Archive of Our Own ^beta

“I’m leaving everything up to you, Shuichi. Goodbye.”

“KAEDE!!”

Who’s the mastermind? There had to be something we were missing. You have to figure this out. You have to.

“It’ll be better if they unite against me rather than have things a free-for-all against each other…” he muttered, tapping the dry erase marker to his bottom lip as he stared at the remaining portraits grouped up together.

“Ughh…” he groaned in pain, putting a hand to his scorching forehead in a futile attempt to ease the throbbing in his skull. “Good god, this hurts…” he muttered to himself—a habit one picks up after having no one to voice any opinions to.

Assuming he just needed to wake up a bit to feel better, Kokichi got up, changed into a fresh uniform, and helped himself to some Panta from the mini-fridge he stole from the warehouse. After taking a large swig of the carbonated beverage Kokichi went back over to his whiteboard, flipping it over to its other side without his classmates’ portraits, beginning to write again.

He continued with his writing for a couple of hours, writing, erasing, and thinking so hard his head spun. The pain didn’t go away, in fact, it only increased. Dizzy, he sat back down on his bed with a groan.

“Damn it… not a good time for this,” he complained, though half of his mind was struck with fear. Sickness is a killing game? Such a thing made him vulnerable, and he couldn’t have that if he wanted his self-antagonizing plan to succeed.

Tenacious as ever, Kokichi shuffled out of his dorm and to the kitchen. Kirumi entered to start preparing lunch for everyone and assisted him in finding the medication. This was both convenient and inconvenient, seeing as he’d rather not have anyone see him in his current state, and putting on a show like usual was harder than ever.

“Kokichi?” she’d asked. ‘Would you like assistance?”

Kokichi jumped and sighed to himself before he spun around from the cabinet, plastering a large grin on his face. “No, Mom, I would not appreciate your assistance! As a Supreme Leader, I am perfectly capable of fulfilling my own needs!” And with that, he spun back around, allowing his smile to drop with relief.

Kirumi gracefully walked over to the cabinet beside him. “What is it you are looking for?”

Giving up, Kokichi honestly replied, “Medicine. Got a headache.”

Kirumi gave a curt nod and rifled through the cabinet for a moment before her hand reappeared, with a bottle of pills. She looked the container over with slight confusion in her eyes. "It would seem Monokuma labeled these remedies himself. This one reads ‘Headache’.”

Kokichi snatched the bottle from her. “Yoink! I’ll be taking that! Thanks, Mom!” And with that, he dashed off back to his dorm as fast as his weak legs could carry him. It had sounded like Kirumi made a comment about how she wasn’t his mother, but he didn’t know for sure. Once back in his room Kokichi slammed the door closed and sat against it, holding the bottle of medication in his hand. He observed it for a short while. Kirumi hadn’t lied; the bottle was entirely blank except for a stuck-on label that read “HEADACHE” in large, messy handwriting, along with a small doodle of Monokuma.

What a piss poor artist. Even I could do better, Kokichi criticized, then glanced at the doodle he’d done of himself on the bottom of the whiteboard. Yeah, he could do much better.

But with the lack of proper title on the bottle came the lack of dosage amounts. Kokichi had no clue how many pills to take; he hadn't been sick in so long, and when he was, he didn't remember exactly how many pills he was supposed to take.

Throwing caution to the wind, Kokichi took 3 pills. He figured that should've been alright. He dragged himself over to the whiteboard and started forcing himself to think again. He didn't write much, he kept spacing out to the point where he almost forgot to keep himself balanced, and what he did write was in near unreadable handwriting. After about 30 minutes of that, Kokichi began feeling nauseous. He sat on his bed and gave himself 4 pills, willing to do anything to make the horrible pain he felt go away. His mind felt full of cotton, his body felt like a hot, heavy bag of mush. He wanted to just collapse into a heap of misery and die.

After 5 minutes of waiting—it would've been shorter had he not spaced out for so long—he became frustrated with how little the pills were taking effect. Maybe they were weak and he needed to take a lot more than he had been?

