Saturday, 8/5/12, Shirogane Residence, Morning...
*Knock knock knock*
Naoto opened one eye like a castle drawbridge, almost feeling the weight of her eyelid as it struggled to maintain its temporary victory. The stupor of sleep had yet to fully wear off, so the detective found herself with serious doubts as to whether or not the noise she heard was real or the lingering echo of a distant dream. Maybe a wait-and-see approach would prove most eff -
*Knock knock knock*
Real. It was a mild groan that came out next, the annoyed grunt of an under-rested teenager who felt it was far too early for such loud noises. A slow and arduous turn of her head could confirm that seeing the glowing red digits of 8:30 A.M. on her bedside clock did little to disprove her theory. Normally the 2nd year was very punctual waking up, even if she often slept far past a normal time for someone her age, but she had hoped that summer vacation would be the one time where she could be a little more lax. As usual, life wasn't so interested in what she wanted.
The sleepy indigo-haired girl rolled off her bed, ignoring creaky and stiff joints as she stumbled to her feet. Giving herself a minor inspection, she was at least pleased to see that she had managed to dress for bed; the detective had a bad habit of working past the point of exhaustion, which caused her to nod off in her regular clothes far more often than she'd like.
Her pajamas consisted of a dark blue, long sleeved, collared silk shirt, with three buttons and a chest pocket decorating the front, and a pair of matching silk shorts that hung just below her knees. It wasn't really her style, but it was incredibly comfortable and, more importantly, a gift from her Grandfather. She grabbed for the black robe hanging off one of the myriad hooks up near the door and slowly began -
*Bang bang bang*
Okay, that was enough!
"Yakushiji-san, please! This noise is excessive and unnecessary!" Naoto hissed, clamping one eye shut as she reeled from the sounds of something banging on the wooden door. What had gotten into Yakushiji, she wondered. Was there some emergency? Naoto forgot about tying the robe and just reached for the door handle. "If you would please just wait a moment, I can - !"
The 2nd year had thrown open her door, expecting the stern and bespectacled face of her Grandfather's assistant. That wasn't exactly what stood in front of her, and she couldn't contain the audible gasp that escaped her throat. The loud visitor picked up the slack from Naoto's mouth-agape silence.
" Snnrkt ...so, 2 things: number one, I am in love with those PJ's! I am all about this sleepy detective look. Secondly, I've been standing here un-hugged for, like, forever, and it's really bugging me, honestly!"
Rise. Rise. Sure enough, the recently reinstated idol was standing there, in the flesh. With her black, long sleeved crop top, cut-off denim shorts and beautifully styled and combed hair running long down her back, Rise looked like she'd just stepped off the stage of a film and into real life. Naoto was torn between a veritable multiverse of feelings: overwhelming joy, anger at her being gone so long, sadness that she probably wouldn't stay, anxiety at what to say about what had been going on, and a nagging sleepiness that wondered if she was still somehow dreaming. The maelstrom of thoughts paralyzed her, which made Rise laugh as she closed the gap between them.
"Don't worry," she snickered again, slowly placing her arms around the smaller girl, "I'll forgive you. This time!"
After a few seconds of standing there stunned, Naoto hurriedly reached her arm around Rise's lower back, leaning into her bigger friend as the redhead began to gently rub her back. Her face heated up, naturally; it was expected that Rise was always going to hug her, but Naoto still couldn't shake the embarrassment she felt whenever the idol embraced her so... lovingly . Obviously Rise only meant to convey her affection, but the pint-sized detective still had some hang-ups about physical contact, even with her best friend.
As Rise let go, Naoto did her best to suppress that uncomfortability, and felt a contagious smile arise to match Rise's 1000 watt grin. "My apologies, Rise. I...this is quite a surprise," the detective said, "Wh-what about the show, are you not still practicing?" As far as Naoto knew, Rise was in the final stages of preparing for her massive comeback show at the Love Meets Bonds festival later that month. She had gotten so busy lately that even texts were going unanswered.
Rise giggled as she trotted past Naoto into her room, hands clasped behind her back as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Of course! Buuuttt while they're setting up the stage and doing other boring planning stuff, I figured I could take a little break! I never used to take them before; I would always get so worn out, and I want this time to be different. Plus," she sighed, turning back to give a mournful look at Naoto still in the doorway, "I missed you. A lot . Everyone else, too!"
It seemed that even after a few weeks of being away, Rise hadn't lost her irresistible charm nor her natural ability to make Naoto feel like the luckiest person on the Earth to have her as a friend. "You are always missed," she said wistfully, joining Rise in the center of her room, "It feels like we haven't spent any time together since..." If Naoto was remembering correctly, it was that wretched last day of school when she and Rise had seen each other last. Her expression hardened, accordingly.
Rise must have sensed it, as she stepped a little closer to her friend. "I-I know. And believe me, I feel terrible about not being around since...well, everything. But I want to make it up to you!"
Naoto was again touched by the girl's sincerity, but wanted to make it clear that her being here now was all that mattered. "R-Rise, please, you don't have to do anything other than-"
"Which is why," Rise announced, overpowering Naoto's objections by just raising her voice, "I'm organizing the 2nd annual Investigation Team Beach Party! " she squealed, doing a little wiggle with her hips and gesticulating her fingers in a silent dance, earning a raised eyebrow from her companion.
