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The day every high school student dreamed of was finally here: the last day of class.
All of Class 78 had completed their studies and had graduated from Hope’s Peak Academy. Now that they were adults, the next stage in their life was waiting for them. It became a question of who would choose to go right back into their fields of expertise with new knowledge and perspectives on them or who would choose to continue into higher education where acceptances into the world’s top institutions were all but guaranteed. Being a graduate from the best school in Japan meant your options were limitless.
But before it was time to work, it was time to celebrate.
No expense was spared, as expected. An entire hall meant to hold hundreds of people was rented out just for the sixteen students and various staff chaperones. An elaborate light system was set up for the night, flashing various light patterns over the room. Giant speakers adorned every inch in ideal positions so no area was without tunes. Tables and tables of luxury food and desserts were tucked in the corner featuring cuisine from all over the world. Even the decorations seemed rather over the top for such a small crowd, as the most prominent of them all was a custom designed, life sized ice sculpture of a crane that stood on its own platform near the front.
The party was roaring. Sayaka, Aoi, and Sakura practically owned the dance floor for how little they left it. Byakuya and Celestia hung near the refreshment table, constantly sampling the high-end offerings. Kiyotaka was going around taking pictures, most of them being of Mondo, Chihiro, and Leon as they constantly put themselves in frame with him. Some of the students stuck to the tables and entertained themselves with other things such as Hifumi, who doodled, and Yasuhiro, who was trying to do some kind of reading with a crystal ball that was constantly reflecting beams of light that hit it. Toko was quite the wall flower and watched everyone from the sidelines, mostly Byakuya. Mukuro, who had mostly stuck to tucking herself in the corner, was unfortunately grabbed from her hiding spot and shoved towards the spotlight by Junko.
Makoto grabbed the glass in front of his place setting and took a big drink. He was feeling a bit hot. He adjusted his suit jacket and bowtie to make them feel more comfortable to little effect. Maybe he’s just not made for suits.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kyoko heading towards his table. Looks like she was returning from wherever she disappeared to. Makoto was starting to get a bit worried that she’d silently left to save his feelings. He hurried his attempts to freshen up his appearance. When he looked into his phone’s camera to act as a mirror, he noticed that pieces of his hair he’d styled back with a generous amount of product had begun to stray. He cursed, a sound that was quickly killed by the surrounding music. Kyoko had made it to the table and pulled out a chair in preparation to sit down.
“Where did you go?” Makoto asked before she could sit.
“What?” Kyoko raised her voice, trying to talk over all the noise.
“Where did you go??” He asked again, in a much louder voice.
“I just had to step out for a moment. It’s hard to stick around in a place like this.”
Makoto tugged at the collar of his shirt. Of course she didn’t like the loud music. It was hard to even hear yourself think with how much it was blasting. It was even a bit much for him. How hadn’t he noticed her discomfort earlier? Additionally, he didn’t even see her leave. It made him feel like an ass for being ignorant to her feelings.
Kyoko had sat down and pulled her chair close to his. She reached back to tighten the ribbon that held most of her hair back in one big ponytail. Once she was down, she folded her arms in her lap and looked to the dance floor. A few more of their classmates had stepped onto it as the next booming pop song came over the speakers.
Makoto noticed that she was watching their friends go crazy on the floor. Some of them, like Leon, were mostly just doing random dance moves with no sense of rhythm. Others, like Sayaka, seemed to have a plan for their moves as if they were pre-choreographed.
Finally, he saw Aoi and Sakura. Both of them had been dancing since the floor had opened. No matter what song was played, they did it together. Aoi led the way for some, while Sakura took the helm for others. It was sweet. The two girlfriends would surely treasure this moment forever.
Makoto subtly looked to his side to glance at Kyoko. She hadn’t noticed him looking yet. She seemed really interested in the idea of dancing. He fiddled with his fingers. This would be the perfect time to turn to her and ask-
Kyoko turned to face him, her mouth opening and closing. Makoto realised that she was trying to talk to him, but due to the music and being distracted. He didn’t hear a word of it.
“What??”
