Makoto Naegi was seated on the living room couch, staring straight ahead as he tried out a demo of a video game. It was a third-person action title taking place in some jungle and, although the game certainly looked impressively detailed on the TV, it wasn't succeeding at capturing his interest. Makoto's mind was wandering, and that led his eyes to drift around the room. First they floated to the floor, noting the couch's throw pillows that currently rested beside his feet. And then, his eyes moved to view his companion.

Directly to his right was Kyoko Kirigiri. She was seated sideways with her back against the sofa arm and her legs resting across Makoto's lap. That sort of casual physical contact had gradually become second nature for both of them when they were alone together. And today, the warmth of her calves on top of his thighs made gave him a sense of peace and comfort. The sensation of her skin against his felt like home.

For her part, Kyoko appeared absorbed in the book she was holding. However, she quickly felt Makoto's eyes on her, and her attention shifted to him. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

He smiled a little as he paused his game and sat the controller to his side. "I was just thinking about how much has changed since we first met."

"Since we second met," she corrected him. Her eyes glinted mischievously.

"Right," he acquiesced. Since the two of them had their memories of their first two years at Hope's Peak wiped out, he was naturally thinking of their second 'first' meeting. "It's funny how I thought you were unreadable at the time," he continued.

Kyoko set her book down on her lap. "That was by design, of course," she reminded him, smiling slightly. "And I suspect that those years of training myself to suppress my feelings have caused even my most blatant emotional displays to be understated, regardless of whether I'm actively trying to appear impassive."

"Maybe they look 'understated' to some people," Makoto said. "But those 'emotional displays' are obvious to me. I've gotten pretty good at reading you by now."

She held up her left hand and turned it to show off her engagement ring. "I should certainly hope so," she teased.

Makoto smiled even more broadly at her. "And you have gotten a lot more tolerant of someone so 'foolishly open.'"

Kyoko propped her left elbow on the back of the couch and rested her head against her left hand. Her head was tilted at an angle when she quietly remarked, "I cannot believe you remember that."

"You did say it repeatedly," he reminded her in an equally hushed tone. He glanced to the side for a second but immediately forced his attention back onto her. Speaking more normally, he continued, "I actually remember a bunch of our conversations from back then. Well... pieces of them, anyway."

"I'm certainly happy I made a strong impression on you," Kyoko said warmly. "I remember quite a bit, too. Particularly the way you kept attempting to get me to open up to you whenever we were alone together."

"That, ah, took a little longer than I expected," he said back, laughing lightly. As he spoke, he moved his right hand up and down along her legs, rubbing them gently.

Kyoko sat up straight and folded her arms. Smiling tightly, she told him, "In case you forgot: For most of our time inside Hope's Peak, I couldn't have told you much about myself even if I'd wanted to."

Makoto nodded. "Because of your memories. I know." He stopped his hand's movement and paused, glancing out the window across from them and into the night beyond. "She resorted to some pretty extreme measures to handicap you." Even though he didn't identify the 'she' he was referencing, Kyoko understood his inference immediately. Makoto looked at her with admiration as he continued, "I'm glad she couldn't delete your instincts."

Kyoko's expression turned neutral while she pondered that. After a moment, she responded: "Although my family has long been inclined towards detective work, I never considered my skill at it to be innate." Kyoko then turned to look in the same direction where he was gazing shortly before — towards the living room window. "I've always believed my abilities were born primarily from the lessons passed down through my family. The same lessons my grandfather adjusted and taught me."

"'Adjusted'?" Makoto repeated, his face quizzical.

She turned back towards Makoto and looked into his eyes. "Each Kirigiri's experiences provide the next generation with the chance to be a better detective than the last," she explained. "Someday, I'll likely update my grandfather's teachings based upon my own experiences before I share them with my apprentice."

"Oh," Makoto said. Part of him wondered if the "apprentice" Kyoko just referenced would be their own future child, but he pushed that thought away. There was no sense in theorizing about what their future might hold.

"The point is simply that I don't think I'm genetically predisposed towards detective work," Kyoko stated. "I think the reason Enoshima couldn't remove that part of me is because those lessons are so foundational to who I am. After all, if you delete someone's entire upbringing from their mind — all the way back through early childhood — what are you left with?"

Makoto shrugged, genuinely uncertain of how to answer. "Some kind of adult-sized infant... ?" he ventured.

Kyoko smiled and hummed softly — a pleasant sound indicating her amusement. "Whatever the answer is, I'm glad we never had to see it for ourselves," she said.

He nodded once before his eyes drifted to his right. His mouth tightened as he struggled to keep his expression from changing. A moment of silence passed before he asked, "Um, so... given that you could still put on a performance without your memories, was your acting ability also something 'foundational to who you are'?"

"What do you mean?" Kyoko inquired. "My 'acting ability'... ?"

Unable to hold it back any longer, Makoto broke into a grin. "Don't you remember? Before you got your memory of your talent back, you managed to trick me by acting shocked and upset that I would call you 'cute' in order to-"

"Oh!" Kyoko suddenly said. The sound was accompanied by her swiftly raising her hand to cover her mouth. With her eyes opened wide at him, she appeared legitimately shocked.

"That's it! You looked just like that!" Makoto exclaimed. Chuckling, he added, "I'm glad you remember."

"It wasn't my intention to recreate the moment," Kyoko told him, her voice somewhat muffled. When she lowered her hand from her mouth, she still looked slightly aghast. She cleared her throat and did her best to regain her resting face as she said, "I'm just embarrassed by my behavior that day. And frankly, I'm further embarrassed that you remember it so well."

