A/N: This oneshot takes place after "Gonta's Confession!" Please read, review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: KiruGoku's First Date!
*Knock Knock*
The door opened, revealing the aspiring maid as she smiled at her date. The maid had traded in her usual uniform for a short-sleeved black dress that extended just above her knees. She had brushed her hair to the side, allowing both her eyes to be seen. Her black headdress was replaced by a simple black ribbon, tied around the back of her head with a bow resting atop her hair. The only thing she kept from her everyday uniform were her black high heels.
"To-Tojo-chan…" Gonta stammered, his cheeks flushing pink as he admired Kirumi's outfit. "You look…nice."
Kirumi smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Gonta. I was unsure about wearing something that showed so much skin…but Kiki assured me that I did not need to dress so conservatively on a movie date. You look nice as well."
Kirumi glanced at Gonta's outfit. At Shuichi's suggestion, he had traded in his suit and dress shoes for a white T-shirt, black jeans, and a pair of matching black sneakers.
"Oh…thank you…" Gonta smiled bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head. "…I'm…happy to hear that…"
"Gonta…" Kirumi gasped, her eyes widening as she brought her palm to her lips. "You…spoke in the first person…"
"Oh…Gonta, sorry, I…have been trying to speak properly. I…figured I should try to speak in the first person, since we're going on a date and all…"
Kirumi briefly frowned as Gonta's face seemed to contort awkwardly. Shaking it way before Gonta could see it, she smiled and nodded.
"That's very considerate of you, Gonta. And please, feel free to call me by my given name. Since we are dating, we should be comfortable on a first-name basis, correct?"
"Okay, To-Kirumi…Gonta…I…will try…"
"…We'll work on it…" Kirumi patted his back to reassure him, causing him to relax. "Now then, let's go to the theatre. We don't want to miss our movie."
"Excuse…me…I…am so sorry. Pardon…me…"
Kirumi frowned as they walked past the other viewers and sat down in two empty seats. He's trying so hard…he almost looks like he's in pain. I suppose it must feel so unnatural to him, speaking from the first person…
"Tojo-chan…Kirumi…" Her musings interrupted, Kirumi turned to see Gonta offering the bucket of popcorn to her. "…Would you like some popcorn…?"
Smiling appreciatively, Kirumi nodded and reached for a couple of popped kernels. "Much appreciated, Gonta…" She popped them into her mouth, chewing softly so as to avoid making as much noise as possible. "Mm…buttery…"
Gonta grinned as he threw a much larger handful into his mouth, though he made sure to keep the volume of his chewing down. Kirumi rolled her eyes in amusement as the screen flickered to life. The chitchat in the theatre fell silent as the first of the trailers began to play.
"Well, that was an enjoyable experience." Kirumi commented as they approached the grounds of Hope's Peak Academy once more.
"Yes…I admit…this was a nice change of pace." Gonta admitted, though he stumbled over his pronoun once more. "…I…don't often see movies that don't have bugs in them."
"Is that so? I'm surprised then that you didn't ask to see a more bug-friendly film then."
"Well…Saihara-kun suggested…that we see a more…normal movie for our first date." Gonta admitted. "Plus…focusing on bugs…is why Kiki broke up with…me…and…I…wanted you to feel like you were valued too…"
"Gonta…" Kirumi giggled as she shook her head. Gonta squeaked, blushing as she took his hands in her own and told him "Gonta, that's sweet of you, but it wouldn't have mattered to me what kind of movie we saw."
"It…wouldn't…?"
Kirumi shook her head. "Not at all. I would have had a good time regardless. Plus, my experience with your interests is minimal, so it would have been interesting to me."
"Then…you wouldn't mind…seeing a bug movie…?" Gonta asked hopefully.
"Not at all."
"Then…I…have plenty of bug movies in…my…room." Gonta hesitantly suggested "If you're not tired…we can go and…watch one…"
"On one condition…" Gonta stared curiously at Kirumi as she stipulated "Don't feel like you have to speak in the first person with me. You looked like you were in genuine pain when you corrected yourself, and I don't want you to be in a perpetual state of discomfort."
"Sorry! Gonta didn't mean to worry you…"
"It's alright. Now that we know you can, we can work to help you feel comfortable speaking with proper pronouns, in time. For now though, promise me you won't feel pressured to act as anyone other than yourself."
"Okay, Gonta promises!"
