A/N: Story so far: With a little prompting from Souji, Naoto learned to meet Kanji halfway- albeit with an apology he didn't think he needed.
In this part: Yosuke's a future Risetteer, Teddie gains a new admirer, and Kanji makes a fuzzy confession.
October 21st, 2011
"You know, I didn't think it was possible to do worse than last time," Yosuke lamented, perched on the edge of Kanji's desk. "Maybe I deserve a medal."
"Should go ask Senpai." Kanji didn't add that he might've done better than usual in this set of exams, since it wouldn't be saying much and he didn't know for sure. He'd definitely spent less time staring at a blank piece of paper, though. Studying had suddenly seemed a lot more important when he'd remembered Naoto would be able to see his grades on the school notice-board.
"Yeah, that'll work. I'll get one of those Talks again. Like the case isn't more important than stupid exams! Dunno how Souji expects us to get good grades when we're jumping in and out the TV."
Yukiko - who'd probably be top in her year again, or at worst second to Souji - looked up, frowning in thought. "But the last time we went inside was two weeks ago. I thought there was plenty of time to study."
Kanji winced, while Yosuke folded his arms and sighed.
People like Yukiko probably didn't need to study at all. If she did, Kanji definitely couldn't imagine her fidgeting at a desk while muttering curses at her textbooks - which was what he'd done for the whole exam period, so he'd been lucky Naoto had helped him out a second time. He hadn't expected much after the first, but it'd turned out really useful once he'd stopped panicking over looking stupid. Everything sounded more interesting when Naoto said it. So interesting he hadn't always heard the actual words, but at least he'd only caught her frowning at him twice. Next set of exams, maybe he could-
"I don't care about grades anyway!" snapped a voice from the corridor. Chie and Rise swept into the classroom a moment later: the first looking miserable, the second mid-rant. "They never mattered before! The studio hired a tutor and he just gave me top marks on everything."
"Let me guess," Yosuke said. "You guys bombed out too?"
Chie nodded glumly and turned to Yukiko. "I really tried, I promise! That stupid stuff about space mountains threw me off completely. My scores are gonna be awful."
Yukiko nodded back in sympathy. Rise, meanwhile, threw up her hands. "Music classes should be the only ones I take. No - I shouldn't have to take any! I already said I'm just gonna get translators and accountants and whatever."
"Like y'get people to write your songs?" Kanji asked, and grunted when she smacked him on the shoulder.
"That's all gonna change when I go back, Kanji-kun." It sounded like a threat. "Senpai already said he thinks I'll do great."
Senpai was one heck of a liar. Rise had already played Kanji one of her new compositions, insisting it was the first step on the road to a new, independent Risette. Afterward, she'd also insisted that he shut up and stop being so mean, the song was amazing and it only sounded bad because she hadn't practiced piano much. "Guess Senpai knows best," he mumbled, leaning back in his chair.
"Yeah, but some of us aren't idols. Meaning some of us are gonna end up working at Junes until we're ninety." Yosuke kicked Kanji's desk for emphasis. "Setting up Risette displays in the music department year after year, longing for my lost youth."
Rise winked. "Don't worry, I'll send you a signed poster. 'To Yosuke-senpai: make my displays look great or I'll make Kanji beat you up. Love, Risette'."
"Go beat him up yourself," Kanji told her, and tried not to scowl when she giggled and ruffled his hair.
The letter didn't look like anything special. Just a white piece of paper, one sentence printed on it in plain black letters: dont rescue anymore.
Peering over Souji's shoulder, Kanji frowned. "Ain't this just a prank? The kinda stuff that only happens in the movies?" He was surprised whoever sent it hadn't cut the letters out of a book or newspaper. Typing it out on a computer was plain dull.
"I'm pretty sure whoever sent this is serious." Souji refolded the letter and slipped it into his pocket. "Maybe I should tell my uncle."
"Senpai, Dojima-san is trustworthy, but it would be best to keep this to ourselves." Whenever they discussed the case, Naoto dropped her pitch back to its old level. Her boy voice, Kanji called it. "If he were to put you under surveillance, our hands would be tied."
Chie winced. "No kidding. We'd be stuck."
"Besides, if this letter is real," Naoto continued, forehead creased in thought, "what's most important isn't what it says. The envelope was addressed directly to Seta-senpai and delivered by hand to the Dojima residence, home of one of the lead police detectives investigating the case. The text itself is a straightforward warning - but the subtext expresses that the culprit knows who has been interfering with his crimes, and his confidence that we cannot use it to pinpoint his identity."
