Persona 4: The Golden Apostle

by sithlorde1988

Adaptation of Persona 4 Golden. Everyone knows the plot of Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden well, or at least the plot of CANON Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden. But what if there was an extra character added into the mix? How will the addition of an extra character to the mix change the plot of Persona 4 Golden? Better summary and more info in the first chapter! Read and enjoy!

7. The Plot Thickens! Mystery Begins part 4

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 4- The Golden Apostle! Normally, I'd have a lot to say, but not in this case. In this case, I want to go ahead and get the disclaimer sorted out real fastish, if possible. So let us handle that now.

Disclaimer: I, sithlorde1988, do not own the Persona series in any way, shape, or form (excluding the OCs Ryuroni, Hikari Kusanagi II, Hikari Kusanagi III, Koushiro, Yamato, Takeru, Rosie, Gaignun, Slim, Sage, Lily, Kusano, Ace, Marisa, and any other OCs/OC Personas that appear in the story, all of which were created by, and thus belong to, me), and the actual ownership credit for the Persona series belongs to Atlus and Sega, as well as the various other companies that were involved with the spinoffs (whether those spinoffs be Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5 Tactica, Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the 'Dancing' games, or the 'Q' games, or even Persona 5: The Phantom X), all of whom know who they are and receive the appropriate creative/ownership credit that is due to them. I just am using these characters to write this story, and do not intend to make any profit off of it whatsoever.

And there we go, one disclaimer done and dusted! If it's not in this chapter, then for sure the next chapter should have the next cutaway to Gaignun. However, after that cutaway, Gaignun will have less and less cutaways until his plotline eventually links up with the main one, so keep that in mind while reading this story. That being said, I think I'll save the longer digression for the end-of-chapter A/N. For now, let's get the chapter going, shall we? I think that's what anyone reading this REALLY wants to see. So yeah, keep reading after the chapter if you want to read the end-of-chapter A/N. But until then, let's get this show on the road! Here's chapter 4!

Chapter 4: The Castle Opens Up! Bonds, Training, Loss, and Shenanigans! The Mystery Begins part 4

(In the upper floor of the Dojima house, with Yu. Current in-game date: 4/15/2011)

After he finished speaking to Nanako, Yu excused himself to go upstairs, having recalled that it had been raining that afternoon and figuring he should be prepared to monitor the Midnight Channel in case another victim showed up on TV. So decided, he made his way up to the bedroom he was borrowing from Ryotaro and Nanako, deciding to get comfy on the couch and watch some TV as he waited.

Once he got bored of the program he had been watching, Yu got up and looked out his window to confirm the rain hadn't let up, and sure enough, it was still raining outside, and looked to be apt to do so throughout the night. Yu then idly wondered if something new might appear on the Midnight Channel, since the conditions for it to broadcast were being met at that point. At that point, Yu listened to tne newscaster speak up on his TV, as he had changed the channel from the program he'd been watching over to the news out of wanting to keep apprised to the goings-on in the area as a precaution.

"In other Inaba-related news, meteorologists are predicting heavy fog throughout this year. The region has seen an abnormal amount of fog over the past few years, and the cause of the climate change is unknown. Whatever the reason, residents of the Inaba area should be extra careful. Our broadcast was extended to bring you up-to-date news on the incident in Inaba. The time is now midnight." The newscaster said as Yu nodded to himself and turned off the TV in preparation for the Midnight Channel. Sure enough, as Yu suspected, it came on.

However, the image that appeared was unclear, and was apparently a silhouette, though Yu surmised the person shown was a girl from the long hair and slender build shown. Yu then also noted that if the conditions are met, it would seem that you can see the Midnight Channel as often as you want, within reason. Yu then turned his attention back to the image, which he had previously surmised was that of a woman.

He noted that it looked as if she might be wearing a kimono if the silhouette was any indication. Yu then frowned at this, as he vaguely recalled Yukiko had been wearing a kimono when he'd ran into her on his way home from Junes earlier that evening. Still, Yu couldn't make a positive identification of who the person was, due to how out of focus the image was. At that point, Yu had an idea.

What if he were to try touching the image on the Midnight Channel? What might happen in that instance? Could he possibly be able to reach out to the person on the screen and try to use his sense of touch to possibly get some info on who they could be? Curiosity raised, Yu reached his hand through the TV to try and touch the image, but the second his hand went through, the image disappeared from the screen.

Disappointed, Yu pulled his hand out as the Midnight Channel ended. Making a note to himself that touching the images on the Midnight Channel was apparently a no-go, he went to bed, deciding to speak to Yosuke and probably Chie about what he'd seen tomorrow...

(Later that night, in Yu's dreams with Yu)

When Yu opened his eyes again, he realized he was back in the same room he'd been in in the dream he had the night before he moved to Inaba, where he'd met Igor and Margaret. As if just noticing Yu, Igor spoke up at that point, drawing Yu's attention to Igor and Margaret sitting in their usual seats across from him.

"Welcome. Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world right now. I have summoned you within your dreams." Igor said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I understand. You said this place was called the Velvet Room the last time I came here, right Igor?" Yu asked as Igor spoke up.

"That is correct. I'm glad you were paying attention the last time we met here. And so we meet again." Igor said as Margaret spoke up at that point, making Yu take note of how brusque and professional Margaret's voice sounded as she spoke.

"This is a space that only those who have, in one way or another, entered into a contact may enter. And you are no exception, Yu Narukami. In your daily life, you subconsciously heard the call to awaken, and you chose to follow the destiny of your inner voice and let it lead you to the appointed place of your awakening. And in doing so, you managed to save your friend from a dire fate, thereby enacting your glorious awakening to your power." Margaret said as Yu spoke up.

"My power, you say? Is this related to that being I was able to summon earlier? I believe it called itself 'Izanagi'?" Yu said as Igor nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed, that is correct. Now, hold onto this if you would." Igor said as he passed Yu a key, which he noted was apparently a 'Velvet Key' key item. Yu pocketed the 'Velvet Key' and spoke up with a nod.

"I shall. I take it this key is important somehow if you want me to hold on to it?" Yu asked as Igor nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. That key you just accepted will act as an 'ID' of sorts that allows you into this place should you choose to come here of your own volition. That said, from this night forth, you are our guest in this Velvet Room. Your destiny will require you to hone your power. And for THAT, you will inevitably require our help." Igor said as Yu spoke up.

"That's fair. After all, you probably know more about this power than I do. So who am I to turn away the assistance of those who know what they're talking about?" Yu said agreeably as Igor nodded.

"Indeed. You are a smart one. However, I should caution you on something. While we are willing to help out as best we can, there is but one price for this assistance which we offer you. You must abide by your contract and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make." Igor said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I understand. After all, as I've been so often told, 'With great power comes great responsibility.' Or to use a more relevant quote, 'One must take full responsibility for their own actions, both good and bad.' I believe this is what you're alluding to, Igor-san?" Yu said with a nod. Igor nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly. You get it. Very well. The Persona you have acquired on this day, it is a side of you that shows itself when you face the world around you. Perhaps you can think of it as a mask, perhaps? Or to use a more relevant term, a facade of determination you wear to face various difficulties in life. Your Persona ability, however, is that of the wild card, as it turns out. And compared to that of others, it is very special. It is like the number zero, in a sense. The wild card power is both empty, yet also blessed with holding infinite potential within itself." Igor said as Yu spoke up with a slow nod.

"Oh? Special, you say? Go on." Yu said with a clear look of intrigue on his face. Igor spoke up with a nod.

"Indeed. The 'wild card' power is very special. But as for your specific power, the 'Persona' ability is the power to control one's own heart and shape one's destiny. And the heart is strengthened through bonds. As you form bonds by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these Social Links is what will determine your Persona's abilities." Igor said as Yu spoke up.

"Ah. That's neat. 'Control one's heart', you said?" Yu asked, giving Igor an inquiring glance. Margaret nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct. Social Links are necessary for more than strengthening your Persona. At times, they will help light the way to the truth you are searching for." Margaret said as Igor spoke up.

"Heed Margaret's advice well, Narukami-san. That being said, where will your awakened power of the wild card take you next, I wonder? I look forward to travelling the road of your destiny together with you, Yu." Igor said with an amused chuckle. Yu nodded and spoke up.

"As do I. You've been pretty helpful thus far, Igor-san. So I hope to continue benefiting from your wisdom." Yu said as Igor nodded and spoke up.

"Indeed. Well, it's nearly time for us to part once more. 'Til we meet again in this place, farewell." Igor said as Yu's vision went white as he was whisked from the Velvet Room...

(The next morning, in the 'School Zone' of the Samegawa Flood Plain, with Yu and Yosuke)

As Yu was walking to school, he heard a bike approaching him, turning in time to see Yosuke ride up to him before parking his bike and speaking up with a sly smirk on his face.

"Yo!" Yosuke said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Yo to you too, Yosuke. Good morning." Yu said formally as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Right, right. Good morning. Anyways, you saw what was on last night, right?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Indeed I did. But the damn image was too out-of-focus to see who was being shown, though the long hair they had makes me think it's another female." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"My thoughts exactly. I couldn't tell who it was either, but if someone's shown up on TV, we can't ignore it. Let's go check it out after school. Maybe Teddie can tell us something." Yosuke said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I agree with your line of thinking, Yosuke. We can't ignore this. Plus, we did promise Teddie we'd go back to see him from time to time, so the way I see it? Doing this lets us get info on whoever was on TV last night, and keep our promise to Teddie at the same time. Two birds with one stone, in other words." Yu said as Yosuke nodded.

"Good point, Yu. Not only did we make that promise, but we can get on top of this. And if it turns out someone was thrown in again, there really might be a culprit behind all this. Even if it is something about that place that's killing the victims, it doesn't matter. If someone is using that world as a weapon, that's unforgivable. We need to find the culprit and stop them, no matter what it takes!" Yosuke said as Yu gave him a shocked look and spoke up.

"Are you proposing that you and I try to solve this mystery by ourselves, Yosuke!? I don't mind, but how are we supposed to succeed at it if even the police couldn't find anything so far?" Yu asked as Yosuke spoke up with a resolved look on his face.

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Yu! Besides, there's no way the police can do it, given the location involved in the murders. And who'd believe that the murderer kills people by throwing them into the TV?" Yosuke asked as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"That's a good point. We're the only ones who can stop the culprit, given the power we now have. And I want to keep our promise to Teddie too, if possible." Yu said honestly, agreeing with Yosuke's idea. Yosuke nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Sounds like you're onboard with it, then. And as far as our agreement with Teddie? We're totally gonna honor that. After all, a promise is a promise." Yosuke said as Yu nodded his agreement before Yosuke kept speaking with a shocked look on his face.

"Oh, but get a load of this. You know, I tried sticking my head in the TV last night, the way you did, and it actually worked." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Are you serious!? If so, that's incredible, Yosuke!" Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. To be honest, I think I can do that now because I have the same power that you do. And the name we gave that power. It was 'Persona', wasn't it? Could be that we got this gift from someone specifically so we could solve this case." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"That would make sense. Though I wonder if the fact Chie was able to make it into the TV with us the first time we went in could be a sign she could also have that same power dormant in her too? But for now, we should focus on who we saw on the TV last night." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"I agree, on both of your points, Yu. But then again, you managed to go inside the TV and get your Persona first, didn't you, Yu?" Yosuke asked Yu, who nodded and spoke up.

"That's true. But does it really matter who was the first to do it?" Yu asked as Yosuke spoke up with a sly smirk.

"Good point. To be honest, though? I feel like, as long as you're with me, I can find the culprit and crack this case." Yosuke said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I feel the same way, Yosuke. We do make a pretty good team, you and I." Yu said as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Definitely! Well, let's do our best!" Yosuke said as he extended a hand out to Yu, who smirked as he walked over and shook the extended hand, sealing his agreement to work with Yosuke on solving the case. Yu then noted in his head that even with so much mystery swirling arund, Yosuke is trying his hardest to move on with his life despite the loss he suffered recently. And in that moment, Yu felt as if he could sense a faint bond of friendship stirring between himself and Yosuke.

At that same time, Yu heard something seemingly shatter inside of his mind as, much like had happened when he awakened to Izanagi's power the day before, a tarot card appeared in Yu's mind, but this one didn't have a blank face, instead having a blue and sea-blue background with a black infinity symbol at the top, and a plume of black flame in the middle of the card with black hands seemingly sprouting under the flame to hold it up, and the roman numeral 'I' at the bottom of the card.

As Yu watched, the infinity symbol at the top changed to show the Roman numeral 'I' to indicate the forming of what he assumed to be his first Social Link. At that point, a voice echoed in his head.

"Thou art I, and I am thou, Yu Narukami. Thou hast established a new bond with the one you call 'Yosuke'. It brings thee closer to the truth that you seek. At this appointed time, let there be a new Social Link forged between you and the Magician, Yosuke Hanamura! And in so doing, thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Magician Arcana. As long as you make good use of this blessing, there is no limit to what you can achieve!" Yu heard as he realized he had forged a bond in that moment with Yosuke. As he did so, he felt as if a power within his heart was strengthening in response to the newly-formed bond. At that point, he recalled the words Igor had said in his dream the night before.

"The Persona ability is the power to control one's own heart and shape one's destiny. And the power is strengthened through bonds. As you form bond by becoming involved with others, your own Social Links will gradually develop. The power of these 'Social Links' is what will determine your Persona's abilities." Igor had said. Yu blinked at this. Social Links, was it? Is this bond with Yosuke, what Igor was talking about when he mentioned those?

In any case, he recalled the other voice he'd heard mentioning he'd forged a Social Link with Yosuke Hanamura, oddly referring to him as the 'Magician', though when Yu realized that the card he'd seen had also had the words 'Le Magician' on the bottom in white lettering, he realized why. At that same time, he'd felt the sense that his newly forged Magician Social Link with Yosuke had reached Rank 1. Accordingly, Yu could sense that Yosuke's determination in battle had been enhanced, to the point he was now capable of waking up knocked-down allies on his own during battles.

Afterwards, Yu and Yosuke headed to school together. After they got to class and Yu had a seat at his desk, Yosuke stood next to him. As they chatted about what they'd seen the night before, the classroom door opened and closed and Yu and Yosuke both looked up as Chie raced in and approached them. Yosuke winced at this and spoke up.

"Uh, good morning, Chie! Um, but hey? About yesterday, when we ran off and put ourselves at risk? We're sorry we worried you so much." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up with a worried look on her face.

"Never mind that. Is Yukiko still not here?" Chie asked as Yosuke spoke up.

"Huh? Y-Yukiko-san? Uh, now that you mention it, no she's not here? At least, I haven't seen her today." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I haven't seen Amagi-san yet today, either. Also, she hasn't shown up to class yet, if nothing else. But maybe she's just running late?" Yu suggested as Chie spoke up.

"Oh man, that's not good. What should I do now? Hey, is that stuff you were talking about for real? You know, the urban legend we tried out? And all that about how people showing up on the Midnight Channel is related to that other world." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Hm? Oh, we were just talking about that. We're thinking of checking it out later-" Yosuke said as Chie cut him off by speaking up.

"I saw it last night too, in case you were curious. And the person on TV yesterday? I know the figure was hard to make out clearly, but I think it was Yukiko." Chie said as Yu and Yosuke both gave Chie alarmed looks as Chie kept speaking.

"I'm serious! That kimono looked like the one she wears at the inn, and she wore it during that interview a few days ago too. I got worried, so I emailed her last night, but she hasn't responded to me yet." Chie said in concern as Yu spoke up with a raised eyebrow. *1*

"Emailed her? Is there not text messaging in this town?" Yu asked in confusion. Chie spoke up with a frown.

"I know you just moved here, so I'll answer your dumb question this time, Narukami-san. But while there is text messaging to a point, Yukiko's family is kind of old-fashioned in that they don't do such things. So she and I communicate mainly through emails. But that's more of a 'comfort zone' thing for her than anything, I think. But anyways, back on topic. I called her earlier in the evening though, and she said she'd be at school today, yet she's not here yet? I-I don't know how to feel about that." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up understandingly.

"Calm down. We get the picture. And you still haven't heard from her?" Yosuke asked Chie, who spoke up in an almost-frantic voice.

