Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 1 (A New Oumeno)

That Time When Kokichi Helped Himiko Find Her Missing Diary (7)

      Himiko looked blearily at her clock which read 1:15 a.m. She had slept through the rest of the afternoon, and even past dinner, causing her to feel even more miserable. She didn't want to get up, but she didn't want to starve, either. She reluctantly crawled out from underneath her blanket and trudged towards the bedroom door, her energy completely drained from her body.

   "Himiko?" a worried voice called out from the darkness. It was Tenko's voice from her side of the room. "Are you okay?" 

   "I don't wanna talk about it," Himiko mumbled, her voice hoarse. Without waiting for a response from Tenko, Himiko left the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. She was so caught up in her misery that she didn't even jump in surprise when she turned the kitchen light on and saw Kokichi just randomly sitting on top of one the countertops. It was as if he was waiting for her.

   "A-ha! I was waiting for you!" Kokichi said, leaping off the counter. "I knew you'd have to come down to eat eventually! Though, I didn't think it would take you THIS long." Himiko just stared at him with dead eyes. She wanted to be happy to see Kokichi, but the rottenness of the whole day overshadowed any amount of happiness that she wanted to feel. Plus, she still remembered what Kokichi had said to her right after talking to Fuyuhiko, which made her feel even worse. Trying to get rid of the awkward silence, Kokichi went over to the microwave and turned it on. When the microwaved beeped to alert that the time was up, he opened it up and brought out a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.

   "I saved some spaghetti for you," he said, placing the plate on the counter and pushing it in front of her. "It's what we had for dinner." He then handed her a pair of chopsticks, but Himiko didn't take them. She just stared sullenly at the spaghetti in front of her. Kokichi stared at her, waiting for her to accept the chopsticks. 

   "...I'm not hungry," she lied. At that moment, her stomach growled. Himiko blinked her eyes slowly in annoyance. *Stupid stomach!* she thought to herself. 

  "Nee-heehee...that's not what your tummy says," Kokichi replied, patting Himiko's tummy.  Himiko turned her head away and hung it. Kokichi looked at her with genuine sympathy. "Ahem...so...Himiko, I'm pretty sure I know who has your diary," he said, hoping it would get a reaction out of her. 

   "I don't care," Himiko responded  despondently. 

   "Huh?" Kokichi asked. 

  "I just...don't care anymore," Himiko repeated. 

  "But, what about your secrets?" Kokichi asked. "Are you just gonna let the culprit reveal them to everybody?"

   "It...doesn't matter," Himiko replied. "Why should it...for a nobody like me." A tear rolled down her cheek. Kokichi rubbed his arm awkwardly. Usually, he was blunt and harsh, even when he was trying to cheer up his peers. He didn't want to be that way with Himiko at this moment, so it took some effort to be sympathetic and kind. 

 "Er...listen, um, Himiko, what Leon said...you shouldn't think too much about it," Kokichi said. At the mention of Leon's name, Himiko began to sob. Frustrated, Kokichi gripped Himiko firmly by her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Himiko, listen to me," Kokichi said in a firm voice. "You're not going to stand here and cry and let someone like Leon break you down like this! You wanna know why he said what he said? He's jealous and bitter because you get to be who you want to be. Instead of being happy with who he is, he feels stuck. He takes it out on you because he sees how passionate and happy you are about your magic, and he can't feel the same way about his talent because he hates it." He paused here to wipe her tears away. "You're the Ultimate Mage, right?" he asked her. She nodded. "I said...you're the Ultimate Mage, riiiight?"