1/9
After a few days, Yui recovered from her sickness, and was finally able to leave her bed. She thanked Teddie for his care, allowing him to return home. She also called Chie to let her know she was feeling better, which made her quite happy. While sipping her coffee, she took time to reflect upon her unusual experience, her foggy dream. Unfortunately, she could not recall any specific details from the dream aside from seeing a girl and a bamboo forest. Yui remembered that Rise had been waking up crying for some time, something that she also experienced after the dream. She decided to call Rise and inform her of her experience.
"Hello?" Rise asked.
"Hi, Rise-chan." Yui replied.
"Hi, senpai! How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling better. Enough that I can take care of myself now. Thanks for asking."
"That's good."
"Hey, there's something else I wanted to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Do you remember how you woke up crying for a few days? Is that still happening to you?"
"Oh, that? It's been happening less frequently now, but it still happens sometimes. Why do you ask?"
"Because...a few days ago, the same thing happened to me. I woke up crying." Yui said hesitantly.
"Eh?! You too, senpai?!" Rise asked in shock.
"Yeah. I'm not making this up."
"But...why? You have Chie-senpai!"
"I don't think this has anything to do with my love life. I think...I think it has something to do with my dream."
"What dream?"
"I...I don't know how to explain it. I can barely remember it, with me being sick and all. But...I remember seeing a girl in it. I have no clue if it's the same one you saw."
"Huh...that's so weird…" Rise said in a perplexed tone.
"I really don't know what to make of it, Rise-chan. I just thought I'd let you know."
"Well, I'm glad you told me, senpai. I guess it's not just me then."
"Did any of the others have something like this happen to them? I'm a bit afraid to ask."
"Don't worry so much, senpai. Just focus on getting all better for the ski trip! You should ask Yosuke-senpai for the day we're going." Rise said cheerfully.
"OK, I will. See you, Rise-chan."
"See you, senpai!"
1/10
After class, Kou and Daisuke checked in on Yui, knowing she had been sick for the past few days. She assured them she was feeling better, and offered to walk with them. Kou led them to the Samegawa Riverbank, and he looked out over the river in contemplation.
"*sigh* This place brings out a lot of memories. I first came here when the Ichijo family took me in. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the setting sun made the river shine like glass." Kou contemplated.
"How do you feel? About this whole thing?" Yui asked Kou.
"I feel so empty. Not knowing who my parents were, or what my place is. Even as a kid, I felt this way…" Kou said sadly.
"We should go visit your parents' graves someday. Maybe that would give you some closure." Daisuke suggested.
"I wouldn't even know where to find them. All I have is that letter, but there's no signature, and my parents' names are written anywhere on it."
"Whoever brought you to the orphanage wrote that letter, right? Wouldn't that mean the orphanage has kept it for like 10 years?" Daisuke asked.
"Wait...10 years…" Kou muttered.
Kou pulled out the letter from his pocket.
"I just realized. My name is all smeared. Like someone rubbed their hand against it." Kou noticed.
"Huh. That's weird. But maybe whoever wrote it did it on accident, and then the ink dried up." Daisuke said.
"Wait...Kou, let me hold it." Yui asked Kou.
Kou slowly gave the letter to Yui, watching as she flipped it over and around. Yui suddenly stopped, looking at Kou with a nervous expression.
"Kou...how do I tell you this?" Yui asked quietly.
"What? What is it?" Kou asked anxiously.
"This paper doesn't feel like it's 10 years old. The edges are too clean, sharp enough to give a paper cut. I think...I think this letter was written recently. Way less than 10 years ago." Yui stated.
Kou lowered his gaze for a moment before looking back up and nodding in agreement.
"You're right. I think the head of the orphanage wrote this letter. When I went to visit, they must have noticed that I looked pretty sad. So they..." Kou said.
Kou looked back out over the river, seeming heartbroken.
"Hey, cheer up, Kou! I'm sure they didn't do it to fool you!" Daisuke told Kou.
"Actually...I'm happy. I'm glad there are people nice enough to do something like that." Kou clarified, changing his expression to match his true feelings.
Kou turned back around and looked at Yui and Daisuke.