Kokichi took 11 pills. He wasn't even thinking. He just opened the bottle, dumped pills into his palm and started taking them.

Maybe the Panta's wearing the effect off… he figured, so he took all 11 of them straight.

It didn't take long for him to get dizzy. He felt confused and betrayed because he didn't understand why the pills weren't helping. Monokuma wouldn't have poisoned them, that would be too easy.

Then again, Monokuma was an unpredictable bastard.

Nauseous, dizzy, and overall as miserable as he'd ever been, Kokichi laid back against the headboard of his bed and closed his eyes. He knew he shouldn't have been resting, he had important things to do, but he just felt so bad, and his work would turn out as horrible as he felt. Besides, he wasn't going to take a nap or anything! He was just going to close his eyes and… let the dizziness subside.

Kokichi barely heard the knocking and opening of his door before his world went dark.

°•×•°

Shuichi sat worriedly picking at his lunch. Kaito was chatting with Maki next to him, and everyone seemed to be trying to keep the conversations light after the horrifying events of the previous day. Shuichi couldn't get the horrible distortion of Der Fohwalzer out of his mind. He tried to focus on other things, but that just led his thoughts to another worrying topic:

Kokichi hadn't been seen since the trial yesterday.

Of course, when Shuichi shyly brought up the topic, everyone seemed glad that he wasn't around. Only he, Kaito, and Gonta seemed concerned for the small leader's whereabouts. Shuichi looked over at Kaito, who was still having a one-sided conversation with an exceedingly annoyed-looking Maki.

"Kaito..?" he called quietly. The astronaut looked over at him.

"What's up, sidekick?" he said cheerfully. Shuichi wondered how he was pulling that front off right then. He looked at his food and picked at it again.

"Just, u-uhm… Kokichi hasn't shown up at all today and…" he trailed off, giving up on trying to interact with anyone at all.

Luckily or unluckily—Shuichi couldn't decide which—Kaito gave a look of understanding. "I get it! You're worried about 'im, huh?" he said boldly like he'd cracked a case after a long day of working on it. Shuichi blushed slightly and sighed.

"Yeah… Yeah, I guess so…" he admitted. Kaito shot up, announced that they were finished, and dragged Shuichi out of the Ultimate Academy and to the dorm building. Shuichi suspected Kaito had been wanting to check on him, too.

Once there, they got up the stairs and knocked on Kokichi's door. "Hey, Kokichi! You comin' to lunch or what?!" Kaito shouted. He earned no response. Shuichi's stomach flipped and he began to feel sick.

Please be okay, please, please…

"'Ey! Kokichi!" Kaito shouted louder. He scoffed and forcefully turned the handle… only to discover that it wasn't locked. Worry now struck on both his and Shuichi's faces, he threw open the door, met with the sickening sight of Kokichi, paled and unconscious against the headboard of his bed.

Shuichi screamed. Kaito took his hand in a panic and rushed into the room. The astronaut shook Kokichi by the shoulder, shouting for him to wake up. When he was rewarded with deafening silence, he shook harder.

Oh God, he's dead he's dead he's dead-

The shaking evidently jostled the boy awake, as his eyes opened a crack and he immediately whined in pain. Shuichi gasped and took Kokichi's hand, not thinking one bit about what he was doing. All he knew was that Kokichi wasn't okay and all he wanted was for him to be okay.

"Kokichi! Kokichi, look at me, look at me," he pleaded, getting up onto the bed and sitting across from Kokichi, taking his pale face in his hands. It didn't even look like Kokichi had heard him because his eyes started to slip shut again. Panicked, Kaito shook him again.

"No!! Kokichi, come on, stay with me, you can do this, I know you can, come on…" Shuichi urged, gently patting Kokichi's face with his hand, realizing how hot his face was. His head whirled around to face Kaito, whose face was pale as it could get as he kept trying to shake Kokichi awake.

"Get- Get a rag or s-something, he's burning up!" Shuichi pleaded. Kaito nodded and rushed to the bathroom. Shuichi kept trying to wake Kokichi up. Luckily, the boy stirred again and his eyes fluttered open. He managed to look at Shuichi with exhausted, glazed-over eyes. Shuichi wanted to burst into tears, but he kept himself together and pulled a small smile to his lips.

