Yosuke and Kanji were called over to Yu's uncle's house, for what Yu referred to as 'the male brain trust meeting'. He must be in something of a pickle if he decided to call on me and Kanji. More so if he wanted to dedicate one of his summer vacation days just hanging with dudes and not attempting to score with some of the fine ladies around Okina, not that we ever successfully did…
Yosuke met with Kanji outside his family's shop to walk together to Yu's house.
"So, what d'ya think Senpai wants to talk about? he sounded kinda fire and brimestoneish when he called me or at least i got that vibe offa him." Kanji noted. So i wasn't the only one who caught the urgency in his tone and if Kanji, of all people, noticed then it might be more serious than we thought.
"You don't think...it's the TV world again...right? The underclassmans face looked momentarily panicked at Yosuke's suggestion but brushed it off just as quickly.
"Nah, i doubt it. If it were that serious, he'da just told us straight out." Yosuke nodded in agreement; Yu wasn't the type to show when he could just tell.
"Well it must be serious." to which Kanji grunted in agreement.
"So…"
"So?"
"How're things going with Naoto?" Yosuke said in his teasing voice. In traditional Kanji fashion his face started changing color and he was stammering out something akin to a reply. "T-there's nothing to talk about, Damn it! We's just friends is all. And besides she hasn't been in town fa like two months" Yosuke noticed his defensive tone.
'Might as well go all the way with the teasing' "C'mon Kanji, cut the crap, i saw the blush Naoto had after that whole LMB fiasco and she was definitely eyeing you bro." He finished with a stereotypical elbow to the ribs. At this point he was just covering his face to hide the red creeping upon it.
"Why d'ya always gotta bring this up!"
"Kanji, I know none of us have outright said it but let me be the first when i say: Everyone, and i mean everyone, knows you like Naoto." Yosuke said bluntly. "I'm pretty sure your teachers even know." This news was somehow a revelation to Kanji.
"Am i that obvious?"
"Ironically, Not to Naoto. But I'm certain she has no concept of what a crush is even like, she probably thinks she has indigestion for all we know." Yosuke joked.
Kanji faltered for a moment before going on the offensive. "W-well if y-you wanna talk 'bout obvious! What about you and Satonaka Senpai!? You guys fight like a damn married couple!"
What about us, indeed.
The question didn't make Yosuke blush or stammer like a certain kohai but it did give him pause. My 'relationship'- or lack thereof - with Chie was strange. We'd been getting closer in the time after Yu went back home: we'd hung out more often than ever: at Okina, the Samegawa and even Junes and yet It's like everytime we almost have….something..., one us fucks it up, but it's never a light fuck up, it's the type of fuck up where i wonder 'how did i end up saying this?' or when Satonaka messes it up by being inconsiderate, jumping to conclusions or just straight up beating me, at least 80% of the time unwarranted! Yu once said something that really stuck with me:
'You're an ass and she's a hothead; quite literally two sides of the same coin You're made for eachother.'
Yosuke simply shrugged and responded: "What's there to tell? She's just a friend."
"Uh-huh, Sure." Yosuke shrugged again to reinforce his unsure statement. The pair walked in silence the rest of the way. 'One of these days you gotta learn to stop sticking your foot in your mouth.'
The duo finally reached Dojima's house awhile after an awkward tête–à–tête. No sooner than Kanji had hit the doorbell did Yu slide the door open to answer. The sudden opening of the door startled both of the boys. Yu was giving his trademark smile but there was something more to it. His body had a stiffness to it. An untrained eye might miss this but Yosuke would never miss something like this when it comes to his partner.
"Hey, Yosuke! Kanji! sorry i took so long to answer the door." As if in sync Yosuke and Kanji both looked at each other and had very concerned facial expressions. "Come on in guys. Nanako and my uncle went on a day trip, so we got the place to ourselves. Go have a seat and i'll get you some tea. We removed our shoes and took our seats at the small table in the living room. Kanji whispered to:
"It's worse than we thought."
"No kidding. He's tense as hell."
"Well, whatever Senpais problem is I'm sure we can help him through it." Kanji said with a smile. But Yu usually handles his problems alone so if he's come to us he must be between a rock and a hard place. Kanji flipped through the Channels to see if Neo-Featherman was on and Yosuke was looking at his phone considering if he should text Chie an apology. I mean it's not like it was entirely my fault. I saw the lingerie store and figured she'd look nice in something like that and voiced my opinion. Cut to twenty seconds later and I'm an apparent pervert with a hit to the groin. Yosuke could only sigh.
