The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: How I Met Your Mother (And How I Met Your Father)

Despair Arc

Chapter Eight: Class 78th's Talent Exams?!

Present Day

"So what happened next, Daddy?"

"Well, a few days later, Taka had approached me after your Mother and I had breakfast and insisted that the two of us needed to speak to the Headmaster immediately. When I asked him why, he simply said that he'd tell me when we got there and dragged me off."

"And you didn't try to stop him, Mommy?"

"…I was confused, but I trusted that Taka didn't have any malicious reasons to speak with your Father and Grandfather."

Nodding, Makoto continued "Once we got in and had your Grandpa Jin's attention, Taka finally began to explain…"

XXX

May 4, 2015

"We need to schedule our final exams for the year, Headmaster, sir!"

Taka bowed as Makoto sweatdropped, deadpanning I should have expected this…

Jin sighed and told him "Kiyotaka, while your enthusiasm is admirable…there aren't any teachers left to give any exams. Even if I had them already printed out to give you, I'm an administrator, not a teacher."

"I'm aware of that sir! But even though we can't have a traditional exam…we have spent over a year honing our talents, so surely we can have some kind of substitute for our Talent Exam!"

His eyes flashing in interest, Jin asked with a slight smile on his lips "…What did you have in mind, Kiyotaka?"

His interest admittedly piqued as well, Makoto listened as Taka suggested "Sir, perhaps we could demonstrate our talents before you in a…talent show kind of format…and you could grade our performances."

"Hmm…" Jin closed his eyes in contemplation for a few seconds before opening them and answering "Well…I can't make the grades official…but I suppose I could give them out for purely symbolic purposes…"

"I'll take what I can get, sir!"

Jin turned to Makoto and asked "Makoto, you're the Class Representative, so I'll leave the final decision up to you. Are you on board with Kiyotaka's request?"

Seeign Taka's pleading stare, and honestly not having anything better to do due to being trapped in the school, Makoto caved "Alright, I suppose it could be a fun diversion. Perhaps we could hold it at the end of the month so everyone could have time to prepare?"

Jin nodded "That sounds fair." Turning back to Taka, Jin added "I will have to be fairly lenient in my grading, since our resources in this shelter are limited, but it looks like you have your talent exhibition."

Taka bowed and thanked "Thank you Headmaster! Thank you Professor Makoto! I'll be sure to tell everyone the good news!"

In a flash, Taka raced out, Makoto calling out "Taka! No running in the halls!"

Unfortunately, all that was left of Taka was a dust cloud, leaving Makoto and Jin to sweatdrop as Makoto deadpanned Who knew I'd be telling Taka to follow rules… Makoto sighed as he murmured "Well…I'd better go tell the others too…"

Jin smiled and nodded, wishing him "Good luck, Makoto. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of talent show you and your classmates show me."

Yeah…me too… Makoto thought as he gulped, turning around and walking out with nervous excitement.

XXX

Present Day

"You guys got to put on a talent show! That sounds so cool! I bet you and Mommy stole the show!"

Makoto scratched his cheek as he disappointed "Actually, Kiki…we almost didn't even participate at all…"

Gaping, Kiki asked "But why, Daddy?!"

It was Kyoko who explained "Well, it was a couple weeks later that we found out the other wasn't going to participate. You see, I had just come across him in the Dining Hall when…"

XXX

May 17, 2015

Kyoko frowned as she walked in, hoping to share a nice lunch with her boyfriend. Instead, she saw an anxious, contemplative expression on his face as she sat down with her coffee.

She waved her hand in front of his eyes and asked "Hello? Earth to Makoto, are you in there?"

Makoto gasped, startled by her sudden appearance as he scolded "Kami, Kyoko, don't do that!"

"…My apologies, but you seemed lost in thought and didn't notice that I had sat down in front of you."

