"It's good to be back, especially after all that excitement in May. So, how's everyone been doing?" Yu couldn't help but smile at how excited everyone was that he'd come back, if only for a little while. Each one regaled him with the tales of their lives – Yosuke's new struggles as an assistant manager at Junes while still dealing with Teddie, Chie's police training under Dojima, Yukiko's near-equal status with her mother in the Amagi Inn's hierarchy, Kanji's unexpected boom in sales at Tatsumi Textiles, and Rise's upcoming comeback concert. Yet amidst all the stories, he noticed someone missing.
Rise looked a bit worried at the dark expression inching over Yu's face and asked, "What's the matter, Senpai? You look kind of angry…"
"I was just wondering, where's Naoto? I figured if she'd been busy with a case, she would've told you guys to tell me, but you haven't said anything. Did something happen?" He kept his voice calm, but it was easy to tell he was worried. Everyone understood; even though Rise in particular would change it if given the choice, the two were lovers.
As if on cue, a petite figure in blue rushed into the food court and looked over her shoulder before sitting alongside everyone. "I'm sorry I'm late, I had to get away from Yuzuru and Airi. Those two are completely unreasonable sometimes; the moment I made an offhand comment that Yu was coming to visit, they locked down my apartment. I honestly had to use an improvised tool to escape through the ventilation system… I apologize, I'm somewhat tired. But it's all worth it to see you again, Yu." Her expression brightened into a smile as she scooted a little closer to the leader of the former Investigation Team, who wrapped an arm around her as Rise made a playful gagging motion behind Naoto's back.
"It looks like things have changed a lot since my last visit. Who are Yuzuru and Airi, anyway?" He caught sight of Rise's silent acting but refrained from commenting on it; he knew that despite her desire to be with him herself, she was happy that her best friend out of everyone had found love.
"Yuzuru and Airi Wakui are my bodyguards." Naoto blushed with embarrassment and pulled the brim of her hat down over her face. "Grampa assigned them to watch over me, he's become quite overprotective lately. I wanted to speak with him as soon as possible once they arrived, but he's been in London speaking at a criminal investigation seminar and won't be back for some time."
Kanji ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Gotta be tough to do detective work with a couple bodyguards hangin' around. Wouldn't that, y'know, catch a ton of attention?"
Naoto's blush grew even deeper, her expression obviously displeased. "They don't get involved in cases – Grampa explicitly ordered them to keep any of my male peers from getting too involved with me. Yosuke-senpai, Teddie and Kanji-kun haven't set off their alarm bells since it's obvious we're all just friends, but Grampa's become… concerned about our relationship. I understand his reasoning; as the last bearer of the Shirogane name once his years are over, he wishes to arrange my marriage himself, and you are a complete unknown to him. But that doesn't mean I'm going to just accept it." Her eyes were downcast, but there was a hint of iron in her voice that Yu hadn't heard since they'd faced off against Sho Minazuki in the red fog incident.
"This is the last place one would expect to find you, Mistress Naoto." The detective froze at the voice that carried across the food court. Everyone's heads turned as one to spot the twins who were rapidly approaching their table, both dressed in black and wearing expressions that reminded them more of masks than actual human faces. The boy who'd spoken was the first to spot Yu, and his eyes narrowed as he did so. "You, with the silver hair. State your name and your relation to our lady."
Yu slowly rose from his seat and stepped between Naoto and the new arrivals, instantly realizing who they were. His voice was as stoic as their expressions as he replied, "Yu Narukami, and I'm Naoto's boyfriend. You must be the Wakui siblings." His first impressions of them were not good, seeing as they'd attempted to imprison Naoto in her own home to keep them apart.
Airi set eyes on him and her mask slipped for a moment, her eyes glimmering with excitement. In a voice she thought only her brother could hear, she murmured, "Ooh, so that's Narukami-san. I can see why Mistress Naoto would be attracted to him; what a man…!" Yu heard her despite her low volume and fought the urge to see just how much of an impression his face was capable to making on his palm. This girl was really one of Naoto's bodyguards?
"Enough, sister." Yuzuru remained as cold as before in addressing both Airi and Yu. "Step away from Mistress Naoto, Narukami-san. We are under orders from Master Kazuhiko to keep you from interfering with the succession of the Shirogane line." To everyone's surprise, he braced himself in what was obviously a combat-ready stance.
What surprised no one is that Kanji rose to meet the challenge. "This's got nothin' to do with you, ya brat! And if you're dumb enough to fight Senpai, that's one thing, but I ain't gonna just sit here and watch! You fight Senpai and you're fightin' me too, got it?!"
"Please calm down, Kanji-kun!" Naoto admonished quietly, getting to her feet and standing behind Yu. "Yuzuru, Airi, don't you think you've been taking your orders to the extreme? I understand Grampa's feelings on my relationship with Yu, but you seem to be carrying them out to an extent I'm certain he neither planned for nor desires."
Yuzuru only shook his head before saying, "Our highest priority is the fulfillment of Master Kazuhiko's orders. Mistress Naoto, please return with us. We cannot allow this Narukami to remain in your presence." The way he spat Yu's surname with utter disdain set the entire group's tempers flaring; even Naoto seemed to be having trouble keeping her cool.
"And if I decide not to let you strong-arm Naoto into doing what you want?" Yu's response was voiced in a tone that his friends had heard only twice before – once in Namatame's hospital room as he convinced them not to jump to conclusions and throw the supposed killer into the television, and once when they'd finally cornered Adachi and Yu had called him out on his twisted logic. It was filled with anger, but less the internal flames everyone else felt and more like a blizzard that could freeze one to the bone. He practically towered over the short Wakui twins, his eyes focused like targeting sights on Yuzuru.
