If you can spot the Naruto reference in this chapter, you win a virtual cookie. (Hint: it's during the Shadow Yosuke scene)
The next day, after school, Yosuke Hanamura walked up to Aika's desk. "Hey, Miss Nakamura," he greeted her with a crooked smile. "You getting used to this place?"
"Yeah," Aika answered with a nod. Of all the people who had talked to her during her first two days, she had to admit she liked Yosuke the best. He seemed the most honest, after all.
"Wow, that was fast," he said, and his smile widened into something more natural. "There isn't much to do here compared to the big city, but there is that certain… something you can't get anywhere else."
"I like it here," Aika said simply, vaguely wondering what it was about Yosuke that made her feel so… calm.
"That's good!" he enthused. "So listen, are you busy right now?"
"Um…" Aika mentally face-palmed; and he had such a good run… "Not… really?"
"I know this great place where you can get grilled steak," Yosuke continued, completely oblivious to Aika's unease. "It's on me."
"Um…" Aika mumbled, clenching her hands into fists. "I…"
"Sheesh…" Chie grumbled from next to Aika. "Is he bothering you, Aika?"
"N-Not really…" Aika replied.
"Take a hint, Hanamura," Chie said coldly. "She's not interested."
"Um…" Aika piped up. "Actually… maybe we could all… go?"
"That's a great idea!" Chie said automatically. "How about it, Yukiko? Free steak?"
"I'll pass," Yukiko replied. "I don't want to gain anymore weight. I have to help out at the inn today, anyway. Maybe some other time?"
"Aw…" Chie grumbled. "Okay. We should get going, huh?"
"What?" Yosuke said in disbelief. "Do I seriously have to treat two people?"
The amazing grilled steak place was apparently the famous Junes that Nanako was so fond of. "This is the cheap place you were talking about?" Chie fumed as Yosuke brought over three drinks. "You know, when you're trying to impress a girl, you're supposed to not bring her over to your family business and actually make good on what you promised her."
Yosuke sat down with a huff and crossed his arms. "Well, once you hopped on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." He smirked in Aika's direction. "Sorry about that, Nakamura." He glared at Chie. "And it's not my family business!"
"Huh?" Aika asked, tilting her head to the side and frowning quizzically.
"Oh, I haven't told you about this yet, have I?" Yosuke said. "I moved here from another city about six months back. This location just opened up, and my dad was assigned to manage it, so our entire family came out here." He gestured towards one of the soda cans he'd brought over. "Here. This is to welcome you to town."
"Or to welcome you back, even though you probably don't remember it that well," Chie corrected.
Aika took a can and opened it. "Th-Thank you," she said, her cheeks warming up as she smiled.
"Satonaka, yours is on me too, in case there was any doubt that this isn't a date," Yosuke said.
"I already knew that!" Chie snapped, taking the can closest to her.
"So what did you mean by welcoming her back to Inaba?" Yosuke asked.
Aika was sure her face was a furious shade of red right now. Chie actually remembered what she said… "I-I was sort of born here," Aika explained. "B-But I only lived here for a couple years, s-so I don't really remember it."
"So what made you decide to move back?" Yosuke asked.
"My parents are working overseas," Aika explained, surprised that she didn't stutter once. "I'm staying with my uncle for the year."
"Really?" Yosuke asked, smirking. "What do they do?"
"Um…" Aika mumbled, clapping her feet together. "They're financial analysts f-for this pharmaceutical company called Satomi Tadashi. They're going to help open up a new branch in France."
"Satomi Tadashi?" Yosuke repeated. "Hey, I think we carry some of their stuff!" Aika smiled weakly at him in response. Suddenly, he turned his head to the side. "Hey… it's Saki-senpai!" He stood up quickly, almost banging his leg against the table in his haste. "Sorry, be right back."
Sure enough, Aika could see a girl sitting a few tables away. She was pretty, she supposed – tall, with long, wavy hair and a thin, angular face. "Is she his girlfriend?"
Chie outright laughed at that. "He wishes. That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. I think she's working here part-time though…" Aika tilted her head to the side as she watched Yosuke, who appeared as relaxed with Saki as Aika felt with him.
"Hey, is she the new transfer student?" Saki suddenly asked loudly, standing up and walking over to Aika's table. "Hey, I'm Saki," she introduced herself.
"I'm Aika. Um… I-It's nice to meet you."
Saki chuckled. "No need to be so shy. I promise I won't bite." Aika gave the older girl a small smile. "I really do hope you'll get along with Hana-chan. He doesn't have too many friends, you see."
"Uh, that's not really—" Yosuke interjected.
"But you've got to let him know right to his face when he starts to annoy you," Saki continued, as if Yosuke hadn't said a word. "You're pretty cute, so he probably tried bringing you here on a date, huh?"
"To be fair, he was going to take her out for steak someplace else," Chie pointed out. "But then I – how did he put it? – jumped on the freeloader train."
Saki sighed. "Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go… Laters!"
"Oh, uh, Senpai!" Yosuke called after her, but Saki was already out of earshot. Yosuke sat down, laughing. "Saki-senpai says I'm annoying, but she's even nosier than me." A dreamy sort of smile spread across his face – much more natural than any of the crooked smiles he gave Aika when he was obviously trying to look attractive. "She has a younger brother, and she pretty much treats me the same way…"
"Oh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh?" Chie said teasingly. "I get it. So that's how it is…" Chie snickered. "The daughter of a local family-owned liquor store and the scion of the invading chain… Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!" Aika couldn't help herself – she let out a giggle, prompting both Yosuke and Chie to look to her in surprise. "Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart. You ever hear of the Midnight Channel? You're supposed to look into a TV that's switched off, alone, exactly at midnight on a rainy night. While you're staring at your own image, another person will appear on the screen, and they say that person's your soulmate."
"What?" Yosuke said. "For a second, I thought you were actually going to say something useful. How could you get so excited over a childish urban legend like that?"
"Childish, huh?" Chie snapped back. "You don't believe it, do you?"
"Of course I don't!" Yosuke answered sharply.
"Well it's supposed to rain tonight," Chie said. "Let's all try it out – then you'll see!"
"Wait, so you haven't even tried it out yourself?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "Wow, I'm trying to remember the last time I heard something this stupid…" Yosuke shook his head. "Never mind. All that aside… you know that 'incident' yesterday? Do you guys think it was a murder? Ooh, what if the culprit was still lurking around?"
"U-Um…" Aika piped up. "M-Maybe you shouldn't…"
"Now who's the childish one?" Chie asked. "Anyway, I should get going. You guys better try it out tonight!"
Aika stood up shortly after Chie left. "U-Um, I should get going too… Th-Thank you for the drink, Hanamura-san." She shuffled away quickly, but she couldn't deny that having friends – or at least acquaintances – felt pretty nice.
Dinner consisted of leftovers from the night Aika arrived in Inaba, which took all of twenty minutes to heat up. Dinner with Nanako almost always proved to be an awkward affair – neither girl was very talkative, so the two usually sat in awkward, heavy silence while the TV blared in the background. It was almost nine, and Uncle still hadn't showed up. "Um…" Aika mumbled. "Did Uncle call?"
Nanako sighed irritably. "No…" she grumbled. "He always says he will." As if on cue, the front door slid open. "Oh, he's home!"
Uncle plopped down on the couch, sighing heavily. "What a day…" he muttered to himself. "Did anything happen while I was gone?"
"No," Nanako replied. "You're late again!"
"I'm sorry," Uncle said, sounding flustered. "Been busy at work. Can you put the news on for me?" Nanako pouted as used the remote the change the channel.
Aika made her way to the kitchen. "U-Um… I'll heat up some food for you, Uncle."
"Thanks," he replied tiredly.
"Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba," Aika heard the announcer on TV say as she put some food into the microwave. "Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of the enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi. The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. In addition, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."
"An interview with the kid?" Uncle said. "Where the hell did they find her?"
"What went through your mind when you saw it?" the reporter asked. "Could you tell she was dead? Did you see her face?"
"U-Um…" an indistinct voice said.
"Don't you think it's scary that someone was killed on a foggy day?" the reporter continued.
"Huh?" the student asked. "She was killed…?"
"So… did you see anyone suspicious around here?"
"No, not really…"
"We heard that you found it when you left school early. Did you have some personal business to take care of?"
"Huh? That's…"
Aika turned to look at the TV. The girl being interviewed looked somewhat like that girl Saki Konishi, though it was hard to make out her features. The microwave beeped, snapping Aika's attention back to the task at hand. She piled some food onto a plate and walked over to the couch. "Uncle? Food's ready." But he was snoring lightly, fast asleep. Aika sighed. "Guess you're not hungry, huh?" She put the plate down on the table and made her way upstairs, to her uncle's room. As she unrolled his futon, she couldn't help but notice just how similar he was to her own mother.
Back downstairs, she nudged Uncle as gently as she could. "Uncle? Um… why don't you come upstairs? You'll catch a cold if you sleep down here."
