Archive of Our Own

The final bell rings and Kyoko alongside her 15 classmates begin to pack up to leave the classroom. She flips her notebook closed and slips her pencil and pen back into her bag.

The last period just ended and Kyoko is free to return to her dorm and enjoy solitude. The only thing that got her through the day was the idea of falling into bed. She makes quick work to pack up her things to get out of the classroom as soon as possible. After all, each day is unbearably long, and her social meter is already at zero past 3rd period. Excited to be anywhere but here, Kyoko is suddenly stopped by a tap on her shoulder from behind her.

Kyoko freezes. She’s well aware of everyone who sits around her. Especially who sits behind her. Her heart beats a little harder. She turns her head around to face the desk behind her. She sees Celestia Ludenberg, the girl who has sat behind her since the beginning of school. Right behind Byakuya, lacking a couple billion, she's the 2nd richest person in their class. And at least somewhere in the top 5 of the whole school. 

Celeste is adorned with her usual glamorous lolita outfit. Her ridiculously expensive rings, necklaces, and earrings accent her outfit with silver. And despite today being an average Thursday, she’s coated in professional-looking makeup. Her eyelids glitter with red and black and share matching, even eyeliner wings. Foundation makes her skin glow with perfect highlights. And bright red lipstick is painted on her lips. Kyoko’s breath catches in her throat at how the girl manages to be so beautiful every single second of her life.

The gambler smiles at her bashfully. “Hey Kyoko, did you get the last of those notes?” She asks politely.

“Oh, yeah I did.” Kyoko quickly reopens her notebook to today’s notes and hands it to Celeste.

“Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver.” Celeste quickly starts copying Kyoko’s notes into her notebook with her red pen. Without looking up, she speaks again, “I swear to god, he talks so fast for no reason.” She gestures to the professor at the front of the room packing up.

Kyoko lets out a soft laugh. “I know right? Sometimes I don’t know how I keep up.” Kyoko does her best to disguise her nervousness as she patiently waits for Celeste to finish copying.

“Well, I am so glad you do,” Celeste laughs. 

For many months since the two began their first year at Hopes Peak Academy, Kyoko has been well acquainted with the girl who sits behind her and often asks to copy her notes. At first, Kyoko was slightly annoyed. She was once cold and callous, but somehow her friends Sayaka, Makoto, and Hina broke her tough shell. And she found that with a more positive outlook on the world, everything became more tolerable. And her good deeds do come around. One time, when Kyoko took a leap of absence for a whole week to solve a murder case, Celeste invited her to catch her up in all their classes with multiple meet-ups at the library. In between studying and homework, the two found themselves making small talk, then having deeper conversations. Since then, she’s found that she doesn’t mind the gambler. More than that, she finds that she really enjoys speaking to the gambler in any of the short times she did.

When Junko hosts her unnecessary class parties, Celeste is always a familiar face and easy to talk to once her other friends ditch her to the crowd. She would never say it out loud, but any time Kyoko went off to get away from the party, the way Celeste would track her down and ask if she was alright before having a small conversation always made Kyoko feel warm. 

Kyoko has wanted to try and get closer to this mysterious millionaire of a dame. She has a deep interest in the gambler and she’s the only person who can obtain the detective's attention the way she does. Unfortunately, Kyoko finds it’s easier said than done. Celeste is someone Kyoko considers a friend. And she knows Celeste views her the same due to her expressing it before. But they only interact when they find themselves in the same places as each other. They’re more “school friends” that talked during class and social events, never going further than those brief meet-ups in the library that were still academic-based.

“Here.” Celestia hands back Kyoko’s notebook and tucks her own into an expensive leather bag. “Thanks again.”

“It’s no problem.” Kyoko puts her notebook away, and the two stand. 

“You know it’s been a while since I’ve returned the favor,” Celeste states.

“Trust me, you don’t have to. I really don’t mind.” Kyoko smiles. It's something she still isn’t used to yet and wouldn’t do in front of just any of her classmates.

“I know, but I enjoy seeing you outside of class.” Kyoko isn’t able to control the way her face heats up. “Are you doing anything this weekend?” 

Kyoko feels her heartbeat drum harder at the implication. Her hands underneath her gloves become clammy. “No. I don’t have anything planned.”

“Perfect! I’ll text you before Saturday if I can make it work, but I’m hoping to go out with you sometime if you’re interested.” Celeste smiles at her and butterflies arise in her stomach.

“Yeah, that sounds nice…” Kyoko timidly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.” Celeste gives her one last smooth smile before walking past her. Kyoko waves and watches her leave the room.

The detective finishes packing up her things and exits the classroom. For the first time in a long while, she is looking forward to this weekend.

…

That night Kyoko lay in bed staring into nothing. There’s a lot to think about and she usually has trouble sleeping. However, she’s interrupted from trying to force herself to sleep by her phone dinging. 

She automatically rolls over and checks her notifications. She squints as her eyes struggle to adjust to the light, but eventually, she makes out Celeste’s name on her phone. She quickly unlocks it and reads the new message. 

Celeste: Just checked out what’s going on this weekend. A friend of mine is throwing a pretty big party this Saturday. Would you like to accompany me?

Kyoko pauses. Parties were never her idea of fun. They’re full of loud people who overdo it and pointless games. However, she’s aware that’s Celeste’s crowd. She often tells her about extravagant balls she attends to ridiculous college parties. With her status, Celeste can get accepted into any party she so desires. And a large social event is exactly what Celeste craves after a long week. She hesitates to accept, but she also hesitates to decline. In some way, this invitation means Celeste wants to show Kyoko her world and her idea of fun. And the last thing Kyoko wants to do is reject her. So even though she dreads the idea, she doesn’t want to pass up the opportunity to see what Celeste’s life is like outside school. And getting to spend time with Celeste is worth the price.

Kyoko: Sure. What time?

Celeste: I’ll pick you up at 9. Be ready and I’ll get us a ride there.

Kyoko: Got it.

Celeste: I look forward to seeing you ;)

Kyoko switches off her phone and puts it back on her nightstand to charge. She tucks herself back into bed and starts mentally preparing for Saturday while eagerly looking forward to it.

…

“This is so exciting! You never let me help you with fashion!” Sayaka prances over to Kyoko’s closet after Kyoko lets her enter her dorm.

“I figured that the crowd I will be finding myself in tonight goes beyond my knowledge,” Kyoko states as she watches Sayaka make quick work of sorting through coat hangers and drawers.

“I can’t believe you’re actually getting yourself out there for once! I’m so happy for you! Especially since you’ve been literally dying to talk to Celeste for forever,” Sayaka rambles as she inspects a blazer.

“I haven’t been dying to talk to her. I talk to her nearly every day. Particularly at social gatherings too,” Kyoko dismisses, keeping her eyes forward to regain a sense of dignity.

“Oh please, you’ve had a crush on her for so long. Any time you talk to her is special. Nonetheless when she invites you to accompany her to a party!” Sayaka looks over her shoulder and flashes a smile at Kyoko. 

The detective’s face heats up. “Please don’t embarrass me. You’re acting as though this is a date, which it’s not.” 

“Oh, I’m not trying to embarrass you!” Sayaka puts down two coat hangers holding the jackets she was comparing. “It just warms my heart this is happening for you! Even if it’s not a date, I’m happy you’re getting to spend time with someone you’ve had your eyes on for so long. You’ve never dabbled in romance before this.”

Kyoko blushes lightly. She’s taken aback by Sayaka’s sincerity but realizes she has a point. This past year she’s dedicated to her mental health and trying to be in a better place. That meant destroying bad habits like closing herself off emotionally to avoid getting hurt. She decides to let down her walls and allows herself to feel how happy she is.“I- yeah, I suppose it is very exciting.” 

“That’s the spirit!” Sayaka turns back to her wardrobe. “So what look are you going for?” The idol asks.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s acceptable for a party,” Kyoko answers honestly. “I mean, I thought about going with my usual outfit, but I wasn’t sure that was the right idea.”

