A/N: Here's Chapter Seven of "The Naegi's Secret Diary!", which overs all of Episode Five of Future Arc. Please read, review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: The Naegis' Secret Diary!
Chapter Seven: Dream of Distant Days!
"Alright, ready to pick up where we left off, Kiki?" Tsumugi asked as they both sat on her bed.
Kiki nodded and began to read from the open diary in her hands.
"After Miaya left to buy us time, your Aunt Hina walked for a bit through the halls before I stopped and…"
"Miss Gekkogahara…I hope she's okay." Makoto lamented worriedly.
"Hey, she's in better shape than you or me, that's for sure." Hina reminded him before a sudden crash caught both of their attention.
"Yo." Juzo emerged from the wall, holding a long, metal pipe.
"Make a break for it, Asahina." Makoto told her as he stood protectively in front of his former classmate. I stand a chance of survival against Juzo, she doesn't!
Hina frowned, closing her eyes as she scolded "You should know what kinda girl I am by now."
She opened her eyes and knelt down, picking up a metal bar from the floor in her hands.
"Hey, hold on. What're you doing?" Makoto questioned worriedly as she walked in front of him with a smile.
"So, Mr. Man, you used to be an Ultimate Boxer, yeah? What's a brick house like you need with weapons? Lame."
Juzo smirked, clenching his left fist as he retorted "I save my fists for opponents who're worth a damn. For you though? Nah."
Is that really the truth? Makoto wondered. Could his Forbidden Action be throwing a punch? Is that why he came after us with a weapon? If that's true, then that means…Hina's safe from her Forbidden Action!
Makoto's thoughts were interrupted as he charged at Hina, pipe in hand as he swung. Hina dodged and attempted to counterswing, only for Juzo to parry, forcing her back with his strength.
"Why are you even doing all this?" Makoto demanded, causing Juzo to narrow his eyes as he addressed the former luckster.
"Dumb enough to stand in the boss' way, ya get taken off the board. Munakata's the future!"
He's blindly loyal… Makoto thought as Juzo bellowed and swung his pipe.
Hina dodged and swung her own weapon, catching it between the two prongs. Juzo growled in frustration just before Ruruka jogged past them in a panic.
Director Ando? What's she doing…is that Director Kimura?!
Sure enough, a mutated Seiko Kimura barreled after Ruruka, inadvertently disarming both Hina and Juzo before knocking the former boxer to the ground. Hina and Makoto stared in shock at the scene that just played before Seiko approached Hina. As Hina stepped back cautiously, the sound of tires screeching echoed in their ears, causing them to turn and see Miaya rolling towards them.
"We're back, ladies and germs!" Monomi declared.
Miaya's monitor folded down as several cannons and other devices appeared from her wheelchair.
Whoa, where'd she get all that?! Makoto thought incredulously.
"Fair warning, folks, this is gonna be big! You probably oughta duck!"
"What?" Hina exclaimed.
"We gotta get down!" Makoto warned.
"Fire in the hole!" Monomi bellowed before several missiles fired at Seiko, rattling the entire facility with an explosion.
"Boom!" Monomi cheered. "Now you probably oughta run!"
"Naegi, hop on!" Hina ordered as she crouched down.
"Ano, yeah. Good call." Makoto agreed as he climbed on Hina's back.
"Wait, son of a…You gotta be kiddin' me with this. I'm startin' to severely hate this guy's lucky streak. Can't last forever." Makoto faintly heard Juzo's frustrations as Hina raced through the halls, carrying him away from the carnage.
"Man, your dad just can't seem to catch a break." Tsumugi commented.
"Yeah, though now I'm starting to see why his original talent was Ultimate Lucky Student."
"Yeah." Tsumugi agreed. "No matter how bad of a mess he's in, he seems to find a way out of it at just the right time! I just hope your mother didn't have any close calls like that one."
"Speaking of which, I wonder how her investigation went." Kiki wondered as she turned the page and began to read. "I completed investigating Yukizome's body and re-covered it with the jacket. As I finished…"
"Have you learned anything useful?" Koichi questioned.
Kyoko closed her eyes and stood up, answering "Yes. Quite a bit."
"Ahh. Well, good for you." The former talent scout complimented. "So do we have a plan yet?"
"I need to locate and examine Gozu's body." Kyoko decided. "It'll tell me what I need to know about the Attacker's MO." He was the one to die after the first time limit, after all.
"Okay." Koichi smiled, tipping his hat as Kyoko and Ryota walked towards the double doors before he commented "They said you were cold, but holy crap."
He wordlessly followed the two out of the room, joining their party. Kyoko acknowledged him with a glance but stayed silent as they walked through the halls.
"Well, here we are." Kyoko announced as she entered the room, her eyes focusing on the Great Gozu's body. This must be where Makoto fell asleep after the First Time Limit… She realized as she recalled his admission that the Great Gozu was murdered.
