In the dining hall were Kyoko and Maizono, sitting at a table. It was a consensus: they had agreed with the nurse to not go inside Naegi's bedroom for a bit to let him rest for a bit. It was understandable from her perspective: he had been the centre of interest of a stupid love theatre play when he was still very weak.

Actually, wasn't he weaker, when she was thinking about it? His last smile had been such a forced one, it was almost heart-breaking.

But nowhere near as heart-breaking as seeing him suffer his way through pneumonia was.

"Kirigiri…?" a shy voice asked her.

"What is it, Maizono?"

"Can… Can I ask you about something?"

"You can."

Maizono intertwined her fingers nervously.

"You… You really love him, right…?"

Kyoko wasn't surprised by her question. The idol seemed really insecure when it came to her best friend and the detective's ongoing… Feelings.

Not being surprised didn't mean she knew how to answer. She didn't even know why she had answered "I love you too" to Naegi when he was in his feverish delirium. Probably because she thought it would make him happy to hear that.

She knew she cared deeply about him, at least far more than for Maizono or anyone in this class really, if not more than what was left of her friends and family outside of Hope's Peak. That was where her certainties stopped.

"…"

"You… You would make an adorable couple"

Now that surprised her. She wasn't expecting a supporting message from Maizono. Actually, scratch that: maybe she was faking it. But why would she fake it when they were all alone, when Naegi wasn't there? She could yell at her as much as she wanted without her image being tarnished for him.

This didn't make sense.

"Are you being honest here, Maizono?"

"I am. I'm the only one he told about his crush on you… Well, the first one at least"

"Aren't you, jealous or something in the like?"

"No, not at all… I just want him to be happy. I have my band, he has you. Everything is fine, Kirigiri. I… I was just scared."

Even if Kyoko was still a bit wary when it came to her blue-haired classmate's honesty, something in her attitude and voice, from her nervous finger muddling to her face, somehow told her she was trustable for the time being. She decided to follow her instincts.

"What were you scared of?"

"I was scared that he would only focus on you, and forget about me, especially when I'm busy with the girls sometimes… That's why I was so… So horrible to you…"

"Oh so you thought he may abandon you for me. I think this is highly unlikely of Naegi."

"I know, right? I don't even know why I was thinking that. It was… I can't even find a word to describe it. It's just not right to suspect something like that from your best friend, you know?"

Kyoko was still curious about something. An element that was a source of… Envy? Jealousy?

"You faked a smile earlier today, didn't you?"

Blue eyes closed and the girl let out a little sight, accompanied by a seemingly genuine small smile.

"You… You noticed it then."

"Indeed. Could you tell me why?"

"Makoto wouldn't like me to lie to you anyway, so… It's because I didn't want to worry him… He's going through such a bad time lately, and he told me a few times before that he loved my smile so… I just smile for him. He doesn't really like it when I fake it, but I figured out it would give him some strength. It's all I can do anyway…"

The detective looked down. It seemed she had honestly good intentions. He really was lucky to be able to trust someone like her, when even Kyoko herself was doubting her most of the time.

"I see. It's very kind of you, Maizono, but I think after how we scolded him for hiding things from us, we should both show our true colours, don't you think?"

"I agree… I'll not hide anything in front of him or you anymore, Kirigiri. I think I can trust you, since you've cared so much about him…"

Maizono looked at her watch before her eyes grew wide.

"Oh, I have my training session very soon! Kirigiri, can you watch over Makoto while I'm with the girls?"

"Of course."

"Thank you very much!"

The idol then ran off to her bedroom, only feet away from the dining hall they were alone in to discuss.


When Kyoko was allowed to enter in his room (which was actually a few minutes after Maizono had left the school for her session), she was greeted by an asleep Naegi. He did seem peaceful when he was asleep, really. It was contrasting with the wheezing panic from barely thirty minutes before, that was for sure.

It was around two in the afternoon. She could only guess that the nurse took care of his medication better than they had handled it in the morning. She quietly took the chair and sat on it.

While he was pretty cute, watching Naegi sleeping wasn't really very interesting of an activity. She didn't exactly know how long he would be asleep for. She hoped it would finally last for more than one or two hours, after all, he did need sleep.

Hopefully he wouldn't have a nightmare again…

Kyoko grabbed the novel she had left on the bedside table (she had forgotten about it last time) and took back from where she had left off her story. It was… Duller than she had remembered. As if what had happened made the story so hollow and boring. A mystery novel was far less exciting than whatever had happened recently.

