Part 17: 5/13/11-5/16/11

5/13/11

That beef stew turned out well.



> You ate lunch with Yosuke.
> You ate Well-Simmered Beef Stew together.
Wow, this is so good!
Is this your recipe, Souji? I only know how to boil eggs, myself…
> It was Yosuke's favorite!

I saw Ai on the way out.



I figured I'd ask her if she wanted to do anything.



Huh? …With you?
……
> Ai is staring at you intently…
…Whatever.
You should skip your afternoon classes next time. We'll go somewhere far away.

I've faced down death but I'm still a bit too much of a wimp to skip classes, I'll have to get back to her on that. Anyway, I'd made that wish come true for the fox so I decided to report back.



> It's probably worried about the outcome…
> You told the fox that you granted the wish written on the ema.
*howl *
> The fox looks exuberant.
> The fox looks at the offertory box and seems pleased…
> If rumors of the shrine's benevolence spread, more people may come to make offerings…
*howl *
> You can sense the fox's gratitude.

Also if we ever need a henhouse raided, we've got just the man for the job.



> You passed some time with the fox.
> It's getting late.
> You decided to go home…

They had some kind of special report on TV, something about those biker gangs.

VIDEO- "Kanji"

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Narrator: Our special report took a turn for the violent when one of the apparent leaders attacked the camera crew!

These guys are pretty bad at blurring.



That voice…
This ain't a show! Get bent!
Still up to the same old tricks…?
Do you know him, Dad?
Mmm, well, I know him through work.
His name's Kanji Tatsumi… he's quite a handful. He's been crushing biker gangs in the area since middle school.
But I thought he got into a high school and started attending class…
Huh.
Man, that blur sure is pointless. It's completely obvious who it is.
The guy's family runs a historic textile shop.
I think what happened was, he crushed the local bikers all by himself because the noise kept his mother up at night.
It's a nice gesture, but he's way too violent… At this rate, his mother'll have to apologize again.
Oh, the weather report's showing on the bottom. It's going to rain tomorrow.
I'll make sure to hang the laundry inside the house.

The rain's coming back. Will the Midnight Channel be on again?

5/14/11

Sure enough the rains came.

VIDEO- "The Rains"

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That means the show's probably gonna be on tonight.
I hope we don't see anyone…
Yeah, that'd be the best. But if we do, maybe we'll see some kinda clue that can point us toward the killer…
Well everyone, don't forget to check your TV tonight!
Got it?
> It seems to be another rainy night.
> What will you see on the Midnight Channel tonight…?

We checked the Midnight Channel, and sure enough someone appeared.

VIDEO- "A New Mystery"

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> It seems to be a man…
> He looks like a high schooler…
> ……
> The image is unfocused, but it's hard to tell who it is…
> Should you try calling Yosuke…?

I called up Yosuke to see what he thought about it.



So, what do you think? That was a guy, wasn't it?
I wish I could tell what he looked like…
Let's get together and talk more about it tomorrow!
> You hung up.

The guy seemed damned familiar, but I can't quite place where I've seen him before. Maybe one of the others knows. I'll have to ask tomorrow.

5/15/11

We got together today to go over what we know so far.

VIDEO- "Getting Ahead"

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Dude, take a breath!
Oh, then does this make this place our special headquarters?
Yes! Exactly! Nicely put, Yukiko.
Special Headquarters… Hmm, it does have a nice ring to it…
Anyways, as for what was on last night…

I hoped maybe one of the others had recognized the guy.



I saw it too!
I couldn't get a good view of the person's face, but it was a guy, wasn't it?
> You told everyone that you saw someone who looked like a high schooler.
So that's how I looked on TV…
Hm? Wait a moment.
Didn't all the victims have one thing in common? That they were females with ties to the first incident?
That's what we thought…
But we still don't know who exactly we saw.
In my case, the image on the Midnight Channel changed after I was kidnapped, right?
Yeah, the screen got clear all of a sudden and the program looked like some low-budget TV show.
Come to think of it, maybe Teddie was right… Maybe we were seeing the other Yukiko from that world.
But last night, we couldn't clearly see whoever it was.
Could that mean… he isn't inside the TV yet?
If so, then…

I think Yukiko was right on the money, he's not been kidnapped yet.