Makoto's expression softened as he apologized "S…sorry…I've just been trying to figure out what to do for the talent show and I can't come up with anything! I mean…my talent was Luck; I got picked at random from a lottery to come here! And usually my luck is terrible! How am I gonna come up with an act when my talent isn't really a talent?!"

Kyoko frowned sympathetically as she realized I can't truly understand how Makoto feels…even if it's not something easily demonstrated, I still have my Detective talents…but Makoto, at least in the Steering Committee's eyes…has no such talent…he got in on luck alone. But even so…

Kyoko reached for his hands and threaded their fingers together, causing him to look up at her and her reassuring smile.

"You say that…but I disagree. Your luck saved my life multiple times; even if you can't rely on it, it's always gotten you out of a pinch whenever you needed it to. You've always come through for me before; I have no doubt you'll come through for this too."

"Kyoko…" Makoto smiled and nodded "Thanks, Kyoko…I just gotta think harder and I'll come up with something!" As Kyoko beamed at seeing his self-confidence return, Makoto asked "So ano…if you don't mind telling me…what are you going to do for the talent show?"

"…I'm not participating."

Makoto gaped as he spluttered "H…huh?! But…why not?!"

Kyoko frowned as she explained "Makoto, my talents are designed to be utilized from the shadows. I was able to make my abilities visible enough for Hope's Peak to notice, but they're not something I can just show off on a whim."

"You still have that case file I gave you?" Makoto and Kyoko turned to see Jin, a sheepish smile on his face as he apologized "Sorry, I came to grab a sandwich and I couldn't help but overhear. Kyoko, do you still have that fake case file I gave you?"

"…Yes, what of it?" Kyoko cautiously asked, unsure of where her Father was going with this.

Jin smiled and replied "Well, you could give a lecture about the various parts of a case file and explain their significance."

Makoto's eyes sparkled with excitement as he urged "Do it, Kyoko! I know you showed me, but honestly some of it still goes over my head, so if nothing else I'd love to hear you fully explain it to us!"

Makoto's enthusiasm made her cave; she sighed "…Well, I don't have any better ideas, so…alright, I'll participate." Turning to her Father with a glare, she warned "Of course, I fully expect you to grade my performance fairly, and not to show favoritism to family."

Jin held his hands up in surrender as he defended "Hey, I've always been fair in my decisions as a Headmaster. I just don't want my daughter to feel left out is all." Analyzing the look in his eyes, Kyoko slowly nodded, accepting his explanation before Jin excused himself "Well, I'd better go get that sandwich. I'll be looking forward to both of your performances."

As they watched Jin disappear, Makoto turned back to Kyoko, squeezing her hands as he told her "I'm really excited to see your performance, Kyoko!" I just hope I'll come up with something that's remotely enjoyable…

XXX

Present Day

"So what did you do, Daddy?"

"I'll get to that soon, pumpkin." Seeing Kiki pout, Makoto chuckled before continuing "Anyway, after two weeks, the talent show was upon us. I made a few opening remarks as Class Representative, then sat back down next to your Mother as…"

XXX

May 31, 2015

Kyoko smiled at Makoto as he sat in the chair next to her, Makoto returning her smile before they both turned their gazes back to the stage as Sayaka walked up on stage, clad in her frilly white and pink idol costume as she bowed with a microphone in hand.

"Hi, everyone!" She greeted with a pure smile "It's so good to see you all! So, for my talent, I'm going to sing a brand new single that I came up with, one that will never be released in an album, jut for you guys!"

Makoto grinned excitedly as he thought Oh boy! A song just for US?! Komaru's gonna be SO JEALOUS once we see each other again!

Kyoko chuckled with amusement on her face as Sayaka continued "Okay, One, Two, Three!"

XXX

Sayaka's single went off without a hitch, with Makoto and Leon yelling for an encore by the end of it. Jin unfortunately had to spoil their fun by telling them that they still had other acts to get through. With some rather cute pouts from the two boys, Sayaka giggled as she made her way off stage.