Disappointed, she closed and put the book away once again. A sight escaped her lips as she took off a glove to get the temperature of the washcloth. When the icy feeling got to her fingers, the detective quickly dried her hand and put her glove back again.

Everything seemed so alright and peaceful that it was almost too weird to be real. Maybe it was all a dream.

Kyoko looked at the bedridden boy. She felt a slight smile drawing itself onto her lips as she leaned back. The situation was perfect. Her mind was in state of peace she had almost forgotten about with the two cases she had been investigating upon.

Knowing Maizono wasn't playing some act in front of them was strangely relaxing. This annoying, weak yet growing stronger heartache had disappeared. She put her mask back on. The idol did look more like a clingy little sister than a rival.

Wait, a rival? A rival in what?

Maizono and she had different skills, abilities and personalities. While the former was a talented pop idol and singer, with a legion of fans and dedicated to her band, Kyoko was a detective. A born detective. Her skills were in investigating and coming up with the closest-to-the-truth deductions. Maizono's job was to make people happy with singing, her job was to uncover culprits and clear the image of the innocent before trials were taking place.

They had nothing in common.

No, they indeed had something in common.

Something she hadn't really realized until this strange case had begun.

Something, or rather someone, who forced them to interact with each other.

Makoto Naegi.

Yes, Sayaka Maizono was more than his best friend to her.

She was her rival. Her rival in a feeling she never wanted to feel again or ever.

Love.

Her ears were burning. She was now as red as he was flushed by fever, she was sure of it. Even the most intriguing of thriller novels wouldn't get her mind off that. This feeling was… Utterly embarrassing.

It was awkward, unnecessary, useless, a cluster of pain and emotions, gross, waste, trash, garbage. Barely fitting the trashcan filled with rust-coloured and bloodied tissues.

She couldn't. It was… It was… It was… It was unfitting with her career… It was a waste of thoughts… It was… It was… It was…

It was real.

She couldn't brush it off anymore.

She was in love with him and it was undeniable.

"Ki… Kirigiri…?"

A small, hoarse voice came to her ears.

No, this couldn't be.

She had been rambling, openly speaking to herself during all this time.

He had heard everything she had whispered.

She wasn't ready to confront him about that, she wasn't even ready to confront herself!

"D-did you hear everything I said, Naegi?!" she panicked.

"Kinda…"

This really was embarrassing.

"Why are so red…?"

"I-if you heard what I was saying you must know…"

"I didn't get everything… My head's fuzzy…"

He was coughing and his breath was still hectic. She should had known he would be in a state where her mumbles weren't very clear to him.

"Thank goodness you didn't understand everything."

He sheepishly smiled.

"That doesn't mean I can't get why now…"

Kyoko felt a sudden wave of uncomfortableness take over her.

"D-don't tell me you… You…"

"If I wasn't sick maybe I would have hugged you…"

"You already did…"

He blinked and got up suddenly, only to grasp his chest.

"Don't move so fast when you're that ill!"

"W-when did I hug you?!"

"When you were delirious."

Naegi scratched the back of his head.

"Ah… Uh…"

Kyoko folded her arms against her chest, smirking.

"It's a relief you don't remember that, it would have been awkward to explain why I responded to you that"

"That you loved me."

"How do you remember that?!" the lavender-haired girl screamed, internally panicking.

"S-Sayaka mentioned it earlier… But it's really obvious now that I heard you mumbling it to yourself…"

"Fever isn't strong enough to make your deduction abilities fail I suppose…"

He laughed lightly before coughing again.

"At least we're on the same page…"

"Stop mentioning it. It's embarrassing at it is."

"You're adorable when you're like that, you know…?"

"S-stop it Naegi!"

"What's wrong…?"

"I said stop it!"

"Ok, ok…" he replied as he looked away.

No, he wasn't delirious. His eyes were more focused than when he was. It didn't seem like he was teasing her on purpose though: he did seem uncomfortable with her being uncomfortable. Everything was so weird at this point anyway, she didn't even know what could happen.

"You know, Kirigiri… You shouldn't be embarrassed about that…"

"Take care of your own health before you start worrying about me. You're the one who's sick, not me."

A short silence followed.

"Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was… Just sleepy you know…"

"I'll let you rest then, see you later."

She was getting up when his hand grabbed her arm.

"No, stay with me… Who knows when I'll get a nightmare again…"

She couldn't help but smile and sit down.

"If you want me to, I guess I can't decline."

A grin (the smallest grin because he was still weak but a grin nonetheless) appeared on his face as soon as she answered positively.

This boy would be the death of her.