“Yeah no,” Sayaka confirms. “You gotta do something different if you wanna impress Celeste! If you show up in your everyday outfit, it gives the impression that this didn’t mean enough to you to do something different. Even if it’s not flashy, just by dressing different, it shows Celeste that you put thought and effort into this.” 

“I see.” Kyoko nods. She finds herself becoming inclined by the way Sayaka uses logic to educate her on how fashion works as she leans over the pop star's shoulder.

“So do you want to dress to impress or?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Should I be trying to impress Celeste? If so, what could I do that would impress her?” Kyoko asks.

“It’s really up to you. But like, Celeste is a millionaire. I’m sure she’s got some pretty exquisite taste.” Kyoko frowns at Sayaka’s confirmation, now nervous. “Speaking of which, do you think you’ll be getting spoiled tonight?”

“Maybe.” Kyoko shrugs. “I didn’t ask questions.”

“Man, you better hope that she does. It’s not every day you get that opportunity! Anyway, looking at your clothes, we don’t have anything that really screams ‘rich’ to work with, but I’m sure we can still use your style to throw together something that turns heads, you know?”

“Are you sure that’s possible? I mean, how am I supposed to impress Celestia? She’s a very wealthy gambler and I… Well, my life is far from extravagant. It’s too normal.”

“Well, if you call normal your extremely morbid passion for your just as morbid career, then yeah, but Celeste still sees something in you that she wants to spend time with. So don’t be intimidated by status! Besides, you’re a really interesting person, you know. You’re well aware you’re not like everyone else. Own that!” Sayaka nudges her shoulder against Kyoko's. 

“I know, I just mean my everyday routine is quite basic in comparison to Celeste’s style. I wake up, I work, I drink coffee, I work, and then I go to sleep. Celeste prefers the more lavish lifestyle. And I’m not sure I can live up to that.”

“Well, don’t fret. I’m going to help you look so incredible Celeste will be blown away. So don’t worry about the long run, alright? You’re gonna look great.” Sayaka smiles at Kyoko and she finds herself smiling back. “Now, we have approximately…” Sayaka trails off as she checks her phone. “Two and a half hours to get you ready. So let’s get going!” 

“Right.” Kyoko nods, now determined. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well.” Sayaka turns to face her taller friend. “With Celeste’s phrasing, it’s obvious she isn’t taking you to anything too fancy. Probably just a high-end party. So if anything, you’re less expensive closet will be helpful because we want to make you look good and stand out, but it still needs to be somewhat casual. I wanna make a statement that’s like,” Sayaka looks off in the distance and puts on a low mockingly seductive voice. “ I didn’t even try and yet I still look this good .” She giggles and drops the voice. “You know?”

Kyoko lets out a small scoff of a laugh. “Alright, well since you know what message I should be going for, do you see anything that sparks your creativity here?” Kyoko gestures to her closet.

“I have a few ideas…” Sayaka reaches forward and starts to grab a large assortment of clothes.

Time starts to fly as Sayaka alines different shirt and pants pairings across her bed and floor as she evaluates what compliments what. Understanding Kyoko’s want to not have to change and model for Sayaka too much, the pop star rarely asks for Kyoko to try on certain clothing, only when she’s absolutely sure she needs to know what something looks like on the detective. 

“You know, this white blazer has got to be the most sacred thing that has ever happened for your wardrobe.” Sayaka compliments as she holds up a simple yet sophisticated white blazer. 

“Thanks, Junko gave it to me after she got it for Mukuro and she didn’t want it. I never found an opportunity to wear it,” Kyoko explains as she fumbles with a belt Sayaka asked her to try on.

“Oh yeah right, I always forget you and Mukuro are like the same size. Too bad we can’t use that for our benefit since, as much as I love her, there’s no way Mukuro’s got anything more fashionable than you in her closet. Anyway, we def have to have you wear this!” Sayaka waves the blazer in emphasis before looking around Kyoko’s dorm, now covered in laid-out clothes. “Hold on!” She yells out making Kyoko flinch and look back up at her. “We should totally do like a black-and-white theme! ‘Cause like, you don’t really like wearing too much color and it would look super sexy! And it will go really well with your gloves!” Kyoko smiles as Sayaka respects her wishes to keep her gloves on at all times even though she hadn’t expressed it for picking out an outfit tonight. After all, Sayaka hasn’t seen it, but she knows what is underneath from when Kyoko confided in her about it many nights ago.

Sayaka starts to walk toward a specific pair of pants. “I think these, in particular, would really match the style!” She holds up black dress pants with fake pocket zippers on the front. “If we did black and white alone, like no gray to make it monochrome, with these pants, with like the zippers and stuff, it would make like, a really cool aesthetic!” Sayaka rambles with giddy excitement. “And you know Celeste, that girl loves aesthetics! I’m thinking we can make this like a chic, alluring, sophisticated, midnight aesthetic, you catch my vibe? Which will not only impress Celeste but will work really well at a party!” 

Sayaka starts to swiftly move around the room, scanning other clothes laid out. “Now we just have to find you a shirt to wear underneath that blazer! You have a lot of white button-ups, so the hard part is choosing which one.” 

“How do we know which button-up is the ‘right one’?” Kyoko asks.

“Just on how it fits and looks on you compared with the blazer and pants. Shape is also critical,” The pop idol explains as she holds up different button-ups against the blazer. 

Kyoko evaluates the clothing laid out around her to help. “How come you’re sure the shirt should be white?” She asks.

“I thought the white on white would be cute and accent next to the pants. Why?”

“Well, since black and white is the color scheme, I was wondering if a black shirt would work too?” Kyoko holds up a form-fitting black button-up. Kyoko swears she sees Sayaka’s eyes glow.

“Oh my god, that’s such a good idea!!!” She throws the other button-ups onto the bed and hurries over to Kyoko, grabbing the black button-up, and holding it up to compare to the blazer. “Huh, so that detective eye can apply to fashion!” Kyoko rolls her eyes but smiles. “You’ve gotta try these on right away!” Sayaka shoves the three pieces of her outfit into her arms.

“Right now?” Kyoko asks, startled.

“Yes! Hurry! Hurry!” Sayaka ushers even though they have plenty of time.

Kyoko slips into the bathroom and Sayaka rocks back and forth from the balls of her feet to her toes as she anxiously awaits to see Kyoko. When Kyoko steps out of the bathroom, Sayaka’s eyes widen and her face breaks into a wide smile.

The outfit goes together perfectly. All parts complement each other flawlessly. Kyoko rolled up her sleeves, adding a touch of style to the outfit. The blazer and shirt, down to her pants fit her perfectly. The pants are form-fitting, highlighting her long legs. The shirt and blazer fit every part of her upper body exactly right. They complement each of her good features. It’s slightly loose around her shoulders and tight around her midsection, giving the illusion her waist is curvier.

“Holy shit, you look so good!!!!” She rushes over as she looks Kyoko up and down and grabs her hands. “And your gloves match the outfit perfectly! The studs go with the blazer really well!! ”

“I have to admit, I’m quite impressed by this outfit you’ve put together,” Kyoko says as she sheepishly looks herself over.

“Give yourself some credit! I just found clothes that look pretty together. You’re the one who looks fucking majestic in them!”

Kyoko smiles. “Thanks.”

“You wanna know what would make you look even better?” Sayaka asks.

“What?”

“Eyeliner!” Kyoko raises an eyebrow, the pop star knows she doesn’t favor makeup, but Sayaka continues. “I know, I know, make-up isn’t your thing, but it would go really well with your outfit and make you look really pretty. Your eyelashes are pretty white so having some black behind them would make them stand out! Plus, as another bonus, Celeste is really into makeup, so even if you’re wearing just a little, it’ll still catch her eye!”

“Well if it’s just eyeliner, I can agree to that. You don’t want to put anything else on my face, right? Just eyeliner?”

“Just eyeliner.” Sayaka nods. “You have really good skin so you don’t need any makeup for sure. The eyeliner will just enhance your look.” Sayaka starts to guide Kyoko over to her desk to sit her down. “I’ll go run to my dorm and get my makeup kit. Just hang tight for me, okay?” Sayaka turns to leave before she’s stopped by Kyoko.

