A/N: Here's Chapter Two. Please read, review, and enjoy.
Class 77's Recovery!
Chapter Two: Makoto and Kyoko Talk! A Surprise Visit?!
"Are you sure you're doing alright over there?" Makoto asked worriedly into the phone. "There haven't been any problems or anything strange around the house?"
"Onii-chan, we're fine, don't worry." Komaru's voice relieved Makoto as it echoed from the phone. "Everything's completely normal back home, so there's no need to worry."
"That's a relief." Makoto couldn't help but smile at his sister's voice. "Still, perhaps I can visit home once things calm down a little more. It'd be nice to see you guys again."
"Yeah, same here. It's been weird not having you home all year. There's nobody here to compete with!"
Makoto sweatdropped, imagining his pouting sister. "Well, maybe when I'm home, we can play some games together-"
*Knock Knock*
"Sorry, Komaru, but I gotta go. I'll see when I can come home, okay?"
"Okay, don't keep me waiting too long. I miss you, Makoto."
Makoto's smile tugged a little wider. "Don't worry, I'll come home as soon as I can…and I miss you too. See you soon, Komaru."
Hanging up, Makoto pocketed his phone and walked over to his bedroom door. He beamed as he opened the door and saw the Ultimate Detective standing on the other side.
"Kyoko! What's up?"
Makoto sweatdropped at Kyoko's neutral, professional expression. "Officially, I'm here to pass on a message from the headmaster."
Makoto's eyes widened. "The headmaster?!"
Kyoko nodded. "Quite. He says that he wants to speak wth you. He didn't say exactly what he wanted, though he assured me that it's nothing of an emergency nature."
"Oh…okay…" Makoto's brow furrowed in confusion. What does Kyoko's dad want to talk to me about…?
"Before that, though, I thought maybe we could talk." Makoto couldn't help but stare at the cuteness of Kyoko fiddling nervously with a lock of hair between her gloved fingers. "…May I come in…?"
"Oh, s-sure…" Makoto stepped aside, gesturing towards his bed with his arm.
Kyoko nodded in gratitude before she strolled inside. Once he closed the door behind her, Makoto followed her and sat by her side on the edge of the bed. Kyoko quickly spoke up, not allowing the opportunity for either of their nerves to take hold.
"I'll cut right to the chase. I think it's apparent in the aftermath of…Enoshima's capture…that we have some…unexpressed feelings."
Despite her business tone, Kyoko couldn't help the rose blush that brightened her cheeks. Forcing it to recede, she turned to stare directly into Makoto's eyes, causing him to blush in turn.
"Makoto…as you could probably deduce from my earlier kiss…I…I like you…"
"Y-You do…?" Seeing Kyoko nod with an uncharacteristic level of shyness, Makoto asked "…How long…?"
Humming in contemplation, Kyoko rested a finger against her cheek. "Honestly, that's a mystery that eludes even me. I used to not have any friends at all…" Not since Yui… "…And I didn't expect to make any when I enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy." Kyoko smiled in wistful amusement. "I still remember the day you tried to break the ice with me."
Makoto shared in her nostalgic expression. "I remember…you curtly told me your name and Ultimate Talent, then just walked off…"
Kyoko averted her eyes in embarrassment at her past self's behavior. "In retrospect, I was rather rude to you that day. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive my standoffishness…though I guess your persistence was already indicative of your answer."
Makoto chuckled, scratching his cheek. "I just thought…you seemed rather lonely, eating all by yourself every day…and that's on the days you showed up at all."
Kyoko nodded. "Indeed…I had no plans to take part in any classroom activities. I came to further my detective talents, and to cut ties with my father. And yet…" Kyoko flashed him a smile. "Somehow, you wore me down. Before I knew it, you were dragging me to eat with the others…regularly, might I add. You invited me to study with you and our classmates. You even dragged me to all sorts of school events and got me to play your silly video games with you!"
"Hey!" Makoto huffed with false indignation. "You had fun, didn't you?!"
Kyoko giggled. "Yes…I did. You gave me something I didn't even know I needed…" Or, that I had forgotten I needed… "Friendship, companionship, actually enjoying my school years…you taught me to be a teenager. And through all that…you also managed to make me forget about the fact that I came to cut ties with my father."
"I…did all that for you…?" Makoto asked, awestruck by Kyoko's confession.
Kyoko nodded. "Indeed. None of this is to say that I've suddenly grown some sentimental desire to reconnect with my father, or that I am going to attend every party I get invited to. But…you've broadened my horizons, Makoto. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me."
Makoto nodded. "So…when did things change from friendship to…?"
"…Right, apologies for going off on a tangent." Kyoko sighed. "Anyway, I don't know if I can pinpoint an exact point when my feelings shifted towards the romantic side of the spectrum. I've never been good at recognizing my own emotions, so that's one mystery even I can't solve. Whenever I did realize my attraction to you, there was never a good time, especially after the Reserve Course Riots broke out."
"Yeah…I think all of our attentions were focused on how tense and dangerous things had gotten on campus." Makoto agreed.
