A/N: Story so far: The school trip ended but not before Rise proved difficult when drunk, Kanji and Naoto spoke completely different languages, and Naoto chose not to wonder why Teddie wears a bear suit.

In this part: Kanji can't talk about the weather, Yosuke learns not to run in corridors, and Naoto makes more than one appearance on television. Spoilers through September 14th.

September 9th, 2011

As far as Kanji was concerned, Sundays weren't made to be spent indoors, especially when he'd spent hours cooped up on a train the previous afternoon. After answering all the questions his mother rattled off about the trip - carefully leaving out the parts involving bathrooms and not-quite-drunk schoolfriends - he'd finally managed to escape the store for a while and had headed out on a long walk.

He had a spot he liked to visit up on the big hill overlooking the whole town. Nothing special up there save the view, and this early in the morning, while everything was still damp, he figured he'd be the only person up there. This made finding Naoto at the top, leaning against the wooden fence and staring out over Inaba, kind of surprising and, as always, very uncomfortable.

Something was off in his expression, even more than usual, and Kanji's first impulse was turn around and try to make it back down the hill before Naoto looked up. Unfortunately, the chances of someone his size sneaking anywhere were slim to none, and Naoto noticed him almost immediately.

"Tatsumi," he said with a nod.

"Uh...hey."

Another conversation aborted after only two real words. Kanji spent the following awkward silence alternating between pretending to look over the town and shooting sideways glances at Naoto that he hoped the kid wouldn't notice.

"You... uh, enjoying the weather?" he finally asked, staring at the leaden grey clouds overhead and wishing he was better at small talk.

"Not particularly."

"Oh. Right."

...Man, this sucked. And it didn't make sense after they'd hung out so much on the trip. Sat next to each other on the way there, been to the nightclub - even if that had turned out kind of weird - then been dragged shopping with Rise the next day. Thinking about it, they'd been around each other nearly the whole time except for the visit to that fancy high school.

"That trip was kinda neat, right?" he said, only half intentionally.

Naoto just shifted forward to lean more heavily against the fence.

A day ago he'd been talking to Kanji just fine, if a little stilted. Now he couldn't say more than a sentence at a time and his whole demeanour was as cold as ice. Like two different people.

"Dammit, why're you-" Kanji started, then stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. "What's wrong?"

When Naoto answered, his voice was flat and quiet. "None of you are willing to help."

"Help with what?"

"Nor are you willing to be honest. If you were-" He shook his head, and tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Personas, shadows, televisions. Diversionary nonsense."

Just tell him what's up. Not like Yukiko hadn't spilled it all already. But Naoto hadn't believed them last time - and hell, Kanji wouldn't have either, back in May. And even if Naoto trusted him now, there was no way of knowing that he wouldn't go to the police, who definitely wouldn't believe any of it but could still pull the team in for questioning. Kanji knew well enough how much time-wasting crap the average cop could devise when they wanted to keep someone at the station, even just to spook them.

Besides, none of it mattered now anyway. Mitsuo Kubo was behind bars. No need to get all hung up on this crap.

Kanji did his best to sound confident, though it didn't quite work. "It - it ain't like that, Naoto."

"Tatsumi." Naoto still wasn't looking at him, and when Kanji glanced down, his hands were clenched tight around the top bar of the fence. "What is your involvement in this matter?"

Telling the truth had always been Souji's call, not Kanji's. "N-Nothing. Yukiko-senpai, she, she was just messin' around. You saw how she was."

Naoto finally turned to face him. For a long moment, he just stared at Kanji - then turned away again in silence, and rested his elbows on the fence.

Kanji winced. "Look, Naoto - if y'need help with something - then I can, yeah? Just...not about this."

Naoto was still staring out over the town. He didn't answer, and Kanji stood there another half-minute, awkward and bewildered, before giving up and walking back down the hill.

