A few minutes later, near the school gates…
As Akemi, Chie and Yukiko (and the other Yasogami students) walked out of the school and toward the school's gate, a strange pale-skinned, lifeless black fish-like eyed guy wearing a different black uniform from another school appear, approach and stopped in front of Yukiko (who also stopped in glance in confusion at him, same goes for both Akemi and Chie).
"You're Yuki, right? Y-you want to go hang out somewhere?" asked the strange guy to Yukiko.
"What…? Wh-who are you?" said Yukiko in a more confused tone of voice to the strange guy while Chie continue to glance in silence at him and Akemi noticed two male students stopped to glance and began gossiping to each other about them.
"What's up with him? What school's he from?" said the onlooking male student to his friend standing beside him.
"Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san? Man, you'd think he'd at least wait until she's alone to make his move…" said the spectacled male student to the onlooking male student.
"What do they mean by that? Are they saying that whoever this guy is like Amagi-san or something? Nah, that can't be." thought Akemi as she ponder about what the 2 male students just said about the strange guy then slowly shook her head.
"I'll bet you a cap of TaP that he gets knocked out." said the onlooking student.
"No bet. Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi Challenge is?" said the spectacled student as he shake his head.
"Ugh. How can they talk like that about Amagi-san when she's near and like she's an object or a conquest or others?" thought Akemi in slight disgust at the 2 male students while noticing the annoy look on Chie's face and the sad look on Yukiko's face.
"Um, s-so… are you coming or not?" asked the strange guy again to Yukiko.
"I-I'm not going…" replied Yukiko softly to the strange guy (which pissed him off).
"…Fine!" snapped the strange guy before he turned and run away.
"Wh-what did he want from me…?" said Yukiko in a more confused tone of voice to herself and to both Chie and Akemi.
"What did he want…? Obviously, he was asking you out on a date." said Chie.
"Huh? Really…?" said Yukiko in surprise at Chie before she glance at Akemi. "What about you, Kanzaki-san?" asked Yukiko.
"I think so too, Amagi-san." replied Akemi with a nod of her head at Yukiko.
"You really had no clue? Sheesh…" sighed Chie as she shake her head at Yukiko's obliviousness. "But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden." added Chie before she, Yukiko and Akemi heard the sound of squeaking, turned to look and saw that guy that Chie kicked earlier back in class appeared with his bycicle.
"Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh? Man, you're cruel… you got me the same way last year." said the guy as he stopped next to Yukiko and glance at her with a feign hurt look on his face.
"I don't recall doing that." said Yukiko as she glance in confusion at the guy.
"Whoa, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?" said the guy hopefully to Yukiko.
"…I'd rather not." said Yukiko as she shake her head at the guy.
"That'll teach me to get my hopes up…" sighed the guy with a sad look on his face as being rejected by Yukiko. "Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much and also, thanks for giving me the tube of medicine, it really helps, new girl." said the guy thankfully to Akemi before he got on his bike and cycle away from the school.
"We're just curious, is all!" yell Chie as she scowled at the guy's back while raising and stomping her right foot a little.
"U-um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this…" said Yukiko apologetically to Akemi as she glance at her.
"It's alright." said Akemi reassuringly to Yukiko (which make her smiled a little) before they saw some more students approaching, stopping and staring at them.
"C'mon, let's go, you two. Everybody is staring…" said Chie uncomfortably to them both before she quickly walked away from the school and both Akemi and Yukiko follow behind her.
XXXX
A few minutes later…
"Ah… so you came here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious." said Chie as she and Yukiko glance and smiled at Akemi after she told them both on why she came to Inaba.
"Unfortunately not." said Akemi as she briefly shake her head.
"I see." said Chie before she glance at the large, water-filled field with dozens of planted grass then glance back at Akemi. "There really is nothing here, huh? That is what makes it nice, but there's nothing much we can show to people from outside. Though, there is something from Mt Yasogami… I think our dyed clothes of pottery or something is kinda famous. Oh wait, and there's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!" explained Chie excitedly to Akemi.
"Is that so?" said Akemi as she glance in curious interest at Yukiko.
"Huh? It's… just an old inn." said Yukiko.
"No way, it's been in all sorta magazines as a hidden treasure." said Chie as she glance back and forth between Yukiko and Akemi. "It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going." added Chie to Akemi.
"…I don't think that's entirely true." said Yukiko as a troubled look appear on her face.
"Hm, looks like she's not very keen at the idea of taking over her inn someday." thought Akemi as she saw the troubled look on Yukiko's face.
"So, indulge me with a question. If you were a guy, you'd think Yukiko's cute, huh?" asked Chie suddenly to Akemi.
"H-huh? Why would you ask me that?" said Akemi in surprise at Chie's question.
"Just indulge and answer my question already, Akemi." insists Chie.
"Uh, well… Yeah, I'd think she's cute if I were a guy, Satonaka-san." said Akemi as she briefly scratch her head a little.
"I knew it!" chuckled Chie happily to Akemi.
"Come on… don't start this again…" sighed Yukiko as the troubled look on her face deepen a little.
"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?" said Chie.
