鳴上 悠

"One, two…kanpai!"

Cheers rang out, followed by the chime of glass cups bouncing off of each other. Beer and shochu splashed in the air, mingling with the thick aroma of liquor and frying oil. Yellow lamps swung from creaky wooden rafters, burning the wheat-colored drinks into a sunset golden hue.

Izakaya Shiroku was rowdy that evening, its modest tables crowded with a little less than a dozen men who shouted in merriment and heartily threw back their drinks.

Yu titled his head back and took a cautious sip from his pint glass. Overwhelming bitterness flooded his mouth, and he struggled not to wrinkle his nose in distaste.

He felt a hand land on his shoulder and turned to see his uncle grinning at him. "What's the matter, Yu? Not a fan?" Peering over Dojima's shoulder, he could see that the other men sitting with them at their dining table were watching him intently.

In the hours that followed Amamiya's release from the police station, Dojima had dragged him and the rest of the team out for drinks and food. Preoccupied as he was with moving in, his new assignment, and dealing with potential Shadow threats, Yu hadn't gotten the opportunity to meet all of the men in the investigative department—until now.

Not wanting to be impolite, Yu shook his head and replied, "It's alright. But when you said earlier that you had something for me, I wasn't really expecting…this."

"Hey, no need to be tense," his uncle encouraged. "This is your welcome party, after all. It's customary. Oh, right—we should probably get the formalities out of the way."

Dojima stood, pulling Yu up with him, and slapped him firmly on the back. The pain had him straightening out his spine, and he heard the detective declare, loudly, "Alright, listen up! As you all know by now, we've got a new member on our team. Go on, introduce yourself to the guys."

Crowding two whole tables and the entire booth seat between were the men of the criminal investigation division. Most of them were older than he was, probably around Dojima's age, though there were a few who seemed to be in their twenties as well.

Yu's muscles tensed up as he was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. For a brief moment, his mind went blank on what to say.

Then, a memory surfaced from the deep.

Here's where you'll be working from now on.

A woman smiles at him, confidence swinging in her every step.

I'm counting on you, Narukami. We all have high hopes for you.

The sting of his fingernails digging into his palms forced the memory back. He clenched his fists tighter and took in a deep breath.

"I'm Yu Narukami," he began, forcing a slight smile. "I may be lacking in experience compared to the rest of you all, but I'll be doing my best to support the team. Thanks for having me."

The men clapped enthusiastically, some cheering light-heartedly. Dojima rolled his eyes and added, "Oh, and don't even think about hazing the kid just because he's my nephew, alright? We may be family, but he's getting the same treatment as the rest of you lot." That earned them a few laughs.

As Yu sat back down, a young detective who looked to be only a few years older than him—Kawasaki, if he remembered correctly—asked, "So, Narukami. How old are you again?"

"I'm turning twenty-three soon," he replied.

"You're still pretty young then! I heard you gave a bunch of officers a proper talking to for stepping out of line earlier today. The girls from administration were talking all about it—the dapper young lad with a charming smile, was it?"

"Oh, that," Yu said, embarrassed. He reached for one of the laminated paper menus piled in the box on the corner of the table to distract himself. "The student they brought in for questioning was someone I knew, so I admit I got a bit heated. I may have acted out of line there."

"Naw, you're totally fine," the other guffawed, turning to chug down his beer. "Since we're a pretty small branch out in the middle of nowhere, sometimes people like to gloss over formalities and rules for the sake of convenience. If you see that happening, feel free to give them what for!"

"You mean like yourself?" Dojima shook his head at the younger detective, before turning to look at Yu from over his jug of beer. "So you and the student are acquainted?"

"Yes. I ran into Amamiya-kun last night," Yu explained. "We…ended up talking for a while, and so I wound up coming home late."

"Ah, so that's the one," his uncle muttered, flagging down a passing server. "Strange coincidence that you'd run into him of all people. Though I suppose you've always attracted trouble to yourself, somehow. Want something to eat, by the way? It's all being paid for by the company, so no need to hold back."

Yu perked up, curious. "You know of him?" Nodding at the waiter, he said, "I'll have an order of the karaage, garlic edamame, and cucumber salad, please."

"Right away, sirs." The waiter hurried off to the kitchen, and the conversation resumed.

"Who doesn't? His case was big news back then—a highschooler assaulting someone in a backwater place like this?" Kawasaki chimed in. "We thought it was rare back then, but nowadays, things like that happen every other month."

Dojima grunted humorlessly, pausing to take a swig from his beer glass. "The kid's family lived in Okina so we weren't the ones in charge of dealing with the aftermath of the incident, but it wasn't long before word broke out about what their son did." He set the cup down with a loud thump and wiped creamy foam from his scraggly mustache. "They all moved to Inaba soon after. Sounded like they were getting harassed by their neighbors—though, I doubt they had it much easier here than back there. Consequences have a way of following people, after all. You can't run away from your past, no matter how hard you try."

"I see…" Yu frowned. Amamiya's tired face, far too worn for someone of his age, reemerged in his vision. "Regardless of his record, I can promise you that he's not involved in the case."

His uncle hummed. "As long as you think he's innocent, I won't complain. I trust your good judgment."

Yu lowered his head. "Thank you."

