Author's Note:

Aaaand here's the long-awaited collaboration between myself and Miss Hanamura! *shot* Right, like we don't have other stories to tend to…

Please note that this story contains (eventual) Yuri, crossdressing, mild language, and two OCs. If any of these 4 things bother you, kindly press the back button on your broswer~

The Sun Rises With You

a Persona 4 (© ATLUS) fanfiction

a der kapitan/Miss Hanamura collaboration

xXxXx

After a hot summer, fall is finally here. Before the trees wither and winter creeps upon them, the inhabitants of Inaba enjoy the warm colors and brisk air that come with autumn. In the aftermath of the murders, the small town is looking forward to the annual Yasogami High School's Cultural Festival. Though they are still shaken, they allow themselves to lapse into a state of comfort, at least for this weekend. This festival is exactly what they need for that sense of normalcy they all crave.

Class 1-2 buzzes with excitement, filled with giggling and chattering. The class representative clears her throat and taps the gavel against the podium, trying to regain the attention of her classmates. "Okay! I'm tallying the votes now!" she announces as she holds up a small basket filled with folded up pieces of paper. They wait, with baited breath, as she counts off the choices until she unfolds the final vote. "Well," she begins, sounding a little concerned, "it looks like we're going to be doing a… Maid Café."

The reaction is immediate: all the girls squeal (mostly out of disgust), while the guys cheer and give each other high fives. "Victory!" one boy shouts as he pumps his fists into the air.

Rise, sitting between her unresponsive teammates, claps her hands together in approval. "Oooh! A maid café! This sounds like so much fun!"

"A… maid café?" Kanji reiterates unsurely. (Naoto doesn't notice him glancing at her and turning red.) "I-I dunno, I mean… What are we even 'pposed to do?"

Naoto strokes her chin thoughtfully as she contemplates the mystery. "Hmm… I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the concept… What does one do at a 'maid café,' Rise-chan?"

Rise laughs, thinking that it's a joke, but she sees the serious expression the Detective Prince is wearing and the smile immediately dies on her face. "Oh, well." She clears her throat. "It's where we all dress up as maids…" When she turns to Kanji and grimaces, he just growls and brandishes a non-threatening fist. "… and a bunch of guys - usually just guys, though sometimes girls - stop by and we just…"

Kanji chokes, and by now his face is redder than Teddie's suit.

"Ew!" she shrieks, reading the images and thoughts racing through his head, and smacks him painfully. "Get your head out of the gutter! We just, you know, make them feel at home and stuff… I've never really been to one or anything, but sometimes on set I'd hear people talking about it."

"I-I see," Naoto replies, without much confidence. "So we have to wear dresses…?" Her cheeks flush as she tugs on the brim of her hat. "I don't think I'd be comfortable doing this… M-maybe I should sit this out…"

"No, don't be silly, Naoto-kun!" Rise protests. "You'd be so cute in a maid outfit! Besides, I bet a bunch of guys are just dying to see you in a dress~" She nudges Kanji conspicuously. "Riiiight, Kanji-kun?"

"W-what?" He makes the mistake of looking at Naoto (again); Rise swears his face could boil water, it's so red. "I mean, uh… C-c'mon, you gotta do it, Naoto!"

Naoto sits back appalled, and Kanji just wants to melt into the ground. "Excuse me…!? I-I don't have to do anything…! And I would really much prefer to be left out of this farce. Besides, waiting on men…? it just sounds like a sick fantasy."

Rise sticks out her tongue at the blushing Prince. "Booo, don't be such a party pooper." Before Naoto can protest anymore, Rise throws her hand into the air. "Excuse me, class representative! Everyone has to participate, right?"

The bespectacled girl cocks her head to the side. "Er, well, yes. That was the point of the vote…"

Naoto curses quietly under her breath.

While the young Shirogane mourns her temporary defeat, a female classmate walks up to Kanji's desk while twiddling her thumbs shyly. Rise nudges the blond when he's still gawking blindly into the distance. "Y-you'll make the costumes, won't you, Tatsumi-kun?" the girl requests shyly.

Snapping out of it, he rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment (and slightly flattery). "Well I, uh, hadn't really considered it, yanno…?"

Rise, however, squeals at the prospect and grasps him by the arm. "Ooo, you should do it, Kanji-kun! I mean, you're great at that kind of thing, right? Like, sewing and stuff."

"Aw c'mon, it's not like… not like I'm great at it or anything." None of them believe a word he's saying, which fuels his terror. "It's just a hobby sometimes. Seriously!"

The redhead isn't going to take any of it, though. "C'mooon, Kanji-kun!" she wails. "Take one for the team!"

Their conversation, which has been anything but quiet, catches the attention of the class representative. "Hey, that's a great idea!" she says, now standing beside Rise's desk. "You don't mind, right, Kanji-kun?"

(He feels his face go sheet white when he hears her, but it's better than having it feel like it's going to burn off, he decides.) "I… guess not," he gives in, though with a huff.

"And what about you, Rise-chan?"

