The Idol and the Prince
Part III
07/26
Naoto pulled at his collar as he walked through the corridors of Yasogami High. The temperature had spiked today and the cheap school barely had the AC turned up… He was planning to skip his classes again today, but he did make a promise. She was the key to getting a break in his case. If he was going to get on Kujikawa Rise's good side, he had to keep her happy. That's why he was committed to being in this overheated oven all day.
Frowning, Naoto entered the empty classroom, sitting down at his seat. He pulled out a book, flipping open to a page as he stared blankly at the words. There was just something wrong with the way the evidence didn't add up, something still bothering him.
It was Rise and her friends.
He knew they were hiding something from him. The records checked out with his suspicions. All the murder victims went missing for a couple weeks before their bodies finally surfaced. Amagi Yukiko… She went missing for a week in April. Then, Tatsumi Kanji in May and finally, Kujikawa Rise disappeared just last month.
Naoto wracked his brain, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Could it be that one of them was the killer? Or maybe it was all of them, conspiring together to play their sick game.
He shook his head abruptly, taking his hat off as he ran a hand through his blue hair. "No…I can't jump to conclusions like that…"
If only he could sever the connection between the murders and Rise's group… After all, an ex pop idol just didn't fit into the profile of a serial killer…especially one as naïve as "Risette" was. Naoto sighed, wondering if his deductions were starting to get a bit biased.
But there was no way Rise could be the killer, right?
"Bzzzt"
Naoto was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts as he felt a gentle vibration in his pocket. Quickly, he fished out the cell phone and flipped it open. For a minute, he just stared, a chill overcoming him. "How on earth…"
It was a text message from Rise that read:
Sry, Naoto-kun! I'm sick today.
Could you tell sensei for me?
~Rise 3
The detective's eye twitched. The whole reason in him coming today was lost. However, something else bothered him more than a wasted day. Naoto was more disturbed about the fact that Rise had found his private unlisted number. Was she stalking him…?
"Katsuragi-kun." The teacher yawned as he continued the roll call.
"Hai!"
"Kujikawa-san."
There was no reply, only an empty seat.
"Oh, is she absent today?" He marked a note in his book as he continued.
Meanwhile, Naoto fidgeted in his seat, fanning himself with his notebook. He cursed softly under his breath. "That traitor…"
"Shirogane."
"Hai."
Naoto sighed again, wondering why he came to school in the first place. He could have been at home right now, sipping an ice tea in his study. He closed his eyes and could almost imagine the cool liquid quenching his thirst.
"So does anyone know where Kujikawa is?"
The Detective Prince opened his eyes, clearing his throat. "Kujikawa-san is sick today. She was caught in the rainstorm yesterday."
Whispers erupted and Naoto could even catch a couple girlish screams.
"Oh, is that so, Shirogane-kun? Well, could you drop by her house and give her the homework for today? We'll be starting a new unit and I'm afraid you'll need it to complete your summer assignments." The class let out a groan, the teacher still smiling widely.
"It's no problem." Again, girls swooned at Naoto's response.
"Thank you, Shirogane. Well then, let's get started, shall we?" The teacher turned towards the blackboard, chalk in hand.
Naoto smiled to himself. He was sure that Rise would appreciate him going all the way to her house just to drop off her homework. Maybe, he could ask her a couple of questions while he was there too.
Standing in front of Marukyu Tofu after school, Naoto took a deep breath and entered the store. "Sumimasen!" He called out, the front of the shop empty. He wondered how these people could be so trusting as to leave their doors wide open.
Soon enough, Naoto could hear hurried footsteps as an old lady appeared at the stairway. "Oh, hello there. What can I help you with today?"
"My name is Shirogane Naoto, a classmate of your granddaughter's. I was just dropping by to see if she was feeling better." Naoto put on his best polite smile, his boyish charm in full gear.
"Oh my. Rise-chan has such nice school friends. Well, she's feeling much better now. Just make your way upstairs. It's the third door on your left." The elderly lady smiled warmly at Naoto.
"Thank you." Naoto turned towards the stairs, contemplating for a minute about what the woman called him. A friend? He shook his head. What an absurd idea.
Slowly, he made his way up the creaky steps, stopping in the upstairs hallway. It was small and homely, not what he expected from an idol's house. Stopping in front of the third door, he paused, his hand poised to knock. However, as the seconds passed, he stayed rooted to that same position. For some reason, he was nervous beyond belief. He had never visited a 'friend' before. Swallowing his anxiety, he rapped on the door thrice, waiting impatiently for a reply.
"Yes…?" It was Rise alright, but her voice sounded tired.
"I-it's Naoto." He called out and waited for an answer. Suddenly, he heard a thud and the rustling of sheets. "Rise-san, are you alright in there?"