Kyoko opened her mouth to respond again, but nothing audible came out. She put her palm on her face and briefly rubbed the bridge of her nose. It made Makoto nervous. Had she asked something important that he missed?
Kyoko stood up from her chair, straightening her dress in the process. She held her hand out towards Makoto. He just looked between it and her face in confusion before her fingers twitched as a signal to grab it. Once Makoto realized, he grabbed it firmly. A faint glow rose to his cheeks. Once the two were holding hands, she pulled him out of his chair and away from the table…
…and passed the dance floor.
Makoto looked to the floor as Kyoko pulled him along, then back to her. She kept her gaze forward as she walked out of the hall. Just what was she doing? Makoto’s thoughts started going rapid fire with multiple scenarios on what would happen next.
Eventually, Kyoko pushed the outer door of the venue open and headed out into the night. Makoto came out soon after, the pair no longer holding hands.The stark differences in the two areas atmospheres became instantly apparent. The night air was cooling and refreshing. Even with the sun being down, it was much easier to see outside than it was inside due to all the light fixtures. Finally, there was one major difference between the two spaces. The most important difference out of all the other ones.
It was quiet.
“There, now we can actually have a conversation.”
She wandered over to the steps and gently sat down. She looked back at Makoto, a welcoming look in her eyes. So that’s what she wanted: a chat. He had to admit it was a blessing to escape all that chaos, though he still felt a bit embarrassed for misinterpreting her actions. He didn’t wait a moment longer and sat next to Kyoko.
“Uh, what did you wanna talk about?” Makoto asked.
“I was wondering what you were thinking about there. I doubt you heard me asking, and I rather not have to keep shouting to talk to someone directly in front of me.”
Oh.
“W-what do you mean?” Makoto tried to play it off.
“Just because it was dark in there doesn’t mean I didn’t see what your face looked like.” She didn’t let him.
“Well…” He paused, thinking of something to change the subject to. He couldn’t say that he was thinking about asking her to dance. That would be weird. Thankfully, something else came to mind. “... I was just thinking about what comes next. After tonight.”
It wasn’t a complete deflection. Unlike most of the other students, his future wasn’t as clear. Sure, he’d have a diploma that might as well have been written in gold for how valuable it is, but having so much to choose from didn’t make it much easier to find his life path. It was more like a massive labyrinth, if anything.
“You haven’t decided what you’ve wanted to do yet, haven’t you?” She softly inquired. The two of them have had this conversation in the past, so was able to piece that together quickly.
“Yeah…” He moped.
Kyoko reached over to offer comfort by squeezing his leg.
“You know you don’t have to pick just yet. There’s plenty of people that would support your choice to wait and figure yourself out.”
“I know, I know.” He said. “But I still feel like… I just lucked out my entire way through high school. That it was some miracle that I managed to pass…”
Kyoko shook her head. “No. You made it through entirely from your own merits and skills. You’re a hard and determined worker. You probably studied for tests more than anyone else in our class. You have plenty of attributes that many people aspire to have. Not even the Ultimate Lucky Student can survive Hope’s Peak on luck alone, much like how any other Ultimate has to prove themselves in other ways outside of their skillset.”
“Kyoko…”
“I promise you, anyone worth a damn will see exactly who you are. They’ll see past your Ultimate, past your Hope’s Peak diploma. They’ll see you. Anyone who doesn’t isn’t worth your time.” She finished off her speech by gently rubbing his leg.
Makoto was rendered speechless. He had no idea why. He and Kyoko have had this type of conversation multiple times at this point, but this time felt so much different. He’d normally have a reply ready, but he just… didn’t. Why couldn’t he think of something to say? Why did he feel so… funny inside? He’s heard all this before, and she was still the same Kyoko. The same Kyoko in a stunning, sparkling purple dress with beautifully styled hair. The same Kyoko who had pulled him away from anyone else to be alone.
The same Kyoko he’d come to love.
Kyoko tilted her head slightly. “...what’s on your mind now?”
Oh god, he’d gone blank again.
“O-oh, I was… just… y-y’know…”
“Oh, I know.” She swiftly replied, cutting off his messy rambling.
