6/22

We called Kanji to meet up again in our classroom as we heard gossip of Rise being in town and that Ryuto was absent. I don't blame him, he wants to see his sister. That or he's trying to keep fans out. "I've been hearing that there's a big crowd at Marukyu." "I'm not surprised. But was it really her on yesterday's Midnight Channel? Didn't she seem a little... different?" I know that face anywhere, that was Rise. Though I didn't get to say that, Yosuke did. "It was her, no doubt about it! Her curves... Her posture... Even her beautiful, slim legs!" His gaze then fell on Chie, who was sitting on her desk, and it fell to her legs as his face showed disappointment. "Hey, if you don't like my legs then don't look at them!" Knew it, again this boy is predictable. His gaze then moved to me, as I sat on Chie's chair, his eyes went down to my legs as he nodded. "You still got nice legs, Yui!" My face went red as I hid behind Chie. "Stop being a perv! You're freaking Yui out."

"Anyways, I'm positive! Right!?" He changed the subject while Kanji was waiting for us to go. "Uhh, are we going?" He was more impatient than I thought, though I do understand. "I don't really care about celebrities, but it's not like I got anything better to do... Sure, I'll tag along." Okay then, "Sorry, but me and Yukiko have plans. Give us a call if anything comes up." I gave a thumbs up as they left. So I'm left with the boys to check up on Rise? Yosuke just better not perv on her, not only would I get pissed but so would Ryuto. "Well, shall we get going? But let's be clear on one thing: we're not spectators. We're on an investigation, got it?" We should tell you this, Yosuke.

Either way, we made our way to Marukyu Tofu and Yukiko was right, there is a crowd. We even saw Adachi trying to do traffic control. The brunette boy went up to him, "Huh? Um, Mr. Detective, did something happen?" "Oh, it's you guys. Ai yi yi... These gawkers keep streaming in with their cars, trying to park in the middle of the shopping district." People are dumb, the fact that the police have to deal with this amount of stupidity is pitiable. "Why's that?" The bleach blond boy asked, "Don't you know? Rise Kujikawa's here. Hey, did you see her already? Is she there? Which is it?" He knows that we just got here, right? "Huh...? We're askin' why a plainclothes detective is here doing traffic control." "Oh... Uh, well... The Inaba Police Department isn't that big, and we don't have enough staff... Well, I still have work to do, so I'll see you later." And with that, Adachi walked away.

Wow, Kanji scared off a cop, cool. "Dude... You managed to scare off a police detective on active duty..." Glad to know there's some part of Yosuke's brain that isn't about his horniness. "I wasn't trying to scare the guy, I just said what I was thinking." And that's why you're part of the team! "But you're right, it's weird for the police to come out like this... Hey... You think the police suspect that Rise might be the next target, too?" Just as Yosuke said that, Dojima stepped out of the tofu store. Crap, I'm gonna get a talking to... "Alright, clear out. Coming through... Hey, Adachi! Dammit... I told him not to leave his post..." His eyes then landed on Yosuke and I, "What are you guys doing-" He then saw Kanji, "Hm? Kanji Tatsumi...!? Are you friends with them?". Kanji scoffed, "Like it's any of your business..." "...If you say so. So I'll ask again: What are you all doing here?". Crap, what's a good excuse? Ah! "Sorry, uncle. We were just passing through!" I lied through my teeth, "...Is that so?". "Oh, um... W-Well, who wouldn't wanna come check it out if they found out an idol's family ran an ordinary tofu store? I'm, uh... a big fan!" I so wanted to punch Yosuke in the gut but I held it in so I wouldn't get in trouble.

Dojima sighed, "Fine. But remember. She might be a celebrity and you might be her friend, but this is her home. Try not to bother them too much." and then he took his leave, most likely to try and find Adachi. "So that cop's your uncle, eh...? So, what the hell was that about? Are you guys under suspicion...?" I just sighed as Yosuke started speaking, "Well, they did take us in once... But we can't just tell him everything, right? If we say anything about the other world, we only look more suspicious. They'll be watching us all the time." That is true. "Not just that, but he's been interrogating me at home. I'm only able to dodge them because of Nanako stopping him.". Before they could respond, someone ran out of the store.

