Just something I forgot to add from the previous chapter: Touko Aoi is not an original character. She's actually a canon character from the Detective Naoto manga. However, not much is known about her personality so I decided to add her in.
Half of this chapter was originally supposed to be the pilot, since the title was inspired by a certain song I've been listening to : Adventure Club ft. Yuna - Gold. There's just something about EDM and a woman's mellow voice that get my gears working to write these stories, haha.
- Disclaimer: Persona 4 Golden characters do not belong to me.
- Notice: May contain spoilers. Original characters may be added. Storyline may deviate from original video game/anime.
- Warning: May contain alcohol reference, blood, language, partial nudity, sexual themes, and violence.
Naoto arrived at the assigned department at YasoInaba, he had been around the area for about a week now. He managed to collect some valuable evidence and clues by questioning potential victims, the last being Kanji Tatsumi, a notorious delinquent. Quietly, he sat at his desk, a small workspace with just enough room for him to mull things over. The older men shot several looks at him, some who were clearly irritated with his presence. There was one in particular who did not take a liking to him immediately, Ryotaro Dojima. He was a middle-aged man who commonly smoked during breaks. A young man named Tohru Adachi accompanied him almost every day, Naoto assumed they were partners.
The room grew tense and uncomfortable quickly, so Naoto dismissed himself and decided to take a leisurely stroll around the town. He stood from his seat and headed for the Central Shopping district, which wasn't far from the station.
It was the weekend, a Sunday to be exact, when Rise Kujikawa, former rising teen idol, tended to the shop her grandmother owned, Marukyu Tofu. She stood there, patiently waiting for customers to show up, but as expected, business was especially slow on the weekends. Clad in a white headscarf, a pink turtleneck shirt and a short navy blue skirt, she fanned herself as the Summer heat sank in.
"It's okay dear, business is a bit slow today." Rise straightened herself as her Grandmother walked in. "I'll tend to the shop. Why don't you go out with a few of your friends?" The older woman smiled happily at Rise.
"Are you sure? I don't really mind..." She thought back to her senpai, Yu Narukami, a grey haired, brooding boy at her school, whom she had taken an interest in.
"It's fine dear." Her grandmother pushed her lightly, signaling her to take the generous offer.
"Well, if you insist." Rise undid the buttons on her working uniform and placed them neatly by the side. Underneath, she wore an orange tank top and white pants, perfect for the summer weather. She waved goodbye and stepped out in a rush to visit her senpai, Yu.
Naoto walked past a few shops until he collided into someone, staggering back and losing balance, he fell on the paved road, blue cap on the floor as he sat on the ground.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Rise quickly stood and dusted off the dirt on her pants, offering a hand out to him. "Are you okay?"
Irritated, Naoto picked himself up, disregarding her hand as he took his hat and wore it proudly. He looked over at he girl, who retracted her hand with a worried look. "I'm fine." He replied with ease.
It only took a second for her to realize who he was, Naoto Shirogane, the Detective Prince who arrived at Inaba to resolve the mysterious murders. Her eyes widened when she realized how much cuter he looked in person. His grey eyes had an exotic feel that complimented his blue, short hair.
"Are you okay?" He asked politely. Apparently, Rise had been staring at him for quite some time now.
"Huh?" She snapped back to reality by Naoto's words. "Oh, yes. I'm fine."
Naoto took a good look at her and noticed her copper hair tied in two pigtails, brown, chocolate eyes and tanned skin. She had a cute face with a petite figure, as expected of a former teen idol. He smiled wryly and spoke. "Good. Well, then Kujikawa-san, I should get going." And with that, he continued walking away in a cool, mysterious manner.
She blushed, cheeks hot with embarrassment when he addressed her so formally. Rise watched Naoto walk up the paved street, hands in his pockets as he continued his stroll. "So that's Naoto Shirogane..." She spoke to herself as he watched him walk away from her view.
The next day
Naoto buttoned his white shirt, making sure to look presentable for his first day at school. His Grandfather insisted he start school as soon as he arrived, prioritizing his education before his occupation. He combed his blue hair neatly before donning his trademark cap. After running into Rise Kujikawa the other day, he hoped he would unravel more clues since he would be attending the same school with them.
He checked his supplies for the day, placing them into his brown messenger bag when the clock struck seven. "Goodbye Grandfather!" He yelled out, opening the double framed wooden doors as he rushed out for school.
Rise tapped her pencil lightly onto the notebook, zoning out her teacher's lecture as her thoughts drifted to the bizarre murders. It was hard for her to believe that she would've ended up dead, had it not been for Yu and his group of friends.