Uh-huh, I think that's safe to assume.
If we can figure out who he is, can we prevent him from being taken?
Yeah… And if all goes well, we might catch the killer in the bargain.
*sigh * But to do that, we need to know who the latest Midnight Channel star is…
I hate to say it, but I guess we'll have to wait another night and see what happens.
Ahehem... Well, that means if my deductions are correct…
Though the image was hard to make out, and we can't say for sure who it was, it was definitely a young male.
But if that's the case, it goes entirely against our prior assumptions…
Since we cannot identify the person at this time, we have no choice but to wait and see what happens!
That's exactly what we just said.
Shut up!
*chuckle *

It's good to see Yukiko's back to normal but man when she gets going she just doesn't stop.



Ahahaha, oh no! M-My funny bone…!
Not again…
S-Sorry, heeheehee!
This is how Yukiko really is, huh… Who'd have thought?
By the way, about that guy we saw? I get the feeling I've seen him before…
Pretty recently, too…
Oh, you too? Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing since last night…
Well, let's check the TV again tonight and think about it more tomorrow.
Heehee…
Grrr, when are you gonna stop that, you crazy hyena!?
Ahahaha! That's a good one, Chie!

This time, the Midnight channel was just a bit clearer, and we could tell who it was.

VIDEO- "Focusing In"

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> The image is unfocused…
> But you feel like you've seen him before…
Did you see that?

I was sure this time. It was that guy from the news, Tatsumi.



Yeah, I think so too.
I knew I saw him somewhere! It was on TV! He was on that special news report!
He's one scary dude. He was even yelling at the camera to "Get bent!"
Alright, so we finally have a lead. Let's all get together tomorrow, okay?
Oh, I almost forgot… It's kinda off-subject, but as long as you're on the line, mind if I ask something?
It's something I've been meaning to ask for a while.
So… what do you think about Yukiko and Chie? I mean, let's not mince words: Which one's your type?

God damn Yosuke putting me on the spot. I mean I just met them, I barely even know them, how the hell should I know?



Hahaha! Kinda harsh, don'tcha think?
Well, I kinda understand.
They're great girls, but you saw their ugly sides right off, and I guess your first impression is the one that sticks.
Hey, but don't worry. This is just between you and me.
Okay, see you tomorrow.
> Yosuke hung up.

It was pretty much when he told me not to worry that I actually started doing so. He'd better not tell them what I said, I don't want to get slapped or kicked or something.

5/16/11

We looked into Kanji today. It… could have gone better.

VIDEO- "Investigating Kanji"

Click Here For Video!

Kanji Tatsumi, huh? He definitely didn't look like the social type.
Now there's an understatement. Isn't he really scary? Did you see the news special the other day?
Yeah, I saw it.
You mean the special on biker gangs? I watched it too.
He wasn't like that when he was younger, though…
You know him, Yukiko?
Uh-huh, but we haven't talked to each other in a long time.
His family runs a textile shop, and we've been a customer of theirs for many years.
So I speak with Kanji-kun's mother from time to time.
Oh, why don't we go there now? We might be able to talk to him in person.
Sounds good. At the very least, we can ask if anything strange has come up lately.
I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley, but I'm pretty sure he won't fly off the handle in his family's store.
Alright, then let's get going.
If things get rough, we're counting on you guys!

There was some weird guy talking to Kanji's mother already when we got in there.



Shop Owner: Ah, Yuki-chan. It's so nice to see you.

I guess the person was leaving as we entered. I hadn't seen them around before, maybe they weren't from around here.



Shop Owner: I'm sorry that I couldn't help more.
It's all right; you've given me plenty to think about. Thank you.
What's up with him…? Weirdo.
I 'unno. Never seen him before.
Shop Owner: Yuki-chan, you're as lovely as always.
Your features are starting to remind me of your mother when she was young.
How can I help you today? Are you out shopping with your friends?
Oh, um… Well, actually…

Chie saw something that brought back some bad memories while we talked with Mrs. Tatsumi.