"Man, there's no one in there but the old lady and Ryuto. Risette isn't here after all..."

"I heard that she really is already here, but it might've just been a rumor... Well, it was fun while it lasted."

She's not here? "A rumor!? What, she's not here!? Seriously!?" "Pfft, you sound like the world's about to end." He does, I can't take any more of it either. I slapped the back of his head as he yelled, "What the hell!?" while I turned around in a huff and folded my arms. "Ugh... either way now that all those people are gone, we might as well check inside. I'll buy something." Can he even eat tofu? I asked him that, "No, not really." "Get ganmodoki then," I walked into the tofu store without looking at Yosuke. The first thing I saw was Ryuto sweeping along with someone else who had pigtails with their back towards me.

"Hey, Ryuto!" I called out, "Yui! You here to see Rise?" He asked. "Well, that's part of the reason. But I also came to see you!" I walked up and gave him a side hug as I saw Yosuke and Kanji walk in. Once Yosuke saw me hugging Ryuto, he looked visibly angry but tried keeping his cool and went looking at the tofu on display. "I'll serve these guys, you can talk to Rise over there, Yui!" He pointed to the girl who had her back to us as Yosuke's eyes widened. I walked up to her and tapped her shoulder as she turned around. After seeing me, she took out her earbuds and smiled. "Yui! It's so good to see you, it's been way too long!" She pulled me into a tight hug, "R-Rise! T-Too tight!" I said as she let me go and apologised.

"Y-Y-You're Rise? It's Risette!" Yosuke fanboyed while I stayed annoyed. "What is it?" She responded in monotone, "Ryu, I'll handle these guys. Go see if Grandma needs help in the other room.". Ryuto nods and walks into the back room. "So what do you want?" She repeated, "Huh...? Oh, sorry, um... Some tofu, please!". "Tofu...? Which kind?" Does he even remember what type of tofu I suggested? "Huh? Wh-Which one's which again...?" Called it! "If you're going to eat it by itself, you should go with silken. Momen's better for cooking... Depends how you use it." Hmmm... I should get both and include momen tofu in some of my cooking. "U-Um... Psst, Kanji! Order something!" Are you serious? Making Kanji order for you? "Wha--!? Why're you making me do it!? You already picked ganmo a second ago! Dude here wants three ganmodoki.". "Oh, I see... I'll go get them." Rise then packed three ganmodoki into a container before bagging it.

She's changed a lot, being an idol must've taken a lot out of her. "Wow... she's nothing like she seems on TV... I wonder if she's just tired. Man, but it's really her... I'm so glad I came! Mission comple- Wait, we haven't done what we came here for yet! Um...! H-Have you noticed anything weird lately?" Finally, he's finally getting his priorities right. "Weird...? Like stalkers? Do you know these guys, Yui? Are they fans of mine?" I nodded as she acknowledged it. "Well, I wouldn't say "we," but yeah, dude here's a big fan" " You little...! Why'd you let that slip!?" Nice, Kanji. "Her curves, her posture, even her beautiful slim legs... Ya finished checkin' em out yet, or what?" He mimicked Yosuke's voice and I couldn't stop laughing. His Yosuke impression is the best, "Waaaaaaah! Y-You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!? I didn't say that! I never said any of that! Yui, stop laughing, please!" I am not sorry, that impression was great. Rise chuckled at my laughing before I calmed down. "Okay, um... Maybe you know already, but it's been dangerous in Inaba lately. That's why we've been investigating some stuff."

