6/6

Once school ended, the four of us were walking to the shoe boxes when we saw a familiar face, "Kanji~Kun!" Yukiko called out as Tatsumi waved sheepishly and asked if we could go to the roof and talk. We accepted while we walked up the steps. "S-So, uhh... H-Hi there!" Manners? This is new for him. Chie pointed this out, "Well, um... I didn't know you guys were my Senpai. Uhh... Thanks a bunch. Though I don't really remember what happened..." Wait, he's our underclassman? But he's so tall! "There are some things we'd like you to tell us about." Yukiko asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. "First off, who was that boy you met with?" The tomboy asked as the blond boy got flustered, "I-I really don't know much about him... I mean, I've only met him twice..." Okay then. "Yeah, but you walked home from school with him. What did you guys talk about?" It's not really our business, Chie. "Uh, well... He just asked stuff like... If anything different happened lately... But I dunno where my head was at... When I came to my senses, I blurted out that I wanted to see him again." My gaydar is going off slightly, but I don't have any evidence. "To a guy." And that's weird because...?

"I, uh... I don't really get it myself. Girls are so loud and obnoxious, so, y'know... I really don't like dealing with 'em. Guys are a lot more laid-back. S-So, uh, I started thinking... What if I'm the type who never gets interested in girls...? And I couldn't accept that, so I kept spinning around and around in my head..." Yeah, that's what I went through when I first found out I was bi. It's not exactly easy to get out of this phase, heck I would have my moments too. "Well, I can understand the part about feeling more relaxed around dudes." Well, it is natural to feel relaxed around people of your own gender. I don't know why but it just is. "How're you feeling, Tatsumi?" I asked, "Oh, you can just call me Kanji, Yui~Senpai. As for your question, I'm fine now. I mean, it was all in my head, when y'get down to it. I was the one shutting out that stuff." Tatsu- I mean, Kanji started as he took a breath, thinking about what to say next. "So, uhh... Our family's run a textile shop for generations... Oh yeah, you already knew that. My parents are kinda weird... They say stuff like, "Dyes are one with the universe," and "Cloth is alive..." That's the kinda house I grew up in. So I've been interested in sewing and stuff since I was a kid. But the second I say stuff like that, people look at me funny... Girls make fun of me, the people in the neighborhood treat me like I'm some zoo animal, so I was sick of everything. And when I got to my senses... I was running wild. Shit, what's with me today? I'm going on and on about myself... Forget all that. Man, I must look really lame right now." No, you don't, Kanji. I started to emphasize with him, "You're really pretty cool, Kanji!" I smiled while he chuckled in embarrassment.

"Nah, I doubt it... Haha... I've never talked about any of this stuff before. Guess I never had anyone to tell it to. I guess I wasn't really afraid of girls. I was just scared of people in general. But all that's behind me." Understandable. "Wow, I'm surprised... You're a good kid..." The tomboy complimented as Kanji tried to reject that idea, making me giggle. "Hahaha, no need to get embarrassed. You're a big guy, you can take it. Hey, is there anything you remember after you ran into us the second time? You know, after you chased us away and said you were gonna take us down." Oh yeah, we have to ask that. "Huh? Uhh... I went home... I was gonna sleep it off in my room... Wait, I think someone came..." All of our interests were piqued, "To your house!? Who was it!?" Yosuke asked while Kanji tried to remember. "Uh, well, it was just a feeling I had... I dunno if anyone actually came..." So it's not only Yukiko. "Other than that... I remember some weird, dark, entrance thing... When I woke up, I was laid out on the floor of that sauna place"

"A dark entrance... Could it have been a TV?" The moment Yukiko said that, Kanji answered with 'Probably' and asked her why, which made the black haired girl back off. "Did the police ask you anything?" If they did, I hope Kanji didn't name us. "Well, my mom had called the cops to look for me, so they questioned me for a while. I told them exactly what I just told you and they looked at me like I was crazy." Well, if they think it was crazy, we could consider ourselves safe for now. "So, like... Are you guys playing detective or somethin'?" I guess? We're basically Scooby Doo. I nodded at his question, "Anything I can do to help? If there's some bastard out there who put me through this, I ain't gonna rest until I make 'em pay." We're gonna get a new member? "Seriously? Awesome! You'd make a great addition to our team! Whaddaya say, Leader?" Yosuke nudged me when he said 'Leader', making me laugh. Our team could use some brawn, sorry Yosuke. "Welcome to the team, Kanji!" I stood up and reached up to pat his shoulder. "Thank you, Ma'am! I'll put my life on the line for you guys! I'll do my best!" He saluted, making all of us laugh. It's good to know we've got someone like him on our team!

