Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shortly after the Love Meets Bonds Festival (LMB) concert. 

September XX, 2012

Yu‘s Side

Dojima Residence - Guest Room

Yu, in his dark gray t-shirt And black lounge pants. He sits on his bed before he goes to sleep. He decides to text Marie since he couldn’t talk to her due to rehearsal as a backup dancer for Rise’s comeback as an idol again at LMB. There was also another case called the Midnight Stage, rescuing Kanami’s idol group and saving the world again by dancing instead of fighting. 

>” Hi, Marie, how’s it been going lately? Are you awake by any chance?”

>” A course I’m awakened, you dummy. I still… I can’t stop thinking about you after I watched your dance performance with everyone there. I-It’s makes me heart racing.” 😊

> “Hehehe… You know I was only a backup dancer. Rise is the main dancer of the performance.”

>” It doesn’t matter. You still look good either way. I wish I could go to the LMB to see your and your friend's performance, but I was busy at work. Showing your performance on national television is close enough... 😢”

>” Do you have any plans for the next three weeks, maybe on September 30th?” Yu asks Marie curiously.

>” I’m free on that day? Why do you ask, Yu?” 

>” I got invited to a wedding with our friends that day. The wedding is for Naoto’s cousin and her fiancé. Do you want to come with us as my girlfriend? The invitation said I can invite one guest. We can have plenty of time together.”

>” Wait… where is this wedding ceremony at anyway?” 🫤

>”It’s in Iwatodai at Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba.”

>” What!? That’s too far away! I can’t.. Who’s coming to protect Inaba when I’m away!? I don’t want to risk something bad happening to this town like from Golden Week.🙅🏻‍♀️”

>” Are you sure? This would be your first time at a wedding. It will be a good experience if we could get married someday once, I graduate from high school or college if you prefer. One day won’t hurt. I would ask Margaret if she can keep an eye on the town, but I don’t know how to contact her like before.” Yu persuaded her girlfriend.

>“Yeah… Too bad. Maybe the next time you visit Inaba in your winter break… !? Wait. I got a text message from Margaret…. Hm.. WHAT!?”

>“What’s wrong!? Do you want to switch our conversation to a phone call?”

>“No, not right now. She says she will look out for the town when I’m not in Inaba. I can't believe this StupidbossywomanIhatehersomuchIwanttodie!”  😭

>“Hm? What's wrong?” Yu receives a phone call from Marie and answers her call.

“How does she even know about this!? It’s like she has been stalking me for 24 hours!? I’m both freaking out and angry about this!” Marie screamed through Yu’s cell phone.

“If Margaret is willing to look after the town temporarily for your sake, then I guess. She is willing to let you go. I’m sure you will be fine. You have me, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto. We won’t let you go alone. Trust me.” Yu says honesty.

“Okay… you big lug. I’ll trust you. I will only leave town, you and the others, once! I’m not going to do it again.” Marie said with a reassuring voice.

“Gotta. So is that a yes you will go as my date?” Yu teases her.

“Yes, I’m going! I need to go. I have to shower to calm my nerves… I’ll see you when you leave Inaba in two days. Goodnight, Yu. I-I love you…” Marie says in a fluttering voice. 

“I love you too, Marie. Goodnight.” Yu smiles warmly. Their conversation ended on a positive note. 

Suddenly, Yu heard a beep and decided to check his phone. He found text messages from Chie Satonaka.

Yosuke and Teddie’s side

Hanamura Residence - Yosuke’s Room

Yosuke got a call from Labrys, who seemed very stoked about how his and everyone’s dance moves were unique at the concert. 

“Awww… I’m glad you enjoyed the LMB concert today. Did you watch from Iwatodai where you lived, Labrys?” Yosuke says with a bashful smile.

“I did at Mitsuru-san’s mansion. Ya looked like you are havin’ fun! I wish I could learn to dance like that. I want to dance with everyone.” Labrys’ voice sounds happy.

“Yeah… wait. Why are you at Kirijo-san’s place? Don’t tell me you are her bodyguard in case someone would try to kidnap her again like last time?” Yosuke says with a suspicious voice.

“Nah. Mitsuru-san called me and Aigis for the final preparations for our formal attires at Kotone-san and Shinjiro-san’s wedding. Since we can’t let their wedding guests know we are machines. It may trauma some people or kids.” Labrys explained.

“Ooh! What kind of dress you are wearing then… I got to know!” Yosuke says with a perverted smile.

“It’s a secret. All of you are out at the wedding this month. Before you go, do you want to tell me something?” Labrys says with a curious tone of voice.

“Yeah… well. Would you be my date at the wedding? I should have called you sooner after you sent me the wedding invitation, but I was busy with dance rehearsal for Rise’s idol callback.” Yosuke asks her out nervously.

“I’d love to go, but I’m going with my sister, Aigis. She asked me first since one of her recent dates broke up with her for being too formal. We can spend time together after the wedding. I want to catch up with everyone since we last saw each other. I bet you guys had a lot of fun since May.” Labrys said with a positive energy.

“Y-Yeah. I would like that. I look forward to seeing you at the wedding ceremony, Labrys.” Yosuke says with a smile.

“Tell Yu-kun, Yukiko, Teddie, and the others I said hi, and I can’t wait to hear from you guys soon,” Goodin Night, Yosuke-kun!” Labrys says in a cheerful voice. 

“Goodnight, Labrys,” Yosuke says with a casual smile. Yosuke hung up, and he put away his cell phone on his desk to charge his phone.

“Hello Yosuke! I’m done taking a shower. It’s your turn. So, who were you talking to on the phone?” Teddie says with innocent eyes. He wore a Teddie pajama set. 

“It’s Labrys. She said she saw the LMB concert today on television, and she loved it.” Yosuke explained about his conversation with Labrys.

“Really!? Labby-chan love us!? She loves me!? That makes my heart melt.” Teddie seems enamored with Labyrs’ compliments based on Yosuke’s words.

“Hey, don’t forget you must be at your best at the wedding in three weeks. Don’t embarrass Naoto’s cousin. Or else we won’t invite you to another wedding again if we had one.” Yosuke scolded him.

“I know…*sigh* I thought meet my soulmate here…” Teddie sulked. 

Yosuke and Teddie heard a text sound coming from their cell phones. Teddie had his cell phone on his bed inside his bedroom closet. They both checked their phones, and it read, “Chie.” 

Yukiko’s side

Amagi Inn - Evening

Yukiko’s Room

When Yukiko gets home, she first wants to look after her pet bird, Suzuku, which she adopted and raised from an egg. A few months ago, she found her in an abandoned nest by her window. She asked a friend of her mother’s friend’s foster children to look after her when she was in dance rehearsals. She is a lovely, long-tailed Rosefinch. 

“Oh, Yukiko. I didn’t know you got back from the dance concert. How was it? Was it fun?” Says Yukiko’s mother.

“Yes, It was fun, mother. I had a good time with my friends. Thank you for asking.” Yukiko faintly smiles at her.

“So, the only thing left is going to the wedding of one of her friends’ cousins. I’m sure you will find yourself a man with it, falling in a wedding and having kids when you get older.” 

“Mother!… I’m not here to hit on random strangers. I’m there to spend time with my friends and meet new people. I can choose whatever person I want to meet with.” Says Yukiko, with an offensive look.

“I know. It's just that I want grandkids once you graduate from high school or college. You still have time to decide whether you want to inherit my title as hostess at our family tradition, Amagi Inn, or continue to study outside of Inaba. It’s your choice to make. I’m not going to rush you,” Yukiko’s mother said with a frown.

“Just wait until I decide which college or university I want to attend. Please, don’t rush me. I’m still 17, after all. I want to enjoy my time in high school before I graduate next year. I still have time until my 20s or 30s.” Yukiko reassures her mother.

“If you are unable to find a man by then… I will introduce you to a guy from one of my old classmates I met. He is the same age as you, has good grades, is a hard worker, and is great with kids. You might like him. I will introduce him to you during the winter break,” Yukiko’s mother suggested.

“Maybe… but not now. I want to—“ Before Yukiko can tell her mother what’s on her mind, she receives a text message from her best friend since childhood, Chie Satonaka.

“Hm… I wonder why Chie is texting me all of a sudden…?” Yukiko says in her thoughts, curious. 

A few minutes ago…

Chie’s Side

Chie’s House - Evening

Chie is relaxing at home after she took a nice, warm bath. She is dressed in her comfortable pajamas. A lime green shirt top that exposed her stomach and yellow sleeping shorts. She celebrates one of her female friends, Rise, who became an idol again, with an evening snack before she goes to bed. Suddenly, she receives a call from someone she knows. She picks up her green cellphone and looks at the caller ID, “Master Akihiko.” Chie excitedly holds her squeal before she can adequately respond to him honorably. 

“Hello, Master! Long time no see! I’m sorry I couldn’t text or call you back because my friends and I were helping Rise with her concert for her comeback as an idol. How are you doing lately?” Chie says in a calm voice.

“I’ve been doing alright as usual. I understand how your friends meant to you.” Akihiko says in a casual voice.

“So, why are you calling over suddenly? Don’t tell me… Are you planning to be in a polyamory relationship between Kotone-San and Shinjiro-san!?” Chie guessed with a grasping expression.

“WHAT THE HELL!? No! I don’t think Shinji would agree to that. I don’t think marrying multiple people in Japan would be legal if we did. That’s not what I want to talk about on the phone.” Akihiko’s voice sounded offensive and yet somehow nervous for some reason.

“Then… Hm.. Is it possible that you’re asking me to do some training regiment to help us increase our strength and endurance?”

“No, but maybe some other time.”

“Is Koro-chan having another litter of puppies soon?”

“No, Koromaru decided to stop having more puppies last month. He doesn’t want to put pressure on his mate.” 

“Then, what is it you want to talk about then?” Chie asks him curiously.

“Do you know any girls where you live who are between four and eight years old?” Akihiko asked her.

“Why? Are you not thinking of being interested in dating underage girls or adopted girls to get over your ex-crush?” Chie sounds suspicious.

“It‘s nothing like that at all! … please answer the question.” Akihiko pleaded with her.

“Yes. I do know someone who has your description. Her name is Nanako Dojima, and she’s seven years old. She’s a cousin of my friend of mine. She’s going to turn eight next month. Why do you ask?” Chie asked her master.

“Shinji and Koto have decided on the date to get married, September 30th. They wanted to do a Western-style wedding. The only thing we are missing is a flower girl, “ Akihiko explained.

“A wedding! It’s awesome that your best friend and Naoto’s cousin have finally found a date to marry! I’m so happy for both of them!” Chie says with a gleeful smile.

Akihiko continues, “Of course, you and your friends are also invited to the wedding if you are available. I already sent an invite to your email address.”

“You did? When?” Chie wondered.

“I think about three months ago. You didn’t read it?” Akihiko guessed.

“What!? This is the first time I've heard of it!? Are you sure you did? I check my emails all the time. Wait… I think… I accidentally deleted it… I’m sorry, Master! Could you send it to me again? I promise I will carefully read before deleting my old emails.” Chie sounds very regretful.

“Okay. I’ll resend you the wedding invitation again. This is the only time I will do this for you, and be sure to be careful next time, Satonaka.” Akihiko’s voice sounded worrying.

“I promise! Tomorrow, I will ask Dojima-san if Nanako-chan can be a flower girl for your best friend’s wedding,” Chie says with a determined smile.

“Thanks. That means a lot. Oh. Before I can forget. There is something I need to ask you. If your friends don’t mind.” 

Chie needs clarification on what Akihiko means.

The next day… Before Yu leaves Inaba in two days…

September XX, 2012

Chie calls Yukiko and others about being invited to a wedding ceremony. They already got their wedding invitation, which Mitsuru sent after Golden Week. Chie was the only one who didn’t know she was invited. They assume she has already read it like the rest of them. She requests they talk about it at Dojima Residence. They need Yu’s uncle's permission to let Nanako be the flower girl and attend the wedding. 

Daytime -Dojima Residence

The former members of the Investigation Team gathered to discuss how to persuade Nanako to be the flower girl at Chie’s Master’s friend and Naoto’s cousin’s wedding. Everyone gathered on the couch and futon seats. You brought Nanako to the living room to discuss her.

“Big Bro? Why are your friends gathered here? Is it your farewell party before you go home?” Nanako says with innocent eyes. 

“No, that’s not it. Chie has something she wants to ask you.” Yu says with a warm smile.

“Nanako-chan, would you like to be a flower girl at my Master’s best friend’s wedding in three weeks?” Chie said with a kind smile.

“A flower girl?” Nanako tilts her head in confusion.

“It’s a flower girl for young girls like yourself who carry or scatter flowers in front of the bride at the wedding. It is another way to bless a happy couple.” Yukiko explained to Nanako.

“Who’s getting married?” Nanako curiously asked her.

“My cousin from my father’s side. I’m sure you will love to meet her. She’s an amicable and cheerful person.” Naoto politely answered Nanako’s question.

“You have a cousin too!? Wow! Just like me and Big Bro! Why didn’t you mention her before? She seems like a nice person like Big Bro!” Nanako says in a cheerful voice.

“You never asked. If you did, I wouldn’t mind talking about her. She is the only cousin I’m closest with growing up.” Naoto says with a kind smile to her.

“I will ask you about your cousin later. I’m not sure if I want to go. I’m not used to being around strangers. I don’t want to be alone.” Nanako says with an unsure look.

“Don’t worry, Nanako-chan, Naoto’s cousin, also invited us to the wedding. So, you won’t be alone. We will be there for you.” Yosuke says with a reassuring smile.

“Okay… I am going to be the only child there?” Nanako said with a nervous frown.

“No, you’re not going to be the only child here. There are plenty of kids of your age coming. He told me that Master’s best friend’s cousin would be the ring bearer and give the rings to the groom and bride. I’m sure you will be able to get along with them.” Chie says with a smile on her face.

“But… what about my school? I can’t miss a day of school. Daddy will get angry without a reason.”

“Don’t worry, Nanako. The wedding is on a Sunday, September 30th. You don’t have to worry about missing out since it’s on the weekend. I’m sure you will be a wonderful flower girl. If you do, I will buy you a souvenir after the wedding. Whatever you want. I will make you happy.” Yu says with a promising smile. He gently pats Nanako’s head while looking at her in the eyes. Nanako’s eyes shine in a bright smile.

“It’s a deal! I’ll be the best flower girl ever that Big Bro be proud of.” Nanako gladly accepted.

“I can’t wait to see you in a cute flower dress, Nana-chan! You are going to steal the show!” Teddie courage her, pumping one arm in the air.

“Yeah!” Nanako happily agreed.

“What this about a wedding…?” Says an older man’s voice.

Yu and the others see Yu’s uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, who just returned from work.

“Oh. Well. Dojima-san. We could explain this. You see…” Yosuke says nervously. 

“Chie and Big Bro’s friends asked me to be a flower girl at the detective’s cousin’s wedding on a Sunday. I agreed to do it if Big Bro buys me something of my choosing, but I haven’t decided yet.” Nanako says with an innocent smile.

Everyone reacted dumbfounded.

“You bride my daughter, Yu…?” Dojima says suspiciously at his nephew. 

“I didn’t bride her, Uncle.” Yu denies it.

“If this is for Shirogane’s cousin’s wedding, why not ask her side of the family or her partner’s then?” Dojima says with grave concern.

“My cousin, Kotone, has a a very restrained relationship with her relatives except me and my grandfather. Shinjiro Aragaki, Kotone’s lover, and his relatives lack young girls from his side. He has already chosen his cousin’s son to be the ring bearer. His cousin’s brother’s only daughter is a newborn baby, and she is too young for the role. That’s why Chie-san asks Nanako since she is the only child we know.” Naoto explained.

“Who’s going to keep an eye on her? She can’t be there by herself without anyone she knows here.” He says with a severe frown.

“It’s okay. We are also invited to the wedding. Nanako-chan won’t be by herself. We promise to have her back before dark.” Yosuke says with confidence.

“She did well at the LMB concert yesterday. Why not at my cousin’s wedding? She’s never got stage fright, and she can focus on her own. Don’t worry. We will be by her side the entire time.” Naoto explained the situation to him while keeping a calm position.

“All she is going to do is carry flower petals and scatter them in front of the bride, and that’s it. Short and simple.” Kanji says casually. 

“What about her schedule and the cost of her flower girl dress and basket?”  Dojima asked.

“Nanako can practice when she finishes school work, holiday break, and weekdays off. She will be able to remember before the wedding. They will cover her expenses for her dress for her. They need her sizes and measurements. I haven’t given Nanako’s measurements to my cousin yet… unless you gave your daughter permission to go to a wedding with us.” Naoto responded with a reasonable explanation.

“Well… if Yu will be with my daughter the entire time, then I guess she can go. But be sure to video-record her during the wedding ceremony and photos.” Dojima instructed Yu and his friends on one condition: letting Nanako go to the wedding with them.

“Deal. Nanako-chan, we will make sure she practices and remembers her role as a flower girl. That’s a promise!” Rise says with a beaming smile.

“Oh, Shirogane, be sure to give me your cousin’s contact. I want to tell her what Nanako can and can’t go outside of Inaba, foods she can’t eat, what she’s afraid of, and her sleep schedule.” 

“Dad! You’re embarrassing me!” Nanako pouted at her dad. She responded by slapping her father’s leg hard. Dojima chuckled a bit before he let out a slight ouch.

Everyone laughs in a friendly manner. 

After Dojima gets something he forgot before returning to work, he reminds Yu to lock up before he leaves the house. Nanako spends time with her friends from her school, mainly wanting to talk about yesterday at the LMB concert. Now, it is just Yu and his friends. 

“Oh, I just forgot to mention it to you guys! It’s about my conversation with Master yesterday last night.” Chie says with a surprised look.

“What is it? I hope it’s not another kung movie you want to ask Sanada-san or a food-eating contest you want to do.” Says Yosuke, sulking. Chie kicked Yosuke in the stomach hard. He responded by falling to his knees before he stood down on the right side of the bamboo mat floor.

“No! You dumbass! That’s not what I want to ask everyone about!” Chie says offensively.

“What is it? Nanako-chan already agrees to be the flower girl for Naoto-kun’s cousin’s wedding. Is there something else he asks you about, Chie?” Yukiko says with a puzzled look. 

“He says that his best friend and Naoto’s cousin are short on groomsmen. He asked me if one of my guy friends could be a groomsman for the wedding. Iori-san will walk the aisle with Kotone-san as her special friend, and Koro-chan... he is counted as one person with Ken-kun. It was only Master and Ken-kun. They are short two or three people they need to make up for groomsmen. He mentions that Ken-kun will try to ask his friend from school.” Chie explained to everyone what she remembered from her conversation with Akihiko.

“Um… we barely know the bride and groom. We only met them once back in May. The evil baddie almost destroyed this world, and the Sho guy traveled the world. I don’t think I would cut it.” Kanji says honesty.

“Me too. Although if they asked me, I would be thrilled to be close to Koto-chan close by to look at her beautiful face and body. However…  Shinjiro and Akihiko would send me a bunch of dead glares at my directions, and I… don’t want to risk it.” Teddie agreed with Kanji for once. He was feeling both disturbed and disappointed. 

“Same here….” Yosuke says with an anxious look in his eyes.

“What about you, Yu-senpai?” Naoto asked Yu for his opinion.

“I’ll do it.”

Everyone reacted with a big WHAT on their faces.

“Why!? You barely know them. What made your decision to become a groomsman willingly?” Kanji says with a shocked look.

“I want to help Kotone-san the best I can. I want her to have a memorial ceremony for her lover, friends, and family on her special day. She reminds me of back when I was a student at Yasogami High. I sense she has the same feelings towards the people she forged bonds with as me.” Yu said with an honest smile on his face.

“Oh! Yu-senpai… I knew you would never say no to a request. That’s why I love you so much! ❤️” Rise says with a lovely smile.

“Huh, Rise, Yu is already taken.” Chie reminded her.

“Shut up. Don’t kill the mood.” Rise hissed at Chie.

“*sign* If you volunteer to do this, I’ll join you too,” Yosuke said with a deep sign.

“You say you don’t want to be one? What the sudden change of mind!?” Kanji says with a confused expression.

“I promise I will already be there for my best friend and partner. We will always stick together even though his choice might be right or wrong.” Yosuke says with a reasonable smile.

“Thanks Yosuke. That means a lot.” Yu smiles back at him.

When Yu looked at his remaining guy friend, who didn’t want to go, and saw if his decision to be a groomsman would change their minds, Kanji and Teddie shook their heads. 

“So now that everything is settled. We should buy ourselves some suits and dresses shopping before the wedding!” Chie said with a grin. 

“To be honest… Kirijo-san had already asked me to be a groomsman after Golden Week since Kotone-san didn’t have enough groomsmen for the wedding. I agreed to her proposal without hesitation.” Yu explained.

“Why didn’t you tell us before!?” Yosuke says with a furious expression.

“I thought she would also ask you, Kanji, or Teddie?” Yu says with a confused look.

“No, we didn’t!” Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie say in union. 

“I’ll let Kotone know Nanako agreed to be the flower girl and her measurements for her dress,” Naoto says stoically. She leaves the living room so she can call Kotone privately.

“I’m so going to make the bearest suit for my Teddie costume! I’ll make sure the ladies love the adorable bear.” Teddie has a perverted vibe on his face. This makes Chie, Yukiko, and Rise look at him with disgust.

Chapter Text

Okina City - Daytime 

Rise and Yukiko take Chie and Naoto to a formal dress store so they have something to wear to the wedding. The name of the store is R’s Gown. It is the store that Kotone’s friend recommended to find suitable dresses.

R’s Gown

The store is filled with a variety of colorful dresses suitable for any special occasion. Some are short, medium, long, bolero, or stole dresses. The beautiful, feminine dresses make Chie dizzy.

“This is the place where you and Rise got your dresses? Then what dress did you choose?” Chie asks them, trying to keep her mind occupied by her friends instead of looking at the dresses on display. 

“Yes, it is. I bought a Powder Tulle Dress. It's velvet red and black. It's been a while since I wore something red besides the red cardigan jacket I wore to school,” Yukiko says with a slight smile.

“And you, Rise-san?” Naoto asks Rise, still mad at her, to drag her shopping instead of letting her give Nanako’s measurements to Kotone via text. 

“I bought a bright pink sheer folding bustier dress.  I thought I would look cute at the wedding when Senpai sees me, hoping he will dump Marie.” Rise happily, bragging about her dress. 

“Oh… you’re still not over Marie confessing her love to Yu on television…” Chie seems more concerned for her and hopes she will get over it sooner.

“By the way, you still haven’t explained why you dragged me all the way here for a formal dress even though I already purchased ahead of time…” Naoto demands.

“Well, you showed me what you plan to wear, and it’s not good. I thought you already embraced your femininity.” Rise pouted in disappointment.

“What’s so bad about me wearing a black suit with a navy collar shirt and tie? It suits me better than wearing a dress. I promise I won’t bind my chest like last year when I cross-dressed as a guy. Kotone won’t mind either way.” Naoto says with a straight face.

“This is your cousin’s wedding! You should dress nicely for her. You love her like a sister, right!?” Rise says with a smile, getting too close to Naoto’s place.

“Y-Yes. She is the only cousin I cared for.” Naoto says uncomfortably. Rise has her arm around Naoto’s left shoulder while staring at her.

“Then do it for your cousin. I’m sure she is thinking the same way. I will help you find the best dress to make Kotone-san cry with joy and happiness. I think I know the section that has your bust size and height. Hehe… follow me.” Rise, grab Naoto’s right hand, and drag her away. Much of Naoto’s dismay. Now, it is only Chie and Yukiko.

“I can help, too, if you need to find a dress that suits you better,” Yukiko says softly.

“Yeah. I need your help. I’m not familiar with his store, and I have no idea where I can find a dress that's not too girly or dressy. Just simple, casual, and not too expensive,” Chie says with an exhausted look.

Rise and Naoto’s side

Rise took her to the aisle for petite women. Various dresses fit Naoto. Some were lacy, girly, fashionable, or femininely sexy. Rise excitedly picked out a few dresses for Naoto to try on for her cousin’s wedding. They managed to find a fitting room where they could change their clothes. Rise sat outside the fitting room to wait for Naoto, much to her dismay. 

“Come on, Naoto. You will look great when you put one of them on. Kotone-san will love it!" Rise happily encourages her.

“I don’t have to wear any dresses. The suit I bought suits me the most. I can feel comfortable wearing them. I don’t see a point in wearing these dresses you picked for me…” Naoto’s voice seemed annoyed.

“You just need to find at least one dress. I have good taste in fashion. I know what I’m doing. Trust me.” Rise chirps.

After Naoto finished changing, she wore a cobalt blue organza dress over the formal attire. She looked a bit uncomfortable.

“Umm… that dress seems alright. It gives you a vibe of a mature woman, " says Rise with an unsure look.

“Yeah, but it’s hard to walk around with. It might accidentally trip and fall. This dress I’m not wearing... I’m changing back to the regular clothes I had on.” Naoto seemed unsatisfied with her first dress before she went back to the changing room. 

“C’mon, Naoto. Don’t be such a downer. You haven’t tried the other dresses I gave you. It’s not going to hurt by trying new things. Maybe it's not just your cousin you’re trying to impress, but maybe… Kanji.” Rise teased her.

“What!? Where did you get that idea!? He’s not my boyfriend. *grunt* I will only try at least three dresses, and that’s it.” Naoto sulked in annoyance.

She tried on a second dress, a pastel blue medium-length dress, except it had a spade-shaped hole in the middle, exposing her huge bust size. Naoto’s face looked a bit flushed. She shook her head in response before she ran back to the room. 

The third dress she tried on was an ocean wave dress that exposed her back entirely, and had a short skirt length, which Naoto had to lower to cover up her panties. She was very embarrassed.

“Ooohh! You’re wearing sky-blue lingerie underwear now. My, you started to get more feminine.” Rise grins as she playfully teases her.

“C- Cut that now! You’re the one who chose this… What undergarments I’m wearing are not for Kanji-kun! I’m just curious how the fable works from my usual underwear.” Naoto’s face turns very red in embarrassment.

“Yeah… sure.” Rise looks smugly.

Naoto finally picked up and wore a dress that was more suitable to her than the other dresses she tried on. She came out of the changing room to show Rise. She wore a navy blue Decorative Petal Lace Dress. It made her both mature and cute, like a doll. 

“That dress looks perfect on you! Kotone-san and Kanji will love it. I know that dress suits you. Don’t you love it too?” Rise compliments her. 

“Well… it doesn't look bad on me. The skirt is not too long, the material is very nice and comfortable, and it covers my chest. I guess I can buy it.” Naoto says with a faint smile.

“Great! Now try on those high-heeled slippers that came with the dresses you are wearing.” Rise picks up the slippers; she has already found her size inside the box. Naoto feels uneasy about being paired with Rise to help her see not only her dress size but also her slipper size. 

Chie and Yukiko’s side

Yukiko and Chie went to the medium-sized dresses that seemed suitable for Chie. The primary colors that she would wear are bright yellow, lime green, green, or yellow-green. She picked out Chie’s formal dress, a bright yellow dress with a lime green cardigan. The length of the dress skirt is regular.

“Hm… that’s a maybe. This dress is… well, more kind of you than me. I will try to be less of a tomboy than I was last year. This dress doesn’t scream at me.” Chie criticized the dress Yukiko picked for her.

“You think so?” Yukiko seems confused.

Chie picked out a dress for herself. She saw a dress that screamed at her. It was a Stylish Ivory High-neck, High-low short dress. The color of choice is a bright green gradient, transitioning to a golden hue. 

“What did you think!? Does it look good on me?” Chie smiled softly at Yukiko.

“Hm… maybe try those two dresses, and I will give you my honest answer,” Yukiko suggested. 

They went to the fitting room, where Naoto and Rise stayed until she finished changing back into her casual outfit. Rise, let them know she is taking Naoto to pay for the dress, and they will wait for them. Yukiko gives Chie the two dresses to try on first before she enters the room. 

“So, Yukiko… how did your mom like seeing us perform at the LMB concert yesterday? Was she proud of you?” Chie asked her. 

“She’s enjoyed watching us at the Inn. Although…” Yukiko seems awkward for some reason.

“Although? Did something happen between you two…?” Chie asked Yukiko.

“My mother… started to bother me that once I graduated from either high school or college, she wanted me to get married and have children soon. Mainly because I am the only daughter of the Amagi family. I know I want to inherit my family inn when I become an adult. I’m not ready to get married yet, even though I don’t know that guy.” Yukiko says with a sad look.

“What guy..?” 

“My mother scheduled me to meet him at some point, and hopefully, I would get to know him and arrange to be married. I'd rather get pregnant from a sperm donor than be with someone I don’t love…” Yukiko says to her in a soft voice.

Chie comes out from the changing room to look at her best friend. She looks at her and embraces her tightly. She felt bad for her. “Yukiko, I’m sorry to hear that. You don’t have to be with a guy if you don’t want to. It would be best to choose what you want to do when you’re ready to have a child. It’s your own life, not your parents’ choice.” Chie says with a worried look. 

“Chie… thank you.” Yukiko hugs her back.

After a few moments, they stopped hugging,

Yukiko notices the dress Chie is wearing. It’s the green gradient golden dress she picked out. She looks good in it, but something that would complement it is missing.

“Is this something about the dress that needs a little more flair or something like a ka-boom feeling?” Chie asked with a smirk.

“Hm… You will look great in a yellow-green cardigan jacket or a cream-colored short-sleeved jacket. I know a store that sells those separately if you buy them.” Yukiko kindly suggested it.

“I think so, too!” Chie happily agrees with her.

“Thanks for always cheering me up. That means a lot. I will try to ask my mother about holding off dating until after I graduate college since I still want to have the freedom of my own life, to spend time with friends, and to make memories before I have children,” Yukiko says with determination. 

“That’s Yukiko I know and love. I’m surprised you've changed a lot since last year. Back then... I always protect you from admirers or stalkers who might ask you out. Especially that strange guy from April who always called you Yuki in a creepy way at our high school.” Chie says with a confident look.

“What are you talking about? No guy ever called me that. Well, except Teddie. If I did, I would have remembered his face and name.” Yukiko seems confused.

“We only met that guy twice. One was in the spring before Namatame kidnapped you, and the other was on August 1st, when we entered his dungeon to capture him, whom we thought was the culprit. It turned out he was only a copycat murderer, and he just wanted the attention.” Chie reminded Yukiko about her stalker from last year.

“Do you remember what his name was?” Yukiko was confused and asked her.

“Of course, I remember his name. His name was… wait. What was his name again… Strange. I can’t remember for some reason. Now I think of it. I don’t remember what his face or his voice was like. Did I make him up, or did I get confused by bunches of guys hitting on you before meeting Yu…?” Chie also seems to be confused. 

“Maybe it wasn’t anything important. It’s all in the past. Let's focus on the present. You should probably change first, and then you can pay for it.” Yukiko reassures her. 

“Yeah. You’re right. I just had a dream last night that I accidentally got mixed up with what’s real and what’s fake.” Chie shrugged it off with a kind gesture. 

Meanwhile, somewhere outside of the timeline…

???

A young man with unkempt black hair and fish-like blank eyes. He is wearing a worn-out light orange long-sleeved shirt and torn jeans. Both of his arms and legs are in shackles, with his cold skin covered in bruises and dried blood on his bandaged hands and feet. He looked like he was barely conscious, and yet, he had no idea how long he had been kidnapped. 

“I’m surprised you restrain your human body after having part of your former Shadow self’s fragment embedded inside you bit by bit.” Says the unfamiliar voice.

The young man slowly opens his eyes and sees a strange figure with dragon traits. He can’t see his face clearly, but he remembers his voice. The dragon humanoid has dragon scales on its face. He looks like a young adult man, except he’s handsome compared to the young man held captive.

“Y-You… I completed all the experiments you assigned to me. I don’t know how I was kidnapped, but let me go home. My mother is worried sick about me. I want to see her…” The young man with blank eyes begged him desperately. 

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to return to your timeline anymore… Kubo-san. Or should I say Test Subject: J0801MK.” Draco says with a cruel smile.

“Liar!! You say if I can endure this enormous amount of pain… I can return to Inaba. I did, and I survived. If you don’t… I’m going to kill you for real.” Mitsuo threatens him.

“*chuckles* Hahahahaha!!!” Mitsuo’s captor laughs so manically that he closes his eyes with his left hand.

“What’s so goddamn funny, you damn dragon!?” Mitsuo responded with a very offensive look.

“You, of course. There is no way you can live a normal life now that you don’t have any feet or hands.” 

“What… did you say!”

“Takaya, Jin, help and show him the harsh truth.” He commanded them.

The shirtless guy with pale skin and yellow eyes unwrapped one of his bandaged hands, revealing it to be pixelated like an HD video game character. The other guy with black glasses with orange-tinted lenses unwrapped one of his feet, revealing it to be pixelated as well. Mitsuo was very horrified that his hands and feet were no longer human. He felt like he’d been tortured in hell and had no freedom.

“M-My h-hands… my f-feet… there gone.. Ha.h.. hah… Hhhhhaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!” Mitsuo screamed in terror. 

“It seems you are at least 60% Shadow now that your ex-other self has already absorbed most of your human body and energy. You are coming close to becoming his “familiar.” He smiles wickedly at the unfortunate victim. Takaya and Jin join him by laughing at Mitsuo’s despair. 

