A/N: This oneshot is the result of an ask sent by one of my followers on AO3 and Tumblr, and takes place after Naegiri Week 2020 Day Seven. Please read and review, and enjoy!
The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Time to Exercise, Kiki!
"See you, Kiki!"
"Bye, Tsumugi!" Kiki waved as Tsumugi left with her parents, the door closing behind her as Kiki was left alone with her parents.
Makoto smiled at the joy on his daughter's face as he held his son in his arms, commenting "Sounds like you had fun with Tsumugi today."
Kiki grinned, nodding energetically "Yeah! We had a blast playing Pokémon all day!" Makoto and Kyoko looked at each other in concern, casusing Kiki to furrow her brow in confusion and ask "What…what's wrong?"
Kyoko sighed and asked "…Kiki…is playing video games all you and Tsumugi did while she was here all day?" Kiki nodded, her head coked in confusion before Kyoko sighed and told her "Kiki…you can't be playing video games all day. You need to be doing other things, and if you won't do that out of your own volition…then I'm afraid we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands."
Kiki paled, mortified as she complained "Aw, come on! It's summer vacation, I'm supposed to goof off and be a kid!"
"Kiki…" Kyoko's maternal glare softened as she told her daughter "…I'm not saying you can never play video games…I'm just saying you need to moderate your hobby. If you just sit around in front of a screen or a book all day, you'll get really unhealthy, and as your parents, it's our job to make sure you have a healthy lifestyle."
Kiki pouted, grumbling "…No fair…I bet Dad and Aunt Komaru got to play video games together as much as they wanted when they were my age…"
Makoto chuckled and told her "I hate to disappoint you Kiki, but my parents were just as insistent on making sure we were active. We got to play video games together, but they also took us walking, hiking, we played wiffleball in the backyard…"
Kiki groaned, pouting as she was quickly losing ground, causing Makoto to suggest "Hey, cheer up pumpkin, it won't be so bad. Hey, I've got an idea, why don't we go jogging in Yoyogi Park once a day during summer vacation?"
As Kyoko nodded in approval, Kiki paled as she shook her head vehemently and cried "No, no! I hate running and exercise! I was looking forward to summer vacation so that I wouldn't be worn ragged like I was in Coach Karita's class!"
Makoto and Kyoko looked to each other, frowning as they finally understood their daughter's vocal opposition to exercise.
Makoto turned back to Kiki and assured her "Kiki…neither of us are going to push you that hard. This is just gonna be a light jog, and we'll take plenty of breaks when we're tired and we'll drink plenty of water to stay hydrated."
"…Really…?"
Kyoko nodded, confirming "Yes, really. We're not about to run you ragged, Kiki, we promise. We'll even invite Jii-chan and Baa-chan and Aunt Komaru so we can go as a family."
The last of her resistance wavering, Kiki sighed and conceded "…Okay…can we at least get ice cream when we're done?"
Kyoko compromised "Not every day, but how about once a week."
Deciding to take what little victories she could get, Kiki agreed "…Fine…"
Kyoko kneeled in front of her daughter and kissed her forehead, stroking the top of her head and assuring her "This will be good for you…"
…I hope so… Kiki thought as she dreaded her first family jog.
XXX
"Aww, chin up, Miss Poutypants!" Komaru teased as she smiled at her niece, her arms crossed over her chest as her face was frozen into a cute, Kyoko-esque pout.
The young girl dressed in a pink short sleeved shirt, purple shorts, and her standard pink sneakers, with her hair tied back into a ponytail to keep it out of her eyes.
"Besides, I think you look really cute in your jogging outfit."
Kiki's pout softened as she looked at her Aunt hesitantly, asking "…You…really think so?"
"Of course, dear." Startled out of her pout, Kiki and Komaru turned to see Hana and Shingi walking up to them, the Naegi Matriarch assuring her granddaughter "You look absolutely adorable, and you and your Mother match perfectly!"
They turned to see Kyoko, dressed in an identical outfit to her daughter's, her hair tied back in a ponytail reminiscent of her days in the Future Foundation as she did some stretches.
Kiki's eyes softened as she admitted "…I guess…but why doesn't Dad have to jog with us?!"
Shingi looked over to Makoto, dressed in a green T-shirt and black shorts as he rested his hands on a similarly green stroller where Mokubo saw sitting and suckling on a binky.
"Well, somebody has to push your little brother in the stroller, and he'll still be walking behind us. Think of it this way; your Dad will be acting as a rear line for you not to fall behind."
"Good idea, Dad." Kyoko complimented as she walked over to her daughter. "Alright, Kiki, you ready to start?"
Kiki sighed "…No, but let's just get this over with…"
Kyoko gave an amused smile as she ruffled her daughter's hair, assuring her "It won't be so bad, Kiki. And if you start feeling tired or thirsty, let us know and we can break for a minute or two to rest and drink."
