Continuance

by Vocarin

They say that there are no endings, but only new beginnings. Something finishes, something else starts. Souji Seta is no stranger to new beginnings, but now it's time to make his own.

27. Chapter 27

Author's Notes: Last year I tried like hell to get the chapter done for Christmas Day because I felt it would have been an awesome present, but due to the timing and the sheer size of it, that didn't work out. The year before I dropped a chapter on New Year's because that fit with the theme of the story. This year, I bent the rules of physics and condensed 140% awesome into one chapter, wrapped and ribboned to sit under everyone's tree. Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope that 2014 was an awesome year for you and that 2015 will be even better. Honestly, I have to give a big "Thank you!" to everyone who's supported me and stuck around this long, and I hope that this serves as a suitable present.

Props to my awesome readers and reviewers, whose commentary continues to fuel this story and inspire my editors and I to climb to ever greater heights. I know I say it all the time, but that doesn't make it any less true: each and every one of you are amazing people.

As to the replies to the extra-amazing reviewers, here we go!

Sweetbred: Itruly appreciate the praise, and I'll pass your regards onto Enact and Lee so we don't fail to meet those standards in the future. As to Yosuke and Rise, all I can say is that college takes a while to get through, and they'll be in the same area for that time, so we'll be seeing more of them, along with everyone else. Details, you ask? Sorry, but not this time. I can promise you that the wait will be worth it, however. And there's this chapter, which is even more awesome and win, so go and enjoy!

Guest (Aug. 19): So many questions, and so many ways the answers can come down the turnpike. I'm glad you're liking the story so far though, and sorry for not following through with those discussions – they would have been a pretty awesome addition to the story. Enact and Lee thank you for your praise, and we'll definitely strive to continue making this story unforgettable.

Kyral: Glad you're liking the show, and it's great to have you back. Yuuma and Izumi have become very fun to write, not only because of what's happening right now, but also because of where we're going in the future. I won't spoil it for you, but you can expect to see more of them in the next few chapters, maybe longer. And as to Chie and Kou, give me some time. I promise you'll go from 'it works' to 'holy crap they are awesome!' by the end. Thanks for the review!

Anonymous568: Keeping Yuuma as you describe him is one of the fun challenges of the fic. Making him hateable but also relatable and human instead of making him a cheap Bond villain makes things fun on my end, so I'm glad you like (or really don't like, as the case might be) him as much as you do. As to Izumi, she'll be an important part in the story to come. Maybe sooner, maybe later, but she's going to be there, so I hope you like her. Cheers!

Sorata Shioya: A bit, yes. If it were all at once we wouldn't have a story to tell, and cutting things off now would be cruel and unusual. But you can expect to see more in this chapter, so I hope it tickles your fancy.

JakeEverfree: You know, you're the first person to say that. I didn't know he could inspire such strong homicidal tendencies (No, not really). But I'm glad you like him, and I hope to continue meeting your expectations with him in the future.

Chief of the Storm: There's a lot to be hyped up about! Progress in the places people want and the areas they don't expect. There're a number of things I want to hit on this time around, so I hope you like where it goes.

qweenashleyfox: Well, to an astronomer this chapter would be seen as released immediately after the last one. I can promise you though, the wait was totally worth it.

james: Nanako is cute, yeah. Too much so to not put her in the chapter. And Yosuke x Rise in the future you say? That would be pretty unusual since very few people write about them, but it's possible that we'll see more of them in the future. Stay tuned and enjoy!

Erebus13: Glad you like her. I'd wax poetic about her and the sorts of things she'll be going through, but that would spoil the surprise. All I can say for sure is that I think you'll like this one. Like, a lot.

Vergil1989 the Crossover King: A bit extreme. If I did that I'd be cutting out the reasons for certain future chapters and the antics the group can get up to (I know that's teasing unfairly, but there are ideas as to what's going to go on and when and how, and I'm excited to get there.) As to Izumi, I'm glad she's coming across so well. Some of the changes she goes through should be pretty interesting. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Originaljuan92: It is funny how random chance and coincidence work out like that, isn't it? And I'm glad you like Izumi and Yuuma – we'll be seeing more of them in the near future.

Xoraan: That was my plan, actually, so I'll do a little dance in my chair knowing that I got it across that well. And as for Izumi, we and Souji will be seeing more of her in the future. As to when, I can't say, but I can promise that she'll be more present from here on in. Thanks for the review, old friend, and all the best.

Zelenal: I have been taking your ideas into account. I mean, look! This is released in the morning instead of the evening before! Thanks again for the comments. I'll definitely make sure I keep the suggestions in mind as I go forward. Hope you like the chapter!

humbertorojo96: I am too. I already know what Yukiko's wedding dress is going to look like, so I hope you guys like it.

Ziodyne967: Things will turn out… well, they will turn out and progress and go places. Pretty vague, yes, but I don't want to spoil any of the surprise in the future. And there will be surprises in the future. Thanks for the review. Hope you like the chapter!

Ulcaasi: I was convinced, honestly. I didn't see any sense of fanboyism or get drool on my hands when I read it, so I think you were pretty subtle. Glad you're liking things, and your favourite pair might make a return appearance in the near future. Just because I love all my readers.

Props to Enact and Lee for their input and feedback on this chapter. I can say for certain that this wouldn't have been as awesome as it is without their input.

Now then, (cracks knuckles), time to show everyone that I haven't lost my edge since last time. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

Chapter 27

"That's wonderful, Nanako-chan," Naoto told the ecstatic girl, laughing quietly at the rapid-fire questions and the number of times she heard "Big Bro's getting married!" While the possibility of impending matrimony had crossed her mind when she'd been thinking about what Souji-senpai might have been in debt to Dojima-san for, she hadn't expected his cousin to call her at the break of dawn to confirm her suspicions. Not that she minded; it was always a pleasure to speak to the girl. "I'm sure he'll call you soon."

"I'm really glad it's to Big Sis," Nanako-chan asserted, the modulations and shifts in her tone and pitch suggesting she was bouncing up and down on a couch or a chair. "They're always really happy together, and you could tell Big Sis missed him when he went back home. Actually, whenever people tell me about Dad and Mom, they say he was always really happy when she was around. Are you going to get married someday, Naoto-san?"

Naoto laughed again, loving the girl's candor. After weeks of working with police detectives and interviewing witnesses, unrestrained honesty was a cold glass of unsweetened lemonade on a hot summer day. And despite her age, Nanako-chan's questions were never dull, and Naoto couldn't help but be honest. When she'd first come to Inaba, an inquiry about something as personal as her future marriage prospects might have surprised her, but now it was expected from the girl who had become the cornerstone of the "Inaba Crew" as Yosuke-senpai called them. "I don't know yet," she admitted. "If I meet the right person and have a suitable opportunity, then I might get married. But that won't be for a long time yet."

"I hope you do," Nanako-chan chirped. "If you did, then you could be happy like Big Sis is."

Naoto shook her head and kept the argument that people could be very happy without getting married to herself. Saying that Yukiko-senpai and Souji-senpai had, comparatively speaking, beaten the odds by finding their soul mates at all, let alone so early in life, would put a damper on the girl's day, and Naoto was in too good a mood for that.

Not only that, but she knew, from her fledgling female intuition to her honed detective's instincts, that Souji-senpai and Yukiko-senpai were more than a "statistical anomaly." The first time she'd seen them together outside of Marukyu Tofu, walking side by side with the others arguing in the distance, she'd felt that there was something between them. The way Yukiko-senpai leaned toward him, ever so slightly. How Souji-senpai had eyed the strange detective while stepping, probably without being aware of it, in front of the black-haired girl like he meant to protect her from whatever came at them. From what Naoto knew of them now, that had been before their announcement that they were dating, but even back then , the hints were there.

And while Yukiko-senpai didn't seem to remember them, her actions at Club Escapade spoke for themselves. Sitting across Souji-senpai's lap and giggling while leaning against him until Chie-senpai pulled her back to her seat was the antithesis of subtlety, and his expression, a mix of bewilderment and tender care under a rare blush, had been a definite first for the in-control leader. And when their evening came to an end and they were left with the conundrum of how to get two intoxicated persons under legal age back to the hotel, Souji-senpai had offered to help Yukiko-senpai by slowly lifting her to her feet. She'd come awake for a moment before smiling, Naoto remembered fondly, like a drunken fool and wrapping her arms around his neck and saying something that had sounded like "soooo stroong," before burrowing into his shoulder and giggling to herself. She had even lifted her legs to curl around him, which had forced him to pick her up bridal style in front of everyone.

It was readily apparent that Souji-senpai hadn't known what to do, only reminded of their destination when Chie-senpai had offered to take the girl. Senpai had refused, an amalgamation of emotions on his face when he looked at Yukiko-senpai while the arms and hands supporting her were rock steady. Yosuke-senpai had said something about a cold shower before Chie-senpai kicked him as they helped the inebriated Rise-san to her feet and tried to manage the stairs, the starlet snoring and lolling back and forth.

Even back then, there seemed to be so little they couldn't do together, and to chalk it up to a statistical anomaly was beneath them, she knew. "We'll see what happens, Nanako-chan," Naoto told the girl as she came out of her memories. "Life can change in some very strange ways before we know it."

"Big Bro always says that," Nanako-chan told her. "Like how one time he– Hm? Okay… Okay Dad, I will. Sorry, Naoto-san, Dad needs the phone for something."

"Give my regards to Dojima-san," Naoto replied. "Call again anytime, alright?"

"Thanks, I will. Goodbye."

The line went dead and Naoto turned her cell phone off, resting on her bed and looking out the nearby window. Nanako-chan had caught her just as she'd woken up, almost blowing her eardrums out with her ecstatic announcement, so Naoto was still in her pajamas. Different shades of blue and loose but comfortable, they'd been part of her order from Kanji-kun that she treasured the most. The thought of the days leading up to them becoming as close as they were, the uncertainty and fear she'd felt at the time, made her smile. They weren't the most conventional couple, but she was happy to say that they were still together.

She looked over at her work table, considering a morning of tinkering with her vintage inventions, but Nanako-chan's call left her feet itching to go somewhere, anywhere, rather than stay in her room. Naoto crossed her room and changed into her day clothes, closing her eyes at the soft feel of the material and close cut from her underwear to her double-breasted coat. One of his more recent creations, and there was nothing she could complain about in this case. There never was. Her wardrobe was fuller now than it had ever been before, and the sight that should have left her frowning from thoughts of how she was going to pack all of it in the event of her moving out lightened her heart instead.