The beach? Naoto couldn't remember the last time she had actually stepped onto an honest-to-goodness beach; it was another of those things one does as a child that had just never occurred to her. Even now, she felt no real pressing desire to sit in dirty sand amidst or frolic amidst likely polluted water, nor did she feel like going out in her...swimsuit, of sorts. Still, she had also been rather ambivalent towards the ski trip the team had taken at the beginning of the year, but ended up enjoying herself. It was the first time that she had really spent time with everyone without the pressure of having to solve a murder case, and it was such a great feeling. Perhaps this could match that high, although Naoto had her doubts, given recent happenings.
"Hmm...the beach, eh?" Naoto asked, mostly to herself, "I've never actually been, although I suppose there's a first time for everything..."
Rise's pink lips formed an almost perfect oval in shock. " What!? Never!? Th-that means..." The girl had clenched her fists and was holding them over her mouth, as if the next sentence was in danger of harming Naoto. Even then, a muffled squeal made its way out. Naoto wasn't sure what had got her so anxious, but this was usually never a good sign for the detective.
"It means..." Naoto groaned, preparing herself for whatever crackpot idea Rise was clearly cooking up.
" We get to buy you a bathing suiiiittt!" Rise shrieked, skidding up to Naoto and wrapping her arms around her in yet another celebratory, claustrophobic hug. "I'm so happy, you have no idea! Now, if you ask me, it's bikini or bust, and I have several reasons why-"
Naoto slowly pushed Rise off of her and held up a hand, already not thrilled with her plan. "I'm going to stop you right there," she insisted, trying not to be too hard on her friend's good-intentioned plan, "I have not even said whether or not I would like to go, for one, and as for your bathing suit plan..." Again, Naoto had to swallow a lump of disgust down her throat at the mere thought of having to wear a bikini, "That will not be happening," she stated firmly with her arms crossed.
Rise pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. "Hmmph! You say that now, " she began, "But you've never been shopping with my eye for this stuff. Maybe we can downgrade to a one-piece. Maybe ." Her eyes got a little more melancholy as she paused for a few seconds. "Do you...do you really not wanna come? I know it's not your thing, but..."
Naoto felt a twinge of pain in her chest, hating to see Rise so sad. In truth, although the idea made her uncomfortable, she wasn't completely opposed to the idea, per se. She liked spending time with her friends, no matter the setting, but things were different now. Well, one thing, anyways.
"R-Rise, please don't be upset," Naoto begged, scratching her hair in frustration, "I...I would like to spend time with you all again, truthfully. And you and I get such little time to ourselves that I would stop time if it meant spending an afternoon with you," she finished, blushing deeply as she did. Rise had a tendency to bring out her sappy side, although she couldn't say she disliked it. It made her feel grounded even at her lowest moments, when she was sure she was more alien than human.
Still, she wasn't prepared for Rise's reaction. "Nao-chan...that's..." Rise leapt forward and hugged her once again, little sniffles of emotion gunking up her words. "Thu-that's -sniff- the swuh-sweetest thing -sniff- you've ever said!" Although it was unexpected, Naoto let Rise enjoy the embrace, realizing her discomfort was worth Rise's happiness.
"I-I wuh-would do the same!" Rise explained, finally letting go of her indigo-haired friend and revealing legitimately moist and teary eyes, "A-and I hope you know I'm just teasing you about the bikini stuff...yuh-you could wear anything you want! Just so long as you come..."
A wry smile fell over the detective's face. With that kind of presentation, what else could she say? "I...yes, I'll go, but I-"
Naoto was interrupted by a shrill scream of joy from Rise, a piercing shriek that hurt the detective's ears. As she shook her head and made sure her equilibrium was intact, Rise began to babble, her teary face all but cured of its temporary fit of sadness. "Alright, I'm gonna let everyone know!" she yelped, firing out a blitz of texts on her phone, "I was thinking next Saturday, because I know that's when Yosuke usually has the day off and Yukiko should be available before the weekend is up. Oh man this is gonna be so cool!You didn't get to go last time 'cause you were still Meanie-Face McNo-fun Shirogane." Naoto made what she presumed was the "meanie" face at Rise, who laughed as she continued. "But you seriously missed out: we built sand-castles, swam in the ocean, and had so much fun! You're gonna love it, I promise!"
This all sounded well and good, but Naoto was hoping Rise was finished so she could explain her more pressing point. "I-I'm sure, but-"
"Oh!" Rise exclaimed, interrupting her poor friend again, "You know what, though? I know that Chie and Yukiko have bathing suits that Dopesuke bought for them, so maybe we actually should go shopping. Girls as amazing and beautiful as them deserve better than something that perv picked out!"
Even through her exasperation, Naoto couldn't ignore what she just heard. "W-wait, what was that?"
"Mmm?" Rise blinked, knocked out her tirade.
"You said that... Yosuke-senpai bought our senpai their swimsuits?"
Rise nodded, scoffing and rolling her eyes. " Right!? Barf! I mean, they were pretty sexy, but still, it's, like...the principle, or whatever, y'know?!"
Naoto didn't know why, but this new bit of information made her feel strange and bothered. Perhaps it was because the two had recently gotten a bit closer, but it was upsetting to hear that Yosuke had done something so... odious . Obviously she knew he was much like most teenage boys when it came to having an insatiable and tiring lust for the opposite sex, but this...this felt a step too far. She made sure to file it in the vast archive of her mind for a future conversation with her older friend.
