A/N: It's funny. I was looking forward to writing this chapter for quite some time, but in the end I struggled with it, haha.

As usual, thank you for following/reading/favouriting/reviewing this story! :)

April 17, 2013

"-Ah, there they are. Heeeey, Yukiko, Kanji-kun, Teddie! Over here!"

"Hm?"

The raven-haired girl perked up at the familiar voice and looked around, catching sight of somebody donned in an unzipped green jacket and a sunny yellow shirt underneath it. A bright smile found its way onto Yukiko's face as she broke into a run towards the other girl. "Oh, Chie!" she exclaimed excitedly, wrapping her arms around her best friend and pulling her into an embrace.

"C'mon, Yukiko, it's only been three days..." Chie said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in Yukiko's sky blue vest.

The pair remained in that position, completely oblivious to the stares they were getting from the other commuters passing by until the voices of Kanji and Teddie interrupted them.

"Aww, that's no fair, I want a hug too!" the blond whined before casting the girls his trademark bear cub eyes. "Pleeease?"

"Uh...I think the answer is no, Teds," Kanji said, looking unimpressed. Then he gave Chie a grin. "Yo, Satonaka-senpai."

Chie waved at him cheerfully. "Haha, hey there, Kan...ji-kun...?" As she got a better look at her Yasogami kouhai, however, the brunette's jaw dropped.

"Huh? What?" Kanji asked, both brows raised. "Wh-what's with that reaction?"

"Y...your hair... It..."

Chie couldn't help but stare.

For instead of a sea of midnight black, there was a bleached patch of hair in the middle of Kanji's head.

And his hair was completely slicked back again, giving him an appearance similar to the one he had back when Chie first met him. Except that now, Kanji was wearing spectacles, and dressed in a simple attire of a solid yellow t-shirt and dark brown pants, with a black windbreaker properly worn over his shirt.

Simply put, it was like looking at a bespectacled version of the Kanji from two years back. With a beige patch on his head.

"Oh, this?" he asked, tugging at a bleached strand. "Well it was all this dumb bear's fault-"

"Hey!"

"-I dunno how, but he managed to get his paws on my hair gel and bleach and gave me this stupid makeover while I was asleep on the train." Kanji rolled his eyes. "And Amagi-senpai... Man, she laughed the rest of the train ride away."

Chie just continued staring.

"...Uh, Satonaka-senpai?"

"...It..." Chie finally spoke, almost snorting. "...It totally fits you! Hahaha!"

"Snrk... I know, right?! Ahaha... Ahahahahaha!" Yukiko joined in, slapping her knee.

Kanji groaned, "Ugh, seriously? You too, Satonaka-senpai?"

Teddie raised his hands in the air and waved them around, his bright blue eyes glistening like polished sapphires. "See? I told you Chie-chan would love it!"

A vein popped in the temple of Kanji's forehead. "Yeah, and you said that you wouldn't touch any of my stuff, too." Then he turned to face his two seniors, one of whom was still busy attracting the attention of passersby with her trademark laughter; the other had stopped, but was biting down on her lower lip to restrain herself. "Amagi-senpai, aren't you, y'know, tired from all that laughing?"

"K-Kanji-kun...and that hairstyle... F-fitting... T-too fitting...!" The manager of the Amagi Inn clutched her stomach. "Snrk... Ahahahahahaha!"

Teddie bounced up and down joyfully. "And you can thank me for that, Yuki-chan!"

Chie gave the blond a thumbs-up. "I gotta hand it to ya, Teddie, you really knew what you were doing."

"Aww shucks, thanks, Chie-chan!"

All Kanji could do was sigh.

"My, I was wondering why the station was a lot livelier than when I left it just a while ago."

The present members of the Investigation Team all turned in the direction of the slightly low-pitched feminine voice that suddenly joined the conversation.

