The Idol and the Prince
Part X
09/13
"Did you see that TV show yesterday? What a stuck up brat...Taking all the credit for himself!" Yousuke was fuming as he walked his bike to school.
"You mean Naoto-kun?" Yukiko asked innocently, wondering why Yousuke was so angry. He was always laid back, but when it came to Naoto, he was just a little more fired up.
"Yeah! What's his problem? He bursts in here with his stupid hat and acts like he's God's gift to the world." Yousuke threw his hands up, growling in frustration.
"Naoto ain't that bad, you know..." Kanji spoke up, staring at the ground as he shoved his hands in his pockets. His pale face started to flush a light pink and Chie, who caught this reaction, giggled to herself.
"Well, the police were the ones who identified him and they were the ones who apprehended them in the end, right?" Yukiko tried to defend Naoto, thinking Yousuke's fury to be terribly misplaced.
"And Naoto-kun was part of the police force, right? So I guess he deserves the credit." Chie backed Yukiko up, sticking her tongue out at Yousuke.
"Well, whatever...we were the ones who caught the killer anyway...he didn't have to go on TV and soak up all that glory." The young man huffed, directing his complaints towards Souji, who listened quietly.
"But you know, I'm kinda surprised, though. I didn't think he was the type to go after the spotlight like that. I don't know about you, Rise, but I didn't expect this one bit." Chie dawdled behind the three boys, falling in step with Yukiko and the quiet Rise.
The redhead had been silent this whole time, shuffling along with her heart heavy. She hadn't heard one word of this morning's conversation, her mind focused on the midnight channel. Now that the killer's been caught, they didn't have to worry about that creepy TV station, right? However, no matter how many times Rise told herself this, there was something in the pit of her stomach that refused to let her believe this.
"-so weird, right? I mean that reporter was all over him, asking if he had a girlfriend." Yukiko snickered, talking animatedly with Chie.
"Good morning."
The group looked up as a figure approached them. Rise suddenly perked up as she saw Naoto, dressed in his crisp blue shirt and sharp yellow tie.
"Naoto-kun!"
The detective avoided looking into Rise's eyes, avoided looking in her general direction at all. "I've been waiting for you all. There's something I need to confirm with you regarding the case."
Yousuke snarled, crossing his arms across his chest. "Hmph! Confirm? Don't you mean gloat? You want to tell us how you solved this case by yourself, right? But I'm sorry. If we sing your praises too long, we'll be late for school." He tapped his foot impatiently.
Ignoring Yousuke completely, Naoto carried on. "I have a current theory about the case. It's important that you consider what I have to say."
Yousuke scoffed, rolling his eyes.
Shoving the immature Yousuke aside, Rise begged Naoto to go on. "Don't mind Yousuke. What is it?"
Taking a sigh before continuing, Naoto turned around. He closed his eyes as he went over the details in his head. "First, the victims all share a commonality. Before they were murdered, all of them were kidnapped... Also, the victims were all locals who had become suddenly well-known because of recent media focus. This is the most likely scenario. Otherwise, I don't believe that there was anything unique about the victims themselves. Haven't you all come to the same conclusion?" In that indifferent tone of his, Naoto addressed the group, giving Yousuke a dirty look.
"What? Are you stu-" Yousuke was about to say before Chie elbowed him ruthlessly in the ribs.
"Yeah, we did." This time, it was Souji who answered and the team was shocked that the young man would actually give a response.
Naoto nodded knowingly, smiling to himself. "Then, allow me to get to the point. A handful of you fit these circumstances. Amagi Yukiko, Tatsumi Kanji and Kujikawa Rise. You all disappeared after being shown on TV." He locked gazes with Kanji and Yukiko, but shied away from Rise's gaze once again.
"There was an uncharacteristically long gap between the second and third deaths, but I discovered that your short disappearances had occurred in this time frame. Since some of you had ties to the victims, there was a point where I suspected a number of you to be the culprit or culprits." Naoto said this definitively and coldly with nothing but hard facts.
"Is that why you were tailin' me back in the spring?" Kanji blurt out, stepping up to Naoto, his eyes wide open.
Yousuke pushed the gangster aside, baring his teeth at Naoto. "Are you joking!? How could you come to-"
"Please, let me finish." Naoto fixed Yousuke with a glare and the boy settled down reluctantly.
