Fate/Reach Out (Fate/Stay Night x Persona 4)

[shounen jump]

As I said on FF.net, I really like the focus on Ayako - now I feel that she's woefully underappreciated - but I really want to get back to Marie-chan!

. . . The music is a nice touch, though.

Agreed. That WhizkidHV and Twi actually make her a main character is one of my favorite things about their fics and what makes this chapter one of my favorites.

[Mattias]

So Taiga's going to Inaba. That'll be fun.

[nitewind]

AThat WhizkidHV and Twi actually make her a main character is one of my favorite things about their fics

Who? And what fics?

[shounen jump]

Who? And what fics?

Check your PM's.

[MWkillkenny84]

Sakura shall learn Kendo from Ayako?

Welcome in a world of pain Shinji, it was not a pleasure to know you!

Agreed. That WhizkidHV and Twi actually make her a main character is one of my favorite things about their fics and what makes this chapter one of my favorites.

Who and what fics?

[Twi]

He's probably referring to mine on this site, Calling Card, as one of them. I put the supporting cast into the main protagonist role as they deal with stuff after the HGW, with Ayako being the main female lead.

[shounen jump]

Who and what fics?

He's probably referring to mine on this site, Calling Card, as one of them. I put the supporting cast into the main protagonist role as they deal with stuff after the HGW, with Ayako being the main female lead.

And this one:https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8862791/1/A-Different-Path Sorry, i wasn't sure of it was kosher to link another writers fic in another writers thread.

[Kishou the Badger]

Once again, I wrote a chapter too damn long to fit in one post, so you'll have to wait a bit before I can send the second half up. Sorry!
<><><>

Ryotaro Dojima didn’t want a smoke. Rather, he needed one, but he settled with waiting in the hall for his coffee.

The search for Rise Kujikawa was a bust, for starters. The first lead they got in weeks to the serial killer, and his rookie understudy ended up recording over the video. Even when Adachi claimed that he saw Rise whisked away by someone, all that meant was the guy had reliable transportation and that he rang the doorbell first. It matched Yukiko Amagi’s recap of the story, if nothing else. But there was no way to figure out who it was now.

“Here’s your coffee, sir.”

“Thanks,” Dojima grumbled, accepting the warm mug. Adachi might be an idiot, but he had a good head on his shoulders and a lot of passion. It was hard to find anyone that dedicated on the force anymore.

“So, anything new?”

Adachi shrugged his arms in defeat as he handed over the printed report. “No dice. The girl doesn’t know her own name, let alone what she was doing in the middle of the rain like that, so finding info on her was hard enough. She doesn’t even have a matching fingerprint in our database.”

After finding the girl wandering in the rain with only a comb, Dojima and Adachi immediately called for the nearest medical facility to treat her. There were no visible wounds on her, but she was still susceptible to catching hypothermia, and was wrapped in some spare blankets in the car. It was tense ride, but nothing else happened by the time they arrived at the town hospital.

The following few hours were a blur as the two cops jumped between the hospital and the police station, making sure the girl was stable while figuring out who she was. Her treatment in the ER just ended, and aside from her memory, everything was okay.

Even if she didn’t know who she was, there was a chance someone else did or that she was a missing person with amnesia. Yet they had nothing on the girl, let alone a clue or idea how to find out.

It felt almost like Shirou Emiya’s background checks, but for the wrong reasons and with the opposite effect.

The two walked into her room; a small two-person room with beds, curtains between them, and two television sets. The beds were mobile on wheels and came with built-in wooden desks to serve food. Incidentally, the girl, now dressed in a hospital gown, was wolfing down rice and miso soup set on her table. She quickly noticed the two cops as they entered.

“About time you showed up,” she said.

Rudeness aside, she was taking this situation better now that she had been checked in, bathed, and calmed down.

“So, what’s the verdict? Who am I?” The only reason she agreed to follow them was the promise that they would find out her identity.

“We don’t know,” he told her, looking over the papers Adachi handed to him. “No family name, no known birthday, no medical records, no ID… not that you had any of those on your person, so it made the search harder.”

She glared at him. “I told you, I don’t know any of that!”

“I know, but everything is pointing that you don’t exist on—”

“ ‘Not exist’?! I’m sitting right here talking to you! Why is any of this important anyway?!”

Dojima frowned. She was about Shirou’s age, so he could only imagine how annoying and stressful this was for her. “I understand your frustration, but all of this is actually important as it can make or break the difference in knowing your name.”

The girl was still scowling but didn’t snap at him this time. “So, what does that mean for me?”

“Well, you’re a minor, so the best thing we have to do is find someone to adopt you and settle all the legal hurdles,” Dojima explained. “But until then, you’re free to rest here until your strength gets back. Maybe something will jog your memory by that time, too."

Still, the hospital stay was only temporary. They would take her in for as long she needs rest and healing, and she was rather self-aware for an amnesiac. This wasn’t as simple as Shirou’s problem as he at least had a legal guardian post-Fuyuki Fire. It couldn’t be understated enough that this girl had nothing.

At this point, a young nurse knocked on the open door for attention before stepping in. “Excuse me, Dojima-san? I hate to interrupt, but someone is asking about the girl you found. She said she wants to take her in.”

Dojima blinked, exchanged perplexed gazes with Adachi, and looked back at the girl. “Is she her mother?"

“She claims to be her guardian.”

“I don’t have a mother or guardian,” she insisted. She frowned softly. “At least, I don’t think so.”

“Geez, this is some crazy coincidence,” Adachi noted, making another one of his “conspiracy” thinking poses. “I mean, this girl appears out in the rain like she’s a Japanese version of Bloody Mary, and before the night’s over someone suddenly comes in and wants to take her in. Maybe she’s the serial killer?”

Dojima turned to his rookie partner with an incredulous, if not insulting, look. “What kind of idiot would enter a hospital with the intent of killing someone?”

“What kind of murderer kidnaps his victims by ringing the doorbell?” Adachi retorted back, before smirking and pointing at him dramatically. “A clever one. And one that knows how to play off the expectations of others.”

The veteran detective didn’t like to think of that possibility. Not because Adachi’s theory didn’t sound that off base (for once), but if there really was a clever criminal playing everyone like puppets, then this case could go on for months and they would never find hide or hair of him. He let one killer go free once; Chisato’s. He would be damned before letting another escape justice too.

“Bloody… Marie.”

The three cops turned to the girl, muttering the folklore name Adachi dropped. With a distinct sound to the French equivalent. “What’s that?”

“Nothing, just… I like that name. Marie.”

Dojima turned to address the nurse. “We’ll talk to her, but I’m going to have to strongly suggest that she stays over for the night.”

“That’s what I tried telling her, but she was rather insistent.”

The two kept talking even as they walked out of the room. Adachi quickly followed, leaving the girl alone in the room again.

She tried to remember more about herself, like if she had a “family” or a “mother” or a “guardian”, but nothing came to mind. She recalled only the car and the rain.

She needed a name though. Everyone had a name, right? She knew that much. Well, if she couldn’t remember her old name, she would have to use a new one. And she found herself partial to Marie… Well, until she figured out her real name, she’ll answer to Marie.

So satisfied with her first big decision, Marie almost didn’t notice the blank TV screen from across her bed suddenly flaring to life.

The screen was on, and yet there was nothing but pale foreground and static. Almost as quickly as it came, the TV turned off a minute later.

Marie blinked, perplexed. Even she knew TVs didn’t work like that. “Huh. That’s weird…”

<><><>
Fate/Reach Out
Chapter 33: Shirou Emiya versus Mystery Food X
<><><>

June 5th, Dojima Household, Morning

“Here he is! / Tanaka!
Over the airwaves to yooooooou!
Granter of all
Commodity Desires!”

“Good morning, everyone!” A man greeted the viewing audience after the intro jingle to his show. He shined a grin befitting for a salesman… or a politician. “And welcome to ‘Tanaka’s Amazing Commodities’!”

Every Sunday, Tanaka’s show aired as a special mail-ordering program that enticed viewing customers to buy their products. Every episode was live all day long, promoting products to be sold for whoever called the number in the following three days, or at least until the product was still available.

The president of the shopping channel, as well as host and face of the program, was a sharp-dressed, smiling man named Tanaka.

“For this week’s sale, we have the Jingi Fundoshi!” Tanaka gestured to the show table below him, and the camera followed. A bright red cloth was seen worn in display on a lower half mannequin. The mannequin spun on a rotating dial for viewers to see all sides of the male garment, and how well it fits. “This vital garment is perfect for festivities and swimming occasions alike! I can’t believe the wonderfulness myself, and I’m wearing one right now!”

“Too much information,” Shirou deadpanned aloud, even though he was alone and watching the program in his room.

“Call now, and we’ll throw in two supplementary helpings of Slimming Food! You remember it as Diet Food and it works just the same way, but it now has a snappy, slimming name that just zaps the fat away by saying it! All for 11,800 yen! Again, the bargain combo of your very own Jingi Fundoshi and Slimming Foods is 11,800 yen! (Warning: sideeffectsofSlimmingFoodincludenauseaandvomitting ifbothtakenatonce.)”

“I’ll probably pass on that, then,” Shirou said. “I still have the trunks Fuji-nee bought for me anyway.” Not that he had any plan to use them. Where would he find a place to swim, let alone the time?

“But wait! There’s more!” Tanaka continued, now gesturing at an assortment of fish laying on an ice table. Nobody could expect what the man would sell or promote next in his show. “Our second weekly offer is Yasoinaba’s local delicacy, the Inaba Trout! Caught fresh and checked regularly by our professionally paid fishermen! For every one trout sold, we’ll give away two Amber Seema (because we have nowhere else to put them)! That’s a three-fish fresh dinner plan, all for the low, low price of 2,980 yen! That’s 2980 yen for three fish!”

Fresh fish? Now that caught Shirou’s interest; more so than last week’s sale of a pair of shoes and some medicine. He wasn’t sure how to check the authenticity of Tanaka’s brand, but less than 3,000 yen was well within his budget. It still struck him as odd that he’d decided to look into this shopping channel after hearing about it from a few students walking to school.

But Shirou had to admit; it was a damn catchy tune.

He quickly dialed the number before being answered by one of the operators. “Yes, hello? I’d like to order the Inaba Trout combo.”

Before long, he finished citing all the information needed; address, billing, and an apparent “free” membership plan so they can remember regular paying customers. Perhaps he could cook some sushi for dinner as a surprise for Nanako and Doji-nii.

“Thank you so much for your patronage and participation in today’s show!” Tanaka bowed. “We’ll return for the next three days selling this week’s deals, so hurry while you can! To all my loyal customers, I’ll see you next time!”

“Here he is! / Tanaka!
Over the airwaves to yooooooou!
Granter of all
Commodity Desires!”

And just like that, the show was over. And that left Shirou with the rest of Sunday to do whatever he wanted.

“Come to think of it, last night was the end of the long rain.”

He looked outside and saw a bright sunny glare over the town. Not a cloud in the sky, and the once gloomy, dark weather that fit Rise’s sudden hiatus was lifted. They’d rescued her, brought her to her grandmother’s shop, and waited patiently for the week to end.

Perhaps now was a good time to check up on her, now that she had recovered from her Shadow encounter?

He pulled out his phone to start calling his friends for a rendezvous at Marukyuu Tofu.

<><><>
Shopping District, Tatsuhime Shrine

A long, tired sigh left Rise Kujikawa’s lips as her shoulders sagged and body slouched on the bench. “What is it with people and their single-minded obsession with the rich and famous? Don’t they have better things to do?”

News of Rise Kujikawa’s arrival in Inaba had spread like wildfire. When someone realized that the old woman at the tofu shop was named Kujikawa, which was the same surname as the idol on hiatus, everyone started talking and visiting. There was some scare about Rise’s sudden disappearance before arriving, but aside from her silhouette prior to the concert, she hadn’t appeared on the Midnight Channel at all.

That still didn’t discern gawkers from visiting every day. For the first few days Rise just slept in the upstairs bedroom, hoping to avoid the worst of the paparazzi until they got bored. But sitting still was never Rise’s strong suit, and if she was going to stay in Inaba for a while, she would have to nip the problem in the bud.

So, she put on a spare apron over her casual clothes and started to help at the tofu shop. It was clear right away that everyone wanted an excuse to talk to Risette, no matter how homely or plain she looked right now. She was used to it, but she was still annoyed. Which led her to hiding in a hilltop shrine for her lunch break.

The rouge-haired teen ate her tofu bento and thought back to that “TV world” she’d been trapped in. It felt like a lifetime ago since her near-death experience, and her thoughts were still hazy on the details. She even remembered flashes of the fight as if she were fighting there, from Himiko’s memories. But the one thing she couldn’t forget, even if she wanted to, was that boy who saved her, along with his friends. Strong and determined. Fierce, yet kind. He probably even had his own emotional baggage if what her Shadow said was true, but he didn’t let that stop or break him.

Rise smiled. His friends said they would talk to her again when the rain stopped, and she couldn’t help but feel excited about seeing him again. “I wonder where Hero-kun is right now…”

“Excuse me?”

Rise blinked out of her daze and saw a boy in a blue suit walk up to her. A taller boy that looked like a biker-gang member was dragging his feet behind them, looking like he really didn’t want to be here. “Uh, hi. Can I help you?”

“You’re Rise Kujikawa, correct? The retiring idol?”

Rise fought the urge to frown, but couldn’t quite stop the bitter tone in her voice as she asked, “What do you want, an autograph?”

“Nothing like that. I just want to ask some questions,” the boy answered, pulling out a badge to show her. “I’m Detective Naoto Shirogane, and I’m looking into the homicide case.”

Rise was suddenly alarmed. “I’m not the culprit if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Not likely, no. But you might have some information vital to the case, and I just want to make sure there aren’t any loose ends.”

“Don’t I have a right to an attorney for this?” she asked cautiously.

“Only if you have something to hide,” Naoto replied coolly. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you retire from showbiz?”

“I do mind, actually, but I’ll tell you anyway. Work was getting stressful, so I wanted a break.”

“That’s it?”

“No, I was really drugged off my ass and thrown into some haunted brothel to play a role in a psychological horror film until I apologized for the uproar,” Rise replied. As true as the statement was (to a degree), it was so laced in sarcasm that it made the boy and thug bristle somewhat.

“U-uh, right,” said Naoto. “How familiar are you with Miss Yamano?”

Rise shrugged. “Some news producer that got caught in that love scandal a few months back. Kind of hard not to hear news about it somewhere.”

“I see. And what happened to you when you were kidnapped?”

Rise was tense talking to this boy before, but she really didn’t like where the discussion was heading now. “What are you talking about? I got lost on the way back through the woods before someone found me as I came into town.”

That was the story she had decided on; she wasn’t sure exactly what this Midnight Channel was yet, but she was lucky enough to have been rescued before her Shadow made a big broadcast to everyone about her little striptease. No one had reason to believe she was ever “kidnapped” other than the two policemen her grandma called (as well as her rescuers) and it was decided not to make any mention of her on-and-off kidnapping. Otherwise the news media would make a big spectacle about it and ruin her public image.

Naoto kept a steady, level glare fixed on her, showing that he didn’t believe a word of it. “I recall hearing rumors that you actually arrived at your grandmother’s house sometime after 11:14 PM, on June 1st. You were immediately caught off guard when a man rang the doorbell and whisked you away into his getaway van. Then you were found leaving the Junes Department store with four students of Yasogami High, one of which accompanied you as far as the Shopping District before you returned home.”

Okay, so this Naoto guy was either a really good detective… or someone who was really obnoxious with no sense of privacy. “So, the Inaba rumor mill is still active as ever, I see. What makes you think I was kidnapped anyway?”

“You just told me,” Naoto insisted, much to Rise’s confusion. “Your left eye twitches whenever you lie and your chest heaves slightly when you get excited."

People could figure out stuff like that?! That was absurd! And if Rise had bad body language that anyone could read, then wouldn’t her manager and instructors have said something to her?! “I-I don’t have tells like that!”

“You don’t,” he said. “But that reaction just now was good enough.”

…obnoxious it is, then.

“Which is why I’m asking you directly for the truth,” Naoto said. “Now I’m going to ask again; what happened when you were kidnapped?”

For a long moment, Rise said nothing. Then she turned to stare at the detective straight in the face and told him two words: “Fuck off.”

The bleached teen, who was minding his own business, snapped his head over to Rise with a shocked expression. Naoto himself looked like he had swallowed a lemon whole and tried to make a proper response.

“I-I’m sorry, did you just tell me to —?”

“Fuck. Off,” she said again. And damn did it feel good.

Rise herself was never openly hostile to others and tended to just suck it in for the sake of her “Risette” image. Maybe it was the liberation of quitting and not having to play ignorant anymore. Maybe it was due to a long day of sitting through so many star-struck fans. Or maybe it was Naoto hitting too close to home with his questions after a near-death experience just days before.

Yes, she was Risette, but she was Rise too, and there was so much more to her than just entertaining the masses. She could be crass and rude, bubbly and romantic. She could make sarcastic remarks, make tofu, and solve complex math equations!

But above all else she was honest and loyal, and very thankful for the hero’s entourage that saved her. Rise knew something weird and intense was going, and the world full of Personas and Shadows was in the middle of it all. She had no reason or obligation to tell some obsessed brat about it.

“We’re done here,” she added, taking her unfinished lunch with her. She would have to find another quiet place to eat.

Rise made it as far as the steps before Naoto shouted after her. “This isn’t some game! Two people have died already, and I know you’re involved in this! If you have the slightest idea of what is happening in this town, you will tell me what you know now!”

Her pace stopped, and she slowly turned to glance at the young detective in her peripheral vision. “Aren’t you the one treating this like a game?”

Naoto stiffened.

“I don’t care how good or skilled a detective you are. You solve mysteries for a living. You could read all about my fan blogs or my autobiography, but you just assume that I would help you because you demanded answers. I don’t know what your deal is, but you don’t know a thing about me. So drop the hard-boiled PI deal you have going on here, because I’m not buying it.”