The owner of said voice was a beautiful young woman whose midnight blue hair reached slightly past her shoulders and had its ends in delicate, natural curls that framed her pale features perfectly. Over her plain white blouse that was neatly tucked in and her simple black jeans was a light brown trench coat which ended right above her piano black shoes.

Teddie's eyes sparkled in recognition and amazement, Yukiko immediately stopped laughing and gaped the moment she saw the owner of the voice, and Kanji didn't hesitate to turn his head away and cover the lower half of his face.

"Oh, hey, Naoto-kun!" Chie greeted, completely unfazed. "Where's Rise-chan? I thought you went up to meet her?"

The young woman in the trench coat directed her attention to the cadet trainee. "Kujikawa-san said that she had to settle some urgent scheduling conflicts with her manager first. She'll come over once she's done."

Chie nodded in acknowledgement. Before she could say anything else, however, a quiet and uncertain voice next to her started to speak, "Na...Naoto-kun?"

The detective turned to face the origin of the voice directly. "Ah, it's nice to see you again, Amagi-senpai," she said with a soft smile. "Tatsumi-kun and Teddie-kun, as well. It has been a long time. I see that Tatsumi-kun has changed his hairstyle. It fits you rather well."

Kanji made no response other than a stiff nod.

Yukiko blinked dazedly. "Is... Is it really you, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto, however, didn't seem at all surprised at the reaction, and chuckled. "Yes, it is," she replied smoothly. "I understand that my current...well, appearance may come as a surprise to you, being a rather drastic change from what you are used to seeing. I must admit that even I myself am not quite accustomed to this idea just yet."

The raven-haired girl shook her head. "No, no, I'm just really happy to see that you're able to truly enjoy what you're doing without anything to hide about yourself. I think it's wonderful."

A faint shade of red tinted Naoto's cheeks. "Thank you, Senpai."

"Nao-chan is really pretty~" sang Teddie, who waved his arms in the air again.

"That's...um..." The detective's blush deepened. "W-well, thank you, Teddie-kun."

The blond giggled, then turned to look at the unusually silent adolescent next to him. "Don't you think so too, Kanji?"

Chie and Yukiko gave the bespectacled teen expectant looks while Naoto busied herself with observing the tiling patterns of the floor.

"...Helloooo? Kanji?"

Kanji darted a glare at the blond. "Wh-what, ya dumb bear?" he responded, his voice slightly muffled as he was covering the lower half of his face with both of his hands. Then he gave his two seniors equally frustrated looks. "A-and quit staring at me like that, Senpais!"

"Well, you've been awfully quiet ever since Naoto-kun joined in," Chie said teasingly. "We were just worried about you, you know."

"...Heehee," Yukiko couldn't help but giggle.

Kanji grumbled, "Man, you two are just as bad as Yosuke-senpai..."

Adding Teddie to the mix made it even worse. "So, whatcha hiding beneath your hands, Kanji?"

The Third Year instantly turned away. "N...nothin'!"

"You sure about that?" Chie questioned knowingly, winking.

Kanji felt his face growing warmer by the second. "Seriously, guys! Just let it go already, dammit!"

Naoto finally spoke up, "S...Satonaka-senpai, Amagi-senpai, a-and Teddie-kun, please don't trouble Tatsumi-kun any further..."

Chie smiled reassuringly. "Ah well, if you say so, Kanji-kun, Naoto-kun." Yukiko and Teddie both nodded in concession.

Just as Kanji was about to heave a sigh of relief, however, the timely appearance of someone else dashed his hopes of laying this embarrassing matter to rest.

"Ah! There you all are!"

Everyone turned towards the origin of the high-pitched, bubbly voice and the sounds of heels tapping against the ground rapidly. Before them was the famous teen idol Kujikawa Rise, not looking any different from when they last saw her except for a familiar pair of pink-framed spectacles that she wore like she would a headband, running towards them in pastel pink three-inch high heels as naturally as breathing air.

"Rise-chan!" Teddie exclaimed, stretching his arms in a huge welcoming gesture.

