A/N: This oneshot is the result of an ask sent by one of my followers on AO3 and Tumblr and takes place after "Acceptance?!" Please read, review, and enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Coffee With Kiki!

Kyoko yawned, her eyes fluttering open as she sat up in bed. Once her vision cleared, she turned her head to see her husband still snoring in slumber. She raised her hand to shake his shoulder before she thought better of it, instead she simply smiled at his peaceful face.

Nah, I'll let him sleep in a bit... She thought as she slid out of bed. She picked up a manilla folder that sat on the bedside table and decided Alright...time for coffee...

Kyoko hummed absentmindedly as she poured her civet coffee into one of her favorite mugs, the aroma already starting to make her more alert. She turned her head to look out the window, smiling as she saw the sun begin to rise from the horizon.

Maybe I'll drink my coffee outside this morning...the sunrise looks lovely after all...

"...Mom...?"

Kyoko turned her head and saw her still sleepy daughter rubbing her eye with her fist as she shuffled into the kitchen.

"Kiki, what are you doing up?" Kyoko asked as the teenage girl approached. "I figured you'd wanna sleep in for a bit..."

Kiki yawned "...I couldn't help it, Mom. I'm just...so excited that...I had a hard time sleeping..."

Kyoko giggled and ruffled her daughter's bedhead as she teased "You're easily excited, just like your father."

Kiki smiled drowsily before she asked "So...what are you doing up, Mom?"

"I was just about to take my coffee outside on the porch and read some files..." Kyoko's eyes lit up as she suggested "Why don't you join me, since you're already up."

"Sure...that sounds nice..." Kiki admitted.

"Excellent, in that case why don't you take my folder and go out on the porch. I'll be right out after I brew you a cup of coffee."

Kiki nodded as she took the folder before she turned around and walked out of the kitchen, still rubbing away the sleep in her eyes. Kyoko smiled as she walked over to the cupboard and pulled out another mug. She then walked back to her coffee pot and poured some in before she set it down. Still humming absentmindedly, Kyoko put down the coffee pot and took the two mugs before she walked out of the kitchen, eager for some quiet bonding time with her daughter.

Now more awake, Kiki smiled at the sunrise as she held the manilla folder in her lap.

It's the dawn of a new day...just like it's the dawn of a new chapter in my life...as a student at Hope's Peak Academy...

"I see you're a little more awake now." Kiki turned her head to see her mother smiling in amusement at her as she carried two mugs of coffee in her hands. "Trade you." She offered as she sat down next to her.

"Sure." Kiki smiled as she accepted the mug before handing her mother the folder. She took a sip only for her eyes to widen as she gulped it down. "The taste is a little...strong."

Kyoko smiled knowingly as she explained "Coffee is an acquired taste, but it can be very beneficial as long as you don't use it as a crutch."

"Is that why you banned Dad from the coffee cupboard?"

"Yes, so just make sure you don't get addicted to the stuff."

Kiki nodded as she watched Kyoko put down her mug to flip through the file before she interjected "I promise, I didn't peek inside it..."

Kyoko giggled "It's fine, sweetie. This is just a summary folder of the students in the incoming class."

"Really? So am I in there?"

"Yes Kiki, you're in here."

As Kyoko continued to flip through the various student profiles, a curious Kiki peered over her shoulder and pointed to one, asking "Who's that?"

Kyoko frowned and realized "Oh, your father must have forgotten to take this one out...his name's Ryoma Hoshi. He was going to join your class, but circumstances forced us to drop his enrollment."

"Huh?" A confused Kiki cocked her head and asked "Why's that?"

Kyoko sighed and explained "Hoshi-kun used to be a major player in unofficial tennis tournaments, the kinds that are run by the yakuza. One day, he was ordered to throw a tennis match, but he refused. And in retaliation, they...killed his girlfriend."

"...How awful..." Kiki breathed in shock, taking a moment to sip her coffee as she processed his tragic backstory.

"Indeed. Some time later, he got his revenge by tracking them down and killing them with a tennis racket and some metal tennis balls. He was arrested soon after and has been in prison ever since."

"I...I see..." Kiki bit her lip before she admitted "I don't know how to feel about that...I mean, I know it's wrong to kill people, but I also can't help but feel like he deserved some kind of justice, considering what they took from him..."

Kyoko rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort as she replied "It's true, this case is far from black and white. Legally speaking, Hoshi-kun was a guilty of murder and needed to be punished as such...but he was also a victim who deserved justice. Justice, at least in the legal sense, isn't always fair to all parties, but it's the best we have to work with."

"Yeah, I guess..."

"Anyway, we obviously couldn't let a convicted killer enroll in the most prestigious high school in Japan, even if he wasn't currently incarcerated. It ate away at your father to do so, but we ultimately retracted our offer of enrollment." Seeing Kiki sigh, Kyoko smiled and told her daughter "Well, enough sad talk, you still have many other classmates you'll be able to bond with. Look forward to meeting them, and let's finish drinking our coffee before it gets cold."

Kiki smiled before they both raised their mugs and began to drink once more, letting the warm coffee roll down their throats.

"So...how'd you like your first cup of coffee?" Kyoko asked before her daughter smiled.

"It was good." Kiki replied "I don't think I want to drink it all the time, but once in a while doesn't sound bad."

"That's good." Kyoko nodded in approval as she continued "As long as you drink in moderation, you should be fine." If only someone else I knew had taken that advice before he left... Kyoko mused as the image of her honorary uncle flashed in her mind.

"Hey Mom? What you said about Hoshi-kun made me think about something..."

"Hm? What is it, Kiki?" Kyoko asked curiously.

"You used to investigate cases like that, right? You used to be a detective after all..."

Kyoko nodded and confirmed "That's right, I did, more often than I care to admit." Curious, Kyoko asked her daughter "What brought this on?"

"Well...I was just wondering...could you tell me a couple stories from when you were a detective?"

"Really? You want to know about when I was a detective?" Seeing Kiki nod eagerly, Kyoko shrugged and conceded "Alright, if you say so. In that case...let me tell you how I met my best friend and partner before I met your father. She was a budding detective with a passion named Yui Samidare..."

As Kyoko began her tale, Kiki listened with great interest, her eyes sparkling as Kyoko delved into the mysteries that she and Yui solved together. From that point on, a seed had been planted, one that would be forever intertwined with her family's legacy.