Kirumi gave a relieved smile as she replied "I'm glad to hear that. Now, what movie did you have in mind…?"
"…Gonta always cries at this ending…" Gonta sniffled as the credits rolled. "Did you like the movie, Kirumi…Kirumi?"
Gonta was greeted with snores as he turned his head. His eyes widened as he saw that Kirumi had fallen asleep, leaning against his shoulder. Gonta's face turned as red as a tomato as he realized what had happened.
…What does Gonta do?! Gonta can't go to sleep with a lady in Gonta's room! It's not gentlemanly! But…it's also rude to wake people when they're sleeping… A light bulb turned on in Gonta's brain as he realized Gonta can room with Saihara-kun for tonight, and give up his room to Kirumi! But first…Gonta must carry Kirumi to the bed. It's not comfortable to sleep on the floor!
Swallowing the nervous lump in his throat, Gonta hesitantly slid his arms underneath Kirumi's knees and shoulders. He then effortlessly stood up and carried her to the bed, placing her gently on the blanket.
Okay…now…to get spare clothes for tomorrow!
*Knock Knock*
The door opened to reveal a fatigued Shuichi, rubbing his eye with his fist. "…Gokuhara-kun…?" He mumbled with fatigued surprise. "What is it? It's late…is that a bag?"
Gonta frowned guiltily as he nodded. "Sorry, but…can Gonta sleep here tonight? Tojo…Kirumi fell asleep in Gonta's room, and Gonta doesn't want to wake her, so…"
Nodding in comprehension, Shuichi nodded and mumbled "Sure…I'll get a sleeping bag for you."
"Thank you, Shuichi. Gonta is grateful for this!" Gonta whispered as he followed Shuichi and closed the door behind him.
Kirumi groaned, her eyes fluttering open as she regained consciousness. "…Wha…what happened…?" She mumbled as she glanced around the room, blinking away her hazy vision. "Th…this isn't my room…but what…hm?"
Now more alert, Kirumi trailed off as she saw a sticky note stuck to the side of the bedside table. Curious, she grabbed it and held it up to her eyes.
"Dear Kirumi,
Gonta saw that you fell asleep last night during the movie. Gonta didn't want to take advantage of you, so Gonta let you sleep in his room while Gonta went to stay with Saihara-kun for the night. Gonta hopes you slept well, and Gonta is sorry for not preventing the situation. Please forgive Gonta!
-Gonta Gokuhara"
Kirumi blushed as she finished reading the note before her lips tugged into an embarrassed, yet amused smile. "…That's just like you, Gonta…though I should apologize to you for not being able to stay awake. Clearly I still need to train more as a maid if I fell asleep that early…"
Kirumi shook the thought from her head as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got to her feet.
"Alright, I should get to my room and take a shower…"
"Really?!" Kiki exclaimed in surprise as she stared at the budding couple at the table. "You fell asleep in the middle of watching a bug movie, Kirumi?!"
"Apparently so…" Shuichi sighed. "Then he asked to sleep in my room so that Kirumi could take his bed."
"But why didn't you two just share the bed, Gonta?" Tsumugi interrogated, stars in her eyes. "It would have been just like a romance anime! Two lovers sharing a bed because of unforeseen circumstances…it's just so magical-"
"Gonta couldn't do that!" Gonta exclaimed, blushing furiously from embarrassment. "Gonta cannot share a bed with a girl after the first date! It's not gentlemanly at all! Even if it was, Kirumi couldn't have given permission. That would have been just wrong!"
Kirumi nodded, her cheeks a fainter rose color than Gonta's. "Even if we were to discount societal norms, the truth is that neither of us are ready to take that step. Gonta made the best decision he could given the circumstances, and I'm grateful that he did."
"Ki-Kirumi…"
"A-Anyway…" Kiki interjected. "Let's move on to something else. We have that American History test coming up soon, right?"
"That's right." Kirumi confirmed, grateful for the change in subject. "We should focus our study group tonight on that."
"Okay, then perhaps we should isolate which chapters in the textbook to focus on now while we have time." Shuichi suggested. "It'll help us to more quickly narrow our focus when our study group actually starts."
Everyone nodded in agreement before they pulled out their textbooks. "Let's see, I believe the unit starts with…"
As Kiki continued talking about their upcoming test, Kirumi and Gonta shared a subtle smile, thinking I…had fun on our date. And we have more ahead of us…