Persona 4: Eyes of Truth [Please Read New Ver.]

The Death of King Moron and The Bullying of Hitomi Narukami

Possible trigger warning. Read this chapter with caution.

Sunday, July 10th | Morning...

3rd POV

Somewhere, in the small rural town of Inaba, there is a young lad playing an old RPG game on his computer, furiously with skill bashing buttons on his silver Playstation controler. The young lad played his game with such rigor and excitement, his breathing is heavy. It's the final round on the game, the lad quickly demolishing health from the final boss. One can say that this young lad is... Not one that most people would associate with. And with the interior of his room, it would make sense. On the wall, there are several pictures of Yukiko Amagi and Kanji Tatsumi, several pictures cluttered together in their respective groups. The room overall was a mess- the futon still out and not made with some dirty laundry left on it, books and paper scattered on the floor. The lights were off and the window was covered with a thick yellow curtain, leaving only the light of the computer screen to light the room.

"It's his fault..." the young lad heaved as his toes gripped the protective rails of his rolling chair. "He did it... He did it!"

The young lad's unkempt black hair covered the lad's eyes as he played, a devilish grin stretching his lips the closer and closer he got to defeating the final boss.

Once the final boss was slain, the words "You Win!" appeared on screen, causing the lad to laugh hysterically and cry out: "Well now! You see that?! I did it! I'm amazing!"

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens echoed through the streets, causing the young lad to stop laughing and instantly jump up to his feet; rushing towards his curtained window. Opening it slightly, the young lad saw two police cars zoom by his street through the fog that was beginning to clear from the previous three nights and two days of rain. The young lad smirked at this, a tingling sensation filling him as he bit his bottom lip.

"Catch me if you can...!" the lad laughed evilly, closing the curtains.

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Noon...

Hitomi's POV

"Damnit!" Kanji grunted as he slammed his left fist to the counter next to him.

Everyone was sitting in complete silence as we listened to the sound of food sizzling in the Chinese restaurant, Aiya. Earlier, the news reported that Kinshiro Morooka, our home room teacher, was found dead while being hanged upside down on a water tower. I was the first to find out since earlier this morning, Dojima had to suddenly leave in the middle of breakfast; saying that something horrible has happened to Morooka. I immediately called the others and told them to keep an eye on the news. If anything were to happen, we had to meet up at Aiya's for lunch. And, well... Something had happened.

"I don't believe it! We followed our theory 'bout people on the news, and King Moron's never been on the news! Or T.V!" Kanji growled, vocally sharing his frustration about the whole situation. Kanji was sitting on the 5th stool form the L-shaped counter where Aiya's chef cooked on the other side. Hanamura, Nise, Yukiko, and I were sitting at a table across from him, Yukiko sitting on my right while Hanamura sat across from me and Nise next to him.

"Yeah, and he didn't appear on the Midnight Channel either" Yukiko pointed out.

Hanamura clicked his tongue in frustration and muttered, "I can't believe this happened...!"

"I thought the theory we had was actually pretty good... but maybe our idea was just a big coincidence" Nise sighed, looking rather upset that we had failed to save someone. "We gotta rethink everything. The Midnight Channel may not even be related to the murders!"

I flinched at Nise's words and lowered my head slightly, muttering, "It has to be...!"

"If it had to be, then why is King Moron dead?!" Hanamura snapped, causing me to flinch. I felt my eyes begin to sting, my heart throbbing painfully; causing me to tightly close my eyes.

"...I'm sorry, but I don't know" I replied.

I was just as confused as everyone else. It had been raining for the past three months and I have been keeping watch on the Midnight Channel all of those nights. No one appeared, like the others had said. So why... Why did Morooka die? Sure, he might not have been the kindest soul, but... No one, no matter how bad of a person they seem, shouldn't be killed in such a way. The only theory I have at the moment in regards to what's going on is that this was a copycat killing case. It's not related at all to the T.V world... But I can't prove that any without any evidence.

"...Hey, bruh- it's my bad. Sorry" I heard Hanamura say, the soft touch of someone- most likely Yukiko- patting my head, catching my attention. Opening my eyes, I looked up to Hanamura as he continued, "This is getting way bigger than us. If the cops can't nab this guy, why the hell did we think we could?" I flinched in surprise at Hanamura's words.

"Whoa, what're you saying?" Kanji began, catching our attention. "We started this thing 'cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows. Yeah, we been outsmarted so far. But this killer is still runnin' around our town! We give up now, and that shithead's gonna be on the loose forever. So what, you gonna puss out?! This ain't the time for bitching and moaning... We just gotta keep on keepin' on!"

No one said anything back to Kanji's speech, their faces sinking. I closed my eyes firmly, and inhaled through my nose. Of course not... not me anyways. But there will be times when we might lose hope... But like Kanji said- the killer is still running around Inaba. It might not be my town, but it is most certainly an important town to me. It is the town where I have made friends and felt more alive in such a long time. I want it to stay that way as long as I am here.

Suddenly, the sound of a bowl was placed down in front of me, snapping me out of my thoughts and opened my eyes. I looked down in front of me and saw an extremely large white bowl filled with meat and an egg on top of it.

"Huh?!" Hanamura exclaimed, surprised by the bowl of meat in front of me. I looked up over at Aika, who had been helping the chef cook, just in time to see Aika pick up another bowl of meat and hand it to Kanji.

"I don't think of any of us actually ordered this...!" Hanamura pointed out as Aika gave a bowl of meat to him and Yukiko. Aika didn't say anything for a moment as she picked up another bowl from the counter.

"It's on the house" Aika began as she walked over to Nise. "We usually only offer this to customers on rainy days, but..." I gasped softly in realization, sudden realization coming to me.

"Wait, that's...?!" I gasped, taking a gulp. "It takes understanding to accept it as a whole, knowledge to set the proper pace, courage to attack the mountain of meat and dedication to keep on eating! All these skills are needed to finish off the MEGA BEEF BOWL!"

There was a moment of silence, which was shortly broken by Hanamura who simply muttered in question, "...what?"

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment as I looked up at him, explaining, "Kou-chan told me about it once after I was helping the basketball train with their new recruits. I've wanted to try it ever since, to be honest."

"Well, thanks, but..." Yukiko began, chuckling a bit; presumably at me. "What's the occasion?"

"Eat it before it gets cold" Aika said simply before walking off to the back.

"Well, we have no choice but to finish this off~!" Nise chirped, snapping his chopsticks apart with a wide smile. I snapped my chopsticks apart and nodded to myself. I'm pretty generous, informed, and fearless. I don't know if it's enough to defeat the enemy... But here goes!

...
...
...

20 min. later...

Hanmura groaned as he whined, "I eat and I eat, but I still can't see the rice!"

The ones who seemed to be doing the most damage to their Mega Beef Bowl was Nise and Kanji, Nise taking the lead. Hanamura was ahead of me and Yukiko was dead last, her bowl looking as if she hadn't even touched it.

...
...
...

40 min. later...

Everyone is groaning in pain, the guy's heads thrown backed- unable to look at the bowl of meat and grease.

Gulp, I shifted around the meat, muttering; "Meat, meat, grease, grease, and more meat..."

"Seriously, this thing's a monster...!" Kanji groaned. Looking over at his bowl- it seemed as if he was the one who had eaten the most, then Nise, then myself, and then Hanamura and Yukiko tied for last place.

"Well, at least we were able to make some sort of dent... I think" Yukiko reassured, a bit unsure if we were victorious.

"This bowl is just way too big!" Hanamura whined. "I don't think I'll ever see the bottom of this thing!"

Looking down at my bowl of meat, I said, "If we keep pushing and don't give up, we'll figure out a way to do this."

"Yeah, you're right" I heard Nise agree. "We'll get there eventually if we keep tryin'!"

"Right, I have no doubt about it!" Yukiko also agreed.

"Yeah... Hell's yeah!" Kanji cheered, gradually getting enthusiastic.

"We may not be able to see the end now..." Hanamura began, "...but no matter what, we just gotta keep pushin' on."

"It won't be easy, but we have to keep at it..." I nodded, a bead of sweat rolling down my jaw. "But it's a pretty big bowl."

"Wha- dude!" Hanamura yelped, catching my attention. I looked over at him and blinked.

He chuckled nervously, a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek, as his eyebrow twitched, saying; "You are a major weirdo sometimes..."

Looking back down at my bowl, I sighed, placing my chopsticks together; "We fought a good fight, but I think it's over."

"That'll be 3,000 yen each" I heard Aika say. I looked up and blinked, a tad surprised to see Aika suddenly standing over us.

"You said it was on the house!" Hanamura and Nise squeaked.

"According to Kou-chan, the Mega Beef Bowl is only free if you finish it. If you fail to tame the majestic bowl of meat, then it's 3,000 yen" I explained, looking at the others.

"You could have told us that sooner so that'd we deny it! I don't have 3,000 yen on me- I'm broke!" Nise whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. I blinked rapidly in worry, a wave of guilt hitting me.

"Then get a job, Nise!" Hanamura snapped.

"I can pay about for three people, myself included" I offered, taking out my wallet. Knowing that we were going to Aiya's, I made sure to bring some money.

"Sorry, but can you pay for mine?" Nise and Kanji asked, shyly. I nodded and pulled out the required money, handing it to Aika.

"You two are utterly useless..." Hanamura sighed as he and Yukiko handed their money. Everyone began to stand and make their way out of the restaurant, the guys heading out first followed by Yukiko. I stayed behind and approached Aika, who was cleaning our table, catching her attention.

"...Nakamura-san" I began with a bow, "Thank you."

Aika stared at me for a moment, her cheeks turning pink before looking away and muttering, "...Don't mention it." I felt a warm sensation wash over me as the corner of my lips twitched before walking out to catch up with the others.

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"If Mr. Morooka was thrown into the television, then Berry would know something about it" I mused as Hanamura and I lead the other's towards the television in the Electronics department of Junes.

"Yeah, and I'm worried on how her recovery is coming along" I heard Yukiko add. I nodded in agreement, feeling slightly guilty for not visiting her during her training.

"Yo, Yosuke- 12 o'clock" I heard Nise point out, causing me to blink and look in the direction that Nise had pointed out, noticing three employee's talking with one another around the T.V aisle. Hanamura and I, along with everyone else, stopped at the sight of them.

"Why are there employee's here? Didn't you say that this department is usually empty?" Nise asked, causing me to look over at Hanamura, who looked just as confused.

"Hope they haven't found out about the T.V" Kanji humed, causing me to recall the scene that we happened just before we had entered. Just before entering the store, a security guard was being escorted out of the building by two of his colleges, screaming about children and strange creatures entering and leaving the televisions. Hanamura gulped loudly and jogged over to where the employee's where.

"Hi, guys! Something going on?" I heard Hanamura ask them as the rest of us walked towards them.

"Oh, Yosuke- perfect timing" one of the gentlemen, slightly taller than Hanamura but shorter than his two colleges, smiled; glad for some reason. "Some girl named 'Doll Berry' is looking for you." I blinked in surprise, my heart throbbing for some reason in pain at this fact. I looked down at my feet, placing a hand to my chest above heart. It hurts for some reason...

"What? 'Doll Berry'?" Hanamura asked, sounding confused. I blinked in surprise, realizing know that the person they might be talking about it...

"A girl is looking for Yosuke? What, does she have a mental illness or something?" Nise laughed, in disbelief. Hanamura turned around and growled at Nise who just smiled mischievously and stuck out his tongue. Looking forward, I made my way over to the area that the man Hanamura was talking to pointed. I could hear the sounds of footsteps after me, letting me know that the others were following. Walking around for a bit around the area, I heard a familiar voice being vibrated over to my left. Looking over, I saw none other than Berry sitting in a vibrating chair.

"This~ is~ amazing~!" Berry giggled happily, oblivious that the others and I were standing right in front of her.

"Whoa, what the-?! I mean, how'd she... Wait, she's here?!" Nise stuttered frantically, catching Berry's attention. Too focused on the comfort of the chair, she simply smiled, her blue fuzzy cheeks turning pink in pleasure.

"Aaaaahhh~ This~ really~ hits~ the spot~! This~ chair~ is~ pretty~ bear-ific~!" Berry giggled, the vibration for the chair vibrating her voice as well. I felt a warm sensation wash over me as the corner of my lips twitch. I also felt a bit relieved knowing that there really was no "Doll Berry" looking for Hanamura. I wasn't entirely sure why, but I was still relieved.

"You look very comfy there" I commented. Berry giggled in agreement, showing little to no sign of actually leaving the chair.

"What the heck are you thinking, comin' here?!" Hanamura snapped, still baffled at the fact that Berry was actually here.

"Are you okay on this side, Berry?" Yukiko asked.

"It's~ about~ time~ you~ guys~ showed~ up~!" Berry hummed. "I've~ been~ waiting~ for~ bear-ever~!"

"You can wait outside of the T.V?" Kanji asked, nervously.

"Who knew that could happen!" Nise exclaimed, extremely stunned by the events.

"Berry is beary full of surprises" I joked, earning a wry chuckle from Yukiko and a groan from Nise.

"Oh god, please don't Narukami-chan... No bear jokes, I hear enough of them from this one" Nise groaned. I felt something tickle the back of my throat as I looked over to Nise and shrugged a little, causing him to blush.

"Yeah, of course I can leave the T.V! There is an exit" Berry explained normally, her voice no longer vibrated, when Hanamura lowered the chair's strength. "It just never crossed my mind to actually use it before. But spending time with you all sparked my curiosity about this world! I did wonder if it was a good idea, but my feet started moving before I could decide."

I nodded in understanding, replying, "Yeah, well... that happens." I heard Hanamura grunt in slight disbelief and surprise by my response.

"Yay! I just knew that you would understand me, Sensei! Us girls have to have each other's back~!" Berry giggled happily, seeming pleased that I understood her reason. She then blinked and continued, "Oh, some guy asked me what my name was, so I told them 'I'm a doll- Berry!'"

I felt a bead of sweat roll down my jaw, thinking it was a strange response, as Hanamura muttered; "Oh, 'Doll Berry'... Makes sense."

"Listen, Berry- there's something really important we need to ask you" Hanamura began, turning off the chair.

Berry pouted as she hopped off, saying, "Yeah, what?"

"Uh... Let's go outside for this" I suggested, looking around. Those three employees might wonder if we found Berry and might come looking around.

"Oh, sounds like a good idea. To the secret headquarters!" Yukiko suddenly squealed, causing everyone- except Berry- to jump in surprise.

"If you shout it out like that, it's not gonna be a secret anymore, Yukiko!" Nise scolded. Yukiko immediately covered her mouth and apologized with a bow. Offer my hand to Berry, she happily took it and we all walked over to the Junes food court.

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"You're absolutely positive that no one was inside the T.V since we were there? You really didn't sense a single person?" Hanamura asked after Berry told us that no one had been in the T.V world, after we had explained the unusual circumstances to her.

"Yes! How many times do I have to tell you- yes!" Berry squeaked in frustration, waving her arms frantically. "I made a full recovery all on my bear-some self! I was utterly, totally, and 100% alone!"

Berry then sulked and sighed, tears welling up in her eyes as she muttered, "But I can understand if you don't believe me... My senses aren't that good lately anyways..." Feeling my face heat up at how cute she looked, I batted her soft, fuzzy head in comfort.

"I believe you, Berry" I hummed in a comforting tone. Berry looked at me and smiled with sparkling, glossy eyes.

"Oh! Sensei's heart is radiating pure kindness...!" Berry sighed, hugging me.

"Aw man" Hanamura sighed, catching my attention. "If King Moron never went into the T.V set, then..."

"...Then somebody must have killed him over in our world" I finished, scratching my right cheek. It has to be something like a copycat killing, right? The positing of the body might be the same, but the cause of death or maybe even the state of the body is different. If only we had some evidence from the investigation...

"He must have- I bet there's only one reason the murder would have killed him over here..." Yukiko began, catching our attention. "Because he stopped having success with the T.V."

"It is possible" Nise agreed, resting his chin on the palm of his head. "I mean, we have saved three people in a row from dying over there."

"So they snuffed someone on our side this time to make sure it worked...? Damnit, it that's true... then we have no way of preventing more murders unless we catch the killer!" Kanji growled, his teeth gritting audibly. Berry, who had been hugging onto me, finally let go and began to fan herself.

"Whew! It's sooooo hot out! I think it's time to get this thing off!" she whined, placing her hands to the sides of her head; ready to pop off her head.

"WHOA! Hey- no!" Hanamura yelped, jumping on Berry's head so that she wouldn't remove her head. I moved over a bit to avoid being hit by Berry's flailing arms as Hanamura continued, "Keep that thing on, we have kids watching! Seeing an empty mascot walkin' around would scar those kids for life! Have a little consideration!"

"Get off of me, you perv!" Berry squeaked in frustration and annoyance. Reaching for the zibber behind her head, Berry added, "Besides, I'm not empty anymore! Off it goes!"

Realizing that Berry was actually serious and saw her begin to unzip her head, I squeaked softly and said, "Wait- Berry!"

Right as Berry's head fell off, I grabbed the top part of her headless body suit and held it up, right as a breeze blew over us- causing me to blink in surprise.

Just like Berry had said, she wasn't empty anymore... Standing inside of the bear suit was a slender, rather pale girl with pretty blue eyes and long golden blonde hair that fluttered in the wind. Berry- or, I suppose, human Berry?- was covered in sweat, her body completely unclothed as I had thought.

"Mm! Nice breeze~!" Berry giggled, looking at me with a charming little smile. I felt multiple drops of sweat begin to roll down my jaw, unsure of how to feel towards this human version of Berry. She was very pretty, but it's a bit unsettling for me to see an actual girl's face instead of cute, large eyes.

"Wha-?!" Hanamura squeaked, a tinge of pink on his cheek before screaming: "OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!"

"No... way...!" I heard Nise stutter, his left eyebrow twitching in disbelief. Berry ignored the surprised expressions of the others and leaned forward- I doing the same to keep Berry's new human body parts concealed- and she reached out for the drink I bought for her.

Taking a few sips, Berry sighed in delight and hummed, "...Yum! I feel totally refreshed!"

"Berry, put your arms through the sleeves..." I instructed, not wanting to hold her bear suit for ever. Berry nodded obediently and did as I say, the front part of her body perfectly protected.

Sighing, I asked, "So, um... How did you manage to get a human appearance like this?"

"Well, you see, I grew this body so that I could try and score with Nise-kun and Kanji-kun! I made sure to look like an extra cute girl so I wouldn't fail!" Berry giggled bashfully, smiling at Nise and Kanji with a blushed face. Surprised, I looked over t the duo who were both red in the face, drops of sweat rolling down their faces.

"Y-You grew a human body just to score?!" Nise stuttered, sounding rather angry.

Kanji was too stunned at the fact that Berry went through all the trouble of growing a female form that all he managed to say was: "H-Huh...?"

"I really wish we'd drop that subject..." Yukiko sighed, pursing her lips together.

"Oh yeah!" Berry gasped, catching my attention. She looked over at me and blinked nervously, placing her bear-suit hands to her chest and said shyly; "Sensei, are there any clothes around? I'm as naked as a newborn baby right now!"

"I noticed" I commented as more sweat fell from my face. I think one of the only things on the plus side about this is that Berry just might be flat-chested...

"Holy shit, you're-?!" all the guys squeaked, their faces becoming redder than it was before. Yukiko and Nise stood up, marching over to her.

"Berry, come with us!" Yukiko demanded, grabbing the front and back of Berry's bear suit to make sure that Berry's human body was perfectly concealed to the best of her abilities. "Whatever you do Nise, don't look down!"

"I don't plan on it- just keep her suit on!" Nise barked, looking over at me. When our eyes met, Nise immediately looked forward, his face turning even redder than before. With the strength and speed of the two, Nise and Yukiko swiftly dragged Berry away, leaving only Hanamura, Kanji, and myself alone.

"She said she's not hollow anymore... So, like... The bear grew a human inside herself...?" Kanji muttered, still looking and sounding embarrassed.

"Good for her" I said with a nod, looking over to Kanji who just blinked nervously at my response.

"I totally freaked out... What kinda creature would do that?! Damn bear!" Hanamura groaned, sitting down next to me in exhaustion.

"Berry is Berry. There's no way to explain her" I pointed out, patting Hanamura's back in comfort.

