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When Chie first lays eyes on Kamoshida Suguru, his body is in pieces. As the scent of blood and offal and gore hits her nostrils, eerily reminiscent of the way the old butchery back home began to reek once it suddenly shut its doors, Chie bolts back into the school hallway and barely resists puking her half-digested lunch over the linoleum floors.
"Told you it was a rough one." While she's too busy grappling with his stomach to look his way - because honestly, ew - she recognises Sanada's voice instantly. A rough, but friendly hand pats her back, helping the contents of her guts stay where they should be before a bottle of water is pushed in front of her. "Drink up. You'll feel better."
Grabbing the offering, Chie swigs it down in an instant, rubbing her lips with the back of her palm the second she finishes. "... Sorry, Senpai." The short-haired woman sighs, humiliation flushing her cheeks.
Ugh. She already gets enough shit from her coworkers as-is for being a bit too female or a bit too country. She doesn't need to get known as a pussy as well. It wouldn't be very feminist of her if she's the only one on the team who couldn't handle Mister My-Body-Looks-Like-It's-Encountered-A-Grenade. Guilt twists her guts into uncomfortable knots - Chie somehow feels like she's just failed womankind everywhere.
"No need for apologies - this isn't your everyday crime scene." Sanada shakes his head before leaning in closer, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. "Besides, Matsumoto actually vomited once he saw it. Why do you think I had a bottle on hand?"
Feeling a lot better, Chie giggles before taking a deep breath in. "Alright, Senpai! I think I'm ready now - trust me."
To his credit, he does. "Word of advice?" Sanada calls out over his shoulder as he re-enters the gym teacher's office. "Breath with your mouth, not your nose. It's the smell that's setting you off."
He's right, as per usual. She can still taste rot on the back of her tongue, which, like, gross, but it's much better than the sensory assault she experienced before. Scanning the gym teacher's office, she grimaces. Blood - already dry, Kamoshida must have passed away overnight - covers most of it, staining the paperwork that's fallen off his toppled table a disgusting red. As she peers at the table, her brows furrow. An iron leg is dented, several gouges clawed into the desk's surface. Odd. What sorta weapon leaves marks like that? A sword? You don't see those very often, and it'd have to be a big one too at that.
Finally, Chie musters her courage and plucks up the nerve to look at the elephant in the room. She's expecting to feel a lot of things as she examines Kamoshida's body. His upper half has been torn from his lower, one of his arms resting on its lonesome in the corner. Out of all of those feelings, she's not expecting one to be déjà vu.
She's never really been a cat person. Her old neighbour had one though, and she vividly remembers seeing it pick apart a mouse one night as she took out the rubbish. It had obviously been playing with the poor thing for a while, but the claws were out by the time Chie spotted the beast. The cat's first strike had nearly pulled the mouse's leg off its body. The next did. Finally, it bit down, leaving a gaping hole between the upper and lower halves of its poor prey's body.
At that moment, Chie knows it deep in her guts that Kamoshida is the mouse.
"Inspector Dojima, sir." Sanada salutes politely, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Dojima-san, sir!" She copies his gesture, the automatic smile her superior officer's name brought to her lips fading the second she gets a good look at him.
There are rings under his eyes, and the greying hair he never had back in Inaba only makes him look even more severe. He's in a bad mood, and is dragging it around with him like a thundercloud.
Looking at the corpse, Dojima's face twists into a disgusted grimace. Idly, Chie wonders if she should offer him a drink, but promptly thinks that's unwise. See - she's beginning to get the hang of these polite society people skill things! Suck on that, Matsumoto - I'm not the bumpkin you think I am!
"Bloody hell." Dojima's lips curl. "What do you have, Sanada?"
"The victim is Kamoshida Suguru, former Olympian, volleyball team coach, and head of Shujin's PE department. We'll need a formal ID later, sir, but given his head is pretty much the only part of him that's intact, I'm pretty comfortable he's who he appears he is." The silver-haired man explains, withdrawing a notepad. "The coach for the soccer club noticed a strange scent when he came in this morning to set up for practice. Came in, and well... saw this. His fingerprints will be on the door, but he insisted he didn't set foot inside - just noticed all the blood and instantly called the police. Matsumoto and Tomochika are with him now."
"Good." The detective nods curtly. "I'll want to interview him myself later. Spotted anything interesting at the crime scene, yet?"
Sanada shakes his head. "Forensics have only just gotten started, and considering the state of the scene, I didn't want to get in their way. There are some gouges in the table which look like they've come from a blade, so I'm assuming the perp probably used one for the murder weapon."
"'Course, we'll need to wait for forensics for more info." Dojima sighs, glancing at Chie. "Do you have anything else to add, Satonaka?"
She knows she should smile, shake her head, and state Sanada summarised it all. Instead, the words have blurted their way out of her mouth before she can even think. "It looks like an animal got him."
Sanada tilts his head. "It's certainly violent enough."
"No, I mean like, literally." Chie swallows, as both men's gazes land on her. "It looks like something's torn him to bits before taking a bite out of him."
Her guts twist as Sanada frowns, and Dojima's patronising shake of the head twists the knife in. "Look, I get it's a lot, Satonaka, but be real here. This isn't the sticks - if there was a wild boar running around the middle of Tokyo, someone would have noticed. 'Sides, I've never seen a boar big enough to do something like this."
"... Or smart enough to wield a sword." One of the forensic officers giggles, Chie's cheeks already beginning to burn.
This time, she manages to shove down her rising indignation - she's not stupid, she knows it's a ridiculous idea - and hold her tongue. "... Yes, sir."