With her piece said, Rise left the shrine.

Kanji Tatsumi tsked in disgust. This is why he hated girls. So emotional, so bitchy, and so friggin’ entitled to their damn opinions! He’d known that this was a bad idea from the start. “Geez, I thought pop idols were supposed to be all cutesy and pure and shit,” he said to himself. “Why do people get a boner around her, again?”

“A game,” the detective said sadly. “I suppose she has a point.”

“Hmm?” Kanji turned to his parole officer, still out of his funk. He could barely make his face out from the rim of his hat lowered like that. “You say something, Nao?”

“Nothing important. I’m just remembering that, as a detective, I shouldn’t harbor such feelings on a case. It was… a bad move on my part.”

The biker thrasher nodded in understanding. He could recall a few times when being too caring led to a big screw up, including that one time… “Well, mistakes happen, yeah? But it shouldn’t be fair that people get all anal because you’re doing your job, right? You just gotta learn to keep your heart close to the vest, you know?”

Naoto stared at Kanji with a blank expression. He stared back, taken aback at how feminine his androgynous face looked, and how big those blue-grey eyes looked— wait. Was… was he crying? Goddammit he wasn’t good for this shit!

“W-what?!” Kanji spluttered, looking away. “I didn’t say anything weird, right? J-just don’t let what that girl said get to you, okay Nao?”

The detective shook his head, smiling. “No, you didn’t. And you’re right. Thanks, Kanji.” A moment later, the smile fell into an expression of slight annoyance. “But as I keep telling you, my name is Naoto.”

“R-right, sorry.”

<><><>

“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid—!” Rise cursed with each stomp down the stairway. Even after quitting from her life as Risette, Rise still had to carry all the troublesome baggage and then some! Everything was supposed to get better now! Maybe not right away or all at once, but it certainly shouldn’t have drawn so much negative karma either!

Not one thing had gone right since she quit!

“Rise?”

The idol perked up at her name. Not Risette, just Rise. And as she turned, she saw it had come from none other than that red-haired Hero-kun (and his friends of course). The events of the other day flew by her, from his impassioned speech to his dogged determination. And his casual clothes (a simple blue-and-white t-shirt and jeans), reminded her of his coat offer after the fighting was done.

…okay, so maybe all this was worth it after all.

“H-hi, He—erm, Shirou-kun,” she stammered. Just seeing him made her feel hot and flustered.

The dense idiot didn’t notice, though some of his friends did. One of them, an auburn-haired teen with a butterfly scarf, quickly stepped forward with a smile and an extended hand.

“A-and I’m Yosuke Hanamura! I helped too, and I always wanted to save you! I mean, meet you! And, well—”

“Let me guess. A fan?” Rise asked as they shook hands.

“He’s been looking forward to meeting you again all week,” Shirou noted.

“He even called you a cutie pie,” the brunette teased.

Yosuke blushed, stiffened, and blanched all at once as he turned to the two teens. “Guys. Shut up,” he seethed through his teeth. “You’re killing me here!”

But they looked like they were having too much fun to just stop there. The brunette was even jabbing Shirou’s chest with a smirk. “Remember when he was thinking of a good pick up line to save her with? ‘Hey babe! I’m gonna be your boyfriend for life!’ ” she impersonated in a tone implying a try-too-hard manner.

“Or on the way here? ‘I get to see it all firsthand!’ ” Shirou made his own impersonation that sounded just as off-key. “ ‘Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim—!’ ”

Yosuke slammed a hand over both their mouths before they could say anymore. “Dammit guys, why are you doing this to me?!” he pleaded. He then quickly turned to Rise with a weak laugh. “Ahahaha, they’re such kidders! I didn’t say that. At all. I never said any of that.”

Rise chuckled. A small laugh that was almost drowned out by Yosuke’s blathering, but it was there. “Thanks. I really needed that.” Yosuke seemed taken aback by her smile. She could only assume that the guy, while meaning well, rarely got on a girl’s good side. If he knew how to make a girl laugh more naturally…

“Anyway, I guess since you’re all here, you’re going to tell me what happened the other night?” They all nodded. “Great, so why don’t we find some place to talk?” She looked around before whispering, “Somewhere that I won’t get hounded by fans?”

“Well, the shrine’s right up here,” the black-haired girl said. “We can catch up with Tama-chan and—”

“No,” Rise cut her off. “Not there. Some detective and his thug of a Watson are up there, and I don’t want to see them again right away.”

Shirou blinked, finally brushing Yosuke’s hand off his mouth. “Naoto and Kanji? What did they want?”

“I’ll explain later, but can we find a place first?”

<><><>
Teddie’s Hub Space

It took some debating and brainstorming. As the Junes store was packed during Sundays, they couldn’t go to their special headquarters and expect to hide in plain sight this time. They couldn’t go to someone’s house either, as the Amagi Inn was a tourist central and it would be hard to explain to any of their family members how or why they were friends with Rise Kujikawa. It was a bridge they would have to cross sooner or later, but not now.

They eventually decided to sneak quickly through Junes, go to Teddie’s world (with Tama absent) and explain everything there. A hefty exposition on magecraft, TVs, and Shadows later…

“Wow.” Rise gulped. “That’s… real heavy stuff, there.”

“We still don’t have a clue on who the serial killer is,” Shirou admitted. “Unless you saw who threw you in?”

Rise shook her head. “It all happened so fast. I was tired and exhausted from the concert when I finally got back to Grandma’s, and then the doorbell rang. I thought it was my manager, so I opened the door. I think… I was gagged or something, but I didn’t see or hear the guy clearly. Next thing I knew, I was in that weird place.”

The Investigation Team exchanged frowns. “No new clues on the killer.”

“Maybe not,” Rise added. “Someone came in a van just after I arrived, and threw me in.”

“How do you know that?” Chie asked.

“That Naoto guy told me.” She frowned at the memory. “He somehow knew I was kidnapped and kept asking what happened to me. He was being a real jerk about it, though.”

“I can imagine,” said Yosuke. “The guy’s been so gung ho about his job since we first met him. What’s his deal?”

Yukiko brushed her stray hairs back and readjusted her fog glasses. “I’m more concerned about this getaway van. We know now that the culprit has used it for all his victims.”

“Yeah! So now we just have to find the driver and haul his ass to the authorities!”

But Shirou shook his head before Chie could leave and act on impulse. “Won’t work. We don’t know what kind of van was used, and even if we did find the right culprit among all the other van drivers, we’d have no proof that he could have done it. We’d just be making ourselves look like fools and tip him off to who we are.”

Chie flinched. “Oh… right.”

“Besides, I’d rather not risk the chance of engaging the criminal headfirst. If he’s a magus worth his salt, he could just as easily overpower us in his living quarters. A magus’s sanctuary is their domain, where they have the most use of their familiars and bounded fields.”

“But magi are technologically repressed fuddy-duddies! None of them would have a reason to use something like a car to begin with!”

Shirou found himself nodding. “Yeah, that’s—” He stopped and turned to the speaker. “Teddie… how do you know that?”

The mascot blinked before he looked away. “I… don’t remember.”

The poor bear was feeling moody again, so Shirou decided against pressing the issue. “Regardless, we still don’t know enough about this killer, so all we can do is wait and try to catch him in the act.”

“Good plan!” Yosuke smiled. “We know his pattern now, and what exactly to look for! As long as we can figure out who his next potential target will be, we’ll have the advantage!”

The plan was set, and even Teddie was feeling confident. But there was still one more issue to settle…

Rise Kujikawa, the retired idol, was a Persona user now. Should they ask her to join them? Would she even want to join?

“Uh, guys?” Rise broke the silence. “I’ve been thinking the last few days, since you rescued me.”

Her gaze lowered to the unique floor pattern of murdered silhouette figures. “The thing is, I’ve been really stressed with work lately, and came here just to get some peace and quiet. So, in a way, it might be my fault for making things more complicated for you, getting involved in this murder case?”

“We don’t think that,” Shirou interjected, though he wondered briefly if he was really speaking for everyone or just himself.

“Damn right we don’t!” Yosuke slung his arm around his neck. “We’re just a bunch of superpowered, alter-ego teens with an attitude! We love saving cute girls!”

“A true bro!” Pixie nodded with approval.

“I prefer hoes first.” Lilim licked her lips.

“Shut it,” Angel scolded.

“Cute girls comment aside,” Chie said, “we definitely don’t think of you as a burden. I mean, Yukiko here was in the same boat just a month ago!”

Rise’s face started to quiver with emotion. “Uuuuuuuuh, well… I really appreciate what you guys did for me, e-especially you, Shirou-kun.”

“Me?”

Before anyone knew it, Rise had swung her arms around Shirou and hugged him tight with an ecstatic expression. “Thank you sooooo much! I love you guys!”

Shirou promptly went into shutdown mode. The closeness of the idol’s body against his, and her bubbly, cheerful words cause a fire to erupt in his cheeks. Several of his Personas summed the situation thusly in his non-responsive mind.

“Whelp, you’re dead Shirou.”

“How? Why? He hasn’t even acted on debauchery!”

“FOOL SHIROU EMIYA! YOU BETTER NOT BETRAY THE CHARIOT!”

“Oh yeah, the first ever conflict of the love polygon. This is gonna be good.”

It took him a moment to realize that they were referring to the rather ignited reactions of his friends behind him. Yukiko was more confused than alarmed, and Yosuke was glaring daggers of envy at him. Chie herself looked like she wanted to punch him and Rise’s lights out.

But he had no idea why.

At least Teddie tried to be diplomatic. “Uh, Rise-chan? I understand that Shirou-sensei did indeed help you, but so did the rest of us. Including me! I helped him mark the finishing blow on your Shadow, you see!”

Rise finally parted from her hug and smiled at the bear. “Aww, does Teddie Bear wanna hug too?”

“Yes,” Teddie answered, before realizing what had just happened. “Wh—huh?”

But Rise obliged anyway, leaning down and hugging the bear across his dome-like head. “You were really brave out there, weren’t you? Thanks.”

Teddie’s face turned warm and he started to drool, but was undoubtedly happy at getting some attention after all the teasing Shadow Rise pulled. It almost made wondering about the meaning of life worth it.

Chie and Yosuke’s indignant rage was soon replaced with confusion akin to Yukiko’s, and had no time to really question it before Rise walked over and hugged all three of them at once.

“Mmmmmmmm!” She hugged as tight as possible, and Yosuke could swear that if he wasn’t Personafied, she might have broken something. Not that it would matter, if it was from her…

Finally, Rise let go and looked at the three in the eyes. “I mean, really! Thank you! I-it’s not too weird to say thanks like this, right? I didn’t come on too strong with the hug, right?”

“W-well, the hug was kind of startling,” Yukiko admitted.

“Especially with the ‘love’ part,” Chie deadpanned.

“Oh, that? Yeah, guess a little Risette is still in me, because I always tell my fans I ‘love’ them. It’s kind of my way of saying thanks for helping me with their support.”

“So… she meant platonically.”

“Oh, thank you Father above. You have not forsaken this child before he even began.”

“Aw phooey. She really is a damn tease.”

Shirou found himself sharing an odd sense of relief with his peers at the explanation. It allowed him to feel even more proud of being thanked for saving her.

“Which is why I was thinking: do you guys need my help?” Rise asked.

“Huh?”

“I don’t know what my power does yet, and I would understand if you don’t want me to do anything, but I wouldn’t feel right without paying you guys back in some way. And I feel like I could do a lot of good, too.”

Shirou frowned. “It’s going to be dangerous.”

“I know, but you’d help me, right? Just like I’d help you?”

The brick-haired magus sighed. He felt like he should say no, but at the same time he didn’t. She knew how to keep a secret and was determined to pay the team back for their help. The others didn’t seem that opposed to the idea either (especially not Yosuke). “Teddie?”

“On it, Shirou-sensei!” A quick cupping of paws later, and a pair of pink and white fog-filter glasses appeared. He then knelt and offered them to her like a servant would a queen.

“Here you go, Rise-chan! Proof that you are one of us!”

Rise smiled as she accepted and put on the glasses, immediately feeling better without the fog overwhelming her. “I’m really glad that you guys are the first friends I made here.”

The Fool Arcana’s growing strength couldn’t agree more.

<><><>
June 9th, MOEL, After School

As he waited in front of the gas station, Dojima exhausted the end of his cigarette and snuffed it out under his heel.

He felt that he was having a string of bad luck lately. The lead on Rise’s kidnapping was a bust, even though she ended up fine and home again. The nameless girl with no record looked like she might end up in foster care, only for some “blonde bombshell” to come in and take her after answering their questions. Then there was the lead last night on a suspicious person that might be the killer, about whom Adachi can’t stop babbling about near civilians.

And finally, Shirou, that very same night, wanted a scooter license. And he was awkward as hell about it.

“About this license,” he said before leaving. “Did you decide on this yourself, Shirou? No one talked you into it?”

Shirou’s face couldn’t tell a lie, and he soon scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, to be honest, Yosuke talked me into getting one. His reasons seemed... poor in taste, but I think there’s an opportunity in using it to travel around the town, or to Okina City and back. I could even run errands or pick up groceries while you were busy.”

Dojima had to admit that it was a sound idea, but it might have also been an excuse. “And what exactly was the Hanamura kid’s reason?” he asked. Shirou’s face had flared red and scrunched up as if he had eaten a lemon and a hot pepper at once.

“I really don’t want to talk about it.”

Dojima had mulled it over. He actually did consider what to do with his old scooter out back, and anything to get his mind off the murder case might do him some good. So, he had told him, “We’ll talk more about this once you get your license. IF you get your license. Now I’m off; keep watch over the house while I’m gone.”

“Doji-nii!”

Snapping out of his reverie, the veteran cop saw his nephew and friend cross the street from the bus stop to him. “What are you doing here?”

“Adachi and I just stopped to get gas, and some minor business. What about you guys?”

Shirou seemed to be holding back a grin. “Guess.”

“Oh, a challenge?” Dojima grinned back. “You’re starting to sound like Nanako. Let’s see… by the triumphant, excited look on your face…”

He trailed off, taking a good look at Shirou. Then, a moment later… “I give up. Where?”

Exasperated, disappointed sweat rolled down both the teens’ heads. Dojima knew the question that was cycling their heads before they said it, and felt the need to justify himself. “I can tell when someone’s lying and what they’re thinking when they are, but when it comes to where you might go, it’s a blank.”

Shirou still had a deadpan look in his eye, almost insulted. “It’s just that I thought after last night it would have been obvious.”

Dojima blinked. And suddenly connected the dots. “Your scooter licenses? Already?!”

As one, Shirou and Yosuke flashed their new plastic ID cards. “We studied all night, went to take the test and got ’em in one try!” Yosuke boasted. “Though maybe I studied too hard as the test itself was kind of easy…”

“I know it’s just a written test, but still,” Dojima scratched his head exasperatedly. “Guess it’s a good thing I called your guardian in advance about this.”

“So, you and Fuji-nee are okay with this?” Shirou asked.

“I can’t say no now that you’ve gotten your license.” Dojima smiled. “And Taiga seemed rather excited about the idea. In fact, she was already talking about getting you a motorcycle for your 18th birthday.”

“Dude!” Yosuke patted his friend’s back. “You got the okay! AND a motorcycle on the way! What did I tell you? Operation Up Close and Personal is so gonna work!”

Shirou flinched and shot him a peculiar glare. Yosuke seemed to remember the current situation and looked up to see Dojima’s perplexed reaction. “Operation what?”

“Uh, I mean, gotta go read through my catalogue! See you tomorrow, Shirou!” Yosuke bolted away, not once looking back.

“It’s a long story,” Shirou explained. He looked reluctant to explain what Yosuke meant.

Still, Dojima had to ask one thing. “It has nothing to do with the murder case, does it?”

“No!” he exclaimed. “Of course not!”

“Good. Now that I know you’re not in trouble, mind if I borrow you for a few minutes?”

Curious, Shirou nodded, and was led closer into the gas station. “Hey Adachi!”

“We just finished filling her up, sir.”

Shirou saw Adachi returning a gas hose into its holster and Nami finished cloth-cleaning the surface to fine detail. They were working on an old, rustic scooter of white chrome paint and bright surface lights. A spare tire sat compact in the case behind the seat cushion, and the design allowed only the front wheel to be seen in front of the handlebars. It was compact, shining, and somehow vaguely familiar.

“Is that…?”

Dojima nodded. “My old scooter. I just had it fixed up at the shop, and then brought it here for gas.”

“I offered to do a bit of last minute touches myself.” Nami smiled. “Even offered an employee’s discount on your behalf!”

Shirou walked over and took an appraising look at the vehicle. “Are those twist grips?” he pointed at the handlebars.

“You can tell?” Dojima smiled.

“I didn’t think they sold these at stores anymore.”

“They don’t. At least not in local ones, so I had one of the repair guys at work help me out in secret.” Dojima blinked and tried downplaying the tidbit. “But uh, don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Adachi watched them talk about the scooter and chuckled. “You always act strict at the station, but you’re really a cool dad on the inside, huh?”

Like a switch, the detective turned to his junior with a scowl. “Shut up and get in the car.”

“Geez, always with the yelling.” Adachi winced. “All I’m saying is that you’re giving away a pretty slick form of transportation to your nephew. The suspicious guy is probably using something like this too; driving through the backstreets and taking pictures of the neighborhood to the Amagi Inn—”

“Stop blabbering! I said get in the car!” Dojima yelled. This time Adachi quickly complied and left. Nami also left to continue work, giving a quick wave to Shirou as he did.

Now alone, Dojima calmed himself. He really didn’t want Adachi to get wound up on his theories aloud again, especially with Shirou around. Hopefully the so-called suspicious character was no one dangerous and not related to the murder case, but one couldn’t be too careful.

“Anyway,” he started again. “I was around your age when I got my license. Took the test behind my parents’ backs, and when they found out, my dad gave me such a thrashing.” He laughed mischievously, before quickly adding, “But don’t tell the girls about that.”

“I won’t.” Shirou nodded.

