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!

11. Mystery Begins Finale: Vows and Allies

A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 4- The Golden Apostle! Considering the way the last chapter ended (by which I mean the cliffhanger it ended on), I don't think it's that much of a surprise that this one will start with a cutaway to Gaignun's side of the plot. That aside, if all goes to plan, this chapter SHOULD be the final chapter of Arc 1 (SHOULD being the operative word there), so that's neat if it plays out as planned. But other than that, I don't have a lot else to say, so I suppose I should get on with the disclaimer, shouldn't I? Let's do that now, then.

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, all taken care of. I don't think I have a lot else to say for now, so let's get on with the chapter, shall we? I might have a longer A/N after the chapter ends where I talk about other stuff, so keep reading if you want to see that after the chapter, otherwise let's get this show on the road! Here's chapter 8!

Chapter 8: Recovery, New Investigation Team members, and more! The Mystery Begins part 8

(Current in-game date: 4/26/2011. A couple hours after the end of Chapter 7, outside of the Kusanagi residence with Slim, Lilly, and Emilio)

As the three concerned friends of Gaignun pulled up in front of the Kusanagi house in Emilio's fancy red 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, Emilio parked the car as he got out, followed by Slim and Lily. As they walked up to the front door, they blinked as they heard someone calling to them, turning to see a fairly tall (about 5'6) dark blue-haired woman who had a semi-petite yet model-worthy figure and icy blue eyes looking at them as she spoke up, either not paying attention to or ignoring both Ace and Slim looking over her spaghetti-strap silky white dress, dark brown tights that almost looked black, silver heels, and golden bracelets on each arm with a matching chain around her neck that rested between her modestly impressive breasts while she spoke.

"Excuse me for potentially being nosy, but are the three of you friends of the Kusanagis?" The woman asked as Emilio spoke up with a nod.

"That's correct, ma'am. My name is Emilio Narukami, and these two are Lily Varley and Solomon 'Slim' Morales. I'm Gaignun Kusanagi's personal talent agent, and Lily and Slim are two of his closest friends. We'd have brought the entire of Gaignun's friend group, but the others had to stay back at the studio to cover for us in case any of the staff ask questions about why we had to take off in a hurry. And who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Emilio said as the woman smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, yes. I did ask your names without introducing myself first, didn't I? I do apologize for my lack of manners. My name is Clarice Williamson. My daughter Aurora can often be seen hanging out with Gaignun's younger sister Marisa, since the two basically became fast friends and have been pretty close ever since." The now-named Clarice said as Emilio nodded before Slim spoke up.

"Ah, right. Now that I think about it, I do recall seeing a rather soft-spoken little pink-haired girl at Marisa's side a few times when I'd bring Lily and the others to check on her. I'm guessing that's your daughter?" Slim said understandingly as Clarice nodded agreeably and spoke up.

"Correct. Between us, I think Aurora was partially so quick to warm to Mari because I'm fairly sure she likes both genders, and I think Aurora might have a tiny little crush on Marisa, even if she'll never admit to it." Clarice said conversationally as a soft-spoken, but clearly irritated voice could be heard saying 'ARE YOU GOSSIPING ABOUT ME AGAIN, MOM!?' from inside the house as a little girl who looked to be about Marisa's age, if not slightly younger, walked out and glared at Clarice, her arms crossed over her chest as she tried to give Clarice her most intimidating glare, though it only came off as a very adorable sort of pout rather than any sort of intimidating glare, to the amusement of Slim and Lily.

Slim looked the girl over, noting the sheet of dark pink (almost fuchsia) hair going down the girl's back, where it ended up pulled into a ponytail around midway down her shoulders, framing her distinctive hazel eyes, small button nose, and rather petite figure nicely. The fact that said little girl was currently wearing a dark purple short-sleeve T-shirt under a light pink button-up jacket which she wore open, a black skirt, pink knee-length tights with black stripes, and black lace-up shoes with pink laces didn't go unnoticed by Slim or Lily, given the fact that the latter spoke up with a smile.

"Hello there, little one. Given your reaction just now, I'm guessing you're Aurora?" Lily said as the little girl blinked before shyly smiling at Lily and speaking up.

"Y-yes, that's right. My name is Aurora Erika Williamson. And you are?" The now-named Aurora asked warily as Lily smiled and spoke up.

"Ah, right. We should introduce ourselves, shouldn't we? My name is Lily Varley, and the two guys with me are Solomon 'Slim' Morales and Emilio Narukami. Keep in mind that the former of those two prefers to be called Slim. It's nice to meet you, Aurora. We're friends of Marisa's big brother, Gaignun." Lily said as Aurora nodded and spoke up.

"Ah, gotcha. Nice to meet you too, Lily. I take it you guys are here to check up on Gaignun, then?" Aurora said as Slim spoke up with a nod.

"That's right. Neither myself, Lily, nor Emilio have heard from Gaignun in close to two weeks, which isn't like him. So we're a bit worried about him." Slim said as Aurora nodded before speaking up with a frown.

"Fair. To be honest, though? I'm not sure if Gaignun is in the best of mind spaces right now. My mother and I saw him walk off to go get Marisa about a week ago, but he came back alone and not in a very good mood. Mom sent me over a couple days later to check on Gaignun, and just before I went to knock on the door to see if anyone was home, since I've not seen Marisa in about a week and a half at this point, I swear I heard what sounded like a clicking sound inside of the Kusanagi house, which scared me something fierce, since there's not very many things that would make that loud of a clicking sound to be heard outside of a house.

And then it sounded like something was tossed aside before I heard what sounded like something collapsing inside. I ran off after that because I realized the clicking sound I'd heard sounded an awful lot like a gun being cocked. I hope that doesn't mean anything bad." Aurora said as Slim and Lily exchanged a horrified look with each other before the former turned to Emilio and spoke up.

"Emilio, you stay here and tell Aurora and Clarice, or just Clarice if she doesn't want Aurora to hear about it, what we saw on the news earlier. While you do that, Lily and I are going to go let ourselves into the Kusanagi house, since Aurora just told us something that has us both worried. If she's comfortable with it, Aurora can tell you and Clarice what she just told us." Slim said as Emilio nodded, leading Clarice and Aurora into their house so he could explain things to them, leaving Slim to let himself and Lily into the Kusanagi house with the spare key that Slim just so happened to have been personally entrusted with by Gaignun during the week that he, Lily, Sage, Ace, and Kusano had stayed at the Kusanagi house with Gaignun, Marisa, and their mother.

**Trigger warnings ahead for the following: Strong subject matter, implications of attempted self-harm, clear self-neglect, and strong language. Skip ahead to the section marked *TRIGGER WARNINGS END HERE* if you want to keep reading past this trigger warning, but be warned that you might skip over slight plot points that are mentioned in this section if you do. Otherwise, you keep reading on past this point at your own risk. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! TRIGGER WARNINGS START NOW!**

Once they were inside the Kusanagi house, Lily looked around the house to see if she could find Gaignun anywhere, quietly gasping as she spotted what appeared to be a .45 caliber handgun discarded on the ground behind the living room sofa, which Lily quickly pulled on some gloves and picked up before storing it in a kitchen drawer so Gaignun couldn't find it.

After that, Lily kept looking for Gaignun throughout the house while Slim looked around the living room, his nose screwed up in disgust as he was able to faintly detect the whiff of unwashed, sweaty man as well as spotting what appeared to be a discarded blanket on the living room sofa. When Slim went to move it, he was shocked to find Gaignun sprawled out underneath said sheet, face-down and unconscious, though the way he was breathing made it pretty abundantly clear he was passed out. After Lily came back downstairs, she looked at Slim and spoke up.

"He's not anywhere in the house, Slim. Did Gaignun go out?" Lily asked as Slim shook his head and spoke up.

"No. Gaignun's passed out on the sofa under this sheet." Slim said, gently lifting up the sheet so Lily could see for herself, making her gasp as she noticed the cushion that Gaignun's face was buried in had wet spots like he'd been crying into it recently. Lily then spoke up.

"At least he seems to just be sleeping. But I'm worried about the fact there was a discarded gun behind the sofa, almost as if Gaignun had thought about doing something drastic, only to then chicken out at the last second and toss it away. I feel like, just in case, we should get rid of anything Gaignun can use to harm himself. Not that he's doing that, but he did just lose his mom and younger sister within a week of each other, so I would imagine he's probably devastated right now.

I feel like one of us, if not more, should stay with him for a while and make sure he's gonna be okay before we leave him on his own again. After all, it would be such a waste to let Gaignun off himself in a fit of grief. If nothing else, I know that both Marisa and Miss Kusanagi would be incredibly upset with Gaignun for throwing himself away like that." Lily said as Slim nodded his agreement before disappearing to the kitchen to see what was available to cook.

While he was looking through the kitchen, Slim found himself recoiling at the sight of a discarded knife in the kitchen sink with what looked suspiciously like small amounts of dried blood on the edges of said knife, making Slim gasp as the implications of this hit him. On a closer look, Slim saw that there was little to no food left, making him decide that he and Lily needed to go buy more food if they were going to be staying with Gaignun for a few days.

Back in the living room, Lily started straightening up a bit, noticing that it looked as if things had been thrown around haphazardly, probably by Gaignun in a fit of grief, so she tried cleaning up the living room as best she could, unaware of the low groan coming from the couch as Gaignun slowly sat up, looking around and frowning as he saw the front door open and unlocked, letting sunlight into the house. And as a result of the unexpected sunlight shining in through the front door, Gaignun used one arm to shield his eyes while he adjusted to the sudden brightness as he sat up, making Lily blink as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, smiling at Gaignun as he sat up before she spoke up.

"Hey there, Gaignun. How're you holding up?" Lily asked as kindly as she could manage. Gaignun frowned at this and spoke up, making it easy for Lily to tell by the subtle hints of red around his eyes that Gaignun had most definitely been crying at some point since she'd last seen him, not to mention the subtle hints of pain she could see in his eyes as he spoke, his tone conveying the mixed frustration, confusion, and even slight grief he felt at that moment.

"How am I doing? Was that what you just asked!? That's a pretty stupid question. I just had my fucking mother AND my 12 and-a-half year old little sister both die within a week of one another, Liiy! Of course I'm not doing well. Why are you here, anyways?" Gaignun asked in a deceptively bitter sounding voice as Lily smiled and spoke up.

"Slim and I were worried about you, so we came to check up on you. Emilio's here too, but he's next door talking to your neighbors. Apparently the little girl next door, I think her name is Aurora? Anyways, she said she heard a gun being cocked in here, so we got worried about you." Lily said as Gaignun huffed and spoke up.

"Hmph. If you MUST know, I had a brief moment where I contemplated ending it all a couple days ago, but then thought better of it. After all, that wouldn't be fair to Mom OR to Marisa to throw my life away in such a senseless manner, especially after I'm fairly sure Marisa laid down her life to save mine from some asshole who tried to run me over with their fucking car last week. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I had to watch my little sister go flying through the air to brutally smash into the goddamn pavement a few feet away and split her head open in a very messy way.

So you'll forgive me if I feel just a bit like I screwed the metaphoric friggin' pooch in the roughest way possible in this case. And as if all that wasn't bad enough, this all happened less than a week after I swore to my mom, ON HER GODDAMN FUCKING DEATHBED I MIGHT ADD, that I'd protect Marisa if anything happened to her. So I think I'm allowed at least some level of self-blame and depression since I already failed to keep that promise.

