(A/N: Wow, it has been a hectic... 5 months? 6 months? I got distracted with new games after acquiring a gaming PC AND a PS4 for Christmas (hello, The Last of Us, Tomb Raider, Until Dawn, Disgaea 5, Life is Strange, and a million other things that I couldn't play until now) and so I put my NG+ run of Persona 4 on hiatus... and as a result lost my drive a bit to write this. Then I actually met Troy Baker in April at a convention and it kinda sparked me into writing again (he talked in Kanji's voice for me - it made me so happy!)

So yeah, I should be back onto a regular schedule again. Sorry for the delay!)

Chapter 14

11th October 2011

A crisp breeze cut through the warm morning as Kanji casually sauntered to school, enjoying the warm rays on his back and the cool wind on his face. He freakin' loved autumn. The maple trees were in the early stages of turning into their impressively vibrant colours, and his route to school was shifting from summer's lush and verdant greens, to soon be ablaze with reds, golds and oranges.

He ran into Yosuke, Yu, Chie, and Yukiko along the riverbank, and seeing them compounded his good mood. It felt pretty good to be part of a group again; he hadn't realised how much he enjoyed hanging out with them socially, even if it was just walking to school. Plus, he thought, it meant that Rise couldn't continue her persistent line of interrogation about exactly what he thought of Naoto. She'd been bugging him for days. She was conspicuously missing now, though. Perhaps she had already gone ahead.

The conversation was mainly idle; he didn't contribute much and instead let himself enjoy the morning. Listening to Yukiko and Chie happily talk about their upcoming weekend plans and Yu and Yosuke compare their previous city lives made him feel included. That he was one of them. It was as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and even though they were technically no closer to catching the bastard throwing people into the TV world, there was no immediate need to go back there. Everyone could just relax for a bit. No one had died; they had saved someone again. And not just anyone- they had rescued Naoto. She was fine, even if she posed a new set of problems for him. Whatever, he could think about that later.

He was surprised to see Naoto patiently waiting for them as they approached Yasogami; it hadn't been that long since she was barely able to keep conscious, looking sickly and pale. She seemed a hell of a lot better now. She stood stiffly by the front gates, her satchel in hand, her hat pulled down low. He noticed that she was wearing the boy's uniform. She smiled as they approached, and he felt his heartbeat quicken, his relaxed mood quickly dissipating.

"Good morning," she said, politely, nodding her head.

"N-Naoto… I mean, uh, 'morning..." he blurted out, hating himself for stuttering. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. Yukiko and Chie didn't seem to notice - they ran towards Naoto, Yukiko pulling her into an awkward hug.

"Naoto-kun!" Yukiko exclaimed, smiling warmly as she pulled away. Naoto's face was slightly red and she coughed, adjusting the collar of her uniform.

"Are you feeling better now?" Chie asked, peering closely at her, "Rise-chan told us that you were really sick!"

"Yes, thanks to all of you," Naoto said, taking a step back, away from the girls' scrutiny. "I'd like you thank you once again for what happened."

"Don't mention it," Yosuke said, grinning. "But, hey, your uniform…?"

"Huh?" Naoto looked self-conscious for a second, as she looked down. "Ah, yes. After contemplating the matter, I went with what I have been wearing thus far. There's no need for you to-"

"Hey look, it's the Detective Prince!" Naoto was cut off as a small group of students passed the front gates.

"That's no Prince. I heard, 'he's' a she!" One of the boys said, sneering slightly as he looked Naoto up and down. Kanji felt his fists subconsciously clench.

"Huh?! Y-You serious? If he's a she then… uh, oh-oh crap…!"

"Aww… I'm kinda disappointed," a girl said, joining in, "but then again, there's something neat about it..." she ran a hand through her short brown hair, blushing slightly as she passed. Kanji felt a bubble of jealousy rise in his chest which he tried to quell.

