10

30th, April 2011

"You brought the gifts for everyone?" Yu asked as the two headed to school.

"Yeah, since no one showed up on the midnight channel I think we're in the clear," Yuri stated. "I'm glad that Yukiko-Chan took enough time to rest until coming back."

"Yeah," Yu agreed before shooting his sister a look. "Have you joined the archery club yet? Or sewing?"

"I've been meaning to," Yuri quietly admitted, hiding behind her bag of goodies for her friends. "It's been difficult getting around the third year girls…they've been posting someone in front of the rooms."

Yu almost stopped in his tracks. His sister was being bullied, and he hadn't noticed. She scratched her cheek a little in discomfort as he frowned. He wanted her to enjoy their time in Inaba, and a single group of girls was giving her issues. Her gentle pat to his shoulder broke him out of his slight anger.

"It's all right," she informed him, giving a wry smile. "I'll get in."

Yu was better off not knowing how. He simply nodded his head and blinked when he turned towards the school gate. Yukiko was standing there with her bag behind her back. She still looked a little tired, but otherwise fine. Her dark eyes lit up as she saw the twins and a kind smile appeared on her face. She got one in response from Yuri, watching as the gold eyes closed in happiness.

"Feeling better?" Yu asked and she was startled before nodding.

"Y-Yeah," Yukiko stuttered. "I'll be coming back to school again, so that'll be nice."

"It's great to have you back, I have notes for the classes you missed if you want them," Yuri informed her, and Yukiko's eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you," she said, her smile growing a bit. "Even after all the trouble I caused everyone…thank you."

"Don't worry about it, it's what friends do," Yu stated.

Yukiko felt as though those two would never cease to surprise her. She let out a soft chuckle as she followed them into school. She was changing her shoes next to Yuri and noted the small letter inside of it. It had a heart on it and Yuri quickly stuffed it into her bag.

"Don't worry about it," Yuri quietly said, giving a tiny smile.

"Of course," Yukiko agreed, knowing she did the same thing with Chie. "My mothers back to work already, and the maids are incredibly supportive. I think things are going smoother than before."

"I'm glad she has someone to back her up," Yuri admitted. "You two are incredibly strong willed people."

"That makes me wonder if I was trying too hard," Yukiko stated, her cheeks heating up from the compliment to her and her mother. "I may have been caught up in the idea that I had to do everything myself…but since the incident I feel as though I can think about these things more calmly."

"Thank you for trusting us," Yuri stated, looking towards her brother and giving a sad smile. "Everyone here in Inaba are the first friends I've ever really had…"

"I think we've become close friends rather fast, you all saw a side of me that I never wanted anyone to see," Yukiko admitted.

"I think there's only one Yukiko-San," Yu stated, finally entering the conversation noticing how their expression had become a little sad.

"I'd like to believe that as well," Yukiko agreed.

"Yukiko!" Chow's call got all their attention and Yuri gave a soft laugh when Chie pulled Yukiko into a hug.

"Let's talk more later," Yukiko suggested, giving Chie a small hug back.

"Oh, Yuri-San," Sofue stopped the taller teen and she gave her friends a small smile. "I heard you've been having trouble getting into clubs."

"I-It's okay," Yuri stammered, unsure of how to act to a teacher possibly stepping up.

"It's not, I've spoken to them and you should be able to join now," Sofue informed her with a kind smile watching the teen's astonished expression. "I would like one of my top students to be able to enjoy their time here."

"Thank you, Sofue-Sensei," Yuri thanked, giving a small bow.

"You should get to class," Sofue informed the teen, and she watched the panicked scramble with a little bit of amusement.

"What happened?" Yu whispered to his sister in English as she made it inside the classroom and quickly took her seat.

"Sofue-Sensei was able to make sure I could join a club," Yuri answered in kind.

