"Kyoko, glad you made it." Dojima said, as Kyoko walked up.
"I wouldn't have missed it." Kyoko said. "Does my school know?"
"I gave them a call so you have an excused leave." Dojima said. "Not much is happening at the moment, so you thankfully won't be missing much."
Unbeknownst to Kyoko, her friends were suffering with their new homeroom teacher. She was not aware of how much she was thankfully avoiding.
"So we get to see the Ultimate Detective in action, eh?" Adachi said. "Can't wait to see what you can do."
"Adachi, go keep civilians out of here." Dojima said. "We're not gonna do a repeat of last time."
"Sir, yes sir…" Adachi sighed as he went off.
"Anything I need before I start?" Kyoko asked.
"Here." Dojima handed her an electronic tablet.
"...a tablet?"
"It's a new device called and "e-Handbook"." Dojima said. "They've been distributed to police departments everywhere as a better way to keep track of info. It's pretty easy to use. The one I gave you has the autopsy, alongside the witness account and list of people that live in the area."
"Understood." Kyoko turned on the tablet. With the rather easy system to navigate, she was already on the autopsy.
The victim of this case is Kinshiro Morooka. The body was discovered at 7:34 AM on the apartment's railing. The victim has several wounds to the back of the skull, having caved in from multiple blows to the head. The killing blow was caused by brain damage and blood loss. Estimated time of death was yesterday, around 10:30 PM.
So this is what I'll be working with. Kyoko thought, as she flipped over to Celeste's account.
The witness that found the body was on an early morning walk. They noticed a dark spot near the building, and looked up to find Kinshiro Morooka's body. That was when they called the police.
And this is Celeste's account. Doesn't seem to have any holes, but the lack of detail is somewhat annoying. I wouldn't imagine she would hide anything, since she doesn't have anything to gain in this instance. Kyoko reasoned.
She then flipped over to the list of people that lived in the apartment. It was quite a long list, so she looked up at her uncle. "Uncle, would you be able to narrow this list down to people that have been to the police station before, for criminal acts?"
"You think the killer lives nearby?" Dojima asked.
"It's just to make sure." Kyoko said. "I learned it's best to not leave any unknowns to grow."
"Alright. I'll get it to you once you're done looking through things." Dojima said. "And Kyoko? Good luck."
Kyoko nodded at her uncle's encouragement, before walking towards the crime scene. Looking up, she saw Morooka's body had been moved. The railing he was hung on was slightly bent, presumably from holding his weight overnight.
To haul a body all the way up there… Mr. Morooka does not live in this area, so he had to have been killed in front of the apartment… or they had a way to transport the body. The killer must've also made it quick and quiet if no one else heard him drive a heavy object into Mr. Morooka's skull.
"Ah, so you're here as well."
Naoto walked over to Kyoko, arms crossed. "It's mysterious, isn't it?"
"The death?" Kyoko asked. "Yes."
"No, not that. While the death is mysterious, I'm a bit more confused about why the body was up there." Naoto said.
"The previous two bodies were found up high, were they not?" Kyoko asked.
"They were." Naoto nodded. "But both of their bodies were on telephone poles. This one… it wasn't."
Kyoko took note of that. The fact that the body location was different was a sure sign something was off.
"I'll also continue investigating." Naoto said. "If you need any assistance, I'll be nearby."
"Mm." Kyoko nodded as Naoto walked off.
So the body location is different… Was this a change by the killer, or…?
She walked over to the side of the building, kneeling down to see where the blood had been dripping. The dark spot was outlined, and significantly faded from drying.
The blood is dried out. Of course, thanks to how much time there has been since the murder took place. But… How is all the blood only here? If Mr. Morooka's skull had been caved in, the broken bones should've caused enough bleeding that it would be difficult for the killer to move the body without making a mess.
Kyoko walked over to one of the police, holding up her detective license so they knew she was on the case. "Can I ask a question?"
"Sure. What?"
"Was there any blood on the roof?" Kyoko asked.
"Blood?" He asked. "Nope. The only blood found was on the sidewalk next to the apartment."
"Thank you." Kyoko said. Only blood here? That doesn't seem possible. If the victim died from blood loss, it would likely be everywhere… the killer couldn't have kept everything clean…
Looking around, Kyoko went over to the large shared trash bin of the apartment. Thankfully, it had been garbage day only a few hours before the murder, so it was relatively empty. She looked through it, seeing a few scraps of paper, a few broken electronics and empty Junes paper bags for food.
"Wait… what's…?"
She reached over, pushing aside some of the trash. There was a relatively new backpack in the bin. What was it doing here?
