Never More Chapter 4, a persona series fanfic

As Aika walked to school the next morning, she clutched her umbrella tightly with both hands so that it wouldn't blow away. It was pouring so hard and it was so windy that she was still pelted by the rain, even under the umbrella. If there was one thing she hated about Inaba, besides the obvious, it was definitely the rain. "Morning!" Aika stopped and turned around, only to see Chie running up to her.

"Good morning, Chie-san," Aika greeted pleasantly.

"Hey, Yukiko told me she'll be able to come to school again in two days!" Chie told her excitedly.

"That's great!" Aika said, smiling.

"I know!" Chie replied. "I actually got to talk to her mom too. She thought Yukiko caught pneumonia or something. Or… what's the kissing disease?"

"Mono?" Aika supplied.

"Yeah, that!" Chie said. "But it's not like Yukiko's kissed anyone before…" She sighed irritably. "I don't know… When she texted me this morning, she said she couldn't even get out of bed… Her mom's making her rest today, and she has to stay home tomorrow, just in case."

"Are you doing okay, Chie-san?" Aika asked concernedly. "Things sort of happened kind of fast, a-and…"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Chie assured her. "How about you?"

Aika stared upward at the clouds. "I've gone to bed early almost every night this past week," she said. "Yesterday, I couldn't make dinner because I fell asleep right after I got back." She tightened her grip on her umbrella, glaring at the floor.

"You're still kinda bummed about the whole fighting thing, huh?" Chie asked. "Well if you'd like, we can train together! It's not like we have to go into the TV every time we wanna train. And…" Chie's face lit up. "Ooh, I have an idea! Let's go in again today! But just to train this time, so we probably won't stay as long, and you won't be so tired later." Chie grinned at her. "Don't worry, Aika. We'll toughen you up!"

Somewhere along the way, between feeling embarrassed and feeling strangely happy that Chie was harping so much on her rather lackluster fighting skills, Aika felt a surge of power. Thankfully, there was no voice in her head this time. Is this… Chie's Social Link?

"Oh crap, we're gonna be late!" Chie gasped, before smirking at Aika. "And your training starts now! Race you to class!"

Before Aika could process what was happening, Chie took off running. "H-Hey!" Aika shouted, breaking into a run after her. "Wait up!"

"It's all yours, Aika!" Yosuke called, jumping away from the Shadow before him.

"Senri!" Aika said, waving her arm, but it was Jack Frost that appeared instead. "No… Uh… Garu? No, that's Kodama's…" But then Chie defeated the Shadow with one swift kick. "I'm sorry…"

"No worries," Yosuke said, grinning. "You'll get the hang of this in no time. Try not to piss off any Shadows until then, okay?"

"I have an idea!" Chie announced. "Why don't you line all your Personas up in a specific order? Then you won't be scrambling for them when you have to switch. Y'think that'll work?"

"It will!" Teddie answered enthusiastically. "I can feel it!"

Aika shrugged. "It might." She closed her eyes and visualized her Personae. Let's see… Kodama in the front… then Jack Frost, then Senri, and then Aoandon in the back… In her mind, the cards aligned themselves. When she opened her eyes, Yosuke, Chie and Teddie were staring expectantly at her. "I'm ready," she told them. "Can we go look for more Shadows?"

The three of them exchanged smiles, and Aika's heart swelled with pride.

That evening, Aika's parents called. "Well, we're taking off," her mother said on the phone. "Goodbye Japan, hello France!" Aika sighed heavily; she really did want to see France after all. "You're sure you'll be okay, right? You getting along with Ryo-chan and Nana-chan?"

"Um… yeah," Aika replied. "Yeah, they're fine."

"What's wrong?" her mother asked after a short pause. "You sound kind of… tense."

"N-Nothing's wrong!" Aika answered. "Really, I'm fine." It felt like she'd been saying that a lot lately, too.

Her mother sighed. "I'm gonna miss you so much, kiddo. You have no idea."

So don't go, Aika wanted to say, but couldn't muster the courage to do so. "I'll miss you too," she said instead.

"Hang on, your dad wants to talk to you."

Aika could hear shuffling on the other line, before her father spoke up, his voice choked up. "I'm going to miss you so much, Aika," he said, and Aika could just picture him tearing up and trying his hardest not to burst into tears. "I don't know if I'll be able to call you every day, but we'll talk every week, at least, okay? Promise me."

"I promise," Aika said quietly, clutching the receiver tightly with both hands.

"And be sure to take care of your uncle and Nanako, all right?"

Aika smiled wryly. "I will," she said.

"And take care of yourself too," her dad continued. "It's… It's just like it always is with us, only less lonely. Think of it like that."

Aika knew all too well. "Okay."

"And… I can't think of anything else."

Aika giggled. "Okay," she said again. And, just in time to ruin the moment, the voice in her head struck again (and she was so not getting used to this).

Thou art I… and I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Sun Arcanum…

Aika exhaled sharply. Her duty and Persona just wouldn't leave her alone, would they? "Well, we need to get going," Fuuji Nakamura said reluctantly. "Bye, Aika."

"Bye, Daddy," Aika whispered before hanging up the receiver. And, despite having a new Social Link form, she still felt… empty, almost. It only occurred to her several minutes later that she'd called him "Daddy" – something she hadn't done since grade school. When she felt tears well up in her eyes, she immediately started cutting onions so that Nanako wouldn't say anything.

But Aika was almost positive that Nanako knew exactly what was going through her head. Nanako was staring at her too intently, even though Aika stopped crying shortly after cutting the onions. When Nanako let her have the last croquette without argument, there was no longer any doubt in Aika's mind that Nanako knew.

Aika tried not to think of her parents the next day, but whenever she wasn't thinking about school or Persona or the case, her mind would invariably drift back to her conversation with them the previous night, which would make her eyes sting, though not enough for her to actually cry.

Yosuke approached her right after the last class had ended, a carefree smile on his face. "Yo!" he greeted cheerfully. Aika didn't even have the energy to smile back at him. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Aika asked, finally looking up at him. "I'm fi—" she cut herself off, exhaling sharply and squeezing her eyes shut. This wasn't Nanako or Uncle, or even Mom or Dad – this was Yosuke. If she could trust him to watch her back in life-or-death situations, she could trust him with her own personal problems. "My parents left yesterday," she said blandly.

"Huh?" Yosuke asked. "What are you…?" His eyes widened in realization, and his face contorted into a sympathetic expression. "Oh…" He sighed. "Hey, uh… so there's this great Chinese place down in the shopping district. It's called Aiya's. Wanna go?"

"Oh…" Aika said quietly. "Um…" It would definitely get her mind off things. "Sure." They made small talk as they walked together from school, their umbrellas occasionally bumping into each other. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to really engage in the conversation.

At long last, they finally reached the restaurant – a warm room with a spicy scent in the air. A tall, silver-haired boy working behind the counter looked over to the doorway when the bell above the door chimed. His grey eyes softened slightly as he smiled. "Ah, Hanamura-san," he greeted pleasantly, nodding.

"Hey, Narukami," Yosuke replied, grinning as they walked over to the counter. "Aika, this is Yu Narukami, from class 2-3. His family owns this restaurant. Narukami-san, this is Aika Nakamura."

"It's nice to meet you," Yu said pleasantly, bowing his head to her.

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled. "I-It's nice to meet you too."

"Say, are you by any chance related to Fuuji Nakamura?" Yu asked.

"Y-Yeah, he's my dad," Aika replied, her eyes fixed on the floor. "D-Do you know him?"

Yu smiled gently. "He and my father were apparently close friends, back when they were still in high school," he said. "Oh, I'm sorry. What would you guys like?"

"Two specials," Yosuke said, holding up two fingers.

"Special?" Aika whispered to him.

"Just trust me on this one," Yosuke whispered back. "See ya, Narukami." Aika blushed when Yosuke wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to an empty table. "So what's up?"

"Huh?" Aika asked.

"What's bugging you?" Yosuke clarified. "Is it just your parents, or is it the case too?"

"It's…" Aika started, her eyes averting downward as she clasped her hands tightly together in her lap. "It's everything, I guess… It's just… It's kind of overwhelming."

"Yeah, it is," Yosuke agreed. "So what's the deal with your parents? Where did you say they were going again?"

"France," Aika answered. "They're going to France." She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I… I asked them if I could go with them… before… and…" She trailed off as she felt her face heat up. While she didn't exactly feel like crying, she still felt rather miserable.

"They wouldn't let you, huh?" Yosuke guessed correctly.

"Yeah… I-It's not that I'm not… happy… here. I am, really. I love my uncle, and this is the best place I've ever lived in, without a doubt. But…"

Yosuke smiled gently at her. "It's just not the same without your parents, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"I completely understand," Yosuke said sincerely. "When my dad first got the new job offer, he said he'd move here himself and stay here until he got a better job offer, so we wouldn't have to move with him. Well, my mom completely freaked. I mean, she gave him a laundry list of reasons why us not sticking together was a terrible idea. And, well, my dad disagreed. So he came down here for a couple weeks, and my mom was totally miserable, so we moved down here with him." He leaned back in his chair. "So what're your parents like? General consensus here is that your mom is a complete and total badass. So badass that she made Chie's dad piss his pants on more than one occasion. And let me tell you, Chie's dad is frightening."

Aika giggled, despite herself. "Yeah, she does kind of… strike fear in everyone's hearts. Actually, Dad says that Uncle is a total wimp, compared to her."

"What, seriously?" Yosuke asked incredulously. "Your uncle's scary, though!" He groaned, and Aika laughed again. "Remind me to never get on your mom's bad side. Ever."

"Believe it or not, it's really hard to get on her bad side," Aika said. "You'd have to do something unspeakably horrible to me, Dad, Uncle, Auntie, or Nanako… or her too, now that I think about it." She giggled. "She gave me this whole speech when I first moved here about how I had to 'assert my dominance'. And apparently she gave Uncle that speech when he started middle school too."

"So what about your dad?" Yosuke asked. "What's he like? I mean, I haven't heard much about him around here."

"He's…" Aika trailed off. "People wonder why he ever agreed to marry my mom."

"Why?"

"Apparently, Mom and Uncle were considered the worst troublemakers ever back in the day, and Dad and Auntie were the nicest, most responsible people in town. But for some reason, they were all best friends. They just got along so well. I mean, my dad gets really emotional all the time, and he's usually the one telling me not to take everything my mom says so seriously, because she's kind of psycho. It all kind of started when Uncle fell in love with Auntie. Dad totally freaked out, because he didn't think Uncle was good enough for her. And Auntie went out with him anyway because, hey, she was older than him, and she didn't think her little brother had any right to boss her around."

"Wait, hold up," Yosuke interrupted. "Little brother?"

"Only by a few minutes," Aika clarified. "Dad and Auntie are twins."

"Wait, so you're all… really, really related," Yosuke said. "'Cause your mom and your uncle are siblings, and your dad and your aunt are siblings, so… That's just… Wow."

Aika giggled. "Yeah, that's why everyone always asks me whether I'm Nakamura or Dojima," she said. "Anyway, Mom felt kind of bad for Dad, so she asked him out specifically so they could go on a double date with Uncle and Auntie, and… it all sort of went uphill from there."

"Wow, that sounds… almost normal," Yosuke said. "Compared to what we're going through, of course."

Aika's face flushed a vivid shade of scarlet. "H-Huh?"

"What?" Yosuke asked. "What's… W-Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" Aika covered her face with both her hands and desperately wished she could melt into the floor. "Wow, sorry for killing the mood there. So, you feeling better?"

And for the first time, Aika noticed just how calm and happy she felt. While she still missed her parents, she no longer felt so… empty without them. "Yeah," she answered, smiling and nodding. "Thanks, Yosuke-kun."