He could tell that she was incredibly bothered by something, but knew she'd eventually tell him. She always did. Yuri looked at her notes in a distracted manner as she quietly handed Yukiko the ones for the classes she had missed. The other girl gave her a smile in thanks and Yuri gave one back before picking up her pen and looking at her neat handwriting. One of the Obaa-chans used to teach her how to write before…

Ah, there she goes, depressing herself. Yuri couldn't help the dark thoughts that clouded her mind, even as Izanagi gave a gentle murmur in the back of her thoughts. There were things that she had never informed her brother of, the one time they had fought had been enough to tell her she relied too much on him, had put too much on his shoulders without meaning to. She was always aware of those thoughts, even if she didn't like them. Even if they had been around more when she was a child. She didn't doubt that if she had been thrown into the TV, and didn't have the power of a wild card, then she would've run into a shadow of her own. She wondered if she would have accepted it. She didn't know, but she knew that with Izanagi around she would always accept herself as she was.

"I am so glad Yukiko-san is back," Yamada had a strange way of starting classes. "I'm glad that the only cutie in the class was able to return, wouldn't you guys agree?"

Yuri froze in unison with Yukiko. She hadn't known the man was a creep. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she didn't doubt that Yu's had done so as well. Yamada looked into the crowd of students and noticed the discomfort on some of the female's faces. He then caught sight of the Narukami twins and felt a shiver of fear going down his spine. It felt like staring death in the face with one of them.

"I mean all of you are cute! No really…er…please, don't tell your parents that I said that, will you?" Yamada pleaded with the students. "I don't want to get in trouble. I have an interesting topic for you today. I'm sending out a handout and I want to pick on, Yuri-San. What is the greatest canyon in the solar system?"

"Valles Mariners on Mars," She answered, standing up to give the answer.

"Wow, I guess your previous teachers were quite impressive," Yamada complimented as she sat back down. "Mars also hosts Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the solar system. I'm going to cover some material on their characteristics."

Yuri sighed and took her notes. Right, the rest of the class had PE, and she was going to be in the library under the watchful glare of Shinjiro. A part of her was looking forward to it, another was dreading it. Since she found out that he was part of her links, they hadn't crossed paths. She made a mental note to spend more time with Daidara, to see if there was anything they could make. She had a sketchbook in her bag, maybe she could do that instead of constantly studying? She made the plan to draw up a few drafts to show to Daidara when she could.

"Don't destroy anything," Shinjiro's gruff warning caused her to let out an amused huff.

Did she really look like the type of person to do that? No wonder her brother didn't let her help him with his homework. She might destroy it without even trying to. She took a seat as far away from the windows as she could. She didn't want to deal with the lingering resentment that liked to bubble up when she watched people running around during PE. She knew it wasn't their fault, so she removed the source of the issue.

Shinjiro could hear her writing and her eyebrow twitched under his fringe, damn dress code made him remove his beanie indoors. He didn't want to deal with the pain in the ass that Morooka was. Another lecture wasn't what he needed, nor wanted. Apparently, he was a bad influence on students. He felt his head start to hurt just thinking about it. He looked up when another student walked in and he thought about the customary words that the actual librarian told him before she took her sabbatical. He couldn't believe that he drew the short straw for the position among the three of them.

"Don't destroy anything," Shinjiro gruffly warned and the teenager rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

His glare intensified and the teen glared back. So, he was similar to him. The teen let out a huff and sent his glare around the room. Yuri was still writing something down, a frown on her face before she paused and looked up, feeling the tense atmosphere. She didn't even react to the glare being sent her way, but instead smiled at the other teen before returning to whatever it was she was writing. The teen that had entered seemed knocked off kilter by the smile sent his way. As though that wasn't normal. Shinjiro sighed as the teen briskly walked up to her.

"What the hell are you smiling at?" The teen asked.

"Well, I thought it was a smile of greeting…was it more of a grimace?" Yuri asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "It wasn't meant to be."

"What…" the teen trailed off.

"Hm?" Yuri questioned.

Shinjiro watched as the teen was unsure of how to proceed. Yuri had just stopped a fight in its tracks without even trying. Her, seemingly, innocent curiosity had ended the boy's anger within seconds. He rubbed the back of his head in annoyance at the two. The library was supposed to be quiet and here he got a damn teenage production.