"Hi..! Hey, you gotta stay awake, okay? K-Kaito and I, we're go-gonna make it all better, I promise…!" he assured kindly, running his fingers through Kokichi's messed-up mop of dark hair with fervor. The leader's eyes screwed shut in pain as Kaito returned with a cold washcloth and held it to his forehead. Kokichi's brows untangled slightly and he looked up at Shuichi with half-lidded eyes again.

"T-That feels good, huh? Focus- Focus on that, can you do that for me? For us, please?" Shuichi practically begged, he couldn't lose anyone again, especially not Kokichi, especially not like this-

Wait.

How did this even happen..?

It seemed Kaito was wondering similarly, as he started looking around the room while holding the rag to his head. His eyes landed on a specific part of the floor right next to where he was standing. When he saw whatever it was, he yelped and jumped back causing the cold rag to fall from Kokichi's head. With a curse, Kaito immediately returned to his side and flipped the rag to the colder side.

"Kokichi, can you talk? Can you tell me somethin'? Anything- Anything you want, a-and I won't tell at 'cha! T-That's the best deal ever, right…?" Kaito pleaded. Kokichi didn't respond verbally, but his gaze shifted over to Kaito, who gave him a weak smile. While Kaito was talking to him to keep him awake, Shuichi looked down at what had startled Kaito so much, and what he saw made his blood run cold.

Pills…?! W-Why- what-... Why would he do this…?!

He quickly leaned off the bed and retrieved the bottle, inspecting it. Blank, with a separate, stick-on label that just read "HEADACHE", and…

Monokuma…!

Shuichi held onto Kokichi's hand and was about to scream for Monokuma to show himself so he could get obliterated into nothing but nuts and bolts.

Key word being "about". Before he could even begin to do so, however, a small, raspy voice slowed his thinking to a halt.

"Shhh… Shhhuu…?"

Shuichi turned to look at Kokichi, who was looking at him with pain-filled, glassy eyes. He stared at him in pure shock for a few moments before Kokichi seemed to grow uncomfortable and whimpered quietly as his eyes began to close again.

"Nononono, I'm here! I'm right here, Kokichi, I'm right here…!" Frantically, he began patting Kokichi's face again. He quickly looked at Kaito and showed him the bottle with Monokuma on it in one hand. Kaito's expression went from terrified to enraged.

“I’m gonna kill him…!” Kaito muttered. “MONOKUMA!”

Kokichi grimaced harshly in pain at the loud noise. Shuichi gently rubbed his head, trying to keep him stimulated enough to remain awake. He whispered encouragements and reassurances of “you’re going to be okay” and “you’re doing so good, just stay awake” until Monokuma appeared in the dorm room.

“What’dya brats need me for? I was very busy!” the mechanical bear ranted angrily. Judging by the look on Kaito’s face, if causing harm to the headmaster was allowed in any way, Monokuma would be as good as dead.

“Help him! I dunno what you put in these stupid pills, but it’s killing him!” Kaito shouted. Shuichi could only offer a hateful glare at Monokuma before his attention was back to Kokichi.

Monokuma gave his signature “Puhuhu!” before continuing with his meaningless words. “There’s nothing in those pills that’s harmful to anyone! That is… if the proper dosage is taken! Puhuhu! Puhuhuhuu~!”

He… overdosed…? Why?! Why, why, why…?!

“There’s no dosages on there!” Shuichi shouted desperately, trying to make a point as fast as possible so Monokuma could hurry up and help Kokichi before he died. “H-He couldn’t have known! S-Shut up and- and help him already!”

Monokuma glared at him—somehow—and waved a dismissive paw in his direction. “Now why would I upset a trial? I’m not gonna save one of your pwecious widdle wives because you all care about each other! Blegh, go get a room!”