"Anytime," Yosuke replied. And then there was that surge of power again, just like what happened with Chie before.

And at that, Yu returned with two steaming bowls of noodles. "Two specials," he said calmly, a gentle smile painted on his face.

"Thanks, Narukami," Yosuke replied, grinning.

"So are you two here on a date?" Yu asked, raising one eyebrow.

"No!" Aika and Yosuke answered simultaneously, both their faces turning a furious shade of red.

"What're these?" Chie asked, staring down at the bento box sitting innocently in her lap.

"It's…" Aika said slowly, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Um… I sort of… made it…"

"Why?" Yosuke asked, his face deceptively blank.

"I… um… I wanted t-to thank you guys," Aika said in a rush. "For putting up with me and my crappy fighting skills… A-And for always watching my back…"

"You didn't have to—" Chie started. Then she opened her bento, and her eyes bugged out a little at the steak and rice sitting innocently there. "Wow, this looks amazing! You seriously made this?"

"U-Um…" Aika mumbled, clasping her hands tightly together and staring at the floor.

Yosuke took his first bite – a piece of grilled fish – and his eyes widened in shock. "Wow," was all he said.

"Sorry, I'm late," a new voice said. Yukiko walked over, her hands behind her back.

"Oh…" Aika said quietly. "U-Um… Yukiko-san, I-I have one for you too."

"Huh?" Yukiko asked. "For me?" Aika smiled and nodded, and Yukiko hesitantly took the wrapped bento Aika was holding out for her. "Thank you, but you really didn't have to."

"Okay," Yosuke said, suddenly all business, setting down his chopsticks. "We might as well get this over with. Yukiko-san, I hate to bring up stuff that you'd rather not think about… But we need to ask you again. Did you recall anything about when you were kidnapped?"

Yukiko stared down at her bento, her eyes narrowing a little. "No… I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but as time passes, it only gets hazier… I think… the doorbell rang at the entrance… and someone called for me… But when I woke up after that, I was already in the castle. I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize," Chie said gently. "But does this mean her visitor is the culprit?"

"It sounds like the most obvious answer…" Aika mused. "But what kind of killer would ring the doorbell?"

"I guess it makes sense in a way," Yosuke said. "I mean, if you're gonna resort to serial murder, you might as well go all out."

"I can ask my uncle if he has any information…" Aika said quietly. "… but I doubt he'd tell me anything anyway."

"But if it's that obvious, why hasn't anyone figured it out already?" Chie asked. "I mean, it's like whoever did it wore bright yellow clothes to the crime scene!"

"But we can be sure of one thing," Yosuke interjected. "It's no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place."

"So someone is knowingly and willingly throwing people into the TV," Aika concluded. "Didn't we figure this out already?"

Chie sighed. "We're just running around in circles…"

"Oh yeah," Yukiko quipped. "I've been meaning to ask you about that. What's all this about the TV?"

"Remember how we ended up in Junes after we rescued you?" Chie asked. "Well to get to the place where we found you, we need to go inside the TV."

"And we have Personas to fight," Yosuke added.

"All of you?" Yukiko asked.

"You too, Yukiko-san," Aika pointed out. "You got yours when you accepted your Shadow – the same thing happened to Yosuke-kun and Chie-san."

"You too?" Yukiko asked.

"Um…" Aika mumbled, staring downward at her feet. "I-I'm not really sure… B-But this whole… Persona thing started with me, s-so I'm going to finish it."

"I'm helping too!" Chie announced. "I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that! I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!"

"You probably knew this already, but I'm definitely in too," Yosuke said.

"Let me help too," Yukiko said quickly.

"B-But Yukiko-san…" Aika said quietly.

"I want to know why this is happening," Yukiko elaborated. "… especially if someone hates me so much they want to kill me. I don't want to run away from myself anymore."

"All right!" Yosuke cheered. "Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!"

Aika giggled, and felt oddly comforted by the power surging within her. I wonder which Social Link this is… I don't think it's Yosuke's or Chie's… but maybe it's the one with both of them?

"But how're we gonna find them?" Chie asked. "We don't have a single lead yet."

"I'm the third one to be targeted so far," Yukiko said, "but I have a feeling this isn't the end of it. If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?"

"So far, all we know is that whoever ends up in the TV world shows up on the Midnight Channel first," Aika pointed out. "But maybe there's another pattern to it all."

"I've got it!" Yosuke announced. "They're all girls!"

"How dare he target females!" Chie ranted. "Now that's unforgivable! This culprit's got to be some kind of pervert!"

"Oh, how about this?" Yosuke continued. "The second and third victims both had some kind of connection to the first one. Saki-senpai was the one who found that announcer's body."

"Yeah, and that announcer lady stayed at Yukiko's inn!" Chie finished.

"So… females connected to Yamano-san's case are being targeted?" Aika thought aloud."

"Wait a minute!" Yosuke shouted suddenly in a panicked voice. "Females connected to that announcer's case? That means you too, Aika!"

"M-Me?" Aika asked, a shiver running down her spine. "Why me?"

"Your uncle's the head detective on the case, right?" Yosuke asked. "So what if the killer targets you to get to him?"

"I… B-But…" Aika was at a complete loss for words. Would she really be targeted? Did Uncle know? And if she was a potential target, then so was Nanako!

"Just…" Yosuke said slowly. "Just be careful for now, Aika… Then again, it would be a lot easier saying that if we had a single clue what to look out for… Damn it, maybe you shouldn't—"

"No," Aika said firmly. "I'm already too far in to back out now. I'm seeing this through to the end."

"Wait a minute, Chie's in danger too!" Yosuke moaned. "'Cause she's best friends with Yukiko, who's already a victim!"

"Oh, just man up already," Chie grumbled. "Anyway, I wonder what kind of person the culprit is."

"Well, if you focus just on the announcer's case, it sounds like a revenge thing," Yosuke said. "Maybe it was her lover's wife."

"But Misuzu Hiiragi had a solid alibi, didn't she?" Chie retorted. "And it seemed like she was already separated from her husband."

"Really?" Yosuke asked. "Wow, you know a lot about this. Anyway, what about the second case? Saki-senpai… she found the announcer's body. Assuming the same person killed them both, why target Senpai?"

"Maybe she knew something she wasn't supposed to know," Aika suggested. "So she was killed so she couldn't talk, maybe?"

"But the killer just threw the announcer into the TV, right?" Yukiko asked. "I don't think he would've left evidence the police – much less a high school student – would catch."

Aika sighed. "Maybe the killer really is just a creepy pedophile who's after women…"

Yosuke groaned. "We aren't getting anywhere…" he grumbled. "Okay, how about this? The next time it rains, we'll watch the Midnight Channel and see if anything pops up. Until then, we keep going back into the TV to train whenever we can. We need to be prepared for anything."

"So are we going in today?" Aika asked.

"We might as well," Chie replied. "We still need to toughen you up a lot more, Aika."

Aika sighed. "Okay…"

Yukiko gazed around the TV world, her eyes wide. "Wow, so this really is inside the TV…" she whispered. When Teddie waddled over, her eyes widened even further. "It's Teddie… then it wasn't a dream!"

"A-Are you feeling better, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked, smiling. "I did what you said! I've been a good bear!"

"Oh, I see…" Yukiko said. "Good boy!"

Teddie blushed, and Aika giggled. "Well, this bear's part of the reason we want to find the culprit," Yosuke explained.

"I'm one of the group now too," Yukiko told Teddie. "So let's work together, okay?"

"I was thinking the same thing!" Teddie said cheerfully. "That's why I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan!"

Teddie handed Yukiko a pair of red-rimmed glasses, which she put on immediately. "Oh, so these are what everyone was wearing," she said. "Thank you, Teddie." Yukiko frowned as she gazed at Teddie's other hand. "Hmm? What's that you're holding?"

"Oh, this is a pair I kind of screwed up on," Teddie explained.

Without warning, Yukiko grabbed the extra pair of glasses and swapped them with her own. Aika let out a giggle, before covering her mouth and partially hiding behind Yosuke. There were swirls where the lenses should have been, along with a gag nose and a moustache. "How do I look?" Yukiko asked, laughing.

"Uh…" Chie mumbled, and Aika giggled along with Yukiko.

"I want to wear this one," Yukiko announced. "It's even got a nose guard!"

"Oh no you don't!" Chie argued.

"How bear-y unfortunate…" Teddie drawled. "That pair doesn't have the right lenses in."

"Aw, too bad," Yukiko whined before taking off the glasses. "Here, Chie. Your turn!"

Chie sighed irritably. "Man… All right, fine…" When Chie swapped her glasses for the gag ones, Yukiko burst into a fit of laughter, and Aika giggled, shuffling farther behind Yosuke. "How did it come to this?" Chie moaned before turning her attention to Aika. "What're you laughing at, Aika? Now it's your turn!" Aika didn't have any choice in the matter, as Chie yanked her out from behind Yosuke, pulled off her glasses, and shoved the gag ones there instead. Yukiko laughed even harder, and Aika felt her face heat up.

"Uh, Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked. "Hello…"

Chie sighed. "There goes one of Yukiko's laughing fits… I never thought she'd do it when someone besides me was around."

The glasses began to slip down Aika's nose, and she was forced to hold it in place with both hands. "They're too big…" she complained.

Chie groaned as she yanked the glasses away from Aika. "These glasses are useless for investigating!" she ranted. "What the hell's this nose for anyway?"

"Nice work, huh?" Teddie retorted. "That's what happens when you guys leave me alone and I get bored!"

"Well, it's good that she's in high spirits again," Yosuke pointed out.

Yukiko snorted. "Chie, Aika… the look on your faces… It was so funny!" Needless to say, Yukiko didn't stop laughing until much, much later.

And so, the days passed by quickly, and Aika busied herself with schoolwork, cooking, and training in the TV world. Now that more Personae had been added to her arsenal, she finally paid another visit to the Velvet Room, this time on her own terms. "Welcome," Igor greeted pleasantly, cryptic smile and everything.

"A pleasure to see you again," Margaret said. "Was there something you required of us?"

"I…" Aika started. "I just thought I should try… fusing Personas… Can I do that?"

Margaret shared a knowing look with Igor, smiled, and nodded. "Yes, of course," she said gently. "Come sit with me." She pat the seat next to her, and Aika sat down, crossing her legs and clasping her hands together tightly. Margaret opened the large tome she was holding and flipped through the pages. At long last, a card ascended from one of the open pages. "Hone-Onna of the Hermit Arcanum," Margaret said. "I would suggest fusing Angel with Kodama to obtain this Persona."

"Angel…" Aika echoed. "… and Kodama?" To be honest, she didn't know how to feel about giving up Kodama. Kodama had helped her so much during the short time she'd used him to fight. Giving him up was almost unthinkable. "If it helps, know that you are simply merging two parts of yourself to give rise to a new part," Margaret said gently.

Aika nodded before she could stop herself. "I'll do it," she said quickly. Before she could process what was happening, two cards appeared on the table in front of Igor. The long-nosed man waved his arm, and an electric blue link appeared between the cards. The cards rose into the air and came together. In a flash of bright white light, a white-faced woman in a kimono with skeletal hands carrying a red peony lantern appeared.

I am Hone-Onna, O-Tsuyu. I prey on foolish men who see nothing more than another pretty woman. I am thou…

Margaret smiled warmly at Aika. "Congratulations on your first successful Persona fusion," she said.

"Thank you," Aika said, bowing to Margaret and Igor. "Um… I have some questions about Social Links."

"Ask, and I will answer to the best of my abilities," Margaret said.

