*Chapter 14: Goodbyes*
"Hey guys," Yu slowly walked over to all his friends who were talking to Naoto by the shoe lockers. Naoto was going to leave tomorrow and they wouldn't see her for months. She was carrying everything she had brought to school, wearing her casual clothes after turning in her school uniform. Graduation was just a few weeks away and Yu and Chie we're going to leave just afterwards to move into their new apartment in Tokyo. Yosuke and Yukiko were going to move in together in about a month, and Naoto was leaving tomorrow morning. The year had passed by so fast, and they all felt horribly depressed over the fact. "Do you have any plans?" he asked them.
"We were just going to hang out for a little while," Yosuke said, "Spend some time with Naoto."
"Actually, if you don't mind I have a little surprise for all of us," Yu said.
"What is it?" Chie asked.
"It's a time capsule," Yu told them, "I wanted to have something for all of us to open in the future and I figured it'd be a good way for us to meet up again after we all head our separate ways."
"Where is it?" Yosuke asked, "Here at the school?"
"No, it's in the forest just out of town, meet me there in about an hour and we can bury whatever you want." Yu left along with the group who all went to their respective homes to find something that they felt was worthy enough to bury in the capsule.
The groups met back up and walked around in a nearby forest. The forest was nice and calm, winter was coming to a close and the snow had mostly melted away. The trees were still barren and dead from the winter winds, but they would come back soon enough.
"Here we go," Yu laughed as he brought them to a small clearing with a hole dug in the middle. Next to the hole was a large metal capsule with the lid off. "20 years from now, will dig up this time capsule and open it, remembering our adventures," Yu smiled as he looked at the group. "What did we all bring?"
"I brought my green coat," Chie said as she untied it from her waist and put it into the capsule, "I've had it forever and it's my favorite coat."
"Chie are you really going to give it up?" Yosuke seemed shocked.
"I'll get a new one," she smiled, "What about you?"
"I…I was going to toss my coat in too," Yukiko said, "I guess great minds think alike." She tossed hers in too.
"Well since we are being materialistic I am putting in my headphones," Yosuke walked up with his pair of headphones of his neck and tossed them in, "I am so used to wearing those things I feel naked without them…"
"I'm putting in this stuffed bear I made for that kid who lost this bear in the river," Kanji said, "He never took this one, probably cause I messed up the eye and stuff. Oh, and I'm putting this in!" he held up a photo from the cross-dressing competition back during their first year together.
"Dude, the last thing I want to remember when I'm older is that whole incident," Yosuke said, "It was humiliating." Kanji ignored Yosuke and dropped it into the capsule.
"Is Naoto putting her gun in?" Rise asked.
"What? No, it's my grandfather's, he wouldn't want me to lose it, he'd be very disappointed," Naoto walked up to the capsule and pulled her hat off, "I was going to put my hat in, I wanted to grow my hair out and the hat would've gotten in the way. Like your coats I too have had this for a long time," Naoto explained as the hat slipped out of her hands and drifted down to the bottom.
"Me next!" Teddie ran up and pulled out his white lacy shirt with the red rose pocket napkin in it, "It was the first shirt Chie and Yukiko bought me and I'll always treasure it."
"He just treasures it cause the girls saw him naked…" Yu rolled his eyes.
"And it was with my money so I should be the one your thanking," Yosuke yelled, "I wanted a new bike."
"You got a scooter," Yukiko told him, "Quit whining."
"Yes dear," Yosuke sighed as Yu and Kanji both chuckled, "What?"
"Nothing," Kanji said as Yu made a cracking noise and a whip like motion with his hand.
"Says you two!" Yosuke yelled.
"Whatever… dear," Yu smiled as Yosuke glared back at Yu.
"Um… I'm dropping in this," Rise pulled out some chopsticks, "They're the ones from Tatsumi Port Island and The Hot Springs."
"Who could forget that…" Yu and the rest of the guys remembered the night like it was yesterday. Seeing all the girls completely wet and in the nude for their pleasure.
"Well, what are you dropping in?" Yosuke turned to Yu as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag, inside were all the glasses the team wore inside the television.
"Where did you get those?" Yosuke asked, "I could've swore we lost them during the fight with Izanami."
