Persona 4 Golden: Yu and Yukiko's Full and Happy Life 19

It seemed that Yukiko and her soon to be husband both possessed an affinity for taking things off the rails without meaning to. Of course, if you looked at how Yu's bachelor party began, you'd expect him to be the last person to cause trouble.

"I really appreciate you guys doing this for me, but you didn't have to-"

"We didn't have to go through so much trouble," Yosuke finished for his friend. Yu had restated that point about three different ways on the way to his surprise. "We know partner, but guess what? We're going to do it anyway." Usually his jokes didn't get a reaction out of Kanji, but this one seemed to hit the mark and even Teddie got in on the action. "*Whew* sides senpai, you don't even know what it is yet," the intimidating youth pointed out. "For all you know, we could have planned something lame like *uh* a movie night."

"I think we could have fun anywhere as long as it's the four of us together." Yosuke rolled his eyes good naturedly at his partner's bright worldview while the other two blushed a little at the compliment. "S-sensei...do we really mean that much to you?"

"I thought you'd say something like that...and that's why I knew exactly what to do." Before Yu could ask exactly what he meant by that, he took notice of where exactly Yosuke was leading him. Down the steps to the entrance and into a somewhat hidden side path that a guest wouldn't normally take notice of was the Amagi's garage. He'd helped Yukiko down those steps quite a few times for her doctor's appointments, but what business would Yosuke have here? Unless...

"That sure was fast. Usually it's a lot harder to convince my son in law to take a break." There was Mr. Amagi standing in front of the family van with a smug grin on his face. "You're not getting lazy now that the wedding's coming up are you?"

"That's Yukiko's job," Yu joked to himself inwardly. Outwardly, he gave his usual easy smile and took a moment to observe the vehicle.

A quick glance at the positioning of the vehicle helped Yu deduce what the surprise was. It was turned around so clearly that meant they were loading something up in the back. They'd remembered to close the trunk door so the surprise wouldn't be spoiled early but regardless he had a pretty good idea of what was going down. Still, the way Teddie was about to explode holding it in, and how Yosuke and Mr. Amagi were glancing between themselves with a smug knowing look, he knew his reaction was important.

"Mr. Amagi? What's going on here?" He said, putting on his most inquisitive voice. It seemed to work, as Fuyuhiko let out a chuckle. "What's going on is that your friends here planned out a whole bachelor party for you, and they asked me to help."

"I was reluctant at first," he said in a tone that implied he wasn't reluctant at all, "but they managed to convince me. And wouldn't you know it, your idol friend happened to call up my wife with the exact same idea! Of course, you won't be staying at the inn..." the patriarch paused dramatically before unveiling the grand surprise. The back of the van was filled with all sorts of outdoor supplies: backpacks, fishing rods, sleeping bags, and even a tent. "You're going on a camping trip! And I'm going to drive you there!" Even though he'd suspected it, it was difficult not to be at least a little touched by the enthusiasm and Yu's smile was the genuine article. "A camping trip. That does sound fun..."

"See? What'd I tell you Mr. A? Do I know him or do I know him?"

"What's wrong senpai?" Kanji asked, picking up on his leader's hesitation. The others turned to the grey haired youth and noticed a slight frown on his face. "Oh nothing. It's just that...well isn't the school camping trip coming up next week? Actually I think it's tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate this, I just don't want everyone to be exhausted on my behalf."

Now the smug looks everyone was giving each other really was a secret Yu wasn't in on. Yosuke gave an overdramatic sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, it's thanks to Teddie here that's not a problem."

"Hmmph how rude! You're lucky I'm such a furgiving bear." Sensing his sensei looking at him quizzically, Teddie proudly put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. "It wasn't easy, but for this elite specimen of bear anything is possible."

"I thought you just asked Kashiwagi to do you a favor. Doesn't seem that hard to me..." That earned Kanji a fierce glare from the bear wonder as he scrambled to recover. "W-well it might seem that way to a brute like you, but it was quite the intense negotiation!"

"I imagine your heart was racing through the whole process," Yu teased his blonde friend. Teddie's mouth opened in shock, as usual sensei was the only one who perfectly understood. "Exactly! She's quite the stern negotiator but it wasn't long until even Kashi fell to my charm!" Yu translated that from Teddie speak in his head to what probably actually happened. Kashiwagi agreed immediately but wanted to mess with her "adorable little boyfriend" a little and pretended to be unsure just to watch him pout and give puppy dog eyes. "Did she pat your cheek and say something like 'oh how could I refuse this precious face?'" Yu asked wanting to make sure he was on the money. "Yes! That's exactly what she-

"Annnnnyway, the point is now we don't have to go on the lame school camping trip where we pick up trash all day. It'll just be the four of us! No King Moron and no shenanigans with the girls to ruin everything this time. So c'mon get in, we're burning daylight!" It was true, the sun was just beginning its descent and they needed to get all this stuff setup before it went down all the way.

"Kanji? You sure you don't want to switch?" Yu asked when they were all piled in.

Kanji's head was firmly pressed against the roof of the car but it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. "Nah, it's your party so that means you get to sit up front." You gave him a shrug as if to say "suit yourself" and with that they were on their way.

"Sorry about making you drive us all the way Mr. Amagi..." Kanji offered.

"Ahhhh it's fine, it's fine. I know snowpea would feel guilty if she's the only one who had a party so it all works out! But Yu, I'm honestly surprised! I was shocked, shocked to learn you still haven't acquired your driver's license." Yu bowed his head in apology. "I won't let it happen again sir; but don't worry, it's just three more weeks until I get my zeppelin license."

"Hey don't worry I was only jok- wait what was that last part?"

"Ignore him sir, he just likes to slip in nonsense sometimes." Yu smiled a bit at Yosuke's summation of him and decided it was time to give his best friend a little teasing. "You'll be going for your license soon right Yosuke? I mean your birthday's coming up and all." Yosuke barely had time to react before the cries of "it's your birthday!?" and "hey man happy 18th!" filled his ears. "Aw come on it's not a big deal. Hey listen, I don't want anybody to get me anything."

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on it!"

"Ted, I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not." He gave Yu a glare that was a mix of annoyance over having his birthday being made into a big deal and honest appreciation that he remembered. "Don't even think about it, you have a wedding to prepare for. No time to be worrying about me." Yu'd have to remember to send him an anonymous gift in the mail, maybe some headphones...

"You know, we've been going on those trips since back when I was in high school," said Mr. Amagi, interrupting Yu's train of thought. "Of course, back then there wasn't a big highway for people to throw trash near so it was more about reconnecting with nature."

"That sounds better than garbage duty at least." Mr. Amagi awkwardly cleared his throat and chuckled in slight embarrassment. "Ah it was before I got used to the country side so I might have stumbled into a patch of poison ivy. And forgot to pack bug spray. I've never really been a fan of camping..." he trailed off when he noticed Yu's look of wide eyed surprise. "You flatter me my friend, but come now. Do I seem like the outdoorsy type."

"No it's not that. You're not...from Inaba?" Now it was Fuyuhiko's turn to look stunned. Him and his big mouth! He'd just revealed one of his deepest secrets! "W-well no...I moved here when I was fourteen actually. Somewhat like your friend back there. I don't know where you got the idea I grew up here ahaha...hahaha."

To his relief, Yu seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing more than anything like a final puzzle piece just clicked inside of his head. All those speeches about him being a city boy intruding on their delicate way of life or a poison weed in the grass of their garden always seemed a touch rehearsed to him, like Mr. Amagi was just repurposing a speech made by someone else. Like one Sachiko or perhaps even Jiro gave to him when he first arrived. He couldn't fault his father in law too much though, if and when he had a daughter he'd probably do the exact same thing or have to fight as hard as he possibly could not to.

"Wow an outsider's going to be heading up the crown jewel of Inaba two generations in a row. That's kind of crazy if you think about it. Hey in a way you marrying Mrs. Amagi kind of was like the opening act for Junes coming in right? The reception to our store would've been way worse if you didn't soften the blow." Mr. Amagi didn't quite like the way he phrased that. It made it sound like his marriage to his darling was some kind of opening act and to a convenience store of all things!

"Hey speaking of Junes, are your parents okay with you taking all this stuff?" Kanji interjected. Indeed, there was quite a bit in the back and if Yosuke really did purchase all of it, he would need to have saved up quite a bit. But Yosuke just tapped his nose, "let's just say I ran into an airhead with more dollars than sense and leave it at that."

"*Gasp* Yosuke, you shouldn't talk about your mother that way! Especially when she's nice enough to give you an allowance!"

"Why you-" Yosuke attempted to lunge for Teddie but was held back by the brick wall of a friend sitting between them. "Hey Ted come on man that wasn't cool." Teddie just tilted his head in confusion and Yosuke calmed down when it was clear the male airhead actually thought he was talking about his mom. "Ai you idiot! Come on dude, you watched me do all those spreadsheets. Did you think I was doing them for my dad or something?"

"Oh." There was a long pause before Teddie gained a teasing smirk. "You know, if you wanted her to give you a kiss, all you have to do is brush-" but Kanji covered his mouth before Teddie could step on any more nerves. "Yep, that's enough out of you for a while. I'll move my hand when you promise to be good, got that?" The sound vibrations into Kanji's hand let him know that his friend did indeed promise to be good. "That's better, can't believe you're trying to start something during Yu's party..."

"Now, now boys don't make me turn this car around!" Mr. Amagi joked, a smile plastered onto his face. No wonder his daughter had been so much brighter and more lively this year, hanging around this group it would be impossible not to be.

The trip over to the camp ground was relatively short and a little familiar. "Wait a minute...this is exactly the camping ground we went to last year," Yu realized. The others looked between themselves in surprise, all that navigating in the mazes of the TV World must have given him a knack for scenery.

"Well yeah that's kind of the whole point," Yosuke assured his leader. "I'll...explain it while we get everything set up."

Yu spent the rest of the car ride in silence wondering what exactly his pals planned party wise until being pulled out of his thoughts by the van pulling into a lot. The familiar sight of rows upon rows of picnic tables coming into view reminded him of the unfortunate incident that took place here last year. Luckily, with Yukiko's improvements in the kitchen, Mystery Food X could never be created again since it was a unique combination of his wife's gullibility and Chie's ignorance in the all things culinary. Would Fuyuhiko believe that his daughter was capable of such evil? Yu didn't know, he would probably be the first person to volunteer to taste test his "little princess'" cooking but on the other hand-

"Hey you know Yukiko tried to cook for us when we came here the first time." Yu saw the quickest flash of a grin appear on Mr. Amagi's face before he put on a fake stern one when he turned around. "What do you mean 'tried?' My daughter is an excellent chef you know! I sure hope you thanked her for the delicious meal she whipped up for your sake!" Caught off guard, Yosuke held up his hands and began to stammer, "o-o-of course sir, it was absolutely delicious! T-to bad we don't get to try it again!"

"Oh is that so? Maybe I should tell my daughter you said that. She might be willing to whip something up for you again! You too Yu!" When the boys' faces paled at the thought, Fuyuhiko let out an uproarious laughter. "Ahahahahaha I really had you two going for a minute there!" But his face too soon turned sheet white as if he was recalling a horrible memory. "No, my daughter and Chie used our inn's kitchen quite a few times...I'm well used to The Miasma." His eyes gained a thousand yard stare and he began to mumble something about "how does one botch cookies that badly..."

Shaking his head, he returned to his usual smiling self and clapped his hands together. "Alright let's get to it. I know I'm full of interesting stories, but I don't want to take up all your time." And he hopped out of the front seat of the van with Yu quickly following. With five people unloading, the process went incredibly quickly.

"Alright boys, I shall return at two o' clock tomorrow *er* give or take. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do!" And with that, he sped off leaving four boys and their Junes bought camping supplies.

"You know, he's a pretty cool guy. I was pretty nervous calling him up for this favor but he was actually glad to help." Yu had to agree, Fuyuhiko was at his coolest when he was just being himself and not trying so hard but luckily his father in law was starting to figure that out. But something about what he just said resonated with Yu. "Two? Isn't that around the time we arrived last year?" This seemed to make his companions puff up a little as if that too was part of their master plan. "That's right. We'll be slipping on out of here just as the rest of the school comes in, thought it might add a bit of a cool 'prison escape' vibe to the whole thing you know?" Yu just stared at him blankly. "W-well Mr. Amagi was pretty into it."

"I think it's more like, if we went after everyone else it would seem less special you know?" Kanji said. "But since we're coming here before anyone else, it's like an bonus thing right?"

"The early bear catches the worm." Teddie added helpfully. "And this way we get to celebrate as long as possible!" Yu nodded after taking it all in, there probably wasn't any real risk since Kashiwagi probably covered and said they were taking the initiative and doing community service on their own, but it was all about the way you framed things. If you made a game of getting in and out before anybody saw you, it did make the simple act of packing up a tad exciting.

"Maybe that's how I could get him to do chores when he's older..." Yu chuckled to himself.

"You say something senpai?"

"Huh? Oh no, I was just surprised you two wanted to come here after...well you know." Yu slung one of the backpacks over his shoulder, it was surprisingly light but then again they were only here for a single night. The others followed suit and they began to search for an ideal spot while they talked.

"Haha believe it or not, this whole thing was actually Kanji's idea."

"What the hell do you mean 'believe it or not' you saying I don't know senpai?" Yosuke chuckled at the idea that of all things was what Kanji took offense to. "Well actually it was more like all of us. It was kind of hard thinking of something to do, originally I was thinking we could just play baseball on top of Junes but that seemed kind of lame. Then I remembered how much you loved fishing so I thought we'd hang out by the Samegawa and shoot the breeze but...I don't know that doesn't really seem like a party." That was a bizarre statement to Yu, there was almost nothing more invigorating in this world than the hunt for the Guardian. Patiently waiting for that exact ripple pattern, the tug of war that ensued immediately afterwards, his heart started to race just thinking about it...but a hunt like that was something a man went to on his own, so perhaps Yosuke did have a bit of a point.