"…Okay…"
Kyoko nodded before the five Naegis got in a line, Makoto standing a few feet behind them and waving encouragingly at his daughter. Kiki allowed a small smile as she waved back before turning forward.
"Alright, on three…" Kyoko began to count down. "One…Two…Three!"
This is gonna be the worst… Kiki dreaded as she started to jog, trying to keep pace with her Mom.
XXX
…Okay, maybe it's not THE worst…I haven't even needed to stop and rest yet… Kiki admitted to herself as she continued to jog.
True to her word, Kyoko had not pushed Kiki to go faster than she felt comfortable. While she definitely led the pack, followed by Komaru who had built up no small amount of strength from her ordeals in Towa City, she made sure to stay slow enough for Kiki and her Grandparents to jog at a leisurely pace, followed by Makoto, who brought up the rear pushing Mokubo in his stroller while smiling proudly at his daughter.
Hana smiled at her granddaughter and asked "See, this isn't so bad, is it dear?"
Kiki reluctantly nodded, making Shingi chuckle "What'd we tell you? We didn't push your Dad or Aunt Komaru too hard, and your parents didn't push you too ha…AGH!"
"Dear!"
"Jii-chan?!"
"Dad, are you okay?"
Hana, Kiki, and Makoto huddled worriedly around Shingi, who had face planted on the ground before he got on his knees and gave them a pained smile, assuring "Hey, don't worry guys, I'm okay. Just a small sprain, I'll be fine, just need to…agh!" Shingi grunted as he tried to stand up, only for a shot of pain to shoot up his foot, forcing him back to his knees.
"Dear, you need to get some ice on that ankle of yours!" Hana chided.
"Nonsense, I'm fit as a fiddle!"
"…Are you sure about that Dad? Maybe I should go tell Kyoko so we can stop."
Stubborn as his son, Shingi shook his head and denied "No, n…not necessary! We can keep this between us; you guys just go on ahead and I'll catch up once I've caught my breath."
Makoto stared at his Father and warned "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Dad. Trust me, lying to Kyoko only backfires in the end."
Kiki nodded "Yeah, and besides, Mom and I never keep secrets from each other, so we have to tell her the truth!"
"I'm glad to see you've retained the lessons I've taught you." Everyone turned their heads to see Kyoko staring disapprovingly at her Father-in-Law, Komaru following close behind as the former Detective explained "When the sound of your footsteps disappeared, I knew something was wrong, so we doubled back, and I overheard Dad's insistence to keep his injury a secret. Makoto and Kiki are right; keeping secrets from me is a bad idea, even if they're well-intentioned."
Komaru nodded grimly, flashing back to her hyper-competitive argument with Hina when they babysat Kiki, as well as the dressing down Kyoko gave them when she found the bruise on her daughter.
Sighing, Kyoko decided "Anyway…since someone got injured, I'd say this is a good point to stop. Let's go back to the house and get some ice for Dad's leg…and…we can have some ice cream."
Kiki swallowed the "YAY!" in her throat, knowing that her Grandfather's injury was the wrong time to celebrate getting ice cream. As Hana and Komaru supported Shingi and helped him limp down the trail, Kiki wordlessly followed her parents back to the car as they prepared to go home and relax.
XXX
"Mmm…" Kiki moaned in pleasure as she took a bite of her ice cream before looking to Shingi and asking "How's your ankle doing, Jii-chan?"
Shingi gave a pained smile as he looked down at his ankle, an ice pack tied to it with a bandage strap, before turning back to his granddaughter and answering "It still stings a little, but nothing I won't recover from after a little rest."
"That's good…though now I see where Dad inherited his luck from…" Kiki giggled, Hana following suit as Shingi blushed in embarrassment.
Kyoko turned to her daughter and asked at that moment "So, Kiki…I know our jog got cut short…but do you still hate the idea of going jogging regularly?"
Kiki frowned before sighing, admitting "I suppose…it wasn't as bad as I made it out to be…I still don't like it, but…I'll do it without pouting…maybe…once a week?"
Kyoko smiled, nodding "That sounds like a fair compromise, and we can get ice cream when we're done. Just please…make sure you do things other than play video games all day when we're not jogging. There's plenty of toys in the backyard you can play with, and I'm sure your Father would love to play wiffleball with you before we have to go back to work."
Seeing Makoto nod in agreement, Kiki caved, compromising "…Okay…I won't play video games all the time…"
Kyoko ruffled her hair, smiling as she praised "That's my girl."
Giving a small smile, the family continued to dig into their ice cream as Kiki reflected on her first family jog.
I still don't love exercising…but…maybe I made a mountain out of a molehill…
