For me, the 'true culprit reveal' was the weakest segment of the game. So, we will do things a little differently. Hope it's an interesting (and not too drastic) divergence. If you disagree, let me know, constructive criticism is welcome.
Story so far: The team confronted Namatame and skirted moments close to a Bad End, while Teddie was nowhere to be found.
In this part: Naoto doesn't do interviews, Kanji still doesn't like dictionaries, and Adachi gives Souji a ride home.
Things I cheated and skipped: The Namatame Exposition Fest.
Trivia I heard about too late to incorporate (assuming it's true): In the JP version of the game, Witch Detective = Witch Detective Loveline.
December 4th, 2011
Kanji's dreams had never made much sense. Just jumbled flashes, mixing up whatever had been on his mind the previous day with crap he hadn't thought about for years. At least, until this past month. It wasn't like he had them every night, and they weren't all that terrifying. They just felt wrong. Like the one he'd woken up from a few minutes ago; the team taking out Shadows in the school corridors. Real world merging with television.
What if it actually happened?
Fog hadn't gone away. Rise was still struggling to hold it together. And maybe they hadn't even caught the right guy.
...No reason to get spooked by a stupid dream. At least Souji hadn't accused him of murder in this one – though given what they'd nearly done last night, maybe Senpai wasn't in a position to accuse anybody.
Kanji stood up, stretched, and glanced at the snow falling outside the window. Looked pretty light, but it was hard to tell through the fog. Must have started up overnight; it'd stopped completely on the way to Naoto's apartment.
Shit. Naoto. He'd been a total wuss in front of her last night, asked her questions he'd told himself he wouldn't – then, to cap it off, spent most of the walk to her place blabbering about his dad. Naoto had acted like she was paying attention, even pressed him for more detail at a few points, but probably only out of politeness. Why the hell would anyone listen to him rattling on about his old man?
Okay, Souji did, but Souji listened to everyone. Or used to. Maybe he would again, if the team could solve the case for real.
Kanji grabbed his cell from the sewing table, planning to text Rise and ask if she and Senpai had both made it home safe, but when he flipped open the phone a message was already waiting.
Meet hospital, 15.00
Figured. Souji treated texts like telegrams. np. did Ted come back
Surprisingly, Senpai responded straight away. No
Teddie must've gone to Yosuke's place instead. Or Junes; he'd probably passed out in the furniture department again.
He isn't picking up his phone. Worried about him
Dumb bear. The hell was he thinking, making everyone fret over him? Soon as he got back, Kanji would be ready and waiting with an ass-kicking (or at least a few good yells). Ted had been so damn excited about that clunky old phone, bugged everyone to give him their numbers, and now he wouldn't even take calls.
That last part was the reason Kanji was starting to worry.
Might as well try again. He flicked through his contacts list, hit Ted's name, and held the phone to his ear.
"This is the KJ Customer Service Center. The number you have dialed is unavailable right now. The phone may be switched off or outside our coverage area."
You could pick up a solid KJ signal as far away as Okina, and probably further still. Teddie couldn't have made it all that way without any cash. Maybe the phone company had just glitched, though that didn't explain why Yosuke had got the same message last night.
Dammit. Put Teddie in the wrong place and he could get himself into all kinds of trouble. Mind of a four year old, Souji had said, and though Kanji still thought Senpai had been wrong on that - that, strange and childish as he was, Ted understood a lot more than he let on - it was at least partly true. Little guy trusted people way too quickly.
It was cold out there, too, and would've been worse overnight. Kanji hoped Ted still had his yellow scarf. Ma would be pissed if he'd lost it.
He turned away from the window, glanced at his sewing table - bare except for an in-progress Detective Loveline and a sheet of sketched plans for a red and blue plush Teddie - and stalked over to the dresser.
"Well, this is just great." Yosuke flopped down on a chair in the hospital lobby. "Namatame's a wreck, the killer's still on the loose, Ted's missing - and I feel like the world's biggest asshole."
"I think most of us are feeling that right now," Souji said.
"What, that I'm an asshole? Way to back me up, partner."
Souji just rolled his eyes in response, but the tension had been broken. Chie chimed in with more teasing, Yukiko and Rise giggling beside and behind her - and what would've typically escalated into a full-on squabble stayed as friendly banter. Kanji wasn't surprised. They'd argued over killing someone last night. The usual petty crap probably didn't seem worth it.
At the time, back in that room, nothing else had.
Kanji figured Yosuke had to feel as shitty as he did, knowing now that Namatame had ultimately been working toward the same goal as the team. And in his place – kidnapping people, throwing them in a TV then seeing them safely back in town days or weeks later – would any of them have reached a different conclusion? Back in Heaven's castle, Kanji hadn't cared what happened to Namatame, would've left his corpse rotting on the dais if that was what it took to rescue Nanako - but that had been a battle. A screwed-up one, but otherwise like all the rest: fighting a Shadow because they'd had no other option. Ganging up on a sick guy in his hospital room had been a conscious choice. Throwing him in the television would've been murder, no matter what he had or hadn't done.
Kanji's temper had gotten the better of him before and probably always would, but last night had been totally different – and so what if it hadn't been his idea? He glanced at Naoto, standing at the edge of the group and staring at the opposite wall of the lobby. She'd been driving the interview, asking all the questions, but she'd gone quiet soon as they left the room.
"Okay guys, Yukiko and I are heading out," Chie said, as both girls stood from their seats. "We're gonna hunt for Teddie some more."
"We'll let you know if we find him," Yukiko added. She gave several quick nods to the rest of the group, then followed Chie to the lobby's sliding glass doors.
"I was convinced he'd be waiting at home." When Kanji glanced back at Yosuke, he had his head tilted back against the chair and his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "I checked every room, even looked in all the closets. He sleeps in them sometimes."
"Me and Naoto struck out too," Kanji said. "Turned the district over last night looking for him."
Souji's brow furrowed. "Hope you didn't spend too long trudging around in the snow. Last thing we need is -" The rest was cut off by the muffled ringtone of his cell (which sounded a lot like the ones Rise had put on Kanji's phone). He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, glanced at the screen, and grimaced. "Huh. Adachi again. I'd better answer."
Last phone call Souji had gotten from Adachi had been the previous night, when they'd all thought Nanako was- -
But that hadn't really happened. And it sure as hell wouldn't again.
Souji stepped aside to take the call, though he paused to grip Yosuke's shoulder, just for a moment. Kanji watched Senpai hold his phone to his ear, his eyes wandering the room in boredom, and wondered how the hell they were supposed to find the real bad guy among all these dead-ends - assuming they even could, and that one existed.
"Sorry for not helping you search, Kanji-kun," Rise said from his right. She was leaning over the back of the empty chair beside him, elbows resting on top. "I pretty much abandoned you guys."
And who'd blame her? He would've done the same for Naoto in a heartbeat. Besides, the whole team knew that trying to separate Rise from Souji was like ordering a fish to give up swimming. "S'alright. You did what you had to."
