Irhaboggle Pride (2023) I Saw the Signs and Symbols

Pi

"Would you three like dinner, a bath, or perhaps... Me?" Kaito grinned wolfishly as he held the door open for three of his five partners.

While Shuichi blushed, Kyoko and Maki looked at him with matching deadpan expressions. "Dinner. Preferably from Makoto or Kaede."

"Ouch!" Kaito put a hand over his heart.

"Oh, grow up!" Maki shouldered past him. Kyoko closed her eyes and smirked, saying nothing as she followed Maki in.

"Can you believe these guys?" Kaito scoffed, looking at Shuichi as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, but they were both smiling.

"You should've seen them at work today!" Shuichi chuckled. They sure could be scary when they wanted to be... but in a good way!

"Kaito? Are you harassing my boyfriend?" Kaede called out when only Maki and Kyoko came into the kitchen.

"Hey, on Tuesday, he's my boyfriend!" Kaito poked his puffed out chest with a thumb, grinning proudly. "On Wednesday, he wears pink!"

Shuichi was red as Kaito bantered with Kaede. Loudly. On the porch. The poor detective could only pull the bill of his black cap over his eyes as he also pushed his way past the laughing Kaito. Dinner was slightly more peaceful. Kaede opened the meal by sharing her day at work. She was recently hired by the same daycare that Maki worked for, filling in for Maki when she couldn't be there, and providing music lessons to the kids.

"Sometimes, they sure can be a handful," Kaede admitted with a chuckle. "But it is the most rewarding thing in the world when they finally find the type of music that they like. Something about them just... comes alive and you really have to be there to see it!" Her eyes were practically stars, but beside her, Maki only snorted and shook her head as she scowled at the table.

"You should've negotiated better pay," she muttered under her breath. "You're doing double duty as my replacement and a piano teacher."

"Nonsense! I was just happy to help you!" Kaede patted Maki's hand. I never expected it to become a paid position at all, so I'm really happy!

"She's right, Maki," Makoto said, smiling at the scowling woman. "You definitely deserve whatever help you want!" He was not one to compare them to each other, but anyone who knew Maki well knew that she worked double duty too, and her shifts were far higher-stakes than Kaede's.

That was Kyoko and Shuichi's cue to talk about their day. Their detective agency recently received intel about an abandoned nuclear power plan not too far from Tokyo. The private company, SpaceV3, was contracted to cleanse the plant of radioactive material, but intel suggested secret arms manufacturing instead. Kyoko and Shuichi were sent on an infiltration mission with Maki as their katana-wielding bodyguard.

"See, Maki? You were keeping them safe for us." Makoto and Kaede turned fond eyes on Kyoko and Shuichi, but Maki only shrugged. She was past the point even of refuting their compliments anymore. They always worried about her, even though she always told them not to.

"That's definitely true," Kaito interjected. "Our Maki-roll's a real hero for that!" Maki glared at him. "So we gotta up our game and trust her more! I know worry's only natural, but she's got it covered!" He grinned, winked, and gave her a thumbs up. "And if you ever don't, that's what all of us are for!" He continued, gesturing to the rest of the circle. His words were cheerful, and his tone was boisterous, but his message was much deeper than that. We'll try not to worry about you, Maki-roll, just promise you'll come to us if it DOES ever become too much to handle alone.

"I may not have the kind of amazing talents that you all have, but I pledge that I will always make sure you have a sanctuary here!" Makoto agreed, resting a hand on his heart. He was the domestic, stay-at-home, househusband of the family, and although it was the role he was happiest in, he could not deny a feeling of inferiority that while the others were out saving the world, he was at home cooking and cleaning. But that was why he took his oath to make the house a home so seriously. It was the least he could do for his beloved boyfriends and girlfriends.

Maki continued to glare holes into the tablecloth while Kaito chuckled. Kyoko, meanwhile, was glaring chidingly at Makoto, but she knew that she didn't need to speak. Kaede would handle it for her perfectly well...

"Now, Makoto!" Her tone was scolding, and Makoto flinched, chuckling sheepishly as he scratched his face and looked away awkwardly.

"Right. No knocking my talent." They were still knocking that one into him. The playful yet warning look in Kaede's eyes said more than enough.

But it's not just for his sake! She thought. I don't have a particularly powerful talent either, but that doesn't make me any less than the rest of them!

It was easy to start ranking talents from useless to powerful, but in Kaede's eyes, it was how one used the talent, not the talent itself. The wielder, not the weapon. And talent aside, Makoto was a human, and a kind one at that. That was more than enough. Kaede—and she knew the others were the same—was more than happy with a sweet and dedicated househusband, regardless of talent, and she made sure he knew it.

"It's just as lovely having such hardworking other partners to protect us!" Kaede continued, smiling at the others. In fact, even though she hadn't known the specifics of Shuichi, Kyoko, and Maki's work when she took Maki's shift at the daycare, she knew it had to have been serious if all three of them were going. She and Makoto decided to do something special for them and Kaito once they got home.

Kaito may not have worked with the others, but he was busy too, holding a job at a local branch of a governmental space program. They even helped catch satellite imagery tipping the detective agency off to SpaceV3's potential foul play, and Kaito was more than happy for a chance to one-up the privatized space corporation, even if he wasn't on the frontlines like Shuichi, Kyoko, and Maki.

As for Kaede, and Makoto, "We made you a pie!" The duo brought out a large pan, beaming. The symbol for pi was carved into the top.

"And that's because of, and for,... all of us!" Kaede laughed. It was a reference to their polyamorous relationship, as the pi symbol was on the poly flag. And, since pies were sweet, it was her and Makoto's way of telling the others that they were sweet. Cliché? Very. Appreciated? Also very.

It was also something of a stealth-pun for their polycule, as all of them used math quite often, even the ones others might not have expected. Kaito, of course, used astrophysics. And there was a lot of physics involved in forensics and bodyguarding. But even Makoto could use math in the logistics of running a household of six. Kaede, of course, could teach basic math to the kids at daycare, and that was to say nothing of the inherent, mathematical nature of music. The six were united by pi and pie in multiple ways, all the more fitting for a polycule.

"Sap." Maki scoffed, but she gave the pie a small smile.

"Thank you, Kaede," Kyoko nodded, smiling gently as well.

Kaito clenched his hands into fists as his eyes lit up like stars. "Wow, guys! That's amazing! Looks great!"

Shuichi was so overwhelmed by the gesture that all he could do was smile at the pie, and then at Kaede and Makoto, hand on his heart.

When they went to bed a couple hours later, the goodnight kisses exchanged between the six were sweeter than ever.

AN: Requested by one of my best friends, Net Neutrality, we have a Danganronpa polycule for all the polyamorous/polysexual/etc readers out there and the symbol is the pi sign as is used on the poly flag (plus math because Net loves math :P).