"Something else, too," Rise began, her eyes still glued to her phone, "You are up shockingly late today. Did you find an awesome new case and stay up all night studying and not tell me!? Oh, you're gonna get it, Shirogane..."
Naoto couldn't help but let out another chuckle. "Ha, I wish I was doing something of that nature! No I was...erm..." The detective hesitated, deciding whether or not she'd have to bend the truth a little.
She had been up very late, that was true, but it wasn't because she was studying a new case; she had actually been texting Yosuke, having a conversation about some of the things they had discussed on Monday. Naoto wasn't sure how to explain it, but Yosuke's admission of his own troubled past when it came to romance as well as a more docile and tolerable nature had done quite a number on his opinion of him. The follow-up conversation had solidified said opinion, as he continued to be thoughtful and forthcoming about his experience while toning down his usual bawdy behavior. It had been awhile since she had texted someone until very late at night, and she barely remembered getting into her pajamas and crawling into bed amidst their digital conversation.
Having said all that, however, she wasn't sure now was the time to sing his praises, especially in light of the new information Rise had just given her, which still creeped her out.
"You weerrreeee?" Rise repeated, tapping a socked foot on the floor.
"H-homework. I was attempting to finish my summer homework," Naoto said hastily, pointing to the school bag next to her desk, "I figured I could save myself some time and work on it now instead of toward the end of Summer." Rise scanned her face for a solid 10 seconds after that, the answer apparently passing muster with her.
"Well, that sounds positively dorky, just like you!" she said, snorting embarrassingly as she giggled. Naoto turned red but was glad that the white lie seemed to have worked. Besides, there was something else standing in the way of Naoto enjoying herself at the beach other than late night texting.
"R-regardless," she stammered, trying to get back on track through her troubled thoughts, "as I said, I want to go, but I have a concern..."
Rise suddenly got a serious look on her face. "Is it...is it Kanji?"
The girl was too good, Naoto thought. "I-it is. I would like to do my best to make amends, but I worry that it may be too little, too late..."
That statement stood heavy in the air for a while as both girls struggled with the weight of it. From her conversation with Yosuke, Naoto realized that it was quite possible she was overthinking all of this, but she would feel terrible if her presence upset Kanji in some way, or forced him to not attend. He deserved to have his vacation unsullied, and Naoto was more than willing to step aside if it meant making things less awkward for everyone else.
It was Rise who finally spoke up. "W-well, I mean, why would it be too late? Kanji's a sweet guy, I don't think he'd let this get to him too much...would he?"
Naoto sighed, realizing that in the whirlwind of her busy life, she probably hadn't seen the texts that the detective had sent her about the more recent developments in the Kanji situation.
"I didn't think so," Naoto sighed, turning away from Rise and looking at her wall, dredging up the painful memories of the past couple weeks, "but there have been...let's just say, some events progressed, and...I'm not so sure anymore."
Naoto heard the approach of Rise's socked feet, and before long, the idol was in front of her, a worried frown etched on her face. "Whattya mean? What happened?"
Saturday, 8/5/12, Dojima Residence, Morning...
"...8. 9, 10 ! Alllright! Come out, come out, wherever you arrrreee!"
Chie giggled to herself as she turned away from facing the foyer wall, scanning the small living room of the Dojima household. There weren't many places to hide, but she still gave her prey the benefit of the doubt. After all, she thought, man was the most dangerous game.
It was Chie's turn to watch Nanako while her dad was at work, an event she had been greatly looking forward to. Even though he was always available at night to talk to over the phone, Nanako was still struggling with not having her 'big bro' around anymore. Yosuke's plan of having the group rotate out who spent most of the day with her during the Summer was a good plan, but there was still a big void left in the little girl that was pretty noticeable.
Enter Chie Satonaka, big sis extraordinaire! Being an only child, Chie had never gotten to experience what it was like to have a younger sibling to play with, but boy, was it fun! It was not only a distraction from summer homework and studying for a future police entrance exam, but also deeply satisfying: Chie wanted nothing more than to protect the people she cared about, and watching over Nanako was something she took very seriously, especially since the incident last year, where she had been abducted and nearly killed. It was most likely never going to happen again, but if it ever did, her would-be-abductor could expect a roundhouse kick right to the face.
Chie wasn't a big fan of sitting around and watching TV, so she always suggested they do something on their feet, which Nanako was surprisingly game for. Today, the little girl had suggested that Chie learn to be an expert at hide 'n seek if she was ever going to be as good as her dad at being a police officer. Always up for a challenge, Chie obliged, and was now tiptoeing on ankle-socked feet, looking for her crafty charge.
"Hmmm, if I was a sneaky little 1st grader," Chie taunted loudly, making sure that Nanako could hear her no matter where she was, "Where would I hide?" Mayybeee over...here!? "
While she was announcing her play, Chie pounced on a pile of clothes that were in a sort of vague Nanako-shaped lump near the backdoor, only to find herself covered in dirty clothes waiting to be gobbled up by the washing machine. No Nanako.
"Rats!" Chie whined, shoving away the clothes only to neatly reassemble them into a pile, feeling bad about littering in the Dojima household. She folded herself onto her knees, a hand on her chin in thought. Where could she be? The two girls had agreed that the upstairs would be off limits, as Nanako's father didn't like her playing around in his bedroom and it made her sad to go into Narukami's old room. If she wasn't around the backdoor, where else could she be?
