Warning: Mentions of a side character death, but you won't know who the lucky person is in this chapter.
A/N: Oh yes, I think I forgot to mention - although I listed in the summary that this contains spoilers for the Drrr novels, the novel-only characters do not appear in this fic. Reason being I'm not familiar with them, so I don't want to mess up their characterisation. But they may get mentions, or some events that happened in the novel may get referenced, too, so I put the spoilers warning just in case.
As usual, thank you to everyone who's reading/following/favouriting/reviewing this fic!
April 14, 2013
After the unexpected event that they witnessed outside Russia Sushi, Souji and Yosuke slowly made their way towards the nearest supermarket where Souji could do his grocery shopping for cooking ingredients that could last the pair for the next few days. The place they went to wasn't much different from Junes, Yosuke had to admit, but all supermarkets look similar to him anyway, so who was he to make comparisons? The only difference he had been able to spot was the pricing of certain items, though the deviation wasn't much anyway.
Souji took him to nearly every section available, and would always ask if there was a particular kind of meal he felt like having whenever they arrived at a new area. Trying to be as considerate as possible, Yosuke made the simple request that he would be happy to have anything as long as sushi wasn't involved, not for the following days, at least. Souji laughed but complied anyway.
"Nabe sounds good," the grey-haired adolescent suddenly suggested as he picked out the freshest vegetables he could find. When Yosuke looked slightly confused, Souji clarified, "Oh, I meant for tonight's dinner. I was thinking that nabe would be good for the chilly weather today."
The brunet gave a whistle, evidently impressed. "How'd you know what I was thinking? I was secretly hoping for that, actually."
They continued chatting excitedly about the day's dinner, with Souji leading the way around the supermarket and choosing the ingredients and Yosuke taking it upon himself to push the cart. As it was approaching evening, sales were ongoing as well, which worked well in both young men's favour since they had agreed to split the bill among themselves; in Yosuke's case, it was an opportunity for him to save, so he was very pleased to see the lowered prices of nearly everything Souji picked.
After paying for their purchase, Souji and Yosuke nodded back to the staff who bowed slightly and thanked them for visiting, then turned to leave the supermarket. Once they stepped out, they were greeted by the hustle and bustle of night city life. This made them realise how much time they had spent shopping, and so they hurried in placing the groceries in the basket of Yosuke's bicycle before they got ready to make their move back to their apartment.
It wasn't long until they heard sirens in the distance.
"Huh? Are we speeding or something?" Yosuke muttered under his breath, trying not to panic. He was cycling at a comparable pace with Souji, who was riding his scooter next to Yosuke.
While they were indeed in a rush to get back home in order to have their dinner, they were certain that they weren't exceeding the speed limit nor were they disobeying any traffic laws. Nonetheless, the intensity of the sirens' wailing grew by the second, so the pair decided to stop by a legal parking area just to be safe.
They waited for a brief moment, then a motorcycle dashed past them. Taken aback, Souji mildly flinched while Yosuke jumped. They gave each other a perplexed look, and the next thing they knew, they came face-to-face with a middle-aged man who was wearing a red muffler and leaning forward from his motorcycle.
"Hey, are you two high school students?"
Yosuke jumped again, this time out of surprise that a man who appeared from nowhere was striking up a conversation with them. Noticing Yosuke's response, Souji decided to take control of the situation.
"Ah, no, not exactly. We just graduated this year," he answered calmly.
The man clicked his tongue. "I see," he grunted. He paused for a moment, and then the man spoke again. "Listen kids, it's best if you stay away from the streets for tonight. If you were students attending a high school that's around here, I'd warn you about going to school tomorrow morning, but looks like I don't have to do that after all."
His words sent warning bells ringing in both Souji and Yosuke's minds. After a long year of investigations and battles back in Inaba, the pair knew when to trust their instincts since they had grown sensitive to hearing about certain things. The cautious tone that the man had used in speaking to them alone was enough in informing them that something grave had occurred.
Yosuke gulped. "Um, if you don't mind us asking...what happened, exactly?"
The man hesitated in giving an answer; for the next minute or so, he seemed to be arguing with himself, most likely considering about whether to reveal what appeared to be confidential information to two adolescents. Finally, he gave up. "Okay, what I'm about to tell you is classified, though it's all going to be broadcasted in tonight's news anyway so it doesn't hurt to tell you two now, I guess. But you're gonna have to agree to keep it a secret first."
