A/N: I now present to you a P3P New Game+/Maniac Mode novelization that does not follow the game storyline.

Ambitious? Yes. Fluffy? Yes.

Ch 1: I laughed, I cried, I shit my pants

"So, what's your name?"

"Makoto Yuki. You?"

"...Makoto Yuki."

"...Oh."

Awkward silence.

"This could be a problem," she said after several seconds of gaping.

Her male counterpart hummed thoughtfully. "Really? I see this as an opportunity."

As he expected, he had no need to explain further. She was quick to catch on.

The two Fools exchanged trolling grins before stepping off the train, Anehazuru, together.

Before, they were zeroes. But together they were infinity.

Not long after leaving the train station, the Dark Hour began.

"This always happens the same way, every time: I step off the train, get a coffee from the machine, and I head on over to the dorm. But having a cute girl by my side is definitely a first."

"Same here! I have to say, sharing some girl talk on my way to the dorm is a change of pace I could get used to!"

Gray eyes slid over to meet red ones.

Suspicion met innocence.

His eyebrow arched.

After some quick bag shuffling, a slender but strong arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her firmly against his side. Not that there was any doubt to his gender - he could tell that she was teasing him - but now it was impossible for her to deny his masculinity as she pressed snugly against him while they walked.

Her amused laughter echoed up and down the streets, but she did not resist his hold. Welcoming his strength, his warmth. His wonderful warmth.

"Have you ever tried opening one of those?"

"One of what?"

"Those."

He followed her gaze to the coffin standing in the middle of the pedestrian lane. It gleamed in the moonlight.

"Can't say that I have, babe."

She giggled at the endearment. Her breath tickled his neck. "Me, neither. I always thought that something would pop out at me! Or worse."

"Aren't they transmogrified humans? Their unconscious body would fall out, then."

"So the coffins really do protect them from the Dark Hour? "

"If they did, there wouldn't be any Apathy Syndrome victims."

"Speaking of which! We have fifty minutes before the Dark Hour ends. Do you want to wait it out before heading to the dorm? So Yukari won't, uh, y'know. Like she always does whenever we arrive at the dorm during the Dark Hour."

His hold around her tightened. "Fine by me."

Twenty minutes later, they were still laughing together like kids while bonding over stories, mostly Persona related, such as "I kept having fusion accidents right before a Tartarus guardian battle. And I kept getting Legion. Elizabeth was pleased. Mitsuru wasn't" and "Mediarahan mutated into Marin Karin without warning, mid-fight against the Hanged Man. Stupid full moon accidents" when an idea suddenly occurred to her.

"Do we have to go back to the dorm?"

"Well. Do you have anything important at the dorm?"

Both of them had some boxes that had been delivered ahead of time to the dorm, in anticipation of the move. It was always like that.

"Just some clothes, and my school stuff." She patted her wheeled suitcase. "I've got everything I need in here!"

"Me, too."

They ruminated the idea some more.

"We already signed our Velvet Room contracts ages ago. So the only reason to go to the dorm would be to join SEES again."

"Do we have to join SEES?" He asked, echoing her.

Joining SEES meant confronting the members' inner demons while fighting external ones. Joining SEES meant dealing with Shuji Ikutsuki's existence. Joining SEES meant fighting alongside their old comrades once more. But most importantly, joining SEES meant attending Gekkoukan as a second year. AGAIN.

"No way!" She declared, eyes fierce. His gray ones mirrored hers perfectly. "I don't want to redo second year high school again! I swear I'll keel over if I'm forced to attend another Japanese Lit. class!"

"We can fight Shadows, protect our friends and save the world without joining SEES or becoming a student at Gekkoukan," he agreed quietly.

They exchanged satisfied grins, the idea of deviating from the norm exciting them both.

"Besides, I've always wanted to try summoning Personas without an Evoker. In theory, it should be possible anyways. Maybe Igor can help." He noticed her expression darken. "What's wrong?"

"I completely forgot that the moon will be full in two days. Sure, we'd have our Personas, but what about equipment? We can't buy them from Kurosawa-san without permission from Mitsuru. How are we supposed to face the Shadows after the Magician one?"

She had been thrilled at the prospect of deviating so far from the original timeline, but that feeling was melting away.

He came to her defense. "But isn't that a good thing? The whole point of striking out on our own is to discover something new, something we've never experienced before."

