A/N: Here we are! Summer Vacation arc is beginning now! Well, kind of; this is also the original conclusion of the OYT fic. If you were reading it and wanted to not read this, then you were likely referred over by an edit I made on the final chapter of OYT mentioning this as the last chapter for you to read. It's also more of a slightly different version of the Golden ending. But it's just the joyous occasion before the conflict of this story truly begins. After the next chapter, we're going to get to an action piece. But Today... something light. Since this chapter is rather short, I'm going to have Chapter 11 drop a day after this. And it's BIG one. 12K words... a new personal chapter record. Even the 10K chapter in my FEA fic got blown out of the water. Anyway, here's Chapter 10, and the beginning of the Summer Vacation arc... enjoy!

Chapter 10

07/22

"YASO-INABA…. YASO-INABA…"

The train intercom announced as Souji stepped out of the train, donning the clothes his mother got him the day before. Stepping outside the station's exit and going down the steps, he felt the sun hit him hard. He forgot how humid it was here compared to Tokyo. But upon exiting, he realized something completely wrong than what he expected. There was no one greeting him. Not friends, not family. Yukiko did text him yesterday about not arriving to come see him like she wanted. She had to cover for someone until 4PM. Of course he wouldn't be mad about that, but Dojima and Nanako aren't here either. Something is wrong here… but the town looks like it hasn't changed much at all.

"I have seen the light! I've learned the most important lesson from the events of last year!"

That voice… sounds familiar. Souji turned his head to see someone standing atop a sturdy plastic crate. It was Taro Namatame…!

"Unfortunately, this world is full of things meant to deceive people. The things you do in pursuit of justice may actually be a terrible mistake… One man is not enough to judge these things!" He spoke with a passion that is no longer going unheard anymore. "It was a group of boys and girls who taught me that. In their spirit, I want to join hands with all of you to rethink this town's future! I want Inaba to be a town free from deceit and distractions that keep you from focusing on the things most important to you!"

A housewife would notice Souji, and inquire if he knows about who Namatame is. Of course he knew… everyone knew who he was. She discusses how he was once feared and kept at an arm's length over the allegations and the arrest. But now… people have let go of their disdain for him. As did she herself, now finding an appreciation for his passion and drive.

"If we can all work together on this, and not get so sidetracked by passing trends… this town will regain its former glory! So please, lend me your Strength!"

It seems he will be just fine from now on. But Souji's mind recalled his bewilderment about his friends and family not being here. Perhaps he should go straight home to see what's going on.

Many minutes later, he would walk over and ring the doorbell… to no response at all. And the door was locked, as well. If only he didn't return the spare key… Were they gone to go meet him at last and simply late? No, he would have seen them as he walked along the road. It might be best to give Dojima a call.

Pulling his phone out, he dialed in the Detective's number and it would ring a few times before he finally got an answer.

"Hello?" His tone would quickly shift to something a bit more… off guard. Very uncharacteristic of him. "Ohhh, oh. It's you, huh? Oh yeah, you were coming over today. Was-Was that today? Sorry, but my hands are tied right now." His tone was flaky. Dojima wasn't this careless with time. "Why don't you hang out with your friends for a little bit, and I'll see you later?" He quickly hung up after.

This didn't seem malicious, but something was starting to bother him. Funny, how he started to adopt a quirk that his uncle was known for… against said uncle.

He wanted to call Yukiko, but recalling her message from before, he probably shouldn't bother her until she was done. He opted to call Yosuke, but that guy wasn't answering his call! Even Yosuke was busy? They all knew the day he would arrive. This isn't right, at all. They all promised to meet him today.

Maybe he'll go seek one of them out. Kanji and Rise were the closest people around…. So maybe he'll seek them out.

