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Hana and Shingi sweatdropped as they watched their soon-to-be daughter-in-law try to calm down her anxious fiancé.
“Where are they? Hajime said they’d be here by now. We should have started the wedding rehearsal half an hour ago!”
“Makoto, Makoto, relax. Take a deep breath, okay? Some of them are coming from as far away as Jabberwock Island, so it’s understandable they might be a little late.”
Makoto took a deep breath and apologized “Sorry, I just…”
“You want this wedding to be perfect, I know.” Kyoko finished while rubbing his shoulders soothingly. “You’ve made that abundantly clear for weeks.”
“I know, I know…” Makoto sighed. “It’s just…you’ve lost so much…your dad, your relationship with your grandfather, you almost lost your life because of me, Kyoko. I just…I want to make sure your wedding makes all that suffering worth bearing…”
“Makoto…” Kyoko cupped his cheeks, smiling lovingly as she cooed “Just knowing that I’m going to be your wife and that there won’t be any looming crises to stand in the way of raising a family and growing old together, is all I need to make the suffering worth it. And you’ve suffered too, Makoto. Don’t neglect your own happiness just to make me happy. Just focus on having fun with these rehearsals, okay?”
As Kyoko leaned in to peck his lips, Makoto smiled and nodded before he whispered “Okay…”
“He really knew how to pick a good girl, huh, Hana?” Shingi teased as he elbowed his wife.
Hana giggled and agreed “Yes, they complement each other very well. He helped her to smile and be more expressive, and she helped him to stay calm under pressure. I just know they’ll be very happy toge…”
“Excuse me, Mom, Dad…” Komaru muttered as she ran between them and to her brother and future sister-in-law.
“Makoto, Kyoko, they’re here.” She announced as she came to a stop, panting to catch her breath.
Makoto sighed in relief as Kyoko nodded and replied “Appreciated, Komaru. Can you just quickly make sure all the seating is properly aligned so we can start the rehearsal? Your brother was about to pop a blood vessel earlier.”
Komaru rolled her eyes before she agreed “Yeah, I’m on my way.”
As she walked away, Hana and Shingi turned around to see a small crowd walking in their direction. Realizing that this was the group their children were mentioning, the two parents instantly stepped aside and allowed them to pass.
“Makoto, Kyoko!”
The couple turned to the brown-haired man leading the group before Makoto smiled and shook hands with him.
“Hajime, thanks for coming.” Makoto greeted, causing the leader of Class 77 to smile apologetically.
“Sorry for the delay; you’d be surprised how difficult it can be to get sixteen people organized and ready to go on time.”
Kyoko smiled knowingly, recalling her struggles as Director of the Future Foundation’s Fourteenth Division to keep her division organized.
“So, does anyone want to give us a rundown of what we’ll need to do during this rehearsal?” Hajime asked once he released Makoto’s hand.
“I’ll text Komaru and have her retrieve copies of the schedule from Byakuya.” Kyoko answered as she pulled out her cell phone and began to type efficiently.
Seeing Hajime’s impressed stare, Makoto explained “Kyoko’s used to typing fast from when we were in the Future Foundation.” Makoto’s eyes suddenly widened before he exclaimed with a smile “While we’re waiting for Komaru to bring the schedule copies, why don’t I introduce you guys to my parents?! Hey Mom, Dad, over here for a minute!”
Curious, Hana and Shingi nodded and walked over to the congregation before turning to face the mystery guests.
“Mom, Dad, these were our upperclassmen at Hope’s Peak Academy, the ones I told you about back at the hospital.” Hana and Shingi nodded as Makoto gestured to Hajime and introduced “This is Hajime Hinata. I guess you could call him their leader.”
Hajime nodded and bowed before humbly apologizing “On behalf of all of us, I would like to offer you our humblest apologies for the role we played in your suffering, Mr. and Mrs. Naegi.”