It was right then that Chie noticed something rather suspicious near the couch. The Dojima couch was a three seater with no really outstanding qualities to speak of, except that if you were very tiny, you could probably hide underneath it. Otherwise, Chie had to assume that the couch was sentient, as a hint of white socked feet was peeking out underneath the center cushion. Chie snickered quietly, wanting to revel in her victory a little. She got up to her feet and plopped down lazily across the couch, taking care to do it gently as she didn't want to crush Nanako.
"Oh, man, " she mused out loud, barely holding back a laugh, "Nanako-chan is just too good at hiding! I just have to face it: I'll never be as good as her dad!" Letting out a false wail, she slowly let her hand drip over the side of the dark green couch, her fingers getting ever so closer to the exposed feet of Nanako.
Now was the time to strike! "Hey, this couch is pretty awesome! But I wonder if it's... ticklish?" Chie grinned like a hyena as she snatched Nanako's feet quickly, devilishly running her fingers up and down the younger girl's socked soles. It soon produced the desired effect.
"Waahhhahahaahahaha! C-Chhiieee-channeeeeheheeeheeee!"
Chie joined in on the laughter as she slowly scooted off the couch, tugging on Nanako's feet to pull her out from under the couch. The 8 year old was a giggly mess, brown hair covering a red face as Chie scooped her up around the waist and into her lap, resuming her tickle assault by targeting the little girl's orange dress-covered stomach.
"Mwa haha! Go ahead, squeal for mercy, because I have none! " Chie said in a goofy affected voice, not unlike that of a villainous martial arts master in one of the corny action flicks she loved so much. Nanako's wails reached a crescendo as Chie's lithe fingers danced across her belly. She put up a mild fight, but was so tired out from the tickling that the best she could do was flutter her legs about weakly as Chie finished up her assault.
"Ya give up, or you still doubt my hiding and seeking prowess!?" She gloated, laughing in spite of her attempt to sound serious and foreboding. Chuckling through tears, Nanako nodded, her giggle fit impeding any attempt at speech. Chie rubbed the girls' head and moved her off her lap and onto the floor, patting Nanako's back to help her catch her breath again.
"W-w-wow- hee y-you're real-reallly-heeehee goo- hooo -d!" Nanako wheezed, moving to rub her eyes as Chie continued to pat her back. "N-not even my- heehee big b-b-ro was that fast!"
Chie could feel her heart melt a little. Any time you got put on the same deified pedestal as Narukami by Nanako, it was something to pay attention to. "Aw sheesh, Nanako-chan," Chie muttered, fumbling with her hands bashfully, "I 'unno about all that! Your big bro's pretty amazing, after all..."
Nanako, finally having recovered, stood up and smoothed her dress down over her calf-length tights before turning around to address Chie, hands clasped in front of her. "But it's true! My daddy says that if you're good at something, you should be proud. And I think you're really good at finding people!" the little girl explained, blushing a little, "So, you should be proud then!"
Geez, was Nanako trying to make Chie cry so early in the day!? The 3rd year could barely keep her emotions in check as she got up to her feet too, placing her still nervous hands into the pockets of her cutoff denim overalls. "W-well, if you say so, it's gotta be true, right?!" Chie chuckled, flashing a cheesy grin in Nanako's direction. Nanako nodded before trotting back over to the dining room table, where a host of arts and crafts supplies were already splashed out over the table.
"Yep!" Nanako said, settling in at the head of the table, "Here, I'll draw you a picture so you'll always remember to be proud of it!" With that, she picked up a few colored pencils and got to work, a joyful yet serious glint in her eye. Chie snorted, always amused by how quick Nanako could switch gears from being a happy-go-lucky little kid into a serious and thoughtful young adult.
The older girl went to join Nanako at the table, gently scratching at the skin that was exposed on her back thanks to the knotted up, dark green shirt she wore under the overalls. Chie could see that Nanako had a little folder or portfolio that she had taken her supplies from, which contained other pictures she had drawn that Summer. While Nanako was busy, Chie gently slid out some of the other pictures, feeling her heart warm all the way up again.
"Wow, these are sooo good!" Chie offered, earning a warm smile from the girl. Of course the first few were of her and Narukami, holding hands and standing in the Dojima home as they did various things. While the drawing was definitely amateurish, they weren't stick figures either, and Nanako clearly knew to choose a few identifiable traits and detail her characters with them; in Yu's case, it was his steely grey hair and school uniform jacket that made him stick out.
But it wasn't just her big bro: all of the Investigation Team showed up in her drawings. There was one of Yosuke and her cooking, another of her and Yukiko coloring, and even Naoto was there, sharing the couch with Yu's tiny cousin as they enjoyed an episode of Detective Loveline . It really looked like they weren't just friends spending time with one another, but family, who shared a bond as thick as blood.
A little sigh escaped Chie's lips as she thought about how their "family" seemed a bit distant, lately. Obviously everyone wanted to make time for Nanako, but with everything that had happened since the last day of school, Rise really getting back into performing and Yu having to leave for good, it just seemed more and more that maybe this summer wasn't going to be like last summer. Even Yukiko seemed to have some sort of monkey on her back; Chie had invited her over for a sleepover to see if she could help Yukiko get rid of it, but her friend had clammed up tight and gotten defensive over even the littlest of things. Hanging out with Nanako, who seemed to have retained her innocence even after all this time, was a nice break from a kind of icy start to summer break.
