Halfway to Okina, Kanji was positive that Naoto had already arrived to the movie theater by this point. Probably took the train before mine, he guessed to himself. He and Naoto had agreed that driving scooters around to their destinations wasn't the best idea for the night if alcohol was to be involved in their evening together. It was more for Kanji's sake than anything, he realized. He was sure that Naoto shared his sentiment, but she lacked the vehicle to drive around in the first place. It was just a temporary visit, after all, and she got around to most of Japan just fine without having to drive herself.
These idle thoughts distracted Kanji enough to get him the rest of the way to Okina. A lot of things hadn't gone right for him today, but he wanted—rather, he decided, he needed this to go well. So when he felt the metal tube that carried him slow down, he felt a newfound sense of determination coupled with a small dose of nervousness. He waited patiently for everything to come to a complete halt, and once it did, exited the rail car while the announcement of their arrival played overhead.
Kanji was quick to make his way down the steps. It wasn't a question of if Naoto was going to be waiting on him, but rather how long she had been waiting. And the last thing he wanted to do was keep his date waiting for too long, even if they were both extremely early. Sure enough, he looked over the top of many peoples' heads to see Naoto waiting patiently in front of the theater, leaning up against the side of the building. She was wearing her normal outfit (she had called Kanji earlier asking what to wear, to which he told her just to put on whatever she's comfortable in, no need to complicate things), the blue hat making it obvious who it was a mile away. Before diving into the sea of people, Kanji took one last deep breath and made his way over, trying his best to appear as casual as possible.
His approach was confident, but Kanji grimaced when he heard his voice call out in greeting. "Y-Yo Naoto." Suave, I ain't.
"Greetings, Kanji-k-" Naoto stopped herself, closed her eyes, and breathed in. It would still take her an annoying amount of time to get used to saying it to his face. "Kanji."
"Hey, ya did it first try this time! I'm proud!" Kanji, who was now standing next to Naoto and towering over her, couldn't resist teasing her when the opportunity arose. He wanted to get their relationship back on track as quickly as possible. That conversation the other day had helped considerably in easing any tension still between them, but he still felt that they would need to speak about things a bit more thoroughly.
He was a little bummed when her expression didn't change. Instead, Naoto just smiled and accepted the praise, looking up towards the sky, and therefore at her date. She didn't let her face wear the thought, but she couldn't stop wondering, even after all this time, how someone could be so damn tall. "Life is very unfair." She grinned and looked down, reaching up for her hat. When she heard a grunt of confusion from Kanji, she continued. "I've only breached 160cm. Next to your gargantuan size, I seem like a child."
Kanji clenched his teeth and looked to the side, watching the occasional vehicle pass by. "Bein' tall ain't all it's cracked up to be. The world ain't made for guys my size."
"Perhaps," Naoto conceded. "But a bit of discomfort for superior physical attributes seems a decent trade-off, no?"
"I dunno." Kanji shrugged. "Depends on what yer doin' and what you want outta life, I guess." After seeing Naoto nod thoughtfully, he looked down at the watch on his wrist. The time read three past four. The two of them had both shown up rather early, but that was to be expected. Naoto was always one to believe that if she wasn't early then she was late (unless it was school, Kanji noted, then she just walked in on-time with him), and Kanji would always arrive early to something that he cared about. His nerves wouldn't let him be calm until he was at whatever the destination may be. And in this particular instance, Kanji knew that the feeling of calm that he yearned for was always going to elude him. Had he known that Naoto was going through very similar feelings now, then maybe he would be able to relax a little.
After a few seconds of deliberation, Kanji looked back down to his companion to provide his insight. "We're pretty freakin' early."
"We should just buy our tickets for now. I doubt that the previous showing of the film is even done yet, so we would be unable to find our seats for a time." Naoto placed her hand up on her chin.
"Sounds fine to me. We can kill time at a few of the games they got til they let us in." Kanji suggested, and to a bit of his surprise, Naoto looked fine with the idea.
"Then let us go." Naoto walked up to the door and grabbed onto the handle. She held it open and stood off to the side. She gestured at Kanji with a sly smile. "After you."
Kanji felt some discomfort that he didn't attempt to hide. "Ain't I s'posed to be doin' that crap for you?"
"I am simply just holding a door, Kanji. So please, I insist, after you." The smile never left Naoto's face, hoping that Kanji wouldn't contest something so trivial any further. The thought had apparently never even crossed his mind as she watched Kanji shrug with a small crack of a smile and proceed through the doorway. Naoto followed in tow.
At the same time his face seemed to suggest it, a thought appeared in Kanji's mind as he turned back around to face Naoto once they were inside. "Oh yeah, the hell is the movie we're seein' anyways?"
"An action film called Runaway. It's a film about a police officer, who's daughter has ran away from home, getting involved with the local drug lords of the area on her own volition. The officer has to make the decision between his own flesh and blood, or doing the right thing and performing his job to ensure the safety of his city."
"Huh. Sounds kinda interestin'." Kanji pursed his lips. "How's the reviews?"
"Terrible." Kanji chuckled when he saw Naoto's face practically glow when she said the word.
"Yeah, sure sounds like our kinda flick." Kanji crossed his arms and looked over to the kiosks. "I'm gonna go stand in line and get our tickets. Feel free to join me, but I ain't gonna be heartbroken if you wanna go screw around with some of the games they got lined up."
"I am here to spend time with you, Kanji." Naoto watched him fight back a wave of red from overtaking his face, and she continued. "That aside, I do find these old arcade cabinets to be rather dull unless I'm accompanied by a confidant."
"A confident what?"
"A confidant, Kanji. Somebody that I consider close." Naoto explained.