Aika made her way back to the seat next to Margarets, and she rocked back and forth nervously. "How exactly do they form?" she asked. "Like, why do they form with certain people and not others? I thought they would only form with people I just met, but I have one with my uncle, and I even have one with my parents! So… why?"

"Perhaps you are not as close to your family as you think you are," Margaret suggested. "Perhaps you could use your Social Links as an excuse to become closer to the people you interact with. It would most certainly serve you well."

"But…" Aika protested weakly.

"Ah, I see," Margaret said understandingly. "You are still against the usage of Social Links at all."

"I can't stop them from developing…" Aika said slowly, "… but if I don't use multiple Personas, then I won't be able to fight much at all!"

Margaret tilted her head to the side. "Very strange… You are much different from our previous guest."

"You mean there were other people with Wild Cards?" Aika asked.

Margaret smiled wistfully. "Yes, of course," she said. "There was one other – a girl in high school, much like yourself. I did not have the pleasure of knowing her – my younger brother did. But the stories I've heard of her…" Margaret chuckled. "She was quite the character, or so I've heard."

"What happened to her?" Aika asked.

Something hardened in Margaret's gaze, and Aika felt guilty for asking at all. "That is another story for another day," Margaret said simply.

Aika stared down at her feet. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You did not," Margaret replied, though Aika couldn't shake off the feeling that Margaret was lying. Suddenly, there was a familiar surge of power, and Aika exhaled slowly. "Your Social Link with me has developed," Margaret guessed correctly.

"So that's what that… thing is," Aika said to herself as she stood up and dusted herself off. "I should get going. Um… thanks for your help, and I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seem unlikely in the area," said the weather announcer on TV several nights later. "A thick fog is expected to set in tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area. Anyone planning on going out tonight should take care. Now, for our hourly weather breakdown…"

"More fog, huh?" Uncle mused. "There's been a lot of that lately… Hopefully it's not a sign of more trouble." Aika exhaled slowly, staring down at her tea and thanking every god she knew of that Yukiko wouldn't show up dead and mutilated on a telephone pole or TV antenna somewhere. She didn't even register Nanako changing the channel until Uncle admonished her for it. "Ah-ah-ah, what did I say about changing the channel without asking?"

Nanako stared downward, frowning slightly, but Aika couldn't bring herself to say anything. "Have a great day, even during Golden Week, at your local Junes!" said an advertisement. "Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" And then there was the jingle.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang, perking up immediately, and Aika couldn't help but smile. "Dad, they're going to be open during Golden Week!"

"Oh, that's coming up soon, isn't it?" Aika asked. To be honest, she hadn't even thought about the upcoming holidays, or what she was going to do with all her free time.

"Do you girls want to go somewhere during the long holiday?" Uncle asked, smiling.

Nanako stood up, bouncing on her toes excitedly. "We can go somewhere?" she asked, shock evident on her face.

"If it's not too much trouble…" Aika said quietly.

"Let's all go somewhere together!" Nanako said cheerfully. "Junes! Junes Junes Junes!"

Uncle sighed. "You're sure you want to go to Junes?" he asked. "We can go there anytime…" Nanako sang the Junes jingle again, and Uncle laughed. "Come on, girls, time for bed. It's late."

"All right…" Nanako mumbled.

"Both of us?" Aika asked.

"You're going to get up at the crack of dawn anyway, right?" Uncle asked. "So you might as well sleep early for a change."

Aika sighed. "All right…" she mumbled, perfectly, yet unintentionally mimicking Nanako.

But though she didn't show it quite like Nanako did, she was definitely just as excited as her younger cousin was for the family outing.

"Hey," Yosuke said to her after class the next day. "Did you catch the Midnight Channel last night?"

"Sorry, no," Aika replied. "I went to bed kind of early."

"Oh, okay," Yosuke said. "Get this – no one appeared."

"So no one's going to be kidnapped," Aika said slowly.

"Not yet, at least," Yosuke said. "I think… I think we're good for now. So anyway, are you busy today?"

"Not really," Aika replied.

"Great!" Yosuke said cheerfully. "There's this place I want to show you. It's a bit of a walk though…" As it turned out, "a bit of a walk" turned out to be a long hike, and it was only because of the endless hours of training she'd spent in the TV world that she wasn't completely out of breath by the time she finally stopped. "It's a good thing the fog cleared up for the most part," Yosuke said, "'cause then you wouldn't be able to see this."

And there it was – a view of the entire city, all from the top of a hill. "Wow!" Aika gasped. She'd seen larger cities from up above, sure, but nothing quite compared to Inaba.

"Like it?" Yosuke asked, grinning down at her.

Aika smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Yosuke smiled wistfully. "You know… I asked Senpai if she wanted to come up here with me… a couple weeks before she died."

Aika clasped her hands together tightly. While she didn't know Saki Konishi all that well, it was still easy to forget that Yosuke did, and was even quite close to her, or at least as close as Saki Konishi would allow anyone to get. "What did she say?"

"She…" Yosuke chuckled. "She said maybe. After she was done with her entrance exams." His eyes narrowed in sadness, and Aika felt a pang in her chest. "She… never got to take her entrance exams… All that hard work in cram school, wasted, just like that…" As if suddenly remembering where he was and whom he was with, Yosuke's eyes widened. "S-Sorry," he said. "I guess it's kind of weird to be worrying about her entrance exams, of all things…"

And it probably should have been, but Aika couldn't bring herself to care. "I understand," she said quietly.

And then, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, almost hugging her. Were it anyone else, it probably would have been considered a purely romantic gesture. Even with Yosuke, it was hard to tell, but given the current situation, Aika couldn't bring herself to think of anything romantic. So instead, she wrapped both her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, an impulsive move in and of itself, for her at least. And despite everything, the moment was everything but romantic, and Aika didn't want it any other way.

"Thanks, Aika," Yosuke said quietly, and she leaned into him. "For everything."

In a way, the surge of power she felt soon afterward – Yosuke's Social Link developing, no doubt – killed the moment. But neither of them said anything for the next several minutes, and it wasn't until it began to grow dark that they finally started their descent down the hill.

"The fourth and the fifth…" Uncle said quietly after dinner that night. "I think I might be able to get the fourth and the fifth off."

Nanako gasped loudly. "Really?" she asked excitedly. But then, her enthusiasm quickly dissipated, and her expression hardened. "Really?"

"What, you don't believe me?" Uncle asked.

"It's always cancelled," Nanako pointed out.

"N-Not every year!" Uncle protested. "I know you wanted to go to Junes, but… I wouldn't mind going a little farther out of the neighborhood."

"Really?" Nanako gasped.

"We can go on a trip?" Aika asked soon afterward.

Uncle chuckled. "All right, all right. We need to think of someplace to go…"

"I can make boxed lunches!" Aika said excitedly. "I'll make something special, so it'll be different from what you guys eat for lunch every day."

"Yay, boxed lunches!" Nanako enthused.

And, all too quickly, the evening dissolved into Aika and Nanako planning the family outing, with Uncle just sitting there, smiling.

Maybe I should make botamochi… Aika thought a couple nights later, completely drowning out the TV. Yes, I'll do that! And maybe I'll make eel too! But what if Nanako doesn't like it…? The phone ringing snapped her out of her thoughts, and Nanako was the one who answered it.

"Hello, Dad?" she said in a slightly panicked voice. "Yeah, we're okay." She exhaled sharply. "Yeah… Yeah." She sighed. "Okay… All right…"

"Is something wrong?" Aika asked, walking over to her younger cousin.

Nanako blinked furiously to try not to cry as she handed Aika the phone. "He said to give you the phone… He can't take those days off."

Before Aika could say a word, Nanako ran off, leaving her no choice but to take Uncle's call. "Hi, Uncle…" she said dejectedly.

"Sorry, but I'm going to be late," Uncle said. "Make sure you lock up before you go to sleep."

"Okay," Aika answered listlessly.

She could hear him sigh on the other line. "Nanako told you, huh?"

Aika clutched the receiver tightly with both hands. "Yeah…"

"One of the younger guys got sick," Uncle explained. "And, well, that case he's handling… We can't let it sit, and it looks like I'm the only one who can take over for him. I'm really sorry, Aika. I know you were looking forward to this."

"Th-That's okay," Aika said quickly, realizing to her horror that her eyes were stinging, and if she wasn't careful, she'd start crying too. "Um… we can always go… s-some other time…"

"I'm really sorry about this," Uncle apologized again.

"It's okay, Uncle," Aika said again. "Um… I should probably let you get back to your work. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can come home, right?"

"Yeah…" Uncle said. "Bye, Aika. Take care."

"Bye…"

The doorbell rang soon after breakfast the next morning. Chie stood outside, smiling. "Hey, Aika!" she greeted cheerfully. "Sorry for dropping by unannounced. Anyway, are you free today? Wanna go somewhere? Yukiko's coming too."

"Um…" Aika said quietly. She didn't want to leave Nanako alone, especially after Uncle had cancelled their plans. "I kind of…"

"Hey, your little sister can come too!" Chie said. "Uh…"

"Nanako," Aika supplied helpfully.

Chie bent down, putting her hands on her knees, so that she was eye-level with Nanako. "So how 'bout it, Nanako-chan? Wanna come?"

"Huh?" Nanako asked confusedly, looking from Chie to Aika. "I-I can come?"

"Of course!" Aika answered cheerfully. "That is… if you want to."

"Sure!" Nanako replied.

"Why did you bring poor Nanako-chan to a place like this on Golden Week?" Yosuke asked as he, Aika, Chie, Yukiko, and Nanako sat at a table in the food court of Junes.

"Where else is there to go?" Chie deadpanned.

"I love Junes!" Nanako enthused.

"N-Nanako-chan!" Yosuke stammered, his face turning slightly pink, and Aika giggled.

"But we were supposed to go on a real trip somewhere," Nanako said glumly. "We were going to make boxed lunches."

"Wow, you can make boxed lunches, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked.

"No, Big Sis was gonna…" Nanako began. "Big… Sis…"

"Hey, I can make boxed lunches too!" Chie announced. "Like the ones Aika made us the other day. Easy as pie!"

"Uh, let me think about – no," Yosuke said.

"What makes you think I can't cook?" Chie shot back. "Let's have a cook-off and see for ourselves!"

"My, my, doth the lady protest too much?" Yosuke taunted. "And, hey, I never said I cooked. But I have this weird feeling… Like I'd win anyway…"

Yukiko giggled. "I can understand that."

"What the—Yukiko!" Chie yelled.

"Nanako-chan can be our judge," Yosuke suggested. "I bet we'll make something that ranks up there with your mom's cooking, Nanako-chan!"

"Yosuke-kun!" Aika shrieked on impulse.

"Wh-What?" he asked, backtracking immediately. "What, did I say something wrong?"

"I don't have a mom," Nanako explained. "She died in an accident."

"I-I see…" Yosuke stammered. "Um… I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay," Aika and Nanako said in unison.

"Even though I don't have a mom, I still have Dad with me," Nanako said. "And my sister's kind of like a mom."

"H-Huh?" Aika asked. "Really?"

"And I'm having a lot of fun today!" Nanako enthused. "I love Junes!"

"Y-Yeah?" Yosuke asked. "That's good."

"We'll play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan!" Chie said.

"Yeah, we should hang out more often," Yukiko agreed.

Yosuke grinned. "Come on, Nanako-chan. Let's go get a soda!"

Aika's smile widened as the two of them left. "Thank you so much for doing this," she said.

"She's a strong girl…" Yukiko observed.

"Yeah, she makes me feel like I'm the little kid here," Chie agreed.

Aika giggled. "She tends to do that sometimes."

"That's it!" Chie announced. "I'm gonna get something for Nanako-chan too!"

