"Dammit!" Yu seethed as he paced back and forth across his room in the Dojima household. It had been three days since he'd met the Wakui twins, the pair who claimed to be Naoto's bodyguards but appeared to use that more as an excuse to fight. There were very few things that could make him angry, and even fewer that could keep him in such a state for long, but the twins' predilection toward violence and the iron-fisted hold they attempted to keep on Naoto combined to rouse his anger to an uncharacteristic degree. "Yuzuru and Airi Wakui… I don't care if Shirogane-san is the one who sent them, they're twisting their orders. Naoto always described her grandfather as being stern but kind, with a great respect for justice. There's no way he would've sent those two to Naoto's side if he knew that they'd resort to violence at the first opportunity!"
His furious monologue was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone, which he quickly focused on to help calm down. Seeing that the caller ID was familiar, he picked up the call and answered in his most even voice, "Hey, Yumi. What's up?"
"Yu-kun, it's been a while. Sorry I couldn't come see you earlier; I've been pretty busy, but as soon as I had a break I decided I'd call. Are you busy?" Yu's former fellow in the drama club sounded as she always had, if a little more mature. She had mentioned working at Junes and joining the student council before he'd left Inaba the first time.
Inwardly thanking whatever god may be watching him, he replied, "No, I actually don't have any to do. Did you want to hang out somewhere?"
Yumi's tone turned quite a bit happier at his response. "Wow, it's like you read my mind. I heard from Kou-kun that you like Aiya; want to meet me there?" She sounded delighted at the opportunity, and Yu couldn't blame her. While she wasn't a member of the Investigation Team, the two of them had formed a close bond, and before he'd gotten to know Naoto he'd seriously considered dating her.
"Sounds great. I'm on my way, see you there." As they both ended the call simultaneously, Yu ran a hand through his hair tiredly. "It'll be nice to see Yumi again after all this time," he thought aloud, grateful for the distraction. Making his way downstairs and outside, he swung himself onto his motorcycle and headed for Aiya.
Yumi's house was closer to the shopping district than the Dojimas', so Yu wasn't surprised to see her running up to the Chinese diner just as he pulled up outside. She had changed her style since he'd last seen her - a deep blue jacket over a white top, complimented by a black skirt and stockings that reminded him of Yukiko. Not that he would mention that. Coming to a stop in front of his parked motorcycle, Yumi looked him over and greeted him breathlessly. "H-Hey, Yu-kun. You haven't changed a bit since I last saw you."
He dismounted his bike and smiled, cheered up somewhat by seeing his former schoolmate. "You certainly have, though. I like your outfit, it looks good on you." A chuckle was hidden under his breath as Yumi blushed at the compliment, the two of them entering the diner and ordering their respective dishes.
The menu at Aiya had only one change from how Yu remembered it, and the result of that change was the cause of Yumi's shocked stare at the quintuple-sized beef bowl that was set in front of him. "Wh-Whoa! Do you really need to eat all that? That's enough to feed three people!"
"I've done it before. This thing used to only be available on rainy days, so whenever I was feeling nervous or depressed in the rain I'd always come and test myself against it. It took nearly the entire year I was here before I'd trained enough to finish the entire bowl." Starting on the portal to the Meat Dimension before him, he paused after a few bites to ask, "You mentioned Kou when we were on the phone. I didn't know you two knew each other."
Yumi took a break from her green pepper steak as he asked the question, hurriedly swallowing the bite already in her mouth. "We met after the Cultural Festival last year. You know how his homeroom was doing a play? Since I was still into drama then, I decided to watch it. The production itself was pretty awful, but Kou-kun did a pretty good job for a novice. We got to talking about it and found out that we got along well." A mischievous grin touched her lips as she added, "Though you did way better than he could've in that cross-dressing pageant, Yu-chan."
"Please never mention that again…" Yu didn't have many fond memories of that Cultural Festival. First there was the utter disaster that was the group date cafe, though at least he'd been quick enough to avoid being stuck in a girls' seat, and then being forced into a dress for that pageant. Looking back, he'd been lucky that he was paired with Yukiko; she'd seemed a little sorry for him as she'd done his preparations, unlike Chie and Rise who'd been merciless in teasing Yosuke and Kanji. About the one thing about the festival itself was seeing Naoto trying so hard in the real pageant - the first time he'd really noticed how attractive she was.
Giggling happily, Yumi prodded him with her chopsticks playfully and called, "Earth to Yu-kun! You keep staring at that beef bowl for too long and it's going to get cold." She watched with amusement as Yu began shoving beef into his mouth like a man possessed. "Teasing aside, it's really nice to see you again. I've been hanging out with Kou-kun and Ai-chan, and they're pretty cool people when you get to know them, but you're one of a kind. I'm really sorry about what happened with Shirogane-san too."