"Yeah… if you look at it a certain way, doesn't she seem pretty cool?" Her friend said as they both glanced at Naoto before hurrying away, giggling and whispering. Kanji studied Naoto's expression, but she didn't let on if she was upset. In fact, she was smirking.

"My, my… rumours spread so quickly," she muttered, folding her arms across her chest as she watched the group of students pass.

"We are on your side, Naoto-kun," Yu said, decisively. "Whatever happens, we have your back." Naoto looked at him, searching his face for any hint of sarcasm or irony, and looked away.

"Th-thank you but… it doesn't bother me at all. There's no need to worry on my behalf. So, please, treat me as you did before." She unfolded her arms and readjusted her hat. "That aside, I'd like you discuss the case with you all. We're dealing with a kidnap-and-murder case perpetrated by someone lurking in this very town. And it isn't over yet. Let's go over the finer points after school."

"Sure. We can meet at our special headquarters!" Chie said, looking excited. The bell rang and the second years made their way until the building. Kanji made to follow them.

"Kanji-kun?" Naoto called to him, a light blush on her stopped in his tracks.

"Huh?" He turned to face Naoto, slightly wide eyed. "'sup?"

"Kanji-kun… I... I would like to thank you personally for your attentiveness whilst... visiting me the other day. You… ah... contributed a great deal to my recovery." She was blushing, trying to make an effort to be sincere.

"Uh… it was nothin'," Kanji said, shuffling his feet. "And I'm sorry if I… I mean, I didn't mean to-"

"I appreciate that I must have been difficult to care for; being looked after in such a fashion is alien to me and I was not accustomed to that sort of treatment. But I would like to say that… it was really appreciated." Naoto looked uncomfortable and her usual eloquence was suffering.

"I… uh… it was Rise's idea. You should thank her..."

"Yes. Yes, of course, Rise is that sort of person, isn't she? I shall." She said quickly, looking relieved. "Thank you. Shall we?" She gestured into the building, and for a brief moment Kanji thought back to how he first met her. How he had met her outside of the school gates with butterflies in his stomach, and the two of them walked together along the floodplain.

It had sorta felt like a date.


Naoto was waiting for him outside of his classroom after class, leaning against the opposite wall, scribbling into a small notebook. She looked up when the door opened.

"Kanji-kun." She nodded in greeting.

"Naoto…?"

"I have already met Yu-senpai and the others. They will meet us at Junes. Shall we?" she said, flipping her notebook closed and carefully slipping it into the back pocket of her satchel. Out of the corner of his eye Kanji saw Rise further down the corridor. She took a step towards him, then stopped, grinned, and turned on her heels. The hell, Rise!.

"Uh, yeah, sure..." he trailed off, still watching Rise walk down the corridor with a spring in her step. Naoto gave him a side-eyed look.

"Shall we ask Rise to join us?" Naoto asked. Kanji swore he heard … something… in her voice. Amusement, maybe? Or annoyance? He couldn't tell.

"Nah, it's fine... I mean, if you don't mind, or would you rather Rise-" he hastily tried to backtrack but Naoto cut him off.

"It is fine on my account. I am just aware that the two of you are close, and was just wondering if you would rather we all went together."

"It ain't like that!" Kanji said quickly, raising his hands in defense. "She already left, anyway."

Naoto didn't say anything for a moment, before shrugging and continuing down the corridor. Kanji walked by her side, the two of them briefly stopping by the lockers to change their shoes, before heading towards Junes.

"I spoke to Rise over lunch, by the way, thanking her for her help during my recovery."

"Yeah?"

"She was rather adamant that it she was merely accompanying you, and that you are the one largely deserving of my thanks. She was rather dismissive of her own contribution." Kanji swore he saw Naoto smile, as if she had heard a rather funny joke.

"So, uh, how're you feelin'?"

"As I said this morning, much better, thank you."

"So, what do you wanna talk about at Junes?"

