It was early in the morning at school, and Kyoko was talking with Yosuke. From the corner of her eye, she saw Chie almost rush into the room. The girl approached them, a concerned look on her face.

"Uh, Chie!" Yosuke said, the events of yesterday still fresh in his mind. "About what happened, we're sorry that we worried you."

"Oh-, nevermind that. Is Yukiko still here?"

Yosuke raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. "Huh? Yukiko-san? Um... no...? At least, I haven't see her today."

"I don't recall seeing her either." Kyoko said.

"Oh man... What should I do...?" Chie groaned. "Hey, is that stuff you were talking about for real?"

"About what?"

"You know, all that about how people showing up on the Midnight Channel is related to that other world."

"Oh, we were just talking about that." Yosuke said. "We're thinking of checking it out later-"

"The person on TV yesterday..." Chie interrupted. "I think it was Yukiko."

Yosuke and Kyoko's eyes widened.

"That kimono looks like the one she wears at the inn, a-and she wore it during the interview a few days ago too." Chie continued. "I got worried, so I emailed her last night, but she hasn't responded... and I called hear earlier in the evening though, and she said she'd be at school today... I-I..."

"Chie." Kyoko said. "Right now, take some deep breaths."

"Yeah, calm down." Yosuke said. "We get the picture. And you still haven't heard from her?"

"No..."

"Chie, listen to me. What I'm about to explain will be somewhat confusing." Kyoko said.

She explained everything that Teddie had told her and Yosuke, on what he knew about the TV World.

"What's that supposed to mean...? Wait, are you saying..." Chie pieced the info together. "Yukiko was thrown in there?"

"We don't know yet for sure." Yosuke said. "We should check to see if she's safe first. Give her another call."

Chie nodded, before pulling out her phone and dialing Yukiko. They waited, and Chie sighed, closing it. "No good... Her voicemail picked up... She's not answering..."

"Are you serious...?" Yosuke said, hand on his forehead. "Then is Yukiko-san inside that place...?"

"It's too early to say that, Yosuke." Kyoko said. "Think for a moment. We know Yukiko is constantly busy, working at her family's inn. It's possible that she had to run some errand of sort."

"Oh! That's right!" Chie said. "She wouldn't be able to answer her cell if she was working at the inn."

"Yeah, but would she skip school for that?" Yosuke said.

Kyoko decided not to say that Yukiko told her that she and Chie used to skip classes. Instead, she turned to Chie again. "Try calling the inn."

"Oh, uh, okay." She flipped her phone open again. "I've got the number her somewhere..."

She put it to her ear. "C'mon, Yukiko... Pick up..."

Riiiing

Riiiing

Click!

"Oh, is this Yukiko!? ... Thank god, she's there!" Chie said, a look of relief spreading onto her face. "Uh-huh... uh-huh, I see... Hm? Oh. Nah, it was nothing. I'll email you again later..."

She hung up the phone, letting out a breath she had been holding in. "She was over at the inn. She said they had a big group reservation and she had to help out. Now that I think about it, this has happened before, too. At least once a year. She said she'll be at the inn tomorrow, too."

She stepped forward, a look of irritation on her face. "Oh for crying out loud, Yosuke! You got me worried over nothing! She was totally fine! And you were all 'Is Yukiko-san inside that place?' Hmph..."

"S-Sorry... But there is a reason we thought that." Yosuke said.

"Oh yeah...? What?" Chie said.

"Well... we thought people show up on the Midnight Channel because they're already over in that world." Yosuke said. "I mean, it makes sense, right? People show up on TV because they're inside the TV. But Yukiko-san's still here, in our world. We might want to see what this is about. Let's meet up at Junes after school."

At Junes, Kyoko explained what had happened last night in detail, once again for Chie. Yosuke was wincing as Kyoko described what had happened regarding his shadow.

"O-Okay, I think that's more than enough about my sorry escapades." Yosuke groaned.

