Fun fact: Aika's Japanese voice actress voices Madoka in "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," and her English voice actress voices Kyubey in the same anime. WOO, DRAMA. Best instances of their respective voices: Japanese = all over the place; English = episode 9, before Kyouko and Sayaka… you know…

Aika knew from the moment she woke up the next morning that it was not going to be a good day. She woke up to Nanako crying out: "Oh, did you have a sleepover with Yosuke-san?" Which was bad enough, in and of itself, especially since both she and Yosuke slept right through the alarm that surely went off long before Nanako woke up.

To make matters worse, Naoto came over that morning for breakfast, and Aika didn't miss the way his eyes fixated on Yosuke's tousled hair and crumpled shirt as he and Aika finally came downstairs. "Dojima-san sent me here to check up on you, Aika-san," Naoto said, "though he said nothing about Hanamura-kun."

"Speaking of that…" Aika said slowly as she piled some of the eggs that Naoto evidently had made onto a plate. "… can you not tell him about this?"

"Why, do you think Dad's gonna get mad?" Nanako asked. "But he lets me go to Mana-chan's house all the time for sleepovers, so what's wrong with Yosuke-san coming here for a sleepover?"

"No, trust me, if it's just me, he'll filet me," Yosuke said.

"Oh…" Nanako said understandingly, rubbing her chin. "Is it because you think he'll get mad at you for staying up all night and eating lots of candy to stay awake? But you guys were sleeping, and all the candy was still there… But you did come home really late last night…"

"Actually, Nanako-chan, your father will assume that Aika-san and Hanamura-kun engaged—" Naoto tried explaining.

"No!" Aika shrieked. "We are not having this conversation, and no one is saying anything about this to Uncle, all right?"

Naoto simply raised his eyebrows. "Perhaps you should just tell your uncle that Hanamura-kun is your boyfriend," he suggested. "Or would that make the situation more complicated…?"

"He's not my—" Aika started to say on impulse, but then she cut herself off as she stared at Yosuke. Could she honestly say that after she practically invited Yosuke to her bed? Sure, they didn't do anything but sleep beside one another, but…

"Yeah," Yosuke said finally. "I guess you're my girlfriend now… if that's okay with you."

Aika, not entirely sure what was happening and even less sure if Yosuke was being completely serious, nodded shakily. "S-Sure…"

A ghost of a smile graced Naoto's features. "I see…"

But when Aika looked to Yosuke, he just stared back at her with a confused expression.

Teddie sighed sentimentally. "Rise-chan was right," he said. "This celebration does make me feel like it's over… The case really has come to an end…"

"Wow!" Nanako gushed. "It's really Rise-chan!"

"I should go back over there soon…" Teddie said sadly.

"Are you going somewhere?" Nanako asked.

"Yep…" Teddie sighed again. "They all kept their promise.

"A promise, huh…?" She rubbed her chin contemplatively. "What if you made a promise with me? Could you stay then? Um… A promise that you'll play with me. How about that?"

"Yes!" Teddie said immediately, clasping both her hands and staring intently into her eyes. "I swear with all my heart that I won't leave until I finish playing with Nana-chan! It's a promise!"

"Yeesh, could you keep it down over there?" Yosuke asked from the kitchen table. "You know this probably means that you'll have to enroll in school, right? If you're gonna stay here for longer. Now you'll really be a foreign exchange student… heavy emphasis on the 'foreign' part…"

"I don't get why you guys wouldn't let me cook," Aika grumbled from her chair by the kitchen table, crossing her arms and glaring at nothing in particular.

"Because you're kind of a control freak in the kitchen," Chie replied bluntly. "No offense."

"And when you're out grocery shopping," Yukiko added.

"Um…" Rise piped up. "We just figured that you'd be super tired, since you got out of questioning really late last night?"

"But Big Sis and Yosuke-san slept in really late this morning!" Nanako called to the kitchen.

Chie promptly dropped the porcelain bowl she was holding, and Aika grimaced as it shattered. "Say what?"

"Oh, so you guys had a sleepover," Yukiko said.

"Yeah!" Nanako replied. "Then Naoto-kun came over, and Big Sis made us promise not to tell Dad about the sleepover, even though they didn't really do anything wrong…"

"Wha—Senpai!" Rise gasped. "I didn't know you had that in you!"

"Yosuke-senpai…" Kanji whispered, sounding impressed. "Aika-senpai…"

"Oh, I get it!" Teddie said suddenly. "Yosuke scored with Aika-chan!"

"N-No I didn't!" Yosuke denied quickly.

"If anyone brings up 'scoring' one more time…" Yukiko practically growled.

"It's ready!" Rise squealed. "Incoming food! Out of the way, Senpai!" Rise shoved Yosuke violently out of the way and slid a plate of suspiciously red omelette onto the table. Chie and Yukiko followed suit, much more demurely. "Bon apetit!"

"W-Wait a sec!" Yosuke protested. "Asking Nanako-chan and Aika-chan to jump in and try these for us is kinda… unethical."

"Why did you lump me with her?" Aika deadpanned.

"Girlfriend privilege," Yosuke hissed to her. "I think. I'm not sure."

"Oh…" Kanji said slowly before anyone else could get a word in. "So it's our job to taste it first, to make sure we can keep it down."

"Hey, that's mean!" Rise cried indignantly. "Okay, so Aika-senpai should try mine first, since she has more… refined tastes. It's guaranteed delicious!"

"H-Hold up, maybe I should—" Yosuke protested, but Aika had already taken a bite of the omelette… and was already choking on it because it was so spicy.

Kanji slapped her on the back a few times, which hurt more than she liked to admit, and Nanako helpfully passed her a glass of water. "I-I don't think Nanako should eat this…"

"Now, now, Senpai," Rise said, waving her finger and smiling gleefully. "I know it's delicious, but you have to share with your little sister."

"Hey, let me try," Yosuke said. "I mean, Risette cooked it herself, right?"

"I-I don't think that's such a good idea…" Aika said stiffly. "Seriously. Don't eat it. No offense, Rise-chan."

"Here, try mine next," Yukiko said before Rise could say a word in her defense.

"I'll take this one!" Kanji said excitedly, piling a generous amount onto his plate. He took two bites, his easygoing grin disappearing more and more with each bite. "Well… uh… how do I put this…? It tastes really… um… boneless?"

"What?" Yukiko snapped. "That's not a word you use to describe taste! Does it taste good or not? Tell me!"

"Not good, that's for sure…" Kanji said uncertainly. "It tastes like… like I'm eating plain oatmeal… It's pretty impressive that you put so many ingredients into a dish and it came out tasting like nothing."

"Y-Your palette just isn't refined enough!" Yukiko said defensively.

Without warning, Nanako reached over to take a bite of Yukiko's omelette. "I think it tastes good!" she lied with a smile, and Aika sighed in relief.

"Try mine next!" Chie said excitedly. "I don't know about this… But I think it'll taste good! This time for sure!"

"I'll give it a whirl," Teddie said. He took one bite and grinned. "Wow, this tastes really awful! Yosuke, you've got to try this."

"Not after you say that…" Yosuke muttered as he took a bite. "Well, it's a huge improvement over the curry."

Nanako took a bite out of Chie's omelette. "I think this tastes good too!"

"Thank you, Nanako-chan!" Chie said. "See? At least mine's better than someone's." Chie jerked her head in Rise's direction.

"I-It's a taste too subtle for kids!" Rise said, pouting and sniffling. "It's a mature flavor!"

Nanako took a bite and gasped. "I-It's spicy, but it's still good."

"Nanako-chan!" Rise gasped, and then the idol was hugging the smaller girl, almost suffocating her. "I knew it! Nanako-chan's the most mature one in this room!"

"Oh yeah," Kanji said. "Aika-senpai. Didn't you sort of already have one ready?"

"What the—" Chie spluttered. "B-But we said…"

Aika got up, smirking slightly. "I'll go get it."

"Yay!" Nanako said cheerfully. "I love Big Sis's omelettes!"

"Senpai…" Rise whined.

"I made it, just in case," Aika said bluntly as she laid it out on the table, and Nanako, Yosuke, Teddie, and Kanji began digging into it voraciously, "before you guys came. Yosuke helped."

"I cooked the rice!" Yosuke said cheerfully, holding his chopsticks proudly in the air.

Chie groaned. "Seriously, you guys…"

"Good morning, sunshine!" her mother said cheerfully (and loudly) on the phone next morning.

Aika rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Oh…" Masami said slowly. "Earlier than the crack of dawn, evidently, since I woke you up… Sorry about that."

Aika sighed and shook her head. "So what's up?"
"So there's a Satomi Tadashi opening up in Inaba. Mind checking it out for us?"

"Really?" Aika asked, frowning. "A Satomi Tadashi opening up here? Why didn't you just come here then, instead of going overseas?"

"We go where we're assigned, Aika-chan," Masami said seriously, though Aika could tell her mother was lying. "You don't have to do anything. Just go, scope out the place, and tell me how it is, okay?"

"Okay…" Aika replied uncertainly.

And that was how she found herself outside Satomi Tadashi that morning. It didn't look all that different from any of the other Satomi Tadashis she'd seen in her lifetime, but it appeared a bit more… homey, in a way. The merchandise was organized exactly as she remembered it, with the stronger medicines closer to the back of the store than the front, and that irritating jingle played incessantly, as always. And, before long, Aika found herself singing along with the jingle before slapping her cheeks twice to snap herself out of it.

