Little Do You Know

The Easiest Path Isn't Always the Best

His heart pounded as Kokichi landed on the windowsill below, bending his knees and trying to ignore the sharp pain sparking through his bones. He flattened his body against the window, his feet only just able to fit on the flimsy surface. This would be the one time he was thankful for his small, lithe stature.

Glancing into the classroom, Kokichi noticed the students and teacher staring at him in shock and confusion. He couldn't blame them. The embarrassment made him want to continue falling to the ground, but maybe they could help. Gently knocking on the window, Kokichi motioned to be let in and glanced upward, hearing shouts from his classroom.

A pale woman with black, ginormous twin curls in a gothic babydoll uniform slid open the window, allowing Kokichi to tumble inside and hurry to shut his unorthodox entry. "Aren't you that troublemaker from Class 53?" A woman with long, lilac hair asked. Kokichi recognised her as one of Saihara's coworkers, Kirigiri Kyoko - another Ultimate Detective.

"Yep!" Kokichi grinned, placing his hands behind his head. "Ouma's the name! I'll hand out autographs later!"

"How and why did you appear at the window?" A brunette with a point ahoge asked.

"Oh, there's a killer in my classroom," Kokichi shrugged nonchalantly. He hurried to the door and cracked it open, ignoring the teacher's demands for an explanation. Kokichi watched two police officers bolt upstairs in a hurry along with the security guard. Maybe Yamamoto-Sensei had a panic button beneath his desk and that's how they knew where to go.

Whipping around, Kokichi grinned and waved to the classroom. "Thank you so much for your kind hospitality but I best be off now! Toodle-oo!" Grinning, he slipped from the classroom and ran toward his. If the police were there, it'd be safe now, right?

His classmates peeked out from the two classroom doorways as Sasaki was led toward him in handcuffs. Kokichi hurried to sidestep, scrambling out of his stalker's vicinity. "Kitty! Don't think I'm leaving, I'll find you again!" Shivering, Kokichi ignored the man and bolted into the classroom, slamming the door shut.

A pair of arms wrapped tight around him from behind, making Kokichi shout and squirm in an attempt to free himself. "Ssh, it's okay," Saihara's voice whispered in his ear. Kokichi calmed his breathing and stopped fighting as Saihara held him. He could see everyone's eyes on him filled with pity and guilt. There was nothing Kokichi hated more. Now they'd treat him like a fragile porcelain doll as if every little move could kill him.

"I thought you... you know..." Saihara whispered. Guilt surged through Kokichi at the pain behind the detective's voice. "Are you hurt? Do you need to see the nurse?"

"I'm fine," Kokichi groaned. He glared at his peers until they returned to their lunches, pretending to ignore them. "Just a little sore..."

"Everyone back to lunch," Yamamoto-Sensei demanded. It wasn't hard to see everyone's travelling gazes toward the supreme leader as he approached his friends with Saihara. "Ouma, let's talk outside for a moment." Kokichi groaned, trying to gain control over the situation by acting childish as he usually did. Now he needed everyone to hate him again so they could forget about the situation.

As the door latched shut, Kokichi crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, windows still obscured by closed blinds. He stared at the ground like a teenager preparing for a lecture. "Are you in danger?" Yamamoto-Sensei asked.

"Not with him gone now," Kokichi mumbled. He just hoped the man would go to jail. Hopefully, his crimes were enough to get him arrested without Kokichi pressing charges, he didn't want to go through years of court systems and interrogations just to be told that he was the one to blame. Law enforcement tended to stereotype those in sex work whether they claimed to be unbiased or not.