Kanji was sure he was getting the simplified version, but he just moved on. "Alright then, let's get goin' then, yeah?"
The two then went and patiently waited in line together, filling in the time between with things that they had done today. Kanji didn't mention the talk with Yukiko, but he did tell Naoto that he had lunch with her. Naoto explained that the only thing of note that she had done so far was going for a walk along the riverbank, inviting Kanji along for her next walk in the process. After the two received their tickets, they proceeded over to old arcade machines. Naoto, of course, proved herself more than capable at the gun games, outmatching Kanji in every single instance that they played. Kanji, although doing well at hiding it, grew angrier and angrier at each round loss and did his best to bite his tongue just when he was about to have an outburst. But when it came to an old fighting game, Kanji proved to be more adept. He never told Naoto that he had played that game a ton when he was younger and the muscle memory was still there, allowing him to execute difficult combos and advanced techniques that he knew about.
After another victory, Kanji took a look at his phone. "Oh, it's 'bout that time. Let's go in."
Naoto, who's frustration had been growing—at several points even muttering "bullshit" under her breath when she got hit by one of Kanji's moves—was all too keen to go inside. "I feel as if I have lost all dignity I ever could retain whilst playing this game."
"Hey, ya kicked my ass at the gun game. We're even."
"But I don't want to be even; I want to win." Naoto admitted rather childishly.
"Maybe another time." Kanji said smugly. "Now c'mon, the movie's gonna start soon. I wanna try and find some good seats so I can watch this trash-fire in all its glory."
"Wow. That sure was..."
"Mhm. Indeed."
Naoto and Kanji exited the theater in unison, neither particularly keen on striking up a conversation straightaway. However, as soon as they were outside and around the corner, both of them started laughing.
"Christ Naoto, that was terrible!"
"That story was completely nonsensical. I couldn't believe that they tried to convince us that the father was actually the drug kingpin the entire time. It didn't make any sense!"
"You're tellin' me! What the hell were those fight scenes? Felt like I was gonna throw up from how much the cameras were movin' and cuttin' away."
"It was very excessive." After a few more minutes of ragging on how bad the movie was, they recomposed themselves. Naoto decided to take the initiative. "I presume you have chosen somewhere for us to continue our rendezvous?" She folded her arms, glancing up towards Kanji who was performing his new habit of rubbing at the back of his neck.
"Course I have. Ya woulda been mad if I didn't." Kanji smiled, but was met with a less amused expression when he looked down. He grunted to clear the catch in his throat. "Uh, we gotta go back to Inaba now. 'S the place where I visit with the Senpais and Ted whenever we got the chance."
"It is a tad surprising to me that it is located in Inaba. I would have presumed that the others—at least Teddy, for that matter—would want to go somewhere more lively."
"The place does the job just fine. And besides, would you wanna be the one in charge of Ted when he gets drunk in a crowd full of people?" Kanji smirked at the thought of Naoto playing the parent to Teddy's antics. He found himself a bit perplexed, however, when he saw a questioning look dawn on her face. "Uh, what's up?"
"Can Teddy even become intoxicated?" Naoto pondered aloud.
"Huh? Course he-" And then a thought hit Kanji mid-sentence. Could the short and petite pretty-boy blonde really get drunk? He never really did see Teddy act any different, even after chugging down a few Shochu cocktails. Kanji, at times, would look down the bar at the somewhat difficult young man and see an empty glass almost every single time. He couldn't blame Teddy; the tailor also thought just about any drink involving Shochu was delicious. But Kanji just figured that Teddy could handle his liquor better than others just like the tailor. But looking back, that still didn't make any sense with the sheer volume of liquid that he put back.
Finally, Kanji settled on "I really have no fuckin' clue."
At this, Naoto contemplated on it just a few moments longer and shrugged. "A question for a later date, I suppose." She turned on her heel and looked back towards her date. "Shall we?" Kanji thought he saw her swallow, and then realized that her arm was moving back towards him. It took a few seconds of Naoto's hand being outstretched for him to connect the dots and realize what she was going for.
"Oh." Was all Kanji could muster. He urged every nerve in his body to react in some way. Eventually, the ones in his arm seemed to have mercy on him and he reached out and grabbed onto her hand, doing his best to ensure that he wasn't latching onto it too tight. Kanji took a step forward to be on even ground with Naoto. He turned to look down at her and, to his unexpected relief, it seemed that she was a bit embarrassed about it too. But when he noticed Naoto smiling behind that wall of red, he couldn't help but return it, and any self-consciousness seemed to melt away.
When Kanji chuckled to himself, Naoto's expression turned bewildered. "May I ask what is humoring you?"
"Oh, nothin' really. Just," Kanji trailed off and looked straight ahead. "Look at us. Two grown-ass adults and we're gettin' all worked up over holdin' hands. It's gotta be a miracle that we're on a date right now." At that, Kanji earned a mirrored chuckle and a nod of agreement from Naoto. "Didn't ever expect ya to be the one to ask me out though. Even Yu-senpai was surprised."
Naoto caught the somewhat unfortunate slip from her date. She guessed correctly that Kanji didn't want her to know about her former senpai and his meeting. "May I inquire as to why you and Yu-senpai spoke about this?" At Kanji's very obvious hesitation, she lifted her free hand and cleared her throat.
