The sounds of high pitched laughter and aimless chatter echo throughout the playground at Sunny Hills Elementary on a picturesque October morning. It was time for daily recess, a much beloved time to unwind and let loose the pent up energy that sitting at a desk all morning can build. The children had broken up in their small groups all throughout the playground. Many would come together and play a game of Kickball that nobody actually cared to win. Others avoided the exercise and found comfortable places to sit as they talked about whatever topic was important that day.

Dead center of the enclosed field was a blue and white play set, it's size and quality a subtle indication of the money the students' parents provided to the school. The structure was a massive hodge podge of towers, bridges, and many different ladders and slides. Five students hung out near the top of the metal structure, on their regular meet up spot by the tallest slide. They all mingled around as they were deciding roles amongst themselves for their daily game of house.

"Why do I have to be the dog?" Keebo pouted, his hand nervously running through his silver hair. His eyes couldn't help but wander over to the slide as he contemplated running away and finding someone else to play with. Maybe it wasn't too late to join the kickball game.

"Because Keebo." Maki sighed "The last time we played house we let Miu be the dog and she got a little too into it." She shivered.

"Better than the time we let her be the mom." Kaede pointed out.

"We don't speak of that day." Maki whispered, given all the more reason to never invite the loudmouthed blond. One blond was enough and that was Kaede's role to lose.

"Everyone loves the dog!" Kaito excitedly assured, hanging over Keebo's shoulder. "It's super easy too! All you have to do is bark and follow me around."

"That doesn't sound very fun." Keebo frowned, further unconvinced at the role.

"Well if Keebo doesn't want to be the dog, I can switch with him!" Kaede offered, ever the peacemaker. "We can have two dads!"

Shuichi had to hide his disappointment at the change of plans. As silly as it may be but he was excited at the idea of being the parents with Kaede this time. There was always next time.

"Is it against the rules to have two dads?" Keebo asked Maki, whose hand had not yet fallen off her frustrated face.

"Nothing in the rules says we have to have a mom and a dad." She huffed.

"Yeah there's nothing wrong with having two dads, right Shuichi!" Kaito called out to his friend who nodded in agreement. Shuichi and Kaito know first hand the boring reality two fathers bring. Even if it did in fact bring double the amount of horrible puns.

"Okay so it's decided. Keebo and Shuichi are the dads, Kaito and I are the siblings, and Kaede's the dog." Maki declared. "Can we finally start playing now?"

"W-works for me." Keebo stuttered. He wouldn't deny he was pleased he didn't have to be the family pet but now he was growing worried he and Shuichi wouldn't make for good parents. Neither boy had a reputation for being authoritative to say the least. Shuichi himself was at a further disadvantage with being the new kid.

Far away from the metal playset, a certain purple haired boy was observing his classmates as they remained careless to the world around them. His eyes focused on Shuichi, smiling as a plan formulated in his brain.

"Oh-ho-ho Saihara." The boy laughed to himself as he slowly paced over to his target. "Let's see how excited you are to see dear old pops again."

Kokichi Lundenburg was by far one of the smallest kids in class, his gremlin-level height fitting his personality like a glove. His thoughts were dedicated to scheming up pranks to pull on his classmates, of fictitious fables of his life to spout out to anybody who would listen. He was careful to plan out his lame excuses and lies for his actions in the event he's caught. He knew he was reckless but he wasn't stupid either. There were many different words one could use to describe Kokichi. While his favorite self-appointed title is one of a "Prankster King", the rest of his classmates were more partial to "Headache."

Hearing footsteps on the old metal equipment, Maki made no attempt to hide her fumes as she watched Kokichi approach with a dangerous look of mischief on his face. She could tell he already prepared whatever unfunny gag he has up his sleeve.

"Go away Kokichi." Maki coldly ordered, his grin becoming more devilish as her demands were ignored.

The rest of the children turned around to see their mischievous classmate right behind them, his pace remaining slow and calculated towards Shuichi.

"H-hi Kokichi." Kaede greeted with forced friendliness. "Wanna play house with us?" She reluctantly offered.

"Yeah he can play the uncle that never gets invited to Christmas, now let me say it one last time." Maki huffed. "GET LOST PIPSQUEAK!" She suddenly screamed before turning her back on her trouble-making classmate.

"Hehehe." Kokichi forced a laugh as he stopped in his tracks. He made no attempt to even acknowledge the ringing in his ears after Maki siren screeched at him. She wasn't going to get in his way with this. "No, I'm not here to play your dumb game." He admitted. "I actually have an announcement for Shuichi!" He menacingly revealed.

Shuichi had no idea what Kokichi had planned but he had a very bad feeling about this. Out of all his classmates, Kokichi was by far the most unpredictable. He still remembered how Lundenberg forced crocodile tears and got Tenko in trouble on the first day of school. Maki resented him the most out of everyone though, herself a victim of his "jokes" going back to preschool. Shuichi himself didn't know how he felt about Kokichi. He certainly didn't appreciate his insensitivity towards his peers for the sake of humor. He knew Kokichi enough already to know he wouldn't go away unless you played along.

"What announcement?" Shuichi reluctantly asked.

An evil smile formed on Kokichi's lips for a moment.

"Did you not hear the news? I'm surprised you haven't heard yet" Kokichi exasperated.

"W-what news?" Shuichi asked, the bad feeling in his belly growing further by the second.

"Oh, just that your dad's getting released from prison today." Kokichi nonchalantly announced. "Said he was innocent and everything! Isn't that great?"