"No, I haven't!" Chie said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"I see. Well, based on what Yosuke and I discovered yesterday, this could mean one of a couple of things. Either she's really busy helping out at the inn and had to miss school because of that, which is the first possibility. The second possibility is far more grim, however. Now hear me out before you react, okay?" Yu said as Chie nodded and Yu kept speaking.

"Good. The second possibility is that whoever killed the announcer lady and Konishi-senpai may have thrown Yukiko into that TV world we ended up in the other day. But let's try and confirm the first possibility before we assume the worst. From what that bear we saw told myself and Yosuke, someone's been tossing people into the TV world, and Yosuke and I believe that's related to how the announcer and Konishi-senpai both died. So we theorize that rather than show one's soulmate, the people who show up on the Midnight Channel could be people who are in danger." Yu said bluntly as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yu's right. We have to rule out the best-case before we assume the worst." Yosuke said as Chie gasped and spoke up.

"What's that supposed to mean, you guys? Wait, are you saying that since she could've been the one we saw on the Midnight Channel last night, Yukiko was thrown into that TV world we ended up in before!? She was thrown in there!?" Chie asked as Yu spoke up.

"It's at least a possibility. However, try not to get so worked up. Until we confirm it, what we said is little more than speculation." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"Yu's right. We don't know yet for sure. We should check to see if she's safe first. Give her another call." Yosuke said as Chie nodded, pulled out her phone, dialed a number, let it ring a few tmes, then hung up with a frown as she spoke up.

"No good, you guys. Her voicemail picked up just now. S-She's not answering her phone." Chie said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"Are you serious, Chie? Then is Yukiko-san inside that place already?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Not necessarily. Was that the inn's number you tried, or Amagi-san's personal cell phone? Because if it was the former, maybe she couldn't answer due to being busy with work? And if it was the latter, you could try the main number for the Amagi Inn and try asking for her if someone answers." Yu suggested. Chie gave Yosuke a horrified look as she spoke up.

"S-Stop it! Something must've come up, like an errand or something along those lines! Ooh, or it could be like Narukami-san said, and she's too busy with work to be able to answer her cell, which was the number I called just now. She wouldn't be able to answer her cell for sure if that is the case." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Yeah, but would she skip school for that?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up with a shake of his head.

"I don't know Amagi-san that well, having only spoken to her a few times, but she doesn't seem like the type to cut class unless the situation was dire." Yu said as Chie nodded and spoke up.

"That's true, Narukami. W-Well, I'll give the inn a call then, and see if that turns up any results. Umm, let me look it up, since I've got the number for the Amagi Inn here somewhere in this phone. Ah, here we are." Chie said, finding the number and hitting the dial, letting it ring a few times as she spoke up.

"C'mon, Yukiko, be there! Pick up the phone." Chie said hopefully, before gasping in relief as a voice answered the phone on the other end, making Chie keep speaking in relief.

"Oh, is this Yukiko!? Thank god, she's there!" Chie said to Yu and Yosuke before listening to the voice that spoke into her phone as she kept speaking.

"Oh? Uh-huh, that makes sense. Uh-huh, I see what you're saying. Ah, uh. Nah, it was nothing. Haha. I'll email you again later, Yukiko." Chie said before she hung up the phone and spoke up with a relieved expression on her face as she looked at Yu and Yosuke.

"Whew. She was over at the inn. She said they had a big group reservation and she had to help out due to the current lack of staff at the inn." Chie said as Yu arched an eyebrow before speaking up.

"Oh? Does this happen often, then? I know she gets sent out on errands from time to time for the inn, since I happened to run into her at the riverbank on my way home yesterday. Apparently she was running an errand for the inn at the time." Yu said as Chie nodded and spoke up.

"Oh? You saw her yesterday, Narukami-san? Yeah, that happens a lot. And now that I think about it, this has happened before, too. At least once a year. She said she'll be at the inn tomorrow, too." Chie said as Yu gave Chie a kindly smile and spoke up.

"At least she's safe, right? So I bet that's a relief for you, Satonaka-san." Yu said as Chie smiled back and nodded before glaring at Yosuke as she spoke up.

"Thank you, Narukami-san. At least you've got a level head." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Just him!? I was the one who suggested she wouldn't be the type to skip school over a reservation, wasn't I?" Yosuke said as Yu groaned, knowing that Yosuke was about to dig himself into a hole with Chie, who glared at Yosuke while she spoke up.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Yosuke! You got me worried over nothing! She was totally fine, like Narukami-san suggested she could be." Chie said before frowning as she kept speaking.

"At least Narukami-san stays calm. He didn't panic, and you were all, 'Is Yukiko-san inside that place, then?' Hmph, thanks for nothing!" Chie said as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"S-Sorry, Chie. I was just trying to help." Yosuke said sheepishly. Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"Maybe next time, you should just let me do the talking so you don't get yourself in trouble, Yosuke?" Yu suggested as Yosuke spoke up.

"Perhaps. But seriously, there is a reason we thought that." Yosuke said as Chie frowned at him and spoke up.

"Oh yeah? Is that right? What reason might you have had to think that?" Chie asked irritably. Yosuke spoke up in a calm tone.

"Well, to be honest? Keep in mind that this is still just speculation. That being said, we thought that the reason people show up on the Midnight Channel is because they're already over in that world. I mean, it makes sense right? People show up on TV because they're inside the TV, likely after being thrown in. But Yukiko-san's still here, in our world. We might want to see what this is about." Yosuke said as Yu and Chie nodded their agreement before Yosuke kept speaking.

"Alright, let's meet up at Junes after school." Yosuke said as Chie and Yu nodded their agreement and class proceeded as usual from there...

(After school, in the electronics section of Junes, with Yosuke, Chie, and Yu)

After Chie, Yu, and Yosuke met up in the electronics section of Junes, Yu explained to Chie in detail what he and Yosuke had gone through the night before, wisely omitting select parts (like the particulars of what exactly it was that Yosuke had had to face when confronting himself). However, he had to still tell her at least part of it so she could understand the significance. By the time Yu was done explaining, an embarrassed Yosuke spoke up to cut him off.

"O-Okay, I think that's more than enough about my sorry escapades." Yosuke said in embarrassment as Chie spoke up.

"If I hadn't seen the place first hand for myself, I'd never have believed a story like that." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up after crossing his arms with an unreadable look on his face.

"Yeah, no kidding. Anyways, we need to know what's going on inside-" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"You're suggesting we go in and consult with Teddie, Yosuke?" Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah. Too bad there's so many customers around right now. I forgot there's a sale in the electronics department today, as it turns out." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up.

"And how do we consult with him? Do we go into the TV world and talk to that Teddie guy?" Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"I do believe that's what I just said, Satonaka-san." Yu pointed out as Chie glared at Yu, looking ready to yell at him. At that point, Yosuke got an idea and spoke up.

"I got it! C'mere a sec." Yosuke said as Yu walked over to Yosuke and spoke up.

"What's up, Yosuke?" Yu asked as Yosuke spoke up.

"Try sticking your hand in and calling him over. I bet that bear's wandering around the entrance anyway." Yosuke said as Yu shrugged and spoke up.

"Seems like a plan to me, Yosuke." Yu said as Yosuke nodded before turning to Chie as he spoke up.

"Hey, Chie, stand over here. Make a wall with me." Yosuke said as Chie frowned at that and spoke up.

"A wall?" Chie said in confusion, but shrugged and did what she was told, walking over as Yu stuck his hand into the TV to try and beckon Teddie over to his side, but to his surprise and confusion, he instead heard a chomping sound and then felt a tremendous pain in his hand. A few seconds later, his confusion turned into irritation and frustration when he realized that the chomping sound had been Teddie's teeth chomping something, and the pain in his right forefinger told Yu that he'd been bitten. At that point, Yu quickly pulled his hand out with a hissed cry of 'OW! That stupid little furry motherfu-' before Yosuke cut him off by speaking up.

"YU! Wh-What's wrong!?" Yosuke asked in shock before Chie spoke up in a low voice.

"Shhh! Not so loud, you idiot!" Chie said before she saw the mark on Yu's right forefinger and spoke up in concern.

"D-dude, is that a bite mark!? Are you okay!?" Chie asked as Yu spoke up with a frown.

"I'll be all right. Though if he keeps biting people, Teddie might not be all right when I get through with him. I can't believe that furry little asshole bit my finger." Yu said as he looked down, looking relieved when he saw that other than a bite mark, there was no sign of bleeding. It still stung like crazy, though. Chie winced sympathetically and spoke up.

"Wow, that looks like it hurts. Sheesh, that stupid bear must've done it to you." Chie said before sticking her head into the TV to yell at Teddie in a strangled whisper.

"Hey, you! We know you're in there!" Chie yelled into the TV, before Teddie shocked Chie, Yu, and Yosuke by calling back from inside the TV.

"Ooh, ooh! Is this a game?" Teddie said as an annoyed Yu spoke up.

"How the hell is biting someone's finger a game, Teddie!?" Yu asked as Yosuke nodded his agreement and spoke up after seeing the furious look on Yu's face.

"Yu's right! No, Teddie! It's not a game! Can you sense anyone inside there right now?" Yosuke said, cutting Yu off before he could start swearing at Teddie, who spoke up.

"Who's 'anyone'? I'm a lonely little bear like always. This land feels so bear-ren right now." Teddie said, chuckling at his own joke. Thankfully for them, Teddie was on the other side of the TV and couldn't see the glares Yu, Yosuke, and Chie were aiming in his direction for his bad pun, the former resisting the urge to ask Yosuke what the best way was to punish a naughty bear while he groaned at Teddie's pun. Chie then spoke up while keeping her voice low.

"Shut it! So there's no one inside there with you? You're sure?" Chie asked Teddie, who spoke up in confusion.

"I-I'm not lying! My nose is running as good as ever!" Teddie insisted, making Chie sigh in a mix of relief and disappointment. She then turned to face Yu and Yosuke while she spoke up.

"I'm gonna go warn Yukiko anyway. Since she'll be busy this weekend helping out at the inn, I doubt she'd go anywhere alone, but still, it never hurts to be safe rather than sorry." Chie said as Yosuke nodded his understanding and spoke up as he and Yu turned to face Chie.

"Yeah, that makes sense. You'll walk with her to school on Monday, right?" Yosuke asked as Chie nodded and spoke up.

"Sure! I'll go pick her up at her house." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up with a resolved nod.

"Good. That said, maybe we'll find out more on tonight's Midnight Channel. Cross your fingers that this is all just a misunderstanding, and not something serious." Yosuke said as Chie and Yu nodded, the latter speaking up.

"I agree. Yet, I have a feeling in my gut that says we should be prepared for anything going into tonight's Midnight Channel." Yu said wisely as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"Yeah, that's a good point. What's your cell number? I'll call you when I watch it tonight." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Oh, right. I should probably swap contact info with you just to be on the safe side, Yosuke." Yu said as he and Yosuke whipped out their cell phones and swapped contact info with each other. After they finished, Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"All right, and I've saved your number. Don't forget to watch tonight, Yu. You either, Chie. Even if you can't do much to help if something does happen, the more people watching the Midnight Channel, the better." Yosuke said as Yu and Chie nodded their agreement, the former getting lost in thought for a moment.

"I wonder. Was it really Yukiko who appeared last night on the Midnight Channel? One way to know for sure, and that's to watch the Midnight Channel again tonight as well." Yu thought to himself as he, Yosuke, and Chie parted ways for the evening...

(Meanwhile, at the same time as Yu, Yosuke, and Chie's meeting at Junes, back in the States with Gaignun and Marisa)

As Gaignun and Marisa signed in to visit their mother, Gaignun turned to Marisa and spoke up.

"Now remember, Marisa. When we get in here, you might be shocked to see the state that Mom's currently in, but try not to be alarmed, okay? What you see is all stuff trying to help Mom feel better. So just remember that you asked to see Mom, and I was able to get us in to see her today. Got it?" Gaignun asked as Marisa nodded and spoke up.

"Got it. Thank you for letting me get to see her at least once, Gaignun." Marisa said as Gaignun nodded before he started leading the way down the hall, stopping in front of a door labeled 'Room 504- Kusanagi, Hikari III', which Gaignun knocked on once before a familiar voice spoke up.

"Yes? Who's there?" Gaignun heard as he spoke up.

"It's Gaignun, Mom. I'm here to visit, and I brought someone along that wanted to see you." Gaignun said as Hikari blinked at this and spoke up.

"Oh? Okay then. Come on in." Hikari said as Gaignun nodded and opened the door, leading himself and Marisa into the room, at which point Marisa darted forward to gently hug her mother and speak up, not even bothered by the wires and stuff that Hikari was hooked to, most of which went to machines that monitored her health and things like that, because she was too happy to see her mom.

"Hi, Mommy! I'm sorry it took me so long to get to visit you." Marisa said as Hikari smiled and returned the hug as she spoke up.

"That's quite all right, Marisa. I'm just happy you came to see me at all. I'm also surprised you talked Gaignun into bringing you, truth be told." Hikari said as Gaignun spoke up.

"Eh, oops? I might have been too busy being just a wee bit overprotective of Mari, as I so often tend to do, to let her see you like this, Mom. Even you have to admit that you're not as healthy as you once were, after all." Gaignun said honestly as Hikari nodded before speaking up.

"That's fair. I take it things have been okay for you two in my absence?" Hikari asked as Gaignun spoke up.

"Honestly? They've been a bit rough, but that's partly my fault for being stubborn about not wanting Marisa to see you like this, which may have made her upset with me because I wasn't letting her visit you. And we may have gotten into a couple of arguments over it. But I won't apologize for wanting to keep her as safe as possible. She's my little sister, after all, and I don't intend to let her come to any harm if I can help it at all." Gaignun said firmly as Hikari nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense. But Gaignun, you have to learn to trust that Marisa can handle herself to some extent. She is 12 years old now, after all. She's not quite a teenager yet, but she's getting close to that point. Eventually, you're gonna have to let her be able to have her own life, not unlike how I let you have yours when you turned 15. Why else would I have signed off on you going to that acting fellowship with your friends? Granted, you seemed to thrive in that fellowship. I heard you were offered many a movie role. I feel bad that my health forced you to have to step away from that to watch over Marisa, but I respect that you were willing to make that sacrifice for her, Gaignun." Hikari said as Gaignun nodded and spoke up.

"Of course, Mom. She's family. And for me, family comes first." Gaignun said firmly as Marisa spoke up with a smile on her face.

"You might be a bit overprotective of me at times, but I know you do it because you care. So I don't mind." Marisa said as Hikari chuckled at the playful way Marisa stuck her tongue out at Gaignun childishly after he spoke up.

**Trigger warnings start below for the following: Character Death, depictions of blood, sensitive subject matter. If these bother you, skip down to where it says *TRIGGER WARNINGS END* below to keep reading, otherwise you continue reading at your own risk! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! TRIGGER WARNING STARTS NOW!**

"Yes, well, as long as you accept that it's my God-given right as your older brother to protect you and be there for you, I don't much mind what you do, within reason." Gaignun said, smirking as he heard Hikari laugh in amusement at her children playfully bantering with one another. However, Gaignun's smirk turned into a look of horror a moment later when he heard his mother start coughing, moreso when she coughed into a napkin and the napkin had a lot of red in it. Gaignun's eyes went wide as he turned to Marisa and spoke up after biting back multiple swear words.

"Marisa, listen to me! Go find a nurse or a doctor, whichever you can find first, and tell them that there's an emergency in room 504! Go, now!" Gaignun said as Marisa nodded before darting out of the room to do as she was told while Gaignun gently took his mother's hand in his own as he spoke up with a knowing look.

"Is it about that time then, Mom?" Gaignun asked in a resigned tone, getting a weary nod in response from Hikari as she spoke up.

"I'm afraid so, Gaignun. But I appreciate that you let me see Marisa one last time before that. Promise me that you'll watch over her once I'm gone, won't you?" Hikari asked as Gaignun nodded and spoke up.

"Of course. I'd watch over Marisa with my life, Mom. You know that. I swear to you upon my honor that I will do everything in my power to keep Marisa safe and happy." Gaignun promised as Hikari nodded and spoke up.

"Good, I'm happy to hear that. Now listen carefully to me. Next time you're at home, I left something for you in a picture frame on the nightstand by my bed in my bedroom. You need to get that, since there's a letter for you in it. And it's important that you read that letter, since there's some info for you in it that I never had a chance to tell you before this illness came on.

