AN: Hello! Not really much to say other than thank you to those who actually bother reading this. Enjoy!
Maki seized Kokichi by the throat. His grating laugh slowly petered out into a gargled choking sound. He made no attempts to break free of her grasp and let himself go limp. ''We're taking him back home. Can you tie his arms with one of the dead guys' belts?'' Hajime nodded and obliged. He tore a leather belt from the closest corpse and constricted the arms of the Ultimate Supreme Leader. ''Stand up.'' Maki pulled the boy up to his feet and urged him to begin walking. ''You try anything funny I'm slicing you're Achilles' tendons and you're crawling there.'' He was still laughing as he trudged along, much to Maki's annoyance. It wouldn't be a long walk to the hospital, luckily. ''Why was he a member of a raider group?'' Hajime walked side by side with the Assassin. She sighed and turned to him. ''He left in the night a few months ago. Nobody cared when he left, except for Shuichi. I think that's only really about keeping the class together.'' Hajime's face clearly showed his frustration. ''Why didn't any of you tell me this? I met with Rantaro and Angie plenty of times for trade.'' Kokichi's laugh got louder upon hearing that. ''This prick was useless to us. All he did was start arguments and cause trouble. It was better for everyone when he left.'' She was clearly seething with rage. His return was definitely a detriment to her friends. He decided not to press her anymore.
The walk wasn't long. The fight was only a few blocks away after all. They stood in an alley directly across from the hospital. ''I'll approach first.'' Maki said. ''That way they'll know that they aren't going to be taken over by a group of nobodies.'' She glared at Kokichi as she said that last part before flicking one of her pigtails over her shoulder and striding out of cover. Hajime held Kokichi's forearm tightly to make sure he didn't try to interrupt. He didn't know him or most of his class very well but he was aware enough of his behavioural type to know he was impulsive and annoying. As soon as Maki was a good thirty feet away, he tugged Kokichi out of the alleyway and dragged him up the road. ''Why aren't you speaking? If my impression of you is accurate, you don't shut up. Ever.'' Kokichi grinned ear to ear. ''You just wait until my class all come out to see me.'' Hajime chose to stay quiet. This wasn't going to end well.
A huge crowd was waiting outside the hospital's front entrance. When Maki walked up the long road to the gate and came into view, huge roars of celebration erupted. Shuichi began clapping and urged the rest of the crowd to do it too. Maki found it difficult to react happily to the round of applause as she slowly made her way to her leader. Makoto jogged over to her. ''Where's Hajime?'' The ravenette thumbed behind her. Hajime was walking, expressionless, up the winding road. ''I would suggest ushering the non-Ultimates inside now.'' Shuichi whispered to Gonta as he slowly brought down the volume of the celebrations. The behemoth of a man nodded and he, along with another member of the class who had green hair, gradually pushed people back through the doors with the promise of a heightened happy-hour later. The front of the building now had an eerie silence over it. The quiet was only broken by the occasional gust of freezing wind.
Hajime and his hostage climbed the stairs and reached them. Miu, who was fully clothed now, signalled for Hajime to hand Kokichi over. He pushed the purple-haired boy to her and the Ultimate Inventor had no hesitation when she threw the boy back down the steps, the Leader landing in a crumpled heap at the bottom. Maki looked at the blonde and nodded approvingly. She ran down the stairs and dragged the pained boy further from the stairs and into deposited him in the centre of the parking spaces across from the main entrance. Maki snapped her fingers to signal Shuichi over. The rest of the class seemed to notice as well and soon all 14 members of the class stood around Kokichi. The short boy struggled to stand and resigned himself to sitting on his knees. ''Hey guys! Long time no see!'' He attempted a singsong voice but it seemed that he was too raspy. ''Why did you leave Kokichi? And where did you go?'' Shuichi demanded as he adjusted his hat to allow Kokichi, and to an extent the rest of his class, that he was not to be trifled with. The fire in his eyes said all that needed to be said about his attitude towards Kokichi. ''You guys were fucking boring! Once you killed Tsumugi all the fun went away!'' Kokichi tugged at the rough body armour he wore, stripping the chest plate off and tossing it to the floor. ''Are you fuckin' crazy? We had to kill that stupid slut!'' Miu retorted. ''Typical degenerate; of course he doesn't know right from wrong.'' A girl in a blue dress who had similar pigtails to Maki piped up. ''Let's just put him in a bag and I'll make him disappear.'' A redhead girl in a witches' hat leant on Kaede mumbled. Shuichi sighed deeply. ''I don't care what you did or where you went, if I'm honest. I'd just like to know one thing.'' Kokichi snickered and pulled off the last portion of his body armour, the bracer on his left leg. ''And what might that be? If I'm a good kisser? If robots have dicks?'' An incoherent reply came from a single classmate. He rearranged himself so he was on his knees again and shuffled towards the 2nd Ultimate Detective.