Hm? Huh, you're right. Where was that…?
Oh! It was that place! Inside the TV!
That's right! That room with those faceless posters…
Then… it's that announcer's…
Shop Owner: Are you acquaintances of Ms. Yamamo?
Uh, well, kinda…
Um… Did Ms. Yamano happen to have a scarf like this?
Shop Owner: Yes, it was a special order she placed.
She actually ordered a pair, but in the end, she said she only wanted the women's scarf.
It left us with no choice but to sell this one separately.
Oh man… There IS a connection to the first case…! What are we gonna do…?
H-How should I know…?

Just then a delivery came, and Mrs. Tatsumi had to leave.



Shop Owner: Oh, I'll be right there. I'm sorry, you'll have to excuse me.
Oh, it's okay. We should get going.
I'll come again, Ma'am.
Shop Owner: Is that so? Well, then please say hello to your mother for me.
It really is connected to the first case after all…
But it's just a scarf. Would the killer target someone just because of that…?
Dammit, what's going on…?
C'mon, let's talk outside.

We stepped outside and got a surprise.



Wha-Quick, hide!

Kanji was talking with the boy from earlier.



Shhh! I can't hear what they're saying!
> You eavesdropped on Kanji's conversation with the boy…
T-Tomorrow's fine with me…
Huh? S-School? 'Course I'm going to school…
Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow.
D-Did he was he was interested…?
He's a guy… and I'm a guy… But… he's interested in me…?

At that point Kanji noticed us. I mean we weren't exactly hiding so much, not a surprise.



We ran our asses away, not gonna lie.



The one on TV last night was definitely Kanji-kun…
Yeah… And I just realized something.
Remember the common points we were talking about? His mom fits the pattern. She's a woman, and she knew Ms. Yamano.
But it was her son who appeared on TV… So what does that mean?

Patterns or no, it's clearly people who've been appearing on the Midnight Channel who have disappeared.



Yeah, that's what it seemed like, based on the TV image… But his mother fits the pattern more than he does.
Oh… Maybe it's similar to my case.
If you think about it, my mother fit the victim profile more than I did.
She was the one who dealt directly with Ms. Yamano… but I was the one who was targeted.
Does that mean it'll be the kid again, instead of the mother?
But if that's true, then the killer's motive makes no sense at all.
It'd have nothing to do with silencing witnesses or revenge or anything.

Chie makes some scary good points sometimes.



Or is there some kinda secret in the textile shop itself…?
Argh! I'm totally lost!
But we can't ignore this.
Hmmm… Why don't we just go ahead and ask Kanji himself?
We could at least see if anything odd's happened lately. He scares the wits out of me, but…
Hey, wasn't Kanji making plans with that weird kid a moment ago?
Something about meeting up at school.
I heard he's been skipping school ever since the new year started… Doesn't that see a little suspicious?
Yeah, something did seem weird.
Yeah, it's suspicious all right. There's something funny going on here… I can sense it.
"Sense"? You sound like Teddie… Still, we might find some clues.
Alright… Let's try staking out both Kanji and his family's store.
We definitely don't want the killer getting ahead of us.

Yosuke is like the least smooth person ever, just to point it out.



Hey… Was this your plan all along?
Uh, no? I got everybody's number except for hers.
And the Y section of my address book needs some filling out.
*sigh * While we're on the subject, could you stop calling me at night just to tell dirty jokes?
You really sound like a pervert.
H-Hey! I'm trying to have a conversation with Yukiko here!
……
Oh, that reminds me… I need to buy tofu on my way home.
Whoa… She didn't hear a word I said…
Okay then, the stakeout is set for tomorrow.
Hmm… Stakeouts… Tailing people…
Whoo, I'm getting goosebumps!
> You decided to stake out Kanji and the textile shop tomorrow.

Hopefully tomorrow's stakeout will go better than today's little mission did.

Next Time On Persona 4: Stakeout