Chapter 2

After an awkward introduction to the class, Naoto took her seat - the only empty seat, directly beside Kanji Tatsumi. His eyes were on her, so she gave him a slight nod as she sat. Kujikawa was in front of him, and she was sitting sideways in her seat, beaming at Naoto. It seemed it would be easier than she thought to get close to them. Hopefully gaining their confidence would be a simple task as well. While Tatsumi didn't seem particularly interested in the lesson, he also didn't look her way again. It wasn't until she saw Rise looking at her with an eyebrow raised that she realized she had spent the entire lesson staring at him. The next subjects proceeded in much the same way. She found it odd that he didn't look at her at all, almost as if he was trying not to. It bothered her so much that she didn't realize she was watching him for the majority of each class. When the bell rang for lunch, Rise turned around in her seat. "Are you coming to the roof for lunch, Kanji-kun?"

"Nah," he replied. "Not in the mood." And with that, he got up from his seat and left the room. Rise looked at Naoto.

"Well, I wonder what his problem is. How about you, Naoto? Want to have lunch together?" Her smile was full of mischief. Naoto knew it was probably a horrible idea, but if she was going to get close to the group, socializing with them would be the best way.

"Yes, that would be… I would like to." She nodded and set off with Rise. On the walk towards the stairs, they passed by Kanji, who was unhappily confiding something to Seta.

"Heeey, senpai!" Rise called out, waving to Seta as they passed by. He nodded at her, and Kanji looked up with a look of embarrassment on his face. He looked directly at Naoto for just a moment before moving his gaze to the floor. She followed Rise to the stairs that led to the roof. While they were in the stairwell alone, Rise said in a low voice, "so, you like Kanji-kun, huh?"

"Wh-What?" Naoto stuttered. "What would make you say that?"

Rise smirked. "Because you haven't taken your eyes off of him all morning," she replied. "And you only looked my way once, and it was way different." Naoto frowned. "Oh, but don't worry," Rise said. "I won't say anything." Naoto wondered how she had been so transparent, especially when she had no idea what she really felt for the boy.

"Please don't," she said softly. "I… wouldn't want to cause any... unnecessary trouble for him." What on earth am I saying? You aren't making any sense, Shirogane!

Rise nodded, with a more serious look on her face. "Alright." Then the wicked smile flashed across her face once more. "But I bet he totally likes you, too! You should just tell him how you feel!" Thankfully, they had reached the roof, and the conversation ended as Rise opened the door. The only other students on the roof were also members of Seta's little cult. All of them were second years. Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, and the Amagi girl. Yukiko, Naoto recalled from her file. She lit up when she saw them approach.

"Oh, Rise-chan! And hello, Naoto-kun. Are you going to join us for lunch?" Yukiko asked.

"Y-Yes," Naoto began shyly.

"I tried to invite Kanji-kun as well, but he totally blew me off! Then we saw him talking to senpai in the hall," Rise added.

Chie frowned. "I wonder what he and Souji-kun are talking about."

"Well, whatever it is, it isn't good!" Rise exclaimed.

"Kanji-kun looked rather unhappy," Naoto said quietly, looking at the ground.

Yosuke started laughing. "And you'll soon learn that that's pretty much how he always looks!" Naoto raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, stop it, Hanamura!" Chie yelled, punching him on the arm.

"Hey! It's not like it isn't true! He has that kind of sad look, and the angry look, and the really, really angry look..."

"That last one's usually because he's about to punch you for being an idiot!" Chie shouted, smacking him again.

"Is this… normal behavior for them?" Naoto asked.

"Oh, yes," Yukiko answered. "They're pretty much always like this," she said, frowning in their direction. "Here, Naoto-kun, you can sit over here by me," she added, indicating a free spot on the wall. Naoto nodded and sat between her and Rise. She tried to deflect most of the conversation, letting them talk while she ate her lunch and observed. It was hard to stop thinking about the look on Kanji's face in the hall. Did I do something to upset him? Did he.. Notice that I was watching him? I need to work harder to ensure I don't make him uncomfortable.

When Naoto returned to the classroom with Rise after lunch, Kanji was already there. "Hey," he said, nodding at Rise. She flashed him a smile and took her seat, facing the front of the room. When Naoto sat, he put his head down on his arms and looked at her. It was almost as if he was trying to ask her a question without words. Before she could say anything, the teacher came in and began the afternoon lessons. Naoto tried hard to pay better attention, and to not stare at Kanji the entire time. It seemed the roles were reversed, as every time she allowed herself to glance at him, he was still looking at her with those light grey eyes. During the third lesson, a terribly boring history lecture, she couldn't take it anymore. When she turned towards him again and found he was still looking, she raised an eyebrow at him. He shook his head slightly, showing a hint of a smile. She turned away, trying hard to keep from smiling back.

When the bell rang, Naoto was surprised at how quick the other students were to gather their things and leave. Both Rise and Kanji were gone immediately, in different directions. Naoto took her time. When she finally left the school gates, she decided to take her usual detour by the river. She knew it was a habit that she needed to break. It wasn't necessary to walk home this way, and since she would see Kanji in class every day, there was no need to watch for him after school. Still, she couldn't help it. She cut through the Samegawa, and there he was, standing by the river, looking at the water. He looked deep in thought. Naoto took a breath, then walked up beside him. He looked down at her, still with that thoughtful look in his eyes. "How was your first day?" he asked.

"More… interesting than I expected," she replied, meeting his eyes. Because of his height, she had to look way up to meet them. What she saw there was worth it. Unfortunately, he looked away, back to the water.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, " he said.

"N-No. You didn't," Naoto insisted. You sound completely desperate, Shirogane. The change in tone got his attention. He cast his eyes on her, from top to bottom, before finally moving back up to hers. It felt… unsettling. Exciting. No, unsettling. Both, maybe.

"I should get going," Kanji said slowly. "Told Ma I'd help out at the shop this afternoon. See you later, Naoto." He turned and walked out into the shopping district. Naoto watched him go, waiting to head home until she could no longer see him. She was grateful for the long bus ride, as it gave her time to collect her thoughts. I have got to get over this desire for him to look at me. It isn't even me that he's seeing. All he sees when he looks at me is this puny boy detective who takes everything way too seriously. By the time she arrived at her apartment, Naoto had convinced herself that it was ridiculous to keep thinking about Kanji Tatsumi. Then she went inside and spent her evening thinking about him anyway.