“Is this… my punishment from last year… I killed that bastard Morooka. I took the blame for all of the previous victims that Adachi killed… and I still didn’t get the attention I sought. I want to get attention… to be looked at… But not as a literal monster…” Mitsuo, in his inner thoughts, is in despair.

”I got to say, Draco. This is fun to watch, and a nobody is losing himself.” Jin complimented him with a satisfied smirk. 

Chapter Text

Okina City - Bombay Tailors

Yu, Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie arrived at the tailor stores Mitsuru suggested visiting here a few months ago. They are here to double-check on their suits for the wedding. First, Yosuke tries on his suit to see if it needs adjustments. Yosuke looks at himself in the mirror. He wears a black suit with a white collar shirt and a loose tie around his neck. He seems like a gentleman. 

“What do you think about your suit, Hanamura-san?” Says the Tailor.

“I love it. You got my measurement right. Not too big. Not too small. It's just right!” Yosuke seems impressed by his tailor, an associate of Mitsuru’s father. 

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. You will pick up your tuxedo on September 29th, 2:00 pm. Unless you will have a friend or a relative to come to pick up for you?” 

“Yes. My Dad says he will pick up mine and Teddie’s and give them to us at Inaba Station. Since we are going to Iwatodai at 2:30 pm to meet up with the groom for a bachelor party.” Yosuke stated.

“After you changed your clothes. It’s Tatsumi-san next.” He reminded him.

“Gotta. I won’t be gone for long.” Yosuke casually smirked.  He went inside the changing room. 

After Yosuke finished his clothing to the summer attire he had on, Kanji stepped into the changing room, where the tailor’s assistant gave him his custom tuxedo. Kanji looks annoyed for some reason. 

It was just Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie. 

“Yu, I have meant to tell you. Why didn’t you tell us you would be one of the groomsmen when Kirijo-san requested you.” Yosuke seems disappointed.

“Yeah. You always tell us everything. It’s not nice to keep it from us…” Teddie agreed with Yosuke, pouting.

“It was going to be a surprise. Labrys thought it was a good idea and I should wait until the day of the wedding. I didn’t mean to deceive you guys, and I’m sorry about it.” Yu sadly apologized to them. 

“Ya I know you won’t hurt or keep us in the dark. We are just messing with you. Don’t worry about it.” Yosuke playfully winked at him. 

“Thanks, Yosuke. That means a lot.” Yu smiles softly at him.

“I forgive you too, Sensei! That surprised me a lot as well!” Teddie smiled kindly at Yu.

“So, who did you tell about you being one of the groomsmen?” Yosuke leans on Yu’s left shoulder with a wide grin.

“Only my parents know. They don’t mind if I go to the wedding as long as I don’t get into trouble or illegal drinking. Then I got permission from them.” Yu says with a straight face.

“A course you would tell your folks about it. Maybe one day you will ask Marie to marry you.” Yosuke teased him.

“Not right now. I still want to focus on finishing my third year of high school and figuring out which university I’m applying to.” Yu reminded Yosuke.

“Does this suit make me too formal or something? It feels like I'm not.” Kanji’s voice is uncertain. Yosuke stops leaning on Yu, and he and the others see Kanji in a black suit with a dark purple collar shirt, except no necktie. 

“Tatsumi-san, the suit is fine the way it is. We double-check anything. We still have your measurements from before. Unless you have lost any weight or gained weight.” 

“Are you telling me that I’m fat!?” Kanji felt offended about his body weight.

“That’s not what I am saying. You just got over your body thinking you are. It depends on how you want to dress. You could try wearing a necktie.” The tailor suggested.

“Hell no. It’s too damn annoying. It makes my neck itch and feels like something is choking me.” Kanji angrily complains to him.

“I’m sure Naoto will tell you that you look hot and dashing in a suit like that,” Yosuke says honestly. 

“W-What!? Y-You think she will think I’m dashing in a s-suit?… If she says it, then…” Kanji’s face turns very red in a very bashful. 

“Don’t you want to see Naoto in a dress as well? I have already persuaded Rise to find the perfect dress for her, her cousin, and you. She will find you attractive.” Yosuke says with a playful grin as he continues to persuade him. 

“N-Naoto… in a dress... A dress. A freaking dress!” Kanji’s temperature rises so much that he has a minor nosebleed.

“Tatsumi-san. If you get blood on your suit, you must pay for it.” The tailor angrily warned him. 

Kanji quickly came back to his senses. He wiped the blood off with his hand, and Yu gave him some tissue that he carried in his pocket.

“Thanks, Senpai. I needed that,” says Kanji kindly.

“Don’t mention it. I just had a feeling that you would get a nosebleed every time you think about Naoto or when you have your usual moments,” Yu says with a calm smile. He has Kanji stand in the center of the tailor's mirror, where he pulls out the measuring tape from his vest pocket.  The tailor professionally checks Kanji’s suit to see if there’s no problem with it or any changes to his body since he last gave him his measurements in person. 

“Nothing is wrong. Like your friend Hanamura-san, you will pick up your tuxedo on September 29th at 2:00 pm. Don’t be late.” The tailor reminded him.

“Gotta. I’ll ya remember the time and place. I will impress Naoto with this.” Kanji says with high confidence as he raises his right arm up with his other hand on his elbow. He displays a positive smirk. 

“That’s something that you should keep to yourself, Kanji,” Yosuke says with a disturbing expression. 

After that, Kanji quickly went back to the changing room. Teddie seems so excited for some reason.

“Finally! I’m my turn! I can’t wait to see on how the ladies love good old Teddie in a marvelous suit for special events!” Teddie says in a delighted mood.

“So Yu, will you try your groomsman suit too after Teddie?” Yosuke asked.

“I already got my groomsman suit last month with my measurements in check. I even tried it out, and it fit perfectly. I got it from the mail with my name and address on it,” Yu responded in a calm tone.

“Lucky… You are always one step ahead, partner.” Yosuke seems slightly jealous and yet happy for him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to become a groomsman even though you said you will?” 

“Yeah, I’m sure. I just realized it would take too long to make a groomsman suit for me. The wedding is in three weeks, so I’m sure you probably be fine with Sanada-san and Ken.” Yosuke reassures his best friend. 

“I’m done. Teddie, you’re up. Get change.” Kanji calls out to him that it is his turn to get his clothes.

“Yippee!” Teddie happily rises his arms up. He runs to the change room. Yu notices that the tailor’s assistant didn’t gave him his tuxedo like Yosuke and Kanji did. 

“That’s strange. Why didn’t they gave Teddie his custom tuxedo? Could it be they have already put it inside of his changing room when Kanji was standing still for his suit?” Yosuke seems slightly confused. He looks at Yu and Kanji for their opinions. “What do you guys think?”

“I think you might be right about already being his suit in his changing room. It probably save enough time.” Yu guessed. 

“I don’t know. Isn’t this the time Teddie try on a formal suit for wedding? He doesn’t know much about grooms and brides including the tradition western customs. I’m sure he will be fine.” Kanji does not seems bother by it. 

“Taadaa! I’m all done. Now fierce your eyes on me! The Bearest Teddie tuxedo!” Teddie’s voice seems energetic. When Teddie dramatically comes out from his changing room, Yu, Yosuke and Kanji reacted in the most bewildered manner. They see Teddie in his bear mascot costume in a tuxedo suit. He wears a black suit with a white collar shirt and a red striped tie.

“DUDE! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING!???” Yosuke angrily shouted at Teddie. 

“You like! You told me to give him my measurements, so I gave him my measurements for my bear form. My… this tailor is a genius at recreating my Teddie suit combined with a tuxedo. Stunning!” Teddie says with a bright smile.

“Teddie, that’s not what we met. We weren’t expecting you to give the tailor your bear suit's measurements; we thought it would be your human form’s measurements instead.” Yu carefully explained to Teddie.

“Oh, that. Wait. So you don’t want me to wear it to Koto-chan and Gakky’s wedding this month?” Teddie seems dumbfounded.

“HELL No! You were supposed to give him your human form’s measurements, not your Teddie suit, you dumb bear.” Yosuke seems very irritated by his one mistake.

“I got to say. This is the most adorable and creative thing I’ve ever done. Nobody has ever requested that I make an animal mascot with a tuxedo suit. “ The tailor seems impressed and yet confused.

“Please don’t encourage him. Can you try to make another suit for him!? I already got the right measurements on my smartphone. How long would you have it by before September 29th?” Yosuke, panicking, asked the tailor.

“Awww…but I love Teddie in that fluffy suit again, except in a tuxedo. Ahhhh… So cute! I want to see him like that at the wedding." Kanji excitingly gushing over Teddie's tuxedo suit in his bear costume.  

“I could make another suit for Teddie-san, but it would cost more yen. The suit won’t be ready on the day of the wedding that your associates are going. I’m deeply sorry,” says the tailor, regrettably.

“*sigh* Yu, do you have Kirijo-san’s contact by any chance?” Yosuke asked Yu. 

“Yeah. She gave it to me months after we saved Inaba. Why?” Yu seems to be confused.

“Could you ask her if she has any spare groomsmen outfits at her place or anything? I would ask the tailor if he modified my suit for Teddie instead.” Yosuke explained. 

“So you are going to be a groomsman like Senpai? I thought you called it off and would be a guest like Teddie and me?” Kanji asked Yosuke.

“Well, it’s not like I have a choice. I have to make a big sacrifice. Even though Teddie can make dumb mistakes most of the time, he is still my friend and adopted brother.” Yosuke says with an honest smile.

“Awww… Yosuke. That’s so sweet of you!” Teddie felt like his heart was being touched by Yosuke’s kind words. 

“Hey, I'm doing this once. You better not make the same mistake again. Next time, ask us before you do anything else,” Yosuke scolded Teddie. 

"Then what about my Teddie suit? Does that mean I have to return it?” Teddie asked in a disappointing tone. 

“No, you can’t. It’s already been done, and there are no refunds. Plus, nobody is going to wear your bear costume at a wedding. You might as well keep it when one of us gets married someday. You could wear it to Yu and Marie-chan’s wedding someday.” 

“That would be a long time, Yosuke. We are just starting the date. I still have to finish my final high school year and think about my career.” 

“Teddie, could you wear your fluffy bear suit at my wedding someday? It would brighten my day. Maybe take a picture with you and touch your fur.” Kanji asks Teddie’s permission and blushes.

Teddie shook his head in disapproval. He has his arms made into an “x.” “Nope. Not you, Kanji. Only Sensei, the ladies, and the kids can touch my fur. I will let Nao-chan touch it if she asks.” 

“I’ll make the call right away if she is available.” Yu takes his cell phone from his pocket and dials Mitsuru’s phone number.

“Oh, Narukami. What a surprise. I was about to call you. Do you need me for something?”  Mitsuru asked.

“Yeah, remember you sent me two groomsmen's suits to my place about a month ago, and I have one shipped and one back? I was wondering if you still have it since one of my friends volunteered to be a groomsman at your friend’s wedding.” Yu asked Mitsuru.

“Unfortunately, I don’t. An old friend from high school volunteered to be a groomsman at Kotone and Shinjiro’s wedding. That was what I was going to tell you about.” Mitsuru’s voice says in a sad tone. 

“No, it’s okay. I will let my friend know. Thank you for informing me. I’ll see you later.” Yu ended the conversation by hanging up and putting away his cell phone. 

“I’m guessing it's bad news then… what did she say?” Yosuke asks Yu about his conversation with Mitsuru.

“She said an old friend from high school volunteered to be a groomsman. I’m so sorry, Yosuke.” 

“Great… now I have no suit for the wedding. I wonder if I can borrow one from my dad, he wore at his friend’s wedding.” Yosuke murmured to himself.

“I can ask my uncle to let you know before the wedding.”

“It’s fine. I’ll ask my dad if I can borrow his for the wedding. Although it’s not new or something, it’s close enough.”

“How come you didn’t ask your old man first before you decide on renting a suit, Yosuke-senpai? Would that be simpler?” Kanji asked him.

“It didn't want to wear clothes that my relatives had already worn. It’s almost like a hand-me-down suit that was passed down from generation to generation. The suit that my dad wore was passed down from my late grandpa. It’s lame and embarrassing.  “ Yosuke responds with an awkward look. 

“It probably won’t be that bad…” Teddie's cheery compliments.

After that, the guys left the suit store after they gave the tailor Teddie’s actual measurements to alter Yosuke’s tuxedo suit for him. 

Hanamura House - Early Evening

Everyone is gathered in Yosuke and Teddie’s living room to see Yosuke’s hand-me-down tuxedo suit, which he got from his dad. Yosuke wore a black suit with a collared shirt, a dark orange tie, a black vest, and black shoes. In addition, he wore a dark orange handkerchief in the left breast pocket of his blazer jacket.

“Wow, Yosuke, you look like a fine gentleman like your dad. You will kill it with Labrys,” Chie teased him.

“Don’t tease me, Chie. This isn't something to joke about. This suit dates back to around the 1970s. It’s ancient.” 

“I’m sure nobody will notice. It looks brand new. It looks like your family’s suit has been taken good care of. You are only going to wear once, after all.” Yu encourage him. 

“Yeah, it’s already too late to rent another tuxedo suit since you gave yours to Ted here. I still want to see him in his adorable Teddie suit at the wedding.” Kanji sulked.

“Yosuke-senpai may have a point. If Teddie were to wear it at the wedding, it would be harder for the other guests to see the bride and groom at the chapel. It covers their view.” Naoto agreed with Yosuke’s suggestion.

“Yeah… I promise I won’t wear it to the ceremony. I don’t want to bother Koto-chan and Shinjiro’s friends’ time by blocking their view.” Teddie promises to Yosuke.

“So you are not going to bring it with you on the day of the wedding, right?” Rise asked Teddie.

He nodded. “I promise I will not wear it during the wedding ceremony. I swear it.” 

“Good. Now, excuse me, I’m going to change my clothes. This tuxedo feels a bit itchy.” 

“You don’t have to tell us that. Just change your clothes.” Chie says with a blank look. 

Unknowingly to everyone, Teddie secretly has his left hand behind his back with his two fingers crossed. He is obviously going to bring his Teddie tuxedo suit to the wedding. Mainly not just the ladies, but the children are going to be there. He wants to light up the mood a bit. He displays a sneaky smirk on his face. 

After everyone left, Naoto decided to stay at Kanji’s place for a bit. Mainly to get something off her chest. 

Tatsumi Textiles - Evening

Naoto is in the living room playing with Kanji’s pet dog, named Rina. She is about a few months old shiba inu puppy, she is small than an avenge size puppy, and her fur is a peach color with white heart shaped on her back and chest. She also wore a bright pink collar. Rina sleeps on Naoto’s lap after she has finished playing with her. She gently pets Rina’s head with a few strokes. 

“Awww.. She is such a cutesy puppy. I’m so glad she is lives with us.” Kanji says with the brightest smile. 

“Yeah. She is the only dog who isn’t scared of you. She seems surprisingly smart for her age like her father. Usually it takes about a few months for puppies to learn, train, and understanding the others.” Naoto comments about Rina’s intelligence. 

“Some day she will be a great watch dog despite her cute size. I’ll make sure she will grow healthy and strong even though she won’t be the same size as her daddy.” Kanji says in the cutest voice to Rina. 

“By the way, Kanji, there is something important I would like to discuss with you. Do you remember the copycat culprit from last year, Mitsuo Kubo?” Naoto says in a serious voice. She stares at him with her gray eyes. 

“Yeah, I remember that guy. He still rubs me the wrong way. Those creepy fish eyes of his. He kept lying to himself and believing he is the one responsible for the murder Yosuke’s ex crush and that announcer woman. The only person he murdered was King Moron. Why do you ask?” Kanji asked her with a confused look.

“Nobody knows who Kubo is.” 

“It hasn’t been that long. He is only in prison for like a year and now he is on the run. I guess his reputation is not very important since he only killed one person…” Kanji speaks ill about Mitsuo. 

“No. I’m serious. Everyone in Inaba has no memories of Mitsuo Kubo. It’s like all traces of their memories of him have completely vanished somehow.” Naoto stated.

“How is that even possible!? We remember that annoying guy from last year. When did you found out about this?” Kanji asked her with a concerned look.

“About four months ago when Kubo broke out of prison. They were sending wanted poster in some locations and start searching for him, but each week, they stop the search for him and presume their daily life. I presumed he fled out of town. However, in July, I decide to visit his mother, his only relative left. When I mentioned her about her son’s disappearance, she has no idea what I was talking about. She claims she never had a son since her infant die during childbirth. I presumed she might be lying to hide Kubo’s tracks so I decide to drop it. Today, when Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai mention him, but they can’t recalls his face or his name. I’m not sure if this is time-related like Shinjiro-san’s companion, Marco.” Naoto explained what she knows about Mitsuo Kubo’s sudden disappeararance and why his memories from everyone is fading.

“That’s kind of scary kind of shit. What did Rise says when you mention him? Does she remember him?” Kanji curiously asks her. 

Naoto shook her head. “Just like Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai, she has no clue what was I talking about. She never heard of the name Mitsuo Kubo before. Did you asks Senpai and the rest of the guys when you went with them?” 

“I forgot to ask them. I was focused on Teddie’s tuxedo bear suit he had the tailor made for him. I’ll be sure to asks them later.” 

“You should try texting Yu-senpai. Yosuke-senpai, and Teddie about him before you go to bed. 

“Just don’t mention him at the bachelor party or during the wedding ceremony. It’s my cousin’s big day after all. We can discussed about Kudo’s existance later.” Naoto instructs him.

“I wonder why we are the only ones who remember that bastard… It’s not like he is very important to us. We barely know that guy beside him being a copycat killer.” Kanji wondered.

“I should probably talk to my future cousin-in-law after his honeymoon with Kotone. I don't want to bug him.” says Naoto in her inner thoughts, certainly. 

Chapter Text

Yu and the others were informed by Akihiko and Mitsuru’s email that the bride and groom would have bachelor and bachelorette parties. It will last about three days before the wedding ceremony. For Akihiko’s messages to the guys, he recommended they wear his comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes for a hike, backpacks, water bottles, and phone chargers with them. Mitsuru’s messages to the girls are similar to Akihiko’s, except to ensure they bring their clothes, walking shoes, and money since they will be shopping, eating at restaurants, and exploring several other places that Kotone has never experienced. 

Three weeks later…

Everyone is prepared to leave Inaba to meet with Kotone and Shinjiro’s friends in Iwatodai. 

September 27th, 2012 

Dojima Residence - Early Morning

Yu is fully backed and ready to meet with his friends at Inaba Station.

“Big bro… I’m going to miss you.” Nanako said with a sad look.

Yu kneeled and petted her gently on her head. He looks at her with a kind smile. “It’s going to be okay. It’s only three days for the bachelor party. You will see me and my friends this Sunday. That’s a promise, Nanako.”

Nanako tearfully nodded. 

“Yu, be sure you don't go illegal drink behind my back. Your parents would get angry if you did. And me as well. You’re not even 20 years old yet.” Dojima tells him with a concerned look.

“Don’t worry, Uncle. Aragaki-san said the hotel beside Kamikōchi serves coffee, water, tea, and alcoholic drinks. You don’t need to worry about it. We are going with Sanada-san, Junpei-san, Ken, Ken’s friend, and a friend of the bride from high school. They will make sure we don’t drink before the wedding.” Yu said with confidence.

“I hope you’re right. I’ll drop Nanako off at the hotel you mentioned. You and your friends better bring her home after the wedding. She has to go back to school this Monday.” Dojima reminds his nephew.

“I will. I will make sure she will be back before her curfew.” Yu stand up to look at his uncle. 

“Big Bro, when you are with Yosuke-kun, Kanji-kun, and Teddie, I promise to practice my role as the flower girl best. I won’t let you down.” Nanako puts on a brave look towards her cousin.

“That’s my cousin.” Yu smiles back at her. He realized she had grown up so much since she had last seen her. He is proud of her. 

“I’ll drop you off at the station so you won’t be late.” Dojima offer a ride for Yu.

“I appreciate it.” Yu accept his offer.

Hanamura Residence

Yosuke’s father and the family pet, Mochi, is a Shiba inu puppy with gray fur and red and gray eyes. They see Yosuke and Teddie off as they leave to meet Yu at the Inaba Station. 

“I’m glad I don’t have to go to school for three days. I don’t like some of the new teachers this year. Especially since today is the school trip for 2nd and 3rd year students to Paris.” Yosuke felt relieved about it.

“Why? What’s France?” Teddie asks him with curious eyes.

“It’s outside of Japan. It’s an eight-hour flight to a city of romance, and—” Before Yosuke could explain what he knows about Paris, Teddie excitedly interrupted him.

“Ooooh!!! A city of romance! I want to go there! That’s sounds so much fun! I will have my chance to score a date with a lovely foreign lady here.”

“Nice try, Teddie. The tickets to France cost more than we went to Tatsumi Port Island last year. I don’t think you will survive without one of us there. I advise you not to be there at all.” Yosuke advises Teddie. 

“Awwww… Why not!? I want to see hot ladies there…” Teddie complaining.

“It’s not just the ladies; there are some major historical landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum. There are some disgusting food there that you probably don’t want to eat,” says Yosuke, being honest.

“What kind of food did Paris serve?” 

“Like eating snails and frog legs…” Yosuke commented.

“Yuck! I don’t wanna eat that! Why would people eat that? It’s too cruel…” Teddie felt disgusting.

“There is also another reason why Kashiwagi booked students for France, Paris. She registered another love hotel like before except… well. You can hear people in the other room… Doing.. Adultery stuff.” Yosuke awkwardly tries to explain to Teddie.

“I want to know about adult things, too. I bet it's fun.” Teddie felt intrigued about it.

“Trust me. You don’t want to know. Especially when you may lose your innocence with the wrong person, it has to be someone you have liked for a long time. That’s all I can tell you. C’mon, let’s get to the station before we get left out. Yosuke starts to run to the station.

“Wait for me! Please don’t leave me alone!” Teddie started to run, and he tried to catch up with him.

“More importantly, why are you wearing your bear costume again!? We will stay at the hotel for two days and another hotel in Shinjuku for a day before the wedding!” Yosuke angrily asks Teddie.

“I never go out with my Teddie suit. It’s part of me, and I felt more confident wearing it! Think of it as my luck charm!” Teddie responded with an energetic smirk.

“*sigh* As long as you don’t wear it at Kotone-san and Aragaki-san’s wedding day.” Yosuke signed in annoyance.

“I promise!” Teddie swears to Yosuke. Unknown to Yosuke, Teddie has his fingers crossed underneath his bear suit. 

Amagi Inn - Early Morning

Yukiko is waiting outside of her family Inn for Chie.

“Yukiko, I hope you have fun with Chie-chan and your female friends there. I know you have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Please don’t drink behind my back; you're still underage.” Yukiko’s mother gently reminds her.

“I don’t plan on drinking at night, Mother. We are only going to be staying at Harajuku for three nights before the wedding of a friend’s cousin. I will be careful, and Chie has my back.” Yukiko reassures her.

“Oh, Yukiko. That’s my precious little girl.”  She felt touched by Yukiko’s words. 

“Yukiko! Are you ready? Chie’s voice sounds patient.

Yukiko turns around from behind her and Chie, carrying her backpack and luggage. She is waving at Yukiko in a friendly manner.

“Chie! I’ll be right there!” Yukiko shouted at Chie in the distance. She turns to her mother and kisses her on the cheek. “Mother, I’ll be back after the wedding. I promise.”  Yukiko fans towards her best friend with her luggage in hand. 

“Goodbye, Yukiko! Have fun with the bachelorette party!” 

Tatsumi Textile Shop

Kanji sadly snuggles his precious pet, who is feeling sad to see him go.

“Awooo…” Rina sadly howled for Kanji.

“Ahhhh!!!! I’m gonna miss you too! My sweet peach…” Kanji hugs her tightly in his arms.

“Kanji, it’s okay. Rina-chan is safe with me. I’ll look after her for you when you are gone.” Kanji’s mother promises her son. 

“It’s only going to be three days, and we will be back the following day after Kotone’s wedding. Rina is going to be fine with your mother,” Naoto tells Kanji.

“*sob* I know…. It’s so hard to depart from this cutie pie… I had to endure it when we performed that concert in early September.” says Kanji, being overly dramatic. He wants to nuzzle his pet one last time.  

“You know we are going too late to meet up with the others if you keep this up, right?” Naoto reminds him.

“Oh, Sh—!? You’re right! Thanks for reminding me, Naoto.” Kanji almost completely forgot. So, he quickly kissed Rina’s head and face before running straight to the Inaba Station. Kanji’s mother stops Naoto to give some kind words.

“Naoto-chan, please look after my son for me. I know you will be a good girlfriend to him. Kanji never stops talking about it. He’s such a sweet boy.”

“Um… Kanji is not my boyfriend…” Naoto denies it as her face turns faintly red across her face. 

“*giggles* I know. If you want to date my son, You have my permission to date him.” Kanji’s mother smiles kindly at Naoto.

“Arf!” Rina cheerfully barked as she wagged her tail. 

“I got to go to catch up with Kanji. I’ll see you after the wedding, madam.” Naoto quickly bowed before she ran to check up with Kanji, who was waiting for her. 

Inaba Station

Everyone arrives at the station, where they see Rise as the first to arrive. She informs Yu that Marie will not accompany them since she has other things to do, which Yu is already aware of. However, she will arrive at the wedding ceremony this Sunday. The rest of the team has no idea why Teddie is wearing his bear costume since they are going to a faraway place. With that, they enter the train together. Yosuke sat next to his best friend, Yu, and Teddie is siting next to his Sensei. Kanji surprisely sit next to Naoto, which she doesn’t mind. The opposite side of the train seats are Chie, Yukiko, and Rise.  

The Investigation Team discussed what they plan to do for the next two days before the wedding on September 30th, both for the bachelor and bachelorette parties. 

“Rise-chan, can I ask you something?” Teddie asks Rise.

“Sure, what is it?” Rise doesn’t mind answering his question.

“Do you know what it means to “lose once innocent to someone you liked”? If so, can I lose my innocence to you?” Teddie innocently asks her.

Everyone was shocked by what he just said on the train.

“Teddie! Absolutely no! I’m not going to give my virginity to you! I’m saving it for Yu-senpai only if he ever decides to dump Marie.” Rise strongly rejects his request. The girls looks at Teddie with disgust and discomfort.

“What about you, Chie-chan? Yuki-chan?” He gazes toward Chie and Yukiko, sitting next to each other across the room.

“Hell no! I like you as a friend, but I don’t want my first time to be someone I don’t like. Sorry.” Chie harshly denies it as well.

“I’m sorry, Teddie. I can’t. I only see you as a friend.” Yukiko politely declines his offer.

“Ah! My hearts ache from double rejection. I don’t think I can handle another rejection. Unless…” Teddie’s expression changed from disheartened to a sneaky grin on his face. She turns to Naoto, who may be his last hope.

“Nao-chan, what about you? Will you kindly—”

“Hell no, Teddie. Naoto is mine alone. I will be the one to take her purity. You can’t have her.” Kanji sides with Naoto. 

“Awww… Nao-chan already has someone in mind…” Teddie seems bummer about it.

“Kanji… I am no one property. I can decide how I want to lose my innocence, but not right now. I am not interested in having sex. I am flatter for standing up for me.” Naoto gently rejects Kanji’s offer. 

“Huh? What’s sex? Is it like identifying genders?” Teddie looks at everyone, confused.

“You just talking about just now. It’s where two people get intimate with each other. That may lead to…” Before Yu can explain the concept of sex, Chie stops him.

“Yu, please don’t explain to him..: not on the train where people are around. Second, who on earth told Teddie about this?” says Chie, irritated. They have a good idea who told Teddie, so they stare at Yosuke suspiciously.

“What? He was asking too many questions about France. I didn’t tell him everything. I have no idea if Shadows are capable of doing “that.” Yosuke felt a bit ashamed for telling Teddie from what he knew.

“Hm… The way you said it, Yosuke. I am curious since Teddie does have a human form. I’m sure it would work the same as us.” Yu seems to support Yosuke’s statement.

“Yu, please don’t encourage those two idiots… They don’t know what they mean.” Chie seems annoyed. 

“Teddie, you don’t have to lose you… um… to your “innocence” to anyone. There is no rush. Do you like someone in mind?” Naoto asks Teddie.

“A course! I love Sensei, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Rise-chan, Nao-chan, Nana-chan, Marie-chan, Labby-chan, Koto-chan, Yuka-chan, Mitsu-chan, Fuu-chan, and Ai-chan. Those are those lovely ladies I want to get along with. Of course, Sensei is the only exception. He is the person I admire the most in the world.” Teddie happily lists the names of the people he “loves.”

“Hey, what about me and Kanji!?” Yosuke felt offended.

“I only see you as a brother, and Kanji is somewhat.” Teddie casually commented.

“What the hell does that mean?” Kanji felt like Teddie just made that up. 

“Wait, you mean… you want a harem?” 

“What’s a harem?” Teddie, clueless, asks Naoto. 

“Nevermind. That’s not what I am saying. You’re just listing the names you like as a friend. You only know friendship’s love. I meant to say… do you have any romantic feelings or crush on someone you like?” Naoto stated the obvious.

“You mean like… how you and Kanji are a thing?” Teddie guessed.

“No. Teddie. We are not dating. Think harder.” Naoto corrected him, slightly bashful.

“Hm….you mean like Koto-chan and Gakky, who will get married in the next few days.” Teddie guessed again, but this time thinking about the people already together.

“Yes, that’s what I was talking about. My cousin and Shinjiro-san love each other so much that they have been together for three years. They are willing to lose their purity to each other when Kotone was sixteen, and Shinjiro-san was eighteen. They also have a baby together before their marriage. That’s real love.” Naoto explained to Teddie.

“Hmm… Oh! I get what you meant, Nao-chan. Love is like someone you want to be with for the rest of your life.” Teddie finally understands what she means.

“Now you understand, Ted? You don’t have to lose it to someone you don’t know. It should be a memorable experience you want to cherish forever. Like our buddies Yu and his girlfriend, Marie.” says Yosuke, honestly.

“Um… I don’t want to talk about it in public.” Yu felt discomfort.  

“Right, I’m sorry about it. I was setting up an example for our bear friend.” Yosuke felt embarrassed for what he said.

“Did you have someone in mind right now? It’s okay if you don’t want to discuss it now. We still have time.” Yukiko assures him.  

“Well…. The truth is… I'd never been in love with anyone seriously before. I like to flirt with the ladies for fun and to be friendly. I wasn’t considering it to be in a casual or serious relationship.” Teddie feels dispirited. “The only person that makes me happy the most in the world is Nana-chan.” 

Everyone was utterly shocked.

“Dude, she is still in elementary school. Do you even know what you're saying?” Kanji felt disturbed. 

“Yeah, even though you look like the same age as us in your human form… and your actual age, I don’t even know how old you are… You can’t date her. She is too young for you.” Yosuke has to agree with Kanji.

“Is that what it is? I thought my relationship with Nana-chan was like a sibling relationship. She is the only one I never try to flirt with.” 

“Teddie, just wait until she is eighteen and see if your feelings for her are still the same,” Yu kindly suggested. He was not mad at him, just a bit troubled. 

“We should stop talking about it since people are starting to stare at us. Let's talk about something else.” Chie suggested to everyone.

“Right…” Yosuke sadly agrees with her.

Iwatodai Station

After a few hours of talking, they arrive at Iwatodai, where they meet up with everyone waiting for them. Labrys has a heartful reunion with Yukiko, followed by casually hugging Yu and Teddie. Lastly, she embraced Yosuke warmly, who Labrys was saving for the best of last. Naoto hugged Kotone and Shinjiro as well. Chie fistbumps her Sensei, whom she hasn’t seen since Golden Week. Junpei introduces his girlfriend, Chidori, to Yosuke, a friend he made from Inaba. He realizes Junpei’s girlfriend is about three months pregnant. Chidori isn’t pleased to hear this since it makes her belly significant as the baby grows inside her. When Teddie tries to give Aigis hugged along with a big smooth, she swiftly dodges it and ends up kissing the floor after he falls on his face. Yu helps him since he can’t stand up for a while while wearing his Teddie. Rise heartwarming hugged Fuuka and Yukari. Kanji hugged Ken before he asked him where Koromaru and his puppies were. He explains that Koromaru and his sons are staying at Shinjiro’s parents' house with Kojiro until the wedding day this Sunday. Accompanying Ken is his friend, Ren Amamiya. Mitsuru gently pats Naoto’s right shoulder with kind eyes. 

“So, there are the people you guys met in Inaba. They are a bunch of curious and kind people. They share the same powers as you, especially this young man with gray hair and eyes,” says the unfamiliar man with the yellow scarf.

“So is this... The guy you mentioned in the email you sent to us?” Yosuke seems confused.

“Yes, this is a friend from high school we mentioned beforehand. I'd like you to meet Ryoji Mochizuki. He is another groomsman we recruited.” Mitsuru politely introduces Ryoji to the Investigation Team. 

Chapter Text

The Investigation Team split into two groups to attend the bride and groom’s bachelor and bachelorette party activities for three days. Yu, Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie will go with Shinjiro, Akihiko, Ken, Ren Amamiya, and Ryoji to Kamikōchi to stay for two nights and Shinjuku for one night. Chie, Yukiko, Rise, and Naoto will go with Kotone, Yukari, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Aigis, and Labrys to Harajuku for three days before the wedding. 

