The rattling of his cell door made the Ryoma look up. Standing in the now open doorway was Yui Samidare, who smiled at the survivor she had previously escorted to prison.

"…Samidare-san?"

"Long time, no see, Hoshi-kun. I have some good news for you." Blinking in surprise, Ryoma stared into her eyes, his full attention directed to her impending announcement. "You've been granted a full pardon and are being released today!"

Ryoma felt the wind knocked out of him. Mere days ago, he wasn't even sure if he'd survive the Killing Game he'd been forced into. Confronting his own mortality had made the return to his cell a welcome reprieve. Not once did he dare to even imagine early release.

"R-Release…?"

Yui nodded. "Headmaster Makoto Naegi made some calls to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice, and they agreed to pardon you after taking into account your extenuating circumstances."

Is…is this a dream…?

"Alright, follow me, Hoshi-kun, and I'll help you collect your things so you can finally get out of this musty old cell."

Still stunned, Ryoma could only nod and shuffle out of his former cell. He snuck a quick glance over his shoulder, bittersweet emotions flooding his confused heart before he continued to follow the detective.

That cell has been my home for years…but now…I'll finally taste true freedom again…!

*Knock Knock*

The door opened, revealing the familiar brown and purple-haired girl who smiled with joy at the unexpected guest. "Ryoma! You finally got out of jail!"

"…Nice to see you again too, Kiki…" Ryoma wheezed, feeling her enthusiastic hug squeeze the air out of him. "But can you let go of me now…?"

"G-Gomen…" Kiki giggled, finally letting go of her former comrade and letting him catch his breath.

Once he had recovered, his eyes softened in concern. "So, how have you been healing? Is your head okay?"

Kiki smiled, raising a hand to her cranium. "Mostly, yeah. I still get a couple of recurring headaches, but hopefully they'll go away before too long."

Ryoma nodded in approval. "I don't usually get emotional these days, but I'm really glad you survived with us, Kiki. We were all…when we thought you were dead…"

Ryoma sighed, sticking a lollipop in his mouth and averting his gaze. Kiki smiled and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Ryoma. That means a lot…so, what are you doing at my house?"

Ryoma lightly kicked his heel with his toe. "Is…is your father home-?"

"Hoshi-kun?"

Speak of the devil… Ryoma mused as he spotted Makoto walking into the doorway to stand next to his daughter. "Headmaster Naegi."

Makoto chuckled as Ryoma made an awkwardly respectful bow. "Please, Mr. Naegi is fine. What can I help you with?"

Ryoma bit his lollipop a little harder than usual. "I was wondering if we oculd talk. I…had some things I wanted to ask you…"

Makoto's eyes lit up in understanding. "Why don't we talk in my office at Hope's Peak Academy? I'll drive us there." Befoe Ryoma oculd object, Makoto turned to his daughter. "Kiki, tell you rmother I'm going out for a bit, but I'll be back soon, okay?"

Kiki nodded as Makoto gently took Ryoma's hand. Resigning himself to Makoto's plan, he allowed the headmaster to tug him towards the car and nervously got in. Once buckled, Makoto turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway. Intimidated by Makoto's infectious friendliness, Ryoma averted his gaze, staring out the window. The former convict couldn't help his own subtle, wry smile though.

…Now I know where Kiki gets her bubbliness from…

Makoto folded his hands on the desk, looking at Ryoma across from him. The young man tapped his fingers together, fidgeting and gazing around the room. Makoto rolled his eyes, all too familiar with having nervous teenagers in his office, and with being one himself in years past. Before he could take a trip down memory lane, he cleared his throat, causing Ryoma to nearly jump in his seat.

"Now then, Hoshi-kun, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"…Samidare-san told me you made calls to the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice…that you pushed for my release on my behalf…" Seeing Makoto nod in acknowledgement, Ryoma asked "…Why?"

"Kiki asked me if I could help to get you released sooner, and I agreed with her."

Makoto's nonchalantness made Ryoma sweatdrop. "Okay, but still…don't you know why I was sent to jail to begin with?"

"For murdering a mafia, yes."

Makoto pulled out a folder and placed it on the desk. Upon opening it, Ryoma's younger self stared back at him form the many papers contained within.

"Don't forget, Hoshi-kun, you did apply to join my daughter's class at Hope's Peak Academy before your incarceration. I was perfectly aware of your crimes when we were forced to reject your application."

Ryoma pursed his lips. "And…having a murderer free on the streets doesn't bother you?"

Makoto smiled wryly. "Tell me, are you familiar with the legend of Genocide Jack?"

