Celeste took a seat in her new abode. It was a rather small house near the edge of the rice fields, but it had a rather nice view in spite of it. She had sent Kyoko and Sayaka a text with the address, keeping an open invite for them both. She wasn't sure if they would take it, however.

"Well then… I may as well order some furniture." Celeste pulled out her phone, looking through the options. "I wonder what Kyoko and her new friends are doing?"

Nanako noticed Kyoko was sitting at the table, seemingly in deep thought. She wasn't sure about what to say to her, because it looked like she was very busy thinking.

And indeed, with her fingers tented, and a few drops of sweat going down her face, Kyoko was unsure of what to do at this very moment. This was an extremely rare moment of her life, as she wasn't one to usually feel helpless.

I am dating Yosuke Hanamura… I am in a relationship with Yosuke Hanamura… Yosuke is my boyfriend…

Kyoko ran through every single one of the possible ways to reveal it to the others, but she wasn't sure what to do. She went back and remembered how a few of the others at Hope's Peak did it, but wasn't sure if her friends here would react the same way.

We have to tell them, but… how will they react? I can't just keep this one under wraps for so long…

She heard a few knocks on the door and walked over, opening it to see Yosuke was standing there.

"Hey Kyoko. Uh…"

The two blushed, looking away from each other. Kyoko had gotten surprisingly emotional yesterday, and it was a bit awkward to remember it. Yosuke had guessed Kyoko wouldn't want to bring it up. At least, not often.

"So I figured you wanted to tell the others." Yosuke said.

"You knew?" Kyoko asked.

"I kinda got a grip on how you think now." Yosuke said with a shrug. "You know, you might as well practice with Nanako. Kind of like a test run."

"That's… not a bad idea, actually." Kyoko said. "Why didn't I think of that earlier?"

"I noticed you kind of tend to overthink things when it comes to social cues and stuff." Yosuke said.

"You'll help me, right?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah, of course." Yosuke nodded. "It's what I'm here for."

Kyoko took a deep breath before she walked over to Nanako. Yosuke was right behind her. "Nanako, could I speak to you for a moment?"

"What is it, Big Sis?" Nanako asked, noticing Yosuke was present.

"Well…" Kyoko looked back at Yosuke, who gave her a nod of encouragement. "Yosuke and I… we're… erm…"

Nanako watched as her older cousin's face simply grew redder and redder, with noticeable sweat going down her face. Yosuke's face also had a bit of blush, but he looked a bit amused at Kyoko's struggle.

"I… Yosuke and I… we are…" Kyoko swallowed, before taking a deep breath. "We… are in a relationship."

Nanako's eyes lit up like stars as she smiled. "Wow…! Congratulations, Big Sis!"

"Thank you…?" Kyoko said, rather confused. This was all still new to her. "Erm… please do not tell Uncle about this yet. I'd rather tell him myself later today."

"OK, I can keep a secret!" Nanako nodded. "But does this make Yosuke my Big Bro now?"

"Wait, I wasn't already?" Yosuke joked. "Anyways, thanks for this, Nanako-chan. It should be easier for Kyoko to handle things with the rest of the gang now."

"What do you mean?" Nanako asked.

"With friends like ours, I'd imagine they'd make a big deal out of this." Yosuke had his arms crossed.

"I'm sure it will go fine." Kyoko said, confidence having grown.

"YOU'RE DATING?!"

Kyoko and Yosuke swore they would've been blown away by that shout alone. All the confidence that Kyoko had disappeared; as if she was given a case without any clues.

"When you guys called this meeting, I knew it was big but… wow!" Sayaka said, amazed. Kyoko is actually dating someone… Never thought I'd see the day!

Rise was the only one that didn't overreact, since she hadn't been with the team as long. Nonetheless, she still clapped her hands. "Congratulations you two!"

"Wha… when… where…?" Chie babbled.

"Yeah, that's what we wanna know." Kanji said, recovering faster. "When did this happen?"