“Come on.” Dojima pats her shoulder in a gesture that’s meant to be friendly but only makes her cheeks burn even more. “Let’s interview the faculty. I don’t think we’re gonna get anything else from here until forensics are done.”
With a nod, Chie and Sanada both fall into step behind him, Chie doing her best to shove her frustrated humiliation down into a neat little bundle so she can dispose of it like trash into the bin. Her best isn’t quite good enough.
The trembling principal then confesses that a month ago, former track star Sakamoto Ryuji attacked the gym coach unprovoked, and that seems to be that.
.....
A lot of things happened before Chie first saw Kamoshida Suguru. The most important thing though is something that didn’t. Specifically, Narukami Yu never had any reason to move to Inaba, his parents hired by the Kirijo Group during Kirijo Takeharu’s latest expansion of the company, instead of the overseas firm they were considering.
With no silver-haired teen nor supernatural murders to break Inaba’s status quo, life in the country town simply continued as is, hobbling along like a deer with an arrow in its side that’s well aware it’s bleeding but doesn’t quite want to admit it’s done for. Because in this world, where Saki runs away the second she turns eighteen and the only person left who bothers to tolerate Yosuke for more than five minutes is therefore Chie, who even then doesn’t actually like him all that much, there’s no reason for him to badger his parents into using local produce.
Instead, dwindling visits to the Amagi Inn, the closure of the tofu store, and more and more vacant homes eventually reach a critical mass that breaks the dam’s wall, and Inaba’s death knell soon comes in the form of a fog-cloaked Yasogami high announcing its closure nearing the end of Chie’s third year.
She’s shocked, Yosuke is delighted, and Yukiko merely resigned. No matter how they feel about it, however, the facts remain what they are – there’s no community without a school, and while a few brave souls commit to teaching their children at home, most families simply don’t have the time or resources.
Yukiko talks to Chie about universities and dorms, a light in her eyes even if her smile is strained – she wanted to leave Inaba in the arms of her fictional prince, not be forced out of it like a pauper – but Chie can barely process her best friend’s words. She’s no genius – she doesn’t even qualify as average. No matter how hard she tries to picture it, Chie simply can’t picture herself in this hypothetical future Yukiko is building.
Instead, her lifeline comes in the form of Dojima. He spends a lot of time wandering around the foggy village, shadows under his eyes ever since the Adachi incident – enough time to spot Chie and Kanji chasing off some bikers hooning around what's left of Inaba. She’d been restless and angry since the news dropped, and Kanji was always restless and angry, so they’d made a good duo.
“I’m being transferred to Tokyo PD.” The detective informs her one day. “You’ve got spunk and a good heart, and we need more officers like that. Improve your grades a bit, and I’ll put in a good word.”
Beaming, she runs off to tell Yukiko the good news, finally able to see herself in this imaginary life Yukiko is planning on building.
And that, as they say, is that.
…..
The next time Chie sees Kamoshida Suguru, he has four arms and a tongue over twice the size of her body, but more on that later.
…..
“How was work?” Yukiko hums as she cleans the night’s dishes in their shared apartment. Not that there’s much of them – while the girls can now safely cook instant ramen, dinner still normally takes the form of supermarket bento boxes and cheap takeout.
“Ugh.” Chie groans, slumping down on the couch. “Don’t even ask.”
The studio flat isn’t much, but it’s all that the student and recently hired cop can afford, and more importantly, it’s home. When the traffic is quiet and Yukiko lets out an unrestrained laugh, tears in her eyes and a snort in her mouth as Chie blushes a brilliant red, still barely able to process that this beautiful woman in front of her isn't just a best friend, but a girlfriend, it’s almost like Inaba.
Sometimes, it’s better than Inaba, even if Chie still can’t get her head around the trains and Yukiko can never quite adapt to the constant hum of traffic that plagues the city.
Today is not one of those days, however.
“I’m investigating a murder.” Chie leans forward, fiddling with her thumbs. “It… it’s a violent one. A really violent one.”
“Oh, Chie.” Dishes abandoned, Yukiko settles down at her side, and Chie automatically rests her head on her shoulder.
(Yukiko’s body is tense, and Chie tries to ignore it.)
“Well, on the bright side, at least it should be over and done with quickly.” Taking a deep breath in, Chie attempts to reassure her partner, and to no small degree herself. “Dojima’s positive some kid at the school the victim worked in did it. Gonna have to find the evidence, but…”
(They always find the evidence, even if Chie’s not entirely sure where.)
“Is he now.” Yukiko comments, a shadow so brief flickering over her face that Chie’s not convinced it ever appeared at all. “And what do you think?”
Her guts twist and twist and twist. In fact, they hadn’t really stopped ever since she first saw Kamoshida’s body.
I don’t think a human killed him.
“Dunno.” Chie stares at the wooden floor. “Dojima’s probably right – he’s been a cop pretty much forever, y’know? He has to know his stuff.”
Though he didn’t realise Adachi was bad news until he assaulted that woman.
Yukiko merely hums in response, and again, that, as they say, is that.
…..
It’s dark and it’s green and everything feels foggy.
“… ‘Kiko?” Chie murmurs, still three-quarters asleep as she notices the absence of her girlfriend’s body by her side.
“Ch-Chie?” Her partner stammers. “… I’m just getting a drink. You can go back to sleep.”
With a grunt, Chie does.
…..
Sakamoto Ryuji is a textbook delinquent. Bleached, choppy hair, a long, bony – thuggish – face, a nigh permanent scowl, and an odd gait to his walk. As he hobbles in Shujin’s direction, he shoots a nasty glare towards a couple of boys sniggering at him, instantly shutting them up.
