Enjoy this extra-long-chapter-that-I-worked-*very*-*very*-*very*-*very*-*very*-*very*-*very*-hard-on.

Also has copious Himiko/Tenko and Kokichi/Kaito in it! Enjoy the fluff while it lasts.

Kaito ate lunch alone.

The only other people in the cafeteria were Tenko, Himiko, Kiibo, and Tsumugi.

Kiibo was having an animated discussion with Himiko and Tenko, talking about his creator. Tsumugi was just listening in, not really participating.

Kaito finished his meal and decided to join them.

"Hey guys, how did your morning go?" He said, sitting next to Tsumugi.

"It went great! Kiibo gave me some new ideas for my next show." Himiko grinned.

"And Yumeno-san taught me a lot about magic." Kiibo said, smiling faintly.

"And how superior it is to technology." Himiko nodded. "Though Kiibo did his best to refute me, he failed."

"Y-yeah." Kiibo squeaked.

Kaito laughed.

He glanced at Tenko.

"How about you Chabashira? How was your morning?"

"It was fine." Tenko shrugged. "I learned that Shirogane-san isn't very fit. She could barely do any press-ups."

"Hey. That's unfair. I did my best." Tsumugi said, frowning at everyone.

"I didn't say you didn't…you absolutely did. I probably pushed you too hard." Tenko conceded.

"Thank you." Tsumugi harumphed.

"No problem." Tenko smiled and then addressed Kiibo. "Kiibo, where's Iruma-san?"

"She's still working on her project in the computer room." Kiibo frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm worried about her." Tenko said. "I haven't seen her all day-since this morning. I thought something might've happened to her."

"Ah." Kiibo relaxed. "She's probably just absorbed in her work. I'll check on her after lunch."

"Good." Tenko said, sounding relieved.

Kaito paused.

Something was bothering him…but he couldn't figure out what it was.

It's probably Miu. It's obvious the machine is connected to her murder plan…so the fact she's devoting so much time to it isn't a good sign.

He shook his head and smiled at Tenko and Himiko.

"Hey Yumeno, Chabashira. Wanna hang out after lunch?"

"I was hoping to spend the afternoon with Yumeno-san. Alone." Tenko said, biting her lip.

"No. I wanna show Momota a magic trick!" Himiko declared.

"I promise it won't be for long Chabashira. I'll just stick around for the magic trick." Kaito said quickly. "I've been interested in Yumeno's magic ever since the show. She's very talented."

Tenko perked up and nodded.

"All right."

"Actually…I also wanted to show Momota around my lab. Just a quick tour." Himiko confessed, blushing lightly.

"Ah." Kaito stated, remembering Shuichi. He took a deep breath. "I should be okay. As long as it doesn't take too long. I don't want to monopolise your time."

"It's okay. As long as Yumeno-san is happy, I'm happy." Tenko said, giving him an understanding smile.

"Great!" Himiko leapt up.

Everyone laughed.

Afterwards, they went their separate ways; Kiibo went to check on Miu, Tsumugi wandered off to do her own thing, and Kaito went with Tenko and Himiko.

As soon as Kaito entered Himiko's lab, he froze. It was that day all over again.

He glanced at the spare water tank, expecting to see Shuichi's corpse floating in it.

But of course, it was empty.

Himiko noticed his apprehension and whispered something to Tenko, who nodded.

"This way Momota!" Himiko led him to other side of the room, towards the large birdcage.

Tenko shut the curtains, hiding the tanks from view.

Kaito smiled at her gratefully and then listened to Himiko as she introduced him to her doves.

"These doves are very brave. I have to use my magic on them a lot. They trust me implicitly."

"What are their names?"

"Haru, Natsu, Aki, and Fuyu." Himiko pointed them out.

"They're named them after the seasons." Kaito noted.

"Yeah. It increases my magic."

"I don't believe that. I bet it has nothing to do with magic. You just liked the names." Kaito chuckled.

"…Pretty much." Himiko admitted, smiling shyly. "When I was touring with my master, we had a tiger cub named Yasu."

"Woah." Kaito whistled in awe.

