From the moment we are brought into the universe, our fates become intertwined, drops of water in a great river that flows to an unknown destination. If there exists more than one such river, I'd like to witness what occurs within them, what's different, what's the same. Would you take me to see them?
...that was a bit of a joke. There's no need to take everything so seriously.
A girl opens her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar place, containing two people she has never seen before. She finds herself inside what appears to be a limousine, where the seats, curtains, floor and ceiling were all a vibrant blue. As she looks around the room with inquisitive fervor, a strange, almost raspy voice speaks to her.
"Welcome...to the Velvet Room."
The girl gazes upon the owner of the voice: a bizarre figure that took on the appearance of an old man wearing a black suit and white gloves, with pointed ears, bulging eyes, and the longest nose she had ever seen. Though he didn't seem malicious, he was certainly anything but human, and his wide grin only served to create an aura of abnormality, the feeling one would get from being around the Cheshire Cat.
"Ah, it seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny. *chuckle*"
On impulse, the girl begins to speak. Whether it was out of politeness or unease, she couldn't be certain.
"Um...hi. Who are you?" She says in a soft voice.
"My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise." The girl responds, diplomatically. She could not feel safe without addressing the elephant in the Velvet Room.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you explain why I'm here?" The girl asks.
"This is the Velvet Room. It exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter..." Igor answers.
"Between dream and reality? Am I asleep then?"
"Indeed, you are fast asleep in the real world. There is nothing to be concerned about there."
"You mentioned a contract. Am I supposed to know what you mean?"
Igor folds his hands together and chuckles. Was the question truly that amusing?
"It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future."
"How cryptic. Is that supposed to be reassuring?" The girl thinks to herself.
"Now then...why don't you introduce yourself?" Igor asks, sounding very pleased to find out.
"Yui. Yui Narukami."
"Hm...I see." Igor mutters, an unwavering smile spread across his face.
Suddenly, a stack of tarot cards materializes before Igor and lands upon the table in front of him.
"Do you believe in fortune telling?" Igor asks Yui.
"Oh uh, fortune telling? I've read about it in the past, but this is rather sudden, isn't it?" Yui responds in an almost flustered manner.
The tarot cards spread across the table with a single hand gesture from Igor. It was clear that he was intent on showing Yui her future.
"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different." Igor casually explains.
"Well, yeah, mathematically that's true. Especially for a tarot deck. Even I know that."
"Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?"
With another motion of his hand, Igor flips over one of the tarot cards to reveal the arcana underneath.
"Hm...The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is…"
Igor flips over another card, revealing a different arcana.
"...The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'. Very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."
"Is that supposed to be a good thing or is that just how my life is going to be now? I don't like the sound of this."
"In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here."
"Oh, I'm going to be back here? Alright then…" Yui responded, in a manner that was perhaps entirely too calm for the situation.
"The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost. My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen."
"If that's true, at least I know they're trying to help me. Why am I so calm about this? Maybe it's something about this room…"
As Igor waves his hand to send the tarot cards away, his attention turns to the person seated beside him.
"Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you. This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself." Igor states as he motions to the woman, almost as if giving her permission to speak.
"My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey."
"Hello Margaret."
Margaret was a blonde haired woman who appeared to wear an outfit as blue as the room she resided in, and her voice was warm and welcoming. Yet something about her suggested that she was not as she appeared.
"We shall attend to the details another time. Until then, farewell…"
In that moment, Yui was taken by an overwhelming sense of tiredness, and her eyes shut closed. When her eyes opened again, she found herself…
"Hm? What was that all about?"
Yui woke up to find herself seated aboard a train, face to face with her reflection. An average appearance in her opinion: silver hair that just reached her shoulders, gray eyes, black blazer, white shirt, black pleated skirt, dark blue stockings; a spitting image of a high school girl. She sighed as she recalled her predicament.
"I'm transferring to a new school in Inaba. Some town in the countryside I'd never even heard of before my parents told me about it. I know they have important jobs that require them to travel a lot and that this transfer is out of necessity, but I really wish there were some other way we could have handled this."
Yui sat herself up and shook her head in an effort to dispel her negative thoughts.
"Come on Yui, you can think of this positively. It's a chance to spend time away from mom and dad at least. New people to meet, new school to attend, new life to lead. A new beginning. Yeah, that sounds nice…"
Yui's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sudden recollection. Mysterious words uttered by a mysterious man.
"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."
"What in the world did he mean by that? I guess it doesn't help to worry about it."
Yui's mind was snapped back to reality by the sound of an announcer's voice.
"Yasoinaba. Yasoinaba."
"It's my stop. Well, time to start my new life."
4/11
Yui stepped out of the station and looked around to find the man who was to pick her up. "Meet us outside Yasoinaba Station at 4 PM." That was the text message that was sent to her before arriving.
"It's 4 now right? Should I text them to make sure they came to get me? Let's see..."
Yui pulled out a sheet of paper with contact information written on it, making note of the phone number and address. A sudden gust of wind blew the paper out of her hand, causing her to start after it. The paper landed at the feet of another girl, who picked it up and walked over to Yui to hand it over.
The girl had pale skin, brown hair, and green (or were they grey?) eyes. She wore a sleeveless white shirt, a black tie and belt, a red choker and checkered skirt, black and white striped stockings, red and black fingerless gloves, and tall black boots. All she needed were minor alterations to her appearance, and she would have the stereotypical look of a punk.
"Hey, you dropped this." The girl stated.
"Arigato." Yui replied.
"Whatever, all I did was pick it up." The girl responded dismissively.
Yui looked on as the girl walked away, almost mystified.
"OK, rude much? Cute girl though."
"Hey! Over here!" A man's voice rang out.
Yui looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man waving to her. She also saw a little girl standing next to him, presumably his daughter. Yui walked up to the pair and shook the man's hand before placing her hands on her skirt and bowing, a practiced manner taught to her by her parents.
"Well, you're more pretty in person than in your photo." The man remarked.
"Thank you sir. You're my uncle, if I remember correctly?" Yui replied with a chuckle.
"That's right. I'm Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Welcome to Inaba."
Dojima was a middle aged man with grayish hair, gray eyes, stubble that was about three days old, wearing a dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a red tie, and black dress pants. He also had a black jacket slung over his shoulder. For what reason he chose not to wear it, Yui couldn't guess.
"It's been a long time."
"I'll say. You've really grown. I still remember when you were in diapers. Come on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin."
Dojima nudged the girl forward, despite her being visibly shy and nervous.
"This here's my daughter." Dojima explained, confirming Yui's initial assumption.
"Hi, Nanako!" Yui greeted Nanako with a smile and joyful voice.
