How's it going, bros? My name is Pupla!
...
No, it just... doesn't work here.
So, as you all guessed, this little chapter here (sense the sarcasm here) will be focused on the NDRV3 cast.
Now then, I've got to admit... the first time I wrote this chapter, I may not have known every gimmick of each character. But, now that I do, I will be able to redo the chapter with a better approach.
Also, I would like to remind everyone that the students wear their student outfits. But, since we are talking about the NDRV3 characters, who are not students at HPA to begin with, I had to find some alternative. So, as such, I recommend you to see the student outfits made by the drawer lourandomlyscribbles on tumblr. Just mix it up with the Danganronpa style, and you will have the picture.
Finally, thanks again to Kimi and wesst1 for being by my side. Thanks, you both.
So, enjoy!
CONQUERING HOPE CHAPTER 3:
NEW SCHOLAR HARMONY
"*Yawwwn* Do we have to wake up early for all week, Naegi-onii?"
"I'm afraid so, Monaca. Kizakura-sensei is the kind of person to let things roll out."
"But a school is not supposed to work like this. *sigh* Honestly, does this happens often?"
"I bet it does! He looks like a pervert that would go out of his job just to harass girls!"
"A-are you going to be okay, Onii-san? I-I mean, being a teacher must be difficult…"
"Of course he'll be alright! He's our big bro, after all!"
Makoto only chuckled at that comment from his siblings as they prepared once again for school. Their tired faces was a funny sight as some of them still had some drool at the side of their mouth, while others groaned in annoyance at the fact that they had to wake up earlier again… and that they will have to do it again.
Monaca then noticed a package at the side of the door. "Uh? What is that, Naegi-onii?"
"Uh?" Makoto turned to see it. "Oh, that? It's a gift for a friend of mine. One of my junior, to be more precise."
"A gift?" Nagisa asked. "For what occasion?"
"Let me answer your question by another one." He answered, before asking, "Kotoko! Could you please tell us which day of the month is it, please?"
"Okie-Dokie, Makoto-onii!" The young girl went into the kitchen to see the calendar, and yelled, "It's September 7th!"
"S-September 7th?" Jataro panicked. "I-Is there an important event I missed and that I didn't know about?!"
"No, Jataro, you haven't missed anything." The Luckster reassured him. "It's the birthday of someone today. That's what the package is for."
"A birthday?" Masaru exclaimed, getting excited at this statement. "Tell the lucky guy or girl congrats on us!"
"I will, Masaru. I will." Makoto chuckled at this before he opened the door-
"O-oh no!"
KABLINK!
Before he heard some stuff falling on the ground, preceded by the cries of a girl yelping in distress… and when he looked at the side, he saw a familiar face he began to be accustomed to.
"Ah, Shirogane-san!"
"Uh?" Tsumugi turned to see her senior coming to help. "Ah, Naegi-senpai! What are you-"
"Don't worry, I got this!" The Luckster interrupted, trying to pick up as many costumes as he could. "Why do you have to bring up so many costumes with you?!"
"I-It's because I wanted to show everyone my work," the Cosplayer explained, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I-I wanted to see if some of the Reserve Course students would like it…"
"I'm sure they will, Shirogane-san." He answered confidently. "Let me help you with those."
That seemed to make her blush a little. "N-Naegi-senpai…"
"Hey, those costumes are amazing!"
The little and excited voice belonged to Jataro, who seemed to enjoy the view he had, before turning to Tsumugi with stars in his eyes. "Are you the one who've made this?"
That surprised the Cosplayer before she giggled happily. "Yes, I'm the one who made them. It's not easy to come up with the details, but it is an enjoyable hobby of mine, you know?"
"Oh! Oh! There's that outfit that Mitsuki wears when she sings!" Kotoko joined them in delight. "I love that anime!"
"Right? 'Full Moon' is an excellent anime I loved to watch!" Tsumugi beamed with joy as well. "I still have all of the mangas and DVD about it!"
"The characters are so cool, and the story is amazing!" Monaca joined in. "That girl who wants to sing despite her throat cancer… it's so beautiful!"
As the four of them discussed endlessly their passion, the three other guys continued to pick up the other costumes, which were preserved in plastic so they would be damaged.
But Masaru couldn't still help but laugh as he watched the scene. "Man, those four looks like weirdos right now! What's so great about anime anyway?"
"It's their passion, Masaru." Makoto stepped in. "Everyone has the right to have their own likings. It's just like you love sports and Nagisa love books in general."
"What Aniki just said," Nagisa followed. "Besides, you weren't saying that when you were watching that Power Bears anime earlier?"
That took the other boy off guard as he blushed in embarrassment. "I-I was only cheering them on! The heroes always win, no matters what enemy faces them!"
"Of course. I believe you. Especially when you cheered that girl in particular."
"Knock it off, book nerd!"
Makoto could only chuckle as another argument between the two erupted. As he continued his pickup… he then noticed a special costume, on which "For Saihara" was written on it. "Uh? What is it?"
"Oh!" Tsumugi came near him and began to explain. "That's my gift for Saihara-kun! Since he said he wanted to be a detective, I thought I would make a costume based on a detective!"
"I see. That's a good idea if you ask me." Makoto replied while smiling. He then examined the blue one. "Hey, isn't that-"
"Yup! That's Kudo Shinichi's uniform when he's in his adult form!" She cheered, before she looked away, smiling awkwardly. "I know it's not as good as some of my other works, but-"
"It's really good!" Makoto's enthusiastic statement interrupted her as she saw him smiling at her. "That's really impressive! You must have worked hard for this!"
It made her blush again. "W-well, it's not a big deal-"
"It's so pretty!" Kotoko followed. "I bet that Saihara guy will love it!"
"I agree." Nagisa said, in a positive tone. "This looks exactly like the original. That anime is a favorite of mine, I admit."
Tsumugi couldn't help but place her hands on her cheeks in embarrassment. "Oh, stop it! You're making me blush!"
"Hey hey, Shirogane-san!" Jataro exclaimed. "Could you please do a costume like this for me, pretty please?"
Tsumugi only answered, "Of course! If this is what you want I'll gladly do it!"
As the little kid expressed his joy, Makoto decided to speak. "Okay everyone, I don't want to sound rude, but we're going to be late again at school!"
"Right!"
"Those kids of yours are adorable, Naegi-senpai! Especially Jataro-kun and Kotoko-san!"
Right now, just after the kids went to their classes with their brother telling them to behave as always, the two of them were heading towards the class, chatting happily along the way.
"They really like your work, Shirogane-san!" Makoto answered. "I guess that you work inspired them!"
"Oh, I'm just glad they like my work!" She replied with enthusiasm. "You may not know this, but I especially love to show my costume to kids in general! They love costumes so much!"
"They sure do!" was Makoto's simple answer.
"But you know what would be also amazing?" Tsumugi asked, and answered her own question. "I would like to see some people in the Reserve Course that would love cosplay as much as I do! Do you think this would be possible?"
"Well, I think that there must be someone out there that would be like that, yes!" the Luckster answered. "I had kind of the same conversation with Mioda-senpai yesterday. She was hoping to find someone that would be fun enough to hang with."
"Oh! I see." the Cosplayer said, lowering her head a little, and slowly stopped in her tracks. "So we both have the same desire, uh?"
"…?" Makoto who noticed her action stopped and tilted his head to the side, seeing that Tsumugi's face saddened a little. "Shirogane-san? Is something wrong?"
"Uh?" That seemed to make her snap out of her thought as she dismissed the expression on her face. "O-oh, don't worry about it, Naegi-senpai! It's not that important!"
But Makoto was not having it. "Shirogane-san, even though it's not important, if you don't talk about it, it will become a burden for you." He then smiles. "It's okay. I'm here to listen. What are you sad about?"
It surprised Tsumugi greatly before she looked away awkwardly. "W-well, it's just… do you think I would fit in?"
"Uh?"
"I mean, we Ultimates are considered like amazing people, right? And those Reserve Course students are considered as just normal people, yes?" Her expression saddened a little. "So… do you think I would fit in the group?"
That confused the Luckster greatly. "Of course you would! Why wouldn't you?"
"W-well," the Cosplayer explained, "you all keep saying that I'm amazing in a sense… but I don't really see how. I mean, all I do is creating costumes of my favorite characters, but that's it. Overall, I'm just a normal girl like so many others."
"What's wrong with that?"
That made her stop as she turned towards him and saw him smiling at her.
"You're talking as if being a normal girl is wrong. But I don't think so, you know."
I-I wasn't saying that of course not!" Tsumugi explained further. "It's just… I don't consider myself as amazing as some of the rest of you guys. That's why I thought… I would fit in the Reserve Course fine… that is if they want me to."
"Why would they reject you for who you are? Because I don't know about the rest of your classmates, but I don't see anything wrong with you in the slightest."
The comment surprised the girl again, as a blush appeared on her face again. "W-what are you saying?!"
"I'm saying the truth here." The Luckster continued, speaking as if he was stating something obvious… as always. "Shirogane-san is a wonderful girl. Passionate about what she likes, she wants to share it with the people around here… and I think that it's a good thing. "
The blush on her face intensified, as she began to giggle. "Y-you're exaggerating, Naegi-senpai. I-I just want to show the others my work!"
"An amazing work, faithful to the original source." He pointed the costumes they were carrying. "Just by the look of your work, we can see your passion."
"I-I got used to it!" She replied, trying to suppress the feeling on her cheeks. "I-I needed to work for this! That's why I'm here now!"
"Exactly."
"Uh?"
"You worked for your beliefs, for what you thought was right," Makoto explained, in a calm and comprehensive way. "'Cosplay is an expression of love', you say. And you're right. Just by creating those costumes, you express the love you have for a character of a franchise, and the more you did with time, the more this love is portrayed by the details you put in your work, symbols of your devotion." He then turned to her with a serious look on his face. "But it means that you had to learn how to do it in the beginning, right?"
"Y-yes," she answered, not sure where this was going. "But, what do you mean by all of this?"
"What I mean is, we all born with nothing in this world." The Luckster began. "The things we learn depends on everything. Our social rank, our personalities, our likings and dislikings… all of this influence our culture and our way to see the world, and how to grow within it. You grew with anime all your life, and what you liked was the costumes that the different characters were wearing, correct?"
The Cosplayer tilted her head in confusion. "Well, yes… I really wondered how they were made and what their meanings were."
"And so, you decided to embark upon this path in order to understand this domain better. You saw different people who shared the same interest that you did… right?"
"Yeah…" she looked up in a happy manner. "It's around that time that I realized that I loved what I was doing. The look on those people's faces when they wearing my costumes… it really made me clear that it was what I wanted to do in the future."
"Which is where my point is."
"Uh?"
"Shirogane-san," Makoto began his speech again, "you decided to do what you do now because you felt like it was a passion for you, and you decided to follow it… just like so many people like us decided to follow their own passions. They are so many people around the world that decide to do something that will certainly be their future… while some others are still uncertain about they are going to be." he then chuckled. "I mean, look at me! All I have is my luck! I don't know where this will lead me in the future!"
He then closed his eyes, ignoring the sad face that Tsumugi was giving him. "But it doesn't matter to me. You want to know why?"
That surprised her again, as she asked. "Why?"
"Because I know something for sure." He then turned and smiled at her. "I know that as long as the bonds and memories I've made with those around me, I'll be fine. Because it will help me to construct my future, knowing that no matter what I will become, my friends and family will always be there for me… just as I will always be there for them."
The Cosplayer was taken aback by this. "N-Naegi-senpai…"
"And that's why I wanted this event to happen." Makoto continued. "I want to help them in their futures. By creating bonds with those who can help them achieve their own dreams, those who can also make them have dreams with their meetings… and those who have the same ambitions as them." He then smiled at the ceiling. "Because I'm sure that those people will give them something in return… the satisfaction of a work done well, the sharing of passions with the other people… and the friendship that the two will cherish."
As the Luckster continued to stare at the ceiling, he heard, "Naegi-senpai…"
"Yes?" He then turned to see-
"That was so inspirational!" Tsumugi had sparkles of admiration in her eyes, as she took his hands in her own. "You spoke like a protagonist of an anime where people went to school to prepare their future! The same person that would help his classmates and so many other people along the way! How do you do this?"
Makoto wondered why she asked something like that. What he did wasn't really special. He just gave her his opinion, nohting more.
Then again, he didn't know why, but the Cosplayer always had a soft side for him. Maybe because he had some good looks.
He would say that it was because he was nice, but… he knew someone else who was also nice to her, yet who didn't receive the same kind of treatment.
"I-I guess it's my way of being me." Makoto sweat dropped and blushed a little at the comment. "Besides, I wouldn't even dream of being a protagonist."
"Well, that's too bad. It could really fit you, you know."
Ah… speaking of which…
"Ah, Amami-kun!"
"That was a very beautiful speech there, Naegi-senpai." The Adventurer waved to them in a happy manner. "Don't worry, I just arrived the moment you began, so I don't think anybody else heard that."
That made the Luckster blush a little in embarrassment, but that also made the Cosplayer look at him… in an annoyed way.