"A few days ago." Yosuke answered. "It hasn't been that long."

"Well… I can't say it doesn't seem too surprising." Yukiko said. "You two kind of did seem to fit together."

"I knew it since the day you two first arrived!" Teddie said proudly. "Seeing the two of you together, I could tell the love was going to blossom!"

"No you didn't." Yosuke said bluntly.

"Honestly… this is still hard to believe." Chie admitted. "Like Yosuke getting a girlfriend is one thing, but Kyoko never seemed the type to be interested in a boyfriend."

"Wow, screw you." Yosuke said, insulted.

"She does have a point." Yukiko added. "You used to make inappropriate comments around us… Chie hasn't forgotten those phone calls for dirty jokes."

"Hey, I haven't said anything like that recently, right?" Yosuke pointed out.

"But what made you fall for him?" Chie asked.

The others looked at Kyoko in anticipation, as she looked away with a small blush. "...that's classified information."

"Holy crap, Kyoko's actually embarrassed! And not just any embarrassment, love embarrassment!" Sayaka said, amazed. "Never thought I'd see this either!"

"A-Anyways, we told you all about this development to prevent any sudden surprises." Kyoko said, clearing her throat. "That will be all for this meeting, as there have been no other developments to the case. But regardless, keep an eye out for anything unnatural."

Everyone nodded, though they all still had amused smiles on their faces.

"We're never gonna hear the end of this…" Yosuke groaned.

"So… how does it feel?"

Sayaka had met with Kyoko at the floodplains' gazebo. She wanted to talk to her friend about the situation, and they had just finished studying for the day, since finals were coming soon.

"How does… what feel?" Kyoko asked.

"Oh you know what I'm talking about." Sayaka grinned. "You dating Yosuke!"

"Ah…" Kyoko pushed her hair back. "That…"

"Honestly, don't take this personally, but I never thought you'd fall in love with someone." Sayaka said.

"No, that's understandable." Kyoko said. "I thought the same myself."

"Well, it's good to see you're honest about it." Sayaka sweatdropped. "So what made you fall for him?"

"He's been nothing but supportive to me." Kyoko answered. "But at the same time… I saw the way he grew and changed."

"You sound like a Mom…" Sayaka muttered.

"He was rather… inappropriate for the first few days I knew him." Kyoko said. "But after the second murder… I saw him start to grow. Even if I wasn't here, I can imagine he could start solving the case on his own. That drive of his… It's admirable. It's not the same as some of our classmates, but something unique."

"Well, maybe it's because he's normal that way." Sayaka suggested.

"Normal?" Kyoko repeated.

"Everyone at Hope's Peak, when you meet them, you got a sort of expectation on them because of their talent." Sayaka said. "But Yosuke isn't an Ultimate, so you didn't hold any sort of big expectation for him, that way he ended up surprising you. I know I've met a lot of people that ended up being super talented without being an Ultimate."

"Mmm, that is one way of looking at it." Kyoko agreed. "You always were rather insightful."

"Call it psychic sense." Sayaka grinned.

"No."

"Phooey." Sayaka pouted. "But I am glad for you, Kyoko."

Kyoko felt the bond between her and Sayaka grow stronger, after getting everything off her chest.

"So… can I ask for a request?" Kyoko asked.

"What is it?" Sayaka asked.

"Could you… now that I have a boyfriend, could you teach me how to handle "girl talk" when the others inevitably ask me?" Kyoko looked rather embarrassed.

Sayaka laughed, patting her shoulder. "No problem! I'll teach you all there is to know!"

Kyoko came back home to see Dojima was flipping through several binders. "It was there before… Those damn kids… Don't they teach 'em how to file data anymore?"

He looked up to see Kyoko was staring at him.

"Oh… Sorry, I wasn't talking about you." Dojima apologized.

"I know you weren't." Kyoko said. "But if you're looking for something, I can lend my assistance."

"No… It's okay." Dojima shook his head with a wry smile. "Don't worry about it."