The brunette dashed right into it, circling her arms around Teddie's upper torso. "Ohh Teddie, I missed you~!"

The blond sniffed, as though he were on the brink of crying. "Teddie missed you too! Very, very much!"

After the brief embrace, Rise pulled apart, and then waved at the others merrily. "Hey there, everyone! It's been so long since I last saw you guys I got a little worried that I wouldn't be able to recognise you anymore."

"We weren't separated for that long, Rise-chan," Chie replied, laughing. "It's not like we'd change much, appearance-wise."

"Teehee, except for Naoto-kun, that is~" sang the idol, whose mischievous smile widened as she looked at an embarrassed Naoto and then at Kanji, who was desperately trying to avoid her line of vision. "Oh? Kanji's hair looks kinda different..."

Yukiko sniggered. "Well... Snrk..."

"I'm the one who did it!" Teddie announced chirpily. "Just wanted to see what this 'bleach' and 'gel' thing does. It's nice, isn't it?"

"Ohh, so that's what happened." Rise giggled, while Kanji muttered something about dumb bears beneath his breath. "So Kanji, what do you think about Naoto-kun's new makeover? She's quite the looker now, huh? Not that she wasn't before. Heehee."

Kanji fidgeted, but kept his hands on his face. "...Shuddup."

The idol wouldn't give in that easily. "Ooh, what's this? Have something to hide?" She leaned forward to get a closer look, but the more she did, the more Kanji shifted away from her. "Ahhh, I see. I bet your nose is-"

"Sh-shut it, Rise! Don't we have better things to do than care about my damn nose?!"

"Ta...Tatsumi-kun is right," Naoto quickly agreed. "Although it is not impermissible to engage in idle chatter, please remember that we are here for a reason, and that is to solve the case at hand."

Almost instantly, the entire atmosphere dulled while grave expressions were painted on everyone's features as they nodded. Yukiko was the first to speak, "We need to meet up with Seta-kun and Hanamura-kun, right? Do you know where might be a good place for all of us to gather to discuss the case, Naoto-kun?"

"Unfortunately, I don't quite know the area well enough, so we will have to spend some time looking for a suitable place by ourselves." The detective glanced at the wristwatch on her left hand. "And at this time of the day, Senpai and Hanamura-senpai may be having lessons. It won't be convenient for them to join us right now."

Rise's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh yeah...we never did tell them we'd be coming, right?"

"Don't worry. I informed Seta-senpai about everyone's arrival, after Satonaka-senpai and Kujikawa-san confirmed with me that all of you would be coming," Naoto answered. "I have yet to receive a reply, however, so we may have to wait."

"Wow, thanks, Naoto-kun!" said Chie. Then the police cadet pumped a fist in the air. "Alright then! Since we have to wait for Seta-kun and Hanamura anyway, let's go grab something to eat! I'm staaaarving..."

Suddenly the atmosphere was thick with silence. One could hear the distant footsteps of commuters rushing in and out of the station, or even the mumbled voices of people engaged in conversations as they passed by.

Upon realising that the others were all staring at her, Chie awkwardly lowered her arm. "...What? Is it something I said?"

A snort let out by Yukiko was all that was needed to shatter any remaining remnants of the silence. "Ch-Chie, that's...so like you..."

"Huh? What? I mean it! I'm like, seriously super hungry right now. I think I can even tackle the Rainy Day Meatbowl Challenge. Twice."

"Pffft... Ahahahahahaha! Ahaha...!"

The cadet gave a resigned sigh as she watched her friend cackle hysterically. "There she goes again... She's really laughing over pretty much nothing nowadays, huh?"

Kanji, on the other hand, was smiling. "Well, that's Amagi-senpai for ya."

Naoto chuckled. "How very true."

Chie turned to face the both of them, and beamed. "Haha! Yeah, I guess you're right!"