"Oh yeah?" Her attention was piqued, "Sorry, um... Let's see... Do you know about the TV show that comes on at midnight? I mean, it's not like regularly scheduled programming... How do I explain this...?" Actually yeah, how do you explain something like the Midnight Channel? "That thing that was on last night? The Midnight Channel, right?" Wait, she knows what it is? "Oh, you know about it... Wait... What!? You mean you saw it last night!?" Wait, yeah. She watched it? "I heard the rumors from some friends of mine. But that girl last night wasn't me. I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit before. And the bustline..." She looked down at her chest, "Mine aren't that big..." I then noticed Yosuke looking at her chest, "Oh yeah, I see what you mean now... I-I mean... What am I saying!? U-Um, I'm sorry...!" I smacked him upside his head just for that comment, "Okay... I deserved that...".

The pigtailed girl giggled, "...Don't apologize so much. You're funny." Yosuke noted that she was smiling... a wave of sadness overflowed me. I don't know why. "What is that show about, anyway?" Oh yeah, we're here on business. I need to put my feelings aside. "Well, we're not too sure either... But you know there's been stuff happening here, right? We think the people who appear there... are the ones who get kidnapped next." "I know this is sudden, but we're not lying." She looked over at me as I nodded to tell her it was all true. "Huh... So that wasn't a dream. Ryu and I were tired yesterday, but we couldn't sleep. And it was raining, so the two of us decided to try that rumor I'd heard about... Hmm. Alright, thanks... I'll be careful." She said before handing the bag she prepared to Yosuke, "Here you go, three ganmo. That'll be 600 yen. There's extra tofu in there for everyone... A little thank-you for worrying about me. And here you go, Yui. A little 'Hey Again' gift from me! Hope we can talk more!" She handed me my own bag as it had two cases of tofu in it. We said our farewells before parting.

Meanwhile...

3rd Person POV

In the other room, the pigtailed girl's twin heard everything. With fists clenched, he punched the wall, making the wall shake for a bit. "Rise..." He mutters before calming himself.

Yui's POV

"Yui, let me walk you home!" Yosuke offered as I nodded. "Y'know, as much as it's nice to meet Rise, it kinda sucks that we're here on business. It's my birthday and I was planning on celebrating together." It's his birthday? "Well, let's wait until Rise is safe before we celebrate. I'll get you a present, too!" I winked and took his hand in mine as he got flustered, "Th-Thanks!". "Just a quick question, what's your favorite color?" "Orange, why?" I chuckled and said nothing. He'll just have to wait. We made it to the house as we saw Dojima step out of his car. "Uncle? You're home! I thought you wouldn't be back til tomorrow because of Rise!" My surprised voice cracked a bit but it went unnoticed by the older male. "Yeah, Adachi told me to go home. What's that you got there?" "Tofu! I was planning on making dinner with it!" I smiled while holding up the bag while he sighed. He looked tired. "I-I'll go now, see you Yui..." Yosuke went to leave as my grasp on his hand loosened. Dojima saw the look on my face, "Heh, what's with that look? You upset your boyfriend isn't here anymore?" My face flushed red as he cackled before leading me into the house.

~Timeskip~

I made dinner using the momen tofu along with some noodles, herbs and spices we had in the cupboards to make miso noodle soup for all of us. I also left some silken tofu on the table for us to take if we wanted. "We sure have a lot of tofu." No kidding, I might take some for lunch tomorrow. "Yeah... It tastes great. You visited Rise Kujikawa today. What did you talk about?" Crap, sigh... he did see us outside the tofu store. I can't lie about that to him... I think I'll just come clean. "My friends wanted to see her and I did too, it's been a while since I've seen her and... the topic of the cases came up..." Of course, Dojima grew mad. " I told you to keep your hands off this. Listen, this is a job for the police. Sigh... forget it... I shouldn't have brought it up." The mood became heavy, neither of us talked. But someone did, "You guys met Rise-chan!?" Nanako at least brightened my mood. "Yeah..." "Are you... fighting again?" Dojima tried to reassure her but the atmosphere stayed tense.

~Timeskip~

I was on a roll making a kumihimo. I changed the colors I put on the tamas to orange, green, yellow and black with two being green, two being black, four being orange and the last four being yellow. I'll make one for each of us but this first one, this one is for Yosuke. It needs to look good. Maybe I could get some charms to go with it...

