A/N: Might have some OOCness on Mika's part up ahead, though I can't be sure since I don't know how she was like prior to meeting Seiji. I know she's always been capable of gathering a lot of information, as hinted in the novels, but the thing is, I don't know if there's anything else to her than that. For the sake of this chapter, though, I expanded on her character a bit, thus the warning. I apologise in advance if it makes you uncomfortable.

As always, thank you for reading/favouriting/following/reviewing this fic! :)

There was nothing laid before him.

Just an endless, empty space, shrouded in mist.

He couldn't shrug off the feeling that he found the scene familiar, but when he tried to remember when he had experienced this sensation before, all that he could draw as a blank.

A blank...just like this white, soulless world he was in.

"Oh...so you're here again," a voice whispered to him.

It reverberated throughout the plain, as if the voice was one with this world.

It was yet again something else about this place that he found familiar.

He was certain now, as confirmed by the voice, that he had indeed been here before, but the details of his previous visit escaped him. It was like reaching out to grasp a shapeless memory that he knew he once remembered but now remained forgotten. It made him feel...empty, somehow.

"I'll help you regain what you've lost," the voice said encouragingly, temptingly. "Don't worry, you're never alone..."

Hesitantly, he made a step forward.

April 16, 2013

"Ugh... G'morning..."

"Good morning," Souji greeted without looking up from the cup of coffee he was drinking from. He took a sip, then placed the cup down. "You sound tired. Didn't sleep well last night?"

"Like I want to hear that coming from someone who is having nothing but coffee in the morning..." Yosuke groaned as he pulled out a chair across Souji. The moment he sat down, his face met the dining table. The silver-haired adolescent nearly chuckled at the sight; it reminded him of his first day at Yasogami High.

"Putting that aside, how are you feeling?"

"Still kinda crappy. But at least," the brunet paused to yawn, "I don't feel like throwing up anymore. Not like the first time I ate that."

Souji brewed another cup of coffee for his friend, who took up the kind offer and slurped the caffeinated drink.

They were still reeling from the exhaustion of the previous day's events, the last being a long talk with Simon over dinner at the restaurant he worked at. Said dinner included a wide spread of suspicious-looking sushi, the kind that Yosuke actively tried to avoid. But there was simply no way to do that when the chef was around, so Yosuke had to oblige and eat it.

It was worth it, however.

"Can't believe that we managed to find out that it was Heiwajima Shizuo-san and Orihara Izaya-san who found the body, though. Who would've thought?"

"I'm not surprised. No interviews were shown, after all." Souji folded his arms and leaned back into the chair. The gears in his head started to turn. "There's something strange about that, though..."

"Oh, you find it weird too?" Yosuke sprung into life. "Normally the media'd be all over it, but aside from the news shown on the day the body was found, there's practically no other coverage. It's like they're keeping stuff from the public, even though people are already starting to hear things like the identity of the victim."

Souji gave a firm nod. "On top of that, where exactly they heard it from is unclear. Simon-san was nearby, so I can understand...but that place is very remote. I doubt anyone else was there, and Simon-san doesn't discuss these things with just anyone. Kamichika also mentioned that people wouldn't want to get into trouble by spreading the information, so who...?"

The brunet heaved a frustrated sigh. "The more we know about this case, the more questions we have. Dammit..."

They grew quiet after that, neither party knowing how to continue the conversation and contribute to understanding their situation more.

It was times like this that they wished their teammates were with them.

While Yosuke was more of the ideas person, Souji was the one with the talents and abilities required to carry them out. But in the end, that was all they could do.

And that was when the rest of the team came in, making up for what Souji and Yosuke themselves lacked in.

Satonaka, for instance, would say the first thing that came to her mind, and sometimes she actually hit the nail right on the head. Amagi would ask thought-provoking questions, leading the team to explore areas they never thought of before to enhance their understanding of the case, even if these areas had little to no relation to the case itself.