"After Junko was arrested and I saw how upset you were…I confess, I had this overpowering desire to cheer you up…to give back even a fraction of the happiness you gave me. So…for once, I acted on impulse and…"
"You…kissed me…" Makoto finished for her.
"Indeed…anyway, that's my account of my feelings for you. So…" Kyoko stared pointedly at him. "What about your feelings? Do you like me in the same respect? Answer honestly, please. However this conversation ends, I want us to be honest with each other."
Makoto blushed, nodding as he gathered the courage to speak. "Well…it wasn't a love at first sight kind of thing for my end, though I'll admit, when I first met you and heard your Ultimate Talent…I just thought you were really cool!" Makoto smiled nervously, scratching his cheek. "Though at that point, I thought everyone in my class was cool…"
Kyoko smiled in amusement. "That's right, you were the only normal student in the group. I imagine someone of our comparative backgrounds must have appeared quite intimidating to you."
"…Maybe a little…" Makoto hesitantly admitted before Kyoko rested a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't need to be afraid to speak your mind with me, Makoto." She assured him. "Your open book nature is honestly refreshing."
"Th-Thanks…" Makoto smiled bashfully. "Anyway…after I got to hang out with everyone, I started to think less of you guys like a pride of lions…" Kyoko raised an eyebrow at the analogy but kept her amused smirk to herself. "…and closer to my equals. I still felt a little bit like I didn't really belong with so many talented people…but I started to realize you were all more down to earth than I had thought of you guys."
Kyoko nodded. "I'm glad you were able to make progress with your insecurities. Though you don't have to worry about not feeling like you belong in Class 78th." Her eyes narrowed as she bluntly stated, "Only two of our classmates didn't belong here, and they're in prison by now."
Isn't that a little harsh, Kyoko…? Makoto sweatdropped. If only things could have been different…they really could have belonged in our class as much as I did…
Kyoko's eyebrows furrowed in concern before Makoto shook his head. He smiled reassuringly and nodded, silently telling her that he was okay.
"Anyway…I still thought everyone was cool…but the more we hung out…you just seemed…I dunno…so much cooler…?" Makoto shook his head. "Kami, I'm no good at this…"
Makoto trailed off as Kyoko took his hand in her own. "It's fine, Makoto. I…think I get what you mean."
Makoto let out a sigh of relief. "Anyway…I don't really know when it became a crush for me, either. All I can really say is that…when I saw you leaving to go against the headmaster's orders…I just…had to come. I know it sounds absolutely silly…but…I felt like I needed to be there to protect you in case anything went wrong…not that I think you need protecting, it's just…"
Kyoko silenced him by kissing the tip of his nose. Makoto fell into a stammering, blushing mess, overwhelmed by the fact that Kyoko had kissed him again.
"Even if I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself, the fact that you tried to do so without trying to get me to stop what I was doing meant the world to me, Makoto."
Makoto smiled bashfully as Kyoko smirked at how cute he looked. A moment later, however, her face returned to its neutral expression.
"So…" She sighed. "You know how I feel about you, and I know how you feel about me. Now that we know our feelings are mutual…where do we go from here?"
Makoto blinked. "Well…what do you want…?"
"…I must admit, I'm…unsure…" Kyoko admitted, fiddling once more with a lock of hair. "Your friendship is very dear to me, Makoto, and I don't want to give it up for anything. I also don't have the best role model in terms of a romantic relationship I can look to for advice, considering my mother has passed and my relationship with my father is…strained at best."
"O-Oh, I see…" Makoto looked down dejectedly. Well, at least you still get to be friends with the awesome Kyoko Kirigiri-
"…That being said…" Makoto looked up in surprise as Kyoko continued her explanation. "…I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the prospect of a relationship with you. Your description of your parents' relationship has informed me that there are indeed examples of romantic relationships that don't end in heartbreak. And with you…I'm confident that any such relationship would be unlikely to end in tragedy. But what about you, Makoto?"
"…Me?"
Kyoko nodded. "What do you want? Do you want to be in a relationship with me?"
Do I want to be in a relationship with her? Kami, I'm still trying to come to terms with my own feelings, let alone trying to decide if I'm ready to have a girlfriend! "W-Well…I…I haven't really thought much about it…with Junko and Mukuro's arrest, and all that…"
Kyoko nodded understandingly. "Of course, there's no need to rush this. We're only teenagers, Makoto. We can take our time." Kyoko smiled bashfully, surprising the Luckster. "Honestly, the fact that our feelings are reciprocated is enough to make my head spin as it is."
Makoto smiled, feeling his muscles relax from Kyoko's patient words. "Yeah…let's take our time sorting out our feelings. If I'm ever going to be in a relationship with you…I want to make sure it's done right."
Kyoko's eyes widened slightly at Makoto's serious gaze. Once she reocmposed herself, she nodded in agreement and stood up.
"I'm grateful to hear you treat this with the seriousness and delicacy it deserves…for now, though, we should see what the headmaster wants." Once Makoto nodded and stood up, Kyoko asked "Well, shall we go?"
