Heeeeey, sorry it took so long! I've had a (sort of) busy summer, plus I finally got around to playing Golden! But anyway, here it is! It's a nice and long one too to make up for all the time I've been away. Sorry! ^^;

-Purple

"Yes. ... Yes, of course. ... Okay. Thank you. ... Yes, hopefully eight of us. There is one in particular who I would like to be examined more thoroughly. ... Much obliged. I will see you tomorrow at three." I hung up my cell phone.

Something had still been bothering me into the next day, October seventh. Many curiosities had arisen in me since I'd been more formally introduced to Teddie, and feeling as useless compared to him as I did, I felt like I should do something in order to help him. There wasn't much I could do, but having my skills and interests in forensics and medicine, there was one thing I thought of which may have I finally got the chance in the afternoon, I walked into class 2-2, where I saw Yu, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko conversing with each other. Yu was sitting at the desk I had sat at the day before during lunch. I guessed that it had been his seat. I didn't know why this observation stood out for me. Regardless, I entered the room and cleared my throat before speaking up loudly.

"Excuse me," I said. They turned their heads toward me, but so did the other students in the classroom. I looked around at them and then approached the others, talking slightly more quietly as not to disrupt the others. It seemed that I had become a bit too relaxed since joining the Investigation Team. "Do you have time after school today?"

"Did something happen?" Chie asked.

"No..." I said, "Rather, I'd like to have a doctor examine Teddie."

"A doctor?" Yosuke asked, sounding confused.

"You mean a vet?" Yukiko asked.

No, seeing as Teddie was not exactly an actual animal, and his human form seemed more anatomically correct, I was not suggesting that he went to a vet. "The normal kind, actually. If you're free, I've scheduled a checkup for him after school today. A thorough physical examination might be a good first step in figuring out what Teddie is. And I thought it might be a good idea for the rest of us to get checkups as well. We should see if the fog over there or the power we've gained have had any negative effects on our health. Since you all have been active on the other side far longer than I have, you should definitely be examined."

Yosuke looked concerned. "Negative effects!? D-Don't drop scary stuff on us like it's nothing…" He sighed to himself. "Yeah… I never even thought about that."

"I've arranged to have Kanji-kun and Rise-san looked at as well," I said.

"Wow, you're on the ball about this..." Chie said, sounding impressed. "Are you sure you're not an adult?"

"Her height's a big giveaway, though," Yosuke teased.

His comment was uncalled for, but true. I despised being so unreasonably short for my age. "Well..." I said, turning to leave, "I'll see you after school." I exited the classroom.

When school ended, I stopped at my locker and exchanged a few things. To my surprise, I heard Rise's voice as she came up to me.

"Hey, Naoto-kun," she said cheerfully.

I turned to look at her. "Oh, hello, Rise-san."

"Yu-senpai told me about your plans to go to the doctor this afternoon. I thought that was a really smart idea."

"Yes, well," I said, "I've been thinking about the case a lot lately, and I want to do my best in contributing to the team. I've never really fought before, nor have I used my Persona yet, but I thought I'd at least contribute some of my logical skills."

"It's really helpful," Rise said, grinning, "Thanks. We know you'll be a great addition to the team. Hey... Do you want to hang out for a bit before we head over to the hospital?"

I looked at her, unsure if I had heard that correctly. "Excuse me?"

"You know," Rise said, "Maybe go down to the shopping district and see what's around? You are new here, aren't you? I haven't lived here in a long time, but this is kind of my hometown, after all."

"I know my way around pretty well," I said, "I walk through the shopping district on the way to school each morning."

"Oh, come on, Naoto-kun," Rise whined, "It doesn't matter what we do or what purpose it's for, I was just asking if you wanted to hang out. Live a little, for Pete's sake!"

"U-Uh," I stammered, "Alright, then, I guess we can walk around a bit. I don't have any other plans for the time being. I'll just have to inform my grandfather..."

"Great!" Rise squealed, raising a fist into the air. "You can call on the way there. Let's go!" She grabbed my wrist yet again and pulled me out the front door, and then past the entrance gates.

"C-Cut it out!" I wailed, regaining my footing and pulling my hand out of hers. "I'm sorry, Rise-san, but could I request that you please not drag me around like that?"

