And here is the second chapter of Moving Forward! This took a lot longer to write than I was hoping it would, partially due to my own laziness, partially due to me working on my other fics, and partially due to being busy with school. It also came out a LOT longer than I thought it would, and overall I'm pretty happy with how it came out. This chapter is basically one big "what is going on in this fic" chapter, along with most of my ideas for what happened after DR3 ended. Don't expect any of the future chapters to be this long. Also, you may remember that the original plan for this story was 6 chapters of inter-connected one-shots, with the last 3 forming an arc. Well that has changed, since I am constantly thinking of new ideas for this pairing (seriously I am obsessed), so as of the time of writing the number of planned chapters for this fic is 9. Maybe 10 if I can find a way to develop a stray idea into an actual story. So look forward to that. And if you can't wait for another chapter, go read my Naegiri Week fics because those take place in the same setting, and can basically be considered chapters 3-9 of this fic (so I guess the total chapter count would go up to 16-17 if you count those).
Once again a huge shout-out to my good friend The Apocryphal One for beta reading this chapter for me, go check out her writing, it's great. Also credit to 8fight for the cover art, which inspired one of the scenes in this chapter. Also! This is going up on Makoto Naegi's birthday! Happy Birthday to the precious Hope son, bless his soul.
Together
Kyoko Kirigiri walked through the doors into Hope's Peak Academy. As the vice-principal, she often came in early, but today was a special occasion when she arrived before anyone else had; she needed to be at a specific spot at a specific time. Stopping at one of the classrooms that would be empty during the early morning classes, she looked and verified that no one was there. Quickly and quietly, she strode over to the supply closet that she had made sure to empty at the end of the previous day, opened it up, and hid herself inside. Enveloped in darkness, she took a deep breath, and waited, keeping an ear out for any signs of movement in the classroom.
As a detective, it certainly wasn't the first time that she had placed herself in an uncomfortable hiding spot, so she was used to it, even if she technically wasn't a detective anymore. The truth of the matter was that no matter what her job was, be it branch head, teacher, or vice-principal, she'd always be a detective at heart. Although in some ways, she had abandoned the role of a detective. Most significantly, she could no longer put her own life at risk in the name of finding the truth, even though that wasn't too much of a problem in her current peaceful life.
After all, her life was no longer hers to give up.
It had been four years since the end of the Final Killing Game, and since then many significant changes had occurred in her life.
For one: she and the rest of the surviving members of Hope's Peak's 78th Class had cut all ties with the Future Foundation. It hadn't been an easy decision, most of them had been uncomfortable bringing it up at first, but once they began to discuss it amongst themselves, they soon found that they agreed with each other. The truth of the matter was that their trust in the organization had been irrevocably shattered after the Final Killing Game. The bureaucratic red tape that had been plaguing them since they escaped from Hope's Peak had been a constant annoyance, the decision to put Makoto on trial after he saved the Remnants of Despair hadn't sat well with any of them, and the constant feeling of distrust amongst the branches had made them uneasy. But really, between half of the Foundation's leaders trying to kill them, Munakata's attempt to execute the 77th class even after they had been rehabilitated, and fact that the organization's head was the one responsible for setting up the Final Killing Game, none of them could really claim to believe in the Foundation anymore.
There was also the fact that the organization was employing and harboring a serial killer. A serial killer who exclusively killed other killers, mind you, but still. Kyoko very much wanted to be as far away from the Future Foundation as possible when that inevitably blew up in their faces.
After the killing game, the remaining followers of Despair slowly but surely faded away (thanks in no small part to the help of the 77th class), and the world began to rebuild itself into something resembling its past self. With the reconstruction progressing smoothly and the battle against Despair mostly over, the Future Foundation had become less of an organization working for Hope and a better future, and more of a world government managing what they had rebuilt. As a result, they all felt that they no longer needed to work for the Future Foundation, and could make the world a better place in their own ways. Togami had expressed his desire to rebuild the Togami Conglomerate ever since they had left Hope's Peak, and with the world slowly but surely returning to normal, it seemed more and more possible. Fukawa had spent a lot of her spare time working on her own writing projects, and was already looking into finding a new publisher. Hagakure had never stopped talking about re-opening his fortune telling business, so nothing had changed there. Asahina had planned out different ways she could pick up her career as a swimmer, ranging from helping to restart the Olympics, to opening a swimming school. Kirigiri had, of course, considered opening a detective agency. Naegi remained suspiciously quiet on his own plans, but urged and supported all of his friends in their own plans. Even then, Kyoko could see the beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. He had told her before anyone else, and she supported him wholeheartedly, as did the rest of their friends once they found out. Which led to the next change in their lives.
Rebuilding Hope's Peak Academy was an arduous task, but it had definitely been worth it. It had taken them almost half a year of work, but once the school was re-opened, it soon flourished. Of course, none of it would have been possible without the help of the head of the Togami family.
Once industry and the economy in the world had returned to a point where the stock market was operating again, Byakuya had taken his savings that he had built up from working at the Future Foundation, poured them all into the stock exchange and, in a week, had somehow managed to quadruple his investment. When asked how he was able to do that, he only smirked and said "I am Byakuya Togami."
Before too long, the Togami Conglomerate had been revived. It was still a shadow of its former self, but it was well-off enough that, with Togami's help, none of the members of the 78th Class needed to rely on the Future Foundation to subsist. Most of the funding and rebuilding efforts for the academy had come from the newly rebuilt conglomerate, in a somewhat uncharacteristic act of charity on Byakuya's part. Meanwhile, the rest of their friends joined them as teachers.
Of course, they had also needed to go through the Future Foundation in order to rebuild the school. As much as they would've liked to be independent, the Future Foundation still held a lot of power, and there was no way that such a controversial decision as rebuilding Hope's Peak would go through without their help. When Makoto Naegi announced his plan to not only rebuild the school which, in the eyes of many, had led to the Tragedy, but also to abolish the Talent system and open it to normal students, it had, to put it lightly, caused a stir in the Foundation. For a while it seemed like his plan was doomed to fail before it could even begin, but it was saved thanks to the timely intervention of an unlikely ally: the new chairman of the Future Foundation, Kyosuke Munakata.
No one knew where he had disappeared to after the Final Killing Game, but shortly after the last of the followers of Despair had vanished, he returned to the Future Foundation with little fanfare, merely asking for a job. The chairman at the time was a former subordinate of his who was clearly out of his depth when it came to leading the entire Future Foundation, so as soon as Munakata had returned, he was offered the position of Chairman.
Whatever it was that he had been doing in the time between the Final Killing Game and his return, it was clear that, along with the events of the killing game, it had changed him for the better. His dogmatic attitude had been replaced by a more understanding and careful style of leading, and he himself had said that his actions as chairman were done with the intent of not repeating the mistakes of the past. When most of the Future Foundation members opposed Naegi's plan to rebuild Hope's Peak, he had given him his full support. On one condition: Hope's Peak must still accept and search for students with Talent, and foster them to make sure that no Talent would ever bring the world to ruin again. Although Naegi had been against the idea, citing that the concept of Talent that the old Hope's Peak had promoted had been the root of the problem to begin with, and the two had discussed it at length, he eventually accepted his terms. And so, with the support of both the Future Foundation and the Togami Conglomerate, Hope's Peak Academy was rebuilt, with Makoto Naegi as the headmaster and Kyoko Kirigiri as the vice-principal.
