The bathhouse was just as steamy as one would have expected. The four had made a poor choice, wearing their school uniforms that day. They were practically baking in the heat. Kyoko made a mental note to bring a spare pair of clothes the next time.

The Shadows were stronger as well, but this wasn't as much of an issue, now that they had an additional fighter on their team. One that brought the firepower, literally.

"Maragi!"

Konohana Sakuya spread her wings and unleashed a stream of flames that incinerated several police-like Shadows to ashes.

"Whew, I broke a sweat!" Yukiko said, fanning herself as Konohana Sakuya faded away. "So is this what it's like?"

"Y-Yeah." Yosuke said, pulling on his collar to let some air in.

"We've only been in here for a few minutes and it already sucks." Chie groaned, wiping her brow.

"The enemies here are weak to fire, yet thrive in a steamy area." Kyoko noted, seemingly unaffected. "I suppose it's a case of fighting fire with fire."

"How are you functioning?" Yosuke asked.

"I've learned a tactic that thinking can help block out reality." Kyoko said. "If I think I'm cooled down, the high temperatures won't bother me."

"Whoa, that really works?" Chie said. "Okay, think cool, think cool."

"Kyoko, you're wearing a blazer in a blazing area." Yosuke joked. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"It's nothing to me." Kyoko reassured, though there was a bit of uncertainty in her voice, as well as some heavy breathing.

"...you want me to carry you if you collapse?" Yosuke asked, half-sarcastic, half-genuine.

"Please."

The group made their way through the bathhouse, tearing through any unlucky Shadow that happened to try and oppose them. Once they reached the third floor, however, it was clear that their uniforms would not cut this steamy trek.

"Alright, how about we clear this floor, then we head back." Yosuke suggested. "We'll prepare ourselves for next time by bringing a change of clothes."

The girls agreed with him, as they were also all practically burning up thanks to all the steam around them. But then Teddie suddenly spoke up.

"Ah!" He sniffed the air. "I smell something big on this floor! Be careful!"

"Something big?" Kyoko repeated.

"What could that mean?" Yukiko wondered.

"Well, we're not going to find out what it is by standing around." Chie said. "Let's go, you guys!"

The steam seemed to be even thicker, if that was even possible. Yet they continued to press on through with minimal issues. As they expected, there were more Shadows as they went up, but they weren't that difficult to deal with.

"Mabufu!" Chie shouted, as Tomoe shot out ice that froze several fairy-like Shadows. "Yeah, I'm in the zone!"

"So some of the Shadows here are weak to ice as well." Kyoko noted. "Good to know."

They were about to open another door, before Teddie spoke up again.

"Ooh, this presence… could it be Kanji-kun?"

"We found him?" Yukiko said.

"I don't think so." Yosuke said. "We thought the same thing for you. And knowing our luck…"

Kyoko took several deep breaths, remembering what she had seen earlier on the Midnight Channel.

"Well… we're as prepared as can be." Chie groaned. "Let's do this…"

Kyoko opened the door, and the others followed after her. Sure enough, standing in the middle of their room with their back to them, was Kanji.

"There he is!" Chie said. "But…"

Kanji was clad in nothing but a bath towel folded into practically a thong.

"Kanji?" Yosuke asked, just to make sure.

Kanji turned around as a spotlight lit up from above and he pulled out a mic. "Ooooh, my my! Thank you for your undivided attention!"

"Wait." Kyoko looked up, but the ceiling looked the exact same. "There's no spotlight, so how-?"

"That's what you're questioning now?" Yosuke asked.

"...I'll admit that I'm trying to distract myself from looking."

"At last, I've penetrated the facility!" Kanji said in a sultry voice. "These images are coming to you live from inside this steamy paradise! But I've yet to have any charming encounters. Hmph, could this hot fog be the cause? It's like steam rising from sweat! Mmmm, my body's tingling with excitement!"

An orchestral hit played, as a sudden logo appeared above Kanji.