"However, this was a prior theory, now discarded. I believe exactly the opposite now. You aren't the culprits, but may be the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator..." The detective finished with on a sombre note and Rise noticed that Naoto's eyes seemed to fill with emptiness.
"Wait...you said that we're the only ones who can catch this guy, but...isn't he already in jail?" Chie asked, confusion setting on her features.
"Of course, this is all speculation. There's nothing definitive about my findings. I only assume that the culprit is still around, because of the inconsistency of Morooka's murder. It was the only one we proved with Mitsuo as the killer. He merely confessed to the other crimes. Morooka's death didn't fit in with the criteria of the others. The other two victims were listed with an unknown cause of death, while Morooka died of blunt force trauma. He hadn't disappeared before his death, also inconsistent with the prior murders." Naoto looked down, clenching his fists.
"So the police pointed to Mitsuo as the killer for all three murders just because of his confession?" Yukiko was shocked by the revelation.
"Yes, because this is such a high profile case, the police were desperate to find a culprit despite the discrepancies. Due to their impatience, further action will be necessary to solve this case. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." The detective adjusted his hat and walked off past the group.
"Naoto-kun, wait!" Rise called after him, but he kept walking.
"Rise-chan, just ignore that prick...he's too smart for his own good..." Yousuke kicked the ground, feeling ashamed that a guy who was a year younger than him deducted all that from nothing. He didn't want to admit it, but Naoto really was an amazing detective.
"Naoto-kun really is smart...I can't believe he figured out all that from detective work. He's not called the detective prince for nothing!" Chie was still in shock, shaking her head in disbelief.
The group continued on their way to school chatting about marks, leaving Kanji to wonder how they got onto this topic. Meanwhile, Rise was lost in her thoughts, debating on whether she should chase after Naoto or not. He seemed kind of upset with her for some reason, but there was something else bothering her. If Naoto was right, he was using himself as bait to draw the killer out.
"I-I'll catch up with you guys later!" Rise dashed off after Naoto, ignoring Yousuke's cries and insults about the detective.
Naoto trudged down the road, letting out a large sigh. He could've gotten to this conclusion much earlier if he wasn't so preoccupied with irrelevant things. He was distracted from his work, distracted by stupid things in his mind, distracted by-
"Naoto-kun!"
He turned, knowing fully well who that voice belonged to.
Rise ran up to Naoto, pausing to catch her breath. "Naoto-kun. I need to talk to you." For a split second, the detective glanced in her honey gold eyes, flooded with concern, sincerity.
He averted his gaze quickly, as if he had been burned. "What is it?"
"Just rethink this. You're practically setting yourself up to lure the killer out." Rise grabbed Naoto's hand, pleading with her eyes.
"You don't think I know this? Anyway, it's too late for regrets now. It's not like I can cancel the broadcast after it's already aired." Naoto wrenched his hands free of Rise's, starting down the path again, feeling something tighten in his chest.
"Don't be so calm about this. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. This case really isn't what you think." Rise jogged after him, letting out a huff of frustration.
He turned abruptly, nearly making the girl topple onto him. "It isn't what I think? Rise, why are you even involved with this case? It's something I've never understood." Naoto's tone of voice dropped. He was through with playing games. He hadn't asked questions before, but now, he wanted the answers to all of them.
"It's because there's no one else who can do this. You said so yourself, right?" Rise's gaze pierced Naoto's and the boy turned again, becoming quiet.
"Those were just...speculations. I meant nothing by them." The detective was sullen, his mood turning sour. This whole plan was botched from the beginning. It was reckless, dangerous, and Naoto was sure that he was one hundred percent on the right track. He just had a feeling. The confirmation from Souji's group just cinched the deal.
"Ne, Naoto..."
Naoto turned back towards Rise. "Is there some-"
"Mmphh!" Naoto struggled to push Rise off him, but his efforts were half assed. Soon enough, he gave in and let Rise take the lead. It always amazed the detective to see how good Rise was at kissing. She made him weak in the knees, made his head spin with the scent of her, and made him plain crazy.
The finally parted and Naoto gasped for air, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "R-Rise!"