"What exactly are you looking for?" Kyoko asked.

"I was trying to find an old newspaper article… It was falling apart, so I made a copy, but… the copy seems to have gone missing." He explained, trailing off. "There's a certain case where we don't have a suspect yet. And since the trail's going cold, it's about to be buried under newer cases. But I can't give up on this one. …Ever."

Seeing the expression on his face, Kyoko chose not to say anything. She herself understood the pain behind an unsolved case. It was only then that she noticed Nanako walking up.

"Dad…?" Nanako said, wiping her eyes in exhaustion.

"Hm? What's wrong?" He asked her.

"My stomach hurts…" Nanako mumbled.

Dojima immediately stood up. "Was it something you ate!?"

"It feels like a sharp pain below my stomach…" Nanako groaned.

"What!?" Dojima was alarmed. "I'll call the doc-! N-No, wait. This happened before. Is it the same feeling!?"

"Uncle, calm down." Kyoko said, as she knelt down to Nanako, gently holding her hand. "Have you ever felt this pain before?"

"I don't know…" Nanako mumbled.

"Urgh…" Dojima looked around at the shelves. "Okay, the medicine we used before is-"

His phone went off, and Kyoko saw Dojima's irritation growing.

"Dammit! Who's calling at this time of night…?!" He picked up the phone. "Dojima here! What's this about? …A sealed letter? For me? … Is it from Ichihara-san!? When did it come!? You forgot? I'm on my way-!"

Kyoko took the phone from him. "This is Ultimate Detective Kyoko Kirigiri. I will be going there to pick up the letter, as there is currently a family matter that Detective Dojima has to attend to."

She hung up before the caller could reply, and handed Dojima's phone back to him. "What are you doing, Kyoko? This is important-"

"I know. That's why I'm going." Kyoko said, putting on her jacket. "Nanako needs you."

She left the house before Dojima could stop her, hopping on the scooter that he had gifted her.

Kyoko had come back, having learned of the situation at the station. It had taken her longer than expected, so she wasn't surprised to see Dojima was sitting at the table. Once he saw her stand up, he went up to her. "Well?"

"They informed me that the letter is considered classified information, only for your eyes." Kyoko said. "Because of this, I wasn't allowed to take it off police property, but they left it sealed in your office. They told me you shouldn't get your hopes up, however."

"I see…" He said with a sigh.

"Is Nanako alright?" Kyoko asked.

"Yeah. Medicine did its job and she went to sleep." Dojima said, as he went and sat back down.

"...were you really about to just go yourself?" Kyoko asked him.

"You were here, so I was going to leave her to you."

"And if I wasn't?"

Dojima looked at Kyoko. "I would've stayed."

"...that's good to know, then." Kyoko said, as she sat at the table. "That you wouldn't completely prioritize a case over your daughter."

Dojima was about to defend himself, but saw that Kyoko had a somber expression. It seemed she was remembering something from her own past.

"Nanako… she needs you, Uncle." Kyoko told him. "There's only so much I can do for her that only you can."

"I know, it's just… no. It's nothing." Dojima shook his head. "But… thank you for going for me."

"It's the least I can do." Kyoko said, putting her head back up as she felt Dojima's trust. "Though… there is something else."

"What is it?"

"Well… erm… you see…"

Kyoko started to blush, and was tripping on her words. This got all of Dojima's attention, as he never saw her like this. "Is something the matter?"

"Yosuke and I… we're…"

"...and that's what he said?"

Kyoko was walking to school with Yosuke, and she had just relayed what Dojima had told her.

"Yes." Kyoko answered.

"Okay, remind me to never get on his bad side." Yosuke looked rather pale.

"As long as you don't do anything foolish, you should be fine." Kyoko said, as they continued to walk.

Kyoko was still a bit uneasy, mainly because of the fact that now she was dating Yosuke, what did it mean for her to walk to school with him? Did it make things different? Did it make it the same?

She looked down at Yosuke's hand. Should she hold hands with him? Or is that too much since they only started?