"Maybe. But there's still a full moon coming up. Can we really get used to summoning our Personas without Evokers by then?"

"We have to get out of our comfort zone some time. Between the two of us, we should get the hang of summoning Personas without an Evoker. Although the idea would never have occurred to me if I'd-"

If I'd never met you.

When they were alone in these loops, they had unwittingly trapped themselves inside a narrow cage. But suddenly, a whole new world of possibilities had opened up between them.

Without a word, they both knew that as long as they had each other, everything would turn out all right. Illogical, yes. But it was a feeling they both shared. Alone, they couldn't do this. But two in harmony surpassed one in perfection. They could take a completely different path. One step at a time.

"...Dark Hour should almost be over. If we're not heading to the dorm, we should hurry and find a place to stay for the night. Right, babe?"

"I could get used to hearing that. Now. What's a cheap place that's close by...?"

Both Fools double-checked their respective maps and compared it to their current location. They were at a bus stop, standing pretty close to several family hotels. Since their respective monetary fortunes were stuck in the Velvet Room and they had no real way of getting to them yet, they had to pool what little yen they were carrying together.

"I've never stayed at a hotel in Iwatodai before."

"Me, neither. These ones look nice, but they go right over our budget... wow, it's been a while since I was strapped for cash."

"Our journey is off to a great start."

Suddenly, they both had the same crazy idea.

"We're really doing this?"

"Hell yes."

They shuffled into the hotel lobby together.

The lady manning the counter didn't even bat an eyelash at their Gekkoukan uniforms or their bags. She was a true professional, and accustomed to seeing teenage couples so she didn't commit their faces to memory. She did however need a moment to recover after receiving the brunt of their combined charm, which was way over the charts. It was like getting approached by two international superstars.

"Welcome to Hotel Champs de Fleurs, your romantic seaside getaway. Room for two?"

They ended up nabbing room 101, and it took all of their might to keep from laughing in the attendant's face at the irony of it all.

Once they were more or less settled down inside their room, they collapsed on the silk bed covers together, shoulder to shoulder. Their shoes were abandoned at the foot of the bed.

Simply staring at the purple ceiling was enough to make them feel nostalgic.

"I am the voice of your inner self..."

His voice was so perfectly pitched, it sent her into another fit of giggles.

"So, Yukari forced herself into the team on your end, too?"

"Yes. It was Junpei's fault, as usual."

"So, Makoto-kun. Who did you pick for your team?"

"Junpei and Akihiko."

"And you got trapped in this room with... Yukari?"

"Yes. ...Why do you look so disappointed? Pervert."

"Like you weren't imagining me with Yukari! Hehe. I chose Akihiko and Mitsuru for my team. The second time around I was hoping they'd end up in a room together, just to see their reactions, but the stupid Lovers Shadow put me with Akihiko again! Totally unfair!"

"I always get Yukari in the shower no matter who I choose to come with me, so I feel your pain."

Shared mirthful laughter.

"Sooo. How did Junpei and Akihiko deal with it? C'mon, gimme the dirt!"

"...I'll tell you on one condition."

"Name it!"

"Tell me how Yukari and Mitsuru reacted."

They shook hands, still laughing like fiends.

And it was another entire hour of inside-jokes and looking back on the past before they fell asleep at last, cuddled next to each other.

She startled awake only three hours later, the sun barely above the horizon.

It was the feel of his clammy, trembling fingers tracing her cheek that told her he was also awake.

Silently, they reached for each other in the dark. Their rumpled school uniforms were restrictive and uncomfortable, but it did not deter them from clinging to each other in agony. Like a pair of scared children.

In the quiet of dawn, they wept in each others arms. Tears of loneliness, of relief, of desperation, trailed down their cheeks. They comforted each other with quiet murmurs and the shared knowledge of each others' despair. Reminding each other that even if the end wasn't in sight, at least they weren't alone in these endless loops anymore.

Now that they weren't racing against time to fight Shadows, both teens decided to take a look around their shared room the next morning. They had a lot of fun reenacting the different ways their teammates had acted under the influence of the Lovers Shadow ("Akihiko really said that?" and "Yukari never gives you a break, huh? If she can't slap you, she'd hit you with a shampoo bottle. Or the lube bottle."). And just for the hell of it, they took a picture together on their cellphones, lying on the purple bedsheet, for posterity. It was just nice to have a memory of Champs de Fleurs that didn't involve getting hypnotized.