"If I hadn't seen the place first hand... I'd never have believed a story like that." Chie said.

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

He stopped himself, looking around.

"How? By talking to that Teddie guy?" Chie asked.

"Yeah. Too bad there's so many customers around... I forgot there's a sale in the electronics department today..."

Yosuke put a hand on his chin in thought. His eyes brightened, as if a lightbulb in his head went off. "I got it! C'mere a sec." He said, gesturing to Kyoko.

Yosuke and Kyoko walked towards the TV.

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

"Good idea." Kyoko said. "And you and Chie can make a wall, to hide my arm from view."

"Yeah." Yosuke said. "Chie, stand over here. Make a wall with me."

Chie nodded, getting in close. With them in the way, it was difficult to for any outsiders to see Kyoko put her hand through the TV, unless they decided to care and look at the random teenagers.

"Teddie?" Kyoko gently called. "Teddie-"

CHOMP

Kyoko quickly drew her hand back, letting out a small gasp of pain.

"Wh-What's wrong!?" Yosuke asked.

"Something bit my hand." Kyoko said, rubbing it. She saw that the bite had torn some of her glove.

"Shhh! Not so loud!" Chie said, leaning forward to see Kyoko's hand. "Whoa, I can see a bite mark! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine." Kyoko said.

Yosuke noticed that there was something else on Kyoko's hands, aside from the teeth marks. Through the torn gloves, he saw something that looked like... scars? Before he could look any further, Kyoko stuck her hand in her pocket.

"That's good... Sheesh, that stupid bear must've done it..." Chie leaned forward, whispering. "Hey, you! We know you're in there!"

"Ooh ooh, is this a game?"

"No, it's not a game!" Yosuke said, annoyed. "Can you sense anyone inside there right now?"

"Who is this 'anyone'? I'm a lonely little bear like always." Teddie's voice said. "This land feels so bear-ren... heh heh."

"Shut it!" Chie said, slightly groaning at the pun. "So there's no one inside? You're sure?"

"I'm not lying! My nose is running as good as ever!"

Chie was silent, concerned. She turned to the two. "I'm gonna go warn Yukiko anyway." Chie said. "Since she's busy this weekend helping out at the inn, I doubt she'd go anywhere alone, but still..."

"Better safe than sorry." Kyoko said.

"Yeah." Yosuke added. "You'll walk with her to school on Monday, right?"

Chie nodded. "Sure. I'll go pick her up at her house."

"Got it." He turned to Kyoko. "Maybe we'll find out more on tonight's Midnight Channel. Cross your fingers that this is all just a misunderstanding."

Kyoko nodded. "That's the best we can hope for."

"Oh yeah, what's your cell number? I'll call you when I watch it tonight."

Kyoko pulled out her phone, as she exchanged numbers with Yosuke. This was normal for her, thanks to all her friends back at Hope's Peak Academy, as well as those she has worked together with on several cases.

"Alright. Don't forget to watch tonight... though I probably don't have to remind you." Yosuke said.

They walked out of the Junes. Kyoko kept her mind on what had transpired. Was it truly Yukiko who appeared last night?

She briefly brought her hand out of her pocket to stare at her torn glove, as well as the hideous burn scars underneath them.

If it is the worst case... I won't let it happen. Not after what happened... to her...

Kyoko opened the door of the Dojima residence and walked in. Smiling at Nanako's welcome, as she took off her shoes. Dojima wasn't around. She assumed that he was hard at work on the case.

She walked up to her room, to get ready to watch the Midnight Channel, before her cellphone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Kyoko! Sorry for calling this late."

She smiled. "It's fine. What is it, Makoto?"

"Well, news of what happened in Inaba had reached us here. We were worried about you, and wanted to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine right now." Kyoko said, as she entered her room. She sat down on her couch. "Is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Well, we also wanted to know how you were doing. Is it alright there?"