"We promise," Souji replied readily.
The man nodded curtly. "Alright, then. Don't be too surprised to hear this...but my colleagues down at the station got a call not too long ago, about two men who were brawling it out on the street. Apparently, one of them later ran into an alley to escape the other, but in the end both of them wound up there...and that was where they found it."
"'It'...?" Souji echoed, prompting the older man to continue when he suddenly fell silent.
The man frowned, frustration evident in the sigh that followed. "A body."
Yosuke bristled upon hearing that, but said nothing despite the emotions swirling within him. Souji refrained from making any facial expressions in response to the man's words, to the best of his ability; it would do the both of them no good if the man were to pick up on anything that might seem out of the ordinary from them, after all.
Of course, it wasn't to both youths' knowledge that the man was a seasoned police officer, one who could easily take note of the most minute of detail when conversing with other people. Their reactions, therefore, didn't go unnoticed.
"You kids okay there?" he asked, though it wasn't out of concern for the pair.
"...Yeah, we're good," Yosuke sighed. "We're just...shocked to hear that." His grey-haired companion nodded silently.
"'Course you'd be," the man hummed to himself in slight disbelief, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Please do tell us more," Souji suddenly requested, trying not to let impatience get the better of him. It surprised the man a little, but he easily regained his composure when he realised that the pair hadn't heard what he just said.
Then, he shrugged. "I can't say much more, I'm afraid. You'll have to check the news tonight for more details."
"Please," the silver-haired adolescent insisted, casting the man an intense gaze unintentionally.
The traffic policeman pretended to ignore the look that the teen was giving him. "If you really must know," he sighed, giving in. "The body was found in a rather peculiar condition, apparently. My colleagues from the investigation division suspect it's a homicide, and the victim has been identified as a high school student, which is why I'm going around making sure that the students go home safely."
Yosuke clenched his fists tightly. "Did you just say 'homicide'...?"
"It's all just speculation, at the moment. But the victim did die of unnatural causes. It's only normal to label it as a homicide for now." The man clicked his tongue again, then continued, "Really, it's not safe for you to be wandering around right now. I don't care if you two are high school students or undergraduates, just be careful when you go out from now on, until the police is done investigating. Go on, go back home already."
Souji nodded. "Thank you for telling us, sir." The policeman simply waved him off and sped into the distance on his motorcycle.
Then, the pair turned to face each other, a grave expression painted on both of their faces. "I have a bad feeling about this," Yosuke started, eyes narrowing as he spoke.
"We can't jump to conclusions...but I do agree with you," Souji replied, remembering the conversation he had with Margaret over the phone that morning. "If this is similar to what happened in Inaba, we can't let our guard down."
"Yeah. I mean, who knows if there's some other so-called divine being like Izanami hanging out here and pulling the strings? If we're not careful, we'll risk having our world merge with the TV world again."
"We won't let that happen." The look on Souji's face was solemn and cold. Then, he sighed. "But it's still too early for us to make any valid conclusions. I haven't heard about any rumours concerning the Midnight Channel...and I've tried it myself once, just to make sure, but nothing appeared."
Yosuke thought hard about Souji's words, then suggested, "How about we go home and check the news first? If there are any similarities to the serial murders back in Inaba, we'll hold a meeting with the others through the group chat before we make any decisions."
"That's fine with me," the grey-haired adolescent agreed. It was all Yosuke needed to hear, for he nodded back and then hopped onto the bicycle he borrowed from Souji, ready to put their temporary plan to action. Souji turned to give the night sky a glance, before he returned to his scooter.
The pair left the deserted street.
When Souji and Yosuke reached the apartment, the brunet did the first thing that had been on his mind before the grocery shopping, which was rush to the toilet and empty the contents of his stomach. It had coiled around itself after he consumed the unorthodox sushi, giving him pangs of pain that would give a girl having menstrual cramps a run for her money. Souji shook his head in amusement after hearing Yosuke describe his stomachache in such a manner.
