Kanji couldn't believe his luck. Of all the numbers that stupid bear could have called, it just had to be the one written on Kanji's chopstick. The stupid "King's Game" was ridiculous to begin with. There was only one person in the room he would have been okay with asking for a kiss and calling out his number. Crap, that would have been amazing, he thought. Although still incredibly embarrassing since everyone would have been watching, and acting like drunken lunatics. Instead it had to be freaking Ted. There was no damn way Kanji was going to let Teddie be his first kiss. Stupid bear had lunged at him with his lips puckered, knocking Kanji to the ground. Because he'd had enough sense to turn his head to avoid Ted's lips, Kanji's head smacked right into the corner of the coffee table. Damn Bear.

So now he had a frigging head wound and was bleeding everywhere. Kanji headed downstairs to the men's restroom. He was trying to get a look at the damage in the mirror when the door opened behind him. One glance in the mirror made his heart start pounding. Naoto. The boy he'd been crushing on for months. Great, he thought. It was bad enough that he'd witnessed that whole scene with Ted. It was shaping up to be one of those days where you can't catch a break. He nodded towards Naoto.

"S-Sup, Naoto, " he said, trying to stay focused on his own reflection. If he didn't look at him too much, he could keep his cool. Right?

"Tatsumi. Are you alright? You were bleeding profusely."

"Kanji nodded again. "Fine, I think. Hard to see at this angle."

"Kneel down, please," Naoto said in an even voice. What?! Kanji's heart sped up again. "You are.. Too tall for me to check your wound while you are standing," Naoto clarified. Kanji did as he was asked and knelt down. Naoto stood over him, touching around the wound gently. His slender fingers ran through Kanji's hair in the process of inspecting the damage. It felt freaking amazing. This kid's going to be the death of me. "It looks like the bleeding has stopped," Naoto said.

"R-Right. Good," Kanji said. "U-Uhh, thanks, Naoto." He stood up, unsure of what to say. Why do I always feel like a complete idiot around him? Naoto nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he didn't. Kanji glanced down at him. "Something on your mind?" he asked softly.

"N-No," Naoto replied, looking up and meeting his eyes. It had been killing Kanji for months that just one look like that from this kid could completely unravel him. He was so sick of being afraid, so tired of pining for someone he knew wouldn't be into him, too. It didn't matter if the kid said he was interested in Kanji when they had first met. It was just because of the murder case. He knew that now. Still, he couldn't get Naoto out of his head. And maybe he never would if he didn't just put himself out there. Naoto would reject him, and he would move on and someday get over it. Right? So what in the hell was he waiting for? Nothing. He wasn't going to wait anymore.

Kanji took a deep breath, eyes still locked with Naoto's. Then he reached down, grabbed the back of Naoto's head, and kissed him. Like, really kissed him. He'd never even done this before so he figured he would be terrible at it, but it all just seemed to click. Naoto stood on his toes and reached his arms around Kanji's neck, allowing the kiss to continue. Kanji made a sound that was pretty much a growl. He grabbed Naoto around the waist and lifted him onto the edge of the sink. Naoto pulled him closer, and he dug his hands into Naoto's hips. The kiss was even deeper now that they could reach each other better. They both panted between kisses, desperate for air, but neither showed any signs of stopping. Kanji decided to let Naoto catch his breath, leaving a trail of kisses along his jaw and neck. Naoto gasped when Kanji nipped at his ear.

"How did you know?" he asked, in a voice that sounded breathless and much higher than usual.

"Hmm?" Kanji asked, completely absorbed in sucking on Naoto's neck.

"How did you figure out that I'm a girl?" Naoto asked, returning Kanji's lips to his. Wait, what?! Kanji froze. The kissing finally came to a stop. He looked into Naoto's eyes, undoubtedly with a very confused look on his face. "Y-You didn't," Naoto said, closing his eyes for a second. No, her eyes. When she opened them, he was still looking at her, but the look of confusion had changed into something else. His hands were still on her hips, which he now realized felt rather curvy despite how slender she was. He lifted one hand to her cheek, brushing against her soft skin. He looked into her big, blue eyes with wonder. It all made so much more sense, now. "I-I'm sorry," she said. "It wasn't my intention to mislead you like this. I understand if you don't want to -" Kanji cut her off with a soft kiss.

