Naoto sat in one of the chairs in the Shirogane estate's well-appointed meeting room, her grandfather beside her as both kept their eyes trained on the young man sitting across the table. Despite the twin gazes probing him relentlessly, the newcomer remained as unreadable as a centuries-old inscription in weathered stone.
Finally, Kazuhiko broke the silence. "You are aware of why I issued this invitation to you, correct, Kirigiri-san?"
"Of course." The stone-faced man replied, showing remarkable self-control for someone only four years Naoto's senior. "You want to propose that Naoto-san and I marry, securing a blood tie between the Shirogane and Kirigiri dynasties and repairing the relations my parents foolishly destroyed." His dark eyes met Naoto's and, just for a moment, the young detective thought she saw a hint of a smirk touch his lips.
The elder Shirogane nodded, more to himself than the interviewee, before speaking again. "And your response? As the current head of the Kirigiri family, your consent is all that is required to formalize your and Naoto's betrothal."
This time his smile was more obvious as he bowed his head respectfully and answered, "I would be honored to marry the successor to the Shirogane name. You have my thanks and will for the rest of time, Shirogane-sama."
Kazuhiko's expression was one of satisfaction as he rose from his seat, clasping his hands behind his back and stretching his spine lightly. "There is no hurry to finalize the procedures; in fact, it may be prudent to wait for some time, so as not to give the impression of desperation on either of our parts. The two of you should take some time to reacquaint yourselves, so I shall take my leave." The old man left the room, leaving his granddaughter and her new fiance alone.
"I know what you're thinking, Naoto-san, and I apologize for the situation you've found yourself in. Your grandfather has misplaced his priorities in this instance." Running a hand through his blue-black hair, the young Kirigiri patriarch sighed heavily.
Naoto knew she shouldn't be particularly shocked; the Kirigiri family had once been close to the Shirogane, breaking ties after her parents' deaths, and she had known him as a child. "Ayumu-san, I am aware that we have both been thrust into this without fully consenting to it. I have my duties as the last member of the Shirogane bloodline once my Grampa passes away, and you are bound by your desire to repair the bond between our families. We are both required to sacrifice our own happiness for this…"
Ayumu placed a hand on Naoto's shoulder, a sorrowful expression on his face. "Naoto-san, please tell me about your lover Narukami-san. I know you likely don't wish to think of him now, but the more I know the easier it'll be for me to work around this unfortunate situation."
"Why would you want to change this? You chose to accept Grampa's offer of your own will; what reason could you have for nullifying it now?" The girl detective looked up at her old acquaintance, noticing how intently he was watching her.
A soft, sardonic chuckle emerged from Ayumu's lips as he withdrew. "Shirogane-sama is a classic man of high status; if I were to simply refuse, word would get around about my being rude to such a man. No, I accepted with the full intention of sabotaging the proceedings so that we can both be free to follow our own paths. So please, Naoto-san, tell me everything that might help."
The Investigation Team, minus Yu, Rise and Naoto, stared down the Wakui twins with unrestrained hostility. It had taken some time, but eventually Yukiko had been able to convince the bodyguards to meet with them, using her stellar reputation to her advantage.
"Well, now that we're all here…" Yosuke began, his voice hard. "Yuzuru-san and Airi-san, right? Let's just cut right to the chase; what did you do to get Naoto-kun to leave? And don't try and tell us you didn't do anything, we all know her too well to believe she'd just give up on Yu like that."
When the twins remained silent, Kanji slammed a fist on the Junes table hard enough to put a small crack in it. "Cough it up! What'd you little punks do?!"
Yukiko and Chie pulled him back before he could get too worked up, the junior innkeeper picking up the interrogation with, "You've caused our friends so much pain. We can't forgive you, but we want to know exactly how angry we need to be." Her voice was low and menacing, sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.
"...Brother, there's no longer any point in hiding it. Mistress Naoto is already gone; our objective has been fulfilled." Airi broke the silence that had fallen, speaking softly but without fear or hesitation.
Yuzuru nodded in response before explaining, "We had attempted multiple times to interfere with Mistress Naoto's relationship with that Narukami, though the use of rumors that each had abandoned the other. Narukami quickly discovered the deception, and shortly afterward Tatsumi revealed the truth to Mistress Naoto. She was… displeased. Enough so to return to the Shirogane estate with the intent of demanding Master Kazuhiko dismiss us from his service. Fortunately for us, she left her cell phone behind in her blind anger, and my sister put her talents to use, passing on the false message to Kujikawa."
"Talents? What do you mean?" Chie questioned. "How did you convince Rise-chan that Naoto-kun was talking?"
Airi took a deep breath before speaking again, this time in a perfect mimicry of Naoto's voice. "Perhaps this will make my methods more clear, Chie-senpai?" The shocked looks on the team's faces brought a smug smile to her own.
Teddie glared daggers at the twins, his sapphire eyes blazing. "You copied Nao-chan's voice… You tricked Rise-chan!"
"Indeed. My sister placed a call from Mistress Naoto's forgotten cell phone and spoke in her voice; Kujikawa was none the wiser. And seeing as Narukami is conspicuously absent, our ploy was a perfect success." Yuzuru stood, pulling Airi to her feet, and bowed. "We will take our leave now. Goodbye."
Their retreat from the food court was interrupted by a pair of figures who blocked their path - a familiar young woman and a towering man some few years her senior. "Well, well, if it isn't Yuzuru-kun and Airi-chan. So the truth comes out." Naoto and the rest of the team were all startled at what came next, as the formerly-unshakable Wakui twins blanched at the sight of the tall man giving them a predatory grin.
The twins were silent for a few moments, trying desperately to think of a response. Eventually Yuzuru spoke, trying to keep his voice steady as he asked, "M-Master Ayumu? I had thought you and Mistress Naoto were at the estate…" His voice died in his throat as Ayumu glared down at him.