She could still clearly remember their last official meeting with the Chairman as members of the Future Foundation.
Makoto Naegi and Kyoko Kirigiri stood side-by-side in Chairman Munakata's office. The chairman eyed them with an unreadable expression from across his desk, before sighing and leaning forward in his seat.
"Very well. Everything has been processed: with funding from the Togami Conglomerate and the Future Foundation, as well as supervision from our 1st, 2nd and 5th branches, the rebuilding of Hope's Peak Academy will begin," he said, leafing through a stack of paperwork on his desk.
"Alright. Thank you, Chairman Munakata," Makoto said, bowing politely. Kyoko merely kept quiet.
Munakata nodded, then stayed quiet for a second before sighing. "I suppose I should ask. Are you sure about cutting ties with the Future Foundation? You could do a lot of good working with us."
Makoto shifted awkwardly for a second before responding. "We appreciate the offer, we really do, but it's just...well, we want to do this on our own terms."
"You can do that without leaving. You two would still be in charge of the academy, and we'd only step in when necessary. I'm not asking you to work for me, I'm simply suggesting a mutually beneficial partnership," he said before getting out of his seat and walking towards a window to look outside. "Look, I understand that we've come into conflict in the past, and you have reason to distrust me. I'll be the first to admit that the Future Foundation has made many mistakes," he paused and turned around to face them, "that I have made many mistakes. But this offer is genuine. I'm trying to help both of us here, I'm not trying to manipulate you."
Makoto brought up his hands in a placating gesture. "W-we understand that! And we believe you, really! I-it's just…"
As Makoto trailed off in his explanation, Kyoko spoke up for the first time since the meeting had begun. "You say that now, but how can we be sure that won't change tomorrow? Who's to say that you won't one day change your views and use us to do your dirty work? Or that the next chairman won't abuse his position? Or that one of the other branch heads won't try to use their influence to coerce us?" she said matter-of-factly, cold and to-the-point as always. "The truth of the matter is that with the war between Hope and Despair all but won, and the world already on its way to being restored, the Future Foundation is really just a government, and like all governments, it is vulnerable to corruption. Politics and scheming is what helped bring down the last Hope's Peak, and we want nothing to do with that."
Kyoko brushed a strand of her hair away before speaking again. "If I may be so bold, I'm surprised you're making such an effort at keeping us here. I thought you'd be happy for the chance to be rid of us."
Makoto cringed and Munakata's eye narrowed. Although the two of them had made an effort to mend bridges, Kyoko was apparently the type to hold grudges, and she hadn't made a secret of her distaste for the new chairman.
Munakata sat back down and rested his chin one fist while tapping his fingers on his desk irritably. "Look, it's not like I want to kick you out. To be blunt: what you do is none of my business, and I don't particularly care." He sighed in irritation. "However, I'm sure you understand that having the entire surviving 78th Class, especially one of our branch heads and the Ultimate Hope, leaving us doesn't reflect well on the Future Foundation, and it puts me in a rather difficult position. Furthermore, it means we won't be able to officially help you if things go wrong. In fact, if necessary, we'll have to bring you in if this project ends poorly. The name of Hope's Peak is a symbol of Hope to many, but its reputation has been undeniably stained. If anything goes even slightly wrong, the public will be quick to blame you, and since we're also sponsoring you, the Future Foundation will be blamed as well."
"We understand that, and we're sorry," Makoto said sympathetically. "But, you said it yourself, I have to carry the burden of Hope. It's my responsibility to make this world a better place, and if I'm going to do that, I need to do it my way."
Munakata sighed again, closing his eye for a moment in consideration, and then nodding. "Then I suppose I will have to carry the burden of the future… and the past."
After a few seconds of silence, Munakata opened his eye and pulled a sheet of paper from the stack on his desk. "Very well, let's begin. As of now, you and the rest of the 78th Class are no longer under the employ of the Future Foundation. You have until the end of the week to gather your belongings, finish any duties you have left, and prepare to leave. You will be evicted from your foundation-provided living quarters, and any belongings issued to you by us will be reclaimed. You will receive your last paycheck when you leave, and then the reconstruction of Hope's Peak Academy will begin. Is everything clear?"
Makoto and Kyoko both nodded. "Yes, Mr. Chairman."
Munakata closed his eye pensively for a moment. "Then we're done here. Makoto Naegi, Kyoko Kirigiri: goodbye, and good luck."
"Thank you, Munakata, and likewise," said Makoto with a smile. As he turned around to leave, he noticed that Kyoko wasn't following him.
"You go on ahead," she said, smiling at him "I need to discuss something in private with the chairman."
Makoto hesitated for a moment, but nodded and stepped outside, telling Kyoko he'd wait for her.
Once they were alone, Munakata raised a curious eyebrow at her. "You need to speak with me?"
Kyoko nodded, her face betraying no emotion. "I'm sure you're already aware that I blame you for much of what happened on that island."
"And I'm sure you're aware that I've accepted responsibility for my mistakes. And I've tried to make amends. Where are you going with this?" he responded calmly.
"My point," she said, "Is that while I was...away, there were many events that I could not participate in, and if I had the chance, I would have intervened at many points. I was informed of what happened by my friends, and I was told of the things you did, and the things you said."
Munakata sighed. His expression was an unreadable frown, keeping himself carefully stoic. "Yes, I suppose we'd better address the elephant in the room. I'm surprised it took this long, to be honest."
Kirigiri stepped forward, placing both hands on his desk and leaning forward to look him in the eye. "So, I'm only going to say this once. If you ever hurt Makoto Naegi again, physically or otherwise, you will have me to answer to. Have I made myself clear?"
Munakata's eye narrowed dangerously, but besides that, nothing about his expression or body language changed. "Is that a threat, Kirigiri?"
Kyoko turned around and walked away, looking back at him over her shoulder one last time as she placed her hand on the door. "For both our sakes, let's hope we never have to find out."
Fortunately, they never needed to answer that question, as that had been the last time the two of them had spoken. And the Future Foundation had not caused them any trouble, they had even been a large help in finding students and setting up the school. Between the Ultimate Hope, the 78th Class, the Togami Conglomerate, and the Future Foundation, the new Hope's Peak had managed to flourish.
Rather than being a school made to research and cultivate Talent, the new Hope's Peak was run with the intention of living up to the school's name and given goal: to create Hope for the world. Accepting students from all walks of life and helping them to prepare for the future in the new world, the new Hope's Peak quickly shed the poor reputation of its former self, and became a shining beacon of hope. Students who showed great promise, students who were recognized as having an Ultimate Talent, and students who had been affected by the Tragedy and had nowhere else to go were the main focus, but even a completely average student who took the time to fill out an application could be accepted if they were deemed to meet the school's standards.