Nanako was an elementary school age girl with brown hair tied into pigtails and brown eyes, wearing a white turtleneck sweater underneath a sleeveless pink and red dress, with pink shoes to match.
"...'lo" Nanako replied, albeit in a very hushed voice. Afterwards, she rushed back to Dojima's side.
"What're you so shy for?" Dojima asked Nanako with a chuckle.
Out of annoyance, Nanako slapped Dojima on the back of his leg.
"Ow, hahaha."
"Is he joking, or is Nanako that strong?"
"Well then, let's get going. My car's over there." Dojima stated.
"Yes, let's." Yui said with a nod.
Dojima and Nanako walked over to their car, prompting Yui to follow them.
Dojima drove the car to a gas station in what appeared to be an old shopping district. There was a bookstore, a tofu shop, a metalworks, among various other storefronts that seemed to be out of commission.
"Hi! Welcome to Moel!" A gas station attendant greets as the car comes to a stop.
"Nanako, can you go to the bathroom by yourself?"
"Uh huh."
Dojima and Nanako step out of the car. Dojima speaks with the attendant as Nanako runs off to use the bathroom.
"Are you taking a trip?" The attendant asks.
"No, we just went to pick her up. She just moved here from the big city." Dojima replies.
"The city huh?"
"Fill up my car while you're at it. Regular's fine."
"Right away Sir!" The attendant chimes with a smile.
Dojima pulls out a pack of cigarettes as he mumbles: "Good a time as any for a smoke."
Yui stepped out of the car to stretch her legs. She didn't appreciate the fact that Dojima was a smoker, but it couldn't really be helped. He seemed to be reasonable and only smoke when no one else was around anyway.
"Are you in high school?" The attendant asked Yui.
"Huh? Uh, yeah." Yui replied.
Yui couldn't quite get a grasp on the attendant's voice. It was rather androgynous, but decidedly feminine. They seemed to be friendly for the sake of customer service, so Yui played along.
"Does it surprise a city girl to see how little there is out here? There's so little to do, I'm sure you'll get bored fast. You'll either be hanging out with your friends or doing part-time jobs. Speaking of which, we're actually looking for part-time help right now."
"Well, I just moved here, but I'll consider it." Yui politely responded.
"That's great! We don't mind if you're a student."
The attendant held out their hand as an obvious prompt to shake it. Yui quickly took their hand for a brief handshake.
"Oh, I should get back to work." The attendant said as they walked away.
Nanako came back from the bathroom and walked up to Yui. In that moment, Yui suddenly felt dizzy, causing her to place a hand to her head.
"Are you OK? Did you get carsick? You don't look too good." Nanako asked Yui.
"Ah, maybe. It's not so bad though. Thank you for checking on me though." Yui responded, mostly to reassure Nanako.
"What's wrong? You OK?" Dojima asked, coming back after finishing his smoke.
"Yeah, I'm just tired. I slept on the train earlier too."
"That's understandable. It must have been a long trip for you. Why don't you take a walk? Get some fresh air? The shopping district is near the house, so you should get familiar with the stores."
"I think I will."
With that, Yui set out to explore the nearby shops. Her first instinct was to check out the bookstore. Being a bit of an artist and writer, Yui enjoyed books of all sorts. There was the usual manga she liked to read, but she also appreciated anthologies and philosophy books that gave suggestions on how to best live life. This particular bookstore, despite having a healthy collection, seemed to have few customers. Next to the bookstore was a shop called "Daidara Metalworks". Inside was a collection of weapons and armors of many types, with a scarred man currently pounding metal on an anvil. It was an interesting enough place that Yui considered perusing the place later. Next to that shop was a tofu shop and a convenience store. While Yui was observing the convenience store, she overheard two students, evidently brother and sister, having an argument.
"Hey, do you know where my snack went? I had it in the fridge, but it's gone…" The boy asked his sister.
"Oh, I ate it just now. I thought it was leftovers." The girl admitted.
"What?! No it wasn't! I was making sure to save it for later."
"Oh really? Sorry about that. Well, I have to go to work now. See you."
"I was really looking forward to eating it."
Yui was an only child, so she always wondered what it would have been like to have a brother or sister. Would she have gotten along despite her personal issues?
As Yui walked back to the car, she suddenly noticed a familiar face: the girl she ran into at the train station was standing across the bookstore, seemingly lost in thought. For some reason, Yui felt compelled to greet her again, despite the cold first impression the girl gave her.
"Hey! I remember you." Yui said as she walked up to the girl.
"Hm? Have we met before?" The girl asked.
"We ran into each other at the train station, remember?"
"The station? Oh, that one time."
"What exactly were you doing there though?"
"Nothing. I just went. I don't have anywhere to go…"
The girl seemed to fall silent as she said this, almost as if she was embarrassed to talk about it.
"Well uh, I have to go now. Maybe we'll see each other again soon." Yui stated, in an attempt to dispel the slightly awkward mood.
"Whatever." The girl replied, as cold as ever.
Yui walked back to Dojima and Nanako, ready to hit the road again.
Yui, Dojima, and Nanako arrived at the house, giving Yui some time to observe it. It was a fairly simple house, especially for the countryside. It was going to be Yui's home for the duration of her stay, one year. She still had doubts about having to stay here, but it was useless to worry about something she had no control over.
Later that evening, Yui was sitting on the floor at the dinner table alongside Dojima and Nanako. They were having sushi, a perfectly good choice for Yui's arrival. Dojima proposed a toast, to which the three eagerly raised their drinks.
"So your mom and dad are busy as always. They're working overseas, was it?" Dojima asked Yui.
"Yeah. They said the usual things, like 'We'd take you along if we could', but I still have to attend school after all."
"I know it's only for a year, but getting stuck in a place like this because of your parents...it's rough being a kid."
"It could be worse I suppose. I can take care of myself well enough, I know how to cook some things, so I'm not super worried."
"Good to hear that. Well, it's just me and Nanako here, so it'll be nice having someone like you around. So long as you're here, you're part of the family, so make yourself at home."
"I'll do that. Thank you."
"Good. Well anyway, let's eat."
Just as they were about to eat however, Dojima's cell phone began to ring.
"Ugh...who's calling at this hour?" Dojima muttered.
Dojima took his phone out of his pocket and answered it.
"Dojima speaking...yeah? I see. So where is it? Alright, I'm on my way. Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze…"
Dojima hung up, turning to Yui and Nanako with a mild look of disappointment in his eyes.
"Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business. Go ahead and eat without me. I don't know how late I'll be. Nanako, you help her out, OK?"
"...OK." Nanako replied with apparent sadness in her voice.
As Dojima walked out of the house, Yui looked over to him before looking at Nanako. Nanako was obviously saddened by her father having to leave, but it was in this moment that Yui suddenly noticed something. However, she felt it would be rude to ask about it when she only just arrived, so she left it alone.