"Men Only. Kanji Tatsumi in Rosy Steam Paradise?" Yukiko read, confused.

"This is so wrong in so many ways…" Yosuke groaned.

"I remember it being kinda like this on Yukiko's show, too." Chie recalled.

"N-No! It wasn't like this!" Yukiko insisted.

"But you haven't seen it yourself." Kyoko reminded her, while still looking up at the ceiling.

The group tensed up though, as laughter started to echo throughout the room, but it wasn't from any of them. They looked around, but couldn't see the origin anywhere, despite it sounding as if it were a crowd.

"Those voices again…" Chie said. "Wait, are they louder this time?"

"These voices…" Yosuke said, realizing something. "I was wondering whose they could be since it's only the victim and us in here… Is it the people watching outside?"

"You mean, everyone who's watching the Midnight Channel? They're reacting to the "show"?" Chie asked. "Ooh, yikes. If people are watching Kanji-kun now, he's gonna be a legend in a way he never intended…"

"Well, it's really his Shadow, not him." Yosuke said. "But normal people won't know that…"

"And yet they never said anything about the other instances…?" Kyoko said to herself. "Why?"

They were interrupted as the crowd's laughter was drowned out by monstrous roars.

"The Shadows are getting really restless!" Teddie said.

"That elusive thing that I truly yearn for… Will I finally find it here? Teehee!" Kanji's Shadow asked. "Well then, onward and deeper to reach further realms of romance! Let's get going, dammit!"

The Shadow turned around and started to flamboyantly run, giving them all a clear view of his behind that none of them asked for.

"Kanji-kun!" Yukiko shouted after the Shadow as it disappeared into the steam.

"That was his other self… It's trying to reveal his hidden feelings." Teddie said.

"I think it's revealing more than just his hidden feelings." Yosuke said, trying to forget the sight he had seen.

"Then we'd better go before he reveals more." Kyoko said.

"It seems much worse than that time with Yuki-chan's Shadow… At this rate, it might end up getting bear naked!"

"...Bear… naked?" Yukiko repeated.

"Oh man, here it comes." Chie groaned.

"Uh… Was I supposed to laugh?" Yukiko asked.

Teddie fell over in indignation as the others continued to move. Despite what Teddie had said, there were no Shadows in their way.

"Hey, there are the stairs!" Chie said.

"Alright, that's gonna be easy enough." Yosuke said. "We just got to-"

They heard growling, and saw that lion-like Shadows with ball and chains had gathered around the stairs, blocking their path.

"...me and my big mouth." Yosuke said.

"Let's just get through them." Yukiko said. "Maragi!"

Yukiko unleashed a stream of flames at the Shadows, scoring some direct flame damage. Yet they still stood.

"How about some ice?" Chie said. "Mabufu!"

The Shadows were encased in ice, but were still alive.

"Let's finish this!" Yosuke said, running up with his kunai.

But before he could attack, the Shadows reacted first, as one clawed at him.

"Whoa!" He slid on the ground to avoid the strike, but another Shadow pounced on him. He quickly brought up his blades to defend himself. "Nice kitty! Nice kitty!"

Kyoko jumped from behind and drove her knife into the Shadow's back, causing it to turn into dust.

"Are you alright?" Kyoko asked.

"Y-Yeah." Yosuke said, looking away since he would've gotten a full view of Kyoko's upskirt otherwise.

"Then I'll finish them off." Kyoko said, holding up a card and turning around. One of the Shadows swung the ball and chain at her, but Izanagi blocked the strike. "Mazio!"

Electricity shot through the room, piercing every last one of the Shadows.

"Nice one, Kyoko." Chie said.

"Th-Thanks…"

She nearly collapsed, but Yukiko caught her.

"You're drained as well." Yukiko noted.

"Then we should probably head back for now." Yosuke said.

"What?" Chie asked. "But we just saw the Shadow!"

"It's better to retreat." Yosuke said. "And prepare ourselves better for the next time we go in."

