#although there isn't any ishimondo in this chapter sorry about that

[leanncar]

To Lead Fantastic Lives - Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Two

Whole Story

Word Count: 4913

Figured I might as well post this now because I kept forgetting

“You’re right. Let’s do a pinky swear,” 

Naegi’s smile was soft and kind as he adjusted their fingers so that only their pinkies were linked. Kirigiri tried to fight off the blush that threatened to rise up to her cheeks, but the effort was futile. Naegi’s smile brightened up his entire face. She’d gone so long without seeing that smile that it took her aback, seeing it now. Just as she expected, it still had the ability to calm down her raging thoughts and transfer that urgency to the beating of her heart. It wasn’t fair for her to be so affected by it. She tried not to be.

Their linked pinkies swayed in the space between them as they avoided looking at each other’s faces. There was a huge weight in the pit of Kirigiri’s stomach, a truth that she was on the verge of blurting out, but she remained quiet. Her mastery over the art of stoicism had served her well. Promises, to her, were an insignificant thing. For while they required a considerable amount of dedication from the parties involved, promises were bound to be broken once the situation called for it.

But she fought off that nagging feeling anyway. She took it in her hands and wrenched it out of her grasp and threw it out of the window. Then she channeled all her thoughts to Naegi’s hand, connected to hers, creating in her an entirely new set of ideologies to believe in. For this moment, she let him win.

It was Naegi who suggested that they should walk home together after classes were done, and it was Kirigiri who agreed with more zeal than she ought to show. It was completely ridiculous. She hated to think that she was starting to act like a hyperactive schoolgirl, but it didn’t seem like Naegi noticed anything wrong.

They greeted the afternoon sun outside the walls of Hope’s Peak Academy. Naegi walked alongside her, silent but alert, his eagerness evident on the expression that he wore. Though what on earth he was eager about, Kirigiri could not determine.

And probably for the first time in the entire duration of their friendship, Kirigiri opened up the conversation in a manner that did not pertain to murders or the Sagittarii Killer in any way. She took a deep breath, surprised by the fact that she was slightly anxious to get the words out of her mouth, and mumbled, ���How are you, Naegi?”

The luckster took a moment to reply, stunned at being spoken to. “What, me? W-well, I-I’m awesome. Just great.”

“That’s good to know,” she replied, “Didn’t you bring your bike to school this morning?”

He shook his head. “I decided to walk today. I wasn’t in any hurry.”

“Oh. It’s just that I remember there was that time you took your bike to school and forgot to bring it home.”

“You actually remember that?” He asked in disbelief, making her smile.

“I forget nothing,” she replied promptly.

“That’s not fair. Not everyone is as smart as you are.”

Her brows furrowed. “It’s quite a simple thing. I don’t know why that should be indicative of my intelligence.”

“Okay, fair enough,” he remarked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, “Answer me this, then. Do you know why I forgot my bike that day?”

Kirigiri tried to think of the answer, setting her gaze on an approaching lamppost that stood a few feet away. What else happened that day? That was the day that Naegi found out that she was a detective, when he followed her into the Matsui residence and found the body of the little boy. It was Inuzuka who noted that Naegi forgot his bike, not Kirigiri. Come to think of it, she had been so busy examining the crime scene that it was a miracle that she remembered Inuzuka saying this. No wonder Naegi was so surprised that she knew it.

But why he forgot it? She had no idea. Maybe Inuzuka deduced that too, for as far as she was concerned he had been a much better detective than she was (no teacher as good as age, as they say), but she didn’t remember him saying anything about it. Nor did Naegi explain the reason for it either. She shook her head. “I actually have no idea.”

“Now that’s a first,” he said, teasing. “You really don’t have a hunch or even a guess? Come on. I’m sure you can come up with something.”

She put a hand on her chin in thought and gazed at the moving ground beneath her feet. He was challenging her, and she had decided to take him on. “Alright,” she said matter-of-factly, as if this entire situation was just another case she was tackling, “I’ll approach this in a way that I approach detective work, then. So, you took your bike to school that morning, and then you and I walked home together and you forgot it. Hmm.”

