Kirigiri was equal parts excited and nervous. She was still reeling slightly from Enoshima's announcement at lunch. A party at her house was always bad news. She used them as excuses to publicly humiliate and slander people. Kirigiri had always hated it, but she wanted to preserve her peaceful school life, so she stood to the side and did nothing but watch. She'd only ever considered speaking up once. Komaeda had skipped a party even though Enoshima threatened him and a few days later the news broke that Enoshima had "accidentally" run over his dog. She didn't need to be a master detective to figure out it was completely done on purpose. Maybe it was fate, but she had dinner with her grandparents that night. She could have just told her grandfather, he was a police officer, he could have done something. Then again maybe he couldn't. Enoshima was the Ultimate Despair after all. The Ultimate Despair and the Ultimate Hope were considered more powerful in their society than any president, queen or even pop star. They were practically gods. Not someone easy to bring criminal charges against. So, she had kept her mouth shut and her face blank, just like she always did. Inside the guilt ate at her though and it stayed with her for months afterwards. Now she was feeling guilty again. Guilty for going along with Enoshima's plan, for playing with Naegi's feelings. The two of them were going on another date tonight. Since she was the one to initiate it, she supposed that meant she'd have to decide what they'd do. What kind of things would he like? She knew he liked mystery novels and popular music and video games, especially ones you could play with friends. Maybe the arcade? Or the library? Or they could go see whatever was on at the cinema, Naegi had said he usually likes anything that's popular. She knew she should just pick something and get it over with, it's not like it was a real date anyway. For some reason though, she had the urge to make an effort.

Naegi had a pretty good morning. Komaeda had saved a seat for him on the bus and Enoshima said some mean things, but it deescalated quickly. His first few classes were pretty quiet but then everything went wrong at lunch. Enoshima announced she was having one of her parties on Friday. For most people they were a great time, drinking, dancing, getting it on with each other. Not for him though, or Komaeda. For them it meant pain and public humiliation. He had no idea what they'd be in for this time, but he was dreading it. The last party she'd thrown, she'd forced Naegi into some disgusting clothes she'd purchased at a sex shop. There was a dildo involved too. It was horrific. He cried himself to sleep that night and spent weeks terrified of what Enoshima might do with the pictures she took. Nothing came of it. She probably still had them somewhere, to blackmail him with or something. Komaeda didn't go to the party. Enoshima had threatened him but for some reason he still didn't show. Then the news broke at school that she'd run over his dog. Naegi couldn't believe it. To think, she would go that far. Neither he nor Komaeda had ever missed any of her parties after that. Komaeda had a flashback to it when Enoshima announced her upcoming party. Naegi and Hinata eventually found him in the library. Naegi ended up slipping away when Hinata and Komaeda started hugging. He'd had the strangest sense he was intruding on something. He sighed heavily and began to walk the empty halls of the school. Everyone else was still in the lunchroom, reveling in the excitement of a high school party. Naegi's steps slowed as the dread weighed him down. What would she do to him this time? What about Komaeda? And what if she made Hinata a target too? This was all getting to be too dangerous.

"Naegi?" He looked up to see Kirigiri. She was standing in the middle of the hallway, the light from the windows reflecting beautifully off her purple hair. "Are you okay?" She asked, her face didn't shift but Naegi could see the concern in her eyes.

"Who me?" He laughed nervously. "Of course, just super excited for a party. I mean, they haven't exactly gone well in the past, but you never know." He always tried to be optimistic.

"Naegi." Kirigiri walked up to him and took hold of his hand. He startled, a bright blush taking over his face. "It's okay. You don't have to pretend." She looked at him with such sincerity, he felt his resolve crumble.

"I'm scared." He admitted. He began to rub his thumb against the back of Kirigiri's hand for comfort. "After everything Enoshima's done before, at her parties, I know this is going to be hell." Kirigiri didn't say anything. What could she say? Naegi was just as trapped as she was, unable to defy Enoshima. She just kept holding his hand and didn't let go until the bell finally rang.