Kyoko Kirigiri didn't know what the former headmaster would think about the new Hope's Peak, but she could safely say that she was proud to be a part of it, and working as its vice-principal. As the vice-principal, Kyoko had a rather busy work life, she was essentially Headmaster Naegi's right-hand. She helped him with the day-to-day managing of the school, helped him organize the faculty and students, signed lots and lots of paperwork, provided advice, and occasionally acted as a Talent scout, like the late Koichi Kizakura. It was a busy job, but it was an important one, and Kyoko would trust no one else with it, not that she'd give it up even if she could, she was rather fond of her job.
Of all the changes to her life, however, the most important one as far as she was concerned, was her relationship with Makoto Naegi. The two of them had danced around the issue of their feelings for each other for a long time, for various reasons. But after coming so close to losing each other forever, and with peace finally in sight, they both stopped pretending and confessed their love to each other. From there they entered a happy and committed relationship. In truth, as much as things changed, a lot of things stayed the same. They still relied on each other, they still trusted each other, and they still worked together, helping each other no matter what. The biggest change was that they had started living together, and that they were more openly affectionate with each other, Makoto in particular. Less stolen glances, reassuring smiles, and brushing hands, and more kisses, cuddles, and declarations of love. Most importantly, they were happy together.
Now if only he would just hurry up and-
Kyoko heard a noise outside the closet as someone else entered the room. She heard the tell-tale click of a locked door, and a conversation between two boys.
"Have you got the money?" one asked.
"Y-yeah. It's right here, have you got the stuff?"
"Of course, when have I ever failed you? One bag of sweet snow to keep you cool during the harsh summer days."
"Do you always have to make up fancy names? Just call it coke like everyone else…"
At that point, Kirigiri had heard enough. She burst out of the closet to glare at the two students, who whirled around to look at her in shock. One of them turned around and began to run, but was stopped cold by the vice-principal's sharp reprimand.
"Before you try to leave," she said calmly, "consider the following. First, you locked the door, so you'd have to unlock it before trying to leave. Second, your punishment will be more lenient if you cooperate. And most importantly-" her eyes narrowed dangerously- "do you really think you can outrun me?"
The students both froze, looked at each other as if asking for advice, and then bowed their heads in shame. Kirigiri walked over to them and held out her hand.
"Hand it over," she said sternly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
The dealer handed over the bag of drugs, dropping it in her hand without a word. The other boy tried to hand over his money, but she waved him away and shook her head, so he put it back in his pocket.
"Both of you, come with me. We're going to discuss this in my office," she said as she escorted them out of the room.
Once they had arrived at the headmaster's office, Kyoko turned to their secretary and asked her to hold any calls for her or the headmaster, and to tell any students who needed them to wait until they were done with their work. The young lady nodded and returned to her work while Kyoko entered the office, where Headmaster Naegi was sitting at his desk. Seeing the vice-principal enter with two students in tow, he nodded and stood up to open the door to her office, the four of them entered and Naegi closed and locked the door behind him, before taking a seat at Kirigiri's desk, while she stood beside him.
"Alright," he said calmly to the two students who were standing in front of him, "please take a seat, we have a lot to talk about."
The two students shifted nervously before sitting down on the two chairs in front of the desk, making sure to look anywhere except the two teachers in front of them.
"So, first of all, do you know why you're here?" he asked gently.
The boys took a moment to answer, until the one who was selling drugs, a second-year by the name of Eiji Iwasa, spoke up. "Because we got caught with drugs, just skip the lecture, expel us, and ship us off to prison already, will ya?"
Naegi was about to respond when Kirigiri slammed her hand on the table causing the two students to jump. "Keep talking like that and you'll get your wish," she said sternly.
While Iwasa gulped in fear, the first-year he was selling drugs to, Kenji Hirose, seemed on the verge of tears, and punched him in the arm angrily. "Will you shut up?! Stop making this worse than it already is, you idiot!"
"Hey now, everyone calm down," Naegi said, trying to diffuse the situation. "No one's getting expelled or imprisoned, at least not yet. We just have some questions for you before we decide what to do."
Once the two students had calmed down, he turned to Kirigiri and nodded at her. "Alright, Vice-Principal Kirigiri, would you like to explain the situation?"
She nodded. "For the past few weeks we've heard rumors of a drug trade in and around Hope's Peak Academy, and naturally we've been investigating. You two have been suspects in the matter for a while, as well as a number of other individuals, both students and outsiders, but this is the first time we've come across conclusive evidence," she explained. "As I'm sure you know, our school's reputation means a lot, so something like this can't be allowed to go unchecked. We expect your full cooperation, especially if you want us to be lenient with your punishment," she finished, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"We would prefer not to have to go to any unnecessary lengths," Naegi said, leaning forward while smiling amicably. "But we need you two to help us help you."
"P-please! I can't be go to prison! I-I need this school, I'll tell you anything you want!" Hirose yelled, throwing himself onto the desk and putting his hands together pleadingly.
Naegi's composure went out the window almost instantly, and even the unflappable Vice-Principal Kirigiri seemed shocked for a moment. Putting his hand over the student's, he tried smiling calmly at him to reassure him, but his grin seemed more panicked than anything.
"H-hey now! No one's getting expelled just yet, we need to ask you some questions before we decide on your punishment, so just cooperate and everything will be okay. Alright?"
Hirose nodded nervously before sitting back in his chair, shaking.
Kirigiri looked down at Iwasa, who seemed as disturbed by this display as the rest of them. "Of course, that goes for you, too. Since you're the one who was selling the drugs in the first place, we'll expect you to answer our questions."
Iwasa looked away, unwilling to make eye-contact, but nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I got it."
Naegi cleared his throat. "Alright, so let's begin with the obvious question. Iwasa, where did you get your drugs from, and why were you selling them?"
Iwasa shifted uncomfortably for a few moments, he briefly considered resistance, but he soon realized that he was screwed either way and decided to try to cooperate and hope for the best. "Th-there's these guys… they hang out near my apartment complex, where my family lives. They tried to sell me some a bunch of times but I kept saying no. One day they asked me if I wanted a cut of the profits a-and I really needed the money so…" he trailed off.
Naegi sighed. "So you agreed to be their middleman for dealing at Hope's Peak?"
Iwasa nodded, hanging his head.
"And besides Hirose here, how many students have you sold drugs to here at school?" Kirigiri asked sternly.
"J-just him. I haven't gotten any other customers yet, and he buys most of my stock anyway so…"
At this, Kirigiri turned her glare to Hirose, who shrunk back and gulped.
"And you, how long have you been taking illegal drugs, and have you been buying them from anyone else?"
Hirose looked like he wanted to cry. "N-no. I just buy them from him. I-I don't know where else to get them…"
"Did you share your drugs with anyone?"
"N-no...I just use them for myself…"
Kirigiri and Naegi shared a glance, then she nodded at him.
