Chapter 14: The Truth Will Set You Free

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We're getting close to the end!!!

So, Rachel did say that this is the second-to-last chapter, and the next chapter will perhaps be the final chapter to the big story, once and for all. It's hard enough that I had to catch up, but it was worth it!

In the meantime, let's see how this turns out!

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It was a new day at the agency; the group was waiting for Jibanyan to speak, and with USApyon accompanying her, one could come up with the words to start a conversation, especially after the recent events that happened.

"Jibanyan, are you alright?" Natsume spoke up.

She finally responded, but with her real Lightside voice, "My parents made me come here..."

"You didn't have to come." Touma stated.

Jibanyan sighed, "It's you guys know the truth, everything should be ok...right?"

She looked down at the ground, avoiding all eyes that took notice, and USApyon decided to speak up for her.

"You told the truth. Does it make you make feel better?" USApyon asked.

Jibanyan mumbled, "I guess..."

"You're still the same Jibanyan that we know, and he's going to change that." Natsume said, with a smile.

Jibanyan looked back at everyone, "I hope so...I'm just...afraid that you guys will judge me..."

"Well...this will take time to get used to, but...you're still our friend." Akinori exclaimed.

"Sometimes, changes turn out for the better." Touma added.

Keisuke replied, nervously, "Yeah...even I'm willing to adjust to this."

Jibanyan was silent for wondered if she was still upset with her situation.

"If it makes you feel better, I think it's cool that we have another girl who can kick butt." Akinori suggested.

"Yeah, I'm glad there's another girl! You'll have so much fun hanging out with Natsume and I!" Ayame cheered.

Jibanyan laughed weakly, "Heh...thanks, you guys."

"See, they still accept you for the way you are." USApyon grinned.

Akinori chimed in, "Of course, we never judge our friends, no matter who they are."

"As an agency, no one gets left behind." Touma said.

Natsume had a thought, "If you're not busy, you could hang out with me and Ayame this weekend."

"I would like it." Jibanyan was starting to feel better about herself.


Later, Jibanyan and USApyon made their leave from the agency, as Micchy finally arrived, noticing the two.

"Where are you going?" Micchy questioned.

USApyon said, "Leaving."

"You missed out. We got better things to do." Jibanyan replied.


After they left, Micchy stood there in silence, as he turned to Natsume with concern.

"Uh...did Jibanyan sound like a woman, or was I imagining things?" Micchy sweated.

"No, it's not you." Natsume said, unamused.

Micchy was worried for his own sanity, "What did I miss?!"

"Let us explain everything." Touma spoke.


After awhile of explaining Jibanyan's true identity and situation, Micchy was still dumbfounded.

"Ok...I'm still confused." Micchy scratched his head.

"You'll figure it out." Akinori shrugged.

Micchy said proudly, "But, it means that I'm the only man here with sexy muscles!"

"There's USApyon..." Keisuke interrupted him.

"Crap! I forgot!" Micchy panicked and spoke, "But...the cat isn't the macho man she wanted us to think she was!"

Natsume face palmed, "She's still stronger than you Micchy..."

"So? If you don't count USApyon, I am the most victorious guy here!" Micchy bragged.

"He'll never learn." Akinori sighed in disbelief.

"I actually agree with you." Natsume said in unison.


Later that night, Jibanyan and USApyon were back home with Junior, and were cuddled up on the couch, enjoying their time together.

"I'm happy that you told them that you're a girl, mommy!" Junior smiled.

"I'm actually glad too. I feel better than I ever have." Jibanyan petted him.

USApyon replied, "At least we can be a family in public now."

"It'll still be awkward though..." Jibanyan said softly.

USApyon wrapped his arm around her, "It takes time to get used to. It'll be worth it."

"You're right. I love you so much." Jibanyan started to purr against USApyon.

He petted her on the head, "And I love you."

USApyon kissed Jibanyan on the cheek.

"Ew, gross! Are you gonna do that all the time?" Junior groaned in disgust.

