"Neehee. Waiting for someone?" a cheery voice asked.

Himiko's eyes snapped open. She stood and whirled around in an instant, almost tripping over her own feet in the process.

It couldn't be. It was impossible. And yet, there he was, his devilish eyes twinkling in the pink glow of the chem lights, a fiendish yet innocent smile stretched across his pale features.

Kokichi Oma had returned.

"Watch yourself there, twinkle-toes," he laughed. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"K-kokichi, y-you, I-" Himiko tried to speak, but her tongue had become as clumsy as her legs. A torrent of surprise, fear, relief, and joy cascaded through her all at once, washing the words she had prepared right out of her mind.

"As articulate as ever, I see," the Ultimate Supreme Leader grinned. "Although...hey, have you gotten a little taller?"

At this, Himiko instinctively straightened with pride. "That's right. I've been drinking my milk every day. Now I'm a whole five centimeters taller than I was before!"

"Hmm...I'd say four and a half at most."

"Nyeh?!" Had he seen through her lie so easily?

"More importantly..." Kokichi said, casting a glance around the room. "Where are the others? I want to rub it in their faces that I, Kokichi Oma, Supreme Leader of Evil, managed to end the Killing Game single-handedly and lived to tell the tale!"

Himiko tensed. "Th-that's...what I mean is, um...it's..."

The smile dropped from Kokichi's face. "No...don't tell me you killed them all Himiko?"

"What? No! I would never-"

"Waaaaaahhhh!" Kokichi wailed in terror. "Himiko killed everyone, and now she's brought me back to kill me too! Kaito's dead! Shuichi's dead! Maki, Kee-boy, Tsumugi-this pint-sized Pinochet has slaughtered them allllll!"

"Th-that's not true! Shuichi and Maki are still alive!"

Kokichi's jaw dropped. "What? My beloved Detective lives? Oh, your cruelty knows no bounds, vile sorceress! You kept my best friend alive just so you could make me watch him diiiee!"

"No!" Himiko shouted. "Stop it! I didn't kill anyone!"

"Oh, okay." The terror instantly vanished from Kokichi's features, replaced with mild puzzlement. "Then where are they?"

"I-it's...I..." Himiko paused, struggling to find a simple explanation. "Some bad people captured them. And that's why I came here: so you could help me with the rescue mission."

Far from mollifying him, this summary only seemed to annoy the impish Overlord. "Bad people?" he exclaimed. "Rescue mission? What the hell are you talking about?"

"A lot of stuff has happened, okay? It's hard to explain."

Kokichi sighed. "Well, can you at least tell me who brought you here? Surely I deserve to know the person who planned this so-called mission."

"What?" Himiko blinked, surprised. "How did you know I didn't come alone?"

"If these people were able to capture Shuichi and Maki, there's no way you'd be able to dodge them by yourself. And it's just as doubtful you'd be the one to come up with a plan this audacious. "

"Hey! That's not fair!" the Magician pouted. "You're making it sound like I'm some kind of helpless sidekick!"

"Neeheehee," Kokichi giggled, his smirk unwavering. "Himiko, don't take this the wrong way, but if brains were boobs, you'd have neither."

"Is there supposed to be a right way of taking that?!" she fumed. "Why are you being so mean to me? If it wasn't for my magic you'd still be nothing more than a puddle of icky goo!"

"Your magic?" Kokichi tilted his head. "Uh, I woke up in a cloning pod. Are you saying you think a spell brought me back?"

"Of course, because I saw it! I burned the Necronomicon and brought you back with my magic!"

"I'm telling you, I'm just a clone of Kokichi. Geeze, how can you be so childish?"

The Magician clenched her fists. "Stop lying! There were no cloning-whatevers on the blueprints. And if you're a clone, how come you have all of Kokichi's memories?"

The Overlord thought for a moment, then laughed. "Oh, you're right: I lied. I'm actually a Kokichi from another dimension. I built a time machine and came here to avenge my own death!"

Himiko clenched her eyes in frustration. "That's crazy! Just admit it was magic!"

"No, you see, I'm actually Kokichi's twin brother, Bobichi! I..."

"IT. WAS. MAGIC!" Himiko stomped on the floor as hard as she could, quivering with rage. The echo of her footfall reverberated through the room. Then the stones on the floor began to shake. A distant rumble sounded from deeper in the basement, growing louder by the second.

Himiko turned towards the sound, just in time to see a crack split the nearby wall, chips of concrete falling as the fracture spread upwards.

"Nyeh?" she gasped. "What's going on?"