"Well… alright." Chie said. "I was getting a bit tired too."

Yukiko sighed. It was always like Chie to push herself.

"Yosuke…" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah?"

"...is that carrying offer still available?"

"...how are you capable of eating that much?"

A few days after they had first entered the dungeon, Chie had taken Kyoko training again. After that, they decided to grab a bite at Aiya. Chie was practically stuffing her face with meat, as she had many, many more bowls in front of her.

"Mmmm… The meat and rice just flow through my veins…" She said, with a smile on her face.

"Well… you do look happy, so that's good." Kyoko commented.

"On the happiness scale, it's up there with watching action movies…" Chie said, with great revere in her voice.

"I noticed that you've been working harder, recently." Kyoko noted.

"Well, I need to work hard and pump myself up, or else I can't pull us out of a jam, right?" Chie said. "Especially Yukiko… I need to be able to protect her… I hope she's not straining herself. Makes you worry, huh?"

Chie looked down at one of her empty bowls.

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Kyoko asked. "But frankly, I think that I worry more for you when it comes to straining yourself."

"Huh? Me?" Chie said, confused. "B-But I'm fine! I mean, I've been training and everything!"

Chie seemed a bit embarrassed, but Kyoko chuckled. "I know you have been training hard, but that's the part I think you might be straining yourself in."

"I guess that makes sense. I'll be careful, but I promise I'll make myself stronger!" Chie said, determined. "For Yukiko, too! So keep it up, Leader! I know me and Yosuke joke around with you a lot, but we're all counting on you."

Kyoko nodded as Chie looked at the empty bowls.

"...All this talking is making me hungry." Chie said.

"Y-You can still eat more?" Kyoko asked, exasperation in her voice.

"'Scuse me!" Chie called over to the owner. "Another fried rice with meat, please! How about you?"

"I'm fine." Kyoko said, holding up a hand. "Even one was too much for me…"

Kyoko walked down the stairs on a Sunday morning to see Nanako sitting by herself at the table. There was a potted plant in front of her.

"Good morning." Nanako said.

"Good morning." Kyoko said back, before noticing that Nanako seemed troubled. "Is something wrong?"

"Um, we're growing veggies at school." Nanako said. "The teacher gave us "seedlings," and told us to try growing them at home. I asked Dad, and he said I could plant them wherever I want."

"So what's the issue?" Kyoko asked.

"I don't know where's a good place to plant."

Kyoko put a hand to her chin and thought for a few moments. She then recalled something that she had seen occasionally.

"There's an open patch of soil next to the house." Kyoko said. "If it's part of your property, how about there?"

"The place next to the house?" Nanako asked. "Mmm-hmm. We don't use it, but it's our yard. Is that where we're gonna plant the seedlings?"

"That's my suggestion, yes." Kyoko said with a smile. "Come on."

The two walked outside of the house and to the pile of soil.

"Is this where we're gonna plant the seedlings?" Nanako asked again.

"Well, we're going to have to fix it up first." Kyoko said.

She looked over and saw several gardening tools nearby. It would help make a nice garden. She opted for a fairly simple design; making a rectangle border with a few cinder blocks, and adding some stones as a pathway. Then taking a shovel to move around the dirt and make it softer. Nanako helped with a gardening fork. In good time, they had made a nice little garden.

"I'm not the best at designing things, but this was the best I could do." Kyoko said.

Nanako still looked delighted, nonetheless. "Wow! Can we plant the seedlings now?"

"That would be the next step." Kyoko said.

Nanako walked up with the tomato seedlings, while Kyoko grabbed a trowel. One by one, they placed the seedlings into the dirt, making sure that they were secure.

"Do you think that the veggies will grow?" Nanako asked, looking at their hard work.

"I'm positive." Kyoko said.

"Really? I can't wait!" Nanako said happily.

The smile Nanako had caused Kyoko to smile as well.

"Hey, I want to make a sign!" Nanako said. "No one will know what we planted until the veggies grow. I gotta write down that there are veggies growing here."

