Chapter Text
" STOP RIGHT THERE, PHANTOM THIEF – LEADER OF DICE ! "
Shuichi Saihara – A Junior detective shouted. This was his second ever case, and he had caught the phantom thief's next move so quickly.
Some in his agency called him a genius, whereas, others were jealous of him due to the fact he solves his cases exceptionally well. Shuichi's first case had given him a spot in his uncle's detective agency. That spot had made him the youngest detective – being 19 years old, and also the youngest to ever solve a large case. This is why his uncle saw massive potential in his nephew.
Shuichi had always loved detective work as a child, and instantly regretted ever joining the career field. He had to work to get his muscles a little bigger to aid in his work, as well as build up his stamina. He did not enjoy the process, but he does like the fact that he isn't as skinny as he used to be in his highschool days. He also has haemophobia, which is a hindrance to his crime cases. He tends to avoid those as much as possible unless he's the only one available, or if he's assigned to it. Was it mentioned that he also has a fear of heights?
" Nishishi~ No way bozo! You have to catch me, not tell me to stop! Haven't you heard of the game ' Tag '? ". The words spoken from the villain snapped him out of his mini thought process. It's a bad habit, and he sometimes zones out fully because of this.
" What does tag have to do with- Wait, stop distracting me villain! " He called out. " Cringeeee, why're you calling me a villain like you're some comic book superhero?! " The phantom thief pointed at Shuichi, running backwards. Their cape flapping, from the wind.
Shuichi went red and cleared his throat, lowering the brim of his hat. It's true, he did subconsciously use comic-like words when he's in an exciting chase. That slip up embarrassed him, and he deems it as non-professionality. He works to try not to use such vocabulary during his work time but he can't fully get rid of it in the end.
The phantom thief entered a hotel building, pushing people away. Shuichi pushed past the gasps of many and hurried up the stairs, following the other. One, two, three, …twenty five flights of stairs finally allowed the two to reach the roof. The thief was cornered and Shuichi stood there panting. " I've…. Got you…. Now.. " He spoke, taking a step. The villain held the stolen gem in his hand and hovered it over the edge.
" Take one more, and say bye bye to this precious thing~ "
Shuichi immediately froze in place. " Y…You wouldn't. " He heard a chuckle through the clown mask. " Yes. I would. ``A finger left the contact of the gem, Shuichi held his place. " N-NO WAIT- " He spoke, backing up. " I heed.. I- I heed. " Shuichi couldn't see the other's face, but he could tell they were amused.
They suddenly pocketed the gem and came closer and closer, hands behind their back. Shuichi didn't know what was happening, and instinctively stepped backwards. " Wh-What are you doing? " His voice cracked at the worst time. He heard the faintest chuckle from the masked one.
" So tense~ is this your first time, detective~? " The way he said it, made Shuichi's mind go to places he shouldn't have- NO, he must focus, he's not a hormonal teenager anymore. " Well, it certainly is my first chase. " He gulped, they were too close for comfort.
" Hm. Well they picked the wrong guy for it. " Before Shuichi could do anything, or say anything for that matter, the phantom thief flapped their cape which made a few balls fall down. He noticed they were in the shape of BOMBS?!
He stepped back and noticed they exploded to form smoke. It was a distraction! The thief was on a helicopter now with his clown goons driving it. " Well, it was fun while it lasted- I'm bored now. Next time, find someone worthy of my time!! " Shuichi flinched and stomped downstairs. He was cursing himself for being too naive. Too soft. But he noticed, something poked at his thigh inside his pocket.
He stuck his hand in and voila, the gem was what he found! " Why would they… " He gave a confused grumble and walked outside, seeing the police team questioning witnesses. He saw the chief of police and walked over. " Sir, I've recovered the gem, although I let them get away.. " Shuichi gave a pained look. The chief placed a hand on his shoulder.
" We can't catch everyone, good thing is that you got back the gem! "
Shuichi bit his lip, he would've lost it by now but the thief had somehow snuck it back into his pocket, reasons unknown.
" ….I'll catch him next time, sir. You have my word. " The chief chuckled, " Not, next time, one day. That's a much better word to use if the future is unpredictable. " Shuichi bit his lip harder and nodded, averting his gaze.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shuichi came to his apartment door and searched for the key. He gave out an annoyed groan, he left it back at the office. He looked under the mat for the spare key, finding none. " Could this day get any worse… " He told himself, sliding down the wall, holding his head in his hands. He heard footsteps approaching, and looked up to see who it might be. Behold, it was his roommate – Kokichi Ouma. He was carrying grocery bags and looked at the dead faced, dark eyebagged Shuichi Saihara.