A woman with short brown hair came from the front of the store. "Welcome! Is there something I can help you with?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled. The woman looked nice enough – then again, all employees did. "I was just… looking…"

The woman smiled sheepishly. "I think the cold medicine you're looking at might be a bit too strong for you."

"I wasn't looking for cold medicine," Aika said quietly.

The woman chuckled and held out her hand. "Well, this has been sufficiently awkward. I'm Tamaki Uchida, and I'm kind of new to town."

"Aika Nakamura," Aika said as she shook Tamaki's hand. "I'm, um…. sort of new, too. I moved here in the spring."

"Oh, nice!" Tamaki said. "So we're kind of the same, then."

"Y-Yeah, I guess…"

"Oi, Tamaki!" a slightly nasally voice shouted from somewhere behind Aika. "What d'you think you're— Oh."

"Right," Tamaki said pointedly. "A customer. You know what those are, right Tadashi? They come here to buy our stuff. We're supposed to be nice to them on principle."

"Hey, no need to treat me like an idiot!" the man Tadashi, who was now behind Aika, yelled. He was thin and wiry, with oily black hair and glasses. "Dad put me in charge of this branch!"

"Yeah, out in the boonies!" Tamaki shot back. "Which clearly means he wants you out of the way!"

"It's all your fault! If you didn't marry me, then I wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Uh, hello? You proposed to me in the first place!"

"Um…" Aika piped up.

"Yeah, well my family hates you, thank you very much."

Tamaki poked Tadashi harshly in the chest. "Really? Because I was under the impression that they think I'm the best thing that ever happened to you."

"Hey!" Aika shouted.

"What?" Tamaki and Tadashi yelled back simultaneously.

Aika stared downward. "I'll just… go…"

"No, don't go!" Tadashi said, blocking her way out of the aisle. "I promise, it's not always like this. Tamaki isn't always such a bitch."

"Uh, excuse you!" Tamaki yelled back. "I was handling the customer perfectly well, but you had to come in, guns blazing—"

"Can I please just go?" Aika begged.

And for once, both Tamaki and Tadashi were silent. "Well this is just sad," Tamaki said. "Um… I'm really sorry about this. If there's anything we can do to make up to you, please let us know."

"We could give you a job here," Tadashi drawled. "No interview, no red tape, no nothing – and you'll get paid. Just… don't tell anyone about this, uh… what did you say your name was again?"

"Aika Nakamura," Aika and Tamaki said simultaneously, and Tamaki put her hands on Aika's shoulders, grinning.

"Nakamura, huh…?" Tadashi asked, but then his eyes widened in horror. "Wait, you're not—"

"I am," Aika said, already knowing where he was going with this.

"But…" Tadashi spluttered. "But she…"

"I know," Aika said, nodding. "I'm not as crazy as she is."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tamaki asked.

"You're hired!" Tadashi said automatically. "I'm heading back to the stock room. Join me there later or something, Tamaki."

Aika turned to face Tamaki as soon as Tadashi left. "What was that about?" the older woman asked.

"He's scared of my mom," Aika replied simply. "She tends to do that to people."

"Oh, I see," Tamaki said. "So… what do you need to know…? I'll need you to come in for training sometime within the week. Just wear white clothes, and we'll get you a nice red apron, and then you'll be set."

Aika exhaled slowly, still not entirely sure what just happened. "Okay… I guess…" 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 Temperance Arcanum…

"So I'll, um… see you, then," Aika said.

Tamaki smiled warmly. "See you, Aika-chan."

Rise gave Aika's arm a violent tug as she pulled the shorter girl into her room. "Senpai, I'm very disappointed in you," she said. "Nanako-chan told me that you didn't even know who I was before I showed up on the news."

Aika felt her face heat up. "W-Well, I knew who you were, but—"

"That's not the point!" Rise snapped. "What I'm trying to say is that you live under a rock, Senpai! I mean, I bet you don't even know what MUSES is!"

"You mean the Greek ones?" Aika asked. "I've been reading up a lot on mythology ever since we got our Personas, so—"

"The band, Senpai!" Rise cut her off, her voice rising in pitch and volume. "The idol group! They were huge about five years ago, and…" Rise grabbed both of Aika's hands and pressed her forehead to hers. "They're what inspired me to become an idol in the first place, okay? So you have to know who they are!"

"Um…" Aika mumbled, leaning backward to pull her face away from Rise's. "I'm sorry?"

Rise pouted and whirled around, crossing her arms. "You're hopeless, Senpai. You need a music education. And you're getting one today." She stomped over to a large CD player and pressed a few buttons on it. Before long, pop music much like the kind Nanako listened to started playing. "Do you at least know how many people are in MUSES?"

"Five?" Aika guessed.

Rise smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Three, Senpai. Sheba, Mee-ho, and Ginko. Ginko's the lead singer, and she's, like, my favorite person ever. Like, if I could ever meet her, my life would be made."

Aika picked up the CD case lying a little ways away from the CD player and stared at the three girls on the front – a blue-haired girl, a blonde girl, and a pink-haired girl. "Wow, they really went all out with their hair. You didn't dye your hair, right?"

"Just a little," Rise admitted. "Actually, Sheba and Mee-ho are the only ones who actually dyed their hair. Ginko's a natural blonde."

Aika raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Seriously?"

"Okay, look," Rise said seriously. "Ginko's real name is Lisa Silverman. Her parents are American, but she was born and raised here in Japan, so she's just like all of us. But back when she was a little girl, she got a lot of flack for it, you know? Because she looked different from everybody else, even though she acted the same and spoke the same language. But then, somehow, she overcame all of that and won the beauty pageant in her high school and became an idol, and now she works for the industry itself, even though she doesn't perform anymore!" Rise sighed. "I want to be just like her when I get to be her age."

"You seem to admire her a lot," Aika said with a smile.

"I can relate to her so well," Rise admitted. "I mean, I'm full Japanese, so I never had to deal with the… culture clash or anything, but… I wasn't always like this, you know? I used to be really shy, and people used to pick on me because I'd never stand up for myself. Actually… it's because of Lisa that I grew out of that at all."

Aika turned the CD cover over and noticed the curly black script inscribed in English there. "'Be true to yourself'…" she read.

"Be true… to yourself…" Rise echoed faintly. "But how can I do that if I don't even know what the real me is?"

"Remember what you said back when you faced your Shadow?" Aika reminded her. "You said that everything – the Shadow, Risette, and whatever you are now – are all a part of you. So… just be true to all of that. I mean…" Aika flipped the cover over again and stared at the blonde girl in the middle. "I don't know much about this person, but from what you said, it sounds like she might've gone through what you're going through right now. So… you said you wanted to be like her, right? You already are."

"Y-You really think so?" Aika smiled and nodded, and within seconds, Rise's arms were around her neck. "Thanks, Senpai! You're the best!" At that, another Social Link formed.

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 Lovers Arcanum…

Aika smiled faintly as she hugged Rise back. About time…

"All right," Rise said, pulling away quickly. "Enough with MUSES. Now I'm going to show you one of my juniors, Kanamin!"

Aika tugged at the sleeves of her yukata self-consciously. "Would you stop fidgeting, already?" Chie asked impatiently. "It looks fine!"

"Y-You're sure?" Aika mumbled.

"Absolutely," Yukiko said gently. "I mean, I did tie it for you."

Aika grasped her arm tightly and looked downward. "S-Sorry… I'm not used to wearing these…"

"It's kinda hard to walk…" Nanako said. She suddenly giggled and pointed to three boys standing a little ways away. "There they are!"

Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie turned around to faced them, and Kanji turned away immediately as Yosuke's face flushed scarlet and Teddie grinned. "Nana-chan, you look so cute!" Teddie said. "I'm head over heels for you!"

Nanako giggled. "Thank you, Teddie!"

"Sorry we took so long," Chie said. "Aika's a total noob at this."

"I am not!" Aika yelled back. "Well… I-I guess I sort of am…"

Rise giggled. "Aika-senpai's got even less experience with yukatas than Nanako-chan," she said. "Yukiko-senpai had to help her put hers on."

Aika blushed as she saw Yosuke's face grow even redder. "S-Stop it…"

Yosuke cleared his throat and looked to Kanji. "C-C'mon, Kanji… Don't tell me you're ashamed to look! What are you, a monk?"

"Th-That ain't it!" Kanji denied fiercely.

Rise giggled. "You're so cute, Kanji."

"Oh, so it looks like you're all here."

"Dad!" Nanako cried, just as Aika shouted: "Uncle!" Sure enough, Ryotaro Dojima was there, dressed in his normal clothes, but looking far more relaxed than usual. "They bought me cotton candy!" Nanako said cheerfully.

"Did they, now?" Uncle asked, chuckling. "All right, then. Wanna go over and do the target prac—I mean, game with me?" Aika giggled.

"Uh-huh!" Nanako replied cheerfully. "Let's go!"

"I'll take Nanako from here," Uncle said helpfully to Aika. "Thanks for taking care of her. Now you can spend some quality time with your boyfriend."

"Wait, hold up," Chie said. "Boyfriend? Since when?"