Not only that, but Marisa apparently got run over trying to save me, since I was apparently the real target of that car that hit Marisa. So I trust you can see why I'd be inclined to blame myself for Marisa's death, Lily!? As for the gun you found? As I said before, I was really depressed when it first happened, moreso than I am now. So I think I'm allowed a bit of a weak moment. At least I thought better of it in the end, so it's irrelevant." Gaignun said before sighing as he sat back down on the couch and shocked Lily with the sight of tears falling from his eyes.

Unsurprisingly, Lily wasted little time sitting down next to Gaignun and gently pulling him into a hug, not even flinching as she felt Gaignun's tears falling onto her blouse, not even caring that Gaignun was now sobbing into her blouse as she held him close and let him sob for what he'd lost. Unbeknownst to Gaignun or Lily, Slim had come back into the living room around the point that Gaignun had started screaming, but said nothing as Lily hugged Gaignun close to her at the same time that Gaignun started to break down into Lily's chest.

Lily looked up and saw Slim in the doorway of the kitchen and mouthed 'Go buy food. I'll stay here and comfort Gaignun,' getting a nod from Slim as he left to go shopping. After Slim had left, Lily smiled as she gently patted Gaignun on the back comfortingly and spoke up in her most soothing and understanding voice.

"Shh, it's all right, Gaignun. I don't mind you breaking down a bit. Let it out." Lily said comfortingly as she let Gaignun cry for a while. After a few minutes, the sounds of Gaignun's sobbing seemed to subsist slightly as Lily looked down and saw that Gaignun had fallen asleep again, his face planted into her chest. Blushing slightly at the awkwardness of her current position, Lily smiled as she gently got comfortable on the couch, gently pulling Gaignun down into a laying-down position as she ran her hands through his hair comfortingly.

As she comforted Gaignun, Lily blushed more when she realized that Gaignun's tears had soaked through her shirt, leaving a visible wet stain on the front of it. Sighing, Lily carefully pulled her shirt off, tossing it onto the chair next to her to dry as she got Gaignun comfortable on her bra-clad chest, figuring she was going to be holding Gaignun for a while. As she looked Gaignun over, Lily frowned as she noticed faint red lines on each of Gaignun's arms, almost looking like they were cut marks. Lily frowned at this, wondering how much self-harm Gaignun might've done in the time between Marisa's death and Lily and Slim finding him facedown on the couch. Deciding it wasn't important for the moment, Lily smiled and gently pressed a kiss to Gaignun's cheek as she spoke up.

"I'm sorry you went through all of this, Gaignun. I promise you that we're not going to let you deal with this alone, though. Myself, Slim, Ace, Sage, Kusano, and even both Jun and Emilio are going to be here for you no matter what. Rest for now, and hopefully you'll feel a bit better when you wake up." Lily said with a smile before she reached over and pulled the blanket over herself and Gaignun before laying her head back on the cushions under her head like they were pillows, deciding to get a bit of a nap while she was comforting Gaignun...

**TRIGGER WARNINGS END HERE. CONTINUE READING FROM THIS POINT IF YOU SKIPPED THE PRECEDING SECTION DUE TO TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

(Meanwhile, at around the same time, back in Inaba, at the Dojima residence with Yu and Nanako)

As Yu thought about his plans, he realized he was hungry, deciding to check if there was food in the fridge. When he opened the fridge, he was surprised to find what appeared to be white miso. To Yu's confusion, when he looked at the label, he saw that it was supposed to be red miso, and not white. On a second glance, Yu realized that it was red miso, but it was apparently far past its expiration date. Yu frowned at there being such spoiled food in the fridge, but decided he should eat it so Nanako didn't accidentally eat it and get sick. Mind made up, Yu took the white miso from the fridge and ate it. He managed to eat the entire thing, but by the end of it, his tongue was hurting, and his eyes were watering from the odor that the miso had had.

Yu went to groan, but found he wasn't really able to speak due to the sudden burning sensation he felt in his throat. Regardless, Yu felt much braver from having taken that risk for Nanako, netting him an unseen boost to his Courage that was sufficient to boost that stat from Rank 1, which was 'Average', to Rank 2, which was 'Reliable'. Yu smirked while internally patting himself on the back, knowing that he had one Rank 2 stat down and four to go (assuming he was correct in the list of stats being Courage, Knowledge, Diligence, Understanding, and Expression). However, after his little celebration, he realized he suddenly didn't feel well, probably from the miso he'd eaten. Realizing the consequences of his brave yet foolish choice, Yu decided to reward himself by going to bed early that night...

(The next morning, in Yu's room on the upper level of the Dojima residence, with Yu)

When Yu woke up, he noted that the rain that had started yesterday didn't seem to be letting up that morning either. Yu figured this was the 'lengthy rainy period' that was meant to signal the imminent arrival of the fog in the real world, making Yu infinitely glad he'd had the others save Yukiko when he did. After getting ready, Yu went to school with Nanako...

(Later that afternoon, after school, in a classroom with Yu)

After school let out for the day, Yu pondered his options, being surprised when none of his Social Links were available that day. As he wandered aimlessly to find something to do, he heard some students talking about something called the 'Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge', which apparently entailed trying to eat a massive beef bowl. According to the students Yu had eavesdropped on, if you can finish the entire bowl in one sitting, the bowl was free. Otherwise, you have to pay 3000 yen for the bowl as restitution for failure to finish the meal. Shrugging since he had little else to do and he was hungry, Yu decided to take the challenge.

After signing up to try it out, Yu was given a huge beef bowl that he started eating to the very best of his ability. Yu blinked when he realized that no matter how much he ate, he still couldn't see the rice that was supposedly in the beef bowl. After a while of constant eating that produced no results, Yu started to groan as he got the suspicion his bowl was a portal to what he was starting to think of as the 'Meat Dimension'. Yu noted that the amount of meant contained within this bowl was truly staggering to Yu's mind.

Yu then nodded to himself as he realized that the only way to defeat the challenge was to have sufficient 'Understanding' of his limits, the 'Knowledge' to control his pace when eating, the 'Courage' to face this unrelenting tide of beef, and the 'Diligence' to persevere against this colossal challenge. Yu privately thought he also should have the 'Expression' to be able to accurately convey the enormity of this challenge, despite 'Expression' not being an actual requirement for the challenge. Yu then concluded that all the traits he'd just listed were necessary to master the Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge! Yu sighed when he conceded that he was unable to finish the bowl as he was in that moment.

After conceding defeat in this round to the 'Meat Dimension', as he'd taken to calling the beef bowls in the challenge, Yu noted that his efforts, while unsuccessful, enabled his personality to grow tremendously for at least trying to finish the challenge. From this, Yu got unseen boosts to his Understanding, boosting that stat from Rank 1 (which was 'Basic') to Rank 2 (which was 'Kindly'), his Courage, and his Diligence. After a bit, the owner of Aiya, or the old man that Yu had noticed observing his efforts from his spot at the counter, spoke up with a smile.

'Aiyaaaa! Too bad, Mister! That'll be 3,000 yen." The owner said as Yu nodded and willingly paid the requested amount, after which the Aiya owner nodded and spoke up.

"Good. Come back soon! Thank you! Oh, aiyaaaa! You must be a student at Yasogami High! My daughter goes there. She's out delivering food right now. She's my pride and joy! Not to mention a big draw for customers!" The owner of Aiya said as Yu spoke up with a nod before finishing what was left of his meal and going home for the evening...

(That evening, in the lower level of the Dojima residence, with Yu and Nanako)

As Yu walked back in and set his shoes at the door, he walked in, making Nanako blink as she heard the front door open and close, looking up in time for Yu to walk into the living room, prompting her to smile as she spoke up.

"Oh, you're home, Yu! Welcome back!" Nanako said as Yu nodded, heading upstairs to study, since he felt he had little else that was worth his time to do at that point. After deciding to study, during which process he read a number of dictionary entries that piqued his interest, getting a feeling that he was getting even more out of his studying thanks to having read 'Expert Study Methods', netting him three separate unseen boosts to his Knowledge, the third of which was enough to raise his Knowledge from Rank 1, which was 'Aware', to Rank 2, which was 'Informed'. After he finished studying, Yu decided to get to bed early...

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

As Yu was walking to school under his umbrella, he heard his name being called out, turning to see Chie running up to him under her own umbrella. As she reached him, Chie spoke up.

"Yo, Yu! Morning! Hey hey! Yukiko told me that she'll be able to come to school again in two days!" Chie said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that Yukiko seems to be doing at least somewhat better now, Chie." Yu said as Chie spoke up with a smile.

"Right? Oh man, I'm glad. I'm so happy!" Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"While we all worked together to make it happen, you were the one who mainly got through to Yukiko in the end, so if we're being honest? I have to say that it's all thanks to you, Chie." Yu said honestly. Chie gave Yu an embarrassed look as she spoke up.

"S-Stop it. C'mon, you know it's because all three of us did our best. But, it's still nice to have someone praising me. And to clarify what I said before, I think I meant to say that it was more like it was thanks to the three of us, and one animal-like thingy? Or is that accurate as a way to describe Teddie?" Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"It's not inaccurate, at least. But to be fair, I think it's more accurate to say that Teddie's a giant walking mascot." Yu joked as Chie giggled before nodding her agreement as she finished the walk to school with Yu...

(After school, in a classroom with Yu)

After mulling over his plans for the day, Yu blinked as he realized it had still been raining that morning, and on looking out of the classroom window, it was still raining. Just as Yu was about to figure on taking another stab at the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge, Yu found Ayane standing in the nearby hallway. Surprised, he walked over to speak to her.

"I didn't think I'd find you here, Ayane-san? I thought today was a practice day?" Yu asked Ayane, who blinked on hearing Yu's voice before turning around and looking at Yu with a surprised look on her face as she spoke up.

"Oh, it's you, Senpai! You're correct that it's a practice day. Are you going to practice now?" Ayane asked as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"I wasn't sure yet what I was going to do today, truth be told. But if it's a practice day, I will probably go to practice with you. After all, I did tell you I'd try to show up where I could. And I pride myself on being a man of my word as much as I can. So shall we go to band practice together?" Yu said to Ayane kindly, making her giggle at Yu's question before giving him a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Sure. We can go together. Heheh, you're pretty passionate about music." Ayane said as Yu spoke up.

"Well, music can be pretty fun most of the time, so of course I'm at least moderately passionate about it." Yu said offhandedly, making Ayane giggle again as three yellow notes went up over her head before she allowed Yu to escort her to band practice...

(A short time later, in the Yasogami High Music Room, with Yu and Ayane)

After the band spent a while practicing, the band captain spoke up, causing Yu to look up from his practicing with a trombone in time to hear the captain speak.

"Cut, cut, cut! The trombone is flat. Is that you again, Ayane?" The band captain asked as Yu blinked and turned to Ayane, who was using an even bigger trombone than Yu was, before she blushed in embarrassment and spoke up.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Ayane said as Yu blinked and spoke up so only Ayane could hear.

"Why's he so sure it was you, Ayane? I'm also playing a trombone. So that could've just as easily been me who was flat." Yu pointed out uncertainly as Ayane shrugged, not sure of the answer herself, even though she suspected it was because the captain wasn't thrilled with her being in the band. Before Ayane could verbally reply to Yu, the band captain spoke up again.

