[X] "Your assistance would be appreciated, I'm sure, but I have to wonder at the convenient timing."
--- "Also, what you might want in return?"
--- "We could do this the polite, roundabout, way, but let's cut to the quick, time is wasting, and I'd like to get the search started as soon as possible."
"Your assistance would be appreciated," you say, and Kanako stops and turns back around, looking at you expectantly. "However," you continue, "I do have to wonder about the rather convenient timing here."
Her smirk slips a bit. "I came as soon as I heard the news," she says, with a shrug. "I'm offering you help here. Do you really have the luxury of questioning my motives?"
Damn it. As much as you hate to agree with her, Kanako is right. You don't have the time to waste here wondering why she's helping you. The fact that she's made the offer is enough for you to accept it. At the same time, though, there's something off here. You can tell that she wants something from you, though you don't know what exactly that is.
"Just what is it that you want for your help?" you ask. "What do you want in return? We could do this the polite way, with weeks of negotiations and all that extra stuff, but I don't have the time for this - I need to get that search started as soon as I can."
"What do I want?" Kanako asks, amused. She brings a finger up to her mouth, looking up and pretending to think. You frown and tap your foot impatiently. The more she drags this on, the more you're tempted to simply ignore her and start the search, help or no help.
"I want a Favor from you and Yukari," she says, "at some point in the future." She smiles. "You don't appear to actually know where Yukari is, and considering the amount of time you'd need to spend to actually find her, I don't think that's unreasonable."
Byakuren opens her mouth to protest, but you cut her off with a wave of your hand. "I can't agree to anything on Yukari's behalf," you say.
Kanako looks vaguely disappointed. Maybe this was what she was aiming for? She shrugs. "A Favor just from you would suffice, I suppose. If you insist."
"And just what do you want me to do?" you ask.
She smirks again, a broad grin spreading across her face. "Ah," she says, "but that would be telling~" You're sorely tempted to light her on fire right now. Just a little bit wouldn't hurt, right?
[ ] What do you do?