"I went back and got them," he pulled his out, the lens still all broken from Izanami's efforts to defeat him, "They're kinda all… busted, but it's not like we need them anymore." He set the bag softly inside the capsule, pulling the lid over it; on top it read "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL 2033" in big black letters. The group helped lower it into the ground, covering it with dirt with a couple of shovels Yu had brought.
"Well, let's go live these next 20 years," Yu said as the group headed back to Inaba.
*The next morning*
The group was waiting together at the train station, Naoto carrying a small carry-on bag as she waited for the train to arrive. Nobody else was around, the group waiting silently. Eventually, the train showed up, pulling in softly to the station.
"I'm no good with goodbyes," Naoto frowned as she went up to all the girls, giving them a big hug. Rise, Chie, and Yukiko sobbing. Yosuke and Teddie both were giving her a goodbye hug as well. She went up to Yu, giving him a hug as well.
"Stay safe," Yu said as his eyes began to water.
"I will," she smiled going up to Kanji finally, the two kissing one last goodbye, "I'll call you as soon as I get to my destination."
"I love you," Kanji said.
"I love you too… wait for me," she began to cry as she walked away from the group.
"Naoto wait!" Kanji ran back to her, "Take this!" he quickly pulled the bullet necklace off his neck and put it on Naoto's neck, "Think of it as a memento of us… and when you get in a firefight you'll always have a spare round for your gun!"
"I don't think it's the same caliber," she laughed while still crying, "Thank you…" the two shared one last kiss before she got onto the train, looking back out at the group as they all began to wave goodbye. The train began to take off, and Naoto eventually disappeared into the distance.
"Do you think we'll ever see her again?" Yukiko asked as she wiped some tears away from her face.
"Of course, we'll all see each other again," Yu said as they continued to stare into the distance. They eventually left, walking slowly back to their own homes, getting ready for the next few days ahead.
*Two Days Later*
"Yosuke, since we are going to be living together I was hoping that you could do something for me that I know is a big step," Yukiko explained. The seven were all sitting at a table in Junes again, missing Naoto more and more. Yukiko pulled out a small list and handed it to Yosuke, "I need you to buy a few items for me. I'm making us dinner."
"So you want me to do some grocery shopping," Yosuke laughed, "Making your boyfriend a romantic dinner?"
"Something like that," Yukiko teased as Yosuke opened the list.
"Carrots, eggs, flour," Yosuke read the list a loud, "Seems really simple, not sure why you…" Yosuke trailed on until he came to the final item on the list. His eyes locked onto it at simply stared at the written word, he put the list down and looked straight at Yukiko, "…no…"
"I mean, it's something I need," Yukiko said, "I figured you could get use to buying them, I wrote down the brand and everything."
"What is it?" Yu grabbed the list himself, it was a basic grocery list, but as he read the last item he truly understood Yosuke's fear. The item was that which no man would ever want to buy or think about buying, tampons.
"You're gonna make Yosuke buy those," Yu's face grew pale along with Yosuke, "Yukiko, that's evil."
"You could get me some too!" Chie smiled, "It'll be good training for the both of you, besides, it's not like we don't buy embarrassing things for you when you're running low."
"One time," Yu said.
"It was more than once!" Chie told him back, " 'Oh, Chie, I need condoms and you're closer to Junes than me, please pick some up for us tonight so I can give it to you'," she mocked Yu.
"Please," Yosuke pleaded, "Do not make me go into that aisle, grab a box, and purchase it for everyone to see," Yosuke was almost crying, "It's emasculating!"
"Just go get it over with, there's nothing wrong with buying those for your girlfriend, it's a perfectly natural thing for people to buy," Yukiko sternly told them.
"Our dads buy them all the time," Chie said, "They seem fine with it." The two men were petrified by their fear, but mustered up all the courage to get out of their chairs and slowly walk away from the food court.
"What are they buying?" Kanji asked as he took a bite of steak.
"Tampons," Chie said reaching over for Kanji's steak, "And I take it you won't be needing this anymore."
"What are tampons?" Teddie asked, oblivious again to the customs of adult humans.
"Oh, you don't know Teddie, we should explain it all to you," Rise said as Kanji's face turned green, "You see, when a girl becomes a woman…"
"Oh dear god I'm going to be sick," Kanji said as Rise continued on. Back with Yosuke and Yu, they had made their way down to the shopping department and were dragging themselves along to the toiletries part of the store. They had been near this aisle before, but never hoped to actually go into it.
