Naoto turned the corner, tripping up in her panic and nearly barreling into the ground.
Behind her, Chie pushed between the students, shouting, "OUTTA MY WAY!"
Naoto held the heated situation liable for it, but right in that moment, she was thankful for her small, aerodynamic structure – considering it gave her the advantage in running for her life. But she knew as soon as Chie got a clearing, she'd receive capital punishment via clunky shoes.
It was that sort of comment that got her here in the first place.
"I'd like to be removed from this conversation," Naoto said stoically after Rise asked her opinion on which boy would make the best dance partner.
"Don't be such a killjoy," Rise pouted, then, her eye landing on someone over Naoto's shoulder, jumped up waving. "Senpai, over here!"
Naoto could tell by the hearts in Rise's eyes that Souji was approaching behind them. She turned around to see him accompanied by Yosuke, both of whom were waving back.
"I'll ask Senpai," Rise said with the same excitement one would have in asking Risette anything.
Souji stopped in front of them. "Ask me what?"
Rise sidestepped Naoto, either to get a better view of Souji or to give him a better view of her. "Who would you choose to be your dance partner?"
Naoto wanted to argue that no, that wasn't the question posed to her, but remained silent as Souji made a thinking face that was almost too comically exaggerated.
Yosuke, in the meantime, let out a pitched, "Whoo!" sound, raising his eyebrows and elbowing Souji. "Pick your poison, Partner."
"I've got it," Souji said suddenly, snapping his fingers. Then, with the seriousness of a doctor with their patient's family, said, "Kanji."
Yosuke flinched, then shook his head muttering something about "this guy's humour…" while Rise let out a giggle that rang like wind chimes in a gentle breeze.
"I guess I could imagine him secretly going to ballet practice every Tuesday night," she said with a mischievous smile. She then turned it on Yosuke. "What about you, Yosuke-senpai?"
Yosuke waved his hands up defensively. "Ho-oh no! I'm not opening up that can of worms, no way!"
"Aww, c'mon! Not even Yukiko-senpai or Chie-senpai?"
"I'm not gonna say anything," Yosuke insisted firmly, shaking his head with his eyes closed and hands at his hips. He then looked up, his face scrunched in thought. "'Sides, somehow I feel like they dance like they cook, especially Chie: those legs aren't even good for looking at. Don't you think, Partner?"
As if he was asked about the weather, Souji simply said, "I think they're fine."
"I mean, you kinda have to admire their shape," Rise chimed in with honesty. "Trust me, building lean muscle like that isn't easy."
Then, in what could be blamed on her lack of experience with conversations of that vein, Naoto decided to add, "Though that doesn't quite make them 'easy on the eyes', as they say."
Instead of being a moment of sheer conversational success with the added accomplishment of a well-established pun on modern metaphors, Naoto, both unbeknownst to Chie's presence within earshot behind her and given no time to mentally applaud herself, suddenly heard, "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Naoto-kun?!" and a storm of heavy, lean-muscle weighed footsteps coming after her.
Let it be known that the first time Naoto ever heeded Yosuke's advice was right then, when he shouted, "Start running, dude!"
Naoto took another left – a seventh in the series of circling the second floor's corridor and gym entrance – and breathlessly decided she either get out of the situation or, as Kanji would put it, take it like a man.
Given that she was supposed to be embracing her womanhood anyway, Naoto concluded the latter was the incorrect option – and given what she'd seen Chie do to Yosuke, would put her evolutionary survival at risk as well.
Quick minded, Naoto made a mental picture of the corridor that would come after her next left: the stairway, which would lead her to more running; the classrooms, which were filling up with students who might have been at the end of any of Naoto's bluntly accurate remarks and wanted her to suffer a galactic punt-ishment; and the washrooms, in which hiding in was for crying, heartbroken girls.
The resounding sound of Chie's stomps pick up and a bellowing, "Ooh, you're not getting away with this, runt!" reminded Naoto that she would be a crying, broken girl if she didn't take action immediately.
Swerving the next left at a speed that must have left track marks, Naoto made a beeline for the washroom – specifically, out of wont she never thought to change, the boys' washroom.
She smashed through the door, then pressed herself against the right wall adjacent to it like a soldier, holding her breath achingly and waiting for the storm to pass.