She left her room and headed to her Grandpa's study on the other side of the manor to tell him she'd be out when she heard several voices coming from the kitchen. One of them was Yakushiji-san, but the other two were too quiet for her to place. Frowning thoughtfully as her curiosity rose, Naoto walked toward the sound, still unable to make out much of what they were saying, and nodded to the men sitting at the dining table when she turned the corner and entered the expansive and immaculately clean kitchen.

Yakushiji-san was in his immaculate suit like always. No surprise there. Across from him was her Grandpa, dressed in soft grey and sitting straight and tall, looking ten years younger than she knew he was. Slacks and a sweater outlined the spry frame of a man who still ran three miles every day, shoulder-length silver hair was tied back and still damp, and familiar blue eyes sparkled in the morning light as he looked at her. The third person at the table was an unexpected surprise. Oshiro-san, an old friend of the family, a car aficionado and a top-flight mechanic, wiped at his mouth from the biscuits on the plate in front of him. The Shirogane automobile collection, contrary to anything people might expect, was extensive and rather exotic. For decades her family had assembled an impressive collection of vintage vehicles ranging from Italian sports cars to American muscle cars to German Porsches, and Grandpa was very particular about maintaining them for his occasional excursions in the countryside. When she'd been much younger, no matter how often she'd told her classmates stories of how fast he drove and in what sorts of vehicles, no one ever believed her after they met him. Even now, she couldn't blame them; he didn't look like he loved driving 5km under the point of breaking the sound barrier.

"Ah, Naoto," the eldest of the trio greeted, rising with a smooth fluidity that defied his age. "Good morning. You've finished your conversation, I trust?"

"I have," she confirmed with polite greetings and bows. "Nanako-chan had something important to pass on. Good morning, Oshiro-san."

The man rose and bowed politely, a familiar wide smile on his face. His clothes were still clean and uncreased, telling her that he hadn't started working on any cars yet. Or maybe he was just here for a consultation and to give an opinion. "Good morning, Shirogane-san. I hope everything's going alright for you today."

"Quite well, thank you." She looked to her Grandpa just then. "If you don't need me this morning, I'll be going. I have some things to look after."

"That won't be a problem," he told her with a nod. "Enjoy yourself and make sure you have your phone with you. Do you need a ride?"

"It's a beautiful day," she noted, looking at the clear sky through the nearby windows. "The walk will do me good."

"Of course. Enjoy yourself then."

Naoto gave her bows and headed for the door. The three continued their discussion like before, but it was even more hushed than before. She turned toward the kitchen as she put her shoes on, and when she focused her hearing past the noise of cars outside and the antique clock in the manor, she thought she heard Oshiro-san say "she's going to love it." Yakushiji-san said something she couldn't hear properly, but the tone was one of approval.

The words piqued her interest, snagged her detective's curiosity, but she restrained her instincts. If it was something Grandpa wanted to surprise her with, then snooping around would ruin the moment. And that was assuming that it was even for her. It wasn't unlikely that Grandpa had found a woman to court and become involved with, and if that was the case, she would encourage him with all her heart when he told her. Naoto shook her head and exited the manor before the itch and desire to know got the better of her.

The bus to downtown Inaba was half full, and despite how much room there was, several people recognized her and came over to talk and catch up. Naoto's replied were much smoother than the first few times it had happened, something she had the rest of the Inaba Crew to thank for, and she found herself becoming more and more proficient in the skill of small talk. She noted that several of the more interested conversers were rather attractive older women, and one in particular was a long-standing widow. Coincidence? Information gathering about her Grandpa? Naoto answered the questions and made polite conversation while making her own observations, and when she got off the bus at the shopping district, it was with several well-wishes and shows of gratitude. She shook her head as she walked past the Konishi Liquor Store, adjusting her officer's cap and brushing her hair back. Whatever the reasons for the discussion, it wouldn't do to be rude and downplay simple courtesy. And there was no guarantee that any of the women on the bus thought of her as more than an acquaintance. Best not to make any presuppositions.

"Welcome to Tatsumi Textile. How can I– Oh, hey," Kanji-kun greeted her from the storefront, smiling as she took her shoes off. "How're things?"

She'd since become accustomed to his informal and sometimes truncated way of speaking. Understanding him and picking up all the context he often had trouble getting across had been an interesting challenge, one she was still undergoing during the times they'd gone out and he'd gotten flustered. "I'm doing well. Nanako-chan called me this morning." Kanji-kun smiled and shook his head, and Naoto returned the gesture. "She seems very excited about Senpai's upcoming nuptials, distant as they are."

"Yeah, she did the same with me," Kanji-kun told her, a bit quieter than usual. "She was askin' about dresses and how she can help with the ceremony 'n stuff. I think she's gonna drive Dojima-san up the wall between now and whenever the wedding is."

"She means well," Naoto noted, more reserved this time. Kanji-kun looked a bit pale, now that she thought about it, and his smile seemed forced. "Is everything alright?"

"Why're you askin'?" he asked a bit harshly before making a face. "Sorry, had a bad night. And me an' Ma're havin' a scrap right now."

Naoto tilted her head, immediately curious. "That's unusual. What's the problem?"

He have a disgusted sigh and ran a hand back through his hair. "School. Career Day happened and Ma got a call from some asshole sayin' where I would and wouldn't be goin' after I graduate. You can guess how she took it."

Naoto sobered, well aware of how much Kanji-kun struggled with academics. "Not well, I presume."

"Yeah, that's a way to put it. School's always been big to her, an' me gettin' reamed out like that didn't help. Ain't somethin' I can change now, and I don't need to go to some university to do what I do, but Ma ain't listenin'."

"There is some merit to that argument though," Naoto hedged, not budging when he glared at her. "You can learn a lot from instructors and other students, and the courses are likely to have practical elements where you can make what you want. I know you'd do well at that."

"Sure," he replied, tone crackling with anger. "If you have the grades to get there. And I don't. Never have. So to hell with it. I got better things to put my time into."

"You can't brush it off that easily," Naoto insisted, stepping forward. "Even if you don't want to take the classes, having some kind of accreditation on your name will help in the long run, especially with how people are becoming increasingly picky as the market narrows. Economics and the consumer's choice are a very real concern."

Kanji-kun's next breath came from between clenched teeth, and she found herself on the receiving end of a glare that was bordering on hostile. "Yeah. I get that. But that means takin' the courses and getting' the grades for entrance exams or whatever, and I ain't got what it takes to do that."

Naoto was about to object, but his glare stopped her in place.

"I don't. I ain't Senpai, and I ain't you. Classes get boring, reading just puts me to sleep, and tests always throw me off when I try to remember what we were doing. School ain't easy for me like it is for you, and I can get by in the world doin' what I'm doin'. I don't need to spend the money or take the time to be told that I'm good at what I do."

"School isn't easy for me, if that's what you think," Naoto told him, ice edging her voice. "I don't think it was easy for Souji-senpai and Yukiko-senpai either. But they didn't let it stop them. Chie-senpai has the same difficulties you do, but she's finding ways to achieve her goals."

"An' I got my goals right here," Kanji-kun told her shortly. "I can make 'em work right here, on my own. She has to pass tests to be a cop. I don't need a school to tell me when I'm good enough to do what I do."

"I see," was all Naoto said. She knew she was glaring, and didn't try to stop it. Much as she respected his choice to make a decision, this was wrong. It was giving up, and knowing that it would make their fight worse didn't stop her from thinking it. "Then I hope things work out for you in the end."

Kanji-kun didn't lighten up like a small part of her feared he would. He wasn't so detached from the conversation that he couldn't read her, and she could hear his teeth grating against each other. "Don't you dare give me that shit. Me goin' to school or not's got nothin' to do with you, and I ain't any worse off for it. Just because you could go to any school in the world doesn't mean it's gonna work for everyone."

"I haven't written off those possibilities," she told him flatly. "I don't know where my life will take me, but I haven't stopped keeping my opportunities open, and I won't pass up opportunities just because I think I can't get them. I've been wrong before." There were loaded tanker ships lighter than the silence that fell between them. Kanji-kun's eyes burned hot enough to forge the swords he was glaring at her, and Naoto refused to let herself back down. "Was there anything else?" she asked, her tone making it clear that she wasn't asking a question.

He snorted, stepping back with more than a trace of contempt in the caustic cocktail of emotions on his face. "Nah. You know where the door is." He turned his back on her and, in four furious strides, was into the hallway far enough that he could slam the door behind him.

The sound passed her by, and Naoto seethed in the silence that followed. She shook her head and turned to leave, slipping into her shoes without tying the laces before she was out the door, closing it with definitely more force than it needed. She fumed as she walked toward the gas station, her heels hitting the pavement much harder than usual and her gait long and almost unsteady. It wasn't until she was two blocks away that she had the thought that, after months of progress and exploration, she'd just had her first big fight with her boyfriend.

---

"What's bothering you?" Yuuma asked, sitting next to her with a tumbler half full of whiskey on the rocks.

Izumi hadn't moved from the couch the entire time. Her phone finally off, she hadn't greeted her husband when he came in, hadn't answered when he'd asked why she was home early, hadn't even responded when he'd commented on dinner. She was still staring at the picture of Souji and his girlfriend, her thoughts circling like water around a drain and never getting anywhere.

She pushed the picture over for him to see, and, while he was looking at it, stole his drink and tilted it back. Three long swallows almost drained the glass, burning all the way down without so much as a cough. She set the tumbler back on the table, ice rattling against fine crystal, and sank her face into her free hand.

Yuuma said nothing. The picture ended up back on the table, and when she saw it again, she reached for what was left of the drink.

This time her husband stopped her, a gentle grip on her wrist. "Just a minute," he told her, rising from the couch and taking the whiskey with him. Izumi was numb to the sounds that came from the kitchen, and she reached out robotically to take the drink he offered her a few minutes later. She smelled the shochu and the oolong tea, her favorite cocktail, and drank much less on the first draw. "Better?" he asked, his own drink refilled.

"I think so," she replied, feel her head clear a little now that she had someone to talk to. "Thanks."

