Wistful Warmth. (After Game! Kokichi x Reader.)

Chapter Fifteen: Lies and Disappointments.

I know it's been a really long since I've updated. I'm sorry about that. Between work, being depressed, and lack of inspiration I haven't gotten anything out. I do intend on finishing this story. I can't say how long it'll take. Thank you for sticking around. <3

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The next morning, I woke up a bit late. Due to the stress from the investigation and the stress from worrying about my reckless roommate, I had crashed pretty hard. If it weren't for Kokichi, I probably would have slept in a bit longer. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have found all the stuff we found. I owed him breakfast at the very least.

"Alright, we need to get going soon," I said, swiftly placing a plate of pancakes in front of him. "So, eat up."

"But, don't we need to go over the stuff you guys found yesterday?" He asked, poking at the food on his plate.

"I messaged Shuichi, S/N, and Maki. They're meeting us after hours at the bakery, so we can go over everything."

"Can I take a look beforehand? I'm really curious about what you found," he said. "Was it...worth my trouble?"

"Curiosity killed the cat," I replied, before letting out a deep breath. "Yes, but please relax for now, okay?"

"Fine." He shrugged his shoulders and began eating.

After the two of us finished breakfast we left for work. The day went by rather smoothly, yet slowly. Kokichi seemed rather distracted. He didn't really say all that much to me. Perhaps he was worried about our findings? My intention was to wait until later so he wouldn't have to worry so much, but maybe I had made things worse by holding off.

"Hello, ___," Shuichi said, entering the store with Maki trailing behind him.

"Hey, guys," I began, turning my full attention towards Maki. "Kaito's not with you?"

"I left without him. I''m not so sure involving him in this investigation is a good-"

"Hey, hey," a familiar voice sounded behind us. "I made it."

"K-kaito?" Shuichi said, a bit caught off guard.

"You followed me here," Maki said bluntly. "You realize that's a bad idea, right?"

"Come on, Maki. It's not like anyone followed me. Keebo helped me escape without any fans noticing me."

"With that half assed disguise?" Maki spat.

"You guys aren't going to just leave me out of the fun, are you?" Kaito whined. "Maki-R-"

"Stop."

"O-oh yeah." Kaito rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Maki."

As Maki and Kaito continued arguing about Kaito's safety, Shuichi's eyes met mine.

"Where's S/N?" Shuichi asked.

As if on cue, S/N entered the building looking rather tired.

"Sorry if I'm late..."

"It's alright," I said. "We haven't started yet."

"What's with all this paper?" Kaito, seeming rather confused.

"These are addresses to places that should be relevant to the killing games," Shuichi said. "We stole them from Tsumugi."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Kaito asked. "Are you guys planning on breaking in?"

"That's why I didn't want you following me, you idiot," Maki replied. "Yeah. We want more information."

"I can't say I really get it, but..." Kaito rubbed the back of his head. "You all seem serious about this, so if you need my help with anything just tell me what to do."

"Just listen quietly for now," Maki said.

"Audition building, V3 set, and...." I squinted my eyes slightly, confused about what was written next,"...V2?"

"The 52nd killing game," Shuichi and S/N said in unison.

"I thought it was a simulation," I said. "Why are there sets?"

"Those sets were created as models for the simulations," S/N replied. "After the games, they held tours around the building and people would spend money to stay the night."

"I see," I replied, my eyes glued to the paper.

"Where do we start?" Kokichi chimed in.

"How about....V3?" I asked, a bit of hesitation in my voice.

"You can't go there," S/N stated with conviction.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because they still hold tours in that building," she replied. "There is heavy security."

"That doesn't sound good," Shuichi said. "If they recognize any of us it would be bad."

"...Yeah," Kokichi muttered.

"Just go to the audition building," S/N said. "That's where everything began for you guys."

Even though none of us expected Kaito to be involving himself in our plan, he immediately proved himself useful to us. Since Kaito had followed Maki in one of his more plain, yet large cars, it made things much easier for us. We all climbed into his vehicle, which was rather comfortable. Kaito was driving while Maki was in the passenger seat. The rest of us piled into the back seat which had just enough space for us to sit comfortably.

We had decided that now was as good of time as any to check out the audition building. It was starting to get late, so we stopped by our apartment complex to quickly gather a few supplies before finally heading towards our destination.

When we arrived at the address written on the paper, we were all dumbfounded by what was before us; a fairly small building that was barely anything more than rubble.

"Is this really it?" I asked.