"Okay," Yu looked down at his phone, Chie had texted him what kind to get, "…heavy flow?" Yu almost barfed as he read the words, "I can't do this man."
"We have to do this!" Yosuke said, surprising Yu with his resolve, "If we don't, we're never getting laid again."
"I can't even think about that right now, why on earth would I want to put myself anywhere near that part of Chie when this is happening?" Yu said.
"I don't know," Yosuke said fearfully, "All I know is, we have to do this… ready partner?"
"I'm ready," Yu smiled as the two went into the aisle side by side. They quickly scanned all the products for the ones they needed, "There's different sized packs, how much should we get. How many do you go through in five days?"
"I don't know, I guess we just get the big ones," Yosuke grabbed a big pack and looked at the price, "1500 yen!? Why is it so expensive?"
"Mine's about 1800 yen because they are… for the heaviest of flows… oh my god," Yu looked away in horror. The two turned around as they saw a familiar sight looking at both of them holding two large boxes of tampons. It was him again, the kid Yukiko had punched back at Halloween, the pain in their ass. He was simply looking at them, a few of his friends by him.
"What are you looking at?" Yosuke scolded him.
"Nothing…" He seemed to quickly back off, "I guess it's both your time of the month. Doesn't surprise me, women who hang out a lot tend to get on the same cycle."
"Shut up! Maybe we'll sick Yukiko on you again," Yu yelled at him, "Make you cry for your mommy again."
"Heh, you two are typical women, threatening to have their boyfriends Yukiko and Chie beat us up because they're all emotional over their periods," he laughed at the two with his friends. They quickly ran away as Yosuke and Yu tried to chase after them. The two made their way discretely to the register and bought the supplies and carried them as far away from people's eyesight. They ran back to the food court where the rest of the group was still sitting.
"Here," Yosuke and Yu threw the big boxes down on the table, "Take these as far away from us as you can."
"Why did you get so many?" Chie said, "I only needed like 20 at most, not 200!"
"Take those off the table!" Kanji said pushing his new steak away, "If I have to look at them any longer I will never eat again."
"Yummy!" Chie grabbed the steak and began to sing, "Steak! Steak! STEAK!"
*Graduation Day*
The remainder of their time seemed to fly as quickly as possible; eventually they found themselves on their way to school, dressed in their graduation robes. Yu went to roof to think about everything he had encountered over these past few years.
He remembered arriving in Inaba, greeted by his uncle and cousin. He remembered meeting Chie and Yukiko at school. He remembered falling into the television and being so scared. He remembered unlocking his true power and how they went on to save the world, defeating a god. He remembered all the fun adventures they had this past year and how his life returned to normal.
The school was extremely busy, parents and students all gathering and driving around to get ready for the ceremony. Yu headed to the roof where he promised to meet up with Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko before they graduate. Yu sat down on the edge of the roof, getting a nice view outwards at Inaba. He never noticed how nice the view was from up there, never taking the time to truly look over the town.
"Graduation time," Yosuke said as he sat down next to Yu. Chie and Yukiko sat down next to Yu as well, the four simply listening to the sounds of the crowd below.
"Yep… kinda sucks that this may be the last time we do something like this for a while," Chie sadly smiled.
"This is the end," Yukiko smiled, a single tear falling from her eye.
"No it isn't," Yu said, "It's just the beginning of the rest of our lives," Yu said.
"That's a horrible line," Chie laughed, "You've watched too many cheesy movies."
"Yeah, thanks to you," Yu joked, "You're kung-fu movies have the worst dialogue like that about destiny and friendship and love."
"Well, considering all that happened to us, maybe we are in a movie or something?" Yosuke said, "It's a little surreal, The Midnight Channel and Teddie and Personas."
"I haven't thought about those things for a while," Yukiko said, "I've forgotten that part of our lives, it's been so long."
"It all feels like a bad dream," Chie said.
"Thank god," Yu said, "I'm glad we finished all that business for good. Izanami told us that we could decide our fate now that the fog is gone."
"I'm happy with my fate," Yosuke said, "Guess we did find happiness after all."
The four smiled as they went down into the auditorium, taking their seats with the rest of their class. The parents were sitting with them in their own area, the ceremony beginning with speeches from the class president and the principal.