"Ah, what a cute charm," Yuri said, noticing the small bunny hanging out of the boy's pocket. "Wasn't that pattern in the latest issue of Cotton Friend? That's masterfully made, the stitching is incredible."

The teen looked at her as though she was an alien. She was studying the charm, completely oblivious as to how weird she was. Shinjiro gained something that could barely be called a smile. It was hard to really dislike her when she acted like this. Koromaru was the first one to be able to pull it out of her, forcibly at that. The teen that was slowly regaining his composure was the second.

"You…You don't find it weird?" The teen quietly asked.

"Why would I?" Yuri asked, slowly turning towards her bag and digging around in it. "I like to make things as well, I typically stay with clothes and blankets but I like doing small things like charms from time to time."

She brought out a small charm that looked suspiciously like Koromaru. Shinjiro looked to the side. Maybe he could get Fuuka to put in an order for one. For Ken of course. The teen's eyes grew wide before he quickly turned his expression into a frown. Yuri blinked before giving a soft smile.

"If you need anyone to talk to about sewing patterns or anything like that, I'll gladly do so," Yuri informed him. "I think everyone needs an ear that won't judge them."

"You're weird, Senpai," the teen informed her, hearing her quiet laugh in response to being told that.

"I think that's a good thing sometimes," Yuri admitted. "I'm Narukami Yuri, feel free to ask me for anything you might need."

"Tatsumi Kanji…" the teen introduced.

She gave a gentle smile in response and he found himself sitting down at her little spot, spotting the drawing she had been doing. She was strange, drawing pictures of weapons. Still, it was the first time someone had figured out his hobby and hadn't judged him. He was waiting for the first sign of her back stabbing him to pass complete judgment. Shinjiro sat in the chair that had been provided for him. She had a strange habit of attempting to make friends with people that were standoffish and didn't want friends. She had been like that as well. Now he was feeling nostalgic, how annoying.

"See you around, Kanji-kun," Yuri said when he had to finally leave.

Kanji had made off with a couple sewing patterns. One of which being a version of the small dog one she had made. He couldn't help but look down at them with a slight frown. He didn't know how to deal with Yuri. She was weird, too weird. Even for him. He put the patterns into his school bag with a gentleness that would've surprised people if they actually paid attention. He let out a humourless laugh, he would wait to see how it all played out.

"How long is this PE class?" Shinjiro muttered to himself as he looked out the window, just to see the male twin get body checked into the mud during a soccer game.

He looked back towards Yuri and frowned. She was reading a book on psychology, a thoughtful expression on her face. He stood there, more than a little awkwardly, before sighing. She was stuck in the library like he was. Might as well gather some information.

"Jung?" He asked and she blinked as her concentration broke.

"I think it's interesting, and I've already studied for exams," she admitted, gaining a strange look. "I might as well read something that'll hold my interest for a while."

"This one's good," he informed her, handing her a different book that might point her in a different direction.

She was sharp if she could figure this out. It had taken Mitsuru quite a bit longer to end up on Jung's ideals of a collective consciousness. This girl had picked up on it within a month, if not less time. He narrowed his eyes a little as she looked at the title of the book in thought. What could've grabbed her attention to end up on that line of study in the first place. Fuuka couldn't even figure out where they went for short periods of time. It was strange, and he didn't see any connections either.

"Hey, Yuri-chan!" A voice called into the library and Yuri gave a smile. "PE's over, I was sent to let you know."

"Thank you, Chie-chan," Yuri thanked before looking at Shinjiro.

He gave her a time slip for the book he suggested and she gave him a smile before grabbing her things to hurry back to class with Chie. He heard Chie amused laughter fading the further they got away. He rubbed the back of his neck, a frown on his face. She left the little Koromaru on his desk, and he hadn't even noticed. He picked up the small charm, and a small smile appeared on his face. It was cute.

Yuri helped Yukiko with making some instant ramen. She felt that it would go well with the sweets she had got everyone, and it helped to take her mind away from the fact that her bond with Shinjiro had grown without her doing anything. With Nanako and Ryotaro she had insight to them, but with him. She had nothing to go on, except his health wasn't as good either, and he had an adorable dog named Koromaru.