"I-I'm fine, Naoto-kun. J-just give me a minute!"
Naoto leaned against the wall, listening to Rise scurry about in her room.
Then, there was silence and the door opened. Rise stood in the doorway in a pair of short shorts and a thin tank top. "H-haha…Naoto-kun. It's nice to see you."
Naoto blushed faintly, his head filled with unease. Rise's hair was disheveled and not in its usual twintails, left to cascade down her back. In a way, Naoto thought she looked a lot cuter. "A-are you…feeling better now?"
Rise nodded, her smile lighting up her eyes, "Mh hmm. I'm feeling lots better. Especially since Naoto-kun's here to visit me." Her tone dropped an octave at the end, her voice taking on a more mature manner.
"A-anyway…" Naoto cleared his throat. "Since tomorrow's the first day of summer vacation, Taniguchi-sensei wanted me to give you your homework." He rummaged through his bag, pulling out a stack of papers.
Rise's expression paled at this. She took the stack reluctantly, flipping through the pages. "Ahh…I don't get this stuff at all." She pouted, her brows furrowing in frustration.
"If you want, I could help you with it over the summer."
Rise gaped at Naoto's words, but soon, her lips curved up into a wide grin. "Really, Naoto-kun? I'd be so happy if you could do that!"
Naoto had on a casual smile, his prior apprehension gone. "Then, how about we start tomorrow?"
"That'd be-wait…" Rise thought for a second, wincing as she remembered something. She was supposed to meet up with sempai and them tomorrow to follow up on the clues from the Midnight Channel.
"Actually…tomorrow's not good for me. I already made plans with Souji-sempai and the others. Sorry, Naoto-kun." Rise frowned, angry that such an opportunity had to go to waste.
Naoto's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened. "That's fine, Rise-san. Let's just arrange another date."
"You're a lifesaver, Naoto-kun!" Rise bubbled over with excitement. "Say, Naoto-kun, would you like to come in? Have a cup of tea or something?"
The detective mulled over it for a minute. There really wasn't much for him to do today, so… "Sure." He didn't know why, but he found a smile creeping onto his face.
Rise grabbed Naoto's hand, leading him into her room. Hurriedly, she shut the door after them. Naoto went wide eyed at this, hoping that he didn't walk willingly into a trap just now. "Uh…Rise-san…Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, your grandmother-"
"It's fine, Naoto-kun. She doesn't mind me having friends over." She smiled innocently, giggling to herself.
Naoto chuckled nervously, glancing around. The walls were painted a calm pink, photos and posters hanging everywhere. Her bedspread was pink yet again and stuffed animals lay on top of the mattress. Everything about Rise's room just screamed 'cute'. Naoto wasn't surprised in the least, since Rise seemed like that kind of girl.
"So, Rise-san, how does it feel to be out of the idol business?" Naoto stood in the middle of the room, glancing around curiously as he struck up idle chitchat.
Seating herself on her bed, Rise swung her legs absentmindedly. "Weeell…It's really very relaxing without all that stress." He hummed to herself. "Since we're on the topic of employment, how about you, Naoto-kun? How did you get into detective work anyway?"
Naoto had a reminiscent smile on his face. "The Shirogane family has a history of famous detectives. I guess it's the blood that flows through me. It's a calling really."
"Wow, that's impressive. Much more meaningful than being some fake idol." Rise smiled sadly, falling back onto her mattress. "Ne, Naoto-kun, do you ever feel like you're hiding something from others?"
Naoto's breath hitched at this, tensing at the question.
"Well, I do. I want to tell someone so badly, but I'm afraid that if I do, people won't look at me the same way again." Rise sighed, trailing off.
Naoto's eyes were wide with shock. It was impossible. How could this girl hit so close to home?
She sat up suddenly, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, Naoto-kun. I'm just rambling on about stupid things. You must be so bored."
Naoto felt an indescribable feeling well up within him. "Rise-san…why are you telling me these things? You barely know me." He had no intention of being friends. To him, Rise was a source of information. Was this so wrong? Was this feeling…guilt?
"You seem trustworthy, Naoto-kun."
Naoto laughed weakly. "Do I?" He looked at Rise, amusement flickering in his clear blue eyes. "You're really funny, Rise-san."
Naïve.
"Mou, Naoto-kun. What do you mean by that!" Rise pouted, crossing her arms against her chest.
Naoto's laugh rumbled in his throat. "Nothing, Rise-san. You're just…very interesting." He continued to chuckle, watching as Rise continued to pout.
"Are you laughing at me, Naoto-kun?"
"Of cour-" Naoto was cut off as something soft and fluffy hit him square in the face. His hat fell to the ground, his hair tousled. Silence echoed as the plush bunny hit the floor with a squeak. Naoto stared at it for a second before picking it up. He sputtered, pieces of fur stuck to his tongue. "Pfft."