And it's info I should've told you a long time ago, but was too worried about your safety to tell you. So please, don't think too badly of me once you read the letter, son. And once you read it, give some thought to what I ask of you in it. If it helps, you can consider this my last, dying wish to you. Will you honor my final request, Gaignun?" Hikari asked as Gaignun nodded before Hikari nodded and spoke up once more around a violent coughing fit in which she spat up more blood.

"Thank you. That makes me so happy to hear that, son. Now I can rest easy knowing that Marisa is in safe hands. Gaignun? Thank you for always being such a good son to me. I love you and Marisa so much. Never doubt that the two of you were the best things I ever did with my life. I love you both...now...and always..." Hikari said, barely getting the last two words before starting to gasp for breath and eventually giving a final shudder as her head lolled back onto her pillow and she laid eerily still, the only sound being heard afterward was that of monitors flatlining as Gaignun looked down at his mom before sighing as he realized what had happened, speaking up once more while trying to blink back the tears he felt coming in that moment.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll do all that you asked of me. And I swear I'll do my best to fulfill your dying wish. I love you so much. Thank you for everything you've done for me over the 16 and a half years since I came into this world, including giving me life. Goodbye Mother, and I hope that you can rest in peace." Gaignun said with a sad sigh as he gently used two fingers to slide his mother's eyes closed as he let himself acknowledge the truth. Hikari Kusanagi the third was no longer among the living. She had passed away...

**TRIGGER WARNINGS END. Continue reading from this point if you skipped over the last couple of paragraphs above. STORY RESUMES AT THIS POINT!**

(Back in Inaba, a short time after Yu, Chie, and Yosuke parted ways for the evening, in an unfamiliar location with Ryotaro and Adachi)

After a squad of police cars finished canvassing the area where Saki Konishi's body had been found, Ryotaro and Adachi stood around under their umbrellas as the latter of the two spoke up.

"Looks like we've found all we're gonna find here. And we've still got nothing that points directly to a suspect in this case." Adachi said as Ryotaro nodded and spoke up.

"Correct. We don't even know if this is a homicide." Ryotaro said as Adachi spoke up with a frown.

"Well, what else could it be? There's no way a body could end up like that by accident!" Adachi pointed out as Ryotaro sighed and spoke up.

"Believe me, Adachi. I know." Ryotaro said before turning his back on Adachi as he kept speaking.

"We haven't found the cause of death for the first vic, and now we've got a second one just like it in the morgue. If this is a murder case, there's no doubt we're dealing with a single perp. But if that's true, and this is a murder case, then what the hell is going on?" Ryotaro asked as Adachi spoke up with a weak chuckle.

"You know, I thought at first this all spun out of that crazy love triangle." Adachi said as Ryotaro turned to face Adachi with a frown on his face as he spoke up.

"No. That singer, Misuzu Hiiragi? She has a solid alibi. She was performing overseas, and her phone records prove it. And remember, the only reason the scandal went public was because Hiiragi herself broke it to the media. No one would put themselves under suspicion that way if they had murder on their mind." Ryotaro said as Adachi nodded his agreement and spoke up.

"Hmm. You've got a point there, Dojima-san." Adachi said as Ryotaro nodded and spoke up.

"Of course I do. And the same is true with Taro Namatame, her husband. No matter how much we shake him down, nothing links him to the murders. He's been working in the city for the past six months. Seems he was here recently because of the scandal, but he was swamped with work back home at the time of the incident. There are eyewitnesses and other evidence placing him at his office the night that Mayumi Yamano died. And we can't find anything that shows Yamano making contact with Namatame before or after her disappearance, which makes it even harder to pin the blame on him." Ryotaro said as Adachi nodded and spoke up.

"That makes sense, Dojima-san. Oh, did you hear that Namatame's career has also been killed stone dead? He's been fired from his position as secretary. He's practically as much of a victim as the Yamano girl." Adachi said as Ryotaro nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I agree with you on that. And then we have the second case, regarding Saki Konishi, the one who found the first victim. She's the one who discovered Yamano's corpse, and a lot of people speculate that the killer wanted to shut her up. But I don't buy the killer shutting her up as a possible motive. She was killed well after she reported the body, and the culprit didn't hide her. It's like they were meant to be found. The only other connection is that she attended the same school as the daughter of the inn where Yamano was holed up. But that hardly points to a motive. Coincidences like that are common in a town as small as ours." Ryotaro said as Adachi nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that sounds accurate. I heard about that angle on the news, too." Adachi said as Ryotaro spoke up with a look of wide eyed shock, the visible signs of a five-o-clock shadow on his face being the first hints of how little he'd slept, much less taken care of himself, because of the murders.

"What!? Is the story about the inn out already?" Ryotaro said in annoyance before Adachi cut him off by speaking up.

"Okay, I got it! How's this? Maybe there was something about the corpse that only Saki Konishi knew! And our perp killed her to keep whatever it was from leaking out!" Adachi said as Ryotaro gave him a look that said 'are you serious?' before turning away and speaking up as he walked away from Adachi.

"Perhaps. Either way, all we can do now is keep investigating anyone involved with the victims in this case. Our perp is not an unknown. It has to be someone in Inaba." Ryotaro said as Adachi blinked at this and spoke up with a smile on his face.

"Ooh, is your detective's intuition at work, Dojima-san?" Adachi said as Ryotaro gave him an icy glare that clearly screamed 'shut up and get back to work!', which Adachi did at that point as Ryotaro and Adachi continued their late-night investigation...

(A short time later, in the living room of the Dojima residence, with Nanako and Yu)

As Nanako sat on the floor watching TV, she looked up at the sound of the front door opening, turning in time to see Yu walk into the living room, causing her to smile as she greeted him.

"Oh! Welcome home, Yu!" Nanako said as Yu walked over to her and spoke up.

"Thanks. Have you been here by yourself for long?" Yu asked as Nanako spoke up.

"No, not that long." Nanako said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"That's good. Looks like you're watching a quiz show. Have you managed to get any of the questions right so far?" Yu asked conversationally as Nanako gave him an unreadable look and spoke up, though her response sounded vaguely distracted as she spoke.

"Well, not really. Hmm, I don't know that one either. This answer is hard too." Nanako said, though Yu could tell at a glance she was more absorbed in the quiz show than in answering Yu, so he left her to it and decided to head upstairs for the night to await the Midnight Channel. As was the case the last two times Yu watched the Midnight Channel, it was raining outside that night. Yu then idly wondered if something would appear on TV again, even though he had a feeling that would be the case.

After closing his curtains, Yu glanced at the clock, noticing it was currently a few seconds to midnight, and turning his attention to the TV screen in time for his eyes to go comically wide at what came on the TV. Even if he didn't recognize the mostly pink princess outfit with a white sash along the neck and shoulders, where a reddish-pink rose was affixed to the sash, and matching white gloves currently displayed on the girl on the TV, the girl's face, hair, and most notably, her piercing brown eyes, were all very much unmistakable to Yu! This was undoubtedly Yukiko! Before Yu could voice his realization aloud, the image revealed that what appeared to be Yukiko was standing out in front of a very ominous looking castle, where she spoke up.

"Good evening! Tonight is a special night for everyone watching this, because Princess Yukiko has a big surprise! I'm gonna go score myself a hot stud! Welcome to 'Not a Dream! Not a Hoax! Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Her Prince Charming! And I came prepared! I've got my lacy unmentionables on, stacked from top to bottom." The apparently self-identified 'Princess Yukiko' said as she pushed the front of her dress down to confirm that she was in fact wearing said lacy unmentionables, though the camera only locked onto it for a couple short seconds, thankfully for Yu's sensibilities and for Yukiko's reputation. Before Yu could do more than gape in open-mouthed shock, 'Princess Yukiko' kept speaking.

"I'm out to catch a whole harem and the best of the lot is gonna be all mine! Well, here I go!" 'Princess Yukiko' said as the TV switched off, leaving a dumbfounded Yu to stand there with his jaw dropped. Even if that girl who was just shown didn't necessarily act like her, that was most definitely Yukiko on the Midnight Channel just now, though Yu fervently hoped for her sake that the only ones she know who saw that broadcast were himself, Yosuke, and Chie. Yu forced himself to stay on task and not think about what he'd just seen. Sure, part of him thinks that Yukiko is pretty, but can you blame Yu for thinking that? He's a man, after all! Before he could mull his sudden tangent over further, his phone rang, and he answered it, already knowing who was calling.

"Hello?" Yu said as he heard Yosuke's voice on the other end.

"H-Hey, did you see that!? That was Yukiko-san for sure! It even looked like her, man! I mean, she even said her name! But didn't the stuff she was saying sound weird!?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up, careful to keep his voice down as he replied, lest he wake Nanako or even Ryotaro, assuming the latter came home from work.

"You don't say? What part tipped you off to that whole thing being weird, Yosuke? Was it, oh, I don't know, her talking about scoring with a hot stud and ranting about catching a whole goddamn harem, and even flaunting her unmentionables on TV!? Or perhaps, was it the part where she said only the best of the lot would be accepted by her!? Because I don't know about you, but I don't think Amagi-san seems like that sort of girl!" Yu snapped, his annoyance at what he'd just seen managing to unfortunately find an outlet in Yosuke's unwitting dumb question. Yosuke winced at Yu's response and spoke up.

"Yu, calm down! I know you're probably flustered by the Midnight Channel and worried, but you don't need to take it out on me. Sure, I probably deserved it for how stupid my last question was, but that's besides the point. Anyways, let's not worry about your reaction and focus on what we just saw! That was most definitely Yukiko! And she looked like she was on some low-budget TV show set, too! Was it like this before, too?" Yosuke asked as Yu shook his head and spoke up.

"No. As far as I know, Yamano was never on the Midnight Channel, and I don't think Konishi-senpai's image was ever as clear as Yukiko's was just now. So this is a first for me." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. What's going on in that world?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I don't know. Also, I'm sorry I snapped at you before. I was just angry at how the Midnight Channel portrayed Yukiko, that's all. Also, this entire case has had me a bit on edge, truth be told. But never mind that for now. Try to contact Chie and see if she's seen this yet. If I had to guess, she probably has, but better to know for sure than to assume and be wrong." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up at that point.

"Y-You're right! Let's get her to contact Yukiko-san! Tomorrow's Sunday, so let's meet up at Junes first thing in the morning!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"You got it, Yosuke. We need to get on this ASAP. And if Yukiko really is in the other world? We need to bring her back safely! I'll see you at Junes in the morning." Yu said as he hung up the phone, deciding to get to bed early since he had a promise to keep the next morning...

(The next morning, in the living room of the Dojima residence, with Yu and Nanako)

As Yu came down dressed for the day in his casual attire, which was a dark grey long sleeve jacket with a green stripe along the neck, a green button-up T-shirt, black jeans with a white belt, and black shoes, Nanako looked up and spoke up.

"Oh, good morning." Nanako said as Yu looked around and noted that other than himself, only Nanako seemed to be present. Yu then spoke up.

"Well, you're up early today. Trying to stay on a good schedule, then?" Yu said, trying to be conversational. Nanako nodded and spoke up.

"Basically. To be honest? Dad came home late last night and woke up early, so I woke up with him. He left for work already, but he said he's gonna be late coming home." Nanako said as Yu winced at this, realizing he had a dilemma on his hands. On the one hand, he promised Yosuke he'd meet him at Junes. But on the other hand, Nanako would be left here all by herself if Yu does meet up with Yosuke.

However, Yu also knew he didn't want Nanako going anywhere even remotely close to the TV world, just to be on the safe side. Yu didn't want to leave Nanako alone, but he also didn't think he could take her with him, in case she tried to follow him and Yosuke into the TV. As if seeing his uncertainty, Nanako kept speaking.

"I see that hesitating look. Are you going somewhere?" Nanako asked as Yu blinked and spoke up.

"Honestly? Yes. I promised a friend I'd meet him somewhere to handle some things. But I didn't know when I made that promise that you'd be here by yourself if I went, so I'm debating if I should either rearrange that promise or try to bring you along, but then I remember that your dad doesn't want you to leave the house without permission, so I can't very well just invite you along out of nowhere either. So basically I'm feeling bad that I didn't think about your situation before making plans. Does that make sense?" Yu asked as Nanako spoke up with a look of polite confusion on her face.

"Not really. But if you need to go, don't worry about me. I'll be fine by myself. I've managed on my own many times before, and I can easily do it again if I have to." Nanako said honestly as she turned on the TV, which happened to be on the weather announcement, as the announcer spoke up.

"And so the weather this weekend will be perfect for going out. As for next week's forecast-" The newscaster said as Nanako blinked and spoke up.

"Oh, the sun's gonna come out. I should do some laundry." Nanako said before turning to see Yu still standing there and giving him a confused look as she kept speaking.

"Uh, Yu? Weren't you going somewhere?" Nanako asked as Yu spoke up.

"Y-Yes, that's right. Sorry. Was just looking at the weather. Also, I'm surprised you can already do the laundry at your age. I'm pretty sure I didn't start helping with the laundry until I was like 10 or 11, I think? I might have been 9, but I don't recall for sure. But anyways, I do have somewhere to be. Sorry to leave you alone. Maybe next time you're alone like this, we can get permission for you to tag along with me if I end up going out somewhere?" Yu suggested as Nanako nodded happily before speaking up.

"R-Really!? That'd be amazing." Nanako said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Then I'll have to start thinking of things we can do together. But for now, I promised Yosuke that I'd meet him somewhere. I'll be back later." Yu said as he left to meet Yosuke...

(A short time later, at the food court of Junes, with Yosuke and Yu)

As Yosuke saw Yu sitting at a table waiting for him, he walked over and spoke up, though Yu had to arch an eyebrow inquiringly as he saw Yosuke's hands currently holding something behind his back.

"Sorry for the holdup. I found some stuff we can use in the closet at home. Take a look at these!" Yosuke said as he revealed the objects he'd been holding behind his back, which made Yu's eyes widen slightly before he spoke up in a strangled whisper, not wanting the passers-by to hear.

"What the fuck are you doing, partner!? Why in all of the different hells are you carrying what looks like a samurai sword and a freaking butcher's knife, Yosuke!? Are you trying to get yourself arrested!? At least tell me you kept those concealed when you brought them here! Dude! You do realize my uncle is a police detective who can't afford for me to get into trouble, right!? Or did you even think about any of that before you brought those out?" Yu rebuked Yosuke, who frowned and spoke up.

"Yeah, yeah, my bad, man. I forgot about your uncle being a detective. But it's fine. There's no one around but us. Anyways, we've got our Personas, but a golf club's not that reliable of a weapon. So, which one strikes your fancy?" Yosuke asked as Yu looked between the katana and the nata, as Yosuke identified them, before he spoke up with a smirk.

"Out of those? Definitely the katana. You seem more like the sort of guy who favors smaller weapons that you can use quickly anyways. And for fuck's sake, put those down before someone sees you waving them around! Are you trying to get us arrested before we can go try to save Yukiko!?" Yu said bluntly as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Ah, you've got discerning taste. This is a Junes exclusive. The blade's fake, though, obviously." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up while trying to keep his voice down so as not to draw attention to what Yosuke was doing, even if he was very much incensed at how stupid Yosuke was being.

"No friggin' shit it's fake, Yosuke! Why would Junes be carrying real weapons!? Isn't that, oh, I don't know, illegal as fuck without a permit or something like that!?" Yu pointed out in as calm yet as blunt of a tone as he could manage. *2* Yosuke spoke up with a wince after seeing the glare Yu was giving him.

"Pretty sure only certain shops can carry real weapons, even with a permit. But since when has that stopped Junes? Besides, these are fake, so it doesn't matter. As for me, which weapon would I prefer? Wait, maybe both could be good, too." Yosuke said, not seeing Yu groan and massage his head while muttering what sounded like 'really? Someone shoot me into the freaking sun before this colossal effing idiot gets us both arrested.' under his breath as he watched Yosuke start swinging his weapons around in various poses while he kept speaking.

"K-Kinda like this!?" Yosuke said before shifting his pose into various different poses as he kept speaking.

"Or like this!?" Yosuke said before he assumed yet another pose and kept speaking.

"What about this!?" Yosuke said, and right as he was waving his weapons around, Yu's eyes widened before he mouthed 'son of a fucking whore!' under his breath as he saw an officer turn around in time to see Yosuke swinging his weapons around. Yu only groaned as he heard what the officer said into his walkie-talkie.

