Spoilers: Usual Naoto spoilers, post September.
Always speak a true word
When he realizes she's a girl, he doesn't know how to react. She's just in front of them and she doesn't freak out. She keeps her composure and he's impressed. Kinda. Then of course she loses it and they have to fight her shadow so he doesn't have time to think anymore, but still.
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She asks to join the team a few days later. It's only natural and it shouldn't make him smile that way.
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When they meet up at Junes, they tell her everything. Yosuke doesn't speak much, though. Too busy looking at her. There, was her voice more high-pitched than usual? She seems so small. And could it be… breasts? Nah, it has to be his imagination going wild. But if he bends his head this way and blinks just a little, then…
"Senpai? You alright?" Kanji asks.
Yosuke mumbles something that nobody understands and decides to call it a day.
.
Even when they're fighting into the TV, it's not as it used to be. He keeps looking at Naoto and he feels like some sort of creep. Souji asks him if everything's alright and man, you have to pull yourself together, y'know? Yosuke tells him he gets the picture and thanks him.
"It won't happen again, partner. Promise."
Souji nods but he doesn't buy it.
.
Yosuke often jokes by telling her she looks cute when she is angry and that sort of things. Truth is, he means it but he couldn't look her straight in the eyes and tell her he's serious; people could get the wrong idea. Plus, it's not like he has a crush on her or something. He's not Kanji, thank you very much.
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He meets her by chance a few days later, though, after school. She seems tired so he goes to talk to her.
"What's up, Naoto-kun? You look pretty beat today!"
"Oh, it is you," she answers in her typically Naoto-way.
"Yeah. So. Did something happen?"
"Well, something bothers me with the case Senpai and I have been working on." Senpai being Souji, of course. The lucky bastard. "However, this is none of your concern. Now please, if you would excuse me."
Yosuke frowns. He doesn't like to take a step aside.
"Hey. W-wait!" he says.
"Yes?" Naoto looks up and she doesn't hide that she is bored.
He wants to say he'd like to help but the words don't come out. He's boiling and he doesn't even exactly know why.
"I-I think you're beautiful!" he blurts.
They both blush but he does not see the red on her cheeks. He has already started to run away.
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hey naoto, srry about wat i sed earlier, dunno wat i wuz thinkin
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She ignores his text but comes to see him during lunch break the next day.
"What is this?" she asks while taking her phone out of her pocket.
"Huh, I didn't mean to-"
"To what?" Souji interrupts with a smile.
"None of your business! I'm sorry partner, I'll let you in another time!"
Yosuke leads Naoto out of the room, leaving a very puzzled Souji behind them. He sighs, half-relieved, but then Naoto coughs and he notices he's holding her hand.
"Well?"
He quickly steps aside and thinks that he could as well die, right here.
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WE HAVE 2 TALK. PLZ MEET ME 2MORROW IN FRONT OF THE SHRINE.
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She's already there when he arrives the next day.
"Good afternoon," she greets him.
He nods and tries to look cool, keeps his hands in his pockets. For a moment, he thinks she's almost smiling but that can't be true, of course. It's Naoto we're talking about.
She doesn't exactly act like he expected her to do, however. She said she wanted to talk, right? Well, she certainly doesn't seem so anymore: she comes closer and looks up to him and she's so close it is embarrassing. Like, even more embarrassing than just meeting her on a Sunday afternoon.
She's at least as red as him, though. It's kind of comforting, if he overlooks the way she looks at him. She's practically staring.
"So…" he tries.
"So?"
She gets up on her tip-toes but he's the one to kiss her.