5/12 (End of Midterms)
Yui and her classmates finished taking midterm tests and were all unwinding after class was over. Yui felt confident in all her answers, Yukiko felt the same way as Yui, and Chie and Yosuke were just relieved to be done with it all.
"It's finally over! I bet every student feels this way after exams!" Yosuke said as he stretched.
"Can't wait for grades to be posted in the hall where everyone can see them…" Chie bemoaned.
Yui and her friends overheard a couple students talking about something.
"Did you hear? A TV station's filming in town." A student told his friend.
"They're probably covering the murder cases, aren't they?" The other student asked.
"No. I heard they're going to cover the biker gangs that hang around the highway."
"Biker gang?" Yukiko whispered to her friends.
"They raise a racket from time to time. Your place is too far away to hear them." Chie explained.
"We live by the road. The noise could drive you insane." Yosuke claimed.
"I heard some guys at this school are a part of the gangs." Chie added.
"There are some rumors about a first year student who's a total hellraiser. Picked fights with the biker gangs. But I don't know if he was ever in a biker gang himself."
"It's just rumors going around though, right? Seems to me nobody knows the real truth." Yui commented.
"I mean...I can't deny that…" Chie admitted.
"Hey, welcome home, Yui." Dojima said as Yui came through the door.
"Hi Dojima." Yui replied.
"I've stocked the fridge with groceries!" Nanako stated.
"Really? That's great, Nanako-chan!" Yui told Nanako.
"Yui, can I ask you a favor?" Dojima asked.
"Yes, Dojima?"
"You go to Junes a lot?"
"Pretty often, yeah."
"I've noticed Adachi sometimes goes there to slack off. If you ever see him there, can you tell him off for me?"
"Not to sound rude, but do I have to? I...kind of don't want anything to do with him."
"I'd appreciate it, is all. Not saying you have to."
"If I see him again, I'll tell him you sent me."
"*chuckle* Good."
Yui opened the fridge to look at all the food that was available, and in that moment, an idea came to mind.
"What are you cooking?" Dojima asked.
"I'm going to try making stew." Yui replied.
"Hmm. Sounds good."
"I'll make enough for all of us tonight, and some leftover for my school lunch tomorrow."
"Good idea."
Yui went to work, chopping up various vegetables and slicing chunks of beef into cubes. When it came time to cook all the ingredients together, she let the stew simmer with the lid covering the pot. After a few minutes, the stew came out wonderfully.
"It's done!"
"Wow onee-chan! It smells so good!" Nanako chimed.
"This looks delicious. Good work, Yui!" Dojima said with a smile.
Dinner that night was very pleasant, and Yui knew what to do tomorrow for school.
5/13
When Yui went to school, she brought with her as much meat stew as she could reasonably carry, intending to share it with her friends. At lunchtime, she invited Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kou and Daisuke to the roof to eat the stew.
"This stew is great, partner! It's so cool of you to share it with us!" Yosuke said with a grin.
"I didn't know you could cook! It's delicious!" Daisuke stated.
"Same here!" Kou added.
"I'm so impressed, Yui. You have to show us how you made it someday." Yukiko told Yui.
"I'm glad you all liked it. What about you, Chie?" Yui asked.
Chie hadn't said anything during all of this, primarily because she was too busy savoring the stew.
"This is the best thing I've eaten all week!" Chie said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"I was thinking of you when I made it. Good to know I have your approval!"
Yui and her classmates had a lively lunch break that day, and Yui made it a goal to keep practicing cooking.
After school, Yui visited Junes to buy more art supplies. When looking at a pastel set, she saw someone in the corner of her eye and turned to see who it was. It turned out to be Adachi, who didn't seem to be busy with anything in particular.
"There's Adachi. So he IS slacking off. Guess I should talk to him."
Yui picked up the pastel set and walked over to Adachi, pretending to be mildly surprised at seeing him.
"Adachi?" Yui said.
"Huh? Oh, it's you. What's the matter? Can I help you?" Adachi replied.
"Dojima sent me here to tell you to get back to work." Yui said in a sinister voice.
"Dojima-san sent you! Well...I'm working, obviously! With so many people around, I can investigate and blend right in! And it's just so nice at Junes. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter. You get me?" Adachi explained.
"Yeah, even I'm not convinced."
"Ah...I see."
"Well, since you're not working anyway, do you mind if I stick around? Ask you some things?"
"Huh? You want to hang out with ME? That's a bit odd. Don't you have kids your age to hang out with?"
"I don't really have a lot to do right now. And I'm guessing neither do you."
"Ha ha. Guess so. So what are you doing at Junes? Killing time?"
"I came here to buy art supplies. I'm getting this pastel pack."
"Oh, you're an artist then? That's good. I wonder how you do it out here in the sticks. Nothing here to do, really. It's nothing like the city at all." Adachi said in a bored tone.
"It's not that bad. City life has its own problems. You used to live in the city too?"
"Yeah, but then I transferred here. You wanna hear something funny? My first assignment when I got here was tracking down a cat. My suit got so dirty during that. After that, I had to mediate a married couple having an argument. Can you believe the police have to do stuff like that?" Adachi continued to complain.
"Sounds like fun compared to what you have to deal with now, what with the murder case." Yui commented.
"That's true. The higher ups keep changing procedure on the fly. It's hard to keep up. Not to make you nervous or anything!"
"It seems to me like it's something beyond anything the police have had to help with before, so I guess I understand the trouble. Still, if anything, it means you really can't afford to slack off."
"Yeah, you're right. I guess I'd better get back to work."
Adachi was about to leave when he suddenly panicked and hid behind Yui. This confused Yui until she noticed who Adachi was hiding from: an elderly woman with a tan, woolen sweater. After the woman was out of sight, Adachi went back to normal.
"Phew! That was close." Adachi said.
"Who was that?" Yui asked.
"Ah, don't worry about it! It's not important."
"Actually, before you go, can I tell you something serious?"
"Hmm? Yeah, of course."
"Remember when we were at the police station and you were telling us about how you suspected Yukiko in the murder case?"
"Ah...I do remember that. I didn't mean to make you guys mad, honestly!" Adachi said in a nervous voice.