"Two suspicious young males found, one armed with multiple weapons. Requesting immediate backup." The officer said as Yu lightly jabbed Yosuke in the ribs with his elbow and spoke up in a strangled whisper.

"Dumbass! Put those damn things down before you get us in worse trouble! As it is, that cop over there saw you!" Yu hissed into Yosuke's ear so only he could hear, making him turn around and go wide eyed as he quickly hid his weapons and spoke up as the officer walked over.

"Huh? What'd you say, Yu?" Yosuke said before he saw the officer standing near Yu, who'd gotten to his feet as the officer walked over, making Yosuke keep speaking in fear.

"Ohhh crap, I mean, hello officer. Is there something I can help you with, sir?" Yosuke said, trying to sound as sociable as possible, but not seeing Yu frantically trying to gesture for Yosuke to drop the weapons behind his back while trying not to let the officer see him subtly signalling Yosuke, who ignored the gestures as he realized what was going on.

"No, officer. No no no no, this isn't what it looks like. We didn't steal it, honest. I brought these from home. Uh, I guess that's not what matters here, is it? A-Anyways, we're not doing anything bad! We're just two ordinary kids who like weapons and enjoy admiring them. Ugh, that didn't sound right either. Ahahaha, nice weather we're having?" Yosuke said, feebly trying to talk himself out of trouble. The officer spoke up and gave Yosuke a wary look.

"Put the weapons down now! We'll listen to your story at the station. Hands where I can see them, too! I said now!" The officer said before Yosuke went to put his hands up in surrender, forgetting he was still holding the weapons as he did so, making what was supposed to be a gesture of surrender instead look like he was threatening the officer as he spoke up.

"B-But I can explain! This isn't what it looks like!" Yosuke said, as Yu just groaned under his breath, already dreading the likely long lecture he was sure to get from his uncle when he inevitably got wind of Yosuke's asinine stunt. Not surprisingly, the officer panicked at Yosuke's inadvertent brandishing of his weapons and spoke up.

"Are you resisting an officer of the law!? Y-You're under arrest!" The officer said as despite Yu's attempts to explain he wasn't involved in Yusuke's stupidity, both Yu and Yosuke were taken to the police station as suspects, Yu spending the entire trip ignoring a sheepish-looking Yosuke, while also hoping he wasn't about to get into a massive mountain of trouble with his uncle over Yosuke's oh-so-wonderfully idiotic and frankly asinine idea to bring weapons to a public department store in broad freaking daylight! Yu could only sigh and pray that he didn't get into too much trouble as he was led to the station with Yosuke...

(A short time later, at the police station with Ryotaro, Yu, and Yosuke)

After Yu and Yosuke were released from the detainment room they'd been being held in, Yu just ignored Yosuke as Ryotaro walked over to the two of them and spoke up.

"I can say that Yu wouldn't pull something like this, but as for you, Hanamura? You didn't seem the type to pull a stupid stunt like this." Ryotaro said as Yu and Yosuke both spoke up.

"Sorry, Uncle Ryotaro./Sorry, Detective Dojima." Yu and Yosuke both apologized as Ryotaro sighed and spoke up.

"Get it together, you two! You know what's been going on around town. We got men stationed everywhere. For god's sake, Hanamura! You're lucky I was around, or this would have ended up on your permanent record." Ryotaro said as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"We're sorry, or rather I'm sorry, since I'm the one who brought the weapons from home and didn't heed Yu's multiple warnings to put them down before that officer saw me waving them around like an idiot. That means this is my fault, and not Yu's." Yosuke said honestly before wincing as he realized his stunt had gotten his and Yu's would-be weapons confiscated. Before Ryotaro could reply to Yosuke's apologies, a pair of officers walked by and spoke up so that Yu and Yosuke could hear.

"Wait, so the one that disappeared is the Amagi girl whose mother runs the Amagi Inn?" The plainclothesman detective asked as the uniformed officer with him spoke up.

"Seems like it to me. But she's just a high schooler, you know. Could be that she decided to run away from home or something." The uniformed officer said as Yu and Yosuke exchanged shocked looks as the latter spoke up.

"Hey, did they just say what I think they said? Did he say Amagi just now? Then, if that's the case, it can only mean one thing. She really is missing." Yosuke said, seeing the irate glare Yu was giving him and changing the end of his last sentence at the last second from 'inside the TV world' to 'missing', much to Yu's relief. But said relief was short-lived once Ryotaro spoke up.

"Hm? Who's what now?" Ryotaro asked as Yosuke realized who he'd been speaking in front of and spoke up.

"Oh, uh, nothing, Detective Dojima. Just thinking out loud, that's all." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Pay Yosuke no mind, Dojima-san. I think he has a 'foot-in-mouth' condition, but it's not his fault, so I'm trying to be nice to him despite it." Yu said, giving Yosuke a look that screamed 'shut the fuck up and play along so I can try and keep us out of trouble!' that Yosuke heeded and stayed silent as Ryotaro nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough. I'm glad you're making friends, Yu. That said, I'm sure you've seen on the news that there's an investigation in progress right now. We're sensitive about certain things. You're free to go. But this better not happen again." Ryotaro said as both Yosuke and Yu assured him it wouldn't. After Ryotaro walked off, Yu and Yosuke made to walk off, only to almost walk into a passing detective with a black business suit, a red tie, a white dress shirt, and what Yu was sure were brown shoes. Yu then spoke up as he realized this detective looked oddly familiar to him.

"Haven't I seen you around somewhere recently?" Yu asked warily as the wide-eyed detective spoke up.

"Whoa, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Pardon me." The wide-eyed detective said before he recognized Yu and kept speaking.

"Huh? Aren't you the kid staying at Dojima-san's place?" The wide-eyed detective said as Yu spoke up.

"That's right. I'm his nephew, Yu. And I'm living with him and Nanako for a year while my parents are away overseas for 'work reasons', as they put it. What of it?" Yu asked, not trying to be rude, but already slightly annoyed after almost getting into trouble because of Yosuke. Yosuke, for his part, seemed to realize who he was looking at and spoke up.

"Oh, you're Detective Dojima's partner, aren't you? Uh, can we ask you something?" Yosuke asked, getting a confused look from the detective as he kept speaking.

"It's about Yukiko-san. Err, I mean, Yukiko Amagi of the Amagi Inn, or the girl who went missing recently. Did something happen to her?" Yosuke asked as the detective blinked at the question and spoke up.

"Huh? Oh, umm, you do seem like friends of hers. Am I allowed to say anything about that to civvies, though?" The detective said, thinking out loud to himself. Now that Yu thought more about it, he thought he vaguely recalled his uncle calling him 'Adachi' once. But he wasn't about to assume that was this guy's name without getting confirmation from him. After a bit of hesitation, the detective spoke up.

"Well, if you're friends with Miss Amagi, it can't hurt to tell you this. But keep this between us, okay? We got a call from Miss Amagi's parents yesterday evening saying they couldn't find her anywhere. Apparently, the situation was serious enough for Amagi-san's mom to look past her disdain for Amagi-san's dad." The detective said, smirking at the shocked look on Yu and Yosuke's faces as he kept speaking.

"Oh and there's more. Since it was the weekend, the workers at the inn were extremely busy, and no one saw Miss Amagi around that time. Oh, but that doesn't necessarily mean that this is a case just yet! But, people've been turning up dead on foggy days recently, so we're really sensitive to stuff like this. By the way, did she say anything to you guys about maybe going through some hard times?" The detective said as Yu spoke up.

"With all due respect, sir, I just moved here a few days ago, so I don't really know anyone around here that well yet, other than maybe Yosuke here, and even then, I question how well I know him given the reason that he and I got hauled in here this morning. But I did get a vague sense that Amagi-san might have been struggling through something. However, as I was raised with a healthy respect for and appreciation of ladies of all ages, I chose not to pry into her personal business." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Uh, I'm sorry, what?" Hard times?" Yosuke asked as the detective spoke up with a nod.

"That's fair, Narukami-san. And Hanamura? You heard me right. I said 'hard times'. And, well, that announcer, Miss Yamano? She was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder. Not only that, but it seems Miss Yamano had some harsh words for the manager about the staff's attitude towards guests. Apparently, the stress of it caused the manager to collapse. And with Miss Amagi being the manager's daughter, well, I feel like it's safe to say she must've felt pretty strongly about the incident, y'know." The detective said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"Doesn't that seem like pretty flimsy evidence to try and suspect Amagi-san, though? Also, all you have is suppositions and what could very well amount to little more than hear-say. Unless you have solid and ironclad proof of your thoughts, Amagi-san is innocent until proven guilty." Yu said as Yosuke blinked at Yu's outburst before the detective kept speaking as if Yu hadn't interrupted.

"By the way, did Miss Amagi ever hint that she might be leaving the house?" The detective asked as Yosuke spoke up.

"If she has, she didn't say anything to either myself or Yu." Yosuke said as Yu nodded his agreement before the detective spoke up.

"I see. Well, I was hoping she might have, 'cause if not, there's been some theories floating around that she's laying low for some reason or another and possibly biding her time." The detective said before his eyes went wide at the icy glare Yu was giving him and he kept speaking.

"Aw, crap. I think I've gone too far. You didn't hear that, okay?" The detective said as Yu spoke up dryly.

"Sure. We didn't just hear you basically accuse an innocent girl of being involved in the murders with no ironclad proof or anything like that." Yu said in a deadpan tone, making both Yosuke and the detective exchange confused glances at Yu's reaction. Before either of them could verbally acknowledge Yu's tirade, Ryotaro's voice echoed from his office.

"ADACHI! What the hell are you chatting with civvies for!? And where's my coffee!?" Ryotaro yelled out from off-screen as the detective, or Adachi as Ryotaro had apparently identified him, winced and spoke up.

"S-Sorry! I got it right here!" Adachi called back before whispering to Yu and Yosuke.

"Psst! Forget I said anything! Please!" Adachi said, walking off before Yu or Yosuke could reply. Afterwards, Yu and Yosuke walked back to the front lobby, where Yosuke spoke up, not seeing the irritated look in Yu's eyes as he spoke up.

"Hey, sorry about getting us both in trouble today. That was entirely my bad, Yu." Yosuke said as Yu sighed and spoke up.

"It's fine, Yosuke. But next time? If I tell you to put the fucking weapons down, then dammit, you had better listen to me and put the goddamn weapons down! This whole thing could've been avoided if you hadn't been waving them around like some kind of idiotic freaking imbecile. But even so, I was out of line to snap at you so many times, so I apologize. I'm just worried about Yukiko, that's all. Also, I don't know about you, but getting hauled to the police station is not how I usually want to start my freaking Sunday off. Also, I can't afford to be getting arrested, since someone has to be there for Nanako." Yu said as Yosuke nodded understandingly and spoke up.

"I take it Nanako is the name of your cousin, then?" Yosuke asked as Yu nodded once to confirm Yosuke was right. Yosuke spoke up.

"Right, I'll be more careful from now on. Anyways, does that detective we just spoke to think that Yukiko-san could have-?" Yosuke started to ask, but a familiar voice reached their ears before Yosuke could finish his question or Yu could answer.

"THERE YOU ARE! Sheesh, what're you guys doing!? I've been looking everywhere!" Chie asked as a sheepish-looking Yosuke spoke up.

"Uh, well, there was a slight misunderstanding early this morning. We'll tell you about it later." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up.

"Misunderstanding? What did I miss?" Chie asked incredulously as an irate Yu spoke up.

"Oh, not a whole lot, maybe just, I dunno, getting hauled off to the police station because Yosuke here thought it was a great fucking idea to bring weapons to a public department store AND SWING THEM AROUND LIKE A MADMAN! Oh, and that's not even mentioning some of the OTHER absolutely idiotic things I've heard in here. But let's wait until we're back at Junes before I go into detail. Unlike Yosuke, I don't have a wish to get arrested when we could be actually doing something productive with our day." Yu said to Chie in a deadpan tone while aiming an annoyed glare at a sheepish Yosuke, who spoke up.

"Yeah, my bad, Yu. But that's not important right now! Anyways, something's up with Yukiko-san!" Yosuke said as Chie spoke up.

"Huh? You know already!? I kept calling her cell, but she didn't pick up no matter how many times I called. So I went to her house, and it turns out Yukiko really did disappear yesterday!" Chie said frantically as Yosuke nodded sagely and spoke up.

"I see. Well, I guess we've got no choice but to go now that Chie's confirmed that Yukiko is missing." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Seems like it." Yu agreed as Chie spoke up with a slight smirk on her face as she noted the expression currently on Yu's face.

"You seem rather agitated, Narukami. I'm guessing you're worried about Yukiko?" Chie asked as Yu merely nodded before Yosuke spoke up.

"Yeah, I may have managed to irritate Yu with the misunderstanding I caused, but that's not important! That aside, the cops are saying some weird stuff. They think Yukiko-san's hiding to 'lay low', whatever that means." Yosuke said as Yu scoffed and spoke up.

"It means that some people are lazy, and would rather find an easy mark to blame for stuff, whether that mark is innocent or not. Don't even get me started on how much something like that is total bullshit, please." Yu said in a dry and deadpan tone as Yosuke and Chie blinked at this before the former spoke up.

"Annnnyways, moving on. Apparently, Yukiko-san's mom collapsed because that announcer lady bitched her out. They think that gives her a motive, and the fact that the announcer died right after that makes her even more suspicious as a result, at least according to the cops." Yosuke said as Yu grumbled what sounded like 'moronic dumbasses are still just morons at the end of the day, no matter how much they try and glorify themselves.' under his breath as Chie bristled at Yosuke's words and spoke loudly, drowning out Yu's grumbling.

"WHAT!? They think YUKIKO did it!? What the hell is wrong with them!?" Chie said as Yosuke huffed and spoke up.

"Dude, don't snap at me!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Better you than a cop. Or are you encouraging Chie to get herself arrested for picking a fight with a cop?" Yu quipped, making Chie giggle despite herself at Yu's remark, as it did sound like something that she'd most likely do. Yosuke grumbled and spoke up.

"Of course I'm not trying to encourage Chie to get in trouble. That's besides the point, though. Yukiko's the victim here, dammit, not the suspect, despite what the cops might try and say to the contrary." Yosuke grumbled. Despite his own slight frustrations with the situation, Yu realized this wasn't the time to be snapping at Yosuke and Chie. After that, Yu took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke up in a calmer voice.

"Look, I know we're all worked up here, but let's all calm down and go think this through rationally, preferably somewhere that isn't the police station lobby?" Yu said wisely, getting shocked looks from Chie and Yosuke as the former spoke up with a flustered look on her face.

"Y-You're right. So, rather than snap at each other, what're we gonna do!?" Chie asked as Yosuke spoke up.

"What else CAN we do!? With the police totally on the wrong track, we've gotta handle it ourselves." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I agree. Not to mention, I owe Teddie an earful from when he tried to bite me yesterday. He's lucky he didn't draw blood, or I might have had to get both rabies and tetanus boosters to ensure he couldn't give me either of those." Yu said as Yosuke nodded before Chie spoke up.

"If you're going, then I'm going too!" Chie said, making both Yu and Yosuke turn to face her as they spoke up in unison.

"WHAT!?" Yu and Yosuke said in unison as Chie spoke up with a determined look on her face.

"And that's final! I'm going to save Yukiko no matter what!" Chie said determinedly as Yosuke spoke up warily.

"Are you gonna be all right going into the TV world with us, Chie? But man, how do we defend ourselves? They just confiscated our weapons. We can't go in empty-handed, after all." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Don't even bring that up, Yosuke. I'm trying not to think about how absolutely idiotic and stupid that entire sequence of events was. And because of it, we lost several hours of valuable time we could've spent preparing to go in after Amagi-san." Yu said bluntly as Yosuke gave Yu an apologetic look, but Chie spoke up before he could apologize again.

"Oh, weapons, you say? I know just the place!" Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"Oh? I'm listening." Yu said as Chie spoke up.

"C'mon, follow me!" Chie said as Yu and Yosuke followed her out of the police station...

(A short time later, at a shop in the Southern part of the Shopping District, with Yosuke, Chie, and Yu)

After a bit of a walk, Chie led Yu and Yosuke to a shop that was nothing but weapons and amror as far as the eye could see, and then one man with a very stern expression and his arms crossed watching them from in the back, who Yu realized was the same man who he'd seen pounding away in the back of this shop the day he came to Inaba. Chie spoke up once Yosuke and Yu caught up to her, not even bothered by the red-haired man listening in behind the trio.