Maybe Naoto had heard him mention her name, maybe she'd just finally gotten bored of the wall - but in any case, she walked over to join them. The way she moved and stood didn't look natural; it was too stiff and self-conscious, an echo of the boy he'd met back in May.
"Did Souji-senpai accompany you home, Rise?" she asked.
"Actually, Adachi-san offered us a ride back. Well, he offered one to Souji-senpai, I sorta tagged along," Rise said, with a sheepish smile. "I don't think he was happy about the detour."
"Adachi's a dick," Kanji muttered. A clueless, two-bit cop who'd been phoning it in that whole night, while everyone else who knew Nanako had fallen apart.
Rise let out a sigh. "Oh, Kanji-kun, he's harmless. You only lost your temper with him because you were upset over Nanako-chan." She'd started the sentence looking at Kanji, but her gaze had soon switched to Naoto. "We were all a little off last night."
"Yes. We were." Naoto adjusted one shirt cuff, then another, and didn't look up. "I – had never considered the possibility that-"
"That doesn't matter now," Rise cut in, "because nothing happened. Nobody got hurt. "
Opposite Kanji, Yosuke bolted up from his seat. "I need some fresh air. Tell Souji I'll talk to him later."
Once he'd left, Naoto looked carefully around the lobby - like she thought the potted plants might be eavesdropping - and dropped her voice to an even lower volume. "When we entered his room today, Namatame was terrified. And he had every right to be."
No kidding. It'd taken Souji several minutes to calm him down enough to speak. Senpai had explained that they weren't there to hurt anyone, that they'd been blinded by their emotions the previous night - and at that point, Kanji had apologized without thinking, with Naoto soon following suite. Yosuke had stayed silent. Namatame had come round eventually, but Kanji had stayed hung up on the same ugly thought: that they'd made a sick guy, a guy who'd been caught up first in his grief and then in a terrible misunderstanding, afraid of a group of teenagers.
Way to go, Tatsumi.
Rise had moved behind him, and he heard her let out a small huff of breath. "Naoto-kun, its fine. It was just a terrible, horrible night, and we all said and did stuff you'll never consider doing again."
If Rise had noticed the slip, she didn't correct it. If Naoto had, she didn't point it out. "Perhaps."
"And that's fine," Rise continued, in what now sounded more like a monologue than a conversation, "because when we find whoever killed Yamano-san and Konishi-senpai, you're not gonna tell us to throw him in a television or anything like that. You'll arrest him, do it all by the book and be totally boring. Right?"
Naoto's reply was slow in coming.
"It will be some time before we identify him, or her," she eventually said. "At present, we have no suspect."
Kanji shrugged. He wasn't feeling optimistic right now either, but someone needed to boost morale, or at least try. "So we find one. Gotta be a clue somewhere, and we -" - and dammit, he'd stumbled - "we've got an ace detective on our side!"
He'd wanted to encourage her. Instead, it'd come out hesitant - mostly because he'd suddenly realized he was paying her a compliment with a very talkative witness. Naoto's spirits stayed flat. "I'm afraid you have nothing of the sort," she said, head tilted slightly downward, gaze fixed on the floor by his feet.
Fine. If she was determined to put a negative light on this, Kanji was equally set on calling her on her bullshit. "You solved twenty-four cases before you started high school. Pretty damn sure that makes you an ace."
She looked up - grey-blue eyes wide for a split-second, then instantly narrowing. "Yes. Twenty-four exactly. How did you know that?"
Oh, crap.
Kanji tensed, coughed, and tried not to swallow his own tongue. "Uh. Th-That TV show. Niteline. You were on it."
"In September." Naoto was staring holes in him. "And you - remembered the number."
"Kanji-kun probably recorded the whole show," Rise chimed in.
He shot to his feet. "No I di- -dammit, Rise!" Like he'd ever do something so creepy (and never mind that he'd re-watched Naoto's segment on the Niteline website three times over the following week.)
The brim of her cap successfully shielded Naoto's face, though not the red tips of her ears. "...Y-Yes. Well."
Great. He'd embarrassed her. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to…"
"It-It's absolutely fine," Naoto stammered, in a way which indicated it absolutely wasn't. Then her expression shifted, to what looked like an odd, subdued sort of curiosity. "But - September. That was before anyone-"
"Ready, Naoto-kun?"
Souji's voice, somewhere to the right. Kanji glanced sideways and saw him standing a short distance away, closed cellphone still in hand.
Naoto gave a single, firm nod. "Yes, Senpai. I'll be right there."
"You and Souji-senpai are going somewhere?" asked Rise, not lightly enough.
"It's my turn to visit with him tonight. The schedule," Naoto said, and clasped her hands behind her back. "Additionally, we must discuss today's developments."
Rise leaned back in her seat, arms folded. "You could discuss them with the rest of us too."
"I intend to, of course. I just need to…bounce some ideas around first. And Souji-senpai has already proved an adept investigator."
Adept investigator. That was one way of putting it. So was 'better than the rest of you'.
Worst part was, it was true.
Jealous, Tatsumi? Ain't that big of you. "Senpai's a smart guy," Kanji managed, head ducked so he wouldn't have to meet her eye.
"He is," Naoto said. "Well. See you tomorrow."
He kept his head down, listening as her footsteps grew fainter, were joined by a second, heavier set, and then vanished altogether. When he glanced up at Rise, she was staring at the glass lobby doors, and her face looked pinched and tired.
"Somethin' up?" he asked, already knowing the answer, and the answer she'd be willing to give.
"I'm fine." Her smile was immediate and strained, and the tremble in her lips made it look slightly desperate. "It's just - I don't think we need a schedule. I don't mind staying with Senpai each evening."
I'll bet you don't, Kanji thought.
But Rise had shied away from visiting Souji alone before, back when Nanako was still in Heaven's Castle. Kanji had figured it odd at the time, given she seemed to flirt with him on instinct - but now, he was beginning to understand. In many ways, Rise's behavior was far too similar to his own: head over heels for someone, but desperately afraid of any situation that might force her into admitting it.
"You an' him," he began. "Are you-"
"I don't know," Rise blurted, every muscle visibly tensing. "It - It's not a good time for that kind of thing."
Kanji hadn't expected a real answer. He'd been clinging to variations of the same excuse: that he'd approach Naoto once things calmed down, once Nanako was well again, once they'd caught the real killer.
…But what if it wasn't just an excuse? Maybe Rise had a point. Something told him he'd only ever have one shot at confessing to Naoto, and that the time and place he picked to take it would make all the difference to the result.
Inside his pockets, his fingers curled into fists. "Yeah."
December 5th, 2011
It was a bad sign, Kanji thought, that the best plan they could come up was, 'wander around town and hope we stumble over an answer'. If nobody had seen or suspected the real culprit at the time of the first murder, what would've changed eight months later? The team could talk to every last person in Inaba and still be no wiser.
He rubbed his hands together in an effort to warm them, wishing Rise would hurry the hell up. By the time Marukyu Tofu's front door finally opened, he'd moved on to stomping his feet, tightly packed snow crunching beneath them.