"Fine." Kanji said flatly, disappointment resonant in his tone. "If ya gotta know, I was nervous as hell, frettin' over all the little shit involvin' tonight. Before all that shit between you 'n I went down, I always went to you for that kinda stuff. Then I started and still was goin' to Rise." The mention of the idol's name managed to get a wince out of Naoto that went without notice of Kanji. "Well, figured this time around there was a, uh..." He stumbled, snapping fingers before eventually finding the correct turn of phrase. "Oh yeah, 'conflict of interest.' At least, I'm pretty sure that's what ya called it way back when." Kanji felt no shame in any pride that rested on his face from recalling terminology that Naoto used routinely. "So instead, I went to Yu-senpai. He did his thing where he gave advice without really givin' any advice at all and lettin' me get to the answer on my own."
Naoto hummed in thought before deciding the explanation was sufficient. "And I suppose that ship has sailed smoothly since then?"
"I mean, I'm here instead of whimperin' at home like a scared lil' puppy, ain't I?" Kanji attempted a first step out towards the station.
"I highly doubt that you could be that scared of me." Naoto rolled her eyes before easing into her normal stride alongside Kanji.
"Woman, you really have no idea just how terrified you make me." Naoto was able to give Kanji an aberrant squint before they reached the steps leading to the station. Every step that they ascended, Naoto couldn't help but dwell on that comment more and more. By the time that they had arrived to the apex and were both drawing out cash for tickets back, Naoto couldn't free the idea of Kanji being afraid of her from her mind. Her intuition wouldn't let go of what she was sure was just supposed to be an innocent comment, and she let Kanji know this.
To her chagrin, Kanji wasn't keen on supplying an answer. "I dunno what to tell ya Naoto. Didn't expect ya to think too much about it."
"I am just simply at a loss as to how someone such as yourself—butch, muscular, tall, handso—erm, that is..." Naoto halted her gushing before it became too far-gone. "I'm just flummoxed as to how you see me as intimidating."
"C'mon, Naoto. Yer smart enough to know that ya ain't gotta have muscle to be threatenin'." Kanji bashfully rubbed at his neck. "You probably know that I was crushin' on ya long before the whole 'really being a girl' thing came to light, yeah? Ya scared me so much back then that it had to be nothin' short of marvelous that I was able to talk to ya. And it was cause you made me realize any insecurities I had. 'Oh God, he's cute, am I gay? Oh fuck, he's a she? Then what does that make me?'" Kanji frowned indifferently. "Just those kinda thoughts, y'know?"
Naoto, who had let go of Kanji's hand during his explanation, was doing her best to fight off any extreme guilt that she felt. She damned her instinct as a detective to ask these questions and keep on pressing until she received some vindication. "I am deeply sorry, Kanji. I shouldn't have assailed you with such thoughts. This is no time nor place to be asking these questions." Kanji just shrugged and gave her a generic response, which didn't do anything to quell the regret. "I was just unaware as to the extent of my effects on you. I knew of your feelings, yes, but I could never comprehend as to how severe it actually was."
"Like I said, we're fine Naoto. Didn't really ever have to talk about it back in school, so no way ya could've known, yeah?" The inflection of which Kanji spoke didn't match all too well with what he said, Naoto noticed. At that, she couldn't help but think of what an absolutely stellar job she had been doing at making her date feel comfortable insofar. Still, she felt it best to just accept that this particular topic had been a failure on her part and to just move on.
With an unusually shaky voice, Naoto pushed for a different discussion. "W-Well, Kanji-kun, I-"
"No, stop that."
A quick upturn of Naoto's head had her eyes lock with Kanji's. "Huh?"
"You're gonna get trapped in yer own brain thinkin' ya screwed shit up. Stop that." Kanji said blankly.
"But-"
"Nuh-uh, no 'buts' about it. Yer head works a bit different and I know it ain't somethin' as easy as flippin' a switch for ya to turn it off." Kanji smirked. "If anything, I'm feelin' all warm that ya care enough to dig that deep. Sure, it ain't somethin' pleasant to be talking about on a date, but the fact that you're here with me at all makes it so nothin' can put me in a bad mood."
At that statement, Naoto sighed. "I suppose that you are correct. Forgive me, I find myself inexperienced when it comes to this."
"'S alright. Ain't like everything is gonna go perfectly when yer tryin' somethin' new for the first time. I know that probably pisses ya off cause you're a perfectionist and ya convinced yourself that you can't suck at anything, but it's how it's gonna be for awhile."
"Well then," Naoto spoke. "All I ask for is your patience. I will attempt to become better at a quick pace so we will have less of these awkward moments together."
"If ya say so. But we got time, so ya don't have to rush." Kanji turned his attention back towards the tracks. "Now c'mon, let's go grab our tickets, yeah?"
Naoto nodded. "Yes, let's."
With each stride they made past closed-down shops—Naoto wondered how having another bar here would actually be beneficial, but if it was a popular place for Kanji, she wouldn't bring it up—they made their way closer to their destination. At some point, Kanji noticed her staring just a tad above his head with determination. "Uh, somethin' wrong there?"
Naoto cocked her head to the side. "I was just curious as to why you don't do anything with your hair anymore."
Kanji rolled his eyes upwards, reaching up to jostle his hair around. "I dunno. Just ain't ever felt the need to after the whole tryin' to look badass act."
"Ah, I see. I was just thinking that you would be much more interested in styling yourself considering your profession and your affection for 'cute things.'" Naoto made air quotes with her fingers as she finished her sentence. "Is dyeing your hair not considered cute?"
"Uh, I mean, I ain't sayin' that it can't be cute, but whenever I'm lookin' at someone for their style, their hair ain't exactly my area of expertise. N' it comes across more quirky than cute to me whenever I see someone rockin' some weird-ass hairdo with all these different colors and crap. Top of that, I got patience for a lotta shit, but not before I get woke up in the mornin', and whatever the hell I do with my hair after I shower's just about all I'm gonna mess with it." Kanji finished with a shrug, now seeing the bar that he usually frequented with Yu and the other guys.