By then, Kokichi had fallen unconscious again, making a spike of terror strike both Shuichi and Kaito through the heart. Kaito turned and tried shaking Kokichi awake again, as that had worked before, but now it did nothing.

“No, no, no, shit…” Kaito mumbled out in a panic. He whirled around to face Monokuma. “W-Well, you gave us all the information we’d need to even do a trial! And there’s no culprit!” he challenged. Monokuma tilted his head.

“Oh~? Did I now?”

“Ye-Yes, you did!” Shuichi corroborated. “You told us that the pills couldn’t harm anybody, u-unless the proper dosage is taken! That means Kokichi had to have… t-taken too many… We know all the details and what happened, and Kokichi’s still alive!”

Yes. He’s alive. He’s alive, just remember that…

Monokuma stomped on the floor. “Dammit! I have to ruin all the fun, don’t I?! Wait…” Monokuma looked up at the furious boys again. “What if I did slip something in those pills~?”

Shuichi shook his head. Monokuma was wasting time, and Kokichi’s breathing was becoming slower and more labored. “You’re not allowed to harm any of us directly, and even if you were you just admitted to it,” he said, almost disappointed in the terrible attempt at a curveball.

Monokuma sighed and kicked some hypothetical dirt. “Maaan, yeesh! Fine, fine, I’ll help .” he waddled over to Kokichi and leaped up on the bed. Both Shuichi and Kaito drew closer to Kokichi almost protectively against the monochromatic bear. “Okie dokie! Get Sayori over there to the bathroom!” Monokuma announced. Kaito looked at him curiously. “Why?”

“‘Cuz the only way to make the brat live is to get ‘im to hurl up what’s killing him!” Monokuma replied proudly. Shuichi grimaced.

I’m sorry Kokichi… but I will do whatever it takes to save you!

Kaito picked up Kokichi and carried him to the bathroom as fast as he could, his expression twisting into one of concern. After he set Kokichi down on the ground next to the bathtub, he quickly looked over to Monokuma, who was standing atop the tub’s faucet.

“Alright, now what?! Hurry up!” he demanded, overwhelmingly concerned at the fact that he could barely feel Kokichi’s breath on his neck as he was carrying him. Monokuma jumped down from the bathtub and stood in front of Kokichi for a moment before he forcibly kicked him in the stomach.

“Kokichi!” Shuichi shouted, at the same time that Kaito yelled at Monokuma and asked what the hell he was thinking. The bear’s tactic proved effective though, as Kokichi’s eyes shot open and he took in a heaving gasp. As quickly as he could, Shuichi shifted Kokichi so that his small frame was leaned over the side of the tub. He immediately began to expel the contents of his stomach.

Kaito began to rub Kokichi’s back, and Shuichi pulled the smaller boy’s curly hair back, both of them giving him quiet encouragement. After some minutes, Kokichi finally stopped retching and sat silently against the tub. Shuichi started running and draining the water while Kaito helped Kokichi sit properly against the tub again.

“Kokichi? You with us, man?” Kaito asked quietly, giving Kokichi’s shoulder the most careful of shakes. Shuichi allowed a smile to crack over his lips watching Kaito be so gentle with someone, especially Kokichi.

The leader groaned weakly as a response. Shuichi looked at Monokuma with a bitter stare. "Is he alright to sleep? There’s no point in lying."

Monokuma shrugged. “Yep!! Just turn it off and turn it back on again and the program should be runnin’ good as new!” he cackled. Shuichi gave him a suspicious glare, causing Monokuma to quiver and mutter out, “I swear! Scout’s honor!”

Kaito shot him a glare. “Then we don’t need you anymore. Go the hell away,” he spat. Monokuma obliged, disappearing as swiftly as he had vice versa.

Shuichi sighed when the bear was gone. “Okay, Kokichi, do you think you’re alright to walk? Just to your bed, that’s all…” he asked quietly, trying to mask the disappointment in his voice.

Why would he overdose? I don’t understand… Our situation is horrible, but...

Kokichi hummed and began trying to push himself up. Both Shuichi and Kaito scrambled to help him.