"I think it would be better if I were to address you all."

"Oh. Okay. Uh… so why didn't you walk with the others?" It had been bugging him, and more troublingly, making him hope unreasonable things. Naoto stopped for a moment, then resumed her pace next to him, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I want to… I would appreciate it if… I mean…" she cleared her throat. Kanji watched her out of the corner of his eye.

"Is there somethin' you wanna talk to me about…?" Kanji bluntly asked, the words forming before he had chance to think.

"What? No, not especially. I-" She stopped again; Kanji took a few steps forward before he realised that she had trailed behind again, and he turned to face her.

"What is it?" His heart was in his mouth, suddenly nervous of what she had to say.

"I… I want to join you. All of you," Naoto said, speaking quickly, quietly. "I already knew you are working on the case, but now I am fully aware of how exactly you are contributing. I have come to understand that your methodology may be the only way that there is a chance we can catch the perpetrator. I want to join your efforts and… I want you to accept me."

"Huh. Well, I can't see that bein' a problem," he shrugged, disappointment and relief washing over him in equal measure.

"Do you think Yu-senpai will let me?" Naoto began walking again, and the two of them continued along the river bank.

"Well, yeah. You're damn smart and... I mean, he let all of us help after what happened to us. Me an' Rise joined after we were rescued so…"

"Oh. Yes, thank goodness." And here I am thinking that you wanted to spend time with me. I gotta stop getting my hopes up about that, huh. Done it way too often.

They finally arrived at Junes and made their way to the roof. Just as Naoto had said, the others were already there, waiting for them. Two empty chairs remained around the table and Kanji slumped into his, settling into a familiar position with his elbows resting on his knees. Naoto sat next to him, her back straight, sitting primly as she waited for the idle chatter to settle and they could get to business.

"First I heard the doorbell ring, but when I opened the front door I saw no one there. Just as alarm bells sounded in my mind, someone grabbed me roughly from behind and covered my mouth. Immediately afterwards, I was put into something like a sack, and most likely carried on the culprit's shoulder." Her voice had slipped into a narrative as she recited the details of that night. She must have spent a long time thinking about what she was going to say, Kanji thought.

"Wow, you remember all that?" Rise said, resting her head on her interlaced fingers as she listened to the story.

"The culprit seems to have used a chemical to incapacitate me, but luckily I wasn't completely unconscious. I had been expecting a trick along those lines, so I was somewhat prepared. And, of course, I was desperate to gather as much information as I could."

"No wonder you're an ace detective…" Chie said. Kanji shook his head; no this wasn't something to praise. He'd heard enough.

"That ain't something to be proud of," He snapped at her before turning to Naoto. "You are too damn calm about this," he said, sullenly, catching Naoto's eye. She shrugged and continued.

"Judging by their actions and body type, I'd say the culprit is definitely a man. I heard no conversations or voices, so I believe he is acting alone. It's after that that things get murky. I felt a single impact, which I assume is when I was thrown inside the TV, but the time from kidnapping to that point seemed too short. It was a matter of minutes."

"So you were immediately thrown inside the TV after being kidnapped… oh! Could there have been a TV by the side of the road…?" Chie asked. There was a discontented murmur from the group. Kanji folded his arms.

"Regrettably, my memory from there on is a blur," Naoto said, her well-modulated voice slipping as she looked away, her expression downcast, almost embarrassed.

"I see, but, man… the killer came right up to the door and rang the bell? That's just crazy" Yosuke said.

"I finally understand why you all testified that you couldn't recall much of what happened. Such a bizarre experience, with mental and physical fatigue on top of it… it is only natural to be confused. And going by the surrounding circumstances, my kidnapping and everyone else's were near identical. There is no question that the culprit is the same in each case."

"So, that Mitsuo boy, who said he killed King Moron-" Chie said, rubbing her nose in thought. She was cut off by an uncharacteristically exuberant Naoto.