It did, roaring like a dragon – did that girl ever breathe? – and then again much too soon for comfort, until it came back around slower, like a search light without any of the subtlety.
"Where is she? Huh? HUH?"
Naoto held her breath tighter, ready to bolt from the ingress the moment it budged. When she heard Chie kick a door open, she bolted down into the middle of the bathroom until she realised the boys' room was still girl-less – technically.
After a bit more shouting and stomping around from the other side, Chie huffed once – "You can't hide forever!" – and trudged off, leaving a few disgruntled girls commenting on, "What's with that girl?".
Naoto waited aimlessly in the middle of the washroom for a few tentative moments before looking opposite at her red-faced self in the mirror. She fixed her hair from under her hat and straightened her shirt out, tucking it back under her belt. She stalled a bit longer, washing her face with cold water, until her phone buzzed.
Amazed it didn't fall out of her pocket during the chase, she opened it to see a text from Yosuke – the first she'd ever gotten from him, even though they'd exchanged numbers upon her joining the Investigation Team – that read, "coast is clear. Ill get chie to chill out."
Naoto blew lightly out of her nose until there was nothing left in her lungs, then straightened up. As she started for the exit, she got another text.
"btw, glad we agree on something. wat do u think abt yukiko's legs?"
Later, Naoto would decide that she owed it to Yosuke to at least keep up the conversation after he pacified Chie into a peace offering of expensive beef fillet for a week.
It was in one of their digital conversations that Yosuke encouraged Naoto to try hanging out with the team – her friends – on more casual occasions than Junes press meetings, which lead her to asking Yukiko Amagi to meet her after school.
Except that the mysterious and sudden circumstance of the request with the added popularity of them both set the gossip mills ablaze.
Before last class, everyone was either infuriated or infatuated with the rumour of the Detective Prince crowning the Amagi Challenge.
Naoto, not being one to indulge in gossip – though she sometimes wondered if her femininity suffered from that, these things could be so unreasonably difficult when it didn't have to be – only realised this when she got a text from Yosuke that didn't confirm if bowties were appropriate movie attire, but instead said, "i said hang out, not form hollywoods new power couple."
It was then, dead-centre in the hallway, that Naoto looked around the hall and reflexively picked out her name from the whispered conversations around her.
What she ended up hearing was the predictions of her date with Yukiko, and how it must end – some ways more explicitly than others – because they were perfect for each other, it was so obvious, all the signs, etcetera etcetera. Some people were even heartbroken with the news, and Naoto heard enough death threats issued to both of them.
But mostly, Naoto felt the pressing presence of the entire school – hell, the entire town – judging her, falling hush and staring as she walked by.
She received one more text from Yosuke – "also bowties are lame. try jeans." – before a scattered group of girls started approaching her.
Naoto leaned against the tiled, crudely gratified wall, waiting out the onslaught of questions and confessions.
Honestly, all girls were ferocious.
Except that Naoto didn't feel ferocious herself, but then she didn't feel much like a girl either when she was hanging out in the boys' washroom – which was exactly when she should have been hanging out with Yukiko.
She considered texting Yukiko the details of her predicament – after Yosuke's constant teasing on her 'textbook texting', she invested in adapting a more casual conversation form that she was now more comfortable in using – but then she didn't know what Yukiko's stance was on the entire situation.
And given Naoto's luck with girls lately, she didn't want to be forced into bathroom-bunkering for the rest of the school year.
Which was still the best option at present, even if she hadn't heard any girls pass by for a half hour. Occasionally actual guys would come in the washroom and use it for things other than hiding, and they mostly left Naoto alone. Every so often one would give her a reassuring grin and eyebrow waggle, or slug her in the shoulder in congrats, and one even bowed his head and admitted he, "couldn't think of a better person to lose Amagi-san to."
With the pleasant atmosphere – as pleasant as a restroom could get – Naoto deliberated pitching a tent and staying the night in there, until, as she distractedly planned out the most comfortable way to adjust her hat into a pillow, Kanji came in whistling and undid his belt before doing a double take and staring in horror at her with an impressively high-pitched squeak.
"Oh, hello, Kanji-kun," Naoto said simply.
Kanji's jaw remained open for a second longer before he fumbled with his belt and practically double-knotted it. "T-t-w-t-the hell are you doin' here?!"