"Adachi...you must have known that would make us upset. Especially Chie, she's her best friend. Yet you told us anyway. I hope you understand that that was really insensitive of you." Yui said sincerely.
"I really am sorry. I run my mouth a lot, don't I? I'm trying my best to break that habit. If it makes you feel any better, we're investigating a new angle now, so it's not like she's a prime suspect. Ah! There I go again! I wasn't supposed to tell you that!"
"Well, if you say so."
"Don't worry about it, OK? The police are on it! Don't tell Dojima I was at Junes, OK?"
"Oh don't worry. He already knows…"
Adachi laughs nervously as he quickly leaves the store.
"Sad, strange, little man…"
Yui pays for her stuff and heads home.
"Young men recklessly riding motorcycles and disturbing the peace of a quiet rural town...our special report took a turn for the violent when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew!" A newscaster reported on the TV.
Yui, Dojima and Nanako were eating dinner and watching the special news report when their attention was grabbed by the voice of a young man who was yelling at the camera.
"What the hell are you punks doing here?!" The teenager shouted.
"That voice…still up to the same tricks?" Dojima muttered.
Though the boy's eyes were covered up by a black bar in a small attempt to hide his identity, he was wearing a Yasogami uniform over his shoulders, a T-shirt with a skull and crossbones on it, a few piercings in his ear, and a scar above his left eye.
"This ain't a show! Get bent!" The teenager said as he continued to intimidate the camera crew.
"Who is that? You know him?" Yui asked.
"I only know him through work. His name's Kanji Tatsumi. He's been to the station a few times. Been fighting biker gangs since middle school. I don't know why they even bothered with the black box. It's obvious who he is." Dojima explained.
"It's the first time I'm hearing about him. Naturally…"
"His family owns a textile shop. I think what happened is he took on the local bikers because they were keeping his mother up at night. It's a nice gesture...but he's too violent. I expect his mother will apologize again."
Yui reflected upon this new information. Kanji seemed like he had good intentions, but it didn't change the fact that he was very outwardly intimidating. Still, she knew, as old and cliché as the saying was, you often can't judge a book by its cover.
5/14
It had been pouring rain for most of the day, and Chie looked on watching the rain patter upon the glass windows of the classroom.
"It's raining pretty hard. That means the Midnight Channel's probably gonna be on tonight." Chie told her friends.
"I hope we don't see anyone…" Yukiko muttered.
"That'd be best if it were the case. But if we do see something, hopefully it'll give us some sort of clue." Yosuke stated.
"Make sure you all check your TVs tonight, and call each other if you see something." Yui told her friends.
Everyone nodded in agreement, prepared for the worst.
As the clock struck midnight, Yui stared intently at the TV in her room, waiting for the Midnight Channel to relay its message to her. She didn't wait long, and a blurred image soon flickered into view. This time, the figure appeared to be a man, or rather a boy that was high school aged. No matter who appeared on the Midnight Channel, Yui was concerned, but this time around was a bit different somehow. She decided to call Yosuke and inform him of what she saw.
"Moshi moshi? Oh hey, Yui! I was just about to call you!" Yosuke said.
"What do you think? That was definitely a boy, right?" Yui asked.
"I think so too. Too bad I can't tell who it is."
"Me neither."
"Let's talk more about it tomorrow with the others."
Yui and Yosuke hung up, and Yui decided to call Chie and ask her about the Midnight Channel.
"Yui? Did you see it, too?" Chie asked.
"It was a guy, wasn't it?" Yui asked in return.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Any idea who it might be?"
"I can't tell. Sorry."
"I already told Yosuke about it. I didn't mention it to him but...I've got a bad feeling about this…"
"Same here."
"Well, what I mean is...for a while we thought the killer was targeting women, but if the Midnight Channel is showing us a man, then they're not really targeting women exclusively anymore, are they?" Yui thought aloud.
"Hmm...make sure to bring that up with the others tomorrow."
"I will."
5/15
Yosuke had everyone meet up at the Junes food court for an investigation team meeting, each of them prepared to discuss what they've learned and potential courses of action.
"So we all saw a guy on the Midnight Channel, correct?" Yui asked the group.
"I sure did!" Chie answered.
"So that's what I looked like on the Midnight Channel…but didn't all the victims have one thing in common? Females tied to the first incident?" Yukiko muttered.
"I talked about that with Chie. I thought that was weird as well." Yui stated.
"I mean, that's what we thought…" Yosuke mumbled.
"When I was kidnapped, the image on the Midnight Channel changed, right?" Yukiko asked.
"Yeah, the screen got clear and we saw what looked like a low budget TV show. Maybe we were seeing the other Yukiko from that world. Your shadow." Yosuke replied.
"But we couldn't see clearly who it was last night. Does that mean he's not inside the TV yet?"
"Yes. He's safe for now, but that won't last long unless we do something about it." Yui stated.
"Yes. So if we can figure out who he is, maybe we can prevent him from being kidnapped?" Yukiko asked further.
"Hopefully. And if we're lucky, we'll even catch the killer. I hate to say it, but it looks like we'll have to watch the Midnight Channel again for a clearer picture to know who it is." Yosuke added.
"OK, so in summary: even though we couldn't tell who was on the Midnight Channel, we know that they're a young man, going against our presumptions that all the victims were female. Since we don't know exactly who he is, we need to wait and see what happens next." Chie stated.
"Yep, that sounds about right." Yui said with a nod.
With that, the team disbanded for the day, intent on watching the Midnight Channel again that night.
Midnight rolled around quickly, and as Yui watched the figure on the Midnight Channel move and flicker, she had the idea of drawing a quick sketch of all the details she saw. When she was finished, she had drawn the image of a boy with a jacket over his shoulders. An idea clicked into Yui's mind as she realized who this person might be. She immediately called Yosuke to tell him her findings.
"I think it might be Kanji Tatsumi, the boy that's been on the news lately." Yui told Yosuke.
"Yeah, I think so too! I think that's a good enough lead. We'll meet up again tomorrow." Yosuke stated.
With that, Yui headed for bed, prepared to take action for what lay ahead.
5/16
"So the guy on the Midnight Channel was Kanji Tatsumi, huh?" Chie asked her friends after class.
"Everyone's saying how scary he is on TV, but he was nothing like that when he was younger." Yukiko said.
