Chapter 13

Investigation Teams

2:49 A.M., the previous morning…

Dojima smoked yet another cigarette as he watched the firemen bring the girl's pale corpse down from the powerlines. The nicotine helped to both sharpen his exhausted mind and calm his nerves as he looked at yet another victim of the now confirmed serial murders occurring around town. And he felt desperately in need of that nicotine boost, having gotten barely any sleep in the last few days due to all the incidents with the murders and gang[GU1] activities, and what little sleep he could get was fleeting and restless due to him worrying so much about his young daughter, Nanako.

Adachi covered his mouth as the girl, Saki – or rather, her corpse -, was lowered onto a stretcher to be taken to the coroner for inspection and preparation for burial. Adachi coughed and sputtered from behind his hand with nausea as the stench of death emanated from the body, her blank eyes still wide open in the same shocked expression must have died with. "This is turning into a real mess," he remarked, pushing his voice past the lump in his throat. "Any new details on the case yet, Boss? We still gotta talk to the family, right?"

"Unfortunately," Dojima replied flatly. "At least Morooka had barely any family or close acquaintances to speak of so most of the responsibility fell on the school." He sighed and blew out a puff of smoke. "You ever had to console the family of a homicide victim, Adachi?"

"Can't say I have, no."

"Then please keep your mouth shut as much as possible. Just this once," Dojima glared at him, though his expression did not seem entirely resentful to Adachi; a strong warning glower that did not try to hide his exhaustion.

Adachi nodded awkwardly. "Whatever you say, Boss," he muttered.

"Come on, let's look at the body before they take it away." They walked over to the corpse, stopping the EMTs from loading it into the ambulance just yet. "You mind, Miko?" he asked one of the EMTs, a younger woman in her late twenties he had known for a few years by that point through repeated interactions going to and from the local hospital, mostly over drunk drivers and unfortunate accidents. Rarely anything malicious.

The woman brushed back her short black hair with her hand and looked between the police officers and the body. "Only for a couple minutes, alright? We don't want to cause any more of a scene than we already are," she glanced around them. Dojima followed her eyes, seeing plenty of people trying to discreetly watch the macabre spectacle from their windows and front porches.

"Right," he nodded. "Thanks, we'll just take a minute."

"Glove up first," she instructed, handing both of them pairs of plastic medical gloves.[GU2] "As painful as it is, she still counts as evidence."

He slipped on the gloves and inspected the body with Adachi at his side, the younger detective managing to keep his dinner down better than Dojima had expected, though Adachi still let out a dissatisfied groan as Dojima moved one of Saki's limp arms to the side to further inspect the body.

"Doesn't look like much in the way of wounds," he remarked. "No stab marks or scars. And her clothes are still intact, so we can at least reasonably assume she wasn't raped." Dojima's eyes traced upward to her torso and head. "Even her throat isn't bruised or damaged, so she probably wasn't throttled. What's the estimated time of death?" Dojima asked Miko.

"Given her current condition, couldn't have been more than a day ago. God knows what this creep was doing with her all this time."

Dojima looked to Adachi seriously. "We'll need to retrace her steps and figure out what she's been doing the past couple days. Should be standard operating procedure once we speak with the family."

Adachi crossed his arms in thought. "She was interviewed about the Morooka thing only a couple days ago, right? Whoever got her must have done it immediately afterward. Maybe he got the idea from seeing her on TV? Or did she have anything secret to do with Morooka?"

"Your first theory sounds a lot more plausible than the second, but we can't rule out any outstanding motives yet. And however he killed her, it doesn't seem to be overly violent, so we need to be extra careful now." He shook his head and sighed with his hands on his hips. "At least the family will have a clean burial."

"That's… pretty morbid that that's the best thing to come out of this whole mess," Adachi remarked, looking away awkwardly.

"You can take her away, Miko," Dojima said, turning to her. "Just be gentle with this one. We'll handle the family."

Miko nodded, seeming largely unphased by the whole thing. When you have been doing this kind of thing long enough, which never takes that long, you grow stoic, detached from the harrowing horror of it all, and she was emblematic of that. She looked at the body with much the same disinterest one would look at a stack of paperwork in an office with, though behind her eyes was still a spark of empathy toward the tragic victim and her family. "Just remember to get some sleep, both of you. Coffee only keeps you alive for so long." They loaded the stretcher into the ambulance and drove off, leaving the detectives alone.

