5/19
The school day passes by nearly uneventfully, the only real noteworthy thing being Yui lazing about on the rooftop with Chie. They had debated about training like they always have, but decided against it and instead took a snack break.
"Meat gum?! Who turns meat into gum? HOW do you turn meat into gum?" Yui exclaimed.
"Well, calling it gum is a bit of a stretch. But it feels like chewing gum, so yeah." Chie explained as she gave some of the treat to Yui.
Yui looked at the meat gum skeptically before taking a bite, against her better judgment. This proved to be a mistake, as she promptly spat the thing out.
"Oh god! Is that expired?! Ugh!" Yui shrieked.
"Uh...no? Jeez, that was a pretty bad reaction…" Chie said sadly.
"Sorry Chie, I think I'll stick with steak skewers."
"That's fine. I'm glad you at least tried it."
"Hey, have you and Yosuke hung out lately? By yourselves, I mean."
"Not really. We mostly talk on the phone. Actually, I mentioned to him at some point that we were training together, and he seemed jealous about it."
"Jealous? Does he think he's missing out or something? Because he could always ask to join us."
"You really think Yosuke would do that? He wouldn't last."
"Well, he shouldn't be worried. He and I have an understanding of some kind. I wouldn't ghost him or anything like that."
"I'm glad you choose to hang out with me a lot. You're cool to be around."
Yui and Chie lie down and look up into the sunset sky, watching the pink clouds roll by.
"This is nice." Yui says.
"Yeah." Chie replies.
Without thinking, Chie wraps her hand around Yui's. Yui's heart skips a beat and she quickly glances at Chie in surprise, but she manages to stay calm enough not to bother Chie. With a blushing face and eye contact avoided, Yui allows it.
Back home, Yui sits at the table with Dojima, wishing to chat with him even after an exhausting day.
"So...what have you been doing after school lately?" Dojima asks.
"Well shit, can't exactly give a completely true answer to that."
"Mostly hanging out with friends. Especially Chie. She's...really cool." Yui answered, her heart aching a bit.
"I see. That's good. You seem to like her a lot." Dojima stated.
"Yeah…" Yui quietly replied.
"You have no idea, Dojima..."
"Sorry...you don't look comfortable. This is turning into an interrogation again, isn't it?" Dojima says as he hangs his head.
"No, no, it's not you. I just...I have a lot on my mind."
"I realize we don't have a lot in common."
"Well there must be something. Tell me a little about yourself."
"You want to know more about me?"
"You're my uncle. I feel like I should know more about you than just the bare minimum."
"There's not much to me, to be honest. I'm just a country detective living with my daughter. Nothing interesting about that to a high school kid, I figure. But...it is good to have you around the house. You really are like another family member. I'm already getting tired of hearing Nanako all 'onee-chan' this and 'onee-chan' that! To me, you feel more like a very young sister rather than a daughter to me. That's not strange, is it?" Dojima stated.
"I don't know. Does that mean I have to call you 'onii-san'?" Yui asks with a cheeky grin.
Dojima cracks a hearty laugh at this remark.
"Stop that! You're too funny, Yui!"
"I try."
"Well, if you have nothing else to talk about, I have to finish processing some data from work."
"I understand. I'm gonna go to bed then."
"Alright. G'night."
Yui dreamed that night, and she found that it caused her to stir more than usual. Though she couldn't quite grasp why, subconsciously, she felt it had something to do with someone she was starting to grow rather close to.
5/22
Yui puts on her summer outfit and heads downstairs to find Nanako sitting at the dinner table with a potted plant.
"Ohayo, Nanako-chan." Yui greets.
"Ohayo."
"What do you have there? A plant?"
"We're growing veggies at school. The teacher gave us seedlings and told us to try growing them at home. I asked Dad, and he said I could plant them wherever I want. I don't know where to plant them though…"
"I think there's some dirt on the side of the house. We could try planting there."
Yui brings Nanako outside and look around to see some tools and materials lying around, mostly dirt and bricks.
"Give me some time. I'm going to turn this place into a garden!" Yui states.
"Really? Then we can plant here?"
"You bet! They'll grow nice and big as long as we take care of them."
"I can't wait!"
"What kind of plants are these, Nanako-chan?"
"They're tomatoes! I'll make a sign so people know what they are!"
"Good idea!"
After making the sign, they stick it next to the newly constructed garden, proud of their work together. Yui says goodbye to Nanako before heading off to enjoy her weekend.
5/24
Yui decided to check on Yukiko out of curiosity, and found that she wasn't busy, surprisingly.
"What are you doing, Yukiko?" Yui asked.
"Oh, I'm in charge of the bulletin board. I'm rotating out the posts and putting up new ones." Yukiko explained.
"Is that so? I guess I'd better take this off then. Keep it safe, you know?"
Yui reach out and grabbed her artwork off the bulletin board. She was surprised that nothing had happened to it the entire time it was there.
"So it WAS you who made that." Yukiko noted.
"You're my friend, so you're allowed to know." Yui replied.
"Did you want to hang out today?"
"Only if you're not busy."
"I'm not."
"Then yeah, let's go!"
Yui and Yukiko went to the bookstore to buy some new books. Yukiko told Yui she wanted books about job certifications.
"Well, it looks like they don't have many left. This was the only one I could find." Yui said as she handed the book to Yukiko.
"Thank goodness. At least there's one." Yukiko said with smile.
"Are you applying for a job, Yukiko?" Yui asked.
"I'm thinking about it."
"Still have sore feelings about the inn?"
