3rd POV
"You... need an exit?" the bear asked, blinking in surprise at the safe appearances of the trio. The girl with the short silver hair, Hitomi Narukami, seemed to have her yellow ribbon un-done. The boy with the bowl shaped haircut, Nise Satonaka, sighed in relief and slight exhaustion as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"We finally found you..." he sighed. Nise wanted nothing more than to get out of the strange world that he and the others were in. The other boy with the slightly unkempt fawn colored hair, Yosuke Hanamura, leaned forward towards the bear while standing behind Nise and next to Hitomi.
"Look, you seem like the type to know the in's and out's of this place pretty well!" Yosuke interrogated, trying to sound a little powerful. But the bear didn't really pay attention to what he was saying
"That doesn't matter right now! What did you do with the Shadows?!" the bear asked, her voice squeaking as she flailed her arms.
"You talkin' about those monsters?" Nise asked, blinking at the bear with slightly questioning eyes.
"Yeah, yeah!" the bear said as it bowed a few times, unable to nod it's head. Yosuke placed a hand on his hip as it raised an eyebrow.
"What are they?" Yosuke asked, a bit of curiosity in his voice. Hitomi suddenly got an idea in her head as she blinked at the bear.
"Did you make those shadow things?" she asked, a hint of doubt in her voice. Looking at the strange female bear, Hitomi thought that there was no way it could do something like make those dangerous monsters. But at the same time, Hitomi had no clue what the world was like in the first place, so it wouldn't hurt to ask. However, the bear growled in annoyance at Hitomi's question, feeling offended that she would ask that.
"Now don't be a dummy bear!" the bear squeaked, anger in her voice.
"You know, I've had just about up to here" the bear began, raising it's left paw up to it's head to show how annoyed she was, "with people barging up in here and railing up the shadows!" The bear stomped her foot down in annoyance, and a stack of TVs appear in a puff of smoke. Yosuke and Nise exclaimed in surprise, stunned at how the stack of televisions magically appeared.
"T-T.V's?" they stuttered. Hitomi blinked in surprise, slightly stunned like the others.
"Now go on, get out of here!" the bear barked as she pointed at the TV's. Hitomi, Nise, and Yosuke blinked at the bear in confusion; unsure of how to enter the TV's for they looked too small and were stacked up to a number of three. Not wanting to waste anymore time, the bear walked over to behind the trio, causing them to turn around in confusion.
"As you can see, I'm a beary busy bear!" the bear squeaked as she started to push Hitomi backwards. Hitomi, Nise, and Yosuke started to walk backwards; nervous as to what might happen if they touch the bear. Soon, Yosuke and Nise felt their backs hit something cold like glasses which they assume if the television screens. The bear continued to push the trio, causing Hitomi to have her back against the boys making them blush a little. Soon, the TV became soft at the touch of Hitomi's back and they began to fall backwards.
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Hitomi's POV
Just like before, we fell to the ground in a pile. I was thankfully able to land on my hands and knees in front of the television, compare to the way that Satonaka and Hanamura landed which was their face planted to the ground. I noticed that my glasses I wore inside the television laid in front of me, in perfect condition. I sat on my bottom as I grabbed the glasses, tucking them onto my collar for safe keeping since I had no pockets. I suppose they're mine now, so it wouldn't hurt to keep them.
"Aw man, that hurt...!" Satonaka groaned as he rolled on to his back.
"I hate that bear...!" Hanamura groaned, using his elbows to sit up. Suddenly, a intercom bell sounded into the store, causing me to blink in surprise.
"Attention, Shoppers. Our daily limited-time sale will now begin at the side dish area on the first floor" the intercom began. "Why not try the delicious, fresh produce Junes picked for you this morning as your side dish for dinner tonight? All ages are invited to take advantages of this incredible bargain!" The three of us blinked in surprise at the marbled green and white diamond floor of Junes, causing Satonaka to exclaim in joy.
"Yes! Thank god! I love that bear!" Hanamura exclaimed in joy as he and Satonaka high-fived each other. I let out a soft sigh of relief as I slowly got to my feet. As the others laughed and cheered with joy, quickly jumping to their feet; I spot a familiar image next to the TV we fell out of. I walked over to the pillar where the poster hung from and saw that it was a poster of Misuzu Hiiragi, the singer involved in the scandal.
"I saw this poster back there..." I muttered, recalling the posters from that room back inside the television.
"Yeah, that's Misuzu Hiiragi" I heard Satonaka began, walking towards me. "Isn't she the woman who's all over the news right now? They're saying her hubby was having an affair with that reporter who just died, Ms. Yamano."
"So what? I don't get it? What does she have anything to do with that freaky room?" I heard Hanamura ask as he walked over next to me, nervously staring at the poster.
"Maybe... There's a connection between Ms. Yamano and that reporters death?" I thought out loud, causing Satonaka and Hanamura to stare at me with wide eyes. Suddenly, Hanamura screamed in urgency, causing me and Satonaka to jump.
"Don't go there! I-I mean, I don't think my heart can take it!" Hanamura begged, taking a few steps away from the poster. He suddenly grabbed his crotch as his face paled, slouching over a little. I blinked in realization, slightly panicking. Hanamura still needed to go to the restroom!
"Aw man, this is bad! I still need to take a leak!" Hanamura murmured, jumping about like a fool. Satonaka sighed at Hanamura with a bored look on his face as I made a shooing motion with my hands.
"Go, before you get an infection!" I urged, which Hanamura quickly obeyed; running off somewhere. Satonaka suddenly shivered as he hugged himself.
"This whole thing is starting to give me the chills...!" Satonaka shivered. He rubbed his arms together as he nodded me goodbye.
"I'm feeling a little woozy, so I'm going home. You do the same, 'kay?" Satonaka said as he turned around and began to leave.
"Okay" I replied with a nod. I looked back over to the poster and stared at it.