“Now, I know it’s not anything new,” he rambled again, “but it still runs pretty well. Of course, if you want to scrap it for the money to buy another—”

“No, it’s perfect. I mean, I prefer an older, more reliable model anyway.” He smiled in earnest. “I’ll take good care of it.”

“Be sure to take care of yourself, too,” Dojima sternly added. He was still happy about how receptive and caring Shirou was to his new scooter. “Obey all the traffic laws and be safe. You do that, and I’ll look the other way if you drive off to town.” He held out his hand, with the keys to the ignition. “Can you promise me that?”

“Of course! Thanks, Doji-nii!” Shirou shook his hand, accepted the keys, and hopped on the scooter. With that all settled, Dojima walked back to his car to drop Adachi off before heading home. But he soon realized that the newly christened scooter driver hadn’t left the gas station yet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I don’t have a helmet.”

Dojima smiled with amusement as he pulled out his old spare from the backseat. “Are you a size large?”

<><><>
Part 2 coming soon.

[Kishou the Badger]

Part 2
<><><>
June 15th, Okina Station, After School

Over the last week, Shirou took time for practicing with his new scooter and learning the layout of the town. He had to admit that Adachi had a point that a suspicious person (or even a serial killer) would want to know as many hiding places in the town as they could.

And things were relatively calm again. For all anyone knew, Rise had just arrived in Inaba and there was officially no Midnight Channel special about her. She was enrolled into Yasogami High shortly after, and the interest of getting a celebrity as a girlfriend soon fell out of favor when Morooka went moral guardian on their asses.

Of course, he had also forced Shirou and Yosuke into the Student Health Association last week, but that was another story.

Now, Yosuke had finally gotten his own “motorcycle” (really a scooter, but Shirou had long since given up on correcting him). It was a neat design for sure, painted yellow-orange with angular parts, but it looked more built for speed than practicality, and the weight of an anvil could crush it. He decided that riding together was better than riding alone, so they made their way to Okina City later that day.

It was as busy as ever, no one even taking notice of the two scooter-riding students as they parked their vehicles. Yosuke was in high spirits as he stretched and smiled. “Hellooo, Okina Station! Getting here was easier than I thought!”

“It’s just the next town over,” Shirou explained as he unstrapped his helmet. “A real trip would be trying to get to Fuyuki City on these things. And we would have been here sooner if you hadn’t run out of gas halfway.”

Yosuke flushed in embarrassment. “I really shouldn’t have cheaped out on gas just to fool around with more money.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. So, what now?”

“We wait, my friend.” Yosuke smiled, leaning confidently against his “motorcycle.” “Wait for the girls to come begging us for a ride.”

Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose and suppressed a groan. “Ugh, not the up close plan again.”

“Yes, the up close plan again!” Yosuke insisted and corrected. Though he quickly lowered his voice when he realized how it could ruin said plan. “Dude, think about it! We could pick up girls by showing off our new motorcycles. Aren’t you interested in squeeze play?!”

“I don’t play baseball,” was Shirou’s sarcastic retort.

Naturally, Yosuke glared. “Shirou, that joke wasn’t funny the first time, and it sure as hell isn’t funny now.”

Shirou had heard enough of the plan from Yosuke last week. He was excited to get a “motorcycle” license in order to try and pick up girls and feel the “squeeze” behind him. In fact, all he seemed to talk or fantasize about was having someone “up close and personal” to him as he rode his hog. Shirou didn’t get it at first, but Lilim was more than happy to fill in the details just as he was drinking water:

“I’ll give you a hint: it starts with ‘Oh’ and ends in ‘Pie’!”

Shirou made a very loud spit-take that day.

He had thought Yosuke’s plan was endearing and was a sign that he was getting over the late Saki Konishi. Now, after the initial embarrassment of the real plan, he was rather disgusted at his friend’s ulterior motives. Not to mention how stupid it was in hindsight.

“Yosuke, how many times do I have to tell you?” Shirou said irritably. “A scooter can’t hold two people in the same seat. It’s illegal!”

“Details, details! All we need is motorcycle—”

“Which we don’t have!”

“A scooter is a motorcycle! Just, you know, smaller.” Shirou rolled his eyes, but Yosuke ignored it. “Trust me, a motorcycle is a chick magnet! Even if it’s just a scooter, it’s bound to turn some heads! Then when we upgrade to a real motorcycle, that’s when the plan really kicks off!” He held his hands out in front of him and twisted them as if real handlebars. “Vroom vroom, man!”

“Even so, that’s years from now. Not exactly a sound plan to find a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, but we’re city boys, you and me. Inaba’s too small a town for any of us to find a girlfriend. We can’t just sit there like everyone else waiting! We need to take the initiative!”
“How is waiting by our scooters taking initiative?”

“We need to play it cool first.” Yosuke winked as he explained. “Then, when a chick or two comes by and sees us, we’ll roar our engines like the badasses we are, making them beg for a chance to sit and ride with us! By the time we finally get our real motorcycles, we’ll be dripping in pheromones!”

The normally patient Shirou wanted to pull his hair out. He couldn’t stress out enough how flawed this plan was. Nothing Yosuke said made any sense! Even if he wanted to get a significant other like Yosuke did, he would rather try talking to someone than pose by a scooter and expect someone to be impressed enough to walk up to him.

“Let it go, Shirou.” Pixie sighed from within. “He’s too far gone and committed to this.”

She was right. No matter what he said or told him the past week, Yosuke had brushed off his concerns and only kept fantasizing about literally picking up a girl to ride with him.

Shirou took a slow, calming breath, pocketed his scooter key and walked away. “Good luck,” he said.

“Wha—? Hey!” Yosuke balked. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t want to dilute your pheromones,” he quipped. He had better things to do in the city than sit by his scooter under the sun all day.

“Fine! Have it your way!” Yosuke huffed and blew a raspberry. He would get all the girl attention to himself, and no natural-born lady killer would distract him from his plan!

“Yep.” He smirked as he leaned against his “motorcycle.” “Someone’s bound to notice me sooner or later.”

The early summer sunlight was very welcoming on this nice day…

<><><>

Shirou spent the next few hours exploring the city and learning landmarks along the way. He didn’t stray too far from the station, though in hindsight he probably could have seen more of Okina with his scooter.

Well, no use crying over spilt milk. He would need to check up on Yosuke again anyway. He paid a visit to a few stores that sold an assortment of products including toys, groceries, and music. With his paychecks from the MOEL job, he purchased a bit from each (a new pony plushie for Nanako, some ingredients for the upcoming camping trip, and a copy of Rise’s latest single).

Yosuke’s birthday was a week away, so the CD might make a good gift. He thought it was the least he could do after blowing him off earlier.

As he retraced his steps back to the station, he decided to make a “call” and pull out his phone. “Pixie, guys? You don’t think I was too hard on him, do you?” he asked into the device.

As his Magician Persona, Pixie knew most about his bond, and gave him the good news. “He’s mad, but he’ll get over it in a week or two.”

“You gave the guy more outs than he deserved,” Lilim said. “Even if he did find a girl into scooters, she’d be too shallow for anything more than a quick lay. And then he’d bomb that too.”

“Indeed,” Valkyrie said. “If the women of today are anything like my sisters at arms, they wouldn’t give in so easily to something as basic as pheromones.”

“Though the idea does have merit in the future,” Eligor said. “Play your cards right, young Fool, and you’ll be the one pulling the Chariot for Satonaka.”

Cu Sith snorted. “Or like Taiga pulls his. She owns a motorcycle herself!”

“Please, don’t bring them into this.” Shirou groaned. “They’re the last people I want to imagine giving rides.”

“So, what about Rise?” Pixie asked. “She seems to be pretty clingy around you.”

“And who wouldn’t after that rescue?” Lilim replied, with an evident smirk on her lips. “Keep this up and he might even pop the idol’s cherry!”

“Let’s not be hasty,” Eligor, Cu Sith, and Angel all argued in unison.

“The way you guys are reigning in his hormones, he’s not going to know what to do when actually courting a real girl. And when that day comes, it’s gonna hit him like a set of funbags!”

It was at that moment when Shirou was making a turn around the corner when his train of thought was derailed. So engrossed in literally his own mind, he didn’t notice the slight ledge elevation of tiles, and his foot tripped mid step-turn. “Whoa—!”

And he landed face-first into something big, white, and soft. He barely had time to see it, but now his vision was obscured by the material. Shirou was barely aware of others staring at him; some with amused grins, others with flushed faces. He tried to right himself, and used his hands to push himself off the softness that broke his fall.

“Stop touching me you PERVERT!”

Shirou was shoved aside by the… person in front of him. Shirou fell down to the ground, over the same tile that tripped him no less. He looked up and his jaw dropped. The only noise that escaped him was a sharp intake of air.

For the person standing before him was a girl no older than him. Her short blue hair with a red ribbon around the top center crowned her amber eyes and flushing scowl. Her school uniform was a white button shirt with a red bowtie and a short tan skirt. But most impressive about her was her chest. Each breast was almost as large as the girl’s own head, barely contained in her uniform.

It was single-handedly the biggest rack Shirou had ever seen in his life, and he had not just fallen on top of it, but touched it as well. He couldn’t help but stare in disbelief.

Even Lilim, the sex demon, didn’t know how to properly respond. And when she did, she was subdued. “I uh… called it?”

“That woman is going to have a VERY promising future as a wet nurse, one day,” Eligor noted.

“Now THAT’S the ultimate ‘squeeze,’ ” Pixie said with equal parts envy and awe. “Thank goodness Yosuke isn’t here.”

With no response since the literal run-in, the buxom girl glared harder at Shirou. She stomped to show her anger and get his attention. And make her bust bounce to boot. “What are you, some kind of creep?!”

Shirou said the only coherent thing circling his mind. “How do you have a spine?”“What was that?!”

“Uh, I mean—!” The redhead quickly scrambled back upright and bowed in front of her. “I’m terribly sorry! It was an accident, I swear!”

The girl’s glare softened as she leaned back. “You think you can get away with this with just an apology?” she scolded.

Shirou tensed, knowing that there was no real excuse. He should have been paying attention, and been more careful not to fall on her.

“I don’t care how much you like them! You can’t go falling into a girl’s breasts face-first like that!”

The magus high schooler looked up and blinked. “…what?”

“What?” his Personas echoed.An amused smile grew on her lips. “So, are you going to tell me your name or will I have to dub you ‘Disgusting Pervert’ henceforth?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shirou slowly stood back upright. “Dare I ask why?”

“For when I sue you, of course.”

“Huh, she’s a real hot–cold character, huh?” Lilim noted.

“A devil is more like it.” Angel fumed.

“Hey! I resent that remark!”

Shirou was beginning to agree. She clearly didn’t mean her threats, as they were intended to get a rise out of him. It was understandable, but two could play at this game.

So, he casually shrugged and asked, “You would seriously take me to court over an accident?”

The girl crossed her arms over her massive chest, still sardonically grinning. “I’ll tell them that you deliberately charged at me with the intent to grope.”

“From the turn of the corner?”

“That you’re a stalker at my school.”

“We wear different uniforms,” he reminded, gesturing at his gakuran.

“My old school in Tokyo.”

“I’ll just tell the jury that I got lost in the Aoyama Twin Towers.”(1)

The girl let out a sound that was almost a chuckle and a cough, and couldn’t quite hide the smile. “Okay, I admit, that’s was really clever.” Seeing him share that smile though forced a scowl again. “But I’m still mad and demand satisfaction.”

“Tell you what. I’ve been feeling a little hungry, so I’ll buy a meal for both of us. My treat.”

The blue-haired girl was about retort to his offer when her stomach loudly voiced its opinion. Flushing at her hunger, she scoffed. “Well… as long as you’re treating, I’ll forgive you. This time.”

“Great. I saw an udon stand a couple of streets back.”

“Udon? Yes, that does sound rather pleasing for a meal. Lead the way, Pervert.”

Shirou winced, but perhaps he deserved that regardless.

“Actually,” he said as they started walking, “if it’s all the same for you, my name is Shirou Emiya.”

“Hmm, it does sound nicer than Disgusting Pervert.” She smiled. “Yes, I suppose Emiya will do.”

<><><>

The early summer sunlight was beating down hard this long day…

And Yosuke was fighting the strong urge to sleep. But everyone just walked right past him.

What was he doing wrong?!

“Surely there’s someone watching from afar,” he told himself. “Hey! Anyone wanna see my new motorcycle?”

Finally, a cute woman in a tube top stopped and gave his ride a look of appraisal. For about two seconds. “That’s a scooter,” she said, before walking away and muttering under her breath, “idiot.”

That was a big blow to Yosuke’s self-esteem, and he slumped on his bike seat in frustration.

“Dammit Shirou, how do you do it? You practically have the girls on the team eating off your hands and you don’t even know it!”

Yosuke almost didn’t tell Shirou about his plan to get a moto—erm, scooter license, for the simple fact that he was a natural chick magnet. Girls seemed to like him for his kind, heroic, and even slightly naïve nature. It would be more natural to girls if there were two riders in their new motorcycles, and he hoped between his savviness and Shirou’s natural talent, someone would want to talk to them!

Only Shirou clearly didn’t want to do it. He kept trying to reason with him the beauty of his plan, convincing him he could get someone outside of Inaba to fall for him, but he was against the plan every step of the way. Shirou agreed to get a scooter license at least, but the moment Yosuke needed his pheromones the most, he bailed. Some partner.

“Gah, what am I worried about?” Yosuke shrugged. “The guy is denser than lead. It’s not like he’s going to pick up some random girl in the middle of a city.”

Yeah, he had the right plan, he was sure of it! Staying in one spot, in front of the station, he was seeing so many people coming and going. Someone interested enough in the coolness that was a motorcycle was bound to talk to him. They’d hit it off, start dating for a few years, and then ride into the sunset happily ever after.

“Hmm?” Yosuke squinted his eyes and gazed over the street across the station. “Wait, is that Shirou? And…” Yosuke’s jaw dropped. “WHAT THE HELL?!”

It was indeed Shirou, and he was talking to a girl. A very cute girl. A very cute girl with the biggest, roundest, most glorious set of boobs he had ever seen! His first thought was thinking of having her ride on his motorcycle, and feeling her squeeze (or rather smoosh) them against his back.

But wait… she was talking to Shirou Emiya, of all people. And they seemed to be hitting it off! How?! He stood by a guaranteed chick magnet for the better part of three hours, and Shirou found a bombshell all on his own?! Well, knowing Shirou it probably wouldn;t mean anything, right?

“Wait… she’s stopping him from crossing the street. Now she’s writing something down on a slip of paper… and handing it to him? Oh god she better not—SHE DID! SHE GAVE HIM A ‘CALL ME’ SIGN!!”

Shirou had gotten a girl’s phone number. A busty, beautiful girl’s phone number. And he did it without a damn motorcycle.

Yosuke stood there rigid and pale with his thousand-yard stare even as the girl walked away with bouncing boobs and a swaying skirt twirl. Shirou eventually crossed the street, evidently with a blush as he stared at the slip of paper before pocketing it. And that’s how he found Yosuke, still staring at the spot they were at earlier.

“How’d it go?” Shirou asked. Whether he was that full of himself or that oblivious, Yosuke didn’t care.

“Shirou, who was that girl?” he asked without even looking at him.

“Huh?" Shirou asked as well, looking back to where she had departed. “Oh. We uh, bumped into each other while shopping. Then we started talking and—”

“And she gave you her number?”

“Y-yeah, to her kickboxing class. It’s what she learned for self-defense herself, and she insisted I had to call them early to set up a class.”

“Sure she did,” Yosuke said. He was too emotionally shot to raise his voice, much less turn his body.

Now Shirou looked worried. “Are you okay?”

“Just peachy. After all, I sat under the sun doing nothing for three hours, and you were invited to go kickboxing with a girl. Guys do not just get invited to kickboxing with total strangers.”

Shirou frowned and fought the urge to remind him that he was no better with his “motorcycle” plan.

“But I guess it’s okay. I mean, she’s beautiful, young, and full. Soooo full. And unless you had another miraculous recovery or some bullshit luck, there’s no way you could have touched her breasts or something, right?”

If there was one sure thing Yosuke could take solace in, it’s that Shirou is still human and prone to making mistakes. He wasn’t a sex god or anything like that, and certainly couldn’t get away with touching someone without a good thrashing.

Except Shirou winced guiltily. “Uh, well, about that…”

Yosuke’s eye twitched once. “I hate you. I hate you so… soooo… soooo much.”

They left for home soon after, and Yosuke refused to look at him. Although Pixie assured him he wasn’t Reversed (whatever that meant), Shirou decided he would really need to make it up to him with two birthday presents.

<><><>
June 17th, Camp Grounds, Evening

Shirou had been excited for the school campout trip. He appreciated the focus in developing love for the hometown and nature. Someone had to pick up all the trash anyway, so making it a school event was rather clever, if not manipulative. Not everyone shared his same dedication for good deeds, as a good number of students had called in sick. Kanji was one of the absentees.(1)

By a stroke of luck, members of the Investigation Team had been paired together as a group. As the trip was open to first and second year students, Rise was allowed to attend too, albeit in her own group.

The process of cleaning took all day from morning to dusk, and everyone was split into sections to remove as much litter off the mountain as possible. All the students, clad in their matching gym uniforms, were now relaxing at the campsite benches as they prepared meals.

From his seat on the bench, Yosuke whined and slumped on the table. “Man, I thought the school camping trip was going to be fun, but it was just a big pain in the ass. My back is killing me!”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Shirou reasoned as he rubbed his shoulder. “Though I hate to admit that I must have pulled something from all that work. I can’t believe someone would leave a whole bike out here.”

“Litterers should be responsible for their own garbage. Forcing us students to pick up after those assholes is just slave labor!”

The two teens groaned in exhaustion. At least the day was over, and there would be no more manual labor for the rest of the trip.

“But man, this is so going to be worth it!” Yosuke grinned and licked his lips. “The girls are cooking dinner for us! I can’t say much about Satonaka, but Amagi’s got the tradition of her inn’s cooking behind her! We’re so lucky to be paired up with them!”