"That's how I feel about it right now. I think, maybe that's how I truly feel. When I graduate, I'm leaving this town!"
"All on your own? That's brave of you, Yukiko!"
"I'm thinking of maybe getting a job as an interior decorator. How does that sound?"
"Sounds like something you'd be good at. And I'm sure working at the inn, you've gained an eye for making sure interiors look good for customers."
"Certainly. I wonder if there's a part time job I can do discreetly, without my mother knowing."
Yui thought about it for a moment before an idea came to her.
"I think there is! You can make envelopes in your room! There's a job posting for that in the shopping district."
"Really? I'll go check it out then! Thank you, Yui!"
"No problem."
"What's that book you bought for yourself?" Yukiko asked, pointing to the book that was under Yui's arm.
"Uh...you—you don't need to know! This one's...personal…" Yui responded, hoping Yukiko didn't notice her face turning red.
"Oh...I think I understand. I won't pry then."
"Thanks, Yukiko."
With that, Yui and Yukiko parted ways and headed home.
5/25
Yui and Yukiko decided to hang out again, this time deciding to go to Junes to do some grocery shopping.
"There are so many different kinds of food. Even eggs come in so many varieties." Yukiko commented.
"Making dinner at the inn?" Yui asked.
"No! I wouldn't dream of it!" Yukiko exclaimed.
"Oh. Why not?"
"I don't think my food is nearly good enough to serve to the guests."
"I see. You want to learn cooking."
"Mhm. Since I'm leaving town, I want to practice cooking to be able to feed myself."
"I wish you luck, Yukiko."
"Thank you. I was wondering if you'd taste test my cooking sometime. I feel like I'd get an honest opinion from you."
"I'm up for it. But I WILL be honest whether your cooking's good or not!"
"That's what I'm hoping!"
"So...what to get next?"
"Where do they sell lobsters?"
"Lobsters? Don't you think that's a bit tricky to start with?"
"Maybe, but I still want to learn."
"Well, let's just go look at fish. If you want to cook seafood, that's a good place to start."
"OK, if you say so."
Yui and Yukiko end up buying some cod fillets and various shelf items before leaving the store and parting ways.
5/26
Yui, Chie and Yukiko all decide to go to the Samegawa Flood Plain after school. But rather than train with Chie, Yukiko had something else for Yui to attend to.
"I made a bento for you to try." Yukiko told Yui.
"You made Yui a bento? Why didn't you make one for me?" Chie asked.
"Oh, this was something we decided on between us. She wanted to learn how to cook and asked me to taste test her food." Yui explained.
The bento looked fine enough, but upon closer inspection, there was a potent smell coming from within the bento box.
"Uh…" Yui says hesitantly.
"Go ahead!" Yukiko says expectantly.
Not wanting to hurt her feelings, Yui decides to take a bite of the omelette...or at least it looked like an omelette. The first couple bites happened without incident, but shortly after, Yui bit into something hard. Yui instinctively spat the thing out onto the grass, surprising both Yukiko and Chie.
"Ow! What the hell was in that omelette?!"
"Yui?! Are you OK?" Chie asked.
"I'm fine." Yui replied.
"It wasn't good, was it…" Yukiko asked sadly.
"It's OK, Yukiko. Everyone has to start somewhere. And you're going to keep trying until you get it right. That's how it is." Yui tells Yukiko politely, though she was still a bit shocked at how bad Yukiko's cooking was.
"Thank you for being so patient." Yukiko says gratefully.
"And hey, when you make a really good one, make sure you make enough for both of us!" Chie adds.
"I will!" Yukiko says with a smile.
Yui gives the rest of the bento to Yukiko to take home...or throw away. Yukiko says goodbye to her friends before leaving for the inn. Chie asks Yui if she still wants to train, but Yui makes an excuse that she has to do homework. Despite being somewhat disappointed, Chie understands and bids Yui farewell.
Back at home, Yui begins to wonder how the tomatoes in the garden were holding up, and asks Nanako and Dojima to help her tend to them.
"Oh, you want to work on the garden? OK, I'll help." Dojima stated.
"Me too!" Nanako chimed.
With the help of Nanako and Dojima, Yui turns over the soil and gives the tomatoes some extra watering to help them along.
"They're coming along nicely. It's amazing to see this lot turned into such a nice garden." Dojima commented.
"I'm glad to see it. Maybe I can buy some other seeds from Junes." Yui suggests.
"I think that's a great idea." Dojima agrees.
"I want to grow more veggies!" Nanako says cheerfully.
"Actually, tomatoes are fruits, Nanako." Yui tells Nanako.
"They are?"
"But sure, we can grow other plants here too."
After finishing with the garden the three of them head back inside to prepare dinner.
Before bed, Yui reads a book called "The Gentle Way", a book that was about the martial art of Judo, a form of unarmed combat that primarily involved grappling and subduing an enemy through throws and pins.
"Judo. That sounds like a good martial art to learn. Maybe I can practice it with...Chie…"
Yui's heart began to race as Chie's name crossed her mind. If she wanted to practice Judo with Chie, that would mean being in rather close contact with her, closer than she was currently comfortable with.
"Agh, why Yui? What are you getting so worked up over? She's your friend, right?"
Yui felt her heart sink again, and she found herself unable to focus enough to continue reading. Defeated, she decided to go to bed.
5/28
Yui had realized after class that she hadn't checked up on Marie in a while and decided to head to the shopping district. As she entered the Velvet Room however, she found something unusual: Margaret, seated alone.
"Margaret? Where's Igor and Marie?" Yui asked.