She blinks in surprise. "Me? Well-"

"I think Risette would be a great greeter!" one of their classmates announces, butting into the conversation. "I mean, if she's the one calling people in, we'd get all kinds of customers!"

"We'd be the most popular class!" another agrees.

"Well…" The class rep slowly turns to Rise, trying to read her reaction. "I can't say I don't disagree… How about it, Rise-chan? Do you mind being the greeter?"

Rise only thinks about it for a second before chirping, "Sure! Why not? Time to put my natural energy and verve to use!" She even throws up a peace sign to display her excitement and approval, but Kanji grimaces and Naoto just wishes she would disappear. At least one of them is happy, the detective thinks as she tries to pull her hat over her face.

Upstairs, Chie is in the middle of another one of her 'Yosuke sucks' rants. "Group date café," she mutters bitterly, glaring daggers at the perpetrator. "Ugh, you really are the worst, Yosuke."

"I didn't think anyone would actually vote for it!" he protests, trying to defend himself.

Next to them, Taiga timidly raises her hand. "Um… What exactly is a group date café? Is it just where people get together and drink coffee and… date? What does it imply?"

Chie sweatdrops. "I think you might be over thinking it, Tai-chan. But… she does bring up a valid point. How the heck are we supposed to do this?"

Yukiko smiles in reassurance, though it does nothing to ease her friends' worries. "I'm sure we'll come up with something, Chie. It sounds kind of fun, actually…"

Erin laughs nervously as she scratches her cheek. "Y-yeah, I uh, voted for it, too."

"A group date café," their leader reiterates, looking thoughtful. "So, Yosuke, what're we supposed to do? You're the mastermind behind this."

Yosuke swallows nervously. "H-hey, don't look at me!"

"YOU are the one who came up with it!" Chie growls, smacking him roughly on the arm.

"L-let's calm down," Taiga cuts in, trying to play mediator while as the brunette makes swiping motions and Yosuke rolls away. "I'm sure Yosuke-san will pull his own weight…" She glances over at the mentioned male, who's already run off to play paper baseball with some other classmates. "Er…"

Yu looks like he wants to laugh, despite the situation. "So I guess we all voted for something we don't even understand."

Taiga simpers weakly. "I was just curious, to be honest…"

Erin cocks her head to the side and hums lightly. "I-is it like speed dating?" she asks, hoping to shed some light on the matter. "Like we just sit at the table, and… talk about ourselves?" She looks to the others for verification, but they look just as lost as she does.

Chie slaps a hand to her forehead at the following silence. "Ugh, how the heck are we going to pull this off…?"

"So speed-dating in a café setting," Taiga murmurs. "It, er, almost sounds… exotic?"

"I don't think that's quite the term we're looking for…"

"Well, it's the one that won," Yu says with finality, "so we gotta do it and make it good." He clenches his fist and nods, donning a persona of determination that they only see when he's about to destroy Shadows.

"Geez, you're really gettin' all fired up about this, aren't you?" Chie asks with a sigh. "Well, like you said, too late to back out now… Man, let's just get this over with…"

The Weekend of the Cultural Festival…

Yukiko stands idly in the doorway with Taiga and Yu, rocking back and forth on her feet. The hallway is nearly empty, but even the passersby are walking past them without even looking. (And if they do look, they quickly avert their eyes and shuffle by quicker.) "No one's showed up yet," she states sadly. "What should we do?"

Taiga tries not to look too downtrodden. "Um, maybe we should go around with snacks and invite people to join us…"

Yu looks down at her with interest. "You mean, like, false advertising?"

"N-no…!" she gasps. "I mean… Maybe?" She sighs, hangs her head in defeat. "I'm admittedly a little embarrassed… I didn't think we'd be such a failure."

"Hey, failure is a bit harsh, isn't it…?" Yukiko looks around some more, but her shoulders droop and she too sighs.

Inside, Yosuke pulls a straw wrapper off one of the tables and fiddles with it. Suddenly, an idea strikes him (and Chie thinks about hitting him, too). "Hey, what if we called Rise-chan over here?" he suggests. "I mean, Risette a group date café… Should definitely stir up some business, right?"

Erin claps her hands together in delight. "That's a great idea, Yosuke-kun! Which one of us should go, though?"

Taiga turns around, hearing the conversation. "Why don't you go, Rin-san? We can hold the fort here until you return."

"Besides," says Chie, "if we send Yosuke, he'll probably never come back." Yosuke looks like he's about to protest, but he acknowledges the truth and just shrugs.

Erin stands up with a nod and smooths out the wrinkles in her skirt. "Alright! Be back in a second!"

"Welcome, welcome, to our Maid Café! Come in, take off your coats, and let us take care of you!" Rise winks just once, and immediately a flock of boys come swarming through the door. "You're in good hands, I promise~" A couple girls look longingly over at the café, but are too embarrassed to follow the males.

Kanji crosses his arms over his chest, mildly impressed by the show. "Damn, she's good…"

Naoto's too busy fighting with her coat to pay attention to Rise's show. "Yes, well, Rise-chan certainly does have a flair for advertisement…" She managed to wriggle her way out of wearing a maid outfit, but she still has yet to be convinced that being dressed as a butler is any better.