"Thank you for the help," Yukiko said.

"It's no problem, besides you got me one as well and I appreciate it," Yuri admitted as they headed up to the roof.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Yukiko apologized as Yuri took a seat next to Yosuke. "The Soba is yours, right Chie?"

"It's udon," Yuri answered Yu's silent question.

"That smells so good," Chie stated as she gave a thankful smile to Yukiko and smelled the noodles. "These instant noodles are just the thing to help me through club! How much longer do I need to wait on this?"

"It still needs a few minutes," Yukiko answered.

"So, why are we having this meeting on the roof?" Chie asked, sending the two boys a look.

"It's quiet, and I don't want us to have to go all the way to Junes just to find out it was busy," Yosuke huffed, and Yuri reached towards her school bag.

"Right, I have stuff for you guys from when I went to Tatsumi Port Island," Yuri announced and everyone grew excited. "I had some help picking things out, but I think you'll like it."

Chie let out a loud cheer and looked at the box handed to her as Yosuke gave thanks as he accepted his. Yukiko was surprised that she got one as well. Yu already had his, as did Nanako. Inside the boxes were candy and small snacks. It was all picked according to how she saw them and how they had presented themselves to her. They all put their boxes away with grins and Yuri gave a small smile before peeking at her udon noodles.

"Right, I hate to bring this up and I know you'd rather not talk about it," Yosuke said, pushing the conversation back to their investigation. "But do you really recall nothing about your kidnapping?"

"No, I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but it just gets hazier as time passes," Yukiko sighed. "I think the doorbell rang at the entrance, and someone called for me. But when I woke up, I was already in the castle, I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize," Chie told her. "But does this mean her visitor is the culprit?"

"I don't know," Yosuke admitted. "If so, then that is one daring criminal. What kind of killer rings a doorbell?"

"Especially with the police already on high alert," Yuri agreed, looking at her noodles in thought. "I wonder if they were wearing bright clothing…or some other kind of costume."

"That's Yuri-chan for ya," Chie said, giving the older teen a look. "She's got a line of thought already."

"This whole case is weird," Yuri admitted. "I can draw up what I think is going on, and be completely incorrect."

"Well, we won't know for sure until we confront them ourselves," Yosuke stated, breaking her from her thoughts. "But we can be sure that people ending up in that place is no coincidence."

"Someone on our side is definitely kidnapping them and throwing them into the TV," Chie agreed.

Yuri went to say something when a noise caught her attention. It came from nearby. A shout from below followed and she gathered it was just a club. She freaked herself out, the case was going to get to her, whether she wanted it to or not. She frowned a bit before shaking her head. She needed to focus on what was going around her.

"It's definitely murder," Yuri stated. "And we need to stop whoever it is that's doing it."

"The police won't be able to do anything," Yosuke agreed. "Plus we have the ability to protect ourselves over there with our persona."

"Could you lend us a hand?" Yuri and Yu asked Yukiko and Chie.

"Hell yeah I'll help out!" Chie agreed as Yukiko quietly thought about it. "I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!"

"I'll help too, I want to know why this is happening," Yukiko stated. "Especially if someone hates me so much that they want to kill me. I don't want to run away anymore."

"Then let's work together to catch this asshole," Yosuke grinned.

Yu and Yuri were welcomed to the knowledge of the fool arcana. Yuri took in a deep breath and closed her eyes for a few seconds. The smell of her noodles made her stomach growl and her cheeks burned when the others grinned at her. They didn't seem to mind when she started to eat, she didn't really take a lunch.

"How are we going to find this guy, we don't have a single lead," Yosuke grumbled, frowning a little.

"I'm the third one to be targeted so far, but I have a feeling this isn't the end of it," Yukiko stated. "If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, we'd have an advantage over the killer."

"The midnight channel," Yuri stated, pausing with some udon in her chopsticks. "We knew you'd be kidnapped because we saw your silhouette on the midnight channel beforehand and recognized it."