Man, that was a lot of words. She might not say much about anything else, but when it came to work Naoto could out-talk Rise.
"Knew there was a reason we kept you around," Souji said, and smiled at her.
Kanji really should've been thinking about the letter. Senpai had called them up to the school roof to talk about it, so it had to be major. Unfortunately, doing what he was supposed to had never come easy, especially around Naoto, who he swore had turned a little pink - and who was now glancing sideways at Souji.
Dammit.
"What about…ah, you know, the stuff they do on TV shows." Yosuke held up his palm, waving his fingers. "Getting the paper checked for fingerprints, DNA, that kinda thing?"
"Naoto-kun and I talked about that before the rest of you got here. Unfortunately, I got my own prints all over the letter last night before I knew what it was." Souji grimaced and shook his head. "I should've suspected something when there wasn't a stamp on the envelope."
"You could hardly be expected to do otherwise," Naoto said, quick and firm. Her gaze dropped. "In any case, I no longer have access to the police station crime lab to request testing. And I suspect our culprit has been careful to cover his tracks, or his confidence would be misplaced."
"It already is!" Kanji snapped, punching one fist against his other hand. No point getting all miserable over something they couldn't change, right? "We're gonna beat that asshole down, no worries."
Naoto glanced at him, one eyebrow raised, mouth quirking into what might've been a sort-of-smile. Or possibly that flat look again, the one where her mouth went all thin - but he hoped it was the smile. Souji might be able to talk smart with her and make her blush, but only Kanji was dumb enough to make her look at him like that.
…Crap, he'd zoned out. Yukiko was already midway through a sentence. "…and it's too specific," she was saying. "But how could the killer know so much about us?"
"Teddie's been saying for a while that when we're over there, he senses someone watching us," Yosuke said - then his eyes widened. "Wait. Every time we went to the other side to rescue someone, did we end up on the Midnight Channel ourselves?"
Rise cringed. "Oh man, I really hope not! Bad enough everyone saw me like-you know, like that."
Everyone grimaced - except Souji and Naoto, who opened her mouth like she wanted to ask a question, then closed it again and stared at the fence around the roof.
"I haven't heard any rumors about us at school, though." Chie shifted against the ledge and shrugged. "Even the people who I know check the channel haven't said anything. The only gossip I heard was about the people who disappeared."
"Same here," said Souji.
"And that's our two social butterflies out." Yosuke let out a long breath. "We don't even know how that place works, anyway. Even if people are watching, they might not be able to see us there."
Kanji glanced back at Naoto. She was frowning, her knuckles pressed to her lips. "That matter is not a priority at present. There's too little data to go on. It's imperative we keep in mind that the culprit knows who we are." Her hand dropped to her side. "…That will have to be enough for now."
The killer must've sent the letter to throw them off balance. Make out things were reversed, so they'd be busier worrying about themselves than trying to catch him. "Thass right," Kanji agreed. "I mean, freaking out over this crap, that's just what the killer wants us to do, right?"
Souji nodded firmly. "We'll have to wait till the situation changes."
The group fell silent, all of them deep in thought. Naoto didn't look happy. She never really did, but right now, her expression was - Kanji wasn't sure. Uncomfortable, maybe.
"Mind if I change the subject then?" Chie piped up, breaking the silence. "Something a lot more fun. The culture festival's just around the corner - anyone know what our class is doing?"
Souji shrugged. "Aren't they still gathering ideas?"
"Huh. Are they now?" His head tipped back against the fence, Yosuke's thoughtful expression quickly turned horribly smug.
"I know that look," Chie said, cringing. "Yosuke just got hit with a bolt of inspiration - and whatever it is, it'll be out there. I'd bet my lunch on it."
"Must be serious then," he shot back and dodged the fist she aimed at his stomach. "Don't worry, Satonaka, it's a great idea. You'll love it." He glanced at each of the underclassmen in turn. "What about you guys? You're all in different classes."
Kanji shrugged. "Dunno what mine's doing. Not interested in that stuff." For all he knew, they'd voted to jump off the roof. Still wouldn't make a difference - no school event could be anything but dull.
"I, um-I haven't really paid attention," Naoto answered, a little stiffly. "But obviously we have far more pressing concerns and-"
The sentence was lost in Rise's sudden giggle and Souji's yelp as she latched onto his arm. "Senpai, have you decided who you'll be going around the campus with during the festival?" she trilled, smiling her stadium smile. "My schedule's still wide open, you lucky guy!"
