Thanks to my friend hermitswag for posting the screencaps from P4G and a certain umbrella scene, I got an idea for another Kanji and Naoto headcanon.  Yay!  Also, I believe it was linefaced and chirart who mentioned the significance of the umbrella in the comments of that post, which also helped fuel this idea.

Warnings:  Humor, umbrellas, rain, a different take on that scene (especially since I haven’t played Golden so I don’t know how it begins or ends), embarrassed blushing of embarrassment, and slight spoilers

***

Kanji Tatsumi isn’t known for being the smartest cookie in the figurative jar.  Sometimes, he says things that are completely off-base, whether it be about the case or simple pronunciations of vocabulary words.  But one thing he does know is basic math.

And two umbrellas plus four people equals coupling up.

He might not look like the type who believes in silly little school tales that kids talk about with one another before class begins.  Two people sharing an umbrella is one of the oldest ones, a little story that even his Ma talks about, and Kanji Tatsumi’s been quietly drawing that umbrella in his mind ever since Naoto Shirogane stepped into his life.  His name on the left, her name on the right, an umbrella above them with a perfectly pink heart on top – he almost drew the damn thing on his desk in class after losing interest in the lecture ten minutes in.  

But now that the situation is in front of him there’s no way he can just nonchalantly waltz under her umbrella.

Right?

Maybe he can share with senpai.  He’s not ready to take that big of a step with Naoto – well that’s not true, because he is, but he’s not sure if she realizes all of the responsibilities that come with sharing an umbrella.  But before he can ask, Yosuke-senpai is already walking under senpai’s umbrella.

“H-hey!  Make room for me, too!”

He realizes – after he’s said it – that he’s just had one of those moments where he’s said something that’s seemingly stupid.  He can tell by the look on Yosuke-senpai’s face and the cry of protest he makes – jeez, did he have to sound that pissed?  But then he says something else, something that turns Kanji’s face completely red, “Get Naoto to make room under hers.”

And there he stands, Kanji Tatsumi, in the rain, with Naoto Shirogane standing close enough to touch.  Well no, that’s not true, she’s not that close but he swears that even when she’s miles away it feels like she’s standing right next to him.  Naoto Shirogane, the crush that absolutely everyone knows about – Kanji’s confirmed this, because he swears when he goes anywhere in this goddamn town he’s got old ladies asking, “Kanji-chan, how is that detective friend of yours?” and, “Naoto seems like a great person, can probably keep you in line, tee hee.”  Though somehow news of this crush has escaped Naoto’s attention, probably because it’s not related to murders.

“By all means, Kanji-kun.”

Kanji blinks.  Then he blinks again.  He thinks she’s saying something else – catching a cold? – but right now he can’t hear the words.  Did she just… agree?  Keep it together, Tatsumi he tells himself.  To her, the umbrella probably means nothing.  She probably doesn’t pay attention to bothersome things like romance and the superstitions that follow. Hell, she might not even know what it means.  She’s a fancy detective who's traveled outside this town, probably knows hundreds and hundreds of different little nooks and crannies that deal with love – assuming that she was even paying attention to them.

So, just in case, he decides that it would be best to tell her.  

Unfortunately, his method of telling her is by yelling it out.

To be honest he’s too flustered to even keep track of what he’s saying.  Something along the lines of to hell with that! which he immediately wants to take back, because that makes it sound like she’s the grossest person to ever walk down the sidewalk with him.  Then he says something about how they’d practically be a couple – not really says, more like stutters, but surely that will turn her off from the idea-

No response.

She’s just looking at him, umbrella raised in the air, the space next to her empty and available.  Is she… really still offering… even after he’s explained what it means?

He doesn’t want to get his hopes up so he decides not to.  Instead, he decides to leave, immediately, walking as fast as he can through the rain and doesn’t bother looking back.

There’s no way that she means what he wants her to mean.

Naoto watches Kanji leave and lets out a loud, frustrated sigh.  A moment later she can feel a hand on her shoulder and looks up to see Yosuke-senpai smiling at her, “Sorry, Naoto-kun, we tried.”

“Yeah.  You’ll get him next time.”

“Thank you,” she says, smiling back at both of her senpai, “He at least made it a tad bit obvious that he liked the idea.”

“Oh I can guarantee that it’s more than like,” Yosuke-senpai says, chuckling with that wink he likes to do, “We just have to try harder next time.”

“Yes.  Of course,” Naoto says, “I suppose we’ll just wait for the next rainy day.”