"Clearly... And it's not like this is hardly the first bizarre thing we've seen" Hanamura chuckled weakly. Looking back and forth between Hanamura and Kanji, I decided to give them a minute to get themselves together before suggesting that we head over to Kujikawa's place to check up on him.

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"Mmmm-mmm! It's finally the season for Topsicles again!" Kanji cheered as he happily chewed on his fifth cherry flavored topsicle. Once Hanamura and Kanji had recovered from the extreme shock that was human Berry, I texted Yukiko to meet us in the shopping district in front of the Souzai Daigaku where Kanji had managed to convince the owner to give him and Hanamura some of her specialty Topsicles. The owner offered to give me some, but I wasn't exactly in a cherry mood, so I politely rejected her. But that didn't stop her from giving me one. And now I have a slowly melting topsicle in my hand.

"I'm glad that you're enjoying them Kanji-kun, but you might get a stomach ache if you eat any more. You did eat that Mega Beef Bowl earlier" I pointed out, concerned for Kanji. He simply smiled and gave a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry about me- I can eat a meal like that and twenty of these without getting sick!" Kanji reassured. However, that only caused me to become more worried.

"H-Hey, guys... Sorry we're late..." I heard Nise gasp, catching the others and my attention. I gasped in astonishment and the girl standing in front of Nise and Yukiko who had moved over to the side walk. It was Berry, dressed in a lovely white laced dress shirt with the collar popped out, a button or two undown, and a lovely red rose pinned to her left bosom. Berry was also wearing an elegant black knee high skirt with matching black panty-hose and black pumps to compliment it.

"So uh... Are you Berry?" Hanamura managed to ask, just as tranced as I was earlier.

"Oui, monsieur! The one and only~! What'd you guys think?" Berry giggled, doing a little twirl. I applauded, flustered, as I tried to think of the proper response to Berry's French.
"Erm, um... C'est magnifique... Uh, i-it looks good on you" I complimented, feeling a bit embarrassed. I wasn't very good at French. English was more my forte thanks to Senpai.

"Don't encourage her- please..." Nise whispered, looking exhausted. Worried, I offered him my topsicle, to which he blushed and accepted with a shy smile.

"This is wrong... Come on, who are you really?" Hanamura protested, placing his hands on his hips with a disbelieving frown.

"Look, I didn't believe it at first either..." Nise sighed as he took a bite of the topsicle, looking a bit better than before. "But trust me- she's definitely Berry... In fact, she's so much like Berry, it's annoying." I blinked in surprise and looked over at Berry who was occupied in swaying her skirt to watch it dance.

"She went completely bear-serk in the boys underware department" Yukiko sighed, her face red in presumably embarrassment.

"Yukiko- don't" Nise and Hanamura said with a sigh.

"You think so?" Berry asked, looking over at Nise, hearing what he had said.

"Listen up here, Berry!" Nise sighed. "If you're gonna unzip and turn into a human, then you gotta control your impulses- okay?!" Berry winced at Nise's voice and looked down at the ground with sad eyes.

"Aw, but... It's my first time here..." Berry whimpered, sounding as if she was ready to cry. Feeling bad for Berry, I walked over to her and batted her head- which was pretty easy thanks to her being roughly two inches shorter than me... Around 5 feet, I'd say.

"N-No!" Nise began, sounding flustered. "W-We're not mad, we're just giving you advice!" Yukiko finished.

Berry looked up and over at them with a bright smile and sighed in relief, "Thank goodness! I was afraid that you two hated me now!"

"Ugh... this girl is alotta work, let me tell you" Nise sighed, shortly taking another bite of his topsicle.

"I'm tired just from watching, you guys" Hanamura and Kanji groaned at the same time.

"Oh, hey..." Yukiko began. "Has anyone seen Berry's head?"

I blinked in realization, muttering "Ah...!" I looked over at Hanamura who also looked over at me, a bead of sweat on his jaw.

"Shoot, we must have forgotten it back at the table" Hanamura sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll go get it, you guys stay here" I instructed, shortly running off before any of them could object. How would I have forgotten Berry's head of all things?

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I blinked nervously at the empty table in front of me, scratching my right cheek.

"Oh dear... It's not here?" I muttered to myself. The place where Berry's head should have been left behind wasn't there... With this being Japan, there's no way that someone stole it... Which means that it was moved around somewhere in Junes. I hummed in thought as I crossed my arms over my chest. Which department should I even start looking at?

"Hm? Well, well! If it isn't Hitomi Narukami!" a familiar rather deep yet warming voice called it. I turned around and saw Hanase, Hanamura's father, approach me with a wide smile as if seeing a daughter he hadn't seen in years.

"O-Oh, hello Hanamura-san" I stuttered, feeling a bit shy once again about talking with Hanamura's father. It felt a little awkward

"Please, feel free to call me Hanase. Any friend of my goofball of a son is welcomed in my book!" Hanase laughed warmly, causing my earlier shyness to practically melt away. However, this didn't last very long when Hanase suddenly took my hand and extended it up, examining my arm. I let out a soft squeak in surprise.

"I see you're as slender as ever! You're barely packing in any meat on your bones!" Hanase laughed, lowering my arm and patting my hand in a comforting way to apologize for his sudden actions. "Y'know, my wife- Aimi- loves cooking! You should come on over one day and eat dinner with us! I'm sure Yosuke would be very very pleased with that." I blinked rapidly in surprise by the invitation. I was intrigued and wanted to go and meet Hanamura's mother... I suppose a dinner with his parent's would be an alright opportunity to do so.

"Erm, well... I-I suppose so? I'll think about it" I stuttered, eyeing Hanase's hands that were still holding mine.

"Wonderful!" Hanase cheered, letting go of my hand at last. "Oh, speaking of cooking- you were the one who cooked for Yosuke on his birthday right?"

I blinked in surprise at the question and nodded, saying, "Yes, that was me. I apologise if that took away you're family time with him."

"Pft- don't worry about it! His mother and I haven't seen our boy with a smile accompanied by tears in a long time!" Hanase chuckled, his brown eyes comforting me with a warmth I never knew existed. They had a similar feel to Hanamura's...

"That idiot- he was choked up all because you had cooked and baked for him! When his mother found out- boy! She wanted to meet you desperately and thank you for opening her eyes as to how to properly celebrate Yosuke's birthday! Because of how busy we would be sometimes, we always went out to eat and buy a cake for him- nothing home made" Hanase rambled with laughs here and there. I felt my heart skip a beat for some reason at his story. So, I made Hanamura cry tears of joy...? My vision blurred for a moment as I felt my face heat up.

"Well, I..." I began, shyly. "I'm... glad that he enjoyed it..." I felt my heart skip another beat by this, causing me to place a hand on my chest.

After a moment, I gasped in realization, saying, "Oh, right! Um, if something was left on the tables here, where would they go?"

"Hm? Any lost objects can be found at the lost and found in the Grocery department near the seafood aisle" Hanase explained.

"I see. Thank you!" I said quickly with a bow before running off. I heard Hanase call out "You're welcome" as I ran.

Entering the grocery department, I began to frantically looking around for Berry head- remembering Hanamura's words about it being able to scar children. I wanted to find it quickly and save the innocent children.

As I wandered around, I noticed a familiar head of brown pigtails being confronted by a suspicious boy my age with black hair and a yellow shirt.

"...Nanako?" I muttered under my breath, able to recognise the girl. The boy suddenly began to reach forward towards Nanako, a devilish smirk stretching his lips. Startled, I ran over to the scene and slapped away the boy's hand before it touched Nanako.

"Big Sis...!" I heard her whimper, moving behind me. I stared at the boy as he growled, turning his attention at me- a drop of sweat rolling down his jaw.

The boy had a rather worrying appearance, with messy black hair that is parted slightly in the middle, an ashen complexion with a peach tint, and a beauty mark under his left eye. His eyes, which seem to scream at me the most, are unlike any that I have ever seen- being extremely deep and pitch black without visible pupils, shaded over his long eyelashes that surprisingly complimented his thin eyebrows and very pronounced lips.

"Is there something wrong..." I began, before realizing that I had seen this boy before. It wasn't exactly for very long, but... I blinked in realization, remembering him as the boy who tried to give Yukiko the 'D' as Nise put it.

"Oh, you're that one guy from before...!" I muttered under my breath.

"Who the... Who the hell are you?!" the boy asked, sounding slightly scared and yet angry. I stood my ground and lowered my head slightly, to make myself seem more intimidating towards him. It seemed to have worked, surprisingly enough, causing the boy to flinch and run away with the click of his tongue.

Sighing in relief, I looked over and patted Nanako's head, asking, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks to you Big Sis" Nanako smiled slightly, still looking a bit scared. "He was really scary... all I wanted was the pickled radish for Daddy..." I patted Nanako's head gently to comfort her.

"Well, I don't think he meant to be so scary about it. Maybe he was having a bad day" I said, not wanting Nanako to become negative.

"Maybe..." Nanko hummed, seeming to like that idea. "Anyway, what're you doing here?"

"Oh, that's right...!" I gasped, remembering my original goal. "...Well, it can wait. Why don't we go and buy some trout for dinner tonight? We'll be able to use the fresh veggies in our garden."

Nanako's face light up with a wide smile, cheering: "Yay, I'm shopping with Big Sis!"

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"Took you long enough" Hanamura commented with a relieved tone as I ran towards the others where they had awaited me.

"Sorry, I had to swing by my house" I explained, panting softly as I handed Berry's head back to her.

"Oh, my beautiful head!" Berry sighed in relief, twirling around with her head in her arms. "I'm so glad that I got you back! Thank you, you're so nice to me Sensei!"

"You're welcome" I replied, taking a deep breath to regulate my breathing. "Are you happy you're not empty?"

Berry smiled and nodded, saying, "Yeah! But..." Berry looked down at her head, hiding a little behind it. "...It's just, I still have no idea who I am." I blinked in sympathy to Berry's dilemma before reaching out and patting her human head.

"Let me help you with your search, Berry. We'll find your inner you" I reassured, stroking her surprisingly soft hair.

"Se-Se-Se-Se-Se-Sensei!" Berry stammered, her eyes glistening with tears. She then giggled and smiled in gratitude, "Yeah! We're gonna find the real me together! With Ryo-kun!" I nodded in agreement, glad that she was happy again.

"Why is she... so perky?" I heard Kanji ask, catching my attention. Looking over my shoulder, I saw that everyone was watching the little scene Berry and I were playing, causing me to become embarrassed. Shyly, I stroked Berry's head once more before taking a step back.

"She's been acting like that all day" Yukiko explained. "She's like a little kid in Wonderland."

"Now if only she could behave herself- I'm sure that she'd be pretty cute" Nise sighed with a small smile, his arms crossed over his chest. Hanamura groaned loudly, catching our attention.

"Alright, fine. Take this" Hanamura sighed as he handed what appeared to be a 1000 yen bill to Kanji.

"Huh? What's that for?" Kanji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Go get some Topsicles or ice cream and candy or whatever you want- just share it with Berry" Hanamura sighed.

"Look at that, you're loaded!" Berry exclaimed, surprised by Hanamura's generous actions.

"He is the Prince of Junes" I pointed out, causing Berry to hum in awe.

"I can't just take this from you" Kanji tried to reject, but Hanamura stuffed his hands into his pockets so that Kanji couldn't hand it to him.

"Think of it as a welcome-back party for Berry. Just don't go around making a racket" Hanamura replied with teasing smile.

"Looks like you have some use after all, huh Pervs-ke?" Berry joked.

Hanamura shot a look to Berry, growling, "Do you want the candy or not?"

"Wahh! I want it, I want it! I'm sorry!" Berry wailed, jogging in place, causing Hanamura to smirk.

"Nice job, Yosuke! That was very mature- er, most of it was!" Nise randomly complemented, catching my attention.

"Huh?" Hanamura humed, giving a bored look to Nise.

"You know, it's really nice to see your grown-up side. Acting like a real senpai and all" Nise continued, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm glad Yosuke's developing into such a mature adult. Because adults never sweat the small stuff, do they?" There was a pause of silence as we all stared at Nise in confusion as to what he was saying.

"Okay- you're acting stupid" Hanamura finally said with a sigh, breaking the silence. "You either have a favor to ask or you're up to something. I don't wanna play the guessing game, so spill- what is it?"

"Well, you see..." Nise began, looking away as a drop of sweat rolled down his jaw. "It's about Berry's clothes, that's all. We didn't have the money for them, so we charged the rest to you."

"WHAT?!" Hanamura yelped. "Hold on, you mean I'm paying?! What the hell, Nise?! I NEVER said you could do that!"

"Don't get mad at me! I'm broke remember?!" Nise snapped back. "Besides, no one else has a tab there and the difference between cheap and expensive is like, by a digit. Not my fault Junes is so expensive."

"That is seriously one of the most inconsiderate things you have ever done to me, man! You should know that I just bought a new motor and I'm broke!" Hanamura whimpered, angrily.

"Don't ya go and let Narukami-chan put stuff on your tab? Why not just a little bit more from us?" Nise pointed out, jerking his thumb over at me. I blinked nervously in guilt, sweat rolling down my face. I still have to pay Hanamura back...

"I let Narukami-chan do it because at least I know that whether I told her to or not, she's going to pay me back!" Hanamura began. I nodded shyly in agreement as he continued, "I'm pretty sure out of all of us, she's the most mature and kindest. Why don't you go and learn a few things from her, crybaby Nise?" Yukiko and I flinched by Hanamura's insult as Nise shot a dangerous glare.

"Oh, you have crossed the line...!" Nise growled, rolling up his sleeves.

"Whoa hot stuff! There's no need to fight over me~!" Berry giggled bashfully, placing her hands to her cheeks.

"You shuddup!" Nise and Hanamura yelled, causing her to squeak and behind me.

"This is all you're stupid fault anyway! If you put even a single tear in it, I'll make your next set of clothes out of the bear hide you took off! Got it?!" Hanamura growled, pointing at Berry in a threatening manner. Berry nodded in understanding, shortly causing Hanamura and Nise to return to their arguing.

"Yo Berry, don't let it get you down. C'mon. Let's go get some Topsicles" Kanji said caringly to Berry as he passed by us.

"Yay!" Berry giggled, her face turning red. But before running off, she looked over at me in surprise. "Oh! Sensei, I almost forgot!"

Berry stuffed a hand into the pocket of her skirt and handed me a pair of glasses, saying,"Here- these are for Ryo-kun. Please be sure he get's them."

"Sure, will do" I said with a nod, putting them into my own pocket. Berry smiled and turned around, running off to where Kanji patiently waited. A warm feeling washed over me at the sight before I turned around, facing the arguing duo.

"Um..." Yukiko began, catching my attention. "Let's go on ahead... I think they're going to be a while."

Looking back at the two, I nodded in agreement and replied, "Sounds good."

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Yukiko and I walked together towards the Marukyu Tofu shop, still hearing Nise and Hanamura argue. Just as we begin to approach the shop, a familiar looking boy stepped out. Noticing us, the boy looked over and approached us. I blinked in realization, identifying the boy as the girl who's trying to be a guy.

"So, we meet again... I had a feeling you'd come" the girl huffed, looking rather pleased and yet annoyed that we were here.

"Wait, aren't you...?" Yukiko hummed, trying to recall who the detective girl was.

The girl didn't pay her much mind as she looked at me with a pair of rather menacing eyes, asking, "You here to win over Ryo Kujikawa next?" I blinked in surprise by the girl's word, slightly shocked.

Suddenly, I heard Hanamura call out: "Narukami-chan!" Blinking in surprise, I turned around and saw Hanamura and Nise run over to me, shortly standing in front of Yukiko and I.

"Oh, so you're all here" the girl continued as I walked over to Hanamura's side so I can continue to be a part of the conversation. "I haven't properly introduced myself. Naoto Shirogane. Detective. I'm currently helping the police with the investigations of the serial murders." I blinked in surprise at the girl's introduction. Such a small girl is a detective? Ah, I guess that explains her voice and clothes...

"You're a detective?" Yukiko asked, surprised.

"That's right" Shirogane confirmed with a nod. "Actually, would you mind if I asked your take on something?"

"Wha-What is it?" Hanamura asked, sounding a bit nervous. To calm him down a bit, I gently touched his arm, causing him to flinch and then relax.

"As you know, our latest victim was Kinshiro Morooka" Shirogane began. "I believe that he was a teacher at your school, correct?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Nise scoffed, sounding very suspicious and even a bit annoyed.

"The second victim was Sake Konishi, who also attended your school" Shirogane continued. "The media is way too focused on that right now- but it's irrelevant. There is something far more important to discuss..."

"Like what? Stop beatin' around the bush!" Hanamura snapped, a bit annoyed.

Shirogane stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "Your Mr. Morooka... was never on television before he died."

I flinched in surprise, wondering how she was aware of the television.

"Isn't that interesting...?" Shirogane asked, glancing over at me.

"...Not particularly" I replied, our eyes locking. We stared at each other for a moment before she looked away with a soft sigh.

"...Well alright then" Shirogane began, adjusting her hat. "Look, all I want to do is close this case as fast as I possibly can. Which means that I'll be keeping my eye on you."

Turning around, Shirogane calmly walked away, muttering "See ya" as she waved.

Once Shirogane was out of our sight, Nise let out a scoff and asked, "What was that all about?"

"Beats me. He's a weird, short, little man" Hanamura replied with a shrug. Knowing that he was calm again, I let go of his arm and walked to the front of the group.

"Well, let's go and get Kujikawa-san" I instructed. The other's nodded in agreement and, following my lead, we all walked inside the tofu shop.

"Excuse me..." I called out politely. Within a minute, Kujikawa's grandmother appeared from behind the blue curtain.

"Oh, it's you! I'm sorry, I never caught your name" Kujikawa's grandmother smiled. I nodded hello and walked forward as the others stayed near the entrance.

"Narukami. Hitomi Narukami, ma'am" I introduced, bowing.

"Hitomi... 'The beautiful gaze'. What a lovely name" Kujikawa's grandmother complimented.

"Thank you, ma'am" I thanked shyly, bowing. She chuckled sweetly as I stood back up, just in time to see Kujikawa enter the shop from behind the blue curtain like his grandmother.

"Oh, hey guys... Perfect timing, I'm on break now" Kujikawa greeted, dressed in the same outfit as when I had met him, aside from his black beanie and black sunglasses.

Nodding hello to him, Yukiko walked up next to me and said, "We want to talk to you about something..."

"Oh, right" Kujikawa blinked, before walking over to his grandmother. "Grandma, I'ma gonna go out for a while. I'll be back before my break is over."

"Alright. I'm not worried if Hitomi-chan is with you" Kujikawa's grandmother chuckled, looking over at me.

"Right..." Kujikawa chuckled weakly. After saying goodbye, Kujikawa lead us all to Tatsuhime Shrine in silence.

"Sorry for bringing you all the way out here..." Kujikawa apologized as he rubbed the back of his head. "I don't want my grandma to worry, and if she heard what we were talking about.. She just might."

"Are you feeling any better?" I asked, concerned for his health.

"I am. Thanks" Kujikawa replied with a small smile.

"So... Do you remember anything?" Yukiko asked shyly. Kujikawa looked up at the sky and blinked in thought.

"I don't... really remember" Kujkawa hummed.

"You don't, Kujikawa-san?" I asked, slightly disappointed.

"No... not everything, anyway. It's all kinda blurry..." Kujikawa began, looking back down at us. "I think... it was during closing time. I was reading while taking a break from cleaning up the shop when there was... I think a ring on the doorbell? Grandma was in the bath, so I went to open it... someone was there- shorter than me, I think- and... I think they punched me in the gut or something to make me keel over... after that, I don't... really know."

"Aw man, this blows..." Hanamura sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "So you have no idea at all who pushed you into the T.V?"

"Yeah... All I can remember after getting hit is waking up on the other side" Kujikawa replied.

"That's the same story for Kanji-kun and myself" Yukiko hummed. "Although, you do know a bit more than we do."

"Uh, well, like I said- it's all kinda blurry. So I might have just imagined it..." Kujikawa explained, a bit nervously.

"Um, listen..." Kujikawa began, looking nervous.

"Hm? What is it?" I asked.

"Thank you, for saving my life guys..." Kujikawa began. He then looked up and smiled a bright, genuine smile, cheering; "I'm happier than I've been in forever!"

I blinked twice in surprise caught off guard by the sudden change, shortly relaxing as a warm feeling washed over me.

"Haha, well yeah- of course!" Nise laughed, sounding surprised as well.

