My Friends Will Keep Me Honest

by grapesoda-bottlecap

It's been a year since the 13 of them woke from the living hell that was the Killing Game. Ever since, they've been living together in a strange world where their old memories are next to meaningless. Kokichi still feels the effects of the game a year later; though, he only blames himself for not being able to get past his guilt. Still, he hopes to, one day, feel like he belongs.

6. Chapter 6: Almost Like Belonging

Consciousness came to him slowly as he lay there, curled up quite tightly. It was quite odd compared to the usual amount of space he would have lying in his bunk, but he supposed he hadn't been thinking about how he'd feel when he woke up in the morning at all. No, he had just been thinking about not having to wake up in his bunk and question whether the night before had really happened.

The night before…

He was sleeping in an armchair in the living area. The thought finally clicked in his mind as he remembered the guilt, the fear, and the warmth of the night before. He had actually thought running away was a good idea. How stupid… And, he had nearly fallen when taken aback by that confession… But he was safe now. Safe in the warmth of the blanket that covered him.

The light of Miu's sunlights mimicked that bright light of early morning on his eyelids, but he didn't move or anything that would give away his consciousness quite yet. Mainly because…

There were others in the room. He heard the footsteps of, most likely, Rantaro walk into the dining area, and he could hear two others making their way into the room from the hall that led to the girl's bedroom and bathroom as well as Miu's lab.

"Are they sleeping?" The girl tried to keep her voice hushed, but it was unmistakably Kaede's voice.

The other hummed uncertainly, "Seems like it." It was Maki's dull voice. "Probably didn't get back until really late with what time it was Saihara finally left to go after him."

Kaede gave a hum of understanding, "Well, I'm glad he found him then. He was acting awfully worried last night, but he wouldn't tell me what the issue was. Actually… He's been acting a bit off the past couple days. I suppose I just thought the issue was getting used to Kiibo-kun, but…"

"He didn't tell you?" Maki seemed quite surprised by this, "I would've thought you'd be the first one he'd go to, not me."

The blonde's response was only partially audible as the two walked by and into the dining area, but he did hear her say, "I don't know for sure, but I think he's the kind who goes to different people for different things instead of having just one person. Clearly he must've thought you'd be the best for…" Then the rest was inaudible.

Kokichi waited until he was sure no one else was in the room to finally open his eyes. He was first greeted by the fabric of the armchair and the grey blanket he was wrapped in, but then he lifted his head to finally look around the room.

It was bright, nearly as bright as the broad daylight, but Kokichi was used to that brightness by then. No, the first thing that caught his eye was the man sleeping soundly in the armchair adjacent to his own. Just as he had been the night before, and just as Kokichi was starting to remember. Part of him still questioned if the previous night had even happened, even then, but he saw the man's arm still propped on the arm of the chair, his hand still hanging in that gap between their chairs, as if still holding onto Kokichi's hand.

"Thinking about losing you… it made me realise how much I… how much I didn't want to lose you."

That memory came back to Kokichi of just the night before. He had held onto that hand until Shuichi had slipped into slumber, then he had drowsily taken it back so he could sleep a bit more comfortably, but Shuichi hadn't moved his hand at all, not even mindlessly in his sleep it seemed.

Shuichi had stayed. It wasn't a dream at all.

Kokichi noticed how the brown blanket Shuichi was tucked under was ever so lightly rising and falling with each gentle breath the man took in his sleep. He couldn't help but be captivated by how peaceful Shuichi looked there, curled up in the armchair with his head resting in the nook between the backrest and the wing, his hair only lightly tousled.

Despite knowing it wasn't a dream at all, it still almost felt that way. Or… Maybe Shuichi just always had that perfect, dream-like quality to him. Yeah, that was what it was, wasn't it?

He removed the grey blanket he was wrapped in as he stood up silently, stretching his arms as he did so. He realised only then just how sore the cramped sleeping position had left him, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much, it was more than worth it to be able to see Shuichi's resting form when his eyes woke to false sunlight instead of the darkness of his bunk above Rantaro's.

After one last look at the peacefully resting Shuichi, Kokichi padded on careful tip-toes into the dining area, where a surprising amount of people had already gathered. He realised then it was likely because he had slept in later than he usually did.

"Ah, good morning, Ouma-kun!" Kaede's bright, friendly self was the first person to acknowledge his entrance into the room as she sat next to Maki at the dining table. A few others turned their gazes to acknowledge him at Kaede's greeting, Maki and Kiibo who sat at the dining table as well as Rantaro and Kirumi who sat at the kitchen island.

Kiibo was the next to speak, saying, "I am glad to see you are joining us, Ouma-kun!" His typical robotic way of speaking made Kokichi amused, even if he was a bit confused by the attention he was receiving.

Kokichi put his hands up behind his head, grinning as he often did, "Well, good morning to you, too! I'm glad you guys are in a good mood, but… I'm not so dumb, y'know? I know you must be buttering me up, Akamatsu-chan. You too, Kiiboy!" (He heard yet ignored Kaede's protest of, "Buttering you up? I'm not doing anything like that!") He walked past the dining room table to the island counter, where he expected the coffee-drinkers like Miu and Shuichi to end up when they woke up.

Kirumi was pouring tea for Ryoma while Rantaro sipped on his coffee. When Kokichi sat down at the island, she greeted him with her usual formality, "Would you like me to pour you some tea or coffee, Ouma-kun?"

"Ah, I don't need silly caffeine!" He grinned and lied as he always did, "I've got plenty of energy of my own!"

Rantaro let out a hearty laugh, "I wish I could say the same, hah."

Ryoma chuckled amusedly as well, "Yeah, that makes two of us."

The green-haired man took a sip of coffee from his mug painted with sunflowers, bringing his attention to Kokichi when he sat the mug back down on the table. "So… can I ask, how do you do it? What's the secret to this self-made energy you speak of?" He smiled like he was partially joking, as if knowing Kokichi had been lying, so was he just… entertaining the joke?

Kokichi didn't really know what to make of it, but he kept up his smile and played along. "Well… I don't really know if I can share such a secret… Don't you know that if anyone finds out the secrets of my organisation, that we have to… y'know, get rid of that knowledge?"

Rantaro hummed, "Well, 'course. I wouldn't expect anything less, 'specially for such top secret knowledge."

Ryoma joined in, very unexpectedly, "How would you say that organisation of yours compares to the mafia I took down, huh? If this is all secret business… I might have to whip out the old tennis racket if it comes down to it." Of course, he was clearly in on the joke too, not really meaning it. Still, it was very odd, to say the least.

He let out a laugh of exaggerated shock, "Wow! You'd really kill to get that information, huh? Well… Now I really have to keep it to myself, we can't have any more death than what's necessary, y'know?"

"Ah, that's too bad…" Rantaro said, turning his gaze away for a brief moment before looking back and putting on what seemed to be a… teasing look. "Especially since I'm sure Saihara-kun would like to know the secret too, hm? Hah, he certainly looks it."

Kokichi looked at him oddly, about to ask what he was talking about, but then movement in his peripheral vision told him someone had sat down beside him, plus the voice that joined the conversation with it.

"Hm? What are you talking about, Amami-kun? Secret? Looks?" A light chuckle left the newcomer's mouth along with a sleepy hum, "Sorry to be nosy, but you looked at me right before saying it, heh."

Still, after a year, Kokichi found himself speechless looking at the man. What did he do to deserve living in the same existence as such a person? He used the term 'perfect' lightly, he truly did, but that's what the man was in his eyes. His warm, awkward smile was such a comforting thing. Kokichi could only wish that there would never be a day when he saw that smile for the last time. How could Kokichi have possibly thought about leaving for good just the day before?

"Good morning, Saihara-kun," Kirumi greeted him, "Would you like me to pour you some coffee?"

The blue-haired man looked briefly of slight surprise, but nodded lightly, "Ah, yes please, Tojo-san." Another small laugh left his mouth, gracing his lips with a(n absolutely adorable) smile. "I'm quite tired despite the restful sleep, but… I suppose staying up will do that, heh." He turned to face Kokichi, (cute) sleepy eyes meeting his. "If it's alright, can I ask what you guys were talking about?"

Kokichi, ashamedly, froze, something he scarcely did, especially over something as ridiculous as Shuichi's beauty. He ought to have been used to the man's pretty face by then, but he found himself unable to get a response out in the full force of Shuichi's warm, drowsy look.

For whatever reason, Rantaro saved his butt big time by answering the question instead, "Me and Hoshi-kun were just asking about Ouma-kun's secret to being naturally full of energy in the mornings. Ouma-kun says he's keeping it to himself though, so I was curious if you'd be able to convince him to share." Though, he ended it by sending a knowing look in Kokichi's direction. …He fully knew Kokichi had frozen up over Shuichi, didn't he?