"Whether the letter is real or not, someone gave me life, someone raised me, someone was there to watch over me. All this time, I thought I had no roots. But I should have known that that's not true." Kou stated.
"Heh, took you long enough to come around!" Daisuke teased.
"Dude! Not cool!" Kou replied.
"So what will you do now?" Yui asked.
"I'm going to keep playing basketball! I'll set my mind to it and be my best! And also...I'm going to talk to my folks at home. Get them to come around to me, if they haven't already."
"That's the best news I've heard from you, Kou!" Yui said with a smile.
"Hey Kou! You wanna take a swim in the river?" Daisuke asked.
"Is that a challenge? You're on!" Kou replied.
"You two go right ahead. If I jump in that water, I'll get sick again...or die of hypothermia." Yui stated.
"Hey, thanks for everything, Yui-chan!" Kou thanked Yui.
Kou and Daisuke leaped right into the water, shouting as the cold hit them. Yui laughed at them, as if to say, "what did you two expect?"
1/17
After class had ended, Yui asked Chie to come with her to the Samegawa Riverbank, where they used to train together. Chie asked if that was safe for Yui, considering that she had just recovered from a cold. Yui assured her that she was fine, telling her that she bundled up and brought a heating pack. When they got to their spot, they found themselves feeling almost nostalgic.
"You know, I've been studying a lot more recently." Chie told Yui.
"I've kind of picked up on that. Your grades are significantly better than when I first met you." Yui stated.
"The whole deal with Adachi made me realize that even the smallest things can make an impact on your life. One thing leads to another, and suddenly your whole life takes a dark turn. I wonder, if my life had gone differently, I could have ended up like him…" Chie pondered.
"As much as I'd like to deny that, Adachi isn't unique. There are hundreds, thousands even, of people who are just as bad, if not worse than him. At some point or another, they gave up trying to change themselves for the better. Realizing how close I was to ending up like him...that scared me."
"But...you didn't, of course."
"When my parents had me transfer, I thought to myself, 'This is it. It's all downhill from here.' I didn't have my parents, what few friends I had at my old school were gone, I'm heading to a town I'd never heard of, to see people I've never met before. I was so sure I wasn't going to be happy. Instead, it turned out that I've never been happier."
Yui held hands with Chie, looking her in the eye.
"I meant what I said before, coming here was the best thing that ever happened to me." Yui said firmly.
"I believe it!" Chie replied.
Chie stared at her feet.
"I'm still not that good at history, or math, or physics. Sometimes, I'd give up temporarily, then try again. And again, and again…"
"You know you can study with me, right? It's a good excuse to spend more time together."
"I know. I just get a little embarrassed. I feel a bit dumb when I see you study so easily."
"It wasn't always that easy for me. It took initiative, something I didn't always have."
"My way of thinking has changed so much over the year. I realize it now, that this town, and the people who live in it, mean so much to me. I want to protect them in the way I know best."
"It's the same for me. I don't even want to live in the city anymore. I want to live here, where I've made so many close bonds with others. And I'm sure someday, I'll get to make that choice for myself."
"That's right! But it's always important to remember where you started, so you can better appreciate where you are now."
"Wow, that was deep."
"Was it? It just came to me."
"I'm thinking of that time you offered me to sit next to you to save me from Morooka."
"Oh yeah. That feels like so long ago. I still feel bad for what happened to him. He didn't deserve that."
"No, he didn't. But I bring it up because I think of how small that moment was, and how it eventually bloomed into us being a couple. I guess that's how it usually starts."
"I'll be honest, I did that to be nice. It's not fair for a new student to experience that. I've been there before. I barely knew you then. And now...you're like my whole life."
"Heh...fell for me the moment I walked in." Yui teased.
"Oh, stop it! I mean yeah, I love you." Chie spouted.
"I love you more."
"No, I love you more!"
"No...I love YOU more!" Yui chimed, gently pinching Chie's cheek.
"Stop it!" Chie giggled.
Yui and Chie hugged each other, the warmth from Yui's coat and heating pack transferring to Chie and making her feel even more comfy.
