10:55 AM

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Kamukura had noticed something was off with Komaeda the moment he stepped foot into the library.

With a quick flicker of his eyes he instantly gathered data. He was late, his figure was slightly shaking, sweat had gathered around his brow, his face had paled considerably from minutes ago, his hair and clothes had been further ruffled, and he was trying to act okay. Something had, without a doubt, happened outside of his peripherals.

Due to the time frame, witness account, and location most outcomes for this reaction were immediately crossed off meaning whatever happened wasn't a what but a who. The only odd thing is nobody had bothered Komaeda since Kamukura had dealt with it. There was a few select people who would've but he needed more pieces to understand the big picture. To decide who— and dealing with it would be another matter all together.

Feeling his ultimate detective and ultimate analyst talents come together he deduced all of this and more within seconds. The best possible outcome was to follow Komaeda's lead. If he wanted to properly handle this situation and gather the needed information he had to pass the cards along. So without missing a beat, to the unspoken but tentative tango he was now playing, he consciously allowed his face to melt into a warm expression (albeit it feeing strangely off. Maybe his ultimate actor talent was lacking somewhere?)

As usual he invited Komaeda to return to his position leaning on his chest and went right back to petting his hair. However despite sitting there, enjoying Komaeda's presence, he felt his mind far away. The facts and numbers were swimming through his head forming theories and unravelling before his eyes faster than time allowed most. The bell was set to ring soon and Kamukura had no intentions of personally going to class. His priority was Komaeda and he had a lot of places he needed to check— his thoughts came to a grinding halt when he saw something he didn't usually miss.

A single long strand of blond hair had poked through the wrinkles in Komaeda's jacket when the boy had moved to snuggle closer to Kamukura.

Within milliseconds his suspect list dropped to only one person— Junko Enoshima. He was almost disappointed by how fast he figured it out but (un)luckily the mystery wasn't over quite yet. Junko shared the same mathematics class as him and he knew she would be expecting him there so now he had to attend. With that decision made the bell had sprung.

As Kamukura walked Komaeda to class he couldn't help but feel off somehow. Something wasn't right and this unease seemed to only grow as they got closer to their classes. Komaeda still had yet to notice this abnormality as he continued to ramble on about hope.

"Are you okay?"

Komaeda suddenly jerked and Kamukura would've to if he wasn't so focused on his bodily reactions as of right now. "Huh? Of course I'm okay, Kamukura-sama! How could I not be okay when you're here with me?" Kamukura wasn't sure what he meant, he hadn't even meant to say something so ridiculous in this situation. Strange, how very strange of him, why didn't he know? Kamukura pondered this before simply settling on "we're here" not quite ready (or ever ready) to admit to his faults. Komaeda looked up and indeed they were right in front of his class.

"I'll see you for lunch" he simply stated as he walked away. Intending to have a very direct talk with Junko Enoshima on what she was planning.

~

He did not have a very direct talk with Junko Enoshima on what she was planning.

He had spent most of his classes pursuing her for answers and all she did was talk circles around him. She spoke of things that didn't make sense, like a nonsensical tune from a Disney villain. She went on and on about heart throbbing desire and... love? He desisted when she kept coming too close for comfort and touching his body. He had nearly reverted to his old mechanisms and flung her across the room— but Komaedas words rang in his head stopping him "don't leave me, please..." If he exhibited any violent or hostile behaviour again he would be suspended, possibly have his publicity privileges revoked. He could easily side step these minor obstacles, they weren't stopping him, Komaeda was. His actions affected his loved ones. So he sulked, he sulked all the way to a dark corner in the schools washrooms for the majority of his morning.

Glaring at any student who came in, ultimate or reserve course, with glowing red eyes in the bathroom where he had turned off any and all lights. He was well aware he was scaring even the staff who would alert his teachers but he didn't want to deal with anyone after Junko Enoshima.
The phantom feelings of fingers trailing and the gross lipstick stain never seemed to leave, no matter how many times he had scrubbed his skin raw red in the schools bathroom. He could still feel Enoshima on him.

It took staff having to track down his friend Kotoko Utsugi so she could coerce the older boy out of the bathroom.

Everything seemed to lowly ache and throb now, it wasn't a physical feeling but it was an uncomfortable sensation. It wasn't painful so he paid it no mind as he walked up to greet Komaeda after class. 'This will take longer than previously calculated' he dully noted as he learned against the wall outside the classroom door.
A rush of students came out with the bell and he wondered if maybe he could find someone close to Enoshima in this crowd. She had a twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba, maybe he could acquire the needed information from her? Unlikely, she was devoted to her sister, but still a worthy possibility.

As he turned his head his eyes met Komaedas who had been standing there staring. It wasn't an unusual sight, quite the contrary, and perhaps that could be seen as boring but for the oddest reason Kamukura found it... comforting, strangely domestic even.

"K-Kamukura!" Komaeda began blushing and smiling like the lovestruck fool he was and before he knew it he felt all his previous stressors ease from his body. Komaeda happily skipped up to him and gave the smaller boy a warm hug. Kamukura still wasn't used to physical affection but did his best to reciprocate the love by awkwardly patting his arm.

All too soon they fell into familiar conversation— sure Kamukura had to lie a bit, he loved Komaeda, but if he knew what Kamukura was doing he had a well known streak for interference. As their voices came to a lull so did the ones in the hallway.

Without much thought Kamukura and Komaeda walked along the empty corridors, all the way to his locker.

He noticed Komaeda shaking, his face beginning to pale, and the way sweat started to gather around his brow. Just like this morning. He wanted to pretend everything was fine, he knew that was the best way to go about this. At least until he had a well versed and well researched hypothesis on the situation. But at the same time... He reached forward and squeezed Komaedas hand "I know you won't tell me what's going on." He hoped it would comfort Komaeda but lately he didn't seem to even understand his own words. Only Komaeda would do that, huh?

Kamukura didn't have a lot in his life, most of it had been taken away out of fear, but this was one of the very few things he was allowed. So he tried to take advantage of the space to his best abilities. Even if it was just to grab a coat it was something and one of the hard lessons he had learned since enrolling as a student was that 'something is always better than nothing.'

However as he clicked in the digits and his locker door swung open and a hundred pink envelopes came with it he felt those words of wisdom slip.

As the envelopes fluttered to the ground he found himself mentally falling alongside them. Enoshimas breath against him as she spoke of love, Enoshima touching him, Enoshima kissing him. All the sensations he had so desperately scrubbed away that same morning came tumbling forward with such a violent velocity he couldn't even begin to comprehend any of this information if he wanted to.
His vision seemed to collapse into a tunnel as he silently picked up a single pink envelope. Junko Enoshima was practically written all over it with that neatly sealed shut bright red kiss sticker. It stared up at him teasingly and he heard Enoshimas phantom voice in his ears, manipulating him even when she wasn't physically there, 'I know you want so much more than that boy toy, Izuru-chan~"

Rip

He stared blankly at the two halves of the envelope. He hadn't even processed his hands harshly moving to tear the wretched thing apart but all he could think in that moment was...

"Disgusting."

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