Rise laughed. "I'm sorry, Naoto-kun. I just want you to have a little fun in your life, that's all."

"F-Fun?"

"Oh, come on. Don't make me spell it out for you like in cheesy kids' shows. You know what fun is!"

I was silent.

"Oh..." Rise said, sounding more serious, "You don't get to have fun very often, do you? You must come from one of those strict disciplinary families who only accept prodigies, like yourself..."

"No, actually," I said, "Ironically, it's the exact opposite. I am the disciplinary one."

Rise walked up to me, lowering her head and looking straight up into my eyes. Her own eyes were a coppery brown, and in them I sensed much joy, as well as the torment she must have faced when confronting her own shadow. "Hey," she said to get my attention, "Then why don't you let your guard down for one hour, and have a little fun. The case can wait, and the detective business can wait. Try not being a detective for one hour, and instead, just being a regular teenage girl."

Try not being a detective? Try being a "normal teenage girl?" The words sickened me. How could I not be a detective? It was my very essence of existence; it was all I was! Still... Her words struck interest in me. Maybe I should let my guard down a bit, if only for an hour. "Okay."

Rise smiled. "Awesome! Come on, then, let's go to the shopping district."

"So, what would you like?"

I opened my eye halfway and slightly lifted the brim of my hat, which was over my face as I leaned backward on one of the chairs in front of Souzai Daigaku. Rise's cheery face appeared yet again in front of me, nearly striking a ghastly fear into my core. I felt like prey before her. "Just a coffee would suffice."

"Are you sure?" she asked. I nodded once. "Alright, how do you take it?"

"Just black, please."

"Woah," Rise's eyes widened. "Black? You sure about that?"

I nodded. "Yes."

She nodded in reply. "Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes."

I tilted my head back again when she left, closing my eyes and exhaling deeply. Rise was kind, but she was quite a handful to keep up with. I was quite exhausted from the day's efforts, and as I realized, I didn't quite feel like myself at all. Something about myself felt different, though I could not pinpoint exactly what it was. So much had happened to me over the course of the past few weeks, not counting the entire interval of time since I had first moved to Inaba. Perhaps this was what prompted me to be so mentally exhausted.

"Here you go," Rise said as she placed a small cup of coffee in front of me. I moved my hat back to the top of my head and leaned forward, picking it up. The bitter scent wafted from the spout of the cap and stung at my nostrils. Without hesitation, I brought it to my lips and took a small sip of the hot, bitter liquid.

"Is it alright?" Rise asked, sounding slightly concerned.

I looked at her. "Hm? Yes; why do you ask?"

"I don't know," she said, shrugging a bit, "You just looked kind of grossed out for a second there."

"I'm not," I said, "Trust me, I always drink black coffee." Come to think of it, I had been grimacing unknowingly.

"Okay, then." Rise removed the paper wrapping from around her straw and stuck the straw into the cup of fruity soda she had bought.

"You really got something with that much sugar?" I said, "Before we go to the hospital?"

"Yeah," she said, taking a sip, "What about it?"

I sighed. "It'll cause a spike in your blood sugar levels. You'll have to inform them that you consumed a large amount of sugar prior to the checkup.:

"Oh," said Rise, "Well, I guess it'll be fine if I tell them that."

"We're trying to test for unanimous oddities in our results, anyway," I said after taking a gulp of coffee, "One less blood test result should not defer the data too much. It would only be alarming if all of us experienced the same symptoms."

"You're so smart, Naoto-kun," Rise said in playful envy, "I wish I had a brain like that. It'd help me to at least do well on my exams."
"Well," I said, smiling and raising my eyebrows, "As I told you at Escapade during the school trip, most detectives are well-versed with medicine, so I have been trying my best to further my studies in that area. However, this is elementary compared to what I have been studying as of late."

Rise chuckled and shook her head. "I would never be able to study on my own time like that. Honestly, sometimes I wish I had a mind like yours." She grinned, but looked down at the table in front of her with a bittersweet expression. "I can't really change who I am, I guess, but sometimes I wish I could have a job like yours."

I scoffed in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You are an idol. You are known throughout all of Japan, and I assume that just about every girl in our school would give anything to be in your place."

