Chapter Text
"Ok, I know how it sounds but I swear it I'm not delusional!" Kaito protested, the loud sound of his fists slamming on the table causing the atmosphere of their local cafe to shift briefly, eyes all turning at their heads to the source of the interruptions, only to return to its typical jovial vibes.
"We're not calling you crazy Kaito, it's just-" Shuichi began once he recovered from he flinching to the thump of the table shaking.
"Don't speak for the two of us, I definitely think he's crazy," Maki spoke, cool and composed voice with a touch of a scoff just as usual.
Ignoring both Maki's statement and the rebuttal coming from the man sitting across from him, Shuichi continued, "I'm just saying I know you've been stressed over college work and moving out from your grandparents, not to mention it was pretty late right? I want to believe you, but I just don't think I could say with 100% certainty that what you saw was really genuine, especially since all physical evidence supposedly disappeared once you came back for it."
Kaito stares blankly at the other for a few seconds, before Maki sighed, removing her hands from where they had previously been playing with her hair to brush through her bangs, hand resting on her forehead even after. "He's saying that we can't be sure since the scarf you 'supposedly saw' mysteriously disappeared after you ran after the little shit."
"Hey! I knew that already, I was just trying to put my thoughts together!" He protested once more, this time without physical assertion as he averted his gaze and added on, "Plus, he's really not that bad Harumaki, you just never got used to him!"
"..."
"Ok fine, he definitely was a little shit, but he was a bit more tolerable once you got to know him!"
"God I forgot your little highschool obsession with him…" Maki grumbled, leaning backward into her seat and groaning.
"Ah I think 'obsession' is a bit of an over statement-"
"Ha! Take that Harumaki I knew Shuichi was on my side!"
"But Kaito certainly took a certain interest in him before we graduated," Shuichi spoke, frustration now somewhat apparent in his speech after being cut off for the second time within this brief exchange.
"Plus, pretty sure he moved away or something," Maki sat back up straight, clearing her throat a bit and brushing off her skirt in clear embarrassment to her childish reactions in a public place no less as she tried to return to a more objective, calm tone. "He hasn't been spotted once by anyone in our class right after graduation."
"I guess you're right…" Kaito sighed, leaning his face forwards onto his elbows as he played briefly with the hair falling across his face, "But… I don't want to risk it! From what I saw he could be in danger, and there's no way I can let that happen!"
He stood up from the booth they were sat at, as to drive his point even further.
"There's really no stopping you huh?" Maki spoke, though the smile on her face didn't quite match helr harsh words, "I forgot how stubborn you could be about his stuff…"
They both laughed at that, Kaito giving his two friends pats on the back before heading out.
"Uhh Kaito? Sorry to interrupt your 'big moment' and all but you should really pay at least before leaving…"
"Right, sorry about that Shuichi." He scratched at his neck, laughing slightly as he sat back down to dig through his pockets for enough cash to pay for his own meal.
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It had been a week since he had seen Kokichi in that alley. With his food properly paid for and farewells properly bid to Shuchi and Maki he was left with the sinking reality that he had no clue how to find him again.
Had he even seen him to begin with? He had been so confident with it but honestly even he had his own doubts on the matter, the likes of which being only amplified by his friend's own beliefs.
No! What was he even talking about! Of course he wasn't seeing things, and even if he was , why would he be seeing Kokichi Ouma of all people??
Ok, so he might admit that he'd had the slightest crush on the boy back in highschool, but things were different now! It'd been years and he was totally over it, thoughts of those mysterious eyes that seemed to hold the galaxie themself, or the bright laughs; not the fake horse-like one nor the maniacal laughter (on which he would much rather forget) but the light giggles he would have while doing puzzles with him or while spending time with people he genuinely cared about- ahem as he was saying they hadn't been present in years.
Yeah ok, maybe there were a few stray thoughts here and there, but for the most part the little liar had been completely off his mind since he had started college.
But that didn't matter now, cause whether he liked it or not, he would be forced to think of said man again. Cause if what he saw was true, his highschool crush had gotten himself involved in some much darker activity.
Finishing up his little monologue with himself, (something in which definitely caused some stir in the pedestrians as they saw this random college student standing still in front of a coffee shop saying nothing yet making plenty of gestures with his own hands and facial expressions) Kaito began to head to the first place he could think of. The very alley way in which it had all began.
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The back alley somehow managed to carry its same anomnous feeling ay noon as it did at whatever o'clock in the night it had been his last time here. Perhaps it was the fact that the tightly packed space between the buildings seemed to block out the sunlight, leaving it with the same dark lighting. Or perhaps it was the fact that he had been living in a apartment building right next to it for the upwards of a year yet he had never once noticed its existence. But it was probably the simply knowledge as to what he had seen go on in there.
He had seen the blade within the assault's hands, how he had the other completely pinned down... there had been a clear violent intent. A shiver went down his spine at the thought as to what could have happened had he not intervened. Maybe he should bring the cops into this... he hadn't gotten a good look into the guy but surely this would count as armed assault?
His mind went back again to the scarf, his eyes scowering the ground for any sight if it; in which none was acquired. A part of him wished to believe it had been a stray cat or maybe a bird that had snatched the fabric while he had chased after Kokichi. But he strongly doubted it. This wasn't really an area with either of those animals, especially ones that would be around that late at night.
Though he had once thought the same thing of this area's crime rate, an well, everything that had gone on here but a week ago kind of proved that wrong.
He sighed, it didn't appear like going here would reveal anything else in his little investigation.
He should probably return to his apartment? There was such a disappointing feel at the idea that there really hadn't been anything here that would connect him to Kokichi. Maybe he was just being optimistic but he had really hoped that coming back here would just, make everything click into place and lead him straight to the other's path.
Whatever, he had really weird vibes about this alleyway anyway, kinda unsettling feeling completely unrelated as to what had previously gone on - that weird feeling as if there was someone peering just po ver you shoulder, about to-
Kaito felt the sharp pain in his head before the breaths of the person behind him, before the thumbling of their footsteps and of his own body falling backwards as everything faded to black.