"Hiding," Naoto replied. She found the best way to deal with Kanji was to be straight and to the point – because, while it was a blow to her detective pride, she still couldn't figure out what about her presence offended him into such distraught.
It was apparently not at all the answer Kanji expected. "B-hidin'? The hell are y'doin' that for?!"
Naoto wanted to gesture an open arm at everything around her, but then again, Kanji was a boy, and boys, in Naoto's experience, were simple and didn't indulge in too much silly gossip.
Alternatively, Naoto breathed through her nose and tapped a sink's edge. "It's the best way to dodge the rumours and girls."
Kanji made a face as if he wanted to bite out something vulgar but swallowed it instead and hated the bitter aftertaste. Then, he scratched the nape of his neck and looked at the mirror.
"Look, I dunno about girls – they're kinda crazy, 'specially Rise." A sentiment Naoto shared, and that both kept secret by unspoken promise. "But rumours – they're gonna be around, always. People are gonna see and say what they want, don't matter how true it ain't."
Kanji dropped his hand and shrugged, giving Naoto a lopsided grin. "You just gotta make sure the people you keep close know how you really are, and ev'ryone else can piss off. They don't matter enough to change you, trust me."
He said it with the quiet wisdom of a soldier after war, and some part of that resonated with Naoto and filled her with resolve. It was a lesson she was supposed to have learned before; but then, somethings happened in small steps.
"It would seem I always have more to learn," she finished aloud, closing her eyes.
"We all do."
Naoto opened her eyes and smiled at Kanji. "Thank you."
He shot her a thumbs up. "No prob."
Decisively, Naoto pulled out her phone and typed out a summary of events, and began cutting that down into a passable text for Yukiko. Before she could finish her text, she heard Kanji cough. She raised her head and prompted him with a, "Hmm?"
"So, you-uh, you gonna get out there? 'Cause, I mean…" Kanji's eyes wandered around, and he spoke as if the words were too big for his mouth. "Like, I could scare 'em away if you're still…but I just really gotta –" he blushed furiously, and quietly muttered, "I gotta piss."
"O-oh!" Naoto managed, feeling her years of discipline creep up on her like the blush on her face. "Of course, I-it's all right, I'll just – leave."
"Cool," Kanji said, nodding without looking at Naoto as she left. "G-good talk, man."
With her hand on the door, Naoto looked back at Kanji, and smiled even if he couldn't see it.
"Good talk."
Inevitably, the hang out went differently than planned: after Naoto resolutely weaved past the since mostly dispersed girls, she found the shoe locker room devoid of Yukiko.
When Naoto made it halfway home in a defeated march, Yukiko texted her a string of apologies and explained how she thought she misunderstood Naoto when they didn't see each other, and was already home.
She apparently hadn't heard a thing about the gossip either, so Naoto left that as it was. Instead, she awkwardly called Yukiko, explained that she wasn't sure how to be friends outside of using the word and wanted to change that, and that they could reschedule, maybe bring the others, too.
Yukiko, in her infinitely polite Manager Mode, managed to convince Naoto to come over to the inn – "Chie comes around all the time, but mostly just for the food." – and a half hour later found them both in the busy entrance.
"I'm so sorry!" Yukiko nearly pleaded, bowing. "A tourist group just checked in, and we got so busy. If you'd like, the hot springs are open to girls right now, and I'll be right with you."
Given the last mishap with the Amagi hot springs and Naoto's recent experience with anything girls, she declined while clumsily motioning Yukiko to lift her head. "Please, Amagi-san."
"Oh, but you – coming! – you came all the way –"
"I'll help out," Naoto said quickly, and tipped her head towards the person calling Yukiko before she could get out any objections. "Go on, I'll be fine."
Frowning but already walking away, Yukiko bowed her head once more in apology – Naoto's brain came up with the words "Ideal Japanese elegance" – and disappeared behind the hallway.
Calculatingly, Naoto headed towards the kitchen, knowing both that she would be the most help there – she was no master chef, but she could follow instructions and intuition immaculately – and that Yukiko would be least equip to help the cooks.
After wandering a bit, trying to locate a scent, Naoto followed the frazzled man with a notepad in his hands until she entered a humid, linoleum-floored kitchen, twice the size of any she'd ever seen – which was impressive, given the size of her own estate's kitchen.
