Saturday April 14th – Cloudy – Afternoon

"Narukami!"

Yu's head snapped up and out of the TV world his mind had been in. Which one had he been walking through this time? Nanako's. It has to be. There was a certain calm he still felt when he remembered that one, even though at the time, he'd been anything but calm.

"I...sorry, Yamada-sensei. What was the question?"

His English teacher sighed. "Have you been listening at all? Right, stand up, on your feet."

Yu pushed himself up from his desk, staring ahead at the board behind the teacher. English. Why did he have to be spacing out in English?

"Fill in the appropriate phrase for this sentence. 'I had no idea that you were planning to come—you...what, me?' Use the base verb, 'to warn.'"

Yu's mind raced for anything close to the appropriate answer. Damn... Think hard, Narukami... Okay, pretend someone's come to visit. ...oh, Rise, I had no idea you were planning to come... you...

"Should have warned me?" Yu offered, hopeful.

"Mmm, lucky guess. Yes, you could say that they 'should have' warned you, or they 'might have' warned you. Sit down, and try to at least look like you're paying attention next time?"

"Sorry, Sensei." Yu slid back into his seat, trying to ignore his classmates' eyes on him. It wasn't that he wanted to be ignoring the class; even if English was one of his best subjects, it was one he liked learning about. But...

The seat next to him was empty. Behind him was a girl who thought she knew absolutely everything, and would not hesitate for a second to prove to Yu that she was smarter than him. Diagonally ahead to his right was a young man who paid even less attention than Yu managed to muster, and the teachers all seemed to forget he existed.

None of it was right. None of it felt right.

The bell rang, and school was finally over for the day. Had he really only been back in the city for a little under a month? School had only been in session for a week and already it felt like he'd spent his whole life in this place...and not in the way his parents had insisted it would feel. Two more weeks until Golden Week. ...Not that I'll be able to go anywhere.

On instinct, his hand went to his pocket, taking out his phone and flipping it to see the screen. Nothing. It was the beginning of school back in Inaba as well, after all. His friends were probably busy getting used to their new classes and schedules. Rise was back in the idol world, and though she'd consistently been texting him ever since he'd left town, she'd gotten quiet in the last week or so. The news confirmed that her tour was slated to be underway soon, so he didn't imagine he'd hear from her for a while.

Still. Didn't anyone...?

He snapped the phone shut, shaking the thoughts from his mind. Of course his friends missed him. He could still remember them running after the train as they left. Remembered their constant texts over the next week. Remembered the conversations he'd had with some of them, often late at night when they couldn't sleep.

But now...

"Hey, Narukami." Yu's head lifted again to see a young man leaning just inside the doorway of his classroom, giving him a strange look. "Class is over. Go home."

"O-oh. Right. Sorry." Go home. I wish I could. He stood, grabbed his bag, and headed out of the building.

After School - Evening

The walk from his school in the city back to his house was so radically different. No one walking with him, nowhere to go after school. He hadn't joined any of the clubs; how could he? He could try playing soccer, but the few times Daisuke had tried to teach him some moves, he'd fallen on his ass. By the end of the year, he'd proved passable at basketball, but there was no way he could bring himself to play without Kou there to back him up. He'd never learned to play an instrument, so band was out, and just thinking about plays brought Yumi back to mind. Everything had too many memories attached to it.

No riverbank. No shopping district...at least, not like the one in Inaba. There was a Junes, but... Yu swallowed instinctively. He hated going in there. Out of all the places in the city, Junes was the one he absolutely couldn't manage. Every memory he had seemed to trace back there. Meetings in the food court, shopping with the girls, working with Yosuke...

He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe again. He knew he'd miss his friends. He never could have guessed it would hurt this much.

The house was dark and quiet when he got back. Hardly a surprise. Dojima was home for dinner more often than his parents were. He clicked on the light just inside the doorway, and then headed over to his half of the house.

The house his parents had in the city was different than anywhere he'd lived before. The house had been a new purchase when they'd come back from abroad, and was built as if for two families—giving Yu essentially a house of his own. "It'll give you more of a sense of independence, Yu-kun," he'd heard. "After all, you'll be on your own soon. It's best if you learn how to fend for yourself now, where at least you have a safety net to catch you if you fall."

'More of a sense of independence.' It was insulting. They'd barely asked him how his time in Inaba had been, let alone wonder if he knew how to keep a house. He'd known how to do that before he'd left. If only they'd met Nanako. Talk about ready to live on her own.

The next thought was far from welcome. And she'd almost had to. Just like Uncle almost did. It had been bad enough when his uncle had wrecked his car, chasing after Namatame. Yu had been sure they'd find Nanako safe and sound, but when she'd nearly died herself (and, if he was honest, had died briefly)... He hadn't wanted to even imagine Dojima in that house on his own. If somehow Nanako had pulled through and not his uncle...

"Dammit." He'd been convinced there were no more tears to cry, but here he was, messing up his sleeve cuffs all over again. Crying wasn't going to bring them any closer to the city. Crying wasn't going to do anything except give him a headache. And crying over something that didn't happen was even more ridiculous.