"I suppose it's somewhat of a step-down compared to Hope's Peak Academy, but it is nice here."

"Ah, okay, that's good. Well, again, sorry I called this late." Makoto apologized.

"Makoto, I said it's fine." Kyoko said, almost about to laugh. "It was good to hear from you again."

"Yeah, talk to you later Kyoko. Bye!"

Kyoko closed her phone, before leaning back on the couch. She did miss her friends back at Hope's Peak Academy, but knowing they still thought of her made her feel happy.

She looked at the clock, seeing there was still at just over an hour to go before midnight. She grabbed her towel and headed to the bathroom. Perhaps a shower would help her clear her head, in preparation for what she was about to see.

Kyoko walked back into her room, drying her hair. Looking at the clock, she saw that there was only a few minutes left. She quickly opened the crack of her curtain to see that it was raining. She walked over in front of the TV, unraveling her hair from the towel, wondering what to expect.

She was brushing her hair as she watched the tv.

Three minutes...

Two minutes...

One minute...

Zero.

Kyoko put the brush down on her table, and turned back to face the screen, arms crossed.

The screen lit up, showing Yukiko Amagi. Kyoko's eyes widened, before they narrowed again. But something was different, Yukiko was wearing a pink princess dress, complete with a small crown. In her hands was a pink microphone.

"Good evening! Tonight, Princess Yukiko's has a big surprise! I'm gonna go score myself a hot stud!"

"...what?"

"Welcome to; 'Not a Dream, Not a Hoax!' Princess Yukiko's hunt for her prince charming!"

Kyoko couldn't tell if her jaw dropped open, as she was too busy trying to process and watch at the same time.

"And I came prepared! I've got my lacy unmentionables on, stacked from top to bottom!"

I did not need that image in my mind tonight. Kyoko thought, slowly moving her hand to the side of her face, slightly blushing.

"I'm out to catch a whole harem, and the best of the lot is gonna be all mine! Well? Here I go!"

The scene zoomed out to show that it was in front of a castle, which Yukiko ran into, her steps echoing. The screen then faded to black, turning off.

Kyoko needed several minutes to register what she had just seen. That definitely was Yukiko, without a doubt. But at the same time, it was very hard to believe, considering what she just saw. Yukiko acting and talking like that? A complete contrast to her normal stoic composition.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she heard her cellphone ring. She snatched it off the table, flipping it open to see Yosuke was calling. She picked up.

"H-Hey, did you see that?!"

"I did. There's no mistake; that was Yukiko."

"But didn't the stuff she was saying sound weird!? And she looked like she was on some low-budget TV show… Was it like this before, too? What's going on…?"

"Yosuke, calm down. Try contacting Chie."

"Oh yeah, good idea. We don't have Yukiko's number, but Chie does." He said. "Alright, I'll tell her to contact Yukiko as soon as I can. Let's meet up at Junes tomorrow, alright?"

"Agreed. Good night."

She hung up, before looking at the screen for a while. Eventually, she decided to go to bed, hoping that she could erase from her memory what she had just seen.

When Kyoko came down the next morning, she saw Nanako was already awake, sitting at the table in front of the TV. She realized that Dojima wasn't around at the moment. Nanako saw that she was already dressed up.

"Good morning. Are you going somewhere?" She asked.

Kyoko thought for a second. If she left now, Nanako would be left alone. But on the other hand, she had important business with Yosuke...

"I'll be fine by myself." Nanako said.

It unnerved Kyoko, how Nanako was used to this. She knew Dojima couldn't really do anything, but it still didn't feel right. Part of her wanted to stay, but it was very possible that Yukiko was in danger.

She left the house, but not before giving one last glance at her younger cousin. She only hoped that Yosuke had a plan in mind.

Kyoko was starting to wonder if staying home with Nanako was the better idea.