"I'll come with you," Yukiko volunteered. As the two of them left, Aika smiled wistfully to herself. She really had made great friends, if they really cared enough to spend time with her little cousin.

When Nanako ran back, Aika was promptly snapped out of her thoughts. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"No," Nanako replied a little breathlessly. "Do you want something too?"

Aika smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm okay," she said. And suddenly…

Thou art I… and I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Justice Arcanum…

Aika frowned to herself. "Why…"

"Are you okay?" Nanako asked.

"Huh…?" Aika said faintly, shaking her head to clear it. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She stood up, her knees shaking slightly, and made her way over to Nanako.

"Let's share some takoyaki!" Nanako suggested, tugging on Aika's hand.

"That sounds like a good idea," Aika agreed.

And as the day progressed, Aika couldn't bring herself to feel upset at the formation of a new Social Link.

The next morning, Aika found herself at the police station, boxed lunches safely packed away inside a bag she was carrying. The last time she was here, she was too anxious and carsick to learn the layout of the building, so she had to ask for directions several times before she finally stumbled upon her uncle's office. "Are you sure he's here?" Nanako whispered from behind her.

"Well… not really," Aika answered honestly. "But he's bound to come back sometime, right?" And, sure enough, Uncle wasn't there in his office. "Th-That's okay. We can just wait for him to come back." Nanako sat in Uncle's chair, spinning it around repeatedly, and Aika shoved a stack of papers aside so she could sit on the desk (facing away from Nanako, because she felt sick just watching the smaller girl spin around and around and around on that damn chair).

Soon enough, Uncle returned with a cup of coffee, dropping it promptly when he saw Aika and Nanako. "What are you doing here?" he asked, disbelief evident in his tone.

"Since you said you couldn't come with us today, we thought we might as well visit you," Aika answered, smiling thinly at him.

"Big Sis made boxed lunches and everything!" Nanako said cheerfully.

Uncle raised one eyebrow. "'Big Sis,' huh?" He chuckled. "You really didn't need to go through all the trouble."

"I had all the ingredients ready before you told us you had to cancel," Aika pointed out. "So I just made everything I was going to make anyway."

"Let's eat outside!" Nanako suggested. "We can go on a picnic!"

"If you're not too busy, Uncle," Aika added.

"Well, I do have an hour off for lunch," Uncle said. "How does the floodplain sound?"

"Yay, we're going on a picnic!" Nanako cheered.

"This is really good!" Nanako gushed as she stuffed a piece of eel into her mouth.

"Thanks, Nanako," Aika said. "We should do this more often."

"We should," Uncle agreed.

Nanako tilted her head to the side as she stared off into the distance. "Hey, that's Mana-chan!"

"You can go talk to her, if you want," Uncle said. "Come back quickly, okay?"

"Okay!" Nanako replied, standing up, smoothing out her dress, and running.

"Thanks, Aika," Uncle said when Nanako was out of earshot. "It was really nice of you to do this."

Aika gave a small smile. "It was nothing. We're family, right?"

"Yeah. You know, it's weird. I always thought you'd end up as a mini-Masami. But you're not like her at all. Actually, you're a lot more like your dad."

"I actually get that a lot," Aika said.

Uncle chuckled. "I'm not surprised." He sighed. "You're really liking it here, huh?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't know. Masami always made it sound like you were some kind of loner who doesn't get out much. But here you are, always hanging around Junes with your friends. Was Masami really that clueless about you, or did you change after coming here?"

Aika felt her face heat up. "I… I think I changed. Mom wasn't lying when she said I didn't get out much. I mean, I never really had any friends, but I never tried to make them either, because I knew I was going to be leaving soon enough anyway." Aika shrugged. "I-I don't know… I guess I just thought I'd… try to have a social life here since I'm going to be here for a whole year."

"Well, I'm glad you're making an effort to settle down here. You can always come back after you graduate, if you really like it here that much."

Aika smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Uncle."

There was another surge of power shortly before Nanako returned. "Mana-chan's family's going on vacation!" Nanako said.

"I'm sorry we couldn't do much this year," Uncle apologized.

"It's okay," Nanako replied. "I had lots of fun with Big Sis and her friends yesterday! And we went on a picnic today!"

Aika exchanged knowing smiles with her uncle.

The next day, Aika decided to pay a visit to the shrine after going grocery shopping at Junes. The shrine was dusty and obviously neglected, but Aika kneeled before it anyway, clasping her hands together in prayer.

Please watch over me and my friends, and please let this case be over soon.

Suddenly, without warning, a strange animal jumped before her. Aika gave a little yelp of surprise before going completely still, as the animal started sniffing her. Though she tried her best not to look at it for too long, it definitely appeared to be a fox, though it was wearing some sort of red bib. Aika squeezed her eyes shut as the fox refused to leave her alone, and she mentally cursed herself. Why did she have to visit the shrine anyway?

"I'm so sorry, Dojima-san!" an old man's voice suddenly cried. "Kaede! Back!" An old man in a yukata snapped his fingers, and the fox scampered over to his side. "My apologies, Dojima-san. Kaede-chan gets a little excited whenever someone new visits the shrine."

Not bothering to correct the old man, Aika knelt before the fox. "Kaede, huh…?" She looked up at the old man expectantly, and he nodded once. She reached out toward the fox, gasping and jerking backward when its head approached her hand, but then she strengthened her resolve and pat the fox affectionately on the head. Kaede leaned into her hand, closing her eyes and purring softly. Aika couldn't help but smile. Then Kaede licked her hand, and Aika yelped in surprise, jumping backwards.

The old man chuckled. "She likes you, Dojima-san," he said earnestly. "Then again, Kaede-chan likes just about anyone who is nice to her." Aika wanted to groan when the voice in her head struck again.

Thou art I… and I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Hermit Arcanum…

Hermit? Aika thought. Isn't that one mine? Kaede licking her hand once more snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Are you feeling all right, Dojima-san?" the old man asked, concern evident in his voice. "You look pale."

If this is seriously how I look every time a new Social Link forms, no wonder people think I'm sick all the time. "I'm fine," Aika replied in a perfectly clear voice. "Thank you, though."

"You are most welcome," the old man said, bowing his head. "Come, Kaede-chan. It's time for lunch." The two of them disappeared into the shrine, and Aika sighed, taking one last look at the fox before going home.

When the front door slid open, Aika and Nanako cried out in unison, to each other: "He's home!"

Uncle chuckled as they both ran over to hug him. "If this is the reception I'm gonna get, I'll make sure to come home early every day."

"That's a Junes bag!" Nanako gasped as she noticed the brown paper bag he was carrying. "What's in it?"

"Good eye," Uncle complimented. "Well, today is Children's Day, so I bought you a present."

He pulled a piece of yellow folded fabric and handed it to Nanako. "Ooh, a T-shirt," she gushed.

Uncle laughed. "It took me a while to decide what to get you," he said. "You like it?"

"Wow, there's a picture on the front!" Nanako said happily as she unfolded it. "That's so funny! Yay!" She giggled, and Aika smiled.

"And this," Uncle said, reaching into the bag and pulling out a smiling stuffed bunny, "is for you, Aika." To be honest, Aika didn't really know what to make of the gift. Sure, she really liked stuffed animals back when she was Nanako's age, though she'd stopped receiving them for gifts a long time ago. Then again, the bunny was pretty cute – white, with pink ears, buttons for eyes, a pink heart on its chest, and a wide smile. "They said it was guaranteed to make you smile. 'Don't cry, or Mr. Bun Bun will laugh at you,' or something like that."

A warm feeling bloomed in Aika's chest – more from the gesture than from the gift itself. "Thanks, Uncle," she said sincerely, hugging the bunny to her chest. "I love it."

All in all, it was a pleasant evening.

"Ugh, why do the holidays have to end so fast?" Chie complained after school the next day.

"At least they were peaceful," Yosuke pointed out. "I listened in on the housewives gossiping at Junes, but it doesn't seem like anything happened."

"Uncle actually came home last night, so I don't think anyone's disappeared," Aika added.

"Man, wouldn't it be great if Yukiko was the last of the victims?" Chie asked.

"I don't know…" Yukiko said forlornly. "I don't think we should relax as long as the culprit remains at large."

"If only we knew who the killer might be…" Yosuke said.

"Eh, it's no good fretting over it now," Chie said offhandedly "If someone does show up on the Midnight Channel, then we'll deal with it. It's supposed to start raining soon, but I hope this weather holds through the next week. You know… Midterms…"

Yosuke groaned. "You had to go and bring that up… I don't wanna think about it."

"You mean you guys haven't started studying yet?" Aika asked.

"Why, have you?" Yosuke shot back. Aika stared downward, wrapping her hands around herself self-consciously. "Shit, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I-I'm just a little frustrated, I guess."

"Wow, Yosuke," Chie said flatly. "You wouldn't be this apologetic if you got the same reaction out of me."

"I refuse to dignify that with a response," Yosuke responded in an equally flat tone.

Chie sighed. "I wish we had Yukiko's gift for studying…" she grumbled.

"I could help you study, if you want," Aika volunteered. "I-I mean, I've never really gotten the top score before, but I'm always somewhere in the top ten."

"Yeah, and Yukiko tops every exam!" Chie said. "Let's all study together!"

"Hey, maybe I should ask Yukiko for some private lessons," Yosuke said suddenly.

"P-Private lessons?" Yukiko repeated incredulously, before walking over and slapping him.

"Ow…" Yosuke groaned. "What was that for? I'm just asking you to help me study…"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Yukiko backtracked immediately. "You were talking about studying… I thought it might've been an off-color joke. Our inn has had some strange guests lately…"

"If you thought it was a joke, then just shrug it off!" Yosuke cried indignantly.

"Sorry," Yukiko apologized. "My hand moved without thinking."

"Are you okay, Yosuke-kun?" Aika asked a little worriedly.

"Thanks a lot, Chie, for bringing up studying," Yosuke grumbled.

"What did I do?" Chie retorted. "You're the one who made it sound creepy and wrong! 'Private lessons,' huh?" Aika sighed as the two of them dissolved into yet another argument. Of course Yosuke was fine.

"Um…" Yukiko said to Aika, her smile vanishing. "I should start heading home."

"Bye, Yukiko-san," Aika said quietly.

On Sunday night, Aika found Nanako sitting by the table, looking forlorn. "Nanako? Is something wrong?"

Nanako sighed heavily. "I made flowers at school, yesterday," she said. "They said today is 'Mother's Day'." Aika remembered; she'd called her own mother that morning after all. "My teacher told us that's a day when you give your mom flowers." It was only now that Aika noticed the three paper flowers sitting on the table in front of her. "I don't have a mom, so I don't know what to do with these flowers."

"You can give them to her," Aika said gently.

"Oh, you mean the family altar?" Nanako asked. "Dad always puts food there. He said it gets to Mom in heaven. Do you think my flowers will get to her too?"

Aika smiled. "Of course!"

"I did a really good job on mine," Nanako said. "My teacher said they were really pretty too. Oh!" She took one of the flowers and handed it to Aika. "This is for you, Big Sis."

"Thank you, Nanako," Aika said, taking the origami flower from her. "Hey, can you teach me how to make these? I want to make one for Auntie too."

"Sure!" And, in no time at all, they finished and headed over to the family altar. "Hi, Mommy," Nanako said, waving and smiling at the altar. "Um… Happy Mother's Day! These are for you." She put the flowers down on the altar.

"It's getting late," Aika said quietly. "Why don't you get ready for bed?"

"Okay!" Nanako said, nodding happily as she rushed upstairs.

