"Excuse me, Souji-san."

Souji was in the middle of changing his shoes when he saw Naoto approach. He quickly finished putting his school shoes away and turned to face her.

"Hey Naoto, what's up?"

Her brow furrowed. She seemed hesitant, but she finally manage to blurt out, "Do you have time you can spare with me today?"

Souji smiled at her. It was silly that she was so worked up. However, he knew that Naoto had few friends as a child, so something as simple as spending time with him was still a foreign concept to her. As he grabbed his bag from the floor, he spied something in her hand. His eyes widened. It was that strange envelope.

Souji gave a quick nod, "Sure Naoto, I have time. It's about the card, right?"

"Yes, I've opened it and examined it. I would like to discuss some things with you. The flood plains would be a preferable place to talk."

Souji agreed, and they set off. Unlike the last time, however, Souji decided to make the effort to generate small talk, asking her about her day and little things. She answered all of his questions, albeit very tersely and leaving out anything that wasn't essential. Naoto's attitude reminded Souji of his little cousin, Nanako. In the beginning, the young girl had rarely talked to him. However, after he had taken her to Junes during Golden Week, where she had given him the title of "Big Bro", she opened up to him more and more everyday, becoming virtually attached at the hip whenever he spent his evenings at home.

Naoto's never met Nanako, Souji realized. I wonder what Nanako would think of her? She was excited to hear about Naoto coming to Yasogami. Souji chuckled, She took a shine to all of my friends so far. I'm sure Naoto wouldn't be any different.

"What are you laughing about, Souji-san?"

Souji shook his head, "Nothing in particular. And stop being so formal."

Naoto nodded, yet somehow Souji doubted that she would actually listen.

When they arrived at the flood plains, they sat down on the benches. Naoto took out the envelope and pulled out a blank card. She turned it over a few times, likely to make sure there was nothing she missed. She placed it down on the table for Souji to examine. Souji picked it up and stared at the card. Indeed, it was blank. He tried holding it to the light, but no words appeared. Sighing, he placed it down.

"As you can see, there is nothing written on it. It's just a plain white card," Naoto explained, "It does feel a bit stiff, given its thinness. However, without any indication of its contents, I have no idea who sent it." She let out a sigh, "I'd chalk it up as a prank."

"I was kind of hoping for a big mystery." Souji admitted, chuckling.

"One would expect there to be something more than this."

Naoto gave a small laugh. It must have been a disappointment for her, to be given hope of a mystery, only for there to be nothing. And, to an extent, Souji felt let down as well. He had pictured the man to be a rival detective, giving Naoto a formal challenge to see who the better sleuth was. It may have been a romanticized dream, but he had an idea that mysteries were something Naoto thoroughly enjoyed.

The pleasant silence was broken by a ringing. Naoto jumped and reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. She excused herself and opened the phone, turning slightly away from Souji. Souji couldn't make out what was being said on the other line, but he could hear Naoto, and what she said made him worry.

"Yes, it's me"

[…]

"Ahh, Yakushiji-san. What's the matter?"

[…]

"A thief? In the Shirogane estate?"

[…]

"Yes… yes… I see."

[…]

"I don't have anything in that room that I'd miss terribly."

[…]

"Okay… I'll leave the rest to you."

[…]

"As long as Grampa is safe, it doesn't matter. I can't take my eyes off this case yet."

She closed her phone and she stared at it uncertainly.

"Is everything alright?"

Naoto jumped, having momentarily forgotten Souji's presence. She bit her lip and adjusted her hat.

"Sorry. You heard that, correct?"

Souji nodded, and Naoto placed the phone back in her pocket, turning back around to face Souji fully.

"That was Yakushiji, my Grampa's secretary. It appears that someone has broken into the Shirogane estate, my room specifically. Yakushiji-san called to inform me and ask if there was anything of particular value to me that the thief might be after. Several items pertaining to me were also stolen from Grampa's inventory as well. I don't know about those, but my belongings have no sentimental value."

Souji nodded, taking in the information. His eyes fell to the blank card.

"Do you think that this incident is related to the card?"

Naoto nodded, "It might. Why else would I receive such a strange card? If it was, in fact, the same man who broke into my house, maybe he wanted to send a message. A message that he knows where I live and who my friends are."

"You should be careful," Souji added. "If your hunch is correct, and this is a warning, then I don't think that we've seen the last of this guy."

Naoto gave a quick nod, "Yes, of course. Thank you for, um, your consideration. Regardless, we have more pressing matters to attend to."

She let out a shaky breath and rubbed her shoulders. She seemed exceptionally edgy. It was very easy to forget sometimes, but Naoto wasn't just the cool and analytical detective who was trying to solve a murder case. She was a teenage girl whose house was broken into. Everybody wanted to put on a brave exterior for others, but inside, everyone was vulnerable.

"I'm taking you home."

Naoto's head shot up, "What!?"

Souji stood up, "You heard me, I'm taking you home. There's someone here in Inaba who knows who you are and where you live. They might be after you. I need to make sure that you get home safely. You're my friend and you're well-being is important to me."

Naoto looked like she was about to protest, but Souji rounded the table and grabbed her hand. She gave a small squeak at the sudden contact, but she didn't retract her hand. Souji gripped it, and a few seconds later he felt a small squeeze back. He gave her a reassuring smile. A small blush crept onto her face. With her free hand, she reached up and pulled her hat down, covering her eyes.

"Okay, Senpai."

The walk back to Naoto's house was quiet. Naoto led the way, and Souji followed at her side. Souji wanted to give her support, but he knew that he had done all he could for her. She was still very uncertain with the idea of having friends and people who genuinely cared for her. He grimaced. He was worried that in his haste, holding her hand was a bad idea. However, despite her embarrassment, it seemed that the sentiment got through and she accepted it.

After the better part of half an hour, they had made it to the Shirogane Estate. Calling it a mansion was a bit of an overstatement, but it was quite a large bit of property. A large gate separated the estate from the rest of the world. Souji wondered how a thief would even break in.

When they walked up to the door, Naoto turned to face him.

"Souji-san. Thank you."

Souji gave her another smile, "Don't mention it, Naoto. I'll help in any way I can."

She shook her head, "No, that won't be necessary. You've done more than enough, and Yakushiji-san said that the police have been notified. And besides." She reached up for her hat and started to play with it, "I'm not sure how to react to you… err… worrying about me."

Souji gave a weak chuckle and rubbed the back of his head, "Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. It was really sudden and it might have…"

"I appreciate the sentiment," Naoto interrupted. "Just… give me warning next time you're going to grab my hand."

"Sounds fair."

Naoto gave Souji one last look before opening the door and heading inside. Souji stared at the door for a moment before taking a deep breath and blowing it out. He checked his phone and noted the time. He'd promised Nanako that he'd make dinner for her today, and he would have to jog to make it back on time. As he ran back towards the Dojima Residence, he couldn't help but think of Naoto. He felt a tingle on his hand where she had squeezed it, but he chalked it up to the blood pumping and adrenaline washing over him. Still, as he jogged down the hill leading to the center of Inaba, he couldn't help but stare at his hand a couple of times.