A/N: Thank you for reading Gameplay! Even if you don't review, I still appreciate the fact that there are people who actually take the time to read this, so...thank you!

April 14, 2013

Souji was dragged back to the waking world by a familiar ringtone. Groggily, he checked the time on his alarm clock, and moaned when he saw that it was only five in the morning. Turning over to lie down on his left side, the grey-haired adolescent reached to grab his vibrating cell phone on the table, and answered the call without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Yosuke...if this is your idea of a late April Fool's Day joke, I'm not laughing."

To his surprise, his reply came in the form of a feminine chuckle, as opposed to a groan from his friend as he initially expected. The embarrassing realisation caused him to snap out of his sleepiness entirely as he bolted upright, holding the phone tightly in his hand.

"I apologise for waking you up," the voice continued bemusedly. "As permanent residents of the Velvet Room, the concept of time is irrelevant to us, I'm afraid."

"Ah, no...it's fine, really. Is...there something you need to tell me?"

"Indeed there is." Margaret's tone became sharp and detached, setting Souji on edge. "I hope you recall the events that took place during your brief return last year."

The eighteen-year-old gave no verbal affirmation, but the blonde continued anyway, "While there has been minimal disturbance since then, my master has been seeking guidance from the cards in preparation for a similar occurrence. After our recent meeting with you yesterday, my master consulted the cards once again. Following that, he instructed me to pass you his findings."

Souji's grip on the phone tightened. He couldn't help but feel slightly more anxious after hearing what Margaret had said, and wondered if it was because of her indifferent, formal tone of voice, or if it was because his gut instinct was telling him that he wasn't about to like what he was about to hear.

In the end he decided that it was probably both, and left it at that. Paying closer attention to Margaret's words took precedence over the reason behind him feeling oddly unsettled, after all.

Taking his silence as her cue to continue, Margaret spoke, "The cards have foretold an imminent disaster about to strike as you depart from this place and return to where you came from. Or to be more precise...that unfortunate event has already happened."

Souji stiffened, but said nothing.

"You will face helplessness and despair," Igor's assistant went on to say. "At times, you may consider giving up out of desperation. But rest assured that there will always be hope, regardless of the circumstances you will be in. It will not mark the end of your journey, but rather strengthen and encourage you as your journey continues. That is what my master has to say."

"...I understand. Thank you, Margaret."

There was a slight pause before the blonde added, "Remember my words, as well as those of my master's, dear guest. Until next time, then."

Then the conversation ended.

Souji placed his cell phone back on the table, and checked the clock. Seeing that the call had been less than ten minutes long, the grey-haired adolescent decided to lie back down and take a quick nap. His train ride wasn't until three hours later, and he was already all packed and ready, so he figured that it wouldn't hurt to get some shut-eye until then.

However, Margaret's words kept him awake. Now that she had said all that she had been told to say, Souji was left alone with his own thoughts. The feeling of unease was still there, refusing to leave no matter how hard Souji tried to convince himself that things would turn out alright in the end. It made him consider the possibility that there was something else Margaret, and by extension Igor, wasn't telling him.

While the Velvet Room and its inhabitants were evidently shrouded in mystery, there was no denying the fact that they had played a pivotal role in solving the murders that happened two years back, even going as far as handing him an item that dispelled away the false image of Izanami to reveal the true horrors lurking beneath the shed skin.

Igor and Margaret had granted him the ability to summon and fuse multiple Personas, the lack of which would certainly have spelled death for not only himself, but also his friends whenever they were in a pinch during battle. Although he wasn't over-reliant on the Personas aside from Izanagi, Souji had to admit that there was only so much Izanagi could do, compared to the Personas of his friends, and the only way to make up for Izanagi's shortcomings was to use the other Personas he had at his disposal.

Despite all that, however, there was no denying that Igor and Margaret, as well as the Velvet Room itself, remained largely as an enigma to him, and for some reason, Souji didn't mind that. He never once expressed the desire to learn more; perhaps because he could trust them with his life, he never felt the need to know more than what he already did. Having the Velvet Room and Igor and Margaret's services readily available to him was enough.

So if it turned out that they really were hiding something from him, Souji wouldn't think much of it, since it was probably for the best if he was kept in the dark until they felt the need to tell him everything he needed to know. His friends would most likely disagree, though, after having had experienced the arduous journey of seeking the truth together with him. It was ironic, but he figured he could make an exception.