"They are both currently away taking care of errands. I am sorry, if it's not urgent, I must ask that you come back later…" Margaret replied, her voice suddenly trailing off.
Margaret looks off to her side, away from Yui, as if contemplating something.
"No, I realize this room is bound to your fate. Nothing here happens without a reason. There is meaning in us meeting alone…" Margaret stated.
"I'm not sure I understand, but...do you want to chat?" Yui asked.
"Mmm...yes. I feel it is what I am called to do." Margaret says with a smile.
"In that case…"
Yui sat down next to Margaret, placing her hands in her lap to mimic Margaret's pose.
"So, what's it like being in here all the time? Marie says you just sit around doing nothing, saying nothing. So are you all just kind of...waiting here for whenever I visit?" Yui asked.
"However long we wait, we don't wait for long. Hopefully that's enough to ease your concerns." Margaret states vaguely.
"If you say so. What's that book you have?" Yui asked, pointing to the large book Margaret was holding.
"This is the Persona Compendium. It contains a record of every Persona to have ever existed." Margaret explains.
"All of them? Including my own?"
"Yes. Would you like to see?"
Margaret opens the book and allows Yui to read its contents. On the page Margaret had opened to were the names of dozens of Personas, organized by their arcana. After browsing through, Yui was eventually able to find her own Persona, Yumiko.
"Did you know that as a Wild Card, you have the potential to access any of these Personas as you see fit?" Margaret asks.
"Really? I mean, Yumiko's been doing fine for me so far, so I think I'll stick with her for the time being." Yui admits.
"If you wish, so be it. If you want to learn more about any Personas, you are welcome to look through the compendium."
"That's sounds cool. Thank you Margaret."
"You are welcome. Thank you for giving me your time. I found it to be rather pleasing."
"No problem!"
With that, Yui is ushered out of the Velvet Room, deciding to check up on Marie at a later day.
Yui sat at the dinner table with Dojima, hoping to strike up conversation again.
"I heard you and your friends go to Junes often." Dojima stated.
"Well, yeah. There's food there, we window shop, that sort of thing." Yui told Dojima.
"Nothing wrong with that, of course. But why do you make so many trips to the electronics department?"
"So uh...Chie's been thinking of getting a new TV for her family, and I…" Yui began to say before Nanako walked in on the conversation.
"Dad…" Nanako said, looking at Dojima with judging eyes.
"It's not what you think, Nanako. I'm not interrogating her again…" Dojima explained.
"You always talk with onee-chan! It's not fair!" Nanako whined.
"What do you mean, Nanako? Dojima talks with you too." Yui replied.
Nanako tried to complain further, but was interrupted by her yawning.
"It's past your bedtime already. Go to sleep. I'll play with you next time." Dojima told Nanako.
"OK...you promised." Nanako quietly said as she went back upstairs.
Dojima sighed at stared at the floor.
"Not good with kids?" Yui asked, a bit rudely.
"No, it's not that. I mean I am bad with kids, but that's not the problem…" Dojima answered, shaking his head.
"Then what is it?"
"The truth is...my wife was mostly the one raising her. So I don't really know how to approach her. *sigh*I guess I'm not fit to be her family…" Dojima sadly said.
"No, Dojima. You ARE family, whether you believe it or not. But you're both in a difficult place right now, so it's understandable that you two have drifted apart." Yui told Dojima.
"Maybe you're right…"
Dojima looks Yui in the eyes, and what he says next strikes a chord with Yui.
"You think being related by blood makes you family? That's not the case…"
Yui thinks back on her relationship with her parents and realizes that she wasn't particularly close with them. Being such a quiet and introverted artist meant she spent a lot of time away from her parents, not speaking with them beyond the bare minimum. It made her wonder if she really knew her parents, or if they understood her.
"You're right too. Blood relation doesn't necessarily mean people are close." Yui admitted.
"I'm sorry. You don't need to hear about that."
"I'm glad we talked about it though. It's important to think about sometimes."
"Well, you should be going to bed. G'night."
"Good night, Dojima."
5/29
Yui was thinking about what to do for her day off school when Kou called her on her phone. Kou asked if Yui wanted to hang out with him and Daisuke that day.
"Where to?" Yui asked.
"We're going to buy some books from Yomenaido Bookstore." Kou explained.
"You had me at 'books'." Yui replied.
"Great! See you there!"
Yui, Kou and Daisuke were standing in front of the bookstore, checking what they had bought.
"So, what'd you get, Daisuke?" Kou asked.
"A manga. I was feeling nostalgic, so I was looking for this book I used to have. Wait…" Daisuke explained.
Daisuke checked the cover of the book he bought one more time before realizing he had made a big mistake.
"This isn't the one I meant to buy!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"What happened?" Yui asked.
"I meant to get Rubber-Armed Pitcher Hero. This is Lovely Witch Detective…" Daisuke groaned.
"Ha ha! Those covers look alike! Easy mistake." Yui giggled.
"Here, you can have it, Yui." Daisuke said, handing the book to Yui.
"Sure. This looks like a nice, trashy manga for when I don't want to think too much." Yui said as she looked through the book.
"What book did you get, Yui?" Kou asked.
"Um...sorry Kou, that's not...that's not for...boys to know…" Yui awkwardly replied.
"What? Oh come on!"
"Sorry Kou, you have to understand. I have to keep SOME secrets."
"*sigh* OK then…"
Just then, Chie came by and noticed the three of them.
"Hey guys!" Chie called out.
