"I love you."

A shy smile crossed Naoto's face as she gazed up at Souji from under the brim of her cap. Souji blinked in surprise at the sincerity in her tone, but was further thrown off by the affectionate tinge in her eyes. The stare was quickly broken, however, as her blush deepened and her gaze shot down, and her hands tightened their grip on her knees. "I...I-I-I'm sorry. I just feel…my face feels really warm right now." Souji's face softened as she took a breath to calm down, but her face was still a light pink. Raising his hand, he gently lifted her chin so that her face was staring into his, then he shifted his grip to press his palm to her forehead. The action forced him to brush some of her hair up, and Naoto felt her cheeks heating up again as the last options she had to hide her face were gone. "S-Senpai…?"

"Hm…you don't have a fever. That's good, but…never mind."

Souji removed his palm and brushed some of her hair down so it hid her eyes a bit. Smiling softly, he caressed her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. Wow…she never looked like this in public. She…she looks…so cute. "Senpai?"

"Oh, er…sorry. I-"

"No, i-it's not that. Really." To prove her point, she clasped her right hand over the one that was still on her cheek, squeezing lightly. "I…I'm going to make a statement. I have no clue what to do from here…"

"You're not used to it, either."

"Indeed…you're my first b-…boyfriend. Do you have a concept of what to go on now?"

"Well…" Souji had a sheepish smile on his face as he continued, "I'm as lost as you are." Naoto raised a curious eyebrow at that. "O-oh. I apologize I just assumed that…I'm not sure what I was expecting, if I'm being honest. Normally, I'm able to deduce the next step in investigations, but when it comes to this…"

"That's alright. I…I think I have some notion of what to do."

"Ah…that's good. I'm in your hands, then."

Slowly nodding, Souji took her left hand in his, squeezing softly to calm her as she froze up. He looked into her eyes to scan for any sign of regret, but was stunned to see the amount of passion in her gaze. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in closer and half-closed his eyes. Naoto had by now clocked onto what his intentions were, and mimicked what he was doing. Their hearts both started beating faster, until…

Souji gently pressed his lips to hers, lacing his right fingers with her left. Their eyes shut at the same time, and he mused at the sensation of how she felt, mulling over the faint taste of the California Rolls they had shared a few hours ago. His right arm snaked around her waist to pull her closer, but Naoto shifted her body so that Souji's back was against the armrest of the couch, and she was perched just above his lap. W-whoa…is she…taking charge? Souji held back a gasp as she put her palms against his chest to stabilize herself, so he wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her closer, tightening the embrace as Naoto mewled in approval. They broke the contact for a few seconds to catch their breath, but as their eyes met again Souji took her chin in a weak grip as he leaned up to kiss her again. This time, the gesture lasted for less time, and the need to breathe was dominant for the time being. Naoto sat back on his thigh as she met his stare again, as both their looks held a pang of loving devotion. They both sighed as they echoed, "Wow."

Souji had a kindly smile on his face as he gently pulled her down to rest against him. His smile grew a bit at how snug she felt when pressed flush against him as he began, "So, that was a little surprise."

"U-um…I apologize, I just was…I don't understand, but I felt a voice in the back of my mind, and I sort of…lost control."

"Don't be sorry. There's a cuter side to you, isn't there?"

"Senpai! I-I-"

Souji nuzzled against the top of her head a bit apologetically. "That's not something to be embarrassed about. It's just us here." The couple relaxed as Souji took off her cap, placing it on his desk, and began softly stroking her hair with the same hand. Naoto herself was a bit jolted by the gesture, but as she acquainted herself the sensation of his fingers running through her locks, she couldn't find a solid reason to object. As she shut her eyes, she snuggled against him a bit more. "Senpai?"

"Hm…?"

"Um…I…" She hesitated as her blush returned with a vengeance. "Can you…kiss me again?" Souji opened his eyes again to look down at her, and was surprised to see a small level of pleading reflected in her stare. "You…want to do it again?"

"Umm, i-if you don't mind. Your displays of…affection are going to occur more frequently, and I want to try and get used to it..." She looked up up him through the hair covering her eyes. "Or…could it be that you don't want to?"

Souji felt his heart catch in his throat as he struggled to find a response, but the way Naoto was looking at him combined with the position they were in made it hard to deny her wants. Smiling lovingly, he strengthened the grip around her waist, eliciting a soft cry from her, then pulled her in to kiss her again. Naoto's senses were dashed over as she slowly closed her eyes and melded into the sweet embrace.

Ha…incredible. This sensation is…new, but it is…it's...mmm…