With that out of the way, the other students proceeded with their acts. Mukuro demonstrated her weapon skills with one of the kendo swords from the dojo, while Junko wore one of her old photoshoot outfits and walked back and forth across the stage like it was a runway, smirking as she caught the attention of the more perverted and still single male classmates.

From there, Leon got on stage and repeatedly threw baseballs against a faraway wall at a blinding speed, impressing his classmates as he caught them when they bounced back without even batting an eye. Chihiro, after making them promise not to tell anyone, finally showed Alter Ego to her classmates, explaining the AI's functions, much to everyone' amazement, save for Kyoko who had already seen it.

Mondo then took to the stage and gave a brief lecture about what it meant to be a Crazy Diamond and his responsibilities in leading the gang, since he didn't have the resources to give an actual demonstration. Next up was Taka, who also gave a brief, yet passionate lecture about what the Public Morals Committee did and the importance of maintaining order and compliance within the school. Most of his classmates rolled their eyes but said nothing as he bowed and walked off stage.

Hifumi walked up next, dragging a small table up the stairs while a pencil and rolled-up paper sheet were stuffed into his pocket. Without even a word, he unrolled the paper from his pocket and gripped his pencil. With an energetic gleam in his eyes, he started scribbling on the paper faster than their eyes could keep up with. Barely a minute had passed when he slammed down his pencil, holding up his paper victoriously for everyone to see.

HOW DID HE DO THAT SO FAST?! Everyone thought as they saw a completely sketched and shaded one-page manga panel.

Hifumi grinned proudly as he walked off stage, Celeste walking up in his place with a deck of cards in hand. Making use of Hifumi's table, she shuffled the deck and dealt five cards on the table, correctly guessing each one. Giggling in the face of their shocked stares, she elegantly made her way off stage. Sakura walked up next and, similarly to Mukuro, showed off several martial arts maneuvers, her last punch braking Hifumi's table in half, much to his shock and despair.

After briefly apologizing and promising to fix it later, Sakura walked off stage, leaving Makoto to ponder Okay, so that leaves Byakuay, Hina, Toko, Hiro, Kyoko, and me. I wonder what Byakuya will do for his talent…

XXX

Everyone watched as Byakuya pulled a dolly up the stairs, a black curtain obscuring its contents.

Byakuya smirked and announced "Consider yourselves fortunate, commoners, for you are about to witness just the smallest shred of evidence as to why I have earned the title of Ultimate Affluent Progeny and heir to the Togami Corporation."

Without another word, Byakuya yanked the curtain behind him, watching with satisfaction as their eyes widened at the mountain of monetary bills stacked on top of the dolly.

"Th…that's a whole lotta cash! As ex…expected of Ma…Master!"

Byakuya nodded "Ten Million U.S. Dollars' worth of cash, to be accurate." Hiro and Celeste stared with greed in their pupils as he gloated "Of course, this is only a small fraction of my assets. When the Tragedy has run its course and the stock market opens up, I will be investing this small amount to bring the Togami Corporation to greater heights than it has ever known before. That is my prowess as Ultimate Affluent Progeny, and heir to the Togami Corporation. For now though, this small deposit will stay guarded in my room so that certain individuals…" Byakuya glared at Hiro and Celeste, who smiled uneasily and politely respectively, as he finished "Can't get the grubby claws on it."

With that, Byakuya covered up his pile of money and wheeled it back to his room, nobody noticing the interested stare from a certain Fashionista as they waited for him to come back so they could resume the Talent Show.

XXX

Once Byakuya had returned, they all took a quick field trip to the pool where Hina, still in her standard outfit, dived into the pool and swam several laps around an obstacle course that she had set up. Everyone sweatdropped and sighed, smiling with amusement as they were far used to Hina's love for swimming by now.

Once she got out of the water and had changed into a dry set of clothes in the locker room, they made their way back to the gym. Toko went next, getting up on-stage and, miraculously without stuttering once, read a chapter of a new novel that she was working on.

