4/28
Yui and Chie were walking to school together, after having cheerfully greeted each other. Yesterday's events still lingered in their minds, stirring memories of fear and anxiety, but also triumph at the successful rescue of their friend and classmate, Yukiko.
"So how's Yukiko doing, Chie?" Yui asked.
"She's still pretty run down after all that happened. She'll be taking a couple days off. Other than that, she's totally fine!"
"That's good to hear."
"I feel so much better now that she's safe. It's like we can go back to a normal routine again."
"Well, as normal as it can be, all things considered. I'll still be attending Basketball Club and keep the team motivated, but I'm probably going to focus on other things I've wanted to do."
"Like what?"
"I'm thinking of getting back into making art. I used to experiment with all kinds of materials, so I might try some new techniques."
"That sounds fun! I can't wait to see what you make."
"Well, no promises. I can sometimes feel uninspired."
"Maybe I can help you find it?"
"It doesn't really work like that, but I appreciate the gesture."
Chie giggled, and Yui smiled in turn. Today was going to be a day to look forward to.
After participating in Basketball Club and cleaning up, Yui and Kou stood around chatting, the other members having left as soon as they had an excuse to. Daisuke had come around to meet with them as well, looking eager to go out.
"Hey guys! I'm down for some Aiya." Daisuke stated.
"Sure thing. We'll go get changed and head on over." Kou replied.
After a short pause however, Kou began to panic.
"Oh wait, damn! I forgot! I can't today. I have some personal stuff to take care of. You two go on ahead. Sorry guys!" Kou apologized profusely.
Kou ran off to get changed, leaving Yui and Daisuke alone.
"Ah, that's right. Today's the day he goes before the almighty 'House of Ichijo'." Daisuke mumbled.
"What now?" Yui asked.
"Oh, we can talk about it at Aiya. Come on."
After placing their orders, Yui listens to Daisuke explain Kou's situation.
"I don't like talking behind his back like this, but I want you to help Kou out." Daisuke told Yui.
"Sure I will. But with what?" Yui asked.
"Kou lives by himself, but his parents live like right next door. Once a week or so, he drops by there, like he did today. His family is...what's the word I'm looking for? Distinguished. Very traditional, very strict."
"Ohhhhh...I get it now." Yui nodded.
"His grandma is the head of the family. They follow her orders like the law. Problem is, that old crone doesn't approve of him playing basketball. She calls it 'barbaric'."
"That's crazy. It's only a sport." Yui replied in shock.
"Yeah well, according to her, there are 'proper' sports and 'not proper' sports. Kou's been forced to quit a lot of things since he was a kid. But not basketball. He can't give this up. That's why I want you to help him."
"Just tell me how." Yui said with a determined smile.
"I'm glad I came to you, man!"
Yui and Daisuke's orders arrived at their table, putting an end to their conversation.
"This one's on me. Eat up!" Daisuke said cheerfully.
However, when Daisuke checked his pockets, his cheerfulness decreased significantly.
"I just realized I used up my allowance…" Daisuke stated in embarrassment.
Yui sighs.
"I've got it this time. But I'm expecting you to pay next time." Yui says with a polite grin.
"Sure thing. Thanks, Yui!"
That evening, Yui decides to begin reading "Red Geisha", after making sure Nanako would not disturb her. The story was about a geisha that wore a bright red dress named Hisako, and her relationship with a young girl that comes to visit her every day at her ochaya, or teahouse. The young girl, while not given a real name in the novel, is named by Hisako as Aoi, after her blue hairbow. Hisako is presented as a mysterious figure, as she lives alone in her teahouse and doesn't speak to anyone except the young girl. In fact, it's implied that only Aoi can see her. Whether Hisako is a figment of her imagination, or if Hisako is a ghost is left up to interpretation. To Yui, a love story between a human and a ghost was not unique, but the way the story was written and the beautiful descriptions of the scenery and emotions left her wanting to know more. Yui's heart started to flutter as she read a particular passage:
"You visit quite often. It makes me wonder if anyone else knows the reason you come to an abandoned teahouse by yourself." Hisako stated, her voice quiet and ethereal.
"Nobody knows I come here, really. People don't really pay attention to me that much. I figured, why should anyone care that I come here alone." Aoi explains.
"Well, it matters to me a lot that you pay me visits. I only wonder what you see in me that you are willing to find me in the cold, bitter winter."
"It's because...well, you're really beautiful. You're way prettier than the other geisha I see. How come I don't see you with the others?"
"I do not belong among them. I am too different from them, as it were."
"I see. It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. I just want to be here with you."
"Shall I show you a dance this time? I have spent all my life mastering it."
"Yes, please! Your singing was so beautiful last time! I think you could dance just as well!"
As Hisako dances, the snowflakes in the air stir and swirl, as if being entranced by the mystical woman standing in the winter night. In this moment, Aoi, and perhaps the reader, falls in love with the Red Geisha. Yui sighs romantically, and decides to stop reading for now, heading off to bed.
4/29 (Showa Day)
For Showa Day, Yui had decided to go buy art supplies from Junes before heading straight home. What she wanted to do with the various pencils, paint, ink and paper wasn't clear to her yet, but she wanted to have access to them now should inspiration strike unexpectedly. She spent most of the day studying and reading books, including chapters from "Red Geisha". That night, as Yui sat in the living room with Dojima and Nanako, the news channel was reporting the weather.
"Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seems unlikely in the area. A thick fog is expected to set in tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area. Anyone planning to go out tonight should take care. Now for our hourly weather breakdown…" The weather announcer stated.
"There's been a lot of fog lately. Hopefully that's not a sign of more trouble…" Dojima muttered.
Nanako, having gotten bored of the news, changed the channel suddenly, much to Dojima's disapproval.
"Nanako, what did I say about changing the channel without asking?" Dojima scolded.
Just then, a commercial for Junes appeared on the screen.
"It's Golden Week at your local Junes! Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products! ~Every day's great at your Junes!"
Right on cue, Nanako cheerfully sang the commercial jingle.
"Dad, they're going to be open during Golden Week!" Nanako excitedly said.
"Haha, I heard. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday? Have any plans, Yui?" Dojima chuckled.
"I'll think about it." Yui simply replied.
"Come on! Let's all go somewhere together! We can go to Junes!" Nanako continued.
"Are you sure you want to go to Junes? We can go there any time we want." Dojima asked.
Dojima stood up from the couch, prompting Nanako and Yui to get ready for bed.
Yui stood around in her room until the clock struck midnight. She looked outside her window to see that a heavy fog had set in, obscuring everything outside from view. Yui directed her attention to her TV, and right as she did, the Midnight Channel flickered on. However, this time, there was nobody to be seen. No static ridden image of a person to indicate that anyone was in the TV world. It was to be expected, but even so, Yui felt a wave of relief wash over her, knowing full well that her friend was no longer in danger. With that, Yui went to sleep, prepared for whatever may come next.
4/30
Yui walked up to the entrance of the school to find Yukiko standing there, fully recovered from her ordeal with the TV world and looking quite cheerful.
"Ohayo, Yui." Yukiko greeted.
"Ohayo, Yukiko. How are you feeling?" Yui asked.
"I'm feeling better now. My mom also got better, and she's back to working at the inn."
"Really? That's great news!"
