A/N: I LIIIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEEE!!!
Yeah, sorry about the lack of fics as of late. I lost interest for a while and I had to keep my mind off of gaming. My mind was close to snapping at one point with my current life situation but fortunately, Danganronpa was always there to keep me sane…for now.
A quick update. I'm working on the next chapter of The Misadventures of Komaeda Nagito (or whatever I titled that. Who knows at this point?) and it's close to being finished… I think.
If there was one thing the jovial Chisa wanted, it was to be a parent. Growing up as a single child meant that she had her parents' undivided love and care. She wasn't a spoiled child per se, but if it weren't for them, she wouldn't be the young adult with a bright promising future ahead of her; that meant that her parents were no slouchers when it came to parenting. Despite their weak health, they groomed and disciplined her to be an independent hardworking woman at a very early age. All her years growing up consisted mostly of running around the place to sweep and wax the floors and walls, scrub the bathroom and kitchen tiles, remove the cobwebs, wipe the windows and tables and picture frames, water and tend the flowers, make trips to the market for grocery shopping, cook food for her and her family, make tea and give medicine to her parents, do the laundry, set the beds, pillows and couches...the list would just go on endlessly. She had countless nights without a wink of sleep because she had to work, work and work all the time. Any time she wanted for herself was basically non-existent; sometimes, she'd even need to skip some days of class to just to make sure her home was 100% safe from safety hazards - looking back at it now, it definitely looked like that she was the parent, wasn't she?
Still, the sleepless nights didn't stop there. Once she was accepted into Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Housekeeper, she feared for her parents' wellbeing. Although they encouraged her to pursue her future at the prestigious academy, Chisa couldn't help but be worried about forgetting them and what would happen if she wasn't there when they were hurt. It was difficult for her to release herself from the cycle of housekeeping and taking care of her parents. She loved them as much as they loved her. When she wasn't in school helping in any way she can, they would always offer her sound wisdom about life and love. Most of the things she taught to her students came from her parents, and for that…she was grateful. She was never lonely at home because they were always there. Luckily for her, classes at Hope's Peak weren't mandatory. So, she made a weekly schedule to dedicate some of her time to checking on their home and, with the insistence of her parents, use some of her free time to make memories with her classmates, then she was free to do as she pleases with what little time she had left, like maybe shopping or partaking in some of her hobbies like arts, music and dance…
Well, now…her parents…were no longer here. They died during her second year - those were her darkest times. It happened on a Wednesday, while she, Kyosuke and Juzo were having a group study when the old caretaker called her on her cellphone to break the news to her. The moment she heard the words "passed away", her hyperactive attitude died down; the youthful flames that ran wild within her were suddenly quashed. She doesn't remember much about what happened. According to Juzo, however, she apparently collapsed and fell unconscious for a whole day. She remembered the emptiness she felt when she opened her eyes in the clinic. That void in her heart seemed abysmally large. At the time, she thought that she was never going to recover from her grief, and with good reason too. She dedicated her life to serving them dutifully and she promised to bring them to her successful future - they were her hope. Day by day, she blamed herself for not being there when they needed her. Day by day, she cried herself to sleep. Day by day, she wallowed in regret. Day by day, she lost the will to keep fighting. She couldn't imagine a future without them…
…Which is why she was thankful for having Kyosuke. He was there to set her straight and bring back her motivation, kinda like how her father would discipline her. He spoke firmly and sternly. Disregarding his…umm…*prickly* attitude, he was a voice of reason, a voice that a great leader would have. After she had overcome from her grief, they became closer than ever. He was no longer a friend, but a man she loved. She lost her reason to live at one point, but by the end of that year, she found another.
Lying down on her bed, Chisa reached out for the album where all her memories at Hope's Peak lived, preserved by photos. She made a note to herself to title this album whenever she had the time. Having an untitled album just didn't sit right with her. Continuing, she skimmed through the pages, brushing her fingers over the many pictures she shared with Kyosuke…oh! And Juzo too, of course! She remembered when they would build their own snowman and stole some carrots from the school's kitchen to make up the nose. She recalled trying to make the snowman resemble Kyosuke, with the frown and all that, and teasing him about how they were the same. He may have not laughed, but she remembered that making him grin a bit…before Juzo threw a snowball at the back of her head. All those good times came back to her, like she had experienced them for the first time, as she continued to look at those pictures. The last picture, which was their last picture together as students in front of Hope's Peak, was special to her, so much so, that she decorated the page that had the picture with hearts, glitter and colors. Oh wait…didn't she have it framed in her office as well? Well, she really liked this picture as it commemorates the bond they had over their high school years.