September 12th, 2011

Ever since Souji and the others had brought him back, Kanji had been doing his best to help out at home, at least when he wasn't inside a television kicking shadow ass. Cleaning made a nice contrast to that stuff, anyway. Dusting, sweeping, wiping counters - or doing the dishes, like he was now - generally put him in a better mood. Which he sorely needed after stupid Naoto had blanked him in the first floor corridor three times that day.

He frowned, both at the wall and life in general, then pulled another plate from the sink and wiped it with the dishrag. Even in the kitchen he could still hear the faint sound of the television from the living room. Niteline again. Ma was crazy about that show.

"Kanji-chan! Come here, please."

"But Ma, I'm-"

"Yes, dear, I know. I just need to ask you a question."

Kanji put the plate down with a grunt and strode through the door. "Dammit, Ma, I'm in the middle of-"

He stopped a few feet into the living room. On the screen, sitting at a desk Niteline studio next to some asshole in a cheap-looking suit, was Naoto.

Ma gestured towards the television. "That's the Yasogami High uniform. Is that boy in your class?"

"N-no - he's in..." Kanji trailed off, scrunching up the dishrag in his hands. Why was Naoto on television? Had to be about the case - but this didn't seem like something he'd do, not after he'd done his best to avoid or push away almost everyone he'd met. Hell, he'd moved seats just to escape those girls on the train.

"Such a handsome boy," Ma chirped. "So well dressed, too! You ought to follow his example, Kanji-chan, don't think I haven't noticed you wearing your-"

Kanji waved the dishrag at her. "Shut up a minute!"

"It's true that our suspect was behind Mr Morooka's unfortunate death. But when I cast my eye over the case as a whole, I detect a few things that seem out of place."

On screen, the interviewer suddenly fumbled with his script. "Oh. Ah - l-like what?"

Naoto's voice was as smooth as ever. Being on television didn't seem to spook him at all. "Unfortunately, I cannot divulge details at this time. But this matter claimed the lives of three people, hence I believe that even the smallest inconsistency must be examined."

Whoa. The cops weren't going to like that. From what Kanji understood, Naoto wasn't even working with them anymore - and there he was on a major television show, basically saying they'd gotten everything wrong.

The interviewer became even more flustered, stammering something about the police's official statement then flipped quickly through his papers. "Now for our next segment, 'The Detective Prince's True Identity', where Naoto-kun tells us a little bit about himself."

Kanji grunted. Good luck with that. The most they'd gotten out of Naoto was him talking about being a little kid, which had been pretty cool but hadn't told Kanji a thing about how to deal with him now.

"Amazingly, the Detective Prince has solved a whopping twenty-four cases. Sixteen of them were conducted alone, without the involvement of his famous grandfather. Shirogane-san, is living up to such an illustrious name a challenge?"

"I simply do my best. Many people adopt the careers of their families."

"But to investigate a series of murders so young... it must be traumatic for a child, correct?"

Even through the slightly fuzzy television picture, Kanji swore Naoto stiffened.

"Not at all. The situation in Inaba is far from the first such case I have handled."

"What about your many admirers?" The interviewer was smirking now, one elbow resting on the desk. "It's said you're a popular figure at your high school. Do you have anyone special in mind?"

Kanji held his breath.

"The question is irrelevant. My work takes precedence."

...Irrelevant? Did that mean he did, or didn't, or didn't care? Maybe the interviewer would push it, try to make him-

"I've never seen you take such an interest in Niteline, Kanji-chan." Ma was blabbering right on top of the show. "But stop frowning, you'll get stuck like that."

"Shut it," Kanji muttered, and leaned closer to the television.

September 13th, 2011

Months ago, and after several unpleasantly long Important Talks, Kanji had made a solemn promise to Senpai that he'd show up at school more often. Every day, to be precise, and he was doing a pretty good job. Unfortunately, he hadn't yet mastered the art of showing up on time.

Dangerously close to being late for class - Senpai would find out somehow, he knew it - Kanji sprinted along the path to the school, through the gates, across the yard, into the main building and, rounding the corner of the first-floor corridor, crashed straight into Yosuke Hanamura and knocked them both to the floor.