Still, the answer had given Kokichi the time to get over that slight error and put his usual grin on his face, "Mhm! Though, it's still a 'no', Amami-chan. As convincing as Saihara-chan's sleepiness is, he'll be perfectly fine using his bitter drug juice!"

Ryoma laughed at that, "Drugs? If you think caffeine is bad, you clearly haven't seen the folk I've seen."

Just then, Kirumi returned to the table, passing Shuichi his blue and white mug, "I don't know how you usually make your coffee, but please tell me if it needs anything more."

"Oh, alright," Shuichi bowed his head in thanks. He took a testing sip, looking quite pleased when he pulled the mug from his lips. "It's perfect, thank you, Tojo-san." Then, he turned to face Kokichi again, revealing a small piece of paper folded in his hand by setting it down on the table in front of Kokichi as he stood up from his seat. "Sorry to leave so soon, Ouma-kun." And… He walked away.

Kokichi watched in confusion, (and that odd admiration he somehow managed to feel whenever Shuichi did mundane things like walking), as the man left with his coffee mug to go out to the living area. He would say the man had left quite suddenly and without explanation, but the folded note on the table likely made up for the latter.

Why'd he have to leave so soon? He thought. He caught himself smiling far too late when he noticed Rantaro's knowing eyes on him again. He mentally scolded himself for being so obvious, then focused on the note left on the table.

He had only seen Shuichi's handwriting a couple times before, but never in the volume that was written in the note. Not that the contents were that long, but he'd only seen a word or a few in Shuichi's handwriting before. It would likely be of no surprise to mention that he found he quite liked the man's handwriting.

It was so perfectly messy, not near as messy as his own handwriting was, but even though it was clear he had tried to write neatly, there were rushed strokes and accidentally connected characters. And, just the general look was both so pointed, yet round all the same, like Shuichi's words could be sometimes in the way they were so motivated, but simultaneously soft and cautious.

But Kokichi put the looks aside so that he could actually read the note.

"

Ouma-kun, I know we should talk about last night. Trust me, we will, and I'm not avoiding it, but I think it's important you spend the day with the others, alright? I think you'll find they care about you like you care about them, even though you've been a bit distant for the last couple days.

When everyone starts to go to sleep for the night later, let's talk then, okay? I'm looking forward to it, truthfully. (P.S. Can you tell if people are lying through text or handwriting? The question just came to me, and now I must admit I'm a bit curious.)
— Shuichi

"

Of course Shuichi would be worried about Kokichi's relationships with the others. He wanted to shake his head and scoff, then tell Shuichi what a worrywort he is for saying he should spend the day with everyone but him. Although, he found he couldn't tell if people were lying through text at all, even though he wished he could know if the "I'm not avoiding it" was the truth for sure.

Though, Shuichi had written "trust me" and Kokichi could only think of the night before. Of course Kokichi trusted him, even if part of him was still conflicted about admitting such a thing. Because of this inner conflict, he didn't know how to feel about the fact that they were going to end up talking later. It was unavoidable, and he didn't want to avoid it, but he also didn't know if he was quite ready for the full truth.

Especially not that truth.

"I think I've… fallen for you, Ouma-kun."

It had scared him then and it still scared him now, possibly even more now that it was undeniable to himself how he himself had fallen for Shuichi, so much so that others outside of just Miu were starting to catch on, (even if that 'other' was just Rantaro).

Speaking of, the green-haired man sipped on his coffee casually when Kokichi had looked up from the note, but it was clear he had been looking at Kokichi only a moment before. Rantaro had always been odd, but Kokichi didn't realise he was so nosy! Further proving his point, he opened his mouth to speak only after Kokichi had folded the note and put it in his pocket.

"Hey, uh, Ouma-kun?" Rantaro waited until Kokichi met his eyes to continue, "So, this might be coming completely out of nowhere, but, you should know… I'm a bit of a light sleeper, especially compared to Momota-kun. That guy could probably sleep through quite a lot, wouldn't you agree?"

Kokichi didn't get much of a chance to process the man's confusing words though, because another person sat down beside him, although this time with great energy.

"Piss-stain! Good to see you're finally awake, hah!" Miu smiled wide, as if having completely forgotten their falling out the night before. Had she forgotten? Or was she just pretending it didn't happen? Still, she carried on as per usual. "Oi, Tojo, can ya' get me a cup of coffee?"

The maid gladly nodded, standing up to get Miu's coffee. It didn't take long before Kirumi came back and passed the mug to Miu, then, teapot and cup in hand, left with Ryoma to the living area, as if she had just been waiting for all the coffee drinkers before leaving.

Miu next spoke to Rantaro, though not without her typical obnoxious laugh, "Talking about sleeping, did you see those two this morning? Hah! I was just waking up to use the restroom last night and I saw them passed the hell out there on those chairs!" She turned to look at Kokichi, "Y'know, I thought you'd be better at keeping things secret when it finally happened, but you have no shame, do ya'?"

Of course, he thought, holding back a groan of annoyance, I should've figured she'd have seen…

Kokichi, despite irritated thoughts, just grinned as always, "I don't know what you're talking about! You sure those weren't the bunker ghosts sleeping there? I mean, I'd forgive you if your nighttime vision was so absolutely terrible that you mistaked a couple of paranormal entities for real people!"

"Oh, come on, like I'm falling for that bullshit! Try that on Momota, but you aren't convincing me!" She turned her head in distress to Rantaro, "You saw 'em, didn't you?"

Rantaro just shrugged, taking another sip of coffee, "Maybe, maybe not."

Miu looked absolutely bewildered that Rantaro would take Kokichi's side, but Kokichi had to admit that he was pretty shocked the man didn't immediately rat him out. Kokichi had a feeling that most everyone had seen him and Shuichi lying out there, but part of him couldn't care at all. There was nothing shameful about wanting a change of scenery sometimes, right? Plus, it's not like they had been in the same chair, he'd probably be a bit ashamed if that were the case.

Kokichi laughed at the look on Miu's face, but decided to do Miu the favour of not making her feel completely stupid. "Amami-chan's a liar now, too, I suppose! I can't believe you actually thought he was legitimately unsure! No, Amami-chan and most everyone else saw it pretty clearly, I'd assume."

She let out a laugh at the admission, "I knew it! Sheesh, and you were trying to lie to my face… both of you! What's gotten into you, Amami? Since when were you so cruel?"

Rantaro chuckled, still looking quite amused despite the accusation, "Now, now, I was just playing along with the joke. It was nothing against you, I swear. I would've owned up to the lie if Ouma-kun hadn't."

Still, the blonde huffed in annoyance, (which Kokichi was able to tell was partially faked), and put a hand on her hip. "It's difficult enough having one irritating shithead, so don't you go joining him, Amami! We don't need more liars, one is plenty enough, hah!"

After a few moments of Miu and Rantaro sipping on their coffees, Kokichi decided he was getting pretty bored and stood up with his hands behind his head. "O-kay! Well, you guys are kinda boring now, so I'm going to go see how Kiiboy's doing—" But he was stopped by a hand grabbing his sleeve.

Miu laughed obnoxiously, "Like hell ya' are! You owe me some help on a project after going two whole days without talking to me! And don't think you can get out of it, 'cause… I won't let you!" She sounded incredibly forceful, but Kokichi knew that was a front, a huge front to cover up her insecurity.

But Kokichi entertained her acting, "Ah! No, please— Anything but having to be Iruma-chan's slave!" He put on his fake tears as he gave a glance backwards at Rantaro, "Amami-chan! Forget what I said about you being a bad liar, I don't even care! You have to save me!"

Rantaro seemed to see right through the act though, just shaking his head amusedly while taking another sip of coffee, not saying a word more to either of them.

So, Kokichi ended up being dragged to Miu's lab, although, despite how forceful it may have looked to everyone else, he was perfectly fine spending time with the blonde. To be fair, he hadn't spoken with Miu for the last two days, with the exception of their small argument the night before.

When he sat on his stool in front of Miu's workbench, he had put his feet up on the workbench just to be annoying while he complained, "I don't get what you need me for, isn't Kiiboy like your permanent slave now? I mean, doesn't he even sleep in here with you? Err, I guess 'recharge'…"

Miu scoffed, clearly offended by the accusations, "He's not my slave. Just 'cause I built him doesn't mean I get the right to screw around with him as I like, y'know. I do have respect. Y'know… a bit. P-Plus! He may sleep in here, but he has his own bed. I'm not gonna make him sleep with me… How awful of a person do you think I am?"

He let out a small hum at her words, thinking about what next to say before Miu swatted at his legs again.

"Sheesh, Ouma! How many times do I have to tell you to keep your damn feet off my desk?" Miu sounded angry, but he could tell she wasn't near as mad as she had been truthfully with her previous words. It was so weird how Miu seemed to enjoy his messing with her sometimes, yet could take it so seriously other times.