Naegi sighed in relief. "Well if you're telling the truth, then that certainly makes things easier. We can stop this before it becomes a major problem," he said happily. "You two are telling the truth right?" he asked with a far more serious tone.
Both students nodded vigorously.
"Excellent!" Naegi said, grinning brightly.
Kirigiri smirked for a moment, and had to hold back a chuckle, but soon returned to her stoic visage. "We're not done here, of course. Eiji Iwasa," she said as she pulled out a pen and a sheet of paper, sliding them over the desk to him, "I want you to write down the names of everyone you know involved in this drug trade."
Iwasa stiffened. "R-right." He picked up the pen and started scribbling down all the names he could think of. Once he was done, he set down the pen and slid over the sheet of paper.
Kirigiri picked it up, scanned over the list of names, then folded it up and placed the paper in her pocket.
"S-so what are you going to do?" Iwasa asked.
"We're not going to do anything," Kirigiri replied. "After handing these names over to the Future Foundation, they'll sort out the problem. Once it's outside of our school, it's no longer our problem to solve."
Hirose spoke up, shifting uncomfortably. "S-so, what's gonna happen to us?"
Naegi sat forward. "Well, since I'm the headmaster, you two are technically my responsibility, which means that I have quite a bit of leeway when it comes to deciding what to do with you."
"And I have quite a bit of leeway when it comes to helping him decide," Kyoko interjected, causing him to scratch his cheek with a small grin. "So I suggest you think very carefully about your answers to our questions."
"H-hold on a sec!" Iwasa spoke up. "I thought we already answered your questions!"
"Those were the questions we were required to ask as part of our jobs," Kyoko responded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "These questions come from us as your teachers."
Clearing his throat, Naegi leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "Why would you do this? You two are lucky enough to be students here. Not everyone get's a chance like this, you know. And you, Hirose, you're living in the campus dorms, why would you risk everything over something like this?"
He looked at both of the students, neither of them answered. Iwasa grumbled under his breath while Hirose looked like he was about to cry. Naegi sighed.
"I've read the reports from your teachers, you know," he said. "You're both bright young men. You have the potential to do great things, and I don't believe either of you are dumb enough to just throw it all away for no good reason. So-"
He was cut off by an outburst from Iwasa. "Look! You don't know anything about us so just skip the speech okay?!"
Naegi was taken aback for a moment, but he soon composed himself and smiled gently at them once again. "Okay. Then help me. Tell me about yourselves. I want to help you two, but I can't do that if you won't let me," he said softly.
"You wouldn't understand…"
Kirigiri narrowed her eyes. "Try us."
To the surprise of everyone in the room, Hirose was the one who spoke up first.
"I...I can still...see them…" he muttered under his breath, sniffling.
"What do you mean?" asked Naegi, his voice tinged with concern.
"I can still see my family sometimes… like they were before...before-" he let out a choked sob and buried his face in his hands.
"B-back when the riots were breaking o-out, we h-hid in our home and tried to j-just wait it out. W-we thought we could just stay hidden-but it didn't w-work!" he explained in between sobs. "They b-broke into our house and-and then they killed them all! All I could do was watch!"
While all of them seemed to be in shock, Naegi was clearly the most shaken out of all of them: his hands shook, his eyes widened and his mouth hung wide open. Kirigiri noticed this and reached her hand out towards him, but pulled back when he recomposed himself.
"I-I just want to forget…the drugs help," he finished, sniffling.
Makoto reached out to place a hand gently atop his student's. "Hirose, I understand how you feel, I really do. But forgetting about your family isn't the right choice."
Hirose looked up at him in shock as the headmaster continued to speak. "Your family was precious to you, right? If they were, then I can understand mourning their loss, but," he said firmly, "forgetting them is not the right thing to do! Are you telling me that you're going to throw away all of the happy memories too?"
Kenji Hirose was at a loss for words, and Eiji Iwasa sat next to him in stunned silence as well. Beside the headmaster, Vice-Principal Kirigiri allowed herself a calm little smile.
"Hirose, I know that it hurts to lose someone you care about. I've lost people too, people who were precious to me…" as Naegi paused to gather himself, Kirigiri placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, her touch making him feel at ease. "I know it can be tempting to just forget all about them, but if you do that, then all the good times you shared will be gone too. You won't gain anything by losing yourself to drugs, and your family will have died for nothing. If you truly loved them, then you need to learn to live with their loss, and carry it with you." He finished his short speech with an encouraging smile.
Hirose's eyes widened. "B-but…how? I can barely even get through a day without remembering them...the way they looked when they were killed right in front of me," he let out a sob. "While I hid like a coward!"
"I never said it would be easy. But it's possible, you just need some help. Here," Naegi said as he pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote down some phone numbers. "There are people here who you can talk to. They can help you, and if that doesn't work, your classmates, your friends, and your teachers are all here for you."
The boy looked at the paper with shaky hands and then glanced at the headmaster uncertainly, who offered him a reassuring smile in return.
"It'll help, trust me."
He nodded his head and stared down at the paper before hanging his head, meekly thanking the headmaster. With that done, Kirigiri turned to address Iwasa.
"And? What reasons do you have for your actions?" she asked stoically.
Iwasa looked away. "If you're expecting some sob story from me you can forget it."
She narrowed her eyes. "If you don't want to explain yourself we can just skip to your punishment…"
He winced, and then nodded his head meekly. "L-look...I just…I just needed the money okay? It's nothing complicated or deep…"
"But why did you need the money?" Naegi asked. "What could possibly so important that you'd risk everything selling drugs for these people?"
Iwasa hung his head and muttered something underneath his breath.
Naegi leaned forward in confusion to hear him better. "Um, sorry, could you repeat that?"
"They need to eat…" he said quietly.
Naegi opened his mouth to speak again, when his eyes widened in realization. His face formed a grim line and his eyes narrowed.
"Iwasa, is your family making you sell drugs so you can afford food?" he asked seriously.
"No!" snapped the boy, causing everyone else to recoil. "Th-they don't know anything about this, okay?! S-so don't blame it on them…"
Naegi sighed in relief and leaned forward. "Okay, so why don't you explain to us what's going on?"
Iwasa gulped, and hesitated for a moment, but a quiet nod from the headmaster and a reassuring smile urged him to speak up. "L-look, Hope's Peak feeds me, and I'm grateful for that, but just because I'm eating doesn't mean the rest of my family is. S-so I needed to find a way to make money, and I couldn't find a job so...when they offered me a cut of the profits I...said yes. My family just thinks I found a part time job, okay? So… please don't tell them."
Kirigiri sighed, rubbing her temples with one hand. "Look, I know that your family is important to you, and it's very selfless of you to work to feed your family but...this isn't the way to do it. Did you really think you'd never be caught?" she asked. "You had to know that eventually someone would find out and you'd have to stop, not to mention suffer the consequences. What were you planning to do when that happened?"
