The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: How I Met Your Mother (And How I Met Your Father)
Trust Arc
Chapter Fourteen: Jutaro's Accomplice? Makoto's First Trial!
Present Day
"So…if you two weren't going to confess…and you still needed to talk about being friends…then what did happen next?"
Makoto tapped his chin before recalling "Let's see…it was then that your grandfather came in to check on us…"
April 20, 2014
"Sorry, am I interrupting anything?"
Makoto blushed, the two letting go of each other's hands as he stammered "No! N…nothing, Headmaster."
Kyoko turned to face her father and responded "It's fine. Was there something you needed, Headmaster?"
Makoto frowned, looking at Kyoko curiously as he pondered Why doesn't she call him her father? I mean, I get sticking to his title during a class or school ceremony…but were in private in the infirmary. Kyoko…do you really hate your father like he feared?
Jin's soft smile turned into a serious frown as he nodded, confirming "Yes, actually there is." Standing at the foot of Kyoko's bed, he continued "I'd like to discuss in more detail what happened. The police told me on the phone when Makoto brought you here that the culprit you were chasing ambushed you. I'd like to know exactly how they managed that." A proud smile tugged on his lips as he commented "It's not every day that a culprit is able to get the drop on my daughter like that."
For the briefest of moments, Makoto noticed another conflicted expression flicker across Kyoko's face before she steeled herself, explaining "When Makoto and I were ambushed, Jutaro boasted about how one of his associates helped him escape from jail and kept tabs on us so that he could be informed of our whereabouts."
Nodding, Jin replied "I see…any idea who it could have been? Is there a chance it could have been one of my staff?"
Shaking her head, Kyoko answered "It's impossible to say. Jutaro never mentioned anything about his accomplice during our duel. In fact, we never found a single clue as to who his accomplice might have been."
Makoto's eyes widened, focusing on that last sentence as he flashed back to their investigation, realizing Wait…she didn't see it, but he did leave a clue! "No, that's wrong!"
Both Kirigiris turned to face Makoto, the Ultimate Detective staring at him incredulously as she repeated "That's…wrong?"
Nodding, Makoto explained "Kiri, do you remember when I rushed down in a panic and urged us to tail it out of there?" Seeing Kyoko nod, Makoto continued "While I was investigating the bedrooms on the second floor, I came across a diary, one I think I can safely assume belonged to Jutaro. In one of the diary entries, Jutaro wrote down a name when referencing someone he was regularly in contact with; Taro."
Absorbing this new information, Jin commented "But I don't have any staff on my payroll named Taro. Kyoko, do you have any idea who this Taro might be?"
Shaking her head, Kyoko admitted "I've spent most of my days off the school grounds doing Detective work, so I'm afraid I don't know the names of most of your staff, let alone be able to make any connections…"Kyoko sighed and reflected "I suppose this is a shortcoming of my decision to cut class…The most I could suggest is that maybe this Taro might be a close friend or a relative, but I can't say for certain…"
Makoto started to focus on her last sentence, musing Wait…relative…Jutaro…Taro…Now I understand! Makoto turned to Jin and asked "Headmaster Kirigiri, could you maybe have one of your staff brought in here? I have a hunch, but I need to confirm a few things first."
Kyoko stared at Makoto incredulously, wondering Is it possible? Could Makoto…have deduced the culprit…?
Equally stunned, Jin slowly nodded and answered "O…okay, Makoto. But who should I have Juzo escort?"
XXX
Present Day
"You mean you solved the mystery…before Mommy did?"
Nodding, Kyoko explained "Understand, Kiki, that I was unable to solve the mystery of Jutaro's accomplice because I had made the choice to cut class. Your father on the other hand was a model student; he never missed a single class and because of that, he was privy to information that I had voluntarily become ignorant to. That's why I don't want you cutting school, Kiki. I don't want you to repeat my mistakes. Do you understand?"
Nodding, Kiki answered "I…I think I get it, Mommy."
Smiling, Kyoko leaned down to kiss her hair, murmuring "Good." Turning to her husband, she urged "Makoto, would you please continue?"
"Yeah, Daddy! Who was the bad guy who tried to hurt Mommy?"
Nodding, Makoto started "Let's see…it wasn't long before Juzo came back, and struggling in his grip was…"
XXX
April 20, 2014
"Hey! Let me go! What did I do?"
The trio shifted their gaze to the entrance, where Juzo was dragging a struggling Shutaro by the arm before tossing him into the middle of the room.
Seething, Shutaro stood up, dusting off his pants and straightening his tie before complaining "Headmaster! Your chief of security just kidnapped me and dragged me here for no reason!"
Jin gently explained "I ordered him to bring you here. We just have a few urgent questions to ask you and if everything checks out, then you can go and I'll personally apologize for the misunderstanding."
Scoffing, Shutaro conceded "…Whatever…so, what do you want to ask me?"