Kokichi laughed at being caught, but still complied with putting his feet down. "Boo! You're no fun, y'know. Your workbench is the perfect throne for my weary feet! Oh, the many hours they have waited to be able to rest upon such a sacred place!"

Miu snorted a laugh, "Oh, fuck off with that bullshit, you're fine!"

He didn't know how long it was he spent helping Miu draw plans and tighten screws and bolts, but he didn't particularly care. It made him feel useful, even if he knew he wasn't doing that much for Miu. The blonde argued that his ability with design and diagrams was pretty good, even if it wasn't near as great as hers, of course, but… inventing and constructing wasn't his talent, he was simply an extra pair of hands, (hands that were apparently 'okay' at drawing, but still).

Eventually, Miu put down the piece of machinery she was working on to break the brief silence they had been in since she instructed him to organise some screws for him. He tried not to pay any mind to her, but her grin told him that she was about to say something annoying.

"So…" She started, trying to look casual of all things as she leaned back in her chair. "I'm curious… Did… Did you two…? Y'know…"

Kokichi quirked a brow at her. "You're going to have to be more specific than that." He regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth and he saw the smug look on Miu's face, putting her words together in his head only a moment too late.

Miu snickered, clearly from trying to hold in laughter, "You and Shit-hara! C'mon, Ouma, it's obvious what I'm talking about! So? Did you? Did you… y'know… do it?"

His face went hot with embarrassment and irritation at just the suggestion, "Wh-What the hell, Iruma-chan? It'd be none of your business even if something like that did happen!" He realised too late, again, that that was not his best retaliation, as it just came off defensive instead of legitimate.

The inventor finally burst out laughing, clearly even further convinced by Kokichi's terrible argument, "Holy shit! You totally did, didn't you? Hah! I can't believe it! C'mon, you have to tell me about it! Who was the top? Hah, who am I kidding? You were definitely the bottom!"

Kokichi froze up only briefly at Miu's vulgar assumptions, and finally scoffed, "Oh, shut it. I'm telling you, that seriously didn't happen. You really think I would've been so obvious even if it had? Plus, I… I don't like you thinking about us that way, especially him. How many times do I have to tell you it's nothing like that? I get that you're a nosy whore and all, but this is too far, Iruma-chan."

She pouted, crossing her arms defensively and whimpering a bit as she spoke back, "W-Well… Sorry, I was just trying to… y'know, be interested in what's going on in your life… I don't actually care that much, I just… y'know, wanna be excited for you or… whatever…"

He let out a sigh at the whole display, realising Miu was telling the truth about all that, and that her intentions hadn't been malicious at all, but still. He couldn't handle her joking about such a stupid thing, not when it involved Shuichi. She could joke about Kokichi all she wanted and say all sorts of nasty, vulgar things and depending on his mood, he might even go so far as to play along, but he didn't want her to bring Shuichi into that.

"Whatever, I'll forgive you… I guess. But only 'cause I owe you after calling you and Shuichi stupid last night. So, y'know, I have to apologise and all that, too."

Miu immediately perked up, letting out a usual laugh, "Like I give a shit about that! You've called me far worse, you really think I give a shit about being called 'stupid' for the millionth time by you? You were just in a bitchy, pouty mood then, but you're back to normal now, and that's all I care about, hah!"

Kokichi shot her an odd look, "Back to normal? What's that supposed to mean?"

She gave him an irritated look, "C'mon Ouma, don't act like shit hasn't been tough for you since we brought Kiibo back. Err, I guess I should say when Shit-hara fell because… Seriously! I know I gave you an earful yesterday, but that's 'cause you were stressing me out, y'know?"

He fidgeted with a screw mindlessly, pretending not to care about Miu's words as he stared at it intently. He ended up shrugging in reply, "I don't know how I would've done that." Then, he tossed the screw he held where the others similar to it belonged and grabbed a handful more to sort.

Miu grabbed the piece she was working on, busying herself as well. (Funny how they used the same method of distraction to allow themselves to have genuine conversations like those.) "Well… Y'know…"

She struggled to find the way to say it at first, but eventually continued, "You never fully explained what happened on the roof with Shit-hara, and you were clearly upset about that. Maybe snapping at ya' wasn't the best way to respond, but… it pisses me off when you just keep that shit to yourself and just… act like it didn't happen! Or whatever…"

Kokichi hummed automatically, not looking up from the screws in his hands. Miu got… mad when he kept his emotions to himself? Wasn't she also in agreement that they didn't have to care about each other's feelings like that? Whatever happened to not wanting to talk about feelings?

Miu scoffed when he said nothing. "'Course, you're just gonna ignore me. Y'know, I can tell when you're putting up your stupid mask, right? Hah! A year spent having no one but you and Baka-matsu as company will do that! Can't you just tell me what's making you act all stupid as of late? Maybe tell me what happened on the rooftop that day? 'Cause if you aren't gonna get that off your chest to anyone else… might as well tell me so I don't bug ya' about it any longer, hah!"

He let out a sigh as he tossed the last screw from his hand, turning to look at Miu. "Seriously?"

"Well… yeah."

Kokichi stared back at the pile of unsorted screws that sat on the workbench in front of him. Miu was seriously asking for him to… vent(?) to her. Miu… cared? The thought tasted sour, like there was something wrong with it, but… What was he acting surprised for? They were… They were friends, after all. Isn't caring something that friends are supposed to do?

No, the last thing he wanted to do was admit the weakness that had been eating away at him to Miu who would only ever laugh at him about things like that before. But… Miu was having good intentions, wasn't she? It was hard to tell, but he supposed that, like she had said, a year stuck with her would make those things more obvious to him.

"The idiot slipped trying to keep me from falling," he explained flatly as he again started to sort screws. "If he hadn't, it would've been me, and I wouldn't have been able to whistle for Kiibo."

He heard Miu inhale like she was about to laugh, but she only coughed awkwardly as she continued to tinker on the piece in her hands. She was… trying, which meant a lot from Miu. Often she only ever tried to be nice for Kaede's sake. After a moment of silence, she mumbled out, "So… What about Kiibo then?"

Kokichi shot her a questioning look, "What about him?"

Miu groaned, "I thought you were supposed to be smart and get what I'm saying right away! I mean, why were you all hyped up for him to be back just to be treating him like some sort of ex-boyfriend that cheated on you or something?"

Her comparisons only made sparse sense as always, but he supposed it only made sense that she'd have found out from Kiibo how he was acting all distant ever since the day he came back. He let out a small sigh, "Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yes, dumbass! Sheesh, what is up with you, piss-stain? Hah, I know you've been out of it, but this is bad, even for you!"

Kokichi laughed, easily throwing up a grin as he looked in her direction. "Fine, you want to know? It's 'cause the robot puts me out of a job, doesn't it? I know you say my diagrams are somewhat helpful enough to keep me around, but Kiiboy is far better company, y'know! You can't even lie to me, whore, I know the truth."

Miu burst out laughing, setting her piece of machinery down as she continued to laugh pompously as she always did. (This is why I don't talk with her about serious things, he thought.) "Sheesh, get off your high-fucking-horse, dickhead! You clearly don't know shit, 'cause you've been my lab assistant for a year and you really think I'm gonna kick you out for Kiibo?"

After another laugh, she added, "The only fucking way he'd be able to completely replace ya' is if ya' fucking disappeared like you've been doing these past few days! Hah, It's been a year of all of us being stuck looking at your face, and a year of them thinking of Kiibo was long gone, we aren't gonna just forget about ya'!"

With a scoff, she went back to tinkering with her machinery, smiling to herself as if still proud of and amused by her own words.

Kokichi ended up staring at the screws again, but only able to think about what Miu had said. Again, just as she had been the day before, she was completely right. It had been a year, and… it was nonsensical to think Kiibo was a replacement, right? Had he simply been foolish to ever think that? It was pretty likely that was the case.

"Whatever you say," was all he said in reply, but he smiled slightly as he continued to sort screws. Of course, he ended up thinking, I'm Miu's friend, and… She cares and… wants me here. I guess that that makes sense. I can accept that. …Probably.

Miu… for whatever reason… cared about him, in her own way. Kokichi was thankful for that, thankful to feel cared about, thankful that they could have that despite history and everything, and thankful that his presence was wanted even if not particularly needed. He was Miu's friend. Miu was his friend.

Why it had taken him that long to start to fully accept it, he didn't know, but he supposed it was better than never, right?

. . .

When lunchtime came around, Kirumi stopped by like she always did, likely after telling everyone in the bedrooms first, to tell Miu and Kokichi that she had prepared lunch for everyone. Miu excitedly told Kirumi through the screen on her desk that they'd be right out, then shut off the video camera and unlocked the door.

It had been quite a while since he had last gone to lunch; between his petty avoidance of everyone the two days prior and the couple days spent in Miu's secret lab helping with Kiibo before that, he hadn't had lunch with everyone since the day that that robot had fallen in the alleyway. Funny how so many things went back to that day, (so many being only two, but he felt his point still stood).

