Part 94: November 28 - December 3 Part 1: Sanzo's Nightmare

> Your second term finals begin today and continue until the weekend. You should hurry to school...

-Omen-


Look at this weather, man. What's up with this...? It's really weird. Have you ever heard of anything like this before? Oh, yeah, and finals start today. But that's seriously not the point now. What's going to happen?
I'm worried, too.
I thought that stuff about the fog being harmful to people was just a rumor, but people are getting sick. And even besides that, there have been a lot of weird rumors being spread around, too. Damn...I don't like how any of this feels.

-Specialist: Reincarnation-









-Omen-

> You overhear students talking.


Sporty student: When is this damn fog gonna clear up!?
Younger student: But, Senpai, the people who are just slacking off aren't showing up either, right? You can keep the club with the members you're left with. Maybe the fog helped you find out who's the most dedicated to being in the club!
Sporty student: Huh? Well, that's one way of looking at it, I guess.

-Specialist: Reincarnation-









-Omen-

> You overhear students talking.


Girl with bag: Someone said they turned it on, and there was a picture of this town in complete ruins!
Bespectacled girl: Huh? My friend said that she saw Inaba get swallowed by the fog and sent into some other dimension! She said there were monsters coming out of the fog, too! Like in that story...
Girl with bag: Have you noticed...? Ever since this fog started...It seems that some people can see the Midnight Channel even when it's not raining. Could it be...Is our town getting more and more messed up!?

-Specialist: Reincarnation-








The weather report said it might start snowing soon, but what's going to happen if it snows with all this fog?


Wow...That's quite a crowd you got there.
We ran into each other back there, so we came together. The fog's so thick that sometimes you can't see your nose in front of your face, so everyone's forming groups now.
It's definitely been weird lately. It's so cold, too...
Visibility's so bad, it's scary...Can I stick close to you, Senpai?
*sigh* This girl never changes...
It really is hard to see anything in this, though. It's just like on the other side.
...Wha--!? G-Guys, put on your glasses!


Whoa...It's all clear...
Wh-What the hell is going on!?
These glasses are meant to help us see through the fog in the other world...But putting that aside, no glasses would improve one's visiblity in a fog, under normal circumstances.
Then, umm...Could the fog from over there be leaking into our world...?
Huh? Y-You guys think that's it!? I-I was kinda expecting you to ignore it as Chie being random again...I-It's just a thought...Haha...

> The mood darkens...

Anyways...today's the last day of exams, right? Let's get 'em over with so we can meet up at the special headquarters after school.
Wow...We haven't used that name in a while...



-Deduction-


"Some specialists are raising concerns that this fog may consist of harmful substances...More and more citizens are calling for an investigation into the cause of the fog and the facts about it..."
"Though the government has begun its preliminary investigation, many feel that the causes will be hard to pinpoint..."
Huh...Is this fog really dangerous?
You hardly ever see people walkin' around town anymore...Or here, either.
Everyone's too scared of the fog now to go outdoors much.
It does seem a lot like the fog on the other side...But beyond that, I'm clueless.
There's another item of note here...A summary of Namatame's career, with details about the case. "...The suspect was having an affair with the first victim. It seems she was killed due to relationship troubles. Also in April, Ms. Saki Konishi's body was discovered. The police are looking into a motive for the murder. In July, a boy living in Inaba performed a copycat murder. The boy was initially thought to be the culprit behind all the killings, but later suspicion was thrown upon Namatame. Last month, the suspect attempted to kidnap a seven-year-old girl of Inaba, resulting in his arrest"...It seems Namatame is still confined to his hospital bed, so further interrogation has yet to commence.
So it's finally over. A lot of stuff's happened...But all that's left is for the police to build a case for Namatame, right?
Can they prove anything?
I'm sure your uncle can...
But...the stuff he was saying was so obviously nuts. If he says anything about the TV world, he might be considered mentally unstable...
Also, I heard before that if the police don't have enough hard evidence, it's difficult to build a case.
Yes...There are many such cases and culprits. It's the eternal conundrum for crime investigators...
So even if they're caught...the law can't do shit?
...It's a possibility.
Hell's up with that!? We all know he did it...You can't just let a maniac who thinks he's saving people by killing them run wild on the streets!
They better not dismiss something this serious because of some mental issues...Saki-senpai...
No...Not just her, or that announcer...Even King Moron is his fault. If it weren't for what he did, nobody would've tried a copycat killing. It's his fault Nanako-chan's in the hospital right now, too...

> You're reminded that you made a promise with Nanako to buy a new kotatsu...

What's the matter?

> You told the others about your promise with Nanako...

-New Days-

A kotatsu...?
Oh, then why don't we go check them out right now? I know Nanako-chan would be psyched if she came home and found a new kotatsu!
Dude, why didn't you tell me sooner? The winter season's coming up, and we just got a bunch of 'em in stock! Alright, off to the housewares section! For Nanako-chan!


It's a cliche because it's true, dammit.
The best compliment to a kotatsu would be a heated rug.
Dude, that much juice would kill the breaker the moment you tried to microwave something.
Oh yeah, you've never used a kotatsu before, huh Ted? It's nice and toasty.
...Can I still stay here...? You kept your promise to me...So I should be going back...But I don't want to go until Nana-chan gets better.

-Smile-

Of course you can stay. How many times do we have to say this before it gets through to you?
Nanako-chan would be sad if you weren't there when she wakes up.
B-But...I couldn't save Nana-chan...
Don't be silly. We saved her together.
We caught the killer, man. We couldn'ta done that without you.
Teddie, you shouldn't talk that way when Nanako-chan is still fighting.
You guys...
Come over to my place.
C-Can I really!?
That's right...You're just by yourself at home now, huh?
Hey, why don't we pick out a Christmas present for Nanako-chan while we're at it?
Oh, that's a great idea! I'm sure she'll be out of the hospital by then.
Alright, but none of this "charge it to Yosuke" stuff this time. Seriously. We're clear on this, right?
Aw come on, why would we do something like that?
Dude, the clothes you got for this guy? I almost pissed my pants when I saw the receipt! How many days you think I had to work to pay that off!?
Well, I can't help it if Junes overcharges for things.
Urgh...!
Well, I guess you gotta expect that...It's not like Chie-san's ever had the occasion to help a guy shop before.
Wha--!? What did you just say!?
C'mon, baby. Don't fight over me...
Stay outta this!
Snrk...Heeheeheehee...
Let's leave them be and think of a present for Nanako-chan on our own.
But what would a girl her age want...?
What do you think Nanako-chan would appreciate most?
A Jack Frost doll.
Yeah, that white, round shape's the best. A plush doll's the way to go!
All right, as soon as Nanako-chan's out of the hospital, we'll have a party at your place!
Yesss! And we'll bake the cake!
Of course!
Let's make it a cake to remember.
Oh no you're not! Are you trying to send Nanako-chan back to the hospital!?
Cell phone: *RING RING*

> It's Adachi...


Nanako-chan's condition suddenly got worse...The doctor wants you to come to the hospital immediately. We'll be waiting.
C-C'mon, let's go!