And while Kanji wasn't one to offer new insights, he said what needed to be said in order to keep the team focused on their aim, making sure that nobody lost sight of what they were fighting for. In contrast, Naoto reiterated information and sorted out facts, looking at the case from different angles and considering all aspects possible.

Rise would cheer everyone on, and give them the motivation they needed to press on. Teddie, too, acted as moral support and brightened up the atmosphere by making puns and encouraging everybody to have fun.

But they weren't here.

Souji and Yosuke sat in silence, not knowing whether to change the topic. They hadn't realised that the apartment had been enveloped in sudden darkness until they heard the sound of rain pattering against glass.

"...Just as the weather forecast predicted," Souji mumbled to himself before he got up from his seat to close the windows.

Yosuke soon followed suit. He stood next to his partner, watching the dark clouds drift by and raindrops trickle down the glass. "Looks like another storm," he remarked grimly with his arms folded.

"Yeah..."

The brunet turned to face his leader. "So, today's the day, huh? The day when we can finally confirm with our own eyes if the Midnight Channel still exists?"

Souji nodded mutely.

"Heh, you know...I'm actually pretty excited."

The silver-haired adolescent didn't seem surprised to hear that.

Yosuke smiled wryly. "Part of me hopes that it's not gone, that the case is still unsolved, that we would need to use our Personas again. I won't lie about that." Then he glanced away, in an effort to escape Souji's unwavering gaze. "It's pretty funny. I thought I'm not like that anymore. I mean, I changed, didn't I? Isn't Susano-O proof of that?"

Souji's decision to remain silent allowed Yosuke the opportunity to continue spilling out his feelings. "But I guess that part of me will always remain no matter how much I change, huh? Even when someone's turned up dead, I'm still..." His shoulders sunk as he gave a resentful sigh, one that was obviously directed at himself. "This sucks. I know I shouldn't be feeling this way, but I..."

"Yosuke," Souji finally spoke, his voice carrying such gentleness and warmth that the brunet instantly looked up at him. A smile full of understanding was painted on Souji's face. "I've said it before, didn't I? Believe in yourself, and believe in us. You don't have to force yourself to change so quickly. Even if that part of you doesn't change, we'll always be here for you. That's what friends are for, right?"

Yosuke stared at him blankly, his stunned expression frozen in place. Then he choked on his own laughter, before he finally gave a relieved smile. "...Yeah. Yeah, I know. I was just..." Yosuke rubbed his nose in an embarrassed fashion. "Thanks, partner. I don't know what came over me back there. I mean, you just lost someone recently too, but now you're listening to my crap when I should be the one who..."

"It's okay," Souji replied soothingly, casting his best friend a concerned gaze.

The brunet fidgeted. "...But...but seriously, dude, you say the cheesiest of things sometimes. What are you, a writer for a soap opera?"

Souji couldn't help but laugh as he shook his head.

"Still..." Yosuke was soft, his voice masked by the sound of rain beating the windows, but the close proximity of the pair allowed Souji to hear his words. "If it all turns out to be related to the other world, and if we're going to have to go there again... Whatever it is, I'll face it straight-on. And if anything happens to you, partner, or to any of the others, just know that I'll do whatever it takes to protect you guys. It's the least I can do, right?"

Grey eyes widened slightly at the declaration. Then, they softened, the edges of Souji's lips rising as he gave a light nod. "I'll be counting on you for that, then, partner."

Yosuke beamed before he nodded back.

"Hey, did you hear? About Yagiri Seiji-kun from Class 3A?"

"I heard, I heard! His body was found hanging from a lamp post, right? So scary..."

Whisper, whisper.

"Eh?! Then, the homicide that the news mentioned the other day... The victim was Yagiri-san?!"

"Shh! Not so loud! You wouldn't want the teachers to know that we know, would you?"

Murmur, murmur.

"Oh yeah, and you know his girlfriend? That Harima Mika person? Apparently, she didn't come to school yesterday..."

"Huh? What's so weird about that?"