He stirred slightly and opened his eyes blearily. "What?" he mumbled.
Aika tugged on his arm – she could still remember tugging his arm like this when she was younger, before Nanako was born; he'd always lift her up onto his shoulders when she did, making her father scream in terror while her mother and aunt Chisato just laughed at them both – and schooled her expression into something stern. "Come on, Uncle," she said. "Sleep on your futon." He mumbled something incomprehensible and shifted into a more comfortable position. "No!" Aika almost yelled. "Uncle…"
"It's okay," Nanako said. "I'll wake him up and make him go to his room when I go to bed."
"Are you sure?" Aika asked.
Nanako nodded. "Yeah. If you're tired, then you can go to bed. I'm going to stay up for a little longer."
Aika exhaled slowly. "All right. Good night." When she went upstairs, she called her parents and didn't hang up the phone until almost two and a half hours later.
It wasn't until two minutes before midnight that Aika remembered her promise to check out the Midnight Channel. She already had her futon unrolled, and she yawned every ten seconds or so, but she forced herself to stay awake for just a few more minutes. Standing up to reduce her chances of falling asleep before midnight struck, she crossed her arms and stared into the blank TV screen, and the sound of rain falling outside was oddly soothing and comforting. The TV was smaller than she was and rather outdated – not that Aika cared, since she didn't watch that much TV to begin with.
Then, suddenly, there was a strange sound not unlike static. The screen whirred to life, though Aika could swear that she didn't switch it on at all. The faint, barely recognizable outline of a girl with long hair flashed briefly across the screen. There was a strange, high-pitched ringing in her ears that she could swear didn't come from the TV. And then, there was a voice in her mind.
Thou art I…
It was a woman's voice – thin, breathy, and ethereal. Aika's head suddenly seared with pain, and she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed one hand to her forehead, her face contorting into a grimace.
… and I am thou…
There was another, more intense wave of pain, and it suddenly became difficult to stand. She stumbled forward, reaching out to put her hand on the TV for support. But instead of meeting solid glass, all she could feel was emptiness, and she fell forward. Her knees banged against the stand, and, when she opened her eyes, all she could see was a black void. She pulled back, falling to the floor with a loud crash.
Her headache receded almost as quickly as it came, leaving her feeling a bit lightheaded. She put one hand to her head and stared at the TV screen, which was now deceptively blank.
What… What just happened?
The day passed by in a blur, and Aika found herself dozing off between classes. Her head throbbed dully, more from worrying about that strange voice in her head from the previous night than the voice itself. She rested her head in her arms on top of her desk, sighing heavily.
"Y-Yo…" said a voice close to her desk. Aika looked up to see an uncertain-looking Yosuke.
"Hi," Aika greeted tiredly with a smile.
"Um…" Yosuke mumbled, and, were she anyone else, she would have laughed at the irony of the situation. "It's not really that important, but… Well, yesterday on TV, I… You know what? Never mind. I'll tell you later." He laughed nervously.
Chie walked up to them from Yukiko's desk, looking rather concerned. "Yosuke, did you hear the rumor?" she asked. "Saki-senpai's supposedly the one who discovered that body."
"I wonder if that's why she looked so down," Yosuke said. "She doesn't seem to be at school today either."
"By the way, did you see… it… last night?" Chie asked hesitantly.
"I…" Aika mumbled. What happened the previous night made no sense whatsoever. First the random girl appearing on the TV screen, then the voice in her head and near crippling headache, and…
"I saw a girl!" Chie yelled. "But… my soulmate's a girl? What's that supposed to mean? I couldn't quite tell who it was, but it was a girl for sure. She had brown hair, and she was wearing our school uniform, and…
Aika's head snapped up at that. "Wait a minute!" Yosuke cut her off. "I think that's the same person I saw!"
"M-Me too," Aika added quietly.
"I couldn't make out that much detail, though," Yosuke continued. "The image I saw was much blurrier."
"Wait, so does this mean we all have the same soulmate?" Chie asked.
"Hang on a sec," Yosuke said. "What happened to you, Aika? You've been pretty quiet today… I mean, more than usual."
Aika wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "I… um…"
"It's okay," Chie assured her, smiling. "You can tell us."
"I sort of…" Aika began hesitantly. She exhaled slowly to calm herself, though her hands wouldn't stop shaking. "I-I might have just been imagining it, b-but… Th-There was this weird voice in my head, a-and I think… I-I think I might have gone… inside… the TV… b-but it was really late, a-and I probably was just imagining it, s-so… never mind…"
Yosuke chuckled, and Aika wanted to sink into the floor. "Were you that tired last night?" he teased. "You must've just fallen asleep in front of your TV."
"That'd be one interesting dream, though," Chie added, before gasping suddenly. "Oh, that reminds me! Our family's been talking about buying a bigger TV."
"Oh yeah?" Yosuke asked. "Well, flatscreen TVs are definitely in these days. Wanna go check 'em out on the way back? We're beefing up our electronics department this month."
"Oh, definitely!" Chie agreed. "My parents don't know anything about electronics, and I've just gotta see my kung-fu movies on the big screen! You should come too, Aika!"
"You're not too busy, are you?" Yosuke asked.
"N-No…" Aika replied, her voice a barely audible whisper. "I-I'll come…" Maybe it really was just a dream…
"Wow!" Chie exclaimed at the TV Yosuke led them to. "This is huge! And… holy crap, it's expensive! Who buys something like this?"
"I dunno…" Yosuke replied. "Rich folks? Honestly, not that many people shop for TVs there. That's why we don't have clerks around. So Chie, what kind of TV are you guys in the market for?"
"They said they wanted one that's cheap," Chie answered. "You got any suggestions?"
Yosuke took her arm and pulled her over to another TV nearby, a goofy smile on his face. "Well miss, might I suggest this one right here? It's the newest model, just released this spring."
"That's not cheap at all!" Chie screeched. "There's way too many zeroes!"
Yosuke appeared to wilt. "I should've asked what you meant by cheap right off the bat."
Aika sighed and stared at the TV in front of her. I wonder… She stepped forward and reached for the screen experimentally. Sure enough, instead of cool glass, all she could feel was air, and the black screen seemed to shimmer beneath her touch. She shrieked in surprise, jumping back and clasping one hand over her mouth.
"You okay over there?" Yosuke asked her, peering at her over Chie's head.
"I…" Aika tried to reply, but the words died in her throat. Explaining this strange phenomenon was bad enough the first time. Frowning determinedly, she took a deep breath to strengthen her resolve and reached into the TV without hesitation. Sure enough, her hand went past the screen, a strange white spiral surrounding it.
"Wh-What the…?" Yosuke gasped.
"Whoa…" Chie whispered. "Is that some kinda… new model? L-Like with a new function?"
"Hell no!" Yosuke yelled. "Oh man… This is for real…"
"Hmm…" Aika mused, climbing onto the table and sticking her head inside, only to see the same black void she saw the previous night. "It's empty inside."
"H-Hey!" Yosuke yelped. "Don't do that! What're you doing?"
"Wh-What do you mean empty?" Chie squeaked
"Holy crap…" Yosuke whimpered. "I-I think this is all too much for my bladder…"
"What the—" Chie started. "Are you gonna pee your pants?"
"I've been holding it in all day!" Yosuke yelled. "I-I haven't had a chance to go…"
"I wonder how far this goes…" Aika said to herself.
"H-Hey, be careful!" Yosuke yelled. "You're gonna fall in!" He grabbed onto one of her arms, making her lose her balance. She wrapped her fingers tightly around Yosuke's arm as she fell forward.
"Hey!" Chie yelled, grabbing Yosuke's arm and attempting to pull him back. But it was as if something from down below was sucking her into it, and Aika fell, pulling Yosuke and Chie behind her.
There was a white and black vortex that only seemed to shrink the farther they fell. Aika landed first, and the impact was every bit as painful as she imagined. She seemed to be in a strange yellow room, practically suffocated by a thick fog. "Ow…" Yosuke groaned. "I landed right on my wallet…"
"Man, where the heck are we?" Chie asked. "What is this place? Someplace inside Junes?"
"Hell no it isn't!" Yosuke answered. "We fell through a TV!"
"So… uh…" Chie mumbled. "We're still alive… right?"
"Are you guys okay?" Aika asked worriedly.
"I think my butt's cracked now…" Yosuke groaned.
"Of course it is!" Chie snapped back.
Yosuke looked up and jumped. "Whoa!"
"Wh-What now?" Chie whimpered. "Did you wet your pants?"
"No, stupid!" Yosuke retorted. "Look around!"
The fog was so thick and so heavy that it was almost difficult to breathe, but Aika could see the faint outline of what appeared to be a studio. "What is this place?" she whispered. Suddenly, there was a shrill ringing noise in her ears, and her head burst with pain – just like the previous night.