"I'll still see you tonight?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah!" He grinned enthusiastically, then quickly blushed in embarrassment. "I mean, if you still want to of course."

"I do." And she meant it.

Naegi gave her a blinding happy smile and left to go to his next class. The corridor filled up around her as people rushed from the lunchroom to their classes, but Kirigiri barely noticed them. She was lost in her own world just thinking about Naegi's smile. It was so full of happiness. She wished she could make him smile like that every day. But she couldn't. She would be the one to take his smile away when she broke his heart. Such a thing was inevitable. It didn't matter that she was starting to develop real feelings for him or that she never really wanted to be involved in this game in the first place. The damage was already done. Eventually, Naegi would find out that she only asked him out as part of a sick plan to hurt him. The guilt was excruciating.

Eventually, she too went to her class but even though her legs were moving her head was still stuck in the clouds. She barely paid any attention in her afternoon lessons. Not that she needed to, she was already way ahead in her studies. She just kept seeing Naegi in her head. Kept remembering how happy he was when he was with her. It left her with a cold pit in her stomach that nothing could fill.

When the final bell rang, Kirigiri walked slowly out of the school. She had the urge to slow things down as much as possible. She practically dragged her feet as she walked, heading to the park next door to their school. She'd agreed to meet Naegi at the fountain there. It was a beautiful day; the flowers were blooming, and a soft breeze was blowing leaves through the air like rain. It whisked through Kirigiri's hair as she waited. On a normal day she would enjoy a scene like this but now it just felt like the calm before the storm.

"Kirigiri!" Naegi ran towards her with a wave and a big smile. Something dark twisted inside of her. "Sorry, have you been waiting long?"

"No. Shall we go?"

"Sure." Kirigiri led the way as they walked through the park and out the back entrance.

"So where are we going anyway?" Naegi asked but Kirigiri didn't answer him. He slowed his walk slightly, so he was walking a few steps behind. He suddenly worried he might have done something to upset her. They walked that way in silence for ten minutes down several streets until Kirigiri stopped in front of a building. It wasn't just any building though, there was police tape covering it and two officers standing behind the tape.

"Um… Kirigiri?" Naegi asked nervously.

"Miss Kirigiri, good to see you." One of the officers said. "How was school today."

"Good evening, Ueno, it was fine." She nodded at him.

"Your grandfather is already inside." The other officer said, pulling up the tape.

"Come on." Kirigiri said, taking Naegi's hand and dragging her inside. He just allowed her to pull him along, completely baffled by the whole situation.

The sight that greeted him inside was quite the shock. It was a shop, a computer shop by the looks for things, based on the posters on the walls and the little price tags everywhere. There were no computers or electronics though, several of the stands were overturned and there were slash marks on the wall. An old but healthy and strong looking man was kneeling on the floor staring very hard at a wall socket. He stood up as soon as he noticed them in his peripheral vision.

"Grandfather." Kirigiri nodded to the man.

"Kyoko, my dear, so glad you could come." He came over and hugged her. She only hesitated for a second before returning the hug. Mr Kirigiri pulled away and looked at Naegi standing hesitantly next to her. "This must be the boyfriend you've told me about."

"B-B-B-Boyfriend?!" Naegi stammered, completely red. He looked at Kirigiri and even with her head facing forwards he could see a blush on her face too. That just made Naegi blush harder.

Kirigiri coughed to clear her throat. "Naegi, this is my grandfather. Grandfather, this is Naegi." She introduced them formally.

"Nice to meet you, my boy." Her grandfather smiled.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Naegi bowed respectfully.

"Grandfather often lets me assist on his cases as a detective and I asked if you could join us today too. I thought it might interest you to solve a real mystery." Kirigiri said. She actually sounded nervous; Naegi didn't think he'd ever heard her sound nervous before.