"It always struck me as odd that you never did attempt it again. I understood why you stopped during high school, seeing as you had just gotten done with bleaching your hair in your rebellious phase and were in need of a break from it. But when I visited you the other morning, I was expecting something more vibrant, I suppose."
"Didn't mean to disappoint." Kanji replied with a snarky tone, but dropped it immediately after feeling a tinge of guilt. Hell, she has blue hair! How the fuck does that make any sense?! He shook his head, disregarding the thought. "Why, you wantin' me to do some wacky shit with my hair?"
Naoto shook her head. "No, it was merely an observation. The way you style your hair has no pull in how attracted I am to you."
Kanji could feel himself warming up. "O-Oh yeah, and how's that?"
"Seven out of ten." Kanji turned his head downwards suddenly to catch Naoto's roguish grin. "Only joking, Kanji."
"Even if ya weren't jokin' I'd still take the seven." Kanji returned the smile.
"Well we still have a lengthy night ahead of us, don't we?" Naoto teased. She felt her inner-Rise surge and she noted how much power she felt like she had. The detective couldn't blame the idol for doing this all the time. She even heard in the deepest part of her psyche a voice, sounding much like Rise's, yelling at her to 'Twist him around your little finger,' and 'Yeah! This is the true power of being a woman!' Still, Naoto was on a date with her friend, so she wouldn't abuse the power (too much, a thought decided), much to the chagrin of whatever hint of the navigator was nesting in her mind.
It had seemed that Kanji had caught on anyways. "Jeez, soundin' like Rise over there." He got out through clenched teeth. The bar now in front of them, he grabbed onto the door handle and pulled it, holding it for Naoto. "You and her talk recently or somethin'?" I swear Shirogane, if you try lyin' to me about this I don't ever wanna hear about my lyin' ever again.
"I sought out advice on how to approach our date and assuring that it goes smoothly." Naoto nodded at him as she moved in past him. Immediately she began to look over the inner workings of the establishment they just entered. The first thing she noticed was how everything seemed to have this modern charm to it while still maintaining a slightly older vibe. It looked to have an overall darker tone to it, but the mood was anything but. The walls were solid white, the occasional painting hung up on it to provide some garnishes to the otherwise boring static white void. The material used for most furniture was sleek cherry wood for the chairs, tables, booths, and the shelves where the booze called home. Walnut wood was used for the bar itself alongside it's stools, and seemed to continue into the flooring. The bar itself was decently sized for a place such as Inaba, but somewhat small compared to the ones she found herself in while on jobs in other cities. Four booths, four tables—enough to seat up to four apiece—and six stools didn't offer too much room for a lot of patrons, but she ventured a guess that it was all they really needed. Each table and booth had a bright globe light hanging up from above it. The bar itself seemed to have a strip of lighting fixed above it.
Naoto opened her mouth to begin asking Kanji questions, but found herself interrupted. "Yeah, I saw ya gawkin' over the place. It ain't been open for long. Gonna go out on a limb and say five years?"
The detective huffed. "I wasn't gawking, Kanji. But I see. I thought it wasn't quite in line with Inaba's traditional countryside scene."
"Just cause we're in the boonies ain't mean we can't have stuff lookin' nice." Kanji rubbed his neck and smiled. "The guy who runs the place is a pretty cool dude too. Knows that a lotta young people like myself are stickin' around but ain't lookin' for that rusty feelin' of an old bar anymore. This place ain't too high end, but at least it doesn't look like it's gonna fall over if ya look at it funny." He shifted his eyes away from Naoto, looking forward. "N' he's come down to my place a couple of times now for some custom orders. Nothin' for his business cause he lets his workers dress however the hell they want."
"Ah, Tatsumi-san!"
The male voice caught both Kanji and Naoto's attention. They watched a younger looking man come out from behind the bar. From Naoto's estimate, he couldn't have been any older than thirty-five. His eyes were a tired green, but otherwise there was no indication of any age upon his face. His head was clean shaven. The only hair upon it was a goatee of sorts that was pure black. He wore a violet button-up shirt with a black suit jacket that had been left open. His pants followed suit, baring the same shade of black with black dress shoes finishing things off. He made some long strides and was upon Kanji and Naoto in seconds with arms outstretched. Naoto had already guessed, but he was a somewhat average-sized gentlemen. If she had to take an exact guess, 178cm. It didn't really matter to her anyways, everyone was going to be taller than her at this point.
"Oh, hey there Wakatoshi-san." Kanji nodded his head at the man.
"It sure has been awhile!" The man bowed his head with a wide grin. His voice was deep and demanding, but still had a friendly tone backing it. "Although, I'm surprised, are you here by yourself this time?"
"Well, no." Kanji furrowed his brows and looked down at Naoto. "S'pose I should introduce the two of ya. Naoto, this is Shinjiro Wakatoshi. He's the owner of the bar. Wakatoshi-san, this is Naoto Shirogane." Kanji held his hand out in what he tried to be a gesture of introduction.
"Oh, Shirogane? The detective family?" Wakatoshi looked down at Naoto. She tried not to let that bother her.
"The very same. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Naoto bowed her head in an attempt to be respectful towards the new face.
"And yours as well." The owner mirrored the detective's actions. "If I may pry, what is your relation to Tatsumi-san?"
"We've known each other since our first year of high school." She happily accepted that what information she offered technically wasn't a lie by any means.
"I see." Wakatoshi smiled and divided his attention between the two now. "May I escort you to what seats you've chosen for the night?"