"Hi, Chie-san!" Yui replied, even as the butterflies in her stomach began acting up again.
"Ch-chie-san? Hey...what are you doing here?" Kou awkwardly greets.
"Well, I was training earlier…" Chie began to say.
"Training?" Kou asked.
"By yourself? I'm sorry about that, Chie. I can go home and put my books away so I can join you." Yui told Chie.
"That's OK, Yui. But we can go get lunch if you want." Chie said politely.
"Great. I probably made things awkward between us at some point…"
"Training all on your own? You're the man, Chie!" Daisuke exclaimed.
"Hell no!" Chie retorted.
"Wrong choice of words, I think." Yui commented.
"Let's go eat at Aiya's!" Kou told the group.
"Sounds good to me!" Daisuke concurred.
Kou and Daisuke went up ahead, leaving Yui and Chie to catch up with them.
"Hey Chie, sorry I haven't hung out with you very often." Yui apologized.
"Don't be sorry. I know you need your own time. I've just been thinking about you lately. What's that book you've got?" Chie asked, pointing to the books under Yui's arm.
"Oh this? 'Lovely Witch Detective'. Daisuke bought it on accident, so I'm taking it off his hands." Yui explained.
"No, not that one. I already know that one. I meant the other one."
"Oh shit…"
"It's uh...you can't tell the boys about it, please?" Yui quietly asked.
"Um...OK, sure. I promise." Chie replied, clearly confused.
Yui stopped hiding the book under her arm and showed Chie the cover.
"'Dreamy Indian Princess Under the Moon'?" Chie read with intrigue.
"It's a romance manga. A...yuri romance manga…" Yui admitted.
"Wow! I didn't know you read that kind of stuff!" Chie said with a smile.
"*chuckle* Yeah...I sure like my girl love media…" Yui muttered, her face quite flushed.
"Yui, are you…"
"We'd better get going! Kou and Daisuke are waiting for us." Yui interrupted.
"Oh, right. I'm getting steak bowl!"
"Cumian noodles for me!"
Yui breathed a quick sigh of relief as she went with Chie to meet up with Kou and Daisuke. While they ate their meals, Chie, Kou and Daisuke struck up some cheerful conversation, but Yui stayed mostly quiet. Chie took notice of this, but chose not to pry into it.
5/30
Yui was barely able to focus during lessons, though Morooka's ranting gave nothing of substance anyway. In the corner of her eye, she could see Chie look at Yui with concern, and it was something she simply couldn't handle. As soon as class had ended, she quickly left for Junes without saying a word to her friends, something that Yui knew was undoubtedly unusual and it was impossible for her friends to not have noticed.
"Damn it, Yui! Why are you like this? You were doing fine the past few weeks, why are you freaking out now?! She's your friend, and nothing else! Accept that and move on with your life!" Yui angrily thought to herself.
Yui tried to distract herself by purchasing acrylic paints and music CDs, hoping to find outlets for her frustrations. While leaving the store, she noticed a certain someone standing around being unproductive.
"Adachi again. Wonder what he's up to this time."
Yui approached Adachi and greeted him in a very flat tone of voice.
"Hi, Adachi."
"Oh hey, it's you again. What's up?" Adachi asked.
"Nothing really. Just buying some stuff."
"Hmm...you don't seem like yourself. Is something wrong?"
"It's not...it's not something you need to know about. Really."
"You should buy something good to eat. That should get you back on track."
"Yeah? What about you? Do you cook your own meals, or do you eat out?"
"I live alone, so taking care of dinner can be a hassle."
"Too tired to cook after work?" Yui guessed.
"Smart kid. It really is like that sometimes. Often I just eat a cup of ramen."
"We've all been there at some point."
"Yui, have you been feeling alright? Not to pry or anything, I'm just a bit concerned."
"I'm fine, I promise. It's just stupid teen hormonal stuff."
"Ah. Crush on a boy at school?"
"No! As if it'd be something silly like that…"
This line of questioning caused an idea to come to Yui's head.
"Actually, since you mentioned it, do you have a girlfriend, Adachi?"
"I used to a while back. It kind of didn't work out." Adachi admitted.
"Sorry to hear that."
"Cute girls are the best, but I go for the real knockouts, myself."
"OK, I didn't need to know that, Adachi!"
"Sorry. All I really want is for them to be good cooks. Everything else, I can take or leave."
Yui was getting a bit tired of talking to Adachi when all of a sudden, an elderly woman approached Adachi and greeted him.
"Tohru-chan! Is that you?" The old woman asked.
"Shit! She found me!" Adachi exclaimed.
"Are you off work, Tohru-chan?" The old woman continued to ask.
"No, I'm still on the clock. I was just on my way back to the station." Adachi lied.
"I'm happy to see you working hard. I'll bring you some nimono later! Have a good day!"
The old woman shuffled away, leaving Adachi relieved.
"Finally…" Adachi sighed.
"Who was that?" Yui asked.
"Her son has the same name as me. She probably thinks I'm him or something. And every time, she brings heaps of nimono to me at the station! She'll talk your ear off if you let her." Adachi explained.
"Geez, that sounds annoying. I'd hate to be in your shoes."
"Yeah. But she's clearly lonely. I guess she doesn't have any relatives. And I can't just ignore her either, that would be irresponsible."
"Well, look on the bright side. You've got something to eat, and you always have something to do even when slacking off." Yui joked.
"Heh. I wish I had your optimism. Anyway, I'd better head back, or I'm really gonna hear it from Dojima."
"Yeah. You didn't really help much, but thanks for talking to me. I needed someone to talk to that wasn't my friends."