Yosuke had the brilliant idea to bring realistic looking weapons to the food court and swinging them around wildly. As expected, he got arrested, and if it wasn't for Kyoko's connections, it would have undoubtedly gone on his permanent record, and keep him detained at the station much longer. Instead, he got a stern lecture from Dojima, and the fake weapons were confiscated. Overhearing police officers talking about Yukiko, their concern grew, and they decided to leave to decide their next course of action.

As they left the station, they bumped into a young detective carrying a cup of coffee.

"Whoa! Pardon me." He said, before his face changed from surprise to recognition. "Huh? Aren't you the kid staying at Dojima-san's place? The kid detective, Kyoko Kirigiri, right?"

"That would me, yes." Kyoko answered. "And I believe that you were the detective that threw up when the body was first found."

"Ha ha, that's me, yeah." He said with a chuckle. "But... don't remember me for that, please? The name's Tohru Adachi."

"Oh uh, can we ask you something?" Yosuke said.

Adachi raised an eyebrow.

"It's about Yukiko-san... I mean, Yukiko Amagi of the Amagi Inn. Did something happen to her?"

"Huh? Oh, umm... Am I allowed to say...?" Adachi wondered.

"You have a detective here too." Yosuke said, gesturing to Kyoko with a grin.

Kyoko just stared at him.

"What?" Yosuke asked, defensively.

"Well, if you're friends with Ms. Amagi keep this between us, okay?" Adachi said. "We got a call from Ms. Amagi's parents yesterday evening saying they couldn't find her anywhere."

Kyoko and Yosuke shared a quick look as Adachi continued.

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

"Uhh, hard times?" Yosuke asked.

"Well, that announcer, Ms. Yamano, was staying at the Amagi Inn before the first murder. Seems Ms. Yamano had some harsh words for the manager about the staff's attitude towards guests. The stress of it caused the manager to collapse. And with Ms. Amagi being the manager's daughter… She must've felt pretty strongly about the incident, y'know."

"This is new information to me." Kyoko said. "What else is there?"

"Well, um... Oh yeah! Something I'll ask you, since you're her friends. Did Ms. Amagi ever hint that she might be leaving the house?" Adachi asked. "Because if not, there's been some theories floating around that she's laying low for some reason or another…"

Adachi trailed off, before stopping.

"…Crap, I think I've gone too far. You didn't hear that, okay?"

"I'll try to argue in your defense if anything gets out." Kyoko said.

Adachi smiled. "Thanks. A lot of reports on you say you're cold, but you're a pretty good kid."

"Adachi, what the hell are you chatting with civvies for!? And where's my coffee!?" Dojima yelled from down the hall.

"S-Sorry! I got it right here!" He called back, before whispering to the two. "Psst! Forget I said anything! Please!"

He quickly walked off to give Dojima his coffee.

"Poor guy." Yosuke said. "Is being a detective that hard?"

"Only for some people." Kyoko said.

The two of them walked out into the main lobby of the station. They didn't say anything yet, but Yosuke decided to break the silence. "So... does that detective guy think that Yukiko-san-"

"There you are!"

The two saw a familiar face. Chie was standing there, waiting for them as they ran up to her.

"Sheesh, what're you guys doing!?" She yelled. "I've been looking everywhere!"

"Uh, well, there was a slight misunderstanding… We'll tell you about it later." Yosuke said.

"He brought weapons to a crowded area." Kyoko said.

"What?!"

"Not now, please!" He begged her. "Anyways, something's up with Yukiko-san."

"Huh? You know already!?" Chie said. "I kept calling her cell, but she didn't pick up… So I went to her house, and it turns out Yukiko really did disappear…!"

"I guess we've got no choice but to go now." Yosuke said. "But that aside, the cops are saying some weird stuff. They think Yukiko-san's hiding to 'lay low'…"

"Lay low?" Chie asked. "What do you mean?"

"Apparently, Yukiko-san's mom collapsed because that announcer's lady bitched her out." Yosuke explained.