"Sorry." Rise stuck her tongue out at him playfully, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "I just...wanted to cheer you up." She crossed her arms behind her back, wringing her hands together. For some reason, she shared the tension that Naoto felt. Her instincts told her that the killer was out there and that Naoto was next on his list.
"J-just so you know, I didn't ask for that... I need to focus on my work and y-you're distracting me!" Red-faced, Naoto was close to yelling, not sure how to react when he was so embarrassed, but wanted to express some kind of gratitude at the same time. He didn't want to admit it, but his heart was lighter after Rise's "cheering up".
Rise scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Hah...right...And I wonder who it was that stuck their tongue in my mouth just now."
Naoto opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, and walked away, fuming with embarrassment.
"Naoto-kun, stop running away from me!" Rise giggled as she chased him, flinging her arms around him from behind, eliciting a cry from the boy.
"R-R-Rise!!" Naoto's knees buckled under the girl's weight and he blushed at the marshmallow feeling against his back. "Y-You're heavy!"
The redhead pouted, letting up on the poor detective. He may have been a boy genius, but a hundred pound girl was just too much for him to handle. "I'm heavy, am I!?"
"What I really meant was-" Naoto stood up gingerly, turning to face Rise cautiously. Was she angry at him? After all, girls hated comments about their weight...
"No matter how heavy I am, you'll just have to accept all of my love!" With that, the idol pounced at him and this time, Naoto let out a very masculine scream. His hat went flying and the two bodies landed on the floor with an uncoordinated thud.
Luckily, the grass broke their fall and they rolled around a couple times, staining their clothes green from the fresh grass. When the two finally stopped, Naoto ended up on top, almost straddling the girl. He swallowed hard, trying to look Rise in the eyes without thinking of that, but to no avail. His heart was pounding in his ears, the blood rushing through his veins. He just couldn't help himself and...
On instinct, the detective leaned down, capturing Rise's lips gently with his own.
They parted momentarily for air, and just when Naoto was recovering, Rise reached up with her hands, crushing their lips together once again. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled lightly, eliciting a low moan from Naoto.
Without thinking, Naoto's hands began to wander. He started at the nape of her neck, then her collarbone. It was only when Rise let out a breathless shudder did Naoto notice that he was caressing the girl's slender waist, his fingers inching underneath the hem of her shirt.
"Onee-chan!?!?"
A voice came from afar and Naoto jumped off Rise, scrambling around for his hat. He spotted it a few meters away and crawled towards it. Rise sat up, peering in the distance as she noticed a small figure running towards her. It was a little girl with bouncing pigtails, a red backpack on.
"N-Nanako-chan!?" Rise's jaw dropped in shock and she scrambled to her feet, grabbing Naoto by the hand as they ran down the road with an elementary schooler chasing them.
"I thought Rise-chan was going to catch up with us..." Yousuke looked depressed as he changed his shoes at his locker.
"Well, I bet she's making out with Naoto-kun by now." Chie chuckled, pushing his buttons. She knew Yousuke had a thing for Rise. Well, half the school had a thing for Rise, but Yousuke was obsessed. She'd seen those posters...and those towels...the daimakura...
"Rise would never kiss that runt! It's just impossible..." The brunette frowned, throwing his shoes in his locker as he slammed the door. "Unless she was as drunk as Yukiko was..." He muttered to himself, not expecting anyone to hear him.
"H-Hey! Shut up about that, stupid! Whatever happened on that night stays between all of us, okay!?" Chie shoved Yousuke aside, her cheeks red with anger.
"It's okay, Satonaka! If I were a girl, I'd be gay for Yukiko too, you know?" Yousuke chuckled to himself, not thinking clearly about what just came out of his mouth. Heads turned in his direction and whispers started floating around at his unintentionally loud comment.
Chie stopped a few meters away from Yousuke, her fists clenched at her sides, her shoulders shaking slightly.
The young man was still laughing to himself when something black and hard came out of nowhere and smashed into the side of his face.
"Gahhh!" He reeled back, falling down on the floor as he clutched his sore cheek, his head pounding. Yousuke sprang up after that, his blood boiling. "Sato-"
"I really don't appreciate comments like that, Hanamura-san, so please watch your tongue." It was a long haired beauty that knocked the boy down, a shocking fury lit up her chocolate brown eyes. Her knuckles were white as she clutched her schoolbag, her arm shaking.
