Persona Series 1. Getting Ready

**A GIFT FOR THE PRINCE**

**_Disclaimer: Persona 4 is owned by Atlus__  
Author's Notes: This story is set two years after Persona 4 Golden's True Ending (or the Golden Ending, as they put it)._**

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**CHAPTER 1: Getting Ready**

It was April, year 2013, and with the strange case of kidnapping and serial murders in Yasoinaba put to a rest two years before with the arrest and subsequent confession of police detective Tohru Adachi, the people that have contributed most to solving the mystery, a group of high school students of Yasogami High, have decidedly moved back to living their normal lives. No one in town had spoken of the incidents ever since, and the town was surprisingly in high spirits once again.

Kanji Tatsumi, one of those responsible for putting the truth of the mystery to light, was now living his life as a 3rd year student at Yasogami High. While he gained infamy during his freshman year when he was a known delinquent in the town, he eventually gained the respect of many of his fellow students as time went on. While off from school, he is known to help with his family's textile shop, handcrafting several animal themed stuffed dolls by himself. These dolls proved to be pretty popular with the children of Inaba, and business has never been better for Tatsumi Textile. It wasn't until his creations became widespread knowledge that people started to see Kanji in a new light. For Kanji though, it was a bright opportunity to be accepted as he is, as he felt he has made good to his promise with his senpai, Yu Narukami.

One time after school while working on more stuffed dolls for his shop to sell, Kanji glanced up at the calendar to find that it was only two days before April 27, a day he considered to be quite special. "So it's already that time of the year, eh?" he smiled as he drops the doll he was currently working on back to his table and slides a box from underneath it. Opening the box, he took what appeared to be an unfinished doll that was visibly larger than those he would regularly make and proceeded to work on it.

A few minutes later, his cellphone rings. Grunting in annoyance as to who might be calling him, he picked up his phone and pressed the receiver button without bothering to look at the caller ID "Hello?" his tone mirrored his annoyance.

"Kanjiiii! It's meee!" replied an enthusiastic feminine voice, Kanji sighs as he quickly recognized who it was.

"Rise…what do you want!? I'm busy!" Rise Kujikawa had been his classmate during their second year at Yasogami, and had strangely become her best friend, but had decided to return to being an idol full-time after that year. Ever since, the teen idol had only kept in touch with him by calling him over the phone during her breaks, pestering him like she had always done well.

"Oh come on, I haven't talked to you in a while, is that how you greet your best friend now!?" when Kanji didn't say anything, she quickly realized why he was busy "Oh sorry! I forgot it was almost the 27th! Are you making something for her right now?"

Kanji had already put his phone on loudspeaker as he resumed working on the doll from the box "Yeah, I am. So what?"

"Nothing. I already had the idea that you were going to at least give something to her, this is the first time you'd be seeing her after she left for that case early last year."

He takes note of her words as she spoke "Wait, have you seen her already since then?" he asked, pausing his work to wait for the idol's reply.

"Yeah, just once though, she told me she needed help with something and I was doing a shoot near where she was staying." Rise replied casually, then she remembered something "Oh wait, I didn't tell you that, did I? Sorry, must have slipped my mind…"

Kanji returned to working on the doll, observing the details he had carefully sewn into it "Nah, nevermind, it probably would slip your mind, given that it's you we're talking about. I could tell you something right now and you'll end up forgetting it a minute later." He could feel that Rise pouted at his remark.

"Well at least I'm not like you, Moronji."

"You take that back woman!" even though they become best friends over the course of their sophomore year, Kanji still couldn't take being called by that "endearing" nickname by Rise.

Rise only laughed at her friend's reaction "Seriously though, Kanji, we both know you've never had anyone else on your mind but Naoto-kun, you could at least pick her up from the station when she gets to Inaba."

The tailor stopped stitching once again "What did you say, Rise? She…she's coming here!?"

"What!? You didn't know!? She sent us a message about that!" Rise was bewildered, for if it was about Naoto, Kanji was always the first to know. "Didn't you get one?" she asked.

Kanji then reached his phone and when he looked, there was a new message icon displayed on it. "No, I got one, I must've somehow missed seeing it earlier."

Rise sighed in relief "Well, I'll leave you to that, I'm not sure if I could make it back home earlier but I'll surely be there for her birthday. I'll talk to you later, the shoot's about to start again. Bye Moronji!" she piped.

"Yeah, yeah, bye." Kanji then ended the call and proceeded to read the message.

"_I'm going back to Inaba tomorrow and I'll be staying for a week. I hope to see everyone there."_

Since she didn't change her number, everyone else she sent the message to would surely know that it was Naoto. Kanji stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, it had been over six months since he last saw Naoto Shirogane, and during the time that she was still around, he still wasn't able to muster up enough courage to tell her what he felt about her. He liked her, yes, probably loved her even, but everytime he tried, he just couldn't put it together and he ends up bailing on his attempts until the time came that she had to transfer schools to go undercover for a case she was working on. She had not been in contact with him since then, and he thought Rise's little rendezvous with her might have been pretty short too.

He then remembered Rise's suggestion to pick her up from the station the next day, and still holding the phone in his hands, he navigates to Naoto's number, and after staring at it for what seemed like forever, he finally pressed the call button. His heart started to beat faster as the line started to ring.

A couple rings later, a voice came through, and it nearly gave him a heart attack "Hello? Kanji-kun?" the low, yet feminine voice was undeniably hers.

It took him a few seconds before he could reply "Uh, hey…I got your message, you coming home tomorrow?"

"Yes, right now I'm just fixing my belongings so I won't have to rush anything tomorrow."

"Yeah…well…I, uh…" Kanji was fumbling with the words in his mind, he didn't exactly knew how to ask Naoto about what time she was going to arrive. In the end, he decides to hold his breath for a while and just go for it "What time will you be arriving here, I'll wait for you at the station."

"I'll most likely arrive as early as 8 in the morning if the trip goes smoothly, but you don't have to do that, I'd hate to bother you when I can handle myself just fine."

"I don't have class tomorrow, it's no biggie." He insists, strangely enough, he feels comfortable in doing so.

"Kanj-kun, I appreciate the thought but I'd really hate to be taking your time, besides, I might encounter some mishaps along the way and you'd end up waiting longer." For a moment, Kanji heard Naoto's voice crack.

"No, just let me do this, okay Naoto?" He replied in a softer tone than he usually would.

Naoto fell silent for a moment, then sighing before she spoke "I suppose you would still do it if I said no, right? Alright then, I'll be looking forward to seeing you at the station tomorrow, Kanji-kun." She replied, relenting her resistance, knowing how Kanji was.

"A'ight, I'll see ya."

Kanji was about to press the call end button on his phone when he heard Naoto say something "Oh, and Kanji-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." Naoto says warmly before ending the call herself.

Kanji put his phone back on the table and found himself staring at his unfinished doll for far too long. The doll was humanoid in shape, and it was dressed in a blue dress shirt with a plain black tie, black pants with matching black shoes. He was currently in the process of stitching what appeared to be blue hair that fringed a little in the front, and he glanced at the piece of fabric that was left inside the box he took it from: a dark blue police cap.

"I can't believe I actually said all that…" he mentally slapped himself for what he said during the call, but he smiled, knowing that he had at least given himself an opportunity to get closer to her. Rise's suggestion might've actually made sense.

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Over on the other end of the line, Naoto Shirogane looked herself over in the mirror, she had only her handbag to fill up since her other luggage was already full. She took note of her indigo hair that she had grown over the past two years. She chuckled as a thought came into her "Apart from Rise-san…I wonder if anyone would recognize me?" she said to herself "But more importantly…would Kanji-kun recognize me tomorrow?"

Remembering the time when she first got involved with the Investigation Team by interrogating Kanji Tatsumi, an encounter which would earn his interest in the woman he thought was a man at that time, she realized that even after the time they faced her shadow, he still showed interest in her, perhaps even more than before then. While she didn't really know what to make of it back then, she grew rather fond of his company, and his personality during their second year in Yasogami when they were classmates. "Kanji Tatsumi, huh?" she blushed a little and smiled softly "Maybe I do miss him a little, he was always…the interesting character out of everyone in the group. I wonder how much he's changed though…"

She then went on to pick out her outfit for her trip the next day, then setting the rest into her bag. It was sure to be quite a long week.


	2. The Emperor's Fortune

_**Disclaimer: Persona 4 is owned by Atlus.**_

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**CHAPTER 2: The Emperor's Fortune  
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**April 26, 2013 - **_Early Morning_

As early as 7:30 the next day, Kanji was making his way down the stairs of his house in a hurry. He was heading out the door when his mother called him "Kanji? Where are you going this early in the morning, you don't have classes today, do you?" Tatsumi-san asked.

"No, Ma, I-uh…I've got to pick up a friend at the train station today." Kanji replied as he was putting on his shoes.

"Aren't you at least going to have breakfast first, dear?"

"Nah, I'll be late if I do, I'll try to eat if I get back early though." Kanji then finishes tying his shoelaces and heads towards the door "I'm heading out now, Ma! Don't wait for me to open the shop!"