Makoto had no idea why Tsumugi hated Rantarou so much, but this needed to stop. As far as he knew, Rantarou didn't do anything bad. Heck, he was really nice!
In fact, he was probably one of those who understood his situations with the kids the best, considering his own past. And he was fascinated by his stories.
So why the hate?
Makoto then noticed that the boy had some papers in his hands. "Uh? What are those, Amami-kun?"
"Oh! You mean that?" Rantarou answered. "I was just passing next to the Headmaster's office when he came out. He asked me to deliver the instructions of the class for the day, so you don't have to worry about that!"
"O-oh! Okay then!" The Luckster answered. "Thank you for that!"
"It's not a problem, Naegi-senpai." the Adventurer answered while chuckling, then checked the instructions. "If I believe those papers, we're all together with Hoshi-kun and Toujou-san in the sports fields today. I've heard that someone was messing up with the preparations, so we have to work harder today and tomorrow."
That got Tsumugi's attention. "Really? Someone is messing up with the preparations?"
"Yes. And I think I know who is behind this…" was Rantarou's simple answer.
Makoto who opted for a thinking face, knowing who his junior was referring to, and shivering a bit at this, he decided to dismiss it. "Well, we better get going then. The others must be waiting for us, right?"
"Yes. You two are the only one left." He then decided to take some costumes in Makoto's hands. "We'll drop off those in the studio, and we're good to go."
"Right!"
With this, the trio headed to their destination… with one of them staring at the Adventurer's back.
"Amami-kun, you deceiving normie…"
WOOSH!
"Missed again, kid. You still got a long way to go."
"W-wow! You… you weren't kidding… when you said you wouldn't… hold back."
"He, what did you expect, honestly? I'm the Ultimate Tennis Pro, remember? Well, that's how they call me now, even though I wanted to leave this stuff behind. Besides, it was your idea in first place."
The comment from Ryoma was sharp, but Makoto knew that there was no malice in his words. After Makoto and company dropped their belongings to their respective places, they arrived at the sports fields, and there, the Luckster noticed that the Tennis Pro was not in a good mood. He wasn't angry for sure, but… he was rather depressed. And judging by Kirumi's words, he was like this since the morning. Just asking like Makoto did would not help, as the shorter boy would simply shrug it off… so he proposed to play with him in order to make him feel better. And as expected, the junior was leading.
"R-right…" Makoto panted. "Sorry…"
"He, don't apology for nothing, kid," Ryoma replied. "It was expected from you to be in this state." He then gave him a small thumb up. "Besides, you're doing better than I expected. Ten balls out of twenty, half of the balls we have here. Not everyone is capable of keeping up with me like that…"
"R-really?"
"Even though all of the balls ended at your side."
That made the Luckster chuckled a little. "W-well, I guess that my workout with the others helps a little…"
"And that's a good thing. Learning from others will only make your life easier." Ryoma answered, then closed one of his eyes. "I suppose it's one of the reasons you wanted this to happen with the Reserve Course, right?"
"Yeah, that's one of the reasons," the Luckster nodded. "It's an opportunity for them to make some connections with us, and to help them achieve their dreams."
"Assuming that they're willing to accept to talk with us," commented the Tennis Player. "And assuming that would like to talk to someone like me in the first place."
That was the hint Makoto was looking for. "Hoshi-kun?"
"I mean, consider this: a serial killer who attend the most prodigious school in all Japan, while more suitable persons are left biting the dust." He lowered his hat. "You and the others keep saying that I shouldn't focus on my past, but the thing is, it sticks to me. No matter what I do now, no matter how I feel about it, I'll never forget what I've done… and I doubt that those who know about my actions will shut their eyes on that either. I would even be surprised if they would approach me, let alone have a match with me."
"And what if they do want to play with you?"
That seemed to surprise Ryoma a little as he turned towards Makoto and said, "Well, I guess… good for them. I won't promise I will hold back or anything, but… I guess that if we can just have a good time, then that will be enough."
"Precisely."
The Tennis Pro flinched at this. "Uh? Care to explain?"
"I agree that some people will look at this first, and honestly, it's a shame," Makoto explained, then smiled. "However, I also believe that there will be some people that will see more than that. I don't think everyone will just see you as Tennis Killer, but as yourself, Hoshi Ryouma."
Ryoma turned his head in embarrassment. "…it would be great, I admit."
"Yes. It definitely would."
"But, I have to face the possibility that it won't happen, you know?" The Tennis Pro commented. "The chances of this happening are little. And honestly, it would be better like this."
"What about your class?" Makoto asked. "Surely they are some people that accepted you, right?"
That made Ryoma flinch gain, as he sweats dropped again. "W-well, I wouldn't say 'accepted', but… Akamatsu, Toujou, Amami and Saihara seems the most… nice, I guess. There's also Gonta, Shirogane and Angie, I think…"
"See?"
"And also that idiot astronaut wannabe."
Makoto laughed in an awkward manner again. "My point is, you've already met persons who looked past what you've done, even it was wrong. They accepted who for who you are, and they treat you like a normal person." He gave him his trademark smile. "Isn't this what you wanted?"
Ryoma could only look at him, in a surprised yet… relieved way. He then closed his eyes and said, "Tche… you're one special kid, Naegi."
Makoto only smiled at this. He didn't know where this was coming from.
He was sad about Hoshi. He made something that was bad, yes, but knowing his past… he couldn't honestly judge.
That didn't mean he wouldn't try to reach out for him either. But not just because it was his job.
Nobody should force themselves to be alone.
"AH! 'cause you doubted my assistant, maybe?!"
The booming voice who was behind them almost made them jump in surprise. Well, Makoto almost did. The Tennis Pro only looked back in an annoyed way. "Do you always need to shoot to make yourself noticed, Momota?"
"Hey, it's not my fault if you guys can't hear my footsteps!" Kaito defended himself, before he wrapped an arm around Makoto's neck. "Makoto's right, man. You can't keep looking at the past like that, or else the others will definitely get tired of this attitude of yours!" He grinned. "I'll say, you're pretty lucky to have us!"
"…that depends on who."
"You're just trying to hide the fact that you're fuckin' happy." The Astronaut then turned towards Makoto, grinning even more… and with the look of undefeatable determination. "Now then, Makoto! Time to go through the real deal!"
Makoto could only sweat drop at this. "T-the real deal?"
"Oi, you didn't fuckin' forget, did ya?!" the junior yelled with all of his strength. "We're gonna do the special training, of course! How do you want the others to work their asses off if you slack off, uh?"
Makoto gulped. This was going to be a long day again…
"I apologize for not being able to not stop Momota for his… excited state."
"Why do apologize? You couldn't have predicted what would have happened! Even I could not stop him from… doing that, I'll say."
The clock in the art room showed that it was 10:00 am, and the Luckster and the Maid were now preparing it with the different themes they found in the library earlier. Prior to that, an incident happened during two males' training, leading Kaito to be dragged to the infirmary much to his dismay, leaving the two others to do the chores.
"Maybe not, but nevertheless, one of my classmates was injured, and I was not quick enough to prevent it," Kirumi argued calmly. "And the fault reside more on my shoulders since I'm supposed to know his personality better, which would have allowed me to stop Momota from what he was about to do."
Makoto only looked at her with an awkward smile. "You really take your job seriously, don't you?"
"Of course I do." she continued. "A maid must always be ready to help those around her, in any way possible for her."
"But don't you think that it's a good thing to receive help as well?"
The Maid looked at him, not sure to understand his words. "I'm afraid I do not understand what you mean."
"I'm going to explain," the Luckster said. "In this world, no matter the circumstances, no matter what talent you may have, sometimes it will be not enough. And that's when your friends step in. They can help you out when you need it the most, and not mention, it can make your bonds with them stronger-"
"So those bonds would help me further with my future." Kirumi finished for him. "Is that what you were about to say, Naegi-senpai?"
"Exactly."
"Well, I'm sorry for rudely interrupting you," the Maid apologized, "but I simply wonder, how can those bonds help me in the future regarding of my talent?"
"Uh?" Makoto blinked his eyes in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"As you know, I am the Ultimate Maid," she explained. "It includes cleaning, cooking, and other different tasks… and you don't have the right to ask for help."
That seemed to surprise the Luckster a little. "W-well, I guess it must be difficult."
"Do not worry, if you can adapt yourself to your master's wishes, then everything will be fine," she reassured but kept her serious face. "But as kind, as your words are, I simply ask myself how those bonds can possibly help me if I can't use them for my work?"
"But you don't necessarily have to only use them on your work, you know?"
That got Kirumi's attention. "Uh? What do you mean?"
"Imagine this. One day, after your work, you got yourself injured somewhere." He then began his reasoning. "If you don't treat an injury, it could infect itself, and it could influence on your duties, yes?"
"…I suppose so."
"Then, the best option, and the logical one, would be to call someone to heal you, right?"
"The logical one would be to find some medicine in your master's residence, and to use it on your own."
"W-well," Makoto was surprised at that counter but continued anyway. "You're right, you can do that… but seeing someone could also bring something that you can't find in your master's residence."
Once again, Kirumi was surprised. "Really? What is it?"
"Comfort," Makoto answered. "An entire day of work must be exhausting, even for you. So a little moment of peace could not harm you. Besides, you can decide to share some moments with your friend: your impressions of the day, your feelings, your problems… I believe this is the right way to use your bonds of friendship: giving comfort, heal and even affection, and knowing that you will receive the same amount can make your life more bearable."
The Maid could not help but chuckle at this, putting a hand just. "If this is what you were meaning to say, then I thank you for the benevolence, Naegi-senpai. But I assure you, I am perfectly fine with this situation."
Makoto chuckled back. "O-Oh? Well, I just wanted to assure myself that you don't overwork yourself, that's all!"
She could not help but chuckle at this. "I can understand why you became your class representative, Naegi-senpai. You truly seem to care about those around you." She then stopped but kept the smile on her face. "Your worry is very touching, but I've done harder work than this before, so as I said, you don't need to feel that way."
"If you say so…" Makoto answered, but proposed while smiling at her. "But, I want you to know that if you need anything, my door is open."
Kirumi kept her smile on her face. "I will think about it. Thank you for your proposal."
The Luckster was glad he had a good relationship with Kirumi.
Well, it's not that she was a bad person. It was more like he was glad to see her being… herself.
As a student, and not as Maid.
It was a little hard to get out of that shell of her. To make her understand that was a little complicated, considering that even thouh she assured she understood the intention, she would not leave her duties, which was understandable.
But he was not going to force her.
He was going to take his time with her, just like with the others.
"Oh! Oh! Is Makoto's door opened for Angie too?"
The Luckster, surprised by the young feminine voice turned-
BUMP!
Only to be tackled on the ground by the Artist, who smiled happily at him.
"Got you, Makoto!" Angie beamed. "Atua told Angie that it would surprise you, and as always, He was right!"
Makoto sweatdropped at this. "I-it sure surprised me well, Yonaga-san…"
"Yonaga-san, please get up." Kirumi calmy scolded her, while getting her of him. "This is not a way to say hello to your senior."
"Oh, but Makoto likes when Angie do that!" the Artist countered with a pout on her face. "That's what Atua told her!"
"While your God's pieces of advice could tell the truce, it is not appropriate to salute someone without letting him time to return the greetings. It is called politeness."
The voice of the Anthropologist could be heard as the Luckster greeted him. "Ah, hey there Shinguji-kun."
"Hello there, dear Naegi-kun." Korekiyo scanned the room with a serious face. "It seems that you and Toujou managed to do a good job. Now, everything is ready for the rituals."
"T-the rituals?"
"Yup yup, Makoto!" Makoto saw Angie smiling at him again as he stood up. "Angie wanted to prepare the ritual for the meeting between Atua and the Reserve Course students! Angie thinks that everyone deserves to meet Him!"
"O-oh." the Luckster said, sweatdropping again. "W-well, this IS an occasion to meet other people…"
"Right? Angie's so happy that Makoto understand!"
In all this, Kirumi advanced towards the group and asked. "I'm glad that you like it. Can I help in any other way?"
"Well," Korekiyo told her, "I believe I've heard Chabashira shouting something about 'that Leader menace being a menace again, as the menace he is', as she proclaimed it."
Makoto could not help but think, "Does it even mean anything?!"
"Therefore, I think it would be good to see what all of this is about, considering you are one of the few people who can deal with whatever Ouma-kun can think of a plan."
The Maid sighed before saying, "Very well. I shall see what I can do with this." She then bowed. "I hope everything will be alright on your side, and wish you good luck."
She then took her leave, and just after she was no longer in the sight of everyone, Angie took Makoto's arm.
"Now then, Makoto!"
"Y-yes?"
"Angie would like to share with you the ideas for the ritual Atua adviced her! Atua told me that Makoto always like when Angie shares her idea with Makoto, you know?"
Seeing the Luckster blushing at this, Korekiyo could not help but laugh in his own way.
"Kukuku… I wonder where all of this is going…"
"And then, Angie thought about sculpting a gigantic fresco in order to tell the others how Atua protect us all the time, and how he wishes for us to live! How good is Angie's idea, Makoto?"
"I-I think this is a good idea, Yonaga-san. I mean, as long as you can do it without overworking yourself…"
"Nyahahaha! Don't worry you silly, Angie has Atua on her side!"
