"So where is he?" Kanji and Chie had stalked down far too many aisles in their pursuit of possible free food. Yosuke, who must have sensed the impeding danger, had seemly made himself scarce. As a result, the colossal tailor was starting to believe the exercise was a waste of time.
"How should I know," the girl shrugged, "I'm not his keeper." She was cheerily bobbing alongside him, her own conviction intact despite her student's dwindling interest.
"Coulda fooled me." His comment earned him a surprisingly painful slap to the back of his head. He angrily snapped it to his side, loudly complaining, but on the way however, a flash of cobalt caught his eye. That shade looks familiar… Putting his anger to one side, he peered closer. Oh, hell no. There was Naoto, apparently oblivious to his presence, listening intently to what looked like… Yosuke-senpai?! A swift pang of jealously flipped his stomach as quickly as he dismissed it. It was… What's a Naoto word for that... Irrational! He doubted she would really go for that guy, or any guy really, which, while a big problem for him in a single, obvious way, was also a massive relief in others. No, the current problem was that she was here, right now, completely out of the blue, appropriately enough for her wardrobe. Kanji was never prepared for their encounters in the truest sense, but at least he could set aside ten minutes to make sure he wasn't too affected by the head rush or hyperventilation. Without that, there was the ever present possibility of fainting, puking, or generally humiliating himself. At this point, running away seemed like the sensible option. There are bushes on the bottom right? I can make that jump…
He registered a faint tapping on his forehead. "Uhh, Kanji? You there?" Chie was tilting her head, and looking over her friend's features with genuine concern. "Didn't think I hit you that hard…"
He slowly raised his hand and pointed to the duo at the table, mumbling "Naoto."
"Is it?" Chie squinted. "Oh yeah, so it is! Yosuke too! Hey," she beamed brightly, "We can get the Junes boy to buy steak for all three of us!"
"Like some sorta date?"He was whispering, suddenly afraid of being the detective noticing his existence. "I ain't ready for that man."
Her response to his worried tone was quizzical expression. "Didn't you say you went to Aiya's with her? That sounds like a-"
"It wasn't a date!" I think. It didn't say as much on the invitation he sent her anyway, and he figured that was important detail. "Maybe we should go; they look like they're busy…"
Her giant of a friend being reduced to a scaredy-cat so easily amused Chie to no end. But she was his sensei now, albeit in a limited capacity, and she knew what had begun as some familiar low level blackmailing in the pursuit of delicious meat had developed into a situation, one she had to coach her apprentice through, and by god, she'd do herself proud. "Come ooon, Kanji-kun," She said teasingly, "You aren't scared of an itty-bitty detective prince, are you?"
He glared back furiously, his cheeks already considerably reddened. "It's almost like you weren't listening at the goddamn river!"
"But just think," Chie began, draping an arm over his shoulders, "It's perfect! Sitting outside in this wonderful weather, sun shining, perfectly catching the form of the beautiful, firm, succulent, delicious-"
"Uh, Senpai?" He looked at her strangely, and ever so slightly scared. "You ain't talkin' about Naoto, are ya?" God I hope not.
"N-no!" She removed the arm and used it to wipe some drool from the corner of her lips. It was hard to stay on task when the dream of steak was becoming so tangible she could already taste it. "But you can't live in fear of ever talking to her! This is exactly what we talked about, push through it!"
Her words struck so true he could only squirm. "But it's haaaard…"
The martial artist stamped her foot hard on the concrete floor, and produced an expression she hoped was on the more motivating side of menacing. "Kanji Tatsumi, you go over there and get us some free steaks this minute!" The sudden silence in the bustling food court told her she had been louder than she thought.
This caught the attention of Naoto and Yosuke. She had just raised the point on how his father's plans to diversify the stock of the store could clash with the overall vision of the Junes brand, but the noisy, almost screeching sound interrupted them. Turning their attention to its source, they were both surprised to see a sheepish Chie and a mortified Kanji, the latter of which throwing them a helplessly meek wave. Naoto felt a peculiar wave of nausea. Kanji-kun? Why is he here? Damn it all, I was not prepared for such an encounter… Her thoughts whirled dumbly through her brain until they settled on one disturbing problem. The magazines. Hell.
As she struggled with her currently compromising position, Kanji was dragging the slightly shaken Chie to their table by the scruff of her arm. Least I waved, right? Means I played it cool… Of course he wasn't convinced of that one bit, forcing a small smile in greeting to the seated pair. "H-hey guys. What brings you he-" He paused. "Are those magazines?"
Drat. The detective had attempted to shove all the publications off of the surface to be hidden underneath the table, to the raising of Yosuke's eyebrows, but a couple stray issues remained in plain sight. "Hello, Kanji-kun, Chie-senpai. I was having a discussion on the economic aspects of the running of the store with Yosuke-senpai." Deflection can work real wonders, she reminded herself.
The tall blonde shrugged, plonking himself down across from her side of the table, with Chie following suit. "Oh, thass' cool. And the magazines?"
Why is he so persistent?! Surprisingly, it was Yosuke who answered the question. "They were there when we got here. Kinda stupid people will buy this stuff and just throw it away right?" His assistance was appreciated, but entirely unexpected. She turned to him with an odd expression, which he returned in kind with his own. They seemed to reach some kind of understanding, but Naoto was doubtful they were truly on the same page.
The two newcomers were oblivious of the pair's non-verbal communication. "Right…" Kanji agreed, absentmindedly grabbing the magazine closest to him, and started flicking through its pages.
Chie was fidgeting too, and felt the need to say something. "So, do you usually read this type of thing, Kanji-kun? They seem pretty dull if you ask me…"
The tailor looked up, a small part of him wanting to outright deny the claim and start yelling about something different. But he'd outgrown that. "A little I guess. Some people come to the store and ask for dresses n' stuff that are pretty much what's in here. Helps being ahead of the curve is all." He returned to the photos on the paper and grimaced. Though anyone asks for THAT and I'm throwin' 'em out the door.