The girl had so many questions. It wasn't like her, but dating was completely new territory compared to detective work.

No, it was best for her to keep calm and approach it slowly.

Yosuke had actually noticed Kyoko's seeming indecisiveness. Knowing how confusing it was for her, he let her proceed at her own pace. He didn't want to screw things up either.

After school, Kanji had asked if he could talk to Kyoko for a bit. They went up to the hill overlooking town for some privacy.

"I've always liked this place." Kanji said, sitting under the gazebo. "Being able to see my house and school and everything from up here… It makes me feel small."

Wouldn't you feel larger? Kyoko wondered. Though I suppose he's talking about distance over height.

"Uhh… When you met Ma at the hospital… She say anything about me?" Kanji asked.

"She had quite a bit to say, yes." Kyoko nodded.

"That's what I thought… Well, you already know everything about me. I got nothin' to hide." Kanji said with an embarrassed smile. "Though I wish I could quit being afraid of hospitals. I gotta get stronger…"

Kyoko wondered if she should say something about her own situation with hospitals, but figured that it would be better not to turn this about her own issues. Thankfully she didn't have to, as Kanji noticed someone.

"Huh?" He looked over and saw a boy sitting on a bench by himself. "That kid… He was with Ma at the hospital…"

The two stood up and walked over. Kanji sat down next to the boy.

"Yo kid, what're you doin' here by yourself?" Kanji asked in the friendliest tone he could muster.

"Uh… Ummm… Nothing…" He said, looking away.

"Then how come you look like you're gonna cry?" Kanji asked.

The boy fidgeted. "I… lost a doll… I lost the knit rabbit doll that Sana-chan let me borrow… Taka-kun said it was girly and stomped on it… It got all dirty… And he said, "If you're a man, then throw it away…" I… threw the doll in the river… And it got washed away…"

The boy started to cry after telling his story. Kyoko's arms tensed slightly. Children may act impulsively, but she always found it baffling and disheartening when they were that cruel. Looking at Kanji made it clear he shared the same feeling as her.

"What should I do!?" The boy asked. "I hafta give it back to Sana-chan… She liked that bunny… And I… I…"

"...so why are you here? You ran away?" Kanji asked as the boy sniffled to say yes. "Ya dumb kid!"

The boy just started crying harder. Kanji rubbed the back of his head before standing up, trying to avoid the irritated glare Kyoko gave him for yelling at a crying child.

"C'mon! Don't just stand there!" Kanji said to the boy.

"Kanji?" Kyoko asked.

"Oh, uhh… I'm gonna go now." Kanji told her.

"I can go with you." Kyoko told him.

"Huh? Really!?" Kanji said, rather touched by the notion.

Several minutes later, the three of them were by the Samegawa riverbank. Kanji was wading through the water to try finding the doll, while Kyoko stayed on the bank to not only watch the boy, but try looking from another angle.

"I-I'll help…" The quiet boy offered.

"You shut up." Kanji said. "Stay where you are so you don't get in the way! Senpai, make sure he doesn't come in after me! ...Whoa, this water's cold."

Kyoko nodded at Kanji's words. It would be dangerous for a younger boy to go wading in the water. Though she did wish Kanji could be less harsh about it.

In spite of their efforts, Kanji was unable to find the bunny doll. Kyoko theorized that it was likely swept away further down the river, but without an idea of it getting stuck against the bank or not, it would take forever to find, if ever.

"I-I'm sorry…" The boy said, as Kanji got out of the water. "I'm going to apologize to Sana-chan. Even if she's mad, I'll say I'm sorry…"

"Uh, yeah, well, if you do find the rabbit, make sure you give it to her…" Kanji said, disheartened he couldn't find the doll. But then his face lightened up as he came up with an idea. "Yo, hold up. What kind of rabbit was it? Spill it."

The boy looked confused by the question.

"Just tell me!" Kanji yelled.