“Take your time.”

“Can I ask questions?”

“Why do you need to ask questions?”

“I always ask people questions when I’m working on a case.”

He shrugged. “Okay, if it’ll help you think. Go ahead.”

“What was the first thing that you thought of when you woke up that morning?”

Naegi’s ears turned red, and Kirigiri noted the shifting of his hands in his pockets where he appeared to be clenching them repeatedly. “I, uhh. B-breakfast.”

“Breakfast?”

“Yeah. Komaru-chan always leaves my bedroom door open in the morning. Cause she knows the only way to wake me up is if I can smell the food coming from the kitchen.”

This made her smile. That was something that she didn’t know about him before. “So you need to smell cooking to wake up?”

He nodded. “And not just any cooking, I need my mom’s cooking.”

“How strange.”

“It’s just one of those little things,” he said off-handedly. “What’s the next question?”

Kirigiri’s hands swayed at her sides as they walked. They were nearing the intersection where they had to part now. A sinking feeling formed at the pit of her stomach. She needed to hurry with her following questions.

“Um, what was the first thing you said to someone else that morning? And who was that person?”

“Huh,” he paused, trying to recollect the memory. “I’m not entirely sure… But I think it was ‘No, mom. I’m seventeen’.”

“How did that come about?”

“She asked if I wanted to bring a juice pack to school.”

She let out a short laugh. “I wasn’t aware that juice packs had age restrictions nowadays.”

“I—come on! It was a grape-flavored juice pack!” He took his hands out of his pockets and flung them in the air. “Did you really think I’d want to be seen in school with that?”

“You are quite baby-faced. I have confidence you’ll be able to pull it off.”

“Well that’s great to hear,” he said, rolling his eyes. But he was smiling to show that he meant no ill will. They reached the intersection now. Kirigiri found that she dreaded to say goodbye. They stopped walking and faced each other, the sun still high up in the sky and shining down on Naegi’s still smiling face.

“Well, my house is this way,” she muttered, jerking her thumb in the direction behind her. 

“Yeah, I know,” he replied. “So, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.”

Her hands were warm inside her black leather gloves, her fingers trembling to hold onto something. She clenched them, the tips of her fingers digging into her palms so that she was sure that her fingernails still left crescent moon etchings even through the leather barriers. It wasn’t working. Her fingers were still restless, unable to stop moving. She repeated the action in an effort to calm them down. She didn’t even notice that she had been so focused in accomplishing this task that she was gritting her teeth in concentration. It wasn’t until Naegi shot her a concerned look that she became aware.

“Hey,” he said, an easygoing grin on his face, “It’s alright.” He brought his hands forward and grabbed both of hers, twining their fingers together. Shots sparked up Kirigiri’s arms at the touch as the restless feeling in her hands dissipated and was satisfied. She pressed her palms with his and released a barely audible sigh.

“I still don’t know,” she spoke, only so that she could have something else to listen to other than the pounding inside her chest.

He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t know what?”

“Why you forgot your bike. That day. On the day of the investigation.”

“Oh.” He blushed. His thumbs stroked the sides of Kirigiri’s hands in what was probably an absentminded manner, but it increased the fuzzy sensations in her stomach anyway. “It’s cause I was too excited to be with you. It completely slipped my mind.”

She froze, not exactly believing what she had just heard. “Oh?” There was a buildup of nerves stuck in her throat that she swallowed down. “I mean, oh.”

It was difficult to imagine his face going any redder than its current state. “Y-yeah.”

“I was completely off track, then.”

“It’s fine.”

“Naegi?”

“Yeah?”

Her eyes swept around their surroundings before settling on him again. “If it’s okay, I’d like to go to your house.”

His eyes went wide. He blinked a couple of times before speaking. “I-y-yeah, it’s definitely okay!” 

Naegi didn’t budge an inch from his spot.

“Uh, should we get going?” Kirigiri prodded.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah, of course.” His foot lifted off the ground and pointed in the other direction. He let go of Kirigiri’s hands and started to walk.

