Begin!

~Normal POV

"You're gonna do it?!"

Kanji glared at Yu, while blushing fiercely. "Yes, I am! Wh-What's so weird about that?!"

Yu grinned widely. "Nothing, man, I'm just happy for you!"

The two boys were hanging out at Yu's house today. Kanji was happy that Yu agreed to meet up with him right now, He knew his friend was having far worse problems than this. But Yu said it would help take his mind off things, so he agreed. But he hadn't been expecting Kanji to say he was going to confess to Naoto. He assumed that wouldn't happen until later, if at all.

"Well, what have you done so far?"

Kanji shifted nervously. "I- I tried practicing in the mirror, like ya said…"

"That's good, it's to get the words out."

"If you say so… So, I'm here because- because I wanna know if you can help?" Kanji stared at him pleadingly.

"Of course I can," Yu said, supportively. "Ok, to start, do you know what you want to say? You got it memorized?"

"I sure as fuck hope so- It's all I've been thinking about since I decided."

"Good, good. And you don't have to tell me, it only matters that you say it to her."

Kanji nodded as he waited for Yu to continue. Yu put on a thinking pose.

"Hmm… Well, I don't think she's the type to want flowers, so don't try that. Poetry-? Oh god, no. Um- ok next question, how do you wanna do it? Tell her, or write a note?"

"Tell her." Kanji answered, quickly. "She throws out every love note she gets, even if they might be signed."

"Ah, yeah that's true, I've seen her do it too."

Kanji had an idea. "Hey, what was it like when you and Rise confessed?"

Yu smiled. "It won't help you much, but I'll tell you. I know it sounds weird coming from me, but I was nervous too. It's normal to be nervous. I knew Rise liked to flirt, but I thought maybe she was just one of those girls who does it all the time. I didn't know it was genuine. Some girls are like that. Anyway, I went to hang out with her, I thought about what I wanted to say, and… well, long story short, she was upset about something. She started crying… so I just wanted to hug her, comfort her. And that was all it took."

"The hell does that mean?"

"I hugged her and we just sort of… knew." Yu said, happily. "We didn't need to say it, we felt it. Of course, we said it properly later, once we really started dating, but the first time we just kinda knew that things were different between us at that moment."

Kanji looked disappointed. That was a nice story, but it didn't help his dilemma. He didn't even know if Naoto felt the same way about him. Yu had the advantage when he did it. Rise was forward and open about her feelings. Everyone knew that she had some interest in him. Naoto wasn't like that. Maybe he'd see that side of her if they got together, but that couldn't happen unless he confessed first. Or her, if she felt the same.

"Like I said, it won't help ya…" Yu added, seeing the look on his friend's face.

"Yeah- what should I do then?"

Yu shrugged. "The best plan is to look for a good opening, and just say it. Don't overthink it, or you'll be too freaked out."

Kanji sighed. "I know, but… how will I know if it's a good time?"

"Well, look at the situation around you. You'll be with her, maybe you can go somewhere you both like, to set the mood. What do you do together?"

"I've been sorta working on something with her. I don't know if she'd like me sharing it."

"Then don't."

That made Kanji think of something else. "Actually, I might not be able to do that part- ya see, we might have to go somewhere else for this thing, if something happens, so I can't just take her to any old spot."

"Ah- ok, that does complicate things. I was gonna suggest that you take her somewhere nice and romantic. But I'm sure that even if you're doing something else, there can still be a moment for you to say it. You gotta look out for it."

"And I just… say it?" Kanji asked, nervously. "Nothing fancy or anything?"

"Yes, be honest about your feelings, and no matter how she responds, you'll feel better for it."

Kanji knew he was right. It wasn't gonna make him any less nervous, but it was the truth. And Naoto deserved to hear the truth. In the growth he's done over the past year, this would be his last big hurdle to overcome. He would face his biggest fear, and hopefully things would turn out ok for it.

~...

Naoto had been invited into Rise's room at her house for their discussion. It needed to be private, so this was the best place. When she told Rise about her idea, she seemed excited, albeit in a playful way.

"I'm surprised you didn't do it after the festival-" Rise said, teasingly, "I know you voted for him in the boys' pageant."

Naoto blushed. "What?! I never told anyone that!"

"You did just now." Rise replied, giggling. "But I get it, he did look the best."

The detective had a feeling that Rise was only saying this because she was the one who helped with his look for the show. She decided not to dwell on that little trick, what was done was done. Right now, she needed help.

"Well…?" Naoto began, "What should I do?"

Rise thought it over. "Hm. Ideally, you want to set the mood. Maybe you could wear something nice? Doesn't have to be too fancy. I could help you buy something to wear!"

"I- I think not…" Naoto suspected that the word "nice" actually meant something like a dress, and she wasn't ready for that. "If it doesn't work out, it'd be far more humiliating…"

"Oh, it'd work. You underestimate how smitten that boy is for you." Rise thought. But she understood the concern about trying too hard.

"Ok, that's fair. I guess it's not required to get all dolled up for him. When do you wanna do it?"

"Hopefully, the next time we get to hang out…"

"Good plan. And it'll be better to say it yourself, rather than in a note. Love notes can be fun to write, but it's more personal if you say it to his face."

Naoto nodded. "Y-Yes, I had that thought, as well."

"So, what you do is find a good opening and say it."

"What would be a good opening though?"

"It depends on where you are and what you're doing. For example, senpai and I confessed when we went to get lunch together at the steak skewer place. It was a place we both liked, so it felt more comfortable and natural. You could do something similar. Go to a place that you both enjoy, and then find a good time to say it."

Yes, that did seem helpful. "I guess if the opportunity comes up, then I could try it. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yeah- I can tell you're shy, but you gotta push past those nerves. If you get too freaked out, you're gonna miss your chance."

That was true… Naoto mused about it silently. The look of fear must have been obvious because Rise gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder.

"Naoto, you got this. You're a super detective, you're not gonna let your nerves stand in your way, right?"

She had a point. Naoto was the detective prince, she wasn't supposed to be afraid of anything. Especially not confessing to a boy! She would have to be brave if she wanted this to work. And she did truly want it to work. No matter what happened, it would be worth a try.

"I- I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you, Rise-san."

~End of Chapter