"It's hot out here. I love summer as much as everyone else, but this is getting ridiculous. Do you mind if I get something to drink at your place before I go back home, Kanji-kun?" The silver-haired young lady scowled a little at the blazing sun as she and her underclassman made their way toward his home.
Before Kanji could respond, a pair of uniformed police officers stopped them. "Kanji Tatsumi, and your friend too. Perfect timing; we were looking for you. You're going to need to come with us for a while." The officers wore unpleasant expressions, not unusual for dealing with Kanji, but their words instantly roused his ire.
A voice like ice cut through the air as the girl in the Yasogami uniform stepped forward, flicked a stray curl of hair from her face, and fixed the officers with a piercing gaze. "I'm sorry, but do you have a warrant? I was under the impression that one of those was needed to make an arrest if there isn't a crime currently being committed, and seeing as my uncle is a member of the police department, I think I'd know." Despite keeping a calm and even tone to her voice, the glint to her steely eyes indicated her displeasure just fine.
"S-Smooth, Yuuna-senpai…" Kanji muttered, defused a bit by Yuuna's coldness on his behalf.
The officers returned Yuuna's glare before one of them nodded. "Ah, I see. So you're in cahoots… We've received a tip that you've been threatening a child at the hill and the flood plain."
Yuuna scowled and clapped her palm against her forehead, shaking her head in frustration as Kanji thought for a moment before remembering. "Oh. Him."
"Hmph, no sign of remorse either. You two are going to have to come down to the station with us now." The officers took a step forward, only to have their trains of thought derailed by a small boy running up to the two students.
The boy stopped and looked between the cops and their targets, then addressed Kanji. "Oh, hi! You're the man from the other day!"
"Ah, perfect timing. Did this man ask you for anything? For instance, did he claim to have lost his money?" One of the officers addressed the child, prompting a very uncharacteristic angry snap from Yuuna.
"What are you telling that kid? What kind of cop are you?!" The high school girl's tirade was cut short by the child promptly offering Kanji money, making the situation even worse. It was around that time that she dearly wished she could call on Kohryu outside of the TV.
The kid didn't seem to notice the tension, or maybe ignored it, and instead continued talking to Kanji. "Oh, but I came to give you the cookies Mom baked as thanks! I was gonna sneak in and leave them at Tatsumi Textiles, but you're right here, so…" He reached into his pocket and held out a plastic bag of homemade cookies, causing the police to look confusedly at one another.
Yuuna's expression of annoyance turned to a satisfied smirk at the puzzled looks, her voice airy as she said, "Tell her thanks for us, kid. I think Kanji-kun's a little tongue-tied right now. Maybe this would be a good time to advertise your talent, Kanji?"
Nodding as he understood his senpai's words, the rough first-year turned to the officers. "Yeah, I made these little dolls for him, plus some more for his mom. There were eight of 'em at the end." The scoffing directed at him didn't faze him in the least, as he continued, "You don't believe me? Like I care, I'm used to being pointed at. But the important thing is, I ain't gonna make this kid or Senpai a liar! You want me to teach you how to make 'em?! They're so cute, they'll give you diabetes!"
Bewildered by the sudden barrage of very un-Kanji talk directed at their ears, the police barely regained their wits in time to notice Kanji's mother asking what exactly was going on. "W-Well, ma'am, we heard your son had been threatening a child…"
"No, not Kanji. He may be short-tempered and stupid sometimes, but he's a good child at heart. Why, just the other day he showed me his dolls and let me put them up for sale…" Yuuna and Kanji noticed a satisfied smile barely forming on Mrs. Tatsumi's lips as the officers stepped back, muttered an apology, and retreated.
There were a few moments of silence before Kanji asked, "Ma… You'd believe me over the police?"
"Of course. A mother knows her child better than any other. Now don't eat too much, dinner is in a few hours." Her smile more obvious, the older woman left with her son slack-jawed and his senpai smirking.
Yuuna placed a hand on Kanji's shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. "You're really pretty cool, Kanji. Keep that up and I might just fall for you." Her teasing tone and smile indicated that she was joking, but Kanji turned a bit red regardless. "So, can I get that drink before I go?"
"Uh, yeah. You can hang out if ya want, but I know you've gotta be busy…" That disarming smile stopped him, and he felt his senpai grasp his arm as they headed inside and out of the summer heat.