"Damn this is boring," Yu said to himself as he looked around. They were all seated alphabetically; Yu in the middle while Chie was a few rows behind him and Yosuke a few in front of him with Yukiko at the front. The speech went on for what seemed forever. The principal loved to talk, not as much as that one from Tatsumi Port Island did, but he could give him a run for his money. Of course, he had to bring up the murders and Saki Konishi. Yosuke must've been hurting; he truly cared for Saki, even if it was more of an infatuation than a love. At least he had Yukiko now, he cared for her and she cared for him, a kind of mutual love he always wanted.
Finally, they began to line up to receive their diplomas. The whole thing took even longer, but eventually Yu was given his diploma and walked off the stage, heading back to his seat with it in hand. Finally, they were given the final words and they all threw their hats in celebration and everyone began piling out of the hall.
"We're done with high school!" Yosuke cheered as he ran up and high fived Yu, "Real world here we come." Yukiko and Chie ran up to the two as the four began chatting and celebrating, "No more stupid freaking tests and studying and dumb crap like that."
"Well… for you maybe," Chie said.
"Yeah… sucks to be you two," Yosuke laughed as he ran off to go talk to some other classmates. Yukiko hurried off to talk to her parents while Chie and Yu both stood alone.
"Wait a minute," Chie said to Yu as she looked over his shoulder. "You're parents have never met my parents have they?"
"I… I guess not," Yu said.
"Well, since we are going to be living together it'd be good for them to meet each other," Chie told him and ran over to go get her parents. Yu walked over to his parents who were chatting with Dojima and Nanako.
"Hey sweetie," Yu's mom told them, "I'm so proud of you!"
"Good job kid," his dad said.
"Congratulations big bro," Nanako smiled.
"Thanks Nanako," Yu smiled back at her, "I actually wanted to talk to you two."
"What about?" his mom asked.
"Yes, I uh, actually wanted to introduce you to my girlfriend's parents," Yu nervously said as he looked over at Chie who was dragging her parents along, "You never met them and I figured you'd kinda want to meet them."
"Mom, dad, this Mr. and Mrs. Narukami, Yu's parents," Chie said as the six all met up together. Yu got very nervous along with Chie, although neither would show any sign of it. They wanted to make a good impression about their families to their sign cant other's family.
"Hi, a pleasure," Yu's mother shook their hands followed by the same from Yu's father. Yu and Chie both were watching their parents hoping they would get along.
"You're daughter is a very lovely woman," Yu's father said, "Yu always had a type and your daughter fits the profile."
"Profile?" Yu angrily asked as his dad was being blunt again.
"You were always into manlier women," his father said, "I thought this was because you were secretly gay, but I was wrong." Yu choked as he sat there in shock over his father's bluntness.
"To be fair we thought Chie was gay to for the longest time, but I guess she just had a thing for feminine men," Chie's dad joked with Yu's dad, being just as blunt as his father.
"I'm not gay!" Chie exclaimed.
"Honey, we love you for you and we just thought you were taking your time coming out to us," Chie's mother said, "And your boyfriend is rather feminine, but that's fine."
"Feminine?!" Yu was stammered along with Chie.
"Manwhore…" Yosuke coughed out as he walked by quickly.
"I'm not a manwhore!" Yu cried out.
"Well this is freaking awkward," Chie said to herself, "Let's just leave," Chie dragged her parents away as Yu himself hung his head in shame.
"They seem nice," Yu's father said, "Surprised he managed to beat you up, you could probably take him in a fight."
"Wonderful… just wonderful," Yu sighed, "You two have got to be the most embarrassing parents ever."
"No… I could be drunk and tried to hit on her mom," Yu's dad smiled.
"Oh my god," Yu wandered off.
"Hey, my parents want to get a picture with all of you," Yukiko said as the four got together, their parents taking pictures of the four all holding their diplomas. The celebration went on for some time, eventually everyone returning to their homes.
*Later that night*
Yu looked down at his phone as it vibrated from the text he just received; you opened the messenger and saw it was from Yosuke. It was lightly raining and Yu knew that they were going to try the rainy day challenge without a doubt. Yu never managed to conquer the infamous bowl, in fact, no one had. People tried constantly and failed.