"Talk about an ideal smile! He's so cool!" Hanamura squealed. "Quick, Nise kick me! I gotta make sure I'm really talkin' to Ryouta here!"

"You sure 'bout that? You might not be able to walk for a while, because I'm planing for a critical hit to the nads...!" Nise smirked, sounding sinister. Hanamura whimpered, quickly shaking his head as sweat fell from his face. Kujikawa smiled and chuckled at the two.

"Heh! I know I sounded gloomy and all from the stress. But it's like a weight has been lifted and, well, since you all saved my life; I didn't want to make you guys dislike me" Kujikawa explained, looking a tad embarrassed. He then blinked and gasped. "Oh shoot! Er... Do I sound weird? Oh, wait! I-I guess this sounds a bit more 'natural' to the public..." Flustered, Kujikawa looked away and sighed, running a hand through his fair.

"I'm sorry... I've practically lost touch with what the normal me is like..." Kujikawa chuckled sadly.

"It's fine- no need to apologize. Just do what comes naturally" I suggested, tilting my head slightly. Kujikawa blinked in surprise before smile.

"I think everyone has multiple sides to them. You don't have to force yourself to decide on just one" Yukiko added with a smile.

"Thanks..." Kujikawa thanked with a shy smile. "Heh- I'm glad that you're the first people I got to know here."

"Guess we'll be the three amigo's after all" I joked, catching Kujikawa's attention. Realizing what I was referring to, he let out a laugh.

"Sounds good to me!" he laughed, his cheeks turning pink. Once he stopped laughing, he looked at me with serious yet gentle eyes.

"So, what do you think? Do I add something to the group?" Kujikawa asked. "Can I help you all find this guy?"

"Sure" I replied simply with a nod, pulling out the glasses that Berry had given to me. I walked towards Kujikawa and handed them to him, saying, "I think you'd make a great addition to the team"

"Whoa, thanks!" Kujikawa exclaimed, taking the blue glasses from my hands- shortly putting them on. He looked rather nice with them on, the light blue color complimenting him nicely.

"This is proof that I'm one of you all now!" Kujikawa smiled. "They're great! They're just like the ones you guys wear!"

"Yep, you're officially part of the group" I said with a nod.

"Haha! I'm so glad we're all friends!" Kujikawa laughed, blushing.

"Dude, I'm friends with Ryouta!" Hanamura exclaimed, catching our attention. "Yes! Finally, my teen years don't totally suck!" Kujikawa and Yukiko laughed slightly at this as Nise sighed in slight annoyance. Hearing the sound of sticks breaking, I turned around and saw Kanji approaching us by himself.

"Yo. How's it going? You ain't gonna believe this..." Kanji began, sweat rolling down his jaw. "...But Berry ate five Topsicles!"

"I-Is she alright?" I asked, blinking nervously.

"Yeah, she's fine. Though if you count the ones I had before, that makes six, so I still win" Kanji smirked, looking proud.

Thinking it was necessary, I applauded and said, "Congratulations."

"You know, no one asked, Kanji..." Hanamura sighed.

"We're all done talking already" Kujikawa commented, taking off his glasses and stuffing them into his pockets. He then looked at me and smiled brightly, hooking his arm with mine, causing me to squeak in surprise.

"Let's go, Hitomi!" Kujikawa cheered, causing my heart to skip a beat- a bit caught off guard by the sudden name calling. Practically everyone gasped in surprise by Kujikawa's name calling for me.

"Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoawhoa!" Hanamura said as he grabbed my shoulder, separating me from Kujikawa. "Hold it right there! First off, Narukami-chan is your senpai- treat her like one. And second off, Narukami-chan is your senpai! You don't get to be on a first name basis after a few encounters, got it?!" I felt my heart skip a beat at Hanamura's words, blinking several times in surprise.

"Yeesh, I didn't know that you had such an uptight boyfriend" Kujikawa said in a surprised tone, causing my heart to skip another beat as my face heated up.

"Wha-?!" Hanamura gawked, letting go of my shoulder. I looked up at him in surprise, noticing his red face as he gritted his teeth. "I-I'm not her boyfriend. But--"

"Then I don't see why you're being so bossy" Kujikawa interrupted, hooking arms with me again. There was a moment of intense silence as everyone watched the little scene happening before them.

"...Pft! It's a joke! Lighten up, will you?" Kujikawa laughed, swatting his hand to show that he really was just joking around. I let out a soft sigh, cooling down my face and relaxing my heart.

"Uh... When did you get so chipper?" Kanji asked, catching our attention.

"A while ago" Kujikawa said with a smile. "Oh, do you go to Yasogami, like Hitomi-senpai? I'll be starting school there tomorrow, so I hope we get along too."

"Huh? Oh... cool" Kanji muttered, blinking nervously. "Uhh... What grade are you in?"

"I'm a first year- of high school. Don't want you thinking that I'm going to a middle school now" Kujikawa teased. Yukiko struggled to hold in a laugh as Kanji glared a little at Kujikawa.

"Can it, smart ass" Kanji growled. Kujikawa laughed, showing that he meant no harm.

"Right, well... Kanji, where's Berry?" Hanamura suddenly asked, changing the subject.

"She's over there, finishing up her fifth Topsicle" Kanji explained as he jerked his thumb behind him to the stairs leading up here. "What are we gonna do with her?"

"Well..." Hanamura sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Augh, what a pain. I guess I'll take her home..." I blinked in surprise at this, something hurting me as I stared in admiration at Hanamura's kindness.

"Oh, really? A guy and a girl living under the same roof. How can we be sure that you guys will behave?" Nise asked, tying his hands behind his head.

"Because my old man and mom would skin me alive twice if something even suggested that. Besides, out of everyone here, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one rocking a four bedroom place. It'll be fine" Hanamura explained, sighing.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Hanamura" I apologized, catching his attention. He looked at me for a moment with a normal look, before looking away- his expression in pain. I blinked in surprise at this, my heart wincing.

"Don't worry about it" Hanamura sighed. "Let's call it a day... Sadly though, mine won't be over for a while." Everyone nodded and decided to head their own way. With the pain in my heart, I decided to call it a day as well. Besides, I had some cooking to do with Nanako...

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Evening...

I sat down across from Nanako in my usual spot as I quietly ate my trout that I had bought earlier today with Nanako while the television played. The meal was that of a simple one, my mind continuously wandering towards Hanamura's pained expression. Did I do something to hurt him...? I let out a soft sigh, the pain from earlier stabbing me once again. I don't want to see such an expression on Hanamura again... Hopefully, he'll be back to his usual self tomorrow.

"Good evening, this is Niteline News. Our top story for the night concerns the latest developments in an ongoing story... " a nazly voice began, catching my attention. I looked over to the television and saw a picture of Morooka on screen, causing me to flinch. So... He really has been murdered.

"The serial murder case in Inaba has claimed a third victim. The news shocked local residents, who had not seen another murder in three months, and assumed the spree had reached its end. The deceased taught at a local high school. Since his body was found arranged in a similar manner as the last two victims..." the nazly male announcer continued. Not wanting to pay attention to it anymore, I looked back down at my food and continued to eat.

"What's wrong? Was it someone you know?" I heard Nanako asked. I looked up and saw her eyes focused on me, having taken notice of my earlier actions.

Swallowing the food in my mouth, I looked down and said, "Yes... That was my homeroom teacher. But, he..."

"...He died?" Nanako finished for me. I flinched by her words and looked back up at her, noticing that she was looking rather scared, her chopsticks trembling slightly in her hand.

"Hey, now... I'm here with you" I comforted. Nanako looked back up at me and smiled a little, seeming to have calmed down a little.

"I'm all right..." Nanako reassured softly, seeming somewhat relieved. I felt the corner of my lips twitch, a warm feeling washing over me.

"...This marks the second consecutive death, after Ms. Saki Konishi's, where the target was involved with Yasogami High" the announcer continued once again, catching our attention. "Mr. Morooka was known for his strict teaching methods, and is said to have had constant friction with his students. The police will be pursuing this line of inquiry, and are planning to begin a large-scale investigation tomorrow. We now turn to our reporter at the scene for more details..." I let out a soft sigh as I grabbed the remote and switched the channel to a more child-friendly show. The news seems livelier than usual this evening...

"Dad won't be coming home again today..." Nanako sighed, catching my attention. She looked rather sad about missing another night and early morning with her father once again. Feeling my own pain of sadness pinching me at the sight of Nanako, I decided to do another magic trick. I placed my chopsticks down on the table respectfully and wiggled my left fingers while I held my left forearm with my right hand. This caught Nanako's attention, her eyes focused on me. Without her noticing, I bet my left thumb down 90 degrees before replacing it with my right thumb, covering it with my pointer and index finger. Nanako stared intently at me as I made no moment, increasing tension. Once the moment was right, I moved my right hand away from my left hand, making it appear to Nanako that I had just moved my thumb to my right hand from my left.

"Huh? Do it again, do it again!" Nanako begged, blinking rapidly in awe and interest. Nodding, I did the same thing, and once it was right- I moved my thumb from my left hand to my right.

Nanako gasped and leaned forward towards me, cheering, "It moved! Hey, how did you do that? Tell me, tell me!"

"A magician never tells her secret, don't you know?" I teased, causing Nanako to giggle.

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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.

"Welcome..." the man with the long nose, known as Igor, greeted. He was the one responsible for calling Hitomi here- the Velvet Room.

"Do not be alarmed. You are fast asleep in the real world...I have summoned you within your dreams" Igor explained, raising a hand. "How are things proceeding...? Are you gradually drawing nearer to a solution to the mystery...?"

Hitomi let out a sigh and shook her head, saying "I honestly don't know."

Igor chuckled, saying, "Indeed. The fog clouding your path is thick..."

The platinum-blonde haired woman next to him, known as Margaret, looked up; a serious expression on her face.

"The season has changed, but your future is not yet closed. In time, a path will open to you" Margaret said. Hitomi nodded, understanding.

"Now... your journey will soon reach its climax... And as a result, many challenges--which I cannot foresee at present-- await you. Most interesting..." Igor hummed before chuckling. "Well, until we meet again... Farewell." Hitomi nodded farewell and slowly closed her eyes as the world around her began to turn dark.

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Monday, July 11th | Early morning...

Dark gray clouds loomed over the town of Inaba this morning as the young generations walked, tired, towards their school. Hitomi was walking by herself as usual, staring up at the sky.

The clouds represent how I feel right now, Hitomi thought to herself as she sighed, looking forward. She was nervous for today, after seeing the pained expression on Yosuke's face yesterday and having heard of the death of Morooka. What if Yosuke was still upset at her? What if the other students talk badly of Morooka? Hitomi let out a long sigh, not excited in the very least to head to school.

"Yo, Narukami-chan!" a familiar voice called out to Hitomi. Hitomi flinched and shyly looked over her shoulder, afraid to see the expression the person who called out to her was wearing. Hitomi had heard the voice so often- she knew right away that it was Yosuke- which only made her worried. But much to Hitomi's surprise, Yosuke had his usual smile and cheerful air around him like always as he caught up to her and began to walk by her side.

"Oh, good morning..." Hitomi greeted, her heart skipping a beat- glad that her best friend and important person was back to his old self. But that didn't take away all of Hitomi's troubles, as she let out a soft sigh, looking forward again.

"Hey, what's wrong? Didn't get enough sleep again?" Yosuke asked, worried about Hitomi's health. She simply shook her head in reply. Yosuke raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what could be wrong... When an idea came into his head.

"Oh, I get it... It's about King Moron, isn't it?" Yosuke asked, a bit more gently than he normally would have. Hitomi flinched and looked up at Yosuke before looking forward again, shyly.

Yosuke still remember how Hitomi reacted when those two girls bad mouthed Saki... Hitomi upright said that they had "rude manners" for talking badly about the dead. Recalling that time made Yosuke's heart squeeze for some reason in a painful way, causing his eyes to narrow in pain. But the pain quickly vanished when Yosuke thought about how kind and sweet Hitomi was for thinking like that... She was almost like an angel to him- an unreal and beautiful creature. And when she leaves by the end of spring... She'll fly back up to heaven. A sudden sharp pain pierced Yosuke's heart, painful enough to make his vision blur with tears. He quickly blinked them away, forcing himself to snap out of his thoughts and focus on Hitomi.

"...It's a bit hard for me to believe it. Our homeroom teacher... killed" Hitomi admitted, sounding a bit shy.

"Will you be alright?" Yosuke asked, concerned.

"Yeah... I'll be fine. I just hope I don't hear many people talk badly about him" Hitomi replied with a nod, her tone sad. "It hurts me when I hear someone speaking badly of the dead..." Yosuke felt himself unconsciously blush at the cuteness Hitomi was unpurposefully expressing, causing him to wrap his arm around her neck and ruffle her hair.

"Well maybe that's because you're too sugary sweet for your own good! Like a strawberry shortcake, haha!" Yosuke laughed, recalling the cake Hitomi had baked for her. The two unconsciously blushed, recalling the night of Yosuke's birthday.

Struggling for the two to walk in such a position, Yosuke let go of Hitomi and stuffed his hands into his pockets, saying, "...In all seriousness, if we start getting depressed over something like this, we'll never catch the killer. Besides, we'll be getting a new homeroom teacher."

"I wonder who it'll be?" Hitomi thought out loud with a hum.
"Hopefully not someone worse than King Moron" Yosuke laughed nervously, a drop of sweat rolling down his jaw.

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Morning...

Hitomi was sitting at her desk next to Nise, Yukiko, and Yosuke as always- listening intently to the conversations buzzing in the classroom.

"Is that story about King Moron real...?" a female student asked, catching Hitomi's attention.

"Apparently it is. It was on T.V...!" another confirmed.

"More importantly, is it true that Ryouta is transferring to our school?!" two girls asked at the same time. Hitomi let out a relieved sigh, glad that no one plans on talking badly about the late Morooka. Hitomi didn't mind if no one talked about him- as long as no one said anything bad, she was all right with it.

Suddenly, the doors to the classroom opened- causing the class to fall silent as students who were standing rushed to their seats. Hitomi sat up straight to make a good first impression and watched the teacher walk inside the classroom towards the teacher's desk. The new teacher was a woman with shoulder-length, light brown hair and flashing brown eyes that bounced playfully among each of her students. Hitomi found her new teacher to be a bit of an attractive woman... if it weren't for the teacher's slightly unbuttoned, lavender collared shirt with a rather tight dark purple skirt.

"Well now, good morning..." the teacher began in her sultry voice, stopping right next to the teacher's desk. As if on purpose, the teacher crossed her arms below her rather large breast, causing them to bounce. This caused the class to stifle a gasp, rather uncomfortable and agitated by the woman's suggestive clothing.

"As of today, I will be your new homeroom teacher. I'm Noriko Kashiwagi, and I'll be taking the place of the late Mr. Morooka. Nice to meet you~" the teacher introduced with a wink. "I don't mean to dive right in, but I should remind you that the finals are next week. But be careful, don't let my bewitching presence distract your from your studies~!"

"I already can't stand her..." a female student muttered softly, earning a few grunts in replies.

"First King Moron and now Kashiwagi...? How much worse can it get?" a male student groaned, softly.

"King Moron to Kashiwagi...! It's scholastic whiplash...!" Yosuke whimpered, lowering his head to hide himself from her view using Hitomi as a shield.

"She is will in doubt..." Hitomi commented softly.

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After school...

Hitomi's POV

Once school was over for the day, I instructed Hanamura to message Kanji and Kujikawa so that everyone could gather at the secret headquarters in Junes for us to talk. I didn't give him the specifics, wanting to make sure that everyone arrived.

"Okay, so I messaged the others to go and head towards the secret headquarters if. I specifically told Ryo where it was too, so it'll turn out" Hanamura said as he stuffed his iPhone into his pocket, with a smile. Hanamura, Nise, Yukiko and myself were walking on ahead to the secret headquarters- since the four of us have the scame class.

"Thanks" I said with a nod, looking forward again. I suddenly stopped walking as I blinked in surprise, recognizing a familiar unkempt blacked haired boy wearing a yellow shirt.

"Yukiko..." the guy muttered, approaching us.

"That guy... He's the one who almost hurt Nanako...!" I whispered to Hanamura, having already informed him about my encounter via text last night before falling asleep. Hanamura flinched at my information and walked in front of me, as if protecting me from the boy.

"You again...! You got a lotta balls coming back here!" Nise growled, seeming to have remembered him.

"Come on... Come with me, Yukiko" the boy mused, ignoring Nise's rather threatening growl. "Come to my world!" The boy then reached out and grabbed Yukiko's arm, causing her to squeak in surprise and fear.

"Yo, back off creep!" Nise snapped as he pried the boy off of Yukiko.

"You back off! This isn't about you!" the boy snapped back with a glare, causing Nise and myself to flinch. He looked back over to Yukiko with a rather pleading look and extended his hand.

"Yukiko... You're gonna come with me... Right?" the boy asked, a sad and yearning tone in his voice.

"Just who exactly... are you?" Yukiko asked, nervously. I blinked in surprise and looked over at her, noticing that Nise was looking at her just as nervous. "Have we... met before?"

"Sheesh, you totally wiped this freak from your memory" Nise commented, a drop of sweat rolling down his jaw. I looked back over at the boy, noticing the anger, shock, and humiliation growing in his eyes.

"Are you messing with me?! Huh?! How dare you!!" the boy barked. A knot began to grow in my stomach as I felt sweat roll down my face. Stepping to the side from Hanamura, I took a few steps forward, catching the boy's attention.

"Let's just all calm down..." I muttered, another drop of sweat rolling down my face.

"Shut up! You're not a part of this either, you stupid bitch!" the boy barked, causing me to flinch. I suddenly felt my left shoulder grabbed from behind me, pulling me back. Looking up, I saw a rather angry Kanji with his teeth gritting- his other hand holding his school bag over his shoulder.

"Who the hell are you?" Kanji growled as he let go of my shoulder and walked towards the boy. "Who made you high and mighty to talk that way to Narukami-senpai...?!" The boy took a few steps back, sweating nervously in fear.

After a moment, the boy gritted his feet and turned around, yelling; "You moron! You'll regret this!" as he ran away. There was a moment of silence as we stared off in the distance that the boy ran in.

"What's his problem, yo?" Kanji asked, breaking the silence as he looked over at us. Nise and Hanamura shook their heads, unsure of what had even happened. Looking around, I noticed that we had created a scene, several other students staring at us in possible concern, surprise, and confusion. Embarrassed, I quickly walked behind the others and began to gently push them forward, causing them to walk towards our destination.

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"So, why did you want us all to come here?" Hanamura asked once everyone, including Kujikawa who joined us halfway to Junes, sat down at our secret headquarters table. Hanamura sat across from me, Nise next to him, and Kanji next to him. Yukiko sat besides me with Kujikawa at the end. I folded my hands in front of my mouth and closed my eyes, inhaling through my nose.

"I know that solving this case is important..." I began slowly, growing tension. I then pulled out a piece of paper and mechanical pencil, continuing, "...But we still have school and with finals coming up, we should form a schedule that won't interfere with our studying or finding the killer. It will be the end of the semester too, so our grades will be important." The other's, besides from Yukiko who giggled, flinched- causing Nise and Hanamura to smack their faces on the table.

"Augh, seriously? Bleagh!" Nise complained, sticking out his tongue as he and Hanamura sat back up. I scratched my right cheek before placing my paper and mechanical pencil down on the table.

"Well... It's been a while since I failed any subjects" Nise sighed in defeat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, if by 'a while' you mean 'all the time'" Hanamura remarked, causing Nise to flinch.

"Sh-Shut up! Like you've ever seen my scores!" Nise stammered, looking embarrassed.

"But Nise always has above-average marks in the subjects that he doesn't fail!" Yukiko pointed out. I felt a drop of sweat roll down my cheek, wondering how Nise will continue to the next school year and not be held back.

"H-Hey, you! Why'd you tell him?!" Nise stammered, slamming a hand to the table. He then looked around the table and stuttered, "Look, my scores just... Vary! Yeah, that's it!" Kujikawa began to chuckle, trying hard to stifle it.

"Aw come on, seriously? You too, Ryo?" Nise whined, covering his face with his hands.

"Sorry, sorry... I'm not laughing at you" Kujikawa began, waving at Nise. "It's just... I thought it would take me a while to make any friends at my new school."

"Too bad we met under such awful circumstances" Nise sighed, seeming to have recovered. Kujikawa nodded and leaned forward, looking over at me with a cheeky smile.