"Of course." He leaned back against the couch and crossed one leg over the other, savouring his first drink after work as he picked the picture up again and really looked at it. "I'm glad Souji's tastes have changed," he noted after a moment. "This is much more assuring than all those magazines with Risette on them."

"I just got it today," Izumi informed him, looking over with a sigh. "Ryo sent it and almost threatened Hitomi-chan to get it to me. It looks like he's been trying to get me to see it for months."

"He missed his calling as a photographer," Yuuma told her with a smile. "I'm glad you got this though. It explains a few things."

She frowned a little and turned to him, curiosity in her eyes. "Explains things? Did you know about this?"

"In a general way," Yuuma told her. "When I talked to Souji a few days ago, I got the impression he was seeing someone and keeping it to himself. He wouldn't tell me anything about her, but now we know."

"I wish I'd known about her before now," Izumi murmured, taking a drink and voicing what had been echoing in her head for hours. "Of course he'd be seeing someone. He shot us down every time we talked to him about meeting girls, and I don't think he ever talked about it after he came back. I feel like a fool for not putting it together."

Yuuma laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing encouragingly. "It bothers you that much? It's not your fault if Souji doesn't tell us these things."

"He's grown up this much, and I never noticed," she continued, pointing to the picture. "All the calls to Inaba, the times he left to visit for just a few days, everything he hasn't told us and we learn he's with someone from a picture Ryo probably sent behind his back? How long have they known each other? How much have we missed? She's this close to him and I don't even know what kind of a girl she is."

"Souji's smart," Yuuma assured her. "He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his future and the opportunities he has. And if this is the girl he's with now, then it's even less likely that he's going to make any mistakes at university or in his career. So don't worry about missing the small things; we know now, and we know where he's going in the end. That's all that matters."

Izumi turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "You're not curious about her?"

"Souji's not the sort to get together with someone he can't stand to talk to," Yuuma began after a long drink. "And we both know that's a short list to begin with. He's driven and smart, and if he trusts her this much then it's clear she's at his level and probably from a good background. I'd like to know who she is so I can confirm a few things, but I have nothing against him being with a girl like this. He'll tell us sooner or later."

"I wish I knew her name," Izumi mused. "Ryo left dozens of messages, but he never mentioned it."

"A shame," Yuuma conceded, "but nothing insurmountable. If she's from a good family, then she'll know her place and do well to support him when that time comes. He'll be much less stubborn by the time he graduates, and then we can meet her and give them the advice they need going forward." He smiled confidently, squeezing her shoulder in encouragement again. "Don't let it bother you. Even if we're learning about this late, that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. This is a good opportunity for Souji and a chance for a proper daughter-in-law down the road. Things work out in the end and life goes on."

Izumi wasn't convinced. She agreed that Souji was everything her husband said, and that the odds of her son ending up with a girl wrong for him was unlikely. But the way they held each other in picture told her that the girl wouldn't meekly do as she was told and "know her place" just because someone told her to do something. But that was becoming secondary as her thoughts collapsed in on her again. Everything she thought she knew about her child felt false now, like a painting left out in the rain. The colours and details lost their edge and ran into the gutter, leaving her with a misshapen, soggy mess that wouldn't take colours again. Unbidden, the memory of that night returned and she could see Souji crying in a dark corner, the sound of rain all around them. She closed her eyes and could hear that weak, choked sound that had been so alien that she couldn't move to do anything about it. Yuuma was right that their son was smart, capable and strong. But something had happened since he'd gone to Inaba that even he couldn't completely keep to himself, something that had broken him down to the level of a child all those months ago. And Izumi, with growing shame, realized that she still had no idea what could have had that effect on him, or why that same tormented soul could find so much peace with the girl in the picture. "How did it come to this?" she whispered to herself finally.

There was a moment of silence before Yuuma slid closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You're still worried about work," he assessed. "Things are changing and this came at a bad time. If you want, you could call Souji and find out what's going on straight from the horse's mouth. Maybe he'll tell you who she is and we'll be able to meet her."

Izumi leaned against him, finally feeling some measure of support in this day that had thrown her mind, structured as a librarian's card filing system, into so much turmoil. She still wasn't convinced that her husband had the right of it this time, especially not when she thought of how even the neatest explanation could still be wrong, but it was better than chasing her tail. "That would be nice," she replied.

"And you need some rest," he told her. "You're in no condition to make an informed decision about this right now. I'll look after dinner, we'll turn off the phones, and you can get an early night's sleep. How does that sound?"

It had sounded wonderful, and while it took several more drinks and take-out from her favorite Chinese food restaurant, Izumi went to bed less troubled than when she'd gotten home. Into bed early, up later than usual, and she'd even broken her own long-standing tradition and didn't get into work until 6:45 the next morning.

The assurances and extra rest hadn't helped her come to a decision on what to do with Souji or Ryo though. She'd left a message with her brother saying "I got the picture. And I'm sorry," and nothing more. Souji and his girlfriend were still a blank for her, and the more she thought about how to ask him for those answers, the less confident she felt. When she tried to back up and start off with how she would greet him and ask how school was, the lack of ideas stretched beneath her like she was walking a mile-high tightrope.

Almost a week passed before she made a decision: she'd visit an old friend from university. Junko had always had a knack for helping her find her centre and get the answers she needed, though Izumi joked that she was so good at solving the problems of others that she would fall short with her own issues. That always made the woman laugh. Izumi had gotten pregnant with Souji around the same time as Junko had conceived her daughter, a lovely little brown-haired girl that had the smartest mouth of any child Izumi had ever met, and Izumi felt bad that she hadn't kept in touch over the years. A few phone calls and a Saturday set aside, and she was walking down a residential street that sported houses smaller than what she'd expected her friend to live in, but she shrugged; there was nothing wrong with living modestly.

"Here we are," she said to herself, opening the gate to a small corner house lot and nodding when she saw the polished nameplate.

Takenaka.

She knocked on the door and let herself in when Junko called "Come in!" from inside. Izumi entered quietly, closed the door behind her and slipped out of her shoes and put on the house slippers on the small rack on the landing. She looked up and stepped onto the hardwood floor, and almost slipped when she abruptly stopped in place.

The house was… Izumi had to look for the right words to describe it, but the feeling of how off it was held her fast. Souji had never liked the places they'd lived in while he was growing up, always calling them 'grey' or 'boring' when he was younger, and 'austere' and 'like a mortuary' as his vocabulary grew. Izumi wouldn't disagree that the apartment she and Yuuma shared was a bit lacking in decorations and colour, but what she saw felt jarring, like double vision when the images were nothing like each other.

The kitchen, just to the right of the entrance, was bare. The stove and counters were clean and mostly free of dust, but the spice rack was empty and the only thing that looked like it saw any regular use was the microwave. Izumi would never have placed money on her own cooking skills, but she had seen how well Souji stocked and maintained the kitchen at every house and apartment they'd lived in since he learned how to cook, and Junko's felt empty. Worse, there was a sense of indifference about the place that she hoped was just her imagination.

Izumi turned to the living area, where a familiar figure was lounging on the couch in the low lighting, and again she had to focus and address what she was seeing rather than what her memories told her should be there. Curtains on each side of the TV looked like they had been pulled from a shopping catalogue, which was nothing unusual, but some of the curtain rings had come loose, leaving the fabric to hang unevenly and only let a few cracks of sunlight through. Nearby wall units and bookshelves were crammed with books and manuals, and paper was stuffed into every gap and corner it would fit into. Izumi was no stranger to paper piles and unorthodox organization habits, but the bent and torn edges, the rips in some and the crushed balls of others as they rested near a waste basket told her a different story than when she looked around her own office. Frustration? Haste? Certainly not the orderly structure she remembered.

She stepped closer to a couch that had sagged in a human-shaped indent in the corner, noticing some framed pictures off in the corner that were dull from the layer of dust on them while others were cleaner but had chipped edges or small cracks in the glass that didn't come from being dropped.

"It's been a long time," Junko told her from the couch, rising to greet her old friend in a voice raspier and harsher than the smooth contralto of her youth.

Izumi bowed familiarly, and bit her tongue to keep her surprise under control. She wasn't one for wearing a three-piece suit for friends, but Junko's worn jeans and faded, untucked t-shirt was nothing like what she remembered. When she came up to embrace the woman, she had to bite down harder: her friend looked like she'd aged fifty years in less than twenty. Dark brown hair that had been long and lustrous was now short and streaked with ragged strands of white, and those large, laughing eyes were set back in her skull, dark and narrow. Her cheeks looked sallow and even her skin seemed pale in the low lighting. Izumi hoped against the sinking feeling in her heart that it was all in her imagination. "It really has," she began, carefully choosing her words. "How have you been?"

Junko smiled. It looked closer to a grimace on a face that was worn with lines that looked like scowl marks. "I'm managing. Work's steady, the house is mine and no one else is eating the food, so things are as good as they can be."

"Are you on sabbatical?" Izumi asked, circling the living room table and sitting on the couch opposite her friend. The springs were stiff and unbroken, and the smell of gin got stronger the lower she went. "Projects on the side?"

Junko laughed in what sounded like a hint of mirth, but it came out grating and hard like a dry gravel mixer. "No. Nothing like that. I gave it up."

Izumi blinked, silent. Twenty minutes ago, she would have laughed at such a ludicrous idea. Now she felt that to laugh would have been to tread on some very deep scars. "Gave it up?" she asked, still careful with her tone. "That doesn't sound like you. You had more connections and leads than me and Yuuma combined not that long ago."

"Twenty years isn't that long ago?" the woman asked, the question softer only because it came after a long drink from something Izumi could smell from across the table. "I guess it can fly by if you're climbing the ladder and making progress. For some of us, it's been a long ride to nowhere."

"It can't be that bad," Izumi protested with a light smile. "Whatever's happening, it's temporary."

Junko eyed her for a moment, then gave a trace of a shadow of a genuine smile. "It's something. Aside from work, how have you been?"

"I'm…" Izumi took a deep breath and threaded her fingers together, tightening them and focusing her thoughts. "It's been a strange week. Souji's off at university and I learn now, probably years after it started, that he's going out with a girl I've never met."

Junko chuckled, a dark grin spreading on her face. "Men and their secrets. Don't expect anything more from him, in that case."

Izumi's eyes narrowed at the clear insinuation. "Souji's not like that."

