A/N: Here's Chapter Two of "Enter the Princess of Hope's Peak Academy!" Please read, review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Enter the Princess of Hope's Peak Academy!
Chapter Two: Exploring Hope's Peak Academy!
Kiki peeked into the doorway as she creaked the door open, tepidly stepping inside and closing the door behind her before she observed her new room.
"It…looks a lot like the room Dad stayed in during the Killing School Life…" She noted as she saw the wooden desk in the corner, the simple bed near the closet, the one bathroom door that she hoped wasn't wonky, and the small table and TV set a few feet from the foot of the bed. "Well, it's home now, though the bland, red wallpaper could use some upgrading. Hopefully Mom and Dad don't mind a little redecorating…"
She glanced at the corner closest to the door and her eyes lit up at the sight of her belongings. She grinned as she folded her hands together and flexed her joints, feeling excitement bubbling within her.
"Alright, let's really make this place home!"
"Okay…all done!" Kiki announced, dusting off her hands as she gazed proudly at her handiwork.
The once barren shelves were now lined with her favorite manga that she had packed from home, her TV was now hooked up with her favorite game console with a stack of games tucked into a cubby in the entertainment center, her Nintendo DS lay on the small table, and her laptop and printer that her parents had gotten her for her birthday was set up and charging on the desk. As a cherry on to, several of her favorite anime wallpapers were tacked along the walls, giving the room a sense of personality.
"Alright, now this is a home! Now, what to do…" She pulled out her e-Handbook and looked at the time before she decided "Hmm…it's still too early to go to the dining hall yet…maybe I'll explore the rest of the school…" She wiped her brow on the back of her hand before she decided "But first…a shower! Moving all that stuff made me feel sweaty!"
"So…this is the Hifumi Yamada Dojinshi Museum…" Kiki muttered as she walked in, her eyes widening at the rows and rows of manga volumes and anime DVDs that lined the shelves. "Wow, I've never seen so much otaku material in one place! This makes my collection at home look microscopic."
As she sifted through the shelves, she glanced to the side and saw a familiar bluenette standing by herself, her eyes laser-focused on an unfamiliar manga.
"I should have known you'd be here, Tsumugi!"
"Kiki!" Tsumugi greeted cheerfully as the startled otaku looked up at the amused girl, placing her hand over her heart. "Sorry, I was just really engrossed in this dojinshi! This Yamada guy was really good at his stuff when he was still alive! I can't believe your dad was friends with someone so talented."
"Yeah…I wish I could have known him…though Mom and Dad always said he was a bit on the perverted side…"
"Ah well, all geniuses tend to be odd in some form or another…"
"Yeah…I was just exploring the school before the welcome dinner tonight…wanna tag along?"
"Sorry, but I'm just so engrossed in this Princess Piggles manga." Tsumugi told her friend apologetically.
"It's okay, I'm not upset, Tsumugi." Kiki assured her. "I'll catch you later, okay?"
"Okay, see you later, Kiki!"
"Bye Tsumugi!" Kiki waved as she turned around and walked out of the dojinshi museum before she mused "Hm…where to go next…I know!" Kiki decided "Maybe I'll go to the Sakura Ogami Dojo! Maybe I can train a bit with Kenshiro-sensei!"
Kiki and Kenshiro bowed to each other, both dressed in Gi robes as sweat dripped down their faces.
"I'm glad to see you've kept up your training, Naegi-chan." Kenshiro smiled as he told her "Sakura would be proud to see just how much you've progressed since we started training together."
Kiki giggled bashfully as she replied "Thank you, Kenshiro-sensei. It was good to train with you again."
Kenshiro nodded and suggested "Perhaps you might consider joining the Martial Arts Club then. I run it, and we practice a multitude of martial arts disciplines, in more depth than when I taught you during middle school. And we even partake in a number of tournaments in Japan."
Kiki frowned before she decided "Ano…I think I'll pass…I enjoy training with you, Kenshiro-sensei, but I don't know that I'm that enthusiastic about martial arts."