''When you and your group claimed they'd 'kill all of the Ultimates who run this place', did you mean it? Would you have killed us?'' Kokichi pouted, collecting himself. ''Well, yeah. Definitely.'' Shuichi shook his head slowly and gave Maki and Kirumi a knowing look. Kokichi continued speaking, blissfully unaware of Shuichi walking away despite the boy still being within his eyeline. ''I probably wouldn't kill Maki, though. It'd be awesome to see her face as we pin her down and make her watch as we slit Kaito's thro-'' A sharp sword swing interrupted.
There was a brief period of silence before Kokichi's head rolled off his shoulders and fell to the floor with a squelching thud. A small stream of blood sprayed directly upwards from the stump before the body relaxed entirely. Kirumi scowled at the two portions of the corpse and then at Maki, who gazed blankly at the former Ultimate Supreme Leader, the grip on her katana tightening rapidly. Kaito quickly walked over and led her by the hand, directing her back into the building. Kirumi shrugged to herself before pulling a body bag from the backpack Gonta wore on his back. The redhead and the girl in the blue dress led everyone besides Gonta and Kirumi inside. No one dared to glance back at the body once more. The Ultimate Entomologist, as Makoto had recently learnt, used his enormous stature and size to his advantage. He effortlessly plucked Kokichi's headless corpse (which had rather frighteningly remained sitting in a kneeling position)off the ground and deposited it in the bag Kirumi had laid on the parking lot floor. Kirumi looked away from the head as she grabbed it and practically threw it in the bag as to get it out of sight as soon as possible. He couldn't blame her. Even from his and Aoi's position at the right of the stairs a good distance away, he had seen the sly, deviant grin the twitching features of the head still held.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. Was this really the way his underclassmen dealt with threats to their safety? He had no doubt in it's effectiveness but this was someone they'd known. Someone they'd interacted with during their time at the Academy. Did that mean nothing? And who was this 'Tsumugi?' Why was she killed? He shook his head to bring himself out of his thoughts. He looked up the stairs to see Shuichi looking over proceedings in the parking lot. He gave Aoi a small smile. ''I'm going to speak to Shuichi. I'll be right back.'' She nodded but looked shaken. ''Hey, Makoto? When we get back later, can I have a conversation with you?'' Makoto stood but still kept eye contact. ''About?'' He urged her on. ''About… everything? I just need therapy or… someone to listen, I guess.'' Makoto placed a hand on her shoulder. He nodded. ''You don't need to ask for me to help you. Just tell me when you're down and me and everyone else will try to bring you up. Sound good?'' The Swimmer smiled widely up at him. ''Thanks, Makoto. You're a good friend.'' He spun and walked up the stairs.