"He's a man," Junko insisted. "How did you find out? Wait, wait, I know: she called to tell you he knocked her up and she wants to make sure he takes responsibility, right?"

"Of course not!" Izumi hissed. "There are plenty of reasons why he didn't tell us, and it has nothing to do with that! And she wasn't the one who told me; I haven't even met her yet."

Junko's smile died off and became curious. "Sounds like a story. Alright, lay it on me. What's going on?"

Izumi collected her thoughts and stared with a touch of distrust at her friend, but this was why she'd come here, and even if her old friend wasn't how she remembered, the tenacity and sharp mind were still there. So she began the story of her getting the picture and started talking about all the questions she had, then stopped when she realized how many there were. Junko listened, mostly attentive when she wasn't refilling her drink, and only asked a few questions. By the end, her hand was holding up her forehead as the familiar doubts rode around her like they were on a merry-go-round.

"What's stopping you from calling him?" Junko asked after the story was finished. "Sure, he might hate you and tell you off, but you're not getting anywhere now, are you?"

"It's not just him," Izumi replied. "It's everyone else. My brother and his family too, how do I start with this?"

There was a clink of the bottle on the glass, and Junko swore to herself as the alcohol ran out. "Same way," she advised. "Give it a go and see if they hate you for it. Worst that can happen is that they hate you and never talk to you again. Then it's case closed and you can keep going up the ladder." Her tone wasn't friendly enough to be considered "cordial advice."

It was enough to bring Izumi's head up so she could glare at the woman. While telling her story, she hadn't mentioned her difficulties at work, and the words hit a still-bloody wound. "That's in bad taste."

She got a dry laugh in return. "Sorry, forgot that the world looks different from up there. But do toss me a line and a drink when you reach the top, won't you?"

Izumi's sense of courtesy began to slip and that old fire, the side of her that had weathered every boss, associate and idiot telling her to get a husband and stop taking jobs away from more qualified men, flared up. "I didn't know you were this stuck on self-pity these days," she said with narrow eyes. "My apologies if I'm interrupting something."

Junko paused, her drink caught between the table and her lips, before she smiled humorlessly and gave her a toast. "Nice to see you haven't changed. Still as bossy as always. I'm fine, by the way."

"You're anything but fine," Izumi almost snapped, her patience with the woman who had been as close as a sister she'd always wanted down to a few frayed threads. "It looks like things haven't been easy for you, and I understand that. But when did it happen? Why has it come to this? Tell me what happened."

Junko shrugged, her "do your worst" smile darkening the dim room a touch more. "Take your pick. Tried to play the game and climb the ladder, tried to find the right man and make it work, tried to have a kid and juggle it all at once. What's that saying about chasing more than one rabbit?"

"Megumi-chan must have graduated high school by now," Izumi noted. " And you've never let setbacks stop you. What's stopping you now?"

The moment the girl's name was said, a blind chef's smorgasbord of emotions raced across Junko's face. Anger, regret, pain, contempt, and sadness and a trace of what might have been love mixed in a cocktail that felt like poison. Rather than feel assured that she'd gotten past her friend's armour of thorns, Izumi felt like the worst hadn't even started.

"Megumi's fine," Junko snapped a moment later, taking a long drink. "She's off and gone, doing whatever she wants. As for me, I'm done for. Wasn't my idea, but when the big shots find out you've got a kid and no man to explain where she came from, they get pretty full of themselves. It's not their business, never was, but they can make your life hell all the same."

"No father?" Izumi inquired, unable to help herself. "I thought you were engaged. I'm sure I remember you saying that."

"Didn't work out that way," Junko told her, an almost sing-songy tone clashing with the familiarity and bitterness in her voice. "Can't marry a man who's already got a wife and kid, can I?"

Izumi bit her tongue to keep back her surprise, unsure if she wanted to question her friend or offer sympathy.

"And I knew it," she continued, her resignation laced with patience now, like she'd said the words so many times that their barbs had lost their edge. "I knew it when I was pregnant, and I felt like I could change his mind." Junko drained her glass and slammed it onto the table. "Might have if she'd been a boy."

Izumi couldn't bite her tongue hard enough to keep her reaction down. "It's not Megumi-chan's fault her father wanted a son. And it's not your fault either."

That earned her a bloodshot glare. "Taking her side now?"

"Of course not," Izumi snorted. "I didn't know there was a problem until you brought it up. How could I take any sides?"

"She does, you know," Junko muttered darkly, sitting back and staring at the table. "Ever since she was little, she always took sides. When she does well, she only tells me because she knows he won't talk to her, like she thinks I'll pass on the good news and bring him to see her. If he were around, she wouldn't need me. She'd be on his side, and then where would I be? Hm?"

No worse than where you are right now. "That's ridiculous. Why do you think Megumi-chan's not here?"

"Because she's the same as him!" Junko snapped, flinging her arm out fast enough to lose her grip on her glass and send it crashing into the kitchen. "She looks the same, she sounds the same, she's gotten everything from him! Where am I in the equation? I raised her, taught her everything I could and she still looks at me like I'm trash! It's not my fault the banks are the only ones taking new hires! I should be even higher than you, but no! I couldn't take it then. I can't take it now, and honestly? I'm glad she's where she is. A Fujisawa university somewhere because she lucked out and hooked up with the right kid, and she'll forget I'm even here. Look on the bright side: your kid might hate you, but at least he knows you exist. Megumi's gone off and could be dead in a car crash and they'd only tell me because he wouldn't pick up the phone."

Izumi looked at the pictures on a nearby end table and picked one up to look at a girl whose eyes were hard and dim. The smile she wore was crooked like she was trying too hard to make it convincing, and none of the awards around her, all for academic excellence and achievement, seemed to spark any pride in her. It reminded her, she thought in a moment of horror, of Souji in the same picture that she had at her office. The eyes and the expression were the same, and she put the picture down in an instant before she let herself think of how long it had been since she had seen her son smile. "She looks like you," Izumi noted with a tone of iron, "not her father. The same eyes, the same hair, even your faces are the same. What do you think she got from her father?"

"You're just saying that," Junko hissed, spite growing in her eyes. "You had to poke around in my business, didn't you?"

"Was her father around when she was growing up?" Izumi continued. "Because if not, then Megumi-chan got what she knows from you, and there's no way you would have let her go without helping her. You said that she's in university herself now. Even if she is with her boyfriend, isn't she where she is because you were there to help her? She wouldn't forget that."

Junko's knuckles turned white on the arm of the couch. "What do you know? Because things worked out for you, now you're making fun of me? I've tried! I've done everything I can and I'm still here! Where are my opportunities? When do I get a break?!"

Izumi held her words back, knowing they would only twist the knife deeper. Instead she rose to her feet and stepped around the table, stopping to take a last look at her oldest friend "I'm sorry I've bothered you. I didn't mean to."

"Keep your pity," Junko shot back, turning her head and facing the other direction. "I'm sick of hearing it."

Izumi reached into a breast pocket and pulled out her business card case, fingering through them until she found the one she wanted. "Kuzuki-san might be looking for someone of your skills," she continued, placing the card on the table. "It's better than banking. Maybe it will suit you, maybe it won't, but you deserve better than this."

Junko's voice was brittle from how much acid it was laced with."Handing out charities? Go to hell. It's another dead end, like all the others."

"Maybe. And if that's all it takes to stop you, then save yourself the trouble. Goodbye." Izumi bowed and strode from the living room, slipped her shoes back on and was out the door before the growling and cursing behind her escalated. She could still hear it when she got to the sidewalk.

When she got home, she went to the bathroom and ran the cold water, washing her face until the skin felt raw, the afternoon's words echoing in her head. She shut the water off and dried off with a towel, staring at the mirror.

She'd never seen someone so disconnected from her own child. Junko had been an inspiration to her back in university, the kind of opponent who'd always forced her to be the best if only to keep a little bit ahead. But the bitterness and the pain she felt coming off the woman had turned her into a different person entirely. And for her to be so angry at Megumi-chan…

Izumi sighed, tossing the towel to the sink in frustration. She'd been hoping for some answers, but now all she has was more questions. What was she supposed to do about Souji? What about Ryo and the bond she'd let decay for years? There was even her little niece, and Izumi couldn't remember if she'd ever seen Nanako-chan out of her diapers. How old was she now? Nine? Ten?

Where was she supposed to start? Could she do anything while she was still working? On that note, where was her career going?

So many questions, so much to do. She set her hands on the sink and stared down, still drawing a blank. Then she looked up at the mirror and thought of that picture. The little girl at the top of the class when it meant nothing to her. Those glassy eyes. For a second, the image of Souji looking at her like that flashed across her mind, and she pushed back from the sink and clenched her eyes shut, trying to crush the thought. It lingered, but eventually left like the stare of a disappointed superior.

Izumi shook her head and ran her hands over her face. She knew that she'd drifted away from Souji. Maybe he was like Megumi-chan, maybe he wasn't, but seeing it in front of her, so nakedly hostile and real, told her that she couldn't let it stay the way it was. She felt the familiar frustration come back as she hesitated on the idea of making the call and went back to her room, taking her coat off and tossing it to the bed. The slight impact was enough to slide her phone out, the on light catching her eye. She opened it and stared, thinking of how much less than ten days had changed when years hadn't even come close. Her fingers froze when she opened her contact list like they always did, and she asked herself, like she had since she saw the picture, what she was going to do if she called Souji. If he would even talk to her.

Her own voice murmured between her ears, still going around in circles except for something that had crossed her lips only a few hours ago:

If that's all it takes to stop you…

---

Muffled sound and warm water surrounded her, brushing back and forth while she held her breath and stared at the insides of her eyelids. The darkness was familiar and warm like she had returned to the womb, cut off from the world around her while her hair floated around her in strands of seaweed.

She'd never told anyone, but it felt like death.

When she'd faced down Izanami with Souji and everyone else, she had been the last one to die. And she'd done it without hesitation, her only fear that she wouldn't make it to help him in time. She felt the blow connect with her chest, felt her life fade as she sank to the ground, and was glad that she'd protected Souji with that last step. Where she went after that, she'd never know, but it was as quiet and peaceful and strange as this.