My thoughts were broken when the TV switched on by itself, I didn't even notice it started raining. The same figure in a swimsuit from last night showed again, her chest and thighs again we emphasised. It then showed her face, absolutely proving without a doubt that it was Rise. My phone rang, it was Yosuke. "Hey! We were right about it being Rise Kujikawa! The one on tonight seemed a lot creepier than the real Rise, but you could see her face clearly. There's no mistake. Let's all get together as soon as possible tomorrow!"

6/23

On my way to school, I saw Ryuto and walked up to him. "Hey!" I greeted him as he gave an enthusiastic 'Hey.' back. I asked if anything was wrong, "No, it's nothing. Just tired, had to deal with a crowd this morning too?". Ryuto... "If things are getting hard, you can always call me up to help you out!" I took his hand in mine as he smiled and ruffled my hair, "I'll keep that in mind, thanks.".

~Timeskip~

We all met up at our secret headquarters to hold a meeting. "So about the Midnight Channel last night... that had to be Rise Kujikawa. You can confirm this, right Yui?" I nodded. I know that face all too well, I see two of them. "So now we know one more thing. The ones that the culprit's targeting are..." Yukiko started, "Residents of Inaba that have been recently broadcasted on TV." And I finished the statement. "Exactly! So we can rule out the assumption that all the victims are connected to the incident with Ms. Yamano. As for Rise, I took a peek this morning, and she was still at the shop. So I'm guessing that 'TV show' thing doesn't appear on the Midnight Channel until after the person enters the TV." Meaning she's still safe. A sigh of relief escaped my lips. "Teddie said before that it might be the victim's own creation upon entering that world. I didn't understand at all at first, but now I feel it may be true. The one that appears on TV is your other self... Maybe the victim's true feelings are shown unconsciously.".

"But... We see them on the Midnight Channel before they disappear. You know, when it's still really fuzzy and you can't tell who it is. How do you explain that part?" It could be the killer's doing. If they can push people into the TV, they must be a Persona user too. We don't know the extent of our powers so maybe they can do weird stuff like that. "Yeah... It always happens before the person disappears, like an advance notice..." It's kinda creepy when you think about it as a whole to be honest. "Or like a ransom note. But who are they announcing it to? And for what?" Who knows, this person could be insane like this one villain from my graphic novel, The Cake Knight Rises. "Is it possible that we see those images for the same reason? If the Midnight Channel shows the victim's true feelings... maybe it does the same for the culprit. Maybe what we're seeing is the culprit's intentions." Agreed, though I still think we shouldn't worry about the Midnight Channel until we find out who the killer is.

"Well, it's a possibility... The killer can throw people into the TV, after all, which means they must have the same power that we do." Mhm, we can't let our guard down. "So... When the killer thinks, 'I'm gonna attack someone now,' that's what we see on TV?" Either that or whatever the Midnight Channel shows is who the culprit should throw in. "I don't know about that..." "Well, if we're gonna go that far with it, we might as well say that's the basis for that entire world. Like, it's some kinda mix of the minds of the victims and the killer... Or maybe it's everyone's minds?" That... that could be possible. "I think so too." I spoke up as Chie sighs, " As always, nothing makes sense. Hey Kanji-kun, you still with us? You haven't said a word yet." Kanji jolts up. He was sleeping, wasn't he? "You weren't sleeping, were you...?" "O-Of course not! I was uh, lost in thought." Ah, yes, lost in thought.

"I wish I knew what that world's all about. Teddie's explanations have so many 'maybes' in them that I don't understand the first thing about it." Well, we can't blame the bear. He was probably terrified of that place before we arrived. "Why would the culprit throw people inside the TV in the first place?" They can murder without there being in any ties to them, easy for them to get away with it. "They must know by now that people die when they're in there long enough... There's no doubt it's attempted murder. So the TV's a good way to do that, because the police can never prove anything about the crime." Mhm, my thoughts exactly. "Murder, huh...? So the killer's got a grudge against certain people? Well, there's a shitload of people who've got my number. How 'bout you, Yukiko-senpai? Anyone hate you so bad they'd get rid of you forever?" "No." Well that was a quick answer. Has she forgotten that one guy from earlier in the year? Pretty sure he hates her. "Uh, Yukiko... There's always a slight chance and you just don't realize it... Haha." Yeah, like that one guy. Pretty sure she rejected other guys too who hate her because of it.

