Himiko pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she entered the darkened mess hall. She didn't care what Paris said about "automated heating solutions"—this bunker was practically freezing at night. 'Course, it might've helped if Himiko had asked for warmer PJ's. But the ones with the doves printed on them were so cute…

A familiar giggle caused Himiko to freeze in her tracks. The automated lights flickered on overhead, revealing the rest of the expansive cafeteria. Plastic tables and benches lined the dining area on the left, while stuffed with couches and chairs formed a lounge on the right. The smart glass wall at the far end was on, the colors of a hyperactive cartoon dancing across the shimmering surface; illuminating the mirthful expression of Kokichi Oma.

The Overlord sat up and faced Himiko as she approached, his expression bright with shock. "I don't believe it!" he exclaimed. "Four days as the hide and seek champion, only to be beaten by Himiko the moment I let my guard down." His voice lowered. "Tell me the truth: you used a seeker spell to cheat, right?"

"I didn't come here for you," the Magician muttered, releasing the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Why was she not surprised? Days without even so much a hint of Kokichi's shadow, and this is how he finally turned up: sprawled across a sofa, watching cartoons in the middle of the night. "I just came to get a glass of milk."

"Oh?" The Overlord arched an eyebrow. "Hoping it'll go straight to your chest, huh? Hate to break it to you, Himiko, but that's not how that works."

"I know that," she huffed. "And anyway, you shouldn't be talking down to me. I'm not the one staying up all night watching stupid kids' shows."

"Stupid kids' shows? Is that what you think?" Kokichi smirked. "Oh Himiko, you're too precious. Obviously a Supreme Leader such as myself wouldn't waste his time on mindless entertainment. No, this is valuable research."

"Research?" the Magician repeated dubiously.

"Precisely!" The Overlord snapped his fingers. "The stories a society tells its children are often very revealing. These cartoons are modern parables; they teach kids what's good and bad, but they also show us the lessons adults think are worth teaching. Which means the morals that cartoons feed kids are actually the simplest, clearest versions of the ideals their parents want to believe in. This isn't a just 'stupid show;' it's a treasure map to the true heart of this world!"

"Hmmmm," Himiko looked up at the screen in time to see a pink rabbit character slip on a banana peel and go flying out a window. "I dunno about that..."

"Well nobody asked you!" Kokichi suddenly snapped, turning back to the screen and crossing his arms. "And now, thanks to you, I've missed the best part!"

Himiko rolled her eyes and continued making her way into the kitchen. A suite of shiny chrome utensils chirped to life as she entered the white tiled space, but the Magician ignored them and headed straight for the fridge. The potion she was making tonight was simple: a Sleep Aid Elixir she had learned from her master.

Or, at least, she remembered it that way.

Well, when you got down to it, right now it didn't matter where the recipe came from; all that mattered was it would work. After pouring herself a cup of milk, Himiko rummaged through the expansive pantry in the back until she located a bag of white sugar. She hefted it over to the counter where her glass was waiting, then used a box of potatoes it as a step stool to reach the top shelf of ingredients. If Paris had processed phoenix droppings stored somewhere, that would be ideal. Alas: nutmeg and vanilla extract would have to do.

With her materials assembled, Himiko clapped her hands together and began to brew the potent concoction. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons white sugar. Stir, then flourish. Pop in the microwave, and heat for 90 seconds while thinking cozy thoughts. Then, and this was important, add no more than a ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg with a shake of the spoon and…

"Only you would turn a glass of milk into a sacred ritual," Kokichi scoffed.

Himiko started, nearly spilling the potion. When did Kokichi enter the kitchen? And how long had he been standing there? "N-nyeh," she stammered. "What are you doing in here?"

"I got bored," the Overlord yawned. "So I figured I'd come bug you instead!"

"Just my luck," the Magician muttered, heading for the door.

"You should take it as a compliment! It means you're more entertaining than cartoons! Not a lot of people can say that, you know. Hey, where are you going?"

"Back to my room, stupid." Himiko pushed the door back to the mess hall open, only to have Kokichi trailing right behind her.

"B-but your milk will get cold if you walk all the way back there!" he gasped. "Here, let's just grab a seat in the lounge."

Himiko paused. It was true: the elixir's power was most effective when it was still warm. And the lounge did look awfully comfy but…she shot a glare at Kokichi.

"I promise to be good," he cowered. "Honest! I won't even talk unless you talk to me first."

"Hmmm…fine," Himiko relented, padding over to the inviting couch. "But if you start teasing me, I'll cast a 'your favorite shows will never last more than one season' curse on you."

Kokichi swallowed. "H-hey, no need to go that far. I'll behave." He seated himself in the recliner some distance from her.