"They think that gives her a motive." Kyoko said. "The fact that the announcer died right after makes her even more suspicious."

"What!? They think Yukiko did it!? What the hell is wrong with them!?" Chie yelled.

"Dude, don't snap at me!" Yosuke said. "Yukiko's the victim here, dammit, not the suspect…"

"Both of you, calm down." Kyoko said. "Nothing good will come of acting up."

"Yeah, you're right." Chie said. "So... what're we gonna do?"

"With the cops totally on the wrong track, we've gotta handle it ourselves." Yosuke said.

Kyoko nodded. "There's no other way."

"I'm going too!" Chie declared. "And that's final! I'm going to save Yukiko no matter what!"

"Are you gonna be all right?" Yosuke asked.

"It's always better to have a larger group." Kyoko said. "Safety in numbers."

"Yeah, you're right. But man… They just confiscated our weapons. We can't go in empty-handed." Yosuke said. "Well, aside from your knife."

"Weapons?" Chie asked, before her face brightened. "I know just the place! C'mon, follow me!"

"I can't believe Chie knew where to get this stuff." Yosuke said.

They had just walked out of Daidara's Metalworks. They had weapons and armor and all sorts of other items ready to buy. Yosuke had bought a pair of kunai, along with some chainmail. Kyoko already had a weapon, so she picked up a kevlar vest. Chie had already bought her weapons and armor.

"Alright, so where next? To Junes?" Chie asked.

"I dunno, Chie." Yosuke said. "I still think it's too dangerous. I know how you feel, but-"

"You don't!" Chie snapped. "You don't know shit about how I feel… Yukiko might die from this, for crying out loud! I'm going, and that's that!"

"Yosuke, there's no way to convince her." Kyoko said. "Just like how we were unable to convince you on going into the TV last time."

"Well, I guess so. As long as she stays behind us." Yosuke said, before another concern came up. "If we wear this stuff around town, we'll just get caught by the cops again. But it's not like we can waltz into Junes with a sack full of gear and expect no one to notice, either…"

"Why not conceal them beneath our school uniforms?" Chie suggested. "No one would notice!"

"Alright, let's try that." Yosuke said. "Let's split up for now. The store'll be crowded until the afternoon sale ends, and if we walk around together the cops might get suspicious."

"Then I'll see you guys at the Junes food court!" Chie said.

After a quick trip to the Dojima residence to change into her school uniform, Kyoko decided to go down to the flood plain's gazebo to kill time until later. Being alone with her thoughts would help her a lot.

So the police are assuming that Yukiko's the culprit, just because she went missing. Disappointing. They'll try to find anyone to blame if the connections are loose enough. Saving Yukiko will have to be our top priority-

"Kyoko? Is that you?"

Kyoko was so deep in thought that she didn't realize there was someone already sitting in the gazebo.

The girl had red rounded hair, and wore an olive-green school jumper. Underneath it was a white school uniform shirt with a plaid white-and-orange tie around the collar. Hanging from a strap around her, was a camera.

"Mahiru Koizumi?" Kyoko said.

"Yup! I knew you were living around here now, so I was bound to run into you at some point." The Ultimate Photographer said with a grin. She patted down on the picnic table bench next to her, and Kyoko sat down.

"So how has it been here?" She asked. "I know it's pretty different from Hope's Peak Academy, but it looks pretty nice here."

"Makoto called me earlier." Kyoko said. "He asked the same question."

"Oh really? And your answer?"

"The same. It's nice around here. Quite quaint as well. But what are you doing here?"

"Ah well..." Mahiru sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I heard of what had happened around here and... you know me. But I arrived a little too late, and the next train isn't for a while, so I decided to take photos of Inaba."

"I see."

"Oh, I have an idea!" She pulled out her camera. "How about a photo? Everyone's been wanting to know how you're doing. I think they'd love it!"

