Detective Kanji

Chapter 16: Christmas

Begin!

~Normal POV

There were only a couple days left before Christmas and winter break. Needless to say, Naoto was getting rather nervous about the holiday. It would be her first one with a boyfriend. And given how Rise talked, it sounded like it was normal to spend it together for a special date. Ok, that part was doable, she would like that very much.

The problem was, she honestly had no idea what to do for the occasion yet.

She pondered this to herself as she worked on making Kanji's present in her room. "What would make it any different from any other time we've hung out? Aside from exchanging presents?" That thought made her also wonder what kind of present Kanji was going to give her. She was excited to find out.

Since it was a holiday, she wanted to be sure that she made it special for them. That was all. So once she was satisfied with her present, she boxed it up and wrapped it before placing it on her dresser. An idea crossed her mind. She could ask Rise for advice again. She knew these things better than her after all. She picked up her phone and sent a text.

Naoto: [Rise, I need some advice about any ways I can make my Christmas with Kanji more special this weekend. I'm not sure what I should do for it.]

Within a minute or so, Rise sent a reply that simply said, "This should help!" Along with a link to a website, and her usual emojis to follow it up. Naoto was about to ask her to be more specific, but she got curious. She opened up her laptop and searched for it.

The site was for some popular women's magazine. She'd seen it in stores, but didn't read such things herself. This particular article was about the very topic she needed help with though. "Ideas to make the holidays with your man more fun." Naoto thought the title was a little cringey, but she gave it a look through.

It surprised her, honestly. Some of these suggestions seemed like good ideas. "Try wearing a new outfit, or just one he's never seen you wearing before. It'll make it feel special, even if it's nothing fancy." She decided that one was worth remembering. There was also one about the best time to exchange presents... Suggestions for popular holiday movies to watch together and music to set a romantic mood... She never knew these kinds of magazines could be helpful in any way. It wouldn't be enough to make her buy one in the future, but it was nice to know.

And then she reached the last suggestion and felt her heart rate spike. Her face went bright red instantly.

She quickly grabbed her phone and texted back. [Rise, do you want me to kill you!?] Her friend must have realized what was wrong because her reply seemed to understand.

Rise: [You asked for ideas. That's an idea! I didn't say you had to do it!]

Naoto frowned at the fact that this logic was right. She didn't need to do anything if she didn't want to. Maybe it wasn't worth getting too upset over. But the idea still flustered her terribly.

"Besides, I wouldn't even know how to bring that up with him... Not without melting from embarrassment first... So, we are not doing that! ...Unless- Oh, stop it before you become a pervert!" She quickly pushed the thought out of her head and focused on other ideas.

"Let's see, what kind of outfit could I pick for the occasion?" She mused aloud. "We'll still have to go to school during the day, so I likely won't have time to change before I head over... I guess there's room in my bag to bring some extra clothes. I could just change in the bathroom..."

It was disappointing that most of the day would be at school. They'd only have the afternoon and evening to spend together. But that was normal for everyone, they would have to make do with the time they had. School... As Naoto thought about it, she felt an idea hit her. She went to her closet and searched through it.