"Let's move," said Dojima gruffly.

"Oh boy," Adachi sighed.

They walked up the street to where the parents were being consoled by first responders. Things did not look good. They were covered with weighted security blankets as the first responders tried to ask them questions, few of which were internalized in their addled state. The mother was still crying, and the father stared blankly into the distance in shock. "Let's make this quick," Dojima said. "And please stay quiet, Adachi. Just this once. Just take notes while I do the talking. I… know these people, at least a bit."

"Aye aye, Boss," Adachi adjusted the collar of his shirt and followed Dojima over to the couple. "Right, they own the liquor store near here. I've been there a few times. They're… nice people," he murmured as he followed Dojima.

"Excuse me," Dojima said in a deliberately softer tone as he approached them. Their pained, sorrowful eyes immediately struck him to his core. Hiroshi and Ayoko Konishi, owners of Konishi Liquor, a local brick-and-mortar liquor store that had been serving the area for thirty years at that point. Dojima could not exactly say he was good friends with them, but he knew most people around town and had plenty of conversations with them when purchasing beer or sake. They were normally polite, traditional people yet very personable as well as quite proper. Seeing them so distraught was harrowing to say the least, as it always was when breaking such horrible news to someone Dojima actually knew.

They regarded him without a word, but evidently recognized him. "Sir, ma'am," he greeted them, "we're the detectives currently working the murder case, and now are naturally assigned to seeing your daughter's tragic passing brought to justice. We understand how difficult this must be for you, and we wanted to personally offer our condolences. We are… so sorry for your daughter." Dojima bowed to them deeply, and Adachi followed suit after a moment while he was scribbling something onto his notepad.

The father stood up and bowed weakly to them. The mother merely wiped more tears, unable to even rise to her feet. "Thank you for your kind words," said the father. "It… relieves me somewhat knowing that you are handling this, Dojima-san."

"You're too kind, Konishi-san," he nodded, smiling weakly. "But you can rest assured that we will do everything in our power to bring this killer to justice. Though as I'm sure you're aware, when you are ready, we would like to conduct an interview with both of you regarding your daughter's schedule and comings and goings prior to the incident. Any details you can offer will be greatly appreciated."

Ayoko wiped her eyes with handkerchief and said, "She was just working as normal until today." She coughed and choked back more sobs. "If she hadn't gotten on the damned TV, even with that pitiful filter they put on her face and voice, maybe this wouldn't have happened…" She trailed off and began to cry again, her husband sitting beside her and holding her close.

"I don't know what all we could tell you," Hiroshi said, rubbing his wife's back to comfort her. "There was nothing out of the ordinary that we saw or heard about. This was seemingly… random."

"I know," said Dojima, "but still, we need all the details we can get. I don't mean to disturb you at this time, but you can expect a call from the department sometime tomorrow regarding an interview. I encourage you to give them all the information you can as quickly as possible so we can get to work avenging your daughter."

"She was just…" Ayoko sputtered, her mouth muffled by her hand. "She hadn't done anything! She was just working with us while she was home from college!"

Dojima held his composure as Ayoko began to sob again. Adachi wrote down some notes as discreetly as he could.

Hiroshi held his wife closer as she was unable to speak anymore through her crying. "We will tell you all that we can," he said quietly, his voice catching in his throat as well. "Just… please give us some time to think things through."

Dojima's shoulders fell. "We can't delay the process too much, but I'll see what I can do. You should still expect a call tomorrow." Before Hiroshi could respond, Dojima quickly said, "Just get some rest for now. I promise, we will do all that we can to help you and your family." Hiroshi nodded but said nothing. He seemed genuinely appreciative of Dojima's courtesy, but the detective did not particularly care at the moment. He saw himself in Hiroshi, a fear every parent has that had been made manifest this night for them: a child's death, and it was not even from some poor medical turn or random accident. An innocent life snuffed out by a monster, and this child's parents did not even have any experience with law enforcement that may put their family in danger like Nanako's.

He nudged Adachi in the shoulder, who was still taking notes, and motioned for him to follow. They left for their police car in silence, and barely spoke at all before returning to the station. Dojima did the absolute bare minimum required of him before quickly returning home, unable to relax until he saw his young daughter safe, asleep on their couch in front of the television. The news was still on, and he wondered if Nanako had seen any coverage of the murder. Without waking her, he carried her gently to bed and tucked her in, the tactile feeling of her weight and breathing offering him the slightest bit of peace after the events of the night.

