Date: December 24, 2017

Location: Kamurocho, Tokyo

Time: 8:00 PM

The lights of Kamurocho were always on, always flashing their brilliant shine across the city, a personal sun for the city. It was as if they were eternal, a constant reminder of the liveliness and energy of the city, a symbol of the lifestyle of those who inhabited it. But yet, it may also have been a symbol, perhaps, of the city's character. An elegant façade, of energy and optimism, but within it lies only darkness and despair, where people's greed and lust ruled, and money was earned in unsavory and illegal ways.

I don't need think about philosophical issues now, Kazuma Kiryu reflected, walking through one of many alleys of the city, so many alleys were in this city that some people referred to it as a labyrinth of passages, where people could simply vanish within the numerous routes available to take. It was so intricate that some residents would simply enter the alleys and were never seen again, presumably kidnapped or murdered by the local gangs and criminals roaming its dark corners.

Of course, Kazuma Kiryu was not an ordinary citizen of the city, he knew the secrets of the city, and he knew where people could be found. From the most well-hidden catfight club in Kamurocho, to the most luxurious bars and restaurants for the city's elite, his time as a yakuza taught him this, and it didn't even cover his status as soldier for the Dojima Family, the most powerful branch of the Tojo Clan. Most people, the leadership of the Family included, believed that their branch would be the most powerful for years to come.

But to those who had been yakuza for most of their lives, those whose entire lives were consumed by death and betrayal, that belief was a mere mirage.

Of course, this thought didn't cross Kiryu's mind. After all, he was just a foot soldier for the Family, he didn't need to know its inner workings. What he needed to focus on was getting to Serena to see Nishikiyama, and so he wondered what was going to happen afterwards, karaoke maybe? Or perhaps a round of bowling, or maybe even…

A shriek tore through the alley, knocking him out of his thoughts, and now the need to find out the source of the sound was the forefront of his mind. Continuing down the alleyway he noticed three thugs towering over another person, who appeared to be thin and lanky, not the right match for the others, who were obviously larger and stronger than their victim. The thug in the middle looked down at their victim, said something to him, and kicked him in the gut. At that, he curled up and pleaded for them to stop.

Kiryu was a yakuza, a criminal, who was hired to rob and threaten people, he wasn't any better than these thugs. But like a coin, he had an opposite side, one that believed in justice for the weak and helpless, and ready to destroy those would take advantage over them. This was a moment that called out to that side.

He approached the thugs, and one of the three turned to face him and called out.

"Oi, you wanna to be our new punching bag. I know we got room for one more."

He smirked, and waved his hand to his compatriots, who turned to face him, awaiting his answer. The y looked ready to fight, but yet they stared him down, hoping for him to turn around and leave them in peace. Kiryu eyed them, sizing each member up.

"I'm a new kind of punching bag, I don't just punch back. I kick ass, or rather your asses." He replied, a smirk crawling up his face.

The thugs looked at him, eyes agape for a split second before returning to their initial gazes, anger clearly apparent on their faces. The one in the middle, who appeared to be very rotund, responded as spit flew from his mouth.

"Fine! Let's kick his ass boys!" he belched out from his gut, as one of them charged at Kiryu, fists raised in the air.

"Let's do this." He muttered to himself.

He balled his hands into fists, and let his attackers come to him. He didn't need to be reckless and leap mindlessly into a fight, that's how most yakuza get killed. Running headfirst into danger and getting the shit beat out of them without them even realizing what had happened. Rather, if an attacker came at you, it was simply a game of figuring out where to strike. Strike hard, strike fast, and end it, Kiryu remembered Captain Kashiwagi's advice, to land decisive blows on an enemy to avoid a fight becoming a prolonged slugfest. A fight where you were more likely to lose, more so against a group of enemies, and you didn't want to lose. Your reputation, your cash, and your life would be taken.

It was with this thinking that Kiryu had in his mind when the first thug's fist came at his face, and sidestepping a little to his right, narrowly avoided the attack. He grabbed a hold of the thug's neck, and pushed him near a wall, slamming him against it, and sent two powerful blows to the abdomen, blood erupting from his mouth. Seizing his chance, he grabbed hold of the head, and sent it careening into the wall.

A gasp of pain was heard from his mouth as he slumped to the ground, no signs of movement showing on his body. Kiryu took a quick glance at the fallen attacker before returning to the other two, a look of a shock on their eyes-one of their boys had just been knocked cold in just a few seconds-before the large one in the middle look at his remaining ally, waving him to take this guy out. He nodded in confirmation before approaching Kiryu, fists raised in the air. But instead of running headfirst, he kept his distance, awaiting the first move.

The mindset of letting your enemies come at you had helped Kiryu in the past, with positive results, he was still kicking and breathing after all. But that mindset doesn't work out in all scenarios. Sometimes you need to charge the enemy and attack from an unexpected angle, giving you the advantage and leaving them to suffer for their mistake. That usually came from attacking the enemy in their blind spot, allowing for devastating attacks from an area your opponent can't see without turning themselves around. A nimble fighter could use this to advantage in a battle, of course if they had enough room to maneuver.