"Glad to hear that. See you."
Yui watched Adachi leave and decided to head home, herself. The entire way back, she felt butterflies in her stomach and an aching heart.
When Yui got home, Nanako was there to greet her. Though it cheered her up slightly, it wasn't enough to hide her troubles from Nanako.
"What's wrong, onee-chan?" Nanako asked.
"Nothing, Nanako. Just some troubles at school." Yui lied.
"Do you want flan? I was going to eat it, but I think you should have it!"
Yui breathed a sigh of joy at this gesture. Nanako didn't need to do this for her, yet she felt like it was the right thing to do regardless. Maybe this was what it was like to have a sister.
"That sounds nice. Thank you, Nanako…"
Nanako went to get the flan out of the fridge for Yui, prompting her to sit down and slowly eat it, savoring each sweet bite. After eating the dessert, Yui thanked Nanako by giving her a hug, then retreated to her room.
Before going to bed, Yui decided to read a bit of "Lovely Witch Detective", hoping to distract her and cheer her up. It was a book about a magical detective girl that was rather childish in both concept and execution. As she expected, the manga was pretty corny and not very well written, though there was an unexpected amount of talent in the artwork, so there was still something of value. Despite this, Yui quickly got bored of the book and decided to read "Dreamy Indian Princess Under the Moon" instead. This manga was about an Indian girl named Talisha, who lived in a rich family. Though she isn't royalty, this is where the title of "princess" comes from, as many of her relatives refer to her as such. The story primarily tells a plot about Talisha falling in love with a Japanese immigrant girl named Ayaka, who moves into the city and eventually falls in love with her. With the fantastic writing and gorgeous artwork, Yui quickly immersed herself into the book, forgetting her troubles for even a moment. She eventually reads till the part where the girls secretly meet under the moonlight and confess their love for each other, planning to go on a date without their families knowing.
"But what if they find out, Talisha? What will they think?" Ayaka asks Talisha, concerned and afraid.
"Hush, praṇaya (love). Do not worry. They do not need to know yet. It will be our secret. They will soon come to see that we are happy together, so they will let us be happy." Talisha consoles Ayaka, gently cupping her cheek.
"But where will we go? Where can we go that we won't be judged?"
"Away from here. I know a place. A place under the sun and moon where not a soul can disturb us. Where we can love each other and do as we please. I want to take you to that place. Do you want me to show you?"
"Yes, Talisha! Please take me there!"
"I love you, Ayaka! There is a world of splendor and fancy awaiting us. And I want to share it with you!"
Yui stops at this part for the time being. In that moment, her phone began to ring, catching Yui by surprise.
"Who's calling me at this hour?"
Yui looked at her phone and began to panic when she saw that it was from Chie. She took a deep breath and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hi Yui. Sorry I'm calling so late." Chie said apologetically.
"It's fine. I was feeling a bit restless anyway. What's going on?"
"I just wanted to check up on you. I was worried."
"Why?"
"You were acting weird today. And just the other day, it seemed like you were avoiding talking to me. Is something wrong, Yui?"
"Chie, you're a really good friend. So I trust you a lot with what I'm about to tell you. Can you keep this between us for now?" Yui asked softly.
"...Yeah, of course." Chie said sincerely.
"I've developed a crush on someone…"
"Ohhhhh. I thought it might have been something like that. That's great! Good for you!" Chie said cheerfully.
"I don't know about that. I've been a hot mess since."
"You ARE a teenager. It's part of the deal, I think."
"That's true. Sometimes I forget that."
"Hey Yui? Can I ask you something personal?"
Yui takes a deep breath.
"...Sure."
"Do you like girls? Romantically, I mean."
"...Yeah. Is that alright with you?"
"Of course! I kind of figured, since you bought that yuri manga. I didn't want to assume though!"
Yui felt a weight lift off her chest as she listened. In hindsight, it was silly to assume Chie would think less of her just because of her romantic preference. If they had learned anything from rescuing Kanji, it was how that sort of thing wasn't a big deal.
"You have no idea how relieved I am, Chie! I should have come to you about this sooner!"
"I'm your friend! That's what I'm here for!"
"Thank you so much for checking on me, Chie. See you at school tomorrow?"
"Yep! Good night, Yui!"
"Good night, Chie."
Yui hangs up and breaks out into a fit of laughter, shedding joyful tears. As she lays in bed, her heart swells with a new sense of hope, hope that things will be OK. Yui hides her book away and falls asleep, prepared to face the world again.
5/31
School went by much more smoothly than yesterday. Yui even felt cheerful enough to invite Chie, Kou, and Daisuke to eat at Aiya's. Their conversation was much more lively, and Chie took note of Yui's improved mood. Despite this, Yui still had a lot to process with her newfound feelings, and carefully avoided any sensitive topics. After staying longer than they intended, everyone went straight home, and Yui made sure to give Chie a hug before saying goodbye.
That night, Dojima was preparing coffee for himself, but courteously offered some to Yui.
"All we have is instant coffee, but I hope that's alright with you. How do you take it?" Dojima asked Yui.
"With cream, please." Yui replied.
"Eh?" Dojima said in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
"Sorry, nobody's asked for cream in their coffee for a while." Dojima explained.
"Dad, the news is starting. Ooh, coffee! Can I have some?" Nanako called out.
"Sure thing. Plenty of cream and sugar to go with it." Dojima happily replied.
"I'm sorry, you let Nanako drink coffee?" Yui asked in shock.
"Why not?" Dojima casually responded.