"Nanako! It's raining outside. What did you do with the laundry?"
"I already brought it in!"
"Alright. Well, I'm off!"
Yui and Nanako heard Dojima drive off, leaving the two to themselves. Nanako turned on the TV to see the news channel. A woman was currently relaying the weather report.
"—for this week. Next, let's take a look at the hourly breakdown of tomorrow's weather. With storm clouds moving in from the west, expect rain throughout the day tomorrow in most areas."
"Let's eat." Nanako says with a smile.
"So, what does your dad do?" Yui asks Nanako.
"He...investigates stuff. Like crime scenes. My dad's a detective."
"I see."
The news channel changed their topic to local news, bringing in a male announcer.
"And now for the local news. City council secretary Taro Namatame is under fire for an alleged relationship with a female reporter. His wife, enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi, revealed to this station that she will likely pursue damages. In response, Eye Television has decided to cancel all of announcer Mayumi Yamano's televised appearances. Until allegations of an affair with Mr. Namatame are resolved, she'll remain off the air and out of the public eye."
"This is boring." Nanako muttered.
"Hey, I agree. You can change the channel." Yui replied with a small chuckle.
Yui couldn't care less about drama such as affairs in the news. Admittedly, she did take notice when she found out that it involved the famous enka singer Hiiragi, since she listened to some of her work before. Other than that though, she paid no attention to it, on account of the other things she was going through.
Nanako changed the channel to a commercial for a grocery store. A catchy theme song was currently playing.
"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! ~Every day's great at your Junes!~"
"~Every day's great at your Junes!~" Nanako sang with a bright smile on her face, catching Yui by surprise.
Nanako turned her attention to Yui, noticing that she hadn't eaten her sushi yet.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"Of course! Sumimasen." Yui stammered before eating a piece.
Yui went upstairs to the room that Dojima had prepared for her. There were cardboard boxes strewn about the room that contained Yui's belongings that were shipped to Dojima's house, the room itself was small and had furniture items that were just as small. A shelf, a dresser, a TV, a couch, a desk, and a futon all laid about. With some adjustments, Yui felt that the room would be cozy and suitable for her aspirations. Tomorrow, she'd officially begin her first day at the new school, known as Yasogami High. Getting plenty of sleep was all she could think about in the moment.
4/12
The next morning, Yui came down to find Nanako putting plates of breakfast on the table.
"Ohayo." Nanako greeted Yui, inviting her to sit at the table.
"Did your father go to work already?" Yui asked.
"Yes."
"This is nice. Sunny-side up eggs and toast. Do you do the cooking?"
"Dad can't cook, so I buy dinner."
"Dojima can't cook, huh? Even if I cooked for myself back home, my parents still knew how to cook at least. Poor girl."
"You're starting school today, right? My school's on the way, so let's go together." Nanako said with a smile.
"That's sounds like a great idea." Yui replied, with a smile equally as sincere.
After the two finished eating breakfast, Yui and Nanako made their way to their schools, which involved walking through the rain in a place called the Samegawa Flood Plain. The road was parallel to the river of the same name, and many other students were currently traversing the road to get to school.
"Keep going straight from here, that's where your school is. My school's the other way. See you later!" Nanako explained to Yui before parting ways.
Yui gave a nod and a smile as Nanako left for school. After walking for a while, Yui found herself at the front gates of Yasogami High School. Her new student life was starting now.
"Awright, shut your traps!" The homeroom teacher boomed to his students.
Yui was standing at the front of her homeroom class, being introduced to her classmates by a rude and crass teacher named Kinshiro Morooka. He was very unpopular with his students, to the point he earned himself the nickname "King Moron".
"I'm your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just because it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like lovestruck baboons. Long as I'm around, you students going to be as pure as the driven snow!" Morooka ranted, seemingly missing the point of him addressing the students.
"Oh, he's one of THOSE people...great."
"Now I hate wasting my time, but I'm being forced to introduce the transfer student. She's as much of a loser here as she was in the big city, so you boys better not get any ideas about hitting on her!"
"OK first of all, loser?! Second, you don't have to worry about the boys, because frankly I'm not interested."
"Tell 'em your name kid, and make it quick."
Yui was not in the mood to act polite around this man, even in view of her classmates. She had met unsavory individuals like Morooka in the city before, and she knew it wasn't worth her time to give them the time of day. In a bold act of defiance, Yui decided to act out of line.
"Loser? You callin' me a loser, old man?!" Yui spouted, in an almost stereotypical city accent.
The entire classroom, both the students and Morooka looked at Yui in utter shock as they heard the words that came out of her mouth.
"What the—Hrngh! That's it, you're on my permanent shit list, punk! Now listen up! You better not even think of getting involved with the boys here, got that? Kids these days grow so damn fast, always fooling around on their phones and checking their life journals and my-places or whatever…"
Morooka goes on and on like this for what felt like hours to Yui, causing her to sigh, but not audibly enough to land her in more trouble.
"OK maybe that wasn't such a good idea…"
"Excuse me! Mr. Morooka, sir?" A voice spoke up, interrupting Morooka's incessant rambling.
Yui and Morooka turn to look at the source of the voice: a light-brown haired girl with brown eyes and a green athletic jacket.
"Is it OK if the transfer student sits here?" The girl asked.
"Huh? Yeah, sure. You hear that? Your seat's over there. Now hurry up and siddown already!"
Yui quickly walked over to seat herself next to the brown haired girl, not needing to be told twice. She breathed a sigh of relief before the brown haired girl began whispering to her.
"He's the worst, isn't he?" The girl said, shamelessly taking a jab at Morooka.
"I've met worse people. I don't let people like that push me around."
"Rotten luck for you to get stuck with him in this class. Well, we just have to hang in there for the year."
"Fine by me. By the way, thanks for saving me from Morooka."
"No problem! Name's Chie. Chie Satonaka."
"Yui Narukami." Yui replied with a smile.
"Alright that's it for today. Normal lectures begin tomorrow." Morooka stated to the class.
As students began to stir and get up from their seats, the school intercom chimed and an announcement started broadcasting.
"Attention, all teachers. Please report to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave until further notice."
"You heard that announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise, got it?" Morooka said with a firm voice as he left the classroom.
"Staff meeting? What's happening?" Yui wondered.
Just then, the sound of sirens blared in the distance, causing some of the students to run up to the windows to see if they could get a glimpse.
"Those sirens sound really close. Did something really happen? I can't see anything in this fog…" An excited student rambled.
"Yeah, every time it rains lately, it gets all foggy." Another student replied.
"You know, the paparazzi's been looking all over for that announcer woman, Mayumi Yamano." A brown haired boy stated.