"Figures." Chie rolled her eyes. "Quiet the whole time, just waiting for her chance!"
Souji glanced down at Rise's arm, still locked in a death-grip around his. "Guess you'd better pencil me in, then."
October 22nd, 2011
Rain hammered against the window all through Geography class, leaving Kanji feeling itchy and off-balance no matter how many times he reminded himself there was nobody to rescue. As bad as it sounded, he almost wished there was. At least he'd have an excuse to smack some Shadows around and blow off steam. Sewing helped, but there were only so many stuffed animals you could fit on one shelf and he'd used up all his bobble eyes and plastic noses on the bunnies last night. And if somebody got thrown in then they'd know what to do next, rather than waiting for the killer to make a move and knowing he was out there laughing at them the whole time.
Kanji blamed this restlessness for what happened after school, when he walked to his locker, realized he'd left his umbrella at home and swore loud enough to scatter a group of terrified fellow first-years. Wasn't bad stress relief, but it didn't solve the problem of him getting drenched on the way home. It also startled Naoto, who was standing nearby pulling envelopes out of her locker.
"Is something wrong, Kanji-kun?" she asked, eyebrows raised.
She didn't scold him for mouthing off - but maybe that was bad, maybe she figured he was just some punk and she shouldn't expect any better and-
"Kanji-kun?" Naoto stepped closer, peering up at him with wide blue-grey eyes and a slight frown.
He swallowed and glanced away. Damn, those eyes got him every time. "Uh. No. Sorry. What're all those envelopes?"
Her expression darkened. "Letters."
Well, yeah, that was obvious. Kanji was quickly figuring out that with Naoto, you had to get specific. He was about to ask if they were work letters – crap, what if she had to leave Inaba and go work somewhere else? - when he noticed the heart stickers. The pink and purple envelopes, too. "Oh. They-they're-"
"Letters of affection," Naoto quickly finished, stumbling a little on the last word. A few of the envelopes fell to the floor.
Man, people were still leaving those? Girls had started putting them in her locker only a few days after she started school. Rise had even claimed to see a few boys - then refused to tell Kanji who they were, even though he'd seriously just wanted to help Naoto out by gently suggesting they never, ever do it again.
He grabbed the letters from the floor and held them out. "You lost some."
"Ah. Thank you." Naoto nodded toward the trashcan by the main door. "Please dispose of them there."
"Y-you don't read 'em?"
Already halfway to the trashcan, she swiveled round and shot Kanji a glare. "Absolutely not. I have no interest in entanglements," she added, like the word was stuck to the roof of her mouth. "There are far more pressing matters than professions from people who know nothing about me."
I know stuff about you, Kanji almost blurted out. They'd talked, sort of. He'd been to her apartment too. Hell, he'd carried her there and put up with her being a complete pain in the ass the whole way - right after he helped save her life when she tried throwing it away just to prove a point. Most importantly of all, he'd seen her Shadow, so he knew that entanglements part was complete crap.
Thing was, none of it mattered. If he wrote her a letter it'd still end up like the rest. Crushing on someone who probably didn't like you was bad enough; it was even worse when they refused to like anybody at all.
"I thought all this would stop once people knew," Naoto muttered, as she took the last few envelopes from his hand and dropped them in the trash.
The answer came on reflex. "They like you no matter what, it don't make no difference."
Naoto stared up at him again, eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Whoa. Kanji really, really hadn't meant to say that out loud. At least he'd stopped before adding and I don't care either. But he honestly didn't, even if Rise or Yosuke or whoever thought he should and even though it seemed kind of weird. They'd never get anywhere, but maybe all those girls had still been onto something when they'd decided to keep chasing Naoto - who was still staring at him. Glaring, almost.
"How could it not?" she muttered.
He swallowed again, hoping his face wouldn't catch fire. "You're-you're still you."
"Do you truly believe-" Naoto stopped short and shook her head. "These, these-admirers. They're delusional."
A heavy silence fell; the really uncomfortable sort that Kanji wanted to fill with something big and important but always spent staring dumbly while trying not to panic. Long moments later, Naoto tipped down her cap and marched stiffly back to her locker.
None of it made sense. Maybe she wanted everyone to treat her differently now they knew - except she looked and talked and acted like she had before. Okay, she didn't force her voice quite as low and she let people call her a girl, but what else had changed? Kanji didn't understand and decided he probably never would, which meant he needed to split before he said something stupid. "The shop. I-I gotta go," he stammered, turning to leave.