Still, in the art room, the group of three people was still discussing what should they do about the event. While Angie happily said out loud what was on her mind, Korekiyo remained silent most of the time, before deciding occasionally to speak, surprisingly Makoto because of his manner of speaking.
"I have another idea in mind, if you would like to hear it, dear Naegi-kun."
And this was one of the few times. "Y-yes?"
"How about various mythologies... with basic understatement?"
Makoto blinked a few time. "Basic… understatement?"
"Legends that are easy to understand." The Folklorist explained. "Like the myth of Medusa, which is my favorite, may I say."
"I-I see…" Makoto opted again for his usual thinking face. "Yes, I think this is a good idea…"
"And since they will begin with the easiest to understand," Korekiyo continued, "maybe I can hope to put more legends and myths about folklore which demands… let's say… more reflection."
"Really?" Now the Luckster was curious. "Like what?"
"Well-"
"Oh! Oh! Atua had an idea right now!" the Artist interrupted her classmate who stared at her in a neutral way. "How about how Atua created all life on the planet?"
Makoto sweatdropped at her attitude. "Haven't you already proposed that idea with the fresco?"
"But it will get even better if Angie can show them physically, then Atua may come in person to guide them! For instance, what form Atua gave us!" Angie beamed. "That's right! This is what Angie will do!"
"I'm sure this will be amazing, Yonaga-san." Makoto could not help but laugh at her attitude. "Your work is impressive. As expected from your talent."
Angie widened slightly her eyes in surprise, before laughing again. "Nyahahaha! Silly Makoto, it's not Angie's doing! Angie is only a physical vessel of Atua's work, remember?"
"R-right…"
And then, he felt two arms hugging him. "Y-Yonaga-san?!"
"But Angie likes what you said, you know." The junior continued with a happy manner. "Makoto is always nice to Angie, no matter what she says. Atua like that about you, and Angie too!"
Makoto hesitated a little, before returning the hug. "Of course I would. You're my friend, Yonaga-san."
"See? Makoto's always like that!" Angie broke the hug with a big smile. "Don't change, okay? Atua would like to reward you for your kindness, you know? But until then, be patient, okay?"
"R-really?" Makoto said, then answered while laughing. "I'm a patient man. You don't have to worry about that."
"Okie-Dokie then! Angie's going now to find her tools! Wait for her!"
And with this, the Artist left happily the room, while the two remaining men to their own thoughts.
To be honest, Makoto was a little startled by Angie's behavior.
She was really nice, yes, but her talk about Atua and her rituals could be a little freaky.
And he was not including some of her traditions.
He was glad she found someone to talk about it, but it left some uneasy feeling…
And the fact that he was apparently among some of her subject of conversation was both a mark of flattery and of scariness.
"Kukuku…"
Then again, he knew someone else who was creepier.
And while the one who was laughing was not a bad person, the Luckster couldn't help but feel scared about Korekiyo. Maybe it was his physical appearance, his own interests…
Or that scary laugh he had.
If Atua did exist, he would know how Makoto did not like that laugh. Even after some time with him, it still made him chill down his spine.
But he decided to ignore the feeling for now. "W-what's so funny, Shinguji-kun?"
"Nothing really important, do not worry." answered the Folklorist. "I simply noticed the fact that you grew quite popular within the school, despite the fact that you consider yourself 'an average person among average persons."
"Well, I guess it can't be helped." Makoto chuckled a little. "I mean, I'm happy about it, but I still don't understand why. I'm just a normal guy like so many others, after all."
"But your actions prove otherwise."
Makoto seemed to be taken aback by his statement. "Uh?"
"Your personality is quite pleasurable if I can be honest with you," Korekiyo explained. "Not to mention, as from what I've heard, your actions for the others have helped your popularity to ascend."
"I-I just helped my friends, that's all!" Makoto tried to dismiss, a little shade of red appearing on his cheeks.
"But I do not think it is the only factors around here." the Anthropologist continued. "Let's see, what do you know about the myth I have mentioned earlier?"
The Luckster was surprised at this question but tried to answer the question. "The myth of Medusa, right? Well, it's a monster who turn humans into stone when they look at her in the eyes, right?"
"Correct. This is the basic knowledge people have about her…" Korekiyo said. "But it isn't all."
"Uh?" Makoto asked and tilted his head to the side. "There's more to it?"
"Indeed, dear Naegi-senpai. Before she was turned into what you know, legends wanted that she was the goddess of nature… until the moment she was reduced to be a monster bringing death among humanity, and who was destined to be killed by a hero."
"Really?" The Luckster was astonished by the story and by his junior's impressive knowledge. "What happened to her?"
"Well, if you think about why was she adored as a mother goddess, you'll understand. " Korekiyo explained, "Humans were a weak existence mocked by nature at the beginning. Before long, humans developed their civilization, opposed themselves against nature and grew to think about overcoming it. The mother goddess's divine protection was no longer necessary… in other words, it means the reason why the goddess became a monster was because people were trying to control nature."
"That's…" the Luckster said, clearly surprised at hearing this. "That's really… horrible…"
"However, people still keep transmitting the Medusa's folklore… and I think I have found the reason for such an assessment."
"Uh?"
"To turn living beings into stone… this is clearly representing death, isn't it?" the Folklorist began his analysis. "In other words, humans will someday die, no matter how much they overcome nature. Life and Death are a part of the same coin, after all." He then turned his attention towards Makoto. "What do you think?"
"Well… that's a pretty good reasoning…"
"Of course..."
"But at the same time… I think there's more to it."
That tilted the junior's interest. "Oh?"
"What you told me," Makoto explained, "is that humans arrogance about considering themselves as overcoming nature, right? Then, wouldn't it mean that no matter what humans do, they will always be considered as just humans? The fact that Medusa turned them into stone… I think this is more about retribution for their insolence. A reminder that no matter what you do, you are just a human among humans like you." He then laughed awkwardly. "I know I shouldn't laugh at this, but I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing."
"How come?"
"No matter your ideals, your strength, your knowledge, your social rank… you still remain human. You're not a hero, but you're not a demon either… and that's the whole point of this event." Makoto smiled at the ceiling. "We are just like the Reserve Course students, just with some talent that creates a path of life for us. And that fact is more evident to me, since I'm just a normal person who happened to attend here just because I won a lottery. It could have been anyone else, you know? That's why I wanted this to happen. For both of the Courses to meet… and to maybe become friends." He then laughed awkwardly again. "Then again, that theory could be false. That's only one version of the myth, after all."
Korekiyo observed his senior's reaction, then closed his eyes. "Kukuku… as expected from you."
"Uh?"
"You see," the Anthropologist said in a proud, yet calm manner. "I was testing your reflection here."
That took Makoto aback. "W-what?"
"Your perspective about the myth of Medusa is an interesting one," the Folklorist said, "and I must admit, I've never thought that way about it… this proves that you are more interesting than your looks could suggest."
"Uuum, thanks, I guess, Shinguchi-kun?" Makoto told him, sweatdropping at the comment.
"You may not take my words seriously, and it's completely alright. But if you consider yourself as a normal student, then I wonder if some of the reserve Course students are as interesting and as beautiful as you… Kukukukuku…."
The junior's antics made Makoto shiver a little, but his words warmed him a little. He still didn't get why his classmates - heck, almost the whole school - would think like that of him. He was but a simple average boy, and yet… he was glorified by everyone for being like that…
Well, almost everyone.
"A-are you sure Gonta can come in, Yonaga-san?"
"Nyahaha, of course, silly Gonta! God would always welcome anyone that's Angie's friend!"
"Nyeh… It's noisy…"
The two boys turned to the door to see Angie coming back, who was accompanied by Gonta… who seemed to carry a sleeping Himiko on his shoulders.
"Gonta sorry, Yumeno-san! Gonta won't speak louder, he promises!"
"Nyahaha! Silly Gonta, that's what you're doing right now!"
"Nyeh…" the Mage opened slightly her left eye, and that was enough for her to spot a short guy with an ahoge… a familiar spot for her. "Naegi-senpai…"
"Uh?" Makoto blinked. "Me?"
"Make them stop… can't sleep…"
Watching the scene, Korekiyo commented again. "Kukuku… that was to be expected…"
"Would you like to tell me what about happened, Yumeno-san?"
"Nay… it's too tiresome to explain…"
Near one of the stands attractions prepared at the outside, and more specifically near Himiko's stand, or what she likes to call it 'her magical sanctuary', said Mage was half-asleep on Makoto's lap, completely oblivious at Makoto's small blush. Just after the little group entered the art room, Himiko expressed her wish at Makoto for a calm place where she could sleep peacefully. And seeing that she would not leave him a choice, he had to leave Korekiyo and Angie for their own tasks, much to the girl's disappointment for some reasons. And now, he and Gonta were making sure that she would have what she wanted, yet the Luckster tried to have an explanation.
Something he would not have, considering the Magician's state. Sighing in defeat, but happily accepting this fact, he just murmured, "You're tired, of course. Using your magic must have been tiring for you, right?"
Himiko was a little surprised at this statement, but decided to answer despite her sleepy state. "Yes… my MP points have been drained to 0 now… it was way too tiresome to work…"
"Don't worry. I'm sure I and Gokuhara-kun will finish what you started." Makoto said with a smile.
It seemed to be enough for the Mage to fall into the realm of dreams, as the Luckster turned to Gonta and murmured, "Okay, Gokuhara-kun, can you help me finish this?"
"Sure thing! Gonta would love to help Naegi-senpai!"
"Sssssh! Not so loud! You don't want to wake Yumeno-san, do you?"
"O-oh right! Gonta sorry! He try be more careful, promise!"
Makoto sighed at the Entomologist loud demeanor, but decided to dismiss it as the two entered the realm, and the Luckster could only widen his eyes at the work done: behind the blue with magical insignia inscribed on it, was a brewing pot in the middle, which was probably where Himiko was going to 'stores her Mana in', and there was also a guillotine, a cage with 4 doves in it and multiple contraptions meant to show during a magical show. That was... scary enough, honestly.
Makoto could only say, "Wow… this is amazing!"
"Gonta thinks so too!" Gonta followed next. "Yumeno-san said she worked hard to do this!"
That surprised Makoto highly. "Really? She's the one who did it?!"
"She said she had to maintain Chabashira-san's spirit to transport heaviest stuff, but with magic, Gonta guesses it was no problem!"
"O-oh… yeah, I guess that can work, too…" Makoto laughed awkwardly because of his fake joy. He should have known that she couldn't have done this on her own…
Wait…
"Gokuhara-kun," the Luckster asked the Entomologist, "how did you find Yumeno-san in the first place?"
"Well, Gonta just transporting bug friends in order to present them to Reserve Course so they could be friends!" Gonta beamed happily. "Isn't it a good idea?"
Makoto sweatdropped, thinking about the faces of the students when they'll see what his junior was preparing, even though it had no malicious intentions… unlike another junior. "Y-yeah. I think this is a good idea."
"Gonta thought so!" He replied, keeping his smile before effacing it. "But then, he spotted Yumeno-san who seemed sleepy, talking about how Chabashira-san was being too loud again!"
"Oh… so this was what happened…" Makoto sighed in his breath, while deciding to should have also known, despite the good friendship between the two girls, Tenko's loud personality would cause some problems to Himiko's lazy behavior…
Not like this was an excuse for using her for doing her work.
Then again, he could be wrong, and it wasn't like him to doubt his friends like that, but considering some cases in the past, he knew he would have to talk things with her… and not in front of the Aikido Master, if possible. Even though he knew that neither of the girls really meant any harm…
"By the way, Naegi-senpai…"
"Y-yes?" Gonta's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What is it?"
"Since my friends are going to meet Reserve Course students for first time, Gonta thought about something," Gonta explained. "People who have their first encounter have to make first contact to create bond, right?"
The Luckster did not see where this was coming from, but let his junior talk. "What about it?"
"Then, Gonta had idea!" the Entomologist cheered. "Gonta doesn't like to see his friends being confined to a cell of glass, so how about Gonta freeing them from the event so they can have their first contact?"
"W-what?!" So that's what he was thinking about?! "I-I don't think this is much of a good idea, Gokuhara-san!"
"Oh? But why?" Gonta wondered, surprised by Makoto's reaction. "If they can't be free when they will meet, then it would be unfair for both sides!"
That young man was too pure to understand the risks of such a 'first contact' could conceive. Makoto knew it, and he also hated what he was going to do… but desperate times meant desperate measures.
Inhaling deeply some air, Makoto began his clarification. "But… don't you think that a meeting like this would be too sudden?"
"Uh?" Gonta answered. "Gonta confused. Can you please explain to Gonta?"
"That's what I'm going to do, don't worry." the Luckster reassured. "Your idea is a good one, Gokuhara-kun. But in order to have a correct first meeting, both parties have to have an agreement."
"An… agreement?"
"That's right. If they want to meet each other for the first time, both parties must agree to do the step. If one of them don't agree, then forcing it would be simply impolite, and also dangerous. What if one of your friends or the Reserve Course got hurt during the event because of your idea? That would let a good first impression on both sides, don't you think?"