2/11
Today was the day of the ski trip, Yui and her friends all riding the bus to take them to the nearby ski resort. Yui watched as Yosuke and Chie rode down the slopes on their snowboards, racing each other to the bottom.
"Yosuke! You're not too bad!" Chie told Yosuke.
"You're pretty good too! Are you sure you've never snowboarded before?" Yosuke replied.
"Yeah, first time! It's basically like skiing, right?"
Meanwhile, Yui watched Naoto as she slowly slid down the slope, visibly terrified of every movement she made. Yui did her best to encourage her.
"You're doing great, Naoto-chan!" Yui told her.
"Naoto-chan! I said spread your feet into a V shape! This'll be way harder for you if you're not confident!" Kanji called out to Naoto.
"OK, OK...V shape...V shape…" Naoto muttered.
Naoto suddenly sped up, losing her control and balance, and ended up smacking into Kanji, causing them to fall to the ground.
"Are you OK?" Yui asked Kanji and Naoto.
"I'm so sorry, Kanji-kun!" Naoto apologized profusely.
Naoto tried to stand up, but realized that her skis had gotten stuck to Kanji's skis.
"Hey, relax! I'm good…" Kanji tried to say, even though his nose had started bleeding.
"Kanji-kun! You're bleeding!" Naoto shrieked.
"It's fine! You didn't break my nose or anything, I promise." Kanji replied, as calmly as he could under the circumstances.
"Let's get you two fixed up." Yui said as she came over to separate their skis.
After helping Kanji plug up his nose, Yui took her turn down the slopes. She weaved back and forth to fully enjoy the feeling of sliding down the snow.
"Yui-senpai! Wait for me!" Rise called out, lagging behind.
"Sorry, Rise-chan! This is too much fun!" Yui called back.
Yui eventually stopped in the middle of the slope, looking out into the nearby forest. She suddenly heard a chiming sound from the trees behind her, and she spun around to see where it was coming from. Yui didn't see anything, however, which made her feel strange.
"Come on, senpai! You were way too fast!" Rise whined as she approached Yui.
"OK Rise-chan. Just admit you wanted to be close to me." Yui joked.
"Senpai!" Rise replied, feigning being offended.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
Yui paused for a moment before speaking again.
"Hey, Rise-chan?"
"Yes, senpai?"
"How have you been? Any dreams with that mystery girl?"
"I...I did have another one. A few days ago. I...remember the least about it. I know it was the same girl, the hat, the skirt, the boots, everything. But...I don't think anything happened in it. Nothing except...I think she was crying. And then she walked away."
"She was crying? Huh, that might explain why we woke up crying if she was also crying. Where did she go?"
"I don't quite remember. I think it was some kind of forest…"
"Eh?! I think I remember a forest too!"
"You do?"
"It was...a bamboo forest, was it?"
"Hey! That's right! It was a bamboo forest!"
"Rise-chan...I'm starting to worry that our dreams might be more meaningful than we realize."
"But what does it mean?"
Yui put a hand to her forehead and shook her head, unable to comprehend it all.
"Whee!"
Yui and Rise looked up and saw Teddie and Yukiko sliding down the hill, evidently racing each other.
"If I win, you have to go on a date with me, Yuki-chan!" Teddie stated.
"I won't let you!" Yukiko responded, speeding up her descent.
Teddie also picked up the pace, determined to win. He was now speeding up at a dangerous pace, fast approaching Yui and Rise.
"Teddie! Watch out!" Yui cried out.
Teddie quickly realized his mistake and tried to slow himself down, but it wasn't nearly enough. Yui took Rise and moved out of the way, watching as Teddie was launched into the air, performing several front flips.
"Woohooooo!" Teddie shouted.
Teddie landed back on the ground, but had lost his balance and was now tumbling down the mountain, rolling up into a big snowball. At the bottom of the hill, Chie and Yosuke were standing around and taking a break, not noticing Teddie rolling down the hill until they heard his screaming.
"Oh shi-" Yosuke cried out.
Teddie rolled into Yosuke knocking him over and into the side of a lodge.
"Yosuke!" Chie shouted.
