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

Chapter Twelve: Warmth and Pain.

    ( Edit: 04/24/19: I'll get the next chapter up soon. I'm still working on it. I'm sorry for slow updates. )

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Hello, everyone! So, I finally finished the chapter. It's pretty late when I'm getting around to posting this. I was going to try and get it up in the morning, but I decided to put it out tonight.
I'm so tired right now, so I'm about to pass out. 

Thanks so much for the support. <3 It means a lot to me.

___

After having a rather personal talk with S/N, the rest of the work day went smoothly—technically. The store was no busier than usual, or less packed than usual. There were no fights, gossip, or unpleasant interactions; everything was fine. However, I couldn't manage to settle down. Uncertainty and regret swirled within me, and my chest felt tight. Despite all this, I did everything I could to keep it together—to keep S/N from noticing how upset I still was. Even after it appeared like we had settled things, I couldn't free myself from the despair that was pulling me under. 

"Hey, ___!" S/N yelled, entering the kitchen. "I've got some pretty good news!"

"Hm?" I muttered out a response, still facing towards the oven with a blank stare.

"I got a response from Kaito."

At that, my entire body turned rather quickly. I looked towards S/N, noticing the smile smeared upon her face. Despite everything, she always managed to smile and appreciate every good thing that came her way; that was rather admirable.

"Really?" I asked, curiosity within my words. "What did he say?"

"Well, he said he's willing to hear us out," she said. "Though, he isn't so sure he wants to publicly meet with us yet."

"I can't really blame him for being cautious; but, how are we supposed to chat then?"

"Video chat, duh," she replied, pointing her index finger in my direction. "So, I say we do that tonight at your place. I sort of gave him your information, soooo..." She laughed lightly, rubbing the back of her neck. "You might have a request from him."

"Well, that's fine I guess," I replied, a sigh escaping my lips. "But you need to learn to ask before doing things." I placed my hands upon my hips, focusing my attention on S/N's still bright, smiling face. "Since Shuichi is coming over to my apartment tonight, we may also be—"

"I was just about to tell you to invite Shuichi!" She interjected, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. "We will probably need him in order to convince Kaito of who we are and how we're involved in all this."

"I agree, but do you think Shuichi's going to be up for that?" I asked, a wave of uncertainty washing over me as my eyes shifted downwards. "I mean, I'm sure you realize why I invited him over to my place tonight..."

"Oh, right," she replied, her voice much calmer than before. "So, you're planning on breaking the news to him, huh?"