"So then we got to thinking how happy that tool belt made you at your birthday party," Kanji continued. "We thought maybe a night out roughing it on the mountain was exactly what a man's man like you needed after being cooped up inside for the past few months. So I suggested camping. But we weren't sure where to go cuz this is the only place nearby and well last time we went here it kind of...sucked."

"Oh! Oh! And that's where I came in! I wracked my fuzzy head long and hard until I came up with a brilliant line of reasoning."

Surprisingly, Yosuke didn't snark this time and Kanji smiled good-naturedly as if they were willing to admit Teddie was capable of making good points now and then. Seeing no objections to his continuing, Teddie began telling his tale. His proud grin faded from his face and the bear grew a bit more contemplative as he began.

"Sensei, you're getting married and that means you're going to be starting a new life together with the love of your life. You'll be stepping into a bright new future pretty soon with a little cub on the way to boot and that's why this trip was bearfect. It's because you had a bad time here that we had to come! The old gives way to the new as we replace a disappointment in the past with a happy memory to talk and laugh about in the future. What better way to celebrate a bachelor party than celebrating leaving the past behind as you move forward into your happy new beara?" Yu was truly stunned and as he looked between Kanji and Yosuke it was clear that they shared Teddie's sentiments as well. It was silly, but he could actually feel himself getting a bit choked up that they'd really tried hard. They'd all come together to work out a way to really make this special just for his sake. "You guys...really put a lot of thought into this huh?"

"You bet we did, partner. But *uh* well I kind of...didn't have enough money to get a grill." It was hard to believe, but the others actually looked a bit embarrassed. "B-but I mean that's fine right senpai? We'll cook the fat of the land on an open fire like men used to do back then!" Yu shook his head seeing Yukiko's point about being too hard on oneself, he kind of wanted to knock their heads together for saying something so foolish. "Of course it's fine. I've always wanted to try something like that in fact. But we'll have to work fast if we want to be finished come nightfall. Hopefully the nearby river isn't all fished out."

"Ha! More like let's hope King Moron didn't contaminate it permanently"

Unfortunately, fishing rods were quite expensive so they were only able to afford two.

"It's funny, we could have four right now if you'd told me about the party but then that would ruin the surprise element." Yu seemed to pondering if there was a way to both have four fishing rods and keep the element of surprise but Kanji for one didn't seem bothered by it. "Nah this is a good thing. Means two of us can go gather firewood and the other two fish, problem solved." But his eyes narrowed after saying this along with the other two party planners. Obviously Yu would be on the fishing team, but who would accompany the guest of honor and who would be stuck in the woods picking up wood off the ground? Yu was just about to step in when Yosuke settled things in one fell swoop. "Anyone who's picked up a fishing rod in the last year or actually knows how to fish, please raise your hand." Immediately, his hand shot up while Kanji admitted defeat with his eyes. His senpai's logic made perfect sense and the fact he couldn't get mad about it made him even more annoyed!

"Okay glad that's set-" that's when Yosuke noticed another hand still in the air. "What the-!? Yu! Put your hand down, man."

"But you said anyone who know-"

"Ah ah ah! I know what I said! The worst part is I can't even tell if you're messing with me or not." Before Yosuke could find out the answer to that conundrum, Teddie gave a gasp of astonishment and his hand shot right up into the air. "Ooooh if it's just knowing how to fish, then you should pick me! I'm the perfect bear for the job." Yosuke sighed aloud and clasped Teddie on the shoulder. "Dude, I've never seen you even attempt to fish. I'm going to need some proof that you can cast a line without taking someone's eye out." But Teddie shook his finger in that infuriatingly smug way he had. "Tut tut did you forget that bears don't need a crutch like that Yosuke? Fishing is in our blood!"

"What?"

"It's the truth. All I have to do is stand at the top of a waterfall and the fish will practically jump into my mouth. I may have forgotten my costume, but they'll know I'm the real deal from my natural Teddie Musk™. But don't worry, I'll be happy to share any extras with you guys!" Kanji for one looked quite convinced. "Oh yeah and there is a waterfall here remember? If we get Ted set up there-"

"That's salmon you idiots, there's no salmon here! Sheesh I know more about bears than you do, Teddie." The bear seemed a bit miffed by Yosuke's insinuation before realizing he had something to rub in know it all Yosuke's face in turn. "Not for long."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean Kashi-baby is a biology teacher and her brain is almost as big and full as her big bouncing...heart!" Just when they thought it was going to stay wholesome, Ted soon put a damper on that. "And covering that heart are two soft pillows that let you hear the *thump* *thump* *thump* when she strokes your hair..."

"Alright that's enough!" Yosuke decided, his voice a mixture of annoyance and jealousy. "C'mon partner let's go." Yu had to agree, as happy as he was that things were working out, he couldn't think of large breasts and cuddling without images of his own wife coming to mind. As he followed Yosuke further up the mountain, he turned back to catch Kanji mouthing something to Teddie with a red blush on his face. The former punk even when trying to be quiet was still rather loud so Yu could make out what he was saying if he strained his ears a bit.

"Yo Ted...*uh* is she really okay with that? Like...was it easy asking her?"

"Geez can you believe that," Yosuke said, breaking Yu out of his eavesdropping. "You know I'm going to pay you back one day for hooking them up."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I thought at least it would get him to simmer down a bit. You know, stop being a total perv but in some ways it's actually worse now."

Seeing that his friend wasn't quite getting it, Yosuke pinched the bridge of his nose and began to explain. "It's like...well he was a complete horndog *er* bear before but now it's doubled except it's just towards one specific woman instead of all of them. He always has this goofy smile on his face and I see him get all dreamy eyed during break time. Like you'd think it would just be an innocent crush or whatever but then he starts talking about how rocking her 'bod' is and all that goes out the window."

"Well...maybe go a little easy on him." That answer certainly surprised Yosuke, usually Yu would be the last one to go along with Teddie's perversions. "Dude, he's been like a bear in heat lately, it's like he's constantly got hips and breasts on the brain...more so than usual. I swear I saw him blushing hardcore just from LOOKING at a skimpy swimsuit."

"I think it's natural," Yu said in a surprisingly defensive tone. "I mean, he hasn't had a girlfriend for his whole life and now when he finally has one he wants to enjoy her. I don't see anything wrong with that. You shouldn't shame someone for having a prodigious sexual appetite for the one they love. In fact, it's really one of the purest things in the world if you truly give it some thought!" That last bit made his friend blink in confusion, like the conversation shifted from talking about the perverted bear to talking about their perverted leader.

"*Uh* you're getting real fired up their partner, I'm just saying it can't be healthy to have that kind of stuff on your mind all the time." The two arrived at a familiar rocky outcropping but this time they had no intentions of taking a dip themselves! "Down the river's good right?"

"Yeah, you know I've always wanted to try fly fishing...thanks man."

"Ah don't mention it, but you're sure confident risking our dinner on something you've never tried before. Sure you can handle it? Hehehe."

"Don't worry I've got this." And that's all it took for Yosuke to follow him wholeheartedly. Although Yu seemed to still be stuck on the conversation they were having before. "Why is it bad?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking why you think it's bad to have that stuff on your mind all the time. I mean, weren't you the one who asked me 'Chie or Yukiko' at the beginning of the year...and search my room for porn magazines." Yosuke blushed fiercely at both the memory and the implication he was just as much of a pervert as Teddie. "T-that's different! That's just stuff that guys are supposed to talk about you know? A bonding activity. It was natural curiosity, nothing more to it than that!"

"You brought towels right?"

"Wha-what do you mean?"

"You know, for our feet so we can dry them off after we're done." Yosuke felt like a complete idiot, he thought his partner was going somewhere completely different with that. "O-oh yeah totally, they're in the bag." Yu nodded wordlessly and began to unwrap the packaging. "I think it's a sign you've met your ideal woman," Yu said after a while. Finally, Yosuke was beginning to understand exactly what was happening here, and always up for some teasing he decided to needle his partner a little. "Is that right? That sounds pretty shallow man, I thought there was more to love than that," he said with a wink.

"I'm not saying there isn't but well...having a woman who can turn you on is important too you know?" The two sat together on the river bank putting the line on the hook, Yu briefly reaching over when he saw his friend struggling. Normally, Yosuke would be just fine but what Yu just said was occupying his mind. Yu and Yukiko as amorous as they were and as pregnant as she was, acted so lovey dovey ooey gooey that sometimes it was hard to remember they were plowing each other behind closed doors. Looking over to Yu, he saw a look of pure contentment and...the slightest bit of smugness in there as well.

"Yosuke, can I be honest with you about something?"

"Suuure," the other boy replied knowing he might regret it. Yu's smirk grew, the kind of smirk someone got when they had a juicy little secret to tell. Making a show of looking around, he scooted uncomfortably close to his pal. "Most girls...don't wear panties under those kimonos." Yosuke took back everything he was just thinking in that instant. If that was true then...

"Awesome..." he whispered as his eyes grew twinkly with wonder, a secret of the female gender finally laid bare and truthful for him. Just the thought that staying at the Amagi Inn meant all those beautiful women were a scant few inches of fabric away from being nude was kind of exhilarating in a way. All his earlier prudishness completely faded, he gained a grin to match Yu's own. "Dude you're so freaking lucky,"

"Yes and no. I mean it's true Yukiko in nonederwear is titillating and theoretically easy access is a perk, you can't just do that in the middle of a shift right? So what I get is my teaser of a wife parading that delicious body of hers in front of me, knowing exactly what I know is underneath. And all I can do is sneak a little slap or pinch when what I really want to do is..." he trailed off when he noticed his fire forged friend staring at him with bug eyes and suddenly felt very sheepish. "S-sorry. I guess it sounds a little too intense when you lay it all out like that." He stood up suddenly and began his trek into the waters, the coolness of the brook helping to lower his raging temperature.

"H-hey don't take it the wrong way," Yosuke said as he quickly followed. "it's just you're usually so calm it's a little surprising to hear you talk like that about...well anything! Still I'm happy to hear everything's working out on that front."

"What do you mean?" Yosuke didn't answer at first, instead making sure there lines were cast first. He didn't want any sharp objects to be in Yu's reach after all!

"Well you know...Yukiko isn't the same girl she was when you first started dating is all."

"You're absolutely right, I thought she was pleasant to be around before but now...well it makes me look forward to marriage let's just put it that way." The warm smile on Yu's face was enough to make Yosuke want to switch his line of questioning. Obviously, he was trying to gently bring up Yukiko's weight gain, but the mistaken direction Yu took things in was far more interesting to him than some love pudge. "You're pretty odd sometimes partner, I don't mind telling you." Yu cocked his head but it was clear from the jovial boy's tone he meant it even less than usual. "You never gave me an answer when I asked who you preferred. But now...well it's pretty clear what your answer is."

"She's changed a lot since then..." was all Yu said in response. With one swift motion, he cast his line so that it was gently floating in the downstream and as always Yosuke followed his lead. "A happier, brighter person that I'm proud to call my wife."

"*Ugh* I knew we wouldn't get through this party without at least one sappy one liner..." Yu grew a bit pensive at that although that might have just been because he was focusing on his line; still, the somewhat abrasive boy felt the need to say something. "Hey I think it's great you found your soul mate and I know I tease you about how cheesy you are but really I'm just fuming I don't have that kind of thing for myself." Now a smile was back on Yu's face as he turned to his friend. "I doubt that. I know you well enough to know that an idyllic marriage would drive you mad with boredom." Yosuke wasn't sure if should be offended or not at that point blank summation of his personality, but eventually he settled on taking it in stride. "Yeah you're probably right. No offense, but if a girl talked to me the way Yukiko talks to you I'd probably break things off then and there."

"Even if it was...let's say Kirijo-san?"

"Wha-hahaha dude that's so not fair! But...actually probably yeah even if it was her. That kind of stuff just doesn't do it for me I guess. Just feels too phony, like the second there's a real fight the relationship will just crumble, like you're not being 'real' with each other. N-not that you and Yukiko are like that."

"No I understand what you mean. Luckily for me, that is the real Yukiko now. A girl who's as deeply in love with me as I am with her and who trembles with excitement at the very idea of motherhood." Yu had that wistful look in his eye again and it wasn't long before he jumped headlong into another heartfelt speech. "This whole thing really has been incredible. It's a little hard to describe but...the fact that the thing making her so happy and giggly is that she's carrying OUR child, well it's...it's amazing. One thing I've started cherishing is catching glimpses of her just rubbing her belly with a smile that spreads ear to ear when she doesn't know I'm there. The baby isn't even born yet and already it means the world to her. I know it's a little self centered to think this way, but every little dimpled smile, every coo to our child, I can't help but think that it's thanks to me she gets to feel like this. I just...I love the idea of being the husband of a woman who gains such happiness from bearing my child and beginning a family with me."

Yosuke was silent for a long while, what could he really say to that? He had the sense that Yu was happy to have someone to pour his own heart out too, not to complain but to put his thoughts into words so that he could better articulate and understand them himself. Most of all, he felt a sense of fulfillment that his partner finally considered him to be someone he could open his heart to. It wasn't exactly the same, but it was probably pretty similar to the fulfillment Yu was talking about, knowing you meant that much to someone else.

"You know..." Yosuke eventually said. "It's crazy to me that Yukiko was your first serious girlfriend. I mean, any girl at Yasogami would jump at the chance and I can't imagine it was that different at your old school."

"Truthfully, I was always too afraid to try. I was uncomfortable with the idea of not meaning as much to someone as they meant to me I suppose." Now that was surprising to hear, but before Yosuke could ask where on earth his leader got that idea, the line bounced and sprang in the telltale way of announcing a bite. "Woah that was fast."