Back inside that room, there were a bunch of these posters with Hiiragi's face scratched out. If the room really did have something to with Yamano's death, why would there be posters of Hiiragi in it? Perhaps Yamano was jealous of Hiiragi for being married to the man they both loved? But then, why was there a noose and a chair also inside that room? I blinked in surprise as an idea popped into my mind. Being involved in a scandal isn't very good for a person's reputation, especially if they have connections. Yamano was a reporter, so perhaps thanks to the scandal her reputation went down. Could it be that she considered...?
I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. I shouldn't think about this anymore. Just like Hanamura said, it too much for one's heart to take in.
After a moment, I shook my head and began to walk to the Dojima's residence.
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Evening...
I opened the door of the Dojima residence, letting a soft sigh out. It has certainly gotten late. I removed my shoes and walked inside, only to see Nanako and Dojima watching the news with cups of noodles in font of them. Noticing my presence, Dojima looked at me and smiled a little.
"Hey, welcome home" Dojima greeted, causing Nanako to look at me. I nodded to him and Nanako as I slowly walked over to the seat across from Nanako. I was feeling exhausted and quite sluggish. Perhaps because of what happened inside the television?
"Uh—Hmm... Well, I doubt you'd know..." Dojima began, caching my attention. He seemed somewhat hesitant as I looked at him.
"But have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?" Dojima asked, turning serious. I blinked at him in surprise, a little nervous about where this was going.
"Yes, I've met her yesterday with a few acquaintances of mine after school" I explained with a nod. Dojima looked at me with a slightly upset look.
"Oh, I see..." Dojima muttered, causing me to blink in surprise. Did something happen? Or was Dojima not liking the fact that I had acquaintances. Dojima let out a sigh as he placed his right arm onto the table.
"To be honest... We got a call from her family. She's disappeared" Dojima said with a worried look. I flinched in surprise at the information.
"We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet" Dojima explained before I could say anything. I looked down at the table in slight worry. I hope she comes home soon safe and sound. It's dangerous right now, and if she isn't found soon... She could have a similar fate as Yamano. I mentally shrugged off the thought as Dojima sighed in exhaustion.
"Work just keeps piling up..." Dojima muttered softly, in hope that Nanako nor I could hear him. Thankfully, Nanako was too busy watching the television to have heard him.
"And now, more on the case still casting a shadow over the foggy town of Inaba" The news reporter began, catching Dojima and my attention.
"Not long ago, television announcer Mayumi Yamano was found dead in the small town. Up until now, her whereabouts prior to her death has been unknown. But the police investigation has been found that she had been staying at the region's famous Amagi Inn." I blinked in surprise. 'Amagi Inn'? Amagi as in, Yukiko Amagi? Does her parents run that inn? It would certainly explain why she has been leaving so early after school. So, Yamano's whereabouts were unknown before she died...
"She had apparently been staying there alone. Perhaps she was taking a vacation to recover from her ordeal?" The news reporter guessed. I nodded in understanding for the reporters assumption. If the scandal was bad upon Yamano and the other person, it would be logical to assume that Yamano would take a break from showing herself on television until the situation had died down.
"Is the ramen ready now?" Nanako asked Dojima, sounding a little impatient. Dojima chuckled at Nanako's impatience.
"Give it some more time" Dojima said with a smile. Nanako sighed a little, wanting to eat the cup of noodles in front of her. Suddenly, I looked over to the right and sneezed into my sleeve. Dojima and Nanako looked at me in surprise as I sniffled.
"Whoa, gesundheit" Dojima said as he stared at me with slightly worried eyes.
"You're probably still adjusting to the new environment" Dojima concluded. He looked over at Nanako and pointed over at the cabinet near the stairway.
"Nanako, could you get her some cold medicine?" Dojima asked. Nanako nodded and quickly rushed over to the cabinet. I looked over to Dojima with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble" I said softly, causing Dojima to look at me in surprise. Nanako walked over to me with a small box and a glasses of water. She knelt down besides me and opened the box, handing me the cup of water.
"People who are sick should stay in bed" Nanako said with a serious to be, taking out a small bottle. I blinked at her in surprise as Dojima laughed.
"That's right, listen to Nanako now" Dojima chuckled. I nodded obediently and took the pill that Nanako offered me, drinking the water shortly after. I did just what Nanako and Dojima said and went straight to bed.
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3rd POV
Hitomi slowly opened her eyes, a familiar area coming to her vision. Hitomi sat across from a man with an unusual long nose and a woman with platinum-blonde hair. This is...
"Hello, and welcome to the Velvet Room" the man with the long nose, known as Igor, greeted. Hitomi glanced around the room in confusion, wondering how she ended up here. After all she was sleeping soundly in her futon. Noticing Hitomi's confusion, Igor raised a hand to draw her attention.
"Do not be alarmed, you are fast asleep in the real world" Igor explained. Hitomi blinked in slight confusion, not fully understanding the situation, but nodded anyway.
"Only those who have formed bonds, and are bond by a contract, are allowed to enter this room" the woman next to Igor, known as Margaret began, drawing Hitomi's attention to her.
"Congratulations, you have awakened your powers" Margaret said with a blank expression, much similar to Hitomi. Igor looked up at Hitomi and grew his strange smile wider.
"I would like you to take this with you" Igor said with a flick of his wrist. Suddenly, a key glowing blue slowly descended onto the table in front of Igor and Hitomi. The key had a round handle, a mask of sort printed on the handle.
"That's the 'Contractor's Key'" Igor began to explain. "From this night on, you will be our guest, here in the Velvet Room." Hitomi nodded in understanding and took the key, the key dissolving into her hand. A warm feeling flowed into Hitomi's body, making her sigh in comfort.
"Your persona, is the Wild Card" Margaret began. "It's ability is like that of no other. Just like the number zero, it is filled with infinite potential." Igor looked up at Hitomi with an intrigued look.