Everything about Sakamoto screams trouble.
… Except he lacks the cruel glint to his eye all the truly awful kids had back in Inaba. Except he looks like Kanji, who Chie had spent nearly three years being afraid of, until she realised she was just as restless and angry as he was those days. Kanji, who turned out to be a sweetheart underneath the macho façade. Unlike Kanji, however, Sakamoto is the chief – only – suspect for a brutal murder, and while he hasn’t fessed up yet, Dojima thinks it's just a matter of time.
The second the boy nears the alcove Chie’s standing under, she steps into the light, making sure he sees her. She doesn’t approach him, however – it’s an intimidation tactic, nothing more. Dojima reckons if Sakamoto feels the noose closing in on him, the police hounding his every move, he'll probably crack. Or alternatively, slip up.
He’s the only suspect, but there’s no conclusive evidence.
(Yukiko had looked unimpressed when Chie told her about Dojima’s strategy. The longer she’s at university, the more and more often that look pops up.)
(… Are the police really meant to be intimidating people?)
She’s barely stepped out of the shadows, Sakamoto’s face twisting into something unpleasant, when a voice, sharp and scathing, cuts across the street.
“Oh, my god. I’ve had enough of this.”
It’s not Sakamoto. Instead, the boy pales as a girl marches towards Chie like she means business, his eyes wide with horror. “Ann, wait…!”
She’s blonde, too, but unlike Sakamoto’s bleached yellow, her golden locks seem completely natural. Combined with her vividly blue eyes, the girl – Ann – stands out so much, Chie feels a twist of embarrassment that she failed to notice her earlier.
She feels far more embarrassed as Ann jabs a perfectly manicured fingernail directly towards Chie’s chest, however. “What the actual hell is your problem?! This is… this is police harassment, plain and simple!”
“Ma’am, I’m just keeping an eye on Shujin –” With gritted teeth, Chie begins to huff out the excuse Dojima gave her, but the blonde doesn’t pause her tirade.
“I can’t believe this.” Ann crosses her arms. “The police didn’t bother showing up when Kamoshida was grinding the track team into the ground. The police didn’t bother showing up when Kamoshida broke Ryuji’s leg. The police didn’t bother showing up when he raped my best friend!”
As Ann spits, Chie’s blood suddenly turns to ice. What did she just say…?
She doesn’t get a chance to ask, as Ann isn’t done. “And yet, now that Kamoshida’s gotten exactly what he deserves, the police are crawling all over the place.” The blonde smiles, her voice dripping with poison. “I don’t know how much Kobayakawa is paying you, but you might as well take your pennies and shove off. Given Ryuji was only released from the hospital three days before Kamoshida was killed and is still limping all over the place, god knows you’re not going to find any actual evidence that he’s the killer!”
“Ann.” Sakamoto’s voice is harsh as he hobbles – limps, how did Chie not notice it earlier, the reason his walk is so funny is because he’s limping – over and pulls Ann away from her. “Don’t, please. You’re just gonna make shit worse.”
There isn’t a cruel glint in his eyes, but there is fear as he looks at his friend. His friend, who after that pretty little rant, has even more of a motive than he does, something he clearly realises.
She didn’t do it either, though. There are no muscles in her skinny, pretty little arms – Chie would know after living most of her life on a farm. No, Ann simply doesn’t have the strength to butcher a man Kamoshida’s size, motive be damned.
(Chie doesn’t think any human being does, not without a bunch of specialised equipment and a hell of a lot of time on their hands.)
Sighing, the brunette attempts to sweep her hand through her hair, only to get stopped by her hat. “Y’know, most officers wouldn’t take too kindly to getting shouted at like that.” Matsumoto would have dragged Ann down to the station for that rant, for one, but she doesn't really want to be anything like that bastard. “… Just go to school, you two.”
While Ann looks like she wants to keep on fighting, a fire burning in her icy eyes, Sakamoto has clearly learnt something since he first attacked Kamoshida, and drags the blonde away.
As the duo retreat, Chie’s guts twist. She became an officer because she wanted to be a hero and kick bad-guy butt.
Not feel like the villain herself.
“… That looked rough.” A whistle distracts her from her thoughts, and turning around, her eyes widen.
“Sanada-senpai? What are you doing here?”
“Was in the area for another case, and thought I’d say hi.” He walks towards her.
Chie’s eyes then narrow. “… How much of that did you hear?”
“Not a lot.” The silver-haired man shakes his head. “Enough to know that girl chewed you out, though.”
Biting her lip, she turns back to the blondes. "... I don't think he did it, Senpai." Chie swallows what feels like a rock as she watches Sakamoto from afar, awkward and gangly with an ugly scowl and a hurt in his eyes that's so Kanji it's painful. "The body was in pieces, Sanada-senpai. Pieces!"
After a long, long, moment, Sanada's shoulders slump. "... I think you're right. To butcher a corpse like that... it takes planning. Calculation. If Sakamoto was going to harm Kamoshida again, it would have been like the first time - impulsive and unplanned."
That... wasn't what Chie was getting at, but what the heck, she'll take it.
… More importantly, she needs to look into that Ann girl’s accusations.
This case might have just gotten a whole lot more complicated.
…..
By the time Chie finally leaves the office, it’s nearing midnight. As she steps outside into a fog rivalling Inaba’s despite the fact that it’s the middle of spring, a wicked scowl crosses her face. The day had started bad, and had somehow gotten even worse.
She’d spent most of her afternoon following up Ann’s claims, careful to keep her investigating out of Dojima’s not-so-watchful eye, and had found absolutely nothing for it. Nothing admissible to court, anyway, and that’s all that really matters.