Yosuke actually squeaked. Probably because he was bearing all of Kanji's weight. "Dammit, Kanji! Get off me!"

Kanji tried to pull himself up onto his knees, but Yosuke kept squirming. "Quit it, man!"

"Kanji-kun?" It was Yukiko, who'd just walked out of the restroom and stopped a few meters away, eyes wide. "Are you alright? And Yosuke?"

"Yukiko!" Yosuke finally rolled out from underneath Kanji and scrambled to his feet. "Oh, this is so not what you think!"

"What would I think-"

"Nothin'," Kanji quickly said as he pulled himself up. Yosuke, meanwhile, squawked something about borrowing Souji's homework before class and took off down the corridor. "Uh...sorry, Yukiko-senpai."

"Why would you - oh, never mind." She shook her head. "I didn't see you on the way in. Did you wake up late again?"

"...Yeah." No point lying, least not to Yukiko. "I was up late." Mostly thinking about what he'd seen on Niteline, and how Naoto had managed to handle an entire interview without saying anything in particular.

Yukiko gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell Souji."

"C-Cool, thanks. Hey, uh, you seen Naoto around? He he seemed upset the other day and then I saw him on Niteline last night and-"

"Oh! That's right, you wouldn't have..."

Kanji frowned. "Wouldn't have what?"

"Um, we saw Naoto-kun this morning. He wasn't in his school uniform. I'm a little worried about him." Yukiko dropped her voice almost to a whisper. "He said - well, he said a lot of things, but he definitely knows more than he let on."

It probably didn't work, but Kanji tried to lower his voice in turn. "You mean 'bout what we've been doing?"

"Yes. He thought one of us might be the killer."

"What? You're shi-you're kidding me!" Dammit, Yukiko was a lady. But did Naoto seriously think one of the team, the people he'd hung out with only a few days ago, had been killing people?

"Well," Yukiko said, "when he explained it, it sounded quite plausible. But that doesn't matter, Kanji-kun, he said he'd already changed his mind." She winced. "I think he's figured out what we've really been doing."

Didn't help that you spilled it all in the club, Kanji almost said - then decided that if Yukiko-senpai didn't remember anything that happened that night, he definitely wasn't going to be the one to tell her. "You mean us rescuing each other?"

Her brows angled, and her eyes narrowed. "He said...what was it, now...that we were 'the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator.' I understand that part. But then he said he needed more evidence."

"Thass all he's been doing since he got here. Asking questions, looking for evidence." Kanji grimaced. "And now, trying to solve stuff that's already solved. He ain't gonna find anything new with Kubo already in jail."

He figured he sounded confident, because he definitely was, but there was still a fairly long pause before Yukiko spoke.

"...You're right, Kanji-kun. I'm just..." She trailed off, then shook her head again. "Well, I'm sure Naoto-kun's sensible. He wouldn't be a detective otherwise, would he?"

Kanji spent the gap between each class looking for Naoto, as well as the lunch break: checking in his classroom, walking up to the roof, even waiting by the school gate in case he turned up late. He spent roughly the same amount of time trying to throw Rise off his tail, just so he wouldn't have to listen to her squeal about how totally adorable he was being - "Like a puppy, Kanji-kun, seriously!" - or waste time trying to convince her otherwise. In the end, none of it made a difference. Naoto didn't show.

He did, however, walk past Tatsumi Textiles much later that night.

It was pure luck that Kanji even noticed; he'd moved his sewing table under the window so the light would be better during the day, and he happened to be working there when Naoto passed by. It was dark enough outside that he would've been pissed off at Naoto for being out alone, if the murders hadn't already been solved and if he hadn't just spent an entire school day trying to find the guy.

He stood up, pushed open the window, and called out almost without thinking. "Yo, Naoto! Wait!"

Naoto stopped and glanced up, eyes wide under his cap - then immediately strode off again.