"…Vaguely…" Ryoma tilted his head. "I remember something about a serial killer that killed their victims with scissors. My friends and I thought it was just a ghost story designed to scare children, like the boogeyman…"

"I see…what if I were to tell you that Genocide Jack teaches at this school?" Seeing Ryoma's eyes widen in shock, Makoto elaborated "My friend and former classmate, Toko Hagakure, when she was just Toko Fukawa, she struggled with a split personality that killed any boys Toko found cute."

"And…she teaches at this school…?"

Makoto nodded. "Genocide Jack eventually reigned in her bloodthirst, and the times when she takes over are exceptionally rare. Then the Tragedy happened and after society rebuilt, Genocide Jack became more of an urban legend, forgotten to the annals of time."

"…Why are you telling me this…?"

"Because I want you to know that what you did in the past doesn't define you, Ryoma. I know that you took lives, but that doesn't make you a murderer. Murderers try to defend their actions as just, but you never made any defense for your actions. You took responsibility for your actions, and to me, that proves you can be rehabilitated. Besides…I can speak from experience when I say that surviving a Killing Game is punishment enough for a lifetime."

"…Even if you're right…" Ryoma for once allowed himself to dream of a future, only to find himself lost as to what future to imagine. "…I wouldn't even know where to start. There's no way I can go back to tennis…"

Makoto frowned, understanding the trauma that Ryoma felt. "Well, why don't you attend Hope's Peak Academy and complete your high school education?"

Ryoma raised his brow. "Is that even allowed?"

Makoto chuckled, explaining, "Toko's husband, Yasuhiro, was another one of my classmates, and he was held back numerous times. If he can attend high school at the age of twenty-one, you can at the age of nineteen. So, what do you say? It might be a good opportunity to get an idea of what you want to do with your life."

"The…idea is tempting…" Ryoma admitted. "But still…even if I got in, where would I stay when the school is closed? I just got out of jail, and I don't any shelter yet…"

Makoto frowned, sympathetic to the young man's plight. "Well, during school months, you would have your own dorm room, but as for when school's not in session…"

Makoto hummed, closing his eyes for a moment before they opened. Makoto's lips curled into a smile as he made his proposal.

"This is admittedly a little unorthodox, but why don't you stay at our manor?"

Of all the suggestions he expected to hear, this was not one of them. "Your…manor…?"

Makoto nodded. "That mansion used to belong to Kyoko's grandfather before he passed. It's way too big for just my family, and we already have another friend of ours living on another floor. We could easily set you up in a room for you, then during your first year, you can move out into the dorms and we can help you find a more permanent place of your own."

"…Well…I don't have any better ideas at the moment, so…" Ryoma sighed, his lips curling into a small smile. "If you really don't mind me in your school and your home, then I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Makoto grinned. "Excellent! For now we'll help you prep for your high school entrance exams, and I'll have Byakuya expedite your enrollment paperwork when the time comes." The young headmaster stood up and pushed in his chair. "Alright, why don't we tell the others the news?"

"Ryoma's going to be living with us?" Kiki asked as she swallowed her bite of food.

Ryoma nodded, sitting next to her. "Just until I can get into Hope's Peak and move into the dorms. Don't worry, it'll be like I'm not even here."

"Still, it'll be nice to just hang out more often." Kiki pointed out "We didn't really get to do that much during…you know…"

Ryoma frowned in sympathy, letting the subject drop. The room entered an awkward silence before Koto spoke up.

"So…Hoshi-kun…do you like dogs?"

"If you are, are you gonna walk Hogo for us?" Kiri exclaimed, causing Ryoma to sweatdrop.

"I…I'm more of a cat person, to be honest…but I suppose I could give it a try…"

"Don't worry, you'll love Hogo!" Kiki giggled. "He's an old dog, but very loyal. He actually saved my life one time."

Ryoma's eyebrow raised, his interest piqued. "Really? How did that happen?"

"Well, when I was a little girl…"

Makoto and Kyoko smiled as Kiki and Ryoma engaged in friendly conversation, even if the memory was a rather morbid one. He felt a gentle tug on his sleeve, causing his attention to be diverted to his eldest son.

"Hm? What is it, Moku?"

"…Is strangers moving in with us gonna be a regular thing…?"

Kyoko shook her head. "No, Moku, this is just a temporary arrangement, and one we likely won't be repeating much more in the future."

Sighing in relief, Mokubo went back to his food. With that, the dinner table returned to normalcy, albeit with one more guest than originally planned.