Curious, she picked it up, only to realize it was stuck. She pulled harder, pulling it free and noticing what was on the bottom; blood. Looking close at the bin and the bag, it seemed to have seeped through, and dried up. Sitting inside the bag was an old retro game system, also covered in blood. Reaching in, she pulled it out to see there was a significant dent and dried blood on one of the corners. The system was already quite beat up, so Kyoko assumed it was broken before this.
A bloody bag… and a broken game system. Kyoko thought. This should be enough to incriminate whoever killed Mr. Morooka, but… this isn't enough. That bag could have easily been stolen, or it could be the original owner that did it…
Handing over the bloody bag to the officers to get it put under evidence, she made one more sweep of the area.
I'm missing something, I know it. Kyoko thought. One last piece of the puzzle… who was it that killed Mr. Morooka?
"Kyoko!" Dojima called over. "We narrowed things down, and we got the names you need."
Kyoko walked over, as Dojima held up his e-Handbook.
"These are all the folk that caused trouble. It's about thirty names, so not too much." Dojima said. "This part of town isn't as safe compared to others, so I always tell Nanako to stay away…"
Kyoko looked through the list of names. Looking closely, she widened her eyes. Everything clicked into place.
"Uncle, I need a favor." Kyoko said.
"Hm? What is it?"
"I need you to arrest Mitsuo Kubo and let me interrogate him." Kyoko said, seeing his name and face on the list.
Kyoko closed the door behind her. She sat down at the table, with Mitsuo Kubo sitting across from her. The only other thing in the room was an overhead light.
Dojima and Adachi watched from the one-way viewing window. Oddly enough, Celeste was present as well. She requested this, since Kyoko was a friend of hers, and it was boring for her.
"You think she'll be okay?" Adachi asked, concerned.
"You're quite the rookie, aren't you?" Celeste chuckled. "Kyoko has solved many cases and handled many psychopaths. Who she's interrogating here seems to be nothing more than a pathetic manchild."
"Hmm." Dojima looked at Celeste. "You said you were a friend of hers?"
"A classmate, yes." Celeste said. "Though I will admit that the two of us seem to play a game on getting on each-other's nerves. I won all the time, of course."
"Ultimates are scary…" Adachi commented.
Back inside the interrogation room, Mitsuo tried to stand up, but he was handcuffed to the table. "You! The crazy bitch that arrested me!"
"I'm here to ask you a few questions, Mitsuo Kubo." Kyoko said.
"Forget it… I ain't talking!" He said. "I have the right to remain silent!"
"You do have that right, yes. But all that will do is extend the time you're in this room." Kyoko said. "Do you wish to stay here longer?"
"Ugh…" He sat back down.
"Alright, what was your relationship with Mr. Morooka?" Kyoko asked.
"Relationship? I hated his freaking guts." Mitsuo said. "Besides, the line of folks that wanted him gone starts with me and goes around the block. Twice!"
"Would you mind telling me what you were doing on the night of his death?" Kyoko asked.
"Me? Just staying home and gaming. Not much." He said.
Kyoko saw a bit of sweat and one of his eyes darted away to avoid her gaze. It was clear he was lying.
"Would you mind telling me about your relationship with Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi?" Kyoko asked.
"Who?"
While Dojima and Adachi were surprised by the answer, Celeste chuckled. Kyoko never fails to get the answers she needs.
Kyoko looked Mitsuo in the eyes. No hesitation at all, just genuine confusion.
"I see…" Kyoko said. "Then can you tell me why your online history includes chat logs of you attempting to take credit for their murders?"
Mitsuo paled, as Kyoko kept speaking.
"After we arrested you for interrogation, we checked the history on your computer. You were rather quite interested in the murders, but only focusing on the methods and not the names." Kyoko said. "Almost as if you were trying to try and replicate them, as you never spoke about the first two victims by name."
Mitsuo was silent, sweating bullets.
"We found a bag that had your ID tag still on it, covered with dried blood and a broken game system inside." Kyoko said. "I can assume that you used the system to beat Mr. Morooka to death, while first putting the bag over his head to keep blood from spraying everywhere. You carried him up to the top of the apartment complex and hung him over the edge to imitate the last two bodies, before disposing of the bag and game system to hide the evidence. I also asked your parents about your whereabouts last night, and they told me you came home exceedingly late… far too late for you to be playing video games when the murder took place. Of course, this is all just a guess, so I might not be correct. Do you wish to refute my statement?"
Mitsuo clenched his fists, muttering. "Those bastards… all me…!"
"Though I might as well ask, why?" Kyoko said.
"Tch, they just pissed me off, so I did it!" Mitsuo said.
"You're confessing?" Kyoko asked.
"Well, you already know I'm guilty, so I'll say it now! I did it!" Mitsuo shouted. "I killed those two bitches for being… total whores, and that asshole Morooka for holding me back a year! Smashed his stupid head in, even though he barely could wheeze out a little cry for help! Digging it into his head and slowly killing him… Hahaha… those assholes online said I was a liar, and I proved them wrong! Me! It was all me! Everyone'll know, and they'll know it was me!"