"Mhm! Everyone's been so supportive lately, and things are going even smoother than before. I wonder if maybe I was trying too hard before...I've caused everyone a lot of trouble haven't I? I'm sorry..." Yukiko thought aloud.
"Don't be sorry, Yukiko. We were willing to do whatever it took to get you out of there. We're just happy to see you safe." Yui assured Yukiko.
"You're right. What I meant to say was...thank you. You all saw the things I didn't want to admit; it's pretty embarrassing…" Yukiko said, a blush creeping up her face.
"Don't worry about it. If it makes you feel better about it, you can always talk about it with us. Bottling it up is what caused the Shadow to appear in the first place." Yui replied, glancing away shyly.
"Thank you, Yui."
Chie ran up to the two of them, greeting Yui, and especially Yukiko, with a bright smile.
"Yukiko!" Chie cheered as she hugged Yukiko.
"Hi, Chie! It's good to see you." Yukiko said as she hugged Chie back.
"Let's go, we're going to be late." Yui told the two of them, prompting all of them to hurry in before the bell rang.
After classes had ended, Yui and her friends decided to meet on the roof to discuss the events that had occurred so far, and hopefully figure out what to do next. Yukiko was the last to meet with the others, having brought lunch for herself and Chie.
"Here's your soba, Chie." Yukiko said as she handed Chie a bowl of instant soba noodles.
"Thank you! Ooohh, it smells so good!" Chie hummed.
"Amagi-san, I hate to bring up stuff you'd rather not think about, but it's important." Yosuke told Yukiko.
"No, I understand. It must be why you called everyone here, right?" Yukiko replied.
"Yes. Do you remember anything about when you got kidnapped?" Yosuke asked.
The others looked at Yukiko in anticipation as they waited for her to respond. After thinking it over for a few moments, Yukiko shook her head.
"No. I remember the doorbell ringing at the entrance, and someone calling for me. I woke up after that in the castle. I can't recall anything else in between." Yukiko muttered.
"Does that mean whoever visited is the culprit?" Chie asked the group.
"If so, that's one daring criminal. What kind of killer just rings the doorbell?" Yosuke replied.
"Shouldn't there have been witnesses to that?" Yui asked.
"I'm sure the police are looking for some, but we can't expect results from them." Yosuke answered.
"We're going to catch them ourselves. And Yukiko, we'd like it if you helped us." Yui told Yukiko.
"I...yes, I'd like to help too." Yukiko responded, initially surprised, but ultimately willing.
"You can count me in as well!" Chie chimed in.
"If someone hates me so much they'd want to kill me, I want to know who and why." Yukiko said firmly.
"Then it's settled. We'll work together and catch this bastard!" Yosuke declared.
"But how are we going to find them? We don't have any leads." Chie asked.
"Maybe we can stay ahead of the culprit if we can figure out their patterns." Yui posited.
"How about this? What do all the victims have in common?" Yosuke asked.
"They're all females from Inaba." Yui responded.
"That's correct. And the second and third victims all had some sort of connection with the first victim." Yosuke continued.
"I think it's a safe assumption for now. Another thing we can do in the meantime is this: if someone goes missing again…" Yui began to say.
"The Midnight Channel! They might show up on there! That happened right before Yukiko got kidnapped too!" Chie spoke up.
"Yes. Even if it's hard to tell who it is at first, it's something to let us know who to look out for." Yui stated.
"We still don't know why this happens, but it's all we've got for now." Yosuke affirmed.
"So the next time it rains, we check the Midnight Channel." Yukiko said.
Everyone nodded in agreement, filled with a new resolve to get to the bottom of the mystery.
"Chie, Yukiko, I think your noodles are done." Yui pointed out.
"Oh yeah, they are! Chow time!" Chie cheerfully stated as she opened up the bowl.
"Hey, can I try some? Just a little bit, please?" Yosuke asked Chie, almost desperately like a puppy.
"No, Yosuke! You should have gotten your own lunch!" Chie responded, annoyed at Yosuke's pestering.
"May I try a couple bites? I'll get my own bowl after this." Yui asked, sitting down next to Chie and giving her a polite smile.
Chie was about to turn Yui down as well, but stopped herself, looking a little guilty. After some consideration, Chie speaks again.
"OK, just for you, Yui." Chie stated.
"Arigato! You're the best, Chie!" Yui said with glee, hugging Chie with gratitude.
Chie giggles before handing Yui her bowl.
"Hey! How come she lets you have some?" Yosuke exclaims jealously.
Yui smirks at Yosuke and teasingly brushes aside her hair.
"You can try some of mine, Yosuke." Yukiko tells Yosuke, holding out her bowl of udon.
"Ah! Arigato, Yukiko!" Yosuke thanked as he took the bowl and started eating.
Yui took a bite of the soba noodles, slightly jealous that Yosuke got to try the udon, but content with eating soba all the same.
"This is so good! I've never had instant soba like this before! Where did you get this from, Yukiko?" Yui asked.
"I got both of these from the Shiroku Store in the shopping district. There are all kinds of foods in that shop." Yukiko answered.
"It's pretty cool. I'm glad you like it, Yui." Chie said.
True to her word, Yui gives the soba back to Chie after sampling it, allowing Chie to finish the rest of it. Yui turns her attention to Yosuke, who was so immersed in the udon, he didn't realize that he was being overzealous.
"Uh, Yosuke? I think that's enough." Yui tried to tell Yosuke.
"Hey Yosuke! What the hell are you doing?! That's Yukiko's lunch!" Chie shouted.
Yosuke was startled by Chie's outburst before realizing his mistake, nervously returning the mostly empty udon bowl to Yukiko.
"My fried tofu…" Yukiko said sadly.
"Sumimasen...I'll make it up to you! I'll buy you steak, how's that sound?" Yosuke apologized, offering a compensation.
"Steak?! Ooohh, I want some too!" Chie chimed in, her attention perking up at the mere mention of meat.
"You already had soba!" Yosuke pointed out.
"I am still hungry though. We should all go to Junes!" Yui stated.
"Come on, Yukiko! There's steak in it for us now!" Chie eagerly told Yukiko.
"OK, as long as it isn't too fatty." Yukiko agreed.
"Great timing too! Junes is serving grilled steak today. Let's go everyone!" Yosuke said with a smile.
After eating steak at Junes, the group decided to pay Teddie a visit in the TV world, as Yukiko had promised. Teddie greeted them almost the exact moment the group arrived, as if he had been waiting there for them since Yukiko was saved.
"Teddie! So it wasn't just a dream!" Yukiko exclaimed.
"Yuki-chan! Are you feeling better now? I've been a good bear, like you told me to!" Teddie asked.
"Is that so? Good bear!" Yukiko said with a smile.
"I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan!" Teddie said as he gave Yukiko a gift: a pair of red glasses.
"Thank you, Teddie! So these are what everyone's been using."
"I also had these...but I messed up on making them. I thought you might like them anyway."
Teddie handed Yukiko a...different pair of glasses. It was a pair of novelty glasses with non-functional lenses, a giant nose, and a fake mustache. Yukiko put them on and looked at her friends, suddenly cracking a smile.
"How do I look?" Yukiko said, amused with herself.
Yui stifled a giggle, while Yosuke only gave a weird look. Chie appeared to be unamused, quietly sighing.
"Looks great on you, Yukiko!" Yui said jokingly, but with a little sincerity.