"Well, whatever. She's your kid. But as her sister, I have a right to voice my disapproval."
"Go watch TV with Nanako. I'll bring you your coffee when it's done."
"It's alright. I can make my own coffee."
"No please, I insist. Making coffee is all I do around here." Dojima joked.
Dojima looks on thoughtfully.
"When I got married, my wife made me promise one thing: making coffee is all I have to do around the house, but it can only be me. So, you know, it's a habit now. It's the only promise I can keep these days." Dojima told Yui.
Yui sat herself down in front of the TV, next to Nanako, as Dojima made everyone their coffee. After they were seated, the news played their next segment.
"And now, our next story. On the outskirts of Okina today, a female cyclist was hit by a car and died on the scene…"
As soon as Dojima heard this, he became visibly unsettled and told Nanako to turn the TV off. Nanako quickly did as she was told, and Dojima quietly excused himself out of the room. An awkward silence fell over the house as Yui and Nanako sat together.
"What happened?" Yui asked Nanako.
"It was because of the news story." Nanako explained.
"The traffic accident? Oh. Ohhhh…" Yui quickly realized.
Nanako sadly nodded.
"I don't remember it though, and Dad won't talk to me about it…"
"Can't say I blame him. He probably isn't ready."
Being unable to say anything, Yui simply stayed with Nanako until they were ready to go to bed.
6/1
Yukiko asked Yui to help her shop for some supplies at Junes, to which Yui agreed without a second thought. They were currently sitting at a food court table checking if they had bought everything they needed.
"Let's see. Notebooks, a loose leaf folder, and three different colored pens." Yukiko listed as she examined every item.
"So you said you wanted to study to get a job license?" Yui asked Yukiko.
"Yes! Though I haven't decided which one I want to pursue. Remember that part time job you told me about?"
"Making envelopes?"
"Yes, that one. I've been doing that at night lately, so I have some money now!"
"That's great!"
Just then, a group of men approached the two. The man wearing a suit addressed Yukiko directly.
"Well, if it isn't the manager-to-be of the Amagi Inn." The man coldly stated.
"Hello. I see you haven't gone home yet." Yukiko coldly replied.
"Can't go anywhere until the next bus or train departs. Stuck in the boonies with nothing to do." The man complained.
"I beg to differ." Yukiko told the man.
"Turning down a good deal is part of country life too, isn't it?" The man scoffs before leaving with the others.
After making sure the men were gone, Yukiko focused back on Yui.
"I'm so sorry about that." Yukiko apologized.
"What just happened? What did those men want with you?" Yui asked.
"They're from a TV station. They wanted to cover the Amagi Inn."
"Why'd you turn them down?"
"They're a 'news of the weird' show. They're not real journalists. You know how our inn was associated with Ms. Yamano's murder? They wanted to make a special called 'Hot Springs Getting Too Hot for the Amagis?!'" Yukiko explained.
"That's fucked up...if you'll excuse my language." Yui angrily replied.
"I agree. It was an abhorrent title. Mother turned them away immediately. But...maybe she shouldn't have declined."
"What? But you just got done saying how these guys sucked."
"Yes, but if the inn gets a bad reputation, we'd start losing customers and would have to close our doors for real. Then...I'd feel better about leaving." Yukiko admitted, staring at the ground.
"You don't...you don't really mean that, do you?" Yui asked.
"I do…" Yukiko firmly stated.
"Holy shit. I knew she was bitter, but damn."
"But, there's no point in saying things like that. After all, I'm leaving of my own accord. My life is in my hands now."
"Fact is, it always was. You're free the moment you want to be."
"Of course, I still wish to help everyone. Including you, for being such a good listener."
"You're very welcome, Yukiko."
As Yui and Yukiko sat there, Yui suddenly felt the urge to ask Yukiko a favor.
"Yukiko, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Of course. What do you need?"
"OK, how do I go about this? Let me just start with this: I kind of have a crush on someone." Yui says as she places her hands in her lap.
"You do? How sweet. So you want love advice then?" Yukiko asks with a smile.
"Sure, you could say that."
"Well, you just have to be honest with yourself. Tell him how you feel. Don't be afraid if he says no."
"Yeah Yukiko, about that...it's not a boy."
"Hm? I don't understand...oh! You mean you like girls!" Yukiko said in surprise.
"Yeah…"
"Me too!"
"Wait, really?!"
"Well, I like both boys and girls. But yes." Yukiko clarified.
"That's...wow, that's amazing, Yukiko! I can't believe it!" Yui stated with a smile.
"Yes. I thought I was the only one. None of the girls ever tried to ask me out before."
"I didn't think so. And just to be clear, I'm not asking you out!"
"Oh. That's too bad." Yukiko said, looking a little disappointed.
"Sorry. You're very pretty, Yukiko, but you're a good friend, and I don't want to ruin that."
"It's OK. I understand. But then, who is it?"
"I realize you're probably not the best person to ask, since you can hardly tell when someone is trying to ask you out sometimes, but I just don't want to ask her directly, at least not yet."
"Like I said, don't be afraid. If she says no, that's OK. There will always be someone else."
"Yukiko, you don't understand. It's...it's complicated."
"How so?"
Yui breathes a stressful sigh before continuing.
"It's...it's Chie."
"Eh?!" Yukiko gasps.
"I have a crush on Chie…" Yui quietly repeated.
Yukiko takes some time to process what she had just heard before speaking again.
"I think I get it now. You're afraid to tell her how you feel because it might hurt your friendship." Yukiko stated.