It took a few moments for the Entomologist to understand the full meaning of those words. And as soon as he did, a face of horror slowly erupted on his face.
"Oh… oh no! Naegi-senpai completely right! Gonta didn't think about this at all!" Tears began to form themselves in his eyes. "How inconsiderate Gonta can be! That's not how-"
"Gokuhara-kun."
A somewhat strong squeeze on both of the muscular man's hands was enough to make him stop, and look at the Luckster's eyes, which were full of understatement… and kindness.
"Like I told you, I know you had no bad intentions." Makoto began. "Quite the contrary, you wanted both sides to be happy, and that's all at your honor. Hey, you also decided to talk to me first about, so I think you did a good thing."
Gonta could not believe what he was hearing. "B-but Gonta was gonna-"
"Yes, you were about to do a mistake." Makoto cut him off. "However, I don't think you had any malicious intentions, did you?" A shook of the head from him was enough. "See? A true gentleman doesn't have any of that. Besides, if you want to be a real one, you have to learn from your mistakes…" He smiled proudly at him. "And I know you have what it takes. To be a gentleman. I always believe in my friends after all."
Gonta stared at his senior's eyes, astonished by his confidence. And slowly, a little smile appeared on his face, even though the tears could not be stopped. "G-Gonta is-"
"Don't be sorry for that kind of thing, okay? I know you were thinking the best of everyone." Makoto kept his smile, yet had an interrogation on his mind. "I wonder who told you about that proverb, though."
"Oh! Gonta remembers that Ouma-kun was the one who suggested the idea to Gonta!"
"Oh… yeah, that's… kind of him…" the Luckster tired not to grimace in front of his friend, but could not get off his mind the face of the smaller boy, smirking evilly as one of his current schemes worked on a poor bypasser…
And he couldn't help but think about the same boy using poor Gonta for his own benefits. He just hoped that Kokichi would not hurt him or something else. He didn't deserve any of this…
A thought that was interrupted when Makoto noticed the Entomologist had a happy face. "Uh? Why are so happy, Gokuhara-kun?"
"Naegi-senpai… is amazing."
"Uh?"
"Naegi-senpai always know what is right thing to do!" Gonta praised. "That's why Gonta looks up to Naegi-senpai all time!"
That was enough for making the Luckster blush. "R-really?! T-thank you, but I'm not that amazing, you know. I-I'm just being me, that's all!"
"But that's why Naegi-senpai so amazing!" Gonta continued nevertheless. "Naegi-senpai don't have to force himself to be nice, since he's already nice naturally!" He then closed his eyes and smiled proudly. "That's why… Gonta gonna work hard."
"Work… hard?"
"Gonta will do his best…" He then opened his eyes proudly, a flame of determination emanating out of them. "To truly be gentleman! Gonta will inspire himself of Naegi-senpai to become perfect man naturally, without having to force himself! It will be… my thanks towards Naegi-senpai for showing him right way!"
Makoto stared at disbelief at his friend proudly looking at him, then smiled back. "I know you'll manage to achieve your goal, Gokuhara-kun. I'm sure of it."
Yes, the Luckster was sure Gonta was going to achieve his dreams.
He was maybe clumsy, and he may not understand everything, but he was simply one of the kindest guy in the whole academy. Someone as nice as him could only succeed in Makoto's eyes.
Well, as long as nobody insulted his bug friends.
He didn't do it, but he saw his enraged face when it happened.
He could understand why people feared this teenager in battle. All he prayed for was to not get involved in it… not that it would happen, he hoped.
"Nyeh… are you two done yet?"
The two boys turned towards the entrance of the stand to see Himiko standing, wiping the drool from her mouth.
"Y-Yumeno-san!"Makoto approached her. "I'm sorry, were we too loud?"
"Nay, it's okay. You two didn't do much noise compared to her…" Himiko answered, still a little dizzy.
That seemed to reassure the Luckster, even though he kind of felt bad for Tenko at the moment. She then began to look around in an examining way, then muttered. "Looks like everything is in place this time… good."
"Yes. We've managed to finish the work, Yumeno-san." The Luckster replied. "You won't have to worry about wasting your Mana."
"That's good…" the Mage said… before going limp. "Y-Yumeno-san?!"
Thankfully, Makoto was fat enough to catch her in his arms before she touched the ground.
That's when he heard her muttering, "As expected from you… Naegi-senpai…"
"Uh?"
"Don't mind… if I regain some of my hidden MP… on you… familiar."
But before he could protest, she fell asleep… again. In his embrace, this time.
Apparently, the girl had found the perfect familiar in Makoto, which confused him a little, considering the fact that he was not a magician – or rather, a mage – to begin with.
Needless to say, another student did not take this too well.
But regardless, Himiko seemed to appreciate his work for her, and also his company enough to sleep when he was here.
Well, she felt asleep whenever she wanted anyway, but she seemed comfortable when she was sleeping with him.
And he had to admit… she was pretty cute when she was sleeping.
"Gonta wonders what Yumeno-san meant by that, Naegi-san." Gonta murmured, in order to not wake the Magician up.
"Oh, maybe because she hasn't fully recovered yet," Makoto answered, all the while lifting Himiko up so he could take her for a princess ride. "Let's take her to-"
"Yumeno-san! Sorry if Tenko was too loud again, but that menace leader would not-"
The two boys only looked at the entrance again, as the Luckster began to shake again. For the person who was standing in front of him was none other than Tenko Chabashira, the Ultimate Aikido Master.
And judging by her outraged look, she didn't seem to like the fact that Himiko was in a menace's arms.
"W-W-What…"
"C-Chabashira-sa-"
"WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING TO YUMENO-SAN?!"
"Ouch!"
"I'm sorry if it hurts you, Naegi-senpai. But this must be done."
"Honestly, it doesn't even surprise me. Classic Chabashira. Always panicking when a 'menace' is too near Yumeno, even when he hadn't done anything yet."
The clock of the infirmary showed 1:30 pm. Because of a misunderstanding, Tenko decided to… 'show him Neo Aikido', as she said it. The result was more than obvious: Makoto was then forced to be sent to the infirmary by Gonta who carried him all the way back here, trying to avoid Tenko's wrath. Kirumi proposed to help which was gladly accepted with the food she brought, and Gonta tried also to help his injured model, but Ryoma who happened to be with the Maid assigned him to try to find Chabashira to apology… which she hadn't done yet.
"W-well, that… was to be expected, I know." Makoto tried to speak despite the pain in his body. "B-but I know she didn't really mean any harm. She was just afraid abou- Ow!"
"My bad again." Kirumi excused herself again. "But whatever her reason may be, that is no reason to harm someone without an explanation, let alone one of her senior."
"Heck, the only one that would try to fuck around in our class would be that liar brat and that crude inventor," Ryoma commented. "I'm not talking about the other classes 'cause I don't know them as much as you do, but I doubt there are many people that like to pull that kind of trap in this school… right?"
"Y-yeah," Makoto sweat dropped yet again. "Pretty much everyone here is safe at that level."
That made the tennis Pro eyebrow. "Pretty much everyone? What is that supposed to mean?"
The Luckster realized his bummer. "Oh! W-well-"
"U-uuum, Toujou-san? Is Naegi-senpai here?"
Ah… the voice was familiar for all. The Maid answered with a sigh. "Yes, Chabashira-san, he's here. You can enter."
Said Aikido Master entered the room with an awkward look on her face, approached the group all the while fixing Makoto, and once just in front of him-
Well not completely, since she had a 'security distance' with him. Even though he was probably one of the 'less degenerate' of the boys here.
Anyway, she spoke, awkwardly playing with her indexes. "H-hi Naegi-senpai. Tenko is here to say she's sorry for flipping you the way she did."
"Oh, it's fine Chabashira-san!" Makoto tried to reassure. "I'm not that badly injured, see?"
"P-perhaps, but… Yumeno-san said you didn't do anything wrong. S-so… here Tenko is."
"Don't worry, I'm fine. A little bruised is all, but I'll live. I know you didn't mean to hurt me or anyone else. You were just looking for here." He smiled at her, trying to seem nice. "So don't worry too much, okay?"
Tenko seemed to be relieved by the answer… but not for the reason Makoto expected to.
"Oh, alright then. If you say so… Yumeno-san will be proud of Tenko when she'll hear that!"
Ah… so this was the main reason she came here. Makoto sighed in defeat. Once again, he should have known…
"Seriously?"
All eyes turned on Ryoma, who seemed not so pleased with the scene. "You just came here and apologized to him, but only because you wanted someone else's forgiveness, rather than the one coming from the one that you hurt?"
Tenko seemed displeased at the comment and fought back. "O-of course not! Tenko realized that she'd made a mistake, and she just wanted to apologize! …even if Yumeno-san insisted too."
"And that's why we're not pleased with your attitude, Chabashira-san." Kirumi followed. "If you apology to someone just to gain another person's forgiveness, it is simply wrong. You have to improve on that side."
"B-but Tenko can't do that! Even if Naegi-senpai is just a less dangerous menace, he's still a menace regardless, so it can't be helped!"
Less dangerous menace… that's what Tenko called him now.
Well, Makoto figured it was better than a degenerate menace, he thought.
The girl would not let her guard down when it came to boys, giving some hard time even to him.
To be fair, some boys did had some very… dangerous behaviors, he had to admit.
But even though she was way nicer to the girls, some of them were also very special on this aspect… especially a new student here.
But it was fine for him. The important thing was that, she was very slowly opening up to everyone.
And he was not going to let one misunderstanding ruin her efforts.
That's why he decided to step in. "Guys, you shouldn't scold her like that. I think I'm partly to blame here. I was simply going to make her sleep in a softer place in the stand, but I was taking too much time, that's why Chabashira-san got suspicious. There's nothing more to explain."
Kirumi did not buy this. "What are you-"
But Tenko did for sure. "See? Even Naegi-senpai agreed with me! Tenko only wanted to bring Yumeno-san to her room, but even though she realized she went too far, why what was taking him so long?!"
"The mattress on her lab seemed enough for me…"
"Well, Tenko thought you simply had to hand Yumeno-san over her, and everything would have been just fine!"
Makoto sighed again. "Sorry about this, Chabashira-san. If you want, I'll let you take care of it next time it happens, okay?"
"Sure thing, Naegi-senpai! No need to tell her that! She knew what to do!" She beamed happily. "Tenko's happy that a menace is finally agreeing with Tenko's decision! At least someone acknowledges his rank!"
Well, her natural disdain was not as strong as before, but she still needed to make progress. A lot of progress.
But the Luckster didn't mind. She was on the right track, and he was not one to hold a grudge about something like this.
That displeased her classmates, however. While Kirumi simply joined Makoto emotionally, Ryoma grunted. "Seriously kid, you shouldn't have done that. That will only encourage her in her attitude."
"HEY! What does that mean?!"
"Not to mention, if you want to protect Yumeno-san from menaces, maybe you should be more careful about the Reserve Course students." The Maid followed. "Even if I don't like to doubt some persons I've never met, a little awareness have never hurt anyone before."
That seemed to anger the Aikido Master a lot. "…you're right. Tenko has completely forgotten about that."
"W-wait a minute," Makoto said, knowing where this was going. "Maybe not all of the boys will be bad as you think!"
"Maybe not, Naegi-senpai," Tenko didn't flinch in the slightest, even getting angrier as she explained her point, "but there will be menaces, Tenko is sure of that. And Tenko is even sure that among those disgusting men, there will at least be one of them that will be exactly like-"
"THAT BASTARD! WHAT THE FUCK HAS THIS SON OF A BITCH DONE AGAIN?!"
The booming voice finished Tenko's opinion for her, as Ki-Bo entered the room in a panicked way and yelled, "Somebody please help me over there! Iruma-san is going completely berserk now, and I can't stop her!"
"What happened?" asked the Maid.
"I was simply helping her with her inventions, but something went horribly wrong! She kept yelling about Ouma-kun sabotaging her work again, but he didn't enter the room at any time while I was there!"
"Then he must have done something before you guys did." Ryoma concluded. "That would explain why he wasn't with us this morning."
Just the mention of the Supreme Leader made the blood in Tenko's veins boil, and the three others were annoyed as well. Makoto on the other hand, was more worried about Miu and Ki-Bo's safety. Kokichi was named the King of Pranksters by the school, after all.
And considering Ki-Bo was one of his main targets, the Luckster would not let it slide.
True, the fact that he was a robot as surprising at first, but the two managed to have a good relationship. Both of them were understanding of each other very easily.
And he wouldn't like to see one of his friends hurt by a stupid prank.
So he tried to get up from his bed. "Okay, I'm going with you."
But a hand on his shoulder tried to stop him, and by the look of the gloved hand, it was clear that it was the Maid's. "Naegi-senpai, you are still injured. Do you think you will be alright?"
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" The Luckster replied. "Like I said, I'm not that badly injured." He then stood up. "See? I'm not shaking!"
"Then you better be careful, kid." the Tennis Pro warned. "You don't know what that crazy inventor could do in her state."
"I'm telling you, we're trying to help you out!"
"HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU SHITHEADS HELPING ME, UH?!"