As she watched the scene unfold before her eyes, the corners of Rise's lips curled into a relieved smile. "You know what, though? I really miss times like this where I can just be like any other ordinary girl and hang out with my friends, so I'm glad to see that some things never change. It wouldn't feel the same otherwise."

"I concur!" Teddie declared, leaping into the air. "And things will get even better when Sensei and Yosuke are here with us!"

The present members of the Investigation Team nodded, and then - after Yukiko recovered from her laughing fit - they moved towards the nearest exit that would lead them to above ground, chatting cheerfully amongst themselves.

Topics like training in the police academy or interesting visitors at the Amagi Inn popped up out of nowhere for them to talk about with vigour and excitement. Even what one would presume as a mundane topic like school life at Yasogami High was something everyone paid close attention to, having missed the school dearly after graduation or leaving Inaba; or simply just life with the Hanamuras and part-time work at Junes.

Just as they were listening to Rise recount her experience of working together with the immensely popular idol Hanejima Yuuhei, however, the brunette abruptly came to a halt.

"...Huh? What's wrong, Rise-chan?"

Without answering Chie's question, Rise looked over her shoulder, and then took a quick glance at their surroundings. Shuddering, she shook her head. "It... It's nothing, Chie-senpai. I must have been imagining things."

Naoto's eyes narrowed slightly, and stole a glimpse around the area they were in. A large crowd of commuters were walking past them, paying attention to anything but a group of teenagers gathered in a train station. Announcements notifying commuters about the train's arrival were being broadcasted, the security guards were at their posts or patrolling the station... Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But Naoto knew better than to underestimate Rise's uncannily sharp instincts.

And there was something about Rise shuddering that...disturbed her, somewhat.

"Might it have been a stalker?" the detective suggested, while at the same time hinting to the others that something was amiss.

As expected, they picked up on the hint, and paid exceptionally close attention to Rise as she replied, "I'm not sure... I mean, I've had plenty of stalkers before, but this..."

Before anyone could respond, the brunette suddenly gasped and hunched over, clutching her chest. "Wha...?! Th-this is..."

"Kujikawa-san?!"

"Rise-chan!"

"O-oi, Rise!"

"What... A-are you okay?!"

"Rise-chan?!"

When she realised that her friends were moving closer towards her out of concern, the idol shook her head vehemently. "N-no, don't-"

Then a burst of warmth enveloped her entire frame; her vision obscured by a blinding pale blue light that erupted from seemingly out of nowhere.

The voices of her teammates escalated in volume, panic and confusion clearly evident. Rise could hear her friends turning to each other for answers, only to be completely stumped before they asked Teddie if he could sense anything. Every whiff the former Shadow took after that sounded so clear it was as if the blond was breathing down her neck. He mentioned something about rusty metal at some point, but Rise was too distracted by the voice in her head humming a familiar tune to pay any closer attention.

The blue light that blinded her slowly dimmed while tiny red dots spotted her vision. They looked scattered at first glance, but as Rise kept her eyes on them, she realised that they were increasing in numbers at a terrifyingly rapid pace. It was like watching cells divide uncontrollably - what used to be small red specks quickly growing into massive clumps of bright crimson.

Wrapping her arms around herself, the brunette remained standing, not willing to give in to her legs which had gone numb from shock. She steeled herself, and continued looking. Analysing.

And that was when she finally found them - the flickering blue spots at the bottom edge of her vision, at a distance away from the sea of red.

But just when she caught sight of them, freckles of scarlet dotted along above them, and spread quickly towards the clearly outnumbered blue spots.

The song in Rise's head escalated in volume.

"Everyone, look out!"

It had only been three days since his arrival in Ikebukuro.

And already, too many things were happening all at once, ending the peaceful everyday life he once led before the news of Yagiri Seiji's death was broadcasted.

But the discovery of the body was merely the domino that knocked the others in its row.