The whole crowd around the school entrance had stopped, their mouths wide open at the spectacle they had witnessed. Even Chie herself was speechless, blinking in disbelief.
Flashing Yousuke a dirty glare, Yukiko turned away from the boy, running over to Chie. She quickly threaded her fingers through the other girl`s, tugging her along as they left the scene without another word.
"Y-Yukiko-san..." Yousuke was speechless and really felt the weight of his words as he stood there amidst the spectator's stares.
As the two girls disappeared from sight, the murmurs and snickers erupted through the students gathered around the shoe lockers. Rumors were already floating about, consisting of Yukiko, Chie, Yousuke and something about Yakuza love triangles.
Amidst the hubbub, Kanji walked up to his sempai. He shook his head in shame as he clasped a hand on his shoulder. "You really are an asshole, Hanamura-sempai..." With that, the gangster walked off, not even asking him about his quickly swelling face.
Yousuke hung his head as he reflected on his behaviour these past few weeks. It all started with Naoto and his snobby mannerisms, but that didn't account for him being disrespectful to Rise or Chie...Yukiko too for that matter.
"I have been an asshole lately..."
"Y-you're pretty late for school, Rise...It's about time you get back, right?" Naoto fidgeted with his hands, wringing them behind his back as he walked along side Rise.
"After all that running...I really don't want to go to school." The redhead yawned, hooking her arm through Naoto's as she leaned against him.
Naoto tried to distance himself, pulling his arm out of Rise's hold as he blushed hard at the girl's disregard of personal space. "Rise-san...being truant is a very serious issue, you know? People may think that it's a trivial matter, but lots of high school students become delinquents this way."
"Hmm...well, I'm sure I won't become one of those yankees who hang out by the river every day...so you don't have to worry, Naoto-kun." Ignoring Naoto's coldness, Rise eased her hand into the boy's, tugging him along as she pulled him toward the train station.
"Uhh...Rise-san...this isn't the way back to school..." Naoto looked around, but the streets were deserted, the stores just starting to open, the station's queues, empty.
"I know. I just want to go buy that new shirt I saw the other day. It's in this really cute boutique in the next town!" Rise smiled, giggling to herself as she hopped over the turnstile.
"I-If you're going to skip school, I'm not going to be your accomplice. I took a day off in order to gather more evidence after all..." Naoto stood on the other side of the metal contraption, crossing his arms as he shook his head.
"Mou...it'll only be a couple of hours...if you come with me, I'll go to my afternoon classes." The redhead pouted, begging the boy to stay. "I promise, okay?"
"This isn't a bargain, Rise!" Naoto shook his head, feeling torn between skipping classes and just spending time with the girl that drove him up the wall. Suddenly, he blinked in surprise as a spot of water hit him square on the nose. The boy looked up, furrowing his brows at the clump of dark clouds that had rolled in.
"Naoto-kun?"
"It's starting to rain too. Do you really think shopping's a good idea today?" Naoto wiped the water off, feeling more drops fall onto his cheeks.
"It'll be fine! I'll be really quick. Please?" Rise's bottom lip started to quiver; her eyes seemed to well up with tears.
"F-fine!" Naoto huffed in frustration, going along with Rise after her show of crocodile tears. "You should at least pay for your ticket though." He walked over to the booth, fishing out his wallet. However, he paused in his tracks, surprised to find no one there. "What...the..."
"See. That's how Inaba is...It's eight, but the ticket sellers don't even open till ten...The trains still come, so you just gotta...climb over the turnstiles..." Rise smiled innocently, stating her solution so matter-of-factly.
"That's...just not honest. There's no integrity..." Naoto stood there with his money in his hands, looking back and forth between Rise, the turnstile and the closed ticket booth.
"You just have to learn how to cope with these small towns. Be innovative, you know?" Rise hugged her bag, twirling around on the empty platform. She stopped as she peered down the line, a metal monster clunking along the tracks. "Oh, look. Here comes the train!" The idol ran over to the edge.
"R-rise!" Naoto was still stuck behind the turnstile, a handful of coins clutched in his fist.