"I heard from Shirogane," Uncle said.

"Aika-senpai!" Rise whined. "You told Naoto-kun and not us? How could you?"

"Bye-bye!" Nanako said, waving as she left with Uncle, and everyone waved back at her.

"Ooh, I know!" Teddie said. "We should let them have some quality time together!"

"Uh, that's what Dojima-san just said," Kanji deadpanned.

"A couple walking together at a festival…" Teddie mused. "Unused to wearing it, the girl's yukata comes loose… Summer has begun."

Chie unleashed a growl much like the ones she usually gave Shadows. "Yosuke, you try anything funny with Aika, and you'll be in for a world of heart. Critical hit to the nads."

"Hey!" Yosuke yelped. "I wasn't going to—"

"Come on, everyone," Rise said quickly. "Let's leave the happy couple alone."

And Aika still couldn't bring herself to say anything after they left. "So…" Yosuke said awkwardly. "Happy couple. Us."

"Yeah," Aika said flatly. "So it's official now."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Seriously, though. Was it ever not official?"

"I distinctly remember you telling me before that you didn't want to… do anything about it until you were sure you wouldn't compare me to Saki-senpai, so… evidently you're not doing that now."

"No, I'm not."

"So."

"So."

Aika groaned and tugged at her hair. "This is so weird! What are couples even supposed to do anyway?"

Yosuke shrugged. "I dunno… Couple-y stuff?"

"What does that even mean?"

"Maybe…" Yosuke scratched the back of his head. "I'm supposed to kiss you, or something? I don't know… Do you want me to kiss you?"

Aika flushed scarlet. "Right now?"

Yosuke shrugged again. "I'll take that as a no."

Aika sighed. "Can we not be a couple if it's going to be this awkward?"

Yosuke raised his eyebrows. "Or… we could just carry on like we always… except, you know, be a little more free with each other. And we can always mix the couple-y stuff in later."

Aika clasped her hands tightly together. "Would that… be okay?"

The tiniest of smiles graced his features. "I don't see why not." And then, suddenly, he started laughing. "Wow… I had all these strategies planned out on how to get a girlfriend, but I have no clue what to do now that I actually have one…"

Aika pouted. "Speak for yourself. I never thought about this stuff at all."

"Well then…" Yosuke said before bowing his head and offering Aika his arm. "If you would do me the honor of accompanying me on this fine summer's night, Aika-chan."

Aika giggled as she took his arm. "It would be my pleasure, Yosuke-kun." And, somehow, things got a lot less awkward as she and Yosuke focused more on the festival, and less on their new couple status. All in all, it was a good night.

And, all too quickly, the summer came to a close, and Aika found herself returning to school once September rolled around. She walked with Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko, chatting idly, her fingers entwined with Yosuke's and swinging her arm back and forth, until… "N-Naoto-kun?"

"Good morning," the detective said pleasantly. "Ah, Aika-san, Hanamura-kun. I see you've… sorted things out."

"H-Hey, mind your own business!" Yosuke snapped.

"Um…" Yukiko quipped. "You know this is a high school, right?"

Naoto seemed to wilt a little. "My cooperation with the police has come to an end. However, there are aspects of the case with which I remain unconvinced. There are some family-related issues as well, so I've decided to stay here for the present. From today forth, I'll be a first year at your high school. I felt that I should at least introduce myself to you all."

"Uh, haven't you done that already?" Chie asked.

"Seriously, Naoto-kun," Aika said, smiling and shaking her head. "How many times are you going to introduce yourself to me? I mean, you come over for dinner at least once a week. I'm pretty sure I know who you are by now." And I have a Social Link with you, too. No big deal.

Naoto smiled faintly. "Well then, I trust our relations will be cordial… Senpai."

"Wh-What did you just call me?" Aika stammered, feeling her face heat up. But Naoto was already walking away.

"Senpai?" Chie echoed. "That detective boy's our underclassman?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "Hey, Naoto-kun! Do you want to join our club?"

Naoto turned around and raised his eyebrows. "A school club?" he asked.

"Y-Yeah, we're all in it," Aika said. "It's a literature club. You're welcome to join us if you want… right, Yosuke?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" Yosuke said. "You don't know anyone here besides us, right?"

"Thank you for the offer," Naoto said, "but I'll have to think about it."

And after that, they day passed by dully enough. After school, the group headed to Junes, sitting at their usual spot. "I hope he'll be okay at Yasogami…" Aika sighed.

"Who, Naoto-kun?" Yosuke asked. "I heard he totally blew his debut at school."

"He's in my class, y'know," Kanji said, before glaring at Aika and pointing an accusing finger at her. "And don't you say anything, Senpai! Anyway, he wouldn't hang out with anyone but me." Aika smiled, and Kanji pointed his finger at her again. "Say one word, and you die."

"Speaking of which, what did he say about the murder case?" Chie asked. "Something about being unconvinced?"

"He's some ace detective, right?" Yosuke asked. "I bet he's not satisfied, even though the case is closed."

"But what if…" Aika mumbled. "What if the case isn't closed…?"

"Hold it right there, Senpai," Rise said. "Let's just talk about something else, okay?"

"Isn't the class trip coming up soon?" Yukiko asked. "We're going to Tatsumi Port Island. I heard that it's an artificial island that faces the ocean. It's a pretty big city. Didn't you live there before, Aika?"

"Yeah, back in grade school," Aika said. "Wasn't there some weird stuff going on there a couple years ago?"

"No idea," Rise said. "I did tons of shoots there. It's just beyond the Moonlight Bridge, yeah?"

"Apparently there was a huge explosion there about twelve years ago," Aika quipped.

"Nope," Chie said. "Nuh-uh. We are not talking about apocalypses at the place where we're going! Anyway, we might not have any time to goof off during this trip. I heard the school board is changing the trip's schedule this year. The idea is, we're gonna visit a private school there. Like, to have local and urban students interact or something. It'll be all about studying and serious business… Yuck."

"Ugh…" Rise groaned. "They're totally missing the point of a class trip."

"Private school…" Aika mused. "You mean Gekkoukan High? The whole school was remodeled about twelve years ago, so the buildings are really nice."

"But it's closed on the day we're going there, so they're going the extra mile to make this work," Chie concluded. "They want us to tour some factories on the second day, and then we're coming back on the third day."

"That's no different from a social studies field trip!" Yosuke complained. "Ugh, I didn't want to know that…"

"Can't expect much from a school-sponsored trip, I guess," Kanji said. "Well, we'll be around, so if it starts to drag, we can ditch."

"I'll show you guys around!" Rise volunteered.

"But we're in different years…" Yosuke protested.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Yukiko asked. "The excursion will be like the school campout. They're going to combine the first and second years. Since student enrollment is down and they're low on funds, they've cut the excursion down to once every two years."

"Gosh, I'm trying to remember the last time I went to Port Island and I wasn't working…" Rise said with a giggle. "This'll be great!"

"Oh, come on," Yosuke grumbled. "Don't tell me no one's against this."

"Some people were against the proposition," Chie said, "but it's been decided. And guess whose idea it was – King Moron's."

"No, King Moron!" Yosuke wailed. "Why must you torture us from beyond the grave?"

"No, King Moron!" Aika heard Teddie mimic Yosuke. Sure enough, the bear waddled over, looking glum.

"You don't even know who that is," Kanji pointed out.

"Hey, tell me more about this trip," Teddie said excitedly. "Where is Port Island? What's there?"

"Get back to work, will you?" Yosuke grumbled.

"Well, even though the class trip is coming up, it's still a ways away," Chie said. "What should I do until then?"

"Well, it's not like there's much to do here in the first place," Kanji pointed out. "Man is just an animal trying to figure out how to kill time through his days…"

"That was very profound, Kanji," Aika said. "Did you get that one from Naoto-kun?"

"You're dead, Senpai."

Yukiko snorted in laughter.

"All righty then," Ms. Kashiwagi said outside the hotel after a long day of lectures at Port Island. "Here we are. The Seaside Clamshell Inn. We'll be staying here tonight." The teacher grinned and winked. "So, what do you think? I picked this place out all by myself. It just opened up not too long ago. It's got that modern look – and the price was just right! Personally, I think it's an excellent choice."

Yosuke nudged Aika. "Hey… Isn't there something a little funny about this place?"

"Um…" Aika mumbled, her face turning a furious shade of red. "Th-This is…"

"This area is called Shirakawa Boulevard," Rise explained. "It's…"

"That's okay, Rise," Yosuke said quickly. "I don't think I want to know."

"The hell are you doin'?" Kanji yelled suddenly, shaking his fist in the air. And in the direction where he was looking was…

"T-Teddie?" Aika gasped. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"The lonely bear in me went stir crazy!" Teddie said simply.

Rise groaned in frustration. "If only I could detect people in the real world…"

"H-How did you even get here?" Chie asked. "Do you have some special powers or something?"

"Eh, I took the train," Teddie replied. "I swore off Topsicles and saved up the money I got working at Junes. I knew exactly what you were going thanks to Yosuke's trip guide. You guys have free time tomorrow, right? No use hiding it! I already know!"

"You rode the train all the way here?" Aika asked. "And… you didn't die?"

"Huh?" Teddie asked. "Train rides can kill you?"

"No they can't," Rise said. "But… who dies on train rides anyway?"