"Here we are!" Chie said as Yosuke and Yu looked around before the former sweatdropped and spoke up.

"Wh-What kinda shop is this supposed to be?" Yosuke asked. Chie chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"Uh, it's a metalworks shop, I guess? They sell all sorts of metal crap here, like katanas and stuff." Chie said as Yosuke and Yu gave Chie shocked looks and Yu spoke up.

"So you're saying this is basically a combination of a blacksmith and a weapons/armor shop? Interesting. You don't see blacksmiths much nowadays. I always thought they were interesting when I was younger, truth be told." Yu said offhandedly as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"That's fair, Yu. And Chie? Doesn't that seem weird to you!? Why would you know about a place like this anyway?" Yosuke asked as Chie gave him a deadpan stare and he kept speaking.

"Oh, I get it now. You watched one too many kung-fu movies, and probably thought this guy was some sort of master or something." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with an arched eyebrow.

"You say that as if this guy isn't some form of a master, Yosuke. For all we know, the guy that runs this place could be an honest-to-God master blacksmith. And if so, that's pretty cool, since that's not an easy thing to master from what I read about blacksmiths when I was younger." Yu said as Chie spoke up.

"Good point, Narukami. And Yosuke? It's not that at all! I overheard some guys in our class talk about it. They said this place sells weapons and armor." Chie said before walking over to a suit of armor and speaking up.

"Here, this one looks good." Chie said as Yu looked at the price tag and spoke up in a deadpan tone.

"Yeah, it's probably good all right. But with that price tag!? The only way any of us could afford that was if we suddenly won a lottery or something." Yu quipped. Chie winced and spoke up.

"Good point, Narukami. But, it might be too heavy for us to use, even if we could afford it." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up

"I dunno, Chie. I know you're worried about Yukiko-san, but I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but-" Yosuke started to say as Chie angrily interrupted him mid-sentence by speaking up.

"You don't!" Chie snapped as Yu and Yosuke gave her shocked looks, which Chie ignored as he kept speaking.

"You don't know shit about how I feel, Yosuke! Yukiko might die from this, for crying out loud! I'm going, AND THAT'S THAT!" Chie snapped as Yu spoke up with a sigh.

"Okay, but stay behind us if you can. I believe you can handle yourself, but these are Shadows we're talking about. Unless you have the same power we do, you're not gonna be able to do much against them, Satonaka." Yu said fairly but kindly. Chie scoffed at that and spoke up.

"You're worried about me? Psh, I'll be fine, Narukami! My reflexes are second to none!" Chie said confidently as Yosuke spoke up in irritation.

"Listen to us, Chie! I'm not kidding around. You don't know what it's like in there! If you're not gonna listen to our warnings, we're leaving you here! If you insist on coming, just make sure you have something to protect yourself." Yosuke said as Chie sighed and spoke up.

"Alright, fine, I'll heed your warnings." Chie said as the group looked around before Yosuke spoke up.

"But man, what should we get here?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"Obviously, we try to get the best weapons suited for us. For me, that'd be a katana. You're probably mostly a kunais sort of guy, Yosuke. And as for you, Satonaka? I'm guessing you prefer kick-based weapons, given you do the martial arts and all?" Yu said as Chie and Yosuke nodded before the latter spoke up.

"True. You should pick out the weapons, since you know what you're doing. Also, if you do pick them out, Yu? Would you mind picking out something for me, too? You're our main asset in battle right now, so I think you should choose whatever makes it easiest for you." Yosuke said as he gave Yu 5000 yen. After Chie finished wandering around the front of the shop, she spoke up following a 'ding!' from up front.

"I got my stuff all picked out! How about you guys?" Chie asked as Yosuke winced at that and spoke up.

"Good question. I asked Yu to handle that. But, you know, after earlier, I now realize that if we wear this stuff around town, we'll just get picked up again. But it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one else to notice, either." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up after a moment.

"Hm. Why not conceal them under our uniforms? I don't think people would notice." Chie said as Yu spoke up while aiming an unimpressed frown at a suitably sheepish lookign Yosuke.

"Yes, that's true. But this assumes SOMEONE can manage to keep them concealed and not wave theirs around like a fool." Yu said dryly. Yosuke winced at Yu's tone and spoke up.

"I get it. I messed up, Yu. I'm sorry. And okay, that's an idea, Satonaka. Let's try that." Yosuke said before turning to Yu and speaking up.

"Alright, let's split up and get ready. The store'll be crowded until the afternoon sale ends, and if we walk around together, the cops might get suspicious." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up before Yu could do more than nod approvingly.

"If that's the case, then I'll see you guys at the Junes food court!" Chie said as Yu and Yosuke exchanged nods and parted ways for the time being, leaving Yu to procure the group's weapons and armor. Once he picked out the best stuff for himself and Yosuke, Yu rang up his purchases, paid the owner what he was owed, and left the shop. After leaving, a blue door shimmered into existence near Yu, who blinked in shock at the sudden appearance of the bizarre door. To Yu's further shock, it seemed as if only he could see the door that had appeared. As the door shimmered, Yu heard a familiar voice in his head.

"So it finally begins at long last. Now, if you'll give me a moment of your time, we can further discuss how I might be of aid to you, Yu Narukami." Yu heard what he realized was Igor's voice say as the 'Velvet Key' in his pocket started to shine in response to the mysterious door, whisking him into the Velvet Room...

(A short time later, in the Velvet Room with Yu, Margaret, Igor, and an unfamiliar person)

After Yu opened his eyes again, he was back in the Velvet Room. Igor saw Yu and spoke up.

"Ah, welcome, Narukami-san. We have been expecting you. The catastrophe that is headed your way as we speak is formidable. It has already taken human lives in its approach towards you. Two of them, to be precise. But you have nothing to fear. You already have the power to fight against it. It seems that the time for you to use your Persona has come at last. Hee hee." Igor said as Margaret spoke up.

"In case you forgot since our last meeting, allow me to refresh your memory about your power. Your Persona ability is that of the wild card. If you strengthen your bonds properly, their power will help you overcome any ordeal. Our role is to facilitate that." Margaret said as Igor spoke up.

"Indeed. And my contribution to that endeavor, as you might have surmised, is to give birth to new Personas. By mixing together multiple Persona cards, I can transmute them into a new form for you at any time you so choose, provided you are of the sufficient strength to handle their power. This, in other words, is the fusion of Personas. You have the power to hold multiple Personas and use them accordingly. When you defeat an enemy, the seeds of possibility you attain will appear before you as cards. At times, they may be hard to grasp, even for you. However, that is not a bad thing.

It might sound rough, but you must master your fear and reach out to them. When you obtain new cards, please do not hesitate to bring them here. If you have been developing your Social Links, then your Personas will gain even more power than they otherwise would gain. They will be one of your chief sources of strength in your coming journey. You would do well to take this to heart." Igor said as Yu nodded, before recalling he'd formed a 'Magician' Social Link with Yosuke, which he mentioned to Igor, who then informed him that due to that Social Link, anytime he tried to fuse a Persona of the Magician Arcana, it would gain more power than normal. He then turned to give Margaret a significant look before she nodded and spoke up while holding up an old tome.

"The tome you see in my hand is the Persona Compendium. Registering the Persona you hold will allow you to recall them at any time. Please see me when you wish to use it. Oh, and one more thing you should know. I would like to introduce a new resident of the Velvet Room, who will be helping you on your journey." Margaret said as Yu's attention went to the third person sitting across from him, and his eyes widened slightly when he recognized the girl to Igor's left as the girl he'd seen twice the day he moved to Inaba. Yu then spoke up in shock.

"Oh, interesting. I didn't think I'd run into you again. Thanks for the other day." Yu said politely to the unfriendly-looking girl, who scoffed as Margaret spoke up in confusion.

"Do you know our guest already, Marie?" Margaret asked as Yu spoke up while giving the now-named Marie a polite look as he spoke.

"Oh? Is that your name, then? If so, that's a neat name, Marie-san." Yu said as Marie smiled but then glared at Margaret as she spoke up.

"Thank you. And yeah, I can hear." Marie said to Margaret before looking at Yu with a slightly friendlier gaze as she kept speaking.

"Sorry for the other day. I shouldn't have been so rude. It's nice to meet you, Narukami-san. My name is Marie. Or at least, that's the name I was given on arriving here." Marie said kindly as Yu nodded and spoke up, deciding not to be offended by how unfriendly Marie seemed to be.

"Fair enough. I apologize for prying overmuch into your business the last time we met. I was just trying to be friendly, that's all. Still, if you don't mind my asking, why are you here?" Yu asked. Marie winced at the question as she spoke up in a brusque tone.

"To be honest? I dunno. It doesn't matter." Marie said bluntly as Yu chuckled at her blunt response and nodded as Margaret spoke up.

"Excuse her. This is Marie. Her soul is still very young and-" Margaret said politely before Marie cut her off mid-sentence by speaking up rudely.

"Shut up! Don't tell him any more about me than you need to." Marie said as Margaret chuckled before she kept speaking, acting as if Marie hadn't interrupted her.

"-And she is still very inexperienced and rough around the edges, as you can see. As a result, she may be brusque at times, but please understand she is only an apprentice and forgive her for her impoliteness." Margaret said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Got it. None of us is perfect, after all. And I can respect that she wants her privacy. I was raised to respect a woman's boundaries, in any case. So if she doesn't want me to pry, then I will respect that and not pry." Yu said as Margaret nodded and spoke up.

"Good. That being said, Marie will be dealing with 'Skill Cards'. Using these cards will allow you to provide your Personas with new powers. Also, I am sure she will help you form a bond between yourself and the 'outside world'. Marie will contact you at a later date. Please feel free to speak with her here when you wish to use her services." Margaret said as Yu nodded his understanding of her words before Igor chuckled and spoke up.

"Do you recall my words to you before? When we first met, I told you, and I quote, 'The coming year is a turning point in your destiny, Yu Narukami. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost.' And on that day, I meant precisely what I said. Defeat in battle is not the only way your journey may come to an end, after all. Please do not forget this. And that is all I wished to speak to you about. Keep in mind that when next we meet, you will come here of your own will. Hmhmhm, I look forward to it. Until then, stay safe in your coming battles, and farewell." Igor said as Yu was whisked from the Velvet Room in a flash of light...

(A short time later, at the Junes food court, with Yu, Yosuke, and Chie)

After he left the Velvet Room, Yu made his way to Junes to meet up with Yosuke and Chie at the food court. Once the trio was gathered, Yosuke spoke up after crossing his arms.

"We really stick out like a sore thumb, don't we? Guess it doesn't help that we're in our school uniforms on a Sunday. Anyways, the sale should end soon, so that'll get rid of some of the people wandering around here. Alright, then. Let's get going." Yosuke said as Yu and Chie nodded before Yosuke turned to Chie and kept speaking.

"Chie, it's not too late to-" Yosuke said as Chie cut him off by speaking up angrily, a determined look on her face.

"I'm going!" Chie said as Yosuke sighed and spoke up in annoyance.

"Fine, but don't push yourself too hard, got it!?" Yosuke said as Yu, Yosuke, and Chie exchanged nods with one another before making their way into the TV world...

(At the studio entrance of the TV world, with Yosuke, Chie, Yu, and Teddie)

After landing in the TV, Yosuke and Yu noticed Teddie quivering in fear in a corner of the room, making Chie speak up as she saw him.

"Whoa, it really is that bear from the last time we came in here. Oh, and he cleaned up his fur a bit. Nice." Chie said as Yosuke got Teddie's attention by speaking up.

"What're you doing?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up with a sad look on his face.

"Can't you tell? I'm thinking about stuff." Teddie said, at which point Yu frowned on realizing Teddie had been thinking about himself since Yosuke and Yu left the TV world. Before Yu could voice his musings aloud, Teddie kept speaking, not seeing the glares Yu, Yosuke, and Chie gave him for what he said next.

"I've been deli-bear-ating it for a long time now. Hey, that wasn't a bad joke. Heehee, I'm pretty funny." Teddie said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"Not only was that a bad joke, you are not funny in the slightest. In fact, my six-year-old cousin probably tells much better jokes than you do." Yu said bluntly while Yosuke and Chie were groaning at Teddie's pun. Yosuke then spoke up before Chie could do more than glare at Teddie.

"So, all joking aside, did you figure anything out? Eh, it's probably useless to think about it too much. I've seen the inside of your skull and it was empty." Yosuke said as Yu frowned and spoke up while trying not to shudder as he thought about when Yosuke had pulled the head off of Teddie's bear suit.

"Can we not talk about that? I'm still trying to unsee that extremely cursed image if I can. I think that's one instance where Satonaka was lucky that we left her behind, since I guarantee that seeing what we saw would've given her plenty of nightmare fuel for quite a while." Yu said with a wince as Chie spoke up.

"Really? Was it really that cursed, Narukami?" Chie asked, but before Yu could answer, Teddie stormed over to Yosuke and spoke up angrily.

"How rude! Ugh, but you're right, though. I try and try, but nothing comes out of my head." Teddie said as Chie spoke up irately.

"Will you guys shut up!? Narukami's remarks aside since he's probably got a point, now's not the time for stupid jokes! Listen, Teddie. Someone came here yesterday, right?" Chie asked as Teddie turned a wide-eyed look in her direction and spoke up.

"Wow! There's a girl with a better nose than me!?" Teddie asked as Yu chuckled and spoke up.

"Given she smelled your bear suit from literally off-screen the day we met you, yes there is. But I think she was just guessing." Yu said as Teddie ignored his remark and spoke up.

"What's your name, Miss?" Teddie said as Chie blanched at this and spoke up.

"M-Miss? Uh, right, I didn't introduce myself the last time we met, did I? I'm Chie. But never mind that! Tell me more about that 'someone' you mentioned!" Chie said as Teddie spoke up.

"Right. I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys. After that, it felt like someone was here." Teddie asked as Yosuke spoke up in a worried tone.

"Is it Yukiko-san!?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up uncertainly.

"I don't know. I haven't looked at the spot the person landed in yet, truth be told." Teddie said, before pointing in a direction behind Yu as he kept speaking.

"The presence is over that way. That's probably where they are." Teddie said as Chie blinked at that and spoke up.

"Over there, huh? You're sure that's where they are?" Chie asked as Teddie nodded, prompting Chie to keep speaking.

"Okay. Is everyone ready?" Chie asked as Yosuke and Yu nodded with Teddie before the former of the guys spoke up.

"Y-Yeah!" Yosuke said as Chie took off at a dead sprint in the direction Teddie had pointed. After Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie gave chase, the trio caught up to Chie outside of what Yu recognized as the place that Yukiko's 'Midnight Channel' show had been set in. Chie then spoke up in shock.

"What the hell is this? A castle!? Y'think this is the place they showed on TV last time?" Chie asked as Yu spoke up.

"If nothing else, it lines up with the fact that Yukiko was dressed like a princess when she showed up on the Midnight Channel last night." Yu pointed out as Yosuke and Chie nodded before all three turned to Teddie while Yosuke spoke up.

"You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?" Yosuke asked as Teddie blanched and spoke up in confusion.

"Program, you say? I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that. And I told you before! There's only me and Shadows here!" Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"And you're sure that's the whole truth?" Yu asked with a raised eyebrow. Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Positive! There's no 'camera' stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning." Teddie said as Yosuke spoke up in a mix of annoyance and confusion.

"'From the beginning', you say? That's what we don't understand!" Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up.

"I dunno how to explain it past that. Tell me, can you guys explain everything about your world?" Teddie asked as Yu winced and spoke up.

"Probably not, but that's mostly because there's no one singular person who knows everything there is to know about our world." Yu pointed out as Teddie nodded and spoke up at that point.

"Fair enough. Anyways, I've never seen this 'program' thingy before. So I don't know." Teddie said as Chie spoke up.

"Well, regardless of how this world started, is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world? Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was before she disappeared. Doesn't that seem off? I mean, Yukiko, saying things like 'score myself a hot stud'? Ugh, that's not like her at all!" Chie said as Teddie turned to Chie and spoke up, not seeing Yu groan at what he said next.

"Hm? 'Score'? 'Stud'? What are these things about, of which you speak?" Teddie asked as Yu spoke up.