Nevertheless, they still had their nabe, even though Yosuke ate his dinner while hunched over. Despite the uncomfortable position he was in, coupled with the aftermath of an intense vomiting session, the brunet claimed that the delicious dinner wiped all of his suffering away. It made Souji smile, and then he wondered if it was simply a deliberate attempt on Yosuke's part to cheer him up after their exchange with the policeman earlier that night.
While waiting for the news to be broadcasted, the two of them decided to start getting ready for their first day at university. After leaving the television in the living room on, they returned to their rooms to begin sorting their materials out and tidying up. Time passed by rather quickly, for it wasn't long before they heard the announcer make his usual greetings to welcome viewers to the day's events, beginning with global affairs.
"-And now for the local news." Souji and Yosuke were sitting next to each other on the sofa, listening intently. "A dead body was discovered in the Ikebukuro area of Tokyo earlier this evening. Police have confirmed that the deceased died from unnatural causes and are labelling it as a homicide until further investigation reveals otherwise. The body was found hanging from a lamp post in an alley, and the deceased was pronounced dead by paramedics on-site.
"The deceased was a student enrolled in a local high school. Further details about the deceased will be kept confidential at the request of the deceased's relatives. An official warning from the authorities will be issued to all residents living in the area." The news broadcaster paused, then continued, "Now, moving on to-"
Souji got up and switched the television set off. "It's just like the murders in Inaba..." he murmured, but loud enough for Yosuke to hear. When he didn't get a reply, Souji shot his friend a questioning look. "Yosuke?"
The brunet was gripping onto the cushion beneath him so tightly Souji could see the tears in the leather, revealing the stuffing within the sofa. "Nothing's changed," Yosuke said, scowling. "Dammit, I thought we put an end to this, and now it's happening all over again. Were we misled into believing that it was all over this whole time? Nearly killing Namatame, capturing Adachi, defeating Izanami...weren't they enough?!"
"Calm down," Souji advised soothingly, sitting back in his seat next to the brunet and placing a conforming hand on his shoulder. "We still can't confirm if this is related to those murders. There are some key points that we're missing."
"...Okay." Yosuke took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay, y-you're right. Like the Midnight Channel and stuff...we haven't seen any of those yet."
Souji nodded, remembering the first time it rained through the night while living in Ikebukuro; he had stayed up to complete his homework when he heard the sound of the heavy rain pattering against his window. He recalled that he had glanced at the clock, out of reflex, and saw that it was approaching midnight. Perhaps to relive old memories, Souji had decided to stare into the television screen then, and was relieved to find that the screen remained blank.
Being a reflection of human thoughts, the Midnight Channel appeared differently to different individuals, but once someone was thrown into the TV world, what was shown would be the same for all viewers. It was this characteristic of the Midnight Channel that led to the Investigation Team relying on it to determine the next potential victim or if the victim had already entered the TV world and required rescuing. If this body that had turned up in the alley was indeed related to the Inaba serial murders, then there should have been talk of the appearance of the Midnight Channel the night before the corpse was discovered, at the very least.
Of course, people living in the city would most likely react differently than people living in the countryside would to the same phenomenon; in a place like Inaba where practically nothing happened everyday, something like the Midnight Channel would easily become the talk of the town, but for the residents of Ikebukuro, in particular, who had grown used to seeing the Headless Rider and bearing witness to the display of one Heiwajima Shizuo's inhuman strength, televisions coming to life on rainy nights would simply be an addition to all the peculiarities Ikebukuro had to offer.
Still, that was no reason to rule out the possibility that the Midnight Channel continued to exist, and if that was the case, then it would not be entirely wrong to link the discovery of the dead body to the serial murders. At this point, Souji decided, it would be best if they played it safe and search for information.
When he brought this up to Yosuke, the brunet agreed readily, but after a moment, he grimaced. "...Ugh, but we have to go to college tomorrow. It won't be easy getting anything about the body that showed up today since we'll practically have zero free time."
"But we need to try," the silver-haired adolescent replied encouragingly. "I can ask my juniors back in Raira Academy if they know anything about the victim. Raira Academy is also affiliated with the university we're in, so it shouldn't be a problem to drop by and ask the other students there."
Yosuke sighed, "I guess we could do that. It's better than nothing, at least."
"Yeah," Souji agreed. He picked up the remote control and turned the television set on, switching to the channel that displayed the weather forecast for the next seven days. "Looks like it'll rain on Tuesday... Maybe even through the night."
