AN: I own neither the series nor the characters.

On most days, Kizakura Koichi started with alcohol.

Normally, he'd go with a swig of whiskey. On what he knew were going to be more difficult days, he'd up it with some gin. On others, a good old fashioned can of beer helped. Anything that he could get his hands on really. How Yukizome actually wanted to deal with all those Ultimates was beyond him.

Today, however, was one of the rare times that he hadn't drank any alcohol at all. Not a drop had passed through his lips for a week. Anyone who even faintly knew him (his students, his colleagues, his best friend) would've been shocked and immediately demand to know what he had done with the real Kizakura Koichi.

He wouldn't blame them. The whole week had been an awful sober hell for the man yet this was a sacrifice he was willing to undertake.

Today as going to be another attempt he'd ask Kyoko-chan to eat dinner with him and Jin, her father.

He knew of the bad blood between the two (mostly from the daughter) and wanted to try to help bridge the gap between the father and daughter.

Kyoko-chan, who used to be so cute, who used to make flower wreathes for him, now looked at him like he was walking garbage the moment she'd sniff the scent of alcohol on his person.

That this look was better than what she'd throw to her father also spoke magnitudes of how bad the situation was.

It didn't help that Jin, himself, didn't try anything. Koichi knew the guy cared, loved, his daughter and yet he'd speak to her like she was just another student. This indifference only seemed to incite her more although Koichi wasn't sure if she'd be angrier if her father actually tried to make amends with her.

The whole thing was heartbreaking really.

That was why today Koichi was in Jin's office with the elder Kirigiri. He knew today Kyoko-chan had to brief Jin on a case the headmaster had assigned her to do. This meant she couldn't run away from Koichi like she normally would.

Most would think that Koichi would have given up by now seeing as he had been rejected by a teenage girl for almost a whole school year but Koichi felt today would be different.

What could he say?

Today he was feeling lucky.

"So what did those old bags want?" Sporting a white hat on his head, Koichi stood next to the headmaster of Hope's Peak.

"They started questioning the point of the Ultimate Luckster again," Kirigiri Jin sighed.

"Really?" Koichi rubbed his chin. "Did Komaeda blow up a gym again or something?"

"If that were the case, they'd actually have a point." Jin shook his head. "They thought it was a waste of money and resources."

"What? The luckster doesn't even need anything to develop his talent compared to other Ultimates".

"All they care about are results. In their words: 'This year's luckster in particular hasn't really showed any potential for further study. At least the previous one had used his talent to further an agenda.' "

"So they deem him a failure cause he hadn't done anything? Wouldn't being picked from a nationwide lottery be enough? Do they want another gym blown up?"

"While I wouldn't want anything that extreme, I do think we could at least try to give him a test or sort. While his academic scores look to have improved since he arrived, he could find that same education in other high-level schools. Hope's Peak sets itself apart from those schools through our emphasis on improving one's talent after all."

"Like a game or something? We do have those for the Ultimate Gambler." muttered Koichi as he thought about coin flips, cards, and other games of probability. "I could think of a few things that could work."

"I'll leave it to you then." spoke Jin. "I trust your judgment and eye for talent."

"Aye aye, Boss." Koichi mock saluted. "Now to the real issue, what are you going to wear later?"

Jin paused for a moment before releasing a sigh. His shoulders slumped. "Koichi. You're still doing this?"

"There's no harm in trying."

"As I said previously, there's no need for-" A sharp knock from the office's door interrupted the man.

Immediately, Jin corrected his posture and clasped his hands, elbows on his desk. A neutral stern blank mask donned his face.

He gave one last glance to Koichi in warning then turned his eyes forward.

"Come in."

Koichi felt his body tense. These briefings were always tough for him due to the hostile icy atmosphere Kyoko-chan would bring with her.

The door opened.

Koichi squeezed his hand.

"Um, excuse me." A male voice spoke out and Koichi blinked in surprise, all tension in his body gone from the surprise.

A short boy with messy brown hair awkwardly shuffled in followed by Kyoko-chan, her arms crossed.

Koichi turned to Jin who looked just as surprised as he was. What were the chances the person they had just been talking about would walk in? The same lucky student they had been discussing earlier, Naegi Makoto.

Jin asked first. "Um, Naegi-kun. If you need something, I'd be willing to listen. However, It would have to wait as I've scheduled a meeting with-" Koichi noticed the small hesitation and the glance from the headmaster. "- the Ultimate Detective. If you'd like we could schedule it right after."

"Ah yes, but I'm-". The boy turned to the silent girl at his side asking for some support. After no reply, he scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I'm her assistant. I've been helping with the case."