The volleyball team had bruises on their face and a skip in their step, yet getting them to say anything even vaguely negative about Kamoshida was like getting blood from a stone. He’d trained them too well, and they’d seen enough of Sakamoto’s situation to know not to paint a target on their backs.
The girls she talked to had mentioned that Kamoshida was friendly - physically affectionate, even, like that’s an appropriate way for a teacher to act at all around their underaged students - yet none of them were jaded enough to recognise the line between friendliness and grooming. They’d dismiss Chie if she even suggested it.
She didn’t talk to Suzui Shiho, as the girl was in a coma after throwing herself off Shujin’s roof. Getting any information from her doctors was an exercise in patience, especially considering that her situation had been labelled a suicide attempt instead of an assault case, but the facts she received were telling.
Suzui was awake long enough to share a few whispered lines with her best friend.
They don’t know when – or if – she’s going to wake up from her coma.
Nobody attempted to see if she was the victim of sexual assault. Because they can’t, not without permission from a girl who isn’t going to be speaking anytime soon or her distraught, oblivious parents. Not without a warrant to force it, one that would probably come too late even if Chie could get one in the first place.
But she can’t, because her higher-ups have already decided that Sakamoto is guilty, and proving that Kamoshida deserved it isn’t part of her job, not when it isn’t going to give them a suspect to prosecute in the process.
Walking into the mist, Chie feels dirty.
Tokyo, normally a hub of activity, is oddly muted by the strange weather. Voices are muffled, passersby reduced to mere shadows by the fog. Perhaps that’s the reason the fortune teller’s stall captures her eye – because amidst the gloom, it’s the only thing she can see.
The lady manning the stall clearly notices Chie’s staring, a smile crossing her face as she tilts her head, honey-blonde hair framing her features. “Hello! Would you like a reading?”
“… Why not, I guess?” With a shrug, Chie sits across from the woman. Worst things come to worst, she wastes some petty cash, which is worth it if there's even a chance this lady can sort out this absolute mess Chie’s facing.
“While they don’t capture the entire picture, I offer one-card readings for those in a hurry.” The woman smiles sympathetically, clearly noticing the bags under Chie’s eyes.
It’d be mighty rude to take out her phone right now, but Chie suspects it’s nearing midnight. “Sure, sounds good.”
With an affirming nod, the fortune teller shuffles her deck of cards with practised ease, laying one card in front of Chie before flipping it over. A skeletal man slices off a fallen king’s head, the bright red backdrop of the card glowing in the night like blood.
Lips puckering as if biting into a lemon, colour drains from the fortune teller's face. "You have Death in your shadow."
Oh, brilliant. Just what Chie needs.
As soon as she finishes paying the lady, who still looks oddly pale, the police officer bolts, thoroughly unsettled. She thought she was just going to get some self-affirming mumbo-jumbo, not some horror movie-esque nonsense. Ugh. I wish Yukiko was here. Her stomach twists in an uncomfortable knot. Her girlfriend had always found the macabre delightful instead of unsettling, and her snorting laugh would really help settle Chie’s nerves.
Thankfully, she’s not too far from their shared flat. Less thankfully, the streetlights choose that exact moment to go kaput, leaving Chie in a foggy darkness. As her heart begins to pound like a rabbit’s, she takes a deep breath in. Calm down! It’s just a power cut! Besides, that fortune teller was probably totally bogus – the supernatural ain’t real!
… And neither are wild boars large enough to do that to Kamoshida. To Chie’s immense relief, however, her eyes soon adjust to the dark, bringing her a measure of calm. Moonlight pierces the fog, illuminating her path, and after a while, she feels the muscles in her back begin to unknot. She’s never heard Tokyo this quiet before. In fact, as she continues to walk home, she’s almost reminded of misty spring nights in Inaba, in a way. It’s homely.
Until she feels the prickle of eyes on her back, that is.
On full alert, Chie whirls around. “Who’s there?!”
In the corner of her eyes, she glimpses something – a long scarf soon devoured by the fog. While a part of her brain screams at her to ignore it and just go home, her righteous indignation overwhelms her common sense. Stomping around the corner, she full-well expects to run straight into her scarfed suspect, but instead, as she sets eyes on a woman, Chie takes in a sharp breath.
“… Yukiko?”
Muted by mist she may be, but Chie would recognise her partner anywhere. Sleek black hair held back by a red hairband rendered a dull brown by the gloom, perfect posture, and delicate features. The look of complete and utter disdain on her face is new, however.
(… Or is it?)
Chie then blinks, however, and she’s gone.
Promptly realising she’s absolutely done with the day, actually, Chie spins on her heel and runs back home.
Yukiko is lying in bed by the time she gets there, fast asleep. Curling beside her girlfriend, Chie tries to drink in her scent like a calming balm. It was just the trick of the light, or a tired mind and an overactive imagination. It’s nothing.
As she falls to sleep that night, however, her dreams are restless.
…..
“I’m sorry, what?” Sanada gapes.
In the wake of Dojima’s announcement, you could have heard a pin drop in the silent office. As ice seeps through her chest, Chie freezes, the freshly printed papers in her hands crumpling.
The detective’s eye twitches. “I want to process Sakamoto’s arrest. We’ve waited long enough.”
“But, sir…!” Sanada's jaw opens and closes, the silver-haired man still struggling to process his senior officer’s orders. “We can’t do that! We’ve been working this case for an entire week, yet we still don’t have a single piece of evidence linking him to the crime!”
