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Shuichi should’ve realized that the return trip would be much more excruciating than the arrival.
On the plane ride to Novoselic, Shuichi had no shortage of things to distract him. He was going over the Makangos’ casefile, writing a list of people to interview, and coming up with places to investigate. He spent a good two hours scouring over the map and committing as much of the country’s geography to memory. Another few hours were wasted discussing different plans with Kaito and Maki. What to do if they were separated. What to do if they were attacked. Trying to come up with as concrete of a game plan as possible.
They only had the break to solve the case before Shuichi, Maki, Kaito, and Sonia all had to go back to Hope’s Peak. Sonia had left early for Novoselic, but the three of them had all gone together. Put on one of her country’s private jets and flown across the sea for the case of a lifetime.
Admittedly, Shuichi spent a good portion of the flight getting himself talked down from a panic attack from Kaito, the pressure of a nationwide animal trafficking ring case on his shoulders a bit too much to handle.
But that was then, and now was now. And now, Shuichi was flying back to Japan with Kaito and Maki by his side, having successfully solved the largest cold case in Novoselic history. And suddenly, it became clear that, unlike last time, there was nothing for any of them to really do this time around.
No case files to go over. No game plans to come up with. No giant case crushing his shoulders and no contingencies to worry about. The case was solved, everything was over, and all that was left to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
The fifteen-hour ride.
Oh, Shuichi could feel the boredom already.
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HOUR 1
“Why are all the in-flight movies anime films?”
“Well, Sonia did say her country was fond of them.”
The first hour was… interesting. Seeing as they were the only passengers on the plane, simply lounging in their seats and enjoying a movie seemed like a decent way to pass the time. No need to put on headphones or squint at a tiny screen. The private jet had a full-on flat screen and plenty of options to choose from, so it seemed a decent way to waste two hours. Of course, that was before Maki had gone scrolling through the options, only to see nothing but anime movies, J-drama episodes, and strange Novoselic films with head-spinning synopses.
“Oh, they can’t be that bad,” Kaito assured, “Just pick one Maki roll! I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll be great!”
“‘Light My Heart With Fire: The Movie?’” Shuichi questioned, looking at one of the movie titles.
“‘Sometimes the best relationships are the most innocuous. Follow the lives of five different people as they make their way through the world- loving, living, and finding themselves.’” Maki read the synopsis.
“That sounds nice!” Kaito exclaimed, “How ‘bout that one.”
Maki just sighed, “Sure, whatever.”
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HOUR 3
“What. Was that.”
“I’m very confused.”
A sob sounded from Shuichi’s left.
“Are you crying?!” Maki yelled.
Kaito whipped at his eyes, “She just kept looking for where she belonged but it was by Emi’s side the whole time!”
“Oh my god, you enjoy this cheesy bullshit.”
“I grew up with my grandparents, ok! They love watching dramas and romance films.”
“I’m not really sure I even understood what the plot was,” Shuichi admitted.
“There was none,” Maki said.
Kaito looked at her in horror, “It was about humanity!”
“How?! Nothing happened!”
“Exactly! They had experiences.”
“That’s Hallmark bullshit.”
“So when Hibiki ended up working at that flower shop…” Shuichi trailed off.
“He managed to finally find what made him happy in life!”
“…And chose to follow that instead of taking the internship that had a high likelihood of landing him a better paying job, but would be emotionally draining. Oh. I… think I get it?”
“Yes!” Kaito exclaimed, clapping Shuichi on the back, “I knew my sidekick would understand!”
“Ah, really? I’m honestly still not sure if I got that right.”
“Nah, you nailed it in one!”
“You’re all insane,” Maki complained.
“Oh, come on Maki roll! I’m sure you liked it at least a little.”
“No, I didn’t. It was cheesy and lame.”
“I’ll admit, romance movies aren’t really my thing,” Shuichi said,
“Wha-!”
“See? They’re cheesy Hallmark nonsense.”
“I wouldn’t know if I’d call it nonsense. I’ve just never been able to get into them. Maybe it’s all the infidelity cases I’ve taken. They just don’t seem very realistic.”
“Of course they’re realistic! What, you don’t believe in true love?!”
Maki gave Kaito a look, “Absolutely not.”
“Well, considering the statistics…” Shuichi started.
Kaito shook his head, “You just haven’t seen it yet! The universe is filled with so much love.”
“I think you’re just a hopeless romantic,” Maki sighed.
Kaito shot her a grin, pulling Shuichi and her in for a hug, “Well then I’ll just have to share some of that love with you two!”