Once they'd finished horsing around, they discussed their next step while eating the complimentary breakfast that came with the hotel package.

"If we aren't going to attend Gekkoukan, we'll have to take care of the paperwork ASAP. And we need to fine a permanent home base. Hilarious as it is to stay here, we'll end up attracting too much attention if we linger for too long."

"Makoto-kun, I think I remember seeing an ad for some open apartments downtown? If we can get our hands on our money in the Velvet Room, we'd be all set."

"And maybe we could also ask Igor about summoning Personas without Evokers while we're there."

"So our first priority is to find a door to the Velvet Room, then? We'd have to go to Paulownia Mall for that, wouldn't we? ...Oh no."

Going to Paulownia Mall was risky itself. They never showed up at the dorm last night when they were supposed to, so there was a good chance that their disappearance would be reported to the police in the near future. They'd become wanted, and it would make everything more complicated.

Ruby red eyes squinted. "Makoto-kun, do you still remember your foster parents' contact details?"

"I should have it listed in my phone's contacts list. I never used it, though."

Strangely - or not so strangely - they had the same numbers listed.

"I think they both moved around a lot. Their work took them to a lot of different places and I barely stayed at the same school for long."

"So even our personal histories resemble each other."

"But in this loop, we apparently have the same foster parents. What I want to know is how they could handle having two teenagers with the same name?"

He chuckled and dialed their foster mother's number. "Let's find out, shall we?"

His cellphone was set to speaker so the both of them could talk and listen together. After several rings, a woman's voice spoke on the other end.

"Hello, Makoto-kun! I'm sorry I couldn't pick up sooner."

"Narukami-san, I am sorry for imposing on your time."

"I don't mind at all! In fact, I gave you this number so you could call me if you needed anything. This is the first time you've ever done so. How was your trip to Iwatodai? Did you and your sister manage to settle down alright in your new dorm?"

His counterpart visibly perked up at the mention of 'sister'. He answered bluntly, "About that, Narukami-san. We have decided not to attend Gekkoukan High after all."

The older woman seemed to sigh on the other end.

"And your reasoning for this change of heart?"

Thinking quickly, he said, "This is our first time home in years. We'd like to take a break from school temporarily so we could try and find our own means of living for a while."

Would their foster mother buy it?

"Where are you now, Makoto-kun? I assume you did not go to your assigned dorm."

"Yes, ma'am. My sister and I are safe, and we have gone to a family hotel in the meantime."

"That was very irresponsible of you. You should have called ahead to inform the management of your canceled plans."

"...I understand. I'm sorry."

"And normally, I would refuse to let you take time off school. I see no reason to hold off your education. But you have been very good kids, never asking for anything all these years..."

"Narukami-san?"

"The fact that you are asking this of me now makes it clear how important this is to you. Which is why, I am willing to compromise."

The Fools shared relieved glances.

In the end, everything was more or less taken care of.

They agreed to attend cram school in the summer in anticipation of college. While they wouldn't receive their monthly allowance, they were being allowed to stay temporarily at the same apartment their foster parents' real son was staying, so they could find part-time jobs and save up money. They were also instructed to send their mother reports of their activities once a month.

"I'm pretty sure we could get our high school diploma right now, if we tried. That way we could focus completely on college."

"Studying college level material, huh? That actually might be a good change of pace. It would by loads different than the lessons at Gekkoukan."

The pair had long since left Champs de Fleurs and were now on their way to the apartment in the address that Narukami-san had given them. Both had abandoned their school uniforms in favor of more casual clothing, and their banter had yet to dry up. None of them brought up their mutual emotional break downs hours prior though. There was no need to. They'd already shed all the tears, and said everything that needed to be said.

"At least this way, we won't get reported as missing people to the police, and Narukami-san was even nice enough to handle talking to the school in our stead. Sure, we have to do the paperwork, but we don't need to come up with a reason for dropping out so suddenly anymore."

She suddenly laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking about the welcoming ceremony that should be starting right around now. I wonder how Yukari and Junpei are doing...?"

"If you really miss them, we could always turn around and attend. If you really miss Japanese Lit. that much-"

"Nope! I mean, sure. I miss them. But it's not like I'm never going to see them ever again, right?"

"Would they still become Persona users, though? Not just Yukari and Junpei."

"What makes you think otherwise?"

"Didn't Ryoji say that the reason for their awakening was because of my... no, because of our presence?"

