Chapter Text
“Morning, Partner,” Yosuke greeted Yu with a yawn, waiting at their usual spot before they walked to school together.
“Morning, Yosuke,” Yu said back, approaching him. “Tired?”
“Yeah, man. It took forever to take down those decorations after the school festival,” said Yosuke. He quickly fell into step walking alongside Yu. “Man, I’m never putting in a joke suggestion like that again. Who would have guessed a group date cafe would be a total bust? I still can’t believe that idea won the class vote!”
“It was a more interesting idea than a photo booth,” Yu pointed out.
“A photo booth would have at least had someone stop by,” Yosuke shot back. “And be way less awkward.”
Yu solemnly patted Yosuke on the shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, I had fun on our date.”
Yosuke’s face immediately flushed bright red. “H-hey, that’s not funny, man! I still can’t believe you sat directly across from me like that in front of everyone! You didn’t even hesitate!” He looked away with a huff, face still red from embarrassment. “Whatever. At least it’s over.”
The two chatted idly all the way to school, only pausing at their shoe lockers in the front entrance before class.
While Yu was busy putting his shoes away, the chatter from the students around them suddenly died out. Yu looked up at the sudden odd hush around them, glancing around to see what the cause was.
“...Why is it so quiet all of a sudden?” Yosuke asked, keeping his voice down. So he had noticed too.
Yu heard the doors on the other side of the lockers close; whatever happened must have been on the other side of the lockers, where they couldn’t see. He leaned around to look, just in time to see someone dart around the corner to the first year classrooms down the hall.
Whatever spell had come over the students suddenly broke, and people started talking to each other in quick, hushed tones.
Yosuke turned to look at Yu. “So… I’m not the only one who thought that was weird, right?”
Yu shook his head. “What do you think that was about?”
“No idea,” said Yosuke.
It wasn’t until after school that they found out what all the excitement was about.
“Hey, by the way, did you guys hear about that first-year kid that assaulted a guy?” Chie asked between bites of her steak skewer.
The group was all gathered in the Junes courtyard. It had been a while since Naoto had joined the Investigation Team, and the next rainy night was forecast to happen that night, so they decided to meet up after school to discuss their next plans.
“Wait, someone did what?” said Yosuke.
“I haven’t heard about it,” said Yu.
Chie gave them a surprised look. “Really? It seemed like everyone at school was talking about him today. I’m surprised you guys didn’t hear about it yet.”
“I haven’t heard about him either!” said Teddie.
“That’s because you weren’t at school today, Ted,” said Yosuke, exasperated.
“It happened a little over two weeks ago,” said Naoto matter-of-factly, poring over her notebook. “Ren Amamiya. Supposedly he assaulted someone, and the case went through surprisingly quickly; the hearing was a couple of days ago. He came back to school today for the first time since the incident on probation, so everyone’s been talking about it nonstop.”
“You sure know a lot about him,” said Yu.
“I heard about the case from the police,” Naoto replied simply.
“Even so, that sounds quite serious,” said Yukiko.
“It’s scarier when he’s in the same year as you,” said Rise, scooting closer to Yu in a less-than-subtle manner. Kanji rolled his eyes at the action.
If Yu noticed the gesture, he didn’t show it. Instead, he looked towards the first years in the group. “He’s a first year student, right? Do you guys happen to know him?”
“I’m afraid not,” said Naoto. “I haven’t made any acquaintances outside of you all, so other than what I’ve heard from the police, I know about as much as you do.”
Rise shook her head. “We’re not in the same class… I think he’s in Kanji’s, though.”
“Hey don’t look at me, dude,” said Kanji. “I ain’t ever talked to ‘im.”
“Really?” said Yukiko. “I thought you might know him. You know, since you were the famous first-year delinquent.”
Kanji wilted. “Sheesh, senpai. Way to put it bluntly.”
“Oh. Sorry,” she replied. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”
“Nah, I get what ya meant,” said Kanji. “I mean, yeah, I’ve seen ‘im around, but…
“But..?” Yu asked.
Kanji looked thoughtful. “...Look, I dunno about all these rumors about Amamiya. I mean… I know what those kinds of dudes look like when I see ‘em, and he definitely ain’t it.”