Naoto nodded with a reserved enthusiasm. "Smart thinking, Kanji-kun." It pleased her to no end whenever he demonstrated a flash of real intelligence, real proof of his defiance to the expectations of those around him, all the while raising her own opinion of the hulking blonde.
"Hey, that is pretty clever," Chie concurred, realising that it wouldn't be amiss to big up his student in front of the object of his affections. "You've really got those street smarts nailed, Kanji-kun!"
The unexpected complements gave Kanji a nice feeling, however odd and forced it was in the case of Chie's delivery. "Its nothin', got a job to do, right?" Looking closer at the magazine however, ignoring Yosuke's rolling eyes, he frowned. "Uh, that's weird; someone's cut pieces outta it."
Naoto tensed, and Yosuke once again quickly covered her. "Hahaha, yeah that is weird, like, super weird. Weird, freaky weird." He winked to his side to blushing Naoto, and clapped his hands. "Anyway, what were you yelling about back there Chie? I heard the word 'steak'," he groaned, "but everything else was incomprehensible."
"Oh! Yeah!" She pointed an accusing finger. "You owe me money, but because I'm sooo generous, I'll let you buy us all steaks instead!"
She relaxed into her seat smugly, crossing her arms, while Yosuke grimaced in disgust. "DUDE. That's totally not equivalent, like, AT ALL!"
The sliver of evil in Chie's smile was just enough to make Kanji feel guilty for even being associated with her ploy for food. In hindsight, partaking in an operation that was essentially blackmail was not particularly noble. Adding the fact that Naoto was here to watch and maybe even judge them, he found himself regretting accepting her offer. The carnivore herself however shared none of his remorse, almost gleeful. "Tough luck, you should've paid me back earlier. The debtor has spoken!"
"That's completely-" He stopped suddenly, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. "Wait a second…" It shot right back up, as he yelled incredulously, "Hey! I did pay you back!"
"What?! No you didn't!" To Chie's credit, she was genuinely surprised, a fact plainly obvious to Naoto. Casually observing their exchange, she deduced that there were only two possibilities, Yosuke did have a debt to repay, or Chie was manufacturing such an event in an attempt to fleece the boy's pocket. But evidence was scarce. More information was needed.
"That's bull! Last week, remember? I found you on the roof and gave you the money." He winced. "Then you kicked me in the nads for paying it back a couple days late…"
Interesting… Yosuke was telling the truth, the specificity in his account and his overall demeanour matched this. But they couldn't both be correct; her two theories directly contradicted one another. But they can both believe they are correct. During her thoughts, they were both still arguing, somehow dragging their mother's into matters as far as she could tell, whilst the blonde boy across from her meekly kept his eyes glued to his magazine. She found it ironic how, in the past, he would jump in to create pointless conflicts with those around him, but now, with one between his friends right in front of him which he could positively try an defuse, he kept out of it. A Shirogane, however, finds a resolution. "Senpai," She began, addressing the two of them. Neither noticed, too focused on hurling insults at one another. She raised her voice. "Senpai?" Again, she was ignored. Irritated now, she tried increasing the volume. "Sen-"
"SHADDUP WILL YA?" Kanji had noticed her vain attempts to interject, which made sense, seeing as she was constantly in possession of his attention. To Naoto's annoyance, the arguing 'couple' clammed up immediately. How she longed to have that kind of definite presence. There was a reason I masqueraded as a man for so long after all…
"Thank you, Kanji-kun." He bashfully went back to reading. She wasn't going to go down old roads. Right now, she had a mystery to solve. "Both of you believe you are in the moral right here, correct?"
They both nodded. "Well obviously, she's the one trying to scam me!"
Naoto raised a hand to cut off Chie's imminent eruption of anger. "Well, you obviously have different stories. Yosuke, why don't you begin?"
The boy wrinkled his nose. "There's no story to tell. I borrowed some cash of her to get a CD, and I paid her back for that. That's that, end of."
"Uuugh, that's not it!" The green clad girl narrowed her eyes. "You paid me back for that CD, but you still owe me for the lunch last month, a bunch of DVDs, some weird manga you wouldn't shut up about, some sneakers you swore you needed to fight the shadows…" She carried on listing off miscellaneous items, the sound of her foot tapping becoming more intense as the size of the list grew.
Naoto gave Yosuke a sideways glance, dumbfounded at how many worthless possessions he had apparently collected. "Senpai, why in the world have you found need for so much, well, frankly, junk? The debt you have amassed must be quite substantial…"
"Hey, there's just a lotta stuff a guy like me takes an interest in. I'm a renaissance man!" The detective remained unimpressed. "Eh, whatever," he threw up his hands, "All that stuff is way less embarrassing than your feathermen collection."
How does he know about that?! Her eyes lowered, and her entire body slumped. Oh right. Damn my shadow-self… "I'll have you know the monetary value in those figures…"
Yosuke waved her off. "Yeah yeah yeah." He diverted his attention back to Chie for a second, who was impressively still going through her list. "Man, I didn't think I borrowed off of her that much…"
"It's entirely nonsensical," Naoto scoffed, "As far as I am aware, she remains unemployed, whilst you constantly remind us of the hours you slave in the store."
"It's not that crazy. My dad's weird about when he gives me my paycheck, and then Teddie somehow manages to take half of it."
"But Teddie is employed here as well…"
Yosuke shook his head solemnly. "His expenses are something best left to the imagination. The minute he found out about online shopping…" He shuddered. "I asked once. Never again."
"So you just let him have free reign over your finances?"
"I have to. Tell him off for it and he starts bawling, and my parents still think he's an exchange student, so I have to be 'extra accommodating'."
Naoto smirked. "Situations like yours remind me how wonderful it is to live alone."
Yosuke scratched his ear. "Man, moving out is gonna be so-"
"ARE YOU GUYS EVEN LISTENING?" Chie found herself on her feet, palms slammed against the table, face red, breathing deeply.
