Chapter Text
Naoto knew he and Rise were opposites in almost every conceivable way.
He was calm, measured, meticulous down to the smallest detail. Every aspect of tonight had been planned a week in advance. The charcoal suit hanging neatly from his frame had been selected days ago and sent to the dry cleaner despite already being perfectly presentable. He'd spent far too long comparing colognes before settling on one that smelled faintly of cedarwood and ocean air. Subtle, sophisticated, perfect. He'd even studied the restaurant's menu online beforehand, calculating the approximate cost of dinner down to the nearest yen. Not because he was worried about the expense, but because uncertainty bothered him. Preparation was comfort.
All of that planning flew out the window the moment Rise walked through the door.
She arrived like a firework bursting into a dark sky. Bright colors that should have clashed somehow looked perfect together. One of her earrings wasn't fully fastened yet, and she was still applying the finishing touches to her makeup as she hurried inside. It should have looked messy. Instead, she looked radiant. Naoto caught the scent of fruity shampoo and peach-sweet body spray before she even reached him. He could practically taste it.
The moment her eyes found him across the restaurant, her face lit up.
"Oh, Nao-kun!"
Before he could even stand, she was already weaving between tables toward him.
"Sorry for making you wait!"
"Oh, no, it's okay." Naoto straightened in his seat. "I only arrived a few minutes ago."A lie. He'd been there nearly half an hour.
Rise either didn't notice or chose not to call him out on it. Instead, she grinned and spun once in place. "Really? Good! I got caught up trying to decide between, like, six different outfits."
Naoto tried to speak, but all that came out was a stuttering mess.
Rise blinked. "Hm?"
Naoto immediately regretted opening his mouth.
"I-I mean..." His voice threatened to abandon him. "You look amazing."
Her smile widened "Oh?"
That single syllable somehow made him even more nervous.Then she stepped closer. Much closer. Her eyes drifting downward, focusing on his tie.
"Oh!"
Before he could react, her hands were already there. Gentle fingers brushed against the fabric, straightening it ever so slightly as she examined the small gold tie clip attached near the center. Naoto stopped breathing.
"Ooooh, I didn't know you had something this fancy!" Rise said, turning it slightly so it caught the light. Her manicured nails gleamed against the polished gold. "That little clip suits you so well."
"N-no, it's not particularly—"
"It does!" she insisted. She clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "I know you're usually more of a silver person, but gold looks really good on you."
And just like that, every single plan he'd made for tonight evaporated. Every conversation topic he'd prepared was gone. Every clever remark he'd rehearsed, gone. The pages of notes he'd written in his journal about possible discussion subjects had been swept straight into the sea.
"U-uh, yes."
Brilliant response, Naoto. Truly.
"It belonged to my grandfather. I just thought it would look nice tonight."
For a moment, Rise's teasing expression softened. "You wore your grandfather's tie clip?"
Naoto nodded. Her smile became warmer, gentler.
"That's really sweet, Nao-kun."
The compliment hit harder than he expected. Before they could think of a follow up line, Rise was already hopping to the next topic.
“Thanks for letting me pick the restaurant! Look i know its a weird choice but this places make an ah-maz-ing chef salad. You’ve got to try it. It reminds me of this place I visited in Tokyo while touring…”
Naoto wasn't one for small talk. But god, he could listen to Rise talk all night.