It was some time before he finally fell asleep as well, only to be woken three hours later when he was called back into the station with not but a warm, not hot, mug of coffee to get him out the door. Though his greatest regret was that he was unable to talk to Nanako who was still asleep when he left the house.

…

Yosuke had taken the lead as they approached the remote backstreet where Saki had been murdered, walking with drive yet still somewhat frantic. Chie tried her best to calm him, but he rarely listened to her, becoming more single-minded as they approached the street.

Looking around, little was outright amiss. The street was quiet and almost entirely devoid of people with only the occasional one or two pedestrians walking toward the main road some ways ahead. Yet an uncomfortable dark air laid heavy over the area like fallout from the night's tragedy. Whether or not some malevolent force was at work, or it was entirely in their minds, none could say.

"The police cleaned up quickly," Yosuke remarked to the group. "I don't even see any signs of struggle."

Naoto had already been inspecting every detail of the area as best she could while they approached the street, her detective mind immediately overwriting all other thoughts and tendencies reflexively. She pointed upward and said, "The fire crew put a tarp over the powerlines up there, likely where they had to cut Konishi down. I wonder if there might be any blood or other signs of conflict up there that might be obscured by the tarp."

"That's a morbid thought," Chie remarked. "Ugh, how could something like this even happen? What connection did King Moron and Konishi-san even have to each other that the killer would be interested in?"

Yukiko added, "Sure, she went to Yasogami and probably had Morooka as a teacher at some point, but the same can be said for any number of people here. And she's been away for college recently, right, Yosuke?"

"Yeah, she was only back here briefly in between semesters; I think she was getting ready to leave, actually."

Yu said thoughtfully, "We don't even know what the killer's connection to Morooka was at this point, so it will probably be difficult to guess at what connected both of them to Konishi-san. We've been so busy with the gang lately that we're a few steps behind the killer, I think, so we should start putting details together however we can."

Futaba chimed in, "Any ideas? I mean, I could probably get into the police's database if you wanted. Would probably find at least something there."

"Whoa," Kanji's eyes widened. "You, like, some kind of tech wiz, Sakura-chan?"

Futaba hummed something self-satisfactory to herself with a knowing smirk. "I dabble a bit, yes. And by 'dabble', I mean I'm probably the best hacker you'll ever meet. But don't tell anyone or your bank account will suddenly cease to exist."

"Uh, noted," Kanji said awkwardly.

"Nah, I'm just teasing you," Futaba smiled. "You know, mostly."

Rise giggled to herself. "Akira met some pretty cool people while he was away. I wish we could have been there to see those adventures."

"You can hardly imagine," said Futaba quietly.

Yosuke stroked his chin for a moment in thought then snapped his fingers, an idea striking him like a punch. "Partner," he looked to Yu, "do you think Nanako might have heard something from her dad? I mean, it's at least a place to start that doesn't involve anything illegal. No offense, Futaba."

"None taken," she smiled innocently.

Yu replied, "It's possible, though I do know my uncle hasn't been around his home very much recently, even for him. It's a longshot, but she might have heard something."

Naoto added, "Perhaps a few of you should go ask her and the rest of us can stay in this area and ask the residents if they know anything about that night. Divide and conquer, as they say."

"Good idea, Naoto," Yosuke gave her a thumbs up.

"As usual," Kanji winked at her girlfriend, who turned away to hide a pleased blush.

Yu took Yosuke, Rise, and Futaba back to his uncle's house while Naoto, Yukiko, Chie, and Kanji remained near the crime scene, spreading out around the area to interview locals about the murder.

It was only a brief walk from the crime scene to Dojima's residence, the grisly nature of their visit made slightly better by the beautiful late-summer weather they were experiencing. Yu knocked on the front door when they came up to it, with no response for a moment until a young girl's sweet, innocent voice sounded off from behind the door.

"Who is it?" she called out.

"Me," said Yu casually.

The door quickly opened, and a young brunette girl appeared before them, her face alight with happiness and excitement. "Big bro!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up even more when she saw his friends behind him. "Hi, everyone!" she beamed. "Thanks for coming over!"