"I heard about that. I also heard some guys saw her at the shopping district."
"Actually, about that…"
The intercom chimed once again, this time with a new message.
"Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible and leave the school grounds immediately. Head directly home, and do not disturb the police officers. Thank you."
Upon hearing this, the students muttered to each other, concerned and/or excited by the mention of an "incident".
Yui got up from her desk and was about to leave the classroom when Chie called out to her.
"Hey, Yui!"
"Hm?"
"You weren't going home by yourself, were you?"
"Well, yes? I don't have anyone to go home with."
"You should walk home with us! Girls have to stick together, right?" Chie said with a smile, motioning to another girl who was wearing a red cardigan sweater.
"I've been told that a few times in the past, but that sounds nice." Yui stated gratefully.
With this, Chie enthusiastically introduced her friend to Yui.
"Great! So you already know my name, this is my friend, Yukiko Amagi. Yukiko, this is Yui Narukami!"
"Hi Yukiko. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too. I hope we're not being too much of a bother." Yukiko politely responded.
"Don't say that Yukiko! You're making me look bad! I just wanted to chat with the new girl. Don't you?" Chie said in an almost embarrassed tone.
"Well, of course. But it's nice to respect others' boundaries, Chie." Yukiko rebutted.
"Someone else gets it! I mostly keep to myself, but it'll be nice to meet new people, right?" Yui said cheerfully, to which Yukiko smiled in return.
"Um...Satonaka-san?"
Chie turned to see a male student holding a DVD case, visibly nervous about something.
"Thank you for letting me borrow your movie! It was really awesome!" The boy stated, handing the case over to Chie.
Yui glanced at the cover to see the title: Trial of the Dragon. A kung fu movie. She wasn't really interested in martial arts films in general, but there were a few gems she enjoyed seeing.
"Well, I'll see you around!" The boy quickly spat as he attempted to leave.
This attempt was quickly shut down as Chie stuck a foot out to trip the boy, causing him to fall on his face.
"Not so fast! What are you so worked up for?" Chie asked the boy as she opened the DVD case.
Chie let out a shriek as she saw the contents of the case.
"What the hell?! You broke my DVD! How could you do this to my Trial of the Dragon?!" Chie shouted.
She promptly proceeded to kick the boy in the rear, eliciting a yelp from him.
"I'm really sorry! I'll make it up to you when I get my next paycheck, I promise!" The boy pleaded.
"I know that was careless of him, but did you really need to do that?" Yui said softly, to which Chie only scoffed.
Chie and Yukiko quickly departed, leaving the boy to grovel in self-pity. Yui felt bad, naturally, but saw no reason to stick around.
As the three girls walked home, Chie struck up some conversation with Yui. Yui took note of the girls' appearances in order to remember them. Upon closer inspection, Chie had some decorative pins on her athletic jacket, including one of a smiley face. Yukiko had a red headband keeping her black hair in place, as well as black leggings that almost blended into her skirt. They were both pretty in their own right, and Yui couldn't help but feel a little envious.
"So you're here for a year because of your parents' jobs? I thought it was something more serious than that." Chie said.
"Don't be rude, Chie." Yukiko muttered.
"It's fine, really. This is the first time I've had to do anything like this, so it's uncharted territory for me." Yui explained.
"There isn't a whole lot out here. It's nice, don't get me wrong, but it also means we don't have much to show people from outside Inaba. We do have the Amagi Inn though! Yukiko's family runs it!" Chie stated, glancing at Yukiko as she said it.
"Oh, it's nothing special, it's just an old inn…" Yukiko responded, looking at her feet.
"That's not true Yukiko! It's been in magazines and stuff! You're going to take over the inn someday, aren't you?" Chie said with a proud smile.
Yukiko fell silent at that last statement. Chie suddenly turned her attention to something up ahead.
"Hey, what's happening over there?"
The three ran over to find what appeared to be a crime scene, with police cars and blue tarps strewn about. Yui felt very concerned as she looked around.
"Was this the incident the school was talking about? What in the world happened?"
"Hey! What are you doing here?" A familiar voice called out.
Yui looked over to see that it was Dojima, who appeared to be investigating the scene. Dojima walked over to speak to the girls.
"Dojima! We were just on our way home. Did something happen?" Yui explained to Dojima.
"Well, you could say that...that damn principal, we told him not to let anyone through here…" Dojima muttered.
"Chie, Yukiko, this is Detective Dojima. He's my guardian." Yui told the two.
"Nice to meet you. Hope you get along with Yui. Now stop wandering around and head home, alright?" Dojima addressed the three.
"Of course, we'll head home right away!" Yui replied, bowing to Dojima.
Suddenly, another detective ran past them and proceeded to vomit in a nearby bush.
"Adachi! When are you going to stop acting like a rookie? You want me to send you back to doing desk work?" Dojima scolded the detective, whose name was evidently Adachi.
"Sorry, Dojima-san…" Adachi managed to croak out, before resuming his vomiting session.
"Hey Yui, we were going to go to Junes today, but…" Chie began to say, before Yui interrupted her.
"That's probably not a good idea, but it does sound fun. Maybe some other time." Yui responded.
"Right, that's what I was going to say. See you tomorrow then. Come on, Yukiko."
"Sure." Yukiko simply replied, walking off with Chie.
Later that evening after returning home, Yui is sitting at the table with Nanako. Yui decides to turn on the TV to see the news.
"Our top story tonight concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb. At around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba. The deceased has been identified as Mayumi Yamano, a 27 year old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed…"
"Inaba Police Department! That's where dad works!" Nanako exclaimed.
Yui was just as much beside herself with worry as Nanako was. Mayumi Yamano, a name that Yui only recently heard about because of the news of that affair. That very same woman was now dead, and on the day she had only just arrived in Inaba. She hoped this wasn't a normal occurrence.
"It'll be OK Nanako." Yui tried to reassure Nanako.
"I know...it's his job, so this stuff happens." Nanako responded as the news continued.
"The body was found hanging from a television antenna atop a resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state. With the cause of death also uncertain, the police are continuing to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow."
"They found her on the roof? How scary…" Nanako mumbled.
Just then, a Junes commercial came on causing Nanako to quickly forget about the scary news story.
"At Junes, every day is Customer Appreciation Day. Come see for yourself and get in touch with our products. ~Every day's great at your Junes~"
Nanako and Yui sang the commercial jingle at the same time.
~Every day's great at your Junes~
Yui had decided to join in to both cheer Nanako up and appeal to the only interest she knew about. When she did this, Nanako turned to Yui with a look of surprise and a sparkle in her eyes.
"You like this song, Nanako?" Yui asked with a smile.