Yui, Yukiko, Kanji and Rise all hurried over to see if Yosuke and Teddie were alright. Luckily, they didn't seem badly injured.
"Man, I thought I was gonna die…" Yosuke muttered.
"Did you all see that?! How would you grade my jump?" Teddie asked excitedly.
"Are you serious right now? Zero!" Yosuke said angrily.
Yukiko burst into laughter at their interaction.
"That's not funny, Yukiko-chan…" Chie mumbled.
"It's a little funny." Yui admitted.
The girls all chose to relax at the ski resort's hot springs, a perfect way to keep warm in the chilly winter night. Rise was the first to get in, naturally, and Yukiko followed after her. Naoto stepped in after that, and was comfortable enough now not to shy away to the corner. Chie wanted Yui to go next, but Yui insisted Chie go before her. After Chie got in, Yui made a show of confidently removing her towel and kneeling down at the edge of the spring, holding out her hand for Chie to take. With a smile on her face, Chie helped Yui step into the bath.
"I'm so proud of you, Yui-chan." Chie said happily.
"With you girls, I have nothing to be anxious about." Yui said in a relaxed manner.
"Isn't this great, everyone?" Yukiko asked.
"It's almost as good as the Amagi hot springs! Not quite, but almost!" Rise said kindly.
"It has been quite fun being with you all. I wish I had joined team sooner." Naoto stated.
"Hey, you're our friend now, right? You'll have plenty more chances to spend time with us!" Chie replied.
"What did you all do? Before I came along?" Naoto asked.
"Ah, I remember so much, like it was last week. I still remember the camping trip, even if it wasn't that good. Of course, there was the Amagi Inn, the fireworks, the beach, all that." Yui recalled.
"Christmas was pretty fun." Rise added.
"Even though it was just between me and Chie-chan, we celebrated her birthday together." Yui said, putting her arm around Chie.
"That was great. We should celebrate your birthday someday." Chie stated cheerfully.
"Can't forget the concert! That was amazing!" Rise said.
"Yeah! We were so worried for you, realizing you couldn't make it on time." Yukiko told Rise.
Rise giggled at this statement. Yui looked back on that moment happily...until she realized something that shook her.
"Senpai? What's wrong?" Rise asked Yui.
"Wait a second. How did we get through it while you weren't there?" Yui asked everyone.
Everyone seemed puzzled by this question, unable to come up with a clear answer.
"Did...did someone take the lead while I was gone?" Rise asked.
"It wasn't me. I wasn't up at the front." Yui answered.
"It definitely wasn't me or Yukiko-chan. We were in the back." Chie stated.
"I know for certain I didn't lead. I was also in the back." Naoto added.
"Did the boys do it?" Rise asked further.
"No. I know they didn't. But...that eliminates all of us." Yui replied.
Yui came to a new realization, disturbing her even more than before.
"Rise-chan!" Yui said, her voice shaking.
"Yes, senpai?" Rise replied.
"I…"
Yui looked at the others nervously.
"Let's...go get dressed first. This...isn't the place to be discussing this." Yui insisted.
"Uh...OK then. I'm just about done anyway." Chie said, stepping out.
With that, the girls left the springs and went to dry themselves and get dressed.
Yui and the other girls were gathered in their sleeping quarters, making sure the boys weren't around to hear them.
"I'll bring them into the conversation if I have to. But...I want this to be between us girls for now." Yui told the girls.
"What's this about, Yui-chan?" Chie asked.
"Rise-chan...is it OK if I talk about...what we've been going through?" Yui asked Rise.
Rise looked at the floor for a few moments before looking up again and nodding.
"Yes. I think they should know." Rise answered.
"OK."
Yui took a deep breath.
"Remember when we beat Adachi?" Yui asked everyone.
"Of course we do!" Yukiko replied.
"Rise-chan told me something strange. The day after that happened, she woke up from a dream, crying, and with a heartache." Yui admitted.
Everyone aside from Rise responded with a gasp and confused looks.
"But that's not all. While I was sick, I had a similar dream, which I also woke up from crying. There's no way it's just a coincidence."
"What was the dream about?" Chie asked.