"At least they weren't as bad as when I first met Hitomi-senpai, haha!" Kujikawa laughed.

"Again, sorry about all that..." I muttered, shyly. Kujikawa chuckled before looking over to the others.

"But, as I was saying, just on the first day I'm here hanging out after school with all of you!" Kujikawa continued. "It's... refreshing, honestly." I felt a warm feeling wash over me at Kujikawa's words as the corner of my lips twitched.

"Glad that we make you feel that way" I commented. I picked up my mechanical pencil and pointed the erase at the other's. "Now, with that out of the way... Let's talk finals." The guys groaned in unison, Hanamura and Nise smacking their faces to the table again.

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After two hours and many off topic discussions, we all finally decided that... We should just wing it. The guys couldn't really concentrate and planned on just studying during the weekend. I was a bit hard on Nise since he didn't have to work or help out his family's shop, but Yukiko came to his rescue by saying that she would study with him for a bit.

"You really don't have to walk me to my temporary residence, Kujikawa-san" I said as Kujikawa and I walked towards the Dojima residence. Kujikawa insisted on walking me there and wouldn't take no for an answer. Hanamura and Nise seemed a bit upset by it, but I just couldn't turn him down. He is surprisingly persistent.

"Ryo or Ryouta's fine. And it's no big deal- your place is on the way over, anyways" Kujikawa reassured with a smile.

"Actually, your place is on the way to my destination... Ryo-kun" I replied, shyly muttering his first name.

"Haha... Looks like I've been caught" Ryo chuckled softly. "In all honesty, I wanted to walk with you alone because I wanted to thank you once again... Not only for saving my life, but for giving me five new friends- including yourself- within a few short days. It's the best thing, I think... anyone has ever given to me."

I blinked in surprise at the tone of gratitude in Ryo's voice before nodding and saying, "It's no problem. That's what a senpai is supposed to do, right?"

"Ah, right...! Gee, I keep forgetting that you're older than me" Ryo laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know what it is, but you seem younger than you actually are."

"You seem to not be the only one... Kanji-kun thought the same thing to once we got him out of the television and he was back in school" I commented. Ryo laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, from what I can tell so far, Kanji's a bit-" Ryo began.

"Ryouta!" two high-pitched voices suddenly called out, interrupting Ryo. Ryo and I turned around and saw two girls run towards Ryo, accidentally pushing me away from him.

"Hey, hey! I thought you said that you'd hang out with us! We waited forever for you at the school's entrance! It's not so nice to ditch a couple of girls like that, you know?" one of the girls with a heart shaped hair clip huffed, playfully.

"Er, sorry... Something suddenly came up, so I had to hang out with my friends" Ryo apologized nervously, looking a bit guilty.

"Well, now that you're alone, let's go and hang out! You told us that you'd tell us what kind of girl you liked, remember~?" the other girl wearing a white headband cooed, blushing a bit. I blinked nervously at her words, thinking it was a tad rude to have not only pushed me away from Ryo but also to not see me.

"What kind of girl...?" Ryo hummed, sounding a bit nervous. He then turned around and looked at me with wide eyes. After a moment, he suddenly smiled brightly and walked over towards me. I blinked in surprise, feeling my heart skip a beat for some reason at his smile.

"That's this girl right here!" Ryo cheered as he grabbed me by the shoulder's, moving me in front of him as if showing me off to the two girls. My heart skipped another beat as I blinked rapidly.

"H-Huh?" I squeaked. The other girls looked at me in surprise, looking a tad surprised and a bit disappointed.

"Hitomi Narukami- who is a friend and senpai! She is one of the best girls in the whole world. A true one of a kind and a special person to me! I think I'm even tempted to calling her my favorite person!" Ryo said with a smile and a chuckle.

"Aw, that's no fair and yet totally sweet!" the girl with the white headband said with a small smile.

"Narukami? Oh, the transfer student in class 2-2, right?" the heart hair-pin girl asked. I nodded, confirming it. "Oh, i've been hearing lots of things about you! You really seem to like helping people out, huh?"

I blinked at the girl's question, feeling slightly shy, and explained, "Um, well... I only have this year to be in Inaba, and I want to do what I can to help it."

"Really?! I think that's really pretty cool of you! You don't see a lot of people like that now-a-days; the generous types, y'know?" the heart hair-pined girl pointed out, smiling warmly as if in approval.

"Aw, it's no wonder that Ryouta likes you! I'm jealous!" the white headband girl giggled with a sad smile plastered on her face.

"Aw, come on. There's no need for the green monster to be a part of you...!" Ryo chuckled nervously as he waved his right hand at the girls while still holding onto me with his left.

"Then how about joining us for a bite at Aiya's? It's pretty good!" the white headband girl suggested, blushing a bit as she stood up on her tiptoes. The heart hair-pin girl gently slapped the white headband girl on her arm.

"Hey, come on- can't you take a hint? He's walking Narukami home!" the heart hair-pin girl huffed, sounding disappointed at her friend.

"Oh, don't worry about me, my destination isn't that far now" I reassured, catching the girl's attention. I felt Ryo's hand on my shoulder tense up for a moment, seeming surprised. Gently removing his hand, I took a step away from the group and looked at Ryo who looked sadly disappointed.

"Ryo-kun, go with these girls. Aiya's has some nice meat there- enjoy it" I insisted. Ryo blinked in surprise before pouting slightly. I blinked in surprise at this, finding it strange for him to be so upset. Sure, it was slightly rude, but I didn't want to be the one responsible for disappointing his fans.

After a moment, Ryo sighed and smiled at the girls, saying, "Well, if there's meat involved, I can't say no now can I?"

"Wowie! So nice! Thanks, Narukami!" the girls said at the same time, squealing at Ryo's smile. I nodded in reply as the girls began to pull Ryo over in the direction to Aiya's.

Looking over his shoulder, Ryo smiled and called out, "See ya tomorrow, Senpai!"

"Have fun!" I called out at the trio. Once they were out of my sight, I turned around and began to walk to the Dojima residence.

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Tuesday, July 12th | Early morning...

I stared up at the raindrops falling and sliding down transparent umbrella, finding the melodies of the rain rather... Frightening today. It was just like the two nights prior to Morooka's death... There was something strange in the sound of the rain those nights as well. I let out a sigh as I shivered, worried about how the end results of today will turn out. Hopefully nothing will happen. Hopefully it was just me reading too much into the weather.

"Hey, good morning, Hi-chan!" I heard a familiar voice call out. Blinking in surprise, I stopped and turned around- noticing a red umbrella rushing towards me. The owner, of course, was none other than Yukiko.

"Oh, good morning" I greeted with a nod once she had caught up with me, the two of us beginning to walk towards the school again. "Unusual for you to be out here at this time. Aren't you usually at the school?" I asked recalling the many times Yukiko had beaten the other's and I- already sitting at her desk by the time we walk in the classroom.

"Yes- I'm in charge of updating the school boards in the morning and afternoon. But, well... Nise was worried that guy from yesterday would be back, so he told me that he was going to do it for me and that I should take my time" Yukiko explained, an unusual relaxed smile and pink cheeks accompanying her.

"I see. Very considerate of him" I commented.

"Yeah. That guy was super scary..." Yukiko whispered, presumably not wanting anyone else to know.

"He really was" I agreed with a nod as I looked forward. "I'm glad that Kanji interfered when he did."

"Mm-hmm..." Yukiko agreed. "You know, on the way home yesterday, Nise started crying."

"What, really?" I asked in slight surprise, looking over to Yukiko.

"Yeah. He said that for a minute, that guy looked almost like he would pull out a weapon and Nise started getting scared" Yukiko began, sounding a bit... entranced with each word that spilled from her lips. "He was also crying because he was really glad that Kanji came around."

"Hm... That seems like something Nise would cry about. A while ago, he cried at the sight of corn turned into knives" I commented, looking forward again as I recalled the astonished tears that formed in his eyes. Of course, they were just simple baby tears that vanished after wiping them away- I almost didn't noticed he had cried.

"Oh... So he's cried personally in front of you..." Yukiko grumbled, catching my attention. Looking over at her she seemed rather... Upset or worried at the fact I had seen Nise cried.

Blinking in surprise, I asked, "Is something wrong with that?"

"N-No, not really!" Yukiko quickly replied, looking conflicted and apologetic. Blinking in confusion, I looked forward; unconsciously creating an awkward silence between Yukiko and I.

"Um... Hi-chan, can I ask you a question?" Yukiko asked after three minutes of silence.

"Yes?" I mused, without looking over at her.

There was a short pause of silence before she shyly asked, "...How do you feel about Nise?"

"How do I feel?" I repeated, blinking twice. I hummed in thought for a moment, tilting my head. "Um... good? He's a really good guy. Even though he tends to cry over a lot of things, he's really brave and cool. He's also really funny and cheerful. I like that about him."

"L-Like?!" Yukiko squeaked, causing me to jump in surprise and look at her. She seemed rather flushed in the face, blinking rapidly.

"Y-Yeah...! Like" I repeated, nervously.

"A-As in... Like like?" Yukiko asked, her face becoming redder, leaning in.

"Is there a difference?" I asked, confused as to what she was insisting. Yukiko blinked in surprise, the red color draining from her face as if she was broken free from a spell.

"O-Oh, so that's what you mean... Nevermind, then" Yukiko sighed, looking rather relieved. I blinked in confusion as to what had just happened before mentally shrugging and looked forward once again.

"...Hi-chan, I think I'm starting to like Nise" Yukiko muttered, shyly.

"Huh?" I hummed, looking over to her. Noticing the shy look on her face, I blinked in realization and gasped softly. "You mean romantically?!"

"Shhh! Not so loud!" Yukiko shushed, putting a finger in front of her lips as her face became redder, sweat rolling down her jaw. "...But yes, that's what I mean."

I felt a warm sensation wash over me as the corner of my lips twitched. But it suddenly vanished when I recalled Yukiko's words from a few days ago.

"Wait, I thought you said you would never see him like that" I pointed out.

"I did say that, but... After all the things that's been happening, I think my eyes have opened and..." Yukiko began, looking forward sheepishly. "...I might have liked him for a really long time." The warm feeling returned to me as I blinked.

"Congratulations on recognizing your feelings, Yukiko-chan! I wish you two the best" I cheered quietly, putting my hand to her shoulder- which felt a bit awkward since she was four inches taller than me at around 5'5.

"Th-Thank you..." Yukiko giggled, looking very embarrassed but happy. That expression quickly gave way though, turning into one of sadness as she looked down. "Although, I think he might be..."

"...He might be what?" I asked, a bit concerned. Yukiko looked at me with pained eyes, her expression seeming to wail "If only I was wrong". I blinked in surprise, my hand suddenly losing strength and dropping down to my side.

After a minute, Yukiko shook her head and smiled, looking better. "...Nothing. I'm probably seeing it wrong." Blinking in surprise by the mood changed, I looked forward in confusion. Why did Yukiko look at me with such an expression...? Had I done something wrong...?

My train of thought was suddenly cut off when a guy zoomed by Yukiko and myself, panting "I'm gonna be late!" I blinked in surprise after him, noticing that the boy was the same one who had the tendency to run to school the same way every other day. Suddenly, I felt something sharp scratch my right cheek, causing me to flinch. Shortly afterwards, I felt something hit my right eye, causing me to unconsciously squeak out in pain.

"Huh? A-Are you alright?" Yukiko asked, stopping next to me. I placed a hand to my right eye, blinking rapidly to try and ease the stinging. Yukiko blinked in concern as she reached out and grabbed something on my right shoulder.

"Wha- a pebble?" Yukiko stammered, holding up three little pebbles with rather sharp looking edges.

"I guess that boy running just now kicked some at me on accident" I hummed, dropping my hand to the side, no longer feeling pain or irritation. Yukiko huffed as she tossed the pebbles to the side, the two of us continuing our way to school.

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Morning...

"Remember guys, the finals are starting next week. If you fail, you'll have to attend our lovely summer school" Kashiwagi began starting the class. "Anyway, today, we're talking about sex linkage. Sex linkage inheritance is dependent on allosomes." Half of the class shifted in a rather uncomfortable manner, seeming a bit uneasy to hear the word "sex" coming out from Kashiwagi's mouth. Not that I could blame them... Kashiwagi's appearance is sadly suggestive to some inappropriate activities. Although, I'm sure she's a nice woman.

"To say it simply, it's genetic inheritance that's caused by whatever decides if you're male or female" Kashiwagi continued. "An example is calico cats. Calico cats are almost entirely female. Not that there aren't any boys, but apparently there's only one out of several tens of thousands." I blinked in surprise at the new information given, causing me to pick up my mechanical pencil and jot down some notes. Secretly, I am a big fan of the feline species. My family had never owned a cat since they were allergic and feared that I was as well- but that didn't stop me from becoming friends with all the stray cats in the neighborhood.

"Maybe these rare calicos are very popular with the ladies?" Kashiwagi giggled, earning a few uncomfortable groans of discomfort from the male students. Some of the female students also groaned- but more in annoyance than discomfort.

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3rd POV

Once the school day had come to an end, Yosuke let out a long sigh of relief. The days leading up to exams were always the most tedious- not only with the stress in the air but with the unending amount of work each class would give. For some reason, they thought it would be wise to shove more and more information down a student's throat before exam week instead of reviewing the material that would be covered. Many students, like Yosuke and Nise, found the process exhausting.

"Aw, crap..." Yosuke muttered, watching some of his classmates wiping down the math equations Nakayama had written down earlier. Yosuke sighed, unsure as to what to do now when suddenly- Hitomi stood up, ready to leave for the day; her skirt fluttering as she did so. Yosuke blushed and immediately sat up straight, clearing his throat softly. Sometimes when Hitomi is in a rush, she would stand up quickly, causing her skirt to flutter. If Yosuke rested his head on his desk, there was a slight possibility of him catching a glimpse of her underwear...

"Hey, Narukami-chan?" Yosuke said, grabbing his bag as he stood up. Hitomi blinked and turned around, looking up at Yosuke in a way that seemed as if she was giving him permission to speak. "Sorry about this, but I didn't get a chance to write down the last two equations- can you help me out?"

Hitomi blinked a few times in surprise, and tilted her head, asking, "You mean like study together?"

"Yeah, more or less" Yosuke replied with a nod.

Hitomi blinked and nodded, saying, "Alright, sure." This brought a smile to Yosuke's face, glad for some reason that Hitomi didn't even take a minute to think about accepting his proposal.

"Cool! Let's head for the library. And while we're there, we can review some stuff for the exams" Yosuke cheered with a bright smile. Hitomi blinked in surprise at Yosuke's.

"Look at you, taking my studying plan seriously" Hitomi commented, giving him a thumbs up. Yosuke blinked before winking with a silly smile.

"Hey, if I get to copy your notes why not get some private lessons, y'know? Take advantage of my time with you!" Yosuke replied. However, poor Yosuke wasn't aware of how loud he was nor how bad his words sounded to those who heard it without context.

Some of the girls in the class looked disgusted at the oblivious Yosuke while few smiled- thinking that Yosuke and Hitomi looked cute together and seemed to have a good chemistry together. Some of the guys laughed while others just smiled while raising an eyebrow- all of them thinking that Yosuke was waaaaaay out of his league this time by going after Hitomi. It wasn't exactly a public thing, but Hitomi had managed to capture several hearts of the second year male students. She didn't have a big fan base like Yukiko or Kou, but she definitely had some. If only Hitomi had learned how to smile, or change her facial expression in general, she would have captured almost every man's heart in the school. After all, it wasn't exactly a secret that Hitomi was beautiful.

Nise, who was standing next to Hitomi and Yosuke, glared as he looked at Yosuke. "Dude- you talk way too loud." Yosuke and Hitomi blinked in surprise at Nise's words, causing Yosuke to turn around and notice the several students looking at them.

A trio of boys sitting on their desks nearby all smiled and laughed, one of them saying, "Good to hear you're after the girls that are outta your league as always, Yosuke!" Yosuke blushed at their words, raising an eyebrow as he blinked twice.

"Hey, shut up you guys! You're getting the wrong idea!" Yosuke laughed weakly, as Nise taped Hitomi on the shoulder, the two of them going into a conversation.

"You know, they don't look half bad together" another boy of the trio commented.

"Wha?" Yosuke gasped, his face becoming red. Noticing the redness to his face, the three boys 'ooh'ed and began to laugh.

"Yosuke and Hitomi sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" the trio sang, mockingly. Yosuke gritted his teeth as his face became redder, marching his way over to them.

"Now you guys are just being idiots! What are you, five? Knock it off already!" Yosuke growled, shortly laughing at the trio's stupidity. The other boys laughed along with Yosuke, shortly bidding him farewell when Yosuke noticed that Hitomi was ready to leave.

Walking towards the library, Yosuke still smiling at the trio's idiocy, Hitomi blinked in surprise as she noticed someone standing in front of the fire alarm button.

Hitomi blinked, recognizing it to be Ryo. "Hm?"

"Hey, it's Ryo!" Yosuke exclaimed, noticing him. The two walked over to Ryo as he stared intently at the red button, a look of resistance and temptation on his face.

"I wanna push it... It's so tempting... But I can't; I'm an idol...!" Ryo muttered to himself, trying hard not to push the button.

"Pushing it would be very bad, indeed" Hitomi commented, having heard what Ryo muttered.

"Don't be a kid, now" Yosuke added.

Ryo yelped in surprise, looking over at his two senpai's with a blushed face. "A-Ah, Hitomi-senpai and Yosuke-senpai too?! Y-Y-You guys weren't listening, were you?"

"We heard you" Hitomi replied, bluntly. Ryo flinched, his face becoming red with embarrassment.

"Aw, man..." Ryo sighed. "Well, uh... Be nice to me, okay? I just transferred here, and it's time for exams already, haha!" Hitomi nodded, having already planned to be nice to her kohai. Hitomi was the type of girl who treated almost everyone equally: good people or bad, younger or people of her own age. Of course, adults or those older than her were treated with much more respect than she would of any normal person.

"Oh, you know, that makes me wonder... Just what kind of student are you, Ryo? You're the one that studies lots, right? So the ladies would swoon over you with your good grades?" Yosuke asked, a grin stretching his lips. Talking with Ryo in the flesh was a dream come true... Ryo was the type of person Yosuke had always dreamed of being. The type who would walk into a room and nearly capture everyone girl's heart. It wasn't for anything stupid like to just have girls fall all over him, but just to always have someone to talk to. Yosuke had considered himself as one with good looks- so why waste it?

Ryo laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck, saying, "Hate to say it, but I actually can't focus all that well when I'm studying. So, I actually rarely do it..." Hitomi blinked in surprise, a little disappointed that Ryo was a bad student to some degree. She had hope that he would be the one out of the guys in the group to actually have a good studying habit.

"Whoa, no way! I have the same problem!" Yosuke exclaimed, pointing to himself happily. "I'm becoming closer and closer to being a ladies man!" Hitomi and Ryo felt a bead of sweat roll down their jaws as Yosuke entered a dream-like state, his body practically glowing as his eyes sparkled in an almost cartoonish way.

"Careful Hitomi-senpai... If Yosuke-senpai really does become a ladies man, he'll start bringing you trouble" Ryo commented, looking over to Hitomi. Hitomi blinked and shook her head in reply.

"I'm sure I'll be fine" she reassured, looking back over to Yosuke. "I've managed to handle this much of him, anyways." Ryo blinked in surprise before laughing.

"Hahah! Well, if he ever starts becoming a bother, just look for me and I'll help you out" Ryo laughed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Hitomi nodded in reply, the corner of her lips twitching slightly. Ryo smiled and looked up ahead, the color of his face suddenly paling.

"Uh-oh... I see some fan-girls..." Ryo muttered, sounding scared, causing Yosuke to snap out of whatever state he was in.

Ryo turned around and began to walk away as he said, "See ya, guys. I better move it before I get surrounded again." Yosuke and Hitomi blinked as they watched Ryo walk down the stairs at the end of the hallway.

"So even Ryo has girl problems, huh?" Yosuke mused, looking over his shoulder to where Ryo looked. But to his surprise, there wasn't any lovelorn fangirl nearby. Yosuke blinked in confusion as he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head.

There aren't any fangirls around, but... Something seems off... Yosuke thought to himself as he noticed a rather strange atmosphere in the air directed towards him and Hitomi. Yosuke hummed in thought before shrugging it off, thinking it was a part of his imagination.