Still sitting on her bed, Rise held her breath, wondering if she had gone too far. "N-Naoto-kun…?" Rise cringed as she saw one of Naoto's eyes twitch rather violently. "I-I'm so sorry, Naoto-kun!" She cried out, standing up from her bed.
Naoto glowered as he stared down the poor girl. "Well, you should have thought of that before." He bent down slowly…
"It was just a joke! Please for-Ah!" Rise fell backwards onto her bed as something yellow and fluffy came flying at her. She sat up, stunned.
The room was suddenly filled with laughter, Naoto holding a hand to his face as he chuckled. "Ahh… that expression was priceless." Naoto smirked smugly.
Rise was dumbstruck as she watched Naoto's expression. "T-That's mean, Naoto!"
"Sorry, Rise-san. I just couldn't resist. Just to let you know, I never back down from a challenge."
"Wish you could have told me that earlier." Suddenly, her shock disappeared as she grinned maniacally. She turned, giggling to herself.
"H-hey, Rise… what are you planning to do…?" Naoto watched her warily.
"Oh nothing…Just…This!" With all her might, the ex-idol flung her stuffed animals at the shocked detective, pelting him with all manner of plush.
"Ah! R-Rise!" Naoto put up his arms in defense, crouching as the fur animals bounced off the top of his unprotected head. "Mou! R-Rise!" He chuckled quietly, hoping the girl would be prepared for what was coming to her. She had to run out sooner or later…and all the projectiles were on Naoto's side.
Suddenly, the assault stopped and Naoto found his chance. "I've got you now!" He picked up the discarded toys around him, throwing them back at Rise. He was going to win this war no matter what.
This childish war…
"Aww…Naoto! No fair!" Rise laughed, amused to see that Naoto was nice enough to humor her.
Then, Naoto suddenly stopped. That nagging voice in the back of his head became louder. He realized what a ridiculous situation this was. They were high school students now…having stuffed animal fights? How juvenile… It wasn't mature at all, or detective like for that matter. He stopped; his hands fell to his sides. "I-I just can't believe I just did that." Naoto smiled wryly, shaking his head. "Such children's games…"
Rise was quiet for a moment, watching the contemplating detective. Did she do something wrong? Nevertheless, the tension in the room was thickening by the second and Rise could hardly stand it anymore.
"Oh, h-how silly of me! I got so caught up that I forgot to get the tea! I'll be right back!" She rose quickly, eager to break the awkward silence.
Time seemed to slow as Naoto watched a series of events unfold.
"R-Rise!"
Preoccupied, Rise didn't seem to notice as her foot caught on the foot of her bedpost. With a loud cry, she was sent sprawling towards the floor. Naoto was panicked and didn't know what to do. He rushed over, his hands outstretched. Rise slammed into Naoto's slender frame and the both of them landed on the floor with a thud.
"Oww…" Rise lay there, her face smothered in Naoto's chest. "S-sorry, Naoto-kun…"
Naoto was trapped beneath the dazed idol, his heart rate speeding off the charts.
Rise sat up slowly, rubbing her head. She put a hand on the floor, steadying herself. She was seated firmly on top of Naoto, straddling him rather effectively.
Suddenly, the door flew open.
"Yo, Rise-chan!" Yosuke burst through the doorway. "We heard you were sick and…" He froze, staring at the sight before him. Yukiko and Chie filed into the room as well, joining Yosuke's silent vigil as they stood and stared.
"Chisu! Why's everyone so quiet in here?" Kanji walked in, but his mouth fell open as soon as he saw Rise and Naoto engaged in a very compromising position. "N-Naoto…"
Naoto flailed beneath Rise, clutching his aching head. "No, no! This isn't what it looks like! This is a misunderstanding!"
Rise stood up slowly, wincing at the pain. "It's not what you think! I fell down and Naoto-kun caught me!"
Naoto scrambled to his feet, his face flush with embarrassment. "K-Kujikawa-san, if you'll e-excuse me n-now…"
The people gathered around the door parted for Naoto and the boy rushed out, running down the stairs.
"You sure are aggressive, Rise-chan." Yosuke smiled at Rise, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"I told you! It's not like that, Yosuke-sempai!" Rise fumed, stomping her feet. "None of you better tell Souji-sempai!" Her face was red from humiliation, making them all swear to take an oath.
Actually, that was the least of Rise's worries. She was more concerned about Naoto. She blushed as she thought about her body, pressed up against Naoto's. Her head resting on his chest… Something clicked in Rise's mind and she suddenly noticed.
Naoto's chest was awfully soft for a guy.
A/N: Third installment up and running. Reviews really are the food for a fanfiction writer's soul, so please, if you want better and faster updates, review away!
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