Rise was wearing her thick winter coat, a plush-looking scarf, and the most ridiculous pair of earmuffs Kanji had ever seen. "Wow, it's cold," she said, and shivered. "If this gets any worse, the fog's going to freeze solid."
He eyed the earmuffs again. Bright pink, with cat ears on the band. With the right materials, he could make a pretty good copy.
…Cat ears would look awesome on Naoto.
Something jabbed him in the side. "Kanji-kun? Are you listening?"
He glanced down. Rise was staring up at him, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "Uh, yeah, 'course!" he said. "Just wonderin' if you're gonna be okay for this."
"Hey, you can't do it without me." The frown instantly melted into a bright smile, as if on reflex. "Turn on the charm, and Risette might tease out a vital clue!" She gestured toward the south end of the shopping district, invisible in the dense fog. "I figured we could start out here, everyone knows us. Or they know you, and they've heard of Risette."
Knowing wasn't always good. "They like Yukiko-senpai better."
"Maybe. But she and Chie-senpai are starting with the inn, Naoto-kun still hasn't shown, and nobody round here is ever gonna talk to Yosuke-senpai - so that leaves us." She started walking north. "C'mon!"
Kanji stamped his feet one last time for emphasis, then followed her.
Most of the town was holed up indoors, either terrified of the fog or unwilling to deal with the snow. Kanji and Rise found only three people walking outside: a harassed-looking housewife, the crotchety old guy who fished down at the river, and Naoki's father. The first didn't remember anything, and the second just rambled on about the fog. The third, they couldn't bring themselves to ask. They struck out at Aiya, too; neither Otsuka nor his five customers recalled anything more than what the team already knew. Most of them couldn't even remember the police combing the town or the swarm of journalists - just the TV news reports, night after night. In all cases, the conversation had soon come back to the fog.
"Ain't going well so far," Kanji said. They'd paused outside Aiya for a moment, so Rise could take off her gloves and text Souji-senpai.
"Maybe Senpai's found something. Lemme ask him."
Kanji rocked back on his heels and stared upward. The fog felt dirty, somehow. Like it was carrying all the darkness and ugliness of the TV world over here - and hell, maybe it was. Why else would Rise's Persona be going haywire? She'd said she was learning to keep a lid on it, ignore Himiko like Souji had suggested, but the real problem was that she needed to do that at all. The whole thing - the fog, Himiko, his strange dreams - had set Kanji on edge.
He grimaced and shoved his hands in his pockets. He was on the verge of telling Rise to hurry up (what was she writing, a damn novel?) when he saw a figure heading toward them. As they moved closer, the blurred outline resolved itself into a person: a girl in stylish white and pale blue clothing, and seriously expensive-looking boots. It took him a moment to realize he knew her, kind of. The girl who'd helped out Teddie in the contest, who'd asked after Souji while Nanako was gone. Both kind and thoughtful actions, but Kanji couldn't get past her expression: all vague disdain and ice-cold eyes.
Rise looked up from her phone. "Oh. Ebihara-senpai."
Ebihara barely glanced at her. "Kujikawa."
Girls, for Kanji, were a thorny topic. Some, like Chie, were down-to-earth and approachable. Others, like Yukiko, were fascinatingly foreign, but nonthreatening. Others, however, were like Rise Kujikawa and Ai Ebihara.
He liked Rise. She was a good friend - one who regularly tried to ruin his life, but at least did it for the right reasons. Hell, he'd grown weirdly comfortable around her. But part of his mind still vaguely associated Rise with the 'girl's girls', the type that infused almost every memory he had of elementary school. Pretty things, sneering with a smile and the source of nearly all his girl problems.
(Naoto, to her credit, had never caused Kanji girl problems. Naoto caused Naoto problems instead, which were ten times worse.)
Ebihara had that exact same look about her as those girls. For all he knew, she might, unlike Rise, have the personality to match.
She raised her chin, arms folded and hip tilted in a practiced sort of pose, and leveled him with a cool stare. "Hey, you. Big guy."
"Tatsumi."
"Okay, Tatsumi." He could hear the shrug in her voice, but her pose didn't change. "You hang out with Teddie, right?"
Rise folded her arms too, tighter than Ebihara's, somehow managing to look spiky under three layers of winter clothing. "Why do you care?"
Oh shit. They must've met before. Kanji cleared his throat. "I, uh-"
"I asked Tatsumi, not you," Ebihara said. "You're not always the center of attention."
Piranhas, Kanji thought. In big groups, they'd tear up all kinds of other fish. One-on-one, they'd eat each other.
"It doesn't matter who you asked, Ebihara-senpai," Rise shot back, with a very unpleasant emphasis on the senpai. "We're both Teddie's friends."
"Fine. Then do you know where he is?"
Kanji shook his head. "No. But we're lookin' for him."
"We were supposed to meet at Junes this morning and he didn't show. Usually, I'd just call him up and rip him a new one, but something's wrong with that new phone he got." Both the pose and the cool expression had faltered. Ai's eyebrows had angled in concern, and her arms were folded. "Guy stands me up and I can't even get hold of him."
"Yeah, same," Kanji said. "Uh, the getting hold part. Not that he stood me up."
Ai glanced between him and Rise, before her gaze finally settled on him. "You think he's alright? It's not that I'm worried, just...he was really sad over Souji's cousin being in the hospital." Her tone had softened, shifting from supercilious to something close to affection. "He's a real sweetheart."
"Don't worry, Ebihara-senpai." Rise's voice had changed too: still cautious, but softer around the edges. "We'll track him down."
"Thanks, Kujikawa." With that, Ebihara moved to walk around them. Though she hadn't said so, Kanji had the feeling she'd keep searching for Teddie herself.
…Maybe she remembered something. It was worth a shot. "Hey - uh, wait a sec, Senpai. D-Do you remember anything 'bout those murders, earlier in the year?"
Ebihara had stopped directly to his left. She stared into the fog beside him, frowning a little, and several seconds passed before she spoke. "Huh. Weird. I know it wasn't long ago, but it's - really fuzzy. All I remember is that the TV news wouldn't shut up about them." She glanced up at him. "Sorry."
"S'fine. Thanks anyway."
"Just let me know if you find Teddie," Ebihara said, and walked around him. She soon vanished into the fog, but Rise waited a few moments longer before speaking.
"It's kinda sad," she said, quietly. "Everyone seems to like Teddie, but Ebihara's the only person outside the team to notice he's gone."
That was a little unfair, considering Ted had vanished only two days ago, but Kanji got her point. He shrugged. "She must care about him."
"Yeah. So, I guess she's not that bad after all." Rise folded her arms and let out a soft sigh. "I heard she had a massive thing for Souji-senpai, but who doesn't?"
People into Souji Seta was a damn long list. Kanji figured even he was on it somewhere, though maybe scrawled in pencil rather than pen. Yosuke and Rise would be fighting for top billing, Yukiko waiting to jump the victor, and as for Naoto-
"Hello, Kanji-kun, Rise-chan."