"Kanji-kun, wait."
He could pretend he hadn't heard. He was already two strides from the door and Naoto's legs were way too short for her to catch him up.
...Shit, this was stupid. Beating down weird-ass monsters that looked like they'd crawled out a horror movie didn't phase him. Neither did summoning his own, or getting hit by fireballs or sliced at with swords or any of that stuff - and he still didn't have the guts to face someone whose head didn't even reach his chin? No way. He might never work up the courage to tell Naoto what was up, but running away from her was just pathetic.
He turned around. "S'up?" he managed, his voice hitting its highest pitch since age twelve.
Naoto gestured toward the glass doors. "It's raining. Where is your umbrella?"
"Uh, yeah. F-forgot it this mornin'." He shrugged. "I-I'll just run home, ain't a problem."
She paused for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip - then reached into her locker and pulled out a clear plastic umbrella. "I have one," she said, holding it out as proof.
Kanji forced a smile. "Great! Stay dry."
Naoto stared at him. The umbrella remained held out, pointy end dangerously close to his neck.
Wait a sec. Was she saying-dammit, what sort of jerk did she think he was? "No way! I ain't taking it from you, you'll get-"
"I wasn't proposing you take it. I pass near the shopping district on my way home."
"Oh." Deflated, Kanji fell back into confusion. "Y-you don't hafta-I'll be fine, no worries."
Naoto shook her head. "The detour from my normal route will be minor. It isn't a big deal." Then she hesitated, like she was trying to figure something out, and her shoulders tensed. "But if you don't wish to, that's-"
"No! I mean, yeah, I do. Wish to." Kanji flapped an arm at where he remembered the door being. "L-let's go, yeah?"
The walk home – not together, Kanji firmly reminded himself, just close enough to stay dry and in the same general direction – was both nerve-wracking and completely awesome. It was also short, which was probably for the best since Naoto insisted on holding the umbrella. Within five minutes of leaving school, Kanji's back had started aching and he'd become convinced Naoto's arm would drop off from being stretched out so far above her head. Not that he mentioned it. He didn't say much at all, in fact, because everything he came up with sounded stupid and Naoto didn't seem interested in conversation.
She walked him all the way to the store, though. Wouldn't hear otherwise, even after he insisted that he'd be just fine running up the street, seriously, wasn't like he'd drown. Naoto just shook her head and said that was irrational (and, after the third time he tried convincing her to leave, that he was too). Kanji gave up and stayed quietly hunched over until they reached the textiles shop - where he stood now, staring at Naoto and wondering whether he should invite her in, just say thanks, or run and hide in the stockroom.
Ma always liked people coming by. Used to dote on Naoki. And she'd met Naoto before.
Kanji swallowed. "Uh... do, do you-see, my ma, she-and I-" Unfortunately, he'd just blown what little Naoto-related courage he had on walking home next to her (not together, definitely not together). "I-I'll see you tomorrow," he choked out.
"Ah. Yes, tomorrow." Naoto nodded. "Goodbye, Kanji-kun."
He mumbled something close to a farewell and stepped out from under the umbrella, allowing Naoto to lower her arm and wince. She walked away without another word, and didn't look back the whole way through the shopping district. Honestly, Kanji was grateful. Naoto liked things that made sense, and him standing in the rain watching her leave definitely didn't.
Shaking his head and trying not to drip on the front step, he pushed open the shop door. "Yo, Ma, I'm home!"
"That's nice, but is Nao-chan coming in?"
Kanji stopped mid-stride. Teddie was perched on the edge of the counter next to the cash register, wearing a bright smile and a yellow scarf that totally clashed with his hair. "The hell you doin' here?"
"Kanji-chan, please don't shout at your friends," Ma called from the back of the shop.
Teddie gave a reproving nod. "You should listen to your mother."
"Oh, he rarely does." Ma appeared in the rear doorway, arms wrapped around a wide roll of screen-printed cotton. "He could learn a lot from you, Teddie."
"You don't know him," Kanji muttered, grabbing the roll and resisting the urge to beat it against Teddie's head.
"We're friends now," Teddie pointed out. "Tatsumi-san let me stay here so I wouldn't get wet. She's so nice!"
He was a terrible son. He hadn't warned Ma about Teddie. The bear had probably sparkled at her, dammit, and now she was smiling at him and letting him camp out in the frickin' shop. "Such a pleasant young man! I never expected an exchange student to fit in so quickly." She leaned closer to him, and Kanji's world went dark at the edges. "You're a credit to your country, dear."