“I hope so.”

Yosuke blinked, noticing his leader acting tense all of a sudden. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, I just feel like I should be the one cooking,” he insisted. “I noticed that the girls bought a lot of ingredients from Junes yesterday. I kept stressing to them how they should stick with something simple, but they were so excited I didn’t want to discourage them. I figured that if the worst comes to pass, I would cook tonight’s meal.”

“Dude, it’s like Satonaka just told you; ‘you don’t need to do everything!’ You work yourself ragged enough as it is. A job at the gas station, paying off your debt to the fox, and all the other weird stuff you did running around doing odd favors.”

“But—”

“Just relax, you’ve earned it,” Yosuke consoled; his friend was troubled, and the whole Okina incident was long behind them. “It’s not like the girls need saving from cooking.”

Shirou still felt a sense of unease. “I should go check on them. Maybe they need some seasoning advice or something.”

Meanwhile, at the cooking station behind their table, Chie and Yukiko stared at the smoldering pot of bile with dismay and worry. “Is curry supposed to be this color?” Chie asked aloud.

It was a purple mass, with purple steam rising up like a bad omen. It was hard to tell if it was liquid or solid, or what happened to their vegetables, kimchi, and shrimp. “Should we have put in the rice before or after the potato starch?”

Neither girl had an answer to that. What’s more, they had run out of all the ingredients they bought at Junes. They figured that if they added more, the curry would look better, but instead it turned darker and… sludgey.

“Should we taste it?” Yukiko asked hesitantly.

Chie flinched. “O-only if you do it first!”The girls exchanged glances, mirroring their awkwardness. Was this stuff even safe to eat?

“Is something wrong?”

Shirou’s arrival was the timely interruption they needed. “Ah! Emiya-kun! We were, uh, just finishing up!”

“Yes!” Yukiko nodded. “Though it would help to, well, garner a second opinion, you see?”

The heroic redhead looked into the pot, took a sniff, and flinched away while restraining hig gag reflex. “Gah, what in the—!? Is this really our dinner?”

That did no favors in raising Chie’s self-esteem. Emiya was nice and honest and she cared very deeply about his opinion (unlike Yosuke’s). Yukiko also held a degree of respect for their leader, and was relieved that he took the time to apologize for his outburst during their last battle.

If Emiya didn’t like their cooking, then it was proof positive that they had screwed up somewhere. But maybe it had a hidden aftertaste?

“W-we put all our love into it!” Chie explained. “Does that count?”

He looked to her and simply asked, “How does it taste?”

Suddenly neither girl wanted to look directly at him.

Shirou looked back at the pot. Somehow, he knew he should have prepared dinner, but the girls were insistent on doing it and he figured there was no harm in cooking a simple dish like curry. All rational thought was telling him not to eat it. It was a fight or flight response he’d had ever since that awful, scarred moment before meeting his foster father.

Still, he could trust his friends, right? They wouldn’t make curry that bad, right? Steeling himself, he grabbed a bowl and poured a portion of the meal into it. With his spoon, he took a bite—

And immediately wished he hadn’t.

The toxin was already working through his body, weakening the muscles from the mouth down. His face turned purple, and his eyes bulged out. He had dropped the bowl and spoon without care as he struggled to bring a hand to his mouth. Whether to force it down or claw it out, he didn’t know, but all he could mutter with absolute terror was, “Oh God!”

“Thou canst not save thee…” Was Izanagi’s voice, laced with the same horror of impending doom.Even the rest of the Personas were reacting negatively to the curry, all mirroring his spike in fear, all speaking at once and over each other.

“Such vile—! Is this retribution for my actions? Solomon!?”

“There’s no Valhalla in this! Oh no, I can hear Hel’s cruel laughter! SAVE ME LORD ODIN!”

“Oh Father! Why have you forsaken me?!”

“Not even Beelzebub can stomach this holy crap! AND HE’S A FUCKING FLY!”

“I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die, I DON’T WANNA DIE—!”

“*WHINE WHINE WHINE WHINE*!”

It was a valiant effort for all of ten seconds before Shirou’s body gave out. The foul curry (no, the Sin) was forcibly ejected back out of his mouth, along with his breakfast and the combined mess splattered over his covering hand. “Blaargh!”

It took all his energy for the emergency maneuver, and his body fell into temporary shutdown. Eyes rolling back and motor functions failing, the failed hero swayed forward for a moment before falling sideways. Anything to avoid further contact with the Sin.

His body fell with a dull thud. His mouth was left agape and his hand stunk of vomit. His color paled from the sudden food sickness, and it looked very convincing that he had died.

The only solace he could take away from this was in one brief moment, before the Sin claimed him, was that Chie and Yukiko had both stared at him with admiration in their eyes. Until they screamed, that is.<><><>
Evening, Girl’s Tent

“Shirou-kun is dead?!”

“No, he isn’t!” Chie stressed. She didn’t know what was worse; Hanako Ohtani’s snoring, or Rise-chan’s constant interruptions. “He just passed out for a few minutes. Then Hanamura tried shoveling down the same stuff and he passed out too. They’re both fine and sleeping in their tent somewhere.”

It was now past curfew, looking to be a long, sleepless night with empty stomachs and a heavy sleeper. A while ago, Rise snuck into their tent and talked about how her group’s day went. One thing led to another, and a passing mention of bad food knocking Emiya out forced Chie to relate the whole cooking story. Not that she had to, but Rise wouldn’t calm down or keep quiet otherwise.

“Oh, good,” Rise said in relief. “If your cooking had actually killed Shirou-kun, I would’ve called my lawyer to sue you.”

The brunette’s eyebrow twitched. “Like I asked your opinion on our cooking in the first place.”

“What? Most people would kill to have a chance to talk to me and hear what I have to say!”

“But aren’t you retired?” Yukiko asked. “Why does it matter what you say or not?"

“Especially when you’ve been unhinged for the last two weeks now?” Chie added.

The rouge-haired teen just smiled and fell back onto her sleeping bag. “Hehe, yeah, you’re right. Sorry, it’s just so fun being able to say what I want without rules or schedules. I never really got to do fun stuff like sleepovers before.”

“What do you mean?” Yukiko asked. “Being able to sing to thousands of adoring fans, and free to travel the country for tours is amazing. Every girl at least once dreamed of being in your place, Rise-chan.”

Rise didn’t say anything right away, and the only sound was the obese girl’s snoring. When she spoke again, it was without her usual peppiness and energy. “I used to think that too, you know. But everything about that life was like a strict schedule. I was told what to eat, what to wear, when I could take my bathroom breaks, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“I had no idea being an idol was so demanding.” Yukiko frowned. She had thought her inn duties were demeaning enough, but she probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as Rise did as an idol.

“No one does. I didn’t even know it when I started out. I thought I would be popular and make a lot of friends doing this, but everyone just reveres me. Even my group wouldn’t stop asking me 20 questions about my work the whole day.”

Chie was starting to feel bad for her. She didn’t know Rise personally, let alone her idol persona Risette, but it must have been bad to warrant retirement and a Shadow intervention. It was easy to forget that because Rise was still the new girl of the group, and a first-year student at that.

Yukiko had similar thoughts on the manner. She was trying to escape her situation at the family inn, but all she had done to rebel was earn money by folding envelopes in secret. Even worse that it was Emiya’s idea. Rise had announced in front of everyone her stance and left with her head held high. And yet it was all a front to hide her sadness. Not even her brave act had brought her any closure or satisfaction.

Before either of them could think of what to say, Rise shot up to a sitting position with a smile. “But enough about that boring stuff! I’m young and single, and I’m going to make the most of it!”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Chie asked.

“Getting a boyfriend, for starters!” Rise grinned, which turned a bit too lecherous. “Which reminds me; is Shirou-kun taken yet?”

Both second year girls balked and flushed at the question. Alarm bells were also rising as Rise made it fairly clear that she was pining after their team leader. They didn’t like that at all.

“W-well, no,” Yukiko stammered. “I don’t think Emiya-kun is seeing anyone…”

“That’s hardly our business, much less yours!” Chie snapped to hide her embarrassment. “Why are you even calling him by that name anyway?”

“It’s his given name. Besides, he calls me by my given name too. My real one, not my idol identity. It’s only fair to show how much I care about him by forgoing the traditional custom, isn’t it?”

Dammit, I’m so far behind, Chie thought bitterly. She still wasn’t ready to sort out her feelings regarding Emiya, and a pretty ex-idol was already making advances? Why couldn’t she have been more receptive to him when he was nice and heroic to her?!

“Wait a minute, Rise-chan,” her black-haired senpai reasoned. “I’m sure Emiya-kun has many good traits. Many good… admirable… desirable traits,” she trailed off with a dreamy smile. Not that another dream of him as a housewife to her was the point of her interruption. Nope!

“B-but surely there are other boys at Yasogami High that would love to be your boyfriend! Maybe even someone who would appreciate your affection more than Emiya-kun would!”

Rise was a tad insulted by the idea that Shirou-kun wouldn’t appreciate her, but she could still see the point of Yukiko’s argument. If there was another decent guy in school that was otherwise lonely or friendless, it might be worth trying to get to know them. She had been there before. “Like who?”

She drew a blank, and ended up blurting the only other name she could think off. “L-like... Hanamura-kun!”

Rise and Chie shared a flat look. The kind that said, “You’re kidding, right?” Honorable and witty he might be, Yosuke Hanamura was definitely not boyfriend material. Much less compared to Shirou Emiya, but that was like comparing rocks to diamonds.

Even Yukiko realized this as she quickly backpedaled. “You’re right, bad example. Then… maybe Kanji-kun? Or Naoto-kun?”

Rise shook her head. “I still have a bad first impression of that detective guy, and Kanji-kun didn’t even say a word to me the whole time, so I’m guessing I’m not his type.” Then she blinked. “But you know, I did hear that they both got into this fight with a teacher the other day. I think it was your homeroom teacher.”

“King Moron?” Chie blinked. A fight between those King Moron and Kanji could never mean anything good, but why would Naoto get involved? “What happened?”

“Yesterday before the trip, they bumped into each other at the gate and Moron-sensei was ranting about his behavior in middle school, and threatening to expel him if he caused trouble like with the bikers. Naoto came over to try and mediate the situation, only to get chewed out for being some ‘dropout punk with no business in an adult career.’ I heard Naoto looked about ready to punch him before leaving.”

“He doesn’t know anything about Kanji-kun,” Yukiko muttered darkly. “Or Naoto-kun for that matter.”

“I know.” Rise frowned. “I mean, I wasn’t much nicer to Naoto either, but he was bugging me after a stressful time. Moron-sensei seemed to hate him on principle of existing.”

“He has a speed record of jumping to conclusions,” Chie said. “He wasn’t that much nicer to Hanamura or Emiya-kun when they first moved in either.”

“He was mean to Shirou-kun!?” Rise yelled. “He is so on my shit list!”

“Well, Emiya-kun doesn’t seem to mind. The first day, King Moron tried to publicly humiliate him by saying he was thrown out of his city into the middle of nowhere. But then he turns and asks him if it’s self-depreciative because he just insulted himself for living in said ‘middle of nowhere’!”

Rise threw her head back and laughed, louder than her senpai’s own giggles. “Oh man, I wish I got to see that! Shirou-kun is just so cool!”

“GZZZNOOOOORRK, HOOOOOONCH.”

The girls all flinched and looked at the still snoring Hanako. That last snort was especially loud and reminded the second years that they were still hungry and unable to sleep through the night. “I’m starting to get why we’re the only girls here.”

Yukiko leaned forward with an inquisitive look. “Do you think she’d stop snoring if we covered her mouth and nose?”

“Yukiko!”

“Nah, it never works, even in the cartoons. You’re better off just drowning out the sound yourself.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?”

Rise just smiled and dug into her knapsack. “Plugs or muffs?”

“Huh?”

“Would you like to wear earplugs or earmuffs?”

The girls were still confused, even as Rise pulled out a zipped-up bag full of silicone studs and what looked like to be a padded pair of cups bridged together with an arced leather band. After a moment of consideration, Chie accepted the bag and Yukiko the earmuffs.

“You actually packed stuff like this?” Chie asked, playing with one of the plugs in between her finger and thumb.

“When you travel a lot as an idol, you kinda have to bring everything with you. This is my first camping trip ever so I made sure I was prepared for a good night’s sleep.”

Yukiko exchanged glances with her friend. They only brought what the school had asked them, which was food to cook and a sleeping bag. “What else did you bring?”

“Well, I couldn’t bring my whole wardrobe, but I did bring some other essentials. A toothbrush, comb, makeup kit, bottled water, some snacks—”

Being so hungry and tired, Chie nearly lunged at the idol’s shoulders as she uttered that beautiful S-word. “Snacks? What kind of snacks?!”

“Just some boxes of animal crackers,” she replied pulling a box out and shaking it. “I was hoping to look for the secret penguin cracker today, but I was heckled by my team so much the only time I got to eat was dinner. It was pretty sucky tempura too, now that I think about it.”

She would have rambled on, but she saw that both girls were staring at her box and salivating. “Oh yeah, you guys didn’t eat at all, did you?”

“Not after what happened to the guys.” Chie shuttered, remembering how they looked after eating their cooking. “Hanamura’s never going to let us hear the end of it.”

“Uh, Rise-chan?” Yukiko smiled weakly. “I-if you don’t mind, is it okay—?”

“Help yourselves.” She lightly tossed a box to Yukiko, and then another to Chie. They eagerly tore the tops open and guzzled the graham snacks in under a minute. I hope they didn’t eat a penguin in one of those boxes…

Although grateful, Chie still moaned dejectedly as she shook the empty box downward. “Oh, this isn’t enough to fill my tummy. I need meat and pudding!”

“Sorry, those were the only two I had on me.”

“At least we won’t starve entirely.” Yukiko smiled. “Thanks, Rise-chan. But you better hurry back to your tent if you want to get some sleep. You wouldn’t want to get in trouble if King Moron finds you gone.”

“Actually, I was kind of hoping I could spend the night with you two. I have a spare pair of earmuffs and a sleeping bag and everything else. I won’t take up that much space!”

Chie and Yukiko stared bewilderedly at her. An unvoiced question seemed to broadcast itself through their faces as if question marks hovered over their heads. Why?

Rise frowned. “Why did you think I left my tent? You guys are the only ones who see me as a person, not an idol. And sleepovers are supposed to be fun. This is my first sleepover in… well, I don’t know how long, and I want to enjoy it with my friends.”

Hanako’s dour snoring was the only sound heard in the tent, but it might as well be as calming as a cricket’s chirp now. It slowly dawned on Chie and Yukiko that for the longest time, they never had any friends other than each other. And that friendship almost ended with certain death and regret for both of them.

Even with Emiya-kun and Hanamura, their circle of friends was still small, and they had no other girls to relate to. What they saw in Rise was a little of both of them; Chie’s insecurity of stepping out of her comfort zone, and Yukiko’s unhappiness of living to one’s expectations of others.

“Chie-chan? Yuki-chan?”

“Yeah?”

“We are friends, right?”

More snoring dragged on.

“Of course we are,” Chie said finally. “Now move your bag over here. There’s plenty of room next to Yukiko and me.”

Despite the tight fit, grumbling stomachs, and snoring of an unreasonably fat student, the girls all slept soundly that night.

<><><>

(1) I'll have to thank the guys at the Spacebattles discussion thread for reminding me of this detail. When Kanji's kidnapped at March 17 in canon, he's gone for almost THREE WHOLE WEEKS (regardless of when in that time frame you save him too). He was mostly absent before the first month of school (or so the narrative implies), but his mandatory attendance policy kicks in when he joins the team on June 6. He still goes to school as enforced by Naoto and his mother, but since Naoto needs to keep an eye on him, he wouldn't go on the camping trip even if he wanted to.

[Xamusel]

Hey, Kishou, you have a job as a writer for a dating sim? Nice!! Congratulations, man.

Now, is there anything that can be said about your part in the project you're working on?

[Alternative Ice]

Congrats on the job!

Thanks for the update, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Mattias]

I thought Taiga was going to be moving in, after the last chapter? Or is she going to be the replacement for Moron after he dies, instead of Mrs. Robinson?

[Kishou the Badger]

I know that I wasn't very clear in the gaiden, but Taiga is going to show up until after the summer break. She may or may not be a fill-in teacher, which would sound weird for her to do since she's stating she wants to take a break from teaching at Homurahara only to start teaching again at Yasogami.

[Kieran]

I know that I wasn't very clear in the gaiden, but Taiga is going to show up until after the summer break. She may or may not be a fill-in teacher, which would sound weird for her to do since she's stating she wants to take a break from teaching at Homurahara only to start teaching again at Yasogami.

Weird? Yes. Totally in-character for Taiga, on the other hand . . .? Also yes.


Nice work, by the way - and thank you very much for the Marie scene. The origin of her name had me laughing so hard . . .

[MWkillkenny84]

I know that I wasn't very clear in the gaiden, but Taiga is going to show up until after the summer break. She may or may not be a fill-in teacher, which would sound weird for her to do since she's stating she wants to take a break from teaching at Homurahara only to start teaching again at Yasogami.

Let me guess, she's going to replace Mooroka when the attention seeking nerd whose name I refuse to make an effort to remember will kill him so to claim as his own the previous two murders (Ms. Yamano and Saki Konishi) too?

[Kishou the Badger]

Inaba Chorus 1: Yasogami School Days

<><><>
Melpomene Mask XII
April 26th, Samegawa Floodplain, Morning

You are Yosuke Hanamura, and you are having a bad week.

You thought that life had finally given you a break for once after you had awakened your inner Persona Jiraiya, joined forces with Shirou and Satonaka, and braved the frontier of Teddie’s world to save Yukiko Amagi. Yes, it was the adventure of a lifetime like your Shadow said, but it was all for a good cause. You were no longer the world’s punching bag and it felt great to take a stand against it and all who had pissed on you in the past.