Koichi's eyebrows buried themselves into his hat.

What?

When did Kyoko-chan ever need help?

No, when did she ever ask for help? He knew she was a lone wolf who didn't care for making any sort of personal bonds.

The scout even knew the case she had undergone was one someone of her ability could do in her sleep. With both her arms tied behind her back. And blindfolded.

That was also partly because Koichi was sure Jin wouldn't assign his daughter anything even close to what the man would consider dangerous even knowing she specialized in homicide.

Jin glanced at him to which Koichi could only shrug.

"Helping?" Jin asked, his tone neutral.

"Is that a problem?" finally Kyoko-chan spoke up, her tone hostile. Even the boy next to her turned in surprise at her tone.

Koichi already knew what the sleuth meant. It was a challenge. The girl hated any point Jin would question her actions. It was something about idea of the man who abandoned the Kirigiri detective tradition (who abandoned her) doubting her (ability as a detective) that rubbed her nerves wrong.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), Jin was already used to such barbed tones.

"While I don't mind if you needed assistance," Koichi saw Kyoko-chan grit her teeth "I'd at least like to be notified in advance for security reasons in keeping information in certain cases airtight. Especially, if it's fellow student."

"Hmm." The girl looked away, indifferent. "Naegi, you'll be the one to do the report."

'I see. So that's what it is' Koichi realized. 'So you've given up on speaking to him and will now just use a messenger. Very cold, Kyoko-chan.'

A bitter smile spread through his lips. It seemed Kyoko-chan had gotten tired of meeting her father so now she needed an "assistant" to do that for her. He guessed the first time was for introduction but the following times she'll probably just leave it to this Naegi kid. He knew Jin would reach the same conclusion as well.

'Looks like this could be my last try after all.'

The boy, himself looked confused as he shifted a questioning gaze from one Kirigiri to another.

On his part, Jin could only give a look that said 'What are going to do about it' before urging the boy on. "Well, if you can, Naegi-kun."

"Then, I'll do so Kirigiri-sensei." The boy stepped up, looking a bit unsure of himself. "But before that, if I can, I'd like to correct you on something."

"And what would that be, Naegi-kun?" Jin asked. His tone was still neutral as always, not even the least hostile that a student had told him, the headmaster, that he had made a mistake.

"Well, it's what you said about earlier, Kirigiri-san did not need my assistance." The boy paused, glancing quickly between the man and the girl next to him. "Ah, I mean, Kyoko-san didn't really need my help."

For all his life, Kizakura Koichi had an exceptional eye for talent. He was the appointed talent scout for Hope's Peak and it was his judgment that decided who deserved the title of "Ultimate".

However, his eyesight didn't end there. His eyes could capture an amazing amount of information with a single glance. It didn't just stop at a person's potential and abilities. He could easily make out every possible trap in a room and analyze how they worked. Jin had always told him he'd be a great detective and Koichi laughed it off as 'being too much work'.

If he wanted, he could read even the most minute changes in a person's expressions giving him incredible insight in what they were thinking and feeling. (Much like a certain esper idol.)

Since she enrolled, Koichi has always been watching Jin's daughter. Her expression was always stoic, cold as ice, except for when she allowed her hate for her father to seep through. He's always been watching whenever the two had a meeting, hoping to see anything besides cold looks and blank stares.

That he's been always watching her is why he saw it even if it was just for a second.

That he's only ever seen those cold looks and blank stares is why it stood out no matter how small.

The moment the boy spoke "Kyoko-san" something changed.

Slight movement of eyebrows up. Surprise. Turning away of gaze and head. Embarrassment. Miniscule curling of lips. Content.

What.

Koichi blinked as his mind retreaded the information his eyes just fed it.

Slight movement of eyebrows up. Surprise. Turning away of gaze and head. Embarrassment. Miniscule curling of lips. Content.

What.

What.

He didn't know how to describe the feeling. It was like the single piece of information was so shocking, unexpected, and rare he couldn't process it. It was like another language from an alien civilization.

It was like his whole world just turned itself around on the idea that-

'Did Kyoko-chan just…smile!?'

Unaware of the crisis in the talent scout's mind. Makoto Naegi continued.

"I've helped her out with a bunch of cases, but I don't think she really needed my help in them. I just follow her around and help her when she needs to ask around for questions or investigate a place." He rubbed the back of his head. "She always seems to already know the culprit before I can figure it out."

"I'll have to disagree, Naegi." The detective suddenly spoke up, her poker face back. "While it is true that I may have been able to solve those cases without you, your help is warranted and cuts down on the time I'd have taken to finish them."