“And that’s why we’re bringing him in.” Dojima grits his teeth. “A proper interrogation, or god forbid, a night in a cell might finally make him crack.”
Rising to his feet, Sanada’s face smoothens into a perfect calm. “No. With all due respect, I’m not doing that sir. He’s just a kid, not some criminal mastermind. I trust my team, and I trust forensics. If Sakamoto was guilty, we’d know by now.”
As she watches him, Chie feels a pang of envy, the emotion only soothed by its accompanying way of admiration. She wishes she had the courage to voice the suspicions rattling away in her mind. Even more than that, she wishes she had the composure to state them with such certainty, as opposed to blustering them out like some uneducated country hick.
Chie’s fear isn’t just caused by petty insecurity, however, but by a healthy understanding that actions have consequences.
Dojima’s eyes widen for a split second in shock at Sanada's blunt refusal. Soon, however, his jaw tenses, something dark brewing in his eyes. “I don’t tolerate insubordination, Sanada. This is your last warning.”
Sanada meets his eyes, equally as stubborn. “And I don’t tolerate arresting innocent children, sir.”
Holy shit. Chie blinks, rubbing her eyes, but nope – this ain’t a dream. He just said that.
The Dojima she once knew would have shouted at him. The Dojima she once knew probably wouldn’t have been so dead-set on charging some punk with murder either.
Instead, while the Dojima that’s lost not just his wife, but his trust and his home, bristles with thinly restrained fury, he doesn’t shout. His voice is barely above a whisper, but each steely syllable strikes with all the precision of a dagger. “Then get out of here, Sanada. Don’t come back until you’ve got your head on straight.”
At long last, her Senpai’s composure crumbles. “S-sir?”
“You’re suspended, Sanada.” Dojima’s eyes are chips of ice, filled with a fury disproportional to the crime. “Consider yourself lucky you’re not fired.”
The silver-haired man’s face contorts in a rigid scowl, mirroring his superior’s stubbornness yet again. “Fine.” He spits, storming out of the police station before Chie can even blink.
In the gulf Sanada’s departure leaves behind, Chie finally finds her voice. “… He’s not Adachi, sir.”
Dojima startles, looking at her as if she’s a feral animal.
(Because this isn’t about Kamoshida or Sakamoto or bloody Kobayakawa, no matter what Ann thinks. It’s about a man who turned out to be the worst sort of criminal right under Dojima’s nose, and once someone’s betrayed you like that, it’s impossible not to think everyone’s capable of the worst.)
He doesn’t respond to her, however – simply storms towards his office, slamming the door behind him. As the sound rattles in Chie’s skull, she winces – at least he didn’t ask her to bring Sakamoto in.
(She’s not sure what she’d do if he did.)
…..
It’s another late night. That’s what happens when you’re suddenly down a man, and your boss refuses to leave his office. Somehow, as Chie walks home that night, the fog is even thicker than yesterday. It’s just as dark, too.
Perhaps that’s why as she rounds the corner to see Yukiko staring at her, the fog swirling around her as her lips curl in disgust, she barely even jumps. Or perhaps it’s because Chie didn’t have that fortune teller whispering poison into her ear, or perhaps it’s simply because she’s had such a fucking dreadful day it literally cannot get any worse. Either way, as she looks at the belittling light in the apparition’s eyes, something inside Chie snaps.
“Stop looking at me like that!” The built-up resentment and frustration bursts from her like a broken dam, her voice rendered hoarse as she screams into the night. “I can’t magically hop into my boss’s mind and make him stop being a dick, and I’ve just about had it with people judging me for things out of my goddamn control!”
“… Uh, ma’am? Are you okay?”
With a shrill yelp that leaves Chie thankful none of her colleagues are around, she spins on the spot to see a young man watching her with blatant concern. His black hair is slicked back, but absolutely nothing else about him reminds her of Kanji. He’s tall and skinny, with blue eyes and a yellow scarf draped around his neck. She kinda wishes she had a scarf too, now that she thinks about it – it’s really bloody cold.
“Can’t you… can’t you see that?” Chie gestures half-heartedly in Yukiko’s direction, her prior confidence seeping away from her in the presence of a stranger.
His eyes follow the direction she points in, but soon, his brow furrows. “There’s nobody there.”
With a jolt, she turns back towards the spot where Yukiko is standing, but he’s right – there’s nothing there but swirling fog.
“Ugh, man.” Chie cradles her head in her hands, face burning with heat. Now this stranger probably thinks she’s a total loon. “I’ve been in the stuck office way too long lately.”
The man laughs gently. “The mind does tend to play tricks on you when you're stressed, doesn’t it?” The smile then drips off his face as his expression turns oddly solemn. “… If you can, I’d recommend talking through it with a partner or a friend. Human connection is a wonderful balm.”
“Uh, sure.” She grimaces, scratching the back of her head.
“Well, I better be off.” His smile returns like it never left, and he walks into the fog. “Later.”
(Chie arrives home shortly afterwards. Yukiko is asleep again. Chie doesn’t talk to her about it.)
…..
It’s a weird day in the station. Sanada’s absence is akin to a missing tooth - not necessarily painful, but oh so noticeable. Even that jackass Matsumoto is acting oddly subdued. Perhaps it’s because Sanada was the best of them – if even he can gain Dojima’s ire, what hope do the rest of them have?
Dojima is absent too, but quite frankly, given how he’s been acting lately, a part of Chie isn’t sure that she cares. Another part of her feels horrifically guilty about that given how much she owes him, so all in all, by the time her shift officially ends, she’s more than ready to go home – she might even make it home for dinner tonight, if only just.