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A good two hours had passed, rain still pouring down from the sky, as Hitomi and Yosuke walked down the stairs leading to the entrance of the school. Yosuke had managed to actually get some work done and not only start to understand the math problems they had been doing in class, but even proficiently managed to review and understand the materials that might be on the exams! It was a miracle, truly. Although, it embarasses Yosuke to think too much on their studying time together since he had made the most childish mistake of all... Not using the formula's he had memorized. Yosuke had managed to memorise several formulas for math, but he actually hasn't been using them in the math equations. Hitomi noticed this and told Yosuke that he had to start actually using the formals, a certain sound in her voice that made it almost seem like she was struggling not to laugh. It was cute but at the same time embarrassing for Yosuke.

"Look, I'm just saying! With so many formulas, they should have a formula sheet with like a little example on how to use each formula!" Yosuke laughed weakly, still a bit embarrassed. In fact, he was so embarrassed that he was actually five steps ahead of Hitomi without even noticing.

Upon reaching the entrance, Yosuke blinked in surprise, noticing three girls who appeared to be first years due to the slight changes of the uniform design suddenly dashing outside with umbrellas; leaving a locker from the second year open.

Were those girls messing in Hitomi's shoe locker? Yosuke wondered, recognizing Hitomi's locker from afar based on the level it was on. Hitomi's locker was right below Yosuke's and to the left of Yukiko and Nise's. Curious as to what they were doing, Yosuke walked over to Hitomi's locker and peeked inside.

...Wha-?! Yosuke gasped, anger and surprise soon boiling within his blood. Clear as day, Yosuke saw several tacks sticking up from the base of Hitomi's outdoor shoes. Yosuke quickly took out her shoes and carefully picked out the tacks, stuffing them in his pockets. Luckily for him, it seemed as if Yosuke managed to scare the girls off before they had began to really stuff the tacks in. Once all the tacks were pulled out, Yosuke quickly closed Hitomi's locker to make it seem as if nothing had happened. Yosuke let out a long sigh, closing his eyes. If there were tacks in Hitomi's shoes, then that means...

"Hey, Hanamura. Look who I found" Hitomi called out, causing Yosuke to flinch. Looking over to the stairs, he saw Hitomi and Kanji walking towards him from the left side of the hallway- telling Yosuke that when she reached the bottom floor, she noticed Kanji, approached and talked to him, before leading him to the entrance.

"Kanji? What are you doing here?" Yosuke asked as they stopped next to him.

"I fell asleep trying to teach Ryo some English" Kanji sighed as he scratched his head, looking drowsy and annoyed. "When I woke up, he was already gone. Little brat, thinking he can ditch me when I'm passed out. He was the one who even asked me to help him out..." Yosuke blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's weird- we saw him on our way over to the library. He was by himself and he wanted to push the alarm" Yosuke mused.

"Maybe he was carried away by some fans? That happened yesterday when he was walking me to the place I'm staying at" Hitomi guessed, recalling the events last night.

"Really...? Guess he can't say no to fans" Kanji sighed, sounding bored.

"Well, he was alone, so maybe he did?" Yosuke guessed, shrugging. Kanji huffed as he walked over to the first year lockers, quickly opening his which was the very top at the edge.

"Dunno and don't care- little brat ditched me which is more than enough for me to never do him a favor again" Kanji said simply, sounding like some sort of frustrated teacher. Yosuke and Hitomi found this to be humorous and also gave Hitomi some hope. Even though he doesn't act or look like it, Kanji seemed to be a good student.

Following the lead of Kanji, Hitomi and Yosuke began to pull out their outdoor shoes from their lockers and slipping them on. Thankfully for Yosuke, Hitomi didn't seem to notice that her shoes were tampered with or moved.

Hitomi, being surprisingly swift, managed to slip on her shoes first, grab her umbrella, and began to walk off campus- leaving Yosuke and Kanji behind as she began to think of what she could cook for dinner if Nanako hadn't bought anything.

Yosuke managed to be the second one to slip on his outdoor shoes, causing him to quickly grab him umbrella and stop Kanji from leaving the building.

"Hey, Kanji!" Yosuke called out as Kanji walked towards him.

Kanji blinked in confusion and surprise, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Have you noticed anything... strange in your class?" Yosuke asked quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"Strange? What do mean?" Kanji asked as he reached over Yosuke and grabbed his own umbrella.

"Well, I saw some first years messing with Narukami-chan's locker..." Yosuke began, as he and Kanji began to walk outside. "...And in her shoes, I found some tacks."

"WHAT?!" Kanji couldn't help but shout, surprised and rather outrange by Yosuke's words. Yosuke quickly looked over to him and glared, not wanting to draw unwanted attention from the few students who were also leaving from clubs or studying. Quickly understanding what Yosuke was trying to do, Kanji opened his umbrella and acted like nothing had happened- Yosuke doing the same.

"So, d-does that mean...?" Kanji asked softly as the two began to walk towards the front gate to leave.

"Yeah..." Yosuke muttered, his eyes narrowing. "She's being targeted for bullying." Kanji's hand tightened around the umbrella's handle, anger growing within him. How dare those people try and harm Hitomi, his Senpai?! The mere thought of her getting hurt by people in this world gave him a near blood-thirsty motive.

With a deep breath, pushing aside his anger and frustration, and asked, "So? Did you notice anything?"

"Well, um..." Kanji hummed, thinking hard if he noticed anything out of the ordinary. "Oh! I did see a group of chicks whisperin' with each other before school ended. I thought that they were just some fans of Ryo, but they looked a lot more scary than adoring, y'know?" Yosuke flinched in surprise, pursing his lips together.

"So it really is the first years, huh...?" Yosuke sighed. It was always easy to tell apart the first, second and third years after a while of living in the town. Since he didn't really do much before this whole mess started, Yosuke picked up the differences and is now the master at telling the differences between the three grade levels.

"Why the hell are the underclassmen bullying Narukami...?" Yosuke hummed as he cupped his chin like Hitomi would sometimes do when she's thinking.

"Should we tell her?" Kanji asked, worried for his Senpai's safety.

Yosuke flinched at Kanji's proposal and shook his head furiously, saying, "Wha- no! No no, we can't do that!"

"Why not?" Kanji asked, annoyed, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Well..." Yosuke began, looking away sheepishly. "She's still a bit upset about King Moron's death, and with the upcoming exams- she really doesn't need any more stress. That'll just make it more difficult for her to sleep..."

Kanji blinked in surprise, unaware that Hitomi had sleeping problems. "What do you suggest we do, then?"

Yosuke thought for a minute, carefully planning out the options and the certain consequences that might play out if they do them. "...I think the best thing for us to do right now is to just keep this secret from her and the other's. At least until we find out why they're bullying her. You're a first year- so you're gonna have to tell me when those girls start acting weirder than today. Got it?" Kanji nodded, a little upset about not telling Hitomi straight up. The two boys continued to walk together, discussing ways in how they could avoid suspicion and look after Hitomi at the same time, separating ways when it came to a bend in the road.

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Wednesday, July 13th | Evening...

Nanako looked worried some at the clock in her home, the sound of the television on in the background. It was already eight in the evening and Nanako still hadn't seen her older cousin, Hitomi. Nanako looked down at her store bought food and sighed, her body filled with worried. This was the first time that Hitomi hadn't called or arrived to the Dojima residence so late. She was always prompt in arriving an hour or two after Nanako did so they could talk and play. Yesterday, Hitomi was rather late because she was studying. Nanako didn't mind because in the end, Hitomi came home before five. But it's eight now and Hitomi hasn't even called...

Nanako let out a sigh as she rested her head on the table, sadly watching the television with very little interest- even if it was her favorite anime. Suddenly, the phone rang, causing Nanako to gasp and jump up; quickly running over to the with hope that it was Hitomi.

"Dojima residence!" Nanako answered energetically, to the point where she sounded as if she had shouted.

"Nanako?" It was Hitomi.

"Oh, Big Sis!" Nanako exclaimed, excitedly in relief. "Where are you? It's so late!"

"Sorry, I'm over at a friends house and I'll be spending the night. They got hurt today, you see, so I'm going to take care of them. Make sure to lock up the house and don't open the door for strangers" Hitomi explained. Nanako pouted, a bit sad that she would have to spend the night alone by herself. But she then smiled, glad and proud that her cool older cousin was helping out her friends.

"Okay, I'll be sure to lock up the fort real good! See you tomorrow, Big Sis!" Nanako cheered.

"Right" Hitomi said simply, shortly hanging up the phone. Nanako blink, realizing something strange in Hitomi's voice during the call. It sounded as if she was whispering... And the sound of moving vehicles were audible in the background. Nanako hummed in thought before placing the phone back to the charger, not giving it much thought.

Meanwhile, over on Hitomi's end, she let out a shuddered sigh as she tightly grasped her phone to her chest. Hitomi was covered in dirt, small cuts, and bruises; her body shivering. If one were to see her, they would be confused as to why she was cold for it was the beginning of summer- the nights were humid and warm like they were tonight.

But no one would have seen her. No one would have questioned as to why she was covered in filth.

For you see, Hitomi was lying at the bottom of a ditch next to the highway.

Rewinding back to an hour ago, to around seven in the afternoon, Hitomi began to recall the events that lead to this one in crystal clear memory.

-Flashback-

Hitomi was calmly making her way towards the Dojima residence, taking a bit of a detour to the fastest way there. For the past six hours, Hitomi has been helping Nise, Ryo, and even Yukiko with stuff for the exams. They stayed for about two hours at the school, but once it was time to go, they headed for Marukyu Tofu since there was more room in Ryo's bedroom than Nise's house and was a lot closer than Yukiko's. The four of them had lots of fun, even if the boys barely made any progress, and ended up doing homework together. When they had realized how late it gotten, Nise, Yukiko, and Hitomi bid each other farewell and began to walk on home. Hitomi, being so busy with her friends, had forgotten to call Nanako that she'd be heading home late.

"I should tell her I'm on my way..." Hitomi hummed to no one in particular as she began to quicken the pace.

Suddenly, as Hitomi turned the corner, seeing the Dojima residence at the bottom of the hill, a sudden "Oiiiiiiiiiiiiiink!" screamed. Surprised, Hitomi stopped and stared ahead, noticing three flashing lights quickly making their way up the hill. Hitomi just stared, wondering why people were biking so late. Sure, the sun was still out, but that didn't mean that it was still midday. The flashing lights soon started to get closer and closer to the top of the hill, causing Hitomi to get nervous. She slowly began to take some steps out of the way, not wanting to get hit.

But with each step she made, Hitomi began to notice... That the bikes...

Were heading towards her.

Hitomi shivered in fear and turned around, running away in the direction she had came. Looking over her shoulder, hitomi saw three girls on bikes turning their bikes her direction as they came to the top of the hill. All blood drained from Hitomi's face as her eyes shrank in fear, causing her to look forward and begin to sprint.

"W-Why are you chasing me?!" Hitomi panted as she ran, too scared to look back at the bikes. There was a moment of silence when suddenly: "POP"! A small explosion sparked next to Hitomi's left foot, causing her to squeak in surprise. They were throwing firecrackers.

"Run! Run little whore pig!" the three girls cheered evilly, their voices creating perfect unison. Hitomi began to sweat as she picked up her speed, running faster than she ever thought she could. It must have been thanks to all those days she trained with her friends. The girls on the bikes began to throw more and more firecrackers, some hitting Hitomi's legs which caused her to wince. Running straight ahead, crossing the empty highway leading to the Samegawa Flood Plains, Hitomi suddenly tripped and fell- disappearing from the female bikers. The trio stopped right before the highway on the other side as a large delivery truck drove by. The trio looked confused as to where Hitomi had went. They had half a mind to go and chase after her, but with the sun setting and cars beginning to drive by, the trio turned around and laughed as they biked away- unaware that Hitomi had fell into a ditch. Quivering and shivering in fear and exhaustion, adrenaline pumping through her blood, Hitomi stayed still and held her breath; her eyes watering.

-End Flashback-

Thinking back to the earlier events, Hitomi clutched her phone tighter in her hands. Chased away by the things she fears and all alone in a ditch, Hitomi became too scared to move- even when the sun had set, making the ditch seem almost like an abyss of darkness. Hitomi closed her eyes tightly, trying to seal off the sound of the passing by cars, and pressed her lips together. Hitomi began to pray, wishing for someone to find her... So that she wouldn't have to be alone. So that she wouldn't feel as if she was being buried alive. She didn't care who. She just wanted someone... Anyone...

Save me...!

Yosuke suddenly blinked, and looked over his shoulder- a sudden wave of worry washing over him. He was in the middle of closing up Junes with his father, his eyes practically glued to the windows as he stared out of them.

"What's wrong, Yosuke?" Hanase asked, noticing his son's inactivity and worried look. Yosuke didn't seem to hear his father, continuing to stare out the large windows as if searching for something. Hanase raised an eyebrow and placed his hand on Yosuke's right shoulder, causing him to snap out of whatever trance he was in.

"What? Oh, er... Nothing, must've been my imagination" Yosuke said as he resumed marking down which security alarm was working and which ones weren't. Hanase stared at Yosuke for a moment, seeming unconvinced by his sons words, before returning to his work as well.

I thought... I heard Narukami for a minute there... Yosuke thought to himself, occasionally glancing out to the windows. He couldn't put his finger on it... But he had a feeling that something very bad is going to happen.

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Thursday, July 14th | Early Morning

Thursday morning, Yosuke ran over to Kanji's house and dragged him to school early. It was barely even seven, the time that students begin to make their way to school. But with that worrisome feeling Yosuke had last night, he wanted to head their earlier. Kanji, being a bit tired, took a minute to try and wake up. He knew that Hitomi was important and that starting now, they had to arrive to school early to make sure that no one messes with her things, but it was too early for Kanji's tastes. He was up studying pretty late like a good kid to make Hitomi proud.

Once arriving at school, Yosuke and Kanji immediately began to see the casualties... And the results astonished them to disbelief. Already, at seven in the morning, the duo found: Hitomi's slippers to be missing, her notebooks missing, and some pictures of Ryo in his grandmother's shop with the words: "To My Kohai" written on them in red pen. Whoever were bullying Hitomi meant business... They wanted her reputation to go down drastically. Luckily for the two, they managed to find Hitomi's slippers and notebooks rather quickly with the help of some of the sport team members and culture club members who had to come to school early on some days. As for the pictures, Kanji at first suggested to stuff them into the girl's desks, but Yosuke knew that it would have upset Hitomi, as well as Ryo; and decided to throw them away underneath a pile of tissue.

It was 7:43, the two exhausted from having to do so much running around in their school building. It was bad enough that it was rather large, but once it started to be filled with other students, it became even more difficult. Letting out a sigh, Yosuke looked up in exhaustion when he noticed Yukiko running to their direction with a duffle bag.

"Huh? Hey, Yukiko!" Yosuke called out, catching the running girl's attention.

"Oh, Yosuke. And Kanji, too! Good morning" Yukiko greeted. "What are you two doing here so early?"

"That's what we should be asking you, Senpai" Kanji pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "What's with the bag?" Yukiko look down at her hands, her expression turning into one of worry before looking back up at the guys.

"I got a message from Hi-chan earlier asking me to bring a duffle bag for her to change into her gym jersey. Apparently her uniform got dirty" Yukiko explained, sounding worried. It wasn't everyday that Hitomi messaged other's. Usually, people- like Yukiko- would message Hitomi. Yukiko, before she had read the message, was ecstatic to receive a message from Hitomi. But that joy quickly faded and was replaced with worry.

Kanji and Yosuke flinched at this, sweat rolling down their jaws as they both muttered, "No way...!" The two boys exchanged glances before nodding, agreeing as to what to do now.

"Yukiko, we need to tell you something- but you can't tell Nise or Ryo" Yosuke began, looking at her straight in the eye. Yukiko couldn't help but blink in surprise, not used to seeing this serious side.

"Those two dipheads will make it worse, so you can't tell 'em" Kanji huffed, thinking about how the two would mess up.

Looking back and forth between the boys, Yukiko blinked nervously, feeling more worried that she did before. "Uh... O-Okay. What is it?"

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"Here's the duffle bag" Yukiko said with a smile, extending her arm out to Hitomi who had just removed her sailor top- only wearing her underwear- and started to change into her white shirt and school jersey.

"Thank you..." Hitomi thanked softly, without looking over to Yukiko."Um, you can just leave it there on the bench..."

"Oh, alright..." Yukiko replied as she placed the bag down, shortly returning to watching hitomi change. She noticed that Hitomi's body is covered in bruises and unusual markings- as if she had been laying on something and was imprinted there. Hitomi slowly turned around, revealing her rather lifeless looking eyes that seemed to have light bangs underneath them. Glancing down, Yukiko noticed a noticeable bruise on Hitomi's left knee, looking fresh.

"What happened to you, Hi-chan? It looks like you bruised your left knee...!" Yukiko pointed out, causing Hitomi to flinch.

"Um... I fell into a ditch" Hitomi replied slowly as she took a step back, slipping on her jersey pants.

"W-What, really?!" Yukiko exclaimed, surprised. "How?!"

"I... I wasn't really looking where I was going, I guess..." Hitomi replied, not looking at Yukiko in the eyes. Yukiko felt her heart throb in pain, thinking that Hitomi wasn't telling the truth. Yukiko looked way as Hitomi continued to change, recalling the discussion earlier with Yosuke and Kanji...

-Flashback-

"Oh my God..." Yukiko muttered, covering her mouth with her hands after hearing the horrible reality of her dear friend Hitomi being bullied. The three of them had moved to a more discreet place so that no one could hear what they were saying and keep those who have no part in the situation out.

The surprise and sympathy that Yukiko felt for Hitomi slowly turned to anger, outraged that people would be bullying Hitomi. "Why would anyone do such a thing? I mean, all Hi-chan has been doing is taking care of people! How could they...?!"

"We don't know yet- that's what me and Kanji are trying to figure out while we keep her in the dark about the whole situation" Yosuke explained as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"We think that it might be related to Ryo, but we aren't sure why yet"Kanji added, leaning back on the wall behind him.

"I see..." Yukiko muttered, looking down at the duffle bag in her hands.

Yukiko thought for a moment before nodding and looking up at Yosuke, saying, "I won't tell her about it- but you guys have to let me help you solve this as well!" Yosuke and Kanji blinked, unsure as to what to do. They did decide to tell Yukiko about the situation so that she could keep an eye on Hitomi, but they weren't exactly expecting her to help them on their little private investigation.

"Well... Alright, sure- just don't let Narukami-chan become suspicious of you" Yosuke said with a nod, deciding that it would be for the best. "When you're done helping Narukami-chan, go to the library and tell us what you think."

Yukiko nodded and turned around, shortly dashing off to the girl's locker room where she would meet Hitomi.

-End Flashback-

Yukiko's hands tightened, rolling up into fists, as she pursed her lips together.

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"What? You think it's becoming physical already?!" Yosuke exclaimed, surprised at what he had just heard. Within five to seven minute after arriving at the library, Yukiko bursted in with a red face and panting, quickly telling the boys about Hitomi's appearance and how Yukiko thought Hitomi became like that.

"Yeah. Hi-chan isn't so much as a klutz to fall right into a ditch. Someone must have pushed her in or something" Yukiko mused with a nod.

"Damnit, how'd it come to this...?!" Yosuke growled, slamming a fist to the table he was sit on.

"Freakin' pricks... When I find out who's doing this, I'ma pummel them to next week!" Kanji growled, his blood boiling in anger.

"I agree. No one hurts my partner and get's away with it" Yosuke huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "...We can't leave Narukami by herself anymore. The three of us should cycle through and walk her home everyday until the situation gets settled." Kanji and Yukiko nodded in understanding, Yukiko shortly placing a hand to her chest.

"I can walk her home after school- I planned on hanging out with her today, anyways" Yukiko offered.

Yosuke and Kanji nodded, Yosuke saying, "Alright. Keep her safe, okay?"

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Morning...

The first class of the day was Japanese literature- a class that Hitomi enjoyed. But Yosuke, who had been keeping an eye on Hitomi since the two were in the same room, noticed that Hitomi didn't seem very energetic or enthusiastic about the upcoming lesson like she usually would. Yosuke heart seemed to throb at the sight of this, thinking that it was cute to see Hitomi get all shifty with excitement. To see her so... Emotionless was like a stab to the heart. Hanamura let out a soft sigh as he rested his head to the palm of his hand as Hosoi finally started class.