"I-it wasn't supposed to be a permanent thing. I...I was just doing it until my mom or dad could find a job… get back on their feet," he answered. "After things went back to...normal, some people managed to just go back to their lives, but a salary worker like my dad couldn't just walk up to his old office building and ask for his job back. I doubt that building's even still standing."
"There are lots of programs in place to provide relief for the needy," Naegi interjected. "Those programs are set up by the Future Foundation to help people get back on their feet so that things like these don't happen. Why hasn't your family just applied for one of those? I know that the Foundation has a lot of people to provide for, but they have policies in place to make sure everyone gets something to help them."
Iwasa looked away nervously. "M-my family is proud, okay? We don't like to take handouts. If we need or want something we earn it ourselves, that's just the way we are."
"So let me see if I understand you correctly," said Kirigiri, as she began to speak, Naegi pulled out another sheet of paper and began writing. "You and your family are willing to throw away your lives, your chance at a bright future in this academy, your second chance, risk incarceration for you, your family, and others, jeopardize the reputation of this academy, and by extension, the lives of all the students and faculty here. You and your family are willing to do all this…" she quirked an eyebrow, "...because of your family pride?"
Iwasa hung his head in shame, which Kirigiri took as the only response she needed. She turned to Naegi. "Headmaster, would you please give him the numbers?"
"Already done," he responded as he offered Iwasa a sheet of paper with a set of phone numbers on it. "Those numbers will get you and your family in touch with people who can help you, will you promise to give them a call?"
Iwasa took the sheet of paper and stared at it with shaking hands. "I...I don't...Can you promise that you won't tell my parents?"
Naegi looked at Kirigiri, her neutral expression betrayed no emotion, but he was still able to read her and understand her answer just by the slight downward curve of her lips and the slight narrow of her eyes.
"I'm afraid that wouldn't be responsible of me as a teacher," he replied. "Your family needs to understand that they need to accept help, and that not doing so is causing problems." Iwasa opened his mouth to speak but Naegi cut him with a raised hand. "However, if you can convince your family to accept aid without having to tell them about it, then I won't tell them. Regardless, I still believe that they should know what you've been doing, and why you've been doing it," he said sternly.
Iwasa nodded nervously and put the paper in his pocket, mumbling a "thank you" to the headmaster.
"Well, now that that's all done," Naegi said with a bright smile. "I think it's time to discuss your punishments."
The two students both looked up with looks of panicked fear but Naegi offered a reassuring smile in return.
"Don't worry, you're not going to be expelled. Obviously we can't just let this slide, but I think that after what you've told us today, I can be a bit lenient with you. Wouldn't you agree, vice-principal?" he said as he turned to look up at Kirigiri.
Vice-Principal Kirigiri brushed her hair behind her ear and sighed. "Well, normally the punishment for such a crime would be immediate expulsion and perhaps incarceration." The two students felt a jolt of fear run up their spine. Kirigiri smirked lightly and the two of them weren't sure to take it as a sign of relief or as further proof that they were doomed. "But I suppose that since you're the headmaster it's your call."
The two students let out a sigh of relief as the headmaster chuckled. "Well then, I think as headmaster, I'll limit your punishment to...A hundred hours of community service. How's that sound?"
The two students looked at each other, then at the headmaster, then back to each other, then at the vice-principal, back to each other, and then at the headmaster one last time.
"Is...is that it?" Hirose asked nervously.
"Hmmm, I could raise it for you if you really want."
Both students shook their heads vigorously. "No no! It's fine! We're grateful, thank you sir!"
Naegi laughed, and even Kirigiri let out a small chuckle. "Well, after everything you've told us," said the headmaster. "I don't think it would be very fair of me to punish you too severely. It's clear that you're both good kids who were just caught in a bad situation. If you both promise to use the resources I've given you in order to improve, then I think I can let you off with a slap on the wrist this time around. Besides, this list of names will help us stop more people from being victimized, so I figure we owe you something for your help."
"Assuming of course," Kirigiri interjected. "That we can trust you to keep up your end of the bargain, and that this list is trustworthy."
"We can trust you, right?" Naegi asked with a friendly smile, although the implicit threat was not lost on the students.
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Good!" Naegi said cheerfully as he got up from his seat and walked over to the door, followed by Kirigiri and the two students.
"Well then," he said as he opened the door for both students to step out of the office. "I think we're done here. Good luck boys, and I hope you learned something from this."
As both boys left the room, the two of them turned around to address the headmaster and vice-principal.
"Th-thank you for your help, sir, ma'am," Hirose said shakily.
"Y-yeah, really, you… you treated us better than we deserved. Y-you too, ma'am." the other added bashfully, rubbing his neck.
Naegi seemed surprised for a moment, and then scratched his cheek while offering them a small grin. "Um, well, you're very welcome. I'm glad I could help you boys."
"Now get going before you're both late for class," said Kirigiri, smiling lightly.
The two students nodded, thanked them again, and then rushed off to class, leaving Makoto to shut the door and turn to hug Kyoko.
"Great job, Kyoko," he said with a sigh of relief. "I think that went pretty well, don't you?"
She hummed in agreement and wrapped her arms around him, taking comfort in his presence.
Makoto blinked and pulled back to look at her face, frowning. "You… do you think I wasn't tough enough on them?"
Kyoko sighed and pulled away hesitantly, walking to her desk. She sometimes missed the days when she could read him like a book but could hide her own thoughts from him. She wasn't really sure when, but at some point in their relationship he had learned how to read her emotions just from the miniscule changes in her expressions, with such accuracy that even if she wanted to hide her thoughts from him she rarely could. An ironic but not unwelcome twist.
"If I were in your position, I might not have been as lenient as you were," she said softly, crossing her arms and leaning on her desk. Makoto opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "However, I know that this is the kind of person you are, and I wouldn't dream of changing that," she said with a bright smile. "That's just part of what makes you the man I fell in love with."
Makoto grinned from ear-to-ear and wrapped Kyoko up in a bear hug, causing her to giggle as he kissed her repeatedly on the cheek before moving to her lips. When they broke apart, he chuckled. He couldn't stop smiling if he tried, not that he'd ever want to. "Thanks for understanding, Kyoko."
"Don't thank me, after all, you're the one who's going to have to explain this," she said wryly. "I can already see the headlines: 'Hope's Peak Headmaster Allows Drug Dealers to Run Rampant'."
Makoto chuckled as he put an arm around her shoulder and raised one arm. "I think the headlines will be more like: 'Ace Detective Kyoko Kirigiri Brings Down Drug Ring Targeting Hope's Peak', after all, you got the list of names didn't you?"
"I did, yes. But," she said, frowning slightly, "this assumes that the information we got from them is trustworthy."
Makoto pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. "You don't think they were lying, do you?"
"Of course not," she answered. "If I had believed that I wouldn't have let them leave this room. But we do have to account for every possibility."
He nodded, becoming more serious. "Right. If we find that any of the information they gave us is false, or that they don't keep up their end of the deal and contact those numbers I gave them, I'll call them back in. But for now, I think we can believe in them."