Harima Mika's amnesia; the brutal attack that landed her in the hospital; a group of red-eyed strangers intent on ending his and Yosuke's lives; being able to summon their Personas in the real world; the return of the Midnight Channel; the Velvet Room appearing completely different from how he remembered it...

And now...

"I still can't believe- All those people, I..."

"It ain't your fault, Amagi-senpai."

"Yeah, Yukiko, it's not like you meant for any of that to happen."

Despite the protests, however, the young manager still shook her head, her hands trembling as she avoided the concerned gazes of her friends. "That doesn't change the fact that I-"

"Amagi, listen," Yosuke cut her off. "Everything that happened earlier was just an accident. I-I know, your Persona caused the explosion, and the people who attacked you got caught up in it, so you feel guilty about it. But nobody got hurt, right? I mean, yeah, the station got blown up, but in the end, everyone managed to get out safely. Isn't that what matters most?"

"Yosuke's right," Souji added before Yukiko could even react. "It's okay, Amagi."

"That's..." The raven-haired girl paused to consider their words carefully. "Even though that may be true...because of me, Chie and the others are-"

"What? You mean these little scratches?" the cadet was quick to reply. Then she waved it off cheerfully with a lighthearted laugh. "Oh c'mon, Yukiko, you know this is nothing compared to all the damage I do to myself whenever I practise my kungfu moves. And even then, I could still help you guys kick Shadow butt, right?

"Yeah, what Satonaka-senpai said, Amagi-senpai," Kanji agreed, giving his Amagi-senpai a thumbs-up.

Rise giggled. "Really, Senpai, there's nothing to worry about. It's not like these will scar or anything. They aren't that bad, you know."

"And it's not Yuki-chan's fault at all!" Teddie quickly added.

With a light smile on her face, Naoto nodded. "So please...don't feel bad, Amagi-senpai."

Silently, Yukiko raised her head. The sight of bandages and plasters infiltrated her vision; the stinging smell of antiseptic still lingering in the room. No matter where she looked, the whiteness of the bandages refused to leave her sight.

Without saying another word, Yukiko bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze, directing it to the ground.

"...Yukiko?"

The manager couldn't help but close her eyes shut as she inhaled deeply before finally releasing her breath in the form of a sigh. "Thank you, everyone. I'll be fine, so..."

Souji's eyes softened. "Are you sure?"

Yukiko nodded firmly. "Yes. That's why we're here, after all. We have no more time to waste. So please, Seta-kun."

The leader of the Investigation Team looked over the rest of his teammates, whose eyes were all on him in anticipation. Then, he gave them a brief nod of confirmation, before he turned to face the bespectacled man, who had been listening to the entire conversation in silence with his two companions, and bowed.

"Kishitani-sensei, Celty-san, Heiwajima-san... I can't thank you all enough for helping us."

Shinra's smile was brimming with enthusiasm. "Oh, no need for thanks, Souji-kun. We can leave it until later. I believe you have something more important to settle right now?" Next to him, Celty's helmet shook in a nodding motion, while Shizuo simply grunted.

Souji stood upright, his expression now grave as he met Shizuo's eyes. "Yes, and it concerns Heiwajima-san, so I think it would be for the best if he listens to our discussion. Is that alright with you, Heiwajima-san?"

Without any warning, Shinra sprang into action. "Of course he'd be happy to stay and listen!"

Shizuo frowned. "Oi, I didn't-"

"After all, this does concern his own life. I doubt even someone like Shizuo-kun would want to take a gamble with that. Right, Shizuo-kun?"

The former bartender growled at the sight of his childhood friend's eyes which were glimmering with hope. "I have work, you-"

"So! Do carry on!"

Shizuo clicked his tongue. "Shinra..."

"Um..." Naoto started hesitantly. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but if it's not convenient for Heiwajima-san to be here right now, then we shouldn't force him to stay. After all, regardless of his presence, we would still be able to hold our discussion and carry out whatever we will decide to do. Isn't that right?"