Kenshiro nodded and replied "Very well, Naegi-chan. But know that you will always be welcome in this dojo."
"Thank you, Kenshiro-sensei. I should…"
"Kiki!"
"Gonta?!" Kiki exclaimed as she turned and saw Gonta walking up to them. "Gonta, what are you doing here?"
"…Gonta…not sure what to do until dinner, then Gonta remembered that there was a martial arts dojo. And after what happened with Akki…Gonta decided he needed to get stronger so his friends wouldn't have to go through something like that ever again!"
"Gonta…"
"A noble goal, young man. You understand the purpose of martial arts well."
As Gonta cocked his head curiously, Kiki introduced "Gonta, this is my sensei, Kenshiro. He runs the dojo and the martial arts club here at Hope's Peak Academy. Kenshiro, this is my friend since elementary school, Gonta Gokuhara."
"Yoroshiku, Gokuhara-kun." Kenshiro muttered as the two bowed respectfully.
"Kenshiro-kun, can you help Gonta become stronger so he can protect his friends."
Kenshiro nodded and smiled, promising "As long as you are willing to put in the discipline, I'd be happy to help you achieve your goal. If you like, we can start training now, before the welcome dinner starts."
"Gonta would love to!" Gonta cheered before he glanced at his friend and asked "Kiki would you like to train with us?"
Kiki shook her head and apologized "Sorry Gonta, but I just finished training myself. I need to shower again, then I'm gonna explore a little more before I head to the dining hall."
"Oh, okay…perhaps another time, then."
Kiki smiled and agreed "Sure, we'll talk about it later. Have fun, Gonta."
"You too, Kiki!" He called as Kiki waved while she walked out the door of the dojo, leaving the two of them alone to train.
"Alright, let's see…that music hall looked fun, and Mr. Maizono seemed nice…" Kiki reflected as she wandered the halls. "That baseball field looked cool, and once we get a few games going, it'll be fun to sit and watch the home team…not sure I'm a fan of the motorbike course though, and I don't know if that training course is my cup of tea. Plus I don't think I want to be a teacher, so that educational facility is out…"
Kiki sighed as she lamented her visits to the various facilities to get the lay of the land in her spare time.
"That game room looks fun, and maybe I can play some high-end PC Games in that computer lab…hm?"
Kiki looked up at the sign above her head and read "Kiyotaka Ishimaru Library…hm, well, maybe I can find a good book to read before dinner starts."
Kiki walked up to the doors and opened them, walking through to see many rows of shelves filled to the brim with books.
"Wow…there's so many books…" Kiki breathed.
"I would hope so, this is a library after all."
Startled, Kiki turned her head to see a single person standing behind a desk. As she cautiously approached, she saw that the person was actually metallic in design.
That's not a person, that's a robot! She exclaimed in her head as the robot smiled at her.
"Welcome to the Kiyotaka Ishimaru Library. My name is K1-B0, and I'm the assistant librarian here. But please, call me Keebo."
"…Keebo…"
Keebo nodded and asked "Tell me, what is your name and what pronouns to you prefer to go by."
"Oh…my name's Kiki Naegi…and I'm a girl, so…"
Keebo nodded and pulled out a small card before he handed it to her and replied "Right, Kiki Naegi, here is your student library card."
"Oh, thank you…"
"Not a problem…and who are you, sir?"
Kiki turned her head as she glanced at a familiar blue-haired boy who introduced "Ah, I'm…Shuichi Saihara…"
"Right, Shuichi Saihara, here's your student library card. I hope you both take the opportunity to add our vast sums of knowledge accumulated in this library to your databanks."
After they both nodded and Keebo walked away, Kiki turned to Shuichi and greeted "Saihara-kun, it's good to see you again! What are you doing here?"
"Ah, likewise…" Shuichi greeted shyly before he explained "I just thought I'd find a good mystery novel to read before dinner tonight."
"Ah, cool! I haven't actually read many mystery novels before. You have any recommendations?" Kiki asked.
"Ah, why don't we go look together, if you don't mind." Shuichi explained "It'll be easier if I can show you some examples."