To his credit, Kanji didn't yell louder. That would've woken Ma. Instead, with the benefit of legs practically twice as long as Naoto's, he bolted downstairs, across the shop floor, and out the door into the street. He caught up with Naoto in moments and fell into a walk beside him.

A walk for Kanji, at any rate. For Naoto, whose jaw was clenched tight, it verged on a run. He didn't look up.

"Dammit, I was calling you!" Kanji snapped.

Naoto said nothing - and, on instinct, Kanji reached out and grabbed his shoulder with one hand. The first thing he noticed was the slight padding in the shoulder of the shirt: Naoto had to be smaller than he looked, which was saying something. The second thing was the way Naoto instantly smacked his hand aside and jerked away.

Good reflexes. One hell of a attitude, too. And it was almost exactly the same as last time he'd tried that, except now Naoto was glaring up at Kanji instead of hiding his face.

"Do not do that again," he muttered, adjusting his shirt.

"You wouldn't stop!"

"You - I seem to encounter you every time I Naoto folded his arms over his chest and looked away. "I am positive there are other activities you could be pursuing, Tatsumi-san."

"Kanji. You called me that before."

"Tatsumi-san. Why are you following me?"

"You were walkin' past my house!"

"And you ran downstairs to meet me." Naoto leaned back, hand on hip. "I am simply returning from the police station. This is the most direct route to the bus stop."

"Thought the cops didn't want you 'round no more," Kanji said, rolling his shoulders in a half-assed attempt to relieve their tension.

Naoto bristled. "My professional affairs are none of your concern."

"But you didn't come to school." Kanji was the guy that skipped school. Naoto was supposed to be the type of guy who'd freak at missing five minutes of class. "You sick or something?"

"No," he said flatly. "I simply wanted to check on a few things. Ensure matters are settled."

Far as Kanji was concerned, everything was settled, and Naoto needed to get over it and come back to school and call him by the right damn name. He let out a grunt and ran a hand through his hair. "The case is over, Naoto, Kubo's in jail. You got to be on television and be the big man, and you-"

Naoto rounded on him, eyes blazing, fists clenched. "Do you really think that is why I'm still in Inaba?" He was way closer than normal too close. "That I, I went on that ridiculous show to-" He stopped short and jolted back, tugging angrily at his cap. "You must think I am-"

"That ain't it," Kanji mumbled, already knowing Naoto wouldn't believe him. "I just..."

Naoto glared at him. "Just what?"

"You - you're gonna come back to school tomorrow, right?" He looked down, brow furrowed, feeling increasingly desperate. "You can't keep missing it. S'posed to be the smart guy."

"I have no other option," Naoto muttered - and even under the dim streetlights, Kanji could see him stiffen again, his shoulders tensing and his jaw tightening. "I... trust I will see you again soon, Kanji."

When he walked away this time, Kanji didn't follow.

September 14th, 2011

Naoto hadn't come to school again. Kanji, in turn, had decided he didn't give a shit. Let the kid go sulk or whatever the hell he wanted. It'd been raining the whole day anyway, so it wasn't like Kanji was going to run around looking for him.

It was the rain that had made Souji-senpai insist that everyone check the Midnight Channel tonight, though the request seemed a little weird. Kubo was locked up. Wasn't like it would mean anything if anyone appeared. But Kanji made it a policy to go along with most everything Senpai said - he was smart, after all - and five minutes before midnight, just like always, he stood in front of the television.

The screen was small and the image was flickering, but there was definitely someone standing in the haze. Someone short and kinda skinny.

...was it Naoto?

Kanji shook his head. No way. Naoto was too smart to get himself kidnapped, even if he was stubborn as a mule. And it wouldn't mean anything if it was him, because the killer was in jail, nobody else was going to get thrown in a television and the Midnight Channel didn't matter.

He waited for the image to fade, then flopped back down on his futon. It took over an hour of staring at the ceiling and not thinking about Naoto before he finally fell asleep.