After they helped Kokichi to the bed, the small boy flopped backward onto it and fell asleep immediately, on top of the covers with his legs partly hanging over the side. Shuichi sighed in pure relief and grabbed a spare blanket from the closer of Kokichi's room, carefully draping it over his lithe form.

Kaito scratched his goatee as he looked at Kokichi. "Who the hell breathes with their chest?" he asked out of nowhere. Confused, Shuichi looked at Kokichi and sure enough, the smaller boy's chest was rising and falling rather than his stomach.

"Maybe his stomach is in pain? Or maybe he just breathes that way," Shuichi suggested, now just as curious as Kaito. The taller man quietly walked over to Kokichi and put a hand on his stomach, not pushing or moving him at all; just resting his hand on his stomach. After a moment he removed his hand and looked at Shuichi.

"No, I don't think it's a stomach issue," Kaito answered. "His body seems used to breathing that way. His stomach was sinkin' in a little bit when he inhaled and everything."

Shuichi gave a small "huh" and replied, "I didn't really think about it. Breathing… seems like a completely consistent thing."

Kaito shrugged and looked at Kokichi again, this time with concern. "Anyways… we can't just leave the poor kid here…" he said quietly. Shuichi nodded. "I can go get him some lunch. There are probably still some leftovers. You should stay here with him."

Kaito chuckled dryly. "If he wakes up and tries to tell me the earth is flat, we're gonna have a whole 'nother problem," he joked. Shuichi entertained it with a small giggle before he left for the kitchen.

°•×•°

Kaito was left with Kokichi, who was probably going to be unconscious for a while if the fact that he passed out halfway into his bed was to be accounted for. He took the opportunity to look around Kokichi's messy room. In his and Shuichi's panic, it was obvious they hadn't noticed the state his dorm was in.

Soda bottles and candy wrappers everywhere… Crumpled up papers all over the place, desk in disarray, boxes all over the place over there, and-

Kaito curiously approached the whiteboard across from Kokichi's bed. It looked like there were pictures on it, but he couldn't determine what they were until he stepped over the mess of trash to approach it.

Our class portraits-?!

Stunned, Kaito took a moment to process what he was seeing. Kaede and Rantaro's pictures had been moved to the far left of the whiteboard, accurately indicating that they were no longer part of the class. Some notes accompanied the portraits.

Let's see… K1-B0: "weird"... Maki-Roll: "suspicious"...?

I disagree, Kaito thought disappointedly before continuing.

Monokuma: "annoying". Ha, damn right!

…Shuichi and I are "trustworthy"?

Kaito beamed with pride. "Haha! He's gettin' there!" he accidentally said aloud. It didn't have much effect, though; Kokichi was still out cold on his bed. Kaito gave him a small smile before he looked back at the board.

Some various doodles were sprawled randomly around the board's empty space, including a little doodle of Kokichi winking and holding up a peace sign. In Kaito's opinion, it was rather good.

Damn, neat! Who knew the kid could draw?

Kaito raised a hand to the top of the board and flipped it over, his gaze immediately met with pure chaos.

Words, sketches, and numbers were drawn so tightly together on the board that Kaito had to focus his eyes to read a single word. When he was able to though, his heart stopped.

Is this…?! He's been doing all the math on Rantaro's murder?!

Trajectories, the pull of gravity, the mass of the warehouse's shotput balls, and all other variables in Rantaro's murder under the sun were packed onto the board. Alongside all the mathematics we're the alibis of every person in the trial during the time of Rantaro's murder.

Everyone said he was stupid. Everyone told Kaito he was an idiot simply because he liked to think more with his heart than through calculations and articulations. He was different from Kokichi and Shuichi in that way.

But the way he behaves and the way he expresses his emotions didn't change the astronaut training he'd gotten through. It didn't change all the advanced math he'd had to learn.

Kaito wasn't stupid. He knew that Kokichi's math didn't match up with the trial's. According to Kokichi's math…

It was unlikely the shotput ball Kaede sent down the vent actually hit Rantaro.

Before he could think any more about the subject though, Shuichi came back into the room with a plate of food.