"Then the killer's going after people who were on that channel?" Yosuke said in thought before his eyes widened. "Every single victim's been female."

"How dare he target females!" Chie huffed. "That's completely unforgivable, he's gotta be some kind of pervert."

"Yukiko-Chan and Konishi-Senpai had connections to the announcer as well," Yuri added, and Chie nodded.

"Maybe females that are connected to Yamano-San's case are being targeted," Chie and Yosuke suggested at the same time.

"It's….a safe assumption for now," Yosuke said, completely freaked out by their sudden unison. "We'll know more if another person disappears."

"We should keep an eye on the midnight channel," Yu stated.

"Aren't those done by now?" Yosuke asked Chie and Yukiko as Yuri went back to eating hers.

"That's right! Chow time!" Chie cheered and Yosuke sent her a sad look. "Hands off the soba, go get your own if you want some."

Yosuke kept up with his sad look and Chie folded. Yukiko and Chie made the mistake of sharing with the two boys and Yuri paused as the two dug in. Her disappointment in them was growing by the minute and Yu slowly straightened up. Yukiko watched as he stopped eating and slowly turned to face his twin. Her expression of disappointment made him hand the noodles back to Yukiko. Even though the damage had been done.

"You like fried tofu, right?" Yuri asked Yukiko, and the dark-haired teen nodded.

She was given the tofu from Yuri's udon and she happily ate it. She watched as Yuri simply shook her head at her brother and he sat down next to her with an apologetic expression.

"I hope you guys understand what this means," Chie growled at the two.

"I-I'll buy you steak!" Yosuke quickly stated, not wanting to get kicked by her. "The very best!"

"Steak?" Chie questioned, not fully trusting him.

"Yes, I'll get you a nice one as an apology," Yosuke confirmed.

"As long as it isn't too fatty," Yukiko stated.

"What wouldn't be too fatty?" Chie questioned, frowning in thought. "Filet? Oh, Filet sounds nice and expensive."

"You have to pony up too," Yosuke informed Yu as Chie chanted the meat type to herself. "You're just as much to blame."

Yuri walked behind the group as they made their way to Junes to get some steak. She paused when she heard that sound again. It was like someone had shifted their weight. She looked around the roof and made a strange face. Just what was making that noise? Her pause caused her brother to look back, and noticed her serious expression.

"Yuri, are you okay?" Yu asked.

"Yeah, I thought I heard something," Yuri stated. "Let's get going before Chie-Chan comes back up here."

"She's pretty strong," Yu agreed and her soft laugh made him smile.

They hurried after their friends and the roof door slowly closed behind them. Shinjiro came around to the entrance and stopped in front of the door. His phone in his hand and currently on a call with Akihiko. A hum came over the line.

"TV?" Fuuka softly questioned. "That would explain the film like sensation I get when I try to sense them sometimes."

"I don't think it's possible for someone to go into a TV," Akihiko stated, a sound followed that told he had scratched the back of his head in frustration. "This Midnight channel they talked about might be helpful."

"I've heard students gossiping about it," Shinjiro stated, looking up at the slightly cloudy sky. "On a rainy night you need to look at your Tv as the clock strikes midnight, it apparently shows you your soulmate."

"That's…"Fuuka trailed off.

"Ridiculous," Akihiko stated. "Still, we'll check it out."

"The group's heading towards the department store," Shinjiro stated, looking over the edge of the roof to see the group of friends walking towards the gates. "I'll stay on the line."

"Be careful, Shinjiro-San," Fuuka quietly warned. "I don't think those five will do anything, but we don't want to be found out."

"Yuri-Chan, have you ever been on a group date?" Yosuke asked as they waited for their food.

"Yeah, what have you done so far?" Chie pressed and they watched as her eyes widened in surprise before a bright red blush appeared on her face.

"Ah…well…" Yuri squeaked, trying to fight off the shyness she didn't mind showing around her friends. "No group dates or anything of that sort…I think another girl in the ward back in Fujita was talking about that once…"

"What happened to her?" Yukiko asked.

"I don't know."