One of his least favourite things about the fog: it made it damn easy for people to sneak up on you. He jumped, startled, and pivoted toward Naoto, standing behind him. "Uh. H-Hey."
Rise peered around his back. "Oh, hey, Naoto-kun! Where've you been?"
"The police station." Naoto still looked…rigid, was the best word he had. "I was looking through the case records."
He shook his head. "Ain't you read all that stuff six times over by now?"
"Not with the intent of finding a second culprit. There are most likely clues I have missed."
"Like?"
"…I haven't found any yet. But certain aspects of the initial investigation are bothering me." She frowned, her lips narrowed in thought and her gaze fixed on the gaudy poster plastered by Aiya's front door. "Perhaps something we hear today will help the pieces fall into place."
Rise tipped her head. "Your investigation with Souji-senpai didn't figure it all out?"
Uh-oh.
Rise was under stress, Kanji reminded himself. Rise was naturally emotional. Rise could, on occasion, be a real bitch.
Naoto looked at her, blinked, then frowned again. This one was different to the last. "There was no investigation. Just an exchange of theories and suspicions. Nothing worth a group discussion," she quickly added.
"Guess we wouldn't understand, huh?" Rise shot back, sweet as arsenic.
Several long seconds passed in silence, before Naoto's eyes widened in realization. "Th-That isn't what I- -Rise-chan, I'm not sure…"
Rise broke into a wide grin and latched onto Naoto's arm. "Kidding, Naoto-kun. C'mon, let's go solve this mystery!"
As she dragged Naoto away - already trying to fit the cat-eared earmuffs over Naoto's cap - Kanji tugged down his woolen hat and followed.
Souzai Daigaku was closed due to lack of business. At Shiroku, the old lady shopkeeper had vague memories of meeting Saki Konishi, but nothing else.. Gas-mask guy was scurrying around as usual, but asking him anything seemed pointless. Same went for the guy huddled at the side of the closed-down flower shop, though for an entirely different reason. Rise veered away as soon as she heard him. It was the same low, repetitive babbling Kanji had heard from those two employees in the Junes lobby, from a lady at the bus-stop, from some kid in his class hiding behind the bike rack at school.
The difference was, Kanji didn't hear it till he walked closer. He had the feeling Rise caught the voices from much further away. Or that Himiko did, but in the end, it was the same thing. Naoto kept starting conversations in what looked like an effort to distract her, each of which went about as well as you'd expect, but Rise seemed to appreciate her trying.
They'd just reached Daidara's shop when Kanji noticed two figures heading toward them through the fog, the taller one shouldering something square and bulky. He had an unpleasant suspicion about what that something might be - which was confirmed when the pair finally walked into view, and he saw the TV camera on the tall guy's shoulder.
Great. This was the second news crew he'd seen in two days, probably gathering footage for the reports shown on TV every night. How much could you really say about fog?
The two men were chatting as they walked, and didn't seem to notice the three teens at first, but when they did - or rather, when they noticed Rise - their faces lit up.
The reporter waved a hand as he approached. "Hey, Risette! Could you answer a couple of questions?" He grinned. "We need someone to liven up all these fog reports."
"Sure." Rise glanced at the cameraman. "You're not rolling already, right?"
"No, but we're about set up. Give me a few seconds." He jabbed at several buttons on the side of the camera, then pointed it at Rise and rotated several rings near the front. "Okay, good to go," he said, and Rise's stadium smile immediately leapt to her lips.
The reporter turned to face the camera. "I'm here in Inaba with Risette - the famous pop idol who retired here earlier in the year. Is rural life treating you well, Risette?"
"Oh, totally! I'm just enjoying the peaceful life and spending time with my friends. Regular girl stuff."
"How do you feel about Inaba's mysterious fog? Any idea where it came from? Will you be leaving town and going back on tour?"
Rise beamed at the camera. "Sorry, I don't know much about the fog. But to all my fans, thanks so much for your support, you're amazing! Risette's been quiet for a while, but who knows for the future?"
"Great! Thanks, Risette." The reporter looked ready to stop, when Naoto - who'd been hiding somewhere behind Kanji - stepped into view. He hesitated barely an instant before homing in, the cameraman swiveling to follow. "Ah, and the Detective Prince, too! Congratulations on apprehending Taro Namatame. Will he be facing trial soon? Are you planning to leave Inaba afterwards?"
"No comment. Excuse me," Naoto muttered, then turned around and walked off into the fog.
The reporter blinked after her - then shrugged. "Ah, at least we got Risette. C'mon, Yajima, we should hit up Junes." He winked at Rise. "Thanks for the soundbite."
"No problem!" Rise replied, still smiling. She kept it up even after the reporter and cameraman had disappeared in the fog - though it'd changed, now more nostalgic than perky.
"First time that's happened since July," she said. "I seriously thought they'd given up."
Naoto stalked back into sight, the brim of her cap pulled down tight. It was never a good sign. "I wish they would."
"C'mon, Naoto-kun." Rise tapped the brim twice, smirking when Naoto jerked a step back. "Don't tell me there isn't a tiny part of you that likes hearing how awesome you are."
"Before...sometimes." Her jaw visibly tensed. "Now it seems like false advertising."
"Wow, now I'm depressed. Why're you so down on yourself lately?"
"This investigation. It - hasn't gone well," she said. "Mistakes were made, and we still have no suspect."
Okay, so Kanji had fudged it when he tried to encourage her yesterday. But he'd keep on trying, dammit. "Remember when Kubo got arrested? We all quit right then. Kicked back and never stopped to ask if he was really guilty." He'd thought about it, once or twice, wondering what would've happened if they'd just given up. Who else might've died. And, occasionally, he remembered the raw mix of anger and terror he'd felt when Naoto almost had. "You showed us we were wrong, even if y'did pick a stupid, reckless way to do it."
"You turned Kanji-kun's hair white," added Rise, unhelpfully. "Not that anyone could tell."
"It was reckless," Naoto admitted. "But it furthered the investigation. Since then, I've contributed little." She sighed again, soft and quiet. "We spend so much time doing other things."
"Well, we're working on it now," Rise said lightly, then clapped her hands together. "Okay, guys, we can split up. I'll take the bookstore while you two talk to Daidara." Her expression was somewhere between a grimace and a wince. "He's kinda weird."
Bittersweet experience told Kanji that Rise just might've had ulterior motives. Specifically, matchmaking ones. Her tactic of throwing him and Naoto at each other hadn't worked yet and wouldn't now, but he nodded all the same - and, as Rise wandered off to the bookstore, Naoto pushed open the door to Daidara's shop and walked through.
Inside, Daidara was standing at the wooden counter, which was covered in a frightening large array of knives and daggers. He had one in his left hand, a cloth in the other, and for once, no cigarette hanging from his lips.
He looked up at the sound of the shop bell. "Ah, Tatsumi!" he boomed.
Kanji grinned. "Yo, Daidara-san."