"Okay dear, take care."

With that, Kanji left the Tatsumi Textile shop and quickly headed for the bus stop by the gas station in the Shopping District. Along the way, he took a peek inside the Marukyu Tofu to see if Rise had returned early, but her grandmother told him that she wouldn't be around until later that night. Luckily, when he arrived at the bus stop, there was already a bus parked, and he was able to set off to the train station earlier than he expected. He looked at his wristwatch _"7:45, knowing Naoto she would always try and get the earliest train home."_

Kanji arrived at the train station only a few minutes past 8, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no one waiting outside yet. He decided to get a drink by the vending machines beside the entrance as he waited for her. He stood by the vending machine as he waited, then ran a hand through his black hair when the morning breeze came. He had grown his hair a bit longer from the time he last saw Naoto, as it now covered up the scar on his temples, and when he looked himself over the mirror that morning, he couldn't help but snicker at how different he looked from their first year, to the point that he looked like an entirely different person now.

A few minutes later, as he finished his drink, he felt that someone had come up to him, and when he looked, he saw a short girl with long indigo hair and equally dark blue eyes, wearing a beige short-sleeved shirt, cream pants and white sandals. She was carrying a black handbag while pulling along her black luggage. At first, he didn't understand why the girl had walked up to him, so he tried asking nicely "Err…what do you need?" he said as he adjusted his glasses.

The girl simply stared at him for a few more seconds, then she chuckled and smiled at him, this of course, caught Kanji off-guard "Wha-what!? Do I have somethin' in my face or what!? You're creeping me out already, lady!" he cried out.

"I had an idea you won't be able to recognize me today, I never thought it would actually be that way." The girl spoke up. Her voice was low, but still feminine, and Kanji quickly recognized who the girl was.

"Na-Naoto!?" sudden realization hit him and he jumped back a little, his glasses becoming crooked as it rested unevenly on the bridge of his nose "Is that really you, Naoto Shirogane?"

The girl bowed slightly "It's nice to see you again, Kanji-kun." She said "I hope I didn't surprise you much."

Kanji was at a loss for words, Naoto really looked like a girl now, and a real pretty one, at that. He couldn't help but look her over several times before setting on her face, she was definitely Naoto. Her hair might've gone longer and even styled differently but her face was the same, the face he'd grown to like more and more as time went on. He then realized she'd stepped back a little with an embarrassed look on her face "Uhh…is there something on my face, Kanji-kun? It's kinda rude to stare…" she trailed off, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

"Huh!? I-uh, no, it's not like that…it's just…you've become prettier, is all." Kanji said, his voice growing lower that the last bit was almost inaudible.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that..." asked the detective.

"Nothing, forget it." The tailor quickly dismissed it and grabbed Naoto's luggage "Come on, let's get going." He said as he carried the heavy case down the stairs. As they walked towards the bus stop headed for the Central Shopping District, Naoto noticed that she actually had grown quite a bit, as she now stood as high as Kanji's shoulder. Observing Kanji further, she noticed that he looked a lot less intimidating now than he did the last time she saw him, with him dressed in a plain shirt and pants along with his less aggressive hairstyle. Caught up in looking at her friend and how he's changed since they last met, she nearly jumped when he throws a question out of nowhere "Hey Naoto, have you had breakfast yet?"

Naoto shook her head in response "No, I actually left early so I haven't had the time to eat yet."

Kanji looked down to her "Do you want to stop over my place first so we could eat? You've had a long trip, after all." Though he was looking down at her, he couldn't hold his gaze for long as blood quickly rushed to his face when he did _"Damn it, why did she have to come back to be this pretty!?" _

"I'd like to, but I would want to drop by the Shirogane estate to see my grandpa first." She replied "Besides, I don't want to bother you for longer."

"Hey, the estate is still about half an hour from here, your gramps wouldn't want ya' to come see him dragging all your stuff with ya'." Kanji insisted, before she left to attend to her case, Kanji, along with Rise, had become familiar with Naoto's grandfather, the detective having brought them over for group studies in the estate's library during their exam periods. Kanji saw how the elder Shirogane treated his granddaughter really well, and it showed just how he cared for Naoto like her own daughter. "Besides, you're not really bothering me at all, I mean, I did want to pick you up from the station. I could go with you to the estate after we eat, whaddaya say?"

Naoto could feel that Kanji was being more insistent this time, and even though he always had been, she still couldn't help but smile at how…gentle he seemed to be with his words "Alright then, if you insist." She agrees. "I have a question, though, if you don't mind." She agrees, but for only him to be here to pick her up from the station, she could feel that there was something strange going on with it.. She asked as they stopped walking to wait for a bus to come by.

"Go on, what is it?" the tailor replied without looking at her.

"You and the others aren't up to something now, are you?" she asked sternly, seeing if she could get some sort of reaction from him that would act as a tell.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he replied, rather casually too, far from what she expected. What she learned in the past was that if her friends were planning something, subtly pressing Kanji would easily give the surprise away because of how he would quickly react on the defense. That was not what was happening now.

"No, nevermind." She said as she shook her head "I just thought it was strange for only you to come see me when I got back, I actually thought you and the others were planning some sort of surprise." She admitted, her detective's instincts having failed her this time around.

"I don't know if you've heard, but all our senpai have gone to college. As far as our old gang's concerned, I'm the only one around Inaba now…well, except for Rise whenever she goes home." He replied "Sorry if I wasn't the surprise you expected, though." He looked down as he spoke, his voice sounding a bit hurt, which alarmed the detective.

"Kanji-kun, no, I didn't mean it like that…I'm sorry." She said "I'm actually glad you called last night, saying you wanted to pick me up today. I've been quite nervous about going back to Inaba, to be honest."

"Now that's something new, the detective prince being nervous about going back to her own town." He said as he looked curiously at her "Or should I call you the detective princess now?"

She chuckled at his last remark "Any would be fine, but I don't know if anyone would still call me by that old nickname given how I look now." She then laughed sheepishly "As embarrassing as it sounds, I actually felt nervous. I feared that the place would've changed so much that I'd end up getting lost if I went around on my own. I'm actually glad to have someone making sure I don't get lost." She said as she looked up at him, smiling at him when their eyes met.

He quickly looked away, feeling his face burn up once more "Re-really, it's nothing, I told you that already." Then a bus headed for the Shopping District came by, there was surprisingly a lot of free seats so they took the nearest they could find. The detective sat by the window while Kanji took the spot beside her. "How have you been though, the last case go well?" he asked, trying to stir up a topic for a conversation.

"It went by fine, of course, I had a little bit of trouble along the way, nothing out of the ordinary though." She replied.

"What? Your superiors giving you shit again for being a younger and smarter detective than they are?" he asked, rather worried of her experiencing the same thing she experienced during her time in Inaba.

She shook her head "No, nothing of the sort." a smile slowly crept to her lips as she recalled what she did during that last case "My superiors were actually nice and accepting, kind of like how Dojima-san was. It was just that I got in touch with that world again during the last case."

"I see..." Kanji was genuinely surprised, he never expected to hear anything more about that world ever since Teddie had gone back to guard over it. _"...but I can't see how that's nothing out of the ordinary though..."_

"I never thought that I'd find myself using my Persona again, but this time, I had awakened to a new power, and I had new friends with me that had awakened to the same power." Kanji could tell that it wasn't exactly like the normal cases that she used to tackle in the past, she was beaming as she spoke, and the last time he saw her like that was after they had solved the mystery of the serial murders and the fog in Inaba. "It was a short-lived case, but at least the threat of shadows in that world have been reduced."

"That makes it easier for the dumb bear to handle things, I guess."

"Yes, I suppose." Naoto looks out the window to find many new shops in town, but nevertheless, it still looked like the same, lively Inaba that she knew "The town has changed only a little bit, I see."

"Nothing much happened while you were away, really. Junes is still the same place as it was before, and the revived Shopping District is still pretty much it."

"The place may not have changed a lot, but still, it was enough time for some of the people to." She said with a sweet tone, looking at him. He looked at her and realized she was referring to him.

"Hey! I haven't changed THAT much, have I?" he looked away from her again, flustered and with his face turned beet red.

"You've become quite a bit of gentleman, and you don't look quite as intimidating as you did before." She began "Far from the Kanji Tatsumi that I first met while trying to gather information for the case."

"Is…that a…bad thing?" a confused Kanji asked.

The detective chuckled and shook her head "No, no, it's actually a good thing. I like you like that." His stunned reaction made her realize what her words implied and quickly backpedaled "I-err…what I meant was, it's a good step for you, Kanji-kun, and I'm impressed by it." She quickly said, her voice faltering and her eyes wandering, trying not to set her sights directly on him. She felt relieved that he wasn't looking, removing the need to hide her flushing red cheeks.

It took a few seconds of silence and absence of eye contact between them before the tailor spoke up "Heh, I never figured you to be the type to do a double take." He laughed.

The detective cleared her throat "I have my moments, too, you know." she gave him a dry smile. The two of them eventually burst into stifled fits of laughter, nothing like their Yukiko-senpai's, but just a short moment of mutual amusement.