Satisfied, Himiko settled into the cushions, wrapping herself in her blanket before taking a long draught from her drink. She let out an involuntary sigh as the glass left her lips. It tasted the way head pats felt. She tried to turn her attention to the show on the screen, only to realize Kokichi was staring right at her. She quickly averted her gaze, yet his remained fixed on her, his lavender eyes shining in the corner of her vision. She waited, expecting a snide remark any second. But none came; true to his word, the Overlord remained silent.

"Okay, what do you want?" Himiko finally asked. "Why are you staring at me?"

Kokichi's expression remained unreadable. "I just wanted you to know it was a lie, what I said earlier."

"What was?" The Magician took a long sip of her potion, bracing herself for the answer.

"Those jokes about your chest. I actually like it just the way it is."

Himiko almost choked on her drink. "What?!" she sputtered and coughed. "How dare…I never asked...is that supposed to be funny?"

"Huh?" Kokichi seemed genuinely baffled. "I was just trying to be nice. Is that not allowed now?"

The Magician hunched over in her seat, glowering at the Overlord from over the rim of her glass. "It's weird is what it is," she said. "Why are you trying to get on my good side all of a sudden? Do you want something from me?"

"Perish the thought!" Kokichi swooned dramatically. "Am I so low in your eyes that you always think I have an ulterior motive?"

"Don't pretend like you're surprised. You've always got some kinda scheme up your sleeve."

"Just 'cause I'm a liar doesn't mean I'm never honest," Kokichi waved his hands. "I swear, this isn't part of any crazy plan of mine. How could it be, when I didn't even know you would be here tonight?"

"I guess…" Himiko frowned. It did seem unlikely that Kokichi knew she was going to be in the cafeteria this late at night. But still…what else would explain how weird he was acting? She couldn't let her guard down just yet.

Kokichi shrugged and turned back to the show playing on the wall. Himiko did the same, only to hear the Overlord cough the moment her attention was elsewhere.

"Speaking of plans though," he mused. "I wonder what everyone is planning to do now that we've escaped Team Danganronpa."

The Magician raised her eyebrows. "Well…we have to fight back against them, right?"

"Oh?" Kokichi turned to face her. "Why do you say that?"

"W-well, I mean, we're safe for now, but it's not like they're just gonna stop looking for us. A-and what if they try to start another Killing Game?"

"Hmm…" Kokichi leaned forward. "So you're saying we should, what? Try and destroy Team Danganronpa?"

"I-I guess." The truth was, she hadn't really thought about the specifics. It seemed obvious that she and her friends wouldn't be really free until Team Danganronpa was gone but...how would that even happen?

Kokichi nodded. "The others are probably thinking along similar lines. I bet Shuichi is trying to find some hidden truth to Team Danganronpa, some shocking revelation about their leaders or the Killing Game he can use to short-circuit their power, like he did during the Killing Semester. Paris is most likely looking for a way to crash all their servers or steal their data or something. And Maki…psh, all she ever wants to do is find whoever's responsible and cut their head off. Points for simplicity, I guess." He leaned forward. "Which plan do you think sounds best?"

"Nyeh?" Himiko flinched. "Uhhh…." she touched her chin in thought. "I-I dunno. They all sound like they might work…maybe?"

"What if, hypothetically, there was a fourth option?" Kokichi grinned. "One that didn't just target Team Danganronpa, but the society that built them as well?"

The society that built them? Himiko wasn't sure what that meant but…hey, wait a minute. "Is this 'hypothetical plan' actually yours?" she asked.

"Whaaaaat?" Kokichi laughed. "Don't be silly, I'm not that proactive! I go wherever the fun goes, remember? I'm just playing a thought game with you."

"Liar," Himiko's eyes narrowed. "When I went to go save Maki, you shouted something after me that I haven't forgotten. You said I shouldn't let Maki kill that Danganronpa lady 'cause 'it would ruin everything.' Which means you were already starting to plan something, weren't you?"

The smile slipped from Kokichi's face, replaced with a blank mask of indifference.

"Is that what this is all about?" the Magician pressed. "Is that why you're being nice to me? So I'll go along with whatever you're cooking up?"

For a moment, Kokichi said nothing. Then a familiar gleam entered his eyes. "Well. Seems I've underestimated you," he said. "You really are pretty entertaining after all."

Himiko stiffened, but held her ground. "So what do you really want?"

"Tomorrow, Paris is going to call a team meeting so we can figure out our next move. I'm going to present my vision then, and I want you to help me."

"Help you? How?"

"Oh, just voice your support when the time is right," Kokichi winked. "I have a feeling some of the others might take some convincing."

Himiko paused, almost afraid to ask. "A-and why is that?" she murmured.

"Because I don't just want revenge," the Overlord's lips curled into a wicked smile. "I want revolution."