Aika knelt before the altar, placing the flower she had made next to Nanako's. "Hi, Auntie," she said quietly. "Um… I…" She really didn't know why she had to start crying, but tears were already streaming down her face before she could stop them, and she bit her lower lip to muffle her near uncontrollable sobs. It wasn't as if she suddenly remembered any special times she'd shared with her late aunt, or as if anything Nanako said had set her off in any way. Instead, all she could think of was an exchange she had with her own mother shortly after the incident.

"Why can't we go to the funeral?"

"There's too much work, sweetie. We can always go visit your uncle and Nanako-chan later."

"But we won't."

"Aika, don't be like that."

"She was Dad's sister! We have to go!"

"I know you were really close to her, Aika, but the timing isn't right—"

"What timing? It's a funeral! If you and Dad can't go, then I will! Please, Mom!"

"I can't believe you're being so selfish right now, Aika. Can't you see that your father and I have too much work for us to take time off?"

"But—"

"This discussion is over."

Something soft was being pressed into her hands, and Nanako kneeled before her, her face deceptively blank. "I-I'm sorry," Aika said, furiously drying her eyes. "She was your mom, but I—"

"She was your aunt, too," Nanako said quietly. Whatever it was she was trying to give Aika before, she held up now – the stuffed bunny Uncle had given her for Children's Day. "If you cry, Mr. Bun Bun will laugh."

Aika really didn't know what she was doing anymore. Now, she was hugging Nanako so tightly, she was sure she was crushing the smaller girl, but then Nanako hugged her back, and the only things that ruined the moment were Mr. Bun Bun squished awkwardly between them and the surge of power indicating another leveled up Social Link.

"Finally!" Yosuke cheered after the last midterm finally ended. "What a load off! I bet every student feels like this after exams are over!"

"Hey, quiet down!" Chie snapped before turning to Yukiko. "So what did you write for number seven? The one about what 'that' referred to in the sentence."

"I put 'her sorrowful expression'," Yukiko said.

"Oh crap, then I got it wrong!" Chie moaned. "I put, 'the rice cakes on top of the table'…"

"Rice cakes?" Yukiko echoed. "Wait, was that what the story was about?"

"I don't think so…" Aika said slowly.

"All right, I'm giving up on composition," Chie said. "I'm gonna bet it all on geography! Hey Aika, what did you choose for the tallest mountain in the solar system?"

"Olympus Mons, I think," Aika answered.

"Oh, I put that one too," Yukiko interjected.

"Oh, seriously?" Chie screeched. "I chose the wrong one…"

"It's okay, Chie," Aika said. "You probably didn't do that badly."

"Nope," Chie said flatly. "I failed. I'm going to spend the rest of my days living in Yukiko's amazing shadow. And then one day, I'm gonna drunk dial a hitman to kill her."

"You know how I said it was nice that you two were a lot closer now?" Yosuke asked. "I take that back. It's weird, though. I can kind of picture Yukiko-san doing that a lot more than I can picture you. Something kind of like…" He grinned evilly as he did his best Yukiko impression. "You still don't get it? You're the one I want to kill, Chi-e!" His mock-Yukiko laugh was abruptly cut off when Yukiko slapped him. "Ow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Hey, did you hear?" Aika overheard someone else say. "A TV station's filming here in town."

"They're probably doing more stuff about that hanging corpse case," another voice deadpanned.

"No, it's not that!" the first student said. "You know the highway nearby? They're gonna cover those biker gangs that hang out around there. A friend of mine goes to the biker meetings sometimes. I heard it from him."

"Dude, what are you doing hanging out with a guy in a biker gang?"

"Biker gang?" Yukiko whispered.

"Oh yeah," Chie said. "They raise a ruckus from time to time. I guess your place is too far away to hear 'em."

"We live right by the road," Yosuke said. "That noise can drive you insane."

"I hear some guys at this school are part of it too," Chie said.

"Yeah, I've heard that there's a first year here who's a total hellraiser," Yosuke said. "One of the guys working at Junes said the dude's been a legend ever since middle school. Although… was he in a biker gang?"

"D-Did you say he was a legend?" Yukiko asked, a wide smile on her face.

"Uh, it's not what you think, Yukiko…" Chie said.

"NO! MY CABBAGES!" The distinctly familiar voice that screamed that cracked a little at the end, and Aika resisted the serious urge to laugh.

"Adachi-san, would you like to come over for dinner?" she asked instead.

"Uh…" the young detective floundered. "That's okay, Aika-chan. I have to head back to work soon anyway, or your uncle will filet me."

"I'm making cabbage."

"Deal!"

And that was how Tohru Adachi ended up eating dinner with the Dojimas that night (sans Ryotaro Dojima). "Hey, you're a really good cook, Aika-chan!"

"Thank you," Aika said, smiling.

"I'm gonna go upstairs," Nanako said in an even tone, piling her dishes into the sink and walking away.

Aika exhaled slowly, and she couldn't deny that she felt at least a little nervous. Adachi was the detective who (mistakenly) arrested her before. Sure, he probably wasn't going to do the same now, but… "Aika-chan? I'm sorry about accidentally arresting you on your first week here."

Was she really that obvious? "Um… It's okay. Really. It was a long time ago."

Adachi sighed. "This case really does have everyone on their toes," he grumbled. "The higher-ups don't know what to do. They keep changing procedure on the fly…" Aika stared downward. Was that why Uncle came home late so many nights? "Ah, sorry, Aika-chan. I hope I'm not making you too nervous."

"You're not," Aika assured him.

"Yeesh, it sucks that you have all this to deal with when you just moved here," Adachi continued. "First that announcer shows up dead on your first day here, then that high school student dies and you get blamed for it, then that Amagi girl goes missing…"

"Huh?"

"Oh crap, I wasn't supposed to say anything about that!" Adachi sighed. "Uh… she's fine now, you know. They found her a few weeks ago."

"I know. She was at school."

"Hey, you're pretty good friends with her, aren't you? And that Junes boy too. That's… interesting. Dojima-san always said you were kind of a loner."

Aika really didn't want to be having this conversation with Adachi, of all people. She hadn't even had this conversation with Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko, for crying out loud. "People can change," she said blandly.

"Uh… sorry, Aika-chan. I must be coming off as a colossal dick right about now."

"No, don't worry," Aika said. "It's… It's fine."

Adachi smiled and nodded. "Good." And then…

Thou art I… and I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Moon Arcanum…

Aika kept her face deceptively blank. If more Social Links were going to form, she would have to make it as inconspicuous as possible, especially since she wasn't doing such a good job so far. "I should get going," Adachi said. "Thanks for dinner, Aika-chan!"

"Young men, recklessly riding their motorcycles, disturbing the peace of a quiet rural town," said the narrator on TV. "Our special report took a turn for the violent when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew!"

A boy with bleached hair and a blurred face appeared on the screen. "The hell are you punks doing here?" he yelled. "This ain't a show! Get bent!"

Uncle sighed irritably. "Still up to the same old tricks…?"

"Do you know him, Dad?" Nanako asked.

"Hmm…" Uncle said slowly. "Well, I know him through work. His name's Kanji Tatsumi… He's quite a handful. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school. But I thought he got into high school and started attending class…"

"Kanji… Tatsumi…" Aika said slowly.

"Man, that blur sure is pointless," Uncle complained. "It's completely obvious who it is. The guy's family runs a historic textile shop."

"Seriously?" Aika asked. "A textile shop?"

"Hard to believe when you see a kid like this, huh?" Uncle retorted. "Anyway, I think what happened was, he crushed the local bikers all by himself because the noise kept his mother up at night."

"That's… sweet, I guess," Aika said.

"It's a nice gesture, but he's way too violent," Uncle said. "At this rate, his mother'll have to apologize again."

"I'd crush biker gangs for you, Uncle," Aika said teasingly. "They'd get no mercy whatsoever."

Uncle groaned. "Please don't tell me you're turning into a mini-Masami. Just stay a mini-Fuuji like always."

The next night, it rained for the first time in weeks, and Aika sat with her back propped up against the table, staring at the TV with her glasses perched on her nose. Sure enough, a fuzzy image appeared on the screen – much too indistinct for Aika to tell who it was. But it definitely looked like a man.

Yosuke called her almost immediately. "So what do you think?" he asked as soon as she answered the phone. "That was a guy, right?"

"So much for the killer targeting women…" Aika deadpanned.

"Hey, that's a good thing!" Yosuke refuted. "That means you and Chie aren't as likely to be targets!" He groaned. "I really wish we could tell what he looked like…"

"So are we meeting tomorrow?"

"Duh. Anyways, good night!"

They met at the food court of Junes the next day, and Yosuke cleared his throat dramatically. "We will now hold a meeting on our investigation of the serial kidnapping-slash-murder case here in Inaba," he said.

"Oh, does that make this place our special headquarters?" Yukiko asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Yosuke replied enthusiastically. "Exactly! Nicely put, Yukiko."

"Special headquarters, huh?" Chie echoed. "That does have a nice ring to it…"

"So about what was on the Midnight Channel last night," Aika said. "Could anyone tell who it was?"

"It was a guy, right?" Chie asked. "He looked like a high schooler."

"So that's how I looked on TV…" Yukiko said quietly to herself.

"So one good thing that's come out of this is that it's not only females connected to the first case being targeted," Yosuke said.

"How exactly is that a good thing?" Chie demanded. "We're back to square one!"

"Well excuse me for worrying about you and Aika getting shoved into TVs because of who you associate with!" Yosuke shot back.

"Even though our theory wasn't exactly right, it's still progress," Aika said helpfully.

"In any case, the image on the Midnight Channel changed after I was kidnapped, right?" Yukiko interjected.

"Yeah, the screen got clear all of a sudden, and the program looked like some low-budget TV show," Yosuke answered.

"And by then, it was the Yukiko of that world that we saw," Aika said. "Her Shadow acted the same way."

"But last night, we couldn't clearly see whoever it was," Yukiko protested. "Could that mean… he isn't inside the TV yet?"

"Then he's safe for now!" Chie gasped.

"And if we can figure out who he is, we can prevent him from being taken!" Aika said excitedly.

"And we might even catch the killer in the bargain!" Yosuke finished. Suddenly, his face fell, and he sighed. "But we need to know who the latest Midnight Channel star is…"

Chie cleared her throat. "If my deductions are correct… Though the image was hard to make out, and we can't say for sure who it was, it was definitely a young male. Since we cannot identify the person at this time, we have no choice but to wait and see what happens!"

"But what if he really is kidnapped?" Aika asked.

"Then we just go in and rescue him like always," Yosuke said.

Without warning, Yukiko dissolved into a fit of giggles. "I'm sorry…" she choked. "But… Chie, you're so funny!"

"So this is how Yukiko really is, huh?" Yosuke asked. "Who'd have thought…"

"Not again…" Chie groaned. "By the way, about that guy we saw? I get the feeling I've seen him before. Pretty recently, too…"

"Oh, you too?" Yosuke asked. "Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing since last night."

"Why were your Midnight Channels so much clearer than mine?" Aika almost whined.

Yukiko giggled, and Chie growled in frustration. "When are you gonna stop that, you crazy hyena?"

This only made Yukiko laugh harder. "That's a good one, Chie!"

That night, the Midnight Channel was a bit clearer. The same figure appeared, punching at something. He does look familiar… Aika gasped as the answer came to you. Yosuke called at right that moment. "It's that guy from the biker gang!" she said as soon as she picked up.

"Huh?" Yosuke asked.

"No, not from the biker gang…" Aika amended. "The guy who beat up the biker gangs because they kept his mother up at night!"

"Wait, you mean Kanji Tatsumi?"

"Oh, that was his name…"

"I knew I saw him somewhere! He was on that special news report on TV!" He sighed. "Just let me handle this one alone. I mean, that's one scary dude. He was even yelling at the camera to 'Get bent!'… "

"It's too dangerous to go alone, Yosuke-kun…" Aika said quietly.