"We don't remember. At least, not all of it." Rise answered.
"But this isn't the part that bothered me."
"Then, what is it?" Naoto asked.
"Rise-chan, what do you remember about your dreams?" Yui asked Rise.
"Well...they always involved a girl. A girl I'd never met before. She was usually just standing there, as if waiting for me. Most of the time, she'd just leave, and the dream would end there. But there was one time I dreamt that I ran away with that girl, took a train to the city." Rise noted.
Yui snapped her fingers.
"That's it! That's what bothered me!" Yui exclaimed.
"Eh?" Rise responded.
"I remember you were going on a date with someone! I distinctly remember it being with a girl. It was kind of a big deal to us." Yui stated.
"It was? Well, I did kiss the girl in my dream…" Rise muttered.
"Wait, you kissed a girl?! Why am I hearing about this now?" Chie replied in surprise.
"It was only in my dream! I've never kissed a girl in real life...or a boy…" Rise responded, a bit embarrassed.
"Are you sure? That seems like a really significant thing to forget." Yui asked.
Rise thought about it longer until her eyes widened in shock.
"Wait a minute! The Halloween party!" Rise gasped.
"What about it?" Yukiko asked.
"I remember kissing someone at the party! Who was it?"
"Was it one of the boys?" Chie asked.
"No! It was definitely a girl. I remember Yosuke-senpai getting upset about it. Which one of you was dressed up as a Kuchisake-onna?"
"Nobody dressed up as a Kuchisake-onna. What do you mean, Rise-chan?" Yukiko replied.
"No! Someone did! I remember it! I remember being scared by her!" Chie stated.
"That's right. I helped her with her makeup! But...who was it?" Yui muttered.
Yui looked around at her friends.
"Did...did we make another friend that we forgot about?" Yui asked.
Naoto held her chin, deep in thought.
"How perplexing. It seems we all have holes in our memories about a person we don't remember. And yet, we still recall the events that happened with them." Naoto stated.
"What's going on? Are we having collective amnesia or something?" Rise asked.
Rise had an idea come to her, and she pulled out her phone.
"I remembered something! After the concert, I took a picture of everyone as a group with my phone." Rise stated.
"Oh yeah. You called me and Chie-chan back for the photo." Yui replied.
Rise scanned through the album until she found the picture, displaying everyone standing in a group on the stage. At first, it seemed nothing was amiss. That was, until Yui noticed something odd about the picture.
"Girls, doesn't this spot seem odd?" Yui asked, pointing to the photo.
Yui was pointing at the spot in the center of the photo, where there was an inexplicable gap in between the members.
"Oh! It's as if somebody was standing there." Rise said.
"Was somebody edited out of the picture?" Yui asked Rise.
"I didn't edit this!"
Yui sighed in distress.
"We'd better bring this up with the boys." Yui declared.
Yui brought Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie up to speed on the situation, and it baffled them just as much as it did everyone else.
"I gotta admit, that's all really weird. I...I do remember getting upset when Rise-chan…" Yosuke began to say.
Yosuke saw Rise's stern look, which caused him to adjust his lines.
"I mean...sorry, Rise-chan. The idea that you'd ever fall for a girl broke me…" Yosuke mumbled.
"So you DO remember me kissing a girl." Rise said firmly.
"Y-yes. But...who was it?"
Rise clutched her head in frustration.
"Ugh! This doesn't make any sense! How can I not remember who my first kiss was?!" Rise screamed.
"OK, but the point is, we're not crazy. We all seem to remember someone. A mysterious friend we can't recall." Chie said.
"What does this mean then?" Yui asked.
"What if we all forgot because the memories were too painful?" Teddie wondered.
"Huh? That can't be it!" Kanji dismissed.
"Well, it's true that people can often repress unwanted or traumatic memories. But I don't see how having a specific person as a friend would warrant us to forget." Naoto stated.
Suddenly, Rise burst into tears, hiding her face from her friends.
"Why? Why is this happening to me? What's wrong with me?!" Rise sobbed.
"Hey, hey, Rise-chan! It's OK! We'll figure this out somehow! Isn't that what we've always done?" Yui told Rise, trying to calm her down.