"Yep! It's popular at school too." Nanako replied with a smile.
"You're a good singer."
"Arigato!"
Yui chuckled. Despite recent news, things were probably going to turn out OK.
4/13
Yui was walking to school, her mind wandering back to the news of Mayumi Yamano's death. She couldn't stop thinking about how sudden it all was, and how it had happened shortly after news of the affair was surging across the media. Under any other circumstance, Yui would have ignored it. Celebrity drama was simply something she cared very little about in her life. But the way events unfolded, it couldn't be coincidence, she thought. Her thoughts would come to be suddenly interrupted by a certain school boy riding a bicycle.
"Hey! Look out!" The boy cried out, losing control of the bike.
Yui quickly turned around to see who was calling to her before promptly reacting and dodging out of the way of the bike, watching the boy speed past her and crash into a set of garbage cans that had been set on the side of the road. Yui walked up to find the boy firmly wedged into a garbage can, helplessly struggling to free himself.
"Somebody help me, please!" The boy pleaded.
"Do I have to? Ugh, of course everyone else is just walking past. Fine…"
With a sigh, Yui reached into the trash and grabbed the boy by his waist, taking a few seconds to pull him out and set him on his feet. She dusted herself off, checking to make sure she was still relatively neat before directing her attention to the boy.
"Are you alright?" Yui asked him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Arigato! Ha ha...Oh! You're the transfer student!" The boy responded.
"And you're the boy that got his ass kicked by Chie."
"Oh right, you saw that…"
"Sorry, it's all I remember you by."
"I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Yui Narukami. It's nice to meet you too."
Yui walked alongside Yosuke as he walked alongside his bike, as he decided not to take his chances again and risk being a little late if it meant he got to school with his limbs still attached. Yosuke's appearance was rather unassuming. He had unkempt hair that was a somewhat tan color and brown eyes. Along with his Yasogami uniform, he wore a white V-neck shirt and a pair of orange headphones around his neck.
"Hey, you know about that incident yesterday? No way something that weird could be an accident. You think it was some kind of warning?" Yosuke asked Yui.
"That implies that it was a murder, but that's pretty insightful of you. You might be right." Yui replied.
"Dangling a body over a roof like that. It's already messed up to kill someone in the first place, but to do it like that?"
"The police haven't confirmed that yet, but you're right. I personally don't think it was an accident."
"Hey um, let's change the subject, huh? This town makes some good beefsteak, and I know a place that's cheap. Since you helped me out, it'll be my treat. You free later today?"
"Are you asking me out? Because if so, I'm going to have to stop you there."
"Asking you out? No, no, no, I just appreciate what you did for me, honest."
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to Yui and Yosuke as she walked up to the two.
"You can count me in on that!" Chie chimed.
"Hi Chie." Yui said with a smile.
"Ugh, hey Chie. You always come around when I'm talking about food." Yosuke groaned.
"You still owe me for my Trial of the Dragon DVD. Don't you think it's a good way to pay me back, Yui?" Chie replied.
"You like steak?" Yui asked Chie.
"I love steak! I'm a real meat lover!"
"OK then, I'm convinced."
"OK, great. I'll see you guys after school then…" Yosuke said with a quiet sigh.
Later after school, Yosuke brought Yui and Chie to the food court at the Junes Department Store. He had ordered a snack food that was decidedly NOT beefsteak and carried it over to the table where Yui and Chie were waiting.
"Why'd you bring us to Junes? They don't have beefsteak here!" Chie asked Yosuke, visibly irritated.
"Yeah well, I had to change plans when you decided to tag along. I can't afford two steaks." Yosuke responded.
"You got me all hyped for nothing!" Chie replied back, almost pouting as she said it.
"I'm not complaining. I like this stuff. We don't get to eat it very often back in the city." Yui spoke up, attempting to be diplomatic about the situation.
"I'm glad SOMEONE'S appreciative. Oh actually, I should tell you. I moved here from another city about 6 months back. This place opened up around the same time, and my dad was assigned to manage it. So basically, my whole family works here now." Yosuke stated.
"Ever since Junes opened up, I haven't been to the local shopping district much. A lot of stores there started closing down and...uh…" Chie began to say before trailing off, suddenly realizing how inappropriate it probably was to say around Yosuke.
"You can't blame all that on Junes, now can you?" Yosuke responded, appearing to hide some of his irritation.
"I've seen it happen before. I know it's just business, but more than anything, it just discourages competition." Yui stated.
"Oh hey, it's Saki-senpai! Hey, Saki!" Yosuke exclaimed as he stood up and walked over to a girl wearing what appeared to be a store uniform.
"Who's that?" Yui asked Chie.
"That's Saki Konishi. Her family runs a liquor store in the shopping district. She's working here part-time though." Chie answered.
"Is she, well, Yosuke's girlfriend?" Yui asked further.
"Heh, he wishes. They're just coworkers." Chie said with a knowing grin.
"What's going on, senpai? You look exhausted." Yosuke said to Saki.
"Hey Hana-chan! I'm fine, I'm just a little tired." Saki replied.
"I'm always willing to listen, if you ever need to talk. Just letting you know."
"Really, I'm alright. But thank you. Oh that's the new transfer student, isn't it?"
Saki walked over to the table Yui and Chie were sitting at and spoke to Yui directly.
"You're the new transfer student, aren't you? Yui was it?" Saki asked.
"That's me. Nice to meet you." Yui replied.
"Hana-chan doesn't have many friends, so I hope you can get along with him. He's a good guy, but can get nosy. Make sure to tell him when he starts to annoy you." Saki said in an almost cold manner.
"Huh?! That's not necessarily…" Yosuke began to say before Saki started giggling.
"I'm just kidding." Saki stated.
"That wasn't very funny, senpai…" Yosuke said nervously.
"Well, I have to get going now. Later!" Saki said as she waved goodbye and walked off.
"Uh wait! Senpai! Oh never mind…"
Yosuke sat back down and sighed.
"Are you sure you're not dating?" Yui asked Yosuke.
"It's not like that, I swear." Yosuke muttered.
"Hey, I know how to treat that lovesick heart. You guys heard about the Midnight Channel yet?" Chie spoke up.
"Midnight Channel? What's that?" Yui asked.
"They say that if you look into a switched off TV at midnight when it's raining, someone will appear on screen, and supposedly, that person is your soulmate." Chie explained.
"What, you actually believe a childish urban legend like that?" Yosuke asked in disbelief.
"Childish? Well, it's going to rain tonight, so why don't we try it out?"
"That's just ridiculous Chie. See, this is why you don't have a boyfriend…" Yosuke began to say before instantly regretting it, as Chie grabbed Yosuke by his shirt collar and started shaking him.
"What did you say? Say it to me again!" Chie yelled.