"For the love of God, Iruma-san, we're doing what we can! If you just explained, then-"
"I'VE GOT BETTER THINGS TO DO, YA GEEK GIRL!"
The shoutings panicked the Robot even more. "Those were Amami-kun and Shirogane-san's voices! Naegi-senpai, but we have to hurry up!"
"Right!"
The two students left the room in speed, leaving the three other students alone, wondering what they should do.
"Do you think we should also check on them, just to make sure everything is alright?" Kirumi asked Ryoma.
"Nah, they have two other people on their sides, plus the kid." he answered. "Instead, we should check up what the hell this brat have prepared. I don't want to take some soda on my hat."
"Right. That seems like a good idea." The Maid said, before noticing that Tenko as shaking. "Uh? Is something wrong, Chabasiar-san?"
"T-Tenko…" the Aikido Master murmured, before she shouted in a panicking realization, "TENKO HAS LEFT YUMENO-SAN ALONE! HOW COULD SHE BE SO CARELESS WHEN THAT MENACE COULD BE PLOTTING SOMETHING ABOUT HER?! TENKO HAS TO STOP HIM!"
A dash of dust could be seen where she was standing, leading the Tennis Pro to sigh.
"Seriously, this day is just getting worse at the minute…"
"And that little shit just fuckin' messed up entirely with my fucking stage! How the hell am I going to presents the other fuckers my wonderful inventions, uh?"
The complaints of the Inventor were not something that anyone enjoyed. Ki-Bo, Tsumugi and Rantarou who were trying to pick up what was on the ground were getting really annoyed at her demeanor, and even Makoto had to force himself to do his work without lashing out. Geez, even with one half of a year, she was still a handful…
"Well, I guess you will have to rearrange the laboratory." Rantarou tried. "I know this is a shame, but-"
"A shame?!" she shouted. "It's more than that, it's a fuckin' disgrace! How the fuck could I let this motherfucker do this to me?!"
"Nobody saw this coming, Iruma-san!" Tsumugi protested in an annoyed way. "Besides, it's not a reason for yelling at us like that!"
"Shirogane-san is right, Iruma-san." Ki-Bo followed her. "Just because of what happened to you, you don't have any right to tell us off!"
"What the fuck are you saying, Ki-bo?! Of course, I can!" she countered. "I'm fuckin' Iruma Miu, the amazing Inventor! All of you are nothing more but-"
"IRUMA-SAN!"
Everyone stopped dead on their tracks, for the voice belonged to none other than Makoto, who also hated to do that, but it was one of the only ways for her to make her stop in her rantings… that or asking for someone else to do it. And he was afraid they would hurt her feelings too much.
Honestly, Miu was really a handful, even for Makoto. Well, her class as a whole was at leat as complicated as Chiaki's class, but she was probably one of the most difficult one to deal with.
Even if he found her amazing because of what she did, he had some hard time to communicate with her. And her swearings were not helping either.
But he knew he couldn't yell at people like that. He knew that his job was to help people with their problems and flaws.
And that's what he was about to do.
Miu looked at the Luckster in a scared way. "W-why are being so loud… d-did I do something wrong?"
"Well, sorry for being so loud, but you are taking this too far, Iruma-san." Makoto sighed, then began to explain, trying to be calm. "Like Amami-kun said, what happened is really too bad, and we'll make sure Ouma-kun will answer for what he did. BUT, also like Shirogane-san and Kibo-kun added, it doesn't give you the right to disrespect those who want to help you."
"B-but-"
"AND, before you say anything else," the Luckster stopped her, knowing what she was about to say, "all geniuses are amazing, but they also need those under them in order to live and to have a true feeling of satisfaction."
That caught the Inventor off guard again. "W-what? Are you telling me that what I do is not good?"
"What I'm saying is, your inventions are amazing because… they are unique in a sense and it's a really good thing that you enjoy creating them. But it will be more awesome if the Reserve Course students also find it amazing too!" Seeing that she was still a little afraid, probably because of his little hesitation, he decided to give her a determined face. "You're Iruma Miu, the person that will one day be on top of the world! I know you can do it! That's why I don't think that rearranging your stage will not be a problem, since you've already done it! You can do it again with ease!"
It seemed to work, as Miu recovered from her shock. "I-I… I guess you're right. I mean, yeah, that was a pain in the ass on the first time, but… heck, it shouldn't be a problem now!" She then came back to her usual self, a little more politely this time… if only a little. "Yeah… yeah, that's it! I'm amazing, even without you sayin' so!"
"R-right." Makoto sweatdropped. Maybe he overdid it…
"But ya know, geniuses need some praises sometimes!" She then took his head and place it just above her chest. "Glad to see that ya understand that, Shinabigi!"
"U-uuum, I'm glad that I pleased you…" the Luckster said, a little embarrassed by the posture.
"Enjoy his, 'cause that's the only thing you're gonna get!" the Inventor teased, before going to her other classmates and picked up what they had, shocking them slightly. "Now I'll get back to work. Since it'll be easy, I'll finish in no time! See ya later, suckers! Kyashyashyashyashya!"
And with this, she went to a confined room inside of the laboratory, which seemed to be isolated from the rest of the room. That was when you could have heard a swept a relief.
"I'm glad she stopped." Ki-Bo was the first one to speak. "Iruma-san is a… good acquaintance. I just don't like it when she's like that." He then turned to Makoto with a little smile. "Thank you for this, Naegi-senpai. I'm honestly surprised that you did this, but I'm still glad you did."
"O-oh, I didn't do anything special, really!" Makoto dismissed. "I just-"
"You were so cool, Naegi-senpai!" the Cosplayer praised, cutting him off. "It's totally a thing a protagonist would have done!"
"I must admit Iruma's antics were starting to get on my nerves. But you did a good job stopping her." the Adventurer admitted while chuckling. "I'm honestly surprised at your reaction, though."
"That is correct." The Robot followed. "I've never thought you could do something like that."
"W-well, to be honest," Makoto explained, "I didn't want her to insult my friends, so I admit I had to… force myself in this. It happened a few time with my classmates, so…"
"Really?" Tsumugi questioned, getting curious. "I didn't think this happened before! Your class looked so happy back then! ...except for one or two of your friends."
"Well, it wasn't always the case, believe it or not," Makoto told them, smiling sheepishly. "There were some arguments here and there at first. It took a lot of efforts for all of them to really enjoy or befriend each other's presence, for some of us."
"And I suppose you had some role in it?" Rantarou guessed. "As expected from a class representative… you act just like Akamatsu-san. I guess life isn't easy for both of you."
"And still, you have the will to go on, despite the bad luck you have! Nishishi… you really are an inspiring person, Naegi-chan!"
All of the persons in the room froze in an instant, before turning to the voice who was coming from the entrance of the room… and standing there was none other than-
"O-Ouma-kun…" Makoto murmured.
"Yup yup, that's me! Your favorite Supreme Leader, or President, if you prefer, is here!" Kokichi cheered.
"Ouma-kun… what are you doing here?" Tsumugi asked, not pleased by him showing up.
"Just checking up on you guys!" he smiled in a dark manner, putting his index in front of his mouth. "I wouldn't want any of you getting hurt, you know."
"Hurt? You mean by one of your pranks?" Rantarou questioned.
"Hey! Who the shit closed the fucking closed the door?! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I'M FUCKING SERIOUS ABOUT THAT!"
All of them turned to see the door, which was somehow blocked by what looked like… superglue. Green slime all over the side of the door. And judging by the banging, it was not going to break free anytime soon.
Of course, the Supreme Evil Leader seemed to enjoy the show. "Nishihi… seems like Iruma-chan has some problems with the door…"
The Cosplayer was not amused. "You were the one who did it, uh?! That's not even surprising coming from you!"
"Ooow, but you know I like to do that kind of pranks, Shirogane-san!" Kokichi defended himself. "That kind of things amuses me, and you know that!
The Adventurer followed on the same tone as his classmate. "That was all your doing, wasn't it? All of those farces for today? Notably with Chabashira-san and the others?"
"Yup yup! It was definitely me!" the younger boy said with glee. "Man, that was all too fun to watch! Your faces were all priceless! Nobody could predict what happened, and you wanna know the best part? Nobody was here to stop me!"
"Maybe because you planned for this the whole time, Ouma-kun. That's why Kizakura-sensei is sick today, isn't it?"
Once again, Makoto's comment surprised everyone, the Robot first. "Uh? What do you mean, Naegi-senpai?"
"I thought about it since yesterday, you know." The Luckster reasoned. "Back then, small pranks were also put up, notably in the kitchen. All of the lights of the kitchen fired out, but all at once. Only someone with a good gadget would be able to do that… that or someone who know how the lights work, and who has someone gullible like Gokuhara-kun to be tricked into giving him the access to the lights while no one was there, and who would lift him up to touch it in the first place."
"W-what?" Tsumugi exclaimed, shocked by the revelation.
"And that's not all. When I went back home, I've noticed a bottle of bourbon whiskey near one of the trash bags near his apartments, and before you ask, his place is on the way of mine. Even when I know his laidback personality, I know that he wouldn't throw the bottle of his favorite drink unless he has a reason… and then, when Gokuhara-kun brought me to the infirmary, I've noticed something."
"Uh?" Ki-Bo asked. "What did you noticed?"
"One of the bottle in the closet was here, and guess what it was?" Makoto narrowed his eyes, still fixing Kokichi with his look. "It was one that contained the sleeping pills, and you know what? All of the pills were missing! The bottle was completely empty, which means that the pills were either thrown away or already used! And you know the most suspect fact? It was here today, but when I was in the infirmary yesterday, it was missing! And judging by Ishimaru-kun, it was not there Tuesday either!" He then pointed a finger at the Supreme Leader. "So my theory is that you took the bottle when no one was looking, and that you put some, if not all of the pills, into Kizakura-sensei's beverage!"
Everyone present in the room eyed Kokichi in an annoyed and impatient way. Rantarou was the one who asked the question, all the while looking at the President with narrowed eyes. "Well? What do you have to say about this, Ouma-kun?"
A little silence occurred after the accusing question. Then…
"Wow, that's a pretty good analysis, Naegi-chan! And there I thought that you wouldn't notice. Geez, you're more observing than I thought. Are you inspiring to be a detective like Saihara-chan?"
That reaction was enough for all of the students. "I-I… I can't believe you would do this!" The Cosplayer said, clearly outraged. "I know you are the kind of person that would prank everyone with basics things, but now you went too far!"
"Oh, but it's only basics pranks!" Kokichi countered again. "Nobody was hurt, right? Well, I can assure you, nobody will be hurt during the Week!"
"You mean you have the intention of trapping other students as well?" The Adventurer questioned with a serious face. "That suits you very much."
"Do you realize how immoral and disrespectful this is?!" Makoto scolded him. "Using Gokuhara-kun to prank the others is bad enough, but trying to do that to people you've never met and who could feel offended is simply wrong!"
"Then they'll just have to not fall in the traps." The junior said in a cheery, yet malicious tone. "That way they won't have been like this."
"How can you be so inconsiderate of the others feeling like this?!" the Robot questioned in an outraged way as well. "Those are people we are talking about!"
"And you know what you are talking for sure, Kiibo-chan." the other boy grinned. "That's why you're Naegi-chan's robotic long-lost brother, after all."
"FOR THE LAST TIME, THE LOOKS ARE SIMPLY A PURE COINCIDENCE! WILL YOU STOP CALLING ME THAT ONE DAY?!"
"OI! GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! I WANNA KICK THIS BASTARD'S ASS SO HARD HE'LL FLY TO THE FUCKING MOON!"
The voice of the Inventor indicated that she was still locked, much for Kokichi's amusement. "Besides, you have better things than scolding me, right? It would be a shame if we were to be late for Saihara-chan's birthday part- OUCH! NOT THE EAR!"
"Because you care about him that much, yet you neglect the others? That's bullcrap and you know it."
The hand which was grabbing firmly his right ear along with the strict and cold voice allowed the other students to identify its owner, with Makoto doing it first. "Harukawa-san?"
"Momota and Akamatsu asked me to go to my room for my present for Saihara." the Caregiver was quick to explain, before glaring dangerously at Kokichi. "And here I found you, plotting some random pranks against us… again."
"Ooooh, but it's only a part of the attra- OOOOW!"
"OI! I'M STILL WAITING FOR SOME FUCKING HELP, YA BUNCH OF SHITTY VIRGINS!"
Sighing, Maki just said, "Hurry up and free her already. We don't want to be late to the meeting in the music room."
"We'll get Iruma-san out in a little time, Harukawa-san." Rantarou affirmed, then turned towards the Luckster. "Why don't you go with Harukawa-san? I personally have my present with now, so you don't have to worry about me."
"R-really?" Makoto questioned, still fixing his juniors. "What about you guys?"
"I and Iruma-san have our presents right in this room, so you won't have to worry about us, Naegi-senpai!" Ki-Bo confirmed.
"Mine is still in the studio, but it's not too far from here, so I'll manage!" Tsumugi affirmed with an awkward smile.
Makoto only turned towards the almost-as short as him and said, "Well, guess I'll have to go get my present, too!" Makoto said. "I deposed it in my room."