"It's not as great as it seems," Rise chuckled half-heartedly. "But you are right, I know that just about every girl at school would want to be me." She grimaced as if it were hard to say. Then, she grinned up at me. "Well, every girl except for you, I'm guessing."

I looked at her, biting my lip. "Actually," I began, "Truthfully, I sometimes wish I could have a job like yours as well."

Rise raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah," I said, looking down at the table, "Touring Japan, getting to see other parts of the world, everyone wanting to be like you, or even to just see you... Not to mention getting to perform on stage in front of so many people." I sighed and shuddered slightly. "Having the ability to even set foot on stage in front of so many people. That's something I would never be able to do."

"You went on TV though, right?" Rise said, "You agreed to be on that news special right before you were kidnapped."

I grinned in embarrassment. "I never said it was something I wanted to do. I would rather have not done it, but it was a necessary measure I had to take." I fidgeted uncomfortably. "That was my first time on TV, or even in front of such an audience. Well, it was my first time in the spotlight, at least. I have been mentioned in news reports and appeared on the sidelines or in a group I was working with, but I have never received that much public attention."

"Ooooh," Rise grinned in an almost sinister fashion, "Looks like you got a little stage fright!"

I blushed, concealing my face as I pulled down the brim of my hat. "I do have to admit that I get anxious in front of large groups of people, even more so when their attention is focused on me. I would never be able to set foot on stage like you do. Possibly in a group, but never alone."

"Are you saying you've never been on a stage before?" Rise asked.

"I have once," I said, "It was during a piano recital when I was very young. The audience wasn't very big, though."

"I see," Rise said.

"That aside, I sometimes wish I had the skills you possess, as well."

"It's really not much," Rise shook her head. "Being an idol isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I've got no will of my own, I'm always pushed around by my record label, I've got barely enough time to sleep, I'm always busy..." She took a sip of her drink and hesitated before speaking up again. "And I'm always moving around. I never stay in the same place for very long. I don't get to see my family very often, and it's almost impossible for me to make friends..."

This conversation was clearly getting quite painful for her, as well as myself, it seemed. "I understand the feeling, believe me..."

"Yeah," Rise said, "You mentioned you've always had trouble making friends..."

"I've always had to move frequently with my grandfather," I said, "But even before that, when he remained local for the time he was raising me as a young child, I had very few friends. No one really wanted to be around me, because I usually kept to myself and read books far beyond comprehension of any of them. When others did invite me to play with them, I was never really interested in their games, so I would often just play detective as always..."

"That sounds tough," Rise said.

"I did have one friend, though," I said, grinning somewhat. "She was the only one who really understood me. She was very intellectual, much like myself. But eventually I moved away from her, and we haven't spoken since..."

"I understand," said Rise. She looked down with a sorrowful expression.

I looked at her for a while, and then grinned weakly in an attempt to lift the mood. "That's not the only thing our jobs have in common, however."

"It's not?"

"Yeah. You said you're always pushed around by your record label. Well, that's true for me, as well. Less experienced officers on the force tend to be bullied constantly by the higher-ups, even more so for me, since I am so much younger."

"Oh yeah," said Rise, "I think your shadow mentioned that or something..."

I nodded, shrugging off the memory of my shadow. "I'm also always busy, just as you are. When I'm not going over cases on paper or at the station, I'm going over them in my head. Sometimes it's a pastime for me..." I chuckled. "And sometimes it's a curse."

Rise groaned playfully. "Like when I get my songs stuck in my head... Or when I keep going over my lines for movies or commercials."

"Exactly," I grinned, glad to see that I had lifted her spirits slightly.

Rise laughed to herself for a moment, and then looked at me with a certain glimmer in her eye. "I didn't really expect this, but it's really nice talking to you, Naoto-kun. I feel like I can really open up to you, because you understand how I feel." She smiled as she looked downward, clearly in thought. "Thanks."

"Why are you thanking me?" I asked, puzzled.

"For talking to me," Rise replied, "I don't usually get to talk to people about my feelings. The only other person I've really been able to open up to is Yu-kun." She giggled to herself. "Thank you for being my friend."