"Meet me at Aiya's, we're having one last meal together," it read. Yu put his coat on and walked out of the house and through his familiar paces towards the shopping district. It occurred to him that he was walking down this road for the first time as an adult, not a high school student. He no longer had to wear the school uniform or ever step foot in that school again, and he felt both sad and happy, truly the end of an era.
He arrived outside Aiya's, looking inside to see Chie and Yukiko and Yosuke all sitting at one of the tables with an empty seat for Yu.
"Hey man," Yosuke said as Yu took his seat, "We're all getting the rainy day challenge."
"Going to try it one more time," Yu laughed.
"I'm going to win," Chie smiled, "I am not leaving Inaba until I finally beat this stupid bowl! Do you know how long I've been trying to beat this thing?"
"I don't know," Yu said, "How long?"
"I first tried as a little kid, my parents bought it after I begged them and ever since then I've tried and tried and tried and keep failing," Chie explained, "I will defeat this thing. I've been studying."
"Studying how to eat?" Yosuke asked, "How do you study how to eat."
"I've been reading up and watching videos on professional eaters," Chie said, "First off, I've only had a couple of light meals these past few days."
"Why not just starve yourself and make more room?" Yu asked.
"Actually, the lack of food makes the stomach shrink somewhat and you lose room to eat," Chie said, "Like I said before, I've done my homework and I claim victory of the rainy day challenge once and for all." The waitress brought out the four large bowls and set them down in front of the four. Chie put her napkin around her neck to prepare to dig into the bountiful feast.
"Before we try this, I'd like to propose a toast," Yosuke said lifting his glass, "To the four of us, may we remain friends forever… and may we finally beat the rainy day challenge." The four clinked their glasses of water together and dug into the bowl.
Everyone tried their best to conquer the challenge. Yukiko gave up first, not even making a dent in the bowl; she was so light a petite that there was no way she could do it. Yosuke and Yu gave up at about the same place, only about a quarter of the way through their bowls. However, Chie was determined to finish this bowl.
"Come on Chie," Yosuke cheered her on, "You can do it."
"My stomach is on fire!" Chie grunted as she looked at the bowl, only half way empty.
"Then stop, you don't have to do this!" Yukiko pleaded, "You're going to hurt yourself."
"I have to do this," Chie cried out as she dug headfirst into the bowl.
"Atta girl," Yu smiled.
She was eating with every fiber of her body. Each bite was harder and harder to chew and swallow. Her jaw became cramped as the taste of beef became sick to her. She ate and ate and ate, slower and slower, an hour passed and she had eaten three fourths of the bowl.
"How are you feeling?" Yukiko asked.
"Ahhh," Chie let out a small grunt. She was sweating now as she swallowed another chunk with all her might. She continued on and chunk by chunk she began to see the bottom of the bowl. She had entered the meat dimension and became a well versed traveler. Finally, after all the sweat and tears she arrived at the final piece. Everyone in the diner was watching Chie as she eyed the last piece and picked it up, her entire arm shaking as she brought it to her mouth and with every last ounce of strength she swallowed it whole, "DONE!"
The crowd let out a huge cheer as the owner shed a single tear; someone had finally conquered his creation. Yu watched as Chie put her head down and rested.
"You did it!" Yosuke said, "We won!" Chie's picture was taken next to the empty bowl and her photo and name were posted to a small plaque which sat near the back empty for a long time, until now. Chie was carried out of the diner by Yu and Yukiko, unable to walk from the fullness. She was completely bloated and red all over. The three carried Chie back to her house, Chie moaning softly from pain.
"Are you going to be okay?" Yu looked at her, "Do you need to go to the hospital?"
"No, I'm just going to go home and go to bed and digest this food," Chie gasped out, trying her best not to vomit.
"How fattening do you think that bowl is?" Yukiko asked.
"Chie will burn it off pretty quick," Yu said, "I'm more worried she is going to end up clogging up her stomach with all that beef."
"Urgh," Chie tried to say something as she couldn't speak and simply let out a heinous smelling burp.
"Holy shit Chie!" Yosuke walked away from her, "That stinks so bad. It smells like vomit."
"She's probably got heartburn and real bad acid reflux," Yu said, "She ate the whole damn bowl."
