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“You’re acting strange, Kokichi.”
The statement hangs in the air, seeping into the space between them. Any trace of oxygen seems to vanish. Kokichi freezes abruptly, bringing Shuichi to a halt as he remains on full alert.
A cold gust of wind creeps into Kokichi’s fragile bones as he turns around with brutal sharpness, his expression completely blank. Slowly, a short smile forms on his face as he takes a step forward.
“Strange…?”
He smiles to the side. The slight tilt of his head could fool others with an innocent act, drawing attention away from the venom laced through his words—but not him. Not when his entire body was screaming warnings that something was terribly wrong.
“If I’m strange, then you all are too.”
“Actually…”
Kokichi’s gaze shifts, locking intensely onto Shuichi.
“Kaito.”
He takes a step to the right, his head tilting slightly in the same direction.
“Maki.”
Another step—now to the left. The tilt mirrors itself.
Shuichi instinctively steps back.
“Kokichi…”
He tries to speak, but the word dies in his throat.
“Miu.”
One more step forward. The smile grows just a little more than it should.
A chill runs down Shuichi’s spine.
“All of you want to disappear more than anyone else here.”
Kokichi stops.
A deafening silence fills the air, broken only by the whisper of the wind.
Shuichi staggers in place, his eyes and body trapped by the sheer magnitude of the danger Kokichi radiates in that moment.
“W-what… what are you talking about?”
He curses himself for the crack in his voice.
Kokichi lowers his head slightly, his smile twisting wider—this is dangerously far from sounding like just another lie.
“Oh, my beloved, you’re the one who started pointing at me like I was a misplaced piece on the board.”
Mockery drips from his words now, his exaggerated expressions making Shuichi feel painfully small.
“I just made you realize I’m not the only one out of place. And that applies even to you, Shuichi.”
To the unobservant, it might sound like friendly advice. To Shuichi, it feels like being cornered prey.
The next words barely leave his mouth.
“…I understand, Kokichi. I know everyone is suffering. I just think that… even when things get difficult, no one here has to deal with it—”
“Alone?”
“Alone?”
Kokichi repeats it, leaning closer.
“With no one? No support? Is that what you mean, Shuichi?”
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
“Yes, it is.”
Contained anger bleeds through his voice. His face holds no smile now—only hatred.
“Isn’t that what you said? That I’m alone. That I always will be.”
“What? I never said that, Kokichi.”
Every instinct tells Shuichi to run—yet he does the exact opposite.
A dry laugh escapes Kokichi.
“Ah, of course. Of course you don’t remember. Not yet.”
Shuichi takes a deep breath.
“Kokichi, you’re not making any sense. If this is some kind of joke, or if—”
“Pff!”
Uncontrolled laughter bursts from Kokichi’s lips.
“Now you want me to be joking? You want me to be lying? You’re a fucking hypocrite!”
The moment the words leave his mouth, the world stops making sense.
Reality tilts unnaturally. The ground stretches beneath their feet—and yet, no one falls.
Kokichi’s breathing turns erratic. Sometimes it’s far too close, right by Shuichi’s ear. Other times it’s distant and muffled, as if coming from somewhere else entirely. Shuichi looks around in desperation.
Kokichi keeps his eyes fixed on the floor. His hair distorts in shape and color, strands stretching and unraveling. He tugs at his own hair, but his fingers can’t keep up with the speed of his hands—blurring, missing, incomplete.
Before Shuichi can decide whether to try again or simply run, a scream tears through the air.
Frustration.
Anguish.
Something far too broken to feel real.
“Ko—”
Shuichi only catches fragments of Kokichi rushing toward him. Time seems frozen as anomalies pile up around them, as if the world itself is about to collapse.
He doesn’t remember closing his eyes.
Nor the hitch in his breath.
His body falls—
and there is no impact.
And then, everything goes dark.
.
.
.
.
.
The first sense to return is hearing.
Murmurs of disconnected phrases and sharp screams snap Shuichi’s eyes open all at once.
His vision takes a moment to adjust, to process what he’s seeing. Soon enough, he realizes he’s in the AV room. Another sharp scream echoes from the TV—a horror movie is playing. A woman runs from her killer, a knife glinting as he chases her.
“…”
Shuichi lets out a tired sigh and sits up, rubbing his temple in frustration.
Only then does he finally look at the presence beside him—the one he ignored at first.
Kokichi sleeps peacefully against the back of the couch, his cheek pressed into the leather. Soft breaths slip from his slightly parted lips. He looks… normal.
Looking between Kokichi and the TV, Shuichi can’t help but wish he could slap himself. It was nothing more than a stupid nightmare, born from recent events.
For a while now, Shuichi had noticed strange behavior from Kokichi—more than usual. His usual charisma and unpredictability had been replaced by frequent disappearances and curt replies.
And Shuichi couldn’t let something like that slide—especially not in a killing game.
As an excuse to spend time together, he had invited Kokichi to use their free time together. Kokichi had suggested watching a movie—a horror one. Shuichi’s mind is still hazy, but he must have fallen asleep near the beginning, his worry mixing with horror to create the nightmare.
Now, he feels genuinely embarrassed.
More exhausted than anything, he gently shakes Kokichi awake.
“Kokichi…? Wake up, Kokichi.”
It doesn’t take long before muffled, grumpy sounds signal Kokichi’s return to consciousness.
“Five more minutes, Mooom…!”
Kokichi mumbles, burying his face into the couch before looking at Shuichi with fake irritation.
“Hmph! You fall asleep in less than five minutes during the movie I picked, and now you wake me up rudely from my beauty sleep!”
He adjusts himself, crossing his arms like a sulking child.
Ignoring the obvious teasing, Shuichi continues,
“I’m really sorry for falling asleep, Kokichi. I… didn’t realize how exhausted I was.”
“If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to go back to my room. I’m still a bit… shaken.”
He swallows hard, remembering the dream.
“We can finish it another day, okay?”
“No. I hereby label you a BMBP!”
“A… BMBP?”
“Yes! Bad-Movie-Buddy-Partner!”
He puffs up for a few seconds before laughing at Shuichi’s expression.
“…I’m just kidding. You know I’m a liar.”
“So don’t worry so much, Shuichi. You’ll end up dying young like that! I’ll pick the best movie ever next time!”
His mood shifts instantly—bright and radiant.
A small, weary smile forms on Shuichi’s face.
“Alright… thank you for understanding, Kokichi. I’ll get going now.”
He stands and heads for the door.
“Bye, Shuichi!”
Kokichi waves enthusiastically.
“Bye, Kokichi.”
And with that, Shuichi leaves.
.
.
When the door closes, Kokichi throws himself back onto the couch, relaxing completely. He stares up at the dull ceiling, as if it might start spinning at any moment.
His attention drifts to his hand—the one still wrapped in the bandage Shuichi had put around his finger. It had been a nice moment.
Kokichi can’t help but gently stroke the bandage.
A soft smile spreads across his face.
“I just hope he doesn’t notice those marks.”