Even though Koichi didn't think it was that big a compliment (if it was one at all), the boy still practically beamed at the detective's words. "Kirigiri-san!"

She turned away from his smile, brushing strands of hair back behind her ear. "The report, Naegi."

Again, something changed.

'Embarassment again. For a moment, was she flustered? There was also a flash of disappointment from the slight scrunch of her eyebrows.'

Something else.

Although her posture was the same as it always was, straight and rigid, the tension in Kyoko's body looked to have significantly decreased. In these meetings, the Ultimate Detective was always especially on edge, as if she expected an attack at any time.

Yet a single smile from the boy had calmed her down in a speed Koichi thought not even the Ultimate Therapist could replicate.

"Right!" Naegi nodded before finally starting the report.

The report itself wasn't of any interest to Koichi. The case was just that of numerous missing items: A pitching machine, a motorcycle, some teaching equipment, stage props, and ton of other miscellaneous things. They all were separate missing item cases but the two had figured out that the missing items all had the same culprit.

What was interesting though was how Kyoko-chan was behaving. Koichi had initially thought Naegi was a workaround to not speak to her father, yet it was not as indifferent as that. Unlike what he expected, the boy was not reading from a pre-made script the detective would have written from him but reciting the case from his own memory. While at times the girl would add her own thoughts, she had mostly left it the reporting in the boy's hands.

A mind-blogging impossible explanation flew to the forefront of the talent scout's mind. It was too early a conclusion to draw, there was still too few evidence and it was possible the very girl had not even realized it herself, but, somehow, in some unknown way, the ultimate luckster that had earlier been called a failure had done the impossible and gotten the trust of the expressionless and unfeeling Kirigiri Kyoko.

'No…not just trust…'

Every time the boy would refer to her as "Kyoko-san", Koichi could see her get slightly elated. It was as quick as a heatbeat yet only because he was watching for it was he able to see it.

"Enoshima-san, huh?" The head master's eyes narrowed slightly at the name of the culprit. Enoshima was somewhat of a troublemaker who has been called to his office before due to her many pranks. "Do you happen to know why she has them?"

"Apparently, she'll be using them for some sort of special shoot," supplied Naegi although his tone was unsure. "We haven't really seen her in a while but Koizumi-senpai said she was helping her out."

"I see." Jin nodded. It made sense for the Ultimate Photographer to be working with the Ultimate Fashionista on a shoot. It was possible the model had heard of the Steering Committee's increased focus on results which led her wanting to do more ectravagent shoots. "Well, if it's related to her title and impoving her talent, I could overlook this for now. Those items are all owned by the school, at least. Please tell her and Koizumi-kun to go through the proper channels next time if they want to procure more props. Good job, the both of you."

The boy smiled at the praise. Kyoko didn't.

"Especially you, Naegi-kun." The headmaster locked his sight on the boy. "While it may not have been related to you, you went out of your way to help. Just make sure this doesn't affect your grades too much."

Naegi rubbed the back of his neck bashfully at the praise.

"It's just natural to help people, Kirigiri-sensei." He smiled. "But there's no need to worry about my grades. Recently, Kyoko-san has been helping me out studying. She's amazing! She's really smart and is good at explaining things. She's a great teacher."

"That's good." The headmaster replied.

At Naegi's praise, Koichi immediately saw the detective's reaction. Her back straightened. Her chin lifted slightly. A ghost of a smug smile adorned her lips. Her eyes closed in what he could only identity as satisfaction.

It was only the constant pain of withdrawal that assured Koichi he wasn't drunk and hallucinating the sight.

Kirigiri Kyoko was preening.

The very girl who had admitted herself that she didn't care for titles or awards , that the truth was more important that any prize, was enjoying the compliments of the short boy a little too much. She, who had never cared to celebrate after solving a case, was treating this as some sort of personal victory.

However, it lasted only a few seconds however as Naegi continued by throwing a bomb.

"Well, she is your daughter after all, Kirigiri-sensei!"

Time halted to a crawl as Koichi took a second to examine their reactions.

Naegi didn't realize what he had just done, his expression still excited.

Jin's eyes had widened in surprise. The boy had somehow caught him off guard in one meeting when the Steering Committee couldn't over the multiple years he's been Headmaster.

Kyoko had also been caught off guard, but she was able to catch herself faster. Koichi could see her mood souring fast. A glare was already beginning to make its way up to her face.

Koichi couldn't let that happen.

He had never been able to catch her in such a good mood since she was a child. He had to act fast.