''Uh, Shuichi?'' The dark-haired boy seemed almost unaware of his presence until he spoke. ''Oh. Hey. Need anything?'' He looked almost happy to see him. ''Who's 'Tsumugi?''' Shuichi still kept his glad expression but there was a forced aspect to it now. ''Someone from our class. She was the Ultimate Cosplayer. Long blue hair. Glasses. Plain face. Obsessed with the paranormal in spells.'' He spoke as if reading a list of traits a robot had written. ''Kokichi said she was killed.'' Shuichi flinched. ''So you heard that?'' He sighed deeply again. ''She wasn't killed by us. She was killed by raiders before we set up shop here. That's all there is to it. Sorry for the lack of an interesting story but it's not something we, as a class, like to speak about.'' He spoke quickly. A sign that fit all of his classmates in trials who attempted to hide their guilt. He couldn't press him. Shuichi was clearly either a good liar or was telling the truth in quite possibly the most suspicious way he could. ''Is that all you needed? I'm surprised you weren't asking about our methods.'' He pointed towards Gonta and Kirumi who were walking back with the body bag slung over the large boy's shoulder. ''I have trifles with it.'' Makoto admitted. ''But it seems to be working; you've kept all of these people safe. You should be very proud, Shuichi.'' The Sleuth adjusted his hat again. ''It means a lot to hear you say that.'' Gonta and Kirumi walked between them and through the doors. ''If you'll excuse me, I need to find Kaede. You should know that having a girlfriend makes you doubly aware of what you're doing right or wrong.'' He gave Makoto a small wave and headed inside, leaving Makoto standing in the cold winter air. The sun was just dipping below the horizon. He basked in it for a few moments but didn't close his eyes. He knew he'd see something that'd ruin the moment if he did. A whir and the sound of carpet being brushed made him aware the doors were opening. ''Hey-Hey Big Mak!'' Ibuki jumped on him and gave him a noogie. ''We're setting sail uno momento, compadre!'' He wrestled her off and felt Hajime brush past him. He spun the car keys around his finger as he trotted down the flight of steps. ''Aoi!'' He called to her from the last step. ''We're going back!'' Aoi jogged over from the bench she was busy shivering on. Hajime unlocked the car and walked over to the trunk, throwing in a small plastic bag full of what sounded like glass bottles. Makoto and Aoi sat down and waited for the engine to roar into life. Aoi was evidently tired, as she passed out almost immediately after nestling into her seat. Her head slowly drooped and stopped on Makoto's right shoulder. There was no point waking her up, so he let her rest. Hajime pulled out of the spot next to the barricade and drove down the path.
It seemed as if they were driving considerably faster on the way back. Looking at Hajime's steely expression in the rear-view mirror showed he was concentrating far harder than he was during the drive to the hospital. Perhaps the mutated bugs were more violent or more active at night? He had no way of knowing and had no intention of distracting Hajime by asking, even if he was sure that his incredible talents wouldn't allow him to crash. They eventually pulled into the garage the car was kept and Makoto was now faced with an awkward choice. Due to her weight, his right arm was asleep. He had to either poke one of her breasts to wake her or stroke his face or hair. He chose the second. It would clearly have less consequences if she woke up angry. He ran his hand along her cheek slowly, but firm enough to wake her. He eyes fluttered open and she jumped back when she saw how close she was to him. ''S-Sorry! I swear I don't usually do that!'' Makoto laughed her off and despite the redness in her cheeks, Aoi appeared to be less embarrassed. Makoto and Hajime got out almost simultaneously, allowing Ibuki to turn around and wiggle her eyebrows suggestively at Hina without onlookers. ''Oh, shut up, you!'' Hina huffed as she hopped out the car. The walk back to the manhole entrance was strangely calming considering it was pitch black out now. He got the feeling Hajime didn't share that sentiment.
The recognisable moan of the cover being lifted off was musical to him. He and Aoi rushed down the ladder followed quickly by Ibuki. Hajime shut the hatch with a clang and jumped from the top of the ladder to the ground below. Chiaki was already walking over with Hiyoko in her arms. When Makoto finally reached the ground, Kyoko strolled over to him too. ''How was it?'' She linked hands with him. She pulled him towards one of the couches. ''It was probably the nicest, cleanest place I've seen outside of this shelter. But that's most likely because it's run by Ultimates.'' Kyoko sat down and he followed suit. ''Peko and Fuyuhiko explained. Any particularly impressive talents?'' Makoto fumbled around the start of a sentence. ''Well… I met another Ultimate Detective.'' He fought off the urge to laugh. He had never seen her eyebrows raise that high. He felt his face warm up. Why was he feeling so awkward? It's not as if he gave Shuichi that title. ''Strange. It seems impractical to have two students with the same title, especially if they'd be at the school in the same timeframe.'' Kyoko held a thumb and forefinger to her chin. She lowered her hand and opened her notepad. She scribbled down a few lines and her head sprung up to meet his soft green pupils. ''Anything else important about them?'' Now it was his turn to place a hand on his chin. ''They have two dead classmates.'' Kyoko wrote that down. ''Cause of death?'' She didn't look up. ''One was killed by raiders supposedly. I have difficulty believing that. Shuichi seemed like he was lying when he explained.'' Kyoko scrawled that fact down. ''Who's Shuichi?'' Makoto realised he hadn't told her any names. ''He's the other Ultimate Detective.'' Kyoko grumbled under her breath as she noted that. She was clearly not happy with a fellow detective lying. ''What's the C.O.D for the other?'' He hesitated. ''Decapitation.'' Kyoko's pencil stopped abruptly. ''Do you know who did this?'' Kyoko squinted in scepticism. ''The 79th class. The Ultimate Assassin to be precise.'' Makoto spoke with little emotion. His girlfriend breathed in deeply. ''Can you name this victims?'' The matter-of-fact voice had faded somewhat. ''Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme Leader. He was the one who was decapitated.'' The lavender-locked girl hummed to let him know to continue. ''I don't know the last name of the other. I know her first name was Tsumugi.'' A loud gasp met the young couple's ears.