Kanji spoke up and turned to Naoto. "Unless you wanna sit in a booth or somethin', I was lookin' at just sittin' at the bar. Gonna make gettin' booze easier."
Naoto, who did a quick once-over and saw nobody else sitting up there yet, nodded back at her date with an assuring smile. "That sounds acceptable." And with that, she and Kanji followed the owner as he gestured them along. The couple chose the third and fourth seats, placing themselves right in the middle. This was Naoto's choice, as she hoped that anybody seeing her and Kanji sitting in the center would deter any bar-goers from invading the other seats, and thus allowing a bit of privacy for them. But after doing so, a thought reminded her that not everyone was as socially awkward as herself and would just as happily sit right next to strangers, completely crashing her idea before it even had the chance to leave the hangar.
"You guys still got that chicken n' rice bowl with that sauce, yeah?" Kanji asked, getting an affirmed nod from the owner. "Yeah, I'll take that."
"What 'sauce?'" Naoto's curiosity wouldn't simmer.
"I dunno, the bastard won't tell me what he puts in the damn thing." Kanji shot a glare at Wakatoshi, who just smiled at him in response. "But it tastes amazin'."
"If it receives such high praise, then I will give it a try as well." Naoto nodded at the owner, who then proceeded back through the double doors behind the counter. "Still, this place does look quite nice."
"Considerin' how rundown it was lookin' before he got his hands on it, yeah. First signs of life that the shoppin' district has had in a long time."
"It is unfortunate that yourself and Hanamura-senpai have such a conflict of interest."
"It's all in the past now anyways. Junes ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon, and him workin' there has no effect on me either way. My business is stayin' afloat and a few of the others are too, n' really, that's a whole lot better than I'd ever thought things would be." Kanji thanked the bartender who had come over and placed two cups of water in front of the couple. "We don't ever let it get in the way of us all havin' a good time together."
"I'm glad. I would hate for their to be any further infighting amongst our group of friends." Naoto raised her glass and took a drink of her water.
"Whatta 'bout you though? I've heard a few stories from Rise over the years, but she's always been careful bringin' you up around me."
Naoto turned in her seat to face him. "Unfortunately, due to my line of work, I haven't been able to see everyone as much as I'd like to. There were a few times where I was with Rise-san and Narukami-senpai, but that was mostly due to convenience. Like I've said before, I have been able to see everyone at least once since graduating." A small, sad chuckle escaped her. "As pathetic as it sounds, I've been rather lonely since school."
"You n' me both." Kanji admitted, sharing in his date's pain. "Sure, me and the guys hang out n' I see the others often too, but the only other one I can really have these kinda talks with is Rise. And, well, Rise ain't you."
Naoto never had a chance to ward off the smile that erupted from her face, so she simply turned back to face forward. "I...I share the same sentiment. Nobody else could hope to fill the same shoes that you left."
Kanji grinned. "Well, I do got pretty big feet." Naoto's laugh left Kanji feeling accomplished. And as Wakatoshi brought them out their meals, they fell into a comfortable rhythm of banter as the night went on.
Naoto couldn't help her eye noticing the door behind the bar open up. The owner had come back out and returned to them once more. "I apologize for interrupting your conversation, I was just wondering if perhaps you would like to start your drinks for the evening." Wakatoshi stated.
Kanji shrugged and looked at the clock. Eight o'clock, huh? "Sure, why not? Ya didn't have to come out though. Could've just gotten a bartender to do it." Kanji tried not to let the thought that Wakatoshi seemed to have an extra amount of kiss-ass in him tonight invade his mind.
Wakatoshi, who's suit jacket was now missing, rolled up his sleeves and shook his head. "I got this business started with my own two hands, Tatsumi-san. I would hate to fall out of practice. And besides, I feel the desire to treat one of my more respected patrons myself every now and then."
The tailor squirmed in his seat a little bit, still not really keen on accepting compliments. "Uh, thanks, I guess." After shooting a quick glance over to Naoto and swearing to himself that her smile would melt him like butter, he leaned forward, placing his arms crossed on the bar. "Ya know what I like to get."
"Blue Hawaiian, correct?" Wakatoshi asked with a raised brow. After receiving a nod from Kanji, he continued. "Would you like the umbrella garnish in it as well?"
"Do I want the- o'course I want the freakin' umbrella!" Kanji demanded a little too desperately, almost insulted by the fact that he had to even ask.
The owner just smiled at Kanji before turning his attention to Naoto. "And you, Shirogane-san?"
"Whisky on the rocks." She glanced up at the shelf for a moment before eyeing an amber bottle. "Yamazaki Twelve Year, please."
"Glad to see you have good tastes." The owner turned around and grabbed the bottle off the shelf. "It's a shame, really. People around here don't appreciate the taste, so I don't sell as much of it as I'd like."
"Perhaps it has more to do with pricing rather than tastes." Naoto inquired. "I've enjoyed it in the past when I've tried it, but the tab at the end of the night makes me wonder what I was thinking most of the time."
Wakatoshi chuckled as he popped open the bottle and got out a lowball glass. He filled the tumbler with ice from a container beneath the counter. "Yes, I suppose you might be correct in that. But what alcohol doesn't leave most people questioning what they were thinking?" He slowly poured the golden-brown drink into the glass and put it in front of Naoto on a coaster. "And speaking of price, before I get to making yours Tatsumi-san, is tonight going all on your tab?"
Kanji nodded immediately. "Course it is."
Naoto stuck up a hand to protest. "Wait Kanji, I can very well pay-"
"Naoto, I ain't arguin' over this. 'S just a lot easier to have me dealin' with it." Kanji, who had shifted himself to look at his date while telling her this, turned his attention back towards the owner. "Ya know I'm good on payin' back anyways."