"But if we're trying to think of a common grudge someone would have against all the victims... I'm drawing a blank." Don't blame you, it's a hard question. "Well, the good thing is, we have another shot at getting ahead of the killer. We can leave the motive aside for now. Once we catch 'em, we'll make 'em talk. The only thing we can be sure of now is that Rise is in danger." Yes, I'm determined to make sure she won't get kidnapped. "Wait... We get to do another stakeout!?" "Hell yeah! This time we'll catch 'em in the act!" I'm actually excited about this.

We took the bus to the shopping district and stopped at the Shiroku Store to get some snacks. Picking up a pack of pocky and a can of lemon soda, I patiently waited for the others to get their things. "We gotta go with donuts and milk!" I'll pass on the milk... I can't have too much of it or I'll feel like crap. "You said it. There's no better meal than that for a man on a stakeout. Oh, and throw in some disposable diapers." Disposable diapers? Why? If we need to use the bathroom, can't we just ask Kanji if we can go to his place? Also this frog in the middle of the store is creeping me out, how have I not noticed it till now? Can we hurry this up please? "You guys finished yet? Let's hurry up and get going. Plus I think Yui~Senpai's scared of the frog." Thank you, Kanji! "It's looking at me..." I pointed at it as everyone laughed. The door to the store opened to show Adachi.

"Huh? What brings you here?" Yosuke asked the goofy cop, "Oh, uh... Well... I'm doing legwork. Ugh, what did I do to deserve babysitting detail...? I-I mean, it's nothing major. It's not like Dojima~San ordered me here. So what are you kids up to? Buying snacks?" Sigh, I knew Dojima would do this... I just hope he stays out of our way. "We were just about to head over to the tofu shop to see Rise and Ryuto." I spoke, it's not technically a lie. "Oh... I see. H-Heyyy! I'm on my way there too!" Oh, are you now? He literally can't lie to save himself. "Oh, then why don't we go there together? C'mon, he's a detective on active duty. Not a bad guy to have around!" I mean, you're not wrong. Just why this cop in general?

Yosuke dragged Kanji and I to pace around the shopping district. My feet have never been more sore... "Don't stop! The culprit might get suspicious!" Are you kidding me? "But we've walked past here like a thousand times already..." I'm with Kanji... again. I'm agreeing with him on a lot of this stuff. I should hang out with him more often, especially since he's only at rank 1 of his social link. Adachi walked out of the tofu store, "Come on out, you bastard...! We're ready for you..." I don't know who's more of an idiot, him or Yosuke. Yukiko looked up and gasped, "Look! Up there!" We looked to where she was pointing and we saw... I don't know what I'm looking at, a pervert trying to sneak a peek into Rise's room on a pole? "Wh-Who's there!?" The guy on the pole slid down and started running, "Hey, he's running away!" "Get back here! Stop running, dammit!"

We chased the guy all the way to the intersection, he only stopped because of ongoing traffic. "D-Don't come near me!" He yelled out, "Shaddup! What kinda idiot would listen to-" "I-I'll do it, you know! What're you gonna do if I get run over!?". Is he really betting his life? "N-No! If the suspect gets injured, the police will be held responsible... They'll get really angry, and... Um." The goofy cop was freaking out while an idea came to my head, not a smart one though. I signalled Kanji, Chie and Yosuke to wait for my call as they nodded. "Look over there! A martian!" Pointed behind him, the pervert turned around as the others tackled him from behind with my signal. How the heck did that work?