The train came to a stop in front of the platform and the doors slid open. Rise skipped along through the doors, waving to Naoto who stood five meters away behind the metal barrier.
"Agh...Why am I even doing this!?" Placing the money on the booth's counter, Naoto placed his hands on the turnstile, vaulting over effortlessly as he held onto his hat with one hand. Without even pausing, he used the momentum to propel himself forward, jogging to the doors.
"Hurry, Naoto-kun~!"
The train let out a chime and the entrance started to slide closed.
Pumping his legs, Naoto sprinted the remaining distance, fitting almost perfectly through the closing doors. He collapsed against the seats, trying to catch his breath. His heart was beating a mile a minute, a feeling of excitement tingled down his spine, but there was one thing he couldn't help but think. "T-that...was so stupid..."
"But you were so wonderful, Naoto-kun! I never knew you were so athletic!" Walking over to Naoto, Rise picked something off the floor, dusting it off as she held it out to the boy.
He looked up, his eyes widening as he recognized his hat. Frantically, his put his hands to his head, feeling only his dishevelled mop of hair. "My hat..." He reached out a hand. "Thanks, Rise."
"It's okay, Naoto-kun. I'll hold onto this for you. After all, you must be tired, right?" Rise took a seat next to the detective, smoothing out her skirt as she patted her lap. The girl bit her lip as she leaned over, brushing her lips against the boy's ear. "You can lay your head down here, if you want."
"I-I'll pass on that, if you don't mind..." The detective frowned, trying to hide his embarrassment. He inched away, feeling a shiver run through him at Rise's words.
"Tehe...if you say so. I still won't give your hat back."
"W-well, I figured that much."
"Oh my gosh. This is just perfect. I have to buy these, Naoto-kun!" Rise held up a layered miniskirt in one hand, and a gothic dress shirt in the other.
"T-That's nice, Rise-san...but don't you think you've done enough shopping for now?" Naoto peered inside the shopping bags, counting three skirts, four tops and a pair of boots. They had been at the mall for hours now, the stores filling up with house wives and couples. "I think afternoon classes are almost over now..." He sighed, his voice echoing strangely in his mind as Rise skipped over to the salesperson for a key to the fitting room.
"Naoto-kun, just wait a sec, kay? I'm almost done." Rise skipped into the change room and Naoto could hear the girl humming through the thin door.
He leaned against the wall, sighing again as he checked his watch. Adjusting his hat, Naoto closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. Suddenly, his ears perked up as he heard the rustle of clothing from inside the change room. Blushing, he found himself trying to focus on the sounds, her sighs, the zipping of the zippers, the sliding of clothing against her skin.
"N-Naoto-kun!"
"Y-yes? I-Is something wrong?" The detective stumbled out of his daze, clearing his throat.
"M-My hair got caught in the zipper. Come help me!"
"H-help you? But you're...in the...c-change room..." Naoto could feel his breaths coming in short gasps, his mind running rampant with images of Rise and her wardrobe malfunction.
"It's okay. Just come in. The door's unlocked."
Laying his hand on the handle, Naoto pushed, steeling his nerves. "I-I'm coming in, R-Rise..."
Rise was faced away from the door, her shoulders and her back exposed, the dress shirt strung around just above her waist, sliding lower. She looked back at him, hugging herself to try and hide her fancy brassiere. "Close the door, Naoto-kun."
Wordlessly, he obeyed, hearing the click behind him. The room suddenly got smaller and Naoto was feeling unusually claustrophobic. "W-where's the zipper?"
Rise gestured shyly to her back, showing the boy the strands of hair caught in the zipper that was supposed to be in the front of the shirt.
"I-I don't even know how y-you got into this mess..." Naoto fumed, reaching out hesitantly as he tried to disentangle Rise's long hair from the dangerous mess of zippers. He stared at the girl's snow white skin, the nape of her neck entrancing him. Despite his better reasoning, he had the indescribable urge to caress Rise's skin, to see if it was as soft as it looked.
"Kyaa!" Rise let out a cry, whipping her head around as she glared at Naoto. "Y-You have cold hands you know?"