“What makes you so sure?” Yu asked.
“Well, he’s always had his nose in a book whenever I saw ‘im in class,” said Kanji. “And today he just looked kinda… down. He just doesn’t seem like that kinda guy, ya know?”
“Yeah, but that Mitsuo guy didn’t seem like the type to kill someone, either,” said Yosuke. “And we all know how that went.”
Kanji grumbled. “...I guess,” he said.
“Well, whatever his deal is, we’re getting off track,” said Yosuke. “We gotta be ready for whoever might show up on the Midnight Channel tonight.”
“If anyone appears at all,” said Naoto.
“I doubt that would be the case,” said Rise. “Someone’s always shown up on the Midnight Channel.”
“I can’t think of who it could possibly be,” said Naoto, flipping a page in her notebook. “I was hoping to get a head start on figuring out who the next victim might be, so we could potentially catch the killer before they act. But there’s been no major appearances on TV lately, other than the usual people who report the news. Nothing sticks out.”
“Then we’ll find out tonight,” said Yu.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, dude,” said Kanji. “The killer ain’t exactly makin’ it easy on us.”
“I know,” she said, frowning in disappointment.
Before long, the group parted ways and went home, preparing for a late night watching the Midnight Channel.
That night, a silhouette appeared on the Midnight Channel, but it was almost completely obscured by TV static.
“What the hell was that?!” said Yosuke. The group was gathered on the rooftop for the lunch period, granting them a small semblance of privacy. “There was definitely someone on the Midnight Channel last night, but there was so much static that I couldn’t make anything out!”
“Yeah, same here,” said Rise. “I could barely see a thing on the TV last night!”
“Has that ever happened before?” asked Naoto.
“No,” said Yu. “It’s always been just clear enough to tell who it is.”
“It didn’t resemble anyone that’s appeared on TV lately, either,” said Naoto.
“Dammit, we’re running out of time,” said Yosuke, nervously pacing around the rooftop. “Who knows when the killer might get to them!”
“Calm down,” said Kanji. “We’re all frustrated. We just need to keep trying.”
“How are we supposed to help them if we don’t even know who it is?” said Chie.
Naoto gave a resigned sigh. “I suspect we won’t find out the next victim’s identity until the next rainy night.”
“We can’t give up, though!” Rise protested. “If we don’t figure out who it is soon, they could get hurt!”
Naoto shook her head. “I never said that we were giving up,” she replied. “The image was far too blurry to make out any defining features. The forecast shows rain a couple nights from now, though. Maybe we can get a better look.”
“If they’re not already inside the TV by then,” Yosuke said darkly.
“I don’t like waiting for someone to get thrown in either,” said Yu.
“We may not have much choice in the matter,” said Naoto, turning to a page in her notebook, which was already filled out with a list of names. “But in the meantime, we’ll keep trying.”
The group discussed it for a while longer, but none of them could narrow down who the figure on the Midnight Channel was. Before long, the lunch period ended, and they had to return to classes empty-handed. They were still no closer to finding an answer than they had been before the latest mystery victim’s appearance on the Midnight Channel.
Yu idly poked at his food during dinner as he thought about it. The fact that they couldn’t figure out who it was still bothered Yu. Most of the time, the person that appeared on the Midnight Channel was clear enough to make out. What if they couldn’t this time? That possibility had never occurred to them before.
If they couldn’t figure out who it was this time, someone would die. That thought made him a little less hungry.
“You’re pretty quiet,” said Dojima, as they were eating dinner.
“Oh. Sorry,” said Yu. “Just thinking.”
“Big bro?” said Nanako. “Are you upset?”
“No, Nanako-chan,” Yu said automatically. “I’m not upset. I was just thinking about something for school.”
“Like… a homework problem?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I was studying with my friends earlier, but we got a little stuck on an assignment.”
“Aren’t you around the top of your class?” asked Dojima. “I’m surprised something can stump you. Do you want me to look at it?”
Yu internally sweated, hoping it didn’t show. “Thanks, Uncle, but I think we’ll figure out the rest of it tomorrow. We made some progress on it today, and we just got a bit distracted talking,” he said, half-truthfully.