He turned on the light in his living space, staring into the empty room. Even with the sofa, the kotatsu (which was still on the table, despite the weather being warm enough to warrant it being put away), his bookshelves...the television...the room still managed to feel empty.

As he did every other time, as he walked past to the kitchen, he set his fingertips on the screen of the TV, hoping—just hoping—this time something would happen.

And as always, the screen stayed black.

Just like in my nightmares. Except...this isn't a nightmare.

"I need to make dinner." He wasn't hungry and there wasn't anyone to say that to, but somehow he found it easier to focus if he said it anyway, as if Nanako or Dojima was around to hear him. Maybe it was normal, and maybe it was the fog finally getting into his brain. Who knew. It didn't really matter.

"What should I make, Nanako?" It was little more than a whisper, but it still make his heart ache. Opening the fridge door, he sighed. There wasn't much. He'd need to go shopping soon. One more thing she's not here to do. "Mmm. Maybe I'll just make ramen." As he reached for an egg to cook in with the noodles, his hand passed a block of tofu—How'd you know I can't eat tofu? Wow, that's considerate of you—and he froze.

"Ganmodoki." It was relatively easy to make at home, though he knew it wouldn't come close to the ganmo they'd gotten from Marukyu the day they all met Rise. But... "It'll freeze well, in case they don't get home. Yeah. I'll make ganmo." He picked up the tofu—

Ring-ring~

"My...phone?" No, it was the house phone. The land line connected to both sides of the house, in case a call came in for him—or at least, so said his mother. Not that anyone would call me at this number... I suppose I'll answer anyway, just in case. He set the tofu on the counter, then picked up the handset, heading back to the kitchen. He could talk on the phone and make ganmo at the same time. "Good evening, Narukami residence."

There was a pause, and then a familiar low chuckle at the end of the line. "Well, now that's not the voice I expected to hear."

Yu had to think fast before dropping the phone, the skillet, or both. "Uncle!"

"It's good to hear you, Yu. I was actually calling to speak to my sister. Is Kyoko in?"

He shook his head, arranging ingredients in front of him—then remembered his uncle couldn't see him. "N-no, Mother's out. Both of my parents are. I'm sorry you missed them; I'll have to tell her you called. I'm sure she'll want to talk to you."

That got a heartier laugh from Dojima. "You sure we're talking about the same Kyoko? Pass along I called, but don't worry too much about it. Guess you're used to telling people no one's home, aren't you? Wish I could have taught you something a little more useful." Yu found himself smiling, though he couldn't place quite why. "So, how are you adapting to life back in the city? Must be...well, maybe not more exciting than the Inaba you saw, but still. Everything going well?"

Except that I don't want to be here...? "Yeah, everything's going well. Yasogami teaches at a faster rate for some of my classes, so I'm keeping ahead in a few subjects." It wasn't a complete lie, though just in the week he'd been back, he was coming close to running that buffer zone empty.

"Well that's good to hear. Not that I'm surprised; you seemed to keep up with your schoolwork just as well as you did everything else while you were here. Your parents must be impressed." Yu made a non-committal sound, aiming to sound at least like he agreed. It must have worked, because Dojima continued. "Fitting back in with your old friends? They must have missed you."

If they have, no one's mentioned it. "Yeah. It's been nice. I wasn't here long before I went to Inaba either, but they seem to remember me." At least, they all knew his name. But that didn't mean much.

"Good. I was a little worried. I know your mom's mentioned she gets concerned about you making friends, what with how often you've had to move. I don't know why she was worried, though; you made friends here easily eno—" Dojima's voice cut off, and in the background, Yu could hear Nanako.

"You got him? I wanna say hi! Let me talk to big bro too!"

Dojima chuckled, and Yu's smile came back to his lips. "All right, all right. Here, I'll hand you over to Nanako." Then to her, "Give me the phone back when you're done, okay? I still have a few questions for him."

"Okay, Dad," Nanako replied, and then her voice grew clearer as she turned to the phone. "Hi, big bro! I missed you so much!"

Yu's cheeks were starting to hurt. It'd been a while since he smiled like this. Probably about a month...back on the platform at Yasoinaba. "I've missed you too. Hey, guess what? I'm making dinner, and you know what it is?"

"Umm..." Nanako thought for a moment. "An omelette?"

Yu laughed. "No, but that would have been a good choice too. I'm making ganmodoki, like from the tofu shop in Inaba."

She gasped. "I haven't had that before! I wish you could make me some."

Oh Nanako, I wish I was cooking for you too. "I wish I could too. It freezes pretty well; maybe I'll bring you some when I come to visit."

"Yay!" The clouds were gone from her voice. "When are you visiting, big bro? Can you come have a picnic with us for Golden Week?"

That was a stab in the chest he'd expected, though his eyes drifted to the calendar anyway. He'd genuinely hoped to be able to make it back, even for just a little of Golden Week. He still had the money saved for the train ticket; that had been set aside before he'd even left Inaba. He'd been able to balance quite a few part time jobs, after all. The higher prices of the holiday season weren't an issue. His parents, however...