Yukiko let go of the line connecting her to the twenty-pound weight on the bottom of the pool and let herself rise to the surface. This too was how death felt. After she'd felt at peace for… she didn't know how long, she heard him call her. Her and the others. And when he did, she was drawn to him until she broke the line between death and life and opened her eyes. No running for a light at the end of the tunnel, no angels or demons waiting for her, just the warm, quiet dark that she moved through to get to him.

And when she came back, she'd felt Souji's arms tight around her, his tears on her face, his pleas in her ears. She'd never seen someone, especially not her love, so helpless and broken, and she'd embraced him when she came back until he was certain she was alive. It took a while; he was long out of tears by the time he let her go.

She opened her eyes and breathed lightly enough to keep herself floating on the surface, staring at the ceiling of the pool and letting her mind drift back to the days before that last fight, when warm liquid on her hands had come to mean something very different. Before she ended up in that castle, she'd never hurt another creature or even seen a dead animal or person before. Violence was something that had never played a role in her life, so the sight and feel and smell of so much blood was as bizarre as waking up and literally seeing herself staring back at her.

After fighting her Shadow, however, she volunteered to be the group medic and healer. Yosuke-kun had been able to do it, but didn't have the gentle touch, according to everyone who had the chance to compare, that she did. And with that position came the bloody slashes, the terrified screams, and the wet feeling on her hands that had left her scrubbing them raw for the first few weeks. She had wanted to help everyone as best she could, and none of them were so skilled at fighting before they'd manifested their Personas that they could get away with only a few cuts and scrapes, so that meant seeing injuries that had relieved her of her lunch until she learned to clench her teeth and ignore the cries of pain. It meant that while Souji and Yosuke-kun were their leaders and had been fighting the longest, she was the one who know where everyone's scars were. Kanji-kun and Souji-kun had the worst of it, with her fiancé bearing burn marks she still felt guilty about, and her childhood friend suffering from jagged bite marks on his shoulder and a torn bicep that, no matter how hard she'd tried, she hadn't been able to heal properly. Naoto-kun, Chie, Yosuke-kun, Teddie, they'd all suffered and bled under her hands, and the pain she felt, their pain, had kept her up at night, sometimes for days on end. The visits she'd made to their houses sometimes, to make sure they were healing alright, were heartbreaking. The lies they had to tell their families, the secrets, the hope in the eyes of her friends when they asked how the wounds were looking, and the need for her to always have a smile on her face twisted her heart like a wet rag.

"Not anymore," she murmured to herself, still staring at nothing. Ending the murders and putting an end to the fights, the months between Christmas and April, had helped for her to return to normal. The parties, the visits, the chances for them to be teenagers again had given them the normalcy they'd needed. And now they were well on their way to living normal lives, good days and mistakes and all.

Smiling to herself, she took a fast breath and dove down to catch the line and weight she'd borrowed, dragging it to the end of the pool and kicking hard to pull it up with her. Once she had a hand on the deck, she pulled herself up and turned to sit on the wet mortar and tile, then pulled the weight out of the water.

"You must be half fish," a calm, familiar voice noted from nearby.

Yukiko turned to see Mei-san in a modest two-piece sitting on a lounge chair and holding up a towel as an offer. "Not quite," she replied with a smile. "I haven't grown any gills yet." Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the edge of one of her own scars peeking past the edge of her swimsuit and quickly adjusted the strap to cover it up before standing up and walking over to her new friend, taking the towel and wrapping it around her back, shoulders and chest.

Mei-san was silent for a moment before shifting around in her seat. "I don't blame you. They don't look like your type."

When Yukiko looked at her curiously, she nodded further down the deck. Yukiko looked over to see a number of guys lounging around, waving to her and waving her over. She gave a quiet sigh of relief; it seemed that her friend had misinterpreted why she'd covered herself up. Like Mei-san said, the guys in question weren't her type. Black hair or brown hair, but none silver, and their sizes and builds varied as much as their hair colour didn't. Just then Yukiko realized how she was sitting and how much leg she was putting in display. After a moment's thought, she pulled her towel tighter around her. She didn't like being stared at by strangers, but there weren't any incriminating scars on her legs. "No, they aren't," she replied after she turned her back to them and her attention to the woman beside her. "Besides, I'm not available anymore."

"That wouldn't stop them," Mei-san chuckled. "They were trying to be charming, I think, while you were off in your own little world. A few actually called you a mermaid. But if that's how it is, then good on you. On that note, how do you like Kyoto? Everything you were hoping?"

Normal conversation. Something else she'd grown to appreciate after the investigation. "It's a little too early to tell. Everything's much bigger than I expected."

"Like the pool," Mei-san noted with a smile. "You were floating there for a while."

Yukiko shrugged, never having timed how long she could hold her breath for. "I hadn't noticed. I was thinking of some things, actually."

Mei-san gestured for her to continue, her hand upturned before her fingers spread, stopped, and then clenched into a fist for a second. It was a tendency Yukiko had noticed in their run-ins in the past, like the woman was used to holding something and she was trying to break the habit every time she noticed herself doing it. "Sounds like a story. Do tell."

It wasn't much of a story, though she knew better than to think about telling anyone about the time in the TV. "Souji has been distant the last few days," she told the woman, leaning a bit closer so she wouldn't have to raise her voice. "He seems distracted when he calls, and when I asked if there was something wrong, he said he had some difficulties come up regarding his classes that he had to work out."

"It happens," Mei-san noted with a mild grimace. "The registrars are hardly perfect."

"That's true, but I think something else is bothering him. Last time he was this evasive was when he was having problems with his family." Yukiko told Mei-san about the trip she took to Kofu and how Souji had reacted, and how similar this situation felt. "I don't know if he's having the same problem as before, but it feels like he's keeping something to himself."

Mei-san pursed her lips thoughtfully, tapping the arm of her chair. "Are you going to visit him?"

"I want to," Yukiko admitted, looking down when the urge to pack up and leave rose in her chest. "Souji… there are a few of us who met him when he moved to Inaba. Things happened around him and we all got swept off in the same direction, but he always acts like a senpai to the others, and even to me sometimes. And because he's been the leader right from the start, he got used to helping everyone with their problems, usually without ever telling us about his own. He keeps things to himself and never asks for help unless he's sure he needs it."

"Lots of guys are like that," Mei-san noted. "Always doing things themselves because asking for help makes them less of a man or something. Souji-san sounds different from that though, and I don't think he'd be doing it out of stubborn pride."

"He isn't," Yukiko assured her with a shake of the head. "Maybe he's still not used to asking for help, or maybe it's not something we can help with, but it's hard to feel like we can help him when he needs it when we don't know what's going on."

Mei-san shifted in her chair again, her eyes flicking to a couple passing them by before returning to the raven-haired young woman. "What do you think?"

"I think I want to visit him and find out what the problem is. It's something that's bothering him, and I feel like he needs to remember that he doesn't have to do everything alone." Yukiko sighed then. "But I won't. I want to, but classes are starting and I don't want to get this year off to a bad start."

Mei-san nodded and smiled a little. "That's smart. But there's more to it than that, isn't there?"

Yukiko went quiet for a while, looking for the words and thinking about how easy it was to talk about these things. Probably because the woman reminded her so much of Souji. "Last time I got involved, the problem was something I couldn't help him with. Taking part in the solution would have made the problems worse, if it even had a chance of helping at all now that I think about it, so I had to stay out of it. If the problems are the same as before, then even if I go to Fujisawa, I probably won't be able to do anything. And he'd probably worry about me missing classes and spending money, which is the last thing he needs."

The woman's smile widened, and there was a clear note of admiration in her voice. "There aren't many people who would see it that way. You're thinking this through a lot better than most."

As gratifying as that was, and as calm as Yukiko sounded, there was a familiar undercurrent of frustration running through her. She was assuming that she was right about the situation, and was going to call Souji tonight to find out what she could, but knowing that something was bothering him and that she couldn't do anything about it made her feel helpless and a little useless, things she'd sworn she wouldn't be after she walked away from that castle. "I wish there was more I could do."

"We all do. There's a quote I heard once that might help you in this case. 'Being in a relationship is like dancing a tango and two solos at the same time.' It's not easy and you'll step on each other's toes for a while, but sometimes we have to grin and bear it."

Yukiko was quiet for a moment, taking in the analogy and picking the words for the obvious question it raised. "This might be a bit personal, Mei-san, but are you speaking from experience? Do you, well, have someone?"

"That is rather personal, actually."

Yukiko pulled back in a snap, contrition clear on her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

She shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry, you didn't. It's just not something I talk about much. Maybe we'll crack the topic open over drinks after exams are over, how does that sound?"

Yukiko nodded, surprised by the offer and happy to have gotten it. "I'd like that. Are you planning that far ahead already?"

Mei-san shrugged. "It's not the first time I've done this, and I always need a few drinks to take the edge off. Are you alright to join us? You don't have to if you'd rather not."

That had been a topic that only made Souji and the others quiet when she brought it up, and they'd talked her out of drinking even after she graduated and they never said why. Yukiko decided to give it a try and, as Souji or Naoto-kun might put it, broaden her horizons. "We don't have many bars back home, and I'm usually too busy to try drinking. I'd like to do it around friends if I could, so I'll take you up on your offer."

"Looking forward to it. We can make a night of it, you and Chie-san and Natsuki and…" Mei-san frowned then, a look of faint resignation and long suffering on her face even while her lips turned up at the edges. "Actually, that reminds me, don't be afraid to close the door on Natsuki if she starts bothering you. She means well, but she can be a little overbearing sometimes. And airheaded. And you never know where the conversation with her is going to go or when she'll stick her nose into something."

At that moment, Natsuki was sticking her head around the corner of Chie's room door, open to allow for a breeze since the martial artist was punching and kicking through some katas. Natsuki leaned against the door frame and, despite knowing nothing about martial arts, watched as the young woman went from one kick to the next, every movement slow and precise. Sweat had soaked through a few places on her shirt and the look of concentration, involving narrow eyes and lips back enough to show gritted teeth, made Natsuki swear to not get on the girl's bad side. Still, as much work as it looked, Natsuki couldn't help the smile that grew on her face: whether Chie had started before she came to Kyoto or since, the exercise did wonders to her figure. Trim, tight, and definitely muscled, she fit a shirt and shorts pretty good. That made Natsuki think for a moment and recall that she'd only really seen Chie in shirts, tank tops and shorts, and all of those were pretty normal. Feeling her curiosity rise, Natsuki stuck her head into the room a bit more to see what she could of her new friend's closet.