Yep, that's the new novel she showed me that one time. It's really good and I'm glad she gathered the courage to show it to everyone…but man, it's still so dark it could give the Tragedy a run for its money… Makoto thought as he shivered in unison with everyone else, both amazed by the quality and poetic prose of her writing, and somewhat terrified by the horrific subject matter contained within its pages.

Once she got off after mumbling about how they must have hated it since they shivered, Hiro got up next and gave them a prediction about how they would all survive the Tragedy and lead luxurious lives.

I sure hope you're right, Hiro… Makoto thought as he prayed that Hiro was actually right this time. That just leaves me and Kyoko.

XXX

Kyoko walked nervously on stage, trembling as she carried the case file on stage. Although she could stare down the most hardened of criminals without even flinching, she had a secret that not even Makoto knew; she easily got stage fright.

Dammit, I'm used to presenting in front of the Chief or a criminal I'm interrogating, not an audience! The only reason I could sing in front of all those people last year was because Sayaka guided me! How am I… She saw Makoto's encouraging smile and took a deep breath, steeling her nerves and telling herself You can do this, Kyoko. Makoto's right there, and these are your friends and classmates. This is your element; you'll do fine! You'll do fine…

Kyoko took a deep breath and held up the manilla folder for everyone to see.

"As the Ultimate Detective, it's rather difficult to show you my talent in action. However, I can show you one of the core tools I use during every case. This is a case file; it contains a variety of documents I constantly reference when working on my cases. Normally, such files would be confidential, but this one is completely fictional, so in this case I can show you these documents." Thank you, Dad…

Kyoko opened the file and removed the top sheet, holding it up and explaining "This is the case summary. Since I'm a murder detective, the case summary condenses the details of a murder into its most important details, such as victim identification, time of death, cause of death, and the murder's location."

Now that she had started talking, Kyoko started to relax, a confident smile now crossing her lips as she took out the second sheet and began explaining with a more authoritative air.

"This is a Witness Account Report. When a murder happens, I have to question the witnesses and take their statements. They then get written into this report, which contains their identifying information, a photo, and a summary of their testimony. Next is…"

Makoto beamed proudly as Kyoko continued to talk with an energy and enthusiasm that only an Ultimate Detective could possess. Looking around, he saw his other classmates listening in, Kyoko's lecture somehow sounding interesting to them even if they weren't Detectives themselves.

You did it, Kyoko! You found a way to show off your talent, and you look so happy doing it! I'm so proud of you!

XXX

"Great job, Kyoko!" Makoto whispered with a proud grin as she took her seat next to him.

Kyoko smiled bashfully as she whispered back "…Thank you…I'm glad I won your approval…" Kyoko smirked as she continued "…But now it's your turn. And I'm eager to see how you intend to demonstrate your luck!"

Makoto's grin faded, the boy gulping as he nodded, shakily getting up from his seat as he made his way up to the stage. Everyone leaned forward in their seats, curious as to how their Ultimate Lucky Student would demonstrate his luck. Makoto began to sweat until he saw his girlfriend give him the same encouraging smile that he showed her. Somewhat calmer, Makoto took a deep breath and began to speak.

"For the last three weeks, I've tried to think of how I can demonstrate my Ultimate Lucky Student talent. But…I've realized…that I can't. Luck isn't something I can control. I can't use it to draw a manga, or throw a baseball, or win at poker; my luck is totally random. But…even though I can't channel my luck, I do feel like the Ultimate Lucky Student, and I'd like to tell you all why."

"You see, I found out I got into this school after I had the Worst Day Ever! At that point, I just felt so lucky that I'd even be attending this school…that my Worst Day Ever didn't even matter anymore. And not only did I get to be part of this class, but I got to make the coolest friends ever!" Makoto blushed as he looked at Kyoko, grinning from ear to ear as he commented "Not to mention I got to date, the coolest, kindest, most beautiful girl I could imagine!"

Kyoko blushed, hiding her smile behind her lavender locks as Makoto continued with his speech.