But there were no Shadows in the real world. No murder cases to solve. No need for action or superheroes. In boring old Inaba, you were still just Yosuke Hanamura, and people had no reason to change their actions around him.

Housewives still gossip behind your back, students from the shopping district avoid you like the plague, and your coworkers at Junes only pay attention to you if they had something to bitch about on store policies. In short, life as usual.

And you still have to go to school too, which sucks. But today, you hear a few of your fellow classmates talking ahead. “Did you hear? They found Amagi-senpai.”

You feel a surge of pride and accomplishment, being one of the few responsible for rescuing the school idol. Yes, it was a team effort, but they couldn’t have done it without you.

“Huh, really?” the other student asked. “So, does that mean she wasn’t part of the case?"

“How should I know?” the talkative one replied. “I just heard people talking about it.”

Your pride soon gives way to annoyance. They didn’t sound happy at all that Yukiko Amagi was rescued, let alone cared. They were gossiping about the murder case as usual.

“You think Amagi-senpai might have been the next target after Konishi-senpai?” one of the gossipers asked. “The culprit must be going after people for their looks.”

“No way,” his friend dismissed. “Those two are completely different. I mean, one’s an inn heiress that’s pretty much royalty around here, and the other’s a tramp who—”

Suddenly aware of the implication, you are about ready to snap and show some Jiraiya-fu on the dumbass freshmen, consequences (or King Moron) be damned. But before you can, another student briskly walks past you from behind, and then the gossipers. They both pale and promptly clamp their mouths shut as soon as they see him.

As soon as he was out of earshot, they changed topics. “B-by the way, did you hear that it’s going to rain tonight?”

You don’t care about the idiot gossipers anymore. You’re more concerned about that boy. You’ve never seen that kid before, yet you can’t help but find him familiar. Maybe if you had gotten a closer look before he rushed past you…

<><><>
June 7th, Homeroom

You have a plan. A devious plan. One that will make the most out of this sucky ass camping trip coming up, even if it kills you. All you need is to borrow Shirou for five minutes while you both browse the swimsuit area for women at Junes.

But that idea hit an impromptu roadblock.

“Emiya! Hanamura!” the demon king’s voice bellowed. You were just about to sneak out of the room when he saw fit to call you both. Shirou happened to still be in his seat getting ready to leave too. “Do you know what day it is?”

Shirou, your friend, your team leader, possible eroge protagonist in another life, stated the obvious. “June 7th?”

“And what’s important about June 7th?” the King of Morons asked patiently.

You ponder over it, and then snap your fingers. “Araki’s birthday!”

Moron and Shirou look at you funny. You would expect the former not to get it, but you can’t help but wonder what kind of life the latter has to be so ignorant…

“It’s Health Week!” your teacher said. “And last I checked, you two aren’t part of the Student Health Association! Do you know what that makes you?”

“Unaffiliated?” Shirou shrugs.

“Out of here?” You quip, already turning to leave.

“Slackers! And I hate lazy, good-for-nothing kids wasting space in my classroom! So I signed you both up to fill in for a few absentees.”

“WHAT?!” you screech. “You can’t just drop this on me–us! –like this! I have to go make my rounds at Junes for crying out loud!”

“You can go shopping for lingerie on your own damn time!” he dismisses you scathingly. You bite your tongue off to avoid ranting because chances are he’s not going to listen. He doesn’t seem to care whether you work at Junes or not, if he implied you wasted time shopping there. Not that you really want to correct him that on what you had planned to do there today…

“You big city boys are all so damn spoiled! Well, tough! At this school, we expect every student to pitch in! Or are you not man enough to do something as simple as stock inventory?”

You see three options in your head:

1. Punch him.

2. Punch harder.

3. Kick him in the nads.

You are SO tempted to pick number three, but for your sake, Shirou once again saves the day. “We’ll be on our way.”

“Good,” Moron nodded; he seems to have grown a sort of soft spot for Shirou Emiya of all people, but he’d rather die than admit that out loud. “Now hurry up to the infirmary. I went ahead and called them saying that you’d be there. You’re welcome!”

And with that, the fugly-faced teacher with a hunch stormed off, leaving you both mad and crushed. Why today of all days?

Shirou just smiled and patted your shoulder reassuringly. “Let’s go.”

<><><>

You didn’t know what to expect, but as it turned out, the Health Association group really did need all the help it could get; because the ones in charge reminded you way too much of two certain Junes employees. Always complaining, didn’t care about the work, and always tried to dump everything on you the first chance they could get.

It was startling that as soon as you and Shirou walked through the door, the group left both of you on infirmary guard duty while they pranced around the school to see if “anyone needs help” or something. If anyone should be thanking King Moron, it was them, not you.

The only thing of interest that happened was some white-collared businessman (Kitano from Sando Inc. or something?) and saying that the gauze order wouldn’t come in for another month or two. Luckily Shirou remembered all that when he relayed it to the health team.

At this point, you don’t even care what they’re talking about. You haven’t done anything since coming here, short of playing secretary. Shirou, bless his heart, doesn’t seem to mind or care, and still hung on their talk like he’s part of the group and ready to help. The custodian has found his calling, it seems.

All you hear right now is:

“Blah, blah blah. Blah blah blah.”

“Blah, blah Konishi blah blah.”

Wait, what?!

You snap your head up and look at Shirou. He stares back with the same shocked expression that tells you, “Yes Yosuke, I heard him too.”

Konishi is the surname as the late Saki, your coworker and… friend, from before.

“Oh yeah, Konishi-kun.” The Health Association president nodded sadly. “He can’t help it, after what happened…”

“He”? Oh, that’s right; Saki told you once that she had a younger brother. Were they talking about him?

It was at that moment the door opened. Everyone stopped talking and stared. It reminded you of that little incident on the road after saving Amagi, and you recognize him as the same kid from before. You also saw Saki’s likeness in him: the slanted eyes, the grey hair, the facial structure… but instead of a smile you had grown used to on Saki’s face, his expression was stoic and rigid. Blank. Almost like he could fade into the background without anyone noticing.

And given how nervous and skittish the health group was acting now, they probably wished that he was anywhere but here. Which is weird, as not just a minute ago they were complaining about him. What was their deal?

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Saki’s brother said as he stepped inside.

“I-it’s okay, Konishi-kun!” the president said rather quickly. “You don’t have to come anymore, really! We found two replacements to fill in for you, and you have to help out in your parents’ shop anyway!”

“But I don’t want to be the only one…” he trailed off, too melancholic to even finish the sentence.

“Well, then… help out Emiya-kun and Hanamura-kun clean up this room!” You almost miss it, but Saki’s brother twitched at hearing your surname. That was one of two warning flags going off in your head.

“Wait,” you speak up. “You mean help the rest of us, right?”

“Someone has to go report to the teacher,” one of the health kids explained.

And there was the second one.

“It’s simple! You clean a little, and you’re done. Y-you can handle that, right?” Without so much as waiting for a response, they move for the door as the depressed grey-haired teen stepped aside. “Bye, guys!”

They quickly leave the room and you hear them all but run after closing the door behind them. Leaving you stuck in this room with clean-up duty and a moody, upset teen.

To be fair, you can’t really blame them for wanting to bolt as quickly as they did. You certainly don’t want to be near him, and he shared that sentiment from the way he refused to meet your eyes.

You don’t think that you would be able to handle this without Shirou around, if for nothing else than moral support. “Nice to meet you, Konishi,” he smiled and extended his hand in greeting. “I’m Shirou Emiya; just transferred here from Fuyuki City this year.”

He just stares at it before looking up to Shirou’s smiling face. Then he turns toward you, as if expecting you to say something.

…you feel like you should, but you don’t know what.

“Y-Yosuke Hanamura,” you finally squeak out. “And you must be—”

“Saki’s brother, yes. First year,” he says, with a hint of annoyance. Then his face shows the first bit of emotion ever since stepping in— anger. “And I hate you. Both of you.”

You wince. Shirou’s arm pulls back. Not a very good start, but you figure that you deserve it anyway. You may have not been the one to kill Saki Konishi, but you sure as hell made her personal life worse getting worked up over a crush.

Thinking back, you really were a pain in the ass. Still kind of are, too. You’re sitting there feeling awkward as the silence drags on, and then the brother breaks it as if he didn’t snap at all.

“Can I go now?” he asks lazily. You’re confused; earlier he said that he wanted to work, but now he wants to get out? That doesn’t make any sense.

Shirou mulls it over a moment, and then nods. “Sure.” Saki’s brother is already making his way for the door—

But you call out and tell him, “After you help us clean this place.”

Both Shirou and Saki’s brother stare at you. Your friend is confused and concerned regarding your reasoning, and the young freshman seems to challenge you.

“I have to help out at home,” he explains. “It’s a mess… you understand, right?”

Of course you understand; you know how Saki really died and are doing everything in your power to prevent her death from happening to anyone else. But it’s been two months since she passed away, and he’s acting more or less the same as you saw him on that odd April morning. You can’t just let this continue on.

You want to help Saki’s brother, at least to make it up to her in some way.

“If you’re really needed back home, you wouldn’t be here,” you counter. “And didn’t you just say you wanted to help?”

He stares at you for a long moment. You almost forget that Shirou is in the same room until he says, “I’ll get the mop.”

That seemed to be the right thing to say as Saki’s brother shrugs and holds out his hand. “Get me a rag and I’ll do the shelves.”

Between the three of you, you clean the shit out of that infirmary. None of you talk the whole time and eventually go your own separate ways when you’re done… and when it was painfully obvious that the Health Association group was long gone.

<><><>
Thalia Mask XI
June 4th, Faculty Office, After School

You are Chie Satonaka, and you sometimes play a hero for fun.

But right now, you’re in the faculty office with Kondo-sensei to decide what after school club you want to join. It’s kind of a requirement for Yasogami students to join at least one cultural and/or sports club, but the options don’t look so good in your opinion. Your best friend Yukiko had talked about trying out for drama, but you don’t see yourself as an actress. You’re not pretty enough for that.

You wish that there were better sports options, but the fact is that Yasogami High is a small high school in a small country town. The men’s sports are limited to soccer and basketball, and they aren't very popular. There used to be some girl sports clubs like tennis and track, but a lack of members and general interest saw to them being disbanded for the year.

“Don’t you have an English culture club?” You ask hopefully. If you need to take a club, you want to improve your language skills.

Kondo-sensei shrugs apologetically. “I barely have the credentials to teach English, and I’m more of a P.E. teacher and sponsor for the sports clubs. I don’t want to overload myself by stretching too far!"

You slump your head down, discouraged.

“Well, maybe there’s something we can do,” he said. “Our current sports teams lack managers. It’s something both captains have argued about because none of the members have the motivation to even clean up after themselves.”

You perk up. “Really? Can I work out with the team too?”

“Sure, why not?” You like Kondo-sensei; he’s so carefree and open-minded. Why couldn’t he have been your homeroom teacher? “You’re free to do whatever you deem necessary working with the team of your choice. Oh, and I should mention that we are planning on giving another student a similar position, but as a means for her to make up on missed credit. Since you asked first, she’ll be given the club you don’t pick by default.”

Oh, well, at least one club won’t be left hanging. But who would be forced in such a position in the first place?

“So, would you like to help the basketball team, or the soccer team?”

You ponder over it. You remember that Ichijo-kun and Nagise are the respective captains of each team. You don’t necessarily dislike either boy, though you do know that Nagise has a serious aversion to girls and Ichijo-kun is another Yukiko fanboy. If you are going to be a team captain, you need to decide which you would rather put up with for the rest of the year. Not to mention how both teams have problems in motivation and team spirit, not unlike what doomed the women’s sports.

Will be it basketball or soccer? Soccer, or basketball?

You decide to settle your decision with a yen coin flip.

<><><>
June 7th, Field, After School

It’s your first new day as the soccer team manager, and you introduce yourself. “Hi! I’m Chie Satonaka! I look forward to working with you guys!"

Everyone is smiling at you, even Nagise. With confidence, Kondo-sensei leaves to check on the basketball club and introduce their own new manager. As soon as he does, almost all the soccer guys swarm around you a little too close for comfort. You flinch back in reflex, barely stopping yourself from snapping a forward kick at the nearest set of legs.

“So, Chie-chan, you want to hang out after practice?”

“Actually, can we end practice now? You’re a guy like us, right?”

“Can you help do our laundry first?”

You fight the urge to frown. While very flattered that you’re being given the kind of attention that follows Yukiko around, what you’re getting doesn’t feel right. Well, you never like how the guys hounding your best friend acted either, but the guys here are treating you like you’ll give them cheat-sheets out of practice.

You fight dangerous Shadows that can kill you with ease, and these wusses are afraid a little labor and sweat. How pathetic.

To get their attention, you blow on your whistle (a little something you bought to really drive home the image as soccer manager). The shrill noise makes all of them stagger back while covering their ears with a wince.

“Okay, that’s enough soliciting!” you shout. “I’m in charge, and you are all going to start working your asses off! Now get in formation and start with team passing!”

“Wait, what about—?”

You blow again. Harder, and longer this time. The boys all scramble in position, grumbling in annoyance.

Good. You’re here to shape up a team, not make friends.

<><><>

The practice ends on a good note in your opinion. The guys are grumbling about pain and sore joints, but exercise is all about pushing your body further each time and getting stronger for it. The soccer team has been too complacent until now, and you’re going to have to make up some lost time this early spring. You take the time to write down notes on your clipboard about each member’s strengths; Hanamura calls your writing illegible but you traded these with Yukiko all the time.

The only spectator that showed up was a first-year girl who came to watch Daisuke Nagase play. She stayed and cheered for a while before leaving. Nagase didn’t seem to notice or care, and was outright dismissive when the guys teased him about it.

After practice, you made sure to tell each and every one of them to clean up the field. Any complaints they made were silenced by your whistle.

The only one still left in the now clean field is Daisuke Nagase, with his tan skin and iconic bandage-over-the-nose look. He is grinning from ear to ear as he pats your back. “Man, you’re a natural, Satonaka-kun! We might actually win a game for once.”

“I appreciate it Nagase,” you tell him. “But soccer is a team sport, and everyone needs to pull their own weight. I suppose I don’t need to tell you, the star player, how to work, right?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he shrugged it off, almost indifferent.

“Hey, Daisuke! Are you up for some ra…?”

Coming from your six, you see the blue-haired captain Kou Ichijo approach you two and wave in greeting. His voice trails off as he glances at you. “Ch-Chie-chan? What are you doing here?!”

“I’m acting as the new soccer team’s manager,” you shrug. “It was Kondo-sensei’s idea.”

“Seriously?” He sounds both incredulous and disappointed, as he then sighs and dips his head in defeat. “I wish our team manager was half as enthusiastic, at least.”

“Who do you have?”

“Ai Ebihara.” You and Nagase both winced in sympathy. “She flat out told us the only reason she took the job was to make up for her absences before blowing us off.”

You’ve heard rumors about Ebihara. The moon to Yukiko’s sun. Witty and smart, yet cruel and abrasive. Pretty on the outside, stingy on the inside. Possesses full confidence in her looks and actions, but ultimately rebels and acts on personal interest.

Or the too-long-didn’t-read version: Ebihara’s a cold-hearted bitch.

Still, she is popular, so she must have some sort of fanbase. But even knowing how sour a person she is, they must either have the delusion of making her nice, enjoy being dominated or something of that nature. Maybe if you had that image too… Gah, no, get your head out of the gutter! No more Shadow Bananas!

“Man, just for going through that, you deserve an Aiya special,” Nagase said, before turning to you. “What do you say, manager? Up for some ramen?”

You perk up at the mention of Aiya and ramen. No Junes brand stuff or Hanamura trying to bail out on a deal. You’re faintly aware of Ichijo paling and trying to say something, but you don’t care. You want a meat bowl supreme. “I’d love to!”

<><><>
Aiya’s

You are in blissful, euphoric heaven. Or at least somewhere close enough. And no, it’s not because you’re sitting between two admittedly cute guys and having dinner together; that kind of crap is for cheesy girl-centric romance manga. No, you’re here only for food, as it has been too long since you had a yummy bowl of meat and ramen.

You still haven’t beaten the Rainy-Day Challenge, with food going as far as the Meat Dimension, but one day you’ll accomplish it. Until then, practice makes perfect, and you’re making good time on this meal so far.

“Mmmmhm! This is the best!” you cry.

From your right, Nagase laughs. “Glad you think so. We try to eat here at least once a week, but can never decide on what day to do it. Our practice times never align, you see.”
From your left, Ichijo-kun groans. “You can’t just decide something like that right away, Daisuke. We barely have enough money for ourselves here.”

“It’s cool, I can pay for myself,” you waved it off. And you mean it. Your allowance was just enough to see a good ‘ol Aiya bowl once a week, so long as you don’t do something stupid again like break an umbrella or ruin the shoji door. Maybe you could try commissioning for a weighted umbrella weapon next time?

“Man, look at you, acting all independent now!” Nagase said. “And here I thought you’d be stuck in Amagi’s shadow forever.”

Luckily your mouth was full; gulping food down was no different from gulping down your fears and anxieties, or that roller coaster of emotions from the castle. Yukiko eloping, the princess fantasies, your Shadow going on and on about Yukiko and Emiya-kun…

They’re bad memories, and you don’t want to think back on them again.

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m my own girl!” But that doesn’t mean you can’t be miffed at the idea that you have no social life.

“I think what Daisuke is trying to say,”—Ichijo smiles—“is how nice it is to see you without Amagi-san all the time.”

You glare suspiciously at him. “So you can try and ask Yukiko out, you mean.”

Ichijo’s face blanches, to your small satisfaction. “Th-that’s not it at all!”

You don’t buy it. Next to Yukiko’s family, the Ichijo family is the closest thing that Inaba has to royalty. Tea ceremonies, traditions and customs, the works. Whenever you hang out with your other friends like Hanamura and Nagase, he’s nice and cool and friendly. You actually found him cute at one point while watching him play basketball last year.

