Idle Activities

It was the third time the last two weeks that kid had invited Adachi over to his house, and Adachi was beginning to find the whole thing rather disconcerting.

Why would a seemingly popular, undeniably good-looking young high school kid, who went swan around Inaba with a new girl every other day, want to spend time with a seemingly unremarkable, bumbling, twenty-seven year old detective?

They didn't really have anything in common – other than both originally heralding from big cities, of course. So what was the reason? It didn't make sense.

Even though Adachi was wary of accepting that kid's invitations – he was wary of people in general, full stop – he had to admit… his cooking was pretty good. Better than this own (not that you could call adding boiling water to instant ramen 'cooking').

That was why Adachi accepted. The food. Free food.

Adachi might have acted like a stooge in front of Dojima, but was only an act. He was smart enough to know a good deal when he saw it, and this was a pretty cushy deal. And the best thing was, there were no cabbages.

Adachi had mentioned to the kid at one point he was so sick of eating cabbages if he saw anything else green and even vaguely leafy-looking he might cry. The kid had laughed and promised he'd make completely cabbage-free meals just for Adachi – 'though I'm pretty good at making cabbage rolls, you know…'

And he'd been as good as his word. Just as he had promised, there were never any cabbages in his dishes – not a leaf to be seen.

If that kid's strange instance Adachi keep spending time with him wasn't so off-putting, Adachi might have felt touched that he'd kept his promise.

…Maybe.

Of course, the downside of this deal was he actually had to communicate with other people. Adachi had to run around after Dojima and the other higher ranking, more senior police chiefs at work, and after that he was all peopled out.

Social interactions were so tiring, and they were entirely pointless, too. A colossal waste of time.

What was the point in trying to put on a nice face, a friendly smile, if all you got was abuse from your colleagues? Other people were such full of shit. Adachi knew he was too, but hey, at least he tried to act like a nice guy – even if that was, mostly, for self-preservation.

Well… It was like that with everyone, wasn't it? Why else would anybody bother being nice unless there was something in it for them? That was how the world ran, on a cutthroat scheme of profit and loss, and Adachi was sick of being on the losing side.

Probably even Yu, who was so eager to become Adachi's best buddy, despite being more than ten years his junior, had some kind of ulterior motive. Everyone did.

The only people in this rotten world who were completely pure, who were able to smile and laugh without any hidden agenda, would be…

"Oh! It's starting, it's starting! My favourite show!"

…People like her.

Nanako.

Children who were too young to have been indoctrinated with all the bullshit spewed by the more jaded, the more cynical, the more world-weary and tired and hard-hearted adults in their lives.

But that would change.

Adachi knew, even as he watched Nanako, her eyes lit up and her hands pressed together happily, it would change. Just give it time. Maybe four, five years, and that innocence would be gone forever.

What kind of self-respecting teenager would ever allow themselves to get so excited about some dumb children's anime, anyway?

"Big bro, big bro! Are you going to watch it with me?"

"Of course. The preview last week said it was going to be an Aoi episode. I have to watch it. " Yu clenched a hand into a fist, his eyes blazing with determination. "I could never abandon her!"

Nanako giggled. "You're funny, big bro."

"You might think it's funny… but I'm being serious. This is a matter of life and death."

"You like Aoi the most, don't you?"

Yu didn't reply. He just nodded.

Adachi blinked, looking between the two children (no matter how well he cooked, Yu was still a kid, after all) with surprise.

Was Narukami Yu, Dojima's nephew, a paragon of responsibility, with his always oh-so-neatly styled hair and impeccable test scores, really getting so worked up about this silly TV show?

"Hey, do you want to stay and watch it with us?"

…Apparently so.

Yu affixed Adachi with a serious look, his face an impenetrable mask. Often, Adachi found it hard to gauge what that kid was really thinking. Although he acted fairly straight-laced, he seemed to have an unfathomable sense of humour, and was always saying strange things.

…Like this out-of-the-blue invitation to watch this children's anime with him.

Adachi looked at the screen, blinking.

A young girl, her hair bright blonde, decorated with a bright red ribbon that made her look like a birthday present, was on the screen, talking with the audience. Apparently, her passionate idol activities were just about to begin!

Nanako echoed the girl's words, in the same way she often parroted the Junes jingle, her eyes lit up like fireworks.

So it was an idol anime, huh? One with singing and dancing. Filled with cute characters in cute costumes, with so much bright pink it almost hurt the eyes.

Obviously, it was aimed at preteen girls. Adachi didn't even need to be a detective to figure that out.

His first instinct was to roll his eyes and ask 'are you fucking kidding?', but he didn't do that. Misanthropist though he was, with a limited tolerance to pink frills and aggressive, infantilising girlishness, it was clear Nanako loved this show, and he didn't want to ruin it for her.