"I'm sorry! My bad! I'll shut up now!" Yosuke pleaded.
"Strangeness aside, you don't really believe that soulmate garbage, do you?" Yui asked the two, causing them to stop fighting and look at Yui.
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Chie asked.
"I realize this might be an unpopular opinion, but I personally don't buy into the concept of soulmates. It works fine in fiction because writers make up the rules of reality, but in the real world, two people don't get along just because the cosmos deems it to be destiny. What if two soulmates don't end up getting together? Does the universe collapse in on itself? I think it cheapens the genuine connections that people strive to create between each other." Yui quietly explained her stance.
"I uh...wow. I never really thought of it like that." Chie responded in a mystified state.
"You sound like you've...had this conversation before." Yosuke stated.
"I have. People don't usually agree with me by the end of it." Yui answered.
"So does that mean you're not going to try it?" Chie asked.
"Oh, I'm still going to. I don't really have anything better to do. If nothing else, I'll do it so you don't have to ask me again."
"Then it's settled. Remember to check your TVs at midnight tonight." Chie said with a smile.
"Soulmates...what a bunch of crap. Still, I wonder…"
"Next, more details in the developing story on the incident in foggy Inaba. Announcer Mayumi Yamano's dead body was found hanging above a house in this isolated rural town. It is confirmed that Ms. Yamano had been involved in an affair with Taro Namatame, husband of enka singer Misuzu Hiiragi. The police plan to investigate this relationship and question any personnel involved with them. We now bring you to an exclusive interview with the local student who found Ms. Yamano's body."
"*sigh* They're interviewing the kid? Where the hell did they find her?" Dojima sighed as he watched the news unfold on the TV.
"What went through your mind when you saw the body? Did you think it was scary that someone was killed on a foggy day? Did you see any one suspicious?" The reporter asked the student.
"Um...no, not really." The student responded.
"Isn't that Saki Konishi? She was the one who found the body?" Yui pondered.
"That concludes the interview with the student who found Ms. Yamano's body…"
At this point, Dojima had fallen asleep and started snoring, clearly exhausted from his day at work. Nanako got up from the floor to put a blanket over him.
"Is he going to be alright sleeping there?" Yui asked Nanako.
"When I go to bed, I'll wake him up so he can sleep in his room." Nanako replied.
"That's good. I'm going to go get ready for bed myself, OK?"
"OK."
It was almost midnight, and the rain had begun pouring outside. Yui was about to test out the rumor of the Midnight Channel.
"Am I really doing this? Whatever, just wait for midnight, and if nothing happens, then it was all nonsense. Simple as that."
At the stroke of midnight, Yui stared intently at the blank TV screen, waiting for a few seconds for an image to appear.
"Well, it's midnight, and nothing happened. Not sure what I expected."
Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck outside, and a blurred image of a girl appeared on the screen, catching Yui by complete surprise and causing her to develop a stirring headache. She clutched at her head and staggered around her room, writhing at the unknown sensation, as she heard a female voice ring in her mind.
"Thou art I, and I am thou. Ye who shalt open the door…" The voice murmured.
In her state of distress, Yui reflexively reached out to the TV screen, touching the image she saw before her, only to find her hand completely phasing through the glass and into the TV. As she was pulled further into the screen, Yui snapped back to her senses and pulled away from the TV, flying backwards and hitting the back of her head on her table, crying out in pain. She rubbed the back of her head as she looked at the TV screen again, only to find it blank once again.
"What the hell was that about?!"
Yui wasn't entirely certain what had just happened, but whatever it was, she had to tell her friends about it. It was simply too strange to keep it to herself.
4/14
Today was a rather rainy day, forcing Yui to bring an umbrella with her on her way to school. The pattering of the rain did little to calm her mind of the memories of the previous night. Whatever Yui may have expected when viewing the Midnight Channel, what had transpired that night certainly was not it. The image of a girl distorted by static, the echoing of a woman's voice, and Yui's hand phasing through the TV screen. When she thought about it, Yui came to a realization that the voice of the woman she heard did not match the image she saw on the TV. Though the details were a blur in her mind, she knew the image she saw was that of a high school girl, and if the voice she heard was that of the girl, the voice would not have sounded so mature. Yui's deliberation came to a stop when a friendly voice called out to her.
"Yui!"
When Yui looked behind her, she saw her classmate Chie running toward her, practically forcing her way underneath Yui's umbrella.
"Chie, where's your umbrella?" Yui asked.
"So, funny story. I saw a kung fu movie where the character used an umbrella to pull off some really sweet moves, and I wanted to try copying it. But...I broke my umbrella trying it." Chie explained.
"Looks like Yosuke's not the only careless one…" Yui thought to herself, choosing not to say it aloud and incur Chie's wrath.
"By the way, did you see it?" Chie suddenly asked.
"Oh god, she's asking about the Midnight Channel. What do I say?"
"You mean the Midnight Channel?"
"Yeah! What did you see?"
"Um...I'll tell you after class. We're going to be late if we talk about it now."
"OK then. Good idea."
Yui and Chie continued to walk alongside each other in the rain, but Yui was keeping some distance from Chie, enough that Chie was still getting a little wet.
"Hey, move closer to me, the rain's still getting on me!" Chie told Yui.
"Oh uh, sumimasen...it's just...we were really close together. I didn't want to say anything before." Yui answered.
"What's wrong with that?" Chie asked, looking a little annoyed.
"I mean no offense, I swear." Yui quickly replied, a blush forming on her face.
"Fine, I'll just go ahead and run the rest of the way!"
Before Chie ran off, Yui grabbed her by the sleeve and pulled her back under the umbrella.
"No you don't! You'll catch a cold. Just stay with me." Yui insisted.
"Well, which is it then? Make up your mind!"
"It's fine. I'll get used to it."
"If you say so, then I guess it's OK. Thanks."
"Alright. Let's go."
Yui and Chie resumed walking, allowing each other to be closer together. After a few seconds, Yui decided that this was actually a nice feeling, and forgot why she was even nervous.
In class, the current subject being taught was world history, and it was being taught by Ms. Kimiko Sofue, a favorite among many students. She was known to be very knowledgeable and fascinated in anything related to history, to the point that she made it a habit of dressing like an Egyptian pharaoh and carried around a dowsing rod. This earned her the endearing nickname of "Queen Tut".
"Good morning class. My name is Kimiko Sofue, and I'll be teaching you about world history. Here's a little bit about me. I like to use my dowsing rod to look for lost items, and I appreciate a good romance. World history as a whole is a wonderful romance, for you see, history is a river. It was born in the past and flows ever forward. Since this is my first lecture, I'll start with an easy question." Ms. Sofue stated.