Rank 4

"Well, if we're gonna welcome aboard a new member..." Yosuke started, "Should we take him to our special headquarters?" And Yukiko finished his statement with a question as I nodded. "We're still calling it that...?" Yes, Chie. It sounds cool. "Wh-What's that!?" Kanji asked curiously, making me chuckle. "C'mon, let's go!" Yosuke said as we walked to the bus stop that would take us to Junes.

~Timeskip~

Yosuke said he would pay for anything we would order, in honor of us getting a new member so Kanji ordered a bunch of steak, I ordered even more cases of takoyaki, and the others just got a soda each. I... really should cut down on how much takoyaki I get... At least I'm not like Kanji, eating without a care in the world and not listening to what we're saying. "Man, you eat a lot... were you listening to what we're saying?" Yosuke was obviously annoyed but Kanji didn't think much of it. "Huh? Shurr, I waf lifnin'." The other boy answered with his mouth as I tried not to laugh to not choke on my takoyaki. "Close your mouth!". Kanji took the chance to chew his food properly and swallow it before talking again. "So, uh... someone's killing people with a TV...? What, is he beating them to death?" It's confirmed, he is just the brawn of the group. "No, they weren't being beaten with a TV! Were you listening at all...?" I don't think he was, Yosuke. It's pretty obvious.

"Don't worry, he'll understand once he sees the place with his own eyes. But the way it happened was just the same as with Yukiko. The killer kidnapped him first, then threw him into the TV." Unease made me stop eating for a second. Just the thought alone was spine chilling, it must've been so scary for all of the victims... The black haired girl confirmed it as I tried to return to eating. I was able to, it's just that they didn't taste the same.

"That show's been pretty crazy lately, huh?"

Someone sitting at a nearby table spoke out loud, catching our attention.

"Yeah. I keep wondering who'll show up next."

"I knew before it came on that he'd be the next one to appear. What's that dude's name? That first-year who used to be in a biker gang..."

Do they really not see the guy they're talking about is literally right there? "Who the hell d'you think was next? His name is Kanji Tatsumi... And he wasn't in a biker gang-he's the one who beat the shit out of those leathered-up pansies." He stood up and faced them, "So who are you dipshits...!?". The two of them ran off with their tails between their legs. Serves them right, those types of guys are the worst. "I can't stand it... Sure, they have no idea it's related to the murders, but still... How can they talk about their schoolmate like that?" One thing about most high schoolers, Chie. They are jerks with fragile egos. If they haven't grown out of being jerks from being under ten, they grow fragile egos "They're like onlookers at a car crash. As long as it's not happening to them, they're dying to see..." Correct.

The brown haired boy grunted, "Damn, this sucks... We don't even know who's gonna be targeted anymore." Like I said, we can't go assuming we're right when we're this early in the case. "This case disproved our assumption that all the victims are female..." My mind started to think, what is the connection all of them had? Chie asked what else they had in common and Yukiko said that they were somewhat involved with the first case. We can't exactly rule that out but that's not a strong enough connection. "I think for now, we set it aside. Because if that's the case, the killer would've gone after Yukiko's and Kanji's mothers, not the children. I'm not saying throw it away completely, just until we get more clues, just set it aside." I spoke up as Yosuke agreed with me.