"You know him, Yukiko?" Chie asked.
"We haven't talked in a long time. His family runs a textile shop, and we've been a customer for years now. I speak to Kanji-kun's mother from time to time. We should go there right now! Maybe we'll be able to talk to Kanji." Yukiko explained.
"I just hope he'll be cooperative." Yui muttered.
"Alright. Let's get going then." Yosuke told everyone.
Yukiko led the group to Tatsumi Textiles, the textile shop Kanji's family owned. When they arrived, Yukiko greeted Kanji's mother, an old woman with a green robe and grey glasses.
"Konichiwa." Yukiko said politely.
"Yuki-chan! So nice to see you! Please come in!" Kanji's mom greeted.
Kanji's mom appeared to be speaking to a young man wearing a dark blue jacket, plaid blue pants, and a blue cap. He noticed the others behind him and saw it as a signal to leave.
"That'll be all. If you'll excuse me, I must be going now ma'am." The boy said to the old woman.
"Take care. I'm sorry I wasn't more helpful." Kanji's mom apologized.
"It's alright. I have a lot to think over. Thank you." The boy stated.
As the boy left the shop, he gave a passing glance and a nod to Yui and her friends, not even saying a word.
"What was with him?" Yosuke asked.
"I've never seen him around before." Chie replied.
"Yuki-chan. You're as lovely as ever." Kanji's mom told Yukiko.
"You're too kind, ma'am." Yukiko responds.
"How can I help you today? Out shopping with your friends?"
"Actually, we were hoping to speak with Kanji. Have you seen him?" Yukiko asked.
"I'm sorry, he hasn't come back yet." Kanji's mom answers.
"Hey, I feel like I've seen this scarf somewhere." Chie says, pointing to a red scarf on display.
"A red scarf...oh god! I remember!" Yui thinks aloud before exclaiming a recollection.
"Remember what?" Yosuke asks.
"The room in the TV world! The one with the faceless posters!" Yui responds.
"Then...this is Ms. Yamano's scarf!" Yosuke mutters.
"Are you acquaintances with Ms. Yamano?" Kanji's mom asks the group.
"Um...did Ms. Yamano have a scarf like this?" Yosuke asks.
"Yes. She had it custom made."
"Oh shit! So there IS a connection with the first incident!" Chie whispers.
Suddenly, a bell rings as a man's voice calls from the back of the store.
"Delivery for the Tatsumis!" The man calls.
"Coming! I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me." Kanji's mom responds, standing up to retrieve the package.
"It's OK. We should be going now anyway." Yukiko says politely.
"Please say hello to your mother for me."
As the group exits the shop, they spot Kanji standing across the street, who appeared to be speaking with the boy that spoke to Kanji's mother earlier.
"Look! There's Kanji-kun!" Yukiko says.
"Shit! Hide!" Yosuke tells them, causing everyone to reflexively hide behind a mailbox.
The group eavesdropped on Kanji's conversation with the boy, staying dead silent.
"You wanted to talk to me?" Kanji asked the boy.
"I find you...intriguing. When can you meet?" The boy asked.
"Uh...tomorrow's fine."
"In front of the school, then?"
"Uh, yeah."
"See you tomorrow."
The boy promptly left, leaving Kanji bewildered.
"He's a guy, and I'm a guy, and he finds me...intriguing? Does that mean…" Kanji muttered as his face turned pink.
However, Kanji suddenly took notice of Yui and her friends hiding and started shouting at them.
"Hey! What the hell are you pricks looking at?!" Kanji boomed.
"Shit! Run for it!" Yosuke shouted as he and his friends bolted away.
As Kanji watched them run, he growled in irritation.
"Sheesh, what was their problem?" Kanji muttered to himself as he walked into the textile shop.
After running as far away as they felt was necessary, Yui and her friends stopped to catch their breath.
"He's so much scarier in person…" Chie heaved.
"I couldn't grasp anything from that conversation. What does that kid want with Kanji?" Yui asked.
"Not sure. Kanji has been skipping school for a while." Yosuke stated.
"What should we do now?" Yukiko asked the group.
"OK, let's try staking out Kanji and the textile shop." Yosuke instructed.
"If the killer really is going after Kanji next, then they'll try going after him directly, or kidnap him at the shop. Either way, we've got to stay ahead of the killer." Yui stated.
"Alright then. Yukiko, I'm going to need your phone number." Yosuke said bluntly.
"What?! Was that your plan all this time?!" Chie said accusingly.
"No! I have everyone's phone number except hers. We'll need it for the mission." Yosuke explained.
"While we're on the subject of phone calls, can you stop calling me every night to tell dirty jokes?" Chie mumbled.
"Yosuke! Tell me it isn't true!" Yui exclaimed.
"Can we talk about this later? This is important!" Yosuke retorted.
"I just remembered! I needed to go buy some tofu! I have to go!" Yukiko told Yosuke, mainly as an excuse to quickly leave the group.
"Wait, Yukiko!" Yosuke called out, to no avail.
5/17
After classes were concluded, Yui and her friends gathered outside the school, hiding in wait for Kanji to leave the building.
"Status report on the target." Chie whispered.
"Visual ID confirmed. Target last seen fixing his hair in the bathroom." Yosuke whispered back.
"Guys, the code talk is really distracting, can we please not do that?" Yui muttered.
"What kind of plans do you think they made? It didn't seem like Kanji knew that boy very well." Yukiko asked in a hushed voice.
"Well, if I had to guess...oh wait! He's here!" Chie began to say before interrupting herself.
Kanji was walking out to the school gates, not noticing the others. As he arrived, the mysterious boy from yesterday walked up to the school and greeted Kanji.
"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't keep you waiting." The boy said.
"No. I just got here myself…" Kanji replied.
Kanji and the boy walked away, prompting the others to begin their next move.
"OK, we need to hurry after them!" Chie stated.
"Right. Let's split up into groups. Me and Chie will go after Kanji. Yui, you and Yukiko go keep an eye on the textile shop." Yosuke instructed.
"Wait, why do I have to go with you?" Chie asked Yosuke.
"If—if it's all the same to you, I'd rather pair up with Chie." Yui nervously replied.
"No actually, you should go with Yukiko. I don't entirely trust Yosuke around her." Chie admitted.