"C-come on, stop it. Y-you shouldn't believe that, okay?" stammer Yukiko nervously to Akemi as an embarrassed look appear on her face now. "It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend! Wait, no! What I meant to say was, I-I don't need a boyfriend! Geez… Chie!" added Yukiko as she scowled at Chie (who chuckle again at her reaction).
"Sorry, I'm sorry. But this is our chance to talk to someone from the big city, and you barely said a word!" said Chie slightly apologetically to Yukiko.
"Then you should wait and give her some time to think about what she wants to talk about, Satonaka-san." thought Akemi dryly at Chie.
"Hey? What's that?" said Chie as she (and both Yukiko and Akemi) suddenly noticed a group of 6 people standing a few feet in front of them and she, Yukiko and Akemi exchange confused glances with each other before they walked forward to the group of 6 people to see what they're seeing, saw them staring at some policemen blocking and preventing them from entering the street and heard some of them talking about a dead body of a woman hanging upside-down on an antenna on the roof of a house before the body got discovered by a student who quickly called the police and firemen to take the body down, which shocked Akemi, Chie and Yukiko.
"Wait… what did she just say? A dead body!?" said Chie with a shock look on her face after she, Akemi and Yukiko heard what some of the people talk about.
"That doesn't sound good. And I pity whoever it is that died and got put up there." thought Akemi with a worry and sad look on her face before she saw her uncle, who also saw her with a brief surprise look on his face before he walked past the policemen and the civilians toward her and stop in front of her.
"Hey, what're you doing here?" asked Dojima-san suspiciously to Akemi.
"Nothing. We're just passing by, uncle." replied Akemi.
"Huh… I should have figured that'd happen. That damn principal. We told him not to let them through here…" muttered Dojima-san with a scowl look on his face.
"…You know this guy?" asked Chie as she and Yukiko glance at Akemi (who nodded to them).
"I'm Detective Dojima, her guardian. Uh… well, how should I say this… I hope you two get along with her." said Dojima-san awkwardly to them.
"Don't worry, we will, Dojima-san." said Yukiko as she nodded to Dojima-san.
"But you three really ought to stop wandering around and head straight home." said Dojima-san firmly to Akemi, Chie and Yukiko (who nodded again to him) before he turned and as he's about to head back the way he came from, a pale-skinned, short slightly unkempt black-haired, black-eyed guy wearing a full dark blue suit with a white button-up shirt under it, a red necktie around his neck and brown shoes on his feet suddenly run past Dojima-san and the 3 girls, kneel down in front of a lamp post and began to vomit, which annoy Dojima-san and make the 3 girls widened their eyes in shock then disgust.
"Adachi! How long are you going to act like a rookie? You want to be sent back to the central office!?" snapped Dojima-san sternly to the guy named Adachi.
"I-I'm sorry… nngh…" said Adachi apologetically and weakly to Dojima-san (who sighed at him).
"Go wash your face. We're gonna go around and gather information!" said Dojima-san to Adachi before he turned and walked away and Adachi quickly stood up and run past the 3 girls after him.
"Was this what that announcement was about…?" said Chie.
"What do they mean… it was hanging from the antenna…?" said Yukiko.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good." said Akemi.
"Hey, Yukiko…? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?" said Chie as she glance concernly at Yukiko.
"Good idea…" said Yukiko as she nodded in agreement with Chie before they glance at Akemi.
"Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbour, let's do our best!" said Chie.
"Sure, see you two tomorrow." said Akemi as she nodded to Chie before she watch both Chie and Yukiko walked away from her then she went back home as well.
XXXX
Several hours later, in the living room in the Dojima's house…
After Akemi came home and greeted Nanako, they then had their dinner, washed the plates together before they sat back down in the living room and Nanako turned on the TV, which showed a news program about a dead woman body found hanging on an antenna on the roof of a house near Samegawa River in Inaba.
"I wonder if Dad's not coming home again tonight…" said Nanako sadly and worriedly to herself.
"Nanako-chan…" thought Akemi as she glance sadly at Nanako before they glance back at the news program.
"The deceased has been identified as Ms. Mayumi Yamano, a 27-year-old announcer at the local television station. The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed…" said the male announcer from the TV.
"Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!" gasped Nanako with a more worry look on her face.
"…Are you worried about him?" asked Akemi.
"…Uh-uh. It's his job, so things like this happen." replied Nanako as she shook her head and look down at her hands.
"The body was found hanging from a large television antenna atop a local resident's roof. Authorities are uncertain as to why the body was in such a state." said the male announcer. "With the cause of death also uncertain, police continue to investigate whether the death is an accident or a homicide. A thick fog common to the area has slowed their progress, and plans to fully canvass the area are delayed until tomorrow."
"They found her on the roof? That's scary…" said Nanako worriedly again before the TV showed the Junes commercial, which surprise and perked her up before she began singing along with the Junes tune as it played again and also staring expectantly at Akemi (who indulged her by singing along with her).
"You really like the Junes tune song, huh, Nanako-chan?" asked Akemi after she's done indulging and singing along with Nanako.
"Yep. It's popular at my school too." replied Nanako as she nodded to Akemi before she sang the Junes over and over until she's tired then Akemi turned off the TV, bring and tucked Nanako into her futon, bade her good night before she went up to her room, change into her pajamas then fell asleep.