Still, the eighteen-year-old couldn't shake off the mild sense of dread. There was something waiting for him back in Ikebukuro, and intuition told him that it was most likely a repeat of what Inaba had to go through. The ominous feeling only intensified at that thought.

Grabbing his phone again, Souji quickly checked the online news for any recent strange occurrences in Ikebukuro, but all that came up were old articles about the Slasher incidents and the Headless Rider. Heaving a sigh of relief, he put his phone away and continued staring at the ceiling.

Memories of his first day arriving and setting down in Ikebukuro filled his mind. Souji remembered an encounter with a traffic policeman wearing a red scarf who warned him about the Headless Rider. The grey-haired adolescent had thanked the policeman, but a part of him was still feeling a little incredulous at the possibility of a headless yet living person existing in real life.

Then he was informed about the Slasher incidents and how they had caused a stir in the city about half a year prior to his arrival in Ikebukuro. It piqued Souji's interest to some extent, and Naoto's as well when she learned of it through her grandfather, so occasionally he sent some readings over for her to analyse and ponder over.

Incidentally, Naoto was assigned to the case not long after Souji's last visit to Inaba during his summer holiday, when there was yet another report of someone being slashed, so there were times when he would bump into her. But with the period of lending her assistance short-lived, she was soon going around the country solving cases before Souji even realised it.

Then, there was Raira Academy. It was quite a nice school, equipped with facilities that were certainly of higher quality than those at Yasogami High. However, Souji would still have chosen to complete his high school education at Inaba instead of Ikebukuro, if he had a say in the matter. While Raira Academy had its fair share of friendly teachers, somehow Souji missed Ms Sofue with rather interesting choice of fashion and Mr Hosoi with his hand puppet, among other things. There was even a small part of him that missed Ms Kashiwagi, just a little though.

Aside from school and Ikebukuro's mysteries, there were the colour gangs, too, but they had been so inactive that Souji questioned their current existence. Whatever they were, he wanted no part in the matter, so when he received a strange email containing a link and a password to the official website of what he presumed to be one of the colour gangs, he sent it to the trash folder without hesitation. The sender's email address was also unregistered in his contacts, further justifying his decision.

Occasionally Souji would also notice some misplaced and horribly damaged vending machines, stop signs, and other heavy-looking objects scattered around the city. He was told by some residents that it was all the work of one man named Heiwajima Shizuo, and they warned him to stay away from the man. If he had to be honest, though, Souji still couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that this Heiwajima-san could lift all of those things singlehandedly. After all, it was impossible, but then again Satonaka could achieve many unimaginable feats using her Galactic Punt, so Souji eventually shrugged it off.

All of this, and perhaps a little more, Souji had spilled it out to Yosuke over the phone the previous night.

The brunet sounded ecstatic after getting over his initial shock upon learning that Souji was attending the same university as he. Although they weren't taking the same course - Souji was mainly pursuing Psychology, while Yosuke applied for Statistics - simply being schoolmates again was enough for the both of them.

Souji would never forget the traces of euphoria in Yosuke's surprised cries of "Dudedudedude are you serious?!" when the grey-haired adolescent offered his best friend a place to stay in the form of his apartment. It was amusing, to say the least.

Just as his eyelids were beginning to droop after having lied back down on his futon for quite some time, his plan to take a quick nap fell through when he heard his alarm clock ring. He switched the alarm off, checking the time. Seven in the morning. The realisation made him raise an eyebrow.

Souji stood up and stretched. Then he headed for the bathroom, and completed the usual morning business. When he returned to his room, he sat between his bag and the table, reaching out to remove the note he had finished writing the previous night. After reading it through once more, Souji smiled and then folded the note gently before keeping it in a small compartment of his bag.

There was a knock on his door and a call for breakfast from Nanako that followed. Souji promptly went down the stairs, with Nanako's hand in his, and enjoyed his last meal at the Dojima household.

Chie, Yukiko, and Kanji were already waiting at the station when Souji arrived.

He was surprised to see Chie carrying a large travelling bag with her, and was about to ask about it until he remembered that the chestnut brown-haired adolescent had once told him, through the group chatroom, that she had been accepted by the National Police Academy in Tokyo. That would explain why there were two other strangers who shared some degree of similarity to Chie standing near them; they were most likely Satonaka's parents.