"I'm going to try. No promises, though. I still have a lot of schoolwork to catch up on, from the year I was gone." It hurt to tell even the slightest lie to Nanako, but he didn't want to burden her with the truth, either. Especially when she might not understand.

Hell, he didn't understand.

"Okaaay. You did promise to come visit and play with me, though!"

"I did, and I still promise I will as soon as I can. Hey, tell me about how school is going for you." He let Nanako fill his mind as he made the dinner by rote. It was almost enough that if he closed his eyes, he could pretend she was here. ...Though if he actually closed his eyes, he'd burn himself for sure. He'd have to settle for metaphorically closing his eyes.

"Big bro? Dad wants to talk to you again. But I'll talk to you again soon, okay?" The closing remark brought Yu back to the present.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Stay safe, Nanako. I'll talk to you again soon."

"You too! Love you, big bro!"

"I love you too."

There was a shuffle, and an amused Dojima came back on the phone. "Sorry about her tirade about school there."

"No, it's fine. I asked her to tell me. It's been quiet in the house; it's good to hear someone, even if it's just daily life talk like that." Yu took the first few ganmo out of the skillet, then on a whim put a few more on. It doesn't hurt to cook up a few more, for tomorrow. That put the question of lunch out of the picture. Good, one less thing to think about.

"Ah, I bet. Parents still out at work most of the time?"

"Yeah. They're keeping busy. I don't mind. I'm used to keeping myself occupied." He mentally smacked himself as soon as the words left his mouth, and prayed that Dojima didn't take the offense he rightfully could at that.

The laugh from the other end of the line reassured him. "I guess I'm to blame for that, too! Hah, good to know I've been such a positive influence in your life. Don't let me get too big of a head, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Uncle... I didn't mean..."

"I'm not mad, Yu. You know as well as I that you didn't exactly see me at my best last year." The older man's voice had grown softer, a tone that Yu remembered well from long talks at the kitchen table. "Anyway, I heard Nanako ask you about Golden Week. Have you made any plans yet?"

"I...well..." He sighed. "No."

"Mmm. Parents taking you somewhere?"

"No, as far as I know, they're staying home. I heard Mother talking the other day about discussing placement tests and universities."

There was a beat, and for a split second, Yu was afraid the phone had dropped the call. When Dojima spoke again, he sounded decidedly unimpressed. "Over Golden Week? Man, and I thought I was the workaholic of the family." He sighed, a rumble in the back of his throat. "Tell your mom I said to give you a break, okay? Universities aren't going anywhere. It's not every day you get a week off."

Yu managed a chuckle, though there wasn't much mirth behind it. "I think they just want me to keep my sights focused on the city. They say there's more opportunities for me out here." The silence that fell as he finished the sentence betrayed what they both thought of that particular line of interest. "B-but I'm pretty sure I'll be good to come visit over the summer break. Maybe even in May, too. They can't expect me to take tests then, too." At least, I hope not.

"Mmm. I know my sister and her husband mean well, but I hoped this over-protective streak would have worn off by now. Tell you what, I've changed my mind. Tell Kyoko to give me a call whenever she gets back in. It's been too long since I talked to my sister. I may be her little brother, but I think I've got a pretty good handle on this whole parenting thing now."

Yu swallowed. "Don't go getting me in trouble, now."

"Don't worry. I'll keep it strictly intellectual." Yu could hear a small smile returning to Dojima's face. "Well, I think Nanako's dinner is almost ready, so I'm sure you've got...what did I hear her say? Ganmodoki waiting for you?"

"Oh, yeah. It's just about done here too." Yu finally managed another smile. "Thank you for calling, Uncle. It was good to hear from both you and Nanako."

"Feel free to call anytime too, you hear? It's good to hear from you. Take care. And if you can make it to Inaba, any time, you know your room is waiting for you."

"Yeah. Thanks, Uncle. You too." The line went dead, and Yu set the phone down. For a moment afterward, he couldn't make himself move—and when he finally did, he flicked the heat under the skillet off with a grumble. My parents are adults. They can fend for themselves. In their own house. The rest of the ganmo went into the freezer, leaving a portion for him now and one to keep in the fridge for lunch.

Once the food was safely put away, Yu stumbled back until he hit the wall, crossing his arms over his stomach and squeezing his eyes shut. Nothing in his life made sense anymore. No Personas, no Shadows, no Nanako and Dojima, no friends... School that made no sense, parents who made no sense, an empty apartment... Just when he'd finally felt comfortable and happy, he'd had to move back to the city. Back in with people who didn't know him, calling themselves his parents or not. Back to quiet, unobtrusive, unremarkable Yu Narukami.

Back to being alone. The one thing I hate being more than anything.

Ding-dong~

Yu froze, his eyes snapping open. The doorbell? His parents couldn't have locked themselves out...right? No...this is at my front door. Who...? With a sigh, he pushed himself away from the wall and made his way to the door.

And as soon as it opened, his heart stopped.

"Hey there, partner."