''Did you just mention my apprentice?!'' Junko screeched as she ran over to them. ''The one from the class below us?'' Makoto asked. ''Was she the Ultimate Cosplayer? Did she have long blue hair, glasses and a plain face? That Tsumugi Shirogane?'' Makoto reeled back in discomfort. She must've listed them like that deliberately. At least he knew the girl's last name now. ''Yeah…'' Junko gave them the most disturbing grin. ''You were told she got killed by raiders, huh?'' Both The Luckster and The Detective stayed mute. ''I'd guess that it was actually her own class that killed her.'' She covered one side of her face with a hand to direct the sound to them. Kyoko opened her mouth but was interrupted by the Fashionista. ''After all, she was my spy in that class. They must've found it somehow. Or she told them. I don't really care. She's dead.'' ''Why would anyone become your apprentice?'' Makoto looked to be more standoffish to onlookers as he asked that. ''That's an easy one, Makoto. DESPAIR. Duh. Everybody succumbs in the end. Though if it were up to me, I'd leave the 's', the 'u', the first 'c' and the 'b' out of that word.'' She snorted with laughter as she watched he and Kyoko work out the joke. Kyoko glazed over it. ''And how did you break Tsumugi? You would've had a handful of months at most.'' The Ultimate Despair cackled at Kyoko's naivety. ''I've been the Ultimate Fashionista for years. Tsumugi was the Ultimate Cosplayer for years. We bumped into each other a lot when I was modelling and she was designing. She grew quite fond of me. To the extent where she was slightly, okay-very, obsessed with me. When my stupid, flat-chested sister wasn't around I'd have her run errands for me. They just got slightly more…'' Junko slapped her cheek as she mulled it over. ''Complex.'' She finally sat down on the couch, crossing her legs and bouncing her foot. ''As in, become a spy and try to severely hurt your classes chances of survival within a fallout shelter during the apocalypse, complex.''
''You really had her try to kill her own class?'' Makoto said. He was now aware of everybody else in the room. While most were attempting to make their eavesdropping less obvious by having quiet conversation, Hajime and Fuyuhiko sat together on the stools at the bar and stared into his soul. Their faces practically instructed him to interrogate her. Junko's monotone reply pulled him back into his conversation. ''It's pretty boring to just survive with no problems, don't you think?'' Her sea blue eyes were clouding over. She really meant that, didn't she? ''Maybe spicing it up was a good thing for them. Keeping them on their toes, ya know?'' He had no idea why she chose to speak in a southern drawl but he could assume it meant she was getting bored. ''How long did you have her do things for you that were for despair?'' Kyoko flipped open her notepad again. ''Since she started Hope's Peak. Easier to speak with her.'' Junko placed her hands behind her head, leant back and closed her eyes. ''The only thing I ever instructed her to do around her class was 'spread despair.' I never told her to kill or destroy things. Looks like she failed anyway.'' Despite her eyes being closed, she still scowled. She then shot up onto her feet and stuck her palm on Makoto's head ruffling his hair. ''I'm bored. I'll tell you the rest later.'' She walked to the kitchen and starting preparing something. Makoto looked at the clock and sighed. He turned around in his seat and met Aoi's gaze. She smiled when he looked at her but it was fading and forced. He told Kyoko that they'd speak later and hurried over to the tanned girl. ''Do you want to have that talk now, Hina?'' She beamed and pointed to her room. He followed her inside and the door closed with a fast slam.