That wasn't the case in this situation though.

The alleyway was only wide enough to fit around three people shoulder to shoulder, not including the various pieces of junk lying around blocking his path, so he wouldn't be able to move himself around without tripping on a can or getting stuck. A perfect opportunity for an enemy to attack, another way was needed.

"Come on, you afraid of getting wrecked!" The thug in front of him called out.

A need to charge at him, to make him eat those words clawed at Kiryu's mind. Be reckless and annihilate, these guys would be go down without a problem, like a bowling pin. His subconscious told him, craving battle. But that thought sparked an idea in him.

He eyed a large pile of tossed-out items lying to his right, and poking out was, ironically, a bowling ball sitting on top of the heap of garbage. It seemed to be still useful, no cracks or any problems with it.

This is the ticket. He turned and scooped up the ball, his eyes breaking contact with his opponent, who viewed this as his moment to strike and charged Kiryu. He grabbed a hold of the ball before the thug reached him, quickly sidestepping left to avoid the oncoming attack.

The thug turned around to regain sight of him, but was immediately brought to his knees by a sudden blow to his chest. Kiryu had slammed the ball into the thug's midsection, effectively knocking him out of the fight, but he couldn't let the thug have the chance to get back in the fight and ambush him, so he raised his foot and delivered an upwards kick to the thug's face, which flew up a few feet before collapsing to the ground.

The fat thug was horrified, sheer terror emblazoned on his face. His two allies were lying on the ground, out cold, and their opponent hadn't been scratched. But that wouldn't stop him, he had a counter against his enemy. In an instant he drew a revolver from his coat pocket, shakily aiming at Kiryu, a look of hatred on his face.

"Come on now, ain't so tough with a gun pointed at ya now." He yelled, sweat starting to run down his face, obviously paranoid about what would happen next.

Kiryu kept his sights on the gun, watching it shake in the thug's hand, waiting for something to happen. He could make a mad dash for it, but he would be an easy target.

And I don't think I can take a bullet. He thought to himself, options starting to dwindle.

"What's wrong? All outta tricks to take me out." The thug taunted, daring him to attack, when a voice was heard behind him.

"He's got me." It said, as the thug turned toward to the new player a knee slammed into him, causing him to stagger back, and an uppercut brought to him to the ground.

Kiryu looked at his savior and smirked. "Nishki, guess you came at the right time."

Nishkiyama stood in front of him, his long black hair reaching down to shoulder length, a red suit covering a leopard colored shirt, and a demeanor that screamed out that he had fashion sense, and had some advice for Kiryu in that front.

"Well, I heard something so I thought I should see what's up. Getting into fights to pass the time?" He asked, an eyebrow arching upwards, awaiting an answer.

Kiryu motioned over the man on the ground, explaining what happened and why he felt he needed to act in the moment. Just then, the beaten man and began to speak, his remaining fear still present in his voice.

"T…Thank you very much, they would've taken everything I've had if you hadn't shown up to help me." He looked at Kiryu with a look of relief, before scurrying off into the night.

Nishkiyama restarted their conversation, "You know, you need to learn to relax and just enjoy life. Go get a massage or watch a movie, just do something that's not so intense on you."

"I'm not into that sort of thing." He responded, he knew what he was like, what his personality made him out to be, one that focused on the task at hand and relax later. A type A personality, the polar opposite of the type B personality, carefree, easygoing, Nishikiyama was the epitome of that. Like fire and ice, they're totally opposite, but maybe that's why they were such close friendships.

But the thought of analyzing their friendship was quickly abandoned as the two left the alleyway and arrived in the glittering city streets and headed towards their destination.

-x-

Serena was a luxurious looking bar for the common bar hopper, for it had an air of sophistication and modernity that most bars in the area lacked. Combined with affordable prices on its drinks, it had the makings of a popular hangout. But luckily for Kiryu and Nishkiyama, it seemed to be a slow day, for they were the only two patrons there. Reina was organizing the backrooms, so the two were left alone with their own thoughts. A TV played in the background, but Kiryu paid it no mind, rather focusing on his own thoughts. Nishkiyama nudged him, telling him to look at the screen, it was seriously important.

He relented and turned towards it, a news channel was on and reporter was standing in front of a set of metal stairs in a rundown part of the city.

Wait, that can't be…

"A man was found dead in an empty space of Kamurocho, just a few meters away from the bright and busy streets of the city. We know the victim's name to be Taichi Kurihara, a resident of Inaba." The newscaster reported, but Kiryu was now ignoring it, only listening to Nishikiyama's questions.

"Wasn't that the guy you had worked over?"

"Yes."

"Why the hell did you kill him?"