Turning to face the Ultimate Lucky Student, Jin offered "Makoto, you have the floor. Go right ahead."
Ignoring Shutaro's incredulous stare, Makoto nervously stepped forward, starting "Fukuka-sensei, do you have any siblings?"
"What's that got to do with anything? First you have me dragged here against my will, then you have this kid ask me nonsensical questions? Just what the hell is this?"
"Just answer the question, Shutaro."
Grumbling, Shutaro answered "No, I'm an only child. Don't have any sisters, don't have any brothers…"
Makoto focused on that last statement, objecting "No, that's wrong!"
The already grumpy Shutaro felt his blood boiling, admonishing Makoto "Kid, didn't your parents teach you not to correct, or interrupt for that matter, your elders?"
Jin decided to intervene, defending "If he decided to refute your claim, then he must have a reason. I'll allow it; continue, Makoto."
Nodding gratefully at the Headmaster, Makoto explained "You might have noticed by now that I come to class every day, Fukuka-sensei. I'm always one of the first ones there, and one of the last ones to leave. Because of that, I've noticed that almost like clockwork, you're on your cell phone before and after each class, talking to someone you address as brother."
Jin's eyes narrowed as he asked "Shutaro, is this true? Were you lying when you said you didn't have any brothers?"
Sighing, Shutaro admitted "Alright, yeah, I have a brother. I just…look, we're not close, alright? We've only just started to reconnect, so we kind of haven't told anyone. Anyway, what does my sibling status have to do with anything?"
Taking a deep breath, Makoto explained "Yesterday, Kyoko Kirigiri and I were working on a case when we were ambushed by Jutaro Akafuku. He boasted about how an accomplice helped him break out of jail and kept tabs on us. He also kept a diary where he referenced someone named Taro. Fukuka-sensei, Jutaro Akafuku is your brother, isn't he?"
Kyoko and Jin's eyes widened in shock at Makoto's accusation as Shutaro started to growl in fury "That's it, you brat! I've tolerated your stupid questions long enough, but this? Hello? Is there a brain in there? Akafuku and I have different last names! There's no way two unmarried siblings can have different last names!"
"No, that's wrong!"
Shutaro froze with fury as Makoto explained "Two siblings can have different last names. In fact, there's a pair of them that you should know by now."
"Who? Who do I know who are siblings that have different last names?!"
"In my class, there are two individuals in particular who fit those conditions; Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba. They're twin sisters, but have different last names."
Nodding, Jin commented "Koichi should have told you that while you've been shadowing him these past two weeks. In fact, he said that he told you that every day for the first week just to make sure you wouldn't forget."
Huffing, Shutaro retorted "Fine, I remember now. Okay, so two siblings can have different last names, but there's no such connection between me and Akafuku…"
"No, that's wrong!"
Shutaro stumbled back, taken off guard by Makoto's repeated refutations of his claims.
"Wh…what…"
"There are actually two such connections between you and Jutaro."
Before Shutaro could angrily shout, Jin interjected gently "What are these connections, Makoto?"
Nodding, Makoto explained "First, we need to compare their last names. You see, I remember from the first day that the final "a" sound in Fukuka is elongated. Most English speakers would simply translate it as Fukuka for brevity, but if you were to translate it into romaji, then it's actually spelled as Fukukaa, similarly to how Kyoko would actually be spelled as Kyouko or Kyooko."
Kyoko sat there stunned at Makoto's deduction, admiring I wouldn't have even thought of comparing their names…
Oblivious to Kyoko's thoughts, Makoto continued "So, if you were to rearrange the letters, then Fukukaa would then spell Akafuku. It's an anagram!"
"Th…that's not…"
Nodding with an impressed gleam in his eyes, Jin inquired "And the second connection?"
Nodding, Makoto explained "That connection is done by comparing their first names. Specifically, the kanji readings."
"Kanji? What the hell do kanji readings have to do with this?"
"I didn't think of it before, but the name Jutaro, when written in its most common kanji form…the first kanji can be read as Ju, but it could just as easily be read as Shu. In other words, Jutaro and Shutaro can be written the exact same way, and none of us would have noticed!"
"Th…those are just…coincidences…" Shutaro turned to Jin and pleaded "Headmaster, I swear, this kid's got it all wrong!"
Shaking his head, Jin refuted "If it was just one coincidence, it would be one thing. But when it's one after another after another…it turns a possibility to a probability. Plus, your initial fib combined with everything else makes me very hesitant to cast doubt on Makoto's claims."
As Makoto nodded gratefully at Jin, Shutaro started to sweat, stammering "e…even if our na…names are si…similar…I'm not…not Akafuku's br…brother. And I haven't been…ke…keeping tabs on Makoto and Ky…Kyoko…"
"No, that's wrong!"
