Yosuke volunteered to let him stay at his house for the time being. You remarked that that was very sweet of him, and he blushed, and waved you off.
You stayed and chatted with your friends for a few more minutes, before deciding to head home. You hadn't realized how long you had been out, the sky above you was black...
7/11
You yawned, and laid your head down on your desk, ready for sleep to take you. You could hear the classroom buzz with rumors, and questions.
"Is that stuff about King Moron for real?"
"It was on TV, so it must be true~!"
"Hey guys, I heard we're getting a transfer student!"
"Seriously, another one? Guy or girl?"
You sat up, and stretched in your seat. You wondered who this new student was, and also who'd be replacing Mr. Morooka as your new homeroom teacher... The door opened, and everyone settled down, and took their seats. A scantily dressed woman with light brown hair, and a curvy figure sauntered in, followed by a shorter girl wearing your school uniform. She reminded you a little of Saki Konishi, with curly brown hair, and almond-shaped, grey eyes.
"Goooood morning~" The older woman spoke in a sultry voice, and bent over to further emphasize the size of her breasts. "I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, your new class teacher starting today. You all probably know already, but now that Mr. Morooka has passed away… I'll be taking good care of you, instead." She giggled, and winked. "Okay! Why don't we start off with a moment of silence for Mr. Morooka..."
After maybe five seconds, she stopped you all, "That should be enough~! I'll do my best to fill Mr. Morooka's shoes. So our regular exams are still on track for next week."
Groans echoed throughout the small classroom.
"I already can't stand her..." One student, a female, mumbled.
"First King Moron, and now Kashiwagi…? How much worse can it get?" Another asked.
Kashiwagi nearly forgot about the transfer student standing awkwardly beside her, "Oh, and one more thing. This is Erin Suzuki." You noticed she had dropped the seductive tone while introducing her, "She moved all the way here from the big city, so treat her well boys~"
Erin blushed, and bowed, "Oh! Um... I-It's very nice to meet you all~!"
For some reason, Yosuke was blushing too, "Dude... She's so cute!"
"Hey Senpai, maybe you should put your tongue back in your mouth. It might dry out, yanno~"
"Shut up, Seichi!"
The girl took the empty seat beside Yosuke. (Let's pretend that CPU doesn't exist xD) He gave her a warm smile, and offered her his hand.
"Hey there~! I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet ya."
Erin smiled, and shook the extended hand. "It's nice to meet you too!"
"Already hitting on the new girl, Yosuke-senpai? Man, you move fast~" Yosuke kicked him from underneath his desk. "Ow! Hey, watch it!"
You sighed. You had a feeling this would be one interesting school year.
... The banter with Yosuke, and Seichi reminded me of Hei and Naoki Dx Gosh darnit~ Someone help me write better man conversations