"S-Sorry it took me so long..!" He apologized quickly, shutting the door with the heel of his food and putting the plate on the bedside table. "Kirumi was there and chastised me about leaving so abruptly, so I had to hear her out…"

Kaito quickly flipped the board back over. Shuichi can't see that yet… I don't know if he'd be able to take it right now.

He chuckled. "That's alright! Should we… try to get him up? He needs to get somethin' in that skinny little body of his after all that," he suggested, pointing at Kokichi. Shuichi nodded.

"Yeah… I wasn't too sure at first… it isn't good to eat right after throwing up. But he hasn't eaten since dinner yesterday, and I only brought foods he should be okay with," Shuichi said nervously. He hadn't lied; on the plate were two slices of bread, some crackers, and a glass of iced water. Kaito nodded and leaned over the bed, grasping Kokichi's shoulder.

"Hey, Kokichi, wake up," he said calmly, releasing Kokichi's shoulder as the boy stirred. He sat up slowly, groaning in pain as he did so. Shuichi felt his forehead, which Kokichi couldn't comprehend fast enough to react to before Shuichi pulled his hand away. It seemed like the Supreme Leader opted to just pretend it never happened.

"Oh…" the detective mumbled sympathetically. "You're sick, huh…?"

Kokichi just nodded ever-so-slightly. Completely uncharacteristic of him, but Kaito couldn't blame him. Shuichi grabbed a piece of bread and handed it to Kokichi. "Do you think you could eat some of this?" he asked politely. Kokichi took the slice in his hands and gave a weak hum of confirmation. Kaito gave him an encouraging yet gentle ruffle to his hair.

Shuichi pulled Kaito aside while Kokichi took practically unnoticeable bites of the bread, almost mindlessly. Kaito tried to ignore the concern in his chest—a hard task for someone as emotional as him—and looked at Shuichi.

"What's up?"

"I… I don't think Kokichi overdosed on purpose. At least, not in the way we thought…" Shuichi said. Kaito's brows furrowed.

"What 'dya mean? I thought the stress just got to 'im and he… y'know…" Kaito trailed off, not wanting to even suggest the idea of Kokichi trying something that drastic ever again. Shuichi shook his head.

"No. He's really sick. He had to have been sick before he overdosed… That degree of body heat doesn't happen in that amount of time…" Shuichi muttered before getting back on track. "A-Ah! My point is, I think he overdosed in a failed attempt to cure himself quickly."

Kaito rubbed the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but… don't everyone know that the max amount of pills you're usually supposed to take is 2?" he pointed out. Shuichi put a hand over his mouth in thought.

"That's the only part that doesn't make sense to me… but it's my strongest theory. I… I just refuse to believe Kokichi would give up so easily." Shuichi reiterated with more confidence, looking up at Kaito with fierce eyes. Kaito smiled.

That's good, Shuichi. Keep being sure of yourself.

Kaito nodded. He couldn't argue with that, especially after seeing all the effort Kokichi was outputting in recounting the murders and determining the mastermind so early on. Why would he try something like that with unfinished business to tend to?

"Well, that's good then! All we gotta do is help him get better! If it wasn't a mindset type of thing, then this shouldn't happen again," Kaito said cheerfully. Shuichi nodded and smiled. "Yes, that should be right."

They went back over to Kokichi and sat on either side of him. He asked for medication, voice hoarse and weak. Kaito grimaced, and Shuichi denied his request as gently as possible.

"I'd love to give them to you, really," Shuichi added. "But it wouldn't do anything but hurt you right now. Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

Kokichi groaned and ate the last little piece of the bread. "Hurts…" he mumbled. Shuichi rubbed his back.

"I know… we're gonna take care of you. You'll get better in no time, I promise. It's just a little fever."

"Yeah! With Shuichi and I combined, you might not even need those pills tomorrow!" Kaito chimed in. Kokichi glanced at him with tired (yet not hazy or glazed over, Kaito observed with pride) eyes.

"'f I gotta see you t'morrow… 'll need 'em anyways…" Kokichi managed. Kaito's face flushed.