Nobody could think of any immediate response, one that wouldn't incur the girl's infamous wrath at the least. Kanji braved the waters. "Uh, sorry… the winter styles this year are looking…" He couldn't think of any meaningful comments, the clothes were all so bland.
The brunette patted the air, like you would to calm a rabid beast. "Chill, sure we were. I've definitely paid you back for all those though… Ninety nine percent of it at least!"
"What about that one percent though," Chie seethed, frowning, "I'm sure you owe me something."
"Senpai, there is a simple solution." She looked between them both pointedly. "Chie-senpai, do you have any physical record of any of the transactions between yourself and Yosuke?" The older girl's posture slackened as she looked to the floor. "With no contract, or proof, he legally can't be held accountable. You could try a small claims court, but they would come to the same conclusion. You are owed nothing."
"Naoto-kun…" She lowered herself back into her seat. If she was going to be a cop, she had to believe the law would always win, even when it was against her.
Yosuke, legally in the clear, whooped, raising a hand for a high five from his impromptu lawyer. When it wasn't reciprocated, he turned to smirk at Chie. "Well that blew up in your face."
She shook her fist angrily. "That doesn't mean this is over!"
He suddenly started laughing. "Is that why you brought the big guy along?" He gestured to Kanji, who had finally thrown the trashy magazine away. "Hired muscle? Were you going mafia style, getting protection money?"
"Hell no!" Kanji was tired of having a thuggish image, and being in front of Naoto only made him touchier about it. "We were just hanging out when she had the idea."
"Ooooh, hot date?" Yosuke's comment stirred an uncharacteristic twinge in the blue haired detective. Was that… Jealousy? Such an irrational emotion is unbecoming…
The pair on the other side of the table blushed considerably. "Of course not you pervert!" Chie exclaimed indignantly. "We were training actually. Something you should probably start doing if you want to bag a 'hot date'." The last two words were spoken with a mocking, overly masculine voice.
He looked down to his thin arms. "Ouch. Quit it with the personal attacks. Whaddya you know about dating anyway?"
She raised her eyebrows. "More than you, doofus."
"You've never even been on a date!" He snorted.
Kanji and Naoto both gave each other a look. This was starting to turn ugly. "That's beside the point!" Chie was beginning to heat up again, but she began to simmer, and a lump of bile rose up in her throat. "Actually, I have been on a date."
"Oh yeah? Who with?"
"You." He almost fell out of his chair, while the other two pairs of eyes at the table grew wide. The martial artist's own expression had frozen in a state of sick unease. "Remember, when we were trailing after," she thumbed to Kanji, "This moron, during the case. And from what I remember, you were a particularly crappy date."
Yosuke seemed to be gagging. "Oh god, so my first date was with…" He balked, realising he said that out loud. "No wait! Obviously that wasn't my first date; I've been on tons of dates! Yup, so many women…"
Chie sighed. "See? Absolutely clueless."
"Hey!" When you attack a man's technique with women, he inevitably gets defensive. "That's not a fair test! That situation was completely skewed; we were stalking a guy for Christ's sake! It doesn't even count, right guys?" They looked at their shoes; neither feeling as if they could comment on such matters. Yosuke tried to regain a cool demeanour. "I get a date today, and you'd see how great I'd be! Yes sir, you would hear no complaints!"
"If you got a date today huh…" A smile appeared in the corner of Chie's mouth, exposing what Kanji would swear to be fangs. "What would you wager on that?"
"Oh no, I'm not making any bets!" He vigorously shook his head side to side. "You'd find a way to screw me, 'specially considering how you're all worked up right now."
"I AM NOT-" She paused, noticing her friends were shaking slightly. "I am not worked up. Look, here's my proposal. I bet you I would be a waaay better date than you'd ever be. If I win, you buy us all a round of steaks, just like I asked before. And if you win…"
"You don't harass me for money I may or may not owe you, ever again." He dramatically placed the back of his hand over his heart and stared into space. "My heart can't take the stress. Oh, and," He added, putting on one of his slyer smiles, "You have to spend one day training with me as your instructor. And you have to wear a swimsuit!"
The boys' perversions had done a marvellous job of lowering the tone and making everybody at the table uncomfortable. "B-b-but," Chie spluttered, "That's not a fair wager! Both sides have to have put up something equal!"
"Steaks are expensive, it's totally fair!" He was still smiling in that slightly disturbing way. "So, are you gonna chicken out?"
"Ugggh, why do you have to be so…" Her features creased, and then relaxed, as she slowly exhaled. "Ugh, fine, I agree, but as well, when I win, you never ask me for money ever again, ok?"
He nodded. "Great! So, uh, how are we going to do this? How the hell do we judge this kinda thing, judges?"
"Well…" She took a look at the girl aside Yosuke, and turned her head to the boy aside her. "How about we double date, with these two? We can all decide who wins."
It took a while for the proposal to register with the two candidates. They had both tuned out of the bettors bickering at this point, and gone back to their favourite pastime of giving one another lingering glances whilst the other wasn't looking. But their eyes met, both filled with alarm, when they processed what they were being asked. They're asking us to go on a date!?
As perfect as it would have been for the two lovestruck fools to be thrown together on a whim, Yosuke had to complain about the flaw in the setup. "Hey! If you go out with me, then you'll try and sabotage me and make yourself look good! I'll team with Naoto, and you get to pair with the big softie."
Chie had to admit his system was fairer, and the more she thought about it, throwing Kanji at the object of his desires so suddenly was a recipe for disaster. The blonde himself was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Wait, should I even get involved? "Uh," he began, as he so often did, "I'm not sure I'm cool with this…"
Chie rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Kanji-kun, it's not a big deal. Gimme some help here! Remember, there are steaks in this for ya!"
"Wait," Yosuke started, "If I'm buying food for everyone if I lose, isn't Naoto gonna be working against me?"