"Fufu...well, the thing is, I saw her just now! She looked a little different, but you can't go wrong with that hideous scar on her neck. Oh and get this: she was all smiles, like nothing ever happened!"

"Ehhh? Her boyfriend just passed away, and she can still be in high spirits? How cold..."

"Maybe her love for him was fake after all. Poor Yagiri-kun."

Snicker, snicker.

"Putting that aside, I also heard about something else. Apparently, it was not one, but two people who found Yagiri-kun."

"Two people? ...As in, a couple?"

"Pfft, no way! We're talking about Heiwajima Shizuo-san and that man he's always chasing around. Y'know, the man in that fur-trimmed jacket."

"Ohh, that person."

"Hmm...you know, I've always been wondering who that other man really is. I don't think anybody knows his name, right?"

"Huh, come to think of it... I guess...nobody bothered? I mean, practically everyone in Ikebukuro just knows him as the guy who Heiwajima Shizuo-san always chases around. I heard he used to be on the cops' blacklist, though."

"…But Heiwajima-san always yells out that person's name whenever the chasing happens, doesn't he?"

"Oh he does? I never really pay attention. Ah, whatever. More importantly, don't you think he looks kinda cool?"

"You too?! Ahhh actually I think both of them look really cool...but Heiwajima-san is a bit scary..."

"I totally hear you."

Giggle, giggle; whisper, whisper.

Sonohara Anri wasn't one to be easily swayed by rumours. Or at least, that was what she thought.

The life she had led followed a very simple principle: depend on others in order to have a peaceful life, without being too emotionally invested. One could label it as being synonymous with the relationship between a parasite and its host, which, in her opinion, was the most precise illustration of the relationships she had with the people around her.

To deny that it was a horrible way of life would be lying, but to Anri, it was necessary. After all, parasites don't stop leeching off from their hosts just because it is a despicable act.

But because she knew that it was awful of her to do so, Anri never believed herself to be capable of initiating relationships with others. She always had to wait for other people to approach her before she would be willing to let down her walls and enter their world. Once things got out of hand, however, Anri wouldn't hesitate to run into her own world of isolation and watch things unfold in a series of picture frames as a means to protect herself.

It didn't mean that she was running away from reality. It was just that the best way to handle desperate circumstances was to view it with indifference. That was all there was to it.

So being within that world of indifference she constructed for herself, Anri thought that things like rumours and gossips wouldn't affect her in the least. But perhaps meeting the people she regarded as friends changed all that.

Now if she heard of any rumours that her friends' safety might be threatened, Anri wouldn't hesitate to get to the bottom of things and eliminate such threats to ensure that they wouldn't be in danger. And if she heard of any rumours that concerned her friends, Anri would pay close attention to them and keep those rumours in mind.

She was quite bewildered when she realised it at first, but as time passed she got used to it, taking it as a sign that her life was changing; a sign that she was moving on instead of being frozen in time.

That was why when she heard that Harima-san was back in school, Anri didn't hesitate to run to the classroom from the school gates, wanting to confirm it with her own eyes.

Although they no longer talked to each other like they did in middle school, Anri still couldn't help but find herself worried for Mika's welfare.

'She just lost someone she cared very deeply for...she must be hurt,' Anri thought as she ran. She stopped right outside 3A's classroom, breathing heavily as she placed her hand on the door. 'I just want to see how she's doing.'

When Anri slid the door open, the sight of a half-empty classroom greeted her. Barely anybody looked up from their books and notes at the sound of somebody opening the door and entering the room. Anri herself paid no attention to her other classmates, as she was only interested in seeing for herself if the rumours were indeed true.

And sure enough, they were. There by the window, in the corner of the classroom, sat Harima Mika. She was in the very last seat in the row, right behind Mikado's seat, staring at the ground and shuffling her feet. Her white hat was on the top of her desk, left alone and forgotten, like its owner now.

