Day 1
Relax
"Kyoko?"
At the sound of a boy's voice breaking the silence, Kyoko stopped peeking into the space between the wooden cabinet and the wall. She changed positions from being on her hands and knees to merely kneeling, and looked over to the doorway where a familiar classmate was standing. "Makoto. Is there something I can do for you?"
Makoto didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he shuffled in place by the door, as if he didn't know whether to enter the room or not. He surveyed the classroom for a few moments before redirecting his gaze back to her. "You're still looking around?"
"Of course," she answered, rising to her feet. "It's vital for us to solve what's going on in this school, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah, it's just…" Makoto paused and scratched his cheek—a habit, she had learned, that meant he was unsure of whether to speak his mind. She prompted him silently with a small tilt of her head. He played with the zip of his hoodie, cleared his throat, and continued, "Well, everyone else has stopped for lunch, so I thought…"
He trailed off, but Kyoko could easily tell what was left unsaid, and she hummed in response. It was just like him to check to make sure no one was unaware of the plans of the group. She could feel the beginning of an empty feeling in her stomach, but… "I'm not hungry, so I will be continuing my investigation."
She did just that, sliding one of the drawers out, all the way until it completely separated from the cabinet. She placed it carefully on the top and peered into the open space. Kyoko could no longer see what Makoto was doing, but she figured by his stammering that he wasn't going to leave just yet. "Sure, but, um… Even if you're not going to eat anything…"
"There's not much point in me joining everyone," she pointed out. She squinted, trying to discern anything abnormal about the cabinet's insides. "I'm not in the mood for socializing."
"Actually, I was just going to ask if you wanted to take a break with me."
That… shouldn't really have surprised her as much as it did, given his character, but surprise her it did. She blinked a bit, dismissing the strain her eyes had accumulated, and looked over at him. "Take a break?"
"Yeah, you know, that thing where you don't push yourself so hard?" A smile flashed across his face as his attempted joke, but it was just as quickly replaced with open concern. "If you're not cleaning or looking for materials, you're always off by yourself, looking over all the rooms again and again. I… kinda get the feeling you get pretty absorbed in whatever you're doing, so… I just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself." Makoto abruptly glanced down and studied his feet, before his head shot back up. "A-As long as that's all right with you, of course!"
The look on his face was quickly changing into something comparable to a begging puppy, and Kyoko found she had to avert her gaze in order concentrate long enough to make her decision. She knew that discovering the secrets behind the academy and the bizarre bear was her top priority—uncovering them could help her answer her own personal mysteries. But with such little avenues of investigation available to her, she had to make do with looking over the rooms they had access to. Surely there had to be something they could offer her?
"I don't think—"
"Please?" he urged. She made the mistake of meeting his gaze again and inwardly grimaced. Yeah, puppy was an accurate comparison. "It won't be a waste of your time, I promise! And if it is, I won't try and do this again!"
A part of her had a strong feeling he would come back and insist she rest, even if he didn't involve himself in the equation. But still, she felt an itch in her bones, a whisper in her ear that insisted she continued looking, that if she kept looking she would find what she needed to know—
"I don't know what exactly you're looking for, but you don't have to rush, you know?" Makoto spoke suddenly, as if he knew the thoughts running through her head. He gave her a warm smile. "There's nothing wrong with waiting for the right opportunity to come around."
Kyoko met his gaze, mulling over what he said. And she found that, as she listened more to his words, that little incessant voice got quieter and quieter. Her thoughts felt a little clearer, her head a little lighter, and her heart a little warmer.
At last, a small smile made its way onto her face. "Perhaps your words hold some merit. Very well, I'll join you on this occasion."
"A-Ah, that's great, Kiri!" Makoto's grin grew wide as she walked over to him at the entrance to the classroom. "Since everyone's eating, we have free rein of the school! I was thinking we could go to the dojo, it'll be pretty peaceful there!"
Kyoko's smile didn't grow as Makoto's did, but it didn't fade from her face the entire way. If this was what relaxing with Makoto would entail, perhaps the occasional break wouldn't hurt.
hEY GUESS WHO'S DOING NAEGIRI WEEK. THIS PERSON.
Hopefully Day 1 turned out okay. It was kinda written last minute and it was the only day I struggled with coming up with an idea for. But hey, here it is, the wonderful start to a wonderful week. Hope y'all stick around for the next seven days of celebrating this beautiful ship.
Keep smiling, readers!