"I'm quite curious what you will do with these new powers you've awakened. The power of the Wild Card" Igor began, chuckling slightly in curiosity. "We will travel the road of your destiny together." Soon, Hitomi's consciousness began to fade as the room slowly began to be engulfed by darkness.
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Friday, April 15th
Hitomi's POV
There's a heavy blanket of fog covering the road as I walk to school. It's not like the yellow fog from the world inside the TV, but it's an unwanted reminder of yesterday's events. Even after getting a good night's rest, the thought of what happened makes my head hurt. A police siren made me stop in my tracks. I looked over in the direction of where the sirens came from and blinked. What happened? A robbery? An accident?
A murder?
An image of someone hanging off an antenna floats into my mind, causing me to shudder. Hopefully it isn't.
Soon, I approach the gates of Yasogami and find Satonaka standing in front of Amagi. I blink in surprise as I noticed a strange looking boy with an unfamiliar uniform standing in front of Satonaka. The boy suddenly took a step back and push Satonaka as he ran down the hill. I moved a little out of his way, hearing him mutter the words "Stupid bitch!". I blinked in surprise after him as the other students did who were walking up the hill as well. I walked over to Amagi and Satonaka, not wanting to block anyone's way.
"Yo!" I heard someone greet. I looked over to my left and saw Hanamura standing next to me. He smiled at me before looking at Satonaka and Amagi. I looked at Satonaka and Amagi, raising my transparent umbrella up slightly.
"Good morning" I greeted them. Satonaka smiled at Hanamura and I and nodded.
"Oh, 'morning you two!" Satonaka greeted cheerfully. Amagi stared off into space, a slightly frightened look on her face. Noticing her frightened expression, I tilted my head slightly at her.
"Amagi-san, is everything alright?" I asked. Amagi snapped back into reality as she looked at me. Unable to find words or was simply too shy, Amagi looked back forward again, causing me to fallow her gaze.
"Did that strange boy just now do something to you?" I asked, returning my gaze back to Amagi. Amagi shrugged a little, blinking nervously.
"I... I don't really know. What did he want from me?" Amagi replied, confused by the sudden events. Satonaka looked at her with a surprising yet angry look, raising an eyebrow.
"Really, you don't know? He wanted to give you the D" Satonaka said bluntly, causing Amagi to flinch a little in surprise. Amagi and I blinked at Satonaka with confusion as I tilted my head slightly.
"The 'D'?" I asked, unfamiliar with the term. Satonaka looked at me and nodded.
"Yeah, the di—" he began, when Hanamura suddenly covered his mouth wit a nervous expression.
"W-What Nise here is trying to say, is that the lovelorn fool just now wanted to ask Yukiko on a date!" Hanamura explained. Satonaka blinked at Hanamura for a moment before nodding in agreement. I blinked in surprise at the information as Amagi gasped slightly in shock.
"What? Are you sure?" Amagi asked, becoming slightly embarrassed. A drop of sweat rolled down Satonaka and Hanamura jaw at Amagi's confusion before sighing in defeat. I was just as confused as Amagi, but I decided to leave the situation alone.
"Well, how about we all head to class now" Satonaka suggested, removing Hanamura's hand from his mouth. Amagi and I nodded and began to head inside.
Once Satonaka, Hanamura, Amagi, and I had all headed inside; we gathered around Satonaka and Amagi's desks, continuing the conversation from earlier. Satonaka was sitting in his seat while Amagi had her chair turned around to face Satonaka. Hanamura and I stood to their left, my arms crossed underneath my chest.
"Man, you can be totally harsh some times" Hanamura chuckled wearily, his left hand on his hip. "Last year you cut me down like that as well." I blinked at him in surprise, finding the information just given somewhat interesting.
"No I didn't..." Amagi squeaked softly, a sound of guilt in her voice. Hanamura perked up as he rested his right hand on Satonaka's desk, leaning in slightly towards Amagi.
"So that means you do want to go out with me?" Hanamura asked. Satonaka gave Hanamura a bored look that seemed slightly scary.
"I'd prefer not too" Amagi replied bluntly, causing Hanamura to lower his head and smile in defeat. Satonaka smirked at Hanamura's rejection as I watched the whole scene silently, a little confused at what was going on.
"'Cause I suck!" Hanamura muttered jokingly. He quickly shook off the rejection and stood up straight, a bright smile on his face.
"No worries, that's cool! I got my sights set on someone else anyway" Hanamura chirped, as if proud by his statement. Satonaka grinned that had a mischievous vibe from it, raising and lowering his eyebrows repeatedly.
"Could it be Saki-senpai~?" Satonaka asked in a sly tone. Hanamura blushed a little as he nodded.
"Yep, that's right!" Hanamura chirped. He then pulled out a familiar movie ticket, his smile widening.
"And today's the day of our date!" Hanamura chirped, dancing a little. I stared at Hanamura's happiness, not understanding what was happening. Hanamura was rather humorous in his own foolish way and I seemed a bit relaxed at Hanamura's cheerfulness. He kind of reminds me of him when we were kids.
"Well then, have fun" I said to him, thinking it was necessary to say that. Hanamura gave me a thumps up as he beamed in joy. His beam suddenly dimmed as his facial expression turned worried. He pulled out his iPhone with an orange and black case protecting the phone, quickly unlocking it.
"But I don't know, guys... Ever since yesterday, she's been blowing off every text I send her" Hanamura said with a worried tone. I gasped softly as I recalled the discussion with Dojima last night.
"Uh—Hmm... Well, I doubt you'd know... But have you heard anything about a student named Saki Konishi?"
"To be honest... We got a call from her family. She's disappeared. We've got people looking for her, but she hasn't been found yet."
I opened my mouth to tell Hanamura the upsetting news, when suddenly a student rushes into the room. It was a female student with short brown hair, shining blue eyes and a white headband with a big ribbon on top of it. Most of the students turned their attention to her, while other groaned.
