A/N: This oneshot is the result of an ask sent by one of my followers on AO3 and Tumblr and takes place after "Kiki's Martial Arts Training!" Please read and review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Maki Moves In!
The door of the Naegi Manor opened before Makoto, Kyoko, Maki, and Kiki walked inside, plopping the boxes they were carrying on the floor.
"Thank you for everything." Maki thanked them as she caressed her five-month baby bump.
Kyoko nodded and replied "Think nothing of it. Like I said, we're not even using the second floor, so this arrangement works out perfectly."
"Yeah, just make sure not to strain yourself during your pregnancy." Makoto kindly cautioned. "Trying to do too much won't be good for the baby."
Maki rolled her eyes and glanced at Kyoko as she asked "Is he always so…?"
Kyoko smiled in amusement as she confirmed "I'm afraid so. While I was pregnant with Kiki, he did everything he could to mak sure I didn't have to lift a finger, while I was still in the first trimester. If he gives you a hard time, just gently tell him you need space, okay?"
Makoto pouted, making the two women giggle.
"Um, Mom…shouldn't we be moving Maki's boxes to the second floor?"
"Good idea, Kiki." Kyoko suggested "Why don't you get more of the boxes from the moving truck? Leave the furniture alone though; your father and I will have to move that up together."
"Okay, Mom." Kiki answered as she ran back outside.
"Alright, so, you want to give me a tour of the second floor while she gets the boxes?"
"Sure, I'd be happy to." Makoto agreed. "Kyoko, you wanna stay here and make sure Kiki doesn't try to carry anything too heavy?"
"Sure, I can handle that." Kyoko agreed.
"Alright then, this way Maki. I'll show you up the stairs."
Maki nodded, rubbing her baby bump as she followed Makoto down the hall and out of sight while Kyoko stood by the growing pile of boxes, keeping an eye out for her enthusiastic daughter.
Kaito smiled as he watched Makoto give Maki a tour of her new home, the former assassin smiling all the while as she rubbed her belly.
"Maki Roll…I'm glad you decided to move in with them. They'll give you and the little one a good home. I just wish I could be there to see it…"
"I wonder how they're all doing…"
"Hm?" Kaito wondered as he heard two chatting voices getting louder and louder.
"I'm sure they're doing fine, Leon." A feminine voice replied to the masculine one.
Leon? Who's that…?
"Me too, babe, but it never hurts to take a quick peek every now and then."
Babe? Isn't that kinda misogynistic? Kaito thought, frowning as his brow furrowed.
"I suppose not…oh, sorry! We didn't realize someone was still using the Afterlife Theatre. We can come back later."
Kaito looked up and finally got a good look at the two strangers. One of them was a girl with blue eyes and long, blue hair. The other was a boy with short, spiky red hair and pale blue eyes.
I'm guessing the redhead is that Leon guy… Kaito coughed into his fist and apologized "Nah, my bad. I just lost track of time. I mean…what else is there to do when you're dead?"
"Ah, you must be fairly recently deceased, then. You don't have any friends up here?" The girl asked, looking at him with pity.
"Nah, my grandparents were the ones to greet me in the afterlife, but other than that, I haven't really met anyone else. So, I've just been keeping an eye on my wife every now and then."
"Oh, I'm sorry you two were separated." The girl apologized before she smiled at Kaito and continued "Well, since you're fairly new here, why don't we introduce ourselves. My name is Sayaka Maizono. I used to be the Ultimate Pop Sensation at Hope's Peak Academy."
Leon grinned and greeted "Yo! The name's Leon Kuwata. I used to be the Ultimate Baseball Star at Hope's Peak Academy. What's up?"
"Hope's Peak Academy…?" Kaito's brow furrowed as he asked "Jus tout of curiosity, which class were you from before you died?"
"Oh, we were in Class 78th, the last one before the Tragedy." Sayaka explained.
Kaito's eyes widened before he replied "Oh, I guess I would have been your underclassman then, had circumstances been different." He grinned as he introduced "The name's Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars! Of course, I was originally scouted as the Ultimate Astronaut!"
As Kaito continued to grin, Leon and Sayaka sweatdropped before Leon murmured "Kinda pretentious, isn't he?"
"…Maybe a little, but you might not want to say that to his face…" Sayaka advised as she gestured towards Kaito who was currently scowling.
"Pretentious?! I'm not pretentious at all!"
"Hey, you kinda are. Besides, who calls themselves the Luminary of the Stars?" Leon shot back.
"Leave him be, Leon. Who cares if he gives himself a wacky title?" Sayaka chastised. "Forgive my boyfriend here, sometimes he tends to run his mouth. I'll admit it's a little unusual, but our whole class is unusual."
"Yeah, except for Makoto. He was the only normal…"
"Wait, wait!" Kaito interrupted, getting both their attentions. "Makoto…you mean Makoto Naegi?"
"Wait…Makoto…?" Sayaka pondered before her and Leon's eyes widened.
"You know Makoto Naegi?!"
Kaito smiled and confirmed "Yeah, my wife babysat for his and Kyoko's kids before I died."
Sayaka's eyes flashed in realization as she exclaimed "Now I remember…!" Leon looked at her in curiosity as she explained "I saw him and a woman…what was her name…?"
"Maki?" Kaito offered, causing Sayaka to snap her fingers.
"Yes, that was it, Maki! I saw the two of them from the Afterlife Theatre from time to time. It must have just been so infrequent I forgot about them."
"Ah, now that you mention it, I think I remember the headmaster talking about a Kaito when Makoto got a little crazy." Leon recalled.
I wouldn't exactly call him crazy, but I think I get what you mean… Kaito thought.
"Anyway…Kaito." Sayaka addressed the deceased astronaut. "It seems like we have some common ground through our friendships with Makoto and Kyoko. So, if you want to, we could introduce you to some of our other classmates here in the afterlife. We're all a little eccentric in our own ways, but we're something akin to a family now that we're no longer part of the realm of the living."
"Yeah, take it from me, without some friends to keep you company, this place can definitely drive you a little stir-crazy." Leon commented. "So…I'm sorry for calling you pretentious earlier. And if you're willing…we'd be happy to welcome you into our little family."
As Leon held out his hand, Kaito grinned and shook it, exclaiming "Alright, let's do it! Just keep me away from that Enoshima bitch, alright?"
"Deal." Sayaka giggled. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the others." As they walked out of the movie theatre, she commented "You know, you remind me of Makoto in a bit, only you're much more enthusiastic with your positivity and friendliness."
"Yeah, no joke." Leon commented.
Kaito laughed, but before he left, he snuck a quick peek at the screen, briefly allowing a sense of longing to overwhelm him as he saw Maki sit on her new bed while holding a photo of the two of them in her hands. With some effort, he forced himself to look away as he continued to walk away with his upperclassmen.
See you in a few decades, Maki Roll…