"Alright. Let's see what we can do about the tempo in that second movement at least a little bit." The band captain said as Ayane quietly pointed out that Yu had not a trombone in his hands as he'd thought, but a trumpet, making Yu look sheepish as he thanked Ayane for the clarification and decided to start trying to learn to play the trumpet with passion, making him feel as if he was better at expressing himself, netting Yu an unseen boost to his Expression. After the practice let out, only Yu and a sheepish looking Ayane remained, the latter giving the former an unreadable look as she spoke up.

"You must be tired, Senpai. That said, you have such great tone! I guess you weren't kidding when you said you'd played before. Hee hee." Ayane said, giving Yu an adorable closed-eye smile. To Yu's surprise, he swore he saw a hint of red on Ayane's cheeks for a fleeting moment, but it went away as suddenly as it'd appeared, leaving Yu perplexed by what he'd seen as Ayane kept speaking.

"Oh, sorry. I know that doesn't mean much coming from someone like me. Ohh, I was sticking out again today, wasn't I?" Ayane said as Yu spoke up.

"Eh, you say that as if it's a bad thing to stand out, Ayane. Also, I've only played a bit, as I said before. If not for my parents advising me to learn an instrument, I wouldn't have had any experience with music when I joined the band." Yu said as Ayane gave Yu a closed-eye smile again and spoke up.

"Thanks. Still, I wish I had as much talent as you." Ayane said as Yu spoke up.

"Eh, I think you've got plenty of talent. But as much as having talent helps, isn't it true that effort is what really matters at the end of the day?" Yu said sagely. Ayane blinked in surprise at Yu's response before she spoke up with a resolved look on her face.

"Y-You're right! Just because I'm talentless doesn't mean I should give up!" Ayane said happily, two yellow notes going up over her head as Yu got the sense Ayane was in high spirits at that moment. Ayane then frowned as she looked down and spoke up.

"Oh, but now that I think about it, I think we have another trombone player here." Ayane said as Yu spoke up in surprise.

"We do? Sorry, I'm still fairly new to the band, so I'm not entirely familiar with everyone yet." Yu said as Ayane spoke up with a smile.

"That's all right, Senpai. The other trombone player's name is Takeru-senpai. He's really good, so he always gets picked for all the performances. And that's why I've never gone to one. But it doesn't matter if I went to one or not, since I can't play in front of an audience anyway. I'm sorry, Yu-senpai. I shouldn't bother you with all this. I better get this place picked up so I can go home." Ayane said as Yu frowned at that and spoke up.

"So you say. But isn't cleanup like this kind of a big job for one person to handle alone? Or do you not want any help?" Yu asked, offering to help Ayane out, feeling as if he was getting better at being compassionate, netting him a boost to his 'Understanding'. After hearing Yu's words, Ayane blinked and spoke up in surprise.

"Huh? Uh, ummm, I wasn't expecting you to offer to help, Yu-senpai. Thank you so much for offering to help! I'm sorry, you really shouldn't have to do this when you're still fairly new to the band." Ayane said with an apologetic smile as Yu spoke up.

"That's fine, Ayane. I really don't mind helping out. Plus as I said before, you can't possibly be expected to handle all of this on your own. Even if you are incredibly reliable and capable, this is just too massive of a job for one person to handle on their own. So don't feel bad about accepting help when it's offered. As a wise person once told me, 'Pride is often the downfall of many a mighty warrior.'

What this means is that even if you think you can handle something alone, you shouldn't be too proud to ask for help if you need it. But I'm sure you'll get there eventually. After all, as a wise person once told me, 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. So you don't need to be in too much of a rush to get things done, Ayane." Yu said kindly, smiling as he could sense Ayane's kindness towards him, enjoying how much it already felt like there was an easy sort of give-and-take between him and Ayane, not unlike how most brother-sister dynamics often start.

At the same time, Yu got the feeling that his relationship with Ayane had grown slightly stronger from their interaction. At that point, the 'Sun' card appeared in his mind's eye, the Roman numeral 'I' that was on the top of the card changing itself into a Roman numeral 'II' to signify that his 'Sun' Social Link with Ayane had reached Rank 2. Ayane shyly nodded in response to Yu's sage wisdom, looking towards the clock and gasping quietly as she spoke up.

"Oh, my. It's already getting dark? Alright, let's do it!" Ayane said as Yu chuckled and spoke up.

"You mean the cleanup, right? Just making sure that's what you meant. After all, that last sentence you said has a number of ways it could be taken out of context." Yu pointed out playfully, making Ayane blink at this before she blushed in embarrassment on realizing what Yu was getting at, making her pout as she half-heartedly smacked Yu on the arm.

"Oh, come on! Not fair! I'm happy you're getting more comfortable with me, but that doesn't mean you can tease me, Yu-senpai!" Ayane said in annoyance before shyly smiling as she kept speaking.

"But then again, I also don't mind it that much, since you do have a nice laugh." Ayane said shyly as Yu spoke up.

"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't resist having a bit of playful fun at your expense there, Ayane. Forgive your foolish Senpai for having fun at your expense." Yu said in a mock-contrite bow as Ayane giggled and spoke up.

"You're lucky I can't stay mad at you, Senpai. Thank you for helping me." Ayane said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"You're welcome." Yu said as he helped Ayane get through the cleaning quite quickly, after which he walked home with her. Once they reached the 'School Zone', Ayane spoke up.

"Thank you, Yu-senpai. I had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, my house is this way, and I'm guessing you live the other way? If so, we'll have to split up here." Ayane said as Yu nodded and spoke up.

"That's correct. I live with my uncle and cousin while I'm here in Inaba for a year while my parents are out of town for 'work reasons'. But I will admit I enjoyed going to practice with you today as well, Ayane." Yu said kindly as Ayane smiled and spoke up.

"Good. Well, I guess this is where we part ways. So, umm, have a good day." Ayane said as Yu nodded and the two parted ways for the evening, Yu heading back to the Dojima residence...

(That evening, at the Dojima residence, on the lower level with Nanako and Yu)

After Yu came back for the night, Nanako looked up and smiled as she saw Yu come in.

"Oh, you're home! Welcome back, Yu." Nanako said as Yu nodded and went upstairs, recalling he still had one book left he'd not read yet, deciding to start in on reading his copy of 'Beginner Fishing'. As he got comfortable on the couch to read, Yu began reading from 'Beginner Fishing'. As he read, Yu noted that the author's advice for those just learning how to fish is to not lose heart after hours of waiting for a bite, which Yu agreed with, since he knew from his brief forays into it that fishing was a patient person's sport. Yu also agreed with the point the author had made about how willpower is very important for a fisherman to have.

As Yu read his book, he heard the rain spattering against the window behind him. As he read, Yu felt as if his determination and perseverance had somehow been bolstered by what he'd read, netting him a good-sized unseen increase to his Diligence. Yu then noted that he still had quite a few pages of 'Beginner Fishing' left to read, opting to mark his place so he could pick back up where he left off at a later date. Afterwards, Yu went to bed for the night...

(The next morning, in the upper level of the Dojima residence, in Yu's bedroom with Yu)

As Yu woke up, he recalled it was Showa Day, meaning he had the day off from school. While pondering things, he idly questioned what he should be doing that day. After mulling his options over, Yu decided to try the 'Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl' challenge over at the Aiya. However, much like before, Yu found himself falling well short of finishing the meal.

But instead of getting upset, he just accepted his defeat with good grace, seeing it as an obstacle to train towards overcoming. Despite his failure to finish the challenge, his efforts still resulted in his personality growing tremendously, netting him unseen boosts to his Understanding, Courage, and Diligence. After paying for his meal, Yu headed back home for the evening...

(That evening, in the lower level of the Dojima residence, with Ryotaro, Nanako, and Yu)

As Yu watched TV with Nanako and Ryotaro, the weather announcer for the news was heard speaking on TV.

"Due to the weekend rainfall, clear skies seem unlikely in the area. A thick fog is expected to set in tonight and remain until tomorrow morning, with heaviest concentration in the Inaba area. Anyone planning to go out tonight should take care. Now for our hourly weather breakdown-" The weather announcer said as Ryotaro spoke up to cut off what the weather announcer was going to say.

"More fog, huh? Seems familiar, doesn't it? There's been a lot of that lately. Hopefully it's not a sign of more trouble to come." Ryotaro said as an uneasy Nanako reached over and hit a button, making Ryotaro frown at her as he spoke up in a stern voice.

"Ah-ah-ah. What did I say about changing the channel without asking?" Ryotaro asked Nanako, who looked away as Yu spoke up.

"You likely told her not to do that. But to be fair, I think all the fog talk was making Nanako uneasy. So I think she deserves at least a bit of slack in this case." Yu said kindly, hoping to at least get Ryotaro to not be as hard as he was planning to be on Nanako. While Nanako gave Yu a shocked look for sticking up for her, the commercial that Nanako had changed the channel to was heard.

"Have a great day, even during Golden Week, at your local Junes! Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!" The commercial said as the by-now familiar jingle played.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Yu heard the voice on TV sing. Before Yu could even try to act like he predicted it, Nanako opened her mouth and started singing.

"Every day's great at your Junes! Dad! They're going to be open during Golden Week!" Nanako said as Yu smirked and spoke up.

"You sure seem awfully fond of Junes, Nanako. Not that it's a bad thing, just a very unique thing." Yu said kindly as Ryotaro smiled at Nanako and spoke up.

"Your cousin has a point, Nanako. Also, I heard. Haha. Do you want to go somewhere during the long holiday?" Ryotaro asked as Yu arched an eyebrow at this but said nothing, not wanting to ruin the sudden look of excitement that had spread over Nanako's shocked face from her father's sudden question, even if Yu had a feeling Ryotaro might have a hard time delivering on whatever he promised. Before Yu could voice his thought, Nanako spoke up.

"Oh! We can go somewhere!?" Nanako said as Ryotaro turned to Yu and spoke up.

"How about it, Yu? Got any plans yet?" Ryotaro said as Yu spoke up.

"Honestly? I have no plans to speak of at the moment. But that's not to say that couldn't change as we get a bit closer to Golden Week. However, I'm not against it if you're trying to include me in whatever plans you and Nanako make." Yu said honestly as Nanako seemed to smile wider at this and spoke up excitedly.

"Ooh, then let's all go somewhere together!" Nanako said as Yu gave his cousin a fond smile and spoke up.

"Oh? And when you say somewhere, I'm guessing you really mean-?" Yu said as Nanako smiled, nodding to Yu's unspoken question as she spoke up, accidentally cutting him off mid-sentence as she did so, but given the amused smile on Yu's face, he didn't seem to mind it all that much.

"That's right, Yu! I'm referring to Junes! Junes Junes Junes!" Nanako said with an incredibly eager closed-eye smile as Ryotaro sweatdropped and spoke up.

"You're sure you want to go to Junes? We can go there anytime, Nanako." Ryotaro said as Yu spoke up.

"True. But she's also young, so she probably has a rather one-track mind. And I seem to recall someone in this room didn't answer Nanako the last two times she asked about going to Junes. Granted, that same someone was asleep for one of those two times, but that's besides the point." Yu said as Ryotaro spoke up with a chuckle.