"Yeah but here comes the hard part. Go get the bag." Hopping to attention, Yosuke retrieved a plastic zip lock baggie to contain the fish, arms at the ready to support his friend in reeling the sucker in. But that turned out to not be necessary, Yu's legs moved carefully and with purpose like a samurai circling his opponent, dancing with his prey just waiting for the right moment to strike. Even the simple act of squatting down was made complex as it was to facilitate leading the fish to the baggie without letting it know it was being shepherded to its own demise. Yosuke didn't even want to imagine how difficult this would be with just one person, but somehow he knew Yu would still somehow pull it off.

"Woah this thing's huge! It must be like twenty inches across!"

"Trout do seem to get to rather large sizes around here, but that just means there's more to work with when we start cooking." For someone who was probably good friends with every stray cat and dog in Inaba, Yu was remarkably unfazed by the suffering of fish in Yosuke's opinion, but just imagining it all nice and fried up on an open fire did make it difficult to feel too much sympathy. "Stupid thing did just bite a sharp metal hook and swim into a bag after all," he snarked to himself.

"Your turn," Yu said, taking his friend by surprise. "Oh r-right."

It was silly, but he was kind of nervous about giving a disappointing follow up even though he knew Yu wouldn't judge him for it. "I'm just going to take things easy and if I catch something I catch something and if I don't...no big deal. Yu's been practicing for months so it's fine if you're not as-"

"Yosuke you got a bite!"

"Already!?" It was true, almost immediately after the first one, the two boys had to team up again to guide yet another fishy to its doom. It was actually quite a bit easier than it looked, just following the rhythm that the line was setting proved to be more than sufficient and before they knew it they had two.

"There's a lesson in here somewhere, but I can't quite put my finger on what."

This stream probably hadn't seen line in quite sometime which did quite a bit in explaining the ease the two had catching their third and fourth. "Oh this one's a little smaller," Yu said in a disappointed tone as he reeled in number five. Looking between the already bulging bag and the runt in his hand, Yu took it as a sign they were being a little greedy with their fishing, tossing the final one back with a nod. "I think that should be good, the others are probably finishing up right about now too." Yosuke nodded, perfectly willing to get started on dinner but as they started to leave, Yu gained a familiar gleam in his eye. "Well...maybe just one more. Only for sport though, I'll throw it back."

His best friend could only shake his head as Yu snapped the line, one two three times like a whip before letting it fall to the river with a gentleness that belied the hook's sinister nature. He waited patiently ever so patiently for the right moment to strike, and just like Yosuke was suspecting, he decided to finish things off with a flourish.

With a single mighty pull, the fish was yanked out of the stream and into the air, droplets of water following in its wake as the beast seemed to soar almost in slow motion.

And of course, where else would it sail to but right into the palm of the fisherman's hand as he smiled like he'd just won the lottery. As ridiculous as this whole situation was, Yosuke just didn't have the heart to denigrate it when his partner was enjoying himself as much as he was right now. Immediately, the silver haired youth looked a bit sheepish at getting a touch carried away but Yosuke shook his head to let him know he wasn't going to bust his chops over it.

"That was-"

"Wooooow! That was amazing!"

The two boys turned around towards the source of the noise to find a small child of all things, staring at Yu in wonderment. He looked to be about eight years of age and from the slight scuffs of dirt on his knees and face, had obviously been out here for a day or two. The object of his rapt attention bent down to release his latest catch back into the stream as an older man came into view. "Kei, I told you not to run off like that." It was incredibly obvious what their familial relationship was and although the boy pouted a bit at being scolded, he quickly returned to his father's side. "I knoooow but I really really wanted to see it." The child's father turned to the two teenagers with a look of mild amusement, "hope we're not bothering you too much, we just finished hiking up the mountain and we saw you two on our way down." The natural waterfall did indeed provide the perfect vantage point for such a thing and Yosuke for one could understand they did look a bit odd doing what they were currently doing. "Nah you're not bothering us at all, in fact, we were just finishing up right partner?"

"That's right. So this spot is all yours if you want it." At that, the young boy's eyes sparkled and he turned to his pop with a look that practically screamed "can we?" The boy's father shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "We didn't pack for it, maybe next time."

The child whined which made his dad laugh. "This guy has been complaining the whole time we were out here and now all of a sudden he wants to stay longer. Kids, right?" He gave Kei a little push on the back that left his son scowling.

"Want to try mine out for a little while?" The two newcomers looked at the silver haired boy with shock. "Oh no it's fine you don't have to..."

"Come on dad, he said yes! Please, just one try!" The father looked to Yu who held out the rod with a smile on his face, motioning with his head down towards it perfectly willing to facilitate a fun time. "Well...okay. One try, but we really need to get back soon. Tomorrow is a school day."

"Yes!" Kei said, making a little fist pump gesture. "Dad, can we eat the fish after I catch it?"

"Sure, but you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch." Yu handed the rod to the boy who was positively beaming at this point. "This might be a little big, but luckily your father can help balance you." Kei rolled his eyes but the second he gripped the rod, he almost dropped the thing from its surprising weight, suddenly seeming a lot more open to the possibility of having his dad help him out.

"What's this?" the boy asked suddenly after Yu turned around to talk to Yosuke. Kei was referring to the strange colorful tassels that were attached near the hook. "That's a fly." He looked at Yu like the teenager was trying to trick him, "this doesn't look like a fly at all. It's way too big," he said with a note of suspicion in his voice.

"Well it's not a real fly, but fish aren't very smart so they think it's a fly. You use it to catch trout in moving water since it exploits their instincts to bite."

"It's way better than normal fishing right?" Yosuke chimed in, the younger boy readily nodding in agreement. "You caught that fish so fast, when my dad took me fishing it took forever to catch anything. We were sitting there all day..."

"Yeah but remember how fun it was to catch the grasshoppers? You don't get that with fly fishing."

"I found a rhinoceros beetle!"

"Yes I heard you the first time you told me." The man turned to the two teens with a pleased smile on his face. "Thanks, to be honest this trip was a bit of a bust so I'm glad he'll get at least something out of it." A slight bit of shame crept into his voice at the end there that made Yosuke feel a little guilty by proxy. When he got home, maybe he'd clean out the gutters his old man had been bugging him about...

"You know, maybe you can afford getting back home a little late." That suggestion surprised the man and especially Yosuke but Yu continued on regardless. "I'll come by and pick up the rod in the morning, until then, it's yours. Come on Yosuke." The boy walked off leaving a stunned father in his wake. The man had half a mind to ask him just who the hell he thought he was trying to give him parenting tips when he couldn't be older than eighteen himself when a small voice piped up from behind.

"Dad, dad! Look at how many fish there are! We'll have enough for a whole week: breakfast, lunch and dinner!" And just like that, his mind was changed. "That would make your mother happy, maybe even happy enough to make up for being back so late huh?" It was odd sometimes how perceptive children could be as Kei immediately picked up on his little hint. "You mean it?"

"I mean it." He wanted to go into a speech apologizing for how busy work was lately but instead settled on something better. "First things first, let's fix your grip! You won't catch anything holding it like that!"

"Sheesh that rod wasn't cheap you know, you better hope they don't 'forget it' in the back of their car," Yosuke said half jokingly on their way back to camp.

"Yeah but they'll still have a nice time together either way. Win win." Yosuke made a show of rolling his eyes, but really he perfectly understood the sentiment.

"Glad to see all that time with Nanako's paying off."

"Hmm?"

"Oh I just mean you're good with kids is all. Like you can explain things in a simple way, remember earlier when you were telling your cousin about crop rotation?" Yu looked to Yosuke as if to say "how could I forget?" Nanako was so excited to show all of her big bro's friends her progress on her garden when they dropped by earlier that day that she was practically hyperventilating when she answered the door. It was especially easy to explain since that was exactly what Yu'd been doing during the investigation plus Nanako was a smart cookie in general.

"I think it's less to do with me and more that kids are just trusting and willing to learn in general. When I had that daycare job, I'd listen in on their conversations sometimes and it was funny the things they'd come up with or half remembered from their parents."

"What's the best one you remember?"

"One time, there was this one boy who tripped and scraped his knee. I had to patch him up and after I was done, he asked why I didn't kiss it, you know because his mother would do that every time. Luckily none of the other kids were around to tease him about it but I admit I laughed a little when I first heard it." Yosuke certainly found it amusing, laughing out of his nose and shaking his head. "Yeah my dad pulled the 'your face will get stuck like that' prank on me. I actually was dumb enough to fall for that, I feel embarrassed just remembering."

"I don't think it's dumb at all, it's just part of growing up. I'm happy that kid still enjoys spending time with his old man so much." Yu was obviously in a contemplative mood so Yosuke knew not to say anything and wait for his friend to speak again, which eventually did happen. "I've seen kids get into arguments over things their parents said and then there's obviously who is better than who. To the kids, their word is a gospel and they themselves are almost superhuman..."

"Yeah, but I still like to do things with my dad even though he's a grouchy SOB sometimes. Besides, it's way too early to be worrying about things like that, I mean he hasn't even been born yet." Yu whipped his head around in surprise, somehow his best friend new exactly what was on his mind without him even needing to say it. "Thanks."

"Like you even have anything to worry about anyway! Even people our age think you're some kind of superhuman. Your kid's going to be proud to call you dad." Yu was silent for a period but the little sheepish half smile on his face told more than any words could. With Yukiko and Yu's continued often excessive flirtations, it got easier and easier to know just what to say in order to make his friend smile. Usually, you'd just take something his wife said, repackage it in a less lovey dovey way and presto! You had a compliment that could make even the stoic Yu Amagi beam like Nanako.

"Hey Yosuke, before we get back, can I share one more kind of embarrassing thing with you? Just between us." Yosuke braced himself, this was most certainly it. Yu was finally going to come out and admit his love for fuller figured women that was obvious to anyone with two eyes and a working pair of ears. It was amusing his partner thought it was some big secret when it couldn't be more obvious the way he was always grabbing for his "Yuki's" rolls and giving her little squeezes when he thought no one was looking. Like someone as sharp as Yu could actually not realize his wife was blowing up like Chie seemed to think the last time they talked about it. I mean it was the 21st century for god's sake! After watching Yu push a glob of greasy fatty beef past her lips and give her stomach a subtle pat, all it took was Yosuke idly searching "do some people find chubby girls attractive?" and that was the end of that "mystery." And to think Kanji, Teddie, Chie and even Naoto might be floored if they ever heard the truth!

"Sometimes when I see a parent and child out doing something or talking to each other, I roleplay in my head what it would be like if ..it was me and my son in the situation. And occasionally it goes on for a really long time, I've imagined entire days before." That wasn't the direction Yosuke was expecting, certainly and Yu seemed to take his surprise as something else. "It's not healthy I know but-"

"Hey now don't put words in my mouth! You know, most people spend their time imaging how imaginary arguments would play out differently so I think compared to that you make out pretty good hahahaha." He gave his pal a friendly soft punch in the shoulder and Yu nodded with a newfound grin on his face. The rest of the walk back was spent in silence but both of their minds were awash with thoughts. "I gotta remember that he's choosing to become a dad. Can't believe he's actually nervous screwing it up when he's putting his all into it...dork."

"Feels nice to get that off my chest. Yosuke seems fine with it but I can't make a habit of it. Hopefully I'll get to return the favor when he wants to gush about his own wife and child in the future..."

"Heyo! It's the river reapers themselves!" Kanji called to them when they came into view. "Damn that's a big haul right there."

"One for everyone," Yu said while holding up the bag. Taking a look, it was clear the other two had done their end quite admirably as well; a rather impressive teepee of various large branches and a dried leaf garnish appeared to provide the perfect bedding for starting the fire. "We found a lot of things in the deep wilderness, I even found a beehive but Kanji didn't let me take it back. Can you believe the nerve, keeping a bear from his honey?"

"For the last time, those were hornets! You know, you oughta be thanking me for...ah forget it." Even Kanji could tell when he was talking to a lost cause.

"If the rest of you get the tent ready, I can have this mostly done by the time you get back."

"Woah dude, haven't you been in the kitchen all day? You sure you still want to cook?" Yu looked at Yosuke like he'd just told him he was from another planet. He'd never get tired of cooking and prepping meals for his friends and family! "You know, I always do feel tired at the end of the day but it never feels like work when I'm doing it. Besides, if I don't skin these fish, one of you guys will have to." Kanji and Yosuke paled at the thought but Teddie just look confused. Couldn't they just eat them as is? Yu seemed to sense what he was thinking and chuckled. "They cook better if you cut them up, and this way I can season them and-"

"Oh. I didn't really bring seasoning or sauce or well really anything like that. Sorry." Yu's reaction to that statement was probably the most annoyed Yosuke'd seen him all day and for a moment worried that his friend was actually upset. But as usual, Yu took a deep breath and it was like he was never miffed at all. "That's okay, luckily I always carry a can of ginger around in my pocket." He pulled it out and began rifling through the bags, leaving the other three hanging on that last statement like he truly believed it was perfectly natural. "*Uh* why do you do that?"

"Well trout is somewhat bland naturally even when cooked to perfection so you need-"

"No not that, why do you carry a can of ginger around in your pocket!?"

"Oh well it isn't always ginger really, it depends on what I packed for Yuki's lunch mostly or if we decide to go out to eat. I don't want her food to be under seasoned after all." And Yu actually shuddered at the thought like it was one of the most horrible things he could think of. "But don't let that stop you from asking whenever, there's plenty for everyone."

"Hey, thanks senpai. You have anything that would go good on animal crackers?"

"Alright this is getting too silly for me, come on Teddie let's go set up that tent."

"You betcha! And that means I get first dibs on a sleeping spot!"

Yu watched them go with a shrug and got right back to his work. It was a somewhat involved process but luckily so was setting up a four person tent. Strangely, Kanji seemed to stick around for some reason and looked to be working up the nerve to say something. "You're not disturbing anything," Yu called over his shoulder, "if there's something you wanted to talk about privately, now's probably the best time." That seemed to be the push Kanji needed and he pumped both of his fists to launch right into the conversation. "Nah it's nothing like that, I just wanted to let you know I'm still hard at work on that dress. i planned around the party today so even though I'm taking the day off, it'll still get done on time! Don't want you to think I'm slacking off or nuthin'"

Yu blinked in rapid astonishment, he honestly couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "Kanji...would we have come to you if we didn't think you could do it?"