Yukiko laughs, taking the glasses off before handing them to Chie.
"Here Chie, you try them!" Yukiko eagerly told Chie.
"Huh? Oh alright, fine…" Chie said as she hesitantly put on the glasses.
Yukiko looked on at Chie as she wore the glasses, holding in her laughter as Chie maintained a serious expression.
"There, happy?" Chie asked in a monotone voice.
Yukiko suddenly burst into laughter, causing Chie to sigh.
"Amagi-san?" Yosuke asked Yukiko, surprised by her outburst.
"It's one of her laughing fits. She usually only does it around me…" Chie explained.
"So this is what Yukiko is really like. I'm glad she's in high spirits." Yui stated.
Yukiko continued to laugh uncontrollably, clutching at her stomach. After taking a while to collect herself, everyone decided to go home for the day, saying goodbye to Teddie.
Yui and Nanako were quietly watching TV while Dojima was looking through the newspaper, when he suddenly spoke to them.
"I may be able to get the fourth and fifth of May off." Dojima stated.
Yui and Nanako turned to look at Dojima in surprise. Nanako especially seemed particularly excited.
"Really?! Are you sure? It's always canceled..." Nanako asked.
"Not every year! I know you wanted to go to Junes, but I'd like to go a bit further outside the neighborhood." Dojima explained.
"We can go on a trip?!"
"I'm sure it'll be crowded everywhere, but we can try." Dojima said with a smile.
"Yay! We're going on a trip!" Nanako cheered.
"We'll have to decide where to go, of course. What about you, Yui? Want to come along?" Dojima asked Yui.
"I should, shouldn't I? I'll try to stay available for those days, but I can't promise anything." Yui replied.
"Aww, but you should come with us!" Nanako told Yui.
"If you don't have any plans, do come with us. I'm sure Nanako would appreciate it!" Dojima stated.
"Alright, I'll try." Yui responded.
"Let's bring bentos!" Nanako suggested.
"You know how to make boxed lunches?" Yui asked.
"Well, I can't cook. And Nanako's not good enough at cooking to make them herself. But we still have you!" Dojima responded.
"Fine, I see how it is." Yui said as she crossed her arms.
5/1
Yui wondered how Marie was doing and decided to pay her a visit. Marie asked Yui to take her to "Joo-nes", to which Yui agreed. The two of them walked around the store and encountered all sorts of people, to which Marie responded with curiosity and wonder. Marie asked Yui various questions about food items, which Yui did her best to answer in a way that was satisfactory to Marie. Marie even commented on Yui's colorful outfit, to which Yui tried to deflect by offering Marie information about the store.
"Everyone was rushing to grab something called 'sallah drezzing'." Marie told Yui.
"'Salad dressing'. It's on sale right now, so everyone wants it." Yui explained.
"What does it mean, 'on sale'?"
"It means it's being sold at a lower price than usual."
"I see. So that makes it worth fighting over."
"It's not worth fighting over salad dressing, but some people are like that, unfortunately."
Just then Chie spotted the two talking and ran over to greet them.
"Narukami-san! What are you doing here?" Chie said with a smile.
"Satonaka-san! So nice to see you!" Yui replied as she gave Chie a hug.
After hugging Yui back, Chie turned her attention to Marie.
"Who's this girl? She's really cute!" Chie asked.
"You think she's cute? I mean, I do too, but…"
"This is Marie. She's a friend." Yui replied.
"Hm? Um, yes, my name's Marie…" Marie stuttered, a bit confused and nervous.
"Marie-chan, huh? That's a nice name! I'm Chie Satonaka. Nice to meet you!" Chie stated.
"Mmmm, yeah…" Marie said awkwardly.
"She's...not from around here." Yui quietly explained to Chie.
"Oh, I see." Chie nodded.
Marie turned her attention to the TVs in the electronics section.
"I know what these are. They show lots of stuff." Marie stated plainly.
"Oh, you came to look at the TVs too?" Chie asked.
"Is that the only reason you're here? To window shop?" Yui asked.
"For the most part, yeah. We're still looking for a new one." Chie replied.
"Oh, I don't want one...but can you turn it to 'StarScandalz'?" Marie interjected.
"That reality show? How can you watch that if you don't have a TV in your room?" Yui asked.
"Why the hell not? I mean...I didn't even say I wanted to!" Marie retorted.
"If you don't want to watch StarScandalz, don't bring it up then!"
Marie shook her head, realizing she was being unreasonably rude and corrected herself.
"...So how do you watch it?" Marie asked Yui.
"How to watch TV? Well uh...you turn it on...and then you browse through the different things they show on TV until you see something you like. That's pretty much it." Yui tried to explain, but wasn't really certain how to explain a subject that was second nature to her.
"Huh?! You don't watch TV?" Chie asked Marie.
"There isn't one in the room." Marie told Chie.
"Really? You must have super strict parents…I couldn't stand that. Life without kung fu movies? I can't even imagine it." Chie stated.
Yui was about to interject and explain that Marie's situation wasn't like that before realizing that telling Chie what it actually was would be even harder to explain, so she stood by and observed how Marie responded.
"Oh, but you see, there's no 'eclectic loutwits' in that room." Marie explained.
"She means 'electric outlets'." Yui translated.
"I'll tell The Nose to install one of those 'eclectic loutwits' in there. There's nothing to do in that room…" Marie grumbled.
Marie wandered off, leaving behind a perplexed Chie and a Yui who was at a loss for words.
"Wait Marie-chan! You don't even have electricity in your room?!" Chie called out.
"I'd explain, but it's too weird. Just go with it, please." Yui told Chie.
"Well, if you say so…"
"Hey, since we're here, you want to go to the food court?"
"Heck yeah I do!"
"Let me go get Marie though. I'm not supposed to let her out of my sight."
After finding Marie again, Yui and Chie ordered grilled steak for the three of them to eat. Marie was hesitant to eat at first, Yui ate her steak in slow bites, and Chie practically devoured her steak, finishing it long before the other two.
"Chie, slow down! You're going to get sick." Yui urged Chie.
"Nah, I'm never gonna get sick of eating meat!" Chie quipped.
"Not what I mean, and you know it." Yui said with a sly grin.
"But if you keep eating that fast, you're going to get fat one day." Marie said impolitely.
"I didn't need to hear that…" Chie groaned, feeling a bit guilty.
"That's pretty much impossible, Marie. Not with her level of exercise." Yui stated.
"Ha ha, good one, Yui! It's true though, even I have to watch my diet. Oh, I'll go get us some drinks! Oolong tea sounds good." Chie said as she stood up from the table.
"Can you get me Ramune?" Yui asked.
"Sure thing!"
"Thanks, Chie!"
Chie left to go buy the drinks, leaving Yui and Marie alone.
"There's a lot of people at this 'Joo-nes' place. Why? Don't they have anything else to do? If they have TVs at home, they should be watching that instead." Marie asked Yui.
"People are here for a reason, usually. And watching TV isn't all we do." Yui explained.
"Be honest with me. Do you think I'm a brat?" Marie bluntly asked.
"No, but you are a bit of a punk. I say that in an endearing way, if that makes any sense." Yui answered honestly.
"Hmm...not really."
"Why do you ask, though? You know I like you, and so does Yosuke and Chie, even if they don't know you that well yet."
