The final bell rang through the halls of Yasogami High School, and Kanji wasted no time packing up his things and rushing out the door. He didn't even say goodbye to Rise as he left. His mother needed him home to watch the shop while she ran some sort of errand. A promise to make his favorite dinner was more than enough to convince him to agree to it. As he rounded the corner to the school shoe lockers, Kanji noticed that Naoto was already there, digging something out of hers.

Naoto hadn't noticed him yet; she was focused on whatever she was looking for. As she pulled a large book out, a pencil fell to the ground and rolled behind her. Kanji walked over and stopped the runaway with his foot. Naoto turned as he reached down to pick it up.

"Here," Kanji said, handing the pencil back.

"Oh, hello Kanji," Naoto said, taking the pencil from him. "Thank you." She tried to put the pencil into her the bag, only to drop the book and a few papers that she had in her other hand. She let out a sigh, sounding frustrated.

"Hey, you ok today today?" Kanji asked, kneeling down to help her pick up her things.

"Yes, I'm fine." Naoto replied. "I'm just a bit…flustered, I guess."

"Well, that makes sense, with everything that happened to ya." Kanji told her. "I was pretty out of it, too, when it all happened to me."

"It's not just that, but…yes, I do believe you're right." Naoto shoved all of her papers into her bag, thanking Kanji for his help, and started to walk away.

"Naoto, wait a sec!" Kanji called after her. "Do…do you need any help home? I mean, would you like any company?" Something in the back of his mind reminded him of his mother's request, but he ignored it. If Naoto needed his help, he was going to help her.

"As kind as that request is, it won't be necessary." Naoto replied. "I'm not even going home. I have some business in the shopping district first."

"Oh, that's perfect then! I'm watching the shop for my ma, so that's where I'm heading too."

"Oh," Naoto said, considering. "OK, since we're both going to the same place, I guess some company would be enjoyable." Kanji felt a flood of warmth rush to his face as he smiled. He regretted his suggestion almost immediately and it took almost all of his willpower to not run away like he always did. But Kanji had promised his senpai that he would work to better himself and this was step one. He managed to make it out the door without much trouble, in spite of all of the stares he could feel as they passed. While most of their classmates should have noticed Naoto and Kanji hanging out with their normal group by now, that wouldn't stop the gossips.

Kanji and Naoto walked off of school grounds in relative silence. It wasn't until they were a few blocks away that Naoto spoke.

"I don't believe I've said thank you to you for saving me in the TV yet."

"Oh, well, it wasn't just me, ya know?" Kanji replied.

"I know that," Naoto said. "But I know you carried me out of there when the building collapsed. I think that is worthy of a thank you."

"Y-you're welcome," Kanji said, scratching at his head. "But, of course I couldn't just leave you there." They fell back into walking in awkward silence.

"Hey Naoto?"

"Yes Kanji?"

"Did you mean what you said in the TV?" Naoto looked up at Kanji, confused. "Y-your shadow, I mean. About how I'm a 'muscle-bound buffoon' and a 'hot-head'? And how you loathe them?" Naoto was quiet for a few long moments, making Kanji more than a little nervous.

"I suppose she did say that." Naoto finally replied. "And, therefore, I guess I do feel that way, on some level." Kanji felt a pain in his chest at her words, but he half expected them. "But I'm not so sure she was right about you."

"Wha—" Kanji was taken aback by her statement, but he was nevertheless happy to hear it.

"I really don't know much about you yet, do I?" Naoto continued. "And, while I am a detective, I try not to label people right off the bat without learning more about them first. Especially those that I plan on calling my friend."

"Your…friend?"

"Yes, my friend." Naoto said. "Didn't you say that you have trouble making friends, just like myself? And yet you seem to have a sizable group of friends right now. So I thought that becoming friends with you would be a step in the right direction for me. I might even be able to learn something from you." Kanji couldn't help but smile. To think that someone as smart as Naoto wanted to learn something from him. The two spent the rest of their walk idly talking about the case and the new group of friends they found themselves a part of.

Kanji and Naoto feel a faint bond forming between them…