September 27th, 2012 

The guy’s sides

Kamikōchi - Daytime

The guys took the bus to arrive at Kamikōchi and go to the hotel that Akihiko booked for this bachelor party with some help from Ken. After they enter their assigned hotel rooms, they dress in their hiking clothes and check the food and water in their backpacks to be ready to hike up the mountain. They are fully geared up in their hiking clothes, including the necessary climbing equipment. However, almost everyone except Shinjiro, Akihiko, and Ryoji isn't happy to climb up the mountain. So Shinjiro suggested they take a beginner route, so this is the first time they ever called the Kappa Bridge, which would take them to Myojin Pond. Akihiko takes Shinjiro hiking at Myojin Bridge for the scenery and the hiking challenge, but Ryoji wants to tag along and “deepen” their friendship. They agreed to set up a time to meet back at the hotel in the evening. 

Kappa Bridge

Yu wore a dark gray hiker jacket, fully zipped, weather-resistant pants, and black and white HOKA sneakers. He also carries a gray and black backpack and a dark gray beanie. He has a lovely walk with his friends and Shinjiro’s close friends. They are walking on the bridge together. The leaves turn autumn as fall already started in this current season.

“Wow! Wee! We were on the longest bridge we had ever walked, and how could it hold a bunch of people who walked past us? Is this bridge magical!?” Teddie sounds very excited and in awe. He tries jumping up and down on the bridge they are standing on. He wears a bright red jacket unzipped with a white T-shirt with June's logo, navy cargo pants to his knee, white socks, and dark brown walking shoes. Yosuke manages to persuade him not to wear his Teddie outfit during hiking since it would draw unwanted attention.  

“Teddie! Stop jumping the bridge!”  Yosuke shouted. Teddie gets on the safer rail and attempts to jump into the water. Yosuke desperately clung to him to prevent him from jumping into the water. Yosuke wore an orange jacket with long white sleeves, a t-shirt with the Junes logo, brown gloves, white pants, orange and white hiker shoes, and a tan brown neck slap sun hat. 

“Ah… That bring that memory…” said Junpei, feeling nostalgia when he had to hold Ryoji back from a Kyoto trip two years ago. He was curious about Kyoto. 

“Don’t just stand here, please! Help, Junpei-san!” Yosuke begged him. Junpei returned to senses and helped Yosuke pull Teddie until he fell backward on Yosuke. 

“Kanji-san, are your friends like that all the time?” Ken asked Kanji. Ken wore a skin-tight hiker orange jacket, gray pants, and multi-color sneakers for hiking. He carries a weatherproof orange-red backpack with straps.  

“Um… Well… Kinda. Normally Teddie.” Kanji seems unsure about his friends’ usual antics. He awkwardly rolled his eyes with his right hand scratching his head. Kanji wore a dark purple beanie with a white skull design, a black hiker coat with fur inside the hood, navy jeans, and black hiker boots. He carries a black and gray backpack. 

“It’s a shame that Aragaki-san, Sanada-san, and Ryoji-san are not with us.” Ren sounds disappointed.

“Yeah, they went to go hike up to Myojin. It would take them about three hours to climb up the mountain.” Ken commented.

“Well, in the meantime. We can continue our hike on a peaceful route. That’s so much easier than hiking up a mountain.” Junpei says with a wide grin.

Ken gives Junpei a disappointed frown.

After they had crossed the bridge, they continued their hike to Myojin Pond, which is a long way to go on foot. 

10 minutes later….

“Uhhh… Are we there yet?” Teddie complained to Yosuke. 

“No, we aren’t. We still have about 39 minutes to go.” Yosuke answered Teddie, annoyed.

“My feet are starting to hurt. If this keeps up, it will be unbearable for me to continue. Can someone piggyback me?” Teddie begged anyone to help him. 

“Teddie, this hike is for beginners. It is not a bad walk. Can you please endure it until we get there? We walked and ran before, and you didn't complain back then.” Yosuke reminded.

“That’s only if there is a serious situation or determination to reunite our friends! And besides… I’m not motivated to hike unless a sweet, beautiful woman is right by my side like Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Rise-chan, or Nao-chan. And, of course, Koto-chan and her friends count too. The only person I missed the most…” Teddie says it is dramatic. 

“Oh god, please don’t say Nanako-chan… It would be a plain creep if he does develop feelings for her...” Yosuke says in his thoughts, disgusted.

“Ai-chan… and Labby-chan. Those are the only lovely ladies I missed. They brought me comfort and motives. Ai-chan, who coldly rejects me whenever I try to ask her on a date. Labby-chan, you are friendly towards me, and we get along swimmingly. Ah… It makes me so joyful and at ease...” Teddie said with a hint of sadness in his voice and expression.

“Dude, ya know Aigis-san is gay, right?” Kanji reminded Teddie. 

“Wait, you mean like you on how you wanted to touch my Teddie fur since last year?”

“*scoff*! N-No! Those are completely different! I don’t have feelings for you! I just wanted to touch your fur!” Kanji angrily denied, heavily blushing. 

“The point is, Aigis only has feelings for Kotone-san, and Yosuke has a crush on Labrys.” Yu pointed out to Teddie.

“Shh! Yu, that last part is not necessary.” Yosuke tries to shush him, embarrassed.

“Awww… is that what it is? I didn't realize it…” Teddie disappointed. “Well, I else I got a chance to the girls before we left. Although I see some lovely ladies we passed by… maybe they can comfort me.” 

“Teddie, don’t. Just don’t. You are going to get us kicked out. Please don't ruin it for Shinjiro-senpai’s bachelor party, K’ay?” Junpei pleads with Teddie not to ruin Shinjiro’s day. 

Teddie sadly nods.

“How about you tell us about Strega you mentioned? Were they your enemies by then?” Yu asked Junpei.

“Yep. They were a pain in the ass. They get in a way when we try to defeat Shadows that only manifest during the full moon. They tried to trap us, kidnapped me, and almost killed Shinjiro-senpai. They are so stubborn sons of bitches.” Junpei says in an annoyed tone.

“They aren’t good people we encounter. They hate humanity since they were experimented on by the Kirijo Group. They were the only three survivors out of 100. However, they were given suppressants to control their Personas since they weren't awakened naturally like us. There were some dangerous side effects...” Ken explained to the Investigation Team.

“What kind of side effects?” Teddie curiously asked Ken. 

“They can no longer regulate body temperature, and shorten their life spans. We believe that’s why they are willing to try to stop us to prevent the world from ending in two years.” Ken responded with a despondent answer. 

The Investigation Team looks horrific, yet I felt terrible for them. They were Junpei and Ken’s enemies after all. From what Junpei and Ken remembered, the last time they saw them was when Jin committed suicide by activating a bomb to destroy the lesser Shadows. They didn't see him doing it, but they heard a loud explosion from the other floor. As for the leader of Strega, Takaya, he was already dying, so they had no choice but to leave him behind. Even if they did, he doesn't want their help. The only thing in Takaya’s mind was death. 

“I remember that. Those guys I met in May said the same things about how we are different from them. That shirtless guy looks like a ghost and almost killed me. He tried to threaten Naoto to reveal her cousin’s location, and I got shot a few times by that asshole.”

“What!? You knew all that!? More importantly, you were shot!? Why didn’t you tell us about this once we regroup or prevent the world from ending?” Yosuke is upset with him.

“Wait? Did I have already told ya back then?” Kanji asked Yosuke. 

“No! You didn't do it!” Yosuke yelled at him.

“Oh… I remember… that Marco monkey guy told Naoto and me about this… Damn. Me and my big mouth…” Kanji felt ashamed of what he had just said to everyone.

“Wait a minute, Kanji-san. How will you regain your memories after Marco-san removes them? I heard from Shinjiro-san that you and Naoto-san did encounter Strega, who was looking for Kotone-san at the time, until he managed to stop them from killing you and Naoto-san.  He didn't mention that you two kept your memories, though.” Ken asked.

“Oh, that… That monkey dude gave us some strange candies. He didn’t say what it was made of, so we chewed and swallowed it. It had a yucky taste like vomit or something. We accept Marco’s arrangement not to tell anyone about Strega until after the fight tournament.” Kanji responded with a casual look. 

“Of course, he would say that,” Ken murmured.

“Kanji… Is this monkey dude or whatever cuter than me?” Teddie says with a suspicious frown.

“Nah. He wasn’t a monkey mascot. He was a monkey man with a human shape in foreign clothes and a tail. As much as I want to touch his tail, my top priority is to touch your cute teddy suit.” Kanji says in a cutesy voice, his ear and cheek turning faintly red.

“Nah Uh… My fur is 100% pure, and I don’t want you to touch it! I have already kept my Teddie suit somewhere safe that you won’t find.” Teddie denies Kanji’s request.

“Let’s get back to the main topic about Strega. You mentioned three. Who was the third person with Takaya-san and Jin-san?” Yu get to the point.

“The third person was my girlfriend, Chidori Yoshino. She’s a former member of Strega.” Junpei said bitterly. 

“Oh… I’m so sorry I asked… I didn't know.” Yu felt terrible about what he had said to Junpei and Ken. 

“Heh… It’s fine. You deserve to know about her. Chidori used to be different from the one you met at Iwatodai Station.” Junpei softly laughed it off, still retaining the hurtful expression on his face. 

“Junpei-san… You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to talk about it,” Ken tells him. He puts his hand on his broad shoulder and looks at him in the eyes.

“Ken, I’m fine. They deserve to know. I have already learned to accept that what’s done is done. I moved on, but thanks for the support. I can handle telling the rest.” Before he could tell them, they had already arrived at Myojin River.

“Yeah! Finally, now we can relax and eat!” Teddie excitedly pumped his fists in the air again and started searching for a place to take a break.

“Wait! Teddie! Don’t go too far!” Yosuke yelled at him as he began to chase after him with a concerned look. 

“Hm… Should I tell Yu-senpai, Ken, and Junpei-san about Kubo guy?” Kanji says in his thoughts, doubtful. He looks in Yu’s direction, where he is chatting with them. 

“We can talk about it when we head back to the hotel. For now, let’s go sightseeing and enjoy the scenery.” Yu kindly suggested. “There is no use in feeling stressed about it. Besides, it is Aragaki-san’s bachelor party after all.”

Junpei and Ken nod at him. 

“Or maybe when I’m alone with them…or just tell Ken and Junpei-san. I’m not sure if Senpai is going to believe me…” Kanji says in his inner thoughts, considering. 

Meanwhile in Harajuku

Women’s Side

Takeshita Street (capsule toy shop) - Daytime

Kotone, Aigis, Labrys, Chie, and Yukiko try some gachapon machines displayed inside the store. There are several machines available for purchase and fun. It costs gacha coins, depending on how much money they have. The price ranged from 100 to 500 yen for lesser prizes and high-quality products. The most expensive prizes cost between 800 and 2000 yen. Many types of gachapon toys are available, each with a unique design and theme. It mainly includes the most popular types from anime/manga characters, animals, food items, and limited editions. Chie watches Kotone pick the popular mascot from a particular video game company. She inserts two coins and turn the knob two times and a prize came out. She took out a standard Jack Frost keychain. 

“Yes! I got my favorite standard doll figure!” Kotone squeaked in delight.

“Congratulations,  Kotone-senpai. I’m so happy you got what you wanted.” Chidori cheered for her. 

“Thanks! It means a lot, Chidori!” Kotone thanks her kindly. “Did you try one, too?” 

“I.. I picked a machine that involved cat figures in gothic Lolita fashion. I wanted Kuro, the cat, in a white dress, but I got Shion, the cat, in a black dress. When I tried again, I got the one I wanted. I don’t know if I should be happy with the one I got or frustrated that I couldn’t get it on the first try…”

“It doesn’t matter. You should feel proud of what you got from the chosen gashapon machine. You could either collect them or give one to someone you know.” Kotone replied with a gentle smile. 

“Well… I’m not interested in collecting all four since they were from the premium gashapon I picked and cost nine coins. Maybe I should give one to someone I know.” Chidori smiled. 

“I’m sure Junpei would love it no matter what items you bring him.” Kotone confident her. 

“Yeah… For Junpei…” Chidori says it sarcastically. 

Aigis and Labrys try a gashapon that displays transforming robot figures of various shapes and sizes. However, Aigis cannot figure out that she doesn’t have to get all the statistics out of the machine—just the one she wants the most—so Labrys has no choice but to stop wasting her money on one machine.  

Chie gazes with brown eyes at a gachapon with different rice bowl keychains. There are gyudon (meat), oyakodon (chicken and egg), chicken katsu don, mapo tofu, and pork curry donburi. She wants the gyudon keychain the most; lucky for her, it only costs two gacha coins.

“I’m going to aim for that meat rice bowl keychain! I’ll win for sure since meat is the love of my life, " says Chie, eagerly grinning.

“Good luck, Chie!” Yukiko cheered for her.

“Alright, let’s do it!” Chie declared. She inserts two coins into the machine and turns it counterclockwise until a small round capsule emerges. 

Chapter Text

Guy’s side

Myojin Pond - Daytime 

The guys set up a place to sit down and enjoy their bento. They have seen a bunch of visitors doing the same. They found a spot with a clear view of the Myojin Pond. The guys set up a large blanket from Yosuke’s backpack and lay it on the ground. They choose to sit down next to each other. Yu sits between Yosuke and Teddie, and Kanji sits next to Ken and Ren because Teddie doesn’t want to go near him. Junpei sitting next to Yosuke. They took out their food and drinks from their belongings. Teddie noticed he hadn’t packed his lunch and only had his water bottle. “Huh.. Uh!? My lunch that Yosuke’s mom made… It’s gone!? My word… I forgot my food!” Teddie starts to panic.

“Didn’t you double-check before we left Inaba?” Yosuke furiously at him.

“Umm…. No. I thought you would have done it for me or…” Teddie says sheepishly. 

“I was busy giving my parents instructions on caring for my dog. Why would my mom put your meal inside of your backpack!? She doesn’t know what a backpack looks like.” 

Everyone starts to hear Teddie’s stomach growling loudly. He sadly clutches his stomach in despair. Yu, the leader of the Investigation Team, decides to share some of his food with Teddie. Yu lets him borrow his bento top tray to have his food on it. He gives Teddie some of his egg rolls, one rice ball, and some cooked sukiyaki meats. 

“*sob* Sensei… you haven’t have…. For you to share half of your food with me…”Teddie felt touched by Yu’s kind gesture and willingness to share. 

“I felt bad about you being the only one without food. You deserve to eat with us, Teddie. After all, you are one of my dear friends.” Yu warmly smiles at him.

“S-Sensei! Wwaaaahhh!!! You’re the best friend I have ever known!!! Thank you so much for the food!” Teddie thank, still sobbing in enjoy. 

“Honestly, Yu, you’re too soft around him. Well, if you are willing to give up some of your food to him. I might as well give some to him.” Yosuke grunted. “I might as well share some with you.”

“Yippee!” Teddie cheered as he has his hands up. When Yosuke took something out from his tray, he took out a mini tomato for him. Teddie responded with disgust. 

“Yuck! I don’t want this!” 

“Teddie, you need to eat your vegetables. It makes you grow healthy. It can’t be just meat and proteins. I saw you ate vegetables Yu grew at his uncle’s place.” Yosuke reminds him.

“I always ate Sensei’s food! It would be rude to refuse his offer. The way he grows them is super delicious!” Teddie claimed. 

During their argument, Kanji sneakily puts some carrots and corn on Teddie’s tray for him.

Junpei, Ken, and Ren are surprised at how strong their friendship is and how willing they are to share food with one of their friends. It touched them a lot. Yu managed to convince Teddie to eat his vegetables by sending him some of his grown vegetables and fruits to his place so that he could eat them the next time he visited Inaba. Teddie expressed delight. 

After eating their lunch, they decided to talk before returning to their hotel. 

“That reminds me, Junpei-san, Ken, that Persona you summoned back from May. Were they, by any chance, the Persona you were awakened by?” Yosuke asked curiously. 

“Not exactly. The Personas we first awaken are completely different. Those Personas are our ultimate Personas when they undergo changes or new sense of resolves. My Persona used to be Nemesis when I was ten years old. The only reason I gained a Persona was to get revenge on Shinjiro-san, who murdered my mom by accident.” Ken explained.

“Aragaki-san, killed your mom!?” Yosuke said with a surprised expression.

“Damn… that’s dark. Ya know killing him won’t bring your ma back, right? It’s wrong to take someone else's life.” Kanji remarked. “If my ma were killed by someone I don’t know, I wouldn’t get revenge and kill the killer myself. I’m not that obsessed.” 

“It wasn’t Shinjiro-san himself; it was… his Persona that lost control and killed Ken’s mom. Not him.” Junpei corrected him. 

“But then… how did your Persona evolve then?” Teddie wondered. 

“My Persona evolved into Kala-Nami after I gained my resolve to continue living after Shinjiro-san sacrificed himself to protect me.  I learned to accept my mom’s death and forgive Shinjiro-san. I don’t have any grudges against him anymore. That’s why I decide to keep on living for their sakes.” Ken said with a sad smile. Yu turns his attention towards Junpei, who just finished drinking his water bottle.

“What about you, Junpei-san?” Yu asked. 

“Unlike Yuka-tan, Akihiko-senpai, and the others, my Persona didn’t evolve. It was fused with another Persona.” Junpei says with depressed eyes. 

Yu and his friends reacted in confusion.

Junpei continued. “It was around almost three years ago. After I managed to convince Chidori to leave Strega, I was shot in the heart by Takaya... dead. Until Chidori sacrificed herself to resurrect me from the dead, it worked, but it cost her her life. The Chidori I knew back then; she confessed her love to me before she died in my arms. As a result, Hermes fused with her Persona, Medea, becoming Trismegistus—my ultimate Persona. Chidori’s soul and her memories of the Dark Hour dwell inside of me. I even started seeing her in my dreams whenever we… never mind. The point is… It’s both my resolve to keep on living for Chidori,” Junpei says with an honest response. He is still hurt about losing Chidori. 

“I don’t understand. Isn’t your girlfriend still alive? Should she still remember you?” Kanji asked.

“She was revived after her doctor placed flowers where she gave her life force into them to make them healthy. After a few months had passed, she woke up with no memories of Dark Hour, Strega, and me, her lover. It didn’t bother me since I was glad she was alive. Since then, I decided to enter her life again when I was a third year and Chidori was a second third, hoping she would fall in love with me again. It worked after we got to know each other for five months. Even though the Chidori, who is currently three months pregnant, is not the Chidori I remember, she has the same heart and soul. I can live with it. All that matters is my beloved has a happy and fulfilled life that she never had to do.” Junpei’s frown changed into a kind smile on his face. It shows that he doesn’t mind that Chidori doesn’t remember him from before, but he considers it as a second chance in his and her lifetime as a fresh start.

“Wow… that’s the most… bittersweet love story ever! This probably differs from Yosuke’s tragic love story with his first crush. Yosuke’s crush was very resentful and hated his guts. Never loved him at all.” Teddie commented with an optimistic tone.

“Teddie… please shut your mouth. You shouldn’t say it to the people we are just getting to know.” Yosuke said with a cold, impatient smile. He didn’t want to lose his temper in front of everyone, including Junpei, Ken, and Ren. Teddie realizes what he just did and decides not to bring it up. 

“Ken, what about Sanada-san and the rest of your organization, including Aragaki-san’s? What was your resolution for your Persona evolving?” Yu asked him curiously.

“Similar to mine, Sanada-san’s Persona used to be called Polydeuces when he awakened his when he was in junior high. His Persona evolved after he witnessed Shinjiro-san’s near-death experience and ended up in a coma. He gained the resolve to face everything head-on. As for Shinjiro-san and Koromaru, their personas never evolved. However, we suspect Koromaru’s Persona, Cerberus, may have been his Ultimate Persona when we first met him. Aigis-san states that he experienced a major event beforehand that triggered his Persona’s evolution at some point.” Ken theorized about Koromaru’s Persona. 

“What about the girls then!? How about how they achieve their too?” Teddie’s blue eyes are gleaming with curiosity. 

Ken explained what he knew about Yukari, Mitsuru, Fuuka Aigis, and Kotone to Teddie and his guys. Yukari’s Persona was Io, and her Persona evolved from her resolve to fulfill her father's wishes by fighting against the Dark Hour, which resulted in Isis. Mitsuru’s Persona was Penthesilea, and her Persona evolved after she decided to carry on her father’s legacy, thanks to Yukari snapping her out of her depression, resulting in Artemisia. Fuuka’s Persona was Lucia, and her Persona evolved to protect those she is connected with after her best friend transferred to a different school. It was thanks to her that Lucia became Juno. Aigis’ Persona was Palladion, and she gained her resolution to live and decide her fate thanks to her friends. Finally, Kotone’s Ultimate Persona came out different from the rest. Her second Persona comes from fusing Orpheus and Thanatos to form a Messiah during the final battle against Nyx.  

“That’s so awesome that you guys can keep your badass, strong Personas with you. Compare to us.” Yosuke compliments them. 

“What do you mean?” Ken wondered.

“The truth is… we used to have ultimate Personas just like you guys last year, or rather third tie forms that were awakened this January. However, after our final battle in March, the day before Yu moved back home, our Personas reverted to default Personas for some reason.” Yosuke explained. “I don’t know why it only happened to us, but it was probably because we hadn’t been battling Shadows in two months, or the threats from TV World are gone. Except for Yu, he can occasionally switch between his normal and Ultimate Personas.” 

“I have no idea either,” Yu commented. “From my point of view, maybe because our Personas don’t evolve permanently like Shadow Operatives because it has nothing to do nor connected with the case we solved or focus on our friendship. My friends’ second and third tie Personas evolved because of the strong bonds I formed and developed last year and before we rescued Marie in January. That would had explain why none of my friends has kept their third tier Personas. It change their Ultimate Personas reverted to their default Personas… unconsciously, or they want to keep them the way they had it when they gained them after they accepted their Shadows.”

“Hmm… That explains a lot. My Ultimate Persona were Sussano-o and Takehaya Susano-o. Sussano-o resulted from my decision to live with my true self and the friends I spend with them. Takehaya Susano-o happened around January 10th after I talked with Yu. But now, that decision hasn’t motivated me that much like before. It is probably because I’m busy going to college once I graduate from Yasogami High. I don’t have time to spend with my friends except during holidays like Golden Week and Summer Break.” Yosuke looks down with his hand scratching behind his head, ashamed.

“Same here. Mine was Dairoku Tenmaou and Takeji Zaiten. I keep my word and am comfortable with myself, including my hobbies hidden from others until now. I stopped dying my hair, but I returned to wearing contacts. Everyone was making fun of me for how I was different from before. I have to change my hairstyle to make myself less dorky.” Kanji 

“It’s just that we are not used to seeing you without your piercings, bleached hair, and delinquent clothes,” Yosuke remarked about Kanji’s former self. 

“Shut up, Yosuke-senpai! That’s how I would generally look like!” Kanji is offended by Yosuke’s words. 

“And you, Teddie-san?” Ken asked Teddie.

“To be honest, I’m not sure either. I still regret what happened after the fighting tournament in Inaba. I couldn’t protect Fuu-chan from those awful men. I wasn’t strong enough to defend her.” Teddie says with a depressed frown. Yosuke patted his shoulder for comfort. Teddie pays attention to Yosuke, who looks sincere towards him. 

“Teddie, it’s not your fault. You weren’t prepared to fight other Persona users like us. I mean, the dangerous people who want to kill them. Even though we don’t have our powerful Personas anymore, what makes us stronger… is our friendship and the bond we share.” Says Yosuke, confidently.

“Ah, Yosuke… that’s the nicest thing you ever told me. First being Sensei.” Teddie genuinely smiled at him. 

“It’s not the first time I ever to you, Teddie.” Yosuke chuckled. 

“I’m sure one day, you guys will somehow regain your Persona’s former forms again. It takes time.” Junpei reassures them. 

Girl’s Side

Nippon Seinenkan Hotel

Yukiko and Chie’s Room - Evening

Chie, who has not taken a shower yet, is sulking on top of her bed. Yukiko exits the bathroom, fully dressed in her silky, red, ankle-length nightgown. After she finishes drying her long black hair with a towel, it is dry and clean. 

“Chie, you can go use the shower now. Huh?… Chie? What’s wrong?” Yukiko with concern look. “Are you still feeling down about what happened with Takeshita Street?“

Chie shook her head in silent. 

“Hmm… Is it the meal?” Yukiko guessed.

Chie shook her head again. “The meat they serve was tasty…” 

“Then, what was the matter?” 

“Do you think we can still be friends once we find someone in our life and get married?” Chie said with a depressing frown on her face. Yukiko walks to Chie’s bedside and sits down to look at her. 

“Of course, we can still be friends even if we have kids. My mother is still friends with her old friend, who runs a foster home with her husband.” Yukiko responded with a confident smile. “Why would you ask that?”

“This bachelorette party had me thinking that once we graduated high school, we decided on our next life goals. I’m planning to go to the same police academy where Master goes to. He still has another two months until he graduates. Although he hasn’t graduated from his university yet.” Chie commented. “You're still planning to attend college and work at your family’s inn. Plus, you will probably be meeting your estranged fiancé.” 

“Well… that is my goal after graduating from Yasogami High next year. Except for the fiancé part. I’m not even sure if I would like him.” Yukiko responded with an open mind. “Do you think we should have gone to France with our class on the school trip?”

“Nah, those guys living there are probably douchebags who are only interested in sex and drugs. You have our friends and me having your back.” Chie sneered remarked.

Chie and Yukiko laugh it out. 

“Besides, we still have a long way to go before we decide to get married and have kids. It’s better to enjoy our moments together and continue to make memories with everyone we know. There’s no need to mope around. We will always be best friends because you are precious to me. And I love you.”  Yukiko confessed to her best friend, platonically. 

“Aw… I love you too, Yukiko.” Chie sat up and embraced Yukiko warmly. She hugged her back. They both kindly smiled at each other. 

Meanwhile, somewhere in Draco’s Pocket Dimension.

Mitsuo's body completely resembles his Shadow’s form except for his head. Mitsuo’s hair turned completely white, and his face looked as pale as a ghost. He is chained up to the wall in Draco’s lab. He was alone.

“P-Please… Someone… kill me….” Mitsuo desperately pleaded to himself. He has suffered from being tortured and experimented on, and his mind has been broken for the past four months. 

A few hours later…
Nippon Seinenkan Hotel

Yukiko and Chie’s Room - Evening

Yukiko woke up to her cell phone ringing by the top desk drawer she had left charging. She briefly glanced at her best friend, who was still sleeping facing her left side. She was happy sleeping. Yukiko turned on her cell phone, and her mother’s text messages were on the screen. So Yukiko decided to read her mom’s unread messages. 

>” Yukiko, I’m sorry to bother you this last night, but my old classmate sent me a photo of the guy I mentioned. It turns out he is quite a match for you!”

>” Mother, I thought you would introduce me to him during winter break. It’s late, and I need to go to sleep. 😩😴” Yukiko says with a tired expression.

>” I’m so sorry, Yukiko. I know what I said, but she was willing to take a photo of him of your future blind date.🙇🏻‍♀️ It would be before you meet him properly this December. Here’s a picture of him.” 

When a photo was sent to Yukiko's cellphone, it was of a young man with wavy short black hair and dark navy gray eyes. He has a beauty mark above his right eye. He wore a Hosei Academy winter school uniform, except he wore a gray-blue sweater vest and black tie. Surprisingly, he has a very handsome face. 

>” He’s Masato Kubo. He’s 175 cm, blood type B, born around April 10th, 1994, never got a criminal record, very popular with girls and guys at his school, very sociable, and he’s single. I’m sure you will get along with him. I hope you have a great time at your friend’s cousin’s bachelorette party and come home soon! Goodnight, Yukiko.”

>” Good night, mother.”

Yukiko turned off her cell phone and put it back where it was. She sighed in disbelief before she tried to go to sleep. “Kubo… where did I hear that surname before….” Yukiko murmured to herself, puzzled. 

Chapter Text

September 27th, 2012

Yumoto Chouza - Lounge

After the guys returned from the hike, they returned to the hotel to wait for Shinjiro, Akihiko, and Ryoji. 

“I forgot to mention to you on the way back from the hike, Ken.”

“Sure, what is it? I would gladly answer your question, Kanji-san.” Ken accepts answering his question.

“You didn't mention about why Aragaki-san’s Persona couldn’t get his Ultimate Persona like the rest of you? It has something to do with him after accidentally killing your ma?“ Kanji wondered.

“Kanji, keep your voice down. There are kids with their parents in the lounge.” Yosuke scolded him.

“Well… that’s one of the possible reasons. I once asked him the same thing after he woke up from his coma. He says he doesn't want to forget the trauma he experienced. He considers his Persona his sin. If he did gain resolution, he would wash away his past sins. He couldn't forget.” Ken described.

“Not even when he is in a relationship with Kotone-san or they had a son together?” Yu wondered.

Ken shook his head. “To be honest. I don't know that for sure, but he still doesn't want to forget his traumatic past.  Even though he has already gotten over it, and gained a desire to live again thanks to Kotone-san and Kojiro.” 

“Is that why Aragaki-san decided not to join your new group? Because he would be like a stay-at-home dad and look after his kid and pet? A while his wife fights the Shadows? Talk about gender reversal roles.” Yosuke commented.

“Actually, Shinjiro-senpai does have a job; he works at a restaurant as head chef after his internship with a famous chef last year. Either his neighborhood from the next door or his parents babysat Kojiro and Shiro. The pup is not old enough to be by himself yet.” Junpei explained. “Koto-tan is not his wife yet. She will be in three days.” 

“Now I wonder how it would work if I enter a relationship with Naoto and get married in our mid-20s. She works, and I stay home to look after the kids. I don’t mind since I can care for our kids and Rina-chan.” Says Kanji in his thoughts, curiously.

“So romantic, I’m so bearly jealous! ❤️ I wish I had that kind of romance. Choosing love over a dark past.” Teddie says with a gleeful look. 

“I don’t call that romantic…Teddie. I'm still a member of Shadow Operatives, one part-time job, part of the baseball team from my university, in a relationship with the love of my life, and we are expecting our child next year. It’s a lot of work balancing out work and love life.” Junpei is being blunted. “Tomorrow, Chidori will be in her 15th week of pregnancy. We have already had an appointment for the ultrasound to double-check the baby’s gender. I’m positive it’s a girl.”

“You have already said that, Junpei-san. You don’t have to bring it up again. It’s starting to get a bit annoying…” Ken says with a slightly annoying look.

“If your child is a girl, what name have you or Yoshino-san decided?” Ren asked Junpei curiously. 

“It’s obvious she wants to name her after a flower. Hehe… as for me, I have so many suggestions for naming our baby.” Junpei says with a gleeful grin. 

“What name do you want to name it?” Yosuke says doubtfully.

“Well, if my child looks like me, I would consider naming her Juria, Junna, Junko, Jina…” Junpei replied.

“Those are names that start with J, like your first name. You’re not very creative thinking of names, aren’t you?” Yosuke says doubtfully about Junpei’s list of names for his baby. 

“Hey! It’s a working process! We won’t know until the baby is born. Maybe I should start something easy to remember and simple, like—” Before he can come up with a name for his unborn child, a familiar voice interrupts him.

“How about Jun? It’s both a girl's and a boy's name,” says Shinjiro’s voice.

“Jun. That sounds like a good name. Thanks—AAGHH!!!” Junpei screamed. He unexpectedly saw Shinjiro in front of him. He noticed that both Shinjiro and Akihiko were in a bad mood. A while ago, Ryoji looked depressed for some reason. “Senpai! Please don’t scare me like that! How much did you hear?” 

“The part where you mentioned that I’m like a stay-at-home husband…” Shinjiro glared at Junpei. 

“Oh… that. I was kidding about that part. You work hard at your job. What I say is that it wasn't a bad thing. Hehehe….” Junpei chuckled nervously at him. 

“Whatever, I don’t want to deal with this right now. I’m going to bed…” Shinjiro says in a grumpy tone.

“Huh!? You haven’t even eaten dinner yet! Can you eat with us somewhere else?” Junpei suggested.

“I’m not hungry. I just lost my appetite.” Shinjiro rudely turned towards Junpei. He leave to return to his suite room.

“Sanada-san, what’s with Shinjiro-san all of a sudden? Was the hike up the mountain that bad?” Ken looks worried about Shinjiro.

“The hike was fine. It was a good exercise and competition.” Akihiko was still despondent.

“O-Okay… Do you know why he’s acting like this?” Ken wondered. 

“I… I’m not the one you should be asking. I’m sorry. I’m going back to my room with Shinji. You guys can eat without us. I… have my protein shakes I packed in my luggage…” Akihiko sadly apologizes to him. He ran up to catch up with Shinjiro. Leaving Ryoji, standing in front of Junpei and the guys.

“Ryoji, what the hell are you doing? Why do they refuse to tell us?” Junpei seems puzzled. 

“Junpei, Ken, they know now. We have kept our secret from Aragaki-senpai and Sanada-senpai since last month. They saw my true form during the moonlight.” Ryoji tells them, regrettably. Ken and Junpei seem to know what he meant. They start to look a bit depressed as well. 