"You guys sayin' you don't have any clues? Well listen up, 'cause I got somethin' big." Kanji pulled out a notepad from his pocket, "When I made my comeback at school today, there was an annoying brat hanging around. Turns out he was snooping around about Senpai's and my disappearance, so I took this from him. I dunno what the hell this all is, though." Yep, definitely the brawn of the group. But, this could be helpful. "Can I take a look at it? "I asked as he tossed it over. It was a list of TV programs, "Mayumi Yamano, 4/11. Saki Konishi, 4/13..." and I read it out loud. Yosuke asked about the dates while Chie tried to find random connections, "Oh, they found the first body on the day school started, so that would have been... the 12th. The 11th is the day before that..." What happened on the 11th...? "I know I can't forget the day Saki-senpai's body was found... That was the 15th. So then, what are these dates? And what does 'List of TV programs' mean? What's 'Saki Konishi, April 13th'...?"

April 13th... list of TV programs... wait a second, "Wasn't that the day she was on TV?" It then started to click, "I see... Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Oh yeah... I saw that, too. They were interviewing her because she found the first body." Yep. "Then... 'Mayumi Yamano, April 11th.' Is that the day she appeared on TV, too...?" It was. "Oh, she was on! I remember now! That was when the affair hit the news!" Chie beat me to the punch, "Hey, wait a sec... Yukiko, didn't you get interviewed too? When did that interview air!?" The brown haired boy asked the black haired girl as she was struggling to remember. "Was it April 15th?" I questioned, "Yeah, I think it was. How do you remember?". "It was also the day Yosuke awakened to his Persona. Also it's written here on this notepad," I showed as she went 'Oh.' while Yosuke blushed a little for me remembering that day.

Reading more of the note, there was a point for Kanji too. 'Kanji Tatsumi, 5/13'. "Kanji, what day was the day your new special aired?" I requested while he took a bite out of his steak. "Oh yeah, that thing... Damn show made my mom go apeshit on me and..." "The date! She just asked for the date!" Yosuke grumbled as the girls and I all collectively sighed. "Uhhh, I don't remember the exact date... But it wasn't too long before I met you guys. Oh, it was the day I saved you from those pompous assholes, Yui~Senpai." Crap... "Yui, what's he talking about?" The brunette boy spoke in a low tone, "Now's not the right time, Yosuke. We just made a connection with the victims, they were all residents of Inaba who featured on TV at least once." Everything seemed to click for everyone, except for Kanji who was still eating his steak. "I was so caught up with the news reports about the incidents that I didn't notice at all..."

"It can't be a coincidence, this is the 4th time this has happened." I put my hand down on the table while eating another takoyaki. "Now that I think about it... When the killer failed with Yukiko, they moved to Kanji instead of trying again... Maybe this 'being on TV' thing is some stupid rule that the killer's following." Mhm, the killer had ample time to kidnap Yukiko again but they didn't. Chie started following along with us too. "But if so... What's the motive? Why kill someone just because they were on TV? Argh... Dammit, now that I think about it, we haven't gotten anywhere! Ugh! Why can't I be smarter...!?" I pat Yosuke on the back while he sulked for a bit. "Dude, why beat yourself up? I think you guys are awesome. I mean, you guys noticed what was happening to me and risked your lives to stop it. That's more than enough." Kanji's words made Yosuke look up, "You rescued me, too. We may not have solved the mystery, but we've saved two people already." And that's what counts, we've saved lives.

"What's more, everyone's deduction that Kanji-kun might be next was right on the nose." That is also true, "I know! We were so close." Mhm, the main reason why we couldn't save him was mainly just because Kanji scared us away. "Huh? You guys knew before it happened? Damn, I wish you guys'd come a little earlier, then..." Again, couldn't do much with you chasing us around Inaba. "Well, if we know this much, I think we can outsmart the killer next time. Then it's a countdown to their arrest." I doubt it would be that easy but I won't say it out loud, "Don't forget, it's always possible that Kanji-kun was the last target" Another thing I doubt but won't say out loud. "Or so we hope... We've thwarted them twice already. Here's hoping the killer's learned their lesson by now. Anyways, let's keep checking the Midnight Channel like usual when it rains." I agree, we need to be prepared for anything.