"Huh?" Rise asked, tearfully looking at Yui.
"We need to investigate this. Just like we did for the murders. I can't ignore this if it's causing my friends unhappiness. What do you say, everyone?" Yui asked her friends.
"Yeah! I'm in!" Chie declared.
"I'm gonna help however I can!" Yosuke concurred.
"That goes for everyone, right?" Kanji asked.
Everyone nodded in agreement, causing Rise to dry her eyes.
"We'll start once we go back home. We can't really do any investigating while we're here." Naoto said.
"OK. For now, let's try to set it aside and just enjoy ourselves here!" Yukiko suggested.
"Are you OK with that, Rise-chan?" Yui asked Rise.
"Sure, senpai. We came here to have fun! Let's do this!" Rise replied with a grin.
With that promise, everyone went off to bed, intent on having as much fun as they could tomorrow.
2/12
Yui spent as much time as she could with everyone, doing her best to share it equally with each friend. While everyone else was off doing their own things together, Yui and Chie were at the top of the intermediate course, ready to face off against each other.
"Ready, Chie-chan?" Yui asked.
"Oh, you bet!" Chie replied.
They both took off, carefully maneuvering the slope and steering clear of the obstacles. Yui managed to overtake Chie, gaining speed quickly. As she sped down the course, a rock hidden under the snow tripped her up, causing her to veer off the path and down the side of the hill. Yui screamed, grunting in pain each time she hit the snow and into the nearby forest.
"Yui-chan!" Chie screamed, quickly going after her.
When Yui regained consciousness, she found herself in the middle of the forest, unsure of where she was. A snow storm had started to pick up, which didn't help her get her bearings. She slowly sat up, checking to see if she was hurt.
"Yui-chan! Are you alright?" Chie asked with concern as she arrived.
"I'm fine. I don't feel anything broken." Yui replied.
"Thank god! Come on, let's head back!"
"Do you remember which way we need to go?"
"I think it's this way...maybe. It's kind of hard to tell with the storm." Chie said with uncertainty.
"Oh god...are we lost?"
"I...I hope not!"
Yui looked around, trying to find some waypoint to help her figure out where to go.
"The slope is angled up this way. Let's try walking up, then maybe it'll lead us back to the lodge!" Yui suggested.
"Not a bad idea! Come on!" Chie agreed.
Yui and Chie trudged through the snow, blocking their faces as the storm continued to rage on. They still weren't sure if they were going the right way, but they had no choice but to persevere.
"Shit. My hands are starting to get numb. What do we do now?" Chie asked with great worry.
"Whatever happens, don't fall asleep!" Yui warned Chie.
Chie gasped in horror.
"Oh my god, you're right! I heard that all the time in movies and such. I never thought I'd end up in a situation like that!" Chie exclaimed.
Yui's expression became rather hopeless as it dawned on her how dire their situation had become.
"Keep going, Yui-chan! We gotta find shelter somewhere!" Chie told Yui.
"I agree! And hopefully fast…" Yui replied.
They continued to struggle through the storm when all of a sudden, Yui saw the silhouette of a person up ahead.
"Hey! I think I see someone!" Yui exclaimed.
"You do? Great! Some help!" Chie responded.
"Hey! Over here!" Yui called out, trying to get the person's attention.
The person appeared to walk away, causing them to panic.
"Wait! Come back! We need help!" Chie shouted.
Yui and Chie rushed over to where they last saw the person, until they saw a cabin up ahead.
"Look! A cabin!" Yui told Chie.
"Thank god! We can shelter there for now!" Chie stated.
Yui and Chie ran up to the door, frantically knocking on it.
"Hello? Please let us in!" Chie shouted.
"Oh, hang on…" Yui muttered.
Yui grabbed the doorknob and found that the door was unlocked. When they stepped inside, there was nobody to be found, only tools and supplies.
"That's pretty careless of them to leave the cabin unlocked. Oh well, I'm sure they'll understand…" Chie mumbled.
"Are you alright, Chie-chan?" Yui asked.