"Of course I do. I wouldn't be wearing a Tatsumi Textiles product around my bar if I couldn't trust you." Wakatoshi smiled proudly while digging out a hurricane glass.
"Thought that looked like the stuff I made for ya awhile back. Everything else is fittin' fine, yeah? Ya know I'll fix up anything I got wrong." Naoto wasn't too surprised to hear earnest concern in Kanji's voice.
"Nonsense, Tatsumi-san. Everything I've ordered from you has turned out fantastic." Wakatoshi made quick work of Kanji's drink and set it in front of him, the umbrella sitting on top in all of its glory. Upon receiving thanks from the tailor, Wakatoshi continued. "Have a bit more confidence in yourself, Tatsumi-san. I may not be on the cutting edge of fashion, but I've felt great in whatever pieces I've ordered from you in the past." Kanji didn't know how to respond, so he didn't. "And it's pretty telling whenever an idol of all people drops the name of your business."
This comment brought both Kanji and Naoto to attention, the latter of which was the first to speak. "Pardon me, but what did you just say?"
"Oh, you didn't hear?" Wakatoshi looked between the two while wiping off the counter-top with a moist rag. "I'm certainly surprised you didn't know either, Tatsumi-san. It was that one really popular idol. What's her name?" Naoto supplied Risette instantly, causing the owner to snap his fingers and point at the detective with a smile. "Yeah, that's it! Didn't expect a detective such as yourself to know about the idol industry, but regardless." With a wave of his hand, Wakatoshi informed the duo that he was reading an article in which they interviewed Rise about six weeks back. In it, they questioned her about where her more recent costumes came from, leading to the name Tatsumi Textiles being printed into the paragraphs.
Kanji sat dumbfounded, taking small sips of his drink to show some signs of life. Eventually, after a bit of prodding from Naoto, he finally spoke. "Huh. Y'know, she asked me to start makin' her costumes here a few months back, but I never thought she'd actually go outta her way to do that." He shook his head and looked down with a smile. "Makes so much goddamn sense why I've been so busy now."
"And it gives even more of a reason for you to hire on more help." Naoto attempted and failed to not sound smug while saying that.
"Christ, still on about that, huh? Yeah, yer right. Crap ain't gonna die down for a long time." I mean, I was just happy seein' the paycheck Rise was givin' me. Didn't have to do that. Kanji turned his head back towards his date. "Not worryin' about that right now though. I just wanna focus on my time with you, yeah?" He found himself amused when Naoto tried to hide the look of surprise on her face.
"Y-Yes, well..." She cleared her throat to try and not sound flustered. Wakatoshi then decided to take his leave, a very obvious grin on his face when he went back through the doors. Naoto continued. "I can only hope that this provides an adequate distraction for you."
"Yeah, ya always have been an 'adequate distraction' for me." Kanji teased before taking a drink.
"Please don't use my words against me."
"Whatever ya say, lil' Ms. 'I'm interested in you.'"
Naoto gasped. "You said you wouldn't bring that up anymore!"
"That was back in high-school, Naoto. And I didn't promise anything, I just said I wouldn't do it." Kanji smiled as his date groaned.
"You frustrate me sometimes."
"Yeah, I know." At that, Kanji's mind wandered for a moment. He thought back to all those years together in school and how great they were. And then everything post-graduation was starting to come and make their way to the front of his head. Every memory he could dig up was brought forward, and the only thing that he could really focus on was how all those years would've been better had Naoto been involved. And now, a single burning question confronted him. "Yo Naoto."
The shift in tone of Kanji's voice was noticed by Naoto. "Yes Kanji?"
"Hate to kill the mood but..." Kanji sighed. "What took ya so long? Ya know, to, uh, come back and see me? Why now?"
At that, Naoto took a slight sip of her drink, making sure to pace herself properly now with the knowledge she was a lightweight. Her glazed over eyes stared intensely at the glass before her on the counter. Finally, she conceded and turned her head towards Kanji. "I thought I had cultivated myself into a well-together adult when I came to see you. I found myself to be incorrect in this assumption, as I came to a realization recently that I'm still no more mature than I was back during our schooling together. At least, the human side of me isn't. I thought perhaps traveling more and seeing what the world would offer to me would open me up just as you and our friends did all those years ago, but it wasn't the same. And when I spoke with Rise-san the other day for advice," Naoto paused, wondering if she should really be telling Kanji about her and the idol's conversation. After some deliberation, she continued. "Rise-san had mentioned to me about one time that her and I had become intoxicated. She told me one part that I had completely forgotten about that seemed to struck a chord with me. When I was bombarding her with my drunken ramblings, I said 'Maybe I'll go back when I grow up some more.' Once I had heard my own words repeated back to me, it had donned on me that perhaps I hadn't matured as much as I thought I had. I consider myself to be mentally strong and more than responsible, but I am also weak-willed. In my line of work, I'm able to keep a calm and collected demeanor, enough to dissuade any precinct of any idea of me hindering their jobs. But when I'm face-to-face with a family member or a friend, despite all of the time that we had spent together, I clam up. I'm afraid of taking that next step to being a supportive and open friend."
Kanji, half-way through his drink at this point but still listening intently, prepped his response. "The hell ya talkin' about, Naoto? This why you been keepin' me out for years?"
"Kanji, I'm sorry, I just-"
"Shaddup for a sec, will ya? I'm gonna lose my line of thinkin' if I can't get this shit out." Kanji took another drink, almost emptying his glass. Naoto watched on, a tad irritated by his interruption, but knowing that he never means anything by his rudeness. "Puttin' it straight, Naoto: yer outta yer goddamn mind. The things you keep feedin' yourself, convincin' yourself that yer less of a person and bringin' ya back down is, uh, shit...hold on..." Kanji searched for the right word.