"Then that should be enough for now," she said with a smile. "Although you'll probably have to explain to the chairman what happened. He'll probably want a report from you."
Makoto sighed as he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ha-ha... yeah… I'm not looking forward to that phone call."
Kyoko narrowed her eyes dangerously. "If he gives you any trouble, just let me talk to him."
Makoto waved his hands in panic as he tried to reassure his girlfriend. "No no! It's fine, I'm sure he'll understand!" Even after all the work they'd done together and the significant improvement in his attitude, Kyoko still wasn't fond of Munakata, and made no secret of it. Which meant that it was up to Makoto to keep her from starting a fight. "Besides, I can handle myself, you know."
She giggled as she brushed a strand of her behind her ear. "Oh, I know you can. I just like to stand up for you. Being your girlfriend comes with certain responsibilities, as I'm sure you understand."
He let out a light chuckle. "Thanks. Ah! By the way, sorry for making you play bad cop again," he said sheepishly.
Kyoko merely chuckled as she walked away from her desk and towards the wall. "It's fine, I'm used to it by now. Besides, you couldn't be a bad cop to save your life," she teased.
"I can be bad!" he whined.
She quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
As soon as she finished speaking she found herself trapped by Makoto placing his arms on the wall on either side of her, bringing his face close to hers.
She smirked. "Oh my, is this your hidden 'bad' side, Makoto?"
He responded by kissing her, and chuckling. "I don't know, I'd say having an illicit affair with my vice-principal is pretty 'bad' wouldn't you say?"
She giggled before returning the kiss. "Oh? Is that what this is? We'd better be careful then, wouldn't want rumors to start spreading."
"You know, my girlfriend's actually a genius detective, so if we don't lay low she'll probably find out about us," he said in between kisses.
"Oh my, you really are a risk-taker, aren't you?" she said. She gasped as her boyfriend's kisses shifted from her lips to her neck, lingering on her jawline for a moment to kiss the spot where her scar was covered up by make-up.
With a grunt, Kyoko grabbed onto Makoto and turned him around, reversing their positions so that she was pressing him against a wall and kissing his neck. "You know, I noticed that my schedule was surprisingly empty today, aside from this matter," she said as she began to undo his tie, unaware of the way his eyes widened in realization. "I wonder, was that your doing, headmaster? Could it be that you planned for something like this to happen?"
Makoto interrupted her by abruptly pushing her away just as she was about to remove his tie, leaving her to blink in bewilderment. "S-sorry," he said, blushing heavily. "But do you think you could meet me out by our spot after lunch today?"
She blinked in confusion. After a few moments of hesitation, she regained her composure and spoke again. "Very well, then. I'll meet you out there after lunch. The usual place?"
"Y-yeah, right by the flower fields. I've actually got some work to do today, so I want to go get it done as soon as possible so that there aren't any interruptions later," he explained smiling sheepishly as he tried to fix his tie.
Kyoko sighed, but smiled as she moved to help him with his tie. "Here, let me help you. I was the one who undid it, after all."
He craned his neck upwards to give her better access as he thanked her.
"You know, it's rather rude of you to get me in the mood like that and then not let me finish," she teased.
Makoto's entire face turned redder than a tomato. "A-ah! S-sorry about that…"
She giggled. "It's fine, I'm sure you'll make it up to me later."
He chuckled sheepishly. "Y-yeah…"
She shook her head slightly, smiling and stepping away as she finished fixing his tie. "There, all done. Now I'll let you get back to your work, headmaster."
"Thanks Kyoko. Oh, by the way, don't eat too much, I'm setting up a picnic for us!" he said, smiling brightly as he opened the door to his office and stepped out.
"Makoto," she called out to him, stopping him in his tracks once he was halfway out the door. He turned to look at her.
"I love you."
He smiled. "I love you too, Kyoko."
At the faculty lounge, Kyoko sat down at a table with an apple and a glass of water, soon joined by her good friend Aoi Asahina.
"Kyoko! Don't tell me that's all you're eating today!" she scolded as she set down her tray and sat down next to her.
Kyoko smirked in response as she took a sip of water. "Don't worry, Makoto and I are having a picnic later, so I don't want to spoil my appetite."
"Awwwwwww! That's so cute!" she said as she opened her protein shake and took a sip.
Kyoko chuckled. Asahina, like most of their friends, had noticed her and Makoto's feelings for each other a long time ago, and she had been very...eager to see them finally get together. Needless to say, she had been overjoyed when the two of them made their relationship public knowledge.
"So," Asahina said as she leaned in, smirking deviously. "How's your sex life?"
Kyoko replied without missing a beat. "Just fine, thanks. How's yours?"
"Awwww," whined Asahina as she slumped down on the table. "You're no fun anymore. I remember when you and Makoto started going out, you'd get all embarrassed whenever I said anything and start blushing. It was adorable! And it's non-existent, by the way. Thanks for asking."
Kyoko smiled at that. It was true that during the early days of their relationship, she was particularly vulnerable to teasing, prone to blushing madly at even the slightest comment about her relationship with Makoto, something which her friends (Asahina in particular) took great advantage of. Fortunately, after a while she had gotten used to it, and by now the teasing no longer had any effect on her. It still worked flawlessly on Makoto, however.
"Well, after four years of being in a healthy, loving, relationship I see no reason to be embarrassed," she replied, smirking as she took a sip of water and bit down on her apple.
Asahina smiled at her. "Awwww, you two are so cute together! I'm jealous Kyoko, you and Makoto are like the perfect couple!"
She giggled. "Please, we're hardly perfect."
"Oh yeah?" Asahina said. "Name one problem you two have."
Kyoko paused to think. Maybe it was because she was just so happy, but she had trouble thinking of an answer to that. Sure there were small quirks of his which she didn't like very much, and he sometimes made mistakes, but the same was true for her, and it honestly felt like nitpicking to point that out as "problems". Really, the only thing she could think of that qualified as a "problem" was that after four years of being together...he still hadn't proposed.
"Well...I can't really think of any," she lied.
"See! I told you! You two are perfect and adorable."
It wasn't like she needed to lie, Asahina would probably have dismissed any problem she brought up as trivial and said that they were perfect anyway, so it hardly would've made a difference. She just didn't want to talk about that specific problem because, truth be told, it made her feel a bit silly.
It certainly wasn't as if they needed to be married. She wasn't the type of woman who placed great value on the importance of marriage, or who felt that he'd leave her if they didn't get married quickly (the very idea was laughable). To be honest, they were practically married already. They lived together, they were deeply in love with each other, they ate together, they worked together, they slept together, they had been intimate together more times than she could count, and generally spent as much time together as two people could without getting sick of each other (and then some), not to mention the fact that they had promised to live on together for each other's sakes, which might as well have been a marriage vow. The truth was, they were already married in all but name. At this point, marriage was essentially a formality, and being upset that her boyfriend hadn't proposed yet was silly.
But still, it irked her.