Anri bit her lower lip, unsure of how to approach her friend from middle school when she was in such a state. There was no time to ponder over that, however, for Mika had chosen that moment to look up, making eye contact with her. When she saw what the rumours had meant by Mika appearing "different", Anri couldn't suppress the soft gasp that escaped her lips. Her hand instantly flew to cover her mouth.

"Harima...san...?"

Mika didn't seem the least bit bothered by Anri's reaction. Instead, she leapt out from her seat and ran into the bespectacled girl's arms, pulling her into a tight embrace. The surprising gesture left many of her classmates in the room utterly shocked, Anri included.

"U-um, Harima-sa-"

"I'm so glad you're finally here, Anri-chan!" Mika exclaimed, her grip on Anri tightening as if she were clinging onto Anri for her dear life. "It's been so weird for me since this morning... I've had people asking me what I'm doing in school today, and giving me their condolences, and-and-and I saw this horrible scar on my neck when I woke up and looked in the mirror. I don't understand what's going on! Anri-chan, do you know? Can you help me?"

Perplexed at the turn of events, Anri struggled to get free from Mika's grasp, but the other girl didn't show signs of letting her go. "H-Harima-san," she managed to say.

When she detected the slight hint of fear and uncertainty in Anri's voice, Mika's expression turned into one of guilt in an instant. She quickly released her hold on her bespectacled classmate, and meekly turned away.

Anri was about to ask Mika concerning everything she had mentioned earlier, but noticed the stares that they were getting from their classmates. She bowed her head, looking at the ground; she was, quite honestly, at a loss of what she should do.

Over the past two years, Anri had grown used to the indifference that Mika often displayed towards her, so seeing her this affectionate and friendly again was unexpected. And from the way Mika sounded, it seemed as though Mika had lost all her memories of those two years, and had turned back into the Harima Mika in Anri's memories of middle school as a result. But why would she suddenly-

'Is it because of the shock from knowing about Yagiri-san's death?' Anri gave it some more thought. 'But...even if that's the case, then…why does Harima-san look exactly like she did before she met Yagiri-san? It...doesn't make sense...'

At that moment, Mika slowly tilted her head back, maybe out of precaution since the world she knew seemed to have disappeared so suddenly. That was when Anri found herself staring into chocolate brown eyes in place of the mint green ones Mika had for the past two years. To some extent, she was relieved to see the eyes and hair she was used to, but the whole situation seemed far too bizarre for Anri to swallow.

"Ne, Anri-chan..." Mika suddenly tried again, evidently much calmer than she was before. "Anri-chan knows, right? About what's going on?"

'No, I don't know at all, Harima-san.' Anri kept her head down.

"Anri-chan is acting strange, too..." The brunette commented softly, shuffling her feet. "Anri-chan, did I...forget about something? I thought today is the day we're supposed to sit for the entrance exam to Raira Academy, but then I saw the date and it looks all wrong..."

"...Eh?" Anri looked up. "So, Harima-san has really...?"

"I really what? What is it?" Mika leaned forward, a frown etched on her features from middle school. "Anri-chan, tell me."

"Um, that...that is..."

"U-u-uwaah, S-Sonohara-san!"

Both girls, along with the other students of Class 3A, immediately directed their attention to the raven-haired male standing at the doorway. Face flushed from the unwanted attention, Mikado hurriedly gestured for everyone to settle down and walked towards the two girls. "S-Sensei is looking for us, Sonohara-san," he stammered.

Anri briefly wondered if it was a lie Mikado came up with on the spot, but decided to play along with him for the time being. "O-oh, I see. Um, I'm sorry, Harima-san."

Mika gave Mikado and Anri a suspicious glance, and then she sighed. "I'll ask you again during break, then." With that, she reluctantly returned to her seat where her cap was waiting.

Heaving a quiet sigh of relief, Anri turned to face Mikado with the intention of thanking him, but he suddenly said, "We need to see Sensei now, Sonohara-san."

Anri was a bit taken aback to hear that. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh..." The black-haired boy looked over his friend's shoulder at the brunette sitting silently by the window, and fidgeted. "It's about Harima-san," he mumbled.