"S-Sorry! I-I was just trying to move your hair out of the way!" Naoto fumbled, ashamed that he'd given in to the desire to run his hand along the curve of her neck. Unfortunately, his hands were stone cold, frozen with a panicky nervousness that he'd never experienced. Setting aside his slight distraction, Naoto toyed with the zipper, pulling and pushing gently to fix the problem.
"Iyaa...Naoto-kun... Your hands..."
"S-stop making it s-sound so weird! I-I'm not doing anything dirty at all..." Naoto took a deep breath and gave the zipper another good tug and finally freed himself from this situation. He stood, bolting out of the change room, closing the door behind him.
"Thank you!"
The detective ignored the girl behind the door, picking up the bags he left as he slumped against the wall, feeling emotionally exhausted.
"Excuse me, but I think this would look just perfect on you!"
Naoto turned, surprised to find the salesperson come up to him with a blue zip-up sweater. He looked at her strangely for a minute, shocked at the fact that this store sold men's clothing too.
The woman wilted under Naoto's stare. "W-well, I see how good that blue shirt looks on you and I think that color really brings out your eyes."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not really here for shopping. I'm just waiting for-"
"Y-your girlfriend, right?" The saleslady jumped in, nodding understandingly.
"Uhh...she's not my-"
"You're lucky to have such a pretty girl! She looks a lot like Risette too, but I'm not surprised that you caught such a model of girlfriend." The lady laughed, placing her hand on Naoto's arm casually.
"Sorry, but-"
"Oh c'mon. Just try this sweater on. I'm sure you'll like it, because you have such a slender figure and such nice shoulders..." Naoto was cut off once against as the pushy sales lady coaxed him to put down the bags he was holding, easing the sweater through his arms as she continued to invade his privacy.
"M-miss, I-"
"There! Look, don't you look dazzling in that?" She ushered him over to a mirror and Naoto suddenly stopped his unheard complaints.
"It looks...nice." He turned to the side, liking how the sweater hung off his figure, baggy, but flattering nonetheless. The upturned collar was fitting too, making him look...like a guy.
"Oh my gosh! That looks so good on you!" Rise came out of the change room, squealing as she fawned over how cool the detective looked.
Naoto averted his eyes from Rise's sinfully short skirt and her generous assets flaunted through that low cut top.
"Y-you look nice too." Was all Naoto said as he hurriedly took off the sweater, laying it on the rack.
"Okay! Miss, I'll get all this, okay? Could you please ring it up for me?" Rise gestured to her outfit and Naoto's sweater, running back into the change room, winking at Naoto who was had his mouth open, ready to object.
In a flash, Rise was back in her school uniform, her spoils in her hands as she skipped over to the register. "Put it all on my card." The idol rummaged through her wallet and whipped out her credit card, smiling happily at her purchase.
"R-Rise, you really don't have to get this for me. I have tons of clothes at home anyway, so-"
"Just think of it as a gift, Naoto-kun." Rise giggled, waving it off as she handed Naoto yet another bag full of clothes.
"W-wait. Naoto...as in Shirogane Naoto?" the cashier had her hands to her mouth, gaping in shock. "I can't believe it! I thought it was you, but I was too embarrassed to ask!" The excited girl walked up to Naoto, grabbing a pen from behind the counter as she held out a pad of paper.
"C-Can I have your autograph?"
Naoto flushed a light pink, blinking confusedly as he took the pen and paper, scribbling his signature on the notebook. He handed it back to the girl wordlessly, still in shock.
"I just want to ask, but how did you know my name?" Naoto already had an inkling why he was getting recognized, but that was no reason for him to have fans.
"Well, I saw you on the news the other day! All my friends are crazy about you! Are you really a detective? What school do you go to?" The salesperson started to spew her questions endlessly, fawning over Naoto like a blushing high school girl.
"Umm...excuse me, but we have to get going now." Rise smiled sheepishly, tugging on Naoto's arm as she pulled him out of the store.
Out of the cashier's earshot, Rise started muttering darkly to herself. "Asking for his autograph and not mine..."
Naoto trailed along behind Rise, still in slight shock over the fact that he was...practically famous in these small adjacent towns. "Ne, Rise....maybe we should go back now. It's already five o'clock...You've already missed a whole day of school."
"Maybe you're right. You're getting too much attention out here...I guess that news special really worked..." Rise scoffed, picking up the pace as she headed towards the mall entrance.