Every time Rise saw Nanako this joyful, she melted a bit on the inside, and quickly pulled the younger girl into a tight hug as they all exchanged greetings. Nanako was so excited by the sudden visit that she failed at first to notice the new, younger girl awkwardly standing behind the group, partially obscuring herself and holding her hands behind her back. "Oh, who is this?" Nanako asked plainly. "Did you make a new friend, big brother?" she looked to Yu.

Nodding, he replied, "Yeah, we did. We made lots of new friends, actually, since Akira came back."

"Akira is back!?" Nanako cried out, immediately forgetting about Futaba. "Why didn't you bring him here with you!?"

"He's busy right now, doing something important. And unfortunately, we're not here to hang out for the day, at least not right now. We actually wanted to ask you some questions about your dad's work."

Nanako looked to all of them with confusion and disappointment. She suddenly walked past them and up to Futaba, whose eyes began darting side to side as she anxiously played with her hair. "Are you a friend of Akira's?" Nanako asked her directly.

"U-um," Futaba stammered. "Yes, I am," she finally said, nodding slowly. "He's a really… cool guy."

Nanako nodded as well, a smile reappearing on her face. "He is! And he's strong too! Have you ever seen him fight?"

Futaba started to smile herself at the young girl. "I have. He's really something else. He even… saved my life once."

Nanako's eyes widened to be like saucers and her mouth fell agape. "Whoa! He saved you like a real hero?"

"He did. He really did."

"Well, then where is he!? He needs to tell me all those stories!"

"He'll be back soon. But we did need to have a chat about some important stuff too."

Nanako huffed and pouted with her arms crossed. "Okay then, come in." She led them into the small house, modest yet cozy and comfortable with a small kitchen across from the front room with the television and couch. They sat around the low-rising table, Futaba obviously shifting around uncomfortably in the new environment, and Nanako asked plainly, "This is about the murders, right?"

Everyone paused for a moment as they processed her sharp assessment of the situation. "Uh, yeah," Yu admitted. "This is about the murders, and the gang violence a couple days ago. We think they could be connected, at least possibly."

"Would be a hell of a coincidence if they weren't," said Yosuke. "Nanako, do you know about Sosuke Komaki?"

"He's the guy that got expelled from school for hitting Marie-chan, right? I remember seeing her crying as one of you got her an ice pack for her face," she said solemnly before saying in a bit brighter tone, "but I gave her a big hug, and that seemed to make her feel a little better. I still miss her a bit."

Rise nodded. "We all do, Nanako. And as it turns out, Sosuke is the one in charge of the gang that's come to town. He definitely never liked Morooka, and it just so happens that that night was the first murder. And now we have a second one."

Yu continued, "We're trying to gather info and see if there was any connection between the two, and we were wondering if your dad had ever said anything about it."

Nanako looked to the ground; she put her hands behind her back and ran her right foot along the floor with a frown. "Dad isn't around much. I don't get to talk to him, and he usually just sleeps when he's home."

Futaba muttered, "He probably does have a lot on his plate right now."

"I know he's busy trying to protect everyone, but still. It means I'm home alone most of the time. It was scary when the gang attacked and everyone was gone. Even you, Big Bro."

Yu's eyes shot open in embarrassment and he looked away from her. "Sorry, Nanako. I was actually out with Akira celebrating him coming back."

"And you didn't invite me!?" she balled her fists at her sides.

"It was a last-minute thing!" Yu defended himself as everyone tried not to laugh. "And it's not even my fault; Yosuke was the one that saw him first and told all of us except you!"

"Hey, don't blame me for this!" Yosuke protested. "I just got caught up in the moment and knew that Nanako would be at school! It was the middle of the morning! And you're her cousin, Yu! The idea obviously slipped your mind too!"

"I was… busy."

"What? Were you and Rise on a date or something?"

"Actually, yeah," Rise admitted. "We were out to brunch most of the morning."

Futaba said, "Trying to wrangle you guys must be like trying to DM a super chaotic D&D game."

"What's that?" asked Rise.

Yosuke huffed and crossed his arms. "An insult, Rise. Though not an incorrect assessment."

"She got us good, partner," Yu said defeatedly.

Nanako giggled in a light, sweet voice. "Your new friend is funny." Futaba smirked and pointed approving finger guns at the younger girl, who mimicked her in response.

"That was so cute that all is forgiven," said Rise. Everyone had a pleasant laugh after that before Yu continued.

"So, your dad hasn't said anything? Have they made any progress?"

"I think they're as confused as you are. I've been watching the news too, and they don't know either. That Saki girl just… died out of nowhere."