" Damn. You look like a mess. "
Was what the purplette could only say, sliding in the key to the apartment door's keyhole, leaving the door open for Shuichi. " Come on, I don't have all day. " Kokichi looked pissed, but that was just him everyday. " Erm, okay- thanks… I guess? " He entered the room and Kokichi locked it after, said " Don't get used to it. " and disappeared into the kitchen. He was surprised at the sudden kindness(?) his roommate expressed.
The two were roommates for like 2 months already, and never spoke a word to each other after the first time.
It was Shuichi's first time at his new apartment. He had finished high school and now a newbie at his uncle's agency. He was very optimistic about everything, and that all changed when he met his roommate. He waited and waited for his roommate while being in the living room. Then, they finally came in, looking annoyed and tired.
" Hi! My name is Saihara Shuichi! " He extended a hand to his newly found roommate…. To which he ignored and walked past him. Shuichi awkwardly stuffed his hands back in his pockets. " Um- I'm… going to be your roommate from now on! Isn't… that exciting? " He asked, cheerful. " No. " was what the other could only say, taking a panta bottle from the fridge and chugging it down.
" Oh… Well, we certainly won't know unless- " Shuichi was beginning to crawl back into his own shell. He tried his best to make a great first impression on his roommate, but it seemed it wasn't going well.
They noticed it and rolled their eyes. " Ouma Kokichi. " He only said and left for his room, slamming the door shut. Shuichi blinked, " Ouma… " He thought, covering his mouth, deep in thought. Kokichi barely spoke to him since, either out or in his room.
Today was only slightly different. Kokichi was trying to cook something for once. Like, for the two of them instead of himself. " …Why the change of heart?” Shuichi asked, noticing Kokichi clench the handle of the skewer. " Because….. " He turned and gave the most scary smile. " Bitchruma 'accidentally' bought more than needed, then proceeded to fucking scream at me for not giving her instructions and to not ask her again to do these chores. "
He had never seen Kokichi be any more annoyed.
Kokichi gave another smile, very scary. " And now. We are here, with me cooking food for you so you should be grateful. '' Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck. " …Should I help out? '' Shuichi asked, with a small smile. He thought he would finally get to know his roomma- " No, the last thing I want is for your boringness to seep into my food. " Nevermind, it's going to take a while to warm up to the other.
Shuichi sat down at the dining table to appear a little polite at least, and began writing his notes. " Purple hair… It is quite strange why both my roommate and this thief have the same hair colour.. " He puffed a cheek out, " Well, everyone is a suspect in this case, even my own roommate. Maybe at our next meeting- I can get a hair sample. " He mumbled non-stop to himself. Kokichi came through the kitchen entrance and set down two plates, and spoons. He looked at Shuichi with a confused look. " Hey, your mouth's gonna fall off " Shuichi stopped and covered his lips `` Hm?! ". He didn't even know why he did that, but it did amuse Kokichi a lot, that he smirked. " Nee-hee~ It's a lie~ so stupid- " He stated and went back into the kitchen to check on the food.
" …Jeez, Why did I even get a roommate like him.." Shuichi thought with a frown and lay down on the table. " I need a hair strand. " He told himself, and interlocked his fingers. He continued to scribble in his mini notebook as Kokichi came back with a bowl of gravy and another one with cooked white rice. It smelt amazing, which surprised Shuichi.
" Ouma-kun, did you learn to cook when you were younger or in highschool? " he asked, curious. He placed some onto his plate. " ….Why're you acting all buddy buddy with me now? Just eat the food. " Shuichi sighed, of course- it wouldn't be that easy to befriend his loner roommate. He thanked for the food, and scooped up some rice mixed with the gravy and placed it in his mouth.
" …Is the poison tasted? Planning to give this to Bitchruma when she comes back from work tomorrow~ " Kokichi smiled, Shuichi choked on his food. " WHAT?! " Kokichi made a sly grin. A sign of a quiet - ‘ it’s a lie! ‘ Or, ‘ just kidding~! ‘
" Don't… Don't joke about things like that- you almost killed me- " He coughed, and drank some water. " Aww, poor little Saihara can't take a joke~ It's alright, if you did die then I would have no roommate to worry about~ ". Kokichi did mumble about something after but it was inaudible. Shuichi didn't question it, he really didn't like his roommate right now. " Why didn't you tell the tenant you didn't need a roommate then? Since you seem so repulsed by having one? " Shuichi asked, he must say- this is a lot he heard Kokichi speak.