When their laughs subsided, Kanji once again looked "Seriously though Naoto, thanks for the compliment. I'm happy to know someone thinks I'm getting better at this." He smiled at her before looking back to the road ahead. He was getting strangely comfortable being with her, and that thought bugged him: _What if she didn't feel the same? What if she was getting uncomfortable having him around?_

Naoto nodded "You don't have to thank me, Kanji-kun, you really have changed for the better, I probably won't be the only person to tell you that." she tilted her head to side for a moment "I'll be honest, I'm enjoying your company right now, I was kinda expecting a more quiet trip here, but now that I think about it, this is much more preferable." She then looked at him with a warm smile "Thank you, Kanji-kun."

Kanji's face turned red at the detective's remark, but he found himself drawn in to her more and unable to look away, his earlier thoughts swiftly discarded "You know, Naoto…I really missed you being here. Things just aren't the same without ya'" He said, swallowing as he saw her looked surprised, now he was mentally preparing himself for a long, awkward silence, or even a remark from her brushing him off.

Naoto took a moment to collect her thoughts, as Kanji took the words out of her mouth. She sighed in disbelief "You really are full of surprises…" she muttered before looking back at him "To tell the truth, I've really missed you too, Kanji-kun." she paused for a moment to gauge his reaction, he looked genuinely surprised, yet with a light smile on his lips "My time at Yagokoro City felt a bit lonely at times, I didn't have you nor Rise-chan with me there, after all. Just like you said, things were not the same."

The two of them kept their gazes locked to one another's, they weren't inching closer, but they were each burning the image of the other in their eyes. Their contact was only interrupted by the bus driver announcing over the PA system that they were nearing the Central Shopping District bus stop, the loud voice over the speakers nearly making the two of them jump. They both chuckled at their reaction, and standing up from their seats, they exchanged smiles as they both stepped out of the bus, Kanji still taking the heavier of Naoto's luggage. The two of them started to make their way to the Tatsumi Textile shop, when Kanji's stomach started to rumble, garnering a round of laughter from the detective.

Rather than being flustered though, Kanji simply shook his head and smiled as they continued along. At least for a moment, he was able to make her drop her serious detective attitude in exchange for a laughing fit, and he didn't even have to do or say anything. Although he now hoped that his mother had set his share of the breakfast aside when he left.


	3. Cute, Cuddly, Little Reminiscence

_**Disclaimer: Persona 4 is owned by Atlus.**_

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**CHAPTER 3: Cute, Cuddly, Little Reminiscence**

**April 26, 2013 -**_Morning_

"Ma! I'm home!" Kanji called out as he slid open the door at the side of the Tatsumi Textile Shop. Setting Naoto's luggage he'd been pulling along on to the genkan's platform, he then started to untie his shoes when he noticed that Naoto was still standing outside, looking at him with the same stoic expression on her face that she'd always wear around. "What the hell are you still standin' outside for?" he asked, giving her a weird look.

"It's customary for guests to wait for their hosts to let them inside their houses before they step in." she replied. He groaned and rolled his eyes at her overly formal reply, not that he wasn't used to it, but there were still some times when he'd wished she'd stop acting like an investigator all the time.

"Come on in, then." He said as he finished untying his shoelaces and placed it on the side of the genkan. He looked at her with a slight frown as she stepped inside "Have you ever acted…not this uptight?" he just couldn't help but ask.

The detective's eyes widened at his rather blunt, yet spot on remark. "Uh-well..." her eyes wandered and her cheeks flushed to a light pink. Being blunt was definitely Kanji Tatsumi, but the Kanji she knew would, for some reason she couldn't understand, find it hard to near impossible to be direct with her. "My apologies." She said softly.

Seeing that she was visibly bothered, Kanji started to panic a bit "Oh! Well, I didn't mean it like that, y'know…what I was trying to say was-"

"No, Kanji-kun, it's quite alright." The detective cut him off, she then chuckled "You were correct, after all, maybe it's because I've just gotten so used to it that it became natural for me." She looked down "That, and I have been away from Inaba for quite some time that I feel like I was a stranger again to this place."

Kanji shook his head "You? A stranger? No way, you might've been away for half a year, but you've been with us for a longer time than that." He said in a soft voice "Besides, it's not like you've never been inside my house before. Makes me wonder what made you think you've become a stranger to us…" he trailed off.

Footsteps closed in towards the genkan and Kanji's mother stepped out from inside the house. "Welcome back, Kanji-chan." She said, then she noticed the petite girl standing beside him "Oh, is this your friend you went to see from the station, Kanji-chan?" she asked, giving the girl a warm smile. "Good morning, young lady." She said as she bowed to her guest.

Naoto bowed respectfully in response towards the elder tailor "Good morning, Tatsumi-san, it's nice to see you again." she said, returning the woman's smile with one of her own. "It's been a long time."

Tatsumi-san looked at the girl with an intrigued look for a few seconds, then she started to walk towards her and gently put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You've grown into a fine woman, Naoto-chan." She said as she ran a hand through the detective's long, indigo hair. "I almost didn't recognize you, you look so pretty now, but I'm sure Kanji-chan would have told you that by now." She said.

"Ma! What the hell was that for!?" Kanji cried out, visibly embarrassed by her mother's comment, his face turning beet red. The detective was visibly phased too, as she could feel her face growing hot as her eyes started to wander about more.

Tatsumi-san kept at it though "You say that, but we both know you agree with me on that, dear." She said, giggling lightly as she noticed the mutual embarrassment between the young pair. "Have you had breakfast yet, Naoto-chan?" she asked.

Naoto was still reeling as she looked towards the elder tailor "Oh, I-uh…I haven't yet, Tatsumi-san." She said, her voice still faltering a bit.

Tatsumi-san nodded before turning to her son "Kanji-chan, would you be a dear and help Naoto-chan to the table?" she said before walking back to the kitchen "I'll just get you two some tea, if that's alright with you?" she asked, looking at the detective.

"Anything is fine, Tatsumi-san, thank you." She replied, the tailor smiling at her once more before making her way to the kitchen.

Kanji then looked at her "Well, glad the old bag's out of the way, just forget what she said." He told her, still visibly embarrassed at his mother's blunt remarks. The detective then laughed, which earned her another weird look from him "What now? Don't tell me you actually find that funny?" he asked in a mix of both irritation and embarrassment.

Naoto looked up at him, beaming "I'm sorry, it's just…it's just that I happen to forget how you take after your mother so much." She said

Kanji chuckled "I get that a lot." The tailor then looked to see that they were still standing in the genkan "You heard ma, though, come on, let's go inside." He said. The detective nodded and followed after him, setting her sandals on the side of the floor, beside his shoes.

Making their way towards the dining area, Naoto noticed the shop area of Tatsumi Textiles had not changed much, save for a new display case filled with different stuffed dolls, which she inferred to be Kanji's handicrafts that the shop sells along with its fabric. She had become quite familiar with his handicrafts, him having made each of the Investigation Team an animal stuffed doll during their Yu-senpai's first trip back to Inaba the year before. The animals he made for them were those he thought represented them best, and Naoto got an eagle stuffed doll. She clearly remembered what his reasoning was behind it "Like how an eagle would not let its prey escape, you would not let any case go unsolved."

"What was that?" Kanji asked.

"Oh, it's nothing." She shook her head "Seeing those dolls just reminded me of the one you gave me when Yu-senpai came back last year."

Kanji seemed to look up for a moment to try and remember "You mean the eagle?" the detective nodded in response. He then noticed her still looking back to the shop area as they walked along "Hey, mom's still gotta make the tea for us, wanna look around the shop for a while?" he asked.

Naoto smiled lightly at his suggestion "I'd love to." She said. The two of them walked inside the shop area and as she got a better look around, she noticed that there were more items in the shop than she'd last remember. "Wow, I'm guessing business has been good lately?" she asked, looking at the neat pile of fabric laid out on the side.

"Only just recently. That pile you're looking at is just for one client" He replied "The Amagi Inn's doing some sort of renovation right now, so they requested us for new draperies, and that's that."

"I see, I guess that's just right for them to ask you to make it. The Amagi Inn has been in business with your shop since they started, after all." The detective stated "Though it doesn't look like it is the same material you've used for them in the past..."

Kanji looked a bit impressed at Naoto's deduction "Who'd have thought? Since when did you have an eye for fabrics?" he asked lightheartedly "But you're right, it is a different material. At first, they wanted to just make newer drapes using the old silk, but when my ma showed 'em the new Alpaca wool she'd been making, they went for that instead." Kanji then pulled out two small strips of fabric from a nearby cabinet and held it out to her "This one's the old silk, and the other's the new wool. Try to see the difference between 'em yourself."

Naoto took both fabrics into her hands and rubbed her fingers against them "I see, the wool's isn't as smooth as the silk, but it is definitely a lot softer and it actually feels like it would be warmer." She then noticed him looking at her with a curious expression "Umm…was I mistaken?" she asked.