Yosuke said, "If the police have no idea, maybe it's because they're spread too thin due to the gang violence? They gotta be pulling their hairs out over that alone."

"Dad is worried about if putting Saki on the news was what made it happen though," said Nanako. "He's worried about putting anyone else on the TV in case the killer tries it again."

"We've been worried about that too," said Yu. "But you're sure you don't know anything, Nanako?" She shook head ashamedly. Yu got up and patted her on the head with a soft smile, and she seemed to perk up at that. "It's alright," he said with a nod. "We just wanted to check. If you find out anything, and it won't get you in trouble, can you make sure to tell us? We're trying to solve this mess just like your dad and the police."

Nanako nodded with a bright smile, bouncing up and down on her feet – she was the only one that did not notice. "Okay. I'll find out everything I can! I can probably spy on Daddy when he's back home and find out tons!"

"Uh, you don't need to spy, but we appreciate it, kid."

"But spying is fun though."

"And can get you in trouble."

"Pfft, okay," she resigned flatly. "I'll try to find out some stuff without spying on Daddy."

"Good girl," Yu gave her a thumbs up. "Alright guys, we should meet back up with the others and see if they found anything. Hopefully Akira and them won't be too far behind us."

"And hopefully they don't get into too much trouble," said Rise. "Those guys seem crazy."

They said their goodbyes, with all but Futaba giving Nanako a hug as they exited; they instead exchanged high-fives that seemed to greatly amuse Nanako, and they were on their way.

They reconvened near the crime scene, gathering up the rest of their friends on the street corner.

"Well," Yu rubbed the back of his head, "Nanako was a bust, unfortunately. Seems like Dojima has barely been home the past few days and she hasn't heard anything. Did you guys get anything out of it?"

Chie chuckled confidently and pumped her fist in the air. "I did!" she proclaimed. "I talked to this elderly lady a couple blocks down who said that she saw Saki interacting with a delivery man late at night from her window. She didn't think it was anything too crazy, so she said she didn't watch the whole thing, but when she looked back a moment later, the car was driving away but Saki wasn't there."

Kanji said, "I know one of the shop owners around here through my mom and textile shop and they live in the same area. He said that he saw a delivery truck around the same time too in the area. It was late at night so he thought it was weird as well."

Naoto added in a serious tone, "When we put the information together, we went to the Konishi liquor store and got to ask her father about it. He said, to our surprise, he had no idea a delivery was occurring that night and that they never received one at the store. Whoever was operating the delivery truck must have cornered Saki on her way home."

"Now we're finally getting somewhere," Yosuke remarked sharply.

Yukiko continued, "They even said that the police had never mentioned a delivery truck to them at all, and that statements had already been taken from some nearby residents. We're all wondering how we got ahold of this information and the police didn't."

"That is definitely strange," said Yu. "We don't have a terribly big police force around here, but there's no way they'd miss something this easy to find out."

Rise said, "Maybe you should talk to your uncle about it, Yu? I mean, unless it would get us in trouble for looking into it while an investigation is going on."

Futaba cleared her throat obviously to get everyone's attention. "Sounds a bit like either woeful incompetence or someone 'lost' some notes. I've heard plenty about cases like this from my family." Her eyes narrowed, becoming lost in thought for a second, seemingly entirely elsewhere mentally.

"I guess she'd know a thing or two about that," Kanji remarked. "But are we saying the police are actually in on all of this? I mean, it's still definitely a longshot."

"We can't say anything definitive yet," said Naoto. "But it's a possibility we should entertain, or at least pin for later review should other details arise."

Yosuke seemed particularly agitated by the whole discussion. "Guess we got nothing else to go off of right now. Dammit, this is getting complicated, and yet we're at a dead end." He turned back to Naoto and his girlfriend. "Were they able to give you any identifying details on the delivery truck? A brand or company maybe? Even a color?"

"That's where it gets sticky," Chie said frustratedly. "The one I talked to said it looked like a food delivery truck and that it was white."

Naoto said, "And the person I spoke to said it looked like it could have been from a television company. It was late at night, so it stands to reason that few people were able to get a good look at the truck's visual details. Therefore, we can't take their descriptions at face value. All we can assume is that a delivery truck was involved at the time of Saki's murder."

"And that the police either have no idea or someone has refused to say anything," Kanji added decisively. "Damn. Even in a small town like this, I guess you're not free from this kind of bullshit."