Friend. I felt a certain, unfamiliar emotion swell inside me, and couldn't help but smile. "Well, in that case, you are very much welcome."

"You know what?" Rise perked up, "We should all have a girl's day out together sometime."

The heartwarming feeling inside me quickly soured into a feeling of utter horror. "W-what?"

"You, me, Chie and Yukiko," Rise said, "And maybe Nanako-chan, too! We should all go out to Okina City sometime. We could go shopping, get our nails done, maybe even go out to dinner or see a movie. I'm guessing you don't get much time to just let loose and act like a girl."

"Because I don't want to act like a girl!" I protested, my face growing red. "And... Who is this Nanako-chan?"

"Oh!" Rise squealed, "I forgot, you haven't met Nanako-chan yet! She's Yu-kun's cousin... But she's more like a little sister to him than anything. She's the sweetest thing; you'll love her."

I did like the idea of meeting Yu's family, but part of me shuddered to think of what this Nanako might be like. I didn't exactly trust Rise-san's judgement, and if she was anything like Rise, I wasn't sure I could handle two living, breathing canisters of overexcitement. I wasn't partial to Rise's idea, but I didn't want to turn her down. I decided to change the subject in hopes that she would forget about it eventually.
Looking down at my watch, I noticed that it was nearly time to begin heading to the hospital. "Oh, it's almost time for our appointment. The others should be on their way. We should begin to make our way over there as well."

"Okay," Rise said, standing up and taking another sip from her drink. "Let's go, then."

I sighed to myself, hoping to God that she'd forget about the idea.

"Okay," the nurse assigned to me said as she entered and closed the door to the examination room. "Mr. Naoto Shirogane..."

"Miss, actually," I said quietly as I propped myself up on the examination table, wearing nothing but the white hospital robe the nurse had given me to put on. My heart sunk in a feeling similar to dread.

"Miss?" the nurse looked down at the clipboard she held, undoubtedly looking for my written gender. "Ah, yes. I apologize. It's just that you were in a boy's school uniform when you arrived..."

"I know," I said, "I'm..." I swallowed unintentionally. "I prefer to dress as a male."

"Ah," the nurse said, "I understand. You aren't the first I've seen, even in a small town like this." She smiled reassuringly. "It's more common than you would think, trust me."

My face was bright red, but I began to ease up as I nodded in reply. "I apologize. I have only lived here in Inaba for a few months. I was used to the nurse I previously went to knowing about my gender, but it's always difficult to transition. People always tend to have different reactions."

"Don't worry about it," the nurse said, "This may be a small town and all, but we have some of the best trained doctors in the area here, as well as the most understanding."

"Thank you for your kindness," I said, "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," said the nurse, "But, if you wouldn't mind me asking... Why did you schedule a checkup for eight people just out of the blue?"

"That's... Confidential," I said, unable to think of any other excuse at the moment, "Police business..."

The nurse looked even more confused, but obviously didn't seem like the type to pry for information. "Very well," she said, "Now, I'm going to start with your height and weight."

"Okay," I said nervously, trusting a licensed nurse, but still uneasy around someone I was not accustomed to. I hopped down off the exam table before standing on a scale she lead me to. After a few moments, she measured and recorded my weight and then had me stand up against a wall to measure my height.

"Five feet, even," the nurse said, "From the data that's been transferred from your previous health care center, it seems that there have been no significant changes in height or weight since your last checkup. Now, I'll have you sit back up on the exam table and I'll take your blood pressure."

I did so, and she wrapped a blood pressure gauge around my arm. As it tightened around my elbow, I could feel my pulse beating hard against my skin. After a few moments, she released the gauge and wrote down the measurements. "All normal."

She then proceeded to grab an otoscope and snapped a disposable lens onto it. The nurse thoroughly examined both my eyes, as well as my ears, and then peered into my throat. All of these seemed to be functioning normally as well. She issued me a brief eye test, which I adequately passed, as well as a hearing test, which I also passed rather sufficiently.

"I'm going to take a minor blood test," the nurse said, preparing a small needle as well as the proper equipment for blood testing. "Can you hold out your finger for me?"