"That reminds me... The school campout's next week. I hope it doesn't rain. It's for both the first-year and second-year students, so we'll see you there, Kanji-kun." Camping trip? That sounds cool, maybe Kou, Daisuke, Ai and Ayane will come too. "Seriously? School, huh...? What a drag... Yo, mind if I order another grilled steak? I'm gonna finish this one up while the next one's on the grill. We're... going Dutch on the meal, right?" Kanji took another bite of his steak, "Well, let's get going. I think our new teammate needs to meet Mr. Bear." Oh yeah, Kanji hasn't met Teddie yet. I wanna give him a hug too so this works out great. "Huh? What's up? Fine, whatever... I'll go for something cheap, like ramen. Wait, or should I get a takoyaki set...? Man, I can't decide." Yukiko denied his request, making Kanji sulk as we went to the electronics department.

"Yui, wait." Yosuke took my wrist, making me stop. "Yes?" "What Kanji said, what did he mean when he said that he saved you?" Sigh, I can't hide it from him anymore. I explained what happened, starting with the love note Sato gave me and what Kanji did. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" He asked with a coldness in his voice, he was mad. "I didn't want you to worry. I don't want people worrying about me..." This was also the reason why I never told anyone about how badly Machi and Kimi were treating me. The boy placed both of his hands on both of my shoulders, "If you don't tell me things like this, I will worry. We're partners, Yui. I want you to know you can count on me when you need someone to talk to. You're here for us, but who's there for you?" I don't know why, but I was stunned into silence. No one's ever said that to me, not even the maids... Tears flowed from my eyes unconsciously, making him worried but I just wrapped my arms around him and lightly sobbed into his chest. It took him a while for him to hug me back but he did while rubbing the back of my head. "Thank you... partner..." I looked up from his chest and saw his embarrassed face which made me giggle. After wiping my tears away, we caught up with the others who, thankfully, didn't notice we were gone.

In the TV World, Kanji was in front of Teddie in complete awe. "Oh yeah... now that you mention it, I kinda remember this thing. Didn't think it was a bear, though. Hey, why IS it a bear?" No one knows. Yosuke said it before I could though. "Me neither. I've been wondering too." And that's why I feel like I wanna protect him, he's just trying to find himself. "I-It's kinda cute... M-Mind if I pet you?" "No touching allowed, Mister." Just hearing Kanji get rejected made me laugh a little. "Wha--!? Don't give me any lip, bear! Tch... Uhh... By the way, I been wondering. You were kidnapped too, right, Yukiko-senpai?" Kanji asked his black haired Senpai, "Huh...? Yeah, it wasn't long before you.". "So like, that means you came out to everyone too?" Um... either 1. Phrasing, or 2. Not in the way you think. "Th-That's... Um..." "What was it like for Senpai-" The girl didn't wait for him to finish that sentence by slapping him across the face, making the rest of us wince. The boy grunted in pain, "Oh, sorry... I didn't mean to hit you so hard... I'll be more gentle next time..." but after hearing that, he wasn't grunting in pain. He blushed a little and repeated 'more gentle' in a mumble. So is he into guys, into both, or just confused? Welp, it's not really my business.

The tomboy sighs, "What a pair of dimwits..." as Teddie remembered something. "Oh yeah! Here's a present from me, Kanji! It's to celebrate you joining the team!" Is he gonna give him a pair of glasses? I then see a smirk grow on not only his, but Yukiko's too. "Ah, so these are the glasses you guys told me about. Wait, aren't these different from everyone else's?" Oh god, it's those glasses, aren't they? Yukiko rushed him to put them on as he does and... I couldn't hold it in. It was the groucho glasses. I started laughing my head off along with the girl who made him put them on. "I-It looks perfect on you... Heehee... Snrk... Ahahahaha!" Eventually, the others joined in on our laughing parade. "I had a normal pair ready for you. But Yuki-chan insisted on this one. She wouldn't budge!" The bear said while holding up two other pairs of glasses, one more groucho glasses and a normal pair. But in all seriousness, thank you so much, Yukiko. This is the best thing ever. The guy with the groucho glasses took them off and threw them at the bear. "Yeah, real funny, you smartass!" It is, though. "Wh-Why are you taking it out on me!?" Teddie protested as Kanji snatched another pair of glasses from the bear, but he grabbed the second pair of groucho glasses. If I could die right now from laughing, I wouldn't have minded. This is the funniest thing ever. Eventually, we all died down our laughter as Kanji got his official glasses. They were really cool too, they had dark grey frames and tinted lenses that made them look like sunglasses.

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