The class grew quiet as the teacher announced something important. "It looks like we have a transfer student." He motioned the boy to step in, which he did with a serious look on his face. Stepping forward, he held his head high and examined the class filled with about 30 students.
"Class, I would like to present our transfer student." He watched the boy write his name on the board with a piece of chalk in his hand, who then turned around with a wry smile.
"I'm Naoto Shirogane." He said coolly and continued. "It's nice to meet you all."
Some girls giggled while the boys frowned. "Great, now we have more competition." They complained as the girls leaned over, whispering into each others ears with smiles on their faces.
Naoto's introduction managed to capture Rise's undivided attention as their eyes connected for a short time. Her expression softened at him while he turned away, redirecting his gaze at the teacher.
"Ah, yes. Your seat will be behind Kujikawa-san." The teacher pointed to the back of the class where an empty desk was lined by the glass window.
Naoto nodded and walked past the aisle of boys and girls, ignoring their numerous stares and giggles as he took his seat quietly behind Rise. He hooked his messenger bag by the side and looked out the window while his teacher droned on with the lecture.
Rise felt her shoulders tense when she realized Naoto was sitting directly behind her. They had met yesterday, when she had accidentally rammed into him. How humiliating for a first impression. She lowered her head, suddenly finding the wooden surface on her desk very intriguing.
It was already noon when a group of girls crowded Naoto's desk. They questioned him about the city life in Tokyo as well as his occupation. He answered their questions to the best of his abilities, but he felt trapped and knew that entertaining the girls any longer would be a bother. He slowly stood up and excused himself while the girls watched him leave, leaving his bag by the side of his desk.
Rise was the only one who noticed and took the opportunity to redeem herself. She brushed past the girls, grabbed his bag and rushed out of the room to follow after the boy.
Naoto ended up standing by the rooftop as he flipped through his phone and reviewed some important missed calls from his friend Touko Aoi. He smiled and messaged her back, replying that everything was fine. Why was she so worried about him anyways? He was sure that this case wasn't as dangerous as it was.
After a bit of searching, Rise finally caught up to Naoto, who stood by a corner, phone in one hand, all alone. "Good, I finally found him." She calmed herself and walked over to the blue haired boy.
He didn't notice her presence until she called out his name.
"Hi Naoto-kun, I noticed you left your bag behind in class." She adjusted herself, bringing up his bag and handed it over to the boy.
"Ah," He knew he left something earlier. "Thank you Kujikawa-san."
"You're welcome." She noticed he was preoccupied with his phone, Rise wondered who he was messaging. "So, are you going to eat lunch?"
He flipped his phone away and shook his head. "I don't usually eat lunch."
"What?" Rise widened her eyes in surprise. "You don't? But don't you get hungry? How could you possibly stay awake in class without any food in your stomach?"
He smiled coyly, amused by her lack of knowledge and looked her in the eye. "Actually, when you end up eating a heavy meal, your chances of falling asleep in class are higher."
"Oh? I didn't know that..." Rise took a step back as Naoto adjusted the bag onto his shoulder.
"Yes," he closed his eyes and decided to leave Rise, since this conversation was pointless. "Now, if you may excuse me." He walked past her with Rise standing alone as she watched him walk away again. "Naoto-kun..." She spoke to herself while the boy disappeared down the steps.
Later that day
Blue hair flowed with the gentle breeze as Naoto captured the beautiful sight before him. Inaba was a small town, one which could be easily overlooked. It would've been a quiet and serene setting had it not been for the series of mysterious murders recently.
His eyes closed, breathing deeply as he stood atop a hill overlooking the country fields filled with wheat. It set a sunny a glow along the land, masking it into a sea of gold. He accepted that despite all the commotion, even he had enough time to bask in the land's beauty.
With hands in his pockets, he sighed and opened his eyes once more.
The sun was starting to set as Rise Kujikawa walked on the cemented path, but paused when she looked up to find a boy from her class standing alone by the hill overlooking the town. "Naoto-kun?" His name slipped from her lips, watching him closely from afar.
Unaware of Rise's presence from below, he scanned the horizon, searching for an answer to the numerous questions clouding his mind. He sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose in frustration.
'Is he okay?' She stopped and thought to herself. It only took a minute for her to decide and join him atop the hill.
Naoto heard footsteps from behind and turned to find Rise clad in her Yasogami High school uniform. His expression remained unchanged as she greeted him with a smile.
"Hello Naoto-kun." She held her brown messenger bag in both hands in front of her.
"Good afternoon Kujikawa-san." He replied with a stoic-like demeanor and walked past her as his shoulder brushed against her for a split second.
"What? Leaving already?" She held his hand with a pout on her face.