"Oh OK, I see how it is then!" Yosuke said in an irritated tone.
"They're getting away! We have to go now!" Chie warned.
Yosuke and Chie ran off in Kanji's direction, leaving Yui and Yukiko to head for the textile shop.
"I hope those two will be alright." Yukiko muttered.
"Chie will be fine, I trust her to fend for herself. Yosuke though…" Yui told Yukiko.
"Anyway, let's go." Yukiko said as she walked alongside Yui.
Yui and Yukiko stood at the entrance to the Tatsuhime shrine, a shrine and play area for children that stood next to the textile shop, making it the best place to survey the area.
"So far, everything seems fine at the shop. I hope it stays that way…" Yukiko quietly said.
"Part of me hopes so too." Yui replied.
"Do you think the culprit will come?"
"I hope not. I'm not exactly mentally prepared to catch a serial kidnapper and murderer."
"It'd be scary if the culprit actually did come. But if they do, I'll do my best to help catch them!"
"Of course, I will too, no matter how scared I might be."
"I owe it to you all after you saved my life. I don't want to stand around doing nothing."
There was a moment of silence between them before Yui decided to speak again.
"Hey, Yukiko. Is it OK if we talk for a bit? It's been a while since we've had a one on one like this." Yui asked.
"Sure. What did you want to talk about?" Yukiko asked.
"Your choice."
"Well...I noticed you and Chie have been hanging out fairly often. She seems to be having fun being with you and Yosuke. I'm...having fun being around you too. You're a very interesting person."
"Not to downplay your words or anything, but I don't think of myself as anyone special. I'm just a high school girl that sometimes makes art and sometimes does it well."
"There's more to it than that. You have a lot to say, and you're not afraid of having a different opinion than others. You're also a pretty good listener. It's admirable."
"Well, thank you Yukiko. That's nice of you to say. And...you're nice to be around too. You're a good listener yourself."
"I'm glad."
"You know, I was wondering for a while now about your Persona. Does she have a name?"
"Her name is Konohana Sakuya. It's strange, the moment she appeared, I knew her name. Have I always known her name, and didn't know until then?"
"I wonder about that myself. Konohana Sakuya, huh? The daughter of the mountain god Ouyamatsumi. She stood in a burning hut to prove her faithfulness to her husband, Ninigi."
Yukiko looked impressed by Yui's knowledge of Japanese mythology. Yui shrugged it off as having read a lot of books.
"So...I'm curious what makes you laugh? Your laughter is pretty adorable."
"Oh! You think so? Well...I'll admit, I am a bit giggly. I usually hide it around others, but I laugh as much as I want around Chie. It doesn't take much. A funny face, a good joke, a bad joke, even some childish humor I'm not too proud of finding funny."
"It's alright. We can judge others for their humor as much as we like, but they're still having fun, and that's what's important."
Yukiko chuckles, but without breaking into a laughing fit.
"What do you find fun?" Yukiko asks.
"Reading, making art. I used to play video games a while ago, and I might play them some more. One of my resolutions was to socialize more, and I think I've been successful in that." Yui replies.
"That's good. I'm happy for you."
"Hey Yukiko? Is it alright for us to share phone numbers? I'd like to keep in touch more often." Yui asks.
"Ah, yes. Of course. I'd like to have more conversations like this. I can't always answer, since I have to help out at the inn, but feel free to call anytime." Yukiko says with a smile.
"This is Yosuke. Chie, do you copy?" Yosuke asked Chie through his phone.
"Copy. Target sighted 200 meters away." Chie replied, keeping her eyes on Kanji and the boy.
"Why are we talking to each other through our phones? We're right next to each other!"
"Yeah, and that looks too suspicious! So we're pretending to be on our phones."
"This isn't going to work. I wonder how Yui and Yukiko are doing?"
"I'm sure they're fine. Yukiko's in good company with Yui protecting her."
"Yui? Protecting her?"
"Yeah, why not? I've been training Yui, so she can definitely put up a fight."
"Wait, you've been training Yui? Since when?!"
"We've been doing that for the past week or so! Can we talk about this later?"
"No, I'm serious! What's going on between you two?"
"Nothing! Can't you handle your friend hanging out with other people besides you?"
Yosuke and Chie's arguing had unfortunately drawn unwanted attention, as Kanji quickly approached them.
"Hey! What the hell are you two doing?" Kanji sternly asked them.
The boy that was with him had already walked away, supposedly having said all he needed to.
"Oh uh, nothing! We're just a pair of crazy lovebirds! Just a normal couple going about their day!" Yosuke quickly said, much to the disapproval of Chie.
"What?! Like hell we're a couple!" Chie shrieked.
"Just play along, idiot!" Yosuke said under his breath.
"Wait...didn't I see you guys yesterday?" Kanji asked, his gaze narrowing.
"We weren't following you or anything! Nor do we think you're gay! And if you ARE gay, that's totally cool and not strange at all!" Chie quickly spouted, her mind in a panicked fervor.
"Huh? Did you say...strange?" Kanji said as his eyes widened.
"Chie! Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?! Run for it!" Yosuke shouted as both he and Chie ran away.
"Hey! Get back here, dammit! It isn't what it looks like!" Kanji shouted as he ran after them.
Yosuke and Chie ran past Yui and Yukiko, immediately informing the two that things had gone awry.
"Sorry guys! We completely screwed up!" Yosuke called out.
"What's happening?" Yukiko asked Yui.
"Kanji found them out…" Yui said as she watched Kanji run past them.
"What do we do?"
"Let's try and catch up to them. I just hope Yosuke and Chie can lose Kanji."
Yui and Yukiko started running in their direction, doing their best to avoid Kanji's attention.
Yui and Yukiko eventually caught up to Yosuke and Chie, who were hiding under a bridge and panting heavily after just narrowly escaping Kanji.
"Yosuke! Chie! Are you two alright?" Yui asked.
"We're fine...barely." Chie managed to say in between breaths.
"Well, in any case, nothing happened today. To Kanji, anyway. So things are OK for now." Yosuke stated after he recovered.
"We can't let our guard down. Let's check up on him tomorrow." Yukiko told everyone.
"Yeah, sure. But I'm so done for today!" Yosuke exclaims as he starts walking home.