Naoto closed her eyes, not quite believing the ridiculous scenario she was now in. How could she have ever known taking on the case in Inaba would lead her being dragged in to ridiculous wagers? "Senpai," She sighed, "If you believe the promise of animal carcass would ever affect my integrity, I would be very curious as to what other notions you have about me…"
As Yosuke shuffled awkwardly, Chie brightened up. "So you're in?"
"I…" She thought for a moment. She hadn't the faintest idea on how to conduct herself on a date, especially one constructed purely as a contest between two of her friends. But, it presented a unique opportunity. Those magazines frequently referred to showing a romantic interest in others to generate a response in others… Perhaps the site of me with Hanamura-senpai will stir some feelings in Kanji-kun… She nodded to them both deftly. "I accept your proposal. But to clarify, there will be no exchanging of bodily fluids or other such intimacy. So be careful what you do with your hands." She glared at Yosuke to force an understanding, who was suppressing a laugh, and as an afterthought, at Chie, in a bid to keep her getting too close to Kanji.
The tailor was surprised Naoto bought into the crazy bet so easily, though he felt none of the envy she was trying to evoke with her pop-culture inspired gambit. But if she was going for it, he had to as well. "I guess I'm in too then. Can't leave you hanging, right," He shrugged, smiling at Chie. Looking at Yosuke and Naoto so close however, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. "One thing, like she said, no lovey dovey crap, alright?"
The green-clad girl made a face. "But then it's not a date, so what's the point?"
"Just be aware of the boundaries senpai," said Naoto simply, with a dangerous air.
"'Sides, you guys can't go around preying on your underclassmen." He laughed nervously.
Now that they were all agreed, they shifted in their seats, not entirely sure what to do next. "So…" Chie began lamely, "Where are we gonna go this 'date'?"
"Why not here?" Yosuke suggested.
"You can't go on a date where you work!" Chie argued, "That's just tacky."
"Well, what else you can you do in this town for free, honestly?" The rest of the table had to agree, the town wasn't particularly geared to accommodate for poor youngsters. "My break won't last forever and I want to get this over with. Let's go."
He stood up and went to take hi blue haired date's arm, but she took it away abruptly. "Go?"
"On a romantic stroll around the Junes shopping floor." The shop-boy's voice now was a cross between his salesman patter and Teddie's romanticised flair. "You'll fall in love as you glide along our polished floors! C'mon, before I start to think this whole thing is a stupid idea, deaaarest."
The wink accompanying the last word was cringe worthy enough to bring everybody else to their feet. Yosuke tried going for Naoto's arm again, but she deftly nipped past the boy and made her way out of the food court, the desperate brunette scrambling after her. Chie suppressed a giggle. "Yes! With Naoto-kun acting like this we'll win this thing for sure!"
"Uh, yeah, sure." The idea that she could act the same but with himself as her date was playing with his mind a little. His frustration came to the surface. "Man, why'd you have to come up with this shit," he grunted, "I'll probably make an ass of myself."
"Aw, Kanji-kun, it'll be fine," Chie said reassuringly, "Wasn't going on a date with her your endgame anyway? I just helped push things along!"
"I wanted Naoto to be my date, not go on a date which also has her in it!" He seethed, exasperated. "I can't believe this is my first date…"
"Now you sound like Yosuke," chided Chie, a big grin on her face, already relishing the victory over Yosuke. "Relax; I'll make you look good, I promise. Naoto-kun will wish she was on the other side of this double date! Now mush!"
With a push from Chie, they began to trail after them, closer to each other than their counterparts had been. Despite the martial artist's outburst of confidence however, they moved in a rigid, almost robotic fashion, with none of the excitement of a young couple.
Further ahead, by the stairs down to the shop floor, the detective had stopped to let her 'date' catch up. The Junes boy was more than a little irked by her earlier shunning, and panting from the running, so he leant on the banister and scowled at her. "Y'know, you could've stayed outta this if you wanted, I wouldn't have blamed ya. But you didn't, so could you play the game? At least a little?"
A game appealed to Naoto's repressed, childish side, but this one was significantly more adult than any she had experienced, save for the murder and mysteries she had taken up as a career. She decided that she should take this competition seriously. Speaking of mysteries, there was that emerged at the table that needed to be solved. "One question senpai- why did you insist to the others those magazines were not mine?"
He gave a casual shrug. "You had that 'deer in headlights' look when they came over, then you tried getting rid of them all. I figured you wanted to keep that case of yours on the down low."
Her relief was almost palpable. He hadn't read any further into her reaction. "Thank you, Hanamura-senpai, your discretion was most apprecia-"
"Ooor, the tips you were getting for those poor impressionable teenagers was actually for you." He was only teasing, but her composure snapped, putting her into a stunned state. It was mirrored by Yosuke, who was speechless, mouthing words until they finally came out. "I… Wow… Holy shit, you've got that deer look again. You must like, one of them." He studied her carefully. "Chie or Kanji? Wait, you said you didn't like the models…" He pointed a finger at her frantically. "You like Kanji!"
"Hush!" The detective knew her crush and his date would be upon them any minute. "Such matters are irrelevant right now. We need to focus on winning this bet of yours, yes?" This might keep him quiet in the short term. She presented him the crook of her elbow, which he only took after a few seconds of confused staring. "Shiroganes are not losers, understood?"
"Right, partner." The sarcasm in his 'partner' was only slight, and the pair gave smug smiles to the two friends joining them.
Kanji was slightly confused, but Chie just about freaked out, grabbing her dates' right arm with both of hers in a lame show of one-upmanship, which only baffled him more. "Hell are you doin'?" He muttered.
"We. Have. To. Win." She seethed through a smile. Trying to look elegant, she whirled the two of them past their competition and started hopping down the steps. On the landing, she turned back to face the couple leaning on the banister, who were too busy watching her strange antics to move themselves. "Are you two lovebirds gonna to join us?"