"Yes, you should stay! We could all watch it together!" she said, clapping her hands together.

Adachi frowned. "Well, I… It's getting pretty late. Dojima-san might be back at any time, and-"

"It's fine. Dad won't be back. Not for a while. He's been staying at work late a lot… And it gets lonely…"

"Lonely? But don't you have your responsible big bro to take care of you?"

"Yeah." Nanako's face instantly brightened. She smiled. "I love big bro! But it's more fun with more people. The house is nice… when it's filled with noise. That's when I like it the most."

"Well…"

Adachi sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He could already feel his resolve draining away, bit by bit.

Undeniably fucked up though he was, Adachi really did have a soft spot for Nanako. She was such a sweet little girl it was difficult to believe she was related to that surly old Dojima…

"That's right. You should stay. You could look upon it as returning the favour."

And, of course, there was that kid. Yu. He could be pretty persistent when he wanted to be. There was something about his grey-eyed stare that was rather mesmerising.

"Haha…" Adachi turned his head away, attempting – though only feebly – to defend himself from the cleverly-planned pincer attack of the cousin combination. They were a force to be reckoned with alright. "What do you mean, favour? If you're talking about the food, you're the one who invited me over. You offered your hospitality of your own free will."

"And you accepted. Of your own free will."

"Only because you kept asking…"

"You say that, but I know you were grateful really." Yu smiled in a self-satisfied manner, arms folded. "You ate your food so fast you almost choked."

"Y-yeah, well…"

Adachi felt himself blush, something which he rarely did. He hadn't been aware he was still capable of doing that.

"I really hadn't had much to eat… I was living on cabbage and cheap yogurt for the last week." Adachi's stomach churned at the mere memory. Why had he bought so much of that yoghurt, anyway? Oh yeah. Because it was cheap. "I started to feel like I wasn't even human at all, just some horrible monster…"

"Exactly. And a certain somebody helped deliver you from that sad state of affairs – out of the kindness of their own heart. If you feel like returning the favour any time soon, I'm sure there'll be waiting."

Ha… And this was exactly why Adachi didn't like accepting help from people. It always came with certain provisos, strings attached. Kindness wasn't free in the world, and people only dispensed it if they were promised to net a hefty return for their troubles.

"And it's a really good show too," Yu continued. "I think you'd like it."

Adachi turned back to the screen. He was beginning to have his misgivings. Why did all the girls have such high-pitched voices, and why was everything so colourful?

"Y-you do, huh…? I think you might have misjudged me, kid."

…Still. Watching one episode of a children's anime with the Wonder Cousins was a fairly low price to pay for the meal Yu had made him. His food was good, after all…

Damn, this kid drove a hard deal. He could make a good businessman one day – just like that shady Tanaka guy on the home delivery channel. He was just as sly.

Adachi smiled wryly, defeated.

"Okay, okay. Just one episode. I guess your curry was worth about that much."

Yu returned Adachi's smile. His expression seemed slightly freer than usual; more genuine. It was a smile that actually reached his eyes – unlike those inscrutable half-smiles that so often curled the corners of his lips.

And, if Yu was happy, that was nothing compared to Nanako. She clapped her hands together, her whole face shining.

"Yay! We're going to watch it together!"

"I… I guess we are, huh?" Adachi blinked at the TV screen – now being used for far more benevolent purposes than those he had utilised only a couple of months ago. "Life really is full of surprises."

"You should tell me which one is your favourite character when you finish," said Yu seriously.

"…I need a favourite?"

"Yeah! Mine's Ichigo! The girl with the ribbon!" said Nanako, pointing to the screen. "She's the main character, um… and she's trying to be an idol!"

"I see…"

"She isn't very good to begin with, but she tries hard and gets better! And she smiles a lot, too! I want to be like her!"

"I think you're just fine the way you are, Nanako."

"R-really?"

"Yeah," said Adachi. "And if you wore a ribbon as big as hers, I think you'd start to get a headache!"

"Oh yeah… I never thought of that…"

"And my favourite character is Aoi," Yu offered, his tone monotone.

Adachi stared. "You've watched this show enough you have a favourite?"

"Yeah. You can't not like Aoi. She's really cool."

"Haha… I guess it takes all sorts, huh?"

"And I think, for you…"

Yu frowned. He placed one hand under his chin, looking Adachi up and down in a manner that made the detective feel as though he were under scrutiny. Adachi shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the attention.

"I think you're like Ran."

"Ran?"

"Oh! Ran's so beautiful!" Nanako piped up. "Look, that's her! Isn't she pretty?"

Adachi looked at the TV. A tall, willowy girl was displayed on the screen. Her hair was long and brown, falling past her shoulders, her eyes were narrowed, and her lips were slightly pursed.