Gasping in shock once more, Shutaro froze in fear as Makoto explained "Yesterday morning, when Kyoko and I left the campus, I saw a shadow for a brief second in the distance behind me. At the time, I thought that my excitement and nervousness over getting to help Kyoko with her Detective work was putting my imagination to work. But, Fukuka-sensei, that was you wasn't it? You were tailing me on my way there from breakfast, and you called Jutaro after we left to let him know that we were heading for the hideout and everything was going according to plan…isn't that right?"
"That's not…that's impossible…I…I…"
"Shutaro…" Jin's eyes hardened, a paternal anger swimming in his pupils as he gently demanded "Tell us what happened…now…"
Seeing Shutaro struggle to open his mouth and speak, Makoto interjected "Headmaster Kirigiri…if I may…I'd like to offer what I think happened…how these events unfolded…"
Mulling it over for a moment, Jin nodded, seeing that Shutaro wasn't going to be talking anytime soon, gently urging "Go ahead, Makoto. Tell us how this case unfolded."
Nodding, Makoto prepared himself Well…here goes… Taking a deep breath, Makoto narrowed his eyes and declared "Here's exactly what happened!"
"This case dates back to March, before I even set foot in Hope's Peak Academy. Jutaro Akafuku was arrested for robbery and sent to prison. Because I had an inadvertent hand in getting him locked up, Jutaro secretly swore revenge on me. To that end, he called in some help to carry out his crime. And that person…was his own brother, and the culprit in this case!"
"They concocted a plan where the culprit would get themselves hired as a teacher at Hope's Peak Academy, to keep tabs on me until Jutaro was free. A few weeks later, after they had been hired for about a week, through means unknown, Jutaro sprang the first phase of his plan. He murdered one of the guards and broke out, retreating to an abandoned hideout."
"Shortly after this, Kyoko was put on as the lead Detective on this case, and approached me. She asked for my help in investigating a group of hideouts to narrow down Jutaro's location, and I agreed. But what we didn't know was that the culprit was listening in on out conversation, and informed Jutaro of the new circumstances."
"Next, I met up with Kyoko yesterday and we left for the abandoned hideout. And just like before, the culprit tailed us, and informed Jutaro that we were on our way there, letting him know that it would soon be time to put the next phase of his revenge plan into action. Not long after we started investigating, Jutaro ambushed us. It was a trap; by luring us to one of the abandoned hideouts, and by having the culprit keep him in the loop about when we were heading to investigate the hideouts, Jutaro would be able to kill us both, ensuring his revenge on me, and eliminating one of the few Detectives who could track him down."
Makoto turned to look at the Ultimate Detective, a sliver of guilt entering his heart as he silently berated himself for inadvertently putting Kyoko in mortal danger.
Shaking the thought from his mind, Makoto continued "But then things stopped going to plan. Kyoko subdued Jutaro, giving me time to escape and call the police for backup. As a last-ditch effort, Jutaro set the hideout on fire, and the collapsing architecture prevented Kyoko from escaping. I then rushed back in, and carried Kyoko outside, bringing her back to Hope's Peak to be treated."
"The culprit didn't know we had escaped with our lives, and as a result failed to prepare an alibi to throw suspicion off their trail."
Makoto's eyes hardened in anger, glaring at Shutaro with a fury that made even Juzo quake in his boots as he raised his right hand, pointing at a shocked and terrified Shutaro as he accused "Isn't that right, Shutaro Fukuka?"
Shutaro's expression of denial shattered, making way for one of extreme disbelief, shaking with fear and anger at the boy who dared to accuse him.
XXX
Present Day
"So it was that new teacher that wanted to hurt you and Mommy?"
Nodding, Kyoko answered "That's right, Kiki. Luckily for us, your father was able to put the pieces together and expose him, saving me in the process."
"YAY, DADDY!" Kiki praised, squealing with proud glee at her father's achievement.
Chuckling with a hint of embarrassment, Makoto blushed, scratching his cheek as he tried to wave it off "It…it was nothing…"
Chuckling with amusement, Kyoko mused "All these years and you're still as humble as ever…" She then leaned over her daughter, pecking Makoto on the lips before encouraging him "But whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, you're our hero, sweetie."
Makoto blushed even redder, a bashful smile tugging at his lips as he thanked "Thanks, honey…"
Evidently having had enough of her parents' mushy interactions, Kiki interrupted "So, don't keep me waiting! What happened next?"
Finally recovering from his blush, Makoto ruffled his daughter's hair, telling her "Tomorrow, Kiki. Tomorrow we'll continue."
Sighing in resignation, Kiki nestled into her pillow, leaving her parents to tuck her in and kiss her good night. It wasn't long before Kiki yawned, quickly pulled into slumber.
Kyoko turned to face her husband, offering seductively "Shal we head to bed as well, my Junior Detective?"
Grinning, Makoto wrapped his arm around her waist, replying "Whatever you wish, Naegi-sensei."
Playfully slapping his shoulder, Kyoko led them out of Kiki's room, Makoto closing the door behind them as they retreated to their room.