"Well, the thing is...I don't remember what I was like back then."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I don't remember anything about myself. I was just wandering around with nowhere to go, and I ended up in that car."
"The Velvet Room, you mean."
"Yeah. Margaret gave me the name 'Marie'. It'd be hard to get around without a name."
"So that's where your name comes from. Under normal circumstances I'd call it amnesia, but I realize that you're a unique case."
"It's not like it bothers me anyway."
"It should bother you a little bit, to be honest. But I'm glad you're taking it so well."
Despite speaking so casually, Marie held a concerned expression on her face, which Yui took a mental note of.
"I don't know why, but this town seems familiar to me." Marie stated.
"You mentioned that last time too. Do you think maybe you've been here before a long time ago?" Yui asked, hoping to narrow down Marie's mysterious background.
"I don't think so. I'm not sure. The only thing I know is that this belongs to me."
Marie reaches into her blue handbag and pulls out an old bamboo comb.
"A comb?" Yui asked.
"I've had this from the start. It's definitely mine." Marie stated.
"So you remember having this comb since the beginning, but don't remember anything else in between? I don't know what to tell you, Marie." Yui said, shaking her head.
"You're right, this doesn't help anything."
"Hold onto it though. It might help you in the future. You never know."
"Fine, I will."
After Marie put away the comb, Chie came back to the table with the drinks.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! The shop was busy, but they'll bring the drinks to us when they're ready." Chie explained.
Chie suddenly noticed how quiet Yui and Marie were being, becoming awkward at the sudden change of mood.
"Uh...is everything OK?" Chie asked.
"Oh yeah, it's fine. Me and Marie were talking about some stuff. It was a bit personal." Yui explained.
"Oh, OK then."
"If you don't mind, do you want to talk about art? I have a lot of things to say about the way artists communicate their thoughts nowadays."
"Hey, I'd be glad to hear what you have to say!"
"Thanks, Chie."
"That sounds boring." Marie said dismissively.
"If that's how you feel, we're not going to be friends for very long, Marie." Yui said jokingly.
The three girls chatted for a while before Yui decided it was time to take Marie back to the Velvet Room. Yui said farewell to Chie, promising to meet up again someday.
Tonight, Yui was feeling particularly inspired, and so she decided to work on her next art piece. As she read excerpts from "Red Geisha", she took a pencil and started the preliminary sketch, then picked up a brush and started using every medium she had on hand, paint, ink, charcoal, pastels, everything that made sense to use in the moment. Admittedly, it might have sufficed to primarily use red for the piece, but Yui wasn't content with that. Creation inherently involved all emotions of the heart, and using multiple colors and mediums helped to express that nature. Yui's mind started to wander as to how she was going to show her art to the world. She wasn't quite comfortable signing her art with her real name yet, but she still wanted others to at least see the art. After finishing the artwork, Yui made her decision: she was going to post it on the school notice board, where every student was going to spot it.
5/2
At school, Yui set out to place her artwork on the notice board, checking her surroundings to make sure nobody was watching her. She taped the paper to the board and headed straight for class. The art piece was a mixed media piece that had a blend of pencil, paint and pastel colors that came together to display a somewhat abstract portrayal of a red robed geisha, posed for a dance that brought life and color to the charcoal backdrop of the page. While red was the most striking color in the piece, the addition of pinks and oranges added further character to the painted woman. Instead of signing her name, Yui wrote the name of the art piece in the top right corner of the paper: Dancing Geisha in the Winter Night
After classes, the other students began to notice the artwork, some gathering around to look at and comment on it. Even Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko saw the work, becoming rather impressed by the artistry on display.
"Hey Yui! Look at this! You said you were an artist, right? What do you think of this?" Chie asked Yui.
"It certainly has some imagination behind it." Yui replied, pretending not to know anything.
"Did you make this?" Chie asked further.
"Maybe, but let's keep that between us for now, OK? At least until I'm making art more regularly." Yui admitted.
Chie understood and left the conversation at that.
Yui and Nanako were watching the news channel when the home phone started ringing.
"Oh, that must be Dad!" Nanako said as she stood up to get the phone.
Nanako picked up the phone and answered it, a sad expression slowly growing on her face.
"Yeah...OK."
Nanako walked over to Yui and handed her the phone.
"What is it, Nanako?" Yui asked.
"He can't take those days off…" Nanako sadly told Yui.
"Oh...that's too bad. I'm sorry to hear that, Nanako." Yui said, trying to console Nanako.
Yui answered the phone, hearing Dojima's voice on the other end.
"Hello? It's me. Sorry, but I'm going to be late tonight. Make sure you lock up before you go to sleep." Dojima told Yui.
"Yes, Dojima. I heard you can't take time off." Yui replied.
"Yeah, one of the younger guys got sick. There's a case I have to take care of for him."
"I understand. I feel bad for Nanako though. She was looking forward to it."
"If you could comfort her for me, I'd appreciate it."
"I'll try."
"Thank you. See you later, OK? Good night."
"Good night."
5/3 (Constitution Day)
After putting on her summer outfit, Yui went downstairs to greet Nanako. She was just about to leave the house when the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be?" Yui asked aloud.
"I don't know." Nanako responded.
Yui went to open the door and was greeted by a smiling Chie.
"Cool, you're home!" Chie said cheerfully.
"Sure am! What are you doing here, Chie?" Yui asked.
"If you're free today, you wanna go somewhere? Yukiko's coming too!"
"I was just thinking to myself what I should do today, so count me in! I'm always up for it if it's with you two!"
"How about you Nanako-chan? Wanna come?"
"Uh—um…" Nanako stammered in surprise.
"You should come with us if you want, Nanako. I know Dad isn't able to take time off for Golden Week, but we can still spend time together. What do you say?" Yui told Nanako.
"I can come?" Nanako asked.
"Of course you can!" Chie replied.
With that, and eager Nanako walked alongside Yui and Chie as they went to the Junes Food Court.
Yui sipped her Ramune as she sat with her friends at a food court table. Though Yosuke was still working, he found time to hang out with his friends regardless.
"Why'd you bring Nanako to a place like this on Golden Week?" Yosuke asked Yui.
"It was originally going to be me, Nanako and Dojima, but he wasn't able to take time off work, so it'll just have to be the two of us." Yui answered.
"I love Junes! We were supposed to go on a real trip somewhere, though. We were going to make bentos…" Nanako told everyone.
"You can make bentos, Nanako-chan? Wow!" Yukiko responded.
Nanako shakes her head in response to Yukiko, prompting a slightly disappointed "oh" from Yukiko.
"Nothing says we can't still make them. I'm kind of the only person in the house that can cook more complicated meals anyway." Yui said.
"Oh, you're the family cook, then? Pretty impressive, 'Onee-chan'!" Chie joked.
"Onee-chan?" Nanako and Yui said at the same time.
Yui looked at Nanako for a moment and saw a glimmer in her eyes when she repeated the word aloud. "Onee-chan". Big sister. As much as she enjoyed Nanako's company and bright demeanor, she wasn't sure if Nanako saw her that way, or if she deserved to be called that when she had been around for less than a month. But it sounded so nice, to be called a big sister, when you had no siblings to call you such.
"Woah, you can cook, Yui? Well, you do seem to be pretty good with your hands." Yosuke commented.