"All right, we'll need to gather as much information as we can until then. Hopefully we'll be able to find a lead."
"I'll contact the others now," Souji said as he walked over to the dining table where his laptop was. "They need to know about this. Naoto might be able to find something on her end, too."
"Oh yeah...! Hey, we should tell her to dig up more info on the victim. Like, the name, gender and which school the victim went to."
The leader of the Investigation Team frowned. "But if she's not one of the detectives in charge of the case, I don't think the others on the force would be willing to share that much with her..."
"Well, we can work on any amount of info she can give us, I guess." The brunet grabbed his smartphone and began tapping on the screen. "Anyway, let's just log in first and see who's online."
The pair focused on their respective devices, each of them quickly typing in their chatroom username as well as the password to the private chatroom that the team used. While messaging and calling using their cell phones were also normal ways for them to keep in touch, getting all eight of them together on the same page at the same time was a feat that neither text messages nor calls could achieve. On top of that, not everyone used a smartphone - incidentally, only Souji, Yosuke and Chie owned smartphones - so it was impossible to make use of the downloadable apps to gather the entire group.
That was why Naoto suggested using an online chatroom instead. With all of them having access to wireless networks wherever they were, it would be a convenient way for the team to remain in contact. The others thought that it was a great idea, and Yosuke got down to establishing the chatroom and customising its settings almost immediately after that. The Investigation Team had been using it ever since.
Of course, there were some...unforeseen circumstances.
"Dude, is someone trying to hack us again?"
Souji stared at the screen, watching as the same line in red font appeared over and over. It read: 'An unauthorised individual is attempting to log in.'
The silver-haired adolescent sighed. "Naoto must be typing her chatroom name and password in caps again."
"Ugh, seriously? I thought she finally got the hang of it after she gave poor Kanji a heart attack last spring," Yosuke groaned, shaking his head as he recalled the first time the whole team was using the chatroom. Tatsumi had mentioned something about offering everyone sewing lessons and the detective 'shouted' back that she was busy with work. It scared Kanji so badly he didn't dare to even look at Naoto for a week, let alone talk to her. Shirogane used that week to correct her typing, feeling responsible for Tatsumi's predicament. Souji hadn't left Inaba then, so he, too, remembered the incident clearly.
"Y'know, I've been wondering - how did she even log in back then, if she was using caps?"
"I think the other girls were with her," Souji replied, sending a text message to the detective to remind her to switch the caps lock off. "I remember Rise telling me that they gathered in Satonaka's room for some girls' meeting and they were teaching her how to log in using her phone while they were there."
"...They knew she had a texting problem and didn't do anything about it?"
The grey-haired adolescent thought about it for a while, and then he shrugged. At that moment, there was a beep coming from the speakers of his laptop, notifying him that someone had successfully logged in. Souji and Yosuke then directed their attention back to the group chatroom after hearing the sound.
WE ARE S.S.I.D. - ONLINE HEADQUARTERS
Burning Petals is online
Myriad Truths is online
Youthful Wind is online
Shield of Justice has logged in
Shield of Justice
GOOD EVENING.
Shield of Justice
I SINCERELY APOLOGISE FOR THE BLUNDER I MADE JUST NOW.
Burning Petals
It's okay, Naoto-kun.
Burning Petals
...Snrk.
Youthful Wind
Who the hell types that in a chatroom?
Youthful Wind
Wait r u Amagi?
Burning Petals
Um, yes. Who is this...?
Shield of Justice
I BELIEVE IT IS HANAMURA-SENPAI.
Myriad Truths
Psst, Shield. Your caps.
Shield of Justice
...I WILL CORRECT IT NOW. THANK YOU FOR INFORMING ME.
Shield of Justice
AND PLZ DO NOT ADDRESS ME IN THAT MANNER, SENPAI.
Shield of Justice has logged off
Youthful Wind
...Is she srsly gonna b k on her own?
Burning Petals
By the way, Hanamura-kun, did you change your username?
Youthful Wind
Course I did. My previous one was stupid. I mean, "Disco Ninja Frog"? （−＿−；）
Burning Petals
But I liked it...
Myriad Truths
I agree with Petals. Why did you change it? I thought it sounded hip...