Thou art I… I am thou… Thou art the one who opens the door…
"Aika," she could hear someone calling her name, but it was impossible to tell who it was through the haze of pain. "Aika!" All of a sudden, the pain subsided, and the ringing noise stopped. She was on the floor, and her hand was pressed against her forehead. Yosuke and Chie were staring down at her worriedly. "Are you okay?" Yosuke asked.
"I-I'm okay," she said shakily. She stood up, but her knees shook, and her head felt heavy.
"Let's go home," Chie suggested. "We should probably… wait a minute. Which way did we come in from?"
Aika's stomach twisted into knots, and she suddenly felt sick. "I-I don't know… I'm sorry…"
Yosuke sighed. "Look," he said. "We got in somehow, right? So there's gotta be a way out. If there's no exit, we're trapped, so… let's just cross our fingers and look around."
"I-It looks like there's a path over there," Aika said, pointing to something that looked like a bridge. "Why don't we start there?" And, for what felt like eternity, they walked. No one could say a word, with the very real possibility of never making it back home. To make matters worse, each step Aika took seemed to sap her energy, and her head felt like it was going to split open.
Chie groaned loudly. "I can't see a thing through all this fog!" she ranted.
"It looks like we're in some kind of building," Yosuke said. "Damn, the fog's so thick, I can hardly see."
"Are you sure we're not wandering farther away?" Chie asked.
"I'm sorry…" Aika whispered. "I… Th-This is all my fault… I'm the one that brought you guys here…"
"That doesn't matter right now," Yosuke pointed out. "It doesn't change the fact that we're stuck here."
"I'm sorry…" Aika said again.
"You don't have to apologize so much," Yosuke told her, giving a small smile. "Let's just keep looking, okay?" They meandered farther down the path until they reached what appeared to be a sort of hotel room. The air felt lighter, though Aika still felt sick to her stomach. "Is it me, or is the fog lighter here?" Yosuke pulled out his cellphone and groaned. "No service. What a surprise."
"Huh?" Chie gasped. "What the…" Aika turned around and almost fell over in surprise. Splashes of red and yellow covered the walls, and there were numerous posters depicting a woman in a red kimono, though the head was cut out. "It's a dead end! There's no exit!"
Yosuke let out something halfway between a whine and a scream. "I can't hold it any longer! My bladder's gonna explode!" Without warning, he ran over to the farthest wall.
"Yosuke!" Chie yelled. "What are you doing?"
"I've gotta let it out before I piss my pants!" Yosuke yelled back.
"You're going here?" Chie asked incredulously. "Oh, you have got to be kidding…"
Aika let out a squeak of embarrassment and turned around, her face heating up.
"I can't do it!" Yosuke moaned. "It's all your fault if my bladder bursts!"
"Like I care," Chie deadpanned as Yosuke turned around. "Anyway, what's with this room?" She walked over to one of the posters, running her hand over where the head should have been. "Someone must really hate this person."
Aika's eyes fell on a red scarf hanging from the ceiling. "Wh-Why…"
"Come on!" Chie whined. "Let's go back to where we came from and look somewhere else for an exit!" It was at that moment that the voice in Aika's mind struck again.
Thou art I… and I am thou…
She must have said or done something, because Yosuke and Chie were now staring at her. "Are you sure you're okay?" Yosuke asked her. "You don't look so good."
"Come to think of it, I'm not feeling so great either…" Chie mumbled.
"Now that you mention it, me too…" Yosuke whispered.
Now that she was consciously thinking of her own physical condition, Aika noticed how cold she felt – not to mention, her headache had worsened considerably. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "L-Let's just go back…" she said quietly. "Please?"
When they finally managed to drag their feet back to the studio-like place, a strange figure approached them. It was too foggy to see what it was clearly, but Aika stepped behind Yosuke and Chie anyway. The strange creature finally came into view, and though it obviously wasn't human, Aika couldn't tell what exactly it was. It had two small, round ears on its head, so it looked like… "… a bear?" Aika whispered.
"What in the world?" Yosuke muttered.
"Th-That's what I wanna know!" the bear retorted, but Aika couldn't see its mouth move. "Who are you guys?"
Chie yelped in surprise. "It talked!" She assumed a fighting stance. "Who are you? Y-You wanna fight?"
The bear cowered. "D-Don't yell at me like that…"
But the bear certainly didn't look dangerous. Aika approached it cautiously, ready to jump back at the slightest provocation. "Um… D-Do you know what this place is?"
"This place is what it is," the bear replied, smiling. "It doesn't have a name. It's where I live."
"You… live here?" Yosuke repeated.
"If I was you guys, I'd hurry back to the other side," the bear suggested. "Someone's been throwing people in here. It's a big headache."
"Throwing… people in?" Aika echoed faintly. She was beginning to feel rather lightheaded, and all she wanted was to go back home and sleep.
The bear frowned and stomped its foot in frustration. "I dunno who's doing it!" he ranted. "I just want them to think before they go doing things like that!"
"Hey, what's your problem?" Chie demanded. "What gives you the right to yell at us like that!"
"Chie-san!" Aika squeaked.
"What?" Chie snapped at her. "Don't tell me you're taking his side!"
"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, staring downward. "Th-This is… sort of… his home… a-and we're not really supposed to be here."
The bear ran to hide behind Aika. It was slightly taller than her and much wider, so she couldn't offer it much protection. "I-I already told you!" the bear said nervously. "Anyway, you should hurry back."
"What it comes down to is, you want us to get out of here, right?" Yosuke asked. "Well so do we! We just don't know how, dammit!"
The bear groaned exasperatedly. "That's why I'm saying I'll let you out!"
"Like I keep saying!" Yosuke continued. "We don't know where the frickin' exit—Wait… What?"
The bear waved its arms, and in a puff of smoke, three old-fashioned TVs appeared. "How did you do that?" Aika asked.
But the bear was already ushering her to the TV screens. "Okay, now go, go, get outta here! I'm a busy bear!" Before Aika could process what was happening, she was being shoved into the TV screens, and she saw the same white and black vortex as before.
She could hear the Junes theme song as she, Yosuke, and Chie tumbled to the floor, the large TV screen in front of them deceptively blank. The sudden rush left her feeling dizzy and out of breath, and her head still threatened to split open. "Attention shoppers!" a female's voice echoed. "Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor. Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantage of this incredible bargain!"
"Crap, it's already that late?" Yosuke whispered. "I guess this means we're back though." Aika groaned as she struggled to stand up. The world spun beneath her feet, and she had to grab onto the nearest thing – which happened to be Chie's arm – so that she wouldn't fall back down.
"Looks like we were in there for quite a while…" Chie mused.
Yosuke looked to the side, his eyes widening in shock. "That's right! Now I remember where I saw that poster before!" He pointed to a poster depicting the same woman in the red kimono, but her head was clearly visible.
Aika shuffled over, trying to ignore just how dizzy and tired she felt. "Misuzu… Hiiragi?"
"She's been all over the news lately," Chie pointed out. "Something about… her husband having an affair with that announcer lady…" Her eyes widened in recognition. "… who died the other day!"
"So that room…" Aika mumbled. "Could it be related to Yamano-san's death?"
"Now that I think about it, there was that creepy noose hanging from the ceiling…" Yosuke added, before making a noise halfway between a whine and a shriek. "Stop! No more! We gotta stop talking about this! I'm gonna wipe what happened today from my brain. I don't think my poor heart can take any more."
"I-I'm sorry…" Aika whispered.
"Let's go home…" Chie suggested. "I wanna lie down and rest."
Aika finally saw the time as they parted ways – nearly seven o'clock.
Somehow, miraculously, Aika made it back home within the next half hour. She felt even worse than she did inside the TV or at Junes, and though her headache had faded into a dull throb, she still felt utterly exhausted and ill. Uncle and Nanako were sitting at the table with bowls of ramen in front of them, and Aika all but collapsed at the seat next to Uncle. "Welcome home," Uncle said. He looked just as tired as she felt – there were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was stubbly from days of not shaving.
"Sorry I'm late," Aika apologized weakly.
"That's okay," he replied. "Just don't try to stay out too late, okay? We might have a killer on the loose."
Aika nodded, immediately regretting the action when she was rewarded with a rush of vertigo. "Okay."
"Hmm…" Uncle mused. "Well, I doubt you'd know… but have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"
"She found the body…" Aika replied. "… right?"
"Yeah," he said. "It's true…" He sighed heavily. "To be honest… we got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet…" He sighed again, and Aika winced in sympathy. "Work just keeps piling up…" He looked to her again, this time frowning slightly. "You okay?"
"Huh?" Aika mumbled, looking up at him. A shiver ran down her spine. "Oh… I think I might be coming down with a cold…"
"Damn, we're out of cold medicine…" he grumbled.
"I-I think I'll just go to bed now," Aika said, standing up. Her legs felt wobbly, and her eyelids were starting to droop shut. "I'll probably be fine in the morning."
"All right," he replied. "Let me know if you need anything.
She smiled faintly at him before going upstairs to unroll her futon. She fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow.