“Know what? Is there a big secret they were keeping from them?” Yu says in his inner thoughts, wondering. 

“I am completely confused about what you meant, Mochizuki-san. Is that secret that bad?” Yosuke asks Ryoji. 

“I’m going to wash up for a bit. I’m covered in sweats from all the climbing. Hehe…” Ryoji says with a fake smile.

“Wait, you can’t go back to the room. I have the key to get in. You should eat something before we can return to our room together, not separately, where I have to keep banging on the door until you open it. You are a heavy sleeper.” Junpei suggested. “Please, Ryoji. You can’t go with an empty stomach.” 

“*sigh* Fine. I’ll eat with you guys, but… please don’t mention about the hike.” Ryoji requested. He still felt sad about something he was not telling them. Yosuke decides to talk to his guy friends in private.

“Should we intervene since this is starting to become depressing. Sanada-san is supposed to be in charge of Aragaki-san’s bachelor's party, right, Yu?” Yosuke whispered to his best friend.”

“Well… this has nothing to do with us. Shouldn’t they sort out their problems on their own?” Yu pointed out, quietly. 

“Unless they must delay the wedding if all three of them can’t sort out their differences with Mochizuki-san.” Kanji guessed.

“Kanji! That won’t happen. The wedding is in three days. There’s no way there will stay mad at him that long!” Yosuke, furious, protested. 

“Aw…I hate it when friends fight for a good or bad reason. There’s got to be a good way for all of them and us to have fun together. It has to be something we are familiar with. Hmm… but when we know of.” Teddie says in his thoughts, pondering. He sees a happy family eating their meals at the nearby table. They are sitting and eating with their chopsticks. 

“I think I know which game to try tomorrow. Hehehe… I am so going to save Gakky’s bachelor party.” 

Fast forward to today in the evening

September 28th, 2012

Guy’s side

Yumoto Chouza

Shinjiro and Akihiko’s Room - Evening 

Yu, along with Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie, are playing another game of King’s Game, but this time with Shadow Operatives plus Shinjiro, Ryoji, and Kotone’s cousin, "Makoto". They are in Shinjiro and Akihiko’s suite room together. This is the third round of King’s Game. They draw sticks from the cup. Once they got their sticks, they looked at the tips of their sticks. Yu got number “4”, Yosuke got the number “2”, Kanji got number “6”, and Teddie got the number “8”. None of the Investigation Team guys got a red stick. 

“Crap… another number stick…” Yosuke sounds disappointed. 

“Is this fun or what?” Teddie asks Yosuke, gleefully.

“Not really… I thought this would be the last time we did this. Heck, I thought we would do it with girls, too. Not just guys here…” Yosuke says bitterly. “This is the only option you came up with? Can you think of something else?”

“What? I love this game. It felt like I could be a leader for once, just like Sensei.” Teddie responded with a confident grin. 

“Ha, I got red!” Junpei pointed out. They turn their attention to Junpei, who is holding the red stick in his left hand. “So, I’m king, huh? What should I do?” 

“You can just give a command to any number you want. You can’t ask someone you know what number they had. You have to make a random guess instead.” Teddie tells Junpei. 

“You mean like, “I command 1 and 9 to drink each other's beverage drinks?” That kind of command?” Junpei gives an example of what King’s Games is played.

“Huh!?… 9 is my number!” Ken’s eyes widen in suprised.

“I have to drink Ken-senpai’s drink!?” Ren seems as suprised as Ken. 

“Wait! Wait! Wait! That didn’t count! That’s not the command I want to see. Ken, Ren, you don’t have to swallow each other’s drinks. I will come up with a different command!” Junpei bewildered.

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Nope, can’t do, Junpei. That counts as a King’s command. You cannot change it. The King’s commands are absolute. So… bottoms up, you two!” Teddie says with a smirk. 

“Aah! All I did was set an example! I didn’t know it counts!” Junpei says with a panicked frown. “Ken, Ren, I am so sorry. I wasn’t trying to be gross. It wad just an example.” 

“”Sooo… Ken-Ken, are you going to drink RenRen’s drink or what?” Teddie says with a mischievous grin. 

“What? No! I’m not going to drink Ren’s water bottle.” Ken is opposed to drinking Ren’s half-empty water bottle. “It counts as an indirect kiss. I’m sorry, but I have to forfeit.”

“Same here. It’s not worth it.” Ren agrees with him.

“Aww… I wanna see that happening.” Teddie pouted. “I guess we have our two dropouts of the game. It’s down to eight people left. On to the next round!”

“Yu, he sounds like that fake General Teddie back in May, right?” Yosuke whispered in Yu’s ear.

“He does act like one, except he is not as cruel and mocking us,” Yu commented.

“I hear that!” Teddie felt offended. He clearly didn't want to be reminded of General Teddie, who impersonated him twice in a fake fighting tournament. One was from Shadow Labrys, and the second was a god entity that almost ended the world.

On with the game, it was Yu who mixed up the sticks and threw the 10 and 9 sticks out of the cup since Ken and Ren forfeited. All eight remaining draw sticks were thrown away. Makoto got the red stick. 

“Lucky me. I’m king again. I guess I can come up with a command then. Hm… what to command… I know. I command “5” to strip naked except for his underwear.” Makoto commanded casually. 

Kanji reacted in shock. “Uh!? That’s me!?”

“Bummer… I thought Aragaki-san has 5. I guess wrong.” Makoto seems disappointed. “I thought it would be funny to see him half naked.”

“It’s not, asshole.” Shinjiro gives him a death glare directly. 

“Do I have to? Can I take off half of my clothes?” Kanji asked Makoto.

“I don't think so. The King’s orders are so absolute. Although if you don’t want to strip, Tatsumi. You can forfeit like Ken and Amamiya did.” Akihiko suggested. 

“No, it’s alright—a reasonable command. I’ll do it. Not because I don’t want to chicken out like last game, but this is the manly way to face my fears and humiliation.” Kanji says with a determined look. “Okay… there goes.“

Kanji took off all of his clothes except his underwear. When he takes off his pants, revealing his black briefs. Everyone except “Makoto” was so uncomfortable that they were briefed when looking at Kanji’s junk sticking out from his brief.

“Dude! Why! Why do you have to wear briefs!?“ Yosuke complaining at Kanji. 

“Huh?… I like this type. It’s tight and comfortable when I walk around….” Kanji explained casually. 

“I’m not talking about how comfortable your briefs are! This is just like the beach trip all over again!” Yosuke exclaimed. “Could you wear brief shorts instead!?”

“I don’t. Briefs are much better. It’s good for my crot—” 

“I’m not talking about that either! I’m literally seeing everything. I don’t want to keep looking at your junk a while playing the game.” Yosuke says in disgusted. “Yuki-san, can we just give Kanji a pillow. This is going to get distracted us from playing.” 

“Sure. Tatsumi, you can borrow my jacket. You could use it as a blanket” Makoto casually take off his jacket he has on and give it to Kanji. He takes and put it over his lap. 

“I felt a bit warm. Hm… It feels kind of nice. Thanks, man.” Kanji thanks him. 

“Auuggghh… I hope the girl’s King’s Game is not bad as our if they decide to play with Kotone-san’s group.” Yosuke complaints to Yu. 

“I’m sure they are having fun like us.” Yu said with confidence smile.

Meanwhile in Harajuku….

Flashback to around the same time as the guy’s King’s Game.

Girls’ Side

Nippon Seinenkan Hotel - Evening

Chie along with Yukiko, Rise, and Naoto are playing another game of King’s Game, but this time with Shadow Operatives plus, Chidori and Tsubasa. They are in Kotone, Yukari and Chidori’s suite room together. This is the third round of King’s Game. They draw sticks from the cup. Once they got their sticks, they looked at the tip of their sticks.

Chie got “3”, when she glanced at Yukiko’s stick what she got, thankfully she didn’t get the red stick, she got “4”. Rise got “6”, and Naoto got “8”. Chie has no idea what the other got. 

“Hm… it seems my stick doesn't have a number on it like before… the tip of the stick is red.” Aigis commented.

“Aigis, you got a red stick, you’re the king! I’m so happy for you.” Kotone praises her. “Now you can give any commands on any number or numbers you picked.”

“Really? This is the most happiest praises you had given me. I’m glad.” Aigis seems pleased.

“Hopefully, is not as bad as Yukiko-senpai…” Naoto wished. 

“Well. As your King. I command 3 and 4 to… make out for 5 minutes.” Aigis says it with a straight face.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” Chie screamed in horror. “That’s literally the same command as Yukiko from the first round!”

“Hm… I guess made a miscalculate… I thought Yukari-san and Mitsuru-san have the same number from before.” Aigis seems disappointed.

“No! Each rounds we get different sticks. Not everyone kept the same number, Aigis.” says Yukari, angerily. Her face becomes slightly flushed across her face.

“I… probadly don’t mind kissing Yukari again.” Mitsuru murmured to herself, her rolled her eyes with a bashful face.

“Ah, C’mon, Chie. It just us.*hic* There’s no shame in to kissing each other. I don’t mind my first kiss… to be with you.” The drunken Yukiko said with sluggish smile. “We even bath together when we kids and sleep together. We probably see… *hic* everything.” 

“Shhh! Yukiko, stop talking! I get what you mean. I’ll do it. I’ll kiss you” Chie says with embarrassing look. “Just don’t talk about it again, especially the guys.” 

“*chuckles* Okay. Hahaha…” Yukiko giggles. “So, Aigis-san, which positions or one of us start first?” 

“It doesn’t matter. Any positions you felt comfortable with..” 

Yukiko gets on Chie’s lap, wrap around her arms on her neck, and stars at her into her brown eyes. Chie’s face turn bright pinkish red across her face as her face is getting close to her. “My, Chie, I never thought you such a pretty face up close.”

“Grr… Let's just get this over with. Five minutes won’t be that bad right?” Chie grunted in annoyance. “Just don’t puke in my mouth. I don’t want to have a bad memory of my first kiss.” 

Yukiko cheerfully nodded at her. Chie places her right hand on Yukiko’s left cheek and then press her lips against her, with her eyes close. Everyone in the room stares at Yukiko and Chie making out. The sound of their sucking and moans make them slightly wet except Aigis and Labrys, who aren't able of being aroused due to being machine. Their expressions were mixed was suprised, eyes-widen, and some looked amusing to look at. Chie’s eye widen as she felt Yukiko’s tongue inside of her mouth. “Ah… Yukiko’s lips and tongue… How is she so good at kissing even though she never been kissed before… It makes me feels warm and fuzzy inside even though I’m attracted to guys. Yukiko probably won’t remember the kiss once she come back to her senses the following day.” Chie says in her inner thoughts, flushing. She slowly close her eyes again to focus on Yukiko’s tongue. Yukiko, on the other hand, has her eyes half way open to see Chie’s flutter face. “Chie is such an awesome kisser. Has she been always this good before…? She makes me so turned on.” says Yukiko in her thoughts, amused.

In the heat of the moment, Chie held Yukiko closer to her chest. She wrap her free hand on Yukiko’s hip. 

After five minutes, Chie and Yukiko depart their lips and tongues. Chie gently get Yukiko off her lap to sat next to her.  Yukiko doesn’t seem to mind, still in a drunken-like state.

“Chie, your lips are like a silk flower… *hic* hahaha…” the drunken Yukiko laughed at her comment.

“Augh… Yukiko. I’m flattered about the comment, but please stop talking.” Chie begged her as she was still fazed from having her first kiss stolen by her childhood friend.

It’s the fourth round, but this time it was Labrys’ turn to mixed the sticks in the cup she is holding. After she’s done randomly mixing it, she put it onto the table, everyone grab their sticks. The one who has the red stick is Mitsuru. 

“Interesting… I guess I’m queen for this round.” Mitsuru seems intrigued for being picked randomly.

“Thank goodness, a reasonable person we know. Hoping it’s not something weird.” Yukari expresses relief. Mitsuru glanced at Yukari, where she happily briefly showed her number got. Mitsuru nods her before she look at everyone else.

“So… what’s your command Ice Queen?” Rise teased her, still drunk. 

“I advise you not to call me that. I have already made a decision about what command I want to say.” Mitsuru says with a calm posture. She has her arm crosses and one of her legs rest on the other. 

“What is it?” Kotone says with a curious look. 

“As Queen I command 9 to say I love you in French to me.” Mitsuru says with proud smile.

“Excuse me?” says Aigis with puzzled expression.  Mitsuru seems confused what she means. Aigis shows her number, 

“Huh!?” Yukari’s eyes widen. “That’s not what I showed you!” 

“What? I thought you had 9?” Mitsuru puzzled. 

“No, it's 6,” When Yukari look at the number she shown secretly to her, she realizes she made a mistake. It turns out she has her number upside down. “Crap!” She quickly flip her stuck back to correctly show her real number stick, “6”. 

“Is it alright to change number for a quick second?” Mitsuru politely asked.

“Nope. You can’t change your order that has already been given. The Queen’s orders are absolute!” Rise stated. “Now, Aigis say it to Kirijo-san those words to her!”

“Affirmative.” Aigis obliged. She look straight at Mitsuru’s direction. 

“Wait a moment, does Aigis even speak French? If she has a hard time pronouncing it, I will happily to—” Yukari suggested. Before she can finish her sentences, Aigis proceed in speaking in French. 

“Je t'aime (I love you).” Aigis said with stotic look. Everyone was suprised what they heard. 

“Amazing, Aigis, where did you learn to speak French?” Fuuka asks Aigis, curiously. 

“I installed a language app in my system. Now I know all languages across the world. It would be professional way to speak in their foreign languages.” Aigis replied. 

Mitsuru covers her eyes in ashamed what she has done. Fuuka comforts her by patting her back. 

“*sigh* This is completely different from our last King’s Game,” Naoto commented. 

Chapter Text

Girl’s side 

Nippon Seinenkan Hotel - Evening

After a few rounds, it was the ninth round. Everyone got their sticks from the cup randomly. So far, only seven players are left to play Queen’s King. Mitsuru and Aigis forfeited in the fifth round, Rise passed out on Yukari’s bed in the sixth round, Fuuka fainted after she made out with Tsubasa on their lap for 3 minutes instead of 5 in the seventh round, and Chidori forfeited in the eighth round. They carefully look at the tip of their sticks to see whether or not they got red. 

“Whoa… talk about less in players… this never happened before. The only ones who were out were Kanji and Teddie last time. We only did it for three rounds due to Yukiko, Rise, and Teddie passing out.” Chie commented with a surprised expression. 

“I have to agree with you, Chie-senpai. Probably because we have more people to play with. The only difference is that the guys aren’t here.” Naoto noted that there is a lack of men in the room. 

“Let’s not forget that we have one non-binary person among people. So it is not all girls who are playing, right?” Chie reminded Naoto. 

“So, who has the red stick?” Yukari wondered. 

“That will be me!” The drunken Yukiko says she holds her stick up, showing everyone that her stick is red. “Wow…*hic* I’m so lucky today… Now, who should I command next... *giggles* How about I command *hic* number 3 to strip her clothes except their bras and panties!” 

“What!?” Everyone gasped. 

“That’s my number!?” Tsubasa exclaimed. They show their number to Yukiko. 

“Huh… I thought 3 is…*hic* Chie. I would… love to see her half-naked. Oops. I made a mistake. Hahaha,” Yukiko laughed to herself.

“My number is 7, Yukiko, and I don’t want to strip in front of everyone.”

“Sorry, Amagi-san. Nope. I can’t do it. It's a personal choice, not because I don’t want to. I am not comfortable stripping in front of everyone. I’m out.” Tsubasa protested and rejected Yukiko’s command. “The only one I’m comfortable stripping is Fuu-chan. Just don't tell her when she regains consciousness.” Tsubasa still has Fuuka in her undergarments, sleeping on their lap. 

“Now only six players to go! On to the next round!” Kotone says in a cheerful tone. 

It’s the tenth round, with Yukari mixing up the sticks after everyone inserts the sticks they had back into the cup. With her done mixing the sticks randomly, everyone takes their pick. The Queen this time is Chie. 

“Me? I got the red stick? Wow… that’s the first.” Chie seems somewhat suprised by this. 

“Oooh! Good job, Chie! *hic* Now command everyone to strip half naked!” Yukiko drunkenly encourages her best friend.

“I’m not going to command it, Yukiko! Geez… how long are you going to keep acting like this? You weren't this drunk last time.” Chie refused Yukiko’s suggestion. “Then again… you did encourage Teddie to kiss Kanji.”   

“So, what’s your command? We have around five rounds to go. We need to get ready for tomorrow.” Naoto reminded Chie. 

“Alright. Just don’t rush me, Naoto-kun. This is my first time as King. I must devise an unexpected yet exciting command no one has ever done.” Chie tried to think of what she wanted to say. However, in her mind, she wants to ask Kotone if she has had a threesome sex with her Master and her future husband. She needed to know. 

“Go for it! I bet it's something naughty and devilish ordered... *hic* I could feel it,” says Rise, who is talking in her sleep. 

“Fine. I command number 3 to reveal to me if they ever have a threesome sex with Master!”

Everyone reacted with dumbfounded and suprised looks at her. Yukari is the most shocked since she has a number 3. “Ahh!”

“What! You have 3!? I’m so sorry, Takaba-san. I thought Kotone-san had 3.”

“Nope. My number is 4. Close enough.” Kotone corrected her. “So… I’m curious as well, Yukari. Hehehe.”

“Don’t encourage her, Kotone! This is… so embarrassing and a personal matter.” Yukari protests to her. 

“So, Yukari-senpai, have you been in a threesome sex before?” Chidori curiously asked Chie. 

“Well… I have never done a threesome sex before, and I definitely will never do it with Akihiko-senpai. Even if he does it with Mitsuru and me simultaneously, I would have mixed feelings about this. I saw him do it with someone at last month's summer festival.” Yukari says honestly to her. 

“Really!? Who did Master do it with!? Was it Master’s friend and Kotone-san!? I have to know!” Chie excitedly asked. 

Before Yukari could answer her question, she noticed Kotone looked at her nervously, shaking her head almost as if she didn't want her to reveal something important. She understands what she means, so she gives an honest answer. “I have to keep it secret. I promised them never to reveal it to anyone, not even the rest of my friends in Shadow Operatives. It would be rude if I spoke the truth.”

“Aw… I wanted to know…” Chie seems disappointed. “I once asked Master if he had a polyamory relationship between Kotone-san and Shinjiro-san. He probably had a threesome with them.” 

“Chie-senpai, I don’t think you should mention it in front of everyone. Polyamory relationships are still illegal in Japan. Threesome sex could only have been done in private as long as it’s not in a way relationship.” Naoto blunted.

“Whoa, Naoto, how do you know about polyamory and threesome sex? Are you planning to do with Kanji-kun and a third person who has never done it before?” Kotone happily teased her cousin. “Is it Rise or maybe Yu-kun… perhaps. Hmmm….” 

“No. You got it all wrong. I learned the term in one of my previous cases where one of my clients had three wives, three husbands, and six children. Three are adopted from a surrogate.” Naoto claimed. The more she mentioned her last case, the more she made her slightly blush across her face. She decides not to mention what gender her client was. ”The point is… Rise is just a friend, and Yu-senpai has a girlfriend. I’m just not keen on romance and sex.” 

“Sure it is. Okay, let’s move on to the next round.” Labrys says in an excited tone.

Guy’s Side 

Yumoto Chouza

Shinjiro and Akihiko’s Suite Room - Evening 

In the tenth round, there are a total of six players. Junpei, Ken, Ren, Kanji, and Teddie are from previous rounds. Kanji and Teddie passed out from drinking Shinjiro’s beer. 

“Nope. Not going to happen. I’m not going to take off my pants.” Yosuke firmly refuses to listen to Makoto’s commands. 

“What's wrong with that? You’re friend took off his clothes. Why not?” Junpei asked. “It’s no big deal to reveal your body. It's just us guys after all.”

“T-That’s not the point, Junpei-san! You guys don’t wanna know. It’s… embarrassing.” Yosuke admits shamefully.

“It’s probably not as bad. We have already got used to seeing Kanji in his brief. I’m sure we will get used to it. Trust us, Yosuke.” Yu reassures him with an honest look. 

“Yeah… Not! I know you're my partner and trust me greatly, but this is different. It’s not going to happen. Nuh huh. I forfeit.” 

“C’mon, man! You and Senpai were the only members of our team. And ya abandon our leader.” Kanji is calling out Yosuke for his cowardice. 

“Because I accidentally packed the wrong boxers, I normally had! I was in a rush since I woke up late!” Yosuke shouted.

Everyone reacted in confusion towards Yosuke’s claim.

“How bad are Teddie’s boxers? It’s probably red, blue, or white solid colors, stripes, polka dots, or even--”

“It was a cartoon bear-themed boxer I’m wearing. It was either the star-shaped, circus ball or a bear on a unicycle. I didn’t use the boxer I had on yesterday. That would be gross.” Yosuke says in disgust. 

“Zzz… Yosuke… in a bear boxer. Hahaha… That’s very funny… I wanna take a picture... on you. Zzz… so you can blackmail.” Teddie chucked in his sleep. 

“I’m going to kill that bear.” Yosuke, in his inner thought, glaring at the sleeping Teddie. 

“Okay… let’s move on to the next round then…” Akihiko says awkwardly. 

In the eleventh round, it was Ryoji’s turn as king. 

“Oh. I guess I’m the king now. Hm… what should I command…” Ryoji says with a curious look. He has his hand on his chin, and his other hand resting on his elbow. 

“Ryoji, it’s not that hard. It could be anything. Just think of it as a punishment for someone you don’t like or someone to mess with. Anyone is fine. It’s just a game.” Junpei advises him with a casual smile. 

“How about I command number 5 to tell me… what polygamy means, or if they had a threesome experience before?” Ryoji commanded. 

Everyone reacted either in disgust, suprised, puzzlement, or amazement on their faces. 

“What kind of command is that!? No one has ever done a threesome before. I prefer to do it with one partner rather than multiple people. That seems so wrong,” says Yosuke, furiously. 

“Whoa… I never expected you to respond to that command…” Junpei commented on Ryoji. “Are you trying to get into a relationship with Koto-tan?”

“You’re wrong. Kotone has Aragaki-senpai. I’m just curious what a threesome is like, that’s all. I’m not interested in being in one, especially the body I borrow.” Ryoji denied it. 

“Huh? Is that supposed to be a figure of speech or metaphor?” Kanji seems puzzled.

“Huh… He means the body deodorant he currently has. It has a weird scent. He used a substitute smell from the wood.” Junpei nervously lied to them. 

“What are you talking about? You guys didn’t tell them about—” Before he could mention the body he is currently borrowing, Junpei quickly went to his side and covered his mouth. 

“Shut up, you idiot. They don’t know him, and there’s no reason to tell them. It has nothing to do with them.” Junpei hushed him in a whispered tone. 

“So who has 5?” 

“That would be me, unfortunately,” Akihiko says with a disappointed frown. 

Shinjiro facepalms himself. 

“So, did you know what polygamy is or had experience in a threesome before?”

“Polygamy is where a person could have more lovers than one, regardless of the gender,” Akihiko stated.

“Oh… is that what that word means? Hm… Interesting.” Ryoji was intrigued by Akihiko’s response.

Shinjiro expresses relief for some unknown reason.

“So, Yu, have you ever considered being in a poly relationship between your current relationship and a third person. Rise is very attracted to you.” Yosuke asks Yu.

“Yeah… I don't think Marie would like that at all.” Yu rejects the idea of asking Rise to be in his harem. He is not interested in asking most of his female friends he met last year to be part of his group. 

Girl’s side 

Nippon Seinenkan Hotel - Evening

It’s the eleventh round; this time, it's Labrys’ turn as queen, although she has come up with an unexpected command. 

“As your queen, I command number 1 to drink the wine that Nakamura-san brought,” Labrys commanded dramatically.

“Oh… It’s me I’m *hic* so lucky… Hehehe..” The drunken Yukiko chuckled.

“Labrys, why would you do that!? It’s illegal to drink alcohol if you are underage!” Yukari criticized her.

“Hm? Isn’t she eighteen? Is it okay for her to drink wine?” Labrys wondered. 

“No! It’s not okay. Yukiko and her friends are all under legal age. Most of them are not even 18. The only adults capable of drinking are Mitsuru and Tsubasa-san.” Yukari responded with an upset frown. 

“C’mon… Takaba-san, one slip won’t hurt. Let me fetch the wine bottle and a glass.” Yukiko says with mellow eyes. She casually gets up to grab one of the wine bottles on the corner and a glass cup since she couldn't find a glass that Mitsuru used. She brought whatever she needed back to the bedroom. She asked Labrys to unscrew the cap from the bottle. She accepts it by pulling it with her robotic fingers. When she was about to pour wine into the glass, Chie stopped her instantly. 

“Wait! Yukiko! Please don’t drink it! You are not old enough to drink! What if your mom found out! Chie warned her best friend with concerned eyes. 

“Screw mother’s rule… she is not here. I can do…*hic* whatever I want. I’m going to take a slip.” Yukiko says with a drunken-like frown. She gently pressed Chie away. As she was about to drink the wine, Chie grabbed her wrist tightly to prevent her from drinking. Naoto decides to join in to stop Yukiko. 

“Chie-senpai is right. Yukiko-senpai forfeits already.  You don't have to drink it if you don't want to. We will scold Labrys later.” Naoto tries to reason with Yukiko for a while while she is still drunk. As the two struggle to get the wine bottle out of Yukiko’s hand, she accidentally spills half of the wine on Chie’s shirt and then on her hair. 

“Aahh! My favorite shirt! It’s ruined!” Chie’s eyes widen in horror. “Yukiko, what the hell!” 

“I think you should worry about the hair rather than your shirt.” Naoto blunted. 

Yukiko finally starts to pass out until Chie catches up. Labrys catches the wine bottle before it spills all over the rug. She pulls back the cord onto the wine bottle that she holds. She places it by the table where Tsubasa is sitting. Chie checks Yukiko’s condition, only to find her fast asleep with a drunk smile. 

“Oh, thank goodness she just passed out. Just like last time.” Chie expressed relief. 

“Chie, I’m sorry. Didn’t know ya needed to be a certain age for booze. Figured it was for everybody. Aigis and I could drink 'cause we ain't human.” Labrys is guilty and apologizes to her. 

“It’s fine. It was your first time. Don't let it happen again until we are 20 or older, not when we are still in high school.” Chie accepts her apology. Chie decides to carry the unconscious Yukiko on her back. Unknown to her, Yukiko unknowingly grabbed the wine off the table. She starts walking to the door. 

“Chie-chan, where are you taking your friend? The game isn’t over, and Mitsuru-senpai and Aigis haven't returned yet.” Fuuka asked.

“I have to quit the game as well. I need to take a shower badly. I have a bad feeling that Yukiko might drink the wine without us realizing it. So, we are going to go back to our room and I will take a shower. Don’t worry, I will be back.” Chie reassures everyone. “Oh, Labrys, will you help me with the door. My hands are full, please.”

“Sure. I’ll help you.” 

Chie and Yukiko’s room - Evening 

Chie gently pulls drunken Yukiko onto her bed, and she walks up to the door to thank Labrys for helping her. Then she promised to make up for Chie and Yukiko, but Chie told her she didn't have to. Labrys smiles at her before returning to Kotone, Yukari, and Chidori’s room. Chie closed the door and locked it. Before removing her clothes, she noticed something in Yukiko’s hand, a half-empty wine bottle. 

“What!? When did you—!? *sigh* I will return the wine bottle once I shower and change into the other clothes I packed. Although… I've got to remember to wash the wine off my shirt.” Chie grunted in annoyance. Chie took the bottle from Yukiko’s hand and placed it on the table.  She went to the bathroom, removed all her clothes, and started showering. 

During Chie’s showering, Yukiko regains consciousness, except she is still in a drunken state. “Huh?… Where am I? *hic* Was it with everyone when we were… playing Queen’s Game? Hm…. What was Labrys’ command? Hm….! Oh, right, I have to drink a sip of the wine bottle.” Yukiko said with a sly smirk. She sat up searching for the wine bottle until she spotted it on the table before her. “Oh, there it is… You little rascal. How did you get on here? It probably doesn't *hic*…” 

Outside of Chie and Yukiko’s room.

Before Labrys can return to the room, she senses hostile individuals on the top of the building. She calculated at least ten. She also senses that Mitsuru and Aigis are in danger as well. So, she decides to go up where they are, but first, she needs to tell her friends a lie. “Mitsuru-san, Aigis, don’t worry, I will be there soon!” 

Chie and Yukiko’s room - Evening

Yukiko unplugs the wine cork from the bottle. She prepares to drink it. “Down the hatch!” She starts to drink it instantly before she stops, with only a small amount of wine in the bottle. “Wow… this wine tastes... Sweet, and a bit bitter *hic*, but it's good. Wait… how much wine am I supposed to drink? This smells like a unique aroma.” Yukiko collapses to the floor with the wine bottle still intact in her right hand as she loses consciousness. 

The following day… 

September 29th, 2012 - Morning 

Chie wakes up confused when she sees Yukiko in her bed, who is also confused. She notices she is not wearing any clothes besides the blanket covering her up to her chest area. “Yukiko… why are you naked in my bed?” 

“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you not wearing clothes, too?” Yukiko asked her with a puzzled look.

“Huh!?” When Chie moved her blanket up to see if Yukiko's statement was true, she was right. Suddenly, Chie’s face starts to turn bright red with an overwhelming bashfulness overflowing from her inside and out. She starts to scream at the top of her lungs.  “AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!????“ 

Chapter Text

Naoto and Rise’s Room - Morning

“And all done! Wow. Even for your first try on yourself. You look so pretty, but average.” Rise happily complicated her. Naoto wears some sky-blue eyeshadow and light pink lipstick. 

“What do you mean by average?” Naoto asks her suspiciously.

“Well…  You didn’t curl your eyelashes or use fake eyelashes… And you add any perfumes.”

“I prefer the way I am. I can’t stand the strong perfume smell. It makes me kind of… nauseous.” Naoto says bluntly. She is not used to being entirely feminine her whole life. She is not like her cousin.  The only process she started to dress slightly feminine instead of cross-dressing like a man growing up was not blinded by her breasts. She still hasn't decided whether to outgrow it or keep it short, except for the girly part.

“Awww… That would be the final touch of being a woman.” Rise pouted in disappointment at her. “Then again, you just recently stopped dressing up like a guy last year, so… that’s a start.” 

“Rise, did you bring their beauty products yesterday just to impress Yu-senpai, don’t you?” Naoto questioned her. 

“N-No! That’s not it! I… was curious about trying some beauty products in Harajuku. I didn’t travel to all the places in Japan before meeting you and the others.” Rise nervously denied Naoto’s claims.

“You know, Senpai is happy being in a relationship with Marie. You shouldn’t try to break them apart. I used to have a crush on him, but I have moved on.” Naoto reminds her. 

“I know. You don’t have to remind me.” Rise sulked. However, she quickly came back to her cheerful self. “You do develop a crush on Kanji. I don’t mind. You seem to be quite a pair. After all, you are in the same year together.” Rise says with a bored look, while in a cheery tone. 

“For the last time, I don't have a crush on Kanji.  We are just friends and nothing more. I… am out of his league. There is no way he will still want to be with me, a serious and workaholic.” Naoto seems doubtful about entering a relationship with both her friend and an ally of the Investigation Team. She believes Kanji has lost interest in her now that she is starting to dress masculine. She wasn’t sure if Kanji is either bi, who is strongly into men, but has some interest in women, or gay, and she is the only exception that he has eyes for. 

“Do you by any chance have… low self-esteem?” Rise asks her with a worried look.

A few hours later…

Junes Department Store (Shinjuku) - Daytime  

“Wow! I didn’t know your pops had another store outside of Inaba! This is so huge than the one who lived!” Teddie says with a bright smile.

“I almost forgot that my dad’s business started to expand this year. Junes is a very popular store since Inaba. A course he obtained permission for from the former store owner, who had shut down due to poor business. I didn't expect to find it here. I thought the second store of Junes would be in either Tokyo or Okinawa City.” Yosuke guessed. He browses in the men’s clothing section to find the type of underwear he wants to buy. 

“Yeah! I’m beary suprised that there’s another me outside of the store. Did your Pops clone me!?” says Teddie, frighteningly. 

“That’s not the right word to describe it, Teddie-san…It is just a mascot that someone uses to promote stores or entertainment.” Ken explained.

“Well, the bear costume you have always worn since last year became the main mascot of my Dad’s business thanks to my suggestion. It was another way to convince them to let you stay at our place.” Yosuke remarked.

“Oh, there it is! Nice! They have my favorite boxer brief brands. This is so much a lifesaver!” Yosuke said with a relieved smile. “Which one should I get… I managed to sell half of my allowance on food, drinks, and train traveling…”

“Ugh… Senpai, get the one pack. We have already got some meds for hangovers. Now all that is left is stopping up Aragaki-san’s folks’ place where they are keeping an eye on Kojiro.” He says annoyingly to Yosuke. “If ya can’t decide on which underwear ya bought. I'll choose it for you instead. Kanji picked out a random boxer brief pack for Yosuke and took it to the cashier, where he could pay for his boxer briefs.