Kyoko sweatdropped at the aggressiveness Kanji was showing. As the boy started describing the doll, she was internally glad she got to know Kanji properly, as she might've made an arrest otherwise.

"Alright, I got it." Kanji said. "You apologize to this "Sana-chan." You're the one who "threw it away.""

The boy nodded.

"It might not be the same, but I'll get you a new one… So let it go with that." Kanji told him.

"M-Mister…" The boy said.

"Who you callin' mister!?" Kanji said, offended.

"You're taller than most of the men in town, Kanji." Kyoko reminded him, as the boy went off to apologize.

"Geez… I'm still in high school. This's the prime of my youth!" He said. "...Do I really look that old? Maybe it's the eyebrows… Oh… Anyways, sorry 'bout dragging you into this."

"It's fine. So you're getting him a new one?" Kyoko asked.

Kanji looked down, a bashful expression on his face. "Yeah. It was like I understood how he felt. Wanting to be accepted, afraid of being left out, doing stuff that you shouldn't… Then taking the one person you shouldn't make cry and making 'em bawl… So… Y'know, I thought maybe I could help him. Was I going too easy on him?"

"I think you were going too hard." Kyoko said, as Kanji let out a nervous laugh. Though despite that, she felt she understood Kanji more, feeling their bond grow.

"Ah… hmmm?" Kanji looked like he was about to sneeze, but didn't. "Guh, I feel like sneezing but it won't come out. This sucks…"

"You had better head home and rest." Kyoko suggested.

"Yeah yeah, I gotcha…"

"The newspaper article?"

Kyoko was confronting her Uncle about what had happened last time he got a call. The two detectives sat across from one-another, almost like an interrogation.

"Yeah, I got it. Why? Were you worried about it?" He asked her.

"I would not like to pry into your private life, Uncle, but the urgency of what it was made me concerned." Kyoko said.

Dojima had a pained expression as he looked down. "It's about Chisato… my wife. Your late aunt. When she was killed by a hit-and-run… I told you before, right? About the case where we never had a suspect?"

Kyoko nodded.

"...You probably connected the dots. I can't say any more about it in this house. Let's stop there." Dojima said.

"If this case is classified from Nanako, we could just go outside to discuss it." Kyoko suggested.

"...heh. You win." Dojima said with a sigh at Kyoko's little joke. "She… Nanako's mother was run over on her way to pick up Nanako from nursery school. It was a cold day, and there were no witnesses, so they didn't find her until much later."

"That's…"

"Until they got word to me, Nanako was waiting all that time at the nursery… All alone." Dojima said. "Waiting for a mother who would never come…"

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Uncle." Kyoko said.

"...I couldn't tell Nanako that her mother was killed." Dojima said. "That her father, whose job is to catch criminals… couldn't find a single lead… But I haven't given up. I'll catch the guy. I don't need a private life to do that. …Nanako will understand."

"...Uncle. Is that what Nanako wants?" Kyoko asked.

Dojima looked at his niece. "Even if it's not what she wants now, she'll understand someday… I have to tell myself that…"

"If you believe that's the best course of action, I will not stop you." Kyoko stood up. "I had better get to bed; finals begin for me tomorrow."

"Of course. Good night."

Kyoko went over to the door, but stopped. "Uncle. May I say one last thing?"

"Go ahead."

"On my honor as the Ultimate Detective… I will do everything in my power to assist you. We will bring Aunt Chisato's killer to justice." Kyoko promised.

Dojima was rather shocked by the declaration, but didn't get a chance to say anything as Kyoko went upstairs. After a few moments, a small smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you…"

"It's allll over!" Yosuke groaned as he stretched his arms before yawning. "I'm sooo sleepy…"

"Yuck! Don't yawn in my face like that! Bleeeh!" Chie cringed.

Finals had been a complete blur for Kyoko. Her borderline systematic knowledge and memorization allowed her to pass with a breeze. While she didn't have her marks yet, she was quite confident in herself. It was much easier compared to what Hope's Peak had.