''So, what's both-'' Her head slammed into his chest with some force, enough force to nearly knock him over. Aoi placed her hands on his chest and sobbed. He always struggled not to tear up when others were but he had to be the stronger party right now. He didn't wrap his arms around her, he simply let her get it all out. Her forehead was against his pecs and her shoulders were hunched and shaking. He was glad he had grown in the last few weeks, otherwise she likely would've broken his nose with her impromptu headbutt. Her sobs and sniffles eventually died down enough to let her speak, though her voice was expectantly wobbly and phlegmy. ''How do you do it, Makoto?'' Her tone showed signs of anger. Makoto believed the question was rhetorical and stayed silent. So Aoi asked again. ''How does this not affect you?'' She slammed a hand into his chest and he flinched at her deceiving strength. ''Why do you think it doesn't?'' Aoi looked up at him but he doubted she saw much through her tear-clouded vision. Her lips trembled and she pressed her head against his chest again. ''I miss Yuta and my mom and my dad and… I just wish that all this had never happened.'' Her voice was muffled by his clothes but she was intelligible. ''I miss my family too, Hina. Every day.'' He finally caved and stroked the back of her head, rubbing down repeatedly in a soothing motion. This was more for him than for her. Talking about this made him upset too. Hina mumbled sentence starters into his torso before looking up again. ''Then how do you deal with that? This sad… sad stuff?'' Aoi, this time, kept her neck craned up to see him speak. ''I have hope, Hina. I have hope that one day, we'll be walking around or visiting someone or something and we'll bump into them. I know it's far-fetched but-'' He was attempting to avoid looking at her but when he fell silent he couldn't help but see if she was following. She looked terrified. Alone. ''Hina, one day we'll see them again. I promise you. It may not be soon but I promise.'' Hina relinquished the iron grip she had on his shirt with one hand and wiped at her eyes with her jacket sleeves. She smiled up at him and he returned the action. ''Just have hope, Hina. It got us out the Academy. It got us through that long journey here. Trust in hope and most importantly-'' He stopped stroking her hair and placed that previously occupied hand on her shoulder. ''Trust in me.'' Her mouth fell open and her pupils dilated slightly. ''If you cant go to anyone else about this kind of stuff, come to me. I'll make you feel better. Even if it means going on a big donut binge.'' He flashed her a smile as he said that last remark and Aoi laughed genuinely for the first time in a while. ''As long as I get the jelly-filled.'' She got out between giggles. She wrapped him in a bear-hug that crushed his ribs and made his arms go numb. But he appreciated it. It meant something personal to her. When she let go and took a step back, he gave her a cheeky grin. ''Why don't we sleep together tonight?''
What. Did he really just ask that? She floundered for a second but tightened her fists and breathed in deeply. ''Okay.'' She felt her cheeks redden but she couldn't deny this was quite a happy moment. Kyoko wouldn't mind her having him for one night, right? She walked around the left bed and faced the wall. She tugged off her jacket and dropped it on the floor. She gripped the bottom of her vest and played with the idea of just ripping it off, then and there and showing him the goods. She slowly peeled it off when she heard: ''Great! I'll get Kyoko, you push these two beds together and we'll meet you in here in five, okay?'' She turned to face him when she heard the door open and just about managed to watch him leave. So that's what he meant. Now that she thought about it, there was no way Makoto could proposition someone like that. He was far too innocent. But that's what she liked about him…
Makoto's heart was racing as he stepped outside and walked at a snail's pace towards the kitchen. He'd just propositioned Hina. And he was pretty sure he meant to, even if it was in the heat of the moment. He hadn't meant to turn it into a sleepover type affair but that's what it had become. He took a glass and filled it all the way with ice-cold water. He took small sips as if it would make the glass lose less water. He let his heart fall back into it's normal rhythm and approached Kyoko. ''You up for a little sleepover in Hina's room?'' He asked nonchalantly. ''She's quite shook up right now.'' Kyoko laughed lightly. ''I could tell. The tear and snot stains on your shirt tell quite the story.'' She kept that same snarky smirk on her face throughout the interaction. ''Speaking of which, you aren't wearing your jacket. Did you leave it at the hospital?'' He actually smacked his own forehead at the realisation. He had left it there, in Shuichi's office. He nodded, accepting his fate to her playful jabs. ''Well that's fine. We'll just go get it tomorrow. I'm sure someone here will drive us.'' That was unexpected. No joke. ''Shall we go get our pyjamas then?'' She tilted her head as she asked and he gave her a thumbs up. He extended his hand and pulled her up to her feet. They slinked it their room and exited a moment later with their night clothes bundled under their arms. They knocked on Aoi's door and waited for her reply.