"This is just a robbery case, but I still think I'm going to need plenty of help." Her grandfather said.

"Really?" Naegi gasped, looking back and forth between them. "We get to help you solve a real mystery? This is just… Is this allowed?"

"Don't worry, my boy, I'm the best detective on the force and Kyoko's assisted me on many cases in the past, they won't mind you two giving me a hand. If anyone asks, we'll just say it's a school internship." He grinned and laughed heartily.

"Thank you sir!" Naegi cried. Kirigiri couldn't take her eyes off him. He was practically sparkling with excitement. She smiled, pleased with herself she'd chosen the right activity for their date. After exhausting herself mulling over conventional date ideas, she'd eventually decided something a little different but relevant to their interests would be better. Seemed her hunch was correct.

"Now then, let's see what we've got." Mr Kirigiri said, clapping his hands. He handed Kirigiri and Naegi some gloves to wear, so they wouldn't contaminate the crime scene as they searched. "Have a good sweep of the room and see if you can find anything unusual or out of place." The three of them set to work. Naegi spent more of his time watching Kirigiri search than searching himself. Her eyes were darting about with laser focus and she kept standing up to think with her knuckle curled around her chin. It was so adorable! He caught himself several times and looked back at the crime scene with a heavy blush on his cheeks.

"Grandfather." Kirigiri said.

"What have you concluded my dear?" Her grandfather asked. Kirigiri straightened and adopted her thinking pose. "There is a slight impression of several different shoe prints on the floor. They could be ruled out as customers, except, the shops in this street have to close every Tuesday because they're doing maintenance on the water. Which is probably why the thieves knew this was a good time to rob this place. The lack of older marks on the floor suggests it's mopped regularly, probably in the evening which means these shoeprints must have been made after last night and they can only belong to the robbers. There's four different sets, so four robbers. The slashes on the wall, based on their size, were made by small blades, eight inches long, three inches wide."

"Wow… You're absolutely incredible Kirigiri!" Naegi cried, he completely forgot himself in his awe of her. "That was amazing, you just had to look around the crime scene and it was like you instantly knew what had happened. I always thought you were amazing but you're just… The most amazing person in the world." Kirigiri stared at Naegi, completely frozen. An uncharacteristic blush bloomed on her cheeks. Nobody complimented her the way Naegi did. She was in no way used to such… Admiration. Naegi seemed to realise what he'd said as an awkward silence descended and he blushed heavily.

"Well done, well done. As always, my granddaughter knows exactly what has occurred. She takes after me in that sense." Kirigiri's grandfather laughed loudly and clapped a hand on her shoulder. Naegi's blush receded and bit and he smiled warmly at the old man.

"What do we do next?" Naegi asked.

"Well, we know we're looking for four people. How do you suppose they got all the computers out of the store?" Mr Kirigiri asked.

"Well, it'd be impossible for them to carry them so they must have had a vehicle." Naegi said.

"Well done my boy!" Mr Kirigiri exclaimed. "We found tyre tracks outside, from the impression we can tell it was a van."

"Are there security cameras on the street that caught the van?" Kirigiri asked.

"Indeed there are. Hopefully we'll be able to get the number plate from the footage and then we can track down the van." Mr Kirigiri said. "You know what that means. Stake out night!"

Kirigiri smiled fondly. "Stake out night means going over footage or files and eating take away food."

"You'll join us?" Mr Kirigiri asked Naegi.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, this is your case too."

Naegi blushed. "Well, then sure, if it wouldn't be a bother." Kirigiri took his hand in hers and he nearly exploded.

"It will be nice if you'd join us." She said. Naegi smiled at her, somehow her presence made him feel simultaneously on edge and at ease.