The shop was cluttered with the sounds of chatter, drowning out the rest of their conversation. Yu couldn't bring himself to get invested in the small talk. He distractedly smiled and nodded along when questions were directed at him, offering only a few words of response when the situation called for it. Maybe it was because so much had happened that day that his brain felt oddly fuzzy—almost as if it was stuffed with cotton.

More than that, he was hungry. It was as if all of the food he had earlier that day had turned into dust in his stomach. As he rubbed his flattened belly with a mournful hand, more of his coworkers leaned in, eager to learn more about the new guy.

"By the way," one said. "I heard you transferred here from a division in the big city. What made you want to come all the way out here? I'm sure both the pay and the benefits are much nicer at bigger stations than this one."

"Hey, don't pry," Dojima sighed. "And it's not that bad here."

Yu let out an airy laugh, swirling the golden drink in his cup. "Well, there were a few reasons," he began, absentmindedly. He swallowed a mouthful of bitter liquor, blinking dazedly as the stuffy feeling in his head grew stronger. "In truth, a big reason I managed to get such a good position there was because a good friend and senior of mine referred me to the job. And as much as I appreciated the opportunity, I don't think that position was one I deserved. My presence there ended up causing more trouble than good…so I stepped down."

"O-oh," the others exchanged apprehensive looks. Dojima shook his head, disapprovingly. "I guess office politics can be more troublesome in bigger places, huh?"

Yu tried for a smile to lighten to mood. "Though, there was another big reason. I have precious friends and family here that I wanted to spend more time with."

As if relieved to divert the conversation topic, the men immediately broke out into teasing jabs and laughter. "Heh, that's a good way to look at things. Maybe you should take a page from your nephew's book, Dojima."

His uncle scowled, unamused. "Who are you, my mother?"

As the banter eased off of him, the server reemerged from the kitchen curtains, balancing hot plates in his arms.

"Your order of fried chicken, garlic edamame, and pickled cucumbers!"

The dishes were placed on the table right in front of him, each steaming the air with the enticing aroma of freshly prepared food. His hands reached for the wooden chopsticks and pried them apart with a clean snap. He folded back the sleeves of his sweater and swiftly dug into the appetizers, popping a piece of each between his lips.

The juicy hot flesh of the karaage, enveloped in a salty crust of deep fried flour; the savory, slightly bitter taste of edamame, accented by the tang of fried garlic; not least, the light crunch of sour cucumber, a refresher for the first two dishes.

Admittedly, it wasn't the best food he'd ever had, but there was a certain charm to the flavors. It was the taste of Inaba—handmade, fresh(?), and local—and one that Yu had come to sorely miss in his time away.

Dojima glanced at him, almost apprehensive, as he ate. "You're…ravenous today, aren't you? Were you always this big of an eater?"

"C'mon, Detective Dojima," an older detective chided playfully. "He's still a growing young man. It would be weirder if his appetite wasn't so big!"

"You're still growing? How many centimeters do you get up to now?"

Yu smiled awkwardly, chopsticks poised midair. "I don't think I'm at the age to be getting taller anymore, but last I checked I think around one-eighty…?" He raised a hand to call on a passing waiter. "Excuse me, can I have another refill of edamame? And a glass of oolong tea, please."

"Well, careful not to eat too much. You don't want to fill yourself up before—" Dojima stopped himself with a cough. "What I mean is, you're going to get a stomach ache if you eat too much."

Yu tilted his head, wondering what the detective meant to say, but was interrupted by the sound of his phone buzzing. He picked it up and pressed the device to his ear, straining to hear over the incessant chatter.

"Yes, hello?"

"Big bro? Are you and Dad going to be out late?"

"Nanako?" Yu stood up and quietly excused himself from the table. Finding a relatively quiet spot in the back of the bar near the toilets, he replied, "Yeah, we are. Did Uncle not tell you?"

"He told me, don't worry," came the casual response. In the background, Yu could hear the faint static of wind blowing on the microphone, and her uneven puffs of breath. "I just wanted to double check so I don't make too much for dinner. I'm sure Dad's getting drunk right now, so I called you instead. Have fun at the party!"

Yu frowned, eyes narrowing. "You're not at home right now, are you? What are you doing out so late?"

He heard her muffled gasp. "H-huh? No, I'm just…I'm on my way home from my friend's house. We were out studying late for exams."

"Is that so?" Yu put a disapproving hand on his hip. Despite knowing that she couldn't see him, he hoped that she would be able to read his concern from the tone of his voice. "You shouldn't be wandering out at night regardless. Uncle and I have already told you how unsafe it is in town these days."

"I know, Big Bro," Nanako said breezily. "I'm sorry. We just lost track of time. I'll be home really soon, so don't worry! Take your time, and bring some to-go home if you have any cake left over, okay?"

"Cake?" They don't sell western desserts at bars, Yu wanted to protest, but Nanako hurriedly cut him off.

"Oh—er, I'm about to get on the bus. Gotta hang up. See you soon!"

"Wha—Nanako! Call me when you make it back home, okay?"

The call ended, and Yu was left with a strange sense of foreboding. She was a poor liar—for which he was both relieved and worried about. What could she possibly need to hide from him at her age?

As he rounded the corner from the restrooms, Yu was once again distracted by the sound of people whispering nearby. He slowed down on reflex, trying to make out the words.