Yui nearly choked on her drink when she heard this phrase.
"Yosuke!" Yui sputtered.
"What? Oh! Um...n-never mind, forget I said that!" Yosuke stammered as he realized what he said.
"I'm a pretty good cook too! Probably. I could have whipped up some bentos if you had asked. Definitely." Chie spoke up, sounding a bit unsure.
"Is that so? That's nice of you." Yui responded.
"Yeah...I don't believe you." Yosuke stated doubtfully.
"Hey! What makes you think I can't cook? Let's have a cook-off and see for ourselves!" Chie angrily spat.
"A bit defensive much? And I never said I cooked." Yosuke quickly replied.
"Well, it's good that you're honest about that. But that does mean you don't really have a good argument." Yui added.
"Maybe not, but if I were to enter a cook-off with Chie...I feel like I'd probably win anyway…" Yosuke stated.
Yukiko giggles at this remark.
"Yukiko?!" Chie said in shock, feeling almost betrayed.
"I can understand that." Yukiko admitted.
"I'd enter if only for the satisfaction of proving myself better than Yosuke. Can't let him act like he knows what he's doing." Yui joked.
"Nanako-chan can be our judge! I'm sure we'll make something that ranks up there with your mom's cooking!" Yosuke told Nanako.
Nanako suddenly frowned a bit before speaking up.
"My mom's dead. She died in an accident." Nanako quietly stated.
Everyone else gasped a little at this confession, the cheerful mood that used to be there dropping significantly.
"So that's why I never saw her mom anywhere...oh Nanako-chan…" Yui thought as she processed the sad news.
"I—I'm sorry...I didn't know…" Yosuke profusely apologized.
"It's OK. I still have Dad with me!" Nanako replied, quickly putting on a smile again.
Nanako looks to Yui and says something that completely melts Yui's heart:
"And now I have a sister!"
Yui cups her face in her hands and blushes, unable to stop herself from smiling.
"Ah, Nanako! My heart can't take this! You're so sweet!" Yui squeals in delight.
"We'll play with you anytime you want, Nanako-chan!" Chie told Nanako.
"Yes, we should hang out more often!" Yukiko concurs.
"Come on, Nanako-chan! Let's go get a soda!" Yosuke tells Nanako.
"OK!" Nanako replies as both her and Yosuke stand up from the table.
As Yosuke and Nanako leave, Yui calms down and takes slow breaths, her smile still remaining.
"She's such a strong girl." Yukiko remarks.
"She makes me feel like I'm the little kid here." Chie adds.
"Let's go get something for her. She deserves it." Yui tells them.
Chie and Yukiko agree as they all stand up. Yui sees Nanako run back to her with a bright grin.
"Do you want something too, onee-chan?" Nanako asks Yui.
"I already had my Ramune, but thank you for asking, Nanako-chan!" Yui responds.
"Let's share some takoyaki!" Nanako says as she takes Yui's hand.
"Hm...if you say so!" Yui says with a nod.
When Yui and Nanako went home afterwards, they both agreed that they had a lot of fun at Junes.
5/4 (Nature Day)
Yui was browsing for more books from the bookstore when she saw Chie checking out Daidara Metalworks, deciding to greet her. Chie commented on a shiny helmet on display, telling Yui how cool it was and how badly she wanted to buy it.
"Well, it'd probably be best to save your money for that TV your family wants." Yui told Chie.
"Yeah, that's true. Hey, this might sound weird, but do you want to go train again today? I've kind of been missing that." Chie asked Yui.
"You know, I've missed it too. Yeah, I think that's a good idea."
After coming to that agreement, the two of them headed for the riverbank to begin training.
Yui and Chie spent most of their time doing some sparring, punching and kicking lightly to minimize injury to each other. Yui had some trouble keeping up with Chie sometimes, but Chie found herself surprised by Yui's resilience, how she was able to get right back into fighting stance after taking a hit. After a while, they decided that they had enough for today, happy to spend time together like this.
"Whew. That was great, Yui! I'm so glad we did this!" Chie stated.
"Thanks for holding back a bit, Chie. As fun as this is, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of your kicks." Yui told Chie.
"I would never hurt you intentionally, don't worry!"
Just then, a boy wearing a black jacket and red shirt approached the two of them.
"Hey Chie. Watcha doing?" The boy asked Chie.
"Takeshi?! Well...I'm training. Working out." Chie responded.
"Training? When are you going to graduate to king of the hill? In kindergarten it was the 'Runt Gang'. In elementary school it was 'Ally of Justice'. And in middle school it was 'Vanguards of the Lunch Revolution'. So what is it this time? Protector of Earth's Peace?" Takeshi rambled, almost in a mocking manner.
"Well…" Chie quietly muttered, before Yui spoke up.
"I'm sorry if this is news to you, but that's none of your business!" Yui spat, irritated at Takeshi.
Chie and Takeshi looked at Yui in surprise at her tone of voice.
"Sorry, that was rude of me. It's just...who are you?" Yui said after correcting herself.
"Oh, I wasn't trying to be mean. I'm sorry about that. My name's Takeshi Kouno. I was Chie's classmate up until middle school. You her friend?" Takeshi said to Yui.
"Yeah."
"Well, you two seem busy, so don't let me get in the way. Hey Chie, how's Yukiko doing? Does she have a boyfriend yet?"
"She's fine. And no, she doesn't have a boyfriend." Chie answered.
"I see. Maybe I should try asking her out again. Say hi to her for me, OK?" Takeshi commented before leaving.
Chie quietly sighed, while Yui tried her best not to dwell on how insensitive Takeshi's comment sounded in the context of dismissing Chie.
"Just an old classmate?" Yui asked Chie.
"Yeah. That's all he is." Chie replied.
"I don't like him, to be honest."
"He's not so bad, I promise."
"What's his problem with you training yourself to become stronger? 'What are you now? Protector of Earth's Peace?' He just sounded like a complete jackass." Yui said as she did a mocking impression of Takeshi.
"Ha ha ha! That sounds nothing like him! But, I'm sorry he was being rude. See, he was always staring at Yukiko…" Chie chuckled.
"Oh, he's a creeper too? I figured as much."
"Don't get me wrong, that's just how things were back then. I don't talk to him much anymore. Times were tough for us in school, you know?"
"With the people I associated with in middle school, I wouldn't know. You think Yukiko will turn him down if he asks her?"
"Oh, definitely. They're not compatible at all."
"He doesn't know a good thing when it's right in front of him. I'm a bit surprised he doesn't go for you."
"I never saw him that way. Don't worry." Chie nervously replies.
"That's good. You have better standards than that, I'm sure."
"Well, we should get going."
"Yeah. See you later, Chie."
"You too!"
5/5 (Children's Day)
Today was a bit of a lazy day for Yui, deciding to use her free time to read more chapters of "Red Geisha" and sketch out ideas for artwork, without drawing anything resembling a finished product. Afterwards, she decided to go clothes shopping at Junes, where she bought some cute T-shirts, some skirt accessories, and a pair of sunglasses that could only be described as "artsy". Perfect.
"This swimsuit is cute and all, but I might have to wear it around...Chie and Yukiko. Come on Yui, now's not the time to take a self-esteem hit."
Back at home, Yui was watching the news with Nanako when Dojima returned from work. Nanako greeted him with a smile and a hug, and Dojima smiled in return.