"Yeah. But we could only use him in tricks when he was little." She pouted. "After a few months, he got too big. We had to give him to a zoo. I miss him a lot. I loved him...I love all animals."

"I never had a pet. Not even a goldfish. My grandparents didn't like animals. They said they were too much effort and made too much of a mess." Kaito sighed. "Then when I turned 17 and moved away- for astronaut training, I couldn't own a pet at the base. For obvious reasons."

"That's sad. These doves…they help me cope. I feed them every day. They show their gratitude by giving me kisses." Himiko opened the cage and reached out towards the nearest dove.

Sure enough, it cooed and gently pecked her hand.

"How sweet." Kaito said.

Himiko retracted her hand and glanced at him.

"Wanna try it? Don't worry, they don't bite- or rather peck, too hard."

Kaito hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out to the same dove.

"His name is Aki." Himiko said.

"Hello Aki." Kaito greeted him, as if it made a difference.

Aki hopped over and nipped at his hand, so gently that he didn't even leave a mark, then hopped away, cooing cutely.

Kaito's heart melted.

"See?" Himiko grinned. "He likes you."

"Can I try?" Tenko whispered.

Himiko nodded.

Kaito stepped back to give her more space.

"Thanks." Tenko smiled at him and approached the cage, reaching out to a different dove.

"That's Natsu." Himiko said.

Natsu kissed Tenko.

"Well done, Chabashira!" Himiko jumped up, almost knocking her hat off.

Tenko blushed fiercely.

"I used to feed the pigeons at the temple." She said." The monks also owned a cat, but it didn't like me."

"Well, that's the cat's problem, not yours." Himiko assured her.

"Yeah…"

Kaito smiled at them, but he felt as if he was intruding on a private moment.

"Hey, I can leave if you want me to. It's obvious you guys wanna be alone."

"That's not- I haven't showed you my magic trick yet." Himiko complained.

"It's okay. You can show me later- "

"Momota, please stay." Tenko said suddenly.

"…!" Kaito was flabbergasted. Even Himiko was staring at Tenko with wide eyes. Her words had caught them both off guard.

"Yumeno-san needs more friends. I can't keep her to myself all the time."

"Chabashira…that wasn't an issue."

"I know. I just felt like I needed to say it. For myself." Tenko said, looking at Himiko. "Show Momota that magic trick. I don't mind. After all, we have the rest of the afternoon..."

Himiko blushed and nodded.

"I'm going to perform my own variation of the "Vanishing bird cage"!"

Of course, she'd pick that trick. That's why she introduced me to the doves. Kaito thought, smiling.

"I'd love to see that."

Himiko made them sit in front of the small table, then got out a cage and retrieved one of the doves. It was the one Tenko had approached, so it was Natsu.

She put him in the cage and fiddled with the door, briefly turning her back to them.

"I'm going to make Natsu disappear! And then bring him back with my magic! "She whirled around dramatically, putting the cage on the table. Natsu chirruped but remained still.

"Go ahead." Kaito encouraged her.

Himiko smiled and quickly covered the cage with a black cloth, then grabbed a wand and tapped it several times.

Kaito noticed that she was gripping the underside of the table with her other hand.

"Abracadabra." Himiko tapped the cage several more times and raised her arms into the air. Then she grabbed the cloth. It collapsed completely, making Tenko gasp.

Kaito blinked. He hadn't expected that.

Himiko grinned and pulled the cloth off the table with a flourish.

The cage, and Natsu, were both gone.

Tenko burst into wild applause. Kaito clapped along with her. He knew what was coming.

"I will now make Natsu reappear." Himiko declared.

She bowed and then held out her right hand.

Natsu was nestled against her palm, cooing happily.

Tenko whooped loudly, while Kaito clapped again.

I knew the dove was up her sleeve. But how did the cage disappear? Was it the table? He mused.

"That was pretty amazing." He cocked his head. "Was the dove in the cage fake?"

"No. It was all magic." Himiko claimed, curling her lower lip.

"Hey, I was just speculating. I don't understand how your magic works." Kaito raised his hands in a pacifying gesture.

"You sound just like Kiibo." Himiko muttered, patting Natsu.

"Huh?"