"Hey Yukiko, what's u– whoa! Amemiya, when did you get here?"

Natsuki chuckled and waved Chie's reaction, wide eyes and stepping back in surprise, off like it was nothing. "A minute or two ago. Thought I'd drop in, see how you're doing. Lots of new students have a tough time getting used to living on their own in the first few weeks. How're you doing?"

Chie steadied herself, coming out of her stance and standing normally. "It's… yeah, it's different from back home, but it's not that bad. I mean, the rooms are nice," she mentioned as she gestured around to the green and yellow rug, the dark barbells, and the plethora of posters around her. " But it's not like I've never been to the city before. Yosuke and Souji always talked about Tokyo and the things they had there, and we went to Tatsumi Port Island once a year or two ago."

Natsuki darted closer as her eyes lit up. "No way, really!? Did you hit up the boutiques and the shops? What about the specialty stores for the Kirijo Group? They have the best designers in the market these days!"

Chie looked surprised and scratched her cheek for a moment. "Uh, I'm not really sure. I never got into that stuff, and Rise and Yukiko would be able to tell you more about it."

"You didn't?!" Natsuki demanded, coming forward a step. "You had the chance of a lifetime and you didn't check out even one clothing store?! What about a designer's workshop? Or a dye-maker's?"

"Well, Yukiko might know," Chie mentioned, gesturing toward her friend's room out of reflex, remembering that she'd gone swimming. "Like I said, fashion's never been my thing so I wouldn't know where to start."

Natsuki sighed at the delayed opportunity. "I'll talk to Yukiko-san then. But are you serious? Fashion doesn't do anything for you? Not even for everyday stuff? Everyone has a few simple things they like more than others."

"Shirts and sweaters, I guess," Chie shrugged. "But it's never been a big deal to me what I wear. When I was a kid it'd get… well, if it's not something that I can run in, then it feels like I'll trip. Or that I might rip it if I turn too fast."

Natsuki nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Running in heels would probably kill you, and slacks would get too hot, right?"

"Way too hot."

"Well, what about when you're not running or practicing? Don't you wear something different when you're going to class or hanging out with Yukiko-san and your friends?"

Chie held her hands out and ran them down the front of her body, indicating what she had on just then. "I usually wear the same things. Shorts, shirts, skirts, the usual. None of us really dressed up that much when we were hanging out. I mean, no more than what we usually wore."

Natsuki tapped her chin, resisting the urge to massage her temple. "Well, what about when you're on dates?"

The young woman's cheeks immediately started turning red. "I… well, sure," she replied, scratching her head and looking away. "I dress up nice for those. But it's not like I have a lot of special clothes for dates or anything."

"Why not? You want to make a good impression, right?"

Chie shifted her weight a bit from one foot to the other. "Well, yeah, I guess, but there hasn't been a lot of time for that. And Kou's never minded before," she mumbled.

Natsuki smiled then, a clear look of "come on" on her face. "He might not say it, but hasn't it crossed your mind what he likes? Maybe you won't be able to run in nice clothes, but they can give you a lot more freedom than if you just wear the same things all the time."

Chie mumbled something to herself, still looking down.

"Sorry, I couldn't hear you. What did you say?"

The martial artist sighed and looked up, a touch of shame in her normally indomitable eyes. "I'm not you," she whispered, gesturing to the woman dressed in white capris and a flashy multi-coloured shirt that set off her hair streaks. "I wouldn't know where to start."

Natsuki sighed, walking over and lightly hugging her new friend. "Oh, sweetie, don't let that get to you. No one starts off knowing this stuff perfectly. You weren't born… well, yes, you probably were born kicking and punching, but it took practice to get this far, right? Dressing up and dressing down are the same. Just takes some practice. And it's a lot of fun, too."

"I know that," Chie told her, smiling a little as they sat on her bed, "but I'm not you, and I wouldn't look good in what you're wearing. I'd probably rip the buttons off or something if I tried to put clothes like that on, and no one I know dresses like you do."

Natsuki flashed her a winning smile, eyes sparkling. "You're a real charmer, aren't you? But don't let that bother you. You've probably never seen someone dress like me because no one has the taste to." Natsuki winked devilishly, and drew a laugh from Chie as the air eased up. "We'll fix this though. You've got good taste in clothes for school and running and fighting, but I promise you'll see the difference when you try something new. Something that brings out the best of what you have so that the next time he comes to Kyoto, his jaw will hit the ground. No girl ever went home angry when her man loved what she wore."

Chie shifted back and forth for a moment. "I don't think I need to keep impressing him though, do I? He… I mean, we're doing alright as it is. He's not the kind of guy who would ditch me just because I'm not wearing the newest fashions or something."

Natsuki let out a quiet "hmmm" as she searched for the best metaphor. "It's not like that. And no, he doesn't seem like he'd do that," she began. "Some girls might have to keep winning their guys back, but those guys are jerks and should be tossed to the side of the road. Your guy seems pretty loyal and happy with who he has. But let's compare it to running. When you started out, did you only go the same distance every time?"

"No," Chie replied, a bit more comfortable now that they were on familiar ground. "No one does if they want to get good at it. You have to push yourself and go further every time."

"Exactly," Natsuki smiled. "This is the same thing. You and him might have things nice and comfortable now, but you're going to want to see more of him, and he'll want to see more of you. And changing clothes and how you wear them is a way to see those different sides that you might not see all the time."

Chie looked at her quickly, blinking a few times with an odd expression on her face.

"What's wrong? Did I say something?"

The surprise and the assessing look stayed in place for a moment before it faded away. "No… nothing wrong. I wasn't expecting you to word it like that."

"It's a gift," Natsuki admitted as she preened a bit. "Anyway, the more you show him, the more interested he becomes, and then things can change and go places that they wouldn't if you'd left things how they were."

Chie nodded, seeming a bit more comfortable now. "I get what you're saying, but can all of this really happen just because of clothes? Isn't what you're talking about the sort of thing that should come naturally when we're going out?"

"Clothes are part of it," Natsuki noted. "A big part, but just a part of it. How you wear them is just as important, because putting them on isn't enough to get somewhere." She looked a bit closer and saw that there would need to be some clear examples for the point to make it home. "We'll get there though. Reserve a weekend and we'll go shopping and I'll show you. Yukiko-san can come with us too. I know some shops that she'll love."

Chie scratched the side of her head again, a few doubts starting to show in her eyes. "Are you… I mean, this is going to be expensive, isn't it?"

"One thing at a time," Natsuki told her as she brushed the concern off. "We'll work out the details when we get closer. But keep a day open on your calendar and I'll show you what I mean, alright?"

She didn't look completely convinced, but she was at least willing to give it a try. "Alright. Thanks, Amemiya-san."

"Natsuki," the older woman insisted. "We're going to be around each other for a while, so there's no need to be so formal, right?"

"I guess so. Natsuki-san," Chie said after a moment, testing the name for the first time.

"That'll do. I'll let you get back to your workouts, and if you have any questions about this, come talk to me, alright?"

"I'll remember that. Thanks again."

"No worries. Don't work too hard."

Natsuki left the girl in her room, an extra bounce to her step and a smile she couldn't keep down spreading on her face. Doing a good deed for the new girls perked her up, but when she started thinking of all the places she could take them and what they could try on, she giggled and tapped her fingers together.

Mei was going to love it. Yes, this was going to be fun.

---

"I know Yukiko talked to him the other night," Chie told him as he turned, trying to lessen the sound of mall radio music and screaming fans, "but I don't know how that went. She said he's working on something and he'll tell her when he's got everything under control. Has he said anything to you?"

"Not really," Yosuke told her, hunching down and plugging his ear after a particularly loud "It's Risette!" from just down the way. "You know how he is. It's hard to tell if he's hitting a wall or just busy. And I got the same answer Yukiko-san did when I asked."

"I only caught some of that," she told him, speaking louder. "What did you say? And where are you, anyway?"

"Rise's doing a thing and signing autographs at the mall," he told her after he repeated himself. "She stopped by and I didn't have anything better to do, so I'm helping out."

"That explains the noise," she told him before sighing, and Yosuke could easily imagine the frown she was wearing. It was the one she always wore when she was thinking too hard. "This sucks," she continued. "Yukiko said that Souji's going through something that he wants to handle on his own, but you can see that it's bugging her."

"There isn't much we can do," he told her, smiling at the thought of trying to push their leader in one direction or the other. "I mean, I told him about a few places that were hiring and put a good word for him at Junes if he needs money, but that's where things are right now."

Chie growled a little. "He's still doing everything on his own. You'd think he'd get tired of it and let us do some of the heavy lifting."

Yosuke started to say something when another enthusiastic shriek turned him toward the gathering gaggle of groupies and fans with a sour look. "Now now," he told her after taking a few more steps and turning a corner where he could still see Rise, "no need to go there. This is just how he does things and he knows what he can and can't do better than any of us. And you know he'd ask for help if there was something we could do."

Chie let out a long breath, the sort that made her sound like a released balloon as it flew around the room. "I know, you're right. It's just… you're there with him. Make sure you help him if he needs it, okay? For Yukiko and me."

"Not a problem," Yosuke told her, leaning back against a store wall and smiling to himself. "I'll even tell him you're so worried about him that you're harassing me and making threats."

She sputtered a little at that, indignation clear in her voice. "What? Hey, I never–"

"Maaaayyybe you did though," he teased. "And maybe not. But he wouldn't know that, would he?"

"You know I'll have to make you pay for that when I see you again, right?" she threatened in a low growl.

Yosuke shrugged, not losing his smile. "That's more like it. And I'm game for that so long as it doesn't involve buying you another steak dinner or new clothes."

She gave another disgusted sigh, but he could hear the smile in her voice. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Not a chance."

Chie snorted and he could imagine her shaking her head. "Yeah, well, don't hurt yourself by thinking too hard and doing too many things at once. I know that breathing and thinking at the same time can be hard for you."

"Oooo, ouch. That was good. I'll have to warn Ichijo about your temper the next time I see him."

"I… he…" She was definitely wide-eyed now. And probably opening and closing her mouth while thinking of what to say.