“Wait, as another thought, what should I do for shoes?” She asks.

“Hmmm, that’s a good question.” Sayaka strokes her chin. “Um… Oh! I know! This might be a long shot, but because you and Mukuro are the same size clothing-wise, do you think you two have the same shoe size?”

“Maybe? I’m not sure,” Kyoko answers.

“A while ago, I got Mukuro these black heels that are super cool looking. I’ll stop by her dorm and ask if she’ll lend them to you and we’ll see if they fit!” With that, the pop star spun around and took off out of her dorm.

Kyoko takes the time to stare at her reflection and wonder if Celeste would be amazed like Sayaka said she would. The thought makes her smile. 

Sayaka comes bursting back into the dorm room equipped with eyeliner and black heels. “I’m back!” She announces out of breath.

“Yours and Mukuro’s dorm is right next to mine, why are you out of breath?” Kyoko questions.

“Dunno, but first things first. Try on these heels.” Sayaka swings the hefty shoes at her and they land on the floor by her feet. The black heels take on a form similar to boots, they have no opening in the front, and are made of leather. Despite not resembling stereotypical high heels, the very thick soles still had a couple of inches of a platform on the heel, which would add a couple of inches to Kyoko’s height. Zipping the shoes open, Kyoko tries on the heels and cautiously stands up. 

Sayaka, who had been situating herself at the desk to do her eyeliner whistles as Kyoko stands up. “Those heels are like, what? Two? Three inches in height? Those make you like 5’9.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Kyoko tries walking in them.

“No. In fact, the other day I heard something from Celeste that she likes taller women, so…” Sayaka smiles and Kyoko shoots her a glare. “Do they fit alright?”

“Surprisingly, yes. Like a glove,” Kyoko answers.

“Perfect! They look good with your outfit too. Now, sit down, and let me give you some wings!” Sayaka pops off the cap of the eyeliner. Kyoko complies and closes her eyes and Sayaka slowly colors in lines across her eyelids. “Almost done.” Sayaka adds a point to her other eye. “Alright! Finished! Open your eyes.”

Kyoko instantly looks in the mirror. “What do you think?” The pop star asks. 

Kyoko tilts her head at different angles, taking in the thin lines of black behind her eyelashes. “I like them,” She answers truthfully. 

“Gah! I’m so happy you look so good!”

“Should we do anything with my hair or…?”

“I think it looks fine just the way it is, but… if you’re okay with it, I would maybe say ditch the braid? I think it would look good if your hair was completely straight. Speaking of which, I could get my hair straightener if you’d like. It would make your hair look extra nice.”

Kyoko checks the time. “Sure, why not. We have time.”

“Cool! I’ll be right back again!” Sayaka rushes out of Kyoko’s dorm and Kyoko unties her braid, letting her hair fall loose. Sayaka quickly comes back with the straightener and something else. As she plugs it in and waits for it to heat up, she explains. “So, I ran into something when I was going through my dorm and I thought it might look really good on you.” She holds up a white chain necklace for Kyoko to see. “You have a lot more black on you than you do white, so I thought this could help balance it out a little.”

“Okay, it’s a nice necklace. I’ll try it on.” Sayaka goes behind Kyoko and brushes her hair off her neck, and puts the necklace on her. The two look at Kyoko’s reflection in the mirror. “Aw, yeah, you look really cute. Now to straighten your hair…”

Sayaka makes quick work of going through Kyoko’s long hair with the straightener. The detective had to admit it was quite funny to watch the pop star have to take a few steps back to run the entirety of the long locks of her hair through the straightener. But eventually, the two got it done and Kyoko’s hair fell perfectly down her shoulders. As Kyoko stood up with her complete look, Sayaka glows. “You look so good!”

“So I’ve been told. Many times actually.” Kyoko smiles, and Sayaka giggles. “But thank you. I’m very happy with how I look and it truly is thanks to you.”

Sayaka smiles warmly. “You’re always welcome. Now it is almost 9, so I probably gotta get out of here soon, but please make sure to text me that you get there safe, and please let me know when you get home. I’ll try not to intrude but if it’s midnight and I haven’t heard from you, I will send you a quick text to see if you’re just still at the party.”

“Noted and thanks for looking out for me. I’ll have my location on for you, Makoto, and Hina to see.”

“Good. Well, I’ll retire back to my room. I did promise Chihiro I’d play Mario Kart with them too, so gotta get to that.” Sayaka and Kyoko start to make their way toward the door. “Have fun and stay safe tonight! God, hanging out with a millionaire! That’s so exciting.”

“You act as though you don’t have a fortune yourself,” Kyoko teases.

“True. But Celeste is much fancier than me. I’m wishing you the best of luck. Go get 'em!” The two share a quick hug before Sayaka leaves and Kyoko takes the few moments she now has alone to mentally prepare herself.

Most of that time she spends evaluating and reevaluating in front of the mirror. Adjusting random pieces of her outfit, looking for the smallest mistake. At first, she hadn’t been sure, but now she’s certain that she wants to impress Celeste. She wants to make Celeste believe she’s someone worth trying with. Someone who could live up to her high expectations. She just wants Celeste to look at her like she looks at Celeste. 

And as 9 PM rolls around, Kyoko jumps when she receives a message from her phone.

Celeste: I have arranged our ride, as promised. Could you meet me outside the school?

Kyoko: Yes. On my way.

Kyoko tucks her phone into her pocket and makes her way outside her dorm. She exits her dorm building and stands outside the school’s ginormous entrance, awaiting Celeste’s arrival.

It’s a cool April night. The sun is just about done setting. Only a sliver of light peaks past the Earth's horizon and Kyoko marvels at it as she leans against a wall. It’s a few minutes past 9 and Celeste’s arrival should be any second. 

When ten minutes pass by and Kyoko wonders if she got ghosted, she perks up as she hears heels clicking on the pavement of the school’s entrance. She turns her head and stands in awe as she watches Celestia Ludenberg past the threshold of Hopes Peak Academy moving toward her.

A scarlet red dress drapes down her body. It’s form-fitting and hugs her curves before loosely enveloping her legs. A long cut runs up the side of the dress, revealing her right leg. Her heels are tall and have silver soles with a darker red framing them. She adorns extravagant, large silver rings, complimenting her manicured black nails. A burgundy leather purse is balanced on her shoulder, it's an expensive brand Kyoko recognizes but doesn’t know by name. Her makeup is done, as usual, with bright red lipstick and all else. However, what catches Kyoko’s eye is her lack of large drills on the sides of her head. 

Her bangs and the long locks of hair that frame each side of her face are untouched. However, her surprisingly short hair is slicked back with gel. And she still looks as elegant as ever, but Kyoko notices she seems more human without the apparently fake extensions.

Kyoko struggles to function as she takes the millionaire's appearance. She’s incredibly gorgeous, and stunning, and magnificent, and Kyoko can’t breathe because Celeste sways her hips as she walks toward her.

Celeste’s blood-red eyes look her figure up and down and her lips slowly part as she does so. “Hello, detective,” She calls out. “I must say, I’m quite blown away by your appearance. You look superb.”

“Heh, thank you.” Kyoko tries to wipe the lovestruck look off her face. “You look…” God, how does she look? Kyoko trails off as she can’t think of any English words to describe just how incredible Celeste looks. 

The gambler giggles. “I spent a lot of time on my appearance this evening. I’m glad it’s paid off. Although, I did not know it would make you at a loss for words,” She teases.

“ Шикарный,” Kyoko blurts. Celeste raises her eyebrows, caught off guard. The detective recovers, “It’s Russian. It’s similar to classy, gorgeous, or luxurious,” She swallows a build-up of salvia before saying, “You really do look gorgeous.” Kyoko runs her eyes over Celeste’s apperance.

“I decided to do something a little different tonight,” Celeste comments as she notices how Kyoko eyes the empty space her drills once took up. “You get to view a different side of me. And by the way, you really flatter me, you know that?” The two giggle as Celeste grabs hold of Kyoko's arm. “Come now, I’ve hired my usual limo service to pick us up. I always tell them to pull up around the corner since the front of Hopes Peak is usually packed.” The gambler starts to guide her to where the car would get them.