"Hey, listen to this!" the girl began, jumping over to the small bookshelves in the back of the room. "It turns out that there was another incident!" Everyone in the room gasped in shock and began to chat to their friends, most were sounding scared while other were excited. Hanamura blinked with a slightly nervous face, sweat slowly falling down his jaw.
"Seriously, again?" Hanamura asked, not getting a response from the girl as she talked with her friends. My body tensed up as my eyes narrowed slightly. So that's why there were all those sirens this morning. Another incident...
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After school...
Once classes end, all students were called to an assembly held in Yasogami's auditorium. Everyone around me is chattering, wondering for what reason we've been called here.
"Hey, where's Yukiko?" I heard Hanamura ask. I looked at Satonaka who stood next to me as he read something on his iPhone.
"She just sent a text" Satonaka began. "She got a call from her family. She said that she had to go home and help out at the inn." I blinked in surprise at the new information and also Satonaka's expression. For some reason, Satonaka had a mixture of worry and anger in his face as he turned off his iPhone.
"Help with the inn? As in the Amagi Inn that was shown last night on the news?" I asked, wondering if my assumption last night was true. Satonaka looked at me in realization, remembering that he had never actually told this information to me yet.
"Yep, the very one. It's by far the nicest historical Inn we've got in town. She's going to own it and run it someday!" Satonaka explained, a proud tone in his voice. I blinked at him in surprise, taking in the information. I couldn't help but wonder if Amagi had said so herself that she wanted to take over the Inn or if it was just an assumption Satonaka had. I heard a soft worried sigh behind me, causing me to snap out of my thoughts and looked over my shoulder at Hanamura.
"Text back already... Come on...!" he groaned, staring at his iPhone. I took a small step over to the side so I could get a better view of Hanamura as I tilted my head slightly.
"Is something wrong?" I asked, a little worried by Hanamura's behavior. Hanamura used his thumb to push the buttons on his screen as he pressed his lips together, forming a thin line.
"Saki-senpai still hasn't responded... She would have texted me something if there was a problem" he explained, letting out a short sigh. My eyes narrowed in pity as I opened my mouth, about to explain to him about Konishi's disappearance.
"Hey, listen up!" I heard Morooka's voice shout, causing me to flinch and look forward. Once everyone was silent, Morooka glares at the sea of students, swinging his left arm in front of the large podium in the middle of the stage.
"The principal has something to tell ya, so shut it and try to pay attention" Morooka growled. "Make so much as a peep and your going down on my 'Rotten Little Shit' list! Consider yourselves warned." Morooka steps away from the podium so the principal, an old man wearing traditional Japanese garb, can take his place. The principal clears his throat, hesitantly looking out at the students.
"I'm sorry everyone, but I'm afraid I have some very bad news today..." the principal began, his voice cloaked in sadness.
"Early this morning, one of our own was found dead. Saki Konishi, from 3-B" the principal continued. The room erupted in small gasps of shock, students murmuring to each other. There's a strangled gasp at my side. Hanamura, the source of it, is pale and is staring at the principal with wide eyes.
Satonaka and I turn our attention towards Hanamura, worried about how he will take the news of the recent lost Senpai. The rest of the principal's speech turns into background noise. My attention is on Hanamura as his eyes becoming lifeless, staring on ahead. His grip on his iPhone loosened, causing it to fall. Just before it hit the ground, I caught it and held the iPhone in my hands. I looked at the screen with wide eyes, feeling Hanamura's sadness wash other me. There, on the screen, was his inbox folder; waiting for a message that it will never receive.
After the assembly was over, Hanamura was the first one to escape the gym after retrieving his iPhone from me. All of the students slowly walked out with heavy looks on their faces, grieving over the loss of Konishi. Satonaka and I shuffled slowly behind the rest of the students, only to stop in our tracks at the sight of Hanamura; holding one of the pillars that held the roof of the long and narrow outdoor hallway, leading to the main building. He was holding on to his iPhone tightly, close to his heart while staring at the wet ground. I heard a couple of students whispering to one another in regards to Konishi's death.
"They say that her body was found impaled somewhere" a girl whispered to her friend.
"Just like Ms. Yamano?" her friend asked.
"Yeah, but this time they say it was from a telephone pole" the girl replied.
The two girls continued to whisper to each other, but they were too far away from me to eavesdrop. I shifted back my attention over to Hanamura, my eyes narrowing in pity. Hanamura had liked Konishi, his affection towards her was quite clear. Perhaps that's why I feel so guilty right now. There was nothing I could have done for Konishi. It was too late by the time of her disappearance had reached me. If only I had known sooner, I could have helped Dojima and the others look for her. I could have even told Hanamura and have him help as well. The whole town could have helped look for her...
After all of the other students had left, the door leading inside closed, a heavy and slightly uncomfortable silence filled the air; mixing with the sound of the light rain falling from the sky. Satonaka wasn't very comfortable by the silence, fidgeting slightly with pitiful eyes.
"Yosuke..." Satonaka began, trying to find words to comfort Hanamura. But he failed as he looked down at his feet, unable to think of anything.
"So um... Did you watch the midnight channel... Last night?" Hanamura asked slowly, looking out into the distance. Satonaka tensed up at Hanamura's words, taking a slight step forward with nervous eyes.
"Why are you talking about that now?!" Satonaka asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Let me finish, will ya?!" Hanamura snapped, causing Satonaka and I to flinch. Hanamura's short bangs covered his eyes as his head lowered slightly, his teeth gritting. Satonaka pressed his lips together, taking a step back towards me.
After a moment, Hanamura continued, "After what we saw before, I had to watch it again. And I'm pretty sure that I... saw Saki-senpai on that screen." Satonaka flinched in surprise, his eyes widening.
"Don't you remember?" Hanamura began again after a pause of silence. "Someone claimed that Ms. Yamano was his soul mate... because he said that he saw her on the midnight channel too."