Daidara's gaze flickered to Naoto. "And the young detective, too. Planning more adventures? I have a few new pieces in progress."
She stepped toward the counter, hands clasped firmly behind her back. "Actually, we would like to hear any recollections you have of the murders that occurred earlier this year."
A long moment passed in silence, Daidara polishing the dagger in his hand, before he finally spoke. "I knew the Konishi girl. Had to warn off a man who was bothering her down by the river. Very badly dressed, looked like he'd slept in his suit."
Which, going by his story yesterday, had probably been Namatame. They were going in circles. "Anythin' else?" Kanji asked.
"Afraid not. I rarely leave this district."
Kanji hadn't expected much, but he still felt a little disappointed. Would've been neat if him and Naoto could've found the crucial clue together. "Well, thanks anyway," he said. "For being cool with the questions."
"Yes," Naoto said, sounding thoughtful. "You've been quite helpful."
Daidara nodded, and they both turned to leave - except Naoto stopped halfway and looked back at him. "Daidara-san. Have you - ever wondered exactly why we request so much armour and weaponry?"
Holy crap, what was she doing? Daidara had never asked why they needed him to make swords and greaves and guns, hadn't seemed to care where they got the materials or the money to pay him. The team been happy to let the question go unasked and unanswered, because once you started with the rescue missions, you got into the television world and the idea of Personas, none of which an adult would ever get. Kanji rounded on Naoto almost on reflex, opened his mouth to speak - but Daidara got there first.
He barked out a low, smoke-rough laugh. "My dear, you and your friends aren't the first children to bear such responsibility," he said, and winked. "Good luck - and don't give up."
…What?
Naoto blinked, caught Kanji's equally wide-eyed stare - then, with a mumbled goodbye to Daidara, turned around and walked out of the shop.
Outside, Kanji opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again to stammer, "D-Did he mean…"
Naoto was staring wide-eyed at the shop door, clearly trying not to look surprised and clearly failing. "Very little would surprise me, now." She gestured to the bookstore next to Daidara's. "We should wait for Rise."
Why Rise wasn't already finished talking to the owner, Kanji wasn't sure. Maybe the guy remembered something. Either way, it meant more time spent more or less alone with Naoto, which was no doubt exactly what Rise wanted. Maybe what he wanted, too.
He'd grown - comfortable was stretching it, but Kanji could proudly say he'd become no-longer-massively-uncomfortable around Naoto Shirogane. This had brought with it a whole new set of problems. Like the fact that he wasn't as afraid to look at her, which meant he'd been doing it a lot more, which in turn had led to him developing a few borderline-creepy fascinations.
Her eyes, he'd always found attractive. And he'd liked something - maybe everything - about her from the moment they'd met, in an abstract, 'Naoto looks and is awesome' kind of way. But now he kept noticing her hands (slim fingers with small callouses from the way she held her gun) and her hair (dark and silken, rogue tufts poking out from under her cap) and her lips (narrower than a girl's and slightly pale, but soft-looking, and they'd probably feel amazing if he just-)
"Is something wrong?" Naoto asked.
Shit. He must've been staring. "S-Sorry. I was…" Thinking about something I shouldn't, because it'll never happen and you'd hate me if you knew. "Thinking," he said, and hoped she wouldn't push him into a lie.
For an instant, Naoto looked slightly alarmed, but her expression immediately leveled out. "Ah. As was I, actually. Has - " She stopped and frowned. "Has Take-Mikazuchi recently made any attempt at contact?"
"Contact?"
"You stated previously that he rarely speaks to you, and though he does not use words, he nonetheless makes his presence known." It was flat and rapid, but still sounded a little anxious. "Has he done so since the fog set in?"
"Once or twice. He's been - quiet, I s'pose." Kanji shrugged and tapped the side of his head. "But I guess he's still up here."
"I see."
"Probably a good thing he's lying low. Rise's won't shut up." Maybe that thought would make Naoto feel better - because although Kanji couldn't identify the look in her eyes right now, it was worrying him all the same.
She glanced at the shop window. "I wonder why she's taking so long."
Kanji wandered closer, weaving around the tables covered in books, and peered through the glass. A display was blocking most of the window, but, unlike Naoto, he was tall enough to see over the top. Inside the shop, the owner was jabbering at Rise, showing her various books with her photo on the cover, while she smiled and nodded politely.
"She's - gonna be a while, I think." Kanji gestured to the tables. "You, uh, could look at the books."
Naoto hummed thoughtfully, and went to browse through what, based on the titles he could see, looked like the "Horribly Grisly Fiction" table. He skimmed the other tables himself, nothing really catching his eye - until he found the manga section. There, underneath a couple of Kujibiki Unbalance books, was the latest Witch Detective volume. One he'd bought on order, as usual, but hadn't had time to read with so much other crap going on.
He picked up the book and started paging through. The last volume had ended on a real cliffhanger: the Witch Detective facing off against her feline nemesis Meowriarty, who'd just been about to-
"'Witch Detective'?"
Kanji froze - book in hand, his entire life flashing before his eyes.
He swiveled round to face Naoto, who'd been peering around his left side. "No it ain't! Okay, yeah, it is, but so what?"
Her gaze switched from him, to the book, and back again. "Do you - enjoy the series?"
Kanji's love for Witch Detective had endured four years, several mediocre storylines, and one totally wretched animated movie. He'd even knitted a couple of dolls, back when he first got started making them. It was, without a doubt, his single most favourite manga ever.
He swallowed and resisted the urge to claw off his own face. "No. Maybe. Doesn't matter." Before Naoto could ask any more terrible questions, he put down the manga and grabbed a random book from the next table.
"I thought you weren't interested in dictionaries?" Naoto said, and he realized he'd picked up a copy of the Daijisen.
"N-No, I - I just thought 'bout getting one a few months back." Kanji had wanted to broaden his vocabulary enough to have a real conversation with Naoto - until he'd realized that, no matter what words they both used, they'd always be speaking different languages.
"Yes, I remember. I can provide one. If you require it." Her mouth narrowed into a flat line. "According to Rise-chan, I have already swallowed one dictionary, so clearly I have no need of a spare."
"Uh. Th-Thanks, but you don't hafta-" he began - then, on seeing Naoto's slightly crestfallen look, quickly backtracked. "That'd be awesome. Thanks, Naoto."
"I'll bring it to school next week." She glanced at the shop door. "I ought to retrieve Rise-chan. I doubt the owner has anything useful to contribute to our investigation."
Kanji shrugged. "Nobody does."
Naoto's expression turned anxious again. It was muted, as usual, but an avid observer like Kanji could learn to read her cues. "I keep trying to devise new theories, examine the case from various angles, but…" She let out a breath, forming a cloud in the cool air. "Well. I will fetch Rise-chan."
She walked around him, heading to the shop door - until, on impulse, he laid a palm on her shoulder. In the split-second after he'd done it, Kanji fully expected her to smack his hand away. She didn't.