Kyoko’s eyes widen. “You got us a limo? ” She says in disbelief. 

“Well of course! We have to have a sense of style going in!” Celeste says as if it’s obvious. “How you present is the most important part of making a mark, and God knows first impressions are everything.”

“I suppose I didn’t expect you to spend that much money,” Kyoko says shyly.

“Oh darling, I’m practically made of it. I certainly don’t mind spoiling you.” Kyoko laughs internally at Celeste unknowingly confirming Sayaka’s question from earlier. A fancy black limousine pulls around the corner and Kyoko watches in awe as it parks in front of them. Celeste moves forward first, opening the car door, and gestures toward the inside of the vehicle. “You first, Miss Kirigiri.”

“Thank you, mademoiselle.” Kyoko climbs inside the car, and Celeste smiles, amused at how Kyoko matches her energy. 

“De rien,” She responds before stepping inside herself. 

As expected, the interior of the limousine is black with some monochromic accents along it. The two women sit across from one another on seats that are plush and comfortable, and Kyoko can’t help but feel like she’s stepped into a whole different world.

“Have you ever been inside a limousine before?” Celeste asks as Kyoko runs her eyes over the inside of the vehicle.

“Once, many years ago for my mother’s funeral,” Kyoko says absentmindedly as she stares down at the seats, inspecting their material. When she looks up, Celeste is staring at her with raised eyebrows and slightly widened eyes. Suddenly, her words register with her in her mind, and an apology starts to formulate on her lips before Celeste starts to chuckle.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry for laughing! I just like your bluntness!” Kyoko lets out a breath of relief as Celeste laughs it off. She releases her tension and settles into the seat. Celeste shifts to the side and reaches into a mini fridge Kyoko didn’t notice was there earlier. “Could I get you something to drink?” The noirette offers.

“Sure. I’ll take some water.” Celeste hands her the requested item as she settles for a La Croix for herself. Kyoko takes a sip before speaking, “So. This party. How long do you intend on staying?”

“As long as you’d like. To be perfectly honest, I’m never impressed by the dexterity that the host has for their parties. He thinks he is of expertise in this sort, but I know otherwise…” Kyoko laughs and Celeste smiles. The detective takes in the expression. It’s certainly normal for Celeste to convey a fake polite smile on her features, however, this time Kyoko can see the way her lips are upturned more than usual, and her eyes crinkle with them. It’s a genuine smile and Kyoko’s heart flutters.

“I thought this person was your friend.” Kyoko raises her eyebrow playfully at the gambler. 

Celeste coaks her head to the side. “Friend was perhaps a generous label I used at the time of your invitation. I met him during a… event.” Kyoko has a pretty good idea as to why Celeste would conceal the details. She’s known for attending illegal gambling rings more than once. And Kyoko has already processed the oddity of their relationship before. She’s a detective, someone who’s untrustworthy to someone like Celeste. 

However, when she glances into the eyes of the gamblers, it’s not distrust that she sees, but rather they’re apologetic. And Kyoko realizes that this unspoken apology is for the risk. It’s not that Celeste doesn’t trust her, but that Celeste is trying to protect her. If the gambler were to get caught and Kyoko knew something that she withheld, she’d lose her entire career. But this way, Kyoko can technically say she doesn’t know of any illegal activities Celeste participates in if she doesn’t tell her. And she’s grateful for it. “He was quite the character right away and very… over-animated when I had beat him. Not that he was upset like most of the others always are, but he was howling with laughter, hooting about how exhilarating it was.” Celeste cringes at the memory. “All I could think was whatever helps him to heal his wounded pride…”

Kyoko snickers and Celeste continues. “Anyway, he’s decided that because we have mutual friends that must mean we’re friends. And to keep up my appearance around here, I find myself accepting his lackluster invitations to his parties. I wouldn’t be surprised if he throws them so he can have people behold his glory as he does increasingly stupid acts for attention throughout the night.” Celeste shudders. “So you can imagine my delight to have someone I can tolerate accompany me.” She gives a knowing look toward the detective.

“Really? You invited me because you merely can tolerate me? I’m offended,” Kyoko says playfully, crossing her legs.

“My apologies, please don’t be off put! I misspoke, I more than tolerate you. Quite frankly, I enjoy your presence.” The two giggle, and the conversation halts. Kyoko takes a nervous sip of water and Celeste briefly looks out the window before speaking, “I recognize that parties are not exactly how you like to spend your time. Since we are nearly there, I’d like to reiterate to you that I meant we’ll stay as long as you like. Just inform me if you’d like to leave.”

Kyoko smiles at Celeste’s consideration. “Thank you,” She says. And from there, the rest of the ride is smooth sailing. Kyoko thrives as her conversation with Celeste flows so easily. It’s playful and easy. She counters all of Celeste’s quick remarks and Celeste does the same, then they giggle.

When the limousine stops, Kyoko had forgotten they were going somewhere in the first place. “Here’s our stop.” Celeste gets out and Kyoko follows. She’s greeted by a ginormous mansion. It looks old-fashioned but extremely well-kept from wealth. The type of house you would expect fancy balls and dinner parties to host, not parties that have people screaming and music blasting loud enough to be heard from where Kyoko stands in the street. “It’s juvenile, isn’t it?” Celeste appears at her side, seemingly reading her mind as the car pulls away. “He’s a trust fund baby. All of his money comes from his parents and he spends it like this.” Celeste links their arms together and guides her to the door.

“Do you have any intention of speaking to people?” Kyoko asks. 

“Already feeling introverted?” Celeste teases.

“Well, always, but I ask because I wish to know how much I have to introduce myself and try to get along with near strangers.” 

“I know what you mean. I always tend to find myself in groups throughout the night, but I can promise you I’m not the type to crowd surf from group to group, intentionally trying to talk to every person I know. So don’t worry too much. And since I have you with me, I’ll mostly just keep to the two of us,” Celeste explains.

“That’s good.” Kyoko pulls out her phone and sends a quick text to Sayaka informing her that she got there safe.

“And please remember,” Celeste begins as she opens the door. “The minute you don’t want to be here anymore, let me know and we’ll leave.”

The two-step inside and instantly heads turns to them and cheering fills the room as people yell out greetings and hollers to Celeste. Kyoko sees Celeste put on her usual poker face as she remains unfazed as they make their way through the crowd. The cheering dies down and everyone goes back to what they’re doing. The main level is packed with a sea of heads, Kyoko sees a few more men than there are women.

Most people are in large groups playing games, talking, or drinking. Some people appear to be her and Celeste’s age, but there are many much older people. From what Kyoko can tell, everyone in the room is at least in the same range of being a young adult. As Celeste guides them through a group of people, a woman’s voice cuts through the crowd. “Hey! Celestia, over here!”

Kyoko nor Celeste can see who it was, but Celeste must’ve recognized the voice as she guides them through the crowd and toward a woman sitting at a table with a man. Instantly the woman’s eyes flash with excitement as she sees the two. “Celestia, you made it!”

“So I have.” Celeste nods.

The man looks up. “I thought you just got here. How do you already have someone to take home tonight?” He nods at Kyoko.

Kyoko doesn’t let her mask break, but she nearly flinches at the man’s statement. Celeste huffs embarrassed he would say that in front of Kyoko. “You are sorely mistaken. She is a friend accompanying me. Speaking of which, this is Kyoko Kirigiri. She’s a detective, so watch your words.” Celeste introduces her and her career with pride as if she’s showing Kyoko off.

“Ohhh,” The woman says playfully as if she finds her amusing. “I’m Qamar Ximmena. Pleased to meet you, detective!~ ” She reaches forward and Kyoko shakes her hand. Qamar has a beautiful shade of brown skin accompanied by raven black hair in dreads and golden eyes that could sear into a person's soul. She wears a black dress with many gold accessories that boast her obvious wealth. She has a flirty essence to her that seems uncomfortably sinister at the same time, similar to Celeste.