"Everything makes sense now!" Naoto said suddenly; "I can't say for sure until I gather more concrete evidence, but Mitsuo Kubo's only victim was Mr Morooka. It was a copycat killing that mimicked the culprit's method!"

"No wonder King Moron's death broke the pattern in so many ways," Yosuke said, frowning.

"The question remains, though, as to how Kubo learned of that world..." Naoto pondered aloud. She looked visibly excited, her hands shaking slightly as she worked through this new line of thought. Kanji watched her expression flicker, her eyes wide. She almost looked like a different person to the one who was so calmly giving an account of her kidnap moments before.

"That's it! That's what was bothering me! Mitsuo could enter the TV right? So why didn't he kill King Moron that way?" Chie exclaimed.

"I believe he didn't understand the other world as well as the true culprit. Even though I can now enter it myself, it wouldn't occur to me to use it for murder. And remember, the previous corpses left no sign that their deaths had anything to do with the other world. After Kubo became wanted, leaving him with nowhere to run, he probably thought for the first time… "What if I put my entire body into the TV?" The bizarre condition of the corpses that caused such commotion is probably because they died on the other side." Naoto paused, running with a new train of thought. "It's a simpler explanation than figuring out why the killer would risk disposing of the bodies in such a way. Which means their inexplicable condition of being hung on a foggy day wasn't due to the culprit making a statement."

She stopped and took off her cap, running her hands through her hair. She had been fidgeting the entire time she was speaking, hardly able to sit still.

"Much of our speculation could be tested if we could ask Kubo in person." She continued, gripping a handful of the hair and making it stick up, before idly smoothing it down under her cap once more. "However, I've unfortunately been taken off the investigation. And I highly doubt that the police will believe any of this…" she trailed off, her train of thought coming to an end. She said back heavily in her chair.

"They wouldn't admit that it wasn't Mitsuo in the first place. Once you've said something on TV, it's not easy to admit you were wrong" Rise said, a little sadly.

"I believe the primary cause of my dismissal was because I raised that possibility to them." Naoto said, agreeing with her. "The police won't readily concede that they made false charges. All the more so if the accused is a juvenile. In fact, the overwhelming sentiment within the police force is to end this case with his arrest."

"Even if it's possible there could be another killer?" Chie said, sounding genuinely surprised. Kanji snorted.

"Those bastards! I had a feeling that would be the case. Not that I trusted 'em in the first place…" he said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. The police in this town were shit - they fucked up dealing with him all the time.

"But, uh, Naoto. If you were that calm when it happened to you, couldn't you have, you know… isn't it kinda sad for an ace detective to go down that easily…?" Yosuke said rubbing the back of his head, seemingly disappointed. Kanji wanted to punch him. That was unfair. Whoever was throwing people into the TV had managed to subdue all six feet of him, and he must weigh nearly twice what Naoto does. She didn't stand a chance.

Naoto nodded sadly, and withdrew into herself, tilting her head to hide her face under her cap.

"U-um… um… to tell you the trust, I was really scared. I-I'm sorry…" Naoto stuttered, suddenly looking deflated. She really hates failure, huh.

"It can't be helped. None of us could resist the culprit, either." Yukiko said, breaking the silence before turning her attention to Yosuke. "Don't forget, Naoto-kun is younger than us, and she's a girl."

"Oh, yeah, that's true. I keep forgetting when I see her talking like this. You know, Naoto…" Yosuke leaned conspiratorially towards her, quickly looking left and right for dramatic effect. She frowned in confusion as she leant forward to meet him over the table. "You got balls, for a girl." He winked and her and grinned, sitting back in his chair and laughing as Naoto turned crimson.

"R-regardless," Naoto said, trying to ignore her embarrassment, "I have no doubt that the culprit will continue his attacks. We can only watch and wait for him to make the next move. But this is no longer a mere job, or someone else's affair. I want to know the truth of why we were targeted."