"W-well no but...I just wanted you to know you've got nothing to worry about on that front cause you and Yukiko-senpai have so much stuff to deal with."

"Hahahaha thanks, but we already knew that Kanji." Yu smiled when he saw that Yosuke had the foresight to pack a cutting board, or perhaps it just came with the rest of the stuff, either way it would make this next part much much easier. "Leaving tailoring to you is like leaving cooking to me."

"Aw dang senpai, you...you really mean that?"

"Of course, I mean I do see your hard work every time I walk by your store." Kanji chuckled sheepishly at that, he'd indeed kept his promise to his senpai they made during the P1 Grand Prix, proudly displaying his handiwork for all in Inaba to see and Yu for his part had kept his end of not letting Kanji go back to hiding that part of himself ever again.

Luckily as it was fresh out of the package, the knife was quite sharp so Yu could get right to work. "Look away," he told his friend and his kohai obeyed without question. There was a slicing sound followed by various squelchings and squishings that made the falsely labelled punk green in the face just thinking about it much less seeing the whole process. If this kept up, Kanji was probably going to lose his appetite so Yu used it as an excuse to ask a question he'd been meaning to ask for a while.

"Hey Kanji, what are my wife's measurements?"

Normally, it would be hard to tell when someone did a double take if they were facing away from you, but Kanji's reaction was so sharp that it was as if Yu'd thrown a rock at the back of his head. "W-what the hell are you asking me for? Why would I know that!?"

"Well you are her tailor right? So if anybody had that knowledge, it would be you, Kanji."

"A-actually...well we don't get that many fittings to begin with a-and ma takes care of the girls who do come in. Most girls aren't super...you know...comfortable with me doing it so I just don't offer anymore. I-I don't even want to do it anyway, girls always have to make it awkward and weird with the blushing and treating me like I"m some kind of pervert when I'm just trying to do my freaking job!" Yu had the feeling that Kanji wasn't entirely blameless in this situation and most likely added to the tension through his own nerves. After getting that off of his chest, the temperamental youth seemed to calm down and think more rationally. "Why would you want her measurements anyway? You going to make her a dress?"

"That's not a bad idea at all...but I mainly wanted them just to know them. Curiosity is all." That wasn't quite true, he wanted them so he could get an idea of just how much his sexy sexy wife had grown in the past few months. Growth was so much hotter when you could but a number to it, at least in Yu's mind.

But he didn't want to make his skittish stylist friend even more uncomfortable, so he kept that thought to himself. The dress suggestion did bring up another valid point though, "I think I'll just do it on my own, it'll be much more satisfying than hearing about it second hand." Certainly with the way his blushing bride would giggle with delight as the tape measure failed to fully extend from the softness of her back all the way around to her cute navel, how it would dig into the plushness of her thighs and give her skindentation that left his pulse quickening just thinking about it, how he'd get to see undeniable proof that every last inch of her was more plush, more fertile, exponentially more motherly than how it was a year back. Coughing to control himself, he merely told Kanji that he might try that dress idea out after all.

"Would she really do that? Put on a costume for you just because you asked?"

"Most girls would, especially if you made it for them. Why? You don't think Naoto would?"

"I-I-I-I-I d-don't know if she would or not! Come on man, why do you have to bring that up?"

"What? I thought things were going fine."

"T-they are! They're going great, more than great even but..." And here Yu knew the real reason Kanji had stayed close to him even if his friend didn't quite realize it himself. "But what?"

"Well...I mean we're having a good time but if people were to look at us while we're out I don't think they could even tell we're dating, know what I mean?"

"I thought that's how you wanted things."

"Y-yeah I do but...shouldn't I want more? Agggh that sounds stupid! What I mean is, well you know how we both our, we're not like you and Yukiko right? But what if our 'taking things slow' is just pussy footing? You know all this time I've been scared of things ending with a big breakup, but what if things die quietly instead? I honestly can't decide which is worse, senpai!"

'i'm sorry senpai, here I am panicking over nothing at your party. You know what, forget I said anything. I'm a man god dammit and a man should be able to sort out some of his problems at least some of the time!"

"Kanji, you're not asking me to solve a problem for you, we're just talking and you're asking me for my opinion." Encouraged by his senpai's words, Kanji continued on with his insecurities. "I guess...I don't know...I look at you two and the thing Ted has going on and all the other couples at school...well we're kind of the odd men out when it comes to cuddling and kissing and stuff. I guess what I'm trying to get at is, I don't mind taking things slow and I'm pretty sure Naoto doesn't either but...maybe we should mind?"

"Kanji...why do you think it's called 'going steady?'" Kanji looked at the older boy with a bewildered expression, thankful that he seemed to be done gutting and ripping apart the fish in various unappetizing ways. To his credit, Yu was as patient as always and in fact seemed to enjoy talking about it at least as far as Kanji could tell. "Kanji, Yukiko and I are married and expecting, we're supposed to be all over each other as much as possible"

"W-well I don't know about that part..." But a swift glare from Yu stopped Kanji in his tracks. "As I was saying, sure there are relationships that are filled with constant excitement and there are also relationships that end messily, which in a manner of speaking, is also pretty 'exciting' wouldn't you say?" He didn't wait for Kanji to answer but it was clear the boy understood the point, at least somewhat. "I think the main takeaway here is that Naoto isn't someone who would willing waste her time if she wasn't enjoying it. If you ever got boring to her, she'd cut things off immediately."

"That's not very comfor-" Kanji started to see before thinking it over. Actually...it was pretty comforting knowing that his girl would never bullshit him to protect his feelings.

"*Agggggh!* I wish I could get these stupid nerves out of my head! It's like every time I start to feel confident about things this voice comes in and starts whispering all this negative shit to me."

"So tell it to shut the hell up?" That got a smile out of the more inexperienced boy. "I should, shouldn't I? Trying to make me do shit I'll regret...what an asshole right senpai?"

"Kanji...I'm going to give you a piece of advice. You can choose to-" Yu didn't even get to finish saying he didn't need to take it as fact before Kanji was fully turned around and squatting down in front of his senpai. If Kanji had a note pad, he'd undoubtedly be preparing to furiously write notes on it! You'd think Yu was giving a sermon...at least he wouldn't need to make sure he was listening.

"Alright, it might not seem like it now but Yukiko wasn't the most confident person in the world when we first started dating. She second guessed herself a lot and was down on herself when she didn't need to be." That was news to Kanji, to him Yukiko was always his mature and elegant senpai who moved through the halls of Yasogami with a practiced grace. Although when they were kids, she was much shyer and would wait for him to take the lead. Unfortunately he was even shyer than that so there was a lot of sitting around and staring...

"Oh shit!" He realized. "I'm missing the lesson!"

"-so that's why I decided to be her pillar of strength. Someone she could look to for any courage she might need. That way, she could do the great things I knew she was capable of doing. I also wanted to be the one to help her overcome her shyness towards romance, so I decided to take the lead and ease her into things. And well...you saw how well that worked out."

"Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" Kanji scrunched up his brow in concentration, he'd been paying attention to every word but still the greater meaning eluded him.

"I'm saying the most important thing you can be for Naoto is what she needs. Do you know what that is?" Kanji shamefully shook his head but Yu only smiled. "I don't think that's a question you have to know quite yet. But think of that as the thing you should focus on before you start trying to speed things up or make any moves." Yu was now fully in chef mode as he garnished the dish with his pocket ginger and began to toss the various fish cubes around in the pan. Clearly, he'd said his piece.

"What she needs most huh? You *uh* think you could give me a hint?" The two shared a little laugh as Kanji shook his head. "No you're right, that's something I need to find out on my own. I think maybe...it's something I already have right?"

"You got it. I mean, you do have a lot to offer. You're caring, you work hard, you're very open about yourself, you don't put on airs, you..."

"A-alright alright I get it! But...thanks senpai. Whenever we talk...I always feel so clearheaded. Like I know exactly what I need to do and how to do it. Well not this time exactly...but I feel way better. *Uh* in return...I guess I'll...make your wife leave you even more speechless than usual! Yeah! I'm going to make her a gorgeous dress to thank you for all the times you've helped me with stuff!" The boy stood up and clapped his hands together in pure excitement; if you were to hand him a thread and needle right now, he'd probably start the whole dress from scratch then ad there!

"Don't forget the baby clothes."

"You kidding? I've been looking forward to that for months now!" Kanji blushed when he realized what he just said and began to stammer. "I-I mean y-you know just cuz of the...and the well..."

"Yeah I've been looking forward to it too. Of course, we'll have to see who he takes after before we start making decisions like that."

"Yeah you and Yukiko-senpai are very pleasing to look at in different ways."

"A-aesthetically I mean. Not like..."

"Yooooooo we finished putting the tent up! Dinner ready yet?" Kanji had never felt more thankful for Yosuke's arrival than in that moment. "Just about, grab a plate and grab a seat." It wasn't very outdoorsman like, but Yosuke was not one for sitting on the ground. As such, he'd come fully prepared with a couple of chairs to place around the fire. Wait a minute...

"Hey how can you be almost done if you haven't even started cooking yet?" Yu looked confused by the notion. "The hard part is already done, now all that's left is to sear it. And watching the fish sizzle is all part of the experience." This was especially true considering what a good job Kanji and Teddie did of gathering fire wood. Yu had never started a fire with just his bare hands before, but he was kind of excited to try.

"*Uh* dude? What are you doing?" Yu had just finished gathering all the necessary pieces and was just about to begin rubbing his hands together rapidly to start up the fire. "I'm starting up the fire," he answered simply.

"Oh don't worry, I brought a lighter so that you don't have to do that."

"But isn't using a lighter cheating..." Yosuke just shrugged and let his friend be. It turned out that starting a friction fire was actually quite difficult. The sounds of "come on come on" soon filled the air as Yu tried again and again to get the fire started. He wasn't sure if it was something with the wood or what, but it just wouldn't light no matter how fast or hard he rubbed. Before long, Teddie let out a whine. "Senseiii I'm hungry! You can be a manly man later, right now you need to focus on making some grub!" Yu sighed to himself and reluctantly took the lighter, he couldn't bear the thought of disappointing his friends even if he really really wanted to try the fire method of his ancestors. "And if the kindling doesn't catch, I brought some lighter fluid that..."

"Absolutely not," Yu said firmly putting his foot down.

But it wasn't long until they indeed had the roaring fire of their dreams and just as the sun started to set too. Well maybe roaring was a bit fancy, it was more like yipping, really. The pan came with a little stand to place over the fire so Yu didn't have to lean over it in a rather unsafe way. It seemed his insistence on doing things the natural way didn't apply to cooking for whatever reason but the others certainly weren't going to complain.

Eventually, the smell of roasting fish soon hit their noses and they began to understand Yu's process. Even the flames licking the bottom of the pan served to whet their appetites and leave them wanting for whatever their friend was cooking up. It was like he'd somehow become an expert in getting people excited for a meal but where and how could you possibly practice a thing like that? The little sizzling sound they'd make when he'd flip them in their own juices, letting them marinate in spice and succulence was like he was purposefully taunting them.

"Oh man, I can feel Mystery Food X fading from my mind just looking at this."

"Boy oh boy that looks delicious. Hey sensei...since this trip was my idea does that mean I get first pick? Hmmm hmmmm?"

"Sorry Teddie but it's only fair that Yosuke and I get first pick since this trip is about putting the past behind us." Kanji gulped at the thought of this mysterious poison that his friends had been hyping up. If even Yu-senpai spoke about it with such dread it must have been something truly fearsome indeed. Part of him wanted to test his mettle as a man and demand the two girls put their "talents" to use one last time but the other, wiser, part was telling him to just leave well enough alone. But Yu was nothing if not expedient and even though it felt like an eternity, a four person meal was whipped up quite quickly considering everything. But before he began to serve, Yu seemed to consider something.

"*Ahem* how are you gentlemen this fine evening? The chef's recommendation is the Inaba Trout, fished from our very own-"

"Yu, what the hell are you doing?" Yu suddenly stopped and blinked. "I'm serving dinner. I had this whole routine planned out for the girls and I'll be damned if I let all that work go to waste." Seeing as how he didn't get his fire starting wish, Yosuke sighed and made a rolling hand motion to proceed. "Carefully mixed with ginger, and cooked to a beautiful golden brown, it has just the right amount of spice to entice the taste buds without overwhelming them. A smokiness permeates the entire dish and will bring to mind pleasant images of a warm campfire long after it's been snuffed out. I hope you enjoy."

"Ooooo what's for dessert?"

"Please, like we'd willingly give you a bunch of sugar! Alright Yu, enough stalling! It's time for the taste test." Yu took a bite and nodded to himself, barely hiding the grin on his face from Yosuke's incredulity. "Tastes alright. Now what?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that stupid joke with a response."

Needless to say, it went over quite a bit better than any previous group taste tests that may have happened out in the woods. "Now this...is how you make fish! Alright senpai!"

"Gentleman...I think a toast is in order." The other three dutifully held out their water canteens while Yosuke picked up his. "To good times...and new beginnings."

"Hear hear."

After a long deep swig, the boys ate in silence for awhile before Yosuke noticed Yu seemed to be bothered by something. "What's the matter? Did you screw up your part?"

"No it's not that. It's...this food just reminded me, I hope Yuki is getting enough to eat...I wonder if I made enough, before I was going to be on hand with any midnight snack she might need but now she'll have to settle for dinner and dessert."

"Wha- dude!? Mr. Amagi said you were in the kitchen all day!"

"I wanted to make sure the party went well...and Yukiko is eating for two now. I just hope she got her fair share is all..."