''Come in, guys!'' She yelled from within and the couple entered. Aoi sat on the end of the newly-formed double bed in a vest and a pair of white panties. ''Are those your night clothes?'' Kyoko asked with an air of suspicion. Aoi laughed awkwardly as she scratched the back of her head. ''I can find something to wear if it's a problem.'' Aoi said shakily as she held up her hands. ''It's fine. I'll just make sure to sleep in the middle.'' Kyoko turned to give Makoto a knowing look. He rolled his eyes before twisting the doorknob. ''I'll get changed in the bathroom.'' He left the two friends alone. ''You like him, don't you Hina?'' The Swimmer placed her head in her hands. ''Mmhm.'' She squeaked out. ''That's fine. You can act on it to an extent. You're not Junko so it's acceptable.'' Aoi gave her Detective friend a small smile. It was all the thanks Kyoko required, especially on an issue so pressing to her closest pal. The door clicked and Kyoko quickly assumed the seemingly natural position of sitting at the end of the bed with her fingers laced together. Makoto poked his head around the door. ''Ready?'' He walked around the right-hand side of the bed and pulled the blanket back. Aoi did the same around the left side and Kyoko pushed herself up the bed in the centre, shuffling on her butt until she could reach the pillow when she leaned her head back.
It had been 10 minutes. The three laid on their backs for all of that time, none of them attempting to start a conversation for fear of waking someone else up. Hina began shaking her crossed legs, scraping Kyoko's calf with her cold feet. The pale girl shuddered and jolted slightly. ''Sorry.'' Aoi whispered. ''You don't have to whisper. I'm awake.'' Makoto rolled on his side so he could look across the bed to see the pair of them. ''So, what do you wanna talk about?'' Hina stared straight up at the ceiling. ''Movies and TV shows?'' Makoto offered dryly. ''What's your favourite genre?'' He followed up. ''Definitely action but, like, explodey, big buff guy action.'' Aoi mimed a punch and firing a gun into the air. ''What's yours Makoto?'' She rolled onto her side to face them too. ''Probably superhero movies but I'm kind of indifferent to most movies. What about you, Kyoko?'' ''Ooh, it's gotta be mystery movies!'' Aoi reached out a hand and swatted around Kyoko playfully. ''I actually really dislike movies like that. The twist is usually predictable and the killer is obvious.'' ''Oh.'' Aoi looked embarrassed but was reassured when Kyoko gripped her had above the covers. ''I quite enjoy action, too. As well as superhero movies. There are several examples where the two are combined. We should watch one soon.'' They all spun onto their backs and lay in content silence. ''Okay! New Topic!'' Aoi decreed with high enthusiasm. This could go on for a while.
Makoto and Kyoko woke up with a substantial weight on them. When Makoto opened his eyes, they almost burst out of his skull. They were right in his face! Aoi was laying on her back across the two of them, the back of her head on his chest and her torso and legs stretching out past him and over Kyoko. Kyoko was curled up into him but was still pressed down by Aoi's lower abdomen. How had any of them slept like this? He tried to lift his right arm but found it trapped. He wiggled his head enough to look down at his appendage. Oh no. Trapped, tightly at that, between Aoi's ass and Kyoko's crotch. He have to touch both if he wanted to get it out. Would they react poorly? He chanced it and quickly wrenched it from the 'flesh sandwich.' Kyoko moaned delicately in her sleep and in his ear and Hina mumbled something sultry under her breath. Little Makoto couldn't have chosen a worse moment to rise up, hitting Aoi's forearm that lay across his upper thighs. He had to stop any potential beatings for perversion so he decided to sit up abruptly and pretend he was having a nightmare. And he did. Unfortunately he launched Aoi off of him and she landed perfectly to wedge his little buddy between her breasts. She was wide awake now (as was little Makoto) and felt the warm, foreign presence on her chest. Kyoko stirred and propped herself up on her elbows. Upon seeing the other two, specifically their faces, she could guess their position despite both of them being clothed. Aoi noticed Kyoko and shot backwards, apologising profusely for the way she slept and talking too much in the night. Both Makoto and Kyoko waived her off; that wasn't really the issue here. However, there was no point starting an argument or making her feel bad. The two quietly left her to get changed and had a shower, where they could vent their 'frustrations.'