"Yeah, but…" Yosuke protested weakly.

"We'll be fine. We can handle ourselves."

"But that's inside the TV!" Yosuke protested. "If we're gonna warn him that he might get kidnapped, it'll be outside!" Aika's heart felt warm and fluttery at Yosuke's blatant concern for her. "All right. Just… be careful, okay? Let me deal with him – you just stay back."

"If it'll make you feel any better," Aika said simply.

Tatsumi Textiles reminded Aika of one of the quilts her aunt had made – bright colors, many different patterns that looked like they would clash but somehow came together to form a cohesive whole… Not to mention, it smelled faintly of incense, and Aika could see herself coming back, if only for the atmosphere. "It's all on you if things get rough, Yosuke," Chie whispered to the only male of their group.

A middle-aged woman sat talking to a young boy. "Hello," Yukiko said pleasantly.

"Ah, Yuki-chan," the woman greeted warmly. "It's so nice to see you."

"Well then, if you'll excuse me, Ma'am," the boy said. The boy was rather slender and only slightly taller than Aika – which was saying a lot. He wore a blue coat and a blue hat, and Aika couldn't help but think of those detectives on Phoenix Ranger Featherman R.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more," the woman apologized.

"It's all right," the boy said in a low voice. "You've given me plenty to think about. Thank you." The boy nodded once at the group before leaving.

"What's up with him?" Yosuke whispered. "Weirdo…"

"No idea," Chie said flatly. "Never seen him before."

"Yuki-chan, you're as lovely as always," the shop owner said. "Your features are starting to remind me of your mother when she was young. How can I help you today? Are you out shopping with your friends?"

"Oh, uh…" Yukiko said. "Actually…"

"Hey, this scarf," Chie said from a little ways away. "I've seen this somewhere before…"

"Hmm?" Aika asked, walking over. "It's…"

"You're right," Yosuke said. "Where was that?"

"Oh, it was that place!" Chie gasped. "Inside the TV!"

"That's right!" Yosuke agreed. "The room with those faceless posters! Then… it's that announcer's…"

"Are you acquaintances of Ms. Yamano?" the shop owner asked.

"Uh… kinda…" Yosuke replied. "Um, did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?"

"Yes, it was a special order she placed," the shop owner said. "She initially ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf. It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately."

"So there is a connection to the first case…" Aika whispered.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Hello! Delivery for the Tatsumis!"

"I'll be right there," the shop owner called. "I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me."

"Oh, it's okay," Chie said. "We should get going."

"I'll come again, Ma'am," Yukiko said.

"Well then, please say hello to your mother for me," the shop owner replied.

"It's just a scarf!" Yosuke ranted outside. "Would the killer really target someone because of that?"

"Hey, it's Kanji-kun!" Yukiko gasped.

"Quick, hide!" Yosuke hissed as the two ran for cover.

It was a little strange, seeing Kanji Tatsumi in person. Aika peered out from behind Yosuke curiously. The tall first year was talking to that boy from the store, only he seemed a lot less… angry, somehow. "You're not fooling anyone, you know," Chie deadpanned.

"Shh!" Yosuke hissed. "I can't hear what they're saying!"

"T-Tomorrow's fine with me," Aika heard Kanji say. "Huh? School? 'Course I'm going to school…"

"Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow," the boy said.

"Is it a date?" Aika whispered.

"D-Did he just say he was interested?" Kanji asked after the boy walked away. "He's a guy… and I'm a guy… But… He's interested in me…?"

"It is a date!" Aika said triumphantly.

"Quiet!" Chie hissed.

Kanji turned his attention to the group, and Aika hid fully behind Yosuke. "What the hell are you pricks looking at?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Aika shrieked.

"Come on!" Yosuke shouted. Without warning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him as he ran, Yukiko and Chie close behind them.

"That scared the hell out of me!" Chie ranted. "He's even worse in person than on TV…"

"The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun," Yukiko said.

"Yeah, and I just realized something," Yosuke said breathlessly. "Remember the common points we were talking about? His mom fits the pattern. She's a woman, and she knew Ms. Yamano. But it was her son who appeared on TV… what does that mean?"

"It's probably Kanji-kun who's the target," Aika said. "Even though his mom fits the pattern more, he was the one who appeared on the Midnight Channel." She sighed. "Then again, I never really saw the Midnight Channel last time until Yukiko's Shadow showed up, so I'm not really sure."

"Maybe it's similar to my case!" Yukiko gasped. "If you think about it, my mother fit the profile more than I did. She was the one who dealt directly with Ms. Yamano… but I was the one who was targeted."

"So it's the kids that are targeted?" Yosuke moaned. "Damn it, that means Aika might be targeted later too! Or Nanako-chan!"

"But if that's true, then the killer's motive makes no sense at all," Chie pointed out. "It'd have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge or anything."

"Maybe we're on the wrong track…" Aika said quietly. "What if the first case didn't have anything to do with grudges or revenge either?"

"Then that's…" Yosuke said, before groaning in frustration. "I'm totally lost!" Aika felt a particularly large headache coming on; she couldn't agree more.

"Why don't we just go ask Kanji himself?" Chie suggested.

"Absolutely not!" Yosuke yelled. "What, are you crazy? Did you see how scary he was?"

"He was making plans with that boy," Aika said. "Something about meeting up at school."

"I heard he's been skipping school since the beginning of the school year," Chie said. "It's suspicious, all right. There's something funny going on here… I can sense it."

"'Sense'?" Yosuke repeated. "You sound like Teddie… And I never agreed to this!"

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Yukiko said. "We'll stick together, just in case."

"Has the target arrived?" Chie whispered the next day after school.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Yosuke replied. "Visual ID confirmed! Target arrived in-zone near the end of his mess break, with mother-issued rations in hand. Current status: in the bathroom, fixing his hair. The target was acting nervous. I left my position before he had a chance to pick on me!"

"I wonder what kind of plans they made," Yukiko said. "It didn't seem like he knew that boy very well."

"It is a date," Aika whispered mischievously.

"Quiet!" Chie hissed. "He's here!"

Sure enough, two boys approached each other – Kanji Tatsumi, and the smaller, more slender boy from the day before. "I didn't keep you waiting, I hope?" the smaller boy asked.

"N-No, I just got here too," Kanji replied.

When they left, Aika let out a giggle. "It's definitely a date."

"Would you stop saying that?" Chie groaned. "Come on! We gotta hurry after them, or we'll lose them!"

"Okay, then let's split up into two groups," Yosuke suggested. "One team will follow Kanji, and the other will stake out at the shop. Aika, you handle the shop."

"Why?" the shorter girl retorted.

"Because you're a lot less likely to run into Kanji there!" Yosuke said. "Come to think of it, Yukiko, you should go with Aika."

"What, so you want Kanji to beat me up, huh?" Chie demanded. "Is that it?"

"Just shut up and let's go already!" Yosuke yelled. "They're getting out of sight!"

"Everything seems fine at the shop," Yukiko said, unscrewing the cap on her drink. "I hope it stays that way…"

"I hope the culprit doesn't show up here…" Aika mumbled.

"That would be pretty scary…" Yukiko agreed. An awkward silence lapsed between them, though it wasn't nearly as profound as any other awkward silence Aika had faced before coming to Inaba. "Um… Aika… I'm really sorry about what my Shadow said… back when you all rescued me."

"H-Huh?" Aika stammered. "Oh, um… Th-That's okay. Really."

"But I said some really horrible things…"

"It wasn't you."

"No, it was. Or… a part of me, at least." Yukiko sighed and stared upward. "I guess… I am a little jealous of you. You've probably been everywhere in Japan, huh?"

"It's not as great as it sounds." The words left Aika's mouth before she could stop them. "I-I mean…" She felt her face heat up, accompanied by a profound sense of guilt.

"It's okay," Yukiko said gently. "You can tell me."

Aika sighed. "I… I've never lived in one place for longer than a year. At least, from what I can still remember clearly. My parents have had to move around so much because of their job, and they always took me with them. My… My aunt Chisato always told them that I could stay here in Inaba with her while they travelled, but…"

"Did you want to?" Yukiko asked.

"N-Not really…" Aika admitted. "I mean, even now, it's kind of hard, because my parents aren't here with me. But I love it here, and they… don't…"

"That does sound hard," Yukiko conceded, "but I'd still love to have your life. You must have seen so many new places, met so many interesting people… it all sounds so wonderful, no matter how you put it."

"I'd be more than happy to swap with you anytime, Yukiko." When Yukiko giggled, the voice in Aika's head struck again.

Thou art I… and I am thou…
Thou hast established a new bond…

It brings thee closer to the truth…

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personae of the Priestess Arcanum…

"We should exchange contact information," Yukiko suggested. "While we're not investigating, we should definitely hang out."

Aika laughed and nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"So what was your favorite, among all the places you've lived? Not counting Inaba, of course."

"Well, there's this little town, kind of near the beach…"

Yosuke and Chie hid behind a tree, with Chie crouched on the ground and Yosuke standing directly behind her. "Man, this is weird…" Chie grumbled.

"Yeah, we definitely stand out," Yosuke agreed.

"No, I mean them!" Chie shot back, gesturing wildly toward Kanji and the strange boy from before. "I get this weird feeling about them…"

"What, you don't think they're seriously on a date, do you?" Yosuke asked. "I mean, two guys?"

"I dunno… Hey, how do you think Aika and Yukiko are doing?"

"I'd like to think they're bonding over girly things," Yosuke said. "Or maybe ranting to each other about their lives and trying to swap with each other."

"So you seem to know a lot about Aika-chan, huh?" Chie teased.

"Wh-What? I don't know what you're—"

"I heard some guy in class 2-3 saying that he saw you and Aika canoodling at the hill overlooking town."

"Wh-What? We weren't canoodling! We were just talking!"

"And cuddling too, apparently."

"What? Okay, yeah, we sort of hugged each other, but that's so not the point!"

"The hell are you two doing?" Chie shrieked when Kanji stormed toward them, his face contorted into a scowl.

"Oh, well," Yosuke stammered. "You see… We're… uh… We're two crazy lovebirds!"

"What do you mean, bird?" Chie asked angrily.

"Play along, birdbrain!" Yosuke shot back.

Kanji stepped dangerously towards them. "Didn't I see you guys yesterday?"

Yosuke laughed nervously. "C-C'mon, it just so happened that we were walking behind you guys. Pure coincidence! Hey! Our houses are just over that way, so we'll be going now…"

"Um… look," Chie said nervously. "We weren't planning on getting in you guys' way, and it's really cute that you guys are on a date and alll…"

"D-Date?" Kanji repeated.

"Why can't you keep your big mouth shut?" Yosuke yelled.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you partner up with Aika next time?" Chie shot back.

But despite the argument, they both took off running in the same direction. "Wait, dammit!" Kanji yelled as he ran behind them. "Th-This ain't what you think! Y-You got it all wrong! Hey, are you guys listening to me? It seriously ain't like that!"

Chie and Yosuke stood before Aika and Yukiko with their heads bowed. "We regret to inform…" Chie said, "… that our mission failed."

"There was nowhere to hide," Yosuke said nervously.

"Well…" Yukiko said. "Let's wait here a little longer. Maybe Kanji-kun will come home."

"Y-Yeah…" Yosuke said.

"Huh? What're you guys doing here?" And Kanji was so not behind them right now. "You're those stupid lovebirds I just saw!"

"We're not a couple!" Chie yelled.

"Why are you assholes followin' me around?" Kanji demanded. "Dammit, what the hell's goin' on?" He sighed. "I ain't sayin' this is you guys' fault… But… Dammit!"