A yawn escaped her lips, telling her that she should get some rest for tomorrow. She closed the album and placed it back where it was in a neatly fashion. She tucked herself under the covers and switched off the lamp at her bedside table.
She giggled excitedly. She doesn't know why, but she feels that something big will happen tomorrow.
"Alright!" she stretched arms upwards from her chair, straightening her spine with a satisfying pop after hunching over some paperwork for hours. "That's everything done for today and…oh, right! Nanami!"
After doing all the things Koichi requested for her to do in the office with some extra tidying up for good measure, she bolted out the room and headed straight for the classroom. Chiaki asked her to come after classes for something important. As a teacher, Chisa offered she could make some time just to settle that matter. No such luck there. Chiaki insisted that she come instead after classes when she's free out of respect. Sometimes, even Chisa forgets that Chiaki was always so observant and understanding - must be a quirk of hers from all that gaming, huh. She must have noticed that her hands were full at the moment.
Still full of energy, Chisa stopped by the door to the classroom and tried to sneak a peek inside through the small opening. Huh, the lights were turned off and the windows were covered for some reason… Not only that, but the room was so quiet, unlike the noise of the bustling students and teachers outside. Well, maybe Chiaki just didn't want some good fresh sunlight for a quick nap.
"Nanami?" she opened the door but didn't enter yet. She reached out for the light switch at the side. "…Wakey-wakey, sleepyhe-"
Her foot stopped once she felt the floor beneath it sink. It all happened so fast. The lights turned on, party poppers blasted confetti at her from both her sides, then came the collective shouts of her dear students along with the riff of an electric guitar.
"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, SENSEI!!!"
Saying that Chisa was shocked would be the understatement of the century. She was bewildered, bedazzled, stunned…wh-whatever! Tears started to flow from the teacher's eyes as the feeling of jubilance blossomed within her; she felt that she could explode with all these strong feelings bubbling up inside.
"EHHHH?! IS CHISA-CHAN CRYING?!"
"This is all your fault, pi…Tsumiki! You ruined the greeting by tripping…again!"
"W-Waaaaaahhhhh! I-I'm s-sorry, Yukizome-sensei! Pl-Please forgive meeeeee!"
"Oh for fuck's sake… She's crying from happiness!"
"Could you guys just stop arguing and make sure she's alright?!"
"…I'm on it. Chisa-sensei? Are you alright? What happened?"
"A-Ah…" Chisa blinked back her tears and blew on her handkerchief. "…Everyone, I…I don't know what to say…I…" she turned towards Chiaki. "…Did you plan all this, Nanami?"
She nodded. "…But if it weren't for Hanamura-kun," Teruteru's stood and huffed with pride as soon as his name was mentioned. "We wouldn't have known what today was. We're sorry if this isn't much, we kinda rushed this since it'll be a long time before we see each other again…" she finished with a guilty and sad voice, looking down at the ground.
Chisa looked up to see her class and she could see that they shared the same sentiments as their class rep did. This was their last year together after all. Just ten more months and they would go on to pursue their careers, not to mention the fact that she only gets to see her class two to five times a month…formally, that is. Of course they would miss her, just as much as she would miss them.
She continued. "…You might not be our real mother, but we just want to dedicate today for you, Chisa-sensei. You were like a mother to us. You…showed us that there's more to life than just talent. When we all needed help, you would do everything to find time to help us, even if it felt like we were just wasting your time; you loved us nonetheless. You helped me become the class rep that I am today. This was all because of you. We wouldn't have been together…like a family if you didn't come get us all that day."
Without a warning, Chiaki approached her and gave her a hug. Chisa returned the gesture and tightened the hug. Soon after she released her embrace, everyone else started to do the same, one by one. Even the more antisocial people like Hiyoko, Fuyuhiko, Gundham, and Nagito came up to her and wrapped their arms around her…with some reluctance, but they eventually softened up and lingered within the warmth, especially Nagito, who had also started crying a bit when Nekomaru had to pry him off for taking the longest.
After everyone was done, they sat down together at the floor and said their prayers. Teruteru and Peko then served the food prepared, not without going through Chisa's aphrodisiac test first though - you can never be too sure of any funny business. Once everyone had their plates, they dug in. As expected, the food tasted wonderful. It reminded her of the food she made back when her parents were still here. Everything they ate together was homemade, no processed foods were used as they weren't healthy.
Mama…Papa…
Ah…
"Happy Mother's Day, Mama!"
"Oh Chisa… Thank you for the great meal."
"You're always welcome! After all, I love you and Papa so much!"
"We love you too, Chisa. We couldn't ask for a better daughter than you."
