Naegiri Week 2022 (Creepercraftguy)

Day 1 - Overtime.

[3:42 am]

That was the time that read on Kyoko's watch, which she stared down at, dourly.

It was cold that winter night. So cold that it was snowing. And even for someone like the Ultimate Detective, who always retained laser-like concentration, be she on the job or not, it was challenging for her to resist the urge to fall asleep.

As you probably may have guessed, the reason why Kyoko was walking through the snowy streets so late in the evening was that she has finally tied the knot on a big case she'd been working on for the majority of that winter month, involving a secret terrorist plot. She and her team endeavored not to leave a single stone unturned and to not let a single detail go missing from their report.

Kyoko was lucky to work with a group of individuals who took their jobs so seriously. One of them was a boy who had graduated from the academy with the same Ultimate Talent as her; a boy named Saihara. What wasn't so lucky is the team may be too diligent because they burned the midnight oil down to the last drop. So much so that the date changed and she didn't even notice until she took a look at her watch.

If Kyoko had been doing this for herself and her family, she wouldn't have minded so much, but given that she had been living with Makoto, it complicated things.

Abrasive as she was, Kyoko Kirigiri always valued time with him. Shortly after graduating from Hope's Peak as classmates, she and fellow Ultimate Student, Makoto Naegi, had started dating, and now they lived together. Kyoko kept her job as a detective even after she graduated, but being the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto's options weren't particularly widespread. However, he had committed to getting a job as a teacher at the academy they had learned together. Kyoko had even heard that the current headmaster; her father, Jin Kirigiri; was considering allowing Makoto to become headmaster in his place when he retired.

Makoto's job typically didn't require him to work this late though, so Kyoko half expected that he would already be asleep by the time she got back. It was a shame since it was the end of the week, and she had very much liked to spend some quality evening time together with him.

*Because of the scale of this investigation, the department did warn us that we may be putting in extra hours...* the detective deliberated, *but that doesn't make it any less tiring...*

She yawned as she got to the end of this thought. Continuing down the street, she approached her household but stopped in place as she noticed the lights were on.

*That's rare...Could Makoto have fallen asleep and forgotten to have turned the lights off?* she, as she often did, started to think of several possibilities in her head at once, *no, that seems unlikely...It was he who brought up the idea of saving energy when we wrote the contract after moving in together...*

However, Kyoko didn't need to think about it for too long. As she approached the door, she heard the lock click open from the inside, and the door creaked open. The bright, warm light poured out at her from the doorway, and Makoto stepped through. He smiled at her, his smile warm as the light from inside the house, but his eyes looked tired, and his usual liveliness and optimistic glow were near absent.

"Welcome home, Kyoko," he simpered, "good job today at work."

There was a long pause where both of them just stared at each other, Makoto in bliss and Kyoko in surprise. Kyoko eventually became the one to break the silence.

"So...you were awake?" she inquired.

"Yep," Makoto replied cheerily.

"You do know it's gone three in the morning, right?"

"I know."

"Are you ok? You weren't worried about me, were you? I know I should have called..."

"No, no, it's ok! You were busy, I understand. This isn't because of you, I just...couldn't get to sleep..."

"Evidently...You have bags under your eyes," Kyoko sighed, "I know it's the weekend, but it's not good for your health to stay up like-"

Kyoko didn't finish her sentence. She reached out to cup Makoto's cheek in her hand, and as soon as her fingers felt his skin, she frowned.

"Why are you so cold?" she asked sternly.

"H-Huh? Oh, uh...don't worry about it," he scratched his head, "come in. I saved dinner for you, and I can run you a bath if you-OW OW OW!"

"Answer my question..." Kyoko growled, pinching his cheek, tighter than she meant to, "and be honest about it."

"Alright, alright, please, just let me go!" Makoto cried, rubbing his sore cheek after Kyoko released him, "it's because...I kept coming in and out the house...and I wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion..."

Makoto was wearing some very casual clothes. Not indecent, but not warm enough for the frigid winter weather.

"Are you an idiot?" Kyoko asked, "you could have caught a cold by doing that!"

"I know, I'm sorry..." Makoto pouted, "I just...missed you...and I wanted to see you as soon as you got back. I kind of got impatient and...well, I just sort of wandered around on my own...I'm sorry..."

Despite a delayed reaction, Kyoko stepped forward, and slumped her bashful head onto Makoto's shoulder, burying her face into him. She also instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around his body.

"A-Ah! Kyoko! Um...I'm glad you're back, but can you please let go?" Makoto pleaded.

Kyoko didn't respond.

"Oh well..." Makoto chuckled, "if you're that tired...then I guess it's fine if you use me as a pillow. Just...maybe come inside so neither of us catches a cold?"

*What is it about this man that renders me so incapable when all others fail?* Kyoko didn't move her face, even as Makoto pulled her inside, afraid he might see just how flustered she was. *I can't explain it but...I need to marry him soon...*