They came down with flight with pomp; Naoto was leading after all. The two couples walked side by side down the last flight, Kanji stumbling slightly, dizzy from the energetic twirls Chie put him through. At the bottom, they paused, all realising that while Junes was an okay place for a date as a last resort, they weren't sure what exactly they could do there, which, to be fair, would have been the case anywhere for these clueless adolescents, so it wasn't the worst thing. Wandering, with a painful silence between the four of them, so somehow settled in the fresh goods aisle. All exchanging strange glances, Kanji began furiously rubbing the back of his neck, whilst Naoto began fidgeting with her hat, fixing it to different positions on her head.
Chie knew she had to break the terrible silence, but she could only do it in the most absurd way possible. "S-so, uh, what's your favourite fruit Kanji-kun?"
"Huh?" The boy looked at her as if she had gone insane, and the other two weren't displaying much confidence in her mental state either. Scouring the brightly coloured display with his eyes, the answer came to him with relative ease. "Oh yeah, apples, gotta be. They're just good, y'know, all red and shiny… And you can cut 'em into slices which is… different…" He coughed, realising he might have stretched how much you can describe the virtues of apples. "Uh… What about you senpai?"
"That's easy!" Her smile was slightly forced, showing far too much enthusiasm than anybody had any right to for fruit. She grabbed a shiny round object from the display and bounced it off of the inside of her elbow. "Oranges! The skins fun to break through and they're so damn juicy…"
"Hey hey hey," Yosuke interjected, seeing his friend begin to juggle the orange fruit. "You touch it, you buy it, alright?" She stuck her tongue out at the shop boy, pretending to lick the orange while placing it back with its brethren. "Dude, ew." Shaking his head in disapproval, it struck him that he might be losing points be not conversing with his date. "Okay then, Naoto-kun, what fruit do you go for?"
"Hmm…" She wasn't one to particularly scrutinise what she ate, but after living in the same place for a few months, as opposed to her usual pattern of travelling around the country, she had decided to pay more attention to what she put on her plate. "Bananas are excellent sources of vitamins and potassium, while reducing the risk of developing several cancers. So they seem like a logical candidate."
Logical candidate… She talks so weird. Then he found himself thinking about her eating the yellow fruit and- STOP RIGHT THERE. He needed to move his brain somewhere else, and fast. "I-er. That leaves you Yosuke-senpai."
The boy waved an arm callously. "I dunno, I've never really thought about it. Fruit isn't really my thing anyway." A pointed look from Naoto told him he needed a real answer; else begin looking like the weaker pair in the double date. "Watermelon's pretty good I guess. Haven't had any since that time at Souji's though…"
"Oh yeah that was gorgeous!" Chie exclaimed, savouring the memory of her friends, and the memory of the fruit's delicious taste. "We really need to do that again sometime." She tilted her head dreamily, and spotted something on a shelf in the distance. She tugged on Kanji's arm like a child at the fair. "Can we go look that the DVD's? I need to see if they have any more kung fu movies!"
Before he could answer, the blonde was pulled across the tiled floor by the excited martial artist. As Yosuke moved to join them, Naoto gave him a very serious frown. "If you want to win this bet, you have to be more involved."
"Oh, so now you're the one giving me dating advice," He muttered angrily. "I still believe you actually like the big lug."
"I-It's not that outrageous." she stuttered, cursing herself for being so easy to read.
"Whatever. How long have been head over heels?"
"I am NOT head over heels," She said impetuously. Such a description went against her carefully cultivated image of herself. "We have a date to be partaking in."
She took long, stamping strides as she marched to DVD section, Yosuke in tow. They entered t the sight of Chie completely nerding out, Kanji nodding sagely while stifling yawns. "…And this one is where Yung Cheng made his debut!"
"Uh-huh."
"There's this scene where he fights off, like, 6 mercenaries with only his shoelace and a shirt button!"
"Really…"
"And then in the end, it turns out his father was the one who killed his wife? It was such an emotional scene!"
"You don't say…"
"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!" He took a frightened step back, looking to the floor sheepishly. Chie looked satisfied, until she noticed she had an audience, moving to close her date, and announcing shakily, "It's okay darling." She turned to the other pair and said as an aside, "We're always like this."
"Kanji, if you want my advice, get out while you can, before she goes full crazy on you." He sighed dramatically. "It's such a shame couples have lost the affection between themselves, don't you agree Naoto-kun?"
"Yes, it is rather alarming." She smirked.
"Well, at least we can show the world how a date really should go," He said in grandiose fashion. "Are there any titles that interest you, my love?"
Naoto joyfully leafed through the boxes until she found something she could talk about at length. "This film is engaging. It tells the tale of a young detective, who is faced with his most villainous adversary yet."
Yosuke grinned like a wolf. "That sounds fascinating, tell me more!"
"A series of grisly murders leads the detective learning more and more about his quarry, which, I might add, is done in a fashion faithful to how a real investigation is carried out."
"Well authenticity is important. What happens next?"
"There is a dramatic climax, in an abandoned industrial park, where he pursues the murderer, but only finds his reflection in the mirror. It was the detective himself who was the killer."
"Wow! That sure sounds-"
"Which was a completely idiotic twist, considering it created a plethora of plot holes and had no hints prior that lead to that conclusion, which is essential for any murder mystery." Naoto had contained this tirade inside of her ever since viewing this film on a lonely Saturday evening in a dark hotel, and only now had the chance to voice her criticisms. Forgetting she was playing one of the parts of a cheerful couple, she continued. "Furthermore, he shoots the mirror, which in itself breaks all sorts of codes relating to firearms use by law enforcers, and this apparently destroys the murderous part of his psyche, which is completely unrealistic as to how multiple personality disorder works.