" Ugh, I tried to- apparently all other rooms were occupied and mine was the last one that needed a roommate- isn't that annoying? And I got stuck with mister workaholic out of all people~ " He rocked back and forth once looking to the side. " What- What do you mean workaholic?? " Shuichi flushed red, had he been working so obsessively that he himself didn't recognize it?
" You know how many nights I have to endure with the sound of your pacing and the hell-sounding scribbling?? I feel like I'm going to rip my hair out- ". Shuichi bit his lip and looked to his side. " Well, you could've come to my room to tell me- " the only answer back was a scoff. " Puh-lease- as if I want to get up from the comfort of my bed and go up to your room, and tell you ' Hey! Could you please shut the fuck up? Tryna sleep here! ' and go back to bed, knowing your workaholic ass would probably forget I said that and continue your goddamn habits. So no, I'll pass and instead wait for you to sleep then go myself. " He smiled, with closed eyes.
Was that why he always saw Kokichi sleep deprived every morning? Shuichi could feel the frustration, and decided not to make any further comments. " S-Sorry I'll um… keep it quieter- " He said and continued eating until the plate was empty.
He noticed Kokichi stared at him the entire time, not eating yet. He drank water and looked at Kokichi. " Something…. The matter? You've been staring for a while now… " Kokichi blinked at the question and looked to his side, " Have I? Strange- I don't remember doing that at all. " and then began eating his food. Shuichi was, for the most part, confused- it was such an obvious lie; but decided to not reply.
Something he noticed in his roommate while living with him for two months, is that he’s a compulsive liar.
He got up and washed his plate and glass, and went to his room to work on the phantom thief case, before Kokichi went to sleep.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kokichi had their chin on his palm, watching his roommate go into their room, and close the door. Once that happened, Kokichi's mask fell off and his face became red. " That was close… any more time with that emo and I might've burst. "
Kokichi had the habit of lying quite a lot, to protect himself from others. That included keeping his feelings in check. He doesn't know how else to do that other than act like the bitch-iest person around.
Kokichi, infact, had a small(?) Crush on Saihara. Of course, he would never admit that. He just tries to let it subside by ignoring it, which proves unhelpful as this so-called ' small crush ' keeps getting bigger.
Kokichi also hates the fact that his roommate is none other than the detective assigned to find out his identity!
If you hadn't already guessed, Kokichi is the phantom thief who steals valuable items, for reasons unknown at the moment. He wouldn't tell a soul, but he uses the money that's obtained by selling such valuable items, to give to orphanages and other charities.
If Shuichi found him out, he wouldn't be able to hide anymore. They are also so sure that Shuichi might find out very quickly if he had done nothing to his evidence. He usually tears up everything and blames it on his cat - Mafu, or hides it somewhere and acts like he doesn't know a thing about it.
He's so sure that Shuichi caught him in multiple lies already, which is proving to be harder to make by the second with him around.
Earlier tonight, before Shuichi had come back home. Kokichi was running from Shuichi, in his usual phantom thief getup. He had stolen a gem, worth thousands from a local jewellery store. Shuichi had somehow already found out his location and began chasing him on his own with no backup.
Kokichi liked the chase, and decided to see how much the detective could withstand. They barged through the door to a tall hotel building and began their journey up multiple flights of stairs. Then stopped at the very edge of the building. His group weren't here yet, so he needed to stall for some more time.
" I've…. Got you now… " He turned to see an out of breath Saihara. He'll make a bluff, that usually works. He took out the gem and hovered it over the edge. " Take one more, and say bye bye to this precious thing~ "
He sounded very confident to make his bluff more convincing. He saw the other falter, and freeze in place. " Y….You wouldn't . " He heard him say. How cute. " Yes. I would . " He made a finger come off the gem.
N-NO WAIT- " The detective spoke, backing up. " I heed.. I- I heed. " Kokichi smirked through his mask. He was very pleased with the reaction he'd gotten out of the other.
" Would teasing be considered buying time? Might as well have some fun~ " He giggled to himself thinking about that. They pocketed the gem and came closer and closer to Shuichi, hands behind their back. Shuichi in their eyes looked extremely flustered. They noticed them step backwards. " Wh-What are you doing? " Shuichi's voice cracked, Kokichi held back a laugh, but to no avail. They let out the faintest chuckle.
" So tense~ is this your first time, detective~? " He flirted, wanting to get more of an interesting reaction from the other. It seemed to work, from the fact that Shuichi's face reddened a lot more. " Well, it certainly is my first chase. " His heart was fluttering way too much from the other.