"You did this all… just so people would pay attention to you?" Kyoko asked.
"The second time in this stupid-ass station… I'm the greatest criminal in this backwater-ass town!" Mitsuo declared.
"...thank you for your time." Kyoko stood up, turning. "I understand everything."
"That you know I-?"
"That you're nothing more than a pathetic copycat killer." Kyoko said. "Your murder of Mr. Morooka was real, as the blood on the bag matches his, but you had nothing to do with the other two murders."
"N-No way!" Mitsuo shouted. "I totally killed them both!"
"How?" Kyoko asked. "How did you do it?"
"I… I just did the same thing here!" Mitsuo stuttered.
"...so you're telling me that in spite of both of their autopsy reports failing to figure out how they died, you were responsible?" Kyoko asked.
"T-The police are just completely stupid!" Mitsuo said.
"..." Kyoko opened the door, not even turning around. "I hope you're happy that you threw your future away for these five seconds of fame."
"W-Wait, you said that me talking would get me out of this room faster!" He shouted. "Let me out!"
"A police transport is on its way. They will escort you out towards the city where you will likely receive life imprisonment for aggravated murder." Kyoko said. "As you are still a minor, you should be grateful you aren't receiving the death penalty."
"N-No way, that wasn't the deal!" Mitsuo shouted.
"I said you would be let out of this room faster. I never said that you would walk free." Kyoko said. "You will face justice, Mitsuo Kubo. You will never be remembered in this small town, as we will have the news of your arrest keep you anonymous."
"No… No! No, I won't let this fucking end like this!" He yelled, slamming his fists on the table, over and over. "NOOOOOO!"
"Perhaps you should have thought twice before trying to hurt my little sister." Kyoko looked back with a glare, before closing the door behind her. She walked around to the observation room, where Dojima, Adachi and Celeste were waiting.
"Fantastic work, Kyoko." Dojima smiled, patting his niece on the shoulder. "We won't be seeing him again."
Kyoko nodded. "All in a day's work, Uncle."
"So that was the Ultimate Detective in action." Adachi said impressed, before looking into the room to see Mitsuo screaming and sobbing, slamming the table with his fists. He was more-or-less throwing a tantrum and having a breakdown. "But that's scary though… a kid like him just killing because he wanted attention? Yikes…"
"Anyone can be a killer." Celeste shrugged. "Whether it's just a hand-fetish businessman that wants a quiet life, or a body-hopping psychopath that eats eyeballs."
"...is this what kids are into nowadays?" Adachi sweatdropped.
"Celeste, what will you be doing now?" Kyoko asked.
"Well, first I'll be staying at this police station a little while longer." Celeste said. "After that, I'm going to be looking into trying to find a place to stay."
"Wh-What?" Kyoko asked. "A murder case is going on and you want to stay here?"
"Did you expect anything else, Kyoko?" Celeste chuckled. "I'll be doing remote classes like Sayaka, of course."
Kyoko sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"So this is what she meant about getting on your nerves…" Dojima chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Kyoko. She's under police protection for the time being, so she'll be safe."
"Ah, if only I had servants as loyal as you, officer Dojima." Celeste praised.
"S-Servants?" Adachi repeated.
"Oh? Do you wish to know more?" Celeste said with a smirk. "Why don't you lick my boot and I'll tell you?"
"Celeste… this is considered harassment of an officer." Kyoko reminded her.
"I am merely jesting. Surely I can't be arrested for a little joke?" Celeste said with an innocent smile.
"N-Nah, it's okay." Adachi reassured Kyoko. Man, kids these days are really scary!
"I'll be going now, Uncle." Kyoko said. "I sent all my reports and findings through the e-Handbook you lent me."
"Nah, you can keep it." Dojima said. "That one wasn't personal police property. Consider it a gift from me to you. I have a feeling it might help you out, sooner or later."
"Oh. Thank you, then." Kyoko said with a smile. "Well, my friends are waiting for me. I'll see you at home, Uncle."
As Kyoko walked off, Celeste watched, interested. "Kyoko having new friends… now that's a surprise."
"What, was she unpopular or something at that big school?" Adachi asked.
"Quite the contrary. She was quite popular, though her rather aloof attitude led people to believe she was unfriendly." Celeste said. "It took a few classmates and even students from the other classes to help her open up, even the slightest. So you'd have to forgive me for being surprised she's made several friends in a shorter amount of time."
"So she's more open now?" Dojima asked.
"Yes." Celeste nodded. "If the Kyoko at Hope's Peak was the first few pages of a diary with a lock, the Kyoko I see now is the climax of the narrative."