"Never mind that for now, Teddie. It's not important." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either, Chie. And I agree with Yu. Yukiko-san is the main issue right now, anyways. And from what I know of her, Yukiko-san would never say anything like that. Or would she!? I wonder, though. Is this kinda like what happened to me the last time Yu and I came in here?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"You mean when I had to beat the crap out of your Shadow so it would calm down enough for you to accept it?" Yu asked as Yosuke winced and nodded before Teddie spoke up.

"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get. But after hearing your story just now, I think that 'program' happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that, at least." Teddie said as Yu, Yosuke, and Chie got shocked looks on their faces as the latter spoke up.

"So, what're you saying? Yukiko is producing that show herself?" Chie asked warily before Yu spoke up and cut Teddie off before he could answer Chie.

"That's possible. But I wonder if Teddie is moreso trying to suggest that the Midnight Channel programs are tailored to each person who ends up in the TV world? Mind you, that's just a theory on my part. But if you think about it, couldn't one say that the Amagi Inn is like a 'castle' of sorts, meaning that as her mother is the 'ruler' of said 'castle', that would make Amagi-san the theoretical 'princess' of the Amagi Inn?

Could it be that this castle is a reflection of how she sees the Amagi Inn, kind of like how Konishi-senpai saw her family's iiquor store as something akin to a hellish purgatory, hence how messed up the area seemed when Yosuke and I went there before?" Yu said as Yosuke spoke up with a slow nod.

"That does make a lot of sense, Yu. But keep in mind, you yourself just said that all of what you said is little more than conjecture and speculation on your part." Yosuke said as Chie groaned and spoke up.

"Ugh, I don't get this at all!" Chie said as Yu, Yosuke, and Chie exchanged frustrated looks as Chie looked at Teddie and kept speaking.

"Hey, Teddie? Do you feel Yukiko's presence from inside?" Chie asked as Teddie spoke up.

"I'm pretty sure. So, um, what's this 'scoring with a hot stud' thing you were talking about before?" Teddie asked as Yu groaned under his breath, mentally cussing Yukiko out in his head using all the different expletives he knew, and he knew a lot of expletives, which makes a lot of sense given all the people he's hung with over the years, before he spoke up.

"We'll explain it to you when you're older, Teddie." Yu said bluntly as Chie spoke up.

"Never mind that! Yukiko's here, you guys! I'm going on ahead!" Chie said as she ran off alone into the red and black portal that was in the doorway of the castle, leaving Yosuke to yell after her retreating back.

"Hey wait! Don't go alone! Geez! We better follow her!" Yosuke said as Yu nodded before the three gave chase to Chie. At that point, Yosuke spoke up.

"Tch, leave it to Chie to race off half-cocked like a hothead. She ran off on her own without waiting for backup." Yosuke said as Teddie winced and spoke up.

"Urk, she shouldn't have done that! There are lots of Shadows in the castle." Teddie said as Yu groaned and spoke up.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that, Teddie. Still, I guess I can't be too surprised that there's Shadows in a new area of the TV world." Yu said as Teddie nodded before speaking up.

"Exactly! It'll be dangerous inside for a girl by herself. Especially if she can't defend herself the way you and Yosuke can, Sensei!" Teddie said as Yosuke glared at him and spoke up in an annoyed voice.

"Dude, are you serious!? Why didn't you tell us before!? C'mon, let's find Chie!" Yosuke said as the trio ran after Chie. Once inside, Yosuke spoke up.

"Urgh, dammit! I can't believe she ran off on her own!" Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up.

"Um, wait a second! The Shadows have gotten aggravated ever since you two got here. They'll probably attack as soon as they find you, Sensei. So try to get the jump on Shadows before they attack you!" Teddie said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Makes sense. We should get them before they get us, in other words. Now, let's get moving!" Yu said as Yosuke and Teddie nodded before the trio raced ahead to try and find Chie. As Yu and Yosuke checked every door, they defeated some Shadows, at which point the ensuing EXP brought Yu up to level 6, prompting Yosuke to speak up with a smirk.

"Heh, not bad, partner!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Thanks. We make a good team." Yu said bluntly as his level increased. Additionally, Yosuke also leveled up to level 4, making him smirk as he spoke up.

"Ha-ha! I leveled up!" Yosuke said with a grin as his level increased. After beating an enemy, Yosuke hit level 5 and spoke up.

"Leveled up!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"Nice one, partner. Too bad it's just the two of us, so there's not as much room for banter at the moment. But good job on the boost nonetheless." Yu said kindly as Yosuke's level increased. After beating more Shadows, Yu's level increased to level 7. Additionally, Izanagi leveled up to level 5 and gained the buff skill 'Tarukaja' as a result. Not only that, but Yosuke hit level 6 and unlocked the buff skill 'Sukukaja' for Jiraiya as a result. While hunting Shadows, Yosuke hit level 7. After hunting more Shadows, Yu hit level 8. While hunting the stairs, Yu's 'Pixie' Persona that he'd acquired hit level 3 and gained the 'Zio' skill. Additionally, Yosuke hit level 8.

While fighting Shadows, Yu hit level 9. After beating even more Shadows, Yu's 'Pixie' Persona hit level 4 and gained the 'Me Patra' skill. While fighting Shadows, Yu's 'Pixie' Persona hit level 5 and Yosuke hit level 9. After beating still more Shadows, Yu hit level 10. While scouting out the layout of the current floor, Yu's 'Pixie' Persona hit level 6 off of defeating an enemy. After knocking out another Shadow, Yosuke hit level 10, earning Jiraiya the 'Makajam' skill in the process. Eventually, the group found the steps up to the next floor, taking them up while Yu quietly grumbled about how it was in literally the last spot the group checked. Once on the next floor, Teddie spoke up as the group looked at a simple hall leading to a giant double door.

"Hmm, I'm impressed. You and Yosuke are both good at fighting, Sensei. Compared to you, Yosuke stinks like something stinky." Teddie said as Yosuke frowned angrily and spoke up.

"Shut up, Ted! At least I don't go on and on about 'scoring with a hot stud', like you do!" Yosuke said as Yu glared at both Teddie and Yosuke for mentioning scoring around him, as it reminded him of what he'd seen on the Midnight Channel the night before, and spoke up.

"Yosuke? Can you not bring up the scoring talk? I'd rather not think about that cursed Midnight Channel show if possible, thank you." Yu said bluntly before glaring at Teddie as he kept speaking.

"And Teddie? Do not make fun of Yosuke! He's as good of a fighter as I am! He's probably better than you are, too." Yu rebuked Teddie, not seeing the amused grin on Yosuke's face as he spoke up.

"Good point, Yu. Though I do gotta admit that Teddie is right about one thing. You do have a knack for this sort of stuff, Yu." Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up.

"Doesn't he? So you should be the one to give Yosuke orders during a fight." Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"Shut up, Teddie. Also, I don't mind giving the orders, but only if Yosuke wants me to." Yu said bluntly as Yosuke spoke up.

"That's fair, partner. It ticks me off to hear Teddie say that stuff about me, but I don't wanna cause trouble doing my own thing in battle either. So, at least while we're in the TV world, don't hesitate to order me around. I'm counting on you." Yosuke said as the group kept moving. Once Yu inspected the door at the end of the hall, Teddie spoke up with a smirk.

"There she is! Chie-chan is in there!" Teddie said as Yu and Yosuke charged into the next room. Sure enough, Chie was inside, standing idly in the middle of the room. Yosuke ran over to Chie and spoke up in concern.

"Chie! Are you all right!?" Yosuke asked, and when Chie didn't respond, he gasped and kept speaking.

"Chie, can you hear us?" Yosuke asked. Before Chie could respond, a familiar voice echoed in the room.

"She said that red looks good on me, didn't she?" Yosuke, Yu, Teddie, and Chie heard, causing the first three to gasp as Yu spoke up.

"I know that voice!" Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"So do I! Yukiko-san!?" Yosuke asked, but instead of answer the question, the voice kept speaking.

"I hated my name, even if I never admitted it. Yukiko is derived from the word 'Yuki', which is in and of itself Japanese for 'Snow'. Snow is cold and it melts quickly enough. It's transient, short-lived, worthless, and even cold. But it's perfect for me, if you think about it. After all, apart from inheriting the inn, I'm worthless to everyone. Still, I have to admit it felt nice when Chie told me that red looks good on me." The group heard what sounded like Yukiko's voice say as Yosuke spoke up.

"Are these actually Yukiko-san's inner thoughts? I remember hearing Saki-senpai's, too. Granted, I don't like thinking about what her actual opinion of me was, but I still remember hearing her inner thoughts." Yosuke said as Teddie spoke up.

"Yeah. This castle is probably here because of this Yukiko person." Teddie said as Chie spoke up for the first time since the others caught up to her.

"Yukiko, are those your thoughts?" Chie asked. As if in response, Yukiko's voice was heard once more.

"Chie was the only one who gave my life meaning after a while. She's bright and strong, and she can do anything she sets her mind to. She has everything that I don't have. Compared to Chie, I'm practically nothing. I'm not worthy to stand in the same room as her. Chie protects me, even when she doesn't have to. She looks after my worthless life so that it might hopefully be a little less worthless. And I appreciate it, I truly do. But I don't deserve any of it, and I think Chie knows it as surely as I do. Chie is so kind and friendly." Yukiko's voice was heard as Chie spoke up in shock.

"Yukiko, I-I don't know what to say to all of that." Chie said before the group gave visible starts in shock as another voice was heard.

"Oh, really? 'Chie is so kind,' huh? What a joke." The group heard what sounded like the voice of a second Chie say as the Chie in the room gasped and spoke up.

"Wh-What the hell!?" Chie said as at that moment, another Chie materialized in front of the group, and like what happened with Yosuke, this second Chie had an ominous blue aura flaring from her and piercing eyes that had an eerie yellow glow. Yosuke gasped and spoke up.

"Oh man, is this for real? Is that what I think it is!?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up with a fierce look on his face.

"It's just like with Yosuke! She lost control over her suppressed self! Now it's a Shadow!" Teddie said as Yu swore under his breath and spoke up.

"Seriously!? Well, guess you and I know what's coming next, don't we Yosuke?" Yu asked Yosuke, who nodded. However, before Yosuke could answer Yu verbally, Chie's Shadow laughed mockingly and spoke up.

"Are we talking about THAT Yukiko!? She says I'm protecting her!? She says she's worthless! Ahahaha! That's how it should be, right?" Chie's Shadow said with a sadistic smile on her face that made the real Chie shudder in fear as she spoke up.

"Wh-What're you saying?" Chie said as her Shadow smirked sadistically and spoke up in a bored sounding drawl.

"Yukiko's sooo good looking, right? Sooo fair-skinned and flawless. Sooo feminine and irresistible. She's the one all the guys drool over." Chie's Shadow said, smirking as she saw Yu sputter but stop himself from protesting what she'd said as Chie's Shadow kept speaking.

"But damn! When Yukiko looked at me with such jealousy that day? Man, did I get a charge out of that. Yukiko knows the score. She can't do anything if I'm not around to protect her." Chie's Shadow said as both Yu and Yosuke spoke up at the same time.

"BULLSHIT!" Yu and Yosuke said as Chie's Shadow laughed derisively and spoke up.

"Is it really bullshit, though? After all, I'm better than her in every single way. Much, much better!" Chie's Shadow said as the real Chie bristled at hearing what her Shadow said as she spoke up.

"No! I have NEVER thought that!" Chie said indignantly as Yosuke turned to Yu and spoke up in horror.

"Wh-What're we gonna do?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a resolved look on his face.

"What else? We need to protect Satonaka from her Shadow. If we're lucky, she'll be able to accept it and get her own Persona, giving us another ally to work with." Yu said decisively as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"You're right, Sensei! We need to protect Chie-chan right now!" Teddie said as he, Yu, and Yosuke approached Chie, who turned to them and spoke up in a mix of horror and fear.

"N-No, don't come near me! Don't look at me!" Chie said as Yosuke spoke up in a firm but rebuking tone.

"Chie, calm down!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up before Chie could answer Yosuke.

"And think before you speak! Otherwise, you could end up saying something you may very well find yourself regretting later." Yu warned as Chie spoke up, clearly not hearing Yu's warning given what she said next.

"No, this is a lie! It has to be! No, this isn't me!" Chie said as Yosuke spoke up in a warning tone.

"W-Wait, stupid! Don't say anything else like that!" Yosuke said as Chie's Shadow laughed mockingly and spoke up.

"Heheh, that's right. I'M the one who can't do anything alone, despite my claims to the contrary. I can't win as a girl, let alone as a person. Damn, it's actually kind of sad. I'm pathetic. But Yukiko is even more pathetic, since she depends on me despite how pathetic I am. Heheh, and that's why she's my friend despite everything. I'll never loosen my grip on her, after all. She's too important to me." Chie's Shadow said as the real Chie spoke up with an aghast look on her face at what her Shadow had just said.

"No, you're lying! That is NOT how I think of her at all!" Chie said as her Shadow laughed and spoke up.

"Ahaha, is that it? So, you're just gonna turn your back and deny me again? But things are different now, after all. When the time comes for everything to play out, I'll be the one left standing. You won't mind, right? I'm still you!" Chie's Shadow said as Chie spoke up in an enraged voice.

"Shut up! You're full of shit! Also, you're-" Chie said as both Yu and Yosuke spoke up at the same time.

"DON'T FINISH THAT SENTENCE, SATONAKA!" Yu called out at the same time that Yosuke spoke up.

"Chie, no!" Yosuke said, but both his and Yu's words fell on deaf ears, as proven by what happened next when Chie screamed at the top of her lungs.

"YOU'RE NOT ME!" Chie yelled out angrily as her Shadow started cackling maniacally as the blue aura around her seemed to intensify and be swarmed by a red mist that preceded her form changing.

Where once a second Chie stood, now stood a freaky-looking Shadow that had long flowing black hair with serrated knives for tips, and a shadow that looked like some sort of sick banana dominatrix with mostly white clothes other than what appeared to be a yellow hood in the shape of a banana peel that went over her head and arms, matching the yellow knee-length stiletto boots and eerie yellow chains that descended from the new form of Chie's Shadow.

But what really made Yu shudder were the beady little black eyes the new being had, and the oddly-placed smiley face at the point on the very top of the being's head. Chie, for her part, recoiled in horror and spoke up as she saw what her Shadow had become.

"Aaagh!" Chie said as Yu cringed and spoke up.

"What the hell? Is that thing sitting on a throne of puppets? And are those puppets supposed to be me, Yosuke and Yukiko!?" Yu said in horror as he realized that one of the puppets had an eerily similar hairstyle to his own, while another had a skirt on. Yosuke spoke up in horror, a concerned look on her face.

"Chie!" Yosuke said as Yu looked over at Yosuke and spoke up.

"Looks like this is our cue, Yosuke. You know what comes next, right?" Yu asked as Yosuke nodded while Teddie spoke up.

"I-It's coming! You have to use your powers to save Chie-chan!" Teddie said as a fight began! As the fight began, Chie's Shadow spoke up.

"I am a Shadow, you fools! I am the true self that has been suppressed! What do you guys think you're doing? Trying to defend the 'real' me?" Chie's Shadow said as Yu spoke up.

"Exactly! You might be part of Chie, but right now? You're the imperfect parts of her that she's probably horrified of! And it's our job to try and subdue you so the real you can make her peace with you!" Yu said as Chie's Shadow scoffed and spoke up.

"Is that right? Then you're gonna pay the price!" Chie's Shadow said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"Shut up, dammit! Quit being such a pain! Chie, don't give up! Just hang in there a little longer and we'll save you!" Yosuke said as Chie's Shadow scoffed and spoke up.

"Hah, is that right? Think you can stop me that easy!?" Chie's Shadow said as Yu spoke up.

"Just watch us! PERSONA CHANGE! COME FORTH, UKOBACH! BURN THE ENEMY!" Yu said as he summoned one of his newer Personas in the form of Ukobach, which was an ugly-looking female goblin with a flaming flower in one hand, who waved the flower towards Chie's Shadow, blasting her with a fireball, but ultimately not bothering Chie's Shadow overmuch. Yu swore and spoke up.

"Dammit! She's not weak to Fire! Yosuke, have Jiraiya try testing for a Wind weakness!" Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Sure thing! LET'S GO, JIRAIYA!" Yosuke said as he summoned his Persona to blast Chie's Shadow with a gust of wind, making her yell in pain as the effective hit forced her backwards as Yu smirked and spoke up.