"I want to," he said. She looked at him curiously, tilting her head as if it would allow her to understand him better.

"I thought that you liked -"

"You. I like you," he said.

"It doesn't make a difference that I am -"

"No. No difference. I just like you, Naoto. Nothing else matters." She smiled softly at him as he moved in for another kiss. They spent awhile longer together before she broke away.

"We've been in here for too long. Someone is bound to come looking for us soon." She hesitated, then said, "please don't tell the others." Kanji nodded, stepping back to allow her to jump off of the counter. Just then the door opened, and Yosuke entered. Freaking Hanamura. Figures.

Yosuke gave them a sideways look. "What are you two up to in here?"

"Head wound," Kanji said, pointing to the side of his head.

"Right," Yosuke said. "Well, everyone's getting ready to leave. Going to need your help sneaking the drunks back into the hotel," he said. He kept looking back and forth between them.

"Yeah, 'course," said Kanji. He glanced at Naoto, then turned and headed through the door. Yosuke and Naoto followed.

"They are not drunk," Naoto said. She had said it several times already that night. The club didn't even serve alcohol, yet half of their group was acting drunk. Yosuke just shrugged.

"Doesn't really change anything. Still have to drag them back somehow," he said. Senpai and Yosuke were handling Teddie, and Chie volunteered to take Yukiko back. That just left Rise, who Kanji was assigned to carry back to the hotel.

"You'll help him get her back, right, Naoto-kun?" Chie asked, walking off before Naoto could answer.

Naoto looked down and sighed, then glanced up at Kanji. "I suppose we should get going." Kanji nodded.

"Thanks," he said.

They had decided to all take different routes back, sneaking in separately, to avoid making as much of a spectacle. After dropping Rise at her room, Kanji and Naoto found themselves alone in the hallway. Kanji leaned up against the wall. "Thanks for helping me get her back," he said.

"You thanked me already. Before," she said. He nodded. She was so… what was the right word? Formal? Literal? Perfect, he thought.

"Right," he said. "Sorry. Shame there isn't really anything to do around here. I don't really feel tired enough to go to sleep," he added, glancing down at her. She turned slightly pink.

"I'm not tired, either," she said. "But I suppose we should get to our rooms, before any of the teachers notice us here." Kanji nodded. They climbed the stairs together, but their rooms were on opposite ends of the floor, so they separated at the top.

He went back to his room. He was sharing with Naoki Konishi, who was an old friend but in a real bad way right now on account of his sister dying, and some other first year he didn't even know. Kid seemed to be afraid of Kanji, which was just as well. He greeted Naoki, who was laying in bed and holding a book that he wasn't actually reading. Kanji laid down and tried to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Naoto and how all that had turned out. And how her lips felt on his. And if she would ever want to do it again or not. After about an hour, he gave up and headed for the door.

"Kanji? Where are you going?" Naoki asked in a whisper. The other dude was sound asleep.

"Oh, hey, Naoki. Didn't realize you were still awake. Can't sleep, I'm gonna go get some air or something," he said. Naoki didn't object, so he headed out.

Kanji didn't get very far before he found Naoto sitting on a bench in the hall. When she heard him approach, she looked up and smiled.

"Hey," he said, sitting down next to her. "You couldn't sleep either?"

"No," she said. "Did you know that you forgot your shoes?" she asked, taking in his fantastic outfit of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and bare feet. Kanji shrugged. Naoto smiled again. She was still fully dressed.

"Beats still wearing all those clothes," he said. After a second he realized what he'd said and blushed. "Uhh, 'cause it's not as comfortable, and, umm -"

"I-I understood. I imagine you can understand why I'd rather my roommates not see me get comfortable, though," she said.

"Oh. Ohh. Right. Sure. Too bad we aren't in the same room," he said. Naoto gave him a look. "C-Cause we could just hang out and talk, is all I mean," he said quickly.