Yukiko decides to walk back to the Amagi Inn after saying goodbye to Yui and Chie, leaving the two of them to talk about their day.
"So...what was it like?" Yui asked Chie.
"It was a disaster. Yosuke was being uncooperative." Chie replied.
"Seems to me like you weren't up to snuff either."
Chie huffed at this remark, though her wavering eyes spoke volumes.
"As nice as it was being with Yukiko, I would have liked to help you watch Kanji." Yui admitted.
"Trust me, you wouldn't."
"We would have gotten along better at least."
"That's true…"
"Hell, I'd stick with you even if Kanji started chasing us down!"
"You'd really do that?"
"People like Kanji tend to be more bark than bite. So long as we don't give him a legitimate reason to hurt us, I don't think he would. Sometimes, it's not in people's nature to cause harm."
"I don't know…"
"The way I see it, you and Kanji have quite a bit in common."
"We do?"
"You could probably hurt someone pretty badly if you really wanted to, but you have the self-discipline to restrain yourself and not resort to violence by default. Kanji has a bit less self-control, but he's also fighting because he feels it's the right thing to do. It's two sides of the same coin, I feel."
"That's interesting. You're pretty smart, you know that Yui?"
"Well, I hardly know Kanji, so take it with a grain of salt."
"We should be getting home now."
"Take care of yourself, Chie."
"You too, Yui."
By the time Yui got home, it had begun to rain. She considered watching the Midnight Channel tonight, but she was also rather tired. She had almost dozed off on her futon until she received a phone call.
"Hello?"
"Hello? It's Yukiko! Sorry I'm calling so late."
"Yukiko? It's fine, but what is it?"
"It's about Kanji. I think he's gone missing!"
"What?!" Yui exclaimed as she stood up from the futon.
"I called the textile shop earlier, and when I spoke to Kanji-kun's mother, she told me he left the house and hasn't come back since. She says that he does that all the time, but…"
"No...somehow that sounds bad. Maybe on any other day, but not today."
"It's raining right now. Maybe the Midnight Channel will come on tonight. We'll know for sure if something happened to Kanji or not."
"OK, I'll make sure to stay up for that."
"I'll watch the Midnight Channel too. Talk to you later…"
After hanging up, Yui went to go make herself some coffee. It was a bit overkill, but she couldn't afford to fall asleep now. Eventually, midnight rolled around, and Yui had her full attention on her TV. Like clockwork, the Midnight Channel turned on, and Yui felt her stomach drop when she saw a clear image on display. She saw what appeared to be Kanji standing in the middle of a bathhouse, dressed in nothing but white underwear. His behavior and voice were completely unlike him as he began speaking to his audience.
"Hello, dear viewers! It's time for 'Bad, Bad Bathhouse'! Tonight, I'll show you a superb site for sublime love that surpasses the separation of the sexes! I'm your host, Kanji Tatsumi! I can only imagine what will happen to me here! Let's get going now!" Kanji cooed in a very effeminate tone.
As Kanji ran further into the bathhouse, the Midnight Channel faded to black, leaving Yui very confused and unnerved.
"OK...so that was Kanji alright. Or maybe his shadow?" Yui thought to herself.
Yui's phone rang again, this time the call being from Yosuke. Yui quickly answered it.
"Hey! What the hell?! I mean—" Yosuke stammered.
"Chill out, Yosuke." Yui told Yosuke.
"Sorry...man, that really was Kanji. Damn it! He slipped right through our fingers!"
"Well, no use beating ourselves up about it. All we can do now is rescue him, right?"
"Yeah, you're right of course. Let's try to come up with a plan tomorrow!"
With that conversation ended, Yui took a deep breath and quickly reflected on the situation.
"So is Kanji actually gay and he's ashamed of that? Or is there something more to it? Ugh, whatever, it doesn't matter right now!"
Despite having had coffee earlier, Yui did her best to fall asleep.
5/18
After classes were over, Yui and her friends headed straight to the Junes electronics department to enter the TV world, quickly meeting up with Teddie as well.
"What?! You're saying you have no idea where Kanji Tatsumi is?" Yosuke asked Teddie.
"I know someone's here...but I can't tell where. I sniff as much as I can, but it's useless…" Teddie said regretfully.
"Are you feeling OK, Teddie?" Chie asked.
"I don't know. I've been thinking about a lot of stuff lately, like who I really am and where I came from." Teddie said with a pained expression.
"Your head's empty anyway. Don't stress yourself too much." Yosuke told Teddie.
"I know! What if we gave you some kind of hint about Kanji? Like...something that belongs to him?" Yui asked Teddie.
"Hey, you're right! I could probably track him down better if you brought me something that has his scent on it!" Teddie said, quickly brightening up.
"Problem is...where would we get something like that?" Yui asked aloud.
"We should ask Kanji-kun's mother. It might be the best place to start." Yukiko suggested.
The group agreed on this course of action and began investigating.
"I'm sorry. He hasn't been home since yesterday. I've told the police about it already. I'm very concerned for him." Kanji's mom told the group.
"We understand. We were wondering if he left anything behind before he went missing." Yukiko asked.
"Nothing in particular." Kanji's mom replied, shaking her head.
"Hey, whatever happened to that boy with the blue hat? Have you seen him around lately?" Chie asked further.
"I have not. But I imagine he hasn't gone very far."
"No use looking for him at the moment. Isn't there anything we can use to help Teddie?" Yui asked the group.
"Let's try again tomorrow." Yosuke replied.
As the group walked out of the shop, they ran into an elementary school age boy, who seemed to be looking for someone.
"Hey kid. Do you need something?" Yui asked the boy.
"Is the big guy here today?" The boy asked.
"You mean Kanji?"
"Yes. I wanted to ask him for something. He made this for me."
The boy pulled out a phone charm that was shaped like a fluffy pink bunny. The charm was of impressive quality, though Yui could tell it was handmade.
"Kanji made that for you? From scratch?" Yosuke asked the boy.
"What happened was that I borrowed my friend's cell phone strap and it had a bunny charm like this one. But then I lost it, and…"
Kanji found himself feeling awkward and frustrated trying to comfort a crying boy he found by the Samegawa River. The boy told him, through sobs, that he dropped his friend's bunny charm into the river and didn't know what to do.