"I'm fine! Now that we're out of the snow, I'm not as scared anymore." Chie replied.
Yui pulled out her phone to try contacting help, only to find that there was no reception.
"Damn it!" Yui grumbled.
"I had a feeling that would happen. Even if we called for help, they might not be able to find us in the storm." Chie stated.
"Looks like we might have to stay the night here…"
"Let's find something to light up this campfire!"
Yui and Chie looked around the cabin and found both some flint and lighter fluid. After pouring the lighter fluid on the firewood, Yui struck the flint to create some sparks, and after a few tries, she was able to light a fire.
"Yes!" Yui celebrated.
"Whoo! It's nice and warm!" Chie said happily.
Yui pulled Chie close.
"We're going to be OK, Chie-chan!"
"Yeah! I'm glad! I'm glad of all people to get stranded with, it's you!"
"No kidding."
Yui and Chie smiled, assuring each other that they would survive.
"How long do you think we'll have to be here?" Chie asked Yui.
"No idea. Hopefully not long." Yui replied.
Suddenly, a flash of light came from the corner of the room, startling the both of them.
"What was that?" Yui asked.
"That wasn't lightning, was it?" Chie asked in return.
"Come on, let's go take a look."
Yui and Chie went to the corner of the room where the light came from, moving the junk that was in the way. They managed to find an old TV, dusty from lack of use.
"Wow! It's an old TV! I've only seen a model like this in movies." Chie exclaimed.
"Is this was lit up earlier? But it's not even plugged in." Yui noted.
"That's weird. Did it unplug just now?"
"No, the plug is all rusty."
Yui suddenly had a strange idea come to her. She reached out towards the screen to touch it, and her hand phased into the screen. Chie realized what Yui was doing and quickly yanked her away, causing her to fall backwards.
"Hey! Wait!" Chie shrieked.
"What?" Yui asked.
"This isn't the place to be doing that!"
"Why not?"
"Seriously! Can't this wait until we get out of here?"
Just then, the door to the cabin burst open, and Yosuke ran inside.
"Stop! Whatever you two are doing, don't do it!" Yosuke shouted.
Yui and Chie gave Yosuke a startled look, not expecting him to show up at all.
"Yosuke!" Yui exclaimed.
The others poured into the cabin, all with concerned expressions on their faces. Yui and Chie stood up to meet them.
"Guys! You found us!" Chie stated.
"Oh, they still have their clothes on." Yukiko said.
"Why would they take their clothes off in this weather?" Kanji asked Yukiko.
"What are you talking about?" Chie asked them.
Yui buried her face in her hands to hide her blushing.
"Oh my fucking god, you've got to be kidding me…" Yui mumbled.
"What? What is it?" Chie asked her.
"They thought we were about to…"
Too embarrassed to say it explicitly, Yui made a gesture with her mittens that suggested a "scissoring" motion. When Chie understood what she meant, her face became a deep shade of pink.
"What the fuck, guys?!" Chie shouted.
"What?! That's not what was happening?" Yosuke asked.
"We got stranded in the middle of a snowstorm! Screwing each other was the LAST thing on our minds!" Yui said angrily.
"We're not judging…" Rise said quietly.
"How did you guys find us all the way out here?" Chie asked.
"This is a storage cabin right behind the lodge." Yukiko explained.
"Oh...we were that close to safety?" Yui muttered.
"Well now I just feel silly…"
"What were you two doing then?" Yosuke asked.
"We saw this TV turn on, and Yui-chan tried to reach into it!" Chie explained.
"What? It's not even plugged in!" Yosuke pointed out.
"The murder case is over now. Why would the TV turn on by itself?" Naoto asked.
"I'm telling you, that's what happened!" Chie argued.
"It's true. I did reach into it. I can show you." Yui stated.
Yui knelt down in front of the TV and reached into it, causing her hand to phase through as she promised. She then proceeded to step into the TV, much to the shock of her friends.
"Wait! Yui-chan!" Chie called out, her voice fading away as Yui was transported into the TV world.
Author's Note(12-17-23): Rise doesn't seem to be taking this very well. Perhaps the answers lie deep in a forest most hollow.