She didn't have any reason to be worried, of course. Kyoko was already well aware that had Makoto was planning on proposing at some point. He'd already dropped a couple of not-so-subtle hints in the past few months. The two of them had even decided on how they would handle the matter of their family names upon marriage. Makoto knew how important Kyoko's family name was to her, and how much pride she took in being a Kirigiri detective, so he had insisted on taking her name instead of the other way around. Kyoko had repeatedly assured him that it wasn't necessary for him to do so, saying that he could keep his family name, and even explaining that she wouldn't mind taking his name if he wanted. But when he asked if it would make her happy for him to take her last name, and she'd said yes, that settled it. Makoto wouldn't budge an inch on the matter, and his dedication to her happiness elicited a smile from her whenever she thought about that moment.
More obviously, he had recently invited her grandfather to visit them. After treating him to a nice dinner, Makoto had found time to speak to him in private, and by the time he left, her grandfather was being much friendlier with her boyfriend than she had ever seen him be. It didn't take a detective to figure out that Makoto had taken the opportunity to ask for his blessing, and for permission to become part of the Kirigiri family.
Knowing Makoto, she figured that he had already bought a ring if he had asked for her grandfather's blessing, which probably meant that the only thing stopping him from proposing was himself. She wouldn't be surprised if he was worried that she'd reject him; in spite of her best efforts, he still remained rather insecure about their relationship. There was also the fact that he had a tendency to go above and beyond when it came to her and their relationship, so he was probably waiting for the perfect opportunity to…
Oh.
Oh.
Kyoko dropped the apple she was holding onto the table, her eyes widening in realization as she came to a conclusion that, in hindsight, was incredibly obvious.
If Asahina noticed her friend's epiphany, she didn't say anything, instead, she continued to dig into her lunch. After washing down her food, she turned to her friend and grinned. "Soooooo, Kyoko," she said playfully, lightly elbowing her arm. "When are you and Makoto gonna get married?"
"Well, most likely soon, since I'm expecting him to propose later today."
Her eyes widened and her posture stiffened.
Did I just say that out loud?
A quick glance at Asahina confirmed that yes, she had indeed just said that out loud, judging by the way her eyes were the size of dinner plates and her mouth was forming a perfect "O". Hastily excusing herself from the table, Kyoko rushed out of the cafeteria before she could be caught up in the inevitable explosion that her friend was about to release. By the time she was out of her chair, Asahina's expression had become a wide toothy grin and she was letting out an almost silent squeal of excitement.
Asahina carried on like this, grinning from ear-to-ear, emitting a high-pitched but almost silent squeal like a teapot that was just about ready to be taken off the stove. By the time Kyoko was out of the building and heading towards her meeting with Makoto, Asahina was shaking with excitement, which did not go unnoticed by her students.
Once all of the students lined up for P.E. class, they noticed that instead of starting the class, their coach was just standing in front of them grinning and buzzing with excitement. This wasn't the first time that this had happened, so her students didn't find it too odd. They did, however, know that their teacher was prone to very energetic and very loud bursts of excitement, so they were all hesitant to do anything that might set her off.
One young man, who was braver than the rest, approached his teacher cautiously.
"Um, Coach?" he said, trying to get her attention, to no avail. "Class is about to start. Um… you're doing that thing again, where you...vibrate...and stuff."
Hesitantly, he tried poking her in the arm to see if it would elicit a reaction from his teacher.
The poor boy might as well have set off a bomb.
"SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Makoto jumped as the piercingly loud squeal of joy rang out from the campus. Even from the garden outside the school, he could clearly hear and recognize Asahina's loud squeal of excitement. He began panicking for a minute at the loud noise, before remembering that Asahina only squee'd at things she really liked, and in fact the most common cause of squee-ing was… his relationship with Kyoko.
Crap.
Makoto panicked for a moment before taking a deep breath and reassuring himself that he was safe. There was no way his plan had gotten out, the only person who knew what he was planning was Kyoko's grandfather, and he certainly wouldn't have told anyone, at least, not anyone that could tell Asahina about it. The only way that Asahina could've found out about Makoto's plan was if Kyoko figured it out and told her.
Double-crap.
He sighed. It wasn't that he expected Kyoko to find out about his plan, he couldn't really hide anything from her, but it was nice to pretend for a while. He stuck his hand in his suit's inner pocket for the umpteenth time that day, making sure that the box was still in there. Sure enough, it was, and he sighed in relief. He wasn't expecting it to magically disappear on him, but with his luck, it never hurt to be too careful.
Staring up at the beautiful blue sky above him, Makoto sighed once again as he sat down next to the flowerbed and scratched his head. Maybe coming out an hour early wasn't the best idea. But who could blame him for being impatient? He'd been planning this for months! The moment he'd been waiting years for was finally coming, and he didn't know how much longer he could wait.
With nothing else to do, he bent over and started picking some nearby flowers.
Kyoko made her way down to the garden for her meeting with Makoto, still slightly flushed from her talk with Asahina. She didn't know how she could have blurted out something like that, and the piercing squeal that was clearly audible even as she left the building only reminded her of her little slip-up. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she opened the gate into the garden using her ID card and stepped inside.
The Hope's Peak Academy garden was a sight to behold, a true marvel of nature and the result of a great deal of hard work by the botanist's club along with the entire school. It was practically a small forest in the academy's backyard, trees and plants of varying species grew everywhere, which various critters used as their habitat, and the botanist's club was constantly planting new ones. The garden was even used by certain professional groups as research material. The construction of the garden was a specific request by Headmaster Makoto Naegi halfway into the school's second year, made possible with the help of several volunteer student organizations and clubs, several members of the faculty (including the members of the 78th Class) and files which were recovered from the old academy building written by the former Ultimate Botanist, Santa Shikaba. Makoto was immensely proud of the school's accomplishment, calling it the "Crown Jewel of the New Hope's Peak". However, as impressive as the garden was, Kyoko was interested in one particular part of it.
At the center of the garden was a huge field of grass and flowers, which was their favorite part of the garden. On Makoto's suggestion, the two of them had gone there on a romantic outing, since the garden was normally restricted to unauthorized personnel (which, since they ran the school, meant they could go in more-or-less whenever they wanted and have it all to themselves), and it had since become a common meeting spot for them whenever they needed time alone but didn't want to be locked up in her office. Their most common activity while at the flower fields was making each other flower crowns. It had started off as a silly little way to pass the time when they were still high schoolers living normal lives, his idea, of course. Then when they found the garden, she'd dozed off for a minute, and when she woke up, there was a flower crown on her head, just as he finished making a matching one for himself, wearing the dorkiest most adorable smile she'd ever seen. Since then, it had become a sort of tradition for them. It was silly, and goofy, and childish, and she loved it. Not to say that they spent all their time making flower crowns, they did all sorts of things in their private little hideaway, ranging from picnics to talking to laying on the grass, and all the other things that couples generally do. They'd even tried making love there once, and in the process had learned that sex was really meant to be done indoors.
It was here in their own little private paradise that Kyoko found her boyfriend, already kneeling by the flower beds with a picnic basket and blanket laid on the ground beside him, picking flowers and arranging them into a crown.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said as she approached.