"Hey. I-I meant what I said, before," he told her. "You're really good at what you do."
Naoto's wide-eyed stare shifted into a smile; only half of one, but it looked genuine. "Thank you."
"I hate to say this," Chie said, between mouthfuls of the new Aiya Snowy Day Special, "but today was a massive waste of time."
Yosuke sighed and poked at his egg fried rice. "Yeah, I know. We spent the whole morning canvassing Junes and nobody was talking about the case at all."
"I probably answered more questions than I asked," said Rise. "Including some from a TV crew."
"You know, I've seen a few in town recently. I think they're covering the fog." Yukiko's expression turned dark. "Thankfully, none of them are staying at the inn."
Naoto was perched on a stool at the counter, palms pressed against her knees. Her dish of gyōza looked almost untouched. "Their presence is to be expected. Inaba is reappearing on national news sites. Only brief mentions, but still."
Damn. It felt like the town had only just gotten out of the headlines; around the time Yamano died, you couldn't spit without hitting a TV camera, and both Kubo's surrender and Namatame's capture had brought more than a few back. Local news was bad enough. National channels rolling in and stirring shit up just pissed Kanji off.
"Lot of people talking about it on Twitter as well." Yosuke loved that kind of crap. He'd tried and failed to talk the rest of the team into signing up too. "Couple of Inaba tags, though they're basically full of dumb conspiracy theories and ghost stories."
Souji's eyebrows arched. "Ghost stories?"
"Yeah, you know. The town devoured by inexplicable fog! They're blaming angry gods, vengeful spirits – even Junes. Big surprise there."
"Figures," Kanji muttered. "Half the people I asked weren''t interested in talking 'bout anything except the stupid fog."
"That or the Midnight Channel." Chie shrugged. "Dunno why, it wasn't showing anything last night."
Kanji hadn't even thought to tune in. Did the Midnight Channel work with snow? "You watched it?"
"Yeah. I thought - well, maybe there'd be something on there. A clue." She sighed. "Some hope."
"You got anything, Naoto?" Yosuke asked. "Any new, uh...deductions?"
"Without any concrete new data to work with, there's little I can do. The police had an unusually large number of officers in their initial investigation of the first two incidents. To find facts even they overlooked would be difficult indeed, now that over half a year has passed." She pressed two fingers against her lips. "I've been entertaining various ideas and theories, but those are mere conjecture."
A faint, thoughtful frown had formed between Souji's brows. Like Naoto, he'd barely eaten any of his meal. "Were there any reports of suspicious people? Hanging around the inn, the shopping district, any other places the victims would have been?"
Naoto hesitated, then shook her head. "Not at the time."
In response, Rise made a small, frustrated sound. "Ugh, I don't get it. Inaba's a small town," she said, voice low. "The killer must've been amazing to have pulled all this off without being seen by anyone."
"…Not necessarily." Naoto had dropped her volume too, and was eyeing Otsuka at the other end of the counter. "A person can be invisible in various ways. Think of Namatame and the delivery van. Our culprit may have been hiding in plain sight all along."
"So there's no point asking people what they remember," Yosuke said. "Meaning, we're stuck."
"At present. But there must be someone in town who meets all the criteria for this case."
"Criteria?" Souji asked.
"First, a connection to both Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi." Naoto was listing them off on her fingers. "Second, a position allowing them to periodically observe our actions. And third, the ability to approach the first two victims and Souji-senpai's house without arousing suspicion."
"A lot of people could walk up to the front door. Pretty much anyone in a work uniform, like Namatame." Souji's frown deepened. "The first two requirements are more specific, but even then, I have no idea."
A silence fell, heavy as lead. Kanji glanced around the team, all of who looked like they were thinking way too hard. For a wild moment, he hoped one of them might come up with an answer, because he sure as hell wouldn't - but before anyone else could speak, Naoto stood from her seat at the counter. "I need some fresh air. I'll be outside."
An icy blast of wind blew through the shop when she opened the door - both Rise and Yosuke telling her in concert to get out and shut the door, didn't she know how cold it was?
"I don't get why she's going out there to begin with," Rise said, once the door was closed.
Kanji did. One of those things that supposedly helped Naoto think. He'd figured thinking would be easier sitting indoors someplace warm, but that was Naoto for you.
Souji stood, suddenly, and flipped his scarf back around his neck. "Be right back."
Then he went outside too, sending more freezing air into the shop - and a sharp, stupid pang of envy through Kanji. The worst part was, it made sense; Senpai would want to hang out with someone smart, someone who actually had a chance of solving this case.
Moments later, Yosuke got up too, and Chie grabbed his sleeve. "Hey, where are you going?"
He nodded toward the door. "Everyone else is heading out there."
"No, only the smart people went. You're off the hook."
"Very funny," he muttered, then broke away from her grip, opened the door to yet another blast of cold air, and disappeared outside.
Yukiko frowned. "I thought Yosuke didn't like the cold."
"He doesn't," Chie said, with something that wasn't quite a laugh. "But if Souji jumped off a cliff, Yosuke would be clinging to his ankles the whole way down."
"I…guess Senpai wants to talk to Naoto-kun about the case," Rise said, so quietly Kanji thought he might be the only one who could hear her. "I wish we could do more to help."
"We can," Kanji told her, "once we know who really did it. We'll kick their ass."
"You'll kick their ass," Rise corrected. "I'll stand behind you saying occasionally helpful stuff."
The four of them returned to their meals, and, in the case of the three girls, speculating about the Midnight Channel and what they'd heard about it at school. About five minutes passed before Yosuke hurried back in, with melting snow clinging to his coat and his cheeks and nose both tinged red.
He settled on Naoto's former seat at the counter and rubbed his hands together for warmth. "Man, the snow's started up again."
"What happened to Souji and Naoto-kun?" asked Yukiko.
"Eloped to have the world's smartest babies." Yosuke said - with what Kanji swore was a wink in his direction. "Nah, kidding. Souji left to visit Nanako-chan and Naoto said she needed to check some stuff at the police station. So I'm all you get."
Chie sighed and pushed back from the table. "Then we'd better call it quits for today. We'll have to work on this more after school tomorrow."
At least the snow wasn't heavy. Nonetheless, Kanji would've preferred to watch it from indoors, rather than stand outside the tofu store with snowflakes catching on his homemade woolen hat - particularly when Rise had spent the last two minutes fussing with her bag of Souji-targeted food.
"Don't see why I've gotta go too," he said. "S'gonna be weird."
Rise rolled her eyes. "I told you, I don't wanna walk through the fog alone." Finally, she held out her bag and winked at him. "Don't worry, I promise not to hit on Souji-senpai too much while you're in the room."
He grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder. Felt like she'd put rocks in there. Which, knowing Rise's cooking, probably wasn't far from the truth. "Like I care," he muttered. "But I thought Senpai was visiting Nanako-chan tonight?"
"Yeah, he is. He's probably still at the hospital." She frowned. "He barely ate anything at Aiya earlier, so I'm going to make sure he eats a good dinner."