(Yu didn’t like how much better he had gotten at lying to him lately.)
“Ah. Of course,” said Dojima. He then glanced at the TV, which was playing a news segment reporting a crime. “Oh, not this again,” he said.
“What?” Yu asked. “What is it?”
He sighed. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been hearing about this nonstop at the precinct since the kid got arrested,” said Dojima. “It’s been two weeks. You’d think they would find something else to talk about.”
“Kid?” Yu asked.
“Yeah. The perp was around your age,” said Dojima. “I know him, though. His parents seem like decent folks, but I guess their kid’s going through some kind of rebellious phase, and now he’s got a record that’ll follow him for the rest of his life.”
“Amamiya, right?” Yu guessed.
Dojima gave him a look of surprise. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“He showed up at school the other day,” said Yu. “Everyone’s been talking about him.”
Dojima raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Didn’t think they would let him out on probation that soon,” he said. “Well, I’m warning you right now: don’t get involved with him. I don’t want you getting yourself into any trouble.”
Yu glanced at the news replies playing on the TV, and his thoughts immediately turned to the Investigation Team’s meeting earlier. Could he be..?
He paid closer attention and immediately noticed one missing detail.
“Why aren’t they showing him on the report?” he asked.
“Oh, that?” said Dojima. “He’s still a minor, so the news can’t actually broadcast his name or face,” he explained. “Not that it’ll do much good, though. Word spreads fast.”
Damn. That ruled him out, then. Even so, Yu silently filed away the information to share with Naoto later. She was always adamant about gathering as much information as possible.
The news report then switched to an advertisement for Junes, and the conversation was quickly forgotten as they listened to Nanako sing along to the jingle.
The next few days leading up to the next rainy night didn’t show much more luck in narrowing down the next victim’s identity. No unusual appearances were made on TV lately, only local weather and news reports; Inaba was a small town, and not much of note had happened lately that had reached the news.
“Hey Naoto,” said Kanji, catching her in front of her shoe locker. “You sure you still wanna hang out today? I gotta help my Ma out with the shop for a bit this afternoon.”
“I’d be happy to,” said Naoto. “But if you need to help your mother, I wouldn’t want to impose…”
Kanji relaxed. “Nah, you can stick around if you want. She totally loves you.”
Naoto blushed a bit at the praise. “... I’ll be sure to thank her for her hospitality.”
Kanji had invited Naoto to his house more often lately, something Naoto appreciated. Kanji made for good company; sometimes they worked on schoolwork together, and other times Kanji would bury himself in a sewing project while Naoto concentrated on her own work, whether it was school work or detective work. The two of them often either chatted idly or worked in a comfortable silence.
Naoto simply enjoyed the peace and quiet to think. Especially lately, with all the commotion at school. It was rather difficult to focus on schoolwork with the endless gossip circulating the classroom.
The sound of a locker door rattling drew her attention. She turned to see the source of said gossip trying to open his shoe locker as discreetly as possible and failing miserably, judging by the whispered cursing under his breath. The door was clearly stuck.
“...You, uh, need help with that?” Kanji asked.
Ren Amamiya startled and looked around, immediately seeing Naoto and Kanji. He looked tired, even underneath his thick glasses.
He met Kanji’s gaze with a wary look. “I’m fine. Thank you,” Amamiya replied shortly, turning back to his locker.
After another moment, the door finally pried open, and a couple pieces of paper came fluttering out to the ground. Amamiya picked them up and read them; Naoto couldn’t see his expression with his back turned to them. Without a word, he grabbed his things, quietly closed his locker, and turned to leave.
As soon as he left through the front doors, a couple of girls immediately started talking not-so-quietly within earshot.
“I wish the school would just expel him already. I don’t feel safe with him walking around.”
“I know, right? That serial killer was bad enough!”
“I’m telling you, it’s always the quiet types.”
That overheard conversation left an oddly sour taste in Naoto’s mouth, even after they had left the school and headed to Tatsumi Textiles.
“I know Amamiya beat the crap out of a guy, but man, those chicks were talkin’ some real shit,” said Kanji.