One short walk later, he would arrive at the shopping district, but Kanji's mother said he was not there. She was confused at his arrival, as she told Souji that she believed her son would be meeting the man himself. He thanked her for her efforts and left. Even Rise's grandmother didn't know as she too believed that the idol was meeting up with everyone today as that was one of the things her granddaughter kept talking about. But the Shopping District seems to be doing well now! Apparently, the locals are going to be selling local goods with Junes as its distributor. It's heartwarming to see the Shopping District look so lively now. But if no one was here… then he would find Yosuke instead in the one place he should be at.

Yet another walk later… this was starting to get exhausting, finally he had reached Junes. The air-conditioning alone felt like a blessing to him. He took his time getting to the Elevator, staring at traffic passing by the window for a few minutes as he wanted to cool off for a moment before going up to the top floor just to get baked by the sun again. He was so entranced that he had not realized he was being watched. Seems his senses got dull since May. Before he had any chance of realizing, the ones spying on him would be out of sight, over the phone as they noticed him turning to the elevator, they muttered that the one receiving the call needed to get ready! That Souji Seta was coming, and that there was no time to waste!

A few minutes passed as he entered the food court, leaving his bag on the white table to rest his shoulder as he looked around, kids zooming past him. Where there were kids, there was usually a bear nearby playing with them… but Teddie was not around this time. Strange…

But not as strange as the peeking heads behind the bushes! As he turned, they quickly duck, a sound being heard as they possibly hit each other. The glimpse of blonde hair gave it away, and the other blonde he knew from a certain recent incident would very likely not be this clumsy… or involved.

Hearing more grumblings, it seems the two hiding behind the bush were about to make their move. As Souji stepped closer to confront who he knew was hiding back there… they would both jump, one at a time.

"Wah!" Pop goes the Yosuke.

"Baahhhh! It's a bear!" And next is Teddie, completely killing any surprise they had left.

An unusually cold wind was blowing from their sides, the breeze further solidifying this was a dud. Souji's glance was unimpressed or surprised. The others would all rush in from the back of the two who failed their mission, Chie being the first to interject with her thoughts on the moment.

"What are you guys doing!? This isn't anything like we planned! And what's with the 'Bah! It's a Bear!'? You make it sound like we are the ones getting ambushed!"

Naoto shook her head, eyes closed with no hat to tip lower to hide her expression. "I knew we would run into snags…"

Both Yosuke and Teddie would apologize at the same time, their heads drooping down as Rise stepped up.

"Senpai! You're here! You're here! Did you miss us!?"

"Did you all set this up?" Souji did have a smile on his face while saying his question.

"Uhh, we heard you were coming, so we planned a little surprise. I mean… things got kind of nuts back in May." And that was merely the beginning of it. "We thought that instead of you coming to our houses, we'd spice things up a little."

"Yeah!" Chie rallied along. "We thought you'd miss us a little if you couldn't find any of us."

A taller figure would now speak up. Was that… Kanji? "Well, it didn't go how we planned it but… it's been a while, Senpai!"

"Were you surprised!?" A giddy Yukiko chimed in with her own inquiry. This was far from how Souji expected his reunion to go with her.

"...Surprised it was such a failure." Everyone was in very different clothing, but Yukiko's was familiar. It was that same Summer dress she bought last year when they were at Tatsumi Port Island. Was she saving it for this occasion?

But still, this would be their first exchanged words upon his return? Not what anyone would expect, most likely.

"Sooo… you were surprised? At least in a certain way… Um… So... Success?" Her head tilted as her chin rested on her raised hand.

"No! Not a Success!" Chie bursted in with her loud tone. Rise would take advantage of the discourse to ask her Senpai a particular question.

"So, hey, Senpai! How do I look? Did you think I was someone else?" Rise beamed, flaunting her new outfit she picked out for this day!

"Oh come on, you know who's changed here more than anyone else!" Everyone would all turn their backs to the other second years behind them, Kanji and Naoto.

"Gah! Will you asshats lay off!? You're actin' a little rude there!" Kanji threw out an offensive gesture in defiance of their rude glances. Yukiko would simply laugh it off, Souji now fully aware that this was likely going to happen more often given their last few phone calls.