Kanji grimaced. "So we're gonna sit on his doorstep and get snowed on?"
"No, silly! He said Adachi-san offered him a ride home again," Rise said. "He'll be home around eight, and we'll get there around eight fifteen - provided you stop fussing and start walking!" she finished, and poked him in the side for emphasis.
They set out into the fog. Given the weather, catching the bus would've been a better idea, but they ran so infrequently now that Kanji and Rise would probably spend as much time waiting at the stop as it would take them to walk to Souji's house. It just made Kanji nervous, trying to cross roads and bridges when he couldn't see more than a meter ahead, especially knowing that nobody else could either. It reminded him of how everything had looked during his first time inside the television, when Souji and the team had been helping him back from the bathhouse. Ted had told him not to worry, he'd get his own pair of glasses soon and then he'd be able to see just as well as-
Kanji paused. Glasses saw through fog inside the TV. Who was to say they wouldn't work out here?
He unzipped his coat, pulled them from the left inside pocket, put them on - and the fog vanished.
Save for the snow, his vision was crystal clear. Man, why hadn't he thought of this sooner? "Yo, Rise. Put your glasses on."
"What?"
"Your TV glasses. Put 'em on."
Rise pulled them from her pocketbook and slipped them on. Her first response was a gasp - quickly followed by, "Whoa, Kanji-kun, we have to tell Souji-senpai about this!"
"We'll tell 'im when we get to his house." A small, eager part of Kanji hoped Senpai would be impressed, realize that Tatsumi wasn't just good for breaking stuff.
As they walked on, Rise seemed more relaxed, like having the glasses somehow helped her. Maybe if she could see through the fog, it stopped Himiko from constantly trying to do so for her. Kanji hoped so - because another, darker thought had struck him. Glasses worked on fog inside the TV. Glasses also worked on the fog out here. It confirmed what he and some of the others had already suggested: that the fog was now the same in both places, spread from one to the other. And if that was the case, who knew what else had come over with it? No wonder people in town were getting so screwed up.
They arrived at Souji's house around fifteen minutes later - recognizable if not by sight, then by the three stray cats lurking on top of the wall out front - but the windows were dark. Rise made a small, annoyed sound. "Ugh, the lights aren't on. I hope Senpai didn't get delayed, I don't wanna wait outside in this weather."
Kanji moved closer and peered around the wall. "You won't have to. Door's open." The light above it was off, too, casting the whole house in darkness.
"Why would it -" Rise slipped around his side and called out through the doorway. "Hey, Souji-senpai? Are you home?"
Nothing.
Kanji held out his arm, blocking her from moving further forward. "Get behind me," he whispered, his muscles already tensing - then stepped inside the house.
It was dark, as he'd expected, and he immediately swung around the door, in case someone was waiting to jump them. Nobody was there. He couldn't hear any sounds of movement, either, not even slight shuffling noises or the sound of someone's breath. He took a deep breath, and flicked on the lights.
After squinting for a few moments as his eyes adjusted, Kanji could see that the living room was definitely empty. Could be someone upstairs, though, and he briefly considered heading up there to check - until he noticed Senpai's coat strewn on the kitchen floor.
Souji had clearly been home. But why would he have left the door open and just tossed his coat down? "Something's up. Senpai musta come back, but-"
"Kanji-kun," Rise cut in, disturbingly quiet.
"What?"
"These snow tracks." She pointed at a trail of melting snow, starting by the front door. "Look where they lead."
Kanji's eyes traced the snow across the living room floor, around the broken kotatsu, to the front of the television - where they stopped dead.
He gulped. "Oh, shit."
"But why would Senpai jump -" Rise shook her head, fists clenched in front of her chest. "He wouldn't, something's wrong, we have to go after him!"
Instinct told Kanji to do just that: jump right in, get Senpai back out. A smaller, more rational part said they didn't know for certain he was even in there. Another part again remembered exactly why they'd only ever gone to the TV world via Junes. "Man, we can't go in here! Remember what Ted said 'bout using different TVs?"
"I don't care! Going to Junes is gonna take too long and I might not even be able to find him. I'm going inside, are you gonna come with me or not?"
A few months back, when Naoto had been missing, Kanji had said exactly the same thing. Rise had followed. "I gotta. You did the same for me." He glanced at the TV - much smaller than the one at Junes - and grimaced. "Ain't sure I can fit in there, though."
"You'll find a way," Rise said, and climbed in head-first.
Dammit - he'd wanted to go first, take care of what was on the other side, but he should've guessed she wouldn't keep her cool right now. Just like he'd been with Naoto. Kanji took a deep breath, knelt in front of the television, and began to wriggle his way inside. His shoulders were the toughest part, but after a lot of twisting, he finally popped through. There was the usual burst of black and white static, the familar lurching of his stomach - and he hit the floor hard. Falling headfirst was a lot more painful than jumping.
The first thing he noticed was the red and black tiles under his face. The next was Souji and Teddie, standing in front of him and squaring off against one of the biggest Minotaurs he'd ever seen.
"Rise? Kanji?" Souji's breath came in gasps. "Wh-What the hell are you-"
Rise was already on her feet. "Senpai!"
"Oh, Rise-chan, you shouldn't be here!" Teddie's furrowed look of worry immediately shifted into a beaming smile. "But since you are, could you help us out?"
"Got it!" she said, and clasped her hands together, Himiko shimmering into the empty space behind her.
Kanji fell in line beside Souji and smacked a palm into one fist. "An' I'm ready too, Senpai!"
"I can't believe you both tried to…" The frustration quickly drained from his voice, replaced by a reproachful resignation. "We are definitely having a talk about this later."
Teddie stepped back from the Minotaur. "Sensei, Kanji-chan, keep the Shadows busy and I'll make a way out! I just have to figure out where we are…"
Good question. There was thick fog everywhere Kanji looked, even after he'd put his glasses on. This place didn't look like any of the other worlds he'd seen; it didn't look like anything much at all.
He glanced at Souji, who was still breathing hard and clutching his stomach. "Heal up, Senpai. I got this." Then he willed his card into his hand and crushed it - sending Take-Mikazuchi roaring out, cast in the blue light of Souji evoking beside them. The Persona drew back his fist, lightning crackling over his hand, and smashed it into the Minotaur.
The Shadow staggered back, and a follow-through Ziodyne sent it crashing to the floor. It vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Kanji was almost disappointed that the fight was over so soon - until two more Minotaurs emerged from the fog. "Dammit, how many of them are there?"
"We're in empty space," Ted said. He was still staring around the fog, presumably searching for whatever he needed to make an exit. "They're everywhere, and they won't stop coming."
"Ted and I fought nine already," Souji added.
Nine? Damn, this wasn't good. Souji evoked again - a different Persona now, the skeletal White Rider - and shot a stream of fire directly into the closer of the Shadows, almost singing Kanji on the way. He dodged sideways, called a Maziodyne as he moved. Take-Mikazuchi clapped his hands together, loud as thunder, and the bolts ripped through both Minotaurs. They sputtered out of existence, only to be replaced by three more. The leftmost immediately raised its hands - and a blast of ice shards ripped through the air.