"H-How dare you assault an ordinary citizen like--" Kanji shut him up, "Shut the hell up, murderer! We're taking your punk ass in!". "Wha--!? Time out! What do you mean, 'murderer'!?" Huh? Wait a second... "It's no use playing dumb!" What if... what if he's not? "W-Wait a second! I just really like Risette, so I wanted to take a peek in her room... Look, see! All I've got on me is a bunch of cameras!" Okay he is a creep, but is he really our guy? "Yep, you're the culprit, all right. No two ways about it. All right, I'll take it from here. We'll hear your story down at the station... Ohh, how I've waited to use that line!" You're a bad cop, I've got nothing else to say. "P-Please! Let me go! I didn't do anything wrong! I-I know for a fact it's not a crime in this country to take secret pictures!" It should be though, "Hey, don't you understand what's happening here? You're under suspicion of murder! Come with me! We'll talk about this later! Wow, that went better than I thought! What a coup! I gotta thank you guys for all your help! Well done!" No problem but, I don't think he's the guy. "Also Yui, you really should stop getting involved with this stuff. It's dangerous. I know Dojima~San was worried sick. C'mon, let's go!" Adachi took the guy away as the others sighed in relief.

"Is it... really over?" I don't think so, "Rest is up to the cops..." You're gonna regret saying that, Kanji. My gut is telling me that this isn't the end. Doesn't help that my Fool Social Link doesn't seem to be finished. "Looks like the killer was a pervert, just like we thought. Wait... Does this mean the case is closed? Seriously!? Awesome!" Don't count your eggs before they're cracked. Or is it hatched? English phrases are weird... The five of us walked to the tofu store while we saw Ryuto walking towards us. "Ryuto? You weren't in the store?" He shook his head, "No, I had to do something at school. What are you all doing here?". Ryuto looked down and gasped while I looked at where he was looking. It was a pink phone with a takoyaki charm on it. I picked it up, "That's Rise's phone, she must've dropped it by accident. Rise!" He yelled in the store while his grandmother stepped out. "Don't go yelling, Ryuto! She's out on a walk!".

We all waited for his grandmother to go back into the store, "She went on a walk and left her phone here in front of the store?" I knew it. "Shouldn't we look for her!? She can't have gone far." I wish I could go with it but the sun was setting already. "No, if we go looking for Rise it would be way too late. Ryuto, if Rise returns, call me." He nodded before going back inside. "We just have to watch the Midnight Channel, like always. Let's just... pray for the best." The others collectively nod as we went our separate ways. Yosuke wanted to walk me home but I told him to save his energy for when he watches the Midnight Channel.

~Timeskip~

I was again working on kumihimo, making more progress than last time. Taking one last sip of my coffee, the TV then switched on for the Midnight Channel. One look and I knew immediately that I was gonna be uncomfortable. It was a clear image of a... striptease... I may not have been in one of those, but I've seen movies where the main characters would go to a striptease. Rise walked from the side in a yellow skimpy swimsuit as my face flared red. " 'Maru-Q! Push Risette!' Good evening, good evening! I'm Rise Kujikawa! This spring, one young girl levels up to become a high school idol... Yayyy! So today, I'm gonna celebrate by pushing the limits of Standards & Practices! Does everybody know what time it is? Showtime! Show what, huh? Hmhmhm... E-very-thing! Eee, how embarrassing! Is this too hot for TV!? Well, if a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing all the way! I'm gonna bare it all for you! Heehee! Stay tuned!" The TV went off while I just sat there, stunned.

Umm... yeah... I'm bisexual for sure... My phone started ringing as I nervously picked it up as Yosuke's voice came from it. "Hey, d-did you see Risette on TV!? I-Is she serious about baring it all!? Is it me, or all these shows getting crazier and crazier!?" He sounded excited but I didn't question it nor reprimanded him. "Let's meet up tomorrow." I tried to sound like I was fine but it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be but he didn't pick up on it. "Y-Yeah, exactly. 'Cause I bet her Shadow self is gonna do whatever it wants again. But man... We couldn't prevent the kidnapping this time either... even when we knew who the target would be. That detective from this afternoon was no help at all. I guess we'll have to do everything ourselves... A-Anyways, see you tomorrow!"

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