His thoughts were interrupted by a still smiling Yu carrying a tray of mugs. He looked like an outtake from that American film "The Shining." Yu placed our cups on the table and me and Kanji were more than a little disturbed.
"Okay, Partner, you're freaking us out with the whole smiling bit. You've clearly got something on your mind so just cut the act." Like the glasses they wore in the tv world Yosuke was able to see through Yu's facade. Yu deflated at this comment; the smile faded and his shoulders drooped.
"Guys...I messed up." Kanji turned the tv off to focus more intently on what his Senpai had to say. "I'm only telling you this cause you're my best male friends but you have to swear to secrecy." Yu took on his commanding tone at this bit.
"I swear."
"I swear, senpai. But how come you didn't invite Teddy?"
"It's a well known fact that Teddy can't keep a secret. For an example ask Yosuke." a groan escaped Yosuke just thinking about when teddy revealed his stash to his family.
"Right. Didn't Teddy find your Po-"
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh." Yosuke interjected.
"Anyway… There's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it: I'm somehow seeing 2 girls." Silence filled the room. Both friends wide eyed. Yosuke's face couldn't decide on a reaction.
"That's so unfair. I can barely get girls to give me the time of day and you're dating two of 'em! The gods above have truly condemned me."
"Senpai, that's manly an' all but isn't that wrong?" muttered Kanji. A sigh escaped Yu at this comment.
"So, who are the girls?" with his head down, Yu was silent for a second. His silence only stood to make Yosuke nervous and he didn't know why.
"Rise…." their leader started. Saw that coming a mile away. She was always clinging to him, and with her looks he'd have a hard time not liking her.
"And?" the junes worker pressed. Yu was silent and the tension in the room was thick enough to touch. All eyes were on Yu.
"Naoto..." to say shock was plastered on the two boys faces was nothing short of an understatement.
"WHAT!?"
"I'm sorry, Kanji it's true, I'm in love with her." Yu said seriously. Kanji could only stare at his Senpai in shock not knowing what to do or say. Yosuke couldn't believe his best friend would be so cruel, he knows how Kanji feels about her. Kanjis eyes were Saucers and his mouth was agape not believing what he heard and not knowing what to say. Yu just gave him a serious glare indicating he was serious
But suddenly Yu broke his stoic countenance and subsequently bursted into laughter. "The-the look on your face!" Yu stated through his laughter. "Kanji, I'd never do that to you. I know what you feel for the girl." That was the Partner Yosuke knew: Super noble and always putting others ahead of himself.
Kanji wanted to be mad but he could only feel a deep respect for his senpais statement. Kanji simply tried to play it off.
"Oh. Ha. Ha." The wannabe punk took his seat and concealed his rosey cheeks.
"So if the other girl isn't Naoto then who is it?" Yosuke questioned.
"The other girl is actually Marie."
At his partners admission Yosuke felt a wave of relief. 'Wait. Why the hell am i relieved?' In the back of his mind, Yosuke knew the answer but refused to confront that reality.
"So why are you telling us? Just dump one of 'em and be done with it." Yu looked at Yosuke as if he had 2 heads and considering the things they've seen it was a peculiar look on Yu's face.
"I can't handle that kind of stress. I know i have to but I'm gonna hurt someone's feelings no matter what." Yu put his head on the small table. Yosuke had never seen his partner stressed like this before; Yu was the definition of calm and collected and here he sat stressing over something so…. non-supernatural. "And what's worse is Rise is taking a few days to visit Inaba for the upcoming summer festival and she's coming sometime this week, So i can't put this off, and to top it all off on this cake of despair, Marie is also going to be there but i have no idea when she's coming." Yosuke had been so busy with work he'd completely blanked on the festival. we're gonna go as a group but nobody wants to go to those things without a date.
"Senpai, you can't lead 'em on like that. S'not right, y'know?"
"I always admired how despite not being the most articulate of our group you're the one who knows how to say what you want to say best." A smile beamed from Yu to Kanji leaving Kanji, again, blushing.
"Oh, I know!" The Junes worker started, "How about you make a pros and cons list?"
"Isn't that a little….demeaning? People ain't as simple as what's good and bad about 'em." Kanji said hesitantly scratching the back of his neck.
"Nonsense. If Yu can't decide with feelings, Let's decide with facts!"
Yu nodded as if Yosuke had revealed some hidden truth. "I'm gonna get some paper."