Like business, Naoto stated loudly that she was, "a friend of Amagi-san's and here to aid the operation in all ways possible." The team gladly and hurriedly accepted her on board, and under the direction of the head chef – Kasai – Naoto worked the next two hours between a hot stove and a cutting board.
When the last order was taken, there was a collective drop of knives on tables, dishes in sinks, and cheering hands on Naoto's back. Everyone spoke at once – Naoto managed to make out a few, "thanks" and, indignantly, "tiny chef" from the overlapping voices – as they started putting things away and washing dishes.
Naoto made to help, exhausted as she was, but was ushered away by Kasai, who told her she was, "a fine young man who shouldn't have to spend the evening scrubbing plates."
It was then that Naoto noticed how late it had become; dark had already settled snugly over the town. She deliberated between looking for Yukiko or simply asking for her, but figured the manager-in-practice must have been worn to the bone from handling the day's people.
Naoto bowed her head and parted ways with the chef and an older lady near the exit, asking that she give Naoto's regards to Yukiko, before trekking the gentle evening path back home.
It seemed like a good idea at the time to leave, but the threat of Chie's Galactic Punt the next day seemed to disagree.
Naoto fiddled with an old stop watch she was fixing, the parts spread over the sink counter, as Yosuke sauntered in saying, "He-ey, Naoto. What's shaking?"
"The school, it would seem, from Satonaka-san's fury," Naoto answered, not looking up from her project.
"Oh man, I'm really rubbing off on you, huh?" Yosuke stopped and picked up the watch's detached chain. "What'ch'ya in for this time?"
Naoto creased her brow. "I'm not quite sure. Something about Amagi-san."
"O-oh," Yosuke said, as if it cleared everything up. "That – she…hmm."
Naoto looked away from the watch; Yosuke never thought before he gave his opinion. "What of it?"
Crossing his arms, Yosuke huffed, clicked his tongue, and then said, "Okay, here's the deal: she's mad 'cause you upset Yukiko. And, like, I gotta agree – I'm not gonna kick you over it – " he laughed as he dropped his hands "but you should apologise."
Naoto never considered she had wronged Yukiko. Had she offended her by helping? It could have been a matter of family pride, perhaps. "I don't understand what I did wrong."
Yosuke shook his head in one hand. "Geez, you're one clueless detective."
That was a matter of family pride. "I'll ask you to refrain from –"
"Joking, joking," Yosuke cut in, holding his hands up. "Yeesh, girls. Anyway – I think Yukiko's just sad because you stood her up twice yesterday. I don't know for sure," he added quickly, "she didn't say anything, but she looked really put out and asked if anyone'd seen you."
"Perhaps," Naoto mumbled, sharing Yosuke's sentiment on yeesh, girls.
"Listen," Yosuke said, dropping his voice. "Just talk to her. That's what you gotta do with girls – well, no, it's what you gotta do with people, y'know? People are social and all that." He shrugged. "You should know these things better than me, pal."
Except that Naoto was learning that she didn't know more about these things than Yosuke, or Kanji, or anyone.
Still, learning came by listening, so she began to gather her things when Yosuke waved her away. "I'll pick that stuff up, just go on and talk to Yukiko before Chie comes back around."
"I'll only be a minute –"
"Okay, but I gotta piss," Yosuke said quickly, looking around the washroom as if it were a witness.
"Oh, well," Naoto started, putting the parts down.
"Like –" Yosuke started quickly, as if retracting his statement. "Like, to me – and probably most of the dude who come here – you're one of the guys, and I mostly don't mind, but you're – y'know."
Naoto raised her eyebrow.
"Short on time," Yosuke finished with an awkward, laughing grin. Naoto realised he was trying to mess with her when he burst out laughing at her pinched expression. "Joking, bro, sorry – that one wasn't even that good. Last one, 'kay?"
Naoto glowered and almost took a page out of Kanji's book when Yosuke ushered her out, saying, "Apologise, man. Just like I did."
Naoto escaped her hiding place and knocked on the senpai's classroom door. When she told the teacher she needed to speak with Yukiko – though maybe adding, "for business" was more damage than help – she received a poison-laden glare from Chie and a fair amount of reluctance from Yukiko.
Still, Yukiko stepped out and followed Naoto down the hallway a few steps.