"Well, I am just following my hunch after all. It's a good sign that it's working." Naoto threw that out as an off-hand comment, his mind drifting off as he was dragged in back into the murder case.
"A good sign?"
Rise stopped in her tracks, her voice rising an octave.
"Of course it's a good sign. It just brings me this much closer to solving the case." Naoto's tone dropped and he suddenly felt angry, sad, overcome with indescribable panic. He masked everything with his nonchalance, his indifference, but inside, the thought of being kidnapped by a homicidal maniac wasn't a very fun notion.
"Is solving the case all that matters to you? You don't know what you're getting involved with here. He's capable of more than you can imagine. If you're not careful...you'll be... " Rise paused, her voice hitching in her throat.
"What are you talking about, Rise? Do you know who's behind all this?" Naoto's gaze hardened as he stared down the girl. He knew Rise and the others were hiding something from the police. He didn't know how long they had been doing this or how much information they had, but he knew that it wasn't solving the case.
"I-I don't know exactly who's doing all this. We don't even have a suspect. It's all really complicated...I-" Rise crumbled under Naoto's glare, feeling the edge of interrogation that the detective pressed on her.
"Rise...I've never really understood, but if you're closely involved in this, why can't you tell me? It would make the case go so much faster. It can probably be solved in less than a week if you cooperated with the police." Naoto let out an angry sigh of frustration, feeling the blood rush to his head.
"Naoto-kun, even i-if I told you...if I told the police, no one would believe me! The story's ridiculous. It doesn't make sense..." Rise started to feel victimized, being turned into the suspect here.
"It doesn't matter how ridiculous the story is...It doesn't change the fact that you're involved. Just tell me and stop making up excuses." The boy shook his head, feeling angry that maybe days and weeks of his work were all in vain when a handful of high school kids held the truth in their hands.
"W-well, when the victims disappear...they go to..." Rise paused for a moment, wondering if she should really be spilling all the secrets of the other world. After another moment of hesitation and a glare from the detective, Rise caved in. "I-It's this other world that you travel to through the...the TV. There are monsters there called shadows andwhen it rains over here, the fog lifts in the other world and the victims are exposed to all sorts of dangers. When they're killed by the shadows, their bodies end up back over here somehow."
For a moment, Naoto stared at Rise wordlessly, opening his mouth slightly, trying to choose his words carefully, to try and compose himself and retain his anger. "Rise...please don't lie to me. Don't insult my intelligence." He shook his head, the pressure in his head driving him nuts.
"But, Naoto, I'm not lying! I-It's the truth. I follow senpai and the others there and we try and find the missing people we see on the TV. And last night, I swear I saw you. It means that you're in danger, that you're-"
"Stop. Just stop! I don't even understand what you're saying. You're spewing nonsense and if you think I'm going to believe this crap, I'm afraid that I'm...not that stupid." Naoto was shaking with fury now, Rise's words pushing him over the edge.
"I-I told you that it wouldn't make sense! It's crazy, but I swear it's all true. Please believe me." The tears welled in Rise's eyes and she didn't understand why he was so touchy about this subject.
Scoffing, Naoto grimaced. "Do you know how many days I spent slaving over this case? How much abuse I've withstood from those ridiculous detectives at the precinct? I haven't gotten any ground on this and I even thought that if I became friends with you, I could gather some valuable information..." The boy let this all roll of his tongue. The words went straight out of his mouth, not even receiving any thought. He said it all on a whim, immediately regretting his actions.
"Y-You...became friends with me just for that...?" The redhead's voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. She brought a hand to her mouth, the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"No, Rise, that didn't come out right. I-" Naoto reached out, but Rise backed away from him, shaking her head.
"No. T-that came out exactly as you said it. I-I understand. I understand completely." She could barely keep the tears in and with a heavy sob, Rise bolted through the front doors of the mall, darting into the streets.
For a moment, Naoto just stood, feeling his chest tighten as his heart jumped into his throat. He watched her run, the tears in her eyes.
A/N: Hope no one was bored to death. I swear. It'll get better soon. Hopefully. Sorry about slight grammatical errors as well. Please stay tuned and thank you to all those people who have supported me all this way. I hope you all liked this chapter and please review if you wish to~