"He tried to tell me that my magic wasn't real. That it was inferior to technology. He also told me about Iruma's project. How it would "save us all"."

"That was rude of him." Tenko scowled.

"I wasn't that mad at him." Himiko said. "After all, we were having a debate. I told him that he'd upset me; he apologised and we made up.

"That's good." Kaito said.

"Yeah…but I don't trust Iruma anyway."

"Even I can tell that she's planning something." Tenko muttered.

Himiko nodded and turned to Kaito.

"Don't you agree Momota?"

Kaito paused. He hadn't expected this.

He couldn't tell them he shared their suspicions, but he also couldn't deny their logic...

"I..."

"And what about Kiibo?" Tenko added.

"Chabashira…Iruma cares about Kiibo. She would do anything to protect him- "

"So, you think that the new motive perfectly suits her…" Himiko whispered.

Tenko put an arm around her. Himiko didn't shake her off, instead leaning into her.

"Hey, remember that Monokuma was the one who gave us the motive. He wants us to suspect one another- to argue amongst ourselves and fall into despair." Kaito rallied them.

"Momota's right. We shouldn't distrust one another so easily. This is all Monokuma's manipulations. Remember what Angie said: we need to continue working together. "Tenko said, squeezing Himiko's shoulders.

"Yes. I should remember Angie…. she told me to have strength and trust in Atua!" Himiko shared a loving smile with Tenko.

Kaito tried to smile with them, only to end up grimacing instead.

For some reason, he was thinking about Kokichi…and how guilty he felt for not spending time with him.

Kokichi is too fixated on the killing game and stopping Monokuma. He needs a break. A chance to unwind and take his mind off things.

He cleared his throat.

"I need to go. I have to meet up with Kokichi."

"Aww. Do you really have to leave and spend time with that jerk?" Himiko whined.

"Yes, I have to…and I want to."

"Yumeno-san, Kaito has to spend time with Ouma-san, to stop him from annoying other people." Tenko said.

"Ah. That makes sense." Himiko accepted the explanation. "Go and do your duty Momota."

"Will do." Kaito left the room.

Hmm. As much as I want to go and find Kokichi right away, there's something I need to do first.

He headed to the kitchen.

A plan was forming in his mind.

Kokichi was loitering by the computer room, hiding behind a corner and watching the door.

Miu hadn't budged all day.

And neither had he.

Gonta had delivered Miu's food, and then had snuck off to play tennis with Ryoma. Kokichi suspected that Miu had told him to fuck off.

About an hour later, Kokichi had heard footsteps. So, he'd quickly hidden in the nearest spare room at the end of the corridor.

Peeking out, he had seen Kiibo enter the computer room with a big smile.

Then, not a moment later, Tsumugi had come upstairs and entered Korekiyo's lab.

Shinguuji-chan will be very happy to have someone that he can lecture to all day. Tsumugi-chan is a very boring person. Kokichi reflected, returning to his corner.

Another hour passed.

Kokichi grew restless. And worse, bored.

He didn't know what else to do. He couldn't go to his room and brainstorm, not when he didn't have anything new to work with, and he couldn't explore the school…he was sick and tired of studying the same rooms over and over again, desperately searching for a clue.

He was desperate for something to happen. Something to break the monotony of his day-

"How long have you been standing there?" An amused voice said.

Kokichi turned on his heel and glared at Kaito.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to collect you." Kaito grinned. "You did say we could hang out together every now and then."

"This isn't a good time. I'm doing important reconnaissance." Kokichi snapped.

"Are you?" Kaito squinted at him, still grinning.

"I'm waiting for Iruma-chan. You know what reconnaissance is- why am I even wasting my time explaining myself?"

"I dunno Kokichi." Kaito said. "Maybe it's because you're bored?"

"…"

"C'mon let's go and do something relaxing- something fun together."

"Fun? I thought you'd had enough of that today…playing tennis with Hoshi-chan." Kokichi jibed.

"It wasn't really "fun"." Kaito mumbled, turning red.

"So, he whooped your ass. I bet you had a breakdown. Just like that time he beat you at the casino." Kokichi laughed.

"N-no…"

Kokichi laughed again, enjoying just how pensive Kaito sounded.