"Amagi-san –" As much as Naoto wanted to ask questions, she reminded herself that friends weren't suspects and conversations weren't interrogations, so she instead – in a moment of recall – bowed and said, "I sincerely apologise for my discourtesy towards you in any way."
Yukiko seemed altogether unable to from words, and, while stammering, lifted Naoto by the shoulders gently. She finally managed to say, "Please, Naoto-kun. I-I should be apologizing."
Naoto lifted herself upright, but Yukiko's hands still lingered as she spoke. "I-I know being nice – no, I mean being friends with people is new to you, and I – I didn't make it any better."
"Amagi –"
"You were stuck at school for so long, and then you got stuck at the inn helping out, and then you got chased around again because Chie got mad at you because of me – oh, I'm such a mess."
"Not at all, Amagi-san," Naoto reassured, but Yukiko dropped her hands, holding her arm in one and looking away.
"I just – to be honest, I don't often 'hang out' with my friends outside of the team meetings either. I always enjoy it, but with the inn and my responsibilities...I've only really had Chie to hang out with outside of – of obligation – " something in the way she said it sounded so insecure " – and it seems the moment someone else tries, it just ends badly."
Naoto would later reprimand herself for not coming up with better words to say. "I always thought these things came easy to you."
To which Yukiko looked wide-eyed at Naoto, then softened. "I guess it's hard to tell with these things."
"I suppose." Although, it gave Naoto a bit of confidence knowing that even the long sought-after Amagi still had trouble when it came to friends.
After a minute of silence, Yukiko blinked as if waking up from a dream. "I didn't actually say sorry yet, did I?"
"It's no matter," Naoto said, tipping the brim of her hat. "Instead, we'll just…work towards making it right."
Yukiko smiled warmly. "I'd like that."
Naoto smiled in turn, then motioned to the classroom door behind them. "Well, I've kept you out of class for long enough."
"And I, you," Yukiko agreed, walking with back with Naoto. "By the way, are you busy at lunch?"
"Not precisely," Naoto said, though her watch project came to mind. "Why?"
"The-ah, the kitchen staff sent you a – a box lunch. To thank you. They say – " Yukiko looked down and almost blushed " – they say very nice things about you."
Naoto, not used to receiving compliments and especially not used to receiving lunch or lunch invitations, pulled her hat down over her eyes and mumbled a quick, "Ah, thank you. I'll pick it up on break."
They both stopped at the door. "And you'll sit with us, right?" Yukiko asked earnestly. Then, with a laugh, "I'll make sure Chie is calmed down."
Hesitating just a moment, Naoto nodded and smiled at Yukiko. "Of course. Although, I'm convinced Chie will devour my lunch as payment for my…cow-ardice."
For a moment, all was still, and Naoto mentally kicked herself for not using any of the better puns she spent the walk over from the boys' room thinking up – inspired by, of all things, Yosuke's incessant quips on her height.
Then, true to her fashion, Yukiko snorted – "snrk!" – but failed to contain her laughing fit.
"C-c-haha, oh, cow-ardice, hahahaha!"
Naoto felt her smile grow before she began to depart, leaving Yukiko to try and compose herself.
People, it seemed, were not always as they appeared.
"Wow, Naoto-kun, you're becoming quite the social butterfly."
"Not at all," Naoto mumbled, feeling her phone vibrate but decidedly ignoring it.
"I dunno," Rise said, in the light-hearted tone of hers. "Yosuke-senpai's been talking about you a lot lately, and Chie-senpai's not trying to kill you again." She gave Naoto an impish smile. "Some people say you've been staying at the inn pretty late, too."
"I've been helping the chefs," Naoto said defensively; she had found she liked occasionally helping out, and it honed her own unused cooking skills.
Rise shrugged. "I know, I know. But even Kanji seems to talk to you more – what about poor ol' Risette?"
"Risette could carry a conversation for a crowd," Naoto said, responding to Rise's pout with a half-smile.
Rise switched into a smile in kind. "Well, it's nice to see you getting along with everyone."
Naoto shrugged, then noticed Rise's eye catch something in the distance. She looked down the empty corridor until she saw Souji walking down the stairs with a curly-haired girl, him presumably carrying her bag.
"Seems like you're not the only one," Naoto barely heard Rise say. She turned to look back at Rise and, for the moment between the blinks, saw the sad eyes of the tofu girl from a few months ago before the stage smile took over. "C'mon, you know Kanji hates sitting in class alone."
