was planning for this to be a oneshot, but this way i can include
what i've finished, since it's taking so long. it's just to let you guys
know that i haven't abandoned the dr fandom. ;) i should also specify
why this took me so fucking long: i was finally getting around to sdr2.
more about that later. but i thought i should mention in advance that
certain aspects of this fic/au seem a little odd with what i now know,
(SDR2 SPOILERS) mostly that hope's peak ISN'T a crazy shady school
that does horrible experiments on children and covers up murders
and that jin kirigiri is a totally nice guy with good intentions (i haven't
seen the dr3 anime or read dr0 yet, so for all i know he wasn't super
involved in the shadiness). just dismiss that as being part of the whole
"non-despair au" thing.
Kyouko Kirigiri wasn't sure why, exactly, she was in her father's office. A promise was a promise, but it would've been nice to have known what she was supposed to be arguing in favor of.
She'd been approached in the halls by Kiyotaka Ishimaru, who had asked her to meet him in his dorm. She'd done so, and he'd informed her that he had delivered a rule change proposal to her father and that he would appreciate it if she could back him up.
"I will tell you after it gets approved," he'd replied when she asked him what the proposal was. "I do not wish to get anyone's hopes up. But it's something that has been suggested to me by other students more than once, and I feel it would be very beneficial for some of our more troubled peers."
Whatever was in that folder on the desk was clearly something very important to Kiyotaka. He'd tried to act like it was only in the interest of his fulfilling his commitment to the other students, like it was just a part of his job as a prefect, but Kirigiri had easily spotted the glimmer in his eyes when he talked about it.
Jin Kirigiri offered his daughter a seat and a snack and some coffee, and she took the chair and accepted the offer of a hot drink. She could use the caffeine. The start of the new semester meant that she, like everyone else, had been bombarded with essays and tests left and right.
Schoolwork. She smirked as a certain biker came to mind. He'd been getting pretty serious academically, and she was sure she knew who to thank for that. Since he had started dating Hope's Peak Academy's most well-renowned prefect, Mondo Oowada's attitude and school performance had drastically improved. The two were nearly inseparable, and went everywhere and did everything together. She'd worried it was co-dependency at first, but had been dissuaded from that by asking the boy himself.
"Nah, ya don't have to worry about that. He's still my best friend. I can do stuff alone, but why wouldn't I wanna hang out with my best friend?" Mondo had replied, his grin wide and bright. The innocence of the sentiment was...
...Well, it was cute. A lot of people stopped being friends once they became a couple, but both of the boys were insistent that it was an important part of a healthy and happy relationship. Kirigiri felt like they were right about that. How long had it been, anyway? Time seemed to fly at Hope's Peak.
"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Jin asked. His relationship with his daughter was somewhat strained, so he didn't assume she was there to talk about the weather. He handed off one of the coffee cups in his hand as he took a seat.
"Did you receive a proposal earlier this week? From Ishimaru-kun?" She asked the question casually just before taking a sip of coffee. The instant rush of warmth was nice, even if it was a little too sweet for her tastes.
"Ah, yes," Jin confirmed, taking hold of the envelope. "He seemed rather excited by the concept. I won't lie, though— I have my doubts. It's a pretty big change, and would have to be strictly regulated. And I'm sure there would be extra costs... Though he did suggest that the students interested would be willing to use their stipend."
Kirigiri narrowed her eyes in mild annoyance. Her father seemed to be talking in code, like he was deliberately avoiding letting her have a hint as to what the envelope contained. It was hard to make a logical argument for something if she didn't know what it was.
"Well... I think that you should allow it. Ishimaru-kun always has everyone's best interests in mind. He wouldn't propose something with associated costs if he didn't feel they were well worth it."
It was the best argument she could make with the information that she had. Jin observed her for a moment before smirking.
"You don't know what's in here, do you?" he asked, patting the envelope. Kirigiri winced and clenched her fists. Damn. Jin may have decided he wanted nothing to do with the Kirigiri legacy, but he'd still been trained as a detective, and it showed.
"Anyway," Jin added after taking a moment to laugh. "It's funny you should bring it up, because—"
As if on cue, Kiyotaka burst through the door, and he carried what looked like a presentation under his arm. He had stacks of papers and one of those folding poster board displays that kids use in science fair projects. After a moment, Mondo awkwardly crept up behind him and put down a desk he'd probably taken from a nearby classroom. He gave a crooked salute and ducked back out of the room. Kirigiri snickered under her breath and shook her head.