Kyoko was aware of the fact that she was wearing her school outfit, with a kevlar vest underneath. Despite Yosuke's reassurance, she sincerely hoped that it wouldn't stick out.

She stood up and pushed the hair out of her face. Mahiru took a few steps back, and aimed her camera.

"Alright. Just need to focus..." She said. "Okay, I think I got it. Give me a big smile!"

Kyoko was stone-faced for a few seconds, before she gave a small one.

"...alright, that works."

SNAP!

"Alright, I'll send you a photo once I get back!"

"Shouldn't I see now?" Kyoko asked.

"Not yet!" She said. "I want it to be a surprise."

"...I'd be surprised by a photo of myself?" Kyoko deadpanned.

"Not exactly." Mahiru said. "I'm not gonna explain though."

"Very well, I shall trust this 'surprise' of yours." Kyoko said, before looking at her watch. "I need to go now."

"Oh, okay. It was good to see you." Mahiru said. "I'll tell everyone how you're doing."

I'm sure Makoto has told them already, but I guess this really shows how much they care. Kyoko thought, as she nodded and held out her hand.

Mahiru took her hand shook it. While she didn't hear it, the moment they did, Kyoko heard the shattering of glass.

Thou art I... And I am Thou...

Thou has established a new bond...

It brings thee closer to the truth...

Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Hope Arcana...

Kyoko was surprised. Was this a bond with Mahiru? ... no, this feels different from how it was with Yosuke.

She brushed it off for now. There was a bigger problem at hand, she remembered as she broke the handshake and walked away.

"See ya, Kyoko!" Mahiru said with a wave.

Kyoko acknowledged her goodbye with a wave back.

Mahiru sighed and sat back down on the bench. She looked back as Kyoko was walking off and smiled. "She really has changed."

After her chat with Mahiru, Kyoko went to the food court, where Yosuke and Chie were waiting for her. They looked around at the many people surrounding them.

"We really stick out, huh?" Yosuke noted.

"Well, we are wearing out school uniforms on a Sunday." Chie said.

"Well, the sale should end soon, so that'll get rid of some of the people wandering around here." Yosuke said. "Let's get going."

He and Kyoko nodded to each other, before he turned to Chie once more. "Chie, it's not too late to-"

"I'm going!"

Yosuke just sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Fine, but don't push yourself, alright?"

Looking around to check for any watchers, they made their way towards the electronics department. Yosuke made a quick sweep once they were in front of the television.

"Coast is clear. Alright, here we go."

Yosuke entered first, followed by Chie. Kyoko looked around one last time just to make sure no one was watching. After making sure they weren't seen, Kyoko went in as well, the only thought being how they would rescue Yukiko.

Coming onto the familiar TV set-like area, they saw that Teddie was in the corner, mumbling to himself.

"Whoa, it really is that bear from last time..." Chie said.

"Yo, what're you doing?" Yosuke asked.

"Can't you tell?" He responded. "I'm thinking about stuff."

Kyoko put a hand on her chin. It looked like Teddie had been thinking about himself for quite a while. Perhaps the whole time since she and Yosuke left.

"I've been deli-bear-ating over it for a long time now." Teddie said, before perking up. "Heeey, that wasn't a bad joke! Hee hee!"

Yosuke groaned at the joker and put a hand over his face. "Anyways, did you figure anything out? ... Though it's probably useless to think about it too much. After all, the inside of your skull is empty."

Teddie turned around and ran up to Yosuke. "How rude! Though you are right though. I try and try, but nothing comes out of my head."

"Will you two quit it?" Chie said. "Now's not the time for stupid jokes!"

"Chie is right." Kyoko said. "Teddie, was someone in this world yesterday?"

Teddie looked surprised. "Wow Sensei, did your nose become better then mine?"

"Teddie, that's not..." Kyoko sighed. "Nevermind."

"Ooh, who's your lady friend?" Teddie asked.

"I'm Chie." She said. "Can you tell use more about the "someone"?"