"...I don't get what she means." Adachi admitted.
"Yeah, I don't either." Dojima rubbed the back of his head as Celeste laughed. The detective smiled, however. Still… I'm glad that Kyoko's been enjoying her time here.
The rest of the Investigation Team had assembled at Junes. Yosuke had informed Kyoko that they had a new teacher, and Kyoko responded she would be over soon, as her investigation work had finished.
"Ugh, finals are next week… Blegh!" Chie groaned. "It's been a while since I failed any subjects…"
"Yeah, if by "a while" you mean "all the time."" Yosuke teased.
"Sh-Shut up! Like you've ever seen my scores!" Chie snapped.
"But Chie always has above-average marks in the subjects that she doesn't fail!" Yukiko said.
"H-Hey! Why'd you tell him!? My scores just...vary! Yeah, that's it!" Chie said.
"Ahaha!" Rise laughed.
"R-Rise-chan, you too...?" Chie said in a betrayed tone.
"Sorry… I'm not laughing at you." Rise apologized. "It's just… I thought it would take me a while to make any friends at my new school."
"Too bad we met under such awful circumstances." Chie said.
"Oh yeah… What do you guys think about King Moron's case? He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel even once."
"If this person had been inside the TV, I would've sensed it." Teddie said. "My nose isn't as sharp now, but I can tell that much."
"But they found the body on a foggy day again, right?" Chie said. "They said on the news that the crime scene was just the way it was for that announcer and Saki-senpai."
"I really wonder about the culprit's motives…" Yukiko wondered. "Why was Mr. Morooka targeted?"
"Hope it wasn't personal, 'cause there's way too many people who hated King Moron's guts." Kanji said.
"But didn't you say it's people who get famous on TV who are targeted? If the killer chooses targets by watching TV, I picture him as someone who doesn't know his victims at all." Rise said. "I don't think it's worth trying to figure out motives for that type. There are too many people who hold grudges against you for no reason, even if you've never met them before."
"Haha… You sound like you speak from experience, Rise-chan." Chie shivered.
"Oh she is. I can say the same." Sayaka said. "But with King Moron, he didn't appear on the Midnight Channel or the regular TV… Uurgh! I don't get this at all!"
"Man, two victims in a row from our school… That's gotta set off the police's alarm bells. They're not gonna leave any stones at school unturned." Kanji said.
"Y'know, to be honest, somewhere deep inside, I thought maybe King Moron was the killer." Yosuke admitted. "The news says that he was the second victim from Yasogami High, but we all know that's not the case. And I've heard him say more than once that so-and-so deserves to die… But now…
Yosuke shook his head, feeling regret from the way he used to think. "I feel bad that I doubted him. He was a capital-A asshole, but that doesn't justify killing him. And not just King Moron...I feel sorry for all the victims… I can't forgive the killer, no matter what!"
"Well, we'll do what we can, for King Moron's sake too!" Chie said. "At this rate, you have to figure that the killer has something to do with the school, right? So why don't we split up and-"
"That won't be necessary." A familiar voice rang out, as Naoto walked over to them.
"Y-You…" Kanji recognized.
"There is no need to examine the case of Mr. Morooka any further." Naoto said.
"Wh-Why's that?" Chie asked.
"Apparently, the police have found a suspect. It would be best to let them handle the case from here." Naoto said.
"H-How do you know...?" Yosuke asked.
"I'm on this case as a special investigator, by request of the prefectural police." Naoto said.
"What!?" Yosuke stood up.
"They found a suspect...!? Who is it!?" Chie asked.
"As to his name, I haven't been informed. I do know… that he is a high schooler." Naoto said, surprising everyone. "It isn't public knowledge yet, but he isn't a student of your high school. It seems they are quite confident that this boy is the killer… They have testimonies directly linking him with the incident. I expect it's only a matter of time before he is apprehended. Soon, this case will be solved, and your town will once again be its peaceful, rustic self."
"The suspect… is a high schooler...?" Yosuke repeated.
"All right… So why come tell us?" Sayaka raised a brow. "That's confidential info, right? Why run right here and spill it?"
"Your "game" will soon reach its end. I felt I should at least let you know that." Naoto said.
"So… You think this is a game to us?" Sayaka crossed her arms.
"You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourselves in the matter?" Naoto asked. "Well, no matter. I have no reason to say anything further."
"A game...? Aren't you the one who thinks of this as a game?" Rise asked, slightly frowning.
This took Naoto a bit off guard.
"I don't care if you're a special investigator or an amateur sleuth… All you're doing is solving mysteries. What could you possibly know about us?" Rise asked them. "You're the one who's playing a game here."
"One of the victims… She meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this like a game?" Yosuke said, his voice trembling with anger. "Plus…"
His anger disappeared as he looked at Teddie.