On the other hand, Yukiko was staying in Inaba, preparing to take over management of her family inn. While Amagi performed relatively well for her examinations, she had long decided to remain in her hometown, a decision she arrived at thanks to Souji for always being there to support her. College life outside of Inaba was something she once dreamed of having, but Yukiko was happy enough to be surrounded by people who loved her, so she had let go of that dream willingly.

Kanji, too, decided to stay in Inaba to help out at Tatsumi Textiles as well as take care of his elderly mother. Apparently, his dolls were a big hit, so he was quite tied up with his work at his mother's shop, coupled with heavy workload from school, and had little time to think about venturing beyond the quite little town.

Smiling warmly, Souji joined his friends and greeted them.

"Ah, Seta-kun! Good morning," Yukiko replied happily. He could tell that she was trying a little too hard to be cheerful, though, and wondered if it was because three of her closest friends were leaving on that day. "Are you all right? I know it hasn't been easy for you, coming all the way out here when university is starting soon..."

"I'm fine, thanks for the concern."

"Um...I don't know if it's appropriate for me to be asking this, but...who exactly...?"

"...Ah," Souji breathed, before smiling fondly at the faint memory of a widow, dressed in black from head to toe, resurfacing in his mind. "Kuroda Hisano-san. She used to live here with her husband, but after he passed away, she left to live with her children. I met her during my part-time work at the hospital."

"So you used to talk to her often, huh?" Chie asked, looking rather solemn. "Wait, did you say 'hospital'? Then..."

"...I never asked, but I guess so."

"That's so sad..." Yukiko spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It was a difficult period of time for her," Souji agreed, trying not to reveal too much out of respect for the late widow.

"Well, at least you were there, Senpai," Kanji added, hiding his grimace at the sound of hospitals and death. "Got someone to spill all her feelings to, y'know. S'not all that bad, then. I'm sure she was always happy to see ya."

The silver-haired adolescent laughed softly; Kanji had a knack for being uncannily astute at times. "Yeah, she was."

Before anyone else could say more, Yosuke and Teddie chose that very moment to turn up at the train station. There were two more strangers following them.

"Ah, see? Everyone's there already! Stupid bear, it's all your fault for waking up so late!" Yosuke exclaimed exasperatedly, dragging his luggage while aforementioned bear sat comfortably on it, as if he were riding a horse. "And get your lazy ass off! You're freakishly heavy!"

"Am not!" the blond retorted childishly, making a face which didn't seem humanly possible to make. "I don't weigh much, remember? That check-up Nao-chan arranged proves it. You just put in too much stuff in this box of yours, Yosuke."

"For the last time, it's not a box," the brunet sighed, shaking his head. "You know what? Forget it. You're too dumb to remember what I say."

Teddie pouted. "Yosuke's so mean today..."

"Don't be so hard on him, dear. It's not like he means it," the middle-aged lady walking behind the pair mediated.

"...Yeah. Yeah I know, Mom," the brunet sighed once again, while Teddie's eyes sparkled with tears of joy at the kindness that Yosuke's mother had shown him.

"Okay, your Mom and I will be discussing a few things with Dojima-san and Satonaka-san now. You can go and talk to your friends a bit. We won't be long," the manager of Junes said curtly, in a business-like manner.

His son waved him off lazily, then dragged his luggage and the blond on top of it as he trudged over to join the rest of the team. Chie had a mischievous grin plastered all over her face while the others remained relatively expressionless.

"Well now, look who's finally here. It's Hanamura I-don't-give-a-damn-about-university-but-I-got-in-anyway-and-now-I-don't-care-if-I'm-late Yosuke!"

Yosuke groaned. "Seriously, Satonaka?"

"'Seriously' my foot!" Chie suddenly snapped, giving the brunet a harsh kick to the stomach. It sent him collapsing to his knees as he rubbed the afflicted area. "What the heck were you doing?! Any longer, and you would have missed the train! Do you seriously want to be late on your first day of university?'

"...What...the hell..." Hanamura gasped out in pain, clutching his stomach as he attempted, and failed, to push himself off the bitingly cold ground. "F-for the r-record, Satonaka...university only starts t-tomorrow... As long as Souji and I get there before then..."

"Yes, but don't you need time to settle down in the new area?" Yukiko asked before Chie could deal any more damage to the brunet grovelling at her feet.