Yui nods, and Yukiko returns the nod.
"We were such close friends before. We've even hugged several times now, and it was never awkward then. But now I'm afraid of overstepping my boundaries. If we couldn't be friends anymore...I don't know if I'd ever recover from that." Yui mutters.
"Your fears are understandable. I'm not too good with dating, myself. But the way I see it, I don't think Chie will stop being your friend if it turns out she doesn't like you the same way." Yukiko explains.
"You don't?"
"She's not like that. She doesn't have too many friends, but the ones she does have, she keeps them close, and she only lets them go if she has a very good reason. Besides, she talks about you a lot."
"Really?"
"I noticed whenever Chie and I talk, she often brings you up in the conversation. She likes to tell me how smart you are, how cool your artwork was, or how amazing you are at fighting. And I can tell she seems happy just to be around you."
"I mean, she has said some of those things to me…" Yui thinks aloud.
"On Monday when you left class without saying anything to us, Chie came to me and told me something was wrong, and she seemed very worried about you."
"It's true. She called me later that day to make sure I was alright."
"I don't know how she feels, Yui. Without reading her mind, I can't know for certain. But I think it's clear she cares about you a lot."
"What do I do with that information?"
"What do you think, Yui?" Yukiko asked.
"I think...I should just go for it."
"I'll wish you luck." Yukiko says with a smile.
"I don't think I can ask her right away. I'm not mentally prepared for that. But I will someday."
"Good."
"Thank you so much Yukiko. You really eased a lot of my worries."
"Of course. I'm always happy to help!"
As it was starting to get late, Yui and Yukiko started walking home and said goodbye to each other halfway.
6/5
It was a beautiful Sunday, and Yui decided to invite Chie to Aiya's for lunch. Yui was considering confessing to Chie today, but wasn't entirely sure how to go about it, and she didn't exactly want to do it in a crowded place like Aiya's anyway. So for now, the two of them were just friends getting lunch together.
"Steak bowl, or combo plate? What to get?" Chie thought aloud.
"I'm probably just going to go with the rice noodle bowl. I noticed on rainy days, they have a special promotion for the 'Mega Beef Bowl Challenge'. Have you tried it, Chie?" Yui asked.
"Oh man, don't remind me. I tried it a while back, and I didn't want to eat meat again for the rest of the week. I've never seen so much meat stuffed into a bowl." Chie replied, a pained expression growing on her face.
"Meat heaven, or meat hell? You decide!"
"Well, now I feel like having the steak bowl. Let's go order!"
Before they could enter the restaurant however, they heard a familiar voice cry out in distress.
"Stop it! Stop!"
"Huh? That sounded like Takeshi!" Chie exclaimed.
"Your classmate from middle school?" Yui asked.
"Come on, let's go Yui!"
Yui and Chie ran off into the direction the voice came from, leading them to a corner of the street.
A group of teenage bullies were surrounding Takeshi, hounding him for money.
"Come on, you know you owe us more money than that!" The punk leader growled.
"He only had 1,000 yen on him. What a joke!" One of the members scoffed.
"Takeshi!" Chie called out as she and Yui approached the bullies.
"Hey, someone found us! Whatever, we can take their money instead." Another member mumbled.
Takeshi managed to break away from the bullies and stood behind Chie and Yui, visibly trembling.
"What are you running for? Gonna hide behind a bunch of girls, are you?" The punk leader jeered.
"Are you alright, Takeshi?" Chie asked.
"I'm fine. But they stole my money! Can you get it back for me?" Takeshi pleaded.
"Who cares about that? As long as we can get you away from them." Yui responded.
"You cowards! Ganging up on one guy? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Chie scolded the bullies.
"Take care of them for me, Chie! I'm out of here!" Takeshi shouted as he ran away.
"What the hell?! Did he just leave us to fend for ourselves? Asshole!" Yui thought to herself as she watched Takeshi run off.
"What are you waiting for? You gonna fight or what?" Chie angrily said to the leader.
"What's up with you? Crazy bitch! We're gonna kick your ass!" The leader threatened.
Although Yui put on a brave face during this exchange, she couldn't help but realize that the bullies were as tall as she was, and easily taller than Chie. Even with her prior training with Chie, she wasn't completely prepared to fight real people.
"Chie, let's be smart about this!" Yui whispered, but nobody heard her.
"You there! Other girl! We're not leaving you out of this! You look like a total pussy! How about we use you as an example?" The leader said directly to Yui.
"It's not us you should be messing with! That boy that ran off is probably contacting the police right now. Are you really going to waste time with us?" Yui said to the leader, attempting to threaten the bullies with rhetoric.
"Let him. The cops won't make it here by the time we're done with you!" The leader spat.
"Don't you even think about hurting her! You want to punch someone, do it right here!" Chie shouted, motioning to herself.
"Chie, what are you doing?!" Yui exclaimed.
"Go on! Hit me as hard as you want, wherever you want! Do it, asshole!" Chie continued to taunt.
The leader was taken aback by Chie's taunting, but a dark look in his eyes indicated that he was contemplating taking up her offer.
"Shit! What is she thinking?! I can't let these bastards hurt her like this!" Yui panicked in her mind.
Out of sheer instinct, Yui put herself in front of Chie and glared at the leader.
"What are you doing?!" Chie exclaimed.
"You so much as lay a finger on her, and I'll break your nose! All of you!" Yui furiously shouted.
The leader and the other members started to back off a bit.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?! Fuck this! Let's get out of here!" The leader growled, signaling to his members to get moving.