“Why do I get a feeling that Kanji wants to hurry up and see Koromaru and his son at Aragaki’s parents’ place…” Yu says in his inner thoughts, disturbing. He notices something on Yosuke’s face, where he seems to have the label next to the brief shirt section that Kanji took off without looking. Yosuke’s face turns pale white at what Kanji has brought without looking at the boxer briefs. 

“Kanji! Stop, that’s not the one I want to get!” Yosuke tried to catch up with him, but it was already too late. 

“That wasn’t so bad. I got the brand you like.” Kanji casually winked at him, followed by a thumbs-up. “All you need to do is pay back what you owe me for paying for your boxer briefs. I think it was about 4500 or 5000 yen.” 

“I told you to stop! Could you look at what you brought? Look in the bag.” Yosuke furiously shouted at Kanji. 

“Huh? What do you mean?” Kanji looks confused. He looked down and saw that what he brought for Yosuke was the wrong type of underwear. What Kanji got was orange and red plaid, except it had dog print boxer shorts.

An hour later, shortly after Kanji fainted, from seeing Naoto in a dress. 

Aragaki Residence - Daytime

“Kanji!?” Naoto says in a concerned frown.

“Don’t worry, Naoto, he just fainted. Then again, we can’t have him passed out on the floor until he wakes up. Do you know where to put him?” Yosuke asked Naoto. He tries to resist his urge to make perverted comments about Naoto in a beautiful dress and makeup. When both Yu and Yosuke take the unconscious Kanji inside, Kojiro starts to cry nonstop after he sees him again. Despite his loud cries, Kanji is still conscious. Yosuke helps support Kanji on his right side, while Yu helps support his left side. Both of Kanji’s arms are around Yosuke and Yu. 

“Maybe you should take Tatsumi upstairs to the guest room. I’ll stay here to keep Koji comfortable. Hopefully, he will stop crying when you take him with you.” Akihiko suggested to Yosuke and Yu. 

“Huh… which room is the guest room?” Teddie asked him with a look of confusion. 

“*sigh* I’ll show you where it is. Follow me.” Shinjiro sighed in annoyance.

“I believe I should I’ll come with you guys to check and see if Kanji is alright,” Naoto said with a concerned look. “I want to make sure if he didn’t collapse from sleep deprivation or exhaustion from the bachelor party.” 

“Oohh! I’ll come too!” Kotone volunteers to join in. “Mainly because I’m not done talking about her crush.”

“Kotone, just… drop it. We can discuss later. Currently, we need to take him upstairs until he regains consciousness. Another reason is…” Before Naoto could finish her sentence, Kojiro started to cry loudly.

“Wwwaaahhh! Waaah!” Kojiro, crying onto Akihiko’s chest, was held in his arms for a while. He gently patted his back repeatedly a couple of times and bounced him up and down. 

“Just go already. Koji is not stopping any time soon if he’s here.” Akihiko says impatiently. 

Guest Room 

Shinjiro has taken unconscious Kanji to the guest room, where they place him on a bed until he regains consciousness. He would put him on the living room couch, but his son is still scared of him, and Koromaru doesn't like him. So, he leaves Kojiro in Akihiko and Aigis’ care until he, Ken, and Naoto return. Shinjiro, Kotone, Ken, Naoto, Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie were in the guest room.

“We didn’t know Kotone-san, Aigis-san, and Naoto were here. We thought it was just the guys and Aragaki-san’s parents.” Yosuke thought. “I never expected Naoto to dress cuter than before.”

“Yeah! Nao-chan is 100% cute! She looks so much better than ever! I didn’t mind that she dressed like a boy, but either outfit she wears will always look great on her,” says Teddie, admiring Naoto’s feminine looks. He hasn’t realized that he is speaking out loud so everyone can hear him.

“You know I can hear you, Teddie. I appreciate the compliment, but this is just temporary. It was Rise’s idea for me to dress up feminine for the last day of the bachelorette party and Kotone and Shinjiro-san’s wedding tomorrow.” Naoto justified. “I was going to wear a suit that I prepared.” 

“Aww… That’s so sweet. You will look lovely in a dress. It’s one of my top fantasies, and I wish it to come true.” Kotone felt heartfelt about Naoto wearing a dress at her and Shinjiro’s wedding. 

“What are your top fantasies, then?” Yu wondered. 

“Losing my virginity to Shinji, having a child together, and getting married. At least two of three of my fantasies came true.” Kotone cheerfully admits. 

“But that’s three things. Yu asked your top favorite fantasies you had.” Yosuke reminded her. 

“What difference does it make?  As long as she is happy with her life. That’s all that matters.” Shinjiro smirked. “Besides, I’m glad I fulfilled her fantasies, especially the last one that will be made into reality tomorrow.” 

“Oh, Shinji.” Kotone looks at him, merrily bashful at his kind words. 

“So… what are your top fantasies you wanted to come true, Gakky?” Teddie wondered, “Probably being in a threesome marriage between Koto-chan and Akky?” 

“It’s not your business and what the fuck? That’s not one of my top fantasies that will come true. I don’t have feelings for my best friend. Who would want that to happen?” Shinjiro gives Teddie a death glare that makes Teddie shiver down his spine, and he hides behind Yu. He started to regret asking that question. Shinjiro returned to look at Kotone to see how she would respond to Teddie’s question. Instead, she is casually humming, not looking at anyone. 

“Koto, why aren’t ya saying anything? Wait, don’t tell me…are you serious?” Shinjiro looks suspicious. 

“I-I’m going to freshen up in the bathroom before I go downstairs to check on Koji.” Kotone casually smiles as she quickly leaves the room. Shinjiro pursues her. 

“Hey, don’t walk away! You haven’t answered the question, hey!” Shinjiro shouted at her. Shinjiro left the room.  

Yosuke smacks Teddie on the back of his head.

“Ow! That hurt!” Teddie said with a hurtful frown. He gently rubs the back of his hair with his hand.

“Teddie, that was very rude. You shouldn’t make assumptions about other people, especially in front of them. Naoto’s cousin is getting married tomorrow. Do you want them to break up?” Yosuke scolded Teddie. “What would happen if someone said any assumptions about you being a virgin or hit on any women who are not into men or married?”

“I am a virgin. I have no idea if the beauties are not into men. I should have noticed it by how. All beautiful women look the same to me.” Teddie shrugged. He seems not to understand what Yosuke is trying to say here. 

“The point is, Teddie. You may have hurt Kotone-san and Aragaki-san’s feelings. It would be a problem for their relationship if it were to fall apart. There have been stories of people getting abused by their partners for the wrong reasons and due to a misunderstanding. Some become in denial of their actions, and some refuse believe in their partners.” Yu explained to Teddie, in his way, that he should be careful not to make assumptions. 

“Oh, no! I… didn’t know. I don’t want Gakky to hurt Koto-chan because of my assumption! What have I done! I need to find them and apologize to them!” Teddie said with a regretful look. 

“What the…?! He listened to the reasons from Yu and understood what he did was wrong, but not me? What the hell, Teddie!?” Yosuke says in his inner thoughts, irritated by Teddie’s obliviousness. Teddie quickly left the room to find Shinjiro and Kotone in a hurry.

“Wait! Teddie! Wait up!” Yosuke tries to stop him, but he has already left the room. He turns to Yu and Naoto. “C’mon, partner, Naoto, let’s go after him.” 

“I’ll stay here with Kanji when he wakes up. He probably wants to know what happened since he was unconscious.” Naoto tells Yu and Yosuke. 

“Naoto, are you sure you will be fine alone with Kanji?” Yu curiously asked.

“I’m fine, Senpai. I’m okay on my own here. We will catch up with you guys sooner or later.” Naoto replied with a smile. 

Yosuke and Yu nodded before they went to find Teddie. They aren’t familiar with Shinjiro’s parents’ house, so they have no idea where Teddie could have gone.  Naoto is alone with unconscious Kanji on the bed, presumably sleeping. She walked to him, sat down, and had Kanji resting on her lap until he woke up. Naoto felt something when she saw Kanji up close. Back then, she didn’t feel anything from him, since they had become friends after she joined the Investigation Team to find the culprit of the Inaba incident. Not even during the ski trip this year. However, she recalls the time when Kanji confessed his love for her when she thought he was about to be killed by Strega. She wonders if she truly develops romantic feelings for Kanji.

Four months ago…

May 5th, 2012

Samegawa Flood Plain

Shinjiro, dressed in black, is seen carrying his four-month-old son, sleeping. Kanji and Marco, who is a humanoid monkey, wait for Naoto’s answer whether or not she wants to keep her memories once Marco dispels the time freeze spell. If she and Kanji don’t take his blood, they will lose their memories before the time stops caused by Strega. 

“Naoto, it’s your decision whether or not you want to keep your memories of what just happened. What’s going to happen now? Did you wish to learn about Shinjiro’s dark past that he and your cousin kept from you?” Marco says in a severe voice to Naoto.

“I’ll do it. I want to keep my memories of what happened today. Kotone is my cousin, and it’s my fault for not believing when she needed help. I want to know everything about Shinjiro-san’s past and the reason why she kept it from me.” Naoto says with a determined look. “After all, Shinjiro-san will be my future cousin-in-law soon.” 

“Wise choice, Naoto. You are indeed Kotone’s cousin after all.” Marco smirked. He has his gaze on Kanji next, who is still recovering after what happened. “What about you, Kanji? Do you want to keep your memories as well?” 

“Huh…Well.. I… I uh.. *inhale* exhale* If Naoto is keeping her memories… Then maybe I’ll ya keep them too.” Kanji says boldly. To him, if he chooses to have his memories erased of his confession to Naoto, he would go back to the nervous self who is incapable of confessing his love to his crush. It would be as if it never happened, and they remain friends. He would feel bad if she were the only one who remembered his confession. He felt right that he would be there for her.

“Are you sure ya want to keep your memories from almost being killed by Strega, Tatsumi? If you do, you can’t tell anyone about Marco or the time effects. Especially your allies in your group. Marco only asked Naoto, not you.” Shinjiro reminded him.

“Shinjiro, it’s fine. He’s part of the Investigation Team. He can make his own decisions. He probably doesn’t want to have his memories reset of his love confession. He doesn’t know when he will ever do it again. I don’t think he would have the courage to find a perfect place to confess his love for Naoto again,” says Marco, frankly.

“N-No! T-That’s not it! It would be sad if she were the only one to remember what happened today. I don’t want to be lonely.” Kanji’s face turned bright red, nervously, as he denied Marco’s claims. 

“Kanji…” Naoto murmured Kanji’s name. She is both touched and secretly happy for him.

Marco took out his pouch, which he kept on his person, and removed two blood-like candies, handing them over to Naoto and Kanji.

“What the hell is this? Is it cough drops?” Kanji says with a suspicious look.

“I could ask the same thing. I have never seen this candy before. I’m assuming this is special candy that prevents us from losing our memories in the time distortion?” Naoto guessed. 

“You guessed correctly. I suppose I didn’t need to explain it to you. That’s saved me the trouble.” Marco says with a clever smirk.  Naoto responds with a questionable look. Naoto and Kanji stare at the blood candy for a while before they instantly swallow it whole, since the candy is small. Suddenly, both Naoto and Kanji reacted in disgust. 

“Yuck! What the heck did I taste!? Auugh! It tasted like rotten medicine!” Kanji says with disgust. He tried to split it out, but it was too late. 

“It… had an odd taste. What kind of ingredients did you use to make this?” Naoto asked Marco. She seems a bit disgusted as well. 

“I leave it to your imagination what I make it with. It won’t be fun if I spoil it.” Marco says with a mischievous grin. He isn’t planning on telling them the truth about the blood candies he gave them. If they did, Kanji might scar for life, and Naoto would react exactly like Shinjiro after he found out about it.

“So, tell me about Shinjiro-san’s past. I want to know everything about it, especially your relationship with my cousin.” Naoto demanded.

“I’m not the one I should be answering. Shinjiro will be the one to answer your questions instead.” Marco insisted. He looks at Shinjiro, who glares at him with hostility. He looks directly at her. He tells her that it was five years ago. He lost control of his Persona during the operation on October 4th and accidentally murdered Ken’s mom. The regret weighs heavily on him, so he decides to quit SEES and live as an outcast for two years. He has also been given drugs to help suppress his Persona from going out of control, but at the cost of his body temperature and his lifespan. He was slowly trying to kill himself as another way to atone for the sin of killing an innocent woman. That was until he heard from his childhood friend that Ken had joined SEES. He decided to rejoin SEES, not because to keep an eye on him, but hoping Ken would be the one to kill him. Shinjiro wanted to die without any regret. That was until he met the love of his life, Kotone Shiomi. He wasn’t expected to fall in love with her since they started hanging out in September. He realizes that the more he enjoys spending time with her, the more he becomes attached to her, so he starts thinking about her more often. It makes him realize that he is falling in love with her. He tried to push her away from associating with him anymore, but she refused, as she loved spending time with him.  To him, she was very persistent, kind, strong-willed, and an idiot at times, but that’s why he loved her. 

“So, um… when did you finally start to confess your love to your crush?” Kanji asked Shinjiro curiously.

“Kanji, he’s getting here. Just be patient and listen to the story.” Naoto reminded him. 

Shinjiro continued where he left off. “It was about two days before October 4th when Koto… I mean, Kotone was the one who confessed her love for me. I kept denying her, especially when she asked me to go to my room. I couldn't say no to her. That was when I confessed my feelings for her. I never expected to fall in love with her, and this isn’t how it's supposed to be. I gave her a warning to return to her room, or else she wouldn’t get another chance. In the end, she refuses to leave, and that’s when we started to make love for the first time.” 

“Please, stop, Shinjiro-san. I told you before…  don't explain everything in detail about your and Kotone’s first time,” says Naoto, grossed out. She doesn’t want to know how sex works, especially since she is not dating right now, or she hasn’t turned 18 yet. 

“Do you by any chance use some kind of protection when you guys make love or something?” Kanji asked Shinjiro. 

“No, we didn’t use a condom. We did it raw.”  Shinjiro replied. 

“Raw? You mean like skin to skin?” Kanji guessed. He has no idea how sex works. 

“You, what!?” Naoto’s eyes widen in shock. She wasn’t happy about it. 

“I’m sorry I have to cut your conversation short, but I need to dispel this time-frozen spell right now. You guys can carry on your conversation after you and your friends save the world. And Shinjiro needs to put his son back in his backpack where he can be safe until the fighting tournament is over.” Marco informed them. 

“Right, we need to regroup with our friends at Junes. Thanks for reminding us, Marco-san.” Naoto helps pick up Kanji, with his right arm resting on her shoulder. She looks at Shinjiro in front of her. “We are not done talking about how you had unprotected sex with my cousin, especially on how she was underage.” 

“Fine, I promise to explain everything once Inaba is safe. You don’t have to remind me.” Shinjiro felt annoyed with Naoto’s criticism and overprotective nature towards her cousin. 

Present

Kanji woke up facing Naoto. Suddenly, his face starts to turn pink, and he quickly sits up. “N-Naoto… I never thought you’d put my head onto your comfortable lap.  I mean… your lap.” Kanji says nervously. He is too shy to look Naoto in the face due to her very feminine appearance. Naoto doesn’t mind since she has already grown used to it. “So… Um… how long was I out for?” 

“Not that long. I don’t understand why you fainted on the porch outside. Wasn’t it from sleep deprivation, or did you have a fever? I believe Shinjiro-san’s parents have some medicine for it.”

“No! I’m fine. I just collapsed from… having a heat stroke. Yeah. I’m better now. No worries.” Kanji says with a nervous smile. 

“O-Okay…” Naoto seems confused by Kanji’s strange behavior.

“What just happened? Where am I? Where’s Yu-senpai, Yosuke-senpai, Teddie, Ken, and Amaniya?” 

“Downstair. Now that you're awake. We should join the others downstairs and—” Before Naoto could explain the current situation, Kanji interrupted her by touching her right hand with his. Naoto looks both confused and shocked by this. 

“Wait… since we are alone together. There is something I want to ask you since Golden Week.” 

“What is it?” 

“I've been wondering that…do you not like me?” says Kanji, disheartened. This surprised Naoto. “It just… ever since I confessed my feelings to you because I thought I was going to die. However, your cousin’s husband’s fluffy monkey friend saved my life from bleeding out. Especially when I was willing to hold on to my memories. I waited for you to respond to see if you felt the same way. It’s already been four months.” 

“I was busy with work, rehearsal as Rise’s backup dancers, the incident at the LMB concert, and buying a formal outfit for weddings. I guess… I was caught up in work that I forgot.” Naoto seems to regret. 

“Are ya planning to tell me until after we graduate from high school? When we graduate from college? Until we become adults? I would like to know how long I have to wait for a proper response. Naoto, you are the only woman I've ever fallen deeply in love with.  Even before I found out you were a girl.” Kanji says sincerely. He continued to grasp Naoto’s hand. “Please just tell me, and I promise I will accept your answers.” 

“Kanji, listen. I know you've been having feelings for me since last year, but you need to understand that I’m not interested in being in a relationship.” Says Naoto, reassuringly. Not because she is getting over her former crush, but she doesn't want to be hurt again. “Mainly because I did fall in love with someone last year. He is a year older than I.”

“What!? You did!? Doesn’t mean that you already have a boyfriend!? Why didn’t you tell me about me!?” Kanji says with a panicked look.

“Kanji, wait. You misunderstood. The person I had a crush on… didn’t accept my love. He said he wanted us to stay friends…”

“What the hell… that bastard broke your heart. When I found the guy, I’m going to kick his ass until next week.” When Kanji was about to stand up, Naoto stopped him. 

“Wait! Stop! The person I was talking about is Yu Narukami. I have already gotten over him. There is no need to beat him up. We like different things, and I wasn’t his type. He still cares for me as his dear friend, which I accept. “ Naoto says honestly. Kanji sat back down next to her with a surprised look.

“So… you used to have a crush on Yu-senpai… Whoa… he must have had the balls to… So, what about me after I confessed my love for you? Does that change anything?” Kanji asked.

“The truth is… I’m not interested in sex and romantic relationships. I’m more of a workaholic than entering the relationship.” Naoto stated.

“So… you don’t have feelings for me?” Kanji looked disappointed and hurt inside because Naoto rejected him. He thought she would feel the same way after he confessed his feelings back in Golden Week. 

“That’s not it. I do like you a lot. My mind is a mess. This feeling is something I have never felt before in my life. Before I started openly revealing my real gender to the public last year. I can’t tell if this is love or if you are like a little brother.” 

“I’m not that younger than you.”  Naoto reminded him. 

“I didn’t say you are. I am saying that maybe you should—" Naoto continued to reason with him. Kanji charged in and kissed her on the mouth, shocking her. 

Meanwhile, somewhere outside Draco’s Pocket Dimension…

Abyss of Time

“Marco, you can’t be serious! Is there no way to save Mitsuo!” The humanoid rabbit shields the mentally damaged Mitsuo from a humanoid monkey carrying a spear in its hand. 

“I’m sorry, Vivi. That thing is no longer Mitsuo Kubo, but a production of a shadow human hybrid created by Draco. We cannot return to the timeline he came from.” Marco with hostile eyes. He pointed his spear at Mitsuo. 

Chapter Text

September 29th, 2012

Guy’s side

Yu and Yosuke’s Hotel Room

Yosuke is worried about Labrys after she was damaged while trying to rescue the hostages. He heard from Ryoji. He sat on his bed, staring at his smartphone with Labrys’ contract number ready for him to call her. And yet, he is hesitant to press the call button. He wasn’t sure how to respond to her.

“Yosuke, it’s going to be alright. Labrys has already been transferred back to the lab for repair. She’s not gone.” Yu comforts Yosuke with his reassuring words.

“I know… I know she is capable of fighting on her own and all, but… she was caught off guard and almost turned into a sex machine.” Yosuke says with a worried frown. “This is real-world problems, not like fighting dangerous Shadow entities or demon god crap. Things happen here all the time that we aren’t prepared to deal with. If Aigis-san and Mochizuki-san haven’t made it on time… I don’t know what I do.” 

“It’s not going to happen to her. She’s a member of the Shadow Operatives. He mentioned she only loses her arm and damaged eye from being hit with a blunt weapon. I’m sure people from the Kirijo Group will be able to fix her just as before. Have faith in them. As long as her core wasn’t damaged or destroyed, she would be fine.” Yu said with determined eyes.

“I know, damnit… This is different from how I grieved for Saki-senpai’s death last year. I was distraught. For Labrys… I’m scared that I.. I mean, we might lose her, too. She’s important to me and I… I love her.” Yosuke confessed. 

A sudden knock comes from outside the hallway on the same floor.

“Hello! Sensei! Yosuke! Kanji wants to tell us something important! Could you let us in, please?” said Teddie’s voice.

“Damn, Teddie. A way to ruin the mood, as always. Whatever, I wonder why Kanji wants? He hasn’t spoken since we arrived at our hotel and had dinner. He must have had a reason for telling us about his time with Naoto,” says Yosuke in his thoughts, curiously. He puts his smartphone back in his pants pocket, stands up, and walks to the door, unlocking it and opening it, where he sees Teddie and Kanji standing in front of him. Kanji seems guilt-stricken, while Teddie looks like he’s worried. 

“Kanji, Teddie. Sure, come on in.” Yosuke welcomed them. He let them into their room. All four are gathered together in between Yu and Yosuke’s beds. Kanji is next to Yu, while Teddie is in between his precious sensei and Yosuke, his adopted brother. 

“So, what do you want to talk about since you just interrupted our important conversation?” Yosuke scolded him. 

“Oh… Sorry. My bad. I didn’t know. Does it have to do with Labrys, right?” Kanji guessed for a while, rubbing the back of his head in shame.

“Yes, we are. I was trying to reassure him that Labrys would be okay. There is a chance that she won’t make it to the wedding ceremony tomorrow due to her injuries.” Yuu guessed Teddie reacted in shock and sorrow. 

“N-Nooooooooooooo! I wanna see Labby-chan in a dress! If her injuries are serious, then that means I'm gonna miss her charming face and kind smile!” Teddie is sodding in tears. “I hope she recovered. *sob* She is one of my precious lady friends I cared for.”

“She’s not dying, Teddie. She’s going to spend the night at the labs for repairs. We are just waiting for one of our friends or Kirijo-san to inform us about Labrys’ current conditions.” Yu reassures him. 

Mine can wait. You two can carry on what you were saying.” Kanji permits them.

“Well, too late now. You and Teddie just ruin the mood. We will continue our conversation later. Right now, we want to know why you gather us in the same room, Kanji? If it has something to do with you and Naoto, or what you did at the mall?” Yosuke asked. All three of them have their eyes on Kanji, still feeling guilty from what happened with Naoto. He wants to tell them, but he fears they will hate him and no longer wish to be friends with him. Instead, he decides to change the topic.

“Um… Remember from the King’s Game we played with the guys? About a certain person I mentioned.”

“Yeah. What about it?” Yosuke wondered.

“Are you guys being serious that you have no memories of that stalker bastard for whom we thought he was a killer last year, Mitsuo Kubo?” He asked everyone. 

“A course we know him. He’s that copycat murderer who was responsible for King Moron’s death. And to think I thought he was responsible for murdering Saki-senpai. He was very desperate for attention.” Yosuke says in disgust.

“Hang on!? You've got your memories back of him!  What about the two of you then? Do you remember him?!” 

“Yeah, I know him even though I only met him once. That man rubs me the wrong way and calls me a freak! Hm. What a rude guy…” Teddie says with an angry pout.

“He was a very unpleasant person who just wanted to draw attention until Adachi was arrested for being the real killer of Inaba. Nobody pays attention anymore. He also escaped prison and went into hiding for months.” Yu stated.

“Holy shit! That monkey guy did! He brought him back in our time! So that means the timeline is stable now?” Kanji says with a bewildered expression.

“Huh? What the hell are you talking about? What monkey?” Yosuke says with a suspicious look.

“N-Nothing just spouting nonsense for no reason.” Kanji lied to them. He almost forgot that his friends had no memories of Marco, since they hadn’t taken the same candy as he and Naoto had. 

“Is that what you want to talk about?” Teddie wondered.

“Y-Yeah…” Kanji says with a guilty look. Yu seems to know something is wrong with Kanji. He is not acting like his usual manly and hotheaded nature. So, he decides to speak up.

“Kanji, can I talk to you in private?” 

“Um… Sure. Maybe we can do it in that bathroom over here if you don't mind.” 

“Yosuke, Teddie, Will you—”

“Yeah, we know. You want to have a private chat with him regarding his love problems or something serious. It's fine. We will just be watching something on television in the meantime.” Yosuke permits him and Kanji. 

Girl’s side

Naoto and Rise’s Hotel Room

After Naoto and Rise took a shower, they were fully dressed in their comfortable pajamas to wear. Rise is wearing her knee-length orange-yellow nightgown dress with her hair down. She looks at Naoto, in a fetal position on top of her bed. She wears a navy blue summer pajama set. Despite of having a good shower, she is still upset from what happened with Kanji.

“Naoto, are you still upset today? If having a nice, tender shower won’t ease your pain, this… must be serious.” Rise seems worried for her. She walked to her bed and sat next to her. “You can tell me, and I promise I won’t tell the others, especially Yu-senpai.” 

“You promise?” 

“I promise, Naoto. As your friend, I will keep your secret to the grave.” Rise swore to her bestie. 

“*sigh* I… gave him my answer, and I decline his feelings for me. I wasn't ready for a relationship, nor was I interested in being in one. I did tell him I like him.” Naoto says honestly. 

“Wait. If you had already told him how you feel, then why were you crying? Did Kanji hurt you?”

Naoto nodded at her. “He… molested me.” 

“*gasp* That bastard! He has paid for this! How could he do this?!” says Rise, upset. 

“I know… He almost took my purity, but I was still on my period, so… he forced me to suck his… thing.” Naoto says with a shameful look.

“That’s horrible, that idiot Kanji— wait… so did he hit you, say offensive slurs, or anything?” Rise asked.

Naoto shook her head. “No, he doesn't hurt me. He makes me feel good, and that’s it. He did regret what he did to me at Mr. and Mrs. Aragaki’s place.” 

“Phew… I’m glad he didn’t hit you, but he's still forcing you to give a… It’s wrong. When we see Kanji, I will make him apologize to you for the horrible things he did.” Rise says with determination.

“Rise, don’t. That only makes things worse, and you say you will keep this between us. I have to be the one to confront him. I know Kanji didn’t mean what he did. It was his hormones and sexual desires that he wasn’t aware of.” Said Naoto with an alarming glance. 

“Is that why you don’t want to dress like a woman because of that?” Rise asked.

“Yes… I have never felt both excited and scared at the same time before. I don’t want to feel that again.” Naoto sadly replied.

“Does that mean that you’re going to wear a suit like the guys wear?” 

Naoto shook her head. “I’m still going to wear the dress you helped me pick out for the wedding. I want to make my cousin happy by dressing properly for her and my soon-to-be cousin-in-law’s special day. I don’t want to make her worry after what I experienced today. This will be the last time I dressed feminine in public, and I’m not going to change my mind.” 

“No bras and panties, just binder and boy shorts? You are going back to dressing like a guy again?” Rise guessed. 

“I’m still going to wear a bra and panties. I’m not going to hide my gender like before. I’m going to be wearing neutral clothing from now on.” Naoto corrected her. “It’s not because of him, it’s because of myself for being exposed to my weakness as a woman.” 

“Naoto…” Rise gives Naoto a comforting hug as she wraps her arms around her shoulders. 

Guy’s side

Bathroom

Kanji closes the door before locking it. He walked to the toilet to pull the seat down so he could sit on it. Once he did, he looked at Yu with a regretful expression on his face.

“What really happened between you and Naoto? I know that’s not entirely the real reason why you come here. You are hiding something from me and the others.” Yu assumed. 

Kanji looks away in shame, unable to speak his reason about what he did to Naoto.

“Kanji, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me. I get it that you don’t want to reveal something you aren’t proud of.” 

“You will hate me for what I’m about to tell ya,” Kanji says with a regretful look.

“No, I won’t. We've been friends for a year, and I've complete trust in you. Please, let me try to help.” Yu persuade him.

“I… I think I hurt Naoto’s feelings. When she rejects my confession. And yet I made a move on her after she said she liked me. The rest was a blur, but I think I was warming her body up or somethin. When I came to, I was unconscious, so Naoto had to suck on my… It was awful…. I’m such a jackass…” Kanji confessed. Yu punched him across his face.

“Kanji, how could you do that to her! She’s our friend! We don’t force someone to have sex. That’s not how friends do.” Yu furiously scolded.

“I didn’t commit violence, nor did I have sex with her. She’s in her time of the day that women usually have once a month.” Kanji felt offended. 

“Huh…Oh. I get what you mean… but then, why did you do that to her?” 

“I dunno… if it’s because of my suppressed desires for her or maybe… out of jealousy.” Kanji seems unsure. He rubs his face where Yu punched him. 

“What do you mean?” Yu demanded.

“She told me that you rejected her feelings because she wasn't your type. She loved you and yet… why didn’t you want to be with her? I would be okay with her dating you since you are my senpai and I respect you. Even if it means I won’t be able to confess my feelings for her again…” Kanji argued with Yu as he glared at him. 

“Kanji… *sigh* It’s because I was already in a relationship with Marie. I don’t want to cheat on her. She‘s important to me. I love her for who she is. I’m sorry. I didn’t know that’s how you felt when Naoto told you. She was alright with us being friends, and she had no hard feelings.” Yu says truthfully. “Love is something you feel warm inside, that you have a strong desire to protect what holds you dear. Whether it’s a woman, a man, a non-binary person, your pets, friends, or family. You can’t force someone to love you back; you have to earn it or… move on. Do you understand?” 

Kanji nodded at him, sadly. 

“I’m sorry for punching you earlier. I thought you had rape her. I was angry with you.”

“Apologize, accept, man. You’re right, I did deserve it. Now I need to find some other way to repair our friendship. I know she is hell a traumatized by what I did.” Kanji accepts Yu’s apology. 

“Try to apologize to Naoto tomorrow morning when we arrive at the hotel where the wedding ceremony is held? It will be before the ceremony starts. You and Naoto will have plenty of time to be alone together. I will help you buy some time to find a place to talk.” Yu suggested to Kanji. 

He stood up from his seat with some hopeful eyes. “You really going to do this for me after what I just told you?” 

“A course I am. You are one of my dear friends whom I care about. I am a very forgiving person. People make mistakes all the time, and they just learned from them. I know you can to.” Yu said with a warm smile.”

“Thanks, man. It means a lot.” Kanji smiles back at him. 

 “Just don’t let this happen again, or else I have to tell Yosuke and Teddie about this,” Yu warned him. 

“Hell no! Don’t even think about telling them what we just had. Yosuke-senpai will scold me, and Teddie will hate me most of all. Especially the girls. I don’t want to hear any nagging and scolding from Rise. She is very annoying every time I do something dumb.” Kanji strongly protested.

A few knocks are coming from outside.

“Yu, Kanji, are you done!? There's something you need to see now. It’s about Mitsuo Kubo. Quickly!” Yosuke’s voice sounded serious. Yu and Kanji reacted in confusion to what he meant. 

Girl’s side

Chie and Yukiko’s Hotel Room

“Ah!” Yukiko was slightly startled from her seat. 

“Yukiko!? What is it!? Was it the pain from getting wax on your eyebrows?!” Chie surprisingly guessed.

“I remember now! I remember where I heard that surname before when my mom sent me a photo of my blind date a few nights ago,” says Yukiko, suprised. 

“You did? Who?”

“That guy who stalked me last year, Mitsuo Kubo. He was the guy who we thought was responsible for Ms. Yamano and Konshi-senpai. He shares the same last name as him! I have no idea why I forgot about him.” Yukiko replied. 

“Ugh. That guy. He’s the worst and yet the most pathetic person we've ever met. I couldn’t blame him who just wanted attention….” Chie seems disgusted.

“What if he and my blind date are related to each other? It would be awkward to spend time with him just because they both share the same blood…” Yukiko doubtful.

“I highly doubt it, Yukiko. Everyone has the same last name, but they aren’t related to each other. I’m certain it is just a coincidence. You don’t need to worry about it.” Chie reassures her best friend. 

“Maybe you’re right. And besides, my blind date seems more handsome to him. I don’t think he shares the same personality traits as him.” Yukiko feels at ease with Chie’s positive influence and caring nature.

“Before we head to bed for tomorrow morning. How about we watch something fun or catch up on what’s going on back home? We were only gone for two days. Aren’t you curious what’s going on in Inaba? Maybe some other news about your family’s inn.” Chie happily persuaded her. 

“Either one is fine with me. I don’t mind.” Yukiko accepted. Chie lets out a high squeak before she takes the remote from the table and turns on the channel that discusses Inaba-related news. Yukiko and Chie reacted in horror, shocked by what they had heard.

“Breaking news, an escaped prisoner who went missing for four months, had taken his own life. He was the copy killer who took the fall for the real killer of Inaba last year. His name was Mitsuo Kubo, aged 19. The reason for his suicide is unknown, but the police are currently investigating…” As the news reporter continues, the next scene shows a photo of Mitsuo in his casual attire from last year. Then the next scene shows his corpse being placed in a body bag. 

“*gasp* I don’t believe this… Did he commit suicide!?” 

“I don’t believe this either, Chie… why would he take his own life just because he escaped prison and went into hiding for months….” Yukiko seems overwhelmed about her former stalker and Morooka’s death, even though she’s not close with him. 