"Let's keep our heads on straight, guys," Yu urged them, sensing the building tension. "Once Akira and everyone are back, we'll go over everything we've learned and figure out what to do next, even if that means waiting a while, unfortunately."

While no one seemed happy about his conclusions, everyone ended up agreeing with little dissent and returned to the inn. Around lunchtime, the van and cars pulled back up to the inn as well, dropping Akira and his friends off, including the two newcomers, yet Anri stayed in the vehicle nursing her aching muscles. She had suffered no significant injuries, but she would be damned if it did not feel like it. Yukiko came out to greet them but immediately swung into action when she saw the state Anri was in.

"Kurusu-san!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay? What happened to you!?"

Anri forced a tired smirk. "Just got in a bit of a tussle, is all. And was reminded about how I'm pretty damn old. Nothing some bedrest won't fix."

"Perish the thought," Yukiko insisted. "Please come in. We can offer you a massage and hot springs visit on the house."

"That's sweet, but you really don't—"

"I insist," Yukiko interrupted her and helped her get out of the van. Akira helped her get his mother inside where she was taken to the back of the inn near the spa and hot springs by two female employees dressed in yukata. Anri insisted she could walk on her own, but was immediately interrupted by a stumble, and quietly resigned to the employees escorting her to the spa area.

Ann and Akira watched her go from the steps leading up to their rooms. "Now I know where you get it from," she remarked.

"Get what?"

"Your stubbornness. You don't like to lean on others, just like your mom. Literally, in her case right now."

Akira's lips pursed at her summation. "She always did say I took after her," her muttered, watching the door to the spa close behind his mom. He knew she would be alright - she was not even injured. But his chest still tightened as he saw her bruised, sluggish body disappear from sight. "I'm working on it though."

"I know," she squeezed his hand supportively. "I'm glad."

He responded with a soft smile and softer kiss on the cheek before they reunited with their friends. Ann giggled, not yet used to physical affection again; it had been quite a while since she was last in a relationship. But the familiar openness with each other felt sort of like riding a bike: you never forget how you do it once you learn, even if it has been a long time since you last had the opportunity to try. And she was most pleased to see him calm after his confrontation with Sosuke, though she still worried he might be putting on a strong face.

But he did say he was working on that part of himself, so Ann hoped that she might open up to her or all their friends if something continued to bother him.

The group's conversation took some time, catching everyone up on the day's events. Akihiko and Emi were not present. Fumiya explained that they had gone into town to lay low for a bit, and that he would be joining them when everyone was caught up. After the explanations, he took his leave in a hurry, leaving the rest of the group to ponder in a moment of silence.

Akira finally spoke up, "So, we can assume for now that this murderer drives a delivery van and that's how he got Saki, but this whole thing with the police has me even more concerned. Yu, think you can talk to your uncle about it? Maybe see if they're actually aware of anything?"

"He's not gonna like knowing that we've been snooping around the crime scene, but if he's actually in the dark about an important detail on his own case, I bet he'll be able to look past it when I fill him in. He takes his job seriously, but he's not an idiot."

Makoto continued, "I would say that it might prove dangerous if the police were somehow in on the murders, but that's highly improbable given the situation and small size of the town. Therefore, I'd agree with Shirogane-san that there could be a rogue element at play here."

"But would this bring the killer's attention on us?" Haru asked nervously. "I've had more than enough of kidnappings for my lifetime, thank you."

Chie said, "I still cannot believe that you guys can just say that kind of thing now. It's like Akira got whisked away to some kind of yakuza movie or something."

Yukiko chuckled to herself. "Maybe they'll be able to make a movie about it one day. I think it would be quite exciting - a real blockbuster."

Yosuke added, "Maybe even make it into a video game? The way Akira fights would look pretty slick on an arcade machine, you know."

Chie was getting more excited with every word her boyfriend uttered. "Oh, I'd play the hell out of that! Making it into a video game would really make you feel like a dragon!"

"As long as we all get royalties," Ryuji smirked.

Makoto grimaced and sighed. "Can we all stay on topic, please?"

"I concur," said Naoto. "We really should focus on the task at hand."

"I dunno, I think it sounds pretty cool," Kanji replied flatly.

Naoto closed her eyes to calm her growing annoyance. "That's very good, dear."

Yu continued, "Well, at least I should have an opportunity to talk to my uncle in private, hopefully. The Autumn Festival starts tonight, remember?"