"And maybe even a little more than that," he mused to himself. It was embarrassing but the thought of his lovely wife taking the lion's share of the feast while the others looked on was enough to cause a little tingle downstairs. Scarfing down hunks of beef while Rise and Naoto pick at their salads, outmatching even the carnivorous Chie, then indulging herself on his rich desserts and even her grandmother wouldn't interfere during a party. At the very least she'd be well fed tonight and maybe just maybe if he came home to her pouting about no midnight snack...well that would just be a sign of her appetite growing.

"Yo! Earth to Yu! This is important stuff!"

"Huh? Oh...I'm sorry could you repeat it? I was lost in fat...I mean thought." Yosuke glared at his friend suspiciously but continued on regardless. "I was saying that we'll be getting up bright and early tomorrow morning so that we can climb the mountain and watch the sunrise. Does that sound like something you'd want to do? I mean, it is your party?"

"Absolutely, plus if we get up early it will help us maintain our sleep schedule for when we go back to school on Tuesday." Only Yu would celebrate an activity fitting perfectly into his sleep schedule like that during a party but that didn't diminish Yosuke's excitement at his idea going over well. "Of course that does mean we have to knock off earlier tonight but *ehhh* it's getting dark out anyway. Wouldn't want you to twist an ankle before your big day."

"Hey man don't even joke about that! Weddings are one of the easiest things to jinx!" It was true, in the time it took to drive down here, set up the tent, catch and dice up the fish, the sky had taken on an orangish pink hue as the last of the sunlight was drained from the world.

"Five A.M. should give us enough time. Hmmm this could be good training for when the baby is born...I'm impressed, you three really did plan everything out!" Truthfully, they hadn't even thought of that angle but they weren't about to tell their leader that. "R-right," Yosuke stammered, elbowing Teddie hard when it looked like he was about to start whining over having to get up that early. "We got it all planned out."

"And when we're done with that, they'll still be like six hours to do whatever you want. Like *uh* capture the flag just to throw something out there."

"Do you want to play capture the flag Kanji?" The taller boy nodded with a slight blush. He'd packed strips of red cloth just for the occasion planning on slipping them into the supply bag and pretending they just happened to be there all along. "I mean...it couldn't hurt. Me and Ted against you and Yosuke, it'd be fun." That certainly perked Yosuke's ears up. "Huh I thought you'd want to be on the same team as our man of honor here. I know I'd want to be." Kanji shook his head and rubbed the back of his head, there was no easy way to say this. "Well I do but it wouldn't be fair to you guys you know? If senpai and I were on the same team, we'd crush the two of you no sweat."

"Such arrogance! Haven't you ever seen me get wild before? And besides, this is my natural habit so I'm clearly at the advantage." Yosuke was taking that notion just as poorly as Teddie. "You're pretty confident, I mean it's not like we'll be brawling and I'm definitely faster than you."

"All that speed didn't help you the last time we went at it. Strength is more important when it comes to athletics right senpai?" Yu gave a non committal shrug hoping this silly debate would end soon. "All I know is that if a game of capture the flag gets physical, I'll have to set things straight myself." The threat alone was enough to calm things down a little bit and the two boys mumbled an apology to each other.

Never one to know when to quit, Teddie decided it would be a good idea to throw his two cents into the ring. "Well Kanji may have DESTROYED Yosuke-"

"Hey! It was close!"

"But he and I have never fought before so we don't know who would win. Kanji's brutish strength or my cunning tactical mind, incredible persistence and disarming beauty...that sure is a tough one..." if Teddie had the capacity for sarcasm, Kanji would swear he was receiving some right now, but the bear seemed to be legitimately puzzled by the answer. "I think it would be close," Kanji admitted.

"Because even with the complete package, I'm a loooover not a fighter. Not like you Kanji..." And he put on the most adorable smile while fluttering his eyes rapidly with his hands under his chin, trying to look as precocious as possible. "But I guess we'll never know without another Grand Prix to settle things..."

"Wait wait hold on, didn't you get your butt kicked by Naoto?" The unprepared ursine winced at the reminder, just like Yosuke he'd been eliminated in the first round of the proceedings. "That's not fair, Nao-chan is like a robot with the way she fights,as soon as she decided I was an enemy I was toast!"

"But wait...I beat Naoto and Naoto beat Teddie and I beat Yosuke so that means I am the strongest." Despite being so ambivalent before, Teddie puffed up his chest in competitive spirit. "You're ignoring all sorts of factors like the size of the room and the fact I was all squished up inside a locker and my muscles were still asleep. P-plus if you think about it I just softened her up for you which is the real reason you were able to win."

"Sounds like bullshit to me. I think you're just a sore loser."

"Hmmph if I was as quick to hit a poor fragile girl as you are Kanji...I might have been able to win..." And just when things were starting to get settled, they just as quickly flared up again with even Yosuke chiming in about how "a sucker punch is a sucker punch"

Luckily, Yu knew just what to do to settle things. This wasn't the first time this specific debate had come up after all. "When it comes to the TV World no fight is fair. Remember those mages that would sneak up on us and try to take us all out with dark magic? Good thing I farmed all those eggplants." Yosuke shuddered at the reminder, whenever that happened it just felt weird. He imagined it was somewhat like how it would feel to have a book in your chest pocket block a bullet. "Man nothing was more cathartic than watching you and Naoto turn the tables on them. Hated those guys."

"You know the ones I hated were those flying little pink guys. Man they got on my nerves bobbing and weaving and never sitting still so I could hit them. Not to mention always trying to get us to fight each other cuz they were too weak to do their own dirty work."

"Those things chained up on the wheel were real jerks too. And those dumb birds that kept zapping me over and over again, I want to know which humans made them so I can give them a stern talking to!" The topic then shifted to the various shadows they fought and where they could have come from. After all, if the best way to make unlikely allies was through a common enemy, the best way to stop an argument was through a reminder of when they worked together to beat that common enemy. Although this time the conversation went a little bit differently. "Hey sensei, what was your least favorite shadow? I already know who your favorite is heehee."

"M-my least favorite?" The question had never been levied at him before but now all eyes were on him as his team eagerly anticipated an answer. Of course he had an answer, it was in the back of his mind almost every day. The humiliation he suffered at the hands of that innocent looking king of deceptively diminutive stature. He'd confidently led his team into battle only to be met with smack down after smack down...

It was a crushing blow to the fresh leader's confidence despite all his friends assuring him there was no way he could have known. The last thing he needed right before starting the second operation to save Kanji.Even though the party probably could have taken them, he avoided them for quite a while afterwards. When he found none of the King's "cousins" were quite as fearsome, he'd taken quite a bit of catharsis at drawing the fight out and paying back the humiliation under the guise of "training." He couldn't even eat a can of Cringles without horrible flashbacks!

"Probably the shadows that would fake their weakness like those white knights. They made us spend more time on them than they deserved." The others nodded at his answer while he let out an internal sigh of relief that they bought it. Not only did bringing up the topic shift the discussion, even though it wasn't said, the lingering memory of all the times each of them had each others backs seemed to have a calming effect on them. All the times Yosuke and Teddie teamed up to unleash a devastating bombardment, Kanji toppling a particularly sturdy foe that the rest had difficulty scratching, all the heals and buffs tossed around to keep each other out of harms way and of course their fearless leader who inspired them to fight that much harder. But it also served a tertiary purpose of reminding Yu of an important topic. Something he'd been meaning to bring up at some point.

"Hey Teddie? Sometime after the wedding do you think you could help me out with something?"

"Of course. I'd be happy to keep Nana-chan company while you're busy."

"Hahaha thank you but that's not what I meant. What I'd like you to do is create a gateway inside our TV." The stunned reactions of his companions was expected but in his opinion a bit unwarranted especially after the recent incidents. "I'd just like a quick and easy way to be able to monitor things and...it'll help me train."

"Hey that sounds like a pretty good idea. Hey Ted, you think you could do that for all of our houses? Chie probably knows where we could get some dummies to practice on."

"Dummies? Oh no, I was planning on practicing with actual shadows. You can't truly replace a real battle no matter how realistic the simulation." That statement certainly garnered a few surprised looks. "*Uh* dude? There are no shadows anymore remember?"

"It's true! I've scoured high and low and didn't see hide nor hair of any kind of shadow. I even looked inside the dungeons." Teddie paused when he saw a shocked Kanji and Yosuke gawking at him. "Surprised by my bearvery? I mean...I didn't actually run into any danger but it's the thought that-"

"Those goddamn dungeons are still there!? Why? I thought Izanami got rid of them all after we kicked her ass! *Argggggh* and just when I thought I'd never have to worry about anyone finding that damn bathhouse again!" Yosuke didn't feel quite as strongly for obvious reasons but the thought of that shopping district still being there...

"It makes sense," Yu chimed in. "Despite any changes, the TV World is still a reflection of the town's hearts and minds; and the incidents, while outside of the mainstream, are something that will most likely never be entirely forgotten. Especially since it's always on our minds."

"Oooh ooh oooh! Not to mention how deeply you all imprinted on the world. Stewing in your own thoughts for days or weeks at a time doesn't just go away you know...you left your marks for sure." That did raise the question of why they hadn't encountered remnants of Jiro's adventures but that could easily be explained away. Izanami could reset the game board each time or it was the fact that the TV World was at the very least the size of the entirety of Inaba so they'd never run into things like that. Teddie did seem to know that the various dungeons were dangerous before ever entering one...

"But actually they're all quite pretty now. Yuki-chan's castle is a beautiful marble white and Kanji-s bathhouse is so relaxing I took a little soak there myself to rest my weary paws..." Teddie went on to describe the rest while the group listened enraptured, even Yu didn't expect this twist in how things worked. After all, they'd always remained static before so to hear that they'd changed so much was quite a shock. Apparently, Rise's strip club was more akin to a normal club like the one they went to on Tatsumi Port Island while Naoto's base was less jagged, rusty and villainous looking, looking more like the military base that gave the heroes orders in Nana-chan's cartoons. Even Magatsu Inaba was more Inaba than Magatsu although it still had an eerie "recently committed crime" feeling to it.

"You know...that's actually pretty cool. Guess that means we never have to worry about buying a house if there's a castle for the taking."

"You know, I don't like the idea of you guys taking a bath in my...head...dungeon...place...thing but it might be nice if I ever need a quiet place to work where ma can't pester me." While they discussed this piece of news, Yu pondered the deeper implications of it. As he saw things, there were two possibilities: either they simply changed with the rest of the TV World after Izanami's defeat or they were always meant to change with the evolving and maturing hearts of their creators but such a transformation was suppressed by the bitter god. But Yu did have one way to find out.

"Teddie, what about Void Quest? What's that place like now?"

"*Brrrrr* that place gives me the willies, but as far as I can tell it's pretty much the same. I got lost in that teleport maze for three hours checking it out!" Yu stroked his chin and nodded to himself like that somehow was the last piece in a puzzle, leaving his friends quite confounded and lost.

"Wait wait wait, we're getting side tracked. Just because the places where the shadows lived are still there doesn't mean they themselves are. I think you're making a lot of assumptions."

"Yosuke's right for once sensei, I mean, Kashi was telling me all about this place called Pompy. A long time ago there was a terrible volcano accident and-"

"How the hell did that topic even come up? You know what, I don't care. It's pronounced 'Pompeii' anyway. What I do want to know is if there's shadows and why you seem so relaxed at the idea." The mood was getting somewhat similar to that night at the hospital where Yu was forced to talk Yosuke, Kanji, and Naoto down with flimsy at best feelings and assumptions although this time he was much more confident about his answer. "It's not as strange as you think. I mean, Teddie existed when Izanami was in charge so it makes sense there would still be dangerous shadows even when the land is peaceful. Just like you can never get rid of the good in humanity, you can never fully eradicate the evil either."

"Huh? What are you talking about sensei? I was just a plain ol' shadow before I met all of you guys. As flattered as I am, I don't think I can squeeze into your master plan. Sorry..."

"'A plain ol' shadow' huh? I don't quite know if I buy that." The unanimous looks of "where the heck are you going with this?" told him that he needed to get to the point. "You're the only shadow that never attacked us at any point even when you were incredibly suspicious. Even when we first met before you ever met a human, you were bright sunny and cheerful although slightly lonely. The human form you took is what many would consider to be the ideal male form and children, the most pure hearted in Inaba, are naturally drawn to you. Not to mention the fact that your bear form is exactly like something a child would love. This is all just conjecture of course."

"So you're saying that if all the other shadows represent negative thoughts and emotions, I must be positive ones like hope and kindness?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Huh. Neat. No wonder everybody loves me heehee. Then it's my sworn duty to let everyone pet my Teddie fur from now on even if they aren't a cute girl." After he finished giving himself this new "mission" he noticed Yosuke glaring at him quite intensely. "W-what?"

"Don't what me! All last year you were obsessing over where you came from and what you were and then when Yu comes up with a pretty solid theory all you can say is 'huh neat?'"

"Yosuke, Yosuke, Yosuke. Always stuck in the past. It doesn't matter if I'm a prince from another world or a measly shadow, I was going to live the rest of my life the same way regardless. With all of you in the real world." That certainly took the edge off of any mild irritation Yosuke was feeling at the moment. "W-well yeah but-"

"Teddie is Teddie," the blonde boy said with a great beaming grin and for a second Yosuke fully believed in Yu's little theory about the embodiment of positivity. "I never said it was absolutely true, just a gut feeling," Yu cut in. Kanji snapped out of his joy at finally getting to feel genuine soft Teddie fur and chuckled. "Yeah but when it comes to gut feelings you have a pretty good track record. I'd bet a penguin cracker on one of your guesses." The slightly mean part of Yu wanted to comment that he'd have to find one first to bet it but he managed to hold his tongue.

"So...would you be willing to build a portal? For me or for anyone else who might ask?"

"You betcha. I know you'll be careful but...be careful sensei okay? If you're right I mean...some of the shadows towards the end got pretty tough even with all of us there."