"Well… We all have changed a little." Naoto resigned against their staring. "None of us can remain in Stasis forever." Despite this clear sign of a resolve, Yukiko's laughing only intensified. Can anything just set her off now?

"Ugh, stop laughing already…" Chie groaned a defeated sigh, as if this had happened before.

"None of us wanna be the guy who's always talking about how great things were back in the day. As long as we're all here, keeping an eye on each other, we can change." Yosuke didn't change much, seeing as he was still trying to sound cool.

"Yosuke's still a show-off." Teddie passively mock him; that's not different.

"I agree with you there, Teddie." And Souji was enjoying it.

As Teddie and Yosuke talked, Souji felt his phone ring. It was Dojima. Looks like he might have been in on this.

"Oh, hi… it's me. Did the surprise go well?"

"...Were you in on it, Uncle?"

"Hey, ahaha, don't say that to a Detective." He refuted those words, despite them being obviously true. "Give me a break. They forced me to act like I wasn't home. I'm a Pro when it comes to seeing through a lie, but when I'm the one who has to put up an act, I don't last five seconds… Anyway, bring them all back here. I've got a good meal waiting." After hanging up the phone, and witnessing Rise and Kanji bicker, the group would all head back to the Dojima Residence. It was time to kick off the Summer break right!

Everyone was already seated around the table, with Rise and Yukiko on Souji's sides, the largest spread of fine Sushi was all over for the group to enjoy… and some were already enjoying themselves, mainly the food pits that were Chie and Teddie. Kanji's frustration was more drawn to the woman across from him.

"Chie-senpai, that's your second one! We get one each, remember!?"

Dojima shook his head in a rather lenient surprise, "You kids sure eat a lot. I thought I ordered too much, but you all are just plowing through it, haha..."

"Sorry 'bout that! And thanks!" Who was Yosuke apologizing for? His girlfriend…? "Isn't Nanako-chan here? I'd hate for someone to eat her share…"

"She's having her piano lesson. Don't worry, I set hers aside." Souji's brow would raise as Dojima mentioned that new detail. "Oh, didn't I tell you? Nanako started learning how to play the Piano. She should be back anytime now. I bet she'll be rushing here. Ever since she found out you'd be back, it's all she's ever talked about." Wonder who tipped her off about that… Yukiko seems to not want to make eye contact with either of them.

"How have you been Uncle?" Souji's attention would focus on the man across from him.

"Me? Well, my injuries are healing. Apart from that… I've been slowly moving on, bit by bit."

"What about last year's case?"

"Oh, that? Well… I don't know if you've already heard, but Namatame's been released due to the lack of evidence." Everyone but Souji looked surprised by this revelation. "I can't tell you too much… but no one could reproduce his method's, not even Namatame himself. He was very insistent on the details, but a diary isn't enough to build a case on. He came to me to apologize, but I told him to come up with his own way to make up for it. He said he was going to run for mayor… I don't know how serious he was about it."

"Oh… so that was Namatame-san giving out those speeches…" It seems Yukiko must have seen him sometime prior to Souji's return.

"Oh yeah, and I went to see Adachi."

"What happened to him?" It doesn't take a Shirogane to figure out his fate.

"Were you the one to interrogate him…?" Chie asked, with hesitation in her voice.

"No, I wasn't part of that. I couldn't be. We were too close." The Elder Detective shook his head slowly. "But he was indicted. It was probably just circumstantial evidence, but he said a lot of things only the real killer could know. After they set a trial date for him, I was able to go see him." His eyes look to Naoto and then pass her to see everyone else's reaction around in a counter clockwise pattern. "They say he's a model prisoner. The bastard said he gets better treatment from behind bars than when he was working with me." Dojima cracks a smile before concluding. "Heh…. Next time I see him, I'll be sure to bring him a cheap cabbage."

As he finishes, the sound of the door opens, and a young voice calls out.