"But Naegi-kun," the boy turned to him in surprise. It was the first time Koichi had spoken up the whole meeting. "Wouldn't you rather be using your time to go on dates?"

The boy blinked in confusion before his blood rushed to his cheeks. "E-eh? What are you saying. Kizakura-sensei?"

"I mean, you're still young! You should be enjoying your youth by picking up girls and going to parties! Studying is fine but you shouldn't forget to live a little." Koichi recalled the other girls of the 78th class. "You could try asking out someone in your class. Maybe that idol or the swimmer-"

"Please don't corrupt Naegi with your lifestyle, Kizakura-sensei." The words that left Kyoko-chan's lips were as cold as the glare on her face. The look on her was one of "Ah, I this pile of garbage was there and now it smells really bad. How unpleasant."

Yet Koichi was fine with that. Compared to what could've happened when Naegi pushed her daddy trigger, this was still workable. He wanted to distract her, and it looked to be working. There was also a rare emotion he caught in the girl's eyes: Panic.

He had to continue his diversion and tipped his hat lower to cover his eyes.

"I'm just saying you shouldn't let yourself be dragged around by her. Don't waste your time doing unnecessary work when you're still young."

"You-!"

"You've got that wrong!"

Koichi looked up in surprise not expecting such a forceful declaration. What made it more surprising that it came from the boy. Gone was the meekness and self-doubt. He stood up straight with hard determination in his eyes.

"Kyoko-san doesn't drag me around. I'm the one who insists on joining her and it took me a long time to convince her to do so. I'm just an ordinary guy and I don't think anyone in the class would want to go out with me so I don't know much about that dating stuff or living out youth." He looked down in self doubt before raising his head again, his eyes burning with a something much fiercer. "But I know I've been happy being with Kyoko-san (as her assistant)! Investigating with her … spending time with her… talking to her…that time won't ever be a waste! Even if I could have been spent better improving myself or doing those things you said, I know I wouldn't have done anything different. Even if she doesn't feel the same about our time together and thought of it as annoying or boring, I'd still treasure those moments I spent with Kyok-Ow! Ow! Ow! It hurts, Kirigiri-san! It hurts! It hurts!"

Whatever charisma and determination the boy had was gone as a glove hand pinched his cheek and twisted. Hard.

"…Cheeky Naegi," murmured the girl as she glared at the boy. However, compared to the glare Koichi was given, this one didn't have any of the coldness in it.

After one final twist, she let go of the cheek. The detective then turned away from him, her arms crossed.

The boy's eyes were teary as he held his now red cheek. He sported a look of betrayal more from shock that the girl did it rather than animosity for the action. It was not unlike that of a puppy.

Kyoko then took one glance at Naegi from the corner of her eye and-

"Hehe…hehehe…hehehe…"

"Ah…" Jin whispered beside Koichi.

No, the man did not whisper. To whisper implied a level of control.

He was just so shocked, so overwhelmed, that he needed to react. It was an unconscious movement of his body, for something had to leave his mouth without conscious thought. Yet, he uttered it in a hushed tone. Even if it was an unconscious reaction, his body still only let one syllable out at the lowest volume. Because something even deeper than his unconscious knew not to interrupt.

For he was witnessing something so rare, so scarce, it could be considered a priceless treasure.

And, just like all rare treasures, it was its rarity which made it all the more beautiful.

No.

It wasn't its rarity. It wasn't how it sounded. It wasn't its length. It wasn't its quality. It wasn't the time. It wasn't the place.

This was something beyond reason and logic because for the person known as Kirigiri Jin, it just was beautiful.

No words were said. No noise was made.

Kizakura Koichi didn't even dare to think.

His eyes spoke ( . -) and yet he didn't say anything.

Both of the men couldn't say anything

Such a beautiful moment could not be ruined so mundanely.

As soon as it begun, it ended.

The girl detective caught herself and remembered where she was.

"I'm leaving," she declared as she immediately made her way to the door, not waiting for the boy next to her. "Come along, Naegi."

"Wait, Kirigiri-san!"/ "Kyoko-chan!" Two cries called to her.

Her foot halted right as she was about to open the door to the office and she spared a glance back.

Whether she actually stopped for him or the boy didn't matter to Kizakura who hastily spoke up first.

"Jin and I are having dinner later. You want to come with us?"

So it was the usual offer. She didn't really know why he still tried when she had already refused him every time.

She opened her mouth, the decline already on her lips, as she turned back to the man.

"No-"

"Investigating with her … spending time with her… talking to her…that time won't ever be a waste!"

Her refusal caught on her throat.

She glanced at the man who had been a family friend and knew her as a child,

If Kizakura Koichi was annoying...