Taking a seat at the table next to her, Chie wanted to give Nanako a receipt for her kind words earlier. "Hey, Nanako-chan?" she asked, gently placing a hand on the girl's free left wrist. The youngest Dojima looked up at her quizzically before both of the girls' eyes were drawn toward a buzzing, rotating object on the table. It was Chie's cell phone, informing her that someone was texting her. Nanako smiled and passed it over to her older friend.
"Here! It could be important!" she said with a sweet smile. Chie barely stifled a laugh, wondering if Nanako could just stay innocent forever and never enter the world of getting texted inane jokes from friends or requests from parents to pick something up on the way home. Just the notification, however, made her aware this wasn't anywhere close to a mundane text.
"Hey, it's from Rise-chan!" she exclaimed, hurriedly unlocking her phone and scanning the text. Nanako gave a small gasp in surprise as well.
"Really!? What's it say!?"
Rise-chan: heyyyyyy guuuurrrlll! ＼(^_-)／ got nxt week off, so we goin 2 DA BEEECH! cant w8, we need 2 shop 4 new suits so I cn c dat hawt bod! 3 3 3
"Wooaahh , Rise-chan wants to go to the beach again!? Hoooo, man, that sounds awesome!" Chie squealed, memories of last year flooding into her mind. Maybe that was justthe thing to help get everyone together again! She quickly responded to Rise's text, her grin lighting up her face even more than the glowing LCD screen on her phone.
Nanako clapped her hands together excitedly as Chie set her phone down. "My big bro told me that when you went to the beach last year it was really fun! I'm happy that you get to go again," she said, turning back to her picture. There hadn't been any hint of it, but Chie got the feeling that the beach was a place Nanako hadn't been before, what with her dad working all the time. Considering all the craziness that had happened during Golden Week that year, too, it seemed like Nanako hadn't really had a chance to have a vacation at all in quite a while.
Chie looked from her phone to Nanako, and back again. She really did care for Nanako, maybe the most out of all of Yu's friends; Chie had volunteered the most out of everyone to sort of babysit her over the Summer. Sometimes, Chie couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was just switching her dependence from Yukiko to Nanako; after all, Yukiko had become so strong over the past year that Chie couldn't even get her to talk about what she was feeling anymore, and getting to be the cool big sis to Nanako helped her cope with that. The budding kung-fu expert always struggled with wanting to be relied upon, to be the coolest girl in the room with plenty of admirers, and she hated how weak she was that she needed that validation.
No! The spunky 3rd year shook her head, realizing that thinking about all that stuff wasn't helping. She wanted to do something nice for Nanako because it was the right thing to do, not because it made her feel better. Scrunching up her nose, Chie turned in her seat to face Nanako.
"Yeah," she said casually, "it's gonna be pretty fun. But y'know...it would be a lot more fun if you tagged along too, don't ya think?"
The look that Nanako gave her was all the confirmation Chie needed to know she made the right choice. "Y-you mean it?! You'd let me go...with you guys!?" the little girl asked, her brown eyes now the size of dinner plates.
Chie nodded, grinning at the overjoyed reaction. "Of course! Your big bro would kill us if we didn't make sure you had an awesome summer vacation!" She winked and flashed a big thumbs up, which made Nanako squeal with joy. In a flash, she had leapt out of her seat and flung herself at Chie, wrapping her arms around her waist.
"Heeheehee...thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Both girls shared a laugh while Chie got out of her chair and squatted down to Nanako's level, wrapping her arms around the 1st grader to return the hug. For a moment, holding Nanako, all of Chie's insecurities sort of melted away. She wasn't worried about Yukiko, or the group hanging out, or any of that - right now, she just made Nanako's day, and that was enough to power through all the negativity.
"U-um...C-Chie...y-you're squeezing really t-tight..."
"O-oh!" Chie quickly let go, which made Nanako gulp for air, "S-sorry! You're just too, uh, a-adorable, Nanako-chan, so I have to hug you extra hard! Y-yeah, that's it..."
If Nanako was confused or weirded out by the older girl's mumblings she didn't show it; she just blushed and gave another one of her tooth-rotting-ly cute smiles. Chie gave a quiet sigh of relief as she escorted the girl back to her drawing, teasing her along the way that she could beat her at drawing, just like she did at hide 'n seek.
Saturday, 8/5/12, Tatsumi Textiles, Mid-Morning...
It was too early for this.
Kanji had already been up way earlier than he wanted helping his mother with a large order, and now he had spent the last five minutes just staring at his most recent text message, the reticule in the message box blinking as he struggled with how to respond:
Rise-chan: heyyyyyy d0000d! ＼(^_-)／ got nxt week off, so we goin 2 DA BEEECH! 3 3 3 cant w there!
It was nice to hear from Rise, especially since she had been MiA since summer started, but he couldn't quell his anxiety at this announcement. Despite his... mishap last year (he made a mental note that he needed new swim trunks ASAP), it was cool to get out and go to the beach. But moreso than even the embarrassment of trying to hide his unmentionables from everyone, all he could think about was Naoto being there. There was always a chance she just wouldn't show, but he knew that if Rise was going, she was going to physically drag Naoto there if she had to. There really wasn't any avoiding it, he figured. The idea of Naoto in a bathing suit was... intriguing , to say the least, but he didn't want her to be uncomfortable, which he most certainly would if he went.