"I'm home!" It was Nanako, seeing all the shoes put up got her to quickly realize who was here as she quickly took off her own as fast as she could.

"BIG BRO!" He was already turning around as she came lunging in for him, hugging him quickly as her body rammed into his chest and arms. He grunts in pain as she definitely got a little taller… and heavier.

"Yeah, she missed you." Dojima laughs, unable to finish his sentence thanks to what he and everyone else witnessed. "She's been counting the days away since she found out you were coming back, but she had lessons all day today.

"I'm learning Piano now! And I've been a good girl!" Nanako proclaimed, her hair now grown out past her shoulders.

"Hmhm… I'm proud of you, Nanako." He offers her a genuine smile as she still didn't let go.

"Thanks! I'll play for you sometime."

"Your hair is longer too…" Souji noticed the most obvious standout trait since he last saw her in May.

"Oh! I let it grow to be just like Big Sis' hair!" And Yukiko quickly went red, both from embarrassment and awe in how adorable she was. She never asked why Nanako had wanted her hair to grow out, after all. Everyone was looking at her and then at Nanako, now totally seeing it. A quiet nod from each member of the team was awkward for the Priestess, but there was no way around that fact now that it was before them.

"I didn't think she'd ask to start piano lessons. Like Mother, like Daughter, I guess." His thoughts were on his late wife. "Chisato was a piano teacher… but Nanako's pretty good herself. At first, I never wanted to hear the word 'Piano', but now that she wants to learn it, I gotta get over it."

Nanako looked at her same old looking dad, a smile of fond memories on her own face. "I remember what Mom played! I'm going to play it for you one day, Dad!"

Everyone would get settled in, Nanako sitting next to her Dad, and minutes later she remembered that the weather was now on! She quickly turned on the TV and sure enough, it was the weather portion of the afternoon news. But what Souji was not prepared for was who would be there!

"Hello again! This is Mariko Kusumi here!" A loud "WHAT" echoed in Souji's mind as he found his deity friend on the news of all places. Everyone else wasn't surprised by this. It's likely she's been working with the station for some time since he left.

"We've been having a lot of rain recently, so starting today, I'm going to make it sunny!" Her tone is very enthusiastic. "I mean, after all that rain, I don't think any of us are going to have to worry about any water shortages this summer." She looks away for a split second, recalling something important to her. "And besides… Someone's visiting! I can't have it rain while he's back home! So, I'm going to keep it sunny for a little while!" She closed, but the staff seems to have noticed she went off script

"Mariko! Mariko!? Please calm down!"

"Oh, but if it gets too hot, then some rain should do just fine. He should just tell me whenever he wants it different and I'll change it. Just like that!"

Chie laughed slowly as she turned to Souji. "Yeah… We forgot to mention…"

Kanji would turn to his Senpai, fiddling with his glasses. "She's been coming here a lot lately… She's famous now."

Rise scoffed, as if annoyed by Marie's presence at this point. "How'd she get so popular so fast? What was the station thinking? Her stage name's so boring, too…" The fire seething from her voice could be felt from the other side of the room. Souji, Kanji, and Chie had a crooked smile each, trying to shrug her reaction off.

"This girl will decide tomorrow's weather, right? Whenever she says it's gonna be sunny, the sun comes out!" Nanako's head tilts as she poses her question.

"Uh… In her case, maybe…?" He still recalls the day he got struck by Lightning back in February.

"Thanks, Mariko! Tell our viewers goodbye!" The former Meteorologist now main news anchor's voice catches all of their attention.

"I hope you all have a goooood day tomorrow! Remember, the more you put in, the more you get out!"

"The more you get out!" And once again, Nanako is being influenced by key phrases that recur from the TV. She hasn't changed that much, after all.

"I see that weather girl a lot." Dojima commented. "The younger ones at the station tell me they feel motivated whenever she does that."

"I'm not surprised." Perhaps that is her Divine Blessing? Best to leave that up to interpretation.