Contrary to what she told Uncle the previous night, Aika was not fine in the morning. Her head felt heavy, it was difficult to keep her eyes open, and she was positive that she had a fever. When she made her way downstairs, her body seemed to whine and groan in protest. Uncle was there, straightening his tie, and Nanako had yet to come down. "Ah, you're up," he said without even looking up. When he finally saw Aika, he seemed to deflate a little. "Stay home from school today. You look like shit."
"I-I'll be fine," Aika protested weakly. "I'm just a little tired."
He sighed irritably. "You're just like Fuuji, you know that?" Aika felt her face heat up, and she couldn't blame it on the fever.
Nanako finally came down, and she frowned at Aika quizzically. "Why aren't you dressed yet?" she asked simply.
"She's not going to school today," Uncle said flatly before Aika could get a word in. "She isn't feeling well." Aika frowned at him, and he simply shrugged at her. "It's best to treat these things early on. Besides, it's still early in the school term, so you'll be able to catch up without a problem."
Aika sighed heavily. "All right," she conceded. "I'm really sorry about this." When she left for her room, she tried and failed to ignore Uncle's amused expression.
When Aika woke up again, she felt much better. Her legs were still a little shaky, though that could be attributed to spending the day in bed, and she still felt kind of feverish, but it was nothing that wouldn't go away soon enough. Nanako was sitting at the table, watching TV, when Aika finally made her way downstairs. "Morning," she greeted.
"It's the afternoon," Nanako pointed out. "Are you feeling any better?"
Aika smiled and nodded. "Yeah, much better. School's over already?"
"Yeah," Nanako replied. "Dad called your school this morning and told them you were sick, so you won't get in trouble." Aika exhaled slowly as she opened the refrigerator. Now that she didn't feel so sick anymore, she finally noticed how hungry she was, especially since she hadn't eaten anything since lunch the previous day. The refrigerator was stocked with some vegetables and some fish, so she pulled those out, rummaging through the kitchen for knives and utensils. It was past five o'clock, so there was no reason she couldn't start on dinner early.
About an hour later, Nanako meandered to the kitchen with a confused frown on her face, once the smell of cooking vegetables and fish nearly flooded the house. "Are you making dinner?" she asked.
"Yeah," Aika replied distractedly as she turned over a piece of fish. "Do you think Uncle will be coming home today?"
"I don't know…" Nanako replied shakily. "He got a call this morning. I think there was an incident."
"Really?"
"Yeah, there were all these sirens and everything," Nanako answered.
Another half hour later, dinner was finally ready, and Aika laid plates of food on the table. Nanako ate a carrot experimentally, and her eyes widened. "This is really good!" she gasped.
Aika smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it," she said. "Hey, why don't you tell me what you want to eat? I'll pick up groceries tomorrow."
Nanako actually smiled at that. "Okay!"
There was a jingle on TV indicating that the news was about to start, and Aika fell silent, staring at the news anchors. "Our next story is an update in our ongoing report on the bizarre murders occurring in Inaba. Around 7:00 A.M., local high school student Saki Konishi was found dead in Inaba's residential area."
If Aika hadn't swallowed just then, she surely would have spit out whatever was in her mouth. "What?" she gasped.
"Since the body was positioned similarly to the last victim, and since Ms. Konoshi was the one who discovered that body…" the news anchor continued, "… Police are proceeding under the assumption that this may be a serial murder case related to the death of Mayumi Yamano. The coroner's report has established Ms. Konishi's time of death at around 1:00 A.M. last night. The body went unnoticed until this morning as a result of the heavy fog blanketing the area."
Aika covered her mouth with one hand, and she couldn't seem to stop shaking. "Oh… my god…"
"Another incident…" Nanako said quietly. "Did you know her?"
"I…" Aika started, but the words died in her throat, and she couldn't bring herself to respond.
"Was she your friend?" Nanako asked.
"I…" Aika said again. "I met her once, but…" There was a cold pit in her stomach that had nothing to do with her fever. Saki Konishi, someone she knew personally, for however brief a time, was gone…
"Amagi Inn, located upstream of Samegawa River, is the town's oldest historical landmark," the news report continued. "Vacationers are known to travel surprising distances in order to visit its open-air, radium-rich hot springs. After the incident with Ms. Yamano, the manager has stepped aside, leaving her daughter Yukiko to fill her shoes."
"Yukiko-san?" Aika whispered, frowning at the girl in her class appearing on the TV screen, wearing a pink kimono.
"In other words," the reporter said, "she's a manager who's still in high school. Now that has a nice ring to it… Let me see if we can interview her. Excuse me!"
"Hm?" Yukiko responded quietly. "Um… are you speaking to me?"
"We've heard that you're the new manager," the reporter said. "Is it true you're still in high school?"
"Oh, well, I'm only filling in temporarily…" Yukiko replied hesitantly.
"Someday, though…" the reporter continued. "That aside, wow! You're looking gorgeous in that kimono! You must have had a lot of male visitors."
"Huh?" Yukiko mumbled, looking uncertain. "No, um…"
Aika bristled as the reporter's incessant line of questioning went more and more off-topic. "This is boring," Nanako whined. "I need to do the dishes."
"It's okay," Aika said. "I'll do them."
Nanako frowned sternly at her, and it was like Aika was with her aunt Chisato all over again. "But you just got better! You need to rest, or you'll get sick again!"
If Nanako was anything like Auntie, then Aika knew for a fact that the little girl would never relent. "All right," Aika conceded with a sigh as she sat back down.
Though Nanako didn't say much after that, Aika couldn't help but notice that she felt just a little more comfortable with her little cousin.
When she arrived at school the next day, she saw a detective speaking with Mr. Morooka. Chie was staring at her with a concerned expression, and Yosuke refused to look in her direction at all. She exhaled slowly and started making her way over to her desk. "Her!" Mr. Morooka barked suddenly. He pointed a finger at Aika, looking absolutely livid. "That transfer student wasn't here yesterday!"
The detective turned to regard her, and there was something vaguely familiar about him. He glared at her before snapping manacles onto her wrists. "You're under arrest," he spat at her.
Something jolted in her chest. "W-Wait!" she squeaked. "I… I… I…" But she couldn't keep up with her racing thoughts.
"You can give me your excuses down at the precinct," the detective said coldly as he led her out of the classroom. Aika cast one last look at Chie, who sighed, and Yosuke who still refused to look at her. Outside, she was shoved almost violently into the back seat of a car, and it was all she could do to not throw up out of carsickness and anxiety.
Class still had yet to start, so Chie made her way over to Yosuke's desk and poked his arm. "Come on, Yosuke," she said hesitantly. "I don't think she did it."
"You don't know that for sure," he replied listlessly without even looking at her. "Besides, she was absent yesterday. She still could've done it."
"You saw her after… after what happened at Junes," Chie pointed out. "She could barely stand. Besides – she's tiny! There's no way she could've killed someone Saki-senpai's size and put her body on a telephone pole." Yosuke still refused to meet her gaze, and Chie groaned in frustration. "Snap out of it, Yosuke! I know you're still upset about what happened, but just think about it! It doesn't even make any sense!"
"She was absent… because she was sick yesterday, right?" Yosuke asked, finally looking at Chie. Chie could practically see the gears working in his brain.
"That's what King Moron said," Chie answered. "Apparently her uncle called and everything."
"So why did that guy arrest her?" Yosuke asked slowly. "She has an alibi, right?"
Chie could practically see the determination in his eyes as he stood up, leaving his school bag there, and ran to the door; she almost felt proud of him. "Wait, you're not seriously going to…"
"Cover for me!" Yosuke yelled back before sprinting away.
"I-I didn't do anything…" Aika said quietly.
"Bullshit," the detective retorted. He was tall – then again, everyone was, compared to Aika – though there was something about his dark eyes that seemed… incompetent, somehow. "I'm not letting you out of here until you tell me the truth."
"B-But I…" Aika mumbled. She could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she desperately willed herself not to cry.
"Why did you kill Saki Konishi?" the detective asked.
"I-I didn't…"
He slammed his hands down on the table. "Answer me, dammit!"
"B-But I was home all—all night and, and a-all of y-yesterday…" Her voice broke, and tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. Aika wiped them away in embarrassment, sniffling.
"Crying isn't gonna get you a free pass," the detective said coldly.
"I… I…" But once the dam broke, it was impossible to control her emotions. Aika broke down crying and hyperventilating.
Yosuke didn't know where he was going. The police station was huge, and Aika could have been anywhere. He was sure he'd lost his mind when he decided to go back into the TV to see if it had anything to do with Saki-senpai's death, if he hadn't lost it already when he decided to attempt this rescue mission, or whatever it was. Not to mention, he had no idea who the detective who took her away was, and, even worse, he didn't know a single police officer or detective himself. "Hey!" a man's voice yelled, and had Yosuke not gone to the bathroom just before coming to school, he would have surely wet his pants.