Youthful Wind
Dude it was ur idea, of course u'd defend it (#｀Д´)ﾉ
Youthful Wind
Anyway that's not what we logged in for. Amagi do u noe if Satonaka n the others will b logging in 2nite?
Burning Petals
Chie said she'll try her best to. Kanji-kun and Teddie should be logging in soon. I'm not sure about Rise-chan, though...
Complete Analysis has logged in
Complete Analysis
oh senpai! ure on9 2day! aw i missed u
Youthful Wind
...lemme guess. Rise? U changed ur username too?
Complete Analysis
uh-huh! o((*^ ^*))o i feel that it fits me. heehee do u like it?
Myriad Truths
Very hip.
Complete Analysis
thanks, senpai~
Youthful Wind
Stop encouraging her, Souji.
Kamui Miracle has logged in
Kamui Miracle
sENSei! EverYONE! HI!
Youthful Wind
I thot I tot u how to type properly!
Kamui Miracle
ItS TOo haRd yOSuKe, giMmE tIme
The Man's Way has logged in
The Man's Way
Yo, what's up? Did I miss out on a lot?
Burning Petals
Oh, nothing much, Kanji-kun. We're just waiting for the others to log in.
The Man's Way
Oh okay. So who else isn't here yet?
Myriad Truths
We're still missing a dragon and a shield.
The Man's Way
...huh?
Shield of Justice has logged in
Shield of Justice
I apologise for the wait.
The Man's Way
N...nah, s'cool. I just got here too.
Youthful Wind
All right, so Satonaka's the only one not here yet. Shld we wait? Or...
Shield of Justice
I believe we should begin now. We have a pressing matter to discuss.
Youthful Wind
Oh u too? Souji n I have sth to share with u guys as well, maybe it's the same thing...
Shield of Justice
If that is the case, then please go ahead, Senpai.
Myriad Truths
Thank you, Shield.
Myriad Truths
Well, it's just as what Frog said... There's something we need to settle, as a team. But first, I need all of you to stay calm. I don't think you're going to like what I'm about to tell you.
Complete Analysis
its ok senpai, we can take it
The Man's Way
Ain't nothing we can't handle.
Youthful Wind
Dude don't call me that.
Myriad Truths
Okay then. Frog and I were watching the news just now. The police over here have found a dead body...and the circumstances seem to coincide with the serial murders in Inaba...
Burning Petals
...!
Complete Analysis
no way!
Kamui Miracle
Σ(Дﾟ;/)/…!?
The Man's Way
What the hell?! Didn't we put an end to it last year?!
Youthful Wind [Private Mode]
Stop calling me that already (# ﾟДﾟ)
Shield of Justice
...Just as I thought. The news hasn't been broadcasted in Inaba yet. Though, Kujikawa-san? Aren't you living in Tokyo now?
Complete Analysis
ive been 2 busy w/ work 2 noe abt whats going on lately... (へ＜) theyre rushing me 2 release my new album asap, i barely have any time 2 rest
Kamui Miracle
AwW poOr rISeCHaN
Shield of Justice
I see. That is unfortunate.
Burning Petals
Um, so...can you confirm if it's related to the case in Inaba, Seta-kun?
Myriad Truths
Not at the moment. We haven't noticed any fog, and the Midnight Channel doesn't show up either. But nothing's certain yet, so we'll need to investigate.
The Man's Way
So that means you two are gonna be going around to ask for info, right?
Myriad Truths
To be safe, yeah.
Complete Analysis
what happened exactly? y did a dead body turn up like that there?
Youthful Wind
We dunno all the details... And the cop that warned us abt going out didn't tell us much either. All we noe is that the victim was a high school student.
Burning Petals
A high school student... That's so sad...
Burning Petals
If Seta-kun and the others hadn't come to save me...that could have been me...
Shield of Justice
...It could have been any of us, Senpai.
Complete Analysis
its rly scary when u think abt it that way...
The Man's Way
Hey, c'mon, what really matters is that we're alive now, right? I mean, yeah we nearly died and all, but we came out stronger, didn't we? That's gotta mean something.
The Man's Way
So what we have to do now, is to get to the bottom of this and make sure it never happens again. Yeah?
Burning Petals
...Kanji-kun...
Complete Analysis
w...wow
Shield of Justice
...You're absolutely right.