Kanji shook his head "No, I'm actually amazed you know that much." He said "I just never thought I'd actually get to talk to you about stuff like this, y'know, since I always hear you talk about details of cases that I don't even have the first idea of." He added, unable to hide his enthusiasm on the subject.

"Well, it's not like I really know that much, not as much as you do, that's for sure." She replied "But I've had my fair share of experience with these, mostly in due to Rise-san tagging me along to Croco Fur at Okina City last year." She chuckled, and even Kanji was amused by the idea of Rise and Naoto shopping for clothes.

Handing Kanji back the sample fabric he gave her, she walked over to the cabinet of stuffed dolls. She looked them over and she gasped as she recognized the stuffed dolls that looked really familiar. "Kanji-kun…are these dolls…"

"Yup, that's them alright." The tailor replied as he set the fabrics back to the cabinet where he took them from "I hope I didn't mess yours up." He said softly.

Holding the doll that Kanji was referring to, Naoto observed its details intently, turning her hand to look at the back of the doll as she went "The sword, the bandaged legs, and the butterfly wings and even the pointed horns. This is definitely Sukuna Hikona." She said, almost in glee "This is amazing, Kanji-kun, I've never thought there could be so much attention to detail on a stuffed doll, a fully handmade one at that." She looked up at him, her eyes beaming.

He blushed and looked away for a moment, scratching the back of his neck "Well, uh…I-um…I'm glad you liked it!" he said, his voice a lot more enthusiastic than what he intended. "I just based 'em off my memory of them, so I might have gotten a few details off." He said, rather shy of his work being observed.

"If any, I think they would be minute." Said Naoto, still amazed at the sight of her Persona's doll. "Everybody else's Persona is here too!" she said as she recognized the other dolls lined up on the cabinet. Apart from Sukuna Hikona that she held, there were also the Personae of the other members of Investigation team, each doll with its own quirk. Izanagi could stand on its narrow heeled feet, Jiraiya's soft shuriken hands actually rotate, Tomoe's double bladed Naginata can be refitted to each hand, Konohana Sakuya's fan-like sleeves are movable, and the fans shrink and expand as it does; Take Mikazuchi's lightning bolt splits in the middle, Kintoki Douji's tomahawk missile could be removed, and Himiko's satellite head is chock full of glitters that make it appear like a real satellite at nighttime. As she observed the quirks in each of the dolls, Naoto found one in Sukuna Hikona's removable sword and moving wings.

Kanji smiled and chuckled lightly as he watched Naoto fiddle with the stuffed figures. _"She's just like one of the kids who buy my stuff, a cute little kid playing with her new doll." _

Then she saw something else on a higher row of the cabinet. "Is that?" she tiptoed to reach for the doll when Kanji took it with ease and handed it to her, along with one another. "Thank you." She muttered as she took the new dolls in her hands "I can't imagine how you had worked on all of these based solely on memory." she said as she observed the doll she held now "Yamato Takeru and even Yamato Sumeragi, they look like just as I remember them." she looked up at him then smiled "Only a lot cuter." She chuckled.

"Y-you really find 'em cute?" Kanji asked, hesitation evident with the shakiness of his voice. _"Cu-cute!? The Naoto Shirogane I know has never even come close to saying that word even once!"_

"Yes, they really are cute." Replied the detective, her eyes still focused on the three stuffed figures she held in her hands. She then held them close to her chest as she looked up at him "I'll buy them, Kanji-kun. All three of them." She said.

A surprised look flashed across his face "Y'know, you could just keep 'em if you wanna." He said.

"No, I can't and I will not do that." She tells him in her low, serious voice, which startles the tailor "Tatsumi Textile Shop is a business, and these three dolls are as well enough part of the business as are the fabrics, and as such, I will pay for these as a rightful exchange."

Kanji comes upon a loss of words, having never expected Naoto to be so front with him over something as little as his Persona dolls. "F-fine, I guess I can't force you to say otherwise in this one." He said "But I'll be giving you three for the price of two." The detective opened her mouth in protest but he quickly cut her off "No buts this time, missy. You're still paying me as a…rightful exchange, like you said, but I am giving a discount since you're buying a set."

"It's a deal, then." said the detective, content with the terms they have agreed upon. _"At least it's better than getting things for free…" _she then noticed that Tatsumi-san was already standing from inside the house, looking at them, amused.

"Kanji-chan, it's one thing to give to a friend, but it's another to refuse payment from a customer." Tatsumi-san said in mock scolding towards her son "I know you think it's good for a guy to give gifts to a pretty lady that he likes, but can't you see that Naoto-chan liked your work so much she was willing to refuse getting it for free."

Taken aback by yet another string of blunt remarks from his mother "S-shut up ma! You're just blabbering already, can't you keep that mouth shut for once!?" he cried out, embarrassment setting in on him yet again.

"Kanji! Can't you act proper around a lady for once?" his mother's lack of honorifics startled him, she was serious. Brushing her son aside, the elder tailor turns to the detective "Breakfast is ready, Naoto-chan." She said sweetly.

"Oh, thank you very much, Tatsumi-san, I'll be there right away." Naoto replied, following after Tatsumi-san while still clutching the three dolls she picked out.

They all sat around the dining table, where Tatsumi-san had set each a plate of toast and egg, along with a cup of tea. Kanji and Naoto sat beside each other, and the tailor glanced at the detective every now and then, putting the image he sees side by side with what he remembered as the last time he had her in his house. Back then she already grown her hair a bit, as it had already reached past her shoulders, but she had done away with her cap and had also worn her uniform differently too, as she now wore the female seifuku of Yasogami high, albeit with an unbuttoned top of the male gakuran during winter like how Yu Narukami wore his uniform. He also noticed that she had set all three of her Persona dolls on her lap, to which he smiled a bit. _"Just can't let those go, huh?"_

Unknown to him, Naoto was also stealing glances at the tailor, comparing her recollection of him then and now. The last time she saw him she could still make out the scar at the side of his forehead, as it was only partly covered by his unbleached black hair that has grown longer in the present. She also noticed that he had already changed the frame of his eyeglasses from the old, black rectangular frame to what appeared to be the frame of his fog glasses, a thin, silver frame with the SMPTE color bars beside the hinges. The only difference now from back then would be the graded lenses instead of the fog-revealing tinted ones.

Tatsumi-san sat on the other end of the table, taking a sip of tea, she had already noticed both youngsters exchanging glances one after the other and was only waiting for their eyes to move at the same time, but even after a few more seconds of deliberate silence from her end, there was still no dice. "So, Naoto-chan, how was Yagokoro city?" she opted to ask, just to avoid turning the silence into an awkward one, and knowing her son, he was bound to realize what she's doing.

"It was fine, Tatsumi-san, the case I was assigned there went well, and I've managed to make a few friends along the way." The detective replied "Of course, Inaba still holds a special place in my heart, that's why-" she took a glance beside her for a moment "that's why I just couldn't pass up the chance to go back, even if it's for just a little while."

Tatsumi-san looked a bit puzzled at her words "For a little while? Do you have to leave again soon?"

The detective nodded "Yes, I'm only staying in Inaba for a week, I still have some business in Tokyo to take care of for the whole of next month."

"How about school, though?" this time it was Kanji who asked "You've been from Yasogami to Yagokoro last year, won't that make things complicated?"

Naoto shook her head "I'm already enrolled in Yasogami for our third year, since they counted both my time here and at Yagokoro as a whole school year, but I'm not to be around until June. I can catch up during that month though, midterms aren't until the end of the month, after all."

Kanji's expression brightened up for a moment after Naoto mentioned her enrollment in Yasogami High, but returned to a neutral one after hearing that he won't be seeing her until June "I see. Well at least you'll be back in Yasogami, Rise'd be happy to hear that."

"Rise-chan? But I thought she'd be out of Yasogami this year too?" Naoto asked him with a curious look. Out of the trio, the idol was the first to leave Yasogami followed by the detective, but it wasn't until she had asked for Rise's help at Yagokoro that she found out Rise would miss out on their last year of high school.

"That's what she said at first," replied the tailor "but apparently, she's managed to convince her manager to let her at least finish her high school before she really goes back full time. Don't know the details much, but I think she'd be coming back sometime around the same time as you would."

The detective smiled "Is that so? That's good to hear." Even though she might have willingly agreed to transfer schools as part of her cover in Yagokoro, she still missed the company of Rise and Kanji. They had already gotten close during their first year as part of the Investigation team, but it wasn't until their second year when they became classmates that their group started to form a solid bond like their upperclassmen shared.

While they no longer went up to Junes regularly, they had managed to turn the little hut at the Samegawa Flood Plain as their own "special headquarters". Whenever Yosuke needed help at Junes though, they would still come to his rescue, at the cost of steak for everyone whenever Chie was also helping. Now that she thought about it, Naoto remembered Rise telling her that Yosuke and Chie had become a couple before their graduation, and were currently attending a university together. "Have you heard anything about Yukiko-senpai lately?" she then asked, wondering about their other senpai.

Kanji shrugged "Nah, not anything since she and Yu-senpai got together in Tokyo." He said

"Her mother did tell me before that Yuki-chan plans to take over the inn after college." Said Tatsumi-san.