"Oh shit…" he whimpered. "Not one of my better ideas…"
A middle-aged detective strode over to him. His dark hair was greying at multiple places, there were dark circles under his eyes, and the frown lines on his forehead were prominent. "You're a high school student, aren't you?" he demanded. "You've got a lot of nerve, playing hooky and coming down here."
"I'm sorry, sir!" Yosuke yelped. "One of my classmates just sort of got arrested, s-so I'm here to…"
As he trailed off, the man's expression softened. "Who was it?" he asked with a sigh.
"Uh…" Yosuke replied hesitantly. "I-It was this new transfer student. King Moron—sorry, Mr. Morooka told the detective that she was absent yesterday – she was probably sick or something – and he just… arrested her."
The man appeared absolutely livid, and Yosuke mentally bashed his head against a wall; pissing off a detective was not his intention. "Was that transfer student's name Aika Nakamura?" the man demanded through gritted teeth. "Blue hair, really short, looks like she's ten years old?"
"Y-Yeah, that's her!" Yosuke replied. "Wait, how did you know that?"
The man clenched his fists, and for a second, Yosuke was sure he was going to receive another critical hit to the nads. "I'm going to kill him," the man practically snarled before storming past Yosuke.
"H-Hey!" Yosuke yelped. "Wait for me!"
"I'll ask you again," the detective said in an even voice. "Where were you when—"
The sound of someone banging loudly against the door cut him off, and Aika jumped in surprise. "Adachi!" she heard her uncle yell, and she shivered; he sounded absolutely furious. "Open the goddamn door!" He banged against the door three more times.
"D-Dojima-san!" the detective – Adachi, presumably – gasped. Aika couldn't help but feel a little satisfied when she saw the color positively drain from his face. "R-Right away, sir!" He was trembling visibly as he slowly unlocked the door and pulled it open.
He yelped when someone – Uncle – gave the door a violent shove. "Aika, get over here," he ordered.
Aika dried her eyes and sniffled. "Y-Yes, Uncle…" She shuffled behind her, only slightly worried about the detective that was no doubt about to be on the receiving end of Uncle's rage.
"Wait a minute…" the detective murmured. "'Uncle'?" He stared incredulously at Aika. "You're Dojima-san's niece?"
"You have ten seconds to convince me not to sack you right this very second," Uncle practically snarled.
"I-It was an honest mistake, sir!" Adachi protested weakly. "Sh-She didn't really give me an alibi, so she was as good a suspect as anyone else, especially since she was absent from school yesterday too."
"As good a suspect as anyone else?" Uncle repeated, his voice rising in anger. "Just look at her! Does she look like someone who's capable of murdering someone and disposing of the body on a fucking telephone pole?"
"I'm sorry, sir!" Adachi yelped.
"And she wasn't at school yesterday because she was sick," Uncle continued. "I personally can confirm her alibi. I was there."
"I-I understand, sir!"
"And where the hell did you get the brilliant idea to detain high school students for being absent from school?"
"I'm sorry, sir!"
Aika sighed as Uncle continued to rant at Adachi, and it was becoming more and more difficult not to feel sorry for the detective that arrested her. "H-Hey, hold up!" a familiar voice panted.
"Y-Yosuke?"
Sure enough, Yosuke was there, his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. Aika rubbed any and all traces of tears furiously from her eyes. "Oh good," he said. "So you're okay."
"So, uh…" Adachi started. "Aika, is it? Can I call you Aika-chan?" Uncle glared at him harshly. "Okay, so no Aika-chan. Got it. Um… I'm really sorry about all of this. This was all just a huge misunderstanding. Really. I'm sorry for the shitty welcome you got from us." Uncle cleared his throat loudly. "From me!" Adachi corrected himself. "So… sorry."
Adachi was staring at her earnestly, and any and all resentment Aika previously felt toward him was gone. "Um…" she mumbled. "Th-That's okay. I-I mean, y-you were just doing your job, right? So – so th-there's really no need… to apologize…"
"Wait, so you're not mad?" Adachi asked, his expression hopeful. Aika smiled nervously at him and shook her head. "Sweet! Hey, Dojima-san, your niece is pretty awesome!"
"Wait, niece?" Yosuke interjected. "You mean this guy's your uncle?"
"Got a problem with it?" Uncle retorted, raising one eyebrow at the student.
"N-No problems, sir!" Yosuke replied quickly. "I'm sorry, sir! I mean…" He groaned. "Never mind."
But Uncle simply chuckled. "Come on. I'll give you kids a ride back to school."
Yosuke didn't talk to her again until after school had ended, and he walked up to her desk just as he did before. "So…" he started awkwardly. "Uh…"
"You're not really helping your reputation, you know," Chie said flatly from the seat next to Aika. She climbed on top of her desk, swinging her legs absentmindedly. "Didn't you hear? People seriously think you guys are dating." Heat flooded Aika's face, and she clenched her fists tightly while fixing her gaze at the floor. "I mean, first you take off running after her when she gets arrested, then you—"
"Okay, I get it!" Yosuke cut her off. "A-Anyway, that's not the point. What I'm saying is…" He exhaled sharply. "Look. I already talked to Chie about this yesterday, but I want to go back inside the TV."
"What?" Aika gasped. "Wh-Why would you want to…" She could still remember that oppressive fog, how sick she felt afterward…
"Just hear me out, okay?" Yosuke said. "So remember that bear? It said that someone's been throwing people in there. A-And that girl we saw on the Midnight Channel the other day… I'm pretty sure it was Saki-senpai. And there was this guy who said his soulmate was that announcer lady."
"It could just be a coincidence," Aika pointed out.
"But that room with the posters on the wall," Yosuke said emphatically. "It definitely has something to do with that announcer's death. That entire world probably has something to do with Senpai and the announcer's death!" Aika bit her lower lip. "You don't have to come in with me. I just need your help getting there. I just… I just have to see for myself, what really happened."
"B-But it could be really dangerous…" Aika protested weakly.
"See?" Chie asked. "So I'm not crazy for thinking it's a really stupid idea."
"Then again, I do owe you for this morning…" Aika mused.
"It'll be okay," Yosuke assured her, smiling and winking at her. "I have a plan."
"We don't even know if that plan's gonna work," Chie pointed out. "But…" She sighed. "You really want this, don't you? Then I guess it's worth a shot."
"All right," Yosuke said in front of the TV they fell into just a couple days ago. "Here's what's going to happen." He reached into his backpack and pulled out a particularly long rope, tying one end around his waist. "Chie, you hold onto this." He handed the other end to the short-haired girl.
"Why do I have to be the one to hold it?" she demanded.
"Because Aika has to work her magic on me, and she can't do that and hold onto the rope," Yosuke deadpanned. Heat bloomed in Aika's cheeks as she processed what exactly he said. "By the way – don't let go."
"All right, all right," Chie grumbled. "But I'm pulling you out if you're not back in half an hour."
Yosuke sighed. "Okay, fine," he said, before winking at Aika. "Okay, Aika. Do your thing." Aika's face flushed even redder as she grabbed Yosuke's hand and guided it toward the TV screen. Sure enough, it seemed to dissolve into the TV screen. "Great! Thanks Aika! You're the best!" And then he was gone. Aika wanted to melt into the floor.
An awkward silence reigned, and Aika chewed her fingernails nervously. What if she just sent Yosuke to his death? What if he got stuck there, and his body showed up a few days later? What if… "Sorry, can you not do that?" Chie asked her. "You're actually making me worried about him."
"S-Sorry…" Aika mumbled, wringing her hands together and staring at the floor self-consciously. "U-Um... d-do you think you could check on the rope? To – to see if it's secure?"
Chie shrugged. "If it'll make you stop fidgeting." She gave the rope a hard tug and then frowned.
Aika could practically feel the floor drop out from under her. "Wh-What's wrong?"
"I-I think he…" Chie replied shakily as she pulled the rope off. Within a few seconds, she reached a frayed end. "No way!"
Aika tugged at her hair. She felt like she was going to throw up, if she didn't pass out first. Dark spots zoomed across her vision as she hyperventilated. "Th-This can't be happening…"
"How did…" Chie spluttered, before groaning in frustration. "I knew this wasn't gonna work! And now that idiot's stuck there!"
It occurred to Aika at that moment that this was all her fault. She was the one who accidentally brought them into that strange TV world. If they didn't fall in with her, Yosuke wouldn't have wanted to go back. Not to mention, there was no way he could have gotten there in the first place if she didn't help him in herself. "I'm going in after him," she said, her voice surprisingly clear.
"What?" Chie shrieked. "Are you crazy?"
"It's my fault he's stuck there right now," Aika said evenly. "I have to bring him back."
"Okay, then I'm going with you," Chie announced.
And, just like that, her resolved vanished. "You can't!"
Chie put her hands on her hips and glowered at Aika. "Why the hell not?"