"We made a promise."
"Y-Y-Yosuke…" Teddie said softly.
"A game…" Naoto repeated. "That may be quite true."
"Wh-Why so understanding all of a sudden?" Chie asked.
"Oh, I get it. I was wondering why you'd be wandering around like this when the police have a suspect." Yosuke realized. "What, did they get rid of you now that they have their man? Is that why you came here? You were lonely?"
"Detectives normally aren't involved with arrests. And we never harbor any special emotions regarding a case, either." Naoto said.
"Tell that to Kyoko…" Sayaka muttered.
"Still… It is rather unfortunate that people are only attentive so long as our services are required…" Naoto said. "But then, I'm accustomed to it."
Kanji had a rather unsure expression on his face, as he looked at Naoto.
"Much about this case was perplexing, but its solution was surprisingly simple…" Naoto said.
"You should stop talking as if the case is solved."
Kyoko walked over, arms crossed.
"Kyoko!" Yosuke said.
"I just finished interrogating the suspect, and the case is open again." Kyoko said.
"What…?" Naoto said, remembering how she had been refused entry during the interrogation. "You… interrogated the suspect?"
"Mitsuo Kubo." Kyoko said, as most of the others recognized the name. "He was Mr. Morooka's killer."
"It was that creepo?" Chie said.
"The one that tried to hurt Nanako…" Yukiko remembered.
"Damn bastard! Had a feeling about him, but… damn!" Kanji cursed.
"He studied the murder cases and, in a fit of insanity to get attention, murdered Mr. Morooka and tried to recreate the past murder scenes." Kyoko said. "Unlike the past cases where the causes of death were unidentified, Mr. Morooka died due to blunt force trauma on the back of his head, with the combined brain damage and blood loss leading to his death."
"Blunt force trauma?" Teddie looked confused.
"He was beaten to death…" Rise explained. "The killer smashed something heavy on his head."
"While he did confess to the crime, he had absolutely no real information about the other cases." Kyoko said. "In fact, he never met Rise personally, and never confronted her. He is a killer, but not the one we're looking for."
Naoto was silent, before chuckling.
"Ah, you're the niece of one of the head detectives on this case, no?" Naoto realized, remembering Dojima had mentioned it a few times. "I didn't realize nepotism was allowed here."
"Not nepotism. Clearance." Kyoko stood her ground. "I am the Ultimate Detective, and that isn't a title I wear lightly."
"But why tell me all this, then?" Naoto asked. "Is this your way of getting a "leg-up" on me?" Naoto asked.
"No." Kyoko walked forward. "You knew it yourself that the case wasn't properly closed, didn't you?"
The other team members looked at Naoto, who's expression was stoic.
"You wouldn't want to leave this case properly unsolved." Kyoko said. "A feeling we both share. So, use this information wisely, as the killer is still out there."
Naoto shook their head, but smiled. "I see. My apologies, then. It appears I was mistaken about you all."
They started to walk off, but stopped.
"Kyoko Kirigiri…"
"Naoto Shirogane…"
"Which one of us will get the killer first…"
"...is a race."
Naoto walked off as Kyoko rejoined her friends.
"Kyoko… that was totally badass." Yosuke said, amazed.
"Yeah, you go, girl!" Chie whooped.
"Right out of a movie or a manga…" Yukiko was awed.
"Hell yeah…" Kanji's cheer wasn't as strong, but he still smiled.
"Yeah, you showed him what for!" Sayaka gave a thumbs-up.
"Sensei is so cool…!" Teddie's eyes were sparkling.
"Wow… this is one of the most awesome group of friends I could find." Rise said.
"Y-You don't have to say all that." Kyoko blushed at the praise.
"Oh wow, she's getting embarrassed!" Chie realized.
"It was like this at Hope's Peak too." Sayaka said. "I got tons of stories."
"I wanna hear!" Rise said.
"A-Anyways!" Kyoko cleared her throat. "This means that the killer is still out there. This isn't the end of our investigations."
"Gotcha. So we'll keep searching." Kanji said.
"And Sayaka, it turns out Celeste is planning to stay for a while." Kyoko said.
"Oh, goody…" Sayaka groaned.
"Who?" Yukiko asked.
"Celestia Ludenberg, the Ultimate Gambler and classmate of ours." Sayaka said. "Also known as the Queen of Liars with all the crap she loves pulling at Hope's Peak to rile people up. Oh boy I got a lot of stories about her…"
"So everyone, I want you all to stay alert." Kyoko said. "We're all in this together."
They all nodded at Kyoko as their will to continue solving this case intensified.
Returning back home, Kyoko was sitting down with Nanako as they watched the television together. She wanted to keep an eye on her after the recent events that had transpired. She noticed that the documentary on the tv was about a young man who's searching for his real father.