She barely makes it two blocks from the station, however, before a voice interrupts her. “Satonaka!”
With a jump, she whirls around, jaw hanging incredulously. “S-senpai? What on earth are you doing here?”
Perhaps it’s because his usual uniform is gone in favour of a white jacket and slacks, but the grin that crosses his face almost appears boyish. “I’m going to Shujin tonight. I’ve noticed we’ve had a lot of power cuts around midnight – maybe the council is doing some work on the electricity grid – and that means I’ll be able to get in without their CCTV noticing me.”
Chie’s jaw continues to hang open. Breaking into Shujin…? “Have you completely lost your mind!? If Dojima catches you…!”
“I don’t care.” His eyes narrow. “I joined the force to do the right thing, and I’m not going to let Dojima stop me, even if it costs me my badge.” Sighing, his shoulders slump. “C’mon – you know this case reeks as much as I do.”
Her lips thin, brows furrowing. “I… guess you’re not wrong. Still, why are you telling me about this?”
The boyish grin is back, almost as if it never left. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m asking you if you want in.”
“I…” Chie swallows, nervous fear bubbling in her stomach.
Whatever childish temptation his offer gives her is quickly dashed by trepidation. If they’re caught, both of their jobs will be gone in a puff of smoke. Maybe Sanada can afford that, but rent in Tokyo is high, high, high, and how else is Chie meant to pay her bills? Casual work ain’t enough to keep her and Yukiko afloat, especially while the latter is still studying.
Plus… being a copper is all she’s good for, right? Who is she without a badge?
(Yet she can’t ignore that she’s tempted. She can’t ignore that she feels like she’s letting Sakamoto down.)
“… I dunno.” She concludes with a frown. “I mean, finding something new would be great, but if we’re caught…”
Patting her shoulder, his smile is sympathetic. “No worries. Think it over, and I won’t hold it against you if you don’t come.”
With that, he jogs away, but Sanada’s offer haunts her all the way home.
For the first time in several days, her girlfriend is actually awake as she opens the door.
“Oh, Chie! I brought takeaways. The container’s on the kitchen bench – it might even still be warm!” Yukiko beams, looking up from a pile of books and papers – she’s clearly studying for a test of some sort. Her smile dims when she takes in her partner’s countenance, however. “… Is everything okay?"
With a groan, Chie flings herself down on the couch. “Sanada-senpai asked me to break into Shujin with him.”
“Really?” The note of excitement in Yukiko’s voice is soon drowned out by confusion. “… Why would you need to do that?”
Oh. Right. She wouldn’t know, huh?
At long last, Chie takes the strange man’s advice, and finally talks to her about it.
Yukiko first listens with curiosity, and then concern once Chie describes how Dojima’s been acting lately, but unlike the strange apparition in the mist, she hardly seems that ruffled by Chie’s situation.
Her demeanour changes the instant she brings up Sanada’s plan, however.
Skin chalky white, she sits up ramrod straight. “M-midnight?” Sucking in a deep breath, her eyes widen. “Chie, you have to stop him. He can’t be out then, not during the power cuts. It’s not safe.”
Ice crawls down Chie’s spine. She doesn’t get where Yukiko’s fear is coming from, but it doesn’t matter. Her girlfriend is spooked, and even if Chie doesn’t have the courage to trust in her gut, nothing can stop her from trusting Yukiko.
“I’ll call him.”
As she dials her superior’s – or perhaps, all things considered, just her friend’s – number, she’s greeted with nothing but his voicemail. Cursing, Chie hangs up before it asks her to leave a message, goosebumps already beginning to spread from her neck to her arms. Dammit – she knows Sanada always leaves his phone on silent when he’s on an operation, and lack of formality be damned, this is very much an operation.
Grabbing her phone and ditching her uniform jacket for something a bit more casual, she kisses her girlfriend’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon.” She glances at her phone, stomach clenching uncomfortably. “If I’m quick, I should be able to stop Sanada-senpai from doing something really stupid.”
“Chie, I…” Rising to her feet, Yukiko’s brow furrows, the worry in her eyes absolutely nothing like the scorn in her ghostly mirror’s. For a moment, it looks like she’s planning on charging out the door alongside Chie, but at the last minute, she falters. “Promise me that you’ll be safe, okay?”
“Relax!” Chie forces a smile she doesn’t really feel. “We’ll be fine – trust me!”
…..
Chie absolutely doesn’t stay safe, but on the bright side, she… also doesn’t stop Sanada from doing something stupid, but to be fair, in hindsight, the evening could have gone a lot worse.
While her apartment is nice and close – or, well, close by Inaba standards – to the station, there’s a good chunk of distance between it and Shujin. As Chie hops on the first train she needs to catch, fingers drumming against her thigh, she tries to swallow her nerves. It’s just past 11. Between this and the next line, she should get there with a comfortable half-hour to spare.
Then her second train is late, and Chie begins to feel her rapidly approaching deadline like fingers around her throat. She bolts out the door the second she arrives at the Aoyama-Itchome station, heart pounding rapidly in her chest as she scans the streets to and fro.
Her eyes then land on a mop of silver hair, and she feels the muscles in her shoulders relax as a smile breaks out across her face.
Thank god.
She hasn’t even taken a full step towards him when the lights cut out, plunging the street into darkness as the constant buzz of the city instantly dissipates.
Bollocks.
Bathed in shadow, the city takes on an oddly green hue as she jogs over to Sanada’s side. Chie wonders how long it’ll last before the fog swallows it – she can already feel the tell-tale dampness in the air forming.
“Satonaka!” He grins, oblivious to the fact something’s wrong. “Here to join me after all?”