She glanced at the headmaster of the academy, her...father.

If Kirigiri Jin was infuriating...

She looked at the boy and he smiled. Even if he didn't understand, he knew what she needed and so he smiled reassuringly.

...then Naegi Makoto was both and much more.

She clicked her tongue before locking eyes with that drunkard of a teacher.

"Text me the details. I expect to be back before the dorm's curfew. It should be obvious that I won't stand any sort of alcohol."

With one final flick of her hair, Kirigiri Kyoko left the headmaster's office.

"Ah, Kirigiri-san! Um, if you'll excuse me." Naegi Makoto bowed and left the room.

For a while, silence enveloped the office as both men didn't really know how to react.

It was Jin who first got his bearings.

He coughed into his fist, still not too sure if everything that happened was real or not.

With a press of a button, he spoke to his secretary through the phone.

"Mirai-san, cancel all of my appointments after 4 pm."

A female voice responded. "A-all of them? Are you sure, sir?"

"Yes, something came up of grave importance."

A pause then, "Yes Headmaster."

"So," Jin turned to Koichi. There was an uncharacterstic blend of nervousness and excitement in his voice the scout hadn't heard in years. "What's the plan?"

"Ah, well. I didn't really expect it so I planned on going to-"

"A pub?"

"...A pub."

Jin sighed and turned to the clock. It was still 2:00 pm. There was plenty of time.

"I'll have Mirai-san do the reservations. Although on where..." the headmaster put his brain to work. "Didn't she like that one place? Denny's?"

Koichi stared back at his friend. "Jin, that was cause she was a kid."

"Right, right. We can't jump into conclusions immediately. This requires heavy thought. Only the best." the man waved off Koichi's words. It seemed the excitement of being able to eat with his daughter was finally sinking in. He leaned back on his chair with a smile he hadn't had in years. "Still, I guess we don't need to check Naegi-kun's luck after all."

"Oh?"

"Well, it's possible his luck affects others around him rather than himself. A charm if you will. Kyoko accepting today was proof of that." Jin rummaged through his desk to find an old picture frame he always kept close to him. "I hope she at least thinks of him as a friend."

"Yeah..friend", Koichi felt a sweat drop down his head. His friend still saw his daughter as she was in the past so it may be better to let those sleeping dogs lie. He didnt really want to imagine how Kyoko-chan would take to her father treating her like a child on that front. It didn't look like those two were dating at least but from what he saw just transpire it could have only been a matter of time.

Still, as he heard his friend search the net for the best restaurant in town and worry on what to wear, Koichi couldn't help but smile.

'I guess I can go a few more days without drinking.'

AN: I always wonder how angry/angsty Pre-series Kyoko is. Remember that in DR1, she both has no memories of her father and has the whole murder game/mastermind shit to deal with. Compared to that, pre-series, she'd have lived with her daddy issues her whole life and literally only went to the Hope's Peak to flip him off. I know you see some of that in DR0 but still.

I kinda want to make a follow-up of Kizakura being Naegi's wingman but I think it stands on its own for now. Also, I have no idea how the DR timeline works so I just put one year for the hell of it.

Omake:

"I don't understand teenage girls." Jin declared one day.

"I don't think anyone does," Koichi lazily replied, not looking up from his phone as both men walked the school's hallways. "What's the problem?"

"Well, it's Kyoko..."

"When isn't it?

"Our relationship is better than it was before but her attitude is sporadic. Some days, she rushes to my side and on others she immediately dashes off."

Before Koichi could comment on that thought, he noticed a flash of lavender.

Suddenly, the female Kirigiri was before them.

She didn't say a word as she walked up to them and just stood by their side silently.

Her face was stoic as usual but Koichi could feel her exude expectation.

Like she was waiting for something.

Jin stared at Kyoko awkwardly as she stared back, mute as ever.

Koichi took the chance to speak. "Are you feeling lonely, Kyoko-chan?"

"..."

"...did you want something, Kyoko-chan?"

"..."

Another minute of silence passed before-

"Ah there you are Kirigiri-san!"

All three turned to a familar boy walking up to them.

"What are doing with Kirigiri-sensei, Kir-ah-Kyoko-san? Let's head back to class, already."

"..."

"Kyoko-san?"

After a few more minutes of conversation, the two students eventually left.

"...Say Jin. those times Kyoko-chan goes to you, does that Naegi kid eventually pop up ?"

"Now that I think about it, he does. Do you think she's feeling lonely so she goes to me?"

"Well...that's one way of putting it. I think she's at least found one positive thing about being around you."

"I don't really get it but that's a good thing, right?"