"Real… Father…" Nanako read. "What do they mean by "real"?"
"Well, there's a lot of possible meanings behind it, from what I learned." Kyoko said. "But I believe that it means someone that you love a lot."
"Oh, okay… Then you're my real Big Sister!" Nanako beamed. "And Dad's my real father! …but I don't think Dad really loves me…"
"What… What are you saying?" Kyoko asked.
"Maybe… Maybe I'm not "real" to him?" Nanako asked. "Daddy doesn't come home because I'm not his "real" daughter?"
"...did he ever say that?" Kyoko asked.
"No…"
"Then you don't have anything to worry about, do you?" Kyoko asked.
Nanako looked like she stopped worrying, before looking down. "Mom… Why'd she leave me? When Mom was still here, we all went out together… We picked flowers at Samegawa…"
Nanako kept on bringing up old memories of her time with her mother, as Kyoko continued to listen intently. Hearing Nanako pour out her feelings to her… she was glad her cousin was getting these negative feelings out.
"Big Sis…" Nanako said, looking at the clock and seeing the time.
"I have more time to listen." Kyoko said. "Honestly, I envy you, Nanako."
"You do?" Nanako asked.
"You have memories of your mother, a father that looks out for you… I had none of that, growing up." Kyoko said.
"Oh, Big Sis…" Nanako said, feeling sorry.
"Apologies, I shouldn't be venting about this to you." Kyoko shook her head. "How was your day today?"
"Um, well, a lot of things happened at school today…"
Kyoko returned home a bit later that day, as some of the others had asked for her assistance to study together for finals week. It was much more efficient compared to learning from their new teacher, Miss Kashiwagi. When she got home, she saw Dojima standing by the table.
"Oh, hey Kyoko." Dojima said. "You back from studying?"
"Yes." Kyoko nodded. "Finals are next week."
"Well, I was just thinking of making some coffee. Might help with the stress." Dojima said.
"That would be nice. Thank you, Uncle." Kyoko said, putting her bag down.
"All we've got is instant, though. How do you take it?" Dojima asked.
"Hmm…" Kyoko put a hand under her chin. "Surprise me."
Dojima chuckled. "Alright, I'll pour you a good one."
"Are you a coffee person yourself?" Kyoko asked. "I actually have a special mix I enjoy making. I'll be sure to pay you back with it this Summer."
"Whoa, a coffee aficionado here!" Dojima said, impressed. "I'll hold you to that promise."
"Dad, the news is starting." Nanako said. "Oh, coffee! Can I have some?"
"Sure thing. Plenty of sugar and cream, right?" Dojima asked.
"Yeah!" Nanako nodded.
"Go watch TV with Nanako. I'll bring it to you when it's ready." Dojima said.
"You don't have to do that." Kyoko said.
Dojima shook his head with a chuckle. "Oh no, it's okay. You're the one studying here. Making the coffee is my only job around here."
"Only job?" Kyoko asked.
"When I got married, your aunt made me promise one thing." Dojima said. "She said this is all I have to do around the house. But nobody else can do it. So… Well, you know. It's a habit now."
Kyoko was surprised her Uncle let her in on a rather private secret of his, feeling his trust. He rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed, but also with a bit of a scowl.
"That's the only promise I can really keep these days…" He said. "Well… anyway. Sit over there."
"...so is the promise of my special mix off then?" Kyoko asked.
"N-Nah, you can still do that." Dojima chuckled. "Different situation, different promise."
Kyoko sat down at the table, watching the TV with Nanako. After a few minutes, Dojima brought over the cups and sat down on the couch.
"And now, our next story. On the outskirts of Okina today, a woman bicyclist was hit by a car and died on the scene."
"...Nanako, turn the TV off." Dojima said, voice low.
"Oh… okay." Nanako said quietly, listening to her father.
Dojima had a pained expression on his face, before he walked off to another room.
"It was because they showed a story about a traffic accident…" Nanako said. "Mom died in an accident… I don't remember it. And Dad won't talk about it…"
Kyoko remembered Nanako mentioning what happened to her mother, and Dojima saying something similar when she was investigating.
Uncle… Kyoko looked back at where Dojima walked.
"Why are we here?"
Yosuke had brought Kyoko down to Samegawa riverbank. He had a rather solemn look on his face.
"There's something I wanted to tell you." Yosuke said. "Somewhere deep down… I didn't trust you."
"...you didn't?" Kyoko asked.
"No, it's more like… I was jealous of you." Yosuke corrected himself. "I kinda thought that you were like me at first. Coming from the city to the countryside, I thought you'd be bored out of your mind here. And then came that big bombshell about you being this ultimate talent…"
He looked up with a sigh.