Kanji sat back and tried to process everything. So much of what Naoto said was troubling him that he didn't know where to start. He didn't damn like how much danger she'd put herself in. Gettin' herself kidnapped was a fucking stupid way to attempt to catch the killer. She could have been fucking killed, even if the killer hadn't thrown her into the TV. But... so much of what she said had made sense and she had got some pretty good information because of it. That the bastard definitely was a guy. That he was acting alone. That he had the fucking balls to walk up to their houses and ring the fucking doorbell. Dammit, maybe she was right after all

Kanji thought back to the night he was kidnapped. Had someone come to his front door? They hadn't had they? They came to the house, but…. No, he went outside. It was raining. It was late and he went outside, in the rain, to meet someone and- his mind suddenly went blank. He couldn't remember. Kanji shook his head to try and clear it, grimacing at his inability to recall even the barest details.

"Kanji? You okay?" Rise asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Everyone was looking at him.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Naoto has asked to join us in the investigation - you don't have a problem with that, do you?" Yosuke said, grinning.

"No, I don't" Kanji said, automatically scowling at him. Why would he? Naoto was smart and, even though he was a bit hesitant to admit it, brave to the point of reckless. He hated whatever it was Yosuke was implying.

"Thank you. I will do my best," Naoto said, slightly bowing her head.


13th October 2011

Despite leaving Junes with renewed vigor and resolve to solve the case, they did very little work on the case over the next few days. Even Naoto, bursting with new theories and plans to apprehend the killer, seemed to push these idea aside and focus solely on her studies; midterm exams had all but snuck up on them.

Kanji was usually ambivalent towards exams; it wasn't as though English grammar or Japanese history would have any bearing on him inheriting the textile shop, so a passing or failing grade meant little to him. And as his Ma said, his talents were in other areas, practical ones. Just because he didn't understand the mathematical formula behind quadratic equations or trigonometry, he could eyeball shapes and map fabric patterns. It was far more useful to have the skills over the theory.

But, this time felt different; he found himself dreading them. Being part of the investigation team gave him something to lose. Hell, just the thought of Naoto having any reason to think less of him was enough to force him to spend his evenings with his nose buried in a book, cursing that nothing made sense to him.

It didn't help that teachers just had it out for him; if he was quiet in class he was accused of not paying attention, of daydreaming, or just plain being insubordinate. But if he tried to contribute, he was being disruptive by deliberately getting answers wrong. It pissed him off. And he hated the way people would snigger and stare at him. Assholes, the lot of them.

The others seemed to be making an effort to keep up with their studies too, though he suspected Rise was using the exams to try and wrangle private 'study time' with Yu. She wasn't very subtle about it. Kanji had tried to study with her initially, but she wasn't very good for his motivation; she was easily distracted and in the areas he most needed help she was just as useless. Or, if she knew something, she was really bad at explaining it. And that would lead to her getting mad at him for not understanding her and the entire thing would end up with him getting exasperated and leaving in a huff or her getting stroppy with him.

He was sat alone in the library after school, his textbook open in front of him and his head in his hands. He'd been staring at this page for hours, and none of it made sense. It didn't help that the other people in the library were pissing him off. Despite it being the day before the first exam, the library seemed to have become a popular date location. Listening to other students flirting was getting on his nerves.

"Kanji-kun? Mind if I join you?" Kanji snapped his head up at the quiet voice, slightly wide eyed. Naoto stood in front of him, awkwardly hovering over the vacant chair, holding her satchel close to her chest. He hadn't noticed her approaching.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He said, gesturing to the empty seat. She carefully sat down, placing her satchel on the chair next to her, before turning her attention back to him.

"What are you studying?" She asked, peering at his half-scribbled notes. Kanji felt self-conscious; he quickly closed his notebook so that Naoto couldn't see his paltry attempt at studying.