"Then let's go already. I don't want to make the others wait because of some stupid prank." replied sharply the Caregiver.
"Oh! Oh! I've got to go look for my present for Saihara-chan, too!"
"…you are not authorized to talk."
Those sentences were the last ones the trio heard before their two classmates and seniors completely disappeared from their views… leaving them to have to deal with the Inventor's barking and insults, much to their displeasure… again. Rantarou had to speak for everyone here.
"…I can't wait to be over with this."
"Ooow, Harukawa-chan left us all alone, Naegi-chan! I'm getting so lonely here!"
The complaints of the Supreme Leader were not something pleasant for Makoto as well, as the two boys were just next to the Luckster's door, wanting for Maki to come back.
"…why are you even telling me this, Ouma-kun?" the Luckster asked, not hoping for an honest answer from him.
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to talk, of course!" Kokichi cheered. "For instance, what did you brought to Saihara-chan?"
Seeing no trap in his question, Makoto decided to answer. "Well, you know what he wanted to be a detective right?"
"Of course I do!" The junior grinned. "He keeps staring at Kirigiri-chan when she comes and see us, or when we have an activity together with the classes!"
That made him laugh awkwardly. "That's because he admires her, which is… pretty understandable if you ask me."
"Ooow, is Naegi-chan developing a crush?"
"O-of course not! I consider her a great friend of mine, that's all!" Makoto denied the teasing, slightly blushing. He then turned his head on the side, in hope than Kokichi won't see his face. "Besides, I don't really see what everyone would see in me. I'm just an average person, that's all."
"You're a liar."
Makoto blinked a few moments before turning back to Kokichi. "Excuse me, what?"
"Being more optimistic than normal is not what I would call average, Naegi-chan." the Supreme Leader reasoned. "Once you have something that is above average, you're no longer an average person as you say."
Makoto seemed intrigued by his answer, but prepared himself for what he was going to say next. "Then what would you call me?"
"A lucky goofus that is fun to mess around with, Naegi-chan! Isn't it obvious?!"
Makoto sighed at the grinning boy. He knew that it was going to lead to something like this. "Anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that, I thought about giving him something that could inspire him for… you know, taking more confidence in himself. Since all that… detective stuff can be difficult at times, I decided to opt for novels with some kind of cases that were difficult. For this, I chose the novels 'Tokyo Zodiac Murders', for instance." He then chuckled. "I was really happy to see that one of my classmates had an exemplary because from what I've heard, it's not in any shops now."
"So cool, Naegi-chan!" Kokichi cheered. "Something that suits his future! What is the other one?"
"Well, I also bought a pendant which figured in 'Shingeki No Ningen'." He continued. "It doesn't have anything to do with detective stuff, but I still didn't know what else to buy…"
"Oh, but keys are cool in general!" the junior cheered him on. "Besides, this one is cool! It shows that the protagonist will find out the truth one day!"
"Really?"
"Although I'm not sure he likes that kind of gory stuff."
Makoto sweatdropped, and looked at his junior. "What about you? Did you prepare anything? You said you had to look for his present, but- "
"Oh, that?" At that, the Supreme Evil Leader only grinned maliciously. "Well, that was a lie, of course!"
"W-what?!"
"I already had my gift ready for Saihara-chan, so I didn't have to look for it!" Kokichi laughed. "But I do have a present, mind you."
"R-really…" Makoto said, before noticing something coming from one his pocket. Was it… a string?
"You'll see it when the times will come!" Kokichi grinned even more. "I can't wait to see the others faces!"
Yes, Kokichi was probably THE hardest student in his class to deal with.
His pranks, his lies… the little guy knew how to confuse those around him for sure.
But he seemed to have his favorite people. In particular, Detectives… and Lucky Students.
Makoto was really distraught when it came to him… but that would not make him abandon his junior.
He just hoped that one day, he would understand him.
"Coming from you fucker, it doesn't sound good at all!"
"Indeed. Probably another prank of his. We'll have to watch you, as always."
The Luckster and his junior looked at the origins of the voices to see Maki who was accompanied by Kaito, who had a little bandage on his right leg.
"Ooow, you're hurting me, Momota-chan!" Kokichi fainted a sad face. "I put a lot of effort just to do it, you know!"
"Which means you did something pretty fucked again!" The Astronaut accused. "And you can count on me to prevent whatever shit you prepared from happening!"
"And I don't plan on just watching either." The Caregiver followed. "Seriously, even Naegi's kids don't give me that much trouble, even though they're not that bothering."
Kokichi's sad face insisted. "Y-you think that… some kids are less troublesome than me?" He then cried his eyes out. "WAAAAA! My own classmates think I'm just a kiiiiid!" ...tears that stopped almost immediately. "Well, it can't be helped, I suppose."
"T-that was fast…" Makoto commented, before turning to Kaito and asked in a worried manner, "Are you okay since this morning, Momota-kun?"
"Don't worry about me, Makoto!" he lifted a thump up in a confident way. "That's a little injury that's gonna take down Momota Kaito!"
Yup. Typical Kaito. Determined, full of energy, passionate, and always ready to help anyone in need.
That was probably why he liked Makoto so much. And honestly, Makoto was glad.
Even if he thought that making him Kaito's 'sidekick' was a little weird. But then again, there were worst fates.
"I told you, you didn't have to go with us." Maki scolded him. "You are just taking a risk to injure your leg even more."
It was the complete opposite for Maki. Cold, distant… even more than Kyouko and Peko. That was not what he expected from her, considering her talent.
He had to admit, she was pretty good with kids, even though his siblings were a little afraid of her.
But she was probably the coldest of the newest bunch. Even if she didn't seem to hold any grudge against him or most of her class, he couldn't honestly say their relationship was a happy one.
He, of course, figured that there was a reason behind this, but it still saddened him a little.
"Hey, I couldn't let you guys handle that fucker all by ourselves!" Kaito defended himself. "What isn't telling me that you could have ended in one of his traps?!"
In all of this, Makoto noticed something. "Uuum, guys…"
"I'm in a better shape to avoid that kind of things that you, Momota. Need I remind you who jumped above a tennis net this morning?"
"I was only in the mood, okay?! No need to remind me that shit, Harumaki!"
"Guys?"
"Will you stop calling me that already?!"
"Only when you'll begin to be nicer!"
"GUYS!"
The two juniors looked at Makoto with Maki staring at the Luckster in a displeased way. "What?"
"Ouma-kun's gone."
That was enough to make them look away in a surprised way, before the Astronaut shouted, "Fuck! That bastard just left us in the dust!"
The Caregiver returned her gaze to her senior. "I suppose that he gets past you too, didn't he?"
"Y-yes. I'm afraid so."
"Then we've got to hurry! I don't want him to fucking ruin Shuichi's special day!" With this, Kaito ran off in the direction of their appointment, which was in the music room.
The two others decided to follow him, their gifts in their arms, with Maki grunting even more. "What the heck is this brat plotting again?!"
"I don't know, but the sooner we get there, the sooner we'll find out!"
"Ah, there you three are! I was hoping you didn't get lost!"
The cheers of the Supreme Leader was getting on everyone's nerves, including those who arrived.
"Don't say anything, you fucker." Kaito growled. "What the hell did you plan?!"
"Uh? Plan?"
"Don't play dumb with us." Maki said dangerously. "You clearly said that you planned something with Saihara. What is it?"
"Wait, he also planned something with Saihara-kun?!" Ki-bo asked, clearly getting outraged by this statement.
"What is it, you son of a bitch?!" Miu barked again, clearly not pleased at the fact that the one who was standing in front of her trapped her in her own laboratory. "Something involving Bakamastsu, isn't it?!"
"Uh?" Makoto widened his eyes in shock. "Is this true, Ouma-kun?!"
"Maybe. Maybe not." Kokichi grinned. "I won't tell you anything though. I won't waste my effect of surprise."
"You menace plan on hurting Akamatsu-san?!" Tenko shouted in turn. "Tenko will not let that happen!"
"But what if Kokichi wants to show her how much she's important for Shuichi and the rest of us?" Angie proposed. "Kaede is the one who came up with the idea, after all. And Atua told me that he would like to see that happens!"
"Coming from Ouma-kun? No, this is not going to happen." Himiko told her, with her eyes narrowed. "He'll never do something like that."
"That is to be expected from him." Korekiyo added in his usual tone. "He is the King of Pranksters, after all."
Once again, Kokichi looked offended. "Y-you think that… I would do this to my dear classmates?" Once again, he used the crocodile tears, all the while, turning his entire body so his back would face them and kneeling at one of the gifts at one side of the room. "WAAAAA! Why am I the black sheep of the whole class?!"
Being the softie that he is, Gonta could not see him cry, even if those were fake. "Naegi-senpai, do you think we should comfort Ouma-kun?!"
Makoto hesitated. "Well I-"
"Don't do anything with him, you fool." Ryoma answered for Makoto, even with his sharp tongue. "You should know by now that this is just a façade by now."
"…wow, that was refreshing!" Kokichi stood up and faced them again.
"…why did you just showed our back to us?" Kirumi asked him, in a suspicious manner. "Why did you behaved like this?"
"Oh, for no reason at all! Just wanted to do it!"
"Can we even consider this a reason, knowing it's coming from you?" Rantarou asked on the same interrogation. "Somehow, I doubt-"
"You guys! I think I can hear them coming!"
The voice of Tsumugi was enough for all of them to alert them, as she closed the door, put out the lights and joined the rest of her friends near the tables. Not long after she did, the door opened.
"Hey now, you're on the right way!"
"Okay okay, I got it!"
The two voices belonged respectively to Kaede Akamatsu and Shuichi Saihara, whose eyes were bandaged, to make sure that he wouldn't see, even with the lights out.
"There. We've arrived. I'm gonna undo it." The Pianist said in a happy manner.
"Okay. Just what on Earth are you planning?" The Lucky Student from her class asked before-
POP!
"Ha?!" He suddenly jumped back as the sound of a party popper… popping was heard, and as soon as it disappeared-
"SURPRISE!"
The sounds of cheering could be heard. As soon as Shuichi could see again, he blinked in surprise to see all of his classmates and one of his senior cheering on him, as the music room was decorated in a party theme, with tables prepared for food, tinsels all over the walls, and even a banner hunged up, and on which was written "Happy Birthday!". The presents were present at the side of the room.
Makoto was the first one to advance. He then smiled at him and said, "Hey there Saihara-kun. I hope you enjoy it."
Shuichi only stared at him in disbelief. "N-Naegi-senpai?!"
"Surprising, isn't it?" the Adventurer looked down and smiled. "Even one your seniors are here for you today. Luckily enough, his talent was a benefit for us on this one."
Tsumugi only stared at him in an annoyed way, as if he had said something that has annoyed her, before putting a happy face as well. "Anyway, what he tried to tell you is, we're all here for you today, Saihara-kun!"
"So ya better enjoy it, Shuichi my man, 'cause ya deserve it!" the Astronaut thumped up, before wrapping an arm around the Caregiver. "Ain't that right, Harumaki?!"
"…I suppose, yes."
"Don't act like that, Harukawa-san!" Kaede scolded her. "Be happier! It's what a birthday party is for!"
"I-it's fine Akamatsu-san. W-what you've done for me was simply enough." Shuichi said, still unable to deal with the happy emotions he was dealing with. He didn't cry, but… the happy face that he tried to his with his cap could tell long enough for all of them.
In all this, Makoto watched the smiles of his juniors as well. The sight of all of them, acting like friends and classmates was something that he loved and cherished, even though it wasn't his-
And then he noticed Kokichi pull some kind of string. Just at the moment when Kaede was approaching the gifts.
"Now then, Saihara-kun," the pianist said, completely unaware of what was going on, "I think it's time for you to-"
"Akamatsu-san! Look out!"
"Uh?"
THUMP!
BOING!
"Woawoaw!"
The Luckster had to push Kaede out of the way, much to everyone's surprise. Next thing they knew, the poor Makoto was hanging on by the ceiling by some kind of transparent rode… much to a certain Supreme Leader's displeasure.
"Ow, you ruined everything, Naegi-chan! My Akamatsu pinata is completely ruined now!"
"…what?" Kaede blinked her eyes in confusion as the Lucky Student of the 79th class helped her rising her up, before she angrily stared at him. "You mean to tell me that… THIS was your gift?!"
"Well yes! What did you expect?! You have to be useful somehow!" the Supreme Leader said, looking at the poor Luckster hanging up there… then his grin went back to his lips, before he reached for… bats under the tables. "…although, now that I see it, I think a Naegi version isn't bad either! Should I thank you? Nah, of course not! You still ruined everything!"
Shuichi only sighed at this. "Anyone… just please take care of him and help Naegi-senpai already."
{Clair de Lune from Suite bergamasque begins}
The sound of someone playing the piano was calm and heartwarming, as everyone was listening to Kaede's play, closing their eyes in attention, savoring the moment…
Well, with exception of Kokichi, who was now tied up and sleeping. Some drool could be seen on the side of its mouth to prove it. At least he wasn't lying now.
Some people just listened to the composition, but others smiled at it, feeling the emotions of the soft melody caressing their ears. Makoto and Shuichi were one of them.