*Knock Knock*
Jin looked up from his desk. "Come in." The headmaster smiled as he saw his daughter lead the Ultimate Lucky Student into the office. "Naegi-kun, thank you for coming." Jin nodded in acknowledgement when Kyoko sat down in the chair a mere foot away from Makoto's.
"Oh, not a problem, Headmaster…" The nervous Makoto forced himself not to stammer as he looked Jin in the eye. "So why did you want to see me?"
Jin chuckled. "Calm down, Makoto, you're not in any trouble. You don't have to be so nervous."
Right…I guess being the father of the Ultimate Detective, he'd be able to see through me no problem…
"On the contrary, I'd like to thank you for your heroic actions these past couple of days. The 77th Class is whole, thanks to you, and both them and Chisa Yukizome are due to start therapy any day now. Kyoko herself has expressed her utmost confidence that Chiaki Nanami would be dead and her classmates and teacher would still be hypnotized by Enoshima if you hadn't volunteered to accompany her that night."
She…she said that…?
One look at his crush told him all he needed to know. In a rare moment of embarrassment, Kyoko had averted her gaze, her cheeks a faint rose color.
Choosing to spare her any further embarrassment, Makoto turned back to the headmaster. "Oh, it was no problem, Headmaster Kirigiri. I'm sure anyone else would have done the same in my shoes."
Jin smiled sadly. "If only that were true, the world would be a much brighter place, and Hope's Peak would undoubtedly live up to its namesake…but I digress." Jin shook his head. "I don't believe it would be a stretch to say your actions saved the world, if what Kyoko uncovered about Enoshima's plans is correct."
"Y-You're exaggerating…"
Kyoko stifled a giggle at Makoto's cute squirming. Seeing him get this uncomfortable with praise is adorable…though sometimes I wish he'd actually accept praise that he's earned.
Jin shook his head and showed the boy mercy. "Anyway, enough about that. How is your family doing? I remember Kyoko said that Enoshima had planned to take them hostage, so I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything they needed."
Right…I was hoping to forget the fact that Junko planned to use them as leverage in that Killing Game she had planned… "Oh, we're fine, thanks." Makoto assured with a shake of the head. "I've been in touch the past couple of days, and my parents and sister are both doing okay-"
*Ring Ring*
Jin and Kyoko both raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Makoto reached into his pocket and dug out his smartphone. "Speak of the devil…" Makoto's eyes softened in apology. "Sorry, it's my sister. Mind if I…?"
Jin smiled and nodded his assent. Kyoko stared curiously as Makoto tapped the screen and held it to his ear.
"Komaru, hey, is this an emergency? Well, I am kind of in the middle of a meeting. Okay, I guess I could spare a minute. Wait…you're WHAT?!"
Jin and Kyoko watched with increased curiosity at Makoto's raised voice. What could she have said to him…? She pondered as Makoto nearly shouted into the phone, his eyes widened in a near panic.
"Mom and Dad couldn't have agreed to this…of course you wore them down…this isn't a good time, Komaru. Campus isn't exactly the safest to walk around yet…I don't even know if they allow visitors."
Visitors…? The two Kirigiris thought in surprise, starting to get an inkling as to why Komaru had called her brother.
"Komaru, don't use that voice with me, please! You know I can't…alright, I will ask, but I'm not making any promises, okay? Alright, I love you too, sis. Bye…"
Makoto sighed as he hung up. He pinched the bridge of his nose before staring apologetically at the two Kirigiris.
"Ano…my sister…she got this crazy idea in her head that she could just waltz on campus and visit me…"
"I see…" Kyoko turned to her father and asked, "Is that going to be a problem, Headmaster? Surely there's no reason to keep the old policy forbidding non-Ultimates from entering the Main Course campus in effect, especially not now that the savior of Hope's Peak Academy's sister wants to visit."
"Hmm…" Jin hummed, cradling his chin in his hand. "Well…I'm sure what's left of the Steering Committee would be up in arms if I did that…though if one good thing came from Enoshima's machinations, it's that their reputation is likely too shot for any of the survivors to have any real power. And that Committee's discriminatory practices are one thing I've been hoping to change since I got here…"
"Is that a yes?"
Jin sighed. "Unfortunately, as Naegi-kun said, the problem is that the riots haven't ceased yet. Other than the dormitories, it's still not safe to traverse the campus. But if I can make peace with the Reserve Course, then that wouldn't be an option. And with the Steering Committee no longer in power, I could make peace with the Reserve Course students and use diplomacy to put an end to the riots."
"So…?"
"…Let's reconvene in a week. I'll hopefully have a more definitive answer by then."
Kyoko nodded. "Very well. Is that everything, Headmaster?"
Jin nodded. "Yes, Makoto? You're free to go. I'll reach out in a week to update you on your sister's request."
"Th-thanks, Headmaster Kirigiri…"
Makoto bowed once he stood up, then circled around the chair. Once Kyoko stood up, she followed her crush and closed the door behind her. Jin smiled and picked up the phone, dialing a number as he held it to his ear.