The purple-haired detective fell into step beside him. By that time the sun was already starting to set and the air began to cool. It was a silent walk to Naegi’s house with nothing but the sounds of their feet pounding against the pavement and the occasional car engine to disrupt it. Kirigiri kept close to Naegi’s side, their swinging arms brushing. It was a strange feeling, the want to be in close proximity to another person, and to stay that way. She never felt it with anyone else, but she did so strongly when it was with Naegi. It was as if she was afraid that he would run off if she stood a little distance away, and it surprised her to realize that that was the last thing she wanted to happen.

She clutched the sleeve of his jacket, her fingers hovering just over his elbow. He did not appear to be fazed by this, so she kept her hold. Their arms were pressed together now, and they matched their pacing with each other to keep up a rhythm that would apply some level of coordination to their walk. By the time the rays of the sun peeked out just above the tops of the houses that surrounded them, they had reached the front door of Naegi’s house.

He opened the door and the sight that greeted them as they entered was a pajama-clad Komaru Naegi walking down the stair steps. Kirigiri dropped her hand and Naegi walked off to the side to take off his shoes. She followed suit, unzipping her boots and setting them down next to his shoes.

“Mom!” Komaru yelled in the direction of the kitchen, “Onii-chan has a friend over!”

Naegi paled and frowned at his sister. “You didn’t have to yell that! I was gonna tell her myself.”

“Too late,” she replied, grinning smugly.

His mother’s footsteps could be heard already, approaching them at a hurried pace. “Oh! Is it that pretty lavender girl again?” She burst into the room, wiping her damp hands on her apron and greeted Kirigiri with a huge smile, one that was so reminiscent of her son’s. “Oh, hello! It sure is nice to see you again!”

Kirigiri couldn’t help but smile back. It was polite, after all. “Likewise, Mrs. Naegi.”

“Well what’re you two standing over there for? Come on in!”

They stepped into the living room. Komaru flopped on her stomach on the sofa, her hand grabbing for the TV remote on the floor. Naegi and Kirigiri had no choice but to sit next to each other on the floor, not that either of them minded.

“You should stay for dinner, Kirigiri,” said Naegi’s mother.

“Oh no, I don’t want to intrude,” the detective replied in a polite tone.

The mother waved her hand dismissively. “You aren’t intruding on anything. We’d love to have you.”

“Only if it isn’t too much trouble, then.”

“Ah, then it’s settled! I’ll have dinner ready in a few,” she replied and disappeared into the kitchen again.

Komaru flipped the channels quickly, unable to settle on any show to watch. It seemed that she wasn’t in a talkative mood. They could hear the sound of pots and silverware from the other room and Kirigiri noted the smell of butter and sautéed onions that hung in the air. She breathed in deeply and her stomach growled in response.

“You were right,” she said softly so that only Naegi could hear, “The smell of your mother’s cooking is heavenly.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I love it.”

They didn’t say anything more than that. They watched the show that Komaru finally settled on—a cartoon about a bunch of kids fighting aliens in outer space. Kirigiri was completely at ease and even laughed a few times at the jokes cracked in the cartoon. 

“You seem to be in a really good mood right now,” Naegi said, bumping gently into her side.

She turned to face him, but was met with the sight of several purple strands that blocked her view of him. Naegi let out a soft chuckle and brought up a hand to sweep her hair behind her ear. The tingling sensation in her stomach erupted again and did not cease as his wrist settled on her shoulder, his hand gently cradling the side of her head. Kirigiri blinked a couple of times to clear her thoughts enough to form a proper reply. “I am in a good mood,” she said.

The moment was interrupted by Naegi’s mom announcing that dinner was ready. The three kids stood up to gather at the dining table. Kirigiri sat down beside Naegi and across his mother. The food was set on the table, all steamy and appetizing. Komaru licked her lips and grabbed her chopsticks, only to have her hand swatted away by her mother. “Komaru-chan, you know the rule!”

She grumbled and put her hand away. “But I’m so hungry!”