"Hi Nanako. I'm sorry I broke my promise again." Dojima told Nanako.
"It's OK. Onee-chan and her friends played with me instead." Nanako responded.
"It was a lot of fun." Yui spoke up.
"Thank you so much, Yui." Dojima said with a smile.
"What's in the bag?" Yui asked Dojima, motioning to the Junes store bag.
"Today is Kodomo no hi, Children's Day. So I brought you two presents." Dojima said as he pulled out the contents of the bag.
Nanako received an orange and white T-shirt with a platypus character on it, which she happily accepted.
"I know you're not a child or anything, but I wanted to get something for you too." Dojima told Yui.
Dojima gave Yui a tan sun hat with a blue ribbon tied around it. Yui tried on the hat and found herself rather pleased with it.
"This is great! Thank you, Dojima!" Yui said happily.
"Don't mention it. I thought you might need one. It'll be sunnier soon." Dojima stated.
"Well, let's eat dinner!" Yui told Dojima and Nanako.
"Yay!" Nanako said as she went to go set up.
"You mentioned it being sunny. Is there a beach somewhere close by?" Yui asked Dojima.
"The ocean's a bit far, but you could always swim in the river. You have a swimsuit already?"
"Yes."
"Good."
5/6
Yui was walking to school when Yosuke came by slowly riding on his bike. The bike was making creaking sounds that annoyed both Yosuke and Yui.
"Ohayo, Yui. Ugh, I just fixed this bike." Yosuke grumbled.
"I think it's time to retire that bike, Yosuke." Yui stated.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm still sorry about what I said to Nanako-chan, by the way."
"I'm sure she's forgiven you already. You're good."
"I guess I'll have to walk to school for now. At least until I get my motorcycle license."
"You're getting a motorcycle? You know what, I don't want to ask…"
"Hey, we should get going. We're gonna be late if we keep chatting."
"Yeah. Let's go."
"Ugh, why do the holidays have to be over so quickly?" Chie groaned, talking with her friends after class had ended.
"At least they were peaceful. Nothing's happened lately. No disappearances. Do you think Yukiko was the last victim?" Yosuke asked.
"I seriously doubt that. Why would the killer just give up after Yukiko?" Yui replied.
"I don't know. But we shouldn't relax as long as the culprit is out there." Yukiko stated.
"It's supposed to start raining soon, but I hope it doesn't. I don't want to find out who might show up on the Midnight Channel. Not to mention, midterms are coming up." Chie added.
"It is what it is. Regardless, let's study hard, alright everyone?" Yui told everyone.
Yukiko left to take care of chores at the inn and Yosuke left for work at Junes. Chie decided to hang out with Yui again, bringing her to a quiet spot on the roof with a cute stray cat that liked to be around there.
"This cat wasn't here when we were here last time! It's so pretty!" Yui commented.
"Cat person, huh? I'm pretty hungry. You wanna go eat at Aiya's?" Chie asked Yui.
"Sounds great."
"Cool!"
Yui had ordered a rice noodle bowl while Chie ordered the usual steak bowl. Yui was patiently eating her noodles, but Chie was nearly scarfing down her food, as usual.
"Slow down Chie, please. I'd hate to see you choke." Yui warned Chie.
"Mmmm! I can feel the meat coursing through my veins!" Chie exclaimed, not really listening to Yui.
"You always seem so happy just to eat meat. I need to learn to enjoy simpler pleasures like that." Yui commented.
"On that note, watching action movies is also great. You watch movies a lot, Yui?"
"Some movies. Not too many martial arts movies though. I should though, there are some really good ones out there."
"If you want, you can come over to my house and watch some with me!"
"That—that's alright. Not...today at least."
"Oh. Busy with stuff later?"
"Sort of."
That was a bit of a lie, as Yui didn't have any particular plans afterwards. It was just that the thought of being at another girl's house made her...anxious.
"You must be working on your art, right? If you don't mind me asking, what was your art like before you came to Inaba?" Chie asked.
"Nothing impressive, or at least nothing I'd put in a portfolio. But maybe that's just because my standards are always unreasonably high. That geisha art I posted at school was probably the best I've done in a long time, and I still feel like I could have done better."
"It was really good though. Is that just how it is with all artists? They think their art isn't as good as everyone else says it is?"
"If you aim for the moon, you'll at least land among the stars if you miss."
"Actually, come to think of it, martial arts is like that too. No matter how strong a fighter is, there's always room for improvement. That's why it's nice to train with you, as strong as I know I am, I still know I can be stronger. And...I have to be strong...for Yukiko's sake."
"There goes your knight complex again."
"Huh? Oh...I shouldn't do that, huh?"
"It's good that you care about Yukiko. I do too. But you don't have to rush to her side every time some boy tries to nag her into dating him. She can take care of herself in that regard."
"You're...you're right. I still want to be strong for myself, though!"
"And that's good. Keep doing that. But trying to be the hero in everyone's lives only works in movies and video games. In real life, it puts the idea in your head that you're the best and only solution there is to every problem everyone has, and that just isn't true. I've seen tragedy plays like that...it was a bit depressing."
"Do you do other forms of art? Performance art? Music?"
"I dabbled in them. I like to try a lot of things, it's why I know so much random information that you wouldn't think I do. There's one art form in particular that I've decided I want to practice to get better at."
"What's that?"
"Martial art." Yui said with a smile.
"Oh, you're so clever, you!" Chie responded with a chuckle.
"That's why I want to keep training with you. I want to be stronger too, for myself."
"Then it's agreed. We'll keep doing this!"
Chie decided to order fried rice with beef, as the steak bowl somehow wasn't enough for her.
"You're not going to eat that all by yourself, are you?" Yui asked.
"You wanna split it?"
"Sure."
After finishing their meals, Yui and Chie talked some more on their way home before saying farewell.
At home, Nanako was getting ready for bed, while Yui was reading a new book on the couch, even though the TV was still on.
"Yui?" Dojima spoke up.
"Yes, Dojima?"
"If you're not watching the TV, you can turn it off, you know."
"Right. I will." Yui said as she got up to turn off the TV.
"How're things lately? You should be used to life here by now, I hope."
"They're fine. I'm really good friends with Yosuke and Chie. They're good people."
"That's good to hear."
"Actually Dojima...is it OK if I ask you some things?"
"You want to chat with me? That bored, huh? *chuckle* Well, go on and have a seat." Dojima told Yui, motioning over to the chair on the other side of the dining table.
Yui took her seat and began talking.
"So uh...I realize we haven't had time to talk like this since you got here. Um...how's school?" Dojima awkwardly asked, uncertain as to what to talk about with Yui.
"It's...kind of boring, to be honest. The only thing I really look forward to is seeing my classmates. I'd rather spend my time making art, but I know school's important, so yeah." Yui answered honestly.
"Heh, at least you're being honest. About your friends, it seems you've made plenty of them so far. Yosuke and Chie."
"Yosuke's a bit...off sometimes. But he's a hard worker, and he does the right thing when the time calls for it. And Chie's just a bright ray of sunshine that's just really nice to be around...as long as you don't make her mad."
"That's nice. Listen, I'm not saying who you can and can't hang out with, but...do you know what I'm getting at?"
"You don't want me hanging out with the bad types, is that it?"