"I didn't"

Kiryu's phone went off at that moment, a text had been sent to him, causing him to stare down at it for nearly a minute before Nishkiyama broke the silence.

"Who was it, HQ?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're wanting to see me tomorrow." Kiryu responded, a cold fear starting to form in his chest, but he showed no sign of it, only his stoic expression was on display. But if HQ wanted to see them, then he really was in dire straits.

The two sat in the bar a few minutes longer, no words were said, but they knew what was going to happen, the inevitable result of this.

Kazuma Kiryu was a dead man walking.

-x-

Date: December 24, 2017

Location: Inaba, Japan

Time: 8:00 PM

After the announcement that the Investigation Team would be on the case of the murdered Inaba man in Kamurocho, they had returned home and awaited any further decisions from their leader. Yu had returned to his ever bubbly and happy cousin Nanako and her father Ryotaro Dojima, who had been especially busy with the recent murder of Kurihara.

A local businessman, Kurihara had been a staple of business and finances in Inaba for nearly a decade. A kind and honest workers, as his friends and co-workers would describe him as, he was a major player in the rapid expansion of the city's economy and business. His death had hit the city particularly hard, which was still recovering from the mysterious murders and fog that had occurred not too long ago.

"He was a good man." Ryotaro said of him, "But why he was out in Kamurocho is still a mystery to me, but that's what we're hoping to uncover."

Yu nodded at his uncle's devotion to the truth of the matter, and after conversing on various topics around the area, he bid his relatives good night and entered his room, slumping on his bed. The past few weeks had drained of so much of the energy he had in the past, and looking back on the decision he had made just an hour ago, he wondered if it really was the idea. To jump blindly into a murder case in another city hundreds of miles away just on a hunch. Perhaps he was becoming paranoid at the sight of a TV going on and off, the possibilities in his mind were too numerous.

A phone call brought him back to reality as he immediately answered it, and Yosuke answered.

"Hey man, so Teddie just got back from the Midnight Channel and" the call was interrupted, and Yu could swear he heard a struggle before a new voice answered. "Hi Sensai!" Now it was Teddie who was talking.

"So I went and searched for a beary long time, but I found something." Teddie paused, and Yu's hand was clenching his knee, waiting for an answer, nervousness rising and rising to the point where he had to restrain himself from yelling for the answer.

"There was somebody in the Midnight Channel, but it's so faint that I can't find where they came in or out." There was a moment of silence before Yu thanked Teddie for his efforts, receiving a thank you from the bear mascot before hanging up.

Things had just gotten a lot more complicated now, a person had been in the Midnight Channel, and he was for certain that it was related to the murder of Kurihara. But yet, maybe it was all a mere coincidence, maybe the person in the Midnight Channel wasn't a killer, maybe that TV wasn't important to this whole thing. Maybe he was becoming paranoid.

He desperately needed sleep, and so let it take him into its hands.

Then he awoke, and found himself in a limousine driving to nowhere, or perhaps somewhere. Sitting across from him was a small, stout old man with a very noticeable protruding nose, and a women in a blue uniform sitting next to him.

Igor…Margaret, the Velvet Room. He remembered as Igor was the first to speak.

"Well, it seems that you've found yourself in another murder it seems. But yet, there must be a reason for you to be here."

Yu thought for a moment before responding.

"Yeah, maybe I'm overreacting to this whole thing, maybe I shouldn't get involved in things that I have no relation towards." He wondered about that, but before he could continue, Igor responded.

"A common feeling I'd say, but before, you had no connection to the people in Inaba, its residents, lifestyle," he paused for a moment, "Its existence."

Yu nodded, before he didn't have anything to Inaba other than his family. Not to his classmates, his co-workers, anybody; they were just people that he didn't think about.

"But yet you formed a link to the people and the city itself, when you didn't have to, but yet you did because you learned the necessity of them to you. I'd say you've become a better person since then, aren't I right?" Igor explained, staring directly at Yu, who agreed with him.

"And now, one of Inaba's residents has been cruelly erased from the world, one of the people you sacrificed so much for. Wouldn't it be right to solve what happened to him, and uncover the truth?" Igor asked, a finger constantly tapping on his leg.

Yu thought for a moment, and then he responded.

"Yes, I have a duty to uncover the truth and capture his killer. Before they kill more people, because it's what I stand for, and to let people die and not try to stop it, that's the worst thing I can do." Igor smiled at that, and looked at Margaret, still looking cool and collected, before turning back on Yu.

"Well it seems you have the fire within you burning again. Now go, and do what you must, we'll be watching of course." And with the Velvet Room had vanished and Yu awoke.

He looked at the ceiling before turning to his phone. He had an idea, a dangerous one perhaps, but perhaps the only one that would lead to the truth. The last remaining doubt appeared for a moment before vanishing, and the warmth that was his Persona stood with him in his decision. Snatching his phone from his dresser, he texted a message to all members of the team.

Pack Your Bags, We're Heading To Kamurocho