"As soon as you got here, you called your Persona… Became our leader, gathered people… You're a hero." Yosuke praised. "I like you for that, and I'm proud of you considering how… aloof you kinda were. But I guess I was jealous at the same time."
"If it was just distrust, that I could understand." Kyoko said. "But I'm not sure why you were jealous. Though if I did hurt you… I'm sorry. I wasn't aware of your feelings."
"I didn't know it either…" Yosuke shook his head. "When I called you "special," I thought some more about it. I think out of everyone, I wanted to be acknowledged by you the most… So… I want you to hit me!"
"...what?" Kyoko asked.
"Give me a good one. Knock out all this crap inside of me." Yosuke said. "I might not be able to reach that peak that an Ultimate can be, but… I want us to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. So come on!"
Kyoko looked at her hand. She was about to draw it back and Yosuke braced himself, but she surprised him by merely putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Huh? What are you-?"
"I already hit you once before." Kyoko reminded him. "Back when your Shadow first manifested."
"Oh yeah, you did…"
"While you might not consider that to make us equal… I never thought less of you, Yosuke. You helped me get used to Inaba. I acknowledge you, as your intelligence during the case has helped me countless times. You are someone I can rely on." Kyoko praised him. "I… I'm grateful you were one of the first people I met here."
Hearing her words, Yosuke smiled with a nod.
"Thanks Kyoko… I don't know how to say it, but… here." He pulled something out of his shirt. "You can have this."
He pulled out what appeared to be a test tube. Inside it was a rose. "This is…?"
"A Rose in Vitro." Yosuke said, as he handed it to her. "We got a recent gift shipment to Junes and when I saw it… I kind of thought of you."
"How did you know I was interested in this?" Kyoko smiled, turning it around in her hands. "You're an enigma, Yosuke Hanamura…"
"Guess my gut call was right." Yosuke chuckled, as the two sat down by the river. He looked up at the sky, as it was bathed in warm colors. "The sky's so high up… Is Saki-senpai watching us…? Is she smiling at us?"
He took a deep breath. Kyoko was still looking at his gift, her hands shaking ever so slightly.
"Senpai… I'm going to live. Without lying to myself, without deceiving myself…" He said. "Days like today, days like before when I did nothing… They're all important days. They're all days you didn't live to see… I'm going to live them here."
"Hm…?" Kyoko looked over at Yosuke. Everything around them seemed to disappear, turning into a starry night sky.
Jiraiya appeared above Yosuke, glowing brightly. In a flash, it changed appearances. It now wore a blue suit with red boots, gloves and hair. A sharp blade spun around it.
"It changed…" Kyoko said, amazed.
"This… is my power… Susano-o?" Yosuke said, repeating the name he heard in his mind. "The power to protect what's dear to me, huh… Heheh, just what I wanted."
Looking over to Kyoko, he saw that she was glowing as well. Izanagi appeared behind her, mostly shrouded as another light formed. Appearing next to Izanagi was a large humanoid with four arms. It was black, white and blue, with teal disks all over its body. There were red hot flames around its waist and head, flaring with power.
"Whoa… you have another one now?" Yosuke said, amazed.
"Mada…" Kyoko said. "This Persona… it's the symbol of our connection."
"Our connection, huh? Our connection looks pretty badass, then." Yosuke said, feeling their bond. "Let's keep at it, so we can live every day with a smile… Leader. We're all counting on ya, partner!"
He held out a hand to her for a handshake. Kyoko however, looked back down at the rose Yosuke had given her.
"Yosuke… can I ask you something?" Kyoko asked.
"Huh? Sure, what's up?" He said.
"Is it… normal for me to feel like…" Kyoko struggled to find the right words. "My heart feels like it's beating at a very fast and irregular pace…"
Yosuke raised his brow at that as Kyoko went on.
"I noticed this started happening whenever you invited me out… or whenever you made a remark about other girls…" Kyoko said, putting a hand on her chest. "What… What does this mean?"
Yosuke took in her words, realizing what Kyoko was feeling.
"So… you only feel like this around me, huh?" Yosuke asked.
"I do."
Yosuke smirked, slightly blushing. "That's really funny, since it's pretty much the same for me."
"It… It is?" Kyoko asked.
"Yeah uh… remember that convo we had way back when?" Yosuke asked. "About love and all that? I think that's what you're feeling right now."
"Love… I love you?" Kyoko said, the words unfamiliar in her mouth.
"Yeah, that's what it usually is." Yosuke said. "Though usually you don't ask that kind of question."
"You… love me?" Kyoko asked.
Yosuke rubbed the back of his head. "You have that really cool detective image going for you, but… you're also pretty cute a lot of times too."