"I suppose you're right," she said softly, looking down. Then she looked up at him and thrust her phone into his hands. "Y-You should give me your telephone number, so th-that, I mean, because... " She took a deep breath. "I would like to see you again," she said quietly. "Like earlier," she added.

Kanji smiled. "Me, too," he said, entering his cell number into her phone. "Text me so I have your number, too, ok?" She nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Kanji decided to break it. "Wish I could kiss you right now," he said, as quietly as he could. She looked up at him and held his gaze for awhile.

"Me, too," she said, just as quiet. He placed his hand on top of hers between them, as discreetly as he could. She smiled, turning just slightly pink. They sat together talking quietly, and sometimes not talking at all, for over an hour. When Naoto started to yawn, Kanji spoke up.

"Guess we should probably go to bed, yeah?"

"R-Right. Of course. Goodnight, Kanji-kun," she said, getting up and heading towards her room.

"Hey, Naoto!" he called out. She turned and looked at him. "Uhh, thanks. For hanging out with me. Goodnight." She gave a half smile and headed off to the other side of the floor. Kanji sighed. He still wasn't sure he would sleep.

He snuck back into his room. Or thought he had. Naoki was still awake, which he guessed figured.

"Kanji? Where were you all this time?" Naoki asked.

"Uhh, oh, hey, Naoki. I just went out to get some air and Naoto was up, too. So we talked and stuff." He shrugged, trying to make it seem like no big deal.

"Oh," Naoki said. "Hey, I would have gone with you, Kanji. Unless you and Shirogane wanted to talk alone," he added.

"Wha- Why would we wanna… You know what, I should have asked you along, man. Sorry about that." Naoki shrugged.

"Maybe next time," he said. Kanji nodded. He climbed onto his futon, and noticed his phone up by the pillow. So that's where it had ended up. He went back to staring at the ceiling, with even more stuff running around his head after spending more time with Naoto. His phone buzzed next to his head.

STILL AWAKE?

Yeah. Don't think I'm gonna get much sleep tonight. Too many thoughts.

YES. THEY R NICE THOUGHTS THO. THINKING OF U.

I'm thinking about you, too. You should hang out with us again tomorrow.

MAYBE. WANT 2 CU.

I want to see you, too.

Kanji laughed. He was the dumb one, but his texts we put together better than hers were. Top student in her grade, and she clearly texted for efficiency. He wondered how hard it would be to convince her to spend the day with him and the others. It would be awkward, since she'd asked him not to tell anyone. But he really, really wanted to spend more time with her. His phone buzzed again.

I WILL LOOK 4 U IN THE LOBBY IN THE AM

Great. I'll see you in a few hours.

Kanji smiled. Now he just had to find a way to make his friends think inviting Naoto was their idea and not his.

When Kanji made it down to the lobby in the morning, he was ambushed by Rise, who had evidently already ambushed Naoto. "What's going on?" he asked.

"You're both coming shopping with me!" Rise exclaimed loudly. Kanji frowned.

"You agreed to this?" he asked Naoto. Naoto shrugged.

"Come on, Kanji-kun! You want to spend some time with me and Naoto-kun, don't you?" she asked.

He looked at Naoto, then back at Rise. "Uhh, yeah, sure. But why shopping? And where's everyone else?"

"Because I have to get a souvenir for my grandma, Kanji-kun! You should get something for your mother, too. Oh, and Naoto-kun can get something for his grandpa. Perfect, right?" she said with a huge smile. "The others are meeting us at the ramen shop later."

"Whatever," Kanji said. As soon as Rise's back was turned, Naoto shot him a smile. He couldn't help returning it. They started to follow as Rise led the way outside. "I take it she doesn't remember last night?" he asked.

"Not at all," Naoto said quietly. Rise dragged them to too many shops, and took much too long to pick out a gift. Naoto had insisted she didn't need to get her grandpa anything since he had been to Port Island before, but once inside she ended up picking out a nice scarf for him, anyway. Kanji quickly chose a little snow globe for Ma. He held it up towards Naoto and gave it a shake, which made her giggle. It was probably the cutest sound Kanji had ever heard. Thankfully, Rise was well out of earshot. After hours of pretending neither of them wanted to be there, Rise finally picked a gift for her grandma, and they headed to the ramen shop.