"Oh...okay. Then...we should go, right?" the bespectacled girl replied, trying to hide her nervousness.

Mikado nodded, then led the way out of the classroom, with Anri trailing behind him. As they walked together towards the teachers' lounge, Mikado occasionally glanced at Anri, making sure that she was all right. She was oblivious to his gesture, however, appearing deep in thought with her head hung low as she walked alongside him.

It was a very quiet trip to the lounge.

The moment the bell chimed to signal the end of school, Mika did not hesitate to pounce onto Anri again, like she did at lunch when she demanded for answers. This time, though, she requested for something different.

"Let's walk home together like we always do, Anri-chan!"

No matter how surreal the current situation still seemed, it was impossible to say no to her, especially after hearing what the teacher said in the morning before lessons started. So Anri tried to smile, and said, "Ah...um, okay." Mika beamed at her reply.

As the pair walked out of the classroom together, Anri tilted her head back and noticed Mikado standing up from his seat. He was waving his phone, which had been flipped open, and making silent gestures with his free hand; she couldn't tell exactly what he was trying to convey, but eventually got the sketchy idea that Mikado was saying that he would contact her later, and nodded at him before she disappeared from his sight.

At the entrance of the school building, Mika nearly stepped outside until she noticed the bad weather that persisted since morning. "Ah, poo, it's still raining," she grumbled as she opened up her umbrella. "And here I thought we could drop by the park or something."

"I-it's okay. We can always go another time," Anri quickly replied, opening up her umbrella as well.

"...If I can remember that." Mika's voice was laced with spite and frustration.

Anri's eyes softened. "Harima-san..."

"Ahh, whatever, I don't care anymore. Let's just go home, Anri-chan."

Mika took off. Anri followed closely behind.

Just as they made a turn from the school gates, the brunette accidentally knocked into someone's shoulder. She couldn't suppress a yelp of surprise at the unexpected contact. "Ow-"

"Ack, s-sorry!" a shaky, male voice answered as the stranger turned, facing the two girls. His eyes fell on Anri. "Huh? Wait, aren't you...?"

"Um, do I know you?" the bespectacled girl asked hesitantly.

Out of precaution, Mika stood in front of her with her free hand outstretched, as if shielding Anri from the person in front of them.

"Woah, take it easy. I don't mean her any harm." The brown-haired adolescent then redirected his attention back to Anri. "Anyway, it's me. You know...Hanamura? The guy who dropped by your class yesterday? You were busy cleaning up, so we never really talked."

"Oh...I remember now." Anri placed a comforting hand on Mika's arm. "It's okay, Harima-san."

With a huff, the brunette let her arm fall to her side. She didn't budge from her position, however, keeping her eyes on the male who referred to himself as Hanamura.

Noticing her evident hostility, Yosuke couldn't help but wince. "Uh... I'm sorry I bumped into you." He figured it wouldn't hurt to start off with that. "I was kinda in a hurry to meet a friend, so I wasn't paying attention to what's around me."

"And that person is...Seta-san, correct?" Anri had paused for a while in order to recall the other undergraduate's name.

"Yeah, it is. You've got a pretty good memory." Hanamura tossed her a friendly wink as he complimented her. It made her blush slightly.

It was a different case for Mika, however, whose brows creased, clearly unimpressed with what Hanamura had said. When Anri saw that, she began to panic a little. "U-um...! If there's nothing else, may we...?"

"Oh, sorry, hang on for a moment," Yosuke called out before the two girls walked away. "I was wondering if...well, if you happen to know the person who was going out with Yagiri." He failed to notice Anri's flinch. "The thing is, I can understand what she's going through right now. It's a crappy feeling, and I know that it'd be good if she has someone to turn to, so I wanted to just...talk to her, or something. I won't do anything to her, I promise. I just want to talk."

"...Well, you're talking to her now," Mika spat venomously.

Both Yosuke and Anri looked at her in surprise. There was a simultaneous cry of "Huh?" and "Harima-san…?!" in response to what she said.