"Hey, for the third question on the English test, which phrase did you choose?" Chie asked.

"Um… I went with "used to."" Yukiko recalled.

"Wrong again…" Chie groaned, thinking of what she answered.

"So much for Chie going abroad. Heck, why leave Inaba? You have so much right here!" Yosuke teased.

"Oooogh, you're so annoying!" Chie said.

"Yo…" Kanji walked in with Rise. To their surprise, Sayaka was with them, once again in disguise with a pair of sunglasses and new outfit.

"No more encores…" Rise groaned. "I mean… Hi everyone…"

"Breath, pop star, breathe." Sayaka encouraged.

"Whoa, more losers!?" Yosuke said.

"What do I need to know English for!?" Rise demanded. "I can always ask for a translator!"

"It is the universal language." Sayaka reminded her. "It's one of our basic lessons back at Hope's Peak. Right, Kyoko?"

"Yes it is, but what are you doing here?" Kyoko asked.

"Thought I'd scout out the school a bit." Sayaka shrugged. "And can't be too recognizable."

"How did you guys do?" Rise asked.

"It was rather easy in comparison to what I normally do." Kyoko admitted.

"Oh yeah, I bet it's like first grade stuff compared to what we used to study for." Sayaka said.

"You two are amazing…" Rise said, impressed by the intelligence of the Ultimates.

"Enough about the exams already." Kanji said. "What's going on with the murder case?"

"Hm… Why don't we head to our special headquarters?" Yosuke suggested. "We haven't been there in a while."

"Huh? Special HQ?" Rise asked.

The team had gathered at the Junes food court, as per usual. Rise was let down a bit by the location (she had been here plenty of times), and was glad Sayaka lent her a hat to avoid being recognized.

"Anything on the Midnight Channel yet?" Yukiko asked. "We've been so busy at the Inn recently I haven't had a chance to check."

"No, nothing." Yosuke said.

"Well, all we can do at the moment is wait for the next move of the killer." Sayaka said with a sigh.

"While we're here, mind if I bring up some more exam stuff?" Rise asked.

"Ugh, no more…" Kanji slumped in his chair.

"Well, I just remembered. There was a question on the exam that I didn't get." Rise said. "I think it was, "The chemical formula HCHO, used for silver mirror reactions. Its 40% solution is known as formalin." And the question was, "What is HCHO?""

"Formaldehyde." Kyoko said almost immediately.

"Oh, I see. I chose acetic acid…" Rise sighed. "Duh, of course it couldn't have been vinegar. Hey, you had that question too, didn't you Kanji?"

"Shut up. And don't call me by my first name." Kanji said.

"Wow, kinda harsh, aren't you?" Rise said, not backing down. "I heard you almost went swimming in puke water, anyways. Almost got a big kick even."

"H-Hey! Who the hell blabbed about that!?" Kanji shouted.

"A-Anyways!" Chie said with obvious guilt in her voice that only Kyoko picked up on. "Rise-chan, why don't you ask Kyoko or Yukiko to help you study?"

"I was actually thinking Sayaka could help me." Rise said. "I'm the most familiar with her, after all."

"But I haven't been studying this curriculum…" Sayaka said.

"I thought you said it would be really easy if you did take it?" Rise asked.

"Hey, any idea how Teddie's doing?" Chie said, changing the subject again.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it to you." Yosuke smirked, pointing over his shoulder. "Check this out."

He pointed over at the other end of the food court, where Teddie was handing out balloons to kids. He waved over at the group.

"I let him stay at our place." Yosuke said. "In return, he's now our official store mascot."

"Aaah. So he's hiding in plain sight." Kanji nodded, understanding. "Reverse psychology, huh?"

"That's… That's ingenious, Yosuke." Kyoko complimented.

Yosuke looked rather proud of himself.

"Man… He looks like one happy bear…" Kanji said.

"He kept saying that he didn't wanna go back, so I made him a deal." Yosuke said. "Now, since I've got nothing better to do… I'm gonna go bug him."