At this point, Yosuke had recovered from the pain, somewhat, so he forced himself to stand. "Ugh, no need for that anyway. Souji, ouch, already told me everything I need to know about Ikebukuro. We'll settle in just fine. Right, partner?"

The answer to his question came in the form of a lighthearted shrug from the grey-haired adolescent.

"Woah, hang on. You mean you're gonna be attending the same university as Seta-kun?" Chie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ain't Senpai going to the University of Tokyo or some other top university or something?" Kanji turned to look at Souji as he spoke.

"Why does everybody think so highly of me?" Souji chuckled. "No, I'm going to Raira University."

"And I'm telling you, dude, I still can't get it through my head, no matter how many times I hear that," Yosuke muttered as he shook his head disbelievingly.

Teddie was beaming, for some strange reason, and making up a catchy little jingle about Raira on the spot. It took a few more exchanges between the other members of the Investigation Team before Yosuke finally snapped and demanded for the blond to stop singing. And as usual, it fell on deaf ears as Teddie continued entertaining himself, much to the brunet's chagrin.

Then there was a call from Yosuke's father, reminding the adolescents about the time. Teddie promptly stopped singing, and enthusiastically suggested a group hug.

"...Just this once," Chie agreed, grimacing at the thought of giving the other three males a gesture that she deemed as overly affectionate. Yukiko nodded, though sharing her best friend's reluctance.

The six of them formed a circle, then awkwardly cuddled together, wrapping their arms around each other. The clumsy hug lasted for a few seconds before Amagi mustered up the courage to say that it felt too long for her liking, and the group quickly separated from one another.

"The train is here," came a light, tenor voice. Chie thanked the heavens for her father's impeccable timing.

"...Well, I'll see you around, Yukiko," the police trainee murmured to her friend. reaching out to hold Yukiko's hands.

"...Take care, Chie."

The chestnut brown-haired teen nodded as she wiped the tears away from Yukiko's midnight black eyes. Then the raven-haired manager-in-training quickly tugged her trembling hands away from Chie's own and pulled her childhood friend into an embrace before Chie did the same. The girls quietly sobbed into each other's shoulder.

Watching such a tearful scene unfold before his eyes made Teddie weep. Without hesitation, the blond leapt into Yosuke's arms before the brunet could oppose, pushing him down to the ground.

"What the hell, Teddie-"

Hearing the muffled sniffles, Yosuke stopped himself. After a brief moment, he sighed and raised an arm to stroke the blond's back comfortingly. Souji knelt down and mimicked his partner's actions while Kanji scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to do.

"...C'mon, Teds, you're getting my shirt all wet."

"Yo-Yo-Yosukeeeee..." Teddie continued to sob into the brunet's chest, grabbing a fistful of Yosuke's orange shirt.

"It's not like we're not gonna see each other anymore. I'll come back to visit whenever there's a holiday, I promise."

"Sniff... First it was Sensei, then Rise-chan, and then it was Nao-chan, and now it's you and Chie-chan... You're all leaving Teddie alone..."

Souji couldn't help but flinch. "We're not leaving you alone, Teddie."

"Yeah, me an' Amagi-senpai will still be here," Kanji added assuringly, kneeling down to place a comforting hand on Teddie's shoulder. "You still have us. And everyone will be back before you know it! Trust me!"

Teddie glanced up to look at Kanji, revealing his tear-streaked face and running nose. "Kanjiiii...!" he cried as he pounced on the bespectacled adolescent.

"W-woah there, it's okay." Kanji didn't know what else to do so he settled for an awkward stroke on the weeping Shadow's back.

Yosuke got up from the ground, tidying himself. He was about to make a sarcastic statement about the condition his shirt was in when he heard his father calling out to him sternly, warning him about missing the train. So instead, the brunet sighed and grabbed the handle of his luggage.

"We gotta go, I guess," he said, using an indifferent tone to mask the turmoil of emotions he was currently experiencing.

Souji nodded, and turned to walk towards his uncle and cousin to bid them farewell before he boarded the train. Before he could say a word, Nanako had rushed in to cling onto his waist, burying her face into his shirt. Slightly surprised at the gesture, Souji could only run his hand through her chocolate brown hair, as soothingly as he could.

"I'll miss you, Onii-chan."