"Er…" Yosuke faltered, surprised at her sudden venom, "Well, I thought that sounds cool! Boy, imagine going on a date with someone who wasn't interested in what you were saying. That sure would make for a crappy date…"
Chie had no idea that Yosuke would be so ruthless about coming out on top on this bet, or that their detective friend would be so eager to assist him. Looking up desperately at Kanji, she tried for a counter attack. "Kanji-kun… What movies do you like on there?"
The tailor was oblivious to what she wanted from him. "Uh, me? I'm not so into movies. I'm usually sewin' or summit so I'm never payin' attention when there's one on TV."
His date struggled to restrain herself, sure that cuffing him around the ear would probably lose her points. She needed time to get away, think of a better plan. Inspiration struck. "Put the scare in him," she whispered to Kanji, before calling "Girl conference!" Sweeping up Naoto, she pushed her away from the group.
"Hey, where're you going with my date?" Yosuke asked, stopping just short of trying to pull her back.
"Oh my dear sweet Yosuke," She drawled, the confused Naoto struggling in her grip. "It is tradition on a double date for the girls involved to set off together and discuss matters in private."
His catching the occasional TV drama told Yosuke she was correct, however, her version was slightly different. "Like, when they go to the bathroom together on TV?"
"Bathroom?" Naoto stopped struggling and experienced some mild psychological trauma, convinced conservation in a public restroom was not conducive for a healthy lifestyle.
The shop boy had already let his imagination run wild. "Well, as long as you girls have fun in there…"
Chie huffed in annoyance. "It doesn't have to be a bathroom you moron. Look, we'll meet up by the TV's later; it'll be like old times!"
They were gone without another word. The two adolescent males eyed each other with the upmost suspicion. "Jeez," Yosuke breathed, shaking his head, "Was Chie always this weird?"
Kanji, of course, was not qualified for this question. "I dunno man, you've known her longer. Prolly jus' cus' of the situation."
"What, a fake double date," He said, rolling his eyes, "This is completely normal."
They both laughed nervously. Kanji could stand the shop boy when he was like this, friendly, not trying to make fun of someone every two seconds. "Hey, d'ya know what Chie meant by 'put the scare in him'?"
"Wait she said that?"
The taller boy nodded. "Just before she dragged Naoto away."
"She must really want those steaks…" Yosuke started chuckling. "Hoo boy… She really did bring you in as hired muscle."
"Enough with the thug crap…" He growled, prompting his friend to shrink slightly. It still surprised him how easy it was for him to make Yosuke cower, even after his unusual hobbies became common knowledge.
"I still don't get why that's such a big deal for you," He whined grumpily, "I'd love to be able to scare people. It'd help in customer service, lemme tell you."
"It's just not me dammit." He ran a hand through his hair. "It'd just be great if I could sell a doll to a kid without their mom lookin' ready to make a break for it."
Meanwhile, Naoto was staring into the face of an apologetic Chie, in one of the superstores' many generic aisles. "I'm sorry we got you involved in this stupid thing," The girl in green sadly, "I know this really isn't your area."
The detective straightened her jacket. "One has to learn of such matters at some point."
"…Huh." For all of Naoto's growth, Chie never expected her to be this collected. Maybe she was more open to dating than she thought, which would be perfect for her student.
The detective considered how strange it was for the two of them to be alone, in Junes of all place. "Senpai, what is the purpose of this 'girl conference'?"
"Oh! Y'know…"Chie thought for a second about who she was talking to. "Okay, maybe you don't know. Just girl talk I guess."
"Girl talk?" Like those horrible stereotypes in the magazines? "I-I'm not sure I can partake in such discussions. I lack the proper credentials."
"Don't worry; basically we take some time to discuss the people we're with on the date!" The girl explained brightly.
"Behind their backs?" Naoto was unsure. "Isn't that deemed socially abhorrent?"
"It's perfectly fine," She said, waving away her concerns with her hands unsuccessfully, "Besides, I've never done this before, it'll be fun!" She her upbeat attitude sank. "Might as well have some, looks like I'm losing anyway…"
"A negative attitude is never conducive for victory."
"I know, I know, my kung-fu manuals say the same thing. But me and Kanji are hopeless-" She stopped herself, reminded it was poor form to badmouth a guy in front of his crush. "…Together. I mean Kanji's great, and I'm alright I guess, but we aren't meshing well enough to win this date. You and Yosuke are really in sync actually. It's kinda freaking me out."
The shorter girl laughed good naturedly. It boded well for her future with a certain individual if she could put on a show of model behaviour on a date. She hoped she could replicate the performance during the real thing. "Senpai, I doubt if this was a true 'date' that would be the case. I am merely assisting Yosuke as I am fighting his corner. Kanji-kun should be doing the same for you."
"But he's so-" She stopped herself again. "I mean, uh, he's not as… Sneaky, as you? He can't put on a show, the pageant showed that…" She shivered. Those legs on display both horrified and fascinated her. "He's great at a whole buncha other stuff. He's strong, hardworking, and apparently he can stitch with the best of them!"
Naoto was slightly confused as to why her friend was telling her information she already knew. Though she is correct about his performance in this 'date'. Perhaps I'll have to take the lead on such matters if we do ever enter a relationship… Thinking about him, she was reminded of another boy, her current 'date', who actually knew she harboured secret feelings for the tailor. Who was notoriously loose lipped. Who was talking to him right now. Crumbs.
Simultaneously, Yosuke had gone back to his usual routine of teasing the taller boy, but this time, with actual volatile ammunition. "Found out something interesting about Naoto today…"
The pair had taken to walking through the store together now, deciding that standing by the DVD's would just be weird. "That's just great, Yosuke." Kanji responded simply, lacking the energy to tell him where to stick it.
"Yeah," He trilled nonchalantly, "Turns out she's not a lesbian."
If Kanji had a drink to spit out, that would have perfectly summed up his reaction. Alas, he had to settle for being stopped dead in his tracks. "Ya what now?"
The shop boy grinned wide as received his intended response. "Yup, bet you feel relieved, huh?"