"Come on kid, crying isn't going to fix anything!" Kanji angrily said, which naturally did nothing to calm the child.
Kanji took a quick breath and shifted his attitude.
"Hey kid, listen to me." Kanji said as he knelt down and put on a polite smile for the kid.
The boy calmed down enough to pay attention to what Kanji had to say.
"Tell me what the rabbit looks like. I can't make an exact copy, but I can make something that looks pretty close."
"Can you really?" The boy asked.
"Yeah. And when you give it to her, say that you're sorry and ask her to forgive you. I'll even go with you, if you want." Kanji said with a nod, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"He even made a matching one just for me!" The boy said with a grin.
"May I look at it?" Yukiko asked the boy.
"Sure."
Yukiko gently held the charm in her hand and examined it.
"It's amazing! You almost can't tell that it's handmade!" Yukiko gushed.
"I still can't believe Kanji of all people made it." Yosuke muttered.
"The old adage rings true: can't judge a book by its cover." Yui said with a smile.
"He did so much for me, I wanted to stop by and thank him." The boy stated.
"Hey kid, is it alright if we borrow this for a while? When we find Kanji, we'll bring it back to you." Yui asked the boy.
The boy agreed, allowing the team to return to Junes with the charm, intending to bring it to Teddie and hopefully help him find Kanji in the TV world.
As the team walked through the entrance to Junes, Yui saw a familiar face standing near the elevators. It was the young man with the blue cap that spoke to Kanji yesterday. The team approached him and started talking to him.
"Hey, didn't we see you with Kanji the other day?" Chie asked.
"Oh, hello. Yes, that would be me." The boy replied.
"We were wondering, what were you and Kanji talking about the other day?" Yosuke asked.
"Why do you wish to know?"
"We were curious. We're his classmates after all." Yosuke quickly made an excuse.
"I see. You seem to be in a hurry, so I'll tell you. We didn't talk about anything in particular. All I did was ask him what he'd been up to lately."
"Really? Just small talk?" Chie asked in disbelief.
"Yes. But I noticed he was acting strange and seemed not to be his usual self, so I called him out on it. When I told him, he started to become very awkward and his face paled." The boy recalled, tipping his hat slightly.
"That IS strange. He doesn't seem like the kind of person to care what people think of him." Yosuke replied.
"I figure he has some kind of complex, but I have no evidence of this."
"That was very helpful. Thank you." Yui said.
In the TV world, Teddie takes the rabbit charm and sniffs it intently, attempting to match the scent with his surroundings.
"Alright! I think this is enough for me to work with! Nose, don't fail me now!" Teddie says enthusiastically.
"You're still really weird, you know that?" Yosuke comments.
As Teddie sniffs around, his ears perk up at the same time, and he becomes very excited.
"I think I picked something up! Yeah, it's gotta be this way! Follow me, everyone!" Teddie exclaims, running off into the fog.
Yui and her friends quickly follow suit.
The group finds themselves standing before a bathhouse, similar to the ones found in the real world, but this one had an aura about it that put everyone at unease, as if terrible things would happen to them if they weren't careful.
"I really don't want to go in there! I might see things I'll never unsee!" Yosuke says cowardly.
"Come on! We're going in there no matter what! So quit whining!" Chie scolds Yosuke.
"Not that I'm going to turn back now or anything...but I don't want to go in there either. I...don't really like bathhouses…" Yui says as her face contorts into a very discomforted expression.
"Oh no, not you too, Yui!" Chie says with a frown.
"You're sure Kanji-kun is in there, Teddie?" Yukiko asks.
"I'm sure of it now!" Teddie replies.
As the team reluctantly enters the bathhouse, they hear voices call out to them, as well as, for some reason, saxophone music.
"C'mere, pussycat…"
"Oh, what impeccable pecs you have…"
"There's no need to be scared…relax..."
"Ugh, I really don't want to go! I can already feel the sweat rolling down my back!" Yosuke whimpers.
"Well, yeah, that's the steam. I think. God this really sucks. But we have to do this! For Kanji!" Yui tells everyone.
Everyone collects their courage and heads further inside.
The team climbs the floors of the bathhouse, running past the slower shadows that attempted to chase them. After opening one particular door, they find Kanji, or some mockery of him, standing in the middle of the room, as if waiting for them.
"There he is!" Chie exclaims.
"Kanji!" Yosuke calls out.
Kanji giggles at the group and begins flexing flamboyantly, much to the discomfort of everyone involved.
"My, my! Thank you for noticing me! At long last, I've penetrated this facility! These images are coming to you live from within this steamy paradise! My body is tingling with excitement! Rosy Steamy Paradise!" Kanji coos.
"God, this is uncomfortable…" Yosuke groans.
"Yukiko's show was kind of like this too…" Chie mutters.
"No it wasn't!" Yukiko shrieks, her face turning as red as her outfit.
The group suddenly hears new voices ring out, a commotion in the steamy atmosphere. It almost sounded like...an audience.
"Those voices...are people watching this right now?" Yui asked.
"You mean, everyone who's watching the Midnight Channel? If that's true, I can't imagine what people are gonna think of Kanji after this!" Chie exclaimed.
"Well, this is his shadow, but they don't know that…" Yosuke clarified.
"Well, I'd love to stick around, but I really must continue to search for what I'm after! Onward and deeper to reach the further realms of romance! Catch me if you can!" Kanji says teasingly as he runs off.
"Kanji!" Yosuke called out.
The group was unable to pursue Kanji right away, as shadows had begun to form around them, taking the shape of distorted, bloated police officers with a gaping hole in their bodies. Yui, Yosuke and Chie immediately summoned their respective Personas. Yukiko, who was still flustered, snapped back to her senses and chose to fight alongside her friends.
"Konohana Sakuya! Agi!" Yukiko cried out, summoning the flower petal goddess before her.
Konohana Sakuya set forth a wave of fire at the shadows, instantly igniting them. Jiraiya followed up the attack with a gust of wind that blew away the ashes and left no trace.
"Yukiko! That was intense!" Yui cheered Yukiko on.
"Yeah, but it's already hot in here, and now I'm roasting!" Yosuke complained.
"Let's try to find Kanji and fast!" Chie tells the team.
The group continues to fight their way past the shadows, determination now at full force.