Yuri's quick answer stunned them a bit. Her eyes dulled and it was obvious that she had several guesses as to what happened to the other girl. Chie swallowed thickly and looked to the side in discomfort. There wasn't anything they could say that would make her feel any better.

"What…what was her name?" Chie asked and Yuri looked surprised.

"Niko…but she liked the nickname Rei," Yuri answered.

"Hey, looks like the food is done," Yosuke said, watching as her shoulders slumped in relief.

Yuri hadn't talked about that other girl before. Yu was looking at her in surprise before understanding slowly appeared. She would always have trouble talking about her time in Fujita. It had been a dangerous time where he thought he'd lose his twin. For a whole week straight she had been asleep, and he had refused to leave her room until she woke up. She would've been scared if she had woken up alone.

"Thank you, Yosuke-Kun," Yuri thanked her friend as she accepted the tea from him.

"It's no problem," He said, sitting down and passing out the food to the others. "You don't eat red meat do you."

"Rarely," Yuri admitted. "I'm not a fan of how heavy it is. But Nanako-Chan likes stroganoff."

"This is far from a filet steak…oh well, steak is steak," Chie stated with a smile before turning towards Yukiko. "Are you okay with this, Yukiko? it's not too heavy for you?"

"I'll eat it…I'm still mad though," Yukiko informed the two boys.

"Sorry…I wonder what kind of person the culprit is," Yosuke stated.

"I think they might be someone who blends in," Yuri theorized. "Someone that you won't take a second glance at, or won't think about."

"You think they might be a fan of Hiiragi-San?" Yosuke asked, and Chie looked between the two of them.

"Maybe, Hiiragi-San's alabi is iron clad," Yuri admitted. "She was performing a show during the time frame Yamano-San went missing."

"You know a lot about this," Chie teased and she watched the deep pink appear on Yuri's cheeks.

"Remind me to not play Go against you," Yosuke chuckled, making that deep pink turn red. "Saki-Senpai found the announcers body, maybe the same person killed them?"

"Maybe, or it could be a coincidence," Yu said, frowning in thought.

"We can't rule that possibility out," Yukiko agreed, picking at her steak.

"Maybe it was to keep her quiet?" Chie suggested, and Yuri blinked at the empty plate in front of her. "Like she saw something she wasn't supposed to? Or found some evidence?"

"If the culprit threw Yamano-San inside the TV there wouldn't be any evidence," Yosuke commented. "It has to be the former…"

Yuri tensed up, sweat gathering on the back of her neck. Yu watched his sisters shift in demeanor and his eyes widened. He looked around in confusion. Well, the librarian was shopping for meat. The man's grey eyes were focused on a package of fish, his head shifted and soon Yu was getting a harsh glare from him. He quickly looked away to try and find the source of his sister's discomfort.

"Ooh, they updated the menu!" A voice stated and Yu blinked. "And I thought the countryside was going to be a snooze. It's proving to be a lot more exciting than I thought."

That was Adachi. What was he doing so far away from the office? No wonder his sister was tense, she really didn't like him that much. He wished he knew why. She had never acted this way around anyone else before.

"Isn't that the detective that works with your uncle?" Yosuke asked, and that had gotten Adachi's attention.

"Oh…I-I'm not…" Adachi trailed off for a few seconds. "Wait this works out. Dojima-San said that he'll be leaving work on schedule tonight, could you two pass that on to Nanako-Chan?"

"Yeah, no problem," Yu answered while Yuri gave a tense nod.

Yukiko noted the odd behavior and made a mental note of it. Across the way, Shinjiro also made note of it. It was unusual behavior that he had seen when their two groups first bumped into one another. He put the pancake of fish down as Fuuka softly muttered something before the sounds of keys clicking followed.

"I'm Adachi Tohru, Dojima-San's gofer…er partner," Adachi introduced himself to the other teenagers.

"You always this busy?" Yosuke asked.

"Huh?" Adachi questioned before tilting his head in thought. "Well, the public seems to be getting a charge out of these cases, but we can't leave it at that."