"H-Hey!"

Shuichi gave a small smile. "Kokichi, be kind, please… Kaito was really worried about you today." That shut Kokichi up. He took a sip of water and blinked a few times.

"I feel 'lil better now…" Kokichi said quietly, voice less raspy now that his throat had received some hydration. Shuichi and Kaito smiled.

"That's wonderful!" Shuichi said happily with the first true, genuine smile anyone had seen on his face since Kaede's—no, even since the game began. Kokichi smiled slightly.

"Can I ask, though, um…" Kaito took a breath. "What did ya take all those pills for?"

Shuichi's gaze went from Kaito to Kokichi as he nodded in agreement. Kokichi closed his eyes and sighed before opening them again.

"'Wasn't feelin' the best aft'r y'sterday… Got some meds… There weren't any numbers, and 't didn't get any better when I took a few, so…" Kokichi trailed off, assuming Shuichi and Kaito probably knew the rest. He really hadn't meant to make himself worse. He had just wanted to feel even a little bit better, and although he felt much better than he did when he was reeling over the bathtub, he felt worse tenfold compared to how he was in the morning.

Kaito's eyes widened. "But—But the whole gist with pills is that you gotta give 'em time to work-!" he replied in disbelief. Kokichi shot him a surprised look he never would have let through his mental filter had it not been for his clouded mind.

"N-Now y' tell me?!" he shouted. Kaito couldn't hold back his laughter, and neither could Shuichi. It was just so nice to see him acting somewhat like himself again. Kokichi glared at them. "How dare you..?! 'm sick, 'nd you're all j'st laughing at me!!" he wailed. Shuichi shook his head as his laughter died down.

"You're right, you are sick. Do you think you could eat more, or do you wanna lie down?" Shuichi asked, getting back on track. Kaito looked at Kokichi expectantly. The smaller boy shrugged.

"I want Saih'ra 'nd M'mota to get ouuuut… I know 'm pretty, but watchin' me sleep's too far…" he whined. Shuichi nodded and got up to leave. Kaito did the same. Whether that was a lie or not, Kokichi didn't specify before they left, letting him know that if he needed them they'd always be open to helping him.

As soon as they left, Kokichi shuffled around on his bed and curled up under his covers. He grabbed another slice of bread and began to munch on it, allowing himself to space out as he grew tired and fell asleep, the half-eaten slice of bread slipping out of his hand as he lost consciousness.

°•×•°

"It's rather nice to have you joining us once again, Kokichi," Kirumi stated as the 14 Ultimates sat at the dining hall table and ate their breakfast. Kokichi offered her a cheeky grin.

"Yeah! Sorry for being gone so long, I had to keep breaking out of the school to visit my gang," Kokichi lied easily. Shuichi and Kaito smiled slightly.

"What d'ya mean 'nice'?!" Miu piped up. "Little shit's so annoying!" Kokichi winked at her and poked his tongue out from between his lips. Miu glared at him.

"Love you too, Miu~!" he replied cheerfully. The inventor spat a vulgar curse at him before getting up to bring her dishes to the sink. After a moment of silence, Angie spoke up.

"Well, everyone will be together again tomorrow, for Himiko and I are hosting a magic show!" she cheered in her usual peppy tone. Scattered "ooh"s and "ah"s sounded from around the table. Tenko was practicing bristling.

"H-Himiko! You're not okay with this, are you? Do you need me to protect you?!" she shouted, standing from her seat like she was ready to fight. Angie remained seated and watched her with wide eyes and a carefree grin. Himiko shook her head from her seat next to the artist.

"Nyeh… No," she replied. "The magic show is going to go well… Because Atua is on my side."

Tenko screamed. "A-Ah!! Himiko, you too?!" she cried out like the little mage's words had burnt her. Some people offered chuckles at the ridiculous display, while others advised Tenko to settle down.

Shuichi smiled to himself. The magic show would bring them together. They had Kokichi on their side now, meaning everyone was now cooperating against Monokuma. Everything was going to be fine.

Yes, he thought. Things will be okay.