Youthful Wind
C-c'mon, guys, let's not talk abt this anymore. What's over is over.
Youthful Wind
Oh yeah, that reminds me. We've been meaning to ask u if u noe anything else abt the victim, Naoto. Like the school the victim went to, or the age or...anything, really.
Shield of Justice
I'm afraid that I don't have anything substantial to offer, Senpai. Such information is confidential. However, once I have officially been accepted as a member of the team, I will be able to access the classified information, so please wait until then.
Burning Petals
'A member of the team'?
Youthful Wind
Huh? Wait so that means...
Shield of Justice
I have been contacted by the Ikebukuro police force to lend my assistance to the team in charge of investigating this case. They have already identified the similarities that this case shares with the murders in Inaba, and are also aware of my experience with the latter, so they believed me to be a useful addition to the team.
Shield of Justice
Of course, I have agreed. Now all that is left is the paperwork, and once that is complete, I will be heading to Ikebukuro to help with the case.
Youthful Wind
That's...that's perfect, Naoto! Now we don't have to worry abt not having enough info!
Burning Petals
But is it alright to share such information with normal people like us?
Shield of Justice
True, it is against protocol, but if this is indeed linked to the serial murders, then it will be impossible for the police to crack the case. I am willing to take the risk if it means being able to apprehend the perpetrator.
Myriad Truths
Understood. Just be careful, Shield.
Shield of Justice
Um, please don't call me that, Senpai...
Complete Analysis
ur so lucky naoto-kun, u get 2 c senpai n yosuke-senpai while im being worked 2 death here ( ≧Д≦)
Kamui Miracle
iM sOooO jeALoUs of yoU nAoChaN I waNnA meEt seNseI anD yOSukE toO ｡･(つд`｡)･｡
The Man's Way
Uh, guys, I don't think that's the point here. (ーー;)
Dragon Hustle has logged in
Dragon Hustle
UGH FINALLY
Dragon Hustle
Hey everyone! Sorry I'm late! It was sooo hard getting a connection you won't believe it!
Dragon Hustle
So...what'd I miss?
He left right after the police recorded his statement at the station, exhausted and frustrated from continuously being asked questions about what he had witnessed that evening. Deciding to take a shortcut, the man made a turn into a quiet, deserted street, placing his hands into his pockets.
Initially, he had the intention to go shopping for ingredients for his dinner, but the supermarket nearby was already closed for the day, and there wasn't a convenience store in sight. Sighing, he grabbed his cigarette box and lighter, bit onto the end of a cigarette stick, and lit it. He took a deep breath with the cigarette between his teeth, keeping the box and the lighter at the same time, then removed the cigarette and exhaled, the smoke trailing from his lips.
Ignoring his hunger pangs, the blond leaned against a wall and continued smoking. It wasn't until the cigarette was nearly half gone that he started to make his way back home. Before he took a step, however, he heard a familiar cry in the distance, getting louder and louder with every passing second. Scratching the back of his head, he decided to remain where he was.
When the source of the sound appeared before him in the form of the Headless Rider and her motorcycle, he removed the cigarette again, and crushed whatever remained of the toxic stick.
"...Celty," the blond acknowledged. "What're you doing here?"
The Dullahan quickly typed a response onto the PDA that materialised from her sleeve. [I came to see how you're doing.]
Shizuo leaned forward, scrutinising every word on the screen, and gave a self-mocking smirk. "Nothing escapes you, huh," he mumbled under his breath.
Celty gave no indication of whether she had heard that, and simply erased the previous message on the screen to type out another. [Do you want to talk about it?]
Every fibre of his being screamed no, not after being stuck in a police station together with the person he hated the most for what seemed like an eternity and repeating what he had seen to policemen who probably had nothing better to do; he was sick of it all. Having the flea pestering him again that day was already infuriating enough, seeing a dead body made it worse. If he had a choice, Shizuo hoped that he would never talk about this day ever again.
But to Celty, to someone he regarded as a friend, such an option didn't exist.
"It'll probably take a long time, though..."
Her reply was typed out carefully and thoughtfully. [I don't mind. Take as long as you like. I'll always be here.]
The blond visibly relaxed, and then he smiled. "...Thanks."
-Because he knew that Celty would listen. And she was probably the only one in the world, other than his brother, who was willing to do that for someone like him.