"I…" Aika stared downward. "I can't… I can't be responsible for y-your…"
"What, so now I'm a liability?" Chie shot back. "You know what?" She promptly dropped the rope, and Aika's stomach sank. "Do whatever the hell you want. I'm out." Chie picked up her school bag and stormed away.
"Ch-Chie-san!" Aika called after her, but the taller girl didn't look back, or even acknowledge that Aika had said anything at all. Aika closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Worry about her later. Just focus on getting Yosuke back. But as Aika climbed into the TV, forcing her body to go limp so that she could fall into it, she couldn't help but feel as if she'd betrayed Chie somehow…
Aika grunted as she crashed to the ground, and the heavy, oppressive fog hit her like a punch in the stomach. Fortunately, the place was familiar – she was in the same studio-like place as before. "Just listen to me, you stupid bear!" she heard Yosuke yell from a little ways away. Aika huffed in annoyance. Of course he's not in trouble… "All I want is to take a little look around—"
"I get it!" the bear cut him off. "You're the one behind all this!" Aika walked slowly in the general direction of the voices, and, sure enough, Yosuke and the round little bear came into view.
"What the hell did you just say?" Yosuke demanded.
"Wait!" the bear said suddenly. It seemed to lift its head upward – at least, Aika thought it did, since the fog made it difficult to see. "There's someone else here! And it's… It's the nice human!"
"Huh?" Yosuke asked. "What are you…"
"Y-Yosuke?" Aika said finally, shuffling toward him. "A-Are you okay? Th-The rope snapped, s-so…"
"What are you talking about?" Yosuke asked. "The rope's right…" He looked down and picked up the end of the rope around his waist, which was, sure enough, frayed. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"You did come back!" the bear gushed, waddling toward Aika. "I've been waiting for you, my dearest." Aika raised her eyebrows and stepped hesitantly toward Yosuke.
"Dearest?" Yosuke echoed. "What the… that's so creepy!"
The bear's smile widened. "I know you'd never throw anyone in here!" it enthused. "I know you'd never mess this world up!"
"Throwing… people in?" Aika echoed. "B-But if people get stuck here, th-then they could die…"
"Who would do such a—" Yosuke started. "Wait a sec… All this talk about someone throwing people in here… Does he mean Senpai and the announcer?"
"M-Maybe…" Aika replied. "I don't know. It sounds kind of… impossible… then again, we fell inside a TV, so…"
"But if someone's intentionally throwing people in here…" Yosuke said.
"… then whoever it was wanted to kill them…" Aika finished. "That… That's horrible…"
"What's wrong?" the bear asked. "What are you guys mumbling about?"
"You talk," Yosuke said to Aika. "It might actually listen to you."
Aika took a deep breath. Somehow, talking to the strange bear wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking as talking to her classmates at school. "People are dying in our world," she said slowly, evenly. "And we think it might have to do with what you said – that people are getting thrown in here."
"Every time the fog appears, a body comes along with it," Yosuke appears.
"Hmm…" the bear mused. "I do know that if it's foggy on your side, the fog lifts here. It's really dangerous when the fog lifts. That's when the Shadows get violent." His expression suddenly brightened. "Oh, I get it…"
"So these Shadow things…" Aika mused. "Are they the reason people who get thrown in here end up dead? Then…" She tensed suddenly. "Wh-What is this place?"
"I already told you!" the bear replied much too cheerfully. "It is what it is. Only me and Shadows are here!"
"We don't know what these Shadow things are!" Yosuke protested. "You know what? I bet you're the culprit!"
"Y-Yosuke…"
"And what's with that costume, anyway?" Yosuke continued, as if Aika hadn't spoken up at all. "I think it's time you showed your face!" Without warning he yanked off the bear's head… only there was nothing inside. Aika shrieked and jumped backward. "Wh-What the hell are you?"
"It's empty inside…" Aika whimpered. "P-Put it back! G-Give him his head back!" But the bear bet them to it, flipping his head upward until it landed perfectly in place.
"B-But…" the bear mumbled. "I wouldn't do such a thing… I just want to live here peacefully…"
And Aika couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry," she said solemnly. "I know we're asking for a lot, but… strange things are happening in our world, and we just want to find out why."
"And how," Yosuke added.
"S-So you'll help me find the culprit?" the bear asked, his expression hopeful.
"Um…" A man's voice echoed in her mind, but there was no headache accompanying it. A great mystery will be imposed upon you… "We'll do it."
"Well, might as well introduce ourselves," Yosuke said. "I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is Aika Nakamura. You got a name?"
"Teddie," the bear answered.
"Figures…" Yosuke grumbled. "But how are we supposed to find the culprit in the first place?"
"I dunno," Teddie answered automatically. "Oh, but I know where the last person came in."
"W-Wait…" Yosuke interjected. "You mean Saki-senpai?"
"I mean the person who came in and disappeared last time," Teddie replied. "I dunno the name."
"Will you please take us there?" Aika asked.
Teddie's smile widened. "Anything for you, my dearest!"
Yosuke groaned. "Again with the 'dearest'…"
"Oh, one thing first," Teddie said. "You two should put these on." He reached… somewhere on his body… and pulled out two pairs of glasses – an orange pair for Yosuke and a white pair for Aika.
"What are these for?" Yosuke asked, putting them on hesitantly. When Aika put hers on – the frames were a little too big for her face – the fog seemed to clear, and she gasped loudly. The heaviness in the air was gone, and Aika felt… completely fine. "Wow, it's like the fog doesn't even exist!"
"Thank you, Teddie," Aika said sincerely.
"Okay!" the bear said cheerfully. "Let's go!"
"What is this place?" Yosuke asked as the three continued to walk. "It looks just like the shopping district…"
"Some weird places have appeared here recently," Teddie pointed out. "Things are getting so tangled. I dunno what to do…"
Aika smiled reassuringly at Teddie, petting the top of his head. "Don't worry," she told him. "We'll see if there's anything we can do."
"Hey, don't encourage him!" Yosuke yelled. "Listen up, you stupid bear. You better not be getting any funny ideas!" Teddie cowered, and Aika frowned sternly at him. "All right, all right…" He exhaled sharply. "But seriously though. What's with this place? Of all the places in town, why'd they replicate this one?"
"How should I know?" Teddie asked glumly. "This is reality for the one who's here."
Yosuke sighed exasperatedly. "As usual, nothing you say makes any sense," he grumbled. "But if this really is our shopping district, then Saki-senpai's…" His eyes widened as he trailed off, and he took off running without warning.
"Yosuke, wait!" Aika yelled after him. "It's…" But he was long gone, and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. "He's going to get himself killed…"
"Well then we just have to stop him before that happens!" Teddie proclaimed dramatically. They ran in the same direction as Yosuke and found him standing in front of a green-roofed store. It looked relatively normal, except for the fact that the entrance was a black and red swirling vortex.
"I knew it!" he announced. "This is the liquor store Saki-senpai's family runs! Does this mean… Senpai disappeared here? What could've happened…?"
Aika put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "Don't run off like that," she admonished him. "If people really are dying here, then it could be really dangerous."
"I wish Junes would go under."
Aika gasped and stared upward. It was as if the voice came from everywhere, as opposed to just one source.
"It's all because of that store…"
"Wh-What the…" Yosuke whispered.
"I heard that Konishi-san's daughter is working there," another voice said.
"Oh my… How could she, with her family's business suffering like it is…?"
"I heard their sales have gone downhill because of Junes."
"Yosuke…" Aika mumbled, looking up at him. He seemed to have withdrawn into himself, his expression forlorn.
"That poor father…" another voice said. "… to have his own daughter working for the enemy."
"What a troublesome child…"
"Hey…" Yosuke called out weakly. "Hey Ted!" Teddie turned around hesitantly. "You said this place is reality for those that are here, right? So… does this mean that this was Senpai's reality when she wandered in here?"
"I…" Teddie mumbled. "I only know about what's going on in here…"
"Fine," Yosuke spat, clenching his fists in anger. "Whatever's going on here… I'll find out myself!" He dashed into the vortex without looking back once.
"Y-Yosuke, wait!" Aika shrieked, running straight in after him. Only the second she stepped into the vortex, she was somewhere else – a dark room with crates littered everywhere. "S-Stop doing that!" she said to Yosuke as soon as she caught up with him.
"Saki, how many times do I have to tell you?" a man's voice echoed. "You know what the neighbors say about you, right? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You're the eldest daughter of a family who's owned this store for generations! Is it the money? Or did you meet some guy there? Just tell me why you have to work there, of all places!"
"I… I can't believe this…" Yosuke said quietly. "She always seemed like she had fun at work… Sh-She never said anything like this to me… You're telling me this was how Senpai really saw things?"
