Kyoko meets administration for access.

After what she'd just been through, Kyoko wasn't too worried about facing whoever was staffing the administration desk. She wasn't happy about it, of course, but it was no big deal.

However, when she saw who she'd actually be speaking to, a frown crossed her face. "You're the administrator here?"

The stuffed toy in the seat across the desk from her let out a growling laugh. "Uh, yeah! More like the headmaster, remember? The headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, Monokuma? Just because you brats are old enough to bump uglies now doesn't mean you get to forget about me!"

That was true. Kyoko still didn't understand how a stuffed toy acted as the headmaster of a prestigious talent development academy, but she wasn't dumb enough to think it was a real bear. Whoever the real headmaster was controlled Monokuma like a puppet... or, more accurately, a mouthpiece. He was annoying, for sure, and his mysterious identity was even more annoying, but as long as he wasn't hurting anybody, Kyoko didn't have any reason to risk her position at the academy digging into that mystery. For now, he was the one who held the keys to the mystery VIP treatment Chiaki had gifted her. Kyoko would play along. "Sure. Headmaster. I was gifted this card, which I understand is a reward granted by administration that grants access to some unspecified VIP room. Is that something I can redeem?"

"Hmm... It sure is!" Monokuma swiped it from her, turning it over to verify its authenticity. He put it in the flat teeth of his white side, then the sharp teeth of his black side, further verification performed as part of a bit. "Yep. Tastes like the real deal! Y'know, I don't remember ever seeing your lazy butt moving a broom after class. Did you steal this from someone, young lady?"

"It was gifted to me by Chiaki Nanami," Kyoko replied, unflinching. "Is that a problem?"

"Really? Aw... I wanted to hear that you beat someone up and took theirs! No ****, huh..." Monokuma wiggled his feet despondently. "Anyway, I'm only getting paid the bear minimum for this bit appearance, so let's not waste time with small talk, hm? Go to the faculty office door behind me, then swipe this doohickie at the pink card reader, not the ordinary one. That'll let you into the VIP hallway, and from there, I think your big ol' Ultimate Detective brain can figure out the rest. It's only open for a limited time, so get a move on!"

"That's actually a problem," Kyoko told him, her foot beginning to tap impatiently. "I need to run to my room and get a change of clothes, first."

"No problem at all, actually! This service is so luxury, top notch, and convenient, you brats should be sweeping the whole school and waxing my fur for it instead of just dusting your one dinky classroom. Y'see, while you're chilling in your lavish, all-expenses-paid bath, our staff will take the liberty of cleaning, steaming, rolling, and whatever other dumb verb you could want to make your clothes good as new! Ultimate Satisfaction is our Ultimate Guarantee!"

Kyoko regarded him with narrow eyes. "Somehow, I get the feeling I can't trust you at all. I'll take my chances with a... With ach-!" The detective paused, grabbed a soaked handkerchief from her pocket, released a muffled sneeze into it without the thought that it was Chiaki's, and returned it to her pocket. She felt a shiver run through her. "On second thought... I'll take my chances trusting you. Naturally, there'll be consequences if anything happens to my things."

"Yeah, sure, whatever! 'Consequences,' she says. You'd think your father was the headmaster or something!" the bear roared in offense. "But seriously, I'm on the up and up! This time, anyway. Trust me, the next time you see my big, friendly bear grin, you're gonna think 'Ultimate Relaxation'. Upupupu!"

The detective swiped her card back from him. Despite what he'd just said about keeping it short, he was obviously a person (bear, toy, thing) that loved to hear himself talk. She didn't say another word to him as she headed to the back of the room. Even though she was trying to relax, her mind couldn't help but try and map out the school layout as she knew it, trying to imagine where there was room for not just a secret lounge, but a secret hallway. "It has to be... Hmph. As expected."

When she ran her card through the conspicuous pink reader, the frosted-glass paneled door to the faculty offices in front of her didn't open. Instead, the corner of the wall next to her slid up like something out of a sci-fi movie, and a steep staircase revealed itself. Making her way down those was hardly her idea of relaxing, but there was a rail to hold onto and strong lighting, so she wasn't too worried.

The metal-paneled construction of the hallway made her feel like she was traveling into a bunker. As she saw the panel move back down behind her, she momentarily felt a chill, but she saw a card reader on her side of the wall and was able to keep calm.

The hallway had only three rooms, and the door at the end was a pink and white double-door outlined with a garish gold trim that screamed "VIP" without it actually being written anywhere. Before making her way there, Kyoko decided to see what was behind doors number 1 and 2.

The first door had a black-and-white pixel artist's interpretation of what Kyoko was sure had to be Chiaki Nanami. The door opened for her automatically, a feature that Kyoko considered a design oversight when she saw the nature of the room itself. It was clearly a changing room, with a closet for hanging her clothes and hangers with Monokuma's face and the text "HANG HERE" displayed across them. This must be where she was intended to hang her things... On the wall opposite the closet were shelves with folded pink and white towels. When Kyoko grabbed one, she unfurled it and confirmed it was a conservative body length for a woman her size. She had to admit, it was quite soft...

It was tempting to get out of her wet clothes right away, but she still couldn't help but feel like she was walking into a trap. There was more to investigate before she let her guard down.

Kyoko decided to take a peek at the next door over. She wasn't surprised to see it remained closed to her, but she was surprised at what it showed. Admittedly, it was a low-res and colorless pixel recreation of a face, but...

"Long hair, round eyes, and glasses. Do I know a student like that? I can't place her..." In a way, that wasn't strange not to recognize it. It wasn't exactly a professional rendering of whoever it was supposed to portray; she'd probably only recognized Chiaki's because she had reason to expect it. Still, there were only so many classes and students in this school. "Wait. More importantly, that means I might not be alone down here..." She paused, considering the implications, before continuing. "Anyway, it's clear I'm not getting in there without a separate card she must have received, whoever she is. No point in worrying about it before checking out the last door."

The detective approached it, but that turned out to be another dead end. As soon as she got close, a cheery, familiar (and familiarly annoying) voice spoke up. "Access denied! VIP user, please hang your clothes for processing and grab a nice fresh towel before proceeding to our luxury spa!"

"Ah... So I'm not getting in here until I look the part," Kyoko muttered sourly. "This is an incredible amount of processing, secrecy, and expenditure for a luxury service gifted to two students for doing chores. Conspicuously so. It's easy to feel like I'm being led into a trap..." Kyoko sighed and leaned against the wall, glancing at the featureless door that separated her from the VIP treatment she'd been promised. "On the other hand, this is on school grounds; it's accessible from a door that, while secret, anyone could be lucky enough to spot opening from the admin lobby at any time; and, I am really, truly exhausted." It had been easy to deny that to herself and **** through on willpower before Chiaki had brought it up, but acknowledging it had suddenly made it real. "Could I really run through that storm, only to turn away at this door? I'd feel like an idiot." She sighed, crossing her arms. "That's a failure of logic, and I know it. Walking into that trap would make me the real idiot."

The detective shivered. Whether she stayed or left, she needed to make a decision, fast. The only thing she was going to get if she stood there mulling it over in her wet clothes was a cold.