She lost grip of her chopsticks. She started to cry again as she slowly chewed her food, making sure that the savory goodness remains by the confines of her tongue. She was afraid that once she swallowed, the tenderness of those memories would fade away. The homey taste of the food made her relive those treasured memories, those treasured smiles, of spoon-feeding her parents with the meals she cooked.
"Is there something wrong with the food?" asked Teruteru, sweating bullets. "...Yukizome-sensei?"
"N-No, its...nothing." her reassuring voice came out more pained and forced than ever. "Don't w-worry about it..."
"Yeah...no." Fuyuhiko looked at her straight in the eye, the yakuza's draconic eyes melting through her tough girl façade like butter on a frying pan. "Obviously, it's not nothing." he gave Teruteru a threatening sidelong glance. "Oi, Hanamura. You sure you didn't put any weird shit in there?"
"Oh hell naw! I wou'da nev'r…!" the chef stopped himself from ranting further once he noticed Peko eyeing him with cold animosity. "…er…haha…I-I mean…"
"Really e-everyone," Chisa tried to force a smile despite her tears pouring down from the sides of her eyes. "The food's great! It's just…" the feeling was just too much for her to handle. She put down the plate on the floor and sobbed in a curled up position, hugging her knees close to her face. "…M-Mama…P-Papa…!"
She eventually swallowed the food in her mouth, and it felt like she had forcibly shoved a bone down her throat in doing so. Now that the savory sweet taste that made her remember those times was gone, all her tongue tasted was bitterness…disgusting and hard bitterness. She never thought she'd go through this grief again. She already moved past this four years ago…so why?! Why now while she was having a good time with her students did the wound in her heart have to reopen?!
I just want…to see Mama and Papa again…and take care of them…
I just want…to thank Mama…for everything…this Mother's Day…
"…sensei…"
"…answer…"
"…sensei… happened…?!"
Chisa slowly looked up from her knees. Even though her vision was muddled irregularly with her tears, she can see Mahiru, Sonia, Ryota and Chiaki in front of her. Using her apron to rub her eyes, her eyes regained their focus. They all looked so worried about her…
"Chisa-sensei…I…" Chiaki flinched after she fully seeing her teacher's face. She looked like she was on the verge of tears as well. "…I didn't know… I-"
"N-No!" Chisa surprised herself with how sharp and loud her words came out. "Don't apologize, Nanami! You did nothing wrong… I just remembered…m-my parents… That's all…"
"…Wounds like that take time to fully heal." added Gundham thoughtfully. "Although I had no bonds with such puny humans, I, too, understand the woes that befall our youthful maiden. Every living being in this world is destined to fade away into the earth, thus is the will of causality. Devote one's self to another and grieve once Death takes their soul to the Underworld."
"Now's not the time for that emo talk, goddamn it!" barked out Kazuichi. "You're just making it worse!"
"I believe it would be unwise to aggravate the situation any further, Soda-san." reprimanded Sonia. "The last thing we must be doing is to fight amongst our peers, not after Nanami-san's speech about how we have all come together as one family."
"R-Right! Of course! I apologize, Sonia-san!"
Chisa looked back at the half-eaten plate of food in front of her. Even with Akane next to her, not once did the ravenous gymnast ask if she could eat her remains. Looking over towards her, Chisa noticed that she was wasn't eating as fast as she always did. Her eyes were closed, seemingly meditating on something as she slowly chewed her food. If anything, the food had a charm on everyone - it was the unique charm of the Ultimate Cook himself. On some special occasions, Teruteru would make art with the taste of his food, not just on the plating. The taste would often have that *feel* where it reminds you of something…a special memory. That charm entranced everyone, including the most apathetic of people.
With that being said, Chisa picked up the plate and continued eating. She ate more than she ever did in her life. She asked for seconds, for thirds, and even fourths. Each bite she took made her cry more and more; but they weren't tears of grief, they were tears of joy. She got to experience these treasured memories once again. She got to see and serve her parents once again. Perhaps, she didn't have to look at things through a pessimistic lens…all she needed was to look back at these precious childhood memories simply for how they made her happy!
"Woah! Look at her go!" Nekomaru pointed out. "She's gonna finish everything at this rate!"
"WHAT?! No way!" Akane started to wolf down at her plate and quickly caught up to Chisa in terms of plate count. "Omnomnom! I'm not gonna looshe!"
"And there she goes again…" Mahiru sighed, but not in a sarcastic manner. "…Hey, we should at least keep up. Most of us haven't even had seconds yet."
What was once a thoughtful and civilized party quickly became an eating contest. Ryota and Ibuki hastened their pace, Chiaki took this as a challenge and joined the competition as well, and everyone else asked for seconds, their appetite somehow grew after seeing them devour plate after plate. After an hour of going wild on the food, Teruteru said that there was no longer any left. If it weren't for the school's sanctions on the food supply (well…since this class was the most vehement in gobbling it all up with the amount of parties they hold each month), they would've been there the whole day, doing nothing but eating and eating and eating.