“Could it be… isolates and alone without anyone to know him for so long that… he loses his sanity?” Chie curiously asked Mitsuo’s reason. 

“Maybe… And yet… for some reason, I’m sad. I don’t know why.”  Yukiko commented.

Chapter Text

September 30th, 2012

Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba - Morning

Everyone from the bachelor and bachelorette parties arrived on time at the hotel where Kotone and Shinjiro’s wedding is being held today. Teddie was thinking about flirting with the bride, the maid of honor, and the bridesmaids, but both Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji restrained him from doing something dumb. They remind him that he promised to behave at the wedding and not flirt with the guests, especially Naoto’s cousin. Teddie instead did a simple greeting to them. 

While Shadow Operatives are talking to the bride and groom about the wedding photo and other things before the guests arrive, the Investigation Team is eventually reunited after three days apart. Yu wore his bachelor's suit with an unbuttoned blazer jacket to show off his tie and vest. Yosuke wears his father's hand-me-down suit, which he borrowed much of his dismay. Kanji and Teddie wore their suits perfectly, although Kanji is not used to wearing a necktie. Teddie has other things in mind that he wants to surprise everyone with very soon. He displays a mischievous smirk. 

“Oh wow! Yu-senpai! You looked so dashing in a suit ♥️!” says Rise with a mesmerizing smile. 

The guys, who are still looking forward to seeing their female friends dressed in formal dresses. They were jaw-dropping and in awe of those excellent appearances. Kanji looks at Naoto with bashfulness at how beautiful she is in a dress. He ended up with a bloody nose, dripping from his nose, and his face turned bright red. He is both mesmerizing and happy. When Naoto notices him, Kanji quickly turns around to face the Shadow Operative’s direction, nervous to see her face. He tries to wipe his nose with the handkerchief he tucked in from his pants pockets. 

“Same to you, Rise, Chie, Yukiko, Naoto. You look amazing.” Yu says with an honest smile. Which makes the girls blush bright red across their faces. 

Chie wears a Stylish Ivory High-neck, High-low short dress, and a green gradient golden dress. She wears it with a cream-colored short-sleeved jacket and low-heeled cream sandals. 

“Wow wee! Chie-chan! You look cute today, like a beautiful mermaid!” Teddie excitingly gushing over Chie’s dress. 

“Uh… Thanks, Teddie. I appreciate your compliments. You don’t have to say it like that. Haha…” Chie says with a nervous chuckle. 

“You look smoking, Chie. You’re a fine woman after all. Could it be you did it for me and the guys, huh?” Yosuke is teasing her.

“Shut it, Yosuke! I didn’t do it for you or the guys! I want to wear it for these special occasions!” Chie, furious, shouted at him, still blushing. 

“Chie, I’m sure Yosuke was just joking. We all have to dress in formal outfits for Naoto-kun’s cousin’s wedding.” Yukiko calms her best friend down. She wore a velvet red and black Powder Tulle Dress with bright red high heel slippers. She wore her hair down with a red headband to match her dress. 

“Oh my, Yuki-chan! You look very glorious today! You look like a beautiful bird born from the ash and reborn into an extraordinary phoenix! Will you go on a date with me tonight?” Teddie both compliments and flirts with Yukiko. 

“Hm?… I’m sorry, Teddie. Did you say something? I was busy calming down Chie?” Yukiko confused.

“Ah! My heart is shattered once more…” Teddie seems heartbroken.

“He complimented your dress, Yukiko.” Chie reminded him. She left out the part where Teddie tries to ask Yukiko out. 

“Oh, that’s sweet of you. I picked this dress myself. This is my first time wearing a formal dress to a formal occasion.” Yukiko felt appreciated by his kind words. 

“So, what did you think of my dress, Yu-senpai?” Rise asked Yu in a flirtatious tone. She displays her best smile to express her happiness. She wears a bright pink sheer folding bustier dress and pink high-heeled slippers. She has her hair tied in pigtails, except with pink rose hair ties. She has light pink eyeshadow and rosy lipstick. 

“Aw… Rise-chan. You looked… *sniff* Wonderful! You give a heavenly aura like the sun! Teddie says with a bright smile. He quickly recovered from his heartbreak. 

“*sigh*!I wasn’t expecting compliments from you, Teddie, but thank you, though.” Rise sighed in disappointment.

“You still look lovely. It’s cute.” Yu happily compliments her appearance. He smiles at her, kindly. 

“Aww… Thanks. Senpai. It means a lot.” Rise felt flattered and pleased to hear from her crush.

“Yeah, you always look good in any dress you wear. It’s smokin' hot,” says Yosuke, playfully flirting. 

“Don’t you have Labrys in your mind right now?” Rise coldly reminded Yosuke. 

“Wait!? She here!! Where!?” Yosuke panicked. He searched around to find her. He remembers that Labrys is also part of the Shadow Operatives. He is going to wait until she is finished talking to them. He is secretly happy that Labrys was able to stick around until after the wedding ceremony. For now, he needs to remember to ask Labrys out since this is his only chance. 

“We will meet up with her later. For now, we need all the support for Nanako.

This will be her first time as a flower girl.” Yu reminded his friends about Nanako’s role as flower girl. 

“Right! This is Nanako-chan’s big day too! We will make sure that we have her back and she's not alone.” Chie motivates everyone. 

“Yeah!” Everyone cheered. 

“I’m certain Nanako will be fine. She practices every day after school and on weekdays.” Naoto says with confidence. 

“Oh my. I almost forgot about Nao-chan’s beautiful dress. I am sorry for not noticing you sooner.”

“I-It’s fine, Teddie. You don’t mind at all. I would rather not get compliments about the way I’m dressed up for this special day. This is my only time I would have a dress…” Naoto seems dishearten. She wore a navy blue Decorative Petal Lace Dress and dark navy high-heeled sandals. She also wore 

Kanji looks at Naoto with a guilty expression.  

“Why would you say that? I was going to say that you… lovely blue jay who woke up in a beautiful winter season.” Teddie compliments her in a flirtatious manner.

“Uh… Thanks.” Naoto said awkwardly.

“Oh, that reminds me, how did you lovely ladies do during Koto-chan’s bachelorette party. Having fun!? Visiting places!? Or better yet, have a party together at a “bar”!?” Teddie excitedly asked Chie, Yukiko, Rise, and Naoto.

“Yes. Many places offer shopping, eating, and spa treatments. We didn’t go to a bar since we aren’t legally adults.” Chie answered all of Teddie’s questions. “And you?”

“Just mainly nature activities for two days, like hiking and fishing. And yesterday we—” Before Yosuke can finish explaining to the girls, Teddie cheerfully interrupts him.

“We went shopping at Junes in Shinjuku to buy Yosuke some new underwear and Kanji some hangover drink after he accidentally drank Gakky’s beer and passed out two nights ago!” 

“*gasp* Kanji, you drank liquor!? You aren't even a legal adult! Are you planning to return to being a delinquent again!?” Rise says with a shocking and teasing tone. 

“Hell no! That was just one time. I thought it was my drink. Otherwise, it wasn’t a dare that one of us commanded in King’s Game.” Kanji felt offended by Teddie.

“King’s Game? Don’t tell me you guys did on the night of Shinjiro’s bachelor's party. You didn’t make him do something improper, like strip him naked or have sex with another guy, did you?” Naoto asks them suspiciously. 

“Oohh! I’m curious if Master was the one who was chosen and had sex with Aragaki-san in one of the King’s orders!” Chie says with a gleeful grin on her face.  

“No, Aragaki-san forbids stripping naked and forcing them to have sex with one of us, that is the King’s command. He doesn’t want to cheat on Kotone-san. However, he was forced to kiss Sanada-san. Not by force, since it seems like he wanted an indirect kiss, which he kissed. Probably from his future wife.” Yosuke corrected Chie. “The only strip part was that we only wear our underwear.” 

“The same thing happened to us! Kotone-san forbids it too since she doesn’t want to cheat on Aragaki-san. Although only one of us stripped down, I can’t tell you who it was, or else we will get into trouble.” Rise clarified.  

“Let me guess… Yosuke was the one he had to strip, right?” Chie jokingly teased the guys.

“Hell no! I backed out because I didn’t want anyone to see what I was wearing underneath. Don’t even think about what type of underwear I’m wearing.” Yosuke says with frustration.

“Oh, that’s easy. Yosuke accidentally forgot to pack it before we left Inaba, so he ended up wearing—”

“Teddie. Shut. Up.” Yosuke threatens him with a menacing glare. This makes Teddie distressed, as he almost forgot that he doesn’t want to talk about it. 

“Let’s talk about something else. Who won the King’s Game?” Yu asked the girls.

“That would be Naoto,” Rise says with a bright smile as she casually places her hands on Naoto’s shoulders.

“You!? What did you dare come up with?” Yosuke asked Naoto.

“It was a simple command….” 

The Investigation Team talked about many things they did for the past three days with the bride and groom. They informed each other about the incident yesterday and the day before that, with another kidnapping and human trafficking involving Tsubasa’s ex-boyfriend, which Tsubasa wasn’t aware of.

Aigis and Labrys managed to beat up Hanzo’s men, who were attempting to rape and kidnap them, after consuming an illegal love drug in the sweets and wine. They didn’t consume either of them since Mitsuru planned and replaced them. However, only four people were drugged from drinking the tainted wine. Chie and Yukiko don’t want to describe to the guys with Naoto and Rise what they did last night. Labrys got damaged from trying to save the victims and won’t be able to return for combat for at least a month or two.  The only thing they chose to leave out from the rest was that Kanji molested Naoto, something Yosuke, Teddie, Chie, and Yukiko aren’t aware of. Later, they also went over what they learned last night, that Mitsuo committed suicide, and his body was found in the Samegawa Flood Plain.

“Man, that was crazy… Yukiko’s stalker took his own life after he went missing for months.” Chie felt creeped out. 

“Are you going to be alright, Yukiko-senpai?” Kanji asked her with a concerned look.

“I…I’m fine. I’m not close with him because I barely remember Kubo. And yet, I’m sad that he died, and I don’t know why I felt sentiment.” Yukiko said with an unsure look.

“Well, at least everyone has regained their memories of Kubo. That would mean Marco must have saved him and put him back where he belongs.” Naoto commented. 

“Who’s Marco, and what do you mean by 'everyone regain their memories of Kubo”? What are you talking about?” Yu seems puzzled by Naoto’s words.

“It’s a long story. You guys won’t believe what we are about to take you.” 

“Try us. It’s probably not that bad, it seems.” Chie says with a smirk.   

“Well… It happened around Golden Week—” 

“Big Bro! Teddie! Rise-chan! Everyone is here! Hehe… I’m so happy!” says Nanako's cheerful voice.

Everyone faces forward directly and sees Nanako dressed in a white to pink flower girl dress. She wears her hair down in a braided crown with white flowers and cherry blossom flowers attached, and white flat shoes. She carries a basket of multicolored flower petals. She looks very cheerful and grateful to see everyone she knows, especially her crush. She arrived with her dad and surprised Marie—much to Rise’s dismay. 

“Nanako!” Yu says her name, happily. He extended his arms to her. Nanako ran up to him and hugged him back. 

“Nanako-chan! You look extra cute today!” Yosuke praised Nanako’s flower girl dress. 

“Thanks, Yosuke. This dress suits me perfectly. It’s a beautiful dress. It’s so comfortable and fitting,” says Nanako, feeling appreciative. 

“So adorable…” Kanji murmured, happily blushing.

“We are glad you came here. We can reassure you that you will have a fun time with us after the wedding. Some kids are close to your age. You are not alone.” Says Chie confidently. 

“Chie is right. Naoto’s cousin and her friend brought their dogs here, too. They are very friendly with kids like you. You will love them.” Yukiko said with a positive smile.

“Really!? There are pets too!? I wanna pet one!” Nanako sounded excited to meet a dog. 

“You can pet them after the wedding ceremony. Dogs often shed more of their fur easily.” Naoto advises her. “You don’t want to get dirty before the wedding ceremony in front of your 'Big Bro', right?”

Nanako shook her head. “No, I won’t. Flower girls have to be clean and professional. I promise to be patient until after the wedding. I want to impress Big Bro after I've been practicing for the past weeks.” 

“That’s our Nana-Chan!” Teddie praised her. 

“By the way, Nanako-chan, who did your hair? It’s so cute on you. It’s very fitting for a flower girl. Is it your dad?” Yukiko curiously asked the young flower girl.

Nanako shook her head in response. “Nope. It was Marie-Chan. She did my hair a while we were driving here.” 

“Hello, everyone.” Said the familiar voice. Yu and his friends notice someone behind Dojima and Nanako. It was their friend, Marie. She gave a friendly wave at her boyfriend and friends. She wore a black short dress with dark sheer stockings and high-heeled leather slippers. She also wore her black glasses as Mariko Kusumi's persona. 

“Marie!” Everyone said her name is suprised and exciting. Yu walks to her and gives his girlfriend a warm embrace. She accepts his hug, which makes Rise jealous even further.  Another gut-wrenching moment was when Yu and Marie shared a quick kiss right in front of everyone. 

“How did you meet up with her?”

“Oh, before we leave Inaba, we encounter Kusami-san on the way. Since she was going in the same direction, I offered her a ride. She even offered to do her hair while we were driving. I got to say, she's been good to Nanako .” Dojima explained, complimenting Marie’s hairstyling skills. 

“You look good on Nanako, fitting for a flower girl. Where did you learn about hairstyles, Marie?” Yu asked her a question.

“Hehehe… It’s not a secret. I learned it from one of my co-workers who also has a cousin who has a beauty hairstyle blog for all ages. It does come in handy in case I decide to let my hair grow out.” Marie replied with an appreciative attitude.

“Wow! That’s amazing. Can you also do my hair? I want to have a hairstyle fit for a kung fu master.” Chie requested Marie. 

“If Chie is getting her hair done, then how about something that is related to my personality?” Yukiko requested too.

“None for me, Marie. I’m okay with the hairstyle I have.” Naoto said with a smile. 

“What about you, Rise-Chan? Did you want her to do your hair, too?” Nanako asked Rise.

“Nope. I’m good. I like the hairstyle I did myself, but thanks for asking.” Rise rejected the idea of Marie doing her hair. She knows Marie is her friend and all, but she still has a hint of jealousy that she does not show in public. 

“Yu, read the rest of my text messages this morning?” Dojima reminded him.

“No, not all of it. I had my phone off since I was busy changing clothes before we arrived here. Why? Is something  wrong?” Yu wondered.

“I’m going to stick around until the closing wedding ceremony,” Dojima informed.

“Hm? Why did you change your mind about drop off Nanako and bring her back home? It has something to do with from yesterday?” Yu asked him.

“*sigh* You’re correct. It’s because the incident happened yesterday. A friend of yours hired some security guards to guard the front entrance and back. I don’t want to risk it happening to my daughter. If one of those crooks comes here suspiciously, I have my gun with me just in case. I don’t want another tragic event to happen again.” Dojima says with a serious look. “I want you to take care of yourself, but Nanako just turned eight. I want her to have a good time playing with kids of her age.” 

“Don’t worry, Dojima. We will make sure she has a good time. You have my word.” Yu said with a confident smile. 

A while everyone seems to be having a good time catching up, Kanji gazes at Naoto, who seems troubled, before she looks at him, sadly. She looks away to focus on her cousin in the distance, happy with her soon-to-be husband, along with their friends, which makes Kanji enormously regretful for what he did to her. 

Chapter Text

Half an hour later…

September 30th, 2012

Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba - Morning

A while later, Shinjiro’s relatives and Kotone arrive at the hotel. Yu, along with Ken and Ren, is welcoming guests. Tsubasa is handling the coordination, and Shinjiro’s parents are handling the reception, as Kotone’s parents passed away twelve years ago. Shinjiro and Kotone’s friends have roles to play before the wedding ceremony starts. As for Nanako, she’s with Teddie and Rise, so could someone please talk to her before the wedding ceremony starts, as she needs to meet up with the bride?

Yosuke’s side

Dojima calls Yosuke out with an essential role for the wedding.

“Hanamura, I want you to do me a flavor.” Dojima humbly requested him.

“What is it? Dojima-san? What kind of favor?” Yosuke wondered.

“I want you to record Nanako as she walks the aisle with the bride. I want to remember that day by the time she is no longer a child.” Dojima politely instructed.

“What? Why can’t you ask Yu to do this? He is your nephew after all, or you could have done it instead?” Yosuke replied with a questionable look.

“One, Yu is part of the groomsmen and can’t record and stand around at the same time. Second, I still need to check around the hotel for anything suspicious that a criminal has bugged. I can’t let my guard down.” Dojima explained.

“But, Nanako-chan wants you to see her. It’s her special day. She wanted both you and her cousin to watch her at the wedding ceremony. You’re going to make her sad for not being there for her. Don’t you love her?” Yosuke says with a worried look.

“I do, but the safety of the guests comes first. I promise I will try to make it as soon as everything is done. Please, don’t tell my daughter about it. I know I promised to spend more time with her than before, but this is the only time I have available. Promise me, Hanamura.” Dojima begged him. 

“Does Yu know this?”

Dojima shook his head. “Not yet. I’m planning to tell him before the wedding starts.” 

“Fine, but you owe me for this time, Dojima-san.” Dojima hands him the video cam recorder. 

“I entrust you to get an image of Nanako when she walked up. A course you can also record for yourself. He is my nephew after all. My sister probably wants to know what his son is going to do at the wedding.” 

“I promise…” Yosuke sulked. Dojima left to rejoin the other police officers. He sees Labrys, who is talking to Aigis. This is the right opportunity to ask her out. He waits patiently until Labrys finishes her conversation. 

“Hey, Labrys…” Yosuke greets her. He displays a sad smile.

“Hey, to you too, Yosuke-kun.”  Labrys kindly smiled back at her.

“How’s your arm and eye?” He asked her in a worried tone. He notices that Labrys' modified dress, which is concealing her missing arm, is also hiding her cloak. 

“Oh, my new eye works well, I can see a lot better than my old one. As for my arm… well, it’s complicated.” Labrys explained to him. “Are you still worried about what happened to me yesterday?”

“Yes…” Yosuke sadly admits. “If I had known about it sooner, I would have joined Mochizuki-san to help you and Aigis-san…” 

“If you did, you would have ended up being molested by kidnappers and lost your innocence.” Labrys openly admitted. 

“I would have risked it for you. I have already got used to Kanji around, and I don’t have a problem if I end up losing my other hole’s virginity.”

“Umm… The kidnappers were women, not men. Most of them are either bisexual or lesbian criminals.” Labrys corrected them.

“They are!?” Yosuke reacted in great surprise. He displays a naughty smile if he gets rape by adult women.

“Yosuke-kun!” Labrys angrily yelled at him.

“Oh, right… I shouldn’t think about it. Sorry about that.” Yosuke apologized to her while he rubbed the back of his head, awkwardly.

“What is the real reason for coming to me? Unless that was what you wanted to talk to me about. I’m a bit busy helping Aigis and her friends with the wedding stuff.” Labrys seems suspicious of him.

“There is something I want to talk to you about before I end up regretting it later…” Yosuke tells her nervously.

“Hm…?”

“*inhale* * exhale* Well… I’m gonna to say this once… Don’t freak out.” Yosuke tells her.

“What is it?” Labrys wondered.

“After the wedding, will you go on a date with me?” Yosuke asked her. 

“Huh!?” Labrys reacted in surprise, and she faintly blushed across her face. 

“I know this is sudden, but I thought maybe we could hang out after you get repaired. It doesn’t have to be right away. If this is too much… I understand…” Yosuke said with a bashful face.

“I’ll do it.” Labrys accepted his invitation.

“It’s okay to reject my request. We can always stay friends as usual and…. Wait. What did you say!?” Yosuke looks bewildered. 

“I will go out with you. I have never been one before, and I have no idea what it’s like. You don’t mind if our date is at Inaba?”

“A course. You haven’t explored Inaba that long. I will be happy to give you a tour from yours truly.” Yosuke gives her a bright smile. He felt surprisingly happy that she accepted his offer to go on a date with him. This is also their first time going on a date together.

“Of course, I would like to see what your school looks like in the real world. Not the one from the TV world. I mean the one that temporarily transformed into Tartarus during Golden Week.” Labrys rectified him. 

“And hopefully, we can get to know each other well since we don’t hang out that often, mainly because you are a member of Shadow Operatives, and while I and the rest of our friends are just normal high school students. Then again, Teddie just enrolled as a second-year student and still needs to learn to study and focus on his goals.” Yosuke 

“Hahaha. I would like to hear about that, Yosuke-kun.” Labrys happily chuckled with him.

Chie and Yukiko’s sides

Wedding Dresser Room

After Marie finished doing Chie’s hair, she took a mirror from the table and showed her reflection. When she did, Chie’s eyes sparkled with enjoyment as her hair was now wavy and stylish. 

“So, how do you think?” 

“I…love it! I look like a movie star! Although I prefer to have a look at a Kung Fu master, this is good too!” Chie happily compliments Marie.

“It would be good with hair extensions. That way, you can have long hair and style your hair as many times as you want to.” Marie advises her.

“Nah. Too much work. I prefer short hair. Maybe when I become a police officer like Master, I wanna go with a long braid.” Chie desired. 

“Efff… Hahahaha! Chie with long hair… hahahaha! We would be twins if you grew out your hair. Ahahah!” Yukiko laughed. 

“Um… that’s not even a joke… Sheesh… At a time like this?” Chie murmured, slightly annoyed. 

“Is she okay?” Marie asked Chie, concerned for Yukiko’s sudden laughter.

“Relax. It’s one of her laughing fits again. Just wait until she stops laughing.” Chie reassures Marie. 

Afterwards, Yukiko manages to stop laughing after a few minutes. Marie proceeded to braid Yukiko’s long black hair. She casually untied her shirt to let her long hair down. Then she decides to do a waterfall flower braided style, which only takes a full three or four minutes. 

“Whoa… This is amazing. I almost like a princess from a fairytale. It’s beautiful.” Yukiko seems to like the hairstyle she chose.

“I did do my best to see what you meant. So I try something different, which you won’t expect. I'm glad you like it.” Marie seems to appreciate both Chie and Yukiko’s compliments. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to go with you guys. I can’t leave Inaba for too long, or else something might happen again, like in May.”

“It’s fine, Marie-chan, there is also always a next time when you get another wedding. Maybe one of us would get married someday.” Yukiko is consoling her.

“ You mean when Kanji and Naoto get married in their 20s?” Marie guessed. Just then, she senses that there is some awkwardness in the room. Yukiko and Chie seem to be in trouble for some reason. “Hm? Is it something I say?”

Chie and Yukiko told Marie about Naoto and Kanji from the previous day. They don’t know much about it since Naoto refuses to talk about what Kanji did to her, and Rise refuses to tell either, since she made a promise to Naoto. 

“So that’s why Naoto and Kanji aren’t speaking to each other. Is it because Kanji did something unforgivable to her?” Marie guessed.

“We don’t know. I suppose that it must have been severe, as neither of them wants to talk about it. I bet Kanji must have rape her and taken her innocence away.” Chie stated.

“I don’t know so, Chie. Naoto-kun is still on her period at the time. It would not be good if he did it when she still had it. I don’t think Kanji-kun would be the type of person to force someone he loved to make them love him back. Maybe it was a misunderstanding between them.” Yukiko denies Chie’s statement. 

“Did you even try asking Kanji or any of the guys?” Marie asked them. 

“Kanji wouldn’t want to talk about it either, and I highly doubt he would tell Yosuke and Teddie. They would beat him up to a bloody pulp if he did, in fact, molest Naoto.” Chie says doubtfully.

“I thought you said Kanji might rape her?”

“Same thing! If I were to guess. He might have told Yu about it as well. I hope this doesn’t affect our friendship with the rest of us because of it. I really don’t want us to be divided apart.” Chie says with fearful eyes.

“It’s not going to happen, you guys. Yu has had a strong bond with you since last year. I’m sure those two will make up somehow. It’s not our business to pry. It’s their problems they need to work on.” Marie advises them. 

“You’re right. If we did confront either of them… we might make it worse. Kanji needs to take responsibility and apologize to her for whatever he did. If not, I will give him a good scolding with my kicks.” Chie says with a determined smile.

“Violence doesn’t solve anything… maybe a slap on his face will be fair enough punishment,” Yukiko says with a calm tone.

“Before we go to meet with the others and go to the altar to find our seats, does anyone smell like milk? It’s been like this since we got here.” Marie wondered. Chie’s face turned bright red, and Yukiko looked at her with a faint blush, slightly shocked. 

“Uh….” Chie was utterly speechless because she had no idea how to explain to her. 

Naoto and Kanji’s side

Ballroom 

Kanji quietly follows Naoto; he hides behind one of the doors so she won’t notice him. He witnessed Naoto talking to her other cousin, Makoto Yuki, in the middle of the aisle. 

“I’m still in the process of you actually being a girl the entire time, and you only told Kotone…” Makoto says in a stoic look.

“She knew I was a girl before my family’s deaths. Whose who didn't know I was a girl, I concealed my gender on purpose. It’s better than dishonoring my family’s legacy,” says Naoto, brutally honest. “And we aren't close growing up either.” 

“Same. What was your main reason for speaking with me? You only talked to me when you had something important to say.” Makoto asked her.

“A couple of questions. Do you see anyone you liked at the hotel?” Naoto asked her aloof cousin.

“Hm… Well, Takaba seems like a kind person. There, Aigis-san, and yet, for some reason, I’m drawn to her even though she’s into girls.” Makoto stated.

“You knew about her preference?” Naoto says with a puzzled look. 

“She told me to my face coldly. She did eventually warm up the second time we met again.” Makoto noted. “Then there’s a guy who was with Kotone. You know, the one with a mole above his eye. I’m somewhat drawn to him even though I just met him. It’s weird…” 

“You’re attracted to men as well? Was it during your high school years, or did you find out now?” Naoto wondered.

“Just now, after I met him for the second time. And yet, he’s the only guy I’m into it.” Makoto says honestly. “What were these sudden romantic relationship questions? You were never into romance before. You once mentioned that you are married to your job.” 

“I never say that. I say I’m not into romance and started a family growing up.” Naoto corrected him. 

“Did you have someone you have a crush on since we last saw each other?” 

“Well… Um… twice actually…” Naoto awkwardly admits.

Naoto explained to Makoto about her first crush, who is a year older than her. She gets gently rejected by him and prefers to stay friends. Then she told him about Kanji, for whom she has mixed feelings. She ultimately regretted her actions, which led to an awkward relationship with him. She doesn’t want to talk about what he did, but it was something traumatic that she wished she had never experienced again.

“Oh… the first guy rejected your love, and the other guy did something horrible to you. Then again, you don’t show any bruises on your body. Does that mean you are using concealer to hide it?”

“He didn’t abuse me… He just molested me, and don’t say he stole my virginity. I had one of those times when women get once a month. So, my virginity is safe for now.” Naoto explained. “Don’t get mad at him. I had that coming, but I didn’t expect him to love me that hard. He wasn’t in his right mind.” 

“Naoto…” says Kanji in his inner thoughts, guilty.

“If you had someone who rejected you, they would either be the same, just like how he did, or accept and move on, just like how I already moved on with my first crush…” 

“To be honest. I don’t, but I get what you meant. You’re not sure whether to forgive him. Isn’t he one of your friends after all? It depends on whether you want to still hang out with him despite his regrettable mistakes. Do you forgive him?” Makoto asked.

Naoto shook her head. “Not yet. I’m still shaken after what happened yesterday, and I really need some space from him until I’m fully calm down and come to my senses.” 

Makoto sees someone hiding behind the doors before he glances back at his cousin. 

“Maybe… you should tell that to your friend over there than me.” Makoto casually points it out. Naoto quickly turns around and sees Kanji, nervously stalking her at a distance. 

“Kanji!?” Naoto gives a surprised look. 

“What the hell, you emo asshole!” Kanji cursed at him.

“If you need me, I’m gonna have a check with my folks before the wedding ceremony. You too have fun and sort out your relationship problems.” Makoto casually left the altar alone. Kanji stares at him with a deadly glare for ratting him out. Now it is just Naoto and Kanji. 

“Huh… This is awkward…” Kanji said with a nervous frown as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“How much did you hear!?” Naoto demanded.

“Pretty much everything,” Kanji admitted.

“I told you I need some space from you after what you did to me. What's wrong with you!? Are you starting to act like Kubo now, a stalker!?” Naoto angrily accused him. 

“Hey! Do not compare me to that asshole who just committed suicide yesterday. I am nothing like him.” Kanji felt offended by her. 

“That’s not what I came here for. I've been thinking about it since yesterday. I… felt very awful for what I did. I wasn’t able to be an obsessed psycho; I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m sorry, again.” Kanji says with a regretful look on his face. He bowed to her in shame, showing her how truly sorry he is. 

“Kanji… what you did was unforgivable. If you had stolen my purity from me, I would be terrified of men. You left me emotional scars that would take years to overcome. This is why I hate the idea of sex. You can’t change what you did.” Naoto says coldly.

“I know… I can’t change the past, but I…can try to redeem myself the best I can. I promise I will never hurt you again. And we can still stay as friends. Just to let you know, whatever you choose to be, I will always love you, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman. You’re the only person I felt hard on.” Kanji says genuine eyes. 

“I will think about your apology after the wedding ceremony is over, but for now, first things first, I would rather you keep a two-meter distance from me until I fully forgive you. Please do not take my virginity without my permission, and finally, do not even try to get me pregnant. I’m not ready to become a parent yet.” Naoto instructed him.

“A-A course. I won't do that to you as long as you aren’t mad at me anymore. I’m okay with it.” Kanji said with a sad look. 

Teddie and Rise’s sides

While Nanako is practicing her role as a flower girl with Yuma, one of Koromaru’s puppies stares at her curiously. Rise and Teddie have a private conversation together, while keeping an eye on Nanako. 
“Hm… Rise-Chan, why are you wearing sunglasses indoors? Don’t you want people to see you as Risette?” Teddie wondered.

“Please, don’t say that name in public. Naoto has already informed me that one of Aragaki-san’s relatives is a big fan of mine. It’s best not to draw unwanted attention from them. It’s not like a fan event or anything.” Rise replied with a simple answer, so she slightly adjusted her sunglasses.

“Oooh… keep a low profile. Gotta! I promise I won’t expose your identity in public.  You have my words.” Teddie honorably swore to her. 

“Thanks, Teddie. It means a lot.” Rise gives him a kind smile. 

“Arf! Arf! Arf! *pant* *pant*” Shiro cheerfully barked at Teddie. He turns around and sees one of Koromaru’s puppies right in front, greets him and Rise. He looks at Teddie with a bright smile.

“Ew… Get away from me. You’re related to my doggy rival. Get away.” Teddie says in disgust.

“*whimper*” Shiro looks at him with sad puppy eyes. 

“C’mon, Teddie. Be nice. You were kind to Kanji’s puppy. Why not him? He’s only a puppy.” Rise scolded him. She knelt to pet Shiro on his head and scratched behind his ear playfully, which made Shiro happy to be petted. 

“Hmph… That’s different. Rina-Chan is a girl puppy. It’s rude to dislike a girl pet even if she is related to my enemy.” Teddie says with jealousy.

Rise looks around, sees almost everyone here before they go to the wedding altar to find their seats, except she doesn’t see the ringbearer and his family anywhere. 

“Hm? What’s wrong? Are you looking for someone?” Teddie wondered. 

“It’s not that… It’s just… Aragaki-san’s cousin and her family are not here. I wonder where they are… the wedding ceremony is going to start soon.” Says Rise, concerned. 

Meanwhile, in Inaba…

Kubo House - Daytime 

The sad mother locked herself in her room, grieving over her only child's death. She is on the bed, reading an article about her son’s suicide and how they portray him as a sociopath, an attention seeker who did nothing in his life until he committed a copycat murder. She looked like a split image of her late son, except she is in her early or mid-fifties. She wore a light yellow-orange sweater, a lavender skirt with a sunflower design, and black leggings. She also sports bags over her eyes after crying for an extended period.

“*sniff* Mitsuo-chan…. Why?” Said Mitsuo’s mother, grieving. Suddenly, she received a notification from her Ring app on her smartphone. She opens the app and sees a similar face by her doorstep. “Huh?… Masa-kun?” 

She unlocked her door and left her room to see her nephew, who had been waiting by the door. She opens the door slightly to see her concerned nephew, who bears some resemblance to her late son except handsome, dark, navy gray eyes. 

“Hello, Aunty.” Masato greeted his aunt in a worried tone.

“Masato-kun, what are you doing here? The funeral won’t be until tomorrow afternoon.” Mrs. Kubo asked, confused.

“I came here to check up on you because I’m worried for you ever since Mitsuo’s suicide yesterday.” 

“Would you like to come in?” She asked.

“Sure.” He humbly accepts his aunt’s invitation. He enters his aunt’s house, where they decide to have an honest and quiet conversation regarding Mitsuo’s sudden death. They sat on the couch together. 

“Aunty, I am sorry for your loss. As soon as I heard about my parents. It just… I know Mitsuo had a mental illness and had no friends growing up, and so on. To think he would escape from prison, go into hiding for four months, and now he kills himself. I… wish I could get through to him and to live out his prison sentence until he is reformed.” Masato said with a sad frown. He gently rubs his aunt’s back for comfort. 