“H-Hey!”
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HOUR 5
“Are you cheating, Shuichi?”
“I-I’m not!”
After the movie, it didn’t take much time to get bored again. It was pure luck that Shuichi had packed one of Kokichi’s card decks when he left for Novoselic. Either that or Kokichi had sneaked them in on purpose. Regardless, with so much time to kill, they’d come in handy.
“You’ve won every round so far, there’s no way you’re not cheating!”
Or, they would’ve. Shuichi almost regretted bringing them out, as the competition had quickly gotten heated.
“Normally I’d say it’s just because Kaito’s bad at gambling, but how the fuck haven’t I won?” Maki grumbled, “You’re doing something, aren’t you?”
“I’m not! I promise!”
It was only half a lie. During one of his hangouts with Kokichi, he’d taught him how to count cards. It was only a short lesson, but the technique stayed with Shuichi. He knew it was technically against the rules, but he really couldn’t help it! Ever since then it just came naturally to him. He was actively trying to not do it, but it was hard. So if he made some decisions based on knowledge he shouldn’t have… well was that really his fault?
“Alright, that’s it!” Kaito exclaimed, “One more round! This time, I’ll definitely win!”
“Kaito, even if he wasn’t cheating you wouldn’t win.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad at gambling.”
“You can’t even win at Uno,” Maki argued.
Kaito gaped, “Well, y-yeah! My skills are suited for the universe! I can’t waste them on something like that!”
“Sure. Whatever you say.”
“I’m telling you, this time I'll win!”
Maki sighed, “Well, it’s not like I’m backing out now. Bring it.”
“Alright! Now that’s the spirit I’m looking for!”
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HOUR 7
Kaito ran a hand down his goatee, “Never have I ever… cheated on a test.”
Maki put a finger down.
“Wait, really?” Shuichi asked, “What about the astronaut exam?”
“I didn’t cheat on the test!” Kaito insisted, “I just lied to get into the exam. Everything from that point on was the result of my own studying and dedication.”
“Huh. That’s even more impressive than I thought.”
Kaito preened at the praise, “Yeah, I would never cheat on an exam. It’s just not right.”
“Speak for yourself,” Maki muttered.
“When did you cheat, Maki?” Shuichi asked.
“Back at the orphanage. Nobody learned anything in the classes they held there. I quickly learned it wasn’t worth the effort to pay attention, especially because the teacher would turn a blind eye to all but the most obvious of cheating. It was just easier that way.”
“Ah. That’s fair.”
Kaito scratched at the back of his neck, “Yeah… can’t really fault you for that. What about you, Shuichi?”
“Hmm? Me? Oh, no I could never. I’d be too afraid about getting caught. I’d probably panic myself into turning myself in if I even tried it.”
Maki huffed a laugh, “Thank fuck Hope’s Peak just has the practical.”
Shuichi nodded, “Yeah. I used to get such bad test anxiety.”
“Shoulda just cheated.”
“But then I’d be more anxious!”
Maki shook her head, “Whose turn is it now?”
“Uh, I think it’s your turn, Shuichi!”
“Oh! Uh…” Shuichi thought for a moment, “Never have I ever… drank soda.”
Both Maki and Kaito put a finger down.
“I don’t like it,” Maki stated, “But I’ve still had it.”
“It’s alright,” Kaito said, “A cold Coke on a hot day is pretty good. Grandma sometimes mixes it into a milkshake, and then it’s really good! But other than that? Eh. I don’t really have it often.”
“I’m surprised that gremlin hasn’t forced you to try one yet.”
Shuichi gave a sheepish grin, “He’s tried to convince me once or twice. It just seems so… unhealthy.”
“Because it is,” Maki deadpanned.
“It’s worth trying at least once!” Kaito insisted, “Who knows? You might like it!”
“I guess? I don’t know. Maybe someday? Uh, I guess it’s your turn, Maki.”
Maki sighed, “Never have I ever played video games.”
Both Shuichi and Kaito put a finger down.
“Kokichi got me into it,” Shuichi admitted.
“The console at my grandparents' house is pretty old, but I played it from time to time. Still, sitting inside playing video games is no way for the Luminary of the Stars to spend his time, so I rarely touched.”
“You said that the orphanage didn’t have consoles, right Maki?” Shuichi asked.
“Yeah,” Maki answered, “I think that Ultimate Gamer from Sonia’s class is trying to get me into it. Said something about it never being too late to start gaming. I don’t know. I might take her up on that offer when we get back.”