Kyoko dislikes how Qamar looks her up and down as if evaluating her, so she turns to the man. “Goro,” He says simply as he politely shakes her hand. He’s pale with dark brown hair that has copious amounts of gel making it stand up. His hair looks like it took hours. He has forest green eyes and wears some suit Kyoko doesn’t feel bothered to look at. She can’t help but think that Goro looks like a character from the movie Twilight her friends forced her to watch. 

“Kyoko, these are, unfortunately, a few friends of mine,” Celeste introduces as she gestures around the table.

“Hmmm, I can see why you’re friends with her, Celeste. She’s pretty.” Qamar looks her up and down like a predator looking at prey. 

“Yes, she is, too bad she’s a detective right?” Celeste challenges. Kyoko’s mind fills with concerning theories as to why her status as law enforcement would be used to ward Qamar off.

“I suppose.” Qamar rolls her eyes. “Anyway, I was just informing Goro about the poker game about to start up in a minute or so. Are you in? I’d love to have some good competition tonight.

Celeste’s eyes light up and she stands up taller. “Well, how can I resist? I’d certainly love to make an example of some of the pathetic scud I’ve seen around here!” Her eyes shine with competitiveness. Kyoko does not doubt her statement. Celeste once told her she eats cocky men for breakfast. And having googled her after that conversation, she found Celeste spoke the truth.

“I know what you mean,” Qamar says sourly as her face twists with disgust. “Kenta befriends the lowest of waste.” She gestures to a group of guys all chanting at another guy taking a shot. 

Then Celeste turns and whispers into Kyoko's ear, “You wouldn't mind watching, would you?” 

“Not at all,” She mumbles back. “Have your fun.” Celeste genuinely smiles at her and Kyoko returns it. 

Qamar leads Celeste to a table and Kyoko follows. She’s allowed to sit beside the gambler as the game is being prepped. The table is mainly men, Qamar and Celeste are the only women participating. Everyone there looks rich and most have an entitled air to them. Kyoko decides then and there that she hates every one of them. She sees the way they all evaluate each other and when they get to Celeste, she can see how none of them take her seriously. She’s a woman, she's young, she's skinny and frail, and she’s sitting down, without her heels, it's obvious how short she is. Kyoko cannot wait to watch Celeste make them regret it. Celeste turns and leans toward her before mumbling, “If any one of them tries and talk to you, do yourself a favor and ignore them.” Celeste flashes her a smile.

“I already planned to,” Kyoko mumbles back. They both hold back laughter as the game starts and everyone places their bets.

Despite not playing along, Kyoko finds herself becoming infatuated with simply watching Celeste play. Her poker face is unbreakable and confidence oozes from her appearance. She stares down at her cards, always looking so unconcerned with her small smile and relaxed features. Meanwhile, some of Celeste’s opponents sweat, their efforts to keep calm breaking under the pressure of what they’ll lose. Kyoko smiles and envisions the way they’ll react when Celeste beats them. 

Speaking of which, she subtly takes a glance at her friend’s cards, trusting that her mask is strong enough to not reveal what hand she has to the rest of the players. To her astonishment, Celeste has a near-perfect hand already. She finds herself exhilarated by the gambler’s guaranteed win. She resists the urge to excitedly grab Celeste's arm to not reveal her status to the other players. Kyoko contemplates grabbing her knee under the table out of sight, but immediately shakes the thought away and blushes as she realizes how intimate that would be. 

Instead, she stares at her cards before her eyes drift to her hands. Celeste’s hands look like they’d be really soft. Kyoko can imagine her having a delicate skincare routine. She looks up and finds enjoyment in watching the way Celeste’s gorgeous red eyes flicker back and forth between her opponents and cards. 

It’s a tense game and Kyoko can’t help the way she’s captivated by it. She’s never cared for gambling, but Celeste surely enlivens it for her. She finds it harder than usual to keep up her emotionless facade and keep Celeste’s incredible hand a secret. But God is she excited to see her win. There’s so much at stake and Kyoko loves the secondhand adrenaline rush.

The game comes to its end and a rush of thrill runs through both girls' bodies as Celeste wins. A few jaws drop and immediately many competitors start complaining, Celeste’s friend from earlier that Kyoko forgot the name of snickers as Celeste stands up to collect the cash in the center of the circle and scoops it into her purse. She remains surprisingly calm, not at all excited about her win, and her poker face still remains. Kyoko realizes she’s trying not to provoke the already fuming men by boasting when there’s no security around, so following her lead, Kyoko remains indifferent to Celeste’s win.

“You win some, you lose some,” Celeste says to her opponents before leaning down and whispering into Kyoko’s ear. “But they’ll never win any against me.” Kyoko almost cracks, trying not to laugh as she looks at their sorry faces. Celeste puts her arm on Kyoko’s bicep, tugging her up to her feet.

She stands up and holds Celeste’s hand as she guides her through the mass of people and loud music away from the table. Celeste opens a door that leads into a quiet hallway with no people. The second the door closes, the two burst out laughing.

They cackle and fall into one another, leaning against the other as they uncontrollably laugh. It’s the best moment of Kyoko's life. Laughter was once something that was something associated with childhood. She had never laughed like this as an adult, and it feels incredible. It isn’t a giggle or a soft airly chuckle she’s used to giving. For the first time, she’s hearing an ugly, sputtering sound bubbling out of her as tears form in her eyes and she struggles to get a breath in, and she loves it. It’s ecstasy and peak happiness. 

Celeste wipes a tear from her eye as she huffs out, “ God, that was so good!” Air gets caught in Kyoko’s throat making them laugh harder as they continue to lean against one another. Their laughter is contagious to each other.

“ Did you see their faces???” Kyoko marvels and Celeste nods and mouths yes because she can’t get any words out. 

Kyoko stares at the pair of dimples on Celeste's cheeks that make their presence known from how hard Celeste is smiling and laughing. She can’t help but think how they make Celeste look much cuter. 

They’re both glowing as they finally die down into a fit of giggles. “I’m surprised how into it you got.” Celeste lets go of Kyoko and leans against the wall and Kyoko takes the opportunity to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I didn’t expect you’d be so invested.” 

“I’m surprised too,” Kyoko says as laughter still spills out of her lips. “I didn’t realize gambling could be that thrilling.”

Celeste’s smile softens. And despite being out of breath from their laughing fit, Kyoko suddenly stops breathing from the look she gives her. The only way she can describe it is adoring. She realizes that she succeed in doing what she came out here for tonight. Seeing inside Celeste’s world, getting to know her and what brings joy to her life, then getting to share the moment together. Maybe sharing it in a way that Celeste never has shared it before, for all Kyoko knows. In a strange way, she feels closer to Celeste. She’s never laughed like that with anyone before. It was special.

And Kyoko returns the look. A dumb smile overcomes her face and they stare at each other for a moment before Celeste says hoarsely, “I’m sure I just did a number on my eyeliner. Wanna come with me to the bathroom to fix it?” Her accent is near gone. Kyoko realizes it has been since they started laughing. But she doesn’t say anything. Maybe she has a question or two, but she's just happy the millionaire really is showing her her true self tonight. 

“Sure.” Kyoko nods and follows her to an overly done-up bathroom. 

The mirror on the wall is humongous and Kyoko gapes at the bathroom’s interior as Celeste sets her purse on the pearly counter and pulls out her eyeliner. 

Kyoko presses the back of her hands against the counter and hoists herself up to sit on it before pressing her back against the wall. Celeste leans forward and slowly fixes her eyeliner in steady, precise movements. 

“You know, it’s a lot better in here than out there,” Kyoko comments.

Celeste snickers. “They are quite loud, aren’t they? I wouldn’t mind stalling in here if you want to.” Celeste smiles up at her and it’s genuine. They nonverbally agree to stay in here.

“I’ve always wondered…” Kyoko starts as she watches Celeste do her eyeliner. “What it’s like to grow up rich. I mean, to be born into wealth must be such a different experience.” Kyoko recalls the story Celeste tells everyone about her family. She’s an only child with two extremely wealthy European parents. However, as Kyoko asks the question, Celeste’s smile drops lightly.