“Yeah… I.. *sniff* how did my son end up like this? I thought I was raising him right since the moment he was born. I give him everything: a kinder home, love, food, and everything a good parent should do. I raised him by myself since my husband passed away before Mitsuo-Chan was born. I don’t know where I went wrong.” Says Mrs. Kubo, grieving. Masato grabbed a tissue from the tissue box on the coffee stand and gave it to her. She accepts and starts blowing her nose. 

“You are a great mother and aunt. You did your best to raise him. It's just that he didn’t appreciate you enough. I’m surprised you still love him despite how poorly he treated you since growing up.” 

“I know. I always knew, but I didn’t want to believe what people said about Mitsuo-chan. He didn’t talk to me about his problems at school. Just money, food, and clothing only. Those are the only things he discussed with me.  I tried everything to get to know my son and get close to him, but he kept pushing me away. I thought it was just his early rebel stage and he would grow out of it once he graduated high school.” Mrs. Mitsuo, regretfully.

“You didn’t notice any signs of his behavior since elementary school? He got into fights, got expelled from Yasogami High in his second year for sexually harassing a female student he had a crush on?” Masato reminded him. 

“Who told you that?” 

“Aunty, don’t you remember? It was all over the news. It’s in his permanent records from past schools that he has been kicked out for bullying and disrespecting teachers. Are you feeling alright?” 

“Oh… I guessed. I haven’t had much sleep lately, especially at night… It has been hard ever since Mitsuo-chan’s death. People in my neighborhood have been saying awful things about me behind my back. I should have taken him to an insane asylum, had him take special meds for his mental state, or worse, I should have abandoned him when he was younger so I could start another family and have another child to raise normally.” Mrs. Kubo said, depressingly.

“It’s awful. Why didn’t you tell me or your brother and sister in law about it!?” Masato says with worried eyes.

“I didn’t want you and your folks to worry about me. I don’t want to involve you and your parents in this mess that your cousin caused. I blame myself for spoiling him too much. I could have scolded him and paid more attention to him closely before it was too late.” Mrs. Kubo. “It’s strange… Normally, it's the child outliving the parents, not the other way around. It’s so tragic. I’m going to die alone…” Mrs.Kubo tearfully clung to her nephew's chest tightly as she began to cry more. All Masato can do is comfort her. 

“Shhh… It’s okay. Even though you can’t have any more kids, you still have us to take care of you. It’s still not too late to date either. You will have someone by your side. You just… haven’t found the right person yet. I’m sure they will treat you with love and respect. However, for now, grieving your loss comes first.” Masato said with a comforting smile. 

Chapter Text

September 30th, 2012

The day of Shinjiro and Kotone’s wedding ceremony has begun…

Wedding Alter - Daytime

Everyone is present, including all of Kotone’s friends, cousins, one aunt, and two uncles. The other side consists of Shinjiro’s relatives, including his extended family members, coworkers, and other friends from his university. Kotone and Shinjiro’s son is being cared for by his grandparents. A while Yu is with the groomsmen, and Naoto is sitting next to her grandpa, Yosuke. Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, and Teddie are sitting in the bride’s row since they are friends with Naoto. Yosuke sat in the middle between Teddie and Chie, where he was in charge of video recording the wedding ceremony when it started. Chie sat next to Yukiko, Kanji was in between her and Rise, and she unwillingly sat next to Marie, much to Rise’s dismay. She is cautious not to reveal herself in public, as most of the bride and groom’s friends and relatives are fans of hers. She has her sunglasses on. 

“I hope Nanako-chan does well. She’s been practicing for weeks. What if she gets stage fright…” Yukiko says with a worried look.

“She’s going to be fine, Yukiko. She's been upstage before, and she's been okay with it. Besides, she has us to support her.” Chie reassures her best friend. 

“Yeah. Nana-chan is the cute flower fairy blessing her presence to the audience. I’m sure she will glow on the stage. She will bring a smile to everyone.” Teddie says positively.

“You mean 'go with the flow?”  That's a phrase that's usual for performers.” Yosuke corrected him.

“Same thing.” 

“No, it’s not, Teddie.” Chie agrees with Yosuke. 

“It’s ashamed not all of us are here together… Yu-senpai, being one of the groomsmen, and Naoto are sitting in the front row with her grandpa and her other relatives.” Says Rise, sadly.  Marie seems to feel the same way. 

“At least we have plenty of time to hang out after the wedding ceremony and the toasting session. For now, let’s enjoy the beautiful moment between two romantic couples getting wed.” Marie commented. 

After they talk, the wedding ceremony begins with calming and soothing music playing in the background. Yosuke prepares to record Nanako's wedding ceremony with a video recording device. The first person to enter the ceremony is Nanako, who sprinkles flower petals onto the carpet as she walks the aisle with the bride. The one walking beside her is her best friend, Junpei Iori. She has her left arm interlocked with Junpei’s arm while she is holding her bouquet. Nanako displays a cheerful and optimistic smile on her face. 

“Whoa… Nanako-Chan is so confident. She seems to really pull it off.” Yukiko said in a whisper.

“Yeah… I know, right? She’s been working hard to remember her role, and I guess, it pays off with the help and support of the people who love her deeply. I mean, the only people she deeply loved are her “Big Bro”, her dad, and, of course, Teddie.” Chie commented, whispering to Yukiko.

“Sshhh… keep your voice down. I’m trying to record Nanako-chan. It has to be quiet.” Yosuke shushed Chie and Yukiko from talking in the middle of the wedding ceremony. Chie responded with a frustrated frown by stepping on Yosuke’s foot. This forced Yosuke to restrain himself from screaming in pain. He briefly glances at Chie with an annoying glare before he can focus on filming Nanako. Chie sticks her tongue directly at him in response. 

After she walked down the wedding aisle, she stood behind the bride, where she looked at the audience. She turns around to see her cousin, Yu, on the groom’s side. She happily waves at him with her right hand. A course, Yu waves back at her with a kind smile. Junpei walked Kotone to the altar, where he gave his best friend’s hand in marriage to Shinjiro. He looks at him with a mischievous grin. 

“Be sure to take great care of my sis, kay?”

“*chuckles* She’s not your sister.” Shinjiro chuckled. 

“Hehe… I know. I was messing with you.” Junpei smiled back at him. He leaves Kotone’s side to join his girlfriend in the front row with Naoto and her grandpa. He held Chidori’s hand tightly, staring at each other with kind smiles before they looked at the bride and groom. All eyes are on Kotone and Shinjiro. After that, everyone in both rows sits down in their seats. Nanako stands in front, a while staring at the audience, happily.

"Is that supposed to be a joke that Junpei-san just said?” Yosuke says in his inner thoughts, puzzled by Junpei’s words.  

The wedding officiant, who has platinum short hair and dark, cool gray eyes, appeared to be in his mid-20s or early 30s. He looks at the bride and the groom in front of him with a calm smile before facing the audience.

“Hm… That guy seems similar. Where did I see him before… he looks kind of like that guy who helped me awaken to my combat type Persona back in Golden Week… Or maybe it's just a coincidence.” Rise says to herself, suspiciously. 

“It’s a great pleasure to welcome you here today to celebrate this special moment between Shinjiro-san and Kotone-san. Your presence embodies the love and joy that we all share with our friends, family, loved ones, and our community. It’s an honor to join you in marking the start of Shinjiro-san and Kotone-san‘s marriage."

“Hm… Where’s Aragaki-san’s cousin’s son? Was he supposed to be there right now? He’s late. He was supposed to be here to deliver the wedding rings. I have a bad feeling about this…” says Yu in his inner thoughts, concerned.

The wedding officiant continues with the ceremony. “Today, Shinjiro-san and Kotone-san take the first steps on a new journey. A journey that brings adventures, challenges, and moments of courage. Marriage brings two people together like nothing else, uniting them in a bond of love that is unconditional and enduring. Shinjiro-san and Kotone-san‘s relationship has blossomed into a passion that brings out the best in each other, a care that knows no boundaries, and a dedication to taking on the world together. Marriage brings a new commitment, one built on a strong foundation. It’s a promise that has existed in the way that you support, appreciate, and encourage each other, long before today.“

In Kotone’s row, Kanji becomes a bit antsy about Naoto’s proposal, which she told him. He knows that she still hasn’t forgiven him. So, he wants to have a quiet chat with Rise. 

“Psst… Rise, I know this is in the middle of the ceremony and all, but, you talks to Naoto the longest during the bachelorette’s party. There is something I think to talk to you about.” Kanji asked her in a whispering tone.

“Kanji, you know you can’t talk during the ceremony. Can you make it quick? They are about to do the next thing.” Rise says impatiently a while keeping her voice down. She is fully aware what Kanji did to Naoto yesterday and she can’t forgive him for doing something so stupid and selfish. 

“Does she talk about to me for the past couple days? I mean since yesterday.” He asked.

“She did until the final day of the bachelor and bachelorette’s parties. That’s all I’m going to say to you.” Rise replied coldly to him. 

The next step in the wedding ceremony is the exchange of wedding vows. “Let us now hear the declarations and promises that Shinjiro-san and Kotone-san make to each other here today.” The wedding officiant announced. There are no vows more meaningful and powerful than those which will be shared here today. Your wedding vows are a sacred declaration of your love for each other, the foundation of your relationship as a married couple, and the life you want to build together. Please face each other as you declare these vows to one another. Kotone-san, you may start.”

Kotone and Shinjiro are facing each other. 

“Shinji, you've been the light of my life since we met. You've been so kind to me, hanging out, being a good listener, and showing me your love unconditionally. You will be my beloved husband with pure love, care, and respect. I promised to shower you with my bright and warm smile every day and make you the happiest man I've ever met. I promise to take good care of you in sickness and in health. I vow to stay by your side forever until death do us part.” Kotone says her sacred vow to Shinjiro from the bottom of her heart. She looks at him with a kind smile, faintly blushing.

“Shinjiro-san, now is your return to say your vows to your beloved.” The wedding officiant tells him.

“Koto, you are the bright light I fell in love with since we first met. You are the reason I began to enjoy living again and make pleasant memories with you. I vow to love you unconditionally as long as I live. I will make you the happiest woman as my beloved wife and significant other in sickness and in health. I swear never to cheat or remarry another woman, as you are the woman I have my eyes on. I vow to stay by your side forever until death do us part.” Shinjiro says his sacred vow to Kotone from the bottom of his heart. He warmly smiles back at her.

The next step is the declaration of intent. 

“Do you, Shinjiro-san, take this woman to be your wedded wife?“ He asked the groom.

“I do,” Shinjiro said with a kind smile.

“Do you, Kotone-san, take this man to be your wedded husband?“ He asked the bride.

“I do.” Kotone smiles back at him warmly.

“Let us now proceed.” The wedding officiant stated.

 “Woof! Woof! Woof!” says Koromaru’s voice.

“I know that barked! It’s—!” Kanji exclaimed with his eyes wide in surprise. 

The bride and groom, along with their guests, families, and friends, turn around behind them and see Koromaru carrying the wedding rings in a gift-wrapped white basket with a rainbow pillow. Along the way, he is accompanied by his sons. 

“Koromaru!?” Shinjiro says with a suprised reaction.

“Koro-chan!?” says Kotone, happily suprised to see Koromaru as a ring bearer. 

“Wow! A cute doggie!” Nanako says with a happy smile. “I didn’t know they allowed pets to attend the wedding. This is the best day ever!” 

Everyone's reactions are mixed, with surprise, confusion, or excitement at seeing Koromaru, a dog, as the ring bearer instead of Alphonse. 

“OMG! It’s Koro-chan! Oohhhh! He’s so adorable as a ring bearer! This is way cuter!” Kanji excitedly squeals at the sight of Koromaru’s sudden appearance. “I gotta take a picture of him!”

“Grrrr! That mutt! Always hogging the spotlight!” Teddie said with intense jealousy towards Koromaru. 

“Oh, my talk about unexpected! I thought Master’s best friend’s son was supposed to be the ring bearer?” Chie wondered.

“I’m not sure, but it’s so cute to have a dog playing the ring bearer.” Yukiko agrees with Chie cheerfully. 

By the time Koromaru walks towards Shinjiro and Kotone, the bride and groom bend down to pet him on his head and face for both affection and praise. Koromaru enjoys it very much because of their love for him. Shiro and Yuma gave them the puppy dog eyes as they wanted to he praised too. So they do the same thing to them. After that, they have their direct attention on Koromaru.

“Thanks, Koromaru, for saving our wedding.” Shinjiro praised him.

“Arf!” Koromaru barked happily as he wagged his tail faster. When he was about to pick up Kotone’s wedding ring, his reaction was unexpected. 

“Hm? What’s wrong with Shinjiro? Is it the wedding rings that he picked out? It looks costly…. Usually, regular wedding couples offer less expensive rings.” Naoto thinks to herself, confused.

“Shinji, you picked out the best wedding ring I've ever seen. It’s lovely.” Kotone said with an admiring smile.  

“Huh?” Shinjiro takes a closer look at the wedding ring that Kotone is holding, inside of which is a personal message she wrote to him. Then he takes the wedding ring from the basket to check the engraving, which he had put on Kotone’s wedding ring. It is exactly what he put in his message. He looks back at Kotone, who is still smiling at him. “Sure, I knew you would love it.” Naoto can tell Shinjiro is lying.

“Ahem…” The wedding officiant faked a cough to grab the bride and groom’s attention. They came back to their senses by quickly standing up and holding each other’s wedding rings. “Right, the wedding. Let’s continue the ceremony.” Kotone says in a cheerful tone.

They look at each other with warm smiles. 

“Shinjiro-san and Kotone-san, these rings are a physical representation of the love and commitment that you share. May you forever be reminded of this moment and the joy that fills the air for the rest of your lives. Please place the ring upon your beloved’s ring finger and repeat after me. I, Shinjiro, give you, Kotone, this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you.“ He instructed them to repeat these words to one another.

“I, Shinjiro, give you, Kotone, this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you,” Shinjiro said with a smile on his face. He gently held Kotone’s right hand and then slipped her wedding ring onto her ring finger. 

“And I, Kotone, give you, Shinjiro, this ring as a symbol of my love and commitment to you,” Kotone said with a smile on her face. She slipped his wedding ring onto his ring finger on his left hand. They stare into their eyes in a lovely and kind way.

“By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. Shinjiro-san, you may now kiss the bride.” The wedding officiant permitted.

Shinjiro moves Kotone’s veil over to see her face clearly, then places his hands on her soft, gentle face, and then he leans to kiss her lips. Kotone warmly kisses him back. Shinjiro then embraced her into his arms.

Everyone joyfully slapped the happy wedding couple for officially becoming man and wife. Koromaru and his pups howl happily. 

“And now… enjoy spending the rest of the day celebrating your new commitment, Mr. and Mrs. Aragaki.” The wedding officiant said with a relieved smile. 

"This isn't over yet, my doggie nemesis. I still have an ace up my sleeve," says Teddie in his inner thoughts, still jealous of Koromaru. He sees both the groom and bride happily petting Koromaru for saving the wedding ceremony. 

Chapter Text

September 30th, 2012

A few hours forward…

After the wedding ceremony 

Chie and Yukiko follow Labrys, who is about to leave the hotel and return to Iwatodai.

“Labrys! Wait up!” Yukiko shouted at her. Labrys turns around and sees them with a concerned look on their faces. 

“Chie, Yukiko…”

“Are you sure you have to leave right now? Can you enjoy the rest of the day a little longer before you return to the lab?” Chie asked her.

“I have to. That was the deal I made with Mitsuru-san. To stay until after the wedding ceremony is over. I did have fun even though I spent time with you guys for the past couple of days, and the girls. It was nice to hang out together since we last saw each other.” Labrys said with a relieved smile. “I don’t regret it.” 

“Labrys…” Chie said with a sad frown.

“Don’t worry, Chie. I’m definitely coming back to Inaba soon. It will be after my maintenance period.” Labrys reassures her.

“Really!? When are you visiting Inaba!? We would love to hang out with you.” Chie excitedly asked Labrys.

“Well… We haven’t decided on the date yet, but it will be around October. I promise it will be very soon.” Labrys said with a smile on her face. 

“And um… Labrys, about the thing from two days ago about our bodies. How long would it last?” Yukiko shyly asked her about the effects of the love drug wine they drank.

“Hm? What ya mean?” Labrys seems confused.

“She means about the side effects that we drank that tainted wine. My breasts and her um.. thing that resembles a guy’s peaker. Did you or your sister finish analyzing our bodies?” Chie explained.

“Oh, that. I almost forgot to mention that to you. Thanks for letting me know. For you, Chie, the side effects on your breasts should wear off within a month.” Labrys stated.

“WHAT!? A month! I’m going to have milk for that long!? You've got to be freakin kidding me!” Chie reacted in bewildered rage. “This is so going to be so humiliating….. If people are gonna mistake me for Prego…” 

“Don’t worry, Chie. I’m sure they won’t notice a thing. As long as you don’t get sexually excited.” Yukiko eased her best friend’s worries by rubbing her back.

“I don’t get sexually excited about anything. I only get excited about kung fu movies and meat.” Chie tries to deny it. 

“Oh, for Yukiko’s condition, her condition will go down for about a week. As long as she doesn’t touch it, or else it will get bigger.” Labrys explained in a casual tone. 

“Wait? That is? A week. That doesn’t seem that bad…” Yukiko looks somewhat surprised. 

“Lucky… Yukiko doesn’t get to suffer longer like me… Yay…” Chie says in a disappointed voice. 

“If that's what you two want to say to me, I’ll be on my way…” Before Labrys leaves the hotel, she hears a familiar voice. 

“Wait! Labrys! Don’t go yet!” Say, Yosuke’s voice. The three women turn around and see Yosuke running towards them.

“Huh? Yosuke? Shouldn’t you have been with the others for the best man and maid of honor speeches?” Chie asked Yosuke. 

“*pant* *pant* I want to… *pant* see you off.” Says Yosuke, exhausted. 

“Yosuke-kun, you really don’t have to, but thank you, though. I am going to be fine. Kikuno-san is going to drop me off at the lab before she returns to pick up Mitsuru-san and her friends after the wedding is over.” Labrys ressures her. She walks up to the exhausted Yosuke. She placed her hand on his chin so he could look directly at her. Then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Chie and Yukiko reacted in shock and confusion at what had just happened. Yosuke responded with a faint blush, still smiling at her. 

“WHAT!?” Chie and Yukiko in union. 

“I still haven’t forgotten about our date this month. I promise to let you know after my maintenance is complete.  You can also choose where you want to go.” Labrys gives Yosuke a kind smile.

“Oh, Chie. Before I can forget again… if the milk still bothers you. Mitsuru-san also suggested that you take some birth control pills from your pharmacy. It may help reduce the milk supply.” Labrys suggested.

“Labrys…” Yukiko looks at her with a disappointing expression. 

“Shhh! Labrys! Don’t say it in front of Yosuke!” Chie said with a bashful expression.

“Huh? Milk. What are you talking about? Why would you take birth control pills for?” Yosuke seems confused.

“Oh, look at the time. I guess it's time for me to go… I’ll see you guys soon! Goodbye, fawh now!” Labrys awkwardly leaves the hotel with a nervous grin on her face. 

“Labrys! Wait!” Chie shouted at her until she had already left with Kikuno in the limousine. When Yosuke is in the process of thinking, his mind clicks that his expression changes from a confused to a bewildered expression.

“What the hell!? Chie, are you pregnant!? H-How !? You didn’t look like the type of woman to be interested in men…” Yosuke exclaimed.

“Shut up, you, dumbass! I’m not pregnant! I was drugged from a bad drink that Nakamura-san’s ex-boyfriend tainted the wine!” Chie furiously corrected him.

“No way… *snicker* Hahahahahaha…. Hahahaha.” Yosuke began to laugh with Chie. 

“It’s not funny, Yosuke!” Chie seems pissed at him for laughing at her misfortune. 

“Hahaha…Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing with you.” Yosuke apologized to Chie, still laughing. “Wait until I tell the guys about this—” 

Just then, Chie outrageously kicked Yosuke in the groin hard, making Yosuke fall to the floor in pain. 

“You better not tell anyone about this! Especially Yu and Teddie! Don’t even think about trying my milk either! That’s just wrong, even from you.” Chie looks at fallen Yosuke in disgust.

“W-Why… Should I do that? I… never ask you about this… I might say about how it tastes— I mean… if you are okay with your breasts filled with… milk. I’m… not a sick pervert, you know… Damn, you kicked me… so harder than usual…” says Yosuke, groaning in pain. 

“That’s what you get from laughing at me!” Chie scolded him.

“I think you take this a bit too far, Chie. We should help him up.” Yukiko tells her with an innocent look. 

“Yeah… that was a bit too far. I’m sorry, Yosuke. It just… You make me mad so bad that I wanna kick you until you are incapable of producing kids.” Chie said brutally. She helped him up from the floor so he could stand on his own. However, Yosuke is holding his crotch after he got kicked in the groin. 

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell anyone about your boobs. You are still one of my friends after all. The same goes for Yukiko. I will keep her secret, too.” 

“What secret are you talking about, Yosuke-kun?” Yukiko demanded in a cold voice. “How much did you hear our conversation with Labrys?”

“About the part about something swelling, or else it will get bigger. Is Labrys talking about that the drug wine gave you a pe—“ 

“Chie… kick him again, please.” Yukiko requested coldly. She gives a death glare at Yosuke. 

“With pleasure.” Chie coldly accepts Yukiko’s request, glaring at Yosuke.

“Excuses, miss! Has the wedding already started? Are we too late!?” Said the unfamiliar woman's voice. Chie and Yukiko turn around and see a young African woman in his mid-twenties with her eight-year-old son, who seems to be wearing a ring bearer suit. They appear to have been in a hurry.

“Aren’t you Aragaki-san’s cousin and your son by any chance?” Chie wondered.

The woman nodded. “I’m the ring bearer’s mother, Mandisa, and this is my son, Alphonse. We are so sorry we came late. My younger son had a severe allergic reaction from touching dog fur, and we had to send him to a hospital for treatment. Please tell us it didn’t end up being a disaster because of our absence….” 

“The wedding didn’t end up ruined; it was safe thanks to Koro-chan. He saved your cousin’s wedding without a problem. Both Aragaki-san and Kotone-san manage to get married.” Chie explained.

“Phew… That’s good to hear. Where are they now?”

“Oh, they should be at the Sky View Banquet with the rest of the guests. Followed me.” Yukiko volunteers to follow them the way.

“Thank you, miss.” Yukiko takes Mandisa and Alphonse to where the bride and groom are. When Chie turned around as she was about to kick Yosuke in the crotch for the second time, he was already gone. Chie manages to spot him in the distance and tries to run after him despite her wearing high heels. 

“A shit!” Yosuke cried out in a panicked tone. 

“Hey! You get back here!” Chie yelled back. 

A few hours back… 

Present

Ballroom - Daytime

After everyone finishes their meals except Chie, who is currently stuffing her face with tasty meat, Yukiko accompanies her so she won’t be alone. 

Rise’s side 

Rise, feeling down as she stares at a distance where she looks at her precious Yu making out with Marie by the wall. She is still keeping her sunglasses on to make sure no one knows she’s Risette. 

“*Sigh*” Rise in disbelief.

“What’s wrong, Rise-chan?” said Nanako’s voice. Rise turns to see Nanako, who just finished petting Koromaru and his sons during lunchtime. She wants to check up on her to see if she is feeling alright. 

“Hey, Nanako-chan. Don’t worry, I’m alright.” Rise gives Nanako a sad smile. “Where’s your Dad? Should you be spending time with him?” 

“Dad is having a secret talk with a police officer in the hotel. He left after the wedding speech for Naoto’s cousin and her husband.” Nanako explained.

“I’m sorry you didn’t get to spend time with him…”

“I’m alright. Dad promised me that once he's done with his conversation, he’s going to spend time with me. Rise-chan, are you sure? You seem like you tried to get over a heartbreak. You can tell me. I’m a good listener.” Nanako replies.

“You can tell? You are really Yu-senpai’s cousin, huh? Okay. How do you do it? How were you able to get over your cousin despite your young age?” Rise asked.

“Big Bro seems to love Marie-chan a lot, and Marie-chan loves Big Bro too. They get along very nicely. I do get jealous sometimes when I see Big Bro act very lovey-dovey in an open place, but I still love Big Bro. I… learn to accept it.” Nanako says with honesty.

“That’s… some strong wisdom you've given me. You are really like a grown-up despite your age. You have my respect,” says Rise, with a faint smile.

“If Big Bro and Marie-chan broke up, I would have a better chance of asking him out once I’m old enough to be his age someday.” 

“That would mean you will be underage still since your Big Bro will be an adult by the time you enter high school,” Rise remarked.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. So what is your opinion of Teddie? Do you like him?” Rise asked Nanako curiously.

“Mmm Mmm. A course I love, Teddie! He’s the best big bro figure I've met. I love Yosuke-san, Chie-chan, Yukiko-chan, Naoto-san, you, and Kanji. Big Bro is the only exception for me.” Nanako replied with a bright smile. 

“Not like platonically. I mean, do you like have a small crush on Teddie by any chance? The same way as how you have a crush on your cousin.”

“Ummm… I never thought about it. Teddie has been super nice to me. He was by my side when I was in pain at the hospital. He plays with me when I feel lonely without Big Bro and Dad around. He makes me feel safe. The thought of me having a crush on him… never crossed my mind.” Nanako says thoughtfully. 

“Nanako-chan…” Rise looks at her with a sad look.

“Well… if Big Bro decides to marry Marie-chan and have a baby with her. Then maybe… I’ll—” Before Nanako can give Rise a proper answer, the lights turned out for an unknown reason.

“Huh? What happened to the lights?” said Mandisa’s brother. 

“It’s so dark… I’m scared,” said the young African boy.

Yu and Marie stop making out and notice the lights are off. They look somewhat puzzled. 

“Hehehehe… Feast your eyes on the opening act of the fabulous wedding celebration of Gakky and Koto-chan!” says Teddie’s voice.

“What the… is that Teddie’s voice I’m hearing?” Rise thought to herself, confused.

Suddenly, a single light was shining on one individual within the ballroom. That individual is not other than Teddie himself, except in his Teddie costume in a tuxedo suit. He beams everyone with a bright smile. 

“Tada! Entering the stage is your favorite mascot, Teddie! Now give everyone applause!”

“Damn it, Teddie! I told you not to bring that!” Yosuke yelled at him. 

“Why is Teddie wearing a suit on his bear costume?” Marie wondered.

“It’s a long story, Marie,” Yu replied with a disturbed expression.

“What the hell!?” Chie reacted in shock, having just come out of the bouquet room with Yukiko.

“I didn't know Teddie brought his other costume to the wedding? This is a secret suprised that Kotone-san has planned?” Yukiko guessed.

“I don’t think Kotone-san planned this. Just look at her and her husband.” Chie pointed out where both Kotone and Shinjiro are utterly shocked about this. They have no idea that Teddie is planning to wear his Teddie suit.

“Wow! Teddie is dressing up in his cute costume! That’s amazing!” Nanako said with a fantastic smile. She ran up to him with open arms.

“Nana-chan!” Teddie hugged her back.

“No way! Is that Junes mascot! I wanna take a photo with him!” said the young African boy.

“Wow, it really is the Junes’ mascot! This is the best day ever!” said Alphonse’s brother, amazed. “Mommy, can you please take a photo of me with him, please!”

“A course you can. Although we have to ask how much for a photo and a hug,” said Mandisa.

“All hugs and photos are free! Feel free to enjoy Teddie’s fur!” Teddie says excitedly after he overheard them from afar.

“Ooohhh! Teddie, in his fluffy costume again, except in a suit! I wanna it him so badly!” Kenji squealed in delight with his face fluttering and a broad smile on his face.

“Except for the big lug with a scar on his face. The touching fur will be 5000 yen, and a hug for 5000 yen.” Teddie says coldly. 

“WHAT!? But you said it was free!” Kanji seems somewhat angry at him. 

“Teddie! What do you think you're doing!?” Before she could go after him, her sunglasses fell from her face, and she accidentally exposed herself to the public.

“OMG, it’s Risette!” said the young woman with golden locks and amber eyes. 

“Whoa, it's her! What is she doing at my cousin’s wedding!?” said the young man with the goth look.

“Crap…” Rise murmured.

In the end, the ballroom wedding ended up being a success. All the children are taking photos with Teddie and touching his fur. Rise got to sign her fans’ merchandise from the LMB concert a couple of weeks ago. They love her so much and her newest music. Rise is willing to share her contract and email with one of the fans, Rosie, since she is Shinjiro’s adopted cousin, and she is willing to share her contact with her. Rise reassures her that she, her parents (who are also big fans of Rise), and friends will make sure they have the best seats at her next concert. This makes Rosie very happy to meet her idol in person. Rise wasn’t expected; most of Shinjiro’s relatives and Kotone’s friends are big fans of hers, and yet, she is secretly happy.  She realizes she should focus on her fans’ affection and admiration rather than being obsessed with trying to win her crush’s heart. So, she decides to take a break from it and focus on her career as an idol. 

Wedding Reception

In the final activity was the bouquet toss. Kotone standing at the wedding reception, then she turns her around with her back turn, and cheerfully toss the bouquet up into the air where a lucky woman,  man or non-binary can catch it. Yukari, Mitsuru, Fuuka, Aigis, Rise, and the rest of Kotone’s female friends are gathered together to try to catch the bouquet, hoping to marry the person they love someday.

“Oh! I think I got it!” Yukari said with a fixation look. “Mitsuru, If the bouquet doesn’t go in my direction, will you catch it instead?”

“A course, I will. You are my one and my only soulmate after all.” Mitsuru said with a clever smile.

“Am I doing this right? With my hands up?” Fuuka asked Tsubasa, who is standing next to her.

“Hahaha…Yes, you are doing it right. Do you any idea how many weddings I've been in for the past years I had help with my parents?” Tsubasa happily chuckled.

“I believe I have at else 85% chance of catching the bouquet,” Aigis stated. She uses her update programs through her electric eyes on the rate of catching it.

“That bouquet is mine! I wanna to marry Senpai someday!” Rise determinedly exclaimed. She desperately reach her hands up in the air so she has a good chance of catching it.

However, the bouquet landed in Naoto’s hands, which she wasn’t expecting to get.

“What’s this? I just got back from using the bathroom.” Naoto confused to have a bouquet in her hands.

“Awww… Naoto caught it instead…but I am happy for it.” Rise looks at her in her direction.

“Did not expect to her to catch it, huh?” Yosuke tells Labrys.

“Yeah. What a lucky girl she is.” Labrys agrees with him.

“What do you mean by that?” Naoto wondered.

“It means you will be destined to marry someone you love someday!” Rise cried out at her. Naoto quickly look at Kanji’s direction, who seems fixating on touching Teddie’s fur, but Teddie struggles and pushes him away. Naoto’s face turned bright red in embarrassed.

“Ahhhhhh!!!!” Naoto panickly tosses the broquet away which lands it on Labrys’ single arm. Which suprised both Labrys and Yosuke. They looks at each other and then they smile warming as they are staring into their eyes romantically.

“Whoa! I didn’t not see that coming.” Chie looks at Labrys’ direction, bewildered.

“Does that mean that… she will get married to someone someday? Hm… Who could it be?” Yukiko wondered.

Chapter Text

A day later…

October 1th, 2012

The fall season has begun as everyone wears their winter clothes and school uniform, and the leaves turn autumn color. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, and Teddie are deeply saddened that Yu returns home, Rise has to move back to the city to focus on her new song as an idol, and Naoto goes back to work as a detective to solve other cases outside of Inaba, mainly to avoid seeing Kanji. However, she promised her friends and Kanji that she would return next week. She notes that she will make sure she won’t neglect her studies, much of Kanji’s disappointment. 

Yasogami High- Morning

Yosuke and Teddie arrive at school and are greeted by their classmates. A young man with dark navy short hair and eyes, who wore a standard Yasogami High male uniform. The next one next to him is his best friend, who still wears Yasogami P.E. uniform instead of a school uniform. He has short brown hair and eyes with a band-aid on his nose. They greet Yosuke with a smile.

“Yo, Yosuke, long time no see! So how was the wedding yesterday?” said the young man with navy blue hair.

“Oh, Kou, Daisuke, good morning. The wedding was amazing. How was Paris for the school field trip?” Yosuke askes Kou. 

“It was… awesome! There were so many glorious foreign women! You should have come with us on the school trip. It was the city of love!” Kou said with a remarkable grin. “I had my first hook up!” 

“Wait!? You did!?” Yosuke said, his eyes widening in shock.

“Not really… but I did have my first make-out session with a beautiful French girl, especially since she is an awesome French kisser. But alas, it was just a brief fling.” Kou said with a sad smile.

“What about you, Daisuke? Did you have fun?” Yosuke asked him.

The Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum have some interesting landmarks. The frog legs kind of taste not bad for some reasons.” Daisuke commented.

“Eeww! Gross! I don’t want to hear it!” Teddie felt a bit disgusted. Teddie wore a standard uniform of Yasogami High, except he wore a dress shirt underneath with his blazer jacket open slightly. 

“Did you hook up with any foreign women in Paris, too? Surely you had already been on good terms with your ex and moved past your dislike of women.” 

