Me: Some short oneshot thing… haha.
Disclaimer: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 belongs to Atlus.
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'Pair off… Pair off my ass. Teddie did that on purpose… Tch.'
Kanji kicked a stray pebble as he wandered aimlessly around the Summer Festival, tearing off a chunk of his ikayaki and chewing in frustration. Senpai and Yosuke had run off to help the girls stuck in their situation with Teddie, leaving him alone. So much for building memories or whatever the hell they had been blabbering about a few minutes ago. He tore off another good portion of his ikayaki, his eyes trailing off to the side, but then nearly choked as heat bloomed over his face. It was… bizarre; he didn't understand why that suddenly happened until he took a double take.
Sitting hidden under the shadow of the Shrine and away from the stands was a very petite looking girl. Her head was low and her short, blue hair obscuring her face. Her hands rested neatly upon her lap as her mind must be wandering elsewhere. Besides her appearance, her yukata really caught his eye. Dark blue and embroidered with silver cranes; it wasn't a cheap material either - actually, it looked a few years old. Never worn maybe?
While he stared, he almost failed to notice the girl look up. Those big gray-blue eyes… had he seen her somewhere before? The flush on his face grew darker. He realized the girl, too, was blushing. Quickly, she rose and turned, ready to scurry away.
"Ah…! W-Wait!"
Why did he do that? Oh well, it made the girl stop. Swallowing, he gathered the courage and approached her, looking… down. Damn, she was really short and she looked nervous, shifting on her feet and trying desperately not to wring her hands. He scratched his head with his free hand.
"Sorry. I-I didn't mean to stare… W-What're you doin' all the way over here for anyway?"
"… My Grampa said I should… try to enjoying the festivities. I've never been to a festival; at least, as far as I can remember so…"
"Y-You've never been to a festival?" Kanji's eyes widened. He was surprised as the girl nodded and her gaze drifted to the side. The gruff teen scratched his head again, unsure. The last time he helped a girl with anything was back in primary school and the results were pretty much disastrous. Still, this wasn't primary school and the girl did seem rather distant from everything, almost lonely.
Uhm… w-well maybe he could…
"I-I don't mind showin' ya around… but I get it if you don't wanna. Walkin' 'round with a stranger and all…"
It was a miracle he hadn't passed out yet. His face was on fire and his palms were sweating. He thought he might drop what little ikayaki he had left when she finally spoke up, "Very well. If you really don't mind…"
"Of course I don't mind!" he exclaimed, flabbergasted at her answer. The outburst made the girl jump. Kanji's cheeks just continued to burn, "… S-Sorry. Uh, let's go look at the booths then, or do ya wanna go pray at the offerin' box?"
"Well…"
Kanji's evening significantly improved. When they went their separate ways after leaving the shrine grounds, he briefly wondered if they would meet again. That and he never got her name.
…
"Kanji! Come on!"
"I-I'm comin'! Damn…"
Hurriedly, Kanji picked up his school bag and ran out of class. At the school gate, her blue hair flattened by her usual cap, Naoto Shirogane looked up as Rise raced over. The hyper ex-idol latched her arm around the boyish girl which caused her to flush brightly. Sure, Naoto wasn't wearing a yukata, but Kanji still found her cute when she blushed like that.
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Me: ... Okay, I'm in my happy place.