Kanji finds himself in a large room filled with baths after wandering around. Though he was putting on his usual tough exterior, he couldn't help but feel unnerved at his situation.
"What the hell is this place?" Kanji muttered to himself.
Kanji suddenly hears voices around him, saying all sorts of negative things about him.
"He's nothing but a knuckle-dragging delinquent!"
"He takes out a biker gang, becomes their leader, and now he thinks he's king of the mountain!"
"You don't know a damn thing! I didn't become their boss, that's bullshit!" Kanji shouted to the voices that, naturally, could not hear him.
"Aren't you the guy that steals people's pocket change?"
"I don't steal anything! Don't just assume I did it! Stop spreading rumors about me! Come out so I can kick your ass!" Kanji shouted.
Kanji suddenly hears a sinister chuckle, one with his voice, and his eyes widen in shock.
"That's why you put on the tough guy act! 'Come out so I can kick your ass!' All just a facade…" The voice says regretfully.
"Who's talking to me now?" Kanji asked himself.
"Kanji Tatsumi, the threatening thug! So tough and manly! That's how you want people to see you, don't you? But that's not who you are at all!" The voice continues.
The source of the voice reveals itself from the steam, flexing and blowing kisses in a taunting, almost toxic manner.
"Huh?! You're me!" Kanji exclaims.
Yui and her friends stood in front of a large pair of doors that communicated an ominous sense of "turn back now, or perish".
"This is it. Kanji must be behind this door." Yui told the group.
The team bravely bust through the door.
"Kanji!" Yosuke called out.
Kanji was currently occupied with his shadow form, knelt on top of him as he punched over and over again.
"I've heard enough out of you!" Kanji shouted at his shadow.
"Kanji?" Yui said to get his attention, causing him to quickly turn around.
"Huh? What the hell are you guys doing here?" Kanji asked.
"Well we came here to save you…" Yosuke replied awkwardly, not really sure how to make of the situation.
"I won't let you interfere!" Shadow Kanji says playfully as he kicks Kanji off of him.
Shadow Kanji flexes and strikes a pose that magically causes the room to flood a bit, covering the floor in what Yui and her friends hoped to the gods above was bath water. Chie tried to walk forward, but quickly ended up losing her balance. Yukiko reached out to grab Chie's hand and catch her, but this only resulted in Chie dragging Yukiko down with her to the wet floor, covering them in the soapy substance.
"Ugh! It's all slimy!" Chie shrieked.
"Yosuke, stand very still, and if you push me down, I'm gonna kill you!" Yui said quietly, doing her best not to visibly freak out.
"Not planning on it!" Yosuke responds.
Kanji scowls at his shadow, but all this did was entice it further.
"Isn't it time to drop the charade? Tell people how you really feel? What's so bad about doing what I want to do?" Shadow Kanji said teasingly.
"It's got nothing to do with it…" Kanji growls.
"I'm everything you want to be, aren't I?" Shadow Kanji says with a wink.
"Hell no! You're lying!" Kanji shouts.
"I hate girls. They look at me and go 'you like to sew? What a faggot!' They're so arrogant and self-centered! They gossip behind your back and spread awful lies! Say the most horrible things about me! 'You should act tough! You should be more manly!' What's that even supposed to mean?! Girls are so scary, aren't they?" Shadow Kanji growls, suddenly becoming very toxic.
"Shut up! Girls aren't scary! And they're not all like that!"
"Men are so much better. They'd never say such awful, degrading things. Yes...I much prefer men!"
"That's not true!"
"But it is true! You're me, and I'm you too!"
"Like hell you are!"
"Kanji, wait!" Yui cries out as she reaches out to him, losing her balance and just barely managing to stay on her feet.
"There's no way in hell that you're me!" Kanji shouts.
"*chuckle* Sorry honey, but you're me, and there's no denying it!" Shadow Kanji cackles.
Shadow Kanji transforms before them, growing into an extremely muscular figure covered in roses, with a blushing Shadow Kanji seated atop its head. It wielded two giant metal Mars symbols and summoned two muscular shadows, which he named Nice Guy and Tough Guy.
"I want to be honest with myself! And I'll get rid of anyone who tries to stop me!" Shadow Kanji bellows as he flexes, creating a shockwave that launched Kanji away and on his back.
"Kanji! Hang in there!" Yosuke called out.
Yui helped Chie and Yukiko to their feet and told everyone to engage.
"Persona!" Everyone shouted in unison.
Yumiko, Jiraiya, Tomoe, and Sakuya all rushed toward Shadow Kanji in formation. Tomoe struck at Tough Guy with a kick, only to find the attack not just ineffective, but also amusing to Tough Guy.
"Hey now! Come on, baby!" Tough Guy said with a devilish grin.
"What the hell?!" Chie exclaimed, an absolutely baffled expression plastered across her face.
Sakuya sparked a fire upon Nice Guy, but found that it did no damage to him.
"Ooohhh! That feels good!" Nice Guy hummed.
"Ew!" Yukiko shrieked in disgust.
Jiraiya launched a tornado at Shadow Kanji, but this only caused him to chuckle, barely flinching from his attack.
"It that all you got, big boy?" Shadow Kanji teased.
"Oh hell no!" Yosuke shouted uncomfortably.
Nice Guy and Tough Guy began to close in on the team, causing Yui's mind to race to devise a strategy.
"Everyone scatter! Don't let them corner you!" Yui called out, prompting everyone to run in opposite directions.
"Ha ha ha! They're no problem at all! What a joke!" Shadow Kanji cackled as he stood by and watched, conjuring a lightning storm that enveloped the room.
Yui and her friends were barely able to avoid the attack, screaming in terror.
"Oh how I love the screams!" Shadow Kanji cooed.
"Media!"
Yukiko shouted an incantation that recovered the team's vitality, allowing them to quickly get back on their feet.
"It'll take more than that to stop us!" Yui thought to herself.
"Chie! Go for the guy on the right! Yukiko! Attack the other one!" Yui commanded.
After getting back on their feet, Chie and Yukiko followed Yui's command. Chie conjured a wave of ice upon Nice Guy, encasing him in a frozen block. Yukiko sparked a raging fire on Tough Guy, completely enveloping him.
"Oh that's not good!" Nice Guy cried.