"...he's done. Any second now-"

"...up! Do you want to be any more obvious?"

Yu's lips quirked. So that's what this is about. Subtlety eluded them, even after all these years.

Predictably, the moment he stepped back out into the dining area, he was jumped by a pair of gaudy, overzealous miscreants.

"Surprise!"

With an eager shout, a massive slice of cake was abruptly thrust into his face. Perched atop the cream frosting was a single, red candle flickering with smoke. Yu stared down at it, cross-eyed, before turning his attention to the pair grinning at him from the other end of the plate.

"Yosuke, Chie," he said, doing his best to seem surprised. "What are you two doing here?"

Chie Satonaka lowered the cake and shot her partner in crime a dirty glower. "Look, he wasn't scared at all. It's all your fault. I bet you let something slip earlier."

Yosuke doubled back, offended. "What? Why is it my fault? We pull the same stunt every time—it's no wonder he's sick of it! At this point we're just trying to find new ways just to get a reaction out of him."

Yu stepped between them, preventing further bickering, and guided back to his table.

"Hey, Chie," he smiled, genuinely glad to see her again after so long. "It's been a while since I last saw you. And—Yosuke—we saw each other earlier today already. Was this really necessary?"

"It's tradition," the two said in unison. Yosuke coughed, embarrassed and added, "Plus I wanted to check up on you. You didn't seem so hot earlier."

Dojima waved at them from his seat. "So did it work out?" Looking at the two's dejected faces, he chuckled and said, "Guess it was another bust, huh? Maybe with a bit more originality, you'll get him to flinch next time."

"Man, no need to rub it in…" Yosuke whined.

"It was definitely a bit more elaborate than before," Yu encouraged. "You got Uncle and Nanako in on it too. She called me just now—I guess that was part of the distraction plan?"

"Bingo," Chie grinned. "How'd you figure it out? I guess it's hard to get little things by smart-aleks like yourself."

"Well," Yu trailed off with a laugh. Neither of them were good at hiding things…but he supposed he could keep that fact to himself, for future convenience's sake. "Intuition, I suppose? By the way, Uncle, how is Nanako doing at school? Sounds like she's studying hard for her final exams."

"Huh? Did she mention that she had tests?" Dojima scratched his head, seeming confused.

Chie laughed heartily. "C'mon, Mr. Dojima. I bet she mentioned it but you probably weren't paying attention."

The old detective sighed, his breath smelling of booze. "Honestly? I wouldn't be surprised. My memory isn't the same as it used to be." He looked up at Yu and his friends, waving them off. "Anyways, go and have fun. I'm sure you young ones would much prefer each others' company than that of a bunch of drunkards."

An enthusiastic Chie dragged Yu by the sleeve of his coat, pulling him towards an empty table in the corner of the izakaya. "Alright, we'll be borrowing him for a bit, then. C'mon! You gotta blow the candle out!"

"It's not my birthday, you know," Yu said, good-naturedly. But as they sat themselves down, he blew the flame out regardless. She cheered, as did Yosuke, and the two slid into the booth seat across from him.

Chie looked like she'd just come back from a holiday vacation: her skin was freshly tanned, and her honey hair was windswept and wavy, curling around her jaw and neck. She wore a loose green Hawaiian shirt, its hems tied together into a knot around her abdomen, and underneath was a pale white tank top. Blanketing her shoulders was a thick, feathered, army green bomber jacket—one that Yu recognized as belonging to Yosuke.

Noticing his look, she explained, "It's colder here than I thought it would be. I realized I made a grave mistake in my choice of clothes when I stepped off the plane into the airport."

"What do you mean? It's literally the middle of November," Yosuke retorted. "Where even where you, anyways? All you said was that you would be going away on a bootcamp somewhere."

Chie reached over to grab a menu of her own, and she scanned the food and drink items intently.

"Okinawa."

"Oh," they both said. Yosuke sat up straighter, face twisting with indignation. "Wait, you went on a vacation to Okinawa? And you didn't even bother to invite any of us?"

"I said it was a bootcamp," Chie said dryly. "A bunch of officers in training from divisions all around the Kanto region met up for a martial arts meet. It wasn't all fun and games, you know. We were out in the sands practicing every single day, and we barely even had time to go sightseeing. I swear, half of this coloration is from bruising."

She flaunted her arms, making Yosuke sigh. "Well it sure sounds a hell of a lot like you're bragging."

"It must have been pretty difficult, then." Yu spun the slice of cake around. It was a vanilla chiffon topped with a colorful medley of fruits—strawberries, grapes, blackberries, and slivers of kiwi. Fluffy layers of pale whipped cream were coated over the top and stuffed between layers of spongy bread. The cake box sat partially opened at the corner of the table with the rest of the dessert safely tucked inside. "Did you manage to win first place, Chie?"

Chie grinned, pulling a folded piece of paper from her jeans pockets. It unfurled as she held it up into the air, stamped with bold print. It read: Winner of the 11th Kanto Police Force Martial Arts Tournament, Women's Bracket.

Yu hummed, impressed. "That's our Chie. Seems like you've only gotten better at fighting over the years."