"Aika," Chie said.

"Aika," said Yukiko.

"Aika," Yosuke added.

"Aika-senpai," Kanji said.

"You all suck," Aika grumbled. "But… why did you wear the bear suit here?"

"I almost got thrown in the trash a couple times…" Teddie admitted. "But I kept hanging onto the promise Chie-chan made to go on a date with me! That's what gave me strength to carry on."

"Uh…" Chie mumbled. "Good job, Teddie… D-Did I promise that…? Oh yeah, I do remember saying that I'd go out with you someday…"

"Yay!" Teddie cheered. "You remembered, Chie-chan! I know Aika-chan can't do it anymore since she's Yosuke's now, but is it okay with Yuki-chan and Rise-chan too?"

"Yosuke's?" Aika repeated, glaring at the bear and putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not his property!"

"Let's all go together then," Yukiko suggested. "And since we're all going together, Aika can come too, and Yosuke won't get mad."

"I wasn't gonna get mad in the first place…" Yosuke deadpanned.

"I've been here before, so I'll show you guys around," Rise said. "I guess we can go shopping first. And I know this great place we can hit later on."

"Well, I guess a shopping spree beats a factory tour," Yosuke said. "All right. We're in too. Now, before the fun starts… We gotta deal with this guy."

"Can't you sleep outside for the night?" Kanji asked. "That suit should keep ya nice and cozy."

"Cruelty to animals!" Teddie wailed. "You don't know how much trouble I went through to get here! I took the slow train all this way! Do you hear? The slow train!"

"Now, now, you kids aren't bickering about your room allocations, are you?" Aika jumped as she saw Ms. Kashiwagi standing by the hotel gate.

"Crap!" Chie hissed.

"What's the matter?" Ms. Kashiwagi asked. "Oh, what's this giant teddy bear?"

"I, uh…" Yosuke muttered. "I made it today in class!"

"My, my…" Ms. Kashiwagi drawled. "You must have some nimble fingers…"

Aika bristled as she clenched her fists. "Sorry, but he's kind of already taken."

"Now, now," Ms. Kashiwagi said fleetingly, waving her hand dismissively. "I didn't mean anything by it. By the way, these rooms are amazing. Every room has a waterbed! But don't flip the wrong switch when you're turning on the lights, or your bed will start spinning."

As Ms. Kashiwagi left, Kanji snorted. "Wow, Aika-senpai. Possessive much?"

"Oh, be quiet," Aika grumbled.

"A-Anyway," Chie said stiffly. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

"Yeah, but I'm exhausted…" Yosuke sighed. "For so many reasons… Kanji, wanna help me with…?"

"Gotcha," Kanji said bluntly, and both he and Yosuke lifted Teddie together, who tried his best to act like a stuffed animal.

And then, the illusion was shattered. "I gotta pee." Yosuke and Kanji groaned simultaneously.

The next night, Rise led the group to a club. Chie whooped in excitement. "I'm totally ready for this!"

"There's nothing like this back home…" Yukiko mused.

"Is it permitted for high school students such as yourselves to be here?" Kanji gave a small yelp and jumped, turning away as his face turned red.

Aika simply raised her eyebrows at Naoto, who descended a staircase to the left of the entrance. "You're in high school too, you know."

"And you were here before we were!" Yosuke pointed out.

"The clientele here seems above-board," Naoto said, "so I doubt there'll be any problems."

Aika clapped her hands together excitedly. "Why don't we make this an official club outing?" she suggested. "You should join us, Naoto-kun, since you're officially part of the club now."

Naoto's eyes widened in shock. "Are you… asking me to stay?"

"C'mon, Naoto-kun," Rise said. "There's no way you can be busy right now."

"It would—" Aika quipped.

"Don't," Kanji cut her off. "Say. Anything."

Aika smiled mischievously and put her hands behind the back. "Right. Because Kanji has something he wants to say to you."

Kanji glared at her as he turned around to face Naoto. "I-I'd like to get to know you some more too… wait, that came out wrong."

"No it didn't," Aika whispered to him.

"Shut up, Senpai!"

"I…" Naoto said, bowing his head, though Aika didn't miss his slight blush. "I-If you insist."

"I'll go reserve the area upstairs for us," Rise said. "I think I can pull some strings."

"Senpai, you are so dead," Kanji muttered to Aika.

"Not literally, hopefully," Yosuke said. "I'd really hate it if you killed my girlfriend, man. Then I'd have to go on this huge revenge quest and kill you. Actually… nah, I'd probably just bottle everything in and act like nothing's wrong."

"Can we please not talk about me dying?" Aika half-whined. And, soon enough, Rise came back and led them to the area upstairs, and a man brought a tray of drinks and set it on the table before them.

"Are you sure this is all right?" Chie asked. "Isn't this expensive?"

"No worries," Rise said calmly. "Two years ago, when I had a secret show here, the power went out in the middle of it, and the gig was cancelled. They still owe me from then, so they're willing to put this one on the house."

"Well in that case, I'm gonna order some more," Chie said cheerfully.

"I'm not gonna hold back either!" Teddie proclaimed.

"Dude, you sound even weirder today," Kanji deadpanned.

"You're sho cold, Kanji," Teddie said. "Hm… Kanji, Kanji, Kanji… I Kanj-ecture that shomething's up!"

Yosuke groaned as Teddie started laughing at his own joke. "Man, you're already in high gear…"

Yukiko started laughing uncontrollably, and Aika couldn't help but notice how red her face was. "She's looser'n usual too…" Kanji muttered.

"Wait, hold on a sec!" Yosuke said, staring at his glass. "Are these liquor?"

"I told them to give us soft drinks!" Rise slurred. "They're non-alcoholic!" She groaned loudly. "I told them! Really, I did! Really!"

Chie fanned herself with one hand. "Sheesh, I was wondering why it's so hot…"

Aika yawned and set her glass down on the table. "I'm getting sleepy…"

"Is this seriously booze?" Kanji asked.

"Maybe they wanted to prank Risette?" Chie suggested.

"Or maybe this is their way of charging us…" Yosuke muttered. Aika yawned again and rested her head on his arm, and he jumped. "Wha—hey, don't fall asleep now!"

Rise jumped up. "King's Game!" she screeched. "Times like this, adults play the King's Game. It's the law…" She hiccupped, then giggled. "What's their problem? They make me act like a ditz, call me Risette and stuff, and then say I'm a kid… It's so obvious! Those wrap parties get a lot funner after I go home!" She picked up her glass and downed it in one go. "Morons! I'm gonna play the King's Game now and ain't no one gonna stop me! So what if I told them not to give us non-alcoholic beverages?" She hiccupped again, and Aika promptly stopped sipping from her glass.

"Yet another side of Rise exposed…" Yosuke said. "I wonder if she knows what she's saying…"

"Kanji!" Rise shouted. "Get the chopsticks ready!"

"Wh-Why me?" Kanji shot back.

"The King's word is law!" Rise slurred. "Chop-chop!"

And, as soon as eight sticks were prepared, Chie stared at them uncertainly. "Um… What's this King's Game again?"

"Okay," Yukiko slurred, waving her arms in the air. "One chopstick makes you the King if you draw it, and the others have numbers on 'em… The King picks a number and says what that person has to do." Aika really didn't like the smile on Yukiko's face. "But who has which number is a secret until the King gives the orders!"

"Senpai, you're such an adult!" Rise cheered, pumping her fist in the air. "You tell 'em!"

"Y-Yukiko?" Chie gasped. "Where'd you learn this stuff?"

Rise snatched the chopsticks from Chie and held them in the middle. "C'mon, everyone draw!" Aika yawned as she drew the first chopstick she touched, barely registering the number six written on one end. "Okay, so… Who's the King?"

Teddie shot straight up. "Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King?"

Yosuke groaned. "We're already doomed from the get go…" Somewhere along the way, Aika was back to leaning against him and dozing off. "Oh no you don't!" He poked her harshly in the arm, and Aika glared at him.

"I, the King…" Teddie said dramatically. "… command me to smooch the King without delay!" He clasped his hands together. "Please, God, grant me a girl! Number three!" Kanji yelped as he stood up. "I mean… number two!"

"No take-backs!" Yosuke snapped.

"Smooch!" Yukiko cheered. "Smooch!"

"K-Kanji…" Teddie said dramatically. "So you were after my fuzzy fur!" He smiled mischievously. "Okay, but it's my first time! Be gentle!" The last thing Aika saw before looking away was Teddie tackling Kanji to the floor, and the two of them… almost wrestling?

As Kanji's screams of anguish died down, Rise giggled and rubbed her hands together. "Only the first round, and two contestants have dropped out already! On to round two!"

And, thankfully, Aika's stick had a red mark on it. She sighed in relief as she held her chopstick in the air. "I guess I'm the King."

Chie sighed in relief. "Someone decent… No crazy orders this time…"

"That's not how it goes!" Yukiko slurred. "If the last King ordered a smooch, then the next order's gotta be more extreme. Chie, don't be such a party pooper!" Yukiko started laughing at her own joke, and Chie groaned.

"Um…" Aika mumbled. "The King's orders are absolute, right? So if I order something less extreme, then…"

"C'mon, Senpai!" Rise shouted. "Show Yosuke-senpai some sugar!"