"Asinine?" Naoto offered.
"Stupid, that's it. Ya remember all that time we spent together in school? Those were some of the best goddamn years of my life, Naoto. I ain't regrettin' any part of it, not even me confessin' to ya back then. Cause ya know what? You were the best damn friend I coulda asked for. All the nights we spent watchin' all those dumb movies n' shootin' the shit, all the days of school we spent bitchin' to each other between classes, and all the times we got ourselves into some kinda trouble—alright, it was mostly me, but still—one of us would always come in clutch n' save the other. We always, always, had each other's backs."
Naoto gulped. "You don't regret our friendship or feel like it was a mistake?"
"If I regretted us bein' friends then would I be here now?" Kanji stated bluntly. "'N hell I know I made mistakes. I ain't regrettin' any of 'em though. That'd be a freakin' disgrace to myself n' who I am now." Kanji raised his glass, taking in the last sip of his drink before signaling to the bartender for a refill. "'Stead, I hold onto all the good shit, y'know? Now and then I still had those freaky moments when ya would pop up in my head and I'd get angry, but now I ain't gonna have to worry `bout that."
Naoto watched the bartender refill Kanji's drink, herself deciding to catch up and finishing off her own in one swoop. As she breathed out in an attempt to alleviate the burn in her throat, she got a refill of her own and, after the bartender was out of earshot, readied her next statement. "I suppose I still hold onto those regrets."
"Hm?" Kanji mumbled out as he took another drink.
"I believed the experiences made me a better person, but what you just conveyed has made me realize that perhaps I shouldn't be using them as an anchor, but rather a set of wings."
Yer a freakin' angel already. Kanji, who was beginning to raise his glass to his mouth again, looked down at his drink with a puzzled expression before deciding to set it back home on the bar. Okay buddy, slow down a bit. "There's always gonna be that line, y'know? That tightrope yer walkin', balancin' your emotions so ya don't get caught up in yourself, but also ain't gonna fall down and never come back up. Regrets ain't makin' ya the person ya are today. 'S all the other crap you did along the way." Now if only you could take yer own freakin' advice Tatsumi. Then we'd be golden. Kanji, after a few moments of deliberation and waiting for a response, took another long drink after nothing came. After that, he felt overly self-conscious for some reason. "'S heavy stuff and I ain't the best at explainin' myself sober let alone now. Sorry, ain't meanin' to bring this shit into our date n' all."
"Kanji, I'm the one who brought it all up. You just responded with much more than I could've asked for. And you know very well that I don't—well, neither of us do, really—do particularly well with small talk. In addition, we also have already had what could be considered a 'heavier' conversation earlier tonight. Besides," Naoto paused to down half of her drink, noting that it went down much smoother than the first one."It reminds me of back in high-school whenever I would ask your opinion on a wide array of varying subjects. You always gave such honest answers, even if you weren't ever the greatest at composing yourself, or even if the ideas would be considered somewhat simple." Naoto shot a sorry look to Kanji as she said this, although she saw no offense on his face. She turned back to her drink and continued. "Despite that, you still provided me with much insight and new ways to think about all of the different topics I presented you with." Naoto looked back over to him and gave him a full smile. "I missed this."
The tailor felt his heart flutter, but he still returned a grin of his own. "Me too, Naoto."
"All of this being said, I can't say I necessarily agree with the idea of abandoning my regrets entirely, although perhaps that is just more about the different type of people that we are in the end." Naoto's smile disappeared from her face.
"Whaddya mean?" Kanji slowly sipped on his drink.
Naoto sighed as she looked at the liquid in her glass. In one fell swoop, she lifted it up and downed it, setting it back down on the coaster with a bit more ferocity than she had intended. After letting it settle for a second, and after fighting off Kanji's protests to slow it down a bit, she quickly ordered another one with a decision made that she might as well embrace the drunken side of her once more. Once again, she continued after the bartender was out of earshot. "We have had very different life experiences. Your lifestyle has consisted of staying in one place the entirety of your life, making friends with the local inhabitants and, despite our excursions during our time in school, living a relatively normal day-to-day life. You have this security in knowing that you'll be sleeping in the same bed, under the same roof, and seeing the same faces that you normally have day after day. There will be the occasional change, yes, but I think you'll find that your life is cemented in this sense of comfort and familiarity." Throughout her tirade, Naoto had gone through enough of her third drink that there was only a quarter of the cup left. When she saw this, she quickly drank it and ordered another.
Kanji blinked. "Okay, still not seein' where-"
"I didn't have the same luxury. The only constants in my life up to the point where I met the rest of you were my grandpa and Yakushiji-san. So when it came to any memories that I could potentially 'treasure,' I h-held onto any inkling that I could, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. Or rather, how unpleasant they might be. And that habit ended up bleeding into my teenage and, now ever furthermore, into my adult years. And...and I suppose all of that is to say that even such an embarrassing moment as me running away from you is something that I 'treasure,' in a b-botched sense of the word." Naoto finished with an inaudible belch, swiftly covering her mouth with her right hand.
Kanji wouldn't let it go unnoticed. "Uh, you doin' alright there Naoto?"
In response, the detective inhaled heavily and smiled whilst slowly lowering her hand back down to her side. "Never better, Kanji." Her date, although unsure, did his best to believe her and turned his attention back towards his own drink, stirring it around a little with his umbrella. Naoto used this as an opportunity to get half of her fourth drink into her gullet. "That was rather...er, therapeutic, I must say."