But whenever he bumps into Yukiko, he gets all tongue-tied trying to say something like a confession or asking for a date. You were there each time and made it clear to him not to ask her out again, but he keeps persisting even when he said he wouldn’t. You never trust a guy alone with Yukiko, and Ichjio is no exception.

Still, you’re vaguely aware of what Emiya-kun told you the other day. “Give him a chance,” he said. It’s weird, as it’s not like the magus knows Ichijo any better than she does, but he seems to find the good in anyone. Probably because of that Social Link perk he also mentioned before.

You can trust Ichijo at least… just not anywhere around Yukiko. There’s a difference.

“She’s outta your league anyway, man,” Nagase reminded him. Ichijo glares back, but you smile at your star player for his agreement. “Why not ask that girl from our class? Sada… Saki… whatever, you know the one.”

“Oh? Ichijo-kun has a girlfriend?”

“A real doting fan, this one. She keeps making sweets in Home Ec., saying stuff like ‘I made these for you, Kou-chan!’ ”

You and Nagase laugh. It was all in good fun, as while you don’t like the idea of Yukiko and Ichijo being an item, you think he’s a decent enough guy who deserves a girlfriend. It was kind of sweet that he had someone call him Kou-chan, too.

Only Ichijo-kun wasn’t laughing. He was sighing. “You don’t like sweets?” you asked him.

“Nah, I like sweets just fine,” he shook his head. “I just wish all the girls would stop calling me ‘Kou-chan’. I mean, Kou’s such a crappy name. I hate my name.”

“Yukiko: how I hated that name.”

You cringe. That little admission hit too close to home, going right back to Yukiko’s Shadow.

Nagase shrugs in a very insensitive manner. “Well, what are you gonna do?” Then he protects his newly bruised abdomen in a very unmanly manner. “OW!”

“I think what Nagase is trying to say,” you explain as you pull your elbow back, “is that you don’t need to think too deeply about the name meaning something. I mean, my name has so many different ways it can be written, but I’m stuck with the kanji that means ‘thousand branches’. I stopped trying to figure out what that meant years ago.”

Ichijo looks at you in bemusement. You’re not sure what you’re trying to say either, but if I could cheer up Yukiko about her name then you can do the same for him.

“You’re a nice guy, a skilled athlete, and pretty easy on the eyes too. But if you’re still upset about being called your given name, I guess I’m stuck with calling you Ichijo-kun.”

Ichijo blushes, to your faint surprise. But he smiles too and seems to have cheered up again. “Th-thanks, Chie-chan. That means a lot.”

It was nothing really, but it still feels good to be praised on a job well done.

Aside from plans on future club meetings and when to meet up at Aiya’s again, the three of you eat in comfortable silence. It was a nice change of pace from the Investigation Team, not having to worry about life-threatening Shadows and monsters.

Being a team manager is going to be a piece of cake!

<><><>
Melpomene Mask XIX
May 26th, Spare Classroom, After School

You are Yukiko Amagi, a new rising star.

Yesterday you had purchased a book all about job licenses. You certainly intend to apply yourself as an interior decorator, but building different skills and a wide range of options is ideal for a good résumé, and it pays to have a back-up plan. So instead of wood shop or home economics, you join the drama cultural club.

You arrive at the door of the classroom where they host the club, but hesitate. You briefly wonder how taking up acting will affect your schedule around the inn, but find the concern to be silly. You plan to strike out on your own in the future, so if you can’t make little choices like these, you really will be stuck in Inaba forever.

Besides, after what happened with your kidnapping, the inn staff has been reorganized, and your mother fully recovered. You take a moment to compose yourself, and with a determined nod, you go inside.

“…Now let’s move on to tongue twisters,” you hear a voice say as you slowly close the door behind you. You walk in further, but softly to not draw attention from their on-going practice.

“Ready? The sixth chick cheek’s shixth cheep… Argh!”

“The sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick!” A brisk voice cuts in, so fast and yet nuancing their s’s perfectly. “You’re still not saying it correctly. Are you sure you’re the club president?”

You see a small group of students gathered around, more girls than boys. The one that strikes you the most is a girl with short dark hair with a green tint, and a light blue hairclip over her right bangs. She’s wearing the typical school uniform, only with a slightly longer skirt and knee-high socks. She notices you first, with wide grey eyes and a growing smile.

Eventually all the other club members do too, as they stare and gossip amongst themselves.

“Wow, is that Yukiko-chan?!”

“Miss Amagi is joining our club?”

“Holy crap! She’s looking right at me!”

“She looks so pretty in person…”

“Where do you think she bought that sweater?”

You feel a little self-conscious from all the attention, especially as it seems like the girls are talking almost like the boys Chie warned you about. What have you ever done to warrant a “Princess Yukiko Challenge” anyway?

“Quiet down, everyone!” A stern voice cut through the room, and its speaker, a bespectacled male, walks over to you. “Yukiko Amagi, I’m President Nagai. It’s a pleasure to have you join us. Welcome to the drama club!”

He quickly introduces the other members in the club, who all greet you with mutual enthusiasm.

“Thank you,” you reply. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Not at all. We’re just practicing today, and our main play isn’t set until the end of the year,” Nagai explained. “Just try to catch all future meetings every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and you’ll be fine.”

“Don’t worry about meeting every day, either,” another girl spoke up, also wearing glasses. “We won’t kick you out, but the more you train, the better you get at impressions, expressions and stuff.”

“Thank you, miss…?” you ask, as you don’t quite remember her name yet.

“Oh, Mika’s fine,” she says quickly. “I’m the vice president, by the way. I don’t see myself as much help though, or very good…”

The president quickly turned to her with a smile. “That’s okay, Mi-tan. I know you put a lot of effort into the club. And you’re so cute too.”

“Don’t call me Mi-tan in front of everyone!” the vice president scolded in a tone that was embarrassed… yet teasingly affectionate. And they seem to be in their own little world staring into each other’s eyes.

Huh. So this is what Chie calls “sickening sweethearts.”

Rolling her eyes, the brisk student grabs your hand and leads you to a corner of the room. You remember her name being Yumi Ozawa. “Forget about them. You need all the practice you can get, so let’s get cracking.”

“N-now?!” This was happening a little too fast for your liking!

“Hey, no time like the present! Now, let’s go over our voice lessons.”

You quickly find Ozawa to be an inspiring teacher and expert in drama. She explains things in a simple and easy to understand manner. Even when you make mistakes she quickly and gently corrects you.

You were both so involved in your perfected breathing that you fail to notice everyone else has left. Seeing no reason to stay any longer, you say goodbye to Ozawa and head home.
You give your parents slight worry coming home late,, but then you quickly pick up late night duties, homework, and cooking practice. You’ve been surrounded by teachers and knowledgeable peers all your life, and it seems weird that you only started to notice after what happened in April.

As grateful as you are, you can’t be a porcelain princess forever, and will have to move out of this town one day. Until then, you make sure to learn every important self-sufficient skill that you can.

<><><>
June 2nd, Amagi Inn

“Auuuugh,” you sigh as you collapse onto your bed, naked sans towel. If there’s a perk of owning a hot-springs inn, it is having access to its very soothing water after a long day, even indoors with showers and built-in bathtubs. Unfortunately, you were so tired and ready to doze off at a moment’s notice that you couldn’t stay in longer.

You were very lucky today. You almost died, trying to save Rise-chan. It never occurred to you until that moment about the very real danger of facing Shadows, and you were a kidnappee just a few months ago. The water has helped in soothing your aches and pains that didn’t carry over to the next world. But you were still full of stress and anxiety that couldn’t be washed away in a single bath.

If only you were stronger, or better in control. You slipped up at a funny joke that the Shadow made, and Emiya-kun rightfully reprimanded you. You attacked the Shadow with Sakuya’s strongest flames only to get blindsided by a counter-spell of ice. You were helpless when a second Megidola was all but ready to turn you into ash, and saw your life flash before your eyes.

And in that moment, you realized how much your friends, inn staff, and especially parents worried about you. How they cried when Chie carried you limping through the door. How they hugged and kissed you and uttered “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry” over and over as if they were blaming themselves. You had almost caused anguish to them all over again by rushing to your demise.

But it was better than living with the fact that Rise would have died. You don’t regret your choice to fight, just your inability. At the very least, if you can’t stop the Shadows on your own power, you’ll make sure that no one else dies on your watch.

You owe this to your friends who saved you before, and especially Emiya-kun and Teddie who pulled off a victory at the last moment. For all his flirting, Teddie was downright loyal and brave when the chips were down. And Emiya-kun, even in his bloody and battered state, looked so strong. So manly…

The sudden ringtone of your phone interrupted your lusty daydream with a start. Now wide awake, you reach into your bag and check the caller ID. It was Ozawa, whose number you obtained earlier this week after practice.

You’ve only known Yumi Ozawa for a short while, but she’s a savant on the stage. The other day, she perfectly rehearsed a part that was intended for Mika, and had taken the role of the character as her own. Her one-on-one sessions with you also helped you get better among your fellow drama club members, although Yumi insists that you have talent as well.

Curious as to what she’s calling you for, you answer. “Hello?”

“Hi, Amagi. Sorry about missing practice.”

You blink. Today was Thursday so… oh right, Mika said they had drama club practice that day. “It’s okay. I missed practice too.”

“Really? What happened?”

“Something… important came up,” you answer. You had forgotten all about practice when Chie and the others decided to visit Teddie, and from there it became a mad blitz to rescue Rise-chan from inside the TV world. “What about you?”

“The hospital called and said that my mom collapsed.”

“Oh my!” You shot up from your bed. Memories of your own mother passing out during Yamano’s visit come to mind, and every bad thing leading up to your kidnapping too. “That’s horrible! Is she all right?”

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Ozawa said. “After all, she wasn’t the one hurt at all.”

You’re confused. Not only is Ozawa starting to sound peeved, but what she’s saying doesn’t make sense. “What do you mean? Didn’t she collapse?”

Ozawa sighs from her end on the phone. “My mom lied, saying it was the only way she knew I’d come. She didn’t collapse, but someone else was in a hospital bed.”

“Who?”

A tense silence followed, before Ozawa uttered two words full of contempt and anguish. “My father.”

You’re almost positive that you misheard that. How could anyone hate their own father? You weren’t sure what to say in response, but the moment passes as Ozawa speaks again.

“No, not my father,” she amends, before growing in volume and achieving the intensity of a rant. “He left us ten years ago for another woman. He’s always been a dirty scumbag like that. And now he’s all sick and on his deathbed. He comes crawling back, saying that he wants to see his family again, and it pisses me off!

“I was finally able to move on! I had completely blocked him out from my life! And now he’s ruined that, just like he’s ruined our lives before! And despite the fact that he LEFT HER, mom is actually going to stay by his side until he dies! I can’t believe how stupid she’s acting!”

You’re taken aback by Ozawa's anger. You’ve seen her act before and know that she’s very expressive in emotions, but this feels unsettling. She seems to have been through a lot concerning her father, but wants nothing to do with him even as he’s dying?

“Ozawa,” you finally speak. “I’m sorry to hear about you and your father, but… don’t you think you should honor his wish?”

Ozawa immediately snaps at you. “What do you know?! You never had to live with him, or see him walk out with some… some hooker on his arm!!”

You choke on your words. It’s true that you can’t understand Yumi’s position, but she’s also ignoring the important issue. Death is final. You’ve had a brush with it more than once to know that horrid feeling of helplessness. If her father was fine, she’d be free to act like this. But when you die, that’s it. And to die with regrets is just awful…

“I’m sorry, Amagi,” Ozawa says softly. “I… we just decided on the major roles in our upcoming play, and then he drops back into my life. I just really needed to tell someone how unfair this is, you know?”

“I know,” you reply. Chie has always been a close confidant for you and vice versa. You can sympathize with Ozawa’s conflicting emotions, and needing to tell someone.

“Don’t worry, this won’t affect practice,” she tells you. “My absence was a one-time thing. Same for you, right?”

“That’s right,” You tell her. You doubt anyone will get kidnapped again now that Rise-chan is safe.

“Great! Then we’ll play catch up next week! See you then. And… thanks for listening, Amagi.”

“Of course, Ozawa. Take it easy.” You hang up, slumping down to your bed again.

This has been such a depressing, exhausting day. You can save people from the TV world, and yet others still die in unfair ways.

You get dressed, find your father, and hug him tight. The scare of your kidnapping is fresh on his mind too, and he hugs you back.

You may not want to take over the inn, but you certainly would never wish ill to the family you love.

<><><>
Thalia Mask XIX

June 6th, Music Room, After School

You are Rise Kujikawa, retired idol by the name of Risette.

You didn’t really know what to expect upon entering Yasogami High School. Yes, you were popular and had fans, but every student in the general area tries to hound you with questions, shake your hand, and other stuff. You ignore it, believing that the craze will die out soon and you can make some friends past the idol persona.

You love music, and want to try playing an instrument at least once. So, after discussing it with some teachers and your friends Chie-chan and Yuki-chan, you decided to join the music band club, or music club for short. You hesitate for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. With the memory of your big entrance this morning still fresh on your mind, you have a feeling that you’ll get a lot of unwanted attention before everyone gets used to you.

You open the door and step into the music room just as a girl was about to leave. “Oh!” She looks no older than you, is shrinking back in a posture like she could fade into the background, but her face sticks out. Her short green hair tops her head, her small brown eyes… and those cute red cheeks! She looks almost like a Pikachu!

She seems to stutter as she looks you over, her shock and surprise increasing two-fold. “Y-y-yo-you’re—!”

“Yes, I’m Rise,” You smile at her. Between all the screams and requests for autographs or pictures, having someone stutter cutely was a welcome change of pace. “I came by to see if I could join the music club.”

Her mouth flaps around like a fish before she runs inside. “Captain! Captaaaaain!!”

<><><>

As it turned out, everyone in the music club was rather mellow. There were faint whispers and a lot of staring, but it didn’t look like anyone cared that you were famous.

“As you’re all aware”—the band captain gestures to you—“this is Rise Kujikawa, a first-year. She’ll be joining our troupe starting today, so let’s give her a warm welcome.”

You were standing before the school’s symphony band, sitting in chairs with sheet music stands next to them. A wide variety of instruments were available, ranging from clarinets and violins, to trumpets and trombones. You swear that you can even see a tuba player in the back. “Welcome!” they all chorused.

The band captain turns to you after introductions. “So Kujikawa, aside from singing, have you had any experience with musical instruments?”

“Not in the slightest,” you admit with a chuckle. “But I’m familiar with notes and sheet music, if that helps.”

“We can always use another coach.” He nodded. “We’ll decide on what you can play later. Just sit back and watch for today. Matsunaga, bring her up to speed in the meantime, alright?”

The girl from earlier stuttered again. “Y-yes, captain!”

The two of you sit down on a few seats in the far corner, away from the rest of the band members. “Okay, break’s over! Let’s take it from the top!”

The symphony that followed was appropriately rustic. It wasn’t perfect by any means (since they’re training to perform together) but it was getting close. You’re excited to be a part of this. No single important star that takes over and no background singers are around to make the lead look good. This is just a well-oiled cohesive group where everyone’s nearly the same and they have their own part to play.

“U-um,” the Matsunaga girl next to you stammers again. Not loudly of course, as she doesn’t want to interrupt the other band members. “So, Risette, I-I mean, Kujikawa-san—”

“Just Rise is fine,” you tell her. You see no reason for the two of you to be politely distant.

“Okay, Rise-chan.” She smiles. “So, like the other culture clubs, we meet every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Except for a week before finals, so everyone can study.”

You cringe at the mention of “finals.” At least you came to the school year late and have one less test to worry about.

“We don’t worry about attendance either. Our band is good, but we usually perform at small places. Like senior homes and hospitals.”

So the symphony band was only eligible for charity events? You have mixed feelings about that, honestly. On the one hand, you did just retire from showbiz so it’s nice not having to go directly into the limelight of big featured events like school-to-school band concerts. On the other, it’s such a major step down from your idol career that it is almost sad. Not mention that not as many people could hear the band play their hearts and souls out.

After a few more songs, the captain calls rehearsal to an end. Then everyone packs up their instruments and leaves. They don’t spare you or Matsunaga a second glance. Matsunaga herself seems to slip into a routine of standing up, dusting her skirt, and collecting the sheet music.

You sit there in confusion, watching and wondering why one girl is doing clean-up, or why she’s even in the band. “So uh, Matsunaga?”

“Ayane.”

“Huh?”

“M-my full name is Ayane Matsunaga,” she tells you with a smile. “I never got a chance to properly introduce myself, and it’s only fair that we call each other by our given names, right?”

…It takes all your self-control not to jump up and squeeze the cute out of her, but you manage. The Investigation Team’s reactions told you that not everyone likes the sudden touchy-feely reaction.

“A-anyway, what exactly do you do around here? Why are you in this club?”

“Oh, I play the trombone,” Ayane smiles. “I joined this club because I love music and have always been inspired by the songs that bands and idols played, like yours!”

“Glad to hear it.” You smile. You can tell that she’s one of your more modest fans, drawn by your singing appeal rather than sex appeal. Not that it would make you want to go back ever…

Then you blink as a thought occurred to you. “But wait, why weren’t you playing today? And why were you running around doing errands instead?”

Ayane looked down and away from your gaze. “O-oh, I’m not very good. I’m a reserve member, so I don’t go to performances. I practice sometimes, but I mostly help take care of the paperwork and cleaning.”

That sounds more like a manager’s job… or a secretary’s.

“But someone’s gotta keep this place all clean, right? I can’t do much regarding music or performing yet, so I help out with this.” She continues collecting sheet music and putting them back in the giant locker-like storage. “You can hurry on out of here, Rise-chan. Don’t let me keep you waiting.”

You suddenly get why you’re so attached to Ayane. You thought it was just how she was cute, young, and innocent (probably ideal in the idol market). But more than that, she’s so lonely and wants to be a part of the band so much that she’ll do grunt work. She was like you before you ever became Risette.

“I’ll help.” You announce as you rise from your chair.

