Chapter 5: Not Enough

Kaede rocked back and forth on the edge of her bed, clutching her knees. The edge of her skirt was drenched with her tears. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

"C-come in!" She said. I wonder if it's Shuichi…

I'm such an idiot. She thought while getting up and walking over to her door. Of course Shuichi and Maki were together! I knew that… I've seen it for a while… The pianist sniffled as she remembered how happy Shuichi was after his "meeting" with Maki a few weeks ago. Now that I think about it… Kaede's heart sank as she started to put the pieces together. How long have they been going out on the field and doing "that"? In the field of all places! Out in the open! It must've been for-

Luckily, before she could finish forming a mental image of her two friends' daily liaisons, the Ultimate Supreme Leader opened her door and skipped into her room.

"He-ey! Kaede! How's it going? Ooooooh, so many posters of wig dudes!" Kokichi looked around the room with shining eyes before plopping down on the bed.

"Kokichi? What are you doing here?" Kaede asked, sitting down next to him.

"Look, piano girl." Kokichi placed his hand on her leg, his dainty little fingers hovering over her thigh as he gently placed them down. Surprised, Kaede flinched, but for some reason, she didn't stop him. He continued,

"I'm sorry I showed you that. But I had to, okay? It was a lot better than, say, you finding out on your own. And, since I'm a liar, you wouldn't have believed me without proof, right? You were crushing on Shumai pretty hard." Kokichi's fingers tingled as he spread them out a bit more. So this is what it feels like.

Kaede rubbed her arm in embarrassment. "Was it that obvious?"

"Yeah!" Kokichi smiled at her, his insides churning as he braced for his question. "Why do you like that emo dork so much anyway? You should totally go for someone else! Someone who isn't all gloomy and self-hating all the time! You know," he said, meeting her eyes and rubbing his hand daringly, every new slight vibration setting every nerve in his arm off into fireworks. "I think you could do a lot better."

As she thought about the hopeless detective, Kaede tilted her chin up and gave a nostalgic smile. "I don't really think so. Whenever I think about Shuichi, I think about just how amazing he is. He's brave, considerate, sensitive, and kind. And I want everyone to see that, especially him. When I'm around him, I just, I feel so warm, and I feel that I can do anything. He always listens to me play, and I can tell he really enjoys it." She giggled to herself. "And he always makes the stupidest face! As if he's never heard a piano before!"

Kokichi understood immediately. Despite what she saw last night, she still had hope. Hope for a happy ending with him by her side. Hope that what she saw last night didn't mean anything, and that Shuichi was still within reach. Her acrimonious confession made him boil over with rage as his smile widened.

Looks like I'm gonna have to try a lot harder…

Shuichi ambled down the hallway, yawning into his hand. Was last night even real? He rubbed his eyes sleepily as he turned the corner and found himself face-to-face with the one person he wanted to avoid.

"M-Maki?!"

The cool beauty stopped in her tracks, making a little "eep!" sound before swiftly turning and running the other direction. Shuichi called after her.

"Maki, wait-"

"Yo, sidekick!"

The Luminary of the Starts jogged up behind him and slapped him on the back. Uh-oh. Shuichi gulped. If there was one person that he didn't want finding out about last night, it was his best friend. I hope Kokichi deleted that picture… god dammit! Why the fuck did he do that? I'm definitely going to confront him later and give him a piece of my mind. What a jerk.

"What's up, man?" Kaito patted the anxious detective's back some more before pulling him aside. "Listen, dude." He whispered, pulling his sidekick close.

"I'm thinking of asking Maki Roll out on a date tonight." He confided, looking away nervously. "Is that a good move right now? I mean, I hope she likes me, but it's so hard to tell, cuz, you know…" Kaito trailed off and looked at Shuichi expectantly.

Shuichi felt like throwing up. "Sure!" He answered, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Go for it! She seems to really like you." Why don't I like this? This is what should happen for both of our sakes… right?

"Awesome!" Kaito released him and gave a thumbs up. "I'm going to my room to plan my attack! She's not gonna know what hit her!"

The Ultimate Astronaut zoomed off as Shuichi sighed and approached his door. What's this? He thought as he saw a piece of paper taped to his door. A note? He flipped the paper over and scanned its contents:

My Dearest Shuichi,

Please come to my room. I have something important to tell you.

Kaede

A note from Kaede! Shuichi's heart soared as he read it. Finally, a chance to explain himself! He had felt their bond break when she had seen that incriminating photo, but now there was a chance! And she called him "My Dearest!" Shuichi felt himself growing taller as he thought of the possibilities. I finally have an opportunity to talk to her…Should I clean up? No! It's not that kind of meeting! I just need to help her understand that what happened last night was an accident. Thank god she's not too mad at me! Without further ado, he raced down the hallway to Kaede's dorm. Knocking eagerly, he spoke to the door:

"Kaede? It's me, Shuichi! I got your note and I want to talk!"

"C-come in!" He heard from voice from the other side.

The door swung open, and Shuichi rushed in before hearing the lock click behind him. To his utter astonishment, he turned and beheld not Kaede, but rather…

"KOKICHI?!"