"You get it. It's just...wherever there's an incident, you're there. Like when you and your friend got arrested. And when Chie yelled at Adachi that day as well…" Dojima muttered.
"Shit! He's still thinking about that day! Please tell me he's not onto us!"
"I don't want to consider it, but the killings started around the time you came to town."
"I realized that too. It was scary to think that that sort of thing was happening when I was just trying to fit in."
"I see. I'm not implying anything, it's just…I don't want you getting caught up in my job."
"Onee-chan didn't do anything wrong!"
That voice came from Nanako, who had come back into the room after hearing Yui and Dojima talking.
"I know, Nanako. I didn't mean it like that." Dojima tried to reassure her.
"But you're bullying her."
"I'm not bullying her. We're just having a little talk. Now go to sleep, it's getting late."
"You say you're not bullying me, but it certainly feels like it turned into an interrogation!" Yui silently responded.
Nanako nodded before going back to bed, Dojima sighing after she left.
"She's really taken a liking to you." Dojima commented.
"I'm flattered by it." Yui responded.
"Look, just don't get yourself involved in anything dangerous, alright?"
"Yes, Dojima."
"Good. Now then, it's about time for you to turn in. Get some sleep."
"Good night, Dojima."
"G'night."
5/7
It was raining on the way to school, and had become stormy by the time classes were over. Everyone was relatively calm in the dimly lit classroom, with the exception of Chie, who was rather fidgety and uncomfortable.
"Hey Chie, here's a new copy of 'Trial of the Dragon'. If I had known it was so cheap, I'd have bought it for you sooner." Yosuke said as he held a copy of the movie in front of Chie.
"The storm's getting closer…" Chie whimpered.
"You don't like storms, huh Chie?" Yui stated.
"What? You're scared of a little lightning?" Yosuke asked.
"Shut up! If even one of those things hit me, I'd be dead!" Chie retorted.
Just as she said that, a bolt of lightning flashed outside, followed by a roar of thunder, causing Chie to shriek in fear.
"Ha, you're freaking out too much. Wasn't there a scene in the movie where a bolt of lightning struck and inspired a new fighting move?" Yosuke chuckled.
"You freakin' jerk! If lightning strikes someone, let it be this guy!" Chie growled.
"Yosuke, you're being mean. Can't you see how scared she is?" Yui scolded.
Another bolt of lightning strikes, causing the lights in the classroom to shut off, startling everyone in the room.
"A blackout!" Yukiko said.
"Oh man, I'd better head to work then. I might get a bonus in my pay if produce sells enough." Yosuke stated.
"You do that. Watch out for lightning." Yui told Yosuke in a sharp tone.
Yosuke's phone started ringing suddenly, prompting Yosuke to answer it.
"It's my manager. Hello? The power's out in the store? OK. What? You're closing up the produce section?! But my pay!" Yosuke said over the phone.
After the call abruptly ended, Yosuke growled in frustration.
"Why'd this have to happen?! I'm trying to save up money for a motorcycle!" Yosuke angrily said.
"Yukiko, can we just go home, please?" Chie pleaded to Yukiko.
"Chie, do you know this story?" Yukiko said, changing the subject.
"What story?"
"A girl forgot her homework, so she snuck into school in the middle of the night. But she had to use the bathroom. So she went into the girl's bathroom where all the light were off. In the mirror, she saw…" Yukiko whispered.
"Hold on! What are you talking about?" Chie interrupted.
"It's a ghost story. I thought you liked them."
"Why are you telling them now?" Chie whimpered, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Geez, these two aren't helping. Fine, I'll comfort the crying girl if no one else will…" Yui thought, in disbelief that Chie's friends were giving her such a hard time for being scared.
"Hey, it's OK. I'm here for you." Yui said as she held Chie's hand.
Chie seemed to calm down a little at this gesture.
"Thank you, Yui. I'm glad you're here." Chie thanked Yui.
"*sigh* Why don't you just have her escort you home then, Chie?" Yosuke said rudely.
Yui looked at Yosuke in shock as a blush crept up her face. The audacity of this boy!
"Are you really making fun of her, Yosuke?!" Yui asked as she stood up from her desk.
"Well yeah! She's so freaked out about this, I can't NOT make fun of her!" Yosuke responded.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I guess I have to escort her home because I'm the only one here who actually cares about her goddamn feelings right now!" Yui angrily replied back.
Just then, the lights in the classroom came back on, filling Chie with relief. Though Yui was still blushing at Yosuke's insinuation.
"Oh good, the power's back! Let's get out of here, Yukiko." Chie said.
"I'm coming too." Yui told them.
As the three girls stood up and left the classroom, Yosuke stood there wondering if perhaps he had taken things a bit too far.
After seeing Chie home, Yui decided to check up on Marie in the Velvet Room and headed straight there. When she entered the Velvet Room, she found Igor and Margaret there as they always were, but noticed that Marie was nowhere to be seen.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Margaret greeted Yui.
"Where's Marie?" Yui asked.
"Oh, you were looking for her? We sent her on an errand earlier. She shall be back very soon." Margaret replied.
"Sent her where? I thought she wasn't supposed to leave the room without me?"
"Please, do not concern yourself with this. Naturally, she is still not to embark into your world without your guidance."
"For all I know, she's probably in some other plane of existence. But there's a lot I don't understand."
Yui suddenly noticed a bright and colorful piece of paper lying on the floor of the Velvet Room, instinctively moving to pick it up.
"What's this?" Yui asked aloud.
Yui saw something written on the paper, coming to realize that it was a poem of some sort. Curiosity got the better of her, and she began to read it.
"Sea Foam"
Listen…
To my voice…
My shouting, bellowing voice…
Here I am
Pouring my blood into my words
Yelling at the very edge of the world…
I am the little mermaid…
Unable to return, the little mermaid…
Fated to foam, the little mermaid…
Yui wasn't sure what to make of the poem, but she was moved by its words regardless.
"Did Marie write this?" Yui asked Margaret.
"Ah, she must have dropped it on her way out." Margaret answered, though not very convincingly.
"Ahhhhh! What are you doing?!" A voice shrieked.
Yui turned around to see Marie, who had just returned from her "errands". Marie snatched the poem from Yui's hand, her face red with anger and embarrassment.
"Why are you reading my stuff?!" Marie cried out.
"I'm sorry, Marie. I didn't know it was yours. I didn't mean to invade your privacy." Yui responded.
"Well fine! Just don't do it again! But I don't understand! I put this in my pocket, I'm sure of it." Marie grumbled.
Yui glanced in Margaret's direction and caught her chuckling for a brief moment before reverting back to her default expression.
"Margaret. Is there something you want to say?"
"Hey, Marie." Yui said.
"What?!" Marie rudely replied.
"If it makes you feel any better, I really liked your poem."
"You...you did?"
"Yeah. If you want help making them even better, I'm always available."
"I...no! I don't want your help! It's not even a poem, it's just words I thought of!"
"That's all poems really are, aren't they? Words that come to our minds that we write down and compose into a melody. An aria of the soul, if you will."
"Why are you even here? I don't want to go out today."
"I just wanted to check up on you. Because you're my friend."
"Oh...that's OK I guess."
"I have to go home now. I'll see you again soon, Marie."
"Yeah...you too."
5/8
Another Sunday, another dilemma: what to do? Yui was about to decide to stay home and read when her phone rang suddenly. She became particularly happy to see that the call was from Chie.