"I think it happened a little after I talked with you guys." Teddie said. "After that, it felt like someone was here."

"Is it Yukiko-san?" Yosuke asked, concerned.

"I dunno. I haven't looked."

Teddie turned slightly and pointed. "The presence is over that way. That's probably where they are."

"Over there, huh?" Chie said, turning to that direction. "Is everyone ready?"

Yosuke nodded. "Yeah."

"Let's go." Kyoko said.

They ran in the direction Teddie pointed.

They arrived at their location. The huge castle that Kyoko remembered that she saw back when Yukiko was on the television.

"What is this...?" Chie asked. "A castle?"

"This was the same castle that showed up with Yukiko." Kyoko said.

Yosuke turned back to Teddie. "You're positive that no one's behind a camera for that bizarre midnight program?"

Teddie looked confused. "Program...? I don't know. Maybe people on your side can see stuff in this world. It might be that."

"And you also mentioned the only beings here are yourself and the shadows." Kyoko remembered.

"Right!" Teddie said. "There's none of this uh... "camera" stuff going on. This world has been like this from the beginning."

"Yeah, that's what we don't understand." Yosuke said. "What do you mean by "from the beginning"?"

"I dunno." Teddie said. "Can you guys explain everything about your world? Cause I've never seen this "program" thingy before. So I don't know."

"Well... is that really what's happening? Are we really looking into this world?" Chie asked. "Because the first time Yukiko showed up on that channel was before she disappeared. Doesn't that seem off? And she said stuff like "score a hot stud." Yukiko would never say anything like that!"

"Score? Stud?" Teddie said, confused by the words.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either." Yosuke said. "Yukiko-san would never say anything like that..."

Yosuke was silent, before his eyes widened. He quickly turned to Kyoko who nodded in confirmation.

"I've reached the same conclusion, Yosuke."

"I wonder... Is this kinda like what happened to me last time?" Yosuke said.

"There's a lot of stuff I still don't get." Teddie chimed in. "But after hearing your story, I think that "program" or something happens because of the person who appears on it. Or something like that..."

"So... Yukiko is producing that show herself?" Chie said, raising a brow. "Ugh, I don't get this at all!"

She looked up at the huge looming castle. "Hey, do you feel Yukiko's presence from inside?"

"I'm pretty sure." Teddie said. "So, um, what's this "scoring with a hot stud" thing...?"

They pretended to not hear him, as Chie turned to the castle. "Yukiko's here... I'm going on ahead!"

She ran into the castle by herself, catching both Kyoko and Yosuke off guard.

"Hey, wait! Don't go alone!" Yosuke yelled. "Oh, what the hell, Chie!?"

"Urk!" Teddie suddenly cried out, putting his paws to his head. "There are a lot of Shadows in the castle! It'll be dangerous for a girl by herself..."

"Dude, you serious?!" Yosuke yelled. "Why didn't you tell use before!?"

"The urgency of finding her just got worse." Kyoko said, frowning. "Let's go."

They ran after Chie, into the huge foreboding castle.

Upon entry, they observed the castle. The floors were navy blue and black, with a red carpet going down the middle. Large curtains were on the walls, but they didn't seem to open up. Bronze was scattered everywhere, the walls, the carpet, and it comprised the pillars that supported the whole place. There were a few chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as well.

"Man, if it wasn't for the fact that both Chie and Yukiko were in danger, I might have asked for a tour here." Yosuke said, looking around.

"She hasn't gone that far yet." Teddie said, sniffing around.

"Alright, got it. Let's go!"

"Wait a sec!" Teddie said. "The Shadows have gotten aggravated ever since you two got here!"

"So they'll attack on sight." Kyoko deduced, pulling out her knife.

"That means we can get the drop on them if we see them first!" Yosuke realized, pulling out his kunai.

"Regardless, we should proceed with caution." Kyoko said.

