Little Do You Know

A Gorgeous Kitty in a Not-So-Gorgeous Home

Silence filled the room, aside from Saihara's tapping as he typed away on his laptop. The two tried to finish their homework, with Saihara being more attentive than Kokichi. Kokichi scribbled on a blank page repeatedly. Each time he thought he had a great idea for his mini-essay, he'd write it down and find that the words didn't make sense. He hated it. They made sense in his head, he'd be able to explain what he meant verbally, but writing everything?

Kokichi stared at the lined paper filled with scribbles of failed attempts. He groaned, scrunching it into a tight ball and chucking it toward the small bedroom trashcan. The man chuckled at it bounced off the rim and rolled. Something about throwing his failures away was fun. "Please don't make a mess, Ouma."

Turning to Saihara, Kokichi pouted. He'd never seen Saihara so serious, he refused to break his gaze from the laptop screen. Whining, Kokichi rolled off his bed and trudged toward the trash can. Picking up the paper ball, he chucked it directly into the can and turned to frown at Saihara. "Happy, Dad?"

"Thank you," Saihara muttered, still having not broken his concentration. Grinning, Kokichi jumped on Saihara's bed, resting his chin atop the detective's laptop and straddling his knees.

"Why are you so obsessed with keeping things clean?" Kokichi noticed the man's eyes flick to meet his before he hurried to continue working. His cheeks seemed to flush a faint pink, only noticeable due to their proximity. That wasn't abnormal, Saihara sometimes grew flustered or embarrassed when Kokichi would cling to him. Secretly, Kokichi wanted an excuse for physical contact.

"My parents raised me that way, I guess," Saihara mumbled.

"Mine did too, but I don't give a shit!" Kokichi whined. He didn't like things being dirty either, but Saihara was a damn neat freak. His half of the bedroom didn't have a speck of dust out of place. At least Kokichi's side was organised clutter.

A knock interrupted the boring conversation. Kokichi jumped up and leapt to the door, swinging it open to reveal the last person he expected. "Mum? She smiled, the scent of freshly baked cupcakes wafting through the air. He glanced at the tray in her hands to see fifteen cupcakes all decorated with different coloured frosting. "I thought you went home..." How long had she been at the dorms?

"That's what I wanted you to think," Kokichi's mother chuckled. "One of your classmates, the one with sandy-coloured hair?"

"Tojo?"

"That's them! Oh, I never got their pronouns," she hummed.

"She/her."

"Ah, okay! Well, she helped me make these for everyone!" Kokichi's mum held the tray higher in the air, resting against her waist. "For all of your future friends!"

Kokichi rolled his eyes with a groan. "Mum, I swear to God!" No, he'd never become friends with everyone. Who would want to befriend a liar like him?

He stepped to the side, letting his mum step into the dorm. "Ah, Saihara! Would you like a cupcake?"

"Hm?" Saihara glanced up from the computer, eyeing the woman and food. "Oh, ah, s-sure!" She stepped closer, lowering the tray to let him pick one. The detective grabbed one with dark blue frosting, thanking the woman profusely.

"It's no problem Saihara, I hope you enjoy it."

"Mum, you just poisoned him!" Kokichi cried as Saihara bit into the cake, frosting dotting the tip of his nose.

"Tojo told me that Chabashira has a nut allergy, Kiibo can't eat and Gokuhara is lactose intolerant. Is there something I missed?"

Saihara shook his head with an amused smile. "Ouma's lying. This is great, thank you!"