“Huh?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
She rose to her feet again, dusting off the back of her dress. Makoto stood up as soon as she did. She began to walk towards the back of the hall, keeping silent as she did so.
“Hey, wait a second!” His call to her went ignored as she turned the corner to vanish from sight. How was she so quick in heels? He leaped from the steps and turned the same corner she had.
Around the back of the building, there was a small, decorated garden. Expertly trimmed hedges surrounded the whole area, acting like a fence. A metal table sat on the stone path, paired with a set of chairs. Flowers budded from every corner: in the bushes, up the sides of the white garden arch, and even from above. In the center of it all sat a stone fountain with multiple tiers. Kyoko stood in front of it, facing towards him. There was a smile on her face.
“May I have this dance?” She held her arm out.
Makoto’s brain completely shut down.
“Wha??”
“Sorry to steal your thunder, but I had a feeling you wouldn’t be able to get that out.”
She knew??
Dammit, of course she knew! She’s always reading me like a book! Wait… she wants to dance with me?? Right now? Out here? But what if- Oh god, I still haven’t said anything!
“U-uh… I don’t really know how to dance.” He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.
“That’s not what I asked.” She commented. “I asked if you wanted to.”
She was being dead serious. Makoto couldn’t skirt around the question anymore. He approached her still outstretched arm and grabbed it. He smiled warmly at her, even if his nervousness was still leaking out.
“You know. I don’t know much about dancing either. Let’s learn together, okay?” She offered softly.
“...Y-Yeah. That sounds good…”
“It’s probably easier with music. Why don’t you play something nice?”
Kyoko briefly let go of Makoto’s hand to allow him to pull out his phone. Now the pressure was back on him. What kind of song would she want? Would picking something romantic ruin the moment? What about something too fast? Why was this so hard??
Eventually, he settled on a song that was purely instrumental. That should do it. Kyoko looked content with it, at least. He set his phone on the table and grabbed her hand again. Kyoko took the lead, wrapping her other arm around her waist as they started to slowly dance.
It felt out of this world. Makoto would’ve been convinced this was just some kind of dream if he couldn’t feel so much of it. He felt the leather of Kyoko’s gloves in between his fingers. He felt the skin of her back as his other arm draped around it. Occasionally, he felt her legs brush against his as they moved in sync.
They didn’t do anything too wild. No crazy spins or twirls, no dips, and no big changes in positions. Just a simple, waltz-like dance. It was more than enough to keep them happy. As they went on, Makoto’s nerves began to fade until they had vanished. He looked into Kyoko’s eyes the entire time. She looked back at him with adoration. God, she was so perfect.
The music began to fade away.
“That was wonderful…” Kyoko breathed.
“It was…” Makoto responded.
Kyoko simply stared into his eyes, both arms wrapped around his waist. She pulled him even closer. Her eyes sparkled with an idea.
“...and I know how to make it perfect.”
“Huh?”
Makoto began to worry again? Was that not perfect to her? Did he mess up back there? Maybe he stepped on her toes by accident. Though, he didn’t remember feeling stepping on anything. It could have been-
Kyoko suddenly grabbed both sides of his face, and his thoughts stopped at an instant.
“K-Kyoko??” He stammered, feeling hotter than ever. He felt himself get pulled even closer to her and she leaned in more. Was she really going to do this? Not like he was complaining or anything. He also began to lean closer…
Then, her hands moved up to his hair, and she began to ruffle it vigorously.
“Urgh! Hey!”
She finished and rested her hands on his shoulders. Her actions had caused his styled hair to fall apart completely; it now looked exactly like it did on a daily basis, ahoge and all.
“There. You look so much more handsome like this.”
“Hey, that’s not-”
…handsome?
“A-ah… really?”
“Yup.” She smirked. She clutched his shoulders tight and leaned in again, this time making their lips connect. Makoto felt his body jolt at the sudden action, but he recovered quicker than he thought and moved in deeper to the kiss. It was pure bliss. It lasted for a moment before they pulled away and rested their foreheads against each other.
“Um… would you like to dance some more?” Makoto asked.
Kyoko laughed. It sounded heavenly.
“Of course I would.”