Aika blushed. "Wh-What? Um… Number four… has to give me a piggy-back ride? That's not too embarrassing, right?"

"Thank god!" Yosuke sighed in relief, standing up.

"Wha—" Chie gasped. "No way! You totally cheated! Three other girls here, and you got his number?"

"The King's order is…" Rise said.

"… Absolute!" Yukiko finished.

As Aika stood up and Yosuke walked up to her, she stared downward. "Um… please don't drop me… You're kind of tall, so it's a long way to the ground."

Yosuke chuckled as he lifted her and placed her on his shoulders. "Don't worry," he said. "I won't let you fall."

"God, quit being so lovey-dovey all the time," Yukiko slurred. "Me next! Me! I'm the King! Actually, the Queen!"

As Kanji and Teddie rejoined the group, Yosuke helped Aika down. "Lovey… dovey?" he echoed. "Hey, we aren't like that at all!"

"All right," Yukiko said as if Yosuke hadn't said a word. "Let's have someone talk about something really embarrassing that they'd never wanna tell anyone! Hmm, let's se… Ah! Naoto-kun! I choose you!"

Aika took yet another sip from her drink and yawned. "Actually, can we go home? I'm tired."

"Don't listen to her, Naoto-kun," Yosuke said. "She's breaking all the rules, anyway."

"No, that won't be necessary," Naoto said calmly. "One stipulation, though: if I do this, the rest of you must reveal something as well."

"Okay!" Rise said cheerfully.

"No particularly embarrassing experiences come to mind," Naoto said before anyone else could get a word in. "Would discussing my life be fair game? It's the rare situation like this that gives me call to speak of such things."

"Damn…" Yosuke muttered as he put his arm around Aika so that she could lean more comfortably against him. "Way to kill the mood…"

"The Shirogane family has been detectives for generations now," Naoto explained. "We lend our powers to the police from time to time."

"For generations?" Chie asked. "Wow, it's like that guy from a movie I watched before. What was his name… Kuzu… noha?"

"In days gone by, when there were no crime scene investigators," Naoto continued, "consulting detectives were considered far more valuable. Thus, my grandfather still has a strong connection with the police and looks after me, despite my youth and inexperience. But investigators nowadays are well-versed in science and medicine, so I must further my studies."

"Or you could just become a police officer and get promoted," Aika suggested. "That's what my uncle did."

"So…" Yosuke drawled. "That's it? No punch line?"

"I fear you may be looking to the wrong person for that," Naoto said simply.

"That's so embarrassing," Yukiko slurred. "Isn't Naoto-kun embarrassing?"

Aika yawned, wondering if it was the alcohol that sharply diminished her patience. "So ask us already. What's your big question? I'm falling asleep here."

Naoto cleared his throat. "A straight answer, please. What is your true involvement with the murder case?"

Yosuke laughed nervously and hugged Aika closer to him. "You know, you're so good at killing the mood that it's almost funny."

"Well," Yukiko drawled. "We go rescuing people who've been kidnapped by jumping into the TV! And then, we do stuff like, 'Persona!' with our Personas and beat the crap outta Shadows…" Aika briefly wondered why she couldn't have fallen asleep just a few minutes before.

Naoto sighed exasperatedly. "Are you making fun of me?"

Rise stood up. "Ish true! Persona!" She flopped back onto the couch and began snoring.

Chie groaned. "Sheesh! Somebody put these two drunks to bed already!"

"I see that you have no intention of telling me the truth," Naoto said. "I should have expected as much, especially since Aika… senpai has so carefully avoided the subject for so long now."

"Wait, don't tell me you keep coming over just to get information out of me," Aika said, suddenly feeling wide awake.

"It should have been fairly obvious," Naoto retorted.

"I-I know, but… I just… I just hoped that it wasn't like that…"

Naoto grunted. "That's disappointing, Senpai. I never expected you to be so naïve."

It might have been the alcohol that was making her emotions so much harder to control, but Aika could feel tears stinging her eyes. "I… I don't believe this… I hate you, Naoto!"

As Aika stormed away, Yosuke sighed exasperatedly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Man, you just keep digging yourself in deeper and deeper…"

Aika picked at her ramen the next morning, trying to tune out Chie's happy slurping and Rise's comments on the restaurant. "Hey…" Yosuke said uncertainly from next to her. "Still bummed about the whole Naoto thing?"

"I know," Aika said, stirring her ramen with her chopsticks. "I shouldn't let it get to me, and I shouldn't have expected anything different."

"No," Yosuke said flatly. "He might've been trying to get information out of you, but I think he was just trying to rile you up yesterday."

Aika sighed. "Maybe…"

Sure enough, the detective walked over to them both, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's close to the meeting time."

"Aw, already?" Chie whined. "I thought the trip was gonna be a bore, but now that it's over, I actually had a good time."

"I should buy something for Nanako down at the station…" Aika mused as she laid her still half-full bowl of ramen in front of Teddie.

"C'mon, Teddie," Yosuke said. "We're leaving." But the bear didn't move. "Yo… Hey, Ted!"

Kanji stood up and glared at Teddie. "Don't make me rub your fur the wrong way, you little—" He cut off after running his hand once over Teddie's head. "D-Dude… he ain't moving! Wh-Wha… is he hibernating?"

"T-Teddie?" Aika stammered running over and nudging him. "A-Are you okay?"

"D-Don't tell me…" Chie mumbled. "I-It's not because he's been in our world too long, is it?"

"Are you serious?" Rise asked. "Teddie!"

And, finally, Teddie let out a burp. "My tummy's heavy…" he moaned. "I ate too much… Can't move… Someone carry me…"

"Sorry to interrupt," Naoto said again, "but if you would please accompany me to the rendezvous site, Aika-senpai." Aika looked to Yosuke, who simply nodded at her, before she decided to follow Naoto. "I owe you an apology yet again," the detective said as soon as everyone else was out of earshot. "What I said to you yesterday… I didn't mean it. Not fully, at least. I was irritated, and I forced you to bear the brunt of my frustrations. Please forgive me."

"U-Um…" And that was not the first statement that Aika expected from him… and she really wasn't getting used to this, either. "That's… um… I-It's okay. I kind of overreacted too. I don't really hate you, Naoto-kun."

"Though I must ask—"

"Here we go."

Naoto sighed. "I apologize, but I really am curious. Amagi-senpai was fully inebriated, so there is a part of me that wants to believe that what she said yesterday was the truth… but it's so outrageous that it's hard to believe."

Aika sighed. "I don't know what to say to you, Naoto-kun. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you what you want to hear."

"I see…" Naoto exhaled sharply. "I apologize for… prying."

Aika shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

A couple nights later, Naoto came over for dinner yet again. "Dad?" Nanako quipped. "Is Naoto-kun my new big bro now?" Naoto choked on the carrot he was eating and Aika snorted in laughter. "Well he comes over for dinner all the time, and you keep telling us to be nice to him…"

Naoto gasped and jumped as Kaede sniffed him suspiciously. "Kaede, back," Uncle said automatically. "Leave him alone." He sighed. "Sorry about that, Shirogane. That fox used to live at the Tatsuhime Shrine, but it followed Aika home one day, and, as you can see, it never left."

"Uncle has a special bond with Kaede-chan," Aika said, smiling mischievously. "They actually get along quite famously."

"Ooh, remember that time he kept trying to sneak her food under the table?" Nanako asked, giggling.

Suddenly, a jingle played loudly on TV, and everyone fell silent. "Good evening," said the announcer. "Welcome to Niteline's special Nitewatch Report." But the boy on the screen was…

"Huh?" Nanako asked. "That's you, Naoto-kun!"

Aika waved her hand hurriedly at Nanako. "Shush!"

"A suspect in the murders in Inaba was safely arrested recently," the announcer said. "But what few people know is that the mastermind who brought him to justice was a high school student. Tonight's report will focus on this detective prince, Naoto Shirogane, whose handsome looks are sweeping the nation. Thanks for being on the show."

"No, the pleasure is all mine," said the Naoto on TV.

Aika's heart was hammering in her chest. Naoto said before that he wasn't satisfied with the outcome of the case, and people who showed up on TV were later targeted, so… "Oh my god…" she whispered, her whole body trembling.

"First, congratulations to you and the police for your recent arrest of the culprit," the announcer continued. "It was well-known that there were a lot of mysteries surrounding this case, and you did a great job clearing them up."

"I'd hesitate to say that the matter is 'cleared up,' as such," the Naoto on TV said. "It's true that our suspect was behind Mr. Morooka's unfortunate death. But when I cast my eye over the case as a whole, I detect a few things that seem out of place."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot divulge details at this time. But this matter claimed the lives of three people. Hence I believe even the smallest inconsistency must be investigated."

"Sheesh," Uncle grumbled. "Did you have to be so open about that?"

"I still did not divulge any classified information, Dojima-san," Naoto said simply.

"U-Um…" Aika said slowly, but her voice was shaking so much that she hoped it wasn't too obvious how anxious she was. "C-Can we look at the weather forecast for a minute, please?"

"Senpai…" Naoto whispered to Aika. "We'll discuss this in further detail tomorrow – at the club meeting."

Somehow, Aika managed to nod. "O-Okay…"

And, really, the club meeting couldn't come quickly enough. "Hey, Naoto-kun!" Chie said cheerfully. "I really liked your special on TV last night."