"Aha. Gotcha! You're weak to Wind! Good job, Yosuke!" Yu said as Teddie spoke up.

"Sensei! When you down an enemy, you and Yosuke, or anyone else you might have on the field with you, can use a special attack to deal extra damage! Try it out!" Teddie said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Special attack, you say? Interesting. Are you up for testing it out with me, Yosuke?" Yu asked as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Heh! As if you have to ask, partner! Let's get 'em!" Yosuke said as he and Yu spoke up while charging at Shadow Chie.

"READY OR NOT, HERE WE COME! ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Yu and Yosuke cried in unison as they raced forward, slashing at Shadow Chie over and over, causing an explosion as the attacks impacted, throwing Shadow Chie backwards with a grunt, making her speak up in annoyance.

"Dammit. Are you really resisting me so much!? Looks like you won't understand without a little pain!" Shadow Chie said as she waved her whips and bolts of lightning rained down, making Yu wince from the hit while Yosuke groaned as he went down from the effective hit to his Elec weakness. Yu then spoke up.

"Hmm. Well, even if Yosuke's down for now, I can still pick up the slack. PERSONA CHANGE! REVEAL YOURSELF, ANGEL! SMITE MY FOE WITH YOUR DIVINE WIND!" Yu said as he swapped out Ukobach for a female Persona with blonde hair and a very mature design. The only thing the new Persona wore was three strips of leather that covered her stomach, breasts and thighs/private parts, along with a pair of black leather shorts.

From where he was sitting, Yosuke could only gape at Yu's Persona, who then spread the wings on her back and caused a wave of wind to go forward and slam into Shadow Chie, knocking her onto her butt, letting her get up as she glared at both Yu and Yosuke and spoke up.

"Ahahaha, how effing lame! You're all so deadly serious, and we've only gotten started! WHY ALL THIS!? Oh, right! IT'S FOR POWER!" Shadow Chie said as she waved a whip, causing a green wall of energy to appear over her. After a couple of turns where Yu and Yosuke swung their weapons at Shadow Chie to whittle her health down the green wall went away, at which point Yu and Yosuke exchanged a nod before having their Personas blast away at Shadow Chie with their Wind skills. After two successive All-Out Attacks, Shadow Chie glared at Yu and Yosuke before speaking up.

"Ngh, how are you two still fighting so hard!? Don't make fun of me, dammit! You're just getting lucky, that's all! You're nothing against me, and you know it!" Shadow Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"Is that so? If that's true, why is it that we're the ones winning, and you are the one who's on the proverbial back foot right now?" Yu asked as Shadow Chie scoffed and spoke up.

"Shut up and squeal before me!" Shadow Chie said as she cracked her whips again, causing the green wall from before to reappear. After a few turns of slashing at Shadow Chie, the green wall once again vanished. At that point, Yu spoke up with a nod.

"Yosuke, NOW! Let's end this!" Yu said as Yosuke nodded, the two going in for an All-Out Attack before Shadow Chie spoke up.

"Is that right!? I don't think so! EAT THIS!" Shadow Chie said as she cracked her whips, making more lightning drop on Yu and Yosuke, prompting the latter to cringe as his weakness was struck. He then saw Shadow Chie priming her whips and dove in front of Yu, just in time for a spiked pillar to rise up where Shadow Chie had cracked her whips, slamming head-on into Yosuke, who screamed as he was thrown to the side and grimaced as he was downed. Yu spoke up.

"YOSUKE! Thank you." Yu said before glaring at Chie's Shadow as he kept speaking.

"TIME TO END YOU! ANGEL, PUNISH HER!" Yu said as Angel nodded before whipping her wings again, causing two giant Wind cyclones to appear, the first slamming into Shadow Chie and staggering her as the second crashed head-on into Shadow Chie, who screamed as the super-effective hit lifted her off her feet.

"NO! Dammit, I lost!? Impossible!" Shadow Chie said as she crashed to the ground and groaned before slowly reverting to her previous form, ending the fight. From the ensuing EXP gains, Yu felt a surge of energy inside of him that lifted him to level 11. Yosuke spoke up.

"Heh, not bad, partner! That's how we finish things strong in this team!" Yosuke said as Yu nodded, before he felt something change inside of him, signifying Angel reaching level 6 and gaining the Light skill 'Hama'. In addition, Yosuke hit level 11 and spoke up.

"Haha! She tried, but she was no match for us! And as my prize, I level up!" Yosuke said as Jiraiya got powered up from Yosuke leveling up. After the fight, the real Chie got to her feet and groaned as she spoke up.

"Ngh, is it over?" Chie asked as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Right. We subdued your Shadow." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Yu's right. Also, speak to us, Chie! Are you okay!?" Yosuke asked as Chie spoke up.

"I'm fine, but what happened just now?" Chie asked as Yu spoke up.

"Do you not remember anything that just happened, Sato-no, Chie?" Yu asked, shocking Chie when he called her by her first name, making her blink at Yu and speak up.

"Wait, did you just-?" Chie said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, sorry. I was going to wait until you gave me permission to do that, but it slipped out that time." Yu said sheepishly as Chie smiled. Before she could reply to Yu, her Shadow stood up, reminding the group of her presence. Chie then spoke up.

"We can discuss what you just said later, Narukami. Right now, I have to deal with her." Chie said as she turned to her Shadow.

"What's the matter, dammit? Got nothing to say anymore?" Chie asked as Yosuke spoke up in concern.

"Stop it, Chie. It's all right." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up.

"B-But you guys heard what she said." Chie said as Yu spoke up with a kindly smile.

"We understand, Satonaka. Yosuke and I have gone through similar things in our lives, so we're no stranger to having to confront harsh truths about ourselves. So don't feel bad that we saw the real you. And I'm sorry for calling you by your first name just now." Yu said as Chie blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? What did you just say?" Chie said as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"He's right, Chie. I went through the same thing. So I can understand what you must be feeling right now. I mean, not to downplay what we just heard, but everyone has a side like this that they'd rather not accept." Yosuke said as Chie nodded before turning to walk towards her Shadow and speaking up.

"Yeah, they're right. I kinda get it now. You are me, after all. And I am you. You're a side of me that I couldn't forgive for existing. That I tried to ignore in a fit of immaturity. But you still exist. You're a part of me, whether I like it or not." Chie said as her Shadow nodded before much like with Yu and Yosuke, a tarot card appeared in Chie's hand with writing on it.

"Congratulations, Chie Satonaka. By overcoming your inner self, you have proven that the strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest within you. At this time, accept this power as your reward. Receive the facade used to overcome life's hardship. Accept the power of your Persona! Become one with Tomoe!" Chie read as her Shadow became a being with a yellow jumpsuit not unlike the yellow outfit her Shadow's monster form had. Unlike her Shadow's monster form, Tomoe had a impressive-looking double-bladed staff for a weapon. After accepting the power of her newly-awakened Persona, Chie turned to Yu and Yosuke before speaking up.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see all that. Um, it's true that part of me feels that way, just like the other me said. But I wasn't lying about being friends with Yukiko either!" Chie said as Yosuke laughed and spoke up.

"Heh, like we didn't know that already." Yosuke said with a smirk before Yu spoke up.

"Don't feel bad, Satonaka. Sure, what we just experienced was rough, but now you have the same power that Yosuke and I have. So you came out all the stronger for your struggles in the end. Congratulations." Yu said as Chie weakly nodded before dropping to her knees as a horrified Yosuke spoke up.

"H-Hey! Chie!" Yosuke said as Chie spoke up in a determined voice.

"I'm okay, Yosuke! Just a little tired, that's all." Chie said as Yu nodded understandingly before speaking up.

"That's understandable. Both Yosuke and I felt that way after we awakened our Personas as well, Yosuke moreso than me." Yu said as Yosuke nodded before speaking up.

"Yu's not wrong. But in all seriousness, you don't look okay at all, Chie. And I bet that like Yu said, you can use the same power we have now." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up in surprise while looking at Yosuke.

"Huh? What did you say?" Chie said as Yosuke turned to Yu and spoke up.

"Hey, what should we do?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"Satonaka-san looks like she needs to at least catch her breath, if not take a rest. So if we don't go back, we should at least take a break to let Satonaka-san rest a bit after what she just went through." Yu said kindly. Yosuke nodded his agreement.

"All right. That's fair. Let's get back to the entrance, though. It's dangerous around here." Yosuke said as Chie stubbornly spoke up.

"I-I never said I needed a break! I'm perfectly fine! I can still keep going!" Chie said as she tried to stand, only for a concerned Teddie to speak up with a worried look on his face.

"Don't overdo it!" Teddie said as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"Teddie's right! It's not that we don't think you can. It's just, we have to save Yukiko-san, no matter what. Now that you have the power, you can fight with us. It'd be much better for us all if you had your strength back. That's why we're saying we should go back and regroup." Yosuke said as Chie looked at him in shock and spoke up.

"Are you serious!? But Yukiko's still in here, isn't she!? I-I need to find her! If those were Yukiko's true feelings that we heard before my Shadow appeared, then I have to tell her something. I'm not as strong as she thinks! It's because she was with me that I have the strength I do. Because we were always together, I was able to act that way. If we weren't, I'd be lost and probably wouldn't know what to do." Chie said as Teddie spoke up with a nod.

"I understand, Chie-chan. Well, before that, you need to get your strength back! Then you can tell her!" Teddie said as Yu spoke up.

"Assuming we run into the real Yukiko first, and not her Shadow. After all, in both Yosuke's case, and even Satonaka's-" Yu said as Chie interrupted him mid-sentence when she spoke up.

"Chie." Chie said as Yu blinked and spoke up while turning to look directly at Chie.

"Hm?" Yu asked as Chie spoke up with a smile on her face.

"You had a point before, Yu. If we're going to be working together on this, we shouldn't be on a last-name basis with each other. If I can call you Yu, then you can call me Chie." Chie said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Fair enough, Chie. As I was saying before you cut in, in both Yosuke's case, and even Chie's, we ran into their Shadows BEFORE they got their Personas. So it's a fair bet that if we find Yukiko, she'll probably have a Shadow near her. So we have to be prepared in case we run into the Shadow of Yukiko before we find the real one." Yu pointed out as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Sensei. The real Yuki-chan's normal. The Shadows don't attack normal people. They only attack when the fog lifts here." Teddie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"I see. So if we trust what you're saying, then Yukiko-san will be safe until then, right?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up with a nod.

"Mm-hm. I'm positive." Teddie said as Chie spoke up in confusion.

"Why are we so content to leave Yukiko in here? I don't get it at all." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"You weren't here for that part of the explanation he gave, were you? To make a long story short, Teddie told us that the weather here is the opposite of our own world. When it fogs over in our own world, well, that's the day it lifts here, and that's when the Shadows attack their victim. So even if we leave for a while, Yukiko-san won't be in danger until the fog starts to cover Inaba. I'm sure of it. It was the same way for that announcer and Senpai as well, as I recall. Don't you remember how it was foggy in town on the days they died?" Yosuke said as Chie frowned before gasping in realization as she spoke up.

"No! You mean to tell me that they were killed by their other selves?" Chie asked as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"Correct. Now, the fog usually appears after it rains. But it's been sunny lately. I don't think it's going to rain anytime soon." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"True, but this assumes that the usual weather patterns hold. You never know when a freak rainstorm could hit, after all." Yu pointed out as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Fair, but don't worry so much, partner. We'll check the weather forecast first thing when we get back." Yosuke said Chie spoke up in protest.

"But wait! You say that it'll be all right, Yosuke! But I can't turn back now! We've come so far! Yukiko's still here! She's all alone in there, dammit! She must be so scared!" Chie said as Yosuke frowned at Chie and spoke up before Yu could say anything.

"Then you tell me how much further we gotta go to rescue Yukiko-san!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up in concern.

"Hey, take it easy, Yosuke. I know we're all worried, but we don't need to be snapping at each other over it. And before you say it, I realize full well how hypocritical something like that sounds coming from me given how much I snapped at you earlier." Yu said as Chie spoke up.

"Yu has a point, Yosuke. Th-That's not fair to put me on the spot like that! How the hell should I know where Yukiko is in this place? Do I look like Teddie to you? No offense, Teddie." Chie said as Teddie waved off Chie's words, affirming he wasn't offended in the slightest as Yosuke spoke up.

"I'm sorry I'm being so harsh, but this is serious! You don't know what's up ahead. The enemies might be even stronger. If we push ourselves too hard and get wiped out, who'll save Yukiko-san then!? We can't fail, no matter what! If we do, not only is Yukiko finished, but so are any other victims that might pop up by the hand of whoever's throwing people in here. Am I wrong?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"You're not wrong, but you could be a tad less harsh in your words, partner. I think Chie realizes the seriousness just as much as we do." Yu said kindly. Chie smiled at Yu and spoke up.

"Thanks. At least you somewhat get it, Yu. Ugh, alright." Chie said as Teddie helped her to her feet and she turned to Yu and Yosuke before she kept speaking.

"I'm sorry about what I did before, you guys. I shouldn't have rushed in like that by myself without waiting for you two." Chie said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Don't worry about it, Chie. At least it worked out for the best, more or less. But you don't need to rush off on your own like that. We're all after the same thing here, so let's go together next time we come in here." Yu said encouragingly. Yosuke spoke up with a nod after Chie nodded approvingly to Yu's words.

"Yu's right, Chie. No worries. We're definitely gonna save Yukiko-san in plenty of time, right?" Yosuke said as Chie nodded and spoke up.

"Heh, right!" Chie said as the group made their way back to the studio they'd entered the TV world from. Once they got there, Chie spoke up in a queasy-sounding voice.

"I'm not feeling so good. I'm feeling even worse than the last time I came in here, I think. My head feels like it's gonna split open at some point. Are you guys okay?" Chie asked as Yu nodded, though he looked confused by only Chie feeling the effects of the TV world. Then he saw the glasses on Yosuke's face and understood what was going on immediately, at which point he spoke up.

"Of course. No wonder you're feeling so bad right now, Chie. Ignoring what we just went through, you don't have the same special glasses Teddie gave myself and Yosuke. It's thanks to these that we're not as affected by the TV world compared to you." Yu said simply to Chie as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"That's right, I forgot about that until now! Unlike myself and Yu, you're not wearing the glasses that we have." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up, seemingly only just noticing the glasses at that point.

"Oh yeah, you and Yu are wearing glasses, aren't you, Yosuke? What's with those glasses, anyways? Did your eyesight go bad?" Chie asked as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"Man, are you serious? You didn't notice until now? How panicked were you, Chie?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Cut her a break, Yosuke. From what I recall, Chie and Amagi-san have been best friends for years. So of course she's worried about her. And really, you can't tease her about that, since I'm sure the rest of us would be the exact same way if it had been any one of us who had gotten thrown in here instead of Amagi-san." Yu pointed out as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Good point, Sensei. And not to worry, Yosuke! I had a feeling Chie might need them, so tum de dummm! I got a pair ready for Chie-chan, too. Here you go!" Teddie said as he pulled out a yellow-framed pair and handed them to Chie, who put them on and gasped at the visible difference in the area once she put them on.

"Whoa! What the hell!? This is awesome! It's like the fog doesn't exist!" Chie said as Yosuke frowned at Teddie before speaking up.

"Teddie? Why didn't you whip those out earlier if you had them?" Yosuke asked as Teddie spoke up in a flustered tone.

"That's because I just made them right now! You didn't tell me she was coming! It was all so sadden! I mean, sudden!" Teddie said as Yu groaned and spoke up.

"Really? Please tell me that's not gonna become a common occurrence, Teddie. Making cringeworthy puns is one thing, but getting words wrong is something entirely different! I really hope we're not about to have to constantly get on your case about your phrasing and/or word choice a lot, since I think I've already had quite enough fun for one day, between what Yosuke pulled this morning, and the potential nightmare fuel that was Chie's Shadow. No offense to you, Chie, but even you have to agree that your Shadow was pretty cursed, especially when considering exactly what it looked like." Yu said as Chie spoke up with a nod.

"You're not wrong. I even cringed at what she was wearing, Yu." Chie said before turning to Teddie as she kept speaking.