"I see, in any case, we don't have to worry about her if she's with Yu-senpai." Said the detective.

The three of them continued to chat for a few more minutes until Naoto glanced at the wall clock "Oh, it's almost 10 already?" she muttered, then looked at the older woman "I'm sorry, Tatsumi-san, I'd have to get going now, I have to visit my grandpa for a while to let him know I've returned to Inaba." She said with an apologetic look.

Tatsumi-san simply raised her hand in front of her "It's alright, Naoto-chan, I'm sure your grandfather would be delighted to see you. We'll talk again some other time." She then turned to her son "I suppose you'd be going with Naoto-chan, now, dear?" she asked.

Kanji looked surprised, he hadn't even told his mother about going with Naoto to the estate yet "Err…yeah, just open the shop without me." He simply said.

"Alright dear."

Naoto stood up from the table and bowed once more towards Tatsumi-san. Kanji then made his way back to his room first, insisting that he wanted to change his clothes. The detective tucked the stuffed dolls in her handbag before heading back to the shop area to look at the cabinet once more, taking the Take Mikazuchi, Rokuten Maoh and Takeji Zaiten dolls, going as far as to hop to get the latter two because the cabinet was still a bit too high despite her already improved height. Tatsumi-san saw this and smiled at the petite detective "It seems you really liked his work." She said, quite amused at how Naoto just came back to the cabinet again.

"Yes, I do." The detective replied warmly "These figurines, they mean a lot to me, these were the symbols of the memories we and our senpais built and cherish." She chuckled "To think that Kanji would actually make these, I'm just amazed, is all."

"The amount of detail put into those could only be described as masterful, not even I could have made dolls that wonderful." Said the elder tailor "Kanji-chan has been working on these dolls for the past couple of weeks, and he just put them up there last night when we closed up. I never thought he'd be having a buyer already before he even puts it on sale." The two women shared a moment of laughter at that.

"I'll be taking these as well, Tatsumi-san, but…I have a favor to ask of you." Said the detective, with the older woman just looking at her, intending to hear her out "I'll be paying for all the dolls now, but please don't tell Kanji-kun I bought these last three." She said softly so that Kanji wouldn't be able to overhear.

Tatsumi-san chuckled at her request, but simply nodded her head in agreement. Naoto breathed a relieved sigh before taking out her wallet and handing over her payment to the older woman "Don't worry, Naoto-chan, I'm sure he'll believe if I say some kids came by and bought it." she whispered to the detective.

Kanji could then be heard going down the stairs with his loud footsteps, and Naoto quickly stuffed her other three into her bag. The tailor walked into the shop area as he was looking for them, now dressed in a light yellow, short sleeve buttoned shirt and black pants. "Hey, you ready?" he asked, looking at the detective.

"Yes, let's go." She replied as she followed him towards the genkan, but not before looking back to Tatsumi-san and smiling warmly at the older woman "Thank you, Tatsumi-san, I hope to see you again." She said.

"Me too, Naoto-chan, you two take care now." Said the elder tailor, to which the detective nodded in reply.

Kanji put on his pair of black shoes that he uses for school while Naoto settled into her sandals again. "Ma, we're going now." Said Kanji before sliding the door open, and stepping out of the house, taking Naoto's luggage with him. The pair then made their way back down the central shopping district towards the bus stop. As they walked, Kanji spoke up "Sorry about my ma again, she just tends to blurt out embarrassing stuff."

"No, I actually had fun." Replied the detective "Your mother is exactly what you would be if you were a woman, Kanji-kun. Then again, you're not far off from her now." She chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Kanji rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing you didn't tell gramps you'd be coming home now?"

"Yes, how'd you know?" she looked up at him, surprised.

"Cuz If you did, you would have just asked Yakushiji-san to pick you up from the station." He stated as if it was a fact _"Of course, I'm happy you didn't."_

She sighed as she shook her head "Tell me something, Kanji-kun, have you been doing well in your tests lately?" she asked.

Kanji was taken aback by the sudden question "Wha-what's that to do with anything!?" he cried out. He knew Naoto Shirogane was fond of throwing random questions out of the blue, but to suddenly touch upon a somewhat sensitive topic for him caught him off guard.

"Because you've been throwing off my expectations of you ever since we met this morning." The detective replied "It's almost like you've become a new Kanji Tatsumi…almost." She trailed off.

The tailor looked at the detective curiously "Now you've lost me…why almost?"

"For one, I never expected you to pay attention to details outside your craft." The detective looked up at him with a soft smile "The almost part comes from the fact that you're still dedicated to your craft, probably even more so, and even enough to make a new name for the famed Tatsumi Textile Shop one day."

"I could say the same for you, detective princess." He said, referring to the new nickname he had suggested "Who'd have thought you actually went shopping with Rise, and that you actually had an eye for cute things?" He then snickered "Guess I can't see that side whenever you act all formal and stuff."

The detective cleared her throat as she looked away for a moment, "Even though I had molded myself into becoming a proper detective, I still had an eye for cute things, especially stuffed toys, but of course, I had to restrain myself. Despite all that, though, I'm starting to learn to be a little more expressive with such matters, I am…after all…a girl." She said, becoming a bit hesitant by the end. No question, she had already started to embrace her femininity, but only to a modest degree unlike their friend Rise, and she's slowly starting to discover what it is that she had missed out on her childhood.

"_Come on, Kanji Tatsumi, man up, you didn't ask to come with her just to play chaperone now. If you can't do this now, what more tomorrow!?" _Kanji swallowed as he looked at her, his thoughts echoing in his head "You certainly look like one already, a….pretty one at that, too." He said, but not before feeling his heart beat a lot faster and his face heat up.

Naoto suddenly looked up at him, her eyes wide, but unable to hold her gaze, she looks away, and for the umpteenth time, her eyes wander and her cheeks flush red. "Thank you, no one's ever told me that before." She said _"Oh what now? Calm down, Shirogane…deep breath, this is just Kanji-kun, your friend, you're not supposed to feel anything funny or unnecessary."_

They arrived at the bus stop, with luckily another bus was waiting for them. Taking the same seating arrangement as they did during their ride that early morning, they set off towards the Shirogane estate, which consisted of a 30 minute bus ride followed by a 10 minute walk to the estate. During the trip, there wasn't much interaction between the two, only a few moments when their gazes meet and they exchange soft smiles. About ten minutes into their trip, the bus was forced to take a detour due to a construction mishap impeding their planned route, the bus driver apologetically announcing over the PA that trip would be delayed by at least 20 minutes.

"Hey Naoto, should we just take the tra—" his suggestion was stopped when he felt Naoto's head slump against his shoulder, he slowly looked at her to find that she was fast asleep. He sighed and shook his head as he tried to stay still so as not to rouse her. _"Guess the long train trip from Yagokoro's finally caught up to her…maybe this detour ain't so bad after all…" _


	4. Flower of the Shirogane

_**Disclaimer: Persona 4 is owned by Atlus.**_

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: Flower of the Shirogane**

**April 26, 2013 **- - _Daytime_

After being delayed for 20 minutes due to the bus taking a detour, Naoto and Kanji eventually neared their bus stop by the outskirts of Inaba. After that, it would only take them at least 10 minutes to walk to the gigantic Shirogane estate, where Naoto's beloved grandfather resides, and a place that Kanji has come to be familiar with over the last year.

"Dear passengers, we are now approaching Northern Inaba, to disembarking passengers, please check your belongings to make sure you leave nothing after stepping off. Thank you for riding with us, we are now approaching the Northern Inaba bus stop." Came the bus driver's polite tone over the PA.

Naoto slowly opened her eyes, the announcement rousing her from her sleep, when she came to, she felt that she had rested her head on Kanji's shoulder. Quickly pulling herself away from the tailor in surprise, she then saw that Kanji was looking at her in equal surprise. Her eyes wandered as she tried to figure some sort of explanation out, mumbling weak, incoherent words as she did, but as she saw how his surprised reaction turned into a soft smile, she sighed in defeat "I'm sorry." She muttered weakly.

Kanji shook his head in response "Nah, it's no biggie." He said "Did you sleep well? You must've been tired from the long trip to Inaba, good thing the bus was forced to take a detour, somethin' was blocking the path to the main road."

As she realized she had slept through the delayed trip, the detective slowly nodded in response, shrinking into her shoulders in embarrassment of how she ended up in her sleep "I think I was able to sleep well enough…thank you." She said before she quickly turned her gaze to the window outside "Oh, we're here already."