"Daaaa," Chie sighed as the three continued to carry her home. The four arrived outside her house, setting Chie down as she clenched her stomach as hard as possible.
"Goodnight…" Yosuke said as they watched Chie limp off.
"Goodnight," she managed to mouth out as she waved quickly and hobbled into the house. She opened the door and collapsed on the couch, letting out a large moan along with her stomach.
"Chie?" Chie's dad walked out, "Chie?"
"Yeah!" she quickly responded.
"Are you hurt?" he ran over to his daughter and knelt down, "What's wrong?"
"I did it, I ate the entire rainy day special beef bowl," Chie smiled, "I beat it!"
"You ate the whole thing!" he exclaimed, "How in hell…" Chie let out another huge grunt as her stomach let out another moan.
"My stomach!" Chie cried out, "It hurts."
"I'll get some medicine," he said as he went over to the cabinet and handed her a spoonful of medicine for upset stomachs. He stayed with her until she seemed to calm down and her stomach calmed down as well.
"Dad," Chie said tiredly and in pain, "…I'm sorry for yelling at you."
"I'm sorry for yelling at you too," He said, "I'm going to miss you."
"I don't wanna go," Chie began to cry, "I want to stay in Inaba."
"I know… and I want you to stay," he put his hand on her back and began to rub it, "I love you more than anything in this world. When you were little and sick I used to sing to you until you fell asleep… Hushaby, hushabye… my good baby, sleep…" Chie's father continued to sing to her for the rest of the night while Chie softly cried herself to sleep.
*The next morning*
Yu found himself in another familiar place, his room at The Dojima household empty again. He and Chie had shipped of most of their stuff to the apartment and his parents left straight after graduation to get everything in order for him and Chie, Yu only carrying the clothes on his back and a small bag as he went downstairs to see Dojima and Nanako waiting for him in the living room.
"Should we get going?" Dojima said as Yu nodded. Nanako started crying as she ran over to Yu, holding on to his leg.
"Please don't go big bro," she cried.
"It's okay," he comforted her, "I'll always be with you, you can call me every night and we'll play whenever I come back."
"Why do you have to leave?" Nanako asked.
"Because I have to go to college, I don't want to leave you, but I have to for now," Yu squatted down next to her and hugged her, "I promise you I'll come back as many times as I can and we can play all day and night when I do."
She continued to cry softly as Dojima picked her up and carried her to the car. The three went off, Yu passing by everything one last time; eventually they arrived at the train station. Just outside the station were Chie and her parents along with the whole gang. Yu got out as he went up to Chie who hugged him.
"How are you doing?" Yu asked her.
"I'm fine," she smiled and then started to cry again, "I lied, I'm a wreck."
"Take care Yu," Dojima walked over and shook his hand, "I'll see you around. You always have a place here in Inaba."
"Thanks," he turned the handshake into a hug as he bent down to say one last goodbye with Nanako, "Nanako… I love you. Promise me one thing after I go."
"What?" Nanako asked with watery eyes.
"That you make sure Yosuke doesn't do anything stupid because I can't watch over him anymore and he needs someone responsible like you around." Nanako smiled as Yu laughed.
"I promise big bro," Nanako said, "Can we go swimming when you come back this summer?"
"Sure," Yu got back up and walked over to Chie who was hugging her mom and dad goodbye.
"Alright," Chie pulled away from her mom, "I'll call you later today. I love you."
"We love you two, promise me you'll be safe," Chie's mother smiled through her tears/
"We promise," Yu said as he exchanged a solitary look with Chie's dad. The two putting aside their dislike for one another for Chie. Finally, the two approached Yosuke and Yukiko, the two people they probably had been with the longest and felt the strongest bond with.
"It's been a fun couple years," Yu smiled.
"Hey Yukiko, you're not going to make fun of me if I start crying now, right?" Yosuke said as his voice started to crack, "Because I'm going to cry pretty quickly," his words breaking down into tears.
"Go right ahead," Yukiko cried, "I'm not gonna hold back." Yosuke started crying hard as he went up to Yu and hugged him. Yukiko ran up to Chie, the two girls crying into each other's arms. Yu himself began to cry over thought how much he was going to miss his friends.
"I'm going to miss you beary much," Teddie ran over to the four and tackled them all to the ground as he was rolling around crying.
"I know Teddie," Yu said.