"O-Oh yeah, that's right..." Satonaka said, remembering something similar to Hanamura's words.
"They're saying that Saki-senpai died pretty much the same way Ms. Yamano did..." Hanamura's hands tightened slightly, struggling to say the word 'Saki-senpai' and 'died' in the same sentence. "I don't know for sure, but... I'm betting it's not a coincidence."
"Wha—? You don't think that...!" Satonaka stammered, baffled by Hanamura's unsaid assumption.
"Your saying that whoever shows up on that T.V channel... Ends up dead?" I asked, wanting to clarify what I was hearing. Satonaka flinched at my words and turns to me with wide eyes and a dangling mouth. I lowered my head slightly as I closed my eyes, considering Hanamura's assumption.
"We all saw Misuzu Hiiragi's posters when we were inside the T.V" Hanamura began. I nodded, taking in what he was saying.
"You think that the world inside the T.V is related to both these murders...?" I asked, not finding the idea completely ridiculous.
"Look, we made our way into that world once, what if Saki-senpai and Ms. Yamano did as well?!" Hanamura said with a strong tone. I nodded once again, slowly opening my eyes. What Hanamura was saying could certainly be the case. Last night with Dojima... Yamano's whereabouts before her death... Konishi's disappearance... That other world... Slowly, I was making connections.
"Yosuke... Dude, you wouldn't..." Satonaka said as he take a step forward towards Hanamura. Hanamura turned around to face us, his eyes having a certain gleam to them that told Satonaka not to come near him. He shoved his phone into his pocket as he looked at me.
"Yeah... I'm thinking about going back in again. I want to find out for myself" Hanamura said with a determined tone, causing Satonaka to tense up.
"D-Don't do this man! You should let the police handle this and—" Satonaka began.
"You think we can rely on the police!? They haven't made any progress on Ms. Yamano's case!" Hanamura shouted angrily, interrupting Satonaka. I winced slightly, feeling a little bad for Dojima. The man barely comes to his home at night for a healthy meal or decent sleep, and people bad mouth about the progress of the recent incidents. Satonaka opened his mouth to argue with Hanamura, but was quickly shut by Hanamura walking towards us.
"Even if we told them about the world inside the T.V, there's no way they're gonna believe us!" Hanamura explained, stopping right in front of the frozen Satonaka. Hanamura looked down at his feet, a grimacing look on his face.
"If I'm completely off-base with this, that's fine..." he began, sounding depressed. "It's just... I need to know why Saki-senpai had to die like this..." Satonaka's eyes narrowed in sympathy as a silence filled the air. I stared at Hanamura with my usual blank expression, understanding why he wanted to go back inside the television. With everything he had seen and put together, there's no way he would just ignore it like the others. Other people haven't seen what we have. Other people haven't made assumptions like he has.
After a moment of nothing but the sound of rain, Hanamura looked at me with a slightly pleading and yet guilty look. Hanamura turned around and began to walk down the hallway. Satonaka took a step forward, extending his arm after Hanamura's back
"W-Where are you going?" Satonaka asked, his voice cracking slightly. Hanamura stopped in his tracks, not facing us.
"...I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be waiting for you guys at Junes" Hanamura instructed before dashing off. Satonaka stared after the door Hanamura escaped from, slowly trying to take in everything Hanamura said. Satonaka let out a long sigh, causing me to look at him.
"Man, that idiot..." Satonaka muttered as he scratched the back of his head. He looked at me with slightly worried and tired eyes. "Come on, let's go after him in case he does something stupid..." I nodded in agreement and the two of us began to walk.
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Before Satonaka and I headed over to Junes, we stopped by our classrooms first and took our bags that had been asked to remain in the classroom before leaving for the assembly. We also brought Hanamura's along, noticing that he hadn't taken it with him.
Once we arrived at Junes, we asked one of the employees where Hanamura was, to which they pointed us in the direction of the electronics department. Upon our arrive at the department, we instantly found him standing in front of the television from yesterday. When we reached his location, we noticed that he was holding in one hand a coil of rope. Noticing us, Hanamura turned around a smile a little.
"You guys came!" Hanamura said with a slightly surprised and yet happy tone, matching his expression. Satonaka crossed his arms over his chest with an annoyed look.
"To stop you, idiot!" Satonaka barked, an eyebrow twitching. Hanamura's cheerful expression suddenly became serious as he turned around.
"It's not going to work, man. I'm going in, and you can't stop me" Hanamura growled with a serious tone. Satonaka's annoyance quickly turned into worry and slight fear as he uncrossed his arms.
"This is crazy! You're not serious about this, right?!" Satonaka asked, slightly freaking out. I couldn't help but feel bad fro Satonaka. Yesterday's experience must have been really terrifying for him. He wasn't thinking straight, not listening to Hanamura's clear determination.
"We've already escaped once before" Hanamura began as he stared at the blank television. "And if we use the same entrance again, then maybe we can meet up with that freaky bear again too." Satonaka flailed his arms around, sweat rolling down his face.
"'Maybe' isn't good enough! There's no way you can know this for sure!" Satonaka argued. Satonaka and Hanamura began to argue, their voices slowly vanishing from my head as I began to think. I looked down at my bag, that I held in my right hand, and pulled out the glasses from yesterday. There was something about that world that had bothered me. I was never really able to put my finger on it, causing me to never actually dispose of the glasses. I recall Igor's words that he has said to me before...
"It seems you will encounter a great misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you."
I gripped onto the glasses slightly, nodding to myself. Someone once said, 'There is no coincidence in this world'. This had to be the mystery and catastrophe that Igor had predicted. It had already taken two people's life's. After what I've experience way back then, there is no way I was going to let someone in this town have anymore lost victims.
I looked over at Hanamura. His eyes look determined. Something was telling me that he might do something foolish if I don't help him. If I tag along, I just might be able to able to protect him if something goes wrong. I looked up at Hanamura, my head down slightly as my eyes locked on him.