The bus started to gently slow down to a crawl as it neared the bus stop, and the tailor stood up from his seat with the black luggage in tow, standing in the aisle to let the detective get ahead. The two of them stepped out of the bus and made their way to the Shirogane estate. As they walked along, Kanji noticed that Naoto was strangely quiet and that she wasn't even bothering to look at him too. He had the wild idea to tease her a little, but as his mind went to quickly brush the thought aside, his mouth proved to move faster. "Ya know, ya look pretty cute in your sleep." He said, making him look away gritting his teeth as he inwardly cursed himself for having said that _"Oh what the fu-I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!"_

The detective looked like she was stunned as she nearly stumbled, then looking at him with a shocked expression albeit a face flushing deep red "Wha-WHAT!?" she cried out. "Tha…that's…" she trailed off, averting her gaze while still unable to find the words to comprehend his rather direct compliment. _"I heard it right, didn't I? He…Kanji-kun, he…he called me cute…" _

Kanji raised his hands in front of him "Ah! I mean-what I meant to say was…you looked pretty calm in your sleep!" he said, rather forcefully for his liking though "Yeah…pretty calm…calmly cute…" he muttered, but the detective gave him another surprised look as she heard his last statement "NO! I JUST MEANT TO SAY CALM DAMMIT! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I'M GETTING THE OTHER WORDS FROM!" he cried out before turning away from the detective in embarrassment, his face as red as the girl's.

An awkward silence filled the air for a few moments, and as Naoto looked around them for a moment, she was glad that they were already on the road leading to the estate, which meant that there was no one else around to hear them. Kanji still wasn't looking back at her, so she took a deep breath before walking up to him "That…that's just not a word I often hear from men to describe me." She said, the tailor slowly looking back at her with a confused expression "Little girl, little kid…I'm much more accustomed to hearing words along those lines. In fact, the only people I've ever heard call me…pretty…or cute, and the like were Rise-san, Yukiko-senpai and Chie-senpai." Kanji's confused expression progressed into a light smile, and he found himself laughing, which made the detective frown at him "What's so funny now?" she asked, annoyed.

Strangely enough, Kanji now felt comfortable as he faced Naoto with a confident expression "I don't get adults sometimes, y'know? You just made it sound like growing old makes you blind." He said.

Naoto looked at him, confused as to what he meant "What? I'm not sure I follow, Kanji-kun…" she trailed off.

Kanji scratched the back of his head, thinking of the words to explain "Let's see…you say all they tell you is you're a little girl and like that…we all know that, you've been treated that way even back when we first met." He paused for a while, composing his thoughts "If they still do that now, then they must be blind. You look different now, far from a little girl, if you ask me…more like a real girl now, a pretty girl too." He said.

Naoto looked perplexed for a moment, then she chuckled "So…you're saying I didn't look like a real girl back then?"

"N-no! That's not what I meant…" Kanji panicked a bit, thinking he was misunderstood again "What I'm trying to say is that-"

"It's quite alright, Kanji-kun, I get it." Naoto cut him, giggling as he looked confused "I was just kidding with you there."

"Oh…" the tailor trailed off _"Naoto…kidding around? Where in the hell am I!? This ain't the real world!"_

"Thank you, though, Kanji-kun." Said the detective, a sincere smile on her lips "That made me feel a lot better."

Kanji looked away, his face starting to burn up "A-anyways, let's go on, you wouldn't want to stay around here longer." He said before setting off once more towards the estate with a smiling little lady behind him.

Looking at the tailor as they walked, Naoto couldn't help but feel the change in him _"He says he's only changed a little, but I beg to differ. This Kanji Tatsumi is unlike the one I've last seen…and to think that it's only been over six months…strange though, usually I'd be feeling a bit awkward around him, even if he was my classmate, yet now it just feels so comfortable." _A random thought then came to her mind, to which she vigorously shook her head in denial _"No, Naoto Shirogane, that's already akin to jumping to conclusions very early in the case without even any solid evidence, an unspoken taboo in being a detective…besides, it's even too early for me to think about those things...and you don't even know if he feels the same. He acts strange around you, but he's just that, a guy that's a bit socially awkward."_

Ahead, Kanji was also lost in thought _"Wow, who'd have guessed you actually had some guts to say things like that, Kanji Tatsumi? Looks like you actually stand a chance of even at least getting to say what you want this time around…now that I think of it though, I was pretty honest back there, maybe I just need to be a lot more honest. Besides, she did say it made her feel better, so that's fine with me for now." _

The pair eventually arrived at the entrance of the Shirogane estate, the huge mansion obscured from public view by the multitude of trees along the road they had went past. Kanji had always remembered that the entire estate cannot be see until you were standing by the huge gate. The two of them walked inside using the smaller gate by the side, and as they passed the fountain in the middle of the front yard, Naoto smiled while she looked around "This place hasn't changed much, but it just feels so good to be back here." She said.

"This is your home, after all." Said the tailor, which the detective replied to with a nod. As they walked up the stairs to the mansion, they were surprised to see the front door open for them, while a man wearing a black suit and matching black sunglasses stood in wait, the pair smiled as they recognized who the man was.

The man in black bowed to his waist as they reached the front door "Welcome home, Naoto-sama, and to you too, Tatsumi-sama."

Naoto bowed acutely in response "It has been a long time, Yakushiji-san." She said, giving a warm smile at the butler.

Yakushiji gestured his hand towards the inside of the mansion "Your grandfather is in his study, young mistress." He said, then taking note of Naoto's handbag and her luggage that Kanji was holding "Let me take your things to your room, Naoto-sama." The detective nodded before handing him her handbag.

"Oh alright, thanks." The tailor then let the butler take hold of the luggage's handle.

Yakushiji bowed once more "I'll be taking my leave then, if you'll excuse me." He said before making his way up the stairs with the detective's luggage in tow.

The pair then quietly made their way towards the study of Naoto's grandfather, a large room just beside the library that they've grown familiar with during their second year. Naoto gently opens the tall door to the study and sees her grandfather sitting by the window on the far end of the room. When they made their way inside, the elder Shirogane slowly turned to look at them. "My, my, how you've grown so much in so little time, dear granddaughter." He said, then turning towards her companion "Ah, I see you have brought young Tatsumi-san with you, good to see you." He said before bowing slightly towards the tailor.

Kanji responded in kind "Thank you, sir."

"Kanji-kun was the one who picked me up from the train station here in Inaba." Said Naoto

Her grandfather looked at Kanji with a surprised expression "Is that so? You have my thanks for seeing to my granddaughter." The tailor replied with a nod, and the elder detective turned to Naoto once more "You could've just called us, dear, I could've had Yakushiji-san pick you up."

Naoto gently shook her head "I've only thought about my trip home a couple days ago, and I did not want to bother you with picking me up." She said "Besides, even if I didn't tell you ahead of time, I'd be comfortable in making my way here alone." Her somber expression as she spoke didn't escape the elder's notice, and he stood up from his seat and walked towards the detective. Even if she had grown a little, Naoto still needed to tilt her head up to look at her grandfather, since the elder detective was about as tall as Kanji.

Putting his hand on Naoto's head, her grandfather sighed "I'm sorry, Naoto, I know that you've grown old enough now and that you want to do things by yourself." The old detective then laughed "I can feel you're already getting fed up with me trying to pamper you like you were still a little kid."

Naoto grew a little red "That's not…" she started but her grandfather shaking his head cut her off.

"I understand, Naoto." He said in a calm tone, his hand moving to his granddaughter's shoulder "Honestly, I'm just an old man who's lost track of time, stuck in the past when his granddaughter was still making her own detectives tools, not realizing that the little girl that would tag around and helping him in his work, has now become a fine lady and a brilliant detective in her own right." He finished by giving Naoto a warm smile.

"I'm not as brilliant as you think yet, grandpa." Naoto said in a disappointed tone "There's still a world out there that I don't know, and I can't live up to the likes of you or my parents with the way I am now."

"You are still young, my child, of course it would be that way." Shirogane-san replied "You might have taken several cases on your own, but you are still inexperienced." For a moment, his eyes moved towards the tailor standing a few steps from them "But even at your young age, you have already experienced something that neither your parents nor I have."

The petite detective looked confused at her grandfather's words "What do you mean by that, grandpa?" she asked, but his reaction left her even more confused. The elder detective only laughed as he started to walk towards the door of his study.

"That is one mystery I implore you to seek for yourself, young detective." said Naoto's grandfather, still strutting his way "In the meantime, why don't you entertain your guest for a little while, my dear." He stopped then turned back to them halfway, his eyes fixed on Kanji "I would like you to join us for lunch, Tatsumi-san." He said in a welcoming tone "It's the least I can do to thank you for looking after my granddaughter today."

Kanji was surprised at the sudden invitation, but when he saw that Naoto was smiling at him when he looked at her, he knew what he had to do. "Thank you, Shirogane-san." He said, bowing acutely at the elder detective. Naoto's grandfather nodded in delight before walking out of the study. Now with them left alone, he looked at Naoto "So uh…what now?"

"Well, it's useless to give you a tour of the place since you've already seen it many times…" Naoto trailed off "You decide what you want to do, you are my guest now, after all." She said.

Kanji took a moment to think it through, Naoto was right in that he had been around the mansion several times before that he probably knew as much about the mansion as Naoto, but he suddenly realized that there was a place in the mansion that neither he nor Rise had been in. "How about your room?" he asked.

