A/N: Here's Chapter Six of "Artificial Friendships!" Please read, review, and enjoy!

Artificial Friendships!

Chapter Six: Reflections!

*Thump Thump*

Hajime's eye twitched in irritation as his wife passed back and forth behind him. His Ultimate Musician talent that he acquired from Hope's Peak's research into Ibuki Mioda allowed him to hear Komaru's worried mutterings under his breath.

"Komaru, can you please stop pacing? Just take a deep breath and relax."

Shaken out of her worried trance by his calming, yet annoyed voice, she did as her husband suggested. Once she rested her hands over her baby bump and took a deep breath, she apologized "Sorry, Hajime. I'm just-"

"You're worried about Chiaki, I know." Hajime interjected. "Even if I didn't have Ultimate Analyst powers, anyone could have put two and two together."

"…Oh yeah, that's right…" Komaru muttered, averting her gaze. "You're always struggling to not reveal the plot of a movie after the opening act when we go to the theatres…" Hajime blushed in embarrassment before Komaru asked curiously "So…why haven't you made any predictions on whether she's gonna survive…?"

Hajime sighed as he admitted "Normally, with the adjustments I made to her code, I'd be confident that she could complete any mission she set out on. But…with Junko, it's a little different. Junko is unpredictable; she's able to change her entire personality on a whim…and does so more times in an hour than you change whatever manga you're reading."

Komaru blushed as she exclaimed "Hey! It's not my fault there's so many good mangas out there!"

Hajime chuckled, shaking his head in amusement at his wife's reaction. His smile drooped to a neutral horizontal line as he pursed his lips.

"Anyway, with Junko being Chiaki's opponent, anything can happen, even with my Ultimate Programmer abilities. That's the main reason Izuru's boredom hasn't been pounding in my brain. I'm pretty sure Chiaki will come out on top, but there's always the slim chance for the worse outcome."

Komaru shivered at the thought of Chiaki being deleted a second time. I know it's not logical; it's been what, two days, three at most since I met her? And even if I had known her a long time, she's an A.I. but still…I can't help but feel like…I don't want anything to happen to her…

"Hm?"

Hajime's curious hum shook Komaru out of her worried thoughts. "What is it, Hajime?"

"We just got an email…" Komaru cocked her head in confusion as Hajime opened it and began to read.

"Dear Hajime and Komaru,

Thanks for sending Chiaki, she was a great help. I included her file as an attachment so she'd safely make her way back. Kyoko and I need to have a sit-down with Kiki to discuss what happened with her and Junko, but rest assured that both her and Chiaki are unharmed. See you guys later, hopefully without any remnants of the Tragedy.

-Makoto"

"She did it!" Komaru squealed excitedly, shaking her husband furiously by the shoulder. "Hurry, Hajime! Download her file!"

"I'm on it, I'm on it!" Hajime chuckled as he located the attachment and downloaded it.

The two of them waited, Komaru more anxiously than Hajime as the download bar filled on the pop-up window. Komaru's chattering teeth grated slightly on Hajime's nerves before a familiar voice echoed from the speakers.

"Hey hey!"

"Chiaki!" Komaru exclaimed in joy as Chiaki's smiling face appeared on their screen.

"Don't tell me you missed me that badly. I wasn't gone for more than 15 minutes…I think."

Hajime smiled nostalgically as that famous catchphrase echoed in his ear once more, both of them taking solace in the fact that it wouldn't be the last time they would hear it. "I take it Operation Crush Junko was a success?"

Chiaki nodded, explaining "Yep! I exposed Junko for the fraud that she was. Then she unlocked the door and let her parents in. And to top it all off, Makoto allowed her to be the one to suck Junko into a USB drive."

"As long as it never leaves their hands, things should be safe." Hajime grimaced, recalling the time he planted Junko Enoshima's AI into the Neo World Program as Izuru Kamukura.

"That's a relief." Komaru sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay, Chiaki!"

Chiaki giggled before her lips drooped into a frown. "I just hope Kiki doesn't end up in too much trouble…"

"I suspect she and her parents will have a long, hard talk, and she'll probably end up losing some computer privileges temporarily." Hajime predicted. "But things should be okay between her and her parents."

"How can you predict all that just from Makoto's email and Chiaki's account?" Komaru asked incredulously.

"…Ultimate Analyst, remember?" Hajime reminded her. "Besides, your brother may have been unpredictable in terms of his luck, but he's very predictable as a parent. Neither he nor Kyoko want to antagonize Kiki, so while I think there will be some consequence for Kiki's actions, I don't think they'll be harsher on her than necessary."

"…I hope so…" Komaru prayed, hoping that her niece wasn't in too much hot water.