“It’ll only be for a few, sweetheart. Your dad should be home any minute now.” said her mother as she shot a smile at Kirigiri. “It’s a rule that we should always wait until everyone’s at the table before we eat.”

Kirigiri nodded in understanding. “That’s really sweet,” she remarked.

Sure enough, the front door opened and Naegi’s dad announced his arrival to the house. He stepped inside the room and when he spotted Kirigiri, his eyebrows shot up to hide behind his dark brown fringe. “I see we have a guest.”

“Yeah, dad,” Naegi piped up before Komaru could say anything. “This is Kyouko Kirigiri, a classmate of mine.”

“Good evening, sir,” she greeted, about to stand up. For she was used to introducing herself with a professional formality when she was on a case. Naegi’s father gestured for her to remain in her seat.

“Nah, you just sit down and eat. I’m so starved that I don’t even have time to shake your hand anymore.” The moment he took his seat at the head of the table, Komaru grabbed her chopsticks and started taking food from the center and transferring them to her mouth.

They all began to eat. Naegi’s dad opened the conversation with a story about the people at his work place. By the way he mentioned his co-workers names off-handedly, it appeared that everyone was already familiar with who was whom, leaving Kirigiri the only person clueless about anything. But the sounds of their laughter ringing out and filling the room left her with such a lighthearted feeling that she didn’t mind. She ate her food in silence and listened intently as well.

After that, Komaru took over the conversation and told stories of her own. She did so with such glee and enthusiasm. All the others laughed heartily even though what she said wasn’t that funny. Even after all the food was gone, they remained at the table for a few minutes and told even more stories. Kirigiri found herself laughing along, albeit a bit more reserved.

“So, uh, Kirigiri,” Naegi’s dad said once their laughters had died down and Naegi’s mother and Komaru began clearing the table. “I should apologize. We were so busy talking about ourselves and left you out.”

“It’s quite alright, sir. I enjoyed listening to your tales,” Kirigiri replied truthfully.

“Well, tell us about yourself then. Got any hobbies or stuff? Strange interests maybe?”

Naegi choked on the water he’d been drinking. He set down his glass and cleared his throat. “Dad, I don’t think she—”

“No, it’s fine, Naegi,” she said, stopping him. “I do have a hobby, sir. I like collecting rocks.”

The older man’s brows furrowed. “Rocks? You one of those science geeks, then?”

“I guess you can say that,” she said, nodding.

“Hm. Well, that’s really peculiar.”

Naegi let out an amused snort. “You have no idea, dad.”

“I’m an old man,” he replied in defense, standing up and patting his inflated stomach. “I’ve no idea what you kids are up to these days. In my days it was flared pant bottoms and forks stuck into afros. You could be into sharpshooting or duck pin bowling for all I know.”

“On the contrary, sir,” Kirigiri found herself saying amusedly, “Not that I mind a little gun shooting or bowling, but I’m also a detective.”

She watched as the older man stiffened and his wide brown eyes settled on her. Beside her, Naegi stopped breathing.

“What, like those escape room games they’re setting up in amusement parks nowadays? Where you dress up in a pipe and deerstalker hat and solve puzzles and you have an hour to get yourself out?”

Kirigiri nodded. “A bit like that. I have found myself in locked rooms before, though there hadn’t been any time restriction, and there was quite a bit more blood.”

The adult’s eyes shifted from her to Naegi and back to her again, his mouth agape. “A-ah…” he said, stunned. He finally settled his gaze on Naegi and remained there as he spoke. “You’ve an interesting friend here, Makoto.”

“I-I uhh…” he stammered and looked at Kirigiri in desperation. “Should I have mentioned that she’s the SHSL Detective?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” Kirigiri cut in to save him all the trouble. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have said that. I might have overstepped my boundaries.”

“What?” replied the adult as he looked at her again. “Actually, it’s really interesting. I’m very curious now. Very curious.”

“Dad…”

“But I’ve a lot of work to do for tonight, so my questions will have to wait,” he said as he loosened his necktie and raised an eyebrow in Naegi’s direction. “So uh, when will you be coming back?”