"Fair point, Yu. I know you mean me. And I acknowledge that I need to do better by Nanako." Ryotaro said with a sage nod as he heard a poorly-disguised yawn from Nanako that had Yu and Ryotaro exchange amused smirks as Ryotaro kept speaking.

"Oh, was that a yawn I heard? Come on, girl, time for bed. It's late." Ryotaro said as Nanako pouted and spoke up with a sigh.

"Alright, I'm going." Nanako said, but not before breaking out into song once more, even if she yawned through part of it.

"Every day's great at your Junes!" Nanako sang, making Yu sweatdrop while making a mental note to make sure that Nanako never finds out that Yosuke is the son of one of the higher-ranking guys at Junes, since that might very well wind up making him one of Nanako's new favorite people, considering how much she seems to adore Junes. Despite this, Yu couldn't help but smile at how visibly excited Nanako seemed to be for the upcoming family outing.

Yu just privately hoped that Ryotaro wasn't about to prove him wrong and end up breaking Nanako's heart while doing so. After Ryotaro put Nanako to bed, Yu walked over to Ryotaro while he was reading the paper and spoke up.

"She sure seemed excited for that outing, didn't she? Hopefully things work out for the best in that regard. I get the sense she's not had it the easiest recently in terms of not being disappointed. But that's just my observation after only having been here for a bit over two weeks." Yu said as Ryotaro nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. Nanako has been getting disappointed a lot lately, hasn't she? At least this is manageable enough for me to pull off. Still, out of all the places to choose, she has her heart set on going to Junes, huh? She's satisfied to go somewhere that's so close to home. I get she watches commercials for it a lot, but still." Ryotaro said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"True. But I think we both forget what it's like to be her age. Six-year-old kids are fairly simple creatures, after all. They see something neat on TV and they want it, more often than not. Regardless, I get the sense that it's not often that Nanako smiles like she was smiling when you brought up the trip. Literally, her smile looked like it was actually ear to ear and not just forced like most of her smiles seem to be." Yu said as Ryotaro nodded and spoke up.

"You have a point. But let's not forget that most of that smile came AFTER you said you had no plans for the holiday, Yu. So I assume an equal share of her happiness is that you were able to come along. Think about it, would you?" Ryotaro said as Yu spoke up.

"I will. I'll do my best to keep my schedule open for Golden Week, but given how sporadic and impulsive some of my friends are, I can't 100% guarantee that I'll actually be free come Golden Day. However, I can guarantee I'll do my best to not disappoint Nanako." Yu said as Ryotaro spoke up with an approving nod.

"Well said, Yu. You do what you have to do. Well, I'm not going to force you, but if you don't have any plans, try to keep it in mind." Ryotaro said as Yu nodded, deciding to head up to his room, since he could hear it raining outside, making him figure this could be a Midnight Channel night. And Yu was hopeful that if the Midnight Channel did air, it wouldn't have bad news on it. After getting in position and waiting the clock out, midnight eventually rolled around for Yu.

On instinct, Yu checked out his window. Sure enough, the fog had rolled in as the news said it would. At that point, Yu knew it was make-or-break. Assuming nothing went wrong, the Midnight Channel should have good news for Yu and his friends. As Yu walked back to the TV, the Midnight Channel came on. Just as Yu and the others had hoped, no one was on the show. Yu smiled at this, realizing that since Yukiko had been rescued, it would appear that they had thwarted the killer on this occasion.

However, Yu was well aware that this was no time to get complacent and rest on his laurels. Despite that, Yu still gave himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done in successfully saving Yukiko and stopping the killer from claiming her life. At the same time, in the fog-shrouded shopping district, an indistinct figure was seen grumbling to themselves.

"Dang. I was foiled on this occasion. But no matter, one failure isn't a deal-breaker. I may have lost this round, but the 'war' is far from over. Mark my words, I'll get my mark next time." The killer mused as they walked away, vanishing as suddenly as they'd appeared. Back with Yu, Yu decided to go to bed so he could be up early for school the next day...

(The next morning, at the gates of Yasogami High, with Yu and Yukiko)

As Yu reached the gates of Yasogami High, he was suddenly aware that someone was looking at him, turning to his right in time to see Yukiko standing alone by the gates. Curious as to why Yukiko was there, Yu turned to her and spoke up.

"Yukiko? I didn't think you'd be here so early?" Yu asked as Yukiko shyly walked over to Yu and spoke up.

"O-Oh, I should've guessed you'd spot me, Yu-kun. Good morning." Yukiko said as Yu smirked and spoke up.

"Of course. I might not look it at times, but I'm quite observant of my surroundings. But enough about me. How are you, Yukiko? Feeling better?" Yu asked kindly. Yukiko smiled shyly, both pleased by Yu asking after her health, and surprised that Yu was so tolerant of her basically watching him walk up. After a moment, Yukiko spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, I'm feeling much better now. I'll be coming to school again, so I figured I should get here a bit early. Also, I get to hang out with you, Yosuke, and Chie again. That'll be nice." Yukiko said as Yu smiled wryly and spoke up.

"For sure. Even if Yosuke and Chie don't admit this, you were definitely missed during your absence, Yukiko. But at least you're doing much better now, which is good." Yu said smoothly, making Yukiko look down slightly with a frown while she spoke up.

"You say that, but that doesn't change the facts. And in this case, the facts are that I not only disappeared for a good bit of time, but I caused everyone some real trouble while doing so. I'm sorry for troubling you, Yosuke, and Chie, Yu-kun." Yukiko said as Yu spoke up.

"It's fine, Yukiko. You've got nothing to be sorry for. Things happen." Yu said reassuringly as Yukiko smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah? Someone's feeling like a smooth talker today." Yukiko said with a giggle before she kept speaking.

"No, but in all seriousness? I don't think 'sorry' is quite right to convey how I feel. What I mean to say is, thank you." Yukiko said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"You're welcome. I'm just relieved that for the most part, everything seemed to work out for the best." Yu said with a smile, idly noting that Yukiko seems more cheerful than she was before. Before Yu could voice his realization aloud, Yukiko spoke up.

"Oh, and listen to this. My mother's back to work already." Yukiko said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Yeah? That's good to hear. Sounds like that's a real weight off your mind, so to speak." Yu said understandingly as Yukiko nodded and spoke up.

"Agreed. The maids are being really supportive, and I think things are going even smoother than before. I wonder if I was trying too hard to be strong and shoulder the load for my mother?" Yukiko said as Yu gave her an understanding smile before speaking up.

"It's possible. But you'd be surprised how easy of a trap that is to fall into. And even the best of us have been caught in it, so don't feel bad that it happened to you." Yu said reassuringly as Yukiko frowned and spoke up.

"Perhaps. But that doesn't change the fact that I caused you a lot of trouble. I think I may have been too caught up in the idea that I had to do everything myself. Ever since the incident with my other self, I feel like I can think about these things more calmly." Yukiko said as Yu smiled and spoke up calmly.

"Yeah, that's fair. I didn't go through that myself, but from what I got out of both Yosuke and Chie, apparently it was a really eye-opening experience to face their Shadows. So I'm not surprised that you feel a bit overwhelmed and humbled by what you had to face. So don't feel bad if it takes you a while to fully come to terms with what you saw when facing your other self. Even if they don't admit to it, I could tell it took until close to the top of your dungeon before Yosuke and Chie seemed to at least slightly make peace with their other selves. So if it takes you a while to fully make peace with your other self, don't feel bad." Yu said comfortingly as Yukiko nodded before turning away so Yu wouldn't see how red her face had gotten from Yu's kind words, and the smile he was giving her, as she spoke up.

"That's true. B-But, even so? No matter how much you try to comfort me, it's still kind of embarrassing to have my hidden secrets dragged out into the open like that, so to speak. You guys saw everything about me, so to speak, after all. Even the things I didn't want to admit to myself." Yukiko said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"It's all right, Yukiko. It might not seem like it, but I'm sure everyone's like that to at least some extent." Yu said comfortingly. Yukiko gave Yu a shocked look as she spoke up.

"You think so, Yu-kun?" Yukiko said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"I do. After all, as a wise person once told me, 'You are your own worst enemy.' What that means is that you can either be the biggest source of your own suffering, or you can be your own salvation. It just depends on the mood you're in, and how much you have others to help you find the good in yourself." Yu said sagely, getting a shy smile from Yukiko. Before Yukiko could verbally reply to Yu, she heard her name being called out.

"Yukiko!" Chie called out as she approached Yu and Yukiko, making the latter smile as she spoke up.

"Oh, it's Chie." Yukiko said as Yu spoke up. To Yukiko's surprise, she thought she saw what looked like the briefest hint of annoyance on Yu's face at Chie's interruption, but as quickly as she'd seen it appear, it disappeared, being replaced with Yu's usual calm and collected smile. Yukiko then kept speaking.

"Well, I'll talk to you later." Yukiko said as she walked off to catch up to Chie. After she left, Yu smiled to himself, noting that Yukiko has come back as energetic as ever. Yu noted that it was a good thing the group was able to save Yukiko successfully. As Yu went to class, he made a note to himself to keep an eye out when the group spoke to Yukiko so that neither Chie nor Yosuke could put their metaphoric feet too far into their equally metaphoric mouths...

(Later that morning, in class with Yukiko, Yu, Chie, and Yosuke)

As the teacher spoke up, the class paid attention, even if both Yu and Chie were subtly glaring at the teacher by the end of his speech.

"Hm? Yukiko-san is back. That's good. I'm glad the only cutie in the class was able to return. Wouldn't you guys agree?" The teacher asked, earning him more than a few raised eyebrows and questioning glances, and even a politely confused look from Yukiko, who the teacher had specifically been addressing with his 'only cutie in the class' remark. Seeing the reactions his remark had gotten, the flustered teacher backpedaled a bit while he kept speaking.

"Ooops! I mean, all of you are cute! No, really! Er, please, don't tell your parents that I said that, will ya? I don't wanna get in trouble." The teacher said as both Yu and Chie frowned at this, but said nothing as the teacher kept speaking.

"Ahem, anyway, I have an interesting topic for you today. Close your books and take a look at the handout. And a time like this sounds like a good time to pick on the city-boy, Yu-kun." The teacher said as Yu nodded and got to his feet as the teacher kept speaking.

"Tell me, Mister Narukami. What is the greatest canyon in the solar system?" The teacher asked as Yu smirked, knowing the answer to this thanks to this very subject coming up during an episode of the quiz show he'd watched with Nanako from time to time when he had spare time at night during the couple of weeks he'd been in Inaba for thus far.

"The answer is 'Valles Marineris'." Yu said confidently as he gave what he was sure was the correct answer. The teacher nodded approvingly as he spoke up.

"Correct. Wow, you really are from the city! That's impressive. Well, I guess that doesn't have anything to do with it. Hahaha. Anyways, moving on. The Valles Marineris on Mars is ten times larger than the Grand Canyon! Mars also hosts Olympus Mons, the largest mountain in the solar system. Both the highest mountain and the greatest canyon are on Mars. Isn't that useful information? Since you got me started on canyons, I'm gonna cover some material on their characteristics for a bit." The teacher said as Yu sat back down while noting that he had given the correct answer, making him feel more intelligent and netting him an unseen boost to his Knowledge. From there, the rest of class passed by uneventfully...