"And Kanji-chan's a bear-y lucky boy," Teddie said. "Especially since he got to walk home with Nao-chan too."
Wait, how the hell had he seen that? "Dammit, you spyin' on me? It-it ain't-" He was going to finish with what you think at all, except he had walked home with Naoto. Or beside her. Near her. Close enough to bump shoulders once, which had been really awkward and also sent Naoto stumbling two steps to the side. But yeah, they'd walked; couldn't deny that. However, since Teddie counted Yukiko helping him up in battle one time as a confession of undying love, chances were he really had gotten the wrong idea. Or the right idea, maybe, if only Kanji had the guts to-
He gave up and settled for the easiest response. "Shut it, Ted."
Ma tipped her head. "Nao-chan? Is she a friend from school?" She frowned. "I remember a Naoto – lovely boy, so well dressed! – but not a Nao-chan."
"See, that's a funny story," Teddie began, before Kanji lunged over the counter and grabbed his scarf.
"I said shut it!" he snapped. "C'mon, we're goin' to Junes!"
"Don't be silly, Kanji-chan," Ma clucked, tapping his hand away. "You'll get drenched. Besides, Teddie's shirt looks very delicate." She sighed. "Junes really don't make anything to last, do they?
"But Ma-"
She shook her head and waved toward the rear doorway. "Take your friend to the living room, Kanji-chan. You can entertain yourselves until the rain eases off."
It wasn't worth arguing. Once Ma decided something, she'd shoot down any protest without blinking and so politely you almost wouldn't mind. With a low growl, Kanji grabbed Teddie's arm and pulled him toward the doorway. "C'mon, you. Stop clutterin' up the shop."
"Thank you, Tatsumi-san!" Teddie chirped as they left.
"It was lovely meeting you, dear," Ma replied.
"Should throw you outside," Kanji muttered, inspecting the air for glittering lights. He kept checking all the way to the living room, where - satisfied that the space around Teddie remained twinkle-free - he flopped down on the sofa and scowled. "Sparkle at my ma and you're goin' through a wall."
Teddie looked hurt. "But she's so kind! She even let me pick out a scarf to keep." He waggled one end, the yellow tassels falling over his fingers and still clashing with his hair. Kanji vowed to swap it for a nice marine blue when he wasn't looking.
"Why're you here, anyway?" he asked, slumping against the cushions. "Ain't Yosuke gonna be looking for you?"
"Probably. This is more important, though." Teddie lowered his voice to something that still wasn't anywhere near a whisper. "I'm getting ready for the culture festival."
"That ain't for another week. And you don't even go to school."
Teddie shot his hand in the air and dramatically pointed a finger at the ceiling. "But! Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Rise-chan and Nao-chan will all need a charming, dashing young stud to escort them around the many cultural wonders. Which would be me!" He sighed, arm still raised. "I wanted to ask Rise-chan first, but she wasn't at the tofu shop and then it started raining. So I came here instead."
"Rise's out with Senpai today. Not that you stood a chance t'start with." Kanji had heard Rise do enough squealing about how amazing Senpai was to know she only had eyes for one guy, regardless of whether said guy had actually noticed. And don't you know how that feels, he thought, stretching his legs out against the floor and staring glumly at his feet.
A blond head appeared at the edge of his vision. "If you're jealous, Kanji-chan, Teddie can show you around too. As long as you don't scare off the girls or touch my fur."
Kanji wasn't sure which was worse: that he'd been interested until that last qualifier (nothing on the planet looked as soft and fuzzy), or that the girls could go feel up Teddie's fur any time they liked (if they were willing to risk it being reciprocated). Then he thought of something even more terrible: Naoto doing just that at the festival if Teddie asked her.
...Like that'd happen. She'd just shoot him. Then she'd spend the day with Senpai instead, provided Rise didn't beat her to death with a poster board.
"Or maybe you can ask Nao-chan to escort you! She'll probably say no after she sees me, but I'll do my best not to be so devastatingly handsome," Teddie promised, jumping onto the sofa and sprawling over an armrest. "Rise-chan says you want to score with her so bad it's going to kill you and I'd feel bear-y bad if that happened."
Kanji threw the TV remote at him. "Shut up and find a show to watch, alright?"
October 23rd, 2011
The kid looked up at him, all wide brown eyes and scruffy dark hair. "Did you bring it, Mister?"