I did so, and a sharp pain twinged at my finger as she quickly pricked it with the needle. A small bead of blood began to swell from my fingertip, and the nurse took the samples she needed before covering it with a bandage.

"Thank you," She said, "Now, I'm going to have you lie down and I'm just going to feel around to make sure everything feels alright."

I nodded, swallowing unintentionally.

The nurse slowly began to massage her hands into my abdomen, feeling for any abnormalities. My face reddened slightly, as physical contact was awkward enough for me as it is. However, this was necessary. "Everything seems to be in order," she said when she finally finished. I sat up and nodded my head in gratitude.

The checkup promised to be even more awkward as she took other measurements, including the length of my arms and legs in proportion to the rest of my body, as well as my waist and bust sizes, which were the most embarrassing for me. Just when it seemed as if the tests would never come to an end, they did.

"You may change back into your clothes," she told me, "I'll go run these results into the computer, and I'll be back shortly."

She exited the room, and as soon as the door clicked shut, I let out a relieved breath of air. I quickly tore off the hospital robe and fetched my clothes, binding my chest again before slipping on my clothes and uniform. I brushed off my hat before securing it on my head, tilting the brim down and sighing in rapturous delight. Never before had it been so comfortable to wear clothes.

The nurse returned to the examination room shortly after, bearing a confused sort of expression. "You're all set, Miss Shirogane... However, there seem to be a few difficulties with one of the patients you brought with you today."

Alarm bells sounded in my head. I quickly hopped down from the exam table and walked out into the hallway. "What do you mean? What kind of difficulties?"

"Well, uh..." the nurse scratched her head. "I'd like you to come with me. The head doctor sent for you."

"Very well," I said, "Take me there."

My speculation was that the patient she spoke of was Teddie. Seeing how all my results seemed to have been normal, I guessed that the rest of the team had shown similar standings. Teddie was the only one I could not be sure of, as he was not technically human. Sure enough, when we arrived at the exam room down the hall, I was greeted with Teddie's ever-cheery face.

"Hi, Nao-chan!" he piped up, waving as his bright blue eyes glittered like those of an innocent child.

The doctor examining Teddie looked at me with a bewildered expression. "Ah, Detective Shirogane... I apologize, but there seems to be a problem with our equipment." he took the thermometer he held in his hand, activated it as he swiped it across Teddie's forehead, and showed me the temperature it measured.

My eyes widened as I observed the reading. Instead of showing something even vaguely along the lines of 37 degrees Celsius, it read "88888."

"Is there something wrong with this particular thermometer?" I asked.

The doctor shook his head. "I tried several others, but they don't seem to work. What's worse is that they seem to work for other people, but not for him. The same happened when I tried to take his blood pressure, and my stethoscope doesn't even seem to detect his heartbeat. He seems to be of normal health according to a visual examination, but all tests we've taken involving medical equipment show no valid results..."

"Sir," a younger male nurse ran breathlessly into the room, holding a small stack of papers. "The blood test results just came back. I think something's wrong with the analyzer..."

The doctor took the papers from him and quickly read through them. "What...? These measurements don't make sense..." He turned to me and sighed. "I apologize. We must be having some technical difficulties at the moment..."

"There's no need to apologize," I said, touching a hand to my chin and thinking deeply. "If you wouldn't mind, could we run an X-Ray?"

"Of course," the doctor nodded. "Come right this way."

We made our way down the hall toward the X-Ray room, and Teddie came up behind me, tugging lightly at my shirt. "Hey, Nao-chan... What's an X-Ray? Does it hurt?"

"No, Teddie," I replied, "An 'X-Ray' is a test in which doctors use X-Rays to examine your skeletal and digestive systems, among other things."

Teddie smiled. "Oh, okay!" His face suddenly fell and he looked confused. "And... What does that mean?"

I chuckled quietly to myself. "I'm sorry. I forgot that you are unfamiliar with this world. Well, you see, the doctor is going to take a look at everything inside you using a special sort of camera. It's completely painless, so you need not worry."

"Oh!" Teddie said, smiling again. "That doesn't sound too bad."

We arrived at the X-Ray room after a few minutes, and the doctor took us inside. He had Teddie stand up against the lens of the X-Ray machine as he took several shots of his torso. Soon afterward, the images began to develop.