"Yes, I have some matters that I must attend to." Naoto looked closely at what Rise was holding. "May I have my hand back now?" He asked politely.
Rise stepped forward, tightening her grip on his. She noticed that his hands were soft, smooth and a bit small. Eying him carefully, she leaned closer to his face. "But I just got here. Why don't you keep me company?"
"I-" This was just like his moment back in the city with his friend, Touko.
"Then you can't have your hand back." She said with a devious smile.
Naoto released an unfortunate sigh. "And just how long do you plan to keep me captive?" He figured that arguing against Rise was futile, she would only retaliate with more force. That was not an option he wanted to take.
"Just for a while." She watched the sunset and found the beauty of Inaba at its peak. "Until the sun goes down."
"That long?" Naoto started to feel his hand growing hot, sweat threatening to seep out from the unfamiliar warmth of her hand.
"Yes." Rise dragged him to the spot where he once stood, his hand still entwined with hers as she watched the fields of wheat sway back and forth. "Wow, it's beautiful isn't it Naoto-kun?"
He stood silently and nodded in agreement. Naoto tried to pull away from her, but as expected, she held on with more force than he deduced she would naturally have. His eyes drifted to Rise, a short, brown haired girl who sported a pair of pigtails. He had never been so close before, or anyone else who went to Yasogami High. Friends were not a priority when a murder case was threatening the peace within the small town. Naoto looked away from the girl, completely distraught by several thoughts swirling in his mind.
Rise's smile dropped when she caught a saddened expression on Naoto's face. Did she do something wrong? She loosened her grip on his hand and stood across from him. "What's wrong Naoto-kun?"
"Huh?" Startled, he had forgotten Rise's presence and snapped back to reality. "It's nothing."
"Hmm..." She leaned closer to his face, studying his blue hair intently along with his grey, stormy eyes. "It can't be nothing if you look so sad."
"I'm not sad." He shrugged it off, masking his face with a frustrated look.
"Oh really?" She squeezed his hand, squinting when the sun's rays beamed at her eyes.
"Yes, really." Naoto stepped back, feeling the warmth of Rise's breath on his skin. It was to close for comfort.
"You know you can tell me." She exaggerated the last word, as if they were friends.
"And why would I tell you anyways? We're not..." Naoto failed to form the last word as his sentence trailed off, broken, incomplete.
"We're not friends." Rise finished blandly.
"Yes, we're not." Naoto sounded a bit pained, accepting the truth. Perhaps he regretted it, but who was he to say that he wanted a friend. It was unnecessary, childish at most. He was stationed at Inaba to solve a mystery, capture the murderer, then fall back to his normal routine.
Rise watched his downcast eyes, Naoto meant what he said. Her fingertips brushed against his. "Then, can we be friends?" She didn't look him in the eye, solely concentrating on the surface of his skin.
"What?" His eyes widened before forming a scarlet blush.
"Can we be friends Naoto-kun?" This time she made eye contact with the boy, her brown, bright eyes pleaded from the bottom of her heart.
Unable to hold her gaze, he looked away, embarrassed when he found the look in her eyes quite cute. 'What am I thinking?'
"Can we?" Rise pressed her chest against his arm, causing a surprised gasp to escape his lips.
"Us...friends?" Naoto gave it some thought before continuing. "I've...I've no interest in making friends." He replied coldly.
"Why not?" Rise wrapped her hands against his arm. "Don't you get lonely, without friends?"
Naoto watched the golden sea, a solemn look in his eyes. There was truth in Rise's question. He did feel lonely at times, but there was nothing he could do about it. Keeping a stern look, he gently brushed her away with a push, but she was stubborn to drop her bag, gripping him tightly with all her strength.
"I told you didn't I?" Rise frowned. "You can't go until the sun has completely set."
Naoto covered a portion of his face with the palm of his hand. All this time, he was trying to pull away from Rise because her chest was pressed against his arm. He blushed, unable to keep the straight face he usually wore.
"Is it so wrong, to want to be your friend Naoto-kun?" Rise's voice shook like a leaf. She didn't understand why the boy was so different from the others, bearing everything on his own. All she wanted was to be close to him, maybe even get to know the real Naoto Shirogane.
They stood in silence contemplating on each others words as the sun glowed brighter beyond the horizon. Several students noted the two and stopped to watch them. Finding the two most popular figures in their school alone together would surely spark a rumor or two.
Naoto heard several giggles from the students and hesitantly placed his right hand on top of Rise's shoulder. "Come with me, I know a place that has a better view." He felt her grip loosen as he took charge, picking up their bags, escaping from the crowd of students from below.
At this point, Naoto didn't care if he ended up holding Rise's hand, so long as they were far away from the nosy students. What would they make of their rising idol and detective prince? His reputation was at stake, out of all the people, why did it have to be Rise?