"But c'mon," Yosuke said teasingly. "You could've given us a little more credit."

"Yeah, but he's the one that told us about him in the first place," Aika pointed out. "Sure, we found him, but the police were the ones who identified him in the first place."

"And Naoto-kun was cooperating with them on the case, right?" Yukiko asked. "So it's true that he helped solve the case."

"I'm kinda surprised, though," Chie said. "I didn't think you were one to go after the spotlight like that, Naoto-kun."

Aika stiffened. "Yeah… me neither…"

"Well then, if you would please indulge my current theory on the matter," Naoto said. "First, as regards commonalities between the victims, all of them were kidnapped before they were murdered. The victims were all locals who had been the focus of recent media attention, becoming suddenly well-known… though I don't believe there is anything intrinsically unique about the victims themselves."

"Then why the hell would you put yourself through that?" Aika suddenly exploded.

"I wish to see this case come to an end, Senpai," Naoto said simply. "You of all people should understand."

"That doesn't mean you have to try and make yourself into one of the victims!" Aika yelled.

Naoto smiled faintly. "Ah. One of the victims. The way you speak of the case, Senpai, I would think that there was more than three who were targeted…" His eyes drifted over to everyone else in the room. "And a number of you fit these identical circumstances as well. Not to mention, there was a long interval between the second and third deaths in this case. But after I applied the aforementioned criteria, I discovered several similar disappearances had taken place."

"Naoto-kun—"

"Yukiko Amagi," Naoto cut her off, "Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa. All of you disappeared shortly after being shown on TV. Either you escaped death somehow, or you faked your own disappearances in order to divert attention from yourselves. Since some of you had ties to the victims, there came a point where I suspected that one of you must be the culprit."

"You thought one of us was the killer?" Chie cried indignantly. "You can't be serious!"

"I believe you've misunderstood," Naoto said calmly. "This was merely a prior theory, since discarded. Putting together everything I've learned until this moment, I believe exactly the opposite. You aren't the culprits. You may, in fact, be the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator. Seen as a joining of forces between the rescued, everything falls into place."

"What about Mr. Morooka, then?" Aika interjected. "What about him? He doesn't fit into any of this."

"And that is the flaw in this theory," Naoto replied. "It doesn't account for the third incident at all. He has never been broadcast on television, and neither did he ever disappear. We must also consider the condition of his corpse. The first two victims are still listed with an unknown cause of death, but Mr. Morooka died of an easily identifiable blunt force trauma to the occipital cranium. The police have not satisfactorily resolved this discrepancy, yet they are desperate to close the case. Further action will be taken to obtain some sort of decisive evidence."

"Naoto-kun, stop it!" Aika yelled. "Are you crazy? Are you trying to get kidnapped? You've turned suicidal because this case hasn't been solved yet?"

"Senpai…" Naoto said quietly. "I've said this before, and I will say it again: this is not a game for me, either. Though I may not bear any personal connection to this case as you do, I will still do everything in my power to solve it… even if it means putting my own life in danger. And if my theory is correct, then I have nothing to worry about. You all will save me if anything happens to me, correct?"

"Y-You moron…" Kanji spluttered. "You could die, y'know that?"

"I'd best be going," Naoto said, tipping his hat to the group. "Best of luck with the investigation." And as he left and Kanji ranted on and on about how stupid Naoto was being, all Aika could do was shake in worry and rage.

"About the Midnight Channel…" Chie said a couple days later. "That was Naoto-kun for sure, right?"

Aika clenched her fists in frustration. "Right…"

"I talked to Teddie, and he said no one's entered the other side," Yosuke said helpfully, "so I think the little guy's safe for now."

"The killer's behind bars, man," Kanji said. "You guys are overreacting. That shit Naoto said didn't make any sense either, so don't worry about it."

"Aren't you worried about him?" Aika asked. "He could be in danger!"

"We should probably prepare, just in case," Rise said. "So how about we go inside the TV today?"

"Sounds good," Yosuke said. "Nothing too fancy – just a little light training to get back into shape."

"Ooh, I have an idea," Yukiko quipped. "Why don't we all go to different areas? Since it's a lot more informal, and there's weaker Shadows in the places we've been before…"

"Oh, gotcha," Kanji said. "So who's going where?"

Aika raised her hand in the air. "Can I go alone? I want to see how well I can do without all of you guys there to back me up."

"Then you're definitely going to the shopping district," Yosuke said.

"But the weakest Shadows are over there!" Aika protested.

"Sorry, I'm not taking any chances," Yosuke replied. "Unless you want to go with someone else."

Aika huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. "It's fine. I'll go there."

"What was Yukiko-senpai's place like?" Kanji asked. "Can I go there?"

"Sure," Yosuke replied. "You'll probably be fine on your own."

"I think we should stay clear of Rise's place," Yukiko suggested, "so I'll go to Kanji-kun's."

"I'll come too!" Rise volunteered. "I've always wanted to see your special places."

"Trust me, Kanji's is in a league of its own," Yosuke said.

"Shut it, Senpai," Kanji muttered.

"So that leaves me with that guy Mitsuo's," Chie said. "Where's Teddie going?"

"Probably with you or Kanji," Yosuke replied. "So, are you guys ready?"

And that was how Aika ended up in the area where she first fought Yosuke's Shadow, where she first awakened her Persona. It was all very nostalgic as she simply dawdled at the Konishis' liquor store, waiting for Shadows to come to her. This was where everything began – she was so different back then, she wondered if she'd be able to recognize the person she was now if all the kidnappings and Persona shenanigans hadn't happened.

"About time someone came around here. I was getting bored."

Aika jumped at the familiar, yet distorted voice that materialized behind her. Sure enough, a girl in her high school's uniform was standing there – a girl with wavy brown hair and glowing yellow eyes. Aika gasped as she clapped a hand over her mouth, and she was suddenly filled with a horrible feeling of anxiety and dread. "K-Konishi-san…"

Saki Konishi flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, it's only the transfer student," she said dismissively. The glowing yellow eyes and the distorted voice… was she a Shadow? "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Y-You…" Aika spluttered, clutching her rod tightly, ready to summon Aoandon at a moment's notice.

Saki held one hand up. "Relax," she said. "I don't want to fight. Not yet, anyway."

Yes, it was definitely a Shadow. "How are you still here?" Aika asked. "Where's…"

"Oh, you mean the other me," the Shadow sneered. "That weak little bitch got what's coming to her, that's all."

Aika glowered at the Shadow. "H-How could you say that? She was… you! You're a part of her!"

"Yeah, a part of her she never acknowledged." The Shadow hopped onto the countertop and swung its legs lazily. "But I'm sure you know all about that, right? Since you helped Hana-chan face his. How is the annoying little ass anyway?"

Aika clenched her fists. "Annoying… little ass? H-How dare you? He loved you!"

Saki laughed. "Loved me? Dear god, you're delusional. So I was a little nice to him when he first got here. That didn't mean I liked him or anything. If he had feelings for me or whatever, that's his problem. Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Because he's my…"

Saki laughed again, only louder. "Your boyfriend? Are you serious? You and Hana-chan?" She stopped laughing suddenly as her eyebrows furrowed. "Wait a minute… he didn't pressure you into it or anything, did he? I'm going to kill him!"

"N-No, he didn't!" Aika said shakily. "Don't… Why do you care so much about me anyway? We barely even knew each other!"

"Because I actually liked you," Saki replied evenly. "Or… what I saw of you, anyway. You seem like a really sweet girl, and hey, you finally grew a spine after… how long has the other me been dead?"

Aika sighed. "Five months."

"Wow. That went by fast."

Aika sighed. "You said it." And, for reasons she didn't think she'd ever be able to understand, a Social Link formed.

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 Devil Arcanum…

What…? Seriously?

"You space out a lot, you know that?" Saki's Shadow asked. She flicked Aika on the forehead and smirked. "Do me a favor and don't tell anyone about this. Especially not Hana-chan."

Aika rubbed her forehead. "O-Okay… U-Um… I-I should get going…"

"Come back later sometime, okay? It's nice having company… besides, it gets so boring around here."

"U-Um… I'll… try?"

Saki pat Aika's head in a patronizing, yet somehow sweet way. "Good girl."

That night, on the Midnight Channel, an extremely clear image appeared, and Aika groaned, slapping her forehead. "Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane."

"I told him…" Aika mumbled. "I told him this was a bad idea!"

"Welcome to 'Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project,'" Naoto said. "I will be experimentor and experimentee both, in a forbidden yet wonderful body alteration process!" He bowed dramatically. "You shall witness my departer into a new realm… The moment of a new birth! From this chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life!" He turned his back to the camera. "And I shall share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you! Do stay tuned!"

And with that, the image disappeared, and Aika's cell phone rang. "I told you!" she yelled as soon as she answered the phone, not caring that Nanako could probably hear her.

"I know," Yosuke said on the other line. "I know, you said that—"

"Wh-What are we going to do?"

"We go in and rescue him like always," Yosuke said calmly. "Just… relax, okay? It's going to be okay."

"Y-Yeah…" She went to bed not long afterward and somehow managed to fall asleep almost immediately.