"I apologize for that— I can only carry so many things at once." Kiyotaka smiled and shrugged casually. He'd loosened up a lot, Kirigiri noticed. He used to be so much more rigid and serious.
"It's quite alright, just let him know he's allowed to sit down or grab a snack next time. We ought to pay our workers, right?" Jin laughed at his own joke, and Kirigiri rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm guessing that you have your presentation ready for me? Kyouko, you can step outside if you—"
"No," Kiyotaka piped up. "I-I, uh, value her input. You can stay if you want, Kirigiri-chan. ...You've never done me wrong before."
The prefect grinned, and Kirigiri hid her slight blush. He'd been oddly devoted to her ever since she'd offered help in arranging the events that had led to his current relationship. It wasn't like she'd done anything that any good friend wouldn't have done. She didn't understand why he felt the need to be so mushy about it.
"Okay," she grumbled. "I'll stay and listen."
"Thank you. ...Anyway, let me get set up."
Kiyotaka moved forward to readjust the desk Mondo had brought in and set his poster board on it. Kirigiri couldn't see it past his back. He straightened his stack of papers before turning and giving a salute. As soon as he'd moved away from the board, Kirigiri blinked in disbelief.
The board was covered with text and pictures, and a lot of it seemed typical— pie charts and cost estimates and the like. The thing she hadn't expected was the subject line, or all of the pictures of animals.
The Benefits of Pet Ownership in Youth. Jin opened up the folder he'd already been given and quickly compared its contents to the board, looking unfazed. Kirigiri was having trouble wrapping her mind around it.
Kiyotaka wanted to amend the rules to allow students to own certain kinds of pets and keep them on campus grounds. She knew the school had made an exception for one student, an upperclassman who had kept hamsters in his dorm room (and usually on his person), but that was only due to his title. What benefits did Kiyotaka see this bringing the other students? Had it really been suggested to him by others?
"I'll be honest, Ishimaru-san... When I first saw this, I thought you were out of your mind. But, well, you've made some good points so far about the benefits of having responsibility in caring for something. I'm curious as to what else you have."
Kiyotaka looked serious now. He was in prefect mode, and he gestured at the first chart on his board.
"There are plain benefits to animal ownership, particularly owning dogs— on average, people who own pets live longer lives. This may be due to decreased stress and lowered blood pressure. And..." Kiyotaka tapped at another chart. "Animal ownership has proven very effective in providing relief from depression, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness. Even for those without a diagnosed illness, animals are therapeutic and usually reduce aggression in their owners."
"So your argument is that it would help certain students with their troubles and make others more well-behaved?"
Jin looked mildly intrigued and tapped his pen thoughtfully against his desk. Kiyotaka nodded.
"Precisely that. I know it may be expensive to provide animals to certain students, but Hope's Peak is supposed to be something of a grand experiment, yes? This institution takes people with all kinds of broad talents and tries to figure out how to harness their potential, to help them learn, and to make them successful members of society. To shy away from such a social experiment because of costs... Well, that's not in keeping with the spirit of the academy."
"What kinds of costs were you thinking there would be?" Kirigiri asked. She had to admit that she was intrigued, and her earlier point stood— Kiyotaka wouldn't recommend adding to the budget if he didn't feel it was for the greater good.
"Well, I suggested that the school pay for the adoption costs and basic supplies, as well as providing funds for basic veterinary care, for students who couldn't afford it. Only regular checkups, though, or treatment of illnesses that couldn't have been prevented. If the animal were to become ill or injured because of the student's actions, they would have to pay via their stipend. After that, other supplies and food would have to be paid for and provided by the students, except in those cases where they cannot afford it."
"That seems reasonable enough," Kirigiri agreed. "But would we provide this to anyone who asked? I can see where a lot of things could go horribly wrong."
"Which I have thought of." Kiyotaka tapped his stack of papers with his hand before handing it off to Jin.
"Proposed restrictions," Jin read aloud.