USApyon shrugged, "Not anytime soon...at least in public."

"You said it." Jibanyan agreed.


A few days passed, and everything seemed normal; Inaho finally got a day off from work and decided to stay at the house. Keita felt empty with his wife and kids, and was on the couch, watching. He soon heard a noise, but thought it was his imagination. When he looked, he almost jumped out of his seat to see Jibanyan in front of him.

"Jibanyan, you surprised me! What are you doing here?!" Keita exclaimed.

"I kind of got bored, and ever since I told my secret to everyone...well...they've been smothering me with a lot of support." Jibanyan sighed.

Keita replied, "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah, but...I had to get away for awhile, and maybe I wanted to hang with you." Jibanyan shrugged.

"Alright, sit next to me, and we can talk." Keita suggested.

Jibanyan got on the couch, but to Keita's surprise, she curled up on his lap.

"What are you doing?" Keita felt a bit awkward.

Jibanyan responded, "I don't know. I thought this would feel nostalgic, like old times."

"Well...it does bring back memories. I remember when you always fell asleep on my lap." Keita smirked.

"Yeah...good times." Jibanyan replied.

"Whisper came here a few days ago and followed me along and caught up with some things." Keita added.

"Sounds like something dad would do." Jibanyan said.

Keita teased, as he started to pet her, "Remember when you wanted to be petted?"

"Sure. "Jibanyan yawned.

Keita laughed, "You're quiet, aren't you?"

He paused and looked down at Jibanyan, who was sleeping.

"Hey...you can't sleep there!" Keita panicked.

He shook Jibanyan, but she didn't wake up.

"Jibanyan!" Keita shook her again, but still no response.

Keita sighed, "Sis..."

He gave up and sat back, wondering what to do.

"I'll get her up soon, after all, I should sleep too..." Keita dozed off and fell asleep.


The following evening, Natsume and Keisuke arrived home. They thought it was too quiet and searched. Something caught Natsume's eye as she saw her dad sleeping on the couch. She signaled for Keisuke to follow. They approached him, and they noticed Jibanyan was sleeping in his lap.

"Why is Jibanyan here?!" Keisuke exclaimed.

"More importantly, why is she in dad's lap?! Doesn't she realize that he can't see her?!" Natsume added.

Jibanyan woke up after hearing their conversation.

Natsume looked at her in concern, "What are you doing?!"

"What...?" She noticed she was still in Keita's lap and looked back at them.

"Oh...I didn't notice! I was sleeping on your dad..." She lied.

Natsume crosses her arms, "Uh huh..."

Keita woke up and saw his children staring at him and seen that Jibanyan was on his lap too, and Keisuke noticed this.

He looked back at his kids, "Oh, you're home."

"Dad...did you just look at your lap?" Keisuke asked.

"What? Oh, what are you talking about?" Keita was nervous.

He quickly glanced at Jibanyan, then back at his kids.

"Dad, can you see her?" Natsume asked, being concerned.

"Who are you taking about?" Keita sweated.

Natsume confronted him, "Dad, we saw you staring at her."

Keita and Jibanyan looked at each other and then looked back at them.

"Ok, I can see her." Keita sighed in defeat.

"What?! Don't tell me that we inherited this Yo-kai thing from you!" Keisuke yelled.

Keita groaned, "No, that's not it."

"So, you're saying, you can see Yo-kai? But...how?" Natsume wondered.

"Don't say anything. I don't think they can handle it." Jibanyan responded.

Natsume was unamused, "Jibanyan, if we can handle your secret, we can handle anything."

"I second that." Keisuke butted in.

Natsume shoved him on the arm, "Shush!"

"Sorry..." Keisuke mumbled.

"I think you guys can handle this. I might as well tell y-" Keita was stopped by Jibanyan, who was clinging on to him.


She didn't want them to know about her secret; she tended to hide her identity. Before, previous people knew her as a tough and bold Yo-kai, rather than her past self, who was sweet. She already risked letting everyone know that she was actually a woman and didn't want anyone to know that she was a huge softie.