"Alright then, let's make one together." Kyoko said. "There's some leftover wood we can use, and paints as well."

"Yay! Thanks!" Nanako said.

Taking the wood, Kyoko put together a simple sign, and Nanako painted the words on it, before finishing with a drawing of a tomato. Kyoko put it into the ground and stepped back to look.

"The perfect finishing touch." Kyoko said.

"We did it!" Nanako cheered.

"We sure did." Kyoko said, wiping her forehead.

"I'll be in charge of watering the plants!" Nanako said.

"You can be the main waterer." Kyoko said. "I'll do it when you can't."

"Okay!" Nanako said. "We planted them together, so we should grow them together too!"

Kyoko nodded as she organized the gardening tools to put them away.

"If a lot of veggies grow, will our house be like Junes?" Nanako asked. "Hee hee, I can't wait!"

After washing up from the dirt and changing into cleaner clothes, Kyoko met up with Yukiko in the Central Shopping District. She was standing in front of Yomenaido Bookstore. Yukiko had bought a book about job certifications.

"Thank goodness. That was the last one." Yukiko said.

"Why? Are these books rare?" Kyoko asked.

"No, not necessarily. Sensei just recommended this book to me because it has details on a bunch of different job licenses."

"Are you going to apply for a job?"

"Um, yeah. Uh huh." She said, a little bit embarrassed. "Inside the TV… The "other me" said she didn't want to inherit the inn… I think… those were my true feelings. So I've decided to be a little more true to myself..."

Kyoko crossed her arms and raised a brow. "And that means…?"

"I… I refuse to inherit the Amagi Inn!" Yukiko declared.

Kyoko didn't react much, but her eyes did widen slightly.

"When I graduate… I'm leaving this town!" She said, before inhaling deeply, a look of relief on her face. "...I said it. … I said it! Haha..."

She had a refreshing smile on her face, as if the huge weight off her shoulders had been lifted.

"So in order to live on my own, I'm thinking of getting a job license." Yukiko told her. "I was thinking something along the lines of an interior decorator… What do you think?"

"Well… that does sound simple enough to start with." Kyoko admitted. Perhaps she should consult several other designers from Hope's Peak Academy, if Yukiko was serious with this.

"It's cool, isn't it?" Yukiko said. "But it's hard. It costs money to get a license… And of course I can't tell Mother… Ugh, if only there was a part-time job I could do discreetly..."

Kyoko then remembered seeing some jobs on the bulletin board, and recalled a certain simple job that she had seen recently.

"I think there's an option." Kyoko said. "I believe there was a job opening for making envelopes."

"Really?!" Yukiko said. "I'll go check the board, then!"

Kyoko smiled, glad she could help out her friend as she felt their bond grow stronger.

"Thank you for keeping me company today." Yukiko said. "I was a bit nervous about telling the others how I feel, but, I think I'll be alright."

"It wasn't a problem." Kyoko reassured her. "It was the least I could do as a friend."

She waved as Yukiko went off to the bulletin board.

"But still…" Kyoko said quietly. "Is this really what you want, Yukiko?"

Kyoko walked to the school next day as the rain poured.

"Yo, Kyoko!" Yosuke said, running up.

"Good morning, Yosuke."

"Can you really say "good" morning in this weather?" He joked. "Anyways, looks like the rain'll stop in the afternoon. The forecast was saying it'll be a while before any fog shows up."

"So we have plenty of time then." Kyoko noted. "But I am a bit worried."

"Well, I don't think we should be wasting too much time…" Yosuke said. "Anyway, I'm counting on ya. Don't disappoint me, Leader."

"Wasn't planning on it." She smiled back.

"But since we got a lot of time… do you mind hanging out with me later?" Yosuke asked.

"Like you said, we have plenty of time." She said, walking into the school.

"...wait is that a yes?" He asked, running after her. "I can never tell with you!"

It turned out that it was a yes, as Kyoko met him in the food court later that day.