Everyone else was there already. Kanji headed for the table the guys were at. Naoto was smart and went to the counter where the girls and Teddie were eating steaming hot bowls of ramen. Kanji did a double take. "Why the hell is Ted wearing the bear suit?" he asked Yosuke and Souji in a whisper. Naoto didn't know about Teddie. So she shouldn't see him like this. Right?

"He's an idiot!" Yosuke whispered back. "But I don't know what to do about it."

"Maybe Naoto-kun won't notice," Souji added. Kanji was sure it had to have been the first thing she noticed, but she didn't say anything about it. Maybe because she was trying to make a lot of other things go unnoticed. Like the fact that she was a girl. And that she and Kanji were having a hard time not looking at each other too much. That was probably part of why she'd chosen to sit at the counter, so that her back would be towards him. Kanji realized he was staring at her back, and shifted his gaze back to the guys, who were both smirking at him.

"S-Shut up!" he said. Yosuke and Souji both laughed. Kanji sighed. Whatever.

After everyone had finished their ramen, except for Yukiko who found hers had been inhaled by Teddie when she turned her back, they headed back to the train. Kanji found a seat by Naoki in the car the first years were supposed to sit in. He had tried on the way there to sneak in with the second years, but he was too tall to go unnoticed. Shortly after he got settled, Naoto approached them. "Tatsumi. Konishi. Is it alright if I sit here?" she asked.

Naoki looked at her curiously. "Fine by me. Did you enjoy the trip, Shirogane?" he said absentmindedly.

Naoto's gaze landed on Kanji for just a second before she answered. "Very much so," she said. "And yourself?"

Naoki just stared at her for a minute. "Not really, but it could have been worse." He went back to staring out the window. Naoto pulled out papers. Detective stuff, probably. Kanji didn't realize he was staring at her until she looked up at him, eyebrows raised. He shrugged and looked down. Talk about an awkward train ride. He was happy to be sitting next to her, but he couldn't really talk to her about much, and if he kept looking at her like that, people would talk.

When the train finally stopped in Inaba, Naoto was quickly on her feet. "Good evening," she said, tipping her hat at him and Naoki. She was gone so fast he had no chance of catching up to her. Kanji walked home with Naoki in near silence. When they reached the textile shop, Naoki stopped and turned towards him.

"You like him a lot, don't you?" he asked.

"Wha- What are you talking about?"

"Shirogane. You… like him. I always assumed the rumors about you were just people being cruel."

"It's not like that, not really. Not what you think," Kanji said in a calm voice. He wasn't sure why he was keeping it together. Maybe because it was just Naoki, who he used to confide all kinds of secrets to when they were kids. Or maybe it was just nice to be able to tell someone.

Naoki shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, Kanji. I wouldn't stop being your friend over it. If… if we even are anymore. Friends, I mean."

Kanji found it hard to swallow, but he made sure to look Naoki in the eye. "Course we are."

Naoki nodded. "Well, goodnight," he said, heading towards the liquor store. Kanji shook his head. That kid saw everything when it came to him.

He went inside and greeted his Ma, giving her the snow globe which she loved. They had dinner together, and then he sent her to bed early while he cleaned up the kitchen and swept the floors in the shop. He lost track of time, and it was a couple hours later when he heard a soft tap on the shop's door. Curious, he peeked through the window, then immediately opened the door when he saw who was standing outside. He stepped out and quietly shut the door behind him. "Naoto, hey," he said.

"I… couldn't stop thinking about you," she said apologetically. Kanji smiled, and held a finger to his lips.

"Shh.. Ma is asleep, so we'll need to be quiet," he said as he gently pulled her inside and led her up the stairs to his room. The second his door was shut they were kissing. It was much like it had been in the bathroom of Escapade. After a few minutes, Naoto broke the kiss and began looking around his room, picking up random belongings as they talked quietly. Kanji sat on the futon, waiting for her to finish her investigation of his things. Finally, she came and sat beside him.

