Studying hard in the library, Kyoko needs to de-stress.

"Twisted masterminds... Their lofty ambitions and the torment they put their victims through... Maniacal games..."

The Ultimate Detective, Kyoko Kirigiri, muttered to herself inaudibly as she turned through another page of the thick historical record in front of her. For hours now, she'd been studying crimes at a lonely table in the school library. That was practically all she ever did during her days off. It was fine for the other students at Hope's Peak Academy to take breathers. She was sure they were destined to go on to become great business leaders, cultural icons, the movers and shakers in the eyes of the world... Kyoko, however, was different. Her work, she reminded herself, was frequently a matter of life and ****. She was to become the next in a storied line of detectives. As such, she needed to learn the ins and outs of her craft and its history. There was so much to read... So much....

"So... very much..."

Kyoko was startled when a hand sudden appeared in front of her holding a handkerchief. She bolted to attention with honed reflexes, even briefly adopting a make-shift martial arts posture before she realized who was standing in front of her. The one holding out the item towards her was Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer. The hood of her trademark dark hoodie was pulled up to frame her pale face, which looked remarkably nonplussed about Kyoko's near-****. Kyoko briefly wondered if that meant the girl was sharper than she looked, before deciding it looked more like Chiaki was half-asleep. "What is it?" she asked curtly.

"Well, you were having a half-nap, I think..." Chiaki pulled up a seat beside Kyoko and continued to hold the handkerchief towards her.

"What do you mean by that?" Kyoko snapped. "And why are you waving that thing in my face?"

Chiaki didn't seem bothered by the other girl's aggression, although she did glance away. "A half-nap is a term I made up for a nap you get when you aren't trying to take a nap... I could tell you were probably having one trying to cram all these tough books. I think you were droo-"

Before the girl could finish, Kyoko snatched the handkerchief from her and hastily wiped at the corners of her mouth. She quickly surveyed the dark jacket, orange tie, and white shirt on her body, finding to her relief that there was no trace of what she'd just been dabbing at. Her expression barely changed, but a flush had risen to her pale cheeks. "Thank you. And I'll thank you again not to speak to anyone of what you just saw, Chiaki. I do have an image to maintain."

Chiaki seemed to be thinking hard about that, harder than Kyoko liked, before coming to a conclusion. "Okay. It'll be a promise between us. But, if I'm going to do that for you, I want you to do something for me. I think that's fair..."

The detective kept her cool. Ordinarily, a **** situation like this could be dangerous for a detective, but Kyoko had long-since judged Chiaki as the good-meaning, harmless sort. Even if it was a crazy request, Kyoko figured she'd be able to negotiate. "Fair enough. State your terms."

The hooded girl removed a strap of her backpack so she could shift it onto her lap, then began rummaging through it. After doing so, she produced a thin white-and-pink bit of plastic, immediately recognizable as a laminated card. "Have you seen this before, Kyoko? I bet a detective like you knows what it is even if she's never used it, probably..."

Kyoko did. Her eyes went wide. "Chiaki, this is for the school VIP service, isn't it? The administration began offering these as an incentive to get people to stay after class and do chores. You're supposed to earn one after storing enough credits. The specifics were kept secret, but I'd heard rumors there's a luxury jacuzzi somewhere in the school, although I never had reason to confirm it. Chiaki, if you're showing me this... Could you possibly be...?"

"Yep." Chiaki placed the plastic card in Kyoko's gloved hands with a smile. "In video games, you've gotta let your stamina recharge. It's the same in life, I think. I did do those chores, but I was gonna do those anyway, as my class's president... Right now, I think you need real relaxation way more than I do. I can recharge just by playing video games and taking a nap. Kyoko, you look like you probably haven't recharged in a long time."

Although it didn't show in her face, the detective was moved by Chiaki's words. "I suppose you're right. I can be dedicated, I can be efficient, but in the end, I'm not a machine. I have to take a break some time. Chiaki, if you're sure about this, I'll take you up on your offer. I won't forget this, either. I'll repay the debt."

"You're doing this for me in a fair trade, right?" Chiaki tilted her head and gave her a smile, which immediately turned into a loud yawn. "I'll stay here with all your books. I'll put 'em up later, but for now, I might give 'em a read. It's not really my type of game, but solving a **** mystery sounds like it could be fun. And, if it isn't, it'll be a good nap." Another big yawn... This was a game Chiaki had probably already lost. "The VIP service room is only available for a couple of hours, and that time starts... thirty minutes from now, I think? Yep, probably so. Go to the administration office and show them that key. They'll point you to the room, probably. Lucky you... Since they just started this program, this'll be the first time they're used, I bet."

"Thank you." Kyoko expressed her sincere gratitude with a polite bow and a rare smile. She grabbed her leather laptop bag, slung it over her shoulder, and left Chiaki with her mountain of literature to head for the door of the library. Everything inside the building was remarkably quiet and still, making Kyoko feel as though her relaxation had already begun. Even though she could see it was raining cats and dogs outside, it merely reflected in a calming pitter-patter on the windows of the building. She smiled faintly. "Chiaki," she called back, raising her voice. "Does a rainy library like this put you to sleep?"

When she turned around, she realized Chiaki was already out like a light, face down in the pile of books and snoring loudly. Kyoko wondered if the other girl might be missing her handkerchief when she woke up, but she wasn't about to start another round of favor-trading by returning Chiaki's favor in that way. "Hmph. It doesn't take a detective to see why that girl's popular. I wonder if it's the nature of someone with such a care-free talent and lifestyle to easily spread their happiness and earn friendship? Something to think about..."

Wrapped up in the cozy atmosphere of the library, pondering warm friendship instead of cold cases for once, Kyoko shut her eyes and smiled as she pushed open the glass door...