"Yeah but some of this guy's Persona got pretty ridiculous too. Like that blue and red guy that let you dodge everything like crazy. Or the general with Omnislash."

"Omnislash?"

"*Er* never mind, the point is I doubt there's anything too strong left. Just pack a couple of eggplants."

"Right and I can even eat them afterwards too. Good thinking Yosuke, I've always wanted to know what one of those tastes like." Yosuke's retort died in his mouth and he decided to let it go. He was a Mystery Food X survivor after all.

Speaking of eating, the boys were just about finishing up there dinner and Yu was pleased to see every one of them had cleaned their plates. True they'd all been physically active today but it was still nice to know even without a kitchen he could still make a satisfying product. Too bad about the lighter though...but he could take solace in seeing the occasional glances at the pan for more. No one was really tired so he imagined the others had something else planned. And lo and behold he was right. With a quick look around, Yosuke started to rummage around in the supply bag. "You guys up for some s'mores?"

"Heck yeah I am! I even brought the big marshmallows."

"What are 's'mores?' Yosuke? They sound gooey and gooey means tasty."

"Didn't I already explain this? Ah whatever, basically you put marshmallows on a poker, hold it over the fire until nice and brown, and then put it between a graham cracker with some chocolate." Teddies excited "ooooh" was expected but what wasn't expected was Yu's scoff. "I mean, you could do it that way I suppose." Something about the way he said that rubbed Yosuke the wrong way, like he was being looked down on for being a poker using pleb. "Yu it's a s'more, it doesn't exactly have a lot of depth when it comes to preparation."

"Right, there's a right way and a wrong way and that's all there is to it." That almost made the more ordinary boy growl in annoyance. "Fine then smart guy, what's your super secret way of making them."

"Well when I make them for Yukiko, I use a skillet."

"Basically, it's like chips and dip with cookies, melted chocolate and marshmallow. Perfect for a mid afternoon snack." At least if you were a sugar craving soft to the touch baby maker at any rate, especially an incredibly cute one who would forget her manners and double dip when faced with such an enjoyable treat. Then she'd apologize afterwards like she actually thought all of it wasn't meant for her enjoyment and after all the times they'd kissed, he'd actually mind such a thing.

"That DOES sound pretty good actually. I might try and make that when I get back but I don't know there's just something about roasting things on sticks that has a...whatchamacallit...a simple beauty to it. Show me some other time though, okay senpai?" While their respective girlfriends were quite different, Naoto did specifically mention how much she'd enjoyed his cake the last time they'd spoken in private. If she had half the sweet tooth Yukiko-senpai possessed then that meant it certainly couldn't hurt to take ideas where he could.

"Sorry partner, I have to go with Kanji on this one. Besides, I only brought the one pan so unless you want your s'mores tasting like fish..." As disappointed as Yu was, it wasn't like he could actually be mad. "You can treat everybody some other time," Yosuke said with an encouraging shoulder pat that did help make Yu feel better and on the plus side it had been years since he'd done it this simpler way.

So the four each took a corner of the campfire and plopped themselves in a camping chair. It would be lying to say they weren't a little worried when Teddie decided to take a "close look" at the poker but an accidental prick on his finger taught him his lesson better than words possibly could. "You know as much as I like s'mores, I kinda wish we brought some hot dogs. I thought it might be redundant with the breakfast sausages but now I'm craving some."

"On the subject of regrets, I wish we brought some cooking wine. Would have gone well with the fish." Yosuke was about to chastise his partner for going against the spirit of the whole thing, all prepared to make a joke about dragging the kitchen with them, but a far greater problem reared its ugly head.

"Oooh I have some of that! Hold on!" The boys could only watch in bewilderment as Teddie began digging through his backpack, tossing aside various items to get to whatever he was rooting for. "Ta-dah! One bottle of wine, here you go sensei!" The bewilderment turned to horror when one by one they realized Teddie indeed brought along a bottle of red wine. "Teddie..." Yu started, "this is regular wine, this would't work at all." The bear's disappointed expression didn't last long when Yosuke snatched the bottle right from his hands. "THAT'S the thing you take from this!? I have a much better question, where did you even get this?" The Junes worker's face paled when one possibility crossed his mind. "Don't tell me you took this from my dad...you know he's been doing inventory on those every day since I could reach them right? Oooooh he's going to be so pissed..." Teddie looked genuinely hurt by the suggestion almost to the point of tears. "Do you really think I'm some kind of thief? I know I steal the hearts of almost every lady in Inaba but it's not like I do it on purpose." Even the eternal ball breaker of the Investigation Team felt a little bad seeing their mascot all misty eyed. "No, I"m sorry that was mean of me. But if you didn't steal it, where did you get it? I don't think people just leave unopened bottles of wine on the side of the road."

"There's a liquor store near our place with a kid our age running it. You think maybe he...decided to get a little side action without his parents knowing?"

"No, Naoki wouldn't do that, besides he's not the most fond person of Junes out there so I doubt he'd give their mascot a free sample."

"Oh yeah you're friends with him too. Guess that means he's out..."

"Maybe he charmed one of our shelving girls..." That last comment was the straw that broke the camel's back and Teddie could feel a righteous fury bubbling up. "*Grrrr* it's rude to talk about someone when they're standing right in front of you! If you must know, it was a gift from a very special lady!" If given enough time, they would have eventually arrived at that conclusion but it was still a bit surprising to hear. "*Uh* she knows none of us are legal ri- oh wait I guess it does make sense now that I think about it. Geez she's not even our teacher any more and she's still finding ways to bug us."

"H-how dare you! Kashi would never try to get us in trouble! It was a thank you gift to sensei for helping her find moi. When I told her about our trip, she insisted we deserved a proper celebration as long as I promised not to tell a single solitary soul!" That was for sure enough to make Yosuke dial down the complaining, for Teddie to actually keep his mouth shut must have required a monumental amount of willpower on his part. "You really carried that thing all the way here without a peep?"

"Of course. Kashi-washi believed in me so I had no choice. And now we can enjoy it! So drink away!" Seeing the looks of hesitation, Teddie pouted. "And after my cuddle muffin went out of her way for you all...Kanji! You're a big manly man, don't tell me your afraid of a little drink?"

"Well no but...I think I'm gonna pass anyway. I mean, I was going to go on a d-date tomorrow and you know...Naoto's pretty sharp so she'd know if I did something bad immediately." Yu and Yosuke looked at each other thinking the exact same thing. It wasn't that she'd immediately suspect him and suss out any wrongdoing, it was more that his guilt would make him act so ridiculously suspicious and he'd end up confessing at the slightest provocation.

"Sorry Ted, but you'll just have to tell your *ugh* special lady that we appreciate the offer...but we'll pass...I mean the last thing we need is either of you two getting drunk." As he jerked his thumb toward Teddie and Yu, he honestly expected that was the end of it and perhaps it would have been if only he'd solely motioned to Teddie. "What do you mean by that Yosuke?" The question itself was innocent enough and the joker was always up for teasing his best friend a little which ended up being mistake number two. "Hahahaha don't you remember Tatsumi Port Island? You and Teddie really can't handle your liquor, I mean that stuff wasn't even real and you were 'drunk' off your asse after like a couple of glasses. I don't want to even imagine what would happen with real alcohol involved."

Yu couldn't quite recall enough of what happened at the club to really argue the point but it still left him slightly bristling. He didn't know why such a silly thing bothered him so much but the fact that it was couldn't be ignored. "I think you're exaggerating, it couldn't have been that bad..."

"Are you kidding me? You ripped your shirt off and helped Rise throw this ridiculous game, it was so bad that Naoto called us a 'pack of idiots' if I remember right. Kanji, back me up here!"

"*U-uh* w-well I..." his two senpai were fiercely glaring at him, each one hoping for a different answer. "I...don't remember haha...haaa it was a pretty crazy night though."

"Oh bull, you better tell the truth or I'll remind everyone about what happened between you and Teddie that night." Kanji's face turned a ghostly white as Teddie gasped in shock. "Kanji! Don't tell me you took advantage of me when I was inebeariated! Should I warn Nao-chan?"

"Yosuke stop picking on Kanji. If he doesn't remember he doesn't remember."

"Well that's mighty convenient for you, isn't it now?" The two stared each other down, until eventually Yu chuckled and broke the silence.

"Well maybe I did get a little carried away but to be fair it was my first time. Now that I'm a little older and more experienced I'm sure I can handle things just fine." The doubt in Yosuke's eyes that he was unable to fully hide from Yu's sight ended up being mistake number three. "You don't think I can?"

"You could...maybe. Look this is stupid, let's just forget about it and-"

"Because I'll prove it. Give me the bottle if you don't believe me." Yosuke attempted to salvage the situation now that he saw where things were going but it was too little too late. "Yu, you don't have to 'prove' anything. It doesn't matter to us if you can't handle your drinks right guys?" Immediately he clapped his hands over his mouth realizing what he'd just said as Kanji slapped his forehead in annoyance. Even he could have done a better job at diplomacy. "I'm confident I can handle some alcohol," he said with a bit of an edge to his voice. "What kind of inn owner would I be if I couldn't drink with the guests on occasion." Yosuke knew his friend well enough by now that although being a better innkeeper was probably a factor, this was mostly a pride thing. He debated internally whether or not to give in to Yu's demands before deciding he would. After all, hadn't this entire year been about unpleasant truths? It was better Yu find out now he was a lightweight than potentially embarrass the Amagi's at some point in the future. Tonight probably wasn't going to be pretty and Yu would feel it tommorow but hey that's what friends were for. Plus there was always the slight chance Yu was right but considering how he got drunk on atmosphere last time...Yosuke kind of doubted it. "*Sigh* alright fine. Don't complain that I didn't try and stop you tomorrow though."

"Thanks partner but you really should have more faith in me. It's just a little drink after all," and with that he took his first sip.

Luckily he didn't fall over immediately and for a second, Yosuke felt hope that maybe things would end then and there before Yu upended the bottle again and took a much larger chug. It was...okay, Kashiwagi certainly didn't spluge on their account but she probably expected the slight "edge" it provided to more than make up for that. "Well, let's get started on those s'mores." And Yu sat down like nothing happened, still clutching the bottle firmly in his hand. With little else to do, his friends swiftly followed suit; some nice s'mores did sound pretty good right about now. As they eased into natural conversation, everyone sort of forgot about the whole wine thing especially since Yu seemed to be taking it well, holding it at his side and taking an occasional sip during lulls in the chat.

"Wew man those things are filling," Kanji said with a pat to his belly. He and Teddie positively stuffed themselves with graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate while Yu and Yosuke were a little more conservative with their consumption. At first Kanji was worried looking too "kiddy" enjoying his sweets so much but after one bite that fell completely by the wayside. Besides, Naoto liked sweets and she was the second most mature person he knew!

"Well we're not postponing the hike even if you give yourself a sugar rush and can't sleep later."

"Yosuke, did you bring any topsicles?" Teddie asked clearly not listening at all. "I'm still feeling a mite peckish." The party planner just sighed and shook his head, nothing was ever enough for this bear. "Topsicles and s'mores? No way you'd be bouncing off the walls, the walls of the tent we all have to share by the way. I'm not kidding about waking up early, so no keeping me up with questions like you usually do." Yu winced in sympathy, if there was one thing he understood it was silly questions late at night when he probably should have been asleep.

"Hubby, do you think ghosts could exist? Do you think more are friendly or mean?"

"Hubby, do you ever get the urge to put thumb tacks in people's chairs? N-not that I would...just what do you think would happen? Who would jump the highest do you think?"

"Hubby, I know I've been craving a lot of meat and dairy but do you think the little one might like baby food? Should I be eating that instead so he can develop a taste for it?" And many more not to mention all the baby name suggestions she'd spontaneously produce. Luckily, her body was a natural sleeping aide so it wasn't too difficult to nod off afterwards, but it wasn't always easy thinking of an appropriate answer that late!

"I just don't know if I can make it until the morning!" Teddie melodramatically declared. "I can feel my beastly hunger pawing away at my senses..."

"We'll let's just do something to keep your mind off of it. I know ma sometimes forgets to eat when she's working hard...have to remind the old bag or make something for her."

"*Pffft* yeah but that would require Teddie to focus so I don't know..." Yosuke's joke was met with a "fierce" growl while he laughed uproariously. "We could *uh* tell ghost stories maybe?"

The chortling clerk wiped a tear from his eye and shook his head. "Nah it's only fun when you have the girls here to freak out or...get really invested. I'm kind of tapped on creativity anyway..." Seeing a chance for revenge Teddie jumped up and down excitedly. "Oooh I just thought of a good comeback! *Ahem* Yosuke, how could you be all out of something you never had in the first place? Zing!" Yosuke just shook his head, what could you even say to that? It would be like getting mad at a small child for calling you a stupidhead. "Usually this would be the part where we share personal details but we kind of already did that last year." A pause soon followed as the gang though of something to do to pass the time.

Usually now would be the time when Yu would think of something but now that Yosuke thought about it, their leader was being remarkably quiet these past couple of minutes. "Hey man, you okay?"

"What? Oh yes yes I'm absolutely fine. It's just...long day you know, but I can handle it." Yosuke nodded in understanding, he was usually wiped just working at a grocery store and that had air conditioning on full blast! "Guess I was wrong, it's been about an hour and you're holding up pretty well. I was wrong I admit it." It would be pretty sad if he got drunk off of the third of the bottle he drank but Yosuke knew if he told him that it would end with Yu chugging the whole thing in one go.

"Of course you were. I am the king after all."

"Yeah yeah I kno-wait what?"

"The king, the man, senpai, sensei if you listen to Teddie, an intellectual equal to the detective prince, an idol of an idol, pretty cool, and of course the best husband and or big brother a girl could ask for. I go by many titles and all of them are correct. Although a simple Yu will suffice." Besides his bizarre word choices and manner of speaking, his speech took on a bizarre wispy quality to it like he was half asleep. "Looks like I jinxed it, you know I'm mostly upset with myself but what are you gonna do right?"