Komaru let out a snicker. Naegi turned beet red and stood up too. “We’ll be in my room if you need us. I-I mean, we’ll be… I’ll leave the door open!” He tapped Kirigiri on the shoulder, motioning for her to follow and he took quick long strides up the stairs, leaving his family’s loud laughter behind them.

It was a lot more silent in Naegi’s room. Being here a second time, Kirigiri noted the few things that changed since her last visit. She took a seat on the floor in the middle of the room, just like before. Naegi sat down beside her.

“Sorry about my parents. And Komaru. And uhh, yeah, they can be quite the handful.” He scratched the back of his neck, his face still tinged with pink.

“You have a very happy family.”

“Yeah. It’s kinda annoying actually.”

“I didn’t know what that felt like until now,” she whispered.

Naegi froze. His hand hovered above hers, which was pressed flat on the floor, hesitating before placing it on top. His fingers went to slide down to the spaces between hers. “Is that true?”

She nodded. “When I get home, there’s no scent of a home cooked meal in the air. I usually eat alone, and even when I eat with someone else, nobody wants to tell any stories.” 

“What about your parents?”

“The Headmaster doesn’t live with us. And my mother has been gone for a long time now.”

“Oh.”

His hand began to move on top of hers, his fingers trailing up the back of her hand. Up it went until it reached her wrist. It slid down again, back to the tips of her fingers. She sighed deeply.

“Can I ask you something?” Naegi whispered, the uncertainty evident in his tone.

She swallowed. “Alright.”

“Why do you always wear gloves?”

She stiffened. A weight dropped to the pit of her stomach as her thoughts went rushing again, trying to choose an answer that was appropriate but wasn’t explicitly truthful. She licked her dry lips. His hand stilled.

“It’s a reminder,” she said, her shoulders heaving with the depth of her breathing. Her gaze was fixed on the carpeted floor. “I’ve done a mistake. A huge one. These gloves make sure that I will never forget that.”

He nodded and didn’t say anything. She released the breath she’d been holding, grateful that he didn’t ask for more.

However, at the moment she wanted nothing more than for the gloves to be off. Of course, she still couldn’t show him what exactly she was hiding inside them. Her profession was fair territory, but her hands were another story entirely. But what she really wanted was to feel Naegi’s hand in hers, to touch bare skin and feel the emanating heat of comfort and acceptance that he exuded. She wanted to know what it felt like to not be alone. She wanted to feel loved. She wanted to feel.

His fingers began to move again, trailing up hers, grazing past the rows of gems that adorned her glove, hovering over her wrist, and disappearing inside the sleeve of her jacket. When they reached the edge of her glove, he stopped.

His eyes found hers, conveying a single request.

She nodded.

His fingers moved up to the space where her wrist and forearm met and settled there. It wasn’t much, but it was actual skin now and it filled Kirigiri with a wave of relief that she almost started crying. She was a mess of thoughts and feelings and emotions, a muddle of each and every way that he affected her. She couldn’t understand why he was still looking at her as if she were the only thing to focus on when the truth was that she wasn’t even discernible anymore. She was a huge mess.

She leaned into his side and set her head on his shoulder, her nose pressing into the side of his neck. “Thank you, Naegi.”

“F-for what?” he stuttered out.

“For showing me what it’s like to have a family. For sharing me yours, even just for a few minutes.”

“Don’t be so gloomy,” he said, “It’s not like you’re never gonna see them again.”

“Am I going to see them again?”

Naegi was quiet for a few seconds. “I’d like for you to see them again,” he said shyly.

She hid her smile on his shoulder. “Okay,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt.

His hand gripped hers, their fingers locking smoothly. There was no hesitation anymore. It was muscle memory. It made sense for their hands to find the other. There was no use in their hands being apart for a second. 

“Kirigiri?”

“Hm?”

She lifted her head from his shoulder so they could talk face to face. She tilted her head as she waited for him to speak again.