"Keita, don't tell them!" Jibanyan shouted.

"Jibanyan, they have the right to know about our past." Keita gave her a serious look.


Inaho walked in and had seen what was going on.

"Keita...Jibanyan..." Inaho spoke.

"You can see her too?!" Keisuke screamed.

"How did you guys find out?" Inaho asked in worry.

"Jibanyan was sleeping on dad's lap, and when he woke up, he stared at her." Natsume stated.

"So, did you tell them how we can see Yo-kai?" Inaho questioned.

"Not yet, I was about to answer-" As Keita got up, Jibanyan held on to his leg.

She started to freak out, "Don't do it, nii-chan!"

Keita hasn't heard that nickname in a long time. He picked Jibanyan up and gave her a 'big bro is not messing around' kind of look.

"It's not polite to interrupt me, baby sis." Keita replied.

Jibanyan blushed in embarrassment, after hearing that nickname.

"Nii-chan...?" Natsume was surprised.

"Baby sis...?" Keisuke whispered in confusion.

Keita looked back at his kids, "Now, your mother and I used to have Yo-kai watches."

"I knew it!" Keisuke shouted.

Inaho added, "We made a lot of Yo-kai friends through the past years, but we lost contact almost fifteen years ago and lost our watches now..."

"How did you get your memories back?" Natsume asked, wanting an answer.

Keita continued, "Whisper found my Yo-kai watch in Keisuke's room, on the day that you guys cleaned the rooms, when Fumi moved out..."

"And Keita found the watch and regained his memories. And so, did I, after I saw it." Inaho explained.

"Wow...that's amazing." Natsume was in awe.

"But that still doesn't explain how you know Whisper and Jibanyan." Keisuke was still puzzled.

"Whisper was the one who gave me the Yo-kai Watch. We were friends until I lost the watch for Jibanyan-" Keita was cut off by Jibanyan, "Don't say it!"


Keita rolled his eyes, "Jibanyan was one of my first Yo-kai friends and stayed with me until I lost my watch as time went by. He gave me the nickname and saw me as someone who was an older brother, and we both had seen Whisper as an example of a father, of course, and to some, it was ironic when Whisper actually ended up adopting Jibanyan."


"That's so sweet." Natsume smiled.

"Wow...so that's why you called each other those names." Keisuke was amazed at their backstory.


Inaho continued, "USApyon gave me my Yo-kai Watch, and stayed with me until I lost my watch too. He was like a younger brother to be with. He and I hung out with Keita, Whisper, and Jibanyan, and it brings back good memories."

"We all reunited before you guys got home to see Junior and his parents, and as for us being able to see Yo-kai, we regained that ability after looking at the watch. I'm not sure how, but Enma visited us and promised that we could keep that ability." Keita concluded his story.


"You guys must've been important to the Yo-kai world, especially since Enma was willing to let you see Yo-kai again." Natsume said in awe.

"We were stopped by people who protested the bylaw that stops all opposition from separating humans and Yo-kai, and that bylaw even got respect from Enma himself. I guess everything changed since we stopped seeing Yo-kai." Keita replied.

Jibanyan mumbled, "You left us behind..."

"I didn't mean to...When I went to college, it seemed like I forgot my Yo-kai duties...and I guess I couldn't see Yo-kai anymore..." Keita sighed.

Inaho added, "The same happened to me. I had no choice but to choose between my career and my Yo-kai duties... We're sorry..."

"At least we got another chance to see our Yo-kai friends again." Keita smiled.

Jibanyan pouted, "Yeah...but still..."

"What happened to the Jibanyan I used to know?" Keita questioned.

"It's like you and USApyon almost switched personalities." Inaho exclaimed.

Keita pinched Jibanyan's cheeks, "You were so fun, but why the long face?"

"You left me! And I'm still mad about it!" Jibanyan nagged.