"Sorry to butt in, but could it be that the killer targeted Saki-Senpai in order to silence her?" Chie asked.

"You sure get to the heart of the matter," Adachi stated, rubbing the back of his head. "We're also thinking along those lines since she was killed right after the announcer's body was found. If the killer was trying to silence her then there might've been something at the scene only she would have understood."

Yuri's distrust of Adachi grew further and her unimpressed face showed it. Shinjiro was caught off guard by it. Mitsuru had looked into the frail Narukami's past and found reports that detailed her as quiet, but incredibly pleasant to be around. So, what about the detective bothered her. He'd seen his fill of shady people, hell he himself could be considered shady, and there was something about him that was off. They'd keep an eye on the detective as well. Anyone giving out this much information was suspicious.

"Which means the culprit has to be someone close to Konishi-San," Adachi continued. "Nothing like that points to Hiiragi-San, so…I might've stumbled across something here. Wait, were you guys listening to that?! Don't tell anyone I said any of that, Dojima-san'll flay me alive! All you guys have to worry about is that the police are on the job!"

He left after those words and Yuri blankly stared at her tea before letting out a quiet sigh. No wonder her uncle was always late getting home. If it wasn't for the fact that the midnight channel was important, she could possibly take up space in the living room to start working on her commissions. She had gotten so many the second she opened them. She had several blankets and skirts to make, someone even ordered one of the charms she had added. There was quite a bit of work for her to do. She'd do it at night to keep her days open.

"My steak's starting to get cold," Chie stated and Yuri let out a light laugh, her expression clearing up.

"Will you shut up about the steak for five seconds?" Yosuke asked, and Yuri laughed again.

"You two bicker like an old married couple," Yuri stated, and they blanched at her words.

Yukiko giggled at their expressions before finishing her food. Yuri sipped at her tea and Yu rubbed the back of his neck. He couldn't help but agree with her assessment of their two friends. Once Chie finished her steak and Yuri her tea, they headed into the electronics department.

"The TV means the TV," Shinjiro informed the others as he watched the group disappear into the TV.

"I would like to be near them the next time they go in," Fuuka said. "It sounds similar to the dark hour."

Shinjiro ended the call, knowing that there wouldn't be any more information from the group. He rubbed the back of his neck in thought. He would just have to wait to see how long they stayed inside the…TV. It was weird, but he'd dealt with weirder.

"The TV world really does exist," Yukiko commented, looking around the foggy world before her gaze settles on the blue mascot bear. "Teddie…then it wasn't a dream."

"Are you feeling better, Yukiko-Chan?" Teddie asked, heading Yuri's warning about calling her Yuki. "I did what you said! I've been a good bear!"

"Oh, I see," Yukiko said, giving a slight smile as she gently patted his head. "Good boy."

"This bear's part of the reason why we want to find the culprit," Yosuke informed Yukiko.

"We made a promise with him to help keep his world peaceful," Yuri added, noting that Teddie was looking up at her with a happy smile.

"Since I'm part of the group, I'll help as well," Yukiko said. "Let's work together, okay?"

"I was thinking the same thing!" Teddie chirped. "That's why I got these ready for you!"

"Oh, so these are what everyone's wearing," Yukiko stated, pulling on the red framed glasses that Teddie handed her. "Thank you, it's like the fog doesn't exist!"

"Why do you have so many pairs of glasses?" Chie asked Teddie as Yukiko continued to look around in awe.

"I'm the one who makes them!" Teddie answered, overjoyed at showing his talents. "I've lived here for a long time. So, I came up with some ways to be comfortable here."

"Then why don't you need a pair?" Yuri asked

"My eyes themselves are lenses," he answered and she tilted her head in thought. "Didn't you know that?"

"How would we?!" Yosuke questioned, giving him a slight push.

"Why are you being so mean?" Teddie asked, hiding behind Yuri. "You act like you're not interested. I'm a really dexterous bear! See how smoothly my fingers move!"