Kiibo was the first to greet him, "Hey, Ouma-kun! You should come sit next to me!" The robot was sitting in Kokichi's usual spot against the wall, but Miu decided to sit across from Kiibo instead of next to him in her regular spot.

Kokichi scoffed, "C'mon, you guys don't need to completely change around the whole set-up just for me, I don't even care that Kiiboy took my spot."

But Miu just laughed, "Don't be stupid, Ouma! We never had assigned seats in the first place! Plus, even if we did, since when did you care about following such a stupid rule like that? Wouldn't you be the kind to be against all that order and conformity kind of nonsense?"

So, he ended up sitting next to Kiibo, with Kaede sitting next to Miu across from him, Rantaro sitting next to him, then Maki on Kaede's other side. The set-up was completely changed up, but Kokichi supposed he didn't mind, if the seating was bound to change every meal, then maybe that would be a good change.

When everyone had gathered at the dining table, Kirumi came by and passed out dishes with Kiibo's help, with the two receiving typical 'thanks' and 'thank you's from everyone there. Kiibo sat back down beside Kokichi, looking sadly around himself at, likely, the plates that sat in front of them all.

After swallowing a bite of food, Kokichi turned to Kiibo, finally acknowledging his depressed state. "C'mon, Kiiboy, you look like someone just died! Food isn't that great, trust me, it's much easier to be a robot, y'know!"

Kiibo examined him for a moment, before letting out a small sigh. "I would like to believe you, but something tells me there is something I don't know about being a robot that everyone else knows that would make that statement a complete lie, Ouma-kun."

Kokichi shot an angry, questioning glance at Miu as if to say, 'You haven't told him?'

Miu, mid-bite, just went pale with guilt, quickly looking away and stuffing her face with far more food than necessary. Clearly, she must've been avoiding going over the topic with Kiibo. Kokichi supposed he understood not wanting to upset Kiibo, but it was just as bad to leave Kiibo not realising how unlucky he was to wake up in the world they were in now.

After letting out a sigh, Kokichi finally broke the truth to Kiibo. "Yeah… I really thought Iruma-chan would be the one to tell you, but… That was a lie, robots really don't have it easy here at all. Well, not in other robot's opinions anyway. I think constantly being hunted down and treated like scrap metal is easy-peasy!" He popped a bite of food in his mouth, smiling childishly as he ate it.

The robot gasped, "W-Wait, what?! Hunted down…? Robots aren't evil here, are they?" He looked between the unresponsive two, Miu and Kokichi, looking panicked, "C'mon! You can't leave me in the dark any longer. I need to know about the other robots you spoke of!"

Kaede was the one who ended up speaking up when no one else did, "No, not at all, Kiibo–kun. Robots are perfectly fine, but there are a few bad ones, and, well… because of that there are a lot of scared humans who don't treat robots kindly." 'Don't treat robots kindly' was a funny way to say 'kill robots on sight', but he supposed he wasn't one to talk when he himself had been refusing to speak.

Kiibo thought the answer over for a moment before saying, "So… robo-phobia is really bad here?"

The blonde nodded, a sad look on her face, "Yes, unfortunately. But you'll be safe, Kiibo-kun, don't worry. We won't let anyone hurt you. Plus, no one can get to us here underground, we've been safe here for nearly as long as we've stayed here." She was completely right, there was no way Kiibo himself could get hurt, but it would still be pretty stressful to learn one's entire kind was being treated so badly, nonetheless.

But such a dark topic was no fun at all, so Kokichi finally spoke, grinning wide, "Y'know Kiiboy, now that regular robo-phobia involves laser guns and violence, we can disregard the roomba comments being labelled robo-phobia, right?"

The robot let out another gasp, which Kokichi would label as being quite dramatic coming from anyone else, but Kiibo was just, well, kind of built that way. "Ouma-kun! This is serious! Please don't joke like that when my entire kind is facing such terrible discrimination!"

A small laugh left his mouth, "Aw, but there's nothing more I can do to stop it, so why act surprised that I'd rather make a joke of the situation? Y'know… I have a second organisation here, of all robots!" He popped a bite of food into his mouth, grinning and adding mid-bite, "Including me!"

Kiibo rolled his eyes in that over-dramatic way he did sometimes, "We all know that's a lie by now, Ouma-kun. And now you're going to say this one also has ten thousand members?"

Kokichi swallowed his bite, "Twenty thousand."

"That's completely ridiculous," Kiibo said with a disapproving look and the crossing of his arms. "You say it has been about a year since you woke from the killing game, but your lies haven't improved at all, Ouma-kun."

Ouch, he thought amusedly. He couldn't deny it, the robot was completely right, he was still making the same old lies, wasn't he? Even after a year… Although, he would like to think he had narrowed down the pool of lies he told, no more acting like a killer, right?

Miu burst out laughing at Kiibo's comment, her face slamming into the table as she chortled. This caught the attention of some others at the table and Kokichi could only laugh as well at the whole display, then even Kaede snickered a bit, clearly having heard Kiibo's comment.

Kiibo himself looked beyond confused, cracking an awkward smile, "Iruma-san… Ouma-kun… Did I say something funny? That wasn't meant to be funny… Was I… Was I wrong? Am I missing something?" He looked confused between the two who were, again, unresponsive, only for the kind blonde to step in again.

"I think they're laughing because what you said is true, or at least, partially so." Kaede looked amusedly at Miu, albeit a bit awkwardly, "Iruma-san… If you keep laughing so loud, you'll hurt yourself… Come on, get it together, Iruma-san."

Kokichi let his laughter die out so he could join in with Kaede, "Yeah, Iruma-chan, if you keep cracking up, you're going to need more mental help than you already do! And, sadly for you, no, Akamatsu-chan doesn't count as a therapist."

Kaede, somehow, found this line amusing, a smile cracking across her face as she laughed softly into her hand, something almost similar to something he would see Shuichi do, perhaps she had picked up the habit from him. "Ouma-kun, don't say that! I don't mind listening to her, I may not be an actual therapist, but I don't mind listening to her as a friend."

She paused, turning her smile to Miu to find the other blonde had stopped laughing, still with her head on the table. "Iruma-san? Is… Is everything alright?" She let out a disappointed sigh, "As annoying as you were being, this is a bit worrying."

Miu lifted her head, revealing an upset pout and tinted cheeks as she crossed her arms. Then, before saying a word, she stood up with her plate of food in hand, saying, "I need a moment," before she headed out of the room.

Kiibo was the first to react, calling out, "Iruma-san? What do you mean?" But the inventor didn't respond.

Kaede ended up standing up with a small sigh and shake of the head, taking her plate with her as well. She muttered something under her breath that Kokichi could just barely make out as being, "Oh, Iruma-san…"

The robot looked extremely confused still, especially now that the two blondes that had been sitting in front of them had stood up and left. "What just happened? I don't quite understand what the issue was. Should I go after Iruma-san too?"

Kokichi shrugged unhelpfully. To be fair, Miu's display was quite out of nowhere, and even he didn't quite understand what was going on. He figured that'd be it and took another bite of food, not expecting Rantaro beside him to speak up.

"Jealousy, if I had to guess." The green-haired man said it in a noncommittal kind of way, as if to try and sound unsure, but Kokichi could tell he was fully confident in that guess. He'd never understand why Rantaro always wanted to sound unsure of himself.

He himself considered Rantaro's words, trying to figure out where jealousy had any part in the whole thing, somewhat expecting it to be some sort of big deal, but, when he realised what was meant by it, he realised just how childish Miu's actions had been. Was Miu seriously jealous over Kaede… laughing at his jokes? (An action he didn't quite understand, since when did anyone other than maybe Miu laugh at something he said?)

Kokichi wanted to laugh and point out how stupid of a reaction that was from Miu, but then he also thought of his own behaviour over the last few days and came to the conclusion that he had no room to talk.

How stupid must I have looked sitting with my eyes glued shut on top of that building? He thought, How stupid must I have looked when I turned against Shuichi after he bandaged my hand that day? It was laughable how childish both he and Miu acted, maybe another reason they had managed to find their strange bond with each other.

Still, Kiibo showed confusion in the situation, "What do you mean? Jealous of what? Of who?"

Kokichi let out a laugh, still not quite believing it himself, "Me, apparently. Iruma-chan doesn't like that I made her beloved Akamatsu-chan laugh, I suppose!"

The robot frowned, clearly not satisfied with this proposal. "I don't know… That seems quite ridiculous and not at all fitting of a reason to explain such a dramatic disappearance." So his robot brain understood appropriate and reasonable responses, did it? Too bad it didn't also know that humans never stuck by such a silly standard with all their dramatic human emotions.