Erin walks towards them at that moment, bearing a bright grin, but she slows to a complete stop. "Oh, hey guys! Um, are you busy right now?"

Rise spins and clings to Erin's arm, dragging her inside. "Oh, Rin-senpai! Not at all! Why don't you join us since you're here~?"

Naoto bows, though embarrassed. "A-ah, hello, Rin-senpai."

Finally noticing her underclassman, Erin blushes slightly. "W-well, actually, I…" Rise quickly pushes her into a seat, all but tying her down. "Kanji-kun?" she squeaks out of desperation. "Help?" He ignores her completely and thrusts a menu into her hands.

"We are here to serve and please~" Rise gushes, giggling. Before getting too into it, though, she turns her attention to the stoic Kanji, and scrutinizes his school uniform with a pout. "Oi, Kanji-kun, you're looking a little out of place. Get changed."

He gawks at her. "What!? You can't just tell me -"

"Yes," Naoto interrupts, "it would only be fair."

"N-Naoto, too…?"

Rise briefly excuses herself before pushing Kanji towards the stored uniforms in the back of the classroom. "C'mon, Kanji-kun!" she pleads. "You can't serve dressed like that! Think of the customers!"

Kanji scowls, but he begins to shift through the uniforms anyway. His face falls, however, when he comes to a realization. "Yo! Rise."

"Mhmmm?"

"There's, uh… only a maid's dress left."

"Oh, too ba -" She stops herself, then a devilish grin makes its way across her face. "Well, beggars can't be choosers! Better get going, Kanji-kun~!"

"What the hell!? There ain't no way I'm wearin' a dress!"

"Well, you made it. I don't see the big deal."

Kanji's ears are beet red by now. "It's a DRESS."

On the other side of the classroom, Erin stands up and blinks in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing, ahahaha," Rise laughs, waving her wrist dismissively. She turns to Kanji, pulling him down so that he's level with her glare. "Hey, what's a better show of manliness than wearing a dress?"

He deadpans. "Uh, I don't really see how that wo -"

She picks up a dress and shoves it into his arms before pushing him towards the bathrooms. "Trust me! I know~"

Confused, Naoto turns to Erin. "Ah, so…" She rubs the back of her neck, unsure of how to proceed. She's had a couple of customers today (a couple some of the braver females in the school), but she's still incredibly uncomfortable. "S-so, what would you like, Rin-senpai?"

"Oh!" she answers, startled. "Well…" She opens her mouth to say something, but quickly rethinks it and swallows it rather painfully. "Maybe just a glass of water…?" she asks weakly, trying to cover up her earlier blunder. "I'm not really supposed to be here anyway; I just came to pick up Rise-chan…"

"Rise-chan?" Naoto glances towards the back, sees that the other two are still gone. "Well, it seems as though she's a bit tied up at the moment." She smiles, then fetches a glass of water to hand to the brunette. "How is your booth coming along?"

Erin takes the glass with a smile. "Not so good, actually… We haven't had one person come by yet." She gazes down at the table, then suddenly snaps her head back up. "Hey! Why don't you come by? They don't really need you here, right?"

"W-what? Well…" She looks around, thinking that anything is better than a maid café, and nods. "I suppose you're right. What's one less butler?" she asks with a chuckle.

"Ah, then…" Erin stands up and offers her hand to Naoto, stifling a small giggle. "Shall we, sir butler?"

The younger girl blinks at Erin's hand, then takes it. "Very well, then. Lead the way."

Kanji yelps when he realizes that Rise is standing in the men's bathroom. "H-hey, you can't be in here with me! Get out!"

She rolls her eyes at him as she folds her arms across her chest. "I'm just here to make sure that you don't run away! I'll close my eyes, watch." She covers her eyes with one hand.

He flushes. "W-why would you look!? … I-I mean, 's nothing to see… No, I mean…!"

"Kanji-kun!"

"Sorry!" He scratches his neck and awkwardly coughs into his hand. "… Ahh, j-just turn around, wouldja?"

"Geez, geez, fine… So sensitive." Rise turns around and begins to rock back and forth on her heels.

"Can't believe I'm doing this…" Grunting, Kanji slips into the dress, surprised that it fits - for the most part. "Uh…" Realizing his problem, his face immediately falters. "Hey, do you think you could…?"

"Could… what?"

"Uh, well, my zipper…"

She scrunches up her face, slightly afraid of what he's implying. "What about it?"

"It's, uh… stuck."

"Oh, that!" she replies, a little too perkily considering the situation. "Y-yeah, no problem!" Rise clears her throat, then skips over and pulls up the zipper in one quick motion, ignoring his strangled cry. "… Ooops?"

"Okay, tighter fit than I thought," he wheezes, turning around to face her. Rise has to slap a hand to her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. "How does it look?"

"Y-y-y-you look great, Kanji-kun," she answers, as evenly as she can. "Super! Great!" He can definitely hear her snickering from behind her hand. "Okay, let's go back!"

Chapter written by der kapitan~