Keita teased, "I'm here, so you shouldn't be so cranky."

"Ok, I won't! Just stop touching me!" Jibanyan shouted, as Keita removed his hands from her face.

Keisuke wondered, "You know...I wonder how different your friends were in the past."

"Very." Inaho spoke.

Keita asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"Of course! At least tell us how Jibanyan, USApyon, and Whisper were." Natsume suggested.

"Don't you dare!" Jibanyan growled.

Keita covered her mouth and probably regretted his decision and decided to carry on with the conversation.

"Whisper was...well... he always told us what to do and got furious if we didn't do what he demanded." Keita shrugged.

"Don't forget that he had anger issues." Inaho laughed.

Natsume sweated, "Wow...I'm glad he's not bossy anymore. Imagine if he bossed us around."

"He kind of does, sometimes..." Keisuke said.

"Hmmm...I guess I never noticed." Natsume replied with thought.


Inaho continued, "Speaking of anger issues, USApyon was really prone to getting ticked off. He can be nice, but if you mocked him, he would explode. I never could get a break from him shooting his laser gun at me."


"Aw geez...USApyon might look a bit scary, but he seems so calm..." Keisuke groaned in disbelief.

"I thought he would've still had anger issues after all these years, but I guess I was wrong." Inaho replied awkwardly.

Natsume chuckled, "It was like you were sort of describing Jibanyan."

"But...doesn't he seem angry when he's fighting?" Keisuke asked with concern.

"All Yo-kai would be mad if they had to fight..." Natsume pointed out.

Keita interrupted, "Speaking of Jibanyan, it's time to talk about her past personality."


Jibanyan growled from under Keita's hand, which alarmed him, and he was a bit nervous, but he wanted them to know about the past as much as he could; Jibanyan was displeased as Keita continued his explanation.


"So, what was Jibanyan like?" Keisuke was curious to know.

Keita hesitated, "Well...Jibanyan was completely different."

"Yeah, she was so nice." Inaho grinned.

"She slept a lot and was a bit lazy, no offense." Keita seen that Jibanyan was giving him a death stare, but he looked away.

He went on, "Jibanyan was easygoing, for the most part. The only time she would get angry was...well...when she didn't get her way..."

"Besides that, she was so kind and was always happy." Inaho added.


Keita sighed, "But of course...now Jibanyan is grumpy. I wish she was still cheerful and lovable."


Keita dared himself to say what was coming next, "I bet my little sis is still the same angel from years ago."


Jibanyan was madly embarrassed and let out a muffled yell. She screamed from Keita's hand, still covering her mouth. She had enough, and turned into her Shadowside form, which made Keita lose his grip on Jibanyan, who turned and gave Keita an angry look.


"I'm not sweet! I'm cold hearted and I can kick your ass!!!" Jibanyan yelled.

"Sis..." Keita was cut off by her, "Don't 'sis' me! This conversation is over...'big bro'!" Jibanyan stomped angrily as she left the house.


Keita sighed, "Why does she have to like this?"

"I mean, you left her alone, even for all those years..." Inaho responded.

"But, Whisper and USApyon are cool with it! I don't see them holding a grudge against us!" Keita complained.

Inaho replied, "They could be hiding it."

"I guess..." Keita whispered in doubt.

Natsume was concerned, "Are you alright, dad?"

"Yeah...I just wish Jibanyan would forgive us..." Keita stated.

"That explains why she's pissed all the time." Keisuke rolled his eyes.

Inaho snapped, "Keisuke, language!"

"Sorry..." Keisuke grumbled.


For the remaining day, Keita thought about how Jibanyan still had a grudge against him and thought she would've been the first to forgive. He wished that she was her old self; the one where she would forgive him and hug. But it would've been too easy, as he remembered that she was stubborn. On the day when the deadline came, he made his decision and decided to meet up with everyone at the detective agency with Inaho, to make things right. He hoped that his old friends could reunite with him and his wife, so they could become close friends once more.

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