So that evening, Naegi went to Kirigiri's house. Well, technically it was her grandparents' house. Kirigiri lived with her parents, technically, but she spent quite a lot of time at her grandparents' house. Her parents were both educators and they were lovely people, but Kirigiri's grandfather was a detective, and it was her dream to be a detective too so she spent a lot of time with him, learning as much as she could. The house was a cute little one-story townhouse sandwiched in between two houses that looked practically identical. Naegi hovered nervously outside when he arrived, checking the number on his phone and in front of the house three times just to be sure. How embarrassing would it be for him to knock on the wrong door.

"Naegi my boy, come in, come in." Mr Kirigiri said when he opened the door. Naegi relaxed as he was led inside. Mr Kirigiri took him to the living room where Kirigiri was sat on the floor in front of a coffee table strewn with papers. She had a cup of tea sat in a little hole she'd made between the papers and was taking regular sips from it as she examined things. She smiled when she looked up and saw Naegi.

"Come, sit down, we're just going over the shop's financial records." She said.

"Can I get you a drink?" Mr Kirigiri asked. "I always keep a stash of Kyoko's favourite coffee."

"Uh… Just some tea, please." Naegi said. Mr Kirigiri nodded and went into another room at the end of the hall. Naegi came to sit at the table to the right of Kirigiri. He picked up one of the pieces of paper and had a quick scan of it. It was a list of profit margins from two financial years.

"Why are we looking through these?" He asked.

"We can't rule out the possibility the owners of the shop were involved. Sometimes when businesses are struggling they stage robberies to claim insurance money, then on sell the stolen property to bring in further income." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Right, that makes sense." Naegi smiled. "You're really brilliant."

Kirigiri blushed, which Naegi thought was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. "Well, my grandfather taught me everything I know."

"The two of you are obviously close." Naegi smiled.

"My grandfather is my idol. I only hope I can be as good a detective as him."

"You're already the best detective I know." Her grandfather said heartily, coming in with their drinks. He placed them on the table, careful to avoid the papers.

Kirigiri blushed and smiled. "I can't seem to find an obvious motive for insurance fraud, the company seems to be doing fine." She said.

"Probably a legit robbery then." Mr Kirigiri said. "It's common knowledge the shops are closed for the maintenance works at the moment so anyone could have done this."

"No that's wrong." Naegi jumped in. Both Kirigiri's stared at him. He blushed at his outburst. "What I mean is… The schedule of the maintenance workers isn't common knowledge and according to their witness statements," Naegi waved the papers for emphasis, "They didn't see anything. It could be a coincidence but I think it's more likely the thieves knew the schedule and timed their robbery."

"Ah… Excellent work young man."

"See, I told you, you're brilliantly observant." Kirigiri smiled at him. "So, now we can narrow down the suspects."

The three of them continued to discuss theories and share laughs throughout the evening. Eventually they ordered Chinese takeaway for dinner. It was close to nine when Naegi realised he needed to be getting home. Mr Kirigiri volunteered to drive him back.

"Thanks for letting me sit in on the investigation." Naegi said, while they were in the car.

"Don't mention it kid, you had some really good ideas. You could have quite the career as a detective."

"Thank you…" Naegi smiled.

"Don't suppose I need to remind you not to discuss the case with anyone."

"Oh, of course sir, I won't."

"Good. Nice work kid."

"This is me." Naegi said as they approached his house. "Thanks for the lift home sir."

"You're welcome son, now, I don't think I need to tell you that if you hurt my granddaughter I will abuse my position."

"Ah… Right… Of course, sir, I understand." Naegi sweated nervously as he got out of the car. Mr Kirigiri smiled at him cheekily and drove off. Naegi sighed, the tension finally leaving his shoulders. Of course, he didn't intend to do anything to hurt Kirigiri. Someone as wonderful as her deserved to be treated right. Naegi also believed she deserved better than him, he couldn't believe he was so lucky as to be dating someone as smart, kind and beautiful as her.

Tomorrow he would worry about the party in three days. For tonight, he'd focus on the warm happy feeling in his chest.