"Moshi moshi, Chie!" Yui greeted.
"Moshi moshi, Yui! Do you want to hang out today for a while? I need to take my mind off of studying." Chie stated.
"You have actually been studying, right?"
"Yes, mom…" Chie said sarcastically.
"Sorry, it's just that I'd hate to impact your schooling."
"So, is that a yes?"
"Sure, I'd love to."
"Great! I'll see you soon! Oh by the way, Yui…"
"Yeah?"
"Um...thanks for making me feel better during the storm yesterday. I know I was being a big baby."
"You weren't. I just couldn't stand by while Yosuke was making fun of you."
"He was a being a real jerk yesterday, wasn't he?"
"I'm sure he feels bad about it now. Making fun of each other is what friends do, after all."
"Seriously though, I really appreciate it." Chie repeated in a happy and sweet voice.
"It was nothing, really. Uh...same place for training, right?" Yui replied as she felt herself blush.
"Yep! See you there!"
Yui and Chie trained for a while as they have been, and after sparring for a decent amount, they decided to grab a snack at Souzai Daigaku.
"You know, their meat is so tender and delicious, I sometimes wonder if it's even cow meat. Wait, actually, that's kind of gross. Ha ha." Chie commented.
"Unless that means it's plant based. I don't mind a good soy based chicken substitute every once in a while." Yui responded.
"Hmm, I don't know…"
"Hey, I know you're the type that doesn't go for that sort of thing, but don't knock it until you've tried it."
"I mean, I guess I'd be willing to try it if you like them. I can't just eat meat all the time, as much as I'd be cool with that."
Just then, a police officer walked up to Souzai Daigaku, seemingly inspecting the place. Yui looked away awkwardly, hoping the officer didn't recognize her.
"Agh, the police are here." Yui stated.
"Huh? Why though? *gasp* Does that mean this place really is serving fake meat?!" Chie exclaimed.
"Chie, I really doubt that's the case…"
The police officer turned to Yui and Chie and started talking to them.
"Excuse me…" The officer started saying.
"Good afternoon, officer! Is—is something wrong?" Yui awkwardly responded.
"I haven't eaten any of the meat today! I swear!" Chie quickly said, confusing the officer.
"What? Never mind. You see, there's been reports of a group of teenagers bullying people around here. Extortion, if you will. Have either of you seen anyone suspicious?" The officer asked them.
"Besides me, you mean?" Yui thought to herself.
"N-no. No one in particular." Chie answered.
"I see. Well, you two be careful around here, alright?"
"Yes sir." Yui said.
As the officer walked away, Yui and Chie looked at each other nervously.
"I'm glad it wasn't the meat…" Chie stated.
"Not everything is about steak, Chie! Bullies, huh?" Yui thought aloud.
"What cowards! Ganging up on the weak like that!" Chie angrily expressed.
"I agree. It's cruel and stupid." Yui said with a nod.
"Let's catch them and make them apologize!"
"Wait, what?! You want to go after them?!"
"Why not?! I can't just stand around knowing people like that are out here, acting like they own everything! They're just bullies, right? We've fought shadows! We can take them on!"
"Chie, I've already been arrested once for a misunderstanding! I can't afford to get arrested for actually hurting someone!"
"Oh, I never said we're gonna beat them up! Just persuade them to stop bullying. Self-defense, you know?"
"You mean, defending someone else? Chie, I just think you're doing this for the wrong reasons."
"I'm not trying to prove anything!" Chie shouted.
Chie suddenly stopped talking after realizing that she raised her voice, leaving an awkward silence between her and Yui.
"Sorry...I'm not...I'm not trying to prove myself or anything. I just…" Chie quietly said.
"No, I think I understand. My guess is you've been pushed around when you were a kid, like most people have. But instead of sucking it up, you fought back as a defense mechanism. You're a martial artist in mind and body, even back then. Mowing down villains and saving the weak, a lone female fighter stands...to protect the town's peace, she throws herself into the battlefield, unbeknownst to all. Just like...Tomoe…"
Chie had been rendered speechless at Yui's sudden musing, and when Yui noticed this, she quickly stopped herself.
"Sorry, I think I just started telling a story there…" Yui apologized profusely.
"It was a really good story. And yeah, you've basically summed it up. Martial artists fight for so many reasons. Mine is because I can't stand others abusing their strength to overpower the vulnerable, and want to fix that. But...I know I can't do it by myself. So please Yui, can you help me stop them?" Chie pleaded.
Yui took a deep breath and thought long and hard about what she was going to say. In the end though, her choice was rather simple.
"Yeah. I want to help too. Or at least I don't want you taking them on by yourself. So count me in!" Yui stated.
"Thank you so much, Yui! I knew you'd agree!"
"BUT...some other day. There's always time to fight bad guys. For now, let's eat some steak skewers. We can talk about how to track down the bullies some other time."
"Well...alright. I can't fight on an empty stomach anyway."
"Thank you, Chie."
"Hey, Yui…"
"Yeah?"
Chie suddenly wrapped her arms around Yui and gave her a warm hug, which Yui quickly reciprocated.
"It means a lot to me that you'd help me with this. I hope you know that." Chie whispered.
"You're a good person, Chie. I'd do a lot for you. If you were ever kidnapped and thrown into the TV world, I'd do everything to get you back safely...not that I want that to happen, of course." Yui stated.
"That's really kind of you. That makes me really happy…" Chie said as a blush formed on her cheeks.
Yui felt butterflies form in her stomach when she heard this, chuckling in an attempt to subdue them. After a while, Yui and Chie let go of each other.
"Well, let's eat now!" Chie said.
"Sure thing!" Yui replied.
When Yui got home, she saw Nanako sitting at the dining table, staring at a bunch of paper flowers that she folded. Sensing that something was amiss, Yui spoke up.
"Hi Nanako-chan. Is something wrong?" Yui asked Nanako.
Nanako fidgets in her seat a bit before eventually telling Yui.
"We made flowers in school yesterday. Today is Mother's Day. The teacher told us to give our mom flowers, but...I don't have a mom, so I don't know what to do with them…" Nanako said with a sad tone.
"Ah, no wonder. OK, what to do?"
"You can still give them to her." Yui told Nanako.
"Huh? Oh, you mean the family altar?!" Nanako said in surprise.
"Yes! That's right!"
"Dad always puts food there. He said it gets to Mom in Heaven. Do you think these flowers will get to her too?"
"Of course! I'm sure she'll love them!"
"My teacher said I did a good job on them, so Mom will like them!" Nanako said with a smile.
"Yes! Good job, Yui!"
"You should make a flower too, onee-chan! Then we can celebrate Mother's Day together!"
"I'd love to, Nanako-chan! Can you teach me how?"
Nanako shows Yui how to fold an origami flower, using red paper for the petals and green paper for the stem and leaves. Once they were finished, they placed their flowers on the altar and headed for bed.
Author's Note (2/26/2022): No real running theme with this one, just some Chie social link events, as well as some new events. There's no real purpose to having a novel about a mysterious geisha, but I felt that it fit the world of Persona and made for some nice world building. Any hidden meaning behind it all? Maybe, maybe not. The beauty of art is the fact that many people can interpret the same piece in so many different ways. There's no one, single correct answer to the questions art presents.