"This..." the doctor bore a stumped expression as he examined the photo he hung up against the illuminated wall. "I don't know what's wrong with our equipment."

I looked at the image as well. Sure enough, the outline of Teddie's torso appeared, but no bones or internal organs could be seen whatsoever. He put up the rest of the images as well, and each one was far too blurred to make out. I lifted the brim of my hat and wiped the sweat off my brow. These results were absolutely astounding.

"I sincerely apologize," the doctor said, shaking his head, "Our equipment must not be functioning properly as of late." he sighed. "I've never seen anything like this. I'll be sure to tell them not to charge for this checkup, seeing as no actual results have come back... If you still want him checked out, I could transfer you to a different hospital..."

I sighed uneasily, feeling terrible for wasting their time. "That won't be necessary. I apologize as well for issuing you this trouble."

"There's no need to apologize," the doctor smiled. "I'll be sure to have our equipment checked out. But for now, I assume you are all set."

I nodded. "Thank you for your time. Also... If you would not mention this to anyone, I would be grateful."

The doctor nodded, although his expression was somewhat confused. "You have my word."

I thanked him and took Teddie back to his examination room to change back into his clothes. When he was fully clothed, he met me in the hallway, and we walked to where we had previously agreed to meet the others.

They were all there, standing together in a group and talking amongst themselves. The mood seemed to be somewhat uneasy. Yukiko saw us coming, and pointed us out to the rest of the group.

"I'm very sorry for the wait," I said as I approached them and joined their circle.

"I'm bear-y sorry for the wait," Teddie repeated almost mockingly.

"So," Yosuke said, "Did they find out anything about Teddie?"

"They did indeed..." I said, "They found out that they can't tell anything about him. I even had them take an X-Ray, but nothing came up on it. No matter how many times they tried, it would always be too blurry to read. A visual examination and standard palpations indicated that he seems perfectly normal. Since the machine could be malfunctioning, they told me to try another hospital if we're still worried about him. I felt bad for making them go through all this..."

Yukiko frowned. "So, he is different..."

"Oh my, what should I do?" Teddie said with a grin, "They took a look at everything inside me."

"She just said they couldn't see anything on the X-Ray, you dork," Chie snapped.

"But at least they didn't find anything wrong with him, right?" Kanji said. "Man, we know as much about Teddie as we do those Personas and Shadows..."

"Oh yeah," Yosuke spoke up, "I tried looking them up at the library and on the net. Persona means something like, another personality. And I think they listed 'Shadow' under the related terms..."

"Shadows are Shadows..." Teddie shrugged, "I think they're something that comes out of people... Um, I can't really explain..."

I recalled a document I had come across while looking into information on Personas and Shadows shortly after I had been kidnapped and rescued. "I performed my own research on the incident. 'Persona' and 'Shadow' are common psychological terms. Of course, the ones we are familiar with don't quite fit those definitions. This is what was written in an unofficial project document I happened to come across. A Shadow is suppressed power, and when controlled by one's ego, it becomes a Persona..."

"It becomes a Persona...?" Kanji said, "What, does that mean they're basically the same thing? Then again, all those Shadows we beat the shit out of did turn into Personas..." He seemed stumped. "Ahh, who cares about the details... It doesn't matter what they are. If they get in our way, I'll crush 'em."

"Still," I continued, "I couldn't find any information on how they're related to the other world."

Rise sighed. "There's so much stuff about us that we don't have a clue about..."

"There's some things we do know, though," Teddie said with a mischievous grin. He chuckled darkly. "I've got a bunch of awesome data with me."

I was confused as to what he meant, and by the looks of it, so was everyone else. What could he have been up to...?

"It's kinda embarrassing that I'm the only one who had personal details shown to the world, so..." He suddenly pulled out a thick stack of papers from under his shirt. "Tadaaa!"

Everyone looked in shock at the stack of papers he held in his hand. I had no idea how he managed to get his hands on those results, especially when I had been with him the entire time. He continued with his jubilance. "Nowadays, information wants to be free! Therefore, I'll break the ice by announcing the results of everyone's physical exams!"