"S-stop laughing at me." Kaito said, turning even more red.

"Okay, okay, I'm stopping." Kokichi wiped away an imaginary tear. He didn't want to upset his partner too much.

Kaito sighed and ran a hand through his hair, struggling to regain his composure.

Seeing Momota-chan this uncomposed is glorious. Simply glorious. Kokichi smirked.

"Kokichi, do you wanna hang out? If you'd rather waste your time staring at a door…don't let me stop you." Kaito said.

Kokichi glanced at the computer room.

Miu was planning a murder in there, and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

At the moment.

He turned back to Kaito and nodded.

"You're right. I'm just wasting my time. I wanna do something funwith you."

"All right. What do you wanna do?" Kaito smiled, happy to have finally reached an agreement.

Kokichi wracked his brains.

He would love to prank someone, but he knew Kaito wouldn't agree to that. He would see it as "cruel" or some bullshit.

So, what was left…

"Can we play some arcade games? I used to visit arcades all the time with D.I.C.E." His voice was almost a whisper.

"Sure."

The game room was…disappointing.

There were only five games; a driving game, a dancing game with a broken screen, a baseball game, a fighting game, and some sort of platformer. There was also a bookcase filled with board games at the back of the room.

"If you get bored, we can always watch a movie." Kaito suggested, noticing his disappointment.

"Nah."

"Which game do you want to play first? You pick."

Kokichi looked at the dancing game and grinned.

"I want Momota-chan to dance for me."

Kaito shook his head.

"I'm still sore from tennis. Can you dance instead? Please?"

Kokichi frowned.

Kaito hadn't lied. He was telling the truth about his pain.

Hoshi-chan must've really given him the run around. Thankfully, I don't feel like being an asshole.

"Sure. If you're too chicken to do it."

Kaito didn't rise to the insult and just smiled at him.

Kokichi hopped to the dancing game and started it, picking the first song he saw, which was a techno-mix of a generic pop song.

It was difficult. Insanely difficult.

Arrows were flying all over the place. And they sped up as the song went on.

Less than a minute in, he tripped over himself and fell flat on his back, causing Kaito to burst into harsh laughter.

Kokichi gave him a venomous glare, but it just made him laugh harder.

"Momota-chan should have a go." Kokichi got up, wincing sharply.

"Nah. If this game is hard, I bet the others are equally difficult. How about I embarrass myself in another way? Kaito offered, looking at the other games. "That driving game looks good for it, don't 'cha think?"

Kaito blinked.

Was Kaito actually being serious?

He took in the other's boy's unflinching, cheerful, expression.

He was.

What a sport.

"It does. The perfect vehicle for Momota-chan to embarrass himself." Kokichi smiled at him sadistically.

Kaito chuckled at his pun.

They went to driving game.

It was just as hard as the dancing one.

You had to drive through a desert and collect little cubes, avoiding obstacles such as rocks and other cars.

You had 3 lives. Each time you crashed into something, even the wall, you lost one. Lose all three, and the game reset.

Kaito ended up losing five times within three minutes. He got increasingly upset with each reset.

It culminated in him punching the wheel and hurting his hand.

Kokichi slapped his right knee and guffawed loudly, mocking him for his error.

Kaito glared at him.

"Don't be a hypocrite Momota-chan."

"Yeah." Kaito rubbed his hand, then took a deep breath and brightened up. "Let's try the other games."

Kokichi nodded, eager to have fun.

(And watch Momota-chan embarrass himself even more!).

The baseball game and platformer were just as hard.

But unlike before, they allowed themselves to relax and mutually enjoy each other's suffering.

After a few turns, Kokichi somehow managed to master the platformer.

Kaito encouraged him, cheering whenever he reached a new level.

Kokichi found himself giving the other boy a genuine smile, though he hid it behind a proud smirk.

He couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this-like an ordinary teenager.

Eventually, the platformer got too difficult and they stopped. It wasn't fun anymore.

"What next?" Kaito said afterwards.

"I want to play the fighting game. So, I can whoop your ass and boast about it to others later."

"Okay."

They exchanged smiles and headed over to the final game.