"C-can," Teddie was wiping the tears away from his face, "I get a goodbye smooch from you two?"
"No!" Yu said.
"But you've kissed me before!" Teddie cried again.
"Wait, you kissed Teddie?" Chie and the rest looked at him.
"What?" Yu said, "I never kissed you!"
"Sure you did, like this," Teddie quickly puckered up and planted a huge kiss on Yu much to the shock of everyone at the station.
"What the hell," Dojima said to himself as he looked at the sight from the car
"SWEAR!" Nanako yelled from the other side of the station as she was getting a soda from the machine.
"Get the hell of me Teddie!" Yu threw him on the ground and wiped his lips, "Damn!"
"SWEAR!" Nanako yelled again as she was drinking her Mad Bull.
"Uh… so yeah," Chie rubbed the back of her neck as Rise came up and gave her and Yu a hug.
"I'm going to miss you two so much it's un-bear-able," Rise said.
"Did you just make a bear pun?" Kanji asked.
"I guess Teddie is starting to rub off on me," she gave out a nervous laugh.
"See you two around," Kanji said as he gave Chie a hug and Yu, blushing through both of them, "I hope to see you again this summer with Naoto and we'll all get to hang out again."
"I'll see you all in a few months," Chie smiled as the two took a couple steps looking around at Inaba one last time.
"Goodbye," Yu said looking back at his friends and family as he and Chie boarded the train. A few tears rolling down his face as he watched his friends slowly crying. The doors slowly closed, and the train began to move, and pretty quickly his friends had disappeared from his view, he and Chie still standing in place softly crying. Chie walked over to a seat, wiping the tears away from her now red eyes. Yu walked over, sitting down next to her as she continued to cry. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small little folded piece of paper and handed it to her. She opened it up; revealing that photo the group had taken near the end of Yu's first year.
"I always keep this photo on me," Yu said, "As a reminder of the people in my life that I care about, and that I'll never forget them. Take it."
"Yu…" she said, "I can't."
"I'll make a photocopy, take the original Chie," Yu said. Chie started to smile, giving Yu a quick kiss as they looked out the window at the passing countryside that eventually disappeared along with everything else.
*Tokyo*
"Hoy crap I forget how crowded these trains get in the city," Chie squeezed her way outside of the train carrying their luggage. The two made their way through the crowded station to the outside, Yu calling his parents to let them know they were here.
"Hi honey!" Yu's mother ran up and hugged and kissed him on the cheek, "I'm glad you're back with us in the city! And it's good to see you again Chie."
"Thanks," Chie smiled, "I'm glad to be back."
The four made their way through the city, the streets more crowded and dirty than Chie remembered. She found herself wishing she didn't leave Inaba and that she could take the train everyday to the police academy and still be close to everyone. Of course that could never happen unless Chie decided to leave every day at 2:00 in the morning from Inaba and come back around 11:00 at night. Eventually, they made their way to the building their apartment was located in, taking the elevator up to the floor. The place was brand new, so it looked amazing. They made their way to the door, opening it up and shocked by the insides.
They place was extremely tiny, a kitchen, bed, and bathroom all tucked into an area that must have been the size of Yu's bedroom back home. Inside were a couple boxes they had shipped all their things in.
"Wow, look at this place, brand new," Yu's mother peered inside, "You two are so lucky that they finished construction on this place in time for the new semester."
"It's so… small," Chie said, "How are we supposed to live here?"
"Well, it's all we can afford right now," Yu said as he went over and opened up the boxes. The two set up their new apartment with the help of his parents.
"I'll see you later," Yu's mother hugged him along with his dad; "Maybe we'll come pick you two up for dinner. Have fun in your new apartment," she smiled as the two parents left. Yu closed the door and sat down on the small bed located away from the door, it was barely a twin and they'd have to sleep right up next to each.
"Well…this is our life," Yu said as the two stood facing each other in the small apartment, "I think the future is going to be wonderful." Yu smiled as the two continued to stand there in complete silence, the smiles slowly disappearing from their faces as they began to realize that life on their own was scary and not as luxurious as they once thought.
"You wanna christen the bed?" Yu looked over at Chie.
"Christen?" Chie asked as Yu quickly gave her a kiss and pulled her down onto the bed, "Oh!" Chie let out a couple of quick giggles.