He heard a whistle, it was time for him to go. He needed to make a quick run away. He looked at Shuichi, biting the inside of his cheek. " Hah. Fine I'll let him take the gem, maybe he'll want to come find me again. " Kokichi thought and came closer, to the point where their lips were right next to Shuichi's ear.
" Hm. Well they picked the wrong guy for it. " He whispered, then flapped their cape which made a few balls fall down, which were smoke bombs that posed as real ones. Shuichi seemed to step back out of fear. The smoke bombs activated, and he ran off and jumped for his crew to catch him.
He flew away on the 'copter, his crew laughing and giving each other high fives. They all looked at Kokichi who seemed to be peering out the helicopter. " Make sure to return this back to the cops, they might have a tracker on this. " Kokichi referred to the helicopter.
" Why of course~ We aren't stupid K.O~ " A harlequin blonde woman spoke up, giggling with her hands behind her back. Kokichi gave a small laugh as a reply. " I sorta gave the cute detective back the gem I stole by the way~ woops. " They all laughed, " He piqued your interest I suppose? " A taller, wider one answered with a grin. " …Piqued my interest? I wonder oh wonder. It's nothing like that- I just want my roommate to feel more comfortable at his first day on the job~ "
The harlequin blonde tilted her head, " Ohhhh~ And they were roommates~ " She giggled which made Kokichi pounce at her, pulling her cheeks. " None of those fanfiction words ya hear me? " Kokichi pouted, making a dramatic statement, while the harlequin sobbed dramatically. Infact, they all had a great time. As they always did.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Kokichi puffed out his lips, bored. “ Man. When will that madman go to sleep.. “ He thought, hearing the other pacing in their room as always. Kokichi groaned and stood up from his bed. Mafu meowed from the bed and climbed up his shoulder. Kokichi went over to Shuichi’s room and knocked on the door.
He heard a small crash and fumbling, then a few thumps, until the door opened. “ S-SORRY- I forgot! I’ll keep it quieter- “ Shuichi rubbed the back of his neck, the back of his free hand seemed to have a bruise. Kokichi cocked his head to the side. He came inside Shuichi’s room uninvited.
“Ah?! Ouma kun! “ Shuichi turned bright red, never expecting the other to suddenly come inside his room.
“ Wow. You’re crazy. “ The room looked very… comic book detective, as one might say.
There was a bulletin board with a red thread connecting different pictures and newspaper reports. He needs to somehow get rid of all that without Shuichi finding him out, since that was all about the ‘ phantom thief ‘. There was a table with a picture of a younger Shuichi and an older, kind-faced man. There were also various paintings of flowers and birds.
“ I never expected you to come- s-so- “ Shuichi was very embarrassed. Kokichi only thought about how cute he looked like that. “ Nishishi~! Always be ready for anything Saihara-Chan. Anyways, who’s that? They look hot- “ He pointed at the phantom thief picture, which was him with a tophat and a clown mask.
“ …I assume you don’t follow the news- That’s the phantom thief who’s been stealing a lot of valuables such as gemstones and necklaces from jewellery stores and- “ Kokichi made a fake snoring sound, which made shuichi’s cheeks heat up.
Kokichi whined “ Boring, I know who it is, I just lied- Like- who doesn’t know? “ He shrugged, and Shuichi felt upset at himself for not catching the lie. Kokichi saw the small frown and flinched, “ Oooooh! Who’s that with Saihara-Chan?! “ Kokichi immediately averted the attention. Shuichi perked up and looked at the picture.
He seemed to give a reminiscing smile. Kokichi’s heart fluttered at that. “ That’s…. My uncle- He’s a lot busier now but he’s always really fun to be with- I think… You’ll enjoy him. “ Shuichi smiled brighter. Kokichi couldn’t contain the redness in his cheeks. “ ….Ah right- Welp! I don’t like people anyways so I would probably never see him anyways I gotta go sleep now, Keep down the noise ya hear?! “ and before Shuichi even gave an answer, he ran out, slamming the door shut.
He breathed heavily with flushed cheeks. “ One of these days…. I swear…. “ and stumbled back to his room. He sank into his bed until eventually, the drowsiness hit him and he fell fast asleep.
–
Shuichi looked at the door and laughed awkwardly, “ I must’ve made him uncomfortable- I guess… since he’s talking to me more- it’s progress? “ He shrugged to himself and looked at the picture of the phantom thief. “ …One day. I will uncover who you really are. Mark my words. “ He turned a serious glare.
“ And I… will bring the world justice. By getting rid of evil like you- “ He didn’t hesitate at all.