"So yeah, I can't demonstrate my Lucky talent…but I'm living it every day, so I'm hoping that this speech of gratitude will have to suffice for an act."

Makoto…

A few moments of silence passed through the gymnasium, until at last Kyoko started to clap her hands. As Makoto started to smile at Kyoko applauding him, she was soon joined by Sayaka, then Leon. One by one, everyone erupted into thunderous applause, making tears of shocked gratitude fall from Makoto's cheeks.

"Kyoko…Mina…" Makoto bowed and whispered "…Thank you…"

As Makoto ran down to join his girlfriend, everyone stood up from their seats, turning to the Headmaster who congratulated them "Well done everyone! Simply for coming together to throw this talent show alone, you all deserve perfect marks."

Copout… was what Kyoko would have thought, had her heart not been beating so fast from Makoto's somewhat flirtatious remark, her eyes threatening to turn into anime hearts from his heartfelt words.

"Alright everyone…" Jin continued "I think we can say that this talent show is as good as over. Thank you Kiyotaka and Makoto for suggesting it. So, class dismissed…"

"Uwah! Kyoko!"

Everyone else turned to see Makoto and Kyoko gone, sweatdropping as a cloud of dust was left in their wake, the Ultimate Detective dragging her boyfriend off to their room.

XXX

*SLAM*

"Kyoko! What's…why did you…MMPH!"

Makoto's questions were silenced as Kyoko mashed lips with him, the startled Makoto parting his lips in shock which gave Kyoko an opening to tangle her tongue with his own. She discarded her gloves before she grabbed his hands, threading their fingers as she walked forwards, forcing him to stumble backwards until he fell backwards onto the bed.

Their lips parting, she quickly climbed on top of him, straddling his waist with her legs as the two hyperventilated, Kyoko staring into his eyes with her own tearful, loving orbs.

"That speech…it was so beautiful…I love you, Makoto!"

Still panting from the raw passion, Makoto smiled lovingly at her and whispered "…I love you too, Kyoko…mmph!"

Makoto relaxed as she leaned down to kiss him again, their tongues dancing together once more as they rolled around on his bed, their legs tangled as they continued to smooch, sharing their love and passion for each other without a single word needing to be shared.

XXX

Present Day

"Aww…that speech was amazing, Daddy! No wonder Mommy wanted to kiss you so bad!"

Makoto and Kyoko blushed, recalling just how passionately they had acted in the aftermath of his speech. Only the lack of any birth control had kept their more sensual hormones at bay that night.

Once they had recovered, Kiki continued "Still, your Detective presentation sounded really cool too, Mommy! You had an awesome job when you were in school!" Kiki's brow furrowed in confusion as she pondered "So…why did you give it up to help run a school, Mommy?"

Kyoko smiled wistfully at her husband before replying to her daughter "…Let's just say that your Father found his calling when he took over Hope's Peak Academy, and by that point I treasured helping him with his dreams than my own career." Not to mention I had become sick of dealing with murders and death by my early twenties, and I pray that you never have to take on a career as dangerous as I did…

Nodding in acceptance, Kiki replied "Okay Mommy…even if you're not a Detective anymore, you and Daddy still do a great job running the school!"

Makoto smiled and ruffled his daughter's hair, replying "Aww, thanks Pumpkin. Though I could never do it without your Mother's help and guidance."

Kyoko gave her husband a bashful smile as Kiki asked "So what happened next, Daddy?"

"…Tomorrow, Kiki. It's bedtime, so we'll continue the story tomorrow."

"…Okay…" Kiki moaned before wiggling under the blankets.

Makoto swept the blankets up to her neck, tucking her in before he and Kyoko took turns kissing her forehead.

"Good night, Kiki…sweet dreams…"

Kiki yawned before closing her eyes and falling into slumber. With one last smile, the two loving parents quietly crept out of Kiki's room, Makoto closing the door as they retired to their own room to snuggle for the night.