Before anyone in the team could reply, Shizuo said, "Whoa, hold up. Doesn't that mean that you kids will do whatever the hell you want and I have no say in anything?"

"...That depends. Should you decide to stay and voice your opinion as we move along in our discussion, we may be able to work out some arrangements that suit your needs. Solving the case, however, still takes priority, so if we feel that we need to take certain actions to ensure your safety, then we will have no choice but to do so.

"Furthermore..." Naoto paused, watching Shizuo carefully, "I hope that you are aware that you are not the only target, Heiwajima-san. What we will be discussing concerns Orihara-san as well." The former bartender's expression darkened at the mention of the other man. "But, since time is not on our side, we can only move on with our meeting first and convey our decisions to him at a more suitable time. Therefore, we will have to rely on you to give us your input so that we can carry out our meeting more effectively. Is that acceptable?"

The blond grumbled something under his breath before he said, in a louder voice, "...Fine. If you guys are gonna get in the way of my work or something, I gotta know in advance, after all. And besides..." Shizuo's fingers curled into tight fists as his brows furrowed. "I wanna know what all this has to do with the flea. So…I guess I'll stay and listen."

Shinra's eyes widened slightly while Celty's shoulders stiffened as if in shock as they watched the exchange. Behind their backs, Souji, Yosuke, Kanji and Chie gave Naoto thumbs-ups; Rise giggled and nudged the detective lightly; Yukiko let out a quiet snort, and Teddie swayed about clumsily.

The corners of Naoto's lips curled into a subtle smile of triumph. "Very well. Shall we begin, then?"

"Right," Souji answered, while the other members of the team nodded in acknowledgement. "First of all, we have to sort out the similarities that these two cases have and clarify any doubts concerning the current case. We need everybody on the same page here before we move on."

"Hmm..." Chie put a finger to her chin. "If I remember correctly, basically everything's the same, right? There's the fog and the Midnight Channel... And the bodies were found in a similar manner."

"But there wasn't any Midnight Channel before that Yagiri guy's death, right?" Kanji pointed out. "I mean, if there was, Senpai would've noticed it and told us a long time ago."

"And even if that were the case, Yagiri wouldn't be the one who'd show up on it." Souji's features pulled into a thin frown. "He wasn't mentioned in the news, neither was there any talk about him in particular."

Naoto closed her eyes, appearing to be in deep thought. "However, Yagiri Seiji did die of unknown causes, similar to the victims of the Inaba serial murder case. That is a fact."

"So that means... Yagiri-san was definitely thrown into the TV and killed by his Shadow, but the Midnight Channel just didn't air, for some reason?" asked Rise.

"But that's not possible," Yukiko said. "After all, if someone is in the TV, the Midnight Channel would definitely come on, right?"

That was a question that nobody had the answer to. The team could only hang their heads low in abrupt silence. Behind them, the Dullahan, bodyguard and underground doctor merely watched on, not knowing how to contribute to the serious discussion.

Until somebody finally broke the silence.

"Maybe this new killer...has been targeting Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san all along."

At Yosuke's suggestion, mild surprise flashed through Shinra's expression, while the shadowy wisp trailing above Celty's neck formed a spherical cloud, escaping as a poof of smoke.

Shizuo's frown deepened. "Yeah? What makes you say that?"

"Well, doesn't it seem strange that the Midnight Channel only appeared after Yagiri's body was found? And it so happened that it was you and Orihara-san who found it? It's like...like the killer deliberately set things up so that it had to be the two of you who found the body so that they can recreate what happened in Inaba. I don't know."

"Ah..." Souji muttered, knowing exactly what his best friend had meant. "That might be so. Which makes keeping a close eye on Heiwajima-san and Orihara-san all the more vital."

"Eh?" Shinra asked, incredulous. "Why is that so?"

Yosuke took the liberty to explain, "For one thing, we don't know who - or what - we're up against this time. The killer might be able to approach them directly and shove them into a TV without them realising it."