It was everyone's first time they had to listen to this, after all. It was simple, yes, and yet… it had such a calm aura that appeased everyone. Well, almost everyone.
Prior to that, after taking care of both the Luckster and the Supreme Leader, the present delivery had rolled out without a problem. Angie, Himiko and Tenko offered gift cards, even if Tenko was reluctant about giving a present to a 'menace'. Maki, Korekiyo and Kirumi offered him different famous detective novels, and luckily enough, it wasn't the one that Makoto bought. The Maid also proposed her services to him for some time, which the Lucky Student refused politely, with the Maid reminding him to call her if he changes his mind.
Hoshi, Korekiyo and Tsumugi tried to bring him some detective stuff, as they bought respectively cigars and the costume of Shinichi Kujo, which pleased him, even though he said he didn't smoke. Gonta and Miu tried an original thing as the first offered a little beetle, and the second, a machine that can use lights… to steal panties.
Useless to say, it was welcomed awkwardly. Especially when Kaede saw it.
Rantarou and Kaito, who brought some T-shirts as gifts, describing them as best pals, also prepared the birthday cake along with Kaede. Those were those who seemed to put a lot of efforts into it. The only one left was Makoto's since Kokichi's was completely ruined.
{Clair de Lune from Suite bergamasque ends}
The music came to an end, and with this, the cheering and applause could be heard in the entire room. Of course, that also led the short boy to wake up and fakely cheer as well with slow claps. The Pianist was blushing out of flattery, so Shuichi came to her and told her, "That was beautiful Akamatsu-san!"
"Oh, don't mention it!" She dismissed with her hands. "It wasn't that hard to compose it, you know!"
"As expected from the Ultimate Pianist, for copying perfectly an original composition."
All of the attention focused on behind them, to see that the Headmaster himself was clapping. Kaede reacted surprised, of course. "K-Kirigiri-kouchou?! W-what are you-"
"I was simply inspecting if everything was fine." He then smiled. "And I see that I have nothing to worry."
"What about meeeee?"
"Not now, Ouma." He sweatdropped at the President faking tears again, then coughed. "I'm sorry for disturbing this moment of joy, but I have to talk with Naegi about his job for tomorrow."
That earned him some complaints, and those coming from the Astronaut were those who were the loudest. "What, right now?! Oh, come on! Shuichi hasn't opened his present yet, and it's the last on- OUCH!"
"Momota, shut up." The Caregiver scolded him. "If he wants to talk to him right now, then it means that it's important."
"Yes, Momota-kun. I'm sorry, but Harukawa is right." Makoto reasoned. "If it's important, then I have to talk to him."
"But what about your present?" Questioned the Pianist in a sad manner.
"Don't worry, you don't have to wait for me to open it!" He reassured Kaede, before turning to Shuichi. "Saihara-kun, you can open it at any time! Don't worry about me, okay?"
The wannabe Detective hesitated a little moment, before saying, "Well, okay Naegi-senpai. If you say so."
"Cool then. I'm going now. I hope it will please you!" Makoto cheered, before leaving the room with Jin. Once he did, he asked, "So, what's going on, sir?"
Jin look at both sides as if to make sure that he was not followed. Then, he suggested, "Let's talk about it in a less… indiscreet place, let's say?"
"Okay. You decide."
"You really like the recreation room that much, sir?"
"It really helps me to forget the stress about the work, you know. Everyone needs to rest times to times, even me."
The two men chuckled as they took their seats in the empty room, considering all of the students must either attend to their own classes or preparing the other rooms.
Makoto then asked the question. "So, what do you wanted to talk about with me, Kirigiri-kouchou?"
Jin's face tensed a little at this. "Oh, right. So first of all, I wanted to tell you about some… changes to the event."
"Changes?" The Luckster quickly noticed the nervous look of the Headmaster, along with his hesitation.
"You see, with the days, the Steering Committee decided to change the rules of the event a little," Jin explained.
"How come?"
"Well, they thought about showing the country the… efforts they're doing for letting this happen." He then sighed. "As such, they decided to… open the school to the public."
That surprised the young boy pretty well. "Really?"
"They prepared some special hours in order to show the public what efforts the Ultimates put into this. This information was not made public yet." Jin then sighed. "I shouldn't say this, but that's what I feared. I'm afraid that it will denaturalize the purpose of what you wanted… but once again, I don't have any control over it."
Makoto only lowered his head, feeling a little sad about this. "W-well, I guess it can't really be helped…"
The Headmaster noticed it, so he decided to quickly change the subject. "Ahem! As for the second part…"
Makoto quickly lifted his eyes up. "Y-yes?"
"I contacted some of your upper classmates Monday, in order to help you guys in order to prepare the event. And they'll manage to come here tomorrow, just like Munakata did." He then got a sheet of paper out of his suit and showed it to Makoto. "Come on. Read it. I think you will like it."
The Luckster did as asked and took the paper to read it. As he did so, his eyes widened in shock. "Uh? Is that…"
"Indeed. Those are the names of the seniors that you've encountered during last year." Jin smiled down at him. "I hope this lift up your spirit a little."
"W-well… it sure is a big surprise for sure!" Makoto cheered, bowing to Jin politely. "Thank you so much, mister!"
"You don't have to thank me, it's only my job, you know!" the Headmaster laughed at his attitude. He understood why he reacted like this.
On the paper, some names could be seen. And those whose were checked would come tomorrow for the events… those names were familiar to Makoto.
Munakata Kyosuke, former Ultimate Diplomat: Check.
Kiruma Seiko, former Ultimate Pharmacist: Check.
Andou Ruruka, former Ultimate Confectioner: Check.
Sonosuke Izayoi, former Ultimate Blacksmith: Check.
Bandai Daisaku, former Ultimate Farmer: Check.
Great Gozu, former Ultimate Wrestler: Check.
Makoto knew all of those persons. Either he saw theme every day at school since they worked here, or because of events that needed their assistance. He managed to make acquaintance with all of them, and the flow passed well-
Okay, some more than others, but still, he didn't have any severe problems with them!
Anyway, seeing that he will see all of them tomorrow did cheer him up. The sadness from the new from before was still here, but it was compensated by the discovery. At least he wouldn't have to think too much about it by tomorrow… or that was what he was hoping to.
"Okay, and the third thing I wanted to tell you…" Jin said.
"Yes?"
"I know you already know about this," the Headmaster reminded him, "since the Academy will be closed for the weekend in order for the school's staff to take care of the rest of the preparations, tomorrow will be an entire day of work, since the Steering Committee want to see all of you exploiting your talents." He then showed the young boy a serious face. "As such, I suggest you make the most of this party, because tomorrow, you won't have the time to mess around. Do you understand?"
Makoto gulped a little, before trying to be as "U-uh, sure sir. I'm gonna do my best on this one."
"Then it's good." Jin's face softened. "Sorry if I put some pressure on your shoulders, but those are again the Steering Committee's orders. You know I don't have much room to talk with them."
"It's no problem, mister!" Makoto assured, and then opted for a worried face. "Being the Headmaster of the Academy must be something tiresome."
"That's the path I decided to take, Naegi-kun. Don't worry about me." the headmaster said with a comforting face. "Just to remind you, you will mainly assist the Student Council and your seniors tomorrow, even though you might encounter some of your friends during the day. Okay?"
"Got it, sir!" Makoto opted for a determined face, which was genuine this time. "I won't disappoint you!"
"I'm sure you won't." Jin continued to smile, before getting up, with Makoto following him quickly. "Now let's go. You juniors must be waiting for you."
"Right!"
"Ah! Naegi-senpai! There you are!"
"We looked at all the floor for you! Is everything alright?!"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry guys, I'm fine! We just had a little talk about tomorrow, that's all."
"Precisely. He did not run into trouble. Sorry for making you worry, but we had to talk in privacy."
Kaede and Shuichi were seemingly relieved by the Headmaster's answer, as he said, "Well, time for me to go back to my quarters. Have fun!"
"Thank you!"
Jin then leaves the trio to their own discussion, with Makoto starting. "Why did you looked for me, you guys? I told you, you didn't have to do that."
"We just wanted you to continue with you, Naegi-senpai!" Kaede answered while smiling at him. "You did help us with the preparation for today, so it's only fair that you have fun with us!"
"I really appreciate it, Akamatsu-san." Makoto answered with a smile, yet scratched the back of his head. "But it's not like I've done that much anyway…"
"It doesn't matter! You still decided to add your contribution even though you didn't have to!" the Pianist insisted. "For that, I wanted to thank you!"
The Luckster stared at her in surprise. "A-Akamatsu-san…"
"Besides, I wanted to thank you personally for your gifts." Shuichi followed, playing with the key pendant around his neck. "I really like that key, you know. Probably because I like its meaning."
"The meaning of finding the truth?"
"Exactly. That's my favorite scene from the anime, you know?" the Lucky Student said with a smile.
That got Makoto curious. "So… you like the anime?"
"Uh?" Shuichi blinked, before turning his head to the side. "W-well… a little, I'll admit."
"Really? I wouldn't have thought so, Saihara-kun!" Kaede said, surprised at that fact as well.
'...okay, I think that Ouma-kun tried to tell me this too… with a lie.' Makoto thought, sweatdropping at the flashback.
"Oh, and that's not all!" Shuichi continued, showing the novel to Makoto. "I've been looking for this one too for a long time, you know?"
That seemed to please Makoto greatly. "Really? I'm glad!
"We can't find it in any library, for some odd reasons!" the apprentice Detective beamed. "My uncle had an example of this during a time, but three years ago, someone stole it!"
"W-what?!"
"He said that the one who did it was a young man with an afro haircut! He seemed desperate for money, and when my uncle refused to pay him for whatever farces he was planning, he took the book he adds with him and ran with it!"
"Really?!" The pianist said, before fuming. "That's so… wow! And he took a book?! What would he do with that?!"
"I know, right?! Where did you found it, Naegi-senpai?"
"W-well…" Makoto sweatdropped, realizing slowly something. "Ha-Hagakure-kun is the one who had it…"
"Really?" Shuichi wondered, then remembered something. "Oh! I remember now!"
"Uh? Kaede wondered. "What is it, Saihara-kun?"
"I know this name was familiar to me when I've first met, but now I remember! It was the name of the boy who sto-"
…
…
The two boys stared at each other, Shuichi slowly putting it together. "Oh. Oooh."
"W-what?" the Pianist wondered. "What's going on?!"
"T-the worst part is…" Makoto began to shake. "I-I had to pay… 500 yens to have it…"
"What?!" Shuichi said in shock. "He made you pay for this?!"
"W-wait a minute…" Kaede finally realized. "He's the one who stole it?!"
"…"
The look on the Luckster's face was enough for an answer for Kaede, as she shouted in an indignant way, "Oh my God! I can't believe he would do that!"
"I-I don't know he would do it either, I swear!" Makoto said in panic. "I know he would do something reckless in desperate times, but-"
"Well, the fact that he stole something from a stranger is bad enough." Kaede looked angrily at him. "But swindling a classmate of his simply wrong! You have to do something about him!"
"She's right, Naegi-senpai." Shuichi shared her look. "I'm happy that you got my book back, but you'll have to make him repay you. This is a pure fraud in this case."
"Don't worry, I'll talk to him when I got the chance!" Makoto answered, trying to be as persuasive as possible. "I promise!"
"Good." Shuichi relaxed. "Now let's go back to the party. I don't want to think about it now."
"R-right." Makoto nodded, but then remembered something.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kaede cheered. "Let's get back!"
"Wait!"
The two juniors looked back at Makoto… who seemed to be looking for something in his hoodie. "Uh?" the Pianist asked. "What's wrong?"
"I just remembered I had something else for Saihara-kun…" he told them, before his eyes widened in satisfaction. "Ah! There it is!"
"Uh?" Shuichi wondered. "Something else… for me?"
"Phew! It's a little bruised, but still intact regardless!" the Luckster let out a sigh of relief, when he got out… a sheet of paper. "With all what happened, I was scared that I might lose it."
"W-what is it, Naegi-senpai?" Shuichi asked.
"Just look at it." Makoto handed him the sheet of paper. The concerned boy did so, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Uh? Naegi-senpai, did you just-"
"Yeah! I totally did!" said boy scratched his cheek. "I didn't know if you would like it, and I was a little worried about everyone's reaction, so I wanted to give it to you when we were alone."
"Uh? What is it?" Kaede asked and looked at it, before seeing-
'Hairpin Special Case Bureau's recruiting!'
The girl widened her eyes in shock. "Is it… a job proposal?!"
"Yes!" Makoto cheered. "You always said that you wanted to be a detective, right Saihara-kun? And I've heard that this agency was good enough for you!" He then scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, the agency is doing more than just detective stuff. I think that the sheet talks about some specific branch. But anyway... I thought about giving you a choice, something that could give you a nice start!" He then smiled at them as he usually did. "I wanted to make sure you would achieve your dream."
Both of them were speechless at his smile, as Shuichi stared at him in disbelief, the began to smile. "N-Naegi-senpai… I-I can't begin to tell you… how much it means for me…"
Makoto and Kaede looked at him happily… but Shuichi's smile seemed kind of… odd.