The next day, as she was walking to school, she ran into Namatame by the flood plain. "Ah, Aika-san," he said. There was something… lighter about him, somehow. Like a huge weight was just lifted off his chest. "Today is a glorious day."

Aika forced a smile. "Oh… did something good happen?"

"I recently gave someone the help they needed," Namatame said simply. "It just… feels nice, helping other people like this."

Aika smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, it does…" At least someone's happy today… "L-Listen, I kind of need to get to school…"

"Yes, of course," Namatame said quickly. "I hope you have just as nice a day today as well, Aika-san."

"Thank you, Namatame-san." And, after that, nothing of note happened until Aika and the investigation team finally headed over to Junes.

"You were right, Aika," Yukiko said. "Naoto-kun did purposely put himself in danger."

"So he seriously used himself as bait…" Yosuke said. "That's crazy."

"Wh-What the hell?" Kanji muttered, and he was actually shaking in rage. "That… That idiot! What the hell was he thinking? Being this fancy detective doesn't mean shit if he's gonna die!"

"He said 'this is not a game to me, either'…" Rise said. "This is all my fault. I'm the one that said that to him."

"No, it's mine…" Aika mumbled. "I'm the one that…"

Kanji slammed both his hands down on the table. "That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us?"

"He almost did, didn't he?" Yosuke asked shakily. "He must've known that we'd stop him if he did, so he left us clues so that we could figure it out and—"

Kanji hit the table again. "I know that, dammit! That son of a…"

"But what about the killer the police are holding now?" Chie asked. "Mitsuo did kill King Moron, right?"

"He…" Aika said quietly. "… killed Mr. Morooka. That's it! Mr. Morooka was the only person Mitsuo killed!"

"That's right!" Yukiko gasped. "Naoto-kun said that it was strange that the police were able to identify the cause of Mr. Morooka's death!"

"That'd explain why there were no signs of King Moron being thrown in the TV…" Yosuke mused. "The killer didn't change his methods for King Moron… It just seemed that way because it was done by someone else!"

"Then whoever kidnapped Naoto-kun…" Rise said. "That's the real killer?"

"Wait a sec!" Chie interjected. "Didn't Mitsuo say he was the one behind it all? Why would he take the blame for someone else's crime? Isn't that weird?"

Kanji stood up. "To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there! We gotta go find him!"

And at that, they entered the TV, and Rise summoned Himiko immediately. "Wow," she said after a few seconds. "Naoto-kun's really loud… and the world seems to have grown larger too…"

"That's amazing, Rise-chan!" Teddie gushed. "My nose could never pick that up!"

"So do you know where he is?" Aika asked.

"Oh yeah," Rise replied. "It's like he wants to be found, so he's being as loud as he possibly can so that we'll find him… or maybe his Shadow's just that obnoxious."

"Maybe both," Yukiko said. "I remember that your Shadow was pretty much the same way… no offense."

"What the hell are we doing, just standing here?" Kanji roared. "Let's go, already!"

"I swear, this place is right out of Featherman," Aika said bluntly as they approached a large door.

"Tell me about it," Kanji said. "Remember that episode with the mad scientist?"

"Oh yeah, this is the mad scientist's lair for sure," Yosuke said. "Huh… Naoto didn't really strike me as someone who's into that kind of stuff."

"The Blue Swan was the one who defeated the mad scientist in the end, right?" Aika asked.

"Come on, guys!" Chie said. "Kanji, where's all that fighting spirit you had before? Let's go!"

"What the hell am I doing?" Kanji muttered to himself as he slammed his hand against a button on the wall, opening the door. He sprinted inside. "Naoto!"

The room was filled with strange contraptions – some sort of ray gun, a saw… and Naoto stood in the middle of it all with his lab coat-wearing Shadow. "Ah," the real Naoto said calmly. "It's about time you arrived. Dealing with this child has been quite a pain…"

"N-Naoto-kun, that's…" Aika said quietly.

But Naoto was already walking toward them. "No!" the Shadow wailed in a shrill, high-pitched voice. "No, no, don't go!"

"It's useless speaking with you," Naoto snapped. "I need to go back now."

"Why…?" the Shadow whimpered. "Why are you leaving me here? Why am I always left alone? It's so lonely… I don't wanna be alone!"

"Naoto-kun…" Yukiko said quietly.

"You wear the same face as me…" Naoto mused. "It's as if you're implying that we're one and the same. But the difference between me and you is…"

The Shadow straightened up, its golden eyes widening. "Why delude yourself? I am you."

"Yes," Aika said quickly. "You are. So please accept it, Naoto-kun, so we can leave."

"With all due respect, Senpai, this is between me and my imposter," Naoto said in a much too calm voice.

"The fools all say it, don't they?" the Shadow said, its voice rising in hysteria. "'You're only a child,' 'Keep out of our business, kid,' and so forth. No matter how many cases you spend hours cogitating over, no matter how many crimes you solve, you're still a child in their eyes. It's your brain they're interested in… the grey matter locked up in that skull. As long as they need it, you're an ace detective! But once you're done, it's back to the playpen with you. You haven't the means to deal with society's two-faced nature… You're just a lonely child."

"Be quiet," Naoto hissed.

But then the Shadow was back to cowering. "I wanna be a grown-up… I wanna be a big boy right now… Then they'll see who I am… I… I want a reason for me to stay…"

"That's enough," Naoto said sharply. "I can find my own reason for living."

The Shadow laughed bitterly. "I'm telling you that's impossible. You are but a child. How can you change that essential truth?"

"S-Stop it!"

"At your core, you admire the sort of 'strong' and 'cool' men who populate detective fiction… but in trying to emulate them, you must know that in truth, you're nothing of the sort – you're a child. There's no avoiding first principles. Admit that you're a child, and admit that there's nothing you can do about it. But the other part… we can definitely do something about that. Let us begin the body alteration procedure. You have no objections, do you… 'Naoto' Shirogane?"

"Stop it!" Naoto cried, and his voice suddenly seemed so much more higher-pitched.

"Naoto…" the Shadow continued. "Such a cool, manly name! But a name doesn't change the truth. It doesn't let you cross the barrier between the sexes. How could you become an ideal man when you were never male to begin with?"

"Wait, what?" Yosuke spluttered. "D-Did I hear that right?"

"H-He's not a guy?" Kanji stammered.

Naoto exhaled sharply. "I won't throw a tantrum," he (she?) said purposefully. "That accomplishes nothing…!"

The Shadow laughed hysterically. "How often I've heard those words from adults… 'Throwing a tantrum won't solve anything, Naoto-kun,' and other such bilge! They made you cry, didn't they? Yet here you are, mimicking those same men. What exactly are you trying to justify?" The Shadow chuckled. "It's all right. You needn't suffer anymore… That's why you're undergoing this body alteration procedure to begin with! You throw a tantrum, but it fails to change the situation a single bit… I can understand the feeling. After all… I am you."

"That's not true!" Naoto shrieked.

"Yes it is!" Aika yelled back.

"Don't say it!" Chie added.

"It's okay…" Kanji said, surprisingly calm. "Let the kid spill the whole thing. If not, Naoto's just gonna keep hurting… We'll just do our job and kick the Shadow's ass, yeah?"

The Shadow laughed. "As if you know anything about me! You'll kick my ass, huh? Fine… Go ahead and try, you lizard-brained imbecile!"

"Here it comes!" Rise said urgently.

And, soon enough, the Shadow transformed into a black and white robot-like figure that looked very much like Naoto. "I am a Shadow… the true self! What, are you sick of yourselves, too? Very well… Let's begin the special operation!"

"Bring it on, man!" Kanji yelled. "I'll pull you through this!"

"O-Operation?" Teddie whimpered. "I hate ouchies!"

"Persona!" Aika cried as she smashed her card, calling on Aoandon to cast Debilitate and Element Zero. "Naoto-kun… Why didn't you say anything?"

Kanji and Chie's Personae pummeled the Shadow with everything they had, while Teddie, Yukiko, and Yosuke's just spammed elemental attacks. Occasionally, Aika threw a Black Viper in for good measure, when she could muster the strength to do so. "It can use Fire, Ice, and Lightning!" Rise said. "And it's good with physical attacks, too. Be careful, you guys!"

"I see…" the Shadow said. "In that case, I must eliminate you all!" A shrill beeping noise filled the air.

"Oh no…" Yosuke whimpered. "I remember this part of the episode…"

"We need to leave, now!" Aika yelled. Kanji picked up Naoto's limp form and slung her over his shoulder, and the group ran out of the room. Teddie pressed a button the wall by the door several times, and the door finally closed. There was a huge explosion that made the ground shudder violently, and the door opened yet again, leaving the entire lab in ruins.

Naoto groaned, and Kanji gently placed her on the floor. Aika was at her side immediately. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Naoto pressed a hand to her forehead. "Where… am I? I remember you all arriving, and…" She gasped, and Aika hung her head. "That's right… You saw everything…" With Aika's help, Naoto stood up and walked over to her Shadow. "I lost both my parents in an accident. I was still young, so my grandfather took me in. I was inept at making friends, so I spent my time reading detective novels in my grandfather's study."

"When I grow up, I'm gonna be an awesome, hard-boiled detective!" the Shadow proclaimed.