Takeshi Nakagawa, he'd said his name was. Kanji remembered seeing the name in the shop's record book: three addresses, four different customers. Common name, but maybe the kid was from one of the families; Ma would know for sure. "I told you, I ain't a Mister - and yeah, I brought it," he muttered, glancing quickly around the hilltop. He'd already checked the pagoda three times in case someone was hiding there. Looked under the bench and everything. Shit, this had seemed a lot less stupid with Senpai standing next to him. "N-no complaining, okay?"
Takeshi nodded fiercely. With a final unhappy sigh, Kanji unzipped the bag and pulled out a yellow bunny. "Here," he mumbled, and pushed it into the kid's hands.
Kanji wasn't one to brag, but he'd definitely done good work. Copied everything Takeshi could remember about the one he'd lost in the river, right down to the sunflower yellow fur and dark pink rabbit nose.
"It's got an umbrella?" Takeshi's eyes were even wider. "Sana-chan's didn't."
Okay, he might've added a few extras. Couldn't leave the thing without an outfit and umbrellas had been on his mind. "Look, if it ain't good enough, then-"
"No, no! It's amazing!" Takeshi insisted, tilting the doll round in his hands and lifting up its straw hat. "Where'd you get it?"
"Wh-who cares?" Kanji tried his best not to roar. "Why's it matter anyway?"
Takeshi stood on tiptoes and waved the bunny at Kanji's chin. "Because I want one too!"
"Uh. Y-you do?" Man, he hadn't been expecting the kid to ask for one. "W-well, I got one for you, so stop askin' questions, yeah?"
Out of the bag came the second bunny, the pink one with the soccer ball. Putting the studs on its boots had taken a whole hour, but if you gave a fuzzy animal a ball then you had to make sure it could play. Takeshi's face lit up. "Oh, wow, thanks! It's awesome! But where'd you get them?"
There were two ways to answer that question: lie his head off and say he got them at Junes, or fess up and have a five-year-old think he was the world's biggest pansy.
Kanji paused.
Screw it. Like he cared what some brat thought. "…I-I made them."
Takeshi stared at him.
"Why're you-dammit, there some sorta problem with that? If y'think it's creepy then give 'em-"
"Mister, you're so cool!" The kid bounced on the spot, eyes now wide as plates and filled with the sort of awe you saved for somebody who'd just punched out a T-Rex. "Can you make other stuff too? Like other animals, or, or people? My mom, could you make one for her?"
Kanji had been trying to answer him since the first question (of course he could, anything you named). "S-sure," he finally got out, when Takeshi took a breath.
"Okay! I can come back and see you, right? Once I figure out what she wants?"
He nodded dumbly.
"Thanks, Mister! I'm gonna go give this to Sana-chan." Takeshi headed back down the path at high speed, stopping when he reached the tree at the edge of the hill. "Remember, you promised!" he called.
Speaking was still a challenge. Kanji just nodded again and waved goodbye.
Takeshi had said he was cool. Specifically, that he was cool because he made bunnies. Not despite, because. Kid was probably just being nice, but he figured today was turning out well after all - until Naoto stepped out from behind the tree and everything went horrible again.
"Kanji-kun," she said, like the ringing of a death knell. "Please explain what just transpired."
Mid-catastrophe, Kanji somehow managed to speak. "N-N-Naoto! S'up?"
"Nothing is up. Why were you speaking with that boy?"
"No reason! N-no reason at all. S'all good, just great."
"Why were you speaking with that boy?" she repeated.
Excuses flitted through Kanji's mind. He's my long-lost cousin. He left his dumb toys at the shop. I'm teaching him how to beat up biker gangs. He'd never been good under pressure.
"You took two items from your bag and gave them to him. They were brightly colored." Naoto clasped her hands behind her back. "Toy bears, I believe."
Bears? Was she blind? "Dammit, they weren't bears, they-wait, you were spying on me?"
She glared and turned a guilty pink. "Of course not. I was merely observing."
"From behind a tree?" Kanji snapped. Naoto opened her mouth but apparently hadn't put words in it first, so he kept going. "And, and how'd you even know I was here? You following me?"
"No! I-I simply happened to be-do not deflect the question, Kanji-kun. Why did you give toy bears to that boy?"
In any other situation, he would've denied everything till his last breath. But this was Naoto, whom he already lied to every moment he was with her and who couldn't tell one animal from another. "Whatever. Was two bunnies. Not bears." Lovingly crafted bunnies that totally looked like they were intended to. She'd probably just been too far away to see.
She nodded. "And why were you giving them to him?"