"And what if I do?" He always became defensive when Yosuke brought up the detective, usually for good reason. "How did that even come up?"
"Trust me, it did." The entire situation was too elaborate to go through in detail, plus he didn't particularly feel like ending Kanji's suffering and telling him painfully his obvious pining was reciprocated. "If you ask me, it's disappointing."
"Disappointing?"
"It would've been totally hot, y'know?" Kanji's eye roll was immense, and he worked hard to tune out the rest of his friend's rambling. "And she had the highest chance of being one out of all the girls. Plus I had this bet going with Teddie…"
"Can't you just be happy for her?" The tailor said angrily. "That shit's real hard to work out, especially on top of her other shit. Good for her."
"S'not that hard to work out," Yosuke remarked carelessly, "Girls are great, everything else is ewww, end of."
He realised he may have overstepped a boundary when Kanji's huge figure was looming right over him. "It's 'not that hard'?" He growled menacingly. "Let's see how hard you are…"
"Ok ok okay, I'll shut up now." The larger youth backed down, but his posture told Yosuke it was only with difficulty. This was one slight he wouldn't forget.
Back to the girls now, who were slowly making their way to the TV section as promised. "Hey, Naoto-kun, you know a buncha stuff about the police force, right? Not just detective stuff?"
"Why of course, senpai," She answered, "But I'm not entirely sure this goes under the banner of 'girl talk'…"
"Oh don't mind that it's stupid, anything can be girl talk." The martial artist smiled, but Naoto could tell she was unsure about something. "Naoto-kun, you wouldn't lie to make me feel better, right?"
"The truth is paramount in my profession and my personal dogma, so no, I wouldn't."
"Do… Do you think I would be a good cop?"
She only had to think for a second. "You possess many of the qualities necessary for an excellent police officer. You may be a little rough around the edges, but I'm sure the academy would straighten those aspects out." The girls' smile lost all of its insecurity, and the detective found herself smiling with her. "Has that been a long term aspiration, or…?"
She shrugged simply. "Not really, it's just been growing on me the last few months. With the case, and that time me and Souji took on some bullies, I realised I actually liked that stuff, protecting people. It makes me feel good, gives me a purpose, you know?"
"I understand precisely what you mean," Naoto nodded sagely. "It's funny, perhaps in your later years you could become a detective as well."
"We could make company! 'Shirogane and Satonaka: Private Investigators'! Oooh, or 'S&S: Mystery Solutions'!" She laughed. "I dunno, we've got a while to sort that out."
Naoto smiled, but shook her head, closing her eyes. "Private investigation is not the Shirogane way. We enjoy our work as consultants, but like to avoid weaving ourselves into the web of intrigue surrounding other's private lives."
"Spoilsport." Chie said, sticking out a tongue. "I'll get Kanji-kun instead; he can 'persuade' my suspects!" She remembered she was supposed to be talking him up. "Y'know, because he's so big and strong, that's one good thing about Kanji-kun. Another is…"
The tall blond himself had been enduring an uncomfortable silence with his companion. Sighing angrily, he looked the brunette straight in the eyes. "Why d'ya have to do that shit man?"
The brunette ran a hand through his hair. "What shit?"
"Bein' a total prick kind of shit." His powerful stance slackened into something more defeated. "Wouldn't it be easier to not be a total asshole to people? Seriously, it gets on everyone's fuckin' nerves."
"I'm not a total asshole;" he argued lamely, "Sometimes I just say things at the wrong time is all."
"Then why not stay friggin' quiet?"
"That way no one would listen…" Before his very eyes, Kanji saw a sight he would have never expected- a Yosuke completely devoid of a cocky attitude. "Look, when I first got here I was the new kid, plus everyone automatically hated my guts because of the store. Getting cheap laughs by saying anything that came into my stupid head was the only thing I had. Sure, I ended making fun of a lot of kids, but that ended up being only time they weren't making fun of me." He lowered his head dejectedly. "I don't want to be that guy, but it's so hard to change, even after everything last year..."
"Uhh…" Kanji was entirely unsure as to how he should react. On the one hand, the sob story didn't make his friend's actions justified. On the other, he knew how hard it really was to break out of old patterns. "It's okay man... You don't have to be that guy anymore, y'know? Just remember that sometimes, alright?"
Yosuke laughed mirthlessly, a mere shade of his authentic one. "You're starting to sound like Souji."
"I ain't that smart. Just cut it out when you can, or else…"
The mild threat in the last sentence was distinctive. "Nope, now you sound like Kanji again." The boy smiled again, with a lot more warmth, and Kanji was reminded of one of the reasons he made dolls in the first place- he liked making people feel better. "Huh?" Yosuke looked around their surroundings. "Would you look at that- We're in the TV section. Must be muscle memory, right?"
"I guess." The tailor stared at his reflection in the screen. "Say, you ever try…" He trailed off, reaching towards the screen, pulling back, and repeating the motion, getting closer every time, but never quite getting his hand through.
"Since it all ended? Nah. No point, though we should probably check it out now it's all tranquil and stuff. Though I do miss seeing Susano-O…" He looked up at the tailor expectantly. "Did you ever get started on making…"
"Trust me, they're coming." The team had begged him individually to make special plushes of their personas, and he figured by giving them birthday gifts, by the time being spaced out he had enough time to make them each perfect. Although for Souji he was considering making a group of smaller dolls featuring his favourites.
The pair noticed a sound coming steadily closer. "Oh, and did you know he got through like, half of the rainy day beef bowl challenge! It's not as much as me and Souji did but hey, it's something!" The boys couldn't particularly make out what the voice saying, but its' tone was familiar. "Hey fellas!" The girls had finally rejoined them, Chie up front, and Naoto calmly behind, overwhelmed by the bragging she had received on Kanji's behalf, and utterly oblivious to its purpose. "Wow, you guys still have the same TV on display? Ah, how nostalgic!"
"TVs don't sell in this town," Yosuke shrugged noncommittally, "What can you do?"