The detective looked bewildered at his suggestion "What? M-my r-room?" she said with a rather embarrassed expression. _"Why there of all places!?"_

"Yeah…" the tailor then realized why the detective looked so flustered and he backpedaled in response "Uh…we don't have to go there if you don't want to, y'know, I mean I just wanted to see what your room looks like since it's the only part of this huge place me or Rise haven't seen yet." If the alarmed look on his face didn't show enough, the way he spoke as fast as machine gun fire would, and he mentally reprimanded himself for it _"Yeah, be honest, Kanji…but not too damn honest!" _

It took a few moments of silence before Naoto spoke up "It's alright, Kanji-kun." She said, taking a deep breath before continuing "Don't expect too much in it, though, even the estate's kitchen is a more interesting place than my bedroom."

"Nah, I don't mind." He replied "Just curious to see what the room of the detective princess is actually like."

She felt a little heat on her cheeks for a moment at the sound of her new nickname, but nevertheless, she started to lead the way to her room. Making their way up the stairs, they walked by a couple of the estate's housekeepers, who bowed towards them in respect, but as they passed by, Naoto could barely hear them gossiping about her and Kanji. She rolled her eyes in disbelief _"Geez, these people still make a fuss over the slightest thing when it comes to me…it doesn't even look that way!"_

They eventually arrive by the door of Naoto's room in the second floor of the mansion, a plain wooden door. Naoto took a moment before twisting the door knob and pushing the door open. "Here we are. My room." She said as she and Kanji stepped inside.

Kanji stood in awe at the sight of Naoto's bedroom, it was a fairly large room, the plain door proving to be quite deceptive of its size, the bedroom itself had a carpet with an ornamental design that seemed to revolve around a floral theme. It seemed as if half of the bedroom was a workplace, as on the corner of the bedroom were two bookshelves forming an inverted "L" along the walls. In front of the bookshelves was a table with two chairs, and as Kanji examined the books on the shelves, he noticed that they were all related to detective work, either reference textbooks or even detective fiction novels. On one side of the bedroom laid a rather plain study table with a folded laptop placed on it, one that Kanji guessed that she uses for researching cases, he also noted that Naoto's handbag and her luggage were placed by the table, most likely thanks to Yakushiji. On the other side was Naoto's bed, a somewhat huge one in proportion to the detective's size, and along the walls beside it were a couple of closets. In the middle edge of the room, just a few feet from the closets was a sliding door that led to a small balcony overlooking the front yard and the scenery of trees that lined up the outside of the estate.

"Wow!" was all that Kanji could manage to say to sum up his thought about the detective's room.

"Honestly, I've never thought much of my room." Said Naoto as she moved to slide open the door to the balcony, gesturing her hand for Kanji to follow her there. As they stood out there, looking towards the range of trees, a breeze suddenly came in, and Naoto held her hand over her hair to keep it from scattering towards the tailor. "Even if I had the table by the bookshelves, I would always take a chair with me here to the balcony whenever I'd read. It always felt different here, there was always something that made me feel good about this place." She said.

"Now that you mention it, the air here feels fresher than inside, maybe that's why." Replied the tailor.

"Maybe so…" Naoto trailed off, her tone rather sad "but whenever I'm here, I always like to have something else to look at rather than the view. As I grew up, I found myself actually not wanting to see the view here, because for some reason, it made me feel uneasy, uncomfortable, but even after all these years, I still don't know why it makes me feel so. Even right now, it doesn't feel good when I look at it." she then turned to the tailor with a half smile. "I told you my room wasn't much of anything."

Kanji shook his head "No, it's a nice place." He began "I just think you never bothered looking at it in a different light."

This piqued the detective's curiosity "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Well, my ma used to tell me somethin' when I was young." Began the tailor "What you see on the outside doesn't always reflect the true image lying inside, sometimes a change of perspective is all that is needed. I thought it was just some old saying she was telling me so I ignored it and went on with my life doing what I did when you first met me, acting tough because I was scared that I wasn't gonna be seen as who I am." He looked down and chuckled softly "I was stupid, of course, but it wasn't until I faced my shadow that I realized what my ma had been trying to tell me: That you can't always see and take things at face value, sometimes you gotta look at it differently to be able to appreciate 'em."

"A change of perspective…" Naoto muttered as she mulled over the words of the tailor.

"Let's try it like this, when you look out there, what do you see?" asked Kanji.

"Trees…nothing but a range of trees that cover the entire horizon." She replied.

"Okay, then try looking at it like this," Kanji looked to the horizon for a moment "maybe these trees actually have a purpose that makes them a lot more interesting than just being a bunch of trees that fill the view."

Naoto looked at him, curiosity all over her face "A purpose, you say? What could it be, though?" she muttered to herself.

Kanji smiled at her reaction "There, now you already have something to think about, that should make those trees a little more interesting now."

"Wha-" she laughed and shook her head as she realized what Kanji had meant "Oh my…you tricked me there." She said.

"No, I just helped you make things a little bit interesting." Replied Kanji "But really, you just managed to find yourself another mystery to solve, who would've thought it'd just be in front of your place."

Amused, she sighed in relief "You're right, Kanji-kun, that is definitely something to ponder on." She said.

During the next hour, the two spent their time talking about the things that Naoto felt too plain in her room, like her study table, the carpet and even the table by the bookshelves, with Kanji giving her questions that gave her renewed interests in them. Once they had exhausted all the things in the room, they both sat down by the table as Naoto insisted on picking out her favorite books and showing them to Kanji, the tailor looking on at her with a happy smile as she excitedly summarizes each one of them as she picks them out, not realizing that her voice was taking on a higher, more feminine pitch.

"You really loved them books, eh?" Kanji asked as Naoto began putting her books back to their places in the shelves.

"They were the ones that got me really passionate about becoming a detective." She replied "Since I wasn't exactly approachable back when I was young, the only things I did after school were finishing my homework then getting back to these books." Naoto chuckled as she recalled something "I remembered how my grandpa scolded me once for bringing a book to the dinner table."

"I can relate to that, I'm probably just the same way with my dolls." said Kanji "Like you, almost nobody wanted to talk to me after finding out I loved to sew and stuff. Y'see both my parents worked in the textile business, and that was how they met, my grandpa who first gave the shop to my dad after he and ma got married, so you can imagine that I grew up playing with a ball of yarn rather than the ball other kids threw around. It wasn't until I was around 7 years old that my ma taught me how to sew that I got hooked, she even gave me the leftover fabric to play with." Naoto noticed that Kanji looked happy as nostalgia took over him "A few days later, I bunched some fabric and started sewing them together, what came out of it was my very first doll. It wasn't exactly as good as the ones I do today though, so my ma told me I had to learn more about sewing techniques before I could make a proper doll."

"I'm surprised you never told this story to us before." Said Naoto, feeling quite impressed with Kanji's story.

Kanji returned a confused look "What? You never asked." He chuckled lightly as he saw the detective frown "I didn't really think this was worth telling, so I never really thought of telling you guys about it."

Naoto shook her head in disagreement "I think it was worth listening to, because it's easy to see just how much more different you are from back then." She said "From the guy that everyone downright avoids, to the guy whose unique gift is now admired by most of the town. I'm sure your father is very much proud of you, Kanji-kun."

Kanji looked away for a moment before giving the detective a warm smile "Thanks Naoto, that…means a lot, coming from you."

Someone then knocked on the door, catching the pair's attention. After a couple knocks, Yakushiji pushed the door open and peeked inside, making his way in when he sees them seated by the table. "Excuse me, Naoto-sama, Tatsumi-sama; Shirogane-sama sent me to tell you that lunch is about to be served at the dining area. He requests that you join us as soon as possible." He said.

"We'll be right down, Yakushiji-san." Replied Naoto, the butler bowed before making his way out. "Shall we go then?" she asked as she turned towards Kanji.

The tailor nodded "Sure, wouldn't want to keep your gramps waiting." the two of them then made their way down to the dining area, a large room that features a long dining table and several chandeliers hanging above. Naoto's grandfather sat at the head of the table. He smiled as the pair approached him.

"Ah, finally, you're here." Said Shirogane-san before his eyes turned towards Kanji "I hope my granddaughter has accommodated you well enough."

Kanji glanced at Naoto for a moment before he spoke "Not a dull moment with Naoto around, Shirogane-san."

The man nodded, and gestured for them to take the two places nearest to him, Naoto taking the spot to this left, Kanji the other. He then looked at his granddaughter "So Naoto, dear, what brought you home on such short notice? I've heard that while you've finished your work back at Yagokoro, you elected to stay for a few more months."

"Golden Week starts this week, grandpa, and I thought it was more appropriate if I spent the week here in Inaba-" she paused for a moment, her eyes quickly switching to Kanji then back to her grandfather "-where you and my closest friends are."

Her grandfather nodded before giving her another question "I see, so you will be on your way back to Yagokoro after the holidays, I presume?"

"Yes, but I will only have two more weeks there before coming back here to Inaba, I have enrolled my third year at Yasogami High, after all."

"That's good, that's good." Replied the elder detective I've also heard from Aoi-dono that you've done splendidly over there at Yagokoro. I must say, you're following in our footsteps faster than I had expected, young detective, your mother and your father would be very proud of you right now."