Personally, Adachi didn't see the resemblance. Not at all.

"W-well, I don't know if I'd fit the bill as a dashing beauty, haha… I don't know if I think much of your profiling skills, Yu-kun."

"You don't look like her, but you act like her. I thought that ever since I started watching the show."

"You did, huh?"

"Yeah." Yu smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "Just like her… You try to do things on you own. You don't want to get other people too involved. And you can't admit your true feelings. That you're happy when other people watch out for you… and want to spend time with you."

Adachi frowned, arms folded. He wasn't sure if he agreed with that kid's assessment – not entirely. How'd he manage to manufacture such a convenient vision of Adachi's 'true' character?

Yu's assessment didn't take into account Adachi's entire personality – instead, this was Adachi Lite: all the unpleasant edges sanded down, smoothed away, to reveal an earnest 'good guy' hiding underneath.

But that was because Yu didn't know.

Maybe Yu could smile at him like that, talking earnestly about a children's TV anime, because he had no idea.

He didn't know Adachi was the mysterious killer they looking for. He didn't know he'd murdered Miss Yamano and that Konishi girl.

When Adachi thought about that, it made his heart feel kind of heavy. Although it was against his nature, he felt kind of bad for the kid. He was being strung along by the nose, completely taken in with Adachi's fake persona – so much so he was even offering to make Adachi dinner (cabbage free, no less) every evening, for God's sake.

Well… more fool him then. That would just make it harder for his gang of wannabe detectives to uncover his true identity. They'd never suspect a thing.

One episode. Yu had said it would only be one episode. And yet, it had been four hours since then, and Adachi was still at the Dojima household. Dojima himself was nowhere in sight.

After they watched that one episode, Nanako had wanted to watch even more. Adachi, surprised to find the show wasn't quite as brain-breakingly boring as he had feared, had found himself acquiescing to Nanako's wish – not because he actually liked the show, but because he was quite warm and comfy sitting on the couch between Yu and Nanako, and it was cold outside and he didn't feel like walking back home quite yet.

And so Nanako had run up to her bedroom to retrieve her DVD of the series. She slotted the disc into the DVD player and resumed her seat back on the couch, her arms wrapped around her knees.

The three of them had sat there companionably, none of them talking, as they watched through the beginning of the series. As each episode went by, in a now-familiar haze of cute clothes and saccharine singing and titular idol activities, the couch began to feel cosier and cosier, until Adachi felt himself yawn.

It was then, as he held a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle the sound, that he noticed.

It really was quiet.

Other than the sound of the TV, there was no other noise. Nothing but the howling wind outside.

"Hey, don't tell me…"

Curiously, Adachi looked to either side of him.

There, as he had expected, was one cousin resting either side of him, their eyes closed, using him like a pillow.

Yu's head was even resting against Adachi's shoulder, his silver hair – normally so tidy, perfectly kempt – slightly mused up. His lips were pursed, his chest rising and falling slowly, peacefully. It looked like he was having a good dream.

Adachi wondered how he hadn't noticed the sleeping state of the two cousins before. Now that he was aware of it, the gentle pressure of their bodies against his was impossible to ignore.

He must have been sleepier than he thought. Maybe he'd dozed off for a few minutes himself.

"Ha… Haha…"

The young detective laughed softly – not with scorn or derision, or even in that forced, fake manner he'd taken to adopting at the police station; slightly too high pitched, too carefully constructed.

It was a real laugh. One of genuine… amusement, maybe? Or 'bemusement' – that might have been the more accurate term.

"I can't believe you'd let your guard down around me like this. You have that much faith in me, huh?"

Adachi gently prodded Yu in the cheek. The teen murmured something indistinct but he didn't stir. His lashes didn't even flutter.

Adachi had never seen Yu look so vulnerable before. So exposed, so open.

Why?

Was it true? Did that kid… really see Adachi as a friend…?

Huh…

Well… Adachi never asked for friends, and he certainly didn't need them. Not from a brat like this. And he wasn't really happy about this unexpected display of trust, not at all. Of course he wasn't. Why should he be?

"…You dumbass."

a/n: I played Persona 4 like um… 4 or 5 years ago originally… And I only recently started playing the remake on the Vita. Ah, I forgot how much I liked this game. And I forgot how much I liked Adachi! I'm so happy I can social link with this loser now, haha~ I hope I captured his moe tsundere-ness just right hahaha XD
The idea of Nanako, Adachi and Yu sitting around watching Aikatsu kind of makes me happy, haha XD (As Yu says, it is a very good show!)
I was so proud of the pun for the title of this story… I thought of the pun before I thought of the story. I hope the story itself is worthy of the pun XD I know a knock-out title like this sets up a great deal of expectation from the reader, I hope I followed through with it!

~fukuji mihoko