"Well, I feel it a little myself, to be honest. Well, I'm just glad the weird fog is gone. Now we don't have to obsess over the weather report." He could say that again.

"It really is great, though. Everyone in town is more motivated." Yukiko chimed, as she was one of the first to notice the change in tone amongst the everyday citizens as she did tasks for the Inn.

"Yeah. People have so much energy now!" Chie concurred, her smile brighter than her yellow dress. Looks like Marie can't call her Green anymore.

"You're right. It doesn't wear you down walking through town anymore, not like last year." Dojima's head nods in agreement.

"Everyone has a more positive outlook on life than when I first came." Naoto's eyes glisten with her long concluded observation, an overall positive outcome had come from dealing with Izanami.

"It shows people can change. For better or worse, I guess… It depends on your perspective." He sighed as he collected his thoughts. "After the fog lifted in December, I'm sure people just realized that it's a lot brighter when your eyes are open." His eyes and head would look down to his most precious gift, his loving daughter. The bright sun of his life. "There's a lot we'd rather not see… A lot of grime in the Human heart. But if you close your eyes to everything, you can't even see the people close to you… can you really be happy like that? The only thing to do, really, is to keep marching on, straight ahead." Dojima shakes his head while everyone nods to each other, his mind surprised that he was waxing philosophy. "I'm rambling, aren't I…? Guess I had more to drink than I thought…" The group would begin conversing amongst themselves for minutes before Dojima would quickly realize something and speak of it to his daughter.

"Oh yeah, Nanako; didn't you say there was something you wanted to tell him when he came home?"

While everyone bickered amongst each other, you know, the common thing this group does more than anyone else, Nanako borrowed Yosuke's ear for a moment, whispering something hard for Souji to pick up on… but that was on purpose, it seems. Everyone looked to be in on it! Souji's spine shivered as each member of the Investigation team had their hands behind their ears, all turning to look at him, Yosuke nodding as he realized it was go time! Dojima had a relaxed gaze as his head simply rested on his hand.

"Got it?" Everyone would nod to Yosuke's callout for the signal.

Nanako clears her throat. What they all were preparing for was finally here!

"Well then! One and…"

"Welcome back!"

"It's good to see you, Senpai!"

Rise quickly shifted her head, immediately recognizing who was off.

"Kanji! It was 'Welcome back!' How could you mess that up!?"

"S-Shut up! I just got stage fright, that's all!"

"Well… I figured someone would blow it." Yosuke's tone was akin to that of an exhausted sports fan.

Everyone would quickly begin bickering once more… except something was different.

Souji… was smiling. A radiant smile, something that would be unheard during the last year was now etched across his face, and everyone was too distracted to notice.

Not long after, he even started to laugh quietly to himself, his friends, this family, this town… meant so much to him. More than they could ever… ah, who is he kidding; they know. All of them do.

It wouldn't take Myriad truths to hit that point home.

This is Souji Seta, the boy who became a man here in this small "hole in the wall" town he calls his new home. Everyone he's ever met here has changed him, the echo will never waver, as it will affect everyone he has ever met and will meet. Human connection does that, for better or worse. And that's why, despite the risk of pain or loss, things like Joy and Love are worth striving for.

"You want love? You've got to fight for it." This is what Masuda meant. This right here, living a life of adversity to be with the ones you love, to protect the ones you love, to care for the ones you love. Times like these you learn to live again, give again, love again. Time and time again.

Life for all of Inaba was back on a proper course. How long will this last? All that was on his mind was how long can this moment last, instead.

Welcome back, Souji Seta. Isn't it good to be back home?

A/C: There is no musical reference here, but there is still a reference. In P4G this is referred to as "Our Summer Vacation" so it fits here.

Next time, however, things finally begin to unfold! The board is ready to be played! We got drama, romance, tension, buildup, and a calm before the storm that is approaching! If you're here reading this on the first night, you got to wait one day to read it! Hope you're looking forward to it!