He wiggled his paws and the group shared a look of confusion. What were they supposed to be looking at? Yuri stood back and looked behind them when she heard someone giggling. Her glasses, the dark frames catching Yukiko's attention, were put on. There wasn't anything in the fog, nothing at all. But she was so sure she had heard something.

"What am I even looking at?" Yosuke questioned, hitting the bear on the top of his head.

Teddie flopped to the ground and flailed about. Yuri let out a soft sigh before scratching the back of her head and picking up a pair of glasses that he had dropped. Yukiko's eyes lit up at the sight of them and Yuri blinked when she motioned for them. Teddie noted what they were looking at.

"Oh, that's a pair I kinda screwed up on," Teddie admitted.

"Ohhhhhh," Yukiko said, switching them for her glasses.

"Yukiko?" Chie asked.

"Looks great," Yuri complimented as Yukiko started to laugh.

"Do you like that one, Yukiko-chan?" Teddie asked, surprised.

"I want to wear this one," Yukiko said between her laughs. "It's even got a nose guard."

"Do you have a pair with working lenses?" Yuri asked for Yukiko as she let out a lady snort.

"I could make a pair for her," Teddie thoughtfully muttered.

"Don't you dare," Chie warned him, as Yukiko lightly smacked her arm to get her attention.

"Chie, your turn," Yukiko said, offering the glasses to her.

Yuri's snort of amusement was in unison with Yukiko's. Chie's unamused expression while wearing the glasses had gotten her as well. Yu smiled at the sight of the two leaning against the other while they laughed. Yuri had a light blush on her face and slowly covered it with her hands, giggles escaping her every so often.

"I can't believe Yukiko got Yuri-chan caught in one of her laughing fits," Chie sighed, pulling the glasses off. "I never thought she'd do it when someone besides me was around. What the hell is the nose for anyway?"

"Nice work, huh?" Teddie asked. "That's what happens when you guys leave me here alone and I get bored."

"Well…it's nice to see that she's in high spirits again…" Chie stated.

"The look on your face," Yukiko giggled, Yuri leaning into her even more as she continued to hide her face in her hands. "It was so funny! My stomach's starting to hurt!"

"This is good, thanks," Ryotaro complimented Yuri and Nanako as they had dinner.

"Onee-chan is amazing," Nanako stated, looking up at the older teen and getting a fond smile out of her.

"So is Nanako-chan," Yuri informed her, ruffling the brunette hair.

Dinner was relatively quiet as the news talked about the upcoming holidays. Yuri would have time to focus on strengthening her bonds and her commissions. She gave a mental nod. She would do that. She wanted her motorcycle, and soon. The idea of freedom over where she could go was a wonderful concept. Yu helped her clean up the dishes and they all continued to sit at the table, a new crocheting project in Yuri's hands. This was a blanket for the technology and floral blog she followed. One named Hanatech. It was odd, but she felt as though she had met the owner of the blog.

"I think I might be able to get the fourth and fifth off," Ryotaro informed them.

"Really?" Was said in three different voices and of varying levels of excitement and doubt.

"What, you don't believe me?" Ryotaro asked, watching as his own daughter frowned at him.

"It's always cancelled," she reminded him.

"N-Not every year," he countered. "I know you want to go to Junes, but I wouldn't mind going a little further out of the neighbourhood."

"Really? We can go on a trip?" Nanako asked, excitement colouring her voice before she turned towards Yuri. "Can we make boxed lunches?"

"Sure, Yu'll help as well," Yuri said, chuckling as Nanako turned towards Yu with just as much excitement.

"You two are welcomed to come, I know you guys are a bit older and might not want to," Ryotaro said and he watched as Yuri tilted her head in thought.

"I don't think I've gone on a family trip for a while, I'll go," Yuri stated and Nanako cheered as Yu nodded in agreement.

She hadn't been on one because their parents left her at home every time. Nanako sang a song under her breath as the TV came onto the usual game show. It turned into a small competition between everyone as they stated the answers to the questions posed. All except Ryotaro. He watched the kids with a fond expression as he drank a beer. It was odd to see such rowdiness from the three, and gathered they were excited for the trip.

He just hoped that he could deliver for them.