“That’s great, Maki roll!” Kaito smiled, “She’s totally right! It’s never too late for new experiences! I hope you two have fun.”
“I said I might,” Maki corrected.
“I’m so proud of you for opening up to more people.”
“MIGHT.”
“I haven’t played any,” Shuichi said, “but something tells me you’d be good at first-person shooters.”
Maki sighed, fiddling with her hair, “Whatever. Kaito, it’s your turn again.”
“Huh? Oh, right! Uh, never have I ever…”
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HOUR 9
“We’re gonna die of boredom before we get back,” Maki muttered under her breath.
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Maki roll.”
“It’s been nine hours. We’ve got six more hours of absolute nothing to go.”
“I should have brought more books,” Shuichi said, “I didn’t think about the return trip. If I brought one or two more this wouldn’t be the issue.”
“Don’t beat yourself up for it, sidekick,” Kaito reassured, “Besides, there are plenty of ways to keep ourselves entertained!”
“We watched a movie, played cards, and played Never Have I Ever. Shuichi finished the final chapters of his book, I’ve run my music playlist dry, and you’ve been re-reading that same page of your astronomy notes for twelve minutes.”
Kaito scratched at the back of his neck with a sheepish grin, “Alright, so maybe I’m a little bored. But it’s nothing the Luminary of the Stars can’t handle!”
“There’s six more hours of this bullshit.”
Kaito cringed, “How ‘bout another game? Twenty questions! What am I thinking of?”
“Space,” Shuichi stated.
“Wha- how could you guess?!”
“You’re always thinking about space,” Shuichi explained, “There was at least a thirty percent chance it was space.”
“Alright well, that one doesn’t count! What am I thinking about now?”
“Some obscure space shuttle we don’t know the name of?”
“The Endeavor is not obscure!”
Maki turned to Shuichi, “Oh my god, you were right.”
“Maki roll! Come on, don’t you know The Endeavor?”
“I have never heard about that in my life.”
Kaito opened his mouth only to get cut off by Shuichi.
“Why don’t you tell us then?”
“Huh?”
Shuichi averted his gaze and looked out one of the plane windows, “Neither of us know anything about The Endeavor and we’ve got nothing better to do. So tell us about it. What’s so cool about that space shuttle?”
Kaito’s eyes lit up, “Really?!”
Shuichi looked at Maki, who moved to fiddle with her hair.
“Like he said. Nothing better to do. Tell us about the spaceship.”
“Alright! Ok, so its first mission was in May 1992. It went on twenty-five missions total and, get this, one of those was the first service mission to the Hubble Space Telescope! Oh! And it also had the first mission to-”
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HOUR 10
“I still can’t believe that in-flight meals can actually be good,” Kaito said, taking another bite of the meal the stewardess had handed out.
“We’re on a private jet owned by the royal family,” Maki pointed out, “Of course the food is good.”
“I know!” Kaito said through a mouthful, “But still! Airline food is never good!”
Maki just shrugged her shoulders, “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been on a regular plane.”
“Trust me, Maki roll. You’re not missing out on much.”
“You know,” Shuichi started, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I honestly think I’m gonna miss Novoselic’s food.”
“Really?!”
“It was good,” Maki agreed, “But it’s rare to hear you say that about food.”
Shuichi rushed to defend himself, “It wasn’t too greasy and all the food was relatively healthy while still tasting good!”
Maki snorted, “Relatively healthy? Their main specialties are wine and chocolate.”
Shuichi gave a sheepish smile, “Dark chocolate actually has some proven health benefits. Sonia managed to convince me to try some before we left and… it was really good. I said as much and, uh, apparently in Novoselic it is customary for guests who praise the cuisine to be gifted with as much of whatever they praised as they can carry. So… now I have a lot of chocolate in my luggage.”
“Good luck with that.”
“I don’t blame ya for liking it, bro! That stuff was amazing!” Kaito exclaimed, “I, for one, really liked the pancakes. Couldn’t really bring those with me, but I did get a bottle of wine from one of those vineyards she showed us around!”
Maki gave Kaito a glare, “Kaito we can’t drink.”
“Doesn’t mean I couldn’t bring one back! We can have it when we turn twenty!”
“Nobody’s gonna let you keep wine on campus.”
“I won’t keep it on campus, my grandparents are gonna keep it safe at home. Come on, don’t you want your first drink to be some of the best stuff around?”
Maki just rolled her eyes, “We’ll see.”