Kokichi scoffed. "That's so like you, Himiko. You can't win an argument fair and square, so you cast a cave-in spell to shut me up."

"N-no!" Himiko waved her hands frantically. "I didn't-this isn't a spell, it-!"

"It's not?!" Kokichi's eyes widened. "Then we need to get out of here right now!" A bone-shaking BOOM thundered underneath Himiko's feet, as though underscoring Kokichi's point. "Run Himiko!" he shouted.

She didn't need to be told twice. With Kokichi trailing close behind, Himiko sprinted back the way she came in, weaving through the underground tunnels, guided only by the flickering flame of her lighter. Shadows danced around her as the walls shook. Chunks of rock fell from above, the whole ceiling threatening to collapse at any moment.

Himiko's legs burned as she ran out of the mastermind's lair and into the remains of the library, miraculously avoiding the heavy books bouncing from their resting places. She looked back briefly to see Kokichi duck an errant dictionary, then yelp as an entire bookshelf fell mere centimeters from his feet. Despite her terror, she felt a small spark of satisfaction: not even the Ultimate Supreme Leader was completely unshakeable.

"Less smirking, more sprinting!" Kokichi barked, vaulting over the collapsed furniture. Himiko turned and doubled her efforts towards the stairs, managing to clear two at a time despite her...not-yet-long legs.

A ceiling pockmarked with stars greeted her as she made it to the foyer, revealing that the impending cave-in had reached even the ground floor. If she didn't escape soon, the entire building would buckle on top of her.

"This way!" Himiko called as Kokichi caught up. Not that he needed direction: through the cloud of dust, the exit shown ahead, a stream of moonlight guiding the way. Both the Magician and Overlord dashed towards freedom, gasping and pumping their legs as hard as they could. Three meters to go. Then two. Then...

A violent tremor rocked the floor below, causing Himiko's ankle to twist beneath her. She tripped with a gasp, falling behind Kokichi as he reached the exit. His pale form didn't slow for an instant as he cleared the threshold to safety.

"Wait!" Himiko cried, but her tiny voice was swallowed by another massive quake. She glanced over her shoulder, only to see the floor behind her rapidly folding in on itself, the underground passageways imploding in rapid succession. She froze in terror, helpless and alone, mere moments from being buried with the rest of the accursed Academy.

Himiko shut her eyes, ready for it to end.

A hand suddenly clasped around hers, yanking her upright and towards the exit. Before she could register was happening, Himiko tumbled through the doorway, falling on top of Kokichi as the two Ultimates collapsed into the grass.

The building soon followed suit, the roar of its demise deafening as blinding clouds of dust and soot burst from its foundations. Himiko coughed and rubbed her eyes, fighting back the all-out assault on her senses. By the time she could see again and hear again, it was over: a sink hole full of rubble was all that remained of the Ultimate Academy's main hall.

"Um, Himiko?" Kokichi grunted, breaking her daze. "Y'mind letting go before you break my fingers?"

Himiko blushed and quickly released Kokichi's hand. She hadn't even realized she was still gripping it so tightly. "You...you saved me," she murmured.

"Don't read too much into it," Kokichi said, standing and dusting himself off. "I just know from experience that getting flattened is not a fun way to go."

"Aw, c'mon now Kokichi, that's no way to talk to your princess!" a boisterous voice rang out from behind them. "Especially after such a heroic escape!"

Himiko and Kokichi turned to see a young woman bounding their way, her messy pink hair bouncing with every step. The Overlord cast a side-glance at the Magician.

"A friend of yours?" he asked.

"More than just a friend!" the woman interrupted. "I'm the champion of love, reuniting hearts through the boundaries of space, time, and even death itself!"

"Stop," Himiko protested. "I told you, we're not-"

"Ah ah!" the woman placed a finger to Himiko's lips, cutting her off. "I know what you want to say, Himiko, but this is a matter of romantic destiny. There's no time for splitting hairs!"

Kokichi squinted at Himiko. "Please don't tell me this isn't the person who brought you here."

"Nyeh..." Himiko muttered. She was afraid this would happen. "Um...Kokichi, this is Paris. She's..."

"The Ultimate Hacker, survivor of the 50th Killing Semester, and amorous villain extraordinaire!" Paris announced with a little pirouette. "Pleased to meetcha!"

Kokichi blinked, for a moment struck speechless. "50th what now?" he finally asked. "Romantic who?"

Paris froze, exchanging a surprised look with an incredibly embarrassed Himiko. "You mean he doesn't...?" she asked. "Oohhhh boy. Kokichi, you are in for one hell of a heart-to-heart."