"So what'll it be this time?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure, exactly." Kyoko said. "I'm not exactly hungry. I might grab some groceries on the way out though."

"Huh, then maybe something light-?"

"Hey, Hanamura!"

The two snootish students came by once more, anger present on their faces.

"...what is it today?" Yosuke asked, resignation and annoyance in his voice.

"How come Kazumi can take the day off and we can't?" The gaudy one yelled.

"...Huh?" Yosuke said, a bit confused at the question.

"We told you before! We can't work Saturdays!" The snooty girl said. "So when they refused, they said they were going to fire us! I don't get this!"

"Hey, I talked to the manager." Yosuke said. "Senpai, have you two been taking absences without leave lately?"

The two looked a little nervous, shifting their feet.

"I-I just forgot to come…" The gaudy girl said, before getting angry again. "Besides, that's not the point! What're you going to do about this!? I have a date that day!"

"How come you're favoring Kazumi, huh!?" The snooty girl said. "You were like that with Saki, too!"

That caused Kyoko tighten her fists.

"...Huh?" Yosuke said, a bit stunned at what she had said.

"Don't try to hide it! We all know!" The gaudy girl said. "You liked Saki and treated her special!"

While Yosuke was clearly affected by the statement, he did a good job hiding it. "I don't think Saki-senpai has anything to do with this subject."

"Yeah, it does!" The gaudy girl said. "You told the other workers to take it easy on Saki too, didn't you? You think you can do anything just because you're the manager's son!?"

"So it's Kazumi now that Saki's dead!?" The snooty girl said. "Don't bother, she has a boyfriend. Don't you get it!? Saki didn't like you! We heard so from her! She may have acted that way, but she hated you!"

"Well you're already here with this creepy skank." The gaudy girl said with a sneer, referring to Kyoko, who stood up and walked over to her. "Setting your standards real low don't you-"

SMACK

The gaudy girl held her cheek from the sudden slap. Despite wearing the leather gloves, it surprisingly stung.

"I was going to suggest simply calming down, but that clearly isn't an option." Kyoko said, quiet anger in her voice

"You bitch!" The snooty girl said. "How could you do that! It was just one joke-!"

"That wasn't because she insulted me." Kyoko told her. "It was for all of those disrespectful comments you made towards someone who has passed away."

"Kyoko…" Yosuke said, touched.

"Who do you think you are?!" The snooty student said. "You stay out of this and shut up!"

"You're the ones who should shut up!" Yosuke yelled suddenly.

The two girls were taken aback by this, as Yosuke stood up.

"What do you know about Saki-senpai!? She didn't do things half-assed like you! She looked lazy, but she worked hard! She talked bad, but she was good inside! So she hated me? I knew that! She's not here anymore! I'm left behind! ...Just leave me alone."

The two were shocked at Yosuke's angry outburst, as he had never acted like this before.

"Wh-What the heck…?" The gaudy student said.

"...Let's go." The snooty one said to her friend, before looking back at Kyoko. "This isn't over."

"I believe it is." Kyoko said. "Poor work attitudes, insulting your peers, insulting the deceased. I don't believe many would believe people that act like that. And not only is it your word against the store manager's son, but also against a member of the authorities?"

"...you're bluffing."

Kyoko held up her detective license, causing both of them to pale.

"This is what they call checkmate." Kyoko said, a small smirk teasing the corners of her mouth. "I suggest you two actually try taking some pride in your work."

The two turned and left in a hurry. Kyoko slipped her license back into her pocket, before turning to Yosuke, who was looking down.

"Damn it… I just blurted out a bunch crap, huh?"

"You were clearly upset, Yosuke." Kyoko said. "Considering how those girls treated you, your anger would have reached a breaking point, sooner or later."

"N-No, I was just…"

He had a smile on his face that had no joy on it. Kyoko describing it looking "pathetic" was the nicest way should could put it.

"Damn, another pathetic display from Yosuke, huh?" He asked, almost as if to confirm her thoughts.