"Sounded like ya kept it in for awhile. N' from what I'm gettin' outta all this, ya don't think that you've grown as much as ya thought you did." As Kanji assembled the puzzle together in his mind, Naoto watched on, a slight sense of pride for the young man gnawing its way to the surface of her mind. "But you think that's cause you hold onto all the bad stuff n', uh, 'treasure' it? And ya do that cause you don't think ya got enough happy memories?"
Naoto nodded, her head firmly in the palm of her hand while it was propped up on the bar. "I...um, suppose that would be a reasonable d...deduction."
"Huh." Kanji drummed his fingers on the bar for a few seconds before just laying them flat and turning his attention back to his date. "Then why don't we just make some more for ya?" When Naoto raised her brows, Kanji continued. "Uh, like, we give ya enough of the good stuff and the bad stuff oughtta start goin' away eventually, right?"
It was such a simple solution, but Naoto couldn't help but smile at Kanji's genuine presentation of it. And perhaps it was the alcohol, but instead of pointing out the obvious flaws that this 'plan' held, she played along. "That would take quite...a lot of memories."
"We got the time, Naoto. I figure all of those times we hung out in high-school's gotta help. And I'm sure that you got plenty of other stuff ya remember from hangin' out with our Senpai and the others." Kanji shrugged. "We just gotta build off that til all the bad crap is gone, yeah?"
"Brute forcing my emotions out of me certainly does sound like an idea you'd come up with." Naoto failed to stifle a giggle when Kanji gave her an awry look. "I never said it was a bad idea. As a matter of fact..." Naoto stood from her stool, almost falling over herself in the process before Kanji quickly got up and caught her. As he held onto her shoulders, she looked up into his eyes and continued. "If it means spending more time with you, I'm all for it."
"Alright Naoto, c'mon, yer drunk. Coulda mentioned you were a lightweight." Kanji shook his head. "Maybe I should call ya a featherweight. Even lightweights can knock back four drinks and aren't this bad."
"I am not a...a...feather-" Naoto failed to finish the word before she started laughing again. At this point, she was pressed up against Kanji, her head laying against his chest. To the poor man's credit, he was trying his best to remain calm. "And...and you should know that this is only a result of three. The fourth one has not had sufficient time to-"
"L-Look Naoto, I think we need to get ya back to yer place." Kanji interrupted her. "You're way too far gone for us to stay here. Last thing I want is for us to tear up Wakatoshi's bar. He already gets enough hell from Ted for that."
Naoto looked straight up, her chin now planted firmly on his chest with a demure smile. "My my, rather forward Kanji." The tailor didn't pick up on it, so she continued. "Well, I...I, um, suppose I am open to making some 'happy memories' there if you-"
"Nonononononono!" Kanji instantly grabbed onto her shoulders again and put her at an arms length away. "You are drunk! I ain't doin' shit while ya got booze in ya!" Kanji was doing his best to fight off the wave of impure thoughts that intruded his mind at light speed. What the fuck?! It was four drinks! Four! What kinda drunk is this girl?!
Naoto, seemingly ignoring that last statement, was still smiling as she looked up at him panicking. "You are a very attractive gentleman, Kanji-kun."
"Uh...thanks?" And now she's just messing with me? Goddamn it, why does she gotta look so fuckin' cute while she's doin' it too?! Kanji let go of Naoto and smacked both sides of his face with his hands. "Dammit! I gotta focus!" Kanji turned towards the counter while Naoto was leaning up against her chair to maintain balance. "Yo Wakatoshi-san. We're callin' it a night. Next time ya come by the shop I'll pay the tab, sound good?"
The owner, who had walked over to be face-to-face with Kanji, just did a practiced smile and nod. "Of course, Tatsumi-san! Er, be careful going home. She seems..."
"Yeah, I know." With that, Kanji took a step over to Naoto and got her attention. "Yo Naoto, c'mon. We're gonna get you back to yer place."
"But...but the night is still young, Kanji." Naoto said with a drunken slur to her voice. "Oh, there's the fourth drink."
"Great. Just great." Kanji shook his head. "Look, don't make me carry you outta here." The lustful look he received in response from Naoto scared him.
"Oh, is that an offer, Kanji?"
"For the love of-" Kanji bit his tongue and took a deep breath. "Alright fine, so we're doin' this. Mental strength, don't fail me now." He then bent down and scooped Naoto up in his arms in one swoop, eliciting a small shriek and then a giggle from the drunk detective. Kanji quickly made an exit out of the building while Naoto was rambling on, trying her best to explain in an intoxicated state how alcohol interacts with the human body.
Cutting her off mid-sentence, Kanji looked her in the eyes. "Alright look, where the hell are ya stayin' at? It ain't at Yukiko's Inn, is it?"
Naoto decided that a good response to this would be to take her hat off and place it atop Kanji's head. "There, figure it out, detective prince."
Cool, so this is goin' abso-fucking-lutely nowhere.Kanji still retained his patience and after a few moments of thought, came to a decision. "Fine, I guess the shop is turnin' into an inn tonight." He then started out, the shop as his destination in mind.
"But Kanji, R-Rise-san told me that we're not...we're not supposed to have sex on the first-"
"I already told you I ain't doin' anything to ya!" Kanji barked, but all he got from Naoto in her drunken stupor was a very loud laugh. Realizing that he had a long night ahead of him, Kanji quickened his pace so as not to lose his resolve.
I started to experiment a little bit in how I write things in this chapter, so I hope it turned out as well as I think it did. But while it isn't ideal timing by any means, but I'm glad to finally have this chapter out. Hopefully the next one will be along much quicker. Thanks again for reading!