''Hey Hajime. Are you free to drive me to the hospital today? I left my jacket, with all of our Hope's Peak photos from the last trial in the pocket, in Shuichi's office.'' Makoto tried not to blush due to the embarrassment of admitting he'd been so careless. ''Ahh, sorry pal. I've got to tend our little farm today. Fuyuhiko can drive you though.'' He called over the short blond, who put down his pool cue and walked over. ''Can you drive Makoto up to the hospital? He left some stuff there.'' Fuyuhiko grimaced. His one eye both of The Luckster's. ''You fuckin' dumbass. Fancy doin' that, huh?'' He played with the silver ring on his middle finger. He looked back at Peko, who nodded and put both of their cues away. ''Fuckin' whatever. You best grab it quick. I'm not exactly fond of some of the people at that damn hospital. Any place with a shrink or a doctor pisses me off just lookin' at it.'' Hajime handed him the keys and The Gangster started for the ladder. Peko politely urged Makoto to follow, which he did. Fuyuhiko started the ascent, recklessly spinning the keys around one finger as he did. He opened the hatch and waited for Makoto to finish the climb before speed walking in the direction of the garage. Makoto looked down the ladder. Even with the difficulty of climbing a ladder with one arm, Peko did so gracefully and at a rapid pace. She reached the top, refused Makoto's help in lifting her out and slammed the metal cover down. ''Please follow my master.'' He nodded but refused to completely run off without her. Her baby bump was becoming all the more noticeable now and it felt like his obligation to protect her, even if she was fully capable of handling herself. They reached the garage to find Fuyuhiko waiting in the driver's seat with the engine started. When Makoto went to sit in the middle seats, Fuyuhiko slammed the side of the car's chassis to stop him. ''Ride shotgun. Peko's got more legroom in the middle row so she doesn't cramp up. Come on.'' He reached across the car and opened the passenger seat door. Makoto circled and got in, fastening his seatbelt in fear of The Yakuza's probably dangerous driving. Peko clambered into the back, choosing the centre seat of the middle row and stretching her legs. Fuyuhiko was right: there was a lot more room. The short boy gulped before he put his foot on the gas. He was nervous. Strange for such a calm and calculating man. ''Been a good while since I was last behind the wheel. Usually had a fuckin' chauffeur or some other shmuck to take us around.'' Peko placed her hand on his shoulder and and he covered it with his own. He took a deep breath and stepped on the pedal. The car slowly kicked into gear and after a few seconds they were moving at a decent speed. Fuyuhiko obviously regained his muscle memory and became far more confident in his turns and drifts as they finally broke out of the city and onto the long country road.
The drive was just as peaceful as it was the day prior. He asked Fuyuhiko for permission to open the window. The response was a curt: ''Of course you can, dipshit.'' There were about as many weird bugs and monstrosities as there were before too but this time they strayed away from the speeding vehicle. It was a shorter drive to the hospital and he felt a strange sense of pressure to do as Fuyuhiko had requested. The Gangster parked closer to the hospital than the Ultimate Ultimate had, allowing a shorter dash in than previously. ''Be quick, will ya? Unless you see Miu, then tell her I said hi.'' Makoto raised a brow but flung the door open and sped inside.
Kirumi was once again on the first floor but was preoccupied cleaning rather than instructing residents. He noticed that she looked more determined than yesterday. Kokichi's words, perhaps? He waved at her as he jogged by, an action she chose to simply smile at than reciprocate. He ran up and turned the stairs. He was instantly drawn to a familiar haircut. A brown bob with a long antenna at the top. It couldn't be. He sprinted after the girl. The jacket could wait. If this was who he thought it was, this could be a huge discovery for him. He turned a corner and watched the girl waltz into a brightly decorated room. He ran to the door frame and peered in. Five kids were sitting cross legged on the floor, staring up at him in confusion. But he wasn't looking for kids. ''Makoto?'' A soft voice called out. He looked over the girl. A sailor-style uniform. Slightly tanned skin. Those dazzling, green eyes he shared with her. And the trademark ahoge sitting atop her head. Tears welled up in his eyes. ''K-Komaru?''
And that's all she wrote! Just over 6k words and I'm really happy with how this one turned out! It's probably the first chapter of this story I've been happy with. I suppose some of you who've been reading since I first put this out (God bless you) are wondering about the name change and why I changed it. It's quite simple really. I just think it stands out slightly more.
Some of you may also be hesitant about Aoi and Makoto and their dynamic in this story. Don't worry; unless a lot of people specifically say they want it to replace the main Naegiri ship, we're sticking with Class 78 best girl Kyoko. I just think that considering the guys in the shelter not being her type and her friendship with Makoto, it would make sense for her to like him.
Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who followed and favourited this story so far. After months of being scared no one was enjoying this, the people who left lovely reviews and showed their support really touched me. Thank you so much. Goodbye! See you in the next one!