As Ryota closed the door behind him and Koichi, Kyoko walked up to the Great Gozu's corpse, only to be stopped as she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Whoa, there, not so fast." Koichi smiled at her as she turned to look incredulously at him before he advised "I know it's important to investigate Gozu's body, but we're almost at the time limit." He held up his bangle as proof, explaining "I know you were the Ultimate Detective, but we don't really have time to investigate."
After a moment of contemplation, Kyoko sighed in resignation.
"I…suppose you're right…in that case, we should all get comfortable before the sedative enters our bloodstream."
The three each walked to a spot and sat down, leaning against the wall. Kyoko tried to relax before Koichi grinned and held up his sake container.
"Anyone up for a drink before we go to sleep?" Kyoko glared at him, causing Koichi to shrug. "Suit yourselves."
She watched as he awkwardly unscrewed the cover with his thumb before taking a gulp of alcohol.
Wouldn't it be easier to hold it in one hand while opening it with the other…? Kyoko wondered before she realized Wait…I don't think I've seen him open his left hand since the game started…could that be his forbidden action?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar jingle, followed by a pinching sensation against her wrist.
"Well…sweet dreams…Kiri…giri…" Koichi yawned as he and Ryota closed their eyes and fell asleep.
It wasn't long before Kyoko succumbed to the same wave of drowsiness, forced into slumber by the sedative as she closed her eyes.
…Two…down…
"Two down…" Kiki furrowed her brow as she pondered "That's the second time she's referenced how many time limits have passed."
"You think there's some kind of significance to it?" Tsumugi wondered.
"There'd have to be, or else she wouldn't think about it at all. But I don't know what it means…"
"Well, nothing we can do about it now…guess we just have to keep reading and find out."
"Yeah, but not right away. First up is Dad's point of view." Kiki explained, pointing to the next paragraph before she continued reading. "Eventually, Miaya, your Aunt Hina, and I found a room to stay in. As we opened the door…"
"It…looks like someone's office…" Makoto observed as Hina closed the door behind her. He glanced down at his bangle and stated "It's almost time. I'll take the chair at that desk."
Hina nodded and walked over to the nearby wall while Makoto took his spot at the desk. As Hina sat down and slouched against the wall, Makoto rested his arms on the metal surface before placing his head against them. Miaya meanwhile leaned back in her wheelchair, preparing for slumber. Before any conversation could ensue, a familiar jingle rang from their bangles, followed by a pinching sensation against Makoto's wrist.
Hina and Makoto yawned, their eyes feeling heavy as they closed. The room faded to black as Makoto' mind traveled to the world of dreams.
"I think this is a good stopping point, Tsumugi." Kiki decided as she replaced the bookmark and closed the diary.
"Oh…" Tsumugi uttered in disappointment. "I was kind of hoping it would be longer…"
Kiki smiled apologetically and replied "Sorry, I just have a feeling that the next section is gonna be really long, so I thought this was a good point to cut it off before we both fell asleep."
"Yeah, you're right." Tsumugi giggled. "Well, I suppose I should…"
*Knock Knock*
"Huh?" Kiki wondered as she put the diary in the beside drawer before she got off the bed. "I wonder who that could be…"
She walked over to the door, yawning as she opened it, rubbing her eye with her fist.
"Oh, Tojo-chan." Kiki yawned in surprise.
"Good evening, Naegi-chan." Kirumi greeted politely.
"What are you…all…doing here?" Kiki asked as she noted several female classmates behind the devoted maid. "It's late."
"Apologies for coming by unannounced, but I recalled that you contemplated the idea of getting to know the rest of your classmates with a slumber party…"
…Oh no…she didn't… Kiki groaned to herself as she realized where this was headed.
"So I took the liberty of organizing one tonight. I also selected several popular party games that are universally enjoyable, yet pose little risk of disrupting the neighbors' sleep. In addition, I prepared several dishes of snacks for us to enjoy before we sleep. Moreover, I provided the other girls with their own sleeping bags so you won't have to worry about sleeping accommodations."
…She did… "Tojo-chan, you didn't have to…"
"Though you may not have officially ordered it, you did request a slumber party, and I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your request."
"I…I don't know…what if the headmaster finds out…"
"There are no school regulations against it, at least not to my knowledge. And Headmaster Naegi does not seem like a strict man, therefore I see no reason why we would end up in trouble for a slumber party."
"I think it's a great idea, Kiki!"
"Tsumugi!" Kiki uttered in surprise as she turned her head to the smiling cosplayer.
"She's already brought everything; it would be a real shame to make them all leave now."
"Well…" Kiki sighed "Alright, as long as we keep it down, I suppose it's alright."
"I hope you will be satisfied with the completion of your request." Kirumi replied gratefully as she and the other girls filed in.
I'll be satisfied if we don't end up in Mom's Office for this… Kiki deadpanned before she closed the door behind them. Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Putting all her worries behind her, Kiki began to converse with her new classmates, eagerly chatting and munching on snacks as Kirumi smiled in satisfaction.