"So, you took advantage of my anger to impersonate me and cause my friends distress. Even beyond the malicious rumormongering, that is a grave offense." Naoto's gaze was even more withering than Ayumu's, the intensity causing the twins to take a step back instinctively.
"I'll pass the information on to Shirogane-sama later - perhaps with two familiar witnesses he'll be more willing to listen. And you must be Naoto-san's friends." Ayumu made his way to the table where the others sat, his smile much friendlier now. "I'm Ayumu Kirigiri. I knew Naoto-san when the two of us were children, and Shirogane-sama chose me to be her fiance. Don't give me that look, I have no intention of going through with it; she belongs with Narukami-san, and I have a lady of my own. "
Kanji was the first to respond, muttering, "Woah… Dude's huge." Despite being the tallest of the group, even he had to look up to meet Ayumu's eyes.
"So you're not trying to take Naoto-kun for yourself? Thank you… Yu will be very happy to hear it." Yukiko breathed a sigh of relief, causing a smile to tug at the corners of Ayumu's mouth.
Naoto wandered over at that point, having finished severely chastising the Wakui twins. "I'm sorry, everyone, but could I possibly introduce you all another time? There's still something very important we have to do." She gave Ayumu a meaningful glance, to which he nodded. "I'll see all of you once this is finished." She began leading the way, her childhood acquaintance following along.
Ryotaro Dojima would've been surprised enough at a surprise visitor to his house, but the identities of the two at his door were even more shocking; Naoto Shirogane, the detective who had broken his nephew's heart, and-
"Kirigiri-san? Are you the same Kirigiri-san from the prefectural office?"
Ayumu bowed formally, smiling slightly as he replied, "Dojima-san, it's a pleasure to meet you in person. We've spoken over the phone a few times, but this is the first time we've met face to face."
Before the two men could get to talking about police work, Naoto interjected, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but is Yu here? He hasn't responded to my texts, so I had to come in person. It's very important."
Dojima fixed the girl detective with a stern look before Ayumu added, "I'm involved in this as well. Please let us speak with Narukami-san, as a favor to me if nothing else." The earnest look in his eyes made it clear the younger man was very serious.
"...I'll let him know you're here. Come in." Dojima left to alert Yu of his guests' arrival while Naoto and Ayumu stepped inside. The young lady's anxiety showed, but her ally simply smiled down at her reassuringly and her nerves calmed a bit.
Yu made his way downstairs, looking surprised to see Naoto before his face fell at the sight of Ayumu. "Naoto… Did you have to bring him here?"
"Narukami-san, I presume. I'm Ayumu Kirigiri; it's a pleasure." The head of the Kirigiri family interposed himself between the lovers, "I'll start off by making it clear that yes, Shirogane-sama wants Naoto-san and I to be married, and no, I don't intend on going through with it. I have a lady in my life as well, after all. So, just to make things perfectly clear between the three of us, have the two of you exchanged anything that would interfere with the marriage procedures?"
Both teenagers were confused at first, but Naoto quickly picked up on the hint. "We shared a promise on Christmas Eve last year, that the two of us would be together forever. We have proof of this… in more ways than one." She blushed deeply, recalling what exactly they'd done that night, and Yu displayed a similar reaction.
Ayumu looked thoughtful for a few moments, then shook his head and grinned. "Well, that's going to be a problem. It looks as though Narukami-san's already stolen your first night from me, and I can't condone a man using a woman and leaving her behind."
"Do you mean what I think you mean, Kirigiri-san?" Yu asked warily, Ayumu's nonchalance reminding him a bit too much of Adachi.
"Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I expect gentlemanly behavior when dealing with a lady like Naoto-san." The young patriarch grinned widely, saluting Yu and Naoto with an air of obvious cheer.
The detective bowed formally, nearly losing her hat in the process. "Ayumu-san… Thank you!"
"I suppose I'm going to have a chat with your grandfather, Naoto." Yu quipped, relief and happiness spread across his face. The two shared an embrace and a kiss, barely noticing Ayumu slip out while they were so occupied.
"Is this true, Naoto?" Kazuhiko Shirogane's sharp gaze moved between his granddaughter and her lover, both of whom seemed suitably nervous.
Nodding slowly, the girl replied, "It is. I apologize for not confessing sooner, but I didn't wish to place undue stress on you when you're always busy with cases."
The elder detective sighed, rubbing his temples. "Narukami-san, I hope I do not need to spell out what this means for you."
"I'm perfectly aware. I will take responsibility for Naoto, marry her and spend the rest of my days making her the happiest woman alive. She is the love of my life, after all." He grasped his lover's hand and smiled down at her, seeing the gesture returned in kind.
"Honestly, this whole debacle could have been avoided if you'd simply told me, Naoto. I appreciate the sentiment, but I wish I had known the facts so as not to send the Wakui twins to watch over you; Kirigiri-san has informed me of what the two of you overheard, and as a result I have refused to ever deal with that family again." A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he added, "I suppose I hadn't realized the depths of the love the two of you hold for one another. While I cannot say the heir to the Narukami family was a choice I considered, I now realize that Naoto would be unhappy should I have forced her to spend her life with any but you. Please accept this doddering old man's apology, in the form of my blessing."
Naoto's face practically lit up at his words, her voice higher than even her natural tone as she squeaked, "Thank you, Grampa! I know that with Yu by my side, I can not only live up to my role as head of the Shirogane family, but exceed the expectations placed upon me!"
Yu remained more composed, bowing deeply and speaking in a completely sincere voice. "I will care for Naoto for the rest of my days, and even afterward I'll watch over her and our future children until the end of time. Yu and Naoto Shirogane… It's like a dream come true."