"Yo senpai you okay? You're looking a little red there."

"Hmm? Now that you mention it, it is rather hot out. Let's fix that shall we." In one swift motion, he gave his collar a quick tug and undid all the buttons on his shirt, the mystery behind that trick would always remain a mystery. And he really did undo all the buttons leaving a full display of his toned midriff; while he didn't have a six pack, it was clear he took good care of himself and hovering around 10% bodyfat.

"Sensei! You look great! Even better than before!"

"Damn!" Was all Kanji had to say giving one of his sides a self conscious squeeze.

Upper body strength a plenty but a little soft around the middle, the boy enjoyed his sweets now and again.

"How do I get a sweet bod like that?" Fantasies began to fill Teddie's head of slender fingers caressing his flexing biceps as a pair of meaty full milkers pressed into his back. They'd wrap around his head as Kashiwagi's arms moved down his stomach, moving lower and lower with her beautiful white teeth nipping at his ear and whispering all sorts of sultry secrets to him, promising all manner of scandalous acts and intimate positions they might try and how she'd help him through all of them...one...by...one. He could recall her scent even now, the feeling of her lips...

"I don't think she'd like that very much, no doubt she'd prefer you with a swimmer's body. Something easy for her to straddle and ride all night long, thick mature body utterly dominating your youthful inexperienced one." All three of his friends nearly fainted upon hearing that, Teddie for quite the different reason for the other two. Luckily even though he'd dressed in a more casual blue shirt, he'd remembered to pack his handkerchief to wipe his forehead! "Y-you really think so..."

"Of course, I'd wager I know quite a lot about how girls we know tick and not just emotionally...so make sure you stay nice and trim if you want her to be all over you okay, Teddie?" The bear blearily nodded looking like all the blood left his body; he did want that, very much indeed. Yosuke slapped his knees and stood up before Yu made the perverted bear pass out. "Alllright, you've clearly had enough."

"Yosuke, are you really going to try and pretend you and Teddie don't talk about this kind of stuff behind closed doors? And now that you have an expert you're really going to try and spurn my advice? It's still me, this is just a party! Loosen up a little!" To Kanji's surprise, that actually seemed to convince the other boy to sit back down.

"Well it's not like taking it away from you now will help anything and hey maybe you CAN teach me a thing or two. Fine, let's hear what Rise likes to do. What sordid secrets is our favorite idol hiding?"

"Oh that one's quite simple really. After seeing my Yuki and how content and pregnant she is, getting knocked up will be on Rise's mind almost constantly. Not enough to abandon her idol career certainly but when she's all by her lonesome, she'll stick a pillow up her shirt and pretend to waddle around. She'll puff out her stomach and maybe even bloat it up with water to simulate being heavy with child. Then she'll look in the mirror and mutter ever so softly 'someday' with a content smile." That was quite the mental image and the others found themselves questioning the validity of it. All except one.

"I mean...when we were in the TV World together last month, her fake said something like that. It was an exaggeration...hopefully but I don't know, she didn't really argue back that much. I think senpai might be right on this one." He wasn't sure how much it would mean coming from him, but he wanted to tell her something nice.

"Oh but she'll never swell up as nice and big as my darling Yukiko." Yu continued. "I can hardly believe how lucky I am that just a little bit of seed turned her into a ravenous wobbling milk making mother to be whose body makes her more lovely by the day. To think such a small action could cause such a resplendent transformation, I don't even know if she could stop it at this point even if she wanted to, the way that beautiful maternal belly groans for sustenance, the way life sustaining milk flows from her bosom...oh my friends it's the perfect cycle of constant expansion!" Even though Yosuke knew or could reasonably guess his friend's...interests, he expected them to be confessed nervously and with some tact. Not shouted as loud as possible with a mighty laugh afterwards!

Of course that still didn't stop Teddie from gasping in shock at the reveal. "Sensei! I thought you were making a grand statement about beauty at any size but now you're telling me you're just as shallow as Yosuke?"

"Ahahahahaha of course not Teddie! Yukiko is beautiful at any size but my eyes were simply opened to the truth. Women meant for child birth are better off with breeding bodies, it's really as simple as that." The strangest thing about all of this was not Yu completely losing any trace of a filter but the fact that, while embarrassed and beat red, Kanji didn't seem too shocked by the "gospel" his senpai was espousing. And the reason for that became very clear shortly.

"Is...is she soft?" The gentle giant asked with a mild blush. Yu smirked widely and pantomimed a squishing motion with his hands. "Everywhere you touch is like pillows filled with feathers and marshmallows. I could even use her arms as a resting place."

"T-that soft huh? Well I guess that explains it then, I'm happy you got that." At this, Yu stood up and embraced Kanji like a brother, clasping him on the back repeatedly. "Hahahaha Kanji I always knew you had good taste," breaking apart, he placed his hand on the taller boy's shoulder, his eyes clearly betraying his intoxicated state. "She's so soft that even after a meal I can still feel her plushness on her belly let alone the finger filling fluff coating the rest of her."

"You don't seem all that surprised Kanji. You have a thing for chubby chicks too? Are we going to see Naoto busting out of her pants?"

"N-n-n-n-no d-don't even joke about that! I'm just saying I can...kinda sorta see the appeal is all. Yukiko-senpai looks so soft lately that it made sense why Yu-senpai was so happy with how things are going. I bet a girl like that...would be fun to cuddle."

"So you do like 'em big after all."

"Hey I'm just saying it wouldn't be the end of the world if you...you know had something to grab on to."

"Such small ambitions, she'll have something to grab on to with the first couple of pounds. I prefer a woman that can make your hands disappear."

"Well you did always like magic tricks." Yosuke's joke helped prevent Kanji going into shock from the mental image of sinking his hands into a big Naoto belly. However, this did earn him a glare from a drunk Yu. Instead of yelling at him though, he overdramatically swooned back into his chair, draping his arm over his forehead and hanging his leg over the sides. All that was missing was a bucket of water to splash on to his bare chest. "I'm trying to give you, my loyal vassals, keys to happiness but you only spurn me. Why? What have I done to deserve such cruelty?"

"I'm just not really into fat chicks man. I mean a little chubby can be cute, but the kind of woman that gets you going is waaaaaay above that." Surprisingly, that only served to snap Yu out of his funk as he opened his arms wide once again. "Yes! I absolutely agree! Yukiko is way above cute! She left mere cute behind and let her body take her straight into gorgeousness. But don't worry, I completely understand my friend, I wasn't a believer at first either. It's something you just have to try out for yourself and then you'll never get tired of 'trying' hahahahaha!"

"Wow sensei sounds like he's having a lot of fun! Can I try some?" But a punch in the shoulder from Yosuke said he wasn't going to make two mistakes in one night. "You're even worse, at least he's not trying to kiss anybody." Although if he was handed a particularly Yukiko looking pillow that might change very quickly. "And he's only having fun because all the parts of his brain telling him 'this is a terrible idea' are turned off. He won't be laughing when this comes up in the morning that's for sure. Especially all this 'king' stuff, sheesh I can almost see him cringing about it now..."

"Sounds like you're jealous of the king."

Yosuke very nearly jumped out of his skin, somehow Yu managed to get behind him without his partner noticing and firmly lock his arm around his shoulder. "Why should I be embarrassed? I mean, I fought and defeated a god...twice, am marrying the woman of my dreams, solved the mystery of both the TV World and the murders all while maintaining a healthy social life and grade average. I AM pretty incredible if you think about it."

"Add modest to the list..."

"No thank you...I'm sick of being modest. Why should I be the one who has to be modest when I saved the town? I mean sure it was my duty as a Persona user but it's not like anyone could have done it. Those other two guys...N-Nametame and Adachi had the exact same gift I did and look how they turned out! And yet that piece of shit still has the nerve to call me a slacker."

"Ahhh but who am I kidding? I couldn't have done a thing without all of you! Come here!" And he pulled all of his friends into the most manly bear hug they'd ever experienced. A shout of "y-you're cracking my ribs sensei!" got him to let go but the glee on his face seemed to stick. "You guys held this whole party for me, it's nice to feel appreciated." Even though he was happy now, hearing Yu curse was quite surprising; he and his wife were two peas in a pod when it came to avoiding swearing where they could help it. It also confused Yosuke, after all they'd just had a whole conversation at the waterfall about how much Yukiko made him feel appreciated and loved. "You don't...feel appreciated."

"No no I do I do...well not until I came here at least." All of a sudden, it was like his joviality was drained from his person and he fell back into his chair with a slump. "When I'm in Inaba, I feel like I'm on top of the world. I've done...I've done some great work here.When people think I'm cool, it feels great you know? Then I start to feel bad like I'm jerking off by listening to it but why should I feel like that? It makes no sense."

"I never...I don't like the spotlight too much really. I just want some freaking credit but that would mean that miserable dickhead would have to take an interest."

"Woah! Woah! Senpai, you need to calm down. If there's somebody bothering you, I'll take care of 'em!"

"I bet I could take him," Yu continued almost like the others weren't even there. "sitting around in the office all day, taking coffee down by the gallon, not to mention he smokes. And he knows it too. Can you believe he's going to try and ruin my wedding!? That's what he said to me, ME, his only son! Well if you knew him you'd probably believe it...I certainly can." The stunned silence was palpable and Yu took it as an invitation to continue. He breathed heavily through his nose and took another drink, the temptation to snatch it from him rising by the second. "If I pushed him in, I wonder if anyone besides me and my mother would even care..."

"Yu, *uh*-" but before Yosuke could ask for further details, a very firm grip appeared on his shoulder. It was Kanji looking at him firmly but not angrily, his expression very clear. "We shouldn't be listening to this," it seemed to say. This whole thing was kind of funny at first but the liquor mixed with the casual environment was getting him to spill all this crap he'd bottled up, but not in a way that was healthy in the slightest.

"Hmm? What was that Yosuke? Did you say something?" His words were casual but the tone held a certain bitterness to it that was startling to hear. Luckily, the outright gushing from before made the solution quite obvious.

"Yu...I was just going to ask if...if you were planning on going to college!"

"College?"

"Yeah with your grades and extracurriculars, you could probably go anywhere you want but then again you might want to help out at the inn and with your boy right?" Unable to focus on multiple trains of thought at once, he quickly shifted over to this new one.

"I was hoping I could take online classes or maybe just self study entirely. As much as I love to learn, I don't want to be too far from my family. Mrs. Amagi's been working her fingers to the bone for the past twenty years, it's time she got a break."

"Mrs. Amagi? Wait is that your mother-in-law or your wife?" Yosuke gave Teddie a thumbs up when he was out of Yu's sight; the bear was surprisingly adept at playing a role when he needed to. Just as expected, Yu let out a pleased chortle and shook his head. "That's going to be a great big mess, especially since grandmother is also in the house with us. And apparently she has two siblings of her own but hopefully they changed names when they were wed hahahaha. And then you'll have me, Mr. Amagi, grandfather and then our son when he's born so that will be even more confusing. I think I'll have the staff call him by a first name basis...no that's not fair, I'm the one marrying in so if anyone gets to be called Mr. Amagi it's him, the direct descendant." Turns out the stoic Yu turned into quite the chatter box when under the influence but in a way it was actually kind of charming. Usually so focused, he kept going on tangent after tangent as he talked at length about his new family.

"Teddie, do you think 'ol Kashiwagi is going to be a teacher by the time my son is in high school? Or do you prefer the stay at home type?" That actually piqued the others interest as well. "Hrrrmmmm well she seems to like teaching a lot so I would say...yes! And if she stayed at home all day, it would be hard to pay her a visit." That was certainly a confusing statement. "*Er* Ted? You know you could...move in if the relationship goes well."

"Huh? But then I wouldn't be living with you, Yosuke. Not only would you miss me terribly but carrying my uniform all the way to Junes would be quite the bearden!" Yosuke decided to drop it there, somehow a drunk Yu planned his future out better than Teddie.

"Sensei, are you going to teach your son how to fight? Is Yuki-chan okay with it?"

"Absolutely. I'll teach him everything I know and maybe pick something up along the way. Yuki says that the more our son is like me the better. She actually says something that sweet to me out of the blue sometimes. I love her so much guys..." Truly getting him to focus on the good was an effective strategy when he was so full of love for his wife and son.

"If you had to pick your wife's biggest charm point, what would it be?"

"Her adorable belly that's meant for coating in kisses of course."

"Okay besides that."

"Ah ah ah you said one, but that's okay I could talk all night long about her charm points, if I had to choose though it would be her midnight black hair that she takes such good care of. No wait I take it back, it's her adorable double chin that I can smooch. Well actually it might be her laugh since it's so unique and precious or-"

"Okay okay we get it, there's too many things to count. You're downright obsessed." Again Yu laughed heartily at this and shook his head. "Is it obsessed if she feels the same way about me? Don't you remember the King's Game where she couldn't resist cuddling up to me? Well now she's that way around me permanently. Some mornings it would take a crowbar to pry her off of me, not that I'd let anyone ever come close to do doing such a terrible thing."

"Oh so now you remember the stupid game after you're already drunk, that's just great."

"How could I forget a memory as wonderful as that? Of course, now she does't have to share my lap, everything on it belongs to her. And I do mean everything on it hahahahahaha. The perfect throne for my fertility idol." Yosuke expected Kanji to be in full paralysis mode or perhaps even burying his head in the dirt but actually he seemed to be working up the nerve to ask something.

"H-how....how..."

"Yes? Any question you have, the king will try his best to answer."