“It isn’t completely unwarranted,” said Naoto. “Amamiya did assault and seriously injure a fully grown man. That’s not something that can be taken lightly.”
“Yeah…” said Kanji. “I kinda get that. Everyone was scared as hell of me after I picked a bunch of fights with that biker gang.”
The two of them walked along the floodplain in relative silence.
“...Hey Naoto,” Kanji said suddenly. “This’ll probably sound weird, but… don’tcha think the person on the Midnight Channel kinda looks like that Amamiya guy?”
“What?” said Naoto, stopping. “Are you sure?”
“Not really…” said Kanji. “I thought they had kinda similar-lookin’ hair? But I wasn’t sure, since it was kinda hard to see anythin’. And… you said he hasn’t been on TV lately…” He quickly glanced away, looking embarrassed. “Forget it. ‘S just a dumb thought I had.”
“I still appreciate the input, Kanji,” said Naoto, giving a small, tired smile. “It’s better to exhaust every option.”
The two of them continued to walk in silence along the floodplain, all the way to the shopping district. Naoto was deep in her own thoughts; Kanji could almost hear the gears turning in her brain.
“...Kanji,” Naoto suddenly said. “How certain are you that you saw Amamiya on the Midnight channel?”
“Huh? Uh…” Kanji was a bit surprised by the sudden question, but he thought over his answer. “Well, I wasn’t all that sure… but I don’t see a lotta guys with curly hair like that, n’ everyone’s already been talkin’ about ‘im. Dude was the first person I thought of,” he explained. “Why?”
She went silent for a moment, looking thoughtful. She then abruptly walked towards the bookstore, grabbing a newspaper off the nearest stand outside and flipping rapidly through the pages.
“Uh… Naoto?” said Kanji.
“That’s it,” she suddenly said. She turned the paper and pointed to an article in the back with a picture of Amamiya with his name under it. “He might fit the pattern. Kanji, you’re a genius!”
“I am?” he asked. “Wait, you really think it might be him? I thought you said it wasn’t!”
“It’s just a theory,” said Naoto. “One that I plan to put to the test tonight, when the Midnight Channel comes on.”
Naoto patiently sat in front of the TV at her house in the minutes leading up to midnight. The TV was off, and most of the house was dark save for a light for Naoto to read by. Naoto was passing the time reviewing her notes, running through all her accumulated knowledge of the case and the Midnight Channel.
One of the most important things she’d learned as a detective was that whenever she got stuck solving any mystery, it often helped to backtrack or return to the basics.
The others had been figuring out how the Midnight Channel worked for months, steadily ruling out possibilities such as the victims all being female when Kanji was thrown in. The only constant across all of the real killer’s targets was that they all appeared on TV at one point or another; that rule was how they figured out Kubo had only been a copycat and not the real one.
Another common clue was that many of the victims had drawn quite a bit of attention when they appeared, often ending up the subject of rumors and gossip across the tiny town.
She couldn’t deny that Amamiya would have been an obvious candidate; everyone had been talking about his arrest. It was one of the more noteworthy things to happen in Inaba, alongside the serial murders, Risette’s arrival in town, and her own bit of fame as the detective prince. The incident had even been reported on the news. Everything lined up; the only issue was that his name and face weren’t explicitly shown on the news report.
What if that didn’t matter?
Everyone already knew who it was the report was talking about, even without revealing Amamiya’s identity. He was still technically appearing on the news, he just wasn’t seen on it. Was that enough to make him appear on the Midnight Channel?
She glanced up at the clock. It was almost midnight.
Right on cue, the TV came to life, bathing the room in an eerie yellow glow. Naoto quickly set aside her notes, turning her full attention to what appeared on the screen.
The silhouette that appeared was slightly clearer than last time, but it was still barely visible beneath all the static. The only feature that was just clear enough to make out through the static was their short, curly hair.
It didn’t look like anyone she had seen on TV before, but that was because it wasn’t. Naoto was sure of it now. Thanks to her latest theory, she now knew exactly who she was looking at. In hindsight, it should have been obvious.
Naoto quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Yu.
Yu picked up almost immediately. “Naoto?”
“I know who the next target is,” she immediately said.