Naoto smiled at her grandfather's compliment "Thank you, grandpa."

"To be honest, though, I couldn't help but worry about you more and more as you progress through these cases, my dear." Said Shirogane-san, concern evident in his tone "After reading over the case files of the kidnapping and murder cases you solved here in Inaba, Aoi-dono also sent me the files of the case in Yagokoro, and the similarities between them were uncanny. I'm just worried that these cases seemed a lot more dangerous than the police make them out to be, but of course, you still know more about it than I do."

Naoto nodded in response "I have managed fine on my own, grandpa, but it was all thanks to my friends. I would never have gotten far without them."

"And that is something that is unique to you." The elder Shirogane replied, thinking back to his words earlier when Naoto and Kanji arrived "You have the gift of making connections, you are able to draw good people to you, people that would willingly lend their strengths to aid you in your endeavors. That is one thing that neither me nor your parents had, all we had to go on was our own skills, but you have your connections that compliment your own refined detective skills." He then picked out a flower from the vase near him "They say that in the Shirogane line of detectives, there exists one in a few generations that displays an exceptional gift in being a detective, one that they believed to be a flower that blooms only once in a few decades." He then handed the flower over to Naoto "From the day you were born, I remember your parents say that you were going to be the rare flower in our clan. Right now, I have reason to believe that their faith wasn't misguided."

"Grandpa…" Naoto trailed off, quite overcome by her grandfather's words, a single tear trickling down her cheek "Thank you, I promise I will do my best to uphold the Shirogane name." her eyes fell upon the tailor, who nodded and smiled at her proudly.

"Now then, I believe it's time we enjoyed ourselves to a little feast." Said the old detective, as several housekeepers walked into the dining area, each carrying a covered plate. They set the plates in front of the three on the table, and revealed a wide selection of dishes as they lifted the covers. "It is quite the rare occasion for us to have a guest in the house, so a little extravagance doesn't hurt."

"Enjoy your meal." They all said in unison before they made their out of the dining area.

"Are you sure this is alright with you, Shirogane-san? I didn't mean to impose…" said Kanji, surprised at how a simple offer of lunch from the elder detective turned into a feast.

The detective simply waved his hand "No, no, Tatsumi-san, it's quite alright. We rarely get guests in the house ever since Naoto left for Yagokoro, that it actually got a bit boring, to be honest." He then looked towards his granddaughter "Besides, I figured since Naoto's back in Inaba, we could use the occasion for a little treat."

Naoto nodded at her grandfather before she turned to Kanji "Well then, shall we?" she asked, holding up the silverware in her hands.

Kanji smiled softly at her "Yeah, I guess so." The three went on to say their graces before they began their lunch. With the selection of meals that Naoto's grandfather had prepared, Kanji was sure that he would be going home with a full stomach. During their lunch, the elder detective went on asking random questions to both Naoto and Kanji, looking to liven up their meal even more. One such question caught both the youngsters off guard.

"Naoto, by any chance, do you have a boyfriend now?" her grandfather asked in a stern tone. The question literally made the young detective choke on the water she was drinking at the time. Kanji too nearly spat the juice that he was drinking at the question.

"Wha- -why would you ask something like that, grandpa!?" Naoto cried out, her face growing bright red. _"WHYYYYYY!?" _

"Because you are already at that age, after all, so I was just wondering if you've already found yourself a man." Replied Shirogane-san in a rather defensive tone "Plus, you've become quite the beauty and a lot more feminine than you were before. You would agree with me, right, Tatsumi-san?" his inquiry was met with a very surprised look on Kanji. "Though I suppose it'd be quite rude to ask that, since you may have a girlfriend of yours already."

Naoto felt her heart fall at her grandfather's last remark, and noting Kanji's lack of a reaction, she felt a myriad of thoughts come into her as her eyes fell to her lap. _"What if Kanji and Rise-san were actually dating now? They were already pretty close back when we in our second year…but why did I only think about this now…it's not like I wanted to come in between them…yeah, I did not come home for that…but, what am I supposed to feel now…how am I supposed to feel about this? I mean…I'm just starting to like Kanji-kun…but, why did things have to turn out like this. Why do I have t-"_

The detective's thoughts were cut off when she heard the tailor speak up "I-uh, I actually don't have one yet, Shirogane-san." His embarrassed tone drawing her out of her trance and when she turned to her grandfather, she could've sworn that she saw him smile at his response.

"I see, but I guess that can't be helped." Said Shirogane-san "Seeing as you both are very much occupied with both your respective works. Though I must say, you two could easily be mistaken for lovers if they didn't know you." He added before going back to his meal, leaving the pair with puzzled expressions.

After lunch, the pair had settled once more at the balcony on Naoto's room, looking out to the view while the wind gently blew by them. The detective looked at Kanji, who seemed rather fine despite going through yet another embarrassing conversation that day. "I'm sorry about that." She muttered "My grandpa has always been quite excited about the idea of me being in a relationship for some reason ever since I started looking a bit…more feminine." She said, chuckling

Kanji chuckled "Hey, who could blame him? It's not everyday his only granddaughter suddenly stops dressing like a boy and finally looks like a girl."

The detective laughed, he did have a point with that, after all. "I guess you're right, I remember the times when I would start cutting my hair short the moment I felt even a single strand go below my neck." She said "My hair naturally grows quick, so I probably had to cut it every couple weeks or so."

"Reminds me of the time I started bleaching my hair." Kanji replied, running a hand through his hair as he spoke "My hair naturally falls like this, so everyday I had to comb it and use gel to get it to slick back, I actually got real late for school once because I woke up late but I still had to slick my hair back since it always goes to back when I sleep."

Naoto looked surprised "Wow, that's a lot to do…I can't imagine how you manage to keep doing that everyday back then."

"It was a hassle until became a habit." Replied the tailor, he then opened his cellphone to check on the time "It's already 1:30? Time sure flew by…" he trailed off, a tone of disappointment in his voice.

"Do you have to be somewhere?" asked the detective.

"Sorry, I gotta back to the shop, gotta help my ma out in packing the stuff for the Amagi Inn." Replied Kanji.

"Alright, come with me, I'll get Yakushiji-san to take you home." Said the detective as she quickly made her way out of her room to find the butler.

"He-hey! You don't have to, I can go on my own!" the tailor protested as he followed behind the detective.

"The bus won't be around until half an hour from now, the trip's gonna be faster if Yakushiji-san takes you." Naoto replied, she then spotted the butler by her grandfather's study and quickly approached him "Yakushiji-san, great, can you do me a favor?" she asked, the butler nodding unquestionably in response. Kanji tried to get a word in again but was completely ignored as Naoto continued "Great, can you please drive Kanji-kun back to the Tatsumi Textile shop?"

"Certainly, young mistress, shall I get the car ready then?" asked Yakushiji

"Yes, please do." She said "Is grandpa in?"

"Yes, he has actually been waiting for you, Naoto-sama." Replied Yakushiji "Well then, I'll be off." He said, making his way outside the mansion.

The pair walked in to the elder Shirogane's study and approached him, standing by the window "I take it Tatsumi-san will be on his way home now?" he asked.

"Yes, he still has unfinished business back at the textile shop." Replied Naoto.

Kanji bowed towards Shirogane-san "Thank you for today, Shirogane-san." He said.

"I appreciate the time, Tatsumi-san. It was fun." Replied the elder detective "Do join us here again sometime, will you?"

"Of course." Said the tailor before they heard a car pull up in front of the mansion. "I guess that's Yakushiji-san." He said to Naoto, then turning to her grandfather "I'll be off then, sir."

Naoto's grandfather simply nodded and smiled in response before the pair headed out. In front of the mansion was a black sedan, with the butler waiting by the driver side door. "Thank you, Kanji-kun, I had a lot of fun. It was nice seeing you again." Said Naoto as Kanji got inside the car.

"It's nothin', I had a lot of fun too. I'll see you tomorrow then." The tailor replied as he closed the door. The car then started up a few moments later and set off not a moment more.

"Tomorrow, huh?" Naoto chuckled and smiled as she walked back up to her room. Once inside, she goes to her study table and takes out the six stuffed dolls she had bought from the Tatsumi Textile Shop and arranged them onto the top row. She had put the dolls in pairs, with Sukuna Hikona and Take Mikazuchi on the left side, Yamato Takeru and Rokuten Maou on the right, and Yamato Sumeragi and Takeji Zaiten on the center. _"Beauty and the beast…quite fitting, but in a strange twist of events, the beauty now finds herself enamored with the beast first rather than the other way around."_

While on the ride home, Kanji ponders on the work he had left unfinished in his room. _"I guess I've gotta do an all-nighter if I wanna get it done by tomorrow, now it's like I'm starting from scratch, but that's what makes it a lot more interesting. After all, if I'm gonna do it, I might as well go all the way and leave nothing undone…for someone as special as her, I'll get it done." _All he had to do now was wait until they get to the Tatsumi Textile Shop, and once he gets there, it would be a race against time to get his art done.


End file.

Persona Series, Friendship, Romance