"Uh. Math. Mrs Nakayama's class. Her exam's tomorrow."

"May I see?" She scooted closer, peering at his textbooks.

"No… uh… I really… uh…" he trailed off. Naoto was going to think he was so dumb, he knew it.

"Oh okay, yes I remember covering this. What would you like help with?"

"I didn't say I needed any help," he snapped, feeling agitated. She was going to laugh at him when she learned exactly how little he remembered. She flinched a bit as his tone, but after a moment nodded.

"I'm sorry. Well, I was going to study this chapter too, so, would you mind if we did it together?" She was sat so close to him. It was making him feel uncomfortable. He squirmed, shuffling in his seat.

"Uh, sure." he said, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He reluctantly opened his notebook, hating at how untidy his handwriting was, how disorganised everything looked. Naoto pulled her notes from her satchel; her notebook was neatly filled with line after line of notes and mathematical formula. The difference between the two made Kanji snort a humourless laugh.

"Are you alright, Kanji-kun?" Naoto said, her expression puzzled. Suddenly, raucous laughter erupted behind them, followed by shouts of "No way!" "you're kidding me?" Naoto looked perturbed.

"If the library isn't helping, we could go somewhere else if you prefer? It is rather loud in here," Naoto said, looking around and frowning at a giggly couple more interested in each other than their work.

"It's a pain in the ass," he grumbled.

"I would normally assume that the library is the place usually conducive to studying but I think I would have to agree with you here. Would you like to go somewhere else? The riverbank perhaps, or Junes? You are always welcome back at my place." She turned red and stuttered as she realised what she said, trying to backtrack. "I mean, if you want to study. It will be quiet, after all, as my grandfather is still away on business and will certainly free of people disturbing us," she clarified. Kanji felt himself blush in sympathy as rogue thoughts about going back to Naoto's house ended with more than just studying.

"Junes sounds good," he said, trying to push those thoughts aside "I...uh… could buy you dinner. As thanks for helpin' me out."

"That sounds good," she agreed, smiling shyly. With Kanji casting a final glare at the loud students, the two of them packed away their things and headed out into Inaba.

The sun was starting to lower on the horizon, but the pleasant weather of the last few days meant that the early evening was warm.

"I am so glad to be out of there! You would think that the faculty would say something," Naoto said, filling the silence that had fallen upon them as they walked along the riverbank to Junes. "Is it always like that?"

"I dunno. I don't go much."

"What, to the library?"

"Yeah. It's a pain," he said, shrugging his shoulders, not elaborating.

"Oh. Well, hopefully Junes will be better. Despite everything that has happened with the case it is imperative that everyone keeps up with their studies."

"You sound like Yukiko-senpai," Kanji said, "it's all she's been talkin' about these past few days."

At the department store Chie and Yosuke were already set up in their usual hangout. They seemed to have the same idea; they had various textbooks spread in front of them, though they looked largely untouched. Chie waved cheerily as Kanji and Naoto approached.

"Hey! You guys here to study too?" Yosuke said as they made to sit down.

"Yes. We tried to work in the library but…" Naoto said, a little sadly.

"Heh, yeah, I don't blame you." Yosuke said, grinning. "Hey, did you guys see Yu and Rise-chan in there? He told me they were going to study this afternoon too."

"No, didn't see 'em" Kanji said as he took out his books. Rise got her way, then.

"Huh. Fair enough. Man, it must be becoming a custom for us to meet up like this, though. Hey Chie, can I borrow your notes?"

"Borrowing notes is becoming to be a custom too." Chie said, rolling her eyes."Alright, let's get started. But first I want a melon soda," she said pointedly. Yosuke grinned at her.

"Is that your way of saying you'll lend me your notes if I buy you a melon soda?" he said, trying to give her puppy eyes. Kanji sighed and opened his notebook, staring intently at his scribbles, trying to make sense of them. Next to him he was aware of Naoto getting her things out of her satchel, though she seemed keenly interested in Chie and Yosuke's conversation.