Kiki kicked her legs back and forth as she sat on the couch. She bit her lip anxiously, averting her mother's eyes as she reflected on the events of the last couple of days.

How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been tricked into listening to JUNKO ENOSHIMA?! The one my parents fought against and practically destroyed the world?! I knew there was something off about her, how could I have let her trick me like that?! Kami, I'm so stupid!

Kiki's self-depreciating attitude didn't escape Kyoko's eyes, causing them to soften in sympathy. Although the impending conversation needed to be serious, and to some degree stern, she didn't want her daughter to suffer. Before she could open her mouth to say something, however, her husband walked into the living room.

"Okay…" He sighed as he took his seat on Kiki's other side.

He rested his hand on her shoulder, frowning as she flinched from the touch. He stared with concern as Kiki fiddled with her fingers, guilt evident on her face.

"Kiki…please look at us." Makoto pleaded quietly, keeping his voice gentle.

"We simply wish to talk about what happened." Kyoko prodded, her maternal love radiating from her gentle voice.

"…I…I'm so sorry…" Tears flowed from her heterochromatic eyes as she cried "I'm so sorry! I swear, I didn't know I was talking to Junko Enoshima! If I had, I…I…"

Kiki trailed off, unable to speak intelligibly as she burst into uncontrollable sobs. Her parents each laid a hand on her back, rubbing up and down soothingly.

"Kiki, we know you didn't mean for things to turn out like this." Makoto assured her.

"Indeed." Kyoko nodded. "Junko is…cunning. She was even able to hide her true nature from me; I'm not surprised to know that she was able to manipulate you like that. But we just need to know what happened, okay?"

"…O…Okay…" Kiki sniffled, rubbing her wrist against her eyes as her tears quelled.

She took a deep breath, calming her maelstrom of emotions. She fiddled with her braid as she opened her mouth to speak, shame tinging her voice.

"I was playing one of my computer games when suddenly, she appeared on my computer. She called herself…Konju…"

"I see…an anagram." Kyoko realized. Not the most creative alias I've ever heard, but she probably realized she had a narrow window of opportunity and settled for something simple…

"Anyway…we started talking, and to be honest, she sounded kinda suspicious, but when I expressed skepticism, she started crying and making me feel bad, so I…took pity and said I'd be her friend…then she instantly perked up and seemed really happy."

"…She used her multiple personalities to her advantage…" Kyoko nearly growled, feeling even more hate for the Fashionista that manipulated her daughter.

"…What happened next, Kiki?" Makoto gently prodded.

"Well…she asked me to keep her existence a secret. I balked at the idea, but she got me to cave…I don't know what I was thinking…"

"That must be why you seemed so conflicted…" Kyoko realized. "You were at war with yourself over what to tell us."

Kiki nodded guiltily. "I came close to telling you so many times, but…every time I was about to, she'd just make me feel bad and…"

"I understand…" Kyoko sighed. "Junko has a way of manipulating people's feelings. Only your father possessed some level of immunity to her tactics."

Kyoko flashed back to how her husband brought her back from the brink of despair in the Killing School Life before Makoto gently scolded "Kiki, your mother and I don't hold it against you for being tricked by Junko. But not telling us, keeping her a secret from us…you know better than that."

"…I'm sorry, Daddy…" Kiki whimpered.

"We know you're sorry, Kiki, but…" Kyoko sighed as she admitted "I think…you should spend some time away from the computer for a while."

"…I'm being punished, aren't I. I guess I deserve it…"

"This isn't a punishment, Kiki." Kyoko corrected, gently pressing a kiss on her daughter's forehead as she wiped her tears away. "While we are disappointed that you kept this a secret from us, we're not interested in retribution. What we are interested in is keeping you safe online."

Makoto nodded. "While there's nobody else quite like Junko…there are plenty of people on the internet who would take advantage of you, and you're a trusting person, Kiki. We just think some temporary, controlled computer use would allow us to help you develop the skills to be safe on the computer and know when you're being taken advantage of so you can put a stop to it before it gets this bad."

"Indeed, plus some time away from that computer could do you some good." Kyoko concurred. "It could be a chance for you to play with Tsumugi and Gonta outside."

"…Okay…" Kiki muttered as her mother stroked her hair.

"This will be good for you…" Kyoko assured her. "Trust us, okay…?"

"…I've always trusted you…"

Makoto smiled softly as he rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder. Junko's revival had nearly torn their family apart, and even though their bonds were still cracked, no amount of despair could destroy them completely. They still needed to heal, and lessons needed to be learned, but the Naegis would never allow themselves to lose to despair.

I'll never allow you to lay a hand on my family ever again, Enoshima! Makoto vowed as he glanced at his pocket, where Junko lay trapped in his USB drive for eternity.