"I never really understood that part myself. But I think they'd still be Persona users. Just because we're not in SEES doesn't mean they would suddenly lose their potential." He had been about to say more, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed someone familiar. "Yu! Sorry for making you come all the way out here to meet us."

The younger boy smiled. "It's been a while, nii-san. Koto-nee as well. Mother asked me to guide you to the apartment." Well. That answered the question of how Yu Narukami differentiated between them.

"Yu-chan!"

Yu was quickly embraced by the older girl.

"We're sorry for imposing on you so last minute like this, Yu-chan. We insisted that we only needed the address, but-"

"It's alright, Koto-nee. My classes don't officially begin until next week and I'm already prepared."

As the trio slowly made their way back to Yu's apartment, the Fools inquired into Yu's school life. In previous loops, they'd never gotten the chance to talk to him this way and it was a nice change of pace. Yu answered their questions without missing a beat, reminding them once more of how level-headed he was despite being only in junior high.

In return, Yu posed questions of his own.

"Mom said that you two decided to hold off on going to Gekkoukan. Are you planning on going back next semester?"

"We plan on getting our high school diplomas earlier."

He caught his female counterpart's eye and winked, letting her know in no uncertain terms that he approved of her earlier idea. She grinned back at him.

This exchange did not go unnoticed.

"Were you two always this close?" Yu wondered aloud.

"Not at all, Yu-chan! We only recently saw each other in a new light, you could say."

Her answer was affirmed by the quiet male beside her, and Yu slowed his pace to look at the pair. His expression became one of relief.

"I'm glad to hear that," he told them, but never explained why.

Moving into Yu's (ridiculously swag) apartment was wholly uneventful. The younger boy didn't even bat an eyelash when the pair requested to share the same bedroom. Although he did mention getting a spare futon, if they wanted it.

"Remember how we were talking about our friends gaining their Personas even without our presence? Shouldn't Junpei be getting his Persona soon?"

She could feel his eyes on her body as she stripped out of her heavy jacket, and she smiled inwardly. If Ryoji was the outgoing pervert, then the male lazing on the bed was the "covert" one. Covert, in quotation marks. Heh.

"And Akihiko finds him freaking out at the convenience store. This will happen tonight, or tomorrow night, won't it?"

"So soon?"

"It had to have happened before Akihiko got injured by the Magician, and after we arrived in Iwatodai."

He scooted over so she had room to lie down next to him. He didn't mind that she used him as a body pillow, welcoming her softness and her sweetness completely.

"Why do you ask?"

"I kinda want to see it: Junpei freaking out."

"Jerk."

He didn't respond, but because she was practically pressed against him she caught him snickering.

"Look at what you've done. Now I'm dying of curiosity, too!"

"So what do you say? Do you want to go and have a look?"

"Sure. If you're down with bumping into Akihiko during the Dark Hour, that is."

"We could stay hidden."

"Nope. Mitsuru won't be distracted with watching us sleep with hidden cameras, so there's a chance she might sense us."

"True. Maybe this was a bad idea."

She felt him tense. "What's the matter?"

He took a deep breath. "We're treating our friends like obstacles. I wonder when I started seeing them that way..."

This was a sobering thought.

"I'll always care for them. Each and every one of them. But as time goes on, I... I don't think of them as important as before. I'm a terrible person."

He had helped her pull through when she nearly dropped the idea of abandoning the dorm and SEES. This time, it was her turn to put him at ease.

"It can't be helped, Makoto-kun. They are our friends, and they always will be. But because of the infinite loops, their memories keep reseting themselves, and the bonds that we've worked so hard to forge have to be remade from scratch."

She took his hand.

"At one point I thought I'd gone crazy from these loops. Because everything kept reseting themselves over and over, and I had become acquainted with how to manipulate them from the simplest of actions. Nothing felt real to me anymore. And then... I met you."

She smiled at him.

"We will always care for them. All of them. That won't ever change, no matter how many loops have gone by. Even if they don't remember, the both of us will."

"...That's true."

"So! Let's go out tonight and see if Junpei gets scouted by Akihiko or not."

"What does that have to do with my existential crisis?"

She giggled, and he cracked a sheepish smile.

"Well, not only do we get to see Junpei freak out, but we get to make sure if he's safe during the Dark Hour. There's no telling if whether or not Akihiko will find him, right? Because the future is a changing, unertain thing."

His sheepish smile transformed into a sincere one. "You're pretty cool, babe."