(After school, on the rooftop of Yasogami High, with Chie, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Yu)

As the trio of Chie, Yosuke, and Yu gathered on the roof of Yasogami High, Yukiko walked up to them with two bowls in hand, offering one to Chie as she spoke up.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting. The soba is yours, right Chie?" Yukiko said as Chie nodded and spoke up with a smile while accepting one of the bowls from Yukiko.

"Thanks! Oooh, that smells so goooood right now! These instant noodles are just the thing to help me through club today! How much longer do I have to wait on this?" Chie asked with a smile on her face. Yukiko spoke up with a smile on her face.

"You're welcome. And to answer your question, it still needs a few minutes." Yukiko said as she took a seat next to Chie. After a moment, it seemed like all eyes were looking in Yosuke's direction as Chie spoke up, not seeing Yu resist the urge to facefault at what Chie asked first.

"So, why're we here again? Oh yeah, we were going to ask Yukiko what happened." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up at that point, as if Chie's words were an unspoken cue of sorts.

"Yukiko-san, I hate to bring up stuff you'd rather not think about ever again, but I need to ask you again. Did you recall anything about when you got kidnapped?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"Given the fact it's barely been over a week since we saved her, I'd be shocked if she did remember anything. After all, lost memories often take time to return. Furthermore, it's not wise to try and force a lost memory to resurface." Yu said as Yukiko spoke up.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't remember anything. I thought I might remember something if I let it sit for a while, but as time passes, it only gets hazier for me. I think it's like Yu-kun just said, though. I can't force myself to remember what happened. And it'll probably take a while for my memories to return, if they return at all. I think if I recall correctly, the doorbell rang at the entrance of the inn. And someone called for me to come sign for a delivery, I think?" Yukiko said with a shake of her head as if trying to recall. When she saw Chie, Yu, and Yosuke giving her interested looks, almost as if hanging on her every word, Yukiko kept speaking with a wan smile on her face.

"But when I woke up after that, I was already in the castle you guys found me in. And I don't remember much else past that. I'm sorry." Yukiko said as Chie spoke up.

"No need to apologize. But does this mean her visitor is the culprit!?" Chie said as Yu spoke up with a pensive look on his face.

"Perhaps. But what sort of killer lures their victims out by claiming they have a delivery to sign for?" Yu mused as Yosuke spoke up with a nod.

"Good point, partner. And I don't know about you guys, but I almost don't want what Yukiko said about the killer posing as a deliveryman to be true. After all, if it's true, that's one daring criminal. What kind of killer would ring the doorbell?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"The brazen kind who don't give a crap if they get caught, if I had to guess?" Yu suggested as Yosuke winced and spoke up.

"That would make sense, Yu. But anyways, the police are probably looking for witnesses as we speak. That being said, I don't think we can expect much from them. With all apologies to Yu, whose uncle is a police detective, I feel like the police will be hard-pressed to solve this case." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"It's fine, Yosuke. It's not like I've not had my share of doubts about the police recently anyways. But still, ringing the doorbell? Is this killer trying to be conspicuous or something?" Yu wondered as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"Heh, good point. It's not as if the culprit wore bright yellow clothes at the scene of the crime." Yosuke said as the group exchanged frowns before Chie spoke up.

"I wonder why whoever it is would do something like this." Chie said as Yosuke frowned and spoke up.

"Good point, Chie. We won't know until we confront him ourselves eventually. But no matter what, we can be sure of one thing." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Yeah? And that thing is what, exactly?" Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Simple. We can be sure that it's no coincidence that people keep ending up in that place. Someone on our side is definitely kidnapping them and throwing them into the TV. It's murder, all right. No doubt about it." Yosuke said, getting a confused look from both Yukiko and Chie, making him keep speaking as Yu gave him a look that said 'tell them.'

"Oh yeah, we never told you. This guy and me? We're gonna do our best to catch the culprit ourselves! The police are out of their league on this case, but we've got Personas." Yosuke said as Yu shook his head and spoke up.

"We might have Personas, but that doesn't mean we're invincible, Yosuke! After all, we all make mistakes. Besides, I believe there's an adage for this that goes to the effect of 'strength in numbers'. In the spirit of that, would you two ladies care to lend us a hand, by chance?" Yu said bluntly, getting shocked looks from Chie and Yukiko, the latter of whom spoke up with her mouth open in shock.

"Huh? Um, you want our help, Yu-kun?" Yukiko said as Chie spoke up while pumping a fist in the air determinedly.

"I'm helping out too!" Chie said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Indeed. Whether Yosuke agrees or not, there's no denying you were a very key player in saving Yukiko here from herself, Chie." Yu said approvingly as Chie spoke up.

"Heh, it was nothing. But let's circle back to the killer for now, shall we? I can't believe someone would throw people into a place like that. I'm gonna sock whoever's doing this!" Chie said as Yukiko spoke up with a serious look on her face.

"Chie, are you sure?" Yukiko asked, getting a nod from Chie that seemed to spark a brief debate between Chie, Yu, and Yosuke as the former spoke up.

"I'm positive. As Yu-kun just said, I was very key in saving you. So that alone proves I'm useful to this effort." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up with a frown.

"Yeah, but how many times did Yu and I have to yell at you about not running off on your own before you got the message?" Yosuke pointed out as Yu spoke up.

"It wasn't that many, partner. And we can hardly be mad at Chie for that since we worried her first by going with your scheme to go into the TV world with only a rope for a lifeline. Needless to say, that didn't last very long after we went inside. So Chie's not the only one who goes off half-cocked in this group." Yu pointed out calmly as both Chie and Yosuke frowned at him trying to liken them to one another. After a moment, Yukiko spoke up with a resolved look on her face.

"Uh, guys? If you're trying to stop the killer, let me help too." Yukiko said, getting a trio of surprised looks from Chie, Yosuke, and Yu, making her smile slightly as she kept speaking.

"I'm serious. I want to know why this is happening. And I want to know why I was targeted. That's not okay, especially if someone hates me so much they want to kill me. Most of all, I don't want to run away from myself anymore." Yukiko said as Yu spoke up.

"I was hoping you'd ask that, Yukiko. As far as I'm concerned, you've always been part of this group. So if you want to help out, we'd be glad to have you. Welcome aboard." Yu said as Yosuke got to his feet and spoke up with a determined look on his face as he did a sly grin.

"Alright! Then let's all work together and catch this asshole!" Yosuke said as Chie, Yu, and Yukiko nodded with the latter speaking up.

"Agreed. We can do this if we work together." Yukiko said as everyone conversed animatedly amongst themselves. As this went on, Yu idly noted that Yukiko had agreed to join the group. Having seen her resolve and tenacity first-hand, Yu was confident that Yukiko would definitely be a strong asset in solving the case. Oddly enough, Yu felt a certain increased sense of closeness with the group he was currently hanging with. At that point, the 'Fool' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' at the top of the card shifting into an 'II' to signify that his 'Fool' Social Link with the Investigation Team had reached Rank 2. At that point, Yu spoke up.

"Nice. We didn't look much like one at first, but now that Yukiko's on board, we're starting to look like an honest-to-God Investigation Team." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Why don't we call ourselves that, partner?" Yosuke suggested as Yu spoke up in shock.

"What, the Investigation Team?" Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Exactly! We don't really have a better team name at the moment anyways." Yosuke said as Yu thought about it and nodded while Chie spoke up.

"That's all well and good, but how're we going to find them? We don't have a single lead yet." Chie said as Yukiko spoke up with a smile.

"I wouldn't say that, Chie. I'm the third one to be targeted so far in this case. But I have a feeling this isn't the end of it. If we had an idea of who might be targeted next, wouldn't we have an advantage over the killer?" Yukiko said as Yu spoke up.

"We would, but how would we get that idea? It's not exactly like the targets are telegraphed ahead of time as far as I can tell." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"I have a feeling the TV might have an answer to that for us. Or am I the only one who thinks that this could be linked to the Midnight Channel in some way?" Yosuke said as Yu blinked and spoke up.

"Good point, partner. I forgot about that. That could be useful to us if we keep an eye on it." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Exactly. So we'll outsmart them, huh? That's your plan, Yukiko? Yeah, that might work. Okay, so let's see if we can figure out what ties the victims together. First, there was that announcer, Mayumi Yamano. Second was Saki Konishi, who all of us referred to as Senpai. Third was Yukiko Amagi. What do they all have in common with each other, I wonder?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"They're all female? I mean, they might all have lived in Inaba, but that seems like a bit of a reach to say that that's what they have in common. So it's safest to say that they're all females." Yu said after a moment to think. Yosuke nodded approvingly to Yu's usage of cool logic as he spoke up.

"Bingo. They're all women." Yosuke said as an irate Chie spoke up with a frown on her face.

"WHAT!? How dare he target females! Now that's unforgivable! The culprit's gotta be some kind of pervert or weirdo." Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"The culprit is most definitely a sicko, Chie. There's no doubt about that. But something tells me it's more complex than that." Yu said as Yosuke spoke up.

"I agree, Yu. Also, what about this? The second and third victims had some sort of connection to the first one." Yosuke said as Chie blinked and spoke up in shock.

"Hey, that's right. Yukiko and Saki-senpai both had connections to that announcer, didn't they?" Chie said as Yukiko nodded and spoke up agreeably.

"That's true. Then if that's the case, does that mean females connected to Miss Yamano's case are being targeted by the killer?" Yukiko asked as Yosuke spoke up with a firm nod.

"I think that's a safe assumption for now. There's another angle we can take, too. If another person disappears-" Yosuke said as Chie gasped and spoke up, unintentionally cutting Yosuke off mid-sentence when she spoke up.

"You think they'd be on that Midnight Channel? Now that I think about it, that happened right before Yukiko was kidnapped, too." Chie said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, exactly! It's hard to tell who at first, but what's important is that it's happened before the victims disappeared. Kinda like a ransom note in a way." Yosuke said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"Perhaps, but I feel like the TV World isn't somewhere that one would hold someone hostage for a ransom. After all, who's to say that an accident couldn't occur and have the hostage be killed before the kidnapper could extort a ransom from the victim's loved ones? No, I think it's more akin to attempted murder than kidnapping." Yu said firmly as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Good point. I forgot about the Shadows getting violent and unpredictable when the fog clears over there. Honestly, we still don't know why that happens, but w'll have to rely on it for now." Yosuke said as everyone nodded and Yukiko spoke up.

"The next time it rains, we'll have to keep a close eye on the Midnight Channel and see if there's a new person on it." Yukiko said as Yu, Chie, and Yosuke nodded their agreement, the now-quartet agreeing that the Midnight Channel is their only means of predicting who will be kidnapped next by the killer. Each of the group made notes to watch the Midnight Channel on the next rainy night that came up, just to be on the safe side. At that point, Yosuke spoke up.

"By the way, aren't those done by now?" Yosuke asked as Chie and Yukiko gave him confused looks before recalling the food in their laps as Chie gasped and spoke up.

"Whoa, that's right! Chow time!" Chie said as she and Yukiko opened their bowls, the scent of instant noodles hitting Yu and Yosuke's noses, making them both hungry as the latter spoke up with a sly grin on his face.

"Hey, could I try just a little bit of that!? Just one tiny bite!" Yosuke said as Chie frowned and spoke up.