"Hold on, Hanamura. I'll go with you" I declared, walking over to him, ignoring Satonaka's gasp. Hanamura blinked at me in surprise before giving me a slightly guilty look.
"I don't want to endanger you, Narukami-chan... But thanks" Hanamura said with a gentle tone. I could feel his gratitude and determination inside his voice. There was no way that I was going to back down now.
"Narukami-chan, don't!" Satonaka protests. "It's too dangerous for a girl to go in there!" Hanamura looked at Satonaka with a look that said, 'you worry to much'. He holds up the coiled rope, a small smile forming on his face.
"Don't worry, Nise. I got a back-up plan" Hanamura announced, his smile widening in victory thinking that the rope would convince Satonaka.
"What the—?! What's with this rope? Hey, Is this a life line!? What if that doesn't work!?" Satonaka exclaims. Satonaka twirls me around by the shoulders, forcing me to face him. I couldn't help but notice that his body was trembling. I blinked at him in surprise, becoming worried now.
"Narukami-chan, you can't do this! If you and Hanamura find something in there..." Satonaka began, his grip on my shoulders tightening slightly. I heard Hanamura sigh a little, a hint of annoyance in his sigh.
"Then why don't you join me, Nise?" Hanamura suggested. Satonaka froze at the idea, his face paling. I stared at Satonaka for a moment, before slowly removing his hands from my shoulders. I lifted my bag and gave it to Satonaka, causing him to blink in surprise.
"You don't have to come, Satonaka-san. What happened last time has clearly gotten you traumatized. I'll go on ahead and take Hanamura" I began calmly, causing Satonaka to open his mouth; ready to argue. I raised my left hand in front of me, causing him to flinch. "If it makes you feel better, I promise that if there's something we can't handle— something that could end our lives— we're coming straight back here." Satonaka stared at me with wide eyes, as I turned to Hanamura who was also staring at me.
"No questions or complaints. Understood?" I said with a slightly strong stare. Hanamura stared at me for a moment, slightly shocked by my words. Hanamura smiles with gratitude and nods.
"Got it" Hanamura replied. He hands one end of the rope to me and the other to Satonaka. "Narukami-chan, tie this end around your waist. Nise, you hold the other end." Satonaka gulps as he grips his end of the rope, not saying a word. He looked a little worried and slightly determined after Hanamura handed him the rope.
I turned towards the television, putting on my glasses before I began to walk towards it. Hanamura puts one hand on my shoulder as I start to climb through the TV. Before we disappear through the screen I hear Satonaka call out "Be careful!"
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Just like yesterday, I squeezed my legs and eyes together as I held my skirt down while I fell. Hanamura must have been expecting this to repeat itself again because he didn't scream in terror like last time.
The two of us landed on hard ground, groaning. I landed right on my back as Hanamura landed next to me on his hands and knees.
"Thank god for gravity, always there to remind us that we're not dreaming...!" Hanamura groaned sarcastically. I sat up on my butt, rubbing my back when I noticed something. The rope that was once tied around Hanamura and my waist was gone.
"Hanamura, the rope...!" I pointed softly, a little too shocked to speak normally. Hanamura blinked at me in confusion before looking down at his waist. He gasped in surprise, touching his stomach where the rope used to be. After a moment, Hanamura groaned with a small sob in the middle, lowering his head.
"Great... There goes our back-up plan" Hanamura mumbled. Suddenly, I heard a familiar squeaking noise approach us quickly. I looked over to the left and saw the strange female bear from yesterday run towards us.
"Hey, it's you again!" the bear squeaked, catching Hanamura's attention. "Why'd you come back here?!" With the help of Hanamura, we rose to our feet and looked around; ignoring the bear's questions.
"It is the same place from last time!" Hanamura said in astonishment, scanning our surroundings.
"You two seem beary suspicious..." the bear muttered, keeping a suspicious gaze on Hanamura and I. Hanamura raised an eyebrow in confusion, paying attention to the bear now. The bear bowed a few times slowly as it thought to itself, unable to nod it's head.
"As of late, someone from the other side has been stuffing people down here before the fog clears up!" the bear began. I blinked in confusion, tilting my head slightly.
"The fog clears up?" I repeated. I exchanged glances with Hanamura, who was just as confused as me before looking back at the bear. "What's significant about that?"
"When it's foggy over on your side, then that's when the fog lifts over here!" the bear explained, moving her arms as she explained. I hummed to myself in thought as I stared at the bear. Now that I think about it... There was something that both of the murders had in common.
"You know what..." I began, catching Hanamura and the bear's attention. "When both of those murders took place, it was pretty foggy over on our side..." Hanamura blinked in surprise as he thought about something.
"Yeah, you know you're right!" Hanamura agreed, nodding with a convinced look. The bear 'hmphed', catching our attention again.
"The two of you have figured out a way to come here on your own, haven't you?!" the bear asked, pointing a paw at us. "Which means if you wanted, you could throw people in here too! So clearly, you guys are the culprits!" I stared at the bear, slightly surprised by her accusation. Hanamura gasped in annoyance as he slashed the air with his left hand to the side.
"What?! That's stupid, you little—!" Hanamura growled, looking ready to attack her. I placed a finger on my chin as I thought for a moment. I looked down at the ground, my hand falling to my chest.
"Hold on a sec..." I began, causing Hanamura to look at me in confusion. "If people are being forcibly sent here... Then there's a chance that Saki-senpai and Ms. Yamano had been here too. If people were thrown in here and there was no way out, they could die. After all, it's not like they could have fallen in here on accident..." The bear pointed at me with her paw again, eyes gleaming.
"Well if they were, it's because you're the ones sending them here! Come clean already!" the bear barked, having enough of Hanamura and I. I looked up at the bear as Hanamura growled through his gritted teeth.