He ran over to what appeared to be a counter littered with photos. One in particular caught her eye – one of Saki Konishi and Yosuke, smiling happily – only it was as if someone had sliced through it with a knife. "Yosuke, I'm so sorry…"
"I… never had the chance to say it…" Aika jumped when she heard Saki Konishi's voice echo through the room. "I always wanted to tell Hana-chan… that he was a real pain in the ass." Aika could hear Yosuke's breath catch in his throat. "I was nice to him just because he was the store manager's son, that's all… But he takes it completely the wrong way and gets all enthusiastic… What a dip!" Aika seethed for a few seconds before it occurred to her that her anger was directed to someone dead.
"P-Pain in the ass…?" Yosuke echoed faintly.
"Who cares about Junes, anyway?" Saki's voice continued. "Because of that store, our business is ruined, my parents hate me, the neighbors talk behind my back… I wish everything would just disappear…"
"I-It's a lie…" Yosuke mumbled. "This can't be… Senpai's not like that…!"
Aika reached out to him hesitantly. "Yosuke…"
"It's so sad…" a strange, distorted voice said. "I feel so sorry for myself… Boo hoo…" But the voice didn't echo like Saki's did. Actually, it sounded like it came from…
"Y-Yosuke?" she mumbled, turning around. Sure enough, he was there, standing in front of a blue banner, his body cloaked in a strange dark aura. Only, there was something different about him – his eyes were glowing yellow. "Wh-What happened to you?"
"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass," the distorted Yosuke said before cackling in laughter. "Except you, Aika-chan. You haven't done anything yet. But you're getting there fast."
"H-Huh?" Teddie whimpered. "Two Yosukes…?"
The real Yosuke – at least, the one who was with Aika before – ran to the apparition. "Who are you?" he demanded. "I-I wouldn't think that…"
The other Yosuke simply laughed. "Yeah, right. How long are you going to keep deluding yourself?" A cruel smirk was painted on his face, and Aika felt cold, hard fear settle in her gut. "Screw the shopping district, and Junes too! You're sick of everything, especially living out in the sticks!"
"Wh-What are you saying?" the real Yosuke asked. "That's not true, I—"
"And someone from the city finally comes along, and a cute girl at that," the other Yosuke continued, "and she's just as boring as everything else here!"
"Wh-What?" Aika whispered, her brown eyes widening.
"No," the real Yosuke said firmly. "Th-That's not… I don't…"
"You put on a good show of being carefree and happy-go-lucky 'cause you're so terrified of being alone," the other Yosuke accused. "Who cares if she's not gonna be here for long? Who cares if she's boring as hell? Someone's finally filling your lonely existence."
"Sh-Shut up!" the real Yosuke yelled.
"And what's this about checking out this world for Saki-senpai's sake?" the other Yosuke asked. "Hah! I know the real reason you came snooping…"
"S-Stop it!"
The other Yosuke chuckled darkly. "Why so panicked? I thought I was just spouting bullshit! Or maybe… I do know everything you're thinking! Why's that? Because I am you! You just came here because you thought it sounded like a good time! And it gave you an excuse to hang out with that chick! A world inside the TV – now that's exciting! And there's no way you can get in without sweet little Aika-chan, which means she'd have to spend time with you! And maybe you'd actually get to know her, and find that she really isn't so boring! You didn't have a single other reason for coming here, did you?"
"That's not true…" Yosuke mumbled. "Stop… Stop it…"
"Hey, maybe she'd appreciate you if all went well!" the other Yosuke pointed out. "Maybe she'd fall in love with you. Finally give you a reason to stick around this shithole, since she seems to love it so much. Maybe she'd actually think you're important! And that Senpai you were so sweet on? Her death was the perfect excuse!"
"That's not true!" the real Yosuke yelled. "What are you? Who are you?"
"Wh-Whoa, hang on a second…" Teddie whimpered. "Th-That other Yosuke's looking a lot like…"
"I already told ya," the other Yosuke said with a chuckle. "I'm you… Your Shadow… There's nothing I don't know about you!"
"Screw that!" Yosuke yelled. "I don't know you! You can't be me, you son of a bitch!"
The other Yosuke cackled with laughter, and his golden eyes seemed to glow more brightly. "That's right… I'm not you anymore!"
"This isn't good!" Teddie yelled.
There was a brilliant flash of white light, and the next thing Aika knew, Yosuke was crumpled on the floor, and a large frog-like creature with large yellow hands swinging in the air loomed before her. "I am a shadow," it said. "The true self… I'll crush everything that bores me!" Red eyes narrowed down on her. "Starting with you."
A violent gust of wind coming from the creature knocked Aika backwards, and she fell to the floor with a thud. "N-No!" Teddie yelled. "That's a really powerful Shadow! You have to be careful!"
The Shadow seemed to swoop down, and the next thing she knew, her body was being crushed in one of its giant yellow hands. "What's the matter, Aika-chan? Too boring to fight back?" And then she was flying. She must have collided with the wall at some point, because pain radiated through her entire body, and she was on the floor. And then, her ears began to ring, and her head exploded with pain.
Thou art I… and I am thou…
There was a card in her hand – a card depicting a lantern floating above a single eye. It was as if the card was always there, though she could swear she wasn't holding it before. She felt like she was watching the scene from somewhere up above, instead of actually participating in it. She flipped the card over, and the other side was completely blank, though she could see her face reflected off its surface. Then, it was as if she'd always known exactly what to do.
"Per… so… na…"
She pulled the card close to her chest, one hand clutching the other tightly, and she crushed the card with all the strength she could muster, the sound of shattering glass echoing in the air. Once she did, it was as if something was being forcibly dragged out of her, and she screamed. All the while, a female voice echoed in her mind, only there was no strange ringing in her ears or headache accompanying it – only an immense swell of power.
Thou art I… and I am thou. From the sea of thy soul, I come to thee. I am Aoandon, spirit of the blue lantern.
Aika's eyes were burning, but she forced them open anyway. A large figure loomed before the Shadow, cloaked in a strange bluish light. On closer inspection, it looked like a normal woman carrying a glowing blue lantern, save for the small horns on top of her head and her glowing white eyes.
"Aoandon… I need your help." The words came to Aika quickly, as if she'd always known them. "Megido!" she cried, and the Shadow was engulfed in light. It fell to the ground with a splat. Darkness swirled around it, as it reverted back to its original form as Yosuke's doppelganger. Aoandon loomed before Aika, nodding once before it was engulfed in a bright light. In its place was the same card Aika was holding before, and it slowly descended, disintegrating into light. The surge of power she felt before dissipated almost immediately, and she collapsed to her knees. "Wh-What was that…?"
"Wow…" Teddie gasped. "Sensei, that was awesome!"
"S-Sensei?" Aika echoed faintly.
The real Yosuke groaned as he sat up. "I… I…"
Teddie rushed over to him immediately. "Yosuke! Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah…" he answered shakily. "What… happened?" He stared at Aika as if she'd grown a second head. "What did you just do?"
"I…" Aika said, struggling to breathe. "I don't know…"
Yosuke walked over to his Shadow with a sigh. "You're… not me…"
"That thing came from you, Yosuke," Teddie said solemnly. "You have to admit it, or it'll go berserk again."
"I-I don't think I can fight it off again…" Aika admitted. She struggled to stand up, clutching Yosuke's arm tightly to steady herself. "I think I understand," she said. "Your Shadow… It's like Aoandon. It's a part of you, just like Aoandon's a part of me. But… there's lots of sides to us, and your Shadow's just one of them. It doesn't mean that it's all that you are."
"I know, but…" he protested. "Damn it, it hurts to face yourself…" He pulled away from her slowly. "I knew I wasn't lying… but I was so ashamed that I didn't want to admit it. You're me… and I'm you. When you get down to it, all of this is me." The Shadow nodded once before it was engulfed in a bright light. A large figure with a flowing red cape floated above Yosuke, it's expression calm. It shrank into a card just like Aoandon had done before, and Aika saw a warm light envelop Yosuke's body. "Jiraiya, huh?" he said faintly. "So this is my Persona…"
When Yosuke sank to his knees, Aika stumbled over to him, falling to her knees as well. "Yosuke, are you okay?"
But he simply stared solemnly at the floor. "When we heard Senpai's voice…" he said, "I wonder if that was something Senpai had been keeping down inside." He laughed mirthlessly. "'A real pain in the ass,' huh? What a way to find out… Geez, this is so embarrassing…"
"I don't know…" Aika said slowly. "I only met her once, and even though she may not have liked you that much… I don't think she hated you either."
He laughed again and stared at Aika with something akin to admiration. "You're something else, you know that? If you weren't here I don't know what would've happened… Thanks, Aika. And after I said all those awful things about you too…"
"But it was your Shadow that said them," Aika pointed out.
"No, it was all me," Yosuke refuted. "It's hard, but if I don't accept it now, I'll never be able to do it. I took one little thing you said way out of context, and judged you because of it. I'm sorry. Whether you're boring or interesting, I have no frickin' clue. I don't know you well enough to make that call. So…" He smiled gently at her. "Let's start over, okay?"
Aika smiled back and nodded. "Okay."