"Hands off the soba, pal! Go get your own if you want some." Chie said as Yu spoke up with a nod.

"That's fair. We should've bought our own." Yu said agreeably as Yosuke turned pleading eyes onto Chie, who frowned at this before shocking both Yu and Yukiko with what happened next as she sighed and spoke up.

"Rrrngh, I hate when you look at me like that, Yosuke! Okay, just one bite, got it?" Chie said as she offered her food bowl to Yosuke, who helped himself to a bite of Chie's food. At that point, Yu blinked as he realized that he could just detect the scent of deliciousness wafting in his direction from Yukiko's udon bowl. At that point, Yukiko looked up and saw Yosuke helping himself to Chie's soba, turning a smile in Yu's direction as she spoke up.

"How about you, Yu-kun? Do you want to try some?" Yukiko asked as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"I mean, I wasn't trying to be rude or anything, Yukiko. I was raised to be respectful of women, after all. But if you're offering, I suppose I could try a bite of your food." Yu said agreeably as Yukiko nodded and walked the bowl over to Yu, who helped himself to a bite while Yosuke spoke up with a happy smirk on his face.

"It's soooo gooood, though! The aroma, the flavor, and the texture all combined make for an explosion of flavor! This is perfect!" Yosuke said as Yu swallowed the bite he was on and spoke up.

"It's also Chie's food, Yosuke. And they only wanted us to take one bite. One really tasty bite." Yu said rebukingly, trying to remind himself as much as Yosuke that they only get one bite. Despite himself, though, Yu found himself oddly unable to stop eating the food, as it was so delicious. Before Yu and Yosuke could stop themselves, they were eagerly digging into the food they'd borrowed with gusto, making Chie frown at the guys as she spoke up.

"Aaaack! What the hell are you doing!?" Chie said. Surprisingly, Chie's rebuke brought the guys to their senses, as Yu and Yosuke returned the bowls, the former giving Yukiko a very apologetic look as he registered what he'd done in his inexplicable hunger. Chie frowned at this and spoke up.

"You ate everything, Yosuke! Dammit." Chie said as Yukiko frowned before speaking up with a very sad look on her face.

"M-My fried tofu is all gone. How could you do this, Yu?" Yukiko said sadly, making Yu feel appropriately guilty for what he'd done as Chie stomped over to the guys and spoke up irately while giving them her best icy glare.

"I hope you guys understand what this means." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up in a panicked tone after seeing Chie's glare.

"W-Wait wait wait! Stop! I'm sorry! I-I'll buy you steak! It'll be on me!" Yosuke said as Yu looked at Yukiko apologetically before speaking up.

"Sorry about your food, Yukiko. That wasn't okay of me to eat it all like that. I don't know what came over me, but something possessed me to keep eating. I'm sorry. If you want, I'll figure out a way to replace your fried tofu, since that was wrong of me to eat yours." Yu said to Yukiko, who gave Yu a wary look as Yosuke tried to placate an angry Chie while he spoke up.

"Y-You hear me, Chie? The very best!" Yosuke said as Chie blinked and spoke up.

"Steak? Did you just say steak!?" Chie asked as Yukiko sighed sadly and spoke up.

"My tofu was the thing I looked forward to the most today. And now it's gone. But thank you for at least apologizing, Yu-kun. I appreciate that." Yukiko said, even if she still looked sad about her tofu being eaten. Chie turned to Yukiko and spoke up.

"C'mon, Yukiko. There's steak in it for us now." Chie said to Yukiko. After seeing Yukiko's hesitant look, Chie kept speaking, hoping to persuade Yukiko to agree with her.

"We can eat instant noodles anytime we want. Right?" Chie said as Yukiko thought about it before sighing as she nodded and spoke up.

"Well, it's not fried tofu, but I suppose steak is the next best thing. That is, as long as it isn't too fatty." Yukiko said as Chie nodded eagerly and turned to the guys as she spoke up.

"Okay we've reached a verdict! You are hereby sentenced to buying us steak! What wouldn't be too fatty? Filet? Ooh, filet sounds nice and expensive! Filet, filet, filet, filet mignon!" Chie said, almost singing the last two words as Yosuke and Yu blanched, the former turning to the latter as he spoke up.

"Hey, you've gotta pony up too! You're just as much to blame!" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"I can do that, but I don't have a lot of cash on me at the moment, since most of what I had went to topping up our stock of supplies and a few failed attempts at the Aiya Special Rainy Day Super Mega Beef Bowl challenge. Still, fair is fair. I'll pony up as much as I can." Yu said as the group left so that Yosuke and Yu could carry out their punishment for eating the girls' food...

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

As the group sat around a table at the food court while Chie and Yukiko enjoyed the plates of food placed before them by a slyly smirking Yosuke, Yosuke spoke up.

"Man, talk about great timing. We just started serving grilled steak today. We're doing our part to spread this town's specialty dish. Plus, we've already got an excellent grill." Yosuke said as Chie pouted and spoke up.

"WHAT!? That's just a yakisoba griddle, Yosuke! Ugh, oh well. Steak is steak at the end of the day. It's far from a filet steak though, just so you know." Chie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"I said I'd buy you the best I could afford. And it's not my fault that Yu had less spending money to pony up than he thought. We did the best we could with what little spending money we had between us." Yosuke said as Chie ignored Yosuke to look in Yukiko's direction and speak up.

"Yukiko, are you okay with this? It's not too heavy for you?" Chie asked as Yukiko frowned and spoke up.

"No, it's fine. I'll still eat it, even if it's not what I wanted. But I'm still mad." Yukiko said as Yu spoke up, an appropriately guilty look on his face as he spoke.

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't offer more to help make up for what you lost. If either of us remembers, I'll buy you a fried tofu to replace the one I ate when I get another big wad of yen, which will probably be the next time we go into the other world, since venturing through there is a surprisingly lucrative endeavor, even if most of the proceeds usually end up re-routed into stocking up for the next trip. How's that, Yukiko?" Yu offered as Yukiko seemed to hesitate before smiling as she spoke up.

"That'd be lovely, Yu-kun. I forgive you for eating my fried tofu, since I could see you regretted it immediately once you realized what you'd done." Yukiko said as Yu could only smile in response, not sure how to verbally answer Yukiko's forgiveness. Before he could make an attempt at it, Chie spoke up.

"That's all well and good, but there are more important things than fried tofu. So, back on topic. I wonder what kind of person this culprit is." Chie asked as Yosuke spoke up.

"Good question. If you focus just on the announcer's case, it seems like a revenge thing. Maybe it was her lover's wife." Yosuke said as Chie spoke up.

"Perhaps. But Misuzu Hiiragi had a solid alibi, didn't she? And it seemed like she was already separated from her husband." Chie said as Yosuke blinked and spoke up.

"Really? You know an awful lot about this case, Chie. Okay, what about the second case? Saki-senpai, who all of us were at least acquainted with for the most part. If I recall correctly, she found the announcer's body. Assuming the same person killed them both, why target Senpai at all?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up.

"Clearly it was to shut her up. That, or the killer saw her on the news and deemed her a loose end and decided to eliminate her in order to 'eliminate the potential evidence', so to speak. At least, that would be my guess." Yu said as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I think so too. Maybe she found a clue or something about the culprit." Yosuke said as Yukiko spoke up.

"Possibly. But the killer just threw the announcer into a TV, right? I don't think he would've left evidence the police, much less a high school student, would catch." Yukiko pointed out as Yosuke nodded and spoke up.

"Yeah, exactly my point, Yukiko." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"We can speculate on this all we like, but without a more concrete accounting, we're just throwing idle guesses around. But that might be all we have. After all, what're the chances that we'd find a cop who's loose-lipped enough to let something slip to a bunch of high-school students?" Yu said, raising what he'd intended to be a rhetorical question, only to blink and then groan before swearing under his breath a moment later when a familiar voice reached the group's ears almost exactly when Yu had finished speaking.

"Man I thought the country side would be a snooze, but it's proving to be a lot more exciting than I thought it would be. Ooh, they updated the menu!" The voice of Adachi was heard saying as the group turned to see Adachi standing by the counter appraising the menu. Chie blinked and spoke up.

"Huh? Isn't he that detective?" Chie said, catching Adachi's attention as he turned and walked over to the group, seeming looking right at Yu as he spoke up.

"Hey, you were at Dojima-san's place the night he brought me over for dinner while taking me home from work, weren't you?" Adachi said as Yu nodded agreeably and spoke up.

"That's right. I was the one who 'didn't hear' what you were clearly thinking out loud that night, if I recall. But never mind that. What brings you to Junes, Adachi-san? Are you investigating, or are you trying to duck out of work?" Yu said with a pointed look as Adachi chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"Haha, right, that was that night, wasn't it? I-I'm not ducking out of work, though. Oh, wait! Hey, this is great timing after all. Dojima-san said that he'll be leaving work on schedule tonight. Could you pass that on to Nanako-chan?" Adachi said as Yu nodded his agreement as Adachi turned to Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko and kept speaking.

"Yo! I'm Adachi, Dojima-san's gofer and go-to errand boy. Err, I mean, I'm his partner." Adachi said as Yosuke spoke up with a sly grin.

"Are you this busy every day?" Yosuke asked as Yu laughed and spoke up.

"I doubt that, Yosuke. I recall Dojima-san literally told Adachi, and I quote, 'I could always work you harder, you know', when Adachi complained about being worked hard the night he had dinner with myself, Dojima-san, and Nanako." Yu said teasingly as Adachi chuckled nervously and spoke up.

"Eheh, he did say that, didn't he? Good one, Narukami." Adachi said to Yu before blinking as Yosuke's words registered and he kept speaking.

"Huh? Oh, well, the public seems to be getting a charge out of these cases, but we can't leave it at that." Adachi said as Chie spoke up with a wary look at Adachi.

"Sorry to butt in, but could it be that the killer targeted Saki-senpai in order to silence her?" Chie asked as Adachi winced and spoke up.

"U-Umm, you sure get to the heart of the matter. Yikes, that's a rather direct question, don't you think? Haha. Of course we're thinking along those lines. She was killed right after the announcer's body was found. If the killer was trying to silence her, there might've been something at the scene that only she would've understood. Which would mean that the killer may be someone close to Miss Konishi. Nothing like that points to Misuzu Hiiragi, so that seems to clear her of any suspicion. Ooh, I might have stumbled across something here without meaning to." Adachi said as he blinked when he realized that he had four very intrigued teenagers listening attentively to what he'd said, making him groan as he kept speaking.

"W-Wait, were you listening to all that!? Crap! Me and my big mouth sometimes. Uhh, do me a favor? D-Don't tell anyone I said any of that, or Dojima-san will flay me alive for sure!" Adachi pleaded before he cleared his throat and spoke up in a more confident, authoritative and professional sounding voice.

"Ahem! Relax, kids, the police are on the job. See you!" Adachi said as he walked off. Before Aachi was complete out of earshot, Chie scoffed and spoke up.

"Ugh, you were right, Yosuke. The police are totally useless after all." Chie said as Yu frowned and spoke up.

"Be nice, Chie! While you might be right for the most part, I do still feel the need to point out that my uncle is a detective, and thus I'm slightly offended on his behalf by what you just said. Sure, you're not wrong, since he spends more time at the job than with Nanako, but that's besides the point." Yu said, feeling the need to come to Ryotaro's defense. Chie winced and spoke up.