"I'm sure you're all feeling anxious, knowing your homeroom teacher is deceased..." Hosoi began, taking note of the several upset looks. "Well, to be honest, us teachers are kind of afraid ourselves. The culprit is still on the loose. But there's no sense wasting time moaning about it. Let's get to work! Today, we'll talk about Kobo Daishi, or Kuukai. First, look at this kanji."

Some of the students did what Hosoi had told them, while some students simply stared at the puppet on Hosoi's left hand, who's mouth was starting to move.

"Hey, Hosoi-chan, isn't that a misprint in the textbook? It's supposed to be "応"!" Hosoi said in a higher voice, trying hard to make it seem like Hosoi wasn't actually talking for the illusion that his hand-puppet was the one talking. But, Hosoi didn't do a very good job.

"Haha, good eye, but no" Hosoi continued, thinking that he was doing a good job with fooling his students. "This is the wrong kanji, but the book is supposed to print it this way. It's actually quoting...hmm?" Hosoi stopped the lesson, blinking in surprise as he noticed that Hitomi wasn't looking down at her notebook taking notes like she usually would, and was staring at the hand-puppet.

"Narukami-chan, quit staring at the puppet and pay attention to the book!" Hosoi huffed. "Which famous Heian-era monk famously used a wrong version of the "応" kanji?"

Hitomi stared blankly at Hosoi and his hand-puppet for a minute before gasping, quickly standing up in realization. "I-I'm sorry... Uh, can you repeat the question?"

The classroom suddenly erupted in one major gasp, students immediately turning to their neighbor and start whispering.

"Whoa, Narukami-san wasn't paying attention?"

"This is a first. She usually pays good attention and answers almost immediately because of how much she studies!"

"And it's not like she sucks with literature- you think she's sick?"

Hosoi was rather surprised as well, knowing Hitomi to be a rather strange but smart girl who has been doing exceptionally well in her classes so far. Hosoi opened his mouth to ask if Hitomi was fleeing well, but noticing the scared and tired look in her eyes, Hosoi decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Alright, quiet down, quiet down. Everyone has their off days. The questions was: which famous Heian-era monk famously used a wrong version of the "応" kanji?" Hosoi repeated in a kind voice.

"O-Oh... That'd be Kuukai" Hitomi answered, seeming to have relaxed by the sound of Hosoi's kind tone. Hosoi smiled and nodded, causing Hitomi to sit down, picking up her pencil and jotting something down.

"Yep, that's right, it was Kuukai. You were listening after all" Hosoi joked. "There's an old saying: 'Even Kobo made mistakes in writing.' Kobo is another name for Kuukai, and this was the mistake he made. This happened when he wrote the name "Outenmon" on the frame of the Outen gates in the city of Kyo. But, it wasn't until after they put the frame up that he noticed that he missed the dot on top of the character. Instead of taking the entire thing down to redo it, he added the dot by throwing his calligraphy brush at the gate."

Yukiko nodded to herself as she wrote down some notes, shooting a quick glance over to Hitomi, noticing that she wasn't writing anymore and was just staring blankly at her notebook.

"By the way, my wife made this doll for me by hand. Don't you think she did a great job making it look like me?" Hosoi laughed, blushing at the mention of his wife. The class didn't reply, instead giving some uncomfortable stares. Hosoi, picking up the hint, cleared his throat and continued the lesson.

Nise, having noticed Hitomi's strange attitude, leaned over to her and whispered, "Hey, you feeling alright?"

Hitomi, snapping back to reality by the sound of Nise's voice, looked over at him and blinked. Noticing the close distances they were at, Hitomi leaned away, looking up the chalkboard that Hosoi was writing on.

"Yeah..." Hitomi replied softly. Nise stared at Hitomi in concern, raising an eyebrow at her behavior. Yosuke on the other hand, having witnessed the duo's conversation, felt his heart throb once again. He, Kanji, and Yukiko had to find out just what's going on soon so they can put an end to it...

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After school...

Once school was over, Yukiko managed to stop Hitomi from sprinting out of the classroom and asked her if they could hang out. Yosuke, who would have usually dashed off to head to Junes, stayed in his seat and watched the two talk. If Yukiko couldn't manage to get Hitomi to go with her, then Yosuke would try. And if Yosuke couldn't do it either, they would depend on Kanji. Of course, if neither of the three could manage to walk Hitomi home, they'd all just do it in secret. But, thankfully, Hitomi decided to go with ; much to Yosuke's relief. It's not that he didn't want to be with Hitomi, it was the opposite if he was being honest with himself, but by having time alone- he and Kanji would be able to do some more investigation.

Once the two girls were ready to leave school, Yukiko and Hitomi walked together towards Tatsuhime Shrine. She brought Hitomi there, saying she wanted to pay her respects. Also, Yukiko thought that the quietness of the Shine would help hitomi to relax from her unusual jumpiness.

"I come here every so often. It's nice and quiet..." Yukiko sighed softly having just finished a prayer for Hitomi's safety. "I visit here with the waitresses, too. Like before a big guest arrives. We make our annual hatsumode visits here. The exam charm was here, too..." Hitomi stared at Yukiko in slight amusement, intrigued that Yukiko would be the type of girl who believed in the works of charms. Hitomi didn't have a strong belief in them since she wa the type of girl who believed in the power of hard work. Of course, however, that doesn't mean there will come times where she turns towards protection charms for her friends. A protection charm was actually her last gift to her Senpai before they had left her behind.

Yukiko looked over to Hitomi, who was sitting on the second stair holding the donation box, and muttered with a frown; "Once I leave this town... I won't be able to come here again, will I...?"

Hitomi blinked in surprise, tilting her head slightly as she asked, "You're not coming back? What about your family?"

Yukiko flinched and shook her head, looking down. "I mean... I-I couldn't. I couldn't face my parents again..." Hitomi stared at Yukiko for a moment, her heart -which had been clutched in fear for the most of the day- softened in sympathy.

"Oh, Yuki-chan!" a feminine and gentle voice called out, startling the two girls. A woman, around her late twenties or early thirties, wearing a blue kimono approached Yukiko with a kind smile on her face. Hitomi blinked in surprise at the sight of the woman, wondering what her connection with Yukiko is.

"Kasai-san... What are you doing here?" Yukiko asked, blinking in surprise at the woman's presence.

"Taking a little break after ordering from the liquor store" Kasai answered obediently with a smile. The woman then gasped and sighed, suddenly realizing what she said and to who.

Kasai sighed, lowering her head slightly. "So now you know..."

"O-Oh, I won't tell..." Yukiko replied, flustered, a bit unsure as to what to do. Over at the Amagi Inn, waitresses weren't allowed to drink alcohol for Yukiko's father was a bit of a traditional man.

"Hahaha, just kidding!" Kasai laughed- which surprised Yukiko and Hitomi- amused that she was able to fool her young mistress. Yukiko sighed as Kasai began to calm down, looking over to Hitomi in an apologetic manner.

Finally taking notice to Hitomi, Kasai smiled and asked, "Oh! Is that the rumored mentor?" Noticing that the attention was on her, Hitomi stood up.

"Um, hello. My name is Narukami. Hitomi Narukami" Hitomi greeted as she bowed. "I'm Yukiko-chan's friend and classmate. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'mentor', though."

Yukiko blushed in embarrassment as Kasai laughed, saying, "Oh, Yuki-chan goes on and on about you! She practically idolizes you!"

"K-Kasai-san...!" Yukiko muttered shyly, her face becoming redder.

Noticing Yukiko's embarrassment, Kasai smiled and winked at Hitomi. "Hey, Hi-chan, dear? Do me a favor and teach this girl how to make something for Ni-kun so that he'll fall helplessly for her~!" Hitomi blinked in surprise by Kasai's words, having previously thought that she was the only one Yukiko told was in love with Nise.

Yukiko's face exploded in embarrassment, flailing her arms wildly as she screamed, "K-KASAI-SAN!"

"I'll do my best" Hitomi replied, teasingly, as the corners of her lips twitched upward.

Noticing the playful tone in Hitomi's voice, Yukiko blinked in surprise and looked at her friend. For the first time today, Hitomi seemed like her normal self- bringing a great joy to her. "H-Hey, Hi-chan...!"
"Ahaha! I guess I better be going. It was nice meeting you, dear" Kasai, laughed, seeming to have enjoyed herself. Hitomi nodded farewell as Yukiko let out a short sigh of exhaustion with a smile.

"Sh-Sheesh... I-I'm sorry about that. Oh, that was one of our waitresses" Yukiko explained, soon realizing that she hadn't introduced Kasai to Hitomi properly. Hitomi nodded, taking note of Kasai, as Yukiko covered her cheeks with her hands in a bashful manner.

"How embarrassing...! The very next day I tell you that I like Nise and Kasai-san comes and says that...!" Yukiko hummed, very embarrassed by the event. She was so embarrassed, she seems to be sweating unnaturally. Hitomi thought it was rather cute and wondered if that was one of the signs about being in love with another person.

"...You know, Kasai-san is teaching me how to cook, along with the other waitresses and chefs" Yukiko began, once she had calmed herself down. "I said I'd learn on my one, but I kept messing up... I burnt myself a couple of times."

Hitomi blinked in surprise and worry, asking, "A-Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah- I'm fine" Yukiko reassured, smiling. Hitomi let out a soft sigh of relief, causing Yukiko's smile to widen.

"You know... It's funny. 'Please let us teach you,' they said" Yukiko began, recalling the events prior when the staff had begged and pleaded to help. "It's usually the other way around, you know? They use up their break time for my lessons... They're so nice to me..."

"I told you, didn't I?" Hitomi commented, sounding just a smidge cocky, as she recalled the previous time the two had hung out and went shopping.

"Yeah..." Yukiko giggled, recalling the memory as well. "When I was halfway successful one time, everyone gathered around and taste-tested it, saying how good it was... I didn't know what to say... I was just happy..."

Hitomi stared at Yukiko for a minute, thinking of something to say, when she teased "Imagine if Nise-kun said that to you." Yukiko blushed and turned around, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sh-Shush!" Yukiko sputtered. Hitomi felt something tickle in her throat as she held up her hands in a surrendering way. Yukiko couldn't help but laugh, her red face quickly vanishing. Once Yukiko had stopped laughing, she smiled and turned around; looking up to the light pink and blue sky, folding her hands behind her back.

"...I have my friends at school, too, besides from them. All things considered, I'm pretty lucky..." Yukiko began, her sounding grateful. "I want to do my best. For everyone's sake..." Yukiko then looked down at the ground, catching Hitomi's attention.

"But I'm trying to leave... Betraying those who've been kind to me... I... can't help that, I suppose..." Yukiko muttered, sounding guilty. Hitomi stared at Yukiko in empathy, shortly looking away when fear once again got a hold on her heart. Scared, Hitomi told Yukiko that she was going to head to the Dojima Residence. Yukiko offered to walk Hitomi there, but Hitomi strongly rejected and quickly walked away to isolation. Yukiko, aware of the situation, stared down the stairs in concern.

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Friday, July 15th | Morning...

Just like yesterday, Yosuke, Kanji, and now Yukiko all arrived to the school early to do some investigations and hide the fact that Hitomi was being bullied. This time, waiting on top of Hitomi's desk was a vase with a single white lily- signifying that she was considered dead. Yosuke, Kanji, and Yukiko were shocked at the sight of this- new levels of anger rising up in them. They had become so angry that Yukiko ended up picking up the vase and throwing it at the wall, shortly crying from the sheer amount of anger in her. Yosuke and Kanji said nothing as they left their friend crying, standing guard by the door to make sure that no one would come into the room. Once Yukiko had recovered, the trio continued to look around the building- finding some notice papers that mocked, made fun of, and accused Hitomi of numerous things like using her looks to charm the teachers in giving her good grades. Now, it was time for the boys to get angry- shredding each paper up to bits without a second thought. Whoever was bullying Hitomi meant business and were setting up these traps either in the middle of the night or really early in the morning.

When more students started to fill the school, the trio split up and asked around about any suspicious students towards Ryo. Some said that there was a trio of girls who adored Ryo back when he had started his Idol career and were ecstatic to have him in their class. However, they suddenly stopped being annoying about Ryo and started to act like normal students. Students that didn't have a massive amount of love and admiration for Ryo. Some other students say that one girl has been confessing to Ryo everyday, and Ryo continuously shoots her down- saying that his heart wasn't that easy to steal and that it was focusing more on his "Senpai" than anyone or anything else. And then there were those useless students who basically went on and on about how cool Ryo was. Yosuke actually ended up getting into a heated argument with one student over which album from Ryo was the best. Nise, who had arrived with Hitomi, told Yosuke to stop being so gay which activated an argument between them.

Yosuke and Yukiko stared at their blank notes, trying to put together what all of their information from the helpful students meant. But, neither of them could concentrate- for different reasons. Yosuke couldn't concentrate because of the headache he got from Nise who had punched him for accidentally calling Kanji the gay one which brought back strange memories for the duo. Yukiko on the other hand couldn't concentrate because when she tried to drag Hitomi into the classroom in hope for them to sit and have a friendly conversation, Hitomi actually backed away in fear. Of course, Hitomi apologized immediately afterwards, realizing the pain they had caused. But Hitomi still went back over to her seat without touching anyone, acting as if she would melt if some did. Just what could it all mean, Yukiko wondered...

"...All right, that's the lesson about the Mariana Islands. Let's take a breather and talk about something fun!" the teacher, Yamada, sighed in relief with a smile. The class responded similarly, dropping their pencils with a hefty sigh.

"The Mariana Islands are in the area of the ocean where typhoons are born. There's a line on the map that typhoons can never cross. Let's see..." Yamada hummed, as he looked around the classroom for a prey. His eyes fell upon a certain silver-haired student, who was looking rather blank at her notebook, doing little exercises with her hands. "Hitomi-chan, you've blended into this class a little too well. Which line can a typhoon never cross?"

There was a moment of silence as the class stared intensely at Hitomi, both in confusion and concern. Nise cleared his throat and leaned over to Hitomi, whispering her name. Having heard Nise's voice, Hitomi quickly jumped to her feet and blinked- noticing that the class was staring at her.

Stunned and embarrassed for not paying attention, Hitomi's heart began to race; almost having a panic attack. All that Hitomi could manage to say was "H-Huh?"

Nise looked up at her in deep concern and quietly said, "Which line can a typhoon never cross, Narukami-chan...!"

Hearing Nise's words, Hitmi calmed down her racing heart and stuttered, "O-Oh... The equator."

"...Are you feeling alright, Hitomi-chan?" Yamada asked, concerned for the behavior of one of his most intelligent student.

"Er... Y-Yes, sir... Sorry, sir" Hitomi said simply before taking a seat, her head down. The classroom began to erupt in whispers, students all looking towards Hitomi in confusion and worry.

"Wow, it happened again...!"

"Something is seriously going on with her..."

"Narukami-san should go to the nurse's office for our sake- what if the thing she has is contagious?"

"I hope she get's better soon...!"

Yamada stared at the silver haired girl for a moment, before clearing his throat, saying "Alright, everyone, settle down." The class went silent at Yamada's command, no longer paying attention to Hitomi. "Anyways, Hitomi-chan was correct. Typhoons are moved by global air currents called atmospheric circulation. If one forms in the northern hemisphere, it moves north. If it forms in the south, it moves south. That's why a typhoon can never cross the equator. Isn't that interesting? Make sure you tell your parents that I'm an interesting teacher, okay? Feedback like that affects my paycheck. Ahaha, just kidding! Let's continue the lesson!"

The class groaned softly in unamusement as Yamada began to flip through the pages of his textbook, several students following him as well. Nise, like some of the other students, didn't go through his textbook. He was too focused on Hitomi. After she had sat down from answering Yamada's question, Nise had noticed that she was trembling slightly from all the attention she was getting. Once Yamada got the spotlight away from her, Hitomi managed to calm down. Nise's heart throbbed in pain, worried for his friend and investigating partner. Resting his chin on the palm of his hand, Nise thought of ways to try and help Hitomi...

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After school...

Once school was over, Nise immediately began to talk with Hitomi- asking her if she would like to train. Hitomi, feeling afraid to be touched, softly rejected Nise. However, Nise insisted; suggesting that they don't have to do anything that requires the two of them to interact with one another and could simply go for a run and kick some stuff. Hitomi couldn't help but sigh and accept, finding Nise's usual energetic personality cute and contagious. Yosuke, Yukiko, and Kanji didn't say anything to interfere despite saying that they would cycle through to protect Hitomi. Since she would be with Nise, they didn't feel worried about her safety. However, Yosuke did feel a tiny bit of envy in his heart for he wanted to hang out with Hitomi and walk her home today. He was also hoping to eat dinner with her so he could play with Nanako. But, as long as she was safe, Yosuke managed to brush it off and together, with Yukiko and Kanji began to do some more investigation on who was bullying their friend.

"Whew! Nice workout today, eh?" Nise laughed, holding his uniform and jacket in his arms which had him only wearing his white shirt, allowing the fresh summer breeze to cool him after a good hour's work out, as he and Hitomi walked in the Central Business District.

Hitomi fanned herself with her left hand, sweat rolling down her face. "Yeah... For some reason I feel a bit more relaxed."

"Oh, really? Good! That's the reason why I asked you to train with me today- you haven't been looking well lately" Nise pointed out with a gentle smile, bending down a little to match Hitomi's level.

Hitomi blinked in surprise, taking notice of her strange behavior so far, and lowered her head; muttering, "Sorry..."

"Psh- don't apologise! Just get better- okay?" Nise chuckled, waving his hand in the air. He would have hugged her or ruffled her hair, but Nise ha notice the strange way Hitomi reacted when Yukiko tried to touch her and decided to not do anything of the sort. As the two walked, feeling relaxed and refreshed, they passed by the delicious smells of meat from Aiya's and Souzai Daigaku.

Nise thought for a moment, stopping in his tracks as he stared at Souzai Daigaku. Smiling, Nise looked over at Hitomi and asked, "Have you had the steak skewers? The meat is tender and delicious, and they hardly cost anything! It might not even be cow meat...!"

Hitomi blinked in surprise by this, sweat rolling down her jaw as she hummed, "Huh?"

"Just kidding!" Nise laughed, finding Hitomi's occasional gullible moments like this cute. "Whoa, thinking about it, that's kinda gross, haha..." There was a brief moment of silence as Hitomi and Nise actually gave it a thought, their stomach's turning with disgust at the replacements they started to come up with. Soon, a police officer walked in front of them, examining the front of Souzai Daigaku. Hitomi and Nise flinched upon noticing the officer looking at each other.

"The p-police are here...?!" Nise stuttered, wanting to make sure he wasn't just hallucinating. Hitomi blinked twice, becoming nervous.

"Th-Then is this place really serving fake meat...?" Hitomi asked. Nise gasped softly, sweat dripping furiously down his face in worry. What would he do with himself if one of his most precious meat-and-greets were to vanish?!

"Excuse me" the police officer suddenly greeted, noticing the two looking a bit suspicious, causing the duo to stand up straight and face the officer.

"Y-Yes? I haven't eaten any of the meat today, I swear!" Nise suddenly proclaimed, his brain all over the place from one bad scenario to another. The officer made a face and raised a brow, confused as to what Nise was talking about.

Hitomi, calming down and returning to normal logic, waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Er, ignore him... What can we do for you, officer?"

"Well, lately, there's been several incidents with a group of teenagers bullying people around here" the officer explained as he shifted his attention to Hitomi who looked and sounded a lot less crazy than Nise.

"...Bullying?" Nise repeated, snapping back to reality.

"Extortion, if you will. It's been happening recently in several towns and cities nearby. Have you seen anyone suspicious?" the officer asked. Hitomi and Nise looked at each other, blinked before looking back at the officer and shook their heads.

"No, no one in particular..." they replied at the same time. The officer nodded in gratitude, believing the two to be telling the truth.

"I see... Well, you two be careful then" the officer said before he turned around and walked away. Once the officer left the two alone, Hitomi looked over at Nise as he blinked.

"I'm glad it wasn't the meat..." He manage to say, looking over at Hitomi. Hitomi felt something tickle her throat as she nodded in agreement.

Nise sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, huffing, "...But still, bullying?! What cowards! Ganging up on the weak like that!"

"Exactly" Hitomi agreed with a nod.

"It's so cruel! And stupid!" Nise continued, seeming outraged. Hitomi nodded once again, Nise sortly pounding a fist to his chest. "We'll grab 'em and make them apologize! Right, Narukami-chan?"