He blinked rapidly and bit his lip, stammering out a few other words before a coherent sentence could be made. Finally, he sighed and looked at Kirigiri with all seriousness. “I know you said that we should wait until the case is over, but I can’t see the point in doing that now. I’m sure. I’m sure now what I’m going to do and there’s no changing my mind. So I’m gonna ask you right now.”

Her lips parted slightly. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she watched him, transfixed by his words and his movements. She found herself giving him an encouraging smile and squeezed his hand.

“Onii-chan!” Komaru appeared at the doorway, slamming a hand on the wooden door. Naegi and Kirigiri jumped up and broke apart. “Mom said it’s getting late and your friend has to go.”

Kirigiri shook herself out of her trance and stood up. “Yes, I will be right down.” With a brief, stoic glance at Naegi, she walked out of the room with him in tow.

It was only when she reached the front door that she noticed her hands were empty and there was no weight on her back. “Oh,” she remarked, looking to Naegi, “I forgot my bag in your room.”

He nodded. “Just stay here. I’ll get it myself.” She watched as he turned back up the stairs and disappeared into his room.

“So!” Komaru yelled, appearing at her side suddenly. “Hi! I know we already met, but we haven’t really talked.”

She shot her a polite smile. “Is there something you wanted to talk about?”

“Yes, actually. But we’re on a tight schedule right now, so here’s the deal,” her eyes shone with amusement as her short hair bobbed up and down and she bounced on her toes. “I’m gonna ask you a series of questions and you’re gonna answer them as quickly as you can. If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Uh—”

“First question! Is your dad really the headmaster of Hope’s Peak?”

“Yes, actually, but I—”

“Question two! Is it true that you’re the head of a secret cult? The Illuminati maybe? Or the Freemasons? Or any other quasi-religious-slash-anti-religious sector?”

“What?” Komaru was talking so fast that Kirigiri could barely keep up.

“Where’d you get those boots? They are crazy cute!”

“Actually, they’re from—”

“Are you onii-chan’s girlfriend?”

She froze and found herself staring into the triumphant smile of Komaru Naegi. She opened her mouth to speak, but Naegi appeared at her side before she could make a sound.

“Here you go,” he said, handing her the bag. She took it from him with deft hands. “I’ll walk you out.”

Kirigiri proceeded to the front door, where she paused to put on her boots and sling her backpack over her shoulders. The last thing she saw before she exited the house was Komaru’s knowing smile, flashed with all the smugness of a child who got the most candy in Halloween.

Naegi walked with her until they reached the pavement, where forth it became evident that they really did have to part ways. He turned shy again, his confidence from when they were in his room dissipating. “Hey, Kirigiri? About that promise we made, you’ll really do that, right? If you think you’re in any danger, you’ll tell me immediately, won’t you?”

“Of course I will,” she replied.

“Okay. Okay, that’s good,” he bit his lip and sighed. “Because I can tell that we’re nearing the end of this. And whatever happens from now on, we’re in this together. Okay?”

Warmth spread from her stomach and rose up to her chest. “Okay.”

“I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. So I’ll do my best to prevent that.” He paced restlessly on his spot, his fingers wringing in front of him. She followed him with her gaze. His eyes met hers and he stopped pacing, stepping close to her until she could feel his breathing on her cheek. And in a swift motion, he stood on his toes and pressed a kiss to her forehead, just above the space between her eyebrows.

He stood back, blushing furiously. “Yeah. Good night.” And he turned around and brisk walked back to his home.

Kirigiri stood still, her heart heavy with sudden sadness as she watched his retreating form disappear behind closed doors. She stared at her gloved hand, the one that he held when they were in his room. She stared at it with disdain and pressed her lips into a tight line. She lifted her glove slightly and retrieved a small piece of paper that had been under it the entire time.

She unfolded it and studied the note another time. It was the same scrap of paper and the same loopy handwriting, and even after reading it so many times, it never failed to fill her stomach with dread. “Naegi,” she whispered hoarsely into the still air, “I’m so sorry.”

You’re getting warmer.

Saturday 5:30pm. Burned down paint factory.

Be there or despair.