"Could be," Chie said. She nodded towards the soda vending machine. Yosuke sighed dramatically, and stood up, stretching.

"Oh man, the things I do…" he muttered.

"Hey, I'm doing you a favour!" Chie exclaimed. "Unless, you don't want to borrow my notes?"

"I'd rather borrow Yukiko's, but since she's not here…"

"You jerk! That's it, I've changed my mind!"

"Hey, no fair! I'm getting you a soda, aren't I?"

"Hey, Kanji-kun," Naoto whispered, making him shiver as he felt her breath on his ear. She was leaning so close. "Yosuke and Chie seem to get along well…" she said conspiratorially, glancing over to the two of them as they bickered.

"Yeah," he agreed, following her gaze to watch them. Chie was now stood up, squaring off against Yosuke. She'd kick him in a moment. "Hey why don't you two get on with it and date already," he said loudly.

They both stopped their squabbling in an instant, both of them turning to face him, their mouths open mid retort. Chie turned red and waved her hands in front of her in protest.

"What? Us two..? Never!" she exclaimed, not meeting Yosuke's eye.

"That was quick!" Yosuke exclaimed, looking hurt.

Kanji watched Naoto biting her lip, trying not to laugh at their reaction as they both protested. She looked... happy, or at least amused; he had never seen her smile so much. He let himself grin in return, forgetting his irritation.

Chie saw the change in his expression.

"Oh, if you're going to be like that, how about you two! Naoto, you could go out with Kanji!" Chie said, pointing her finger at the two of them. Kanji immediately felt his face go pink, his irritation returning in an instant. Naoto didn't fare much better - her grin from before had turned into a stricken look and she was blushing too, her eyes flitting around the room.

"H-hey! Get bent!" he snapped, willing his blush to go away. Chie began to laugh, and playfully pushed his shoulder. He shook her hand off, scowling.

"Oh, how cute" Yosuke said, a smirk plastered on his face, "they're both blushing. Hey Chie, don'tcha think they'd make a cute couple?"

"Please stop it," Naoto said, her voice uncharacteristically soft.

"Yeah, I do" Chie said, tilting her head to one side. "I can kinda see it working!"

"Tch, you two knock it off," Kanji said, folding his arms, "We're here to study, alright?"

"Sure big guy, I get you," Yosuke said, winking. "Don't let us get in your way."

"I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't quit it," he retorted, tensing his shoulders and balling his hands into fists. Yosuke laughed and backed off, his hands up in mock defense.

"Alright, alright, we didn't mean anything by it, right Chie?"

"Yeah, yeah, right... nothing at all." She paused for a second, before a though seemingly struck her. "So, do you want us to leave you two alone…?"

"Senpai…" Naoto said to Chie, her voice pleading. Chie grinned at her.

"Sorry, Naoto-kun," she laughed. "Man, this is thirsty work. Hey Yosuke, where's my soda?"

Yosuke headed towards the vending machine and Kanji turned his attention back to his notes. This was even worse than the library. He should have taken Naoto up on her offer to go to her house-

"So, where do you want to start?" Naoto asked him, her textbook in hand. Her blush still hadn't faded, and she was speaking quickly. Before he could answer Chie interrupted him.

"Oh, are you helping Kanji-kun study, Naoto-kun? Hey, do you think you could help me too?" she asked, leaning over to watch what they were doing. Kanji instinctively closed his notebook so that she couldn't see his work.

"Oh man, is Naoto giving lessons?" Yosuke said as he returned with a can of soda in each hand. He tossed one to Chie, who effortlessly caught it. "You know, I could use some extra help-"

"I'm sorry, I don't think that I would be able to help either of you very much," Naoto said quickly, shaking her head. "I am not familiar with any of the second year material."