"My parents were proud of their job," Naoto continued. "I had no qualms about following in their footsteps. An inherited occupation can feel stifling to many, but I welcomed it. I yearned for the day I could become a detective myself… Perhaps I inherited that desire from them as well. I was always alone… Seeing that, my grandfather must have believed it was his duty to help me realize my dream. I secretly aided my grandfather with his clients… and before I knew it, people started calling me Junior Detective. At first, I was delighted… but not everything went so smoothly."

"Not everyone takes you seriously…" Yukiko said sadly. "Right?"

Naoto smiled bitterly. "My status as a 'child' was sufficient enough to offend many of those whom I worked with. Were that the only issue, then it would have resolved itself with time. But though I will one day change from a child to an adult, I will never change from a woman to a man."

"Do you not like being a girl?" Yukiko asked. "Is that why you always dress like a boy?"

"My sex doesn't fit my ideal image of a detective…" Naoto explained. "The police department is a male-oriented society, after all. If they had the slightest 'concrete' reason to look down on me, no one would need me anymore…"

Aika smiled and nodded. "I understand," she said. "What you want isn't to become an adult or to become a boy…"

"You're absolutely right," Naoto said before turning to her Shadow. "I'm sorry… I kept ignoring you, pretending you didn't exist… but you are me, and I am you. You've always been inside me. What I should yearn for… no, what I must strive for isn't to become a man – it's to accept myself for who I really am, and to transcend these so-called 'barriers'…" The Shadow nodded once, and a small Persona carrying a long sword appeared in the air. Naoto's body glowed blue for an instant, and then she collapsed. "In any event, you're a devious bunch… I can't believe you kept something like this hidden for so long."

"Well, we did have a few slip-ups," Chie pointed out, glaring at Yukiko and Rise.

Rise laughed nervously. "Oops?"

"But it's apparent now," Naoto said breathlessly. "This case is far from over."

"That's right," Yosuke said. "And you proved it, Naoto. But we can talk later – we need to get you out of here.

Naoto had completely collapsed to her knees, breathing heavily. "Hey…" Kanji said urgently. "Hey!"

"Sheesh, she really put her life on the line for this…" Chie mumbled.

"But without her efforts, we never would've realized that the culprit is still at large," Yukiko pointed out.

Kanji made his way over to Naoto. "You're too frickin' reckless, dammit…"

Naoto looked up at them all. "I never once doubted that you'd all come for me… Although the reality turned out to be far beyond what I'd imagined."

"What a dumbass…" Kanji muttered. "You're no genius at all! We were tearing our hair out over you!" He pointed an accusing finger at Aika. "And don't say anything, Senpai!"

"You live by yourself, right?" Aika asked her. "Maybe you should stay over at my place until you feel better."

"Oh no, I couldn't—"

"No way, missy!" Rise said automatically. "Don't think that doing everything on your own is the 'adult' thing to do!"

"You live by the shopping district, right Senpai?" Kanji asked. "C'mon, I'll walk you guys there." He lifted Naoto onto his back, ignoring her protests. "See ya!" He gave one last wave at Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Rise as he and Aika walked out of Junes.

"Don't worry, Naoto-kun," Aika said. "My uncle won't mind."

"Perhaps I should tell Dojima-san, at the very least…" Naoto mused, resting her head on Kanji's shoulder. "What you all unearthed today, that is."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Aika said. "If you want me to keep it a secret, I will."

"No, I need to start being honest about this," Naoto said. "If I'm going to break down these so-called gender binaries, then I need to come clean about my own identity."

"Gender… binaries?" Kanji echoed, though Aika didn't say anything.

"Though perhaps Dojima-san will…"

"He'll be totally fine with it," Aika assured Naoto. "Actually, he might even respect you a little more."

"You really think so?"

"My mom's kind of a crazy bitch warrior," Aika explained. "And she's his sister, so…"

"Yeah, her uncle's a surprisingly understanding guy," Kanji added. "I mean, he gave someone like me a second chance."

By now, they had reached the Dojima household. "My things…" Naoto said weakly.

"Don't worry," Aika said. "If it's clothes you're worried about, I'm sure you'll be able to fit into mine, no problem. They're kind of girly, though…"

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Naoto said with a faint smile. "Is that really okay?"

"Of course!" Aika replied. She opened the front door and took off her shoes. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Big Sis!" Nanako greeted, running up to her. "Oh, Kanji-kun and Naoto-kun!"

"Hey, Naoto-chan's going to stay here for a few days, okay?" Aika said, crouching down so that she was eye-level with Nanako.

"N-Naoto-chan?" Kanji echoed.

"Yes," Naoto said bluntly. "Because, contrary to popular belief, I am, in fact, female."

"Wow, that was fast," Aika deadpanned.

"You're the one who called her 'Naoto-chan'…" Kanji retorted.

Nanako gasped. "Really?"

Naoto smiled and nodded. "Really."

Nanako smiled brightly "Okay!"

"Hey, Nanako," Aika said quickly. "Do you think you could get the bath ready?"

"Sure!" Nanako replied as she ran upstairs.

"She accepted that surprisingly quickly," Naoto said, chuckling. "I'm starting to think that being accepted as a female is really possible."

"Uh…" Kanji said slowly. "I kinda have to go." He put Naoto down on the couch. "See you guys around."

Aika put her hands on her hips as she turned to face Naoto. "So, what do you want to eat?"

"Aren't you tired as well, Senpai?" Naoto asked. "You did have to face my… Shadow, was it?"

Aika shrugged. "I'm used to it. I think fighting two of them in a row did the trick."

Naoto raised one eyebrow. "When was this?"

"Before summer break," Aika replied. "It was when Rise was kidnapped. We fought her Shadow, and we lost miserably because… you know how her Persona can scan things? Her Shadow scanned all of us and we couldn't land a single hit on it. Then Rise accepted her Shadow, but Teddie got one right after that, and Teddie's was this huge thing that pummeled all of us—"

"Thank you, Senpai," Naoto said, cutting Aika off.

Aika just smiled back. "You're welcome." And at that, her Social Link with Naoto developed even further.

Social Links:

The Fool: The Investigation Team
The Magician: Yosuke Hanamura
The High Priestess: Yukiko Amagi
The Empress: Margaret
The Emperor: Kanji Tatsumi
The Hierophant: Ryotaro Dojima
The Lovers: Rise Kujikawa
The Chariot: Chie Satonaka
The Justice: Nanako Dojima
The Hermit: Kaede the Fox
The Wheel of Fortune: Naoto Shirogane
The Hanged Man: Naoki Konishi
The Death: Taro Namatame
The Temperance: Tamaki Uchida
The Devil: Saki Konishi's Shadow
The Star: Teddie
The Moon: Tohru Adachi
The Sun: Fuuji and Masami Nakamura

Disclaimer: I don't own Tamaki or Tadashi. They're actually previously existing characters. Tamaki was first introduced in "Shin Megami Tensei: if…" and had recurring appearances in Persona 1 and Persona 2, while Tadashi was introduced in Persona 1 and appeared once more in Persona 2. They were engaged in Persona 2, so I can only assume that they actually got married at some point.

Rise's Social Link would pretty much be the same, sans romantic undertones – much like Chie's actually. To be honest, it's a little hard writing Rise, since such a huge part of her character in the original game is her attraction to the main character. So hopefully, I'm doing Rise justice in this.

Also, Saki Konishi's Shadow. So this was an idea I had buzzing around in my head for a long time before I even started writing this thing – you can hear Saki talking in the TV world when you first go to the shopping district, so you could assume that her Shadow is still there. Since Saki herself didn't accept it, she's gone, but her Shadow lingered in the TV world, where Aika eventually found her. Now, Saki's Shadow embodies everything about her that she wanted to keep hidden – her frustration and spitefulness, for example, and since this is Saki's SHADOW and not Saki herself, Aika… doesn't get a pretty picture of her.

So there's finally some romance in this chapter… and it's awkward as hell. Think about it – Aika hasn't had actual friends in a really long time, let alone a boyfriend. Yosuke's the type to plan and plan incessantly about getting a girlfriend (Operation Babe Hunt, anyone?) that he has no idea what to do now that he actually has a girlfriend. But they both really like each other, even though they're more like best friends with slight benefits than an actual couple right now.

Also, Aika is much closer to Naoto in this than Yu ever was, primarily because she sees a lot of herself in Naoto. Because Aika's parents weren't around much, she learned to do pretty much everything by herself – much like Naoto did. And yeah, it got really lonely. Uncle also sees that in Naoto, hence why he insists that she come over for dinner so often.

As for Naoto's character, here's all I have to say on the matter: NAOTO IS NOT A TRANSGENDER. I have nothing against transgenders – I actually have a few as friends – but it bugs me to no end that people misinterpret Naoto's character and make her out to be one, and then go all Social Justice Warrior on people who say otherwise. NAOTO'S GENDER ISSUES ARE ONLY A BYPRODUCT OF HER MAIN ISSUES. She doesn't want to be alone anymore. She wants to be accepted as an equal in a male-dominated profession, but because she's younger than everyone else, she doesn't get the respect she deserves. And, as such, she jumps to conclusions and assumes that they'll take her even less seriously because she's female, so she preemptively counters any potential opposition on that level. Not because she identifies as a male, not because she feels wrong as a girl.

So… end rant. Shit's going to hit the fan in the next chapter. You know what's coming up next. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please review!