The brunette scowled. "You said you wanted to talk to Seiji-san's girlfriend. Well, here I am. Say what you want already."

"Uh...okay...?" Yosuke gave her a wary glance. "Are you feeling alright?"

His question only served to make the girl even more upset. "You don't understand at all!" she exclaimed. "Do you know what it's like to wake up and find an ugly scar on your neck for no reason? What it's like to be told that you've lost two years' worth of memories?" Her fingers curled into a tight fist. "Do you know what it's like to have people tell you that you were dating someone you don't even remember?"

Yosuke was speechless.

Mika took a deep breath, then released it slowly. "...I thought so," she murmured.

"H-Harima-san..."

Mika gave her friend from middle school a warm smile, a stark contrast to her outburst earlier. "Sorry about that, Anri-chan. Let's go for now, okay?"

Anri nodded numbly, not forgetting to give Hanamura a slight bow before she walked alongside Mika down the pavement. The brunet, disconcerted by what he had just heard, remained where he was, not knowing when to move or what to say.

When they were certain that they were at quite a distance away from the school gates, the two girls slowed down in their steps. Mika hadn't looked up at all since leaving Hanamura shocked and alone in the downpour, which made Anri rather concerned, but the latter chose to remain silent, for she hadn't the faintest idea of what would be an appropriate thing to say.

"Ne, Anri-chan..."

Hearing Mika's voice sound so sorrowful and broken shook Anri out of her stupor.

"When I asked you, during lunch, whether...whether you knew what was going on...you said that I lost my memories of the past two years, right?"

Anri casted her eyes downward solemnly.

"And...you told me...that during those two years, I was dating someone called Yagiri Seiji-san from our class, right? You said that I looked happy with him, and that you were glad for me. But I...I don't remember anything about him..."

Mika started to tremble.

"So why...why am I feeling so sad over the death of someone I don't even know?" The words leaving her lips were beginning to sound like strangled sobs. "It's like my heart is calling out to him, but I don't know how he even looks like, what he sounds like... And I want to know, I want to know everything about him! But if I do, then..."

The brunette reached up to wipe away the tears that were on the brink of spilling over. "Haha...I must look really stupid right now, crying over some stranger because of something another stranger said."

Anri finally looked up. "Harima-san..."

"I'm fine, Anri-chan. Really," she said, fighting back more tears. "I just didn't like how that Hanamura person tried to help me, that's all. I mean, he said that he understands, but I don't think he does at all."

Anri didn't say anything, but inwardly, she did agree with what Mika had said to a certain extent.

"And he's a little weird, too..." The brunette paused, sniffing a little. "You know, I thought he was going to do something to you at first. I mean, he seemed kind of suspicious, talking to you like that when you don't even really know him in the first place. Then he talked about Seiji-sa-" She quickly shook her head. "Never mind, forget it. We shouldn't be thinking about that Hanamura guy anymore, right Anri-chan?"

"…"

"…Anri-chan?"

"E-eh? O-oh, right." Anri looked away, her grip on the handle of her umbrella tightening. "Right..."

Souji sighed. "I see... So Yagiri's girlfriend doesn't remember anything from the past two years..."

Earlier on in the afternoon, Souji had noticed that his best friend looked rather down when he had gone to meet him at the lobby of the main university building after his tutorial. Despite that, Souji made the wise choice not to ask Yosuke about it, opting to do that only when they both reached home.

The moment they did, Souji had tried to coax Yosuke into telling him, but the brunet still looked uncomfortable about it, and instead promised to tell him everything after dinner. Souji remembered being mildly disappointed, but he agreed anyway, and headed to the kitchen to get started on their meal.

They had eaten together in awkward silence, which Yosuke broke when, out of the blue, he put down his cutlery. He had folded his arms, brows furrowed together, and said, "I saw Yagiri's girlfriend on my way to college just now."

And that was when Souji put away the dishes and listened to Yosuke's story, keeping quiet until Yosuke was done.