"I'm picking the beefiest dude. They're the most attractive-and strongest- fighters." Kokichi proclaimed.

"Then I'm picking a sexy chick. That one!" Kaito chose a black-haired ninja with skimpy clothing. "She reminds me of Harumaki. We're going to kick your ass."

"Yeah right."

Kokichi won the first round. And the second. And the third.

Then Kaito started memorising the controls and combos, scoring a few more hits each fight.

By the sixth round, things were slightly more balanced. Kokichi was still beating him, but Kaito managed to deplete his health bar to half way.

He did the same the next round.

Unfortunately, Kokichi started getting bored by the eighth round.

Kaito noticed and stopped playing.

Kokichi didn't object. He wanted to do something else.

"Want to play a board game?" Kaito said.

"What time is it?" Kokichi yawned.

"Almost six. When do you want to have dinner? I'm cooking."

"I don't want to eat your food- "

"No objections. I didn't see you at lunch today." Kaito gave him a pointed look. "Kokichi, you shouldn't be skipping meals."

"Momota-chan, stop being so annoying."

"You stop being so annoying."

"Let's just play a boardgame."

"What about Go?"

"I'd rather play Shogi."

"I don't know how to play that."

"I could teach you?"

"I'd rather not. I've had a long day. I'd rather play something I know. Something relaxing."

"Okay. I'll play Go. Though I haven't played it in a while."

"Neither have I. My Grandpa taught me how to play it."

They found a very dusty Go set at the bottom of the shelf.

Kaito wiped it with a sleeve and set it up on the counter.

"Black or white?" He asked, picking up two small bags and taking a seat.

"Black. I'm not letting you move first." Kokichi sat next to him.

"Good choice."

The game started.

Kokichi placed his pieces carefully. Kaito didn't. He just placed them randomly.

After a few minutes, Kokichi realised that his opponent wasn't playing seriously. He was just goofing around.

Why? Kokichi thought, placing another piece in the centre of the board. He had almost surrounded several of Kaito's pieces, meaning he would win.

"Momota-chan, what are you doing?"

"Playing the game."

"Yes, but not correctly."

"Is that what you're doing?"

"I'm winning. That's the goal of most games…to win. So yes, I am "playing the game"."

"But you're not having fun, are you?"

"Because of you."

"I'm not doing anything. I'm just building a beautiful pattern."

"You know exactly what you're doing…" Kokichi smirked and emptied the board, sweeping all the pieces onto the counter.

"Kokichi?" Kaito questioned, raising an eyebrow, but his smile was too big. Too knowing.

"I'm playing white this time." Kokichi said.

"If you want to move second…"

"I do want to move second. It's more fun."

"Okay."

They played again.

This time Kokichi played the same way Kaito did.

He had much more fun.

They messed around, trying to one up one another with the patterns they made.

After a while, Kokichi got bored. As he always did.

"Hungry?" Kaito asked, putting the board away.

"Very."

"Before meeting up with you, I made some salad- "

"Eww."

"It's very nice. It has hardboiled eggs and lots of vegetables." Kaito tried to entice him" You did tell me to vary my menu."

"I did." Kokichi admitted. "Fine. You tricked me into eating something healthy today, but never again."

"After dinner, do you want to we watch a movie with me?"

Kokichi snorted.

"Dinner and a movie…are we going on a date Momota-chan?"

"No." Kaito shook his head. "You're my friend and you deserve a break."

"A break?" Kokichi questioned.

"Yeah, you were so stressed. I wanted to do something nice for you. Get you to relax and take your mind off things." Kaito said, blushing lightly.

It filled Kokichi with warmth. He felt his own cheeks flush and he quickly looked at the floor to hide his expression.

I should decline. This is distracting. I don't like it-

No. That was a lie.

He was happy. That someone was watching out for him, recognising his efforts, spending time with him…

So, he put on a big smirk and nodded vigorously.

"All right. As long we watch some crappy superhero film or something. Something mindless."

"How about a movie about heroic astronauts? Saving the world from a giant meteorite?"

Kokichi groaned.

But he was still smiling.

Howzat?

This was almost 2 chapters, but I kept it as one. Am glad I did.