The bullies walked away from Yui and Chie, allowing Yui to lean against a nearby wall to release the breath she was holding. Chie, however, was still quite agitated.
"Hey, where are you going? We're not done with you!" Chie shouted at the bullies.
"Just let them go. They really were cowards after all…" Yui muttered.
"Why'd you butt in?! I had them covered!" Chie shouted at Yui.
Yui suddenly glared at Chie, in disbelief at what she was hearing. It was the first time that she found herself getting angry at Chie.
"Chie! Are you listening to yourself?! You expect me to just stand there and watch while some shithead is about to punch you?! What you did just now was horribly reckless!" Yui shouted back.
Yui caught herself shouting and turned away, suddenly ashamed. Chie found herself unable to look at Yui either.
"I'm...I'm sorry. You're right. That was really stupid of me." Chie apologized, trying to calm both Yui and herself.
"It was a good thing you called their bluff. What if they were serious? I just...I couldn't live it down if I let you get hurt by them." Yui told Chie.
"I have to remember that I'm not fighting alone. You were even ready to put yourself on the line to protect me."
"That's just how it is if I'm going to be with you. I guess I brought it upon myself."
"But that's not fair to you. I shouldn't cause trouble for you like that, or anyone else." Chie says as she shakes her head.
"What's important is that things turned out OK, and that you learned from this experience. I know I did."
"I really want to protect them all. Everyone close to me. You, Yukiko, even Yosuke. He deserves it too."
"And that's very admirable. But we have to pick our battles, know when it's best to fight."
"Takeshi's not getting his money back." Chie commented.
"Screw him. He practically left us to die. And I'm not putting myself at risk for a measly 1,000 yen."
"Hey, Yui?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for standing up for me. And putting up with me in general."
"Chie, I already told you I'd do anything to make sure you were safe. This was nothing."
Chie giggles, leaving an awkward silence between them. After what felt like an agonizingly long time, Yui spoke up again.
"Hey, Chie. There's something I've been wanting to tell you." Yui told Chie.
"Yeah? What is it?" Chie asked, now listening intently.
"OK, this is it. Stay calm."
"Remember how I told you that I had a crush on a girl? I never actually told you who it was."
"I was curious when you said that. But that sort of thing is personal and private, so I didn't ask."
"Thank you for doing that, by the way. I feel like you deserve to know now."
"You really want to tell me?"
"Yes. I do."
"OK then. So...who is it?"
"Well…"
Yui walks up to Chie and holds hands with her. Chie slowly realizes what Yui means by this gesture and gasps in surprise.
"Yui…" Chie whispers.
"I'm not sure when it started happening. Maybe it was around the time we started training together. Maybe it was even before that. But at some point, I started thinking about you a lot more, and wanted to be closer to you. Wanted to protect you. I was scared, scared you didn't feel the same way. Scared you didn't want me to be that close. But now...I just can't keep it to myself. No matter what, I want you to know…"
At this point, Yui was crying. She wasn't sure when she started doing that. She wiped her tears away and continued to pour her heart out.
"Chie, I really like you. And not just as a friend. So...now you know…" Yui managed to say through choked sobs.
"Yui…"
Chie wiped away Yui's tears with her sleeve, doing her best to comfort her dear friend, but her kind gesture only made Yui cry even more.
"Shhhh. It's OK. I'm still listening." Chie whispered.
When Yui managed to calm down a little, Chie took her turn to speak.
"You've been keeping this to yourself for a while, haven't you?" Chie asked.
"Yeah…" Yui replied, now blushing.
"It's funny, because...I've had a crush on you for a while too." Chie stated.
Yui stared at Chie in surprise, causing Chie to blush.
"Really? Since when?" Yui asked.
"Don't laugh, but...it was kind of on the first day of school." Chie admitted.
Yui couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this. She simply couldn't believe Chie was crushing on her since she arrived.
"Was I really that pretty?" Yui asked.
"I sure thought you were! But for some reason, I figured since you were from the city, there wasn't really a chance that you were gay, so I just kind of kept quiet, admiring you from a distance." Chie explained.
"That's funny. My reasoning was the opposite. I thought since you're from the countryside, there was no way you'd be attracted to girls."
"But I am. And I really like you too, Yui! I've wanted to say that for a long time!"
Yui and Chie fell silent again, as they both processed their confessions. Chie was the one to speak up again.
"So...do you want to be girlfriends?" Chie asked Yui.
Yui tightly embraced Chie and started crying again, only this time it was out of happiness.
"Yes! I want to be your girlfriend, Chie!" Yui enthusiastically replied.
Chie burst into laughter and hugged Yui in return. They remained this way for what seemed like minutes before finally letting each other go.
"So, I guess we're dating now?" Chie awkwardly stated.
"Guess so. This is all new to me." Yui replied.
"I'll call you later so we can arrange something! How's that?"
"Works for me!"
"OK! See you later, Yui!"
"You too, Chie!"
With that, Yui and Chie headed home, their hearts filled with a new sense of love. Yui felt as though she had never been happier.
Author's Note (4/30/2022): This one got me pretty emotional. When envisioning the concept for this rewrite, I wanted to distinguish it from other rewrites that have been done before. The protagonist of Persona 4 has been shipped with several characters, and has even been gender swapped a couple times. But from my research, I noticed pairings between Yu and Chie were less common than other ships, and even fewer were between a gender swapped Yu, so this was the pairing I wanted to write about. From here on, the dynamic between Yui and Chie should be very different, needless to say. I can't wait to explore their relationship in future chapters!