Airi stepped forward, seeming slightly disgruntled at being shut out of the conversation since her brother had told her off, and clenched one fist casually. "Then we'll have no choice but to incapacitate you and anyone else who poses a threat to Mistress Naoto. It's our role as bodyguards to act in our lady's best interest, even if she herself doesn't realize what that is." She flicked a curl of red hair from her face, and somehow Yu felt that while she was certainly the sillier of the two, she stood more of a fighting chance than Yuzuru.
Before the actual fight could break out, however, Naoto stepped between the Investigation Team and the Wakui twins and snapped, "Stop this foolishness! This is a public area, and a disturbance would draw Junes security at least and the police at worst. Yuzuru, Airi, you're here to serve the interests of the Shirogane family, are you not?" The twins nodded sullenly, seeing where this lecture was going. "Then you have even less right to start a brawl here! My friends at least have the excuse of defending one of their own, but you are both in the service of a detective family! Imagine what repercussions your actions could have for the Shirogane name!" Breathing harder from anger, Naoto shook her head. "This cannot go on. I will return home for now, but steps will be taken to ensure that an incident like this is not repeated. Yuzuru, Airi, come."
Yu watched his lover walk off with her displeased guardians in tow, his own anger slow to calm. "What's Shirogane-sama thinking, sending Naoto such bloodthirsty bodyguards? And they're younger than she is! From what I'd heard of him, I had nothing but respect for Naoto's grandfather, but this is too much."
"Yu-kun, please calm down. It's unlike you to get so riled up about anything…" Yukiko moved to take his arm gently, but Rise stopped her.
"Sorry, Yukiko-senpai, but I kind of understand how he feels. Shirogane-san doesn't know him and has no valid reason to instantly demand that he and Naoto cut ties, and then it nearly came down to violence. I agree with him that this is way too far for an overprotective grandpa; at this rate, someone's going to get hurt somehow, and all because Shirogane-san cares about pride more than Naoto-kun's feelings." The idol's voice was soft and more emotional than any of them had heard her since the Minazuki incident, betraying just how much the scene affected her. She was in love with Yu and Naoto was her best friend, so to see them hurt cut deep for her.
"Mistress Naoto, you're overreacting. Please calm down." Yuzuru pleaded as the Detective Prince paced back and forth restlessly.
"I will not calm down!" Her glare swept over both the twins, who for all their battle-ready nature flinched from the sheer uncharacteristic rage in her eyes. "That display was completely uncalled for! You forced me into a choice with no right answer; I was required to leave my friends behind, and if I had chosen not to violence would have broken out! I understand that the two of you are trained bodyguards, but your eagerness to fight is far beyond acceptable! I will speak to Grampa about this and find out just why he thought it a good idea to assign me such bloodthirsty guardians, and until I've confirmed his reasoning the two of you are not to engage in any contact with my friends. Understood?"
Both the twins were silent for a few moments before Airi finally answered, "We will make no effort to engage others and focus specifically on protecting you, Mistress Naoto. We will do the minimum required by our orders." Her tone indicated that she was not at all pleased about having their activity restricted, and if Yuzuru's expression was any indication he felt the same way.
Naoto sighed and turned her back on them, returning to her room to find something, anything to take her mind off the disaster that had been so narrowly averted. Once she was gone, Airi murmured, "Brother, this is a very unfavorable turn of events. Master Kazuhiko ordered us to protect Mistress Naoto, but she seems adamant that she won't be protected. All our actions reflect back upon the Shirogane family, so if we exercise our own judgment we may inadvertently ruin Master Kazuhiko's goal of finding a proper husband for our lady. How can we resolve this situation without jeopardizing the very purpose we were sent here for?"
"It is a conundrum, Sister. We were ordered to use any means necessary to keep Mistress Naoto's admirers at arm's length, and in the two months since we've arrived there have been no complications. But this Narukami is far removed from the blustering cowards native to Inaba – they seldom need us to become involved, as intimidated as they are by our lady and her friends. Tatsumi in particular has been a significant aid in fending off the scum. But Narukami has a prior relationship with Mistress Naoto and Tatsumi as his ardent supporter, and furthermore he seems to lack any fear of retaliation. What life must he have led to harden him to such a point where even Mistress Naoto's iron will seems to pale in comparison? He is a juggernaut of resolve, and he must be dealt with somehow if Mistress Naoto is to properly come into her role as successor of the Shirogane line."
"But how will we deal with him if he is unafraid to confront us? Our ties to the Shirogane family aside, I'm sure you gauged his strength as I did. Though he lacks our formal training, his physical strength is beyond that which we possess; if we were to engage him in hand-to-hand combat, we would likely be defeated by his strength and resolve." Airi being serious was unusual enough, but seeing her worried set Yuzuru on edge; as much as he loathed to admit it, his twin sister was his superior in their family's martial arts.
"A direct confrontation should be avoided if possible. If we can sabotage Mistress Naoto's relationship with Narukami, our work will be done for us – such intense affection can breed a strong will like Narukami's, but the closer one is to the heart the easier jealousy will rear its head. And if we fail to separate them through clandestine means, we will be forced to use our more desperate option, though a scapegoat will be needed to avoid arousing Master Kazuhiko's suspicion. After all, the Wakui method of combat was not developed for personal defense…"