"Oh god!" Chie exclaimed. "I totally forgot about that! I was worried they were going to cancel it due to everything going on around here."

Yukiko shook her head. "It's still going on, yes. Very fortunate of them to move the venue down the river this year away from the city, I think. We're expected to get plenty of customers this afternoon, so I don't know if I'll be able to go, but you all should feel free to enjoy yourselves!"

"What's the Autumn Festival?" Kasumi asked.

Akira explained, "Toward the end of summer every year, the town holds a festival season where stands and shops are set up by the river for the three weekends before the Autumn solstice, which is the last night of the festival. It's mostly a chance for local store owners to reach out to the community, bring everyone together, and encourage community service since a lot of the work is done through volunteers that come out to help with the actual civic workers."

Rise happily said, "It's kind of the highlight of the year around here. We have some pretty fun winter stuff too, but the Autumn Festival is where the real magic is. There's food and games and fireworks, even dancing! And all the ladies get to dress up in yukata! The boys can as well, of course."

"Yukata!?" Ann exclaimed, her eyes lighting up like stars. "Oh my god, I didn't bring anything fancy to wear! Ugh, the one time I'm not prepared with one bit of fancy clothing is the one time I need it, of course!" Her happiness quickly turned to frustration as she thought of standing under the starry sky exploding with fireworks beside her new boyfriend and being the only woman there not in radiant yukata. For shame! she shouted internally, then barely stifled a blush as she thought of Akira standing in that same bright light of the fireworks in his own yukata, showing off his strong shoulders as the moonlight illuminated his eyes by the river—

Goddammit, it's like I'm sixteen again! What has this boy done to me!? Though… it does feel kind of nice to be getting this worked up over simple, happy things again…

Yukiko laughed so hard at her outburst that she snorted, grabbing everyone's attention. "Relax, we have plenty we can loan to you ladies if you'd like to participate. They've been used, yes, but we can find some in your sizes. Same for the boys."

"That would be marvelous," said Yusuke smoothly. "It has been too long since I last got to enjoy a night out in yukata. I would be honored if you could lend me something, even if it is not the fanciest thing in the world."

"That…" Makoto spoke up before catching herself, lowering her head. "Actually sounds kind of nice…"

"A well needed break," said Haru. "Let's just hope nothing exciting happens while we're out."

"Knowing us," said Futaba, "I'd be more surprised if something didn't happen."

"Please don't say anything like that," Kasumi sighed. "I already can't imagine how many years this whole mess has taken off my lifespan, and I'm the newest member of the group!"

"But we're all still here, aren't we?" Akira asked, his trademark confident smile appearing on his face. "Maybe we deserve to celebrate it a little bit?"

Ryuji pumped his fist in the air with a wide, boyish grin. "Alright! It's party time, boys and girls! And I don't know about any of you, but I'm gonna make the most of it! I haven't been to a festival in years!"

"I don't think I ever have, really," said Haru. "At least not as regular attendee. My father and I would just watch from a private suite or restaurant instead of actually partake in the festivities."

"It's settled then," Yosuke smiled. "Operation: Festival shall now commence!"

"Operation: Festival?" Chie asked, eyebrow raised. "That's really the best you could come up with?"

"I'm working on it! I only just pulled that out of the air! It's a work in progress, okay?"

Chie giggled mischievously. "You're cute when you're frustrated, baby."

Yosuke facepalmed in defeat. "All these years, and I still walk right into those like it's a fucking open door."

"That's why I love ya," Chie smiled and hugged him. "Well, a small part of it."

Everyone laughed jovially at the sickeningly sweet display, even Yosuke softening up almost immediately. "Love you too," he murmured so only she could hear.

Akira nodded approvingly at how friendly everyone was getting. He hoped Fumiya was doing alright, but as strong as the guy was, he felt he could rest assured that he and his sister would be okay. It seemed they had a lot to talk about, and likely needed some privacy for that reason.

But for now, he merely hoped that this calm, happy mood could last for just one uninterrupted night. It felt familiar, seeing all his friends getting along and happily making dumb jokes, fraternizing with each other; two friend groups from two totally different worlds acting as if they had known each other for years. He had been back in town for a little while, but for the first time in what felt like, so long, Akira felt like he was truly home.

[Reviews are encouraged and welcome. Special thanks to my beta reader and editor, KweenPotato.]