Kanji leaned backwards, finding the soft comfort of his pillow. His mom wouldn't need him for a while, so he had retired to his room to think about how to respond. Obviously he couldn't hide from Naoto forever, but he also wondered if it was better to talk to her more privately than with the group all together like that. And hell, if it was uncomfortable for him, imagine everyone else trying not to say something! More and more, he was starting to lean towards turning Rise down.
Still, maybe there was something he wasn't thinking about. Ironically, he remembered a piece of advice Naoto had given him at a study group meeting from what felt like years ago:
"If you find yourself unable to determine an answer, seek the opinion of someone else. Two heads are always better than one, Kanji-kun ."
And he knew just the person. Sitting back up, he quickly opened up his messaging app and fired off a text to the one person he knew may understand:
Sent to Yukiko: u git txt from rise bout beech?
He got up and stretched himself out a little, figuring it might be a while before Yukiko would reply. Luckily he had already been working on a small project, so he moved over to the small desk in his room and picked up his needle and thread to continue working on it. For some reason he had gotten the idea to make a plush of a bird, but he was using a pattern he was unfamiliar with. He didn't mind the challenge, but his current anxiousness made it hard to work; he could barely thread the needle after a few tries.
Before he could truly get into his work, he head the -pling- of a phone notification. He quickly snatched up the phone, devouring the message:
Yukiko: I did. It sounds like fun! Are you going to go?
Me: idk i dnt wnna make stuff ohkword with naoto kun
Yukiko: ...
The "..." lingered for a moment, then disappeared. They came back for a split second, but went away again. Kanji grunted, knowing that was never really a good sign. He waited, drumming his big fingers on the wood of his desk, trying not to get too antsy about what her response would be.
Ever since he had spent a night at the Amagi Inn, he wondered if he was in a weird spot with Yukiko. She had been really accommodating and attentive while he was there, but he couldn't help but notice she seemed kind of sad, too. They had been interrupted during their talk, and when he went to say goodbye to her the next morning, she had been a bit standoffish. He hoped that he hadn't said something stupid (although that was certainly possible), because he actually really liked talking with her.
Suddenly, yet another -pling-. He barely felt his hand move to snatch the phone:
Yukiko: I can understand that. It may be up to you to fix this, though. Naoto-kun might be too shy.
Yukiko: Either way, I hope you go. It would be nice to see everyone together again.
Well, that made sense, he thought. Kanji remembered that Rise always used to tell him to take Naoto's actions with a grain of salt because sometimes, if she came across as mean or cold, she probably didn't know she was doing it. Still, their little run-in at the drugstore stayed stuck in the back of Kanji's mind, looming over any further attempt at reconciliation. It was going to take a daring amount of courage in order to let that one not get to him.
Ultimately, thought, he trusted Yukiko, especially given her experience. Since Wednesday, he had come to understand that Yukiko must have felt just as bad as he did when they were all together during Golden Week. Not only did she have to deal with Yu being there as the center of attention, but his new girlfriend was right there too! At least Kanji was safe there. But even if she was still mad about it, Yukiko was at least putting on a brave face and trying not to let it keep her away from hanging out. Why couldn't he do the same?
A deep breath left Kanji's lungs as he swapped over to Rise's profile on his phone and texted a simple 'KK' to her, acknowledging that he was going. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Naoto, or if he'd even have the guts to do it, but he was done letting her spectre keep him away from hanging out with his pals. Yukiko's quiet strength had infused him with some courage, and even if it was temporary, Kanji was definitely feeling better than he had in a long time. Besides, who knew? Maybe Naoto wanted to do more than just make up. Maybe, deep down, she actually did care for him but wanted to search her feelings first. It was a pipe dream, maybe, but in his current mood, it felt like it could actually happen, no matter how small the odds.
Satisfied, he set his phone down and got back to work, stitching the fabric with a buttery smoothness that he had been lacking even just a few minutes earlier.
Saturday, 8/5/12, Junes Break Room, Mid-Morning...
"I see my name in there too, Yosuke! You've gotta let...me...see...!"
"In a second , Ted! Geez, hold your horses!"
Yosuke was desperately trying to hold back the vivacious boy/bear with his elbow, to mixed results. The boy's arm was dangerously close to Yosuke's phone, and once Teddie got a hold of someone's phone it was usually all downhill from there. Teddie could realistically send texts, but when it came to any other part of the phone he was essentially a baby. Yosuke had his phone factory reset twice in the past 6 months because of the hyperactive bear, and he wasn't about to take another chance.
"Look, I'll let you read it," Yosuke sighed, holding the phone up to Teddie's shiny blue eyes. The boy went on a facial journey, going from jovial, to thoughtful, to perplexed, and then to almost teary-eyed as he read the two-sentence text:
Rise-chan!: heyyyyyy got nxt week off, so we goin 2 DA BEEECH! tell teddy 2 k?
"Ohhohoh , Rise-chan, delightfully devilish! And she thought of me too! Sensei hasn't taken all of her heart, after all..."
Yosuke couldn't help but snort at Teddie's insane rambling. Teddie was a lot of things, but boring and dull wasn't one of them; despite all the annoyances that came with him being a roommate, Yosuke could always count on him to get jacked up over something, no matter how inane.