But if Naoto kept anything from what she learned over the past few days, it was that people were more than they let on until they started talking about it.
Stopping and turning completely toward Rise, Naoto asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Rise answered nonchalantly, continuing further a bit before stopping and, giving Naoto a blank look, retracted a few steps. "Yeah, I'm fine, totally! C'mon now, don't just stand around."
Naoto almost wanted to leave the subject be – she didn't enjoy confrontation, or even any conversation of that nature – and Rise's bubblegum smile nearly made her do so. But Naoto decided that things could be just like they were with Yukiko: what you see and what you get were often different things.
"We could…talk about it."
Rise's smile faltered for just a beat, like a candle fire near a window. "Talk about what?"
Naoto tipped her head a bit, toward where the shared laughter was coming from.
Rise followed the motion, but only automatically. "Oh, come on, Naoto. Do you seriously want to gossip about Senpai ditching class with a girl? You're better than that."
"Perhaps," Naoto said simply. Then, "Follow me."
When Rise didn't follow her – "Seriously, Naoto-kun, you really don't wanna get caught skipping." – Naoto, in an incredibly bold and sudden motion, grabbed Rise's wrist and pulled her on gently all the way down the stairs.
Rise, for her part, made no objection, nor did she even drop a comment. It may have well been the first time Naoto heard her completely quiet up.
She remained so until Naoto pushed the boys' washroom door open, to which Rise stopped dead and indignantly squeaked, "Naoto!"
Naoto, in turn, looked back and walked right into the door.
With a whimper – honestly, her hat should have absorbed more of that impact than it did – Naoto rubbed her head and gave Rise a questioning look, and Rise replied with a doubly perplexed expression.
"You know, when girls party in the washroom during class, we usually do it in the girls' washroom."
"Well –" Naoto frowned and looked down self-consciously, then pulled her hand away from Rise. " – I just thought – it's usually empty in here."
Rise raised her eyebrows so far they wrinkled her whole forehead. Then, she dropped her head and began to giggle.
Naoto wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not: she hadn't meant to make Rise laugh like she had with Yukiko, but laughter was probably the better outcome. Hopefully.
After a few moments of awkwardly trying to figure out the situation, Rise lifted her head, red in the face from laughing.
"You know," she started, laughter ebbing off, "I always thought you were so composed and put together. Like, 'the Detective Prince is such a cool guy, I bet nothing gets to him'."
Naoto opened her mouth to argue that she was indeed unflappable, but the far-off look in Rise's eye – the sort when someone thinks fondly over an old memory – stopped her.
"But then you were angry and reckless, and then you were a girl, and then you were so withdrawn and-and bad at people, y'know?" She shut her eyes and shook her head. "And now you're trying, but you're still so terrible at getting along and – I dunno, being normal, right?"
Naoto pulled her mouth into a tight frown. Rise sighed.
"Sorry –" and she really did look sorry "– I'm not making much sense, am I? I just – you said to talk, and I just really don't want to talk about Senpai right now."
"Fair enough," Naoto said simply, watching Rise and her misty eyes carefully.
Rise looked around the deserted corridor. "Geez, these hallways are way to empty. No wonder people can just up and ditch, huh?"
Naoto, for the vastness of her vocabulary, couldn't string together a helpful sentence, and for all her intelligence, couldn't think of a way to fix the situation.
Funny, that: a Shirogane who couldn't solve as mundane a puzzle as a sad girl. But then, the last time Rise looked that way, she was standing in a dark corner wearing a plain white apron, and all Naoto thought to do was interrogate her for the sake of a case.
"You've come a long way," Rise finally said, leveling Naoto with a steady, reading look that reminded Naoto that this was the girl who spoke inside their heads when they fought Shadows. "In a good way, trust me."
Naoto nodded, but only managed to say, "We should head back to class."
"'Course," Rise said, nodding back once. She led the way back to class, Naoto following just a bit behind. "So, the boys' washroom: how does that work for you?"
Proceeding on that note, they made their way back to class, Rise carrying most of the conversation while Naoto's mind was preoccupied with trying to calculate just what it took to understand people.
It would take her a lot more than a few weeks of changing dynamics to understand that friendship and fallout and everything in between were more than data and evidence to be analysed.