“Hell no!” Huffing, she places her hands on her hips. “I’m here to stop you! Come on, look around – don’t things just feel… off to you?”
Frowning, he scans the street. “It is a bit quiet, but… that’s just going to make this easier.”
Then, there’s an awful, horrific gurgling from Shujin’s direction, and Sanada’s eyes light up like he’s hit the jackpot.
“Alright, that sounds like it could be promising!”
“Promising?!” Chie shrieks, gripping his arm. “Woah, woah, woah – hold it right there! That’s not promising! It’s…” Blood running cold, the hairs along her spine prickle as two distant facts connect with each other. “It sounds like… like a-a giant boar with a sword! Something that cuts big muscly men like Kamoshida up into little chunks!”
“And like something that might save a kid’s life.” Sanada doesn’t tear his eyes off Shujin. Reaching into his jacket, he withdraws something, giving it a wiggle. It takes her half a second to realise it’s a camera. “Besides, I’m not planning on getting close. I’m gonna get some evidence then get on out of there, yeah?”
Trembling, Chie swallows. “T-this doesn’t sound like a good idea!”
Finally, something in his gaze softens. “Just stay there, okay? I won’t be long – promise.”
With that, he approaches Shujin’s gate, jimmying open the lock with ease before disappearing into the building’s depths.
Gulping, Chie looks up at the vacant building, windows dark and unfriendly. She hates this place – even after all these years, seeing an empty school is off-putting, like a mere husk of something that should be full of life.
As she waits in the empty street, stomach rolling, Chie curses her luck. Maybe she should have asked Yukiko to come with her – only one of them is good with anything even vaguely horror-adjacent, and it’s not her.
She then feels the tell-tale prickle of eyes on the back of her neck, despite full well knowing the street is empty. With an irritated snarl, Chie rushes after Sanada, not even bothering to turn around and look at who – what – is staring at her. She already knows, anyway, and if she’s charging into a deathtrap, she’d much rather her last memories of her girlfriend be good ones.
Chie isn’t a moment too late – she’s almost reached the PE office when a loud crack echoes through the air, the sound followed by a cry of pain, and her heart racing with an entirely different sort of fear, she bolts towards the source of the commotion.
As she rounds the corner, however, Chie slows to a stop, mouth hanging open at what she sees. Sanada is sprawled on the ground, plaster dust and splinters covering him like a coat as he attempts to push himself back to his feet, but he isn’t what captures her eyes.
Standing in what remains of the PE office is a monster. Twelve feet tall, a large, lolling tongue hangs from its bulbous, horned head, as its black hair curls around a crown of all things. The monster’s multiple arms distract her for a moment, especially considering the various implements it’s wielding, but Chie’s attention quickly drifts back to its face. There’s something almost… familiar about it.
She soon finds out why.
“How dare you trespass on my – King Kamoshida’s – domain!” It spits, advancing on Sanada.
“W-what?” Chie stammers, the whole world going topsy-turvy as she processes its words. “But how – that’s impossible! Kamoshida is dead!”
“The Kamoshida you know, perhaps.” The monster flicks one of its hands dismissively, something manic in its eyes. For a split second, its body almost glitches, but static lasts for barely a second before the creature stabilises again. “I am a Shadow – the true self. He wished to shackle me, and paid for his impudence!” It glances idly in Chie’s direction, the bulk of its focus still on Sanada, only to do a double-take. “Oh?” It purrs, and Chie’s heart pounds in her chest as the demon begins to advance her way. “You’re cute, aren’t you? A bit boyish for my tastes, but given I’m ever so lonely, I'm sure you'll taste delicious regardless!”
Chie scrambles backwards, but her legs are weak, shaky, and soon collapse beneath her. Trembling, she watches in wide-eyed terror as the monster calling itself Kamoshida advances on her, eying her down like a delectable piece of prey.
Right now, Chie's the mouse.
“Oh, no you don’t!”
Her eyes snap away from the beast just in time to see Sanada lunge at the monster, tackling one of its legs and sending it staggering. An exaggerated wail bursts from its throat as the contents of the glass of wine it's holding slosh onto the floor like a waterfall of blood, Chie gagging as she spots something that looks like human legs in the mix
“You’ll pay for that, peasant!” Thoroughly distracted, the monster snaps at Sanada, brushing him off before lashing at him with its riding crop.
With the nimbleness of a professionally trained boxer, he sidesteps the blow, but the force whipped up by the attack is enough to make him stumble. He leans backwards, Kamoshida’s knife slicing through the spot where his torso was but a moment ago, and Sanada grins, but his confidence is premature. He’s never fought an opponent with four arms, after all, and as the beast both stabs at him with his fork and swings down its riding crop, the silver-haired man’s eyes widen. Diving to the side, the prongs of the fork fail to pierce his skin, but instead, the riding crop lashes down on his shoulders, smashing him into the ground.
“Sanada-senpai!” She shrieks, rooted to the spot as ice runs through her veins.
What… what is she supposed to do? It’s going to kill him at this rate, but how can Chie stop this monster if even Sanada can barely touch it?!
She’s… she’s nothing compared to him, after all.
Footsteps echo across the school, and looking up, Chie meets Yukiko’s eyes. Tilting her head, her girlfriend looks down at her impassively. “I never took you as a coward, Chie. Standing here and watching as your Senpai gets hurt? Didn’t you join the force because you wanted to protect people?”
Gut clenching, Chie looks away. Her heart screams at her to tell her that’s not true, she’s not afraid, but her head knows that her girlfriend is right.