He'd never crush on a detective again. Too many interrogations. "Nothing bad, alright? It, it's…" Kanji began, then grunted and rubbed the back of his neck. "His friend. He lost her toy bunny in the river and he was cut up about it, so I helped him out."
Naoto studied him silently.
"B-but it was all Senpai's fault. He made me do it."
Naoto stared some more. Kanji began to feel sick.
"Fine! It, it was my stupid idea, alright?" he snapped, jabbing his thumb toward his chest. "Senpai, he just backed me up an' helped me work up the guts to do it, no matter how dumb it was, so stop frickin' staring at me!"
He hadn't meant to freak out like that, but at least it made Naoto's expression change. Now she looked irritated instead of blank. It was still an improvement.
"I wasn't staring," she said flatly. "I was waiting for you to finish."
"Oh. Oh." Anger fled in an instant, replaced with the realization that he'd just yelled at her over nothing. "S-sorry, man. Didn't mean to get riled up."
She looked up at him, head tipped slightly to one side. "The dolls. Do you have any more?"
The dumb thing was, he did. After the first one, he'd figured: hell, why not make a second for Takeshi? Might make him feel better over losing his friend's toy. And if he was going to make a second, he might as well make a third, just in case it turned out the kid hated soccer. He sighed. "Y-yeah. One. B-but I ain't-"
"May I see it?"
Kanji stared down at Naoto - steel grey-blue eyes, intent expression, like he was some big mystery - and felt his stomach jump. How was he supposed to say no? Willing his hand not to shake, he reached inside his bag and pulled out the final bunny: pale blue, extra fuzzy, and holding a paintbrush. "There," he mumbled, shoving it toward her.
Naoto leaned closer to inspect the doll – gaze traveling over the little felt beret, the fine hairs on the brush and the paint-splattered shirt.
"It's very elaborate," she said at last. "Who made it?"
Telling the kid had been terrifying enough. Telling Naoto would be far worse. She was smart, tough and no-nonsense, which were all things Kanji desperately wanted her to think he was too, and none of which matched up with sewing stupid dolls.
But Souji already knew and hadn't spilled it. Naoto could be trusted too, right? And since she never laughed at anything, Kanji was fairly certain she wouldn't start with him. "I-I did. I made 'em," he stammered.
She glanced up at him, eyebrows raised. "Oh."
"Whassat mean?" he snapped, jerking his hand away and stuffing the doll back in the bag. "You got a problem with it?"
"No. Why would I?"
"You, you said 'oh'. And y-you know." He gestured at himself, then at the hidden bunny. "Because."
Naoto followed his movements, looking from his face to the bag and back again. Then she shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't understand."
I'M A GUY WHO SEWS BUNNIES WITH BERETS, Kanji wanted to scream. "Whatever," he muttered. "Just don't tell nobody, yeah?" He paused. "Uh. Anybody, I mean. Don't tell anybody."
Naoto nodded her head with crisp approval. "Correct. And I won't."
"Th-thanks. And, uh, definitely don't mention it to Rise. Can't keep secrets." Rise wouldn't be the real problem, of course; she'd just tease him for a week or so. Yosuke would keep the joke running for a million years. But Naoto hadn't joked at all, or any of the other reactions Kanji had imagined. She hadn't said all the good stuff that Senpai did, but she knew now and she hadn't laughed and she'd promised not to tell anyone else.
He didn't realize he was smiling until Naoto asked him what was wrong. He quickly changed topics. "So, uh, why're you here?"
Guilt flashed across her face. "Walking."
"And then you hid behind a tree?"
"Yes."
Yosuke had been right. Naoto really was a genius at killing conversations - and Kanji wasn't much good at rescuing them. The two of them stood there in awkward silence for what felt like hours; Naoto staring out over the town, and Kanji glancing between her and the nearest tree.
Surprisingly, she was the first to speak. "After school. I don't-I, I often go to the food court. Occasionally I come here, as I did today." Her gaze remained fixed on the area beyond the fence. "I saw you waiting and didn't wish to bother you, but then that boy arrived, so I decided I would..."
"Spy on me?" he filled in.
As usual, straightening her back and squaring her shoulders made Naoto look way bigger. Kanji thought of cats again. "As I said, I was observing." She looked down, one hand moving to rest on her hip. "You. How do you spend your evenings?"
He blinked at her. "I-I dunno. Work in the shop. Get dragged round Junes by Rise, maybe go hang with Souji-senpai." He hesitated. "And I sew stuff."