"I was only returning the favor!"

Nevertheless, her face was flushed with pride and slight embarrassment. It had been a long time since an honest compliment had made her so giddy, and she relished the feeling. Of course, an honest compliment paid by a male she was attracted to just made it even better.

They talked in bed for the rest of the afternoon.

"We'll be back a little after twelve, so don't worry about us Yu-chan! We have the spare key and everything, too!"

"I see. Then, please take care. Nii-san. Koto-nee."

After a lively dinner with their 'little brother', the two Fools stepped out into the cold spring night. Their destination was Paulownia Mall, where they both knew that several stores were hiring. And of course, they were curious as to whether or not the Velvet Room was still in the back alley underneath the karaoke place.

"I'm not sure I'd like to work at Paulownia Mall in the daytime," she confessed. "Shinjiro and Tanaka only visit at night!"

"Ah. An ulterior motive. But, they are always interesting to talk to. Especially when Tanaka starts talking philosophy. And it's never the same topics."

"Ooh, I can't forget our favorite grumpy bar-hopping monk, Mutatsu either. Too bad he only shows up once in a while."

As they chatted and walked through the mall, they paid no heed to their surroundings.

Specifically, the amount of stares they were getting.

Both Fools had long ago achieved god-like levels of charisma, and they were more or less used to getting stared at. What they didn't realize was how much they sparkled together, naturally amplifying each other's magnetism. It was like watching two international superstars take a casual stroll down the street, and many people took notice of them whether they wanted to or not.

Good news was, Chagall hired them instantly, the owner claiming that the two of them were "well-suited to the cafe's atmosphere".

But finding the Velvet Room at the usual place was even better.

Igor, Elizabeth and Theodore were the same as usual. And the Fools' vast fortunes were still completely intact.

"Summoning Personas without an Evoker? Of course this is possible," Elizabeth answered as if expecting their inquiry. "As you know, my brother and I summon Personas by simply calling them forth within our minds. There is nothing barring you from doing the same; all Personas are drawn out from the collective sea of unconsciousness..."

"With the amount you and I have both saved up, we could just get plane tickets to Inaba and buy them directly from the blacksmith, Daidara, himself."

"Good thinking. We could also go on a vacation right afterwards, if we have the time."

"We aren't going to high school anymore. We have all the time in the world!"

After the Paulownia Mall closed for the night, they amused themselves at the convenience store, chatting over which idols were going to be caught up in a scandal, which movies coming out were going to be flops, and which clothing labels would become trendy in the near future. Just generally appreciating the irony with their future knowledge while hanging out in a table near the magazine stand.

Two hotdogs and two vanilla shakes later, Junpei trudged inside the store looking wiped out.

The two Wild Cards casually relocated to the bench right outside.

When the Dark Hour struck, they were still snacking on chocolate chip muffins.

"I'm so glad that food doesn't go cold during this time. It's one of the reasons why I always make sure to get some takeout right before going into Tartarus!"

"So do I. It's a shame that water becomes blood, though."

"Hey, isn't there a drought in Iwatodai right now? You shouldn't be drinking water! You need more Mad Bull, you know, to protect the environment!"

Her teasing was interrupted by the slamming of a door and the frantic jangling of bells.

"Oh thank god! I thought I was all alone!" Junpei sobbed, running up to the pair. "Y-you've gotta help me! Everybody in the convenence store got turned into coffins!"

Judging by the amount of time that had passed since the Dark Hour began, Junpei had to have been hyperventilating for at least thirty minutes. And there was no sign of Akihiko around.

"Whoa, are you okay? Hello?"

"Huh. Out like a light."

"Poor Junpei. He must've been so relieved to find other living people that he practically fainted from relief."

"This wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. It's just... pitiful."

"Jerk."

"But I'm also glad that you convinced me to go through with this. Without Akihiko, who knows what might have happened?"

With their combined strength, Junpei's unconscious form was laid on the bench they had previously occupied.

"Junpei came out to the convenience store because Paulownia Mall was closed, and he didn't want to stay home with his dad, right? But if he keeps going out late at night like this, he'll be in danger."

"Are you suggesting we play bodyguard?"

"Not exactly. Don't give me that look, I don't want to spend all of my free time tailing Junpei after dark, either!" She stuck out her tongue at him childishly. "I wish we could have him regularly go to a place we could easily track."