“What about you, Maki roll? Bring any food or drinks with you?”
Maki took another bite of food, clearly avoiding answering. After a moment, she finally spoke.
“…Crackers.”
“Crackers?” Shuichi asked.
Maki nodded, “They were being sold at the vineyard. I like the crunch.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’ve always been a more chewy guy myself,” Kaito said, “But I get it. And Shuichi, if you like the dishes from Novoselic so much maybe we should get Kirumi to make them! It’s always a plus to see you eat more!”
“A-Ah, you don’t have to do that,” Shuichi stuttered out, “I don’t want to give her more work than she already has.”
“I doubt she’d mind,” Maki stated, “I don’t think anyone has gotten Kirumi to successfully relax ever. I bet she’d enjoy the work.”
“…True. But I’d like it if one day she actually took a vacation. Something tells me she spent the entire break working.”
“Like us?”
“We had some downtime at the end of it all!” Kaito argued, “And besides, all things considered, it was really fun solving the case!”
Maki rolled her eyes but smiled, “If you considered getting shot at fun. Still, I get what you mean. It was nice.”
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HOUR 14
“…We’ll be landing in roughly an hour,” the soft voice of the stewardess roused Shuichi from his sleep.
“Thanks,” Kaito said in a hush, and Shuichi couldn’t help but sigh as his fingers ran through his hair.
It was Kaito’s fault, really. It had started to get rather dark and, wanting to get an unobscured view of the sky from the plane windows, Kaito had asked if they could dim the lights. The stewardess had happily agreed and soon the entire plane was blanketed in warm darkness, with just enough light to see without disturbing the view.
Shuichi had to admit, the view from the plane really was stunning. The stars seen from among the clouds were beautiful, and Shuichi and Maki spent a decent amount of time in silence, simply taking in the view as Kaito rambled about the galaxy.
And maybe it was the darkness of the room. Maybe it was the jet lag that was no doubt planning to kick in as soon as they landed. Maybe it was the fact that it was finally sinking in that Shuichi had completed one of the most important cases of his entire career and helped out an ENTIRE KINGDOM. But he started to feel a bit sleepy.
He tried to stay awake, he really did! But Kaito’s voice was so soothing. That dulcet warmth that came out every so often and never failed to get Maki and him to melt. And Kaito was sitting right next to him, that perfect mixture of soft and sturdy and soon he was easing Shuichi’s head onto his shoulder and Shuichi was weak.
Weak to the beckoning call of sleep. To the fingers that Kaito was starting to run through his hair, to the darkness of the plane, and to the embrace of Kaito’s jacket.
In his daze, he could feel Kaito shift slightly.
“You know, Maki roll,” he said in a whisper, “I have two shoulders.”
Maki scoffed, “I’m not sleepy.”
Who knows how many hours later, Shuichi opened his eyes ever so slightly and glanced around the room through half-lidded eyes. And there Maki rested, conked out cold on Kaito’s other shoulder, chest slowly rising and falling with her breath. She looked so relaxed, so peaceful as her arms fell slack into her lap. Shuichi couldn’t help but smile at the image and let his eyes fall closed again as he snuggled into Kaito’s side.
He felt Kaito huff a laugh, running his hand down Shuichi’s arm before repositioning it back in Shuichi’s hair.
“Yeah, you rest up bro,” he whispered, “You deserve it.”
If what the stewardess said was true, he’d have to wake up in an hour. Hobble off the plane into the night, grab his luggage, and make his way back to his dorm where he could only pray it was still night and not morning. Where he’d rush to take a shower to get rid of that icky feeling that always comes from traveling long distances, slip into whatever he could pull from his suitcase first, and either conk out for ten hours or lay wide awake for five.
He’d have to wake up in an hour. Re-greet the world and get back into the swing of school and daily life. But that was all in an hour.
In the plane, blanketed by the night (both the real one and the one imprinted into Kaito’s jacket), Shuichi was free to sleep. To fall into slumber alongside Maki and dream of their next adventure. Of solving mysteries and racing across the stars with them both. Of laughing, crying, and living with the two best friends Shuichi could ever ask for.
Shuichi felt Kaito yawn, back pressing into the cushioned seat as it reclined ever so slightly.
“Might as well… get some shut-eye too.”
Shuichi was too close to sleep to say anything, so he just pressed himself closer to Kaito’s side, relishing the feeling of Kaito’s quiet, breathy laugh.
“Yeah,” he said as if replying to Shuichi’s movement, “Good night to you too.”