"I know it sounds foolish," she said, looking at her hands,"but I couldn't sleep knowing that you were here and I was all the way across town. I suppose… I could have just called you."

"Nah," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "This is way better." Naoto smiled and looked up at him.

"I didn't expect to feel any of this," she said. "And I have never.. Well, I never even considered involving myself with anyone like this before. I will likely be terrible at it, but… I want to be here with you."

"Not like I have any experience with this sort of thing, either," he said. "You - You should stay. Tonight, I mean. It's too late to walk all the way home." Naoto nodded. Kanji had never felt happier than he did snuggling close with Naoto and stealing kisses until morning. At sunrise, he woke her with a gentle kiss on the neck, in time to sneak her out before the shopping district rose for the day.

"I need you to be straight with me," Naoto said. It was late, and they had been in his room making out. They had been seeing each other discreetly for weeks. She had confided in him the reasons why she wanted everyone to think she was a boy. And had gone so far as to say she didn't really care if people knew they were dating, except that she knew it would cause problems for him with some of the kids at school. He had told her everything as well, except for this one thing. Laying beside him on his futon, she covered her eyes with her arm to hide the tears of frustration. "I need to know how you all are involved with the murder case. Why? Why won't you just tell me?" Kanji ran his fingers gently through her hair, knowing it provided her with comfort.

"I told you, I can't tell you anything about that."

"Kanji, why? Can't you see how much I - I need your help with this. Why won't you trust me?"

He looked at her thoughtfully, still playing with her hair. She was looking at him with big, wide, tear filled, blue eyes. "I do trust you," he said slowly. "Completely."

"Then why?" she asked again.

"Because… it's not my secret to tell. I'm not the one in charge, you know?" Naoto let out a frustrated sigh and wiped the tears on her sleeve. "You know I would do anything for you, right?" he added.

She nodded. "Except this."

He looked away and let out a frustrated breath. "Right," he said. He turned back to her, rubbing his thumb across her jaw. "But you know how much I care about you, right?"

"Yes, she said, sighing softly. She pulled him into a tender kiss. "I feel the same." She held onto him, letting the quiet sobs slow before speaking again. "I - I won't be at school tomorrow," she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"There is… something I must do. If I need help, you would come for me, correct?" He looked at her curiously for a moment before responding.

"Of course," he replied.

He wished he had known then that she was going to do a stupid, reckless thing like getting herself kidnapped. He'd been sick with worry ever since she had turned up on the Midnight Channel. He wanted to go get her out immediately, but senpai thought they should take it slow. It took a week to get to her, and relief washed over him when he saw her. Her shadow had been tough, not just to fight, but to endure. She kept crying and begging to not be left alone. Unfortunately for Naoto, she also let the cat out of the bag about her being a girl. His friends all uttered shocked statements when they found out. He just quietly stood his ground, waiting for the part where they would fight her shadow and Naoto would be okay again. His silence didn't go unnoticed.

"Wait a minute," Yosuke said, " why aren't you surprised about this?"

"Because they've been secretly dating for weeks," Souji answered for him. Kanji's mouth fell open in shock.

"Wait, you knew about this, too?" Yosuke asked, sounding outraged.

"No, not at all," Souji replied. "I just knew they were dating." Well didn't that figure. Senpai knows everything.

After accepting her shadow, it was clear that Naoto was going to need some help getting home. She was so exhausted she could barely stand. The girls had helped her exit the TV. "I'll take you home," Yukiko offered. Kanji stepped forward and nodded to her.

"I've got this," he said, scooping Naoto up and carrying her all the way home.

When they arrived at her apartment, he got her settled on the couch and sat beside her. "I understand now," she said. "I never would have believed you if you had told me."

Kanji shook his head. "I should have told you anyway. Senpai made us all promise, and, well, he saved me. I couldn't break it. But I should have, I should have told you."

Naoto shifted closer to him, and he put his arm around her. "It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you came for me. Thank you," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Anytime," he said softly. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Always," she replied.