"Yeah, I know," he chuckled. "I'll look after him too, make sure no one tries to step in on your territory. Last thing we need is to have to bail you out because some girl asked him for homework or something."

"You really know how to piss me off, do you know that?" She didn't wait for a response. "Anyway, keep in touch and don't work too hard at, you know, studying and going to class."

The line went dead a second later and Yosuke laughed to himself, pocketing his phone. "Yeah yeah, you too."

The noise near Rise had died down, and the starlet walked over to him while her manager was talking to some other guys in suits. "Yosuke-senpai!" she called and waved. "Thanks for waiting!"

He shrugged, trying for a cool, nonchalant smile. "Hey, no problem. You wanted to hang out so who am I to turn down the great Rise?"

She giggled and grinned up at him, bright like a flame in her favorite orange and yellow ensemble, though the clothes were definitely more expensive than what she wore around Inaba. And her makeup was a bit heavier too. Not that it made her less stunning when she smiled or laughed. "No need to try and act cool, senpai," she told him. "You're already there. A few girls were asking who you were, actually."

Yosuke perked up and looked around, trying to figure out which of the girls talking to Inoue or comparing their autographs and texting on their phones she might have been talking about. "Oh yeah? Which ones?"

Rise giggled again. "Sorry, they already left. I think they were so nervous about the idea of talking to you that they got cold feet."

That brought a groan from Yosuke's throat, and he gave her a long-suffering look. "Couldn't you have told me about this before?"

"Nope!" she chirped, walking past him and pointing to a half-full café further down the mall from where they'd come for an 'all-welcome meet 'n greet' to answer questions and fire up the hype for her upcoming tour. Most idols would have done that through the media and a press release, but Rise always wanted to get to know her fans. "I need something to drink," she continued, "and Inoue said he'd call when he's done. Would you like to join me?"

Lunch with Risette? He'd be crazy to turn down such an offer. He smiled and held a hand out. "I'd love to. Ladies first."

Rise laughed this time and walked toward the restaurant she'd pointed out, taking a chair at a table next to the mall-facing window and looking at the menu almost before the server had greeted them. Yosuke took his seat, decided on something robust and meaty, and made small talk with Rise until their food came. Then he just ate his food and kept his hands on his side of the table while she dug into her meal like she hadn't eaten in days. For someone who took such small bites, he was impressed how fast she put half her sandwich away. Being at the centre of attention must have been a good calorie burner.

"I was thinking," he told her after she started to slow down enough to hear him. "This is the first time I've seen this part of your work, and we never really talked about it when we were in Inaba."

She cocked her head to the side, smiling impishly. "You want to know about modelling and being an idol, senpai? Want to get into the business?"

"Nah, not really," he chuckled, eyes narrow as he thought over what he had planned. "That wouldn't be me. But we don't get a lot of chances to talk like this so… well… actually, let's play a game."

"A game?"

"Tit for Tat," he clarified. "I tell you something about myself, you tell me something about yourself."

Rise blinked a few times, then shrugged. "We can, but what brought this up?"

"When we met back in Inaba, we had a lot going on," Yosuke recalled. "And even when you were part of the group, we never talked about your job and what it was like. So I guess I'm curious if there's more to Rise than what we know."

Rise batted her eyes at him like she was trying to charm him, the platonic smile giving her away. "Checking up on me, senpai? Fishing for information?"

"That's… no, not really. We've never sat down and talked before, and it doesn't look like Inoue-san will be done any time soon. So what do you say?"

"Okay, let's give it a try," Rise told him, sitting up in her chair and focusing her attention on him. "I have a bunch of questions for you too."

The was a surprise. He'd never thought anyone could have unanswered questions about him. "For me? Why?"

"Ah ah ah," she teased, shaking her head, "you don't get to ask that at the start. We have to start with the small stuff first. Something simple, but something we haven't talked about before."

Definitely intrigued about what she'd said, Yosuke leaned back and thought hard about everything he knew about her and everything that had fallen through the cracks. "Okay… favorite pet. One you've owned or one you'd like to."

"We had a dog when I was in grade school. Small and fluffy," she described happily, giving him an idea of its size with her hands, "and she loved getting into the laundry hamper. It drove my mom crazy."

"That would be nice. We never had a dog, or a pet until Teddie came to live with us. Your turn."

"Favorite singer or band," she told him without hesitation. "And you can't say that it's me; that's cheating."

"I'm not picky, so I don't really stick to one artist. I like what I like, and that's usually something with some real feeling and history behind it. How about you?"

She was almost bouncing in her seat when he asked. "World Order. It's a dream of mine to meet Sudo-san and get his autograph or talk to him. You should hear what some of the studio recorders say about him and how he makes his songs."

So it went, back and forth. Yosuke talked about his friends in the city who'd gotten him into music and some of the best concerts he'd been to. Rise mentioned her cousin who'd pushed her into becoming an idol, who'd practiced with her until she could sing any note purely by feel, and she told Yosuke about her perfect pitch and how it had helped her singing.

It became clear, after another round, that there was something Rise wanted to ask. She looked a bit surprised when he pointed that out. "Come on, it's okay," he told her. "Whatever it is, it won't hurt if you ask."

"I don't think it's something you could answer in one go," she hedged, squirming a bit while her right hand rubbed the back of her left.

Yosuke brushed it off, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. "I can take it. Fire away."

Rise nodded and let out a breath. "It's about when we were in the TV," she began slowly. "I was always kind of curious about what it was like for you since you and Senpai were the first ones to start the investigation."

Yosuke's smile lost its shine, and he blinked a few times. "Go on," he told her a moment later.

"Well, you were…" Rise looked up to search for her words, "different, I guess. Senpai was the leader, Chie-senpai was good at hitting stuff, and Yukiko-senpai, well, everyone loves her. But you fought as hard as the rest of us, even harder sometimes, and it feels like I don't know you very well. You're kind of a mystery, but you'd been fighting with Senpai from the very beginning. And you did so much for the investigation that you sorta deserve more than that."

He leaned back and let out a long breath. What a question. It took him back to the riverbank, when he and Souji had beaten the crap out of each other with everything they had because he couldn't work out how he'd felt. It occurred to him that he'd never thought about how the others saw him, either. He'd been so focused on getting the job done and unravelling the murders that he'd never stopped and looked around.

"That's a tough one," he told her after a moment. Where to start?

"Sorry," she murmured, backing up into her chair. "It's probably none of my business."

"A lot of what you told me was none of mine when you think about it," he replied steadily, smiling to encourage her back to the table. "And it's not like it's a secret or something."

He told her about how he got started, why he'd gone into the TV in the first place, and how much it scared the hell out of him to see his darker half walk out of a mirror and try to kill him. He thought about leaving it there, but decided to tell her about Saki-senpai, to fill in the gaps he'd been in too much pain to tell her before and about how far his hopes and interpretations of their relationship actually were from the truth. He told her how much it hurt and how it tore him up when he heard that frustrated, angry voice in the liquor store, and how it was worse when he saw the others go through the same thing.

"I'm really sorry about her," Rise told him, her hand opening and closing like she wanted to reach across the table. "I didn't… that couldn't have been easy."

"It wasn't," he replied, his smile a bit sad and mostly accepting. "But it wasn't easier for anyone else, and it's not like there was a choice to back out and walk away once my Persona woke up. So I kept going until we finished it."

"Because you wanted to protect us?" she asked, a small hitch in her voice. "I remember a few times when you fought harder than any of us to keep going. When we were looking for Naoto-kun, you pushed the hardest to get to her."

Yosuke shrugged, a bit embarrassed at her words. Had he been fighting hardest to get to Naoto? He couldn't remember. Those last few months of the investigation had been a living hell for him. "I guess so. I don't know if I'd put it that way."

"I would," she whispered, and something in her eyes caught his and wouldn't let go. "You went through a lot at the beginning and only had Senpai and Teddie to help you through it, plus losing someone who meant a lot to you. I don't know if anyone's ever said it, but I really appreciate everything you did for us. Honestly. All of us would have been in a lot of trouble if you weren't there, so thank you."

Yosuke pulled back and looked at the table, swearing at the heat he felt rising in his cheeks. "Well, it's…" It was the first time a girl had tripped him up this much with words. "Thanks, I guess. It's… well, it all worked out in the end."

"Yeah," she smiled, the mood less heavy and her tone more familiar and fun-loving, "it did. You know, senpai, I'm glad we did this."

Yosuke smiled and held his hands out in false conceit. "Of course it was a good idea; it was mine, wasn't it?"

He smiled as she giggled, but when two girls passed the window next to him, he couldn't help the habit of turning to check them out. Yeah… arms, legs, hips, everything checked out just fine. Maybe those were the girls Rise had mentioned, who had been into him and too shy to talk to him. He chuckled to himself and turned back to Rise.

And almost had a heart attack from how she was looking at him. Back straight, leaning forward, her eyes narrow and sharp and judging and her cheeks and mouth set in a definite frown. "Really, senpai?" she demanded accusingly. "Really?"

"W-wait, what's the problem?"

"What's the problem? I invited you out so we could talk and enjoy each other's company, I even dressed my best because I was going out with a close friend, and you're checking out other girls?"

Yosuke went still. It was more a force of habit than anything, but… but she looked really pissed. "C-c'mon, Rise, it was nothing personal."

"It is personal when I spend my time with you and we have a good conversation going, and you eye up the first girl who comes along," she told him, the volume of her voice becoming low and dangerous. Her eyes were beginning to burn the longer she stared at him. "It's a big deal when I'm seen with a guy who thinks that other girls are more important than I am. How would that look for me?"

Yosuke tried to push back, but was stopped by his chair. "W-wait, wait a sec, someone wouldn't go that far, would they?"

She nodded once, twice, very seriously. "Yes they would. It happens all the time. How would Kanamin react if she found out a guy I was with didn't find me worth talking to?"

He hadn't thought of that. It seemed ludicrous, but she wasn't smiling in the slightest, and what little he know about her line of work did suggest that it was ridiculously competitive. Maybe even enough to take a picture out of context and slam Rise for it. "I'm really sorry," he said, clasping his hands together and lowering his head in a fierce apology. "I never thought that could happen."

Her tone was icy and prickled his skin in passing. "Are you serious?"

"Very serious. That didn't occur to me. Please forgive me," he said one more time, bowing a bit lower. She didn't say anything, and he began to sweat despite the heat. "I mean it, Rise."

