Chapter 1 - Too Far

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There was something wrong; either the world was to take the blame or he, but it couldn't have been him. He was the only one that wanted things to change topsy-turvy; maybe even for everything to turn into a complete mishmash: the less sense it made, the better. But, Kokichi couldn't come up with anything that satisfied his wild criterion.

The literature class was nearing its end, and the attentiveness of other students forced him to cloak himself with a murky shadow of diligence as well, though that was difficult; his thoughts shot back to the topic of D.I.C.E. and devising another series of increasingly more thrilling pranks each time. Their current record was pitiable: a mere compilation of repeated water balloon abuse, a smattering of graffiti making, and other shenanigans – likely the most insignificant, as his memory scarcely retained them. They were pathetic and Kokichi was ready to blame himself for this state; no one else in the group had any bright ideas, and that couldn't have been held as a grudge against them, since he picked them up and, as long as he remembered, cherished their company. But he didn't have any ideas either.

Once he felt tempted to tamper with Kaede's piano right before her performance; to glue some piano keys, perhaps to even mix them up somehow. If troubling Kaede failed, then he was willing to meddle with Chiaki's console and have her see something indecent – perhaps after suggesting a group gaming session. But neither those nor any subsequent considerations received his liking; everything seemed childish and wrong: not morally wrong, but personally, as he believed that he should be known for something much more extravagant.

''What a mess,'' he thought and looked around lazily, angry at everything and somewhat inspired to do whatever he pleased, though this spirit of liberty faded when he remembered his obligations to D.I.C.E. This time, it might have been childish on his part, but he certainly felt shackled by them like by nothing else.

His wandering eyes fell on the girl sitting nearby: Himiko; the supposed ultimate mage that rarely exhibited her talent and, in the instances that she did, it amounted to the least extraordinary and lamentably mundane: mere tricks and buffooneries one would expect an ultimate trickster to perform. However, her enrolling at Hope's Peak meant that her talent wasn't a sham; she couldn't have fooled the school's administration, so there was something about her – a secret that felt helplessly out of reach; an inconvenience which Kokichi couldn't tolerate.

He then glanced over Kazuichi and Mondo who were staring at the clock in anticipation of the lesson's end, while the teacher continued talking, almost to himself. When the bell finally rang, he, as the impatient students darted out of the class, informed whoever remained about the homework, slowly looking towards the door with an expression of defeat, as if hoping that everyone who had already left heard him.

Thinking about Himiko tempted Kokichi to pull out a mild prank. She was his regular target, not because of some old grudge, but because he enjoyed bothering her more than anyone else. The befuddled face and slight stutter with which she responded to him whenever he did something was pleasantly charming and entertaining. 



''Nyeh?'' Himiko said as she felt someone grabbing her hat. ''What are you-''


''Where are all the rabbits, pigeons or flowers?'' Kokichi asked while staring inside the hat and stretching its sides. 


''Stop! What are you – You will tear it! Give it to me!'' Himiko shouted, trying to seize her hat from Kokichi.


''Wwait! Himiko! Stop! I've found something...'' Kokichi said quietly as he peered further into the hat. Himiko reddened from bewilderment. 


''That's probably just my hair or something, now give it back!'' She shouted.


''Riddle me, riddle me ree, what could this be?'' Kokichi whispered and suddenly took his hand out of the hat and with it blew a bulb horn into Himiko's face. 


Himiko shouted and made several shaky steps backwards before tripping over chair. The few people present in the classroom ran up to Himiko asking her if she was hurt. 


''What the hell was that?!'' Fuyuhiko shouted and pushed Kokichi away. Peko immediately intervened and stopped him from doing anything else. 


''She's fine. I'm sure Kokichi's joke was not made with the intent to harm her,'' she said, although the tone of her voice suggested to the contrary. 


''Well, it did,'' Fuyuhiko blurted and walked away. 


''You ought to be more careful,'' Peko added and returned to Himiko. 


Kokichi stood still after Fuyuhiko pushed him and watched Himiko being helped to get up by Tsumiki, seeing the confusion in her eyes and then them meeting his. When that happened, he placed her hat on a nearby table and left the classroom without looking back. 



Indignation, guilt, and excitement fought for dominance in Kokichi's heart; he was indignant about, what he saw as, people's misplaced anger: it was an accident! Yet, he felt guilty for making Himiko his prank victim and not someone whom he actually disliked, like Nagito or Leon. But slowly the feeling of excitement that this event seeded in him lessened the strength of his other emotions. Himiko's shock, classroom's sudden silence, people's complete attention, Himiko's eyes meeting his: all of it exceeded his expectations. For the next week everyone will talk about him, only because of a small horn, he thought and mused what fame an even bigger prank could bring. 


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10/12/22: This chapter has been rewritten to expound on Kokichi's character. Subsequent chapters will be rewritten where necessary for now on.

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