Souji's phone rang as he finished washing the dishes from breakfast. The better part of last night was taken up by chats with Dojima and games with Nanako, before the elder detective decided it would be beneficial for the family to get some rest. Turns out, it was a solid plan. But that didn't mean that his morning would be free either. Not that he would complain at the chance to catch up with the denizens of his home away from home. He had taken a seat at the kitchen table at Dojima's insistence to let him uphold his tradition of brewing the coffee.

"Still take it black?"

"Of course. I haven't changed much since I left. Everyone else on the other hand…"

"You make it sound like I'm getting old."

"Was I not obvious enough?"

Dojima turned to look at Souji, who held the stare with a stoic face. It didn't last long, as the two burst into laughter after a second or two. "Yeah…you haven't changed much. Still a brat."

Handing the teen his cup, the elder detective took a seat across from him. "So what's Nanako up to?"

"Hmm? Oh, she wanted to stay at her friends' house for the rest of the week. I'm…going to be working late again today and tomorrow, so it'll be up to you to watch the house. Sorry."

"No need to apologize. Work is work. I may as well earn my stay here."

"Souji…what you did to patch up the family when you first came here is more than enough to welcome you here with open arms. You live here, so you can do what you like."

"You don't think I'll trash the place…?"

Dojima gave Souji a look as if he was crazy. "Course not, kiddo. You've proven you're responsible enough to not do anything stupid. Feel free to invite your friends…" The look turned mischievous as he grinned. "Or you can invite your girlfriend over. Just don't make too much noise. I don't want the neighbors complaining to me the next morning." Dojima's grin grew wider as Souji blushed and looked down into his cup. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. I gotta go. Take care of yourself, ok kid?"

"Yeah…alright. Stay safe out there."

"…Yeah. See you later, Souji."

As his uncle shut the door behind him, Souji drained the last of his coffee as he made his way to the fridge. Couldn't hurt to make a meal for the two of them when they get back… He was mildly surprised that there wasn't some type of abomination that he felt the urge to eat as he opened the door, but was bemused at the almost empty contents of the various drawers and shelves. Looks like Junes is going to be my savior again… Grabbing the spare keys, he locked all the doors and hopped on his scooter to speed up the trip.

✨ During Souji's period of gallivanting through the Junes grocery department and he was ready to head home. Unfortunately for the stomachs of his uncle and Nanako, his friends wouldn't let him go that easily.

"Yo! Souji!"

"...Oh. Hey, Yosuke."

"Still adjusting to being back in Inaba?"

"After all the times you saw me sprinting around the town, I'd be hard-pressed to forget the exact layout of everything."

"Right, right. Anyway, I think I got a window for when we can manage the big trip. How's the coming weekend sound?"

"I'm free on the weekends."

"Just the weekends?"

"Well...I've been taking up some of my old part times. There's some people around town who remember me with fresh favors to be fulfilled."

"You know you don't have to maintain the 'Legend of Inaba' routine..."

"But alas, aside from the perks of having a girlfriend, this town is still as idyllic as ever. Gotta make do."

"Yeah...but you don't see me getting cuddly with Chie after work."

"You must be sad that you can't without puppy eyes."

"Well...uh..."

"Bullseye."

"Shut up. Are you free for the rest of the day?"

"Well...I was gonna make dinner for Dojima and Nanako but...I have time for now."

"That's great! You wanna get the rest of us to grab a bite to eat?"

"I have a better idea. I have some extra groceries here...we can head to my place. I'll make some brunch for the group."

"...A-are you an angel of food? That's a great idea! Let me just check with the manager to let him know my shift is ending early today."

"...Is that okay to do?"

"Probably. Don't sweat the details!"

"Whatever you say, Junes."

✨ A good half hour later, and the renewed Investigation Team was conversing in the living room of the Dojima household. Souji was in the kitchen, adamantly refusing any help from Chie, Yukiko, and Rise for fear of them morphing his food into a new, over-spicy variant of Mystery Food X. Naoto had been upstairs for a while, after Souji had discreetly mentioned he had a special gift for her on his desk. As he was pondering what was taking her so long, he heard soft footsteps, and upon looking to the stairs he beheld Naoto clutching something to her chest as she made her way to a chair close to him at the table. As he set aside some of the dishes he had readied, he let the stove continue its work as he turned to Naoto. "Judging by the look on your face, I assume you found the gift...?"

He was answered with a quick nod and a smile. "When could you have acquired a signed copy of the latest book? The author doesn't do signings anymore..."

"True...but I didn't get that at a signing. I just so happen to be friends with said author. Since I moved back to the city, there were a few people who needed someone's help. I was there, so I helped."

"You're capabilities never cease to amaze, Senpai."

"I just give everything 110 percent, like always."

"The students at the school look after the example you set. Now the test scores are higher than ever."

"That's good to hear. I assume you're keeping up with your own studies?"

Rolling her eyes at the mock strict tone Souji took, she smiled wryly at him. "If the schoolwork gets any easier, I'll have to take on some kind of job outside detective work."

"That's my Naoto. Anyway, if you're done admiring the book, would you mind trying this?"

Naoto looked up to see that Souji was holding a fresh California Roll with a pair of chopsticks, with one hand floating underneath to catch it just in case, complete with soft smile on his face. Naoto raised an eyebrow quizzically as she tried to discern whether Souji was joking around, but as always, his eyes betrayed nothing. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she decided, leaning forward a bit to accept the sample. Souji's smile grew as she looked down with closed eyes and chewed reflectively. Looking up again, she smiled with sparkling eyes as she quickly nodded her approval of his cooking. Unbeknownst to them, their interactions caught the attention of a few of their friends, who decided not to interrupt them.

"Man...he really is a lucky bastard, huh?"

"Yeah...they seem so perfect together."

"So when do ya think we're gettin' our food?"

"Zip it, Moronji!"

By now, the couple featured in the conversation had turned to see the anarchy that was beginning to unfold in the living room. As Naoto began to voice her concern to Souji, she was silenced by a finger to her lips as Souji shook his head. Taking the finished dishes to the short table in the living room, he set them down quietly before making his way back to the kitchen. Naoto had her head cocked to the side in curiosity at his behavior until she saw him pick up some smaller plates for the two of them and some extra platters of food Souji made specially for the two of them. They smiled at each other, and after a quick "Itadakimasu", they were happily dining on their lunch, blissfully ignorant of the scene happening about 5 feet away.

"Naoto?"

"Yes?"

"Would you mind coming over to spend the night after the trip? We should catch up without..." He waved his hand absently at the living room. "...this. I have another little surprise for you as well."

"But of course, Senpai. I would be glad to."

Souji smiled again, and offered more California Rolls to the detective sitting across from him.