"Really, Kiiboy? Haven't you figured it out already?" He laughed again, trying his best not to come off as too mean-spirited with the type of act he was playing, "Me and Iruma-san are absolutely completely ridiculous! I know you're a year behind, but you really should've figured this out from everything we've done, ha!"

Kiibo stared at him for a moment, looking as if he was processing the statement, before letting out a thoughtful hum. "Are you… saying that you and Iruma-san don't behave regularly? I… I suppose now that I say it, it… it does make sense. Is that why you and Iruma-san are friends? Because of your behaviour patterns?"

Kokichi immediately scoffed, crossing his arms, "Don't be stupid, Kiiboy, we are not friends!" He grinned widely, "I hate her more than anything else in the world! I mean, I hate everyone here, too! You guys are just so annoying, y'know?"

The robot looked like he wanted to respond crossly for a second, but then his eyes seemed to light up in recognition. "Ah, I see. Irregular behaviour and responses, so…" He seemed to have realised that Kokichi was lying. Smart roomba, Kokichi thought.

Still, he wouldn't dare admit it aloud in his childish manner, "I don't know what you're talking about, Kiiboy, but shouldn't you go make sure Iruma-chan is okay? It's probably been long enough for Akamatsu-chan to say what Iruma-chan needed to hear from her, huh?"

Kiibo nodded briskly, "Oh! Of course, I should go check on Iruma-san." Then he stood up and left, leaving Kokichi sitting next to Rantaro as well as three empty seats all around him.

He sat and ate his food silently, only standing up when his plate was cleared of lunch. He went over to the sink to take care of his dishes to find Rantaro had gotten up as well for the same reason. Kokichi ignored him, simply cleaning off his plate and utensils as everyone made sure to do to help Kirumi.

Rantaro was the one who ended up speaking to him as he stood waiting for his turn. "Hey, sorry for making assumptions this morning. You can tell me off if I get a bit too nosy."

Kokichi gave him an odd glance, "What? What assumptions?"

The man shrugged, "I made a comment about being a light sleeper after I saw the way you were looking at Saihara-kun and that note he gave you. Which still stands, I wasn't lying, but I do realise that I shouldn't be assuming what's going on with others, heh."

Oh, that. Kokichi had completely forgotten about the odd comment because of Miu that morning, but now that Rantaro was explaining himself, it finally clicked what he had meant by the whole thing. But Kokichi could only find it in him to laugh at the man apologising to him.

"You seriously think that's a big deal? You haven't even heard Iruma-chan's assumptions then! There was a time she totally thought you were sleeping around with Akamatsu-chan and then refused to look at you for a day with absolutely no proof except her terribly incorrect gut-feelings."

Rantaro hummed thoughtfully, choosing to ignore the horrible assumption of Miu's, "Yeah, but I suppose I just feel a bit more guilty of those sorts of things than she does. No disrespect to her of course. Although, I realise what I said back there about jealousy was another assumption like that, but you agreed, so I figured that meant it was the truth since you know her better."

He found it quite odd how they were having a conversation about something like this, but he continued to scrub at his dishes as he responded, "So… You're apologising to me over simply connecting dots and putting pieces together? I honestly couldn't care less, my beloved Amami-chan."

Ignoring the nickname, the man simply replied, "Not exactly. I guess I just wanted to apologise for making the assumption around others. I know you like to keep certain truths close to your chest, so I'm apologising for disrespecting that is all."

Kokichi scoffed, "Seriously?" He tried to hide his disbelief, but it was more than obvious. He supposed he respected the man's motivations, but he just couldn't wrap his head around why someone would do that for him, a consistently disrespectful liar.

Rantaro shrugged, "I mean… Yeah, seriously. Also wanted to make sure you understood what I had said, I guess. Late night conversations right above me would likely be enough to wake me up, so… I'd just prefer you'd respect my sleep, yeah?"

He finished washing his dishes and placed them neatly with the breakfast dishes waiting to be fully cleaned, moving aside so the green-haired man could clean off his own plate. So… One, Rantaro was fully aware of his liking of Shuichi, and there was likely nothing Kokichi could say or do to change his mind, and, two, Rantaro was treating him like they were… well…

Kokichi's first hopeful thought was family?, but he quickly cleared that away. Rantaro was treating him kind of like… a normal friend. He couldn't understand it at all. Throwing around words like 'respect' and 'knowing' and talking so casually as Rantaro always did, it brought back Kokichi's observation of how odd everyone seemed that day.

"Tell me if I'm crossing a line by saying this, but I hope everything works out between you two." Rantaro added while he scrubbed at his own plate. He was being genuine, but… what would he care?

Again, he responded out of confusion, "You aren't going around talking about us, are you?"

The man shot him a quick amused glance, "I just told you I was apologising for suggesting such an assumption around others earlier, didn't I? Don't worry, I respect you and Saihara-kun's privacy. Seriously." He finished washing his dishes pretty quickly, then walked away without another word.

Kokichi wanted to be distrustful, to question Rantaro's motives, but as he stood in the kitchen staring towards the exit, he realised that that was his cynical self speaking again. Rantaro was just… treating him as a friend. Rantaro didn't hold the same grudges that Kokichi held with himself, so… Why would he treat him any other way?

He left the kitchen blank-faced, observing the few left at the dining table, Maki, Kaito, Ryoma, and Kirumi. He stopped by there briefly, calling out, "Hey, Momota-chan! Where's your sidekick, huh?"

The man turned to him, looking a bit surprised by his presence, but he quickly grinned stupidly like he always did, "Ah, looking for Shuichi, eh? I don't really know, actually. He's been pretty busy all day and I know he's still gonna be—" He was cut off by an angry glance from Maki beside him. "Huh? Did I say something?"

Maki shook her head, then shifted her gaze to Kokichi, "We don't know. That's all."

Kokichi just hummed, walking past them and leaving the room. It was obvious that whatever Kaito was saying Shuichi was busy with was not something Kokichi was supposed to know about for whatever reason. As much as he would've loved to pry Maki for answers, he was reminded of the assassin's comment the other day about how she wouldn't break Shuichi's trust. So… He respected that and just figured he'd find out later, as difficult as it was to push down his curiosity.

When he walked into the living area, he was immediately greeted by Kiibo, "Hey, Ouma-kun! I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in playing a game of chess with me!"

"Oh?" He turned his head to find Kiibo sitting at the tea-table, being the only one in the room. "What happened to Iruma-chan and Akamatsu-chan?" He asked as he wandered from the entrance to the dining room to over near Kiibo.

The robot hummed thoughtfully, "I actually don't know exactly where they went, but I know they left together." After a brief pause, he again prompted, "So? Would you play against me in chess?"

The request took Kokichi a bit off-guard, but he supposed he had nothing better to do. He threw his hands up behind his head and grinned cheekily, "I don't know why you'd want to do that, Kiiboy. My chess skills are far greater than those of your computer brain, y'know!"

So… Kokichi ended up playing chess with Kiibo at that little table that Kirumi and some of the others would often sit and drink tea at. He had scarcely sat at that table during his year there, part of him felt like he just couldn't join the others. It was always that thought of how he didn't belong…

"If I feel out of use and out of place, isn't it better I try to find my own place?"

One of the stupid things that had fallen from his mouth when Shuichi had found him on the roof. But all throughout the day, he hadn't felt that once. Even in the morning when he sat near Ryoma, even when he sat across from Kaede during lunch, and somehow, even then as he sat at that tea table playing chess with Kiibo.

"So… Ouma-kun, I know this may be an uncomfortable topic of discussion, but…" Kiibo started talking all of a sudden when they were only a dozen or so turns into the game. "Is it true that it's been a year? Is it true that a year ago was went all those terrible things happened?"

He gave the robot an odd look, snapped from his focus on figuring out where to move his next piece. "Why are you asking me?" He grinned his usual grin, "You have to know I'm just going to lie 'cause I like messing with you, right?"

"That may be true, but I will be honest and say that's not quite the piece of information I wanted to ask about." He watched carefully as Kokichi finally moved one of his pawns, waiting until it was his turn to elaborate, "See, I wanted to talk about a year ago, if that's alright with you, Ouma-kun."

Kokichi grinned and responded, "Why would I care?" As if he truly didn't care. Part of him wanted to be upset at the robot for bringing such a thing up, but he did realise that Kiibo had only been conscious for a few days at that point, so… the events of the game likely weren't that long ago at all for him.

The robot made his next move cautiously before starting to talk again. "Well, I've been thinking about it a lot. Specifically, I've been thinking about your trial. That is why I was hesitant to bring it up and first wanted to confirm that it's been a while at least before fully speaking."

My trial, huh? He thought, This ought to be interesting…

"Momota-kun told us everything. He told us that you said that… everything you did was to try and end the game, that you hated the game and didn't mean those cruel things you said when you were pretending to be the ringleader. I can't imagine that you could've been Iruma-san's friend and helped build me if those words weren't the truth, that you… you aren't a bad person."