Silence. The world around Shuichi uttered pure silence as he processed what Kokichi said. The other children around him stopped laughing. The wind stopped it's wayward journey, the air getting sickeningly still. He didn't move, how could he when his limbs felt as if they were being held down. He wanted to face away from Kokichi but he couldn't even turn his head.

"Really?" Shuichi mumbled, despite himself.

"KOKICHI STOP!" Kaede cried out. She knew about Shuichi's father, his biological one at least. To her knowledge she, Kaito, and Maki were about the only ones that knew.

…

"Of course not!" Kokichi dramatically revealed. "Why would they let a dirty cop out of prison?" He callously mocked, breaking out into a devilish fit of laughter.

Kokichi barely even read that article. How could he with all the big words used? He didn't care what Kenji Saihara did besides the fact he was "allegedly" caught on the wrong side of a mafia sting in the city. Once he read the name of the culprit he had to confirm if that wimpy Saihara at school knew the one in the news. Kokichi had his suspicions but he thought the odds of that being the case were slim to none. The dreadful scowl on Shuichi's face was enough to tell him he ended up calling it perfectly. Kokichi couldn't stop himself from laughing at the true absurdity of it all.

"S-Shuichi?" Keebo gently called to his friend who had slunk into an unmoving ball.

"How could you say something like that!?" Kaito demanded, his idle hands closing into deep fists.

"That was completely uncalled for Kokichi!" Kaede yelled before slumping down herself to check on Shuichi.

Cruel laughter cooled into inconsistent chuckles. Catching his breath, Kokichi turned around to see Maki behind him, blocking the bridge to their section of the play set. He really hated her ability to sneak up on him like that. He especially hated how she began stomping over towards him, angrier than he's ever seen her before.

It was that exact moment when Kokichi realized he made a grave mistake. Shuichi's friends all knew about dear old dad. He assumed the meek new kid wouldn't have opened up so easily. A fatal miscalculation on Kokichi's part. His attempt to escape down the slide ended in a single step as Kaito quickly blocked the entryway. Keebo was confused but when Kaito told him to block Kokichi he knew to guard the mock rock climb up to their section. The troublemaker was effectively surrounded now.

"I-it was just a joke guys!" Kokichi foolishly reasoned, backing away from a still approaching Maki.

"Just a joke" echoed in Shuichi's foggy brain. His fathers arrest was just a joke to Kokichi. A punchline to a joke with no real set up. Shuichi had to agree, getting ripped away from his only family no matter how crappy they were was hilarious. A textbook definition of comedy.

The silence returned to Shuichi's ears. His vision became dark as he pushed Kaede away as he shot up from his fetal position. He smelled blood as he got to Kokichi before Maki could. He didn't even feel the pain shoot into his hand as he punched Kokichi in the cheek. He tasted revenge for the first time his life with that punch and it was sweet.

Once the adrenaline died, Shuchi's senses returned to him. The sweetness quickly turned bitter as he saw Kokichi on the floor, crying out in pain like a dying animal. He saw that everybody had halted their games and gossip at the sight of little quiet Shuichi decking Kokichi in the face. He saw the horror in Kaede's and Keebo's eyes. Kaito was shocked, but was clearly amused as he failed to keep a straight face. Maki looked proud, maybe a little jealous that she didn't get to do the honor herself.

"Yeah, kill him Shuichi!" A shrill voice called out by the swings, Tenko screaming out her approval at watching that little weasel get his just deserves. She was immediately shushed by both Himiko and Angie as they watched intently on the ongoing drama. They don't know what happened, they just knew Lundenburg had it coming.

Shuichi's blood ran cold as he watched the playground monitor storm over to the commotion.

"What happened here?" The older lady demanded. Kokichi cried as he slipped past Kaito and tumbled down the slide. He fell to the monitors feet, tears falling all over her white loafers.

"Shu-Shuichi punched m-me in the faceeeeee." Kokichi cried out. The monitor gasped as she watched the bruise on Kokichi's cheek grow deeper in purple, matching his hair.

"Is this true young man?" She sternly asked the frozen child on the equipment.

"Kokichi started it!" Kaito desperately interrupted. "He made fun of Shuichi's dad being in-" The boy was loudly hushed by Maki, shoving her hand over Kaito's face.

"Don't go yelling that out you idiot." She harshly reminded Kaito.

"Go to the principal's office right now young man." She ordered as she pulled out a walkie-talkie. Shuichi sighed, his own tears forming again. Shuichi knew he messed up big time now. As he slowly descended the playground equipment the scene played over in his head again. He knew he shouldn't have punched Kokichi but how could he not? Shuichi can't even recall punching his classmate. One second he was recoiling from what was just said to him. The next, he was standing over Kokichi while everyone stared at him like he just grew a third arm.

Shuichi paid no mind to the other kids as he commenced his walk of shame to punishment. He couldn't care about the sympathetic stares Korikiyo, Kirumi, and Rantaro all shot him as he walked past them. He certainly left Miu hanging when she begged for a high five from the sulking Saihara as he climbed the short stairs into the school and towards his fate. As the outside door closed besides him the weight of the situation came crashing down on Shuichi.

Shuichi had been anything but a trouble maker thus far. He hadn't even missed a single homework assignment yet, never been anything close to a disruption or nuisance. All of that goodwill was now gone with a single punch. And for what, a lie about his incarcerated father?

Shuichi reached the transparent door of the principal's office. He stopped cold in his tracks. Was he going to get expelled over this? The thought of leaving his new friends behind broke Shuichi, who shamefully wept again. The glass door cracked open.

"Saihara?" A raspy voice called out, the boy halting his cries for the moment, impressed at how quick words travel at this school.

"T-that's me." He tearfully confirmed.

"Please come in and have a seat, the principal will speak with you shortly."