It was something she had never experienced. It was a case Naoto never thought she would encounter.
This story was a story that came to me in the middle of the night. Curling in my bed, fangirling about how adorable Naoto was, the idea suddenly appeared. Not to mention I'm a huge KanjixNaoto fan 3
More notes will be at the bottom, so enjoy~!
Disclaimer: I do not own Persona 4 or any of its characters.
At first, she had thought it to be a side-effect of the TV world.
She had informed Souji-senpai, requesting for a short break. If he thought it to be unusual (they always encouraged her to rest despite her constant refusals), he didn't show it.
But it never left her. The sudden acceleration and the consequential dull ache of her heart manifested from time to time, no matter how much she tried to erase it.
It was not the TV world.
The most probable hypothesis of her 'condition' proven false, she opted for the 2nd possibility: sickness.
Colds, infections, allergies, burns, diabetes, disorders, cancers… she ran through every medical condition she could remember, but none of their symptoms matched. Perhaps, she thought, she had overlooked something.
That day, the cashier of the Yomenaido Bookstore found himself with an unknown sum of cash, which was later discovered to be the exact worth of the 24 medical books that had also gone missing on the same day.
The failure to uncover new clues prompted her to see a doctor, in which the lack of a satisfactory result forced Naoto to erase her 2nd theory.
It was not the TV world, nor was it any form of sickness.
She analysed the rest of her options, although most of them were so highly improbable Naoto had to contemplate why she had entertained the idea in the first place.
As much as she hated it, Shirogane Naoto came to one conclusion.
She needed help.
She found Rise the next day at her classroom, packing the last few books into her bag. Not wanting to intrude into the classroom, she opted to wait outside as she once again reviewed her case.
It wasn't an effect of the TV world, nor any form of sickness…
What was it?
"Kanji-kun!"
Her thoughts interrupted, she turned her head just in time to see Kanji marching out of the classroom. He did not seem to notice Naoto as he quickly dashed out of the school, cheeks coloured red as he mumbled something about Rise.
Naoto immediately noticed the all too familiar acceleration of her heart, and a sudden reluctance to confide in Rise in relation to her supposed 'condition' brought itself to attention, along with an overwhelming curiosity of what had caused Kanji to rush out of school in such a state.
She did not have time to deliberate over the matter, however.
"Naoto-kun~! Were you waiting for me?"
Having not noticed the idol leave the classroom, Naoto's mind approached a state of mental confusion before she quickly regained her composure and turned to face Rise, her expression neutral.
"Kujikaw-"
"Geez, how many times have I told you to call me by my first name?" Rise interrupted, giving Naoto what she recognised as a 'pout', which she understood was an expression given when a person was dissatisfied with a certain issue. In this situation, said 'person' Kujikawa Rise was immensely 'dissatisfied' with 'Naoto not calling her by her full name'.
"Very well. Rise-san," she began, her tone firm and concise, "I require your assistance in a certain matter, and therefore I-"
"was wondering if I could join you? Of course~!" Rise beamed happily.
Kujikawa Rise was an expert at interrupting things, it seemed.
It was not long before she found herself at Junes with said expert, humming an unidentifiable tune as two drinks (which Naoto had not ordered) were set on the table.
"So? What is it?"
Not having prepared what to say in the conversation itself, it took Naoto a moment to determine her choice of words.
"Kuji- Rise-san, I have recently been afflicted with a rather…strange condition."
The worry immediately registered in Rise's eyes, and Naoto quickly continued before any misunderstanding was created.
"Please do not worry. I-"
"Was that why you took a break from the TV? Was it affecting your body?" Rise proceeded to bombard her with various questions, which Naoto promptly interrupted be shaking her head.
"I took the break to confirm the possibility, but it seems it was not the case. I have also considered various medical conditions, but none of them have shared the symptoms that I carry." Naoto paused as she allowed the idol to absorb the information.
After a few moments of silence, Rise spoke, and Naoto could not help but notice a twinkle in her eyes "What kind of…condition is it?"
She contained any voices of suspicion, "Recently, my heart rate has accelerated without prior exercise, and occasionally it would produce a dull ache that would last for varying amounts of time…" She trailed off as the twinkle in Rise's eyes grew even stronger, and finally a wide smile spread across her face. It was an expression Naoto knew well, and she automatically realised what it meant.
Kujikawa Rise had come to a conclusion.
"Naoto~~~" Rise began, her voice carrying a tone of mischief that was not present a few minutes ago.
"Yes…?" A noticeable tinge of uncertainty was laced with her voice, and Naoto felt herself growing anxious.
"Close your eyes."
Why was there the necessity to close her eyes? "Wh-"
Rise cut her off. "You'll find out soon! Now close your eyes, Naoto-kun. And don't open them until I say you can~"
She hesitantly obeyed.
"Now- Ah, it's Kanji-kun! Is he with Yukiko-senpai? I wonder what they're doing together…"
As the information registered in Naoto, she once again felt the strange acceleration of her heart beat, and a dull ache emanated from her heart. A silent moment passed between the two before Rise spoke again.
"Okay, open your eyes."
She fought the urge to search for the pair as she slowly opened her eyes. "May I inquire as to the reason why such a task was requested?"
"Before I answer that…Naoto-kun, did that 'strange condition' just happen to you?"
"…yes."
Rise's smile grew wider.
"Naoto-kun," she began, her voice taking on an overly sweet tone, "your so-called 'strange condition…"
And wider.
"is a common case of JEA-LOU-SY~!"
Naoto felt her body freeze for a short moment.
"Rise-san," Naoto replied, as she struggled to keep her voice calm, "that statement is simply absurd."
Her smile became a pout.
"How so?"
"It simply is."
"That's not enough. I need EVIDENCE."
"…"
"So you don't deny it? You're jealous because of Kanji-kun?"
"…if my answer is one of acknowledgement, what would that symbolize?"
Rise paused in surprise before giving Naoto a big smile, her eyes twinkling.
"Not telling~!"
It was only after she arrived home that she noticed the rare indication on her phone of a new text message.
Sorry, Naoto-kun. I lied~
Rise
Edit: As many people seem to be confused about the Kanji and Yukiko thing, I added a small last part to clarify.
Maybe it wasn't the best way to end this story, but after thinking about how to write the end without making it sound weird for around 30 minutes, I gave up. OTL
And I've just learnt how hard it is to write in Naoto's perspective. The initial '2 hour project' turned into a '5 hour project', ahahahahaha. I tried as hard as I could to keep Naoto in character, but there ARE some points where I think I've put her slightly OOC. I apologize *^*
Just for the curious people, this story takes place before Nanako's...thing.
Hope you've enjoyed the story, and leave some reviews~ :DDD
Puppyfriend
P.S. have I mentioned how I'm a big fan of KanjixNaoto? 8D