Chie sighed in wonder. "So many adventures started here… Really, it all started right here." She turned to her friend in blue. "You ever miss it Naoto-kun?"
She shook her head slowly. "The mystery is solved. There's nothing compelling about the past, so there is no point in dwelling on past glories." Seeing her companions dejected expressions, she quickly added, "But my memories of the team are fond."
Yosuke, remembering there was still a bet going on, manoeuvred himself besides his date and winked at her. "Of course, your memories of some are fonder than others, hmm?"
Naoto straightened when she felt the arm snaking around her waist, and purely on instinct, twirled and slapped its master across the face. She was mildly horrified by the pure viciousness of the action, but did not show it, standing boldly with her hands on her hips. The brunette just began to sag to the floor, whining in agony, while Naoto raised a single eyebrow. "We had an agreement, remember?"
"Yes ma'am…" He stopped on one knee, keeping his face low and hidden, trying to retain some sort of dignity.
The other two were barely suppressing their revelry, Chie in particular not familiar with the sight of Yosuke getting his comeuppance, usually being the one handing it out. "When will you learn," she sighed through tears of mirth, sidling up to her tallest friend, presenting him proudly with a showbiz arm. "Of course, a real man like Kanji would never intrude upon a lady's personal space!" The girl thought she was the best wing woman ever at this point, having spent an age describing or in some cases slightly embellishing on Kanji's positive qualities. She absentmindedly placed the hand on his chest. Unfortunately, the large youth had his own personal space issues. Looking down, and seeing the palm right THERE, he panicked, him sidestepping to get it away and somehow tripping the girl so she got a face full of floor.
Lacking Naoto's self-control, the tailor couldn't hide his own fright at what he had just done, leaving him petrified, mouth agape. "Shit, I-I'm…"
"It's… Okay, Kanji-kun." She panted through the pain, twisting herself onto a sitting position. "Besides, we've won anyway!" She stuck her hands in the air and cheered. "Steaks for everybody!"
"WHAT?!" Yosuke objected, trying to stand but only making it half way before the agony sent him tumbling back down. "Ow, Christ Naoto, you hit harder than Chie…"
Usually the martial artist would have taken a lot of offence at the attack on her pain-dealing skills, but she was lost in a meat-rapture. "I'm gonna order the biggest thing on the menu. Oh god, where are we even going to go! Choices, choices…"
"You still haven't won you know." Yosuke said, shaking his head.
Chie pointed at his face, and spoke in a sing song manner. "You got slapped! That's an instant date-breaker. Therefore, I win!"
"Hey, you ended up on the floor too!" He argued.
"A minor detail," she said, dimissing him with a flick of her wrist.
"Well, we were winning up to that point, we had way better chemistry!"
They both looked to Kanji and Naoto, who remained silent through this exchange. "So, who won?" They asked in unison.
This was a question they didn't want to answer. Choosing between two friends was one thing, but in a contest where both of those asked to judge have little knowledge of what metrics to base their scores on. "Umm…" They stalled together. What do I say?
"Listen," Kanji started, surprised he was he one getting the ball rolling "I know jack shit about all of this, so, uh, I'm sayin' anything. Except on the slap, which was totally awesome by the way. Naoto?"
Whilst she was annoyed her crush had passed the buck so quickly- Not a desirable quality – she was secretly pleased at the comment on her assault on Yosuke. "I agree with his sentiments. I'm not experienced enough in this subject to pass any judgements. Deliberations will have to be between yourselves."
The pair on the floor scowled. "You two are useless," Chie moaned. "Just say a name."
Yosuke was equally irked. "Yeah, it's not-" He suddenly realised the time from the watch on his wrist. "CRAP! I need to get ready for my shift!" Standing up, with difficulty, he began walking to the employee area, faint groans of pain meeting every step.
"Wait, Yosuke, we need to settle this." Chie called after him. "Yosuke? YOSUKE!" She ran after him, and started yelling intelligible things into his ear, to which he was arguing back with his shouting, which carried on until it faded in the depths of the store.
Naoto and Kanji stood there cringing. Once they realised they were alone, they started taking an increased interest in the floor. "That was an… Interesting experience." Naoto observed casually.
"No kiddin'. Those two always know how to make things… Weird." The detective, standing there awkwardly, shifting her feet imperceptibly, as beautiful as ever, brought Kanji's ever present feelings further into the forefront of his mind. He thought about asking her on a date- one on one, none of this double crap – but decided the day had been far too weird to attempt building any further on their relationship. That was his excuse, at least. "Welp," he clapped, "I've got some cases to solve, and I'm guessing you have some bears to stuff, so I best be going."
Naoto raised an eyebrow. "Kanji-kun, I'm the detective, and you're the tailor. Remember?"
The hell? In the scramble to leave, he'd let his wires get crossed. "Oh, uh, really? That sure is somethin. Bye." He scarpered, leaving a bemused girl to fix her hat to its proper position on her head.
The day's events must have had a bigger toll on him than I thought. One good thing had come out festivities however- now she was more curious how a real date would pan out, which would hopefully manifest in such an event happening sooner. She hoped. As she left Junes however, two shadows- one incredibly slender, the other round and bulbous- moved out from the doorway they were hiding behind, conspiring and scheming. What they had planned for those two lovebirds… What they had planned…
You know, I really didn't want this to take three weeks, but eh, that's what happens I guess. My overall goal is to get this fic finished by the end of the summer. I think I can make that!
I really like this chapter, it took a while to get started, but once I did it went to places I really liked. I particularly enjoyed letting Chie talk to Naoto about her dreams of becoming a police officer as she is just the right person to ask about it! Giving Yosuke a little extra depth with his explanation for his sometimes questionable behaviour was great too- I give the guy a lotta stick, but he's a good person really.
But most of all thank you for reading, especially if you have from the start! Tell me what you think so far, and I'll see you all next time! -WN