"Figures," Yosuke said, masking his praise with nonchalance. "You were featured on TV last year too, right? I remember there was a short bit on a certain female 'kung-fu enthusiast-'"

Chie turned pink, slamming her hands over Yosuke's half opened mouth. "Oh, shut up about that already, will you? God, do you have to bring that up every time?" She fanned herself and plopped back down, sighing. "Anyways, that's enough about me. Let's put in a few orders while we're here and catch up a bit. It's been a while since I've seen you back in Inaba, Yu-kun. Anything interesting going on in your life?"

Yu made a contemplative sound as he scooped a morsel of the fruit cake into his mouth. It was light, creamy, and mildly sweet, just the way he liked it. The delicate, slightly moist bread crumbled apart easily in his mouth, contrasting with the slight chew and sourness of the fruits.

"Simple," he murmured, savoring the flavors. "But satisfying."

"That's the way to live, isn't it?" Chie lamented. She waved one of the servers down, continuing, "Things were simpler back when we were young. There's too much to think about these days."

Yosuke made a face. "Uh, I think he was talking about the…never mind."

"I'll have two orders of yakitori and yakiniku skewers. Oh, and a pint of Sapporo too."

Yosuke chimed in as well, "I'll have the same thing she's having." They both turned to Yu, who had been preoccupying himself with his slice of cake.

"You're not drinking?"

Yu shook his head. "I already had a bit. And I'm not very good with alcohol." He fanned himself off as he spoke. He'd barely had a full glass and he was already feeling a bit tipsy.

"I guess between you and Dojima-san, one of you should make it home sober." The waiter walked away with their orders, and Yosuke's expression suddenly grew serious. "Anyways, as much as I'd like to just sit around and chat, we've got some important things to talk about." He turned and inclined his head at Yu. "I was going to give Chie a rundown of the situation, but I think it'll be better to hear the details from your own mouth."

The policewoman perked up. "Right, you did mention that you two had some news for me. Yukiko said she couldn't come today, but I can fill her in later if we need to."

Yu clearing his throat with a sip of tea. "It's a bit of a long story."

Talking in hushed tones, so as not to be overheard by nearby tables, Yu launched into a detailed retelling of his journey into what he now dubbed the cyber world. He described the two persona-users he'd encountered and the shadow he'd fought—details that Yosuke had already heard, but adding onto the story, this time, was his re-encounter with Amamiya at the station, as well as the strange system notification he'd received not just a few hours ago. Yu was careful to omit the details about Amamiya's identity and the deal they struck, but the important take-away was: "We've both agreed to do something about the situation, if or when the time calls for it."

Hot dishes and cold drinks were ferried to their table sporadically as he spoke, and every time a server walked nearby, the three turned and smiled innocuously, pretending that they were instead discussing the weather. After the fourth time or so of them casually commenting about the impending rainfall to any wandering employees, Yu finished his story and soothed his dry throat with a sip of iced tea.

Chie, though clearly disturbed by Yu's recounted experiences, grabbed a skewer of grilled steak and began gnawing on it intently.

"Another TV world, huh," she mumbled, curling her lips. "But this time in your phone? More persona users too? That's…a lot to take in."

"You know that Yu's not one to embellish details or lie about things," Yosuke said, crossing his arms. "Still, I'm surprised you met that highschooler again so soon. It can't be fun, being brought to the police station for petty nonsense—hell, we would know." He glanced up at Yu, and they both grinned wryly.

"Oh, I believe you're telling the truth, so don't worry about that. Considering all that we've been through, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, but it all feels like it's come out of nowhere. It's been how many years since something like this has happened?" The policewoman sighed and took a big gulp from her beer glass.

"To be fair, we can't be certain that this is the first time another world of shadows has appeared since our time inside the TV," Yosuke reasoned back. He matched her pace as she drank, setting his now half-empty cup down. "You remember the Shadow Operatives, right? They had a whole thing going on long before we even awakened to our personas, and nobody had any clue about it. Who knows how many more incidents like that have happened over the years that we were just unaware of?"

Chie grimaced and rubbed her arms, as if she was cold. "Well, when you put it that way, it makes it sound like maybe this Amamiya-kun and Morgana went through something similar. Ugh…it gives me the creeps to even think about it. But, you know, now I'm really curious to meet those two. They probably have a bunch of interesting stories to tell."

Yu drank from his cup, hoping his expression remained even. Considering that the highschooler masqueraded as a Phantom Thief in his free time, he was almost certain that the boy had a wealth of fascinating stories in his arsenal. Whether or not he would be willing to divulge his secrets, however, was another matter.

"But, god, I really hope it's not gonna snowball into something really big like last time," Chie groaned. "I don't know if I can handle another throwdown with a pseudo-god, or a world-ending maniac."

"That's the hope," Yu agreed. "But we're can't say for sure. The plan is to be prepared for whatever's to come."

"By the way," Yosuke said, frowning as the thought came to him. "You said that the app appeared on your phone too? That phone is a new model—I swear, we literally just got those shipments in the other day. How did it show up so suddenly?"

"Maybe someone tampered with it?" Chie offered.

"I don't think so," Yu said, shaking his head. He drew out his smartphone and passed it to Yosuke, who began intently scrutinizing the device. "It definitely wasn't on the phone when I first got it, nobody's touched it since, and Amamiya-kun's phone did the same thing too."