"Look bear, if anyone drags Saki-senpai here against her will, it was probably you!" Hanamura snapped. The bear gasped in shock at the accusation Hanamura made and began to frail her arms around, stammering for words. Hanamura took a step forward towards the bear and glared at her.
"Now take off that ridiculous suit and show us who you really are!" Hanamura demanded before leaping at the bear. He and the bear tumble to the ground. The bear struggles to get back up, but is unable to lift herself up with Hanamura on top of him. I stared at the scene with wide eyes, finding it slightly uncomfortable.
"Get off! Get off of me, you pervert!" the bear screamed. Hanamura grabs the zipper around the bear's neck and unzips it before pulling the head off. Hanamura let out a cry of surprise and horror, stumbling backward and landing on his butt. I gasped softly as I saw the head plop onto the ground. There wasn't a single thing inside the bear.
"W-What the hell?!" Hanamura stuttered, completely frightened by the empty insides of the bear.
"Huh... There's nothing inside" I hummed, placing a hand on my hip. The bear's body sat up, hands flailing around in horror.
"Ugh, weird! How the heck does it work?!" Hanamura squeaked, still in shock at the bears appearance. Feeling a little bad for the thing, I grabbed her head and put it back on her body before bending over slightly to zip it back up. The bear took a deep breath, as if being able to breath once again and looked at me with slightly apologetic and grateful eyes.
"Thanks a lot nice girl!" the bear sighed, still trying to catch her breath.
"You got thicker skin than I thought, Narukami-chan..." I heard Hanamura muttered. I looked over at him and saw that he was staring at me with slightly nervous and yet surprised eyes.
"Look, I'll take your word that you cub and grizzly aren't the ones dumping the bodies here" The bear began, catching my attention as she pushed her head down a little. She began to frail her arms about as small tears formed in her big eyes. "But in exchange, you have gotta agree to find the real culprit, okay?! You have to catch them and make them stop this! Please!!"
"Calm down now..." I said with a soft tone, rubbing the bear's head. The bear suddenly hugged my waist, causing my face to heat up slightly.
"I just want to live in bear-tiful peace and quiet!" the bear sobbed, rubber her big eyes on my stomach.
"Some crazy bear..." Hanamura muttered as he walked over to me, placing his left hand onto his hip.
"I have no one else to turn to! You've got to help me! Please promise me you'll find them?" the bear asked, letting go of my waist to look at both Hanamura and I. Hanamura raised an eyebrow as he leaned towards the bear slightly.
"Now why in the heck would we go and promise you something li—"
"We'll do it" I cut in, causing Hanamura to look at me and exclaim in shock while the bear looked at me with big happy eyes.
"You'll what?!" Hanamura exclaimed, baffled by my words. "No way, you're helping her?!" I nodded in reply as I placed a hand on the bears head.
"Why not? I feel sorry for the little thing" I replied, causing him to blink at me in surprise, loss for words. The bear threw her paws up in the air and jumped up and down.
"This is great, thank you so much!" the bear cheered, continuing to bounce.
"You're an insanely nice chick, aren't ya..." Hanamura muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. He thought about something for a moment before looking over at the bear in slight defeat.
"Okay, I'm in" Hanamura sighed. I clapped my hands together, applauding Hanamura's kindness as the bear looked at Hanamura in surprise.
"You're an insanely nice guy, Hanamura" I said, throwing his words right back at him. He stifled a laugh from my words, looking away. After regaining his composure, Hanamura looked back at the bear and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Yosuke Hanamura, and this is Hitomi Narukami. You got a name?" Hanamura introduced. The bear smiled brightly as she swung her arms back and forth, teetering.
"Berry!" the bear chirped, sounding proud of her name. Hanamura stared at Berry with a bored look before sighing and pointed at her.
"Before we do anything, I want to make this clear! We'll only help you in one condition! You have to help us out, you freaky bear! Once we're done investigating, you have to let us out of here" Hanamura said, a serious tone in his voice. Berry nodded enthusiastically and
"Alright, no problem!" Berry said with enthusiasm, clearly grateful for our assistance before pointing over to the right. "Let's go! I can lead you guys to the place the last person came in, so you can find clues!" Hanamura and I nodded and followed the skipping bear. I narrowed my eyes slightly, a little nervous as we walked.
"I hope that we don't bump into any of those shadows like last time..." I muttered, gripping my hands together. If I had to be perfectly honest with myself, I was a little scared. Sure, I had Izanagi to protect Hanamura, Berry, and I; but what scared me was the 'what if' that swirled in my head.
What if Izanagi and I can't protect Hanamura and Berry? What if we encounter something stronger than those shadows from last time? What if I can't summon Izanagi at all? I shivered a little bit as I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I suddenly felt a hand rest on my shoulder, causing me to look up in surprise. I looked over to my left and saw Hanamura smiling at me.
"Hey, don't worry 'bout anything, 'kay? If push comes to shove, I'll protect you" Hanamura said with a wink, causing my face to heat up. I nodded a thank you to him, causing his smile to widen as before, keeping his attention on Berry.
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I was walking along side Berry in silence, as Hanamura slowed down slightly behind us. I looked around the area with a slightly surprised look on my face. The area looked really familiar. As well it should, because it was almost like the exact replica of the central district in Inaba. Except here, there isn't a single person out on the streets and the sky is red with moving black stripes like back in the apartment complex.
"Ugh, Narukami-chan how can you see though all this fog? I can barely see what's ahead" I heard Hanamura complain. Berry and I stopped in our tracks as we turned around to face him. Hanamura was squinting, trying to take in the area. Berry gasped slightly and began to rummage through her pockets. Berry pulled out a pair of orange, square framed glasses with the rainbow colors on the side like mine and walked over to Hanamura.
"Here, this might help!" Berry said as she gave Hanamura the glasses. Hanamura blinks in confusion at the glasses, but turns around and puts them on. Berry walked back over to me and began to walk ahead while I followed her.