Hana smiled before shaking his hand, assuring the flustered former Ultimate “Don’t beat yourself up, dear. We were all victims in one form or another.”
Shingi nodded and agreed “It was Enoshima’s fault for starting this whole thing, and what’s important is that we’re all alive to celebrate happy moments, like my son’s wedding.”
Makoto blushed while Hajime smiled and commented “I see where Makoto gets his nearly endless capability for forgiveness from…I wish Chiaki was here to see this…” Before anyone could ask about Hajime’s forlorn comment, he forced a smile and interjected “Oh, but where are my manners? Please, allow me to introduce my former classmates to you.”
As if on cue, all of Class 77th formed a neat row behind Hajime, allowing him to gesture to each of them.
“This is the Ultimate Imposter. We don’t actually know what his real name is, since he’s spent so much time impersonating one person or another.”
“Please, call me Porkfeet.” The Ultimate Imposter interjected humbly.
“Okay…Porkfeet…” Shingi replied, barely hiding the amusement in his voice.
“This is Teruteru Hanamura. He’s the owner of the Hanamura Diner on Jabberwock Island and he’s agreed to cook for the wedding.”
“My, aren’t you easy on the eyes?” Teruteru flirted, making Hana shiver in disgust. “Now I see where Naegi-kun got his cuteness fro…OW!”
Hajime frowned as he pulled on Teruteru’s ear and apologized “Mrs. Naegi, my apologies; Teruteru’s a bit of a womanizer. if he tries to hit on you again, let me know and I’ll set him straight.”
“OW!” Teruteru interjected. “I’M SORRY FOR OFFENDIN’ YA! LET ME TRY MAH INTRODUCTION AGAIN!”
The others sweatdropped before Teruteru settled down, allowing Hajime to continue “Anyway…this is Mahiru Koizumi. She’s a photographer and she’s graciously agreed to take wedding pictures for the event.”
Mahiru smiled and snapped a quick photo before she assured the two parents “Don’t worry, I promise to capture the best memories of your son’s wedding day.”
Everyone smiled before Hajime moved on “This is Peko Pekoyama, she’s a swordswoman of nearly unparalleled skill.” Peko nodded humbly before Hajime continued “This is Ibuki Mioda, she’s a musician and she’s agreed to sing during the reception after the wedding.”
Ibuki grinned and told them “Don’t worry, I promised to tone down my usual style for this concert!”
Everyone except Hiyoko breathed a sigh of relief before Hajime proceeded “This is Hiyoko Saionji. She specializes in traditional Japanese dances, and she and Mahiru travel the world together.”
In a show of humility that genuinely surprised Makoto and Kyoko, Hiyoko bowed and curtsied before she told the two parents “Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Naegi-tachi.”
Hajime smiled proudly before he moved on “Of course you already know Mikan.”
“Indeed we do.” Hana smiled and thanked “Thank you so much for ensuring our recovery, Tsumiki-chan.”
Shingi nodded gratefully and agreed “It’s thanks to you we can see our son marry the girl of his dreams.”
“I’m…glad to…hear that…” Mikan stammered.
Deciding to proceed with further introductions before Mikan had a nervous breakdown, Hajime told the Naegis “This is Nekomaru Nidai, he used to manage sports teams before the Tragedy.”
Makoto nodded and explained “He actually used to manage Leon’s baseball team.”
“Ah, Kuwata!” Nekomaru realized. “He was a truly talented athlete, kami rest his soul.”
Makoto and Kyoko frowned in silent mourning before Hajime moved on to lighten the mood.
“This is Gundham Tanaka. He breeds animals, and recently he immigrated to the country of Novoselic.”
Gundham nodded and replied “So, you are the divine beings who brought the light of the Ultimate Hope into the mortal plane. It is an honor to witness the holy matrimony of such a luminous mortal.”
The others sweatdropped before Hajime explained “He…talks like that a lot.” As Hana and Shingi nodded in understanding, Hajime proceeded “This is Nagito Komaeda, he’s the Ultimate Lucky Student, your son’s predecessor.”