"Sure, lead the way, Saihara-kun." Kiki replied cheerfully, smiling as Shuichi walked towards the mystery fiction section.
"Thanks for the recommendation, Saihara-kun." Kiki told him as she glanced at the book in her arms while they walked through the halls. "I'm looking forward to reading my first real mystery novel."
"Oh, don't mention it…" Shuichi replied before he glanced at the novel in his arms. "I'mjust hoping reading more of these will help me to grow as a detective."
Kiki frowned, starting to realize You have trouble believing in yourself, don't you, Saihara-kun? Not wanting to pry just yet, Kiki smiled and encouraged him "Well, I'm sure you'll be a great detective someday, Saihara-kun."
Shuichi softly smiled as he replied gratefully "Thank you, Naegi-chan. I just need more training before I can really call myself a detective…oh look, we're at the dining hall."
The conversation now ended, Kiki turned her gaze to the dining hall as she walked inside, its architecture taking obvious homage from the one she saw in the Killing School Life footage, though this one was expanded to accommodate larger class sizes.
"Looks like we're the first ones here." Kiki observed as they approached the table. "Looks like they're just setting up…is that Tojo-chan?"
Kiki and Shuichi blinked as they saw the young waitress dutifully setting the table with plates and cutlery before she turned her head and noticed them.
Her cheeks flushed pink before she coughed into her fist, smiling politely as she greeted "Ah, Naegi-chan, Saihara-kun, welcome to the dining hall. How may I serve you?"
Both of the baffled teenagers sweatdropped before Shuichi pointed out "Um…Tojo-chan, you do know that you're a student like the rest of us, right?"
"Yeah, you don't work here." Kiki pointed out. "You don't need to be serving us."
Kirumi nodded and explained "I understand your confusion, but after the orientation, one of the kitchen staff got sick and had to go home early. One of the chefs recognized me from my part-time job as a waitress and requested me to assist. My selfless devotion obligated me to accept the request, and I was soon put to work preparing the table."
Shuichi smiled in amusement as he replied "As expected of Tojo Kirumi, the Ultimate Maid." Seeing Kiki's incredulous stare, Shuichi explained "Ah, Tojo-chan has gained something of a reputation for her excellent service, and since I'm training as a detective, I heard a few things here and there." As Kiki nodded in understanding, Shuichi continued "Apparently her work is so perfect, she can complete any request given to her. It's not an understatement to say that if the old Ultimate talent system still existed, she'd have earned the title of Ultimate Maid!"
As Kiki's eyes widened in amazement, Kirumi interjected "Please, you are exaggerating…I will not complete any request that is asked of me. I once received a request to annihilate a rival nation, but as it was impossible, I rejected it."
But…being requested to do that is pretty impressive on its own. Kiki thought, still amazed by Kirumi's reputation.
"Besides, I'm sure that my meager reputation is little compared to your own, Naegi-chan." Kirumi smiled appreciatively as she complimented "The Princess of Hope's Peak Academy, the headmaster's daughter who averted a second Tragedy with nothing but her words, that is a truly legendary reputation."
"Please…don't call me Princess…" The surprised Kirumi and Shuichi looked at Kiki, who was suddenly staring down at her sneakers as she insisted "It wasn't just me…a lot of people helped stop Akki…and besides, I just want to be a normal girl. I don't want to be a celebrity, just Kiki Naegi. So please…don't call me a princess…"
"…Understood…" Kirumi bowed deeply as she apologized "Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, I only wished to compliment you. But if you reject being called by such a title, then I will do everything in my power to fulfill your request."
"Yeah, me too…" Shuichi volunteered shyly, making Kiki smile as she looked back at her two new classmates.
"Tojo-chan, Saihara-kun…thank you for understanding."
"Now then…" Kirumi gestured to the table and suggested "Why don't you have a seat while we wait for the rest of our classmates to arrive? I shall join you as a student once I have finished placing the dishes and cutlery."
Kiki and Shuichi nodded and took their seats, sitting next to each other as they waited for the rest of their class to come.