"And since there is a possibility that the killer has been targeting them from the very beginning, they must be trying to use the TV world in order to get rid of them," Souji added, before he looked directly at the blond. "We can't guarantee that we'll be able to rescue you if you were to enter there, so we have to prevent that from happening."

Shizuo considered this for a moment. "Yeah, I get that. What I don't get, though, is why the bastard has to use something like that at all."

"Well, think about it," Chie spoke. "Once somebody is thrown inside the TV, they can't ever get out until they get killed by the Shadows, and then they end up back in our world...dead." The cadet paused, resisting the urge to grimace as she recalled what had happened to Inaba two years back. "And with no wounds and stuff, the police can't identify any possible cause of death."

"Investigations will carry on," Naoto continued from where her senior had left. "But with no leads to work on, the police will have no choice but to close the case. In other words, it's quite possibly the cleanest way to carry out a murder."

"And all the killer has to do...is push the victim into a TV," Yukiko ended on an eerie note.

Shinra hummed thoughtfully at this, but otherwise remained silent. While part of him was becoming thrilled at the prospects of looking more into this new supernatural finding, there was also a strange...feeling, of sorts, that was masking the excitement bubbling within him.

Cocoa eyes briefly wandered over to the blond ex-bartender staring at the ground, seemingly deep in thought, and softened considerably.

"...If there aren't any further enquiries, we should carry on," prompted Naoto, unknowingly redirecting Shinra's attention back to the discussion. "Senpai, what do you propose we do with regards to protecting the next two possible victims?"

The leader of the Investigation Team folded his arms. "Before we go into that, we need to find an entrance. Although we're trying to prevent it from happening, we should be prepared for the scenario where we'll need to travel to the TV world."

"Oh, that's...right..." Yukiko murmured. "That's not going to be easy to find..."

"Yeah," Teddie voiced his agreement, finally speaking up after remaining silent throughout the entire discussion thus far. He hadn't been much of a strategic bear, after all, so he left those decisions for his Sensei and the others to make, but when it came to the Shadow World, he was the expert. "We can't use just any TV we find. It might not lead us to a safe place."

"Well, we can still try, of course," encouraged Rise. "Teddie and I can just pop in and do a quick scan around to see if things are okay. If they are, then we'd have found a good place. If not, we can just keep looking."

Souji nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea. Though... Rise, won't you be busy with your work for the next few days?"

The idol beamed. "Not really. Since I'm finally done with my recordings, my schedule's pretty flexible right now."

"That's good to hear," Souji replied, smiling himself. "Alright. So, we'll have Teddie and Rise going together as a pair to search for suitable entrances. That's six of us remaining. We can split into two groups of three, one to each possible target. How does that sound?"

"Oh! Good thinking, partner!" Yosuke commented with a wink. The others, too, voiced out their agreements.

"Okay then, how shall we split the groups?"

"...Senpai, if I may," Naoto spoke before anyone else could. "I would like to request to join the group that is responsible for Orihara Izaya-san's safety."

Shizuo was the first out of everyone to whip his head towards the detective. His hands instinctively tried to reach for something he could snap, which happened to be the shoulder rest of the sofa. "What the hell? You're actually volunteering?"

Realising that all eyes were on her, the detective fidgeted slightly, and then bowed her head, almost as if she were ashamed. "Well, it's... To tell the truth, it's for another case I've been following. I have reasons to believe that Orihara-san is involved in that case, and so I want to take this opportunity to question his involvement. I apologise for making such a selfish request..."

"It's perfectly fine, Naoto," Souji assured.

Keeping his eyes on the detective, Kanji made no comment.

"…Oh. Uh. Well. When you put it that way..." Shizuo released his hold on the shoulder rest. "But if you find out that he's involved, just make sure you nab the flea and give him the punishment he deserves. Ten times over. No, make that hundred times over...a thousand times over... Hell, make it infinite times over... Kill kill kill..."