"Wha-!?" Chie piped up, "No you won't! Give 'em to me, NOW!" She stormed over to him, but without so much as a glance at her, Teddie turned and walked in a circle around me as he read through the results, Chie following after him.

"Ooooh..." Teddie cooed, "First place in the 'shortest legs division' is... Huh, who woulda guessed!?"

"I-it's not me, is it!?" Yosuke panicked. "Hey, what kinda things did they examine, anyway!? Look, if you're gonna blab it all..." His face contorted into a sinister smile. "You might as well tell us the girls' measurements!"

My heart thudded in my chest. Just how sick was Yosuke's mind...?

"WHAT!?" Chie yelped, "Are you a complete and utter moron!?"

"Sure, go right ahead," Rise said, a little too calmly for my liking. "My profile's been public knowledge for ages. Oh, but my bust size is two centimeters smaller than they print. My agency insisted."

"N-no!" Yukiko stammered, "Don't say mine!"

"Aww," Rise said, "I bet guys won't care what size you are, Senpai. And having modestly sized breasts like yours would definitely make it easier to wear a kimono."

Yukiko seemed so flustered that she could barely speak. "Wh-what...!?"

"Oh yeah," Rise continued, "Naoto-kun's is here too, huh?" My face went white, and I froze in place. She leaned over and looked at the test results. "Umm, let's see... Naoto-kun's is..." She stared at the paper for a while, and then her eyes suddenly widened in shock as she read it. Then, she looked up at me. "Is this... For real? Wait, isn't this measured wrong?"

This was more than enough for me. Trying to keep my composure as stiffly as possible, I quickly swiped the results from Teddie's hands. "A-Anyways!" I stammered, looking toward the others, "The important thing is that according to the examination results, nothing's wrong with our health! So we won't be needing these anymore!" I felt beads of sweat begin to perspire on my forehead. "I'm going to shred them." With that, I turned and ran down the hallway before anyone could chase after me.

I had made my way out to the parking lot of the hospital before I even dared to look behind me. When I did so, I sighed in relief, as no one was in sight. I gripped the results close to myself, terrified that anyone would get their hands on even the slightest amount of information. While looking backward in extreme paranoia, I nearly jumped ten feet into the air when I heard a voice call my name.

When I looked to my left, I saw that Chie was running toward me. Half-panicked, I hid the test results behind my back, nearly sprinting off until I saw that she was alone. "Senpai... What are you doing here?"

"Going home, silly," Chie said, laughing as she approached me. "What, do you think we're gonna hang out at the hospital all day? Wow, you look kinda freaked out."
"These examination results are highly personal and private," I said, "I'd rather no one read them..."

"Huh?" Chie said, "Oh, you mean those? I'm not gonna read them. Yeah, I agree they're private. And that jerk Yosuke has totally got it coming for him when I see him in school tomorrow."

I sighed in relief, and began to ease up. "Good, you understand..."

"Of course I do!" said Chie, "I don't want guys knowing my bust size! ESPECIALLY those guys. They're nothing but a bunch of pervs."

I giggled nervously, feeling small in my defensive position. "I agree... Truthfully, I haven't had much experience with others my age... Let alone boys my age..."

"Ahh, that's right," Chie said with a frown, "You must've had girls all over you before... Well, you know."

"Yeah," I said quietly, "Although, I never wanted anything to do with them. They all claimed to admire me, yet they knew absolutely nothing about me..." I scowled at the ground.

Chie was silent for a few moments before speaking up. "Hey, you wanna walk home with me?"

I looked up at her in surprise. "What?"

"C'mon, Naoto-kun," she said, smiling, "You're part of the team, now. I don't want you to have to walk alone."

"I'll be fine by myself," I insisted, "Really, you don't have to-"

"But I want to," Chie said, standing beside me and punching me softly in the arm. "You don't have to do everything by yourself."

My face was bright red. "I really don't mind going alone. It's what I'm used to."

"Well, then," Chie said, "Looks like you're gonna have to get used to not walking alone!" She laughed, and we began to walk together.

I smiled softly, easing up a little more. "Uh... Th-thank you."

"Don't mention it," Chie looked at me with a charming twinkle in her deep brown eyes. "It's what a friend does."

Friend, I thought, There's that word again.