"Y-Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, Yu. I wasn't trying to throw shade at your family when I said that just now." Chie said before gasping as she recalled an important detail she'd nearly overlooked in the wake of Adachi's words.

"Augh! My steak's getting cold!" Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"Do you not have a microwave at home? If you do, you could always warm your steak back up later if you can't finish it now. Or is steak not that good if you microwave it after eating it? I've never tried it myself, so I'm honestly curious as to the answer to that question." Yu mused as Yosuke spoke up.

"Not sure about the answer to that, Yu. And Chie? Could you shut up about the steak for five seconds or more?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Well, to be fair, we did owe them this for eating their food before. That was pretty dickish of us both." Yu said as Chie nodded approvingly to Yu's words before she and Yukiko dug eagerly into their food. After they'd finished, the quartet decided to go into the TV world to see Teddie...

(A short time later, in the studio entrance of the TV World, with Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, and Teddie)

After the group made it into the TV World, Yukiko looked around in shock and spoke up.

"Wow, you guys weren't kidding after all, and I wasn't dreaming before. This really is inside the TV, isn't it?" Yukiko asked as Yu spoke up.

"Of course it is. Also if it was a dream, as you seem to think, how do you explain him?" Yu asked, pointing in the direction of Teddie, who was walking over. Once Teddie had reached the group, Yukiko blinked and spoke up.

"Right, it's Teddie, isn't it? Then it wasn't a dream after all." Yukiko said as Teddie smiled at her and spoke up.

"Are you feeling better, Yuki-chan? I did what you said! I've been a good bear!" Teddie said as Yu and Yosuke exchanged skeptical glances, both idly wondering if Teddie really had been a good bear. Before either of them could voice their thoughts, Yukiko smiled at Teddie and spoke up.

"Oh, I see. Good boy!" Yukiko said as Yu spoke up with a frown.

"Bold of you to assume that Teddie is a boy, Yukiko. All we know for sure is that Teddie's a bear. The fact that Teddie has a masculine-sounding voice does lend points to the idea that Teddie is a guy, but we have no proof at the moment." Yu pointed out as Yosuke spoke up.

"What Yu said! Teddie is little more than a bear as far as we know. And, w-well, this bear's part of the reason we want to find the culprit." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Exactly. Teddie had us promise him we'd find the culprit responsible for throwing people into here. And it was due to that that we were able to save you before." Yu said to Yukiko, who spoke up with a nod.

"I see." Yukiko said before turning to smile at Teddie as she kept speaking.

"Well, thank you for helping the others save me. I'm one of the group now too. Let's work together, okay?" Yukiko said as Teddie nodded and spoke up.

"Yep! I was thinking the same thing! That's why I got these ready for you, Yuki-chan!" Teddie said as he handed Yukiko her own pair of glasses. But where Yu's were mostly black framed, Chie's were mainly yellow framed, and Yosuke's were orange framed, Yukiko's were an odd mix of red and green frames, which somehow complimented her outfit and hair quite nicely, at least in Yu's opinion. Yukiko spoke up after putting her glasses on.

"Oh, so these are what everyone's wearing. Thank you, Teddie. You're right, though. It's just as if the fog doesn't exist with these on!" Yukiko said as Chie glared at Teddie and spoke up.

"Hey tell me something. How come you have so many pairs of glasses?" Chie asked Teddie, who smirked and spoke up.

"Excellent question! Guess what? I'm the one who makes them." Teddie said as Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko spoke up in unison.

"WHAT!?" Yu, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko asked as Yu kept speaking to start the collective line of thought all four of them had had in that moment.

"You mean to tell me-" Yu started as Yosuke followed up.

"-that you, a bear-" Yosuke said as Chie followed up.

"-A bear that lives in a TV, at that-" Chie said as Yukiko spoke up to finish the group's thought.

"-seriously are able to make pairs of glasses all by yourself!?" Yukiko asked as Teddie smirked and spoke up.

"Yep! I've lived here for a long time. So I came up with some ways to be comfortable here." Teddie explained as Yukiko spoke up.

"I see. But don't you need a pair?" Yukiko asked Teddie, who smiled and spoke up.

"Oooh, good point. Another great question! Listen to this! My eyes themselves are lenses! You didn't know?" Teddie said as Yosuke spoke up.

"Of course not, Teddie. You've never brought it up before now." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"To be fair, we've never asked before now. Still, I have a feeling there's more to Teddie than meets the eye, so to speak." Yu said sagely. Teddie gave Yu an approving nod before frowning at Yosuke as he spoke up with a pout on his face.

"Wh-Why are you being so mean? You act like you're not interested! I'm a really dexterous bear! See how smoothly my fingers move!" Teddie said as he started delicately flexing his fingers in front of the group, making a shocked Yu speak up.

"No offense to you at all, Teddie, but I didn't think your suit had fingers. Clearly, I was wrong in this case." Yu said as a shocked Yosuke spoke up.

"What am I even looking at!?" Yosuke said as he shoved Teddie backwards, making him bounce before landing back in front of Yosuke, somehow still on his feet.

"Ow!" Teddie said as he frowned at Yosuke. Before he could yell at Yosuke for shoving him, Yukiko spoke up, picking up an object that Teddie had dropped as she spoke.

"Hm? You dropped something when Yosuke-kun shoved you, Teddie." Yukiko said as Teddie walked over to look at the object in Yukiko's hands, which was revealed to be another pair of glasses, though these were moreso designed as joke glasses, complete with the swirly eye lenses and exaggerated moustache and purple nose. Teddie then spoke up.

"Oh, that's a pair I kinda screwed up on." Teddie said as Yukiko giggled and spoke up.

"Oooh, is that right? Interesting." Yukiko said as she swapped her glasses for the pair Teddie dropped, putting them on as Chie gave Yukiko a confused look and spoke up.

"Y-Yukiko?" Chie asked as Yukiko shocked the group by giggling as she spoke up.

"Ahaha, how do I look?" Yukiko said as Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"While I wouldn't say they fit you per se, they do look great on you as well. So they look great on you, Yukiko." Yu said kindly as Yukiko laughed at Yu's honest response, cutting both Yosuke and Chie off before they could question Yu's abrupt decision to seemingly hit on Yukiko. Yu still saw the skeptic looks he got and spoke up.

"Before anyone questions what I just did, I was trying to keep Yukiko in a good mood. Also, I meant my comment in the friendliest way possible." Yu said as Yosuke smirked, sensing that Yu was lying, but not calling him out on it. Before Chie could reply to Yu's explanation, Teddie spoke up.

"Do you like that one, Yuki-chan?" Teddie asked as Yukiko nodded and spoke up.

"Mmhm. I want to wear this one. It's even got a nose guard!" Yukiko said as Chie frowned and spoke up.

"Huh!? Ohhh no, you don't!" Chie said rebukingly, not wanting Yukiko to make herself look ridiculous. Before Yu could do more than blink at Chie's reaction, he found himself facefaulting at what Teddie said next once he spoke up.

"How bear-y unfortunate, Yuki-chan. That pair doesn't have the right lenses in. Guess I should've made an actual pair." Teddie said as Yukiko sighed and spoke up before Yu and Yosuke could do more than glare at Teddie for his new nickname for Yukiko.

"Aww, too bad. I guess it can't be helped." Yukiko said before turning to Chie and speaking up.

"Here, Chie. Your turn!" Yukiko said as she held out the glasses to Chie, who sighed and spoke up.

"Man, I can't say no to you, can I? All right, fine, I'll put the stupid glasses on for you, Yukiko." Chie said as she swapped out her glasses with the joke glasses after Yukiko put her normal glasses back on. Once Chie had put the glasses on, Yukiko took one look and shocked Yu and Yosuke as she broke out into what Yu figured was a fit of the giggles at the sight of Chie wearing joke glasses. Despite himself, Yu also chuckled a bit at Chie's expense, though he tried not to let Chie hear him laugh. Yukiko then spoke up around her giggles.

"Snrk, those look so silly on you, Chie. Heehee, those look hilarious on you!" Yukiko said as she started laughing harder, drawing looks that were a mix of worried and confused from Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie. Chie sighed and spoke up.

"How'd it come to this, now of all times?" Chie asked as a worried-looking Yosuke spoke up in shock.

"Y-Yukiko-san? Hellooo? Are you all right over there?" Yosuke asked as Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"Seems to me like Yukiko has a serious case of the giggles. While that is a bit childish, I think it's adorable that Yukiko does it." Yu said off-handedly as Chie spoke up.

"You're not wrong, Yu-kun. But it's more accurate to call them 'laughing fits'. And there goes one of Yukiko's laughing fits, at my expense. I never thought she'd do it when someone besides me was around." Chie said as Yu spoke up.

"At least that's a sign she's comfortable around us, hopefully." Yu said, trying to stay optimistic. Chie smiled at that and spoke up.

"That makes sense, Yu-kun. Still, these stupid glasses are useless for investigating! I mean, what the hell's this nose for, anyway!?" Chie said as Teddie frowned and spoke up, clearly unimpressed by Chie's remark about his creation.

"Nice work, huh? That's what happens when you guys leave me here alone and I get bored!" Teddie said as Yosuke sweatdropped and spoke up.

"W-Well, I'm glad that she's in high spirits again, I guess. That's good, right?" Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Indeed. Seeing Yukiko like this can only be good for group morale, I think." Yu said honestly as Yosuke smirked and spoke up.

"If you say so, partner. I think you could be biased, for reasons I won't go into out of respect for our friendship, but I'll leave it at that." Yosuke said as Yu spoke up.

"Yosuke? I'm going to stop you right there. Just because I think it's cute that Yukiko's so willing to be herself around us doesn't mean anything. Besides, she and I haven't known one another for that long, so there's no shot she and I see one another in any sort of romantic light. So can it." Yu said in a strangled whisper so only Yosuke could hear, getting an understanding nod from Yosuke as Chie gave the two an inquiring glance, to which Yu merely said 'Guy stuff', and Chie backed off instantly. At that point, Yukiko spoke up around her laughter.

"Oh Chie, the look on your face right now is priceless. Snrk, and just now? Hahaha, it was so funny! I-I can't stop thinking about it. And that keeps me laugh-Heehee! Ohhh, my stomach, haha. I didn't think it was possible to laugh until your sides hurt, but clearly it is." Yukiko said as Chie, Yosuke, and Yu sweatdropped, apologizing to Teddie for Yukiko, which he waved off as the group decided to go back for the day. Once they were back in the real world, the group dispersed for the evening at that point, leaving Yu to make his way home...

(That evening, in the lower level of the Dojima residence, with Yu, Ryotaro, and Nanako)

As Yu and Nanako were watching TV, the latter sipping from a juice box that was set on the table in front of her, Ryotaro spoke up from behind his paper.

"The 4th and the 5th should work well enough, yeah?" Ryotaro said as Yu and Nanako gave him confused looks, the former speaking up.

"What are you talking about, Dojima-san?" Yu asked as Ryotaro smiled and spoke up.

"I mean to say that I think I might be able to get the 4th and the 5th off." Ryotaro said as both Yu and Nanako gasped and spoke up in shocked unison.

"REALLY!?" Yu and Nanako both asked, the latter frowning slightly as she spoke up in a more guarded tone.