"There would be a thorough application process, and each student would be considered individually, as I don't believe a broad approval system would work here. Approving the applications could be added to the list of tasks for the disciplinary committee. If it's believed that a student is responsible enough or could benefit from owning a pet, the application would be approved. After that, there would be a discussion about the kind of pet, and the future owner would be given a short course on animal ownership and a rundown of their responsibilities.
"There would also be rules the owners would have to follow. Keeping their pet quiet after hours, cleaning up after them when necessary, training them to behave, and keeping them from causing any harm or damage, among other things. Students would be required to pay a fine, for instance, if their pet peed on the carpet or damaged school property. And if a student proves to be incapable of raising the animal, they would have their approval revoked and the animal would be rehomed."
"It seems you've put a lot of thought into this," Jin mused. He was looking through all of the papers in the stack he'd been handed and reviewing the contents of the folder, and his eyes kept darting back to the charts on the board.
"It's been suggested by several students. A lot of them are very lonely or anxious here, being separated from their families. And many students suffer from depression or nervous disorders or the like and could benefit from having something warm to hold onto, something that's always happy to see them."
"Ishimaru-kun always has everyone's best interests at heart," Kirigiri reiterated, looking her father in the eye. Jin looked conflicted.
The principal and the prefect hashed out a few more details and concerns, and then Kiyotaka turned over all of his paperwork and the folded-up poster board. He bowed as he shook Jin's hand.
"I'll talk to the committee. You've more or less convinced me, but those guys are real uptight about money. Let's hope for the best."
"Thank you, sir! It's always a pleasure."
Kirigiri nodded her goodbye and followed Kiyotaka out of the room as he awkwardly waddled forward with the desk. He returned it to the nearest classroom, and then he turned to head back to his dorm.
"You're not even going to discuss it with me?" Kirigiri called after him. He slowed his walk and allowed her to catch up.
"What more is there to discuss? I'm thankful for your help, by the way. I can only hope that it goes through."
Kirigiri couldn't think of any more questions to ask on the subject. She shrugged and stroked her chin.
"How is Oowada-kun? Things are still going well, I presume?" Of course, she saw the two of them often enough, but rarely caught either of them alone, and she wouldn't ask about private details of their relationship in front of others.
Kiyotaka instantly lit up like the sun, beamed like he always did at the mention of his boyfriend's name. Kirigiri shook her head. He was almost too sweet sometimes.
"It's going splendidly! I really don't know what I was so scared of. Not a whole lot has to change if you don't want it to. People are often so stubborn, and have to have everything their way... We both understand that what we have is a lot more important than the petty things. It takes some work, but it doesn't feel like work, if that makes any sense. It's... It's easy."
Kirigiri tried not to smile. It was difficult, and Kiyotaka's muffled giggling told her that she hadn't succeeded.
"Have you gotten around to telling your father?" She asked. She cringed as soon as she had said it. Perhaps it wasn't any of her business. Last she'd heard, Mondo had told the other boys he was saddened by the fact that Kiyotaka felt he couldn't inform his father. That had been months ago, though— just before everyone had been let out for their last summer vacation. Kiyotaka's smile faded, though only slightly.
"I-I have," he answered. "He wasn't terribly thrilled about it at first. Which is to be expected— he's a policeman, and Mondo has a criminal record. But he's extended an olive branch for the sake of my happiness. Mondo's been over for a dinner a couple of times. He always tries so hard to look good for my father that he ends up putting his foot in his mouth, though."
"Oh, no. I hope it hasn't been too bad."
"Nothing devastating, I assure you, but..." Kiyotaka trailed off and shuddered as he recalled something. "Well, I don't want to embarrass him any more than he already is."
The two walked together for another minute or so until they at last arrived at the hallway containing the doors to everyone's rooms. Kirigiri bowed, smiling as the prefect excitedly returned the gesture.
"I'll see you soon, then," she said politely. Kiyotaka saluted her as soon as he stood upright again.
"Soon! Have a wonderful evening, Kirigiri-chan."
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a/n: so about sdr2: I LOVED IT and have officially adopted yet another son as well as a new ship for my list of otps. based on what you know about me through my author's notes and my writing, try to guess who my new son is! i'm curious. >:3
i do generally think the SDR2 cast is a bit stronger as a whole, and i hope to write stuff using those characters in the future. i really want to write stuff that includes all of my precious children. <3