A split-second later and Kanji wouldn't have pulled his shield up in time. The shards smashed into it, driving him backward and making the metal painfully cold to the touch. Over the sound of shattering ice, he heard Souji calling his name. "M'fine," he managed through clenched teeth. "Just keep those bastards back!"
The air popped, suddenly, like it was being pushed aside. When Kanji glanced over his shoulder, Ted was standing next to a television stack. "Okay, everyone, time to go go go! Jump in, Rise-chan!"
They climbed back out, one by one, Souji holding off the Shadows with White Rider until everyone else was safely through. All four of them tumbled gracelessly back into the Dojimas' living room; Kanji wound up sprawled over Teddie. "Ow! Kanji-chan, you're too heavy!"
"You might've shut the front door," said Souji.
Kanji rolled off Teddie and pulled himself to his feet. "Give us a break, Senpai, me and Rise were-"
"Um - c-could one of you help me out?" Rise cut in. Glancing over, Kanji realized she was clutching her left forearm, and her fingers were stained with blood.
Souji was by her side in an instant. "What happened?"
"An ice shard clipped me. Nothing major," she said, with a weak smile.
"I could've healed you back in there." He shook his head. "Damn it, why didn't you say anything?"
"Because we needed to get out, Senpai. And - it's really not that bad." She didn't sound convinced, and Kanji felt an awkward twist of guilt in his chest; after Souji, Rise was the one person the team all tried to protect. "B-Besides, I've spent months watching the rest of you get knocked around by Shadows. About time I took my turn, right?"
Souji was already halfway to the kitchen. "Don't. It's not a joke, Rise, your Persona can't -" He trailed off with an unhappy grunt, then opened the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a dusty-looking first aid kit.
…No way would Senpai have jumped in the television by himself. He couldn't have even been certain he'd make it back out without Teddie. Did that mean someone else was involved? "Senpai, how the hell did y'end up in there?"
"Adachi."
Holy crap. "What?"
Kanji didn't like Adachi, had never liked Adachi - but because the guy was useless and tactless. Not because he freaking threw people in televisions, because how would a moron like him even manage it?
…But what if he had, and he'd done it to Yamano and Saki too?
"He gave me a ride home. I got out of his car, went and unlocked the front door, and he - put a gun to my head." There was a shake at the edge of Souji's voice that he was clearly trying to hide. The effort made the words sound unnatural. "Then he forced me inside and shoved me headfirst through the screen."
"Holy shit," Kanji breathed. "I didn't - I thought the guy was an dick, but-"
"I know. If you told me yesterday what he'd do..." Souji trailed off, shaking his head. He was trying to clean Rise's wound, making her wince at the antiseptic.
"I always thought Adachi-san seemed k-kinda nice," she managed. "B-But why the TV, Senpai? Why didn't he just shoot you?"
"Think about it. Gunshot murders are pretty familiar ground for the police. When someone dies inside the television, the coroners can't tell anything."
"D'you think he knew we were looking for a new culprit?" Kanji asked.
Souji shrugged. He'd moved on to trying to bandage Rise's forearm, though he hadn't put a gauze pad on first and the bandages looked far too loose. "Probably, if he's been watching us. Naoto's been working with him too, she might've let something slip." He paused. "And after we all talked in Aiya...I started to have doubts about him. I might've asked a few too many questions."
"And so the bastard tried to get rid of you."
"He would have, if not for Teddie."
"Plus a bear-y big dose of luck." Ted glared at Souji, hands on narrow hips. "The TV world is huge, Sensei! I don't know how you managed to land so near to me."
"I don't know why you were in there to start with." Senpai's voice was quiet, but not gentle. Kanji couldn't blame him.
"I - I thought Nanako-chan was gone," Teddie said, equally quietly. "And you were mad at everyone."
"...I wasn't angry at you."
He rounded on Souji, fists clenched, an incongruous frown carved deep into his forehead. "Why not? Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Nao-chan, you were so angry at them for what happened and so nice to me but it was the same thing, and I don't get it!"
"Not now, Ted," Souji hissed.
Rise gripped his arm with her good hand. "C'mon, Senpai. You never brush anyone off like that."
He glanced at her, then turned back to Teddie - with this strange new expression, something between remorse and desperation. "You're...different. You didn't know what you were doing."
"I did. I remember it. I remember what I was thinking," Ted insisted. "And I can help fix Rise-chan."
Kanji blinked at him. What was he gonna do, evoke? "Y'can?"
Ted puffed out his underwhelming chest. "One of the supervisors at Junes showed me First Lemonade, in case anyone got hurt in the store." He knelt beside Rise and peered at the bandage wrapped haphazardly around her arm. "I'm still learning, but I can definitely do better than this."
"I never said I was good at everything," Souji pointed out.
Rise's smile was pained but genuine. "I'm impressed, Teddie. And when you're done, I'm gonna yell at you so bad for making me worry."
As Ted began tending to her wounded arm, Souji retrieved his phone from his coat pocket. "We need to call the others. Get everyone together, go get that bastard and-" He paused, frowning at the screen. "Huh. Naoto called."
"She only ever texts me," Kanji muttered without thinking.
"Same. She says it gets to the point quicker. But she didn't leave a message."
Something wasn't right about that. Naoto must've had a reason for calling rather than texting, so why hadn't she let Souji know?
A thought struck Kanji; a very, very bad one. He yanked his phone from his pocket - almost dropping it on the floor in his hurry - and flipped it open. "Damn, she called me too...hold on, she left a voicemail." He switched the phone to speaker then played the message back.
Except there wasn't a message. Just a sudden clattering at the start, followed by faint, rapid footsteps and a muffled voice that Kanji couldn't make out.
"Maybe it's a pocket dial," Souji said.
The tape was still playing, though the voice had suddenly stopped. Then more footsteps, even faster - and a loud, sharp bang.
Kanji's throat seemed to close up. "I-I don't think so, Senpai."
The message had ended there, with - whatever the sound was. A gunshot, maybe, except he didn't want to consider that, because then Naoto might be-
"What was that noise?" Ted asked. "Is Naoto-chan okay?"
Beside him, Rise was wide-eyed with dismay. "Senpai, that sounded like-"
"She's probably still at the station," Souji said, quick and firm. "I'll call the front desk."
Naoto had gone to the station after Aiya. Souji might not be the only obstacle Adachi wanted to remove. Kanji felt his stomach clench in on itself and twist into cold knots as he watched Senpai put his phone to his ear.
"Hello, this is Souji Seta, Detective Dojima's nephew. Is Detective Shirogane currently in the building?" A pause - and the colour washed instantly from his face. "I see. No, you don't have to take a message. Thanks for your help."
Kanji stared at him. "Senpai?"
Souji's face was pale; his expression a strained neutral; his eyes horrified. "He said Naoto left ten minutes ago. With Adachi."