Ayane looks at you in surprise, not at all expecting the offer. That alone makes you sad and all the more determined to help her, even as she’s shaking her head no. “N-no, it’s okay, Rise-chan! It’s my responsibility, so please don’t go out of your way or anything!”

“I insist,” you state and move your chair towards the back end of the room. “We’re bandmates now and we help each other out like a team. And what kind of bandmate leaves someone to do all the hard work?”

Ayane’s cheeks glowed bright red, nearly reached her whole face.. “W-well, okay. Thanks, Rise-chan.”

You both clean up the music room quickly, and manage to finish in time to leave before the sky got too dark. You look forward to the next practice, and in the meantime ask your grandma about getting a new instrument.

[nitewind]

Always nice to see this update.

[Alternative Ice]

I've never played Persona but these clubs are all different activities your character can choose to participate in to get more social links right?

Having the other members of the investigation team do them instead is a very good idea, giving them development that isn't centered on Shirou.

[Kieran]

I agree - this has to be the most novel way of handling Social Links that I've ever seen. And you've managed to keep all the party members' reactions in-character, too. Very well done!

[Kishou the Badger]

I bring Christmas tidings!! Beware of a big picture in the middle though (commissioned via Neith's patreon)

Chapter 34: Calm Before the Storm

June 18th, Morning, Mountain River

On the morrow, the students of Yasogami High were dismissed and allowed to go home. For the members of the Investigation Team, Yosuke asked everyone to follow him instead of everyone else to the buses. But the progress to their destination was slow as he still hadn't fully recovered from last night's dinner.

“Ugh...” Yosuke moaned as he held his stomach, every so often slowing his pace. "That was worse than the time I ate tofu! I'm never eating curry again for as long as I live!"

Shirou wasn't in a better position himself, but he had dealt with worse pains than an upset stomach. He simply hid his discomfort better. “Yosuke, maybe we should head back home," he asked him. "Stomach pains are not exactly best for mountain hikes.”

“No!” he yelled as he started to walk faster. “We're the only ones left on the mountain, and we're gonna make the most of it! Besides, we’re almost there! Come on, girls!”

Chie, Yukiko and Rise exchanged bewildered looks, and Shirou gave a resigned shrug. Yosuke still hasn't explained what his plan was to any of them, but was very insistent they skip the morning bus and come right over.

Since the rest of the Saturday was considered a rest day, they could do whatever they want, and it was a long bus ride back to town. With the majority of the Yasogami students all taking a beeline from the mountains to their homes (and most likely their beds), that left the five teens alone. And if anyone was willing to enjoy nature’s splendor after being forced to clean it up yesterday, they were.

Their long hike ended at a steep cliff overlooking a waterfall and riverbed. Yosuke beamed and shouted, “Woohoo! We’re here!”

It was a truly beautiful site; lush green trees all around the body of water, the relaxing sound of wind, leaves, and running water, a spray of droplets forming a small rainbow from above… even ignoring the rather steep height and the big, sharp rock in the middle of the river, it was worth the trip alone just coming here.

“Yeah, real pretty.” Chie nodded, and taking a moment to admire it. The moment quickly passed, and she turned to leave. “Well, let’s go.”

“Wait, what?!” Yosuke cried, seeing the girls leaving. “Come on, we just got here! It would be a waste to not go swimming after all that hiking!”

“Hey, if you want to go swimming, that’s your business. Don’t let us stop you.”

The girls were already starting to leave to catch the next bus before Yosuke uttered three words. “You owe us.”

Chie and Yukiko flinched. It was clear that he was talking about dinner last night. “B-be reasonable, Hanamura-kun. We didn’t eat dinner either.”

“Yeah, because you fed us your poisoned crap!” he snapped. Then he sighed and tried again. “But I’m willing to let bygones be bygones if you do this one little thing for us. A little afternoon swim. What’s the harm in that? Well, besides an upset stomach, of course.”

“Look, we’re sorry, okay?” said Chie. “But you can’t just spring this swimming favor thing on us last minute!”

“And besides, we don’t even have our swimsuits with us,” Yukiko added. “It wouldn’t be a problem otherwise, but we just can’t.”

“Man, if only I brought my swimsuit,” Rise lamented. “But no one told me there was a river here in the first place.”

“So if you all had a swimsuit, then you’d all go swimming?” Yosuke asked.

“Well, yeah. But like Yukiko said, we don’t have them, so—”

“So I got you covered!”

Yosuke surprised the girls by pulling out three pairs of women’s bathing suits from behind his back. “Introducing the brand-new Junes original swimwear, just in time for the summer!”

Rise was beside herself at the idea of a free gift, especially with a cute swimsuit. Chie and Yukiko, however, exchanged uneasy glances between each other and the hangers holding the three swimsuits. “Hanamura-kun…” Yukiko started slowly. “Did you have these with you the whole time…?”

“Well, after you told us that the guys from last year swam in the river, I couldn’t pass up a chance like this! I even got some help in picking the designs and the sizes just right!”

No one noticed Shirou wince from the side, as they were still staring at the swimsuits and mentally processing Yosuke’s words. “Dude.” Chie paled. “This is so wrong.”

“Oh come on, girls!” Rise smiled, leaning over to look closer at the clothes. “Sure, what Yosuke-senpai did was a little creepy, but it’s the thought that counts. And we’re getting these nice swimsuits for – wait. Is that design the same one my Shadow wore?”

“Yep!” Yosuke grinned, lifting the yellow polka-dot bikini up for emphasis. “I picked this one out special, just for you! What do you think?”

Rise’s smile had fallen the moment she spotted the bikini, and she was now scowling rather darkly at him. “Do the words ‘too soon’ mean anything to you?”

As Yosuke started to sweat nervously, Shirou sighed and shook his head. “Yosuke, I thought you said you would tell the girls about this plan of yours.”

“I’m telling them now.”

“You know what I mean. What exactly did you think was going to happen, springing it on them like this?”

“Hey, don’t think you can take the moral high ground. You were the one who gave me all their measurements in the first place!”

“YOU WHAT?!?!” Chie screeched in horror. As she flinched, covered her chest and lifted her leg up defensively, one thought circled her head. Shirou Emiya knows my three sizes. Shirou Emiya knows my three sizes. Shirou Emiya knows my three sizes!

Yukiko too was staring at him, equally embarrassed. She couldn't even think of a proper response to having her inner shame exposed like this. Though it didn’t stop her from trying (and failing) to open and close her mouth repeatedly.

Rise, on the other hand, took the news surprisingly well. With an intrigued expression and some flirting to boot. “Oh ho! Shirou-senpai, I didn’t think you were so daring!”

“I-it’s not what it looks like!” he insisted quickly, hands shaking. “Yosuke asked me – or rather tricked me – into finding out because he said he lost the information prior. It wasn’t until after I did it that he was trying to pull this off, and, well, I didn’t expect him to seriously go through with it!”

Honestly, Yosuke was reminding him a bit too much of Shinji lately. If it weren’t for the fact that the latter had a fortune under his family name, he’d probably not get away with half the stuff he did, be it flirting or blowing off steam.

“Well, swimsuits that fit are better than ones that don’t I guess. But how did you find out, anyway? Did you peek at us at our homes changing?”

Shirou blushed and groaned, deciding to just be upfront about the whole thing. “I was actually lightly brushing your backs and using Structural Analysis to know the size of your clothes… and underwear.”

Chie and Yukiko’s faces glowed bright red. Rise’s too, but it was small compared to her sultry smile. “Very daring.”

“How can you be so… so glib about this?!” Yukiko snapped, much to the surprise of everyone. “Emiya-kun just violated our personal privacy to find out our measurements! Aren’t you the least bit ashamed or outraged about this?!”

“Ah, they’re just numbers,” Rise said dismissively. “I’d half expect someone in Shirou-senpai’s position to make our clothes explode or something before just satisfying a silly question. Numbers and measurements just enhance the imagination of the people, and it’s rather harmless to know and see that than some pin-up nude shot. At least, that’s what my agency told me about disclosing my sizes.”

The tomboy raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Your three sizes are public knowledge?”

“Eh, sort of. They insisted my bust line to be listed two centimeters higher than normal.”

Thoughts drifted back to the late Shadow Rise for obvious reasons. “That explains a lot,” Shirou snarked. Chie and Yukiko exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

Feeling that the conversation was getting sidetracked, Yosuke quickly stepped between Shirou and Rise, holding up the swimsuits again. “Well, we can keep arguing about the specifics, but the fact is that it’s a nice day out, there’s a river down there and we aren’t getting any younger! So go on, pick your suit and start swimming!”

The three girls exchanged glances and thought about it. For two seconds. “No.” “No.” “Hell no.”

“Oh come on!” Yosuke whined. “You three said it wouldn’t be a problem if you had swimsuits, and you still owe us for dinner last night!”

“I don’t owe you anything,” Rise disagreed.

“We don’t trust your appeal on swimsuits,” Yukiko added.

“And you’re the only one who keeps bringing up dinner.” Chie glared.

Yosuke was fuming. Nothing he was saying was convincing them to go, even the reminder of that Mystery Food X they cooked up. If only there was more dirt to use on them, like an I.O.U., or the authority of someone. As is, they’re barely getting peeved at the fact that Shirou scanned their clothes.

Wait, that’s it!

“Come on, Shirou, back me up!” He asked, holding back a smug grin. “You’re our leader, so tell these girls to get changed and swim with us!”

“No.”

“Ha! You heard him, now go and—!” Yosuke stopped as he processed what he’d just heard. “Wait, you too? But why?!”

“If they don’t want to swim, that’s their decision.” The red-haired magus shrugged.

“But… but dinner! We could have died last night eating that shit!”

“Hey!”

Shirou held his hand up to stop an argument between him and the girls. “I’m not so petty as to take revenge due to a bad meal. What happened was a mistake on their part, and the fact that they didn’t get to eat at all is just as bad as us passing out.” Yukiko sighed in relief, and Chie looked smug as Yosuke’s defense was torn down.

“However,” Shirou’s tone grew threatening, and the second-year girls both stiffened. “I do agree that last night was the worst meal I have ever eaten. I vow to later pound out any bad habits and fill you up on proper techniques so that you may pass as adequate cooks. Is that understood?”

Both girls gulped and nodded. Though there was a bit of innuendo that caused more than a fair amount of blushing for the girls (including Rise) that almost went over Shirou’s head. That is, until two familiar voices popped up.

“Teeheehee! Get it, Angel? He said ‘pound’!”

“Yes, Lilim, I heard.”

“And in the same sentence, he even said ‘fill—’”

“Yes, yes, I heard that too.”

Luckily the innuendo was forgotten as Yosuke (either missing the wordplay or simply not caring) pressed his case again. “Dude, help me out here! I paid good money for these swimsuits!”

“And they clearly don’t care enough to take them. You at least saved the receipts, didn’t you?”

As Yosuke’s words devolved into angry, unintelligible gibberish, Shirou knew that no, he didn’t save them. Shirou shrugged, walked over to the edge of the cliff and unzipped his track jersey.

Yosuke found his voice again and quickly asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Wait, what are you doing?”

“Getting ready to swim,” he answered simply. “Just because the girls don’t want to swim doesn’t mean I shouldn’t. Like you said, it would be a waste not to do so after a long hike.”

“But you’re missing the—!”

Whatever exasperated argument Yosuke had in mind died when the jacket slipped off his shoulders. Everyone got a good look at Shirou’s backside, wearing a white undershirt but doing nothing to hide the tone and muscles underneath. “Poywaaaah…?”

And then there were the arms, thick and strong, yet lean and flexible. Already he was pressing one hand on his opposite shoulder and holding it in place as he spun the shoulder in place. Yukiko lightly pulled the collar of her own jersey in self-conscious heat, and gulped at the sight. “O-oh my…”

When that was done, Shirou then bent over to remove his shoes and sweat pants, revealing a pair of blue trunks underneath. Stopping above his knees, they allowed a good view of his strong calves. Chie was stuck staring between his leg muscles and his rear end, but stuck to the latter as he bent lower. Another thought circled her overheating head, and it was “Huminahuminahuminahuminahuminahumina…”


Blissfully unaware of the reactions he was getting, Shirou turned around as he set his clothes aside, safe away from the cliff’s edge. Then, with eyes closed, he reached and pulled up his undershirt. The audience was flashed by his physique of flat abs and modest pecs. It was clear he was a high school student and not exactly ripped, but what they did see was very flattering and appealing. Rise drank the view for all it’s worth, slowly licking her lips once over as she did.


Eventually Shirou did open his eyes, but was suddenly self-conscious of everyone around him, at least what they were doing. “Um… why are you all staring?”




Those words broke the unexplained spell cast over them, and they suddenly wanted to look anywhere but him. Even Yosuke was caught staring, mostly out of muscle envy and realizing just how far his charm on the fairer sex went.

Suddenly, Rise reached over and snagged all three swimsuits from his hand and ran. “No peeking!” She yelled without looking back. The second years were right behind her, unanimous in their tacit decision.

Shirou and Yosuke blinked, baffled for entirely different reasons. “What just happened?” the former asked his friend.

Yosuke turned and stared with a blank expression. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, closed his mouth and shook his head. Part of him wanted to be mad at Shirou for his innate sex appeal, but another didn’t want to offend the gift horse by looking or asking too much. So he just accepted this win of getting the girls to swim in the river as intended, and started to change to his swimsuit too.

Poor Shirou was left baffled, which made things worse as a certain sex devil wouldn’t stop laughing the whole day.

<><><>
June 20th, Yasogami High Road, Morning

“Bwaaaaaaaaaaaah.” A loud yawn escaped out of Kanji Tatsumi’s mouth. After relaxing and sleeping in the last two days, it was almost a pain to go back to school again, much less walk the way there.

From behind him, Naoto Shirogane followed him as always. It’d been weeks since this set-up started, but it was made less awkward over time. The fact that his grandfather was actually a regular customer at Tatsumi Textiles helped break the ice a bit.

“Are you feeling all right?” Naoto asked.

“I will be,” he replied as he rubbed his eyes open. “I just wish I could sleep in again like I’ve been doing all spring.”

He was not looking forward to another day of the same old shit. Male students making big talk before shitting themselves seeing him, girl students avoiding him and talking shit behind his back, shitty teachers acting apathetic to the world around them... with one especially shitty exception.

“That King Moron better not show his face around me again if he knows what’s good for him.”

Naoto gave him a stern frown. “Kanji, I understand how you feel, but you can’t lash out because of what he said to you.”

“It’s not what he said to me that pissed me off,” he snapped back.

Naoto was now staring at him intently, making the bleached haired teen more upset and awkward. He wasn’t good at talking his feelings out, leaving himself open. He was a man that solved his problems with his fists, never running away.

Not that he would run away from the little guy even if he could. He was surprisingly good company these last few weeks, and was sharp as a tack. Which was why he was pissed to hear King Moron, of all people, call him a drop-out punk.

Naoto was smart enough to read between the lines. He was smart enough to know that Kanji took offense for his sake, and didn’t need that spelled out like anyone else. He could say one minor detail and the kid would know exactly what he meant. Hell, he was so much better than him that he deserved more than this babysitting treatment.

The shorter boy lowered his gaze down to the road, and the brim of his hat hid his face. “You still shouldn’t act so rashly. People are starting to talk about you again.”

Apparently with the news so dry of content, the reporters tried looking back into what happened to Kanji the Biker Thrasher. Rumors were already spreading, and he recalled one asshole from cram school talking trash the other day. He would have rearranged his face if not for his sister apologizing on his behalf and dragging him away.

Kanji scoffed. “Yeah, I like to see that bastard try after screwing up the last two times. Besides, weren’t all his victims girls?”

“It’s still telling that Emiya-san and Amagi-san tried to warn you about your safety,” said Naoto.

“I still don’t like him,” said Kanji, and that was the end of that.

For the duo had now arrived at the school gate, and would have to part ways.

“See ya in a few hours, Naoto,” he waved as he continued toward the school building, and ignored the flurry of girls trying to converse with him. It was a good thing the guy didn’t go to school here.

At least no cops or crazy shit can get me here…

<><><>
June 22nd, Junes Food Court, After School

As per usual, the small town of Inaba felt even smaller whenever the rain came. Everyone stayed indoors for the most part, and most school clubs canceled or ended early. That seclusion extended to Junes, as even the regular shoppers decided against eating at the top floor food court.

“Hey hey hey! Watch it, I’m already soaking wet!” Yosuke yelled. Tama ignored him and continued to bristle her fur free of water next to him, much to the humor of the girls.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Hanamura!” Chie teased. “Tama-chan is giving you your birthday present after all!”

“Yeah, wet fur is great,” the now seventeen-year old teen groaned. “And I guess I should be grateful she even bothered to get me something at all.”

“Hey, my birthday was on the same day as my concert,” Rise argued. “Sometimes no attention is better than the wrong kind of attention.”

“And didn’t Emiya-kun give you two presents?” Yukiko asked, eyeing the gift bags he had set aside.

“It was the least he could do after what happened in Okina.” He still had nightmares of Shirou being surrounded by buxom women while his motorcycle melted in the hot sun. It was nice to get a new music CD and set of sharpened knives of course (or Kris as they’re called), so he might finally let Shirou off the hook for ruining “Operation Up Close and Personal” for him.

It was a happy birthday for him, all things considered, and he still had cake with his parents to look forward to.

“Now that we’re all here,” Shirou said, ignoring Yosuke’s plight, “We need to talk about what we saw last night.”

“That Midnight Channel, right?” Yukiko asked.

Rise shivered, feeling ever so grateful that she, or rather her scantily-clad Shadow, didn’t appear on TV. “I owe you guys big time, don’t I?”

“Yeah, you do,” Chie said. She didn’t really want to tell her that finding out about her kidnapping was a complete accident, and that stopping the Midnight Channel broadcast was just coincidence. Although… “But I wouldn’t worry about it too much, because we thwarted the guy’s plan.”

“What do you mean, Chie?”

