The Fear of the Past //Saiouma (Pregame)

Chapter 28

The next morning, Kokichi did in fact go back to normal. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt his body, making sure everything was the way it was before.

He looked around, not surprised to see that he was still in Shuichi's room. He also saw his regular clothing folded neatly near by, something he was grateful for.

Shuichi himself was no where to be found, making Kokichi assume that he had already gone to breakfast.

After he had changed, he exited the room, locking it in the process. Shuichi most likely had the key as it wasn't where it usually would be.

Being a toddler had given him hunger, something that didn't happen often. So, he figured he might as well go eat breakfast. And even if he was too late, he imagined that Kirumi would still cook something up for him. If she wouldn't, he could use his limited cooking skills and whip something up.

He left the dorm area, slowly as to not raise any attention towards himself. If someone happened to see him exiting Shuichi's room, he would have lots of explaining to do. Then there's the fact that the others may think something's going on when there is nothing. He could just imagine what silly possibilities would come up in their minds.

He took a breath of fresh air as he walked, satisfied to see the outside after being trapped in a room all day. He quickly walked into the school, possible excuses as to why he was so late to breakfast. Although that wasn't something he should worry about that much. After all, he didn't go to breakfast daily like the others did. But just in case, he wanted an excuse.

He arrived to where the dining hall was, realizing something. 'Would they even be here? Angie's death happened here, I doubt that they would like to eat in the same room, much less eat there. But then again, they continued using the library even after Rantaro had died in there. Oh well.

He opened the doors slightly and quickly slipped in side, not really wanting anybody to see him enter. From what he could tell, they were discussing something. He quickly sat on the chairs, carefully to avoid the area that used to hold Angie's body. He placed the side of his cheek on his palm and smirked, facing the talking students who didn't seemed to notice him yet.

"Soo, what are we talking about?" The moment he spoke, everyone went quiet and turned to him, suprised to see him there so suddenly. "Heyy, what's wrong? Why did everyone stop talking?" Gasp. "Were you discussing on how to kill me? How could you! And here I thought we were friends." He made a hurt expression.

"No, it's not like that." Kaede replied, smiling apologetically. "We were just talking about what has happened until now and what we could do about it. Don't worry, you didn't miss anything."

Kokichi squinted his eyes in disbelief but then smiled brightly. "Okay, if you say so!" He turned to look at Kirumi. "Hey, go give me some food, yea?"

Kirumi bowed and stood up. "Certainly." She walked into the kitchen to prepare a plate for him.

Kokichi just smiled and looked down at the table, wondering.

'This is weird. We haven't recived a motive yet. That could mean a couple of things. One, Monokuma has no idea of what the motive could be, and is planning to present it the moment he actually figures out what it could be. Or two, the motive is bigger than usual and is taking some time to prepare, and if that's the case, a murder would be sure to happen. I could probably use this to my advantage depending on who it is.'

Kokichi's thoughts were interrupted as a plate of food was gently placed infront of him. He looked up in suprise to see Kirumi bowing and heading back to her seat. He muttered a thanks that was barely audible, and got to eating.

The others were gone by the time Kokichi was done, including Kirumi. "Of to do their own things, hm?" He muttered as he stood up to clean his plate. He entered the kitchen and walked over to where the sink was. He smiled softly as he remembered the piece of evidence found there.

He looked at his plate after he had finished washing it, frowning slightly. It wasn't as clean as the others were, but he had tried his best. He shrugged as he placed it with the others, not really caring anymore.

He dryed his hands and left the kitchen, humming a soft melody. He was in a surprisingly good mood, although it probably had to do with him turning back to normal. He had also noticed how Miu avoided looking at him all throughout breakfast, giving Kokichi a few ideas on how to mess with her.

He looked up at the nearest monitor, a frown on his face. A motive not being presented yet had him worried, but he really didn't need to. He knew sooner or later that the motive would come.

"Ding Dong Bing Bong. This is a official announcement. Please gather to the gym quickly."

"Speak of the devil." He muttered as he quickly left the dining hall. Even if he was annoyed, he couldn't help but smirk slightly. 'Wonder what he'll have in store for us.

Since Kokichi was right beside the gym, it didn't take long for him to enter the gym, meaning he would be the first to enter. Upon entering, he realized that he wasn't the first one there, making him think that others were in the area. He grumbled slightly as he went to his own area and stood.

Slowly but surely, the remaining students began coming in. Soon, all of the students currently alive had arrived, meaning that Monokuma was sure to present himself too.

As if on cue, they soon heard the unmistakable laugh of the one who brought all of this suffering upon them.

"Well, seems like everybody's here!" Monokuma clapped his hands excitedly, his red eye glowing. "Any guesses for what I brought you here to do?" As he asked that, he was directly looking at Shuichi, mostly because he was the detective around these parts.

Shuichi noticed that Monokuma was looking at him specifically, expecting for the answer to come from him. He looked around them, possibilities popping up all over his brain. His eyes lit up when he figured it out, but at the same time he seemed to sulk. "Is this because you have a motive planned out for us?"

Monokuma's smile seemed to widen, if that was even possible. "That's right! I have an extra juicy motive planned out for you all! One that will surely get you to kill!"

He hopped down from the stage and began to walk among them, looking at each and everyone of them in turn. He stopped at the front and spread his arms wide. "Today's motive includes the following: One of you," he points at the students. "Will be chosen to see others differently!"

Kokichi choked on air. 'That sounds awfully similar to my motive. It probably won't be the same.. unless'

He saw Shuichi from the corner of his eyes and couldn't help the despair that made its way into his expression. 'No no, it can't be him. I wouldn't. I can't. I don't want him here.'

Monokuma seemed to be the only one that saw Kokichi's despair filled expression. "Let me explain. One of you will see everybody else differently. I'm not saying what they'll see, or who it'll be, but just know that it exists."

The bear started walking towards the exit, waving them goodbye. He stopped, but still didn't turn around. "Let's see how well you sleep at night now."

The students looked at each other wearily, basically saying that they should discuss it later. They slowly began to walk away, soon leaving Kokichi alone in the gym.

Kokichi nervously grabbed his arm and looked down, feeling tired. Even if Monokuma had made it clear that it wasn't like his own motive (he hoped it wasn't), he couldn't brush off the awful feeling that something terrible was going to happen. All he could do was sit still and hope for the best.

He smirked confidently. "Did you really think I'll just sit here and cry about it?" He looked up at the nearest camera, spreading his arms the same way Monokuma does. "In your dreams."