"Oooh, I wanna go too!" Chie stood up.

"C-Can I… feel his soft fur...?" Kanji asked.

They all stood up to go mess with Teddie. Curiously, both Rise and Sayaka did as well. Sayaka looked at Rise and encouraged her with a nod.

"Hey, Kyoko-Senpai?" Rise asked.

"Hm?" Kyoko stopped and looked back.

"Now that I'm getting the hang of school, I want to go out more and see the sights. But I tend to get recognized everywhere I go, so I'm a little nervous about going out on my own. I don't have the same level of incognito expertise like Sayaka." Rise said, a bit embarrassed. "And you seem like the type of girl who knows all the cool spots in town."

"Well, I do remember most of the town and other places, so I definitely could." Kyoko said.

"Really? Woohoo!" Rise cheered.

"Glad to see you're branching out more, Rise." Sayaka smiled. "Happy for you."

"Well, it's thanks to my idol best bud that saved my life!" Rise jumped over and pulled Sayaka into a hug.

"Haha…!" Sayaka chuckled. "Idol best bud, huh? Ooh, we should form an idol duo or something one day!"

"Now that's an idea I can get behind!"

Kyoko smiled at the friendliness between the two, feeling the bond growing between them all.

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 Lovers Arcana…

"If either of you ever have some time to kill, think of me, okay?" Rise asked. "Now c'mon, let's go pester Teddie. Teddieeee! Heeeey!"

"I don't see the point of doing this." Kyoko said, watching as Rise went over to join the others.

"You say that, but I bet you reaaaaaaally wanna hug that bear's soft fur, dontcha?"

"...shut up." Kyoko looked away as Sayaka laughed.

Kyoko and Nanako were watching the television together, as a special broadcast came on.

"The topic is the bizarre serial murder case in Inaba, where the victims' bodies are discovered hanging upside down. Police have announced that the recent death was done by a copycat killer, who's name will remain unknown at their request. As such, the identity of the true killer remains a mystery. Our special report tonight is a summary of the events and the facts in the case thus far…"

"They still haven't caught him?" Nanako looked anxious.

Seeing the girl's worry, Kyoko spoke up. "No matter what, I'll protect you."

"Okay." Nanako scooched over next to Kyoko. "You promise, right?"

Kyoko put her hand over Nanako's. While it was gloved, it felt very warm and safe. Kyoko watched as the younger girl leaned against her shoulder.

I promise you. I will keep you safe, Nanako.

"In other news, a small illegal gambling ring on the edge of Inaba had been recently shut down. The one that had reported this was a tourist."

"Well, I happened upon this rather shoddy setup, and it wasn't even gambling. It was all a rigged game from the start, and I would rather not see some poor fools fall victim to the false premise of winning."

Celeste's giggle echoed from the television as Kyoko's eyes widened. Suddenly, she remembered that this would have been the second time that Celeste had been seen on the television. "No…"

Kyoko's Social Links:

Magician (Yosuke Hanamura): MAX

Chariot (Chie Satonaka): Rank 8

Priestess (Yukiko Amagi): Rank 7

Emperor (Kanji Tatsumi): Rank 4

Star (Teddie): Rank 2

Lovers (Rise Kujikawa): Rank 1

Hanged Man (Sayaka Maizono): Rank 5

Justice (Nanako Dojima): Rank 5

Hierophant (Ryotaro Dojima): Rank 6

Fool (The Investigation Team): Rank 6

Hope (Hope's Peak Academy Students): Rank 4

Kyoko's Personas: Izanagi, Mada

A/N: And we have a bit of a relaxing chapter, before we kick things into overdrive with the next arc.

Once again, Kyoko's presence has caused several changes in the way Dojima's Social Link progresses. It's fun to switch things up this way.

Starting off, we have Rise's Social Link starting. It's gonna be a bit different since her relationship with Kyoko isn't the same as Yu's. That's all I'll say about that.

Feel free to leave a review. See you all next time.