"Woah, it actually is here. This is the one, isn't it? ImpulseVR," he said, flipping the screen around for them both to see.

Yu nodded as Chie leaned in closer, squinting to read the text. "ImpulseVR? I get the impulse part, but what's VR mean?"

"Um…" Yu tilted his head in thought. "Maybe 'voice recognition?' Or 'Velvet Room?'"

"What the heck is Velvet Room?" Yosuke shook his head, exasperated. "You're seriously telling me you don't know what VR means? What are you guys, fossils?"

"Well excuse me for not knowing all your fancy-pants internet-lingo," Chie snapped back sarcastically. "Unlike you, some of us are too busy to be online twenty-four-seven."

Yosuke recoiled, offended. "Hey, I'm plenty busy too," he grumbled. "It means 'virtual reality,' by the way. It's a pretty popular term these days—I'm surprised you haven't heard of it."

Virtual reality. Yu's fingers tapped against his chin in thought. An apt name.

"Oh, I think I've heard of that. I saw it in an anime recently," Chie chimed in. "But apps usually have to be manually downloaded, right? If you aren't doing it, then who is?"

"My best guess is that it appears spontaneously, or it deliberately targets certain people," Yu offered.

Chie screwed up her face in disgust. "So it's sentient? That's…unsettling."

The three shared a moment of restless silence.

Yosuke cleared his throat and returned Yu's phone back to him. "Well, it's still hard to say for sure. Only Yu and the highschooler have it, and that's not exactly a big enough pool of people to be able to draw conclusions from." Yosuke reached over the table and nabbed a stick of grilled chicken off of Chie's platter, earning him a slap on the wrist. "We also don't know if there's something that triggers it either. Speaking of, do you remember if anything happened between this afternoon and finding the app on your phone?"

"Well…no, nothing of note," he murmured, mind wandering back the the events of the day. He distractedly popped a strawberry into his mouth, humming softly. "Oh, right. I do remember that I saw a glitch on my phone screen earlier. Maybe that was it?"

"A glitch?"

Yu turned his phone around, pointing towards where Impulse now made its home in his application library. "Yeah, around here. I thought it was just a bug because it was a new phone, but it's gone now. I noticed it while we were eating lunch at Junes."

Yosuke frowned and crossed his arms, giving Yu a pointed look. "At that time, huh? You also suddenly looked really sick out of nowhere. I wouldn't be surprised if all of that was connected—something else to watch out for, I guess. Make sure you don't go messing around and pressing random things on your phone from now on."

Chie leaned in closer and scanned Yu's face, pursing her lips. "You weren't feeling well? I guess that makes sense—using your persona takes a lot of stamina and that Shadow you fought sounded pretty tough. Here, have some meat."

Yu accepted the skewer gratefully and smiled in reassurance. "Oh, I'm fine now. I was barely hurt at all." He honestly felt pretty normal at the moment, if not a bit flushed from the drinks. Though, as he chewed absentmindedly on a cube of steak, his mind wandered back to the mysterious Amamiya and his many well-guarded secrets. They had been well hidden, but the bruises on his pale skin were unmistakable. He'd seemed fine before, but…

"I'm more concerned about Amamiya-kun, to be honest. He seems to have a lot on his plate," Yu muttered, thinking aloud. He had agreed to strike a deal with the highschooler against his better conscience, but he really just wanted an excuse to keep an eye on him. There was a certain look in the highschooler's dark eyes that put him on edge, though he wasn't sure why or what it meant. "I'm glad I was there when it happened. Otherwise he might have been dealing with this all on his own."

The two exchanged amused looks across the table.

"Ever the busy-body, I see." Yosuke leaned back and finished off the rest of his drink. "You're always worried about other people—why not focus on yourself for a change?"

Chie elbowed Yosuke in the ribs and reached over to pat Yu's arm. "Don't mind him. He says that, but Yosuke really admires that part of you—and the same goes for me, of course. We'll be there to help when you need us."

Yu smiled, a bit embarrassed. "Thanks for that."

Yosuke clapped Yu's side, a smug grin on his face. "Then I this means that the Investigation Team is back in action! Wait, do I have to get ready to fight shadows again? Because I am so not in shape anymore."

"And no one is surprised," Chie scoffed. "Anyways, if we're all gonna be going all in on this shadow situation, we should keep the others updated. Even if they're too busy to join us now, they'll probably want to be in the know, at least."

"I know that Kanji's still in school to finish up his degree, and Naoto mentioned that she was travelling up North for a commission," Yosuke said, sifting through his contacts. "Any word from Rise, Yu?"

"From Rise?" He tilted his head in thought, biting down on the last of the grilled steak and vegetables. "She told me last week that she would be finishing up a tour across the country for her newest album, and that her schedule would be winding down a bit soon."

"Hey, but what about Teddie?" Chie asked. She pointed her skewer in Yosuke's direction, waggling it at him in curiosity. "You two are usually attached at the hip, but I haven't seen him once since coming back."

Yu frowned as well. "Where is Teddie, actually?"

"About that…" Yosuke sighed even to recall it, running an exasperated hand through his choppy hair. "Recently, I got him into watching old movies so that he would stop pestering me all the time, but I guess he really took a shine to them. A few days ago he said something about going on a 'journey of self-discovery' and just…up and ran out of the house. Haven't so much as heard a peep out of him since."