Nagito smiled, nodding as he professed “Oh, there’s nothing more exciting than witnessing the true Ultimate Hope and his special someone profess their love for each other!”
Makoto and Kyoko blushed before Hajime coughed into his fist and continued “Anyway…this is Kazuichi Soda. He’s a mechanic, and he’ll be testing out the equipment to make sure everything’s functional before the wedding.”
“He actually works at the school.” Makoto explained to his parents.
“Oh, I think I might have seen him around when you were giving us a tour, son.” Shingi realized.
Kazuichi smiled, flushed as he rubbed the back of his head before he stammered “Oh, just…doing my part…”
“Moving on…this is Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu…”
“Wait…Kuzuryu?!” Shingi exclaimed. “Like, the yakuza family Kuzuryu?”
Fuyuhiko sighed and confirmed “Yes, I was the heir to the Kuzuryu clan, though it’s been largely disbanded since the Tragedy. Besides, I’ve seen enough death firsthand for a lifetime, so I’m fuckin’ done with causing more people pain.”
“I…I’m sorry.” Shingi apologized. “I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay, I deserve it.” Fuyuhiko assured the Naegi patriarch.
“Don’t say that, dear.” Hana lightly admonished. “Nobody deserves to suffer like that, yakuza or no yakuza.”
Fuyuhiko smiled softly muttering “Heh, thanks, Mrs. Naegi. Now I see how your son ended up so fuckin’ nice.”
An awkward silence passed before Hajime continued “Anyway…this is Akane Owari. She’s a gymnast and she travels with Nekomaru.”
Akane grinned and exclaimed “yeah, Coach is a great teacher! And every time I fight him, I get even stronger!”
The others sweatdropped before Hajime moved on “This is Sonia Nevermind, the Queen of Novoselic.”
Sonia curtsied and greeted “It is a pleasure to meet you both. I hope one day I can welcome you both to my homeland.”
Hana smiled and agreed “That sounds lovely, Your Majesty.”
“Please!” Sonia insisted as she held up her hand “I must insist that you call me by my first name while not on Novoselic shores.”
Shingi nodded and replied “Very well, Sonia.”
Sonia beamed before Hajime finished “And last but not least is Ryota Mitarai. He heads an indie animation studio on Jabberwock Island.”
Ryota looked guiltily at them as he greeted nervously “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Naegi.”
Hana smiled and assured him “Don’t be so nervous, dear. This is supposed to be a happy occasion.”
Ryota took a deep breath and replied “Okay…I’ll try…”
Makoto clapped his hands and announced “Alright, now that everyone’s acquainted, we should probably start the rehearsal soon. Where’s…”
“Onii-chan, I got the…oof!” Komaru grunted as she accidentally bumped into Hajime. “Sorry…” Komaru apologized as her cheeks flushed pink. “I should have been watching where I was going…”
“It’s okay, really…Komaru, right?” Hajime replied.
“Yes, that’s right. Um…here’s the schedules for the rehearsal.” Komaru stammered before she began handing out the schedules.
“Okay, now that you guys have the schedules, are we all ready to start?” Seeing everyone nod, Makoto asked “Alright then, shall we go?” before turning around and walking over to the designated spot.
Kyoko sighed as she told her future in-laws “Hopefully his nerves will settle in time for the actual wedding. Mom, why don’t you go and ease his nerves before we start the rehearsal?”
Hana nodded and walked over towards her son before she directed “Komaru, you get the others and tell them to take their seats. Hajime, you and the rest of your class follow her for now. Your seats should all have your names on them.”
Hajime nodded and silently led his friends away towards the prearranged seating.
Kyoko took a deep breath and offered her arm to her future father-in-law before asking with a smile “You ready to practice walking me down the aisle?”
Shingi grinned and looped his elbow around hers as they waited for the signal for the procession to begin, unaware of the familiar paternal presence watching them from afar.