"Okay okay, relax," he grinned, putting his phone back in his pocket, "We gotta come up with a strategy for this! Last year was good, but this year? This year could be great! "
The two were in the employee backroom of Junes, getting ready for that day's shift. Teddie was getting his mascot costume out of the storage closet as Yosuke began to tie his apron over the long orange sleeved t-shirt he had been wearing.
"Okay, strategery! Now you just tell me what that means, and 'ol Teddie has got it taken care of!" Teddie announced bombastically, this lower body already covered in the beady legs of the costume.
Yosuke refrained from rubbing his forehead in frustration. "God, I forgot...you can be so dumb sometimes...and why do you always take your shirt off when you're in costume!?"
Indeed, Teddie was bare from the torso up, his strangely featureless chest and frustratingly perfect coiffed hair almost glistening in the fluorescent lighting of the room. "It gets really hot during the summer, and a sweaty Teddie is a recipe for - well hey there, Akatsuki-san!" Teddie shrieked, interrupted by one of the other employees crossing the room. The man took one look at Teddie and sighed, increasing his footspeed so he could leave quicker.
"Yes, I have that effect on people," Teddie said, a hand on his chin and eyes closed as if he was in deep meditation. Yosuke had enough, and quickly grabbed the mascot head lying on the table and smashed it over his half-naked companion.
" Focus , Ted!" he growled, helping a surprised Teddie zip up his suit, "You know what I'm talking about! We're not gonna have Yu there to help us out, so we gotta be extra cool to make up for that. Especially after Kanji and his 'wardrobe malfunction' last year..." Yosuke was confident but had to admit that Narukami was just next-level when it came to attracting women and just oozing cool, and Kanji's faux pas may have ruined them forever. Getting him a new suit was a top priority.
"Oh, that's right! Poor Sensei...to miss out on the beautiful mermaids...oh but wait!" Teddie gasped, awkwardly shifting to face Yosuke with his full costume attached, "Does this mean that Nao-chan will be coming too?! She wouldn't even wear a swimsuit for the beauty contest, which is a real shame, if you ask me! Nao-chan may be a delicate flower, just eager to bloom in the beauty of..."
As Teddie droned on, Yosuke felt a rock sink into his stomach. He had forgotten, but Naoto wasn't really hanging out with them until the fall of last year, which means she missed going to the beach. If there were two things in his head that seemed like the polar opposites of each other, it was the bright, sunny beach and the pale, indigo-haired Naoto. Her being in a swimsuit wasn't just the only thing making him anxious, either.
Ever since they had hung out the other day, Yosuke hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. For someone he had always thought off as kind of closed-off and cold, she showed a range of emotion that he wasn't aware was there. Hearing her side of the story made him really feel bad for her, more than he already had, but it was her listening ability that left him startled as well. She showed a deep curiosity in his personal life, which made him feel weird; he wasn't really used to having anyone besides Yu really care about that stuff.
It got even worse, as he had gotten emotional when talking about Saki Konishi. Not able to handle Naoto's grace and the intensity of the situation, he had been dishonest with her, not mentioning Saki's name or even that she had died. Worse, he got a text from Yu and lied that it was his dad calling him into work. He felt terrible about it, and he knew Yu would rake him over the coals for it.
But why did he care so much? As sad as it was to admit, Yosuke had wondered that since Yu was gone, that old jealousy was coming back. The guy never cracked, and if he liked a girl, he was at least honest and direct about it; after all, he nabbed Risette of all people! But wait...did that mean he liked Naoto? Like that !? No. No way. Absolutely not.
Still, it was hard to think of a time when a girl was on his mind like this. And not in the way he thought about, say, Tamami Uesugi, the pop idol; he'd be lying if he said that wasn't mainly about her amazing chest and butt. No, Naoto stuck in his mind kind of like Yu did at first, as a person that he not only admired but was almost afraid of. He wouldn't know what to think if Yu, and now Naoto, was ever disappointed in him. He had done enough of that in his life, especially with Saki, that the thought of Naoto getting the wrong idea about him tied his stomach in knots.
It was so... confounding . He wasn't shy about what he liked, and Naoto didn't tick any of those boxes, yet he couldn't get her out of his head. If he saw her in a swimsuit, it could very well be the tipping point, and that was a scary thought. As he helped Teddie squeeze out the door, he tried to think of something, anything other than her. Rise in that insane orange bikini, glistening in the water, her long hair dripping and wet...Yukiko, who was always so proper, wearing that white bikini top and giving a rare look at her delicate white skin...Chie...who looked nice sometimes...
"...suke? Yoo-hooooo , Yosuke!"
Snapping back to attention, he saw that they were now in the long hallway that lead to the main area of Junes' 2nd floor. Teddie snickered, his giant eyes following Yosuke mischievously.
"Heehehee...the thought of our beautiful mermaids in their wonderful swimsuits has got you all excited too, huh? Oh I can't wait, either! And to think...I can bring my special friend too!"
Yosuke grunted and clocked Teddie on the head, although he supposed he wasn't lying. For the past week or so Teddie had bragged high and low about this "special friend" he had met that he apparently was just waiting to show off to the rest of the group. Knowing how goofy he could be, Yosuke largely suspected this person was imaginary, but it got him out of the house, so there was an upside to it. He just hoped the clueless bear hadn't befriended some bum that he met near the old shopping district and taken them on as a friend. He was incredibly sweet but Teddie still had a lot to learn about the human world, particularly who and what was safe to be himself toward.