They both stood up shakily, leaning heavily on each other for support. "Wow, I never though facing yourself could be so exhausting…" Yosuke muttered. "Hey, Teddie… Could Senpai have been attacked by her other self here? Like how it just happened to me?"
Teddie grinned widely at them. "I think so," he replied. "The Shadows here were originally born from humans. Sometimes the fog clears. Then they all go berserk. And you saw what happens next. A strong-willed Shadow draws others to it, and the big mass of Shadows kills the host."
"That sounds painful…" Aika mumbled.
"So that's why people die when it gets foggy in our world…" Yosuke mused.
The exhaustion finally set in, and Aika's limbs seemed to grow heavier. "You both look really worn out…" Teddie pointed out. "This world isn't made for humans. It's not comfortable for you here. I don't hear any more voices, so I think we're done with this place."
"Do you think you can lead us out, Teddie?" Aika asked.
"Of course!" the bear replied as he waddled ahead, Aika and Yosuke dragging their feet behind him.
"Hey Teddie," Yosuke said. "You said that this place is reality for people who enter, right? So that shopping district and that weird room we saw before… Did they exist because the ones who died entered this world, and it became their reality?"
"So you're saying those places formed… because of the people who entered this world?" Aika asked.
"I don't know," Teddie answered. "It's never happened before. But that's probably where they were when the Shadows attacked them."
"And that happens when the fog lifts?" Aika asked.
"I always get so scared," Teddie whimpered. "I have to hide when it happens… I sensed people here twice before, but both of them disappeared after the fog lifted."
"Yamano-san and Konishi-san…" Aika whispered.
"So let me get this straight," Yosuke interjected. "Senpai and that Yamano lady were thrown in here, and since they couldn't get out, they wandered around. After a while, that Shadow thing came out of them. The fog cleared, it went berserk, and it ended up killing them."
"And that's when the bodies end up back in our world," Aika finished.
"So if I'd been here until the fog cleared, I would've been in much deeper trouble?" Yosuke asked.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Teddie replied. "You were lucky Sensei and me were here with you."
"Wait, Sensei?" Yosuke said. "Are you talking about Aika? Then again, what she did to my Shadow was pretty cool… But hey, I can do that now too! So you can call me 'Sensei' too!"
"Maybe when you get on her level," Teddie replied reverently.
"T-Teddie…" Aika mumbled, her cheeks heating up. "Y-You don't have to call me that…"
"Wait, so…" Yosuke continued, trailing off. "Damn it! So Senpai and that announcer… They were stuck here all alone. No one could save them."
"Yosuke…" Teddie said sympathetically. "They disappeared when the fog lifted, but they were safe before that. No Shadows attacked them."
"But that confirms our theory," Aika said slowly. "Whoever it is that's throwing people in here knows that they won't survive."
"Wait, are you saying that if anyone gets thrown in here, we can save them before they disappear?" Yosuke asked excitedly. "Like how Aika just saved me?"
"But if we don't catch the person throwing people in here, we'll just be running around in circles, cleaning up after their mess," Aika pointed.
"Um…" Teddie piped up. "Can I ask something too? If Shadows were born from humans, what was Teddie born from?"
"You don't even know where you came from?" Yosuke asked. "How should we know?"
"I know some things," Teddie said glumly. "Mostly about this world. But I don't know anything about myself. To be honest, I never thought about it until now."
Aika sighed. "Well… we could think about it… and get back to you if we come up with anything."
"So does that mean…" Teddie said, looking excited. "Does that mean you guys will come back?"
"Well, you said you wouldn't let us out unless we caught the guy responsible," Yosuke pointed out, smiling.
"Okay!" Teddie said. "I'll be waiting for you guys here. That means you have to come in from the same place every time, so we can meet up."
"Are you saying that if we come in from somewhere else, we won't end up here?" Aika asked. "So we just have to come in through the TV in Junes every time."
"Sounds good," Yosuke agreed. "So can you show us the way out?"
Teddie beamed at them. "Roger that! One exit comin' right up!"
Aika and Yosuke tumbled outside the TV in the electronics department of Junes, and the rope they'd tried to use as a lifeline was still lying discarded on the floor. "Sheesh…" Yosuke groaned, picking it up. "Are the employees sleeping on the job?" His eyes widened suddenly. "Hey, wait a minute. Where's Chie?"
Aika stared downward, clasping her hands together tightly. "She… um…"
"It's okay," Yosuke said, smiling at her. "You can tell me later." He sighed heavily, and his shoulders sagged in exhaustion. "I'm completely wiped out…"
"Me too…" Aika agreed.
"Think you can get home okay?"
Aika nodded. "Yeah, I think so. What about you?"
"I'll be fine," Yosuke assured her. "I think I'll go soak in the shower for a while and get some sleep. I think… I'm gonna sleep well tonight." Aika just smiled at him, and he waved at her before walking away. "See you tomorrow!"
"So how was prison?" Masami Nakamura asked Aika on the phone. "I heard you got arrested."
"I didn't get arrested!" Aika protested. She was speaking on the house phone, lounging on the couch. "Well, I guess I did… But it was just a big misunderstanding!"
"So how bad was the eruption of Mount Ryo-chan?"
"Devastating," Aika deadpanned. "Coworkers were almost fired and classmates would have wet their pants had they not relieved themselves beforehand."
"So what's this about you getting a boyfriend?"
Aika flushed a furious shade of red. "Yosuke's not my boyfriend!" Uncle snorted, and she pulled the receiver away from her ear and glared at him. "He's not."
"So his name's Yosuke, huh?" Mom asked teasingly.
Aika sighed. "Yeah. He's a boy, and he's my friend, but he's not my boyfriend."
Her mother let out an ear-piercing squeal, and Aika held the receiver away from her ear and grimaced. "Do my ears deceive me, or did Aika Nakamura just say she made a friend?"
"I guess I did," Aika answered, prompting her mother to squeal again.
"Oh, but you're friend's a guy, huh? Okay, so remember, kiddo: prison rules apply. Assert your dominance right away."
"Assert… my dominance?" Aika echoed. "What do you…" The meaning finally sank in. "Ew, Mom!"
"What? What's so bad about… oh." Her mother chuckled, and Aika wanted to melt into the floor. "Wow, Aika. A few days away from me, and you've already turned into a pervert."
"Is she giving you the whole 'assert your dominance' speech?" Uncle asked, amusement evident in his voice. "I got that one too."
"Seriously?" Aika asked incredulously.
"On my first day of middle school," Uncle replied, nodding.
"Hey, he needed it!" her mother pointed out. "Ryo-chan was a total wuss, back in the day. Think he's a badass detective now? I'm the one who got him there."
"Because he 'asserted his dominance'," Aika deadpanned.
"You know it," her mother replied.
"What's dominance?" Nanako asked, tilting her head to the side.
Uncle chuckled. "I'll tell you when you're older," he said, patting the little girl on the head.
And as the hours ticked by, Aika could finally say with confidence that she was really happy in Inaba.
The Naruto reference was Aika "filling [Yosuke's] lonely existence". If you got that, a virtual cookie for you. Why the Naruto reference? Yuri Lowenthal, Yosuke's voice actor, voices Sasuke in Naruto.
So I sort of squeezed everything up to Yosuke accepting his Shadow into one chapter. Or rather, I wrote and went: "NOOOOOO I REFUSE TO END THIS CHAPTER UNTIL I REACH THIS POINT."
A bit on Aika's initial Persona (which is NOT a previously existing Persona, so you won't find it if you try looking it up on wiki sites): so during the Edo period, people would gather in rooms and light one hundred candles inside andon lamps, which were covered with blue paper to create an eerie atmosphere. Then, one hundred ghost stories would be told, and at the end of each one, one of the candles would be put out, so this room's just getting darker and darker the more stories are told. When the last candle was put out and the room finally went completely dark, a spirit (yokai) was said to appear, and that spirit is Aoandon.
So Aika's Persona specializes in Light, Dark, and Almighty skills, as well as status ailments. So yeah. It comes with Hama, Mudo, and Megido. Awesome (Mary Sue), right? Not really, since, in this story at least, Hama and Mudo will rarely, if ever, work, which leaves Aika no choice but to use Almighty skills (which sap a ridiculous amount of SP) and status ailments (which, again, don't always work, though their success rates are higher than Hama and Mudo's). Not to mention, Aoandon's Strength and Endurance stats are abysmal, since she's technically a ghost (though Agility is quite high, while Magic and Luck are mediocre, with Luck a bit higher than Magic). Which, in turn, forces Aika to rely on the Wild Card, something she doesn't really want to do (this will be explained once Velvet Room shenanigans commence).
As for Social Links and whatnot, I'll tell you what I intended to happen, and you can tell me how successful I was. For Yosuke specifically, he's supposed to be rather flirtatious in the beginning, before he mellows out after obtaining his Persona. His Social Link starts out as a friendship and, if this were a game, you'd have the option to pursue a romantic relationship later on in the Social Link if you want. But in this story, he's the romance option I'm going with.
Please review!