Chie almost spilled her drink. "What? He just…left? On his own?"

"Yeah, I don't even know what to say." Yosuke shook his head. "He did take his phone with him, though. He'll probably call when he gets lonely."

"Uh, will he be okay by himself? What if he gets into trouble?" Chie pursed her lips, bothered.

Yosuke shrugged. "I'm sure Teddie's fine. He's gotten surprisingly good at managing on his own, and he's actually been saving up the money he got from working at the store. If anything, he's definitely not starving."

Despite his flippant words, Yu noticed the jittery bobbing of his friend's leg under the table, and the uneasy tapping of his fingers along the edge of his glass. Yu smiled.

"If he has his phone, then I'm sure he'll manage," Yu said, reassuring them both. "He's gotten a lot better acclimated to human society these days. Teddie knows how to look after himself."

Yosuke nodded, a bit reluctantly. "Yeah, you're right. If anything, he's got a lot of luck on his side. But I'll send him a text just in case. When he hears that you're back in town, he'll probably come running."

The three friends continued their talk between bites of food and drinks. Across the room, Yu saw the members of his team slowly beginning to trickle out of the bar in drunken pairs. Dojima, for his part, still seemed fairly sober, and was helping to traffic the other men out and in cabs on the way home.

He glanced down at his watch and figured it was about time to head back home. "We should leave soon," he began, glancing between the two. "Are you guys about ready to go?"

Chie's face was slightly flushed red. She emptied out her third cup and wiped foam from her chin. "Yeah, I'm good," she replied, sounding otherwise lucid. "Yosuke…?"

The man grumbled in response. "I'm fine, but—ugh—I might have had a bit too much. And I've still gotta finish preparing for the event tomorrow."

"Oh, that anti-thievery thing. It's in a few days, if I remember correctly," Chie grinned and turned to Yu. "Some of us at the station are going to be participating, if only just to make sure things stay civil. You planning on coming along too, Yu-kun?"

"You should come by and visit…for moral support," Yosuke grunted. "Urgh…I think I gotta go to the bathroom."

Chie groaned and stood up. "Oh geez…fine, get over here. I'll walk you," she said. Yu stood up as well to lend a shoulder, but Chie waved him off. "It's fine, I can handle it. Can you call us a cab? I think Yosuke rode his bike here, but I doubt he can ride home like this."

"Sure," Yu nodded. As the two hobbled to the bathrooms, he got up and made his way towards the entrance.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was met with a blast of soberingly cold wind. He drew his coat tighter to himself and shivered. Dojima was already there at the curbside, supporting another coworker—Kawasaki, he recognized—in his arms. The younger detective seemed completely out of it; his head lolled to the side as he mumbled barely audible gibberish at nobody in particular.

Dojima met Yu's eyes with a tired sigh.

"You're headed back?"

Yu nodded his head, raising an arm as a taxi car slowed down by the curb. "Yes, but I'm waiting for the others first. Are you?"

"I'm gonna send this guy back first," Dojima grunted, all but throwing the unconscious man into the backseat of the car. Yu helped his uncle settle the young detective upright against the leather seats, tucking all of his limbs safely along with the rest of his body. Dojima groaned, rolling his shoulders, and ducked inside as well. "He lives alone, so I'll just make sure he gets back safe. I'll be home right after, so don't you wait for me."

Yu stepped back to the safety of the curb, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The night air was prickled against his skin, slightly flushed from what little alcohol he'd consumed. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

His uncle nodded gruffly. "Yeah, I'll manage. He's a pain-in-the-ass, but this isn't the first time I've had to deal with an assistant like that." They both paused at that, and the distant look in Dojima's eye told Yu that they were both thinking of the same person. Yu couldn't help but laugh at the silence, and Dojima, after a moment, joined in with a soft chuckle.

He turned to the cab driver. "Take us here, to this apartment, please," and then closed the door. The cab window slid open a crack, and Dojima quickly added, "Don't stay out too late, Yu. If you plan on sleeping over your friend's, let us know. We don't want Nanako to worry."

With that, the taxi drove off, and Yu was left behind in the darkness of night, watching after the cab's dimming rear lights as it was engulfed by the fog.

Yu stood at the store-front and waited for another to show up. It was almost midnight, and he longed to go back home and nestle into the warmth of his blankets. To distract himself from the biting cold, he pulled out his cellphone and glanced at the bright white screen.

On it was a photo he didn't remember taking: it was of him, Yosuke, and Chie, sitting around the table in Shiroku's bar. The angle was adjusted to capture the expressions of the three adults as they talked, their expressions and gestures frozen in a snapshot of what appeared to be a spirited discussion. It seemed to have been photographed within the past hour or so, judging from the half-eaten state of the food piled around them.

One of them must have taken this, he mused. It would make for a nice commemorative photo: the first Investigation Team meeting in years, and a fond memory to look back on once this journey reached its inevitable conclusion.

As he glanced over the photo, Yu heard something buzz in his ears. The sound was so faint that he almost thought he was imagining things, or that maybe a small insect had flown by.

Then, without warning, came the pain.

As if someone had shone a flashlight into his eyes, Yu's vision instantly flooded with white. Electricity and heat arced through his brain, causing his entire body to seize up with pain. The buzzing grew louder.