"B-but… there is a little problem…"
"Uh?"
The Lucky Student looked at him, with the same smiled… one of awkwardness. "That morning… my uncle proposed to send me to a stage with him for a detective… and I-I… I kind of… accepted the offer…"
It took a few moments for Makoto to let the words sink in. And as soon as it did, the Luckster's face became as red as a tomato. "Oh-oh no-oh man! I-I'm so-"
"D-don't apology!" Shuichi said in distress. "I-it's not your fault, really! You-you couldn't know that!"
"He-he's right, you know!" Kaede quickly followed him. "I-it's not a big deal! Besides, only the intention count, right?!"
"B-but I wanted to help one of my friends!" Makoto tried to hide his embarrassment. "And-and now you're telling me - oh my God, I feel like an idiot right now!"
"Naegi-senpai."
Two hands on his shoulders made him stop instantly, as Makoto looked at his junior who put off his cap to look at him in the eyes.
Makoto didn't know why, but he thought that when he looked at Shuichi's eyes… he saw himself, if only a little.
Shuichi was a shy guy who lacked confidence, and he was chosen by a lottery to attend the classes… just like himself.
That's why he wanted to help him find his talent with the help of Kyouko, and also to gain some confidence in himself.
But right now, it was him that was comforting him… talk about a reverse of roles.
"It's okay, really. I told the rest of the class, but you were completely ignorant, so I'm partially at fault here." Shuichi tried to reassure him, before smiling. "Besides, I liked what you did for me."
"R-really?"
"Really. You didn't have to do any of those research for me, but you did it anyway." Shuichi kept his smile, which only grew bigger. "Nobody's done this for me before, you know? And like I told you, this means so much to me. It's one of the greatest gifts I've received, in all honesty."
Makoto widened slowly his eyes. "S-Saihara-kun…"
"He's right, Naegi-senpai!" Kaede agreed. "You did it with the best of intentions, and your reaction proved that it was sincere! Honestly, I would be flattered if someone would do that for me!" She then joined her classmate in the smile. "So don't feel bad about any of this, okay?"
"A-Akamatsu-san…" Makoto continued to stare at them, before joining them. "W-well, if you say so… thank you."
"No. Thank you, Naegi-senpai." was the simple answer of the Lucky Student
"Ooiii! You're coming or what?!"
The voice behind them belonged to Kaito, and he obviously seemed impatient about their absence.
"R-right, Momota-kun! We're coming!" the Pianist told him, before turning to the two others boys with her smile. "Okay, let's go enjoy the most of it!"
"Right!"
The trio happily advanced towards the music room, with Makoto putting the paper back on its place in the hood. Today was not the day for remembering a mistake of his.
Today was Shuichi Saihara's birthday, a dear friend of his. And he was going to enjoy it to its fullest.
The clock of the 79th class showed 4:50 pm, and the party was slowly coming to an end. The Luckster passed the rest of the day chatting with his friends with different subjects. That class reminded him of his seniors… probably because of the chaos some of them created.
Trying to prevent Miu's sexual harassment towards Shuichi with her invention, for instance, was a tiresome thing to do, even with Kaede, Rantarou and Tsumugi's help. For once, Kokichi was not causing any problem - well except for the comments he made time to time - but he couldn't do anything to mess everything around this time, for everyone's pleasure. Kaito was the who enjoyed the most of it, shouting all he wanted without having to worry about him - even though Maki and Ki-Bo were still restraining him a little. Tenko was also very happy about this, because she could be with Himiko all she wanted… even if it meant she would also have to deal with Angie's presence, which was of course more tolerable, but still could be annoying with her over talk about God. On the other hand, Gonta was a little worried about the short boy's safety, but Ryouma dismissed it by saying he was going to be alright. The only ones that seemed rather to work were Kirumi and Korekiyo, who still had fun in this party, but who seemed more focused on their own things, their work and culture respectively.
Overall, they all seemed to have a good time. And it all came to an end when the Headmaster came into the room once again and said, "I see that everyone is having fun. That's good to see."
"Yes sir," Makoto answered with a smile. "We were just finishing."
Jin chuckled as the heads of everyone confirmed what he said. "Well, I'm sorry for interrupting this again, but I just wanted to tell you guys some news. For everyone this time."
"Uh? What is it, sir?" Shuichi asked.
"Regarding the fact that tomorrow will be the last day left, you guys will have to work more than usual," Jin warned them. "As such, I took the liberty of dismissing your class for the day." He then showed his back to them. "I hope you will do your best tomorrow. With that, I wish you good luck."
When he left, Makoto decided to stand up. "Well, seems like I've got to go home now."
That surprised many people, and again, Kaito was the one who voiced it first. "What, you mean right now?! Oh, come on, buddy! Are ditching on us aga- OUCH! NOT AGAIN, HARUMAKI!"
"It's because he has to save his energy, idiot." Maki scolded him yet again by grabbing his ear. "Besides, his siblings must be waiting for him by now."
"Oh yes, I've forgotten about that," Ki-Bo added, realizing that she was right. "Do you think their classes are finished by now?"
"They will be in a few minutes," Makoto said. "I would like to go back home early today. I've gotta be ready for tomorrow, you know?"
"Then I'm going with you."
Everyone looked at Shuichi who fixed Makoto with a smile. "S-Saihara-kun?"
"I would like to talk with you about… one or two things." the Lucky Student explained. "Don't worry, nothing wrong, I just wanted to talk with you."
"Can I come too, then?" Kaede decided to ask.
Makoto looked at her, then at Shuichi. "Saihara-kun?"
"It's fine. I don't have much to tell him anyway." said boy assured.
"Well then, it's decided!" the Luckster cheered, then bowed at the rest at the juniors. "All of you, have a nice evening!"
"You too, Naegi-senpai!" Tsumugi cheered. "Tell Jataro-kun that his costume will be ready for Monday!"
"Sure thing! I'll tell him!" With this happy reply, the trio left the room, leaving the rest of the class to their own things.
Rantarou was the first one to say something, all the while lowering his eyes and smiling. "He… I know that I've already said that, but I guess that life isn't easy on him easier. I know what it's like"
"Taking charge of children is a difficult task." Kirumi said. "I know what I am talking about as well, since it was one of my tasks once… even though it was simply watching over them."
"But him adopting some kids at this age?" Ryouma questioned. "I've gotta admit, that does take some guts."
"Nyahahahaha, of course he would do that!" Angie cheered. "It's Makoto we're talking about! Atua said that he was a nice soul!"
"Well, I say that it must be tiresome," Himiko said, in her half-sleep state. "Speaking of which… I think I shall… rest as well…"
"Tenko will gladly take you to your room, Yumeno-san!" Tenko took her for a princess ride, then went towards her room. "Make sure that menace won't follow us!"
Once she exited the room, Korekiyo asked, "We all can agree that the menace she was referring to was Ouma-kun, correct?"
"Who the fuck would she talking about like that?!" Miu barked yet again. "There's only one fucker that would try to mess around with us!"
"Oh! Gonta will get him to his room!" Gonta volunteered, before lifting said boy on his shoulders. "Are you okay with it?"
"Oh, sure thing Gokuhara-san!" Kokichi said in glee. "At least you're not a meanie like the rest of them, right Momota-chan?"
"Don't fucking look at me like that, you little shit!" Kauto exclaimed. "All I care is that you don't fuck around as usual!"
"And you can remember one thing," Maki followed and stared at him dangerously, as the big boy was about to exit the room as well, "We'll make sure you stay clean by tomorrow."
"Precisely!" Ki-Bo assured as well. "I do not want to clean up whatever mess you planned, and injuring anyone will not be tolerated as well!"
In all of this, Tsumugi watched the exit of the room, having someone in mind.
"Naegi-senpai… I wonder what the others wanted to tell you…"
The three headed to the spot on the fountain where they took a sit. Makoto asked the question, "Well, Saihara-kun? What do you want to tell me about?"
"Well," Shuichi began, "it's regarding the… gift you wanted to give me."
"O-Oh, that?!" the Luckster blushed in embarrassment but dismissed it quickly. "I-I'm just glad none of you decided to talk about it!"
"Hehe, don't worry about it, Naegi-senpai!" Kaede giggled in amusement. "We figured that you may still be embarrassed about it!"
"If you want, we will not talk about it." the Lucky Student told him.
Makoto was surprised, but then smiled. "Thank you guys. I'll be sure to tell the others one day." He then asked Shuichi again. "Now, what about it?"
"Oh! Right" Shuichi flinched in surprise. "Do you still have it with you?"
"Well, yeah. It's inside my hoodie." Makoto told him, before looking on the ground. "I wanted to do this for helping you become a detective since you seemed to admire my uncle and Kirigiri-san. But now…"
"Why don't you take it instead?"
Makoto blinked his eyes in surprise before saying, "Uh?"
"Saihara-kun, are you serious about this?" Kaede asked him, as surprised as her senior.
"Harukawa-san told me about you figured what happened to Kizakura-sensei." He explained. "Just because I couldn't take your gift doesn't mean it's completely wasted, you know?" the cap boy said. "When you took the job proposal, I thought… why not? You look like you would fit in." he reasoned while smiling in a friendly smile.
Makoto stared at him in a surprised way, then he laughed. "W-well, I don't think this will happen, because I don't think I would fit in… but I'll try to think about it! Thank you for the suggestion, Saihara-kun!"
"Anytime, Naegi-senpai." Shuichi smiled back, then got up. "That's all I wanted to tell you. I'm going back to take my presents, then I'll give the novel back to my uncle. Thank you for finding it, and have a nice evening!"
"You're welcome, and you too!" Makoto waved back as he saw Shuichi heading back to the music room, leaving him and Kaede alone. The Luckster then turned his attention towards the Pianist. "So, what do you wanted to talk to me about?"
"O-oh! Right!" Kaede then got up, and then-
"Thank you very much!"
…
…
A second time in a row, Makoto blinked his eyes in surprise as he saw the Pianist bowing to him, before repeating, "Uh?"
"You've been a great help for all of us since the very beginning, Naegi-senpai!" the Pianist explained. "You managed to show us the good way for a wonderful school life, even to those who doubted you!"
"I-I was only doing my job back then," Makoto tried to dismiss. "It's nothing extraordinary-"
"But it is for me."
"Uh?"
"It's special for me!" Kaede insisted. "You are one of the main reasons why our class is going forwards so well, and I've got to admit… it's what put me in this position, too!"
"W-what?"
"I-I wanted to follow your example!" Kaede admitted, still bowing for hiding her blushing face. "I-I was impressed by your ability to stay optimistic and strong no matter what, and… and that's why I wanted to inspire the class too!" She then got up with a little blush which had not completely disappeared. "Do you understand now? The one who permitted me to be class representative even with all of my fears, and the one who made us all happy… it was you!"
That was something Makoto didn't expect.
Then again, he did feel that Kaede might have some trouble with others, despite her being friendly. That's why he helped her with her insecurities. It was his job after all.
He was glad that she managed to get past her fears.
Makoto only stared at her in disbelief. His heart began to melt as he only muttered, "A-Akamatsu-san… I didn't know that-"
"Ooow, another fan of Naegi-onii! Does that mean you're officially good friends?"
The two jumped back in surprise, for Makoto recognized the young feminine voice immediately. He then turned towards the wheelchair girl with the four other kids. "M-Monaca! Don't surprise us like that!"
"Oww, but it was so fun to watch you two, Makoto-onii!" Kotoko grinned. "You have so many admirers!"
"You are such a conqueror, Nii-san!" Masaru laughed. "One day, you'll conquer them all, without a sweat!"
That made the two teenagers blush a little. "M-Masaru! Don't say things like that!" Makoto scolded him, before turning to Kaede. "S-sorry about that, Akamatsu-san."
"N-no, it's alright!" she assured him. "It's how kids are, anyway!"
Nagisa sighed and quietly commented, "Just like all girls around Aniki. Coïncidence? Mock my face."
"Onee-chan," Jataro chirped in, "is she going back home with us?"
Makoto flinched at that, before turning to her. "A-Akamatsu-san? Do you want to come home with us?"
She was surprised at this, but quickly smiled and said, "Of course, Naegi-senpai! I would be glad!"
And so, the group of seven people headed towards the Naegi residence, with Makoto taking Monaca's wheelchair, and Kaede taking Jataro and Kotoko by the hands, all of the while in joy and happy laughter. The Pianist looked at Makoto who was also keeping an eye on Masaru and Nagisa, and the girl couldn't help but smile as she looked at him.
Makoto was more amazing that he would think. She thought he had this ability to get people near him and to understand people in general so he could help them better.
But what was the most outstanding feature of his, the thing that she admired the most about him… was his smile. A pure, honest smile that could get anyone closer to each other. Because it was… full of hope.
And it was something that she would like to possess. So she could help those she cared about…
Just like him.
There. All done. Finally.
When I first wrote this, I had no real knowledge of those characters, so this chapter needed some update the most.
Next chapter will be focused on the DR3 characters, but also on the Student Council. You know, those who died at DR3:D7, without having some kind of character development. So, I will give them some justice, I hope. See ya until then!
Pupla out.