"You may feel that way, but it was far from it." Kyoko reassured him.

"Maybe. But thanks, though." He said. "Hearing you say that stuff to them, it made me happy."

The smile went from pathetic to sheepish, as he rubbed the back of his head. The shattering of glass informed her that their bond had grown even stronger, but Kyoko didn't need that to tell her this.

Yosuke sighed. "I don't want to… I really don't want to, but I'll go talk with Dad… At this rate, those two are gonna quit… I should tell him and apologize…"

"Are you sure that's what you think is best?" She asked him.

"I don't know… What do I want to do?" Yosuke said. "I don't get it… even though it's my own future."

She realized he was now talking about something else entirely.

"...Sorry, but I'll see you later, Kyoko."

Deciding to leave him to his thoughts, she gently patted him on the shoulder, before heading home.

"I'm home." Kyoko said, as she slid off her shoes.

"Welcome back." Nanako said.

"I picked up some vegetable seeds from Junes." Kyoko said, holding up a bag full of seed packets. "We can plant them later if you want."

Putting her shoes away, she noticed that Nanako looked a little conflicted.

"Oh, ummm… Big Sis..." Nanako said from the living room table.

Kyoko saw that she was fidgeting, looking unsure of herself. She didn't have to be a detective to know what she wanted.

"Go ahead and ask." Kyoko said, as she sat down.

"Okay! Umm… well… Are you an only child?" Nanako asked her.

"Yes, I am." Kyoko said with a nod.

"Oh, just like me!" Nanako said, delighted. "Oh, but I have you now, so…"

Kyoko patted her on the head. "Yes, you do."

"A while ago, Daddy told me that our family won't get any bigger… but now I have a big sister!" She said, cheerfully.

"So this is how it feels to be a big sister." Kyoko said, softly, as she felt their bond strengthen.

"What do you mean?" Nanako asked. "Tell me! Tell me!"

"Well… while she wasn't related to our family, a friend of mine was like a big sister to me." Kyoko said. "Her name was Yui Samidare."

"Oh, what kind of person is she?" Nanako asked.

"She had a strong sense of justice, and was a good detective too." Kyoko said. "She was also really good at jumping."

"Jumping?" Nanako repeated.

"She could jump onto the roof of a house like it was nothing." Kyoko said.

"Whoooa!" Nanako said, amazied. "I'd like to meet her! ...what's wrong, Big Sis?"

Kyoko had frowned at Nanako's last sentence. "Yui died in an accident."

"Oh…" Nanako said. "So when you said stuff like "was" and "had"..."

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, Big Sis."

"It's okay, you didn't know." Kyoko said, reassuring her. "I just know she would have loved to have met you though."

"You really think so?" Nanako said.

"I know it." Kyoko said. "But you should probably go to bed now."

Nanako hid a yawn behind her hand. "O-Okay, Big Sis. Good night."

She walked up the stairs, and Kyoko heard a door close. Now by herself, she sighed as she slowly took off one of her gloves, looking at the burns underneath. That hellish day was still engraved into her memories.

"You were my Big Sister… now I'm the Big Sis. Funny how it turned out, isn't it?" Kyoko said quietly to herself. "Watch over me, Yui. I'll be the best Big Sis to Nanako, like you were to me."

A/N: It has been a while, hasn't it? Again, I am working on this fic. It's just a little slower, that's all.

So we start Kanji's dungeon, and tackle quite a few Social Links this time around! And we delved a bit more into Kyoko's backstory as well. I'll reveal more as the story continues, of course.

With that said, feel free to leave a review, and I'll see you all next time.

Kyoko's Social Links:

Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): Rank 7

Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Rank 5

Priestess (Yukiko Amagi): Rank 2

Justice (Nanako Dojima): Rank 2

Hierophant (Ryotaro Dojima): Rank 1

Fool (The Investigation Team): Rank 3

Hope (Hope's Peak Academy Students): Rank 1