There was something seriously wrong with Aika, if the sudden surge of boldness she felt was any indication. She stepped toward Kanji, staring up at him in concern. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "If… If there's anything strange going on, please tell us…"

"Huh?" Kanji asked. "'Strange'? You saying that I'm strange?"

"N-No, I'm not—" Aika said quickly.

"You shitheads better get the hell out of my face, or I'm taking you down!" Kanji roared.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Aika mumbled.

"I look like I'm joking?" Kanji yelled, his voice cracking a bit.

When Kanji raised his fist threateningly in the air, Aika shrieked and covered her face with both hands. "Come on!" Yosuke yelled, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her after him as he ran. They didn't stop running until they were well away from the shopping district, though Yosuke still refused to release Aika's arm. "Damn it, this is exactly what I was afraid of!"

"But everything's okay," Aika pointed out. "I mean, he's here, right? He's safe."

"It's already been a few days since he appeared on the Midnight Channel, though," Yukiko said. "We can't let our guard down. I think we should come back tomorrow and check up on him."

Chie sighed. "Let's go home. I'm wiped."

Aika's ringing cell phone woke her, and she jumped up in surprise. She seemed to have fallen asleep while waiting for the Midnight Channel to come on. Had she missed it again? Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she glanced over at her alarm clock, sighing in relief when she noticed that it was just a few minutes before midnight. "H-Hello?" she said when she answered the phone.

"Hi, it's Yukiko. Sorry to call so late."

"That's okay," Aika said, yawning.

"Kanji-kun seems to be missing!" Yukiko said in a panicked voice.

"Wh-What?" Aika gasped. She slapped her cheeks a few times to wake herself up faster.

"I had some calls to make for the inn, so I called the textile shop as well," Yukiko explained. "When I spoke to Kanji-kun's mother… she told me that he left the house and hasn't returned since. She did say that this happens all the time, but…"

"I-I don't know…" Aika said. "It's too much of a coincidence."

"I agree," Yukiko said. "I guess all we can do is check the Midnight Channel. It should be on soon, so I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," Aika said. "Bye, Yukiko." Just as she hung up the phone, the TV whirred to life, revealing a sharp, clear image. "Oh no…"

Kanji appeared on the screen, shirtless, with his face flushed red. "Hel-lo, dear viewers!" he said in a smooth voice. "It's time for 'Bad, Bad Bathhouse'!" He sounded completely different from how he was earlier that day – nothing like the scary, perpetually angry first year she'd met. "Tonight, I'll introduce a superb sight for those searching for sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes!"

"I knew it was a date!" Aika whispered triumphantly.

"I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi, serving you this scandalously special sneak-in report! Goodness gracious, just imagine the things that might happen to me in there! Ooh! Well then, let's get this show on the road! Tootaloo!" He sauntered away from the camera as the image faded, reverting the TV screen back to its blank state.

Aika's phone rang suddenly. "H-Hey, what the—" Yosuke stammered. "I-I mean…"

"I told you it was a date," she deadpanned.

"W-Well… yeah, I see that now! B-But… Damn it, it's just what we were afraid of…"

"Calm down," Aika said bluntly. "It's just like you said – we just go in and bring him out like we did with Yukiko."

"But if only we'd held our ground and stayed there a little longer…" Yosuke said.

"There's nothing we can do now," Aika said calmly. "We just have to rescue him."

Yosuke exhaled sharply. "You're right. You're right. W-We'll just talk about this tomorrow."

"Of course."

"Good night, and… be careful."

Aika sighed; what was she going to do with him. "Good night, Yosuke-kun."

That night, her dreams were filled with tall, hulking first years dragging her into steamy bathhouses, and giant, frog-shaped Shadows trying to eat her.

"Given the pattern so far, Kanji's already inside the TV," Yosuke sighed the next day after school.

"I wonder what the Midnight Channel really is…" Yukiko mused.

"Well, it's your Shadows that do them, so that's probably why you don't remember anything about yours, Yukiko," Aika said.

"At first, I thought it was one of those 'paranormal' things, but when I gave it a try, it was real," Chie said. "Turns out it's actually connected to another world…"

"If there's a rumor going around, then that means a bunch of people are watching it," Yosuke pointed out.

"How did the rumor go?" Yukiko asked. "If you stare into a turned off TV on a rainy night…"

"… you'll see your soulmate…" Aika finished.

"No one in their right mind would try something that ridiculous, don't you think?" Yosuke asked. "Unless someone urged them to, like with us."

"But it really does work," Aika said. "And not just once."

"If this rumor spreads around and everyone starts watching the Midnight Channel…" Yosuke said.

"… it could cause a huge panic…" Chie finished.

"If it really is the Shadows creating everything we see, then it's not random," Yosuke said. "It's specifically related to whoever goes missing."

"Um, this might be a little off subject, but…" Yukiko piped up. "The culprit is probably watching the shows that come on, right?"

"No doubt," Chie grumbled. "He's probably sitting back and enjoying—" She gasped suddenly. "Wait a sec… I bet he is enjoying it! He's probably laughing his head off watching that 'show' that comes on after he throws people into the TV!"

"What a creep…" Aika mumbled.

"Wait, so if people saw Yukiko's show, do you think people were watching what happened to me too?" Chie screeched. "Oh, that is it! That killer is dead meat! I'm gonna leave footprints all over his face! Guys! First we save Kanji! Then we crush the killer! Finally, we crush the killer and send him to hell! Got it?" Aika felt a surge of power as she stood up and sat down on top of her desk.

Yukiko snorted. "Ch-Chie, those last two were the same thing…"

"Uh, I know…" Chie grumbled.

"Teddie, what's wrong?" Aika asked concernedly when they landed in the TV world. "Are you not feeling well?"

Teddie groaned. "I dunno… I know there's someone here, but I sniff and I sniff, but I still can't tell where the smell comes from!"

"Aren't you thinking too much about too many things?" Yosuke suggested. "I mean, last time you were wondering about who you really are and how long you've been here. Your head's empty to begin with, dude. Don't stress out over stuff too much."

"You're right…" Teddie said glumly.

"Um… Is there anything we can do to help?" Aika asked. "We really need your help to find Kanji-kun. Otherwise…"

Teddie's face lit up. "I know what might help! You should give me a clue about this Kanji person! It's just a feeling I have. I think I could concentrate better with it."

"So something about him… that could help you find him?" Aika echoed. "Yukiko, didn't you say you were friends with him?"

"Uh, not really," Yukiko said. "I don't know that much about him. Um… his father passed away a few years ago, so he just lives with his mother… his family runs a textile shop…"

"Um…" Aika piped up. "My uncle said that he once beat up all these biker gangs because they kept his mother up at night. A-And he might like that one boy we keep seeing around in town."

Chie groaned. "Would you drop the date thing already?"

"All right, let me try!" Teddie said enthusiastically. "Hmm… Oh! I think I found something! It feels like our target! Is this it? Follow me!"

Aika wiped sweat off her forehead, cursing the TV world's awful mugginess. "So this is the 'bad, bad bathhouse'…"

"Is it just me, or does the fog here seem kind of different?" Chie asked.

"My glasses are fogging up," Yukiko complained.

Yosuke groaned. "Of all places, why a bathhouse?"

"C'mere, pussycat…" a deep, slightly distorted voice said sensually. "Oh… Such well-defined pecs… There's no need to be scared… Now, just relax…"

Aika made a noise oddly reminiscent of a dying whale and promptly latched onto Yosuke's arm. "Aoandon's terrified of what Kanji-kun will do to her," she said flatly.

"Come on, Aika…" Chie said. "If he really is gay, then it's Yosuke who's in trouble. You, me, and Yukiko will be fine."

"I-I don't wanna go!" Yosuke yelped.

"He's behind this door!" Teddie announced. "I can smell him!"

"It's all on you, Yosuke!" Chie said.

"Better yet, don't panic," Yukiko advised. "I mean, he seems to be more interested in boys than girls, and you're the only boy here."

"No pressure, or anything," Aika finished.

"I hate you…" Yosuke moaned.

"Okay, let's go!" Chie said. With a screech, she kicked the door open.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko called.

Sure enough, there were two Kanjis there – one in a school uniform, and the other cloaked in a shadowy aura, with a tiny towel wrapped around its waist. "I-I…" the real Kanji said quietly.

"Oh, come now, enough with the charade," Kanji's Shadow said. "Isn't it awful to deceive people? To deceive yourself? What's so bad about doing what I want to do?"

"That has nothin' to do with it…" Kanji said, but his voice lacked the strength and vigor it possessed before.

"I'm what you really want, aren't I?" the Shadow taunted.

"Hell no!" Kanji yelled.

"Oh, how I hate girls…" the Shadow moaned. "So arrogant and self-centered! They cry if you get angry, they gossip behind your back, they spread nasty lies… They look at me like some… some disgusting thing and say that I'm a weirdo! Laughing at me, all the while! 'You like to sew? What a queer!' 'Painting is so not you.' 'But you're a guy!' 'You don't act like a guy…' 'Why aren't you manly?'"

"This… doesn't look like it's going to end so well," Aika said.

"You said it," Chie retorted.

"What does it mean to be 'a guy'?" the Shadow ranted. "What does it mean to be 'manly'? Girls are so scary…"

"I-I'm sorry…" Yukiko said quietly.

"I ain't scared of 'em!" Kanji yelled at his Shadow.

"Men are much better…" the Shadow said in a low voice. "They'd never say those awful, degrading things. Yes, I vastly prefer men…"

"Hell with that!" Kanji shot back. "What makes you think you can say that shit with my face?"

"Why, you're me… and I'm you," the Shadow said. "You do know that, don't you?"

"Here it comes," Aika said, clutching her rod tightly with both hands.

"No…" Kanji said, his voice wavering. "Nuh-uh! No way! There's no way in hell that you're me!"

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko yelled.

The Shadow laughed hysterically. "You're me, and there's no denying it!" it snarled. And then, Kanji's Shadow transformed into a large, hulking figure with bulging muscles, half black and half white, with its head submerged in a bed of roses and carrying two large golden objects that look suspiciously like the symbol for males. By the Shadow's feet were two smaller black and white figures, though they were still quite a bit larger than Yosuke.

"See?" Aika said. "Symbolic."

"Now's not the time for that!" Yosuke yelled, running in front of her, Chie, and Yukiko while brandishing his swords. "You think guys are so freakin' easy to deal with? You've got another thing coming!"

"I am a Shadow… the true self… I'm just being true to myself… and that's why… I'll get rid of anything in my way!"

"Are these… Kanji-kun's true feelings?" Yukiko gasped.

"This isn't really him!" Yosuke yelled. "It's just his emotions going haywire!"

"This has nothing to do with you guys anymore!" the Shadow bellowed. "Didn't I just say I'm gonna get rid of you?"

Aika flipped through her Persona cards. "Aoandon!" She swung her rod at the card that materialized in front of her. Tarunda, Rakunda, Sukunda!

"Go!" Chie yelled, kicking her own Persona's card, and the Shadow was blasted with ice.

"Where's Kanji-kun?" Yukiko asked as she summoned her Persona.

"He's unconscious!" Teddie answered from a little ways away. "Don't worry! I'll guard him!"

Through the confusion, one of the figures by the main Shadow approached Yosuke and leered at him. "Well hello there, handsome." Without warning, it bent down and scooped up Yosuke in its arms and hugged him tightly.

"H-Help!" Yosuke yelped.

"Let him go!" Aika yelled, waving her arm and struck her card with her rod. Titania! "Persona! Magaru! There was a violent gust of wind, blowing back the two smaller Shadows, allowing Yosuke to drop to the ground.