But when Rise would call her later that day and talk to her straight on until after midnight about all the things on her mind – "What if it's me, or what if it's him, or what if it's just out of our hands? And what really scares me is…what if it isn't?" – Naoto would be one step closer to figuring that out.
"You need to predict my moves well in advance," Naoto advised, moving her knight and locking Yosuke into a checkmate.
"What can I say," Yosuke sighed, shrugging. "My vision's as short as you."
Naoto held back the urge to flip the entire chessboard at Yosuke, and settled for simply muttering, "At least my height has never impeded my ability to outdo you."
"Big talk coming from the Little Detective."
Right then, Naoto conceded to the idea that there were many ways to win different battles.
"You think it's safe to leave yet?" Yosuke asked, still grinning triumphantly.
Naoto shook her head as she began to set the sidelined chess pieces. "Satonaka-san usually takes at least a half hour to tire out."
Yosuke let out an aggravated groan. "Man, that girl has way too many bones to pick."
On this occasion, Chie was out to kick-and-kill both Naoto and Yosuke for switching her Amagi Inn Special Beef Tenderloin-Stuffed Hida Beef with an exact replica made of children's modelling clay.
Chie's eternal love for meat and her week's excitement for the Inn's monthly special considered, it was the perfect setup, and the look on her face when she chomped down on the decoy was akin to biting into an apple and finding half a worm inside.
Consequently, Naoto and Yosuke found themselves hiding out in the boys' washroom playing chess from the set Naoto preemptively stowed there. Yukiko successfully evaded suspicion despite having helped prepare the imitation with Naoto the night before and setting Chie up with the bait, leaving her to spend the half hour rolling up the aisles laughing, so to speak.
"So what're we gonna do to make it up to her?" Yosuke asked, moving his knight illegally.
"You mean our red envelope?" Naoto corrected, as she pointed Yosuke to a possible spot. "A shopping trip, I suppose. I'll cover it."
Yosuke looked at Naoto, wide-eyed. "Dude, that's new. I thought we were just gonna actually make her the beef stuffed beef-beef…stuff."
Naoto shrugged. "Precisely. I thought we could do something different."
Yosuke let out a low whistle. "That's not the only thing that's different." He motioned to Naoto to make her move. "I've noticed prim-and-proper Shirogane's shirt isn't tucked in tight."
Naoto, mid-way through moving a pawn, tugged on her shirt reflexively. "It's a French tuck – Rise-san suggested it."
"Yeah, I figure. But man, first following fashion advice, then a shopping spree?" Yosuke leaned back on his hands. "I'm starting to suspect you might be a girl."
"Nonsense," Naoto said simply. Then, after Yosuke broke into a chuckle, she let out a light laugh as well.
Yosuke shook his head and sat up straight, picking up a pawn. "But seriously, dude. This – this is cool. And I never would've thought you'd be down for all of it. I mean, could you tell me two months ago that you'd team up with Yukiko to prank Chie and then hide with me in the boys' washroom playing chess?"
"Not at all," Naoto said, and suspected it may have been the most honest answer she ever gave.
"See?" He tapped down on Naoto's hat twice, piquing her just slightly. "You're cool. Well – you honestly always were when you weren't stupidly making yourself bait, but now you're cool with me, and with everyone. So – I dunno. That's pretty cool."
And maybe hearing it from Yosuke, or after hearing it from Rise, or just hearing it out loud and outside of her thoughts settled things a bit for Naoto: change was bad, and change was good, and it came without warning.
Sometimes, it all started in the boys' washroom.
Or maybe that only happened to Naoto.
Naoto pushed her hat back up. "If you keep playing like that, we'll go through a hundred games before Satonaka-san's done raging."
Yosuke grinned. "So each round's gonna be almost as short as you?"
And if Yosuke's constant joke-cracking, or cooking with Yukiko and getting hunted down by Chie, or just talking things out with Kanji and Rise and Souji was anything to go by, Naoto knew she still had a long way to go.
The thought made her smile. "Perhaps."
A/N: I blame the lack of Teddie in this on account that he doesn't really attend school with the others. That aside, I'd love to hear what you think!
| Last update: Aug 18, 2018. Changes: structural revision |
| Last update: Sept 25, 2018. Changes: grammar revision |