She hesitates to answer and Kyoko wonders if she somehow should’ve known to not ask that. She panics that it might have been insensitive in some way before Celeste answers, “I can tell you what it’s like to be rich now. It’s nice. I’m comfortable and love treating myself, so my wealth is fortunate of me to have…” She trails off. 

Kyoko speculates on what she just told her. It’s a peculiar answer and she wonders if she has the right to question Celeste. The last thing she wants to do is make her uncomfortable. However, Celeste beats her to it and starts to speak again, “Can I tell you a secret?” She looks up and looks her in the eye. Any artificial expressions Celeste fakes are gone, it’s all genuine, it’s real, and Kyoko senses Celeste is bearing her soul to her. “Believe it or not…” She says it playfully but softly at the same time. “I actually grew up dirt poor,” She reveals.

“Really?” Kyoko asks. It’s not judgemental, it’s genuine curiosity.

“Mhm.” Celeste nods. “The fortunate that I’ve earned has all been made by me and my effort as a gambler. No help from my upcoming by any means. As I said, my life is quite comfortable now, but I went through hell to get to where I am now.” 

Kyoko pauses to make sure she’s finished before responding, “That’s incredible, though. To not have any credit go into being born lucky, but instead, all the credit goes to you for you making yourself… It’s impressive. Why would you lie and say otherwise?”

“Honestly?” Celeste looks down before making eye contact again. “Because I’m embarrassed by it.” Celeste shrugs as she reveals the truth before looking ashamed. “Considering how rich I am now if I were to reveal how poor I once was, people would have questions or could at least speculate. And I don’t want to talk about my childhood. I know some people can say they grew up poor but could still find happiness with their family, or whatever. But that wasn’t the case for me. It was bad. And I don’t want to give just anyone that knowledge. I don’t like being vulnerable like that. It was just so… I- yeah, it was- it was bad.” 

Celeste doesn’t have to say any more for Kyoko to understand. She reaches forward and puts her hand over the gamblers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Celeste nods to let her know it's okay. “I grew up mainly well off, so I can’t relate in that area, but my childhood also wasn’t that happy. I mean, obviously , it wasn’t. With how I act all the time everyone at school figures there’s something wrong with me and where I grew up.” Kyoko laughs as if it’s funny. But Celeste doesn’t because it’s not. She’s heard the rumors about Kyoko. “There’s a lot I still need to process and work through. So I know how that can affect you. And I know what it’s like to not want the world to know… But at the same time, it feels good to have a few people you can trust know…” 

They both look into each other eyes and smile. “Alright, let's not get too sappy in a bathroom. Let’s get back out there and have some fun!” Secretly, Kyoko is disappointed. She would much rather stay in here all night with Celeste alone, but there is no way she can vocalize that. 

So instead she slides off the counter and says, “Alright, lead the way.”

Celeste guides her through the house as they mingle with different groups and get involved with different activities. They’re stopped multiple times throughout the night by different people who recognize Celeste, and the gambler always introduces them to Kyoko. She gets acquainted with many different rich people, many of which are gamblers she forgets the name of the second the conversation is over. At one point, Celeste convinces Kyoko to be her partner in beer pong. Before the game starts, they cheat and fill up their cups with only water and laugh as their opponents get progressively drunker throughout the game. With no doubt that they would, they win the game. They make fun of people they don’t like and whisper in each other's ears as they do so. Celeste tells Kyoko about how she usually judges people off their fashion choices and what it says about them. She examples by pointing out a random guy in the crowd and saying how she’s seen his exact outfit come as a set, showing that he can’t make decisions for himself so he has someone else make his outfit. They laugh. They laugh a lot through the night. And it all feels natural. It feels good to get herself out there like this.

At one point, Celeste switches the conversation from judging people to attractive women in the crowd. Celeste has always been very openly gay with their class. She’s always been extremely prideful of her sexuality and isn’t afraid to let the world know. It’s something about her that Kyoko both admires but secretly envies. 

“You like women too, don’t you?” Celeste suddenly asks after she finishes rambling about some blonde girl smoking a cigarette off to the side. Kyoko stays silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I get it. I just figured you did since you don’t exactly strike me as straight and your friends, Makoto, Hina, and Sayaka are all openly bisexual, I thought you might be too.”

Kyoko sits there as she thinks about Celeste’s words. She decides because she’s also LGBT, she’d be safe to come out to. “Yeah… I recently came to terms with the fact that I’m a lesbian.” Celeste nods. And Kyoko is happy her response is simple, she never liked making anything big of it. 

The conversation becomes easy again. Celeste teases her and asks if she’s interested in any of the women here. Kyoko lies and tells her no. After all, she’s sitting right next to that woman. Eventually, after a long conversation about testing Kyoko’s gaydar and seeing if she can tell who’s queer and who isn’t, which she remarkably fails at, Celeste excuses herself, “One moment, ma amie. I’m going to stop by the restroom. I’ll be right back.” 

Celeste swiftly exits and Kyoko remembers she’s in a room surrounded by strangers she doesn’t want to talk to. Now that Celeste is gone, she notices the eyes of a few men on her, staring as some look like they’re building up the courage to talk to her. Deciding she wasn’t going to wait for that to happen, Kyoko quickly stands up to go get drinks for her and Celeste. From what Kyoko can tell, people like the ones here see someone sitting alone at a party as an open invitation to sit down and talk. By giving herself something to do and a purpose, that gap for them to slide in and pretend they have anything to do with her becomes narrow. Besides, she’s sure that Celeste will be back by the time she’s done.

She finds herself at the house’s bar and finds a cooler. There’s mainly lots of beer, but there’s some sparkling water. Kyoko recalls how Celeste prefers it over normal water, so she grabs two bottles and returns to their spot. It’s a long distance, considering the size of the house and the maze of people to squeeze through. And to her surprise, when she gets back, Celeste isn’t there waiting for her. She assumes that Celeste is just caught in traffic and making her way back. So she waits.

And she continues to wait for another five minutes. Deciding she should now worry, Kyoko pulls out her phone and sends the gambler a text.

Kyoko: Are you okay?

Two minutes go by and her message is left on delivered. A wave of discomfort buzzes over her as nervousness brews in her stomach. She looks around at all the people surrounding her. They’re all yelling and laughing over loud music, some incredibly drunk. Kyoko doesn’t want to be around these people. She prays that Celeste’s soothing face will slip through the crowd with an apologetic smile as she explains she got caught by other people who wanted to talk to her. But she doesn’t. Kyoko sees no sign of Celeste anywhere in the crowd.

She stands up and continues to scan the area. She flinches when her eye catches a sign of a scarlet dress, but she deflates when it’s a completely different person. Her hands ball up in fists and she tries to swallow her anxiety away, but it doesn’t work. She pulls out her phone again.

Kyoko: Where are you?

Once again, no response. Kyoko begins to make her way to the bathroom to see if she’ll run into Celeste on the way there. She reasons and tells herself Celeste is probably just still in there, but regardless, she’d like to be reunited with her as soon as possible. 

Shoving her way through the crowd, Kyoko catches no sight of Celeste. And as she reaches the bathroom, it’s empty. She panics harder. Maybe she missed Celeste and she's already back at the table, wondering where she is, so Kyoko shoves her way back to their spot. But once again, the gambler isn’t there.

The music sounds louder and the space feels more tightly packed. Kyoko is reminded that she would have never come here if it weren’t for Celeste. But now Celeste is nowhere to be found. She contemplates stepping outside but decides against it. She’s scared of getting further lost from Celeste and she doesn’t want to just call an Uber. She doesn’t want to abandon Celeste while she’s not answering her phone.

Not knowing what else to do, Kyoko pushes through the crowd, roaming mindlessly while keeping her eyes peeled for the scarlet gambler while she sends more texts, hoping one of them will catch her attention. She’s a detective, so it shouldn’t be that hard to locate her. But she doesn’t have the first idea as to what would make Celeste abandon her in the first place. Maybe she’s in trouble? But Kyoko doesn’t want to believe that. Every once and a while, people call out or whistle at her, but she ignores them. A few try to grab at her, but she dodges, she doesn’t even care, she just wants to find Celeste and go home. 