The statement was made quietly and carefully, with each and every word making a stab at Souji's heart, like always. His stroking motion paused, for just a split second, before it resumed, then the adolescent bent over to plant a light kiss on Nanako's head. Now it was the young girl's turn to be surprised, but she didn't mind it. Instead she buried her face into his shirt even more deeply than before, anxious to hide the blush on her cheeks.

"I'll miss you too," Souji whispered. "I'll try my best to take the time out to come visit, okay?"

He felt her nod, then smiled gently.

"Come on, Nanako. Souji needs to get onto the train now."

Reluctantly, the eight-year-old released her hold on her cousin's waist, taking a few steps back to her father. Souji's eyes met Dojima's, then the detective gave a brief nod and a wave. Souji nodded back.

"Seta-kun."

The grey-haired adolescent turned towards the voice, facing an evidently upset Yukiko. She had her eyes on the ground with her hands folded in front of her, looking exactly like a humble services lady, the kind that bowed and apologised repeatedly for the most minor of mistakes. In just that short moment, Souji thought Yukiko appeared so much more mature and graceful than at any other time he had known her.

"It feels so surreal to be saying goodbye to you again like this," the future manager of the Amagi Inn said softly, unable to peel her eyes away from the ground. "It's like you never really left all this time..."

"Amagi," Souji felt the need to cut her off, knowing that Yukiko was forcing herself to go through with the painful process of farewells. "We'll keep in touch. I promise."

Yukiko immediately glanced up, staring into her former classmate's warm, grey eyes. Then she nodded and mumbled a quiet "Un" as she looked away.

"Take care of Amagi and Teddie, Kanji."

The Third Year at Yasogami High gave Souji a confident smirk. "You can count on me, Senpai."

Souji smiled back before he turned and stepped into the train along with Yosuke and Chie. Slowly, the others present at the station, which included the Hanamuras and the Satonakas, as well as Dojima, Nanako, and the three members of the Investigation Team remaining in Inaba, gathered near the train. They waved and bid their farewells as the doors to the train closed.

Then they stood at the station, watching as the train departed into the distance, not moving until the train was completely out of sight.

On the train, Souji and Yosuke had taken up the window seats while Chie had decided to sit in front of the pair. The Bruce Lee fan was enjoying some martial arts videos in her smartphone, occasionally trying out some of the moves herself when the train attendants weren't noticing. Yosuke had his headphones on, lightly tapping his feet while listening to some rock music. Souji, on the other hand, was fast asleep.

There was a slight bump as the train continued on its journey, stirring the grey-haired adolescent awake. He rubbed his eyes and groaned a little, not too pleased to have his sleep disturbed since he was already sleep-deprived in the first place.

Souji decided to stare at the patch of mucus and tears that stained Yosuke's one of many orange v-neck shirts until his eyelids grew heavy, allowing him to drift into sleep once more. However, just as he was about to fall into a slumber, the eighteen-year-old saw something sticking out from one of the pockets of Yosuke's white coat, then he grinned and was wide awake once again.

He tapped his friend on the shoulder, causing Yosuke to jolt slightly before he paused his music and pushed the headphones down to let them rest on his neck. "What's up, partner?"

"You didn't have to be so mean to Teddie, you know," Souji said playfully, the grin still plastered on his face.

"Huh? Why are you bringing up Teddie for no reason?"

"Well, you miss him, right?"

Yosuke choked. "Yeah, right. As if I miss some stupid bear who always oversleeps, hogs the bathroom every morning, turns up late for his shifts, asks dumb questions...just being annoying in general."

Souji simply hummed.

"...Dude, I don't miss him."

"Really, now. Then I guess that Teddie doll you have there was a figment of my imagination."

"T-Teddie doll?" Yosuke gulped, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Ha, haha, yeah, you're imagining things, partner. There's no way I'd have something like a Teddie doll."

"Ooh, Hanamura's a liar," Chie added, joining in the conversation as she looked at her former classmates over the top of her seat. "You got Kanji-kun to make that doll for you. I overheard the two of you talking about it."

Souji chuckled at the sight of a flustered Yosuke. "What the-Satonaka, you eavesdropper! Don't you have any clue what privacy is?!" Chie just rolled her eyes at the accusation.

"So, not gonna deny about the doll, I see," Souji quipped, earning him yet another flush from the brunet.

"...Shut up," Yosuke muttered, placing his headphones back on.

Chie snickered. "And you haven't complained about having bear snot all over-"

"Seriously, guys, shut up."

Souji and Chie gave each other a hi-five.