"Hn. Instead of letting him wander the city, this hypothetical place would be so welcoming he'd definitely stick around. Not a bad idea."

"The question is, what kind of place would he enjoy?"

When Junpei awoke, his head was pounding and he had a hard time sitting up straight. He just barely recognized the convenience store's neon sign when an unfamiliar male voice called out to him.

"Are you alright?"

Standing close by the bench was a boy and a girl. They both looked to be about Junpei age, and they shared equally concerned expressions. They were also ridiculously attractive for teenagers.

"Huh? Uhh, yeah. I'm..." Junpei shook his head. Something prodded at the back of his mind. A phantom memory of a dream, maybe? "W-what happened to me?"

"You fainted on your way out of the convenience store just a couple of minutes ago," piped up the girl helpfully. "We were about to go call for help when you came to."

"Oh! Uh, don't bother. I'm doing perfectly fine!" Junpei insisted. The absolute last thing he needed was to get sent to the hospital at this point. "But thanks anyways."

"It's no problem!" She paused. "Um, I hate to ask you so soon after you woke up, but do you know any good places to hang out at this time of night? Paulownia Mall is closed, and we don't really enjoy nightclubs that much."

"Good places...? Uhh, you guys new around here or something?"

"Yeah. It'd be a big help if you knew anything." The boy wasn't as chipper as the girl, but he was polite all the same.

Junpei laughed half-heartedly. "Man, if I knew any good places open at midnight I'd go there all the time..." Now that he remembered why he was out this late, his mood had soured once more.

Because he was looking at the ground, Junpei didn't notice the pair exchange glances.

"That's too bad. Well, thanks anyways! Um, are you going to be okay by yourself?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry about it. Oh, but uhh. If you guys want a tour around the city, I'm your man!" Junpei grinned. "The name's Junpei Iori. I'm a second-year at Gekkoukan. I wanna thank you guys for helping me out, y'know?"

"We might take you up on that."

Junpei shook hands with them.

"My name is Makoto Yuki! It's nice to meet you, Junpei!"

"I'm Makoto Yuki. And same here."

Junpei blinked.

"...Wait. What?! Do you guys seriously have the same names?!"

"Hey, Yu-chan? If you wanted to hang out with friends but you didn't want to stay at each others' houses, where would you go?"

The boy considered the question while eating his fish and rice. "I can't speak for everyone. But as long as it was a nice, welcoming place that didn't mind a group of friends chatting and lingering for a long time, it would be great. Especially if we could get food and drinks, too. Perhaps a cafe, or a diner? Even a bookstore would do, if there were great places to get food from close by."

"That sounds fantastic. Thanks, Yu-chan!"

"A diner, huh?" Her male counterpart mused, long after Yu had left to take care of some errands. "That sounds good. Too bad there aren't any places like that in the city."

"Yes. It's such a shame," she echoed.

A plan was hatched.

The night of the full moon arrived very quickly.

Both Fools were prepared to face the Magician Shadow. But they were not prepared for their younger brother suddenly getting attacked by the smaller Shadows that the Magician had brought with it.

It was also then that Yu Narukami awakened to his Persona, Izanagi, for the first time in all of their loops.

But time was of the essence, and they would have to deal with Yu's situation at a later date. They couldn't allow the Magician to run amok and create more Apathy Syndrome victims, otherwise it would grow too powerful to defeat. But they couldn't destroy the Shadow either, or risk the countdown to Nyx's arrival. So what could they do?

The answer did not come to them despite their combined efforts, and the Magician Shadow was still alive when the Dark Hour ended.

That certainly never happened before, either.

"Mitsuru definitely sensed the Magician Shadow last night."

"Guess we'll have to lay low if they're going to investigate the area."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm surprised they didn't come immediately, but we'll worry about that later. First things first-"

Both teens warily entered the condo. Nobody was in the living room or the kitchen area. Strange.

Both teens were positive that Yu would be waiting for them, ready to confront them with his knowledge of the night before last, and the monsters that had appeared. Instead, they found Yu still lying in his bed where they left him originally. He was muttering something under his breath.

...He was calling for his mom and dad in a soft voice while he slept.

The two teens exchanged chagrined glances.

Despite how level-headed and mature Yu acted, he was still just a junior high school student who occasionally needed reassurance from his parents. Right now was one of those times. The Narukami business couple meant well, and tried to give their son whatever he needed, but they weren't here right now.

The pair silently agreed to be present the minute Yu woke up.