"Too bad," Yosuke said as he sat next to Chie. "It would have been pretty sweet to have an ace detective give some private tutoring. Right, Kanji?"

"Screw you," he said, scowling.

"First year stuff must be pretty easy for you, after all the cases you've solved," Chie said, sipping her drink.

"I assure you, it is quite different. Whilst deductive reasoning and in depth analysis are skills honed through academia, I still have to learn school subjects the same as you do. Also, as I said before, I have to keep up with my studies if I wish to pursue becoming a detective as a career."

"Huh, sure…" Chie said, trailing off. "Anyway, we should get some work done."

The evening improved after that. Once Kanji got over his initial embarrassment about how little he knew, he felt himself loosening up. He even began to reluctantly enjoy himself. It helped that Yosuke and Chie were also bad at studying, that they were easily distracted and preferred to talk. It made him feel less guilty about his own lack of progress, and occasionally it was amusing to listen to the two of them bicker. Naoto seemed to take the role of tutor into her stride, though Kanji noticed that she would fidget and tap her pen on the table when things weren't moving along as quickly as she would have liked. Despite her quirks she was a good teacher; Kanji was impressed by how much she clearly knew, and she was no way near as impatient as Rise. Despite her best efforts though, Kanji concluded that he was bad at math.

"Oh man, I'm beat" Chie said, rubbing her eyes. "Studying really take it out of you!"

"You've done nothing for the last half hour" Yosuke said "except draw a picture of a giraffe."

"Hey! That's not true… it's a dog! You just don't appreciate art."

"You were supposed to be studying English." Yosuke pointed out, raising his eyebrow. Chie ignored him, waving away his comment.

"Anyway, I'm heading home. I've gotta get an early night," she said, yawning loudly. She stood up, taking the last swig of her drink as she did so. "See you guys at school! Tests start tomorrow after all..."

"Urgh, don't remind me," Yosuke said, "see you tomorrow." Chie gave a little wave as she headed into the department store.

"I should be leaving too," Naoto said as Chie left. She picked up her long-since discarded cap from where she had abandoned it on the table and planted it firmly on her head. "It's getting late; we should all get some rest."

"Uh, yeah," Kanji said, though he didn't make any move to leave. He didn't feel the least bit tired.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Naoto said to him, a small smile on her lips. Kanji felt his heartbeat quicken as he nervously smiled back, gazing into her large blue eyes. She coughed nervously, breaking eye-contact before giving a curt nod to Yosuke.

Kanji sighed as he watched Naoto go. Yosuke sat back in his chair, hands behind his head. Kanji caught him staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Yosuke said dismissively, smiling that infuriating grin. "So, you and Naoto, huh…?"

"It ain't like that." Kanji said quickly.

"I saw how you looked at her. I gotta tell ya, I'm surprised. I didn't think you were her type."

"Shut it, senpai," he said, scowling. Yosuke shrugged in response, but he was still grinning. He leaned forward.

"So what happened, huh? You went to her house, right?"

"It ain't…" Kanji shook his head, clicking his tongue in irritation. "Tch, whatever. Nothing happened, all right?"

"Alright big guy, you don't have to get defensive, I was just asking. Anyway, good luck tomorrow," he got up and waved goodbye as he headed back into Junes.

Kanji was left alone with his thoughts. He looked down at his notebook, now a mix of his careless scrawl and Naoto's meticulous handwriting. His annoyance at Yosuke quickly dissipated as he thought back over the evening. He'd spent an entire evening with Naoto, and didn't say or do anything stupid. He was proud of himself; he'd been so worried that she thought he was dumb it was a relief that it had gone as well as it had. Naoto was every bit as smart as he'd expected her to be, and what's more she seemed to care about him, or at least, she cared if he was going to pass his exams. That had to count for something, right? Maybe if he hadn't been such a pussy and had accepted Naoto's offer to go to her house things might have played out differently…?

He would have to find out. He'd ask Naoto to study with him again.