“Well, there’s got to be some reason the culprit keeps throwing people into the TV, right? All crazed murderers have some sort of vendetta towards people they target.”

“Like with the Yamano scandal!” Yukiko exclaimed.

“Oh, that news reporter?” Rise asked. “Naoto mentioned her too. I never met her personally, and the only thing we had in common was appearing on the same talk show once. Not together, of course.”

“We do know that the targets have been all female, at least to this point,” Shirou added. “Yet if Kanji is a target, then that pattern is now moot.”

“So that means the only possible rationale for targeting people is those that have been on TV recently,” said Yosuke.

“And that means…” Chie began, before slumping in her seat. One could swear they saw smoke coming out of her ears. “Gaah! My brain hurts! I know it’s on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t get what’s so important about all this!”

“Let’s look back for a second,” the ebony-haired girl offered. “We all established that the Midnight Channel shows people that appear on the TV prior. What we don’t know is why. It’s a good first step.”

“We all saw Amagi-senpai’s ‘commercial’ after she was thrown in, and it was talking about how she—” Yosuke would have said more, but Chie was glaring daggers at him for making her friend shrink in her seat in embarrassment. “W-well, we all saw what happened.”

“I didn’t,” Rise said. Playing a bit of charm, she leaned over her seat and smiled at him. “Go ahead, Hanamura-senpai. What was Yuki-chan’s show like?”

Yosuke gave an uneasy smile as his eyes darted between her and Chie. He could either disappoint his favorite idol, or earn a thrashing from his tomboy friend. It was a lose-lose situation all around. “Well, uh… you see—”

“It’s on a need-to-know basis,” Chie finished for him. The girls exchanged heated glances, and Yosuke gave a quick sigh of relief that he was off the hook.

“No fair! I’m a part of this team too now, am I?”

“And I bet you would LOVE to share how your initiation into our D&D group went down in full detail, right?”

“N-no… but that’s beside the point! How do I know that your Shadows weren’t all thought up by some perverse misconception on wanting to know the real thing like with me?”

“It is, okay? End of discussion!”

Rise’s cheeks puffed out to a scowl, before turning with cute doe eyes towards the team leader. “Shirou-kun! Please tell me what it was like with Chie-chan’s Shadow!”

“Wha—?!” Whatever triumph Chie felt in shutting out Rise from the “Yukiko’s Castle” incident was dashed at her next ploy. She immediately flailed her arms in worry. “No! Don’t tell her that! Don’t tell her anything!! Don’t even mention the--!”

“Talking board…”

Both girls blinked. “Huh?” “The talking board?”

It only just occurred to the group that Shirou had been in deep thought. Indeed, he’d had an epiphany upon hearing the girls’ argument, and remembering something he heard once from Nami the gas station attendant. “It’s just, this Midnight Channel is like a giant talking board. People notice someone on the T.V., immediately think about them, and they appear on the Midnight Channel.

“It was originally spread as a rumor that watching it would reveal a soulmate. People watch it anticipating someone they know or like to appear, only to get someone they knew from the news. And the more it happens, the more they believe it works, even if it is just coincidence.”

Yosuke’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you saying that the Midnight Channel isn’t just some advance ransom notice, but something we’re making happen?”

“Not just us, but the whole town,” Shirou stated. “For some reason, the culprit is channeling all our thoughts into that world, and we're all subtly altering how we see Shadows of ourselves and other people."

The group hung on Shirou’s every word. It was a good thing that the murder mystery was covered up as a Dungeons and Dragons quest, for it could very well pass off as some typical world-ending lore they were hearing at a tavern or something.

“Doesn’t that seem a bit beyond a magic-person’s control?” The retired idol frowned. “I may not be the expert here, but your footnotes imply that to do the real groundbreaking stuff, you need a lot of energy before the world breaks it down and kicks your ass for it.”

“And even with the human sacrifice angle, only two people have died recently,” Yosuke added morbidly. “Normally that would be the case, but Teddie’s world seems to be an entirely different dimension from our own, and the same rules don’t apply. It would be more accurate to say that the culprit discovered the world by chance and is trying to learn how to utilize it.”

“I don’t get it.” Yukiko tilted her head to the side. “What could be ‘utilized’?”

“Teddie himself explained that the world is connected to our own’s weather patterns, despite never having been out here to see for himself. When the fog is heavy here, it is clearer there, and the fog directly interferes with how the Shadows act. The culprit could very well be using the people that appear on TV as guinea pigs before throwing them inside, and seeing the different Shadows that could be born from other people.”

At once, everyone’s feelings melted into mutual anger. Even Tama’s fur bristled, showing once more how knowledgeable the enigma fox was. Still, Shirou wasn’t done yet. “Perhaps the culprit is involved somewhere high up like the news media, or is just sitting back and watching the show at a distance. Regardless of method, he seems to be targeting people exposed on the media in some way. Yamano is self-explanatory, with her scandal all but beaten like a dead horse.

“And Saki-senpai ended up getting a lot of flak just for seeing the body,” Yosuke muttered. “It just had the unfortunate consequence of showing her resentment of work… and me.”

A somber silence passed for Yosuke and the late Saki Konishi. Only half of the Investigation Team present knew what happened that day, but those that didn’t could tell how much it affected him still. Tama even went out of her way to brush against his leg for some comfort. With a small smile, Yosuke returned the favor and scratched behind her ears.

“Then there’s Yukiko,” Chie said a moment later. “She’s one of the most popular girls at school, and made out to be this unreachable princess.”

“Fuji-nee – my guardian,” Shirou quickly added for Rise’s benefit. “Appeared by virtue of being a ‘mysterious stranger’ stopping a robbery. Rise’s would have implied to be selling out after quitting the idol business. And Kanji…”

“Rebellious teen with a hate boner for authority?” Yosuke snickered. “Yeah, I can see why he’d be picked.”

“Well what about you three?” Rise asked, referring to Chie and the boys. “You never told us how you fit in the pattern.”

“We don't. We never appeared on TV and only encountered our Shadows because we were in the TV World when hitting an emotional low point.”

“Even Shirou-kun?”

Everyone looked at their leader. Rise and Yukiko turned to Yosuke and Chie respectively, hoping for an answer. Yosuke focused on petting Tama some more and Chie started fiddling with her metal pins, both feeling awkward and sweaty.

Smiling in amusement and awkwardness of his own, Shirou explained for them. “To be honest, I was able to summon a Persona without a Shadow. I didn’t quite realize how it happened either until I did it.”

“Okay, but how?” Rise asked. “Is it because of your ‘Wizard’ class thing?”

“I think it’s because I’m a guest of the Velvet Room, actually. Igor and Margaret implied that other people have entered the room before, and having some sort of contract allows entry, usually in the form of an awakened Persona.” Shirou felt there was more to his awakening, but that was for neither here or now.

Yosuke coughed into his hand, bringing everyone’s attention to him. “Back to the main topic. We now have an idea of what the culprit does with the Midnight Channel and Teddie’s world. However, there is still the fact that he might set his sights next on Kanji Tatsumi, now that the audience is focused on him again.”

“We told him and Naoto that he was likely to be the next victim,” Yukiko explained. “But that was over a month ago. And Kanji-kun has been distant since that meeting.”

Yukiko had tried to talk with Kanji whenever she could; walking to school, at lunch, after school, visiting the shop on errands, but Kanji never seemed to bother meeting her halfway. He always had an excuse, or used as few words as possible, or preferred Naoto to talk for him (which was as polite of a way for him to tell her to leave). She merely wanted to be friends again, but he was always shaking and eager to leave at the drop of a hat.

“He’s in good hands at least, right? I mean, he’s got that cute boy detective following him every day, and you’d swear they’re an item.”

Chie wanted to admonish Rise for thinking that way. But she started to envision the two boys herself. Kanji, gruff and mean, but strong and seemingly okay with Naoto following him around. And Naoto, small and lean, trying hard to assert authority but needing Kanji to bring out his inner manly image…

…okay, maybe she did have boys love fantasies, but it was okay since Rise and Yukiko and even Tama were into it too, right? They certainly looked like they had the same lusty looks in their eyes, right??

Shirou simply raised an incredulous eyebrow while Yosuke groaned and palmed his head, confused and annoyed respectively at the scene playing before them. “I’ll never get this ‘yaoi’ thing,” Yosuke muttered to himself, before adding a nearly quiet, “They’re not even that cute together.”

“Just… don’t say anything like that in front of them, okay?” Shirou warned tentatively. “Kanji has a short fuse and seems to be offended easily.”

Rise giggled. “No worries! Fantasizing from a distance is what girls like to do. Although…”

The girls suddenly stared at the boys, with growing flushes. Yosuke blanched and jumped out of his seat in worry with an accusatory finger point. “Don’t you effing dare!”

“Too late!”

If it was possible, Shirou was even more confused. “Am I missing something here?”

Yosuke could only stare at him with an expression of anger and lament. “How I loathe your gift of obliviousness, Shirou Emiya…”

<><><>
June 23rd, Floodplain, After School

People were starting to look at him funny again.

Kanji had endured the school gossip before because no one had the nerve to actually bother him. Teachers could make a stink all day about how he didn’t apply himself or something, but as long as he kept up attendance and did their homework, then they couldn’t do anything.

As he gathered his things and finished tying up his shoes from the getabako, he looked up to see a few second years tense and hide further up the stairway. They were the same guys too, for the last few days. He recognized Amagi-san and that red-haired Emiya in their group.

Kanji just shrugged and left. Amagi was no different from the other girls, he was still mad at Emiya about Okina, so screw them.

Just outside the gate, he saw a big gathering of female students from all years. They were trying to make a pass on the boy detective again, now that they had caught on to his pattern. He pitied the guy. No one seemed to understand that he REALLY didn’t like the girls’ attention, because he was too polite and aloof to refute them.

At first, Kanji was thoroughly pissed off because of how annoying girls are. Even when Naoto kept turning them down, they were too stupid to listen. Barely fighting back a curse under his breath, the bleach-haired teen lumbered over and made a loud greeting. “Yo! Naoto! Ready to go?”

It had an immediate effect. Half the girls bristled and dispersed, while the rest turned and glared at him. One bitch took extreme offense to that and confronted him. “Stop bothering Naoto-kun! We have as much right to spend time with him as you do, if not more!”

“Hey, it’s not like I have a choice otherwise,” he snapped. As much as he liked the guy, he was still annoyed that he needed a cop to supervise him.

“You could always choose to change that ugly mug of yours,” another girl said rudely. “You know, doll yourself up!”

“Even then, who would hang out with you? Some toy, I bet? For a boy?”

The girls laughed at their little joke. Kanji clenched his fist. He wasn’t going to hit them. Too many people would be mad and upset; the school, his ma, the cops, his old man… basically it wasn’t something a man should ever do, no matter how tempting it was.

It didn’t hurt that they were right. Who exactly would want to spend time with a guy like him? Outside he acted abrasive and thuggish, but beyond that… at least on the outside he looked and acted more of a man than inside.

Even Naoto looked annoyed at him, as he turned to all the girls before staring straight at him and said, “He still makes better company than any of you.”

…wait, did Kanji hear that right? He had to, because nearly all the girls stopped laughing and turned to the blue-haired boy in shock and betrayal.

“Let us go, Kanji.”

Kanji dumbly nodded and followed his chaperone. The girls didn’t try to follow them, but still tried to placate him. “B-but Naoto-kun—!”

“I’m busy,” he said, still walking away. “And even if I wasn’t, I’d find better things to do than waste time with shallow girls.”

Damn. A bit mean-spirited, but still an awesome burn. Go Naoto!

When they were finally down the hill and thus alone, Kanji muttered his gratitude. “Thanks.”

Naoto didn’t answer back aside from a nod, and that suited him just fine. They didn’t need to speak at all. And when the detective did need to talk, it was straight and honest business. He really wish he could make it up to him sometime. Maybe… no, the last time he tried to be nice only made things worse. He’d keep himself in check fighting others, but that’s it.

“It’s going to rain tonight,” Naoto stated.

Indeed, it was rather cloudy up there. Kanji could even hear the faint rumbling of thunder, so it was going to be another downpour for sure.

Though it was still a random topic to bring up. “What about it?”

“Victims have always disappeared during cloudy or rainy weather,” he said simply.

Oh, was that all? Kanji scoffed as he adjusted his school bag over his shoulder. “So the serial killer is finally going to try his luck on me now? About damn time.”

Naoto frowned, but didn’t comment on Kanji’s swagger. “In the light of the growing risk to your safety, I’ll be spending the night at your house.”

Kanji stopped, nearly tripped, and gaped at his short chaperone. “WHAT!?” He seriously didn’t just ask that, did he?!

“It is only for the night,” he stressed. “Maybe two, to be on the safe side. I’ve already discussed the matter with your mother, as well as my grandfather, and they both agree that it would be the best course of action.”

“You brought Ma into this?!” Dammit, she always liked Naoto for some reason, so he must have played on her sympathies or something. And if she was okay with that, then she… and then the others at school…

No. No, no, no no no no no! This was not happening! This WILL NOT HAPPEN! “Well forget it! You’re not spending the night in my damn house!”

“And why not?” Naoto asked dryly. “Although you haven’t appeared on T.V. since last month, the media is already making theories that you will be next.”

In a small town like Inaba, news on people didn’t die out right away. The serial murder scare was the biggest thing to happen since Kanji could remember, so it would only make sense that people were getting impatient. Some believed that the killer must have stepped out after what happened to Yukiko failed, while others openly wondered why Kanji Tatsumi wasn’t making waves in the news lately.

It was almost like everyone was actively rooting for him to get killed, and he felt a bit peeved about that.

“So what? Let them talk,” he said. “They’ll just keep making shit up, anyway.”

“I agree,” Naoto said. Kanji was pleased, until he added, “Then you have no problem with me staying the night?”

“What?! NO! I never said that!”

“I am merely taking proper measures given my assignment towards your protection, Kanji. Staying the night at your house will make keeping an eye on you easier. It’s more of a surprise that I hadn’t thought of this sooner.”

“B-but two guys…” Kanji stuttered, losing the argument. “W-we’re both guys! Sleeping over shit is with a guy, and… and… a girl!” That kind of thing was bad. Well, Naoto was fine as far as guys went, but that talk about boy toys earlier…

Naoto turned towards him fully, barely hiding a look of contempt. It… reminded him too much of how girls looked at him. “All I’m asking is to spend the night at your house. Not your bed.”

Kanji flushed at Naoto’s blunt statement of the matter, but refused to give up. “It’s the principle of the matter! A man does just not spend a night with another man for no reason!”

“So you care more about your pride than your own safety?”

“Yes! No, I mean…!” Kanji growled. Dammit, just when he thought he was different from everyone else!

“I thought you said you didn’t care about what others thought about you.”

“I don’t! It’s just…” Kanji’s voice trailed off, unsure what to say. If Naoto stayed at his house, then the rumor mill would have a friggin’ field day about his… preferences. It was looking more and more likely to happen too, as the cop just shot down his arguments with logic and questions.

But if he somehow convinced Naoto not to go through with this… then what? Those weeks spending time tolerating the other’s company, the small talks they made during delivery runs, all the times he’d see him off and then wait for him at the school gate. Would all that really start being an obligation again? Would he actually get tired of him and leave?

He really didn’t want to have him sleep over, but to get him all mad at him for being an ass, or even worse, cry…

“FINE! Do whatever the hell you want! I don’t care!” He stomped ahead, doing everything he could to not turn and look back at his face. The rest of the walk was painfully silent, and he didn’t raise any objections when his mother showed Naoto the guestroom.

He may have run away, but he didn’t say sorry. Real men don’t apologize.

<><><>
Evening

When Kanji yelled, everyone was ready to bolt, but it was just a nervous reflex. According to Shirou, Naoto Shirogane was going to spend the night at Kanji Tatsumi’s house, much to the anger and embarrassment of the latter.

It shot down any plan to make their own stakeout, and since they were both fresh from an argument, no one saw the need to bother them.

Thus, the Investigation Team broke off for the night. Of course, with Yosuke’s bad luck kicking in, he was immediately called in to help with a Junes shift, so he had no down time. Oh, and he’d have to check the Midnight Channel with the others too, which made the day even longer for him.

It was late when Yosuke locked down Junes and rode the bus to his home street. Late, cold, and raining. He was so tired, so caught up in his depressing thought cycle of why me, that he failed to notice another person in front of him before colliding with them.

Or rather, her, given her modest set of boobies.

“Kyaah!”

His brief trip to marshmallow heaven ended with a shrill cry. Yosuke quickly jumped away, bowing and clapping his hands in offering. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t see where I was going!”

“I-it’s okay. I was distracted too.”

“Really?” Yosuke’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I’ve watched so much anime when this kind of thing happens where the main character gets punted for so much as a grazing grope, and I always told myself ‘glad that will never happen to me’. But lately my luck has been all over the place, where I can’t even find a girlfriend. Not like I actively try to peek or anything, I just can’t help myself. You have a nice body, by the way and why can’t I stop talking?!”

The Junes assistant manager had blown it, he knew. He kept rambling like a motormouth, saying whatever popped into his head, and said stupid shit to ruin an already bad first impression. The girl was already laughing and pointing at him. Now she was going to burn and reject him for wasting her time.

“You’re funny!”

“I-I am?” That wasn’t the rejection he thought was going to happen.

He took a closer look at the girl in front of him, with the help of a street lamp. A slim body with a nice rack hiding under a big raincoat, slightly pale hands holding a yellow umbrella, a cute face with rusty brown eyes…

Yosuke found himself in love. He knew he felt that way about Saki Konishi before, but she was gone now, and apparently hated his guts. As much as he missed her and wanted to avenge her, he knew he needed to move on and find someone else. He didn’t know why, but looking at this girl, who took the accident in stride and said that he was “funny” gave him some hope that this wasn’t some sort of dream or prank.

And then, with a beautiful smile, and almost drowned out with an oddly well-timed thunderclap, she said the eight lovely words all guys want to hear from their true loves;

“Would you like to go out with me?”