Kyoko finds the door that led to the hallway from earlier. As she steps through it the second time tonight, she’s a lot less joyous. She takes a minute to catch her breath in the much quieter area before walking down the hallway to continue searching. As she turns a corner, she hears a feminine giggle just ahead of her. From the time they spent together tonight, Kyoko instantly recognizes it to be Celeste.

She perks up and speed walks to where she heard it come from. She finds a small alcove caving in from the hallway. It’s an isolated room, very quiet and away from the party. And as she pears in, Kyoko’s heart shatters into a million pieces. 

She finds Celeste making out with a blonde woman on a red velvet couch. Kyoko takes a few steps back, questioning if this is really what it looks like. Sensing her presence, Celeste breaks the kiss and looks at Kyoko. “Oh, Kyoko! There you are!” She says, completely unconcerned before turning to the woman. “One moment please.”

Kyoko’s blood begins to boil. This whole time she thought Celeste could be in danger, being harassed by someone she didn’t want to talk to, or worse. But this is exactly what it looks like. She walked away from Kyoko willingly. She left her so she could get some from a blonde she thought was hot.

Without hearing what Celeste is about to say, Kyoko turns on her heel and storms off. 

“Hey! Where are you going???” She hears Celeste's question behind her, but she doesn’t stop. She’s calling an Uber and she’s going home, and she will not cry at this party.

As she rounds the corner, she hears Celeste get up and her loud heels tap behind her as she chases after her. “Hey, wait up!” She calls after her.

“ What? ” Kyoko quickly spins around to face her, making Celeste stop in her tracks.

The millionaire raises her arms defensively. “What’s up with you??? Why are you fuming? Did something happen?”

“ Did something happen??? ” Kyoko repeats astonished that she doesn’t know. She can’t believe the audacity Celeste has. “How about that!” Kyoko gestures to the room Celeste was in with that woman. “I thought you could’ve been hurt, or those guys you gambled with found you, or anything else. But you ditched me for that!? ”

Celeste stares, absolutely stunned by her outburst. Kyoko is more than upset and for once, she’s not trying to hide it. “Ditch you?” Celeste questions. “I came back from the bathroom and you weren’t there! I thought you went off to do your own thing, so I did mine!” Celeste defends, upset by her accusations.

“I was gone for no more than two minutes! And I went to go get drinks for you and I because I was uncomfortable being alone with all those people! How did you so quickly come to the conclusion that it was okay to leave me at a party ??? You told me the second I didn’t want to be here, we’d leave, then you went and left me all alone with no way to contact you if I wanted to go.” All of Kyoko’s anxiety overboils into raw anger and she takes it all out on Celeste.

The gambler doesn’t have any of it. Celeste scoffs. “It’s the 21st century, Kyoko. Cell phones exist!”

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I tried to contact you.” Kyoko reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone that was still on her text string with Celeste. She holds it and shows Celeste all the unread texts she sent her.

Suddenly, all of the color drains from Celeste’s face and the anger visibly fades from her body. “B-but I didn’t-” Her accent fumbles and she starts rummaging through her purse, looking for her phone to see if she got all of those messages. “I… I can’t find my phone.” A realization dawns over Celeste. “ Shit, I think I lost it.” Celeste looks up at her pleading eyes, asking her to help. “Kyoko, it’s my only way to get a ride home!”

Kyoko huffs and looks away. “It’s fine. I can get us a ride and you can figure out how to find your phone tomorrow.”

“No, there’s a lot of personal information on it, I can’t just leave it here!” Celeste refuses.

“It should be okay. It’s protected with a passcode, isn’t it? Let’s just retrace our footsteps and see if you left it anywhere.” Celeste nods and hangs her head in shame as Kyoko speaks to her with a transactional tone that lacks empathy. That’s the way she speaks to everyone except her friends.

Kyoko doesn’t talk to her as they go to every place they’ve been tonight and look for the gambler’s phone with no luck. They run into a few people they’ve talked to tonight and Celeste explains the situation to them. They get a few of them to look alongside them.

After checking the poker table and still not finding it, someone turns to Celeste and asks her where she went after poker and Celeste recalls it was the bathroom. The group makes their way there and the moment they flip on the light switch, they find Celeste’s phone sitting on the bathroom counter.

“Oh thank god!” Celeste runs forward and grabs it. “Gosh, I must have taken it out of my purse when I was looking for my eyeliner. How foolish of me.” She turns and thanks her friends that helped her find it before they leave to go enjoy the rest of the party.

Extremely relieved, she turns on her phone screen and the smile from locating the device fades as she’s reminded of the confrontation earlier and her heart sinks. Not only does she see a bunch of texts from Kyoko, but many missed calls with them. Kyoko must have been really upset while she was missing to call her that many times. All of her anger earlier makes so much sense. 

She looks up, searching for Kyoko. She finds her standing off to the side and tapping on her phone. Swallowing her pride, Celeste approaches her and begins, “Hey Kyoko, I just saw all your missed calls and I’m-”

“It’s fine,” Kyoko cuts her off firmly with a cold tone. “I just got an Uber. I’m going home. Let’s just pretend like none of this ever happened.” Kyoko finishes and turns to leave. Celeste’s stomach drops to the floor.

“Wait!” She stops Kyoko and the detective turns to glare at her. “Please wait,” She begs. “Look, I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be, but can we just talk? Just for a little bit, I’m begging you. ‘Cause if we both go home then we’ll have all night to make assumptions and we’ll both overthink and this will get worse. Please, please, just talk to me for a second, please.” Celeste prays that she doesn’t go too far as she grabs Kyoko’s hand with both of hers.

Kyoko stares daggers into her. Both of them are distraught, Kyoko more internally than Celeste. Kyoko was looking forward to this party being a memory to cherish in the future. When she and Celeste were laughing and talking, she didn’t want it to end, but she imagined how she would fall in bed tonight, kicking her feet and smiling stupidly as she relives it until she goes to sleep. She imagined her and Celeste forming inside jokes about tonight to tell each other during class. She envisioned her and Celeste forming a close friendship sparked by tonight that might one day lead to something more. But now she’s upset, and hurt, and betrayed. And robbed of her fantasy. If she were to go home now, she would collapse into bed and try to erase this entire night from her mind. Sayaka would be so disappointed too. 

Deciding she at least wants to hear what Celeste has to say for herself, Kyoko cancels her Uber and says, “Fine. What?”

Celeste shakes her head. “Not here. Even if it’s muffled, it’s still kinda loud. I’ve already overwhelmed you enough tonight.” Celeste holds her hand as she guides her through the mansion and to a door that leads outside.

Instantly, the music and voices are gone and replaced with soft crickets chirping as Celeste guides her to a stone bench in the host's backyard. It’s extremely late, near pitch black out except for some moonlight. Kyoko last remembers it being past midnight. 

The two sit down and Kyoko remains silent, most of the anger has left her system, but she still has nothing to say. She protects herself with her emotionless mask.

Beside her, Celeste sighs and begins with, “I’m sorry,” She says. “I shouldn’t have assumed it was okay for me to wander off because you were gone for .2 seconds. I just-” Kyoko tenses as she realizes that Celeste is about to try and explain herself in some way that makes her actions sound more rational, but the gambler cuts herself off. “No, I don’t even want to make excuses. I fucked up. That’s it. I shouldn’t even try to explain why I did it or how it happened from my perspective because it doesn’t matter. What really matters is how I made you feel.” Kyoko looks up at her, and Celeste becomes nervous and looks away, but tries to hold eye contact. Her accent is completely gone.

“And regardless of my intent, I made you feel really fucking shitty. You didn’t come out here tonight because you wanted to party and gamble, you came here because you knew it was something I wanted to do and you wanted to be here with me tonight. I dismissed you, made excuses, and told myself you’d be fine, so I could justify continuing to do what I wanted. But that wasn’t fair to you. Not after all you were putting yourself through so I would be having fun. I went in knowing that parties weren’t your thing, and I was genuinely really happy when you watched me gamble, and got into with me, and then played some games with me. That was really special. And it didn’t go unseen by me. And you did that all for me. So I’m sorry, you deserved so much better.”