"Psh, whatever!" Yosuke muttered, grabbing Teddie's paw, "let's get to work; maybe if we work hard enough, next week will come faster." At this point Yosuke would have wished for anything, even a rude customer, to help distract him.
"Really!? Is that how things work here!?"
"Teddie..."
Saturday, 8/5/12, Amagi Inn, Late Morning
Yukiko was well aware that her phone hadn't vibrated with a notification in a good ten minutes or so, but she still compulsively checked the thing, wondering if maybe she had just missed it. A secondary glance proved her initial theory correct, to her dismay.
Sighing, she set her phone down on the dresser near her futon and began the daily process of rolling it up. Grabbing the bright red comforter by the bottom corners, she carefully folded it in half, then once more for good measure, until she had a nice, fluffy square that held both the comforter and the white fitted sheet around it. She repeated the process on the similarly white sheet covered mattress underneath that, setting that folded square on top of the previous one. All that was left was to fold the bottom sheet, a sky blue thing with cherry blossoms on it, and place it like a delicate cherry on top of a soft, pillowy sundae. The 3rd year then gently slid it to the open door and placed the three pieces of bedding out into the hall, where one of the staff would come pick it up to for its weekly fluffing and airing.
She stepped back into her room, shutting the door as she did. Her room wasn't unlike the typical structure of the hotel's many rooms, but it was customized to be a bit more habitable and personal than a hotel room. All red everything was the theme of the room, from the red carpet that was sprawled out over the center of the room to the cherry red wooden bookcase in the corner and its matching desk near the window. The short-legged table in the middle was where she and Chie had exchanged many a fizzy drink after a long day of school, and Yukiko even smiled a bit thinking of Chie lazily lying on the top of the cabinets in the eastern wall nook. While she used to think of it more like her prison, Yukiko had now believed this was a sanctuary away from a world that had a nasty habit of being cruel, protected all around by her family at the inn.
It was that cruel world that was on her mind as she pulled the shade off her full-length mirror so she could brush her long raven locks. Specifically how nasty that world had been to Kanji, whom she hadn't heard from since his earlier texts, to her dismay. When she got the message, she had thought long and hard about what to say; while she was a bit angry at Naoto for her somewhat callous reaction to the whole situation, Yukiko also knew that no matter how much she may have hurt him, Kanji still cared for her. Besides, she didn't want to discourage him from going to the beach, so she texted what she thought was a careful and measured response, only to receive nothing back.
Admittedly, she was less concerned about whether he took her advice to heart so much as she just hoped that her and Kanji's relationship hadn't taken a turn for the worse. He had come to say goodbye the morning after his stay, and Yukiko could feel the awkwardness in the lobby when he did. She wasn't sure whether or not he was aware that she had come back during the night, and that made finding the right words to say all the more difficult. After having a whole night to sleep on it, she had also now begun to wonder if he thought that she was being weird by having him come to the hotel, and that insecurity plagued their hasty morning conversation.
It wasn't like her to fret so much about something like this, but she had thought the night had gone so remarkably well that she'd hate to have ruined it at the finish line. Kanji had come in with his guard lowered, and in admitting everything, Yukiko felt like she was hearing an alternate universe version of her own relationship woes. And even in exploring his darkest feelings, she could almost hear a change in his voice, like a very heavy weight was being lifted off his shoulders. Yukiko recognized it because it was the very same feeling she had whenever she and Yu had chatted on their many outings together where she was able to confess some of her latent feelings. She wanted that feeling back, more than ever, but sadly it wasn't going to come from Yu anymore, for many reasons.
But perhaps Kanji could do that for her. Truthfully that was what she wanted the most, someone who would listen to her but also could understand and maybe help her make sense of the emotions raging in her soul. The sleepless nights were getting more frequent, and it was feeling like something was going to give one way or another. Kanji may not have been as laid back as Yu, or as intelligent, or even eloquent , but Yukiko was now convinced that he was at least as empathetic and sweet, if not more.
She had been absent-mindedly going through her morning routine as she had these thoughts, and just thinking that Kanji was sweet made her drop the tube of cherry lip balm she was dragging across her bottom lip. Flustered, she grabbed it off the floor near where she was kneeling, only to see in the mirror that her face was as red as the rest of her room. Oh, goodness! What was this all about? Scoffing at herself, she reached into her purse for a handkerchief and quickly dabbed at the excess chapstick on her chin, feeling like a fool. If Chie had seen her like this, she'd never hear the end of it!
Passing one final inspection in the mirror, Yukiko got up off her knees and reached for her signature red hairband, carefully placing it on top of her head. She had chosen a simple but fun outfit of a white-and-red-striped long sleeve shirt with a high-waisted, mid thigh-length flared skirt. She had to go do some shopping for the inn, and her scooter still needed gas, so she was going to have to take the long way via the bus. As she gathered her purse and phone, Yukiko checked one last time to see if any message from Kanji had come up. Nothing.
Despite her disappointment, she tried to shrug it off and think of the exciting week ahead as she headed out the hall and down toward the lobby. Rise had promised to take the girls shopping for new bathing suits, which was something Yukiko actually didn't have experience with. Yosuke, unfortunately, had picked out Yukiko's current suit, and although it was (sadly) not a bad look, the Amagi heiress was more than pleased to try and find something that suited her own style. She made a mental note to be courteous but passive-aggressive if she saw Yosuke at Junes while she was shopping.