"Of course! Bullying is very uncivilized" Hitomi agreed, getting just as pumped as Nise was.

"Not the sort of word I would use, but I somehow knew you'd say that!" Nise huffed, restraining a laugh. He was happy that Hitomi had the same perspective as he did. Nise then blinked and suddenly crossed his arms, humming in thought.

"Mowing down villains and saving the weak, a lone fighter stands..." Nise began, sounding like a dramatic movie trailer narrator. "To protect the peace, he throws himself into the battlefield, unbeknownst to all...!"

Hitomi stared at Nise as he fell silent, striking a silly pose. Nise then jumped up to his feet and squealed, "Oooh, yeah! That sounds cool!" Hitomi felt her throat tickle by Nise's behavior, amused.

Nise quickly recovered and flashed a dashing smile, deepening his voice as he said, "Narukami-chan, leave it to me!"

"Okay" Hitomi replied simply, her throat tickling once again. Nise blushed by this, blinking nervously.

"Er, w-wait..." Nise stuttered, sweat rolling down his jaw. "I, um, I'd feel better about it if you helped... And it'd make me... kinda happy..." Hitomi blinked in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. Nise looked away as he rubbed the back of his head, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

"Okay" Hitomi replied, causing Nise to blink in surprise. Looking back over at Hitomi, he noticed that she looked perfectly fine- the warm look in her eyes as she had before.

"Pft- you're strange today" Nise chuckled, smiling brightly. "You know, I got the perfect cure: Steak skewers!" Nise crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head slightly, thinking.

"'Don't think. Feel...' right? Actually in this case, would it be, 'Don't think. Eat...'?" Nise mused. Hitomi shrugged, the tickle in her throat growing. She was glad that she had this chance to spend some time with Nise. After what had happened the other day, hanging out with her friends have been truly calming her down.

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Saturday, July 16th | Morning...

Saturday- the last official day of certain freedom for Yosuke, Kanji, and Yukiko. They only had today to gather all the information they can from other students to finally figure out what has been happening. Yesterday's search rather well, the trio finally being able to strongly confirm that Ryo was the cause of all this mess. However, they still couldn't get the number or gender of the bullies. Some students say that a group of fanboys of Ryo has been acting strangely and have been causing trouble for him. Other say that one of his die-hard fangirls has been stepping waaaaay over boundaries lately. Yosuke just couldn't firmly point his finger at anyone- or a specific gender in general. He was getting too many mixed information- he couldn't even be sure if the freshmen were the ones bullying Hitomi anymore because the school was packed with Ryouta fans from each grade level.

Arriving at school early this morning as usual, however, Kanji and Yukiko began to assume that the bully was a male student. Entering class 2-2, they immediately noticed that someone had moved Hitomi's desk, a rope being it's replacement. The trio became incredibly mad, Yosuke and Kanji suggesting to bring the rope so that they could strangle the bully with it. Yukiko, however, managed to calm them down by reminding them that any sort of violence will make Hitomi sad. The three of them managed to find Hitomi's desk in the school storage room which wasn't closed all the way and had Kanji carry it all the way back. As for the rope, they threw it inside the storage room where it might feel at home.

Once students started filling in the building, the trio decided to just stand over on the sidelines and watch for any suspicious behavior. When Hitomi arrived, she was between Ryo and a very happy Nise who was going on and on about a new movie that was going to be released over at 30 Frame during the summer. Yosuke couldn't help but notice how calm Hitomi looked, almost looking like her normal self between the two boys. Yosuke was glad that Hitomi was getting better from her strange behavior, but he also felt a strange pain in his heart at the fact that Ryo and Nise were the ones beside her. He cared about Hitomi probably more than anyone else in the group. Hitomi was special to Yosuke and the fact that he wasn't the one making Hitomi relax hurt his heart. And whenever he shifted his gaze to Ryo, the pain only grew, feeling more angry than anything. But he couldn't figure out the reason as to why... Even now, sitting in his chair behind Hitomi during their history class, Yosuke didn't understand why his heart stung the way it did whenever he saw Hitomi and Ryo together. Just like that time Ryo showed intimacy towards Hitomi and she seemed perfectly fine with it...

"...And that's our lesson on the Saxon Wars that Charlemagne brought about during the 8th and 9th centuries" Sofue sighed as she turned towards her class, having just finished writing on the chalkboard. "Speaking of Charlemagne, the king of hearts in a deck of cards is supposedly modeled after him. The king of hearts has a characteristic that the other kings don't. I wonder if any of you knows what it is..." The students all raised a brow and shifted in their seats as they looked at their friends, wondering if they had known. Sofue used this opportunity to scan the room and look for a student who wasn't confused by her words. Soon, her eyes fell upon Hitomi's silver hair.

Sofue smiled and commanded, "Well, Narukami. Please stand up!"

Hitomi blinked and looked up, noticing that she was called on. Hitomi stood up and muttered, "Oh, uh... Yes?" This caused a little bit of commotion from her classmates, but not much since Hitomi nearly responded right away like she normally would had.

"Tell me what makes the king of hearts look different from the other kings in a standard deck of cards" Sofue asked, kindly. Hitomi blinked in confusion, wondering what had roped in a deck of cards during the class lesson.

"Huh...? Uh... Isn't it because he has no mustache?" Hitomi replied as she tilted her head.

"Hohoho...You notice the details, Narukami. That's good" Sofue chuckled, seeming pleased that one of her top students still stayed true to that title. Hitomi sat back down as Sofue continued, "Yes, the king of hearts is the only one without a mustache. Back then, playing cards were made using the same methods as books, by etching and engraving. It's said a clerk's hand slipped... And the resulting mistake with his chisel shaved off the mustache! Since then, that design has become commonplace, and so the king of hearts is simply drawn without a mustache. Isn't this a great example of one small mistake making its way into history? You never know where those little doodles you make on your answer sheets will end up in the future."

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Lunch...

Hitomi sat at her desk, blankly, as Hosoi finished up his lesson and awaited the lunch bell like the rest of his students. Once it rang, the class erupted with activity and voices, hungry students rushing out of the classroom before Hosoi even got to leave. Nise, who had been sleeping for the past 15 minutes, awoken at the sound of the bell- half conscious. Yukiko and Yosuke both stood up and moved in front of Hitomi's desk, catching her attention.

"Hey, Narukami-chan! Wanna eat lunch with us?" Yosuke asked looking extra cheerful.

"Well..." Hitomi mused as she blinked, her eyes glued to Yosuke's unusually wide smile. There was something about it that made her more relaxed since the beginning of the week. The corner of Hitomi's lips twitched as she nodded with an "Alright."

"Great! Let's go!" Yosuke and Yukiko both said at the same time, startling Hitomi and fully awakening Nise.

Blinking in surprise, Nise looked over to the trio besides him and raised an eyebrow. "What are you all doing? Are we having a lunch gathering?"

Yukiko exclaimed, seeming to have liked the idea and clapped her hands together in front of her lips and cheered, "Oh, that would be fun! Let's go and get Kanji and Ryo!"

"Sure, that sounds good! I'll go on ahead and get them" Yosuke chuckled weakly, seeming to have lost a good chunk of his earlier enthusiasm and cheerfulness before running out of the classroom to get his two other friends. Noticing Yosuke's lacking cheerfulness before dashing off, Hitomi looked down at her feet as Nise stood up, feeling something cold in her stomach. Once ready, the trio all started to slowly make their way out of the classroom.

"Hey, Hi-chan?" Yukiko asked nervously, tilting her head slightly to catch the silver haired girl's attention. "Have you been doing all right?"

"...Yeah" Hitomi replied, looking away. An awkward atmosphere quickly surrounded the three, causing Nise and Yukiko to begin sweating nervously.

"Er, have you been riding out on your scooter lately? I hear that there's a good action movie playing over at 30 Frame. Maybe you should relax by going over there!" Nise suggested, flashing a smile as they exited the classroom and into the hallway. Right as the words "scooter" left Nise's lips, Hitomi froze in fear- all the blood quickly draining from her face.

"N... Narukami-chan?" Nise stuttered, as he and Yukiko stood behind Hitomi.

"Hi-chan?" Yukiko squeaked, worry playing from her voice. "Hitomi!"

Having heard her name, Hitomi snapped back to reality and gasped, looking forward to where she saw students passing by with concerned looks towards Hitomi. Hitomi blushed a bit in embarrassment as she began to continue walking, dragging her feet.

"S-Sorry, did you say something...?" Hitomi asked her friends who were walking behind her in a matching pace.

"Hey- seriously... Are you alright? You're really out of it- try and relax. It's just us" Nise suggested, his eyes glazed with concern for his friend.

"Erm... Yeah..." Hitomi sighed, looking forward towards the stairway. "Sorry, I... I've been all over the place..."

"Yeah, I can see that" Nise replied, tying his hands behind his head. "Why don't you head on over to the nurse's office for a mint or something? I hear they're aruomathutic." Hitomi blinked in confusion, quickly trying to find the definition for "aruomathutic".

"I think you meant to say therapeutic" Yukiko chuckled weakly, pointing out Nise's wrong pronunciation. Nise blushed, realizing that he wasn't even close to saying what he wanted to say and that he might have created a new word. Hitomi felt slightly better from Nise's stupidity, the cold feeling in her stomach somewhat disappearing as the three of them- with Hitomi in the back- began to walk down the stairs.

Taking a weak step forward, Hitomi suddenly felt a hand on her back- time suddenly seeming to go in slow motion. Hitomi stared ahead, her eyes gradually widening as she inched closer and closer to the bottom of the stairs. Several screams and names were yelled as Hitomi flew down to certain death. Scared for her life, Hitomi closed her eyes shut, her mind going blank as her heart stopped. But instead of smashing into the cold, hard ground- Hitomi crashed into a warm yet hard surface, comforting arms shortly wrapping around Hitomi's body. Surprised, Hitomi slowly opened her eyes and looked up, her silver orbs meeting the warm eyes covered in worry of Yosuke's. Hitomi felt her eyes widen slightly as her heat began to pound in her ears, making her forget that she was wrapped in Yosuke's arms.
"Hi-chan!" Yukiko cried as she dropped to her knees besides Yosuke and Hitomi. "Are you alright?!"

"Who the hell just did that?" Yosuke asked in a rather threatening growl, glancing up at Nise who was still standing on the stairs. Several bystanders gathered around Nise, those who knew Yosuke became surprised by the level of seriousness and anger he was expressing in his face alone.

"It was a girl- a first year I think. She came up the stairs right as we walked out of our classroom" Nise replied, his eyes narrowing in both anger and frustration. How could he let Hitomi nearly die like that? Of course, he didn't know that something like that would eve happen, but nise should have had faster reflexes to protect her. Yosuke and Yukiko exchanged glances, mentally nodding to each other. This is where things cross the line.

"Hey, somethin' happen up here?" a familiar voice asked. Yosuke, Yukiko, and Nise- who began to make his way to the bottom of the stairs- looked over to the remaining steps and saw Ryo and Kanji walk up the stairs.

"I heard screaming earlier..." Ryo began, his words quickly trailing off as he and Kanji saw the positioning that Yosuke and Hitomi was in as well as the expression on Yosuke's face. Kanji, knowing about the current situation, looked away while gritting his teeth.

Yosuke sighed softly, calming himself down, as he looked down at Hitomi- their eyes locking. Almost in that instant, time seemed to stop for only a moment, their eyes lost in the hidden emotions. But Yosuke broke this moment, realizing the positioning that he and Hitomi were in.

Yosuke blushed as he gently and carefully removed himself from Hitomi, setting her upright so that she was standing on her knees.

"S-Sorry... You okay?" Yosuke asked softly, not wanting to break Hitomi who continued to stare at yosuke with wide eyes. The color suddenly drained from Hitomi's face as her eyes widened in fear, making her look almost like a deer in the headlights. Realizing that she was being touched, Narukami shook her body away from Yosuke, stood up, and ran down the stairs and out to the outdoor hallway which loner students loved to eat at during lunch.

"Narukami-chan!" Nise and Yosuke called out, worried for their friend. Yukiko grabbed both of them by the wrist, before they tried to go after Hitomi, and shook her head. The two boys, as well as Ryo and Kanji, looked down the stairs that Hitomi had ran and felt something in them hurt. For Ryo and Nise, they were confused as to why everything was happening- and to their poor companion. Then there was the remaining three who were hurt for not being able to keep Hitomi safe and putting an end to the bullying sooner...

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Sunday, July 17th | Afternoon...

Earlier this morning, shortly after Hitomi had woken up, Kou had called her and asked if she would like to study with her and Chou later today for the upcoming finals. At first, Hitomi was hesitant, fear having a strong grip on her heart after the events that occurred yesterday. Hitomi felt like she wasn't ready to socialize with other people once again after all that had happened for the past five days. But, for some reason, the sound of Kou's energetic and cute voice seemed to have comforted Hitomi. It seemed like any of her friends were able to calm her down. This gave Hitomi a bit of confidence and she managed to get out of bed and decide to go study with her two active friends.

When the agreed time came around, the trio met up at the Junes Food court, all dressed in casual clothes. Kou was wearing a simple yet cute blue and white collared shirt with a matching blue skirt, black leggings, and a pair of white pumps. Chou was wearing practically the same thing when the two bumped into each other way back in April with the athletic attire. Tight black shorts and running shoes- but instead of a white v-neck shirt, she was wearing a white tank top instead. Seeing the two with smiles on their faces really helped Hitomi slowly return to her usual self. Although, despite sitting next to Kou, she was still anxious and constantly glanced around the area.

"Check this out, Hitomi-chan..." Kou began as she pulled out her notebooks and setting them on the table, holding one blue notebook in her hand. "I borrowed Chou's notes for those days I was absent, okay? Here's the one she gave me, and right across the top, it says 'Aglebra 1'... How long has it been since we passed Algebra 1? And learn how to spell!" Chou let out a sigh as she blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Hey, don't borrow notes if you're gonna complain about 'em" Chou huffed.

"Fine, next time I'll know better..." Kou sighed. "I'm ready for the tests in every subject except math..." Hitomi blinked, rather impressed that there was a friend of her's- besides from Yukiko and possibly Kanji- that actually seemed to study.

Kou looked over to Hitomi with weak and pleading eyes and asked, "...You any good at math, Hitomi-chan?"

"I have good and bad days..." Hitomi began, looking down at her math notebook. "But I could be allergic to it."

"You are too!? Maybe we were separated at birth!" Kou exclaimed, sounding surprised. Hitomi looked up and blink, a drop of sweat rolling down her jaw. She actually only said that to try and be funny... But it seems like Kou had taken it seriously.

Kou quickly shuffled around in her bag and pulled out a book that read "Poly-land" and handed it to Hitomi, explaining, "Here, you can have this, then. Hopefully it'll help you..." Hitomi blinked nervously at the book that was now in her hands, feeling rather grateful but also a bit guilty.

"Forget math. I need major help with world history, physics, English..." Chou sighed, resting her head on the palm of her hand.

"You're hopeless, Chou" Kou commented blankly as she and Hitomi stared at Chou who was still muttering the classes she needed help with. It wasn't any surprise that the only class she didn't mention needing help on was P.E.

"Whoa, hey you guys!" a familiar voice called out, causing Kou to blush and smile as she looked over. Chou however frowned, looking rather upset, while Hitomi flinched- standing up in surprise. Chou and Kou looked over at Hitomi in surprise, seeing this nervous side of Hitomi for the first time. The duo had been so busy with the upcoming exams and other stuff that they haven't actually been hearing the rumor going around about Hitomi being bullied.

"Still jumpy are ya? It's just me, Narukami-chan" the voice spoke, a bit gently this time. Hitomi blinked in surprise, recognising it and turned around, seeing Nise and Yukiko in their casual clothes right behind her.

"O-Oh... Hello, Nise-kun. Yukiko-chan" Hitomi greeted, relaxing a bit as she sat back down.

"Are you all going to study?" Nise asked, blinking in surprise once he noticed the jumble of notebooks scattered on the table.

"Think we can tag along?" Yukiko quickly asked, walking over to Hitomi.

"Huh? But aren't you all caught up, Yukiko?" Nise asked, blinking in surprise at Yukiko's words and actions.

"A little bit of studying won't hurt anybody. We can join you, right?" Yukiko smiled as she sat down besides Hitomi.

"F-For sure! The more the merrier!" Kou replied, her eyes still on Nise instead of Yukiko. Hitomi felt a bead of sweat roll down her jaw as she glanced back in forth between Yukiko and Kou who were unaware that they shared the same feelings towards Nise.

"Thanks!" Nise thanked, flashing a smile.

"S-Sure, n-no problem...!" Kou giggled, her blush growing. Nise sat over next to Chou since there was no more room on the bench Hitomi, Yukiko, and Kou were sitting. Chou groaned as she moved up, clearly not happy about having Nise in the group. Nise raised a cocky brow at Chou, before looking down at the notebooks.

"Whoa, hold up! Is that your math notebook?" Nise asked as he pointed at the math notebook in front of Kou. "...You misspelled Algebra." Kou blinked in confusion and looked down. She then gasped, realizing that it was Chou's notebook.

"N-No, it's not like that, this is...!" Kou began, but Nise stopped her by rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry, I'll just ask Narukami-chan to explain things to me" Nise chuckled weakly.

"Yeah, me too" Chou added with a cocky grin, as if enjoying sweet revenge.

"H-Hey, wait just a minute here!" Kou squeaked, her eyes watering.

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"In the end, we got nothing done..." Nise and Chou sighed at the same time, resting their heads on the table. A good two hours have past, and barely any progress of improvement has been made. Nise began to wonder if he really was stupid or if studying with other people like this just distracted him.

"Looks like we're all doomed to fail..." Kou whimpered, for she too couldn't get much work done. Kou looked over to Hitomi and Yukiko, a drop of sweat rolling down her jaw as she added, "Except for these two."

"Haha, that's true...! They're like the female versions of Albert Einstein!" Nise laughed weakly, wishing he had a fragment of their brains.

"Who?" Chou asked with an exhausted tone. Hitomi and Kou looked at Chou in slight exhaustion.

"Dear God, Chou- you're beyond our help" Kou sighed, wondering how Chou managed to pass elementary school. Nise couldn't help but chuckle, thinking what Kou had said was rather funny. Chou simply huffed, not having enough mental energy to argue. Hitomi felt herself calm down as she looked over at Yukiko who was smiling at the duo in front of her. In the corner of her eye. Hitomi noticed that three girls casual biking towards Junes, their eyes covered with sunglasses and their hair tied up in buns. Hitomi felt her heart stop at the trio, her blood running cold in her body.

"Narukami-chan? Is something wrong? You look pretty pale..." Nise suddenly pointed out, causing the others to look at Hitomi.

"Hey, Nise-kun's right...! Are you getting sick?" Kou asked, blinking in surprise and concern. Hitomi didn't hear her friends as she continued to stare at the bike trio who were about 40-30 feet away from the food court. When the three girls noticed Hitomi, one of the girls- who seemed to be the leader- smirked. Hitomi suddenly jumped to her feet and dashed off, the opposite direction of the bike trio.

"Hi-chan!" Yukiko called out, standing up.

"Wait, hold up! What's going on?!" Chou, Kou, and Nise asked at the same time as Yukiko ran after Hitomi.

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Yosuke Hanamura and Kanji Tatsumi, two boys who have no blood connection with each other in any way, shape, or form; never would have imagined to meet up and run inside the hospital for the exact same reason. Forty minutes ago, these two young men received a text from their friend Nise Satonaka urging them to rush to the hospital for their friend, Hitomi Narukami was involved in an accident. The two stopped everything and ran to the local hospital, the two bumping into each other at the entrance.

"Yosuke, Kanji! Over here!" Nise called out, catching his friends attention. Nise was standing in front of the ER, where Hitomi was being held. Yosuke and Kanji ran over, both covered in sweat.

"Hey, i-is she alright?!" Yosuke asked, panting.

"She's still in there" Nise muttered, looking down at his feet.

"Shit...!" Kanji growled, looking away. Yosuke felt his heart beat rapidly from the adrenaline and fear of losing Hitomi, sweat continuing to fall from his face. Looking away from Nise, Yosuke noticed Yukiko scolding two girls who were sitting on the ground with their heads down.

"Who are these two?" Yosuke asked, catching Kanji and Nise's attention. Nise looked over his shoulder and felt a bead of sweat roll down his jaw, surprised that Yukiko was still scolding the duo.