"Oh man, I can see so much better now! Hey wait a sec... This looks sorta like the shopping district" I heard Hanamura say, footsteps intertwining with his voice.
"The last time I saw that girl was right around..." Berry began as she looked around for something. Hanamura caught up to Berry and I, pulling out his iPhone.
"Yo!" Hanamura began, causing Berry to scream in surprise. Hanamura blinked at Berry with a slightly bored and annoyed look as he slide through his pictures, "Hey, spazzy bear! Can it for a sec." Once Hanamura found what he was looking for, he showed it to Berry. It was a picture of Konishi, smiling calmly as she served drinks to people.
"Is this the girl you saw?" Hanamura asked, a slight hint of sadness in his voice. Berry stared at the picture for a split second before nodding and looking on ahead.
"Yep, the beary one" Berry confirmed, causing Hanamura to gasp slightly. Berry looked over to the right where I stood and pointed somewhere ahead.
"I lost her when she entered that store up there" Berry said calmly as Hanamura and I followed his paw. Hanamura's body tensed up as he placed his iPhone back inside his pocket.
"That's Saki-senpai's parents store!" Hanamura said in slight determination and surprise. It was a small store with the main store covered by a silver garage like door. Above the door was a sign that read "Konishi's Liquors". It seemed like it had seen better days, slight signs of rot on the roof. Suddenly, I began to hear female voices murmuring.
"Hey... Do you hear that?" I asked, looking up into the sky; trying to find the source of the voices. Hanamura looked at me in confusion and began to look around, listening intently for anything that sounded unusual.
"I wish Junes would go under."
"I hear that Konishi girl, Saki? They say that she's working there!"
"I can't believe she'd do that. Junes is destroying her families business and everyone else's"
"It's all because of that store!"
"That girl is trouble."
"That poor man, to have his daughter working for the enemy."
"Hey... Whose saying this crap!?" Hanamura shouted, his body trembling with anger. He then bolted towards the liquor store, leaving Berry and I behind with a surprised look on our faces.
"Shut up!" Hanamura shouted as he entered the store. I began to run after him, Berry running beside me.
"Hanamura!" I called out, trying to get his attention.
3rd POV
The frustrated and angry fawn colored haired boy barged into the Konishi's Liquor store, ignoring the calls of his name from his classmate. The interior of the liquor store was dark, with stacks of alcohol reaching to the ceiling; a counter with a cashier on top not to far away from Yosuke. There are voices here as well, this time a man.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Saki?!"
Yosuke gasped at the sound of the mans voice, recognizing it as Saki's father. Yosuke's body began to relax as he listened intently at Saki's father voice.
"Our family has poured our blood, sweat, and tears into 'Konishi Liquors'! How dare you take a part time job at Junes?!"
A sharp pain ached into Yosuke's heart, feeling guilt rush through him. Could Saki's father have yelled at her like this because of her job at Junes? Yosuke shook his head, getting rid of the thought. Saki would have told him what was happening at her house if their was any problem. How come he could hear Saki's father, but not physically see him.
"Hey, whose there?!" Yosuke called out, looking around for a sign of a human being. Hitomi and Berry entered the liquor store, looking around with slightly wide eyes. Suddenly, the sound of something being stepped on caught Yosuke's attention as he looked down at his feet. Yosuke gasped, seeing that what he was stepping on was scraps of the movie ticket that he had give Saki.
"That's the ticket I gave her...!" Yosuke muttered to himself. He blinked in confusion at the shredded ticket. Why would she tear it up?
"I could never tell him..."
Yosuke's eyes widened in surprise. That voice.. It was Saki!
"Saki, that you?! Saki! Saki!!" Yosuke called out, looking around for his familiar co-worker, not caring about his informality of her name. Hitomi stared at Yosuke with slight pity and worry in her eyes. He wasn't thinking straight and was getting to caught up with the voices. Yosuke had forgotten that Saki was already dead.
"Answer me! Where are you?!" Yosuke shouted. No response. Not a single hint of a human existence either.
"That I think Hana-chan..."
Yosuke flinched, his heart suddenly pounding. What about him? Was Saki hiding something from him? What couldn't she have said?
"I think that he's a pain in the ass!"
Yosuke's mind went blank, a staggered breath escaping his lips. All the blood from his face drained as he stood there, stunned. Saki thought that he was... A pain in the ass? The words echoed into Yosuke's head, his eyes widening with small tears. His heart throbbed painfully, as if it was beating against a rose thorn.
"I was only nice to him because he was the store managers son! But he took it the wrong way, and now that idiot totally thinks I like him."
Hitomi flinched at the sound of disgust in Saki's voice, finding her words brutal. Hitomi had thought that there was a slight hint of annoyance from Saki towards Yosuke, but Hitomi was never able to actually think that it was how she felt about him.
"Is that really true...?" Yosuke muttered, sounding heartbroken.
"I don't care about Junes! Same goes for my dad's store, the shopping district, and my parents! I wish that everyone would just die!"
Yosuke suddenly gripped his head, shaking away Saki's voice. Hitomi took a step forward, an arm halfway extended to comfort her classmate when Yosuke fell to his knees.
"It's a lie! Shut up! Stop lying! Saki would never say that!" Yosuke growled, shaking his head furiously. Yosuke kept thinking in his head that everything was a dream, nothing more than an illusion. Saki would never think that! She isn't that kind of girl! It's nothing but a lie!
Suddenly, someone begins to laugh, catching the trio's attention. The laughter had a familiar sound in it, despite the fact that it was distorted.
"It's so sad... No one understands you!" the voice began as the sound of footsteps approached them. Slowly, an outline could be made as a figure walked forward from the shadows between the shelves.
"But the truth is... You're the one who finds everyone and everything to be a pain in the ass!" the voice snickered, a small hint of disgust. Soon, the figure had exposed itself, causing the trio to gasp in surprise and confusion. It was... another Yosuke.
"Because... You're me."