"How do you please a woman!" Teddie cut in before he could speak. "H-hey I wasn't going to ask that! I just..." he trailed off, making it obvious he would have stuttered and mumbled around the exact same question forever. "It's alright Kanji, you're dating the most attractive woman in all of Inaba so it's only natural you'd be thinking of such things. Besides, you know she's stacked so the desire to breed is perfectly normal for a boy your age." Luckily, Kanji was too shocked at the "most attractive" comment to pass out in embarrassment. "She is beautiful isn't she...it's like she can do anything but she looks so gentle at the same time, like something to protect but she can also kick major ass." Only Kanji would use the word "ass" in his ode to his lady love but Yosuke was more surprised that Yu would rank Naoto over his own wife considering the speeches he'd made throughout the night. "Hey what gives? You getting bored of Yukiko already *eep!*" The glare Yu gave him came through even through his jolly drunken state. "What a foolish thing to even suggest. No, not in the least I'm just being fair about things. Obviously Yuki is so far above the nearest competition that it's not even fair so in the interest of said fairness I must take her out of such rankings. And that was before I got her pregnant!"

Kanji knew it was only fair to think of your own wife as the most beautiful woman in any room but the way Yu phrased it kind of bothered him...just a little bit. "I don't know about being far and away better...it's definitely close and could go either way."

"Hahahahahaha no absolutely not. For one thing, she has the fairest face and the most beautiful hair and that's not even getting in to her fecundity. I'm sorry to say that there's just nothing any other girl can bring to the table that my Yuki doesn't already have. It may sound harsh, but it's the truth."

"W-what are you saying senpai? Naoto has such beautiful skin, there's no way you can just discount that!"

"Maybe, but the pregnancy has given my milk muffin a healthy glow that can't be topped and even before then, the difference was negligible at best. Every inch of her is a beautiful alabaster except for a slight red hue near her womb and on her lips and of course lovely pink little rosebuds on her tits." At the word "tits" Kanji found his trump card. "Well Naoto has the biggest breasts of any of the girls so what do you have to say to that! Yukiko couldn't even compete and needed a pregnancy just to keep up!" What started as two men defending their significant others quickly morphed into a legitimate argument.

"Well first of all, breeding hips are far more important to me than mammaries no matter how splendid. Do you not remember the pageant? How my child bearer got up on stage and showed the whole school how much more prepared for birthing she was than all of her competition? I certainly do, she had the widest hips of any girl up there."

"Well, Naoto won the freaking thing without even needing a swimsuit!"

"T-that was a mere fluke. If the vote was only left to the males then Yukiko would have swept the competition. And everyone always prattles on and on about Naoto's breasts but the fact of the matter is my wife's far exceed hers now and will continue to overflow bras that would be loose on your girlfriend!" A trickle of blood trailed from Kanji's nose and it was clear if he wasn't majorly pissed off, he wouldn't even be able to string words together. "Well my Naodoll is younger and has more time to develop! The only reason Yukiko or Rise or anyone else even had a chance was cuz she didn't even give a shit about looking pretty, and still she blew them all out of the water! Now she's going to be a god damn knockout for the rest of her life and won't even need to leak milk everywhere to get amazing curves!"

"Oooooh I see what the problem is, you just have poor taste my beloved kohai. If you don't like the idea of the woman you love overflowing with bounty to the point it gushes out of her biological faucets, then I'm afraid I'll have to question your mental faculties. You know it just means she'll be able to provide for many babies correct? Frankly, Naoto's are just big for the sake of being big...not too appealing when you have function and fashion like I do."

"You know senpai, you're kind of starting to piss me off...that's my girl you're talking about..."

"Do you get mad when someone tells you water is wet? I'm merely stating facts my friend." By this point, Yu stood up fully and the two were getting rather close to each other. Suddenly, a pair of hands split them apart and a blonde tuft of hair popped in between the two. "You guys...why must you fight? This was supposed to be a friendly get together and here you two are arguing of something as silly as second place."

"You're right Ted, I just got a little heated and-hey wait a minute what do you mean second place!?" The boy happily beamed and made a caressing gesture over his chest, pantomiming heaving up two large breasts. "Kashi baby has the best curves and especially the best gazongas and that's without any milk!"

"Even if you did ripen her she'd simply start too late, when Yuki gets to be her age she'll far surpass her in all aspects if she hasn't already. More than ten years to grow and blossom, it's not even a contest."

"Y-yeah and besides she's crazy desperate and kind of scary."

"I prefer passionate and intense, but anyway you two are losing sight of what's important. Kanji, it doesn't matter if Naoto is the better pick as long as you don't know how to keep her satisfied! Yuki-chan is sensei's in both body and soul. For all intensive purposes, he's claimed her as his own and she'll happily bear his cubs forever and ever."

"So enough of this petty pointless pickering *er* bickering! What I want to know is, what's the magic trick to keeping a hottie around? How do I get Kashi-baby to like me as much as Yuki-chan loves you?" Normally, he'd be chastised for his hasty nature; however, that didn't seem to be the case here. "I-I really like her a lot...I feel really comfortable around her but I'm worried once I start to reveal things about myself, she won't like me anymore." His pout was childish and yet completely understandable, "the other day she asked me what my favorite subject in school was and I had no idea how to answer at all. Then she asked me what I was planning on majoring in and I didn't no how to answer that either. She's so sweet that she apologized for making me uncomfortable but I could tell she wasn't happy I didn't have even some kind of answer."

"You haven't told her anything yet, have you?"

"N-no of course not but I just don't know what to do." Kanji bit his lip as the tension of the earlier conversation left his body, now he was back to looking up to his senpai as a beacon of wisdom. "I kind of know the feeling man. Naoto name dropped this book she'd been reading so I thought I'd pick it up to have something to talk about, problem is I can't read more than like three pages before my eyes start to hurt and I need to take a break. Then when I come back, I've forgotten everything and need to reread a bit. She's probably halfway done and I've just finished the first chapter! I turn the TV off and put the needles down and everything but it doesn't seem to help none..."

"I'll never be detective level or a doctor but I don't want her to pinch the bridge of her nose when she has to talk to me like she did sometimes last year."

"And I don't want her to think I don't trust her."

"Boy am I glad I'm single hahahaha." He received a glare of annoyance from Teddie and Kanji but Yu looked at him with a kind of pity that made him grumble under his breath.

"Well if I had to give one piece of advice it would be the way to a woman's heart..." the other two waited with bated breath and even Yosuke found himself curious as to what wisdom Yu could provide. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Is through her stomach." The disappointment they felt in that moment was immeasurable. That was right, they were talking to tipsy Yu, not their normal leader so of course his advice would be a little...muddled to say the least. "Hey hey hey, what are you looking at me like that for? I would bet my favorite shirt that all those girls are eating more than they should be at the other party right this moment! I can almost picture their smiling faces right now..." the team jumped back in surprise as he pointed dramatically towards them. "Yes, the grand truth I have realized is this: the women of this world enjoy being fed just as much as any man perhaps even more so! Keep her full, dazzle her taste buds and always always always throw in a belly massage and you too can have a cuddly happy cutie of your own!" Before he could be talked down, their leader spread his arms diagonally and stepped over a the ground as if a map of the country itself was below him. "Yuki and I have become the happiest couple in all of Japan by embracing this one simple truth! Wives should be pampered and fed to tubby perfection while husbands carve themselves into peak fitness. The sooner this country, no the world embraces this truth, the happier they'll be, of this I'm certain!"

"Yeah well Teddie and I don't like fat chicks and neither do a lot of other people so your plan kind of trips out of the starting gate huh? At least you have a follower in Kanji."

"I told you, I don't like fatties I'm just saying it's okay on...certain people...that I can cuddle and stuff...h-hey if you start teasing me about this I swear to god I will pummel you!"

"Yeah yeah I got it, sheesh I'm surprised you and Chie didn't start dating, neither of you can take a joke very well."

While they were distracted, Yu managed to take another hit of the wine and suddenly announced that he was going to do a handstand to "show the capability of one who embraced the fluff." They scarcely had the time to turn around before Yu began his process, balancing himself like a practiced gymnast and finishing the movement with aplomb before the others could entirely realize what was happening. "*Ta-dah!*" he exclaimed, "Hail to the king baby!" Which was of course followed by another sip. "You guysh think I'm amazing don't you, don't you deny it I've heard you all shay it before. Well I want you all to know that I couldn't do half the stuff I do without the con-confidence you give me."

"Hahahahaha not jhust you thought but Yukiko and the baby too, before it was just...well it wasn't anyone but now I have so many friendsh...family...two whole families now, three if I count...if I count you guys. I hope you all get cuddly wives of your own one day..."

All at once it was as though the strength left his body and he slumped into a nearby chair. "You guys are so great throwing this whole party for me, the best friends a guy could ask for. I hope my boy...has friends...half as good as you..." and like that he was out like a light leaving them all very touched but also very confused.

"Hah! Check it out!" Yosuke broke the silence, he didn't even down half the bottle." It was true, despite being drunk enough to fall asleep saying it was even two thirds emptied would be on the generous side of things. Simply put, their leader could not hold his drink after all. "I'll be taking that thank you!" And Yosuke snatched up the bottle before it could do any more harm, all set to dispose of it when a question arose. How were they going to dispose of it?

"*Sigh* I'll take it. Even if I get caught with it, I doubt anyone would bat an eye, just another rumor to add to the pile."

"Not even if 'Naodoll' see it?" The bright red blush on Kanji's face was expected but not the smile that soon followed. "Naoto's mature and smart, she'd listen if I explained myself so it's no problem. Ma would too and the rest...I mean if they're going to make assumptions about me, then screw 'em." A quite "Kanji Tatsumi" way of viewing things, but it was able to convince Yosuke to hand the bottle over at the very least.

"To think sensei feels that way about us...I think I'm going to bearst into tears..."

"I mean it's pretty obvious, but...it is nice to hear it out loud. Still that stuff about his dad...I wish we didn't hear that. Should we tell him?" Kanji thought about if for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah, no reason to bring it up. He doesn't talk about it for a reason you know? And he's not the type of guy who would run away from something like us. But the second he asks for help, well we'll just have to step in right?"

"Right! We'll hit him with an All Out Attack!" Yosuke told himself to be rational about things since judging people based on second hand experience was what they'd fought so hard against last year, but when it was coming from the mouth of someone he so respected, well it was hard to give that "dickhead" the same courtesy. "I mean, this is the guy who was fine with me punching him in the face to get over myself. What kind of crap do you need to put him through before he snaps like that?"

"But damn...he's certainly passionate about *uh* big girls isn't he?" Kanji cut in to Yosuke's thoughts. "I mean I knew he loved his wife but this is something else. Does squeezing a pudgy belly really feel that good?" As he imagined a particular detective's cuddle fluff hanging over a tight pair of jeans, his face lit up like a lighthouse letting everyone know exactly what he was thinking. "What a brilliant idea, Kanji! If you keep Naoto growing, you'll always have a permanent customer!"

Now fully down from his arguing high, just the thought of being in a measuring and fitting situation with Naoto was enough to near overheat the poor boy much less thinking about how cute she'd be in Teddie's scenario. All fluffy and cuddleable...it could drive a man mad. But luckily for him, if there was one way to describe the bear it would be hyperactive and it wasn't long before he moved on to the next topic. "Hey wait a minute! I just realized that sensei never answered our questions! Now how are we going to find out love's mysteries?"

"Ask him when he wakes up?"

"Nooooo I can't wait that long! The suspense will kill me!" The sound of someone thinking aloud drew their attention to Kanji, broken out of his embarrassed funk. "I think maybe...he already gave us an answer."

"But he didn't give us an answer at all! And I don't know what to do." Kanji rubbed the back of his head, thinking of the best way to phrase it. "What I mean is, he can't answer the question for us. Or at least he shouldn't." The confused looks of his compatriots only served to fluster the young man. "I'm just saying we shouldn't keep running to senpai all the time with our problems. If we can't figure out how to make things work on our own, then...maybe we shouldn't have girlfriends in the first place. And maybe that's what he was trying to say by passing out before we could answer..."

"*Ugh* seriously? He gets blackout drunk and still gets praised for it? You've gotta be kidding me. But...I can't argue with the other stuff you're saying, it's pretty spot on. I think Yu would probably say the exact same thing...if he was sober anyway."

"R-really? I mean...of course he would! It's just common sense right? Sometimes you just have to go into the unknown not knowing." Teddie chronicled that one for future use to impress a certain teacher before putting on a trademark smile. "Love can be scary when you're not new at it..."

"But if I let sensei make all my decisions, then it would be like he's the one dating Kashi and I don't like that idea at all!"

"Yeah, he's about to have a baby of his own, he doesn't have time to be babysitting us!" Yosuke smiled to himself, pleased with his clever quip although deflated when no one paid it any mind. "Welp..." he said with a stretch to move on, "I think it's about bed time anyway, it's almost ten and eight hours of sleep never hurt anybody. Unless you wanted to draw doodles on leader's face..." the growl from Kanji shut that idea down immediately and Yosuke held his hands up as if to say he was only joking. "But...since it would be pointless to wake him up, he does need his pillow." The snicker that followed the statement left Kanji a little suspicious but unless he was trying to smother him, he didn't see what harm the other boy could really do with a pillow. That question was soon answered when instead of putting it behind Yu's head, he put it between his arms, snickering to himself all the while.

"Hey what's the big idea!? He's gonna wake up with a sore neck if you do something like that!" But when Kanji tried to move the pillow, his senpai seemingly stirred in his sleep before embracing the head rest fully. A laugh from Yosuke drew Kanji's attention and he saw his other senpai nearly bent over with laughter. "I-I thought he might, *hahahahahaha* like a...*ahem* like a reminder of his 'Yuki' since she can't be here right now," he eventually explained. "I can't believe that actually worked! Just look how happy he is." It was true, their leader really did have a big smile on his face as he snuggled up to his 'wife' in his sleep. Whatever post-wine dreams he was having were no doubt happy ones. "Hmm well I guess you're right..."

"I could have told you that!" Teddie announced annoyed, "I always pretend my pillows are a nice soft bosom. It's why I always sleep so well heehee. Only now I have a specific one in mind..."

Little did he know that he'd doomed Kanji to a restful slumber with that one comment.