"Cute…" Kyoko said. She never considered herself to be cute. She remembered some of her classmates at Hope's Peak said it a few times, but she always brushed it off. Here… it felt different.
"So… yeah. I like you in that way… love." Yosuke said, turning away as his blush got stronger. "Man, I actually managed to say part of it…"
"...stay turned around for a bit longer." Kyoko said.
"Huh?" He heard what sounded like fabric being pulled off. Twice. "Hey, what are you-?"
"You… can look now." Kyoko said.
He turned around, unsure what to expect. Then he looked down at Kyoko's hands. Her gloves were off, and he saw the bare skin underneath them.
Though bare skin was a very loose term to use. Kyoko's hands were absolutely covered in scars, with the irregular pattern resembling flames. From the wrist to her fingertips, none of the skin on her hands was untouched. Her fingernails were thankfully developing fine, but it was clear that with the damage underneath them, that it took a lot of time for them to heal.
"Holy… Kyoko, your hands…" Yosuke said.
"This burns… they're a reminder of the biggest mistake I made in my life." Kyoko said. "I… I had someone I looked up to as a big sister. Her name was Yui Samidare… I… she was helping me on a case but… I made a mistake in my judgment… she… she died… because of me…"
She wasn't crying, but she was shaking, remembering that day of her life. How she had burned her hands trying to get Yui to safety. In the end, Yui had been the one to sacrifice herself to keep her safe.
"You're... You're one of the only people I ever showed my hands to…" Kyoko said. "But I'm… I'm afraid, Yosuke."
"Afraid?"
"What if I make another bad judgment?" She said. "This entire time… I've been terrified. The TV World, it's something completely different from a normal case… what if I lost one of you due to a poor choice?"
"Hey… we thwarted the killer three times, didn't we?" Yosuke reminded her. "I think that's a pretty good track record."
"But…" Kyoko looked at her shaking hands. "I…"
"...oh, is that why?" Yosuke realized. "You're afraid of getting even closer to me…"
"I… even with everything… the burdens I carry… the scars I have… you would accept me?" Kyoko asked. "You said that… until Saki Konishi was avenged, you wouldn't…"
"Saki-senpai wouldn't want me to mope all the time. That I know." Yosuke said. "And I'm pretty sure I already accepted you long ago, but I'll say it. I… I love you, Kyoko."
At those words a few tears dropped from Kyoko's eyes, as they fell onto her hands. "What… is this…?"
Yosuke gently put his hands under hers, making sure that he wouldn't hurt her. "Looks like you're happy about it too. You're probably just confused since you said you never felt like this before."
"Yosuke I…" Kyoko wiped her tears away. "Thank you. I…"
"You can take your time." Yosuke said. "You did for me too."
Arms shaking, Kyoko wrapped them around Yosuke, pulling him into a hug. He gently put his arms around her as well.
"I… I love you, Yosuke Hanamura." She said, smiling.
The two of them lost track of how long they spent together at the riverbank, but neither really minded.
Their resolve to solve the case only grew… alongside the new powerful bond they shared.
Kyoko's Social Links:
Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): MAX
Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Rank 8
Priestess (Yukiko Amagi): Rank 7
Emperor (Kanji Tatsumi): Rank 3
Star (Teddie): Rank 2
Hanged Man (Sayaka Maizono): Rank 3
Justice (Nanako Dojima): Rank 5
Hierophant (Ryotaro Dojima): Rank 4
Fool (The Investigation Team): Rank 6
Hope (Hope's Peak Academy Students): Rank 4
Kyoko's Personas: Izanagi, Mada
A/N: Didn't expect that, didja? A lot of you guys didn't expect that, probably.
So the first thing to note is that yes, Mitsuo Kubo has been arrested, and is already out of the story. You can probably guess what this means considering a certain new face being involved.
The next thing of note to mention is how Kyoko and Naoto's whole "rivalry" has really begun, something that wasn't in the original Persona 4 due to Yu's presence.
And then we have Kyoko finally getting a new Persona (I have been reading your reviews, everyone). This is something I had planned since the beginning of the story. While Kyoko is a Wild Card and has access to multiple Personas, I wanted to handle them in a different way compared to how Yu (and the other Persona protagonists) do it. Due to Kyoko having a more closed-off nature compared to Yu's canonical portrayals (him being that sorta weirdo in the anime and Q games), I wanted to emphasize that. Instead of her fusing and shifting between a variety of fodder Personas, I decided to have the Ultimate Personas be the result of her maxing out her bonds with those close to her.
Yes, this means that there will be a unique Persona for the Hope Arcana. You'll have to wait and see what it'll end up being.
And for the absolute big one, a pairing I know a lot of people have been waiting for and expecting. The Kyoko X Yosuke ship has sailed. I actually didn't plan this from the beginning, but realized I really liked the dynamic.
Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.