“I… It's still a work in progress. I did not hook up with any random women or lose my virginity. I don’t trust suspicious women who are only interested in having sex,” says Daisuke, brutally honest from his experience in the past.

“Yeah… he is definitely going to die alone if he doesn’t hook up with someone,” Kou says jokingly. 

“Kou. Now is no time to be funny. I’m still having a hard time getting over the jetlag after we got back from Paris… I felt a bit tired…” Daisuke said annoyingly. 

“Yeah, your right. We should continue where we left off after school. We would like to ask you about on how Narukami was doing since you last saw him. We weren’t able to see him because of our clubs.” Daisuke mentioned.

Kanji’s side

Kanji, still sulking about Naoto’s absence, feeling like the only reason she took that case was just to avoid him. 

“Good morning, Kanji.” says a familiar friendly voice.

“Yo, Naoki. What’s up?” Kanji depressingly greets his childhood friend and classmate. He is young man with wavy, slicked-back light brown hair, and dark gray eyes. He wore a standard school uniform of Yasogami High except he wore a bright purple shirt underneath. 

“Well, I just got back from Paris with my classmates for the school field trip you missed. I did kind of enjoy exploring some landmarks there. How was the wedding you went to with your friends?” Naoki asked.

“I-It was awesome. It was a beautiful moment between a man and a woman.” Kanji said nervously. 

“Kanji, are you feeling alright? You looks like you are hiding something from me. What’s the matter? Did you offend someone you shouldn’t?” Naoki asked Kanji suspiciously.

“N-No. I didn’t offend someone... I just… Um.. I did something that I shouldn’t have done. And now she is avoiding me.” says Kanji, honestly.

“”She?” Is it one of your female friends?” He guessed.

“Something like that, but I’m not telling you any further. Thing is… I really want to show her that I’m really sorry for what I did, but she still hasn’t forgiven me. What should I do?” 

“Well… In my opinion, I suggest you give them some space until they are really to talk with you. Just give them time to cool off. That’s how I did it when my older sister was alive when we were in middle school. I was mad at her for stealing my ramen for lunch.” Naomi advised. 

“That’s what she says to me too…” Kanji sighs depressingly.

Chie and Yukiko’s side

Chie and Yukiko both sees a depressing Kanji have a conversation with Naoki ahead of them in a distance. 

“Damn… Kanji is still depressed from yesterday. It clear he did something to Naoto before the wedding.” Chie assumed. 

“I’m sure Kanji-kun will be fine in a couple of weeks. That’s how long Naoto-kun will be gone for. She is a detective after.” says Yukiko, honestly.

“Maybe you’re right. So, how are you going, Yukiko? Did your folks or staff notices something from down there?” Chie tries to hint at her in private.

“Oh, that… no. They have no idea. They didn’t notice it a thing. I was very careful before I went to bed.” Yukiko ressures her best friend. “What about you, Chie? How’s your chest?”

“My chest is fine. I have to keep wearing my sports bra until my breasts comes back to normal. It’s suck to have milk inside even though I’m not prego.” Chie says annoyingly. 

“Have you considered of taking birth control pills? You need to ask your parents for permission to purchase them.” 

“Not going to happen. They will obviously knows what up. If I tell them the truth that I drank wine at bachelorette party, they are going to kill me. This sucks so hard.” Chie annoyingly complainting.

“Have you thought of trying to donate your—”

“Yukiko… It’s. NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN. Don’t make me repeat it again…” Chie says with furious frowned. 

After School 

Samegawa Flood Plain

Chie has to leave a bit early since she has a part-time job delivering food at Aika’s family restaurant to make a quick buck. Yukiko, is wondering if she should text one of her friends to hang out or return to the Amagi Inn to help out. She notices someone underneath the shaded area sitting on the bench alone. He is young adult man with black short hair and navy gray eyes. He also wore a black suit with white collar shirt. He has a deep depression upon his face as if someone he care for has passed away. For some reason, she is curious about what he is doing by himself. 

“Hm… That man. He looks familiar. Should I comfort him or leave him be?” Yukiko says in her inner thoughts, wondering. 

Just then, she saw him take something out from his pocket, it was a cigarette pack and lighter. He pull one cigarette from the packet and put it in his mouth and then he was about to light it. Yukiko quickly ran towards his direction.

“Hey! Wait! You can’t smoke here!” Yukiko shouted at the man.

The young man noticed her and stop lighting his lighter and put away his pocket. He also took out a cigarette out of his mouth and put it back in a packet as well.  

“Oh…I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone there. I thought it was a good time to smoke.” The young man expressed guilt. 

“It’s fine. They should have created a sigh for no smoking policy… This is a place for hanging out after all, not just smoking and tossing it randomly. You could had started a fire if I wasn’t there to stop you.” Yukiko scolded him. 

“I promise it won’t happen again.… It just… I needed something to keep me feeling stressed.” He spoke in a sad tone of voice. “Someone in my family just passed away two days ago.” 

“I’m sorry for your loss… Was it your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunt, uncle, or your cousins?” Yukiko questioned him curiously.

“It was… my cousin. You probably may have known him from the news a few times. He was a copycat murderer who killed only one person.” 

“This is familiar... No way… Don’t tell me… He’s—?!” says Yukiko in her inner thoughts, shocked.

“His name was… Mitsuo Kubo, and I am his distant cousin, Masato Kubo.” Masato admits, sadly.

“Wait… Whhhaaatttt? You’re Kubo’s cousin!? Now I remember where I saw you before! You’re the guy that my mother sent a pic of on my cellphone!” Yukiko 

“Huh? What are you?… Hang on, that face, the long straight black hair… the red cardigan. Are you the Amagi Inn only daugther, Yukiko Amagi?” Masato asked her with a suspicious glance. 

“Yes, I am, but… how do you know who I am?” She answered him honestly. 

“My mother showed me a pic she got from her friend three days before Mitsuo’s suicide. She told me that I’m going to be married someday. After all, I am the only Kubo who isn’t married yet in the current generation.” Masato stated.

“My… You are a bit older than I imagined. The photo my mom sent me, you looked like you were the same age as me.” Yukiko assumed.

“I just turned 20 years old. That photo she sent you was taken when I was a third-year student two years ago. I’m sorry she couldn’t find a good picture to send of what I actually looked like…” He says with a shameful expression.

She casually shook it off. “It’s okay. People make mistakes all the time. I just… couldn’t believe that I got a chance to meet you in person before the winter break. You look more handsome than in your photo.” 

“Is that a compliment?” Masato says with a slight smile on his face.

“M-Maybe… I have no idea why I said that…” Yukiko says with a fluttered look. She knows she is Mitsuo Kubo’s cousin, but she feels like something is different about him. To her, he doesn’t give an obsessive and arrogant attitude like he did to her last year. 

“Would you like to join me if you have time? It's okay to refuse if you don’t want to.” 

“I want to join you. I have nothing else to do besides helping my family’s inn.” Yukiko accepts his offer. She sat down on the wooden bench, but he walked to the opposite side of the table, where he sat for personal reasons. Both Yukiko and Masato look at each other from opposite sides. 

“Let me properly introduce myself. I’m Masato Kubo. It's a pleasure to meet you.” He extended his right hand across the table to her.

“It’s nice to meet you, Kubo-san. I’m Yukiko Amagi. A third year from Yasogami High and next in line to be manager for my family’s traditional inn.” Yukiko introduced herself politely as she gently shook his hand firmly with hers.

“Pleasure to meet you, Amagi.” He said with a delightful smile. 

Chapter Text

Samegawa Flood Plain

“How much do you know Mitsuo by any chance?” Masato asked Yukiko. 

“Well… I barely knew him when he was alive last year. I think he once tried to ask me out last year, around April. He creepily approached me. I just… He wasn’t my type at all. Not because he had blank eyes or he wasn’t attracted, but he was odd and hostile. As if he wants to seek out affection.” Yukiko describes how she sees Masato’s deceased cousin. “Oh… I’m sorry. That was a bit harsh… You just lost your cousin.” 

“No, it’s okay, Amagi. What you said was true about him. Mitsuo has a habit of stalking women who appear to possess divine beauty at first sight. However, it results in him getting a restraining order or being expelled from the schools he attended each year. It was a hassle, especially since he gave his mother, my aunt, trouble. And yet, he never learned from his past mistake at all. I knew him my whole life.” Says Masato, who was being brutally honest about his dead cousin’s ill personality. 

“You must had love him a lot.” Yukiko guessed.

“We… don’t have a very close relationship despite being related to each other. I still care for him even though he despises me for being more attractive than him growing up. People in my family compare me to being a good person, while Mitsuo was… a bad influence. Mainly because of his random tantrums and outbursts.” Matsuo seems sad. “They even mentioned that Mitsuo shouldn’t have been born in the world, and my aunt should have remarried and had another child who isn’t a bad egg. That was when I was only ten, when I heard my mother take my aunt to task after he got banned from going to the library in Tokyo for being too loud and disturbing the visitors, plus punching the librarian with a library book.”

“That’s horrible. I never thought he was a violent person before I met him. What happened to him that made him like that?” Yukiko asked him.

“We don’t know why he acted like that. They say… Mitsuo was born rotten to the core since he wasn’t like any other children growing up. Doctors stated that he might have had a disorder he was born with. Bipolar or autism due to refusing to socialize with other people.” Matsuo guessed. 

“I feel sorry for your aunt. She must have tried hard to raise him growing up. Did she, by any chance, get abused by him?” Says Yukiko, worried.

Masato shook his head in disagreement. “No, he didn’t hurt her. Just needy and neglects her. The only person Mitsuo never tried to beat up or hurt was her, which is strange. Unless he only used her for her money to buy video games. My aunt wasn’t in her right mind after her failed relationships with him years ago, before she could no longer conceive any children.” 

“You’re aunt dated before? She’s single?” Yukiko seems a bit surprised to hear it from him.

“After my uncle died, she tried dating again as soon as Mitsuo was old enough to go to pre-school, but all of her dates ended in a disaster. Mitsuo was the cause of it because he wanted her to pay attention to him, feed him, and buy him stuff. He was a very spoiled child. For some reason, she refuses to believe her ex-boyfriend’s words that her son tried to either blackmail, destroy their property, or beat them up if they refused to end their relationship with her. She was mentally ill as she refuses to accept reality and believes Mitsuo was already a good person that people can’t see. I believed losing her husband may have damaged her mentally.” Matsuo stated.

“Well…Um… Let’s talk about something else then. How many people attended your cousin’s funeral?” Yukiko asked curiously.

“It was just me and Mitsuo’s mom. My parents and other relatives from my dad’s side didn’t want to attend the antisocial, psychopathic, copycat killer’s funeral. So basically, I’m representing both of my parents in their stead. Not even his former classmates from his old school didn’t want to attend.”

“That’s… depressing and sad,” Yukiko commented sadly. She never thought that Mitsuo was disliked by his classmates and family. 

“I know. It is.” Matsuo agrees with Yukiko.

Meanwhile, at Yasogami High 

Hallway - After School

While Teddie is hanging out with Kanji and Naoki, Yosuke has a talk with Kou and Daisuke in the hallway about what he and his guy friends have been doing at the bachelor parties with the groom and his friends for the past few days before the wedding. He is cautious about not mentioning wearing Teddie’s underwear, and then he was forced to wear the underwear that Kanji picked by mistake. He mentioned asking a girl he liked on a date, and they are scheduled this month. 

“Wow, Yosuke. You seem to have a lot of fun since we last showed you. Did you by any chance secretly drink?” Kou says with a playful smirk.

“Hell no, I just had a non-alcoholic beverage at the hotel where we stayed for two nights. My parents would kill me if I did.” Yosuke replied with an annoying look.

“By the way, about the girl you mentioned, is she older than you?” Daisuke wondered.

“Well… It’s complicated.” Yosuke replied. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Daisuke looks at Yosuke suspiciously.

“What are you guys talking about in the middle of the hallway?” Says the familiar voice.

The guys look in their direction and see a young woman with light orange, wavy, long hair and matching eyes. She wore a standard school uniform of Yasogami High, except she wore a white turtleneck underneath and white tights. 

“Ebihara, I didn’t expect you here. Do you by any chance listen to our conversation?” Kou asked her. 

“Well, I was… here to talk to Satonaka about something since she wasn’t present at the school field trip last week.” Ai lied. 

“If you are really looking for Chie, she just left not too long ago. She is working at a part-time job today to earn money.” Yosuke informed her.

“Damn… I was about to rub her face about my time in Paris…” Ai murmured to herself.

“So, how was your school trip to Paris? Surely you were having fun here. Any random hookups or flings?” Yosuke guessed. 

“What? No… I wouldn’t go as far as to make a night stand with handsome men or anything… I’m not a whore, what Satonaka’s claims.” Ai denies it. 

“He didn’t say anything about the nightstand, Ebihara. You seem to like a guy with black hair and gray eyes. He somewhat resembled Yu, except that he was muscular and had a different hairstyle. You even gave him your phone number in case he wants to visit Inaba.” Daisuke reminded.

“S-Shut up, Nagase!” Ai said with a fluttered face, furiously.

“Huh? You’re not a virgin anymore?” Yosuke asked curiously. 

“No way… someone from our class has their virgin taken away who isn’t from Inaba. That’s awesome, Ebihara.” Kou compliments Ai. 

Ai refuses to respond to them since it’s not their business to pry into her experiences from the class trip. “Hanamura, I was wondering if like… Narukami has mentioned me during your bachelor party by any chance?” 

“Hm… Nope. I don’t think he did. Why do you ask that?” 

“N-No… Personal reasons.” Ai says nervously.

“Aihara-Chan! Suprising to see you! Did you came to see me!” says Teddie’s voice, energetic. He runs towards her in a happy mood.

“Oh it’s you… I had already told you, Teddie-kun, you aren’t my type!” Ai says in an annoying tone.

“Awww… You are denying my Teddie charms that you can’t my handsomeness, would ya?” Teddie winked at her. Which makes her disgusted.

“Ebihara, I didn’t know Teddie-san. Is he your boyfriend I never knew?” Kou wondered.

“Yes!” Teddie says with a bright grin. 

“NO!” Ai angrily denied. 

Kanji’s side

A while Teddie and Ai had their comical moments together with his friends and classmates. Kanji is glued to his phone where he looked at his previous texts messages he sent since this morning to Naoto. Most of the messages where concern and apology, but she never replies back. 

“Did I… really screw up that bad with her?” Kanji says in his inner thoughts, worried. 

Yukiko’s side 

Samegawa Flood Plain

Yukiko and Matsuo have been talking for about an hour, mainly discussing various topics unrelated to Mitsuo Kubo. They discuss their academic pursuits, including their career aspirations. She tells him that she wants to run her family’s inn, as women have always led the Amagi family. However, it was her goal, not her parents', since she graduated from high school and chose which college or university to attend. She wants to improve her cooking a bit. She would be sad that she won’t be able to see her best friend and her other friends if she decides to leave Inaba. Matsuo told her that his current goal is to become a therapist who can help people like his deceased cousin, who has trouble with their mental health or past. He does blame himself for not finding his cousin sooner before his sudden suicide. The only reason he wasn’t able to was that his parents were against it, and it was his aunt’s problem.  

“You mention your best friend. Is she important to you? Matsuo curiously asked.

Yukiko nodded. “She is. She is very important to me since we were kids. I knew my best friend, Chie Satonaka, who is my everything and my only friend until my second year at Yasogami High. She is like my knight who always protects me from my admirers. The guys only try to ask me out for my looks, and I’m the next in line to inherit my family’s inn. That I was the only child with no siblings.” Yukiko explained. 

“So no women?” He guessed.

“Huh!? Who says that!? No, I’m not into women. Although the girls in my class usually glare at me when Chie isn’t around or when guys start to surround me.“ Yukiko says nervously in front of her soon-to-be fiancé.

“Okay. Then, is there any guy you have a crush on at your school, or if you are in a relationship with someone I wasn’t aware of?” Matsuo asked.

“Please… enough with the personal questions. I… don’t want to talk about it. Especially with someone I get to know.” Says Yukiko, uncomfortably.

“I’m sorry... I guess we can’t close yet. I won’t ask again until you feel comfortable talking about it when we get to know each other.” Matsuo says with a guilty look.

“It’s fine. I just… don’t want to be reminded of my heartbreak. That’s all… don’t ask me what his name was. What about you? Do you have someone else you have feelings for?” Yukiko wondered.

“To be honest, I never fell in love with someone before, regardless of gender. I was busy with classes, school clubs, and studying for exams. I really didn’t have time for dating. Not even when I just started university.” Matsuo replied with a sad frown. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure you will find someone.”

“Except my mother has already arranged a marriage with you, so that once you graduate from your college or university, we will have to get married. That was our parents’ agreement on the phone.” Matsuo reminded her. 

“Oh… I almost forgot about it.” Yukiko felt bad about what she just said. 

When Matsuo checked the time on his phone, they realized they had been talking for almost an hour, and now he had ten minutes before the train was due to arrive.

“Shoot. I have to go before the train departs… It was nice to meet you. I’ll see you during winter break when we have our proper conversation, Amagi-san.” 

“Wait, before you go. Do you want to exchange phone numbers? To keep in touch. We can talk or text when we have time.” Yukiko suggested to him.

“Sure. That sounds like a plan.” Yukiko and Matsuo took out their phones to exchange contact numbers. Then Matsuo stood up, bowed to Yukiko, and quickly ran towards the train station. After she leaves, she notices someone down the Samegawa Flood Plain.

“Chie, I know you’re down there. Kubo-san has already left.” Yukiko called out. Chie climbs up the glassy hill to reveal herself, who seems quite surprised and nervous that she caught her. 

“H-Hey, Yukiko? How’s it going?” Chie says with a nervous smile.

“How long were you eavesdropping?” Yukiko demanded.

“Uh… just about when you two talked about your career goals…” Chie answered.

“*sigh* Chie, I don’t think Kubo-san would be like his dead cousin. He seems friendly. I think I will give the blind date with him in December a shot. It probably won’t be as bad as it seems.”

“I’m sorry...WHAT!!!????” Chie’s eyes widen in shocked.

“I know it’s sounds a shock, but I think I want to get to know him.” 

“He’s Mitsuo Kubo’s cousin! There is a chance that he might abuse you just like he did to you last year! I don’t trust him one bit. He’s sus.” Chie says in a serious tone.

“Trust me, Chie. I don’t think he will hurt me. I just met him. Maybe when I actually get to know him. You might warm up to him.” Yukiko persuade her.

“I don’t think our friends won’t like it either. You didn’t mention about his cousin was kidnapped and throw inside of the TV, defeat his Shadow, and went insane after he eject his Shadow that may damage his mind.”

“Even if I did, Kubo-san won’t believe me. He doesn’t seems to be a type of person to believe in the supernatural.” Yukiko points it out. She wants to believe that he’s not a crazy man like Mitsuo was. 

“You may have a good point, Yukiko…” Chie agrees with her. 

Chapter Text

A few weeks later…

October 21st, 2012

Hanamura Residence

Yosuke’s Room - Daytime 

Yosuke is very dressed for his first date with Labrys. He glances at a mirror to see himself. He wears a black and orange jacket, a V-necked white t-shirt with a sunset thunderbolt logo in the center, dark gray pants, and orange and white sneaker shoes. He wore a silver necklace around his neck. It was the shape of a sparrow. 

“Hmm… Mmm. I looked like a badass,” says Yosuke, intrigued. Just then, a familiar appeared in front of him. 

“Oh, you look like a rock star. Or rather a fallen angel.” Teddie commented on Yosuke’s cool appearance. Yosuke gets spooked by him.

“Ah! Teddie! Don’t scare me like that again!” Yosuke says, extremely annoyed. 

“What? I was only trying to compliment you.” Teddie said in a somewhat playful manner. 

“I don’t want you to embarrass me on my first date with Labrys. This is my first shot to impress her, " says Yosuke.

“Arf! Arf! Arf!” said the familiar dog’s voice.

Just then, a cheerful puppy who appeared to be nearly five months old entered Yosuke’s room. He greeted his owners with a joyful expression. The puppy had soft gray fur and adorable mixed-colored eyes, consisting of red and gray. 

“Hey, boy! You came to see me off!? Aww.. A course you do. You always greet me with a smile. You’re such a good boy, Mochi,” says Yosuke in the cutest voice. He kneeled as his pet stood on two legs, with its front paws on Yosuke’s shoulders. He proceeds to lick his face, while his tail is wagging like crazy. Yosuke gives him a lovely embrace. 

“Arf!” Mochi barked in agreement. 

“Hmph.” Teddie pouted as he looked away from seeing Mochi hogging Yosuke to himself.  

“You’re still jealous of him, Teddie? He’s been our family pet since July. You should have gotten used to him.” Yosuke reminded him. 

“He keeps all the attention in our house. That furball is just like his dad, alright,” says Teddie, jealously. 

“A course in which we pay attention to you and Mochi equally. You can’t always be the only one who deserves the most attention. You aren’t our pet. You are part of my family and technically my adopted brother.” Yosuke tells him, honestly, while still petting Mochi. “I’m gonna entrust you to pet sit him a while, I’m on a date with Labrys today. Please do not leave him by himself, nor leave the house. Suppose you are planning to take him for a walk. He should always be on a leash, or the authority will take him away and mistake him for a stray.” 

“Hm… What were you saying just now?” said Teddie, pretending he didn’t hear Yosuke’s explanation. 

“Grr… Teddie! Weren’t you even listening to what I’m saying!? This is serious. My folks are working and won’t be back until early evening. I don’t want you to ditch Mochi for flirting with women.” Yosuke scolded him. 

“*whimper* Awooo….” Mochi whimpered from Yosuke’s yelling. Yosuke noticed his shouting made Mochi uncomfortable.  

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mochi. I promise I won’t yell. Shhh… It’s okay.” Yosuke soothes his family pet. 

Teddie continues to glare at Mochi. 

Hanamura Residence - Outside 

Teddie sees Yosuke off as he is about to leave the residence area and meet with Labrys at Inaba Station.

“I’ll be back before dinner time. There is some ramen and udon if you feel like eating them. Follow the instructions in the exact order. It will mess it up. Be sure to feed Mochi at lunchtime. He hasn’t finished up all of his meal since this morning.” Yosuke instructed Teddie. 

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep our home safe from harm. I might as well be a guard bear. Ah. Get it. I’m guarding and I’m Teddie bear.” Teddie chuckled.

“I get it. Enough with the bear puns. Just make sure Mochi is well fed and play with him.” Yosuke said, annoyingly.

“How come I can’t just bring him to Kanji’s place?” Teddie wondered.

“He’s… *sigh* He’s taking his mother to the hospital for her daily check-up, and Naoto keeps an eye on Rina-chan. He should be back in an hour.” Yosuke explained.

“Hmmm… Fine. I’ll watch him.” Teddie is forced to agree with him.

“If you ever leave Mochi by himself or get him hurt, I’ll tell my parents, and you will be sleeping in the streets.” Yosuke threatened him.

“Well, I can stay with Nana-chan and her daddy bear. I love visiting them every day, while Sensei is not around.” Teddie shrugged.

“I’ll inform everyone what you did that… they won’t trust you again. Especially your precious Sensei.”

“You wouldn’t. Please don’t leave me homeless! I promise to be a good bear and look after my sworn enemy’s pup.” Teddie pleaded with him.

“Just make sure he doesn’t leave the house alone, ‘kay?” Yosuke tells him. Teddie responded with a determined nod. 

“I’ll be going then.” Yosuke turns around, waving Teddie from behind.

“Have a “lovely” day with your date!” Teddie waves back, while hiding his jealousy behind a fake smile.

After Yosuke left, Teddie was about to close the door when he received a call from Yu. To his happiness, he clicked the answer button.

“Good early afternoon, Sensei! I miss you so much! How’s your school doing?” Teddie curiously asked.

“It’s good to hear from you. School is a bit hectic. It’s still not the same as when I attended Yasogami High last year. Thanks for asking.” Yu’s voice sounded friendly.

“I wish you could have stayed here to finish school until you graduate with Yosuke, Chie-chan, and Yuki-chan. The same goes for Rise-chan.” Teddie says with a pouting, sad face. 

“You know I can’t. That was the only time I could attend school in Inaba for a year. My parents got back from a board and are now working in Tokyo again. The same goes for Rise; she is going to be busy with her career as an idol these days.” Yu reminded him. “I could reassure you that once I graduated from high school and university. I’m going to be moved to Inaba, and in a course, I’m considering proposing to Marie next year.” 

“Ooolala. That’s amazing, Sensei! I knew you two would make a great couple! I’m so proud of you.” Teddie praised Yu. During the conversation, Mochi sneaks out the door so he can follow his favorite owner without Teddie noticing his presence.

“It would be just between you and Yosuke I told. The next time you see Marie. Do not tell her about the surprise yet. I haven’t decided on a location and day to propose to her yet. It has to be something special.” Yu requested.

“Hmm. Mmhm. I promise!” Teddie obliged. “Why are you calling me today by any chance? Did you miss the sound of my voice?” 

“Well… Yosuke has already informed me ahead of time through texts that… you might mess up his first date. Please, don’t give him a hard time. He has already got over his first crush last year. It would be good for him to date with someone he likes. Labrys is our friend too. She’s one of us even though we don't see her that often since she lives with Aigis-san and her friends at Iwatodai.” 

“Don’t worry, Sensei. I won’t intervene Yosuke’s first date with Labby-chan.” Teddie swore to his sensei. 

“Ahaha… I’m glad to hear it. I’ll text you again soon when we plan to hang out with everyone. Tell everyone I say hi.” Yu reminded him. 

“Okki Doki!” Teddie says cheerfully.

Yu ended the call. Teddie put away his cell phone in his pocket and closed the door. Then he decided to start his day by texting any of his lady friends if they can come over and play with him and Mochi. When he gets to the lounge, he notices the room is all quiet lately. He doesn’t hear any joyful barking, snoring, or the sound of running.

“Hm… has it always been this quiet? Is that fuzzball asleep or something?” Teddie wondered. 

Inaba Station 

By the time Yosuke arrived, Labrys has already come at Inaba by foot. However, Yosuke wasn’t expecting her to wear a Yasogami High winter uniform. She could wear anything she likes. Though he guesses she still enjoys wearing a school uniform after the fighting tournament during Golden Week, and that’s how they met. Yosuke noticed she had both of her arms again. 

“Labrys, long time no see!” Yosuke greets her, friendly as he wave at her.

“Oh! Long time no see tuh yuh too, Yosuke-kun.”  Labrys greets him back.

“I… I never thought you been wearing our school uniform for our date. I thought you expectantly to wear a formal or casual dresses. I wouldn't mind if you wore the military coat similar to your sister.” says Yosuke with a nervous smile.

“Hm… I thought dates should be memorable like when we first met. So I thought I would dress in this school uniform except in the fall season.” Labrys thought. “Does it look strange on me, or what?” 

Yosuke shook his head. “Oh, no. It looks good on you, Labrys. It just… I been a long time since I seen you wearing our school uniform even though your not a student at Yasogami High.” Yosuke says warmly to his date. “How did you require a winter uniform?”

“Oh, this. Yukiko lent me hers a couple of weeks ago. She has her old ones she had from last year, she let me keep them. I’m surprise it fits me nicely.” Labrys replied, still smiling at him.

“You still look good in either school uniforms you wore. It suits you the best.” Yosuke compliments her, blushing.

“So, where should we go first?” Labrys casually asked.

“How about I give you a tour around Inaba? Starting at Junes Department Store? It’s the place I worked and it’s also my dad’s business.” Yosuke suggested. 

“I would love to. I wasn’t able to explore to it that much after Golden Week.” Labrys happily accepted.

“I can assure you that Junes is place to hang out and catching up with friends and family. Not just sells electronic and groceries.” Yosuke clarified, smirked. 

“Hehe… Okay. Lead the way.” Labrys chuckled. Yosuke extend his hand to hers, which she happily accept. They are holding hands, Yosuke notices Labrys’ arm that was ripped off last month, it’s perfectly repaired. 

“That reminds me, I notice your arm is reattached again. Did they like used some kind of replicate your damage robotic arm or something?”

“You mean the scientists who were fixing my body during my maintenance? It turns out, they had to replace most of outdated parts with new ones just like Aigis. It was a pain to replace the wires inside of my arm that got ripped apart. Now, I can reattach and detach my arm at will.” Labrys explained. “It took me a while to move my fingertips until I can move them freely again.” 

Mochi’s Side

Mochi quietly follows his beloved owner without him noticing him. 

“*pant* *pant* *pant* (Mochi love Yoyo very much.” Mochi panting happily. He continues to follow him, he sees an unfamiliar person at the train station. 

“(Who’s that? Yoyo’s mate? She’s pretty.)” Mochi wondered. When the two of them are about to leave in his direction, the puppy quickly hides nearby bush. After he sees them off, he comes out of the bush and continues to follow them. However, unknown to the puppy, he is being watched and record by a couple of bystanders including the kids. 

Junes Department Store 

Once they arrive, Mochi realizes that he was told that he isn’t allow in since they don’t allow pets or animals inside for unknown reasons. So, he decides to wait until they are finished. During the wait, he is unexpected greet by a familar face.

“Mochi? Is that you?” Naoto’s voice. 

The Shiba Inu puppy turn around and see Naoto, who is walking his younger sibling, Rina. Naoto wore a dark navy coat with light blue collar shirt with matching ribbon tie, dark navy pants, and high customized shoes. She wore her trademark blue cap. On her right wrist she is holding a bright pink leash where it attached to Rina’s collar. She appears to wear cozy pink sweater shirt to keep her upper body warm. 

“Arf! (Big Bro!)” Rina greet her older brother. 

“Arf! Arf! (Nao! Rina!)” 

The two puppies running and playing together before they settle down on the concede floor as they lay next to each other.

“What are you doing here? Wasn’t Teddie suppose to kept an eye of you a while Yosuke-senpai is going on his date with Labrys?” Naoto asked him.

“Woof. Woof. Woof. *pant* *pant*” Mochi barked softly a while wagging his tail in a faster manner.

“I have no idea what you’re saying, but it seems you miss your owner a lot that you want to join him. *sigh* I guess I have to call Teddie.” Naoto said in an annoying tone. She took out her phone from her jacket pocket to dial Teddie’s phone number.

Teddie’s side - Daytime

Teddie has been desperately searching for Mochi everywhere and no trace of him at all. 

“Where is he!? Where can that my rival doggy’s son go!? He was here when Yosuke left. Could it be that… he follow Yosuke thinking he was going for a walk!?” Teddie says in panic tone. Suddenly, his phone rang and he take his phone from his pant pocket. He read it was from “Nao-chan”. He instantly answer her call.

“Hello, my darling, Nao-chan. How are you fairing today?” Teddie said with a flirting smile a while hiding his panic voice.

“Teddie, do you left the door open for Mochi to leave the house on purpose?” Naoto says in a serious voice.

“W-What make you think that my lovely Nao-chan?”says, Teddie, nervously. 

“Well, Yosuke’s pet is at the Junes Department Store entrance with me and Rina. He’s not even wearing a leash. Care to explain whether or not it was an accident?” Naoto explained.

“WHAT!? He’s at Junes!?” Teddie says Shockingly. “I mean. I was an accident. I didn’t know he got out that easily. I was had a talk with Sensei and…”

“Don’t uses that as excuse, Teddie. You have to take responsibility of looking after a pet. If you can’t take this seriously, I will have to tell Yosuke-senpai what you did just now.” Naoto intimidates him. 

“Please, don’t! I’ll pick up that little mu— I mean, Mochi at Junes. I will even bring his leash with me. Just… Please keep an eye on him until I get here.” Teddie desperately begged her. 

“I’ll let this go once. Be sure this won’t happen again.” Naoto warned him. 

“Yay! I'm save by my lovely blue angel! I’m gonna change and I’ll be there in a jiffy!” Teddie cheered. 

Chie and Yukiko’s sides

Amagi Inn - Daytime 

Yukiko’s Room

Chie is relaxing in her best friend’s room for the time being. She lay down on tatami flooring after she help out with guests staying at the inn today. Yukiko brought some teas and snacks from the staff kitchen. She lays down on her low table.

“Aauugghhh. This is so exhausted. At else I was able to help out after Kasai-san was out sick today.” Chie said with drained. 

“You did a great job back there. You were able to memorizes the orders and carry the meals to the guests despite most of them has meat in it.” Yukiko compliments her best friend. 

“Yeah… Just one more week and that sicko love drug will completely wear off. My breasts will go back to normal…” Chie sulked.

“It wasn’t that bad.” Yukiko ressures her.

“It. Is. Yukiko. My chest gets so swelling that I have to buy myself breastmilk pump to suck out excessive milk out. It would be a waste to just throw it out from a sink or toilet. The only option was donating it a nearby milk bank for mothers who can’t produce milk.” Chie reminded her.

“Oh.. So it is that bad… If you’re chest is still swelling. Do you want to soak into a hot spring? It will help to make your breastmilk to go down or relive the pain.” Yukiko kindly suggested. 

“Anything is fine as long as I don’t have to keep using that pump. It felt weird to use it even though I’m not pregnant.” Chie remarked. 

“Will you join me in the hot spring just in case if any perverts is staring at me.” Chie shyly asked.

“A course. It’s been a while since we bath together.” Yukiko happily accept.