Kokichi had spent the time Kiibo had been talking partially thinking of how to make his next move, and partially trying to understand what Kiibo was even trying to say. To him, Kiibo's words felt like old news, but he knew the robot hadn't had the sort of closure that everyone else had had months ago when he had been forced to acknowledge his actions.

"Yep! I'm just an innocent, little guy after all!" He grinned wide as he captured one of Kiibo's pawns, knocking it over a bit dramatically as he placed his knight in its place.

Kiibo frowned, whether at Kokichi's words, capturing of his pawn, or both, Kokichi couldn't tell. After the robot made his next move, he responded, "No, I know that's a lie. You clearly did bad things, Ouma-kun. I just wanted to tell you that, in the trial, I believed it. I believed that you were truthful in your last moments. Maybe it is my… robotic limitations, but I can not understand why you would've lied then, despite what the others said."

He continued when Kokichi didn't have an immediate response, "It makes me glad that I was correct, because I don't want to have to hate anyone except the ringleader who made us participate in that terrible game. Everyone seems to treat you as they had before everything got to its worst, so… that means they believe what you said then now too, right?"

Kokichi took another one of Kiibo's pawns with his knight, a bit disappointed that the robot was being so boring in leaving so many openings for Kokichi to safely take his pieces. But after removing the knocked pawn from the board, he found Kiibo's eyes waiting expectantly on him still. Of course, he had to answer the question.

He continued to grin his usual grin as he replied, "Guess it must, huh?" But he was quick to change the topic after that. "C'mon, Kiiboy, take your turn, and try to not make it super easy for me to take all your pawns, 'kay?"

"Ouma-kun…" Kiibo looked a bit annoyed by his attempt to avoid the topic. "I'm trying to be serious. I'm trying to understand. Tojo-san and Akamatsu-san talked to me a bit about their guilt when I asked, but what you did was different from them. And, as you said earlier, your irregular behaviour patterns—"

Kokichi cut off the robot at the mention of 'irregular behaviour' with a laugh. "Oh, c'mon, Kiiboy! Yes, yes, I know, what I did is far more terrible than what Tojo-chan and Akamatsu-chan did because I was crazy! And… And scared. 'Irregular behaviour patterns'? Yeah… Being a liar will do that to someone. If you're trying to ask me about my guilt, just do that."

The robot looked a bit taken aback, but nodded briskly in understanding, as if really taking note of the words. "Alright, I understand. Then, can I ask… How does the guilt of being responsible for the casualties of the fourth trial affect you?"

Again, he laughed, but it came out strained out of pure shock. "What?" He quickly adjusted the mask that had gone crooked, "Effects? Sheesh, I don't want to answer boring, science-y questions like that, Kiiboy! I thought you were just going to ask me if I had guilt for basically killing the two of them, not anything about effects. Just take your turn, Kiiboy… I suddenly don't want to talk anymore."

Kiibo seemed a bit confused by the response, but he ended up complying, giving another nod of understanding as he focused back on the chess game.

Kokichi supposed that, despite that unexpected ending, he didn't mind the conversation. In some ways, he was oddly glad for the conversation. To have someone acknowledge his actions for the first time in a long while… He would think it would bring back the crushing guilt, the terrible dread, the sickening regret— But… it didn't.

Kiibo, despite not having the few months that it had taken for the others to warm up to him and accept his motives and forgive his actions (somehow), was immediately acting as if he didn't need that at all, as if he had already done those things. No, instead of doing anything else, Kiibo had wanted to play chess with Kokichi.

Huh, he thought amusedly, Maybe Kiibo has his own 'irregular behaviour patterns'.

. . .

As the two of them continued to play chess, Kokichi tried to take it a bit easy against Kiibo, but found that the robot was clearly taking tips from him and trying to learn from his moves. He hadn't even thought of that, never would the idea of Kiibo wanting to learn something from him have crossed his mind, really, he didn't see himself as any sort of role model in any way for anything.

"You do a lot more than you realise. I've… I've taken tips from you, admittedly. I used to question if you were lying about your talent during the game a lot, but… after a lot of thinking, I think I've found you really did earn that title."

Shuichi had said that on the roof about his talent. What a stupid talent… It made him feel so useless, but maybe that was because he could never quite use it. He wasn't the leader, not anymore. There were no issues to guide the others through, no mysteries to figure out before even the detective could, no lives to save…

But… Could something as stupid as making purposeful moves in a chess game to try to teach Kiibo's robot brain some strategies count as using that talent?

Yeah. Maybe that was enough.

They had played two rounds, (Kokichi had obviously won both times), and Kiibo didn't look upset or disheartened by his losses at all. No, instead, he had seemed to enjoy every moment, looking quite impressed by how Kokichi had beaten him each round.

"My creator taught me basic rules for these kinds of games, but I've never had the chance to really learn to play games like these! I know you're going to make a joke about my brain just being a program, but learning these strategies even just by watching them be used on me, adding this information to my brain… It really makes me feel like I'm fulfilling my purpose as a robot that can be considered a person too!"

Kokichi smiled, then covered up that smile with his usual grin as soon as he noticed it, "That doesn't even make any sense, Kiiboy…" But that was a lie, he just couldn't think of something to say, because his only thoughts were ones of genuine happiness. He was glad that Kiibo felt happy, he was glad he could make Kiibo feel like he had a purpose.

The robot didn't look put off by Kokichi's comment though, instead he looked quite proud, "Well, that doesn't matter. It makes sense to me, and that's what matters! By the way, I'm going to keep playing and learning so I can beat you, okay? It may take a while to get all that knowledge, but I would like to compete in a friendly rivalry with you, Ouma-kun!"

He blinked, completely surprised by the robot's words, but he was able to easily crack a teasing grin, "Oh, yeah? You're really that certain you'd be able to do such a thing? And… 'friendly'? What does that matter?"

Kiibo smiled, "Well, if it's alright… I consider you my friend, Ouma-kun. Are you… not my friend? I don't want to be like the rivals who fight all the time and only care about winning, I want to be the rivals that are friends and help each other get better at the skill they are honing!"

"Friends? Rivals?" Kokichi scoffed, caught off guard by the statement, "What is this all of a sudden, Kiiboy? Y'know, all the times I've heard about 'rivals' in the past few months, it's been from Momota-chan's stories of his old pilot 'rival' that he was most definitely in love with. I can't take such a word seriously, it makes it sound like you're romantically interested in me, Kiiboy!"

Then… The robot laughed. "I only wish to form a platonic bond with you, Ouma-kun. I had no knowledge of this association of words, but I'll keep that in mind. I'll make it quite clear that I simply respect you as a fellow classmate to clear up any confusion!"

Kokichi could only let out a huff of laughter as he sat across from the robot and listened to his words of 'platonic bonds'. Why would Kiibo want to make friends with him? Because he played a couple games of chess with him? He couldn't understand it at all, all he knew was that it was obvious Kiibo was being quite serious, as the robot always seemed incapable of lying.

"Alright, alright…" He gave in to Kiibo's… Kiibo-ness. It would hurt him too much to turn down the proposal when Kiibo looked so proud and happy about the idea, and… It was harmless, right? Playing chess with Kiibo and being called his friend… Would it really hurt? "You want to think you can eventually beat me, go ahead. I suppose having a… chess rivalry gives me something to work on, huh? Yeah, I'll make sure you can't ever beat me, Kiibo!"

Kiibo's face lit up with shock, "K-Kiibo? Not… Not Kiiboy? Does this mean…?"

"You heard me," Kokichi said, making sure not to let the words sit for too long in the air. Instead, he flicked a stray chess piece that was lying on the table at the bot, hitting him square in the chest before bouncing off and hitting the floor, distracting the bot by making him have to scooch back and look for it on the floor.

Before the robot could sit back up with the pawn in hand, Kokichi decided to just… knock over the rest of the pieces. With a swift swipe, he knocked the cardboard chess board and all the plastic pieces on it to the ground.

"Hey! Ouma-kun… What'd you do that for?"

Kokichi grinned mischievously, "Whoops, my hand must've slipped!"

The robot clearly didn't believe this, and let out a sigh. "I don't understand you, Ouma-kun…"

The two of them started cleaning up the pieces, which Kokichi didn't mind doing at all. It was a good enough distraction for him. The last thing he wanted was to have to talk about more feelings with Kiibo when he knew very well what conversation was going to have to happen later with Shuichi.

The words on the note in his pocket remained in the back of his mind throughout the day, along with the contents of the conversations that had happened the night before with Shuichi. Conversations about feelings, and trust, and caring, and… falling. It was quite daunting to think about, but he knew there was no backing out of it. They did need to talk about what they said, what they… felt.

"I hope everything works out between you two."