Ms. Sofue pointed her dowsing rod at Yui.
"Ms. Narukami, please stand up." Ms. Sofue told Yui.
"Yes ma'am." Yui responded, doing as she was told.
"The University of Oxford is famous for being older than the Aztec Empire. Tell me, when did the University of Oxford first open its doors to students?" Ms. Sofue asked.
"That wasn't an easy question!"
After thinking it over for a few seconds, Yui gave her answer.
"1096."
"Good answer. There is evidence of teaching at Oxford all the way back in the year 1096. It became a full fledged university with formal curriculum in 1249. By comparison, the Aztec Empire was established in 1325. We tend to think of schools and universities as more modern, but history shows us that education has always been important to us in one form or another. Thank you." Ms. Sofue lectured the class.
History lessons continued, with simpler questions and answers than what was first presented.
"What? Your hand went through the TV?" Chie and Yosuke exclaimed at the same time.
Class had just ended, and Yui was telling her classmates about her experience with the Midnight Channel. After deliberating how to tell the story, she decided it was best to simply tell them the truth, as she remembered it.
"I know it sounds weird, but I know that's what happened. But I wonder if you two saw anything different." Yui stated.
"Well uh, what did you see Chie?" Yosuke asked.
"I saw a girl on the Midnight Channel! But...my soulmate's a girl?" Chie responded.
"You don't sound very surprised." Yui stated.
"Huh? Well I…" Chie began to say.
"Actually, about that. My memory's fuzzy from last night, but I'm certain I saw a girl too. What did the girl look like on your TV?" Yui asked.
"She had shoulder length brown hair, and she was wearing our school uniform." Chie answered.
"Hey, that sounds like the same person I saw!" Yosuke said, his eyes widening at Chie's description.
"Hmm, that sounds familiar. Yeah, the girl was definitely wearing a school uniform. It seems like we all saw the same person. But if the Midnight Channel is supposed to show you your 'soulmate', we shouldn't have seen the same image." Yui muttered.
"Neither of us got our hand stuck in the TV like you did though. Maybe you were just tired last night and all of that was a dream." Yosuke stated.
"I admit, I can't exactly rule that out." Yui quietly said.
"If you just made that up, the part where you got stuck because the TV was too small was a nice detail." Chie joked.
"I'm not making this up, Chie!" Yui retorted.
"Imagine if the TV was bigger. You would've gotten sucked all the way in!" Chie continued.
"You don't believe me at all, do you?" Yui said as she pouted.
"Like I said, you were probably just dreaming it. I mean, really…" Yosuke said with a silly grin.
"Actually, speaking of bigger TVs, my family was interested in buying a new TV." Chie said, changing the subject.
"That so? We have a selection of flatscreen TVs at Junes. Wanna go check them out?" Yosuke asked.
"Yeah, definitely! I gotta see my kung fu movies on the big screen. Really see and feel those punches and kicks!" Chie exclaimed as she struck a martial arts pose.
"Hey, Yukiko! Wanna come with us?" Yosuke asked Yukiko, who was about to leave the classroom.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I have to help out at the inn today." Yukiko replied.
"Oh, OK. We'll see you later then. Hang in there, alright?" Chie told Yukiko as she waved goodbye.
Yukiko promptly left the room, and with that Yui, Yosuke and Chie left to visit the electronics department at Junes.
"Wow, this thing is huge!" Chie exclaimed as she and her friends looked upon a particularly large flatscreen TV.
"And expensive as hell. Why would anyone pay this much for a TV?" Yui commented.
"Rich folks get a kick out of it, I guess. Actually to be honest, not many people shop for TVs here. What kind of TV are your parents looking for, Chie?" Yosuke asked.
"Anything that's cheap. You've got connections here, don't you? Maybe you can cut me a deal?" Chie replied.
"Of course I can...NOT! You know I really can't do that, right?" Yosuke responded, annoyed that Chie would even suggest such a thing.
"Guys! The TV's showing that interview from yesterday." Yui said, getting Chie and Yosuke's attention.
"Huh, that looks like Saki. So she was the one they were interviewing!" Chie exclaimed.
"Really? That must be why she skipped school today. I tried texting her, but she never responded to me…" Yosuke muttered.
As Chie and Yosuke talked, Yui stared intently at the TV screen, watching the interview play back and thinking about that night with the Midnight Channel.
"I know what I saw. I know I stuck my hand through the TV. It couldn't have been a dream. But if I was able to put my hand through the TV at home, maybe I can do it here too?"
Without giving it a second thought, Yui reached out and touched the TV screen, surprised to find her hand going through it, just as it had last night. She involuntarily gasped, causing Chie and Yosuke to look her way.
"Woah, what?! Your hand went inside the TV!" Chie shouted.
"How are you doing that?" Yosuke asked, as shocked as everyone else was.
"I don't know. But, I could probably go all the way through." Yui muttered, proceeding to reach further into the screen.
"What? Don't do that! What are you doing?!" Yosuke cried out.
"What the hell is going on?!" Chie shrieked.
"Gah! This is too much! I'm gonna piss my pants!" Yosuke said as he clutched his bladder.
"Don't do that! There's people coming into the store! Just come with me and calm down for a second!" Chie said as she grabbed Yosuke in a panic.
"Hey! What are you doing? Let go of me!" Yosuke shouted as he resisted Chie's grip.
"What are you guys doing?" Yui asked as she looked behind her.
Yosuke suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards, pushing Chie, and by extension Yui, towards the TV. As Yui phased entirely into the screen, so did Chie and Yosuke. The three screamed as they fell into the void beyond the screen.
Yui and her friends fell down and down until they landed on a hard, checkered floor. After recovering from the pain and standing up, the three looked around to see a completely foreign place filled with fog.
"Is everyone OK?" Yui asked Chie and Yosuke, concerned for their well-being.
"I'm fine. I mean, we're still alive...I think." Chie responded, still shocked from the fall.
"I think I landed on my wallet…" Yosuke groaned.
"Guys, I think we're in the TV now…" Yui explained.
"Huh? What do you mean, we're in the TV?! And how can you be so calm about that?!" Chie asked in an exasperated tone.
"What is this place anyway? It doesn't look like anything in Inaba." Yosuke stated.
The three were in what appeared to be some sort of studio or stage, with spotlights hanging above and stairs that seemed to lead nowhere.
"I don't see an entrance or exit anywhere." Yui said as she looked around.
"What should we do now?" Yosuke asked Chie.
"How should I know?! I just want to go home like right now!" Chie said helplessly.
"Wait! What's that over there?!" Yui cried out, pointing at something in the distance.
Chie and Yosuke looked where Yui was pointing to see a shadowy figure walking towards them. Feeling threatened, the three began to run away, not knowing where to go except away from where they were.