"Yes, I suppose you must." Her shoe tapped against the ground. "And Rise-san has previously stated that you and her associate outside of school."
"Uh... I guess. Her grandma's shop ain't far and she hates walking to school by herself. Plus she's always bugging me on weekends, I think she gets bored."
Naoto nodded. "Do you spend much time with Seta-senpai?"
What was she getting at? Kanji was no social star. The only two friends he'd had as a kid were Naoki and Yukiko, and they'd drifted away after his old man had died. Hadn't been their fault; nobody wanted to be friends with somebody who kept shoving people away. "Just hang out sometimes. You, you ever talk to him?"
"Not on a personal level." She still hadn't looked back. "I understand he's close to the rest of the team."
Half of Kanji wanted to sigh with relief. The other half was too busy trying to decode Naoto's expression. "Yeah, he looks after us. Uh, listen-there something wrong?" He frowned down at her. "You okay?"
"The case. We should be focusing our energies on that, particularly now that exams are over." Her jaw tightened. "Yet we haven't entered the television in weeks or made any move to catch the killer."
"Eh, you heard Senpai. We gotta wait."
"But that's-there are other things we can do. The others, even Seta-senpai-they all spend their time-" She paused and took a deep breath, the fingers on her hip clenching into a fist. "I worked on the case for the entire summer, Kanji-kun, and at no point did I distract myself with trivialities."
And you still didn't get anywhere, Kanji thought. "It ain't all trivial. People gotta do their own thing too, or they go nuts." Or they decided getting themselves kidnapped on purpose was the only way to go. Spend too much time thinking about one thing and it took over your life.
Even before he'd finished speaking, Naoto was already shaking her head. "I don't have that luxury. I should-we should remain focused. The killer may seek out another victim, and the letter proves he knows who we are. "
"But there's other stuff. School, y'know. Home." He rolled his shoulders; the muscles were aching. "Culture festival's coming up, like Chie-senpai said."
"An irrelevant activity," Naoto muttered.
She wasn't listening. She'd already made up her mind and Kanji couldn't think of any more ways to tell her she had it all wrong. "You-you gotta talk to Souji-senpai. I can't change what we do." Didn't think they should, either. "I just hit stuff, man."
No answer. Naoto just looked up at him, this time with an expression he couldn't read at all. "Kanji-kun. Are you-" She paused for several seconds, fingers playing over the collar of her shirt. Her gaze shifted to somewhere near his elbow. "Tell me, have I caused you offense in some manner?"
Kanji frowned down at her. "Uh...what?"
"My presence seems to cause you discomfort." Naoto clasped both hands behind her back before meeting his eyes again. "I upset you previously. Was my apology inadequate?"
Wait. They'd done this part already. She'd found him outside the sewing room, he'd panicked that she'd rumbled him (like it mattered now), she'd said sorry a second time and he'd told her it was fine. Now she was verging on a third. "No, no! S'all okay, no worries." He tried what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Think I'm gonna do better in the exams."
"Oh. Well, that's good." Naoto gave a firm nod. "I should return home. It's late."
Kanji glanced up at the sky. It'd turned a much darker blue since they'd started talking. "Guess so."
"Do you want-" For a moment, it looked like she was about to hold out her hand - but it landed on her hip instead. "Obviously you don't need an umbrella. But it would be sensible to walk together, since it's getting dark."
Kanji blinked, swallowed, and tried not to dwell on the 'together'. "Right. Yeah. Okay."
Neither spoke on the walk back down the hill, which was either really awkward or kind of comfortable. He wasn't certain. Maybe both. The silence lasted until the edge of the park, and again Naoto was the first to speak. "The stitching on the rabbit. It's very precise."
"Uh, thanks. Y-you like sewing?"
"Of course not," she quickly replied, like he'd suggested she enjoyed robbing banks and beating up cops. "But the doll was excellent. Professional." She glanced up at him, eyebrows slightly raised. "You ought to attend sewing club rather than looking through the window."
Dammit. She really had rumbled him. Served him right for hanging around gawking every time the club met. "Nah. Wouldn't work. People, you know how they are, right?" He swept his hand from his head to his waist, taking in the tattoo, the piercings, the scar, and the fact that he had at least ten centimeters on the next tallest boy in the year. "They see this, they already got an idea in their heads."
Her eyes flickered with realization. "Is that what you meant before? About having a problem with the dolls?"
"Yeah," Kanji muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "That's why they're a secret."
Naoto paused, gaze fixed back on the path, then shook her head. "They shouldn't be," she told him.