"Huh, that's neat, Teddie. So that's the trick. I was wondering how you guys could see where you were going. Hey, is it alright if I keep these?" Chie said as Teddie spoke up, not seeing both Yosuke and Yu groan at what he said next, the latter grumbling what sounded like 'kill me' under his breath when they heard what Teddie said.

"Fo' sho!" Teddie said as Yu spoke up with a frown.

"A simple 'yes' would have sufficed, Teddie. I guess I better start getting used to it now, so I'm not always so apt to be annoyed by your positively asinine shenanigans. I'm personally waiting for the day you end up pissing the wrong person off and getting yourself into an absolute mountain of trouble." Yu deadpanned as Yosuke smirked while nodding his agreement before Chie spoke up.

"Easy does it, Yu-kun. I know you're on edge after this morning, not to mention you're worried about Yukiko, but I don't think Teddie knows any better. But in any case, I'll be back tomorrow with these puppies!" Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised that you'd be the one to think of these glasses as a dog, Chie." Yu quipped in a tone that was a mix of amused and deadpan. Chie smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, you know how it is, Yu. Anyways, you and Yosuke better not come here without me, got it!?" Chie said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, let's all promise each other here and now. Nobody goes in alone. It's way too dangerous. Besides, if we don't work together, we won't be able to solve this case OR save Yukiko-san from that castle, right?" Yosuke said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"I agree wholeheartedly, partner. If we're saving Amagi-san, we're doing it together." Yu said decisively. Chie nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, I agree. I promise too." Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"Of course we're here to save Amagi-san, but at the same time, Yosuke and I promised Teddie we'd find the real culprit that was throwing people into the TV. So if we're all working together, I see no reason we can't save Amagi-san, and then also solve this case afterwards by working as a team." Yu said as Yosuke and Chie nodded their agreement before the former of the two spoke up.

"Alright, so from tomorrow on, we'll try and come here as much as possible after school where time permits. And that includes days off. Hey, Yu? I know this might be a lot to ask, but would you mind being our leader?" Yosuke asked as Yu blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Me!? You want me to be the leader?" Yu asked as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Mmhm. You were the first to get this power, and you're way better in a fight than either of us. I think it's best for all of us if you set the pace of the investigation, and we follow your lead. I'm cool playing second banana." Yosuke said as Yu laughed at that and spoke up.

"You're much cooler than any banana could be, Yosuke. But you're not wrong that if I accept this 'leader' spot you're offering, you'll probably be the one I look to as my second-in-command, since you've had your powers just about as long as I have, even if you got yours just slightly after I did. But with that stipulation having been made, why not? I think I can handle leading a team. So if you really want me to be the leader, then leave it to me." Yu said decisively. Yosuke gave Yu a sly smirk and spoke up.

"Heh, I had a feeling you'd say that. I mean, I'm more the advisor type, y'know? I'm the ideas man, not an executive." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up with a sly grin.

"That's rich, coming from the guy whose father is a high-ranking executive within Junes. I think you said he was a branch manager or something?" Yu said as Yosuke huffed and spoke up.

"That's besides the point, partner! Also, just because my dad does that does not mean I'm following in his footsteps." Yosuke said as Chie giggled and spoke up.

"I think Yu's just yanking your chain a bit, Yosuke." Chie said as she turned to look at Yu before she kept speaking in a much more serious tone.

"All jokes aside, I'm with Yosuke. If you're the one calling the shots, I'd feel a lot more comfortable about all this." Chie said as Teddie spoke up with a closed eye smile.

"I'm with Yosuke too, Sensei. If you're the one calling the shots, my pillow will be a lot more comfortable at night." Teddie said as Chie glared at him and spoke up in an annoyed sounding voice.

"Teddie, would you please stop talking? I'm really on edge right now, as I'm sure our leader is. And your voice probably isn't doing our nerves any favors." Chie said as Teddie sweatdropped but nodded while Yu simply nodded, taking in the fact that he'd been 'unanimously' appointed team leader for the newly-forged 'Investigation Team', as he was going to refer to the group. Furthermore, now that they're all in agreement on pursuing the same case, Yu's days as the leader of a full-on team had just begun. At that point, he heard a familiar shattering sound in his mind before a voice echoed.

"Thou art I, and I am thou, Yu Narukami. Thou hast established a new bond of trust, or a new Social Link. It brings thee closer to the truth that thou dost verily chase after. Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Fool Arcana. Now make the most of this newly-forged Fool Social Link that has been created with the group of individuals that thou hast dubbed the 'Investigation Team'!" Yu heard as he saw a card appear in his mind's eye, this one a mostly grey and white card with a black outline of a door and a burglar stepping out of said door, and the number '0' on the bottom of the card.

While Yu looked on, he blinked in surprise as a white Roman numeral 'I' appeared on the top of the grey and white section of the card, beneath the top frame, where the words 'LE FOOL' were written in white lettering, signifying that the 'Fool' Social Link Yu had forged with the collective whole of the Investigation Team was now at Rank 1. After the voice left Yu's mind as suddenly as it'd come, Yosuke spoke up to catch Yu's attention.

"Okay. Let's get some rest for today so we're ready for tomorrow onward. And don't forget to check the weather forecast. It gets foggy after a lot of rain, so let's keep an eye out. Also, let's make sure we gear up for next time." Yosuke said as Yu and Chie, and even Teddie, nodded their agreement. After that, Yu, Yosuke, and Chie decided to return to Junes and go back home for the evening...

(That evening, in the living room of the Dojima residence, with Nanako, Ryotaro, and Yu)

For one of the few times Yu could remember it being the case in the short time he'd been in Inaba, Ryotaro was actually already home when Yu had gotten back, so Yu decided to sit down and have dinner with Ryotaro and a very happy Nanako. As the three ate, they listened to the news on the TV in the background as the newscaster spoke up.

"And that's all for world news tonight. Coming up next, the local news." The newscaster said as Ryotaro gave off a vaguely non-committal sounding grunt. Despite this, Yu clearly took notice of the stern expression currently on Ryotaro's face, likely as a result of the incident Yosuke had caused that morning by getting hauled in with Yu. Nanako, for her part, blinked at the awkward silence, looking from Yu to Ryotaro with a confused look before eventually looking at her meal while Ryotaro spoke up, looking directly at Yu.

"Hey. Mind if I ask something? You aren't getting involved with any strange business, are you, Yu?" Ryotaro asked as Yu gave his uncle a shocked look, but Ryotaro kept speaking before Yu could verbally respond.

"What happened at the station this afternoon with you and Hanamura was more than a little surprising. And to be honest, it's still bothering me." Ryotaro said, pressing on as he saw the shocked look on Yu's face.

"Is there something wrong, Yu? I hope there's not anything you're not telling me?" Ryotaro said as Yu winced at this, realizing that his resolve to look into the case with Yosuke, Chie, and Teddie might have been both hasty, and more than a little ill-advised. But he wasn't about to back down now that he'd been appointed the leader of an investigation team. Choosing his words carefully, Yu spoke up.

"Of course not, uncle Ryotaro. I would never lie to you like that. Don't worry so much." Yu said, hating that he was, in point of fact, technically telling a lie of omission by saying that, but knowing he had to keep his plans to pursue the case to himself for the time being. Ryotaro frowned at this and spoke up.

"Are you sure? Is there something bothering you? Believe me, I do feel bad that I've been too caught up with work for us to have time to talk more in-depth with each other. As it is, it's bad enough that I have to leave poor Nanako alone so often, and I feel plenty bad for that." Ryotaro said to Yu, who looked at Ryotaro. However, before he could answer the question he'd been asked, Nanako blinked at the sudden tension in the air and spoke up warily.

"What's wrong? Are you fighting with Yu, Dad?" Nanako asked uneasily. Yu went to reassure Nanako, but Ryotaro spoke up and beat him to it.

"No, Nanako. We're not having a fight at all." Ryotaro said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"Your dad's right, Nanako. He was just expressing some concerns, that's all. And maybe a smidge of disappointment in my friend Yosuke for making what I believe was frankly a boneheaded decision, but what're you gonna do? I guess that's what best friends are for- to both have your back and occasionally annoy you with their antics." Yu said with a wry smirk, realizing that the whole weapon fiasco was actually kinda humorous in retrospect, even if it'd been more than a little nerve-wracking for him in the moment. Nanako smiled at Yu and spoke up.

"That's good. I'd rather not see my family fighting." Nanako said gently to Yu before turning to Ryotaro as she kept speaking in a much harsher tone.

"This isn't the police station, Dad. I get you're worried about Yu, but you don't have to come off like you're trying to intimadite him." Nanako said as Yu spoke up.

"I think the word you wanted there was 'intimidate', Nanako. But that was a very good try. And as he said before, your dad was just worrying about me, that's all." Yu said reassuringly. Ryotaro sighed and turned to Yu, accepting that Nanako had a point as he spoke up.

"Listen, Yu. I know you're not used to having someone actually look after you given how often your parents are off the grid, but I agreed to look after you and keep you safe, and that means having to be harsh from time to time if I think it's needed. So don't get yourself involved in anything that could get you into trouble. Got that?" Ryotaro said as Yu nodded before an awkward silence ensued, which was broken by the weather girl speaking up, prompting Yu to listen intently, knowing he had to keep himself abreast, so to speak, with the weather going forward so he could better plan out days that the group needed to go into the TV world to save not only Yukiko, but also any future victims that might end up thrown therein.

"And now, our weather forecast. Due to high-pressure fronts from the west, that sunny spring-like weather will stay with us for a while longer." The weather lady said as Nanako turned to face Yu and Ryotaro before speaking up, not seeing Yu's eyes widen slightly at her question as she spoke.

"Is this lady the one who decides the weather?" Nanako asked as Yu spoke up in surprise.

"W-Why would you ask that out of the blue, Nanako?" Yu asked in a kind but firm tone as Nanako spoke up.

"I was curious. 'Cause when she says that it'll be sunny, it always is sunny, for the most part." Nanako said as Ryotaro spoke up with a sweatdrop.

"Uh, she's not really deciding it, per se." Ryotaro said as Yu spoke up.

"It's kind of a complicated explanation, but the gist is that she just predicts what the weather will be. The fact she's right so often is just a coincidence, no doubt. There's not really such a thing as someone 'deciding' the weather, as you put it. But that's adorable that you thought that." Yu said gently but patiently. Ryotaro groaned at Yu's explanation before he spoke up.

"Yeah, what Yu said. I had a more technical explanation ready, but I think he covered it pretty neatly with his, so never mind." Ryotaro said with a tired-looking expression on his face. Nanako blinked in confusion before accepting that Yu was probably right and turning her attention back to the TV as the news continued on, heedless of the heavy atmosphere surrounding the room it was currently playing in.

A short time later, after the dishes were done and put away, Yu decided to retreat to his room for the night to mull over the day he'd had, knowing that a rather serious responsibility had been placed squarely onto his shoulders. After all, it's not every day that one is asked to lead a special crime-fighting investigation team. And Yu knew that he had to be ready to do everything in his power to ensure the success of the newly-formed Investigation Team.

So resolved, Yu knew he had to be on his game, as it would be up to him to keep the Investigation Team in shape, up-to-date on equipment, and most importantly, make sure it stayed in tandem, like a well-oiled machine. Little did Yu know that the full story of the Investigation Team was just getting started...

END OF CHAPTER

A/N: And boom, there we are! One chapter, done and dusted! And yep, turns out the next Gaignun cutaway WAS in this chapter after all! Too bad it was a pretty sad one. Alas, it's only just the beginning. As I've said before, things will have to get much worse for Gaignun before they can even BEGIN to start getting better. Also, a lot of this roughness is going to set up the point where Gaignun inevitably ends up being caught up in the main plot.

As such, it will probably be a couple of chapters before Gaignun ends up getting another cutaway, since a lot of his plot will be happening offscreen for the time being. But that's not to say that it won't end up being explained later, because it will. Suffice it to say, I may or may not have a certain something special cooked up for Gaignun later on down the line. However, as we're still only in the first Arc, it's gonna be a while yet before I reveal what I have in store for him.

Suffice it to say, Gaignun might shift into being more of a background character for the next few cutaways he has across Arcs 1, 2, and probably 3, since odds are Arc 4 will be where Gaignun starts to take greater focus in the plot and become more of a main character again. However, keep in mind that the spot I intend to fit his arc in is originally occupied by a certain other character's TV World shenanigans *coughcopycatkillersarecopycatscough*, thus I'm going to have to rewrite one of the dungeons from 'canon' Persona 4/4 Golden to accommodate the changes I have in mind for this story.

However, given the fact that the dungeon I plan to remove is the dungeon of what I consider to be arguably the LEAST relevant character in Persona 4/Persona 4 Golden (and given there are some pretty irrelevant characters in Golden, that's saying a lot), it shouldn't be THAT big of a deal. After all, last I checked, *REDACTED* didn't add much of anything to the plot other than being basically a filler section for Golden between *REDACTED* and *REDACTED's dungeons anyways.

So it's not like it's gonna change much if I axe that dungeon (other than the fact that said dungeon has arguably one of the better OSTs among the Persona 4 Golden dungeons, probably only second behind a certain late-game dungeon that is infamous amongst players because of the emotionally-charged events both leading up to AND away from said dungeon, not to mention WHOSE dungeon it ultimately is.

But anyone who's played Persona 4 Golden and/or base Persona 4 should know whose dungeon I mean already just by mentioning that the OST for that dungeon is VERY aptly titled 'Heaven') in the long run. And I do have plans to keep *REDACTED* in the plot, even if I will probably take a vastly different approach to how I use that character. But I'll leave that at that so as not to spoil the surprise.

But enough of my ramblings about the future of the story. Let's focus on the here and now, so I can thank everyone who's read this far into the story for the continued support, as it is VERY much appreciated. As always, I do enjoy hearing from my readers, even if it's just in the form of a PM or a review. So don't feel shy about leaving reviews below with your thoughts/feedback/suggestions/constructive criticism on this story (or even PM me with that if preferred, as I accept either form of communication). And until the next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!

NOTES

*1* - Apparently instant messaging never caught on in Inaba? Either way, I'm pretty sure Chie is the only person in ANY Persona game who communicates by email that I'm aware of. Pretty sure that even the Persona 3 cast at least had texts/phone calls to communicate with. Though one could also just argue this is a case of a main character's family being old-fashioned, since from what I recall, the Amagi Inn does have a rather old-school design the few times it's shown in the Persona 4 games (specifically Golden, Arena, and Arena Ultimax. Not sure if it features in Dancing). Either of those is possible. Feel free to correct me below in a review if I'm wrong to say that Chie's either just behind the times in terms of chatting or Yukiko's family is super old-fashioned, since I feel like it's one of those two things.

*2* - Yu's rather colorful language in this part aside, I'm pretty sure I recall reading once that most department stores (and probably stores in general) have to have permits for a lot of things, so I wouldn't in the least be shocked if a weapons permit was on that list. Also, I didn't think department stores stocked fake/model weapons. But maybe Junes was where Iwai got his supplies from in Persona 5/5 Royal (where he runs an airsoft shop that deals in model guns/weapons)? Just a guess. Feel free to correct me below in a review if I'm wrong on it being super illegal to stock weapons in a shop without a permit. I would think it is illegal, though. But I don't run a shop, so I wouldn't know for sure if that's the case. Felt like pointing this out.

INVESTIGATION TEAM LEVEL LISTING, SOCIAL LINKS RANKINGS, AND ALLIES LIST AS OF THE END OF CHAPTER 4

YU - Level: 11 Current Personas: Izanagi (Level 5), Pixie (Level 7), Angel (Level 6) Equipped Persona: Izanagi Persona Moveset: Zio (Elec), Cleave (Physical), Rakunda (Support/Debuff), Rakukaja (Support/Buff), Tarukaja (Support/Buff)

YOSUKE - Level: 11 Current/Partner Persona: Jiraiya Persona Moveset: Garu (Wind), Bash (Physical), Dia (Healing), Sukukaja (Support/Buff), Makajam (Ailment)

CHIE - Level: 4 Current/Partner Persona: Tomoe Persona Moveset: Skewer (Physical), Tarukaja (Support/Buff)

SOCIAL LINK RANKINGS LIST

FOOL (Investigation Team) - Rank 1

MAGICIAN (Yosuke) - Rank 1

ALLIES LIST: Igor, Margaret, Ryotaro, Nanako, Yukiko, Teddie, Marie