“I…” Kyoko begins. She finally drops her mask and shows she’s upset. And she knows she had been wronged, but she still really, really didn’t want to lose what was forming between the two of them. And because the gambler seems sincerely sorry, Kyoko decides it’s worth trying to express herself as well. “I’m not good with feelings. Not at all.”

“It’s okay. I’m not either. You can take your time and… and say whatever you feel like you need to say to me, whatever it is.” Kyoko can tell from the way Celeste says it that she's bracing herself for Kyoko to not forgive her, but is still giving her full permission to do so. She sees self-awareness in her and makes a decision.

“This is somewhat embarrassing but… before this, I was looking forward to tonight. I… really wanted to talk to you outside of school for the longest time, actually.” Kyoko smiles and blushes, but her face returns to her hurt expression. “Which is why I felt so betrayed. I’m glad that you did notice my effort to get into what you're into so we could have fun tonight. But… it's really hard for me to open up to people. It’s what we talked about in the bathroom. But not just in the bathroom, throughout the whole night, I’ve been showing you a whole other side of me I rarely show to anyone. I felt really vulnerable tonight, but for the first time for me ever… it felt really good to be vulnerable. So that’s why when you disregarded me and didn’t consider my feelings, just assuming… I felt rejected. ”

Celeste's heart breaks and before she can stop herself she reaches forward and places her hand on Kyoko’s bicep, but before she goes any further she stops to ask. “Can I hug you?” Kyoko nods and Celeste wraps her in a deep embrace. Her friends have gotten her to hug a few times in the past. And she’s mostly gotten used to it. However, this is different because it's Celeste. It’s new and special because they’ve never hugged before. And Kyoko finds herself leaning into her touch. Admittedly, she’s still a bit touch starved and she can’t help it with the way Celeste cradles the back of her head with her hand. Being in Celeste’s arms is incredibly soothing. “I’m so sorry,” She says again, this time whispering in her ear. “I never meant to make you feel that way. I shouldn’t have made you feel that way. And I am so sorry that I did. You trusted me with something really precious and I was such an idiot. You deserve so, so much better than that.”

The two stay there like that, holding each other, and Kyoko rests her head against Celeste’s shoulder. A long moment passes with no words, so Celeste speaks again, “You know, what you said earlier about wanting to spend more time with me… The thing is, I already knew. That’s kinda why I took the initiative and asked you to hang out,” She explains.

Kyoko leans back to look Celeste in the eye, breaking the hug. “Really? You knew?” She asks, slightly embarrassed she wasn’t subtle.

Celeste nods. “Yeah. And honestly, I felt the same way as you. I mean, you’re really cool.” The two giggle softly and Kyoko blushes at the compliment. “And really, sometimes you reminded me of me, so I wanted to get to know you, I was just a little nervous because your friends are very different from me, so I wasn’t sure you would like my whole,” Celeste gestures around herself, her fancy jewelry, and expensive dress. “You know, my style.”

“I felt the opposite actually,” Kyoko says. “I always thought I was too basic and boring for you. I mean, you’re filthy rich.” The two giggle again at their shared insecurity of not being good enough for the other. It’s nice. And somehow, some way, Kyoko feels okay again.

“So um-” Kyoko looks at Celeste and the millionaire cuts herself off, suddenly nervous. “Can you find it in yourself to forgive me? I understand if this leaves a sour taste in your mouth, but would you want to try again?”

Kyoko hesitates for a moment but realizes that she doesn’t need to even debate it. “Yes, I can. I will. But please know that actions speak louder than words. I appreciate everything you’ve said to me, but I wish to see you putting more thought before you act.”

Celeste nods. “Of course. I understand…” She trails off before looking down at the floor. 

Kyoko enjoys the sound of the crickets as silence comes over them. She looks up at the moon. It’s beautiful tonight. It’s full and bright, and not a single cloud covers it. She turns to Celeste to tell her to look up but stops herself when she sees her face. She still looks upset, eyes focused on the floor, her face morphed in sadness, and lost in thought. Kyoko sits there for a moment, unsure of what to do before saying, “You still seem troubled by something.”

Celeste looks up at her surprised as she’s pulled back to reality. “Hm? What do you mean?” 

“Like there is still something on your mind,” Kyoko explains.

The look comes back over Celeste’s face as she looks off the side shamefully. “Yeah, there is, but again, I don’t want to make it about me or like, make excuses. I want you to know this is about how I made you felt and that it was wrong.”

“And I’ve understood. If there’s something else troubling you, I’m willing to listen. I’m giving you permission to take the floor.” Celeste looks at Kyoko and the detective musters up a smile for her, giving her permission to speak her feelings.

“Alright.” The gambler lets out a long sigh, bracing herself. “Um, the truth is, well- you’ve probably already noticed I don’t really have any friends in our class or- in Hopes Peak in general. And I’ve been fine with that because I have other friends I’ve met through gambling or parties and stuff.” Celeste gestures to the house, recalling all the groups of people she and Kyoko talked to that Celeste introduced as her friends. 

She continues, “I’ve made friends with them because they’re like me; high energy, flirty, and extremely dramatic. But… as much as I like my friends, there’s no like, deep bond there… They’re mainly just people I get together with to get drunk, hook up, enter underground gambling tournaments with, or get deep into some dumb ass drama. I just have a hard time making more meaningful bonds I suppose. I know I’ve probably made my life seem so much more out there and incredible, while you feel like your life is much more basic in comparison. But honestly…? I’m really lonely, all the time. And you, you’ve got Makoto, Sayaka, and Hina. And I’ve seen you four around a lot and they all seem like they’d die for you. They’d do anything for you. They care so much about you and I can tell it’s really meaningful and genuine. I,” Celeste sighs. 

She proceeds with, “I know you’re a lot closer to them than me, so I hope this isn’t coming on too strongly ‘cause the last thing I want to do is scare you away or make you uncomfortable, but… you’re the only person I’ve got like that. You’re the first person who’s ever seen more of me than just a snobby rich girl. You’re the first person that I’ve felt comfortable showing that I’m not just a snobby rich girl. You see me for me. And you’re the only person that does. I shouldn’t be taking that for granted. I guess… I don’t know, I just wanted to show off so you’d like me or something stupid. But that was idiotic because my wealth is not what you care about. Somehow, it’s me. So I want to let you know that I'm thankful… for you taking a chance on me, even if I’m kinda an asshole. You’re really patient and a really good friend, Kyoko. I know you need to figure some things out, but don’t ever change.” 

Celeste looks into her eyes with the most genuine look she’s ever seen from her. It’s real, it’s raw, it’s unfiltered. And it’s loving. Kyoko relives all the moments she stared into the mirror believing she had to be better because she wasn’t good enough. Whether it was as a detective, a friend, a student, or a granddaughter, Kyoko always focused on how she could be better so that she never stopped and appreciated herself for who she is right now . 

She reaches forward and grabs Celeste’s hand. Her words engrave themselves into her soul. “ Thank you, ” It’s the most genuine thanks she’s ever given. “And you don’t have to feel embarrassed about that. Look, I love the friendship I have with Makoto, Hina, and Sayaka, but admittedly, I am… well, undoubtedly very different from all of them. I’ve lived a very different life. I will always appreciate how they’ve always been there for me and how they support me, but… I feel as though you really get me . You understand because I think we’re both going through really similar things. So please know, those three aren’t the only people in my circle, you are too.” Kyoko squeezes her hand for emphasis. 

Celeste’s face becomes rosy and she smiles so hard it hurts. It’s the type of smile she has to force to not reveal teeth and the edges of her lips twitch from the effort. Her dimples indent her cheeks.

They fall into a comfortable silence. Celeste softly strokes her hand with her thumb, tracing the metal studs on her glove as Kyoko marvels at the stars around them. Tonight really is precious. For both of them.

“Do you want me to take you home?” Celeste cuts through the silence.

Kyoko pulls out her phone and checks the time. It’s nearly 1 AM.  “Well, you could. But I was thinking ice cream sounded pretty good.”

Dimples reveal themselves again as Celeste smiles. “I know a place.”