"Ow!" the Shadow shrieked. "That hurt! This is why I hate girls!" The Shadow swung one of its golden weights down, and Aika flinched as it rapidly approached her.

Then, there was a clang, and the blow never came. Chie's Persona loomed before her, its spear raised up against the golden weight. "Watch it, Aika!" Chie snapped at her. But as she recalled her Persona, the Shadow slammed both weights down on the ground, and purple-tinted electricity sparked upwards. After that, all Aika could feel was pain as shockwaves ran through her body. The world swam beneath her feet, and she collapsed to her knees, struggling to stay conscious. All the while, the Shadow was laughing – if Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko were all right, they weren't doing anything to fight back.

"Is everyone okay?" Aika heard Teddie ask, as if from far away. Then…

"Get down!" Something slammed into Aika, and she toppled over, snapping her back into full consciousness. Kanji was there next to her, a swirl of emotions in his eyes. Aika gasped as she bolted upright, looking around to check if Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko were all right. Sure enough, they were there on the ground with her, groaning as they struggled to stand up.

Yosuke stood up first, favoring his left side. "You'll pay for that one!" Jiraiya lunged at Kanji's Shadow, attacking it with everything he had.

Yukiko stood up next, flicking her fan. "Come, Konohana Sakuya!" She hit her card with her fan, and her Persona materialized in front of her, engulfing the Shadow in flame.

Then, Chie stood up. "Let's go!" She kicked her Persona card, and the Shadow was encased in ice. "Finish it, Aika!"

Aika looked to Kanji, who refused to meet her gaze, and stood up shakily. Her entire body felt like one large bruise, but she still thanked every god she knew of that she spent so much time training, because there was no way she could have even survived such a battle one month ago. She closed her eyes and smiled, shifting to Aoandon. I need your help. She struck her card with her rod and glared at the Shadow. Megido! "Persona!" Aoandon appeared in front of her, and in a flash of light, the Shadow went down. As soon as she recalled Aoandon, she turned her attention to Kanji. "Kanji-kun! Are you okay?"

The first year stood up slowly. "Dammit…" he muttered.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko called.

"Wait!" Yosuke interjected. "Something's wrong!"

And then, the Shadow, which now looked like Kanji again, stood up. "No…" Aika whispered. "Don't tell me we have to fight it again!"

"H-He's still rejecting it!" Teddie whimpered.

"Well, I can't blame him with this many witnesses," Yosuke said.

"Such a passionate approach…" the Shadow taunted, and Aika clutched her rod tightly while willing her legs to stop shaking. "I think that you two would make wonderful boyfriends."

"Oh hell no!" Chie yelled. "He did not lump me with you, Yosuke!"

"I-I think he was talking about Teddie…" Yukiko said quietly.

"Enough… Stop…" Kanji said weakly. "What the hell are you blabbering about?"

"I don't care who…" the Shadow said. "Won't someone, anyone, please accept me?"

"We will!" Aika said quickly. "We—"

"Stop it!" Kanji cut her off.

"Accept me for who I am!" the Shadow yelled, glaring.

Everyone readied their weapons. "Those who can fight, get in the front with me!" Yosuke ordered. "Those who feel like they need to hang back, get behind me!" In the end, it was Aika and Chie in the back, and Yukiko and Yosuke in the front.

"I said stop it!" Kanji yelled. Without warning, he ran forward and punched his Shadow square in the jaw. "Tch. Can't believe something like this is inside me…"

"Kanji-kun…" Yukiko said.

"Yeah, I know," Kanji continued. "I've known all this time I had something like you! It ain't a matter of guys or chicks… I'm just scared shitless of being rejected. I'm a total pansy who tries to make everyone hate me."

Aika swallowed hard and lowered her weapon as she dragged her feet over to Kanji. "It's okay," she told him. "We all have sides we don't want the world to see… But whether we want to show them or not, we have to accept them for what they are."

Kanji grunted. "You make it sound like you got it all figured out…" Aika shrugged and smiled sheepishly at him, and Kanji turned to face his Shadow. "Come on… get up. Anyone who looks like me, I know they ain't so weak that they can't take a punch." The Shadow stood up slowly, but not menacingly, and Aika released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. "I already know that you're me. You're me… and I'm you, dammit!" The Shadow nodded once, and a Persona appeared in its place. When it disappeared, Kanji's body glowed blue.

Aika knew he was falling before even he did. "Kanji-kun!" Since she was the closest, he grabbed her for support, and she grabbed him to hold him upright in return. But he was too heavy, and they both crashed to the ground, Kanji partially on top of her.

"Okay, time to go," Yosuke said quickly.

"Kanji-kun…" Yukiko said in Junes, once they were all safely outside the TV. "Are you okay?"

"It's…" Kanji panted. "It's nothin'…" But then he swayed, and he looked like he was about to topple over, but he regained his balance and stayed sitting upright. "I feel great… It's like my mind's all cleared up…"

Yosuke grunted as he helped Kanji up. "Yeah, that tends to happen when you face your Shadow."

"Hey…" Kanji said slowly. "About what just happened…"

"Later," Aika said automatically. "We'll tell you later. Just rest for now."

"We'll be waiting for you at school," Chie added.

"School…?" Kanji echoed. "Sure, if I ever feel like going."

"I'll take this guy home," Yosuke volunteered. "If anyone asks, I'll just say I found him somewhere like this."

Aika could barely keep her eyes open during dinner that night, and she forced herself to eat quickly so she could go to bed early. "Oh, I forgot to tell you," Uncle said suddenly. "Remember that Kanji Tatsumi guy I told you about? You know, the one who went nuts on that news special?"

"What about him?" Aika asked, her voice deceptively calm.

"His family's shop called in to report him missing, but now he's been found," Uncle said. "I thought I'd let you know, since you go to the same high school."

"That's good to hear," Aika said tiredly.

"Hey, Aika… quick question. You're friends with Yukiko Amagi, right?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Why?"

"Does you go with her on errands, usually?"

"Sometimes. Why?" Aika really didn't like the direction this conversation was taking.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just… some people have seen you around that textile shop lately, and it's not one that students normally visit. But since you hang out with that Amagi girl a lot, it's understandable that you'd be there on occasion." Aika really didn't like lying to her uncle either. Then again, he wasn't outright asking her anything – he was just making assumptions. But that didn't do anything to ease the guilt. "Sorry. I'm not trying to interrogate you or anything. I know you wouldn't go looking for trouble, but… I just have to be sure that you're not in over your head."

"I'm fine, Uncle," Aika said quietly. "You don't have to worry."

"Okay," he replied, nodding.

Though the rest of dinner was relatively quiet, Aika's mind was in a whirl. Now that Kanji had faced his Shadow, he'd probably be joining the group. If Uncle got wind that she was hanging around Kanji, then he'd be suspicious – or worse, he'd disapprove – for sure. And by the time she finally unrolled her futon, though she was physically exhausted, she didn't fall asleep until almost two hours later.

Social Links:

The Fool (the Investigation Team): Level 3
The Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): Level 3
The Priestess (Yukiko Amagi): Level 1
The Empress (Margaret): Level 2
The Hierophant (Ryotaro Dojima): Level 2
The Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Level 2
The Justice (Nanako Dojima): Level 2
The Hermit (Kaede the fox): Level 1
The Sun (Fuuji and Masami Nakamura): Level 1

And so, we've finally reached the end of yet another obnoxiously long chapter (and the end of the Kanji arc!). I've decided to write out a list of Social Links at the end of each chapter so it doesn't get too confusing (and please let me know if the Social Link list is faulty). And yay for Persona 2 references! For those of you that didn't catch them, Mr. Bun Bun is Maya's homemade stuffed bunny (now mass-produced!), and Amanda Winn Lee, who voices Yukiko, voices Ulala in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. So there's an Ulala quote in here. ("You still don't get it? You're the one I want to kill, Ma-ya!" Except adjusted to fit the situation. Um, spoiler alert?)

So Yosuke. His Social Link is a little weird, since it's not romantic (not yet, anyway), but not completely platonic either. So basically, in this, since he's pretty much the only guy in a group of girls (before Kanji joins up), he gets a bit… overprotective. It's more to do with his masculinity (chivalry and all that fun stuff) than actual concern for their safety (though that's pretty prominent too).

As you can probably see, Yukiko is a lot more open with Aika than she was with Yu, mostly because Aika's a girl. And she and Aika really, really want each other's lives (for reasons explained in the previous chapter). Chie's well… Chie. And her Social Link is pretty much the same, sans romantic undertones.

And Kanji's Shadow buildup/battle is exactly the same because it doesn't really have anything to do with anyone else besides Kanji himself. One thing that really bugs me about how people interpret Kanji's character is that it has absolutely nothing to do with whether he's gay or straight. It has to everything to do with his need to be accepted, and how he doesn't exactly fit into society's gender roles. So because he likes girly things, and the girls he's interacted with are mostly psycho, he thinks he should ideally be attracted to men… who may not be all that great either. It's a very complicated situation that people don't usually do enough justice… so I really hope I do the great Kanji Tatsumi justice in this. On a slightly unrelated note, Troy Baker. The guy who voices Kanji. Expect a Final Fantasy XIII pun somewhere along the way (Troy Baker also voices Snow Villiers). And maybe a Persona 2 pun (Troy Baker also voices Eikichi Mishina).

So my portrayal of grief in this chapter, specifically, grieving for dead loved ones, stems mostly from personal experience. In my experience, grief has struck at the randomest of times, and I tend to fixate on the weirdest things while thinking of the dead person. So I tried to portray that in this chapter. With Yosuke, he starts fixating on Saki's entrance exams, which she never got to take, almost in the she-had-her-whole-life-ahead-of-her way. With Aika, she breaks down completely randomly during Mother's Day for her aunt… who isn't her mother to begin with. All things considered, Chisato Dojima is kind of a fuzzy subject. You never really get a clear picture of when exactly she died. In this continuity, she died about three and a half years ago, when Nanako was too young to remember her, but Aika wasn't.

So more differences between Uncle's interactions with Aika and Dojima's interactions with Yu. While Dojima was pretty suspicious of Yu from the beginning, and didn't seem to know him all that well, Uncle has literally seen Aika grow up, and pretty much treats her like a daughter. So he doesn't suspect her at all, and he trusts her a lot. Likewise, Aika treats him like a second dad. Also, his gift for Children's Day is based on what he knew she liked as a kid, primarily. In a nutshell, Uncle and Aika are way closer than Dojima and Yu.

So the fox's Social Link will be way different here. As opposed to "this person needs something NOW GO HELP HIM," Aika's relationship with the fox is a lot more personal. More Koromaru-esque. Also, I named the fox. It just makes it easier.

So a good chunk of the level grinding happens off-screen… or off-page. But all the Social Links happen on-page. So in the chunk of time that spanned this chapter, Aika, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko went into the TV a lot. Look at it this way – they were horrendously underleveled when they faced Yukiko's Shadow, but somehow still won, so to make sure they didn't have to struggle so much for the next victim, they level-grinded their asses off. And the fight was still hard, but not nearly as bad. Also, pretty much all of the Persona fusion happens off-page as well, except for the first instance, which took up part of Margaret's Social Link. Admittedly, a lot of the Personae used are essentially name drops, except for the ones that don't exactly exist in canon, like Aoandon, Kodama, and Hone-Onna. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Aoandon excels in light, dark, and almighty skills, as well as stat debuffs. It's because of her that Aika has a ridiculous amount of SP (though not so much that she can spam Megido whenever she wants) and high magic and agility stats, but she has to sacrifice pretty much everything physical in return. Really, her attack and defense are abysmal, even with level-grinding.

Sorry for the obnoxiously long author's note. Please review!