The members of the Investigation Team simply stared at the man in awkward silence.

"...Anyway, for the groupings," Souji quickly brought everyone else back to the topic. "The only confirmed placing is Naoto. Does anybody else want to volunteer or-"

"Uh, Senpai," Kanji interrupted, "I-I wanna be one of the people lookin' after Orihara-san, too."

Now everyone was directing their attention to Kanji instead. Even Naoto seemed surprised.

"Ooh~ what's this? Kanji's actually taking the initiative now?" Rise sang teasingly.

"Wh-hey, shut it! It ain't like that!" the bespectacled teen protested. "It's just... I... Naoto..." He shook his head. "Argh, whatever! Can we just get with the programme already?!"

Naoto looked utterly perplexed.

"If you say so," Souji responded with a teasing smile of his own. "That makes it Kanji and Naoto in charge of Orihara-san, then. Anyone else? Otherwise, I will make the final decision." He met with conceding silence. "Alright then. So... We'll have Amagi, Kanji and Naoto in one group. Yosuke and Satonaka are with me. Any objections?"

His teammates shook their heads. Souji nodded firmly in response. "That settles it, then. Naoto, I'm counting on your group to convey all the necessary details to Orihara-san and make the arrangements with him. Yosuke, Satonaka, as per Heiwajima-san's concerns, we'll keep a distance and try not to interfere in his work as far as possible."

"...Thanks," Shizuo said a little sheepishly. The whole thing was, honestly, still very strange and frustrating to him, but it wouldn't get too bad, he supposed.

The teenagers tasked with protecting the fortissimo of Ikebukuro flashed him reassuring smiles.

"Anything else to discuss about now, partner?" Yosuke prompted.

"Well..." he glanced over the others. "Aside from Yosuke, Naoto and maybe Rise...I'd very much like to have a word with the rest of you about leaving your commitments to come over here." They winced at that. Souji sighed. "But...I guess whatever I say won't be of much use now, seeing as you're all here anyway. So I'll leave this discussion for another time."

The members of the team all heaved a sigh of relief simultaneously.

"Alrighty then!" Teddie said, leaping up from his seat. "Rise-chan and I will go look for an entrance right away!"

"In that case," Shinra invited himself to the discussion, "maybe you can try our living room TV first."

"...Eh?" The team glanced at the aforementioned electronic resting on top of a tiny table. "Is that really okay with you?"

"Oh, by all means, please do!"

"Well...alright. Thank you, Kishitani-sensei," Souji said, bowing. The rest of the team did the same, and then everyone got up to gather around the television set, Shinra, Shizuo and Celty included. The silver-haired adolescent turned to face the teen idol and the blond bear. "Rise, Teddie, we're counting on you."

Rise gave him a confident smile. "No problem, Senpai!"

"We'll do a bear-rific job!" Teddie exclaimed.

And with that, the brunette was the first to reach out and place her long, thin fingers on the cool surface of the screen, which rippled at the touch. Giving her companion a nod, Rise inched closer towards the screen, before allowing herself to immerse her body completely into the ripples with Teddie following closely behind.

Leaving a wide-eyed Shizuo, a frozen Celty, and an excited Shinra - who was squealing and cooing like a child - in their wake. With the rest of the Investigation Team members trying to calm them down as quickly as they could.

CHATROOM

No one is in the chatroom now.

No one is in the chatroom now.

Kanra-san has joined the chat.

Kanra
Kya-ho~!

Kanra
Kanra-chan hereeeeee!

Kanra
...Ehhh? Where's everybody? Not free to chat tonight?

Kanra
That's so strange~

Kanra
...Well, everyone here is living in lovely, vibrant Ikebukuro, after all. I'm sure they must be leading very busy lives.

Kanra
In that case, I should get busy as well~

Kanra
Well then!

Kanra
Bye bye-bii~!

Kanra-san has left the chat.

No one is in the chatroom now.

No one is in the chatroom now.

... ...