In response to the first thing Souji had to say, Yosuke nodded. "Yeah...so I feel really bad now." Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Damn, I shouldn't have said all that crap to her."

"You didn't know, Yosuke."

"But I should've known better." Yosuke's voice was full of guilt and self-directed anger. He closed his eyes, and saw the girl standing before him, one hand gripping onto the handle of her umbrella so strongly her fingers turned pale; the other hand, curled into a tight fist, quivering. He let out another frustrated sigh. "Who am I to think that I really understand what she's going through anyway? I mean, that's just thinking too highly of myself, isn't it? Acting as if I'm some kind of...hero or something when I'm just a nobody to her."

"Yosuke..."

The brunet cut him off, "No, dude. I need to let it out, otherwise I'd just be lying to myself." He stood up from his seat abruptly. "I'm gonna head over to Raira first thing tomorrow morning...then I'll go look for her, and apologise."

Souji mirrored Yosuke's action. "I'll come with you."

The brunet shook his head. "You don't have to do that, Souji. I don't want you to be late for your lecture tomorrow. I mean, my lecture's in the afternoon, so I'll be fine, but yours is in the morning. I can't have you turning up late just because of something I'm responsible for."

Before the silver-haired adolescent could say anything further, the chime of a familiar ringtone distracted him. Hesitantly, Souji picked up his smartphone and was greeted by a translucent grey box. The text in it read: 'You have 1 new message.'

Without giving it a second thought, Souji swiped across the screen and headed directly to his message inbox. The name of the sender was listed at the top of the screen.

"…A message from Naoto...?"

"Oh, maybe she's just notifying you about her arrival in 'Bukuro," Yosuke suggested, walking over to where Souji was standing and looked over his shoulder.

Souji gave his friend a look that said that their discussion wasn't over just yet, then tapped on the screen where Naoto's name was displayed and proceeded to read her message together with Yosuke.

"Hmm, looks like she fixed that texting problem. …Uh-huh... So she arrived yesterday, but was too busy to tell us... Ohh! Look! We managed to gather nearly the same amount of info as what she has. I guess that means we're on the right track."

"Yeah...and she'll be looking into the details of the people who found the body…" Souji nodded distractedly, scrolling upwards to read more of the text the detective had sent. "Hm? This is..."

Yosuke leaned forward. "...Yagiri's girlfriend." He stepped away and folded his arms, frowning slightly. "I see...so her name's Harima Mika. I'll have to keep that in mind when I go look for her tomorrow."

Souji decided against continuing the discussion the both of them had prior to receiving Naoto's message, and remained focused on what the detective had to share with them. He scrolled up a bit more. As he read the last of Naoto's text, his eyes widened slightly.

"...Yosuke."

"Huh?"

The brunet didn't have time to react when his partner suddenly handed him the phone. He simply took it without thinking, then directed his attention to the screen.

"Wait, wha-this..." Yosuke reread the message, trying hard not to let his anxiety get the better of him. "S-Souji, we gotta go! Now!"

"I know," Souji said, already wearing his jacket and grabbing the keys to his scooter. Noticing his actions, Yosuke, too, picked up his jacket draped over his chair and quickly put it on. He returned the electronic device to its owner, who pocketed it.

"C'mon, let's hurry!"

Souji gave Yosuke an assuring nod, and then the pair left the apartment.

-Senpai, I am unsure if you already know of this, but the victim of this case, Yagiri Seiji, was dating a classmate from Raira Academy. That student's name is Harima Mika.

It has come to my attention that Harima-san is currently in a critical condition at the hospital after an attack allegedly by the Slasher. Regretfully, I do not know all the details, and am unable to confirm if the Slasher is linked to the murder of Yagiri-san. But regardless, please do be careful, Senpai. The culprit is currently still at large... I don't wish to see you or Hanamura-senpai getting hurt.

I will continue to help in any way possible.

Stay well, Senpai. Please send my regards to Hanamura-senpai as well.

I look forward to our next meeting.