"Naturally," he replied, sounding chipper. "How couldn't I? You were so convincing! It's incredible to think that you're normally so-"

"Cold?" Kyoko guessed ruefully. She arched an eyebrow at him. "Austere?"

He shook his head vigorously. "More like 'unflappable' or 'reserved.'" he countered. "You're far from 'cold'! I said I used to think you were unreadable, but come on — it's not like that's still the case. I know you too well by now to miss when your mood changes. But even when I know your mood has shifted, you remain cool under any kind of pressure. You're always in control."

Kyoko's expression shifted into a small frown. "Does it ever bother you?" she asked.

"...does it 'bother me' that you're cool under pressure?" he asked back, chuckling.

Kyoko frown remained. "I was asking about my 'control'," she clarified. "Or my 'coldness,' if you prefer. A lot of people have made note of it over the years."

"Like I already said, you're not cold," Makoto said. He reached out and took her hand in his. "I've certainly never seen you that way."

She gave his hand a squeeze before she spoke again. "You've never wished I was more outwardly emotional?"

"I love you as you are," he insisted. "And I've never wanted you to be anything else."

At that, her face relaxed and returned to the subtle smile from earlier. "I love you, too," she said earnestly.

Despite how those words still filled Makoto's chest with inexplicable warmth, he was bothered by her line of questioning. "Where did this come from, anyway?" he asked.

"Last night's dinner with your sister got me thinking about it," she admitted. "She's like you; completely unguarded with her feelings. From what I understand, that was true for your parents as well."

Makoto tilted his head to the side as he shrugged one shoulder awkwardly. "I mean, kind of?" he admitted. "But that doesn't mean that's how we needed to be."

Kyoko continued, "Then we got to talking about Komaru's favorite pop idol as well. It certainly seems as though Maizono-san was also quite overt with her emotions — including in some of the pictures we've found of you and her together."

His mouth drooped. "I get what you're trying to say," he assured her, "But everyone you're naming is a family member or a friend. You know?"

"Right," Kyoko agreed with a single nod. "There's no reason to assume that these relationships are indicative of what your ideal romantic partner should be like."

Makoto found himself thrown by that response. "Uh... exactly," he said cautiously. "But if you know that, why let it bother you?"

"Because a person's emotional reactions aren't always logical," she replied. "Knowing something intellectually doesn't prevent my heart from seeding self-doubt."

He smiled sadly. "Right, of course — sorry," he blurted quickly. "I... knew that. I guess it was kind of a stupid question." She frowned at how he belittled himself, but he continued without noticing. "I've had the same sort of doubts, of course. Like, I think about all the things you can do and all the stuff I've learned from you, and it just makes me ask, 'How can someone as boring as me be worthy of someone as amazing as you?'"

"You're not remotely bor-"

"I know what you'll say," Makoto said, cutting her off. "And I'm glad I do. Really. Because when I'm struggling to see my own value, the knowledge of what you'd say comforts me." His expression brightened as he explained: "After all, if I really believe you're as incredible as... well, as you are, then I have no choice but to trust your judgement, right?"

Kyoko smirked and narrowed her eyes, looking cheeky. "So you can believe in yourself because I believe in you?"

He closed his eyes and jerked his right thumb towards his own face, quoting dramatically: "'Believe in the me who believes in you!'" He then opened his eyes and laughed at himself. "Sorry, that's as good as my Kamina voice gets."

Kyoko smiled and shook her head. "There was a time when I wouldn't have understood that reference," Kyoko observed as her smile became wry. "You say you've learned from me, but I've learned just as much from you."

He looked downward shyly. "I'm just... lucky to have the opportunity," he said. Turning his gazed upward again, he looked directly into her eyes. "I wish I could learn how to stay as calm and confident as you do, though. I'd love to come off so... so strong, if that makes sense."

"You carry your own kind of strength," Kyoko advised, "The kind you've already shown it to the whole world. The kind that's saved me on more than one occasion. Besides, putting on a confident front isn't just about projecting strength. Someone who appears confident is more likely to rattle their opponent into making mistakes. And that confidence can also provide solace to others, like those suffering in the wake of a crime."

Makoto looked at her with clear adoration. "I hadn't thought about it like that. Do you always have to be so impressive?" he joked.

"You're selling yourself short again," Kyoko advised. "I've never known anyone else so honest, loyal, caring, clever, and motivated."

His cheeks reddened. "I'm just... " He lowered his face in embarrassment. "Th-thank you," he muttered. "Like I said: I really wish I could control my emotions like you can."

Kyoko shook her head once. "Your openness is part of what makes you so wonderful," she insisted.

Looking up slightly, Makoto said, "I'd settle for some of your acting talent, at least."

She scoffed and leaned over, scooping up one of the throw pillows off the floor. Playfully, she tossed it sideways towards his face. He laughed aloud, and he continued to even after the pilow struck him square in the mouth with a whump.

Hello! I'm alive, and I bring you no excuses for my protracted absence - only apologies.

I originally started writing this for Naegiri Week 2021. One of the prompts was "Free Time," and that made me imagine a scenario where Naegi and Kirigiri were relaxing in their downtime and reminiscing about the Free Time Events (FTEs) they shared during DR1. And thus I'd incorporate two meanings of "Free Time," right?

Anyway yeeeeaaah, obviously I did not finish this in time for Naegiri Week. Because as of this writing, it's about to be March 2022. So in fact, it took me more than two additional months! But I haven't written a one-shot in a while, and furthermore, the last two I published were short and served more as jokes than anything particularly substantial. I wanted to provide something with more emotional "meat" to it this time around.

I just hope it was worth your time to read it.