Desperate times call for desperate measures

•Chapter 4•

  "Oi, you getting up?" Kokichi had fallen asleep on the train, eventually getting bored of humming and letting his eyes close until they arrived. Shuichi had nudged him and made reference to the bus, which made him smile. As Shuichi picked up his backpack, it then suddenly dawned on him.
   He didn't have anything.
   "Hey, Shumai...I didn't bring a bag." They departed the train side by side.
   "Oh. Right." Clearly Shuichi didn't know what to do about this either. Shuichi knew they were supposed to stay for a week, so he brought a large bag, but Kokichi never considered bringing anything, "I thought you knew what we were doing..."
   "Don't make fun of me, Shumai! You'll make me cry!"
   "Ah..sorry!"
   "You will be!"
   They left the train station and sat by a nearby bus stop, thinking about what they were supposed to do about Kokichi's lack of supplies.
   "I could just buy things?" He suggested.
   "Where did you get money from?" Shuichi replied.
   "I stole it."
   "...You do realise who you're talking to, right?"
   "Kidding! I have a job. I'm a driving instructor."
   "Seems unlikely, but I guess I have nothing else to believe, do I?" Shuichi sighed, "You need to remember this isn't a leisure trip. We're investigating a murder."
   "Yup! The only reason I agreed is because this is just like the movies! The hero-villains team up!" The bus pulled up.
   "This isn't a movie. People are actually losing their lives. Why are you so cheery about this?"
   Kokichi was actually petrified, but he couldn't be perceived as weak, especially in front of the detective. He could act professionally, but that was boring. He knew he shouldn't be this happy about murder...or be using their valuable investigating time to buy clothes, but he pretended like he didn't care about all of that. He would act professionally during the actual investigation though, he told himself that.
    It was about 2pm when they arrived in Kawaguchi, and investigating started early tomorrow morning, so after booking the hotel for a week, they went out looking for essentials for Kokichi, as well as food.
    "Oh damn!" Kokichi held up a black pencil skirt with a slit in it, "This looks great!"
    "Remember, we're getting clothes since you didn't bring any. This isn't a shopping spree."
    "Yeah, yeah." Kokichi pressed the skirt to his waist and looked in a nearby mirror.
    "I'm serio-"
    "I love it!" He flung the skirt into the shopping trolley along with the cheap comfortable clothes he had found earlier.
    After they paid, Shuichi wobbled a bit.
    "You good, Shumai?" He asked.
    "Yeah...just a little lightheaded..." Then it hit him.
    "OH RIGHT YOU DIDN'T EAT TODAY!"
    "Yeah..let's go back to the hotel and we can have lunch.."
    "And later I'll treat you to dinner! Because I feel bad for you, Shumai, you need some rewind time!"
    "No, I'll treat you to dinner."
    "Oooh, Shumai!"
    "Don't get it mixed up. I feel so guilty. You're not even a detective, and I've roped you up in a situation that could get me suspended or worse you kil-" Shuichi stopped and turned to Kokichi and panted. He was talking too fast again. It got to his head.
    "Hey," Kokichi's smile switched up again. It was that smile full of empathy again, "Take a breath. You're getting yourself worked up. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."
    "But I still don't want to be responsible for your death. I just said it on impulse and now it's too late to go back, because I realise now how stubborn you are."
    "Ouch, insulting me while apologising to me." Kokichi chucked, but not like his usual chuckle. This one was soft, warm. Like a hug. He touched Shuichi's shoulder, "I'm only playing. I'll be fine. I guarantee it. I will, however, let you pay for dinner. Delicious!"
    And even though Shuichi knew he shouldn't, he smiled. He still felt bad, but Kokichi was adamant he shouldn't feel that way. He hated himself for this one decision. And there wasn't any going back. Images of Kokichi being injured flashed in his mind and he swallowed deeply. It would be all his fault.
   Kokichi took his arm and walked him back to the hotel, where they made lunch.
   Even lunch didn't make him feel any less light headed than he did before. He still felt dizzy and sick. This is going to ruin him.
   Kokichi, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. He believed he was responsible for his life and his life alone, and if he wasn't an idiot he wouldn't have accepted the invite in the first place. Yeah, Kokichi offered to do anything Shuichi told him if he guessed a riddle, but he could easily go back on that if he really wanted to. He agreed to this, so it was his fault.
  No matter how many times he told Shuichi this, he wouldn't believe him.

  Day grew to night pretty quickly and before they knew it, it was time for them to go out for dinner.
  Shuichi felt slightly unprofessional going our for a leisurely dinner date with his business-partner-but-not-business-partner, but Kokichi insisted he needed some time to distract him from the pressure of the case. Shuichi flipped through his phone while Kokichi got changed in the bathroom, since he was very persistent about wearing his new skirt. (Shuichi had told him that his D.I.C.E uniform looked fine but Kokichi was being a brat about it.)
  A message appeared at the top. Kirumi.

Hello, Shuichi. I knew you would be busy these upcoming days so I just wanted to text you now before you pursured the case. Good luck on that, by the way! Just take it easy before you start. You have a lot of work to do.

   Shuichi grinned. He and Kirumi may have been great friends, yes, but they spoke so formally, as if they were just collegues.
   He gulped. He knew he had to tell someone.

Hello, Kirumi. Thanks for the luck; I appreciate it! I just have to admit something.
I enlisted the help of the prank caller on this case. He has an identity. I dragged him into a murder case.

  "I'm reaaadyy!" Kokichi emblazoned his skirt dramatically, with spins and everything. Shuichi out his phone away and cracked a smile. He couldn't quite place how he looked in his head, but he definitely looked at least pretty. He suited skirts, "Let us traverse to the restaurant Shumai!"
   Shuichi felt a bit weird compared to Kokichi. Along with the pencil skirt, he accompanied it with a white-to-orange gradient shirt, and he even dabbled some of Shuichi's eyeliner on. Shuichi was wearing what he was before; a shirt and jeans. He felt a bit out of place next to him, but whatever. He was excited to finally release the pressure of this case, no matter if he didn't look professional enough.