Her last words cut to the core of his mind, but something seemed wrong about them. "How do you know about that?"
"I heard from one of my classmates that Shirogane-san walked off with one of her underclassmen right in front of you. That was a really bitchy thing to do, but it's her loss; I know you well enough to know she'll never find anyone better." Yumi finished up her steak and set her chopsticks down before turning her concerned gaze on Yu.
She heard Naoto left me for an underclassman? But the only guy I've seen her with outside of the Investigation Team is… Oh hell no. The pieces started falling into place, but as Yumi continued watching him sympathetically, he just shook his head. "That rumor's not true. There haven't been problems between Naoto and I, so don't worry about me."
"O-Oh… Oh, good. I thought that sounded out of character for her, so I was confused at first. What is it with people at our school spreading rumors anyway? There was all that crap about the Midnight Channel last year too!" Yumi quickly masked her disappointment with a change of topic. A small, selfish part of her had been hoping that Yu and Naoto had broken up; at least then she'd have another chance to catch his eye.
The last bits of beef left the Mega Bowl, leaving everyone in Aiya but the chef stunned that a lone person had actually finished that thing. Yu pulled out his wallet and left significantly more than the meal actually cost, answering the chef's look of surprise with a grin and a casual, "I really missed these beef bowls when I left." He and Yumi left the restaurant, each halfway lost in thought before Yu checked his watch. "Shoot, it's already this late? Thanks for inviting me out, Yumi, but I didn't realize how late it was. I've got to make dinner before Nanako gets home from her friend's. Sorry for leaving so soon."
Yumi just smiled, her disappointment unable to stand firm when she was reminded that her friend cared for everyone, not just his beloved Naoto. "No, it's fine. I need to get back home myself, and it was a lot of fun talking with you again. If I hear anyone spreading that rumor, I'll tell them off for you and Shirogane-san. Hope to see you again soon!" The two parted ways, Yumi glowing with happiness at seeing Yu again while he himself brooded over the source of the rumor.
Naoto stood dumbstruck, her mind trying once more to comprehend what she'd just been told. Kanji had sent her a text asking her to meet him by the river, which was already far out of the norm, but the news he'd passed on made her feel as though something very large and heavy had struck her in the chest. "I-I'm sorry, Kanji-kun, but please repeat that. I'm unsure if I heard you properly."
The rough young man rubbed the back of his head nervously; it was obvious that even after all this time, he hadn't completely gotten over his anxiety around her. "I-I mean, I dunno if I just saw it wrong or what, but Senpai was with that chick on the Student Council - Yumi-senpai, I think - at Aiya. They were pretty close together too, and I wasn't gonna just bust in and start shit, but I'd heard some first-years talkin' about Senpai steppin' out on you, so I thought I'd see if you knew anything."
"This is the first I've heard of such things, and I've never seen Yu with another girl in any situation that could be considered romantic. Besides, I have no issue with him spending time with another of his friends. There's no logic in being jealous over such a trivial matter." Naoto kept her voice calm, but despite her words something nagged at her from the back of her mind. Yu had met Yumi Ozawa long before Naoto had made his acquaintance, and thanks to her senpai's popularity there had been several groundless rumors that the two of them were a couple. The rumors hadn't been widespread or serious enough to warrant a mention on the Midnight Channel, but admittedly she'd been exceptionally pleased when he'd chosen her over Yumi. But the last time she'd seen Yu, the Wakui twins had interfered and nearly caused an all-out brawl. Could he have finally given up after those in her service had done such a thing?
Kanji shifted uncomfortably at the intense expression Naoto wore as she thought, finally working up the courage to ask, "Uh, Naoto? You alright?"
The detective's next words were spoken slowly, more to keep a calm facade than anything. "Kanji-kun, you mentioned you heard the rumors of Yu's infidelity from first-year students. Would you happen to know who they were?"
"I wasn't really payin' too much attention. I remember somethin' weird about 'em, though. They both had green eyes, and I thought that was kinda off around here. Figured I was overthinkin' it." Kanji absently kicked at a pebble on the ground, sending it flying into the river.
Naoto closed her eyes, the last piece falling into place. "I'm positive those rumors are false; if the ones spreading it had such distinctive green eyes, there's only one possibility. Thank you for the information, Kanji-kun." She was already walking away when she addressed Kanji, so focused on planning her next move that she failed to notice him watching her with a confused expression.
"...The hell was that all about? Man, I still don't get Naoto sometimes."