He jumped in surprise, but beamed as he turned to her. "Kyoko! It's fine, you're not late, I was excited so I just got here really early," he said as he stood up and walked over to her to wrap her in a hug.
Kyoko smiled warmly as she returned the hug and met him in a kiss. She flushed as she pulled away a moment later. "So, you said you wanted to show me something?" she said with a calm smile, masking her excitement.
Makoto blushed brightly as he responded with a nervous smile. "Um...well, I was thinking that we should eat first, here," he said as he retrieved the basket and opened it up to pull out a bottle of wine. "I bought your favorite, and I made us lunch, too."
Kyoko smiled as he handed her a glass and uncorked the bottle to pour wine into it. She thanked him and helped him set up their food on the blanket, before taking a sip of her wine and smiling.
"Oh my, Makoto, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to intoxicate me," she joked, laying down on the blanket.
"Only with my love," he joked back, causing her to laugh.
"You are such a dork."
"And you love me for it."
She giggled again, raising her glass. "Well I suppose I can't argue with that," she said as they toasted.
An hour or so later, the pair of lovebirds had finished their picnic and were relaxing on the grass together. Bathing in the sunlight and enjoying the cool breeze. As they laid hand-in-hand, each of them wearing a flower crown that the other had made, Kyoko sighed in contentment and turned to look at her boyfriend. The bottle of wine was currently resting in the basket, only half-full, as they had decided against finishing the bottle for fear of risking intoxication. As it was, Kyoko had drunk enough wine that she couldn't really be considered drunk, but just enough to make her feel bold enough to grab him by the tie and pull him towards her to capture his lips in a passionate kiss. Makoto was shocked for a moment, but quickly regained his wits and wrapped his arms around her as he returned the kiss. Feeling encouraged, she playfully bit down on his lower lip, causing him to gasp slightly, giving her tongue an opening into his mouth, an intrusion which Makoto wholeheartedly accepted.
Rolling over so that Kyoko was underneath him, Makoto broke the kiss to give her a quick peck on the cheek, then on the ear, and trailing down to her jawline, lingering for a moment on her hidden scar, before going down towards her neck. Each kiss elicited a soft giggle from Kyoko, until she gasped when he reached her neck. She grabbed onto his hair and pushed him forward, urging him on, but, to her disappointment, he stopped after a few more kisses to her neck and raised himself up.
"You know...if this goes any further, we're gonna have to go inside," he said breathily, flushed and panting.
"Would that be so bad?" she asked, removing one of her gloves before placing her hand on his cheek. "You still need to repay me for earlier."
Nuzzling his hand against her cheek affectionately, he smiled at her before sitting up and pulling her up with him so that she was sitting on his lap. "Well…" he said, blushing. "I still have something I want to show you."
Her expression brightened and she leaned forward. "Show me, then," she whispered.
Makoto sighed, her reaction more-or-less cementing the fact that she knew what he was planning, but he smiled brightly and stood up, pulling her up with him. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he looked at her seriously. "Alright, could you close your eyes?"
Kyoko blinked curiously, but smiled and nodded her head as she closed her eyes. She heard a rustling sound in front of her, a slight click, and a few moments later she felt Makoto take her ungloved hand in his. She smiled in anticipation, then, to her confusion, she felt something cold and metallic on her wrist. For a brief moment, she felt herself return to the old Future Foundation Headquarters, but her beloved's soft voice carried her back to reality.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Kyoko's eyes opened, and she gasped at what she saw. Around her wrist was a golden bracelet, with a single diamond embedded in the middle of it. Pulling her hand up to inspect it closely, she marvelled at the beauty of it as it shone in the sunlight. Her eyes widened as she noticed an engraving on the bottom side of it. Turning her hand so she could read it clearly, she gasped as she saw what it said.
You are my hope
I will always be by your side
"I know it's kind of cheating since they're your words, but… I always wanted to say them back to you."
Kyoko looked up at Makoto, and saw that he was wearing a matching bracelet on his wrist, sans the diamond, he smiled at her.
"Do you like it? I-I know this sort of thing is usually done with a ring, b-but I thought that would be uncomfortable for you with your gloves, so I, uh, improvised," he said with a warm smile, blushing brightly.
"It's...beautiful, thank you, Makoto," she said, smiling at him, and biting her lip in excitement.
"I'm glad you like it, but I'm not done yet," he replied eagerly, grinning smiling nervously.
Makoto took her hand in his, and got down on one knee. She gasped, and her smile widened. He cleared his throat before beginning.
"Kyoko Kirigiri, I know this is long overdue, but I want you to know that you are the light of my life. Meeting you is the best thing that's ever happened to me, you've been there for me through thick and thin. Seeing you reminds me that no matter what struggles we go through, or what dangers we face, as long as we can still believe in hope for tomorrow, it'll all be worth it. You make me feel like I'm someone special, someone who can really make a difference, I'm never happier than when I'm with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Kyoko, you are my hope, I love you with every fiber of my being." He gulped, and took a deep breath, before continuing. "That's why I want- no, need, to ask: Kyoko Kirigiri, will you marry me?"
Tears of joy welled up in Kyoko's eyes, and she covered her mouth with her free hand to hold back a sob, but even that wasn't enough to hide her smile. "Do you even have to ask?"
Makoto chuckled. "Well, maybe not, but I thought it would be nice if I did. So, what's your answer?"
In response, Kyoko tackled him to the ground and kissed him as she wrapped her arms around him, a gesture he wholeheartedly returned. "Yes!" she said as she broke off the kiss, tears flowing freely and dripping onto his face. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"
Laughing with glee, Makoto pressed another kiss to her lips before pulling back and wiping away the tears that streamed down her face by kissing them, even as he began to tear up himself. "Kyoko," he said, sniffling as the tears began to flow freely. "I promise to make you the happiest woman in the entire world."
Kyoko laughed, imitating him by kissing away his tears. "You already have," she said as she nuzzled her forehead against his.
"Then I promise to make you happier than you ever thought possible!" he replied eagerly, kissing her again.
She giggled at his enthusiasm, but returned the kiss, putting her ungloved hand on his cheek. "That's quite a promise to make, I sure hope you intend to keep it. But still, I expect great things from you...Makoto Kirigiri."
Couple bits of interesting trivia that I couldn't fit into the story.
1) How can Makoto afford a pair of solid gold bracelets with a diamond large enough to look like a scaled-up wedding ring? Togami's standard birthday gift is a tv-style giant check with a ludicrous amount of money on it, so the whole 78th Class (Minus Hagakure because he's an excessive spender who blows all his money on crystal balls and shit) has enough money saved up to retire, Makoto dipped into his retirement fund.
2) What inspired Makoto to make a forest behind his schools? He got Kyoko some flowers once as a gift, and while thanking him she off-handedly made a casual comment about wanting to plant some more flowers around the school. Since Makoto does not even know the meaning of the word "chill" this eventually devolved into planting an entire forest.