Taking a deep breath in, she turns to face the woman. “You… you’re not Yukiko, are you?” Eyes narrowed, she examines the apparition. “You’re just my guilt.”
The guilt that she’s not actually protecting people after all. The guilt that she’s the bad guy, hounding a bunch of children for the crime of existing. The guilt that she’s keeping all of these doubts and insecurities from her partner, just in case Yukiko realises she’s better off dating someone who is simply better. Somewho who isn't just plain old stupid Chie.
The guilt that she’s sitting here, watching, as Sanada risks her life for her.
As a mixture of anger and determination begins to bubble in Chie’s stomach, for the first time ever, the apparition smiles. “You’re right, but I can be so much more than that, Chie.” Leaning in close, her voice becomes a whisper. “Are you ready to risk life and limb for the sake of justice? To do what must be done, even if it leads to you being reviled and condemned?”
As Sanada lets out an awful cry, Kamoshida kicking the wounded man in the stomach, the last of Chie’s fear disintegrates, replaced by nothing but pure rage. “Of course I’m ready!”
“Excellent.” The fake Yukiko grins, her body fading in a burst of blue flames. “I am thou, and thou art I… Know thy instincts lead thou to righteousness, and stride into battle unimpeded by all doubt!”
Chie doesn’t have the time to process her disappearance, however, before a torrent of pain explodes in her skull. Yelping, she staggers as an unfamiliar weight forms around her face, and deep down inside, she knows she has to get it off. Fingernails digging underneath the oni mask, lacquered wood and skin alike tear off her face as she pulls.
“Persona – Tomoe!”
This time, it’s Chie’s turn to be embraced by a burst of flame, her uniform and jacket burning away in favour of a green jumpsuit accented with red, a crimson scarf draped around her neck. Above her, a modern-day samurai appears, glowing naginata in hand.
Eyes wide, Kamoshida stumbles away from Sanada, but it’s too late. Tomoe charges forward with an almighty thrust, cleaving the demon in two. A distorted scream echoes from what’s left of his throat before the monster glitches out of existence, leaving nothing behind but dark sludge and raven feathers of all things.
Suddenly exhausted, Chie collapses to the ground, gasping for air as her jumpsuit fades away. Good lord, what the heck was that?!
Realisation then strikes her like a lightning bolt, and she jumps back to her feet. Oh shit, Senpai!
“Don’t worry, he’s okay.”
Gaping, Chie blinks as she stares at the spot where her friend collapsed, only to see a familiar dark-haired young man with a scarf crouched over him.
“It's you!” She jabs a finger at him. “Strange boy!”
To his credit, it looks like he's right about Sanada. He's unconscious, but breathing easily, no wounds in any spot that could cause immediate problems. Eyes narrowing, Chie examines the stranger. The fact that he’s appeared not once, but twice during these whack-ass power cuts feels more than coincidental, and, well, she’s just vowed to listen to her gut more, hasn’t she?
“Who the heck are you, anyway?” She tilts her head.
The boy smiles, beautiful and benevolent as he turns to face her. "Oh, I'm Death, of course."
… Oh, bugger.
“Don’t worry – while I’m… an inevitability, let’s just say, I’m not here for you today. At least, not for those reasons. In fact…” As he looks down, his scarf hides his face. “I’m here to ask for your aid.”
“… Really?” Squinting, Chie peers at him, ignoring her slowly brewing headache.
Maybe he needs her superpowers? But no – she doesn't even know what they are, let alone how to use them all that properly. Besides, if he is some sort of death entity and not just pulling her leg, then shouldn’t he be able to kick way more ass than she can anyway?
Death tilts his head, all hint of humour dripping from his face like shadow and ichor. "I'm not meant to be one telling you this, but... They gave up on this world when the man and child meant to reset the cycle were lost to flames, leaving me stuck in a limbo between mind and matter, unable to bring damnation or salvation."
"Oh. Um. I'm sorry...?" Yep, it’s official – she totally doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
"Your candour is rather refreshing." Death chuckles, but soon, his expression glazes over again. "Because the Universe could not start their journey, fog spreads across the lands and devours the truth, and as mankind's hearts are lost to distortion, the world falls to its inevitable ruin..." His eyes burn into her, eerie and cold. "But I don't want to just accept that. This version of me is stuck in the void between dream and reality, and because of that, I've seen how things should have gone. I've seen the power of life, and I don't believe this world deserves to lose it just because of a twist of fate."
"Rock on, man." Chie flashes him a peace sign. God, she wishes Sanada was awake, or that Yukiko was here to have this conversation. Or heck, literally anyone else but her.
(Even Dojima. He might have shot Death, which wouldn’t have been a good idea, but at least it might have been funny.)
"Thank you." The boy grins, mirth at last returning to his visage. "It's clear you have no idea what I'm talking about, but I appreciate that you're humouring me."
Ah, shit. Chie's shoulders slump. "... Sorry." She can tell his fog and ruin mumbo jumbo is important to him, she really can, but even though she's trying, she honestly can't make heads or tails of it.
... Yet another reason I'm probably not actually cut out to be a cop.
"That's okay. It's not your fault. I'm not making much sense, am I?" Plucking a piece of paper from thin air, Death passes it to her, along with an equally previously non-existent pen. "All I can say is that the world is in grave danger, and if you want to help me save it, please… sign this."
Chie skims the page, recognising the familiar format of a contract immediately. All it says on it is one measly sentence, however.
I chooseth this fate of my own free will.
Grabbing his pen, she pushes it against the paper.
Perhaps she might not be cut out to be a cop after all, but if this night has proved anything, she is cut out to save people.
"So." She grins, handing the contract back to him. "Where do we start?"