Ghostly whispers muttered incoherently in the wind—he could almost make out words through the haze.

"...ulge…sel…"

The clatter of the restaurant behind him was drowned out into dull echoes—the pressure squeezing his head made him feel like he'd been submerged underwater.

Yu tried not to cry out. Light-headed and misty-eyed, he reached out to a nearby wall for support as his legs teetered unsteadily beneath him. His hand pressed into his brows, trying to push the pain back.

The hushed voices drew nearer, clearer than before.

"...you need to stop drinking more than you can handle."

"I didn't even have that much," came the protest. "And cut me some slack—it's been a while since I've had beer."

The ringing subsided like a receding tide. His head throbbed in tune with the intensity of his pounding heart.

"…waiting outside. Don't forget to grab your things."

Dark splotches blurred his vision, but the pain had become manageable. He blinked the stars from his eyes and wearily straightened back up.

What was that?

It had been so sudden. Was it because of the alcohol…?

As his friends walked out of the shop's front door, he composed himself and forced a casual smile.

"You all good now, Yosuke?"

The man nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yeah…all that liquid was giving me an upset stomach. I let out a bit so I'm better now, but I'm probably gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"That's what you get when you don't listen." Chie rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disapproval. "Hey, where's Dojima-san and the rest? Weren't they here like a minute ago?"

"They left first. He told me not to wait around for him," Yu said, voice surprisingly even. Sweat beaded at his temple, and he reached up with a still trembling hand to wipe it away.

"I guess that means it's time to call it a night." Yosuke stretched out his arms and glanced down the quiet street for passing vehicles. When he met Yu's eyes, he paused, then frowned, and leaned in to peer at his face. "Hey, you look kind of pale. Are you feeling alright?"

Yu turned away.

"I…think I might be a bit drunk," he admitted, pressing a cold hand to his cheek. It was just the beer, he thought, trying to convince himself.

"What? Not you too," Chie grumbled. "It's strange, though. I don't think you hardly drank at all…"

"To be fair, Yu's tolerance is…actually pretty bad," Yosuke said, though there was still a lingering suspicion in his narrowed eyes. "If you're feeling dizzy, you should probably go straight home and sleep. Do you want us to walk back with you?"

Yu shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Plus your guys' houses are in the opposite direction." As they spoke, another taxi car hummed down the street. The three flagged the vehicle down, waiting for it to roll to a stop at the front of the izakaya.

Chie nudged Yosuke inside first, before hopping inside after him. She looked back up at him through the window, concerned. "Well, if you're sure. Message us when you make it back home, okay? Oh, and don't forget about the cake. We got a flavor Nanako would like, so share it with her."

Yu nodded back, smiling. "I'll do that. See you guys later."

The car hummed down the dark road in a rolling cloud of smoke. Yu watched after them until he couldn't see or hear the vehicle anymore, and he let out a shaky breath. The headache had softened into a dull pulse. He could manage the walk back home easily enough.

I'm just tired, he assured himself, stepping back into the bar to grab the leftover cake. It probably hit harder since I haven't drank in a while.

The blinking lights from Izakaya Shiroku twinkled behind him as he began the slow trek through the shopping district, homewards.

Not another soul was out at this hour—all the other stores had long since closed for the day, and his only company was the flickering lights from the streetlamps and the chirping of winter crickets. The hazy fog cleared from his head as icy wind blew into his face. His breath formed silver clouds that swirled like smoke and dissipated into the black sky.

He knew the streets in Inaba like the back of his hand. There were some subtle differences, though. Vending machines had popped up in places where they hadn't been previously, some of the empty plots of land where kids had made their playgrounds were now shops, and the streets were repaved as more and more traffic found itself running through the city.

His thoughts wandered back to ImpulseVR, a lingering question tugging at the corners of his brain. If, like Yosuke had said, the cyberworld was meant to be a "virtual reality," then what reality was it trying to emulate?

Possibilities swirled ephemerally in his mind. Yu grimaced, feeling dizziness creep back into his head. His vision twitched with splotches of white and blue light. The quiet roads flickered—Yu saw rain beaten asphalt, lit by hundreds of glowing screens. The tiny houses and empty lots lit to life around him, replaced by towering skyscrapers and glass towers.

The low buzz returned.

Yu grit his teeth, closing his eyes. Stop.

He opened his eyes again. The dark Inaba streets stretched out ahead of him, not a trace of the cyberworld in sight.

A gust caressed the trees overhead, spraying droplets of water across the road. Yu flinched and covered his face as a light sprinkle dusted from the dark skies. He picked up his pace, shivering as the cold grew in strength.

The trip home took about twenty minutes at a relatively brisk pace, and by the time he rounded the street corner leading to the Dojima's residence, a fine layer of rain had gathered atop his coat. Surprisingly, the lights to the house were still on.

As Yu drew closer to house, he heard soft whispering coming from the front yard.

A voice he recognized to belong to Nanako murmured, "...home now. They'll be back soon so…"

And then, in reply, a deeper one: "...see you next week."

Footsteps pattered over the stone pathway, and their front gate creaked open loudly. The figure of a young boy, who's face or features he couldn't clearly make out because of the darkness, began jogging hurriedly down the road in the opposite direction. Moments later, a second person stepped out, her head peering down the street where the other had disappeared.