"This isn't so bad, really!" Tough Guy feigned fruitlessly.
While Chie and Yukiko fought off the shadows, Yosuke attempted to attack Shadow Kanji himself, only to get repeatedly punched away. Yui ran up to Kanji to help him up.
"Kanji, are you alright? I want to show you something." Yui muttered.
Yui pulled out the rabbit charm and held it out to Kanji.
"Hey, that's…" Kanji began to say.
"You made this, right?"
"So? You got a problem with that? I can make that thing and still be tough!"
"I'm sure you can. And I think it's cute!"
Kanji looked up at Yui in disbelief as Yui placed the rabbit charm in his hand.
"It's very cute, and it's time you faced that part of you." Yui stated.
Kanji clutched the charm tightly as he slowly approached his shadow self.
"There's no denying it." Kanji mumbled.
"Come again?" Shadow Kanji taunted.
"I can't help it! I love stupid, cute shit!" Kanji shouted as he ran full force at Shadow Kanji, clutching his fist and punching him in the abdomen.
Shadow Kanji shrieked in pain and shock as he fell over on his back. As he began to disintegrate, Nice Guy and Tough Guy evaporated as well.
"Woah! This guy just beat up his own shadow!" Chie exclaimed.
Kanji turned to Yui and the others, looking rather awkward.
"It...it made me happy. When you called what I made cute. You didn't make fun of me for it." Kanji managed to spit out.
"Why should I? I meant what I said." Yui reaffirmed.
Shadow Kanji limped towards the group, unwilling to surrender.
"Please! Won't anyone accept me!" Shadow Kanji cried out.
"Cut that shit out!" Kanji shouted.
Shadow Kanji stopped in his tracks, taken aback at Kanji's outburst.
"You have no idea how embarrassing it is that this guy's a part of me…" Kanji said aloud.
"And why are you embarrassed?" Yui asked.
"It ain't about men or women. I'm just scared shitless of being made fun of! I'm just a big coward that spends most of his time pushing people away! I already knew you existed! You're me and I'm you. That's not some major revelation!" Kanji says to Shadow Kanji.
"Only this time, you're putting that front and center, facing it for real…" Yui stated.
"You frickin' moron…" Kanji spits as he glares at his shadow self.
Shadow Kanji chuckles in amusement as he transforms into a shower of energy, taking new form as Kanji's Persona, a black robot with a skeletal design wielding a lightning bolt. The Persona then turned into a tarot card with the arcana of The Emperor and floated down to Kanji, which he responded to by firmly clutching the card.
"Persona…" Kanji muttered before suddenly falling to his knees.
The group quickly gathered around Kanji, concerned for his health.
"Kanji…" Yui whispered.
"I'm good…" Kanji quietly groaned.
"Come on, let's get you out of here."
After returning to the Junes Electronics Department, Yui and company made sure Kanji could stand on his two feet, despite his objections.
"Hey, about what happened in there…" Kanji began to say.
"We'll tell you about it later. For now, go home and get some rest. Your mom's waiting…" Yui told Kanji.
"See you at school." Chie said.
"School? If I feel like going, sure." Kanji flatly replied.
"I'll take him home. If anyone asks, I found him like this." Yosuke told everyone.
"Thanks Yosuke. Oh and, Kanji?" Yui said.
"What?" Kanji asked.
"Take good care of that bunny."
Yosuke left the store with Kanji, who still put up a tough act attempting to walk without looking strained. Yui, Chie and Yukiko decided to go home shortly afterwards. Yukiko separated from the others halfway towards the inn, leaving Yui and Chie to converse on their own.
"We've saved yet another victim." Yui stated.
"Sure did. All that training's paying off!" Chie replied.
"You know, the whole homoerotic thing Kanji's got going on? I had a feeling that wasn't what he was really ashamed of."
"What makes you say that?"
"He admitted it himself. He's ashamed of the 'feminine' traits and hobbies and how people see it. We hear all the time how girls are pressured into conforming to a specific set of roles based on the sex they were born as. But boys have it just as bad sometimes. I say screw all of that. Do whatever makes you happy, as long as it isn't hurting anyone."
"I can't agree more!"
"Well, uh, see you later Chie!"
"You too, Yui!"
Yui, Nanako and Dojima were eating dinner at the table again, when Dojima decided to tell Yui that Kanji had been found and was back with his family. Yui once again played along and pretended not to know.
"That's good to hear." Yui stated.
"I was also wondering. Some people told me they saw you around the textile shop. That's not a shop students normally visit." Dojima told Yui.
"My friend Yukiko took me there. I was curious about their textiles and I was wondering if maybe I could use them in an art project." Yui replied, making up a story.
"Oh, is that so? I see." Dojima said, seemingly convinced.
"Onee-chan…" Nanako says.
"Yes, Nanako-chan?" Yui asks.
Nanako fidgets, hesitant to continue.
"Don't worry. I'm here to listen." Yui reassures Nanako.
"OK. So um...are you an only child?"
"Nanako, I think that's a bit too personal to ask Yui…" Dojima told Nanako.
"It's alright. I don't mind." Yui states.
That's what she tells them, but being an only child had only really bothered her recently. It seemed only after she had moved in that she felt the need to find sibling figures in her life.
"Yes, I am an only child. That was when I was living with my parents. But not anymore."
"Not anymore?" Nanako asks.
"I have a little sister now!"
"That's me! I'm your little sister! *giggle*"
"Ha ha ha, how sweet!" Dojima chuckles.
"Onee-chan, I want to hear about your school!"
"Well, it's like this…"
Yui tells Nanako what high school is like for her, and they continue to talk about each other until Dojima tells them that it's bedtime.
Author's Note (4/29/2022): Sorry this one took so long. Though this chapter wasn't quite as good as I think it could be, I couldn't bring myself to change it much, as the message and themes of Kanji's struggles are dear to me. This is also where the story starts to diverge quite a bit more from canon events, for what it's worth, meaning any extra interactions between characters are fair game. I sometimes wonder if Kanji was relatively quick to accept his Shadow, would it someday take on a new, more horrid form in the future? After all, the preconceptions of sex and gender are ingrained in the general society, with progress being slow and rocky. The next chapter will be posted shortly, and I'm looking forward to it.