"They seem to be friends with that girl who also got hurt with Narukami-chan. She was escorted to a different room a while ago" Nise explained. "For some reason, Yukiko won't let them go. She's been scolding at them like a madwomen for the past 30 minutes." Yosuke and Kanji flinched, instantly knowing the reason behind Yukiko's words.

"So they're the ones?" Yosuke growled, feeling anger growing inside of him. "I should have known that they'd be girls- it makes sense now." Nise looked over at Yosuke and blinked in confusion, unsure as to what he meant.

"H-Hey! I came as soon as I could! I-Is Hitomi-senpai okay?!" a familiar voice asked, panting. Yosuke, Kanji, and Nise all looked over and saw Ryo running towards them with a worried expression.

"Ryo... Perfect timing" Yosuke muttered as Ryo stopped right in front of the trio.

"Huh?" Ryo panted, confused as to why Yosuke seemed so upset at him.

"What's going on, Yosuke?" Nise asked in a suspicious way. "...You know something, don't you?"

Yosuke looked over to Kanji, wanting to make sure that now was a good time to say it. Kanji nodded, thinking it was about time.

With a short sigh, Yosuke looked at Ryo and slowly replied, "...Narukami has been the victim of bullying for the past week."

"Wha-" Ryo gasped, taking a step back in shock.

"Bullying?!" Nise practically shouted. "If you knew, why didn't you tell us, Yosuke?!"

"Actually, Yukiko-senpai and myself knew. It's only the two of you who we didn't tell" Kanji pointed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?!" Nise exclaimed, outraged that he was one of the last people to be informed of the news.

"I didn't tell you Nise, because you would have made the situation worse by confronting the bullies about it. And, you, Ryo..." Yosuke began to explain, slowly returning his attention to Ryo. "...I didn't tell you, because it was your fault that all of this happened in the first place."

"W-What...?" Ryo stuttered, sweat beginning to roll down his face as his blood went cold.

"Those girls that Yukiko are yellin' at and the leader of them are hardcore fans of yours. Word got around that you publically announced that you basically preferred Narukami over any girl in the school" Yosuke explained, crossing his arms over his chest. This was the last bit of information that Yosuke, Kanji, and Yukiko managed to get yesterday after school. However, they still couldn't point at the gender- until this whole mess occurred.

"That..." Ryo began, his breathing hitched. "I-I never said that...! At least, not to those girls...!"

"I don't care who you told it to! That doesn't change the fact that it's because of you Narukami got into this mess!" Yosuke snapped back, causing Ryo to take a step back. The furious look in Yosuke's eyes were almost as powerful as a gun aimed at Ryo's head- the finger on the trigger. Ryo blinked rapidly in fear, looking ready to cry.

Suddenly, an ear-piercing scream erupted from the ER, catching everyone's attention.

"W-What was that?!" Yukiko asked, caught extremely off guard.

"Narukami?!" Yosuke gasped, immediately recognizing the scream. Before any of them could move, seven nurses and six doctors rushed towards the ER, all shouting orders as some nurse's pushed carts.

"Please make way, stand away from the doors!" a nurse demanded in a fierce voice. The gang were then pushed aside as the large medical group ran inside the ER.

"Hey!" Yosuke exclaimed, grabbing a nurse by the arm. "Miss, what happened?!" The nurse pulled her arm out of Yosuke's grip and rushed into the room, closing the doors behind her.

The group became quiet as the group stared blankly at the ER doors, the continuous screams of their friend continue to ring in their ears. All they could do now, is wait...

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"Damnit, how long does it take for one girl with seven nurses and doctors to get better...?" Kanji muttered, holding his head in his hands. A long hour had passed since everyone had gathered at the hospital. Thirty minutes ago, some time after Hitomi stopped screaming, the doctor's and nurse's walked out of the ER in complete exhaustion. Some muttered here and there but never answered any of the questions that was thrown at them.

"How did she even get hurt...?" Ryo asked softly, looking over at Nise who was sitting next to Yosuke and Yukiko.

"Face smacked into a street lamp as she... tried to carry the other girl out of the road after she fell off her bike. A truck was coming..." Nise explained, the scene still fresh in his mind. The unconscious body of Hitomi as she laid next to a surprised looking girl, a truck pulled over as he called for an ambulance. Nise closed his eyes and let out a shuddered sigh, unable to bear the mental picture.

"No way..." Yosuke whispered, his hands trembling. Tightly clenching them together, Yosuke lowered his head and closed his eyes in fear. "Narukami...!"

There was a moment of silence, twenty minutes passed, when Yosuke suddenly gasped and looked up. The others looked at him in confusion when suddenly, the ER doors opened and a doctor stepped outside.

"Hm? Well, this is certainly a crowd" the doctor said with a smile, taking notice of the group.

"DOCTOR!" Yosuke, Nise, and Ryo shouted; jumping to their feet and walking towards the doctor.

"Whoa! This is a hospital- please keep it down!" the doctor scolded, startled by the three boys.

"Sorry- but, um, how is Narukami? Hitomi Narukami? Is she okay?" Yosuke asked.

The doctor opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a voice, saying "I'm here!" Everyone looked down the hall and saw Dojima running towards them at top speed, a look of anger and worry sketched on his face.

"Doc- how's my niece? Tell me she's alright!" Dojima panted, joining the three boys who were standing around the doctor.

"First, a little space please" the doctor sighed. Yukiko and Kanji gently pulled their friends away from the doctor in obedience, Dojima taking a step back.

"Now... Dojima-san, your niece is fine. Just a simple scratch with a small cut on her forehead- nothing serious" the doctor began, his attention on Dojima for he was Hitomi's guardian. "But to make sure she was in overall good health, we did some extra tests and found a few things that we thought should be brought to your attention." Yosuke, Nise, and Yukiko gasped softly taking a step forward. Noticing the worried expressions on the teen's faces, the doctor sighed and pushed up his glasses.

"...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have you all here as well. Her friends, correct?" the doctor asked. All of them nodded in agreement. "Alright, well... Listen close- because I don't want to repeat it again." Yosuke took another step forward, gulping loudly.

"So we did a few tests and found that Narukami-san was... diagnosed with PTSD about five years ago" the doctor explained, looking down at the ground. Dojima and Ryo flinched in surprise, understanding the term.

"PTSD?" Nise and Kanji repeated, unfamiliar with it.

"Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder... It's a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress after an injury or severe psychological shock..." Ryo explained softly, looking at his friends.

"Wait, so you're saying... Hi-chan was in an accident or something five years ago?" Yukiko asked, surprised.

"That's what the papers from her previous doctors say. Although, we can assume that it must have been an accident due to her right eye" the doctor pointed out. Dojima flinched once again, this time knowing of what the accident was, and looked away.

"What's wrong with her right eye?" Kanji asked.

"It's been severely damaged- creating a strange phenomenon that caused her hair and eye color to change to silver" the doctor explained, raising his clipboard and shifting through the paperwork.

"Wait, are you serious? How does that work?" Nise asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're not sure- it's extremely bizarre" the doctor replied bluntly. "But, beside from that, it also erased all vision on her right side. It moves and functions like a normal eye, but the nerves have been damaged and can't actually see. It's really the first time anything like this had happened."

"No way..." the group muttered at the same time.

"Hey, earlier- when all those nurses and doctors came- was it because of her eye or something? We heard her scream..." Ryo recalled, his heart sinking as he heard it once again in his mind.

"Yes- I suggested removing it or cleaning it and that's when she had an outburst. We managed to calm her down, but only after we had gotten rid of anything and everything sharp from the room. There seems to be a story with that as well" the doctor explained. There was a brief moment of silence, the new information wrapping itself around the minds of the young teens.

"Hey, how come Narukami-chan was completely fine before? She seemed as if nothing was wrong with her" Nise asked, breaking the silence.

"She had some medication for a year or two and stayed away from anything that could trigger her PTSD. She's done such a fair job that she managed to take control of it- even without the medication" the doctor explained, flipping through some more paperwork.

Suddenly, the doors to the ER opened, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh" Hitomi muttered, blinking in surprise as she stared at the doctor and her friends. "Everyone's here it seem." Dojima walked around the doctor towards Hitomi, noticing the rather large bandage on the right side of Hitomi's temple.

"Huh? Even Dojima?" Hitomi exclaimed softly, surprised to see her uncle before her.

"Hitomi, should you really be moving around?" Dojima asked gently, sounding relieved and yet worried.

"Yes, it's alright. She's fine. She recovered long enough in the room to the point where she's back to her usual self" the doctor reassured with a matching smile. "Now, Dojima-san, if you would..." Dojima looked over at the doctor, who extended his arm out for Dojima to follow. Glancing back over to Hitomi, Dojima sighed and and followed the doctor, leaving the teens to themselves.

"Narukami-chan..." Yosuke muttered, catching Hitomi's attention. Hitomi blinked, noticing the worried look in Yosuke's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I hope I didn't worry you guys too much" Hitomi apologized, locking eyes with the others. They let out a soft sigh as smiles stretched their lips, glad that Hitomi was alright.

"I'm a bit baffled, though... How did I get theses injuries and ended up here?" Hitomi mused as she touched her left temple, gently caressing her bandage.

"Y-You mean you don't remember?" Yukiko and Nise asked at the same time.

"Well... I remember you guys joining Kou-chan, Chou-chan, and myself in our little studying session and we couldn't get anything done..." Hitomi hummed, tilting her head a little as she thought about it. "I blacked out for a while, though. When I 'woke up', there was this girl on the ground in the middle of the road. This truck was coming and..."

"And so you decided to nearly get yourself killed by trying to save her?!" Yosuke huffed, a bit upset that Hitomi had unconsciously helped the enemy.

Hitomi blinked in surprise at Yosuke's question and replied with, "Uhm... That's one way to put it." Yosuke let out a long sigh as he ran his hands through his hair. It had been a rather exhausting week...

"Hey" a husky yet feminine voice huffed, catching everyone's attention. A girl with short black hair tied in a bun approached Hitomi, pushing Yosuke out of the way so that she could be standing face to face with Hitomi. Yosuke felt a vein pop by this, a feeling in his gut telling him that this was the girl that had been bullying Hitomi.

"Oh. I'm glad to see that you're not hurt..." Hitomi greeted, sounding relieved.

"...What's wrong with you? Were you dropped at birth or something?" the girl growled, sounding annoyed.

"H-Huh?" Hitomi stuttered, blinking in surprise.

"Hey, you watch your mouth--!" Kanji growled, a vein popping like it had for Yosuke.

"I've been bullying you and treating you like shit and yet you still decide to save my life?!" the girl barked.

Hitomi blinked in surprise, her eyes widening slightly. "Y-You... You were bullying me?"

The girl huffed and looked over to Yosuke, replying, "Yeah. But thanks to your little servants here, I guess you haven't really been noticing it." Yosuke shot a glare to the girl, causing her to huff in annoyance.

"...But why? If I had done something wrong, why didn't you just confront me?" Hitomi asked, tilting her head.

"That's because Hime was jealous!" the two girls, who had been too scared of Yukiko to run away, explained at the same time. Hitomi looked over and blinked in surprise, confused as to why there were two girls on the ground and wondered how long they've been there.

"Hey, you two- shut up!" the girl, Hime, snapped. The two other girls obediently did so.

"Jealous? Of what?" Hitomi asked.

"You even gotta ask? Of you!" Hime snapped, growing tired at Hitomi's obliviousness. "First Ryouta-sama just ups and says to these commoners that you're the best girl in the world, then your friends start protecting you, and even though I nearly got you killed- you saved me!" Yosuke, Kanji, and Yukiko felt their faces drop in annoyance; unable to believe what Hime was saying.

"I spent years trying to get Ryouta-sama's attention..." Hime continued, looking away. "I... I was jealous that you managed to waltz right on in here and he immediately picks you out of everyone. And I worked so hard too..."

Yukiko huffed in annoyance and barked, "What a horrible reason to do all the things that you have!"

"Seriously. Act your age, idiot!" Kanji agreed. Hime blushed slightly in shame, not making eye contact with anyone. Hitomi stared at Ohim for a moment as Kanji and Yukiko began to lecture Hime about the serious consequences of bullying to such an extreme level.

"Calm down you guys" Hitomi finally spoke, grabbing Hime's hands in her own; catching Hime's attention. "It's alright. You just wanted to get noticed by your idol. It's alright..."

"HUH?!" everyone, except for Hime, exclaimed. No one could believe their eyes at the kindness Hitomi was expressing- the genuine forgiveness she was expressing.

"I mean, sure... I would have preferred a much more civil approach to the matter, but all that matters is that you and your friends didn't get hurt" Hitomi added, glancing away for a minute before locking eyes with Hime once again. "As for Ryo-kun: just talk to him. He's a nice guy and loves talking with other people- but he's a bit blind to those who try to get his attention from a distances."

Hime stared at Hitomi with wide eyes, completely taken by surprise by her kindness. Never before had someone so quickly and so genuinely forgiven someone as cruel as Hime. Feeling herself blush, Ohime 'hmph'ed as she removed her hands from Hitomi's grasp.

"Come on you two- let's get out of here" Hime huffed as she marched down the hall, ready to leave. The two girls jumped up to their feet and obediently followed Hime, wanting to leave as well so that they wouldn't have to look back at Yukiko.

"Hey you! Aren't ya gonna thank Narukami-chan?! Out of everything you did to her, she saved your life and even forgiven you!" Yosuke shouted, upset by Hime's rudeness. Hitomi blinked nervously as she tried to calm Yosuke down, muttering that it was unnecessary.

Hime stopped in her tracks, and without looking back, muttered, "...Sorry. And thanks."

Hitomi, having heard Hime, shook her head and replied, "Not at all. I wish you luck on becoming friends with Ryo-kun." Hime flinched in surprise before continuing on her way, leaving the hospital. The group watched Hime and her friend leave the hospital before looking over to Hitomi.

"Narukami-senpai... You are too nice for your own good" Kanji sighed in exhaustion, stunned by what he had just witnessed.

"Tell me about it... I'm exhausted" Nise and Yukiko sighed, just as exhausted. Hitomi looked over to them and stared for a minute, feeling a warm and a wave of gratitude washing over her.

"...Thanks you guys" Hitomi muttered, shyly, looking down. "I've never had such friends who would go through so much just for my sake..." The other looked at Hitomi in surprise before smiling, Nise and Yukiko chuckling.

"Aw, you're so cute!" Yukiko complimented as she spread her arms and gave Hitomi a warm hug. Hitomi blinked in surprise as the corner of her lips twitch, her arms wrapping around Yukiko's body as well.

"Haha, think nothing of it!" Nise laughed, finding the scene surprisingly comforting.

"Yeah! It's what we do, man" Kanji said as he flashed a grin.

"You're very important to all of us- we couldn't just stand to the side and do nothing" Yosuke explained warmly, his entire expression kind and gentle.

"...Hey, where's Ryo-kun? I thought I saw him earlier" Hitomi asked as Yukiko removed herself from Hitomi. The other's blinked in surprise and looked around, now noticing Ryo's absence.

"That's weird- he was here earlier when we were talking with your doctor" Nise mused, looking around. Hitomi thought for a moment, wondering where Ryo would have gone...
"...Why don't you guys go and head on home? I'll look for Ryo-kun" Hitomi suggested. The guys felt somewhat hesitant to let Hitomi do things by herself in the state she was in, but Kanji and Nise were soon pushed along by Yukiko; telling them they should probably find Dojima and let him know that Hitomi would head home by herself. Yosuke, however, stayed behind as he stared at Hitomi with a pained heart. As Hitomi hummed and turned around, seeming to have come up with a location, Yosuke reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist.

"Hey..." Yosuke began, his eyes soft with worry as Hitomi turned around in surprise. "...Be careful, okay? Call me and let me know if something happens..." Hitomi stared at Yosuke in surprise, a soft pink tinging her cheeks.

"O-Okay... I will" Hitomi replied, a bit embarrassed by the feeling in her chest that started to beat when Yosuke grabbed her wrist. Yosuke smiled gently, slowly letting go of Hitomi's wrist and turning around to join the others.

Meanwhile, somewhere out in the Samegawa Plains, Ryo laid on the grass where he and Hitomi had spent time together before he was thrown into the T.V world. Shortly after seeing Hitomi, Ryo couldn't keep himself together- tears silently falling from his eyes. Embarrassed and ashamed, Ryo looked the other way and silently ran off. He didn't know where at the time, he just needed to go. By the time his legs grew tired, Ryo found himself here at Samegawa.

It's all my fault... How could I have done such a thing? There's no way that she'll talk to me again... Ryo thought as he sighed, lost in the blue color of the sky. Tears started to fall once again from Ryo's eyes as his lips trembled, trying desperately to not let out a sob. It hurt Ryo so much that he had lost a friend- and one who tried so hard to help him realize that there was more to him than just one personality. To keep him alive.

I can't believe it would hurt this much... Ryo thought as his breathing hitched, unable to keep in his tears anymore. Covering his eyes with his arm, Ryo let out a strangled sob.

"I'm sorry, Hitomi...!" Ryo sobbed.

"There's no need to apologise" a voice reassured, causing Ryo to gasp in surprise. Slowly removing his arm from his eyes, Ryo looked up and saw Hitomi sitting away from him at the top of the hill.

"H-Hitomi-senpai...?!" Ryo stammered, extremely embarrassed. "H-how did you...?!"

"I just had a feeling" Hitomi replied simply.

Ryo blinked in surprise by Hitomi's words before looking up at the sky. "...I-"

"Thank you" Hitomi interrupted.

"H-Huh...?" Ryo stuttered looking up at Hitomi's back.

"I told the other's this in the hospital... But, I've never had a group of friends before who would go through so much for my sake" Hitomi explained. Ryo blinked in surprise before looking back up at the sky with sad eyes.

"...I don't deserve your gratitude. It's all my fault that this happened to you and I didn't even do anything to help...! I'm a horrible friend" Ryo muttered, tears prickling his eyes.

"That's not true" Hitomi began, a warm feeling washing over her. "From the sound of your voice... You're crying, aren't you?" Ryo flinched in embarrassment, glancing upward as a breeze blew over them. "The fact that you're crying for me... It tells me that you care. And, honestly, that's all I need." There was a moment of peaceful silence between the as the gentle breeze blew over the two, calming them.

Hitomi felt the corner of her lips twitch as she heard Ryo try to take in a steady breath. "Come on. Let's head home, Ryo-kun."

Ryo stared at the sky with wide eyes as more tears fell. He was completely caught off guard by Hitomi's kindness.

How...? How could such a kind and forgiving girl exist? Ryo wondered. He felt his heat steadily begin to skip beats, blushing as he placed a hand over his heart. The feeling in his chest was familiar to Ryo. It was just like when he first heard his first love sing. Ryo's hand twitched and tightened, as if trying to confirm the feeling. Suddenly, a light and yet heavy weight fell on top of Ryo, causing him to wheeze as he sat up, supporting whatever fell on him to sit up as well

"Ow..." Hitomi groaned, causing Ryo to blush as his heartbeat started to beat loud enough to be heard in his eardrums.

Hitomi looked shyly over to Ryo and rubbed the back of her neck, her dusted with just a tinge of pink from their positioning. "S-Sorry about that... But I guess this proves my point, huh?" Ryo blinked once in confusion, causing Hitomi to explain: "I can't fall on you unless you're sitting or lying on the ground."

That's when Ryo knew. The feeling in his chest... The pounding from his heart...

He was falling in love.

He is falling in love with Hitomi Narukami- the only girl he has ever known to be so kind, so forgiving, so unique, so beautiful, and do so much for the sake of others. Ryo smiled and gently wrapped Hitomi into his arms, hugging her close to him.

"It's actually the opposite" Ryo sighed as fresh tears formed and fell. "I'm... the one who fell for you"

Hitomi blinked a few times in surprise, her heart skipping a few beats as she said, "Huh? Um, but, I'm on top of you not the other way around..." Ryo chuckled softly at the obliviousness of the girl in his arms, ignoring the fact that she might have just ruined the moment. Hitomi blinked a few times before giving in and closing her eyes, finding the warmth of Ryo's body comforting.

After a moment of silence, Ryo opened his eyes again slowly. He was able to tell and had figured it out a while ago... Ryo knew that he wasn't the only one after Hitomi's heart. There were two other people, but one of them being a real threat- even if they hadn't realized it yet...

Yosuke Hanamura.