"You can get that time off? Really?" Nanako said in a more worried sounding tone, making Ryotaro put his paper down to give Nanako a shocked look before speaking up.

"What, you don't believe me?" Ryotaro asked as Nanako sighed and spoke up.

"I want to believe you, Dad. But you've said you can get time off more than once before. And every single time, it always ended up being canceled at the last minute." Nanako said as Yu arched a shocked eyebrow at this, making Ryotaro sweatdrop as he spoke up.

"N-Not every year! I know you wanted to go to Junes, but to be honest? I wouldn't mind going a little further out of the neighborhood." Ryotaro said as Nanako blinked in shock as she stood up and spoke up while looking directly at her father.

"Really? Can we go on a trip?" Nanako asked, giving Ryotaro a hopeful look as he spoke up.

"Uhh, we don't do that a lot, do we? Well, it might be okay to go on a trip once in a while. I'm sure it'll be crowded everywhere, though, Nanako." Ryotaro said as Nanako seemed to beam at this before turning to Yu with a closed-eye smile as she spoke up.

"Yaaay! We're going on a trip!" Nanako said as Yu spoke up.

"That's great, Nanako. Hopefully everything goes according to plan, since you deserve to have nice things every so often." Yu said honestly, getting shocked looks from both Ryotaro and Nanako, the former of which spoke up uneasily.

"Hm, you have a point there, Yu. Well, all right, all right. Then we need to think of someplace to go on this trip." Ryotaro said as Nanako smiled and nodded, prompting Ryotaro to turn to Yu as he kept speaking.

"How about you, Yu? What do you think? You wanna come along with us?" Ryotaro asked as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Of course I want to come, Dojima-san. Did you not see how much Nanako was beaming when you promised her a trip? Like I could say no to such a happy face." Yu said with a mock-frown, turning to wink at Nanako, who merely smiled in response to Yu's playful jab at Ryotaro before speaking up happily as Yu's response sank in.

"Yeah! Let's all go together!" Nanako said as Ryotaro laughed and spoke up.

"Heh, it looks like Nanako wants us all to go." Ryotaro said as Yu spoke up with a smirk.

"Of course she does. They're usually called family trips for a reason, I think." Yu said politely. Ryotaro nodded at this, leaving Yu to idly note that he'll be going on an outing with Nanako and Ryotaro during the long holiday. Nanako then spoke up with a rare closed-eye smile on her face.

"Ooh, I know! Let's bring boxed lunches!" Nanako said as Ryotaro blinked and spoke up.

"Hm? Yeah, good idea, Nanako. We're always eating side dishes for dinner. But I can't cook very well. And Nanako's not good enough yet to make them by herself, either. Hmm." Ryotaro said as he put down his newspaper and got up before walking over to a suddenly-wary Yu, who got the sense he was about to be volunteered for a task, and sure enough, when Ryotaro kept speaking, Yu's instincts were proven to be 100% spot on.

"Well, it'll work out. That's what we've got this guy for, huh Nanako?" Ryotaro said while clapping an unsurprised Yu on the shoulder firmly as Nanako cheered and spoke up happily.

"Yaaay, boxed lunches!" Nanako said, clearly looking pleased. Yu sighed and frowned at Ryotaro as he spoke up.

"Fine. I'll do what I can to make them. You're lucky I learned that skill as part of my training for my many babysitting jobs I took on back in Kichijoji, and that it's for Nanako." Yu said with a sigh, accepting the fact that he'd been selected, basically by default, to pack the family's boxed lunches for the coming trip. At that point, the rest of the evening passed uneventfully as Ryotaro and Nanako went about their own activities. Yu decided to speak to Nanako since he happened to be closer to her.

"You seem excited enough, don't you?" Yu said kindly to Nanako, who nodded and spoke up with a beaming closed-eye smile on her face.

"Mmhm! Vacation, vacation! I can't wait!" Nanako said as Yu smiled and spoke up.

"Truth be told? Neither can I, Nanako. Hopefully this will work out for you." Yu said kindly before walking over to Ryotaro and speaking up.

"That discussion we all had sure seemed to make Nanako's day, didn't it?" Yu asked Ryotaro conversationally, making him look up from the paper and speak up.

"Hm? Oh right, what we talked about earlier. A vacation, huh? I guess I do owe Nanako one of those. Should we make reservations now?" Ryotaro asked as Yu spoke up.

"Reservations!? Where were you planning to go? Pretty sure most vacation destinations don't usually require reservations? Then again, I've not been on a vacation much myself, if at all, so I can't really judge in this case." Yu said as Ryotaro could only shrug in response, leaving a confused Yu to head upstairs to mull over the day he'd had...

(A couple of hours earlier, at a graveyard in downtown Burbank, with Gaignun, Slim, and Lily)

While Slim and Lily watched from a little ways away, Gaignun stood before a double-wide tombstone and spoke up.

"Well, I finally made it to see you guys. I'm sorry I've been putting it off for so long. I've just had such a hard time accepting that you're both gone. Mom's death I mostly get, since we knew that was coming after her condition was revealed. But then having to deal with Marisa's death less than a week after Mom's passing!? That one caught me entirely by surprise! Dammit, little sis! I'm the elder brother here! It should've been my job to lay down my life to protect you, instead of having it be the other way around! You were far too young to die the way you did!

You were only twelve and a half freaking years old, dammit! You should've lived much longer. And I have to live with the knowledge that you died to protect me for the rest of my days. Still, for as much as I regret how things ended for you, I also hate how they ended. I especially hate that your death ultimately came to pass because you had to save my dumbass self from a car that wanted to hit me! I was incapable of keeping my promise to Mom that I'd protect you to the best of my ability. You know as well as I do how long that lasted.

Still, I'm sorry for not being able to do better by either one of you. But all complaints aside, I wanted to tell Mom that I found the letter she left me, and even if I can no longer honor my promise to protect Marisa, I can at least fulfill the OTHER part of her dying wish. That's why I intend to take the rest of the week to get things in order here, and then see about getting a flight to Inaba to reach out to my father's side of the family. And if you're listening, Mom?

I don't hold so much as a single ounce of ill will or resentment towards you for not telling me he was alive this whole time, since I understand that Grandfather's influence makes it difficult for you to reach out to Dad, especially with how overprotective Grandfather was with you. But I promise you, here and now, I will do my utmost to find him and try to connect with that side of my family heritage, Mom. I might be the last known living Kusanagi, but that doesn't mean much to me. After all, I don't know if Mom told you this while you were alive, Marisa, but being a Kusanagi was at least partially the reason Mom and Grandmother got banished to the states by Grandfather all those years ago. So if I can keep the family legacy alive, I will.

Otherwise, my main focus is keeping at least part of my promise to you, Mother. As such, this might be the last chance I have to come see you both for quite a while. So in light of that, I wanted to thank you both for the time I got to have with both of you. Even if Marisa didn't live for nearly as long as she should have, I'm grateful to have known you both for any amount of time at all.

So thank you both for making my life enjoyable while you were both still alive. I appreciate the memories we made together, from the bottom of my heart. So goodbye, Mother and Marisa. I love you both so much. Both of you rest in peace." Gaignun said, letting a few stray tears hit the ground in front of him, to the shock of Slim and Lily. As Gaignun got up to catch up to Slim and Lily so the three could start the walk back to their motorcycles, the camera panned off of Gaignun, to zoom in on the gravestone, revealing two separate names on the tombstone, which read as thus:

"Herein rests the ladies of the Burbank chapter of the Kusanagi family, who were both much beloved. Left: Hikari Kusanagi III. Born-May 27, 1972 Died- April 16, 2011 Right: Marisa Hikari Kusanagi. Born- September 21, 1998. Died- April 22, 2011."

END OF CHAPTER AND OF ARC 1: THE MYSTERY BEGINS

A/N: And boom, there's not only another chapter done and dusted, but also the first Arc of Golden Apostle in the books. Don't expect every Arc to be around this length, because I'm pretty sure some Arcs are a lot shorter than others due to the fluctuating length of some of the dungeons in the game. But the aim is to have 10 Arcs in total in this story, much as I did for both Phantom Files and Rise of the Monarchs.

And yes, for those curious, Gaignun's declaration to his mom and sister's shared grave means exactly what you think it does. But that won't really come into play much until later in Arc 2. And as a heads-up, I will say that the next chapter is the first Interlude in the story.

HOWEVER, unlike the Interludes in Rise of the Monarchs, the Interludes in Golden Apostle will mostly be focused on Gaignun's side of the plot, rather than a mix of both plots, at least for the first couple of Interludes. Some of the later Interludes might have the Investigation Team in them as we get further into the story, but I'm not going to commit to anything big for the most part past the first Interlude being very heavy on Gaignun's side of the plot. So there's that bit of previewing for anyone curious.

For now, let me take this chance to thank anyone who's read this far into the story as a whole, as your support is very valuable and much appreciated, due to the fact it lets me make this story even better than it already is. So thank you for your support. It means a lot to me!

And if you want to make your opinions heard, feel free to leave a review below (or PM me if you're too shy to leave a review) with your thoughts/feedback/constructive criticism/suggestions for the story, as I enjoy hearing from my readers! And I'm usually pretty good about replying to reviews and/or PMs as I see them, so don't be shy about reaching out. I welcome interactions with my readers.

That being said, I think I'll wrap this end-of-chapter A/N here since I have a lot to list below. And for anyone curious, the first bit that I'm about to list will only be covered at the end of each Arc. So until the next chapter (and next Arc), sithlorde1988 out!

SOCIAL STATS RANKS AFTER ARC 1

COURAGE- Reliable (Rank 2)

DILIGENCE- Callow (Rank 1)

UNDERSTANDING- Kindly (Rank 2)

EXPRESSION- Rough (Rank 1)

KNOWLEDGE- Informed (Rank 2)

SOCIAL LINK RANKS AS OF THE END OF BOTH CHAPTER 8 AND ARC 1

FOOL (Investigation Team) - Rank 2

MAGICIAN (Yosuke) - Rank 4

CHARIOT (Chie) - Rank 2

STRENGTH (Daisuke and Kou/Fellow Athletes) - Rank 2

SUN (Ayane) - Rank 2

AEON (Marie) - Rank 1

INVESTIGATION TEAM LEVELS AS OF THE END OF BOTH CHAPTER 8 AND ARC 1

YU - Level: 22 Equipped Persona- Omoikane

YOSUKE - Level: 21 Current/Partner Persona: Jiraiya Persona Moveset: Garu (Wind), Bash (Physical), Dia (Healing), Sukukaja (Support/Buff), Makajam (Aliment), Dekaja (Support/Debuff), Sonic Punch (Physical), Magaru (Wind)

CHIE - Level: 21 Current/Partner Persona: Tomoe Persona Moveset: Skewer (Physical), Tarukaja (Support/Buff), Bufu (Ice), Skull Cracker (Physical), Mabufu (Ice), Rampage (Physical), Rebellion (Support/Buff)

YUKIKO - Level: 15 Current/Partner Persona: Konohana Sakuya Persona Moveset: Agi (Fire), Dia (Healing), Me Patra (Healing), Maragi (Fire)

ALLY LIST AS OF THE END OF BOTH CHAPTER 8 AND ARC 1: Igor, Margaret, Ryotaro, Nanako, Teddie, Marie, Adachi