They arrived at a steeper hill, one that was much better than the previous location they fled from. Naoto released her hand, looking away to mask his flustered face. "..." Rise took her time, standing silently as if she waited for him to speak first.
"We...can't be friends Kujikawa-san." He watched the sun's radiance over the land, knowing what a mess this would turn out to be if Rise became close to him.
"Why not?"
"..."
"Answer me Naoto-kun." Rise spoke with an authoritative tone.
"..."
"Naoto-kun..." Rise spoke his name softly as the sky adjusted to a blood orange hue.
He watched her closely, eyes downcast before Rise suddenly pressed his cheeks together with both hands and an irritated look on her face. She had met multiple guys like Naoto, but none as stubborn as him.
"..." Naoto dropped both bags on the floor, hearing them drop with a thud as he held her wrists, prying her hands away from his cheeks.
"Why won't you let me in? Why can't we be friends?" Rise's hands were still held by Naoto, brown eyes locked with his own as she dropped her head.
"Because I'm not who you think I am." Naoto replied generally, unable to specify the truth behind his words.
"But you're you..." Rise's voice trailed away, Naoto sounded conflicted, like what she had felt before conquering her true self, her persona.
"It would be wise if you didn't hang around me." He watched the grassy texture below his shoes, swaying gently with the summer wind.
Rise realized how similar they were, perhaps she could help him. "I understand what you're going through Naoto-kun." She intertwined her fingers with his, hinting her friendliness a little more than she needed.
Naoto faced the brunette, eyes in confusion as he felt her soft touch and heard her words. "Kujikawa-san..."
"Just call me Rise." She formed a faint smile, a genuine one when she pressed her chest against his. It was odd, but she could tell he was different from the other boys. She didn't know why, but it was like he was a mystery himself. It captured her attention, wanting to know more about this 'detective prince.'
"Rise..." He swallowed hard, attempting to control his courage when she stuck too close to him.
"Please, I just want to be your friend Naoto-kun." Rise begged. "I just want to know you." Her voice sounded cheery, hoping that he would finally agree.
He took a deep breath as he sighed in defeat. There was no way he could shake off Rise without making her cry. Naoto knew he was terrible at comforting people, especially girls. He reluctantly agreed with a nod of approval.
Rise smiled and pulled him into an embrace, he was warm and unusually soft, as if she could fall asleep on him. His shoulders tensed when her chest was pressed against his own and after a few seconds, he withdrew from their friendly hug, his cheeks were stained a scarlet hue from their little moment. Why was she so clingy? He turned his head to the side, a hand strewn across his eyes when Rise rested her head on his shoulder.
By then, the stars began to sparkle, indicating magic hour, a time when the fluorescent lights of the town lit up and the sky transitioned into a mix of orange, blue and a hint of yellow. There was something magical about the setting, as if it were a time in the day when anything seemed possible. Rise watched Naoto's hand drop to his side, a small grin faintly surfaced along his lips. For a boy who had no friends, there was an aura around him that was mysterious, brooding, a little cute. He was like those characters in stories who didn't have to say much because they were calm, collected and mature. She couldn't help but feel naturally drawn to him, as if he were a magnet pulling her close.
It was an odd sensation, having someone like Rise around him. Who knew that the person to break his shell would be her of all people. He checked the sky and looked down. Were friends supposed to hold hands for this long? Naoto felt like it was implying something more, as if he were more than a friend. For the short moment he had with her, he decided to let it be, for fear that she might press up to him once more.
Rise closed her eyes, feeling Naoto's shoulders relax. She was really curious to know what the detective prince was like underneath his armored shell. Slowly, she squeezed his hand gently, capturing his attention with a locked look between the two of them.
Naoto's expression softened, eyes searching Rise's face. 'So you want to know me...' He thought to himself as she smiled and he did so as well.
A boy biked down the hill, but came to a stop when he found two people atop a hill overlooking the town. It was Kanji, a classmate of Rise and Naoto's who decided to bike home from school. He focused on the two silhouette's realizing that one of them was the Detective Prince. Squinting to identify the other person, he blushed when he realized it was a girl. Her hair flowed with the wind as she stood beside Naoto. Kanji tightened his grip on the metal handle bars and continued biking, unable to watch the two any longer.
... To be continued
So if you enjoyed this chapter, remember to fave, follow and/or review.
- Replies:
Guest: Thanks!
Unknown Reader:haha, really? well that's great to hear. I've been wanting to write my own story up since Hitokun's The Idol and Prince, which sadly enough, seems to have been abandoned. I will certainly continue writing more!
Thanks for reading