He thought he heard something, and peeked up to investigate.

Her eyes were closed, her hand was up at her mouth, and she looked like she was trying her hardest to not laugh. "Okay," she managed before she burst into laughter, her other hand over her stomach.

Yosuke blinked and set his hands on the table while he tried to comprehend her sudden change in mood. "Uh… what was that?"

He got nothing. She leaned over the table and laughed even harder.

"Rise? Hellooo, Earth to Risette."

"S-sorry, senpai," she gasped out. "I'm sorry. But Chie-senpai promised to take me shopping next time I'm in Kyoto if I got back at you for her," she told him, holding her phone out to him.

Yosuke took it and read the text, grumbling as soon as he got to the end. That figured… He should have kept his mouth shut about who he was with. "You did a great job," he told her as he gave her back her phone. "You had me there."

"Thanks for playing along with me, senpai," she giggled, starting to calm down. "That was great."

"I wasn't playing along," he pointed out, already thinking of ways to get back at Chie. "I really thought you were serious."

"I couldn't do something like that with Souji-senpai," she continued. "He'd see right through it or wouldn't freak out like you did. It's nice to do something normal for a change."

"Going out for food and company is fine," Yosuke told her, his smile returning. "Giving me a death stare like I drowned some puppies, we might have to talk about that."

"I won't do it again," she promised, holding up a hand like she was making a vow. "Thanks for taking it so well."

Rise's phone went off then, and she sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Guess my break's over. Thanks for coming out with me today, senpai."

"I can come with you if you need help with something," he told her, rising from his seat.

"Thanks," she shook her head, "but I'm alright. Inoue and I are going to talk to some of our sound people for the tour, and I'll probably be there for the rest of the day."

"And you'll be on the road in a week or so," Yosuke noted.

"Yeah, and I don't know when I'll be back. But I'll call when I can," she promised.

"So will we," he told her. "We'll hold down the fort until you get back. But we want pictures and souvenirs when you're back in town."

"Thanks, senpai, and I will. Good luck with everything." She bowed, then came around and gave him a quick, friendly hug before she paid her tab and left, scurrying back to the part of the mall where her adoring fans and associates mobbed her earlier.

Yosuke watched her go until she turned the corner, then paid his own bill and went in the opposite direction, toward the music store. He was looking through the foreign music aisle when he got a text:

"Thanks for everything, Yosuke-senpai. It's nice to be able to talk with a normal guy, and no matter what you think you did or didn't do for us back then, you're pretty cool.

~Let's do this again sometime! :3"

He couldn't help the smile that came to his face, and took a moment to appreciate the squiggly lines and slanted font Rise used, adding her own flair to the complex kanji characters.

Another outing with Rise? Another chance to have his eardrums punctured by screaming fans? He found that he didn't mind that idea in the slightest.

At least Rise paid for her own meals.

---

"Hey. So… the other day, I was… things were tough. Lots was goin' on and it all felt like it was hittin' at once. Wasn't your fault, and I… I feel really bad about what I said and how we ended up. So, if you get the chance, could we talk? In person? I'd… yeah, call when you can. I miss you."

Kanji-kun had sent the message four days after their fight, and only now, eleven days later, could Naoto respond to it. She'd meant to call him before he had left the message, but work and meetings with the career counsellors at school and some complications that had thrown half a dozen of her cases into disarray all kept her occupied until now. She'd called and tried to make arrangements before, but last-minute problems kept cropping up. They'd set today as the day to meet, and she'd turned her phone to vibrate and told her Grandpa in no uncertain terms that she didn't want to be interrupted unless Japan was sinking into the ocean.

The same bus took her to the same stop, but seemed to take twice as long. Naoto checked her watch, her phone, the window and the road passing by on the other side of it, and impatiently went through the cycle again and again until, finally, her stop came up. She forewent courtesy or patience and was the first one off the bus, jumping from the top step to the pavement and running to the textiles shop in her fastest personal time. Throwing the door open, she realized when she touched the wall paneling, would have been too much like one of the soap operas that Rise-san watched and gushed about, and Naoto didn't want to burst in without considering her appearance. It was impossible to be certain without a mirror, but she took a few minutes to straighten her coat and make sure her cap was on straight and her hair was, unlike usual, still neatly tied back at the base of her neck. It was a style she'd taken to after asking Yukiko-senpai for suggestions, and she hadn't had the time to do anything more with it.

You're such a girl now, she thought to herself. And she smiled. To use Yosuke-senpai's words, she was alright with that.

"Welcome to Tatsumi Textiles. Oh, Naoto-san. Good afternoon," Tatsumi-san greeted her with her usual welcoming smile.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. You've been well?"

"Yes, quite well. It's been lovely out, hasn't it?"

Proficient as she'd become with small talk, this was quickly grinding like an abrasion disc on her last nerve. "It has, Tatsumi-san. Is Kanji-kun here?"

"Of course. He should be caught up in the next day or so. A regular client of ours brought us some new business and references, so he's been working around the clock. I hope you don't mind; he's been worried you might have misunderstood why he hasn't been available."

Naoto blinked, her rush put on a temporary hold while she was in simultaneous awe of and admiration for a woman's intuition. "That had crossed my mind, but I have been occupied with work as well," she replied a moment later. "If you don't mind, could I speak to him?"

"Of course, dear. He's due for a break."

The younger woman nodded, shucked her shoes and put on her usual slippers (the same blue pattern as her pajamas. Kanji-kun had blushed when he'd said those were reserved as hers, but she'd turned just as red when she'd thanked him) before heading to his workshop.

She knocked and slid the door open at the same time, meeting his eyes as she entered. He was right near the entrance, tense like he'd been pacing, and she barely had the time to try to greet him when he pulled her into a hug that was almost tight enough to push the air from her lungs. Almost wasn't enough, though, so she hugged him back just as hard, his familiar warmth and scent filling her from the inside out.

"I missed you," he murmured, his cheek against the top of her head while his hand stroked her hair.

"Me too," she replied, content to let him go so they could address the problem. But his arms tightened around her a bit more and she felt him breathing longer and deeper. "Kanji-kun?" she asked, aware of how, despite being younger than her, despite her recent growth spurt, he still towered over her.

"Sorry," he said a moment later when he released her. "That shampoo suits you though. And I've never seen you with your hair like that."

Naoto wasn't sure what type of shampoo she was using now. Something new, but the name and brand slipped her mind. She promised herself she'd check it when she got home. "Thanks," she murmured, pulling back to look at him. "Are you alright?"

Kanji-kun looked away and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm alright." He was deep in thought for a moment, then walked over to the wall and sank down to sit on the floor. Naoto sat next to him, almost but not quite touching as she looked at him, waiting until he started. "Things were a mess before," he began. "School was just part of it. A big part of it, but it wasn't everythin'. Ma had to go to the hospital because her doctor thought he saw somethin' on a test."

Naoto hissed with a sharp breath. Tatsumi-san had seemed as cheerful as ever, but was she keeping something to herself?

Kanji-kun didn't look over, but it was clear he know where her mind was going. "Turned out to be nothin'. A change in her diet or meds or something, and he was new so maybe he just didn't know how her charts looked. Either way, scared the hell out of me. Same as it did when Senpai was still here."

Souji-senpai knew about this? Naoto frowned a little to herself and made a mental note to ask him for the details.

"It got me to thinkin'," Kanji-kun continued. "About Inaba, about me an' where I wanna go in life. And even if I could go to university, I don't think I would. We got a good customer base here, and we're gettin' more an' more business these days. I know it ain't a sure thing, economics bein' like you said, but there're other people I can talk to and connections I can make to stay in business. And there's the money side of goin' to university, and I'd be worried about Ma if I went away for that long." He let out a long breath. "That's what I was tryin' ta say before. I get that school's a big thing to you an' our senpai, and I think I'd learn a lot if I went. But Ma ain't gettin' any younger, and it'd kill me if somethin' happened to her when I wasn't here."

"You can't let that fear stop you from doing what you want," she told him quietly. "If you're certain that this is what you want to do, then I see your rationale and I agree with it. But I hope you're not doing this because you think you should, or because you think you can't do something."

"It ain't like that," he told her softly, turning to smile at her, and this time looking genuinely happy. "Sewin' an' crafts, this place, it's what I am. Nothin's gonna change that. But I can learn from other people, go on business trips and conferences and pick up everythin' I can. I don't need ta go to university ta do that, though. And this way, Ma ain't gotta worry about goin' bankrupt just to put me through school, or about takin' on help an' teachin' em from scratch."

Naoto reached out to hold his hand, the familiar feeling of his larger digits twining with her smaller ones a comfort that told her without words "Everything will be fine." It was enough to make her shuffle over until their shoulders were touching. "I'm glad you've given this so much thought," she told him. "And I think it's a very good idea. It will be difficult at first, but that's the same with anyone. If this is the path you're set on, then I know you'll do well."

Kanji-kun chuckled and seemed genuinely happy when he looked at her. "Thanks," he murmured. "Means a lot to hear that. I'm sorry about before, by the way."

"So am I," she replied, looking up into those dark eyes that said so much about him better than he could with words. When she thought of the circumstances, the fluttering in her heart, and where she was, she let her impulse guide her. She reached up to pull his face down to her, ignoring his surprise, and leaned up to kiss him. It was clumsy and poorly aimed since she'd closed her eyes too soon. All she caught was the edge of his mouth, and only for a second, but it jolted through her and left her warm.

When she looked up at Kanji-kun, she was greeted by a flabbergasted look of clear surprise. Mechanically, he raised his free hand to where they'd connected, trying to register what had happened. "Uh," he began, "that was… really nice."

Naoto blushed and lower her head, internally berating herself for not thinking through the ramifications of her first kiss. And his, by the looks of it. "Yes, it was," she whispered back, thinking of ways to handle this situation. Explanations? Questions? Changing the topic? This wasn't as easy as it usually was.

"Could… we try it again?" he asked then, derailing her thoughts completely while he blushed hard. "Seems, uh, like something we shouldn't rush, y'know?"

Naoto blinked like a befuddled calf, trying to restart and reform her rampantly scattered thoughts. Finally she dismissed them entirely and tilted her head back, letting him kiss her softly so they could both take their time in learning.

It might have gone better if they weren't both smiling as they did it.