Rantaro's conversation and friendly words from after lunch only made the truth so much harder to avoid. Kokichi had taken interest in Shuichi a long, long time ago, but for Shuichi's own interest to be obvious to anyone else, even if that was only Rantaro, it just made it that much more real. Even though Kokichi couldn't even start to understand why or how Shuichi would say such a thing to him so genuinely. To say…

"I think I've… fallen for you, Ouma-kun."

Shuichi deciding that Kokichi needed a whole day away from him before they could talk was absolutely killing him. Kokichi had seen him at lunch briefly, but they hadn't even made eye contact. So… He was left unknowing of where the man could possibly be, and, thanks to Kaito, also had some knowledge of him being 'busy'; what he was busy with or doing, Kokichi could only guess.

When he and Kiibo had finished picking up the chess pieces and chess board, Kaede and Maki had walked into the room, with Kaede asking about the four of them playing a card game. Kokichi was a bit taken off guard why he was included in that, but he agreed. Maybe playing a dumb card game would help take his mind off Shuichi.

Of course, the card game did no such thing, but a few others joined in after the first two rounds, and they ended up forming a far-from-perfect circle on the floor of the living area of eight people: himself, Kiibo, Kaede, Maki, Himiko, Angie, Tenko, and Ryoma. The three girls, Himiko, Angie, and Tenko, had joined a couple rounds into the game Kaede had chosen, then in the middle of the next round, Ryoma wandered in, asking to join.

Kokichi had no clue where the other six were, but he found himself not even caring so much as he sat currently in a game of charades of all things. It was stupid, but… he found himself having fun. Even though Kiibo was the closest to him there, he didn't feel out of place at all.

He took notice of how the other two there who could tend to be outliers seemed just as a part of the group as well, those two being Ryoma and Maki. Maybe there was something so simple about dumb card games that just removed any awkwardness or feelings of not belonging.

Eventually, they even played some sort of team game, and they ended up in two teams of four. His team ended up being, hilariously enough, him, Maki, Kiibo, and Ryoma, and then the three girls told Kaede to join them. It was a simple competitive game, which ended with his team winning, but… When the game had ended, and everyone had settled down from laughing, splitting into a few different conversations, Kokichi had felt like he was a normal person living a normal life in a normal world.

They had never had the chance in the game to get along like this, like… like a class. Kokichi had always avoided sticking around with the others during the year they had been stuck there, only ever really hanging around Miu until she would go off to hang around with Kaede. But… Miu wasn't even there, and… He was happy anyway.

Even Maki had been alright playing against Kaede and interacting with the three of them, clearly not having any less fun just because she wasn't by the other's side. It was odd seeing that side of Maki as well, to see her as just another normal person living a normal life as they played a normal game.

That's all they were while playing those games. All of them. They were just normal classmates playing card games and enjoying the company of others, even Ryoma, who always looked so much older and wiser than them because of his experiences, just looked young and happy like the rest of them.

Kokichi was a little sad it was over, but he knew that the games had lasted hours. Kiibo was talking to Ryoma and Kaede about something that Kokichi had tuned out, and the three girls were talking amongst themselves as they usually were, but Kokichi hadn't even noticed Maki for a moment when sat down next to him.

"Ouma." Her sudden, dull voice spooked him a bit, but he kept his reaction minimal.

"Harukawa-chan."

Maki let out a small huff as she examined his fake grin that he had pulled out only when she had spoken to him. A moment of just her sharp gaze looking him over later and she spoke again, "You're pretty good at dumb party games."

He wasn't completely confident that he had hidden his confusion well, but he did try to. He didn't know why Maki was even speaking to him, part of him wanted to give into that cynical side and scan her face for some sort of ulterior motive, but he was still in a good mood from the games, so he was able to push that temptation away pretty easily.

"So I'm finding out! You aren't half bad yourself, Miss Assassin."

Her straight face turned to a frown. "Do you really feel the need to bring that up all the time? I don't go around addressing you as 'manipulative asshole'. Typically, I just think you're annoying and sometimes a piece of shit, but I'm not going to bring up what's done and over with. Can't you do the same?"

Kokichi supposed he deserved the serious, angry response. He had never really thought about it much, but when Maki put it into words like that, he realised she was right. Bringing up the bad occurrences of the killing game was often treated very negatively, but Kokichi supposed he had become desensitised to it because of his own mind's tendency to remind him of what he himself had done.

Still… "Isn't that a bit of a lie, though? Is telling Saihara-chan that it was clear I hadn't changed not bringing up what's done and over with?" He grinned proudly at her look of shock, "What was it you said again? 'Don't let him get to you like that. It's probably what he wants.' Isn't that what you said? That doesn't sound like forgiving and forgetting at all to me, Harukawa-chan."

Maki let out a small sigh. A sigh of… shame. "You're… You're right. You're so damn confusing, so I said it to keep Saihara from getting himself hurt, because… I couldn't tell if that's what you were trying to do or not. …Sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

He blinked in shock, never in a million years expecting Maki to apologise to him, and so quickly too. Still, she was correct to do that. Maybe she wasn't so stupid after all. She was a perfectly reasonable person after all, wasn't she? He simply hummed in response, "Alright. I guess you can be forgiven, murder girl."

Her face went cross again, "Seriously? Is the nickname really necessary?"

Kokichi chuckled in faked nervousness under Maki's gaze, "Well, uh… Of course not! Harukawa-chan…"

She scoffed, a slight… smile resting on her face, out of… amusement. "I'm not going to yell at you, idiot. You're acting like I'm holding a knife to your throat or asking if you want to die or something…" Her smile fell to a straight face again, "I don't know if you noticed, but if I was angry at you, I wouldn't have chosen to sit anywhere near you. Just… stop bringing up my fake background, or I'll start bringing up your old behaviour."

Still not quite believing they were having such a conversation, he nodded in understanding. They sat in silence for a moment before he gave her an odd look, "Why'd you even sit near me anyway?"

Maki turned to look at him, again examining him. He was starting to wonder if maybe she was in the same shock that he was about her speaking to him, but was also capable of hiding her confusion behind a blank face. It… It made a lot of sense when he thought of it like that, actually.

"We both tend to be loners. Even if you're just going to deny it. I know what you are."

Kokichi hummed, intrigued by the observation. He couldn't deny it to himself, even though it was easy to crack an expected grin and reply, "Loner? Ha, I've got more friends than anyone here does! C'mon, keep up, haven't you heard about my robot organisation?"

She stared at him blankly. "...I'm remembering why I usually avoid you now." Then she turned her head away, seeming to be looking at Kaede as the blonde conversed with Kiibo and Ryoma. After a short pause she spoke again.

"Friends don't mean much though. Not about being a loner anyway. I have plenty of friends somehow. Doesn't change that I tend to stick to the outside. Mind my own business. Listen in. Observing. Noticing. I could be with friends. But I choose to be a loner most times. …I always thought you were just being a creep. I guess I didn't realise it was just the same thing I do."

The words sat in the air between them for a moment. Kokichi knew what she was saying, even if he didn't understand why. Maki was pointing out a similarity they had, something she realised she had in common with him, but why could she do that? Didn't she hate him? She had said she hated him. Did playing a few card games really make her change her mind? Although…

Kokichi supposed he couldn't quite bring himself to say he hated her and truly, fully mean it. To be quite honest, he hadn't felt that way for most of their time in the new world. But… He had liked the idea that someone like Maki could still hate him for what he did… It made hating his own actions and not getting over them easier.

Wow. That's it isn't it? He thought, finding himself shocked at his own realisation. So… If it means letting go of that hatred for myself, can I really accept that Maki… doesn't hate me? I don't know…

Mumbled from his blank face, Kokichi finally responded. "It'll take time. I… I'm not used to not having someone who completely and strongly hates me… y'know? But… You're a good person. I'm well aware that you left that behind in the old world."

Maki showed her shock and confusion that time. He had been expecting and kind of hoping for it. He knew whatever realisation or change she had had would take just as much time for her as it would for him. After a moment of examining Kokichi's face and then looking off to process the information, she replied.

"You're the only one who continued to hate and doubt me when everyone accepted me with open arms, weren't you?" She stared at him for a moment, as if just realising the answer to her question, then turned away again. "As foolish as you are, you were right to do that. But… It'd be even more stupid if you still held old feelings like that. And… I'm not trying to be that stubborn to do the same for you."

After thinking over her words and not having anything but understanding in response, Kokichi grinned, though not near as dramatic as his usual grins, and asked, "So what was your big change then, huh? First Saihara-chan, now you… There's gotta be a reason for all these dramatic opinion changes."

She thought the question over for a moment, then answered, "Don't tell him, but… It was Saihara. I was… disgusted when he first referred to you as a friend a few months back. I… I got into a small argument with him, but in the end, he didn't convince me to think any better of you. But recently…"

Maki trailed off, seeming to contemplate continuing, but seemed to decide against it. "No, I shouldn't tell you. I don't trust you at all. You're acting too… not like you usually do. Maybe you've actually changed, you probably have, but… It's like you said. It's going to take time. I don't fully believe it yet."