"Ah, is that so…" Chisa replied with a longing sigh, wiping her mouth with her handkerchief. "…Thank you, Hanamura-kun. That was a good meal."
"Hmhmhm! My pleasure as always, Yukizome-sensei…!" Teruteru's nose started to bleed for the second time. "…Hehe…hehehe…"
"Oi! Cut that out, you hog!" shouted Hiyoko. "That's disgusting! Bleugh!"
"Still, I want to thank you all as well." Chisa stood up and gave her plate to Teruteru for disposal. "I'm so glad I got to be a mother to you all. Not a day goes by that I regret my decision to become your teacher, and now that our time together is coming to a close…" she sniffled a little. "…I'll miss you all…so so much. I'll miss this chaotic class. I'll miss the fun parties. I'll miss the video game tournaments. I'll miss the jamming sessions and- you know what?" she opened her arms far apart. "…Come here everyone! Let's go for a group hug!"
"Yaaayyyy!!!" Ibuki pumped her fist up in the air as she cheered. "Ibuki loves hugs! And kisses too! Teehee!"
"Oh! Oh! Let's take a class photo too, Yukizome-sensei!" Mahiru suggested enthusiastically. "This is the perfect moment for a picture!"
"Sure!" Chisa thought of something. "Ah! Be sure to make a copy and put it in my office tomorrow, okay Koizumi-san? Well then…let's end today with a class photo, everyone!"
The whole class gathered around Chisa and squeezed her tightly, with Chiaki worming towards the center beside her teacher, making the two suffocate a bit. They released just in time before she could pat Nekomaru's back to let go of his crushing grip on everyone. Soon after, they started to get into position while Mahiru ran to grab her camera and station it on top of a tripod. After setting the timer, she ran beside Hiyoko and smiled for the camera.
"Say cheese, everyone!"
"HOPE!!!"
And with the flash of a camera, this day would forever be seared into their memories; not as a nightmare, but as a dream come true.
*ring*
*ring*
*ri-*
"…This is Munakata Kyosuke of Hope's Peak Academy speaking."
"Wow, Kyosuke... Even when you're not at work, you still try to act professional? Loosen up a bit!"
"So, it is you, Yukizome... And for your information, I AM at work."
"Overtime? Again? Seriously, Kyosuke, don't you think you're working just a teeeeensy bit too much?"
"You of all people should know why I'm doing this."
"So it's that, isn't it...? Alright alright... By the way, you won't believe what happened today!"
"Oh? Try me."
"My class greeted me for Mother's Day, Kyosuke! Can you believe that?! My whole class...greeted me!"
"You seem happy about it."
"Of course I am! You know how I always wanted to adopt Nanami for my birthday, right? The little sweetie planned a party for me! She'd make a great kid, wouldn't she?"
"Obviously you'd think that. She's your favorite after all."
"..."
"...Yukizome?"
"...Are you really going to make me say it, Kyosuke?"
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Ughhhh! Come ooooonnn! I can't wait forever, you know! I want to have a kid! That is…with no one else but you...ehehe..."
"...Go to sleep, Yukizome. Don't tell me your students got you to drink alcohol because I'm not taking that as an excuse."
"Kyousukeeeeeee... You know I love you, right? So, why don't you call me Chisa, instead? Gosh, you can be so frustrating sometimes..."
"...Look, I'll think about us eventually. Now's not the right time to be so hasty about it."
"…You keep saying that but it's been months already…"
"It will come in time. Please be patient, Yukizome-"
"I said call me Chisa."
"Alright then, Chisa."
"…See? It's not that hard to say my first name!"
"…Do you have anything else to say aside from what happened today?"
"Nope! I also wanted to check on you for funsies! Goodnight, Kyosuke!"
"Very well… goodnight, Yuki-"
"Chisa."
"…er, right. Sorry. Goodnight, Ch-Chisa. And…have a Happy Mother's Day too."
"…Awww… teehee! I wish I could kiss you right now, Kyos-"
*click*
That's enough of that.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Now if you'll excuse me, I must-
"…Umm. Where's Hinata-kun? You don't normally write me without him…probably."
Hehehehehe…
Hehehehehe…
Hehehehehe…
I don't knoooowwww~. Whatever happened to Hajime, I wonder? Oooohh, I hope it's nothing too bad.
HeheheheheheHAHAHAHAHAHA!
*ahem*
Happy (late) Mother's Day to your mom or to any moms out there that read my fics, though I doubt it lol.