They slowly walked through the halls, keeping a wary eye out for any enemies.

Opening a large set of wooden doors on the left, they saw something move around the corner. Taking cover, they saw that it was a shadow. It looked like some odd flying fish.

"Alright, let me show this!" Yosuke said, smashing a tarot card. "Jiraiya! Garu!"

Yosuke's Persona blew a gust of wind, knocking the shadow on its back.

"Let's go, Kyoko!"

"Right!"

The two ran at the shadow and finished it off with a few slashes of their weapons, causing it to burst into dust.

"Heck yeah, we did it!" Yosuke whooped.

"Don't get too arrogant, Yosuke." Kyoko said. "That was only the first."

Though she herself couldn't help but have a small smile.

"Wowee, Yosuke!" Teddie said. "You've sure gotten strong!"

"Heh, thanks." Yosuke said. "I suppose this means you can call me "Sensei" too now?"

"Nope!"

"Oh, come on!"

They continued on through the castle, opening doors and fighting shadows. The shadows weren't too much of a threat now that they had to deal with two of them. Either Yosuke would use Jiraiya to knock them down, or Kyoko would shock them with Izanagi, setting them up for easy kills.

But what truly baffled Kyoko however, was that there were treasure chests scattered around the castle. It made sense, since they were in a castle, after all. But what surprised her was that the items held within were available in Inaba. Teddie had no idea what to make of it.

"You know, it's kinda like an RPG." Yosuke said as they opened their fourth chest.

"A what?" Kyoko asked.

"Oh, its a video game genre." Yosuke explained. "In a lot of them, you can find random items scattered throughout dungeons and places like that."

Kyoko did remember her friend Chiaki Nanami talk about it, but video games never really interested her.

Eventually, the found a set of stairs and made their way up to the next floor. They found it looked identical to the previous one.

"This freaking place is like a maze." Yosuke said, gripping his kunai.

"Ooh! I sense her!" Teddie said.

"Who? Chie or Yukiko?" Kyoko asked.

"It's the Chie girl!" Teddie said, sniffing the air. "She's on this floor! But there are a lot of Shadows too!"

"We'd better hurry up then." Kyoko told Yosuke.

He nodded and the two ran through the long halls. Yosuke clenched his teeth.

We'll be there soon. Just hang on Chie! Then we'll save Yukiko together!

"Atchoo!"

Chie wiped her nose and looked around.

Weird, this place isn't that dusty or anything...

Turning around, everything looked the same. All of the halls were borderline identical.

Crap. I'm starting to think running ahead wasn't the best idea... She thought, wincing.

Chie kept walking, until she opened up a door that let into a large empty room. There was a chandelier on the ceiling, shedding light on the whole place. It seemed like a ballroom of sorts. She stopped in the middle of the room to take a look around.

"There's nothing here."

Chie... Chie is my best friend.

"Huh?! Yukiko?"

Chie whipped around, but didn't see her friend anywhere.

I could have sworn I heard Yukiko's voice...

She looked up at the ceiling.

What was that...?

A/N: This chapter isn't as long or as good as the original, because my dumbass clicked off without saving at one point, losing around 1000 words.

Being absurdly pissed off, and forgetting a lot of what I wrote originally, I changed several things here and there, and had to cut out several scenes. A lot of the police scenes were gonna be a lot more detailed, but I had to cut it a lot, because I didn't remember what I wrote. Same thing for the Velvet Room scene, but to be fair, that one felt more like a tutorial than a story thing. And the stuff I did remember was ripped straight from the game, so I didn't want to do that a second time. As a result, I became extremely unmotivated to write anything.

So sorry about that. I hate myself too.

Anyways, so I'm sure people are gonna be talking about Makoto and Mahiru in the reviews now. Don't worry, more Danganronpa characters will get their time to shine.

And I suppose most of you Persona 4 veterans know what's coming up next.

Anyways, see y'all next chapter.