Nanako's head swiveled around and eventually found a stunned Yu, standing mere meters away from their driveway. The girl's eyes widened into moons, and her face turned as pale as a sheet. Her mouth opened and closed as rapid-fire explanations began pouring from her lips:

"B-big bro! That was…um…"

The box of fruit cake slipped from his hands and fell onto the floor with an unceremonious plop.

His younger cousin—his little sister's words were swiftly overshadowed by the tempest of thoughts raging through his mind.

A boy? Nanako—and a boy?

Yu felt his headache worsen.

"Nanako," he began, trying not to sound shaken. "Who was that?"

雨宮 蓮

Ren had a dream again. He hovered in swaying darkness, acutely aware of the presence of another. And, this time, it wasn't Lavenza.

Tap.

A shadow stared at him from the darkness of the depths. Strangely, though, it made no move to attack him, or even an attempt to approach. It simply stood there.

Watching.

Tap. Tap.

Ren was frozen in place. His body felt as if it bore the weight of the entire sea on top of it—he had not the strength to lift even a finger.

So all he could do was wait.

He stared back at the monster in the abyss—a creature he couldn't see or hear, but could feel with every screaming fiber of his being.

Tap, tap, tap—

The boy jolted violently awake to the sound of something rapping against his walls. It was so quiet that he almost thought he'd imagined it.

Ren lay in bed, still clammy with sweat, and waited to hear it again.

Silence filled the dark room. His ears adjusted to the sounds of his alarm clock ticking at his nightstand, and to the soft patter of rain drumming against the roof.

When nothing else happened, Ren felt his heart begin to settle down.

A bad dream, he thought, and Ren felt himself drift off again.

Tap, tap, tap.

His eyes snapped open once more at the foreign noise—this time, he was wide awake. Ren sat up and glanced around his room. Nothing seemed noticeably out of place.

Tap, tap!

The sound was coming from outside, he realized. Ren stood up, slowly making his way to the window. The curtains were drawn shut, weakly lit by light from streetlamps outside. There, outlined against the ruffled fabric, was the silhouette of a figure perched on the balcony.

Ice chilled his blood. Heart now racing, Ren reached forward and threw back the curtain.

All he could make out was a pair of big, blue eyes, shining back at him from inky darkness.

The boy stepped back, alarmed. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, before he noticed the familiar yellow collar around the creature's neck, and the lashing tail swinging out behind it.

"Hey," came the muffled voice. "It's me."

Ren hurriedly slid his windows open.

A cold draft followed by black cat squeezed inside the moment there was room. Jumping from his window sill and down onto the wooden floor was none other than Morgana, who'd been missing all day.

"Morgana," Ren exclaimed, quietly. He pushed his window shut before more winter air could seep inside, and he reached over to flick on his desk lamp. "You're back! Where have you been? I was worried about you…"

He trailed off, seeing the state his friend was in.

Morgana was soaked through like a rag. His water-logged fur was flattened against his small body, and his ears and tail drooped lifelessly towards the ground. The cat shivered helplessly on the floor, teeth chattering from the cold.

Ren grabbed a blanket and gently smothered Morgana inside of its folds. Morgana wriggled around and popped his head out from the other side.

"Sorry for waking you up so late," Morgana began. His voice was feeble and tired. The cat shuddered, barely putting up resistance at the boy's rough ministrations.

Ren picked Morgana up in a bundle of fur and fabric and walked them both to the bed, where he continued earnestly toweling down the water from his friend's fur. "That's not the issue here," he said sternly, covering them both in another layer of sheets. "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

Morgana relaxed into his touch. His paw brushed against Ren's hand—it was as cold as a block of ice. "It…it was raining a lot."

"Outside?" Ren turned to glance out the window. It was raining, sure, but at an amount barely enough to drench through Ren's shirt, let alone Morgana's thick coat.

"Not here. There."

Ren stopped, feeling his heart jump in dreadful anticipation. Morgana coughed weakly, and he drew his companion in tighter. "Sleep," the boy urged. "You can tell me tomorrow, when you've rested up a bit. It can wait."

But Morgana shook his head, his lidded eyes trembling with effort to stay open.

"Things aren't looking good in the other world. I…I came to warn you. There's probably…not much time."

Ren's stomach sank at his companion's ominous words.

"What do you mean?"

He checked his phone for the time. It was almost one in the morning. Impulse was eerily quiet, showing no signs of the dangers Morgana spoke of. Despite this, Morgana struggled to continue.

"It changed since we last visited," he said. "There were…people…everywhere you looked."

Ren's eyes widened. "People? You mean cognitive people?"

Morgana hesitated, ears flattening against his head in disgust. "Can't say…for sure. I didn't get a chance to figure out. They…urgh…didn't seem normal…"

The cat's body was wracked with chills. At this point, Ren was far more concerned with warming Morgana's body than he was with whatever was going on in the cyberworld. "Wait here," Ren said as he stood up to go to the bathroom. "I'll get something to warm you up. You can continue once you're better."

The blankets stirred helplessly.

"Ren…wait! I need to…the flood…"

There was a soft thump—the sound of something light falling over—then an awful moment of deafening silence that stretched on for ages. Ren felt his heart drop like iron into his stomach as he turned around.

"...Morgana?"