"Quickly, this way!" Yui told her friends as they ran up a flight of stairs, attempting to get as far away from the shadowed form as possible. After a few minutes, they came across what appeared to be an apartment complex that had one open door. Seeing no other options, the three ran inside and closed the door behind them.
"I think we lost that thing…" Chie said as she caught her breath.
"Oh...oh my god!" Yui exclaimed as she realized the state of the room they were in.
The bedroom had posters on the walls that were torn to shreds, with a red substance that Yui hoped was just paint splattered across them. More concerning was the chair and red cloth that had clearly been fashioned into a noose. The aura that the room emitted was simply horrifying.
"What happened here?" Yui muttered.
"Ah! I can't take it anymore! I gotta pee right now!" Yosuke shrieked as he ran to a corner of the room.
"What? You can't pee here! This is someone's room! Yui, do something!" Chie said in a panicked state.
"If he has to go, he has to go. What am I supposed to do? Hold his bladder shut?" Yui replied with an exasperated shrug.
"I can't go if you're all looking! If I get a bladder infection, it's all your fault!" Yosuke cried out.
"Fine, I'm going! Like I wanted to watch you piss anyway!" Chie huffed as she walked out of the room.
"Chie, wait!" Yui said as she ran after her.
As the two exited the room, they found themselves face to face with the figure that was following them before, causing them to scream.
"What happened? What is it?" Yosuke called out as he rushed out of the room to catch up to Chie and Yui.
What the three saw before them was perplexing. They saw a creature that looked like a bear mascot, only it was lifelike, had big eyes and blue fur, and wore a red and white jumpsuit. The creature looked at them in as much shock and awe as they were.
"What is that thing?" Yosuke whispered.
Suddenly, the bear creature started talking to them.
"I should ask you the same! Who are you guys?"
"Ah! It talks!" Chie shrieked.
"Of course I can talk! I'm a bear!" The bear shouted.
"You wanna fight? Come on then!" Chie threatened the bear, scared as she was.
"Ah! Please don't hurt me!" The bear said as it cowered in fear.
"Well, if he was hostile, he would have attacked us by now. Maybe we can handle this peacefully." Yui thought to herself.
"Excuse me, but do you know what this place is?" Yui asked the bear.
"This place doesn't have a name. It's just what it is. I live here." The bear answered after calming down.
"You live here?" Yui repeated.
"Yes. Now hurry and go back to your den! Before the shadows come!" The bear said, suddenly becoming more fearful.
"Shadows? What are you talking about?" Chie asked.
"Here, take these. They'll let you see better. Now go on, get out of here!" The bear said in a panic as he handed a pair of glasses to Yui.
Curious, Yui decided to put on the glasses, and was surprised to find that the fog that had made visibility so difficult was now practically gone. However, something else caught her attention.
"There's something over there…" Yui said as she pointed to a blackened form in the distance.
"Oh no! They're already here! Run away!" The bear screamed as he ran away.
The blackened shape seeped through the wall and took the form of a slimy black mass that appeared to have a blue mask for a face. This mass was followed by several other shapes that began evolving into a new form: Gaping, floating maws with striped bodies, gleaming teeth, and a large slimy tongue.
"Let's get out of here!" Yui shouted, to which Chie and Yosuke showed no hesitation.
The three ran out of the apartment complex and down the stairs, the shadowy creatures in hot pursuit. The shadows chased them into a courtyard where they surrounded the students, their mouths creasing into manic smiles.
"We're trapped! What do we do?" Chie screamed.
"Crap! We're finished!" Yosuke cried out helplessly.
"I can't move! I'm too afraid!" Yui's thoughts rang as she stood frozen in terror.
As the shadows began closing in, Yui heard a voice in her head, the very same one she heard on that fateful night.
"Thou art I, and I am thou! Thou hast opened thine eyes. The time is now!"
With this, a bright blue glow began to envelop Yui and a blue tarot card materialized into her hand. The arcana on the card was that of The Fool, and it shined into Yui's eyes, as if imbuing her with knowledge and power. As her body flowed with energy, and her eyes widened in anticipation, Yui instinctively whispered a single word.
"Per...so...na!"
Yui clutched the card in her hand, crushing it in her grasp and causing it to explode in a shower of energy. This energy shot up into the air and coalesced into the form of a powerful being. In the card's place, a goddess wearing a grey priestess' robe, tattered mummy wrappings, and a silver mask stood before Yui. The goddess emitted a battle cry that caused the shadows to shake in terror before attempting to attack her. Yui motioned her hand forward, which prompted the goddess to punch outward and send out a bandage toward the shadow. The bandage wrapped around the shadow, completely enveloping it. Yui clenched her hand into a fist, and this caused the goddess to tighten the bandage to the point that the shadow exploded in a shower of black slime. Two more shadows began to attack the goddess, latching onto her head and body and causing the goddess to shriek. Yui also felt a biting sensation on her head and body, causing her to shriek as well.
"Get off of me!" Yui shouted, swiping her arm to the side.
The goddess forced the shadows off of herself by launching her mummy wrappings away from her body, calling the bandages back to herself after forcing the shadows away. She followed up with a whip-like attack, slicing the shadows in two. One last shadow attempted to bite the goddess, to which Yui responded by uttering an incantation.
"Zio!"
At this, the goddess raised her hand to the sky, summoning a bolt of lightning to smite the shadow, charring it into ash. With the last of the shadows defeated, Yui breathed a heavy sigh of relief before taking a breath of awe at the goddess that had appeared to save her.
"You...you saved me. You saved us." Yui said breathlessly.
"No, it was you who saved yourself. After all, I am thou, and thou art I." The goddess responded.
"Who are you? Wait, actually...somehow I already know."
"Indeed you do. My name is Yumiko. Please don't mind my appearance. I am here to accompany you."
Yumiko dissipated and reverted back into a tarot card, which floated back into Yui's hand.
"Persona...this is my power now. Incredible!"
Yui looked over to Yosuke and Chie, who were both completely awestruck at the scene that had unfolded before them.
"Are you two alright?" Yui asked.
"Yui, that was awesome!" Yosuke whispered.
Yui smiled and laughed, triumphant in her dark hour.
Author's Note (1-25-22): Been a while, huh everyone? This is a fic I've been working on little by little in my off time inbetween learning 3D Modeling. It may not be what some of you expected to see, but my hope is that it is welcome. While this fanfic is mostly a retelling of the plot of Persona 4 with a female protagonist, taking notes from the game, the first anime and second anime, I also wanted to include other small events and conversations that explore what would it be like if Narukami were a girl. While the fic may be slow going at first, my hope is that it becomes more interesting as further developments are made. Constructive feedback is well appreciated.