Kokichi grinned wider. He was alright with that conclusion. In fact, it made it a bit easier to understand if she could still look at him distrustfully like she always did. Plus, he could infer what she was saying even without the continuation. Shuichi was sharing with her his worries about Kokichi, Kokichi knew that much already, and seeing that must've been a factor in making her look at Kokichi a bit differently.

"Ah, you caught me!" He lied as if to prove her correct, putting his hands behind his head, "I was totally planning on ratting you out, anyway! Man… Maybe next time I'll have you totally wrapped around my finger like I have my beloved Saihara-chan!"

She frowned, but didn't say anything more, instead standing up and walking away.

Never in his life did Kokichi think he'd ever be able to think such a thing about Maki, but at the conversation, his first thought was… So I suppose I could call that progress between us, huh? He was, like everything else that kept happening, conflicted about the thought, but… part of him liked it. Part of him was finally glad to be crawling slowly out of the tunnel he had gone down long ago to hide away, where he thought he belonged.

Turns out, he was a person who belonged around other people just as much as anyone else there did. That thought still didn't completely sit right with him, but… in time. In time, someday, maybe it would.

Again, a word came to his mind, one he wanted to swat away for pestering so much. The word, the idea of… Family. A class… A class was a bit like a family, right? How couldn't they be after all they had been through? Still, he couldn't accept the word yet. Guilt… It never truly could leave him, or at least… not yet.

It was starting to get later into the afternoon, Kokichi could tell from the false sunlight above, and he wondered about later that night, he thought about dinner, he thought about after dinner, he thought about Shuichi's elusive self, he thought about the conversation Shuichi promised they'd have in the note from the morning.

Then… Kirumi left from the dining and kitchen area.

"Can I have some assistance? Everything is prepared." She called this out to the response of Maki and Kaede, as well as the three girls, and even Ryoma. They all stood up, as if they knew what she was referring to, walking right past her into the dining and kitchen area.

But Kokichi and Kiibo stood up only hesitantly, sending confused glances at each other before Kiibo stepped forward to address Kirumi. "Ah, do you want us to help too, Tojo-san?"

The maid looked between them, smiling politely, "No, not you two. Thank you for the offer, though."

The robot sputtered on his words, "Well, of course, but…" He trailed off when Ryoma exitted the area behind the maid carrying… something and the two left the living area completely, turning down the right hall. Then, all the others followed, carrying their own things, having muted conversations and sending odd glances at Kiibo and Kokichi as they walked past.

Kokichi watched just as frozen as Kiibo stood, absolutely confused by what just had happened. What… What had just happened? Had they all just… left? Surely enough, they had, in fact, all left, following Kirumi down the hall and leaving the whole place silent.

The robot was the one to break the silence, "Is… Is everyone gone?" He turned to Kokichi, looking far more confused than Kokichi did. Somehow… Kokichi had a… small hunch.

Still, he just shrugged. "I dunno. You wanna check all the rooms?"

Kiibo nodded, "I'll check the left hall for Iruma-san, and you'll check the right hall?"

So, Kokichi cautiously stepped towards the right hall, as if expecting someone to jump out at him to jumpscare him. It was only because of the unnerving silence. There were always sounds of life in the bunker, whether that was muted conversations from another room, the bathroom sink running, or the sound of footsteps, there were enough people living there that it was only near true silence when it was dark.

That silence was putting him more on edge than he would've liked, he couldn't shake the eerie feeling. He glanced into the open door to the bathroom. The room looked abandoned, but he couldn't be too sure. He flicked on the light switch and checked behind the door then behind the shower curtain before deciding that it was, in fact, empty.

He exited back into the hall, heading next into the bedroom. The first thing he noticed was that his boots and a few pairs of slippers were the only footwear near the entrance, which was odd, because rarely did more than two people leave home base at once, but it seems they all had left. Though, just for extra measure, Kokichi checked in every bunk, including his own, to find that there was no one there either.

Thoroughly confused, he left and returned to the living area where Kiibo waited for him.

"Iruma-san's lab was wide open, she only leaves it like that when she leaves, that's what she told me," Kiibo reported upon Kokichi's return, "So… I don't think she's here. And we saw all the other girls leave, so I doubt they are in their beds or the bathroom."

Kokichi crossed his arms, letting out a small sigh of disappointment. "Figures, figures… All the guys are gone, too. Checked the bathroom and the beds. Plus, everyone's shoes are gone, except mine. Clearly we're just the butt of some kind of joke, Kiibo."

"Did you see where Tojo-san went?"

He let out a huff of laughter, "I didn't need to. I know where they went."

The robot gasped, "Well, we should follow them, then! They probably wanted us to follow, right? Or… Maybe they just forgot to tell us something. Either way, we should follow them!"

Kokichi shook his head, grinning, "It's just like I told you, Kiiboy, we're just getting messed with! They left us out on purpose, no way every single one of them forgot we existed. Tojo-chan told us very clearly 'no, not you'. If they wanted us to join them… they'd have told us."

Kiibo looked like he still wanted to argue, but he seemed to realise that Kokichi was right. He let out a sad sigh of confusion. "I don't get it at all… Why wouldn't Iruma-san tell me she left? Why wouldn't anyone tell either of us? I don't mind being left out, but… It hurts that they couldn't even tell us what we're missing out on…"

He patted the robot's metal shoulder, grinning widely, "There, there, Kiibo! We'll be alright. We have the greatest opportunity in the world, y'know." His smile turned mischievous as he snickered, "We got left home alone."

The metallic man jumped back in shock, "What? No! Ouma-kun… I know what you are trying to imply, and I will not be making a mess of the place or whatever other cruel pranks and jokes you have in mind! Or… If you are trying to make a vulgar joke, I will not comply with that either!"

Kokichi burst out laughing, "Aww! I was looking forward to both, though! Boo, you're no fun, Kiiboy…" He looked around, finding himself a bit lost when there was no one around. He didn't want to leave Kiibo on his own, so going to his bunk and listening to music wasn't an option.

Kiibo looked under the tea table and pulled out the chess box, setting it on the table. "So… Since there's nothing to do… and no one else around for now… I challenge you to another round of chess!"

He turned and smiled at the robot. Then, he shook his head softly, "Alright. Let's play chess."

They had played through two rounds of chess, (where Kokichi had won both times of course), and had started their third game when something quite odd happened. Kokichi had been observing Kiibo as the robot scanned over his pieces and decided what to do. The robot had reached out and picked up one of his two black knights and nearly had the chance to set it down before—

"Hey, fuckers!"

Kiibo let out a yell, falling back in his chair and knocking over a few pawns when he did. Kokichi was shocked, of course, but the shock had likely been bigger for Kiibo since the grainy voice had come from somewhere on him. He quickly was able to stand back up, but not before jumping at the voice again.

"Hah! I can't hear you guys, but I know I must've got you real good, hahah!"

It was… Miu's voice coming from somewhere on Kiibo. Kokichi couldn't tell if it was a recording or a one-way radio, but either way, it was loud and quite disruptive, especially with Kiibo looking around frantically and yelping in panic whenever any sound came through.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't tell ya' sooner, Kiibo, but I might've installed a one way radio connection to ya' just in case anything ever happened and I need to get a hold of ya'. I didn't think it'd come in handy this soon!"

At the explanation, Kiibo seemed to calm down a little bit, taking his seat back at the table, picking up the pawns that he had knocked over and placing his knight back down without moving it. "She said it's one way? That's quite inconvenient. I wish I could speak back and tell her how rude that was."

Kokichi laughed at the upset pout on Kiibo's robot face, but was quickly shocked out of his own laughter when the speaker started up again, only giving them a barely audible warning click.

"Anyways! You two losers better get up here, 'kay? I'm waiting for ya'! But I can't tell ya' why, you just gotta come and find out, alright? And… I'm guessing Ouma stuck with you, right? Make sure to tell him that his boyfriend's dying to see him, hah!"

Another voice cut through the speaker. "Iruma-san, wh-what—?" But it was quickly cut off by Miu's voice.

"Okay! I'm done buzzing ya', Kiibo, so you better get up here!"

The cut-off voice that sounded through the hidden speaker on Kiibo between the sound of Miu's obnoxious voice was very clearly the concerned voice of none other than Kokichi's, as Miu called him, 'boyfriend', Shuichi.

Kokichi could only laugh, despite the look of bewilderment on Kiibo's face. It seems that his small hunch had been likely correct. Everyone had left the two of them out because… It was meant to be a surprise for them, wasn't it? Shuichi had been busy, alright; he had been busy planning something big, hadn't he? Kokichi only had a small guess as to what that could possibly be. But… Was it really possible that Shuichi had been planning a…

"Hey, Kiiboy," Kokichi grinned teasingly, "What do you know about parties?"

…a surprise party?

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